6787126f-ce81-4258-8d2c-bf9179dcf9fc

REGRESSOR INSTRUCTION
MANUAL
– 회귀자 사용설명서 –
-AUTHOR-
흙수저
-ILLUSTRATOR-
이유 / eu
[ Himbo | Dirty Trash Alley | Active

Translations ]
(Compilation of traitorAIZEN's epubs)

– STORY –
–Winner of Joara 2019 Novel Of The Year–
One day, I was summoned to this world.

Beasts poured out, and an incredible crisis
came.
My talent couldn’t have been worse.
[The player’s talent level is at rock bottom.]
[Almost all the numbers are hopeless.]
Whether chosen warriors or talented
wizards.
Whether you’ve gone back in time.
You have to take advantage of everything in
order to survive.
“What about tr*sh? What can you do to
survive?”
– GENRE –
Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy
Mature Psychological Seinen
CHAPTER 1
MY TALENT LEVEL IS BELOW
AVERAGE (1)
[Start the tutorial.]
“What is this…”
I spat out curses while I looked around at the interior of a darkened

structure.
In the dim light, I could see some unknown patterns.
It was a completely different shape than any building on Earth. It was

the irst time I’d ever seen anything like it, so naturally, my mouth fell
open.
I’ve never been inside a pyramid, but I’m sure it would look like this.
In this unrealistic situation, I took a moment to roll my eyes.
My last memory was of eating with my sister.
‘What happened? What the hell… ’
If I recall, it was like this.
I got an unfamiliar Kakaotalk message on my phone.1
-Do you want to join the game?-

I thought it was a game invitation from a friend, and I just clicked the
button without thinking about it.
That was it.
That was the only thing I could remember.
My legs were trembling. I couldn’t comprehend the situation.
Suddenly, I found myself somewhere I’d never seen before in my life.
It was no wonder that I couldn’t understand it.
What stood out was the atmosphere here.
It was like a horror movie that would terrify most people.
Before I could think of anything else, I heard several voices around me.
“Hey, where are we?”
“Don’t ask me. I don’t know.”
“Well, is anyone else here? What the hell is this place… And why are
there swords and weapons here?”
“If I knew that, would we be doing this? I think we’re all in the same
situation. Do you remember anything?”
“Hey! Is anyone there? Hey!”
People started talking.
Someone was sitting on the loor, pinching their cheek to see if this was
a dream.
They were all different.
‘It’s not a dream.’
It wasn’t a dream, and I wasn’t alone.
It seemed ridiculously smooth.
When I swallowed for a moment, a sound rang in the small cave.
[Players are invited to this world. We sent an invitation to the player,

and the player accepted it. You were chosen as a hero to save the dying
continent.]
“My god! What a hero!”
“Quit messing around in there and come out, you bastards!”
“Sir, I’ll call the police. Sir, I’m calling the police.”
“Is there a hidden camera? I’ll sue. This is a complaint!”
[But not everyone can head to the continent. The only people eligible to
go are those few who passed the tutorial.]
“What nonsense!”
[Please pay attention to what I say next. It’s directly related to your
survival.]
I suddenly sobered up.
Because in this weird atmosphere, I heard the word “survival”.
[Let me repeat that. Only those who survive this tutorial will be allowed
to go to the continent.]
“What… Are you saying you’ll kill me?”
[It’s up to you, too. What I’m talking about now is your survival. It’s
essential if you want to keep living. This is not a dream. This is reality
you’re faced with. I wouldn’t recommend denying it. Because I have an
obligation to help you as your guide in this tutorial.]
“Don’t mess with me! Christ!”
“Please let me out of here. I’m begging you.”
I heard a number of voices, but that damn woman’s explanation kept

going calmly.
[The guide will now begin. Firstly, where you are now is a starting point
where you can wait before you begin the tutorial. You can think of it as a
waiting room. The starting point contains essential items for you.
Water, food, and the weapons you’ll be using later. Weapon rarities can
range from common, rare, heroic, and legendary, but all of the ones here
are inferior to common weapons.]2
Some things de initely stood out. The water bottle placed in the corner
was made out of leather, rather than plastic like it would be on Earth.
That wasn’t all.
Of course, having never seen them before, the weapons were the most
conspicuous.
Bows and arrows, swords and shields, spears and maces.
The presence of a wide variety of weapons that would be used in the

Middle Ages was certainly alien.
‘These are the real deal.’

They weren’t fake.
For the most part, the swords were dull and the weapons were old, but
there were a few sharp ones.
A sense of reality began to set in.
[You can protect yourself with the weapons here. The goal of this
tutorial is to survive and attack. Besides you, there will also be
monsters, the inhabitants of the continent. They will be targeting you,
and you’ll have to ight them.]
It was just like a fantasy novel.
What was interesting was that fewer and fewer people were shouting.
I began to focus on the sound of that voice.
Well, I felt nauseous occasionally, but that was all.
[Of course, it might be dif icult to face them with your own power. But
don’t worry. This is not the only thing prepared for you.]
“What the hell is this…”
[You are the chosen players. You came here with different personalities
and from different places. This place will make your characteristics
stronger and help you grow. You’ll understand what I’m talking about if
you say status window.]
For now, I didn’t say “status window”.
I felt like I should proceed carefully in situations where I didn’t know

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

“Status window.”
“Status window? Huh? What’s this?”
“Kyaak!”
A woman screamed, shocked by what she saw in the air.
[The status window shows your current condition. Depending on how

much you try, your stats may go up or down. Next is your class. You can
be a warrior, mage, priest, or archer, and there are branches based on
your later achievements. For example, a warrior can become a
barbarian, and a barbarian can advance into a berserker. There are
countless paths, and it’s up to you which one to take.]
“Ah…”
[Class grades are common, rare, heroic, and legendary. However, if you
are a mage or priest, you will inevitably need an af inity for holy power
or magic. Please also understand that some classes cannot be selected.
You’ll be able to choose a class when you get missions, hidden quests,
or enough experience.]
‘A class.’
The more I listened, the more similar it was to a story I’ve heard
somewhere. It would be best to call it a system similar to a video game.
It could be said that priests and wizards were uncommon here.
If there really were monsters heading to this side, I thought most would
avoid warriors.
No one would want to ight on behalf of everyone else.
I opened my mouth right away.

[Name: Lee Ki-young]
[Title: None. You should try a little harder.]
[Age: 25]
[Disposition: Careful strategist]
[Class: None]
[Stats]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 11]
[Stamina: 11]
[Intelligence: 19]
[Endurance: 12]
[Luck: 21]
[Magic: 00]
[Equipment: None]
I wasn’t used to seeing the sudden loating screen.
When I quietly opened my mouth, feeling like I was in a game, I heard a

woman’s voice again.
[The last thing is your attributes. Every time you get to a certain level,
you get a new attribute. Attributes will vary from player to player and,
like your class, are determined by your personality. The most important
thing is the player’s personality. As with classes, there are four grades:
common, rare, heroic, and legendary, and as you go up, you get better
performance.]
“Uh…”
[Attributes are also gained similarly to classes. As with your class, your
attributes can also have a huge impact on your growth, so please
choose carefully.]
In fact, I couldn’t concentrate on the last part.
Because I could see the letters displayed on the bottom of the status
window.
[Attribute: Heroic grade: Do you want to read it?]
‘Huh?’
The words “Heroic grade” were shining in purple.
The attributes were clearly categorized into common, rare, heroic, and
legendary grade. It was an attribute that could be developed later,
depending on the player’s personality.
‘Okay.’
I didn’t know why I had this in the beginning, or if this was even real,
but it wasn’t a bad start.
[Attribute]
[Mind’s Eye: Heroic]

[You can view statuses for yourself and others and see hidden talent
ratings.]
I didn’t know if this was good or not, but getting something at the start
gave me a big advantage.
The woman clearly said the goal was to survive.
‘Survival.’
We had to survive.
You absolutely must survive.
It was natural that I felt I had to do whatever I could, regardless of

whether this was a lie.
‘Yulha… ’
When I thought of my sister who would be left at home alone, I bit my

lip.
All the reactions around me were different.
Some people talked about their attributes with others, and I saw men
touching swords or looking for shields.
We didn’t know what was going on, but the fact that there was a threat
approaching meant we had to look for a way to survive.
There was a woman sitting down and crying.
A middle aged man who kept yelling.
I even saw a kid who still looked like a student.

I also wanted to sit down and scream. But there was no time to sit
down.
‘Talent?’
I didn’t know exactly what it meant, but it couldn’t be a bad idea to

check.
It was a great achievement just to have an attribute.
You were standing at a different starting point than the others.
I had a strange expectation I’d be like the hero in a shonen anime or a

fantasy novel, but I quickly shook my head.
‘That’s ridiculous.’
[Check the talent levels of the player Lee Ki-young.]
[Name: Lee Ki-young]
[Strength: Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Agility: Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Stamina: Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Intelligence: Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Endurance: Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Luck: Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Magic: Growth potential: common (below average)]

[Overview: The player has the lowest talent levels. There’s no point in
making an effort. No matter how hard you work, you’ll never become
more than third-rate. Almost all the numbers are hopeless. It will be
hard to develop when it comes to strength or magic power. At least
intelligence and luck are ine, but I don’t know… The player’s future is
deeply concerning. You don’t have to wield a sword or try anything else.
It’s obvious what will happen anyway.]
I had felt a little anticipation, but this wasn’t at all what I expected.
The results didn’t change when I rubbed my eyes and looked at them
again.
“Huh?”
The ultimate goal was to survive.
I never expected to be the main character anyway, and I made a clear

distinction from iction and reality, but those wretched igures still
made me disappointed.
“Damn it.”
My talent levels were below average.

CHAPTER 2
MY TALENT LEVEL IS BELOW
AVERAGE(2)
“Shit…”
[This is the end of the instructions. The starting point will open soon.
Monsters will attack, so please be careful.]
“Damn…”
I couldn’t keep up with it all.
It was because there were so many things happening, and I couldn’t

even get the chance to feel sorry for myself.
The sounds of unknown beasts could be heard from outside.
Frightened people began to cling to the wall, while those who were
armed tried to protect their bodies.
It was the same for me.
Weapons weren’t by any means scarce.
So it was only natural that I ran straight away to pick up a spear.
There were still swords left, but I refused to ight monsters from up
close.
‘What should I do?’
‘Shit, what to do?’
I thought about various different things.
I’m not the only one to be lustered, of course.
There were screams all over the place.
The cries of the animals outside, combined with this closed space,
created a scary atmosphere.
“Help me!”
“Please, get me out of here. Please…”
“Quit playing around. Can’t you just open the door? I’m going to sue all
of you! I’ll sue you! Come on and open the door!”
“Wah wahh… Please let me live. Please…”
“I’m calling the police! The police!”
“Grab your weapons! Can’t you hear the sounds outside? Grab your
weapons!”
“Why don’t you hold it! You! Men should quickly raise a shield. Hurry
up!”
“What are you doing! Now! Can’t you just end this fucking prank instead
of making things weird?”
“Are you kidding? Didn’t you see the window in front of you? Go get a
weapon! Hey, old guy! You think this is a joke?”1
A bulky man, who had been loudly shouting, raised a wooden shield.
There were many calling for a ight, but this guy was a little more
aggressive.
Before I even activated anything, his information came into sight.
[Check the status window and talent levels of the player Park Deok-gu.]
[Name: Park Deok-gu]
[Age: 23]
[Disposition: Enthusiastic musclehead]
[Class: None.]
[Stats]
[Strength: 21/Growth potential: heroic (ideal)]2
[Agility: 16/Growth potential: rare (below average)]
[Stamina: 21/Growth potential: heroic (ideal)]
[Intelligence: 10/Growth potential: rare (below average)]
[Endurance: 30/Growth potential: heroic (ideal)]
[Luck: 11/Growth potential: common (below average)]
[Magic: 00/Growth potential: common (above average)]

[Overview: Overall, it’s well-balanced. You will grow well as a warrior
with your high growth potential for strength and endurance. The
potential for strength and endurance in particular are exceptional. It’s
not good to have low magic and agility, but they can be compensated for
with other stats, right? Compared to player Lee Ki-young, you have
great potential.]
‘You didn’t have to tell me that… ’
I couldn’t believe this guy was 23.
Although he had a huge height, size, and weight, he didn’t really look
fat.
It was more like his whole body was covered in muscles.
Unlike me, who only had 10 points in strength and endurance, he had
20 points in strength and 30 in endurance.
I quickly realized that not only were my talent levels at the lowest, my
stats were also at the bottom of the barrel.
Like I read with Mind’s Eye, he’d be useful as a warrior or a meat

shield.3
If you pretend to be friendly, you can de initely buy him as an ally.
First off, I’ll hang around him with a spear in my hand.
When I practiced a movement with my spear, Park Deok-gu looked

pleased and began to speak.
“Are you going to ight too?”

“That’s right. I think so. Seems like there’s something out there… It’s
better to do something instead of just sitting around.”
“You just said something pretty cool, hyung-ssi. Even though you look
so weak.”
“Thank you. Let’s get ready for now.”
What he said was rude, but he looked satis ied.
Just exchanging a few words was effective.
I opened my mouth again.
This time, I was talking to everyone.
“Denying the situation won’t change anything. First, we have to deal

with what’s ahead. Outside, you can hear the monsters crying. Whether
it’s real, or hidden cameras, or a dream, we have to do something. We
all have to take up arms. We have to make a stand.”
“Stop messing around!”
“I mean it. I wouldn’t play this kind of prank, and I want it to be a joke
too. Everyone, please pick up a weapon. Later if it turns out to be a joke,
we’ll deal with it then.”
There should be many people who can ight.
It’s unknown how many enemies will come, or what type.
Someone muttered something.
“Well, let’s get a weapon for now. I guess we have to take care of the
things out there irst and then look at the situation. Since this guy said
he can win, I— I’m sure that will happen.”
“Right, yeah!”
“For now, let’s ight!”
No one here was used to ighting, of course.
But one by one, they started to lift up swords. Some were simply
swayed by the atmosphere, while others armed themselves for
protection.
The mood in the room was gradually improving.
‘Not bad.’
The way things were going really wasn’t bad.
“Women should also pick up weapons.”
“What?”
“I’m not saying you should go out and ight. But I can’t predict what will
happen. You need to carry a weapon. You can’t expect someone to
always be there to protect you. That’s reality.”
“Oh. Yes, yes…”
I knew what I was saying.
In the end, they looked unhappy raising their weapons, but that was all.
There were still a number of people hanging around that weren’t

convinced.
But I couldn’t say that openly here. In the end, I swallowed nervously
and waited for the enemies to come.
‘Can we win?’
Of course not.
But at least I was sure I could survive.
The death toll would probably be high, but it was important to keep this
base for now.
‘Tutorial. She said it was a tutorial.’
The atmosphere was good, and everyone was willing to ight.

Everyone’s eyes shone with a desire to survive.
‘I can do it.’
[The starting point will open in a moment. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.]
[The starting point has opened. Good luck to all participants.]
But it was only my imagination that we would be able to do something,

to be able to win, or to just somewhat hold on, or to expect a miracle to
happen.
“Kyaaaaak!”
Instead of in the front, a stone gate opened in the back of the room, and
a human-like monster bit a woman’s neck as she tried to escape.
Blood lew from the back over to here.
Before anyone could register it, monsters rushed in from every

direction.
“Aaaaah! Help me!”

“Run away!”
‘Fuck!’
Screams rang out in an instant.
It was seriously pandemonium.
Even that jerk Park Deok-gu, who had been encouraging us to ight, just
watched vacantly with his sword and shield, perhaps because he hadn’t
expected such monsters to come.
We were ordinary people who had never held a sword and weren’t used
to ighting.
There was no way we could survive this.
It was hard for everyone to face the reality before us.
I started to speak to Park Deok-gu, who was staring forward in a daze.
“What are you doing? You want to die!?”
“Hyung, hyung-ssi!”
He was shaking, whether it was his legs or the hand he held a weapon
in.
But he bit his lip and swung the blade.
It penetrated a monster’s head with precision.
Park Deok-gu held up his shield and pushed away the monster.
It wasn’t long before the formation collapsed.

In a moment, a mix of allies and monsters ran out into the open space.
‘You have to run.’
If I stayed here, I would die.
‘Death.’
I would certainly be annihilated.
‘I’m going to die.’
There wasn’t time for other thoughts.
“Run!”
“Huh? Huh? Huh?”
“You fucking pig! Run! Can’t you hear me?!”
He started to shout at someone he saw.
Park Deok-gu’s voice seemed to wake that guy up, and he picked up his
shield and led.
I, too, threw myself out of that narrow space.
‘Ah!’
I remembered the issues of food and water as I was on my way.
It was a relatively close distance.
It was impossible to know if there were any other shelters here, so we

had to keep those things safe.
“Hyung, hyung-ssi! Where are you going!”
“Get some water!”
“Al, alright!”
The screams were clear even through the mixture of voices.
I caught sight of a woman who was bitten on the shoulder by a zombie.
“S, save me…”
“Shit.”
I felt troubled all of a sudden.
But my two hands which held a spear didn’t move to save her.
I didn’t look at her despair- illed eyes. As I picked up two or three

leather bags, I turned my head to see monsters rushing like a pack of
dogs onto her.
It was thanks to her that I could leave, so it would only be right to

express some gratitude.
‘I’m sorry.’
After I muttered in my mind a half-hearted apology, I moved on.
“Hyung-ssi!”
As I turned my head towards Park Deok-gu’s shout, I saw a monster

lying towards me.
“Shi…”
Puuk!
“Geuk!”
A sword lew from somewhere into its head.
It was unclear if my luck stat had anything to do with it, but I de initely
felt lucky.
I felt like I made eye contact for a moment with the man behind the
sword, but I didn’t have the chance to check his information.
What was for certain was the strange feeling I got.
‘What was it?’
His face wasn’t scared, nor were his eyes illed with a fear of death. He
looked desperate, but he wasn’t driven by just survival.
‘Did I imagine it?’
It had been a very memorable face.
As I passed him by, I saw Park Deok-gu waiting for me with his shield
raised.
“Did you get the water?!”
I didn’t hear an answer.
But looking at the leather pouch in his right hand was answer enough.
He was the type who was good at doing what was asked of him.
“I, I think there’s still somebody inside!”

“Shut up and run if you don’t want to be left behind! You son of a bitch!
Can’t you see the monsters back there?”
“I, I see. Hyung, hyung-ssi!”
It was only a matter of time before we emerged onto a wide expanse.
I could see both those who were caught while escaping and those who
never got out.
When I looked back, there weren’t any monsters following us
They were all focused on their prey inside.
There were intermittent screams, but I didn’t want to hear anything, so

I covered my ears.
“Sa, save me!”
“Fight baaaack!”
“Geuk!”
“Kyaaaaak!”
“Help me. Wah wahh… Help me. Wahh…”
“Euaaaaak!”
When I closed my eyes, I saw the people I left behind.
“Don’t feel guilty. You didn’t have a choice.”
“Yeah, but…”
“You couldn’t help it. It wasn’t your fault…”

It was a situation where you couldn’t do anything.
He must have known that too.
“Damn it…”
But that didn’t stop a curse falling from Park Deok-gu’s mouth anyway.
CHAPTER 3
ADAPTATION
“Wha-what should we do now, hyung-ssi?
“If I knew what to do, would I still be standing around here?”
I was still in a state of shock.
When I gave him this uncon ident answer, Park Deokgu shut up and
quietly observed me.
Seeing that he didn’t speak anymore, despite his non-stop chattering

since the starting point incident, it seemed like he decided to
acknowledge my words.
“We don’t know exactly what this place is for now. We need to look
around irst.”
“Y-you want to go outside?”
“Not right now.”
“The-then you are saying that someday we will go outside?”
“I told you, not right now.”
We were in a hidden corner by a wall, which was hard to ind in this

maze.
It was a little cramped for me and him to squeeze together in here, but
it wasn’t so bad.
At least for now, it seemed like it could provide us with a minimum

assurance of safety.
‘Water, food and weapons.’
We had those things, but I didn’t know if it was enough.
The question is, for how long will we have to endure being here?
And is it really safe here?
I had a lot to think about.
“I never thought something like this could happen…”
“You saw the status window and the monsters. It’s not an illusion. It’s
not a video game. It’s reality… but I also wish it were a dream.”
“Yeah…”
The situation we were facing was, in fact, reality. I didn’t mention the
events that happened at the starting point. I’d actually seen people die,
and I’d even seen monsters I couldn’t even begin to describe.
Denying reality wouldn’t change anything.
“The-the main goal of this tutorial is survival, right? I-I think that
strange woman said so… Then if we keep hiding here…”
“It’s not that simple.”
“What else could it be?”

“The problem is that we don’t know how long this will last for. We took
some food and water, but it’s not enough for us to sit here for a week…
And there’s no guarantee that this place is safe. Who knows where
those monsters we saw earlier are hiding.”
“You think so?”
“Yes, I think so. And even if we leave the tutorial now… how do we
survive afterwards?”
“W-what are you talking about?”
“I’m not absolutely sure about it, but after this tutorial, we’ll enter a
place called the continent. I mean, this dungeon could be like heaven
compared to that. There is no guarantee that the place we will end up in
later will be safer than here. Simply hanging around here isn’t going to
cut it for sure…”
He clamped his mouth shut, because he couldn’t deny my words.
Of course, no one knew what would happen after this. But like that
woman said, if we were really chosen to save the continent, it won’t end
simply with us waiting the tutorial out.
Not only may we have to face the monsters we saw earlier, but also ight
with each other.
And we might face even more dire situations in the future.
“Right now, we’re huddled up here, but when we inally leave, there’s
only one outcome anyway. “
“Wha-what do you mean?”
“That we will have to ight.”

“With those monsters?”
“Have you ever played a video game?”
“I-is there anyone in the world who has never played a video game?”
“A Status Window, Stats, Titles, Equipment, Class. Don’t you think these
terms sound familiar? Imagine that you are in a game now. What do you
think we should do?”
“I don’t know…”
“Level-up. Become strong enough to defend ourselves. Strengthening

your body and killing monsters will raise your stats and get you a class,
like that woman said. The attributes will naturally unlock, and while it
will be hard, we won’t have to avoid those monsters anymore.”
“Ah…”
“Before we ran away, we picked up weapons, drinking water and food.

Our situation is little better than others.”
“Ye-yes, but…”
I knew he didn’t like the idea of leaving this safe corner.
In fact, all humans were the same.
What normal person would want to face man-eating monsters?
But there was no choice. Eat or be eaten. Otherwise, you won’t survive.
“This is what I think.”
“Do you have any solution for this?”

“If you don’t have a solution, you have to create one.”
If you don’t have a solution, you should create one. No, actually the
solution for this problem is easier than one would think.
“We can kill them.”
“But how do you defeat a man-eating monster…?”
If you think about it, it’s not like we have no way to win against them.
I didn’t remember much from the irst battle.
Anyone would be scared stiff, if a wave of monsters suddenly attacked

from all over.
However, I still vividly remembered that sensation passing through my

hand.
That creepy feeling when a spear pierced lesh. I didn’t stab at it with
much strength.
But my spear still pierced its skin so easily.
My mind was just clouded by fear. In that moment, I was scared of

monsters I’d never seen before and lost the will to ight.
I lost it, Park Deokgu next to me lost it, and everyone else also lost it.
‘But it’s not like we have no way to win against those monsters.’
If you think about it rationally, it’s not like we can’t win.
“You have to think about it in a simple way. As simple as possible.”
“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t be afraid. You need to look at them the way they are. Of course, it
won’t be easy. I’m also shaking right now, and I don’t know what to do
exactly. You and I are the same. But if we are not surrounded or
ambushed from behind, we stand a chance. Their skin is soft and they
aren’t particularly athletic. None of them followed us when we ran
away. All of them rushed in at once into that room we were in before.
Many people died at that starting point or whatever, because they were
outnumbered. Everyone was also terri ied and so couldn’t react in a
timely way.”
Nothing was certain until I saw it with my own eyes.
But I think my guess might be right.
Compared to the physical abilities of humans, they were equipped with

sharp jaws and claws.
Those are their physical advantages.
Unlike those butt-naked monsters, we had spears and swords within

the reach of our hands. In fact, it’s no exaggeration to say that we were
ahead of them in everything.
“If you think about it calmly, we can win.”
The problem was that Park Deokgu couldn’t see the big picture.
Even after my explanation, he was anxiously swallowing his saliva.
‘Idiot.’
It was then.
“Geeek.”
I heard voices from somewhere.

My natural reaction was to hold my breath. Park Deokgu did the same.
“Geeek!”
We didn’t know if they were creatures which moved in herds or

separately.
But the sound was getting closer.
“It’s coming here?”
‘Shit… ’
I cursed in my head.
‘Can I do it?’
We would have to face it anyway.
It felt like someone was squeezing onto my heart, but I ignored it and
bit my lip.
Because I knew that if we avoided this now, we would never escape this
predicament of fear.
[Checking the status window of Monster Craw ish.]
[Name: None]
[Age: 5]
[Disposition: Instinct]
[Class: None]
[Stats]
[Strength: 11]
[Agility: 15]
[Stamina: 14]
[Endurance: 12]
[Luck: 10]
[Magic Power: 00]
I checked its information through the narrow gap where we were

hiding.
‘It worked.’
This ability could also be used on monsters.
That was a tiny piece of good news.
‘I can win.’
I had to overcome my fear.
I didn’t get a good look at it before, but now I could tell it de initely
looked gross. Apart from the naked torso and lower body, it had green
eyes and protruding jaws and teeth.
I recalled in my head how, earlier, the same kind of monster bit the neck
of a woman whose name I didn’t know with those jaws and teeth.
‘However.’
Those are some terrible stats.
It’s not like I was in position to judge those stats as terrible, but they
were de initely lower that I imagined.
That should do it.
I put more strength into the hand holding a spear.
Park Deokgu looked at me nervously, but I had no intention of backing

off now.
I had to show him that we could win.
“Ma-maybe it’s better to not go out?”
“…”
I didn’t answer.
Because my back was soaked with sweat. My hands and legs trembled.
‘Damn… ’
If I make a mistake here, I will die.
But I can’t stay like this forever. Sooner or later, eventually… I would
have to face those guys.
“Even if I don’t go out, I will die.”
I took a deep breath, and immediately rushed out.
“Geeek!”
‘Damn it!’
I expected it to notice me at some point, but it was faster than I thought.
Naturally, I thought I should swing the spear at the same time when it
moves.
But my hands didn’t move as I wished. Fear stiffened my body.
“Ahhhh!”
In the end I had no choice but to raise my spear toward the head of the
approaching monster, screaming like some kind of devil-worshipper.
As if it expected this attack, the monster leaned straight down.
Changing the course of the spear wasn’t easy. As I tightened my

trembling hold on the shaft and lowered the spear again, I accidentally
struck it in its shoulder.
“Gaeeek!”
Phew!
The feeling of tearing through lesh was unsettling, and I almost

dropped my spear, but I didn’t have time to be dazed.
“Ahhhh!”
When I pushed the spear deeper, the monster jerked and hit the wall.
I frowned at the sight of the struggling creature, but without wasting

any more time, I grabbed a nearby stone and started smashing its head
with it.
Although I broke my ingernails while doing it, I didn’t feel any pain.
“Shit! Shit! Shit!”

Smash!
Strange mucus and blood splashed on my hands and body, creeping me

out.
I couldn’t stop moving my hand.
“Shit!”
Smash!
“Die!”
Smash!
“Gaeeek…”
Smash!
“Haah…”
After its face had turned into a bloody mess, I was inally able to drop
the big stone I was gripping in my hand.
“Haah… haah…”
My heart was beating fast and my breathing was heavy. My arms were
covered in its saliva and blood.
It was the irst time I’d killed something alive.
When I shakily raised my head, my eyes met with Park Deokgu’s who
looked at me through the narrow gap in the wall.
There was surprise in his eyes.

He really didn’t think I could do it.
I also didn’t think I could.
[Strength stat increased by 1.]
My expectations were correct.
Park Deokgu cautiously opened his mouth and asked.
“What’s your name?”
“Lee Kiyoung.”
“Ki-Kiyoung, can I call you hyung-nim?”
Instead of answering, I gave him a small nod.
He was looking at me in a strange way. I looked straight at him and said.
“If I can do it, you can do it too. No, you can do it better.”
“I think I know what you mean. Kiyoung hyung-nim, leave it to me.

Then, what do we do from now on?
It seems this guy I picked wasn’t so bad after all.
There was still a lot of work to do.
I looked at him, and opened my mouth.
“For now, let’s try to escape from here.”
Obtaining a class. That’s the irst thing on the list.

CHAPTER 4
REGRESSOR (1)
“For now, let’s try to escape from here.”
Obtaining a class. That’s the irst thing on the list.
“How do we get a class?”
“I don’t know.”
Park Deokgu looked at me with a shocked face.
“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m not so smart that I’d know
everything.”
“No, you are smart, aren’t you, hyung-nim? At least you seem to be more
trustworthy than those who only know how to study. Even though you
look like a nerd.”
He was half right.
Just, I wasn’t a very good student.
“So, how do we gain our classes?”
“For now, the only way seems to be by hunting monsters. That woman
said that our class will depend on our hard work.”
“Oh, I think I heard that too…”

“First, we have to act to make a difference, whether it’s just swinging
your sword while standing in place or catching monsters. If we stagnate
here and do nothing, we will die.”
Saying this, I poured out everything I had in my leather bag on the

ground.
Park Deokgu looked at me as if wondering what I was doing, but when I

started to put leather on him, tying it up with sneaker laces, he seemed
to realize my intention.
He looked at me with a slightly moved face.
“It looks like armor… But hyung-nim, don’t you need it more than me?
He would be the one ighting in the front anyway, so I didn’t have to

make one for myself.
It was at least one more layer of insurance to protect my own neck. Just
now, I didn’t go ahead of you only to gain nothing.
However, it wasn’t necessary to explain this to him.
“You are taller than me.”
“I’m afraid that I might not live up to your expectations, but… I will try
my best.”
I nodded at his words.
***
He de initely lived up to my expectations.
In fact, even only looking at Park Deokgu’s basic stats, you could tell he
was somehow strong.
I didn’t quite understand how our bodies affected our stats, but his
stats were nearly twice as high as mine.
I felt especially embarrassed when looking at his 30 points of

endurance.
His strength, shield and sword put together made his large body seem
even bigger.
Adding to this the clumsily made leather armor, and he looked just like
a gladiator from some movie.
But it was a very natural look for him. It was really not bad.
However, this guy who inally gained some con idence, exceeded my
expectations.
“Hyung-nim!”
“I know.”
The back of this big guy, who pushed two monsters away with his
shield, came into my view.
His face was still pale with fear, but even in this state he still hit them
with his shield.
He was just pushing forward with all his might, but monsters wedged
between the wall and his shield could only aimlessly lail about with
their clawed hands.
While Park Deokgu was holding them in place, I raised my spear and
stabbed it into the monster’s face, once again frowning at the strange
sensation under my palms.
‘That’s right.’
“Haaa!”
Park Deokgu wielded a sword in one hand, as he let out a short scream.
He frowned, but didn’t relax his grip on the sword. It was because from
previous experience we learned that carelessness could get us hurt.
“Gaeeek…”
When the creature inally drooped down without any strength, I pulled
back my spear.
“Haah… haah…”
‘It’s hard.’
It looked simple, but it de initely wasn’t simple in practice.
With Park Deokgu’s help it was much better compared to my irst time,
but there was originally a big gap in our basic stats.
Spending a few minutes dealing with those guys was enough for me to
be covered in sweat.
“Here, have some water.”
“Thank you.”
With a little sigh, Park Deokgu made a worried face and opened his
mouth.
“Isn’t your stamina a little too low?”
“I’ve never exercised before.”
At least my stamina had increased since we started killing monsters.

‘Only by 1 though.’
Park Deokgu’s situation was a little different.
His original 30-point endurance had turned into 33 now. Compared to

me, it was a huge achievement.
I wasn’t sure if talent affected the rate stats rose, but looking at it, I
guess that was it.
His endurance stat growth potential allowed him to reach the heroic
grade and even beyond if he put his mind to it, so climbing higher at
irst shouldn’t be too dif icult for him.
‘Damn it.’
Of course what I was feeling wasn’t needless jealousy.
What worried me was that Park Deokgu might not need me.
Looking at his innocent face, he didn’t seem to think this way yet.
I came to the conclusion that it would be in my best interests to survive

while relying on him.
“By the way, maybe today we could look around a little more, hyung-
nim?”
“Look around a little more… By the way, when you speak, keep your
voice down.”
“Do we really need to be so careful?”
“I think noise was the reason why so many monsters appeared at the
starting point.”
“That female guide also talked a lot…”
“Yes, but I don’t think that was the main reason. Those monsters seem
dull but are sensitive to sound. It’s only natural that they poured into
that room, since people there were yelling at each other for so long.
Perhaps, half of those people could have survived if only we started the
tutorial quietly.”
“You think so?”
“Yes. So while in a ight, we need to turn down the noise a little. For
now, we are dealing with only one or two at time, but when four or ive
of them gather, we’ll die. The reason we keep moving is that if we stay
in one place, we might get surrounded.”
He cast me a look of peculiar admiration. If only you used your head a

little, anyone could realise this.
However, the fact that this innocent guy was looking at me like that
made me want to laugh.
I nodded and continued.
“It’s possible that all the monsters from this area were lured to the
starting point. Perhaps everyone else who managed to run away at that
time, are in a similar situation as us.”
I thought the best way to organize information in my head was to

discuss it in points like this, one by one.
“Let’s stop for a while and eat.”
“Yup, good idea.”
It was when I was sitting on the loor, quietly munching on tasteless

food that I wouldn’t even feed a dog that…
“…”
…I heard a faint voice from somewhere.
I wanted to pretend I didn’t hear anything, but Park Deokgu raised his
head and opened his mouth.
“Isn’t this a human’s voice?”
“No way.”
“Ahhhhh…! Help me!”
The voice was getting closer.
‘Ah… ’
They had realised that there were other people here.
‘It was mistake.’
It certainly was a mistake.
It was a mistake to carve out those marks on the walls with a dagger to
prevent us from getting lost.
I actually hoped that someone would come, but I never imagined it

would be someone yelling at the top of their lungs, as if to wake up a
whole town.
“H-hyung-nim.”
“Pick up your sword.”
It was too late to avoid it.

“Geeek!”
Luckily, the monsters weren’t many in number.
It was nice to have new people join us, but it was also a very unwelcome
situation.
‘It would be a different story if they had drinking water and food… ’
There was the problem of limited resources.
This wasn’t a charity.
I needed comrades in arms, not a new burden.
It would be ideal if they were someone willing to ight, with drinking

water and food, and only a small number of them.
And by the sound of this voice, they had already failed one of those
conditions.
It wasn’t someone who was willing to ight.
“How annoying…”
“I don’t think you need to worry too much, hyung-nim. It doesn’t seem
like there’s a lot of them.”
‘Easy to say for you.’
Park Deokgu ran forward with his sword and shield. I also immediately
followed behind him with my spear.
When I stepped closer, I could see a woman being chased by three

monsters.
Half torn clothes and overall a pretty face, but that was all her
appearance had to offer.
‘A civilian woman.’
I didn’t care if she was scared and running away.
She had no weapons and no food.
After checking the abilities of monsters behind her, I used Mind’s Eyes
to observe the woman.
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Jung
Hayan.]
[Name: Jung Hayan]
[Age: 21]
[Disposition: Pure Advocate]
[Class: None]
[Stats]
[Strength: 10/Growth potential: rare or lower]
[Agility: 11/Growth potential: rare or lower]
[Stamina: 12/Growth potential: heroic or lower]
[Intelligence: 22/Growth potential: heroic or higher]
[Endurance: 14/Growth potential: rare or lower]

[Luck: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]
[Magic Power: 10/Growth potential: legendary or higher]
[Overview: You have above legendary grade magic potential growth.

While your overall physical ability is low, you can experience explosive
growth as wizard or priest in the future. You are currently unable to feel
magic. It’s not an exaggeration to say that player Lee Kiyoung has the
potential of an ant in comparison.]
‘What the hell.’
It was hard to believe just how great the ability of this girl running out
of breath was.
In addition, I’ve never seen a human with the potential to go beyond

legendary grade.
Unlike me, whose magic power stat is still sitting on a round 0, hers is
already at 10.
“We have never dealt with three at the same time.”
Obviously, as soon as I checked her stats, the idea of discarding this girl
immediately left my mind and a new plan formed.
“We ight.”
“Can we win?”
“We need to lure them to a more closed space.”
“I think I know what you mean.”
It was more advantageous to ight while leaning against the wall than to
be surrounded.
Our escape route would be blocked, but I didn’t think we would lose so
fast.
I tightened my grip on my spear.
Having found us, the girl ran in our direction as fast as she could.
When I gestured to her to come this way, she nodded her head, so it
looked like she wasn’t completely unable to comprehend anything.
“Wait in the corner.”
“O-okay.”
After the woman inally reached our side, Park Deokgu heavily swung
his shield as monsters turned the corner.
“Now!”
“Haa!”
It seemed like Park Deokgu managed to push them back for a moment,
but then one of the monsters tried to rush towards him again.
“Hyung-nim!”
With a blank mind, I pierced one of them with my spear, while the other
one collapsed under Park Deokgu’s sword.
The problem was that because of this move, Park Deokgu’s stance was
broken.
Certainly, dealing with three of them at once wasn’t easy.
The only thing I could do for Park Deokgu, who was still holding up his
shield, was to continue swinging a spear.
The moment I bit my lips hard, suddenly, I could see a sword
protruding from the chest of the last monster.
“Tha-thank you.”
“No problem.”
Someone helped us.
When the monster collapsed, I saw a face I’d already seen once before.
It was that man who helped me back at the starting point.
I remembered his face that seemed a little desperate at the time.
“What the…”
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Kim
Hyunsung.]
[Name: Kim Hyunsung]
[Titles: The Regressor of Altanus, The Swordsman Who Started the 2nd
Round, The One Who Failed, The One Who Embraced Sacri ice, The
Enlightened One]
[Age: 22]
[Disposition: Well-Meaning Arbitrator]
[Class: Swordsman (Common)]
[Stats]
[Strength: 19/Growth potential: legendary or higher]

[Agility: 28/Growth potential: legendary or higher]
[Stamina: 23/Growth potential: legendary or higher]
[Intelligence: 18/Growth potential: heroic or lower]
[Endurance: 22/Growth potential: heroic or lower]
[Magic Power: 11/Growth potential: heroic or higher]
‘What is this…?’
I couldn’t help but widen my eyes at the sight of this status window
illed with unexpected information.
‘Regression? Turning back time?’
For this guy, this wasn’t the irst time.

CHAPTER 5
REGRESSOR (2)
I slowly read through his stats again.
I hadn’t misread it.
Hyunsung.]
[Titles: The Regressor of Altanus, The Swordsman Who Started the 2nd
Round, The One Who Failed, The One Who Embraced Sacri ice, The
Enlightened One]
[Age: 22]
[Disposition: Well-Meaning Arbitrator]
[Class: Swordsman (Common)]
[Stats]
[Strength: 19/Growth potential: legendary or higher]
[Agility: 28/Growth potential: legendary or higher]
[Stamina: 23/Growth potential: legendary or higher]
[Intelligence: 18/Growth potential: heroic or lower]

[Magic Power: 11/Growth potential: heroic or higher]
[Attributes: Sword Expert (Heroic)]
[Overview: Truly amazing. If you don’t agree with me even after seeing
it with your own eyes, I have no words for you. This person’s strength,
agility and stamina can’t be accurately measured. Their other stats also
have incredible potential. Their potential for growth as a wizard is
terrifying, but with a melee class they can achieve even greater heights.
They already have a common grade class and new opportunities for
growth are on the horizon. Compared to player Lee Kiyoung… No, this
comparison itself would be blasphemous. Player Lee Kiyoung should
feel honoured to even be able to exchange a few words with this
person.]
‘What is this nonsense… ’
Even after blinking my eyes, the title of regressor remained unchanged.
‘Time travel? Really?’
It was natural to not believe in such a thing at irst.
But now, after seeing all those monsters, I was willing to suspend my
disbelief even further.
The Swordsman Who Started the 2nd Round.
I was too stunned to speak.
If my unique ability, Mind’s Eye, wasn’t lying, then this person in front
of me had already experienced this situation before.
It would explain why he wasn’t scared at the starting point earlier.
‘Damn… ’
I couldn’t help but curse in my head.
I knew the world was unfair to some extent, but I didn’t expect to feel
this unfairness even in a place like this and to this level.
High stats, high growth potential, fast class acquirement and a heroic
grade attribute.
‘By the way, is it possible to check other peoples’ attributes?’
As soon as I thought about it, the information immediately appeared in

front of me.
[Attribute: Sword Expert]
[Gives a damage boost for all actions performed with a sword. Increases
attack power by a certain percentage in proportion to the time spent
wielding a sword.]
‘Good.’
I didn’t know what formula was used for calculating extra attack power,
but it looked like a good quality attribute which allowed the user to
achieve better results the longer they trained.
I had no idea what other attributes I would see in the future, but I had
to admit his attribute was very good for building a foundation as a
warrior.
I bit my lip, unable to shake the feeling of unfairness, but if he really

went back in time, then his attractive status window could be
explained.
“Hyung-ssi, who…”
“My name is Kim Hyunsung.”
“Park Deokgu.”
“And this is…?”
“I’m Lee Kiyoung.”
“This… this isn’t the irst time you’ve fought, is it?”
“Yea, as you can see. Hyung-nim made this leather armor for me, and
I’ve already gotten used to hunting a little. I mean, I haven’t fought
much, but still. It was hyung-nim who went ahead irst and smashed the
head of a monster with his spear. Thanks to him I gained a bit of
courage.”
“You seem to be a little… experienced with this.”
“Well, it’s all thanks to hyung-nim. Rather, it’s him who seems to be
experienced with this… Didn’t you see how he stabbed that monster in
the head just now?”
“I was lucky.”
At Park Deokgu’s words, this guy’s gaze turned to me.
‘Useless blabbing… ’
It wasn’t easy to pretend to be innocent.
Especially when I had ulterior motives in my mind.
When I met his gaze, I felt as if he was looking right through me.
I felt like I was standing here naked, and it wasn’t a good feeling. My
body trembled at this strange sensation.
‘Is it just my imagination or some kind of magic?’
I didn’t know which one it was, but it didn’t matter anyway. The one
thing I did know, and could sense, was that there was something wrong.
“What…”
‘Maybe he knows that I was reading his status window…?’
If you look like you are reading something in the air, surely it would
look unnatural for others.
His disposition in the status window suggested that he was “well-

meaning”.
However, the human heart wasn’t just black or white.
He returned to the past for some purpose. It was unlikely, but in the
moment he decides we are his enemies, he might just swing his sword
at us.
No, I didn’t want him to doubt me in any way.
Just then, Park Deokgu opened his mouth with a smile.
“Hyung-nim, why do you keep staring at your status window? Did you
get a class?”
‘Nice, Park Deokgu.’
“Sort of. I will tell you in a minute.”
My heart was still feeling uneasy.

Instead of talking straight to this guy, I set my eyes on that woman
named Jung Hayan.
Her eyes were wide open and she breathed heavily. When she saw I was
looking at her, she opened her mouth.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. We were also looking for survivors.”
“Ah…”
“Get up. I will help you.”
“Oh, no. I don’t want to cause any more trouble…”
But she was already at her limit.
I reached out to her without a word, and then she held my hand as if
she couldn’t help it.
My face felt sore because of Kim Hyunsung, who was looking this way.
I quietly said to him.
“Thank you for your help. I’m Lee Kiyoung. That was the irst time I’d
encountered three of those monsters at once… If not for you, we
would’ve been in trouble.”
“I’m Kim Hyunsung. I remember your face from somewhere.”
“You helped me a little at the starting point. I’m very grateful for that.”
“Ah… it was then…”
“Yes. Back then I was running away. It was insane…”

Actually I didn’t remember much from then.
Thinking about the situation at that time, it wasn’t unreasonable to not

remember.
Suddenly, the scene of a woman being eaten by monsters lashed

through my head. It was that woman I couldn’t save.
I shook my head, and said.
“Are you alone? It must have been hard for you…”
“For now yes… but I’m gathering survivors. Some of them are moving in
groups.”
“Yes?”
“I’m gathering survivors. I heard a scream as I was passing by… Let’s go

together for now. We’ve set up camp in a safe place.”
I saw Park Deokgu looking at me quietly. He was wordlessly asking me

what to do.
Kim Hyunsung opened his mouth again, as if he realized his words just
now were a little rude.
“Oh, excuse me. Would you like to come with me?”
Only then did Park Deokgu nod his head.
But I still had some reservations.
“How many people are there?”
“About 30, I think.”

“What about those who can ight…?”
“Not many. If Deokgu-ssi and Kiyoung-ssi join, things will get a little
better. I hope that you can come.”
‘It’s worrying… ’
Just as I expected.
I didn’t know how well one’s disposition in the status window re lected
the heart of the person, but he was truly it to be a Well-Meaning
Arbitrator.
‘What a slob.’
To put it nicely, he was an angel. Looking at it another way, he was a

pushover.
If the only thing those people at the survivor camp could do was
scream, then the situation would rapidly deteriorate.
Perhaps they have no way to eat properly there, and live in fear all the
time.
Increasing the number of people wasn’t necessarily advantageous.
When ive people gather, there would always be one fool amongst them.
In a gathering of 30 people, the problem would be even worse.
Obviously, that’s not the end of it.
The power to cope with sudden crises will increase, but if there are too
many people to protect, it will only get more chaotic.
However, in reality, I had no other choice but to nod my head.

It was because I was full of questions.
What is regression, how did you get a class, how did you manage to
start in a different way compared to others, how do you use magic and
what is the method of clearing this tutorial?
Kim Hyunsung knew how to attack this dungeon properly and,

furthermore, had information about the continent.
No matter how you look at it, it was best to follow him.
“I will go.”
“Good decision. Let’s get going then. More monsters may come here
soon.”
“Yea.”
“Oh, right. This person is…?”
“My name is Jung Hayan. Um, I…”
“Ah. Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Hyunsung. “
We roughly greeted each other.
While supporting Jung Hayan, I started to slowly read this guy’s face.
His expression seemed a little different from when he was looking at

me or Park Deokgu.
His gaze remained on Jung Hayan for a long time.
It was a little surprising.

A strange sense of accomplishment was hidden in Kim Hyunsung’s
gaze. I wasn’t sure if it was a good analogy, but he looked like a man
who had found an oasis in the desert.
Or as if he had found his long lost family member.
Maybe she noticed his intense gaze, because Jung Hayan also looked at
him with caution in her eyes.
If you stare at someone in this way, anyone would notice and become
wary.
He looked as if he was thinking “I was looking for you”. No, maybe he

was indeed looking for her.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay.”
“Please, let me know if there’s any inconvenience.”
“N-no, I’m ine. J-Jung is really okay.”
Leaving those two to talk with each other, I started thinking.
‘Let’s assume.’
It was a little funny to think like this, but let’s just assume.
If I were to live the same life all over again.
I didn’t know how this guy ended up in his irst life.
Maybe he was happy with it or maybe unhappy. However, if this

regression was done on purpose, it’s very likely that this guy has
regrets from his previous life.
The One Who Failed.
It was one of his titles.
Even if it wasn’t his intention.
Humans are creatures of regret. Even if it was me, I would think about
the what-ifs like if I could save that woman I saw at the beginning.
If I had the strength, I might have made the choice to take that woman
and escape together with Park Deokgu.
What if I knew what would happen, and also knew about all the
talented individuals that will be important in the future?
In my case, I would try to change things that I regret. But of course, I

wouldn’t do only that.
From the very start I would take advantage of everything I could.
I would gather talented people, treasures, classes, and all other things
that could be used.
And I would eliminate all enemies or threats that I might encounter in

the future.
‘It’s funny, but… ’
In this sense, if he has no reaction to me and Park Deokgu, it means that

we are not important characters in the future, nor are we a threat to
Kim Hyunsung in the future
We must have been just passersby for him.
“May I call you Hayan-ssi?”

“Ah… yes. Thank you, and please call me as you like.”
But this woman who was blushing at me now was different.
Jung Hayan.
A woman with explosive potential as a wizard or priest.
If you think about it in connection with what I saw with my Mind’s Eye,
it is immediately obvious.
‘She’s a treasure.’
Now she didn’t look like much.
However, by aggregating the minute pieces of information so far and

inferring further, I could come to a plausible conclusion.
This civilian girl will rock the world in the future.
I wasn’t sure what she would do, but it was guaranteed that her
position would be very important.
It could also only be my delusion.
Maybe Kim Hyunsung owed her something or had regrets around not
saving her in his previous life.
She might be just one of many passersby, just like me and Park Deokgu.
But it’s worth it.
‘This woman.’
She was no longer a nuisance, but rather a precious treasure which had
come rolling in.
Right under my feet.
CHAPTER 6
REGRESSOR (3)
In fact, Jung Hayan wasn’t the only treasure.
The same applied to Kim Hyunsung as well.
After all, he was someone who had probably once seen the end of this
world.
He knew what was going to happen and was willing to use this
information to change the future.
In a fantasy novel setting, he was kind of like the ‘chosen warrior’.
There was no reason to not maintain a good relationship with him.
‘I’m jealous of this bastard though.’
I wasn’t jealous of all of the baggage he was carrying on his back.
I was jealous of what he was going to get or use.
It was already set in stone that he would climb high.
I thought I should bene it from him as much as I could.
“How much further is it? Are you sure this is the right way?”
“Yes, we are almost there.”

Park Deokgu muttered bitterly, and Kim Hyunsung answered him with
a nod.
It was strangely novel for me to witness how he observed our

surroundings without even slowing down.
He was also watching out for monsters.
Clearly, his stats weren’t that high for now.
Taking into account the fact that he had an attribute, class and magic
power, he was already on a much higher ground than anyone else here.
Yet, if a group of monsters surrounded us and attacked together, even
he wouldn’t be able to cope.
‘That’s why you failed to protect those people.’
If it had been possible then he would have made sure there were no
casualties at the starting point.
“By the way, there are more survivors than I imagined. I was pretty sure
most of them would have died…”
“In fact, more people could have been saved. At irst, I didn’t know the
weak points of those monsters, so I couldn’t face them properly. If only
there were more people who could ight…”
“Yea, I feel the same way. At that time, running away was all I could do…
If not for hyung-nim, I would be dead right now. Are all 30 people from
there?”
“Ah! Actually, no. It seems like there were other starting points at
different locations. But they were quite far away from ours…”
“Mhm… So we are not the only ones here.”

“Yes. Perhaps, if we expand our search, we will hear more good news.
Just now I was looking for traces of other people.”
I didn’t know how the hell you could call that good news.
“You are looking for more survivors?”
“Of course, I think that’s what we should be doing.”
From his eyes, I knew he was telling the truth.
The word “good” attached to his disposition wasn’t there only for
decoration.
I had no way of knowing the full picture, but my head hurt just thinking
about how those 30 people were supposed to survive together.
‘This son of a bitch… ’
Just from this, I could imagine how the survivor camp was running.
“You don’t look good. A-Am I too heavy…?”
Jung Hayan asked me, after seeing my darkening expression.
“Oh, that’s not it. I just thought about something…”
“I-If you feel uncomfortable…”
“I’m ine.”
“Ah… I… I…”
“Yes?”
“I-It’s a little late, but thank you… for saving me.”

I smiled slightly at her words of gratitude.
Supporting her was quite burdensome, but it didn’t matter.
It was because I thought I should score every little point from her while
there was an opportunity.
Jung Hayan’s face was strangely red. It seemed like she wasn’t used to
making contact with the opposite sex.
Rather than sticking too close to her, I tried to maintain a certain

distance to lower her vigilance.
While I tried to keep the smile of a good person on my face, Jung Hayan
became more willing to lean on me.
After we walked a bit further, we arrived at a wide space.
‘Not bad.’
It was a pretty good place.
There was only one entrance, what wasn’t bad at all.
There seemed to be some way to prevent monsters from entering, but I

couldn’t see it clearly from the outside.
“Amazing. How did you ind this place?”
‘You already knew about it.’
“I somehow stumbled upon it while I was looking for the right place for
survivors to stay.”
“You are very lucky…”

He probably used this place in his previous life.
It was different from the starting point where monsters could enter
from every direction.
It was a little crude, but very much like a sturdy castle.
It was highly unlikely he found this place by accident. It was way too far
away from the starting point.
Little by little, I was more and more con ident that this guy really came
back in time.
“It looks great. Doesn’t it, hyung-nim?”
I nodded slightly.
“I think this place could even it more than a hundred people.”
“I don’t think so.”
“M-Maybe I exaggerated.”
With enough people, we should be able to stop monsters from entering.

However, the lack of a way to retreat was also a weakness.
If a big number of monsters attacked us, it would end in slaughter.
All but a few lucky ones would die. I looked at Kim Hyunsung, and
slowly opened my mouth.
“It’s blocked from every other side. What if a large number of monsters
try to invade through this one entrance…”
“That’s why we are acting as carefully as possible. We are also dealing

with monsters in the nearby area.”
“You go hunting regularly?”
“Yes. Until we can ind some other clues…”
I was very curious. Just who else was up for this regular hunting?
As we gradually approached the entrance, I could see some woman

coming out to greet us. She was a little short, but gave an overall
charming impression.
“Hyunsung oppa, you are back? Ah, there are new people.”
I saw how she linched a little at the sight of Park Deokgu, who had a
robust body and was armed with sword and shield, but surprisingly,
she didn’t lose her smile.
‘Nice reaction.’
She gave a good irst impression.
“Jihye-ssi.”
“You were running a little late, so I was worried about you.”
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Lee Jihye.]
[Name: Lee Jihye]
[Age: 29]
[Disposition: Sel ish Ambitionist]
[Class: None]
[Stats]
[Strength: 05/Potential growth: common or lower]
[Agility: 09/Potential growth: common or lower]
[Stamina: 09/Potential growth: common or lower]
[Intelligence: 18/Potential growth: rare or higher]
[Endurance: 08/Potential growth: common or lower]
[Luck: 12/Potential growth: common or lower]
[Magic Power: 00/Potential growth: common or lower]
‘Trash.’
I muttered in my heart, unknowingly. She was trash to the extent that

she was even further beyond help compared to me, but at the same
time she was very similar to me.
[Overview: Congratulations, player Lee Kiyoung. You have inally found

your soulmate. It’s possible that the two of you will be the perfect
match for each other. Low stats, low potential. Trying to wield a sword
or wand is not recommended. Alternatively, it might be a different story
if, captivated by each other’s lousy talents, the two of you choose to live
out the rest of your lives together quietly. But I don’t want the two of
you to get together. I would feel sorry for the 2nd generation born from
your union.]
I tried hard to ignore all the insults packed in there. It was clear that the
status window message was trying to provoke me.
I quickly turned off the status window, and then recalled this woman’s
information in my mind.
Her disposition was very eye-catching when paired with her lousy
talent level and poor stats.
‘Sel ish Ambitionist.’
Maybe she was the same type of person as me.
Unlike other people in this place, her way of interacting with Kim
Hyunsung was very conspicuous.
She had chosen to rub onto Kim Hyunsung in order to survive.
“Hehe. May I know your names?”
“Park Deokgu.”
“J-Jung Hayan. Please, take good care of me.”
“Yes, nice to meet you all. In a moment, I will lead you to a place where
you can rest. Are you okay, Hyunsung-ssi?”
“Of course. Please, take care of them, Jihye-ssi.”
“Yes, leave it to me, Hyunsung oppa.”
She clenched her ist in a cute manner, but knowing her disposition, I
couldn’t feel any warmth from it.
Seeing how she scanned me, Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu up and
down, maybe she was also calculating what role we would play after
joining this place.
In the case of Park Deokgu, who was carrying a sword and shield and
had a huge body, it was an instant pass.
As for Jung Hayan, who stumbled on her legs, and the miserable I, who
supported her, it was most likely a failing grade.
It was funny how she instantly stuck to Park Deokgu and chirped.
“Have you seen any monsters on your way here?”
“Not only did I see them, but I’ve already killed a few.”
“Ohhh… You weren’t scared?”
A deliberate, slightly surprised expression.
“W-Well, of course I was scared, but… In fact, if not for hyung-nim, I

wouldn’t be here now.”
At the moment Park Deokgu uttered those useless words, Lee Jihye’s
gaze shifted to this side again.
I didn’t know if she was the same as me, but I could see what she was
doing right now.
“Ah. So you fought together with Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Sure we fought together! Every time hyung-nim stabbed with his spear,
one monster bastard dropped dead.”
‘Shut up, you pig… ’
I wanted to shut up Park Deokgu’s mouth.
I guess he thought he was making me look more impressive in this way,

but to me, it was way too much favouritism.
At least I didn’t have to worry about being backstabbed by him, but still,
it was very embarrassing for me.
Lee Jihye was amending her evaluation of my person.
As Park Deokgu’s hyung-nim, I was more important now.
“Oh, I see. I’m really glad to hear this. Our shelter will be a little safer
now.”
A slightly raised tone of anticipation.
However, I didn’t feel good about it. Because, right now, other survivors
were also staring at us.
I checked all of them with my Mind’s Eye, but there was no one special
in my ield of view.
From this, I was able to identify just what kind of gaze those guys were
sending our way.
‘Relief.’
They were all relieved. The appearance of two guys with a spear, sword
and shield made them sigh with relief.
“Huh…”
I expected something like this, but seeing it with my own eyes made me
sigh.
Kim Hyunsung made this place very safe.
For them, not for us.

CHAPTER 7
CLASS (1)
I wasn’t a charitable person.
Rather, I was the opposite of that. Lee Jihye, who was laughing while
standing in front of me, was probably the same.
People nodded at us, obviously pleased to see two warriors, one with
spear and another with sword, join them.
‘That’s not right… ’
At this rate I would become a meat shield.
“Well, I said I would lead you to a resting spot, but honestly, there’s not
much to show. There’s only two sections here. One for men and another
for women to live separately.”
“That’s enough. And it’s proper.”
“Thank you for saying that. I was a little worried…”
“There’s no need to worry about such a thing. Thanks for being our
guide.”
“That’s kind of you. Hehe. Can I call you Deokgu oppa?”
“I-If you want to…”
“You are such a nice man.”

This naive Park Deokgu was already half-way into the honey trap set by
Lee Jihye. He sure felt good about being called ‘oppa’ by a woman six
years his senior.
“Are you okay, Kiyoung-ssi?”
“You don’t have to be so formal, call me as you like.”
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Jung Hayan’s expression wasn’t

looking good.
“Then I will call you Kiyoung oppa. Hehe. Ah! Hayan-ssi, please, come
this way. We have no set rules for living here, but Hyunsung-ssi will tell
you everything you should know. I will take Hayan-ssi with me, and
teach her a few things. Have a good rest.”
“Ah… okay. Kiyoung-ssi, see you later then. Thank you so much for
today.”
“Yes, see you later.”
“Yup!”
Jung Hayan bowed her head, and then went to the women’s section
together with Lee Jihye.
It seemed like there were a variety of unspoken rules here, but frankly, I
wasn’t very interested in this.
What interested me was how we would now proceed.
“Hyung-nim, don’t you think this place seems quite lively?”
“That’s true…”
“Is there a problem?”

“It’s not a big deal. Just…”
“Just…?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Oh, is that so…”
I wasn’t happy with the idea of becoming a meat shield to keep this
place safe, but if I changed my perspective a little, it actually wasn’t
such a bad thing.
‘Only in this manner can I get what I need.’
This place offered endless opportunities.
Safe hunting with Kim Hyunsung, help with getting a class and roping
Jung Hayan onto my side.
Perhaps it won’t be smooth sailing, but that was a minor issue.
The next morning, Kim Hyunsung called out Park Deokgu and I.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yea, thanks to you.”
Park Deokgu responded brie ly to Kim Hyunsung’s question.
When it was only me and Deokgu I couldn’t sleep properly, so it was the
irst night in this place where I could relax a little.
I roughly knew what this guy was trying to get at. Instead of getting
dragged into this by him, I bit the bullet, and opened my mouth irst.
“I didn’t see many people who could ight here. Most of them are
women or injured. Or those who have no will to ight.”
“Yes, it’s quite embarrassing to admit.”
“How is this place holding up?”
It was a pointed question to ask, but I was really curious about it.
Only after a while did Kim Hyunsung slowly start speaking.
“Actually, we are not doing that great.”
As I expected.
I rubbed my chin and said.
“The lack of food and drinking water. No one to ight. And you, who has
to take care of those 30 babies. Maybe even more, because their
number will increase in the future.”
“…”
“So far, you have been holding on, relying on food and drinking water
you had stored in advance, but these resources will dwindle very soon,
and there will be a need to ind other solutions. Isn’t that right? It will
be very hard to get resources from the starting points scattered all over
the place. Right now we have to deal with monsters in front of us, and
yet, the unable-to- ight-burdens behind us are increasing in number.”
“They are not burdens.”
“They might not be burdens in the future, but right now they are.”
Kim Hyunsung didn’t answer, maybe he agreed with me to some degree.

“To be honest, taking into the account the circumstances, leaving this
place doesn’t seem like a bad choice.”
“You are going to leave, Hyung-nim?”
I shook my head at Park Deokgu’s words, and said,
“I didn’t mean that. But if we stay here, it won’t do us any good.”
“Ah…”
“Hyunsung-ssi, I wouldn’t say that this friend of mine and I are that
great. He might be helpful, but as for me, not so much. Actually, all I can
do is to stand in place and stab my spear forward.”
“…”
“But still, I can ight together with others and serve as support. The
same goes for this guy.”
“Thank you.”
I pretended to be casual, but it was quite dif icult.
We were tired, both mentally and physically, and I suspected we might

reach our limit soon.
Although you didn’t seem to know me and Park Deokgu, you must have
been overjoyed to meet us.
“I’m not a volunteer.”
“Ah…”
“I think I roughly know what you wish to accomplish. Maybe all you
want to do is let everyone survive and be safe. I can understand this
way of thinking, but I’m not like you, Hyunsung-ssi. I’m not someone
who is willing to be sacri iced for someone else who won’t even share
my hardships. You may call it sel ish, but that’s how I see it…”
“No, I understand. Of course, you have your own needs.”
Communicating with him was smoother than I expected.
I was worried he would stick to his righteousness, but thankfully that

wasn’t the case.
“Alright. Then, irstly, we want dibs on a portion of the resources we

ind during future trips.”
He nodded slightly.
Probably, he thought that wasn’t such a big demand.
“And…”
“…”
“We’d like to be included in your plan for the future.”
Kim Hyunsung’s face stiffened a little.
A moment later, he looked at me with an odd expression. He seemed to

be a bit surprised.
However, soon after, a faint smile appeared on his face.
“So you knew.”
“That strange woman from the starting point gave us two big clues:
attack and survive. It’s just my personal view, but this second option
seems impossible to achieve. Uh, well, if a small number of people
monopolized a lot of resources, then maybe it could work. But I don’t
remember her saying anything about the exact duration we would have
to live here for.”
“…”
“If there’s no set time limit, gathering survivors isn’t a good choice.
Sure, they wouldn’t get eaten by monsters, but they would starve to
death. It’s a forgone conclusion.”
I knew he was a regressor, so I was just telling him everything he

should already know about.
However, this guy seemed to admire my reasoning and the fact that I
could deduce so much just by putting together small pieces of
information.
In fact, when I raised my eyes, I could see him lowering his head a little.
I was right.
“In that case, I’m happy to work together with you.”
“Likewise…”
I held his outstretched hand. There was a strange sense of trust in his
eyes.
He was aware that I wasn’t strong enough.
But in his mind, I might be the shining example of a useful talent now.
For example, as a type of person it to be an analyst or administrator.
***
“Hyung-nim!”
“I know.”
Ever since Kim Hyunsung joined us, hunting had become much easier.
That wasn’t all.
Now I held even more faith in what Mind’s Eye was showing me.
“Deokgu!”
“I’m coming.”
Obviously, Kim Hyunsung seemed to be very experienced in using the

sword.
Sometimes he deliberately made mistakes, as if he wanted to hide his

skill level, but the way he reacted every time Park Deokgu was in
danger made it hard to see him as a person who only recently started
using the sword.
‘Good.’
While Park Deokgu was holding several monsters in place, Kim

Hyunsung and I were dealing with them from the sides.
They were sensitive to sound, so to get their attention Park Deokgu was
hitting his shield with his sword.
I was still unused to wielding a spear, and my hands trembled.
As I stabbed a monster rushing at Park Deokgu, the spear fell out of my

hands.
But then Park Deokgu inished it with a slam of his shield.

“Haa!”
“Looks like a few more are coming. Let me take care of them. In the
meantime…”
“I know. Deokgu, let’s grab the food.”
“I already took it, Kiyoung Hyung-nim… What do you think he was

doing when he lived on Earth?”
“No idea. But I doubt he was using swords there. His skills are probably
the result of acquiring a class.”
“Oh well, you have to admit he is hella good at this.”
Using his high agility, Kim Hyunsung was avoiding every strike and cut
down enemies with precision.
From far away it seemed simple, but in practice it wasn’t simple at all.
The reason why Kim Hyunsung was going ahead alone sometimes was
because Park Deokgu already knew that he had a class.
Ever since hearing about this, Park Deokgu seemed to be a little

nervous.
He had yet to unlock any class, and he was feeling stressed about this.
“Haa!”
While Kim Hyunsung killed the remaining monsters, Park Deokgu

observed him quietly.
His eyes were full of amazement.

“Ah, there are fewer monsters than I expected around this starting point
area.”
“Maybe he cleared this area before.”
“You mean Kim Hyunsung?”
“Yea. There’s a lot of food here, but it seems like no one survived… Well,
if there were survivors, there would be no food left.”
“I didn’t really think the three of us would be enough to secure

resources from the starting point.”
“You helped a lot.”
“No, I didn’t do much, did I? It’s all thanks to that guy.”
“No, it’s not only thanks to him. If not for you, it would’ve been much
harder for us to get here.”
I didn’t say those words only out of comfort.
It was true that Park Deokgu made it much easier for us to come all the
way here. No matter how good at ighting Kim Hyunsung was, he was
only a single person after all. It would be dif icult for him to tackle all
the monsters attacking him from every direction alone.
Although Park Deokgu was still in his growing phase, it was clear that
his potential would allow him to become someone who could lift a
heavy burden off his allies in battle.
It was when I was checking my status window to see if any of my stats

had risen that…
“Huh? Hyung-nim.”
I heard Park Deokgu’s startled voice at the same moment I saw a new
message in front of me.
[Several classes have been unlocked. Please select the class of your
choice.]
‘Good.’
It was faster than I thought.
[View unlocked classes.]
[Warrior (Common)]
[Archer (Common)]
[Wizard (Common)]
[Commander (Rare)]
One very attractive class came into my view.

CHAPTER 8
CLASS (2)
‘A [Commander]?’
This one line glowed blue, while the other three were white.
I guess it was because of the rare grade. For now, I began reading the
class descriptions from top to bottom.
[Warrior (Common)]
A capable warrior ighting at the forefront of a battle is a must-have for

every party. After changing to this class, you will gain basic knowledge
on using all kinds of melee weapons such as swords, spears, axes and so
on. Afterwards, you will be able to unlock other melee classes, such as
[Barbarian], [Knight], [Paladin], [Cavalryman], [Mercenary] and more.
Strength, vitality and endurance are increased by 1 point each.
[Archer (Common)]
An archer specialises in ranged attacks. After changing to this class, you

will gain basic knowledge on using bows and arrows. In addition to
being able to unlock adjacent class paths such as [Thief] and [Assassin],
you will also have a chance to advance to a higher grade [Archer] class
such as [Spirit Archer] or [Magic Archer]. Agility is increased by 3
points.
[Wizard (Common)]
A [Wizard] is a long range class with the ability to use magic. After
changing to this class, you will gain basic knowledge on using magic.
Later on, you can unlock other classes such as [Warlock], [Alchemist] or
[Summoner]. Magic power is increased by 3 points.
The irst three options didn’t look too bad.
Choosing [Warrior] would improve my three stats that were the most
dif icult to raise, while choosing [Archer] would allow me to learn how
to use ranged weapons… For someone like me, who just wanted to chill
at the back, it was a very appealing class.
Likewise for [Wizard]. It would boost my magic power, which was still
an unknown factor for me.
However, what I was the most curious about, was the rare class that
appeared, [Commander].
[Commander (Rare)]
This class has little to do with combat skills. Instead of participating in

actual combat, a person with this class reads the situation of the
battle ield and gives orders from behind. Changing to this class would
provide a wider ield of view. It’s not known what other classes you
could unlock later. Intelligence is increased by 1 point.
Honestly, until I read the description, my mind was set on

[Commander].
However, now that I had learned the pros and cons of all the classes
available, I felt a headache incoming.
A [Commander’s] abilities weren’t that bad.
‘But what’s the point of having a wider ield of view here?’

And it only increased my intelligence by 1 point.
When you take into account that all other classes offered me 3 extra
points, I would lose out on 2 points.
And that wasn’t all.
‘What about my path of development for the future…?’
It was unsettling that there were no mentions of any possible class to

be unlocked afterwards.
I then remembered that Kim Hyunsung’s class was also a common

grade one, [Swordsman].
It was very possible that he had unlocked some other classes with a
rare or even heroic grade.
However, as someone with the Sword Expert attribute, he set his sights
on being a [Swordsman]. He probably tried to follow the path he
already knew instead of trying something new with lower ef iciency.
While I was thinking about this, I saw Kim Hyunsung coming this way.
“Looks like you guys unlocked some classes.”
“Yes.”
For this guy, who already knew his own direction of growth, choosing a
class was just a formality. On the other hand, I had a lot to worry about
because this choice would decide my future. Park Deokgu then opened
his mouth, asking for advice.
“Hyung-nim, this…”
“What is it?”
“I’m just not sure about this. I have Warrior and Priest as options, both
of which are of common rank. I also see a rare grade class, Shieldman,
but I don’t know if it’s good.”
“You have Priest in your options?”
“For Priest, I could change to Paladin afterwards… and it seems like

Warrior can change to Berserker, but… Wouldn’t it be nice to have a
rare class at irst?”
Considering Park Deokgu’s potential was the highest for vitality and
endurance, [Shieldman] indeed seemed like the right choice for him.
“Shieldman…”
“Well, it says that this class is all about defense. It explains that there
are bonuses to using a shield, but the problem is that it’s unknown
what other classes I could unlock later. Oh, and I would lose 2 points of
my strength… but at the same time I would gain 3 points in endurance
and vitality.”
“It doesn’t sound bad.”
It was Kim Hyunsung who spoke before I could even open my mouth.
He offered his advice even though he wasn’t asked.
“You seem to be someone who has high endurance… Your strength

would drop, but such a big rise in endurance and vitality would be
amazing. And even if you lose 2 points of strength, you will still be 4 stat
points ahead.”
‘Indeed.’
In an online game, the presence of a tanker, a warrior who ights in the

forefront, would be essential.
Seeing Kim Hyunsung’s reaction, the system here wasn’t that much
different.
Not only priests, but tankers were also valuable here.
“Hmm… You think so?”
“Have you unlocked any attributes yet?”
“Not yet.”
“As for me, I have a common grade class, Swordsman, and an attribute
that boosts my damage. At irst, I wanted to choose Warrior to increase
my strength, but I had a hunch that a swordsman with great increase in
agility would be a better option for me. Afterwards, I unlocked an
attribute by accident, so I think my choice of class was the right one.”
“Ah.”
He was the type of guy who expressed his opinion openly.
The quality of the class itself wasn’t too important. The most important
thing was how well this class balanced itself with the stats, attributes
and abilities of a person.
So it was all about what had the best ef iciency.
Although he didn’t insist on it too strongly, Kim Hyunsung clearly

wished for Park Deokgu to choose the rare grade [Shieldman] class.
“What do you think, Hyung-nim?”
“My opinion is similar. It’s unknown if in the future you would get any
attributes that increase your damage, but we have Hyunsung-ssi after
all, and he can make up for your lack of attack power. And it would be
nice if you could increase your stats by 4 points… But still, the choice is
yours.”
“That’s right…”
“How about Priest then…?”
“That’s the worst choice.”
[Priest] was the worst option here.
I just couldn’t imagine him with this class. Maybe it could work if he
later changed to something like [Paladin], but…
Park Deokgu’s talent for magic wasn’t particularly great.
After a while, for a short amount of time, Park Deokgu’s body shined
with a blue light.
He had successfully changed his class.
“What did you choose?”
“Just as you said, Shieldman seems to be the most suitable class for me.”
“Is that so?”
“I think that even now I can protect you pretty well, Hyung-nim, but it
would be nice if I could do so even better. And as for the offensive, I
guess it’s not bad to leave it to others. Playing with magic seems to be
dangerous, what if I explode because of it? That said, being on the
frontlines is a little scary, but I think I can handle it.”
“It’s a good choice.”
Kim Hyunsung also approvingly nodded his head, then turned to me.
“If you don’t mind, can I ask what Kiyoung-ssi chose?”
I was silent for a moment, before answering.
“I haven’t chosen anything yet. I have three options for common grade
classes: Warrior, Archer and Wizard, and also one rare grade class:
Commander.”
“Commander…”
I noticed his facial muscles stiffened for a second.
‘It’s a trap card.’
This barely perceptible reaction made me convinced that [Commander]

was a trap card here.
“Um… I see.”
“Oh my god, Hyung-nim! Commander! This class would be perfect for

you! I just know it!”
“Y-Yes?”
“I mean, aren’t you totally like some cool commander, Hyung-nim? Just
imagining you giving orders from behind like a boss… Khh… Under
Hyung-nim’s command I will surely win every battle!”
Park Deokgu was full of excitement, but honestly, I didn’t see myself as a
commander type.
And also…
‘I don’t know anything about war strategy.’
I had never ever read any book about the art of war.
I wasn’t very good at playing chess or Go, and I didn’t have a
particularly outstanding mind compared to others.
If you asked me about my experience in this area, I could only think

about this short time in the distant past, when I played some online
strategy game. I don’t even remember what its name was now.
In fact, with my character, I was more it to be a scammer rather than a

commander. I guess [Thief] would be quite a fair option for me.
“I can’t wait for you to give me orders, Hyung-nim!”
‘This bastard… ’
He was cute.
Apparently, he already thought I would choose [Commander].
“It says this class would provide me with a wider ield of vision and 1
point increase in my intelligence. As for other classes, you guys
probably know about them.”
“With this class, there’s little to no gain. At least the other three would
increase your starts by 3 points…”
I felt my throat getting dry. Becoming a rare grade [Commander] was

de initely a trap.
“You have to be a Commander! Commander!”
I decided to ignore this idiot who was getting all excited by himself, and
pondered more deeply on this problem.
“Having a rare grade class for now would be nice, but I’m also worried
whether this class would enable me to advance to something better in
the future. All the other classes are of common grade, but it’s obvious
they won’t stay like this. Choosing your irst class is very important,
so…”
“I’m telling you Hyung-nim, you should be a Commander! Commander!

Please, command me!”
“…”
“I think the Archer class wouldn’t be so bad for you, Kiyoung-ssi. It

would help us a lot, if you could attack from a distance… and later on
you could change to something like Thief…
“Hyung-nim, choose Commander! Commander! Let me follow you!”
“For now… it would be more helpful to increase your stats.”
“There’s nothing to argue about here! Hyung-nim was born to be a

commander! He has to be a Commander no matter what!”
“Archer would be better for him…”
“Commander is better!”
“Archer…”
“Commander!”
“Archer…”
“Commander!”
“Archer!”
“Commander!”
“Archer is better!”
“Commander is even better!!!”
They were just making me more confused.
‘Damn… ’
I left those two guys to argue by themselves.
Kim Hyunsung seemed to know a little about the disadvantages of

being a [Commander], and he wanted to recommend the [Archer] class
to me. However, he didn’t know about my poor talent.
‘Should I choose [Archer].’
Choosing [Commander] went hand in hand with some potential

problems, but [Wizard] was actually quite tempting for me. Although
my magic power was truly a sad sight, I felt I could work around it,
relying on my high intelligence.[1]
The most important thing was to make the best use of my strong points.
Anyway, my Mind’s Eye already told me that I was a hopeless case.
“Ah…”
In the end, I had to choose a class that seemed to be the most ef icient
for me.
As I made my decision, I closed my eyes and with a lash of light I could

feel how my body changed a little.
“Phew…”
I successfully changed my class.

Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu spoke at the same time.
“Commander?” “Archer?”
[1] To lessen your confusion. In chapter 1 by other translator Kiyoung’s

potential for all stats was “common grade” but it wasn’t right. He has
“heroic grade” for intelligence and luck. In next chapter we will have
update of his status window so you can see it more clearly.
CHAPTER 9
PURE THINGS ARE EASILY
DYED
“Wizard.”
“Umm…”
“W-Why not Commander…”
Both of them reacted pretty similarly.
Park Deokgu looked really disappointed. Kim Hyunsung was obviously

a little dejected, but otherwise didn’t seem to think it was a bad
decision.
Although an [Archer]’s ability to use bows was very attractive, my low

agility wouldn’t allow me to utilise it well. I didn’t know if changes
could happen in the future, but right now my ability stat had little
potential for growth.
There was no point in forcing myself to do something that didn’t suit

me.
Naturally, even if I had chosen [Archer] and became a [Thief] later on, I
would still have to worry about this very same thing.
In fact, the same could be said about the [Wizard] class. I already knew
that I wasn’t going to be a skilled magic user, but…
‘I have to take advantage of my strengths.’
I igured that the best path forward would be to make use of my high
intelligence. Considering the various ways this class could branch out,
there had to be a class where high mana wasn’t a barrier to growth.
“May I ask why you chose Wizard?”
I shook my head slightly, and said,
“Just a hunch.”
I had no other choice.
Even if I had chosen [Commander], I would’ve only gained 1 extra stat

point.
Gaining a three point boost to mana, which was still uncharted territory
to me, seemed like a boon in comparison.
“I see.”
He seemed to have been convinced.
I felt a little bitter. If only he could see my growth potential, he would

know there was no hope for me.
[Acquired basic knowledge of elementary magic.]
[Due to the effect of the class, the mana stat increased by 3 points.]
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Lee
Kiyoung.]
[Name: Lee Kiyoung]

[Age: 25]
[Disposition: Careful Strategist]
[Class: Wizard]
[Class Effects: Basic Magic Knowledge]
[Stats]
[Strength: 10/Growth potential: common or lower]
[Agility: 11/Growth potential: common or lower]
[Vitality: 12/Growth potential: common or lower]
[Endurance: 12/Growth potential: common or lower]
[Mana: 03/Growth potential: common or lower]
[Equipment: None]
[Attributes: Mind’s Eye]
[Overview: You’re still hopeless. But I applaud you for getting a class.
Selecting [Wizard] may well be a very good choice for you. If you hadn’t,
it would be dif icult to feel magic given your talent. The extra 3 points of
mana may look promising, but I recommend that you don’t raise your
hopes on being a good Wizard. You will only be left with
disappointment.]
For some reason the overview message didn’t criticize my choice as

much as I thought it would.
It was still insulting, but at least I got an approving nod for learning to
use mana.
There were many changes to my status window.
I also felt like I roughly understood what it meant to acquire knowledge

on the basics of magic.
New knowledge poured into my head.
All of it was literally only foundational knowledge, so there was nothing

too complicated. It explained the concept of magic, how to move mana,
how to cast spells by using mana, and it also provided an introduction
to the concepts of chimeras and incantations.
“It’s not that bad.”
It was a little different from what I had imagined.
I couldn’t quite pin it down in words, but I felt like I was solving some
formula I’d never seen before, or like I was building a tower with my
mana.
Knowledge of things that were completely unfamiliar to me, such as

chimeras and incantations, continued to accumulate in my mind.
‘For now, at least, it seems like it was worth it.’
Unlike the bene its of the [Commander] class, I could use this power as
soon as I adapted to it.
When I slowly closed my eyes and felt the mana inside me, it welled up
immediately.
My level of mana was only in the single digits, so I felt really grateful
that it moved according to my will.
While I was still operating mana in my mind, Kim Hyunsung, who had
been observing me, opened his mouth.
“Let’s go back then. We’ve already been delayed by a lot. As for food…”
“Two bags are enough for us.”
“Alright.”
After packing up two bags, Park Deokgu handed the rest over to Kim
Hyunsung.
He nodded, and revealed a look of gratitude.
Perhaps he thought we were being considerate of him.
We had retrieved about 12 leather bags full of food from this starting
point. If you thought about Park Deokgu’s contribution in attracting the
monsters’ aggro, only asking for 2 bags was a bargain.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“Well, there’s no need for thanks. Without Hyunsung-ssi, we wouldn’t

have had the opportunity to even get these two bags… Given everything
you’ve done for us, it’s only natural that we repay your help in kind.”
“But…”
“Alright, let’s go feed the people.”

“Okay, I understand.”
“What are you going to do about the others, by the way? We can’t keep
helping them like this.”
“Those who aren’t willing to ight would only get in the way. I don’t
want there to be any unnecessary victims… It may be good to put them
through training to adapt to the circumstances then take them to hunt
monsters one by one.
“I don’t think that would work.”
If you thought about it, Park Deokgu had also completed this kind of
training to adapt.
But I didn’t bother to say this out loud.
“It might not work. But for now, I think we could try it out with just one
other person, with your permission of course. Would you guys be okay
with that?”
“I don’t mind… But how about you, Hyung-nim?”
“I’m also okay with this. Just, can I suggest someone right now?”
“Do you have anyone in mind…?”
“I was thinking of Jung Hayan, if she’s ine with it.”
“Ah.”
Kim Hyunsung nodded his head happily.
It was no exaggeration to say that Jung Hayan was like a lottery ticket
that was certain to win a jackpot.
I had already con irmed her talent with my Mind’s Eye, and Kim
Hyunsung most likely knew about her future achievements.
I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw his delighted expression.
The way back to the shelter was quite comfortable. Due to the fact that
we would inevitably leave the shelter unprotected whilst we travelled
to the starting point, we had cleared out the area beforehand.
As we approached the shelter, several people, including Lee Jihye, ran

out to greet Kim Hyunsung.
“Ah, Hyunsung-ssi! Deokgu oppa and Kiyoungie oppa also worked hard.
Let us take those for you…”
I could see those guys taking bags from Kim Hyunsungie as though it
were only natural.
One man, who seemed to have an injured leg, snuck his hand towards
our side as well, so I shook him off, and said,
“We will carry our bags ourselves.”
“Oh, yes…”
I drew a clear line between us and their system of distribution.
Funnily enough, I could clearly see an expression of disapproval on his

face.
He seemed to be thinking something along the lines of, ‘Who do you

guys even think you are?’
The corners of my mouth rose for a moment, but he likely didn’t see it.
Not minding my actions, Kim Hyunsung was quietly speaking with Lee
Jihye.
“This is the food that we obtained from the starting point. I want Jihye-
ssi to distribute it amongst the people inside the shelter.”
“Alright! Leave it to me, Hyunsung-ssi. By any chance, were there any

survivors…”
“I don’t think so.”
“I-I see. That’s too bad.”
“Maybe some of them are still alive nearby. Sooner or later, we’ll have to
search that area again.”
“Ah! Right…”
There probably wouldn’t be enough food. Kim Hyunsungie had only

brought ten bags.
Thirty people wouldn’t be able to eat their ill after sharing it amongst
themselves.
I could still hold out for now, but I was already feeling hungry myself.
Park Deokgu and I, carrying our two bags, walked past the leeches
surrounding Kim Hyunsung and headed inside.
Inexplicable gazes followed us all the while.
While walking, Park Deokgu spoke with a hint of uneasiness.
“Hyung-nim, you really won’t share with them?”
“We are not volunteers.”
“Well, I know that but… I don’t feel very good about it. And the
expressions of those people who went out to greet us were kinda…
“Why do you care about how they look at you?”
“I-I just don’t like it…”
“They’re the ones who should be thanking us for risking our lives and
bringing them food, Deokgu. The idea of even supporting baggage like
them is laughable. The place we’re staying in right now is Kim
Hyunsung’s shelter. We’re not one of them. We helped them as much as
we were helped, and we even gave up some food that we were
supposed to get. It’s the least we could do. Kim Hyunsung knows that,
which is why he hasn’t said anything…”
“Umm…”
“If they want better treatment, they can also pick up a sword. Well,
maybe if I were in their shoes, I would also have had a hard time doing
that… Maybe Kim Hyunsung wants them to be motivated by us. I’m not
sure what the outcome will be.”
“Ahh… So when they see us taking so much food, they would realise
they also have to ight to be treated likewise?”
“That’s the desired effect.”
That guy wasn’t stupid. It was possible that he was hoping for
something along those lines to occur.
While we were trudging over to the place where we usually stayed, I

couldn’t see Jung Hayan anywhere.
I had wondered if there was any work for those who didn’t go out
hunting, but I couldn’t see anyone who was actually idle.
Some were cleaning up their surroundings, while others moved heavy

stones to fortify the shelter.
Perhaps Jung Hayan was also doing some kind of work. It was obvious
who had managed this place while we were gone.
‘Lee Jihye.’
She was in charge of these people.
It was her job to distribute food and report any issues to Kim
Hyunsung.
She was also the irst to come out to greet him.
While thinking about this, I felt the corners of my mouth rising up for a
moment.
“Deokgu-yah.”
“What is it?”
“Do you remember Jung Hayan?”
“Are you talking about the lady with the injured leg who was clinging
onto you earlier?”
“That’s right.”
I took out some food from my bag and handed it to Park Deokgu.
“I want you to give this to her, and see if she’s okay.”
“Hyung-nim, why are you… ah…”
Something about his expression didn’t seem right.
“I understand. Very well, you can leave it to me!”

This guy caught onto my intention at once.
We hadn’t been together for long, but he was already starting to get
better at understanding what I wanted from him.
He understood that I was trying to get her.
Of course, I didn’t mean it in a romantic way, but it was surprisingly

easy to make people think otherwise.
Especially in a situation like this.
From what I could remember, Jung Hayan’s disposition was ‘Pure

Advocate’.
Kim Hyunsung’s disposition, ‘Well-Meaning Arbitrator’, appeared to be

slightly similar, but the two were clearly different.
‘Pure’ and ‘Well-Meaning’ were clearly different.
“Pure things are easily dyed.”
“What did you say?”
Perhaps this small experiment would be enough to prove what I had

said.
CHAPTER 10
JUNG HAYAN (1)
An invisible hierarchy was forming.
Even beasts that were incapable of speech would create a class-based

system among themselves. It would be stranger if, in a situation like
this one, there were no subtle differences in ranks.
As long as it was a place people inhabited, it was a natural outcome.
“First of all.”
At the very top of the pyramid was Kim Hyunsung, the man who had
built this place.
I didn’t know what had occurred whilst inding this shelter, but the
people here certainly placed a lot of trust in Kim Hyunsung.
I would have had a similar reaction.
Of course, it was a natural reaction for someone who had suddenly

fallen into an unknown land crawling with monsters.
The fact that there was a guy willing to pick up a sword and stand up
against those monsters was very reassuring, especially since that guy
was foolishly kind.
It was no wonder then, that people admired him.

Next up was Lee Jihye. A woman who had an unexpected windfall from
being with Kim Hyunsung.
Unlike Kim Hyunsung, who frequently roamed outside, she spent most
of her time in the shelter, managing food distribution, guarding the
shelter, and other essential tasks.
There were also some people who could be considered part of ‘Lee
Jihye’s Unit’ that held signi icant authority.
Of course, while Kim Hyunsung was here, they couldn’t abuse or openly
take advantage of their power, but it was inevitable whilst he was gone.
“Then where are we, Hyung-nim?”
“You could say that we’re right under Kim Hyunsung, because we have
the strength to ight and retrieve food.”
“Umm…”
“It’s probable that they’re dissatis ied with us right now.”
“But at irst…”
“Of course, they were sweet to us at irst. But I’m sure they didn’t like
what happened yesterday. It was like implying that we want to be
independent. To put it bluntly: ‘It’s not our job to feed you.’ That was
likely the last nail in the cof in.”
“But part of the food they took was ours. Isn’t it natural to say, thanks,
instead?”
“Of course, there are people like that too, but… It’s human nature to try
to keep new powers in check. Even if it’s just within a small group of
people.”
“Does that mean that Kim Hyunsung is keeping us in check?”
“No, Kim Hyunsung doesn’t think of this place as his own in the irst
place.”
“Then who the hell is so wary of us…?”
“People who think this place belongs to them.”
It wasn’t Kim Hyunsung who was pretending to rule. It was Lee Jihye,
the one who was pro iting off of him.
“I think I know what you mean.”
“Kim Hyunsung is the igurehead of this group, but she’s the one
controlling it. In the irst place, Kim Hyunsung doesn’t have time to
manage this place since he spends most of his time outside. Where
might is required, the one with strength is king, and where food and
shelter are a priority, the one grasping them is king. Kim Hyunsung has
power, but it’s that woman who has food and shelter.”
“You mean Lee Jihye?”
I nodded slightly.
“…”
“One more loaf of bread is enough to win people over and you can send
away those you’re wary of. Power is created by discrimination. Jung
Hayan is probably one of the ones who aren’t favoured by Lee Jihye…
That’s why she was separated from the group and sent out to do rough
work.”
“Since when have you been paying so much attention to Hayan-ssi?”

“In the future we will have to keep an even closer eye on her.”
Park Deokgu nodded quietly.
Watching over Jung Hayan was just the beginning.
It was an impulsive judgement based on Lee Jihye and Jung Hayan’s

dispositions, ‘Sel ish Ambitionist’ and ‘Pure Advocate’. Even so, I
thought that I could perhaps really achieve the results I wanted.
***
“Hayan-ssi, you need to do your job properly.”
“Yes? Okay…”
“Everyone is working hard. Hayan-ssi isn’t the only one who has it
dif icult. In a situation like this, we all have to work together… If you
keep up this attitude, we’ll have no choice but to reduce your rations.”
“Yes…”
“It doesn’t matter if you say ‘yes’ or ‘no’…As you may have heard, things
aren’t looking bright. It’s not easy to get food from other places, and we
also don’t know how long we’ll have to stay here. If a monster comes
while Hyunsung-ssi is out, we’ll be slaughtered. That’s why building
walls is so important.”
“Yes, I understand. I’m really sorry.”
“Tsk. If you don’t want to get kicked out, don’t slack off and work hard.
As more survivors are found, there won’t be any space left for Hayan-
ssi. I just don’t understand why people who’ve just joined are so
sel ish…”
“I’m sorry?”
“It’s nothing. Just do your job properly.”
“Yes, okay. I understand.”
She could see the man who anxiously spoke out turning away.
Subconsciously, she lowered her head.
She wasn’t sure what she had done wrong in his mind, but he didn’t
seem to like anything she did.
No, it was natural to not like it.
It was no wonder he was unhappy. It has been a few days already, and
she still wasn’t able to ful ill her assigned workload.
‘Stupid.’
She had always heard words such as ‘slow’ or ‘slug-like’, but she hated
herself for not being able to move faster even in this situation.
‘It hurts.’
She looked down slightly, and saw her ragged hands. Her ingernails
were almost gone. It was painful, but she could de initely empathise
with what she had just been told.
‘Everyone is working hard.’
Everyone was doing their best to survive.
Hyunsung-ssi, Kiyoung-ssi and Deokgu-ssi, who were out ighting

against monsters, as well as the people who were building walls
together.
Compared to before, when she had been frantically running around on
her own, not knowing when she would die, this place was akin to
heaven.
If Kiyoung-ssi hadn’t helped her at that time, she would have been
killed by monsters.
As she remembered how she had clung to him almost the whole way
here, her face lushed red.
That was the irst time she had been in such proximity with a man.
As she recalled that memory in a daze, she raised her head when she
heard a voice coming from beside her.
“Hayan-ssi, I know you have it hard. Let me take that.”
“Ah, Seokwoo-ssi.”
“He’s probably also been under a lot of stress lately.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yes, Hyunsung-ssi has been going out a lot lately, so building

forti ications is very important right now. Jihye-ssi must be thinking the
same thing. We don’t know how long we are going to be here, so we
have to do everything we can. You’ll have to understand.”
“Ah, I-I know.”
“You seem to be particularly sensitive today. I think Hayan-ssi is one of

the hardest working people here… I’ll talk to him later. Let’s go eat
together irst.”
“Ah… Yes.”
“I heard yesterday that Hyunsung-ssi got food from the starting point.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. I heard it from Jihye-ssi, so it must be true.”
“That’s a relief, hehe.”
Yoo Seokwoo.
He was a man who spoke his mind.
Of course, since he was in charge of her, helping her bene ited him too,
but most of the time he seemed to just want to chat.
“By the way, isn’t this work hard?”
“O-Of course it’s hard, but there are de initely others who have it
rougher.”
“But still, it’s not an easy job… You know, you could cheat a bit.”
“No. I can’t even inish the work assigned to me in the irst place… I
can’t cheat. Seokwoo-ssi is injured, but you still work with us…”
“I’m overseeing everything, so I don’t have to do much, haha. Actually, I

have no problem with this, haha.”
While chatting about various things, they arrived at the food

distribution table.
She could see a few people lining up.
Park Deokgu and Lee Kiyoung were nowhere in sight. It was possible
that they had already inished their meal or had left to go elsewhere.
‘It hasn’t been long since they came back from hunting.’
Surely they would want to rest.
“Line up and stand here. You can wait for your turn.”
“Yes.”
“Ah. Yes.”
After receiving the food, they settled down in a nice spot. She could see
others who were gathering together to eat.
A brief thought crossed her mind to sneak over and join them. However,
perhaps because of her timid personality, it wasn’t easy for her to talk
or hang out with others in the irst place.
“These circumstances are hard for them as well.”
“Yes?”
“I mean the others. It’s tough for everyone. No one can afford to take
care of anyone else, and in the case of Hayan-ssi, who came here a bit
later, they’re probably even more reluctant.”
“Ah… I-I guess so. A-And I can’t do my job properly…”
“No, Hayan-ssi, you work harder than anyone else. With time, when you
get used to it, everyone will accept Hayan-ssi. Just like I do now.”
“T-Thank you for taking such good care of me.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just want to get closer to Hayan-ssi.”
“Oh! So do I. Thank you for always helping me.”

Now that she thought of it, she had received a lot of help from this
person.
From the very beginning, he had been the irst to approach her and help
her make connections. He had made her time here a lot smoother.
‘Thank you.’
It happened while she was placing a piece of bread into her mouth. She
could feel Yoo Seokwoo grabbing her hand.
“Ah…”
She tried to pull back, but he didn’t let go.
She turned her head and saw Yoo Seokwoo looking at her.
“L-Let go of me. P-Please…”
“What?”
“L-Let go. Why, all of a sudden…?”
“But just now…”
“T-That’s not what I meant.”
She looked around hurriedly, but there was no one else there. It felt like
Yoo Seokwoo’s always-smiling eyes had changed a little.
His smile was nowhere to be seen and a look of ridicule had taken its
place.
“Hayan-ssi.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Did you think that I was doing you a favour?”
“W-What are you talking about?”
“If you are taking something, you also have to give something back. You
really don’t know shit.”
“W-What are you saying. W-Why are you being like this…”
“You know how much I’ve done for you, don’t you?”
“I-I don’t know much about that. I appreciate your help, but…”
“You… Are you really that stupid? Or are you just pretending to be
stupid? Should I be more direct?”
“J-Just let go of my hand now. Ah, it hurts. It hurts…”
“If you want your time here to stay pleasant in the future, you better be
nice to me. You stupid woman. You still haven’t igured it out?”
His eyes were scary. She had never seen anyone look at her like that
before.
She didn’t even know why things had turned out this way.
What she knew for sure was that she wanted to get out of there.
As she desperately tried to pull her hand away, she heard a loud voice
from behind her.
“Hey, Hyung-ssi. If you don’t want that hand of yours to be broken, you
better let go.”
CHAPTER 11
JUNG HAYAN (2)
“Hey, Hyung-ssi. If you don’t want that hand of yours to be broken, you
better let go.”
“Huh?”
Kwajik!
“Aaaaaaaagh!”
“Ah!”
In that leeting moment, she was unable to comprehend what had

occurred.
As soon as that huge shadow had fallen across her face, she had closed
her eyes.
But that scream had been real enough.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Park Deokgu, who was silently
looking down, and Yoo Seokwoo, who had fallen to the ground,
screaming.
“Deok-Deokgu-ssi?”
“Ahhhngaaaa…”
“I had no idea we had this brand of scumbag here. Alright, it’s not
broken, so don’t be such a crybaby.”
“Aaaaagh…”
A large ist cut through the air once more. The sound of an impact rang
out as the blow fell precisely on Yoo Seokwoo’s head.
It was almost unreal to see him sent sprawling to the loor as though a
heavy, blunt weapon had struck him.
“Ahhhh! Uh… Uhhh…”
“Quit pretending. I didn’t even hit you that hard… Someone might think
you were a wailing newborn with all the racket you’re making.
A big foot struck out, and Yoo Seokwoo’s body was thrown into the air.
He had been kicked.
Seeing him crashing into the wall, Jung Hayan was afraid that the
situation would spiral into something bigger.
“I-It’s okay now, so please stop. You’re going to hurt him. Deok-Deokgu-
ssi.”
“Ah…”
The glare he shot in Yoo Seokwoo’s direction was vaguely terrifying.
However, if she didn’t stop him now, then perhaps Yoo Seokwoo’s death
would really come to pass.
Seeing Yoo Seokwoo hunched over and trembling on the ground made
her anxious.
“Don’t worry too much, Noonim. All I did was give him a little shove and
a kick. Well, this Hyung-ssi is just a cry-baby…”
That wasn’t why she was anxious.
She could see some people rushing over after hearing Yoo Seokwoo’s
screams.
“Stop!”
“…”
“What are you doing? Seokwoo-ssi, are you okay?”
“I-I’m ine…”
The most conspicuous of them was, of course, Lee Jihye. As she led her
herd towards them, abject confusion shone in her eyes.
“Hey, what the hell is going on here? Violence is forbidden within the
shelter.”
“That man sexually harassed Hayan-ssi. So I gave him a beating.”
“Is that true?”
“I saw it with my own two eyes.”
“It’s… not.”
“What?”
“O-of course, it might have looked misleading because I grabbed Hayan-

ssi’s hand… B-But he was mistaken…”
“You’re still running your mouth.”

“Alright, that’s enough, Deokgu oppa. Like I said, violence is prohibited
here. Even if Seokwoo-ssi did something wrong, hastily swinging your
ists at someone without hearing them out irst creates disharmony
amongst group members. This way of doing things… is not right. Before
anything else, you need to determine if anything wrong is even taking
place.”
“…”
“Seokwoo-ssi, did you really grasp Hayan-ssi’s hand to then sexually

harass her?”
“N-n-n-no. A-absolutely not. I never meant to do such a thing.”
“Then what Deokgu oppa saw…”
“I-I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding. O-of course, it’s true
that I expressed my feelings towards Hayan-ssi, but I mistakenly
thought that Hayan-ssi had accepted them… I-I think that’s what
happened.”
“Really?”
“Yes, yes… R-really.”
“Please repeat exactly what you said.”
“I told Hayan-ssi I wanted to get closer to her, and Hayan-ssi

reciprocated… I guess I was just mistaken.”
“Hayan-ssi, please clarify. Is what Seokwoo-ssi just said true?”
Several gazes landed on her. Of course, this wasn’t something she could
suddenly get used to.
It was because their gazes were far from being friendly.

She quickly realised that there was no one on her side.
As her arms and legs started to shake from tension, Lee Jihye’s face, and
her stare as though urging her to hurry up and speak, came into her
view.
For some reason, she had trouble opening her mouth.
“T-that’s true. B-but after that, Seok-Seok-Seokwoo-ssi… F-forcibly

pulled my arm, and… that if I want to have a pleasant time here… H-he
spoke like that… I-I was a little surprised…”
“Please speak properly, Hayan-ssi. I can’t understand what you’re

saying. Take it step by step.”
“S-so…”
“So it’s true that Seokwoo-ssi said he wanted to get closer to Hayan-ssi
and you agreed?”
“Sorry? Yes… B-but I didn’t know what he meant… I-I didn’t know…”
“I asked whether it’s true.”
“I-it’s true. B-but…”
“Excuse me, Hayan-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“So isn’t it Hayan-ssi who acted misleadingly and allowed this situation
to develop? Come to think of it, you’ve been hanging out with Seokwoo-
ssi ever since you came here. Am I wrong?”
“That’s true, but… It was always… Seok-Seokwoo-ssi who approached

irst…”
“This is what happens when your behaviour is problematic.”
“No… Well, that’s…”
“Do you think it is acceptable to create this type of misunderstanding

and then back down like that? The same goes for Deokgu oppa. I can’t
believe you hit a person without even considering the actual
situation…”
When she turned her head a little to look at Park Deokgu, she noticed a
tinge of confusion on his face.
He was likely thinking, ‘Maybe I made a mistake.’
“Is he telling the truth? Noonim?”
“I-I did agree that we should get closer… B-but…”
She was so bewildered she didn’t even know where to begin.
She had no idea how to respond to this situation which had popped up
out of nowhere, or how she could ix it.
Her face lushed and her eyes illed with tears.
“Do you think crying will solve anything?”
“I- I’m sorry. I… I…”
“It’s not a matter of whether you’re sorry or not. To be honest, the

mood in the shelter hasn’t been good recently… Deokgu oppa… Of
course, I appreciate you giving a helping hand to a woman in a situation
like this, but don’t act so rashly unless you know what’s going on. I
think you were a little… too reckless this time.”
“Yeah…”
“Especially when it’s a situation where it’s unclear who the victim and
perpetrator are…”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Am I the one you should be apologising to?”
“Apologise directly to the victim, Seokwoo-ssi.”
“S, S… Sorry…”
“What’s going on here?”
***
“What’s going on here?”
I already knew the answer.
It was a situation that I could read with ease.
I was expecting something to happen sooner or later, but not like this.
I had never imagined that they would launch an offensive illed with
accusations at this scale.
Park Deokgu wore an embarrassed expression and seemed to be on the

verge of tears. Meanwhile, Jung Hayan was shedding tears like a
waterfall.
Of course, there was no such thing as ‘justice’ here.
At a glance, the assailant and victim were clear.
Well, it was none of my business if Jung Hayan really tried to take

advantage of Yoo Seokwoo, however the fact that Jung Hayan was in a
tight spot was a matter of considerable importance.
At my appearance, Lee Jihye was the irst to speak.
“It’s good to see you, Kiyoung oppa. Presently…!”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“Sorry?”
“Jihye-ssi, are you out of your mind?”
“W-what are you…”
“Do you think this is some kind of local playground? Do you think no
one will hear you when you’re making such a large commotion? Just
because we leave the shelter regularly to clear outside, that doesn’t
mean we can’t take care of internal matters as well.”
She seemed to have realised that she had made a mistake.
“Ah… So the situation right now is…”
“I saw it from afar, so I roughly know what’s going on, Jihye-ssi. Just as
Jihye-ssi said, in a situation like this, where the assailant and the victim
have yet to be clearly identi ied, even I would be scared if I were
cornered by a group such as this. And yet, what situation do we have
right now?”
“But that woman is clearly the one at fault…”
“Jihye-ssi, can you say for sure that Seokwoo-ssi is wholly innocent?”
I was fairly certain that she couldn’t.

The moment those words left her lips, it would become her, not Yoo
Seokwoo, who would bear the responsibility for them.
And so, she had grown hesitant, displaying an anxious and lustered
appearance.
“And based on Hayan-ssi’s reaction, I don’t think that is the case… But
most of all, Hayan-ssi isn’t that kind of person. I can guarantee that.”
My ‘guarantee’ was over the top. Completely over the top.
Right then, I was just talking nonsense.
It was such an embarrassing remark, even I wanted to laugh at it.
Jung Hayan, who probably felt that she wasn’t worth the hassle, was
likely extremely grateful for a statement in her defense.
But others wouldn’t feel the same.
When on Earth would I have gotten to know her so well that I could
even vouch for her?
Aside from her Pure Advocate disposition, I had no other reason to

vouch for her.
As a matter of fact, there were many points worthy of mention.
In the irst place, it was wrong to question the victim from a standpoint
that they had done something wrong when the crime involved sexual
harassment.
There was no way that Lee Jihye, a woman, wouldn’t know that. Her
insistence on siding with Yoo Seokwoo was likely done with the
intention of furthering the exclusion of outsiders and consolidating her
existing power.
Or maybe the goal was to screw with Jung Hayan from the start.
I wouldn’t mind refuting her logic, but simply pushing my agenda

forward in this case would work just as well.
No, not ‘just as well’.
Because…
‘I’m in control.’
I was the one in power here.
What I meant, was that my authority was heavier than anyone else’s
here.
“Hayan-ssi doesn’t deserve this.”
“Ah… that…”
There was a great contrast between Jung Hayan, who stared at me

whilst wiping her tears, and those who glared at Jung Hayan with
hostility clear in their gazes.
Perhaps in their minds this was a very unreasonable situation.

Someone who appeared out of the blue and browbeat them into letting
go of the situation, was also seemingly overly partial to one person.
Of course, I wouldn’t be the hated one.
I looked toward Jung Hayan.
A woman favoured by the powerful.
She was bound to become an object of hatred; a person whom everyone

else could not help but direct their dissatisfaction at.
Especially for someone like Lee Jihye.
“Everyone’s still just standing around… Yoo Seokwoo-ssi needs to get

his injuries treated. However, after that, I will ask him to explain the
exact situation again. For now, let’s move Seokwoo-ssi irst.”
“Y-yes sir.”
“Jihye-ssi, please clean up this place quickly, so that you can start your
daily activities. It will soon be time for Hyunsung-ssi to return.
Monsters might start rushing in at any moment, so Deokgu, please
patrol the surrounding area.”
“A-alright, Hyung-nim.”
“Also… Hayan-ssi, I’d like to speak with you for a second.”
“Yes.”
Some people were whispering, Lee Jihye was biting her lips, and Yoo
Seokwoo seemed to be rather fretful.
I could clearly see what all of them were thinking.
I could make out some of their words, but no one openly disapproved of
my actions.
“What… that woman.”
“Bitch.”
There was a much better ‘prey’ than me, after all.
“Come with me.”
“Ah… yes.”
Rather than someone powerful, the kind that was easy pickings.
CHAPTER 12
LEE JIHYE
“Sit down, please.”
“I, I’m…”
I could see her hesitant expression.
It was clear she hadn’t calmed down yet. As she wiped her tears away,
shoulders shaking, she looked a little like a young child.
In the irst place, she was an ordinary 21-year-old girl.
She had never experienced such a situation before, so it was no wonder

she was like that.
I couldn’t fully comprehend exactly what it was that she was feeling, but
it seemed like she hadn’t really understood what had happened yet nor
come to terms with the situation at hand.
“I’m, hic… I’m sorry.”
“I’m not sure what you are apologising for.”
“But I’m the one who, hic… who.”
“Hayan-ssi didn’t do anything wrong. Of course, I didn’t see what

happened, but… For now, could you go through what happened?”
“I, I didn’t mean it that way. J-just…”

“I know. Please, just tell me what you can. Take your time.”
As I smiled and spoke to her, she slowly began to speak.
In fact, I already had a rough idea of how the story went, and it was
rather predictable.
The problem was that I couldn’t understand her words at all.
It was hard for me to igure out what she was saying through all the
sobbing and tears
Thanks to the system, I knew her level of intelligence wasn’t low, but
perhaps it wasn’t based on simple thinking capability.
“S-so Seokwoo-ssi suddenly…”
“Yes… yes… I see.”
“H-he grabbed my hand and I screamed.”
“Ah…”
But it didn’t matter whether I could understand her or not.
It was more important to empathise with her.
It was more important to listen to her reasons, why she was crying and
why she was upset, than to judge who was at fault.
‘I’m on your side.’
I didn’t say it out loud, but she probably thought that way.
“Th-that’s what happened… A-and all of a sudden, Deokgu-ssi came,

and… he hit him, and then Jihye-ssi…”
“I see.”
“A-and at that moment, Kiyoung-ssi came…”
“Yes.”
The issue was that this lamentation of hers was taking quite a long
time.
Finally, after a few more minutes, her tedious story came to an end.
“It must have been dif icult.”
“N-no. I-I’m a little better now.”
It de initely seemed like she was a little calmer now.
Her shoulders which had trembled occasionally were set back in their
original place, and her tearful expression was replaced with a slight
smile.
She had regained some composure.
“Thank you, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“You don’t have to thank me. It’s just the circumstances…”
“N-no. I mean, you said you believed in me before…”
“Ahh…”
“Y-you’ve been helping me ever since we irst met… I-I don’t think I’ve
done anything for you…”
“Don’t worry about it.”

“M-may I ask why you’re so nice to me?”
It was dif icult to decipher the origin of this question.
I wasn’t sure if she was simply interested in me or wary of me.
I thought it was probably the latter.
Most likely, Yoo Seokwoo approached her in a similar manner.
Let’s give her a reasonable answer.
“I just did what I thought was right, but if I had to give a reason…”
“Yes?”
“I have a younger sister at home. Perhaps it’s that Hayan-ssi reminds

me of her.”
Actually, I didn’t really think this.
Yulha’s personality was completely different from that of Jung Hayan

before me, and it was hard to ind any resemblance other than age.
But I thought that it would be the appropriate response.
“Ah…”
“She’s probably around the same age as Hayan-ssi.”
“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”
“Hayan-ssi…”
“I-I have two older sisters, but… I lost contact with them a long time
ago…”
A dark expression surfaced. I thought it wouldn’t be a problem if I pried
a little more.
“Your parents…”
“Th-they are not around.”
“We have something in common.”
“You too, Kiyoung-ssi?”
“Yes.”
She looked oddly delighted.
“W-we are a little alike.”
“Yes. It seems so.”
It was good for us to have something in common.
The corners of my mouth went up when I saw her quietly clasping her
hands.
I considered whether it would be better to be more active or step back

from here, but unfortunately, I wasn’t sure of the correct answer.
After thinking it over for a short while, I continued from my earlier

train of thought.
“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”
“Yes?”
“I’d like you to be a little more comfortable with me. It’s purely my
sel ishness but…”
“Ah? Ah? Yes! H-ow?”
“We can start by speaking more informally.”
“Yes? Alright… Th-then informally…”
“Just speak casually.”
“Yes… I mean, umm. A-alright, O-O-Oppa.”
She seemed to be shy.
I was able to con irm once more that Jung Hayan wasn’t skilled in
socialising with others.
As I quietly faced her and observed her with my Mind’s Eye, her overall
stats came into my view.
Hayan.]
[Name: Jung Hayan]
[Age: 21]
[Class: None]
[Stats]

[Vitality: 14/Growth potential: heroic or lower]
[Mana: 10/Growth potential: legendary or higher]
[Overview: This person has the potential to improve their magical

abilities beyond legendary grade. While their overall physical ability is
low, they can experience explosive growth as a [Wizard] or [Priest] in
the future. They are currently unaware that they can sense mana. Even
if the both of you become Wizards, it’s inevitable for them to become a
Wizard on a totally different scale from player Lee Kiyoung, so don’t
lose sleep over it.]
Her strength and vitality had increased by 1 and 2 compared to what I’d
seen before. It seemed she’d been hard at work fortifying the walls.
It was also interesting that her mana value was at 10 points.
Unlike me, who only gained mana after becoming a Wizard, she had had
it from the moment she was summoned here.
She couldn’t feel it yet, but it was possible that I could do something to
help with that.
It happened while I was thinking about discussing mana and magic.
“E-excuse me, Kiyoung oppa… C-could I speak with you for a minute?”
It wasn’t Jung Hayan’s voice.
The owner of this voice coming from behind me was Lee Jihye.
The expression on Jung Hayan’s face shifted to anxiety.
In fact, I had predicted that Lee Jihye would approach me.
It was just a little faster than I anticipated.
‘Certainly… ’
This woman had a good head on her shoulders.
‘Are you going to switch to my side?’
The side which was more advantageous had already been determined
by the events which had taken place earlier.
On the surface, it may have appeared to simply be a case of judging who

was wrong between Yoo Seokwoo and Jung Hayan. However, it had also
been a power struggle between Lee Jihye and I.
It was likely that Lee Jihye knew that too.
No one had sorted us into a hierarchy, but she had realised nonetheless
that I stood above her.
Disposition: ‘Sel ish Ambitionist’.
There were two patterns of behaviour that emerged when someone like
this woman or like myself encountered a new power.
To reject it.
Or to join it.
She’d acted faster than I had expected.

She wasn’t losing out by siding with us, but that shouldn’t have been a
decision made lightly.
I opened my mouth and spoke quietly, looking not to Lee Jihye but to
Jung Hayan.
“Could you excuse me for a moment? I think Jihye-ssi and I need to talk.”
“Ah. Okay. I understand. O-Oppa.”
It seemed she was a bit nervous as she placed a small amount of

emphasis on her last word.
Eventually, Jung Hayan stood up and Lee Jihye took her place. I caught
her looking back at us again and again; apparently, she had enjoyed our
conversation.
“How can I help you?”
“I… That’s… I just wanted to apologise. That, I’m sorry for the
commotion.”
“It’s ine. In reality, Jihye-ssi did nothing wrong.”
“No, Kiyoung oppa. It was my irst time dealing with a situation like
that, so I was a bit too impulsive and didn’t consider the situation
outside. I didn’t think about you and the others struggling beyond these
walls. It would have been better to resolve this manner quietly.”
“It’s alright. I would also have been lustered if I were in Jihye-ssi’s

shoes. On the contrary, I think I should be the one apologising for being
too sensitive.”
“That’s not it. Oppa just did what he had to do.”

Although she was fairly young, I wasn’t used to being called oppa by a
woman older than me.
“That…”
“What is it?”
“Regarding Seokwoo-ssi.”
“I don’t have any plans for what to do about Seokwoo-ssi at the

moment. Anyhow, his treatment comes irst… There are other things
that I need to get done in the meantime.”
“Ah. Well, that’s a relief. I’m sorry to have troubled you with this. I was
so lustered earlier that I couldn’t make a proper judgement. I’d like to
be the one to resolve this, if you’d let me. Could you leave this to me?”
I couldn’t help but worry.
I hadn’t yet igured out how to deal with Yoo Seokwoo.
There were neither laws nor police here, so I wasn’t sure whether to
punish him, or even how.
“Hayan-ssi…”
“Now that I think back, I believe I was also overly critical of Hayan-ssi. If
you let me handle this…”
“Please go ahead. It was my understanding that Jihye-ssi was the one

managing this place to begin with… I apologise for stepping in
presumptuously.”
“Ah! No. That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s okay. I know what you’re trying to say. I hope you don’t mind what
happened earlier.”
The point was that I also recognised some of her authority.
This woman must have understood the implications of my words.
‘I have no intention of stopping you.’
So, don’t do anything to get on my nerves.
Just lie low and stay out of my way.
When I had inished speaking, I could see that her hand was furtively
reaching forward.
Objectively speaking, Lee Jihye was a beauty. I tried to keep my

heartbeat steady, but it was dif icult to keep still when someone was so
close to my body.
Rather, I was more curious about why she had approached me in this
manner.
“I’m sure that it’s hard enough for you to leave the shelter… Thank you
so much for taking care of us.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help you, I’d like you to let me know
please. Anything.”
Saying that, she stroked my thigh.
At this point, of course, I could tell what this woman wanted.
“Anything?”
“Yes. Whatever that may be.”
I couldn’t help but be embarrassed seeing her coming on to me so much

more aggressively than I had expected.
This woman might be foolish, but she wasn’t stupid. I don’t think that
anyone could mistake her for a moron.
Her eyes showed a strange look of desire.
‘A hunger for power? Ambition?’
It didn’t matter either way.
“I like ambitious men.”
To me, having power or ambition was a way of protecting myself. Of

course, my motives didn’t matter to Lee Jihye.
All she cared about was the result.
The question was, would getting closer to this woman bene it me?
The only thing she had going for her was that she could control the
gaggle of idiots.
There may be other uses for her, but that was it for now.
She must have approached me because she was well aware of that fact.
The group may not be much use in the irst place, but there was no
harm in having it.
Actually, there might be something useful to gain from her side after all.
Perhaps the connection with Jung Hayan…
‘What should I do… ’
I was pretty sure that she hadn’t actually fallen for me.
If I couldn’t realise that much, then I would still be thinking that she
was just a thoughtless, dumb bitch.
‘That’s not it.’
Was she aiming for a contract? A simple relationship?
There was quite a lot that Lee Jihye stood to gain.
Reconsolidation of her power after it may have been shaken, as well as

forming a bond with someone whose authority might be second only to
the strongest within the group.
It could also be useful to make the public believe that we weren’t on

bad terms.
There was nothing wrong with getting closer to each other.
Breaking people down into enemies or allies was a stupid way of

thinking.
“What do I get out of this?”
“Hmmm. How about Hayan-ssi?”
The corners of my mouth raised and I pressed close to her.
I could see that Lee Jihye’s face held a strange mixture of excitement
and anticipation.
‘Good.’
It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in a while.
Our lips brushed against each other. It might have looked romantic at
irst glance.
But our thoughts were different.
‘Let’s use each other.’
I smiled slightly as I said, “We seem to be a little similar.”
“Yes. I think so too.”

CHAPTER 13
EMBARRASSMENT (1)
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Lee Jihye.]
[Name: Lee Jihye]
[Age: 29]
[Disposition: Sel ish Ambitionist]
[Class: None]
[Stats]
Intelligence: 20/Growth potential: rare or higher]
[Luck: 15/Growth potential: common or lower]

[Overview: Congratulations, player Lee Kiyoung. You’ve inally met with
misfortune. The perfect couple, forged from low stats and terrible
potential, has been born. Make sure to use contraception. If the two of
you really conceive a child together, I would feel sorry for the 2nd
generation born from your union.]
“What couple.”
This woman was a little smarter than I’d previously thought. No, to be
more exact, it wasn’t that she was exceptionally brilliant.
However, her ability to read the situation, decisiveness, and willingness

to act were worth taking a look at.
I understood why Kim Hyunsung had entrusted the group to this

woman.
She was quick-witted and knew how to respond appropriately.
The fact that she had thrown Jung Hayan, who she had been keeping in
check over the past few days, over to me gave me a rough idea of what
she wanted.
She likely wanted to hold onto the main body while cutting off any loose
ends.
Of course, she may have other reasons, but I didn’t need to know about
those.
I swallowed and examined Lee Jihye’s stats once more.
Her rate of growth wasn’t bad. Compared to the last time I’d seen her,
her vitality had risen by 1 point, her intelligence by 2, and her luck by a
total of 3 points.
‘How did she do it?’

The question was how she had increased her stats.
In the case of intelligence, it was possible to infer that this stat wasn’t
based simply on one’s critical thinking ability or existing knowledge.
For instance, Jung Hayan, despite having high intelligence, was lacking
in some aspects.
On the other hand, Lee Jihye was the opposite. She was shrewd even
though her intelligence stat was lower than Jung Hayan’s.
Perhaps one’s magical aptitude or ability to understand the relevant

knowledge was the basis of the intelligence stat.
Her luck increase was strange as well. When I had last checked, her luck
stat was 12.
I didn’t understand how her luck would have increased overnight.
I had a hunch that it was connected to my high level of luck, but that
was just a guess.
I had to do a little more thinking about the way stats worked.
“You’re up early.”
“Because I have a lot to think about.”
Lee Jihye stood next to me, making no effort to hide the fact that she
was staring.
She had seemed ine yesterday, but her expression seemed a little
clearer than before.
“Deal with Yoo Seokwoo and keep an eye on Jung Hayan. If anything out
of the ordinary happens to her, inform me right away.”
“Should you be saying that to the woman you’ve kissed…”
“Don’t talk nonsense…”
“Well. I’ll take care of it. I think I know what you’re planning, but what’s
special about this woman?”
‘She’s a calculating bitch.’
“Noona doesn’t need to know.”
“You!”
I could see her face lush red when I called her noona.
Her age was probably a sensitive topic.
Lee Jihye bit her lips slightly.
We hadn’t turned into a loving couple nor teammates who would guard
each other’s backs overnight.
To a certain extent, this was a contractual relationship.
There had been no itemised list of terms, but we had both tacitly agreed
to make use of each other and went through the process of forming that
arrangement.
It was a contract that could easily fall through at any given moment, but
for the time being, it would let us believe in each other at the very least.
The question was how long this relationship would last.
There was no problem if we respected each other and kept each other
in line, but no one could say what the future held.
I sighed lightly and began to speak.
“By the way, why did Jihye-ssi choose me?”
“I told you, Kiyoung oppa. I like ambitious men.”
She wasn’t the only one who had to live up to expectations.
Just as I could discard her at any moment, she could easily do the same.
What mattered for now was my own growth and Jung Hayan.
Lee Jihye wouldn’t brag about our ‘relationship’ randomly.
Because it was in her favour too.
But she might hint at it if she was in the mood while working.
It was important to know how it would affect Jung Hayan.
Being socially inept meant that she inevitably struggled with expressing
and being receptive to emotions.
She didn’t have any parents, and lost contact with her sisters a long
time ago.
In other words, Jung Hayan was not only unfamiliar with forming
relationships with others, but was likely starved for affection.
I had to increase her attachment to me and in the process, her

dependency.
Lee Jihye would help me with that.
***
Things were handled faster than expected. There had been no trial or
anything of that sort for Yoo Seokwoo.
I wasn’t sure if he knew that Lee Jihye had sided with me, but Yoo
Seokwoo quickly admitted that he was at fault, and was given a suitable
punishment that everyone agreed upon.
Of course, to some extent, Lee Jihye’s in luence played a role in this

outcome. What was amusing was that she stuck to an attitude of ‘I was
powerless in this matter’.
In addition to directing their anger towards me, she stealthily began to

manipulate public opinion into believing that some of the blame rested
on Jung Hayan’s shoulders.
‘I was unable to help because of Lee Kiyoung.’
‘He values Jung Hayan.’
Those were the unspoken words that could be inferred from her
behaviour.
Due to this, Jung Hayan was forced to bear the hatred of everyone else.
While watching Lee Jihye’s process of manipulation, I couldn’t help but
feel that Lee Jihye was more awful than I’d thought.
‘This is a woman who’s good at bullying.’
If I could describe this in terms of a stats, then it would be beyond

legendary.
I didn’t lift a inger to stop her.
Ultimately, this process succeeded in providing the optimal

environment for Jung Hayan to be thoroughly isolated and harassed by
those around her.
In this situation where everyone hated Jung Hayan, there was nothing
she could do to redeem herself.
Eventually, there was only one place she could turn.
Thanks to this, I had been listening to Jung Hayan’s weeping for days.
“S-so… hic…”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes… I’m ine… Thank you. O-o-oppa. I’m too much of a… I know you’re
busy…”
“No, not at all. Thank you for telling me this. If you work a little harder,
the others will likely recognise your efforts. Of course, I already know
that Hayanie is doing her best.”
To be honest, it wasn’t easy to pretend to be a good person.
“But…”
“It’ll be alright. We’re going to go hunting together from now on. I’ve
already discussed it with Hyunsung-ssi…”
“I-it’s just someone like me… Will that be okay?”
“Of course.”
I smiled slightly and patted her on the head.
What I’d accomplished so far could be called an achievement.
It seemed that the time I’d spent wasn’t meaningless, if she was this
scared by the thought of interacting with others.
I had the urge to take a picture to commemorate this before we left.
But I already knew that I couldn’t hurry this process…
‘Slowly.’
I didn’t want a relationship that could crumble as easily as a sand castle.
The ties binding us together needed to be stronger.
“O-oppa, I’m glad you’re here. I-if I were alone…”
“No, you don’t know how relieved I am to have Hayanie next to me. How
is your mana circulation going? Have you made any progress?”
“Yes. It seems to be working for now. I think I can feel it inside me. If I
send it through my arms, I might be able to strengthen…”
“What about casting magic spells?”
“I-I’m still not sure.”
In fact, chatting with Jung Hayan wasn’t just for the sole purpose of
improving our relationship.
Much like Park Deokgu, who was struggling to get used to his new class
and familiarising himself with shields, I needed time to acquaint myself
with the [Wizard] class.
The frequent excursions Kim Hyunsung had been taking on his own
recently may have been made with the intention of giving us that time.
‘Visualise.’
Magic was the result of visualising what one wanted to do with mana.
The process of spell-casting was an essential aid to visualisation.
I also had a hard time implementing magic for the irst time. The basic
knowledge was in my head, but I found it dif icult to achieve the result I
wanted.
I needed to build a tower with my mana. A solid tower without any

cracks or air inside.
At the same time, I thought of the action that I wanted to realise in my

head.
I pictured lames rising from my ingers.
“Hear my voice. Respond. Flame.”
At the same time, a small lame rose from my inger.
Jung Hayan watched it with a slightly surprised look on her face.
“Wow…”
“I think it’s important to clearly de ine what you want to achieve in your
mind. It’s more convenient if the spell is simple but I don’t think it
matters if it’s a little long… The point is that it coincides with your
thoughts.”
The disadvantage was that most spells that were easy to visualise were
useless.
Thinking about those spells that could only be dubbed chuuni-like[1], I

felt my face heating up.
“I see.”
“In my case, rather than manifesting magic itself, I’m thinking of
harnessing mana to enhance myself… You’ll probably ind your own
preferred method as well. I mean, it may seem dif icult now, but it’ll be
a bit easier if you get a class.”
“As expected… I understand.”
It might not be possible to use magic unless you have a class.
Given that Kim Hyunsung, who had quite a lot of mana, was unable to
use magic, it seemed that you couldn’t overcome the limits of your class.
The reason for giving Jung Hayan all of this knowledge, despite that
fact, was obvious.
‘I favour her.’
There was no easier way to get close to someone than by teaching or

learning from them.
Even if I told her in advance what she would later learn, I wouldn’t lose
out.
“You might not be able to use magic until you get a class. Still, let’s
practice building up your mana step by step.”
“Yes. L-leave it to me. O-oppa, I’ll do my best.”
I nodded naturally.
[Mana has increased by 1.]
[Intelligence has increased by 1.]
‘Good.’
“It’s possible that the more you use it, the more mana you’ll have in the
future. Personally, I’m looking forward to it.”
“Ye-yes.”
“Then, shall we stop here for today?”
“A-a-actually, there’s something I don’t understand…”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I-I mean recently, I’ve had another surge in my mana…”
As I listened to her explain, I checked out Jung Hayan’s stat window.
I was curious about the progress she’d made so far.
Hayan.]
[Name: Jung Hayan]
[Age: 21]
[Class: Wizard (Common Grade)]
[Stats]|

[Equipment: None]
[Attribute: How to Be a Wizard – Rating: Heroic]
‘What? Wizard?’
What stood out was the class title of Wizard.
“Because my mana isn’t circulating well.”
The brightly smiling Jung Hayan once again caught my eye.
‘What are you… ’
I couldn’t help but notice that something was wrong.
[1] Chuunibyou – Aka. 8th grader syndrome & associated delusions of

grandeur.
CHAPTER 14
EMBARRASSMENT (2)
“Because my mana isn’t circulating well.”
‘What the hell.’
I glanced at her facial expression once more, but it remained

unchanged.
The bright smile she wore was incongruous with the pitiful appearance
she had previously displayed.
I checked her status window again, but naturally, nothing had changed.
I hadn’t been mistaken.
[Class: Wizard (Common Grade)]
Jung Hayan had already gained a class.
‘Since when?’
Roughly three days had passed since I had last checked Jung Hayan’s
status window.
The timing almost perfectly overlapped with the day I started giving
her lessons on magic.
She had been discreet about it, but it was possible that she had gained a
class the moment I irst began discussing magic with her.
[Attribute: How to be a Wizard – Heroic Grade]
[Complete acquisition of basic knowledge on elemental magic. Mana

has permanently increased by 2 points. The potential for growth has
increased explosively.]
‘What the hell is this… ’
Even her attributes were over the top. As soon as she understood the
underlying principles of the class, she received an attribute associated
with it that was heroic grade.
It felt like a slap in the face.
This was the irst time I’d ever seen someone, who, just by
comprehending the basics of magic, gained not only a class but also a
new attribute.
If it was possible for others, Kim Hyunsung would have chosen this
method.
Jung Hayan had to be a unique case.
As I fell into thought for a while longer, Jung Hayan began to look at me
showing traces of anxiety.
“Um… O-oppa?”
“Ah, sorry. I was just thinking… You asked me about mana circulation,
right?”
“Y-yes! I tried what oppa said, but it’s still really hard…”
It couldn’t be dif icult.

“Maybe it’s because the amount of mana you’re using is a little bit too
much… That’s weird.”
I could see her hand reaching forward.
I grabbed Jung Hayan’s slightly outstretched hand and began to pour in

my feeble mana resources.
I tried to push through and gather up her mana, but Jung Hayan’s mana
did not even budge.
It wasn’t simply because my mana was lacking.
‘She’s blocking me.’
My attempt to help her circulate her mana was intentionally

suppressed.
It was only when I began to frown that I felt Jung Hayan’s mana moving
in the direction I wanted.
“A-as expected, you’re amazing, Oppa.”
‘Seriously… ’
“Try to imagine it.”
“Sorry?”
“Imagine the spell. Something like a lame rising from your hand… You
can do what I did before, right?”
“Ah! Y-yes!”
The amount of mana required to ful il the conditions for using this spell
was perfectly accumulated.
It should have been easy for her to imagine a small lame after getting
to this point.
But then her mana instantly fell apart. It wasn’t because she had taken
too long or simply failed. Jung Hayan, herself, deliberately broke it
down.
“I-it’s still too dif icult. W-why am I like this…? Oppa is trying so hard to
teach me…”
Even her tearful act was a sight to behold.
‘What’s going on?’
“No, it could be because you are still classless, so it’s normal to fail. If
we go out hunting, you’ll improve. Okay?”
She didn’t react to the word ‘classless’ that I had snuck in.
“C-can we try it again?”
“No, it’s already pretty late. Let’s call it a day. I have work to do for the
time being.”
“D-do you have plans or… A-are you seeing Hyae-Hyaeyoung-ssi… t-

today as well?”
Park Hyaeyoung was a woman that Lee Jihye had attached to me.
After what happened that day, Lee Jihye sent me a person who could act
as a link between us.
I’d been told that she would be useful for me in many ways, but that
was something I had yet to witness.
Until now, all I had heard from Park Hyaeyoung were stories about the
group’s situation and internal affairs.
As I was debating on how to respond, I heard another voice.
“Kiyoung-ssi? Do you have a minute?”
“Ah. Just give me a moment, please.”
‘Park Hyaeyoung.’
I couldn’t tell whether her timing was good or bad.
However, I saw that Jung Hayan didn’t show much of a reaction.
“Ah! Y-you already had something planned. I-I wasn’t aware…”
“No, I didn’t make any arrangements to meet with Hyaeyoung-ssi.

Something must have happened. Would you excuse us, please?”
“Ah… yes.”
Jung Hayan slowly withdrew from her seat and then Park Hyaeyoung
came in.
I didn’t remember calling for her, so I wondered why she had sought me
out.
I could feel Jung Hayan staring at Park Hyaeyoung. I did want to take
advantage of her jealousy, but not in this manner.
“Hayan-ah, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Ah! Yes!”
As soon as Jung Hayan disappeared from view, Park Hyaeyoung sat
down quietly.
“Did something happen?”
“I’ve heard something interesting.”
“Like what?”
“Like the fact that the next time you go hunting, you’ll take a few of the
people here to accompany you.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, could I be one of them?”
She was quite direct.
Naturally, I’d already scanned Park Hyaeyoung with my Mind’s Eye, but
there was nothing particularly outstanding when it came to her
abilities.
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Park
Hyaeyoung.]
[Name: Park Hyaeyoung]
[Age: 27]
[Disposition: Calculating Diplomat]
[Class: None]
[Stats]
[Strength: 10/Growth potential: heroic or lower]
[Agility: 11/Growth potential: rare or higher]
[Vitality: 20/Growth potential: rare or higher]
[Intelligence: 10/Growth potential: rare or higher]
[Luck: 09/Growth potential: common or lower]
[Mana: 00/Growth potential: rare or lower]
[Overview: This isn’t the time to be disappointed about the lack of

people with prominent stats or unique characteristics. Overall, this
person is well-balanced. It seems likely that they could grow well as a
melee ighter or as a long-ranged class, such as [Archer].]
Her disposition was ‘Calculating Diplomat’.
Even without reading into her status too deeply, I could roughly guess
what kind of person she was.
I observed her for a while and then said, “I don’t know. I recommended
Hayan-ssi at irst, but…”
“Are you the type that prefers younger women? I could be even better.
Isn’t it boring to play with such a little kid?”
“Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, that is not the case.”
“How about you just give me a chance? I think our relationship would
be so much more bene icial…”
I had no clue what relationship she was talking about.

By the looks of it, it seemed she’d overheard our chat earlier.
Park Hyaeyoung seemed to believe that I was very interested in women.
Certainly, her abilities were pretty good, and her growth potential
didn’t seem too bad either.
If she was able to develop and grow stronger, she would possibly be of
use, but I wasn’t a fan of her ‘Calculating’ disposition.
However, she should at least understand that all arrangements need to

be reciprocal.
“For what reason?”
“After all, you need someone who can ight, right? Thanks to Deokgu-ssi
and Kiyoung-ssi, the situation here has changed somewhat since you
arrived. There are only a small number of us still waiting on Hyunsung-
ssi to help us. This place is one where women can be as strong as men,
and we can use the system to enhance our physical abilities.”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Everyone is afraid of the monsters, but more and more people are
beginning to think that they can do something about them. They’ve
been banding together to go out as well. From Kiyoung-ssi’s
perspective, it can’t be a bad thing to have more people who’re able to
ight for themselves on your side. If Hayan-ssi is able to return stronger
with special abilities, then the state of affairs will surely accelerate.”
“You make it sound like I’m dividing everyone into different factions.”
“Did I hit the nail on the head?”
“No. I don’t really care about things like that. Is Jihye-ssi aware that
you’re here?”
“She probably does? Who knows what Jihye-ssi is thinking?”
“And the reason you’re here to speak with me is…”
“I just thought it would be nice for us to talk. I dislike the fact that you
only favour that Jung Hayan girl, and if you refuse to take me on then I’ll
have no choice but to wait until my turn…”
“I see where you’re coming from.”
“What you’ve said so far has been reasonable as well.”
“I believe that we might be able to work something out once Hyunsung-

ssi has returned. I’ll try to speak with him about it. However, if
Hyunsung-ssi decides that it’s infeasible then this proposal may be
rejected, so please don’t set your hopes too high.”
“Just hearing you say that is more than I could hope for.”
“I look forward to cooperating with you, then.”
“Likewise.”
***
“That’s hilarious. Seriously.”
“Shh. Listen. Hey.”
There were voices all around her, but she couldn’t make out their exact
words.
Instead, she was more concerned about Kiyoung oppa.
“Hayan-ssi! What are you thinking about?”

“Ah, ah! I mean. It’s nothing…”
“You can take a break if you’re tired. You must have a hard time using
your body that way… Phew. Won’t working here be too dif icult for
you?”
“S-sorry?”
“Look at you pretending you don’t understand.”
“I don’t.”
She might have been unsure of the meaning behind their words, but she
could sense their hostility.
It wasn’t overt or very strong. However, this was something that she
was extremely familiar with.
In retrospect, it had been like that ever since she was young. Compared
to her two sisters, she had been much more foolish, slow and
incompetent.
Her eldest sister had always taken care of her and her second sister had
been incredibly intelligent. After so many years of watching out for her,
the reason they’d cut off contact with her was probably because she
was so dumb.
“Ugh… Something reeks.”
“He has a pretty unique taste. She’s not that pretty… Pretends she
doesn’t have a clue… In the end, she’s just a fox.”
“Shh. Stop it. Hey, he’ll hear you. What are you going to do if he runs
over here?”
“Well, let’s see if he does. He’s probably already tired of her. No, doesn’t
it make sense that he’d be tired of her?”
Her hands shook subconsciously at those words.
‘Kiyoung oppa.’
He was the only person she could rely on in this entire place.
Remembering the way they’d held hands earlier, her body began to
tremble.
Tired of her?
Oppa wouldn’t treat her like that.
He was different.
‘My heart is pounding.’
Her heart was racing as though it were about to explode.
‘You remind me of my little sister.”
The thought of what she’d heard brought her a subtle sense of pleasure.
It was an unfamiliar sensation. She’d never felt like this in her life.
Her heart was pounding badum badum in her chest and her legs felt
jittery.
It was hard for her to get a hold of her emotions.
‘We can meet again tomorrow.’
They could meet again tomorrow.

Just the two of them once more; they could talk, and she could act cute
towards him.
It felt like she was experiencing the same warmth she’d received from
her family once upon a time.
It was addicting, like a drug.
The reason why she’d kept her class and ability hidden was because she
wanted to spend more time with Kiyoung oppa.
Her heart twisted at the lie, but she was scared of the consequences if
he found out.
As she looked subconsciously in the direction of Kiyoung oppa and

ignored the voices of those around her,
“Oh my. Were you waiting?”
Park Hyaeyoung, who had been with her oppa just a moment before,
appeared.
CHAPTER 15
AWAKENING
“Why do you look so uneasy?”
“Th-that’s…”
“You’re a funny one, kid. Just look at you pretending otherwise. You’re
bothered by the fact that I met with Kiyoung-ssi.”
“I-I’m not like that, Hyaeyoung-ssi. O-oppa’s business… It has nothing to

do with me…”
“Your expression says otherwise…”
“I-I’m telling the truth.”
“Seriously. Don’t make me laugh, you little bitch. You think no one
knows what’s going on in that head of yours? You look slow and stupid,
but your head works ine… Who’d have thought that you would land
such a big ish before you even got here? With a face like that, your
skills must be better than I thought… I don’t get it. No, maybe he’s the
one whose taste is peculiar… You know, there are people like that.
People who are only interested in the incompetent and dim-witted
kind. Phew.”
She couldn’t fully understand Park Hyaeyoung’s words.
“You are making that face again. I really don’t like it.”
“I-I-I’m sorry…”
“What are you sorry for? You’re making a fool of everyone here
regardless…”
“Th-that’s not it. I just…”
“Do you really think that Kiyoung-ssi likes you? You think he cares
about you?”
“Th-that’s…”
“Don’t get me wrong, you dumb bitch. It’s a good thing that you’re so
fortunate. You just happened to be at the right place at the right time to
catch his eye. You might not be able to see it, but I know exactly what
kind of person he is. People like Kiyoung-ssi don’t trust others too much
to begin with. They tire of others easily, and throw them away when
they’re no longer needed.”
“O-oppa isn’t like that. And…”
“That’s just what you want to believe. Because it’s in your favour. But
what can I do if you’ve already made up your mind? I think I’m right… It
might be okay for now, but things will change soon enough. From my
point of view, you’re rather boring, the kind one easily gets sick of.
Phew. No one’s ever told you that before?”
Jung Hayan bit down hard on her lips.
She felt so confused.
Her face felt hot. She wanted to shout ‘What are you talking about’ and
argue against Park Hyaeyoung’s nonsensical speech but words escaped
her.
However, her body kept shaking.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you make a face like that before? Are you
mad? I must have hit the nail on the head. You’ve always been
abandoned by the people around you, haven’t you?”
“N-n-n-n-no.”
“No? It’s written all over your face. If not, do you always have things
snatched away from you? Either way, you’re just pathetic. Do you really
believe you’re always going to be his irst priority? What do you think
will happen out there when you’re not paying attention?”
Park Hyaeyoung’s face slowly drew nearer. Before long, Jung Hayan
heard a faint whisper near her ear that caused her to exclaim
subconsciously.
“Kiyoung-ssi… was better than I thought.”
“D-don’t lie to me!”
“Oh, you fell for it.”
Jung Hayan’s eyes were illed with tears.
She wanted to say something to refute Park Hyaeyoung, but she felt
choked up.
This woman was right.
She had been abandoned by her parents and her older sisters.
All of her loved ones and the friends that had been with her for so long
had drawn away from her.
Maybe she really was the type of person that others got sick of.
She always made mistakes and had trouble speaking properly.

Being bullied had become a part of her daily routine, so it was more
convenient for her to just be alone.
Still.
‘Not Oppa.’
Her Oppa wasn’t like that.
He wasn’t the least bit similar to the others. His very nature was
different from everyone else she’d met before.
He said that she was like a family member to him. That she reminded
him of his younger sister, and he wanted to look after her.
He was always mindful of her and was taking care of her every day.
Deokgu-ssi also told her that.
Every day, her Oppa would tell her that he cared about her.
He was always supporting her, saying that she could do better, even if
she made a mistake.
Even when she asked silly questions, he would smile and answer her
patiently.
“Th-that can’t be true.”
“I guess that’s what you’re hoping for? I’ll be honest with you, it’s likely
that what I’m saying will happen. I’m going to give you a warning,
dongsaeng. If you want to gain anything out of your current
relationship, you’d better leech it out quickly before you’re discarded.
Otherwise, everything will be snatched away from your grasp.”
“S-s-stop it. O-oppa wouldn’t…”

“How annoying.”
Park Hyaeyoung’s mouth curved into a smile, and, at the same moment,
Jung Hayan felt a pressure on her shoulders.
She had been pushed down.
Jung Hayan fell on her bottom. She looked up but all she could see was
Park Hyaeyoung’s back, who was already walking away.
At the same time, voices poured in from all sides.
“Serves her right.”
“What just happened?”
“Anyways, it looks like our naive whore will be abandoned soon.”
“Stop it. Hey, she will hear you.”
“Stop what? Didn’t you hear what just happened? Soon, she’s going to
be all alone again. Who is she going to cling to then? Ah! I don’t think
there’s anyone else who would compete for her anymore. It would have
been better for her to just stay with Seokwoo-ssi… She should have
known better. That’s why she’s all alone.”
“What’s she going to do now that she’s on her own?”
That couldn’t be true.
‘It can’t be true.’
There was no way Oppa would ever forsake her.
There was no way her Oppa, who had said he would always be with her,
would ever abandon her like that.
There was no way that Oppa, who told her she was like a family
member to him, would abandon her.
‘Well, is that really the case?’
But Park Hyaeyoung’s voice resounded in her ears.
“That’s not true!”
“What was that? Just now.”
“Did she just yell? She must be really angry…”
“It’s about time for her true nature to show up. Tsk.”
That couldn’t be true. Oppa would never just abandon her.
Oppa was different from the others. He was always warm and kind.
‘Your sisters abandoned you, too.’
“N-no.”
‘No, your parents also abandoned you.’
“He isn’t like that. Oppa is different. Oppa is different.”
Surely, he was different.
It was very dif icult to calm down her heart. She felt like she couldn’t
breathe.
She was short of breath and her mind went blank. Tears welled up in
her eyes, but they didn’t low down her cheeks.
She heard people laughing to themselves.

The sound no longer bothered her. It would have to be something even
worse to faze her.
Her steps were headed towards where her Oppa had been.
‘Wait a minute, okay? There’s something I want to ind out irst, so I’ll
meet you after.’
She was sure that he would meet with her.
Jung Hayan felt like she needed to see his face to calm down.
As she was frantically hurrying over, she heard a distant voice.
It was Lee Jihye.
“Please gather for a moment, everyone.”
“Yes.”
“When Hyunsung-ssi, Deokgu-ssi and Kiyoung-ssi leave tomorrow, they

plan on recruiting someone to go with them. I believe Hyunsung-ssi will
provide more details, and the person who is nominated today should
also prepare themselves.”
Now that she thought of it, she’d heard that they would be heading out
together.
Naturally, this meant that she could be with him a little longer.
Jung Hayan wasn’t sure why she’d forgotten that. Now there was more
time for her to stay by Kiyoung oppa’s side.
‘That’s a relief.’
As she turned to look closer, she saw Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and
Kiyoung oppa approaching together from behind Lee Jihye.
‘Oppa.’
He had a serious expression that differed from his usual demeanour,

but seeing him made her feel more steady.
Her heart thumped badum badum, but she didn’t have a headache nor
feel dizzy.
The lingering feelings of frustration vanished just from making eye

contact with him.
Though she didn’t understand why, her face turned red.
‘He saw me.’
He was de initely looking in her direction.
Once the chatter had died down, Kim Hyunsung quietly began to speak.
“I apologise for bringing you here while you’re all so busy. I’m sure that
you’re aware that it’s becoming increasingly dif icult to survive in this
location. Food rations are decreasing day by day, and the number of
survivors joining us continues to rise. We have food and drinking water
scavenged from the starting point, but it’s not enough. We believe we
need to widen our range of activity.”
“Ah…”
“We need more people who can ight. Of course, I know you’re scared of
the monsters. Some of you aren’t used to ighting, and others may not
want to leave this place. But for now, you have to take action. I don’t
want to jinx it, but if this doesn’t happen, in the long run we’ll all suffer.
So, we’ve decided that it’s better to take each of you out one by one.”
After Kim Hyunsung spoke, Kiyoung oppa stepped forward.
“Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Yes. I understand that you’re afraid. However, there are some things
that can only be gained by ighting. As you know, this is not like the
Earth that we knew. I’m sure you all recognise what the status window,
system attributes, and class mean. Flame.”
Flames rose from the palm of his hand.
The eyes of those around Jung Hayan widened.
“I don’t know exactly how it happened, but my status window reports

that my class is Wizard. I don’t have much magic to work with yet, but
I’m no different from you. I was afraid of the monsters, so I ran away
and hid because I didn’t want to encounter them. At irst, it was just by
luck, but you can succeed if you set your fear aside and ight. When the
group gets stronger, we all get stronger, and eventually we’ll be able to
leave this place. We need to take the initiative.”
“Ohhhhh…”
“For now, we’ll pick some people to lead by example. Hayan-ssi.”
“Ah…”
“And Hyaeyoung-ssi.”
“Yes. I look forward to working with you.”
“I’m taking these two with me for now. Once they reach a certain level,
we’ll regroup and take the next person. Do you have any questions?”
“I’d appreciate it if you could explain what the criteria was.”

“To relieve your anxiety, the selection criteria is random.”
“We’ll go hunting by ourselves instead…”
“I won’t prevent you from doing so, but I cannot recommend it.”
The buzz of the crowd grew louder, but Jung Hayan could no longer
make out their words.
Instead, her eyes were locked on Park Hyaeyoung.
She’d known that other people would be going with her, but she hadn’t
expected it to be that woman.
“Congratulations, Unnie.”
“Don’t get hurt.”
“Hyunsung-ssi, Kiyoung-ssi, and Deokgu-ssi will be with us, so it’ll

probably be okay. It’s a little scary, but we need to push past this. It’s
better if we have more people who can ight.”
Jung Hayan wasn’t envious of the fact that Park Hyaeyoung was
surrounded by people who were congratulating her. However, she felt
odd for some reason.
‘Don’t take her.’
As she quickly glanced up at the platform once more, she saw that Oppa
was also looking at Park Hyaeyoung.
There was a faint smile on his lips.
The voice she had heard earlier resounded in her ears, and her
breathing became shaky.
‘He’s the type to tire of others easily.’
Park Hyaeyoung hurried onto the platform and began shaking hands
with the others.
‘You’re going to be thrown away’
‘To have him taken away from you’
‘Your sisters left you too.’
‘Your parents as well.’
‘Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.’
‘You’ll end up… ’
‘Stop… ’
‘Thrown away… ’
‘Hated.’
At that moment, Kiyoung oppa held Park Hyaeyoung’s hands.
Something collapsed inside Jung Hayan.

CHAPTER 16
IN EVERY FIVE-MAN BAND,
THERE WILL BE ONE DEAD
WEIGHT (1)
‘Not bad.’
It wasn’t a bad choice to show them magic.
Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu were de initely strong. However, the
line between whether that strength came from the system or from their
own inherent physical abilities wasn’t particularly clear.
When pitching the possibility of gaining new powers right away, it was
only natural that merely picking up a shield wouldn’t appeal to them as
much.
Magic, on the other had, was a bit different.
A ball of ire formed from nothing.
It was a sight that completely went against common sense, enough to

cause anyone to doubt what they had seen.
That was the best way to get them to stop hiding in this shelter.
When Kim Hyunsung saw the crowd quietly gaining enthusiasm, he

murmured,
“It was a success.”
“There might still be dif iculties lying ahead. Those adverse to ighting
will still be afraid… There will also be some people who
overcompensate, thinking they’ll be able to get new powers.”
“But it’s still better than them falling behind and starving, Hyung-nim.”
“Yeah. That may be true.”
Park Hyaeyoung approached the podium, receiving words of

congratulation every step of the way.
“If Hyaeyoung-ssi and Hayan-ssi return successfully, perhaps the status

quo will change at a faster rate than expected. ”
The result of this expedition was incredibly important to Kim

Hyunsung.
I wasn’t sure whether our attempt to clear the dungeon would succeed,
but Kim Hyunsung was correct in thinking that he alone wouldn’t be
enough.
Firstly, he was only slightly superior to Park Deokgu in terms of ability.
His mana was powerful, but not to the extent that he could deal with
dozens of monsters at once.
As much as he might want to take matters into his own hands, taking
care of the shelter should be left as the responsibility of the people
within it.
‘It’s an unnecessary burden.’
If it weren’t for his predisposition, Kim Hyunsung might have advanced

even further.
While I was lost in thought, Park Hyaeyoung had come up to us and
shook our hands one by one.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Same here.”
I had to admit that she was quite good at socialising. Looking at her
with a business-like smile, I could feel Park Hyaeyoung touching the
back of my hand to send me a signal.
Jung Hayan was still the priority over her.
As I turned my head, I saw Jung Hayan staring at me quietly.
‘What.’
Her expression was subtly different from anything I’d seen so far.
Jung Hayan’s tranquil eyes as she watched Park Hyaeyoung sent a chill
down my spine.
‘Damn it.’
I had goosebumps all over my body.
‘What. What was that just now?’
“Hyung-nim, what’s wrong? You’ve broken out in a cold sweat…”
“I’m feeling a little under the weather, so…”
“Well, tomorrow’s the day of our expedition, so get some rest. It’s not as
though you need to study here every day.”
“Alright.”
“Tsk. Who said they weren’t a nerd… He’s not eating enough nowadays?
I-It’s not like I’m worried about hyung-nim… Well, my share isn’t a lot
but it’s a little better than nothing…”
Whatever Park Deokgu was muttering didn’t interest me much.
I quickly turned my head to glance at Jung Hayan once more.
She looked the same as usual.
I asked myself if it had just been my eyes playing a trick on me, but I
was sure that hadn’t been the case. I could see her looking at me and
smiling foolishly.
‘What.’
Something was wrong.
I couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, but I swallowed with a sense of unease.
***
“Let’s go over this one more time. Deokgu-ssi will be in front, followed
by Hyunsung-ssi and Hyaeyoung-ssi. Hayan-ssi and I will bring up the
rear. Our plan of attack is simple. Block them with a shield in front, and
we’ll ward them off at the back. There aren’t many of them around the
shelter right now, so we’ll go a little further out and hunt. Any
questions?”
“Nope.”
“None.”
“None here.”
“O-okay…”
We had already run through the same brie ing several times.
It was different from when Park Deogku, Kim Hyunsung, and I had irst
gone out.
This demonstrated the importance Kim Hyunsung placed on this

expedition.
It wasn’t just about bringing along two new recruits.
The success of this hunt would impact the future course of the group in
the shelter.
If everyone returned safe and sound, those in the shelter would gain a
little more con idence, and as a result, more complex attack and
incident response arrangements could be formed.
The hidden objective of increasing the number of people on his side

would be achieved as well.
‘You want to even the odds.’
Kim Hyunsung’s goal was quite similar to mine.
To win over Jung Hayan.
Of course, logically speaking, he wasn’t actually after her speci ically.

His purpose was to build lasting relationships with those he knew
would become strong in the future.
‘Jung Hayan.’
In conclusion, there were two objectives: the group’s safe return and
becoming closer to a wizard with legendary talent.
There was no reason to oppose the current plan or to act impulsively.

‘We need to monitor the situation.’
The look I’d seen in Jung Hayan’s eyes put me on edge.
I hoped it was just my misunderstanding, but I felt a need to keep them

separated and a watchful eye on Jung Hayan.
“Wouldn’t it be better to put Hayan noonim in the centre? Being in the

same position as Hyung-nim is the most…”
“No, we’ll keep it as is. This is the best placement for her.”
“Well, if Hyung-nim says so, hey…”
“Hyunsung-ssi is stronger than we think. To begin with, solely hunting

them from the front is ideal. If Hayanie is at the back, she’ll have
Hyunsung-ssi’s protection as insurance. So long as we’re not
surrounded, this will be the most ef icient way to proceed.”
Kim Hyunsung nodded as though he agreed with me.
I didn’t know if he felt otherwise, but I didn’t care.
Kim Hyunsung’s brow furrowed as he looked at Jung Hayan, then spoke

quietly.
“You don’t have to worry too much.”
“Pardon? Ah… Yes.”
“Then do I just need to chill with Kiyoung-ssi?”
“Hyaeyoung-ssi, please provide assistance to Kiyoung-ssi. A spear

would be a good it for you.”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Let’s get going then. Like I told you before…”
“W-where…”
“I’ll let you know.”
I already had the layout of this place mapped out in my head.
Park Deokgu gave me a look of gratitude.
I didn’t know if it was because he lacked interest in his surroundings or

if he was too reliant on me, but it seemed like he was too lazy to use his
head.
He looked very reliable when he stood holding a large wooden shield.
In terms of appearance, I would give more points to Park Deokgu over

Kim Hyunsung.
His equipment consisted solely of the sloppy leather armor I had put
together and the shield I had picked up at the starting point, but he
didn’t look too shabby.
“Let’s get started, then.”
“Let’s do our best.”
Everyone gave a slight nod.
Both Park Hyaeyoung and Jung Hayan seemed to be a little nervous.
It was only natural that they’d be afraid of meeting the monsters they
had encountered at the starting point in person.
I passed some words of comfort to Park Hyaeyoung, who was right next
to me.
“Don’t worry too much.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“They won’t overwhelm us like they did at the starting point. We’ve
already cleared out this area to some degree, so all you need to do is
remain calm and stab the monsters that Deokgu blocks with your spear
and then it’ll be over. I know it’s scary but it’s possible for us to make it
through ine.”
“You’re a lot nicer than I thought.”
Of course, I had to be.
‘If you panic, I’ll be the one who dies.’
Who knew what would happen in the midst of battle. It was possible
that, while blindly attacking with her spear, this woman would stab me.
Glancing behind me, I saw Kim Hyunsung speaking with Jung Hayan.
As expected, he seemed to be asking about various things, but Jung

Hayan didn’t look to be interested in Kim Hyunsung at all.
She looked to be having a hard time communicating, as she kept her

head lowered and answered his questions with short responses.
It reminded me of how hard I had worked to get closer to Jung Hayan.
I smiled when our eyes met and Jung Hayan nodded with a happy
expression.
It made me feel better, at least, to think that I had the upper hand in my
relationship with her.
“Oh, are you going blind? I’m not your partner.”
“I’m just checking our rear formation for a moment. Also, don’t talk too
much while we’re on the move…”
“Yes. I know.”
It was then.
“There’s one. Get ready.”
“Huh, understood.”
Kim Hyunsung’s voice came from the rear and Park Deokgu murmured
a reply from in front.
Park Deokgu’s body seemed tense.
“While Deokgu-ssi is keeping it at bay, Hyaeyoung-ssi will take care of it.

Kiyoung-ssi, be prepared in case anything happens.”
We nodded.
Though Park Hyaeyoung looked calm, she still showed signs of fear and
tension.
We were present too, but Park Hyaeyoung was the one who would have
to inish it off.
It would’ve been strange if she wasn’t afraid.
We could only hear one voice coming from the left.

“Deokgu-yah, it’ll be coming from the left.”
“I understand, Hyung-nim.”
Park Deokgu immediately rounded the corner and pushed it back with
his shield.
Gwajik!
As this sound rang out, the creature was stuck between the dead-end
corridor and the shield.
Park Hyaeyoung followed behind, lustered.
“Gaaaaaaeeeeeeek!”
“Shit… Its face is as irritating as ever.”
“What are you doing?”
Her arms trembled and her legs shook.
I could tell from a glance what had happened.
Even a dog that couldn’t piss would be more useful in this situation.
“H-how.”
“Jab it.”
“Hey, take care of it quickly. It’s hard to hold out like this.”
“Ah…”
The calm look she had been sporting earlier was nowhere to be found.
Her eyes were alive, but her body didn’t seem to react.
In this kind of situation, no matter who it was, even if they were aware
that they weren’t moving, they would still be unable to act on that fact.
‘Idiot… You were only pretending to be strong.’
I loosely grasped her arm from behind. As I held Park Hyaeyoung’s

trembling hand gripping the spear, the tremors in her limbs began to
slow.
I igured it would be more effective to deliver my message quietly than

to scream in this kind of situation, so I whispered in her ear.
“If you do something like this again next time, we’re all going to die. Do
you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Strengthen your grip.”
“……”
I pressed her hand tighter…
The spear slowly moved towards the torso of the punk Park Deokgu
was blocking and Park Hyaeyoung’s arm followed.
I was the one pulling it forward, but the sensation should have
transmitted to her hands as well.
Puuuk!
With that sound, unknown liquids began to gush out.

Repulsed, Park Hyaeyoung tried to let go of the spear, but I grabbed her
arm once again.
“It’s not dead yet. Don’t relax.”
“Gaaaaaaaaeeeeeek!”
That punk, out of pain or anger, was still struggling, and tried to scratch
Park Deokgu as he kept it back.
I gripped Park Hyaeyoung’s hand again and jabbed the spear from
above.
As expected, it was a horrible sensation.
“Think of it as meat.”
“Y-Yes.”
Puuk!
Gwajik!
I struck with the spear over and over again.
It had long stopped twitching but this method was effective enough in
forcing her to adapt to the situation.
After a while, Park Deokgu set down his shield and moved away from
the monster.
I also loosened my grip on Park Hyaeyoung’s hand.
The monster had fallen apart. Even so, she continued to stab the spear
into it.
It was unknown whether it was to free herself from fear, but her lips
were pressed tight and her knuckles were white around the shaft of the
spear.
‘I understand.’
The very act of taking away life was a foreign concept to begin with.
No matter how much you told yourself that your opponent was a
monster, it wouldn’t make a difference.
It was only after a long stretch of gruesome noises that there was an
exhausted gasp.
It was natural that she would have all sorts of thoughts running through
her mind.
I approached Park Hyaeyoung, who had collapsed to the ground, and

spoke carefully.
“Well done.”
She didn’t reply.

CHAPTER 17
WEIGHT (2)
“Oh, am I alone in thinking that the monsters have disappeared today,

Hyung-nim?”
“It may be because Hyunsung-ssi has cleared the perimeter. If not, it’s
possible that they were driven away.”
“You mean there might be another group of survivors?”
“Well…” That Park Deokgu fellow mumbled as if anxious.
It was just a guess, but it wasn’t without cause.
Given how quiet our surroundings were, it wasn’t wrong to assume that
they had been attracted by a commotion elsewhere and locked there
instead.
Kim Hyunsung seemed to have similar thoughts, but of course, he

probably felt that it would be unreasonable to take Park Hyaeyoung and
Jung Hayan with us to scout out the situation.
He likely judged that it was too dangerous for us to progress hastily

without knowing how many of them were clustered together, their
exact numbers or location.
Finally, Kim Hyunsung gave a slight nod and said,
“I think it would be best if we camped here today.”
“Yes. We should.”
We were able to ind a good spot to set up camp and rest fairly quickly.
Of course, we didn’t have any tents, but having an enclosed space gave
us a certain sense of security.
“Hyaeyoung-ssi and Kiyoung-ssi will take irst watch, followed by

Hayan-ssi and myself. Lastly, I will also take the inal watch with
Deokgu-ssi.”
“Will you be alright?”
“Yes. I’ll be ine.”
There was no reason to stop him if he chose to take that on himself.
‘Taking the irst watch isn’t bad.’
Unlike those with high physical attributes, I, with lousy abilities, needed
to get a lot of rest.
Given Kim Hyunsung’s physical strength and mana, standing guard

overnight wouldn’t be a problem for him.
“Get some rest.”
“Hyung-nim, thank you in advance for your hard work.”
“T-take care.”
I nodded brusquely hearing their voices.

Once everyone else, including Jung Hayan, had entered the inner stone
chamber, Park Hyaeyoung slowly began to bawl.
It was as if she was losing her mind.
She pretended to be indifferent, but personally, I expected it to be a big

shock to her.
The monster’s screams, the terror of being guided into killing, the
impact of a striking spear, and the sensation of doing it with her own
hands.
It made sense that she would be scared.
Perhaps she was reminded of her time at the starting point, or the sight
of blood and guts spilling out from the monster’s body was too
shocking.
There was still time before our watch began.
I thought it wouldn’t hurt to give a few words of comfort.
“Don’t think of it as a big deal.”
“Pardon?”
“Now that we’re here, it’s something that everyone will have to go
through. It would be better to think of it just as an experience you’ve
had a little earlier than the others.”
“Yes.”
Compared to when we’d started out, she seemed rather lifeless.
“At irst, I thought I could…”

“It will be the same for everyone. You’ll probably feel better once you’ve
gotten used to it.”
“What was it like for Kiyoung-ssi?”
“I don’t really remember it. The only thought in my mind was that if I
didn’t do something, I would die, so I took it down with a rock. It was
terrifying… But looking back, it was what I needed to do. My hands and
entire body were covered with brain matter and guts, and the smell
made me gag.”
When it came to living or dying, there was no choice.
Doing things half-heartedly, when my life was on the line, was a gamble
I didn’t want to take.
I igured that Park Deokgu wouldn’t run away without me, and I wanted
to inspire him into action.
At that time, blood had rushed to my head.
“Ah… It’s funny, I thought you wouldn’t have been bothered by it.”
“Well, since you’re helping us out, I’m saying that you don’t really have a
choice in this.”
As I’d expected, she seemed to be a little bit disappointed.
“I wasn’t lying, I thought I would’ve been able to do as well as you

wanted me to…”
I thought so too.
Her disposition wasn’t bad and she acted within her abilities. I thought
there would have been some returns if I showed her kindness, so I had
forced one more person into our group. However, reality left a lot to be
desired.
Seeing Park Deokgu, Kim Hyunsung, and I casually going back and forth
outside, what we had set out to do might have seemed easy.
From my point of view, there was no reason to invest in Park

Hyaeyoung.
I had Park Deokgu, who was a strong guy. Though he was a bit nervous
at times, he could hold his own.
I’d only intentionally tried to help Park Hyaeyoung as insurance.
However, if she kept getting frightened like this, she wouldn’t be of

much use to me either.
“I was a little happy when you held me from behind earlier.”
Thinking back to it, I also remembered her shaking and trembling like
an idiot.
At that time, I had been cursing her out in my mind as well.
But I couldn’t do anything but nod my head sharply.
“I was a little out of it, so I might have come across a little coarse… I
hope for your understanding.”
“Yes. O-of course.”
“In addition, that will be the irst and last time I’ll help you. You will be
on your own next time.”
“Yes…”
I could see Park Hyaeyoung watching me.
Well, I didn’t know if she wanted to have a staring match.
The silence stretched on. After a while, when I was about to speak
again, a voice came from behind us.
“O-oppa…”
“Kiyoung-ssi, Hyaeyoung-ssi. It’s time to switch.”
Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan came out. I hadn’t expected time to pass
by so quickly.
“You’re here a bit early. You should sleep a bit more.”
“No, it’s ine. I just woke up… I’ll try to wake you up in the morning.”
“Thank you very much, Hyunsung-ssi.”
I approached Jung Hayan, who stood at a bit of a distance from Kim

Hyunsung, and patted her head lightly. She ducked her head and
blushed.
Jung Hayan was back to normal.
Seeing that the look in her eyes when she saw Park Hyaeyoung didn’t
seem unusual, perhaps what I had seen last time was just my
imagination.
“Thanks in advance, Hayan-ah.”
“Sorry? Yes… Yes, Oppa!”
Her exclamation was a bit loud. She clasped her hands over her mouth,
perhaps out of surprise. It was a little cute.
Nodding faintly, I immediately moved inside. At a glance, I could see
Park Deokgu snoring away.
‘You sure sleep peacefully.’
It would be a blessing to be able to sleep like that in this kind of

environment.
Park Hyaeyoung went over to the spot she had claimed earlier and lay
down, and I also settled down a little ways away from Park Deokgu.
My head was full of idle thoughts.
I wondered if, after this hunt, the group in the shelter would follow in
our footsteps.
What Kim Hyunsung was thinking.
If there really was a way out of this place.
When it came to our inal assault on this place, what would we do and
how would it turn out?
Jung Hayan, who had already gained a class; the truth about Kim
Hyunsung’s regression, what had happened in the past, what kind of
relationship I would have with Lee Jihye after the tutorial…
I asked myself what I would do if I was unable to fall asleep, but I guess
that concern was completely groundless.
We’d walked a lot to begin with, and mentally, I was a little stressed, so
my eyes closed quickly.
‘What time is it.’

Perhaps because my bed was slightly uncomfortable, I woke up in the
middle of the night.
I could hear Park Deokgu slowly getting up. He was probably going
outside to stand guard with Kim Hyungung.
There was the sound of Park Hyaeyoung tossing and turning for a while,
and then that of Jung Hayan coming back inside once more.
“Sleep well, Noonim.”
“Deok-Deokgu-ssi, thank you in advance for your hard work.”
I felt like they talked a little more after that, but my eyes had slowly
drifted shut once again.
As their voices grew quieter and quieter, my consciousness grew dim.
What woke me up again was a strange sensation on my lips.
It was as if there was something gripping onto my hands. I tried to get

up right away, but I couldn’t move my body. Rather, there was a sense
that someone was staring ixedly at me.
Jung Hayan’s voice came to me in an almost imperceptible whisper.
“Mm…… Ahn……”
I couldn’t make out what she was saying because I wasn’t fully awake.
Of course, at that point I realised who was watching me.
My hazy mind became clear.
Naturally, my drowsiness led instantaneously.

I opened my left eye slightly and, glancing upwards, I made out a black
shadow looking down at me.
I didn’t know what it was, but I wasn’t so stupid as to get up in this

situation.
I knew then that Jung Hayan’s quiet whisper didn’t mean she was
talking to me.
‘What’s happening?’
Even after I tried to squeeze my eyes shut, I kept hearing noises.
There was the sound of rustling clothes, the sensation of a body

brushing against mine, and even the soft touch of lips.
“Haa… Haa…”
‘What is this.’
I had never been so bewildered.
I wasn’t sure if she had some strange kink or if this was a side effect of
being pushed too hard lately, but one thing for sure was that she was
having a really good time.
“Haa…”
Only it was a little too much of a good time.
For now, it seemed best to cheer her on.
It wasn’t a bad result, as building a close relationship with Jung Hayan

had been the top priority in the irst place.
However, the ideal relationship I’d had in mind was that of Oppa-and-
Dongsaeng.
I never wanted to be in this kind of situation.
It wasn’t until a little while later that Jung Hayan collapsed a little way
away from me.
There was a rustling sound that kept me awake.
Whether it was a good idea or not, out of curiosity, I opened my eyes

slightly.
I could see Jung Hayan’s back as she silently looked down at Park
Hyaeyoung.
“……”
She watched Park Hyaeyoung sleep for a long time.
She just stood there, staring at her, without moving an inch.
‘Is she sleepwalking, or what.’
I wasn’t sure when things had started to get messed up, but it was clear
that something had gone wrong.
First of all, there was the fact that she hid the truth about her class. The
look on her face when Park Hyaeyoung was selected to go on the
expedition with us was also on my mind.
At that moment…
It occurred to me that there had to be a cause for this abnormal

behaviour.
It was then that Jung Hayan’s head swung in my direction.
It was only for a second, but our eyes met.
I felt a familiar sensation.
A shiver ran down my spine.
‘Gah… ’
I shut my eyes re lexively, but I couldn’t tell if I’d been caught or not.
Wait, but why was I hiding?
‘Why am I afraid?’
I didn’t know why, but I had linched.
Was it the in luence of mana? If not, was this similar to the concept of
killing intent shown in manhwa?
Subconsciously, my mind kept replaying the expression that Jung Hayan

had worn before.
Since she wasn’t saying anything, it seemed like she hadn’t realised I
was awake. Still, something felt off within this space, which had fallen
terrifyingly quiet.
‘Shit… ’
I didn’t understand how things had turned out this way.
I couldn’t hear the sounds of rustling, breathing, moans, or movement

that I had heard before.
I could hear Park Hyaeyoung breathing intermittently, but no sound left
Jung Hayan’s mouth.
I tried to fall asleep, but something kept me awake.
Not far from me, I could sense someone quietly lying down.
“……”
“……”
Perhaps it was Jung Hayan.
A second felt like a minute.
After who knows how long, a voice came from outside that spelled
either fortune or disaster.
“It’s time to wake up.”

CHAPTER 18
WEIGHT (3)
Never before had I ever found a voice telling me to get up more

pleasant.
“Yes. Understood.”
The irst one to rise was Park Hyaeyoung.
After that, I could hear Jung Hayan tossing and turning.
As I was deliberating on when to get up, I felt a touch on my shoulder.
“Hyung-nim.”
‘Park Deokgu, nice.’
His timing wasn’t bad.
Perhaps because I wasn’t able to sleep well, I suddenly felt a wave of

tiredness wash over me. Even so, I squinted my eyes open and sat up.
“Is it time already?”
“We’re planning to get going a little bit earlier today. We’ve decided to
venture a little further out for hunting before returning to the shelter.”
“That’s ine.”
I deliberately didn’t let myself turn away from Jung Hayan. I knew it
would be more awkward to avoid her.
When I glanced at her I could see that she was smiling brightly in my
direction.
She seemed so different from the day before.
I couldn’t believe they were the same person. It was like she was
another person.
‘Which one is real?’
I didn’t know if her current expression was genuine, or if what I’d seen
last night was her true self.
For now, I thought it was best to cool off, so right after shooting her a
small smile, I began to compose myself.
‘I’m tired.’
Since I couldn’t sleep well at night, my mind was blank.
When I went outside, Kim Hyunsung looked in my direction and began

to speak.
“You look tired.”
“Just a bit, I’ll be ine.”
“It would be good for us to go further out today. Would that be all
right?”
“I don’t believe it’s going to be a problem. Currently, there doesn’t seem
to be many creatures nearby. I’m a little bit worried about the people
staying at the shelter, but I don’t think it’s likely for anything to happen
to them in the meantime. However, if we think there will be too many
for them to handle…”
“Yes. Of course, we’ll make sure to head back right away.”
That was a reasonable judgement call.
“By the way, which way…”
“I scoped out the left path last night, and it wasn’t any different.”
Not only did he take the watch twice, he even searched ahead.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
If there are workers who are as diligent as this, someone like me gets to
have a good time.
I thought that it was possible for there to be something on the right

pathway, but it was still too early to tell.
“Hyaeyoung-ssi and Hayan-ssi…,”
“I’m all set too.”
“In terms of positions, if we ind monsters like yesterday, then Hayan-

ssi will come forward to replace Hyaeyoung-ssi instead. All right, let’s
get going.”
“Yes.”
It seemed like the march ahead would be a tiring one.

What worried me the most was Jung Hayan’s presence.
I had no idea what was going on, but the behaviour Jung Hayan had
demonstrated recently was abnormal.
It was so out of the ordinary that anyone would notice.
Her appearance was at odds with my impression of her.
My top priority was to determine the root cause of it. I had an inkling of
the cause, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit perplexed.
‘Jealousy?’
The problem with this idea was that Jung Hayan and I had barely spent
enough time together for me to jump to that conclusion.
The strength of relationships weren’t always proportional to the time

spent together, but it was undeniable that that was still an important
factor.
Of course, the situation we both found ourselves in was somewhat

special.
This place wasn’t some café or restaurant.
In a cheap B-list movie, for instance, a man and a woman facing a crisis
would develop feelings that seemed like love over a short period of
time.
Perhaps her feelings were the same.
Jung Hayan’s past came to mind.
Looking back at her personal history, it was possible to form some

reasonable deductions.
Her parents were gone, and she lost contact with her sisters a long time
ago.
Given that she had been abandoned by her family, I understood why she
wanted to lean on me a little more.
She wouldn’t have grown up in a kind environment.
‘It’s a simple deduction.’
However, for some reason, I had become a lifeline for her to clutch onto.
I would have been a kind person she could always trust and rely upon.
Perhaps those feelings had evolved from mere emotion to obsession.
Originally, what I had also been aiming for was to take on the role of her
con idante.
It was easier to draw in a person with cracks in their heart.
‘Shall we test it out?’
It was a classic, cliché approach, but it was worth a try.
While walking side by side next to Park Hyaeyoung, I slowly opened my

mouth and pulled her shoulder slightly.
“Careful.”
“Ah… Yes.”
She looked a little nervous.
It looked like she thought I had prevented her from almost tripping
over a rock.
She seemed to be trying to thank me for it, but my goal wasn’t her
reaction.
I glanced at Jung Hayan from the corner of my eyes.
It was only natural to see that she was staring at Park Hyaeyoung.
Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu didn’t seem to notice, but perhaps
because of the effect of my attribute, I could see it clearly.
Jung Hayan’s eyes were illed with some kind of indescribable emotion.
‘I can use this.’
Her animosity wasn’t directed at me.
I thought it might be a bit too excessive to call it ordinary jealousy, but if

you considered Jung Hayan’s sincerity, it was still within a tolerable
range.
If I gave her carrots and sticks in moderation, Jung Hayan would be a

faithful family member who would throw herself away for my sake.
Numerous thoughts illed my head as we walked. Before I knew it, we

had covered quite a fair distance.
“I think there are some nearby. From here on in, we need to keep our
guard up.”
“Ahem. Alright, Hyung-ssi.”
Perhaps from this point, everything in this area had already been seen
by Kim Hyunsung once before.
It certainly smelled different from before.

It felt like the strange stench emanating from those creatures was
everywhere.
What stood out more than that, however, was the faint trace of mana I
could sense in the distance.
I didn’t know what type it was, but I could de initely feel something
different about it.
Perhaps this was what Kim Hyunsung was after.
“I think I sense something.”
“What are you talking about? Hyung-nim. Do you see them?”
“I can feel a faint source of mana ahead of us. I’m not sure what it is…
Anyway…”
“It’s suffocating to have no magic. Hyung-ssi, can you feel it?”
“I’m not sure, but since Kiyoung-ssi is a wizard, he would be more adept
at sensing differences than us. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to check it out
for now. There may be some hints on clearing this place.”
Kim Hyunsung certainly lacked the talent for acting.
The faint mana ahead of us seemed to be related to clearing this

dungeon.
“Well, we’re heading in that direction anyway, but there’s no harm in

being more cautious, so I’ll take the lead.”
“Be careful.”
There was no need for caution.

If Kim Hyunsung had sensed that there was something wrong with this
place, we wouldn’t still be here.
As I carefully stepped forward, I could see at a glance what the source of

the mana was.
‘Stairs.’
“Those stairs lead down.”
They were literally just stairs that went down to a lower level. It was
only then that I could see that this dungeon had multiple levels.
Looking at Kim Hyunsung nodding, he seemed to believe that his

contrived setup was convincing.
As ridiculous as it was, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to play along.
“It’s a common set-up, but does this mean that the further down you go,
the more dif icult it gets? I think that there might be some connection
to clearing the dungeon here.”
“Um, do you think so? Hyung-nim.”
“I’m still unsure, but we haven’t found any other clues so far at this
level, where there’s the starting point. Dumping us in this vast place
only for us to deal with monsters when they told us to clear the
dungeon seems unreasonable. It’s highly likely that going down from
here is only the beginning. I don’t know what will happen, but at the
very least there may be more clues than what we currently have.”
Kim Hyunsung listened to me and nodded when he heard my words.
“I feel the same way.”
‘Just.’
“It’s too much for us right now, so let’s start with keeping note of this
place for now and go down another time. We didn’t come here to clear
the dungeon today. We might ind something that could help us down
there. It’s also possible that there are different monster species below.”
“I’d hate for even more irritating punks to come out.”
Me too.
Regardless, Kim Hyunsung had successfully alerted us to the existence

of the underground entrance without acting unnatural.
For someone like him, this might feel like a big achievement.
However, the growth of Jung Hayan and Park Hyaeyoung was more
urgent. Only when we had readied a number of people able to ight,
could we go down.
“The road.”
“I’ve roughly got it down in my mind.”
“Then, from now on, will we be scouting for monsters around here?”
“I think we’d better do that. Let’s start a little way from this point.”
“Okay, Hyung-ssi.”
Like yesterday, we looked for those creatures with our eyes blazing, and
were able to ind some in our immediate vicinity.
Perhaps these monsters had originated from here and had spread out
as they got further away.
There were three monsters close by.

I glanced at Kim Hyunsung and saw him nodding.
“If Deokgu-ssi takes on two of those guys, Kiyoung-ssi will quickly take
care of one of them and I’ll handle the other. We’ll use the last one as a
training dummy. Hyaeyoung-ssi and Hayan-ssi can take a similar
position to Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
Park Deokgu and I clenched our teeth and sprung forward.
Park Deokgu took the lead to see if he could draw their aggro.
I also ran ahead, leaving behind Park Hyaeyoung and Jung Hayan who
both looked nervous.
I watched from behind as Park Deokgu pushed one back with his shield
and fended the other off with his leather-covered arm.
Kim Hyunsung looked somewhat relaxed as he ran towards one of them

and succeeded in cutting off its arm.
‘He’s extremely fast.’
I’d expected him to be a little faster because of his high agility, but his
speed was beyond my imagination.
At the same time, I applied a bit of mana to the end of my spear and
threw it at the one Park Deokgu was holding on to.
Puuk! Blood gushed out as the sound resounded, but I couldn’t afford to
relax just yet.
‘It’s not dead yet.’

When I went to stab it with my spear again, Park Hyaeyoung was next
to me, holding onto her spear as though she wanted to do something.
‘Not bad.’
For now, the most important thing was that she had the will to act.
There was no need to look over at Kim Hyunsung.
Perhaps he would try to take it down with a moderate amount of

strength so that he wouldn’t appear strange.
That just left the one we would be using as a training dummy.
Even before Park Deokgu had moved to capture it, Park Hyaeyoung,
who seemed excited, began to extend her spear.
‘Dumbass.’
She was obviously stupid.
As you’d expect, the monster was outside of Park Deokgu’s range when
the spear was de lected.
“Ack! I-I’m sorry…”
“Gah.”
In every ive-man band, there will be one dead weight.
“Deokgu-yah.”
This saying I’d heard somewhere had some truth to it.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaak!!”
‘Dumb bitch!’
CHAPTER 19
WEIGHT (4)
“Kyaaaaaaak!!”
It was only natural that she was surprised. The monster’s mouth
opened wide as it lunged forward to devour her.
If she hadn’t suddenly run out, spear in hand, she wouldn’t have drawn
its attention.
Those things weren’t intelligent and anyone observing the situation

clearly would be able to see that Park Deokgu was able to hold back the
attacking monster.
However, instead of staying level-headed, Park Hyaeyoung, this fucking

bitch, chose to air out her fears like this.
“Damn it!”
Park Hyaeyoung had completely lipped the situation on its head.
Those things were sensitive to sound.
An ordinary conversation wouldn’t carry far, but such a loud scream

would naturally make them aware of our presence here.
All the monsters in the vicinity would probably come running.
Perhaps Kim Hyunsung thought the same as he promptly smashed in

the head of the monster he was dealing with, then stabbed the one Park
Deokgu had captured in the chest.
His speed seemed a bit outside the boundaries of human capabilities,

but Kim Hyunsung likely didn’t have the luxury of paying attention to
that when the situation was rapidly deteriorating.
I could see that monstrous thing still quivering but that wasn’t the issue
right now.
“We need to get out of here right now.”
“Damn it…”
“S-sorry…”
“Kiyoung-ss, Hyaeyoung-ssi, Hayan-ssi… If anything happens, we’ll have

Deokgu-ssi cut a path”.
“Well, what about Hyung-ssi?”
“I’ll try to draw the monsters away. If you leave a mark, I’ll ind you.
Kiyoung-ssi, it would be better for you to take a detour rather than
heading straight to the shelter.”
I nodded sharply.
If we led all the monsters after us to the shelter, it would be like offering
them an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Kim Hyunsung seemed to be trying to solve this situation on his own

but his expression didn’t seem to be good.
Even though Kim Hyunsung was a regressor, he was still a rookie at this
point.
He might be capable of dealing with them to a certain extent, but if they

overwhelmed him with numbers, it would be extremely dif icult to take
care of them in such close quarters.
“Hyung-nim, which way…”
“We’re going to turn around a bit before returning.”
“A-alright.”
Seemingly realising the severity of her mistake, Park Hyaeyoung looked

at me, her face pale.
She likely realised that if she messed up further, there would really be
an opportunity to scream her lungs out soon.
“Get up.”
“Y-yes…”
“Stick together and run as fast as you can.”
“I-I understand.”
Jung Hayan was silent.
She was looking around blankly, with an expression as though she were
thinking hard about something.
“Hayan-ah.”
“Ah… Yes! Oppa.”

Her body language suggested that she wasn’t particularly scared.
Seeing her like this, I was reminded that Jung Hayan would become a
strong Wizard in the future.
Jung Hayan was also a Wizard so, should the situation become too
much for us to handle, she might be able to help us.
‘Our chances of survival are high.’
We could make it through this.
“Then, I pray for your success[1].”
“Well, be careful, Hyung-ssi.”
“I’ll be alright.”
Park Deokgu immediately took up his shield and began to run.
Park Hyaeyoung also followed us with a look of terror on her face.
Though I still felt irritated, now was not the time to argue.
Instead, I began to construct spells.
Concentrate mana into a tower. I had very little to speak of, but it might
save us if the situation took a turn for the worse.
“Can you run and cast? Hyung-nim?”
“Don’t talk to me. My head hurts.”
That was how hard it was to concentrate on spells.

Trying to move your feet and hands to do one thing while completely
thinking of something else would be dif icult for anyone.
‘It’s dif icult…”
“My, wish…”
The tower of mana I kept trying to build collapsed. I couldn’t

concentrate properly. It felt like my head was going to explode; my
brain was being overloaded.
‘Just make one slowly.’
It was feasible enough if I pretended there was nothing around me

while I wove the spell.
I slowly built the tower up once more.
We hadn’t even met those fucking monsters yet anyway.
There was plenty of time to construct it.
“Lord, my, wish, answer, my call, please give me, the strength, to burn
my enemies.”
I couldn’t help but lengthen the invocation. It was annoying as hell but
the spell, which was clearly imprinted in my mind, was manifested in
my hand.
A sphere of ire. The ire sphere, which was the size of a human skull,
appeared in my hand.
“Oh, that’s amazing! When did you learn something like that?”
“Don’t talk to me, Deokgu-yah. It’s hard to concentrate.”

It was hard work to construct spells and keep them going.
The wobbling tower of mana needed to constantly be repaired and

balanced to prevent its collapse.
‘It’s extremely complicated.’
In media such as manhwa, anime, or novels, this kind of magic always

looked like something you could do easily.
But in reality, my head felt like it was about to split apart when I used it.
It made me wonder if intelligence was a more important prerequisite

than mana when it came to becoming a Wizard.
“Where next?”
“Left.”
I was irritated that even in this situation, I had to give directions to Park
Deokgu.
“Gaeeeeeeeek!”
I could hear the voices of monsters in the distance. They were still a fair
bit away so I couldn’t really distinguish their exact numbers.
“How many?”
“About two.”
“Take care of it on your own.”
“I’ll try, Hyung-nim.”
“Even if you can’t kill them, it doesn’t matter; just clear a path.”
“Leave it to me.”
Kwajik! Puuk! These sounds rang out.
Naturally, Park Deokgu’s back felt quite reliable as he continued to run

forward.
He seemed a little like a tank.
“Next!”
“Right.”
“Gaaaaaaaaeeeeeeeek!”
“How many?”
“It seems like there’s no end to them…”
I stretched my arm out right away.
“Fireball.”
The sphere of lames that I had been holding in my hand halted then
began to ly in a straight line.
I hadn’t expected it to recoil then move in a line.
Perhaps because of wind pressure, my hand was buffeted towards the

sky for a moment. However, even as the enchantment lew forward, my
mind didn’t stop casting the spell.
I didn’t want the spell I’d worked so hard to build to ly off somewhere
weird.
Boong!
The sphere impacted the body of one shitty monster then spread out in
all directions.
Kwajik!
As they were struck by the sphere, the monsters were blown into the
air by the lames.
Wind rushed towards us in the aftermath of the explosion.
Naturally, Park Deokgu blocked it with the shield.
Seeing the majority of the monsters lung to the walls, screaming as

they caught ire, or incapacitated, he looked at me with an expression of
surprise.
It was a tight space, and luckily they had all been crowded together, but
I was surprised by the scale of damage from the magical attack.
“Woah… Hyung-nim.”
“Hooo… Hooo…”
Left drained of mana for a moment, my legs began to shake.
However, we somehow managed to clear the way.
“Again.”
That’s when I felt that something was weird.
“Ah!”
Park Deokgu also subconsciously looked back, and stared at me with a

look of shock.
‘Jung Hayan, Park Hyaeyoung.’
The two of them were no longer with us.
“When was… The last time you saw them?”
“O-only a moment ago I-I thought they were following us…”
“You.”
I contained my surging irritation and bit back the curses that were
about to spill from my mouth.
This was my fault.
I had no idea when the two of them had been separated from us
because I was busy trying to construct the spell in my head.
The fact that even Park Deokgu didn’t notice was a bit unexpected, but I
was sure that they weren’t far behind.
The important thing was whether they knew the way.
Jung Hayan might remember, but I wasn’t sure about Park Hyaeyoung; I
felt that that bottom feeder wouldn’t have memorised the path.
Just following us must have been hard enough for her.
“H-how could I… I-I’m sorry…”
“It’s not your fault, Deokgu-yah. I should have paid more attention.
Shoot[2].”
“What do we d-do now?”

That was a question I wanted to ask myself.
If Park Hyaeyoung was the only one who had been separated from us, of
course, I would have abandoned her.
The issue was that Jung Hayan was with her.
She was a lottery ticket that was guaranteed to win big. Losing her in a
place like this was so absurd, I wouldn’t even be able to laugh.
I didn’t like gambling.
But when necessary, you had to act.
“I’m sure they’re still alive.”
“T-then.”
“If they were thinking clearly, they’d have made a mark for us to spot.
Let’s turn back for now.”
“Good thinking, Hyung-nim.”
There was a high probability that Kim Hyunsung was taking care of the
monsters trailing behind us.
What we had to focus on was the hungry swarms closing in on us from

all sides.
It was hard to recite spells.
My mana levels were already at rock bottom, but I thought it might be

possible for me to do something once more if I squeezed out every last
drop.
“Can you think about the last time you saw them?”
“T-the last thing I remember was them running away with us. I-I saw… I
didn’t hear any screaming…”
I also couldn’t recall it that well.
I remembered that the two of them had been following me when I was
reciting the spell.
It seemed safe to assume that they had disappeared while I was

maintaining the magic.
“For now, let’s get going.”
“Okay.”
I was anxious at irst, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt
that something was strange.
Although Park Deokgu was dimwitted, he wasn’t so stupid as to miss

the two people following us suddenly disappearing.
Neither was I.
In the irst place, Park Deokgu’s agility stats weren’t high. I wasn’t sure
about Jang Hayan, but it certainly wasn’t to the point where Park
Hyaeyoung wouldn’t have been able to keep up.
It wasn’t a situation where a monster would grab them by the ankles.
They may have been caught by a trap in the dungeon itself, but the
probability of that was low.
This was the road we’d passed through in the beginning.
If there was a trap here, Kim Hyunsung would have given a word of
warning.
Suddenly, I remembered the way Jung Hayan had looked at Park
Hyaeyoung.
‘I don’t think that’s it.’
It was too early to reach a conclusion, but if Jung Hayan had wanted to
keep her away from me, it would explain things somewhat.
She couldn’t have been able to tell which spell I was casting, but there
was a chance that I wouldn’t have noticed her weaving a different spell
while I was concentrating on mine.
At that time, I couldn’t have spared any attention to anything else while
I was trying to maintain the spell.
Park Deokgu, who had no mana to begin with, wouldn’t have noticed
what Jung Hayan was doing either.
Kim Hyunsung, who was far from us, was out of the question.
I hated to think about it, but I thought I could make a guess on the
prime candidate who would want to create a situation where Jung
Hayan was alone with Park Hyaeyoung.
‘The question is why.’
I didn’t want to assume the worst, but I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
As I was running forward with Park Deokgu, I began to feel a faint trace
of mana just like when I had found the entrance to the dungeon below.
‘Bitch… ’
“Deokgu-ya, hurry up.”
“What happened?”
It had just been a rough guess.
However, the faint sense of mana was strengthening my hypothesis.
1 The actual word used here is 무운을, which is a lot shorter than the
translation. It’s a term that people would use to wish good fortune for
soldiers going into battle. [return to text]
2 Lee Kiyoung uses a censored version of the swearword here, like

when you’re around a kid and trying to hide the fact that you’re
swearing. You’ll see him do this more in the future. [return to text]
CHAPTER 20
INCIDENT
“Hyaeyoung-ssi?”
“Yes, Jihye-ssi. Please listen to what I have to say.”
“Go with Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Pardon?”
“I believe it would be advantageous to make things more convenient for

people like Kiyoung-ssi in various ways. Not just today, but going
forward as well.”
“I’m not sure what you mean…”
“The decision is all yours, Hyaeyoung-ssi. You can do whatever you

think is manageable. I don’t care if you’re just a pack mule… Ah! You
wouldn’t make a bad handmaid.”
“……”
“That last bit was just a joke. But thinking about it seriously might not
be a bad idea… The situation here isn’t that good. Not only are we
lacking in rations, but there are a limited number of people who can go
hunting. Hyunsung-ssi has been helping us by disposing of the
monsters around here regularly, but who knows what the future holds.
The reality is that we can’t afford to make assumptions about the
future. We have to think about the possibility that the men who go
hunting might die and never come back, and ask ourselves what we
would do afterwards.”
“……”
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to get acquainted with a capable man. Don’t
you think it’s better for people like us to take out an insurance policy? If
things go well, you never know what might happen. Perhaps you could
get special treatment like Jung Hayan-ssi…”
“I see what you mean.”
“Ah! There’s a rumour that they’ll be taking Hayan-ssi out on the next
hunt. Wouldn’t it be a good idea for Hyaeyoung-ssi to give it a try?”
“Thank you for giving me so much advice, but… is there a reason you’re
being so nice to me?”
“Well. It’s just a passing fancy. But if things go well, I’d like you to return
the favour. I’m not the kind of person who likes to gamble.”
***
‘Shitty bitch.’
Lee Jihye, that fucking bitch.
She continued to curse out Lee Jihye internally, not that it changed
anything.
After all, she had been the one to make the mistake. Rather, everything
had been her choice to begin with.
Both agreeing with Lee Jihye’s words and following Lee Kiyoung as a
guinea pig, everything had been done with the expectation that it would
work out.
She had done something stupid right off the bat and had made up her
mind to make up for the mistake.
Pushing herself to seem like a useful person by wielding a spear had

been a huge blunder.
Unbeknownst to her, the scream that had then erupted from her mouth
had been an even greater mistake.
She could see Lee Kiyoung and Park Deokgu continuing forward before
her.
Lee Kiyoung never stopped chanting spells aloud and Park Deokgu
rebuffed the monsters lunging at them with his huge shield.
Maybe because of her fear, her legs felt wobbly, but naturally, collapsing
was out of the question.
‘I’ll die.’
She knew that she would die if she stopped running.
Glancing to the side, she saw that Jung Hayan was also following
behind, muttering quietly to herself.
‘Idiot… ’
She was lucky enough to catch Lee Kiyoung’s eye, and lucky enough to
gain her current position amongst this group.
No other woman would be as lucky as her.
After making such a big mistake, if they made it back alive, then it was
almost certain that she would have to resign from this group.
When Park Hyaeyoung thought that she was just a teaching aid for Jung
Hayan, she tasted something bitter in her mouth.
In the irst place…
She didn’t know how Jung Hayan could be so calm.
Kim Hyunsung, Lee Kiyoung, and Park Deokgu, who continued to

un linchingly attack with swords and spears, even in front of monsters,
were also incredible.
In her case, Park Hyaeyoung couldn’t overcome the feeling of killing or

her fear of dying.
It was laughable that she had thought it might be easy.
However, Jung Hayan’s case was a bit different.
It was her irst time here, just like Park Hyaeyoung, and the irst time
she had was directly facing the monsters in person.
The lack of fear in that quiet gaze was unmistakable.
Park Hyaeyoung had wondered if Jung Hayan was crazy when she kept
talking to herself, but she didn’t seem to be shaken.
‘You can’t break down like this.’
In this new reality called the tutorial, they had to build up their strength
to survive. She took advantage of Lee Kiyoung and Kim Hyunsung
because she knew it was impossible to do so by herself.
If you think about it, anyone branded with the label of being unable to
hunt obviously would not be able to grasp the same power those two
held, and over time, would become just like cold, leftover rice.
Only one option remained.
‘I have to get close to them somehow.’
If she made it back alive, ties with Lee Kiyoung had to be made at all
costs.
She had to stick to him by any means whatsoever.
Of course, the presence of Jung Hayan next to him was annoying, but
over time he would recognise her worth.
It was obvious that she was better than that stupid woman.
Park Deokgu and Lee Kiyoung, who were gritting their teeth and never
stopped running, veered to the left.
At that moment, she realised that she could no longer see them.
‘Huh?’
She felt as though she had been possessed by a ghost. She didn’t
understand what was going on.
‘When did that happen?’
Obviously, she had been running after them.
This kind of situation could be called nothing but running into a ghost
wall.[1]
She couldn’t remember when or why they had vanished.
Jung Hayan was also quietly staring at the wall blocking off the passage.
“Do you know where Kiyoung-ssi and Deokgu-ssi went?”

She cautiously tried to speak with the other woman but didn’t get a
reply.
It had been a mistake to ask in the irst place.
‘She’s as dull as a doorknob… ’
Even Park Hyaeyoung had lost sight of them in an instant.
If she couldn’t tell where they had gone, there was no way the blind
bitch next to her would be able to.
This woman had probably only been trailing after her.
“Gaaaeeeeek.”
The voice of a monster sounded in the distance.
Naturally, she began to tremble instantly.
She knew that she needed to leave this area but her feet were glued to
the spot.
Because she couldn’t igure out where to go.
Perhaps by now, Kiyoung-ssi had noticed that they were lost.
If they hung around a little longer and waited, those two would surely
come to ind them.
She was sure they would.
At the ridiculous sight of Jung Hayan, who was muttering nonsense

even in this situation, Park Hyaeyoung could barely hold back her
laughter.
“The power, to protect myself, from my enemies, who try to steal from
me.”
It seemed to be a prayer to someone, but her actions were completely

beyond comprehension.
Lee Kiyoung, who had concerned himself with a woman like this, also
seemed to be out of his mind.
“Wind blade.”
Shiik-
She heard a sound as though the air was ripping apart.
“Shut up, you moron. Can’t you hear the monsters?”
It was when she tried to take a small step forward.
‘Huh?’
Her balance gave way out of nowhere.
Against her own will, her body crumpled to the ground.
At the same time, she felt an unbearable pain in her left leg.
Bright red blood began to spurt from her leg and splash to the ground.
She could see her left leg had been separated from her body and was
lying away from her.
‘What… Happened… ’
A scream tore free from her mouth before she could even think.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaa! S-somebody! Anybody, please… P-please help me.
He-help!”
“I-I-it’s useless. Hyae-Hyaeyoung-ssi.”
“M-my leg… My leg…”
“I-I’ve b-blocked off the surrounding sound with mana. I’m not sure if
you can hear me. Y-you don’t need to worry about the monsters coming
here. You can relax.”
“Please h-help me, please…”
“Y-you’re m-more stupid than I thought. Hyaeyoung-ssi… Y-you caused

trouble for Oppa… And y-you ruined my outing.”
“Shut up. Fuck! It hurts… It hurts! Can’t you see my leg right now?
Quickly bring Kiyoung-ssi here or…”
Park Hyaeyoung continued to grip her burning leg with her hands.
She couldn’t think clearly because of the blood pouring out from her
body.
She took off her jacket and tied it around her leg to stem the bleeding,
but it was hard to tell whether this rough treatment would be enough.
Her jaw shook.
It was only natural for her body to tremble.
She couldn’t understand why her leg had fallen off in the irst place.
She didn’t even want to comprehend the truth.

However, iguring out whether this was a nightmare or reality was a
more pressing matter.
The pain continued to burn as though her body was on ire.
Her vision became blurred by her tears.
When Park Hyaeyoung looked up slightly, she saw Jung Hayan smiling
brightly at her.
‘Huh?’
She was holding something in her hands that was made of some strange
material.
‘Wind blade.’
Suddenly those words lickered through her mind.
Park Hyaeyoung was in disbelief, but it was clear that an emerald green
wind was swirling around Jung Hayan’s hands.
‘For what reason? Why? How could she?’ Even before those thoughts
ran through her mind, she was illed with an instinctive fear.
“Ah… Ha-Hayan-ssi…”
“Yes. Hyaeyoung-ssi.”
“W-why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“I-I didn’t w-want to do this. I-I couldn’t help it though. Because you
keep trying to take m-my Oppa away from me. I-I couldn’t help it. I’m
not d-doing this because I like it.”
“W-what are you talking about?”

“I hate it when you pretend you’re clueless… Hyaeyoung-ssi, y-you
should have known you were f-fawning over my Oppa, didn’t you? Y-y-
you should have realised you were trying to take him away, didn’t you?
You said you were going to take him away, didn’t you?
‘In… sane.”
She was out of her mind.
Park Hyaeyoung was baf led that she somehow hadn’t noticed it before.
The woman before her was de initely crazy. The corners of her mouth
lifted up and her eyes seemed to be illed with the light of madness.
“It was… It was just meaningless chatter. “
“Lies.”
“Really…”
“You’re lying. D-do you know how much you hurt me? I-It felt like my
heart was broken when you talked with Oppa, held hands with O-oppa,
and leaned on O-oppa. Maybe y-you can’t even comprehend how I felt.”
“I-I can understand. Uhuh… I-I can understand. So, h-help me. I-I won’t
appear in front of y-your Oppa ever again.”
“S-sorry. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t even look at you.
Hyaeyoung-ssi, you should hurt as much as me. I really can’t forgive you
for trying to take my Oppa away. And if you’re alive, I-I’ll feel so
nervous…”
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
There was a gruesome sound as her other arm was cut off.
She felt a great deal of pain.
She writhed, but nothing changed. All she could think about was that
she had to get out of there somehow.
Though she struggled to crawl away, it was impossible through the pain
and fear.
“Sa-save me. Please… Please, I was wrong. Help me. Please…

Ahhhhhhhh.”
“No, no, don’t do that. It will only m-make you weaker.”
“Please, I was completely wrong. It’s all my fault! It was because of my

mistake. Mmf! Mm!”
“Ma-magic can do this too. It’s better to keep your mouth shut because
you’re so noisy.”
Her voice couldn’t escape.
It felt like something was strangling her. Tears began to pour from her
eyes. She continued to struggle because of the pain wracking her body,
but it was futile.
“Mm… Mm! MM!”
“T-then, I-I’m sorry.”
As she continued to struggle, she could hear a voice from somewhere

beyond her line of sight.
“Hayan-ah?”
“O-oppa.”
It was the man responsible for all of this, Lee Kiyoung.
1 A ghost wall is a phenomenon in some East Asian horror stories,

where walls suddenly appear where there were none before. The
human will be trapped, wandering in a lifeless maze created by a ghost,
until they eventually die.
CHAPTER 21
RELIEF
“Hayan-ah?”
“O-oppa.”
‘I had a feeling things would turn out this way… ’
The scene before me was even more horri ic than I had imagined.
Jung Hayan was smiling serenely while Park Hyaeyoung was writhing
on the loor with her legs and arms cut off.
I felt the contents of my stomach rise up subconsciously, but I forced my

nausea down.
I could see Jung Hayan’s eyes wavering.
When I had seen the wall made of mana, an even greater sense of
apprehension than I had expected had overcome me.
‘What… should I do?’
I wasn’t sure how to react.
Before things spiralled even further out of control, wracking my brains

to ind a solution as quickly as I could, I couldn’t think of anything other
than Jung Hayan.
‘Park Deokgu might not fare much better in this situation, but if only he
were here instead.’
He couldn’t feel mana.
It had been a mistake to tell him to check the left path and come here on
my own.
“Mmf… Mm!”
I was trapped in this situation of seeing what remained of Park

Hyaeyoung’s form as she pleaded for help with her mouth blocked by
some unidenti iable spell.
I had no clue how Jung Hayan had reacted to my appearance.
When I glanced at Jung Hayan, her expression looked as though her soul
was escaping her.
She, too, was frozen by the sudden encounter.
In reality, I wasn’t much different from her. I was also caught between
two options.
‘Is it ine if I run away?’
If not.
‘Would it be better to feign ignorance?’
I had to consider this issue carefully.
My body, feeling the sense of danger, was screaming at me to keep

walking, but my brain betrayed that expectation.
I began to weigh the pros and cons.

I was sure that Jung Hayan de initely felt goodwill towards me.
In addition, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that her feelings had

become excessive over time.
The motive behind her attempt to kill Park Hyaeyoung was also likely
related to me.
Rather, it had to be related.
Maybe, before[1], there would have also been bad blood between her
and Park Hyaeyoung, but based on her behaviour, there was currently
only one answer to this whole thing.
If I hesitated in front of Jung Hayan here.
Perhaps her blade would turn on me.
I refused to scuf le with a crazy woman who slung around spells I didn’t
know like it was nothing.
I’d been going around in circles for so long it almost felt unnatural.
In the end, I had no choice but to open my mouth carefully.
It was the most reasonable choice.
“Hyae-Hyaeyoung-ssi how… did this happen?”
“Eh?”
Please don’t waste the opportunity I’ve given you.
Please tell me the right answer.
I can’t help you any more than this.

“Why are her arms and legs… What happened?”
Don’t forget to cover your mouth with your hands. You can’t leave out
the disbelieving expression.
It was then that Jung Hayan’s face brightened slightly. Contrary to her
expectations, she seemed to think that the worst-case scenario she had
imagined hadn’t arrived.
She must have thought that I didn’t know she was behind this.
The choice of what to say was very simple.
She should be able to ind the answer easily.
“I’m also not sure about the details. Oppa… A-all of a sudden…”
Trembling hands and legs, quivering lips and a shaky voice.
She wasn’t frightened at all.
She just didn’t want to let me know that she was the culprit.
Perhaps it came from being unaccustomed to lying. Nevertheless, Jung

Hayan continued to speak.
“When I opened my eyes, I saw that I had been separated from

everyone, I-I don’t know how. When I came here, I found Hyaeyoung-
ssi… L-like this.”
‘Not bad.’
It wasn’t a bad excuse. I took Jung Hayan’s hands into my own trembling
ingers and pulled her into my arms.
“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“O-oppa.”
I was the one who had to worry about getting hurt.
My heart was pounding like crazy.
Not only was I constantly checking to see if she was casting any spells, I
was also gripping tight onto my spear.
As I did so, Park Hyaeyoung was looking at Jung Hayan in horror.
“Mmf! Mmm! MMM! Mhm! Mm!”
I could hazard a guess as to what she was trying to say.
‘Run away.’
Or.
‘Save me.’
There was a high probability it was the latter, but unfortunately, there
was nothing I could do.
To antagonise or disregard Jung Hayan here would be an act of suicide.
Her mind was de initely more worn out and fractured than I had
assumed.
She liked me, but since her obsession had led to hostility and murder, I
had no idea how she would react if I said I didn’t believe her.
Perhaps that anger would extend towards me.
I’d been handed a ticking bomb, but between someone who had useful
talents and a piece of trash who wouldn’t amount to anything, who
should I choose?
The answer was obvious.
Anyone with eyes would know that it was rational to side with Jung
Hayan.
That wasn’t the only issue.
‘I can’t save her.’
I had no ability to save Park Hyaeyoung as she slowly died.
Even if she was really a useful card, I had no choice but to discard this
hand.
I could empathise, but I was desperate, too.
“Mmm! Mmf! MMMMM! Mmmf!”
It was hard to turn away from someone who was desperately begging
me to save her and not abandon her.
I rushed up to her and began to use my clothes to tie the wounds.
Jung Hayan made an expression as though she was frightened out of her
wits but I was sure she knew.
‘Park Hyayeoung is dying. She’s likely going to die very soon.’
The bleeding was already too excessive. There were signs that she was
slowly losing consciousness and her eyes were no longer focused.
“There’s a chance that the traps in the dungeon were activated. You
weren’t able to notice it though because we passed through a wall of
mana.”
Jung Hayan had created the barrier.
“……”
“Considering the mana I felt near the entrance to the level below, there
could be trap devices scattered around us. I hadn’t accounted for that.”
There were no such devices on the irst loor. I could be sure of that.
“Maybe the trap was triggered in the process of me casting my spell.

There’s a high possibility that the magic that’s blocking her mouth is
some other unknown trap… Fortunately, I don’t feel any other mana
around us, but…”
Jung Hayan had been the one to invoke the spell.
“Yes… You’re right…”
“MMM! mMm!”
I had already come up with a plan starring Jung Hayan.
The question was whether this bullshit would work on Kim Hyunsung.
That guy had already been here once, so he had to know that there
were no traps on the irst loor.
Talking nonsense would just earn his suspicion.
I had no idea whether I could help Park Hyaeyoung like this.
How would he react when he found Hyaeyoung-ssi?”
Caught in a trap?
There were no traps here to begin with, and he was well-aware of that.
Struck by a monster?
The cuts were too neat. Anyone who saw her would be able to tell that
Park Hyaeyoung hadn’t been attacked by a monster.
The faint trace of mana around her body, as well as the mysterious
magic still sealing her mouth, were de initely signs that Park
Hyaeyoung was killed by something other than a monster.
Kim Hyunsung was de initely, de initely going to notice.
I kept trying to bind the wounds, but it was a far cry from actual irst
aid.
I had never learned basic haemostasis or irst aid.
The most I could do was pretend to do something.
‘Damn it… ’
In the end, I felt Park Hyaeyoung’s movements, as she jerked and

squirmed, begin to weaken little by little.
‘Just don’t get discovered.’
Kim Hyunsung couldn’t be the one to ind her.
The best method was for monsters to come across her irst, but that
was something I didn’t want to think about.
Above all.
‘I don’t want that.’
I was reluctant to let that happen.

You’d be right to think that this was the last shred of my conscience.
I could see her starting to gasp. She was struggling to breathe.
I quietly began to chant a spell.
“Lord. The power, to ward, with burning lames.”
Jung Hayan looked at me with an uneasy expression.
“Fire wall.”
It was magic that was invoked by drawing out mana that I didn’t have.
I was overcome by dizziness at that moment, but I bit down harshly on

my lips to concentrate on maintaining my magic.
“O-oppa.”
“It would be hard to take her away from here. She’s already bled too
much. If we all try to leave together, we’ll die. I can’t lose you too… So
for now, we need to hurry and get out of here as soon as possible. We
can’t take the body with us. At least, like this, we can send her off
properly. Yeah, this is the right thing to do.”
Park Hyaeyoung was already on her last breath as the lames began to
cling to her and swallow her up.
The surging lames seemed to resemble a rowdy party.
I stared blankly at the scene.
‘It was the best choice.’
It was the most logical decision.

Glancing at Jung Hayan’s face, I had a feeling that she was struggling to
hold back a smile. Nausea rolled in my stomach, but she wasn’t the only
one who had become a monster.
I was just like her.
For some reason, I felt ashamed.
I wanted to watch the ire a little longer, but it would be suicide to stay
here.
Maybe because of the lames I had called, Jung Hayan’s magic wall was
torn down.
As soon as I moved forward, I could see Park Deokgu waiting there.
“Where’s Hyaeyoung-ssi? Noonim isn’t hurt…”
When I shook my head wordlessly, he nodded as though he knew what

had happened.
He had smiled slightly at inding Jung Hayan, but when I hinted that
Park Hyaeyoung was dead, his face became stiff.
“What about the other monsters nearby?”
“I haven’t seen that many, so I think that Kim Hyunsung hyung-ssi might
have led them away… He’s quick on his feet, so he can survive one way
or another.”
“That’s good.”
That was truly a relief. The fact that he was so far away from us was a
huge relief.
“By the way, w-what happened?”

“It’s a long explanation. I’ll explain it to you later. It’s a little hard to tell,
and…”
“I-I understand, Hyung-nim.”
To Park Deokgu, it wouldn’t matter if I gave him a rough explanation.
I thought it would be better not to talk about Jung Hayan’s story if

possible, and as I kept running, I saw some monsters rushing towards
us.
“Hyung-nim, are you alright?”
“I’m out of mana.”
“Don’t strain yourself.”
Park Deokgu pushed them away from our group as we ran so that we
were able to escape.
My lungs felt like they were going to burst.
Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan were no different. We all looked

exhausted.
To be honest, I felt like I was going to pass out.
Still, I knew I couldn’t lose consciousness.
I had to see this through to the end.
Looking back with a slightly somber look on her face, Jung Hayan
furtively spoke to me.
“A-as expected… Y-you’re sad?”

Her expression was poor and held traces of anxiety.
Of course, I knew the correct answer to that question well.
“I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”
The corners of Jung Hayan’s mouth rose at my words. She smiled

widely.
“O-o-oppa.”
“I’m really glad you’re alright.”
I only half meant it.

CHAPTER 22
DESIGN
“I’m not sure if that Hyung-ssi, Kim Hyunsung, is safe.”
“He’ll be ine.”
Once we had broken through the encirclement, Park Deokgu bluntly

spat out his worries.
He gave off a keen feeling of apprehension.
Ever since he had been told directly that Park Hyaeyoung hadn’t made
it back, he seemed a bit restless.
He looked worried about Kim Hyunsung, who had drawn all of those
other monsters away on his own. Perhaps he thought Kim Hyunsung
would meet the same fate as Park Hyaeyoung and wouldn’t survive.
However, it was hard to imagine Kim Hyunsung being cornered by

monsters, no matter how outnumbered he was.
When he was in action, it was hard enough just to follow him with your
eyes, so it wouldn’t be dif icult for him to evade a bunch of monsters.
There was a high probability that by now, he had escaped from that
area and was worrying about the same things I was.
One person ended up dead from a hunt which he had taken great pains
to propose.
Perhaps it would provide a convenient excuse for those in the shelter to
curl up and hide a little bit longer.
This expedition was one which should have been carried out without a
hitch.
Of course, Kim Hyunsung didn’t know that Park Hyaeyoung was dead
yet, but I thought that just the incident alone would be enough to cause
a headache.
“It’s unfortunate. I wasn’t close to Park Hyaeyoung, but I think she was
trying to do her best.”
“She almost got us killed, so if the worst that happens is her death, it
can still be considered a success”
“T-that’s true, but.”
“You should be grateful for the fact that we’ve come out of this alive. It
couldn’t be helped. She was at fault for pulling aggro from you while she
ran wild without listening to us, and it was her who screamed and
brought every monster within earshot running. To put it bluntly, if you
or Hayanie had died instead of her, I wouldn’t have forgiven her.”
That wouldn’t have been something that I could stop at calling

‘Unforgivable.’
I might have ended up wanting to kill her myself.
Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan were a priceless pair.
When I looked over, it wasn’t only Jung Hayan, but also Park Deokgu,
who was looking at me with a strange expression.
Jung Hayan seemed moved, while Park Deokgu looked to be

embarrassed.
“Ah…”
“Well, t-the same would be true for me.”
It was Jung Hayan who had killed Park Hyaeyoung, but I didn’t want to
think about such things at the moment.
With the exception of Kim Hyunsung, these were currently the two
people I could rely on the most.
Park Deokgu, a meat shield with high endurance and stamina, and Jung
Hayan who had immeasurable potential.
There was the downside that they were both too dependent on me, but
in a way, that could also be said to be an advantage.
The problem was that one of them was a ticking bomb that I couldn’t
control, but at the same time it was highly likely that her disposition
would make her a powerhouse on my side.
“By the way, how will you explain this to the people in the shelter?”
“Don’t explain, and sleep. There was a mistake and one person died.
That’s all. If they’re scared due to this…”
“If they’re scared?”
“However much we might want to help, people will still die in the end.
You have to remember that the fact is, right now, we’re in the middle of
the tutorial. We have to assume that the main game is several times
more dangerous than anything we’re going through now.”
Sometimes, I forgot that what we were facing right now was a tutorial.
Because of the tension that if something went wrong, we’d croak.

We had only just begun.
One way or another, if Kim Hyunsung entered the main game, it might
be teeming with weaklings, or there might be a lot of bastards who
couldn’t even be placed on the same level as the monsters we’d been
facing.
‘We can’t become complacent.’
If we became complacent like the people in the shelter, we would die.
With the exception of Lee Jihye, who seemed to understand this fact,
most of them were idiots.
It was unsettling that not a single one of them could be useful.
I couldn’t understand why Kim Hyunsung was obsessed with those

guys.
I had thoughts that it might be related to his past life, but I couldn’t
afford to dig into his past now.
“We’ll sleep here tonight.”
“We’re not returning to the shelter?”
“It’s too far.”
“I thought we were almost there… Hng. I don’t know how Hyung-nim

can memorise the way so well.”
“This is pretty normal. I left a mark for us to spot when we started out.”
“You even left a mark?”

I hadn’t expected Park Deokgu to use his brains to begin with, but at
this rate, I was sure he was just a muscle head.
I was so dumbfounded that it might have leaked into my expression, as

Park Deokgu linched and Jung Hayan hurriedly began to speak.
“He-here.”
There was a scratch which looked to have been made by a spear.
A very small cut on the wall was clearly visible.
“Noonim knew too.”
“You need to pay better attention to your surroundings. What are you
going to do if there’s a situation where you and I are separated like
earlier?”
“Hem. I don’t think that’s going to happen…”
It was a bit disconcerting to see him always trailing off at the end of his
sentences.
I wasn’t sure if it was because he was lustered, but his eyes kept
darting around to avoid mine. It was quite a spectacle to behold.
It wasn’t my intention to nag him there and then, so I followed suit and
slumped to the ground, feeling drained.
Jung Hayan clung to me like a cicada glued to an old tree.
Park Deokgu’s expression looked somewhat wicked.
“Ahem… Then, I’ll look around for a moment, Hyung-nim.”
“Is that necessary?”

If possible, I hoped that Park Deokgu wouldn’t leave his spot.
“Who knows if there are any of those monster bastards around here
looking for us.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“Well, Hyung-nim has used a lot of mana… Noonim, I think it might be

better for you to take care of him a little…”
“Ah! L-leave it to me, Deokgu-ssi.”
“Don’t get lost.”
“I’ll just be taking a look around.”
I nodded brusquely.
Seeing him leave our current position quietly, I was mindful of the fact
that I would be left alone with Jung Hayan.
I knew she wasn’t crazy enough to sling magic at me, but the scene I’d
witnessed earlier kept coming to mind.
Jung Hayan’s hysterical grin as Park Hyaeyoung writhed on the ground

with her limbs cut off.
There was no way I wouldn’t feel scared.
Without thinking too much, I summoned the status window, and

naturally saw my information.
Kiyoung.]
[Name: Lee Kiyoung]
[Age: 25]
[Class: Wizard]
[Class effect: Basic Magical Knowledge]
[Stats]
[Equipment: None]
[Attributes: Mind’s Eye]
[Overview: Your puny rate of growth is so miniscule it can now be

compared to that of an ant’s. Growth centred around vitality, mana, and
intelligence can be seen. Did you work your brains a lot? In particular, I
can see your intelligence grew particularly high. Don’t get too
conceited. Player Lee Kiyoung’s abilities are still inferior to even the
secretions discharged by monsters.
I didn’t know who the hell’s opinion this overview was based on, but I
didn’t like them.
Without this ability, I wouldn’t have been able to get this far, but this
overview was enough to make me want to do something about it.
Nevertheless, the improvements in my abilities were bound to make me

feel a little bit better.
Meanwhile, the two-point increase of my mana stood out to me.
Clearly, my intelligence was overwhelmingly high compared to the

other stats.
I didn’t know what had improved exactly, as I still wasn’t sure of the
exact nature behind stat growth, but perhaps my basic critical thinking
skills were a little better than before.
‘Luck.’
The value of this unknown luck stat had also risen by two points.
I was glad to ind that Jung Hayan’s state wouldn’t negatively impact my
growth.
‘It’s not bad.’
It was pretty good growth for a scumbag at the bottom of the talent
pool.
At this rate, it would be hard to say I was that far behind the average
person.
“Stats… Yours must have increased?”
“Yeah. Has anything changed for you, Hayanie?
“N-no. Not much… But my mana level went up a little. The same for
vitality, and strength.”
“That’s a relief.”
Hayan.]
[Name: Jung Hayan]
[Age: 21]
[Class: Wizard – Common Grade]
[Stats]

[Equipment: None]
[Attribute: Wizard in training – Rating: Heroic]
[Overview: Be careful. Nice boat*] (Aizen: ‘School Days’ reference lol)
I had opened Jung Hayan’s status window, just in case, but I couldn’t
ind anything vastly different from before.
What caught my attention was that her mana level had risen by three.
Her disposition as a Pure Advocate remained. If it said she was pure,
then she was pure. I didn’t have any complaints about that, but it would
be nice if she could make it a bit more apparent.
‘What the hell is this overview?’
For some reason, the words rang ominously in my ears.
“I-it’s all thanks to O-o-oppa.”
“No. I didn’t actually help you that much.”
I hadn’t contributed much to her ability growth.
When I laughed quietly, Jung Hayan also began to smile brightly.
Her smile was a bit scary-looking, but I couldn’t make that obvious.
When I patted her head, she bowed her head slightly. Park Hyaeyoung’s
torn off limbs and her appearance as she smiled like a crazy bitch was
no longer present.
Once again, I couldn’t help but notice that she liked me.
At the moment, Jung Hayan was the person who concerned me the
most.
Because I needed to ind a way to control this uncontrollable bomb.
‘There are two options.’
Option one: Push her away very slowly.
I didn’t mean it in the sense of pushing her out of my reach.
Rather, I would push for us to have an Oppa-and-Dongsaeng

relationship, rather than one of lovers.
This would reduce the intensity of affection to one between siblings

instead of between men and women.
It wouldn’t magically get rid of her jealousy.
In fact, it was the safest and most reasonable path.
Option two: Quickly drag her to me.
The second option was based on the affection between men and
women.
Not only believing, trusting, and following me, but further developing a
relationship where she would unconditionally accept anything I said.
It was a boatload of shit but it didn’t seem impossible considering Jung

Hayan’s present state.
Actually, what I had in mind was the irst option.
I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but there was still room for improvement in
our relationship.
As I stroked her head again, she gripped my hand on her head.
Honestly, I was a bit taken aback.
“Hum… Hum…”
Park Deokgu, who had gone out on patrol, had returned.
“Oh, what a nice atmosphere.”
“Eh? Sorry? Ah… No. It’s not that…”
Jung Hayan was a bit too lustered.
Park Deokgu spoke to Jung Hayan with the same shrewd smile as
before.
“I thought I asked you to take care of Hyung-nim, but Noonim is a little

sly, isn’t she?”
“I-it’s not like that.”
Park Deokgu snickered and smiled excessively while Jung Hayan rose
from her seat and crept over to the corner.
Seeing her appearance, Park Deokgu smiled widely and didn’t hesitate
to lop down right next to me.
“Oh, did I come back too early?”
“What are you talking about.”
“Well, aren’t things going well with Noonim?”
I had no idea what the hell he was talking about.

Rather, come to think of it, he was 23 years old. Jung Hayan was 21
years old.
I couldn’t understand why he would call Jung Hayan ‘Noonim’.
Anyone could see that Jung Hayan looked younger than Park Deokgu.
“You know that Jung Hayan is younger than you, right?”
“Of course. Even so, what kind of Dongsaeng would treat his Hyung’s
woman disrespectfully?”
“What…”
The word ‘bullshit’ almost popped out of my mouth.
Now that I thought about it, something was weird.
What I wanted from Jung Hayan, in the irst place, was a bond, not a
love affair.
It may be true that her environment had led her in a strange direction,
but nevertheless, there was still a missing piece to the puzzle.
I felt like the last piece had slotted into place.
It was this.
‘Shit… ’
A cupid.
“Don’t forget me if it goes well later. Actually, I didn’t tell you, but since
Hyung-nim asked me to take good care of Noonim, I’ve been pushing
her little by little.”
“What… How can you…”
“Hem hem… You look good together and it looks like she likes Hyung-
nim. You used to sneak peeks at Noonim. I’ve seen something like this
happen so many times, I can’t remember… Fufu… So you don’t have to
be too thankful…”
“……”
“I thought your taste was a bit unusual, but… Hem! If Hyung-nim says
so, then it’s only right for me, the dongsaeng to help! In my opinion, I
think the goal is in sight. Actually, even though I look like this, everyone
knows Park Deokgu, the love doctor in Gangwon-do.”
Ignorant of my feelings, the corners of Park Deokgu’s mouth raised as

he poured out his pride.
I couldn’t even speak because I was so lustered.
I had no choice but to realise that it was meaningless to distinguish

between the irst and second option.
‘Park Deokgu you pig bastard…… ’
An almost lawless checkmate.
I couldn’t think of anything to stop the designs of a pig, whose brain

was full of nothing but muscles.
CHAPTER 23
CALCULATING KILLER (1)
I never had a choice to begin with. According to Park Deokgu’s designs,

Jung Hayan would be repulsed just by me choosing the irst option.
Rather, no matter what my thoughts were on the matter originally, it

was highly likely that Jung Hayan was sprinting towards the second
option on her own.
“Zzzzzzz.”
When I heard Park Deokgu snoring beside me, I felt myself growing
increasingly upset.
In the irst place, there was no way I could even entertain the idea of
dating here.
In this kind of place, where no one knew when they would die, it was
senseless to consider feelings of that nature.
Getting into a relationship was a whole other can of worms.
I wanted to wholeheartedly reject the notion of an intimate relationship

with a woman who might one day decide to tear me apart, but…
‘I can’t.’
Ironically, the only way to avoid the ending where I was torn to death
was to get closer to her.
The most dangerous person was, at the same time, the most reliable
person.
I didn’t enjoy gambling, but I was ready to throw the dice if necessary.
I gave a brief nod to the reality I didn’t want to acknowledge, and spoke
to Park Deokgu who was still snoring away.
“Get up.”
“zzzzzzzzzz……”
“Wake up, Deokgu-yah.”
“Unnnngh… What. Morning already?”
“We’re starting a bit early.”
“Hey, Noonim. Please wake up.”
“……”
“It looks like she’s fast asleep… Noonim, it’s time to get up.”
“……”
“Uhh… It looks like Noonim has turned into Sleeping Beauty… Maybe
she needs a kiss from her Prince Charming?”
‘Son of a bitch.’
He had taken on a teasing tone without knowing how I felt about it.
I wanted to stuff his mouth with a ireball.

Most of my mana had recovered just in time. I didn’t know why but just
hearing that throwaway line was enough to drive me up the wall.
Still, I had to wake up Jung Hayan, so I had no choice but to take a slight
step forward.
“Hayan-ah.”
“……”
“Hayan-ah, it’s time to wake up.”
“Unngh……”
Only when I patted her head lightly did she rise, blearily rubbing her
eyes.
It seemed she wasn’t fully awake yet.
Even though I could see her startle and become lustered after seeing
me, I still felt an inexplicable, lingering fear when I looked at her.
“Ah… Oh! Yes, Oppa.”
“We’re going to head back to the shelter as soon as possible.”
“Okay.”
“Let’s have a light meal and get going.”
“Hem. Leave the arrangements to me.”
After a really simple meal, it didn’t take long for us to get ready to move
on.
There’s a saying that humans are adaptable creatures. Seeing everyone
greet the morning in their own way, I could see that it was indeed the
case.
“I don’t know if that Hyung-ssi, Kim Hyunsung, and the shelter are okay.
We’ve been away for a while.”
“They should also be alright. So long as those guys don’t pointlessly

decide among themselves to go out to hunt.”
“Isn’t it good if they can? We need more people to ight anyway…”
Of course, there was no reason to stop them if they could hunt properly.
“You think those guys, who’ve been hiding in fear all this time, would
suddenly turn over a new leaf just because they’ve had a change of
heart? Not only is it unlikely that they would band together to hunt,
even if they did go out, they would all wind up dead if they couldn’t get
it together and do it properly. In fact, that would be the better outcome.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m saying that we have to hope that things don’t turn out the way they
did with Park Hyaeyoung.”
The probability that those in the shelter would go out hunting was low.
However, if they did form a party of their own and leave to look for
monsters by themselves, then there was another, even worse possibility
that we had to consider.
Of course, I couldn’t claim that my judgment wasn’t lawed but…
“The worst-case scenario is that they panic, start screaming, and lead
all the monsters to the shelter.”
“……”
“……”
“The people in the shelter would be none the wiser to the impending
danger. They would all be busy with their lives. Terri ied humans can’t
make rational decisions… And, ultimately, they wouldn’t be able to stop
the horde of monsters storming in, the entrance would be breached,
and that would be the end of the shelter.”
“Well, just imagining it is horrible enough.”
It really was horri ic.
“That’s probably why Hyunsung-ssi ordered us to return separately

from him. There may still be some monster bastards that are still after
us.”
“Well, the more I think about it, the more I think that Hyung-nim is
really smart.”
I was never smart.
“It’s not like that.”
It was just that I was constantly thinking about worst-case scenarios

and how to react to them.
As my feet rose and fell unceasingly, I instinctively felt a rising sense of

apprehension. Just imagining the situation I had just described really
happening made my mouth go dry.
To be honest, it wasn’t that I cared about what happened to anyone in

the shelter, but the loss of economic or natural resources there would
be a waste.
At best, it was a well-established place.
Since we still didn’t know how long clearing the dungeon would take,
the shelter was still a necessity.
My mind was occupied by various thoughts as we walked down the

eerily quiet pathway.
This kind of silence was a bit heavy, so I chatted with Park Deokgu and
Jung Hayan and the shelter came into view not long after.
Strangely enough, the entrance had been barricaded.
Lee Jihye must have spotted us, as she emerged and began to clear away
a heap of rubble.
It must have been packed together tightly as it took a while before she
was done. Lee Jihye approached us slowly, a customary smile on her
face, and began to speak once she had drawn near.
“Kiyoung oppa and Deokgu oppa are here? Hyaeyoung-ssi and

Hyunsung-ssi…”
“Park Hyaeyoung is dead and Hyunsung-ssi will be back soon.”
“Ah, I see.”
After hearing my calm response, Lee Jihye closed her eyes for a moment
before nodding her head and continuing to speak.
“By any chance…”
“It’s a long story. In the meantime, did you have any trouble at the
shelter?”
“Umm… May I speak with you in private?”

That had to mean that she wanted to speak freely…
Lee Jihye’s expression didn’t look good. Something was going on.
Why was it that bad feelings were never wrong?
When I turned a little and glanced over at Park Deokgu, I saw that he
was nodding as if it made no difference to him.
In the irst place, he would want to hear it from me later, so it didn’t

matter, but what concerned me was how Jung Hayan would respond.
However, since it was also essential for me to hear what Lee Jihye had
to say, I had no choice but to pat Jung Hayan on the head once and
speak to her.
“Do you want to go inside irst and wait? I’ll be there in a bit.”
“Ah! Alright… Okay. Oppa.”
This was just because I was worried that Lee Jihye would be torn limb
from limb otherwise.
For some reason, the way she kept glancing back at me over and over
again as she went into the shelter made me remember Park Hyaeyoung.
It was only when the two of them were no longer in sight that Lee Jihye
slowly began to speak.
“How did Park Hyaeyoung die?”
“She brought it on herself. Screaming in a place where there were a

shit-ton of monsters. That’s why Kim Hyunsung isn’t with us right
now… Want to know the details?”
“No, thank you. I can roughly imagine what happened.”

I noticed her glancing furtively at me. I didn’t know if she was thinking
about the way Jung Hayan had left, but I had the inexplicable feeling
that she had a rough idea of what had happened.
Of course, it was only a guess, but it meant that Lee Jihye caught on
faster than I expected.
“I’ll sum it up quickly.”
“Yoo Seokwoo, as well as a few others, went outside.”
‘I knew things would turn out like this.’
“When?”
“Yesterday morning.”
“You.”
“I know as well. I couldn’t let them leave without permission.”
“Then… Why.”
“To be honest, ever since Kiyoung oppa and Hyunsung oppa left
together, they constantly told me that they wanted to go out to hunt. I
don’t know if he made up his mind after seeing Kiyoung oppa’s magic,
or if he had had enough of the situation he was in, but he left to go
hunting with a few, like-minded men. Idiots… Of course, at irst, I was
able to convince them that it made more sense to go after Kiyoung oppa
returned, but…”
“……”
“I’m just a powerless woman, aren’t I?”

I now had a rough understanding of the situation.
It seemed that my display of magic in front of them had adverse side

effects.
To begin with, Yoo Seokwoo was at a disadvantage after the trouble he

had caused for Jung Hayan.
It was no wonder, then, that he would consider his options given his
status had dropped.
Not only would he think about gaining incomprehensible powers, but

he, himself, must have secretly thought about wanting to be like us.
With the exception of Lee Jihye, who was considered to be a manager,

the power of Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and myself, was absolute
here.
I sighed brie ly before speaking again.
“Wasn’t it your job to prevent this?”
“I tried my best to stop them. Kiyoung oppa’s return was later than
expected, so people got nervous… How could I refuse to let him go
when he said they wanted to send a rescue team?”
“Rescue my ass… Usually, those shitheads wouldn’t give a fuck… Is that

why you barricaded the entrance?”
“Yes. We don’t have to die together, do we?”
That explained why the entrance was completely blocked off.
If Yoo Seokwoo and the other self-proclaimed rescuers were pursued

by monsters, they might have thought to ask the shelter for help.
Seeing as she had blocked up the entrance and kept it shut tight, Lee
Jihye also seemed to be thinking of protecting the shelter in her own
way.
“I wish those stupid, trouble-making fuckers would just die… It seems

like the wrong person died. What to do… People are de initely going to
be scared… People who can ight, do you still need more of those?”
“The more the merrier.”
To be honest, the one attacking the dungeon was not me, but Kim
Hyunsung.
The person who thought it feasible to ight and that we needed to

bolster our forces was not me, but Kim Hyunsung.
He seemed to believe that we had no choice but to expand our forces

before progressing to the lower loors.
“What about you?”
Even though my Mind’s Eye had evaluated Lee Jihye as trash, she was
better than that bitch Park Hyaeyoung.
I didn’t think she would be stabbing her spear willy-nilly or that there
would be any screaming halfway through.
Rather, it was highly likely she would calmly do her job behind Park
Deokgu’s back.
“I would like to decline.”
“……”
“It’s terrifying and I don’t want to get caught up in anything fruitless.

The power that Kiyoung oppa has shown is de initely amazing… Of
course it’s desirable, but needless greed is a shortcut to death.”
“……”
“Do you think a baepsae can be like a stork? The baepsae will have its
own baepsae way of life.” [1]
I think I knew what she meant.
For some reason, Lee Jihye’s story sounded just a bit like something
that I could have written as well, and her thoughts were also
reasonable.
“Rather than living on the battle ield, where I wouldn’t even know
when I’ll die… Wouldn’t it be best to be with a capable man and live in
peace?”
It was while we were talking about one thing or another that I sensed
the presence of someone else somewhere.
I turned my head naturally and saw that several igures were coming
towards us.
‘Yoo Seokwoo?’
The one walking in front had to be Yoo Seokwoo.
However, the three igures behind him were humans I had never seen in
the shelter before.
“I guess the one guy who wanted to die the most came back alive. He
even brought back baggage…”
CHAPTER 24
RIM Chapter 24: Calculating Killer (2)
“How many people went out?”
“Seven people.”
The one in the lead and coming towards us was obviously Yoo Seokwoo.
It was dif icult to make out the features of the three people walking
behind Yoo Seokwoo due to the distance, but at the very least, I could
tell that I had never seen them here before.
Seven people went out, including Yoo Seokwoo but six of them didn’t
come back, and now three different people were heading towards the
shelter.
The natural assumption was that something happened to Yoo

Seokwoo’s party while they were out hunting, and that they were
helped by the people who were coming our way.
In the process.
‘Everyone other than Yoo Seokwoo died.’
The probability of that was likely very high.
Just by looking at their equipment, you could tell that they weren’t
some ragtag group.
One of them was holding a small shield and sword, another carried a
spear, and the last was holding a bow.
Going by the atmosphere surrounding them and the bandages wrapped

around their wounds, I was certain they had already fought several
battles.
‘Mind’s Eye.’
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Jung Jinho.]
[Name: Jung Jinho]
[Title: N/A ]
[Age: 29]
[Disposition: Calculating Killer]
[Class: Battlemage – Rare grade]
[Stats]
[Endurance: 25/Growth potential: heroic or higher]
[Agility: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]
[Vitality: 24/Growth potential: heroic or higher]
[Intelligence: 20/Growth potential: rare or lower]
[Luck: 15/Growth potential rare or lower]
[Mana: 08/Growth potential rare or higher]

[Attributes: N/A ]
[Overview: An undeniable talent, it’s impossible for him to develop

badly. Overall, he’s so amazingly well-balanced, naturally, there aren’t
many things he couldn’t do. If he dutifully pursues growth, it’s possible
that he will be able to rise to the top. His disposition is the kind I can
get behind. I recommend not getting any closer. This person could be
too dangerous for player Lee Kiyoung.]
‘Battlemage?’
Just a glance at his abilities was enough to gain a rough understanding.

His stats were perfectly balanced, and what stood out most was the
existence of mana and his class.
‘Mana?’
This was the irst time I had seen someone who still had mana despite
not being a Wizard, outside of Kim Hyunsung.
My eyes were constantly drawn to the rare grade class, Battlemage.
His mana stat was eight, even higher than mine.
The mere fact that he had mana meant that he had the capacity to
ascend to the ranks of the strong.
The most noticeable piece of information was his disposition.
Calculating killer.
I had seen many dispositions thus far, but this was the irst time I had
seen such a disposition.
The two guys next to him weren’t much different. Their stats in
themselves were only either better than mine or slightly below Park
Deokgu’s, but overall, their abilities weren’t bad.
These guys’ dispositions also did not seem to be as positive as Well-

Meaning Arbitrator or Pure Advocate.
“We’ll have to prepare to receive some guests. They look like people
who are capable of ighting… I don’t know if this will turn out well.”
“Go inside and get Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan.”
“Sorry?”
“Quickly.”
Instead of responding to her question, I grimaced and immediately

began to cast a spell.
Thinking about what might happen, Lee Jihye’s expression also

hardened and she began to head into the shelter.
I also backed up little by little.
“Lord, answer, my, wish, my call, please give me, strength, to burn my
enemies.”
They didn’t seem to have any particular animosity as of yet.
For starters, it looked like they were at ease whilst walking towards us.
Just as Jung Hayan possessed a disposition of Pure Advocate, there was

a possibility that there was a discrepancy between their dispositions
and actual behaviour. However, I thought it was better to be on guard
for the time being.
‘Shit.’
I had already built up a tower of mana and chanted the spell.
In this case, all I had to do was say the spell, but I suppressed myself
from saying it.
“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Jung Jinho.”
It was because he said hello from a distance. When I saw him take a
step towards me, I took two steps back.
‘Range.’
I was well-aware of just how fast someone whose agility level was in
the 20s could move.
In reality, even this distance was dangerous.
The two people at Jung Jinho’s side may not have noticed the mana I
was restraining as much as possible, but Jung Jinho, who possessed
mana, had to be aware that I was suppressing a spell at that moment.
At his greeting, I responded while maintaining the distance between us.
“Pleased to meet you. My name is Lee Kiyoung.”
“Ah! I’ve heard a lot about you from Seokwoo-ssi.”
“Pardon me?”
“I heard you became a Wizard this time. You made lames rise from
your hands… I’d really love to see that just once.”
‘Yoo Seokwoo, you douchebag. Useless son of a bitch.’
“Yes.”
“It really is amazing. I already knew that this place gave us new
abilities, it’s just… This is my irst time seeing a wizard… Ah! You don’t
have to be so wary.”
It was a strange situation where one wrong move could land me dead. It
would be more strange if I wasn’t on my guard.
The sword, spear, and bow they were carrying agitated me.
When I snuck a look at Yoo Seokwoo , he had a slightly nervous

expression on his face.
I didn’t know the cause behind his nervousness, but I thought it

couldn’t be a positive sign.
“Really, this place is amazing. I had heard that there were a lot of
survivors remaining, but I didn’t believe it. If it’s a place like this, it
makes sense that over 30 people could survive together.”
“I was also very surprised when I irst saw this place. It’s all thanks to
Hyunsung-ssi. How did you…”
“Oh. Actually, I found Seokwoo-ssi along with a few other people

surrounded by monsters nearby. Unfortunately, I discovered them too
late to save the rest of them, but… Somehow I was able to save
Seokwoo-ssi. It was good fortune.”
When I looked at Yoo Seokwoo once again, that punk’s nodding face
came into view.
‘Really… ’
Out of everyone he could have brought back, the fact that he had
brought these bastards was almost embarrassing.
There was an ominous feeling emanating just from his person alone.
That kind of ominousness was in this guy.
Perhaps it was an effect of the luck stat. My senses were screaming at

me to not get close to him.
“That’s a relief. Actually, I was extremely worried when I heard that

Seokwoo-ssi had left to go hunting. The rest of them… It can’t be
helped…”
“If I had found them a little earlier, I could have saved them all… It really
is such a shame.”
While I was glancing around restlessly, I could sense Jung Hayan and
Park Deokgu coming out.
“What happened? Hyung-nim.”
“They’re newcomers.”
Only then did I relax a little. The way this guy looked, emerging with a
heavy shield, was de initely a menacing sight for others.
Of course, that was without even mentioning his stats. I thought that
even Jung Jinho might not be able to overcome his endurance and
vitality levels.
Lee Jihye’s pro ile, as she made a statement of siding with me, clad in
shoddy leather armour and showing hostility to the three men before
us, was quite reliable.
Jung Hayan was also muttering something with her head lowered.
I couldn’t feel any signi icant amount of mana yet, but she had to have
been preparing herself for whatever happened.
“I thought we’d be welcomed… This is a little unexpected.”

It was then that I realised I was making it too obvious that I had my
guard up.
“My apologies. Given the circumstances… Even without realising it, I

can’t help but be wary of those I meet for the irst time. If I was rude…”
“It’s ine, Kiyoung-ssi. I completely understand. We have also been

attacked by people looking for food.”
“Ah.”
“I think there’s a group of bad guys moving around this area. We just
barely managed to get away from them, but I don’t think the same was
true for their other victims. I spotted many murdered women on the
way here.”
I wanted to ask if these guys had been the ones responsible.
My attribute didn’t tell lies.
I didn’t know whether this guy really had blood on his hands, but there
was de initely a possibility that Jung Jinho would cause trouble
somehow.
To claim that a normal person could have a disposition like Calculating

Killer was incomprehensible.
“It really was a terrible sight. The corpses were already half-eaten by
monsters, so I couldn’t check them properly, but I could see marks that
were made by humans, not monsters, all over the bodies. There’s no
doubt that they were knife-wounds.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. There were also traces that arrows had been lodged in the back,
perhaps while they were trying to escape. There were signs of
resistance… One of the bad guys had to have been an archer. There were
also stab wounds, possibly from a sword… It’s probably fair to say that
one of them was carrying a sword. By any chance, have you seen anyone
matching this description?”
“Yes.”
The guy quietly holding a bow next to him was, naturally, in my line of
vision.
I couldn’t grasp his intention in making that remark. However, one

thing for sure was that a strange tension was forming.
‘Are you picking a ight with me?’
I wondered if he really wanted to start a ight.
Park Deokgu must have seen my expression, as he also stealthily took

up his shield and moved forward.
I moved aside to let him go in front of Jung Hayan and I.
I wondered if he couldn’t see Park Deokgu.
Maybe this guy…
‘Are you con ident?’
It was highly likely.
Perhaps it was nothing but a igment of imagination, but it de initely

felt like his target was me.
The way Jung Jinho’s arm kept moving to his waist bothered me. Park
Deokgu was probably also paying attention to that guy’s arm.
“Perhaps they’re active in an area where Kiyoung-ssi’s men don’t
frequent.”
“It’s possible. I’ve never heard stories about those kinds of people, nor
seen any signs of them.”
At that moment, he was touching his waist, and his arm moved towards
the handle of his sword.
I spat out the spell right away.
Rather, to be exact, I almost spilled out the whole spell.
Kim Hyunsung’s voice was the only thing that stopped me from
summoning a ireball.
“What’s going on?”
That guy’s hand, which had stealthily been heading towards the handle
of his sword, moved to the side.
It was quite a spectacle to see him wipe his hands on his pants then
approach me with his hand outstretched for a handshake.
I wasn’t sure if this had been his intention from the start, but it was
certainly true that Kim Hyunsung’s appearance had changed the mood
somewhat.
I cancelled the spell I had been preparing, then clasped that guy’s hand.
“Regardless, it was a pleasure to meet you, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“The pleasure was all mine. Jinho-ssi.”
I turned my head slightly and saw Kim Hyunsung’s face as he came

towards us.
He must have had a hard time during the past few days, but he didn’t
look very tired.
I could see his eyes trained on all of the people who had come with Yoo
Seokwoo with an indifferent expression.
“It seems nothing happened. It’s a long story. Seokwoo-ssi brought

these…”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jung Jinho.”
It was then that I thought that the look on his face seemed off.
Kim Hyunsung’s expression as he looked at Jung Jinho was a bit stiff.
I had a strange sense of deja-vu. His expression was a bit different, but
it was similar to the time when he had met Jung Hayan.
‘Do you know him?’
Kim Hyunsung might know the Jung Jinho of the future.
Of course, I had no way to con irm this, but the rigidity of his expression
and the anger in his eyes gave me a bit more certainty.
Even his body was shaking.
‘Kim Hyunsung… Why’s he acting like this?’
He looked a little different from the Kim Hyunsung I knew.

CHAPTER 25
If I was going to get hit anyway, it was better to strike irst.
‘What’s up with this guy?’
He seemed a bit different from the Kim Hyunsung I knew.
In the irst place, Kim Hyunsung didn’t express his emotions very well.
The only time his emotions had been on display was when he had irst
discovered Jung Hayan, and even that was leeting.
‘What is it?’
I began to wonder if, by any chance, he had gotten wind of what we had
done to Park Hyaeyoung, but the person Kim Hyunsung was watching
was neither myself nor Jung Hayan.
He was de initely staring at Jung Jinho.
It was my irst time seeing him like this.
He wasn’t gathering mana, but his eyes were clearly showing hostility.
His expression was one of vigilance.
His hands and legs seemed to be trembling slightly, and, above all, his
facial expression seemed to be greatly restrained.
‘You know this guy.’
Kim Hyunsung de initely knew Jung Jinho.
Of course, as to how he knew him, there was no way I would know.
The simplest possibility I could think of was that in the future I didn’t
know, the odds were high that the two of them were tangled up
together in some ill-fated relationship.
Kim Hyunsung didn’t have any kind of ability that would let him see
that guy’s status window.
Unlike me, he wasn’t wary of Jung Jinho because of his disposition,

Calculating Killer.
He was showing hostility and that he felt discomfort towards Jung Jinho
himself, as a person.
Kim Hyunsung’s careful examination of Jung Jinho took some time.
Although he had been maintaining the awkward posture of reaching

out to shake hands with Kim Hyunsung the whole time, Jung Jinho
continued to smile while looking at Kim Hyunsung.
If you were unaware of Jung Jinho’s disposition and only saw his face,
you might think that he was just a good-natured fellow.
Seeing Kim Hyunsung’s slightly dazed appearance, I patted his arm and
spoke.
“Hyunsung-ssi.”
“Ah… I’m sorry. My name is Kim Hyunsung.”

The scene of Jung Jinho and Kim Hyunsung shaking hands slightly came
into view.
For some reason, that clenched ist kept catching my eyes.
‘Killer… He’s a killer… ’
Jung Jinho’s disposition, Calculating Killer.
The delicate confrontation that had taken place before Kim Hyunsung
arrived.
Kim Hyunsung’s reaction to Jung Jinho.
I could make several guesses.
They were inferences that could be formed based on the presumption

that Jung Jinho was a psychotic killer.
The irst possibility was that Jung Jinho killed Kim Hyunsung or those
close to Kim Hyunsung.
The second possibility was that he had never directly encountered Jung
Jinho, but he had heard rumours or stories about him.
The probability of the irst idea having happened was relatively low. If
Kim Hyunsung could show such self-control in the face of someone who
killed him or his friends, I wouldn’t call him a pushover, I’d call him a
saint.
By my standards, even now, he was close to a saint, but that wasn’t

relevant to the current situation.
Perhaps he was conscious of the eyes of myself, Park Deokgu, Jung

Hayan, and the others inside.
If he was indeed conscious of us onlookers, then he might have already
torn Jung Jinho into shreds dozens of times in his mind.
That’s what I would have done in his shoes.
“Let me introduce myself once more. I’m Jung Jinho. I’ve heard a lot
about you from Seokwoo-ssi. You’re the one in charge of the shelter…”
“We just happened to come across survivors, that’s all.”
“I heard you’re working hard on continuing rescue efforts.”
“Ah. Yes…”
“You really are incredible. Seokwoo-ssi has been telling us over and
over again that you’re a powerful man, but… Really… It seems that
you’re stronger than I thought. By any chance, may I ask what your
stats are?”
Yoo Seokwoo, that worthless punk, there wasn’t a single thing he left
unsaid.
“It’s dif icult to say.”
“Ah! Of course, you don’t have to tell me if it’s inconvenient. We’re a

little further off from the starting point. We couldn’t ind any survivors,
so we’ve been wandering around, and stumbled upon Seokwoo-ssi.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Speaking of which, I mentioned it to Kiyoung-ssi not long ago, but I

never imagined that there would be so many people alive here.”
Kim Hyunsung’s expression remained unruf led.
There was no vigilance or animosity. It was his normal expression.

It might have been because he had already experienced this shit once so
he was used to hiding his own feelings, but Kim Hyunsung was calmer
than I had expected.
I really wasn’t sure why he was taking care of people around him like a
pushover, but perhaps some unknown past was weighing him down by
the ankles.
I needed to reconsider the idea that the irst possibility was relatively
less likely.
Kim Hyunsung was more used to controlling his emotions than I had
thought. Nevertheless, I personally wanted to rate the possibility of the
second inference higher.
‘Rumours or stories about Jung Jinho.’
Jung Jinho’s potential was capable of going through the roof.
To use a gaming analogy, it was as though the foundation for a ranker

had already been laid down.
My Mind’s Eye also believed that this guy had a high chance for growth.
Considering this fellow’s disposition, there was a high chance of him

becoming a famous murderer or criminal in the future.
He would have stirred up quite the storm.
The second reason was that Kim Hyunsung, who would also play a large
role in the future, had, to some extent, heard about or seen Jung Jinho,
who would become a famous criminal in the future.
Of course, there was a possibility that those roles were actually lipped,
but given their dispositions, I thought the probability of that was weak.
It was hard to picture Kim Hyunsung’s face enjoying murder.
“If it’s alright with you, would you mind if we stayed here as well?”
“……”
“We have some food supplies. If we shared with everyone, it might last
for a few days. Of course, if Hyunsung-ssi doesn’t like it…”
There was a moment of deliberation.
However, Kim Hyunsung soon nodded.
“No. Survivors are always welcome. I’ll help guide you separately.”
“Ah. Thank you.”
I thought it was an unexpected decision.
“Deokgu-yah, you and Jihye-ssi will guide these people…”
“Hyung-nim. Is that okay? We just…”
“It doesn’t matter, Deokgu-yah. Call me right away if anything happens.”
“Um. If Hyung-nim says so… Follow me. It’s not the most comfortable
place, but it’s better than roaming around out there.”
Kim Hyunsung’s decision was both unexpected but reasonable.
Kim Hyunsung also knew that it was best to keep your enemies close.
I also wanted to give him a welcome in part.
If he were simply a lunatic psycho, it would be better to not let him in,
but considering the way he had tucked his tail between his legs after
seeing Kim Hyunsung, Jung Jinho was also the type of guy who knew
how to pick his battles.
Instead, he was a bit crafty.
The ominous or vaguely unsettling atmosphere I had felt around this

bastard earlier had already vanished.
He had judged that there was no chance of winning with Kim Hyunsung
present, and took a step back. Perhaps he didn’t have any intention of
attacking Park Deokgu and I at irst, but the anxiety I felt before Kim
Hyunsung came was real.
‘Thanks,’
Nevertheless, I was very grateful towards him.
The corners of my mouth lifted automatically and formed a faint smile.
If this fucker was calculating, then somehow or another, I could use

him.
‘It’s advantageous. This situation can de initely be exploited.’
It was a little out of the blue, but it wasn’t a bad thing. Rather, the
luckiest person on Earth might’ve been me.
All thoughts of killing him had already vanished from my head.
‘Thanks, Jung Jinho, you motherfucker.’
In a way, that guy showing up here was a huge stroke of luck for me.
When I turned my head slightly, Kim Hyunsung came into view.
This guy’s expression looked a bit dazed.

“Let’s go in together, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“I might be outside for a while longer. You can head in irst.”
He seemed to be preoccupied with his thoughts.
The same was true for me.
However, right now, I needed to keep my conversation with this guy

going.
That would be more effective.
“Did you know that person?”
“Ah.”
“I’m just asking because for some reason or other, the look on your face
makes it seem like you do.”
His expression was a bit concerned but he soon nodded and continued
to speak.
“A little… You’re correct to think that I know him. I’d bet that he
probably doesn’t know me. I only had a brief brush with him once, a
very long time ago.”
“Ah, you have that kind of relationship.”
“It has nothing to do with fate. That one encounter was literally all I’ve
seen of him. To Jung Jinho-ssi…”[1]
“Yeah, I won’t mention it.”[2]
The most important thing when counselling was to keep things

con idential.
I spoke again with an indifferent expression on my face.
It had seemed in the beginning to also be in formal speech.
At my words, perhaps that guy realised I had also been impolite[3], so I

hurried to continue speaking. My mind that had run away from me
returned as I came back to my senses.
“I had thought you would be ine, but you really came back. It really is
incredible.” [4]
“No. I was lucky. It was a bit tough but… I was able to come back
because I detoured as much as possible. Come to think of it, it’s a relief
that Kiyoung-ssi was also fortunate. Did you have any trouble returning
here?”
“Actually, there’s something I would like to talk about with you.”
“Yes?”
“Hyaeyoung-ssi is dead.”
If I was going to get hit anyway, it was better to strike irst.
Rather, in the present situation, it was most reasonable to bring up the

problem of Jung Jinho that had forced my brain to work in overdrive.
His face looked a bit shocked, but this fucker was used to people dying,
so he nodded slowly.
Fortunately, he didn’t show any signs that he was suspicious of me.
Kim Hyunsung hadn’t checked Park Hyaeyoung’s body, so he couldn’t

have known if there were any issues before.
“I see. How…”
“It was magic.”
“Sorry?”
“It was an unknown magic.”
“It was magic?”
“Yes.”
I then said, “It’s likely the case. My level is still low, so I can’t judge
precisely what it was, but it was de initely magic. I don’t know whether
there was any residual mana left but…”
“Ah…”
“While Deokgu and I were hurrying back, I noticed that Hayan-ssi and
Hyeayoung-ssi had been separated from us. In that situation, I was
concentrating on casting a spell, so I wasn’t able to keep track of what
was going on around me. At the time, maintaining the spell I had cast
was my limit…”
“I see.”
“I arrived too late, and found Hyaeyoung-ssi dying with her limbs cut
off. It felt as though there was something magical in the area and… I
was somehow able to ind Hayanie nearby… She didn’t seem to know
the details.”
“You’re saying her limbs were cut off?”
“Yes. She had been dismembered. I’m thinking it was a dungeon trap
that did it, it’s just…”
There hadn;t been anything like a trap.

The guy who was well-aware of that mused over my words once again.
“A trap…”
“Yes. Honestly speaking, I wanted to bring Hyaeyoung-ssi’s body with

us, but we didn’t even have time to think. Rather than letting her be
eaten by monsters, I thought it was better to burn it. So…”
He should understand what I was talking about.
I had burned Park Hyaeyoung’s body.
“Ah. I see. It must have been dif icult.”
It was best to speak as sincerely as possible.
Things had changed from the day before.
Rather than our gentle, well-behaved, and meek Jung Hayan, a better
suspect had appeared.
I murmured once again in my mind.
‘Thanks, Battlemage Jung Jinho.’
The criminal had been decided.
Psychotic killer Jung Jinho, this bastard would be the culprit.

CHAPTER 26
ITEM (1)
Some time had passed after I told Hyunsung about Park Hyaeyoung’s
death.
Of course, I didn’t say things like “Jung Jinho is suspicious,” or “That guy
is a murderer” to him.
It was up to Kim Hyunsung himself and not me, who had to arrive at the
conclusion that ‘Jinho was the one who killed Park Hyaeyoung.
I didn’t need to convince him, and I didn’t even have to persuade him. It
was enough to be consistent with my attitude for now and let Jinho fall
into a trap.
‘That will be good for all of us.’
Hyunsung was a reasonable partner who would rather doubt Jinho than
to doubt me in such circumstances. The mischief he would inevitably do
in the future would also help Kim Hyunsung reach a logical conclusion
about him.
As time passed, Kim Hyunsung often spent time alone, constantly

observing and checking.
He watched Jung Jinho carefully and sometimes even observed me

quietly. I thought I knew what he was thinking as he did so.
Whenever he wore a cold expression, I thought Kim Hyunsung was

thinking about how to kill Jung Jinho.
‘He is the enemy of the future, the calculating killer, the murderer who
killed Park Hyaeyoung.’
There was no single reason for Kim Hyunsung to remove Jinho from the
shelter immediately. No matter how much Buddha-level compassion he
had for others, he de initely wanted to get rid of what would surely
become an enemy in the future.
But how could he get rid of this problem?
From Kim Hyunsung’s point of view, he would love to deal with him as
quickly as possible, but he still had many other things to worry about. It
seemed dif icult to ind the right opportunity, and there were many
things to consider before that.
For example, one of them was the problem of proceeding down the
dungeon.
“How about we go down together to lower levels?”
“Together… What do you mean?”
“Yes, Hyunsung-ssi. Jung Hayan is about to inish her training as a

Wizard… Jinho has also joined us so I think there will be enough people
to lead an attack. Seokwoo seems to have found a class too… I would
also want to advance a little more slowly and cautiously, but I think the
time has come to make a choice as food is running out. Our purpose to
train others was to attack the monsters on the lower levels.”
“Well…”
“We can’t always live here. Even if I’m anxious, I think we should try.”
It looked like his head hurt a little when I proposed this.

We had no choice but to attack the dungeon with a party that was
destined to be divided up in the future. In fact, I had to lay down the
scene before him, and it was for Kim Hyunsung to decide.
He had to decide whether he was con ident enough to break through

the lower levels of the dungeon with them and then also take
responsibility for what happened afterward.
If Kim Hyunsung himself was con ident, the situation would eventually
turn out in their favor no matter what happened.
‘We could lead an attack on the dungeon along with the death of the
murderer who had killed Park Hyaeyoung.’
In other words, we would be able to use Jung Jinho up to the marrow of

his bones.
If he was going to be killed anyway, it was better to use him to the

fullest.
“It’s impossible to go hunting again with the new people who joined
recently. We don’t know when something like what happened with Park
Hyaeyoung would happen again… Yet I also don’t think it’s a bad idea to
go out once and scavenge the area for supplies, rather than to just wait
like this. Both food and drinking water are scarce right now. If we
choose to settle down without venturing further, we will all eventually
die.”
“…”
Kim Hyunsung was quite cautious.
It seemed that he had guessed it was a little too dangerous to act on

such a plan, after seeing Jinho appear out of nowhere like that. Maybe
he thought it was impossible to deal with Jung Jinho while he was with
us.
When I was about to fan the lames again, Kim Hyunsung slowly
replied.
“I think it will be okay for us to go out once again.”
“You do?”
“Yes I do. Let’s go down to the lower levels of the dungeon. You
probably still have a little time to prepare. We haven’t worked together
with Jung Jinho’s party yet, so it would be better for both the parties to
practice a little with each other.”
“Yeah. I think so, too.”
I would hate to let my guard down before a killer. It was the same for
Kim Hyunsung.
“I will call Jinho, Hayan and Deokgu and then talk to them together
about it.”
“Alright.”
“On second thought, would you please go ahead and inform Hayan and
Deokgu about this instead of me?”
“Yeah. Okay.” I really wanted to tell them about this as soon as possible.
I thought that this might be some pretty good news, so I had
volunteered to tell them about this myself.
As I hurried over to them, I started noticing the beautiful scenery

around me. Then I saw a very heartwarming sight I had not seen in the
shelter recently.
“Thank you, Jinho-ssi.”
“Thank you, Jinho Oppa.”

“There’s no need to thank me. We all have to help each other in order to
survive and live on.”
Jung Jinho was trying to build good connections with the weaker
people.
But all of this was going to be meaningless. He was trying to win them
over with his totally pointless mind games.
“If you ever need help with something, you can always tell me.”
“We have to usually go out and search for food, but we have all this food
now which you have given us. Jinho Oppa, please take a break. Until
then we’ll distribute the food among the others.”
“Let me help you too. It’s not a very dif icult task, and wouldn’t it be
better for everyone to live under a sense of sacri ice and brotherhood
too.”
‘That sounded funny.’
I couldn’t hold back my laughter as his words.
‘These stupid people… ’
In this world, no one did any favors for free. There was always a price.
Perhaps Kim Hyunsung also helped these people because of feelings of

sympathy and self-satisfaction that he felt afterward.
As far as Kim Hyunsung was concerned, the situation in the shelter was
not that bad.
However, in my view, what Jung Jinho really wanted, in reality, were the
lives and necks of those who were laughing and talking with him right
now.
But thanks to him, the evil gazes that Park Deokgu and I were attracting
since we expressed our intention to move independently had now
become even more explicit.
The people were starting to compare us with Jung Jinho.
‘Who do you even think you are?’
I assumed that was what they were thinking about us currently.
Jung Jinho not only shared the food he had brought with himself but
also did even the smallest of chores. He was different from us, who kept
our share of food to ourselves. It was not unreasonable for them to
compare him with us.
Me, Park Deokgu, and Jung Hayan seemed to be becoming increasingly

sel ish and worse in their hearts, but I thought there was no need to
start imitating the hypocrite Jinho.
The power to direct and control the people didn’t come from acting
helpful in front of these weaklings.
Authority wasn’t proportional to closeness. That was what drove these

kinds of people.
Actually, It might not just be some meaningless acting on his behalf

after all. Nevertheless, it was dif icult to understand what he was
aiming for while looking at his actions.
I was worried about whether I had gone ahead and sprinkled red
pepper powder on the psychopath killer Jung Jinho that had angered
him in the beginning, as it was also possible that he hadn’t even
committed a crime. Perhaps he was trying to live as peacefully as
possible while suppressing his original disposition.
However, the dice had already been thrown.

“Let’s eat together.”
“Ah! Seokwoo Oppa, thank you.”
Yoo Seokwoo, who had recently been triumphant in inding a class

while traveling with them, also came into view. It looked like he had
decided to hang out with Jung Jinho’s party. Sometimes he looked very
anxious, but he got what he wanted anyway. And now he had a good
place within this humble shelter.
I had no choice but to turn my gaze away from these people who did
not realize the true value of hard work.
I didn’t want to keep looking at the heartwarming scene, which was a

curse in disguise.
As I walked a little more, I saw Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu together.
“Hayan-ssi.”
“Oh, Oppa.”
When I went nearer, Jung Hayan, who was testing a simple magic spell,
ran over without hesitation and grabbed onto my sleeve tightly.
Park Deokgu was smiling when he saw this.
‘Well… ’
“Are we going outside then Oppa?”
“What? Yeah, maybe…”
“That’s great!”
We hadn’t been dating and didn’t even have such a relationship yet, but
the people in the shelter seemed to have already accepted the relation
between Jung Hayan and I as an established fact.
Whether she was aware of it or not, Jung Hayan had been holding my
hands and getting closer to me more frequently.
I felt encouraged when these friends of mine didn’t show much

rejection, unlike the other people of the shelter. Of course, I still had
problems because of her when everyone else was sleeping.
My heart started beating iercely every time I woke up from my sleep in

a surprised state because Hayan was getting bolder with her actions.
If it wasn’t for Park Deokgu, we would have been even closer than we
were before.
“Didn’t you say you were going to meet Kim Hyunsung-ssi? I think you
came back a little early… Did the story work well?”
“I’ve just come back from meeting him. It seems like we have something
on our hands… Is there time?”
“There is still some time remaining, Oppa.”
“Can I ask what’s going on, Hyung-nim?”
“Of course, I think we’re going to go to the next levels of the dungeon
sooner or later.”
“We are inally going down?”
“I don’t know much for now, but I think more people will follow Jinho.”
“Well… They won’t appreciate him for very long…”

“I think so too. Still, we can’t help it because it’s important to attack
together, immediately. Hyunsung-ssi has also realized the importance of
this strike.”
“By the way, can we even succeed in attacking this dungeon, Hyung-
nim?”
“We have a good chance in surviving. I think so, yeah.”
Kim Hyunsung believed that we could certainly attack this place.
“I don’t have to tell you, as you already know, that it would be better to
keep a distance from the group of people who follow Jung Jinho. Of
course, on the outside you can appear to be cordial with them…”
“Alright. Don’t worry too much about us, Hyung-nim.”
“The same goes for Hayan.”
“Yes. I understand, Oppa… I won’t be tricked by him.”
That sounded hilarious. She was de initely going to be tricked by him in

one way or another.
Park Deokgu was a little better, but in the case of Jung Hayan, one never
knew when she would explode since she was like a ticking bomb.
Therefore, she needed continuous careful management and mental
grooming.
If she again acted unexpectedly like in the situation with Park

Hyaeyoung, I wouldn’t be able to do anything this time.
“Don’t worry too much about Yoo Seokwoo.”
“Oh God, I don’t care about him, even a little.”

“If so, then that’s good, Hyung-nim.”
With Park Deokgu at the lead, I slowly walked down a path, and once
again, my gaze fell upon the group huddled around Jinho. I was
dumbstruck.
People who were doing nothing other than hogging onto free food that
Jung Jinho had brought were looking at us with strange expressions.
I thought I was going to be overwhelmed.
I just had to act casual in front of them.
It wasn’t that anything had happened yet. I was just going to have
another meeting with Kim Hyunsung.
After ignoring their gazes, I started heading to the place where Kim
Hyunsung was. Before long, I could see his igure taking something out
of his bag.
My mood elevated. The empty equipment window that I was always

concerned about whenever I looked at my status window was inally
going to be illed with something.
I imagined that one day I would be able to see or wear some equipment
with various stats and other items, but the opportunity had emerged
far soon than I had expected.
All of us de initely required an upgrade before going underground.
Kim Hyunsung was handling them just to relieve his own anxiety. It was
obvious that he wasn’t giving them out to us just for the dungeon
attack, but also to win against Jung Jinho if they faced them.
Kim Hyunsung was trying to raise our strengths in order to prepare for
any accident beyond our anticipations.
“I have something to give you.”
“Were you hiding these from us, Hyung-ssi? Your expression is like a
grandmother who is giving out some old toys.”
‘This pig… ’
Even if I wanted to shout out aloud, I knew I could not do that. Kim
Hyunsung was also a little embarrassed. He replied with a good-
natured smile.
“These are helping items.”
Of that, I was sure.
The edge of my lips curled into a little smile. It was not an item like a
common sword, spear, or a shield.
What he took out of his bag were a bracelet and two rings. They looked
crude, but I felt mysterious magic emanating from them.
‘Thank you, Hyunsung-ssi. These would be phenomenal.’
I thought there would be some insurance going underground with him,

but it turned out to be much better than I had thought.
CHAPTER 27
ITEM (2)
“What are these?”
“They’re help items. Some of them are pretty useful.”
“Where did you get them?”
“I didn’t tell you anything before, but in fact, right after the incident, I
accidentally found a box.”
“Box?”
“It would be appropriate to call it a treasure chest. It was like a wooden

box that people used in the past.”
“Oh, it looks like they’re really special Hyung-nim, doesn’t it?”
The authenticity of such a claim could not be veri ied, but since they
were in a dungeon, there was a high possibility of a treasure chest
containing such items here.
Personally, I was thinking of the possibility of whether these were items

that Kim Hyunsung owned personally, but I found no valid reason for
him to share his own things with us.
What items Kim Hyunsung currently had and what we could get from
him were what really mattered right now.
“This is amazing. If there are more such boxes around here, I would love
to ind them… Perhaps the number of chests spread throughout the
dungeon is limited and the box that Hyunsung found could be the irst
and last of its kind. But, who knows? There can also be similar things
underground…”
“Yes. That’s right, Kiyoung-ssi. I had already searched around there, but
this was the irst time that I found a box. I couldn’t search any further,
but… Anyway, let’s take a look at these.”
“Yeah, sure.”
I was de initely going to see what we had on our hands.
There was no need for me to trigger the Mind’s Eye. As soon as I lifted
them up with my hand, information about them poured into my mind.
It would have been nice if I could check the items’ detailed stats, but I
sighed in regret when I went through them.
[Iron Dwarf’s Steel Bracelet – Common Grade]
[This is a trinket made by the fallen iron dwarf race. Unlike its crude
appearance, it is a bracelet with very technical work done on it. When it
is worn, the stamina, endurance, and strength increases by 1 point
each.]
The owner of the bracelet had already been decided. It seemed that
Park Deokgu was the right wielder for this.
The total number of stats that were raised by this item was 3. It was
almost equal to the stats you got when you acquired a class.
This was a normal grade item.
Then a thought came to my mind. Maybe heroic and legendary

equipment that was even better than this would have features that I
could not even begin to imagine.
“Oh, oh…”
My expression was the one someone would make when receiving

money from their grandmother.
The problem was what came right after this.
[Magic Shield Ring – Rare Grade]
[It cannot be con irmed where it was made. This item is ancient. It is an
accessory that can be used to create a magic shield by storing magic
power in the ring twice a day. You must recharge its power yourself.
(2/2)]
[Sacred Healing – Rare Grade]
[It can not be con irmed where it was made. This is a ring that contains
divine magic powers and healing abilities on a smaller scale. It can be
used once a day. (1/1)]
The other two items were Rare-Grade rings.
As soon as I checked them, my eyes widened unexpectedly.
‘I love this.’
I thought that by following Kim Hyunsung, I would be able to get some

bean sprouts, but I couldn’t even imagine that I would get to eat a whole
feast instead.
These were Rare-Grade rings!
I was also surprised by their functions that seemed excellent.
They didn’t raise the stats directly like Park Deokgu’s item, but these
items were much more valuable than his.
For example, assuming that the magical power consumed to memorize
the magical shield ring’s spell and form the shield was about 4, this
item gave an ef iciency of +8 to the stats. They could not be compared
with any ordinary Common grade item that had an ef iciency of +3.
‘I’m in luck.’
The same was true for divine healing.
Seeing that the item was Rare grade, this item would also have at least
+6 stat ef iciency. They had the ability to protect yourself with a shield
twice a day and also cure wounds, which served as insurance.
When Kim Hyunsung chose to go down to the dungeon, he made sure

he was well-prepared for any and all unforeseen circumstances.
‘Preparing for everything beforehand is a smart move.’
As I was nodding my head, Park Deokgu slowly touched the bracelet.
“I think it’s too precious… Can I really have it?”
“You don’t have to worry about it.”
“Great… Well, then, the bracelet is mine. Thank you, Hyung-ssi. I haven’t
done much around here, and I’m sorry for that…”
“Oh, you don’t have to say that.”
“No. I should repay you.”
“Alright, then thank you in advance.”
The owner of the bracelet had been decided, but the problem was with
the other two rings.
In fact, it wasn’t a bad idea to have any one of these rings, but if I had to
choose between them, then self-protection obviously came irst.
If Hayan wore the divine healing item, there was a high probability that
she would be able to use the divine magic inside properly.
‘I sure can’t use it.’
I felt like totally useless trash, but I couldn’t help it.
Unlike her, who could use various magic types, I usually got exhausted
just by using the same spell twice.
When I was struggling with these thoughts inside my head, it was

Hayan who spoke irst.
“Well, I’ll take this then.”
What she chose was the divine healing item.
I didn’t know if she noticed my reaction, but she de initely did what I
intended for her to do.
“Then I will take the item that is left.” The corner of my mouth rose up
into a smile. I couldn’t get in a bad mood after being blessed in such a
way.
I had obtained a life-saving trump card that could be used twice a day.
Without making any effort or taking any risks, I acquired an item of the
Rare grade.
‘This is awesome!’
“But can we really accept something like this…?”

“It’s ine. I also have one… In the case of accessories with special stats, it
seems that the amount of items you can equip is limited. If it could be
helped, then of course I would have worn more of them, but that
doesn’t seem to be the case.”
That was useful information.
“Do you mean to say that the ability of only one ring can be activated at
a time, even if I wore two rings?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
I thought I needed to experiment with this later.
I then smiled a little and expressed my gratitude again.
“Thank you so much, Hyunsung-ssi. As Deokgu said, we haven’t done

anything to deserve this…”
“Oh, thank you… Hyunsung-ssi.”
“No, no. You don’t have to thank me Kiyoung-ssi and Hayan-ssi as we

are friends after all.” He was wearing a big smile.
Perhaps he thought that he had indebted us all in a way. He seemed

really convinced of that, after seeing the expressions on mine, Park
Deokgu’s and Jung Hayan’s faces as we all looked at him gratefully.
He seemed to think that he could have faith in us and trust us totally.

Sensing that, I was a little relieved. In fact, it really helped boost my
con idence.
‘We’re going to go together underground.’
Because we were friends.

Kim Hyunsung was planning to go with me, Park Deokgu and Jung Ha-
yan. In the case of Jung Hayan, she was a talent that Kim Hyunsung
wanted to win over to his own side the most.
She was a wizard whose future was already known to him. It could be
said that any effort put into winning her con idence was worthwhile.
Then there was Park Deokgu. He wasn’t that bad either.
As was the case in almost every game, a strong tanker was always
helpful.
The judgment, stability, and ability potential that had been shown by
him in hunting so far could be said to be lower compared to those of
Jung Hayan or Jung Jinho, but his current stats were still very good.
Park Deokgu’s growth limit could easily be surpassed by real ighters

such as Kim Hyunsung, Jung Jinho, and Jung Hayan, yet he was still
quite good enough.
The only oddball around was me.
It could even be said that I had entered Kim Hyunsung’s group by

mistake.
Kim Hyunsung had developed close relations with Park Deokgu and
Jung Hayan, with Park Deokgu relying on him and thinking of him as a
brother.
For Jung Hayan, he had feelings almost similar to a lover’s.
If someone wanted to take away Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan, they had
to take him too now, for they were inseparable.
Thus, it was a good performance on my part that I did not make any
mistakes while hunting and that my brain worked better than others.
However, people like me were scattered all across the continent.
I should probably earn myself a good position in Kim Hyunsung’s

kingdom, which he would obviously establish in the future with the
pace he was growing.
Of course, I did not want to live a puppet’s life like that of Lee Jihye, but
sometimes you had to lower your head in order to move securely and
protect yourself.
‘It may not be that hard to follow him.’
I thought I had to go ahead and take advantage of this situation. And so,
I opened my mouth to speak.
“That’s right, we are colleagues.”
We were companions who protected and cared for each other.
It felt a little odd to say that aloud.
“That sounds wonderful, Hyung-nim. Yes… colleagues! Ah. So when do

we go down to the dungeon?”
“I think maybe quite soon. I haven’t told ‘them’ yet… Maybe they’re
willing to go hunting with us.”
“Well. Yes, there were times when I also wanted to go hunting together,
but I refused because Hyung-nim had told me to be aware of them…”
“Alright.”
Kim Hyunsung looked at me once again.
He had adequate vigilance for newcomers. That was con irmed, but I
still thought he was quite satis ied with me.
“Well, that’s a story for another time, so… lets focus on the other
things.”
“Well, you sound the same as Hyung-nim now. Hm, yes, there must be
all sorts of smart men in this world.”
“Even if we are attacking the dungeon together, we must be on our

guards to some extent. As we don’t know what may transpire at any
moment, so it’s de initely the right thing to be cautious. There is also
the possibility that something may happen to us as it did to Park
Hyaeyoung, so let’s just be a little more careful this time.”
“Yes, I understand what you mean.”
After I said that, not only Hayan but also Kim Hyunsung himself
nodded.
“Kiyoung-ssi is right. But if we really have to be cautious…”
“Yes?”
“I want all of us to consider that we may be facing them as an enemy

there.”
Everyone nodded.
“An enemy?”
“Yeah.”
Kim Hyunsung nodded once again and inally seemed to decide to tell
us some more things.
“You don’t have to worry too much about that right now. Still, it would
be better to prepare yourself. I don’t know what will happen in the
dungeon with all these new people.”
“It would be correct to assume that the level of dif iculty would be
higher than the irst loor.”
“Yeah. That’s right. It’s probably like this, but I have to go tell Jinho now.
We have to leave as quickly as time permits us.”
“Why hurry so much?”
“We can also prepare on the way to the dungeon.”
“Ah. I see.”
Jung Jinho would not refuse this either.
If their purpose was to survive here or start some other secret and evil
plans or whatever, it was advantageous for them to go out together with
us. Jung Jinho was already aware of the difference between his level and
Kim Hyunsung’s to some extent.
That’s why he kept agreeing with him.
Variables were the most important in a ight, especially if you knew

they were inherently disadvantageous for others.
The dungeon attack expedition was likely to create the variable Jinho
wanted. It could lead to a situation in which a different future may
unfold if Kim Hyunsung was somehow removed.
If he really was a killer, this shelter was the happiest place for him, so
there was a high possibility that he would gamble and take this risk.
If I was in his position, I would want to kill Kim Hyunsung and the rest
of us at any cost. It was a good opportunity for him that had been
provided by Kim Hyunsung himself.
I kept putting up a faint smile on my lips.

Kim Hyunsung was going to be used anyway, either by me or Jung Jinho.
It was the best choice to make the most out of him in every way
possible.
CHAPTER 28
QUEST (1)
“It will be hard for you, but you have to hold on.”
“Are you really leaving for a very long period of time?”
“Well, I’m actually worried about the fact that I may not come back at
all, okay?”
“Don’t be stupid. It won’t be like that. Of course, I believe in Hyunsung-

ssi and Kiyoung, but… we can’t always predict what will happen. By the
way, it seems to me that Hayan-ssi keeps looking over here. Is she
okay?”
When I looked back, Hayan came into my view. She wore a calm
expression.
She wasn’t looking at me as she was at the time of Park Hyaeyoung’s

death that had caused her to be more passionate about me. I wondered
what she was thinking. I was worried that she’d begun to harbor
negative thoughts about me, but there was no way I could know that.
It would be a ine idea to have a conversation with her at the moment.
If we talked while holding hands, then the situation may have been
entirely different, but talking from a distance wouldn’t seem intimate to
anyone.
When I turned back to look at her, Lee Jihye spoke again.
“You made quite the big decision.”

“So?”
“I thought you were the type that hated gambling.”
“I do hate that.”
“Then?”
“I’m not foolish enough to not throw the dice in a winning game.”
After considering all of the variables, the possibility of winning here

was overwhelmingly high. I had information about the dungeon, the
party members’ overall specs, and the ability to return at any time I
wanted.
The chances of dying were negligible.
Of course, there were many other things to be considered too, but this
was a rare opportunity for someone like me who had trashy stats to
begin with. We could win if we all worked together.
And…
‘We could also be rewarded for attacking the dungeon.’
There was de initely a big reward for that. I thought about the box that
Kim Hyunsung said he had found, and wondered if it was also that sort
of a reward.
Lee Jihye listened to me for a while. She became silent for a moment,
but then she smiled and spoke.
“I really like your way of handling things.”
“Oh, really now?”

“Anyway, come back soon, Kiyoung Oppa.”
“Alright.”
The small wrinkles were clear on her face.
Despite the fact that she looked quite young for her age, she was still
quite worried about her appearance. Apparently, she seemed to think
that the little girl was prettier, so Jung Hayan had a greater advantage to
survive in this place.
As I moved away from her and approached Hayan, I could see Hayan
moving quickly towards me and grabbed my sleeves’ ends. She didn’t
say anything to me, but she seemed quite anxious.
Park Deokgu burst into laughter, and Kim Hyunsung just nodded his
head.
The four men, including Jung Jinho and Yoo Seokwoo, were also quietly
waiting for me.
“Should we go then?”
“Yeah.”
There were a total of 8 people.
If you really thought about it, this was still a large number of people.
Four of us were on one side and four on the other. If the other party was
centered around Jung Jinho, then our party was centered around Kim
Hyunsung.
We were walking together along a twisting path. I couldn’t hear much of

the others’ conversation.
Most of the time, Jung Jinho talked to them all as he gave them
instructions and orders occasionally. Other than that, they chatted with
each other or spent their time looking and listening for monsters.
“By the way, it looks like you’ve been searching around a lot. We never
thought there would be a new entrance here.”
“It was discovered unintentionally. As you may have also heard at the
starting point, the basic condition to getting out of this place was
survival, whether by attack or defense. I don’t know how long we will
have to survive here, so I thought it was stupid to lean on the former…
Then, I decided to try to explore and attack as much as possible.”
“Ah.”
“Maybe the period of survival will end when a person successfully

attacks the dungeon.”
“I didn’t think about that, but…”
“It’s just a guess.”
“If it really is like that, does that mean that we need to attack the
dungeon so that even those in the shelter can get out of this place?”
“You can think of it that way. Well, no matter how you look at it, it will
not change the fact that attacking this dungeon is the most reasonable
option for us right now. Anyway, thank you very much for agreeing to
the offer.”
“No need for that. I also want to get out of this place. In fact, I want to
thank you for making this opportunity for us. We were also a little
anxious about this survival period situation as we did not know when it
would end…”
This guy looked really good while smiling.

It was a kind of smile that would unwittingly cause a person to lower
his guard, but I knew this guy’s disposition, so it was not going to work
on me.
Rather, we were in a situation where I had to get this guy to lower his
own alertness level.
Just sharing useless stories could help a lot with that objective of mine.
I started telling them stories about Earth, stories about dungeons, and
the woman’s story at the starting point. Consequently, a rather
embarrassing topic emerged.
“It seems that Kiyoung often hangs around with Hayan. Perhaps… You
two…”
It was something that no one had ever asked me. It was totally normal
for me to be a little embarrassed. I looked around and noticed several
people looking at me, waiting for my response.
Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung both seemed to be listening too. Yoo
Seokwoo, who had once lirted with Jung Hayan, was looking straight
ahead.
In the case of Hayan, she was bowing her head and pulling my sleeves.
Jung Jinho seemed to be very curious about the topic.
‘It can’t be like this… ’
So not only were there pigs whose brains were full of muscles, but the
calculating killer was also able to igure out that they were in some
relationship.
‘A relationship that was still developing?’

This was not possible.
No matter how much I thought about it, these excuses looked like the
ones that a celebrity with dating rumors would make.
Obviously, my relationship with Jung Hayan was much closer than

before.
I thought about it a bit, and it didn’t take long for me to come to a

conclusion about what to answer.
I just grabbed Hayan’s hand with which she was holding my sleeve and
said.
“I can’t really can’t say anything for sure yet… but, what you think about
us personally is probably right.”
“Oh oh…”
Park Deokgu’s mouth was left hanging open. Meanwhile, Kim Hyunsung
nodded.
In his case, he seemed to think that Jung Hayan’s relationship with me

would be better for her.
But what was truly interesting was Hayan’s reaction. She was just
looking at the ground with a very reddish face, but she was actually
crushing my hand.
‘Damn… that hurts.’ My weak endurance was unable to withstand her

strong grip.
After thinking about many possible responses, I settled on this reply

because it felt like the best one. The reason why I said that I couldn’t
de ine anything as of the moment was because I hadn’t conveyed my
true feelings to Jung Hayan yet.
I thought it wouldn’t matter if I just confessed to her right now, but then
I thought that we should connect the bond in a more memorable way.
It would be more effective to properly convey my sincerity afterward

rather than just rushing everything.
When I turned my head over to the side once more, I saw Hayan, who
had a big smile spread across from her face.
The other people looked like they were experiencing goosebumps, but
Yoo Seokwoo just had a distorted expression on his face. One of the two
people who were most interested in my relationship with Jung Hayan
was him, and the other was Park Deokgu.
I thought he might have a bad reaction to my statement, but he was

really taking it quite well.
I personally thought of Yoo Seokwoo as the real trash amongst

ourselves, so I looked at him directly while stroking Jung Hayan’s hair.
We continued walking as we talked about other things.
One of Jung Jinho’s guys, the archer, was good at reading the tracks or
discovering the signs of monsters, perhaps because of the effectiveness
of his class, but there was no reason for us to disregard his ability.
Jung Jinho seemed to be hiding his power, but it wasn’t too hard to deal
with the monsters here, and it was the same with the others who were
already used to it by now.
The thing that was a little surprising was that Yoo Seokwoo was also
quick to adapt.
Contrary to what I had thought that he would show a sorry igure as

Park Hyaeyoung did, he actually swung his sword quite steadily.
The others were by no means bad either.
Not everyone was a calculating killer like Jung Jinho, but at this point, I
thought that theirs was an ideal party as everyone was doing their job
well.
‘They act fast and play safe.’
It could be said that our current situation was a whole lot different from
when Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, Jung Ha-yan, and Park Hyaeyoung,
along with me, were attacked. Jung Jinho and Kim Hyunsung took care
of every monster jumping out of the bushes, while Park Deokgu blocked
the front.
Jung Hayan and I were providing rear support, but the archer’s arrows
and Jung Jinho’s attacks were much better than ours.
I could not help but feel a little regret for some reason, especially in the
case of Jung Jinho.
Contrary to Kim Hyunsung, who used a single sword, Jinho also used a
small shield on his left arm to keep his opponent in check.
If he could also use magic here, then that would be even more
surprising.
I felt like I knew why he didn’t care about Park Deokgu, me, and Jung
Hayan earlier.
He was de initely strong on his own.
I wasn’t dissatis ied with Park Deokgu, Kim Hyunsung, and Jung Hayan,
but if I could use Jung Jinho in the long term instead of just using him
temporarily, it would be even more satisfying.
“You are quite strong.”

“Yeah. It’s all thanks to everyone’s help. How much farther do we need
to go?”
“We’re almost there.”
When I looked at Kim Hyunsung, he nodded at me.
There they were. Some kind of mana was emanating from them. I could
sense it like before.
I didn’t know what exactly it was, but I couldn’t igure it out unless I
went in.
In fact, I wanted to ask Kim Hyunsung for a more accurate explanation,

but there was no way I could do that.
‘What is in there?’
The original question was why Kim Hyunsung, who had entered this
dungeon, had judged it impossible to pass it alone with his current
abilities.
Curiosity and anxiety illed up inside me, and then…
“Alright… we should enter.”
Giving up now was stupid.
The path going down the stairs was dark. As I went down the long
stairs, I saw an enormous iron gate.
Park Deokgu, standing at the very front, slowly opened the iron gate,
and soon we entered a room where a familiar voice rang out in our ears.
It was the voice of the woman I had heard at the start point.
[You have reached the underground dungeon. Rare level compulsory
quest is activated.]
[Rare Grade Quest – Survival (0/1)]
“What’s happening?”
“Oh, Hyung-nim…”
“Prepare yourselves for battle.”
“Everyone, get ready to ight with your weapons!”
Kim Hyunsung didn’t need to shout it out, as everyone was already

holding onto their weapons dearly.
“Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-e-ee”
“Kie-e-e-e-e-ee-ee!”
Voices much like barking dogs were heard from far away.
‘Shit! Shit!’
I thought I had to take only some risks, but this was a bit more dif icult
than I thought. I realized now why Kim Hyunsung thought there should
be a large number of people before attacking this place.
‘I have to defend myself.’
From the voices that we were hearing, they were certainly not
monsters, as we had seen before.
“The gate… the iron gate is blocked!” Someone exclaimed.
“We don’t need to run away. We’ll be able to win this thing.”
“We can do it!”
“Kie-e-e-e-ee!”
I could hear them rushing to this place.
Even the ground was rumbling.
I immediately started to create spells in my anxiety.
Jung Jinho’s party also seemed to be a little surprised due to this

situation. However, all of them were still organized around Jung Jinho.
‘We can’t stop all of them.’
It was embarrassing to admit, but it could not be prevented. Was it

really possible for us to win with this level of power?
“Oh, damn! There’s a lot.” Exactly like at the starting point, Park Deokgu
could not control himself and spat out a curse for the third time.
Of course, the battle was unavoidable… And this time, it was really
going to be the most brutal one yet.
CHAPTER 29
QUEST (2)
Monsters were locking in from all directions and surrounded us.
The monsters weren’t so strong individually, but they were so large in

numbers that I kept thinking we had unknowingly landed ourselves in a
fatal situation. Now I understood why Kim Hyunsung had felt that the
number of people to enter this place was insuf icient before Jinho came
along.
No matter how strong Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu were, they had
not reached a level where just the two of them could ight off these
many monsters. The expression on each member of Jung Jinho’s party
had also gotten uglier after witnessing this.
It seemed to me that they were also thinking about whether they could
survive this ordeal today. Only Jung Jinho didn’t seem that affected by
the current situation.
‘I can survive this.’
If we could survive this, then it was enough. It would also be smarter to

conserve my magic power to use later.
While constantly preparing spells with my mouth, I held my spear

irmly with both hands.
“Deokgu.”
“I know.”
Park Deokgu, Kim Hyunsung, and Jung Jinho were going to be the irst
line of defense.
Park Deokgu was supposed to properly block the center of their front
and protect the defensive formation as much as he could. The two
groups that had different ideas, in the beginning, began to unite for the
sake of their survival.
I was worried about being stabbed in the back by them right now, but
Jinho’s guys were not stupid enough to attack us in this situation.
The same could be said for Kim Hyunsung.
At this moment, the only thing going through everyone’s minds was to
survive the incoming onslaught. We all grabbed our weapons and
prepared to ram the monsters that were running straight at us.
Bang!
“Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee”
“These bastards!”
It was completely normal for two or three of them to come up at once.

Park Deokgu was holding up his shield and was trying as best as he
could to maintain his position and stop them.
We didn’t have to worry about aiming our attacks, because the targets
were coming in from every direction. I could feel the leshy texture from
my spear, even though I didn’t want to. I hoped that Park Deokgu and
Kim Hyunsung would not get tired from the repetitive attacks.
“Stay as close as possible! Gather up!”
“Brothers and sisters, stay strong! I don’t know what will happen if we
fail.”
“Alright then, keep ighting!.”
“Kie-e-e-e-ee!”
It was hard to withstand the constant low of monsters. It felt like we

were going to get pushed against the iron gate.
Park Deokgu swung his shield with that huge body of his to create a
space where we could move and take a breath. Kim Hyunsung and Jung
Jinho were also slowly stabbing and pushing back the monsters that
rushed to them with their weapons.
‘They’re strong.’
They were very strong.
Jung Jinho, who was blocking with the small shield and stabbing with
his sword, was concerned about Jung Hayan and I, and was constantly
looking back at us. Kim Hyunsung did the same.
They were worried about whether we would get hurt by the monsters.
‘There is nothing to worry about, kids.’
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
Jung Jinho’s lackeys were also attacking desperately. However, there

was no room to aim properly from this distance.
We bit our lips tightly and tried our best to stop the monsters that were
trying to aim for our throats. The blood of the monsters continued to
splatter on our faces and our weapons. Body organs, such as intestines,
fell to the loor and became slippery.
I would have frowned at this disgusting scene, but I could not spare the
attention for that at the moment.
“Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee!”
The annoying sounds of the monsters and the screams that erupted
from fear merged into each other.
“Hey!”
Bang!
Whenever Deokgu swung his shield, the spectacular scene of a monster

falling could be seen.
‘This pig is actually very good!’
His potential wasn’t that high, but Park Deokgu was really tough. It was
a slightly different kind of strength from Kim Hyunsung and Jung Jinho,
but the endurance ability that was in line of the 30s was so great that
words could not describe it.
Some types of attacks that were thrown at him were simply absorbed
by his body.
‘I underestimated him.’
I had judged him only by his talent up until now and ended up
underestimating him.
Actually, it was Park Deokgu who appeared to be more threatening than

even Jung Jinho and Kim Hyunsung. An overwhelming presence
emanated from his huge body.
Although he did not have magical powers, his strength was truly
remarkable. This shield soldier standing before me was not just a meaty
shield.
He knew when to advance and attack, and when to retreat.
There was no sign of discomfort in his face, even though his body had
endured countless attacks.
‘Is he even human?’
I thought about it without even knowing.
Of course, it was not that Park Deokgu was unafraid. He was scared,
same as the irst time he had gone hunting together with me.
Nevertheless, he did not run away. He did not hide behind me as he had
in our irst encounter with the monsters outside. He was not worried
about attacking ahead or breaking formation. That way of thinking
didn’t suit that muscle- illed brain of his.
It was just my guess, but it seemed that Park Deokgu didn’t want me or
Jung Hayan to get hurt or die.
“Don’t fall, Hyung-nim! Don’t fall okay!”
“I’m still behind you, pig. Concentrate.”
“You have to survive, okay!”
“Alright!”
I could feel his concern just by seeing how he kept asking me about my
health constantly.
‘Baby pig… ’
What had me a little worried was that the monsters’ attacks were too
concentrated towards Park Deokgu.
It didn’t look like he had any major wounds yet, but there were some
big and small cuts.
This didn’t look very good when I thought about what was supposed to
happen afterwards, other than the ight here.
It was exactly then that Hayan cast a spell.
“Wind bomb.”
Bang!
It popped out loud, accompanied with a deafening sound.
Some monsters were smashed into the ground and others on the ceiling
due to the ierce wind, but it wasn’t that effective.
‘We have to save our strength… ’
I had decided that Hayan and I should conserve our magical powers as
much as possible. Of course, Hayan had more magical powers than me,
but still, it was not possible to use magic inde initely.
We couldn’t lose our strength before Jung Jinho’s group did. We had to
minimize the consumption of our power while defending ourselves.
While I was thinking for a moment about what to say, a smile formed on
my lips when I saw the battle ield.
‘Puh hah.’
Perhaps this was intended.

The good thing was that the place where Hayan’s magic fell, was where
the monsters that Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung were blocking were
located.
In other words, the left side blocked by Jung Jinho’s group did not
receive the help of her magic. It looked like the burden was increasing
on Jung Jinho’s party and others who were becoming the targets of the
monsters.
I felt pity upon seeing these guys who were using all their power while
blocking the monsters.
Compared to that, we had some breathing space for ourselves.
Thanks to Hayan’s magic, the number of monsters attacking us had

greatly reduced, and even though it was a brief gap, it allowed us to take
a short break.
‘Nice work, Hayan.’
Sometimes I felt like I wasn’t good enough, and that Hayan was way
smarter than I thought.
Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung, who had become more relaxed, of
course, had no intention of going to the left.
“We have to stay in line!”
It appeared that staying in line was not possible. As another horde of

monsters started attacking from the left side.
“Let’s help them, Deokgu-ssi.”
“No, I don’t think we can. I am only alive because of you, Hayan-ssi.”

At this point, it was Jung Jinho who was the busiest. Jung Jinho could
also use magic, but he wasn’t using it in front of his men as he wanted
to hide the fact that he was a Battlemage.
Eventually, people from his party began screaming.
“Please help!”
“Help us, please!”
“Please, just use the same magic!”
They were hoping for Hayan to use her magic spell again.
Hayan was staring at me, but I shook my head quietly.
If Jung Jinho wanted, he could still protect all of them. They may get
bitten on their arms or get other minor injuries, but that was
manageable.
Yoo Seokwoo also screamed at Hayan.
“Hayan-ssi!”
“Alright, wait a second. Eh, I’m illing up my magic power…”
“Damn… Ahhhhhhhhh!”
In the meantime, a monster appeared out of nowhere and bit his arm.
Nevertheless, they did not stop ighting.
Why? Because they knew that they would die if they stopped. It was
regrettable that I couldn’t laugh out loud, because things were going on
so perfectly.
“I can’t hold on!”
The left lineup began to accumulate wounds one by one.
‘This is happening exactly how I wanted it to be.’
Jung Jinho was also beginning to sustain some injuries. No matter how
strong he thought he was, this was a place that even Kim Hyunsung was
reluctant to enter alone.
So, it was impossible for Jung Jinho to take care of everything on his
own with these stats.
I shouted loudly.
“You can endure this! I know you can! Everyone!”
“Is it Kiyoung?”
“Just a little bit more…”
“Quickly help us!”
“You can hold on. You can de initely stop them! Please wait a little
longer.”
I screamed as I swung my spear urgently at them, who were under too

much pressure. The situation over there had already made it dif icult
for them to turn their heads and even reply to me.
“Ahhhhhh! Damn!”
Another guy’s leg was bitten. Thus, he was left with no choice but to
ight the rest of the battle with a limp.
“Cast it! Quickly! We need magic!”

“It’s almost done!”
In fact, I thought about the magic that had already been cast a while
ago, and how I could use such a spell only once, so I was still a little
reluctant to help them.
The maximum number of magic spells I could cast was two. Three
times was the limit at which I exhausted all my mana.
I had to help, but at the same time, I also had to put some burden on
them. Whenever ive humans gathered, there was at least one trash
among them.
Perhaps I was going to be perceived as today’s trash.
“Fireball!”
Kwakwang!
“Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee”
A huge ireball fell before the formation on the left.
There was a huge bang, leaving the left party stunned for a while.
Not only did it turn the monsters into laming balls in an instant, but
those who were hit by the fragments of the spell were also affected.
The power of the lame-based spell really was great.
As I had used up a lot of magical power, it would have been a little

disappointing if it didn’t have that effect.
Jung Jinho’s group, who clearly saw the magic annihilate the monsters
instantly, felt that they were fortunate. They had found some time to
rest too.
However, the aftermath of the spell did not end there.
“Kie-e-e-e-ee!”
We all relaxed a bit.
Everything was perfect. The magic had inally given all of them some
room to rest for a while.
However, there was one problem: the ire was spreading to the rest of
the crowded monsters. Monsters, burning in ire, entangled with each
other, creating spectacular ireworks. They became maddened and kept
rushing to the direction they were going in before, but with a little more
madness this time.
“Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-e-ee-ee!”
It was truly spectacular to see the group of monsters rushing to the

group of Jung Jinho as balls of ire. I didn’t know for sure whether they
were screaming with pain or roaring with joy.
‘Burn! You monsters!’
“Damn it!”
“I am so sorry! About what happened…” I had created monsters of a

new kind. They had to deal with these new burning monsters now.
“Sorry again.”
CHAPTER 30
QUEST (3)
“Oh, my God!”
If the monsters managed to pierce us with their claws or wound us

deeply, we would die. There was a chance that we would also die if we
went too close or got entangled with them.
The reason this party was able to hold their defenses until now was
because they were maintaining their formation, despite the relentless
attacks they were receiving.
As Jung Jinho’s group had also done their fair share of hunting, they
surely knew of this. That was why they were able to bear the hordes of
rampaging monsters.
“Shit!”
Those guys weren’t backing down and were still doing their best to
ight off the burning monsters. It was a fascinating sight for me.
“Sorry, I’m so sorry!”
Only trash like me could enjoy such horrendous circumstances.
As the number of monsters decreased, the actual burden on us was

supposed to be reduced, but those guys still did their best to stave off
an entirely new kind of monster, which was de initely heartbreaking to
see. Although they were pushing the burning monsters as far away
from themselves as possible, the problem was that they couldn’t do
anything about the lames that burned their bodies.
The considerable physical exhaustion and the burning heat continued
to eat away at their stamina.
The temperature was rising in the dungeon.
There was no telling how much direct lames or heat Jung Jinho’s group
was facing.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
[Checking the status window of the Monster Burning Maw.]
[Name: None]
[Age: 5]
[Disposition: Burning Instinct]
[Class: None]
[Stats]
[Strength: 12]
[Agility: 15]
[Stamina: 05]
[Endurance: 15]
[Luck: 10]
[Magic Power: 01]

I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I could see some changes in the
monster’s status window.
Their health seemed to be decreasing rapidly, but their magical power

had increased by one point. It could have been due to the lame that I
had ired at them.
“Extinguish the ires, motherfucker!”
Even Buddha, could not help but swear furiously in such a situation.
“Sorry! Just a little bit now! Please hold on a little!”
It felt as if some kind of holy warriors were ighting against armies sent
directly from hell.
After some time, it became clear that they had to sacri ice something in
order to get rid of the monsters for good.
It depended on their stamina, or on the tricks that Jung Jinho was

hiding from the rest.
As I couldn’t hear him cast any spells, Jung Jinho had probably decided
to keep them hidden for the time being.
‘He will hide his skills until the right opportunity comes.’
It was good judgment on his part to hide the true extent of his powers
until the very end.
And it wasn’t just me. Kim Hyunsung also knew about these things
already.
‘Such pitiful behavior!’

He was acting so stupidly that I actually wanted to laugh out loud. Of
course, Kim Hyunsung knew that Jinho could use magic.
I didn’t know what kind of class he would have been promoted to in the
future, but he must have achieved a higher level of the same Battlemage
class that he had now.
I had come to know about his class as a Battlemage through my ability,

and the guy from the future was, of course, already aware of his secrets.
The cards that Jinho thought he was hiding right now were those that
some of us knew about. It was like playing poker when all of your cards
were already known to the opponent.
Even though I knew that he had more than one card up his sleeve, it
made me laugh whenever I saw him biting his teeth while trying his
best to hide his abilities.
Kim Hyunsung’s idea was really worthy of him being a time-traveler.
As if making fun of his judgment, the situation began to get even worse.
“Damn! Kichul!”
“Please hold on!”
Lee Kichul was the name of one of Jung Jinho’s lackeys. We didn’t know
that before now.
Then a Burning Maw caught him.
They were screaming and trying to grab his arm to get him away from
the monster, but of course, there was nothing they could do to save him.
In the end, Lee Kichul was dragged into the mass of the iery monsters.
The sight of him being swallowed up by the monsters, who were illing
up the narrow corridor, made me frown unknowingly.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Help me! Help me!”
“Kiyoung! Hayan!”
It was impossible to use my precious magical power again to protect

Jung Jinho’s partner as I could only use it once more.
I was a little nervous, but…
“A little bit! Just a bit more!”
‘I will not falter.’
As long as Jung Jinho was present, I couldn’t falter.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Stop! Stop! Oh, you son of a bitch! Stop!”
There was no way to check from here whether his intestines were being
eaten or his limbs were being ripped apart.
One thing was for sure; it was very painful to hear his voice. He let out
blood-curling screams.
The pain of being eaten alive and the pain of burning lesh would be
torturous to feel at the same time when you fell to the monsters, so I
thought his reaction was quite natural.
‘One guy is done for.’
Even in the midst of all this, the thought that I had just killed a person
still disturbed me, but I didn’t feel any guilt either. It was probably
because of the excitement or the battle circumstances.
Rather, this was something that I very much wanted to see.
The edge of my lips rose up to form a smile.
“We can do this!”
‘It’s going to get better.’
His death had made the situation even more favorable for us.
“Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Shit! Shit! Kichul!”
“Hyung-nim, isn’t this getting too dangerous?”
“Never mind that. The monster won’t be able to get through their
formation.”
We were going to watch this massacre until the end.
If we could ight off the monsters, we would de initely be able to

survive. Unlike Jung Jinho, Kim Hyunsung wasn’t nervous at all. I
thought I knew why.
“Hey!”
My attacking style was simple and repetitive, which consisted of just

aiming at the blocked monsters and then stabbing them with the spear.
I started feeling exhausted.
Not only did my spear hand start trembling, my breathing also got
rough and unsteady. My whole body was covered with sweat, and it was
increasingly getting dif icult to breathe.
I wanted to lay down on the ground and rest for a moment, but those
monsters that kept running towards us did not give me that time to
take a breath.
‘Will we survive?’
Park Deokgu’s condition was remarkably good. The same was true for
Kim Hyunsung.
Jung Jinho could also be counted among them, although he had holes
burnt into his clothes.
Yoo Seokwoo and the remaining archer seemed to be struggling a lot,

but they didn’t look like me yet.
The monsters’ corpses were beginning to pile up like a wall, but still,
more monsters stepped over the corpses and attacked us.
Park Deokgu blocked them, and I stabbed them repeatedly.
‘How much longer can we hold on?’
I pretended to be okay, but on the inside, I was feeling quite anxious. I

couldn’t igure out how many monsters were still left.
But one thing was certain; the roars that could be heard were getting
lesser.
Instead, a loud voice rang in my ears.
Something like, ‘Please hold on!’
I didn’t know who had said that in all the commotion.

“Whew!”
I struck a spear into a monster, squeezing all of my remaining strength

into it.
Park Deokgu also pushed back with his shield with a loud roar.
Finally, when Kim Hyunsung slowly put his arms down to his sides, I
realized that the hellish trial was over at last.
“They are inished.”
“It’s over, it’s over…” I sank to the ground without even thinking about
it.
It was Kim Hyunsung who spoke at this moment while everyone was
still breathing roughly.
“We have to move away immediately.”
‘Damn it… ’
“The quest we are on hasn’t been completed yet. I think it would be

better to start moving right away.”
“No… Hyung-nim. If you can’t walk, I’ll help you.”
“Stop, Deokgu. I can walk. Hayan…”
“Thank you but I’m alright, Oppa.”
At that moment, another problem presented itself in front of them.

The body of the guy named Kichul, who had been dragged and killed by
the monsters, was barely recognizable.
The badly mangled body was a truly horri ic sight to witness.
As I saw the terribly torn up body of a dead colleague, I eventually

lowered my head, but I couldn’t forget his hostility to our group.
Jung Jinho was standing expressionless.
Yoo Seokwoo was wearing an extremely hostile expression.
“Do you see this!”
Most of his hair had burned, and the body was covered with scars. It
didn’t need any con irmation that the guy named Kichul had died a very
miserable death.
Looking at his body’s state, it could be said that it had been pretty
painful for him.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Do you think it can be forgiven by simply apologizing? Bastard! ”
“That, but… Uh, I couldn’t help it.”
“What?”
“It was an unavoidable situation. I am not familiar with magic other

than lame magic yet, and if my magic spell hadn’t been cast correctly
then that would have caused even more casualties. Hayan didn’t have
enough time to use her magic powers, and I didn’t think the monsters
would stick to each other and spread the lames. It was the best option
at that time. That and… the number of monsters was also signi icantly
reduced because of it.”
I spoke calmly, but the message behind my words was clear.
If it weren’t for me, they wouldn’t even have been able to survive up to
this point in the irst place.
Of course, only Hayan and I had the magical ability to get us all out of
that sticky situation, but using magical powers to save them would have
been more detrimental to us than bene icial.
Jung Jinho would have arrived at the same conclusion.
Of course, Jung Jinho’s point of view, he hadn’t known that Kichul would
die so quickly. That was his mistake.
The magic was a little too powerful, and it was true that Kichul died
because of the spreading ire.
It was also true that I spread the ire on purpose, however…
He didn’t know that.
“Now what are we going to do…?”
“We can’t help it. Kichul’s death is a pity for me too… But now…”
The other guy in Jinho’s group was getting angry. It wasn’t completely
unreasonable of him to feel that way.
It seemed like he wanted nothing better than to aim a bow or a spear at

me right now. Thus, it was a bit scary to see the guy approaching me
with a frown.
I shook my head while glancing at Park Deokgu.
Park Deokgu nodded. I had signaled him not to intervene.

“I’m really, really sorry. Nevertheless… It was inevitable.”
“I… this…”
Whatever I said, it appeared as total bullshit to him. I knew the

characteristics of these sorts of guys very well.
‘Angry weaklings.’
They were weak people controlled by their anger, and they only
attacked those in their fury who they considered to be weaker than
themselves.
“I’m really sorry for your loss and everything that happened. We don’t
have to ight.”
He raised his ist to the highest point he could, and then he iercely
swung down.
Of course, I did not avoid it.
Some degree of acting was necessary on my part too.
The blow landed on my face, and I fell to the side with tremendous
force.
I felt dizzy, and I was spitting blood.
In that instant, I didn’t even have to act. My body, which was too fragile,
fell to the ground by itself.
“Hyung-nim!” Park Deokgu was startled.
“It’s okay, Deokgu. I made a mistake.”
I tried as hard as I could to play the victim and stopped Park Deokgu.
“Jaejoon, let’s go.”
“But…”
“It’s time to go. Everyone understands what happened, but more

ighting will avail nothing.”
‘Right. Con lict won’t amass to anything.’
Even from Jung Jinho’s point of view, it was a really bad idea to start
ighting in such a dangerous place right now.
I coughed and spat out one tooth along with some clotted blood.
‘Ah… ’
“Are you okay? Kiyoung-ssi…”
“Ah. It’s okay, Hyunsung-ssi. This was my fault. I couldn’t help them.”
The punch had been really painful, I’ll admit that.
However, I could not say that to Kim Hyunsung. I knew that I wasn’t at
fault, and the other group’s level of vigilance towards me had dropped
by now.
I sensed warmth and protection in the eyes of the people around me.
This alone gave me con idence, and momentarily, it felt as if I was in the
world’s safest place.
And now I could see death in one of their eyes.
‘Ah… ’
It was Jung Hayan, who was staring at Jung Jinho’s lackey, Kim Jaejoon,
with an expressionless face.
‘What the hell is going to happen now?’
CHAPTER 31
QUEST (4)
Anyone who would have seen the battle would say that the situation
had gotten a lot worse. It was comparable to a trashy piece of art.
I bet even if Solomon himself came and made a judgment, then even he
would have declared me to be a sinner. The gamble that Kim Hyunsung
had decided to do with his own reputation certainly didn’t end badly
for him.
The monsters had mercilessly devoured Lee Kichul, and Jung Jinho’s
lackey’s rage made him whimsical enough to kill me.
But there wasn’t any further con lict, and Kim Hyunsung had handled
the situation quite well.
I didn’t know if I had done my part or not, but I was happy enough with
the results. Without even using my hands, I had sent a man to his
merciless death.
Even though I lost one tooth as I was acting to become the victim, I
achieved some advantageous and desirable results that earned my
beloved and precious colleagues’ warm attention.
However, Jung Hayan’s expression had changed unexpectedly. Had it

become taboo to engage in any brawl with someone else for her?
‘Don’t tell me, really?’
Had it also become some weird kind of taboo for someone to touch my
body?
After a moment of biting her nails, she quickly approached me as if she
had suddenly noticed that I was still lying on the loor.
However, her expression was still hostile.
“Oh, Oppa!”
After she saw me bleeding from my mouth, she forgot about everything.
She used her ring and tried to send magical power through it. The sight
was spectacular. However, divine power ring that Hayan was wearing
was not intended to heal such wounds.
When I grabbed her left hand slightly, she stopped chanting the spell, as
if she knew what I meant. Her big eyes were full of tears, and after a
moment, they started falling relentlessly.
“Are you okay? What can I do… What should I do?”
“Of course I’m okay. It was my fault after all…”
There was a bitter taste in my mouth.
One of the teeth had lown away, and one side of my cheek was tingling,
but I wasn’t feeling that much pain.
That was because if I did anything but display my stiffness, it seemed

that Jung Hayan would start casting magic spells out there.
‘Be patient Hayan… Please, please.’
Shooting magic at Jung Jinho’s party was de initely not a bad option, but
it was better to play the victim right now. As I could see that Kim
Hyunsung hadn’t made a move yet, it looked like he was also hoping for
it.
“Wow…”
She kept touching my face as if I had lost my skin or something. Seeing

that she was struggling with her words in her panicked state, I
wondered if Hayan was actually sane. Tears were streaming down her
face, and she had a bloody nose.
It was as if I was already dead. Her reaction was too passionate about
the fact that I had lost only one of my teeth.
“Are you okay, Oppa? Are you alright?”
“Yes I’m ine. It’s not a big deal. Don’t mind me, Hayan. I’m really okay. It
doesn’t hurt at all.”
It did hurt, but it wasn’t a big wound.
It was nice to have this reaction for this kind of wound, as it seemed a
little scary to think about what would happen otherwise.
“This guy! How dare you!”
Becoming easily incensed was natural for Park Deokgu, and it was the
same as eating and drinking for him. The reactions of Jung Hayan and
Park Deokgu had exceeded my expectations. At this point, I thought
Jung Jinho would also be embarrassed by this situation.
Of course, the guy who was more embarrassed than anyone else was
the one who had hit me.
He sensed the sudden ominous change in the harsh atmosphere. What I

had done had instantly turned me, the perpetrator, into a victim.
Yet something even more magical happened.
‘Arghh.’
Even though I knew I shouldn’t do this, my mouth continued to curve
into a smile. I kept grinning.
In the end, it was Jung Jinho who bowed his head.
“I’m sorry, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“No problem.”
“I have nothing to say. I know you didn’t do it with bad intentions. If you
hadn’t used magic, something even worse would have happened.
Jaejoon is saddened that Kichul, who had been with us for a long time,
has died. I hope you understand. Jaejoon?”
“But…”
“Jaejoon. You have to apologize. It was an unavoidable situation and it

was the best option. If it weren’t for Kiyoung, we might all be dead.”
I didn’t know if it was due to seeing Jung Jinho’s expression, but the guy
named Jaejoon, who had constantly been furious up until now, also
bowed his head slightly.
“I… It seems I got out of control for a while, sorry…”
His ists were shaking.
He was not looking at me properly, and it was not dif icult to know why.
I thought I had to be the one to apologize in this situation, but my
mouth wouldn’t open if I wanted it too.
In fact, he still looked as red as an apple, and he wasn’t apologizing

wholeheartedly. Rather, it came off as if he was just trying to control his
anger.
“It’s okay, Jaejoon. I can understand. I was also a little frivolous… I
cannot comfort you with any words, but I sincerely apologize.”
Of course, I wasn’t serious either.
“I’m… sorry,” I could see that he was forcibly lowering his head.
I didn’t really feel like I was getting an apology, but it felt good apart
from that.
‘Phew.’
If he hadn’t been angry in the irst place, it would have been me who
had to bow to him.
In fact, what was more worrisome than that guy was, of course, Jung
Hayan.
‘What am I going to do with her…?’
If she was thinking about doing the same thing as she had done to Park
Hyeayoung, this would turn out pretty bad.
The title of the culprit in the case of Park Hyeayoung had already been
nailed to Jung Jinho.
But if this guy was to disappear suddenly somewhere right after, Kim
Hyunsung might get suspicious of Jung Hayan. It would certainly
increase the suspicions if this guy was found dead with his legs and
arms amputated. Of course, I would also be on the suspects list by then.
I wanted to calm her down. From her expressions, it felt like she
wouldn’t be returning to normal anytime soon.
When I looked at her palms, they were bleeding due to her nails as she
had clenched her ists. Now I was almost certain that Jung Hayan’s
attack was unavoidable.
‘Let’s see where this goes.’
If I thought about it a little more positively, the scenario wasn’t that bad,
actually.
The fact that Jung Hayan would attack him directly was also something
that could prove to be helpful in the future.
If Kim Jaejoon died, Jung Jinho would have lost both his companions.
‘What is she doing… ’
However, the appearance of Hayan secretly picking up my fallen tooth

was giving off the feeling of a ticking bomb that you never knew when it
would explode.
“I will get you up, Kiyoung Oppa.”
“Yeah. Let’s do that. Sorry for the disturbance.”
She grabbed me by my arms, and I was able to stand up again. It didn’t

hurt that much.
Now, the next best thing to do was to strike irst.
The timing of the irst attack had to be determined by our side.
I did not like Jinho being around me, and maybe he would attack right
away if he got the chance.
“Can you walk?”
“Of course.”
“If you have any trouble…”
“No, it’s really okay. Hyunsung-ssi. As you said, let’s get out of this place
irst.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
The huge iron door was still tightly closed.
Either it wouldn’t open until the quest was over, or it might only be
opened from the outside, but one thing was certain: in order for us to
survive, we had to ind a way to complete the quest of this dungeon.
Unfortunately, the name of the quest itself was survival.
“Maybe when the woman, in the beginning, was talking about surviving,
she was referencing to this quest here.”
Jung Jinho’s words lightened up everyone’s spirits.
We were listening to everything he said.
This was because everyone, including Jung Hayan, was on the lookout
for Jung Jinho and his hostility if he ever happened to show it.
It was a natural for him now to try and get close to us in order to live.
I thought I would be the one to do it as I had been thinking similarly.
“I thought of the same thing. The irst loor actually has no other
purpose and it seems that survival and attacking the monsters here are
the main objectives. If survival is a condition that needs to be
accomplished in order to escape from this dungeon, then we have to
avoid or overcome the monsters. In this way we can kill two birds with
one stone. If this hypothesis is correct, we don’t have to worry much
about the irst loor.”
It meant that whether we were focusing on attacking or surviving, it
was necessary to strategically use survival skills. Kim Hyunsung
seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
I couldn’t concentrate on the conversation because I was trying to ind

my way towards the front, but seeing that there was no dissenting
voice, it seemed that my hypothesis was correct. Both survival and
attacking that the woman talked about in the beginning tutorial took
place here.
“I understand the survival part, but…”
“Well, there may be something like a boss monster here.”
“Oh.”
“That’s common under such conditions. If you look at the status

windows or classes, this place is quite similar to an online game. If it
wasn’t for the tutorial, there could be various methods for the attack,
but this is a dungeon that is simply focused on survival and attack, so
we might be facing a slightly different problem. Killing that monster is
probably the main thing we have to do here.”
“I was thinking the same thing, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“It’s just a guess. Secondly, we also have the option of inding our way
out.”
“It could be our way out of this hellish dungeon, or there could be
another method that could get us all out. There are a few more things,
but I can’t remember them.”
This was just reasoning that anyone could easily formulate. Jung Jinho
and even Yoo Seokwoo might have been thinking of the same thing, so
there was little suspicion on who worded it irst.
“You really are thinking ahead, Kiyoung-ssi…” Yoo Seokwoo muttered.
He was also angry. He seemed to be thinking whether I had thrown the

ireball there on purpose, but I just laughed in my mind at that thought.
He wasn’t the only guy that wanted to kill me.
“Oh, these are just some of my thoughts…”
In fact, these were simple deductions.
As I continued walking, I couldn’t see the monsters anymore.
Of course, there were some others scattered around, but they weren’t of
the same level as the ones we were ighting before. We killed them as
quickly as possible because they could cause unforeseen problems, and
then we would have to face the same kind of battle again.
Most of our stamina had been drained, so we were moving very slowly.
We repeatedly had to stop to catch our breaths.
In the meantime, our magic powers were passively recovering, which

was a good thing for us.
There were occasions when Kim Hyunsung frowned, and Jung Hayan
kept staring at Kim Jaejoon, but fortunately, nothing big happened.
Particularly in the case of Hayan, whenever she saw me with my

swollen mouth, she got even more frustrated and angry. Sometimes she
would start crying all of a sudden and shake her head while muttering
to herself.
Park Deokgu appeared to be a bit affected whenever she cried

involuntarily.
Contrary to the rumors that I was ‘good’ with women, I didn’t seem to
have any idea on how to comfort Jung Hayan. This whole sequence of
events had been bizarre.
Then she bowed her head and whispered in a small voice. Her voice
was so low that I couldn’t hear it properly even after getting close to
her.
Thus, I tried to guess what she was saying…
It sounded like ‘I have to kill him’, but I didn’t let my expression show
that I had heard her. In the end, this would bene it me too.
“I will take revenge.”
I pretended as if I didn’t hear that either.
This could turn out better than I had originally anticipated.

CHAPTER 32
QUEST (5)
“What do you think is out there?”
“Well… whatever it is, it de initely won’t be more delicious than the

food you are eating here.”
“Wow…”
“Maybe Deok-gu wants something to eat.”
“Well…”
“…”
“…”
“It’s okay.”
The two who were talking to each other became strangely quiet. This
had become a regular occurrence now.
Jung Hayan was staring at me and couldn’t hold back her tears.
It wasn’t as passionate as the irst time, but every time I saw her tears
falling like that, I felt a little strange. Of course, the situation itself was
not that good.
It was because Kim Jae-joon and Jung Jin-ho kept looking at this side.
In order to ruin the atmosphere of the party even more, during various
conversations, Jung Hayan cried out in this way, and it was unavoidable
that the atmosphere became a little quiet. Someone would have thought
it was me who died, not Lee Ki-cheol.
In fact, it became a routine for Jung Hayan to stare at Kim Jae-joon.

Nobody could imagine how uncomfortable Kim Jae-joon was.
They were already in a position to stand on our side.
As Lee Ki-cheol suffered an unexpected accident, the balance of power

that had been maintained collapsed. Jung Jin-ho’s party actually seemed
to have given up trying to hunt us.
Jung Jin-ho might have decided that it would be better not to launch an
attack as long as there wasn’t any good opportunity to do so.
‘I would have done the same thing.’
Even if I was in Jung Jin-ho’s position, I would have completely canceled

the plan to kill Kim Hyun-sung’s party. This was why they were
sensitive to even the slightest con lict.
“I’m really sorry.”
“No, Mr. Jinho. That’s a little embarrassing. In fact, I am the one who
should apologize.”
He had been apologizing like this over and over again.
“I… I was just excited.”
“Of course you were excited. I also apologize again.”
I don’t know what the two had talked about, but whenever Jung Jin-ho
apologized, Kim Jae-joon also expressed his apology.
The problem was that, little by little, Jung Hayan was showing hostility.
“I, why did I do that, I’m sorry…”
More often than not, they talked about this among themselves as if it
was not for us to listen. I was not worried about them talking about
attacking us, as I could discern that much.
What humored me was Yoo Seok-woo’s reaction.
“…”
From the time I irst revealed that I was close to Jung Hayan, he seemed
to be in a bad mood. As expected, when Jung Hayan and I started to
hang around, he often showed signs of discomfort.
In particular, it seemed to him that Hayan had swollen eyes because she
had been crying for me. That was how much Jung Hayan was thinking
of me.
‘Yoo Seok-woo… ’
In the irst place, he was nothing more than a rapist for Jung Hayan.
In fact, even if he had only tried to do it once, it was still correct to say
that him being here was slightly absurd.
Considering what he had done before, it would not have been possible
for him to hang out with their group, but it seemed that Jung Jin-ho had
made a deal with him. That was also why he had got that job and gained
experience by sticking with them.
It was his deranged illusion if he thought that he could get my beloved

and get away with it, but as the plan had been canceled already, I
suf iced by sending him a hateful gaze.
In any case, this party was heading in a good direction with respect to
friendliness, at least super icially. It was the dream party that forgot old
disputes and did not ight.
All of this was an atmosphere created by Jung Jin-ho and Kim Jae-joon,
but unfortunately, I didn’t want to be so embarrassingly peace loving
like they were.
Kim Hyun-sung sometimes seemed to be thinking about something. I

hoped that it was something about how to dispose of Jung Jin-ho, as
they were the murderers who killed Park Hye-young. I thought it was
right for them to die here.
In fact, if you considered the reaction that Kim Hyun-sung showed

when he irst saw Jung Jin-ho, there was a big possibility of that.
Jung Jin-ho, Yoo Seok-woo, and Kim Jae-joon were still wearing
pretentious smiles.
Kim Hyun-sung, of course, looked as if he were about to go crazy. This

guy would probably be the irst one to attack.
At least for Park Deok-gu, Jung Hayan and I, he was looking for a cause
or good opportunity, as it was certain that he did not want to let the
other party know his true intentions.
No, that was certain.
A good opportunity to kill them, or a justi ication to attack, from Kim

Hyun-sung’s occasional frown, he seemed to be thinking about these
things.
‘Can I help him?’ Kim Hyun-sung was implicative of needing help.
We needed a situation where we had a total moral high ground and

could attack them.
For example…
‘I get attacked irst,’ What would they do then?
Perhaps that was an ideal situation.
The warriors of justice ighting against a group of cowardly criminals

who had attacked suddenly gave a pretty good feeling.
The problem was that Jung Jin-ho and his lackeys would not attack us.
However, considering that one was an angry bufoon and the other was
feeling jealous, it was not dif icult.
Maybe it was as easy as a yawn.
‘Provocation, after all, is my specialty.’
In particular, in the case of Yoo Seok-woo, there was a possibility that

Jung Jin-ho may behave unexpectedly as well, as he had just entered
Jung Jin-ho’s party. These thoughts went through my head in an instant.
First of all, it didn’t appear to be a bad idea to use Hayan to disturb

them. I didn’t have any other plans.
“Ah…”
This would be enough.
“Oppa…”
Hayan whispered in a small voice.
It seemed a little embarrassing, but I didn’t dare to move my hand. She

had been trembling just because I had put a hand on her waist.
Someone might think that I was walking with Hayan for support. The
only ones that felt the ambiguity of the hand’s position were Jung Hayan
and Yoo Seok-woo.
It was neither the waist, nor the pelvis, nor the buttocks. The reaction
came just by holding the boundary line between the sensitive areas.
‘Pop… ’
I could feel his anger from over here.
“Ah, Hayan. Sorry…”
“Okay, it’s okay. It’s a comfortable place… You can grab it…”
“Still…”
“It’s okay…”
The expression as if his beloved girlfriend was stolen looked horrible.
While Kim Hyun-sung, Jung Jin-ho, Park Deok-gu, and Kim Jae-joon
were talking about the dungeon, he was looking only at this side.
As I slightly lowered my hand, Jung Hayan bowed her head.
‘I like it so much… ’
This reaction was not expected, but on the contrary, Yoo Seok-woo had
a face that signaled he was close to blowing up.
We had eye contact for a second, and I did not forget to have a smile on
my face.
‘I dare you,’ that was what my face covertly expressed.

I did not have to settle with a verbal message. Actions and facial
expressions are sometimes a great means of communication.
“Thank you, Hayan. Isn’t it dif icult?”
“Ah! No. Compared to what my Oppa helped me with, this is nothing,”

Jung Hayan actually still wanted me to hold on to her.
I was holding onto her really smoothly, so it was not unreasonable for
her to have such a reaction.
It didn’t matter if Yoo Seok-woo was serious about Hayan in the irst
place or not. If he thought about my actions, I think he might have to get
serious, but…
‘Good.’
It was a seed that had been sown.
Besides this, there were also other things that were going on. Like
Hayan’s eyes or sweet voice, and the way that she was worried about
me right now. Of course, it didn’t sound sweet to me, but I knew that a
voice that seemed like it was covered in honey would crush his pained
heart even more.
‘Hold her hand.’
‘Pull her body close.’
‘Put your hands on her back or shoulders, and maintain moderate

tension.’
‘Let’s have a nice time.’
It was a method that triggered sexual tension.

The situation was such that Jung Hayan’s face had already turned red.
Nevertheless, the smile hanging from the corner of her mouth never
disappeared. I thought I had to stop because her breathing seemed to
be getting rougher…
I could not stop myself.
In the end, I asked her whether she was comfortable.
“Hayan, you look very dif icult… My, I…”
“…”
“Haha.”
The sound of laughter came out from my mouth unintentionally. This

was because I saw that Hayan completely ignoring Yoo Seok-woo.
You could see Yoo Seok-woo’s face turn red for a different reason than
that of Hayan.
Kim Hyun-sung, Jung Jin-ho, and Park Deok-gu looked back at the little
fuss that was happening behind them.
Park Deok-gu immediately opened his mouth when he saw Jung Hayan
breathing out a little harshly.
“Oh, my sister, are you hurt?”
“No, Hayan. Actually, I am not hurt that much…”
“Ah! No! I… I will help you…”
“Well, it seems like my sister wants to be with her older brother… If it

gets hard, you have to tell me.”
“Yeah.”
Park Deok-gu intervened at a pretty good timing. He was indirectly

letting me know that Jung Hayan wanted it. Not that I wanted that,
either.
As I put my hand on Hayan’s waist and looked back, I met Yoo Seok-
woo’s eyes again.
Seeing my smile, it must be dif icult for him to hold back.
“So sweet.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s nothing, Hayan.”
“Okay…”
You could see the guy shaking slightly.
He should have behaved quite naturally if he had been a person that

had good self-control in the irst place, but then he would not have done
what he did in the shelter.
If Jung Jin-ho was alone, this would have been more dif icult.
Seeing that he was holding his sword tightly, he seemed to want to poke
me with his sword right now, but for the moment, I wanted to
compliment him for his patience. I didn’t know if the stimulus was a bit
lacking or if he was waiting for an opportunity, maybe it was both.
It was when I looked back and grabbed Hayan’s waist once more that
something happened.
“Kie-e-e-e-ee!”
“Prepare for battle.”
Good opportunities come with good timing.
I lifted the spear with a weak expression, and Hayan also got away for a
while and began to prepare a spell.
Park Deok-gu, Jung Jin-ho, and Kim Hyun-sung were focusing their eyes
on the front.
“Fuhhhhh…”
I began to mutter quietly in a voice that could only be heard by him,

“You are envious, right?”
“What…”
“She was really soft. Our Hayan,” the corners of my mouth could not
stop from forming a smile on my mouth
“There are ive of them. Prepare for battle as soon as possible!”
“You bastard!”
He suddenly lifted his sword.
I was wondering if I should run because I could see the blade coming
towards me directly…
‘It’s better to get hit,’ I knew I could endure it.
As Jung Hayan had the healing ring, I would be able to easily recover
from the wounds I would receive. I began to feel a creepy sensation
along with a rumbling sound.
Then came the pain that was incomparable to being hit in the face. A
scream erupted from my mouth, unknowingly, because of the searing
pain that burned through my body.
It was no wonder that everyone’s eyes were focused here in an instant.
Jung Jin-ho and Kim Jae-joon look like they could not speak. However,
they could understand that something had happened.
Yoo Seok-woo had stabbed me.
I was worried that Jung Jin-ho would treat Yoo Seok-woo as a madman
and throw him away to keep being friendly…
Then I realized that my worries were useless due to his shouts.
“I… I! I did it! Jinho-ssi!! Jaejoon-ssi!! I’ve done it!”
Of the cards, Jung Jin-ho had, at least one was this idiot.
CHAPTER 33
ENEMY (1)
From the point of view of Jung Jin-ho, it seemed like a moron had been
released from jail.
“No, what bullshit… what are you doing?! Seok-woo!”
“I did it! The dog, motherfucker! I stabbed him! Brother!”
“This crazy bastard!”
The place erupted into chaos.
Jung Jin-ho immediately pulled out his sword. Of course, I thought it

wasn’t for the intention to attack us.
‘He’s trying to kill him.’
He seemed to be trying to correct this situation by killing Yoo Seok-woo.
It was as if he would kill him to shut his mouth, and then clear up the
situation later. Right now, that was the only thing Jung Jin-ho could
choose.
It was clear that he did not want to ight with our team in a place like
this.
If it was Kim Hyun-sung or Park Deok-gu that was stabbed by the

sword, there might have been a chance, but unfortunately, the weakest,
Lee Ki-young, was the one who had gotten hurt.
‘You can’t kill him.’
When I looked at Kim Hyun-Sung instinctively, I could see that he was

also moving quickly.
Jung Jin-ho’s lackey Kim Jae-Joon, who seemed to have a remarkably

inferior ability to grasp the situation, started running towards our side
with a dagger. He thought that Jung Jin-ho running out was a signal of
battle.
“This beggar trash! You killed him! You killed Ki-cheol!”
Of course, I killed Lee Ki-Cheol.
Even so, I couldn’t imagine that he would actually leave Deokgu next to
him and run over here to me.
It seemed that I had become the of icial celebrity of this party during
this attack. I, who should have been safely protected from the rear,
quickly became the main tank.
What was unexpected was that Park Deok-gu’s ability to judge the
situation was a little slow.
At least I thought he would block the second attack, but he couldn’t

prevent Kim Jae-Joon from rushing to my side with his dagger raised.
‘Damn.’
The dagger fell at my back as I crouched re lexively. It seemed as if he

was precisely aiming at my neck.
‘Hurts!’
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
It was too painful. Park Deok-gu came to his senses right after the
second attack fell. As well as pushing him with his large shield, he
began to block me with a pale, stiff face.
Yoo Seok-woo in the back looked a little bit stunned by the sudden
situation. He held the dagger he had used to stab me and was shaking
relentlessly.
He was also not used to stabbing someone. Of course, Jung Jin-ho and
Kim Hyun-sung were more important than this fearful trash.
“Is this just a misunderstanding…?” the two’s swords collided before

the voice came out.
‘Done.’
Bang! As soon as I heard the sound, the sight of Jung Jin-ho being blown
far away could be seen.
The battle had already begun. The goal was achieved, and the two were
put against each other.
All that remained was to correct this situation.
I wanted to ask for a quick treatment, but the problem was that I
couldn’t speak.
There was no voice other than screaming that came out due to pain I
felt for the irst time in my life. When I thought I would hear the Healing
magic from Hayan, I actually heard a scream of rage from Hayan’s side.
“I hate you!”
‘Hurt… ’
“These guys!! Hyung-ssi!”

“I hate you! I hate you!!”
I quite honestly hoped she would heal me instead of screaming. The

situation was so urgent, and I couldn’t get up, either.
Monsters were running in from the front of them, and Jung Jin-ho and
Kim Hyun-sung were ighting with their swords.
It seemed that Park Deok-gu had not yet been able to ind out whether
he should block the front or the back where Yoo Seok-woo was, but he
was trying to protect himself as much as possible.
“Oppa! Oppa!”
“He’s not dead yet…”
“Sister! Ring! Ring! Use the ring quickly! The ring!”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Oppa! Oppa! Oppa!”
“Calm down and use the ring!”
“Ah!”
I expected Jung Hayan to panic, but things were a little more serious
than I had thought.
Only after Park Deok-gu held Jung Hayan’s hand tightly did she
remember what she was capable of doing, “Oh… the cure!”
The light came pouring down on me. My body didn’t recover in an

instant, but a strangely pleasing light was surely healing my wounds.
The pain was still there. However, there was no sensation of tingling
and bleeding from the wound.
‘I almost died.’
If it was a little later, I would have bled to death right then and there.
“Oppa… Oppa… Oppa.”
“Brother, brother!”
“I’m ine… Ah,” with a slightly trembling body, I look around again.
Kim Hyun-sung and Jung Jin-ho were ighting without a word. Whoever
saw it, would know that Kim Hyun-sung was stronger.
Of course, you couldn’t hear his curses.
Eventually, our main villain abandoned Yoo Seok-woo, and Kim Jae-Joon
turned his back and ran to leave this place.
Kim Hyun-sung, who looked this way for a while, nodded and spoke
urgently.
“Deok-gu! Please look after Hayan and Kiyoung-ssi. I’m going after Jung
Jinho.”
“Okay, I see!” he had judged that we would have the ability to organize
the situation.
As he was quite fast, he disappeared from our view in an instant.
Kim Jae-Joon also seemed to be trying to get out of the place

immediately as if he understood that the situation was twisted, but that
guy also did not take Yoo Seok-woo with him.
In this situation, Park Deok-gu could stop the monsters.
“These guys!”
Once again, I could see Yoo Seok-woo swinging his sword. Of course, it
didn’t hit me this time because Park Deok-gu struck him with a shield.
Puck!
Yoo Seok-woo’s body loated through the air and was hit against a wall,
but at the same time, monsters rushed to the place.
“Magic Shield!”
The second insurance prepared by Kim Hyun-sung blocked their path.
At the same time, I was memorizing spells in that instant.
Kim Jae-Joon and Jung Jin-ho had already disappeared from view, but
Kim Hyun-Sung could not catch both.
“Hyung-ssi, Hyung-ssi sister is gone…”
Jung Hayan had gone to catch Kim Jae-Joon.
“Don’t worry, Deok-gu. First, take care of the monsters in front of us and
follow her immediately. I know where she went.”
“I’m glad then…”
I didn’t see when and how she disappeared.
She prepared a new spell and just followed Kim Jae-Joon.
I didn’t know if she’ll be able to catch up to the guy with high agility, but
seeing that she’s was rushing without any sense of direction, she’ll
probably come back after solving her problems.
Park Deok-gu’s face was also illed with tears, perhaps because he
encountered an unexpected situation. I looked at him and spoke as it
seemed to be quite shocking to see me bleeding.
“Don’t cry, Piglet.”
“Who, who cried?”
Thanks to the guy’s pushing, the dagger got stuck in my body once
more, but it wasn’t that bad.
***
‘Shit.’
It was hard to understand what was going on and why.
‘Yoo Seok-woo is a stupid guy. He is trash.’
There was no hope for him.
No, actually, Yoo Seok-woo wasn’t alone in that. The same could go for
myself, who accepted Jung Jin-ho’s sword as an attack signal and put a
dagger in that other trash.
I thought it should have been the right thing.
Lee Ki-Cheol was a friend of his who had moved together with him for a
long time. He could not control himself because Kiyoung had killed his
friend.
‘I knew the plan was canceled… ’
Yet it was all because of that guy who showed a smile while saying
sorry. I knew I had to restrain myself, but I couldn’t help it.
That expression… that expression was the problem.

That expression that seemed to laugh.
That openly provocative look.
The problem was how this guy regarded me. He seemed to look down
on me from the inside. Still, I left that guy stabbed and helpless.
Even in that situation, the moment I saw the expression of that guy
watching the situation with a strangely pleasant expression, I couldn’t
keep my reason.
Jung Jin-ho, that motherfucker was also a problem.
In the irst place, I thought I had no friendship with him, but I didn’t
think that he would throw me away as if I were not important at all.
‘I do not care.’
But that didn’t matter anymore.
Anyway, I was with him because I needed him. I used him as much as he
used me. It was a simple story.
‘First.’
First off, I need to get out of here.
Jung Jin-ho had just decided that there was no opportunity in this
situation. As the path was fresh, I could fully follow the path that Jung
Jin-ho used to run away.
Even now, the traces of him running away were clearly visible. After
following Jung Jin-ho, I had to deal with Kim Hyun-sung. This time
everything was a lot clearer.
Lee Ki-young will not be relieved without tearing and killing the
motherfucker.
It was just at that time when I tried to move as fast as possible while
carrying a bow and arrow, that I noticed something.
‘What?’
It was different from the path I memorized. This was certainly not the
way I knew.
This was the irst time this happened since I changed my job as an
archer.
I was wondering if there was something wrong with the dungeon itself,
but it was certainly not the case. The traces of Jung Jin-ho and Kim
Hyun-sung also felt odd.
“What…”
When I looked around a little, I felt a harsh and sudden wind blowing
from an unknown direction.
“Huh?”
It was after some time that I felt that one of my legs had been cut off.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!!”
‘What… What is this… what!’
I could not make a good judgment. It did not take long for my other leg
to get cut off.
You were the most afraid when you didn’t know what attacked you.
After the wind blew again, a hand was cut off.
“What! What… Ahhhhhhhhh!”
What came to my mind was magic. As I looked around desperately once

again, a woman appeared from the dark, dimly in my sight.
I thought it was the irst time I saw her, but it was de initely not the irst
time.
‘Hayan?’
She had a reddened expression.
‘So snowy… ’
Her eyes were weird. Her hair was scattered, and her clothes were
messed up. You could see she was wiping the lowing tears with her
hands.
“I hurt you… I won’t apologize.”
“What…”
“I can never forgive this… dummy! I have to kill them all. I have to kill all
humans who harm my Oppa.”
“What bullshit… Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“You shut up! And I mean it, shut up! This… This… Fool! How painful it
must have been for my Oppa… How painful it must have been! Even
when he was irst hit… It must have been painful!”
I was quick to igure out the situation. This woman in front of me was
not normal.
‘Fuck… Fuck… ’
It was in an instant that I realized I was wrong.
Although she seemed to be weirdly obsessed with the motherfucker, I

couldn’t even imagine she would be this crazy a bitch. I could hear a
spell being prepared.
No wonder my body irst sensed the ominousness.
I wanted to get out of this situation by crawling somehow, but there

was no way I would get out. This place was too wide to crawl and
escape.
I could feel the woman’s arms grabbing my hair and lifting my face.
“Sorry, I don’t have time, so I’m so sorry to have to inish it quickly. My

Oppa… I have to return as my Oppa has already suffered dozens of
times… I can’t do anything more…”
“Help me… I… I just did what he told me to do.”
“I don’t believe liars… Air bomb.”
What was held in her right hand was magic I had already seen before.
The magic that made several monsters turn into lifeless corpses.
Unlike the time when it was the size of human heads, what I saw this
time was very small.
When I couldn’t understand what she was doing, I heard the crazy
woman’s voice once again.
“Open your mouth.”
“What… What…”
“Ah… Do it. Dang, you should feel the same way. You should feel how
much pain my Oppa felt.”
I stubbornly closed my mouth. If something like that came inside…
However, the crazy bitch forcibly opened my mouth with her hand and
eventually put the small bomb inside. I couldn’t get used to the feeling
of a foreign substance as it entered.
The cold sweat continued to low, and my body was trembling.
That was when the brain-shaking explosion was heard before I could
even begin to imagine what was happening.
Bang!
“Ahhh ae ae ae!”
Fragments of teeth burst along with the mouth – the tongue, throat, and
cheeks. It was hard to understand what happened, but one thing was
certain: the pain seemed to melt my brain.
“Is it painful? You are hurt too. But why… you did it to him!”
‘Mad girl… Crazy bitch… Crazy bitch…”
“You splattered blood on me, idiot.”
“I am alive… Ahh…”
Even her appearance of tidying up was grotesque.

She carefully tidied up the sporadic hair and wiped the blood splattered
on her face with her sleeves.
“Because we have to inish it quickly… This is the last one. You can’t do
that next time.”
‘Please don’t do this.’
‘Please, it reminds me of hell.’
The words weren’t properly spoken out of fear, but my consciousness

was getting blurred.
When I thought I would be able to live somehow, a voice that was my

last, resounded.
“Ah… I’m dead.”

CHAPTER 34
ENEMY (2)
“Don’t cry, you pig.”
“Who, who cried?”
Thanks to the pushing, the dagger got stuck in my body once more, but
it wasn’t that bad. However, it was undeniable that I almost died.
When I thought about it, it was even more absurd, ‘I almost died.’
According to my thinking, Park Deok-gu should have stopped Kim Jae-

Joon before the second attack, and Jung Hayan should have put magic
into the healing ring before screaming.
I could only say that I was lucky. Because I shed so much blood, my
mind had blurred.
It was also when I realized that even the smallest elements of my

calculations could be ruined, and I realized that I shouldn’t gamble at
will.
‘I should gamble only when necessary… ’
I realized that I had to prepare more thoroughly before throwing the

dice. It was unfortunate, but it couldn’t be helped. After all, it was
normal to panic in a sudden situation.
One could suggest that it was a natural reaction for innocent Park Deok-
gu or Hayan to have this appearance.
Maybe I should be grateful that it was over.
This was still a tutorial, and if we compared it to the game, we would

still be beginners. Perhaps time will solve the problem of Hayan and
Park Deok-gu.
“Brother, I…”
“I think I can just hold off Yoo Seok-woo.”
“No… Will you be okay?”
He simply nodded.
A very rare item, the magic shield ring, protected me.
Those who were visible with the mind’s eye had no power to penetrate
the magic of this magic shield.
Suddenly, I was grateful to Kim Hyun-Sung. The item’s effect was better
than I thought.
‘Magic shield.’
“Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee
I saw monsters constantly tapping on the translucent membrane, but I

didn’t feel scared. In the meantime, I started to prepare more spells.
“Lord, I pray, listen to my voice, answer, burn my enemies, give me

strength…”
“…”
“Fireball.”
My head was a little dizzy. This situation was probably because of my
low magic power, but probably also because I had bled and lost a lot of
blood.
The wound was healed, but the damage remained.
When I recited the spell, a large ireball appeared in front of my eyes,

dismantled the shield of magic, and reached outside.
Bang!
It was a perfect direct hit, but Park Deok-gu positioned himself in front
of me, wondering if there were any survivors.
Simply put, I had created destruction.
“What…”
“Hyung-ssi, is your body okay?”
“It’s okay.”
I was a little dizzy, but it was no problem. Rather, it felt very refreshing.
It was almost because I died and came back to life, and things were
currently running pretty well.
Kim Hyun-sung will kill Jung Jin-ho, and Kim Jae-Joon will be held onto
by Hayan, having a happy time.
What mattered was Yoo Seok-woo.
It didn’t mean that they were free and had nothing else to do. However,
it was natural that the complete problem should be solved.
Park Deok-gu tied that guy up and held him down.

That would have been a poor leash, but it was better than none. No, in
the irst place, he couldn’t break such a leash with the strength he had
now.
“Let me go! What do you want to do?”
Yoo Seok-woo had started to resist the moment he came to his senses,
but there was no hope for him. He was struggling while lying on the
loor, and Park Deok-gu was holding him down with sheer force.
“Bitch!”
“You, Lee Ki-young, you little mouse! Can’t you release me right now!?”
“Bitch.”
“The others will come here. Kim Hyun-sung is going to come right here
after getting rid of that motherfucker, and stick a knife in your throat.
You guys want to be saved? Dream on.”
He was talking willingly, but he couldn’t even say anything else because
he was overwhelmed. The world of delusions in his brain was deeper
than I thought.
“Haha.”
“Are you smiling? Is this funny? Do you think you can keep laughing like
that? Lee Ki-young! And the pig next to him… I can’t forgive that Hayan
also. Never! I will make you regret it every day…”
“What?”
“This…”
“I can’t hear you well?”

It’s no wonder that he was so mad. As I gently brought my hand to my
ear, putting my face out, and raised his mouth, the face of the guy biting
with anger was visible.
“This… Lee Ki-young, this trash!”
It is always fun to see such excitement.
“You must be pretty con ident.”
“What…”
“The older brothers you love seem to have abandoned you and run
away from everyone.”
“What?”
“Have you even heard from Jung Jin-ho? From the time Lee Ki-cheol
died, the plan was canceled here… No, it was that they were getting
friendly instead.”
“What?”
A face of embarrassment entered my line of vision. It seemed that he

did not know it.
This was the scene that I wanted to see.
I wouldn’t be able to know this without my ‘Mind’s Eye,’ or Kim Hyun-

sung’s reaction.
I would have thought, ‘You just have to be a little careful moving with a
bad group.’
I was not very interested in whether I was right or wrong. Looking at

his expression, it seemed to have been correct to some extent, but that
didn’t matter now.
Of course, there was no reason to explain the situation to him.
“What… What are you talking about?”
“Bitch.”
I kept laughing. This was so much fun. The way this stupid guy moved
reminded me of a doll or a shogi horse.
It was fortunate that Jung Jin-ho just thought of him as insurance.
“What is it like?”
I did not necessarily explain. Instead, I pleasantly smiled, ‘If you’re not
stupid, you’ll know.’
However, Yoo Seok-woo just kept staring up at me blankly. Maybe he

really was stupid.
Since I irst suggested attacking the dungeon… The magic used for
blocking the monster wave for the irst time, the death of Lee Ki-Cheol,
was indeed a little absurd.
He may even be realizing that everything was a well-crafted play, even

when he had provoked on purpose. The stupid guy was now guessing
why I was openly iddling with Hayan.
There was no reason to just laugh at him and have a good time with
Hayan. Everything was a petty trap set for himself.
He probably won’t even believe he had already taken the bait.

No matter how poorly humans controlled their minds, he really was
such an anomaly.
Park Deok-gu looked at me with a startled expression, but he didn’t

necessarily give or ask another explanation. This was because the face
of the guy who wanted nothing more than to kill me was still in sight.
“This… Lee Ki-young, this trash! You’re crap!”
It was laughable that he was waiting for his brothers.
Jung Jin-ho decided that his power was insuf icient, so he recruited Yoo
Seok-woo and came down to the dungeon to create a variable.
In conclusion, he was nothing more than that.
It was so natural that you could tell even if you thought about it a little
coolly. Yoo Seok-woo must also have realized that he made a mistake.
“This… this!”
“Thank you, Seokwoo. I am grateful to you.”
I wasn’t scared because his hands and feet were already tied up, but I
frowned at the ickle, unbecoming scene.
“I’ll kill you! I will kill you!”
“I can say the same.”
To kill or not, I held the reigns.
“What?”
“I am not a good person. Of course, I am a little reluctant to kill people.

But… seeing that I entered a place like this, I think I need to experience
it at least once. You hear me? Experience.”
“That…”
“Although I like to leave it to others… I can’t borrow someone else’s

hand forever, and it’s better to share the original sin.”
“This… this… You are crazy…”
“You are the same. Even if things were a little more twisted, I would
have been lying here. Maybe it would be Hayan or Deok-gu.”
I slightly lifted the spear he held in his hand.
“Hyung-ssi,” A little embarrassing voice rang out.
Of course, I had never committed a murder before.
Park Deok-gu seemed to be asking if I could do it. Maybe if he held me

back, I would have quit here. It was not that easy to do this.
Of course, the hand with the spear trembled. It was because I felt afraid
to kill a human. On one hand, I already made up my mind, but it was
quite dif icult to implement.
I was different from Hayan, whose personality was a little twisted, or

Kim Hyun-sung, who had killed countless numbers of people.
To be honest, I was still a little reluctant.
Nevertheless…
‘Natural Selection.’
I thought it was most reasonable to experience it here anyway.

“Ah, save me.”
“Sorry.”
The hand holding the spear stopped trembling.
“If you don’t want to see it, close your eyes, Deok-gu.”
I didn’t look at Park Deok-gu’s expression. I thought that he would have

closed his eyes.
“Ah… Save me!”
In that instant, the spear pierced through his throat. The unpleasant
feeling that went through my hands made my body tremble all over.
“Kek… Keck…”
Yoo Seok-woo struggling to speak; nevertheless, his status entered my

line of vision. I wanted to turn my head, but I know I couldn’t deny it.
I pulled the trigger, the bullet I ired.
My arms and legs continued to tremble.
It was not the irst time I’ve ever seen a person die, but it’s the irst time
I’ve ever done it myself.
‘I can think of it as the same as Park Hye-young.’
It was true that I killed him too.
No, as a matter of fact, I did kill him. The woman I saw at the start point
too, may have been killed by me. I chose to turn away from her when
she needed help.
There was no need or reason to panic now. I just had to accept the
situation as calmly as I did then. It was necessary because it could not
be helped.
It was not easy to see a life silently die, but…
“Lord…”
“Kek… lesh… Ryeo…”
“Sorry.”
His face was distorted with pain. The damned guy kept trying to speak,
and the blood spitting out wasn’t visually pleasing at all.
As time passed, his face became more comfortable.
“Flesh… Ryeo… Um… hemp…”
Eventually, the guy who had looked this way became quiet, and silence
began to reign over the place.
“If I can do it… You can do better,” these were the same lines spoken
when I irst hunted with Park Deok-gu and caught a monster.
Unlike the irst time, there was no answer in this situation. Instead, a
slightly erratic voice came. From Park Deok-gu’s point of view, now was
a good time to speak up and divert my attention.
“Hyung-ssi…”
“…”
“Was he Christian?”
An embarrassing question that doesn’t suit the situation; I laughed and
said what I thought.
“There is no such thing as God.”
[A new job has been opened. Please choose the job you think you need.]
“What…? It cannot be.”
Something like this suddenly popping up…
It can’t be.
CHAPTER 35
A NEW JOB HAS BEEN
OPENED (1)
I thought it was a bit of an unexpected timing, but it was not that

strange since I managed to accumulate a lot of experience points so far.
Since I got my irst job, I hung around with Kim Hyunsung and dealt
with monsters most of the time, and even after entering this place, I had
been hitting them without stopping.
Personally, I thought my progress was a little slow.
I found it ridiculous that after killing Yoo Seok-woo, a new job had
presented itself to me.
‘Even if you kill humans… ’
Experience increases.
Maybe it wasn’t just that.
There was a high probability that all actions had experience points
within them.
There were mostly quantifying contributions and last-minute hits. Of

course, it was dif icult to obtain valid data, but I had seen stats rise even
for personnel in the shelter.
I thought about taking various directions for magic to boost my
intelligence, and even going so far as to use magic-boosting magic.
However, all stats, such as stamina and agility, would continue to stay
the same.
I thought maybe this job would be similar.
[A new job has been opened. Please choose the job you think you need.]
[View open jobs.]
[Summoner-Rare Grade]
[Magician-Rare Grade]
[Warlock-Rare Grade]
[Alchemist-Rare Level]
[Flame Wizard-Rare Grade]
‘There are so many options.’
I was a little worried about what to do if there was a scammer job, but
there wasn’t. Rather, I felt very fortunate. I feel like giving points for all
rare classes that presented themselves to me.
I didn’t take a closer look, but it seemed like no job seemed remotely
bad.
Above all, I was most fortunate to have no commander class.
Of course, this may not be the case, but I was worried that Park Deokgu,
who found out about my former job information, would become the
commander’s parrot once again. I didn’t say anything, but I thought
about it for about three times thanks to Park Deokgu’s words, who
made it seem surprisingly appealing at that time.
In fact, I still wondered what it would have been like if I chose to be

commander. However, I was also a little grateful that I was now
completely out of the commander’s grip.
I couldn’t see the status window continuously, so I had to focus in order

to take a quick look at it.
As I glanced at the status window, various information poured out.
[Summoner-Rare Grade]
[Summoner is not a job to go ahead and ight. It is a group of

professions that ight using summoned ministries or spirits or
exchange contracts. After that, you can change jobs to summoner-
related jobs such as Tamer, Elementalist, and Summoner. Health will
increase by 1, intelligence by 1, and magic by 2.]
‘Not bad.’
I found myself liking what the Summoner had to offer. The idea of
having a spirit ight on my behalf sounded like a great insurance.
I didn’t know if I had the talent or af inity that usually came out in
novels or games, but seeing that a summoner came out as a job, I
thought it would it my disposition well.
[Magician-Rare Grade]
[This is a medium-range job that uses magic and spears at the same
time. Magician, who holds the center of the battle ield, uses magic and
spear at the same time to directly in luence both large and small
battles. Gain intermediate knowledge of spears and magic. The
occupational groups in which you can change jobs in the future are
unknown. Agility will increase by 2, magic will increase by 2.]
[Warlock-Rare Grade]
[This is a ranged job that can use black magic. Black magic is a new
level of magic that completely overturns the existing magic’s common
sense. Because of the concept of borrowing power from the devil, some
religious groups feel strong resistance to black magic, but their
destructive power is overwhelmingly higher than that of other
professions. Learn basic black magic. Magic will increase by 4.]
I would de initely pass up on the Magician.
The more I go up, the less I can do. If you swing a spear with weak
strength or agility, it wouldn’t be ef icient.
However, I felt differently for the Warlock. It was also true that the
magic stat of +4 can be coveted and could overturn the existing magical
common sense.
“Hmm.”
However, I was a little worried about making people feel the backlash
from religious groups.
If the place I’d go to after the tutorial was a fantasy world based on the
Middle Ages, maybe a crazy religious group would form a mob and
chase after me.
The safest thing for me to be in such a situation is, after all, a

speci ication.
[Alchemist-Rare Level]
[Alchemist is a profession that basically studies and studies magic
chemistry. They are always looking for new directions and
developments in magic, magic, and magic. Homunculus Alchemy
knowledge and basic knowledge of alchemy are acquired. After that,
you can change your job as a drug manufacturer, alchemy wizard, or
homunculus expert. Intellect will increase by 2 and magic by 2.]
[Fire Wizard-Rare Grade]
[Among all types of property wizards, the lame wizard’s destructive

power is second to none. This is a long-range job that supports allies
with strong irepower. Although it consumes a lot of magic, its
irepower is beyond imagination. It will surprise enemies and allies
alike. After that, you can change your job as an explosion wizard or
bomb magic expert. Magic will increase by 5.]
Of course, lame magic experts passed unconditionally.
There was no room to think about it. The fact that it boosted magic by 5
already earned it points, and the words of irepower beyond
imagination also attracted attention.
It could be used well once or twice, and the shortcomings were obvious,
but somehow it felt like it wasn’t bad all in all.
‘Alchemist?’
In fact, even the alchemist doesn’t look so bad.
In the irst place, it can be said that it suited me best with high
intelligence compared to magic.
Although my combat ability seemed to be a bit inferior to other

occupations, occupations like homunculus expert, alchemy magic, and
some suspicious drug maker seemed to be able to ill my lack of magic.
One thing that can de initely be excluded is Magician. All other jobs had
their own strengths and weaknesses. I thought it would be a little
easier than the irst choice, so I felt stupid.
The choice now was far more important than when I had to choose
before. One could even compare it to choosing one’s major in college!
My head hurt at the thought that this one choice might determine my
position moving forward. Of course, it was not urgent, so we could wait
a bit more. But among the numerous majors, worries began to emerge.
That was when I heard a voice right next to me.
“Hyung?”
“Ah. I’m sorry, Deokgu. I have to go looking for something irst.”
“Did you get a new job?”
“Huh. Yes, although it’s a little sudden. It seems that even if you kill the
same human, your experience will increase.”
“No…” I saw Park Deokgu struggling with his words.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be shocked. I was worried if he began to

think of something else, but fortunately, it didn’t seem like that.
Until now, I used to call him a muscle-brain, but now I had second
doubts about that.
Of course, they didn’t narrow in on him, but on me as well. I had been

trying my best, but today’s memories would probably be unforgettable.
Deokgu also decided to accept the situation. He opened his mouth again
in an attempt to sti le the suffocating silence.
“I don’t know whether Hyung Kim Hyunsung is safe.”
“Of course they will be safe. For Kim Hyunsung, of course, I can say that
much.”
“How can you be so sure? Is it because of that magical power?”
“Similar. It’s harder to detect as the distance increases, but maybe you
can understand to some extent if you also have magical power.”
Of course, it didn’t mean that they were automatically safe by magical

detection. If you were to think about their specs and tendencies, then
the answer would come.
One was a returner, and the other was a genius wizard and a monster. I
was already quite sure they were inished with their work and were
coming this way.
As expected, I took a little step. I could see a familiar igure.
As soon as we had a closer look at her, I admitted it was a little cute to

see her running with her big eyes open, but it wasn’t that nice to see the
blood on her sleeves.
“Oppa… oppa! Oppa! Oppa!”
Her usual act of running up to me and hugging me tightly felt a little

more intense than usual. The fact that she had the energy to worry this
much about me made me feel a little better.
“Where were you injured? Are you sick? Are you okay now? Ugh… Yoo
Seok-woo… That… How does that person even…?”
“He’s dead.”
“Ah, ah, ah. That’s fortunate.”

I didn’t think Hayan would be shocked, but it felt a little disconcerting
to see her accept this fact so calmly.
I didn’t know if it was an illusion or not, but I daresay there was a hint
of regret.
Rather than asking why she was looking closely at the scene came from,
all the while sweeping dust off of her clothes.
“Sister, where did you go?”
“Ah… That… Without knowing…” Quite frankly, this conversation

sounded dumb at the moment.
I didn’t bother trying to contribute to it at the moment.
For now, I was trying my hardest not to be reminded of what I had

done.
However, it felt quite rude not to give acknowledgment to what I had

noticed. With a face that sported my embarrassment, I thought that I
should speak again, and opened my mouth,
“You went to help Hyunsung, right?”
“No, oppa. That… it’s not like that. I’m not very interested… I just…”
“Huh?”
“I’m not worried about Mr. Hyunsung.”
You are reacting more obviously than you would want to think.
It seemed like she hated to be misunderstood about her true intentions,

but of course, I did not bother asking further.
“I’m just… So angry…”
“Ah…”
“I just felt so angry with that person… I did it without knowing it.”
In fact, it was Yoo Seok-woo who put the sword in the ship irst, but
Jung Hayan did not see the scene properly. It was even more impressive
to see the guy who hit me with a ist or put a dagger on his back, dare to
try it again.
Tears started to build up in my eyes once again as I remembered the

memories back then.
Recognizing my expression for what it was, Park Deokgu looked at me

with a very embarrassed expression. It didn’t look very suitable for a
Gangwon-do Casanova. I could see his line of thought clear as day.
‘He’s still trying to play love doctor at this stage…?’
“No, no. no. I guess you know what you’re talking about, sister. In fact, I
also wanted to run out right now… hyung, do that, but how can you…”
“Hm. That’s too… I keep thinking about it…”
“Sister, everything is ine now, so don’t cry, don’t cry. Now that it’s all
over… You and your hyung are both okay, can’t you see?”
“Wow…”
“Gosh… Hyung! How can you… My eyes were swollen already… How is
this…”
When I saw the guy gently looking at this side and asking for comfort, I
couldn’t help but laugh. It felt like the pounding in my head had slowly
begun to clear.
In the end, I could see my shoulders shake as I hugged the girl slightly
according to her wish.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Oppa…”
I didn’t know what she was sorry for, but I continued to pat her back.
“It’s okay.”
“I’m sorry, Oppa!”
“It’s ine.”
Rather, I should have responded with a thank you. This feeling felt
warm to the touch.
I feel a little better when I was dirty.
It was when I looked at Park Deokgu slightly while comforting Hayan

did I see the guy sporting a strange smile.
‘That pig… ’
No matter how much I thought about it, it was ridiculous. Of course,

Jung Hayan had calmed down, and he started smiling in response.
Of course, it was not the warm smile that came from seeing me with
Hayan.
‘Is it a scheme…?’
This ominous feeling was similar to how I felt when I faced Yoo Seok-
woo.
‘That… ’
“It’s a very good pair, sister.”
Gangwon-do loved doctor Park Deokgu.
I had to do something to try and see if my hunch was true or false.

CHAPTER 36
A NEW JOB HAS BEEN
OPENED (2)
The smiling face of Park Deokgu seemed very transparent to me. I

roughly knew what he was thinking.
He seemed to think that I now felt a lot more refreshed. I believe his
intention was to distract me with an entirely different set of feelings,
this time, romantic. However, this was not a good thing for me.
Because his solution came in the form of a trembling girl in my arms.
“Oppa…”
During the time I’ve known Park Deokgu, I could tell that he hardly
thought about himself. He would soon rather focus on the welfare of
others than even his own body odor.
Perhaps if Kim Hyunsung had not arrived in time, he would not have
been doing that for hours.
“You are here.”
He came a little later than I originally thought. In fact, I expected him to

arrive earlier than Hayan.
He looked relieved to see us all in one piece. However, the battle with
Jung Jin-ho wasn’t as easy as it looked, what with his clothes being
slightly burned, as well as the small stab mark on his cheek.
Kim Hyunsung had the specs that could warrant him being called a
monster, but Jung Jin-ho was also not far from him.
‘Monsters.’
However, it was probably one-sided. No matter how long Jung Jin-ho

lew, the difference between their basic stats and experience was clear.
Only the variables in magic could have made a difference.
Looking at Hyunsung’s expression, it seemed that Jung Jin-ho was no

longer alive.
“The others…” he trailed off. This was a slightly sensitive question.
Before Hayan could open her mouth to speak, I hurried to talk.
“I killed them.”
“Ah.”
Of course, I wasn’t going to accuse Jung Hayan of being a murderer

here. It was a cleaner choice to admit to even her kills at this point than
have her wallow in regret for what she did.
Kim Hyunsung was a guy who had a tendency to be a bona ide

mediator, but he knew better than me that he shouldn’t keep these
people alive.
“Jung Jin-ho…”
At my slight prodding, he nodded without saying anything.
Park Deokgu’s expression was a little gloomy, and I was sure my and
Hayan’s faces would have sported similar expressions.
The whole party felt a little daunting overall.
Of course, in the case of Jung Hayan, it was a little different, but it was
natural to assume that she’d be depressed by the shock of her irst
murder.
Eventually, Kim Hyunsung nodded and opened his mouth, “It was
necessary.”
This trusted party leader had begun to take care of his colleagues’
mentality.
“I know…”
“I seemed to have been aiming for this from the beginning. It is not
known how they took over Seok-woo, but it seems that Seok-woo also
joined their plan in the middle of it. Perhaps if we were successfully
targeted, those in the shelter would not have been safe either.”
“…”
“It may be dif icult, but I want you to know that you did the right thing.”
“Well…”
“You did the right thing. Maybe this will become more frequent in the
future. This place we are in is just a tutorial and it might be harsher
outside. It must have been dif icult, but no one will criticize this
decision. Not only now, but also in the future. I don’t know if this
comforts you, but… I hope you overcome it.”
“Thank you.”
“What… Thank you as well.”
It was a great speech in its own way. In fact, Kim Hyunsung was correct.
None of us ever did anything wrong.
If we let them live, not only would the shelter become dangerous, but
they would also have created many victims after going outside.
Even though Yoo Seok-woo became a foothold for my unpleasant

experience, what Kim Hyunsung said was an undeniable fact.
‘You removed the trash.’
There was no reason to feel guilty.
“Is Ki-young okay?”
“Yeah, I’m ine. Maybe if I didn’t have the ring that Mr. Hyunsung gave
me as a gift… I should have already died. I was saved twice. I will not
forget this grace.”
“The wound is…”
“Fine. I was completely healed.”
After I inished speaking, Kim Hyunsung seemed to feel a little better.

There was no reason to impress him at this point, as things had already
worked out the way he wanted it to be.
I didn’t know what he was thinking in detail, but I felt a little proud of
what we managed to accomplish.
We dealt with the group of Jung Jin-ho as planned, and because of that,
we even got something better than we expected.
We might have thought of each other as colleagues who decided to

move together for the time being, but it seemed that this incident has
helped us become closer.
It was the same for me.
We suffered together, went through a crisis together, and overcame it

together.
I was sure that we four will certainly have a good relationship, even if
we went outside.
Just imagining that you were riding on a stable and comfortable Kim
Hyunsung bus would make you feel drowsy.
No, that wasn’t the right word. It would make you feel relaxed.
Even though Park Deokgu and Hayan were already safe, there were also
other things to focus on, such as our current statuses.
“You seem a little tired, so for now, I think it would be better to take a
rest nearby.”
“I think that’s good too. So is my Hyung… Because your sister also looks
a little tired.”
“Yes.”
In the case of Hayan, I knew she still had some amount of magic within
her.
I roughly nodded and turned towards Kim Hyunsung, who started to

walk towards us. From his expression, I knew he knew it as well.
Of course, it was up to me to choose, but I thought it was natural to

think of Kim Hyunsung as someone who knew the future.
“Hyunsung.”
“Yes. You tell me.”

“A new job has opened up.”
“Ah.”
Of course, his expression was a pretty happy one.
“You’ve caught up fast.”
“Yes. Somehow I used magic to catch monsters…”
“Would I be able to hear what jobs are open?”
“Of course.”
Park Deokgu, as well as Jung Hayan, looked at me with expressions that

showed interest.
It was a good topic to talk about while looking for a place to rest for the
night, and I was also interested in inding suitable materials that can
cozy up the atmosphere of our little party.
“Summoner, Wizard, Warlock, Alchemist, and Flame Wizard. There are

many options.”
“It certainly seems like a lot.”
Since there wasn’t a suitable place nearby, I started talking about the
shortcomings of each job and what I planned on choosing later.
For example, a lame mage needed a lot of magic, or in the case of a

magician, there was no job that you couldn’t go after.
I hadn’t revealed the exact stats yet, but maybe Kim Hyunsung knew
how much spec I had.
“Excuse me… Kiyoung has a little magical power…”

“Yeah. I don’t know in detail since I haven’t met the other wizards, but
the magical power itself seems to be low. It doesn’t seem that high
compared to Hayan’s.”
“Well…”
It was essential to disclose a certain amount of personal information for

a detailed consultation.
There was no reason to hide what was lacking if they had the goal to
craft them into advantages.
“Probably, in the case of a lame wizard, it would be better to think a

little more. It doesn’t seem that the compatibility between Ki-young
and the Flame Wizard is bad, but if you aim for high magic power, there
will be room for problems later.”
“Oh, I have a similar idea.”
Park Deokgu looked really cute, trying to piece together the bits of
information he was receiving. I didn’t know how old he was, but I knew
for sure that he was younger than me.
“Magician too…”
I knew I shouldn’t speak so openly, but I couldn’t help but put in my two
cents.
‘You’re not good at chanting.’
Still, I thought that I had been playing the role for one person enough,
but my acting was certainly not that polished.
Anyway, Magician was one job that I did not plan to choose, but seeing
Kim Hyunsung’s expression like that, I began to have second thoughts.
‘Now, I’m even more confused than before.’
“Personally, it looks a little better to choose from Summoner, Alchemist,

and Warlock, but it’s hard being a Warlock, so I personally wouldn’t
recommend it.”
“I’m not sure, but you could be in a dangerous situation. At least Lee
Sang-chang doesn’t lie to us.”
“Well…”
“You need magical power to keep your familiar, but I don’t know how
much magical power you need. Rather, it seems that the alchemist is
not bad. It will be appropriate for Ki-young, who has high intelligence.”
“Actually, I was thinking similarly. It seems that alchemy may trigger

magic complete with a catalyst…”
“It won’t be as bad as you think it is. You can make potions and many
more. If you need a pet, there is also an alternative method called
‘Homunculus’ afterwards, which will be more advantageous. A creature
created other than a summoned creature will not have much magic
power.”
As Kim Hyunsung spoke, his excitement rose. As such, I thought that his
recommendation was also reliable.
Above all, seeing his expression of giddy happiness, I began to feel more
and more inclined. After all, those who have the profession of Alchemist
were rare.
Occupations may not have been well received, or people may not have a
good choice, but anyway, the Alchemist profession itself is seldom
obtained.
Similarly, assuming that priests are also rare, the value of potions will
increase a little more.
If you consider that there are limits to the divine power of a priest in
the irst place, a quality potion is a must.
Summoners are also attractive, but if you think about having two
similar ones, you might be able to get other summons afterward.
At this point, my thoughts went all over the place.
Park Deokgu, who had been listening to the party’s ramblings for a long
time, shook his head and participated in this consultation.
“What are you talking about? Of course, if you are a true hyung, you
should be a warlock.
‘…’
“When I think of a warlock who exterminates the monsters by

sprinkling the power of darkness, of course, I can only think that he its
Ki-young very well… Doesn’t he resemble a warlock in the making?”
There was no logic behind Park Deokgu’s words, but he spoke as if he

truly believed in what he said. He seemed to have forgotten his earlier
insistence for the Commander class.
This time, he seemed to be stuck on the idea of me becoming a warlock.
“Well, what does it matter what the public thinks? I think it doesn’t
matter much because I’ll blow away the guys who are looking for you.
My hyung’s character and the warlock don’t really match, but imagine
him wearing a black robe… I think it would be cool just to imagine!”
“The Alchemist would be a better option.”

At this point, Kim Hyunsung’s voice also became quite urgent.
He noticed that Park Deokgu had a strange resonance in his cry.
“No! My Hyung is a warlock by nature!”
Park Deokgu, who was previously a commander parrot, suddenly began

to evolve into a warlock parrot.
“Alchemist is de initely better.”
“Unconditionally a Warlock!”
“Alchemist…”
“The Warlock! I want to see Ki-young displaying the power of

darkness.”
“Alchemist!”
“Warlock!”
“Pension!”
“Black!”
“Kite!”
‘They’re making no sense at this point.’
I thought this situation would come again for some reason, but it was
embarrassing to see the two heated up more than ever.
Somehow, the power of darkness appealed strongly to Park Deokgu’s

heart.
As he turned his gaze to Jung Hayan in the same manner as one would
ask a doctor for con irmation, Jung Hayan also shook her head
vigorously.
“I can’t choose either. An intelligent oppa who practices alchemy, or an

oppa who uses the power of darkness?”
Of course, I didn’t ask for that.
Nevertheless, this unidenti ied debate seemed to be getting more and

more intense.
In the end, Kim Hyunsung had to resort to opening his bag.
“Very accidentally… Quite accidentally… This is the product you found.

It looks like an Alchemist-only item. If you choose to become an
Alchemist, I’ll give you this as a gift.”
‘Where did that come from?’
Now. I could say for sure that the leather bag Kim Hyunsung carried
was a magic bag. I couldn’t even imagine he would bring out such an
item so urgently.
Thanks to this, I could be sure that the Warlock’s perception would not
be very good, but apart from that, the moment we checked the item he
pulled out, we ended up having to abandon our party’s, Warlock Parrot.
CHAPTER 37
WE SURVIVED
[Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy-Hero Level-Alchemist Only]
[Grand Alchemist Ramus Tucker is a representative alchemist who has

enjoyed an era. As a member of the Republic’s military, he has earned
his reputation as a leader in the ield of biological and potion synthesis,
but it is known that it was all purged one day for some reason.
Although he died, the knowledge he left behind is still being passed on.
Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy is one of the highly complete

books that can be seen as a compilation of his research work. It
contains a variety of alchemy knowledge not included in Basic Alchemy
Knowledge.
Acquires knowledge of hero grade alchemy that is unknown as a basic

class. Magic increases by 1, intelligence by 1.]
‘Hero level?’
Since this item was currently in front of me, it did not seem
unreasonable to forsake Park Deokgu’s enthusiasm.
In fact, it cannot be said that there would be so many stats to raise.
1 Magic and 1 intelligence.
However, since the item’s value was said to be of the hero level, I
expected that it would contain more knowledge than I imagined.
As Kim Hyunsung said: Ji-Chang does not lie.
If that book is a hero-graded item, it will surely contain the

corresponding knowledge.
“How is it?”
“…”
It felt a little embarrassing as to how this item came out so suddenly.

Looking at Kim Hyunsung’s face, he seemed to realize that he also made
a mistake.
It was natural to make mistakes as he was also a human being, but even
he seemed confused about how he had just exposed himself.
“Where did you get this?”
“It was the book that was in the box at that time. I thought there was
nothing to it at irst, but now it seemed like a good timing…”
“But Hyung would look better as a warlock…”
“It’s a hero-grade item. I couldn’t read this book because I’m not an
alchemist, but it’s probably more than expected. If you think about it
being an item just below the legend level, this would be your best bet.
Most of all, these items are not corrupt.”
“Still… The Warlock… Hyung…”
Even in this situation, Park Deokgu kept muttering about me being a

Warlock.
It sounded ridiculous to me.

There was a high probability that the ring that was given to us in the
irst place, or the bracelet presented to Park Deokgu, were also items
that cannot be normally found here.
The story that a treasure chest suddenly popped out from somewhere
sounded suspicious to me.
Even if you tried it a hundred times and obtained it without an accident,

it is certainly not convincing to have such a book here.
However, after looking at Kim Hyunsung’s face, I could guess that he

was still trying to keep up his innocent façade.
I didn’t know if he was using some type of inventory, or if he was using

something akin to a store that was not open to us yet, but I thought that
leather bag contained more than what met the eye.
There were so many explanations to consider. Even if one were to look

at it, the explanations I had thought up for its validity didn’t seem all
that unusual.
Thinking that it was meaningless to worry any more, I immediately

nodded.
“Actually, although the Warlock was appealing, I think Alchemists would

be good.”
Only then did Kim Hyunsung’s face begin to light up.
“You chose well.”
“Thank you.”
[You have changed your job as an Alchemist. Basic alchemical

knowledge is acquired.]
[Check player Ki-young Lee’s status window and talent level.]
[Name-Ki-young Lee]
[Title-No. You should try a little more.]
[Age-25]
[Orientation-Willing Strategist]
[Profession-Alchemist]
[Job Effect-Acquisition of basic alchemical knowledge]
[Capacity]
[Strength-11/Growth Limit: Normal or less]
[Agility-11/Growth Limit: Normal or less]
[Health-15/Growth Limit: Normal or less]
[Intellect-29/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]
[Endurance-12/Growth Limit: Normal or less]
[Luck-25/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]
[Magic-08/Growth Limit: Normal or less]
[Equipment]
[Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy-Hero Level-Alchemist Only]
[Magic Shield Ring-Rare Grade]

[Talent-Eye of the Mind]
[General comment-You have chosen a good path. I have nothing to say,

but seeing your hard work makes my heart ache. Yes. Really. It seems to
you that you have gotten some undeserved items. We hope you have the
ability to understand Ramus Tucker’s alchemy. Hero-grade items are
too precious to simply be used as a display.]
After my body lashed in a blue light for a moment, I could see that I
had de initely changed my job.
In an instant, the knowledge of the basic alchemy poured into my head.
‘Not bad.’
It was dif icult, but not to the extent where I couldn’t understand. When
I smiled satisfyingly, Kim Hyunsung seemed to sport a different
expression.
It seemed that his internal evaluation of my worth had risen

considerably. It must have changed from a usable administrator to an
Alchemist who needed to be well raised.
‘That actually spells good news.’
That means that I have become precious to whatever his plans were.
“Congratulations, Mr. Ki-young.”
“No… Unfortunately, only if Hyung’s choice was…”
“Congratulations, Oppa.”
“Thank you. Thank you, Deokgu and Hayan. I will be grateful for the gift,
Mr. Hyunsung. You just keep giving them to us so generously.”
In truth, I received this gift thanks to Park Deokgu’s insistence.
“No. If Ki-young becomes stronger, it is natural that our entire party will
also become stronger. Rather, I feel better because I can help.”
“I will meet your expectations.”
Of course, as long as this was the case, one had to work to continually
meet the leader’s standards.
As much as Kim Hyunsung felt compelled to invest in me, he would

continue to invest only if I continued to give such results.
As such, I was his current investment.
Kim Hyunsung put money in an investment called Lee Ki-young, and he

must be hoping that he’d get his money’s worth.
Even if I fell to the bottom, he wouldn’t abandon me, but it would be

natural to assume that he would stop trying to invest in me.
In order to continue being invested in, I had to continually show that I

was getting better.
“You don’t have to. Haha. For now, let’s rest here. If you can’t see a
suitable place after walking this much, it seems that there is no place to
camp in the dungeon.”
“Yeah. I will do that. Deokgu?”
“I’ll come after cleaning up the surroundings.”
Hyunsung nodded roughly in response. This place was uninhabited, but

it was still right to clean up the surroundings.
Even the long tutorial felt like it would soon come to an end.
Although the survival quest had not yet been completed, it felt correct
to guess that Kim Hyunsung was not showing much impatience, so this
dungeon strategy must actually be the inal stage.
Whether it was inding the entrance or taking care of the dungeon’s

owner, this party would go through it successfully.
As I turned my head a little, their images appeared in my view.
I laughed when I saw Jung Hayan, who was dozing off, and Park Deokgu,
who was already snoring.
On the other hand, I didn’t fall asleep even though I knew I had to sleep
for tomorrow.
No, to be precise, I couldn’t sleep at all, even if I wanted to.
‘Alchemy.’
This was because I had to organize my new knowledge.
First of all, this was not an ability I could use right away. In order to
perform alchemy earnestly, various types of equipment were required.
There was no catalyst here that could use alchemy magic.
However, it was also natural to study in advance. As it took time to

organize basic alchemy knowledge, Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to
Alchemy has decided not to unfold itself to me yet.
“Are you not going to sleep?”
“I can’t sleep.”
To survive, you had to level yourself up.

It would be appropriate to say that this passion was created by the idea
that I should not settle down in one place, of course, to train myself.
There was nothing like potion softness, basic knowledge about

Homunculus, and the correlation between alchemy catalyst and magic.
I felt Kim Hyunsung staring at my side, but of course, he was not aware
that I noticed his gaze. I could feel the high hopes and expectations that
he began to place on me.
‘I’m working hard, investor,’ it was an advantage to show such bravado

on my part.
I felt more satis ied when I saw Kim Hyunsung nodding with a
satisfactory expression.
It felt like it happened in no time at all, but soon, morning came. I

couldn’t even ind it in myself to sigh, but I didn’t regret not sleeping at
all.
The party members slowly woke up and began to stir up a small, steady
stream of chattering.
Rather than a gloomy atmosphere, it felt a little relaxing.
In the middle of the way, Kim Hyunsung threw a joke, and Park Deokgu
laughed at the joke as if we weren’t currently in a dungeon.
Kim Hyunsung seemed to have given himself some time to rest.
‘There is no dungeon boss?’
From the looks of it, probably not.
Hyunsung was vigilant enough, but he wasn’t looking for a horri ic

battle.
‘It’s just the beginning.’
It was not over yet.
At irst, it seemed like a hassle to walk around so much, but this party
gradually managed to escape this hellish place.
Sometimes battles happened, but they weren’t all that dangerous.
After walking for a while, I could see a slightly different entrance in

front of me.
“I don’t know if it’s a monster popping out.”
“I will enter after preparing for battle.”
“Hyung, let me take the lead.”
“Please do.”
A large door opened, and a familiar voice rang through my ears.
[Rare-grade forced quest is activated.]
[Rare Grade Quest Strategy (0/1)]
We looked around as soon as we got in, but there seemed to be no

monsters.
What we saw in front of us was a place that looked like a temple.
A strange magic circle could be seen in the center, and another door
was seen on the other side.
Park Deokgu ran to the door and tried to push it, but the door did not
open.
“The door doesn’t seem to open.”
“Maybe there are some conditions we need to meet. Leaving out of this
place would be a sound strategy.”
It was then that I thought that the situation changed a little.
Unlike me, Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan both hesitated a little, and Kim
Hyunsung slowly raised his hand as if he were seeing something very
familiar.
Magical power was gently sent to the magic circle in the center, and the
magic circle in the center soon began to emit light.
Looking around me now, it seemed a little funny seeing everyone so

trans ixed on the light.
“This is… magic.”
There was no such thing as a great quiz in the form of a monster we

needed to attack.
The answer to the quiz was magical power itself, which can be said to
be a medium far from where we lived.
[Rare-level compulsory quest has been completed.]
[Rare Grade Quest-Strategy (1/1)]
[Rare Grade Quest-Survival (1/1)]
“Hyung.”
“I know.”
Kim Hyunsung’s expression with clenched ists showed that he seemed
to have done something. He didn’t show much of his emotions, but from
what I could see, what he had been doing seemed to be going as
planned.
At irst glance, he actually seemed to be crying, but this wasn’t the case
at all.
Unlike the intermittently trembling shoulders, there was a tremendous

sense of accomplishment just from the subtle facial expressions, so I
knew I was right.
“It… it looks so pretty.”
“It does.”
The light inally gave way to what seemed to be an intricately designed

palace.
The lights emanating from the ground rose above the high ceiling, and
the lights above the ceiling illed up the place.
Looking at the door on the other side slowly opening, I could see that I
was really leaving this dungeon.
Sunlight completely different from arti icially created light began to

pour out.
‘Sunshine.’
It was not the landscape that we automatically focused on, but those
carrying armor and weapons. I saw a woman who seemed to be a
representative approaching quietly.
“Congratulations on your life in the tutorial. I’m Lee Sang-hee, and I’m
in charge of this tutorial dungeon.”
We survived. It took us a moment to realize that.
CHAPTER 38
NEW ENVIRONMENT (1)
“Congratulations on your performance in the tutorial. I’m Lee Sang-hee,

and I’m in charge of this tutorial dungeon,” Lee Sang-hee’s tone was
quite polite.
Upon looking at her quietly bowing her head and smiling slightly in our
direction, I at least could see that Lee Sang-hee and the other people
with her did not harbor hostile feelings toward us.
On the contrary, the atmosphere felt a little friendly.
“What do you mean by being in charge of the tutorial dungeon?”
“Take it by its literal meaning. As a sub-guild master of the Free Guild of

the Benigoa Empire, Blue, I am managing the tutorial dungeon for this
episode.”
“Do you mean you have called us here?”
“No. We are also in the same position as you. One day, I was suddenly
summoned to a tutorial dungeon and went through the same test. We
just came here a little earlier than you. I don’t know why this happened,
or why the summoning ceremony began.”
“Well…”
“Our mission is to take you after this tutorial dungeon is over and
rescue the survivors who are still inside. Moreover, it is important not
only to adapt and educate you, who have to live in a new environment,
but also to guarantee a basic living right.”
“You mean the basic living space?”
“Yeah. This is a basic living area.”
“I see. Does this mean that you can only enter this place after the attack
is over?”
“That’s right. The tutorial dungeon door is open for about 3 days right
after the attack. After exactly 3 days, the dungeon door will close again.
We still haven’t igured out why, but… Anyway, you’re here. Let’s go
inside before we divulge a more detailed story.”
Simply put, I felt dumbstruck. I had never imagined that I would be able
to experience this kind of a world. Moreover, there was something
about Lee Sang-hee’s attitude that I couldn’t fathom.
[Check player Lee Sang-hee’s status window and talent level.]
[Name-Lee Sang-hee]
[Title-Iron Blood]
[Age-33]
[ALIGNMENT-Ideal Mediator]
[Occupation-Sacred Knight]
[Occupational Effect-Acquisition of Basic Sword Skills]
[Occupational Effect-Acquisition of Basic Shield Knowledge]

[Occupational Effect-Intermediate Swordsmanship Knowledge
Acquisition]
[Occupational Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Sword Skills]
[Occupational Effect-Acquisition of Basic Divine Knowledge]
[Occupational Effects-Intermediate Divine Knowledge Acquisition]
[Capacity]
[Strength -82/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]
[Dexterity-52Growth Limit: Rare or higher]
[Health-90/Growth Limit: Hero or less]
[Intellect -30/Growth Limit: Normal or less]
[Endurance-91/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]
[Good Luck -33/Growth Limit: Rare or less]
[Magic -77/Growth Limit: Rare or higher]
[Equipment]
[Saint Caliber-Hero class]
[Iron-Blooded Shield-Hero Grade-Knight Only]
[Strength Band-Rare Grade]
[Talent-Iron Blood]
[Overall review-The stats themselves are very good. It seems that she
has already grown to some extent and has established herself. There is
room for growth in the durability and strength stats, but other stats
may be dif icult to grow any further. It is by no means bad, but
something is a bit disappointing. However, I don’t want you to ignore
her. It is impossible to compare her with player Lee Ki-young.]
‘Ignore?’
Of course, I couldn’t just ignore her.
‘Monster.’
Even if we all tackled her now, we wouldn’t be able to do anything to

her. The same went for the other people with her.
Judging from the stats, there was a difference between us that could not
even be compared. If they wanted to, they could kill us in the blink of an
eye.
Nevertheless…
‘Act friendly.’
I felt like I was acting too amicably. No, it felt like I was trying to lower
my pride for the sake of pleasing them.
“Hwayeon?”
“Yeah.”
“Let me start searching for the survivors inside. It’ll take some time to
ind them.”
“Yes. Okay.”
Seeing the soldiers entering the dungeon, I thought it would only be a
matter of time before all the other people, including Lee Ji-hye in the
shelter, would be rescued.
Here, I could see people of all ethnicities, not just Koreans.
When I compared what we were wearing to theirs, it felt like it was us

who had adapted to an outdated style, while they were the modernized
people. They probably thought of themselves as the locals of this world.
While walking on the street and looking around warily, Lee Sang-hee
opened her mouth to speak.
Kim Hyun-sung replied to her, and from my distance, it was hard to

hear what they were talking about. I thought that it would be better to
listen to their conversations and gather information rather than
participate in the conversation in person, so I drew nearer and quietly
listened to their voices.
“You seem to have completed the attack very quickly.”
“Isn’t it usually like this?”
“Yes. Usually, the attack ends in about six months. It is certainly unusual
to complete a dungeon attack within three months. Perhaps the
dungeons here were attacked much faster than the dungeons
elsewhere.”
“Does that mean there are other dungeons?”
“Yes. Several tutorial dungeons are also managed by the Republic or

Kingdom Alliance. In the Holy Empire of Benigore, where we belong, we
manage a total of three tutorial dungeons. It’s not just Koreans. Races of
various nationalities are usually summoned at their designated
locations and take the tutorials.”
“I see. This is the fastest way for us to attack the dungeon.”
“For an easier explanation, then yes. It’s usually taboo to ask what
happened inside, but I’m really curious about how you were able to
break through it so quickly. That too… A small group of only four
people.”
“There were many circumstances. It’s hard to tell everyone, but… There
wasn’t a big crowd. It was a possible strategy because the people that’re
with me – that is, Lee Kiyoung, Jung Hayan, and Park Deokgu – played
their roles very ef iciently. Oh, and there’s also a makeshift camp on the
ground loor. Please rescue the personnel there as well.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s a shelter that we made. I took the survivors who I knew could ight,
and I left people who couldn’t hunt. We ran a separate raid team. We’ve
built and operated a bunch of walls in a safe place, so they’re probably
still alive. We also made sure there was enough food.”
“Ah…” Lee Sang-hee once again sported an unreadable expression upon

hearing Kim Hyunsung’s explanation.
‘Mm-hm,’ now, some things began to make sense to me. I was beginning
to comprehend what exactly the circumstances surrounding us are.
“That… I see.”
Lee Sang-hee’s expression showed that she was struggling to keep up

with the poker-faced façade.
‘Kim Hyun-sung, you fox.’
Perhaps the ace and protagonist of our party had been trying to hide
his true power by disguising it with verbal humility and commendable
acting.
As I swung back and looked at the tutorial dungeon, I saw people back
from the dungeon appearing one by one.
They seemed to be the types of people who chose to hide by

themselves, not with the group we had left.
Of course, that didn’t mean that they could maintain their bravado.
Some people were crying, and others were anxiously asking where this
place was. It was normal to feel this way, after all.
Even the attitudes of those who were armed compared to others who
weren’t, were strangely different from this debacle.
They all looked a little coercive, and were looking down.
“Where is this? I thought… why…?”
“Mom… Mom… Uh huh…”
“This will allow us to regroup later right away. I’ll give you a valid
explanation later. First, we must go outside together. Hey! Hey there!
Can you not quiet down?!”
“Hey! Where are we?! Where is this place?!”
“Hey! Let us out now! ”
“Let us go!”
“Wow… Where is this?”
“I told you that I can give explanations once we have all been settled
down. Please control yourselves. First of all, you must all calm down!
You are safe. There is no more danger. Please calm down.”
‘Good.’
How they treated the other survivors were totally different from how
they had treated us. After all, theirs were the general reactions.
It would be common to cry, blow, and panic asking for help. However,
our party was a little different.
Kim Hyunsung, who seemed too calm, as well as Jung Hayan, were just
sticking to my side and were not responding to the new and noisier
environment.
The same could be said for Park Deokgu, which was a surprise
considering his stressful tendency to relentlessly ask questions.
From Lee Sang-hee’s point of view, it might be a little embarrassing to

show our true, weird personalities at this point in time.
After all, this was the party that had cleared the tutorial dungeons
spread all over the world in the shortest time, and with only four
people!
That wasn’t even all.
In addition to being visibly calm, we had also used our wits enough to
form a makeshift shelter for the rest of our fellow survivors.
I understand how Lee Sang-hee could also feel embarrassed upon her
initial treatment of us.
The way they regarded us differed from how they treated those who
chose to ‘survive’ without ighting, hiding, and running away.
Just by participating as a target team in the irst place meant that you
could adapt well to this environment.
If this was a system that centered on a republic and on guilds, then the
locals here must have been looking for people who could conform to
their society. I didn’t know if this was an appropriate example, but it
was like we were rookie sports players whose worth had all risen, and
people like Lee Sang-hee were the clubs that were trying to scout us.
Assuming that there weren’t many players like us, there was one thing
you can expect if the number of clubs was high.
‘We are the best.’
Right now, we were the rare players they needed on the team. This
would also explain why Kim Hyunsung was trying his best to hide his
true talent until now.
Like a cunning fox, it seemed that he wanted to raise our worth even
higher by explaining what we had done in a manner that seemed as if
doing all these was natural to us.
If you were going to sell, you might as well bring up the price to the
highest attainable range.
Of course, there was no way for us to know what Kim Hyunsung’s plan
was right now, but I knew it had something to do with how we were
going to be regarded in this world.
I couldn’t help but smile.
‘Feel so good. I knew I made the right choice.’
“Come in.”
The room where Lee Sang-hee guided us to had a luxurious interior. Its
design was so colorful and vibrant that it was hard to believe something
like this could be situated so near a dull dungeon.
“The drink… Oh, if necessary, we will serve you meals as well.”

“Do you have anything we can eat?”
“Yeah. It’s a little different from what you eat on Earth, but it’s probably
much better than what you eat in the dungeon.”
“Then please.”
The blue lag and props in the room seemed to try their best to show
the status of the blue guild managing this dungeon as much as they
possibly could.
I felt like I’d been too observant today.
I also didn’t know what my next plan would be. Do I try to make myself
seem as elusive as possible to increase my own worth? But then again,
what about Kim Hyunsung’s plan?
“Ah. Come to think of it, I didn’t catch your names. If it isn’t too much of
a bother, may I ask for your names?”
“I am Kim Hyunsung. I am a prosecutor.”
It was quite surprising to hear Hyunsung state his job so casually.
Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan both took this as encouragement to

introduce themselves right away.
“Shield soldier, Park Deokgu.”
“I am called Jung, Jung Hayan. My job is a wizard…”
Naturally, Lee Sang-hee’s gaze fell upon me.
I wondered if it would be good to hide my job, but I decided that it was

not necessary for the moment.
Thinking that it would be better to join this rank of ransom raising, I
nodded before speaking.
“Lee Ki-young. I am an alchemist.”
Unlike the other three, I was already on my second job.
While I thought this would prove to be satisfactory to hear, Lee Sang-

hee’s regretful expression seemed to tell me otherwise.
‘Huh?’
Her expression was a dead giveaway. It disappeared as quickly as it had

come, but thanks to my observing skills, it was impossible for me not to
catch it.
“Ah, that sounds sweet. You’re already on your 2nd job change…” her
tone of voice was different from the awe-inspiring one I was hoping for.
Naturally, I looked towards Kim Hyunsung.
‘You said being an alchemist would be good, you bad guy… ’

CHAPTER 39
NEW ENVIRONMENT (2)
Blaming Kim Hyunsung was the irst thing that popped into my head.
Although I was automatically suspicious by nature, I thought that Kim

Hyunsung had no reason to deceive me.
I knew there must be a reason for recommending the Alchemist job to

me. Otherwise, there would be no merit for him in giving me a hero-
grade item. It may have been a small investment for him, but Lee Sang-
hee also only had two hero-grade items from what I saw.
I don’t know how many years she had been on this loor, but if you
thought about her, who had already changed her job several times and
has reached her growth limit, the hero-grade item was de initely…
‘It’s worth it.’
Maybe Kim Hyunsung wanted his own personal potion-making factory?

Considering his attitude, it didn’t seem that way.
‘You have to believe in him.’
It was probably a job that seemed to irk a lot of people.
In the future, a time will come when an alchemist would become

precious in some way. If not, it could be a job that would show
ef iciency later in terms of growth.
Kim Hyunsung and I had gone through a lot together alongside Jung
Hayan and Park Deokgu. I saw no reason for him to harm me.
He wouldn’t be an idiot with his line of thinking, so I knew there was

de initely a reason why he chose this job for me.
‘It’s not just about me becoming a potion factory.’
Although, I knew that would be considered a bonus.
While I was stuck in deep thought, our meals came, and the atmosphere
once again shifted into something that felt more ambiguous.
Although these people were clearly friendly, I knew they were all
secretly looking for people with abilities that suited their interests.
Park Deokgu, ever the carefree one, had already started digging into his
meal with gusto. Kim Hyunsung and Lee Sang-hee, on the other hand,
seemed to be in deep thoughts.
Painfully oblivious to this, Park Deokgu began to talk in an attempt to

maintain the cozy atmosphere.
“This is delicious. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve eaten hot
food.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
“My grandmother told me not to trust anyone who gives me free food…
I guess the Korean affection is still alive! Isn’t it, Hyung?”
I was sure my expression right now would resemble that of a recently

stabbed person. My cheeks lushed in embarrassment.
“Well…”
Kim Hyunsung spoke up urgently in an attempt to save face.
“I think it is. This is exactly what Deokgu said. Thank you for your good
treatment, but I wonder why you are being so good to us. Of course, I
don’t mean that in an offensive manner. It just… It just feels like overkill
as an after-tutorial celebration. I apologize if I have offended anyone.”
“Oh, no. I am… Sorry. That’s right. Everything will be confusing. It seems
that I couldn’t read your minds because you all were acting too calmly.
When I think about what happened inside, it makes sense that I can’t
easily trust people. After all, I’ve gone through the same thing, too. We
are sorry for not being able to give you a more detailed explanation in
advance.”
“Oh, no. I did not say this with that kind of intention.”
“I think it would be better to explain the background of this place irst.”
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
“This place is a little different from Earth, but it has a similar structure.
There are three countries living in balance: The Kingdom Union, the
Republic, and the Holy Empire to which we belong. Of course, there are
free countries and other kingdoms that are not included here… It is the
three countries I mentioned earlier that have the largest scale.”
“Ah.”
“Obviously, it was not us who made this country. In addition to us, there
are locals who have lived here. The relationship between us from Earth
and the residents who lived here is entangled with complex interests.”
“Ah…”
“Our Blue Guild, technically speaking, belongs to and not from the
Benigor Empire. We are free from their laws, but we live in their land
and have their cooperation and support. It’s not just Blue. All the
groups established here are working through a contract with the Holy
Empire of Benigor.”
This roughly made sense to me.
This was a situation that seemed fortunate to me in many aspects. Each

group had some degree of autonomy beyond the in luence of the
empire. Of course, they had to exchange other stuff in return for their
freedom.
For example, they would be drafted in the event of a war… Or they

would also have to deal with complicated stuff like taxes.
If one were to look at the fact that the country had not been turned
upside down at once, the three countries mentioned above might have
something that did not let them feel threatened by the sudden
appearance of the guilds.
Guilds that exercise autonomy still need things like support or

resources. They would still need to be bound to their respective
countries in some way.
“I see.”
“The tutorial dungeon is held once every year. In the Holy Empire, we
took over the management of the tutorial dungeon to our Gentiles.”
“Is that the Blue Guild?”
“No. Management is based on a rotation system. Several large guilds

and small and medium-sized guilds gather to decide whose turn it will
be. That’s what it means to be in charge of the dungeon this time. Our
Blue Guild got the irst right to bargain with you as well as the
management of this round.”
“That’s fair.”
That fairness would have only been made possible by the Holy Empire.
For some reason, I couldn’t imagine how the people of Earth could
decide the order if the situation were reversed.
Perhaps there were more complex interests beneath the surface, but for
now, I found no reason to know them right away.
“So what does this mean? Does this mean that we belong in your guild?”
“No. I have only mentioned the irst right to bargain. It will be easier to
understand if I say that we are a company, and you are the people who
are waiting for the job and salary negotiations on this planet.”
“I understand.”
As expected…
“You can think of this large room and food as our version of a bribe to
you. Yes. That’s what it is,” Lee Sang-hee sported a bitter smile.
All my guesses had been true thus far, but what I didn’t expect was Lee
Sang-hee’s honest reaction.
‘She’s being too honest.’
Honestly…
In fact, if it were me who was in Lee Sang-hee’s place, I would have lied
about more than half of the story.
The only truth I could have stated was that it only described the reality
surrounding the continent rather than individual subjective opinions.
This woman was too straight. Such honesty and uprightness must have
been garnered through her personal experiences.
Perhaps she was trying to make us feel that if we were to join the Blue
Guild, we would enjoy a transparent community.
‘This means that they are desperate.’
It was the only explanation I could think of. At this, I immediately

opened my mouth.
“I have a question.”
“Yes?”
“What is the Blue Guild’s position in the Benignor Empire?”
Lee Sang-hee hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she nodded and
began to respond.
“The Blue Guild was one of the guilds representing the Holy Empire. I
couldn’t say that our in luence was big, but…”
“You mean, it was big in the past.”
“Yeah… I have nothing to say except that there were unavoidable

circumstances we couldn’t get over. However, I would like you to think
about the possibilities in the future. Not only does it have the same
growth potential as other large guilds, but also the amount or
conditions to be presented to you will not be pushed by other guilds.”
This would be a risky decision. We did not know how much we had to
give in order to gain something in return.
If she paid a large sum of money to recruit us and we ended up not

meeting their expected results, then I knew there would be hell to pay.
Of course, they also had to consider the fact that we just passed the
tutorial dungeon.
Even though it wouldn’t be bad to invest in us, given the various

possibilities, such as the fact that four people made incredible results,
they seemed to want to take the earliest opportunity to grab us before
the other guilds could.
‘They really are desperate.’
I didn’t know what was going on, but it was clear that the current
situation for the Blue Guild wasn’t good at all.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for them to gamble like this.
“I know the information I’ve given you so far doesn’t seem suf icient.
However, you shouldn’t worry. I’ll tell you all the details soon enough.”
Hyunsung Kim emitted a positive aura as he responded. Because of this,

I felt that it was okay to listen to the story as well.
It would be better to know my options more, seeing as I still did not

have a plan as of yet.
‘Am I still being considered as a candidate?’
A guild that was once at its peak, but was now declining, was a
plausible prey.
Anyway, as our side took a favorable position, Lee Sang-hee’s face

brightened.
“Then take a good rest today… And then tomorrow… Would you mind?”
“Yeah. We will,” Kim Hyunsung nodded slightly.
Lee Sang-hee smiled in response and began to guide us to their

respective quarters.
Unlike the sticky and unpleasant ground loor, seeing a room with a
tempting-looking bed was like heaven.
However, like Lee Sang-hee had admitted, this was just a bribe.
The moment we agree to sign a contract with them would be the

moment we would start to lead an uncertain life. However, if the merits
looked this good…
“If you have any complaints, please do not hesitate to call me. I won’t be
far.”
“Yes. Thank you for caring for us.”
As she walked out, her gaze landed on me for a moment. I still did not
know how I was faring in her internal evaluation of our worth.
The main, delectable choice was Kim Hyunsung, but I opened my mouth
anyway, pretending not to notice her. Instead, I zeroed in on Park
Deokgu.
“It’s a little sudden, but… I can’t imagine we’re being treated like this.
This kind of VIP treatment confuses me a little.”
“I am too, Hyung. No… It’s a world full of contracts, empires, and

headaches. Did you understand a little?”
“Yeah… Roughly…”
“You can think of it simply. Mr. Deokgu, Mr. Kiyoung, we are in a position
to be treated favorably now. In fact, I can dare to say that if it were
another guild in charge of management right now, we would still be
treated the same. After these irst negotiations are over, there may be
several proposals coming from elsewhere.”
“All of this hurts my head.”
“Please take your time. Think about where it’s best to go. Rather, this
might be better than a large guild. The conditions may be a bit bad, but
it’s a place that needs us right now, so our comfortable treatment will
be guaranteed to some extent.”
“Ah. Do you mean we should go to a place where people ind us of any

use?”
“Yeah. It’s a simple feeling, but Lee Sang-hee… She doesn’t look like a
bad person. The same goes for the Blue Guild. I don’t know for what
reason it fell, but I don’t think it will make me feel so sad as I care about
rebuilding the guild.”
Park Deokgu simply nodded at Kim Hyunsung’s words.
However, it was apparent that Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan were not
interested in what was happening, nor did they have an inkling of what
the circumstances truly were.
It seemed that Kim Hyunsung and I were the only ones who had an idea
here.
What was a little surprising to me was that Kim Hyunsung didn’t seem
to want to become independent. In fact, he seemed to have warmed up
to the Blue Guild almost immediately.
‘Lee Sang-hee?’
She seemed like a person who didn’t have any big connections, but
considering the possibility that Kim Hyunsung may have been active in
this guild during his irst time, it will not seem bad to be active here
again.
“Are you going to stay with this guild?”
“Oppa?”
“I need to think a little more about that. You’ll know when tomorrow
comes. I haven’t decided what path I should take yet. It would be better
to have a little spare time.”
“Yeah. You have to think about all the different possibilities. Yes. Indeed,
there are many to choose from.”
The atmosphere now was a mix of wariness and coziness.
I couldn’t igure out what Kim Hyunsung was thinking, but for now, I
had no choice but to lie in bed.
I stayed up all night last night, and now my drowsiness was slowly
catching up to me.
As I said before, the surrounding area was quite busy the next morning.
I didn’t know where Lee Ji-hye or the others who were in the shelter
were, but they were probably rescued safely and stayed in a different
place than us.
I had to focus on what was important right now.
‘Bargaining… ’
I would have to think about how much money and support should be
given to recruiting all four of us.
To the Blue Guild executives, I thought today could be seen as the most
important day.
After eating breakfast and washing up, I waited impatiently for

something to happen. Finally, I saw some people calling out to us.
I thought about whether we would negotiate as a group, but I knew it

wasn’t bound to happen.
“Hyunsung.”
“Yes?”
The irst choice would obviously be Kim Hyunsung.
I didn’t know what was going on, but after Kim Hyunsung entered, the
sound of applause could be heard from a mile away.
I knew Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu would garner the same attention
as him.
After all, they passed the initial screening of what I had begun to call
the ‘interview.’
‘I hate this atmosphere… ’
I felt like I was the only blight in this otherwise perfect team.
I envied Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan. Both looked blissfully unaware of
what exactly was happening. My stats compared to them were horrible
beyond repair.
If I let them know that I used magic, I would probably be considered a

trap card.
However, the ability to use magic was by no means bad stat. My growth
was limited, but at this point, I was sure I could become a highly
capable Alchemist.
I had high intelligence and could craft a magical power that no one
could compare to. As I began to indulge myself in a disillusioned
situation where I could be considered of use, a voice rang out,
“Mr. Kiyoung.”
“Y-Yes.”
The door opened to reveal Lee Sang-hee, along with other people
whose faces looked unfamiliar to me.
One of them must be the guild’s executive or personnel manager. One

particular man, who wore glasses and looked a little old, opened his
mouth…
“Ah… Mr. Kiyoung must have a job… Ah. You said you were an
alchemist.”
“Yes. When the second class opened, I chose to follow the path of the
alchemist,” I felt a bit embarrassed by the atmosphere as if I was
already doomed to fail.
Lee Sang-hee could now properly keep her poker face in place, but the
slight disapproval was evident on the other people’s faces.
Upon observing this, my hopes were shattered. I knew I would not be as

welcomed here.
Unlike Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and Jung Hayan, there was no
room in this Guild for me.
It felt like I had already lost the talent show before I could even
showcase my talents.
Lee Sang-hee looked towards me and smiled widely as if trying to

lighten up the atmosphere.
“The down payment is 1,500 gold. That is 150 million won in Korean
currency. The contract period is 700 gold for 7 years. It is the same as
how we charge other people… How is it? Of course, we will not only
renegotiate the annual salary afterwards, but also provide maximum
support for the items you’ll need.”
The old man next to her looked stubborn, so it was a miracle that Lee
Sang-hee even bothered to assign me a contract as well.
At this point, one could see what was going on.
‘These beggars… ’
Did these guys really see me as an idiot?

CHAPTER 40
CONTRACT
This was, by no means, a bad story.
In the end, I was offered a contract with a sum that totaled 150 million
won.
The currency here summed up to having 1,500 gold as down payment

and an annual salary of 700 gold. The annual salary in itself was a
whopping 70 million won in Hanwha. I still didn’t know how much
evaluation the newcomers to this place got, but I honestly felt like I got
a signi icantly heftier sum than most of them did.
However, even with this tempting bribe, I knew that they did not
genuinely want to recruit me. There could have been many reasons, but
the main thing I could think of was that my potential was way below
average. Compared to my companions, I was seen as the weaker one
that needed to be carried everywhere he went.
My chosen job as an alchemist, along with my low magic, were surely

the reasons why my evaluation had lowered considerably.
I wanted to speak up but found myself frozen in place. My body

suddenly felt like heavy lead, and I felt like puking the remnants of what
I ate the day before.
‘Right… ’
This situation made me wonder just how much they were willing to
sacri ice to have the whole team recruited. They knew the others would
not agree if I weren’t a part of the recruitment.
Lee Sang-hee once again opened her mouth. I knew she sensed my
uneasiness and embarrassment.
“You won’t be getting just that. I can’t explain everything right now, but
there are also many welfare plans available. You can think of these as
incentives, like on Earth. Typically, it is possible to use various basic
insurance such as accident insurance and death insurance. You are also
free to use the facilities in the guild. I will also assign you a personal
coach. Ah! Even if you get married or have a child, you will be paid basic
support. In fact, there are not so many people who are getting married
these days…”
“Ah, that’s right. Is there any reason?”
“Perhaps it is because being in a guild exposes you to unknown

dangers. The situation now may be better than the tutorial dungeon
itself, but one can never be too careful. The Blue Guild mainly maintains
the guild through dungeon exploration or monster hunting. Of course,
as much as we go hunting, we also operate a performance system. The
by-products of monsters that appear after the hunt is over are divided
between the guild and the hunting party at a rate of about 40% to 60%.
The exact igure is…”
“It makes sense that you are exposed to danger. Does the down
payment and annual salary include the risk allowance?”
“Yeah. It’s probably a bit larger than what you imagine,” again, she
answered honestly. On the other hand, I felt like quite the professional
to ask questions like these.
I don’t know how long it had been since the Earth’s people have been
here, but I felt like it had been a very long time. How else would they
think of such long-term backups such as insurance?
‘You smart aleck.’

“As an alchemist, we will provide you with the catalysts you need as
much as possible. Of course, it may be dif icult to support expensive
items, but…”
“Lee Sang-hee…”
“It is good to be honest.”
“Hm…”
“This is everything that Blue Guild can offer you.”
I liked how Lee Sang-hee had chosen to present herself to me. She
showed me respect and gave me ample time to process everything.
However, the elderly members sitting on either side of her were the
problem. I could feel their disapproval from a mile away. These were
undoubtedly the types who were openly judgmental. However, one
problem still stood for them – they did not know just how emotionally
attached I was to the other three.
I thought that teaming up with these people would be a short-term

plan, but it turns out that I was being carried more than I thought
possible.
‘Perhaps some parts of them could feel, after all.’
Did these people see too many scenarios with loss? Did they experience
it themselves?
I could say for sure that they also had colleagues in the past that they
fought together with, and were now dead. That must have been
traumatic.
Even on Earth, seeing brothers, families, and undivided friends collapse

because of their interests, the circumstances of such an adult will be the
same here and there.
‘However, even if they choose to set aside emotions, my friends will not.’
Absolutely not.
There was no way Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan would agree to kick me
out of the team. I could also say the same for Kim Hyunsung, who
already chose to make me one of his investments.
We were closer than these elders would like to think, and we all had our
individualistic interests that they would never know.
I found their open hostility ridiculous.
It was commendable that they had chosen to include me and had gone
so far as to present a heftier sum as a bribe, but the lingering stares of
disapproval made me feel quite bad all the same.
Not too bad, mind you.
Rather, this kind of situation exuded more pleasure than

embarrassment.
‘You idiots.’
Soon enough, these elders will know to respect me and not look down
on me.
They would eventually know how advantageous it would be to be on

my side.
“I’m not sure, but it looks like a good deal all the same. I know you
thought about this carefully.”
“Yes, of course. You won’t be disappointed.”

“Is there a noncombatant army in the Blue Guild?”
“There is.”
A beat passed before one of the elders spoke to me.
“Yes, Mr. Kiyoung. In fact, strictly speaking, alchemists are classi ied as
noncombatants. And there will be no other guild offering such contract
terms for an alchemist.”
“Ah. I see. That’s kind of weird. I thought something like alchemy magic
would exist.”
“It’s not very ef icient, you see. Although it is said that this type of job
uses a catalyst to activate magic… Well, monster by-products are
expensive. Yeonseongjin, which is often used by alchemists, is not very
ef icient for us.”
“Ah.”
“If the alchemist himself has enough magic power, the story will be a
little different… May I ask you how much magical stats you have?”
“I have 8.”
“Well… I don’t think it’s too high for a second job change. Maybe the
growth of magical power was a little slow…”
“Yeah. It doesn’t seem like it’s rising fast compared to intellect, or when
you compare it to fellow wizards.”
“Alas… I see, okay, okay.”
I could see the look in his eyes and knew what it meant. My worth went
down a little lower from our brief conversation.
However, I knew he was willing to accept me because if he didn’t, he
would not get Kim Hyunsung or Jung Hayan onboard as well.
“So, how is the contract turning out for you?”
Nevertheless, he had to keep up with this infuriating façade until all of

our contracts were secured.
Once I glanced at the contract, I began to speak slowly.
“I do not know. I think I need to think a little more.”
“What…”
“Ah. First of all, I would like to say that I ind your offer very good, but I
want you to give me some more time to think.”
“Ahhh. I would like you to give you an answer relatively quickly. We

don’t have time left either…”
“Yeah. I will think about it as quickly as possible.”
“And I would like you to talk this over with your friends as well.”
“Yes, of course.”
At this, Lee Sang-hee began to speak once again. Her voice this time
sounded urgent.
“All of these are included in the catalog and contract of the Blue Guild. If
you read it while you think… It will probably help.”
“Okay, thank you. I’ll read it later.”
The truth was, I knew it would not be worth reading.

‘Everything will be reversed within a few days anyway.’
When I went outside, I saw Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and Kim
Hyunsung waiting for me. The curious looks on their faces made me
laugh.
“Did you not take any special exams?”
“What? No!”
“Actually, the treatment looks pretty good.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Kiyoung. Personally, I did a little bit of research, but it seems that
other large guilds do not offer this level of condition. What they say is
true. Even though our growth potential was not clearly seen, they were
kind enough to offer us this much…”
“Yeah. They also seemed like good people, Oppa.”
“Perhaps they are gamblers in their own way. There will be pressure to
successfully complete this recruitment. They are the types who think
that people are precious resources.”
To be honest, didn’t look like the guys were thinking that way.
“It may be an early judgment, but what about it? It would be a little
better to get solid support here than to be in a large guild.”
“If you like it, then I’m joining.”
“Me, too…”
After all, our loyal Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan would never betray me.
However, it seemed to me that Kim Hyunsung already had his mind set
on joining the Blue Guild.
It even felt like he was being urgent about it.
I knew he was thinking that it would be safer to have a backup than

forming a personal force.
Like him, I would have made the same choice.
There were certainly advantages to forming a force personally. Not only

would it move according to our will, but there were also a lot more
options to choose from.
However, entering the Blue Guild also had its own set of advantages.
One could enjoy the establishments and facilities already put up by the
guild. If it was Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan, it wouldn’t be a job for
them to become the guild’s main force.
His choice was, all in all, certainly reasonable.
“Of course, there is no reason to be in a hurry. I think it would be better

to talk a little more and think about it… I like this guild a little.”
Kim Hyunsung opened his mouth, careful not to show that he was
feeling nervous, “I think it would be better to think about it a little
more.”
“Ah… Don’t you like it?”
“No. I mean yes I do, but…”
“But?”
“They could have offered us a little more money.”

“You think so?”
“Perhaps there is a way to raise the payment some more.”
“Ah…”
If Kim Hyunsung truly valued the Blue Guild, he would have accepted
the offer as fast as possible. However, it seemed like this wasn’t the case
at all.
Like me, he was looking for a way to garner more power.
Kim Hyunsung blinked. He seemed to realize just how much he had

exposed himself. Honestly speaking, I didn’t know what his plan was,
but what he said was sound. Our party had more time to think about it.
As soon as we came out of the tutorial dungeon, there would be no

setbacks in the scenarios in his head.
“What are you talking about… Oh, I think I know.”
“Yeah. There is no need to rush the contract, Mr. Hyunsung. The more
you drag on, the more anxious they will be about us.”
Kim Hyunsung clearly understood what I was talking about.
“Then… You mean you can get more for us there? Actually, money
doesn’t really matter that much…”
“What? Oh, right.”
“You mean… Are you thinking about going somewhere else?”
“Well, that can’t be, Oppa!”

“It’s not like that. I want to be with all of you too. Of course, I want to be
with Hyunsung as well. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes. Even though this strange place has a bond… I want to go with
Kiyoung, Deokgu, and Hayan.”
The atmosphere once again shifted into a cozy one.
When I looked at Kim Hyunsung again, an involuntary laugh came out

of me.
‘I’ll make you make a lot of money, Hyunsung.’

CHAPTER 41
LET’S RAISE THE RANSOM (1)
What the Blue Guild suggested to us was an investment in itself. It was

like winning a scratch card lottery, minus the scratching.
I had to hand it to them. They made sure to give us an offer that would
feel like a major loss if we were to refuse it.
Yes, it was surprising for them to ind out that the group who would
inish the tutorial dungeon in the shortest time would only consist of
four people, but they were also smart enough to act on this surprising
fact as fast as possible.
‘I’m not stupid.’
Rather, it could be said that they were really the competitive types.
Returning back to reality, I caught sight of Park Deokgu reading

something. Tilting my head, I asked him, “Are you reading the catalog?”
“Well, yes. We might end up staying here one way or another, so I

igured inding out more about them wouldn’t hurt. Their guild
restaurant sounds so nice!”
“Well?”
“Well, when I was on Earth, the star chef Rayman Park, my grandfather,
had been in charge of our restaurant… Just looking at his food would
make me drool…”
“I see.”
“That’s why the guild’s accommodations seem awesome to me. Maybe I

could be just as much of a successful chef as my family members. My
grandfather would be proud…”
I didn’t know if this was an appropriate thought, but I almost felt sure
that Park Deokgu’s grandfather wouldn’t want him to be living in a
world like this.
“I think the guild is very intriguing… How big are the other guilds?”
“It probably won’t make much of a difference if we compare Blue Guild

to the others. They said it wasn’t the same as before, but even if a rich
man lost his business, he can still last three years. If one was able to
accumulate so much over the span of many years, then they must also
know how to survive. I’m not sure if they want to recruit us because
they want to regain their former glory…”
“Same here. I feel like I’ve become a special person because of the way
I’m being treated, and I don’t think I feel bad about it, Hyung.”
“In the future, you will be treated with more respect.”
“Really?”
“Sure, you will.”
He was right about that part. It de initely wouldn’t take long.
After all, we were lottery tickets whose potentials have not yet been
scratched. Anyone here with any sense would know that there was a
high probability of winning if they recruited us. That was the whole
reason why they were willing to give us more compensation than what
was necessary, after all.
“I didn’t think Hayan would be so treasured here as well. I also didn’t
think she would be so attached to you. I suppose wherever you choose
to go, she will follow.”
“Even if you don’t say that, you yourself are doing well enough. I am
only following these guild procedures because they’re necessary.”
“Still.”
‘You don’t have to say it like that… ’
Even if Park Deokgu didn’t say it, I already knew how important Jung
Hayan was. She was one of the biggest reasons why we were such a
desirable team to have.
In the future, once they achieved legendary magical stats talent, Jung
Hayan would be an Archmage, and Kim Hyunsung would be, for lack of
a better term, a regret-free returner.
Potential ability was not simply the limit of ability. It was not a ixed
measurement of how much one could grow, too. Players with enough
determination could surpass their own set limits depending on how far
they were willing to go.
This was where intelligence and luck came in.
In the case of Jung Hayan, she would have already completed her
second job soon; what with her scary capacity for magic power, it was
expected.
‘The Elemental Wizard.’
That would be the second job I would recommend for her. I knew Kim
Hyunsung would agree with me.
Unlike me, Jung Hayan seemed to have an af inity for all elements. Even
the alchemist job could not be found on her former job list.
In the irst place, she had no reason to choose such a job. Right from the
start, Jung Hayan’s stats were already pretty obvious. She was a wizard
through and through.
Considering how much we had gone through, and how easily she had
supported us throughout the entire tutorial dungeon, she was already
growing at a very fast pace.
What she needed was the slightest opportunity, and her stats would
skyrocket.
I don’t know if what happened in the dungeon became traumatic for

her, but I had to make sure I took advantage of this and have her
attached to me.
Because of this, I had created an unspoken rule that could be placed

between Jung Hayan and me. This, in itself, made sure that I would be
able to reap the rewards alongside her.
‘…’
Of course, the effect was more than I imagined.
I had only started off with simple praises, gradually increasing my

attempts to deepen our relationship.
At irst, all I had to do was stroke her head and hold her hand, but as I
raised the level little by little, I started to obsess even over her
performance.
Over time, she had proven that her real goal was not to achieve pure
strength or fame but to continually receive praise from me. The fact that
I showed no approval whatsoever when Jung Hayan did nothing also
made her quite desperate and determined.
Perhaps the reason Park Deokgu said that was because of our current
situation. He hardly saw me during the demonstration and had
correctly guessed that something was off.
Among us, it was not Park Deokgu, Kim Hyunsung, nor I, but Jung
Hayan, who spent the most time on personal training.
“I’m probably the one in the team who always causes blunders and
gives everyone a hard time.”
“No, that’s not true…”
“This demonstration where our statuses determine how the Blue Guild
or other guilds perceive us is very important. If I mess things up for
everyone… Anyway, I’m glad they decided to accept us as a team.”
“Oh, please. You are doing great yourself.”
“One has to learn how to set themselves apart in this kind of thing. I
can’t be stuck forever. This is a good moment to talk about this.”
“Then why are you doing this demonstration in the irst place?”
“It’s almost a routine for athletes. They need to know how much we’re
worth so they can set the correct price. It’s a little bad, but… It would be
worse if I mess things up for everyone.”
“Oh, the more I think about it, the more I think I know why Hayan really
likes you.”
I held the urge to laugh. Park Deokgu was so innocent that it was
actually kind of endearing. Little did he know that Jung Hayan’s feelings
had already gone past just liking. Most of that was thanks to Park
Deokgu’s active intervention.
At this point, I started wondering if Park Deokgu really was as clueless

as he seemed, or if he was just trying to hide how much he really knew.
I shook my head and responded,
“Then, let’s go.”
“Okay, Hyung.”
“Walk faster.”
“What? No…”
We took note of our surroundings as we started to move. The lush

scenery was such a stark contrast to the drab tutorial dungeon.
This felt luxurious, safe, and treated.
Looking out the window, I could see that the people rescued from the
shelter were gathering and doing something. Perhaps they were
receiving mandatory education that was required by this new world.
Lee Jihye saw us for a moment, but she quickly focused on something
else. Following her gaze, I saw what caught her eye. It was an internal
smokehouse.
There were quite a few people already gathered around.
The clothes worn by these people looked quite luxurious, regardless of

their rank or status. Apparently, it was not just the Blue Guild
executives who dressed this way.
Those with different lags, looking somewhere around the training hall
like a director of a large company, certainly looked like people from
other guilds.
‘Scouter?’
Yes, these people were probably looking for talents.
Peering closely at their faces told me what I already knew. These people
were anxious to ind someone worthy of bringing back to their guilds.
It was already a week ago that the demonstration had been done, with
the Blue Guild having irst dibs on whoever they deemed it to recruit
for themselves.
Except for when I checked how she was faring, I hadn’t seen Jung Hayan
in three days.
I felt particularly ine as I had other things to think about for these past
days, but it seemed that it had been excruciating for Jung Hayan.
“Doesn’t she seem a little… sad?”
“A little.”
Actually, I looked like she was more tired than sad.
She said he would come to see the day of my demonstration, but it

seemed like she herself wasn’t doing too well.
Seeing as she kept looking around, I guessed that she had been looking
for me. Someone then approached her and spoke in a lower voice.
Startled, Jung Hayan turned to the person and immediately reddened.
“Oppa! Oh… Oh, s-sorry! I was hoping…”

“Don’t you look a little weird right now?”
“I think it’s because I’m feeling nervous. And… It hasn’t been long since
I left the dungeon. I don’t know what to expect yet.”
“Don’t be too nervous. I’m sure everyone here knows how traumatic the
experience has been, so they won’t be too hard on us.”
I didn’t know who spoke in response to Hayan’s words, but I was glad
that someone else could understand the situation correctly.
‘However, the rest of these people… ’
All I could see were people shifting restlessly wherever I looked.
I wondered if anyone here felt con ident at all, but I was pretty sure I
would ind no one like that here. Shrugging, I raised my hand high in
the air. Jung Hayan spotted me in an instant.
‘You can’t ruin it,’ this was an important event.
-Alas. If you are ready, Jung Hayan, give a signal.
At this, Jung Hayan nodded.
If anyone here were to appear as if they were preparing in advance by

memorizing spells, they could potentially be deemed unsafe.
Seeing those who, in turn, saw me, clicked their tongues, I thought
maybe my deemed plan would fail.
‘Is it too hard…? The moment I experienced regret, I felt the low of
magical power that I could not even imagine.’
“Huh?”
It looked ridiculous, but you can see the dust scattering around Jung
Hayan. It was surprising to see that a simple action such as moving
one’s magic power within the body could give such an effect.
As I stood there, speechless, Jung Hayan continued her incredibly long

chant. All the executives of the large guilds began looking at her with
dumbstruck expressions.
Amidst the crowd, I could hear a lurry of sheepish voices.
“Report this now! Quickly!”
“Hey! Get her pro ile here as fast as possible!”
Everything was going according to plan.
Actually, everything was going better than I had originally expected.

Indeed, I expected some achievement, but I couldn’t imagine it would
reach this extent.
The longer the spell got, the louder the humming became.
From where they were situated, Lee Sang-hee and the other members
of the Blue Guild looked dumbstruck. I found out what they were
thinking. Jung Hayan had not displayed this type of power to them.
It wasn’t this much a week ago.
‘What, really…?’
It was during this time that Jung Hayan inally inished chanting,
“Materialize, elemental bomb!”
Qaw ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
The reverberation emanated from Jung Hayan’s hand with a
tremendous sound. Even I had to cover my ears. Due to the intense
vibrations, I made sure to coat an extra layer of magical protection so as
to not damage my eardrums.
The mysterious magic Jung Hayan created immediately lew to her

desired target – one of the objects found in the middle of the martial
arts sector.
“What is this…”
Qaw ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Upon reaching it, the target disappeared without a trace in an instant

after the second explosion.
There was no cheering, only silence.
However…
For some reason, the silence had become a louder sound than if the
people around us had cheered.
“She… What…”
Park Deokgu turned to me, “Hyung.”
I did not deem to respond.
“Are you seeing the same thing as I am?”
Again, I did not respond. However, a smile had begun to spread on my

face.
I didn’t know just how lucky I was to get hold of such a prize.
CHAPTER 42
LET’S RAISE THE RANSOM (2)
It was hard for everyone to understand what happened and how it had
occurred. It seemed that I was not dreaming after all. Jung Hayan’s
performance really guaranteed a better outcome than what I expected.
It was natural that a general buzz of noisiness descended upon the

crowd after the initial pause of silence.
“Did you bring her pro ile?!”
“How did you say the negotiations with the Blue Guild were going on?”
“It’s an unconditional recruitment. Who is the guild master?”
“You said that the down payment doesn’t matter. It has already been
granted.”
“What were the personnel in charge of the guild doing? No more

detailed data? Didn’t you get anything from the Blue Guild?”
“Sorry, I’m sorry!”
“Fuck. Will this problem end with a simple sorry? Son of a bitch…
Useless babies…”
It seemed that there was also a system that allowed one to

communicate with a distant partner.
This is exactly what I expected. No, this was more than that.
You could see the guild executives gathering around, excitement
showing on their faces as they hustled and jostled in an attempt to ind
out more about Jung Hayan.
Looking at Jung Hayan’s pro ile was only the irst step. I could already
see these executives trying to work out just where she would be and
how much she could achieve if she were to join their respective guilds.
The other guilds were also approaching the Blue Guild at this point. As
they had the primary bargaining power, some of the others were
thinking about bargaining with them.
Of course, Lee Sang-hee and the executives of the Blue Guild would be
agitated.
I knew our team quite the catch, but I did not expect to receive this
much desire.
I caught a glimpse of Jung Hayan’s expression and could see that she
was indeed feeling happy. She knew she had succeeded. She looked a
little cute, staring at me like that with her hands clasped together.
I was curious as to what extent she had grown, and when I looked into
her status window with my ability, her stats revealed themselves to me.
[Check player Jung Hayan’s status window and potential.]
[Name-Jung Hayan]
[Title-None. You should try a little more.]
[Age-21]
[Propensity-Pure Advocate]
[Profession-Elemental Wizard-Rare Grade]

[Job Effect-Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]
[Job Effect-Intermediate Magic Knowledge Acquisition]
[Capacity]
[Strength-11/Growth Limit: Rare or less]
[Agility-11/Growth Limit: Rare or less]
[Intellect-29/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]
[Endurance-14/Growth Limit: Rare or less]
[Magic Power -31/Growth Limit: Legend or higher]
[Equipment-Divine Healing-Rare Grade]
[Talent-How to Become a Wizard-Hero Grade]
[General comment- Very good. The growth of the magic power point is
most noticeable. It is showing an incomprehensible rate of growth, but
there is a drawback, although not a big one, that the stats have not
grown evenly. Player Lee Kiyoung is lucky. Make sure you don’t lose her.
That’s the right way to survive. You just need to be careful riding on a
good boat.]
’31 magic power?’
That was a ridiculous number.

In fact, you could not accurately determine whether it was high or not.
Those who appeared to be Wizards have quite a variety of magical
powers. They ranged from as low as 60 to as high as 80.
I didn’t know how much she practiced, but one thing was for sure –
Jung Hayan’s growth was immense.
‘Is it possible to produce that level of power in such a short time?’
Taking this into consideration, it was highly possible that Jung Hayan
had decided to be lexible with her abilities. She looked a little tired
now, so that little spectacle must have cost a lot of magic. Nevertheless,
if you looked at the noisy surrounding atmosphere, what Jung Hayan
was showing now was a story that was dif icult to explain in common
sense.
-That… The demonstration is over…
Even before the moderator had inished talking, Jung Hayan had already
started running in our direction. Although the crowds locked to her,
she seemed to have ignored them all.
‘I will accept business cards… ’
“Oppa!” Jung Hayan’s face glowed. She was obviously expecting praise
from me.
Since I didn’t see her properly this entire week, it was not unreasonable
for me to show her a little approval.
“You did a good job, Hayan.”
“Thank you, Oppa…”
“Did you have a hard time?”

“No. Don’t worry, I didn’t!” there were tears in her eyes.
I was a little worried about whether it was okay to show such affection
in such a crowded place, but both the Blue Guild’s head and the large
guilds’ executives were looking at us.
‘This isn’t so bad. Rather, it’s actually good.’
It was not bad to show off that you had close friends. I opened my arms
a little and hugged her tightly. Jung Hayan positively glowed.
As time passed, the heavy gazes in our direction started to become

burdensome to the point where I started feeling embarrassed.
‘Ah… ’
Of course, I was not that cunning as to show public affection in such a

place.
“Oh, Oppa! Give me a hot kiss!” It was Park Deokgu who had jokingly
spoken.
‘Stop it, you pig!”
“Oppa! Oppa! Oppa! You’re so hot as a man!”
As Park Deokgu continued to joke around, Jung Hayan’s expression

eventually shifted. It was obvious that she was expecting more.
‘Jung Hayan… ’
I always say, ‘Jung Hayan can’t be this stupid’. I didn’t talk out loud, but I
was sure…
‘I’ve done this much, so I have to get a decent reward. I’ve been patient
for a week.’ I felt like that was what she was saying.
It didn’t seem like such a bad idea. I wanted to announce, ‘She’s mine.’
in front of everyone.
I had to be careful, but I also had to do something.
After thinking about it, I gently grabbed her face with both hands and
puckered my lips. I thought that a slow move would be the best way.
When I kissed her lightly on her forehead, I could feel Jung Hayan
trembling.
It was only my lips touching her forehead, but the effect was more than
I had imagined.
‘What… ’
Not only was she hugging me tight enough to hurt my back, but her legs
also started trembling. I glanced down at her and saw a face, reddened
beyond imagination.
The appearance of her parted lips looked dangerous, but I thought that
it didn’t matter. The entire time, I could feel the heavy gazes coming
from the executives.
It didn’t matter who saw us; we gave off the perfect scenario as lovers.
At this point, the moderator seemed to be confused. The Blue Guild’s

head had also noticed that something was wrong.
-That… Jung Hayan’s demonstration is over. VIPs, please do not leave

your seats and act according to the procedure after all the schedules are
inished. Likewise, there will be a demonstration of Kim Hyunsung, who
participated in the irst tutorial dungeon as a strategy team. The
content of the demonstration is a duel…
“Hayan, I’m going to see Mr. Hyunsung now.”

“Ah… Yes, yes of course, Oppa.” Jung Hayan looked up at me and smiled.
Although I felt uncomfortable, it was not unbearable. Rather, this would
be appropriate as a reward in return for Jung Hayan’s performance.
Sure, it was burdensome as she was constantly trying to bury her face
into my chest, but when Kim Hyunsung came out with a sword in the
center of the training center, attention began to shift from us to him.
“Well, I feel alienated for no reason… Should I also get a girlfriend?”
“Concentrate on the duel, Deokgu. It’s probably quite worth seeing.”
“Even if my Hyung doesn’t say that, I’m not taking my eyes off it. I want
to watch Kim Hyunsung too.”
-If you are ready, I would like you to send a signal.
Slowly, Kim Hyunsung raised his hand.
-Then, let’s get started.
I knew that the warrior series were going to demonstrate through

sparring, while the wizard series would demonstrate magic, but the
opponent did not look easy at all.
First, the stats themselves are higher than Kim Hyunsung’s own stats.
Of course, Kim Hyunsung would think otherwise.
The opponent’s expression slowly hardened upon looking at Kim

Hyunsung, con idently holding his sword.
Jung Hayan was already a big hint that our party was not normal, but
Kim Hyunsung? He was de initely taking us to another level altogether.
In an instant, he and his opponent disappeared from sight.

A battle unfolded that couldn’t even be caught up with normal eyes.
This was yet another spectacle, second only to Jung Hayan’s

performance.
It seems that the distinguished guests who came to watch would be

more than pleasantly surprised.
As the duel continued, I could see the audience’s eyes slowly widening.
‘Is it because you thought the only talented one was Jung Hayan?’
Well, they were obviously wrong.
‘Puh!’
When I saw the VIPs with their mouths hanging open, I could not resist
smiling. However, I could only hear the sound of swords clashing.
‘Well done!’
We already knew that our lovely regressors would be strong, but this is
the irst time I’ve seen them ight properly.
The difference in stats was easily distinguishable.
However, if you looked at the face of his opponent, the answer would
come out.
He now felt nervous. Kim Hyunsung had proven himself to be a

formidable enemy.
‘He’s strong.’
Soon after, the opponent’s sword lew into the air. Kim Hyunsung did
not bother retrieving his sword. He knew that he had already shown his
worth.
The opponent, however, didn’t give up and swung his ist, but the
moment the opponent pushed Kim Hyunsung with the same arm that
dropped the sword, a roar resonated.
Kim Hyunsung bounced off to the other side.
“Ah!”
Quaang! It was safe to say that he could have broken a lot of bones after
landing against the wall in such a rough manner, but when Kim
Hyunsung simply got up and brushed the dust off his sleeves, it seemed
that he wanted to show that his durability ability wasn’t bad either.
“I lost.”
‘It’s neat. This foxy guy is so strong!’
It did not matter. They had managed to show off all their strengths.
If the guy who just came in had overcome the veteran casually, the
distinguished guests here would have thought it was strange.
Showing his skill through the duel had been a smart move for Kim
Hyunsung.
Slowly, the applause started to ill in from the crowds. I could see the
executives from the other guilds looking positively hungry.
In terms of impact, I would like to say that Jung Hayan would be one of
the top rankers, but the demonstration that Kim Hyunsung showed
de initely stood out.
“Huh…”
“Genius…”
-That… Kim Hyunsung’s demonstration is over… Please, distinguished

guests, follow the procedure…
The voice of the moderator did not seem to reach our distinguished
guests.
As soon as Kim Hyunsung’s battle was over, a lot of people jumped from
their seats to approach Kim Hyunsung.
Nice try.
It wasn’t just Kim Hyunsung who became a star at this point.
“Would you mind talking for a minute?”
“…”
“Lee Kiyoung, was it? And Jung Hayan. If it doesn’t bother you, can we
take some of your time? This is Cha Hee-ra of the Red Mercenary Guild.”
I had also become quite the star as the pillar of a talented genius
wizard.
‘This is… ’
This was a situation where you couldn’t hide your humble smile.
The one who approached me was an unusually red-haired woman,

offering out her hand for a handshake.
I didn’t know if I was just caught off guard, or if it was because I was,
after all, a man, but my eyes were automatically drawn to her bold
out it.
‘Ah… ’
CHAPTER 43
CRAZY BITCH (1)
This was a situation where I could no longer hide my humble smile.
Holding out her hand for a handshake in front of me was a red-haired

woman.
I didn’t know if I was just caught off guard, or if it was because I was,
after all, a man, but my eyes were automatically drawn to her bold
out it.
‘Ah… ’
Instantly, I knew I had made a mistake.
It was because I could feel two heavy gazes locked onto me – those of
Jung Hayan’s and the red-haired woman herself, who I now knew by the
name of Cha Hee-ra.
I usually acted carefully about this part, but the woman’s choice of
clothing was so surprisingly daring that I forgot how to act like myself.
‘That’s it… ’
I didn’t know if it was the out it that barely just covered her chest and
stomach, or it was how con idently she carried herself, but the red hair
and red lips give off a strangely erotic feeling.
All in all, she had a very attractive appearance.

I shook my head for a moment and appraised her with my eyes’ ability,
and her whole pro ile showed itself to me in an instant.
[Check player Cha Hee-ra’s status window and potential.]
[Name-Hee-ra Cha]
[Title-Blood Mad Madame, Red Mercenary, Red Madame of the Holy

Empire]
[Age-28]
[Propensity-Unpredictable Innovator]
[Occupation-Mercenary Queen-Legend Level]
[Occupational Effect-Acquisition of Basic Sword Skills]
[Job Effect-Acquisition of Intermediate Weapon Knowledge]
[Job Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Weapon Knowledge]
[Job Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Dual Weapon Knowledge]
[Occupational Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Magic Power Operation

Knowledge]
[Capacity]
[Strength -97/Growth Limit: Legend or higher]
[Agility-82/Growth Limit: Hero or less]
[Health -85/Growth Limit: Hero or less]
[Intellect-67/Growth Limit: Rare or higher]

[Endurance-90/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]
[Luck-56/Growth Limit: Rare or higher]
[Magic power -82 /Growth Limit: Hero or less]
[Equipment-None]
[Talent-Blood Mad Madame-Hero Grade]
[Intellectual stats are temporarily reduced to increase attack power.]
[General comment-She looks a little dangerous to me. Be careful, or she

might end up biting your head off.]
Her job was a hero-level mercenary queen, with her title being a ‘Blood
Mad Madame’.
Of course, it didn’t feel like she was up to anything good, given how she
approached us. The fact that she was also an unpredictable innovator
added to my unease.
‘But these stats… ’
Her strength at 90 and her endurance at 97 were highly impressive. She

was even stronger than Lee Sang-hee!
However, if I were to compare her to the other female executives

present, I could safely say that having such high stats and hero-graded
jobs were the norm. I shouldn’t have to be so inclined towards her.
Honestly speaking, it was the attractive smile and the con ident
outstretched hand that drew me to her.
However, I knew that this simple scenario could undermine me.

Shifting slightly beside me, I could feel Jung Hayan’s discomfort. Of
course, knowing her, she was trying her best not to show it.
She must be aware that not shaking her hand would be an outright
disrespect for such a powerful person.
I thought Jung Hayan could ind it in her to be a little more mature, but
the way her hand had tightened around my arm meant she childishly
did not want me to take the handshake.
‘Still… ’
Cha Hee-ra was a VIP of another guild. I had to remember that fact.
‘I’m sorry, Jung Hayan… ’
It was a little dif icult to move my arm into position because of Jung
Hayan trying her best to stop me from doing so, but after silently asking
for understanding this once, I held Cha Hee-ra’s hand tightly.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Kiyoung.”
“It’s really an honor to get to talk to the stars of this demonstration.”
“Ah, all the credit goes to Jung Hayan here…”
“Jung Hayan, that demo was really impressive.”
“Yes… thank you…” Jung Hayan’s voice had become dangerously low.
Once I dropped Cha Hee-ra’s hand, Jung Hayan’s grip thankfully

loosened.
“The two of you are really close. Is there any chance that you’ve
developed your relationship outside?”
“Ah. Not like that. The irst time I met her was in the tutorial dungeon,
and after that, we got closer to each other and made a good
relationship.”
“I really envy you.”
It was really hard trying to read this woman’s gaze.
‘Aren’t you embarrassed?’
Of course, it seemed that the source of her self-con idence was not her
appearance.
It might be her taste to go around with more than half of her breasts
exposed, but the real reason behind her con idence was because she
was called the Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra.
She was simply that strong—the strongest out of everyone I had seen
so far, even. And I wasn’t just basing this off her stats.
I’ve also based this off of the fact that no one else dared to approach us
in her presence.
“Ah… I think I should introduce myself one more time. I am the leader of
the Red Mercenary Guild. My job is called Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-
ra.”
‘Also… ’
“You came in person.”
“Yeah. I am a little interested in talent. Especially this time, I heard a lot

of talented people coming in, so I just had to see for myself.”
“Ah, I see. Thank you so much for giving us such importance.”

“No. It is natural.”
“But I don’t know if it’s okay to talk. As far as I hear, the Blue Guild has
the right to bargain…”
“Oh… Negotiation. I’m just talking about it. Of course, we have to tell
you about the recruitment, but our Red Mercenary Guild respects the
bargaining rights of the Blue Guild. It would be right to think of it as an
advisor to help you make reasonable choices.”
“Ah…”
In other words, it meant that I wasn’t part of their choices yet. I was not
on their table for now.
They were still trying to see how important I was and how I was going
to it in.
It wasn’t just us. Park Deokgu was also talking to a man who suddenly
approached him, and Kim Hyunsung was openly surrounded by people.
I knew the Blue Guild could feel their potential loss if they let us get
taken away. This was exactly how they knew they were a guild without
power.
If they had the power to control the VIPs, this would not have happened
in the irst place.
Of course, I was not sympathetic.
It was a story that had nothing to do with me as an independent person,

and making strings here was a more reasonable – and safer – option.
“You probably don’t know a lot about this kind of thing. Guilds that
usually have primary bargaining rights have a strong tendency to
control information regarding the other guilds… About the red
mercenaries I run…”
“Yeah. I didn’t hear it.”
“Oh, then I guess I have to explain a little bit. Our Red Mercenary is a
guild made by melee workers. As the name suggests, it is easy to
understand that it is a guild that moves through various quests, as well
as dungeons, monster hunting, and even small battles or war quests.”
“Ah, melee…”
“Yeah. To be precise, it was a mercenary guild made up of melee

soldiers.”
“You mean you are pursuing change.”
“Yeah. It is dif icult to tell in detail, but there is a movement within the
guild to train wizards and priests and invest in auxiliary occupations.
It’s a bit different, but it’s a situation where a lot of the budget is being
spent. It’s a bit late compared to other guilds, so why are the executives
urging you to invest more? Actually, the reason why I’ve come this far is
because of our investors…”
“I see…”
I think I know what she was talking about.
“I’m curious as to how much you plan to invest.”
“Would you be comfortable speaking in Hanwha?”
“Yeah. Still on the side…”
Cha Hee-ra laughed and spoke again.

“2 billion.”
‘What… ’
“Yeah?”
“2 billion per person. We are also preparing an additional budget in

case you don’t know. Of course, we will continue to invest in the future.
At least 500 million won a year, even. Does that sound ine?”
Roughly interpreted, it was a down payment of more than 2 billion and

an annual salary of 500 million.
Based on this, the down payment would be 20,000 gold and an annual
salary of 5,000 gold.
I felt so embarrassed, I couldn’t even speak.
‘2 billion?’
Compared to the amount presented by the Blue Guild at irst, the gap
was too large to even be considered.
I expected the price to jump by a bit, not by twenty more times! In the
case of annual salary, I’d say it jumped by 5 times.
At this point, I began to wonder just how the Blue Guild saw us and
began to understand why so many of the other guilds wanted to get us.
If the amount is this much, it was unreasonable to refuse them outright.
It was a whopping 2 billion!
An amount that the average person cannot collect even after working a
lifetime.
Even at this point, I was already calculating which one would be the
better option to take!
“But… It may be a little dif icult to invest in close-knit workers. We are

new to this sort of thing, after all.”
“Ah.”
“There are really many talented people in our guild. Of course, it’s not
as if we haven’t considered Kim Hyunsung or the others… it’s just that
we want to focus on only one place.”
This did not sound good.
“I see.”
“Both Mr. Kiyoung and Ms. Hayan seems to be interested in this project
of our guild… I want to ask what you think.”
This was basically a question of whether or not we were willing to

abandon Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung.
Probably, as it was a guild that had already been strengthened as a

melee force, the prosecutors and tankers were already seasoned
members.
Therefore, I could understand why they did not choose to invest in Park
Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung. They already had people in place that could
act as the perfect shield and sword.
Even if I was in her position, my focus would literally just stay on the
magical side.
“The project itself is really interesting, but I’m a little worried if we can
help. I was intimate with my friends whom I attacked the tutorial
dungeon together with. To focus on one place is…”
“Hmm… That’s surprising.”
She looked even more intrigued at this point. It almost felt like a game
of cat and mouse to me.
“It would have been really nice if I had the opportunity to invest in only
the two of you… Our guild is also dif icult to handle these days. We want
to make this guild a better place, see, and to compensate for our past
losses. It’ll be such a shame not to get you or Jung Hayan.”
“What…”
“This is a gift.”
I could feel Cha Hee-ra pulling an item out, and I immediately stiffened.
‘Was this a bribe?’
Probably not. It actually felt like a gift.
However, my unease did not go away entirely.
On the other hand, since this was a gift from a leader of such a large
guild, I knew it was a valuable item.
“If you change your mind, you can talk to me anytime. If not, I still want
to keep in touch. Since you belong to the same empire as us, wouldn’t
there be a lot of time to go into dungeons or stand on the front line
together? And… Well… Jung Hayan?”
“…”
“The young miss must also learn how to kill a little bit of life.”
“Ah…”
Cha Hee-ra suddenly came to this direction in an instant. I could feel the
moisture on my lips from when she had kissed me without warning.
‘This crazy… ’
I couldn’t get my mind to react fast enough to the sudden action.
I tried pushing Cha Hee-ra away, but there was no way I could rival her
strength stats with my own weak body. I could hardly even make a
single noise.
I struggled to look at Jung Hayan, but could no longer feel any trace of
her magic or presence beside me.
‘Shit… ’
I was not expecting this at all!
“This is also a gift. Then see you next time.”
‘Shit!’
I noticed everyone had begun to look this way with stunned faces. Even
Park Deokgu had a startled expression.
No one had to tell me what just happened. The only thing I was worried
about was losing Jung Hayan.
‘Fuck, I’m screwed.’

CHAPTER 44
CRAZY BITCH (2)
-Kiyoung Lee, please send a signal when you are ready.
As I raised my hand slightly, I immediately felt the eyes looking at me.

On the second loor, Kim Hyun-sung, Park Deokgu, and Jung Hayan were
also intently looking at me.
I was a little nervous as everyone here was so focused on what I could

do, but honestly, I didn’t feel the burden of having to prove myself.
In the irst place, I knew that the guild executives weren’t expecting me
to do something worth their time.
“I’m ready.”
Rather, it was Jung Hayan who had me feeling unsettled. Ever since that
incident with Cha Hee-ra, she hadn’t been herself.
That strangely quiet appearance had me sweating.
Next to her, Park Deokgu was sporting a displeased expression as well.

Kim Hyunsung’s expression was generally unreadable.
‘I’m anxious… ’
I had an inkling that I knew the reason why the madwoman had done
that to me, and I didn’t like the reason at all. She probably did it to spite
Jung Hayan.
Of course, it could also be a warning, but I hardly felt like this was the
case.
I think I was even expected to thank her, all for not pulling the sword
and beheading me for not accepting her offer right away.
I shook my head and began to focus on my magic, which was getting a

little more complicated, and slowly began to draw a circle on the loor.
It was a rather complicated process, but the magic circle itself was
ready.
‘It’s at least ef icient.’
It not only costs less magic power, but it would de initely do the trick.
In an instant, the magic circle was completed.
From the nods I saw in the crowd, I knew they found this type of magic
familiar.
“Lord, I hope you answer my voice.”
The magic circle was the one responsible for building the tower of
magic. Even memorizing the chant would drain you of your magic
power.
“Fire pillar.”
At my words, a pillar of ire rose up from the magical circle that I made.
This was not possible to do with my meager amount of magic power.

However, with the help of a little extra effect and the magic circle, the
outcome of my magic had become something more impressive than
what it should have been.
“What…”
I couldn’t hear the cheers of Park Deokgu, Kim Hyunusng, or Jung

Hayan as I would have heard them in the past.
However…
Clap, clap, clap.
I started to hear the sound of applause spreading throughout the venue.
It was not a bad demonstration, but of course, it was not bad enough to
not be applauded for.
They’ve probably igured out by now that I was the weakest out of my
entire party, but I knew for a fact that I was not automatically useless.
“Thank you.”
-Lee Ki-young’s demonstration is inished. All the VIPs, please move

according to the procedure.
However, just like yesterday, these people refused to follow.
You could see distinguished guests and scouts locking here, much like
dogs answering to their master.
“I am Lee Yeon-hee, who runs the Saseong Guild. Let’s talk for a
second… No, I’ll give you a business card irst.”
“I’m Clan Master Jeong Jong-cheol. If you can’t excuse me…”
“This is Youngsoo Ko. Our clan is a new clan created during this time,
and the conditions are somewhat insuf icient, but the growth potential
is better than any other clan or guild…”
“I am Park Hye-soo, the representative of the Magical Guild. I want to
talk a little bit…”
It felt tiring just to respond to every single person. Each and every one
of them was, after all, a valuable prospect. Whether it’s a newly created
clan or a fallen guild, everyone mattered. Therefore, willingly receiving
business cards and holding formal conversations was a must.
“If you don’t have a contract with the Blue Guild yet…”
“Yeah. We will look forward to seeing you all together later.”
“Our guild too!”
“Yes. Whenever the time comes, let’s have a meal together.”
“I hope to maintain a good relationship no matter which guild you go to

in the future.”
“Yeah. I will try to contact you irst.”
For all that I was worth, I didn’t think my responses were that bad. I
knew the importance of maintaining good relations, after all.
“That was a fun demonstration.”
‘Fun? Why do I have a feeling you ind it funny… ’
“It seems to have changed our perception of alchemists. Hahaha.”
‘That’s a lie.’
“Thank you all. It’s a little embarrassing because this is nothing

compared to my other party members.”
However, I still had to keep up with the pretense. This was, after all,
how social conventions worked.
As I broke through the crowd, I could see Lee Sang-hee and the other
Blue Guild executives looking down at me. All of them sported
disturbed expressions.
They had just now recognized that the negotiations were twisted from
the beginning.
In just a week, we learned that there were more and better

opportunities in store for us from other guilds, contrary to what we
were told.
If one had seen our party engage in everyday conversations, of course,

they could only come to one conclusion.
‘The position of Lee Kiyoung in Kim Hyunsung’s party is higher than

expected.’
“Would you mind talking for a minute? I think I have to tell you the
terms of the negotiation again…”
“Of course, Lee Sang-hee. You’re more than welcome to.”
“I’ll take you inside.”
“Yes,” I tried my best not to smile too much.
Looking back, I saw Jung Hayan, Park Deokgu, and Kim Hyunsung
seemingly busy talking to others.
When I entered the room where I had negotiations the last time, I
honestly felt a very different atmosphere compared to the previous one.
The elderly executives had now begun to pay more attention to me.
‘Good.’
I liked the feeling of power.
“First of all, I would like to apologize for the hasty adjustment of the
terms of the irst negotiation. In fact, I thought the terms of the contract
would be too generous for regular newcomers… Looking at the
appearances you all showed at the demonstration, I thought that we
have underestimated your potential.”
“Alas. Fine. Of course you can understand. It is natural to avoid investing

in people who are not veri ied by the way of standpoint of running a
group. It is an extremely reasonable judgment.”
“Ah. Thank you so much for understanding.”
“…”
“Unknowingly, you must have also received offers from several places.”
I thought there was no reason to lie. It’s a fact that they already know,
that I know, and that everyone knows.
“Yeah. That’s right.”
“I don’t know what kind of proposals you received from other guilds,
but our Blue Guild…”
What I was going to hear was so obvious that I no longer needed to fully
listen. They would say that the amount they could afford may be
insuf icient, but the truth was that this was a story of growth potential.
The distinction of the Blue Guild, the special conditions that can be
supported, plans for how to grow us, and how to support us; All of this,
I knew I would hear time and again.
“You may feel that the amount is insuf icient compared to other guilds,
but the Blue Guild is still one of the named guilds in the Holy Empire. If
you become a member of the Blue Guild, you will have a speci ic budget
for the party… Oh, and it’s not just that. The Blue Guild’s executive job…”
“Speci ically…”
“It’s hard to give you a speci ic answer yet, but I will do my best…”
“I see. May I hear more speci ic contract details?”
“Ah! Of course,” Lee Sang-hee looked a little happy at this.
“We offer a payment of gold and a 3,000 gold annual salary. These are
the conditions we can meet. The contract period is 10 years… Salary
negotiations allow renewal every year…”
“It’s 1 billion won in Korean currency.”
“Yeah.”
Compared to the Red Mercenary, this was half off the mark.
Of course, in the case of the Red Mercenary Guild, Kim Hyun-sung and
Park Deokgu would not be included. It was because they knew hiring an
alchemist would be very expensive.
However, one notable fact within Lee Sang-hee’s words was that the
contract had extended to three years. I now knew they were genuinely
interested in our growth.
If the amount you paid for the irst time was already quite large,
chances were, you had the potential to raise the price a little more.
This was probably true, even in the case of such a large amount such as
that presented by Cha Hee-ra.
I smiled and began to speak.
“The down payment is 15,000 gold. 1.5 billion won by Hanwha. These
are the terms and conditions we are looking for.”
“Ah…”
“In addition, I would like you to provide the minimum hero-level

alchemy tool support and the adjustment of the byproducts of hunting,
the hero-level spellbook for Jung Hayan, and the basic hero-level
equipment for Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung as well.”
“That… that…”
“You can think of it as an investment. Our party will grow even further.
There is a reason why I am not obsessed with salary. As our growth
accelerates, the Blue Guild will also grow. I know other guilds will be
willing to offer the investment we seek.”
“That’s our reason…”
“If you need gold, you can simply sell the irst bargaining right to the
other guilds. However, for the Blue Guild, gold is not important right
now. Isn’t that right?”
From Lee Sang-hee’s expression, I knew I had hit the mark.
“Guild Master.”
As expected. Of course, the Guild Master would only appear when

things seemed hopelessly out of control.
Nevertheless, if you couldn’t even see the Blue Guild Master, you’d know
right away that something was wrong with the current guild.
“Can someone…”
“It’s just a simple reasoning. Take it as a suggestion, if you will.”
I felt like something in the atmosphere had changed.
If there was a problem with the guild’s executive abilities, then our
growth potential would also waver. It was then that I felt like I made a
little mistake.
“How cheeky…”
This voice did not belong to Lee Sang-hee.
Rather, it belonged to the voice of the old man next to me. He was
staring at me with overly eager eyes.
‘Hm?’
“We are not investing in you, alchemist.”
“Seolho! What have you done!”
“Our Blue Guild hasn’t collapsed to the point of being ordered around
by that guy, Lee Sang-hee.”
‘That… ’
“Isn’t this just a child who has not yet been in this place for a year? Yes, I
am willing to bend, but not to someone like him.”
“Hold in your magic!”
‘Shit… ’
Now I understood what being on the brink of death was like.

Perhaps it was because of the magic power of the old man who
occupied the room, but my body had begun to tremble, and even
breathing became a challenging task.
The thought of dying in this room kept coming into my mind.
“I told you to hold in your magic power! Seolho Lee!”
“This crap guy… I know guys like you very well. You are the type who
runs wild even when you know you cannot offer anything in return.
There are a lot of different people here. Do you think I haven’t seen a rat
like you while living on this continent?”
“Uh…”
“It will not be a hassle to kill people like you. Threats always low over
this continent. No one knows when and where what will happen. This
place is different from Earth. Stupid kid… Do you really not know when
to tread carefully? How dare you!”
‘I’m going to die,’ the thought lashed in my head. It was getting harder
and harder to breathe.
I didn’t really understand what the heck was happening.
‘Like a beggar… Old man… ’
I wanted to run out of the door right now, but I couldn’t even move my
body.
When I was at a point where I had to choose anything, anything at all to

save me, I made my move.
“Do it, crazy old man.”
“What?”
“Try it. If you can kill me, then kill me.”
“You dare to-!”
“Lee Seolho! Do my words really fall on lat ears?!”
Even with Lee Sang-hee’s shouting, I let insults pour out of my mouth.
“A crazy old man…”
“You!”
“If I die, do you think Cha Hee-ra will let you off?!”
The old man shut his mouth at my words.

CHAPTER 45
CRAZY BITCH (3)
“If I die, do you think Cha Hee-ra will let you off?!”
The old man shut his mouth at my words.
Of course, this was a blatant lie. If Cha Hee-ra was here, she would have
laughed. She and I had hardly talked, but it was enough for me to get a
glimpse of her personality.
What I spouted was some ridiculous bullshit, but it was something that
the old man took at face value.
Perhaps something like this had happened to him in the past.
Regardless of whether they were willing to provide for us or not, I had

already made it a point to possibly contact Cha Hee-ra again.
Seeing that the old man was still silent at this point, he still must have
been mulling over in his head. I was torn between wanting to and not
wanting to know the scene that must have been playing in his head.
“What… what is this bullshit…”
“I’ll see if it’s bullshit or not. Do you want to ind out?”
“…”
It had gotten pretty quiet. I thought I might have gotten through him.
The weight from the name, Cha Hee-ra of the Red Mercenary Guild,
really did seem to be heavy. The fact that the Red Mercenary Guild had
little friendly relations with the Blue Guild also did not sit well with
them.
Nobody wanted to mess with that monstrous clan, and it wasn’t just
because of the legendary stats they possessed. They were one of the
largest guilds in the Holy Empire, and she was the one who had the
highest stats and combat abilities among everyone we had seen today.
Putting myself in the old man’s shoes, killing an arrogant little boy was
hardly worth gaining the potential ire of such a person. The status of
the Blue Guild now seemed like a candle waiting to be extinguished by
the wind.
‘Huh. So this is how it is.’
A frightened dog barks the loudest, after all. This is what my

grandfather has taught me.
“With Cha Hee-ra…”
“That’s not what you need to know. It doesn’t matter whether we had a
relationship from Earth or whether we love each other or not. The
important thing is that the Blue Guild, which has the right to bargain,
threatened the new recruit who had just entered this place with force,
and this should not be known outside. After all, even the Blue Guild
linches at the mention of a scary force like the Red Mercenary Guild.”
“…”
“I don’t know how this place works, but it doesn’t seem like there are
enemies around… You don’t want to hand over the bargaining power
you have to other guilds, and I don’t know why you won’t take this
attitude. I did not come here to ight, but to negotiate. No matter how
drunk on the glory of the past, doesn’t anyone seem to have a problem
with this attitude, even ignoring the words of their superiors? Or, is
your ability to judge the situation so low that you can’t even recognize
the problem now?”
“You…”
I stretched out slightly, inding out that I could move now. This was
because the magical power that occupied this place from the moment
Cha Hee-ra’s name came out had faded.
I slowly opened my mouth while maintaining a poker face as much as

possible. It was crucial for me to hide my excitement now. I knew that
in the case of this meaningless argument, the overly excited side loses.
“If you want to show that the Blue Guild is free and has an atmosphere
similar to that of a family, then congratulations – it’s a big fucking
success.”
“…”
“The problem is that someone you don’t like runs the group.”
“What?”
“You know what I mean.”
“What do you mean…”
“There are things you can see even if you try not to show them, Seolho
Lee. It doesn’t really matter how you rate me. I also know very well that
Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan are the ones you ind of worth. I
understand that you don’t like me. Yes, you haven’t done a good job
hiding it at all.”
“…”
“However, you should have limited your actions. No matter how much
power you have in this continent, your actions are still considered rude.
I am not yet your subordinate.”
“This guy is still so cocky!”
This was it. Someone had overworked themselves with excitement.
Bang!
My head automatically turned to the source, as did Lee Seolho.
From a irst glance, what happened was obvious. Lee Sang-hee, who
couldn’t be more than a subordinate, had hit the desk with her ist.
“Lee Seolho.”
“Lee… Lee Sang-hee…”
“Do you know what you are doing now?”
“That is…”
“It’s serious.”
“Yeah?”
“Congratulations, you’re of icially on probation. Get out and go back to

the guild. Of course, right after you apologize to Kiyoung.”
I roughly expected this would happen.
There was only one action she could take to compensate for the old
man’s actions, as he was obviously still drunk on their guild’s long-
passed glory days.
“I am… For the guild…”
“I told you to apologize. I won’t tell you twice, Seolho Lee.”
As expected, you could see a crumpled expression on the old man’s face.
It was too complex of a reaction. There was betrayal in there… and
something else, something I couldn’t quite place.
However, I knew only Seolho Lee would truly understand this situation.
It was only a matter of time before he would speak again.
“I apologize… for my rude speech… it was unreasonable…”
“I will take it, seeing as I was also a little excited. Let me apologize.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
His expression was not the expression of someone who was genuinely
apologizing. Upon saying this, Lee Seolho hurried out of the room. I
tried my hardest not to smile.
As I looked at Lee Sang-hee with a gentle expression, I saw her also

bowing down.
“I’m really sorry. It was due to my carelessness that I could not properly
control the guild members. I really do apologize.”
“…”
I could not quite get Lee Sang-hee at this point. She had been so openly
inviting and genuine ever since we irst met her.
It wasn’t just a front.

It was rather embarrassing for someone like her to bow her head to a
rookie, but she did it anyway and without hesitation.
Unfortunately, it would be a reasonable judgment to inish at this point.
“No, I’m also really sorry…”
“No, it was entirely our fault. Please…”
“If it’s a contract-related problem, you don’t have to worry.”
“Yeah?”
“I was being rude.”
“Ah…”
“I seemed to have come up with a story without thinking properly

about the pride of the members of the Blue Guild. It was for
negotiations, but I couldn’t say anything that would hurt the guild. I
can’t justify Lee’s actions no matter what, but I can’t say that I did
better than him.”
“Ah… Maybe with Cha Hee-ra…”
“I just made a small bond with luck. Getting acquainted with her will
probably also help us.”
“Would that mean… May I accept it as a means of accepting the contract

positively?”
“Of course. The terms of the contract will also be agreed with 10,000
gold instead of 15,000 gold. However…”
“Yeah?”
“I would like you to reconsider the holders of the main executive
positions of the Blue Guild.”
“Ah…”
“I think you can understand why I am making this proposal.”
There was no guarantee that a dog-like situation like the one before will
not happen again. There was also no guarantee that Seolho Lee would
be the only man to act like that.
I did not intend to fall victim to any old geezer who wanted to try and
crush me.
If it were a political ight, I would welcome it. However, this situation

could make or break me.
“I don’t care if it’s simply a position of words.”
I’m guessing my value has risen more than before.
First of all, the biggest reason was that this side now had contact with
the Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra. Recruiting our party would provide
room for the Blue Guild to rub against the Red Mercenaries.
Of course, that was a big, fat lie. There was no reason for blue to start
mixing with red.
If so, holding hands was an advantage that could not be converted into
true value. It wasn’t just that either. They may also be thinking that we
were suitable as a control force against the stagnant water that gnaws
at guilds.
Perhaps, for her, the out-of-control gangs would be quite a headache.

Considering the sudden behavior just minutes before, this guild had
several problems.
It was for me, for her, and for the guild, that I proposed for them to give
up a major executive position.
It was like saying, ‘I’ll ix this for you.’
Of course, there must be a difference between the outcome I wanted

and the outcome she wanted, but I thought there would be no
disagreement over the need to purify the rotten water.
“In fact…”
“Yes?”
“In the case of down payments, we can make the most of it. I didn’t even
think about the major executive positions… I’m just cautious because it
seems like you’re asking for a slightly larger rank than I think. Am I
right?”
There was no need to lie.
I nodded, “That’s right.”
“As well as… I would like to tell you in advance that it can be dif icult
right now in the case of hero-grade items. It would be possible if you
provided some time, but right now…”
“Ah.”
‘So, they are more valuable than I thought.’
I didn’t know if it was because of Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to

Alchemy, which casually popped out of Kim Hyunsung’s magic bag, but I
started to look at the top-level items a bit humorously.
“You don’t have to pay for the item right away. Unless our equipment is
available right now…”
“Ah! If so, can I tell you after the internal meeting? It won’t take long.”
“Of course. It’s not an easy decision, so you can take your time.”
This was the outcome I was expecting right from the start, anyway. The
only remaining issue would be what items are paid and how high the
status would be guaranteed.
“Then, I’ll be on my way now.”
“Yeah. Thank you, Kiyoung. And once again, I apologize for the
rudeness.”
“No, no. I am also very sorry.”
I knew I also had to talk to another person before the day ended.
‘Cha Hee-ra… ’
Was I playing with ire? I really didn’t know what could happen on this
continent.
Kim Hyunsung, who was well-known, may suddenly be preyed on, or

some crazy old man, like Seolho Lee, might make an elaborate plan to
victimize me.
The reality was that we would not be safe with whatever we picked as a
party.
‘I need to have a backbone from now on.’

CHAPTER 46
EVEN WHERE THERE ARE
TIGERS,
FOXES SOMETIMES BECOME
KINGS (1)
If I was alone, I would have settled for joining the Red Mercenary Guild.
No, it was just that I wouldn’t ever join the Blue Guild. In my view, it
was a guild that was already stepping on the train to ruin. Not to
mention, it was run by a group of old guys whose contributions only
weighed as much as a pile of dung.
If one were to think about this rationally, it was completely irrational to

pick Blue Guild.
I knew it was because of people like Lee Seolho, who brought down the
guild. Even Lee Sang-hee was at fault for allowing her guild members to
be so unruly at just the slightest insult.
No wonder they were often ignored by other guilds. They truly made it
look like joining the Blue Guild was like joining a sinking ship – doomed
right from the very beginning.
It must be so fun and exciting to join a guild such as the Red Mercenary
and watch as the Blue Guild fall to its ruin, but I wasn’t overly con ident
with my own skills, either.
We couldn’t expect change to come just because we joined the Blue
Guild. That would be the same not only for me but also for Kim
Hyunsung. Our crafty leader was still very careful.
Nevertheless, Kim Hyunsung obviously wanted to join Blue. That had

been a fact since the beginning.
Of course, it didn’t seem like I didn’t think about any of the other
options, but until this moment, everyone thought it would be the best
decision. I was only sure of one thing.
Whether it was the distant or the near future, joining Blue would be
much more bene icial than joining Red.
We would already be treated as a team with high potential, so there was

no need for us to look for another route just because the path we were
presented with would prove to be rocky. On that same note, it would be
absurd for me to back out just because of a few crazy old men.
Of course, it didn’t mean that I would completely disregard this fact.
‘My safety.’
My safety was the most important. The reason for inding Cha Hee-ra in
the irst place was to ensure my safety. Her name weighed heavily on
everyone here.
I could not rely on Kim Hyunsung’s plans forever. I also had to ind
other ways to protect myself.
‘I can handle it.’
A guild illed with senile old men? I could handle that. I hated gambling,
but felt like now was the necessary time to play.
“You mean the Red Mercenary?”

“I’m going back to her for a while.”
“Why all of a sudden…”
“I have something to talk about with the Mercenary Queen.”
“With Cha Hee-ra? Are you serious?”
I nodded roughly.
Kim Hyunsung’s expression showed his uncertainty while Park Deokgu

and Jung Hayan seemed positively opposed to the idea.
Their reactions were not unreasonable, and I knew it too. After all, why
would I bother going back to the same, dangerous woman who had
openly kissed me in front of everyone?
Jung Hayan seemed to be the most affected, as her skin had turned into
a ghastly pale color.
“Oppa…”
“Oh, Hyung… Why must you do that?”
“It would be helpful for the party.”
“Even though… to that woman…”
“Oh, Oppa…” Jung Hayan’s stricken expression worried me. I hadn’t yet
cleared things up with her ever since the incident, after all, and now,
hearing that I would talk to Cha Hee-ra again spelled bad news.
Honestly, I was anxious about what kind of conversation we would

have, but if this meant that I would gain another safety backup, then I
would willingly take the risk.
“Can I ask why?”
There was no reason to lie in this scenario.
“I thought I needed someone to look behind me. I’ll tell you a little more
about it after things go well.”
“Ah… I see,” Kim Hyunsung’s expression showed that he did not

disapprove of my plans. He probably knew why I was doing this, and
thus felt no reason to stop me.
Jung Hayan, however, still sported a frightened expression. She might be

thinking that I would have her replaced, but of course, that was not the
case.
Her lips were parted, almost as if she wanted to intervene between my

conversation with Kim Hyunsung. However, with much restraint, she
did not speak. Park Deokgu was practically the same.
I had no choice but to calm Jung Hayan down by holding her hand for a
moment.
“I won’t take long.”
“Yeah… o-okay.”
Seeing Jung Hayan’s normal reaction – which was to blush – had some
of the color return to her cheeks. Park Deokgu seemed to have cheered
up upon hearing this as well, and a smile spread across his face. He had
started to turn and walk away with her when she spoke again.
“Oppa… Don’t go.”
“It won’t take long.”
“Still…”
“Trust me. I’m just going to share our story with her. Don’t worry.”
“But… Oppa… I’ll go, too.”
“It would be better for me to go alone.”
“Oppa…” her voice gradually trailed off.
It was a slightly expected situation, but even I felt a chill when Jung
Hayan settled for silence. However, it was important for me to do this,
as this would also help the party.
As talented as she was, Jung Hayan could not protect me as she was
right now.
I gently pushed her against the wall. From her startled expression, she
wasn’t expecting me to do so.
“O-Oppa…”
I didn’t speak. Instead, I lifted her chin up with one hand.
Jung Hayan immediately turned as red as a tomato upon my bold action.

She blinked up at me, once, twice, trying to understand what it was that
I was planning to do.
“Oppa… Oppa…”
I slowly began to bring my face closer to hers, gazing down at her so

tenderly that she could hardly react.
And then, I kissed her.
There was genuinely no emotion. It was just a simple little kiss, but it
seemed to be enough for Jung Hayan. After I wrapped my arms around
her, our tongues began to entangle themselves as the kiss began to
deepen.
I hadn’t planned to take it this far yet, but it didn’t seem to matter. I had
to appease her in one way or another.
The hands that gripped my hair pulled, and it became a painful

sensation, but there was something about the kiss and the way she held
onto me that seemed to make this into a pleasurable feeling all in all.
“Ah…”
I only planned on kissing her, but it seemed that Jung Hayan had other
plans. She was relentlessly nibbling away at my bottom lip and holding
me close, her hidden desires coming up to the surface. Because of this,
it was hard to break free from her.
It was only after she realized that I needed to catch my breath that I was
able to step back. However, Jung Hayan’s wanting expression had
successfully drawn me in once more.
“Oppa, oppa, oppa…”
I kissed her again. There was no reason to avoid her want for intimacy.
If there was a time for foolishness, then that time was now.
I didn’t know if it was intended, but Jung Hayan had started biting and
suckling on my tongue. A slightly sore feeling emerged from the
sensation. Although I didn’t necessarily like it, I did not complain about
it, either.
It was only after a few seconds that Jung Hayan realized what we were
doing, and she drew back to look up at me in surprise. Smiling down at
her, I leaned in to whisper softly right into her ear.
“I like you.”
Upon hearing my words, I could see her struggling to contain her joy.
“Me too… I… I love you…”
“I want to be able to protect what we have now.”
Half of what I said was sincere. Too bad, she didn’t know the hidden
message I wished to convey with my words.
“Me too… Me too…”
“I don’t want to get hurt.”
“Me, too!”
“That’s why this is necessary. We need to have a good relationship with

Cha Hee-ra because we are not strong yet.”
“I… I’m not strong, either…”
“Do you get why I’m doing this now?”
“Still…”
“It will be ine. Please, trust me.”
Jung Hayan shut her mouth, her expression shifting into a more
complicated one. I could guess what she was thinking, but I didn’t try
my best to decipher it properly.
Instead, I squeezed her hand and gave her a light kiss.
This was no big deal. She would understand.
Jung Hayan seemed to know that I was in a position of being sold out,
but I was only planning on holding a conversation with Cha Hee-ra. I
didn’t bother explaining.
‘Good.’
After all, one couldn’t really believe an unpredictable woman.
Anyway, after the steps I had taken today, Jung Hayan would de initely
be immersed in her growth a little more from now on. However, I knew
she was still worried about me going to see Cha Hee-ra.
I couldn’t help it; I had to laugh. She was getting so anxious over
nothing.
“The same thing won’t happen this time.”
“But…”
“I love you.”
“Ah… Alas…”
I had never said these words out loud before, but it seemed to have
done the trick. Jung Hayan’s legs wobbled, almost as if she was on the
brink of falling to her knees.
After I kissed her on the forehead once more, I began to walk away.
Some of my plans did not go as intended. I ended up rushing my

relationship with Jung Hayan because of the circumstances that
presented themselves to us.
Of course, this did not necessarily mean that it was a bad thing. Our
relationship had gotten stronger, which meant a stronger attachment.
This would serve me well in the long run.
‘Crazy old man.’

It was not only Jung Hayan who lacked proper strength. It was also me.
Therefore, we had to ind a way to get past this shortcoming.
Shaking my head to rid myself of these thoughts, I continued making

my way out, my mind already set into analytical mode.
It wasn’t long before I reached the place where the Red Mercenary
Guild was staying. A guild member who saw me with his startled eyes
began to rush over.
“What is it?”
“I came to see Cha Hee-ra.”
“Ah! Could you wait a minute?”
“Of course.”
It almost felt like they had been waiting for me all this time.
“You just have to go inside. She is in the last room.”
“Alright, thank you.”
As I walked, I tried to ind the right words to say. However, it wasn’t

easy to do so in a situation like this.
‘You shouldn’t be so interested in Cha Hee-ra, Lee Kiyoung.’
If I really planned on joining the Red Mercenary Guild, then maybe the
situation about how I felt would have changed. Unfortunately, this
wasn’t the case.
I knocked on the door. A voice immediately came from inside.
“Come in.”
“Thank you.”
As I opened the door, I saw a familiar woman lying in bed and yawning.
She was still wearing the same bold attire, her red hair as daring and
unruly as ever.
Like last time, I fumbled about where to look, but I was faster to regain
my senses. I decided to stare at her eye to eye.
“Did your thoughts change?”
“Not like that.”
“Then… You have to explain why you chose to come here alone. I was
having a pleasant dream until you came. Honestly, this is a little
unsettling. I can’t just calmly sit around watching as the younger girl
you came with gets to have you as her lover.”
I blinked. I suddenly forgot how I planned to start my story. I couldn’t,

for the life of me, understand this woman at all.
Did one automatically become immune to embarrassment once they

were aware of how they looked? I did not know.
As I was in the position to make an offer, I needed to be just as

con ident as her. Taking a deep breath, I collected my thoughts and
blurted out what I had planned to say all along.
“I want you to be a sponsor.”
There was a stunned silence.
After a few seconds, Cha Hee-ra recovered from her surprised

expression and faced me with an expression that showcased her
newfound interest.
“Hmm… you are indeed very interesting.”
‘What was she talking about…?.’

CHAPTER 47
EVEN WHERE THERE ARE
TIGERS,
FOXES SOMETIMES BECOME
KINGS (2)
‘What is she talking about…?’
Cha Hee-ra’s expression showed that she found my proposal amusing.

The hunger in her gaze seemed to reinvigorate itself.
“No one has ever spoken to me so openly like this… Are you really that
con ident? To be honest, your appearance is just my type… I like snakes
a little. I like the calculating look in your eyes. It might not look that
good-looking to a lot of people, but it looks attractive to me.”
“That…”
“However, it doesn’t mean that my desire to buy you has disappeared.

Still, I think I should try and see if you can be a product I can trust and
use… What do you think?”
With her legs crossed, she calmly and invitingly patted the empty space
on the bed next to her. Only then did I ind out what she meant for me
to do.
My face turned red in an instant.

‘What… ’
Was she really going to go about the matter at hand in this manner? I
knew it would be a mistake to think of her as a dumb woman, but I
honestly didn’t expect her to make this kind of offer.
‘Is she really not taking this seriously?’
She probably was.
I brought my hands up as a sign of deference, “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Then what did you mean by that?”
“That’s…”
“Kiyoung Lee, my investment in you is the only story I was willing to

hear when you came to our guild. Of course, if you came with your
lovely lover, then I wouldn’t mind. However, even if you come alone, I’m
willing to accept you into my guild. I don’t think you’re very talented,
but… I’m not very negative about alchemy. I don’t think it’s bad to have
a good relationship.”
“Ah.”
“But it’s ridiculous to ask for this investment even after you move to
another guild. That’s not my role. It’s your guild’s job. Would you invest
in someone who will give you nothing? Rather, it seems like a more
pro itable business to give money in exchange for playing with you in
bed several times a month. You give me service, and I can compensate
you for it. Do you understand?”
‘Damn.’
The facts that had come up hit too hard.

In other words, Cha Hee-ra was basically saying that she’d rather invest
in my body than in my own personal growth. Honestly speaking,
though, it didn’t seem like such a bad proposal.
I didn’t know if she was acting or not, but she seemed to want me as of
the moment. Of course, I had to consider the fact that she thought of me
as a toy, not as a person.
I hated myself for my pride – and most importantly – for debating

whether or not it would be better for me to simply be her pet, following
her every beck and call.
Nevertheless…
‘I can’t.’
I couldn’t simply devalue my worth in that manner. Once Cha Hee-ra is

tired of me in bed, she’d get tired of me as an investment, too.
I didn’t want anything like that.
“Of course I can understand, Cha Hee-ra. I am not asking you to be a

personal sponsor. I’m asking for you to be the sponsor of our party,
which was the irst to inish this tutorial. Kim Hyunsung and Jung
Hayan will surely grow. One of them may grow up to be the strongest
within the continent.”
“So?”
“W-What?”
“So what? Whether they grow up or not, it has nothing to do with me.
I’m already one of the strongest this continent can count on. Our guild’s
members are also superior to most. Although we lack wizards, it is easy
to dazzle some with the amount of gold we have. The Red Mercenary is
the type of guild who doesn’t lack the inancial means to do so. Even if
Jung Hayan grows, it will take at least three years before then. Why
would I be sponsoring you for that long a time?”
“…”
“All I need are wizards for my guild. I don’t need anything else. If you’re
going to keep spouting out nonsensical things, then why don’t you come
over and show me your charm instead? I’ll give you a good price so you
don’t feel disappointed, and I’ll bring you gifts often.”
‘Damn, she really wants me to be her pet… ’
It felt embarrassing for her to explicitly state giving me money and gifts
in exchange for bed service. I felt like no matter what I said, she would
take it as a joke.
Slowly, I took out an artifact that I had been hiding and held it out to
her.
Cha Hee-ra looked on, curious as to what I was bringing out. However,
upon closer inspection, her face registered recognition.
It was the item she put in my arms when I irst met.
[Magic Pendant-Rare Grade]
[It is a pendant that increases magic power by 3. It has a function that

ampli ies the magic effect. It is not known exactly where it was found.]
“I don’t need anything like this.”
In an instant, the pendant had been knocked askew, landing onto the
bed. I didn’t know what was going on in her mind now.
“You…”
It was certainly irrational for me to continue, but I had to take the risk.
“Not gold. I don’t need gold.”
“…”
“What I need is your reputation and strength. You have a reputation as

the Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra, but I don’t care about those things,
either.”
“You, do you understand what you are doing now? Not touching new
recruits is something that everyone has implicitly agreed upon, but
coming out in such a bold manner will not be good for you. Since good
offers keep lying in your direction, it seems that you have become
more determined than before.”
“Of course I still know where I stand. This world is the kind of world
where you can be admired one day, and then murdered in the next, all
without a lot of people knowing.”
“…”
“So. What do you say?”
Life and magic began to ill the room as I looked up to stare at Cha Hee-
ra. The pressure was more than Lee Seolho could ever emit. This was,
after all, the power of the Mercenary Queen. However, unlike the old
geezer, she did not intend to harm me with it.
“I ind this fun. I think I’m more annoyed because I know where you’re
coming from, and how you should go about it. It’s been a while, but my
interest has been piqued because I can see just what type of personality
you have. To be honest, I really like it. There are not a lot of men who
can be this con ident in front of me… I don’t know the last time I’ve
been treated like this. And to think, it’d be a newcomer who would dare
treat me this way…”
“…”
“But are you aware that the degree that you’re asking for is a little bit
too much? Hey. Originally, alchemy is said to be an equivalent exchange.
If you’re going to use me as your shield, you’ll probably have a product
equivalent to what I can offer, right? If you don’t, you’ll be responsible
for what you did.”
I almost forgot about the pressure in holding a conversation like this.

However, it wasn’t going as badly as I expected it to go.
After all, Cha Hee-ra was actually willing to listen to what I had to say.
“Well? Say it.”
“This is the stake in the potion that I will make in the future.”
With a trembling hand, I took out a hero-grade book from my chest and
threw it on the ground. A curious expression emerged in Cha Hee-ra’s
face.
“It sounds like you can actually be capable… I don’t know where you got
the hero-grade book, but is that all I’ll be getting?”
“I’ll give you one percent.”
“One percent?”
“Don’t worry. You will be sitting on the money cushion soon enough.”
It could have very well been a lie or a bluff on my part, but I knew she
would ind it in herself to trust me. Why?
Because there was no reason for me to risk my life on such a lie.

“Secondly, you will be able to establish a friendly relationship with our
party.”
“I already told you. I am not interested in things that are not mine.”
“We will grow beyond your imagination.”
“Don’t try and scam me.”
“I am not kidding. We will be strong and we will soon be representing

this empire. If we establish good relations with the Red Mercenaries,
then we will always be with you. With a small investment, you will be
able to build a good relationship with us in the future, before any guild
or faction comes in the way.”
“Do you know that what you’re talking about is the bravado of snake-
tongued men? Even if there is no investment cost, there is no guarantee
that your potion will be of any value or that your party can grow.”
“Third.”
“…”
“I’ll give you the wizard you need.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“Out of the people who came out after the end of this tutorial, I will
select the people who can achieve proper ef iciency within at least
three years- no, make that two years. I will make a chart and give the
list to you.”
I saw her quietly mulling this over.
If the Red Mercenary Guild’s project was just beginning, my suggestion

would de initely be appealing to her.
“It’s interesting, but… is it possible?”
“The main reason why I am con ident is that I will soon become a Blue
executive with bargaining rights.”
“Hmm…”
“The second reason is…”
“…”
“It’s a secret.”
“You…”
“After all, alchemy was originally said to be an equivalent exchange.”
Of course, I would never tell her how exactly I would be able to

distinguish the talented ones.
Her protection was important, but it still wasn’t worth my secret.
Cha Hee-ra remained silent.
I knew she must still be thinking that her compensation still weighed
heavily compared to my offer. I kept myself carefully composed. I knew
there was a high chance that she’d give in.
However, at the same time, I knew she might not.
I could see her trying to work out the pros and cons in her head,
‘Shit.’
Was she really not going to consider our offer?

I thought I convinced her that our party was set to grow and that I
would be able to offer her the best wizards among this batch.
It wasn’t a perfect set of conditions, but I could see that it was good
enough to work on.
‘Has she looked into this too much?’ I bit my lip out of nervousness.
“The share of the potion you will make is 3%, not 1%. I’ll make sure to
get a list of melee workers as well as a list from the wizards. And, I’ll
decide how to go about this.”
“What…”
“Did you not need my protection? No one will ever touch you. However,
that means I must be the one to decide.”
“How?”
“I’ll ind out about that today. So, are you going to do it or not?”
Of course, there was no reason to refuse.
“Please take good care of me.”
“Let’s take some time to talk again later. Separately.” Cha Hee-ra
gestured to the door, and I knew she meant for me to leave. However,
there was a satisfactory expression on her face.
“I realized that I liked this offer way more than I should’ve.”
‘It’s a success!’
At the same time that I exited the room, a bunch of people out on the
hallway rushed inside. All of them appeared to be in the higher
positions within the Red Mercenary Guild. Sure enough, when I used
my abilities, I was correct. Were they this excited to know how our
meeting had turned out?
Cha Hee-ra had already agreed to protect me at a price. However, how

exactly would she go about with this protection?
The moment I exited their quarters, the answer came to me. A status
window popped out of the blue.
[You have obtained a title.]
“What?”
[Title-The Governor of the Mercenary Queen]
“Shit.”
It was my irst-ever title.

CHAPTER 48
POWER(1)
Negotiations with the Blue Guild proceeded smoothly.
Almost immediately after opening up a personal account, our down

payment came lowing in. It went exactly as Lee Sang-hee promised.
The plan had always been to join Blue, but now that I’d gotten the most
out of the rewards that we could receive, it seemed an increasingly
better choice.
Compared to the Red Mercenary Guild, whose authority rested solely

on the Guild Master, Blue’s organization system was subdivided and
more complicated than expected. There were Guild Masters and Sub-
guild Masters. Each comprised six teams under them, along with
several administrative positions.
To put it simply, the Blue Guild was made up of six sub-guilds, each
party ranging from ive to ifteen people. Because of this, I had a clue as
to why Kim Hyunsung liked Blue.
‘It’s more comfortable to move together in a guild with a system like this.’
As soon as we entered the guild, however, the number of sub-guilds was

bumped up to seven. The leader of the newest sub-guild was, obviously,
Kim Hyunsung. Although our party technically didn’t have an of icial
position within Blue yet, they had assured us that it would get taken
care of soon enough.
That was everything that Blue Guild had provided for us.
What remained in the agreement were the hero-grade items that were
not yet given, and the guild position that I deserved.
I was quite worried about where Lee Sang-hee would place me. I did
not want to be put in a position where I would have to face rotten old
chaps like Lee Seolho, who would probably judge me the minute I
walked through the door.
Fortunately, the position that was entitled to me shortly afterward did

not have any arrogant executives that would boss me around.
‘Non-combat military special administrative of icer, huh?’
At irst glance, it was a position that seemed vague and entirely

unimportant – a placeholder position, if you will. However, Lee Sang-
hee decided to place me into an executive position on my own, even
though normal party members weren’t supposed to be allowed that.
‘Anyway, this is good.’
Because of my proposal, the Blue Guild had taken another aspect that
would soon inform them of its importance. Aside from this, my position
as a non-combat military special administrative of icer would also pave
the way for my team’s future growth.
I didn’t exactly know what kind of jobs my position would have me

doing, but I igured it could wait. I also knew there was something Lee
Sang-hee was trying to achieve. Otherwise, why would she be in such a
hurry to grant me a position?
“Mr. Kiyoung, a gift has arrived outside for you.”
“Ah. Thank you, Mr. Hyunsung.”
I knew what kind of ‘gift’ this was. It was courtesy of my position as the
Red Mercenary Queen’s Governor.
‘What would she be giving me this time around?’
I knew I made it seem as if I was highly con ident about what I could
bring to the table, but the truth was I was slightly worried about what
Cha Hee-ra had planned for me. At irst, I thought it was the madwoman
planning to take revenge on me, but when valuable gifts and
handwritten letters came, I knew she had decided to take this
investment seriously.
Our talk had, after all, become a success. There would not be a single
lunatic in the continent who would dare attack the Red Mercenary
Queen’s Governor.
‘Still… ’
“This is not it.”
Her method of showing her protection was not what I had been
expecting at all.
Of course, unlike me, who felt a little disturbed, the Blue Guild seemed
to warm up to the idea of Cha Hee-ra giving me gifts. To them, it
probably seemed as if she was also trying to get closer to the guild,
eventually leading to relations that would help in the future, which was
helpful for my position in the guild. I knew my position and in luence
would only continue to rise from here on out. However, I was also
bound to receive unwanted attention, whether from inside or outside
the guild.
‘There’s been a rumor that Cha Hee-ra, the Mercenary Queen of the Red
Mercenary Guild, had been unable to escape the charms of one of the
dungeon newbies. Therefore, he has become her latest conquest.’
Aside from this disgusting rumor, there were also countless other
hearsays, one being more scandalous than the next. I was either a two-
timer, an irresistible lover in bed, or that I knew Cha Hee-ra from my
time on Earth.
I could bet that the Red Mercenary Guild members themselves had
started all these rumors. Seeing as it was such a large guild, I knew that
the gossip would eventually reach even the doors of the Holy Empire.
‘Damn… ’
Kim Hyunsung stood next to me; both eyes shaped like startled ‘O’s as
he regarded the pile of items Cha Hee-ra had sent.
I could not stop myself from blushing with embarrassment. I did not
want to know what he was thinking.
“Can you tell me what both of you talked about?”
“Nothing much. I asked her to sponsor us, and she agreed. This is
probably her idea of a bad joke.”
“Hmm… Maybe so. However, looking at the gifts, it seems that my dear
friend Kiyoung certainly left a good impression on her.”
Looking at the items piled up in front of the building at Kim Hyunsung’s

words, I had no choice but to realize why this kind of misunderstanding
seemed to spark his skepticism.
[Ancient Republic’s Drug Manufacturing Alchemy Kit-Hero Grade]
[This is an alchemy kit that has been passed down as a tradition in the
ancient republic. These basic pieces of equipment found in
underground laboratories remain in good shape even today. Although it
seems to have been treated with special chemicals, this item is excellent
in quality and performance described as simple equipment. Potion
production success rate increases. This temporarily raises the user’s
luck value.]
It wasn’t just this that was in a pile.
[Minotaur’s tendon-Rare grade]
[Benshi’s Magic Essence-Rare Grade]
[Troll’s Blood-Rare Grade]
[Unidenti ied Monster Blood-Rare Grade]
[Holy Water of the Holy Empire-Rare Grade]
All kinds of catalysts used in alchemy were neatly stacked inside boxes.
To make matters worse, a letter piled neatly on top of the boxes,

handwritten and openly affectionate in its wording.
‘This is a token of my appreciation. It’s no big deal, but I hope you’ll

accept it. Sending love to my best friend in the world, Cha Hee-ra.’
‘This… shit… ’
Of course, I didn’t hate the gesture. It wasn’t every day you were
showered with such rare and dazzling items that you could use to your
heart’s desire. I could care less about the rumors that people would
spread about me.
The problem was Jung Hayan.
Of course, she had always been the only problem in most of my

endeavors.
When the irst gift arrived, and the rumors began to spread, her
expression was beyond words.
I was worried about what Jung Hayan would think, or how she would
act once the irst present came sailing through the door, but she
eventually had to accept the fact that she wouldn’t be able to do all
these things for me – at least, not yet.
Of course, I had no intimate relationship with Cha Hee-ra. I spent a lot

of time trying to persuade Jung Hayan of this, complete with a ton of ‘I
love you’s and hugging, but Jung Hayan also spent a lot of time to
herself and thinking alone.
Once I had turned my attention to my priorities, I worried that

immediately immersing myself in magic training would overwhelm me.
I spent a measly amount of time sleeping and spent the rest working on
my power and in luence.
I knew if this continued, Jung Hayan would eventually break from her
doubts.
It was a time to reaf irm each other’s feelings, but for her, it was also a
time to make sure I stayed away from such dirty things as those stated
in the rumors.
“Jung Hayan…”
“Miss Hayan will probably be at the lake in the back. It seems that she is
currently training for water-based magic. Therefore, you will probably
ind her over there. Mr. Deokgu, on the other hand…”
“Yes?”
“He seems to be building a boat on the shore. He’s been at it since this
morning.”
“A boat?”
“Yeah. It seems that Miss Hayan has been looking at the lake and is
thinking about doing some boating. I thought it would be helpful for
their training, so I left them to their own devices.”
A shiver ran down my spine at this.
‘Park Deok-gu… ’
I didn’t know what he was trying to do at this point, but I felt like it
wasn’t anything good. As I tried to force myself out of my thoughts, Kim
Hyunsung spoke to me.
“What’s going on in the guild these days? Do you know?”
“Yeah, of course I do. Admittedly though, it’s been a little hard keeping
up with the meetings, but I know a little about what’s happening. It
seems that tutorial dungeons are now opening in other places as well.
The transfer market will also open sooner or later, but unfortunately,
Blue did not have the capacity to invest in the attack group. There will
be at most one or two new recruits coming to join our party. I saw some
survivors that had more potential than the rest, so I think we should
invest in them.”
“Well… Their optimism is probably because of us.”
That was perfectly correct.
“Yes, I agree. However, if possible, we are thinking about using a down

payment for the people who will join our party…”
“It’s not a bad idea. I think our team will be a little happier with more
members.”
“I’m glad then. How about you? What’ve you been planning?”
“I’m thinking of entering the dungeon by collaborating with the other
parties in our guild. It would be a good way for Blue to grow in terms of
stats. Of course, it will be after all this work is inished, but it would be
better to prepare in advance.”
“Which dungeon?”
“It hasn’t been decided yet. Personally, I think it will be an experience to

search for a dungeon that has not yet been discovered, but it seems that
the guild is thinking of starting with basic hunting.”
“Oh, I see.”
“We have a meeting now, so let’s go in irst. Kiyoung?”
“Ah. Alright. You go ahead.”
“Alright. Then we’ll see you in a minute.” Kim Hyunsung nodded at me.
I still acknowledged Kim Hyunsung as the leader, of course, and I

helped with whatever he needed when it came to external relations.
After the tutorials, we brought in those who weren’t selected or

selected before but were now on the market. Since I knew Kim
Hyunsung would be busy with other matters, this job would probably
fall to me.
I knew he was thinking that I was doing my job better than he irst
imagined.
We had only known each other for a short period, but it was nice to
know that he was satis ied with what he had chosen to invest in.
‘He’s probably thinking about trusting me a little more.’

It is better for him to think that I could be useful in many different
ways. I knew sooner or later, Kim Hyunsung would slowly reveal a little
more of whatever he was planning.
Going back to reality, I knew my next choice of action would be to head

to the training center, where all the ‘newer’ newbies were gathered. It
had served as the temporary quarters of the new dungeon survivors.
If I were to measure the time it had taken for my conversation with Kim
Hyunsung to take place, I could guess that their brie ing was over.
It was natural for the Governor to prepare for recruitment. After all,
part of the deal was to prepare a list to be sent to Cha Hee-ra. Therefore,
I needed to arrive earlier than others.
“Today, the executives of the Blue Guild are scheduled to visit. You will
have to complete short or long training and receive offers or apply to
each guild. We would be grateful if you could act accordingly.”
“Yes.”
The training to be held today seemed to be a much-awaited event. As I

stepped forward, people automatically came up to greet me.
“You are in trouble.”
“Ah! No, team leader.”
“I haven’t even of icially appointed you yet, Instructor.”
“Haha. Still, Mr. Kiyoung will soon become the Blue Guild’s new pillar.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
“Rather than that… There is still some time left before the training
event starts…”
“Ah. I think it would be better to take a look at the survivors in advance.
Because you gave me an undeserved position, I have to do my best to
prove my worth.”
“Indeed…”
It was only a brief conversation, but I could already deduce what these
people were thinking.
Those who didn’t know me were just nervous about having a person
with such a high position come, but the people who knew me back at
the shelter couldn’t igure out what was going on.
‘I could get used to this feeling of power.’
Those who had expressions of disbelief marked on their faces were

laughable. After all, we came from the same tutorial dungeon. We all
stayed in the same shelter. We all managed to escape.
With this in mind, why was the difference between them and me so big?
I let my eyes roam over the venue, my lips curling up into a discreet
smile.
CHAPTER 49
POWER(2)
We were in an ironic situation where one had become a guild’s

executive, and the others were looking for someone to take them in,
even though we all started together.
I couldn’t help but feel relieved that I did not become one of them.
When I looked around, I saw Lee Ji-Hye and other familiar people from
back in the shelter. They didn’t look all that bad. Considering that I’ve
been through some pretty hard training myself, I was also in good
shape. We were the newest investments of the Blue Guild, after all. It
was only normal that they would work hard to manage our
improvement.
When I thought back to the time where I couldn’t adapt initially, I

realized that I’ve come to accept this world’s reality, almost forgetting
that this wasn’t the world where I came from. I couldn’t believe that I’d
been so preoccupied that I’d forgotten about this fact.
Except for those I’d interacted with inside the shelter, I did not
recognize the other people crowded around. It did not take long for me
to access their stat information and potential with my ability. These
were not easily noticeable from every person’s outward appearance, so
I was beginning to feel glad that I had the ability with which I could use
to gauge their power.
Although there were a few rare ones, I knew Cha Hee-ra would not
deem them worthy enough. Still, I found it important to go through
everyone so I wouldn’t miss out on a good investment.
“I think everyone looks promising.”
“Yeah.”
It was the expression of the trainees and the expression of the assigned
instructor that made me feel good about myself. They were all painfully
aware of the new power I wielded and thus felt wary around me.
Among the seven parties operated by the Blue Guild, they were not
worthy enough to be chosen after all. If I were them, my best course of
action would be to band together and prove my worth by getting
stronger. Getting into a guild wasn’t all about the gold. It was also about
getting your support system in any situation.
With the instructor, I could guess that he felt too arrogant in being
chosen by the Blue Guild but ended up getting the meager task of
becoming their errand boy. Little did he know that the real investment
the Blue Guild participated in were for people with real potential.
The recruitment system also made individuals devalue themselves after

not being chosen when they could be talented all on their own.
When I looked at the instructor through my ability-activated eyes, I

took careful notice of his growth limit.
‘His stats are low overall… ’
“It’s not been long since I came here, but… I’m curious about how
education works here.”
“Oh? I can explain it to you if you want me to. It’s not that hard to
understand.”
“Well…”
“In the irst place, the goal is to get the people here their jobs, but in
fact, there are only a few who actually achieve this. I guess you know
that these few are the talented ones in the batch.”
At his mentioning of ‘talented ones,’ I knew Jung Hayan would be a

prime example of this.
“Oh, I see.”
“People who have survived the dungeon without indulging in any

combat have a hard time inding their aptitudes, so they receive
training almost immediately. In the case of wizards and priests, they
usually check whether they have the potential for magical power. If not,
they are automatically transferred to melee. Those who judge that they
cannot ight, whether through basic combat methods or other tactics,
will enter the non-combat army and receive separate vocational
training.”
“Vocational education…”
“That means cooking, cleaning, among many others. Some are

employed in restaurants and forges run by the imperialists, while
others are engaged in service jobs like beauty salons by utilizing their
specialties from Earth.”
“Ah…”
“It’s not so bad. Sometimes, the guilds also recruit for vocational
purposes. Cha Hee-ra of the Red Mercenary Guild also has a hair
designer in the guild.”
“Ahhh. Yes. I know.” I nodded as if I knew, although, in reality, I had only

heard of this now. It surprised me. I knew women were particular about
their looks, but I never took Cha Hee-ra to act in that manner.
“Then, in the case of those who fall into the non-combat army…”
“I usually respect all choices, but I don’t recommend it at the training
center level. If you are pushed to the continent without a clear aptitude,
the result won’t be very good. Chances are, you won’t get recruited.
Though you can ind somewhere else to offer your services and receive
adequate payment… Well, most people still want to belong somewhere,
you know?
“That sounds understandable.”
“Yeah. Most of them want to go to a medium or large guild, but… Guilds

have already established their standings aren’t interested in recruiting,
rookie or not rookie. However, fret not Kiyoung, you’d be a hot
commodity regardless.”
I blinked. I had heard this a lot. Was it lattery, or was there a meaning
hidden underneath?
“How about small to medium clans?”
“I don’t know what to say about them, but the situation is worse for
small and medium clans. Most of those who did not receive contact
from large or medium-sized guilds end up entering the smaller ones. It
cannot be said that the survival rate of new recruits in small and
medium clans is high.”
“Is there a reason why?”
“Compared to the large guilds, there is hardly any available space, so

the irst reason is forceful eviction. Although it may vary from guild to
guild, there are quite a few of those kinds of clans here, just as there are
black companies on Earth. Accidents that arise from excessively
outsourcing of large guilds are also common accidents… There are
more and more Guild Masters who exploit guild members to achieve
desired results. Those who die without a granted insurance are also
another reason.”
“I see what you’re talking about.”
‘I don’t think I need to hear more.’
You can see how this continent worked and operated. In truth, the
harshness of it was the perfect twin of modern society back in my old
world.
Large guilds are the object of everyone’s envy, and small and medium-
sized clans take those considered the ‘leftovers,’ most of the time having
to throw them in the end. I knew for sure there was a difference in
salary as well.
If the tutorial dungeon proved to be hard, then the continent itself was
hell.
What interested me were the non-combat and vocational choices that

the instructor had mentioned. I took a mental note to check these
people out.
After all, there may be people who were selling bread lazily without
realizing their inner talents.
“Other than that, we have time to educate ourselves on the general

common sense of the continent. The relationship and history of the
guild, the Holy Empire and the Republic, and the Kingdom Union.”
“It’s a part of this world we haven’t learned properly yet.”
“In the case of the team leader, training will be conducted at the guild
level. The same goes for trainees. Even if someone among the remaining
members enters another guild or clan, training will still be separated
for each guild. You see, we have a separate training period to grow new
recruits to their true potentials.”
“Ah…”
“In the case of Blue, training is relatively loose and easy to understand,
but in the case of other guilds, it is a bit tricky.”
“I see. Thank you for informing me.”
“It’s my pleasure. I’m very happy to be able to help.”
With this, I tapped him on the shoulder. It may have been just a simple,
cheeky act, but the instructor’s mouth hung open.
“I will repay you for the story you gave today.”
“Well, you don’t need to…”
“No, no. Thank you very much.”
It was for my bene it as much as his. I knew chumming up to common

folk would help me out later.
As I let my eyes roam over the throngs of people crowding around, I

saw Lee Jihye glancing my way with a strange expression.
‘Shall I approach her?’
Of course, I had no intention of bringing her in as a party member.

However, I decided I was too busy. I still needed to make the list for Cha
Hee-ra and ind worthy party members of Kim Hyunsung’s party. I also
needed to make time for my training as well as administrative work.
And my list of priorities didn’t even stop there!
‘There’s also exploration and potion manufacturing.’
The dungeon strategy Kim Hyun-sung was planning and the products to
be released in the Holy Continent also needed my attention. With the
rate that I was working, I was bound to collapse from overwork sooner
or later. At the very least, I needed team members to help me out with
my work.
“Hmm…”
“Do you have anything you need?”
“No thank you, I do not.”
I looked around the venue again. This time, I saw familiar faces entering
the training center.
‘Lee Sang-hee… ’ Kim Hyunsung was with her.
My lips curled in distaste as I also caught Lee Seolho entering, trying his
best to remain unnoticed. As long as he was on probation, he wouldn’t
dare stir up trouble again. Several administrative team leaders went to
greet them, and they bowed in response.
This type of greeting was natural. They were, after all, on the same
rank. Of course, it was different for normal guild members and
instructors. Their greetings fell upon deaf ears.
The exception was Lee Sang-hee, who readily greeted each of the guild
members face to face. She then approached me afterward.
“You were here irst.”
“Yes, Lee Sang-hee.”
“This is what I said to Mr. Hyunsung, but I will repeat it again. If there
are any necessary personnel, I will allow him to recruit them. We will
do our best to help you with whatever aspects of the guild you see it to
work on.”
“Thank you.”
I saw Lee Sang-hee smiling at my words.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll work hard.’
Unlike other people where I had to continually stay on the high alert, it
was quite reassuring to be with Lee Sang-hee. It was inappropriate to
describe her in this way, seeing as she was only thirty-three, but she felt
just like a mother to me.
“Thank you very much for your hard work.”
“No, it is my pleasure.”
After exchanging my greetings, I took a seat in a place I found suitable.

Trainees wearing nervous expressions came trailing in not long after.
They must be thinking about whether they would get an offer too.
In their eyes, we were the high rankers they needed to impress.
The Blue Guild Master quietly stood on the podium and opened his
mouth to speak.
“You have worked hard so far. Everyone who was brought here, even
those who did not understand English and had a hard time endured
well.”
“…”
“In my heart, I would like to educate you a little longer until you can
safely settle in the continent, but I would like to express my apology for
not being able to do so due to various circumstances. You will soon
leave this place and head for the Holy Empire of Benigore. Today, some
of you may be contacted by guilds or clans. In addition, there may be
people who might come together to form their own clan.”
“…”
“Otherwise, there will be some of you non-combat soldiers who will be
drafted into the Holy Empire. Each person lives differently, but there is
only one thing I can tell you.”
The venue stayed quiet at this.
“Stay alive.”
What an ominous phrasing.
“Our Blue Guild has a guild house in the western part of Lindel, the free
city. We are always waiting for your support.”
I knew the hidden meaning beneath his words, and embarrassment

looded through me at the realization.
‘Not even one… ’
The Blue Guild had no intention of recruiting any new personnel today.
These survivors decided that it was not worth sacri icing the guild’s
money and manpower.
‘So cruel… ’
Just like modern society, this continent was not free from sel ish
interests.
CHAPTER 50
FREE CITY OF LINDEL(1)
However, I couldn’t blame them. Considering the time, money, and

effort needed to cultivate effective personnel, they could barely recruit
more than a few members to improve their guild.
If the Blue Guild hadn’t recruited our party, they might have had a
chance, but they had already paid a high price to have us. This meant
that the others had an almost zero chance of being chosen.
‘Thank God I haven’t shown any hint of incompetence… ’
“Then…”
Upon this announcement, the trainees hung their heads. However, some
of them had chosen to look straight up at us, right into one particular
member.
“Hyunsung!” One of them shouted.
“…”
“That we… You were together with us… Take us in… Please.”
‘This is absurd.’
Of course, I knew who spoke. It was one of the guys we were with back
at the shelter. However, I couldn’t remember his name. He was one of
the people Kim Hyunsung readily fed and disliked Jung Hayan with a
passion. Not only did he refuse to help one bit, but he had been the
closest to Jung Jinho back when he was still alive.
I knew the man had a shameless streak, but this was embarrassing.
Back in the tutorial, all they did was take up space in the shelter and
waste the food we had accumulated. Now he dared to ask Kim
Hyunsung to take him in again? Even the instructors seemed
embarrassed by him.
In a sense, wielding power over a man like this felt great. This was
because, in reality, my stats were weaker. However, even if our roles
were reversed, I wouldn’t have the guts to speak like that.
I didn’t dare open my mouth. This wasn’t my battle to ight; it was Kim
Hyunsung’s.
‘Hyunsung wouldn’t be that soft-hearted… would he?’
Worry gnawed at me.
I knew Kim Hyunsung knew his responsibilities as a new member of

the Blue Guild. However, no ordinary person would willingly create a
shelter for his fellow survivors inside a dungeon.
“In the end… You have to take responsibility for us…”
‘What bullshit is this man talking about?’
Desperation could make a man stiff sometimes, but would only end up
making him look stupid at most.
Lee Sang-hee slowly and quietly turned to look at Hyunsung, curiosity

plastered onto her expression. She seemed to wonder how he would
treat his friendships back in the tutorial dungeon.
“Yes, together with us…!”

Thanks to the man responsible for the irst outburst, more and more
people began to echo his words. I resisted the urge to scoff.
“You won’t throw us away like this, right?”
“Hyunsung!”
“Hyunsung, take us with you…”
Kim Hyunsung slowly stepped towards them.
I was anxious, but the moment I saw him biting his lip, I began to relax.
I knew this reaction of his. And who could blame him? In a situation like
this, even a monk would feel angry.
Not surprisingly, Kim Hyunsung lowered his head slightly and began to
speak.
“Sorry.”
“W-What?”
“I think that’s the end of my relationship with you.”
“You can’t possibly mean…”
For a moment, I thought laughter would come bursting out. This

spectacle turned out to be more interesting than I thought!
“It would be better to live your own life in a new environment than to
go with me. It was a short time, but I enjoyed it.”
“That… Such a thing…”
“Perhaps the city will be a safer place for you.”

“How irresponsible of you…”
Irresponsible? He dared to call Kim Hyunsung irresponsible? I shook

my head and stepped in.
“We have no obligation to be responsible for you anywhere else.”
“Huh?”
“It will be safe in the city. Although it may be far from comfortable
living, at least you will not be threatened with your life.”
“N-Nevertheless…”
“Once again, I’m not obligated to take care of you. Neither is Hyunsung.”
“…”
Even though I tried my best to explain kindly, the man didn’t seem to
understand. Rather, he sported an expression that showcased just how
unfair he found this whole situation.
‘How stupid.’
Didn’t they know? If you didn’t sacri ice anything, then you wouldn’t
gain anything, either. From my perspective, it would take a long time for
this guy to realize this.
Sighing, I igured the least I could do was to show some last bit of
kindness. I took out some money from my pocket and handed it out to
him.
“This is just little, but I hope it helps you out in the long run.” The guy’s
expression was hilarious. He still had a betrayed expression, but he was
still careful to put the money in his pocket.
I resisted the urge to laugh again. That was just a small sum.
Nevertheless, there was gratitude in his expression.
“Thank you.”
“I wish the best for you. Please do your best to survive.”
“Yeah…”
He still hadn’t realized what I was trying to do.
Didn’t he know there was no sure ire way of staying protected even in
the city? In my opinion, I had just given him an additional reason to get
robbed.
Lee Ji-Hye stared up at me with a stunned expression. Unlike the man, I

knew she knew what I had just done. I was a little puzzled as to why she
had not joined in the pleading until I inally realized a probable reason
as to why.
‘Lee Ji-hye… ’
She must have received an offer from another guild. Knowing that she
could be just as resourceful as me, I knew this was a possibility.
‘I’m sorry… ’
It felt like a waste to let her go, but I knew she wasn’t needed in the
Guild. However, I also remembered all those times where she had
launted off her self-con idence back in the dungeon.
‘I don’t have to be with you.’
It felt like she was telling me this. However, after a quick run-through
with my ability, I knew she still had less than I did.
Still looking at her, I began to speak. “…I’ll see you again.”
“Yeah… Yeah.”
It was the man I had spoken to, but she knew I was talking to her.
Lee Ji-Hye, who deliberately maintained eye contact with me, nodded
slightly.
I don’t know if I’m going to apply for Blue, but I’ll see you someday, her
facial expression seemed to say.
Before I could even retreat, I heard voices once again.
“Kiyoung is really warm. Of course, the basic living support fund from
the guild doesn’t seem that bad, but…”
“Hm. Still, they lived together in the tutorial dungeon. So, are you going
to Lindel right now?”
“Yes. The cleanup has already been roughly inished. Actually, I want to
have a little more time, I have a lot to prepare for.”
“Ah. The trainees…”
“You’ll be heading with us straight to Free City. Let’s go irst.”
“Alright.”
With this, I felt like my life back in the tutorial dungeon was over. I
wasn’t very fond of it, but life in a completely new city seemed just as
scary.
I also noticed that some of the guild members were sticking around,
trying to see just how many gifts I had gotten from Cha Hee-ra.
“Hyung.”
“Oppa!”
Of course, Park Deok-gu and Jung Hayan were also preparing to leave.
Jung Hayan, looking a little shy, approached my side, and Park Deokgu
began to speak.
“I didn’t know we were going to move this early on. What a pity…”
“What…”
“I mean this!”
He pointed towards a small ferry tied to a rope by the shoreline. It

wasn’t inished yet, but it looked very promising.
Surprisingly, I don’t know if Park Deokgu had agility built-in, but it

looked pretty good as it was.
‘How did he make it so well?’
“…”
“If I had a little more time, I was thinking of boating at a nearby

shelter… It was hard to make, so I decided to take it along with us.”
“There must be a lot of luggage…”
“There’s no problem with luggage, apparently. In fact, carrying this

around will be more or less like exercise for me. If your brother is
having a hard time walking, can’t I help you if you ride with Jung
Hayan?”
“It’s not that far. You don’t have to do that.”

I didn’t want to ride it as of the moment.
“Oh, I heard that there is no lake near the Free City… Pity.”
“Let’s ride together later… Oh, Oppa…”
“Fine. Let’s do that.” Jung Hayan brightened at my words, and I felt

relieved upon seeing her looking better than before. I wasn’t sure, but it
seemed that she talked to Park Deokgu about me.
Worry again began to gnaw at me. It seemed that Park Deokgu also had
a irm grip on Jung Hayan’s mental state.
“We’re going to leave soon.”
“Yes, Hyunsung.”
And thus, the entire Blue Guild began to walk. It felt like such a hassling
physical activity, but it was fun all the same. This was because I spent
some time with Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and Kim Hyunsung.
“So… I tried a new magic spell today…”
“Oh?”
“I saw it myself and it seemed really great… Ooh, the lake suddenly
cracked when Jung Hayan chanted the spell. It reminded me of one of
those stories that the neighborhood Ajimae told me in the past. I forgot
it though…”
“Maybe it was the story of Moses.”
“Ahhh! Yes, I think it was that man. Hyung is very smart. Anyway…”
Park Deokgu continued to ramble on while Kim Hyunsung wore a

pleasant expression. Jung Hayan walked while holding my hand tightly.
I had quite a hard time focusing, but I made sure to keep up with them,
squeezing Hayan’s hand now and then.
After walking for quite some time, a tall clock tower began to show up
in our line of vision. I glanced to my side and saw Kim Hyunsung with a
peculiar expression on his face.
It was a start for me, but it was a start for him too. I couldn’t igure out
the complicated expression on his face, however.
I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I knew he had some worries
about what happened in the past and what would happen in the future,
with Blue Guild and our party.
In the meantime, Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu stared up at the tower
with open mouths.
“There…”
This was the place where the people of the Earth resided within the
Holy Empire.
“Lindel…”
This was the Free City of Lindel.
“Lindel, Park Deokgu is here!”

CHAPTER 51
FREE CITY OF LINDEL (2)
“Oh, my…”
“Wow…”
Both Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan looked at the Free City of Lindel with
awe plastered on their faces. The executive members of Blue Guild
couldn’t help but smile at their reactions.
As soon as the western gate opened, we walked into a majestic-looking

city.
The basic architectural style seemed to be based on Western culture,

and the whole place buzzed with people I knew all came from Earth.
Above all, I noticed that the majority of the people had dark hair.
“The Free City of Lindel is where most of the Koreans are located.”
“Alas. After that, I heard that people from other countries are also being
summoned.”
“Yeah. In the case of tutorial dungeons owned by the Holy Empire, the
Koreans, Japanese and Taiwanese are being summoned. They too are
living with their roots in cities within the Holy Empire. You can also see
Japanese and Taiwanese people in Lindel. Because they are from the
same district, they live in exchange with each other.”
“I see.”
True to this fact, I could see Japanese people within the bustling
crowds. Even some of the Blue Guild members, I had noted, were
Japanese.
“The Republic…”
“The Chinese and Russians are being summoned.”
Still, it felt better being summoned here than there. I looked around
again and let the bustling scenery please my eyes. There were multiple
stalls with their respective owners, and I could even see a party going
out to hunt.
“I’m looking for a priest.”
“I’m looking for a priest to go hunting with.”
“Who wants this? It’s a rare, one-of-a-kind item!”
Even the main square reminded me of reality. The whole city made me
feel like I was back on Earth, albeit a different time period.
This was probably the reason why Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan kept
looking around in awe. There were no high-rise buildings. Instead, the
infrastructures had an antique and rustic touch. I could see gorgeously-
decorated shops and restaurants with people eating out on the terraces.
It didn’t feel like I was in another world. It felt like I had gone overseas.
Laughter erupted from the crowds of people, and I caught a hint of a
language I did not understand.
Of course, the city wasn’t all just riches and glory.
“Hmm… There are also slums.”
“Yeah…”
In the direction opposite of where we were supposed to go, I caught
sight of rundown buildings and people wearing clothing of less quality
than the rest. I couldn’t see enough to observe how they lived from this
distance, but I could already guess what it was like.
Even the gap between the rich and the poor existed here.
“The city has its own welfare policies, but its effects are insigni icant, as
you can see.”
“Ah. No wonder.”
It had nothing to do with me, so I shook my head and averted my gaze.
As we left the entrance and passed through the plaza, a large building
came into view. Lee Sang-hee, who had been looking at Park Deokgu’s
awed expression, smiled.
“Welcome to the Blue Guild.”
“Oh! Oh, my!”
The Blue Guild owned a building that was of a larger scale than I was
expecting. It did not appear to be a guild that was facing the possibility
of ruination. I could think of why, though. They might be more peculiar
with their appearances, especially now that their status was sinking.
Lee Sang-hee looked over at the rest of us, the smile on her face never
leaving.
“I will guide you directly.”
“Alright.”
“The irst loor has a lobby and a shelter. It would be convenient to

think of it as a place where you usually receive requests from other
guilds or groups. Not only that, it also has a place where you can relax.
If you’re going for a simple dinner, you can do it at the tavern on the
irst loor. Other parties and guild members often gather there, so I
hope you use them often.”
“Alright, thank you. That’s noted.”
“Oh… Oppa, it looks like you can drink alcohol here.”
“Yeah. You can be con ident that it will be much better drinking here
than at a random bar. There is a guild restaurant in the basement, so
you can use it anytime. Of course, it’s also free.”
“Okay, that’s good…”
“Since you’re the seventh generation, you can also use the second loor.”
“The second loor?”
“Yes. Let’s go up together.”
This felt like we were visiting our new home.
We nodded in response to the receptionist’s greeting, standing quietly

in the main lobby on the irst loor and went up to the second loor. A
fairly large space entered our line of sight.
“There are many empty rooms, so you can choose the one you like.”
“Thank you.”
I had expected that the second loor would also be large from what I
could see on the irst loor, but I didn’t expect it to be of this scale,
either. The corridor itself was widely-spaced, and even the rooms did
not disappoint. Of course, this was probably because our party was still
small. The space seemed too big for a four-person group.
The interior of the room, I noted, also looked pretty good.
Some beds seemed like they could accommodate two people instead of
one. The room seemed a little open as there were only basic furniture
installed, but knowing that we could personalize it sooner or later
made me feel better.
“Oppa…” Jung Hayan stared up at me expectantly. Did she expect us to

share a room?!
“I think there are too many rooms… I think we can only use three. Don’t
you think?”
“…”
“I think it’s perfect if I and Kim Hyunsung get our own, and if Jung
Hayan and Hyung Kiyoung use one together.”
‘Park Deokgu, you pig!’
“Ah… It doesn’t matter if you do that, but…”
“Greatness… I think the room next door would suit the two of you
better.”
“Yeah. You can do whatever you are comfortable with doing.”
I struggled to contain my emotions. One look at my face made both Jung

Hayan and Park Deokgu anxious.
Eventually, Jung Hayan took over the room next to me, and Kim
Hyunsung and Park Deokgu took the rooms across from us. I was a little
worried that Jung Hayan would be sleeping in the room next to mine,
but I was careful not to show it. It would be better to check up on her
while the rest were busy or asleep, but I hoped she wouldn’t sneak into
my room.
“The training room and grounds are behind the building. There is no
private practice room, but there is a joint training center that can be
used by the seventh generation. If you want to use the studio
personally, you can apply at the lobby and use it.”
“Ah… I see.”
“And Mr. Kiyoung…”
“Yes?”
“There is a separate space for you.”
“Wait, really?”
“Let’s go. I’ll show you.”
“Yeah, okay.”
I followed Lee Sanghee with a slightly pleased expression. Park Deokgu,

Jung Hayan, and Kim Hyunsung trailed behind us with curious
expressions on their faces.
Upon entering the room at the end of the second- loor corridor, my jaw
unconsciously dropped. This was the irst time I was truly in awe after
entering Lindel.
“You can work here in the future.”
“Wow…”
There was a mountain of books stacked on one side of the room, but
what stood out more to me was the multitude of alchemy equipment
that illed the space. There were items used back in modern times, such
as beakers and lasks and basic alchemy tools that I was already
knowledgeable about.
On one side, the catalysts and other materials were systematically
organized according to their types, and I could see other bits of
machinery that I was not yet familiar with.
Most of the items presented by Cha Hee-ra were neatly placed in the
room. The ancient republic’s drug-making alchemy kit was also
properly stacked on one side.
This place…
“This is the alchemy workshop you will use.”
“Ah.”
“In fact, I wanted to increase the scale a little more, but it was the irst
time I had prepared such a place for non-combatants…”
“No… This is… This is actually more than enough…”
“I was told that the experiment shouldn’t contain other impurities, so I

installed artifacts that included disinfection magic throughout the
room. It’s at the end of the room and has other artifacts installed to
make it easier to ventilate, so you’ll be able to use it comfortably.
Defensive magic is also installed by default because there may be
unexpected accidents.”
“Thank you.”
I couldn’t understand what I was feeling. It was my irst time having my

own space. I never had one back on Earth.
“It feels like a laboratory used by scientists, Hyung.”
“It looks so cool, Oppa!”

Cha Hee-ra’s gifts were still the most valuable items here. However, the
Blue Guild had also done its best to make me feel like I wasn’t being
neglected. I suddenly wanted to ind out if any alchemists had also
managed to start this well.
There were hero-grade books, hero-grade alchemy kits, plausible

workshops supported by guilds, as well as numerous materials and
catalysts given to me not just by one, but by two guilds.
I knew that if I couldn’t produce results with such high-level

equipment, there would be serious consequences. However, the
atmosphere of my workspace made me feel like I could achieve
anything. My con idence had been boosted.
I knew everyone here considered alchemy as an inef icient skill. The

gold required to craft items were not worth the results, and other forms
of magic were more desirable to the townsfolk than this. I knew Lee
Sang-hee had taken quite the risky jump of investment for me.
However, she wouldn’t need to be disappointed. I could make anything

with the equipment that was provided for me!
“Hyung! We’re heading out to eat now.”
“You can all go ahead irst, Deokgu.”
“Huh?”
“I want to experiment with a few things. I’ll catch up with you later.
Please take Hayan with you.”
Park Deokgu showed a slightly regrettable expression. Nevertheless, he

nodded. Lee Sang-hee, however, was pleasantly taken aback. From her
motherly point of view, her newest child had just shown enthusiasm to
work, which pleased her greatly.
How could I not? They had arranged everything in such a motivating
manner that eating was the least of my priorities now. A day off
sounded nice, but my excitement proved too much to resist. There were
a lot of things I wanted to try out right away.
“No…”
“Actually, I was thinking of hosting a simple dinner today, but I think I

should put it off for next time. All the other parties are present, so these
times seem most appropriate. If you need anything, please tell us in the
lobby on the 1st loor. We will explain the various facilities in the guild
that we could not explain today by then. I will be taking my leave.”
The giddy smile on her face seemed cute.
“No. I need to do some training too. I also need to organize my stuff.

What will Jung Hayan do?”
“That… Well… Me, too, I’m also going to practice…”
“What about Hyung Kim Hyunsung?”
“I think I would want to look around the city.”
“Huh?”
“I want to take a tour and see everything, from the temples right to the
slums.”
“Hm…”
I felt a little worried. I would be too weak to defend myself if I dared to

venture to the slum area by myself and met with some ruf ians.
However, I knew Kim Hyunsung was strong enough. I had a lot of trust
in both his intellect and strength.
“And…”
“Yeah?”
“I saw a lot of people in the plaza earlier.”
“I think most of them are people who are also looking for party
members.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah. We might ind our newest member there.”
It was only then that I could roughly understand what he planned to do.
‘Oh… ’
Whether he found the person from the temples or the slums, I

somehow knew Kim Hyunsung would look for the ifth member of our
party.
The only question was whether he would be able to ind him right away.
CHAPTER 52
JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE
POOR,
IT DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE A
GOOD PERSON (1)
[You found a new recipe.]
[Successfully made basic health potion.]
[Intellect increases by 1.]
[Combines Poisonous Candle and Troll’s Blood. You have succeeded in a

new catalyst combination.]
[Combines poisonous herb and magical essence. You have succeeded in

a new catalyst combination.]
[Combines Poisonous Grass and Orc Molar. New catalyst combination

failed.]
Alchemy wasn’t that dif icult. Of course, it didn’t mean that the logic
found in technology didn’t apply to my craft. The timing of using the
synthesis magic circle, the type of the magic circle that would vary by
material for each catalyst, the amount of magical power entering the
magic circle, and the combination of catalysts and materials…
One had to think about every little aspect, understand them, and work
on them. This reminded me of doing experiments more than anything
else. Along with experiments came the large probability of failure.
This was why one had to be prudent when it came to alchemy.
Considering the gold spent on one experiment as the materials needed

were expensive, various hypotheses had to be made after digging into
theories on potion making or catalyst combinations.
Based on one’s hypothesis, a virtual experiment would be conducted,

and based on the success of the virtual experiment; the scientist would
decide when it was the right time to strike.
This was basically how alchemists did their alchemy.
However, this type of methodology didn’t work on me.
Why? Because I had a lot of money to spare.
I planned to use them for virtual experiments to immerse myself within

countless combinations of catalysts and potions. I would put away
crafted theories and hypotheses and would solely focus on the results I
would receive on my own logical accord.
Of course, I also had to consider that my ef iciency would differ from

that of a normal alchemist, who would have practiced on a rare catalyst
before attempting anything else.
[Failed.]
[Failed.]
[Failed.]
‘Damn’
I knew I shouldn’t waste time trying to ind the reasons for my
combinations. Instead, I had to focus on how exactly I could reverse my
failures.
[Successful.]
I didn’t know how much exactly, but I could surmise that about a
thousand gold had already been spent just this past week. However, it
didn’t mean that it was all spent on nothing.
It wasn’t immediately noticeable, but the potion recipes sold in the

market by default were already stored in my head, and above all, I was
able to increase my intellect and magic stats.
In other words, I had bought my increased stats with the gold that I was
given.
Once again, as I was about to pour gold into my alchemy kit, I heard a
voice from outside.
“Oppa!”
“Ah. come in. Don’t forget to disinfect with the artifacts…”
“Okay.”
The door opened to reveal both Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan. I wasn’t
surprised at this point. As I saw some of the bags in their hands, I could
roughly guess why they came.
“Why are you bringing this in? Other members of the guild have already
decided to help me organize my luggage. I also already informed the
lobby attendant, so you don’t have to move it yourself next time.”
“No. If we don’t do this, then we won’t have any excuse to see you,
Hyung. I don’t know how we can live on the same loor but never see
each other. Can I put your luggage down here?”
“Yes, you can leave it there. Thank you, Deokgu.”
“Huh. Well, this is not a big deal for me.”
“Oh, Oppa. Have you already eaten?”
“Ah.”
Cringing slightly, I turned to look at the time. I had been so focused on

the work that I had lost track of how much time had passed.
“My… I guess I’ve been a little too busy…”
“Ah. Then, let’s eat together!”
“That sounds great!”
I laughed at the cheerful expressions of my two friends. Pausing brie ly,

I went to check the luggage. It seemed that all my ordered goods had
arrived properly.
“By the way, where did you order all those items?”
“It’s a catalyst for each alchemy.”
“Oh. This potion that you made… Can you save people who are dying
with this?”
“No. It only heals basic wounds. Oh, Hayan! Anything over there
shouldn’t be touched. Don’t even think about drinking it.”
“Yeah… Yeah!”
“I don’t really know anything about alchemy, so… What are you trying
to make?”
“Well… for now…”
“Mmhm?”
“I’m trying to make money.”
I resisted the urge to laugh at the confusion my words brought to both

their faces. However, what I said was the truth.
Money was the most important thing to me. It was only natural to earn
as much as I spent. If I wanted to be a good investment, I had to bring
lots of money to the table.
After all, it wasn’t just Kim Hyunsung who invested in me. There was
also Cha Hee-ra.
I had already handed her the list, but it was natural that I should still
appear useful to her.
Of course, what I was making was a secret. Park Deokgu and Jung
Hayan didn’t need to know about it,
“By the way, what is Hyunsung doing these days?”
“Same. I think I haven’t seen Hyunsung for a long time.”
“Well… We train together at the training center, but after the training,
he always runs to the slums with some food in hand.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, I knew that I was a good man, but is he really that angelic? I don’t
know what kind of volunteer work he’s doing, but it’s already been a
week since he started… goodness. Well, it seems both respectful and
bad.”
“You mean he plans on doing it every day?”
“Maybe. Ah! I think there are times when I also hear tales of new
dungeons… Anyway, Hyunsung’s been walking around the city and
seems to be looking for either someone or information. One thing is
certain, Kim Hyunsung is really nice.”
‘Volunteer?’
Of course, it suited him.
I thought he would bring in new talent, but it seemed that it would take
longer than I expected. If we could recruit quickly, there would be no
reason to do volunteer work there yet.
“I don’t know how much you think of the people there, but sometimes
frowning is not the only worry.”
‘What?’
I felt like something was going to go wrong soon enough.
‘Shall we go even just this once?’
It didn’t seem like anything too bad would happen.
Anyway, my craft had reached its inal stages, and I was really curious
about what my fellow party members were doing.
Looking up at the faces of Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan, I made up my

mind.
“I should go once too…”

“Huh? Really?”
“I’m a little curious. I wonder how it’s like in the slums.”
“Well, go with me, Oppa.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah… Yeah!”
Park Deokgu seemed to want to go, too, but he seemed to be stuck

between ruining my time with Jung Hayan or not. I smiled to myself and
turned to Jung Hayan.
“Then shall we go now? Are you ready, Hayan?”
“Yeah… Yeah!”
It felt nice to just up and do whatever we had planned right on the spot.
I hadn’t even gotten the chance to do much exploring since I’d been so
busy, so this felt nice.
Climbing up the carriage that would take us to our destination, I held

Jung Hayan’s hand. She positively glowed at this. It felt like we were
enjoying a city tour.
The scenery we passed by all looked interesting. However, the glorious

feeling did not last long.
As the carriage wheeled us slowly, the scenery also changed from rich
and majestic to shabby and dull. Even the coachman himself could feel
the unpleasant change in the atmosphere, and he seemed
uncomfortable. The air itself felt humid.
“Why are you going to this place?” The coachman couldn’t help but ask.
“Nothing special. In fact, it hasn’t been long since I entered the city. I’m
curious about what this place is like.”
“Ah. It looks like you received an offer from a guild on good terms.”
“Haha. It’s embarrassing, but I have.”
It was then that I saw a young man walking by the sidewalk. He moved
with his head down, but I could see his anxious expression when he
regarded us. Was he afraid we might suddenly hurt him?
Were the people who lived here the ones who got rejected from
receiving any guild offers? Or were they simply too afraid to join one?
The circumstances of each person we passed by were unknown to us,

but one thing was for sure – this was a very unhappy place.
“The atmosphere is a little different from the West Square, Oppa.”
“Huh. You feel that too?” Now I felt truly worried. With a carriage to
wheel us around, it was almost as if Jung Hayan and I were launting
our inancial difference to the slums.
However, I also knew that no one would dare to attack us. Whether it be
from their fear or the fact that they knew we were in a guild and
therefore were stronger, they all had hesitation on their faces.
The threatening situation felt the same as Jung Hayan and I got down
from the carriage. I made sure I was protectively around her, as I was
worried about what these people could do.
I then caught sight of a woman in high-quality clothing with people in

ilthy clothes crowding around her.
[Check player Sun Hee-young’s status window and talent level]

[Name-Hee-young Sun]
[Title-Saint of the Forsaken]
[Age-32]
[ALIGNMENT-Ideal volunteer]
[Job-Priest of the Sun-Hero Level]
[Occupational Effects-Acquisition of basic divine power knowledge]
[Occupational effect-intermediate knowledge acquisition of divine

power]
[Capacity]
[Strength -30/Growth limit: Normal or less]
[Agility-28/Growth limit: Normal or higher]
[Health -30/Growth limit: Hero or less]
[Intellect-45/Growth limit: Hero or higher]
[Durability-32/Growth limit: Rare or less]
[Luck-45/Growth limit: Hero or higher]
[Holy-69/Growth limit: Legend or higher]
[equipment]
[none]
[Talent-Saint’s Prayer]
[General review-It is not an exaggeration to say that she was born to
become a priest. The difference between her and Lee Kiyoung, a rotten
player, is also very clear. Please do not think about approaching her by
any chance. Unlike Lee Kiyoung, she is a clean person.]
With this information, I made sure to regard the woman with closer and
more focused regard.
‘Mhh… ’
My eyes widened. This woman had legendary divine stats.
Surprisingly enough, she reminded me of Jung Hayan.
I caught sight of Kim Hyunsung amongst the crowd. However, he wasn’t

the center of attention. Rather, Sun Hee-young was.
I noticed that Sun Hee-young’s out it and lag were greatly different. I
didn’t know what Kim Hyunsung was up to, but one thing was for sure –
she was probably his intended target.
Some would wonder why so many people were crowded around her.
But to someone with observer skills such as mine, it was obvious why.
‘Ah, is everyone trying to recruit her?’
I felt pretty sure that this was the case.
It seems that the talent Kim Hyunsung wanted to attract this time
wasn’t someone only he wanted. It was a talent that everyone desired.
It was shocking that someone of Sun Hee-young’s stature would be

unaf iliated, but she was. From this, I understood why Kim Hyunsung
visited this place often, and why there were many members of the clan
who seemed to be unrelated to volunteer work.
Everyone was busy pretending to be good. The appearance of everyone
volunteering collectively to catch her eye was quite a spectacle.
‘The saint of the outcast?’
In my eyes, they looked like pigs who didn’t want work but had to for
the sake of self-interests. If there was one thing I didn’t expect, it was
that Jung Hayan had the same opinion as me.
“They look like pigs trying to butter up.”
“Yeah. Hyung! They look… They look like pigs!”
Unlike my quieter tone, Jung Hayan’s louder voice attracted the

attention of the people nearby.
‘Damn… ’
CHAPTER 53
POOR,
GOOD PERSON (2)
I could guess how Jung Hayan and I must have seemed to them.
Jung Hayan even seemed to be pampered in skincare products because

of the difference in fairness. That was how large the difference was.
However, I knew that with me in the mix, it would also seem like we
were a young couple who had wandered into the slums because we
were curious about it.
In the end, though, I knew that whatever prejudice was held against us,
the poor would not dare to face off against us entirely. In the Free City
of Lindel, wearing neat clothes meant that you were strong, powerful,
and had a lot of gold.
However, it wasn’t just the poor looking at us with eyes illed with
hostility.
‘This… ’
It was not good news that Sun Hee-young was among those who looked
on with disapproval. This was backed up by the fact that Kim Hyunsung
was interested in her. Meanwhile, Jung Hayan had only now realized
what mistake she had committed.
Sun Hee-Young eventually broke through the crowd and began to stride
in front of me. I didn’t know if it’s an appropriate expression, but it felt
like a church sister for some reason.
With long hair and big eyes, she looked like she had never before
endured distress.
Sun Hee-young immediately opened her mouth before Jung Hayan

could avoid thinking about dealing with this situation while evading her
gaze.
“Apologize to them.”
“…”
“Apologize. No one here deserves to be insulted by the likes of you.”
The guild scouts immediately backed up her words. I had to laugh at

this absurd situation. Of course, they would take her side.
“I don’t know who you think you are, but I think you should apologize.”
“I want you to cancel that rant immediately.”
“Are you from the Blue Guild?”
Red Mercenaries and other large guilds were not among them. Was this
really how those of the smaller clans dared to talk to us?
It was understandable for someone like Sun Hee-young to address us in

this manner, but them? The audacity!
‘A sel ish, ambitious person.’

‘Computational analyst.’
However, I knew that whoever saw this scene would think that we were
the biased couple, and they were the bringers of justice. It was a
situation where the good and the bad were divided – and warped.
‘A mistake?’
No.
This could never be called a mistake.
I didn’t know when that recruitment war had been going on and how
much progress Kim Hyunsung had managed to make so far, but there
were so many competitors in the irst place that there was no way we
could make a good recruitment offer.
Anyhow, her top priority seemed to be to help the poor. Since she was
adamant about it, there seemed no way for her to even think about
joining a guild.
It was in that instant that a whole new way for her to join us came to
mind.
I slowly opened my mouth as I pulled the white shoulders, which

seemed a little dead to this side.
“I will not withdraw the statement.”
“What?”
“I said I would not withdraw.”
“Why is that…”
“I don’t think it’s wrong to say that they are like dog pigs when they do
nothing and eat what others give.”
“What are you talking about? You… You’re from Blue Guild!”
“My af iliation and my words have nothing to do with it. It doesn’t

matter if I’m from Blue or not. It’s a very, very personal thought that has
nothing to do with what my guild stands for.”
“There are things you can and shouldn’t say. You don’t know anything
about this place. You don’t deserve to blame them simply because
you’re in good clothes and are in a good position!” At this point, I knew
Sun Hee-young was gaining momentum from the way she spoke.
“They are not here because everyone is good. They were forced to lock
together because of their own circumstances. A small mistake on this
continent can cost you your life. There is no way a person who has a
special talent like you, who is being contacted by a good guild and is
living well, can understand them.”
When a special talent came out, I had to hold in my laughter. If only she
knew.
“It’s funny.”
“Yeah?”
“I haven’t been here for a while, but at least I’ve lived ten times more
intensely than those over there. I can probably say the same for all of
you here. The same goes for the guild member you see over there. He
must have earned that position not only by risking his life to go hunting,
but also by indulging in nasty or hard work. No one wants to die.
Likewise, no one wants to work.”
“Ah…”
“The same is true of me. Overcoming the risk of dying many times, I was
able enter Blue. But what about these other people?”
“It’s not like that. These are…”
“Yeah?”
“…”
“I think I know roughly why they are like that.”
“It is you who made them that way.”
Sun Hee-young’s expression was dangerous. But if one were to think

about this calmly, they would see the logic in my words.
“It is you who have tamed them. You who tamed them, who provided a
place to feed and gave them clothes to wear. You made them losers.”
“Do you know what you are talking about? You just said that you
haven’t been here for a long time yet. Knowing the exact state of the
city… If you say something like this so recklessly… It’s not because of me
that the people here are living like this. It’s because of people like you.”
Sure, I didn’t know about these people in detail, but I knew just what
type of humans they were.
“Ahhh. Like me? You mean those who choose to work hard to be able to
live.”
“I am not talking about a person who works hard. When I say people
like you, I mean people who ignore and despise those who are below
you. You are what makes Lindel rot.”
She wasn’t entirely wrong, either. However, her resolve was naı̈ve.
“I’ve never done anything wrong to others. Maybe some humans might
feel that way, but I have never done that to take advantage of them. It is
not the people here that you need to help. There are adventurers who
risk their lives on expeditions, and workers working in dif icult places.”
Of course, I was not dissatis ied with the idea of volunteer work itself. I
respected these people and what they stood for. However, this woman’s
method was wrong.
‘Did she think she was the ideal volunteer?’
“I guess I know what you’re talking about. It’s obvious that you don’t
give them ish, but tell them how to catch ish… You want to do it. You,
at least doing nothing, don’t deserve to say that. You don’t do anything
for these people… Words aren’t convincing.”
“I came to act.”
“What…”
I slightly raised my hand and opened my mouth.
“All these people here, I will hire you.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll hire everyone here. It won’t be dangerous, but it could be hard

work. You don’t have to worry too much. Those who can move their
bodies can do it. The hourly wage will also be above the basic hourly
wage.”
“What…”
“It’s an opportunity to get out of your current state and recover. We
cannot provide accommodation, but we do provide lunch.”
“What are you trying to do?”
“It is up to you to choose whether you will remain here as people who
continue to depend on others, or become a true member of a stately
society. It’s time to get up on your own, everyone.” I quietly started
looking around.
The whole place had become silent.
However, a question came from someone who dared to ask. “What’s the
job about?”
“It’s very simple and not dangerous. We can promise that there will be
absolutely no risk. It would be comfortable to think of it as simple
labor.”
“The hourly wage…”
“I will give you 1 gold. If additional work is incurred, we will be able to

pay a separate allowance. It would be better to set the working hours to
be 8 hours a day.” At my words, I could hear murmuring all around.
“If you can’t believe it, I’ll take this person here,” I gestured to Sun Hee-
young, “as an advisor to our company. This will serve as your
assurance.”
“I never said I didn’t!”
“Shall I have you watch what I’m doing?”
“That… That’s…”
“It’s an opportunity for you. Even those who are not entirely physically
able can do it.”
It would have been quite decisive to have Sun Hee-young as an advisor

to the company. People slowly started to raise their hands.
“I’ll do it.”
“That… I will do it, too.”
“Me, too…”
“If you leave me in charge, I will de initely work hard.”
It felt good to have all these people raise their hands in response to my
offer. Sun Hee-young and the other guild scouts continued to look at me
with absurd expressions.
“I will start work right from tomorrow. It’s a simple task, so you just
need to come by 9 o’clock tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, okay.”
At this point, Sun Hee-young seemed to have been embarrassed by

what she had just said. However, her expression also indicated that she
didn’t entirely believe me.
It didn’t matter whether she believed me or not.
As she stroked Jung Hayan’s hair, the latter seeming to be a bit alert to
Sun Hee-young’s presence, and turned without regret, she quietly
approached this side and very slowly opened her mouth to me.
“Well, what should I say… I don’t know what to do, but… Thank you for
work. Nevertheless…”
“I can’t understand what you’re grateful for. There is no need to be
grateful. anyway.”
“…”
“There won’t be much difference.”
“What are you talking about…”
“I told you before.”
“What?”
“It is you who tamed them.”
It doesn’t matter whether those people were tamed by Sun Hee-young

or not.
What mattered was that she would eventually think she did.
CHAPTER 54
POOR,
GOOD PERSON (3)
“What are you thinking of?”
“I’m not thinking of anything. Honestly, I just want to show you that
what I said is right.” I couldn’t help it at this point – I laughed.
‘What money… ’
The sole fact that I hired all these people would prove to be quite
problematic for me inancially. The catalyst I was gaining from my
alchemy right now was inadequate for a continuous payroll. I wasn’t in
a problematic situation as of the moment, but I knew I could have used
the money for better things.
However, I also found this situation an ideal event to conduct clinical

trials very cheaply, and I knew the smug feeling from proving Sun Hee-
young wrong would be worth the money. After all, business bene its
could be found in many aspects.
‘Why did I have to go this far to break her line of thinking? One may ask.
That was because this was my plan to recruit her into my party.’
‘I have been in this place for three years. It was two years ago that I
began to be called the Saint of the Forsaken. I started as a member of
the temple, not a clan or guild, and after leaving the temple, I continued
to devote myself to volunteer activities. I have been rejecting offers
from large guilds or small and medium-sized clans for two years.’
This was her brilliant backstory.
Despite being able to ride the elite course like me, she had still chosen
the path to the temple. Because of her upbringing, I knew why she had
chosen to live a life like this. The people who considered themselves
saints of the forsaken made it their ultimate mission to relieve the poor
from their sufferings.
Proof of this manifested itself in Sun Hee-young, for she had refused
any contracts or treaties with any guilds or clans for two years. I
couldn’t even imagine the number of offers she must have received in
her lifetime.
Of course, some of the desperate offers may have included full-scale

relief for the poor. Nevertheless, she had refused even those, and the
reason was quite obvious.
It was because she thought she had to do it herself.
Honestly, I didn’t know why she had such an attachment to these people
when she barely even knew them, but I couldn’t ind it in me to care
about that as of the moment. The irst task was to separate her from the
poor.
Looking ahead, I could see people who were working quite hard on
their tasks. Some also looked quite motivated.
I thought maybe my plan would get ruined, but I didn’t feel worried at
the moment.
“There are people in the slums who have yet to ind work… Are you not
going to hire them?”
“Just wait. I will go when the right time comes.”
“Do you have anything else to say? This is just a simple labor of moving
rocks. The weather will be a little hot because of the sunlight, but it will
be a valuable drop of sweat for them after a long time. Seeing those who
feel the true value of labor, I feel like I want to join them in moving
rocks.”
“Sounds like a taunt.”
“You’re mistaken.”
Of course, it didn’t look like she took my side very well. If I were in her
position, I wouldn’t like myself either. I was a man that de ied her
values.
This, of course, turned the tides in my favor. My way was effective

because it was an entirely different approach from how most people
would usually approach Sun Hee-young.
“What on earth do you mean that it is I who have tamed them?”
“Take it literally. These people are all capable of working, they just don’t
want to.”
“Can’t you see that they are working right now?”
“I can see what’s happening in front of me quite well. The question is…
can you?”
“What…”
“In the Free City of Lindel, these kinds of jobs are widespread.”
‘Although… yes, it’s a bit dangerous.’
“Of course, it’s undeniable that working with me is bene icial, but…
There are many similar things to this kind of work. The eastern region
has undergone redevelopment, and the Red Mercenary Guild is said to
be seeking handymen needed to make the tower this time. Not only
that… Did you know that there is currently a large-scale construction
going on near the tutorial? Maybe even these people know.”
“…”
“I gave them the motivation to start working today. They wanted to

prove they weren’t lazy pigs. You may want to back off a little bit for
their true colors to shine.”
“Then…”
“They were agitated. They probably didn’t realize this since I riled them
up in a positive manner instead of a negative one. Well, I still stick to
what I’ve said.”
“What…”
“Human nature doesn’t change so easily. They may be motivated right

now, as what you and I both can see. But this won’t even last a month.
These people will eventually miss hanging around in the slums instead
of working hard under the sun. They’ll miss the free relief goods they
get instead of working for their keep. No one wants to experience the
pain and exhaustion of always working.”
“I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong. People can change if
they want to.”
“Then what about my reasoning that the Saint of the Forsaken has
changed them? In the end, they are just dogs that feed on ordinary
people.”
“You!”
‘Did I go too far?’
I could see Sun Hee-young trembling on the spot, and quite frankly, I
could feel a tremor of fear running down my spine. Her big eyes had
begun to ill with tears.
I thought about whether I was pushing a girl who didn’t know anything,
but I also thought this kind of stimulation was necessary. Even though
she believed I was wrong, I successfully planted seeds of doubt in her
mind.
‘What if that man’s words are true?’
Even if such small doubts arose, a woman who served others and
sought value would be ruined. Our dear little saint right here looked a
little weak.
“It won’t work the way you think. It is arrogance and self-righteousness
that urge these people to do their job. The world never works the way
you wish for it to be.”
“I do not know about that.”
“Just wait. They will show you their true colors and you’ll have a reason
to think differently afterwards.”
“Is there any reason to think like that?”
“It’s a part that can be seen so obviously when you have a realistic point
of view.”
At her silence, I began to speak again.
“…Did you ever hear of the underdog effect?”

“…”
“It is a word that refers to the basic error of distinguishing a good

person from an evil person by the difference in strength.”
“…”
“In short, being poor doesn’t automatically mean you’re a good person.”
“…”
“Perhaps he’s just a simple and kind person in front of you. Playing
victim is obviously the best approach when it comes to softhearted and
stronger individuals. But they are also perpetrators from somewhere.
The slums are not a heaven where the angels live. It is still part of the
society we live in. A society where all kinds of dirty and unbelievable
things are common.”
“If societies are like what you think…”
“It’s rotten. Where humans are, there is always con lict. If you can’t
believe it, I’d recommend a little experiment.”
“What…”
“You try to be the poor yourself. Not from the position of a saint who
saves them, but to live in the same position as the poor. Then there will
be something to feel. Why don’t you try it for one week? No, just one
day will be enough.”
“I can’t…”
“I know what you’re worried about. You’re worried about people who
might be hungry without you. But it’s okay to disappear for a day or so.
Don’t you have wonderful friends who are following you in this kind of
service?”
‘Of course, your friends are the type of people who only go because of you.’
At her hesitation, I raised an eyebrow challengingly and smirked. “Or

are you just not con ident?”
“You’re right… I’m not.”
“We’ll do the preparations here.”
“You really… You are a disgusting person.”
“What was that? Can’t you respond more con idently?”
“Whether or not I respond with con idence does not matter. You are
treating them like zoo animals!”
“You will respond. You won’t respond. Both do matter. You think this is
an opportunity to be able to help the less able. You are correct.”
“You will regret this.”
“I don’t know… It will be you, not me, who will end up regretting.”
Seeing Sun Hee-young biting her lips in doubt and turning away was
quite the spectacle.
‘I’m so naive… ’ I could hear her cognitive functions whirling.
Certainly, maintaining that kind of naı̈veté in such a place was a

blessing, especially for someone who came from Earth.
Looking back at the scene before me, I could still see the people trying
their best to work hard, sweat pouring down their faces as they moved
the stones.
“Hey there!”
“I don’t think I can transfer this…”
“We will have enough strength if everyone gathers together.”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, Kim! Come on, quickly!”
“I’ll just inish this and go!”
As soon as Sun Hee-young moved away, Jung Hayan worriedly rushed to

my side. Her quick hug made me feel a little better.
Judging by the notebook she was holding in one hand, she seemed to
have worked hard on the work entrusted to her.
“Oppa.”
“Are you doing well?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Shall we listen to what you have to say?”
“Yeah! So, um…”
“Huh?”
“Test 13 seems to be a little helpless. I think he got angry more than a

couple of times… Numbers 7 and 8 seemed to be working hard.”
“I heard a loud noise from the inside a little earlier.”
“That was number 56 and number 75. There seemed to be something

that happened between them while working. I didn’t pay enough
attention, I’m sorry.”
“No, just knowing that there is a problem is enough. How about number
38?”
“Ah. Number 38 was luctuating. He didn’t seem motivated enough to

continue on. He also said he would quit soon. Numbers 93 and 95
agreed with the words of number 38.”
“Ahhh. I like that. That’s a good outcome.”
“Mmhm, yeah.”
“I had a hard time, Hayan, but thanks to you, my work became easier.”
“I-It’s ine, Oppa.”
“And just in case… Is there a type of magic that can change one’s
appearance?”
“Yes, there is.”
“It will be enough to change the facial structure slightly with magic. Will
it be dif icult to do?”
“Ah! I think that’s possible to do. But why?”
“I think I should show a princess who doesn’t know the world about
how dirty people live.”
Jung Hayan began to smile at my words. “I see what you mean.”

CHAPTER 55
POOR,
GOOD PERSON (4)
For some reason, just thinking of the earlier scenarios that had
transpired caused my whole body to shake. I wasn’t angry. I just found
it hard to understand.
‘I’m not wrong.’
Of course… it was natural to want to help people.
‘He doesn’t know anything.’
No one lived in the slums because they wanted or chose it. Every one of
these people had their own sad stories to tell.
Some have not been contacted by guilds or clans, while others had
become disabled from hunting in the past. Some were driven to the
streets because of sick family members, while others were simply
unable to ind work.
In other words, society has led them to this place.
Lindel, the Holy Empire… No, this entire continent itself is wrong.
This was a society that did not know how to care for the weak. It was a
sel ish community. Although they promised welfare bene its to most of
its citizens, the poor did not receive any.
On this continent, where people only worked for their interests,

someone had to step forward.
“It will be dangerous.”
“No, it won’t be dangerous.”
“Well… As a priest, you have the freedom to choose how you think.
However, it would be good to have a minimum of safety devices. I don’t
know when and how something will happen.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Rather, I want to ask why you don’t think the same.”
“The reason you don’t understand me is because you’re not looking at

them properly.”
“My answer is the same. Rather, it is you who is not looking at them
properly. There are not just those who are poor and need help. Who
needs help are those who try to stand up, not those lying down.”
“I don’t want to hear that kind of talk anymore.”
“Yes, yes, ine. I’ll stop.”
“Then, I will just leave as you said. I want you to keep what you
promised.”
“Yeah. Whether or not. By all means, goodbye.”

It was not even worth answering him. Even if I were to accept his offer
and act as one of the slums’ people, nothing would change.
I didn’t even have to respond to such a non-playful offer. Nevertheless, I

had one reason as to why I was willing to enter the slums alone.
‘I wasn’t wrong.’
I wanted to prove to that man that I wasn’t wrong. There was certainly
a difference between simply watching from a distance and breathing
and living with them.
There was an old couple who had given me thanks while weeping for
help, and there was a little child who plucked me some lowers in
return for my help.
I’d seen so many things that this man hadn’t for nearly two years. The
people and I had spent a long time communicating and talking together.
As I continued to step forward, I could slowly feel the atmosphere

getting darker.
What was wrong? I always walked down these streets and was very
familiar with it, but I could feel that something had changed.
It was the time of the day to eat, yet no one openly loitered around the
streets. This place is always the same.
I could feel the familiar, unpleasant smell of the slums ill my nostrils,
but I had long since adapted to it, so it did not bother me anymore. As I
continued walking around, the helpless people I had always helped
came into view. Some of them were chatting, and the rest were just
looking around the area.
The people taking care of their children caught my eye, as well as the
lovers walking with arms folded together.
The man was at least right in this aspect. This was also a place where
people lived, albeit with no convenient facilities, no decent restaurants,
and no decent homes.
‘Good.’
As I stepped in a little further, a crowd of people caught my eye.
‘This is the plaza… ’
It cannot be deemed as a decent square. It was an empty ield with

nothing, and it was just called a plaza because it was a space where
people naturally gathered together. In other words, it is a symbolic
space that the poor called their shelter.
As I quietly settled on one side, a familiar face caught my eyes.
This was one of the men that that man had hired.
I didn’t know why he was here, who should be at work, but perhaps
something had happened?
When I was looking around so quietly, a loud voice began to come into
my ears.
“Kim! Why didn’t you go out today?”
“Yeah, why didn’t you?”
“Because that guy had hired me…”
“Ahhh. I see.”
“Then…”
“It was very dif icult. It’s just moving rocks, but somehow I feel like it
doesn’t suit me.”
“What? Didn’t you say you would start your life anew now?”
“Yes, I did say that, but… I really didn’t like working there. I thought
about it, and I felt no difference whether I worked there or ate her food
here.”
“If someone she knows hears you… Be careful, man.”
“Listen. I don’t think I will come today… I feel like I’m freaking out about
working for nothing.”
“I didn’t see the priest today. Is she still coming?”
“Does it make sense that the priest would be sick?”
“It could be that day. No matter how much of a priest she is, she’s still
female. She’s probably on her natural monthly cycle or something.”
“That makes sense.”
‘What?’
Blinking, I strained my ears to make sure I was hearing them. I could

hardly comprehend the words they so casually put out.
‘Ah… ’
“Well, that’s shit… I’ll just go hungry and die… I’m also feeling very
sleepy…”
“Well then, that’s an expression I haven’t heard in a while.”
“Ah…”
After roughly covering his face with one hand, the man who should
have gone off to work left the square. I didn’t know why they went
away.
I just felt like I shouldn’t stay there.
To be precise, it was because I didn’t want to hear their conversation

anymore, but I couldn’t afford to think about all these things at once.
‘You tamed them.’…The man’s voice came into my head.
As if his words had conjured a magical spell, I began to notice things I

had not noticed before as I continued walking deeper into the slums,
“I’ll make it cheap for you.”
“The smell of money is amazing.”
Lovers walking while holding hands no longer looked like lovers. With
horror, I realized that this was a middle-aged man and a prostitute.
“Is this just this?”
“Yeah, sorry…”
“The little ones are missing…”
“Ahhhh!”
It turned out that the man who I thought had been looking after the
children were not looking after them at all.
The bums on the street were drowning themselves with cheap rum, and
the voices I heard were either criticizing something or someone. Some
men also harassed women.
“Hey!”
A plethora of swear words also rung out from every corner of the
street.
‘It sounds so natural for them to utter such words… ’
It was the same scenario everywhere I went. People who I thought I

knew turned out to have completely different characters and
personalities.
However, as this thought suddenly came, my nerves began to pull at me.
‘What if the man is right?’
‘What if I am wrong?’
‘What if what I saw was just part of the slums and what he saw was
everything?’
‘Was it me who had failed to see everything clearly right from the start?’
My thoughts were all over the place.
I hadn’t seen these kinds of things before. When I was in a position to

help these people, I didn’t notice them at all.
‘They would be perpetrators somewhere.’
The man was right.
Even those who I thought were weak turned out to be harassers to

others.
Until now, I had been mad at myself because I had always been above
them.
The reason I hadn’t been a victim of that sort of treatment until now
was that a group of strong people surrounded me in good clothes.
However, this was a different situation. I had taken on the form of

somebody else. At that moment, I realized just why that man said that
this endeavor might be dangerous.
‘I have to go.’
With this thought in mind, I made to turn around, but a sinister voice
behind me made me freeze.
“If you don’t want to get stabbed, don’t move.”
Chills went down my spine. What made me feel more anxious was the
presence of the blade that I felt behind my back.
“What do you want from me?”
“Fuck you.”
At this, I fell silent.
“Did you think you wouldn’t know you were a girl if you were tightly
wrapped in a hood like that?”
“What… What do you plan on doing?”
“Are you asking because you really don’t know? I doubt that.”
“This… Don’t do this.”
“Do you know how dangerous it is to wander alone on a night like this?”
“Please…”
“I won’t kill you, rest assured. I have other plans for you…”
I could roughly understand what was going on, even as the cool blade
was ominously aimed at my back. I knew I could have easily said a spell
to save myself, but my mouth refused to utter the words. It was a very
unexpected situation, and my legs trembled in the irst situation.
When I did not move for some time, the man behind me struck me hard.
“Ah!”
I was lung sideways from the exerted force, and I couldn’t help but
gasp.
Before I could even attempt to get up, I felt a strong hand holding my
hair. Although I was desperately rolling my eyes for help, the men who
came into view were looking at me as if they found this entire spectacle
fun.
“Please… help…”
I could see faces I knew. I had helped some of these men with relief
goods. These were the people I had talked with and knew.
Of course, I thought they would help me. Surely they knew how wrong
this was.
However, none of them were reaching out to help. They were avoiding
my gaze while trying not to laugh, all the while pointing ingers at me.
All the reactions they showed were the same.
“Don’t do this. Please save me…”
A ist then hit my abdomen. I couldn’t even scream from the pain
because of the immense fear I was feeling. When I tried to utter a divine
spell, a large ist shook threateningly in front of me.
“Ahhhhhh!”
“…”
“Don’t do this. Someone, please help. please… Help.”
“The guys here all want the same as me, and you ask them for help? Are
you new here?”
“Ah… No.”
“Did you come in here alone, not knowing how dangerous it is? How
clueless are you?”
From what he said, I knew he was not referring to the entire slums. I
realized that the man was simply talking about the western side of the
area.
I couldn’t understand why this area was a place that shouldn’t be

entered. It was a place where I always hung around during my
volunteer days.
Before I even organized my thoughts, a large face hung right in front of

me.
“I think I can sell you at a good price…”
The man who had spoken sported a visibly noticeable burn on his face.
It looked like it had not gotten proper medication.
The odor from his mouth and body made me feel nauseated.
“Wow…”
“She seems disgusted by you.”

“Ah! N-No…”
Once again, my head spun. The pain began to blossom on the left side of
my cheek.
“Are you disgusted by me?!”
“Ah!”
“Answer me! Am I disgusting?!”
“Please… Please save me! I’m going to die here…”
“You will look more disgusting than me in the future, rest assured. Don’t
have such a weak stomach now. It’ll be nice to have fun with you irst
before we sell you off.”
‘Help me.’
“Please help…”
“Miss, I don’t know what you keep asking for help… Who do you think
can help you here? If you need help, you should go to the nearby clan
vigilante and ask for help. No one among us here will help you…”
“Please…”
“What a stupid bitch. Tsk.”
“Help me…”
The people who had crowded around us all sported intrigued

expressions. No one looked like they were planning to help me out.
‘It will be dangerous.’

“No… No…”
‘They would be perpetrators somewhere.’
“Help me. Someone, please…”
‘People who need help are those who try to stand up, not those lying
down.’
“I’m sorry. please… Help me.”
‘You are the one who made them lazy pigs.’
“Save me. I’m sorry! Please! Ah! Stop! Stop!”
“So what did I say, Priest? Just because someone is poor, it doesn’t mean
that they’re good.”
“Ah…”
As I turned my head, I saw the face I hated the most.

CHAPTER 56
POOR,
GOOD PERSON (5)
“So what did I say, Priest?”
“Ah…”
“Not all the poor are good.”
As I approached her, I could see just how badly she had been roughed
up.
Of course, I knew what had happened. After all, I had been watching
this young woman’s adventure from start to inish.
She currently wore an expression illed with tears and a runny nose.
Her entire demeanor screamed out that she felt an immense type of
fear. I made sure to keep my expression sympathetic, though, of course,
I did not feel much sympathy for her. At this point, I probably looked
like help sent from heaven.
What had been the most interesting thing to me was how she had
turned a complete 180 from the Sun Hee-young that I had just seen this
morning. One side of my lip curled up.
‘As expected, humans are funny.’
Everything had turned out to be the opposite. The poor people she had
so readily defended ended up being the perpetrators in this scheme,
and the man she despised the most ended up being her savior.
Because of this, I found it hard trying to reel in my laughter.
In contrast to the neat and haughty Sun Hee-young that I had just seen
this morning, the girl in front of me sported a bruised, swollen face and
torn-up rags for clothes. I knew that if I hadn’t shown up any sooner,
she would have been in big trouble.
“Alas…”
The tears that I had intentionally accumulated in my eyes fell at that

moment.
I could feel the man who was pulling Sun Hee-young’s hair and the
bums who seemed to be waiting for their turn looking at me.
“Who are you?”
“That you don’t need to know, scum.”
“Don’t try to play cocky with me, bastard. I’m asking who you are.”
“Don’t move.”
Of course, I didn’t have the con idence to go ahead and kill everyone
here. I was still admittedly a weak wizard, and there were a lot of them
surrounding me.
I didn’t believe that Jung Hayan would currently handle the lot of them
at this moment, even though she was already preparing spells behind
me. I had to stall for time.
However, the fact that we were against these types of people made me
feel con ident about myself. These were the types who acted weak
against the strong and strong in front of the weak.
Sure enough, I could see cautious expressions spreading from the entire
crowd. My and Jung Hayan’s anonymity was enough of a reason to make
them anxious.
“W-Where are you from…?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“That…”
Jung Hayan began to utter the spell she had memorized the moment I
looked behind me. Even before her voice burst, the new magical power
that encroached everywhere began to trap them.
Screams popped up from place to place in an impossible situation.
Sun Hee-young, who was trembling with her round eyes open, started
to run towards us. She had realized that I was the only one who could
save her from her current predicament. Meanwhile, screams erupted
from the hordes of people who did not know what was happening.
Everyone here was aware that we were the ones responsible for the
explosion, and she knew going towards us was where she would be
protected.
“I told you it was going to be dangerous, didn’t I?”
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your help.”
“You can relax now, priest. You’re safe.” As I spoke, I looked over at the
man who had taken ahold of her irst. His genitals were exposed for the
whole world to see.
“How was going around the slums on your own? I see you’ve done a
little sightseeing.”
“Thank you. Thank you for your help. Quick, let’s go… Please… Let’s get
out…”
From what I could see, Sun Hee-young currently did not have the
mental capability to speak properly. Her instincts told her to get out of
the area. I had no idea how this woman managed to survive the tutorial
dungeon if she had gotten traumatized just from this situation.
However, I wanted to have a serious conversation with her irst. This

was the whole reason why I even proposed her choice of action, after
all. Seeing her traumatized expression made me feel like I stepped on a
pile of shit.
“Let this go.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m a woman who doesn’t want the world to know of this. Please…”
“What do you think?”
“What…”
“Now that you’ve disguised yourself as someone poor, you’ve seen how
they truly are, right?”
“You are right. You were right. Everything you said is correct.”
However, I knew she wasn’t thinking properly. All I could see on her
face was an expression of urgency. It was not a mask of regret for her
line of thinking, but a desperate cry to escape this situation.
“Hayan, release the magic.”

“Okay, Oppa.”
“Do not do it! Please don’t!”
Of course, the magic I had asked Hayan to release was not the trapping
magic she had laid upon the men, but the psychedelic magic that she
had cast on Sun Hee-young. It was to reveal her true facial features.
As Jung Hayan slowly undid the magic, Sun Hee-young’s features slowly
shifted into view.
“Look straight over there.”
“Yeah…?”
The faces of the trash who had attempted to harass our precious priest
began to turn blue. They had just now realized who they had just
manhandled. Though there were looks of regret on their faces, the fact
that they had touched the wrong person remained blatantly obvious,
They had just harassed a girl every clan wanted to have.
Seeing them shit their pants and turning pale, I couldn’t resist myself
from laughing.
“Do you guys still want to live?”
Since I saw people nodding their heads, I continued speaking.
“This woman… Are you willing to kill her?”
The man sported a fearful expression that signaled he didn’t know what
I was talking about, so I delved into a deeper explanation.
“No, I’m not going to actually let you kill her. I’m just trying to make this
woman realize your true personalities. She’s taken care of you for so
long, after all. What is it that she’s been called? The Saint of the
Forsaken…?”
The man nodded, a little stunned.
“Why… Why are you saying this?” Sun Hee-young stammered.
“Personally, I feel bad for this woman. She had given her entire time
trying to help people like you, only for you to personally prove her
wrong.”
“…”
“If you refuse to admit this, you die.”
“Y-Yes, we’d be willing to.”
“Good.”
Sun Hee-young was now standing with a poker-faced expression.
“W-What… Why…”
“Shut up and listen to what I tell you, you bastards. Nothing will change
anyway.”
“Can I really do whatever I want to do…?”
I nodded my head and continued. “Sure. It doesn’t matter if you inish

what you were trying to do.”
“Is this true?”
“I don’t know if I’m lucky or not, but irst of all, thank you for saving
me.” Sun Hee-young interjected, who looked as if she felt a mix of relief,
sadness, and fear.
“Sir…”
“Shut up, you bastard. Anyway, you’re all the same. Just a bunch of lazy
pigs who take great pleasure in tormenting others. Aren’t you ashamed
of yourselves?”
“I didn’t mean that in…”
“You didn’t mean it in what? You all thought our lovely priest had gotten
sick, so you all decided to skip work and fool around at night.”
“That’s right.” Even in this situation, the man sporting the burn marks
had the cockiness to still speak so con idently. Just by looking at his
appearance, I knew he was a motherfucker by birth.
Sun Hee-young was no longer shaking in fear at this point. Rather, she
now sported a defeated expression. I did not know what she was feeling
right now, but she was probably feeling more embarrassed than afraid.
I’m not sure how it feels to be denied by a purpose that I’d dedicated
my whole life to, but it probably feels the same as losing one’s identity.
Finally, the expected result came.
“Wow…”
A sorrowful cry burst out from the silence.
“Fuhhhhh.”
I stepped towards them slowly. It was no wonder that those who tried
to surround Sun Hee-young earlier slowly stepped back as I
approached them.
As I slowly returned my gaze to Sun Hee-young, I could see her looking

at me with an expression that was dif icult to describe.
“Ugh… You didn’t have to do this.”
“Now, can we have a proper conversation?”
“You didn’t have to do this… Ugh…”
“I was only helping you realize the reality of this place. So, was I right all
along?”
“You were right. Ugh, you were right, and I was wrong. I…”
“No. That’s not it.”
“What…”
“You are not wrong.”
“Take it literally, Sun Hee-young. You are not wrong. You are simply
being noble. Being able to sacri ice for others is something ordinary
people cannot do.”
“…”
“I respect you. If I were you, I wouldn’t have been able to get up every
day and serve these people. You did it without expecting something in
return. Despite being able to receive offers from guilds or clans, you did
not focus on the rewards and stuck to your own values.”
While I spoke, the other men sported confused looks. She didn’t know
what I was talking about.
“You are in a lower position than others. Excuse me, but I have watched
where you are. If you think about your social position, it’s de initely not
a suitable place. You abandoned everything. Literally everything. Other
people also moved. You made other clans and guilds interested in the
poor. Yes. You are noble.”
“That’s stupid.”
“You didn’t make them lazy pigs. What I said before was out of jealousy
at you for having something I didn’t have. Your sublime, beautiful, and
sincere character is something I don’t possess. It is me who is twisted.”
“…”
I could see her clenching her ists.
I didn’t know if she felt comforted or still in tears over her current
situation, but she could at least recognize that her thinking has
changed.
“You were never wrong.”
“Yes, I guess… Ugh…”
“You are sublime.”
“Yes…”
“You are a person to be respected.”
“Yes…”
“The one who is wrong here is…”
“…”
“…It’s them.”
“…”
“Now, you know how worthless it is to sacri ice for pigs who do not
even know how to appreciate you.”
“…”
“The ones who betray you without knowing what they have received
are really wrong. These people corrupt Lindel, the Holy Empire, and
even society. Even if the nobles continue to contribute to society, it does
not improve because these types of people remain. Yes. It’s all because
of them that the slums don’t improve, that you get useless
misunderstandings, that you don’t get what your noble light hopes for.”
“I suppose you’re right…”
“I do not condemn those who try to stand up, but those who don’t even
think about standing up. They make this place rot.”
“I agree.”
“Okay, then…”
Sun Hee-young continued to look up at me in silence.
“Let’s begin service in the true sense, Priest.”
There was no suitable answer to the bullshit I had just spouted.
However…
Sun Hee-young slowly straightened and took the dagger that I was
handing out to her.
“Let’s make Lindel beautiful together.”

CHAPTER 57
IDEAL VOLUNTEER
“Let’s make Lindel beautiful together.”
An indecipherable expression formed on Sun Hee-young’s face at my

words, and a moment of what seemed like clarity passing through her
eyes. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting her to shift this easily. She looked as if
she’d been given a new burst of motivation.
She had been exposed to a scenario that was both frightening and life-
threatening, so in a way, I also found this sudden turn understandable.
However, I had been expecting her to be all frightened and shaky. It
seemed that she had a different response in mind.
‘She’s trembling… Poor thing.’
Of course, as I assessed her, Sun Hee-young was indeed still shaking and
trembling from what she had just experienced. I knew somehow it
would have been impossible to get her to admit defeat in her normal
state of thinking. Her frightened disposition had worked in my favor.
‘Good.’
Something new bloomed in Sun Hee-young’s expression then – a sense

of purpose. From beneath the shaking exterior was a feeling of
determination blossoming within her eyes.
She had started walking slowly, a dagger expertly held in one hand. In a
way, this was both a beautiful and disturbing scene, almost like a
religious ritual. What was even more disturbing about it was the fact
that it looked as natural as praying for her.
Inwardly, I knew she did not blame these people outright for what they
did.
‘However… ’
“Priest… We… We were wrong…”
“I don’t know what has come over me… Please forgive us…”
“Please spare me, Priest… I beg you…”
“Y-You said you’d save us…”
“Forgive us just this once, please?”
At this point, the perpetrators, now at our mercy, had started begging
Sun Hee-young to let them go. I looked over at them, smiling to myself.
This was indeed an entertaining sight.
Sun Hee-young paused and looked towards us, speci ically at Jung
Hayan, responsible for the magic trap.
“Really… Can I do it?”
She sounded like she was waiting for con irmation. Of course, I had no
intention of letting her stop.
“Yeah, you don’t need to worry. Think of it as the same thing you’ve
been doing so far. It is de initely helping others. If there is trash, it is
only correct to remove it.”
“I guess you’re right.”

Sun Hee-young was indeed a talent that should join the party.
Smiling brightly, she approached the men and raised the dagger high in
the air. The screams erupted once more.
The way she handled the dagger looked beautiful to me for some
reason, not at all grotesque.
“Ahh!”
“Priest! Please save-”
“Help…”
“Ahhhhh!”
Any passerby that happened to stumble upon this scene would feel
highly disturbed, if not frightened. The grotesque sounds of blood
splattering on concrete, mixed with the screams of those affected, rung
in the ominous air.
No one responded to the voices asking for help. Of course, that may well
be because of Jung Hayan’s sealing magic masking us, but I was sure
that even if we hadn’t gone through the hassle of doing so, no one
would have come to their aid.
As they had said themselves, asking for help here was stupid. Everyone
in the slums was too busy with their own lives.
When I remembered the Sun Hee-young from this morning, the one
who would have scoffed at my words and would’ve helped the poor
without batting an eyelash, I supposed the Sun Hee-young now was not
that different in a sense. She still did not blame them – she just
genuinely believed she could help them in a new manner.
“Priest! Priest! Please…”

“You bitch! Are you even human?!”
“I’m sorry… Please!”
“Ahhh!”
As Sun Hee-young moved, I couldn’t help but observe her. I had a feeling
this woman was already abnormal since the start. There was no other
way to explain her level of altruism.
Sun Hee-young remained silent during the whole ordeal. After a while,
the screaming gradually subsided. She was still wearing that strange,
creepy smile as she panted slightly.
“So, how did it feel?”
Although her face was still swollen and bleeding from what she had
suffered earlier, she did not seem to mind.
“That felt… rather rewarding,” she responded in a creepy voice.

Nevertheless, there was a quality to her that seemed beautiful to me in
its entirety. Her state of mind might seem worrying, but I knew she
would be ine. I had just helped her out by broadening her perspective,
after all.
‘My plan is working.’
“Shall we go, then?”
“Where…?”
I did not offer her a direct proposal. Instead, I reached out and took her
hand in mine as a response. Jung Hayan shifted uncomfortably behind
me, but I knew that this shouldn’t be a problem.
“This new meaning of service is not something you can do alone. And
unlike before, you need to be a little more discreet. I’ll help you.”
“Together…?”
“Yes. Together. There will be many problems when it comes to realizing

your values. It’s something the average person won’t understand.”
“I understand.”
“I’ll try to prove you weren’t wrong.”
“Yes, Kiyoung.”
“First of all…”
“It’s okay. I can do it myself.” Sun Hee-young quietly began to memorize

the spell. It was daunting as to how quickly she was able to heal herself.
Because of the ring that Jung Hayan wore, I had already experienced the
effects myself once before, but Sun Hee-young’s magic capabilities
made recovery more effective from its looks.
‘She’s good.’
I now understood just why priests were considered very precious. It

was dif icult to ind a person who would it the priest’s aptitude, and it
was also dif icult for them to stay a priest. This was why it felt good
thinking about having such a powerful ally by my side.
All that remained was to bring Sun Hee-young back to the guild.
Jung Hayan stuck up to me closely, and I knew she was worried about
the gentle kindness that I had dared show Sun Hee-young. At this, the
woman in question leaned away but began to speak to her in turn.
I let them host a little conversation. It felt a little ironic to have a daily
conversation if one were to think about what had just happened a few
minutes ago, but seeing Jung Hayan respond to Sun Hee-young’s words
eased what little anxiety I had. The two didn’t seem to feel hostility
towards each other.
It was then that I saw a familiar igure making its way towards us.
“Hyunsung?”
“Oh, if it isn’t Kiyoung. It’s a coincidence to meet you here. I thought you
were in the lab… Did you come out with Jung Hayan?”
“Ah. The fact is…”
When Kim Hyunsung caught sight of Sun Hee-young, the priest smiled
brightly and spoke.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Sun Hee-young, here for a little volunteer
activity…”
“Ah. It’s also nice to meet you. I am Kim Hyunsung.”
At their exchange, I felt a little confused. Wasn’t Kim Hyunsung here for
Sun Hee-young?
Then I saw a little kid peeking out from behind Kim Hyunsung. It was a
little dif icult to properly distinguish whether the child who had not yet
taken off her oversized tee was a man or a woman.
There was an unknown poison in the kid’s eyes, and her face covered in
broth seemed to explain that she had come from the slum area.
‘Perhaps… ’
I quickly activated my ability to ind out more about the kid.

[Check player Kim Ye-ri’s status window and potential.]
[Name-Kim Ye-ri]
[Age-14]
[Propensity-A wounded thief]
[Job-Archer]
[Job Effect-Acquisition of basic archery knowledge]
[Capacity]
[Strength-10/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]
[Agility-31/Growth Limit: Legend or higher]
[Intellect-15/Growth Limit: Hero or less]
[Durability-14 /Growth Limit: Hero or less]
[Holy-10/Growth Limit: Legend or higher]
[Overall Review-Has a stat limit above the legend level. Agility and
magic power have legendary potential. The potential of other stats is
also incomparable to player Lee Kiyoung. Please move carefully so as
not to adversely affect children. She has gotten hurt, but she is still a
pure child. The kid is quick to notice, but please don’t hate her for it.]
‘Huh… ’
This was the irst time I saw anyone whose stats referred to heroes and
legends except for Kim Hyunsung’s. I immediately realized that Sun
Hee-young was not who he was aiming for.
The reason he headed to the slums in the irst place was to bring in this
child.
Looking down at the kid, I also noticed that Sun Hee-young was looking
at the little kid with distaste. Nevertheless, she did not act out of line.
“Ah. This kid…”
“This is a child I met by chance here in the slums that looked so

talented, so I brought her with me with the intention of teaching her.
She still seems a little too young to go hunting herself… Ah! She’s also a
little shy, so it will take a little while for her to get acquainted with you.”
“Ah… I see.”
“What about you, Kiyoung?”
“The same is true for me. I was walking around the slums and
accidentally came into contact with Sun Hee-young, the priest. We
eventually got around to talking.”
“Ah.” Kim Hyunsung blinked and seemed to be regarding Sun Hee-

young for the irst time since he approached us. Silence reigned as he
inwardly weighed her.
‘What is this feeling… ’
If I were Kim Hyunsung, I would have also tried to recruit her somehow
while also focusing on the kid. The limit of her divine talent was beyond
legendary.
It didn’t make any sense. Although the slums were generally a large
place, it would be impossible not to bump into her at least once.
This could only mean one thing. Sun Hee-young did not give off the
same impression as the kid did to Kim Hyunsung.
‘Why not?’
She was a priest guaranteed a bright future. As of now, she had the
potential to grow even stronger if she was given the right kind of
training.
It was then that I suddenly had a strange thought. Could Sun Hee-young
have gotten herself in a dire situation in the future? Is that why Kim
Hyunsung did not bother trying to recruit her?
However, they might not have met until now, so he had not tried to get
her. Lindel was, after all, a big place, where events transpired almost
everywhere.
If Kim Hyunsung had been busy hunting to survive or had been stuck in
training somewhere, he may not have heard the stories. This was also a
possibility I had to consider. I shouldn’t have panicked so fast.
However, the thought that Sun Hee-young could have died for nothing
came into my mind and refused to leave. Of course, I had no way of
knowing how she would have died.
After accepting a clan or guild’s offer, she may have died in the middle
of exploration, or maybe war would break out shortly and would sweep
her away. She may also have fallen ill or may have been damaged by her
chosen guild out of its sel ish interests.
But perhaps…
‘Perhaps she also died because of the poor… ’

As I said, I had no way of knowing.
There was nothing I could do except to anticipate, but for some reason,
I thought that Sun Hee-young had a bitter life in her previous lifetime.
No, I didn’t think. I was almost sure she did.
“Thank you in the future, Ms. Hee-young.”
“Likewise… Thank you very much, Mr. Hyunsung. I think I’ll be in your
debt for a long while.”
Ah, Sun Hee-young. Always the ideal volunteer.

CHAPTER 58
REGRESSOR BUS
To summarize, both the kid Kim Ye-ri and the priest Sun Hee-young
ended up joining our party.
In all honesty, only the authorization of Kim Hyunsung was needed for
the two people to join our team. However, the guild’s higher-ups
seemed to want to dispute this because we did not consult with the
administrative team beforehand.
For other parties, this would have posed little problem. However, our
party was new, and Kim Hyunsung had been a member for less than a
year.
However, apart from this negative outlook, the fact that we had gotten
someone like Sun Hee-young – someone who the other guilds and clans
desperately wanted for themselves – had more than made up for their
misgivings.
‘We’d also gotten her for a low bargain.’
It was no wonder her valuation within the guild shot up when Sun Hee-
young announced that she would not join any other clan or guild.
Kim Hyunsung’s party, which was admittedly still in the spotlight, once
more became the subject of the Free City of Lindel’s attention. I
admittedly did not know the history of every survivor that had reached
Lindel, but I was fairly certain no one had received as much attention in
the past as our party.
“Hyung! It’s time to eat.”
“I know.”
While I was still immersed in my experiments within my workshop,

Park Deokgu slipped through the door after knocking.
Recently, the party had made it a point to eat together during every
meal. This was to become more acquainted with Sun Hee-young and
Kim Ye-ri and discuss plans for our party. Compared to the four of us,
who had been close since the start, it took some time for Kim Ye-ri and
Sun Hee-young to warm up to the gang.
Surprisingly, Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young seemed well-matched, and

the two became close friends. Meanwhile, I hadn’t had the chance to
converse with Kim Ye-ri, for she was always hiding her face and shying
away.
‘She’s such a quick-witted kid, though… ’
Although she was freakishly quiet, she dutifully stuck to Kim Hyunsung,
almost as if she could sense security within Hyunsung’s power. I knew
that it would take some time for her to warm up to us, but it also felt
frustrating to see her being so unresponsive to me.
Wanting to ease the slight awkwardness, Park Deokgu opened his

mouth to speak.
“By the way, what’s Hyung so busy with? I hardly get to see you outside
of meals.”
“I’ve had a lot to do. I’m doing so much at once, so I can’t really focus on
one.”
“Can you tell me just one of them? My curiosity is driving me crazy. It’s
been so long since you started, don’t you think it’s time to tell me one of
your secrets?”
“Well…”
“Oh, don’t do that suspense thing. Just tell me.”
“The most recent thing I was doing was a potion to control my

emotions…”
“Is that even possible?”
“It was only a theory, but you can think of it as virtually impossible. I
just thought I’d try and see if I can touch the basic human needs…”
“For example?”
“Something like sex, sleep, or appetite. In fact, if I get it correctly, it

won’t ever hurt your emotions. It’s all about simply making you drowsy
or feeling tired of your body…”
“So… It’s technically not controlling your emotions?”
“This is why touching emotions is fun. For example, suppose you

created a potion that relaxes your muscles as well as your body. If you
say you added something magical to it, the affected human would feel
drowsy. This is because the brain interprets the body’s signals at will.”
“Ah…”
“It is the same in other cases, like applying heat to the body or making
the heart beat a little faster. You just need a little stimulus or plant a
seed of thought in someone to make it work.”
“It sounds scary for some reason…”
“If you have low intelligence, it will work a little better on you. Or…”
“Or…”
“Or if you’re a little unsafe or unstable.”
“Well…” Park Deokgu hesitated, an expression similar to fear crossing

his features. It might have been quite unsettling to hear about the
possible creation of a potion that could control people’s emotions.
It had been pretty fun trying to make it, but it wasn’t suitable for us.
There were a lot of dramatic situations, and different materials were
required for its creation.
In short, it was a situation that did not yet seem to be viable.
The one I had now was only a prototype for the inal version of my
desired product. Nevertheless, I couldn’t say that this was useless.
“It’s just a joke.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a joke. There’s no way a potion like that could exist.”
“Ah, hyung!”
“I’m just trying to imagine it. Originally, all experiments start with one’s
imagination. It means that every idea matters.”
“So, is it possible to visualize even the wrong type of idea?”
“Only if the situation its.”
“You mean like the idea of a love potion?”
“That’s an extension to the potion I said before.”

“Then how about a potion that increases your stats when you drink? Or
something like a potion that makes the user invisible?”
“…”
“Oh, a potion to become a monster! Is that possible?”
I didn’t know if he was babbling or not, but the potions Park Deokgu
had been mentioning were the ones I’d been studying.
As I looked at him with an expression of surprise, he smiled and began

giving out more ideas. Some of them were things that I’ve never even
thought about, so I began to see him in a new light.
For now, I only had theories I wanted to bring into reality, so I also
ended up taking mental notes of unique ideas that came out of Park
Deokgu’s mouth.
As I slowly went down to the guild house’s basement, those who were
gathered came into sight.
“Oppa, are you here?”
“Kiyoung-nim.”
“Let’s all sit down.”
Jung Hayan looked up at me as she sat, and Sun Hee-young was also
sitting in front of the table. Meanwhile, Kim Hyunsung nodded and
welcomed me, and Kim Ye-ri, the youngest, was still looking around
warily.
“Good morning.”
“Yes, good morning.”

As I sat down, Jung Hayan brought my meal over to me. Sun Hee-young
handed me my water.
Interestingly, Sun Hee-young’s propensity had not changed. She still

saw herself as the ideal volunteer, embarrassingly enough.
Perhaps it was possible because I thought I could change her with the
course of events that had happened, but it seemed that the inclination
to become the ideal volunteer would still stay with her.
Instead, her job had changed.
[Dark Priest – Hero Grade]
The current job of being a priest of the sun was changed into being a
dark priest. I thought it was probably the effect of what happened at
that time, but there had been no difference in abilities or spells upon
observation. Sun Hee-young was still able to memorize divine magic,
and even Kim Hyunsung felt surprised by her ability.
Of course, even the growth in Jung Hayan’s case was distinguishable. In

the case of the lovely returner Kim Hyunsung, there was no need for
other explanations in the irst place.
Rather, it was with Park Deokgu that the growth rate had been a little
slow. His endurance level continuously rose, but his muscle strength
and stamina’s growth rate were slower in comparison. His agility stats
seemed to be the slowest out of everything.
Although he seemed to be frustrated about it, I knew he understood

why his growth had been like this, even with immense training. He and
I had low growth potentials, and we just had to make do with what we
had.
Once everyone had settled in, Kim Hyunsung began to speak.

“Let’s start eating.”
“Enjoy your meal.”
Since Kim Hyunsung was the designated leader of our party, it was
natural to show him respect before the meal. After his signaling nod, we
began to eat in silence. However, after a few moments, some of them
had started striking up a conversation with each other.
They covered the most random topics, but I couldn’t say I objected. This
was my only break from my work, so it proved to be a pleasant
distraction.
However, one look at Kim Hyunsung informed me that an important

announcement would be coming soon.
“I have something important to tell everyone.”
The atmosphere became quiet in a second.
“Yeah?”
“I got an offer from the Vice Guild Master this morning.”
“What’s the offer about?”
“It’s for a dungeon strategy. It seems that not only our party, but also
parties of nearby large guilds will enter. I’d love to hear what you think.”
This was a little unexpected.
Of course, I expected that we would be going hunting or dungeon-

exploring someday. However, our party was still considered as a
newcomer and would need some time to grow. We currently had six
people, and if the little kid Kim Ye-ri went with him, it wouldn’t be
called bad timing because Kim Hyunsung had managed to get enough
members in time.
What came as a surprise to us was the fact that we would be joining

another guild.
Sometimes, dangerous and unexpected events could occur within

dungeon explorations, so one needed to go with people they trusted.
This was why the thought of joining up with other guilds hadn’t crossed
my mind.
I couldn’t help it. “Can you tell us more?”
Kim Hyunsung smiled slightly and answered. “Of course. I haven’t

gotten a lot of details, but one of the mid-sized parties has found a new
dungeon in the area near the tutorial dungeon.”
“But that…”
“The problem is the members of the party. It was a dungeon that was
discovered during a gathering of several guilds and not by a singular
party, so the discussion about which guild will own it has become a
little ambiguous.”
‘Ah… ’
With this, I could understand just what was going on.
“Aren’t they directly involved in the attack?”
“Yeah. It seems that there is no need to attack the dungeon, as the

results of the investigation reveal it to be a normal grade type. However,
this is still considered as a rare discovery. They probably want to
separate the rewards within instead. We also decided to share some of
the stakes in the dungeon where the attack was completed.”
“Rather than attacking directly…”
“It must have been decided to be used as an investment which will be

supported by each guild and clan.”
To put it simply, it meant that the fellowship party of each guild

member had accidentally discovered a rare dungeon. The problem was
that the dungeon level felt a bit low for the members of this social
gathering to enter. Therefore, they probably thought it prudent to give
the dungeon exploration to those who could use it for their growth.
‘I guess Kim Hyunsung has made good relations with whoever’s in

charge.’
It felt a little strange that guilds were able to discuss without

undergoing disputes over ownership. In fact, for the guys who
discovered the dungeon, it would be a favorable situation for them
because they could receive rewards from each guild and even receive
some of the dungeon’s shares.
“One party from our Blue Guild, one from the Red Mercenary Guild, one
from the Magic Guild, and inally, one from the Black Swan Guild will
come together. Although it is a rare dungeon, it is said that there is no
problem with all parties moving together because the dungeon is a bit
large. The end rewards would probably be distributed according to the
contribution of each party, but…”
“By the degree of contribution?”
“Yeah. However, the purpose of this dungeon line is not to gain items or
goods. It’s to gain experience.”
I knew what Kim Hyunsung was trying to say. We would just be using
this opportunity for our growths, and not for any other purpose. Any
extra rewards would just be considered a bonus.
Because of this line of reasoning, there was no reason to refuse.
‘Thank you, Hyunsung.’
It was time to board the regressor bus and take action.

CHAPTER 59
DUNGEON ATTACK BECOMES
A POLITICAL WAR (1)
The announcement was a little too unexpected, so I found myself

getting way more occupied.
Our guild mother, Lee Sang-hee, was in charge of educating our party
about the exploration, and what was left of our spare time was spent
trying to achieve our daily tasks.
The sad fact stood – our party had zero experience when it came to
hunting or dungeon explorations. We could have said that the tutorial
dungeon gave us some notion, but survival dungeons wouldn’t be
considered as experience by other people.
In other words, our party had skipped the typical beginner’s growth
process. They had chosen for us to enter an advanced type dungeon
without stopping to consider our experience.
Of course, it might have been possible for people to overlook this as we

had been quite the popular party in Lindel, but we all knew within
ourselves that we were still newbies to this sort of thing.
This was why we tried our absolute best to pile up as much basic
dungeon knowledge as we could before the due date came.
When a party moved together, the best practice would be to practice

formation to prevent the weakening of defenses and memorize
monsters’ types and characteristics.
In short, we were cramming both mental and physical training in
preparation for the dungeon exploration. Thus, we were receiving
special attention from the Blue Guild. Every member wanted to make
sure we were in tip-top shape so as not to get left behind.
‘I don’t know if we’ll be able to do this successfully, but… ’
We were indeed very lucky to have been given a chance to join a joint
exploration this quickly, considering that we were newbies. It also felt
weird to move with parties from other guilds, but looking from a
different perspective, it meant that our safety was guaranteed. Plus, we
would also learn a thing or two by watching their formations and react
to certain situations within the dungeon.
However, that didn’t mean I was underestimating my party. In actuality,

our fellow guilds’ levels weren’t that high compared to ours. It was just
the experience in dungeons that separated us from each other.
In short, we were still very lucky to be given this opportunity.
“By the way… Are you really going to take Kim Ye-ri with us?”
“Yeah. It may be dangerous, but it will be a great experience for her.

Being young and new to this sort of thing is both an advantage and a
disadvantage.”
“I see.”
It was quite surprising that Kim Hyunsung had also chosen to take Kim
Ye-ri with us. However, I knew that he must have decided to do so for a
reason. Kim Hyunsung wasn’t the type to take a risk when he knew that
it might put the whole team in danger, after all.
In any case, our party rushed to complete our preparations before the
due date came.
Kim Hyunsung was the one who was particularly assigned to attend the
meetings outside, and it was through this that I could feel that our irst
expedition as the Blue Guild’s Seventh Division Party was fast
approaching.
Finally, the day of the dungeon exploration came.
“Deokgu, have you packed everything that we need to bring?”
“Of course. Well, some of the guild members already packed their
luggage in advance…”
“Miss Hee-young, can you check if there is anything still missing? I’m
also not sure if the others are in good shape to move.”
“Yes, Kiyoung.”
“Jung Hayan, please make sure all the food, drinking water, and potions
are ready to go.”
“Yes, oppa.”
In truth, I was the busiest. I was the one pulling strings behind the
scenes, making sure everyone would be properly prepared in time for
the exploration. I didn’t want to inconvenience Kim Hyunsung by
having him think of everything, after all.
It was crucial for someone to be in charge of all the basic needs. This
included checking the necessary supplies, preparing for the expedition
in advance, etc.
In other words, I took care of the less fun parts that came with planning
for a guild expedition.
‘I will prepare everything, Hyunsung. You don’t need to worry.’

As expected, Kim Hyunsung was very appreciative of the way I had
stepped in to handle things. It was important for me to show that I was
still worth the investment. I might be lacking in power or growth
potential, but at least he would see me as someone useful to have
around.
“Make sure you don’t leave out any equipment. Hayan, when you’re
done, bring the equipment you decided to rent from the guild
warehouse…”
“Yes, oppa.”
“Don’t forget to bring the arrows along for Ye-ri.”
“Yes, of course!”
I might be busy, but it was also important for me to look busier. As it

was my irst expedition, I had to make sure I made my position within
the party clear in advance.
If the party’s father were Kim Hyunsung, then the party’s mother would
be me, Lee Kiyoung.
It wasn’t all that hard to do. All I had to do was check the list for
anything we might be missing, and make sure that the preparations
were all in place.
When I saw Kim Hyunsung come into sight, whistling, and in a good
mood, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I think I’m somewhat ready. You should also check yourself before we
go, Hyunsung.”
“Don’t worry, Kiyoung, I’m okay. There will be no other problem.

Another party will be waiting outside. Let’s start soon.”
“Yeah.”
This tedious job felt less hassling when I knew that the leader trusted
me enough to take care of this sort of thing. I couldn’t help but let a
smile overtake my features.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, sure.”
As we headed outside, we could see unfamiliar faces waiting. They had

all their attention on us, presumably trying to size us up.
“Oh, that’s Sun Hee-young, am I right?”
“Isn’t that the party that the Blue Guild decided to assign?”
“Well, I can understand why they had to get them at an expensive price.
You can see their potential even by just looking at them.”
“I kind of feel jealous. Their starting line is different from ours…”
“They haven’t even shown their true abilities yet…”
“Isn’t that the whole reason for the hunt?”
“So, does that mean we’ll have to support them?”
Amidst all the looks we were receiving, one expression in familiar stood
out – the expression of jealousy.
We had rented equipment from the guild warehouse, but the difference
was that the ones we were given were of good quality. Most of the
equipment our would-be expedition members were wearing were
worn-out and dull-looking in comparison.
I couldn’t blame them. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn’t be able to stop
myself from comparing, either.
One could see it just by looking at Park Deokgu.
Instead of the fragile wooden shield that he used back in the tutorial, he
was now holding an iron-encrusted shield that not only looked pretty
good but also had higher defense stats compared to regular type
shields. He was also wearing chain armor instead of the customary
leather armor that was normally used for shoelaces.
If Park Deokgu’s strength stat had only been a little higher, he would
have also been able to wear a whole body-plated armor.
None of us were wearing any hero-grade equipment, but we weren’t

using items that screamed ‘beginner,’ either.
As we slowly approached them, I couldn’t help but notice each guild’s

emblem imprinted on their respective members.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too.”
Having met several times in advance, the party leaders were well-
acquainted with each other.
Another notable thing to observe was that one of the Red Mercenary
Guild members looked at our party with a favorable expression.
‘Oh? He seems interesting.’
“Nice to meet you. I am Choi Young-ki of the Red Mercenary Guild. I

heard a lot about you from the master.”
“Ah, it’s nice to meet you. I am Kiyoung Lee.”

Of course, it was only natural for Cha Hee-ra to employ people who
would report back to her about my current standing and how this
expedition would go. The Red Mercenary Guilds were very easy to
distinguish, as they were all wearing red.
Meanwhile, one of the other men who were busy greeting Jung Hayan
looked like the Magic Guild members. He was wearing a badge that
looked like a magic circle, and he had already struck up a conversation
with her, seemingly having a lot of questions he wanted to ask.
Those who went to greet Kim Hyunsung, in particular, were the

members of the Black Swan Guild. As expected, they were wearing their
guild badge. Their party consisted of ive women and one man.
‘Ah, so the rumors are true.’
Most members of the Black Swan Guild were said to be women. There
were little differences, but they formed quite the formidable party.
Since there were so many guilds, each with their respective parties, it
was hard to greet everyone successfully. Of course, the most popular
person in the entire crowd would be our very own priest, Sun Hee-
young.
“You inally decided to go active.”
“Yeah. Some things happened, and I found myself joining Blue Guild.
Please take good care of me, everyone.”
“Having you as part of this team is very reassuring, haha.”
“Oh, no. In fact, I am not familiar with the ins and outs of the dungeon,
so I don’t think I’ll be of much help. I’ll still try my best, regardless!”
“Yes, sure. Then let’s go as soon as we’re ready.”

Due to the atmosphere, the Red Mercenary’s Choi Young-ki decided to
lead this expedition. Seeing as he had the best stats and came from the
best guild among every guild present, it was completely
understandable for him to do so.
Though he did not have hero-grade stats, he had put a lot of effort into
trying to make sure his stats were as high as possible.
To me, it felt like Park Deokgu had a higher potential rate, and if Park
Deokgu were to train without giving up continuously, he would
probably grow to be as strong as Choi Young-ki, if not even stronger.
“It’s a great honor to see the rumored party in person, Mr. Hyunsung.”
“No, we are the lucky ones. This is also my irst expedition. I came with
the mindset to learn before anything else.”
“Hahaha. In fact, I was also one of the ones who watched your
demonstration before. My goodness… I really thought of you as a
genius. Your excessive humility is poisonous.”
“Thank you so much for watching me.”
“I just had to. Even Miss Jung Hayan showed great potential.”
Choi Young-ki exhibited quite a pleasant personality. His other party

members were the same for the most part. Meanwhile, the Magic Guild
struck me as the quiet type.
I didn’t know what the Black Swan Guild people were thinking, but they
didn’t seem to be wary of us.
However, this didn’t mean that we were completely free from

judgments. Our judgment came in the form of Kim Ye-ri. After all, she
was still just a child.
It was then that one of the people from the Black Swan Guild spoke.
“We didn’t hear anything about you bringing young children to the
expedition, Mr. Hyunsung.”
“He will not interfere. Before being a child, she is also a talented archer.
I will make sure she isn’t a nuisance to the expedition.”
“Still…”
“I’ll take care of her.”
“What…”
I knew tension would be inevitable between guilds. We just needed to

give them an opening to take. However, we couldn’t just back down
from the taunts either. We needed to assess them irst to see where we
would end up standing.
I had already looked at everyone’s stats from the irst moment that I
laid my eyes on them, but I thought I had to look at them one more
time. Thus, I slowly activated my ability.
[Check player Yura Jung’s status window and potential.]
[Name-Jung Yura]
[Age-29]
[Propensity-Calculating Strategist]
[Job-Assassination Thief-Rare Grade]

[Occupational Effect-Acquisition of basic dagger skills]
[Occupational Effect-Acquisition of basic trapping knowledge]
[Job Effect-Acquisition of Basic Assassination Knowledge]
[Capacity]
[Strength -41/Growth limit: Hero or higher]
[Agility-55/Growth limit: Hero or higher]
[Health -43/Growth limit: Hero or less]
[Intellect -40/Growth limit: Rare or less]
[Durability-20/Growth limit: Rare or higher]
[Luck -23/Growth limit: Rare or less]
[Holy-43/Growth limit: Hero or higher]
[Overall Review – Has the stats and potential to be useful as an assassin.

It is noticeable that the disposition, occupation, and stats are very well
matched. Must have the talent to grow smoothly. If you assume that she
gets a legendary item or job, she is a talent who can grow explosively.
However, her personality doesn’t look as good. Of course, compared to
player Lee Kiyoung, she still looks like a saint.]
‘Ah, so she’s okay.’
I’ve seen so many monster-like stats, so hers weren’t all that

impressive, but her possible growth rate still showed much promise. It
also looked like she was doing a very good job as an assassin.
From an in-depth assessment, I could guess her role to center around
trap dismantling or rear disturbance. Therefore, I could understand the
snarky tone. Her responsibility was also to make sure that we wouldn’t
be ambushed or caught off-guard. This also meant ensuring that there
were no possibly weak links in the party.
“We aren’t here to look after you…” A voice muttered from behind.
CHAPTER 60
A POLITICAL WAR (2)
Of course, I could understand where they were coming from.
From the other guild parties’ perspective, they had already sacri iced a
lot just to let us – a lower spec party – join the expedition.
Our party was the least experienced here. It wasn’t only our irst time
doing a dungeon exploration, but it was also our irst time engaging in
hunting activities, and all of them here knew it. Thus, if we were to
bring Kim Ye-ri, who was a kid, with us, it would mean lugging around
baggage that was twice as heavy.
“Hey, don’t say that, we can still have fun.”
“How can you make dungeon exploration fun, Choi Young-ki? This is not
a joke. No matter how many people are involved… It was natural to be
worried about our wellbeing.”
“That…”
“Even though our overall speci ications are high, please remember that
we are not here for sightseeing. You have to be aware that any dungeon
can become dangerous at any time.”
“We will work harder.”

Even in the midst of that, Choi Young-ki still chose to take our side.
Perhaps Cha Hee-ra had said something to him beforehand.
“Ah, well, we’re not saying that we don’t have faith in the Red
Mercenaries…”
“Ah, the atmosphere feels a little uncomfortable now. Well, I suppose it’s
time to give a brie ing.”
“Yes, okay.”
“Sure.”
“As you’ve heard, the dungeon we are entering is a rare ind. The name
of the dungeon is Garden of Terror, and the guild’s analysis is that plant-
type monsters will dominate the entire area.”
This was something we already knew. It seemed that this ‘brie ing’ was
only brought up for the sole purpose of lightening up the atmosphere.
As we were walking, I could see that Choi Young-ki’s disposition wasn’t

so bad. Rather, he was exerting quite the effort to alleviate the nervous
mood within the group.
“Hyung, doesn’t he look like a good person?”
“Huh. It also seems that way to me.”
Park Deokgu had also seemed to notice, and a part of me agreed. I felt
comfortable knowing we had such a tanker as a leader, someone who
was considerate of his comrades.
He was calm, knew how to communicate with people, and was good at
skills. Choi Young-ki was a pro when it came to reading the atmosphere
and minimizing any form of con lict. He was the type of tank that Park
Deokgu should aspire to be.
As we walked and talked, I knew it wouldn’t be long until we’d arrive at
our destination.
It was a little annoying to pass through places where enormous thorn

bushes had gathered, but the slowing of the pace had given me ample
time to observe the entrance of the dungeon.
‘Why’s it so small?’
The entrance itself was indeed a small opening where only one or two
people could enter at the same time. However, it exuded an ominous,
magical aura, almost beckoning any passer-by to enter it. It looked both
dangerous and magni icent at the same time.
I never imagined a dungeon entrance could look so enticing.
After gazing at the entrance for some time, Choi Young-ki nodded and
turned to us.
“I’ll be the irst to go in slowly. The order of entry will be in this

manner: Black Swan, Magic, and Blue. As there is a possibility that a
battle may start as soon as possible, we will try to get in as quickly and
ef iciently as we can. Am I understood?”
“Yes.”
Following Young-ki’s command, people split into pairs while

categorizing themselves according to their respective parties. I was at
the very back, my hand holding Jung Hayan’s irmly.
Upon entering, I felt like the air had changed, and after a while, I heard
a familiar message.
[You have entered the Garden of Terror, a rare dungeon. Number of

people [24/30] checked.]
Right after this, I could hear a voice from the front. “Fan out! Put some
distance, quickly! Our irst opponent is here. Be careful not to get in
anyone’s way or formation!”
I found it a little silly to come face to face with a monster right off the
bat, but I knew I should have expected it. This dungeon positively oozed
in inite magical power.
The Red Mercenaries immediately took up the front positions and were
blocking the monsters trying to break through their formation as best
as possible.
I observed the monsters’ physique. They were grotesque-looking plant

giants that were about twice the size of a regular human. With every
step they took, the ground shook slightly. This signaled that, unlike
normal plants, these weighed as heavy as iron. It wasn’t easy to
understand how they could move so ef iciently as their bodies were
made of stems and roots, but I knew now was not the time to question
this.
I lightly knocked Deokgu on the head, seeing the guy looking up at the
monsters in a trance.
“Deokgu.”
“Oh, I see.”
It didn’t seem like he was scared. Rather, he had just felt an initial shock
upon seeing the monsters. Coming to his senses, Deokgu rushed
forward to take his position as a shield tanker. The rest of the parties’
tankers were also doing the same to give their fellow party members
ample time to attack.
It was dif icult to maintain a solid formation due to the cramped space,
but they were trying their best to provide somehow enough space for
swordsmen and spearmen to move.
“I will keep pushing. Please start attacking slowly.”
“What!”
At that time, Park Deokgu, who had courageously jumped out irst,
suddenly lost focus. He was unable to withstand the attack and lost his
balance.
“Priest!”
“On my way.”
Sun Hee-young immediately uttered a spell to support Park Deokgu,

and Kim Hyunsung stepped forward in an attempt to help.
However, we were a tad too late. A monster came rushing through the
gap that Park Deokgu had opened up, and it was rushing straight
towards us.
‘Fuck.’
The formation had already collapsed.
I thought about uttering the spells integrated within my ring, but it felt
like such a waste to use them at the very beginning of the dungeon.
Seeing Kim Hyunsung leaping up to stand in its way, it seemed like no

one would get hurt, but I still felt anxious.
However, before anyone from our party even took the irst offensive
stance, the incoming monster was slammed sideways. Our savior
turned out to be Choi Young-ki.
Quang!
“Support is needed here!”

“Noted!”
“Who…”
His intervention had sparked a change. Order began to spread

throughout the parties once more, and the other guild parties were
ef iciently ridding the dungeon entrance of its monsters.
Of course, Kim Hyunsung was able to steadily in lict damage in the

midst of that, but the problem was that Jung Hayan and I could hardly
help with how ef iciently he took them out.
This was the moment where I could see the difference between guild
parties. It wasn’t just about the difference in our stats; it was also about
our experience in teamwork.
‘We aren’t working together properly.’
As soon as the irst wave of opponents had been cleared, Choi Young-ki
addressed a breathless Park Deokgu.
“It seems you moved too quickly.”
“Yes… That… Thank you…”
“This often happens when you lack experience. It would be better to put
some strength on the lower body.”
“Okay, I’ll take note of that.”
My gratitude towards Choi Young-ki began to rise as he simultaneously

calmed Park Deokgu down and even gave him helpful advice.
“Then, we will organize the surroundings together.”
“Yes, okay.”
It didn’t seem like Park Deokgu had received a major injury, but the
wounded expression on his face revealed that the real source of pain
came from his failure.
“I’m sorry, everyone…”
“There is nothing to be sorry for. Deokgu. This is an experience for all of

us who are newbies.”
“Still…”
“Hyunsung is right, Deokgu. There is no need to be so somber. Just

continue to work hard with the intention of learning throughout this
expedition. You will soon get better.”
“Okay… I shall try my best.”
“As you are now, the attack will feel a little heavier for you. It would be
nice to lower your posture a little, so you’ll be able to stand your
ground.”
“Ah.”
“It may take some time to get used to, but you will be able to do it well.”
“Yes, I’ll try.”
I felt a little worried about seeing Park Deokgu’s gloomy disposition.

The fact stood that he had the potential to become an amazing tanker,
but at his current state, he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the more
experienced types, such as Choi Young-ki. He was feeling a lot more
pressure as the person tasked with the role of standing in front, too. He
knew that losing formation could mean the downfall of his team.
He was such a simple guy; I knew dungeons would easily be able to

bring his mood down.
“Hey, Young-ki Choi.”
“Yeah? Do you have anything to say, Yura?”
“Those from the Blue Guild… I think it would be better to place their
tanker over there in the rear.”
“Ah.”
“He still seems a little off with his physique. He might bring more
damage if he is to stand at the very front. At least he can shield us from
any potential rear ambushes.”
It was, once again, the Black Swan brat who had spoken.
‘Ha… ’
Park Deokgu stepped forward.
“That’s…”
“I know that you want to prove yourself, but this isn’t the time and
place to do so. As it is, the difference in stats and experience is too high.”
“He will probably get used to it soon. He seems to have good

durability… Given enough time…”
“That’s the problem. If he falls out again, Choi Young-ki will have to help
them. As a result, the formation itself becomes dangerous. Unlike the
Red Mercenary Guild tanker, which has good durability stats, the other
parties have a low durability except for our tanks. The unexpected can
always happen. I think you know what it means if you get swept aside?”
“Nevertheless… Even if you tell me that…”

“That’s why I suggest you take to the rear. I think even the Magic guild
agrees.”
Choi Young-ki was defending us against Yura’s harsh words, but I had a
feeling it wasn’t just because Cha He-raa had ordered him to. It felt like
he wanted us to improve.
However, it wasn’t only because of this. Even though Choi Young-ki was
the de facto leader of the entire group, the authority of where to place
Park Deokgu still rested on our party, and no one else’s.
Even if it was appropriate to give such an opinion, it still felt

disrespectful all the same. It should have been one of us who made this
suggestion instead of another party guild member.
In short, this kind of behavior would only cause unrest and con lict
among guilds.
‘This bitch… ’
I had suspected what kind of person she was right from the start, but
we hadn’t even been inside the dungeon for long, and she was already
getting on my nerves.
‘Computational strategist, my ass.’
It felt like she was trying to cut our party down for the heck of it rather
than thinking of the safety of the party expedition itself. I knew why –
she wanted to harvest more of the end rewards for herself, and the only
way to do that was to criticize another party’s contributions.
However, our party genuinely only wanted the experience. Gaining

items was just a bonus.
Her method had started to piss me off, though. Why was she employing
such political tactics on a guild expedition? This was such bullshit.
My mouth started to itch.
She wanted to resort to these types of tactics? Two could play that
game.
CHAPTER 61
A POLITICAL WAR (3)
In the kind of political tactic Yura was trying to employ, understanding

the situation around you was paramount. This meant that the opinions
of those who had the right to vote were important.
As this was a ight for the public’s approval, now was hardly a good
time to go against her.
Unlike Jung Yura, who had already established a irm standing as both
an experienced member and explorer, I was still just a newbie party
member who hadn’t proved anything yet. Although the Red Mercenary
people regarded me highly, they would not risk extending their hand
out so far to help me.
Therefore, I had a new top priority. I had to establish my standing

within this party to prove to everyone that I, along with the rest of my
party members, were not useless like they thought.
“I’m really sorry,” I started, bowing slightly.
The irst thing to do in a situation like this was to apologize. Much of the
group members’ attention was on me now. I continued speaking.
“I know anything unexpected can happen in an expedition, which is

why I understand your anxiety. We also understand that you already
have yourselves to focus on, and you can’t do the same for our party.
However, please give us one more chance to prove ourselves.”
“But this is…”
“I know you are concerned for our well-being. Please, just give us one
more shot. We won’t let you down.” I was careful to keep my tone
sincere. This was the best way to get the hearts of my audience.
As expected, many of my fellow group members nodded and showed

preference to my words. They respected my choice to prove the
usefulness of my party once more.
Jung Yura, too, looked a little embarrassed, and the expression on her
face was as clear as day.
“I’m sorry.” Even Park Deokgu had begun to bow his head in apology,
adding Jung Yura’s embarrassment even more.
I didn’t think he should apologize. He had just stumbled by accident,

and it was his irst time. Since it was our blunder, we would be the ones
to die irst, and they could still have the time to escape.
However, I knew this kind of reasoning would not work well with the
others, so humility was the best option we could take. Jung Yura began
to speak.
“Dungeon strategy is not a joke. Actually, I wouldn’t say I like giving

second chances in dangerous situations like these, but… I guess I can
give you another chance.”
“Thank you.” With this, I lowered my head even further. Park Deokgu
seemed both moved and sorry with my initiative to step in for him.
“Hyung… I really have nothing to say except sorry.”
“No, it’s ine, Deokgu. Anyone can make mistakes. Don’t be scared. Try
again. You’ll be able to do it successfully the next time.”
I neglected to say that Jung Yura would have gained the upper hand if
something did happen during his blunder. If we so much as had a
casualty on our hands, the fault would lie entirely on our guild party
and our guild party alone. An apology would not work in that kind of
situation.
However, since nothing bad had happened, the entire group found our
blunder easily forgivable. No one suffered any major injuries, and we
could still repel the irst wave of monsters. On the contrary, most of the
other people had begun to approach a gloomy Park Deokgu to offer
comfort words.
‘Everyone here knows what it’s like to be a beginner, so they must be

sympathetic.’
Everyone had been a newbie at one point. It was a normal occurrence

to make mistakes if one was inexperienced. This was especially true for
a new tanker like Park Deokgu, whose role garnered the most pressure.
He needed to stay in front, soak the damage, and ensure protection to
his allies. Failure to do so might result in the death of a team member.
Thus, it was not unreasonable to think that the pressure might hinder
his effectiveness.
“It is important to prevent attacks, but it would be better to think of

de lecting them, juniors.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“Anytime, anywhere, just remember, huh? It’s important to hold on to

your lower body.”
“Okay, senior… I’ll remember.”
“It’s okay, I understand. When dealing with such large beasts, it’s
normal to mess up when you feel scared. I don’t blame you.”
“Ah…”
“Actually, my friend here irst encountered a medium-sized monster

when he was new and got so scared that he couldn’t move.”
“Hey, didn’t I tell you to keep that a secret?!”
Choi Young-ki ignored his party member. “Actually, it’s proof that you’ve
come a long way, junior. You needn’t be so gloomy. Instead of standing
still, instinct drove you to stand in front. Even if you feel pressured, you
must remember you are not alone. Your party members won’t be weak,
either. It is important to trust your colleagues behind you and hold on
to the end. If you have that kind of mindset, you can do anything.”
“Thank you, senior…”
“Be strong.”
“You shouldn’t move so quickly next time, however.”
Seeing that our so-called seniors had known each other beforehand had
worried me. I thought they would shut us out and disregard our
potentials, seeing as we were still inexperienced.
This was why seeing Park Deokgu being comforted by everyone made
me feel happy.
I didn’t want to join the crowd as I was not in the mood for socializing,
but it was heartwarming to watch from a distance. If I were in their
shoes, I would have reacted differently.
‘This kind of softness can lead to their downfall, however… ’
I didn’t ponder too much on the thought. Seeing Park Deokgu with such
a bright smile made me smile in return. He looked adorable.
“Hyung!”
“Deokgu. Come here and give this to them.”
“Huh?”
“This is a health potion. It would be better to use it here than sell it on

the market. I have to give a reward somehow.”
“Ah. That’s right! Thank you, hyung!”
Park Deokgu accepted the potion and ran back to offer some to the
other members. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling wryly at the scene.
He had to be a bit more serious when it came to this gathering. That

alone would prove to be advantageous for our party.
Kim Hyunsung was also cheering for Park Deokgu.
“This was given by my hyung!”
“Thank you for this, Kiyoung!”
“At irst glance, this potion… Have you ever seen anything like this on
the market?”
“No, I’ve never seen this type of potion before. It seems like the Blue
Guild’s money wasn’t wasted on hiring an alchemist like him.”
Of course, it was also crucial for me to raise my popularity and

reliability levels with these people in one way or another. While we
moved, the bigger guys started to teach Park Deokgu the proper
stances, and even after the next wave of monsters came, no other
accident occurred.
It was all about holding the center and supporting his back so he
wouldn’t fall, but he was getting used to dealing with monsters. All in
all, they looked like a group of brothers supporting each other on the
front lines.
Of course, I couldn’t say that we made no more mistakes after that.

However embarrassed she was, Jung Yura was still on the lookout for
anything else she could criticize.
Of course, she didn’t dare talk as openly as she did the irst time. She
would sigh as if she disliked the fact that she couldn’t ind anything else
to prey on now and then.
However, no one sympathized with how she felt. The rest of us were all
getting along quite well.
“Because of the large number of people, our formation seems a little too
complicated. I’m glad we were able to organize ourselves ef iciently.”
“Hahaha. Still, isn’t it going well so far?”
“I apologize, but I feel like we can do better. It feels like something is

hindering us.”
“I think it’s because we’re not the perfect party. If it were an expedition
for one guild only, it would have been easier to work together as we all
know each other. However, we’re all from different guilds. I think we’ve
been working quite well considering our slight handicap.”
“Yeah, I agree. I just feel like we could improve, even more, you know?”
“I suppose so… Should we take a break for now?”
“Yes, sure.”
Upon hearing this kind of approval, I stepped out of my party and
approached Choi Young-ki. I had meant to converse with him right from
the start, and now that we had chosen to take up camp for the time
being, I felt like now was a perfect time.
“Choi Young-ki.”
“Ah! Kiyoung!”
His natural, friendly expression comforted me. He was part of Cha Hee-
ra’s army, after all, and I was her assigned gigolo. He de initely wouldn’t
have any plans to harm me.
“May I?”
“No, no, no. Please sit here.”
“How is Cha Hee-ra?”
“Hahaha, I knew you’d feel curious enough to ask sooner or later.”
Jung Hayan was still being talked to by the Magic Guild, so I knew I’d be
undisturbed for the time being.
“My master has asked me to take care of you, Mr. Kiyoung.”
“Ah.”
“Because of that, I apologize if I was not able to stand up for you

earlier.”
“No, I understand! I was able to smooth things out. Anyway, if you did
try, the other guilds would start to feel suspicious.”
“Ah. That…”
Choi Young-ki probably knew who I was talking about already, from the
way he subtly glanced at Jung Yura.
“I still feel sorry, though. I should have paid more attention to…”
“No, no. Our party made a mistake. I’m actually grateful to all of you for
being so considerate. Thank you for saving us earlier.”
“Well, making mistakes is normal as a newbie, but people shouldn’t

beat you up for it. When I was in your place, Mr. Kiyoung, I was a
spoiled boy that didn’t know anything. I was able to grow this much
because our master took care of me.”
“Hahaha.”
“I heard that you had been my master’s lover back on Earth.”
‘What… ’
I found myself too morti ied even to say anything.
“My master said she received help when she needed it the most. She
also said that you, Lee Kiyoung, were the benefactor.”
I blinked. This was a new development to the rumor.
“Um, yes, I certainly remember…”
“If you are my master’s benefactor, then you are also my benefactor.
Without her help, I would not be where I am today.”
I hadn’t expected Cha Hee-ra to devise such a story.
‘Thank you, Cha Hee-ra.’

I wanted to applaud Cha Hee-ra for coming up with such a passionate
backstory.
I subtly looked behind me to make sure Jung Hayan wasn’t

eavesdropping and was relieved to see that she was too far away to
hear anything substantial.
“You don’t have to take the story so seriously, you know.”
“Hahaha, well, I still want to help. In fact, I’d be willing to save your life
for as many times as needed.”
‘What is this bullshit… ’
I didn’t know where he was getting such cheesy, passionate lines, and I
didn’t want to ind out. However, what was important to note was that
this guy, Choi Young-ki, liked me. The fact that he was the de facto
leader of this entire group just made things even better.
I thought he was simply nice to me, but it turned out that there was a
deeper intention behind his friendliness.
Seeing that this was the type of welcoming I would receive from their
guild, their party would be like my garden for this expedition’s
duration. They would be a solid foundation that would surely side with
my party with whatever con licts would rain down on the future group.
I looked up, sensing a pair of eyes on me. Jung Yura was looking this
way, dissatisfaction clear as day on her face. When she saw me looking
back at her, she turned away without a word.
I smiled. I wanted to tell her that her tactics wouldn’t work on me.
‘She should just focus on genuinely wanting to protect these people’s

lives.’
CHAPTER 62
A POLITICAL WAR (4)
It wasn’t dif icult to learn how the system worked here within our
group.
Much like the food or popularity chain back on earth, one had to be
familiar with where they stood to act accordingly. This meant I couldn’t
just suddenly take charge like how I was used to ordering my party
members back in the guild.
That didn’t mean I was going to let myself be lat-out bossed around,
either.
Everyone kept up a steady stream of chat every time we chose to stop

and set up camp to rest for a while. Seriousness was displayed during
the exploring and ighting itself, but the atmosphere was amicable for
the most part.
Still, though, it was quite apparent that the Magic Guild had taken a
liking to Jung Hayan, while the people from the Red Mercenary Guild
had warmed up to me.
This meant that I could also utilize the Magic Guild members to stand
by our side should con lict ever arise within the group thanks to Jung
Hayan.
“It seems like your potion could be as ef icient as divine magic, Mr.
Kiyoung.”
“That’s an overstatement. Please, lower your voice. I don’t want to
offend any of the priests.”
“Honestly speaking, your magic power doesn’t seem to be that big. So

then, how…?”
“Ah, that kind of feels a little insulting.”
“I’m sorry for the rude greeting. I’m just your typical wizard who got a
little too curious.”
“Haha, it’s ine. To answer your question, there are drawbacks to

memorizing or uttering spells, for it takes some time to activate them.
However, if you have a good catalyst, you can use magic with good
ef iciency.”
“Ef iciency means…”
“With less magic power, you can complete skills or spells with just as
much impact.”
“Ah!”
“Of course, it doesn’t mean that this doesn’t come with its own
drawbacks. The catalyst cost to memorize spells is quite expensive.”
“Do you have any idea about how much it will cost?”
“It’s about 30 gold. It mainly uses the essence of magic power.”
“Ah! The essence of magic.”
“Yeah. The cost of the essence of using lesser magic is 30 gold.”
I could see the surprise in the man’s expression. At the same time, I
could also see him steadily losing his interest in his inquiry.
It was a natural reaction. To make up for the lack of magic power, one
had to spend 30 gold every time they intended to cast a magic spell
with a good amount of impact.
Of course, this wasn’t a problem for me. The Blue Guild supported me,
and I still had many of the things that Cha Hee-ra had gifted me.
“I can’t say it’s de initely ef icient. So, by any chance, will the Essence of
Magic Power of Rare Grade or higher disappear once you use it?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a little disappointing.”
“If there is an essence that can extract magical power inde initely, that’ll
be the Sage’s Stone.”
“Sage’s Stone. Ah, yes, the Sage’s Stone…”
Wizards and sorcerers thrived on these types of topics.
“Can you make it?”
“The book I’m currently studying only brie ly mentions it. Even
research hasn’t been done properly yet. I don’t have enough to go on as
it is, but one day, I shall de initely craft one.”
“You mean to say you will start the research for it?”
‘Honestly? I ind all the rave about the Sage’s Stone a load of bull.’
“Yeah. Of course, I will. I believe it’s a worthwhile investment.”
I knew alchemy wasn’t a popular class. However, that didn’t stop most
wizards from being curious about what it entailed. Using his curiosity
to my advantage, I got quite close to the last guy of the Magic Guild.
Meanwhile, the expedition’s dungeon attack proceeded smoothly, and
our party was blending in nicely with other parties.
I didn’t know if Kim Hyunsung had realized my intentions, but there

were certainly other things to gain than experience or the end rewards.
In Park Deokgu’s case, he had successfully entered the tanker’s

community. He was extracting a lot of information from his fellow
tankers, and even Kim Ye-ri was also quite successful in adapting. I
could tell this from the fact that no one had complained about it yet. I
knew this was because the kid was naturally talented with the bow that
no one could ind fault with her.
It was already a given that Sun Hee-young would adapt quite well, given
her stats and reputation, so I was never worried about her. The same
went for Jung Hayan.
However, it was different for Kim Hyunsung. He was the one who had
not been taking any opportunity to prove himself. I knew this wasn’t
because he was trying to hide his power. It was because he just hadn’t
found an opening he found suitable to show his potential.
This was mainly because the expedition was proceeding so smoothly.
“Then, I’ll see you for a moment.”
“Yeah. I think I will be staying here today. If you have time, would you be
able to repeat the conversation once more? I want more details about
this Sage’s Stone.”
“Yes, sure, of course.” I nodded and began to move away.
‘Ah, there she is.’
I could see Jung Yura heading towards me. I knew she would approach
me eventually, but this was a little faster than I thought.
“I thought you were here to experience, but you must have come to
socialize?”
Ah, she even had no decency—what a straightforward question.

Nevertheless, her question slightly embarrassed me.
‘Am I that annoying in her eyes?’
Perhaps I did look like that, seeing as I had so eagerly struck a

conversation with various people from different guilds. It didn’t take
long for her to bare her fangs at me, seeing me achieving my goals so
successfully.
“Hahaha, the rose seems to have shown its thorns to me, Yura.”
“I’m telling you this because it seems like you’re overdoing it, Mr.
Kiyoung.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Isn’t it natural to build

friendships for teamwork? I hardly knew anyone here when we irst
arrived.”
“It’s too much. You’re being too comfortable.”
“What did I say before? The unexpected can happen anytime inside a
dungeon. It’s not good to be too comfortable with other people.”
“I thought I was doing well to ensure that we don’t become a hindrance

to you. Aren’t we progressing smoothly? Our tanker made a mistake at
irst, but now he’s adapting very well. The rest of us have been doing a
decent job, so I don’t know what else is wrong.”
I knew I had spoken the truth.

“Excuse me, Mr. Kiyoung?”
“Yes, Yura?”
“I don’t think it’s been a while since I’ve been here… A dungeon is a
place where you don’t know what threats will happen, and where they
may come from. No matter how much they let you approach during the
breaks… Don’t you really know that you’ve been hindering the party?”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware. Rather, I think I am helping the party. I think
I’ve made the atmosphere nicer than it was before. Just because you are
dissatis ied doesn’t mean everyone else is. Of course, I am aware of the
need to be on my guard. I just don’t know what else it is that you are
expecting from me.”
I smiled at her quite coldly, wanting to show her that I wasn’t going to
let her walk all over me. However, the main reason for my uppity
personality was to spark a reaction from her. After all, I had quite the
talent for provocation. I then continued.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t be so worried about how much in luence I

have over the group. You must not be greedy about the items that we
will get as a reward for attacking the dungeon. Of course, if it’s a rare
item, so I know you would de initely want to get your hands on it. There
is no way that you, Jung Yura, would pressure me into giving up my
share.”
I paused for a bit before I continued with my assault.
“Perhaps there may be hero-grade items, but I hardly care about that.
Instead, it would be nasty if people were to ind out you’ve been
pressuring someone else to get your hands on a lot of them. Really,
Yura, what kind of tactics are you resorting to? No offense, but they’re
not very effective.”
Jung Yura’s expression at this point was dangerous.

“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“Do I look like a joke to you?”
“No, and I don’t ind you funny either. After all, you’re Jung Yura of Black
Swan. By the way…”
“…”
“Why do you speak to me so plainly and rudely?”
At this point, Yura had the decency to feel embarrassed by my sudden

change of posture. She had not been expecting me to retaliate like this;
that much was for sure.
“I am a guild member who is registered in the of icial party of the Blue

Guild. You shouldn’t disrespect me like this, Jung Yura.”
“Huh… I hardly care if you’re supported by the Blue Guild, or even by

the Red Mercenary Guild. You think Cha Hee-ra will protect you even
here?”
“Are you threatening me right now, Jung Yura? You really should be
careful about what you say. I don’t need Cha Hee-ra here to deal with
you.”
“What?”
I exhaled. She looked so pathetically clueless with that confused

expression of hers.
I did not want to waste time arguing with her further. Instead, I opened
my mouth and began to speak in a louder tone of voice.
“I’m sorry!”
“What?”
I made sure that my voice was loud enough to be overheard by the rest
of the group.
“You… What the hell are you…”
“I’m really sorry!” Once more, I expressed my apology with an earnest

expression to make me look more believable.
Jung Yura looked confused. Of course, it was only natural for her to give
this kind of expression. I had so suddenly given out an apology when it
wasn’t even warranted in the irst place.
As she slowly started to realize what I intended to do, Yura’s face

wrinkled.
As expected, I can see Choi Young-ki and the rest of his party members
approaching us. Even the people from the Magic Guild had shifted their
attention to us. Of course, since other groups had turned to us, my party
members and other members of Black Swan had now turned to face us
as well.
“I’m really sorry, Miss Yura.”
“You…”
“Kiyoung? What is this about?”
“Ah… No. It’s not a big deal.”
“Yes, Yura is right. It’s not a big deal, Choi Young-ki.”

“I didn’t ask you, Yura. Mr. Kiyoung, can you explain what is going on?”
Thankfully, Choi Young-ki, ever my adorable little defender, began to

pry into the matter. Jung Hayan looked a little confused about what had
happened, but as she slowly started to realize what kind of situation
this looked like, her expression shifted into one of slight anger.
‘Ah, even Sun Hee-young… ’
Sun Hee-young sported a similar, displeased expression. It was so easy

to play the victim card, especially in such a situation where the
difference in power was obvious.
“What happened, Mr. Kiyoung?”
“That…”
“…”
“It’s nothing much. I was just told to stay on my guard and be careful.”
“Yeah?”
“It seems like she doesn’t like me socializing with the others during our
breaks… She even said that I was hindering our group from progressing
ef iciently.”
“Yeah?”
“In my own way, I intended to improve the atmosphere… I’m sorry if it

isn’t working.”
There was a certain truth in my words, and I had not lied. This was
what Yura had told me, except that I could make it out as something
worse with the right intonation and facial expressions.
Jung Yura looked so mad at this point that it was very much laughable.
Once I inished speaking, everyone sported absurd expressions.
“I’m sorry…”
Just when I tried to apologize once again, a voice interjected from

behind.
“There is no need to apologize, Kiyoung.”
This time, it was the lovely Kim Hyunsung who had stepped in.
‘Hey, wait, is Kim Hyunsung actually angry…?’

CHAPTER 63
A POLITICAL WAR (5)
Kim Hyunsung’s expression showed that he was de initely in a bad

mood.
“There is no need to apologize, Kiyoung.”
“Y-Yeah?”
“Kiyoung did nothing wrong. No, even if he did something wrong, Miss
Yura does not have the right to point out his fault.”
‘Ah, Hyunsung… You’re doing such a great job.’
“Seriously, Kiyoung is a Blue Guild party member. If he made a mistake,

I would have told him irst. I don’t know why Miss Yura has a problem
with our party member’s behavior, but this just isn’t right.”
I hadn’t expected Kim Hyunsung to jump in. I was merely calculating

how to best get the group’s sympathy by pitching Yura against me. She
had indeed made a mistake in approaching me so deftly.
My af iliation lay with the Blue Guild. Therefore, Kim Hyunsung was
responsible for me. Yura had no right to meddle in interparty affairs.
From a passerby’s point of view, Jung Yura might have done it in an

attempt to expand her in luence over the rest of her group members,
but it appeared that Kim Hyunsung was having none of this treatment.
For him, it was taboo to interfere with other party members too much.
‘That simply means that Yura isn’t giving us the respect we deserve.’
In a nutshell, Kim Hyunsung’s defensive stance seemed to say, ‘Who the

hell are you, and why are you meddling with my charge?’
It had been a pleasurable turn of events to ind Kim Hyunsung standing

up for me, though in truth, I was expecting Choi Young-ki to do the
defending. Hyunsung’s protective stance made me feel even better.
‘Very good, Hyunsung.’
Things were going very well at this point.
Playing the role of the victim came as natural to me as breathing at this

point.
“Both Kim Hyunsung and Yura are speaking from the standpoint of
seniors. She had a point, so I don’t think she meant to offend anyone…”
“No, Kiyoung. No matter how wrong you must have behaved, she had no
right to go about in this manner.”
“I must have done something wrong…”
“Let me be clear, Kiyoung. You did nothing wrong.”
I found it hard to keep myself from smiling. Aside from seeing the
embarrassment on Jung Yura’s face, I could tell that the rest of our
group mates had started to disapprove of her. Slowly, her in luence was
lessening to the point of nonexistence.
‘That’s what you get for inciting me.’

At this point, the other group members had started to approach me to
offer words of comfort.
“I don’t know if Kiyoung is inexperienced yet, but Hyunsung is right. If

you have anything to say directly to Mr. Kiyoung, it is correct to at least
ask the party leader for his input. In that way, we can resolve the matter
more ef iciently.”
“This is not it. No matter how many faults you ind in a person, you
must still control yourself.”
“Blue’s party is said to be at a learning position because of their

inexperience. However, they are trying their best to prove their worth.
The Black Swan Guild’s behavior is really hard to understand.”
The Magic Guild members had started to talk about the Black Swan
members’ lack of manners.
“Mr. Kiyoung did nothing wrong. Rather, I think he tried his best to
create a good atmosphere. When the strategy was in progress, he
actually worked hard to achieve our goal.”
“That’s right. In fact, it isn’t easy to proceed with such an awkward

atmosphere. Fighting and reproaching isn’t the way to go.”
“Communication is important. Honestly, what is Yura doing?”
“Tch…”
Even the Red Mercenary members who normally didn’t fall prey to their
emotions had started to speak.
“Yura, isn’t it a little bit harsh to do this? As a party that was assigned to
go on an expedition altogether, it’s best that we stay on good terms with
each other.”
“Ugh…”
Direct accusations pierced through Jung Yura like sharpened arrows.
As I said, she had picked the wrong person to pick a ight with. With
just one incitement, her carefully-built image had been shattered.
“Oppa… Are you hurt?”
“Huh. I’m okay, Hayan. It’s no big deal.”
“What exactly happened to you?”
“I’m okay, Sun Hee-young. Please don’t worry.”
It might have been more effective if Jung Yura had hit me even once, but
I knew that she wouldn’t be that careless.
Anyway, it was only right that I had emerged from the situation
unscathed. If I hadn’t, Jung Hayan would probably busy planning an
assassination attempt for Jung Yura. The situation had already turned
out to be as good as it could get. Yura was getting all the blame, while I
was getting all the comfort.
Honestly, I was curious about what kind of reaction she would make,
but the safest direction she could choose had already been decided for
her.
‘Admit the wrong and fall lat.’
Although this was indeed the best option, it didn’t mean that she would
get good results. She would earn forgiveness, but by bowing her head in
submission, she would lose her in luence.
She had to look at least like she was still looking out for the expedition,
so this was the only right course of action to take. Simply put, she
needed to stay in the middle position of this situation.
Yura seemed to be thinking of the same tactic.
“I’m sorry.”
She was apologizing, but it was apparent that she was trying hard not
to show her anger.
‘What a stupid bitch.’
“Kiyoung is a member of my party and, by default, is under my

jurisdiction.”
“I’m sorry for not being able to tell you in advance, Mr. Hyunsung. And I
apologize to Mr. Kiyoung, who I must’ve hurt by suddenly reproaching.”
“Then…”
“I think I was a little too insensitive. But I thought I had to say

something. I thought he was not being alert enough. If it’s an expedition
consisting of a normal party, you don’t have to worry about this, but…”
‘Ah, she’s still being an idiot.’
“As a senior with experience, I thought I had to say something. Of

course, I am fully aware that my choice of execution was wrong.”
“I don’t know why Jung Yura has been thinking about correcting his
discipline. Of course, we made a mistake in the beginning, but we’ve
more than made up for it and haven’t blundered again.”
Kim Hyunsung was dealing with this way more ef iciently than I
thought.
In a nutshell, we had managed to make Jung Yura sound like a petty
senior who looked down on us and refused to let us go after we made a
single mistake. However, at least she still had the decency to feel sorry
for what she did.
Unsurprisingly, voices burst from the other Black Swan members.
“A lot of our tankers have been continually looking out for Blue. If it
weren’t for that, our burdens should have been reduced.”
“And what of the kid archer? It was dangerous bringing her in.”
“And they even got a non-combat member, an alchemist, to join the

party!”
Naturally, opposing opinions would also eventually pop up during this

dispute.
“While that is true, we can’t say that they have been hindering us. In
fact, there are many enemies eradicated by Miss Hayan, and Miss Sun
Hee-young has helped us a lot of times.”
“That’s right. Because of this, we have no right to judge them for doing
their best to help.”
The situation wasn’t even that controversial, yet the discussion was
starting to get heated. I would have hated to be in Jung Yura’s shoes at
this point.
I contemplated my next reply when Kim Hyunsung’s face, a little

hardened, came into view.
‘Ah… ’
Even if Kim Hyunsung was the reincarnation of Buddha, it was only

right for him to feel angry. Hyunsung might not be familiar with
political tactics, but he knew when our party was being criticized.
“I hope this will not happen next time. If you have anything to say to our
party, you can do it directly through me.”
“Yes, of course. I’m really sorry, Mr. Hyunsung. And I’m very sorry for
the Blue party members who might have struggled. I’m particularly
sorry for Kiyoung.”
“Don’t be… I was just a little embarrassed.”
“I was also surprised. I didn’t know you would get hurt by what I said…
Let’s talk separately later.”
“Do not worry about it. It’s all good.”
Although we had inally resolved the dispute, Jung Yura had lost her
in luence. The moment she lost the group’s approval was when she lost
the ight; she had decided to pick with me.
In other words, she made it seem like she was forcing herself to be a
villain for the safety of the expedition, but she wasn’t doing a very good
job with the execution.
‘Ah, but I won’t let her ind an opportunity to win.’
Outwardly, Yura seemed relaxed, but I knew she was secretly relieved to
have escaped a checkmate position. It should have ended here, but Kim
Hyunsung seemed to have a different opinion about it altogether.
“Would everyone please gather for a minute?”
“Yes, sure.”
As if they noticed that he still had something to say, the others crowded
around. Kim Hyunsung looked at all of them before speaking.
“I sincerely apologize for hindering you all with our inexperience.”
“No, no, you shouldn’t be sorry.”
“No, I have to. I insisted that we come along for the experience, but I
hadn’t expected my dear Kiyoung to be disregarded like this.”
‘I wasn’t being disregarded… ’
“I don’t think this was a waste. Your party has learned a lot of things in
this expedition.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“From now on, this will not happen ever again.”
I knew Kim Hyunsung was a responsible type of guy. Seeing him biting
irmly on his lips, I felt like an idea had just come into his mind.
“I will change the location a bit. I will stand a little more avant-garde.
Mr. Deokgu can continue as he has done. The timing to use magic will
also be different from here on out. Miss Hee-young, please focus a little
more on Deokgu. You are free to think that your other party members
do not exist. Ye-ri shall continue on as usual.”
“Yes, okay.”
“Jung Hayan, you should increase your magic power a little more. Hee-
young can keep watching over Deok-gu.”
Kim Hyunsung’s leadership charisma was the reason why he

commanded respect. Even I felt a little in awe watching him.
‘Ah… ’
Only then did I realize what he had been thinking. We had not been on
the frontlines up until now. I wasn’t sure why, but I could think of
several reasons.
Our party was attracting everyone’s attention, and in fact, our urgency
to gain experience was being hindered due to the continued comfort of
this spotlight effect.
‘Thank you for getting us back on track.’
It looked like I wasn’t the only one who wanted to prove Jung Yura
wrong. Kim Hyunsung looked very much passionate at this point.
CHAPTER 64
RIDE OF COMFORT (1)
“I think she’s being too much.”
“Really?”
“After all, it’s Jung Yura.”
“Ah…”
“Tsk. Maybe she’s too obsessed with achievements… Those under her
command will also end up suffering a lot.”
“If you say so…”
“You don’t have to worry too much. No one thinks of you badly, Kiyoung.
There were a lot of rumors about Jung Yura’s personality within the
Magic Guild.”
“That’s fortunate. I was worried that I was really hindering everyone…”
“No, no. wherever you go, there will always be people who will try to
stir up trouble. The most important thing you should take note of in an
expedition is your humanity. I thought she would at least have some
basic manners… It seems that there will be no collaboration with the
Black Swan for the foreseeable future. Especially with Jung Yura, that
woman.”
“The same goes for our Red Mercenaries.”

“I don’t understand at all…”
“It’s because Kiyoung is well-liked by people. Anyway, it’s not right to

meddle too much in other people’s affairs. At least show some basic
respect. Even if it annoys you, you must bring it up to the expedition
leader. Forgive me for saying this, but if the Blue Guild’s prestige was
like how it was before, the Black Swans wouldn’t dare do this.”
“Hahaha.”
“By the way, what exactly did she say?”
“This is… I don’t know if I can tell you…”
“I would like you to speak without worries.”
Of course, I found no reason to hide this. It worked in my favor, after all.
“That… She told me not to fraternize with the rest of you.”
“Whoa, really? What else did she say?”
“S-She said she didn’t know if I came to explore the dungeon or to

socialize. She said I just wanted to become friends with the guilds and
that I wasn’t being vigilant enough.”
“Friendship, huh…”
“I don’t know if I can tell you what she said afterwards, too.”
“Go ahead. You’re free to say it.”
“That… she said she doubted if the Mercenary Queen can protect me
here too.”
“What a mad bitch.”

I thought Choi Young-ki would exhibit a violent reaction, but it seemed
that he only felt uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“Listen. She’s just being crazy. Does she really think we’d let anyone
who tries to hurt you get away? How cocky she is! You don’t have to
worry, Mr. Kiyoung. If a woman like that beggar ever tries to stir up
trouble with you or with the expedition… Well, I won’t let that happen.”
“Do you still feel threatened? Do you want to start a formal protest?”
“No, I’m okay. I don’t want to make things bigger than they already are.”
“Tsk. I just feel like she’s prejudiced against you. A lot of people are like
that, especially among the veterans. People like her disgust me.”
“Haha…”
Throughout this whole ordeal, I made sure to look as if I was still

shaken up. However, things were already working in my favor. The
atmosphere had shifted.
This was the kind of situation that Jung Yura had imposed upon herself
for inciting me. With a single mistake, her in luence over the guild had
crumbled.
Even a veteran like her must know that snooping around so

straightforwardly would come with serious repercussions. Everyone
had a negative opinion of her now because she had stated that making
friends was a bad thing. At this point, even if she tried to cozy up to the
others, she would not regain her in luential position.
‘That’s why it’s important to act your best at all times.’

No matter how much she struggled, I doubted any other parties would
show her any sympathy. Especially not from the Red Mercenary Guild!
After she doubted Cha Hee-ra’s power, their opinion of her had
permanently crumbled.
However, I knew Choi Young-ki’s leadership would suffer because of

this. It would be hard to maintain formation if the atmosphere wasn’t a
friendly one.
“Now, then, let’s start again.”
“Yes, sure.”
In summary, Jung Yura’s in luential hold over the group had

disappeared. I knew Kim Hyunsung wouldn’t let her try to boss anyone
around ever again. His ominous demeanor hinted that he wasn’t at all
interested in letting her doubt his authority over again.
“Okay. I’ll go and take my position now.”
“Sure.”
Because of the sudden turn of events, there was a strange type of

pressure in the atmosphere. Everyone had started to put their full
concentration on the expedition. I could guess that this was because of
Kim Hyunsung’s somber mood.
I knew Kim Hyunsung had the quality to be a leader everywhere he

went.
“You don’t have to be nervous, Deokgu. Just focus as much as possible.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Ye-ri, don’t hit anywhere else. Focus on the area where our melee lacks
in range, got it? It would be better to load the magic power in advance.”
“Yes, noted.”
“Miss Hayan and Mr. Kiyoung are both doing well.”
“Thank you.”
“Even if Hee-young won’t look at me…”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Hyunsung. I know my role.”
“Good.”
The party members were also exuding enthusiasm. At this point, I

wanted the monsters to appear as soon as possible. I just wanted us to
get to the next safe point.
Despite it being called a Garden, it resembled a huge, jungle-like

environment. As it was dif icult to distinguish which one is a plant and
which one is a monster, it was only natural that we would be more
careful.
While I tried to assess our situation, Kim Hyunsung spoke from behind
me.
“Kiyoung?”
“I’m on it.”
I did not bother to ask why I should incite a spell right away. I trusted
Hyunsung. Jung Hayan nodded as well and began to match her magic to
sync with mine.
“Lord…”
“Grant us the power that cannot be taken away…”

“The strength to keep…”
“Magic power…”
“As strong as wind…”
The combination of our voice resonated within the area, the urgency of
our spells intensifying the already pressuring atmosphere. One look at
Jung Hayan revealed that she enjoyed the fact that we were combining
enchantments to create more powerful spells together. I had to admit
this also felt fun to me. Together, slowly, we were building up a tower of
magic.
“Prepare for battle!” Choi Young-ki announced.
I could see why they had ordered us to prepare spells so early. The
monster we were now facing was a larger creature than the ones we
had already stumbled across, and it looked even more dangerous than
them. It was frantically approaching our group.
However, I believed in our group’s leaders. We would win this.
It was then that Kim Hyunsung ran forward.
“W-What are you doing?!” I heard Jung Yura’s startled voice ringing
after him as he lunged himself forward without any warning.
That only meant one thing – the monster had singled Park Deokgu out
as its sole target.
Following Hyunsung’s advice, Sun Hee-young’s divine magic poured

entirely onto Park Deokgu. Before one of the monster’s tendril-like
arms could reach Park Deokgu, it had already been severed.
It was obvious as to who had in licted the irst hit.

Also following Kim Hyunsung’s orders was Kim Ye-ri, who was already
readying her next arrow. Meanwhile, the monster had already
recovered from its initial shock and howled in both anger and pain.
Park Deokgu looked embarrassed to have all the attention on him, but
he still readied himself to block the next attack, moving to the right as if
by instinct. It seemed that Kim Hyunsung had already warned him.
In the next moment, Kim Hyunsung had already split through the
monster’s torso. I stiffened, and so did Jung Hayan. Everyone else had
done their part; it was up to us now.
“Cast it!”
“Flame!”
“Storm!”
Jung Hayan and I released the incantations we had been holding in at

the same time.
The spell we had created was a collaboration of magic power and

alchemy. It increased the power of the ire spell Jung Hayan, and I
created, except that it relied more on Jung Hayan’s magical capacity
than mine, thus making it stronger.
The lames storm lew towards the monster and trapped it in a iery
spiral, eventually swallowing the screaming monster and turning it into
ashes. Park Deokgu would have also gotten hurt from the spell’s range,
but since Sun Hee-young had marked him, he remained unhurt.
“Who’s next?!”
‘Huh… ’
I felt quite surprised. It wasn’t long ago that I had observed our lack of
teamwork. The earlier incident must have incited Kim Hyunsung to act
as our leader even when on the offense, and it felt right that he was the
one leading us. Everyone had followed his orders to the letter and thus
defeated the monster in one ef icient combo.
This wasn’t just following orders, either. It was like we knew when
one’s role would start and end, and when the next role would begin.
However, we weren’t given the time to ponder over these changes. The
next monster had come, but we were all in the perfect mindset and
stance to take it on once more.
This was the irst time I felt that we were doing hunting right.
For our part in the rear, it was easy. All Jung Hayan and I had to do was
memorize, chant, and aim the spells at the monsters when they were
properly weakened or distracted. Of course, this was made easy
because their attack patterns were easy to memorize, but something
felt off.
I couldn’t believe that monsters of this size and power would fall from
just one concentrated combo. The other parties were also focusing on
their charges, but it was apparent that they felt surprised by our party’s
sudden change.
Jung Yura, in particular, looked astonished.
She had been keeping a close eye on us, ready to admonish in the case
of a mistake, but there were none – even when we kept up our stream
of offensive combos.
‘This actually feels fun… ’
It felt like I didn’t even need to exert any effort in this part of the
expedition – my fellow party members were doing all the work for me.
All I had to do was sit back and relax from a safe distance, all while
riding on the team’s bus.
“Again! Who’s next!?”
‘Ah, I wonder how long it’ll be before I get tired of this ride… ’
Slowly, it felt like I was growing stronger from this expedition.
I wouldn’t even call this a bus ride carrying me towards potential

growth. A luxury sedan would be a more itting description.
CHAPTER 65
RIDE OF COMFORT (2)
The other parties’ shock lasted for a longer time than I expected. Of
course, I knew this was only natural. Kim Hyunsung had been quiet all
this time, and now he was surprisingly showing off his leadership skills.
He was proving that being a leader wasn’t all about having high stats.
However, it could very well be that as well. Currently, Kim Hyunsung

was showing a lurry of skills that were well over his current stats.
Watching him, and then observing Choi Young-ki and the others, I knew
what they were all thinking.
‘He’s a monster.’
‘What a genius… ’
Their thoughts were all written on their faces.
Of course, it wasn’t just Kim Hyunsung who was racking up all the
attention. Jung Hayan and I were also getting our fair share from the
magic power we were exhibiting.
The truth was that my alchemy relied heavily on Jung Hayan’s magic
capacity to let out spells that were as intense as hers. Still, these people
didn’t know anything about alchemy and were unaware of my secret, so
they must have thought that I was doing spectacularly alone.
Added with Park Deokgu’s determined defensive prowess, Kim Ye-ri’s

crazy accurate aim, and Sun Hee-young’s clear and effective spells, we
looked like the perfect team.
This expedition suddenly felt fun. I knew Kim Hyunsung’s secret – that
he was a regressor – so he probably secretly had ample knowledge of
dungeons. It was great to have him lead the party.
‘This feels different.’
Indeed, we felt more con ident now. We were working ef iciently with
each other almost as if on instinct. Even Jung Yura’s expression showed
hostile confusion as she continued to watch us silently.
‘Ha.’
I knew she planned to show herself off as the necessary villain that
would, in turn, improve the expedition’s results. She meant to show
everyone that continually pushing us in a tough manner would be the
key to our success.
However, I had thwarted those plans as early as now. Our team had also
successfully shown everyone that we didn’t need much coaxing to be
the perfect, functioning team. In the end, Yura only succeeded in
destroying her in luential position over the group.
Just the thought of her ruined plans made me smile.
“Next!”
We continued to defeat monster after monster with ef icient teamwork,

and soon, there came the inevitable point where all our opponents
were on the loor, either slashed or decimated. A strange silence hung
over the group.
Looking back at our comrades, we found them staring at Kim Hyunsung

with skeptical expressions, inding what had just happened hard to
believe. It was Choi Young-ki who spoke irst.
“Ah, it looks like we’ve witnessed a real genius.”
“That’s an exaggeration. I was just trying to imitate you.”
“Haha, I don’t think so. You went past just imitating me, you did even
better. I de initely wasn’t expecting this level of talent from you, or from
Kiyoung and the others for that matter.”
“Then…”
“Your party has improved greatly ever since entering the dungeon. I
won’t lie – when the Blue Guild paid such a high price for you, I really
thought it was too much. However, seeing you all in action, I feel like
their pricing was justi ied. It won’t take long before Blue Guild reclaims
its glory through all of you.”
“I feel embarrassed to hear that, now.”
“Hahaha. If it does happen later, don’t say I didn’t tell you!”
I did like Choi Young-ki’s easygoing nature. I took a mental note to help
him out in the future if the opportunity presented itself.
Even Park Deokgu and Kim Ye-ri, who at irst received criticism, were
now the center of positive attention as they had executed their roles so
lawlessly.
Meanwhile, I searched through the monsters’ corpses to see if anything

could be of use. Unfortunately, there was none. I then turned to assess
the scene once more. In this pleasant atmosphere, only Jung Yura
looked bad.
‘So what will her next choice of action be?’
From what I could see, she had two options. She would either stick to
her initial ‘villainous for everyone’s betterment’ attitude or start
striving for a good relationship with everyone.
Of course, if she were to stick to the former, certain conditions would

need to be met.
She would need to be thick-faced enough to admit to her earlier

statements, yet she also needed just the right amount of bashfulness to
prove that she was doing this because she thought it was the best
course of action to take. This may seem easy, but in actuality, it was not.
This was especially true for someone who had such a position as Jung
Yura.
This was the case for entrepreneurs and politicians who worked for
self-bene it under the premise of serving the people.
I had to act as I respected her, but in reality, I didn’t. People like her did
not know the importance of self-esteem and would gladly trade it if it
meant getting away from dire situations.
The decision was up to her now. Would she prove herself to be a irst-
class or second-class type of person? Would she prove to be smart for
once, or would she stubbornly stick to her ineffective tactics?
‘Come on, Jung Yura. Reveal yourself.’
She donned a complex expression.
‘Are you irst-class or second-class?’
When her expression shifted into one of determination, I had my

answer. She still stuck to being second-class.
‘Ah, still sticking to such tactics, I see.’
Was she still going to try to pick a ight when she knew she wouldn’t
win?
“Watching you all was amazing, but I have to say, that really threw me
off.”
“If you suddenly had a change in plans, wouldn’t it be sound to inform

us irst? What if your new plan threw us off-course and accidentally
ruined our formation? It would be detrimental for everybody.”
“Jung Yura, now…”
“Are I wrong? We got thrown off because of Mr. Hyunsung. I know some
of you agree with me.”
“I admit that it was a little startling, but Kim Hyunsung’s sudden

movement actually helped us defeat the monsters more ef iciently. I’m
starting to wonder about how intense their training in Blue Guild
actually is.”
“Of course, I am not saying that he hasn’t helped us. However, he should
have warned us beforehand. If he was really so capable, couldn’t he
have done that from the very beginning?”
This woman really was relentless.
“I irst wanted to see if my party members would be able to adjust

accordingly, especially in the case of Park Deokgu and Kim Ye-ri. When I
knew we were capable enough, we shifted. I apologize for not issuing a
warning in advance.”
“Oh no, I don’t mean to incite an apology from you, Mr. Hyunsung.”
Kim Hyunsung showed politeness amidst the subtle accusations

directed at him and knew he couldn’t refute Jung Yura. The woman had
a point, after all. It was true that Kim Hyunsung had moved
unexpectedly and had utterly surprised Jung Yura.
However, thanks to previous circumstances, our group had fallen
entirely in our favor.
“I think you’re being a little too harsh, Miss Yura.”
“I don’t know if this is because of jealousy or whatever, but I believe

praise is supposed to be given when it’s due, and Kim Hyunsung has
shown praiseworthy talent.”
“I thought we were already over this. It’s not Kim Hyunsung who needs
to wake up, but you, Jung Yura.”
“What did you just say?”
“I can’t vouch for the others, but it’s so tiring hearing you criticize
people every time.”
“I was doing it for the sake of the expedition!”
“In what way are you helping? If you really want to help, then lead your
party ef iciently!”
“What…”
It appeared that Choi Young-ki had had enough. Looking at Yura’s

reddened expression, I knew her in luence had reached an all-time low
of zero. Even if her fellow Black Swans attempted to save her now, it
would all be in vain. No one wanted to go against a Red Mercenary
outright.
The intensity of the situation made me want to fan the lames even
more. What better, alternative way to diffuse the situation and turn it
into our favor by acting as the victim one last time?
First of all, I needed Kim Hyunsung’s permission for this.

It appeared that I didn’t even need to get his attention. Kim Hyunsung
was already looking in my direction, apparently sensing that I harbored
new intentions.
‘Can I please speak up?’ My expression said. ‘I’m good at this sort of
thing, Hyung.’
The moment Kim Hyunsung nodded, I began to speak.
“Am I allowed to say something?”
Upon hearing me, several pairs of eyes turned to me.
It would be fun to provoke Jung Yura, if only for the last time.
“I would like to apologize. It seems that Hyunsung’s efforts in proving

our worth back ired on us…”
“Oh, no.”
“I express my sincere apology towards the Black Swans, and to Jung

Yura in particular.” I made sure to keep my acting on point.
“Actually, we’ve already talked about this beforehand. Our party joined
this expedition simply to gain experience, but we know our stats must
have annoyed you. This is why we thought it prudent to adjust irst
before showing our true potentials.”
“No, Mr. Kiyoung.”
“No, an apology is in order. We tried our best, but it still seems

insuf icient, seeing as Jung Yura seems unsatis ied with our
performance. We will do even better next time. Assessing our
teamwork earlier, I think I know what went wrong. Please give us the
chance to ix ourselves.”
Jung Yura’s expression now revealed her increasing anxiety. She knew I
had the talent to point ingers effortlessly, so why did she still go down
this route?
After pausing to catch my breath, I began to speak again, making eye

contact with every sheepish expression I saw within the group.
“It looks like all we’ve been doing is cause trouble for everyone.”
“What…?”
“It seems that our party is the one causing uneasiness within the
group.”
“Ah…”
“We knew you would be unhappy to be stuck with having us in the

team, but we never thought that you would feel uncomfortable as well.
For this, we sincerely apologize.”
“No, no…”
“I know that maintaining the atmosphere within a group is crucial for a

successful expedition so we tried our best to it in, but it seems like
we’ve been trash at doing it after all. We apologize for any
inconveniences we have caused you.”
“No, it’s de initely not like that!”
Slowly, embarrassed voices began to respond to my words, offering

comforting remarks coupled with sheepish expressions. I wanted to say
more, but looking at Kim Hyunsung’s expectant face, I knew it was time
to pass the microphone to him.
“I think our Blue Party is wrong, here.”
I tried my best not to smile. It was amazing how Kim Hyunsung could
read my mind. At his words, the atmosphere within the group shifted
even more.
“No, the Blue Guild has done nothing wrong. In fact, it is the opposing
side who keeps trying to put you in a negative light…”
“You’re not to blame. Someone else has caused trouble…”
The group I had used as my shield transitioned into a spear that began
attacking the Black Swans. And all this was possible because we had
successfully manipulated Choi Young-ki’s thinking, as well as his
emotions.
“It’s not that you didn’t help. In fact, you actually contributed a lot and
helped us get rid of the monsters at a faster and more ef icient manner.
The only problem here,” Young-ki’s expression darkened, “is the
opposing side.”
‘Ah, here it comes.’
“Jung Yura.”
“…”
“I’m really sorry that we’ve come to this point. However, I feel like now
is the right time to make something clear to you.”
“And what is that?”
“I believe now is the right time to inform you I plan to make changes
with the agreement of this expedition.”
“W-What? What do you mean?”

“I would like to formally suggest that you leave the expedition.”
This was the moment when my plans were completed.

CHAPTER 66
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
(1)
“I would like to formally suggest that you leave the expedition.”
This was the moment when my plans were completed.
At those words, Jung Yura and the rest of the Black Swan members
looked confused. Choi Young-ki had spoken so suddenly that they did
not know how to react.
I resisted the urge to smile. Didn’t Jung Yura know I was the best when
it came to political tactics? And she tried to best me in my own game.
The atmosphere had suddenly taken on a dangerously quiet turn.
“Are you kidding me?”
“…”
Did he think Choi Young-ki would joke about something like this?
Jung Yura, who had silently been gazing at Young-ki to con irm her
worst suspicions, grew mad and began to speak as well.
“This is ridiculous.”
“No. This is a reasonable judgment from the standpoint of someone

leading this expedition.”
“Huh.”
“I can see what your intentions are, Jung Yura. I also know what you
have contributed so far. I also know that you were more dedicated than
anyone else for this expedition. However, it seems too dif icult for the
entire group to work together with you anymore.”
“How could you have come to this decision?!”
“It was an unavoidable choice. I thought it unreasonable to proceed

with the expedition in this atmosphere. I don’t know what Yura-san
thinks of the Blue party, but what you’re showing is quite illogical and
harsh.”
“I’ve only spoken for the sake of the expedition. I don’t hold any grudges
against Blue!”
I wanted to point out how she had treated me, but Jung Yura looked so
angry at this point that I decided it was best to stay quiet. Her
expression revealed that she was hurling every curse word she could
think of towards Choi Young-ki.
For Choi Young-ki’s sake, I opened my mouth.
“That’s okay, Choi Young-ki. You don’t have to do this.”
“No, Mr. Kiyoung. This would be better. Party members who stir up
trouble will one day lead us to major accidents. No, I’m sure something
will happen if they continue to stay.”
“Are you saying that I’m the one causing the commotion?”
“Yes. I will not tell you exactly how. There will be something for you to
ind out and remember.”
“That’s…”
“Miss Yura’s actions have already exceeded our level of understanding.
You have been here for a long time and should respect my decision.
Even if you feel that your actions are reasonable, the others here have
begun to feel uncomfortable because of you. I advise you to think this
through.”
“How ridiculous! Who do you think you are?”
It seemed that Jung Yura was still ignoring where she stood in this
group. The fact that she decided to employ political tactics to take me
down was now laughable.
This woman was incompetent. I could say that for sure now. Regardless
of hunting skills or specs, she was not suitable to be a leader, even more
so when one considered her narrow mindset.
Currently, Jung Yura was looking at both Young-ki and me with an

expression full of hatred.
However, we both had ample reason not to be afraid. Our protector

came in the name of the Legendary Red Queen Cha Hee-ra.
“Now it makes sense, Mr. Choi Young-ki.”
“It’s hard to understand what you mean.”
“I’ve been trying to be fair since the start, and yet you keep trying to put
me down. Was this your plan from the beginning?”
‘Whoa, now she’s going down this route?’
“Did you get anything from the Mercenary Queen? Is this why you’re
acting this way? From the beginning, did you intend to sabotage the
Black Swans? How ridiculous. You’re pretending to be a good leader
while babying Lee Kiyoung secretly. You know Cha Hee-ra would have
done the same.”
“Yura, aren’t you being harsh? Cha Hee-ra has nothing to do with this.”
“Shut up, you bastard.”
“Don’t be so upset… You’re saying things without thinking of them

properly.”
I gave the impression of wanting to exit this unpleasant scenario as

soon as possible. However, in truth, I was rubbing salt to her wounds
through my pitiful expressions to stir the group some more, but it
seemed that Jung Yura had had enough.
“Hah. This whole thing is rigged. The Mercenary Queen must have
bribed you with an item, and then let you wreak havoc in this
expedition. Do you think that guild expeditions are a joke? If so, I
should have joined the Blue Guild or the Red Mercenaries instead.”
“Yura.”
The more Jung Yura talked, the more she was destroying her image. I
could feel Jung Hayan shifting uncomfortably, as Cha Hee-ra’s name had
been mentioned so many times.
I knew this was now ample time to shut my mouth. Everyone already
felt embarrassed enough with Yura’s antics. Choi Young-ki appeared to
be trying to hold back his anger.
“Unnie, please…”
“Stop, unnie!”
“Let me go, they’re being crazy bitches! I don’t know how great the Red
Mercenary is, but if our guild inds out about this, do you think they’ll
let this pass? Blue and Red are repressing our guild! This is unfair! I
want to formally protest!”
Bang!
Jung Yura’s expression shifted into one of shock, relapsing into silence
as Choi Young-ki slammed his ist into the stone wall right next to her.
Pure anger was on his quivering face.
Come to think of it…
‘Did Yura really just say that Young-ki was only powerful because of Cha
Hee-ra?’
I knew how much Choi Young-ki revered Cha Hee-ra, so hearing Yura
criticize her probably wasn’t the best choice of action to take.
Jung Yura had probably felt so excited that she’d ended up taking her
words too far. I’d thought she was a formidable opponent, but it turned
out she was just stupid. It wasn’t just Choi Young-ki but also the rest of
the Red Mercenary members who were trying to rein in their anger at
this point.
If I were in Yura’s shoes, I’d be shaking right about now. Choi Young-ki
had begun to exhibit malicious intentions, which were now pouring
towards Jung Yura.
However, as soon as Kim Hyunsung reached out to Young-ki in an

attempt to calm him down, the man snapped out of it.
“Oh… Thank you…”
I could understand Young-ki’s anger, for the person he had revered so

much had just been so blatantly insulted. However, I still wanted to
praise him for not inishing her off right then and there.
If it weren’t for Park Deokgu’s blundering from the start, I would have
never thought of bringing Young-ki to our side. The fact that the man
could control himself even though he seemed so angry was evidence
that he was a competent person.
Jung Yura was both confused and scared upon feeling the intense
pressure from Young-ki’s anger and had begun to rethink her words.
Considering her stats, she might be able to resist this energy, but it was
clear that the difference between their powers was substantial.
‘It’s good that she’s aware.’
If she dared to say anything further, I knew Young-ki would end up

exploding.
“Are you inished talking?” He asked her quietly.
“That…”
“I want you to leave right now.”
“Forgive me, I’ve spoken out of turn. I just felt too pumped too-“
“I told you to leave right now. I don’t want to hear anything anymore. As
I mentioned earlier, you will get your share separately.”
“But…”
Bang! Young-ki had slammed his ist once more.
“I-I understand.”
‘Finally.’
Though scary, I also found this situation extremely pleasing. I couldn’t

help but smile, making sure that no one would be able to see it.
“I want you to leave the dungeon right now, Miss Yura. I also think it
would be bene icial for the Magic Guild.”
Even the party leaders from behind me had begun to team up with
Young-ki, the winning side.
I had to admire the Red Mercenary leader. He didn’t just know how to
throw stones at the tormented; he also knew how to burn her at the
stakes. This was a itting description considering how much of a witch
Yura had been acting this entire time.
Now Jung Yura had started to regret her actions. Her breathing had
become shallow, her body had begun trembling, and tears had started
to fall out of her eyes.
‘Ah… ’
There was a long silence. Eventually, after a few more moments, Jung
Yura began to walk away, taking the path that we had already cleared.
However, when she passed by me, she shot me a look illed with pure
hatred and malice, going so far as to bump into me roughly with her
shoulder. It took everything in me not to stumble backward.
‘Gosh… ’
Of course, I didn’t feel scared at all.
Assessing her personality, I knew I could easily beat her with just wits.
However, I also knew that I shouldn’t make a person’s hatred so lightly,
especially when someone had a higher stat range than I did.
At the same time that I knew this, I also knew that there was a high
chance I wouldn’t even see her anymore after this. People like Yura did
not fall because of their lack of stats; they fell because of their stupidity.
One wrong move could get you killed in this world, but it seemed like
she did not know that yet.
It was a wrong move on her part to try to battle me through political

tactics. She had been utterly defeated.
‘I hope she learns not to mess with the wrong people.’
After watching her go, followed by her lackeys, Choi Young-ki turned to
the rest of the group.
“So, let’s go.”
“Y-Yes.”
“We apologize for any inconvenience or discomfort I must have caused

you.”
“No, no, we completely understand.”
The group responded to him immediately, feeling Young-ki’s authority

now more than ever.
‘And you thought you could defeat me, bitch.’
I was sorry, it seems I was a little more capable than Jung Yura thought.
CHAPTER 67
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
(2)
[You have completed the attack towards the rare dungeon known as
Garden of Terror. The number of people [18/30] has been checked.]
A very pleasant voice echoed in my ears. It wasn’t just me who thought

the same. There was a sense of accomplishment engraved on
everyone’s face.
I then turned towards Choi Young-ki, who had been standing next to
me. I knew I had to keep my tone level. For these veterans, this was just
a normal, successful expedition.
“Is this how most normal rare grade dungeons are?”
“Yeah. It gets a bit monotonous once you get used to it. If you defeat
enough monsters and boss monsters, the attack will be considered
complete. I heard that there are various conditions in completing hero-
grade dungeons and legendary-grade dungeons as well… It’s
embarrassing, but in fact, I haven’t gotten to that point yet.”
“Ah.”
“In fact, it is said that there has only been one legendary-grade dungeon
found in the entire Holy Empire.”
“Ah, I see. Does that mean there are more hero-level dungeons to be
found?”
“Actually, even hero-grade dungeons are not very common. This Garden
of Terror that we just attacked also seems to be a lower level among the
rarest grades, but for other dungeons, the composition may be slightly
different.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, I’m really sorry for letting you feel so much discomfort during
your irst time.”
“No, no, we are the ones to blame,” I responded awkwardly as Choi

Young-ki bowed towards me to show his sincere regret. I felt a pang in
my chest for manipulating such a genuine person, so I could only smile
at him reassuringly and deny him of his fault.
“Thanks to you, we were able to experience irsthand what it’s like to

explore a dungeon. You have also inspired us to do better during the
ights.”
“Oh, no, you did quite well on your own. It’s not only the Red
Mercenaries, but also the Magic Guild people who think so. I’m rather
regretful that I didn’t get to show off too much.”
“Hahaha.”
As I glanced sidewards, I could also see Kim Hyunsung chatting with

the Magic Guild people. Perhaps he was also having the same pleasant
conversation as I was. I hoped so.
Because our repressor – Jung Yura – was nowhere to be found, I knew

sooner or later the atmosphere would become warmer and friendlier.
We would have survived even if she had been present the whole time;
the pressure just felt less intense when she left. There had been no
shortage of laughter in her absence.
The biggest obstacle in forming our unity was indeed Yura, but with the
Black Swans’ exit, the Red Mercenaries’ responsibilities doubled.
Rather, they had to serve as the main tankers, for both the Magic and
Blue Guild parties did not possess an aptitude for durability.
However, this wasn’t exactly a bad thing. In this way, the Red Mercenary
vanguards had doubled their efforts, and the priests from every party
were able to train their potentials even more as they focused on
protecting the tankers.
In conclusion, the Black Swans weren’t a crucial team to have on the

roster. They were more like a backup in case anything happened. If they
stayed, I doubted they would receive more contribution rewards than
the Blue Guild would.
Through a logical assessment, they should be happy they were cast out
in the middle of the expedition. They didn’t have to exert any effort, yet
they would still receive rewards from the dungeon.
“By the way, are you really sure about this?”
“Hm?”
“Do you still think we should give the rewards to the Black Swans?”
“Ahhh. Yes. You don’t have to worry. Besides, Hyunsung also said that it
is better to keep the settlement ratio as it is.”
“Even so, I think it’s right to give a little more to Blue. You all played
such a crucial role…”
“The shield that Deokgu received is enough. In fact, I still feel that I am
taking too much, which feels very embarrassing.” Upon saying this, my
eyes immediately sought a happy Park Deokgu out, surrounded by the
other tankers who all bore cheerful spirits.
Who would blame him for being happy? He had just received a rare-
grade shield item that would surely bene it his class. It was the most
valuable weapon our party had received from this expedition.
[Root Shield-Rare Grade]
[This is a hard shield made from plant roots by Araki, the owner of the
garden. Originally, it was a shield to equip the garden guards, but all
humans in the garden were cursed and could not see the light. As well
as increasing defense, it relieves external shocks. Durability can be
restored by itself.]
[Health +3]
[Durability +2]
[Magic Power +1]
‘It looks like a reliable shield.’
I particularly liked the fact that the shield could ix its durability. It
seemed like the perfect beginner’s item for Park Deokgu, and we had
gotten it at such a low cost! Since Deokgu’s potential was quite high, I
knew he would also start gaining momentum with his growth.
Originally, that shield was also an item that had to go through several
processes to obtain, but all the veterans indicated that it was okay to
give it to him. Park Deokgu had probably managed to affect them
emotionally, thus allowing him such a big reward.
Besides, there were several other good items to be obtained.
In the irst place, the Garden of Terror was a human-made laboratory,

and its setting was that everyone turned into monsters under the curse
of God. There were many things worth researching about magical
power’s essence, and it was full of things that were of great value.
It was the moment when I realized what it meant to make money from
a dungeon attack.
The Red Mercenary and Magic Guild members insisted that we take
more than what was initially agreed upon, but Kim Hyunsung was irm
about the matter and did not take any more than what we were
supposed to take.
From Kim Hyunsung’s point of view, the rest of the rewards weren’t
necessary. I knew it was also a way to create good relations with the
other guilds, but I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
The next problem to focus on was what and how many rewards the
Black Swans would receive, seeing as exiled halfway through the
expedition.
“To be honest, their rewards seem a little too much from my point of
view. I think it’s better if the Blue Guild takes a bit of their rewards. We
won’t let them protest against you, of course!”
“No, no. After everything has been said and done, Jung Yura did have a
point. We blundered right at the beginning and did cause additional
burdens for everyone. They deserve their rewards.”
“That’s…”
“It would be natural for me to feel angry if I was a veteran as well.

Besides, I know they must’ve been crushed to be cast out halfway. What
better way to console them than with their contribution rewards in
full?”
“Hahaha, I suddenly feel ashamed for making such a proposal. I

honestly think there is no one in Lindel who’s as warm-hearted as you,
Kiyoung. Now I know why the renowned priest Sun Hee-young has
chosen to join Blue.”
“Your face is turning red for no reason.”
If only Choi Young-ki knew that I was the most manipulative and
calculating person in the entire group. I only conceded because it was
necessary to build good relations with everyone, just as Kim Hyunsung
had planned to do.
However, this would also serve to dirty everyone’s opinions on Yura’s

party even more. I didn’t just let such chances go away for nothing.
“Then, can we go back to our guilds now?”
“Yes. The materials that have not yet been settled will be settled and
paid within a week. Of course, you will also receive a document proving
ownership of the dungeon where the attack has been completed.”
“Ah.”
“Of course, this is a meaningless document, although it’s better than

nothing. Anyway, let’s go back. It’s been a long expedition, so I want to
take a rest right away.”
“Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll contact you later.”
“I will contact you irst. You shouldn’t forget our agreement on the
drinks!”
“Sure! Haha, I’ll wait.”
It wasn’t just me who was receiving such warm treatment; everyone

from my party was. It felt like the earlier troubles brought about by
Jung Yura never happened. I was pleasantly surprised with how
everyone else was so willing to get along with other party members.
After seeing how Lindel’s society worked, I thought everyone would
criticize us, but it turned out that this wasn’t the case. Rather, we had
developed trust in each other, and I knew this bond would last for a
long time.
I could see a satis ied Kim Hyunsung, who had let us learn so many new
things, a delighted Park Deokgu with his new shield, and a happy Kim
Ye-ri, who had not felt left out during the entire expedition. Even Sun
Hee-young wasn’t alone, and Jung Hayan did not look particularly
disappointed at not being able to spend as much desired time with me
as she would’ve liked.
After a short trip illed with nonsensical conversation, we soon found

ourselves back at the Blue Guild building, which, embarrassingly
enough, now felt like my home.
After reporting to the guild’s receptionist, we were required to make a

report. Of course, I also had to meet Lee Sang-hee, the master of the
sub-guild, to discuss the ratio and settlement.
As we belonged to the Blue Guild, we also had to distribute the things

we got with the other guild members. We didn’t complain, nor did we
harbor any hard feelings about it. They had treated us so well that it felt
only right to give back now that we had proven ourselves capable.
However, even amid everything, I knew there was something else I had
to prioritize.
“Hayan.”
“Yes, oppa.”
“Let’s talk in private for a minute.”
“O-Oh, sure.”
“Hyunsung, we will go up for a moment irst. Deokgu, you can go eat

irst. We’ll see you in a while, everyone!”
Everyone nodded in response to my words. I ignored Park Deokgu’s
suggestive expression and took Jung Hayan by the hand upstairs and to
my room.
Looking at my red-colored face, it felt like I was about to do something

misleading. However, I knew some basic needs couldn’t be tended to
within a dungeon’s con ines.
Upon opening my door, Jung Hayan began to look around my room.
“Oh, oppa.”
“Hayan.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Can I ask you for a small favor?”
“Of course, I’ll do anything you want! You just have to ask.”
‘Why is she like this… ’
“Don’t feel pressured, oppa. You just have to say it, and I’ll do it.”
Looking at her expectant face, it suddenly felt much harder to get my

request out. However, I had to. It was crucial.
“Can you ind out about how the media works in Lindel?”
“Ah…”
As expected, Jung Hayan’s expectant expression shifted into one of

disappointment. However, she knew that she would get what she
wanted with every achievement she did for me. I reinforced this
thought by giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“Yes, of course…” Jung Hayan nodded, almost as if possessed.
‘Right.’
She still remembered the promise between us.

CHAPTER 68
PRESS (1)
The media system in the Free City of Lindel couldn’t even be properly
called the press. This was the conclusion that Jung Hayan and I had
come to.
Of course, it couldn’t be denied that many people here wanted to wield

a pen. Freedom of the press was an ideal concept that a democratic area
such as Lindel would desire. Nevertheless, it was obvious that media
companies couldn’t just write articles at will.
‘That’s because it’s too scary to do so.’
After all, this was a country that was dominated by force. A person
could die simply by just offending someone formidable or was of high
status. Thus, the creation of articles was done conscientiously.
Any topic had to be raked over with a ine-tooth comb, for even the
slightest mistake in word choice could cost you your life. No one knew
when a passive reader could turn into a crazed murderer and stalk after
the media people just because they had offended someone.
I had guessed as much upon reading a newspaper. I found nothing that

could be called a legit article. There were notices and announcements,
sure, but the closest ones I could ind were just showbiz stuff, like what
the biggest guilds liked to eat for breakfast and such.
This proved to be a disappointment, seeing as I had been on the lookout

for a true journalist. On the other hand, I could understand, though. Life
and money were crucial to survive in such a place like Lindel. No one
would dare spark controversy, especially within the media world.
The question was, would I be able to ind someone who’d dare to

change this?
I needed a true journalist. I needed someone who could keep up with

the trend of the times.
Lindel was still relatively considered a ‘new’ place, but the system had
been established for a while now. Therefore, it was important to note
how much things had changed since the past economically, politically,
or even socially.
Even culture could play a part. What was the ideal lifestyle like at this
point? How could smaller guilds rank up to be of equal footing with the
larger ones? These were topics that would be sure to catch the public’s
attention.
In some ways, I could say I was lucky. If I had stumbled upon Lindel
when it was still just developing, I might have chosen to travel
elsewhere. However, what this place still lacked was a little spark in
controversy.
Humans were the types to be interested in others’ lives. This place

needed content that would soothe people’s boredom. Upon
observation, I noticed that many people seemed to share my
sentiments, which told me my plan might work.
“Oppa, I think most of them have come.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, they’ll be expecting you in a few minutes… What else should I do?”
“Oh, no, you’ve already done enough. Thank you so much for
everything, Hayan.”
“It was no problem at all…”
“I will de initely repay you when all of this is over.”
“Yes, I know. I trust you, oppa!”
She deserved it. After all, this had a chance of working in the irst place
because of Jung Hayan.
I pecked her on the lips before I entered the other room, and the crowd
of people turned to face me. The noisy hubbub suddenly quieted down
upon my arrival.
They were all watching me now, both curious and anxious about what I
had called them here for. I plastered a smile on my face and spoke.
“I’m glad to see you all.”
“Ah… It’s also nice to meet you.”
“I am Kim Seong-gyeong from the Lindel Daily.”
“It’s my pleasure to meet you. I am Kiyoung Lee of the Blue Guild.”
Upon assessing their expressions, I knew these people cared much

more about how much I was willing to give, rather than what I was
about to say. Money was, after all, a scarcity in Lindel unless you were a
guild member.
After a few moments, their meals arrived. I could see everyone’s

expression brightening. I knew it was crucial to get to the main point
right away, but this was a necessary distraction.
“Of course, the reason I gathered all of you today is to ask you to write a
small article for me.”
“Ah, of course, I’ve been expecting this. Of course, I’d be willing to write.
Isn’t Blue Guild running at the highest stock price recently? I’d be
honored to promote your guild.”
‘Ah, promotion. What rubbish.’
I knew even if they posted a promotional article about us, it would all
be for naught. The in luence of media companies in this world was
practically nonexistent.
“I heard that four of you broke through the tutorial dungeon in the
shortest time and successfully completed the attack of the Garden of
Terror. This will be a good article.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Yes, our backstory was good, but at
this rate, even the Blue Guild would do a better job promoting the
article than these people.
“Hahaha, I agree. All you have to do is give us the order, and we’ll take
the article into the direction you want it to go.”
I leaned back slightly, my demeanor changing. This was the reply I was
looking for.
“Actually, the article I would want you to write is different from what
you have in mind.”
“Oh?”
“I would like you to write an article about a woman named Jung Yura,
who comes from the Black Swan Guild. The exact details are…”
Very slowly, I began to explain the details of the article. I did not add or
lesh anything more than what I wanted to be included within it. All I
calmly stated were the events that had transpired within the dungeon
expedition.
However, the people’s faltering expressions before me revealed what

they thought about this proposed article of mine. ‘I am not a suicide
seeker’ and ‘I still want to live more’ were imprinted on everyone’s faces.
“It doesn’t matter if you just write what I have told you. Of course, it’s
also your freedom to lesh it out in any way you would want to. I
personally would appreciate it if you write it a little more provocatively.
You know the public likes stimulating content. The gold you will receive
will surely not disappoint you.”
“…”
“…”
I had expected an ominous silence to descend in the room.
“Well, this seems like a dif icult preposition…”
“You think?”
“Yes… I can understand your intentions for wanting this article written,
but the content…”
“Oh no, I am not telling you to write about the Black Swan Guild itself.
Rather, I am asking you to focus on Jung Yura as an individual.”
“Yes, but still…”
I watched these people exchange unsure looks with each other, and the
discomfort in the room began to heighten as they pondered over my
proposed article. If I had come from a less in luential guild or my name
was not already known within the city, these people would say no to my
face and left in a hurry.
“I know what you’re worried about.”
“O-Oh…”
“You are worried for your safety. You know publishing an article like
this will earn you some de inite consequences. However, I want you to
know that this article isn’t for my intentions…”
“Whose-?”
“It is Cha Hee-ra’s will.”
Of course, what I had just said was a lie—a necessary one.
“I understand that you will be afraid, nonetheless. Jung Yura’s personal

retaliation is very scary. I know that even if the Mercenary Queen
herself grants you her protection, it will be dif icult.”
“…”
“If you write the article, you will have to use your real name.”
“Ah…”
“I know some of you are also worried about the impact the article will
receive once it gets published. Nothing good ever comes from criticizing
large guilds. However, people will be wondering why this kind of
incident happened. Your sales rates will go up beyond comparison, and
you will be able to earn more than your usual salaries.”
“Ah, but the gold isn’t the problem here…”

“The more people read your article, the safer you will be. The more
articles are sold under your name, the more in luence you can gain –
thus making you safer.”
I could see looks of understanding pass over some of the reporters’

faces. After all, some of these people had probably also been working
for the press back when they were still living on Earth.
“Just because they have power doesn’t mean they can just disregard the
public. Large guilds also value public attention. They cannot act
recklessly. Everybody knows this. There is already a social system
established within Lindel. The era of simply operating by hunting or
dungeon expeditions has already passed.”
There were still expressions of fear imprinted on their faces. I knew it

wasn’t going to be easy trying to persuade them.
“No matter how you put it, publishing an article like this is still
dangerous…”
“The Red Mercenary Guild will be supporting you. Is that not protection
enough? You know how in luential Cha Hee-ra is in this city.”
“But, if the article will be written using our real names…”
“That part is the most important. If you are proven correct, it will be
dif icult to avoid the blame from the standpoint of the Black Swan
Guild.”
I tried to speak as calmly as I could to try and ease the anxiety of the
reporters. I knew Cha Hee-ra wouldn’t be enough to spark them to do
my bidding. Even if protection was guaranteed, it was still a highly-risky
move to write an article against any large, existing guild.
I sighed a little and began to speak again.

“Why do you think the media companies in Lindel have not been
successful thus far?”
“That’s… Well, retaliation, for one thing…”
“Yeah. Of course, the thought of retaliation is scary. That’s why you’ve

been writing substandard articles so far. Of course, I am not
condemning or insulting what you have been doing. This is an
unavoidable situation. I understand that this continent is a place where
it will not be easy to publish such articles carelessly.”
“Yeah.”
“But that’s not the right answer.”
“You think…?”
“To trap yourself in this type of mindset means you’re only hindering
the success of your companies. This isn’t the way to go about it.”
“…”
“The biggest reason for your failure is that you don’t have the drive to
push through. Perhaps those who had been journalists back on Earth
can understand me. The most important thing is that you do not
directly state which side you’re on. You let the public do that. Instead,
you simply insinuate. That’s what gives the press a lot of power in this
type of background.”
“Are you telling me to take the side of the Blue Guild and Red
Mercenaries?”
“Yes, of course. Just write the article we need. The press won’t be
completely free from the matter either way. You can criticize the
enemies of the Blue and Red Mercenaries and defend us. All you need to
do is move the public. There will be no disadvantage if you go the other
way. You can choose the Black Swan, or if you have a route that leads to
another faction, you can go there. The fact stands that you will not be
free from retaliation whichever path you choose to take. External
pressure is an inevitable routine. But isn’t risking your lives a natural
occurrence in a place like Lindel?”
“Ah…”
“And as you are threatened, I will see to it that you will gain even bigger
rewards.”
“That…”
“You’ll get insurmountable gold.”
“…”
“And, most importantly…”
“…”
“You’ll get the power you seek.”
Of course, this was only an illusion. At the very least, their sales rates
would indeed get higher, and they would gain a semblance of in luence.
However, in luence wasn’t the same thing as power.
Looking at the expressions on their faces now, I knew I had them reeled
in – hook, line, and sinker.
I bowed.
“Thank you very much for hearing me out.”

CHAPTER 69
PRESS (2)
~Jung Yura POV~
I must have acted overly excited to get a proper hold of my bearings

back at the Garden of Terror.
For some reason, I hadn’t read the atmosphere as easily as I used to. I
came as a shock when I was asked, along with my guild, to exit the
expedition! While that cunning trickster Lee Kiyoung riled up the group
to take his side against mine, he watched from the sidelines and let
them do the dirty work for him.
I could still remember that husky, untrustworthy tone of voice, along

with the countless times he’d tried to hide his smile as I was in hot
water. He was fortunate that I didn’t have my dagger in hand at the
time, or he would have been dead.
I clenched my ists tightly upon reminiscing, shaking from where I lay.
‘Abominable offspring… ’
Assessing the amount of magical power and profession that Lee

Kiyoung possessed, I knew he was the kind of man Lindel needed to get
rid of, a pest to be eradicated. He was probably the type of guy who
would have been in the slums if he hadn’t found a party to cling to.
It felt ridiculous seeing other people get tricked by him so easily. I knew
he was thick-faced from the start, but I wasn’t expecting him to be as
shameless as he had acted.
He even dared to apologize to me as if I had threatened him! Though he
sounded sincere, that look in his eyes suggested otherwise. He had
successfully fooled everyone around us!
When I recalled his expression once more, anger began to rise from
within me.
“Shit…”
As I tried to lie still, a voice came from outside my room.
“Yura, are you there?”
“I am. How’s the situation looking so far?”
“Same, it’s all just the same. We haven’t heard anything new yet.”
“Ha…”
“It’s still too early to make a formal protest.”
“Just long will it take for them to assess the situation?”
“Well…”
“Why the hell had we not noticed this? There seems to be some sort of
agreement between the Blue Guild and the Red Mercenary Guild. What
the hell are these Red Mercenaries even doing, anyway? I have a feeling
they’re the ones pulling the strings.”
“We’ve only been told to stay quiet and stay wary. We thought it best
not to draw too much attention to ourselves yet… Cha Hee-ra might be
watching.”
“What’s the matter with Cha Hee-ra?”

“It seemed that the guild executives have been meeting with the Red
Mercenaries.”
“What do you mean? Are they saying that there is no need to

understand the situation anymore? Did they not read what we have
written in the report?”
“Of course they did, but…”
“And we all know we are not the perpetrators! All witnesses seem to
think that we, the Black Swans, are the bad people! Do you want the
people of Lindel to treat us like idiots? In fact, why are you all so scared
of that whore?! She and that… That Lee Kiyoung! That son of a bitch!”
“There’s nothing we can do for the moment… There are rumors that
that man has become Cha Hee-ra’s gigolo. There are also stories that
say that they might have been lovers in the past life. Perhaps that’s why
the two guilds seem to have such a close-knit relationship… It’s not that
I don’t understand where you’re coming from…”
“What?”
“Anyway, it would be better to watch the situation a little more. There

will de initely be a chance for payback.”
“Yes, you’re right. I’m not just going to aim for retribution. I will torture
Lee Kiyoung endlessly until he begs for mercy. He seems to think that
Cha Hee-ra will protect him forever. Let’s see how long that faith will
last.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
“Besides, they’ve caused so many blunders during the guild expedition,

right?”
“Yes, I mean at irst, but now…”

“Ugh, I know what you mean. We’ll still be able to use that to our
advantage, however.”
“Anyway, we still have a shot at this. Since they’ve still sent us our items,
it means we haven’t been totally ignored, right?”
“Right.”
“Yeah. We’ve received a lot of rare-grade items, and upon looking at the
list, we still got more than Blue Guild has obtained.”
“As we should. No matter how protected they are by the Red

Mercenaries, we still deserve more rewards than they do.”
“I agree… Anyway, do you want to head out for a bite to eat? I’m
hungry.”
“Yes, sure, I’m hungry as well, anyway.”
“I heard that a new restaurant opened up nearby. We should go take a

look.”
I nodded and stood up, wanting to rid my thoughts of that oily smirk
and calculating eyes. I knew if I stayed cooped up in my room any
longer, I would lose it.
Opportunities for revenge would certainly come in the future. No

matter how protected Blue Guild is by the Red Mercenaries, they should
know better than to mess with one of the large guilds such as the Black
Swans. With this thought, I started to feel better.
We left the guild building in no time at all. I did not think much of the
unusually large amount of people out until we arrived at the square,
where I saw a crowd clustering around.
“Ugh… So trashy people such as these do exist.”

“Even if I close my eyes, I can imagine how barbaric they must be.”
“Tsk.”
Voices dripping with disapproval echoed throughout the square. I might

have mistaken it for common hubbub when I noticed that every single
person had a newspaper in their hands.
I blinked. This was an unusual scene. The media in Lindel wasn’t

powerful or in luential at all, and hardly anyone bought the paper. At
best, all they had in their published paper were news of new monsters
or the Holy Empire. It was usually only adventurers who read the paper.
However, seeing that even non-adventurers all had the paper in their
hands, my curiosity began to spike. A dark feeling began to spread all
over my body, and I couldn’t resist but grab a paper for myself.
“Oh, unnie…”
“T-This…”
[Bashing on Blue!]
[The irst dungeon trip of Kim Hyunsung’s party, who was recruited for
a large sum of money in Blue, ended successfully. You may remember
all the party members that broke through the tutorial dungeon in the
fastest time, and with only four people! This party, called the Kim
Hyunsung Party, left Lindel a few weeks ago with the Magical Guild, the
Red Mercenary Guild, and the Black Swan Guild to show off their unity
with the other guilds.
While there were certain criticisms to be heard about newbies joining

veterans, the Magic Guild’s attack log was leaked, causing controversy
to spark within the city. It was then that Jung Yura, a member of the
Black Swan guild, was revealed to the public.
From the time the expedition started, and the Black Swans were seen to
be arriving back separately, many wondered if something had
happened in the dungeon, and eventually, these rumors were proven to
be true!
The truth is that Jung Yura (29) did not only cause con lict in the party
before their departure but had also threatened one of the members of
the Blue Guild. Many have testi ied that she has been too harsh on the
Blue Guild’s party, marking a frown on everyone’s faces.
Mr. Kiyoung, who was involved in the case, was conscious of the
perpetrators and did not reveal what the threats were about, but
rumors spread that physical pressure is part of the picture.
Experts speculate that it is probably due to the dungeon’s contribution

rewards, but none of these hunches have been accurately revealed yet.
While it is true that both Blue and Black Swans are affected by this, the
attention focuses on where this event will lead their relationship.
It is a very familiar occurrence in Lindel, our Free City, to attack

dungeons through cooperation between guilds. Of course, the issue of
item distribution and contribution also seems to be the same. Everyone
will know the tricks cast by particular guilds out of greed for the
rewards.
The fact that large guilds keep pressing on the smaller guilds is well-
known by everyone. However, it is shocking to see a guild do so in such
an unsubtle manner. –Reporter]
‘What is this… ’
It wasn’t even the end of it.
[Miss Jung Yura (29) dares the Red Mercenary Queen to protect her
subordinates.]
[Miss Yura, a member of the Black Swans and a party member included
in the latest guild expedition, has spewed a truckload of remarks that
have caused an uproar within Lindel. These remarks hurled at Mr. Lee
Kiyoung, a speculated lover of the Queen, have become quite the
controversy. When Mr. Kiyoung’s party was seen to be helping the
expedition out in such an ef icient manner, Miss Jung Yura, apparently
worried about their contribution reward distribution, began to
threaten Mr. Kiyoung with scandalous remarks.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that she insulted Mr. Kiyoung for
being one of the Mercenary Queen’s pillars and even went so far as to
question if the Queen would protect him to his face!
What causes such unease is that Miss Yura did not just hurl these
statements towards Mr. Kiyoung, but the Red Queen herself.
Speculations about what damages this might cause for the relationship
between Red Mercenary and Black Swans are still large. –Jung Ilbo]
Several provocative titles continued to catch my eye.
[About the relationship between the Black Swan and the Red
Mercenary Guild
Subtitle: Where does Blue stand in this?]
[Dungeon columnist Kim Seong-gyeong]
[How should I look at the controversy caused by Black Swan Guild

member Jung Yura? -Lindel Political Department Reporter Yoomi Kang]
[Miss Jung Yura (29) reignites past controversy]
[Who is Black Swan trying to excommunicate – the Red Mercenary

Guild, or the Blue Guild?]
In less than a day, my whole world had crumbled. My hands shook as I
continued to skim through the paper.
I couldn’t igure out what exactly was going on right now.
However, I could only think of the owner of that blasted oily smirk and
the calculating gaze that had been driving me crazy nonstop.
“Damn… they’re lucky Blue Guild is still quite a large guild. If it were us,
we wouldn’t just be insulted by them… We’d be dead too.”
“It’s because of people like these that Lindel isn’t progressing at all.”
“Sh, be quiet!”
“No, am I wrong?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Wait… That person over there… Isn’t that Jung Yura?”
“Shh. She can hear you, you know.”
‘This… This son of a bitch.’
It was only now that I truly began to comprehend how this had
happened and who had ensured that this would occur.
‘Lee Kiyoung, you son of a bitch… ’

CHAPTER 70
PRESS (3)
“This is a well-made article.”
I had initially thought that there would be changes to the story I had
proposed, but more importantly, I was pleasantly surprised to ind out
that the reporters had indeed taken the bait. The story itself didn’t just
criticize Jung Yura and the abuse of power within the Free City of Lindel.
“But damaging the reputation of such a large guild… Is that okay?”
‘Ah, it’s very good.’
Titles such as those currently found in the paper would surely elicit a
reaction among every reader within Lindel. After all, most people here
knew how it felt to be oppressed by a greater force.
Granted, I haven’t been treated like that within Lindel as I had

fortunately entered a guild still considered prestigious, but I could bet
that the smaller guilds would have all experienced such treatment.
To put it simply, getting a place within one of the large guilds

automatically equated to being part of Lindel’s higher class. In this
manner, it wasn’t that hard to predict the multitude of corruption cases
within the city.
In this particular coverage, all parties involved came from large guilds.
Still, since I, a newbie member of a guild that tethered on the edge of
ruination, was portrayed as the victim of said familiar oppression, the
public was sure to be on my side.
The reaction was almost immediate. The other large-scale guilds went to
great lengths to prove that they had better personalities than the Black
Swans, and through subtle means, the smaller guilds showed us that
they were supporting us.
It felt like a social movement of sorts. This was what the ability to move
the masses could amount to. No matter how strong one was, it didn’t
mean anything if no one supported him. In that same mindset, Lindel’s
upperclassmen only hold their power because the lower class, as much
as they would like to deny it, acknowledge their power.
Simply put, the upperclassmen cannot exist without the lower class.
Without people buying weapons from the Red Mercenaries’ shop,
potions from the Magic Guild, cheap information from the Black Swans,
or other merchandise from other guilds, society’s higher throngs cannot
maintain their standing. They can only do so because those lower than
them were responsible for their success.
These people probably forgot – this wasn’t the Earth we were so

accustomed to living in. In a place like this, logic only worked when it
was backed up by power. For this very reason, it was understandable as
to why the media did not hold a lot of power. Yet they may have
forgotten that the media is the key to getting the people’s support.
However, with certain story coverage, I knew people had started to

realize just how scary the press could be. The effect was indeed
awesome.
In addition to boycotting all businesses operated by the Black Swan

Guild, small and medium-sized guilds, renowned explorers, and
adventurers had also expressed their intentions to never attack
dungeons with any of their members.
‘Ah… ’
It truly was a frightening event when all the oppressed banded together
for a common goal – to raise the voices of the marginalized.
Though each individual had different reasons, they all cooperated just
the same.
I knew that, just from this meager little story, I had already helped in the
formation of Lindel’s revolutionary history.
After I ate my lunch, I headed outside, where several reporters were

waiting. Of course, these weren’t the same reporters who had bothered
to attend my invitation before. These were the ones who did not attend
or could smell the money they could gain from also covering this story.
“May I have a moment of your time? About Jung Yura…”
“Sorry. There is still an of icial announcement about this…”
“I know it would be quite the hassle, but do you have anything to say
about-“
“We will of icially hold a press conference about this later.”
“What do you think of Jung Yura’s remarks about the collaboration

between Red and Blue?”
“It’s not something I can answer just yet.”
“Oi, don’t bother my hyung so much!”
“It’s okay, Deokgu.”
We had to remember to be kind to journalists, especially for the time

being. Whoever won their support also won the support of the public.
“I would like to ask what position you are taking in the current Black
Swan Guild boycott.” The guy who asked this question looked pretty
familiar to me.
‘Is that Kim Seong-gyeong?’
It did look like him. It wouldn’t be bad to answer this particular

question.
“I was able to see how many people could feel the loss, regardless of
whether this was true or not. It wasn’t just what happened to me. The
outrage must stem from the pus of injustice that many people have felt
from living in Lindel. Of course, this is understandable, but I am worried
that many of you will feel too angry. That is all.”
Directly answering the question in the form of an indirect response

would be the best direction I could take.
“Are you saying that all the threats in the dungeon are true?”
“I will not comment.”
“Are you in support of the boycott?”
“I support the matter on the one hand, but not on the other. I’m just
worried that this will cause further damage.”
Employing such subtle wording was truly a talent of mine. I wanted to

take down the Black Swan Guild, but not through a direct hit. I would
rather give the guild itself a chance to redeem themselves.
The only casualty I wanted was Jung Yura.
“Please tell me something about Cha Hee-ra.”
“I will arrange a seat for you later.”

“Please talk to the adventurers who are angry about this situation.”
“It’s very dif icult to speak for now, but I suppose I can say something.
Your actions in resisting injustice in society are never wrong. Every
individual is more in luential than they would like to think. The way you
act without giving into pressure… You are all helping in your own ways.”
The reporters wrote down my words diligently as I spoke. I had a feeling

this would turn into a new article by tomorrow.
[I understand the feelings of adventurers who are feeling lost.]
Something like that would probably appear on the next barrage of

articles.
[I support the boycott, but worry about dealing further damage.]
I was feeling pretty good about this. After all, reporters knew how to
spin even the drabbest of responses into something more dramatic. This
would surely cause another uproar tomorrow.
More questions arose after my response, but I knew responding to any

more might come back to bite me in the rear end.
Since I was playing the role of victim, I needed to speak the least
amount. The more interpretations these reporters came up with, the
better.
While I thought about this, Park Deokgu began to speak beside me.
“Oh, I didn’t know it was going to be this big, hyung.”
“Neither did I.” Of course, that was a lie.
“I think I should be more careful about my actions in the future… This is

bad.”
“It won’t matter if you just act as you usually do.”
“So, didn’t you say that the Red Mercenary will be announcing their
stand today?”
“Huh. Yes, that’s right.”
I knew what this would already entail. They would respond directly to
the criticisms stated by Jung Yura, particularly about their Mercenary
Queen, but would not assault the guild itself. After all, the stories had
already covered the insults directed towards Cha Hee-ra, so it was only
right that she took the necessary precautions and struck back.
‘And maybe within a week…”
Eventually, the Black Swan Guild will also be giving an announcement.

However, it would be too late by then. I didn’t know what was currently
going on within their guild now, but I knew for sure that they must be
feeling embarrassed.
Perhaps there must have also been an uproar within their guild.
Anyhow, there must be a reason as to why they were taking so long to
respond.
If I were in their shoes, I would have formed a response team right away
and tried to get in touch with the opposite side. Simply giving an
appearance was a form of action in itself. Had the Black Swans have any
smarts in them, they would have responded by now.
It was then that Sun Hee-young approached me.
“Mr. Kiyoung?”
“Yeah.”
“Some people from the Black Swans Guild are here.”

‘Oh?’
It turned out that the Black Swans did have some semblance of smarts
within them.
“I don’t know speci ically. It seems that they’ve come to apologize.”
“Are they waiting in the reception room?”
“Yes, they are.” Sun Hee-young nodded slightly. I thanked her and began
to head in the direction of the reception room, where I found familiar
faces waiting for me.
The irst person I noticed was Jung Yura herself. With her were various
Black Swan Guild executives. I also saw Lee Seol-ho with the crowd, and
I stiffened. What was this crazy old man doing?
I didn’t know what exactly was happening, but I was not too fond of the
idea of him trying to get on board with all this craziness.
“What to say about this…”
“Hahaha, do not fret about it. For now…”
As I saw them converse, annoyance soared from within me.
Then I noticed a familiar-looking woman sitting on one side.
‘Lee Ji-Hye?’
I remembered her from the shelter that Kim Hyunsung had devised back
in the tutorial dungeon. What was she doing here? I felt surprised.
I didn’t think that Lee Ji-Hye was entirely useless in terms of abilities,
but I would never have thought that she’d try to get herself in with the
Black Swans.
It was ridiculous to see them cozying up with the deranged old

executives from our side.
‘Ha.’
[Check player Jihye Lee’s status window and potential.]
[Name-Jihye Lee]
[Age-29]
[Propensity-Sel ish Ambition]
[Job-Commander]
[Capacity]
[Strength -09/Growth limit: Below normal]
[Agility-11/Growth limit: Below normal]
[Health-15/Growth limit: Below normal]
[Intellect-29/Growth limit: Rare or higher]
[Durability-10/Growth limit: Below normal]
[Luck-15/Growth limit: Below normal]
[Holy-05/Growth limit: Below normal]

[Overall Review – Congratulations, Player Kiyoung Lee. You have met
your soulmate once again. At this point, it doesn’t seem like an
exaggeration to say that it is fate. It seems that you have connected once,
although I certainly recommend that you do not connect again. As I said,
I am very sorry for the second generation to be born if they will come
from you. Always be careful with your actions.]
While assessing her current stats, I continued to watch both sides

converse with each other. However, some of the gazes had already begun
to swing over to where I stood.
Lee Ji-Hye, who was one of them, began to speak in a happy tone of
voice.
“Oppa! It’s been a while.”
‘What? Since when was I her oppa…?’

CHAPTER 71
PRESS (4)
After assessing the atmosphere, I began to understand how Lee Jihye

planned to direct this situation.
‘Hm, she’s smart.’
Evidently, it seemed that I wasn’t the only one who knew how to assess
situations. The Black Swans were fortunate to have someone capable of
handling their internal affairs.
It was a little embarrassing to say that my rival could quite possibly be

Lee Jihye, but I knew there was nothing shameful about it. The woman
could quite possibly be as good as me in the employment of
underhanded, political tactics.
In any case, she was a hundred times better and smarter than Jung
Yura. That also meant I had a valid reason to feel wary now.
‘Unfortunately for you, however, I know just what you’re planning to do.’
Lee Jihye was a woman who clearly understood what a deal was. She
must have planned to let the others know of our ‘close’ relationship
through such means.
I decided to play along. “Is that really you?”
“Yeah. It’s nice to see you here again.”
“Long time no see. How have you been?”

“I’ve been ine. I honestly thought it’d be a long time before we meet
again. I’m pleasantly surprised to see that it isn’t.”
“Yes, I agree.” As I nodded in response to her words, I con irmed that I

was right. All present Black Swan Guild members looked pleased upon
hearing this exchange, and so did the delusional old men from my side.
“Hahaha. I see that you’re both getting along quite well.”
‘What the heck are you laughing at? You crazy old man.’
I didn’t like the fact that these old geezers were here. It spelled nothing
but bad news. At the same time, a slight feeling of embarrassment
coursed through me at this display.
Although the Black Swans were indeed a large guild representing

Lindel, the Blue Guild had no reason to kowtow to them just because
they had decided to visit. We were the ones in agreement with the Red
Mercenary Guild. In short, we had the upper hand.
This scene was just like spoiling Jung Yura with lots of candy.
In the process of resolving this diplomatically complex situation, I knew

the Blue Guild could gain more from the outcome than any other guild
would. Better relationships? New ones? Greater in luence? I didn’t get
why my fellow members were acting this way.
“I must apologize for stopping by this late. We also had some matters to
deal with from our side.”
“No, no, your presence here is already enough.” Lee Seolho laughed
pleasantly.
‘Enough? What do you mean, enough? Crazy old man.’

I didn’t like how we were faring in this exchange. There were polite
smiles all around and the easy dismissal of apologies. In such a
situation, I felt like I was the rude one, simply because I was the only
one who refused to join in the pleasantries.
Then the introductions began.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I failed to do this… I am Choi Eunhee from the Black
Swan Guild.”
“I am Lee Kiyoung. It’s nice to meet you.”
However, it seemed that Lee Seolho did not want to help me out. As if to
ignore my words, he turned to Choi Eunhee and spoke as if I was not
there at all.
“Oh no, no, why don’t we have some tea instead of all this awkward
hoo-ha?”
“Yes, Seolho. Shall we do that?”
They then began to strike up a conversation, leaving me fuming. This

old man was ruining all my plans!
‘Hah, and to think I even thought about giving you some mercy.’
It really was such a hassle when the trash in your own guild proved to
be more thick-faced than the guild you’ve been targeting. I knew Lee
Seolho was a pain in the ass, but not to this extent!
Realizing I needed to act quickly, I began to think of what to say.
However, it was Lee Jihye who spoke next.
“Tea would be nice. I think the both of you should do that. We still have
other things to discuss here.”
“Ah.”
Both Lee Seolho and Choi Eunhee gazed at Lee Jihye in surprise.
However, upon seeing Choi Eunhee nod at her words, almost trembling,
I knew Lee Jihye had more authority than I irst thought.
‘Hm, that’s interesting… ’
I didn’t know exactly how the Black Swan Guild’s system operated, but
it seemed that they had respect for those who held authority within
their group. I could appreciate that.
“Then will we do that? Seolho?”
“Y-Yes, I suppose…”
“We have separate matters to talk about, anyway. I think it would be

better to leave this work to the younger ones. First, I will show you the
gift I brought.”
“Huh, huh. Thank you so much for this, Eunhee Choi.”
‘He’s not just crazy, he’s also gullible.’
Their plan was quite obvious. They wanted to win the Blue Guild over
by bribing the corrupted ones with gifts. Choi Eunhee smiled and
nodded to Lee Jihye upon Seolho’s con irmation.
“Take care of Yura then, Jihye.”
“Yes, eunni.”
No matter which angle I tried to take, the two indeed resembled a close-
knit relationship. Pretty soon, the elder ones left the parlor, leaving me
alone with Lee Jihye and Jung Yura.
Although Lee Jihye herself was smiling, Jung Yura looked none too
pleased to be here. It seemed that she was struggling from just trying to
rein in her emotions. I could understand why,
She was also struggling with self-guilt; I knew it. Not only did she bring
shame to her guild, but she also single-handedly destroyed their
pleasant relationship with the Red Mercenaries. Now many adventurers
chose to boycott the Black Swans, leaving the guild with less than a few
opportunities to redeem themselves.
It was only natural that her position within the guild be brought down
due to her actions. Perhaps she was grateful she hadn’t been kicked out
at this point.
Even with these thoughts running in my head, the urge to smile was
still apparent.
Unsurprisingly, Lee Jihye took it upon herself to start the conversation.
“Aren’t you annoyed?”
“What?”
“The old man from earlier… It doesn’t take a lot of smarts to realize if
someone is useless or not, and that man looked as useless as they
would go.”
“Well, every guild has its own circumstances to focus on. I wasn’t even
expecting to see you.”
“It just happened out of the blue. I hadn’t been expecting it at all, yet I
suppose my guild also needs someone to deal with situations like these.
The executives also decided that I would be the best person to deal with
this situation.”
“I agree with them.”

“This is all thanks to you. After all, you inspired me to work harder to
secure my standing.”
“Thank you for such praise.”
“I’m not saying this for the sake of having something to say. In fact, I’ve
seen the advantages of being close to you, oppa. Knowing you, you’re
very well capable of designing situations such as this.”
I couldn’t read her expression properly, but I knew that she was just
trying to get me to admit to my doing in the end. Keeping my
expression nonchalant, I shrugged.
“Well. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Jung Yura, who was sitting next to Lee Jihye, looked very much
embarrassed. During this whole exchange, she shrunk down in her seat,
trying her best to look inconspicuous.
I, too, felt a little surprised. I would have expected Lee Jihye to include
her in the conversation right away, but the opposite was happening. It
actually felt like Jung Yura was being excluded from the conversation.
No… It felt like Lee Jihye was using this opportunity to watch Jung
Yura’s reaction.
‘Huh.’
I had to admit that the girl was de initely resourceful. Although she had
revealed her advantageous position at having some form of relationship
with me, Lee Jihye only seemed interested in having this advantage
serve her well, not for the guild’s sake.
“Anyway, it’s all been said and done. There’s nothing we can do but try
our best to ix the situation… But before that, how have you been all this
time? It’s been so long…”
I was no longer surprised when Lee Jihye hitched up her skirt ever-so-
subtly as she spoke.
I remained poker-faced.
“Oh, you’re so cruel. I thought for a moment that it would be good to

reminisce…”
“Don’t say such things, Jihye. You’re just trying to spin this situation
around.”
“Oh, oppa. If this girl wasn’t here right now, I know things would be
different.”
“It’s not because of that.”
“I think I can understand what you mean… Anyway! Before we get on

with the real story, I think an apology is in order. Jung Yura? It’s your
turn.” Upon saying this, Lee Jihye tapped Yura on the shoulder.
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting this kind of scenario at all. If I had

known, I would have brought Lee Jihye to my side as soon as possible.
At Lee Ji-hye’s urging, Jung Yura turned to look at me.
Of course, I knew she had no intention to apologize to me at all. In fact,

the woman was probably thinking about how unfair it was to have to
apologize when she did nothing wrong in the irst place. However, on
the other hand, she knew she had no choice.
Seeing her struggling within herself almost made me laugh.
It wasn’t what I wanted, but it’s not bad either.
“…Sorry.”
“Oh, Miss Yura… I think you have to apologize a little more sincerely, or
else my oppa will not accept that.”
“So… I’m sorry.”
“…”
A painful silence ensued afterwards.
Suddenly, Lee Jihye lunged forward and grabbed Jung Yura’s hair by the
handful, forcing her to look at me directly.
‘Huh.’
At this point, I couldn’t really igure out what was going on anymore.
After seeing Yura’s trembling expression, I began to wonder more about

Lee Jihye’s in luence within their guild.
“Yura, didn’t you hear what I just said?”
Jung Yura blinked several times at this, unsure as to how she could
respond.
“Please do it properly this time.”
Watching this spectacle almost made me laugh aloud. Seeing how Lee
Jihye treated Jung Yura, I caught a glimpse of how the entire guild must
be treating the woman now.
At the same time, I made a mental note to assess Lee Jihye more
carefully now. It appeared that every move she made was calculated,
yet for what reason, I did not know.
Perhaps she did it to show off her authority to the other person, but I
also knew it had something to do with showing preference to the
opposing side – my side.
It felt great seeing someone like me, someone who knew they had little
to no potential, yet managed to get by through wits alone.
Based on potentials, it wouldn’t be a hassle for Jung Yura to kill Lee

Jihye off. In fact, it would be as easy as stomping on an ant. However, the
fear on the other woman’s face was palpable, giving me the impression
that Lee Jihye’s position within the Black Swan was quite possibly
higher than my position within the Blue Guild.
“Please apologize as sincerely as you can.”
“…”
With a snap, Jung Yura was forced to look my way again. Watching her, I
felt no compassion at all. Rather, this scene felt a bit exhilarating to
witness. I wasn’t a pervert, but it felt nice to see one of my past
tormentors suffer to this extent.
Tears had already begun dripping from Jung Yura’s eyes. However, she
tried her best to remain composed.
When a moment had passed, and she still had not apologized, Lee Jihye
hauled the woman to her feet.
“I told you to apologize straight away. Yura.”
Whatever choice Jung Yura would make now didn’t matter. She would
receive humiliation either way.
“Do you understand me now? Apologize as sincerely as you can.”
“So…”
At the next moment, Lee Jihye sent Jung Yura sprawling onto the loor. It
was then that the woman broke.
“Sorry. Ugh… I’m really sorry. I was very thoughtless in my words and
actions… I’m so sorry.”
I felt a strange sort of pleasure at this scene. Here was a woman who
could easily kill me off if she wished to – and yet, she was on the loor
and apologizing to me.
As soon as she apologized, Lee Jihye turned to me.
“I have anything you want. If you don’t want me, then will this girl do?”
“No, I’m not interested in that.”
“Still… There must be something you want.”
“Hm… I think my shoes look a little dirty…”
At my words, Lee Jihye began to smile.
‘Ah, it’s such a waste not to have you on my team… ’
I couldn’t help but think this.

CHAPTER 72
AMBITIOUS MAN (1)
“Hm… I think my shoes look a little dirty…”
At my words, Jung Yura’s expression crumpled into an ugly, distorted

frown. However, seeing her trembling, I knew she would have no choice
but to concede to what I wanted.
‘Hmm… ’
This entire time, I could feel Lee Jihye’s heavy gaze set upon me. At this
point, I was more curious about how she had scored such a high
position within the Black Swans than I was curious about Jung Yura’s
wellbeing.
The girl in question spoke. “You seem to be curious about this

situation.”
“Sure, I am. Honestly, I’m surprised they let you treat her this way. Even
with the trouble she’s caused, she’s still quite powerful in her own
right. Are you sure there aren’t any risks in what you’re doing?”
“There is no risk at all, rest assured.”
I stopped talking then, only because I was busy assessing Yura’s status
with my ability.
[Check player Jung Yura’s status window and potential.]
[Name-Yura Jung]
[Title-The Worst Woman Ever]
[Age-29]
[Propensity-Calculating Strategist]
[Job-Assassination Thief-Rare Grade]
[Occupational Effect-Acquisition of basic dagger skills]
[Occupational Effect-Acquisition of basic trapping knowledge]
[Job Effect-Acquisition of basic assassination knowledge]
[The acquired knowledge is not available.]
[Capacity]
[Strength -41→05/Growth limit: Hero or higher]
[Agility-55→10/Growth limit: Hero or higher]
[Health -43 → 11 /Growth limit: Hero or less]
[Intellect -40 → 30 /Growth limit: Rare or less]
[Durability -20 → 05 /Growth limit: Rare or higher]
[Luck -23→10/Growth limit: Rare or less]
[Holy -43→09/Growth limit: Hero or higher]
[Overall Review-Her body is damaged due to external shock. Most of

her magic circuits were destroyed. Due to the damage to her muscle
ibers, her stats have decreased. It is not an exaggeration to say that her
life as an adventurer is over. She can be healed with divine healing
magic or with a saintly-class priest, but there is no assurance of such as
an event. Anyway, this is so very tragic. To lose a talent with great
potential, unlike Kiyoung Lee, is indeed a tragedy to behold.]
‘Huh… ’
Among everything I’ve read, her newly-assigned title caught my eye.
I had been expecting the creation of such a title, but I wasn’t expecting
her stats to decrease as a result. Upon seeing my curious expression,
Lee Jihye spoke up once again.
“Her body has been damaged in various places, you see.”
“…”
“She looks ine on the outside, but they say she’s going to struggle to
even live a normal life. The media’s so harsh that it’s a relief she isn’t
dead yet. Honestly, I’m the one who saved her life. The situation hasn’t
even been assessed properly yet, and this happens. That’s why the
higher-ups of our guild are angry.”
“I understand.”
“While we were still trying to understand what exactly had happened,

there were some other people who thought that now would be the right
time to show what would happen to people who they thought ‘abused’
their powers, and I guess they singled her out as a prime example.”
“Hmm…”
“There’re some more internal issues at hand, but since they’re guild
matters, I’m not authorized to tell you, no matter what position I hold.”
“Does that mean there’s a power struggle within the guild?” Even as I
asked, I already knew the answer.
As expected, Lee Jihye nodded.
I honestly thought the Black Swans were a cluttered mess, but I didn’t
expect for it to be this bad. There must have been a lot of power-hungry
people like Jung Yura in their midst. Perhaps this event wasn’t a bad
thing after all – it gave them a reason to start throwing out the trash
among them.
“The people who hold positions within our guild were all rotten to the
core, so it was only right to cut them off and replace the Guild Master.
I’m sure you think the same.”
“Well…”
“I’m not someone who speaks with no factual basis, you know. If
everything goes well, the guild will be re ined, and the guild master will
get replaced. And contrary to what you think, most of this has been
done peacefully.”
“Does that explain why you’ve been sent here? With this woman?”
“What really matters here is how our internal affairs are going, not
what will happen to Yura. Another important thing to take note of is
what the public thinks of this mess. You de initely made a bigger
spectacle this time, oppa.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“You seem to be worrying about me using this information against you.

Don’t worry, recording magic doesn’t exist. Anyway, I had to do what
was best for the guild, and that meant siding with a few insigni icant
members, or siding with you and the public.”
“And what’d you do?”
“I just wrote a few hundred reports after analyzing the current

situation, and the cause as to why the guild has been decaying. I also
took into account the direction in which the Black Swan should take to
move forward, the relationship between the Blue and Red Mercenaries,
and the possibility of Blue’s growth in the future. I also included what
kind of man you are, oppa. However, I don’t think I’ve expounded on
that clearly enough.”
“…”
“Anyway, my actions seemed a little too fresh for the higher-ups. Why
do you think we’ve suddenly come to visit, even when we know our
guild’s still in hot water after the recent press coverage?”
Ah, she really was crafty, this Lee Jihye.
In other words, she was saying she took the guild’s internal crisis as an
opportunity to unleash her skills and show them what she was capable
of.
“The fact report wasn’t perfect, that’s for sure. I’m not as talented as
you are, Kiyoung, and I didn’t have enough time. Anyway, in a situation
where no one wanted to step up and take responsibility, I igured it
would be the perfect opportunity to step up just this once and show
them what I could offer.”
“So what did you have in mind? Any changes?”
“Of course… Well, I think you’re more curious about the reason why.
Could we talk about this later? You’ll have to tell us the conditions you
want irst. We can compensate you as much as we can. In addition to
the of icial apology gift, we still have a lot to spare… Ah, I can give you
this woman, too, if you want her!”
“Huh, how sincere of you.”
“But of course!”
As I glanced back towards the said woman, I could see Jung Yura still
struggling helplessly on the loor. A slight smile broke onto my face as I
watched her. How despicable.
‘I know deep inside, she’s still going to want to recover.’
Of course, high-ranking priests or divine elixirs weren’t readily

available in these parts. There weren’t a few people who could really be
called high priests in the irst place, and the process of bringing them in
was a painfully expensive affair.
The same went for the elixirs, since alchemy wasn’t a popular class, and
the ingredients were rare.
In other words, the best shot Jung Yura had at this was by continuously
attacking dungeons and recovering her own strength, little by little.
As I reached out to brush away a few strands of her hair, I could see her
expression as she looked up. It was a mix of anger, resentment, worry,
and regret. It was such a messy expression, compared to my shoes,
which had now been wiped clean at my request.
“In fact, I didn’t think things would go so well…”
“…”
It was true, though – my interest had been piqued.
“I guess now you’ve realized, huh?”
“Y-Yes…”
“I’ve realized that you don’t really know what can happen to people
unless it actually happens.”
“…”
“It’s hard to understand, but I think it’s just the right type of retribution
for people like you. If you were given an opportunity again, you’d
probably go back to the way you were.”
“…”
“Don’t worry, that principle applies to me, too.”
“Ah…”
“However, it won’t happen the way you hope for it to. Unlike you, I’m
not a brat who only learns once she’s at the bottom.”
“…”
“In your case, you were just out of luck this time around. If you work
hard, you may be able to recover, so try to live with strength. And uh,
since you’ve stuck to your values ‘til the end. I think you deserve a little
reward. That’s what makes society beautiful, am I right?”
As I went through my pockets, Jung Yura’s expression crumpled even

further. I then took a handful of gold coins and dropped them all to the
loor. Blood dripped from Yura’s lips, as she had been biting at them too
intensely.
In addition to this. tears had also started running down the woman’s
cheeks.
“Shouldn’t we manage our expressions into something more itting?

Hm?”
“Yes, Yura. It’s a gift from oppa, after all.”
“…Thank you.”
Watching her pick up the gold from the loor in such a pitiful manner
made me smile. It was amusing as to how easily one could fall from her
pedestal.
I knew this was not the type of lesson-giving a morally-inept person

would choose to take, but I knew this was the only way to make Jung
Yura truly learn.
To beat the enemy, you must be willing to be as crafty as you can

without deserting your values.
This whole, messy situation wasn’t over just yet, but I was going to
severe my relationship with Jung Yura right at this moment.
“It was fun while it lasted. You can leave anytime you want.”
Perhaps Yura would never recover from this. I couldn’t see any large
guild wanting to invest in her, even in the far future.
As hope is great, so is despair.
One may think that there’s a rainbow after the rain, that there’s
pleasure after a bout of suffering, but the truth was – society didn’t
work that way.
Even if her suffering might end, that would still be ten, or twenty years
away. However, I knew that Jung Yura would continually lust for that
day.
‘It’s only human to, after all.’

What kind of life she would live after all the hate has died down, I
would never know. What I did know is that, wherever she might end up
with, in a slum or prostitute village, she would always remember…
‘She chose to ight the wrong enemy.’
As she slowly left the parlor, Lee Jihye began to speak once more.
“Are you satis ied now, oppa?”
“Hm, only by half. I hope you can tell me what it is you’re capable of
doing.”
“Sure. You will probably be satis ied.”

CHAPTER 73
AMBITIOUS MAN (2)
[TL NOTE: The MC’s title: Red Mercenary Queen’s Governor has been
changed to Red Mercenary Queen’s Gigolo]
“Ah! Can I start with our requirements irst?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“We would like you to make an of icial statement.”
“Elaborate further.”
“We just need you to say that you’ve received a sincere apology from
Jung Yura of the Black Swans, and that we’ve managed to resolve the
misunderstandings. You also have to mention that you have never been
physically threatened… I would be really grateful if you could say all of
that. Other than that, you can think of what to say on your own… Well, it
doesn’t matter what you say as long as it calms the situation down.”
“Hmm… No matter what I say, though, I don’t think it’ll be that easy.”
“Additionally, I would also like you to comment on the positive changes

within the Black Swan.”
“Using me as your publicity vehicle, now are you?”
“Of course we are. Many people have started to associate your name,
Lee Kiyoung, as a symbol of resistance… Maybe in a little while, you will
even get a title. I know there is an image you wish to maintain, so we
won’t ask you to add any more details. It’s almost like saying that you’ve
changed a large guild. You have won. Wouldn’t that sound nice?”
“Victory, huh…” Despite myself, I began to smile at the thought.
The only reason why the Black Swan had to reform in the irst place
was because various political issues had revealed themselves to be true.
Of course, the real spark that ignited the change would remain to be
unknown to me, but I highly doubted they would have strived for
change if an internal problem did not occur within the guild. These
thoughts simply made me laugh.
“It doesn’t matter what the truth is. What’s important is that you let
them know of your victory.”
“That’s why I laughed.”
“Well, we won’t do anything to endanger you, so rest assured we will

not harm your current position. We’re just asking for you to think of our
guild in return.”
“I understand. I’ll consider it.”
“Please remember our time back in the tutorial dungeon, yeah?”
An amused smile spread onto my face. I could care less about that.
“Is there another requirement?”
“Yes, although this one might be a little out of your authority… I would
like you to promote a Red Mercenary, Black Swan, and Blue alliance,
since we’re actually pursuing the possibility of this happening. I’d like
you to of icially announce this as well. It won’t be a bad story either,
don’t you think?”
“You mean you want to use this to expand your in luence within the
guild?”
“Yeah. Of course, you don’t have to announce this right away, for the
current situation is still cluttered. However, I would like you to hint at
the friendly atmosphere, that you’re maintaining an amicable
relationship with the Black Swans. That sort of thing will suf ice.”
“You seem to be asking for a lot. I hope you have enough rewards in
store for it.”
“Yes, of course. All items, materials, and goods obtained from the
Garden of Terror will go to you individually, not to the guild. Likewise,
the stakes and land documents of the dungeons that have been attacked
will go to you.”
“I don’t even want to think about what kind of reaction the public will
have about me getting all that.”
“Of icially, we will make it look like we donated these to you.”
“Ah, I understand.”
“The real contents that you will receive will not be made known to the
public.”
The fact that Lee Jihye had thought about this so thoroughly surprised
me greatly. If the public knew this, they would be outraged, saying we
used the power of the media for self-bene it.
“Anyway, even if they ind out, you have the power to rectify the
masses.”
She was right. Several from the media were already on my side. Even if
they did ind out, it wouldn’t be a big deal to ix the situation. As it was,
Lindel was on the side of Red and Blue now, and it was only natural for
the Black Swans to try and ind any means to ix this.
“There will also be de inite support given to Kiyoung’s party by our

guild.”
“Isn’t this already too generous?”
“Is it? I thought it was just adequate. If we want to impress or be on

good terms with somebody, we must be prepared for the sacri ice.”
“I wasn’t expecting this, honestly speaking.”
Although I wasn’t expecting it, I wasn’t surprised. Lee Jihye was

dependent on me, too. If my position rose, so would hers.
In other words, we had ourselves a win-win relationship. Though it

wasn’t a healthy relationship, I couldn’t say it wasn’t a bad one. There
were many things I could achieve through this.
“If you have anything else you want, tell us, and we will see if we can
offer it.”
“You can think about that on your own. There is always a limit as to
what a guild can offer and what direction it will take, so I’ll leave that in
your own hands.”
“That sounds like you’re trying to test us.”
“No. Honestly, I don’t understand why I’m doing this to this extent. Of
course, the behavior of the Black Swans still needs to be justi ied, but
this feels a little excessive. I’m not the only one who should be
compensated, right? The Red Mercenaries are also involved in this
matter.”
“It feels a little embarrassing to say this, but…”

“That’s why I’m curious. I know you’re too logical to rely on feelings of
the past. I wish you could just tell me what you really want.”
A silence ensued then. Lee Jihye’s expression remained unchanged.

There was no sign of embarrassment on her features.
She then started to speak calmly. Of course, her answer was just as
unexpected.
“Don’t you remember what I told you before?”
“What…?”
“I like ambitious men.”
“Don’t joke around.”
I gazed at her irmly upon saying this, but had to do a double-take.

Although Lee Jihye was smiling, she certainly didn’t look like she was
playing around.
“Do you think I’m joking?”
“…”
“Let me tell you an interesting story.”
Slowly, I nodded. I felt like it was only right to let her.
“Have you ever heard of anecdotes about the former US President

Clinton? It’s all ictional, but it’s still very interesting…”
“No, I have not.”
After a slight pause, Lee Jihye nodded and began to explain. “Bill Clinton
and Hillary Clinton once went to a gas station during the Clinton era of
presidency. News is that Hillary had a hot, steamy affair with someone
from that gas station.”
“That’s an interesting story.”
“As it turned out, the man at the gas station was Hillary’s ex-boyfriend…
On the way back, while having a conversation about him, Bill Clinton
was a bit spiteful. He said that if she had still been dating him, she
would have also been working at a gas station…”
“…”
“What do you think Hillary’s answer to those words was?”
“…”
“She told him, “No, that person would have been the President of the
United States, not you.”
I straightened. Now that was de initely an interesting story. I knew

what Lee Jihye meant with this, too. She was indirectly saying I could
achieve much more if she were to be by my side.
“Personally, I want to add one more prerequisite to that story.”
“And that is?”
“How much ambition does a man have?”
‘Huh?’
“A man is an animal that depends on the workings of a man, but a man

who doesn’t have the ambition to act isn’t very attractive, don’t you
think?”
“Do you understand my position right now?”

“Of course. You’re considered the Red Mercenary Queen’s gigolo. Are
you already satis ied with that? You’re also pampering with a bomb
known as Jung Hayan. However, the attractiveness of a woman is not
determined solely by her appearance or strength.”
“Ha…”
“Don’t get me wrong, oppa, I’m not desperate enough to drool after you.
I’m just saying I have what it takes to climb from the bottom of the
chain all the way to the top. If that’s a process that can ensure my
success, I’ll welcome it. I know that the ultimate choice is a woman like
me.”
“…”
“I am a woman who can turn any man into a king.”
‘Huh… ’
I felt so embarrassed that I couldn’t even speak. I knew Lee Jihye was
the Sel ish Ambition type, but I had never expected it to reach this
extent.
I was more surprised with her con idence than her declaration. In
terms of assessment, Lee Jihye’s abilities were certainly poor. The same
went for her talent.
Of course, Lee Jihye was unaware of her potential limit, but she was
probably already aware that she was somewhat below average.
Nevertheless, my female counterpart seemed to possess unwavering

con idence.
‘What… ’
I did not know when she had started to act like this, but if I was to make
a guess, I would say she had been planning to since the beginning. I
simply didn’t know how to react to her words.
As I pondered over her words, Lee Jihye had inched closer to me and
had now begun to stroke my hair.
“Why me, though?”
“Oh, now it’s time to make a reason up…”
“…”
“If you need a reason, I’ve never forgotten how you told me we’d see
each other again.”
Though she was unbearably close to me, I knew she knew better than to
try for a kiss.
“The story ends here. Please consider not only what you’ve offered in
terms of this situation, but also what we’ve discussed personally, oppa.”
“I’ll think about it, Jihye.”
I couldn’t help but don a slightly crumpled expression.
However, looking at the smile plastered on Lee Jihye’s face, I knew she
liked how our conversation had taken place.
It was when she got up and opened the door did the ominous feeling
start to blossom from within me.
The door swung open to reveal Jung Hayan, who apparently had been
waiting outside.
Unlike me, who felt surprised, Lee Jihye did not seem to exhibit any
form of shock or fear upon seeing the other woman there.
“It’s been a while, Miss Hayan.”
“Yeah… It’s been a long time…”
‘Fuck.’
“I heard you’ve been dating Kiyoung? Hyunsung and Deokgu are also
doing well, right?”
“Yes, they are.”
“Oh, congratulations! Seeing two people in love always makes me smile.

I think you will see me more often in the future… Please do take care of
Kiyoung.”
“Of course, I will.”
Jung Hayan sported an unreadable expression, but I knew she had not
heard what we had just talked about. The room we had been staying in
had magical barriers set in place for the sole purpose of warding off
eavesdroppers, after all.
However, due to the expression on Hayan’s face, I knew that Lee Jihye
must have made a gesture or expression of some sort that I couldn’t see
from my position all the way here.
‘Shit.’
As Jung Hayan began to look my way with an accusatory expression,

Lee Jihye simply shot me a smile and started walking away.
The world was indeed wide, with many women to choose from.
Nevertheless…
I could not, for the life of me, igure out why I had to get these two,
crazy women.
CHAPTER 74
REMINISCING THE PAST
It was not possible to know exactly why the war broke out in the past,
or, to be precise, in a future that had not yet occurred in this timeline.
At that time, I was far away from the center of the continent. Such an
event had not been part of my expectations.
There had also been various issues with the tutorial and even with
other ideologies associated with this world. In such cases, people
generally looked forward to the outcome rather than the reasons
behind such actions. Small con licts that had accumulated over the
years soon sparked a war that engulfed the entire continent.
Several groups began to turn on each other, forgoing their faith in their
own beliefs. Instead, they began to focus solely on undermining those
they deemed as enemies. Their malice bred more malice, their wrath
bred anger, and their attempts at exacting revenge bred hatred.
This was the war between the Earthlings and the Aboriginal people – a
battle between the newcomers and the natives.
Everyone immersed themselves in the war and did everything they

could to enslave or slaughter their enemies.
It was not dif icult to witness such con licts everywhere I went, but it
was like no one wanted to address the elephant in the room. I, too,
pretended not to know a thing about this. As a result, the distrust only
grew, and it was impossible to ind stable grounds to form treaties,
alliances, or to even come to an agreement.
Because of such events, the Archmage, who had been the envy of
everyone, eventually hung himself. Japanese shamans were
slaughtered. The Mercenary Queen had her life regularly threatened.
Those they called their family, even those who belonged in clans, lost
their lives.
Many of those who were called heroes were killed or destroyed.
The holy sword of the chosen warrior also lost its light.
As time passed and the coalitions eventually broke down, the irst part
of this meaningless war ended with countless casualties.
Karma had come for its debt. This was all humanity’s fault.
“A war is different from a battle.”
“What…”
“Honestly, I will admit that you are strong, to the point where I – nor
those who are beneath me – cannot defeat you. No matter how
annoying this is to admit, this fact is undeniable.”
“But… you are human…”
“Yes, I am human. I thought I would be unrecognizable because of the

mask… But I heard that the genius prosecutor who is praised by
everyone looks different, too. I heard that you are protected by magical
power, but the quality of that power in itself is not good.”
“It’s just a feeling. You look a little bit different from them.”
“It’s hard to tell if that is a praise or an insult.”
“Why did you choose to stand on their side?”

“It’s only rational for me to choose the side that’s more likely to
succeed.”
“Many humans have died because of this!”
“I know. However, the act of humans killing each other isn’t new. These
people want to maintain the population in a peaceful and standardized
place. They believe that this would be more bene icial in the long run.”
“You betrayed humanity.”
“Well, I obviously wasn’t the only one to do so. You know that.”
“Don’t you feel any remorse?”
“I do not know. My heart did ache when I had to kill a civilian, and it
de initely hurt when I had to kill that cute, little wizard who loved me
endlessly. Such an innocent girl’s life was wasted just for loving
someone she happened to meet by chance. I never even thought I’d end
my own life. Why did I have to do that? There were so many things I still
wanted to do. I guess I couldn’t take the guilt.”
“You…”
“It hurt even when I watched the Empire’s Queen kill the very people
she loved. However, it had to be done. It was necessary. My heart broke
even more when I saw the warrior who had to watch my loved one die.
He seemed to think you had betrayed him. Don’t get me wrong.”
“You… Who are you? Who are you talking about?”
“You don’t need to know that. I didn’t even think you’d react so
passionately. I guess it’s different for someone who doesn’t have
anything to do with these deaths.”
“…”
“You can’t keep insisting that you’re a good person, Kim Hyunsung.”
“You…”
“You hypocritical piece of shit.”
“I asked you who you are.”
“I told you, you didn’t need to know. Even if I tell you, you wouldn’t
remember anyway. What’s important now is for you to survive.”
“Kill.”
“Stop pretending to be noble, scum. You don’t have a choice. Of course, I

know it will be a little hard for you. So let’s do this, Kim Hyunsung. I’m
not a bad person either, so I’ll ind a way for you to ease your
conscience. Kill that motherfucker gasping next to you. Otherwise, your
beloved will die. Did you really think I didn’t know? How funny. You two
have done it, haven’t you?”
“You son of a bitch…”
“Let me say this again. You don’t have a choice. If you refuse, she’ll be
handed over to a bunch of inhumane perverts who would gladly spend
the rest of their days enjoying what she has to offer. You’d better make a
choice before my patience reaches its limit… And you know I keep my
promises. I’m a man of my word, unlike someone here…”
“…”
“Puh!”
“…”
“Look, eunni. I said I’d do it. Of course, I’m going to keep my promise.
I’m going to let him live, and I’m going to let the woman go. It’s a little
wasteful to kill her now. Anyway, you can’t die here. I’ll make sure to
talk to my superiors about it. I’ll be right back so we can continue our
little chat, my dear best friend.”
“…”
“…”
“Good job, Kim Hyunsung. I don’t really know what to say… So I guess
I’ll see you later.”
Quazzik!
“Ah!”
In an instant, my eyes had opened. My entire body was soaked in sweat.
Amidst my panting, I struggled to recognize the ceiling’s layout,

gradually doing my best to assess the rest of my surroundings.
‘I’m back… Or am I?’
It was a question I asked myself several times a day.
This was not the place I was in before – this was my room back in the
Blue Guild. I could see a sword hanging from one side of the room. A
similar-looking sword was also on the nearby table.
Judging from the minimalistic interior, I could attest that this was my
room. I could no longer smell blood from my body as I had in my dream.
Instead of the screams that had enveloped my senses, what I heard now
was the cheerful chirping of the birds, signaling the start of another day.
Instead of sensing dark and ominous magic, I could feel warm, cozy
sunlight pouring down from the crack in my window.
It had been a very long time since I last dreamt about the past.
I could still feel the unpleasant emotions coursing through me as I

plunged a knife into the chest of a dying colleague. Even the
atmosphere and the conversation that took place within the dream felt
very vivid to me.
It was no wonder I felt so dirty. My body had unknowingly illed itself

up with power and hardened its defenses. My breathing had quickened,
and my head hurt. A lot of thoughts swirled in my head as I tried to
calm myself down.
However, as memories from the past began to present themselves to

me, I couldn’t stop sweating, struggling to ind my balance.
“Hah… Hah…” I found myself holding my own trembling body.
‘It’s different now… ’
Of course, it was different now.
I had prevented any accidents from happening in the tutorial dungeon

and saved tons of people.
‘It’s different now… ’
I corrected my previous mistakes as much as possible. I had atoned for

my mistakes.
“This is different. This isn’t like before…”
I found Jung Hayan right from the start and got Kim Ye-ri to join the
team. Being able to kill Jung Jinho in the tutorial dungeon was a really
big achievement.
Of course, I still had to ind many people and had some more work to
do, but I felt as if I had been doing quite well so far.
It was different now. Simply saying that the current situation had
improved was not enough.
The world I was in now had indeed changed. However, it wasn’t from
my actions. Someone else was responsible for it.
‘Lee Kiyoung… ’
I had not noticed both Park Deokgu and Lee Kiyoung the irst time
around. They possessed the talent I didn’t know I was looking for.
Deokgu was someone who focused on his training with all his might,
and Kiyoung was responsible for managing every little detail of our
party. It was hard to believe that an alchemist could have so much
worth, but Lee Kiyoung’s true value surpassed what most people
expected him to have.
‘He’s a capable person.’
No, simply calling him capable was not enough. He was the type of
person who could perform miracles even when he acted as a passer-by
in most scenarios. He had the Blue Guild members play right into his
game and even managed to form an agreement with the Red Mercenary
Queen. In addition to this, he also succeeded in recruiting Sun Hee-
young, a remarkable talent, into the guild.
I felt like he contributed more to the party than I ever did.
That wasn’t even everything he had done for us.
He was also responsible for the alliance between the Black Swans and
the Red Mercenaries, an alliance that would have been unimaginable if
he hadn’t sparked the change.
‘The future itself has changed.’
I could say that it had changed for the better. The war that had
transpired in the past had killed so many talented people.
In the irst place, many non-combatant soldiers were caught up in a

power struggle between of icials, regardless of their will. It was only
natural for us to lay the groundwork for these people to grow now than
to have them suffer through all that again in this timeline.
I knew positive changes would come, but I hadn’t expected it to reach

this extent.
They called this the Butter ly Effect, where a single lap from a butter ly
could cause a typhoon to happen.
I could hardly believe it myself. The little friendships I had formed

slowly became responsible for transforming Lindel for the better.
Of course, I also knew that changing the future too much wasn’t a good
thing, but what could go wrong, right?
‘Anyway, I have to stock up.’
Now was the time for me to cultivate my strength and make sure I do
my job right. As I was thinking of all of these, a voice came from outside
my room.
“Oh, hyung.”
“Yes, Doekgu?”
“It’s time to eat breakfast. Everyone else is waiting.”
“Sorry, I overslept… I’ll be out soon.”

“When you go to sleep early and still wake up late, doesn’t that seem a
bit annoying?”
“I guess you can say that.”
“You had a dirty dream, didn’t you?”
“…”
“Oh, I’m only kidding. Everyone’s waiting, so come down quickly.”
“I will. Thank you for informing me.”
Although indescribable anxiety soared in the corner of the heart, I

knew I could change what would happen in this timeline. I wanted a life
illed with no regrets. I wanted to atone for all my wrongdoings.
‘It can be different.’
I could change the future.
That was the whole reason why I came back here.
“Forgive me for being late.”
“It’s alright, Hyunsung.”
“Then, let me explain the direction the party should take in the future.”
“Please, keep eating. I want everyone to be comfortable as I explain.”
“Thank you.”
“We need to focus on spec-ups, stats, and job changes.”

“You mean we have to get new jobs?”
“Yes, that’s right.”

CHAPTER 75
THE THIRD JOB (1)
This didn’t seem like a bad timing.
I felt like our party had reached a standstill, and now Kim Hyunsung
wanted to step things up.
It was not an exaggeration to say that a few external factors had been
the cause of our hindrance.
After all, Lee Jihye’s work alongside the Red Mercenary and Black Swan
Guild were in the inal stages.
‘You have won. It’s your victory. Lindel will be as peaceful as usual, and
safer than ever. Let’s do our best to resolve each problem that comes.’
It was broadcasted that I had accepted Jung Yura’s apology, but I knew
this would not be enough to calm the public down. However, this did
not mean that nothing had changed.
In the face of media agitation, the public cheered for their victory and
was satis ied with the results. They were delighted that one individual
dared to ight against the larger guilds’ oppression and came out
victorious.
Of course, this was a satisfactory result for me as well.
A few days after my presentation, the Black Swan pushed through with
the reorganization of their command system and began giving
donations to novice adventurers.
Though they had come from such criticism, no one judged their choice
of action. They were satis ied with how all the guild executives had
apologized in public. Until then, there were no such large guilds that
dared to lower their pride, so this response pleased the public.
If there was anything that hadn’t been resolved yet, it was Jung Hayan’s
reaction upon seeing Lee Jihye.
Although she did not actively express how she felt, I knew her anxiety
had gone up. This manifested itself in the form of hovering around me
all the time to ease her worries.
Simply put, she had clung to me more tightly than ever.
‘This isn’t good at all.’
I was not happy with this change in Hayan’s behavior.
She would always ask me, “Where are you going, oppa?” or “When are
you coming back?”
Her questions themselves didn’t bother me. However, I knew this new
type of obsession would slowly but surely work against me.
Jung Hayan must have felt like a connection had formed between Lee
Jihye and me on that particular day. Lee Jihye must have riled her up on
purpose by pretending to be unaware of the tension between her and
me.
If the system itself recognized Lee Jihye as my soulmate, then Jung

Hayan was bound to notice as well.
At this point, she felt warier of Lee Jihye than she was of Cha Hee-ra, the
Mercenary Queen who had brought up the pretense of being my lover.
I knew I had to control Jung Hayan sometime soon. At this rate, I’d be
hindered by her silly emotions forever.
Anyway, now was the best time for us to focus on our growth. There
were no more external factors hindering us, except for the old lunatics
still hanging around within the Blue Guild.
We had already formed a good alliance with two powerful guilds, had
gained dungeon and hunting experience, and the public was on our
side.
Simply put, we were ready to start growing.
“You might already know, but there are two prerequisites for changing
jobs. One is to accumulate experience points by hunting and to repeat
certain actions speci ic to a job, and the same goes for raising stats. You
know that using magic power will increase your energy, and using
muscle power will increase your strength.”
“Of course.”
“Since the last dungeon trip, it was crucial for us to take a break, but
now I feel like we should start training once more. It would be ideal if
everyone here grows up to at least Sun Hee-young’s level now. No, we
should have the same specs as the people we had gone on the
expedition with. At least it’s time for us to earn a beginner’s title.”
“I see.”
“At least three or four job advancements and 60 key stats. That’s all I
ask of you all.”
This was going to be quite a problem. I knew Kim Hyunsung’s remarks

were aimed at little Kim Ye-ri and me. I knew Kim Hyunsung would
have noticed that I lacked potential.
Jung Hayan’s magical power had already exceeded the 40s, and Kim
Hyunsung himself was already on the level of 50s. There was no need
even to mention Sun Hee-young’s stats. Even Park Deokgu had slowly
grown from his experiences in the dungeon.
In short, the only problems within the party were Kim Ye-ri and me.
‘Hmm.’
Of course, Kim Ye-ri would be stronger, what with her legendary growth
potential stats. Narrowing it down, it seemed that the only trouble
within the party would be me.
Of course, it didn’t mean I was set to be entirely useless. My job as an

alchemist was something that made up for my meager magical abilities,
and it suited me to some extent.
However, it was unreasonable to classify it as a combat occupation.
I did not regret choosing to take the path of alchemy, but I had to admit
that there were times when I wished I could have taken Warlock
instead. Sure, there would be a limited growth cap, but I would at least
be stronger than I was now.
“Hngg…”
“It would be ideal if all of you could align your skills with your third job
within a month.”
“That’s easier said than done. I don’t know how exactly to get a job, but
even training to raise stats is a slow process. There may be some
differences if we go hunting, but…”
“Perhaps there might.”
“How…”
“We’ll start with hunting. I’m not going to leave the city until we’ve
completed what I’ve told you all to do.”
“Oh…”
“There will be ive people going on the expedition. Everyone except

Kiyoung will be going.”
“What are you talking about, hyung…?”
At this, I had stiffened. To me, it sounded as if I was being forced to get

off the Hyunsung bus, which had proved to be a comfortable ride for me
this entire time.
“Well, you can’t do that.”
Arrogant thoughts had begun to swirl in my head. Was he trying to turn

me into a non-combat soldier? Or was he trying to push me off the main
party?
This felt like a stupid idea.
Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan looked even more surprised than I did.
Even Sun Hee-young didn’t look happy.
Perhaps this was Kim Hyunsung’s way of ensuring that my in luence

within the party wouldn’t continue to expand, but seeing his cool
expression, I knew this wasn’t the case. Knowing Kim Hyun-sung’s
personality, he wouldn’t do something like this.
I was also a valuable party member and had proven myself countless
times.
Upon seeing the question plastered on my face, Kim Hyunsung nodded.
“They’ve been very reliant on you.”

“Ah…?”
“Both Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan have grown up in a very

comfortable environment. The same is true of Hee-young, who is not
used to hunting. Of course, I am not ignoring everyone’s hard work, but
all of you have been relying on the psychological stability that Lee
Kiyoung’s presence brings.”
“Psychological stability?”
I understood what Kim Hyunsung was talking about. It made a lot of

sense.
“To put it simply, Kiyoung’s presence is preventing your growth. It’s

embarrassing to admit it, but I’m convinced that my existence is also
having an adverse effect. Unlike Kiyoung, I will have to join this
expedition with you guys, but I’m not going to involve myself too much.
I thought it would be better if there were only four people, with the
exception of Kiyoung and I, to get through the situation.”
‘Ah, I overestimated this too much… ’
What had been troubling me this entire time proved to give way to a
completely different interpretation from what I originally thought.
It wasn’t that I was not growing up to standards – it was that I was

impeding everyone’s growth.
I wondered if Kim Hyunsung was overestimating me, but it was true

that Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu depended on me a lot. However, I
never would have thought they would become so dependent to the
point that they would stop growing.
“Kiyoung doesn’t look convinced.”
“To be honest, I’m not. Hayan and Deokgu…”

“You contribute more to the party than you’re aware of, Kiyoung. I don’t
know if others have noticed it, but I have. To put it simply, an expedition
without you would result in a fantastic failure for the party.”
“How can that be…? How am I to spend a month without all of you…?”
“We are not children, hyung. Of course, I admit that Kiyoung is great,
but…”
“I am speaking as the leader of this party. Kiyoung will not be

participating, and that’s inal. And though I will be joining you, only the
four of you will be responsible for hunting and attacking.”
Kim Hyunsung had an unreadable expression on his face, but I couldn’t

help but nod.
‘He has a point.’
Although I felt a little puzzled, I knew that Kim Hyunsung had made the
right choice in deciding which direction of growth the party should
take.
My party members might not understand, but both Deokgu and Hayan
needed to learn what to do without waiting for my say-so.
It was hard to believe that I would be separated from them for a month,
but I also couldn’t ind it in me to refute Kim Hyunsung’s decision.
“What…”
“Well, I agree with Hyunsung. If that helps in your growth direction, I

think it would be a good idea to do just that.”
After all, the problem wasn’t me; it was them.

I knew that if I got off the bus, my party members would act like lost
children. They needed to learn how to act on their own now instead of
facing that problem later on.
However, if they grew stronger to the point that I would not be able to
catch up, this would be a large problem.
‘That should not happen.’
If I had been excluded, then there must be a consolation reward in store

for someone such as I who harbored such horrible stats.
I needed to ind a way to increase my stats as well as get me a new job.
It was a far-off theory, but perhaps I could squeeze a reward out of this
sudden exclusion.
“In the meantime, I…”
However, upon seeing Kim Hyunsung look my way with an expression

illed with trust, I knew I had just been hoping.
“The same is true of Kiyoung. You just need to focus on increasing your
stats and changing your job for the whole month.”
“Ah… Yeah.”
“I advise you to start as quickly as possible. Of course, please do not

help Kiyoung in this process. Everyone else should focus on their
departure. Please do not worry about this, and just focus on your own
growth.”
“Okay…”
This man was giving me so much trust. I didn’t know what I had done to
earn it, but I didn’t know how I should feel about it, either.
“Thank you for understanding. I believe in you, Lee Kiyoung.”
‘Do not believe in me too much, you bastard… ’
It took all of my willpower not to give him this reply.

CHAPTER 76
THE THIRD JOB (2)
It was, of course, a good thing to earn the trust of my leader. However, I

was not too fond of this particular type of trust.
I didn’t know how to evaluate myself, but if I were to describe it, I

would be a child who still needed Kim Hyunsung’s warm love and
attention, especially when it came to growth.
I did not need to ask why I needed to raise my abilities and get another
job, for I understood the urgency, but I was not too fond of this
overestimation.
‘At least doubt me a little, you bastard… ’
Although I had painted the image of being ine on my own, I didn’t

particularly appreciate being put in this kind of situation. At the same
time, I knew what Kim Hyunsung was thinking.
‘This expedition will most likely end in failure.’
This was because my fellow party members were indeed highly

dependent on the psychological stability my presence offered.
“If oppa is not going, then I’m not going to go, either. I will never want
to go.”
“…”
The problem was Jung Hayan. As the expedition date fast approached,
she would come up with all sorts of excuses to try and be excluded from
the expedition as well.
On the irst day since our discussion, Kim Hyunsung immediately

moved to achieve the goals he had cooked up for the whole party.
He thought that if he managed to change his job or achieved desirable

stats during the few days of preparing for the expedition, he would not
have to leave the expedition. Of course, there was still the matter of
Jung Hayan not wanting to take part, but he would have to ind another
solution for that.
‘Of course.’
Achieving legendary status would be an impossible feat to achieve in a

very short time. Every member had shown astonishing growth in such
short periods, but it was apparent that we would not reach our target
this time around.
Jung Hayan, on the other hand, began to exhibit behavior similar to

someone who was anticipating death.
During the preparation time, she eventually went through the ive
stages: denial, anger, compromise, depression, and, eventually,
acceptance.
It didn’t take too long for her to undergo the irst step. She began to
deny the fact that she would have to leave me for a month. In her mind,
what Kim Hyunsung said was probably a joke.
On the other hand, Park Deokgu and Sun Hee-young began to set their
minds toward the upcoming expedition, packing everything they would
need for the hunt. It was then that Jung Hayan was forced to face reality.
Anger came soon enough.

‘…’
She had begun to hate Kim Hyunsung, who was responsible for the
sudden expedition schedule. I felt worried for a while, but it didn’t seem
like her anger would give her any intention to kill him. Somewhere
from deep within, she still regarded Kim Hyunsung with respect.
In short, Jung Hayan spent this stage screaming in her room and
exhibiting a neurotic expression. She did not forget to let out her pent-
up anger to Kim Ye-ri, either, seeing as the child was the weakest target
among the party aside from me. I knew she was only doing it to try and
ind an excuse to be excluded from the expedition.
She tried to ind faults with the kid and took every opportunity she
could ind to criticize. In short, Jung Hayan was being Jung Hayan.
It got to the point where she approached Park Deokgu to talk behind
Kim Ye-ri’s back. Considering Jung Hayan’s personality, this didn’t feel
right at all.
When she entered the next stage – compromise – there were a lot of
talks.
She tried to give various suggestions, appearing to be possessed.
“I can really work hard. I can increase my stats just as well without
having to go on this expedition. So please…”
That was one.
“How about we all go together for a week? That will work better.”
That was another.
“I think oppa should come, but he should just watch over us, just like
Hyunsung.”
However, I knew her suggestions wouldn’t be accepted. Whether she
liked it or not, she had to go through this expedition without me, and I
had to stay back and work independently. I, too, acknowledged the need
for the lack of my presence for this expedition, and so I stayed quiet.
Sun Hee-young and Park Deokgu reacted in the same manner, but that
was less dramatic to an extent. There was no incentive for a formal
protest to occur, but this proved to be quite the trigger for Park Deokgu.
It was just a guess, but I thought that Park Deokgu was also in the
compromise stage. It came to the point where they would approach me
at random intervals.
Then the most dif icult stage came – depression.
She noticeably began to lose weight and often spent the night in tears.
She also often said her physical situation was chipping away and that
she wouldn’t join the expedition because of it.
‘I really hate it… ’
Slowly, the periods where she would mutter to herself shortened. This
stage proved to be tiring not only for Jung Hayan but also for me.
I tired myself out, trying my best to calm her down.
Of course, I tried to soothe her with the end-of-expedition rewards she

would be receiving and the welcoming I would give her once she got
back, but the fact that she would be away from me for a month was
enough to dull those comforts.
I knew Jung Hayan appreciated my efforts to comfort her, but it only

made her feel more depressed. The sweeter our time was together, the
more bitter our time apart would be.
The last step eventually came – but it did not come with consent.
Since I had observed her go through all the steps, I expected her to
undergo acceptance as well eventually, but it seemed like this was not
the case.
Simply put, she was forced to accept this reality. No matter how much
she cried, the plan was set in motion and could not be stopped. This
was the decision of the party as a whole, and it was also mine. Jung
Hayan had no choice but to follow.
If a month-long separation already garnered such intense reactions, I

did not want to think about the possibility of being separated for a year.
Apart from meeting me and developing strange tendencies, she was not
accustomed to separation. Being someone who lived alone for a long
time after being abandoned by my family, I did not mind the change as
much as she did.
Apart from Jung Hayan’s dramatic schemes, however, everyone else did
their part to prepare for the expedition’s day. However, I couldn’t say
that they had prepared very well.
I didn’t understand why Jung Hayan couldn’t seem to control her

mentality well, but it also seemed like Park Deokgu had been acting a
bit strange.
Sun Hee-young had initially felt stressed, but she had soon begun to
think of the expedition and had done her best to prepare for it. I did not
know what Kim Ye-ri was thinking, on the other hand.
Meanwhile, upon watching everyone try to prepare for the expedition

in their way, I did not feel all that anxious about being separated from
the party.
‘It doesn’t seem all that bad, considering.’

Of course, something strange felt off about Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan,
and Sun Hee-young, since none of them were familiar with the
expedition.
I knew the stress would be doubled at having a little kid tagging

alongside them on the trip, but I didn’t think it would be this much. It
seemed that even Kim Hyunsung gradually lost his authoritative hand
after our irst discussion.
“Are you really going to go on the expedition in that state?”
“Yeah. It’s sad, but this is necessary. I know even you have noticed how
dependent they have been on you.”
“Yeah, I have…”
“They’ll soon realize it once we of icially start the expedition.”
“…”
“They haven’t felt it as you have been with them this entire time.
However, they will soon know what I was talking about during the hunt.
If you and I could always be with them, there’d be no problem, but…”
I could understand what Kim Hyunsung was talking about.
It wasn’t just that we were inexperienced when it came to hunting. Kim

Hyunsung also knew that there was a problem with the party’s
command system itself.
If he and I were there, it would be ine, but the problem was that our
party had no backbone. The team would always look to us for guidance,
and that in itself impeded their growth. It didn’t matter who among the
three – Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, or Sun Hee-young – would take the
initiative, but they needed to take the irst step in deciding their
direction for growth.
Even achieving that would be enough.
To put it simply, this expedition would be a test for them to determine

the next best option for our party.
‘Will it work?’
Honestly, I felt a little skeptical. It wasn’t just the issue of not having
them with me, either. It felt like a month was not enough to pack and
prepare all the consumables needed for such a trip.
All that Kim Ye-ri chose to carry were her bow and arrows.
Jung Hayan, on the other hand, was so preoccupied with the thought of
not seeing me that most of what she packed were things that would
remind her of me.
‘This… ’
Many guilds and groups who had invested in our party would surely
retract their offers right away if they saw how my team members were
acting now.
“Still though… You should prepare all the basic essentials.”
“I have the basics prepared. These are things that Deokgu and Hee-
young have managed to pack. I am anxious as well, but this is necessary.
It is essential that they recognize the difference in this expedition.”
“I see.”
“Then, we should get going.”
“Yes…”
As Hyunsung and I headed out, I caught sight of the rest of our party
members, who were all waiting for us to arrive.
Although Kim Hyunsung was carrying a large bag of his own, he already
knew that all of this could quite possibly be for naught. I couldn’t help
but sigh as I caught sight of Park Deokgu lugging about all the things he
thought would be necessary for the expedition.
Upon seeing me, my fellow party members began to express their

sentiments.
“Don’t worry too much, hyung. We won’t even take a month!”
I doubted that. I honestly thought it would take double the time to

accomplish their goals.
“Please take care of everything while I’m gone, Mr. Kiyoung. I feel bad
that I won’t be able to volunteer for the duration of this trip.”
I expected to hear that from Hee-young.
“Oppa… Oppa…”
I wasn’t surprised when Jung Hayan rushed towards me and hugged me

with tears in her eyes.
“You should be careful in the meantime, and…”
“Don’t worry about me, Hayan.”
I was more worried about her.
Perhaps I was worried that she might meet someone else who she
would deem worthy of her affections, but right now, all that could be
focused on was the pain of being separated.
Upon Kim Hyunsung’s command, for everyone to start, I began to push
Jung Hayan away. However, I never expected her to fall.
It seemed like she was doing her best to garner enough strength even
just to stay standing. I couldn’t ind it in me to continue gazing at a face
illed with snot and tears.
“I will be back soon.”
“Please do not worry.”
‘Good luck.’
This expedition would surely not be a comfortable bus trip for everyone
involved. I knew that Kim Hyunsung had his work cut out for him.
‘Perhaps it was a good thing that we didn’t go together.’
Only half of me believed in this thought.

CHAPTER 77
THE THIRD JOB (3)
The usually-crowded second loor of the Guild House was now

strangely quiet, and I couldn’t quite get used to the feeling.
‘It isn’t a bad thing, though… ’
Even though my fellow party members had just left a few hours ago, I
never imagined that I would feel this way. Of course, I felt lonely, but
this was a natural reaction that came from a sudden change in
environment.
Honestly speaking, I felt a little happy. It was undeniable that there

were some strange discomforts that came with having my fellow
members around.
My personal time was always cut very short because of Jung Hayan’s
ever-present badgering, Park Deokgu’s surprise visits, and Sun Hee-
young’s constant requests to volunteer. At that point, I was rather
grateful Kim Ye-ri didn’t talk much. If she did, then I would most likely
have zero percent privacy.
I’d have to do all the basic chores myself for the time being, but it also
felt like a vacation at the same time.
‘However, the fact that we are on a time crunch still presents a different
type of urgency.’
In order to get the third job and stats that Kim Hyunsung desired, I
would have to start moving quickly. I didn’t know what it would take to
spark my growth, but I at least had a few ideas.
In fact, I found it hard to believe that I was in a hard situation.
I had hero-grade alchemy equipment, numerous catalysts and

materials, and my eventual growth was already con irmed.
My intelligence stats were no problem at all, but my problem now lay in

raising all my other stats – which was a feat that seemed impossible to
do.
This was why my third job was important.
I hadn’t thought about going for a combat-type job for my next one, but
it seemed that following a party’s growth with a job that solely
depended on intelligence would be a hard thing to do.
As we continued to grow, I had to think of other ways to expand my

horizons. There had to be answers to my current problems. I had to ind
a way to get a combat-type job without losing my identity as an
alchemist.
‘First of all, Homunculus… ’
In fact, this would also lead me to other opportunities. Being able to

deal with a creature I could treat as my pet without having to consume
magic would be very advantageous at this point.
In fact, Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy dealt with

Homunculus in great depth.
[Homunculus means an arti icially created creature that does not need
a mother’s womb. Since each school has different interpretations on the
subject, I will at least de ine Homunculus as a unique creation.
Of course, it doesn’t mean that it is like the chimera. Unlike the chimera
that creates something out of Yu, the concept of Homunculus that our
alchemist deals with is the concept of creating something out of
nothing.]
Simply put, homunculus was the creation of arti icial life.
Of course, one wouldn’t know what it looked like, or how to create one.
Even Tucker’s book contained nothing but theories on the subject.
Although the chimera was explained comparatively in detail, chimera, a

concept that manipulated genes, and Homunculus, a creature that was
created, had distinct properties.
Perhaps for Tucker, Homunculus was an uncharted territory.
No, if he had actually managed to create new life, then he wouldn’t have
been talking about the possibility of it in the irst place. Perhaps one
could think of the concept as something divine.
‘The second option is to create a potion… ’
If one were to ask me if I would start relying on potions to master my

combat ability, I would shake my head. This was just, after all, another
of my theories.
‘Can you put magic in potions?’
The principle of magic in this continent could be brie ly explained. One

simply had to build the Tower of Magic and cast a spell that would bring
it into reality. The completed spell would stay within the user’s arm or
mind, and only the user would be able to trigger it.
Was it possible to put a Spell of Staying within a potion or a speci ic

item, not on your body?
This was, after all, just an experiment. I knew some items could contain
magic. However, this kind of item would not be a man-made item; it
would already be a inished product.
In fact, some magicians have used enchantment magic on select items,

but the effects proved to be lacking and severely inef icient. This study
had stopped because the cost was greater than the result.
If an alchemist can use alchemy magic to contain disposable magic with

such tenacity, then he or she would certainly achieve a very good
commercial result as well.
‘The third is going for the chimera option… ’
Making a pet by manipulating cells or genes was highly possible. In fact,

I was thinking that this would be the simplest way. In this world,
monsters were an object of high interest.
To put it simply, it was supposedly quite easy to manufacture a chimera.
Some monsters had very similar genes, and even if they underwent
experiments and had their genes manipulated, they could still come out
alive.
However, this job would not be made possible with an alchemist’s

magic, but by a warlock’s.
The problem with this plan was that I would not be able to control a
chimera using my own magic.
Of course, I could ind a creature that has barely grown yet and try to
cultivate it, but in the end, I couldn’t guarantee that this would be a
successful venture.
I didn’t want to get eaten up by my very own chimera.

‘In addition… ’
There were many directions I could take. However, I had to remember

that this was a matter of survival for me.
Although the risks were high, I’d also thought about experimenting on
my own body, and I’ve also actually thought of ways to make the Sage’s
Stone. However, I didn’t think these would work well.
It was time to postpone all my other activities and actually ind a way to
spark my growth.
Of course, not all of this could be done in a short time. I didn’t want to
end up wasting time with failed experiments. I had to move as
ef iciently as possible.
‘Perhaps I should get help… ’
It was not a bad idea. It was common sense to research or seek help if
there were questions that you couldn’t answer on your own.
Magic and Alchemy were two different branches, but they all came from
the same roots. It was the same for the other jobs.
At this rate, it would be best if I could seek help from an experienced

magic-user.
‘Wouldn’t the Magic Guild be the best option?’
I felt like they could become faithful workers in my lab if they were
really interested in the Sage’s Stone.
Eventually, I felt myself entering the restaurant with crowded thoughts.
“Are you eating alone today?”

“Ah.”
Upon hearing someone address me, I turned and saw a woman who
looked a little younger than I.
“Ah! I guess this is the irst time we’ve talked. I’m Hwang Jeong-yeon,
I’m in charge of the second party of the Blue Guild.”
“Ah, it’s nice to meet you! I am…”
“I know. You are Alchemist Lee Kiyoung of the seventh party. Am I

right?”
“Yeah.”
“How was your visit to the Garden of Terror?”
It felt like a random question, but I eventually realized why she had
asked.
‘She’s one of the discoverers.’
After discovering the dungeon itself, Hwang Jeong-yeon was probably

one of the people who chose to hand it to us instead.
“Thank you very much for the opportunity. Thanks to you, I had a great
experience.”
“As I’ve heard, you’re very quick to notice things.”
“Haha, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Of course, it’s a compliment. Actually, I feel a little apologetic. It would

have been nice if you’d had a purely good experience. I have a friend
from the Black Swans who wants to apologize to you.”
“Ah! No… I have already received an apology from them, and everything
has gone well. I also recognized my own shortcomings in the process.”
“Ah, that soothes me. It’s my irst time talking to someone from the
seventh party, and it’s been great so far.” As Hwang Jeong-yeon spoke,
her tense expression relaxed. She looked better this way.
Her facial features looked a little young, but it somehow reminded me

of the old times.
“In fact, I’ve been looking forward to getting to talk to you all, but it
seemed like you’ve all been very busy.”
“Ah, I see.”
“We were waiting for the day when we could all have our reunion, but
everything has been hectic since you guys came back. The guild has
been preoccupied as a whole.”
“Ah, I heard about that. You entered a hero-grade dungeon.”
“Yes. It seems that you’ve encountered more troubles than us, though.”
“Hmm…”
Hwang Jeong-yeon looked like a wizard to me. Perhaps being on the

same job type alerted me of this. Considering the fact that I was talking
to the quiet successor and owner of the dungeon we had gone on, a new
set of possibilities opened themselves up to me.
I didn’t even have to check her stat window. I knew she was a very
competent wizard.
She did not bother covering up her magical abilities, and there was
cleverness in her eyes. Her relaxed personality probably came from her
con idence in terms of magical combat.
‘Hm… This could be useful… ’
At this point, I felt like I didn’t even need to ask help from the Magic
Guild anymore. I was sure Hwang Jeong-yeon wouldn’t mind if I asked
her a few questions.
“It’s embarrassing to admit this, but I’ve been feeling very disoriented
lately.”
“Oh, I understand. We’ve all been there.”
“There are so many options to choose from, but I don’t know which
direction to take…”
“I get you. It happens to everyone, most especially for you, Mr. Kiyoung.”
“Hm?”
“You’re worrying about the Mercenary Queen and Jung Hayan, right?
One is your lover from Earth, and the other is living here with us. It’s
hard to choose, isn’t it?”
“Ah…”
“In fact, it may be dif icult to surpass the modern ethics of monogamy,
but choosing both might be the best option for you.”
“…”
My expression shifted into one of embarrassment. We were obviously

thinking of different things. Upon seeing this, Hwang Jeong-yeon
laughed and stopped.
“Ah. That wasn’t what you meant, was it?”
“Yes…”
“Oh, I’m so sorry! You had such a serious expression on her face that I
thought…”
“…”
She lashed me an embarrassed expression. Something didn’t feel right.
I think I’ve felt something similar somewhere else.
‘It seems like… ’
They gave me different impressions and even looked completely

different. However, the face I was imagining was a pig with a face like a
bandit, and the woman in front of me very much looked like your
typical modern woman.
For some reason, however, this Hwang Jeong-yeon reminded me of Park

Deokgu.
‘They look alike in a sense.’
It ominously felt like something bad would happen if I got myself

involved in this.
While I was wondering what I could say, she spoke again.
“Look at me going off like that. I’m so sorry. I’ve been watching you guys
for so long that I couldn’t help but ramble about it.”
“Ah… I see, I see…”
“I know the two of you are close. Whenever I see Jung Hayan and Lee
Kiyoung together, I often ind myself smiling without knowing it. I think
Jung Hayan really likes Mr. Kiyoung. I guess that’s why you’re wearing
that type of magic.”
“What magic?”
“Location-tracking magic. I don’t know if I should be here with you right

now. I don’t want Miss Hayan thinking of the wrong thing…”
“What?”
“You don’t have to act so shy. You let her cast the magic on you, didn’t
you? I ind that so romantic.”
“…”
“…Oh, you didn’t know about it, didn’t you…?”
“…”
“Ah… can you pretend not to have heard what I said?”
I found myself stunned with this new piece of information.

CHAPTER 78
THE THIRD JOB (4)
I found myself stunned by this new piece of information.
It felt so ridiculous that I couldn’t even begin to respond. I didn’t even

need to clear my mind – the perpetrator was obvious in terms of
personality and recent behavior.
‘Jung Hayan.’
This was Jung Hayan’s doing.
Several guilds and clans came to mind, but I knew none of them had a
valid reason to do this. There were also the three crazy women hanging
around me that could be considered suspects.
However, it was dif icult for someone like Cha Hee-ra to hire a wizard
and cast a spell on me. I also knew Lee Jihye neither had the time nor
ability to cast this magic type on me. I would have noticed if she had
beforehand.
The suspect must have been someone who cast the spell while I was
asleep in my room.
Of course, this could only mean Jung Hayan.
Thinking about her watching me sleep made goosebumps form all over
my body.
Before entering the Guild House, Jung Hayan came here every night to
do various things, but when I thought about it, I had never woken up in
the middle of the night after entering the Guild House.
‘When did it start?’
I didn’t know exactly when, but…
It felt strange to think that Jung Hayan was involved in this.
However, when I thought about all those times that I had not woken in
my sleep ever since we started staying at the Guild House, the answer
came to me.
‘It can’t be a coincidence.’
Whenever I walked into my room with the intent to sleep, I must have
been so immersed in my thoughts that I thought receiving headaches
daily was normal.
Of course, this was only speculation, but if this was true, then Jung
Hayan probably received some pre-sex education before we even
arrived here.
‘Huh… ’
After trying to sort through my embarrassed, befuddled mind, I looked

back up to see Hwang Jeong-yeon looking at me as if she had just
committed a big mistake. If I were her, I would have reacted in the same
manner as well. It was like she had just blatantly told someone they
were being watched by their signi icant other.
I didn’t know how my relationship with Jung Hayan must have looked
to them, but I felt like I should have noticed this sooner.
I opened my mouth to speak once more. I felt like I deserved a better
explanation.
“Can you elaborate it for a bit?”
“Yes…?”
It is of utmost importance to know the exact situation. That way, I could

be careful, too.
“So… That…”
“I would like you to tell me the exact details.”
“Well, that…”
Her hesitation made me feel even more anxious.
This was because I was worried that this spell might have hidden
functions. I hadn’t heard of eavesdropping magic within the continent
before, but I wouldn’t be surprised to ind out that Jung Hayan was
capable of producing new magic on her own. If so, how much would she
have heard?
“Can I be honest with you, then?”
“Go ahead. I just felt a little surprised. I mean, I should have expected
this to some extent… Anyway, I don’t really care.”
“If you say so, then I should let you know. Miss Hayan really surprised
me.”
“Yeah. She tends to be a little too jealous at times. Perhaps that’s what
drove her to do this.”
“Oh my God, it’s probably because of all the rumors with the Red
Mercenary Queen. If so, then I can understand why she would do this.”
“…”
“Somehow, she managed to hide the presence of her spell really well.”
“Really?”
“The average person won’t even notice it, so I’m not surprised that you
haven’t. The same goes for most wizards. They’re not particularly
sensitive to magic like me, or it simply feels so systematic and
complicated that they wouldn’t notice it at all. If I didn’t have over 80
magic stats, I wouldn’t have noticed it as well. The magical power is also
very faint, and above all, it was designed to melt into Mr. Kiyoung’s
unique magic power.”
“Ah…”
“Honestly, it’s all so interesting to me as well. I didn’t think that magic

could be used in this manner, but the rumors did say Miss Hayan was a
genius. Anyway, you said you were an alchemist?”
“Yes, I am.”
“My class is a little different from hers, but I can still tell you what kind
of magic she used. The order itself stems from basic magic.”
“Ah…”
“The irst enchantment, as I mentioned, is the location tracking magic.

As the name suggests, it’s a type of magic designed to help you identify
where your target is. This is not really a big deal, but the second magic
seems a bit interesting to me.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a kind of magic similar to creating a safety zone within a dungeon.
It would be comfortable to think of it as a magic that sends a signal
when a creature enters a certain radius. On average, the radius is about
50cm… In simple terms, it would be right to explain that it is a magic
that sends a signal to the caster when a speci ic someone approaches
Kiyoung over a certain area. Of course, we have no idea as to who it is,
but…”
“Yeah.”
“Usually, to cast this kind of magic, a part of the subject’s body or a

catalyst such as blood is needed… Do you really not know this?”
“What would happen if it was done without a catalyst?”
“It’s impossible to use this kind of magic without a catalyst. This magic
is dif icult to ind because it has transformed into a form similar to the
kind of magic that Kiyoung has. In this way, the presence of a catalyst is
essential. If not, the activation of the spell would be impossible to
trigger.”
“Yes, I remember this.”
‘Ah, I knew it… ’
“So, a strand of hair would do? Or nails?”
“No. If one were to use these, they would need a bunch of them.”
Of course, I don’t remember allowing Jung Hayan to amass an

abundance of my hair.
However, I knew what she must have used – the tooth I had lost back in
the dungeon.
It felt ridiculous for me to remember that fact. At that time, I never
imagined she would use it like this.
When I thought about it on a deeper scale, I remembered Jung Hayan

appearing during my talk with Lee Jihye. The spell must have alerted
her as the other woman was inside the trigger radius.
‘That’s why… ’
That was the whole reason why Jung Hayan had started at Lee Jihye so
murderously. No wonder I felt so worried about seeing her in that
manner.
Meanwhile, Hwang Jeong-yeon was still staring at me with a worried

expression of her own – similar to how a mother would look when
watching her favorite drama shows.
“Does this type of magic include being able to listen in on

conversations, or seeing what the person is currently doing?”
“Well, since there are two types of enchantments present, it’s quite
tricky to be able to tell. It’s hard to believe that a newcomer has
managed to create this type of magic. Of course, it was possible because
the consumption of magical power used was low. This is enough to
ensure a new type of thesis for magic academia!”
‘The title of that particular paper should be How to Stalk Your Boyfriend.’
Ah…”
“I think I can disarm the spell… what do you want me to do?”
“No, no, I’ll be ine for now.”
“Oh, you must be enjoying the restraint. It seems a little weird to me,
but it’s romantic all the same.”
‘Romantic, my ass.’
This was very shocking news, but I was grateful I was able to remain
calm.
I already knew Jung Hayan was obsessed with me, but not to this
extent. However, I knew that I could handle her perfectly well, so this
exchange didn’t surprise me as much as it should’ve.
Of course, that didn’t mean it didn’t creep me out!
At this, I wondered if there were other devices hidden in my room.
“Would you please go up to my room with me if you’re available?”
“Y-Yes?” The look Hwang Jeong-yeon shot me made me feel more

embarrassed. I realized just how suggestive my offer sounded.
“Well, thank you for the suggestion, but I’m afraid I’m not interested in
that sort of thing… don’t get me wrong, you are attractive and all, but…”
“I didn’t mean it in that manner.”
“Ah.”
“I would like you to see if there’s any other magic residing within my
room.”
“Ah, I see!”
Once again, I was able to notice that she smelled a lot like Park Deokgu.
“Then let’s go up together! I was curious about your workshop since it

apparently costs a lot. Today’s my lucky day!”
“Yes, the same is true for me.”

If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have known about the presence of this
type of magic.
As soon as I got up from my seat, I noticed Hwang Jeong-yeon’s

expression once more. It was like she wasn’t even taking this seriously.
She seemed to regard us as a drama set.
As we made our way up to the second loor, I could feel my steps getting
heavier for some reason. However, this was completely necessary.
“So this is the place used by the 7th generation people. I heard it’s very
good.”
“Actually, I haven’t seen other people’s accommodations, so I can’t say

the same.”
Hwang Jeong-yan stopped momentarily in front of Park Deokgu’s room.

It was subtle, but I had caught it all the same.
‘Oh, no… ’
A horrible scenario emerged from my brain at this. Shaking my head, I

coaxed her in the direction of my room, not wanting to think about it.
I opened the door with a casual expression. My place was minimalistic

as a whole, with various books and equipment on my desk. Admittedly,
my room looked messier than I would have liked, but there was nothing
I could do about it for now.
“It’s a really neat room.”
“A-Ah…”
“Oh, my goodness. You seem to have more books than me…”
“Oh, I gave up reading these halfway through.”

“It’s still good to study… Oh, I got distracted. You wanted me to check if
there’s any other magic present within the room?”
“Wait.”
Hwang Jeong-yeon then began to look around the room with magic-
infused eyes. I didn’t think I’d be so determined to ind out about any
magic spells. I knew I should not have underestimated Jung Hayan’s
power.
After a while, Hwang Jeong-yeon’s expression began to change very

subtly. Whatever she found, she seemed to ind it very interesting, as
she was trying her best to hold back her smile.
My anxiety peaked at this expression. Eventually, she spoke again.
“There is.”
“Yeah?”
“I can see it on the wall and on the bed.”
‘…”
CHAPTER 79
THE THIRD JOB (5)
“I can see it on the wall and on the bed.”
“…”
“Can I start with the wall irst?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Miss Hayan is using the room next door, am I right?”
“Yes, but…”
“She seems to be a little sneaky.”
I began to understand what she must have seen. Since the tutorial’s
beginning, I’ve already seen Jung Hayan create walls with her illusion
magic.
However, it felt embarrassing to realize that I had not noticed her

change an entire wall.
Leaning forward, I placed my hand on the wall and was surprised that it
was still solid from my touch.
‘Didn’t she change it?’
I looked towards Hwang Jeong-yeon in confusion. Upon seeing this, she

began to explain.
“Only a small hole has been changed, not the entire wall.”
“Oh?”
“If you put your inger in here, you’ll understand what I mean.”
As she beckoned at a particular spot in the wall, I followed her lead and
poked my inger through. Embarrassingly enough, it pierced through to
the other side.
It was absurd for me not to notice something like this up until now.
“How can I not know…”
“It was created with weak magic power, and since this room itself is
already surrounded by magical power, it’s understandable for you not
to have noticed. I don’t think Mr. Kiyoung is that sensitive to magical
power… Most of all, this hole seems to have just been recently made.”
“Ah, you can tell?”
“Yeah. It looks like it’s been here for less than a month… I don’t know
why Miss Hayan dared to do something like this, but… I can guess why.”
“Ah… Yeah.” I tried not to pay heed to Jeong-yeon’s suggestive

expression.
Of course, I don’t remember doing anything speci ic in this room, but I

felt uncomfortable as I realized that Jung Hayan had probably seen all of
me already.
At times, I even dared to lay on my bed naked. I’m sure everyone would
understand.
‘She would only do this because of me.’

I hadn’t expected her to go this far, but it was the one responsible for
leading her on, anyway. I had to tolerate all the mishaps that would
emerge from it.
Perhaps I should ind it fortunate that I had discovered this right away.
Who knew what else she might ind out through this gimmick of hers?
“In fact, what’s really amazing is this bed.”
“Huh? What about it?”
“It is no exaggeration to say that this is a new revolution in magical

science.”
“Ah…”
Seeing her impressed look at someone else’s work made me feel bitter
for some reason.
After a few moments of waiting for her to speak, Hwang Jeong-yeon

began to explain.
“It’s a fatigue recovery type magic.”
“I see.”
“It’s not just that. In addition to checking Kiyoung’s condition, there are
also various kinds of magic present, so many that I cannot explain all of
them. From invigorating magic, to magic that boosts vitality… There’s
also magic that speeds up brain rotation and blood circulation. In
addition to this, there is also a built-in protection-type magic that can
protect Mr. Kiyoung when something bad happens. If a large magic falls
upon this Guild House, Mr. Kiyoung will probably be unscathed. If you
had slept in this bed, you would have stayed in a deep sleep. I don’t
think you ever felt tired after waking up the next day. Am I right?”
“Yeah… I think so. I’ve always woken up feeling refreshed.”
“By the way, if you slept in a bed like this, it would be natural for your
fatigue to go away. I ind that so romantic of her…”
Indeed, I felt my heart warming up to Hayan. I thought there would be

some magic, sure, but I didn’t know it would be this kind.
What was embarrassing here was the type of magic Jung Hayan had
chosen to cast.
“Then, are you saying that the bed itself has magic? That’s…”
“Yeah. It would be impossible, right? I mean, even if it was, it would be

inef icient. Putting magic into objects is something that many people
have given up on doing.”
“Yes. Most of those would just be commercialized products. I have

personally conducted research about it.”
“That’s why I said this is revolutionary. If the concealment technology of

the location tracking magic on Kiyoung is of a thesis level, the magic on
this bed has the potential to shake the magic academia and create a
new school. A newbie has done what others who have been here for
years couldn’t… I personally feel a little intimidated.”
“…”
“Of course, there are no restrictions.”
I didn’t know what to say. No matter how talented Jung Hayan was, she
could not have done all this so perfectly.
“This magic only works on you, Mr. Kiyoung.”
“I understand.”
“Yeah. I think that this magic also made use of catalysts. Using a part of
Kiyoung’s body as a catalyst, the magic was compressed to the point
where the effect is only activated on the individual. The ef iciency
would be very poor if everyone could activate it. This means that it is a
bed exclusively for Kiyoung.”
“I see. Even so…”
“To put it simply, the magic activates because your genetics and the
genetic makeup of the catalyst match.”
Her explanation made sense to me.
“However, one has to charge it.”
“Oh?”
“At least once a month, the person who memorized the spell has to put
in the magic again. Seeing that this type of magic has been here up until
now, it must mean that Miss Hayan has been able to come here for some
steamy visits… Ho ho ho…”
“…”
“There is also another thing.”
“Tell me, please.”
“Like I said, this type of magic uses catalysts. Hmm. Could you please
turn the mat over? Or there must be a secret space somewhere…”
“Of course, of course.”
If what she said was true, the device should be somewhere within the
bed. Not long after, I could see something white stuck inside the
mattress.
“Huh. That’s Kiyoung’s teeth, right?”
“Yeah. Probably so.”
“Would you believe me if I told you that Kiyoung’s information stored in

that catalyst is the one responsible for keeping the magic?”
“This is de initely something similar…”
“Ah, so you’re knowledgeable on the topic?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m an expert.”
‘This method is certainly similar to alchemy.’
The only thing I was sure of was that this wasn’t a simple type of magic.
Using magic on a speci ic type of catalyst to ensure that it would only be

triggered if the right target was present was on a complex level all by
itself.
‘Huh… ’
I realized this approach perfectly matched the direction in which I

wanted to grow. The idea of mixing different magic with catalysts was
just the same as using one’s genetic makeup.
Homunculus research, chimera research, and even magic potion

research. This was the best approach I could use.
‘This is great… ’
Of course, my method would be different. Unlike Jung Hayan, I would

have to approach this with my alchemy magic.
As a user of catalysts and genetically modi ied formulations, I had more
knowledge than she did.
In other words, the method would be the same, but how I was going to
study all this would be done differently.
I would have even thought that Jung Hayan had prepared all this in
advance.
‘This works.’
I was sure of this now. Here was a result that would have taken me
countless failed experiments to achieve. It would be unnatural not to
get excited.
“You must be happy, too. Oh my God.”
“Ah… Yes. Honestly, I do feel happy.”
“Ah, but there’s also another amazing feature hidden within this bed.”
“Oh? There’s another one?”
“Yeah. There’s a magic called Reverse.”
“Ah.”
“There’s a built-in debuff that removes all granted buffs.”
“…”
“Except for Kiyoung, it’s probably triggered when you are close to the
bed or lying down. Of course, in the case of others, the effect is not so
great because the catalyst doesn’t match with the target, but it can still
cast a curse. If I sat down, I would have been affected a great deal. It
means that if any other woman lay on this bed, she would receive a
curse that would lead to her death.”
“So, that’s why you asked me to lift the bed.”
“Yes, so basically, it’s Miss Hayan’s way of saying you shouldn’t bring
other women to your bed. That’s so romantic!”
I did not ind this romantic at all. Rather, I found it a little scary.
“Is there anything else?”
“No, this is all I can ind. If Kiyoung says he is doing research in earnest,
the results may be different, but I’m sure that there’s very little
information about this sort of magic. Jung Hayan looks like a cute little
wizard, but she’s actually more capable than one would think.”
“Thank you.”
Rather than focusing on the bad aspects of this newfound information, I

felt grateful to Jung Hayan for showing me which way I should take for
my growth. Who knew I would ind the answer in my room?
Of course, it didn’t mean that I would ignore everything she had done,
but my training took precedence over everything else.
As I looked over my bed once more, the tooth stuck in the corner began
to look more lovable than creepy.
‘Wait… ’
It had been a while, but a question began to arise in my head.
“I wonder…”
“Yeah?”
“If my position as of this moment is being transmitted to Jung Hayan,
does this mean that she also has some part of my body?”
“Yes.”
‘What… ’
What other parts of me did Jung Hayan have?
My hair remained the same, and I didn’t remember her ever drawing
blood. No, Jung Hayan could not have hurt my body before that.
In the case of normal monsters, the parts used as catalysts were very
diverse.
It was not only hair and teeth bundles but also blood and eyeballs that
could be used. The heart worked best, and even bones and organs
would come a long way.
In the case of certain monsters, saliva and the liquid generated by the
body for males were also effective, but it was dif icult to guess what the
hell Jung Hayan had taken.
I tried not to think about it too much.
‘Surely… Surely she didn’t… ’
I was curious about what kind of catalyst she would have taken from
me, but there was no way of actually knowing. Still, though, my anxiety
went through the roof.
‘It couldn’t be… ’

CHAPTER 80
THE THIRD JOB (6)
What was important at this point was inding out what Jung Hayan had
taken from me, not what she had used the catalyst for.
I knew I had to set some boundaries between us eventually, but there

was nothing I could do at this moment in time. Jung Hayan was still
growing up, after all.
I knew that if Jung Hayan became a wizard powerful enough to wipe

out the entire continent according to Kim Hyunsung’s predictions, then
the unthinkable might happen.
This peephole would become an entire wall, and this bed could be
made to curse everyone it touches. That wasn’t everything, even. She
might also be responsible for the creation of recording magic. Other
things came to mind.
‘Mental control?’
She could develop a mind-control spell that would manipulate my mind

little by little, or maybe use a powerful enchantment spell particularly
made for me. She could even ind a way to become invisible in order to
stay by my side the entire time.
Of course, I was still convinced that Jung Hayan wouldn’t do all these
things since she still held the title of Pure Advocate, but then again…
this was the same girl who had cut off Park Hye-young’s limbs.
‘One wrong move… ’

I needed to be careful whenever Jung Hayan was around and when she
wasn’t.
Thanks to Hwang Jeong-yeon’s ability, I was able to ind this out while it
was still in the early stages. I would have to make an insurance plan, but
I had to focus on something else for now.
“This is incredible.”
“You think?”
“I didn’t think you would use the whole second loor as a workshop.”
“Ah…”
I knew what Hwang Jeong-yeon was talking about. As a wizard, it

wasn’t hard for her to feel impressed. By connecting my room and the
alchemy workshop through the gap between the empty guild room, my
workspace was wide as a result.
I also knew what had caught her eye was not the workshop’s setup but
the items found within.
‘After all, I had gotten a lot from the Black Swan.’
Even for an experienced adventurer such as she, it would still be hard to

earn so many rewards such as these.
“To be precise, it’s so that my workshop and room are connected. It was
a little uncomfortable to go back and forth… The best textbooks to
study are already here, so it’s less time-consuming this way.”
“No, no, everything looks great to me.”
“They were all gifts. Oh, do you not have a second job?”
“It’s my break time right now. Am I interrupting anything?”
“No. I’m just grateful for your help.”
“Well, there’s nothing else for me to do… as a wizard, I’m surprisingly

not that curious. Of course, I don’t plan on snatching Mr. Kiyoung’s or
Miss Hayan’s research for myself, either!”
“Don’t worry, I know that.”
I made sure to assess her once more with my ability, wanting to

memorize her stats.
[Check player Hwang Jeong-yeon’s status window and talent level]
[Name- Jeong-yeon Hwang]
[Title- Daily Drama Lover]
[Age- 34]
[Propensity-an optimist who is noisy]
[Job-Magician-Heroic Grade]
[Job Effect-Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]
[Job Effect-Acquisition of Basic Magical Knowledge]
[Job Effect-Intermediate Magical Knowledge Acquisition]
[Capacity]
[Strength -30/Growth Limit: Rare or higher]

[Agility -40/Growth Limit: Rare or higher]
[Health-32/Growth Limit: Rare or less]
[Intellect-90/Growth Limit: Heroic or higher]
[Durability-32/Growth Limit: Rare or less]
[Luck -54/Growth Limit: Rare or higher]
[Holy -80 /Growth Limit: Heroic or less]
[Talent- Sensitive Body- Rare-grade]
[Talent- Super Memory- Rare-grade]
[Overall Review -The growth of her magic power is almost reaching its
limit. It is not an exaggeration to say that the path to the top wizard is
almost closed for her, but it seems that she is hiding her shortcomings
with high intelligence stats. It would be right to think that it is a case
where one can rise to the upper level because of the good compatibility
with the characteristics and the job. If the magical talent was not less
than a heroic-grade, but more than a heroic-grade, the situation would
have changed a little. It can be said that this player is similar to Kiyoung
Lee, but please don’t think of her as a comrade. The player Lee Kiyoung
has no magical talent compared to this person.]
‘Cocksucker.’
I certainly didn’t like the overall review, but I liked her abilities and
growth.
Of course, comparing myself to her was a bit extreme, but she also
similarly relied on her intelligence whenever she lacked in other stats.
It wasn’t only Jung Hayan’s magic that helped me today – even her stats
made me learn something.
‘Her characteristics are also good.’
The characteristic of having a Sensitive Body caught my eye, but not in

the sexual sense. This was a characteristic that was heavily in luenced
by the magic power of the surrounding environment.
However, what interested me more was her talent – Super Memory.
[Talent-Super Memory- Rare-grade]
[Gives you near-perfect memory.]
Since it was only of the rare grade, her memory wouldn’t be labeled as
perfect yet, but I knew having an ability just like hers would be
bene icial for reading people’s stats.
It didn’t seem so impossible to develop the skill for myself.
I placed my attention back on Hwang Jeong-yeon as she spoke again.
“Can I read it?”
“The book you have put together.”
“Of course. I wanted to consult someone about it, anyway.”
“No, no. I won’t give you anything but my personal opinion. Anyway,
you’re more of an expert at this than I am. This is all uncharted territory
for me.”
“Even if you possess the intelligence of a senior wizard?”

“Yeah.”
“Hm…”
“Ah. Come to think of it, Kiyoung probably doesn’t know much about
intellect. You probably don’t have time to study your stats.”
“That’s true.”
“Hmm… Has Kiyoung ever wondered about his intelligence stats?”
“Of course I have. Unlike muscle strength, stamina, and magic power,
there are areas that are hard to measure, such as luck stats or
intelligence stats. In fact, even though my intelligence stats are rising, it
is dif icult to feel exactly what is changing.”
“I mean, you already know a lot.”
“Honestly, it is dif icult to notice if something has changed.”
“I’m not sure either, but I’m sure Kiyoung is right. Just because your
intelligence goes up doesn’t make you a genius. I feel like there’s no big
change in the basic thinking skills of an individual. Knowledge doesn’t
come so suddenly.”
“So, the reason for the existence of these stats is unclear? Is it the same
for people whose intelligence stats have reached their 70s or 80s?”
“Yeah. To give you an extreme example, someone with an intellect in

their 90s may not be able to do something as basic as memorizing
multiplication tables.”
“That’s too extreme.”
“Yeah. It’s a really extreme story. However, it simply means that one’s
intelligence stat has nothing to do with the intelligence that that
individual really has.”
“Is it all about increasing your understanding of magical power or

alchemy?”
If that was all there was to it; then my stats could very well be a
disappointment. On the other hand, I couldn’t say they were completely
useless, either.
“Of course, it’s not just that.”
“Hmm.”
“I can’t ind the words to properly explain it, but I’m sure its use will be
a little clearer if your intelligence reaches over 80.”
Now, this was a topic I was interested in.
“Most people with intelligence over 90 tend to develop something else

other than their brains. Most of the wizards around me and those with
their Intellect over 90 in Lindel had the knowledge to be called
extraordinary.”
“Ha.”
“There were some people who said that their creativity or

understanding of tactics had changed remarkably. In my case, my
memorization skills have gone up beyond comparison.”
“I see.”
“Since I was very young, I heard a lot of people saying that I had a good
memory, but the moment I reached 90, I felt like my brain was getting
better in ways that I could not understand. Of course, there wasn’t
much change in other parts. I think it’s just a conjecture of ourselves,
but I also think it has the effect of maximizing the ef iciency of the part
where our brain is most developed.”
“That… That is actually very interesting.”
“Among the traits I have, the trait called Super Memory is the trait I’ve
obtained after my intellect exceeded 90. Mr. Kiyoung may also get
something once he reaches that point. Since you are good at dating, will
you progress into marriage? Ho ho ho…”
“Ah, I’m sorry…”
Hearing this sounded very pleasing to me. I thought my stats were

hopeless as they were, but I didn’t think that the one stat I had on high
potential would give me an extraordinarily new ability.
If Hwang Jeong-yeon was right, then I felt excited about what I could
get.
‘What could it be?’
Since Hwang Jeong-yeon mentioned her ability had stemmed from what
people had said about her, I tried my best to remember what other
people had told me in the past.
‘Huh, that guy with the hair is pretty badass.’
‘Huh, the kid is also clever.’
That was what people used to describe me. It felt ridiculous imagining a
scenario where I gained an ability for better hair management.
However, even that would be better than developing an ability that

pertained to romance, like what Hwang Jeong-yeon had said.
‘What would I use that for?’

“Does that mean everyone who exceeds 90 in Intellect will get their
own characteristic?”
“It’s not guaranteed for everyone, but I’m sure you’ll be able to receive
an additional trait. It’s just not well known in the system.”
“Thank you for teaching me so many things.”
“No, no. You were bound to learn about it anyway. I’m just saying that
even geniuses can lack familiar knowledge. Whoo. Have you felt like
you’ve made progress?”
“I’m still at the toddler level. I’m still trying to understand how all this
works, after all.”
“You’ve just started out. If there is anything I can help you with, please
tell me.”
“I see no reason to refuse that offer.”
However, I knew I would not be able to receive such help for free.
“I don’t know what I can do to repay you, but if there’s anything, please
do inform me.”
“Ah. I’m not looking for any repayment…”
“You don’t have to specify it.”
“Well, then…”
“Is there anything I can do?”
Looking at Hwang Jeong-yeon’s expression, I knew there was indeed

something she had in mind. She tried to explain that it was natural to
help me because we came from the same guild, that we had met by
chance, but I knew she had approached me with a motive in mind.
As I silently began to hope that her request wouldn’t be too hard to do,
she began to speak.
“Perhaps…”
“Would you please introduce me to Park Deokgu once they come back?”
I blinked. Out of all the hard requests I was expecting her to come up
with…
‘Is Park Deokgu really a love doctor?’

CHAPTER 81
THE THIRD JOB (7)
“…”
“It would be nice if you could ful ill my request just this once. I didn’t
really mean to ask this of you, but since you insisted…”
It certainly didn’t seem like I had misheard her request.
I didn’t want to get involved in any romantic ventures that could

happen between the two. However, I felt like it was only natural for me
to wonder why she wanted this.
“Since when…?”
“Never mind when… It’s because Park Deokgu hasn’t left my mind…”
Was it because they had similar characteristics?
“I encountered him in the restaurant once. He looked at me so

indifferently, but those eyes… I’ve been thinking about him ever since.”
‘Oh, my God.’
It felt a little embarrassing to witness this side of Hwang Jeong-yeon.

However, she did mention being into bigger guys, so I guess that was to
be expected.
Objectively, Hwang Jeong-yeon was a very pretty girl. She had a

soothing atmosphere that could make a person feel relaxed just by
being in her presence. She had her hair tied to one side that went past
her shoulders, complete with a thin, little smile. I felt like there was
something different about her. At the same time, I couldn’t believe it
only took Park Deokgu ten seconds to capture this woman’s heart.
Meanwhile, it had taken me quite some time to get Jung Hayan to

develop feelings for me. It felt a little embarrassing to admit this, but I
knew I had to accept it at one point.
“I’ll be sure to ind a way.”
“Ah… I think he’s a really good person, and is someone I could come to
trust. I think we’d be a good it, don’t you think? If you could help me
out…”
“…”
“Ah, but I’d be eager to help you out in exchange! I won’t interfere with
your research!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep my word. However, you have a lot of work to do.”
“Thank you, and of course!”
With that, I had gotten myself a competent assistant.
It didn’t matter whether Park Deokgu and Hwang Jeong-yeon became

lovers or not, but I thought there was a good chance that they would be.
I knew Park Deokgu would react accordingly if I praised her in front of
him since he trusted me completely.
Bearing this in mind, I concluded that the price was reasonable. In any
case, I wouldn’t lose anything trying to play matchmaker. If they got
together, then Park Deokgu would probably stop hanging around my
workshop, and I would be able to do my research in peace.
“Then let’s get started, doctor.”
“Let’s do that, assistant.”
With that, we set right to work.
Very little time had passed since then.
“Did you ind anything of use?”
“Not yet. But it doesn’t mean I won’t, soon enough.”
I wasn’t trying to create anything that could be called revolutionary.

After all, I was using Jung Hayan’s method and reconstructing it to it
my style.
I needed this to increase my stats and to ind me my new job. I had

managed to increase my stats at the beginning of our research, but the
progress slowed down once we reached the second half. Like before,
the ef iciency of stat increase by using the catalyst had begun to
dwindle.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Like what I said last time, I’ve been trying to see if alchemy can also
compress and maintain the magic within a catalyst, and if there’s any
way to harness genetic information with this type of magic.”
“Ah, I see…”
“Your hunch about the construction and design of the spell seems
correct. However, that means it’ll be hard achieving the same result
through alchemy. Jung Hayan really is a genius…”
However, the things I at irst found nonsensical soon began to make

sense.
I now knew why Jung Hayan was called a genius. Her ideas could
branch into new theories. The magic power stored within her preferred
catalyst was so huge that its effects could open up a new branch of
study under magical academia.
‘The spell is very unique.’
Her method of arranging the magic power, the order in which she built
the Tower of Magic, and her execution were all done in a sophisticated
manner.
Unlike Hwang Jeong-yeon, whose intellect enhanced her memory, Jung

Hayan’s intellect was naturally predisposed for innovativeness and
enhancement of magic.
‘She’s a genius.’
Now I knew why Kim Hyunsung seemed so obsessed with Jung Hayan.
With this thought in mind, I continued my research.
My struggle in inding an answer made me undergo sleepless nights,

and there were times where I even dared to skip meals. Hwang Jeong-
yeon also did the same. Though she did not help much in other aspects,
her presence was enough to explain the aspects I had been struggling
in.
Though my progress went slowly, it felt pleasing to know that I was

getting somewhere.
By the time my intelligence stat had exceeded the 50s, I had begun to
understand just how the mechanism of increasing intelligence worked.
The irst was the acquisition or understanding of new knowledge. The
second was deep meditation. Sharpening one’s imagination, indulging
in experiments, reevaluating theories, and continually reading books –
all of these helped build one’s intellect.
Just as Park Deokgu continually underwent weight training to build his

strength, I continually fed myself with the knowledge to increase my
intellect.
“It’s been a while since I cleaned your room, Kiyoung.”
“Oh, please do not clean up near me. There are tons of data that I’ve not
organized yet.”
“Of course. Why don’t you get some more sleep?”
“No, I don’t want to cut off my progress.”
Of course, Hwang Jeong-yeon had a point. Both my room and

workspace had begun to look like a dump. All the data I had organized
had begun to pile up once more, leaving little space to move.
Seeing educational materials scattered all over my bed must have

looked like an interesting scene, but it didn’t mean that it was fun in
actuality. Studying continuously was boring.
Even though a door of opportunity had presented itself to me, there

was no guarantee that it would open for me, and that alone increased
my anxiety. However, I had no choice but to carry on.
Even at this moment, I knew my fellow party members were doing their
best to progress. I had to catch up before I got left too far behind.
At the same time, I knew Kim Hyunsung wouldn’t abandon me even if

that happened. This was my own doing. It was natural for me to get left
behind if I didn’t exert the needed effort to improve. And in a way, Kim
Hyunsung had steered me in the right direction – I didn’t want just to
be a simple asset.
For the time being, I was forced to stick to my plan.
“Hey, Mr. Kiyoung. How do you make use of your magic?”
“Ah. Different people have different ways of casting spells. In my case, I

build up the Tower of Magic. Jung Hayan does it similarly, except hers is
like a rotating watchtower. It’s like gathering all the needed parts and
building something out of them.”
“I understand what you’re saying.”
“It’s actually more complicated than others. I don’t know much of

anything else, so I think the most dif icult part is inding genetics that
match.”
“Simply interpreting the order already seems complicated… It would be

stressful to have to convert to making use of a magic circle.”
“It’s really just a simple operation… All you have to do is make use of
your time wisely.”
It might seem like a simple conjuring of a circle on the surface, but

there was a difference. I knew I would get fruitful results with my
research soon, but I was already getting impatient.
One month had passed, but Kim Hyunsung and the others had not yet
returned.
‘They must be suffering… ’
Perhaps the consumables they had taken with them proved to be

insuf icient for the trip. Knowing their condition before they left, I knew
they’d have a hard time sorting their mess.
Jung Hayan would have spent every night with tears, and Kim Ye-ri,
without Kim Hyunsung’s constant commands, would be shooting
arrows in the wrong direction. Park Deokgu might even revert to being
a coward again.
On the other hand, Sun Hee-young would move normally, but as she
would be burdened with leading the party, the whole team would feel at
a loss. I felt a little better, knowing I wasn’t the only one having a hard
time.
A little more time passed.
At this point, I had slowly begun understanding Jung Hayan’s magic,

and my intelligence stats had exceeded 60. Personally, this felt like a
very satisfying achievement.
“The results have shown themselves.”
“Yes, we’re reaching the target intellectual levels.”
“Ah. Congratulations. How about taking a little break today?”
“No, no. It would be better to rest after I’ve achieved my goal.”
After so much time devoting myself to my progress, I began to ask

myself questions that I knew would aid me in my goal. This time, it
wasn’t about the hidden truth of magic.
Rather, I had started thinking about the job change I was aiming for.
How could Jung Hayan have achieved such advanced creations without
prior experience?
I already knew the answer.

Jung Hayan had gotten a job before she even went on a hunt. I didn’t
bother wondering as to how she had gotten it. She probably understood
herself far more than I did with myself and had put this knowledge to
good use.
I was trying to do the same now, too.
‘I have to understand… ’
In addition to analyzing, describing, and organizing data, I needed to

understand everything that was going through my head. I knew I was
taking the right direction with this.
I began to ask myself more questions because of this. ‘Why?’ questions

were a constant presence. Thus I began my search for the hidden truth,
rather than the visible results.
I imagined experimenting and then tried to determine why it failed,

which was not as dif icult as it sounded. After all, I had a very
competent assistant by my side.
In addition to that, I had also lost a little weight.
‘It’s not a bad feeling, though… ’
Why would I, when I felt like I had just stumbled onto a valuable part of
my progress?
I didn’t want a great answer to my goals. One very small piece was
already enough.
How did the change in genetic traits, information values, and magic
power affect the individual? Was the magic present in the transformed
individual complete or incomplete?
We had not stopped experimenting with stranded DNA, and we still
didn’t know which virus was deadly to some monsters and why a
particular gene would not accept said virus.
None of these small pieces of information were well understood, but

one thing was certain.
We were slowly inding the answers.
“What do you need this time?”
“I need catalysts from the Garden of Terror, please.”
I was far from inding the answers, and I wasn’t that smart. I wasn’t
even a scientist, and I didn’t know anything about genes and the like.
However, I found the whole process of searching for answers fun.
“You must be enjoying this.”
“I am not.”
“Isn’t it fun? I found it interesting.”
“No. Honestly, I found it boring.”
“You’re lying.”
As more time passed, I began to make even more progress.

[You have discovered a new job.]
The results I hoped to achieve had inally come.
“Phew.”
CHAPTER 82
THE THIRD JOB (8)
I awoke to a loud atmosphere.
The last thing I could remember the day before was choosing my third
job, testing some things with it, and then collapsing in bed.
As if I had just gotten out of a comatose state, I felt nauseatingly groggy.
‘How much time has passed?’
The problem was that I had hardly slept the whole time I had been
working. My room had not yet been cleaned up, so I had chosen to
spend the night in my workshop.
‘I still feel so tired… ’
If I had known that my condition wouldn’t have improved even after

getting some rest, I would have cleaned up after myself the night before.
In that way, I could have used the bed that Jung Hayan had infused with
magic.
As I turned my head, I caught sight of Hwang Jeong-yeon sitting on the

far side of the sofa.
‘You must be tired as well… ’
She had tried her hardest to follow my schedule. Therefore, she must
have also felt exhausted.
Although I had not expected her to stay here, I did not feel alert. I felt
pleased to know that I was not so wary of people anymore. The more I
could trust, the better.
It was then that I began to realize where all the noise was coming from.
“Gosh… My hyung seems to have done a lot of work, too. The whole
second loor is a mess. Oh, Hayan! If you keep running like that, you’ll
fall. Hee-young, please do something.”
“…”
“First, we should organize our luggage. Hee-young, pass me the white

one…”
I knew what this meant. My fellow party members were back.
I had begun to smile at this realization. However, upon seeing Hwang

Jeong-yeon groggily stretching, I began to panic.
‘Fuck.’
I could hear the sound of footsteps frantically making their way up to

the second loor. I knew who that was.
‘Jung Hayan.’
Even though Jeong-yeon and I had never indulged in any physical

contact, it would still be bad for Hayan to see her here. It would not be
bene icial for Hwang Jeong-yeon either, for she counted on me to
introduce Park Deokgu.
“Oppa… Oppa…” Jung Hayan’s voice loated through the workshop’s

door. I knew the location-tracking magic was still working, so I couldn’t
pretend that I wasn’t here.
I felt like a protagonist in a horror movie.
Rattle!
“Oppa… Are you there? Are you there?”
Rattle!
“Are you there? Oppa?”
Rattle!
“You didn’t even sleep? Maybe you were still researching… Perhaps we
should quiet down, for now, Hayan. It’s still so early in the morning…”
‘Nice save, Park Deokgu.’
“Or maybe there’s something wrong with my hyung… Perhaps he fell

down?”
‘…I take that back.’
Thump-thump.
At this, Jung Hayan resumed her relentless knocking on the door. It was
natural for Hwang Jeong-yeon to wake up from all the commotion.
It only took her a few seconds to grasp what was happening. Her eyes
widened.
“Oppa! Oh, are you still sleeping?”
I almost snorted at the question. If I were asleep, then she most

certainly would not receive a reply.
‘Ugh, what a situation… ’
As I gestured towards the window, I saw Hwang Jeong-yeon nodding

desperately.
“Ah… Deokgu. I slept late and only woke up now.”
“Oppa…”
“Ah! We’re sorry to have disturbed you.”
“You came a little later than expected. I’ll open the door now. Wait.”
As I spoke, Hwang Jeong-yeon dashed to the window. I could have said

we were studying together, but even that would look suspicious. The
fact that we were alone together at this time of day would not sit well
with Jung Hayan.
“Ah!”
Hwang Jeong-yeon, who intended to jump from the second loor, let out
a short scream.
Rattle, rattle, rattle.
Jung Hayan, who by now sensed that something was amiss, began to
shake the door relentlessly.
After making sure there were no telltale signs that Hwang Jeong-yeon
had been here, I opened the door slightly, and the faces I hadn’t seen in
a long time re lected in my view.
First, I saw Park Deokgu, whose simple smile I had missed.

I didn’t know why, but somehow, the guy’s eyes were red. Looking at
the wounds on his body, it seemed that the expedition was not easy.
Of course, Jung Hayan looked the happiest. She irst looked around the
room to see if she could pinpoint where the scream had come from, but
soon, she redirected her attention to me.
In an instant, tears illed her large eyes. I, too, felt the same way. It felt
great having her back.
“Oh uh… Oppa…”
With this unfamiliar feeling bubbling up inside me, I began to stroke

her head affectionately. Jung Hayan then began to sob.
“Oh, Oppa…”
“Was the expedition hard?”
“Oh…” As she couldn’t speak properly, Jung Hayan resorted to nodding

her head vigorously.
I tried to wipe all the tears from her face, but I couldn’t. Instead, I
opened my arms out wide, and Jung Hayan rushed in at once. Her face
rubbed against my chest.
“I missed you…”
“I’ve missed you too, Hayan…”
I was half-sincere in my words.
Pretty soon, both Kim Hyunsung and Sun Hee-young appeared in my

line of sight. Seeing as Hayan wouldn’t let me go, I had to settle for
waving at them as a form of greeting.
I didn’t even need to ask them. Assessing the atmosphere was enough.
‘The expedition was successful.’
“It’s been a long time, Kiyoung.”
“Yep, Hyunsung. Did the expedition go okay?”
“It wasn’t satisfactory, but it worked. Ye-ri had only managed to change
to her second job since she was only on her irst one, but Hee-young,
Deokgu, and Hayan all inished their jobs. All of their stats also rose
considerably.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
I knew Kim Hyunsung’s role as their nanny wasn’t easy, either.
Upon seeing Hyunsung’s curious stare, I knew what was coming my

way.
“How about you, Kiyoung?”
“The same is true of me. I’ve raised my stats and have gotten a new job.”
“What did you get this time?”
“Oh? Hyung also got a new job?”
“Yes, I did. I’ll go down and explain what it is.”
“Ah.”
“It’s because it would be dif icult for me to explain what kind of job I
got. It will be quicker to show you in person.”
“Is this a high-grade alchemist job?”

“Yes. The status window says it’s a newly-discovered job.”
“You mean it doesn’t stem from your existing job?”
“It probably doesn’t.”
“That’s… I’m a little surprised.”
“Thanks to that, I had no choice. If several jobs appeared at the same

time, I would have postponed choosing until you guys came back.
However, there was no option. I don’t regret getting it, however.”
“Hearing you say that makes me feel a little more curious.”
Jung Hayan was still clinging onto me, but I could see that Park Deokgu
also looked intrigued.
“Aw… I should have been with you in that glorious moment… It’s a
shame my hyung couldn’t have helped me choose my third job…”
“You will also like mine.”
“Oh, really?”
I didn’t know how Kim Hyunsung would react to my new job, but I
knew Park Deokgu would like it for sure.
“It’s really amazing that you managed to get a job on your own.”
“Sun Hee-young, however…”
“Yes. For me, this is my fourth job change.”
“I see.”
I could now understand why the atmosphere felt warmer. Everyone’s
relationships had improved. It felt like the new members had mixed
well with the old ones.
Park Deok-gu and Kim Ye-ri seemed to be highly attentive to Sun Hee-
young’s every move.
‘Hmm.’
It seemed that she was now the third in command, right after Kim
Hyunsung and I. Since she was the one with the highest specs during
the expedition, it was natural for her to achieve this position.
‘Not bad.’
Although she considers it a new service to beat indolent people useless

to society, I knew she was still a competent person.
She was different from Jung Hayan, and in that sense, she had gained
such a position. However, I was hoping that it would be Park Deokgu,
who would act more proactively.
‘I don’t think he’s on that level yet… ’
Putting that aside, the overall atmosphere felt cheerful. We kept up a

steady stream of conversation as we made our way to the training
center for a demonstration.
Demonstrations were necessary for the sole purpose of showing that

the time spent in training was not for naught. I was always the one who
garnered the least amount of attention. However…
This time, things were different.
It was only natural that they should recognize my true value. I wasn’t
just an alchemist who rode off on their money. I knew their valuation of
me would rise today.
“I want you to watch me properly. The magic power itself isn’t that bad,
but I haven’t been able to determine its ef iciency yet…”
“Hayan, can you step away for a moment?”
“Ah… Yes. Oppa.”
At this, I slowly began to memorize my intended spell. My prepared

catalyst reacted as soon as I applied my magic to it.
Since I didn’t have that much magic power, I felt it was only right to use
this amount of mana.
There were two things that I had prepared.
One was a catalyst depicting a magic circle with various magic types,
and another was a catalyst that could receive spells. I also had materials
with the same information value and materials that could interact with
each other if needed.
The quality of said materials was also important for the conjuring of the
magic circle, but their information value took precedence.
‘All of this was based off on Jung Hayan’s application of magic to my teeth
and other objects.’
As my thoughts began to scatter, I found myself getting a little

distracted. However, it wasn’t much of a struggle completing the rest of
the spell. After all, this was a simple incantation.
That was when the tiny monster cells that had been lying towards the
spell began to expand. Watching the transition from cells to the lesh
was grotesque, but it was intriguing to watch.
Kwajijijik, kujik, kadedeuk.
Incoherent sounds began to ill up the venue. It sounded like a

cacophony of bones twisting and cells exploding.
Although this was a sound that was familiar to me, it was not to the
others. I saw Kim Ye-ri covering her ears and grimacing.
Eventually, the huge lesh that I had conjured began to form into the
shape I desired.
The giant lump of lesh soon transformed into a giant monster hand.
Quad-de-deuk!
Even before all this happened, I could feel everyone’s gazes directed my
way, almost as if asking for an explanation.
“Huh… Hyung…”
“This… How did you manage this?” Even Kim Hyunsung was shocked.
Upon seeing his reaction, pleasure began to crawl down my spine.
“It’s a characteristic that comes with my new job.”

CHAPTER 83
THE THIRD JOB (9)
Even before all this happened, I could feel everyone’s gazes directed my
way, almost as if asking for an explanation.
“Huh… Hyung…”
“This… How did you manage this?”
Even Kim Hyunsung was shocked.
“It’s a characteristic that comes with my new job.”
“Ah…”
Their anxious expressions signaled their need for a better explanation.
“To explain in more detail, I conducted a biological experiment and

created this new type of genetic information using the same catalyst.”
“Would you please explain it more simply?”
“Of course. Think about how a television reacts to a remote. What I have
in my hand right now is the remote control, and the arm of a giant
monster over there is the TV. You will have to have a catalyst that can
trigger the right reaction, and the preparation in itself is a little
dif icult…”
“Even if it is…”
Surprised expressions scattered across my fellow party members’ faces.
When I had irst managed this result, I was beyond surprised and
embarrassed. Now, however, I felt proud. I couldn’t believe I had
managed to produce this kind of result.
[Name – Kiyoung Lee]
[Title – The Red Mercenary Queen’s Gigolo]
[Age – 25]
[Propensity – Willing Strategist]
[Job – Bio-Alchemy Summoner – Unique Heroic Grade]
[It’s a new kind of job that has never been discovered. Even on a
continent with a long history, this kind of system has not yet appeared.
If any alchemist were to see your results, they would undoubtedly
praise you. As a result of your amazing achievements, you will raise
your class’s rank to a unique Heroic rank. Intelligence rises by 4. Magic
power increases by 3. The result of the alchemy is a pet. This grants you
weak control over the said pet.]
[Job Effect – Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]
[Job Effect – Acquisition of Basic Alchemy Knowledge]
[Job Effect – Acquisition of Intermediate Alchemy Knowledge]
[Job Effect – Acquisition of Special Summoning Knowledge]
[Capacity]
[Strength – 20/Growth limit: Below normal]
[Agility – 21/Growth limit: Normal or less]
[Health – 25/Growth limit: Below normal]
[Intellect – 64/Growth limit: Heroic or higher]
[Durability – 20/Growth limit: Below normal]
[Luck – 45/Growth limit: Heroic or higher]
[Mana – 15/Growth limit: Below normal]
[Equipment]
[Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy – Heroic Level – Alchemist

Only]
[Magic Shield Ring – Rare Grade]
[Talent – Eye of the Mind]
[Overview – Your efforts to stray from being the worst are

distinguishable. Don’t try too hard, however. Trash will always be trash.
Apart from that, I applaud your efforts. Until you reach your limit, try to
do what you can.]
In the meantime, my overall stats had increased a lot, and I gained

special summoning knowledge as an additional job effect. It was
strange to see I had gotten it.
It was the knowledge obtained from the theory I established. What

stood out was the fact that it was graded as a unique heroic-grade job.
Everyone looked curious, so I smiled and spoke again.

“The job’s name is Bio-Alchemy Summoner, and it’s ranked as unique
heroic-grade.”
“Ohh…”
“You mean it’s of the unique heroic-grade rank?”
“Yes.”
Park Deokgu’s expression seemed to drop. After checking his

information, I understood why.
He only got a rare-grade job?
It turned out that everyone except him had gained a heroic-grade job.
Even as a kid, Kim Ye-ri’s growth was ridiculously fast, considering it

was uncommon to get a heroic-grade job after only a second job change.
Usually, a heroic-grade job would be obtained by the fourth or ifth job
change.
At this point, I knew I had to take care of Park Deokgu’s mental state.
Answering the questions of my fellow members took precedence,
however.
“Unique heroic-grade… That’s great, Kiyoung.”
“It’s the irst time I’ve heard of ranks other than rare, heroic, and
legendary.”
“Kiyoung is probably the only one among us who can receive such a job.
There are also a few adventurers within the city with unique ratings.
Like Kiyoung, when they discovered something new, they received this
class. It is said that latecomers are not given the same job even if they
make the same actions or results.”
“Oh…”
“In simple terms, it means that this job group cannot be duplicated.”
I liked the sound of that. Being special had its advantages. I knew my
worth had gone up. I knew I was right when I saw Kim Hyunsung’s
excited expression.
I had already wandered around the city to observe, and not once had I
seen anyone with a unique heroic-grade job.
If Kim Hyunsung was from the future, I daresay this could be an

information breakthrough he was looking for.
“Since the job is specialized, there must be both advantages and

disadvantages to it. It might hinder your progress towards potions or
Homunculus…”
“Oh, I’ve already thought about studying Homunculus, but I couldn’t

because I have low intelligence as of the moment. I also thought about
controlling a chimera, but I can’t do that because I’m not of the Warlock
class.”
“Ah…”
“Since I couldn’t control the whole chimera, I thought there should be

some way to control part of it… Anyway, I’m going to stop the spell
now.”
Upon the recasting of my spell, the monster arm began to shrink. This
was a revised version of Jung Hayan’s spell, used for reversing magical
effects.
“I know it doesn’t look like a pet. It wasn’t a living thing at irst, and it
doesn’t have its own will, but the system judged it as a pet after my job
change.”
“I see.”
It looked great, but it didn’t mean it didn’t have its drawbacks.
First, the quality of the material was very important. It had to be of

decent quality to inject the magic circle with different types of magic.
That meant only catalysts of at least rare grade could be used.
The second was that its duration was not that long.
Unlike most pets who eternally stood by their owners’ side, mine could
only be summoned for a short time.
Another problem was that I could not build the whole body. I didn’t
know what could happen in the future, but I was only limited to
creating a few body parts for now.
Though the conjuring was done in the magical sense, its attack came in
physical form. If I could ind other unique monster catalysts, I could
ind a way around this. But for now…
What was more important than my judgment was Kim Hyunsung’s

opinion about the matter. It all depended on whether my skill could
help his plans in the future.
As if on cue, Kim Hyunsung nodded when I looked at him for guidance.
“Thank you.”
“Ah!”
“I thought you could achieve something, but I hadn’t expected you to

accomplish so much,” Hyunsung remarked.
“Thank you,” I replied, but quickly added, “I still need to learn more
about it, though…”
Just knowing he was satis ied already made me feel better, and it wasn’t
just his reaction that sparked this satisfaction. My other party members
also looked very surprised. Words of praise soon fell out of everyone’s
mouths, prompting a smile on my face.
“I always knew my Hyung was amazing… This is great,” Deokgu

commented.
“Thank you, Deokgu,” I replied.
“Congratulations…” Kim Ye-ri greeted. It was the irst time I ever heard
her speak properly.
I smiled and tried to reach out to stroke her hair, but she quickly hid
behind Kim Hyunsung.
It was then that I noticed Jung Hayan’s expression.
She sported an anxious look, and I knew it wasn’t because I had

reached out for Kim Ye-ri.
You’re worried because I might have found out about your magic, aren’t
you?
Since Jung Hayan had noticed that the alchemy method I had used was
very similar to her magic application, she trembled. I knew she feared
my discovery of her doings.
I knew I had to inform her and set a boundary between us, but now was
hardly the time.
“Hayan,” I called out.
“Ah… Yes, Oppa…” she replied.
I reached out to take her hand upon seeing her guilty expression.
I have no choice but to let her drown in her guilt.
It was best to make her realize that her choice was wrong.
However, it would be best if I didn’t discuss it with her directly. I would

ind a more appropriate timing to talk to her about it.
“Shall we go for breakfast? Kiyoung also needs to know what jobs we’ve
obtained.”
You don’t have to tell me, but…
I felt it would be more appropriate to hear them explain than ind out
with my ability.
“I think the expedition went decently?” I asked, trying to look naı̈ve.
“Oh, it didn’t. In fact, it was so hard at irst that I thought we would have
to retreat…” Hyunsung replied glumly, making everyone quiet.
“…”
“I want to hear more details,” I remarked.
I didn’t know how bad it was, but the quiet atmosphere made me think
it was worse than I had initially imagined.
“We irst entered a rare-grade dungeon. However, it took us three days

to leave,” Hyunsung narrated.
“What? Why?” I asked.
“It was because of Jung Hayan’s physical condition,” Hyunsung replied.
“Ah…”
I glanced over at Jung Hayan, who had hung her head in shame. I
understood how this came to be.
Until the moment they left, Hayan had stubbornly refrained from eating
or sleeping properly and spent most of her time exerting her energy
into needless actions.
So that’s why you all came back late.
The three extra days Kim Hyunsung had talked about was probably to
re ine Jung Hayan’s messed up mentality.
“Deokgu also took a very long time to adjust. I also found more things
they should work on. It was the same with Ye-ri. Aside from being
inexperienced, she tends to move unexpectedly. It would have been
even more dif icult if Hee-young wasn’t there,” Hyunsung recounted.
The room stayed silent as she spoke.
Go on. I’m listening…
“Their formation also proved to be a mess. Had I not intervened, they

would have been annihilated right off the bat. There were a lot of times
when the rear was in danger because they had not forti ied it, and times
when the front felt too scared to stay in place because of the wayward
trajectory of arrows,” Hyunsung continued.
“Ah…” I muttered and nodded.
“It felt like the party would be wiped out at any time,” she added.
The way Kim Hyunsung explained to me was similar to how a parent

would tell their spouse about their children’s bad behavior.
Not surprisingly, Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan’s heads dropped even
lower.
“But the more times we went in, the more they improved. The results
were not bad overall,” Hyunsung remarked, changing her mood from
glum to hopeful.
“I’m glad to hear that,” I replied.
“We also achieved stats of 60, and all of us succeeded in getting heroic-
grade jobs,” Hyunsung added.
Wait, all of you got heroic class jobs? But Park Deokgu’s status window…
“Let’s head back inside so I can explain it all in more detail.”
It didn’t take me long to understand why Kim Hyunsung had chosen to

speak that way. Upon turning and seeing Park Deokgu’s ashamed
expression, I realized what he had done to mask what kind of job he
had gotten.
This pig…
CHAPTER 84
THE THIRD JOB (10)
I knew that Park Deokgu must have lied to them, and I could
understand why he did it.
He had probably consulted with Kim Hyunsung and Sun Hee-young and
found out that everyone else had gotten a heroic-grade job. I did not
know how badly he had performed during the expedition, but I did
know that he felt inferior in its duration.
It didn’t help that Kim Ye-ri, who was only just a child, had gotten a job
that was classed on a higher grade than him. After all, the kid was a
genius.
‘She’s above legendary potential.’
Kim Ye-ri’s talent wasn’t just limited to her stats, either. One could see
her enormous potential just by looking at her. If one were to think
about how well she had performed back in the Garden of Terror as a
newbie, then it was natural to see an immense improvement on her
next expedition. However, it appeared that Park Deokgu was not aware
of this.
Geniuses belonged to a class far more sophisticated than the average

human. I had not lived for a long time, but I’d already seen a fair share
of them.
‘And not only on Earth… ’

I found just many here – people who showed talent far beyond the
simple understanding of many.
Jung Hayan casually made use of revolutionary magic as if it wasn’t a

big deal. Sun Hee-young had the potential to become legendary and
held the party’s center position with her unique calmness. There was
Kim Ye-ri, a kid from the slums with exceptional talent. Even Kim
Hyunsung, a returner from the future, brought with him a sense of
potential that was insurmountable compared to most people.
We were the only party whose members could all be classi ied as
geniuses.
Of course, even Park Deokgu had the potential to be a great adventurer,

but when faced with the fact that he had natural geniuses on his team, I
could understand how he must have felt.
‘Everyone here is a monster.’
Even Hwang Jeong-yeon had said that she felt intimidated upon seeing
Jung Hayan.
Even so, Park Deokgu’s decision to lie was quite surprising.
Considering his personality, it would be correct to assume that he had

chosen to lie without worrying about future consequences. It appeared
that he prioritized his mental state above everything else, especially
now that he found out I had also obtained a heroic-grade job.
At this point, he must have felt like he was the only one being left
behind.
“The job I got this time was an Archmage,” Hayan remarked.
“Oh?” I asked with a curious expression.

“Yeah. It boosts a lot of magic and increases af inity for all kinds of
attributes, and it doesn’t only boost elemental magic… It also works the
same for other types of magic. I can use magic more ef iciently, and I’ve
also gained advanced magic knowledge. I can’t say that it’s amazing
yet…” Hayan explained.
“No, no, that’s already great!” I replied with a smile to cheer her up.
“Ah, my magic power also rose to 69 this time, Oppa!” Hayan added.
“That’s brilliant, Hayan. You grew more than I thought you would,” I
praised.
“My intelligence stats are also around 62,” she added.
“Why am I not surprised?” I asked, then she continued to blabber about

the group’s stats.
“Hyunsung said that his stats rose to 70 as well. Sun Hee-young’s stats
went up by a lot, too, though she did not hunt much.”
‘Ah, it seems like this kind of growth only applies to people like you… ’
Park Deokgu’s stats, as well as mine, only settle on the levels of 60.
It was a little embarrassing for us to struggle at the same time, yet she
grew even stronger than I did – but this didn’t necessarily mean it was a
bad thing.
The stronger Jung Hayan gets, the safer I am.
Of course, the opposite may happen to bite me in the ass, but this was
good news for now. I began to appraise Hayan with my ability.
[Archmage-Heroic Grade]
[This is a job given to those who have the quali ications to explore the
truth of magic. Magical power is increased by ive, and af inity for all
types of magical power is also increased. Nothing is known about the
jobs that it can be changed into afterward.]
‘Good.’
It was a job with a plain-sounding name, but its description suited

Hayan. It was a better title than, let’s say, a murder mage or a madness
mage.
Of course, it wasn’t just Jung Hayan who had shown immense growth.
The same could also be said for Kim Hyunsung.
I couldn’t determine the direction of his growth, but at least Kim

Hyunsung seemed to have avoided the purest form of examination.
[Advanced Swordsmanship Trainee-Heroic Level]
[This is a job for those who practice learning the extremes of

swordsmanship. Strength increases by 3, agility increases by 2, and
magic power increases by 1.]
There was no further explanation needed. The answer came just by

looking at the description. For someone like Kim Hyunsung, a low-
grade job such as this was only a passing opportunity for something
greater. I knew he had chosen it for a reason. I also knew Hyunsung
enough to know that he wasn’t the type to make stupid choices.
This time, he was the one who spoke.
“Ye-ri got a job as a tracker.”
“You mean the tracker?” I asked.
“Yes,” he nodded.
“As a type of archer, I thought it would be okay for her to handle small
and medium-sized weapons such as daggers and swords, as well as
bows. In Ye-ri’s case, her stats meant she is capable of this. Her focus is
on agility and magic, so her options will continue to expand,” Hyunsung
explained.
‘That’s because she has no stats below the heroic level.’
“She doesn’t have to worry about being left alone anymore,” I

commented.
“Yes. That’s right. That was quite a problem for our party. Oh, besides
that, Sun Hee-young also changed her job as a Supreme Court. Her
divine power has risen noticeably. Deokgu also said he got an avant-
garde job related to tanking skills.”
Upon hearing this, I immediately assessed Sun Hee-young’s title with

my ability.
[Dark Priest Supreme-Heroic Level]
It seemed that Sun Hee-young had not explained her job to Hyunsung in
detail. Upon hearing herself being mentioned, Sun Hee-young merely
nodded.
Her new job looked like an evolutionary version of her previous job, but
I couldn’t say for sure since there was no mention of any new spells or
abilities.
Whatever the case, our party was growing exceptionally well.
Except for Park Deokgu, who was wearing an embarrassed expression, I

knew we had substantially progressed.
In truth, Park Deokgu had achieved amazing results if he stopped

comparing himself to the rest of our genius party members. He would
be welcomed wherever he went at this point.
‘I need you to talk at least once… ’
It was natural for him not to speak up when others were so ixated on
their achievements. I didn’t want to let my team members know that I
could see everyone’s stats, so it would be impossible to call Park
Deokgu out on his sense of inferiority.
‘There’s nothing as stupid as comparing yourself to a genius.’
It may sound a bit harsh, but I wanted Park Deokgu to realize that.
Although the conversation had begun in a heavy atmosphere, it soon

took on a lighter, happier tone. We soon started laughing about the
mistakes they had committed in the dungeon and how I had been
imprisoned in my workshop this entire time.
When I heard that Jung Hayan cried every day and that Kim Hyunsung
had to save the party countless times from danger, I couldn’t help but
laugh out loud. Even Kim Ye-ri, who hardly ever spoke, had begun to
participate in the conversation in a slightly more con ident manner.
It was then that the guild’s door opened with a rattling sound.
We all turned to see Lee Seolho and Lee Sang-hee, walking in with
heavy expressions.
“I will prepare for the meeting right now. Please call all the remaining
executives in the guild.”
“You mean, everyone?”
“Yeah. There will be no exceptions. First of all, please, convene. The

meeting will be held in my private of ice. How many parties are there
right now?”
“I know that the 2nd unit has returned.”
“The 7th unit also returned this morning, Lee Sang-hee, Lee Seolho.”
“If so, please send in for Hyunsung and Kiyoung as well.”
“Even them?”
“Yes. Please summon them all. I have news about the guild.”
“…Okay, that is noted.”
‘What the hell is happening?’
It wouldn’t take a genius to notice that something was wrong. Lee Sang-
hee’s expression, usually so compassionate and mother-like, was now
very pale. Even Lee Seolho looked worried.
“You go up irst. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Yes, please, Mr. Seolho.”
I could see general guild members also making their way up, probably
to alert Hwang Jeong-yeon of the sudden meeting.
From what I could remember, the second unit lived on the fourth loor.
“Kiyoung, let’s head up.”
“Ah… Yes, yes, of course.”
The light atmosphere just moments ago suddenly became much

heavier.
I could see Lee Seolho glancing my way. Normally, I wasn’t the type to
butt in others’ business, but I felt my actions were slightly justi ied this
time around.
“Others can use this time to do whatever they like. However, I

recommend that you take this time to rest.”
“Noted.”
“Okay, I see.”
‘What?’
I felt slightly disoriented by the atmosphere. I could hear the

murmuring of other guild members growing louder and louder at this
point. They, too, seemed to have no idea about what was going on from
what I could hear.
“Kim Hyunsung, Lee Kiyoung. The Blue Guild Master is waiting for
you…”
“I know. I will go up now.”
“Ah. Then I guess I’ll head up as well.”
The guild member who was undoubtedly tasked with alerting all
members nodded and hurried out the door.
As I went up to Lee Sang-hee’s of ice in a hurry, I saw an armed guard

opening the door. Kim Hyunsung and I were able to get past without
hassle.
“Is everyone gathered?”

“Yeah. I think so.”
Lee Sang-hee stood in front of us with a serious expression. Hwang

Jeong-yeon and Lee Seolho were with her.
‘What? This is all of us?’
It was ridiculous to say that these are all the people present.
“Kiyoung, Hyunsung. Please sit down. I think it’s time I deliver some
bad news.”
I still couldn’t igure out what was going on, even after considering
everyone’s expressions. Kim Hyunsung, however, seemed to have an
expectant look on his face.
‘Does he know what’s about to happen?’
It was then I realized the reason why we had even chosen to enter Blue
Guild.
‘He knows.’
Kim Hyunsung knew what had happened. Whatever it was, it was the
reason why he had chosen for us to enter the Blue Guild, despite having
countless other choices during the recruitment.
It was then that Lee Sang-hee, designated Vice Guild Master, opened her
mouth to explain.
CHAPTER 85
THE CRAZY OLD MAN (1)
The atmosphere itself felt very heavy. Even a newborn baby would be
able to sense the change.
Lee Sang-hee, who looked hesitant, inally spoke.
“Currently, all parties except Blue’s second and seventh units are
isolated in hero-grade dungeons. Life and death counts have not yet
been con irmed, yet they have con irmed the morning’s rescue signal.
Considering that they had not been able to send a second signal, it
seemed that there was a problem with the parties entering the
dungeon.”
“The exact time they entered the dungeon was on the 14th of August,
and our last contact was around 6:40 this morning. Is that right,
Seolho?” Sang-hee added.
“Yes, that’s correct,” Seolho replied and nodded.
If they had entered on the 14th of August, then that meant they had
gone even before we were recruited in Blue Guild. I could sense how
things had gone for them.
‘Their expeditions have failed… ’
This was one of the typical reasons for the downfall of guilds. I had not
yet been in Lindel long enough, yet this was common, obtainable
knowledge.
‘One expedition failure can make a small clan stumble, yet two will cause
even a large guild to stumble.’
The danger was commonly known for everyone who would dare to
enter a dungeon. At the same time, it was a testimony of power, which
was what Lindel thrived on.
If accidents were to happen during an expedition, it would in lict not

only physical injuries but also social ones. It meant that the unit or
party was not as powerful as they seemed to be.
This was why ordinary clans and guilds invested a lot in preparing for
expeditions. Weaker guilds had even resorted to recruiting trial parties
to estimate the dungeon’s dif iculty.
If the dungeon found was a dungeon with a hero level or higher, one
needed to be more careful.
Unlike rare dungeons where simple monsters appeared followed by the

boss monster, hero-grade dungeons had different mechanisms for each
dungeon.
I had not even entered one yet myself, but I knew how risky it could be.
‘The Blue Guild would eventually collapse because of several expedition

failures.’
Kim Hyunsung must have already been aware of this situation. Sending
in a rescue team must have been a predetermined procedure. Human
resources were the topmost priority for every guild.
No, before the topic of human resources, these people have been like
family to each other. Blue had a long history, after all. If it were up to
him, he would barge in and rescue them himself. However, there were
certain procedures he still had to take note of.
The question now was what choices we would make in light of this
situation. Soon, voices rose in reaction to this. We started discussing
what options we could take.
‘It’s a tabletop theory, anyway… ’
“Would you like to ask another guild for support?”
“I requested support from the Red Mercenary, but the answer is

delayed due to the absence of the Mercenary Queen. We don’t know
how long it would take them to answer… Perhaps it would be too late
by then.”
“So, do you mean for us to barge in without any planned

countermeasures?”
“I am not saying that. However, seeing as the rescue signal was sent just
this morning, there is a large possibility that many of our personnel are
still alive. That is why I called for an urgent meeting.”
“It’s only right that we send in a rescue team, but we admittedly don’t
have a lot of power. At this point, what we need is structure, not a
strategy.”
“If you want to organize a rescue team, retired people can also…”
“Oh, but at this point, even just doing administrative work can already
tire us old men out…” Lee Seolho laughed nervously.
“But our numbers aren’t suf icient!”
“How is it not enough? We have the 7th unit, don’t we?”

“…”
“The 7th unit…”
“Isn’t the 7th party also considered as the main power of our guild?”
‘This deranged old man… ’
I decided to stay quiet. I could already see where this was heading. We
would be sent in, regardless of what we could say in return.
Though there would be information about the dungeon to aid us, the
fact that the previous party had already failed meant that the
expedition would be highly dangerous.
Even if Hwang Jeong-yeon and Lee Sang-hee volunteered to act as the

rescue team, it would still not be enough of a force.
The question was how we should go about this. It would be of common

opinion to dispatch a rescue team to save those in danger, but it seemed
like people like Lee Seolho wouldn’t be willing to throw their selves in
harm’s way.
“Didn’t we pay an expensive amount for them? Now is the time for them
to show that they’re worth the money.”
“They’re a party that hasn’t grown properly yet, Seolho.”
“Hwang Jeong-yeon, I know that very well. But isn’t it the time for them
to show what they’re truly worth? We’ll need all the help we can get.”
“Even if you put it that way…”
“This is a guild crisis. It’s only natural for them to help out.”
“If you think so, why don’t you also go, Lee Seolho?”
“As a retired adventurer, I own a weak and fragile body. I have been
devoting my entire life to the guild. As much as we’d love to rescue
those in danger, I have to stay and protect the guild in my own way.”
“Ah, but…”
“Even if we go, we won’t be of much help.”
“Hm…”
‘What obvious excuses… ’
Assessing this ridiculous atmosphere almost made me laugh. I knew

what this senile geezer was thinking. If Lee Sang-hee and Hwang Jeong-
Yeon entered the dungeon together, the one who would reap the most
bene it by staying safely behind would be him.
‘Just as I thought, he’s a rabid old dog.’
After analyzing him with my ability, I could say his stats weren’t all that
bad. He may seem like a weak man on the outside, but I could see that
he still had some ight left in him. However, he doubted he could safely
make it out of an expedition, which was why he chose to opt-out of the
operation.
This meant that Kim Hyunsung’s party—my party—would be caught in

the middle. Whether this rescue expedition succeeded or not, most of
the blame would fall on us.
“It’s still not the right time to dispatch the 7th unit.”
“Huh, but there’s no other way, is there?”
“These are people who have only been in Lindel for less than a year.”
“But they are also guild members of Blue, who received preferential
treatment, nonetheless!”
“It’s not a matter of preference. It’s common sense. No guild in the city
sends parties less than a year old to hero-grade dungeons. I mean, most
guilds choose to dispatch trial parties…”
“Ha! A trial party, what a joke! I say we dispatch them!”
“Stop.”
Lee Sang-hee eventually put an end to the ongoing argument.
“We’ll have to wait. Both Seolho and Jeong-yeon are right. No matter
how fast Hyunsung and others grow up… It won’t help much.”
‘This is it.’
“Please protect the guild in my absence.”
“Ah, but…”
“Stop it. This is my decision. For the rest of you also going, please ready
your people. Aside from this, we can only rely on the support of other
guilds now…”
“If that’s your inal decision, then…”
I did not know if this was Kim Hyunsung’s intention, but if it was, then I
could understand why. If this rescue operation failed, then our party
would soon become the most in luential unit within Blue.
Of course, there would be several problems to deal with, but assuming

that we’d be skipping a very complicated part of the process, we would
achieve our goals in a much quicker fashion.
‘However, things might not go as well as we would like for them to… ’
Conversely, it also meant that even Lee Sang-hee and Hwang Jeong-
yeon might not make it back successfully. If we were to lose two
powerful members, then the story would change. We needed to make
sure that this wouldn’t happen.
The fact remained, however. It would take a little more time, but the
power would eventually shift to us.
The most important thing was what choice Kim Hyunsung would take
now.
It felt very frustrating not to know what he was thinking. Of course, that
didn’t mean that he was completely unreadable. I knew Kim Hyunsung
would be able to see the bene its in this situation.
“We will go with you.”
Kim Hyunsung reacted the way I expected him to.
“What…?”
“I already told you. We will go with you.”
“Ah… Thank you so much… This…”
Of course, I had to support Kim Hyunsung’s decision. I did not oppose

the notion. Both Lee Sang-hee and Hwang Jeong-yeon had helped me in
so many ways, after all.
“Hyunsung is right. It is only right for us to go together.”
‘Ah, but I feel so anxious… ’

I knew there was another reason why Kim Hyunsung chose to take this
path. Perhaps he was aware of the rewards we could reap from the
dungeon we’d be going into.
After all, no matter how good Hyunsung’s intentions were, he wasn’t a

saint.
I took a deep breath and spoke.
“Recently, our whole party has been able to progress remarkably. All of
us have acquired hero-level jobs as our third job, and our main stats are
already in the line of 60s. In Jung Hayan’s case, she has already reached
the 70th level.”
“That…”
“Really?”
“Huh…”
“That’s nonsense…”
“Of course, I know that this is not enough. We are aware of the fact that
our stats are insuf icient for hero-grade dungeons. However, we are also
members of the Blue Guild. Though we are only bonded via contractual
means, it does not mean that we take our responsibilities lightly.”
“Kiyoung…”
“I have been helped by many people. This time, I would like to lend you
our services. If we judge that we cannot continue any further, we will
take the necessary protocols and retreat. However, we ask you to allow
us the opportunity to help.”
I lowered my head a little. Everyone’s reactions exploded at that

moment. My actions might have seemed reckless, but it did not mean
that it wouldn’t garner positive attention.
“Ah, I de initely want you guys to go with us!”
“Haha, what a touching resolution!” The only blight was the old geezer’s
amusement.
“Lee Sang-hee, Mr. Kiyoung, and Mr. Hyunsung are volunteering. Since
they have already acquired their third jobs, they may be able to be of
help. Why don’t you take them with you?”
For all his stupidity, what the old man said was indeed correct.
Perhaps I wasn’t the only one thinking this way.

CHAPTER 86
THE CRAZY OLD MAN (2)
“That looks good.”
“I didn’t know that you had such strong minds to think about the
betterment of the guild, haha.”
The old geezer Lee Seolho remarked, but no one laughed with him.
“…”
“It’s only normal,” I muttered.
‘As I said, he’s deranged… ’
I didn’t know just what old men like Lee Seolho had contributed to the
Blue Guild in the past. Seeing how Lee Sang-hee showed respect for old
men like him made me think that they had a deep connection with the
absent Guild Master, but I suppose knowing didn’t matter.
It already felt unsettling to know that the intention of my party and his
plans matched.
“We’ve already gained our third jobs, so that would de initely help,” I
remarked.
“Ah, you’re all really amazing… Worth the money…” Seolho commented.
“Isn’t it all thanks to the guild’s support? Hahahaha…” he added.

Hwang Jeong-yeon gazed at Lee Seolho with suspicion. It was only
natural for her to do so. The man was never known for being an
optimist, so his sudden pleasant disposition naturally warranted some
scrutiny from the others who knew how he truly was.
“Though there are others who willingly went to participate, there’re

still others that insist on staying to guard the guild. Don’t you ever think
about participating before pushing someone else to do it?”
I knew the remark was made for everyone too scared to join. It wasn’t
just Lee Seolho’s expression who crumbled out of embarrassment upon
hearing this. The others who were present also showed the same
expression.
“W-Well…”
“It will be hard for us to stand in the front lines…”
“I don’t think we can provide the needed power…”
“Doesn’t everyone here play a different role to keep the guild running?
We’re non-combatants in the irst place. Even Seolho Lee is retired. It
will be dif icult for us to gain the momentum needed to stand in the
front lines.”
“I don’t know about that. To me, it looks like you’re avoiding

responsibility.”
“You talk too much.”
“I don’t think I’m wrong. Just be honest and say that you don’t want to
go.”
“Huh… Isn’t that being a little too harsh?!”
“I think you know who among us here is being sel ish right now.”
Emotions clashed with each other. It was natural for Hwang Jeong-yeon
to make this assumption. Anyone else would’ve done the same.
However, we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
They were undoubtedly part of the non-combatant forces. It wouldn’t

make sense to bring them along with us. They would probably prove to
be a hindrance.
“You really are all so shameless…”
It might be a delusion, but I could almost see Lee Seolho and the others
wishing for our immediate deaths in the upcoming expedition. It would
be the perfect opportunity to take control.
If all combatants were unable to return alive in the hero-level dungeon,

they would infringe on a new system, based on the in luence that the
Blue Guild had cultivated, with Lee Seolho in the center.
The world was changing, so there was no way an old geezer like him
could bring the Blue Guild back to its former glory. Rather, it would
make perfect sense for them to sell the guild.
‘Of course, it’ll all come down to money-making.’
Although there would be no combatants left within the guild, the

wealth, infrastructures, and Guild House has value.
I had also thought Kim Hyunsung was considering this, so why wouldn’t
they think of the same thing? What I couldn’t understand was why Lee
Seolho seemed like the mastermind of their group.
‘Does he have some sort of backing system?’
I was almost sure of it. Old people do not take risks. Gambling was more
for younger people who wished to live a stable life.
I could almost wager that the only reason these old men were able to
hold positions within the Guild was from taking advantage of countless
other people’s sacri ices.
If not, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that they were responsible
for the rotting of the guild.
When the atmosphere seemed to rise in intensity, Lee Seolho spoke

again.
“Please stop it. Other people will also feel frustrated with what you are
doing. Jeong-yeon also seems unusually excited today.”
“Master, but…”
“You cannot take administrative of icers to a dungeon. The same goes

for Lee Seolho. Considering that you are already retired and not in good
shape recently, going with you is not a reasonable option. Of course, I
know how Jeong-yeon feels. I feel the same way, too. Honestly, I am not
happy with what you are both doing right now.”
“Ah…”
“That…”
“Hmm.”
“I couldn’t help it…”
“It wasn’t like this before… It feels embarrassing to show such

unprofessionalism in front of Kiyoung and Hyunsung. The Blue Guild I
imagined is not like this. Of course, your actions are reasonable. Indeed,
you cannot leave the dungeon with the non-combatant army. I also
know that your physical condition is not the same as before.
Nevertheless… I am really disappointed to see how you are all choosing
to express your frustrations. No, in fact, I am most disappointed with
my incompetence.”
I knew regret welled up in both opposing parties’ faces upon hearing

this. The guilt would not go away unless they volunteered to join. Apart
from this, I could also feel Lee Sang-hee’s disappointment. She must
have felt like she was abandoning Hyunsung and me from attaining a
proper guild experience.
Lee Sang-hee slowly began to look in our direction. I knew what she
wanted to say even before she even spoke up.
“Hyunsung and Kiyoung.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes?”
“I really am sorry to take back my previous statement. Would you

mind… going on this expedition with us?”
Lee Sang-hee’s voice trembled, and she had resorted to bowing her
head. Tears had even begun to pile up in her eyes.
‘This situation de initely does call for a change of mind.’
If this happened a month ago, she would never have allowed us to come
along with them.
‘That’s why.’
Anyway, it seemed that we still had a chance of surviving, even with just
60 plus stats and a third job. I knew Lee Sang-hee had taken this into
account, which was why she changed her mind.
I understood the urgency. This was the worst situation the Blue Guild
has ever experienced, and we’d need all the manpower we could get,
even if we were collectively lacking. We didn’t even know if anyone
from the missing parties would still be alive once we got there.
I could understand why she was willing to take every opportunity she
could get.
Kim Hyunsung’s answer to Lee Sang-hee’s heartfelt request was

obvious.
“Of course.”
I had to smile at his response.
“Thank you,” Sang-hee remarked.
“We have to do what we have to do,” Hyunsung added.
Lee Sang-hee nodded and spoke again.
“Then, I shall prepare for the dispatching of the rescue team. We will
immediately leave for the expedition.”
“Yes, that’s noted.”
“So, it stands. The second and seventh units shall go with me. Please get
ready as soon as possible. We will leave in as early as half an hour.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“For those who shall remain in the guild, please meet with the other
guilds, including the Red Mercenaries. Please send a backup to the
expedition as soon as contact has been made.”
“Of course.”
“Seolho…”
Lee Sang-hee called out and shifted her attention to Lee Seolho.
“Yes, Lee Sang-hee?” Seolho asked.
“I hope you don’t disappoint me. And… I’ll choose to believe in you,”
Sang-hee remarked.
The old geezer was quick to respond in a seemingly sincere tone.
“I will repay your faith, Lee Sang-hee. As soon as we get in touch with
other guilds, reinforcements will come your way.
“Thank you.”
At this, Lee Sang-hee ran out, not wanting to delay any further. Hwang
Jeong-Yeon followed suit, and even the administrative members moved
with a sense of urgency. Kim Hyunsung and I did the same.
After coming down to the irst loor, I witnessed the rest of our party
members already assembled. Seeing as Sun Hee-young had taken the
initiative to be in charge, it seemed that preparations for the expedition
didn’t need to be taken care of anymore.
This was the perfect timing for my skills, as I had done more than just
prepare for the expedition.
‘What a pity… ’
Lee Sang-hee was a good person. However, she was not an ideal leader.
To put it simply, I found her way of thinking foolish.
Faith was, of course, a good tool when dealing with great people, for
example, like Deok-gun or Baek-Yi.
Lee Sang-hee may have the same feelings for Lee Seolho and his idiotic
underlings. However, it didn’t necessarily mean that Seolho would pay
tribute to the faith she had given him.
I did not know the source of Lee Sang-hee’s deep faith, but I could take
a guess – she had faith in those she had been with for a long time. And
she held the belief that even if the guild were in danger of being ruined,
they would stay together until the end.
It didn’t matter if I was right or wrong. That kind of belief usually gets
shattered by betrayal. In my opinion, these old geezers weren’t different
from the poor people that had hurt Sun Hee-young. Their only
difference was the fact that they were lucky enough to score a position.
They also knew how to step on others to work their way up.
I couldn’t blame them for choosing to use their abilities. However, it just
meant they were good at nothing else other than this trickery.
‘Faith is… ’
It was an emotion that persisted as long as both parties knew they

could still bene it from each other. In the old men’s eyes, they probably
couldn’t see any bene its that would come from helping Lee Sang-hee
out.
“We shall depart in thirty minutes…”
“What is it?”
“Do you want me to get anything else for you, Oppa?”
“Ah, Hayan. I actually do. Can you get me something?”
“Yeah?”
“I have to run errands right now… I don’t have much time.”
“Sure. Just tell me what you need.”
Kim Ye-ri, who was already looking in my direction with a suspicious

expression, began to approach me right after Jung Hayan ran off.
‘Huh. She notices things fast.’
“Can you also run some errands for me?”
She simply nodded her head in response.
“It’ll be of great help to Hyunsung.”
“Okay.”
“Can you give a letter to someone named Lee Ji-hye from the Black
Swan Guild?”
“Lee Ji-hye?”
“Yes, Lee Ji-hye. If it’s possible, it’d be better if no one sees you do it.
Please don’t try to read it halfway through, either.”
“But…”
“If you say I sent you, they will welcome you. You need to go as soon as
possible.”
“Okay…”
She disappeared in an instant. My thoughts were in turmoil at this

point. I didn’t even know if I was doing the right thing. However, I knew
I was correct to some extent.
Why? One may ask.
Because I knew nothing good would come from putting faith into what I
knew were my enemies.
“It’s the perfect timing for some exposure…”
I knew it was necessary to start removing the rotten executives from

the guild.
CHAPTER 87
TOGETHER FOREVER (1)
Lee Sang-hee’s voice resonated within the room as I read Lee Jihye’s
letter brought by Kim Ye-ri.
“Let’s get going.”
“Of course.”
I stuffed the letter into my pocket and got up from my seat, nodding. By
the time we left the dungeon, my plan would be in progress.
Right now, I had to focus on the expedition itself.
The total number of members for the expedition was 14. We had six
people from our party, seven people from the party managed by Hwang
Jeong-yeon, and Lee Sang-hee herself, who would lead the expedition.
Though we lacked in number, we at least had some capable members.
First of all, it was important to note that Lee Sang-hee was a paladin
with a stat of 90. She was a talented individual who was not a good
leader but was exceptional as a combat agent. She was the best tanker
of any avant-garde I’d ever seen.
Her agility level was low, but the merit of having 77 magic power and
having self-healing abilities meant she was unmatched by any other
tanker in Lindel.
‘The same goes for Hwang Jeong-yeon… ’

The 2nd unit also had decent overall stats. They averaged the 70 to 80
levels, and their overall potential was not bad. They were the ones who
had the appropriate stats to enter the hero-grade dungeons.
“Since we lack the time, we’ll brief you on the way. Please note that our
priority is not to clear the dungeon.”
“Of course.”
“Our purpose is to identify and rescue the survivors. If I determine that

there are no other survivors, I will immediately call for our retreat. The
rescue of the survivors is important, but your safety is more important
than anything else. I hope you always keep that in mind.”
“The level of the dungeon we are entering is of hero-grade, and the

name of the dungeon is the Cursed Shrine. The types of monsters that
will appear are ghosts and undead, and other detailed information has
not yet been con irmed. We will search for survivors as safely as
possible until backup arrives.”
“How long will this take?”
“It is a dungeon found in the undead hunting grounds within the

western region of Lindel. It will take about 8 hours to get to the
destination.”
“Ah, so it won’t take that long.”
Although we had prepared for the expedition in such a hurry, I still felt
surprised to ind out that we had scarce information about the dungeon
we were entering.
I could understand why so many parties had failed.

No matter how much I thought about it, entering a hero-grade dungeon
with little to no information beforehand seemed like a very risky
endeavor one should not take.
If the dungeon’s grades were a rare grade, of course, it would be no

problem at all.
‘Was there any reason for them to enter?’
I thought that there was a possibility that the cause of the failure could
be caused by arrogantly entering with the mindset of ‘What could
happen when I’m using this amount of power?’
It was only natural for me to feel curious. Hwang Jeong-yeon saw this
and approached me.
“The information is a bit lacking.”
“I think it’s because we’re in a rush.”
“Is there any reason?”
“Yeah… I didn’t have enough time to prepare for the expedition. It was a
mistake to think about what could happen in a hero-grade dungeon
because almost all the guild’s power was put into the dungeon. Did you
know that the Blue Guild Master is cursed?”
Of course, this was the irst time I heard of it.
“No. This is the irst time I heard it.”
“Ah. It was meant to be kept under wraps. Lee Sang-hee is most likely
waiting for the perfect time to tell you.”
“Hmm…”
“It happened before you joined the party, Kiyoung. The Guild Master
suffered a curse from an unknown force, and to dispel it, he forcefully
entered the Cursed Shrine. In fact, I didn’t think it was impossible at the
time. The guilds members who left for the expedition were veterans
specializing in hero-grade dungeons or hunting large monsters.”
‘Ah… ’
It was a common mistake. If the expedition were composed of veterans

at least on Hwang Jeong-Yeon’s level, they must have thought they were
more than capable of legendary dungeons, much less hero-grade ones.
“Is there any info to be gained from the Cursed Shrine?”
“In fact, even I’m not so sure about that. The curse that the Guild Master
suffered was obtained in the process of discovering the Cursed Shrine,
and of course, I thought there might be a solution to the dungeon that
caused it. He was the one who reached out to open the dungeon
entrance…”
“I see…”
To put it simply, the Blue Guild Master was cursed for simply
discovering the dungeon, so the veterans under him went in to search
for a way to dispel it.
It was as if it was the dungeon’s way of attracting more adventurers.
‘And to think, this is the dungeon we’re about to get ourselves into… ’
All of a sudden, I felt a little anxious. This eerily felt just like a horror
movie, where the noble guys who tried to save their fallen friend would
also get caught up in the bad events.
This time, I had no choice but to hope that it wouldn’t be like that.
“You don’t seem surprised, Kiyoung.”
“No, no. I just sort of expected that there was a reason for the Guild
Master’s absenteeism. I just didn’t ind it in me to dig in further. I was
too busy focusing on my growth.”
“Ahh, yes. Lee Sang-hee probably didn’t want you to worry about it.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Oppa…”
“Ah, Hayan.” Perhaps I had spent too much time talking to Hwang Jeong-
yeon.
I greeted Jung Hayan and stepped up to match her stride, and her frown
immediately shifted into a smile. However, given the severity of the
situation, I couldn’t ind it in myself to resort to hand-holding. Jung
Hayan seemed to understand this since she wasn’t pulling at my
sleeves.
Meanwhile, the road we were taking was an uphill that was too steep
for wagons and the like.
Since I lacked in the physical category, I struggled to keep up with

everyone else. However, we were still approaching our destination at a
faster pace than expected.
‘It’s probably because of the sense of urgency.’
It was understandable for them not to show any consideration for the
members with low stamina. For now, I had no choice but to match their
stride while taking in health potions that I had brought with me.
As the enemies we were going to deal with were the undead, it seemed
that the priests thought it was good to save their divine power as much
as possible.
Eventually, when less than half a day had passed, we arrived at the area
where the undead was located. This was the irst time I encountered a
monster called undead. It looked curious, snooping here and there.
“No…”
The priests were openly frowning.
In the case of Sun Hee-young, who had a job as a dark priest, it seems
that she was not struggling as much as the rest of them, but she was
certainly still affected.
Kim Ye-ri clung onto Kim Hyunsung as if she was timider than she
initially thought. Park Deokgu, originally the timid one, had a
constricted expression due to the gloomy atmosphere.
Among our party members, Jung Hayan and Kim Hyunsung were the
only ones who were still in good shape. Kim Hyunsung, who knew
about this area in the irst place, could not understand why Jung Hayan
seemed to be smiling.
The more we entered, the darker the atmosphere became.
It wasn’t just because it was nighttime. There was something about this
place that seemed to press on us. It felt unpleasant to continue with the
damp, humid air, but we pushed through. The undead sounds coming
from god knows where only ampli ied the tension.
To be precise, this was a place that sparked irritation. In particular, the

more we walked, the more the negative feelings within me intensi ied.
‘Does this have something to do with the curse?’

I couldn’t possibly know. Something about this place hindered my
normally critical thinking.
“Does this place make you feel annoyed? Or is it just me…” Deokgu
asked.
“I feel it too, Deokgu. It will probably get worse the deeper we get in,” I
replied glumly.
“No…” Deokgu said in a miserable tone.
“I don’t want to deal with people like the undead…” he added.
“It can’t be helped,” I replied coldly.
With all the whispering and talking, it didn’t take long for us to reach
our destination—a small room found inside the temple.
There was something very wrong with it.
When I lipped the bookshelf in the small room, the entrance to the
dungeon came into view.
There was one more new entrance in the room. I didn’t know what
exactly it was, but I noticed that it had a pendant of a beast hanging
upside down, like a bad omen.
Was this a shrine?
‘It looks like a place where the devil is being worshiped.’
Looking at the basement entrance, I thought I knew the reason why the
Blue Guild Master, who found this place, was cursed, especially
considering how con ident he was about his abilities.
‘It’s like breathing in itself can make you cursed… ’

As I was looking around and assessing the atmosphere, Lee Sang-hee
spoke up.
“I will be the irst to enter. Unit 7 will follow, and unit 2 will enter right
after. Priests, please recite the puri ication spell.”
“Of course.”
Sun Hee-young and a man from the second party could be seen reciting
the spell. As soon as their light poured over us, the constricted feeling in
my chest loosened a little.
‘It’s working.’
Everyone else nodded, and Lee Sang-hee moved.
“Let’s go, Kiyoung.”
“Oppa.”
“Yes, let’s…”
Of course, it is natural that we as we entered. The information of the

place immediately spilled over.
[You have entered the heroic dungeon Cursed Shrine. The number of
people [??/??] has been con irmed.]
I thought the battle would start right away, but this wasn’t the case.
Unlike the Garden of Terror, where the landscape seemed to change

completely, the Cursed Shrine did not feel like it was separated from the
outside. It felt like being in a huge shrine underneath the temple.
The interior in itself looked sluggish for one as tense as me. As soon as I
looked around, one of the archers in our group spoke.
“There doesn’t appear to be anything nearby. We don’t know the details
yet, but the other traces around here seem to be harmless.”
As the archer said, this area seemed safe. It seemed like the previous
party had completed the attack here.
Though the atmosphere still felt heavy, I didn’t seem to be as affected as

before.
“It looks like the coast will be clear for some time.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. I think we can move faster for a bit.”
“I will do as you say. Priests, please be prepared to recite spells at any

time.”
“Yes, okay.”
It seemed like the party was approaching this a little faster than I
thought, but that didn’t mean we would neglect our boundaries.
I couldn’t see anything dangerous just yet, but because this dungeon
had already swallowed up tons of parties in the past, I wasn’t willing to
let my guard down.
‘It looks like they’ve cleared this part with not a trace of evidence.’
One didn’t need to be an archer to notice this. The deeper we got in, the
cleaner the interior looked. Seeing this, I igured the previous parties
did not have too much of a hard time in the beginning.
“Next…”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to enter the next room.”
“We’ll be right behind you.”
“Let’s go.”
It was then that I heard a voice I had never heard of until now.
The curse will fall upon you.
‘What the hell…?’

CHAPTER 88
The curse will fall upon you.
‘What the hell…?’
As everyone was looking around, I knew I wasn’t the only one who had
heard the voice.
“Just now…”
“Priests, please cast the puri ication spell once more.”
“Yes, alright!”
Nothing was happening as of the moment, but hearing the voice had
made us all tense. Honestly, I felt like leaving this place right away.
Lee Sang-hee and the second party remained calm, but our party
seemed a little confused.
The curse will fall…
“Can you feel the magic power?”
“No, I can’t sense anything. There isn’t even any divine magic…”
I will curse these intruders…
“Perhaps it is a function that is planted in the dungeon.”

“What kind of curse is it…?”
“We don’t know yet. For now, this voice is our only lead.”
“Step back for now and cast the Holy Defense spell,” Lee Sang-hee
ordered.
Suddenly, I felt my eyes turning white from the harsh wind that had
suddenly picked up. I didn’t know what was happening. However, I felt
dizzy. The urge to vomit was prominent. It felt like the world around me
was changing. Of course, this did not seem like an appropriate
expression. It wasn’t easy trying to explain what kind of phenomenon
we were experiencing.
For a moment, I believed everyone around me was experiencing the

same thing.
After the landscape changed, the unknown voice spoke again,

appearing a little startled.
Why did you do that?
Why… did you abandon me?
‘Ah… ’
A familiar woman stood in front of me. I remembered who she was. She
was the one I had left to be eaten by the monsters back at the tutorial
dungeon. I believed I had no choice but to leave her to save myself, but I
could never forget her. She had chosen to prioritize drinking water and
food instead of escaping…
I told myself this to ease my anxiety, but I had always felt sorry.
“What is this situation…?”

I didn’t care about the fact that she was approaching me with her
intestines dropping onto the loor; the memory of her being eaten by
the monsters still lashed in my mind.
I was frowning, but I wasn’t scared.
I already knew.
‘This is fake.’
It hurt… It hurt so much… I thought you would save me… Instead, you
turned your back on me…
“Fuck.”
You are a sad excuse for a human.
“Park Hyaeyoung…”
Even the voice of Park Hyaeyoung, who died because of Jung Hayan,
resonated in my ears.
When she appeared, her arms and legs were amputated, and her eyes
were full of resentment. I knew their resentment stemmed from the
fact that they didn’t choose themselves.
Of course, in Hyaeyoung’s case, it had been possible to save her.
Nevertheless…
‘I shouldn’t feel guilty.’
You always defend yourself with that thought. It was a reasonable choice.
I couldn’t help it. It’s a reasonable option. To me, you are the kind of
human being that should never have existed.
“Are you even quali ied to say that to me?”
It was then that Jung Jinho appeared. Seeing him with a sword stuck to
his neck made me feel a little queasy.
It is no different. We are the same kind of person. We are sel ish and
greedy. Did Seokwoo die because he needed to?
Now the people Sun Hee-young had killed appeared. Those related to
me were showing themselves one by one.
‘Was this the curse they were talking about?’
I didn’t think anyone else could see what I was seeing. It was just a
hunch, but it felt like the illusion meant for me to see the things or
people I would hate to see the most.
I could sense the guilt within me, stirring me up, and it did not feel
good.
You killed us.
“Shut up,” I exclaimed. I was getting annoyed at this point.
You only rely on rationalization. You’re a coward.
“What’s wrong with rationalizing? Humans are designed to ind

rationality,” I snapped back.
And you feel guilty.
“It’s a feeling I can have, of course, but I don’t regret it,” I remarked
coldly.
You’re worse than trash.

“Is that all you can say? The fact remains that I am the only one alive,
and all of you are not. I will never change. Once a situation like that
happens again, I will do the same,” I replied irmly.
Someday, you’ll be here with the rest of us.
“You can wish as much as you would like.”
My vision then began to get much brighter. Those looking at me with

those haunting expressions slowly began to scatter, and their insults
began to intensify. I fell silent.
It was not pleasant to see the bodies of those who should be dead. My
entire body was soaked in a cold sweat. My legs began to shake, and my
lips felt dry.
‘It’s fake… This is all fake… ’
You think so? Is this fake?
‘Shut up.’
Even after I returned to reality, the voices never left my head.
‘Shit.’
You killed us.
‘Shit.’
You killed us. You!
‘Damn… ’
This was giving me more psychological damage than expected. As I

gasped hard, I felt someone tapping my shoulder. I shuddered.
“Get off, right now!”
“Are you okay?”
When I realized it was only Kim Hyunsung, I began to relax.
Yes. All of that was fake. I had to return to reality.
“Ah… Yes, I’m ine.”
Kim Hyunsung had sent a little bit of magic my way.
‘The others… ’
Everyone was probably going through the same thing as me, just with
different illusions. As expected, an inexplicable landscape came into
view.
“Ahh…”
I could see Kim Ye-ri trembling and shaking her hand relentlessly as if
to get rid of something. No, it seemed like she was trying to push away
whoever was approaching her.
“Stop… Stop. Mom… Mom! Help me! Please save me, mom… Please…”
Judging from what I could hear, she was likely reliving a memory she
had back in the slums. I didn’t need to see the scene to know that it was
terrible.
Park Deokgu, meanwhile, was crouching. When I saw him trembling

without saying a word, I tried my best to imagine what he could see.
Sun Hee-young was also crying. She wasn’t screaming, but blood was
running down her mouth. It appeared that they had all been biting their
lips tightly.
Of course, the person who showed the most incomprehensible act
among them was Jung Hayan.
“I hate it! I hate it… Please, Oppa… Oppa… Oppa!”
“I-I’m sorry… I did everything wrong. Please. Please… I’ll do better in

the future. Please don’t throw me away. Please…”
‘Fuck.’
Honestly, I felt like her situation was serious. Tears were running down
her eyes, and her nails were stained with blood. She had torn off her
lesh with her hands. Seeing that her hair was sparse, it looked she had
ripped off some of her hair as well.
“Oh, no…”
“Don’t do that with her. Don’t do that, Oppa. I’m sorry… I hate this! I
hate it so much!”
I couldn’t predict just what she was seeing in her landscape. All the
other people wore similar disoriented expressions, stuck in their
illusions.
Although I could see people waking up halfway through, most of them

settled for falling and screaming, confusion evident on their features.
Lee Sang-hee was busy apologizing to whoever she had encountered.
“Sorry. I’m really sorry. Really…”
I could guess what she was seeing – it was her letting down her fellow
guild members. Since she had always been worried about the members
in danger, I knew it was only a natural reaction.
Hwang Jeong-Yeon, who was crying quietly, also woke up, looking
around in mild panic.
Except for Kim Hyunsung, most of those that had awakened were those
who possessed high intelligence. They had individualistic differences,
but their similarity in intellect was distinct. Jung Hayan’s case might be
peculiar, as she was the only one with high intelligence that was still
stuck in her landscape.
‘That’s because her mind is unstable.’
“Hyunsung, what happened…?”
“I’ve also just woken up.”
“How long has it been?”
“I don’t think we’ve been here long. I don’t really understand…”
It had felt like hours inside my hallucinations. It was hard to believe

that all of it had happened within a moment.
Of course, in my case, I settled for solving the situation instead of

grasping it. After erasing the questions lingering in my head, I spoke
once more.
“How can one wake up?”
“It would be best to put one’s magic power slowly. Divine magic will be
a little more ef icient, but… I think it’d be better for Kiyoung to focus on
saving Hayan irst.”
“Ah… Of course.”
Kim Hyunsung then stepped towards Sun Hee-young’s direction,

deciding it would be best to free her irst. Hwang Jeong-yeon thought
the same thing as she approached her party’s priest.
As soon as I managed to clear my mind, the strange sensation left my

body.
I, too, slowly stepped towards Jung Hayan.
“I have to kill…”
‘What was she talking about?’
“I have to kill it all… I have to kill them all. That way, I can become one
with my Oppa. Okay. Yes. That’s right. I have to kill them all.”
Jung Hayan continued to mutter in a voice too quiet to be heard by

others. I didn’t know what she meant by ‘becoming one,’ but it sure did
sound scary. As I quietly approached, pushing in my magic, I felt Jung
Hayan gradually awakening.
“We will always be together,” I whispered into her ear.
Knowing Jung Hayan, she would snap out of it soon. And, to my

expectations, she did. Her rough breathing slowly stabilized. Seeing that
her body had stopped trembling, I knew she would come to her senses
sooner or later.
Then, Jung Hayan looked in my direction.
“Oppa?” Hayan asked and tilted her head. Obviously, she was still
recovering from her sudden awakening.
“Are you okay?” I asked in a concerned tone.
“F-Fine… Oppa…” she replied.
“H-Huh?”
Jung Hayan tackled me into a tight hug. I felt suffocated, but I couldn’t
shake her off.
“Oppa… Oppa, Oppa…”
She kept calling me.
“Yes, I’m here, Hayan.”
As soon as I said this, Jung Hayan dissolved into sobs. It felt like taking
care of a child who had just experienced a nightmare, but it didn’t feel
all too bad.
You’ll throw her away too.
Although the voices never left me, it was natural for me to ignore them.
This was the effect of the curse, after all.
It’s not an effect of the curse. It’s the voice you hear in your own heart.
Perhaps I wasn’t the only one who was hearing voices inside their
heads. Even after some of the others had woken up, they continued to
talk to themselves.
Eventually, no one will be left by your side. You’ll have thrown them all
away. Those next to you will also look at you with contempt someday.
Someday…
“Is it really you, Oppa?” Hayan asked.
“Yes, it’s me,” I replied.
“It’s really Oppa…” she remarked. Her facial expression went from
miserable to hopeful instantly.

Jung Hayan’s anxiously spoke, trying to make sure that I was real, that
this wasn’t just another illusion. It made me wonder what kind of voice
she was hearing in her head.
I gulped while I continued to look down at Jung Hayan.
‘This doesn’t feel right… ’
Jung Hayan’s condition didn’t seem too stable.
In fact, she seemed like a bomb that could detonate at any minute.
CHAPTER 89
It wasn’t just Jung Hayan who was acting this way.
I couldn’t say that the others were doing better than her, but they still
exhibited signs of paranoia and anxiety even after their illusions had
gone.
Kim Ye-ri was one of them.
That kid had always expressed a calm disposition, but now she was
tightly clinging onto Kim Hyunsung, and fear was evident in her
expression.
As she was still just a child, I could understand why she would react
that way. I didn’t know what she had seen, but I was almost sure it had
been one of her most traumatizing experiences.
The same went for Jung Hayan. I could almost guess her illusion was
taking the form of me abandoning her. Because of this, I realized that
the curse was made to target the weak points of every individual
present.
Slowly, however, everyone awakened. Though they had escaped the

in luence of the curse, no one dared to speak.
As I soothed a trembling Jung Hayan, gently stroking her hair, Lee Sang-
hee spoke up.
“Phi, please report the damage situation.”

“Ah, the curse seems to be purely mental. It creates hallucinations for
anyone who comes across it.”
“Is there anyone who can’t move?”
“No one has been injured.”
No physical damage had been in licted. However, it had caused a great

toll on everyone mentally. Now, I was beginning to understand why the
previous Blue Guild parties had been annihilated here.
If the curse continued to haunt everyone here, or if it would begin to get

worse…
‘That’s when the situation can get out of hand.’
Lee Sang-hee massaged her temples for a moment before speaking

once more.
“Can anyone hear voices inside their head?”
She received no answer.
When it was apparent that no one dares to speak up, I did.
“I can.”
“I see…”
“I think it will be the same for the others.”
“I don’t think the divine cleansing spell is effective. The curse is

probably built into the dungeon itself. It’s most likely triggered when
entering a certain area, or when one has stayed for some time.”
‘That’s a good line of reasoning.’

Lee Sang-hee had gone back to her poised self. I glanced at Kim
Hyunsung and saw him nodding, which meant that she had given a
correct hunch.
“However, the symptoms might get worse later on. If this kind of curse
is activated when we’re facing the undead…”
She didn’t need to explain further. It would cause severe damage to the
party. However, I knew the undead wasn’t the real problem here; the
curse was.
Undead or ghost, it didn’t matter. They were trivial appetizers. As the

dungeon’s name suggested, the real obstacle in this place would be the
curse in licted upon us.
Eventually, you will be left alone.
‘Shut your mouth.’
I knew we would not be able to control the situation unless we got used
to the curse. Though Lee Sang-hee, Kim Hyunsung, and I had already
adjusted, I knew Hyunsung’s situation was different from ours.
However, it was well known that Kim Hyunsung’s party was growing
fast. It would be no exaggeration to say that our growth speed was
incomprehensible. Even I had been able to catch up, thanks to Tucker
and my resources.
It went without saying that our specs could reach up to legendary.

However, just because we had high potential didn’t automatically mean
we were strong.
Our party had a load of mental problems. The growth of one’s mind
can’t possibly be on par with the growth of the body.
‘Was this Kim Hyunsung’s goal all along?’

Perhaps Kim Hyunsung had brought us along for this very purpose?
However, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed unlikely. I
knew he wasn’t the type to disregard the possibility of people losing
their lives. If this were a normal dungeon, he wouldn’t have hesitated to
send us in.
‘The situation is serious now.’
Our party wasn’t the only one suffering. The rest of the group was, too.
In this kind of situation, there were only three options available.
The irst was to return.
There was too little information about the dungeon itself. It didn’t
matter if our main focus was to rescue our guild members. If the
previous expedition leader had been more cautious, he would have
chosen this option.
The second was to continue.
This was not recommended. As we didn’t know our survivors’

condition, there was a sense of urgency that couldn’t be ignored.
The third one was…
“First of all, it would be better to set up a camp here.”
‘Right.’
“For melee workers, please form a group and search the surroundings.
Try to ind information that can help with our next strategy. The rest of
the people will set up camp here. Please prepare a meal. It’s about time
for us to take a break. The second unit should take charge.”
“I’ll come with you.”

“Ah… But are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah. I don’t know why, but I don’t seem to have been heavily
in luenced by the curse. Although I can hear the voices… It’s not enough
to bother me.”
“Ah. If so… Then please do, Mr. Hyunsung.”
I think this was the best option we could have taken. Even before we
had been cursed, the entire party already felt exhausted.
It had been over half a day and six hours since we had entered the
shrine. If we continued to push ourselves to search in this state, we’d
reach our limits and burn out faster than we’d think.
In particular, our priests and sorcerers were the ones who had worked
themselves out the most, so it was only proper to give them ample time
to rest.
“After we rest here, we can resume tomorrow morning. If we don’t ind

anything or anyone after three days, we’ll retreat. And…”
“Yes?”
“It’d be better for all of you to ind a way around your curse.”
I felt like it wasn’t. Usually, a curse was semi-permanent.
“Yes, it is. For now, please focus on recovering your body. The
countermeasures will be formed after the search team returns.”
Once Lee Sang-hee inished speaking, a few people with high agility
stats, including Kim Hyunsung and Kim Ye-ri, stood up and went out.
Meanwhile, the rest of us did our best to set up camp.
Seeing that he was so willing to head out, it seemed that Kim Hyunsung
had some sort of plan as to how we were going to tackle this situation.
‘Maybe he knows of another hint.’
If their task was to risk themselves searching for more information,

then our task wasn’t just to set up camp. It was also to help ease
everyone’s mentality.
I didn’t even have to ask for con irmation—this task was up to me.
Contrary to Sun Hee-young, who had quickly found stability, Deokgu,

who still had a blank expression plastered on his face, looked like he
needed some help.
I didn’t need to do much with Jung Hayan. She’d be alright as long as I

was beside her.
Seeing that people were having conversations as they worked, I thought

that would be my best course of action.
“Deokgu.”
“Oh, Hyung…”
He had on a remarkably shaky expression as he looked up at Jung

Hayan and me.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“W-Well, of course,” Deokgu replied.
“I’m asking you seriously,” I said irmly.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me, Hyung. Take good care of Hayan
because I can’t.”
‘This pig… ’
“What did you see?”
“Nothing special.”
Park Deokgu seemed to think that opening up would mean he would

become even more of a burden. As I quietly assessed him, I could see
the anxiety written on his face. So, I took the initiative.
“I heard the voices of those I killed or those who died in front of me.”
“Ah…”
“I saw Yoo Seok-woo and Park Hyaeyoung, who could not be saved. Of
course, I also saw the faces of Jung Jinho and his men. He told me I was
going to die soon. They even told me not to rationalize their deaths.”
He fell silent.
“How about you?”
Park Deokgu’s expression shifted into worry, to the point where I

wondered if it was right for me to push him into telling. Perhaps it was
about his weakness or trauma, so it was only natural for me to be
careful.
However, I knew it was necessary for him to speak, so I could help him
out.
“Well, I… Hyung, I saw you and the other party members die. I was
ighting a giant monster… I wasn’t able to do so because I couldn’t hold
onto it. I also hesitated upon seeing both of you injured… I… Ugh…”
It was quite a shock to see tears forming in Deokgu’s eyes as he spoke,
and he stuttered in a way that one would think he was choking.
I knew Park Deokgu was weak, but I didn’t think he’d be this weak.
“Even when I killed Yoo Seokwoo…”
Park Deokgu couldn’t ind it in himself to look at the scene.
“Then I saw all of you blaming me, that you all died because of me… It’s
all because of me… I wasn’t doing anything, just shivering… The same
situation came again, but I couldn’t move…”
“And after that?”
“It was the same after that… Never changing…”
“Can you still hear the voices?”
I could see him nodding.
“What?”
“I can hear all of you.”
“Who?”
“The voices of Hayan and you. I can also hear the voice of Hyunsung
Hyung, and the voice of Hee-young Eunni, as well as Kim Ye-ri. Are you
experiencing the same?”
“Of course, even now. But it doesn’t hurt me much.”
“As expected of my Hyung…”
“You can do the same. What you’re seeing are simple hallucinations.”
I did not mean to say this for Park Deokgu only, but also for Sun Hee-
young and Jung Hayan.
“There is no reason to be shaken, and there is also no need to worry. It’s

all just bullshit anyway. Don’t let it bother you. Focus on what you see
now.”
“Ah…”
“If I can do it, you can do better, Park Deokgu.”
“A-Ah…”
“Remember that. If I can do it, you can do better.”
Of course, I didn’t mean that. However, I knew it would help him to an

extent.
After that, we delved into discussions covering various topics. We had a

short talk with Sun Hee-young, and we had a meal with Lee Sang-hee,
Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Kim Hyunsung to discuss our next strategy.
Of course, it was only natural that I invested the most time in

comforting Jung Hayan. I needed to keep her mind off things by keeping
up the conversation. I thought about talking to her the way I had talked
to Park Deokgu, but I knew that tactic wouldn’t be as ef icient.
In fact, I didn’t even want to recall what I had seen again. Just talking
about it meant I had to do my best to seem unaffected once more.
Anyway, her situation was different from Park Deokgu’s.
Although everyone was sensitive to the situation, I knew they could

survive through it. All we had experienced were hallucinations, after all.
‘Anyway, everyone has taken a short break… ’

It can be said that this was the best choice. It would be dif icult to get
some proper sleep, but because I was tired of the long journey, it didn’t
become a problem for me.
‘Ah… ’
At some point, however, I could sense Jung Hayan staring my way,

heightening my senses.
“We’ll be together forever. Yes… no. Oppa won’t do that. You are stupid.
My Oppa told me to ignore your words. You are not real.”
I didn’t know who she was talking to, but she eventually leaned in to
whisper in my ear.
“I won’t listen to you, stupid idiot. My Oppa shouldn’t die. I’m going to
live with him forever.”
‘Shit… ’
“We’ll be together forever. We can stay here for all time, Oppa.
Hehehe…”
Her creepy voice sent shivers down my spine.

CHAPTER 90
“We’ll be together forever. We can stay here for all time, Oppa.
Hehehe…”
Her creepy voice sent shivers down my spine.
I knew Jung Hayan wasn’t expecting me to linch from the way she had
been acting, so I chose not to move. In the irst place, her mentality was
obviously not healthy.
Sun Hee-young had a similar mindset, but she already had her own set
of values in place. She was essentially different from Jung Hayan, who
relied entirely on me. Their biggest difference lay in the fact that one
knew how to control herself, and the other one didn’t.
I didn’t know who Jung Hayan was hearing, but…
“I’m not going to listen to you. So don’t talk to me. I won’t listen,
anyway.”
Perhaps it was some twisted version of me.
In context, it was correct to think so. After all, I’m her biggest weakness.
“My Oppa can’t die… I’m only going to cut your legs. You’re going to run
away? There’s no way you’re going to do that because you said you
loved me. There’s no way. If you do that, you’re going to be hurting, and
I don’t like that.”
Momentarily, I felt her hand stroking my leg. I wanted to scream, to
resist, but I could not.
I should have been sleeping soundly by now.
“You still don’t know? Huh. You don’t have to do that. If I cut off his
arms, he won’t have a hand that will stroke my head, idiot. He wouldn’t
even be able to hug me tight… You are an idiot.”
‘Shit.’
Her condition seemed to be getting worse.
Right now, I could hear another voice in addition to Jung Hayan’s.
Hearing Jung Jinho and Park Hyaeyoung constantly invading my head

irritated me. Since the curse overlapped with one’s mentality, I knew all
of us must be feeling worn.
The curse eroded the mind faster than anything else. I knew it should
not affect us, but in truth, it was honestly affecting Jung Hayan on a
largely negative scale.
Nevertheless…
‘She’s not completely crazy yet… ’
I was sure of this because she knew not to act in that manner when
other people were present. As long as she was acting sanely, it would all
be okay.
With these thoughts, I tried my best to stay quiet.
“Oppa seems to be awake…?”
I froze when I heard it.

“No… He has never awakened once. Oppa doesn’t get up easily once he
falls asleep. I cast magic on him, too…”
“Ah. This isn’t the Guild House. I forgot…”
‘Ah… ’
Though my eyes were closed, I could still feel Jung Hayan moving closer.
This was because I could feel her rough breathing right against my skin.
I knew she was checking to see if I was actually asleep.
After some time, she kissed me lightly on the lips and drew back.
‘Ah… ’
Feeling her move away, it seemed that she’d decided it would be better
to stay away from me.
Still though, I didn’t dare to move.
Jung Hayan moved to another position. After some time, I thought

about inally opening my eyes, however…
“Ah, so I was right. You’re still sleeping, aren’t you, Oppa?”
Then she moved away again.
I tried to sleep as much as possible, which wasn’t a problem with my

drowsiness. To put it plainly, dungeons were no longer a problem for
me.
‘But I have more pressing matters to attend to.’
It was more important to solve this situation.

In the irst place, Jung Hayan’s abnormal behavior wasn’t easily
recognizable. It was also incomprehensible that she had cast magic in
my room and on myself.
But she hadn’t done that to hurt me. She had done it to protect me from
any possible enemy.
This was her own way of showing that she cared for me a lot.
Simply put, Jung Hayan had never once shown that she intended to hurt
me.
The current situation felt different, however.
‘Now, she’s… ’
Now it felt like a possible endeavor for her to take, especially after
experiencing the hallucination. In fact, she must probably already be
planning it.
‘To stay together forever in this dungeon for the rest of our lives… ’
I shuddered.
In the irst place, the idea of thinking that drinking water and food can
be obtained here was ridiculous. Drinking water could somehow be
obtained by magic, but this was not a place where humans could live.
Of course, I wasn’t sure if Jung Hayan was really entertaining the

possibility, but it only felt right to act on it before she even attempted to.
Assuming that Jung Hayan had really made up her mind, she had two
options.
One was to kill and hide those who had entered this place. The other
one was to disappear after taking only me.
Although it seemed to me that the second option was more viable, there
was no guarantee that she would not choose the irst if things got worse
than it was now.
‘Although… ’
I didn’t think Jung Hayan would be able to kill everyone in this

expedition.
‘Knowing her specs, it’s still a possibility.’
Jung Hayan was smarter and more resourceful than I would like to
admit.
The place where we were now was a dungeon that had swallowed up
the ive previous Blue parties, and everyone had been af licted with
hallucinations. It didn’t matter if Kim Hyunsung was a returner. Jung
Hayan was still a very unpredictable variable.
Suppose Jung Hayan’s plan was put into action and completed
successfully. In that case, the dungeon we were in now might be
renamed to a legendary dungeon, not a heroic-grade dungeon depicting
a cursed shrine, but a legendary dungeon with a mad wizard and a
cursed shrine.
‘The mad wizard and the cursed shrine… ’
It was an ominous-sounding thought.
From Jung Hayan’s perspective, anyone who dared to enter would be

seen as an intruder in our own nest of love. It would be the best bad
ending out of all possible scenarios.
Of course, I didn’t want to waste my whole life away in an area like this.
This may be a safe and comfortable place, but my freedom would
always be suppressed.
‘What should I do… ’
There were many options, but the irst was to ix her mentality as soon
as possible. In addition to completing the expedition’s task, I had one
more thing to do.
As I busied myself in my next course of action, day approached our

group. The irst voice I heard was Jung Hayan’s.
“It’s time to get up, Oppa.”
“Ah… Huh.”
As I nodded and looked up at her, her status window re lected in front

of me.
[Check the player’s status window and potential ability.]
[Name – Hayan Jung]
[Title – None. You should try a little more.]
[Age – 21]
[Alignment – ???]
[Job – Archmage – Heroic Grade]
[Capacity]
[Strength – 17/Growth limit: Rare or less]
[Agility – 15/Growth limit: Rare or less]

[Health – 29/Growth limit: Heroic or less]
[Intellect – 61/Growth limit: Heroic or higher]
[Durability – 22/Growth limit: Rare or less]
[Luck – 52/Growth limit: Heroic or higher]
[Mana – 70/Growth limit: Legendary or higher]
[Equipment – Holy Protection]
[Talent – How to Become a Wizard – Heroic Grade]
[General comment – Her growth rate is outstanding. Player Jung Hayan

has a near-perfect understanding of magic. It seems that it is still
dif icult to advance her mind to the next level, but she is expected to
gain momentum soon. I am very sorry to mention player Lee Kiyoung. It
is noticeable that her tendency is changing. If you don’t want to
transform the Cursed Shrine into a new type of dungeon, you should
take some action. I’ve hardly been affectionate, but I hope you survive.]
‘Ah, so it’s true… ’
Fortunately, her change in disposition was not yet complete. I didn’t

know what the question mark meant, but the general review literally
stated that Jung Hayan was at a crossroads.
I didn’t know what her tendency to change would be like, but it could
very well be a positive change.
When I looked at Jung Hayan again, I could see her acting like how she
always was with me. Because of this, I felt embarrassed at my inability
to act as casually as I would’ve liked.
“Hehehe.”
However, it was natural for me to cover up for my blunder. As I smiled
and stroked her face, she looked very happy.
“Can you still hear the voice? Hayan?”
“Yeah. I still hear it at times, but it’s okay now. They’re all just
hallucinations.”
“What exactly has it been saying?”
“I do not know. I can’t hear them well anymore. You don’t have to
worry.”
Of course, she was lying.
“Alright, I’m glad. Anyway, we need to go soon. What about the others?”
“I heard that we would leave in half an hour. Everyone seems to be

organizing their luggage…”
We held hands at this point. I also smiled and kissed Jung Hayan on the
lips. She then wrapped her arms around my neck, but we both knew we
couldn’t do anything further. It was time to move.
However, with the way we were acting, it was almost like we were old
lovers.
For a long while, a blush stayed on Jung Hayan’s face.
‘Good.’
This was not a bad reaction. It felt like it would be better for me to
move a little more actively, and it seemed to be working so far.
Of course, it was natural for me to keep her close and continue to

shower her with praises. I thought that what Jung Hayan needed now
was greater affection. At least, when she was with me, her condition
didn’t seem to be worsening.
“Are you ready to leave?”
“Yes. I’ve prepared everything.”
“Ah. Thanks. Then, shall we go out?”
“Ah. Oppa, wait… I actually have something to say.”
“Huh?”
“The other day… Um, about last time.”
“Huh. What about it?”
“We do… First… You know when you irst kissed me, right?”
Of course, I remembered.
Before going to Cha Hee-ra, I kissed Jung Hayan to reassure her that I
wouldn’t leave her.
“Then…”
“…”
“You said you loved me, right? You said I was the only one.”
“Of course you are.”
“Even now… Do you feel the same? You love me, don’t you?”
‘This… ’
It was hard to tell what the right answer was.
However, after assessing her glances, I realized I had another option. If I

thought about it, I could simply just nod.
However, it was very dif icult to tell if this was really the correct answer.
One wrong move could change her disposition.
As I was thinking about this, Jung Hayan spoke once more, a little more
forcefully this time.
“You love me, right?”
At the urgency in her tone, I felt compelled to answer.
“Of course, I love you now, and I will continue to love you in the future.”
“Ah… thank God!”
“By the way… Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”
“Ah, it’s nothing…”
Her expression showed pure joy, but it was still hard to tell if I had
given her the correct answer or not. There hadn’t been a change in
disposition yet.
“I love you too, Oppa.”
“Me, too…”
It was then that a change occurred with Jung Hayan’s status window.
CHAPTER 91
It was then that a change occurred with Jung Hayan’s status window.
[Alignment – Fallen Advocate]
Bile rose up my throat.
‘It wasn’t the right answer.’
Though I had realized this, I also knew I had no other answer to choose
from. This was because I didn’t know how she would react if I went the
other way and said I didn’t love her anymore.
If neither seemed like the correct answer, then it was best to behave
predictably.
However, in this case, I could already predict the outcome. I had to act
as naturally as possible, so I continued to smile and laugh as if nothing
was wrong.
‘I need to come up with a countermeasure… ’
As I had mentioned earlier, I not only had to help save the survivors but
also ind a way to control Jung Hayan. Although many options came to
mind, I soon found out which would be the most effective method to
take.
I’ve never thought about excluding Jung Hayan in any situation, but I
knew it would work as a last resort.
“I’ll be back in a minute, Hayan. I need to consult with Hyunsung and
Sang-hee.”
“Alright, Oppa!”
It was time for the executives to talk.
Hwang Jeong-yeon, Kim Hyunsung, and Lee Sang-hee, who were

already huddling together and talking, came into sight.
“A small statue?”
“I could see that they were installed in certain areas, and for a while, I
could feel the voices in my head disappear. I think it temporarily
represses the curse…”
“So basing off of that, will it be safe to assume that there is a safety zone
in each area?”
“I don’t know if there will still be statues that will have the same effect
in other areas, but… It will at least help us to an extent. Divine magic is
hard to get by, especially against the curse, so we should make the most
of this discovery.”
“Thank God for that. Honestly though, I feel like the curse’s cycles are
getting shorter…”
“The statue’s a little far from here.”
As I approached, the others greeted me with a nod. Based on what I

could hear, it seemed like Kim Hyunsung had discovered a possible safe
zone against the curse.
‘Huh, not bad.’

I knew we were bound to ind it sooner or later, but being able to
discover this as early as now was de initely impressive.
“How is the 7th unit doing?” Kim Hyunsung asked and looked at me.
Now that he’d come back from scouting, it was understandable that
he’d ask about them.
“They occasionally show signs of anxiety, but it’s not too bad. Sun Hee-
young, in particular, doesn’t seem too affected. It’s like she doesn’t hear
any voices at all.”
“I see.”
“I’m not really sure, but I think intelligence stats play a big part in
resisting the curse.”
“Ah.”
“How about the 2nd unit?”
“Those with lower intelligence specs in our party do seem to be more

affected quickly. However, the situation isn’t that serious yet. What I’m
worried about is how they will be if this curse lasts for another three
days or a week…”
“Thankfully though, there are places where we can rest free from the
curse. I’m hoping the priests can prioritize the lower intelligence party
members. I’m not sure if your hunch is correct, but it’s worth a try. If
any other information is gathered, please let us know immediately. It
doesn’t matter if it sounds trivial.”
“Alright, will do.”
“Then, we’ll continue after the cleanup. As we have discussed, we will

proceed with the search with Mr. Hyunsung in the lead.”
“Alright.”
All of us nodded at this. Lee Sang-hee’s business seemed to be over, but

mine wasn’t.
“Hyunsung, I will talk with Jeong-yeon for a moment before I get back.”
“Ah… Yes, okay.”
Kim Hyunsung looked puzzled, and even Hwang Jeong-yeon looked

surprised. However, she also looked curious as to what I wanted to talk
to her about.
After a moment, Hyunsung excused himself from the conversation,

leaving Jeong-yeon and me to talk.
“I’m doing ine. How’re you, Jeong-yeon?”
“I’m ine, too. It seems that having a high intelligence stat certainly has
a positive effect. Looking at Kiyoung makes me think he wasn’t cursed
at all.”
“Oh, no, I only look ine on the outside.”
“No way. You were able to awaken right away when you get af licted
with the curse. That kind of hurts my pride, hahaha…”
“Have you found out anything else?”
“Ah… Yes. I don’t think it’s enough yet, though. I’ll try and collect more
data.”
“For example?”
“For example, the frequency of the voices. I hear a voice every 10
minutes and 46 seconds. It is getting shorter by 38 seconds every hour.
The triggers occur slowly if you are resting without doing anything. Of
course, there are individual differences, so it’s not accurate, but it’s
what I’ve found out on my end.”
“Ah. It certainly helps to have a good memory.”
“Yeah. Of course, it’s not nice to hear the motherfuckers’ voices more
and more vividly. What’s up, by the way? Are you trying to keep your
promise last time?”
“No, the time isn’t right for now. Park Deokgu’s struggling a lot from the
curse as well.”
“Oh, I did see Jung Hayan depending on you… How romantic!”
“The situation’s not really romantic… I think Hayan’s being in luenced

by the curse.”
“But…”
“She just doesn’t seem like she is on the outside.”
“Is it because you two have been together for so long that you can
notice the subtle differences?”
“Let’s go with that line of reasoning, yes.”
“Hmm… Why didn’t you tell Lee Sang-hee or Hyunsung?”
“It’s something I have to solve by myself.”
“It would be nice to inform them, though. Our dungeon strategy can go
wrong if even the smallest variable changes. If Jung Hayan is not in
good condition, it’ll be a better option to leave the dungeon irst.”
“No, there is no guarantee that this curse will be stopped even if we exit
the dungeon…”
More dangerous things may happen if I chose that option. It would be

better to stick to everyone.
“At least you know, Jeong-yeon. If something goes awry, at least I have
an insurance policy.”
“I’m lattered for the trust, but it’s hard to say I’m con ident enough to
know what to do. I’m not going to tell them, but I also have a stressful
situation to take care of. What can I do for you?”
There was no reason for me to prolong it any longer. I spoke.
“Can you use illusion magic, hallucination magic, or psychological

magic?”
“Hmm…”
“…”
“Psychological magic is impossible.”
‘Ah… ’
“I can, however, do hallucinations or illusion magic. The psychological

aspect isn’t actually impossible, but it’s too complex for me to
comprehend. I’m sure you know this.”
“Yes, I know that it’s very dif icult.”
“It’s not that easy. Fantasies and hallucinations have little effect on high-
intelligence people, and even low-intelligence people can resist if they
have high magical power. Psychological magic is the same. No matter
how much the person tries to accept the magic, humans instinctively
tend to push away what suddenly invades their minds.”
I already knew this. However, when I heard that it was impossible right
from the beginning, I de lated a little. However, I held onto the hope
that Jeong-yeon was the type who loved making the impossible happen.
“It won’t be possible to do at this point.”
“Wouldn’t it be a different subject if the subject was cursed?”
“It will still be a dif icult endeavor.”
“Then what if there were medications to help? Or a catalyst?”
“Are you talking about the way you use your magic?”
“Yes. In addition to that, there was a potion I’ve been working on, a
potion that can tap into people’s emotions. Of course, it doesn’t really
touch your emotions, but you can at least experience a similar effect.”
“…”
“Would it be possible?”
“I don’t know exactly… It’ll be a combination of potion and illusion

magic treatment. It seems like it’ll be more effective, though. Humans
instinctively remove barriers with potions. However, with the curse, it
seems like one’s mental state will have been weakened.”
I stayed quiet as Hwang Jeong-yeon continued to mutter to herself. It

seemed like she was mulling the theory over in her head. It felt a little
interesting to watch her.
“If this actually becomes a success, it would make it easier for us to

attack the dungeon. Of course, it’ll require several experiments, but…
No matter how fast…”
“I think it would be better to skip all the chores and start the
experiment right away. I have a test subject that I can use.”
“Yeah?”
She tilted her head at my sudden revelation.
“I think it would be better to try it on myself. I’m the one who knows
the most about this potion.”
“Ah…”
“Would it be possible?”
“I can’t give you a de inite answer. It sounds like fun, though. Let’s have
clinical trials every time we take a break. If you ever have any
problems…”
“That won’t happen.”
I couldn’t guarantee success, but it was necessary to gamble at this

stage if I wanted to maintain a safe relationship with Jung Hayan.
Of course, I knew that there would be a negative effect if Jung Hayan

saw me cozying up to Hwang Jeong-yeon.
‘It’s all part of the plan.’
Considering the big picture, this didn’t seem like a bad option.
“I’ll go and talk to Hyunsung for a moment,” I informed her.
“Oh?”
“For the time being, we’ll be moving with the second unit.”
“Yeah. It would be nice to do so. No, it would be better to send one of

our party members. I have a lot to do from now on. It would be nice to
tell other people that we are researching the dungeon. I don’t know
when the monsters will come out, but for now, I’ll be able to experiment
freely.”
“That’s true.”
“Did you bring catalysts?”
“Of course. I also brought some Alchemy kits, so you don’t have to
worry.”
“Three days. I’ll be able to igure this out in three days.”
“If you can achieve it in a shorter timeframe, then please do so.”
“I don’t think I can, but my supplies are at least suf icient. If you can’t
produce the result, you’ll develop a sense of inferiority.”
“This time, Jeong-yeon is the doctor.”
“Yes, my assistant. I am.”

CHAPTER 92
“How’s the reaction?”
“I’m not sure how to answer that…”
“Are you sure you’re okay with this? You’re not feeling any
abnormalities, right?”
“Yes, it seems okay so far. In fact, the data I’ve gathered in previous
trials had no problems with the body, so you don’t have to worry about
that.”
“When did you do such an experiment again…?”
I had used it when I successfully tried to lure Sun Hee-young into

joining our party. At that time, I had obtained satisfactory results, but I
had to stop the research overall because there had been so many
limitations.
I never thought it would be helpful in a place like this. It seemed like

every little thing had a chance of being useful every once in a while.
“How about making the concentration a little thicker?”
“It’s not good to put too much. This is just the right amount, especially if
you plan to use magic again later on. Otherwise, it could trigger an
effect on the body.”
“No, if you think about using it to try and resist the curse, it will
outperform the curse.”
“Okay, Admiral Lee.”
“I think it would be okay to approach with similar effects.”
“It feels like we’re moving in circles.”
“To be precise, we’re not going back to square one. I think most of them
are ready for this…”
“The problem is that you’re not entirely con ident about the results yet,
right?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’ll have to rewrite the formula. It looks like today will be
tough.”
Even the simple exchange of opinions worked. I couldn’t believe that it

had only been a day since I felt hopeless about my situation. Who knew
we could make so much progress?
The main reason was that Hwang Jeong-yeon and I proved to be a good
match.
In the beginning, I only planned on collaborating with her for the sake
of getting my third job, but our relationship turned out to be more
bene icial than I thought.
Of course, it didn’t mean we were bound for intimacy. It was just that
we were more ef icient in our work together. Hwang Jeong-yeon had
been able to help me in the aspects where I was weakest. She had
helped me in so many ways. I had also been able to help her, of course,
with my innovative mindset.
“How is Jung Hayan, by the way? You seem very anxious…”
“We only really talk in the evenings. I feel like it’s best to remain a little
distant.”
“But…”
“She hasn’t shown any abnormal behavior yet.”
“I guess so. I can understand why you’re in a hurry to solve this right
away. I just feel like she’s not happy with how we’re spending so much
time together.”
“I’m sorry about that. As I said…”
“I know, and I understand. What I don’t get is how I, a girl who has
never been with a man, suddenly became the focus of a girl’s
resentment. It’s almost as if I got caught having an affair with you. I
kind of feel guilty…”
Hwang Jeong-yeon lowered her head a little.
“My goodness…”
“Why do I have to be portrayed as the other woman? Even Park Deokgu

might begin to have negative thoughts about me.”
“Don’t worry. After all of this is over, I’ll de initely help you with him.”
After saying that, Jeong-yeon’s eyes seemed to sparkle, and she

exclaimed.
“Don’t you dare forget that!”
As time passed, Jung Hayan’s symptoms began to worsen. I knew that

my quality time with Hwang Jeong-yeon was the main cause of this
progression. Simply put, she harbored jealous feelings.
I knew the curse was accelerating at a faster pace this time around
because I wasn’t always there to be with her.
No, in fact, it would be impossible to predict how fast the curse will
erode her mental health. I couldn’t even tell what Jung Hayan was
thinking.
In the end, this was a race to see which would inish irst—Jung Hayan’s
mental state or my experiment with Hwang Jeong-yeon.
Had I been able to concentrate on the research completely, we wouldn’t

have had this problem in the irst place, but I still had to ind some time
to spend with Jung Hayan to ensure she wasn’t regressing too much.
It was also very important as we needed time for the potion’s effects to
stabilize. We couldn’t rush anything at this point.
‘If we rush its creation, there will de initely be bad side effects.’
We had to minimize any side effects as much as possible.
It wasn’t just Jung Hayan who hindered my research, though. We also

had to focus on progressing through the dungeon to search for the
other survivors.
Of course, we could maximize exploration results while minimizing the

effort needed, but it still proved to be a disadvantage for us.
Despite Hwang Jeong-yeon’s efforts, we hadn’t really progressed much

with our expedition. It may be because we had not yet found any
monsters, but at least we were able to ind small achievements with
Kim Hyunsung’s help.
As I had been so focused on my research, I wasn’t up to date with our
exploration status, but we were apparently making slow progress. That
wasn’t even the worst of it.
Aside from Jung Hayan, most of our party members were thoroughly
getting affected by the curse, to the point where some of them would
start talking to themselves at random intervals.
Although Kim Hyunsung tried his best to repress the curse, the side
effects we were expecting to appear began to show themselves.
Among everyone af licted with the curse, only Lee Sang-hee began to
show some of the said effects.
“Sorry.”
Her illusion, after all, was about the party members we needed to save.
Her anxiety increased as well as her sense of urgency, but it was
expected.
‘That’s because we haven’t found a single hint, let alone any survivors.’
Based on the expression on everyone’s faces, I knew everyone had

begun to expect the worse—that none of them were alive. Still, the
expedition continued to advance, and the curse continued its relentless
attack on everyone’s mental state.
“It can’t be considered perfect yet. I’m sorry, Mr. Kiyoung.”
“At least it’s helping. The voices are still there, but the headaches have
stopped. In fact, just this much…”
“I should be able to call it an achievement, but… We could still be able

to improve its effects over time. I’m sorry…”
“Exerting effort on it is more important than having regrets about it.”

“I know, I know. Can you please ask Hayan to stop staring at me?”
“I can’t stop her from doing so, and you know that.”
“I know I’m a drama-lover, but… it’s not nice experiencing this in

reality.”
“…”
“I only like being part of the audience.”
“By the way, how are you coping with the curse?”
“Ah… it’s still dif icult, mental-wise. However, being so focused on this
research helped me a lot. I can still see hallucinations every now and
then, but… Aren’t you experiencing the same?”
“Yes, but… They’re not all that serious.”
“Then it looks like the experiment is working.”
A little more time had passed since then, but there were no changes in
this short duration. The rescue team continued to move forward, but
we had not encountered anyone. There’s not a single monster, and
de initely not a single survivor. It felt like being stuck in a maze.
Kim Hyunsung looked unaffected, but Lee Sang-hee wasn’t doing too
well.
“Sang-hee, this is a safety zone.”
“Oh, Let’s skip this one.”
“Yeah?”
“A lot of time has already passed. I worry about the survivors. Let’s rest
at the next point.”
‘There she goes again.’
“But, this is already the second time we’ve skipped…”
“There’ll be one in the next room. Yes, de initely…”
“I think the Master needs to rest.”
“No, I’m okay. I know everyone is having a hard time, but please be
patient. After inding a survivor… Yes. If a survivor is found…”
At this point, we might not ind a single one. It would be safe to assume
that they were all dead.
Logically speaking, even if the previous party members have survived,

it was highly unlikely that the undead didn’t kill them off by now.
Perhaps they even resorted to killing each other.
“Please be patient… We’ll speed up a little bit… Yes, a little faster…”

Sang-hee insisted.
“Ah…”
It was obvious – our expedition leader was suffering from her own
hallucinations.
As we trudged on, I could see several members showing annoyed

expressions. Some even grumbled out complaints. Everyone was
struggling with their own illusions, after all.
Seeing Park Deokgu struggle was normal now, but even Sun Hee-young
felt exhausted at this point. Everyone was on the brink of exploding.
‘How many months are we going to spend in this state?’
This may seem like the worst situation for the party members, but this
was the perfect time for Jung Hayan to execute her plan, should she
ever decide to push through with it.
“Come on, everyone.”
“We’re reaching our limit…”
“The guild members are dying on the inside.”
“The back-ups are struggling a lot, Lee Sang-hee.”
“…”
“Lee Sang-hee?”
It was at this point that I realized something was wrong.
The curse…
‘Damn.’
Everyone was looking upwards. It was the same voice we had irst
heard when we entered the dungeon. Our mentality was slowly
reaching the brink of despair. At this point, we would have to worry less
about rescuing our fellow guild members and more about saving
ourselves.
“Please recite the divine defense magic.”
“Ah, but…”
“It would be better than nothing. We will respond as much as possible.

Magicians should also try to block the effects as much as possible.”
Wizards and priests within the party did as she commanded, but this
wasn’t something we could combat with magic.
Slowly, I looked at Jung Hayan, who was smiling as she looked upwards.
She wasn’t talking, but she seemed like she wanted to say something.
‘What… ’
When I felt the strange aura emanating from her, I immediately shouted
for Hwang Jeong-yeon.
“Really?”
“Son of a bitch!… Jeong-yeon, chant the spell immediately!”
I had no choice but to execute the plan now. Though the timing was a
little early, there was nothing else I could do.
‘Was it because of her jealousy of Hwang Jeong-yeon?’
I was almost sure of it.
“But the defensive spells…”
Hwang Jeong-yeon seemed anxious, but this is no time to hesitate.
“Quickly!” I exclaimed in an urgent tone.
“Okay, I see! Is Jung okay? This is still…”
“Recite it quickly!”
“The content, too?!”
I was frustrated at her endless questions. She still didn’t seem to grasp
the urgency of the situation, so I had to shriek some sense into her.
“For God’s sake, just do it!”
Screams began erupting from the front. Evidently, the curse affected
several party members.
After emptying the potion that I had prepared in my mouth, I

immediately started to run toward Jung Hayan.
“I knew my Oppa felt the same!”
I welcomed her outstretched arms and bent down to kiss her,

transferring the potion from my mouth to hers.
“I love you, Oppa!”
‘Shit, shit… ’
I could feel magic spreading across my body, and the worst-case

scenarios came into mind—Jung Hayan manipulating me or trying to
kill me.
I didn’t know what type of magic she was trying to use, but it was at
least not a defensive one. Inwardly, I prayed that Hwang Jeong-yeon’s
spell would work faster than Jung Hayan’s.
Meanwhile, Hayan’s eyes began to widen.
‘Did I get caught?’
I wasn’t sure yet. However, I knew she would be able to sense Hwang
Jeong-yeon’s magic at work. I would not let her achieve the ending she
wanted for us.
“Ahhh!!!”
I convinced myself that what she was seeing was the scenario I had
prepared as she looked into the air and began to shed tears.
CHAPTER 93
Together forever!
Yes, the two of us could stay together forever.
Okay, we’ll stay together forever.
We’ll make a home, just the two of us.
Okay, it’ll be a home where no one will dare interfere or try to break in.
That’s the ending we wanted, right?
Does he want the same thing as well?
Of course. Didn’t he say that he loved you, too?
Right, he did say that.
It’s too dangerous outside.
That’s right. There are too many people trying to take my Oppa away.
Everything you’ve told me sounded stupid, but…
Look at that woman. She seems to be trying to lirt with your Oppa. I can
understand your troubles. What about the other people trying to kill him?
Recall what happened during the tutorial dungeon. Your Oppa is weak.
That’s right. My Oppa is weak.

We need to protect him.
Of course.
He needs our protection. It’s too dangerous outside.
The spell I had been memorizing burst out of my mouth.
It can’t be helped.
Kill everyone. Target the woman who has been trying to take your Oppa
away irst.
But she’s a high-ranking magician…
It’ll be easy to target her while she’s under the effect of the curse.
But the same will go for me…
You’ll be okay. I will protect you. You won’t be affected by the curse.
You mean you’ll help me?
I am you, and you are me. Aim for the head. Even a small spell will do. It’s
important not to waste your magic power.
Ah! I’ve succeeded.
Good. Who’s next? What about that stupid-looking woman over there?
Since her endurance is good, I think it’d be better to approach her a little
differently.
I think a spell of corruption will do. No, it will take too long. Black magic
isn’t my specialty… Should I try something else? It would be better to
burst her head from the inside.
Good idea. I didn’t think of that. That’s right; go ahead.
Like this…
We did it!
Hehe. Yes, we did.
Don’t mind the rest. All of them will die anyway. Then… what about Sun
Hee-young?
She went out with my Oppa every day, didn’t she?
Huh. Yes, she did.
But…
You can’t be weak. Why not get rid of that little kid over there as well?
I don’t like the sound of that…
Don’t be weak. Kill her as painlessly as possible.
Yes…
Now, for Deok Gu and Hyunsung…
It’s too much to kill them. Why not put them to sleep instead?
Are you not anxious? Kim Hyunsung is strong. What if he comes back to
the dungeon later on and takes your Oppa away?
I won’t allow that.
Then kill him.

I can’t do that. Are you a fool?
You are the fool. You’ve been doing well so far. Are you going to give up
now? Your plans will be foiled if you stop after only killing two.
I can’t do that. Deokgu, in particular, has helped me a lot.
You will regret not doing it.
I think it would be better to put them to sleep and send them out. I can’t
help it if they choose to come back, but I don’t want to kill them either.
You…
Rather, it’s better to take my Oppa. I have to take him somewhere so far
that no one else can ind him. Look at him sleeping; doesn’t he look
cute?
Yes. But what if your Oppa tries to run away?
He won’t. He has told me that he loves me.
It’s still better to have an insurance policy.
Yes. That would be okay. Hehe. My Oppa looks so cute whenever he’s
asleep.
Huh. Yes, he’s really cute. Anyway, we need to act faster.
I need to redecorate our new home. Oppa likes to study, so it would be

better to do a workshop for him. I also have to make a bathroom. I’ll
make it big so we can take a shower together. I also need to make a big
bed, a bathroom, and I have to do my very best.
We need a system that will kill anyone who will invade our home. Some
time again, people aiming for your Oppa may come here, so let’s make a
golem and a chimera. The undead also has to increase their numbers. The
dungeon’s empty, after all. It might be hard, but I can do it for you. This
place will be our home.
It will be my castle with my Oppa that will never collapse.
***
Oppa is…? Where is he?
It happened again. I don’t think he ate today…
I’m so worried, is he okay? He seems to be in such bad shape. Perhaps

he’s sick. It’s been several months already… Perhaps my Oppa wants to
leave this place?
That’s a possibility.
He told me a few days ago. He wants to see the outside.
Don’t be fooled. You should never be fooled.
I hate the fact that he doesn’t have as much energy as he used to. He
doesn’t laugh anymore.
Someday you will understand. You’ll understand that all this is for you.
It’s too dangerous outside. Just today, strange people came into our home,
right? If you go outside, you will be overwhelmed. Do you want to take
that chance?
De initely not… But my Oppa is showing such a sad expression…
Then you can cast magic that will make him feel better. You will feel
better too. If you feel better, you will be kind to us, and you will have a
happier time.
Is it okay, though?
It’s all for your Oppa.
That’s right. I should go and try it now.
Good.
Ah! He smiled. You were right.
Right? Shall we use other magic? How about some kind of enchantment
this time?
But that’s not what he would want.
You’ve been working hard so far; it will be a perfect reward for yourself,
right?
A prize for me?
Yes. It will be a prize for us. I think it would be better to stay in this state
for just one day. Think about it. How hard did you try to protect your
Oppa? I catch and kill all the guys who come here every day, and that’s
not enough. The dungeon was dif icult to remodel completely, and the
chimeras have to be created every day, right?
Still…
Just do it for one day.
Can I do that?
Of course, don’t worry, do it right away.
Yes, it’ll only be for today…

Well done.
Ahh!
Good.
Happy, I’m so happy!
I was right, wasn’t I? It worked well.
Huh. Yes, you were right.
***
What do we do? Oh, my Oppa ran away.
I thought he would.
Why? Why? Am I hated now? I made him happy every day… I don’t
know what’s wrong.
It may be because he’s been drinking poison from the outside world.
But we’re inside. There’s no way he could’ve.
Intruders come in every day, right? The dirty air they breathe pollutes
Oppa’s mind.
I have to kill them all.
Exactly.
I never thought he would run away like this. It’s the intruders’ fault!
Why not leave us alone? I don’t know why they keep coming in here to
disturb us! I don’t know! Wouldn’t it be nice to go out and kill them all?
Lindel, I have to kill everyone in Lindel.
Good idea. But other than your Oppa, humans are like bugs, so even if you
try to kill them, they will continue to come into this place.
Well, then what should I do?
The outside air may have worn out your Oppa’s mind. It won’t be easy to
cure. He can’t escape the dungeon alone, but… Shouldn’t we just do
something as a temporary measure?
What?
Let’s cut his leg off!
No, that’s ridiculous.
You can cut it in a way where it won’t hurt.
What?
Huh. Cut it in a way where it won’t hurt. If you put on magic that will
make him feel good while you cut it off, your Oppa will surely not get sick.
Of course, it will be a little hard to walk around, but it’s okay because
we’ll always be around. He’ll have to rely on us.
No… That’s…
What if your Oppa leaves this place and runs away with another girl? The
Red Mercenaries also came, right? Cha Hee-ra, that stupid woman, might
come again.
Yes.
Can you stand it? Don’t you think it’s going to be too hard when that kind
of situation comes? It’s only right to cut it out.
That does make sense…

Have you ever regretted listening to me?
But…
Trust me this time. It’ll work well.
***
My Oppa is going to die. I hate it so much! What if he dies?!
It’ll be okay.
He tried to kill himself today! I don’t understand! The intruders have

inally stopped coming, and we get to enjoy all our time together!
Maybe it’s because his brain has already been eroded.
I don’t want my Oppa to die. He can’t just leave me behind!
Just make sure he doesn’t. You can’t turn him into the undead, so let’s
experiment. There must be a way to save him. You can enjoy eternal life
together. Find a catalyst that allows the body to regenerate, and treat it
on your Oppa’s body. It may be a little painful, but it can’t be helped, so
your Oppa will understand. Of course, it won’t be easy, but you’ve been
doing well until now.
That… okay. I have to do that. I have to do that so that this doesn’t

happen again.
That’s right. That’s right.
“Oppa. Even if it hurts, please just bear with it. It can’t be helped.”
“Ah…”
“I love you? Sure. I love you, too, so much.”

“Ah… Ah…”
“You must never die. Never!”
“Ah…”
“A lot of time has passed. Even a gray-haired Oppa is really cool. Ah,
that’s right… Oppa!”
“I…”
“I love you. I love you, too.”
“…”
“Your hair has grown a lot. Research? Ah… Of course, you have to do it
today. It may hurt a little, but you have to be patient. If you get sick, I
will also get sick. So, let’s do our best together.”
“…”
“Please be patient for a bit. You can still hold on. You can’t let go. Ugh… I
love you. I love you.”
“…rese-.”
“Ah… No! No!”
“I…”
“Yes, Oppa. I’m here.”
“You…”
“I love you. I love you, too. So please don’t go. Please…”

“I resent you.”
“Ah…”
“I will blame and curse you for making me this way. Forever… No, I will
curse you even in my death. You didn’t give me love. You tortured me
and eventually made me like this. Look at my body. This is your doing.
Look at the things that surround us now. You screwed everything up.”
“Ahhh!”
“You gave up everything. You ruined all my love for you. We could have
been happier. Even if I die, I will never forget you. I will curse you for
eternity.”
“Ahhhhhh!”
“I don’t love you anymore.”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I hate this! What do I do now?! Oppa… Oppa!”
You can save him. You can still save him.
“Don’t be ridiculous! All… It’s all because of you! You made him like
this! Oppa…”
I don’t know what you’re talking about…
“Die! Just die!”
What are you talking about? Idiot. Don’t tell me you haven’t realized
anything.
“…”
Look carefully. I am you. Didn’t you say we are one? You did all this. Idiot!
“No way… No, I can’t.”
You know this.
See…
Quad-de-deuk!
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
CHAPTER 94
After suffering from another af liction from the curse, I shifted my eyes
toward Jung Hayan. Her expression was far more serious than what I
was expecting.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
‘It was successful.’
It felt shocking to realize this. Of course, the scenario might be too

painful for Hayan to endure.
‘This is the right answer.’
I had done it correctly. In the irst place, Hayan wouldn’t have exhibited
this kind of unusual behavior. The in licted curse had messed everyone
up. I simply chose to help her out with a little shock therapy.
Hayan’s face was currently covered in tears, and she had started tearing
out her hair. The others were no different, but her case was the most
serious. I went to grab her hand, but she shook me away.
“I hate you!”
‘What power… ’
Jung Hayan then tried to harm herself afterward, wringing her hands
around her neck. I urgently pulled her arms away with as much
strength as I could muster. Once I succeeded in this endeavor, I quickly
kissed her deeply, effectively stimulating what was left of her sanity.
“Ahh…”
“…”
“I… Oppa?”
Hayan’s expression shifted from confusion to shock, and then her eyes
were illed with renewed tears.
“Ah… Oppa… Oppa…”
She wasn’t contented with just checking my face; she checked my entire
body. Considering what she had seen in her latest illusion, it was only
natural.
“I came back…” Hayan muttered.
“Hayan?” I called.
“I came back. Ugh, I came back…” Hayan continued muttering.
“What are you talking about, Hayan?” I asked.
“Nothing, it’s nothing. I-I’m sorry for being such an idiot…” she replied
and lowered her head from embarrassment.
‘Good.’
“What do you mean? Is the curse affecting you? What did you see?” I
asked, trying to act naı̈ve.
“No, it wasn’t the curse. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry, Oppa. I’m really sorry
for being sel ish. Please don’t hate me…” Hayan replied apologetically.
‘There’s no way I would hate you.’
In the irst place, I had never felt hatred for Hayan. Sure, she was
obsessed with me, but her abnormality only spiked because of the
curse’s effect.
I was grateful for being able to squeeze some magic into her worn-out
mind. The opportunity had quickly presented itself to me.
One day, Jung Hayan might suffer from a terrible accident. Of course, the
cause was unknown, but one thing was for sure—it would be because
of her ability.
Knowing that I could suppress her from now on, I smiled in satisfaction.
‘Now, I feel like I’ve gained a new sense of responsibility… ’
I didn’t particularly love her or wanted to be bound to her, but the fact
that I felt guilty and compassionate and even liked her was undeniable.
You are rationalizing again. You’re trying to remove your guilt through
her. You think that, by not abandoning her, it would prove that you still
have a conscience.
‘Things like that happen, too.’
I also knew I had been affected by the curse, but that didn’t matter now.
All these voices only served to spout serious bullshit.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I have no reason to hate you. I love
you the most.”
Again, I was only half-sincere with my words.
“Huh… My Oppa is also the most important to me. I like him the most!”
she exclaimed.
Once again, Jung Hayan hugged me tightly and rubbed her face against
my chest.
“I’m back… Thank you, God! Thank you so much, God! Thank you very
much!”
“What happened?” I asked.
Of course, I knew what happened. I just tested if she would reveal it to

me, but she doesn’t seem to want to.
“It’s nothing… Oh, Oppa, are you okay? Did you suffer any injuries? Your
legs…”
“I’m ine,” I responded with a bright smile to convince her.
“Wow… Fortunately, your arms are also okay. There is no scar. You don’t
have gray hair. Your tongue is also intact…”
Of course, I knew there would be some side-effects. Jung Hayan must

have felt like the fantasy I had created would somehow come to life.
‘She even thought she had regressed… ’
If I had known that she would react in this manner, I would have
twisted the story a little more. I could have portrayed a scene where
Cha Hee-ra and Lee Jihye saved my life.
Of course, it would be dif icult to make a script, but if such a scene had
been included, the hostility that Jung Hayan exhibited towards them
would be greatly reduced.
‘I’m sorry, Hayan.’
It would be better to try it out at a later time.

“Oppa… Ugh…”
“Are you calm now?”
“Yes, a little…”
“Then, can you wait a minute? I should also take care of the rest.”
“Of course, Oppa. Go ahead.”
At this, I patted her head, and she automatically blushed. She looked
like a cute little puppy. However, memories of her illusion resurfaced
once more, and tears formed in her eyes again.
‘I can’t do this… ’
I knew it had been effective. Looking at Hayan now, it seems I

successfully regained her sanity and freed her from most of the curse’s
effects.
I was pleased to ind out that our experiment had produced successful
results. It was probably because Jung Hayan was a special case.
‘However, it could also work on other people.’
The effect wouldn’t just be enough; it would work very well. This was
because Jung Hayan was the hardest to crack among them, and the
experiment turned out well for her. The appropriate use of medicine
and magic may not be perfect, but it would certainly help.
As I turned to assess the situation, the rest of the room came into view.
The scene was the same as the irst time the curse had shown itself to
us. Those who had been screaming at irst slowly awakened and the
rest were either looking around or talking to themselves.
When my gaze met Hwang Jeong-yeon, I saw a question formed in her
eyes.
‘The experiment is a great success.’
As soon as I took out my alchemy kit and began to conjure a magic

circle, Hwang Jeong-yeon approached me. Her gaze was, naturally,
focused as she was involved in this operation.
“Mr. Kiyoung, what do we do now?”
“Please lead them here, one by one,” I instructed.
“What?”
“Please lead the other people here, one at a time,” I repeated.
At that moment, Hwang Jeong-yeon igured out what I wanted to do.
“Oh… I get it.”
“Please get Lee Sang-hee irst.”
“Master, please sit over here.”
I wasted no time in speaking once our expedition leader had arrived.
“Let’s see. Master, what are you currently experiencing?”
“Ah…”
“Ah. There may be things related to privacy, so it would be better to

write it down. Jeong-yeon?”
“Yeah. I’ll have it ready.”

“Wait… What’s happening?”
Lee Sang-hee was visibly confused, so I began explaining the

procedures.
“I found a way to effectively curb the curse, Lee Sang-hee. First of all,
you need to be at ease and write down exactly what symptoms and
what kind of voices you hear. If hallucinations are starting to appear, it
may be helpful to state exactly what it is. If you hear a lot of
hallucinations, you should also describe phrases that you hear
repeatedly.”
“Ah…”
“I will ask everyone to line up properly over here. Please bring all your
writing instruments and wait patiently.”
Everyone seemed to be a little puzzled, but they still obeyed.
“Ah. I see.”
“I see the faces of those killed so far. They keep telling me that I will die
soon.”
“Of course, I can understand. I’m also experiencing similar symptoms.

Once you are prescribed a potion, your mental health will begin to
regain shortly. Although, there are some missing items… Um, well, I’d be
grateful if you could describe how they died.”
“Oh, that’s…”
“You can write down the parts that are too dif icult to say. It’ll be more
effective, as well.”
“I will vouch for you. It will work, everyone.”

“Thank you, Hwang Jeong-yeon.” After all, Jeong-yeon did play a crucial
part in this.
“Oh, the next person… Ah, Miss Gahyeon. So you can see your younger
brother, who you left back on Earth?”
“Yeah…”
“It must have been very dif icult.”
“…”
“I also have a younger sister on Earth. Of course, I’m worried about her,
but… First of all, it is important to be strong. You will see each other
again someday. Now… You seem to be showing signs of severe
depression, but even if perfect treatment is impossible, you will be able
to relieve the burdens of your mind.”
After trying to comfort Gahyeon, Hwang Jeong-yeon approached me.
“What should I do, Kiyoung?”
“I think potion 14 in the bag will be appropriate, Miss Jeong-yeon. I’ll

write a mental prescription right away. Gahyeon may go into treatment
right away. Please prepare the magic.”
“Of course.”
I was a meek idealist. I knew the medication would work well. Her
propensity and hallucinations were very much visible, so cases like
hers were easier to treat.
‘After a beautiful reunion with her younger brother, he ends up asking her
to live with strength.’
I knew this line would have a positive effect. Since my hobby was to
read, I could incorporate some fantasy elements.
‘I think it would be effective if I put in the part where the voice of her
brother and the voice of the curse are opposed to each other.’
Of course, what I’m doing right now wasn’t medical. Simply put, I was
just scamming everyone into receiving counsel. The curse wasn’t
completely curable, nor would the hallucinations become inaudible. To
be precise, it was all about putting a little antibiotic into the worn-out
mind. However, it worked.
The human mind was both weak and strong. Even though a curse like
this can erode one’s mentality, one could always ind the strength to
ight against it.
I shared similar symptoms with many of these people, thus making it

easy to treat them. In Hayan’s case, my existence itself had power over
her thinking.
‘Good. Good.’
Everything seemed to be working well.
Of course, I had not explained or informed Kim Hyunsung about this in

advance. He was evidently surprised upon seeing me suddenly
administer treatment.
Even after receiving Hwang Jeong-yeon’s mental treatment, Hyunsung

still felt stunned, looking among the people who had been treated or
were still waiting for their turn. I knew he had never imagined a
scenario where we would ind another way to ight the curse.
He knew how to deal with this curse and was trying to put it into
practice. We had done the same, just with a different method, and I
knew he understood this.
“I came back… Thank you so much, God. Thank you for bringing me
back. Really, ugh…”
However, Kim Hyunsung’s expression turned serious upon hearing

Hayan mumble to herself.
‘She hasn’t really regressed, Hyunsung… ’
It seemed like I had some explaining to do once all the treatments were
over.
CHAPTER 95
“How are you doing, Miss Gahyeon?” I asked.
“I think I’ve improved a little. I can still hear the voices, but my head
doesn’t hurt anymore. How could this be?” she replied.
‘It’s all thanks to Jeong-yeon.’
Of course, I didn’t mention this. It wasn’t a bad thing to maximize my

own value. I had to show them that I also managed to play a competent
role during this expedition.
“What kind of magic did you use?”
“Hahaha. I didn’t really use a complete type of magic. The brain is made
up of associated neurons, responsible for receiving and processing
stimuli. So, medically, the brain is classi ied as the central nervous
system.”
“Yeah? That…”
Park Gahyeon’s expression showed that she didn’t know what I was
talking about. Even I didn’t know what bullshit I was spouting. I didn’t
know anything about the brain, and I sure as hell wasn’t a psychology
expert.
However, the expressions of those around me had changed. Although

they had already overestimated my abilities initially, their eyes had still
widened when I continued to show off my so-called expertise.
“The central nervous system has a metabolism that is differentiated
from other organs. To make adenosine triphosphate, you need a supply
of oxygen to…”
How many people in Korea had this kind of knowledge? I knew no one
would understand me, which was why I was bold enough to spout
whatever came to mind.
‘There is no one here who has worked at the Brain Science Research
Institute… ’
Even if I didn’t understand it, combining magic and alchemy knowledge

was a ield I was an expert in.
“Ah. I explained it in such a dif icult manner…”
“Ah… no…”
“To put it simply, this kind of curse, even if it comes in the form of
unknown magic, eventually involves the brain. Whether it’s alchemy,
black magic, or divine power, in the end, it relies heavily on the brain.”
“Alas…”
“You can think about hearing voices because your brain has been led
astray. Of course, I couldn’t correct the illusions, but at least I could give
antibiotics.”
“What…”
“It is the perception that what we see and hear is not reality. The human
body is really amazing. Of course, these illusions cannot be cured with
drugs. The science of magic is more complicated than you think. Let me
explain by involving alchemy…”
“Ahhh… That’s right. Yeah.”

I could see people nodding, but I knew they did not understand. Even if
one knew about how the brain worked, they still wouldn’t understand,
nor would they call me out on my bluf ing.
Of course, in Jeong-yeon and Hayan’s case, their questions were a little

more different. I explained things as subtly as I could, to the point
where they believed I had given an accurate answer.
‘Very good.’
I could already feel my reputation rising. When I irst came to the guild,
I would not have thought that this would happen.
“In fact, when I irst heard that the alchemist was brought at that price,
the executives thought the higher-ups were crazy… Looking at you now,
I realize that you really are a genius. Ha… What have you been doing
back on Earth?”
‘Genius is such an inaccurate terminology.’
The word scammer its me better.
“I haven’t done anything that warrants such praise.”
“Did you work in a research institute or something?”
“Well, in a way, yes. It’s a bit dif icult to tell in detail.”
Of course, that was a big fat lie.
“Thank you very much. I am really reassured to have Kiyoung around. I

thought the media was lying when they said you were a genius, but it’s
actually amazing to have such a person in the party.”
It feels good to be praised, but I knew an age-old trick that would surely
make me seem humble. Rather, it is guaranteed to warrant more praise.
“Hahaha. I feel embarrassed now. It’s not like that. A lot of magazines
exaggerate.”
“You look like the smartest person I’ve ever seen!”
Even this woman, Park Gahyeon, expressed her likability towards me.
We were similar because we had left our younger siblings behind, and
she seemed to be attracted to me. However, she couldn’t express this
outright.
This was because Jung Hayan had ixed her attention on her with a
glare, making her whole body tremble.
‘I haven’t completely ixed Hayan yet.’
Perhaps Jung Hayan’s obsession with me could not be cured, even if a

lifetime were to occur.
“Oh, I’m overdoing this. I feel so embarrassed in front of Jeong-yeon.”
“No. I just have a good memory.”
In summary, they were starting to recognize me as a genius alchemist,

wondering if I was the type who was only born once every tens of
thousands of years.
“The other alchemists I met before didn’t feel like this.”
“There are alchemists who are smarter than me in Lindel. The only
difference would be that they didn’t get support, and I had a good start.
In fact, everything is thanks to the Blue Guild.”
“Ah, you are so humble.”
It was not humility; it was the plain truth. No matter what bullshit I
spouted at this point, my pure image had already been established and
would not collapse.
‘Lee Kiyoung, a genius alchemist from the sky.’
Humans were usually jealous of people who are good at what they can
understand. However, I was treated with reverence for my so-called
achievements. Once this dungeon expedition was over, I would have
permanent, substantial in luence in Blue.
This was also because Lee Sang-hee failed on her responsibilities as a

good leader. Of course, she wasn’t the type to be obsessed with power.
She had a sense of responsibility, but she didn’t bode well under
pressure.
Currently, she seemed to feel ashamed of how she had chosen to react
under the curse’s in luence. She must’ve thought something along the
lines of ‘I almost killed all the guild members,’ or ‘This job doesn’t suit
me.’ Her self-blame was highly evident.
As I rested, Kim Hyunsung began to talk to the rest of the party, never
missing the opportunities I opened up. Again, humans either despised
or revered what they could not understand.
Until now, it had been me who had proved my worth, but now, it was his
turn. He moved while I was taking a short break.
“I’m really sorry about that.”
“Ah…”
“No matter how much the curse has in luenced me, I should have kept
my cool, yet I put you at risk. I have no excuses.”
It was Lee Sang-hee who spoke up. Her personality was my favorite. She
was the type to apologize even if there was nothing to apologize for.
“From this point on, we will adjust the party’s route. We will consider
clearing the dungeon as the primary priority rather than rescuing the
survivors, and we will rescue the corpses and any survivors after
completing the attack.”
‘Finally.’
It was a very reasonable judgment. To save the dead, a living person

cannot die.
The order had only been reversed, but Lee Sang-hee’s words meant a
lot.
“But…”
“Of course, we will not stop searching for survivors. We will change the
formation and move faster.”
“Of course.”
“I will have Mr. Hyunsung take the lead.”
“Of course. I’ll do my best.”
It looked like Kim Hyunsung had bided his time until the perfect
opportunity arose. No more party members were affected by the curse.
From his point of view, one worry had gone away.
Kim Hyunsung looked at me with mirth dancing in his eyes. It was

certainly advantageous for him to have the lead handed to him without
any further complications. There was also something ominous in the
way he presented himself.
‘Is this intimidation?’

It was a fervor. Slowly, the party members stood straight, almost as if
possessed.
Kim Hyunsung was the ideal leader. Even Lee Sang-hee was also looking
at him with a blank expression. He could be seen as a little dogmatic.
But in the irst place, it could be considered that his judgment excluded
the party members’ opinions.
He did what he thought was right and went straight for the goal. His
whole demeanor screamed, ‘This is the right way. Let’s go together.’
Simply put, he possessed the charm that would make anyone want to
follow him—the ideal leader. Though I wasn’t knowledgeable about a
ruler’s workings, he was born to be a leader.
“We’re going.”
The effect was immediate. Everyone went to obey Kim Hyunsung.
He urged the party to move at a faster pace, and so we quickened our

steps. We ignored the search for any other alternative directions and
focused on moving forward. I had no complaints about having him lead
us as I trusted him immensely.
We moved as if we weren’t worried about encountering monsters. We

didn’t take into account any traps that may lie waiting. There was
something about Hyunsung’s con idence that compelled the members
to not worry about such trivial matters.
‘Are there really no monsters?’
I knew it was a possibility, but I hadn’t expected it to be true. Perhaps

this dungeon solely relied on the curse itself. If that hypothesis were
correct, it would be obvious where Kim Hyunsung would be heading.
We would be searching for the dungeon owner and the magician who
had cast the curse.
As we continued to walk, the scenery began to change. The number of

forks in the passages lessened, and the small room where we came
from was now invisible. Although we were walking at a fast pace, it
seemed like the end of the dungeon was still far off.
Of course, there were several attacks from the curse, but no one
suffered lasting damage. This meant that the ‘treatments’ were
effective.
“The undead… No…”
“I de initely got a report…”
“Perhaps seeing the undead near the entrance triggered the curse. It’s
not con irmed yet, but I think it’s safe to assume that.”
“Please stay vigilant anyway.”
“Yeah.”
Bodies were eventually found. They were con irmed to be former guild
members of Blue. I didn’t con irm in detail why they died, but I could
predict it. They either took their own lives or had turned on one
another.
Lee Sang-hee expressed confusion at this, but she did not stop the party
from advancing further.
After some time, we came across a small door that was crudely
decorated.
As I slowly opened the door, I could see a woman sitting on a chair. She
had her eyes closed, and her expression was immensely pale.
Immediately, new information started pouring into the status window.
[You have encountered a heroic-grade dungeon, the Cursed Shrine

owner, the cursed Saint Juliana. The quest is activated.]
[Heroic-grade forced quest is activated.]
[Heroic-Grade Quest – Eliminate Juliana (0/1)]
We had reached the end.

CHAPTER 96
JULIANA (1)
An unpleasant voice echoed.
‘Ahhh… ’
I didn’t know why, but my legs seemed to be shaking.
It had been dif icult to call the Garden of Terror’s dungeon boss a real
dungeon boss. Even though it had been colossal, its resilience had not
been enough to withstand the party members’ attack power.
However, the woman in front of me was different. Though I knew

nothing about her, I could feel an ominous aura in her presence. She
certainly seemed like a priest with the uniform she wore, but the
atmosphere she gave off seemed overbearing, to the point that I felt
overwhelmed.
I realized at once that she was the predator, and I was the prey.
At this very moment, I missed being in a safe area in the rear of Kim
Hyunsung’s party.
‘Hyunsung… Is this okay?’
Ahhh… Gedric… My Gedric! You inally came to see me…
‘What bullshit is she talking about?’
You inally found me. My lovely Gedric!

Upon saying this, the woman bent her neck at an impossibly awkward
angle, horrifying my party members. Then, she reached out to me.
I thought about pretending to be Gedric for a while, but it would be

dangerous to take the lead in a situation like this. It would be best to
retreat to the rear and wait until the leaders themselves igured out
what to do.
‘Can the woman not see?’
At this moment, Kim Hyunsung took one more step.
You are not him. Not him.
After frowning heavily, the woman who had been called Juliana opened
her eyes, showing black pupils that seemed to have the ability to suck
the life out of anyone.
The physiological effect was instant. Goosebumps rose on my skin.
‘Shit… ’
You’re not him!
The very ground we stepped on began to crack, and the inside of the
dungeon shook tremendously. I could sense strange energy as magic
power began to spread in all directions, accompanied by a loud ringing
voice. This caused me to cup my hands over both ears.
When I thought I would start bleeding from the intense pressure, a

barrier covered the whole party. It turned out to be Sun Hee-young’s
defense, choosing to block the energy with divine magic.
It’s not him!

“Everyone, prepare for battle! Wizards, prepare your spells, and priests,
keep the divine power going. We judged that it was a monster that
couldn’t attract aggro, and we will proceed with the operation as
defensively as possible. This will be a long battle.”
“Noted!”
Lee Sang-hee, who was calmer than expected, covered the rear with a
large shield. As soon as the spell was recited, magical power began to
rise from the area. It was up to the vanguard to earn us some time until
we inished casting the magic.
Of course, this did not mean that my side stood still.
Starting with Kim Hyunsung, some began to shoot at Juliana.
‘Stay safe, Hyunsung.’
The energy that seemed to be neither magic nor divine power burst out
in all directions. The owner of this energy was blatantly obvious.
‘Juliana.’
“Please prepare your defense magic.”
You… You dare invade this place… This place!
Shing!
It was a spectacle to witness the black sphere of energy rushing

towards us, leaving cracks on the ground in its trail. However, this did
not bode well for us.
Lee Sang-hee instinctively brought up her shield to block the incoming

attack. In the end, she was successful, but it had not been an easy task.
It had only been possible because she had been infused with divine
magic.
‘This will not be an easy ight… ’
Our strategy needs to be a little different than our usual method of

hunting monsters.
Back in the Garden of Terror, the monsters’ attacks focused on those at

the forefront. However, it seemed that Juliana had chosen not to target
anyone in particular. Her main goal was to eradicate everyone she saw
as ‘intruders.’
This was the ideal moment to run away.
It wasn’t easy to deal with her and attack simultaneously, as our forces
also had to focus on protecting the party’s weaker defenses. The casting
time proved to be longer than expected.
Since this was meant to be a withstanding battle, the tankers had to

make sure that we wouldn’t receive any lasting damage. Archers with
high agilities couldn’t expect any additional help.
As Hwang Jeong-yeon and Jung Hayan recited their spells, the resulting
magical power was enormous. It enveloped the madwoman in no time
at all, but the black sphere of energy returned to combat the power.
At this moment, I released the spell that I had been memorizing.
A huge arm arose out of the air and fell with the momentum to crush
Juliana, who was currently wrapped around in the black sphere.
Swoosh!
The expressions of my fellow party members showed their initial

surprise at this. The dust soon settled to reveal Juliana looking my way.
You dare!
My magic was strictly classi ied as physical. I didn’t know if this was
why I was able to in lict some damage on our opponent. However, this
did not spell good news for me.
‘Shit.’
I didn’t know if it was intentional, but the black sphere of energy was
now coming my way.
Kim Hyunsung was in a position where he couldn’t easily de lect the

attack with his sword, should it ever come my way. I knew I would be
able to continue in licting damage as long as I was being protected.
‘Is this how heroic-grade dungeons are?’
I knew it wouldn’t be easy, and yet I didn’t expect it to be this hard.
Now and then, roars reverberated throughout the dungeon, and the
ground shook, cracks opening in various places. Perhaps this was why
Kim Hyunsung couldn’t move properly.
Lee Sang-hee was able to hold her ground, but Park Deokgu, who only
had a meager amount of magic power, could only block small attacks.
The only good thing was that the curse had not af licted us yet. If one
were to see hallucinations in this situation, it could prove fatal on our
side.
Somehow, I had to make a decision.
I wanted to stay away from situations that could end up costing me my

life. In the end, I settled for speaking up.
“Ah, my Juliana!”
Soon, a strange vision settled upon the room.
Ah, Gedric?
My voice unexpectedly burst in the middle of the battle, effectively

causing a lull within the ight. At this, my fellow party members looked
at me confusedly, wondering what I was doing. However, I did not
incline to answer.
They would know soon, anyway.
“Juliana! My Juliana!”
Gedric! Ah, you came. Gedric… You inally came.
“Juliana! I’ve been looking for you for an eternity. This shrine!”
Gedric, inally…
“Juliana!”
Oh, no. You are not Gedric.
‘Damn.’
“Many years have passed, Juliana. Contrary to you, who has been bound
by this shrine, I have undergone many changes. An insurmountable
amount of time has passed. My tone, my existence, and everything I am
have changed.”
No. You are not Gedric.
“Juliana! My love, Juliana!”
You are not Gedric!

“Juliana, I have changed, but I still remember that day. I have always
kept my memories of you within this body.”
Ah…
“That precious memory…”
Ged… rick?
I didn’t know what exactly she was thinking about, but I knew
something would come to mind. Black tears lowed out of Juliana’s
empty eyes. It was a grotesque sight to behold.
However, I needed to focus. If I could ind a way to weasel out more

information…
On that day…
Anxiety rose within me. All it would take was one mistake for her to
ind out.
“We are each other’s… Ahhh! Juliana!”
Gedric!
“They are oppressing me, Juliana! Ahh!”
Lee Sang-hee, Park Deokgu, and Sun Hee-young all looked at me with
irresistible curiosity. Meanwhile, jealousy was written all over Jung
Hayan’s face.
‘Everyone has noticed… ’
As I glanced around the rest of my comrades, I caught sight of Hwang

Jeong-yeon, nodding.
Nevertheless…
“Silly, stupid Juliana. Yes, yes, the Gedric you love is in our hands!”
‘Ah… ’
Knowing Jeong-yeon loved watching the drama, I’d have expected her
to exhibit some good semblance of acting skills. However, upon seeing
her enact her role, I began to feel concerned about Juliana catching on
to our scheme.
Hwang Jeong-yeon’s face was a bright red, but thankfully, Juliana didn’t
seem to have any doubts.
“Juliana! Do not save me. Run, run right away!”
Gedric!
“Run away! Juliana!”
You guys dare! Gedric!
I don’t know if this would turn out effective, but it worked better than I
had initially thought. Of course, there would still be room for doubts in
this kind of situation.
However, there was no way she’d be willing to ight out of the illusion.
Gedric, who she had been waiting for all her life, had inally appeared,
only to be on the brink of death once more. It would be natural for her
to have such a reaction.
‘It would be a problem if she decides to go crazy with her powers, but… ’
I also knew there was no way she’d dare create an explosion with her
energy sphere. By doing so, she would also end up killing her beloved
‘Gedric.’
Unlike the rest of my party members, who continued to look with
mounting confusion, Kim Hyunsung rushed towards Juliana, swinging
his sword.
In truth, Hyunsung was still not at the stage where he would thrive
easily inside a heroic-grade dungeon. It was only right to say that he
was still in the growth stage.
However, the way he moved to block Juliana from rushing over to our
party surprised me. Kim Hyunsung managed to block the black energy
that extended from all directions with a single slash.
Even though her attack range was limited, Juliana kept the attacks
coming, with Hyunsung parrying in turn.
Quadduck… Quazzik!
As sounds reverberated from within the dungeon, the two continued to

unleash a lurry of attacks and counterattacks that I could not even
begin to comprehend.
‘Huh… ’
Kim Hyunsung tried to extend his sword, but Juliana forced him to
retreat halfway. At the same time, her black sphere unleashed a lurry
of energy, yet it did not take him much to block.
Meanwhile, the rest of our party members looked on with expressions

that could only border on shock. No one knew when the right timing
was to intervene.
In the irst place, it didn’t seem easy to set the timing of how to
intervene.
I will hold them at bay… Can’t you run away at this point?
“…”
Gedric! Gedric!
CHAPTER 97
JULIANA (2)
It was highly evident that the ight had reached a larger scale.
Juliana, evidently the owner of this dungeon, had reached the point
where Kim Hyunsung was forced to step up his game. Meanwhile, I
could feel the room we were in changing, little by little.
Can’t you get out of here?
Bang!
Quadduck!
At irst glance, it would be easy to retreat. However, this was a battle

that Kim Hyunsung had to dish out.
Take the curse!
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Gedric!
Unlike Kim Hyunsung, who could ight without any reservation, Juliana
alternated between attacking and showing her constant weakness—
me. I didn’t know what this Gedric meant to her, but I now knew that he
was important enough for her to risk her life. Since someone important
to her was being held hostage, it was only natural for her to be unable
to properly execute her abilities.
Whenever I screamed out for Juliana, she grew more agitated, thereby
showing more weak spots. It would be easy to end the ight now.
From the moment I had shown myself to her as Gedric, she had stopped
executing her powers to the fullest. However, those who were watching
the ight didn’t seem to think of it that way.
But no, they had nothing else to do but watch. This was Kim Hyunsung’s
turn to showcase his abilities to the rest of the Guild members.
The guy in question was now biting his lips in concentration. To be able
to incite such a serious expression showed that Juliana was very strong.
The black tentacles surrounding her stretched out in all directions, all
to trap Hyunsung in place.
However, he was able to avoid their deadly grasp by dodging or by

simply cutting them off. His high agility and lexibility reminded me of a
splendid display of acrobatics.
Each time a tentacle was slashed off, he would jump to another spot, as
Juliana would quickly combat his parry with a second attack.
Of course, it was also natural for Juliana to prove that she was not easy
to beat.
It felt as if I was watching a high-grade ight in front of me. Perhaps, Cha

Hee-ra was the only other person I knew who could exhibit the same
combat prowess. Even Lee Sang-hee, said to be the strongest among us,
looked at Kim Hyunsung as if in a trance.
When Juliana irst exhibited signs of her unstable behavior, I began to

think about the number of ways I could take her down. However…
‘It’s too dangerous.’

If I tried something out and it ended up back iring, the whole party
would be harmed. I was not too fond of gambling. Now was not the time
to throw the dice.
Wait a bit, Gedric. Just a little bit more!
It was satisfying to know that our enemy was successfully taken in with
our act, but I felt like I had to intensify it a little more. I could see that
Juliana’s desperation would be the key to our victory.
She genuinely thought ‘Gedric’ was in danger. Alas, she was doing her
best to ight the invaders while trying not to harm me.
Of course, I didn’t sympathize with her actions. I didn’t forget the fact
that she was the owner of a dungeon that had swallowed up numerous
victims and that my party might soon be a group of casualties if we
didn’t win this ight.
Simultaneously, there was no excuse for the fact that we had invaded
the dungeon even though she had made it explicitly clear that she did
not want to be disturbed. Nevertheless, we came here for a reason.
This troublesome ly!
“…”
I’m going to let the darkness swallow him up!
A dark inverted cross materialized in the sky. It fell toward Kim

Hyunsung, but he swung his sword in response.
Bang!
Quazzik!
Quaddeuk!
‘He’s so strong… ’
Seeing Kim Hyunsung tear down crosses that were bigger than his
entire being enveloped me with a sense of awe. Without realizing it, I
was stuck staring at the scene with my mouth wide open.
You will eventually succumb to the darkness!
Quazzik! Quaang!
‘Huh… ’
What was notable was the fact that Kim Hyunsung was smiling. Despite
knowing one blunder could cost him his life, he seemed to be enjoying
the battle.
Quazzik!
The ight truly brought out Hyunsung’s strength. Of course, the

difference in stats was inevitable, and Kim Hyunsung suffered a few
wounds of his own, but he still seemed satis ied with how the ight was
going.
‘His stats haven’t even reached an average of 80 yet… ’
You can’t get out of here even now. Shameless intruders… face my wrath!
A sword then fell from the sky, over the cursed saint who appeared to
be glaring at Hyunsung. It was not a sword that belonged to anyone.
‘What kind of sword is that?’
No, in the irst place…
‘What kind of ight is this?’

The ight I was witnessing was surely out of standard, and I didn’t like
it. Juliana, who seemed to have reached the second phase, was clashing
with Hyunsung with her sword.
Kim Hyun-sung met Juliana’s attacks head-on, and we, too, were
affected. However, Park Deokgu and Lee Sang-hee were steadily
protecting us, and our magicians ensured that we had an extra layer of
safety after each clash.
‘Will we be able to win?’
In the meantime, I was worried about the outcome of the battle. I was
sure that Kim Hyunsung would win, but I was worried about the
injuries he would sustain in doing so. Even though our party kept a
continuous supply of divine power to aid in the battle, there was no
guarantee that we’d be able to avoid the worst-case scenario.
‘Should I believe in him?’
I knew this wasn’t Hyunsung’s full ability. He was probably hiding his
true power. However, he might have been overcon ident in his abilities.
You will be trampled in the dark!
Juliana lifted her sword, and Kim Hyunsung also concentrated his magic
on his sword.
‘This will probably be the last clash.’
I didn’t know how the ight was going, but the ominous feeling stayed
within me. When the swords were about to hit, I couldn’t help but
scream.
“Juliana!”
At this, the enemy in question turned her head towards me.
Simultaneously, Kim Hyunsung slashed through her sword with
enormous energy, cutting through the air.
The next thing I saw was his sword piercing right through her
abdomen.
Ged… rick…
‘Oh… ’
I’ve dealt with my fair share of monsters up until now, but this was the
irst time I’d ever felt my heart squeeze upon seeing the death of one.
It was probably because Juliana had instinctively reached out for me as

she fell.
Gedric…
The expedition members slowly scattered behind me as this scene

unfolded. When the steamy heart was left behind, a new energy spread
in all directions.
I linched for a moment, but my head suddenly became clear. It was at

this moment that I realized we’d completed the dungeon attack.
[Heroic-grade quest has been completed.]
[Heroic-grade quest – Eliminate Juliana (1/1)]
[Gives 4 random stat points as a reward.]
‘It’s over.’
It was no wonder that everyone rushed to Kim Hyunsung. An eruption

of voices soon reverberated in the room.
“Hyunsung, are you okay?!”
“Hyunsung!”
“Oh, I’m ine…”
The irst point of action was to check on Hyunsung, but the chaos didn’t
stop there.
“Huh…”
“I can’t believe it…”
“I knew it would be dif icult, but I feel so embarrassed.”
“This is also my irst time, so I can’t really explain how the notion of
promoting or demoting of ranks works…”
“Whatever happens, it will be a blessing to the guild.”
I didn’t understand what they were talking about, but I guessed it had
something to do with the sword.
[Cursing Sword – Legendary-Grade]
‘Huh… ’
It was faint, but the sword kept lashing orange hues.
‘Great… ’
I was beginning to understand why Kim Hyunsung wanted to go to this

dungeon.
‘Is it for this?’

In front of me was a legendary item, one of the only ones on this
continent, I could bet.
There were a total of six con irmed legendary-grade items, perhaps a

few more, but not more than 10. There was no guarantee that such
artifacts would drop even in legendary-grade dungeons.
If Kim Hyunsung knew that he would get one here, then his insistence
at coming would be understandable. Anything rated legendary was
simply phenomenal, be it a legendary-grade dungeon, legendary-grade
job, legendary-grade item, legendary-grade quest, or legendary-grade
monster raid.
Even if there would be a dispute over ownership, it won’t be a strange

scene to witness. Even so, the owner was already decided.
It was then that I decided to speak.
“I couldn’t even imagine killing Juliana one-on-one.”
“I could have suffered if Kiyoung had not interfered. Thank you very
much.”
Kim Hyunsung’s desire for this sword was evident. Just as I desired
good alchemy kits, he would also want good swords.
There shouldn’t even be a dispute as to who the owner would be. After
all, we wouldn’t have been able to survive this dungeon if it weren’t for
Kim Hyunsung!
Lee Sang-hee also seemed to have something to say.
“First of all, I will declare the completion of the attack of the heroic-
grade dungeon, Cursed Shrine. Clean up the area and search for other
items or bodies of other guilds. I would like you to look around in
groups of three and report any unusual issues immediately. The
settlement will be made after returning to the guild. Gahyeon, please
return to the guild right now and let them know the situation of the
expedition. And…”
“…”
“It’s too early to tell all of you, but I’m pretty sure you all understand
who owns the cursing sword. Just in case… This cursing sword…”
Before Lee Sang-hee could inish speaking, a spectacle occurred.
“Wow…”
“Huh?”
‘What… ’
The sword lying on the ground suddenly started to rise and twirl up in
the air. It was natural for everyone to feel alarmed.
As everyone looked at it confusedly, the cursed sword slowly

approached me. What was strange was that I didn’t feel hostility from
it.
“Is this a master ceremony?” Someone else muttered.
The sword approaching with a faint light seemed to look at me, making
a continuous trembling sound.
I didn’t know what was going on.
‘Oh no, don’t be like this. Don’t test me… ’
I then realized what was happening.

I could see an embarrassed expression showing on Kim Hyunsung’s
face.
‘It’s not like this… Hyunsung, trust me, I didn’t mean to do this.’
CHAPTER 98
JULIANA (3)
Kim Hyunsung looked like a mess. Though he had already received the
divine healing spell, there were still many scars scattered all over his
body. However, this was natural, seeing as he had just gone through an
intense ight.
He had small welts where Juliana’s tentacles had managed to hit him,
and half of his equipment had lown off or were destroyed in their
continuous clash. His appearance overall was very grim.
On the contrary, my appearance…
‘It’s clean.’
I suffered no torn clothes or wounds, let alone a single scratch.
As the sword approached me, Hyunsung’s expression was similar to

someone who had fought to meet their lover, only for them to get
abandoned.
“I’ve heard stories that legendary-grade items usually choose their

owners. This seems like the case now,” Hwang Jeong-yeon remarked.
“Yeah. I’ve heard of such a story, too, Jeong-yeon,” Kim Hyunsung

commented glumly.
‘No… Do not be like this.’

Embarrassment lew from all aspects of my body. Kim Hyunsung
seemed to be feeling the same. I knew he had risked himself for the
chance to gain this item, and knowing this hurt my heart.
I did not mean to do it, but I apparently had gotten in the way of his
plans.
‘Damn… I don’t even know what to use it for.’
“I’m not sure why it so suddenly acted this way…” I muttered.
No matter how much I tried to sneak away, the sword kept following
me.
“Is it possible to deny ownership?” I asked, trying to ind a way out of

this embarrassing situation.
“Generally, yes… However, information on legendary items has not yet

been released. I don’t think this one will back down so easily,
however…” Jeong-yeon replied.
“In that case, how would you like Hyunsung to catch it? First of all, I am
not the combat type, nor is it an item I need. It would be better for
Hyunsung to use it than me,” I remarked.
“Yeah. Hyunsung, I think it would be better to try that,” Jeong-yeon

agreed.
“Ah… Yeah,” Kim Hyunsung responded.
No wonder everyone’s eyes were on him.
At this, Kim Hyunsung began to reach out quietly, harboring an

extremely nervous expression.
Perhaps he had already encountered a lot of information about
legendary-grade items, hence his hesitation in approaching the sword.
Maybe this was even the same sword he had used in the past!
However, we had no choice but to accept that handling this sword

would not be easy. Even Kim Hyunsung looked unsure.
The moment he grabbed the sword, dark energy began to pour out of
the artifact. The expedition members quickly scattered in alarm, afraid
of what was to happen.
Kwajijijiji!
Upon seeing this, Kim Hyunsung sighed in resignation. I, too, looked

away. My heart squeezed.
‘Ah… Shit… ’
“I don’t think I can. It seems like the owner has already been decided,”
Hyunsung remarked in a somber tone.
“Ah… But I, really…” I trailed off, trying to ind the right words to say.
“This is a very strong sword. It’s a little regrettable, but I can’t help it. In
fact, Kiyoung has actually been the number one contributor in this
expedition, so it’s only natural that he gets chosen. I also got a lot of
help from Kiyoung in the last ight. To be honest, I wouldn’t have been
able to guarantee what would have happened to me if he had not aided
me,” Hyunsung explained.
“But I would not even be able to use this…” I argued.
“Even so, Kiyoung, you cannot deny it. I could feel it right after I
grabbed it. It has already decided its owner. Even if someone else tries
to use it, it will not unlock its abilities for anyone other than you. Only
you will be able to make use of its true functions…” he insisted.
“What alchemist has a sword?”
Everyone looked away at this. Everyone knew that me wielding a sword

was like a pig wearing a pearl necklace.
I had weak physical stats. I wouldn’t even be able to swing it for more
than a few times before using up all my energy, but the sword didn’t
seem to care.
As if it couldn’t wait any longer, the black energy from the sword began
to trap me.
“Ahhh!”
My arm was raised regardless of my will.
“Someone…”
I tried to look around for help, but everything happened so fast.
A familiar message came to mind the moment my hand closed around

the sword’s handle.
[You have been recognized as the owner of the legendary-grade item,

the cursing sword, Juliana. Congratulations on being a user of the
legendary weapon.]
‘Fuck, what is this recognition?! Take it back… I don’t want it!’
[Cursing Sword Juliana – Legendary-Grade]
[A sword used by the cursed St. Juliana. This sword was created tens of
thousands of years ago, when Ace, the god of the curse, descended for
Juliana. It will not fade no matter how many years will pass. It in licts a
superlative curse that instantly in licts mental damage to the injured
target. You can use the energy of Ace by using magic power. Targets that
have been exposed to this energy for a long time are also cursed. You
can use a large amount of magical power to cast an area curse.
Summons and reverse summons are also possible.]
[Before Juliana died, she desperately sealed her soul within this sword.
Juliana’s love for Gedric is asleep. The sword moves on its own,
protecting its owner from threats. Due to the low growth level, several
functions of the item are sealed. Magic power increases by 15.]
Gedric… My dear Gedric…
‘Okay, ine, I admit defeat… ’
I looked at the sword in my hand with renewed emotions after reading

its status. I felt so embarrassed with the specs that my mouth had hung
open.
The item’s stats were incomparable to any other item I’ve encountered
so far. In the irst place, everyone had already witnessed just how
powerful the curse had been in here.
Considering it almost swallowed an entire party with its skill, the

ability to cast a curse was enough for it to be called a legendary item.
Of course, it would be impossible with my magic power to do as much

damage as Juliana did, but the possibility of using it is enough.
‘What about the sword’s ability to increase magic power by 15?’
I knew I had weak stats, but this sword had just given me hope. Plus, it
was made to ensure that my protection would be its irst priority.
Since Juliana’s ego was sealed within it, a new feature had been
installed within the sword.
The only problem was…

‘Juliana… ’
What should I do if the crazy bitch woke up again?
My head hurt just trying to think about having to pretend to be Gedric

the whole time I would have to use the sword.
“The owner ceremony is over.”
“This… Hyunsung, I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean for this to happen…” I

said apologetically.
“No. If one were to think about what Kiyoung has done, you deserve it.
Of course, as an alchemist, using a sword will be hard… In the future,
we can train together, right?” Kyunsung remarked.
“Yeah?”
“I think it would be nice for you to learn how to use a sword. I will
de initely teach you the basic level,” he replied.
‘It still doesn’t seem right… ’
Somehow, I became quite anxious.
‘Is he mad?’
I couldn’t imagine Kim Hyunsung ever harboring a toxic grudge.

However, one of the corners of his mouth was clearly lowered. I knew it
was because all his efforts had been for nothing.
As I looked around, I could see the expressions of Park Deokgu, Sun

Hee-young, and Jung Hayan, all harboring a hint of pride.
Jealousy was written on everyone else’s expressions, but they chose not
to act on this and applauded me instead. I had no choice but to speak,
seeing the curiosity on their faces.
“That… I’m not really sure about the sword’s quality, but the internal
features are pretty good. It can in lict curses, and it’s designed to
protect its owner.”
“Really?”
Even Kim Hyunsung looked surprised. This was probably because it

was a function that did not exist in the irst case.
Did it change because I had pretended to be Gedric?
“Ah. Others seem to be unable to read it. It is written that Juliana’s ego is
sealed. When a threat comes, the sword will move by itself. Of course, I
will still have to make use of my magic power. Anyway, I think it’s
because Juliana has identi ied me as Gedric,” I explained.
“Oh, I see.”
‘I have to pretend to be Gedric… ’
If the sword inds out that I wasn’t Gedric, the consequences would be
dire. For now, the good news was that Juliana was still asleep from the
battle that had just been ensured.
However, the bigger bene it was that Kim Hyunsung didn’t seem to be
exhibiting any more negative feelings towards me. He even nodded at
my explanation.
‘Did he think it would be useful?’
Probably so.
He had probably accepted that I was the owner, although his expression
was still set in a cold, irm line.
When I thought about it, this curse-making greatsword, Juliana, would
have been one of the many legendary-grade items Kim Hyunsung might
have acquired or known about in the past.
However, his disposition and this sword did not seem to match at all. In
fact, this sword would have been a better match for someone like Jung
Jinho, that maniac back in the tutorial dungeon.
“First of all, congratulations, Mr. Kiyoung,” Lee Sang-hee greeted.
“Ah… Yeah… Thank you,” I replied shyly.
“It’s a little complicated, but if Mr. Hyunsung…”
“Yeah. I understand, Lee Sang-hee. Unfortunately, it seems to be an

inevitable situation.”
“Normally, ownership needs to be discussed, but this is a legendary

item, and the cursing sword acknowledged Kiyoung. It also seems that
our work here is also inished to some extent, so I will be able to head
to Lindel right after I inish some other work. Let’s go home.”
“Alright.”
We were able to gain more things upon the completion of the dungeon.
However, due to our failure to bring back the previous party members,
Blue’s power had dropped signi icantly.
It might seem cruel, but this situation did not seem so bad at all.
Lee Sang-hee’s position has declined, therefore Kim Hyun-sung’s and

my internal evaluation have risen as a result.
I don’t know what choice Lee Sang-hee will make in the future, but
seeing that she felt like a failure in leading the team in our expedition,
she would probably step down from being the leader. In this way, Kim
Hyunsung had a chance. We had proven ourselves enough on this
expedition.
‘Our condition has also improved a lot… ’
In fact, it felt like everyone had progressed from the expedition.

However, there were still some problems we needed to resolve.
Park Deokgu still lied about his job, and Lee Jihye’s plan still needed to
grow. I still had a lot of work to do once we got back.
However, because of my newly-acquired weapon, I did not feel the

oncoming onslaught of stress at all.
Getting this sword out would be a problem. After slightly sending in

some magical power, I began to mutter.
‘Reverse summon.’
[The cursing sword refuses to reverse summon.]
‘Huh?’
‘Reverse summon.’
[The cursing sword refuses to reverse summon.]
‘Go back.’
[The cursing sword strongly rejects reverse summons.]
I began to panic at this point. Why does this have to happen?
‘Fucking hell! Go back!’

[The cursing sword strongly rejects reverse summons. It has fallen in
love with you. The cursing sword wants to be with you. The cursing
sword feels angry.]
“Go back! Please!” I shrieked.
It was de initely a satisfying expedition.

CHAPTER 99
JULIANA (4)
“Mr. Kiyoung, what is written there?” Sun Hee-young asked.
“Ah, Hee-young. It’s a story about Gedric and Juliana. No way… I think I
should know more about it because of this sword,” I replied.
“Ah! Are you referring to the book you found in the inner room?” she
asked.
“Yes, I am. Upon reading it, I think it was actually worth inding out. It
seems like a legend… Well… Anyway, it’s interesting,” I answered.
“It must be fun to read. Could you tell me about it?”
Sun Hee-young’s curious expression was evidently visible. She had been
snooping around me all day as we prepared to head back to Lindel. In
fact, it was a nice opportunity to talk, as we hadn’t really conversed
with each other, except when it came to volunteering activities.
Meanwhile, Jung Hayan clung onto my arm tightly, shooting Sun Hee-
young a cautious look. I knew she also wanted a moment to know about
the story.
‘Ah, well, it’s not that long, anyway.’
It would be nice to have something to talk about while we headed

towards our next destination.
“The story started exactly 10,000 years ago,” I began.

“Ten thousand years?” Hee-young asked in disbelief.
“Yeah. This is a story before the birth of Benigore, the Holy Empire,
where we’re currently located. It’s stated that a terrible battle took
place. It’s also said that it had been a religious war centered between
believers who worshiped the god of curse, and those who followed the
god of blessing.”
“Ahhh…” Hee-young nodded.
“Have you ever heard of it?” I asked.
“Yeah. The religious war created the Holy Empire, after all. That’s an
interesting story,” she replied.
“Yeah. At that time, it was said that Juliana was a saint serving the god
of curse, and Gedric was a saint serving the god of blessing. The two
didn’t collide directly, but they always listened to each other and stood
on the front line. It was also written that 15 years after the beginning of
the war, the two collided on the front lines. In any case, there was a big
battle in which almost all of the troops were deployed,” I narrated.
“The Berman Cliff Battle,” she added.
I was surprised at her sudden response, so I tilted my head and asked.
“You know of it?”
“Anyone who has served in a temple always learns the most. Of course, I
haven’t heard of anyone named Juliana or Gedric, but… If Kiyoung’s
book is authentic, we could add it to the history books we currently
have,” Hee-young explained.
“Well, I’m not sure if it’s related to the Holy Empire, but… that might be
the case. Anyway, countless believers lost their lives, and Gedric and
Juliana also fought until the end and fell off the cliff,” I retold.
“So, what happened?” she asked curiously.
“Actually, the record of this time is not described in the book. It only
says that Juliana and Gedric returned to their respective temples exactly
a year later. Of course, Juliana’s diary is very accurate, but it is
embarrassing to explain in further detail.”
It was to be expected, after all.
Gedric and Juliana survived together for nearly a year in a cave on a

distant cliff and eventually developed feelings for each other.
People nodded in response as I continued to explain. It was indeed an

interesting story if one were to ignore the explicit content in between.
“From then on, it seems that Juliana and Gedric started meeting. The
war had gone into a lull, so there were many opportunities to meet.
Colossal damage was dealt on both sides during the Battle of Berman
Cliffs. Of course, the two gods initially tried to separate the two, but
they already loved each other too much,” I narrated as if it was my own
experience.
“So, that’s why she became like this,” Hee-young commented and had a
moment of re lection.
“Yeah. Of course, the two were angry at each other’s gods. Under such
circumstances, Gedric built a small shrine in the temple of the god of
blessings… That is the dungeon we went to, the Cursed Shrine. The two
decided to stay here, and as a result, the gods became angry and tied
them to this shrine,” I recounted.
“Ah…”
The god of curse cursed Juliana, thereby trapping her in that room
forever, and the god of blessing blessed Gedric, turning him into a
wanderer.
Of course, the god of blessing did not allow Gedric to ind Juliana.
“I’m sorry.”
At Jung Hayan’s words, Sun Hee-young nodded and spoke again.
“It would be natural for the shrine to be cursed. Building a shrine

dedicated to other gods in the basement of the temple… It’s a big
offense. Perhaps the undead army outside the Cursed Shrine were also
affected by the curse itself.”
“In Gedric’s diary, it was said that the god of blessing blessed them with
eternal life, but from their point of view, it must have been a curse. The
story ends here. In short, Juliana was forever waiting for Gedric, and
Gedric was forever wandering in search of Juliana, whom he could not
ind.”
It wasn’t a heavy story. However, Jung Hayan seemed moved.
“That’s so sad… She waited for someone who would never come…”
I couldn’t help but pat her head. Seeing this as an opportunity, Hayan
hugged me tightly.
“Then, you mean that the undead found in the room on the left was
Gedric, Oppa?”
“Huh? Oh, right…”
In the process of searching for an unknown survivor, Gedric, as well as a

group of undead, were found. We didn’t have to search to igure out
who we had discovered. It was because I was able to ind an interesting
item in his arms.
[Gedric’s Proposal Ring – Heroic-Grade]

[You can resist Juliana’s curse.]
As I glanced at the items in my hand, I felt like I could roughly

understand this dungeon’s original strategy.
In addition, why Kim Hyunsung went around so late at night, and what
the identity of the undead that the former party saw here.
Perhaps the irst way to attack the Cursed Shrine was to ind Gedric
wandering here. To catch him would mean gaining the needed
resistance against Juliana.
However, that would be a tricky ordeal. It was a huge shrine, after all. It
would be close to impossible to ind Gedric successfully. On the other
hand, not gaining resistance meant bearing Juliana’s full wrath.
In our party’s case, we igured out a way to resist the curse before
discovering Gedric.
Had a little more time passed, Kim Hyunsung could have found Gedric,
but the expedition’s results were not bad overall.
“Love is de initely scary,” Hee-young remarked.
“Yeah.”
I can empathize with that more than anyone else. My gaze fell on Jung
Hayan.
Anyway, in the meantime, I would have to learn as much as I can about

Gedric. Juliana was currently still asleep in her sword, but I didn’t know
when she would wake up. Thus, I needed to be prepared.
“By the way, I know it hasn’t been very long since we’ve gone, but I’ve
seen no sign of reinforcements that he promised to bring,” I remarked.
“Who?” Hee-young asked.
“Lee Seolho, one of the retired members,” I replied.
“Ahhh. Perhaps it is because the Red Mercenary Queen has not yet
returned, or some other problem occurred. Anyway, we completed the
dungeon at a faster pace than expected,” Lee Sang-hee interfered.
“Oh, we were fortunate to have Kim Hyunsung with us, then. If we

didn’t, we’d probably have died in there,” I remarked.
“Ah, yes. I’ll ask about what’s happened when we get back.”
‘Hah, they probably wish we’d die during this expedition.’
The timing was de initely ambiguous, but Lee Sang-hee seemed ixated
on trying to excuse Lee Seolho’s behavior.
“My Hyung is so kind that I’m sick.”
At this, Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan nodded. However, Sun Hee-
young’s expression did not look good.
‘I guess she doesn’t like him either.’
These old men, including Lee Seolho, were no different from the
vagrants in the poor. They were useless beings who refused to move on
their own. They stepped on others and tried to make a pro it by
torturing them.
I’ve already said it before, but the difference between him and the poor
was that he had gotten luckier than them. However, they were all the
same—just lumps of cancer in our society.
‘Oh… How has it been going, anyway?’

What I had asked Lee Jihye to do suddenly came to mind.
She would have almost inished what I asked for, but I had to think
about the possibility that we couldn’t inish the job because the timing
of our departure had been earlier than expected.
Then I saw someone running towards us from afar.
‘Park Gahyeon?’
The igure in sight was certainly Park Gahyeon, which Lee Sang-hee
sent to the guild one step ahead of us. It meant something had
happened.
Seeing her anxious look, I began to feel both excited and worried for
any upcoming news.
Eventually, she reached Lee Sang-hee, panting and trying to catch her
breath.
“Ugh… Vice Guild Master…”
“Did you share the news? Why have you come back alone?”
“We did everything as ordered. I have news to deliver… I can’t help

but…”
“Please calm down and tell me.”
I noticed that she felt reluctant to share the news with everyone.
However, she had no choice. Upon successfully regaining her breathing,
she spoke again.
“The… The Guild Master has died.”
“What?!”
“The guild master… He died.”
“Why…? The curse should have been lifted…”
“I heard it was exactly three days ago since you accomplished the
expedition… He died quietly in his sleep. I knew I had to inform you
right away.”
Lee Sang-hee closed her mouth, at a loss for words. Park Gahyeon,
meanwhile, had burst into tears. I’ve never seen the Blue Guild Master,
but I could surmise that his personality wasn’t that bad.
Logically speaking, this wasn’t a bad situation for our party. We could
gain more in luence and control over the guild in this manner.
Nevertheless…
‘Why’d it happen so suddenly?’
The timing was de initely odd. Of course, it could prove to be

advantageous for some people. On the other hand, it could have been an
effect of being exposed to the curse for so long, but…
‘Is this Lee Seolho’s doing?’
It was just a guess, but a very convincing one at that.
“First, let’s hurry to the guild… Please keep up with our pace, everyone.
We’ll get there soon. We need to settle the situation.”
“Of course, Lee Sang-hee.”
And so, the party members trudged on with heavier steps.
Perhaps because of the unexpected news, Lee Sang-hee led the

expedition with her mouth shut, and the other party members also
stepped in silently, comforting Lee Sang-hee.
Soon enough, the Free City of Lindel appeared in our sights. We could
also see Lee Jihye and the other retired Blue Guild executives waiting
for us at the entrance.
Seeing that some of the Black Swans were with them, I knew something
was up. Suddenly, I found this entire situation ridiculous, and I resisted
the urge to laugh.
“Congratulations on surviving, Lee Sang-hee. I was just about to ind

you…”
“More than that, Seolho, what happened to the Master? Is he really

dead?”
“Yeah. He at least died peacefully.”
“Ahh, where is the body?”
“It’s in the guild’s basement. It’s been three days, yet I still don’t know
what to do with the funeral…”
“Ah…”
Their conversation had already bored me at this point. As the two

continued to discuss, I looked at Lee Jihye, who smiled and tapped her
leg.
‘Ah, there it is.’
I knew a more detailed story would come my way soon.

CHAPTER 100
OLD FORCES (1)
Upon arriving at the Guild House, our party hurriedly unpacked before
heading down to the basement. After some thought, I had decided to
join them in checking the body.
I initially wanted to talk with Lee Jihye, but I igured it could wait after.
This decision was reinforced upon seeing her nod, understanding my
decision.
However, I knew she was thinking of something else, too. I didn’t even
need to ask what it was.
‘Is she still on that soulmate mindset?’
I had some inkling of what the status system meant about the two of us.
‘In fact, we’re similar in a lot of ways… ’
Following this line of thought, I knew not bringing her in Blue with us
was the worst mistake I’d ever made. I knew she had a lot she could
have brought to the table.
However, I knew her current position wasn’t all that bad, either.
Putting this aside, I bid Jihye a brief farewell before joining others in the
basement. Since she was considered an outsider, she was not be
allowed in this particular area.
Upon reaching the basement, I saw a neatly organized room. A man was
lying inside a cof in decorated with a multitude of white lowers. He
looked a little old, and the countless wounds on his face were enough
proof of his identity. A beard covered his chin, and gray hair covered his
head.
This was our deceased Guild Master.
‘Is he in his forties? No… Perhaps he was in his ifties… ’
Since aging had slowed due to the in luence of magic power, it was hard
to pinpoint his exact age. Upon seeing his comfortably closed eyes,
never to open again, cries erupted from the group.
“Aaaah!”
“Master…”
“Uncle, you said you would live until the end… Ugh…”
Though I had never met the Guild Master, I still felt sad. Everyone
around me had tears in their eyes, and it was obvious what the Guild
Master meant to them.
And among them, the one expressing the most intense reaction was Lee
Sang-hee.
Before we had gone down, she had a calm composure. However, that
composure cracked the moment her eyes landed on the old man.
It wasn’t clear what had happened between the two, but I could tell that
it was certainly not a normal relationship. Her reaction was similar to
seeing a loved one die.
‘Or, perhaps, a lover…?’

That wasn’t a convincing guess, however.
Soon, the rest of us decided it would be best to leave Lee Sang-hee

alone. The second unit slowly made their way up the steps, and our
seventh unit followed suit.
However, Kim Hyunsung must have had a different idea, for he stayed
by Lee Sang-hee’s side.
“He must have already gone to a better place.”
Meanwhile, Sun Hee-young cast a divine prayer towards the body and
then went on her way. I did the same and soon was moving upstairs,
with Jung Hayan clinging onto my arm.
“Hayan.”
“Yes, Oppa?”
“Have you felt anything weird?”
“About the low of magic power within the Guild Master’s body… Or, I
don’t know, some traces of other types of magic. I’m not sensitive to this
sort of thing, so I couldn’t tell.”
“Ah… I didn’t ind anything weird. I had only looked at him from a
distance. Maybe I could’ve noticed something if I was able to get a
closer look.”
“Ah…” Upon seeing Hayan’s guilty expression, I decided it would be best

to stop speaking.
Instead, I decided to stroke her hair, which soon wiped off her sad
expression. However, my thoughts had become a chaotic mess.
I knew Jung Hayan was sensitive to magic power. It was one of her
passive abilities, seeing as her potential went past legendary, regardless
of her current status.
The fact that she had not sensed even a sliver of magic on the Guild
Master’s body meant that, whatever caused his death, it had not been
from the usage of magic power.
‘Hmm…
Upon reaching the ground loor, I caught sight of the second unit, all
seated by the Guild’s bar. When I approached them, people
automatically gave way to me. This type of warm welcome had
probably stemmed from their appreciation of me back in the dungeon.
If one achieved something in the dungeon, he or she warrants respect

in the Guild.
“Ah, Mr. Kiyoung.”
“You must also be sad…”
“Perhaps he is, but not as sad as Lee Sang-hee…”
“Yep, the two of them must have been very close.”
“She must be so heartbroken. The two of them have been together since
the tutorial dungeon.”
“Really? They were together in the tutorial dungeon?”
“Yeah. Come to think of it. The seventh unit doesn’t know much about
that. The Blue Guild was created by Lee Sang-hee and the Guild Master,
Joo Seung-jun. These two settled in after arriving in Lindel. At that time,
Lee Sang-hee was not an adult, so it must mean that the guild is quite
old… by ifteen years, to be exact.”
Considering that Lee Sang-hee was 33 years old now, it meant that she
had been 18 when the guild was irst created.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yeah. We haven’t been in Blue for a long time, so we don’t know the
details, but Lee Sang-hee followed the Master like a father. Actually,
when the Master was cursed, she tried to enter the dungeon alone to
solve it.”
“Ah…”
“They always moved together, even in the guild, or whenever the time
came for hunting or exploring. I don’t mean to degrade Lee Sang-hee,
but if it weren’t for the Guild Master, she probably would have never
reached this point.”
Upon saying this, the second unit member looked toward Hwang Jeong-
yeon, who nodded in reply.
“I’m a little bit bitter, too. Maybe not as long as Lee Sang-hee, but I’ve
been in Blue for quite a while. Joo Seung-jun is…”
“Yeah.”
“He was a great person. He knew how to sacri ice for others, and most
of all, he cared about us a lot. He did not increase the size of the guild
because it would be too dif icult to care for each guild member if he did.
Actually, all guild members liked Seung-jun. In our unit’s case, it was
enough just seeing him every day. Of course, this won’t be the case
now.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment. The atmosphere became heavier.
“I thought I’d get used to separation at this point, but…”

I didn’t know much about Joo Seung-jun, but it seemed that he had been
a good person. It wasn’t only that. He also seemed like a strong and
capable person.
Still, my worries about the current state of Blue did not go away. Lee
Sanghee was also strong, but she was not an ideal leader. She had a
good character, but that wouldn’t be enough.
Blue had a centralized system that centered on Joo Seung-jun. Since the
head had been cut off, it was only natural for the body to panic. In cases
like these, old geezers such as Lee Seolho would surely try to take
advantage of the guild’s weakness.
“Was Lee Seolho already here from the beginning?”
“Yeah.”
‘Ah…
“I heard that Seolho had also been with them since the tutorial. He
worked a lot as a combat agent and contributed a lot to the guild. Of
course, he had some personal affairs with the Master, but I know that
the two’s relationship was good. The same could be said for Lee Sang-
hee. Of course, that’s not apparent these days…”
“Ah, I see. He was also quite trusted.”
“Yeah. Perhaps Lee Seolho is also in pain…”
“Huh, I’m not so sure about that?”
At this point, Hwang Jeong-yeon’s expression had shifted into a nervous
one.
“Can the rest of you go up for now? I need to speak to Mr. Kiyoung
privately.”
“Of course, Hwang Jeong-yeon. Take your time.”
Jung Hayan glanced at me with a sad expression, silently asking if she

had to climb up with the rest of them. When I shook my head, her face
lit up.
“What did you mean earlier, Mr. Kiyoung?”
“It’s just… I don’t think Joo Seung-jun died naturally. I think he had been
killed.”
“Murdered?”
“Yes. Of course, it’s just a wild guess…”
“I thought Jeong-yeon would have guessed the same, but it seems that
this isn’t the case.”
“No. In fact, I’ve also thought about that. I didn’t rule out that
possibility… But when I saw Joo Seung-jun’s body…”
“You mean you couldn’t ind anything?”
“Yeah.”
“Same here. At a glance, there was no trauma, and no signs of magic

could be found. Right, Hayan?”
“Yes, Oppa.”
“But the only way to kill people on this continent is magic. I think it’s
right to keep the possibility open. There is no motive for murder, but
how many people would bene it if the Guild Master disappears and if
we didn’t come back from the expedition? Oh, this can also be called a
motive.”
“Yeah. That’s de initely true.”
“We can ind out if we can examine the body. If you can persuade Lee
Sanghee…”
“Of course. I’ll inform you.”
“The faster you can do it, the better. The remaining magic power might
fade away at this point. If we were a little later, we wouldn’t have time
to check the body. Perhaps the murderers would have cleared all
evidence by the time of the funeral. I’m glad we were able to get back
earlier.”
“I feel the same way.”
“In case you may ind something else, it would be better if you and Sun
Heeyoung go into the autopsy. Alchemy or divine power may have been
used… Anyway, it’s best to keep all our options open.”
“It’ll be a little complicated, though…”
“Yeah?”
“I mean, to be suspicious of one guild member doesn’t mean others

would feel the same… yet, I hope Lee Sang-hee is also thinking
similarly.”
Only Hwang Jeong-yeon had a point. Upon hearing her explanation, I

felt the situation would become even more complicated.
‘It can’t be.’
I did not want to harbor any doubts, but if Lee Seolho and Joo Seung-jun
had really been together since their tutorial dungeon days, this could
become a problem.
As I thought about this, someone tapped on our table.
It was a familiar yet very unpleasant voice.
“I want to know.”
It was Lee Seolho and his followers.

CHAPTER 101
OLD FORCES (2)
It was Lee Seolho and his followers.
“Lee Sang-hee is still…”
“Yes, she’s spending time with the Master in the basement. You also
seem to be heartbroken.”
“It feels like someone in my family has died. The Master was such a
special person to Lee Sang-hee. Of course, other people will feel the
same, but…”
“Yeah. In fact, I also lost sleep at irst. My sorrow was heightened as

there weren’t a lot of people when it happened. However, Hwang Jeong-
yeon, I must congratulate you on your safe return. And for other party
members… I am very sorry for your loss.”
His voice was full of favor. Of course, it wasn’t directed to me, but
towards Hwang Jeong-yeon, who was considered as the second party
leader.
Hwang Jeong-yeon must have also felt surprised by his sudden change
of behavior, as her eyes had widened.
‘Ha…
I coughed into my ist and resisted the urge to laugh aloud. The old man
was so blatantly obvious. Of course, he wasn’t expecting us to come
back.
In the end, it didn’t matter if Lee Seolho had killed the Guild Master or
not. The fact still stood that he would be delighted upon the occurrence
of this event. If we had not come back, Blue would automatically be his
for the taking.
For this very reason, he had chosen to delay the sending of

reinforcements. Either way, we had come back.
‘It must have been embarrassing for him.’
It felt funny, but I couldn’t help but take pride in this situation.
As I mulled over these thoughts, Lee Seolho continued to talk to Hwang

Jeong-yeon.
“I’m really glad.”
“Ah.”
“I was so worried because the reinforcements replied so late. Then, the

Guild Master died. I tried my best to help out, but it just didn’t feel right.
My anxiety… Anyway, it’s so nice being able to see you in person once
more.”
Lee Seolho’s red, teary eyes were indeed a spectacle to behold. He

would undoubtedly receive the Academy Award for Best Actor if he
kept this up.
Hwang Jeong-yeon looked torn, so I igured it would be fun for me to

step in.
‘Shall we see his reaction?’

“Isn’t it too late to say that? I wonder if there was any other reason, Mr.
Seolho.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh, no, I’m just saying. Though the Red Mercenaries were late, there
were also the Black Swans. There are also loads of people in need of a
job. It wouldn’t be so hard organizing a unit. Of course, it would be
impossible if you were given a short time. However, we had been gone
for so long.”
“Well, that…”
“Ahhh. Well, what’s past is past. Can you at least tell me how the Guild
Master died?”
“It’s exactly what I said. He died peacefully three days ago. He was
fortunate to have died in that manner.”
“Is that so?”
“Did you not think about the fact that he might have been killed?”
Lee Soelho’s eyes widened at my deduction.
“What are you saying?”
“Take it literally. From your story, does this mean that no one was in the
Guild Master’s room when he died?”
“That… I do.”
“From your reaction, it seems that you didn’t even think about the
possibility of him being killed.”
As I spoke, I couldn’t help but let a snarky smile slip through. It was
because Lee Seolho had donned a nasty expression.
‘Did you kill him?
No wonder the crazy old man’s face had turned red.
In the irst place, Lee Seolho had a hot-tempered personality. If he

didn’t get angry in this situation, it would have de initely looked
suspicious.
“What are you talking about now?!”
“Why are you getting all excited? I say this in total respect, Lee Seolho…”
“Are you saying we killed the Guild Master? I’ve never once thought
about that!”
“I didn’t even say our fellow guild members did it. I was just asking if
there were any possible intruders… You seem to be overly excited about
this, and I don’t know why.”
Seolho was taken aback by what I said and struggled to ind his words
for a while.
“Yeah… You… Still…”
“Perhaps you feel attacked from what I said?”
“Do you dare talk to me like that? Me, who has maintained Blue Guild
up until now?!”
“Your story has nothing to do with me, regardless of how many years
you’ve spent in service. However…”
He fell silent.
“Let’s see, why do you keep speaking so plainly? Do you not mention
your position enough? Why must you be so loud and defensive about
it?”
“You…”
“You have to be careful with your words, Mr. Seolho. If the Guild Master
dies, do you think that means the end for Blue? There are various
degrees of incompetence. What kind of executive lets the guild’s
reputation fall into disarray? Did you get sick of dealing with such
affairs? It sounds ridiculous, and it doesn’t make sense at all.”
My arguments seemed to hit like daggers as he was at a loss for words.
“Isn’t it normal to make sure that there was no intrusion from the
outside, or if there had been people inside the Guild Master’s bedroom?
If your de inition of working hard is not enough, then just step down
from your seat. You’re not helping Blue at all. And then what? The
reinforcement formation was late, so it couldn’t be helped? That’s what
you call an excuse. That’s what you call incompetence. To say you
couldn’t help it, it saddens me. Did you think we would accept that?
Why are you doing this?” I exclaimed.
My tone rose as I speak further, but there was no response from him.
“You know. This is not a school. You can’t just apologize for your
mistakes and leave it at that. Do you think of yourselves as pillars that
have kept Blue standing? No, if the Guild Master was the head, then you
are all just branches.”
“You… How dare you!”
In an instant, magical power had condensed in Seolho’s hand. Perhaps

he wouldn’t even hit me. He would know better than to do something
so careless.
On the other hand, perhaps he desperately wanted to do something to
relieve his anger?
If he actually did hit me, it would surely hurt. I was just a weak
alchemist.
Jung Hayan’s eyes had widened, and she had started to memorize her
counter-spell. However, the old man’s ist was faster.
I knew it was coming, and yet, I did not try to dodge. This wasn’t
because I was a masochist at heart. I simply found no reason to avoid
the attack.
Why?
“Oh, Juliana? You don’t have to feel so excited, you know…”
It was simply because something else had targeted Lee Seolho.
‘It’s so nice to have insurance. So, so nice… ’
“This… This…”
“Ah. This is an item that I happened to get from the dungeon. It seems to
have multiple functions. For one, it has a function that could turn that
anger of yours into a peaceful death. Could you please remove your
hand irst, Lee Seolho? My Juliana seems to be ready to strike.”
At this, Lee Seolho slowly retracted his arm. At the same time, my lovely
Juliana also began to approach my way.
It was also nice to see Jung Hayan harboring such a bitter expression.
‘Don’t be jealous of the sword… ’

She probably felt that way because the sword had been able to do what
she couldn’t, which was to rescue me from the impending threat.
“I have something to attend to, so I’ll get up irst, Seolho.”
“At least make sure you write a report on what happened that day. What
was the security situation when the Master died? What about the
people who entered the guild? And, what about the general guild
members? Oh, also, you need to send us an explanation of how the
rescue team was delayed. I might even have to open up an investigation.
However, I am giving you a chance. Wouldn’t that be a less
embarrassing scenario? Hayan, let’s go.”
“Of course.”
As I saw the expressions on the faces of Lee Seolho’s followers, I felt my

lips curling up into a satis ied smile.
They all looked as if they were about to disintegrate.
If it had been a place where we were alone, they would have tried to
teach me a lesson. However, the problem was that many guild members
were curiously looking our way.
“Did you see it?”
“That… that weapon… What?”
There was admiration in their voices.
At the same time, I knew something had changed. Whatever it may be, I
knew that they would treat me with more caution from now on… and
perhaps, a little more respect.
As my smile began to widen, Jung Hayan asked a question.

“Oppa?”
“Huh?”
“By the way…”
“Yes?”
“If it’s true that those people killed the Guild Master… Can you inform
me?”
“What?”
“You told me to write a report about it before.”
“Ahhh. No. It would be better for you to stay away from this situation,
Hayan.”
Jung Hayan looked as if she didn’t understand. With her intelligence, I

found it hard to believe that she couldn’t. Perhaps it was just her
attitude talking. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter.
“New changes will soon take place. This was the best way I could think
of.”
“Ah…”
“A human is not an animal that can do anything perfectly. No matter

how accurately Lee Seolho can describe the time of death…”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Obviously, he’ll slip up somehow. It happened three days ago. Who’s to

say he can remember every single detail? It doesn’t matter if Joo Seung-
jun really died naturally, and the truth will come out soon enough. It’s
only natural to think that someone had killed the Guild Master.”
“Ah… Then that means you need the right evidence.”
“It’s not the evidence that matters.”
“Really?”
“Are we reasonable for feeling suspicious? That is what will draw them
in.”
“One can create ‘pieces of evidence’ if the said cause of death was, let’s
say, a heart problem. People will believe them if we go down that route.”
Upon seeing Jung Hayan nodding at my words, I realized I had made a

mistake.
I knew, for all she was worth, that she was still pure-minded. Informing
her about this meant that I had just shown her another harsh feature of
reality.
‘Will this mean she’ll evolve for the better?’
Obviously, the answer was no.

CHAPTER 102
OLD FORCES (3)
“If many believe that something is real, then it will become the truth.”
Ah… ’
Even as we walked, Jung Hayan continued mumbling to herself, almost

as if memorizing what I had told her beforehand. This only added to my
worries. However, I knew she would not act upon this new information,
at least, for the time being.
It was correct to think so. This, it would be best to secretly inform the
people around us that we were lovers. We had been dating for a long
time, after all.
However, as time passed by, Jung Hayan’s expression grew darker.
Seeing as she had purposefully slowed her steps and kept tugging at my
sleeve, I knew this expression meant she had discovered something she
didn’t like. The hand that held my sleeve seemed to have renewed
strength.
After we passed by the plaza and some general stores, a large-scale

guild house came into view.
‘Black Swan.
It was one of the large guilds representing the Free City of Lindel, the
Black Swan Guild.
“Ah…”
I had no choice but to stroke Jung Hayan’s head upon seeing her gloomy
disposition.
“We came here because I have something to do.”
“Yeah…”
“We’ll have time to date later on. Everything has been hectic these days.
You understand, right?”
“Yes, Oppa.”
It felt good being able to come here without having to hide from Jung
Hayan. Of course, I couldn’t take her in the room where Lee Jihye and I
would be talking, but knowing that we were in the same building would
at least give her some psychological comfort.
Though I had conversed with the Black Swans countless times before,
this would be my irst time visiting their guild house. As I stepped
forward, the door slid open for me.
‘Magic?
Probably so.
The Black Swans’ place was not only better than Blue’s in terms of size
but also structure. I then heard a voice from the inside.
“Thank you for visiting the guild, Lee Kiyoung and… Jung Hayan.”
“Ah… Yes, thank you.”
“I’ll make sure that you can bring her inside. This is your irst time to
come to the Black Swans.”
Jung Hayan’s expression lightened up a bit.
“I shall lead you to the reception room.”
Our guide appeared to be calm, but upon closer assessment, he was

actually very tense.
We were greeted by everyone we passed by in the lobby. However, all

these people also seemed tense in our presence. I could never have
received this type of VIP treatment in Blue.
‘Huh.’
I understood why Hayan and I were being treated this way, and I didn’t
mind it at all.
“Have you already eaten?”
“Yes, we ate on the way.”
“Then I will prepare tea for you. If you are uncomfortable…”
“I’ll tell you right away. Is Lee Jihye already inside?”
“Yes, she’s waiting for you. I’ll prepare a separate room for Miss Hayan.”
“Yeah. I would be grateful if you could do that.”
“Miss Hayan, this way, please…”
“Ah… Yes, thank you…”
I tried my hardest to ignore Hayan’s beseeching look for as long as it

would take. Upon inding out that she would just be in the next room,
she thankfully stopped.
One of the guides bowed his head and opened the door for me, and I
could see Lee Jihye inside, wearing neat clothes and a calm expression.
As soon as she was done examining me, she spoke.
“It’s good that you came. However, I didn’t know you would bring Hayan
with you. Do you really not know the workings of a woman’s heart?”
“We had our circumstances to take care of. You knew I was coming?”
“Yeah. Someone already told me that you would be heading here once
you inished your affairs in Blue. I’m just making sure, but… You have
no intention of switching to the Black Swans, right?”
“Well, I’m sorry, but yes.”
“I knew it.”
Lee Jihye continued speaking once I shot her a questioning look.
“The guild panicked upon knowing that you and Jung Hayan were
coming our way. They’re all aware of Blue’s recent events, so your
transfer to our guild was somehow expected. Even I got excited…
Anyway, did you see the tense expressions of the guides?”
“Yes, I did. I never thought I would be treated this much.”
“You both deserve the treatment. One of you is a genius who has the
potential to become the best wizard in the city, and the other is a talent
who possesses legendary items, as well as valuable information on
politics and alchemy.”
‘Ugh…
I already knew that Blue had a bad reputation, but I never imagined it
would reach this extent. The fact that Lee Jihye already knew that I had
gotten Juliana meant that one of the guys in Blue had already leaked
information to the Black Swans. Who would have known?
‘Shit.
“Don’t look like that, Oppa. You just have to be more careful next time.
Honestly, I thought you would be considering a transfer. Still, because of
Kim Hyunsung, I know you’ll stay in Blue.”
“That’s half-right.”
“Hey, Oppa.”
“Hm?”
I remarked and tilted my head.
“I am going to ask this seriously.”
“Huh?”
Upon seeing my distorted expression, she cleared her throat and asked.
“Should I also consider Kim Hyunsung as a rival?”
I fell silent
“You really have to tell me in advance. No matter how much my Oppa

likes him, I have the con idence to overturn the sexual identity of an
individual.”
When she saw that I wasn’t responding and I wasn’t planning to, she
retracted her statement.
“I’m only joking.”
“Good, because I was just about to leave,” I said irmly.
“I needed to lighten up the atmosphere somehow. If you didn’t come

here to transfer, then the reason why you came is obvious,” she
explained.
“You will probably be satis ied. I can give you the data so you can
review it back in Blue. To start with the conclusion, I’m not exactly sure
about the details, but Lee Seolho really does seem to have connections.”
I felt as if a light bulb shone over my head. I knew it.
“Where?”
“In Japan.”
“I wasn’t expecting that…”
I trailed off. I was taken aback somehow.
“To be precise, it’s Yamato, a large guild in the Free City of Celia. They
seemed to have been close for a long time, and the irst contact had
been after the rescue team left Lindel. They then had contacted several
times after that,” she shared, “We con irmed about three times. Of
course, I couldn’t check all of them. I don’t know the exact contents.
Still, I found something, but it’ll be up to you to judge it.”
I knew it. Humans, like Lee Seolho, didn’t move without a backbone.
Since they had already prepared for their escape, it probably meant that
they had done various more things.
No wonder they did not want to join the expedition.

“‘They’re so obvious. Does this mean they wanted to extend their
in luence in Lindel under the guise of protecting the fallen Blue?
Perhaps they only thought of it as an insurance policy. The old man
must have already received a lot of bribes…”
“You’re probably right. I don’t have any interactions with Celia, but I
think it would be more comfortable for them to spread their in luence
in Lindel than in any other city.”
This couldn’t be called a serious situation. In the irst place, Lindel and
Celia were already known as strong allies.
Both cities were managed by the Holy Empire, Benigor, which of course,
upon considering the decline in power, did not appreciate the past
battle between Lindel and Celia.
However, despite this, our trade with Celia was very active.
Considering this background, this type of agreement would not be

considered an act of invasion. However, this information was still
useful. Even the simplest partnership could be seen in a negative light if
given a suitable motive.
“I thought their connections would be in Lindel, at best…”
“Well, this is a larger scale than what most would think. Do you know
how creeped out I was when I found out? It seemed like a bug was
crawling. Oppa…”
“You must have suffered.”
“It doesn’t just end with simply suffering. I had to pull so many strings
to ind all of this out. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have done it in the
irst place.”
I could de initely see how hard she had worked, seeing the thickness of
the report that she held.
Excluding Lee Seolho, other information was written in abundance.

Even the daily lives of all the people involved. If there were even one
person like Lee Jihye within Blue, the guild would not have suffered its
current situation.
I knew our relationship was purely bene icial, but I still felt grateful.
“Thank you, Jihye.”
“Well, it’s not much. And there was de initely a problem with the
reinforcement organization. The request for assistance came into the
Black Swan, and it was of icially made two days after the expedition left
the road. There were various circumstances, but I’m certain about our
response.”
“Well…”
“I also looked around in the square. If the formation of reinforcements

was really delayed due to unavoidable circumstances, then I’m telling
you, their incompetence has reached an all-time high.”
“Is it all related?”
“Sure, it is.”
“How do you feel about the Guild Master?”
“As expected, my Oppa has also thought about the possibility of him
being killed.”
“It’s only natural to think so.”
“I do not know.”
“Hmm… What else haven’t you found?”
“How can I ind more at this point? I am considered an outsider when it

comes to your guild.”
“Well…”
“Even if you look at who had come in your guild or even tracked down
Lee Seolho, there would be nothing to catch. It’s also possible that he
had died a natural death. Anyway, he was the Blue Guild Master. I heard
that he was working himself to death, so a natural death sounds all the
more possible. The timing is a little haunted, but the possibilities are
still open.”
“No…”
When I realized that he might have indeed died from natural death, my
head hurt. If it were really true, then this misconception would be a
mistake on my part.
Still, it seemed better to assume that Lee Seolho had killed Joo Seung-
jun.
Even with the meager information I had, it would still be possible to

ruin some of Lee Seolho’s reputation, but I knew I would need to gather
more conclusive data before taking action.
‘The death of the Guild Master may be our only shot… ’
However, if I could plant some evidence… As I glanced at Lee Jihye, I

caught her smiling. The moment I saw her expression, I knew she had
already thought about the same thing.
She spoke before I could even open my mouth.
“What is this?”
She had handed me a very small potion.
“It’s a very dif icult potion. It is not poison. Rather, it can be seen as a
nervous stabilizer. It’s a bit complex, so I don’t know the exact details,
but they said it could be quite fatal for particular types of patients.”
“Can I check it?”
“Ah, of course. This is a specialty potion.”
After receiving the potion from Lee Jihye, I began to assess it. Soon
enough, I realized that she had spoken the truth.
“Ah…”
“I put a little on the clothes that Lee Seolho’s uncle wears every day. Is
this enough evidence? I couldn’t prepare anything better because there
wasn’t enough time…”
“No, no… This is more than enough.”
“That’s a good thing, Oppa.”
I couldn’t understand how she could trace my line of thoughts so

accurately and so naturally. It felt creepy to me.
‘She really is a capable person… ’
Now, I inally understood why the status system kept calling Lee Jihye
my soulmate.
CHAPTER 103
OLD FORCES (4)
Something about this didn’t feel right at all. It actually felt like Lee Jihye
was reading my thoughts.
‘Does she have some sort of unique ability?’
It seemed like the only plausible explanation, but I didn’t see anything
in her status window. Lee Jihye seemed like both a very valuable ally
and a dangerous enemy to have at the same time.
I knew it would be advantageous to pull her over to my side, so I

softened my expression as I looked at her. Lee Jihye’s reaction was
immediate.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s just because I’m thankful. Honestly, I never expected to receive this
much…”
“You’ve entrusted a task to me. It’s only natural that I work hard for it. I
believe in your virtues, the values you possess. Stop looking at me like
that!! know what’s going on in your head.”
“If you want to repay me, eat ramen with me. Otherwise, just go.”
Ah, but it was impossible for me to do so.
“I’m sorry, but still have some work to do. Don’t hesitate to come to me
if you need anything, though.”
“I want nothing else. I simply want to do my job right.”
“Sure.”
“You remember what I said last time, Oppa?”
“I do.”
“Good. I think you should go now. Our dear Miss Hayan seems anxious.”
“Okay. Thanks again.”
As I opened the door, I caught sight of Jung Hayan standing by the side.
Next to her were the Black Swan guides, who all seemed somewhat
restless.
I knew Jung Hayan had felt anxious while waiting, but I at least had to
praise her for not breaking in mid-meeting. Her self-control was
noticeably higher than before.
As a reward, I stroked her head, and like a child, her expression shifted
into a happy one.
“Oh, Miss Hayan.”
“Ah… Yes… Miss Jihye?”
“You’ve become even prettier. I’m glad you got back from the dungeon
safely.”
“Ah, thank you…”
“Kiyoung is pretty lucky to have such a beautiful girlfriend.”
“Ah… That… Thank you, Miss Jihye.”

Lee Jihye’s actions looked natural, but that didn’t stop me from feeling
like something was off. It was like she was showing off her closeness
with me.
Of course, this time around, I didn’t have to feel guilty.
“Why don’t you both take some time to eat? Our Guild Master wants to
see you, too.”
“It’s a little bit late right now. We’ll come back another day.”
“You better keep that promise, Miss Hayan, and Oppa.”
Seeing Lee Jihye speaking so naturally to me, I once again had to admit
that this woman was unusual. It was apparent that no one, even Hayan,
knew how to deal with her.
“Next time, I’ll come and visit your guild. Miss Hayan should also eat
with us.”
“Ah, sure…”
“Of course, it’ll be better for you to set a time, though. See you next time,
Jihye.”
Expressions of jealousy were evident as I spoke, though, of course, this

was to be expected. After saying goodbye to Jihye, the guides then led us
out.
Seeing that the members we passed by once more greeted us again,

realized just how much the Black Swans held us in high regard.
‘It feels good.’
As Lee Jihye said, I could transfer here, and no one would ind it
strange.
If Kim Hyunsung weren’t planning on taking the guild for his own, I
would have already switched to the Swans. There was no more merit in
staying with Blue.
The sun was still in the sky when we stepped out, but it had already
begun to grow dark. I could see Jung Hayan blushing as she held my
hand tightly.
Lindel’s sunset was a little pretty. Perhaps she found it a little romantic,
I felt the same way. Despite her usual appearance, I strangely found
Jung Hayan beautiful.
‘It’s probably because of the atmosphere.
Jung Hayan and I continued to walk, talking about various things.

Suddenly…
Wow!
‘What…
Suddenly, Juliana began to ring slowly.
As I looked around in amazement, I noticed Jung Hayan staring at me

quietly. She was mumbling, but she wasn’t talking to me.
Of course, I could immediately understand what Jung Hayan was doing.

A ine, magical force was moving around her.
“Why is she doing that?”
There was no need to memorize a spell right in the middle of the city. I
thought about whether or not I was thinking as harshly as I did back
when I was cursed, but then I realized there was no need for me to
think so.
It was then that a roaring sound could be heard.
Qawahang!
“Protection of the Wind!”
As Jung Hayan yelled, the shield enveloped both of us. However, the
explosion shook the interior. I coughed, feeling blood bubble up from
my throat.
“Shit.”
“Oppa, this way! Don’t stray away!”
In an instant, screams surrounded us. It wasn’t only us who had been

affected by the explosion.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Save… help me!”
Some were caught in the explosion, but I couldn’t afford to care about
them.
The urgency on Jung Hayan’s face made me realize just how dangerous
the situation was. It was only natural to think so. Someone was aiming
for us.
‘But why?’
The sudden bombing had taken place around Jung Hayan and me.
Of course, it didn’t take long to conclude. I already knew who the

perpetrator was.
‘In the city? Are you insane?’
There was only one human being in Lindel who would want to aim for
my life.
Lee Seolho, that crazy old man.
‘Damn, I wasn’t expecting this… ’
I never would’ve imagined that I’d experience this right in the con ines
of the city. It was a mistake thinking that he was simply an old man.
This kind of setup hinted at how much he lacked common brain cells.
“Are you really sane, Seolho?’
It’s not something that any guy with a normal mindset would do.
‘He wouldn’t have come in person.’
Those who were aiming for Jung Hayan and I may well be Lee Seolho’s
underlings or even a Yamato guild member. The fact stood that we were
being threatened.
Before I could organize my thoughts, Jung Hayan jumped forward while

holding my hand tightly.
“Hayan, this way.”
“There was another person over there. I couldn’t see him clearly, but…”
Ugh…
The opponent was systematically aiming for this side. No other

explosion could be heard after the irst one, but I could feel magic
power aiming right for us.
“Protection of the Wind!”
Jung Hayan’s magic blocked one arrow. Hayan, who had been running in
a straight line, began to turn once again. She then noticed that there
was a person in front, aiming right at us.
The nerves began to get to me, and I began to bite my lips.
‘Shit.
We could block long-range attacks, but we would surely reach our limit
soon. No matter how fast Jung Hayan cast her spells, she wouldn’t be
able to block all of them at once.
I, too, went to memorize spells, but I only knew normal protection

magic – and I didn’t even know where our enemies were.
“You just have to hold on.”
“Yeah?”
“It doesn’t matter if Blue comes, or Lee Jihye. Everyone has heard the
explosion, so they will surely head this way.”
“Ah! Of course, I can hold on until then.”
I don’t know if I can hold on, however… ’
“Juliana!”
The sword in my arms shot out in the air. Not long after, a screaming
sound could be heard.
“Ahhhhhh!”
It appeared that Juliana had pierced the archer that was aiming for us.
Another wave of magic had come our way, but Jung Hayan managed to
counter it with her own magic.
I could hear the sound of swords clashing, and then all was static for a
moment. I didn’t know how many people Juliana was fending off, but
she obviously wasn’t doing too well, either.
We don’t know how many people we had already mobilized, where the
attacks were coming from, or where the people who were targeting us
were located. They must be trained assassins.
And I’m the person they want to target.
‘Shit.
Bang!
“Juliana!”
Kwaduk!
I could see the sword slamming against the sphere that had been
targeting me. The message was clear to me.
‘If you stop, you die.’
“These crazy guys…”
“I’ll protect you, Oppa!”
“Don’t overdo it, Hayan.”
It made no sense to lose my life or Jung Hayan to all this nonsense.

It would be better for me to protect Jung Hayan, even if I got hurt.
However, at this point, I could feel my breath running out. Inwardly, I
cursed my low stamina stats.
“Oppa!”
As I forced myself to keep moving, I could hear Hayan shouting. On

impulse, I looked towards my side and saw a sword fast approaching
me.
“Juli…”
Even before Juliana could come my way, Jung Hayan moved. Everything
fell into slow motion as she pushed me out of the way.
The sword pierced through her as I fell to the ground. In this

unrealisticlooking scene, I began to swear aloud.
“Damn it, damn it! Juliana, Juliana!”
“Ah… My name…”
“Juliana! Shit, Juliana!”
“Say my name, Oppa…”
“Hayan… Hayan, Hayan!”
“Just for a moment… Just like this…”
The sword had entered Jung Hayan right through her belly. However,
she continued to hug me tightly, doing her best to stop the incoming
attacks.
“Protect! Protect!”
Protection magic could still be triggered, but it was badly broken. In the
meantime, Jung Hayan continued to recite more spells, linching every
now and then from the pain.
“Dammit… Dammit… Get away!”
“No…”
“Stop trying to protect me! Get out of the way, stupid bitch!”
“I was… hated…”
I was at a loss for what to do. Everything seemed surreal.
“Protection of the wind…”
“Fuck that protection! Get it out of the way!”
Was she really going to die?
“Turn it off right now!”
Jung Hayan was dying. I bit my lips tightly and tried to push Jung Hayan
away, and yet her blood continued to drip onto my body.
“Shit! Get out of the way, you stupid bitch!”
It was then that a huge roar was heard.
Qawahhh!
Right after, I heard a familiar voice.
“This is ridiculous. There seems to be assholes in Lindel that think I’m

some kind of dead-beat?”
“How dare you try to attack the Red Mercenary Queen’s Gigolo.”
The person who appeared in front of us was a woman with red hair.
CHAPTER 104
OLD FORCES (5)
The person who appeared in front of us was a woman with red hair.
Cha Hee-ra…”
“You dare to disrespect me?”
Cha Hee-ra looked as if she had just come out of the market, only to
stumble onto this scene. Her bloodshot eyes made me tremble. She
looked utterly angry. She didn’t even have a weapon in hand, but she
didn’t need to. Her presence was enough to scare me.
Of course, she wasn’t angry at the fact that I had gotten attacked. She
was angry because, by attacking me, her authority was questioned.
It was then that an unidenti ied person dropped down and threw a
sword at her.
“Danger!”
However, I could see Cha Hee-ra kicking her feet up in the air before I
could even scream out.
Kwajiiik!
‘What is that… ’
A surreal scene occurred in front of me. With a simple kick, the body of
the man exploded.
Just one kick… ’
I knew I shouldn’t say this about the person who was saving me, but I
couldn’t help but describe her as a monster.
Now that the situation was heading down this route, I felt relieved. Who
knew that my ‘insurance policy’ would one day save my life?
My gaze stayed on Cha Hee-ra’s form for a while, but it eventually

dropped down onto Jung Hayan, who was still crouching and trying to
protect me.
‘Is Hayan still breathing?’
I checked her condition immediately.
‘She’s still alive.
Her heartbeat was slow, but she de initely still had a pulse. Of course, I
still needed to get a closer look.
As she was barely conscious, I thought I could push her away, but it
seemed that she still had no intention of letting me go.
She really did stick to me like gum. As I lifted her and laid her down, I
could see more wounds entering my line of sight.
It wasn’t just about being hit by a sword. The mere fact that she was
still alive was a miracle.
‘Damn…
It de initely looked painful.
Nevertheless, I was thankful that she had taken it upon herself to block
me from harm’s way.
“What a stupid bitch…”
‘What do I do?’
We couldn’t head to a temple to ind a priest that could heal her.
‘But if I don’t do anything now, she might die.’
For now, all I could do was apply all the irst aid procedures I knew.
I remembered Jung Hayan was wearing a healing ring. As I hurriedly

reached out to get the ring out, Jung Hayan squeezed her hand close in
front of me.
Still, in this situation… ’
Having consciousness was indeed a promising sign.
I tried opening Jung Hayan’s hand once more. Immediately after

pushing the magic power into the ring, a white light began to envelop
her.
“Heal.”
Although it would only be minor healing, I knew it would help improve

her condition.
After that…
I took out a potion. It wasn’t large in quantity, but it was de initely of

good quality.
I opened the potion with my mouth and sprinkled it on Jung Hayan’s

wound. Afterward, I poured out the rest of the contents in my mouth.
Then, I grabbed Hayan’s chin and leaned down, claiming her mouth
with mine, transferring the potion to hers.
‘It’s working.’
Ironically, I could still feel Jung Hayan’s tongue swirling around mine in
response
‘She’s alive.
I didn’t know why she was moving, but I could feel my tension easing as
I realized she was still highly responsive.
When I pulled away, I noticed Hayan’s breathing getting better. As I did

so, my vision began to get blurry.
I thought I wasn’t shaken, but I strangely couldn’t stop the tears from
spilling out of my eyes. My near-death experience had pushed me to
feel this way.
As I looked up while wiping away my tears, I caught sight of the current

situation.
Cha Hee-ra was currently playing with the assassins.
In fact, the word ‘play’ was an understatement. Most people had limbs
torn or had burst due to her deadly movements. Of course, Cha Hee-ra
had also been trying to see if there were any talented people among
them, but she was to be disappointed.
Our side was winning. After a little more time, there would be more
guilds coming to our aid.
As I reveled in my relief, one of the assassins switched targets and

started coming my way, swinging his sword as he did so.
I linched a little, but I felt no need to try and dodge. I knew he would be
cut off before he could even think about stabbing me with his sword.
A second later, his beheaded body fell in front of me. A welcoming voice
illed my ears.
“Forgive me for being late.”
“Hyunsung, about Jung Hayan…”
“Don’t worry. Hee-young came with us.”
“Ah…”
Upon hearing this, I looked around and saw Sun Hee-young

approaching us, hiding behind Park Deokgu, who was holding up his
shield.
It wasn’t just them.
The Red Mercenaries and Black Swans had also arrived, coming my
way.
“Ah… Sister…”
Park Deokgu gently touched Jung Hayan’s face, tears dripping down his
cheeks. Sun Hee-young began to push her divine power into Jung
Hayan. She seemed to be doing a professional medical treatment, which
eased my anxiety a lot more.
“How is Hayan’s condition?”
“Any later, and she’d be dead. If Kiyoung hadn’t administered irst aid to
her…”
“Who are the attackers?”

“I’m not sure yet. We were on our way back from the Black Swan Guild,
and then an explosion ensued. All these assassins appeared right after.
Thankfully, Cha Hee-ra came in time.”
“I see.”
Upon hearing this, Kim Hyunsung’s expression went cold. I breathed a

sigh of relief as I saw this. It was the most passionate reaction he had
shown us so far.
Perhaps he had also experienced something like this in the past, but of
course, he wouldn’t tell us that.
One thing was for certain…
‘You’re all dead, you bastards.’
There was no chance for all the assassins that had tried to kill Hayan
and me. Against such ferocious enemies, they would not be allowed to
safeguard their lives.
Even Cha Hee-ra was literally tearing down the assassins on her own,
and the rest of the Red Mercenaries had come to support her.
It didn’t take long for them to turn and try to run away.
“Do not let even a single mouse escape.”
“Yes, Master.”
At the same time that Cha Hee-ra spoke, Kim Hyunsung also rushed
towards one of the assassins trying to get away.
It seemed that the situation had come to an end. There were no more
assassins around us, at least.
Knowing this, Cha Hee-ra also began to march in our direction. The Red
Mercenary’s executives also did the same, shooting us an
uncomfortable look.
“Ah… I should have kept a few people alive…”
“They would still all be dead anyway. Everyone seemed to have brought
poison. Those with severe limbs or severe wounds all took their own
lives with it.”
“Ah… I don’t know if I should say that I’m glad… Still, this habit needs to
be ixed. Did you igure out who the other person is?”
“We’re working on it. The Black Swan also wants to cooperate…”
“Ah. That’s their area of expertise, so let them. They’ll probably do more
work than us in a day.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t clean up after me again. However, if this happens again, I’ll kill
you myself.”
“Ah.”
“But before that…”
“I’m sorry.”
“Do you know what you all did wrong?”
“We’re sorry…”
“I was surprised to see him being attacked in front of my own eyes.”

“And it even happened within Lindel. Are the guilds feeling too
comfortable these days? Huh? Or do you also see me as a fool? Did you
lose your sense of duty just because you went on an expedition?”
“Well, that…”
“You know that I don’t need nerds who can’t do what I tell them to do.”
“Yes…”
“I won’t say it twice. Once again, if I come across a scene like the one
witnessed today… That will be your downfall.”
“I will engrave it in my heart.”
“Good.”
I felt embarrassed upon hearing their conversation. It was because the

man being scolded by Cha Hee-ra was looking my way with a strange
kind of enthusiasm.
Perhaps he had started to resent me, as he had just been given a new
commitment.
The other guys in the vicinity had their heads hung low as well. It was a
little burdensome.
Cha Hee-ra looked more like a demon than a hero at this point, roughly
wiping the blood off her body with a handkerchief. It felt unsettling
watching her do this so casually.
After she had inished doing this, she spoke to me.
“My dear, are you feeling okay?”

I debated how to address her but igured that it would be better to
speak in a semi-casual manner.
“Thank you, Hee-ra.”
In an instant, the smell of blood lowed into my nose.
“No, no, I guess there’s more to this than what meets the eye. I thought
her injury would be healed quickly, but it seems like…”
“Ah…”
“Hyungjin!”
“Yes, Master.”
“Here, put the guild members on standby at a distance of 50 meters

outside the center of the collapsed building. And… Make sure that one
over there is taken to the guild to be healed. Make sure to leave as little
scars as you can. A woman’s body is precious.”
I glanced over at Jung Hayan and found her sleeping. Sun Hee-young, on
the other hand, was paying close attention to us.
I wanted to come with them to take Hayan in, but I knew I had to keep
Cha Hee-ra company
“Miss Heeyoung…”
“Don’t worry. For now, her vitals are stable. It will take a little while for
her to regain consciousness, but we can leave her to recover.”
“That’s good… First of all, honey, there are a lot of prying eyes here.
Looking at the little miss also hurts my self-esteem. Even if she got hurt,
you know I’m a jealous woman.”
“Ah… Yes. I’m sorry, Hee-ra.”
At this, Cha Hee-ra gestured towards me.
“Now, I want you to tell me what’s been going on with you.”
“It’s a bit too long to explain.”
“You can speak comfortably.”
“…I’ll think about it.”
“Anyway, well done. I didn’t think anyone in the city would do

something this crazy. Whoever targeted you must have had his pride
hurt. You know what I mean?”
“Of course.”
“I think it’s because of the legendary item you’ve received this time
around. However, they do know that even if they kill the owner, they
won’t be able to use it, right? I want to know exactly who did this.”
I worried about whether or not I should speak up. Perhaps she would
take things into her own hands if I told her about Lee Seolho. The old
man could vanish as simply as the wind.
However…
‘It’ll be too easy.’
A simple death was not enough for the old man. Cha Hee-ra wasn’t the
only one who was angry.
I knew I had to make the right call for this sort of thing, but the angrier I
got, the harder it was to grasp any semblance of common sense I had. I
didn’t want to hand Lee Seolho over to Cha Hee-ra. That was my honest
take on it.
However…
‘I can’t lie, either.’
“I’m not sure, but I think it has something to do with Lee Seolho, a
member of my guild.”
“Ahhh. Lee Seolho… Alright, that’s noted.”
“He’s been more annoying than usual. Do you know that our Guild
Master is dead?”
“That’s the irst news I heard as soon as I came back to the city.”
“It’s just a hunch, but I think that Seolho had something to do with his
death. The situation is more complex than it sounds, but it’s a bit too
hard to explain. I know it sounds absurd, but can I ask you to keep your
hands off Lee Seolho?”
Cha Hee-ra’s face wrinkled in confusion.
“Honey.”
“Yeah?”
“I may be a little quiet right now, but I know you know I’m still upset. If
you don’t bring that bastard over here right now, there’s no telling what
I might do.”
“I’ll be honest. I like you. Given the circumstances, I won’t get bored
even if we explore each other all day. However, you shouldn’t mess with
my pride. I know roughly what you’re thinking. You want to repay me
for what I’ve done. However, if I let you have all the fun, how am I
supposed to unwind my wounded heart? Who should I turn to? Hmm?”
I had predicted that Cha Hee-ra would say something like this. Looking
straight into her eyes, I spoke once more.
“Yamato Guild.”
Upon hearing this, Cha Hee-ra smirked.
“You really are my favorite piece of trash.

CHAPTER 105
AGITATION AND FABRICATION
(1)
“You really are my favorite piece of trash.”
I didn’t quite know how to react to Cha Hee-ra’s suggestive look.
“Is there a connection between Lee Seolho and Yamato Guild? I might
have missed something, but now it seems like the situation has become
even more fun.”
“I’m not exactly sure about this yet. Still, it’s not unlikely. If that old man
wants to kill me, would any guild within Lindel be willing to do so?”
“My cute baby, are you trembling?”
It was only natural for me to do so!
“A little…”
“It’s good that you’re honest. Elaborate further.”
“There is no one in Lindel who would dare defy you, Hee-ra. Therefore,
it was only natural to think that the perpetrators came from
somewhere else, somewhere where they won’t have to worry about the
future consequences of their actions.”
“That makes sense. Yamato… Come to think of it, that unlucky bastard
was the Guild Master…”
“Have you two met?”
“The masters of large guilds are supposed to meet regularly. The Holy
Empire hosts these meetings. I ran into them quite often… Well,
anyway, I guess we can bear this for some more time. Did you know that
ighting between guilds in the Holy Empire is forbidden? I trust that
you’ll be able to igure that one out.”
“Go on. I know you’re also busy. My guild members will take you.”
“Yes, Hee-ra.”
“The list I sent you last time will be very useful. Ah. And little Hayan…”
“I’ll leave her to the Red Mercenaries. Only until this is over, however.”
“I thought that would be the case, honey. I wish I could spend some
more time with you. However, I know you don’t feel the same.”
“Ah…”
“I’ll see you later, then. I hope to meet you in a more romantic place
next time.”
“Let’s do that.”
As I slowly walked out, some of the people waiting outside ran towards
me.
‘Red Mercenaries… ’
It seemed that Cha Hee-ra’s scolding worked. I never imagined I’d be in

a situation like this. It was fun seeing the trembling faces before me,
afraid that they might have another slip-up. It was really interesting to
have these guys watching over me.
“That… Lee Kiyoung.”
“Yeah.”
“I will take you to the guild.”
“Yes, please.”
I found no reason to refuse.
The area looked safe for the most part, but one could never be too sure
with assassins. It was good to be as careful as possible.
Meanwhile, Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and Sun Hee-young would be

temporarily moving in with the Red Mercenaries. Upon realizing that
Kim Hyunsung was nowhere to be seen, I igured he was still trying to
track down the assassins that had managed to escape.
‘Meanwhile, I have my own job to do.’
As I continued moving, I allowed myself to get lost in my thoughts. How

could I deal with this old man in the most miserable way possible? How
could I kill him?
I thought it wasn’t bad to revise some of the plans, but as I wanted to

get things done as quickly as possible, it didn’t seem bad to adapt to the
current situation.
‘Do not be shaken.’
The moment I let my emotions get the best of me would be the moment
I would lose.
So, instead of showing such a weakness, I let one corner of my lip curl
upwards. Coming back with a full-on smile would prove to be too
suspicious.
“This is enough.”
“We will be waiting for you to signal to us from a distance. One may
never know what can happen inside the guild.”
“Ah. You don’t need to do so…”
I did have high luck specs, but it didn’t seem to be working in my favor.
One of the Red Mercenary members pulled something out of his pocket
and handed it to me.
“This is…”
“Yes?”
“It’s something that can send a distress signal to us if trouble ever

arises.”
As he spoke, the man’s eyes sparkled with determined aspirations.
It seemed that he had a different reaction to Cha Hee-ra’s harsh

scolding. Was he actually willing to dedicate himself to protecting me?
‘Additional security measures are good, but… ’
They had better not restrict my actions. I would have a good chat with
Hee-ra about that later on.
After lowering his head slightly, he immediately entered the guild, and a
very cluttered interior came into view. Since the situation had blown
over, it seemed that everyone similarly thought of returning.
It was a sign that everything had gone back to normal once more.
“While I was talking to Cha Hee-ra…”

She was indeed a capable person. Perhaps there would be a meeting
soon where all of the Guild Masters would gather.
In simple terms, it was an effort to pinpoint the terrorist mastermind.

However, how to execute him would be a problem. It would also be
dif icult to ind the evidence behind this attack, but at least the people
were given suf icient warning not to try this again.
The media was also clearly spinning reports on the recent occurrences,
and regretted not giving my statement. However, there was no need to
utilize them now.
After entering the guild, I looked around cautiously. Kim Ye-ri was the
only remaining person from my party. Still, it was nice to see a familiar,
nice face.
I could also see an anxious Lee Sang-hee and Hwang Jeong-yeon

rushing towards me.
“Mr. Kiyoung! Where did you get hurt?”
“I got away unscathed, Lee Sang-hee.”
“Good, that’s good. But, ah… I heard Jung Hayan got injured…”
“They said she would experience some aftereffects, but her life is no
longer in danger. I was so distraught that I left her to the Red
Mercenaries, along with Deokgu and Hee-young. Hyunsung, however,
will probably be back soon enough.”
“Ah…”
“I think they’ll be safer there than here.”
Though I had not said this to target Lee Sang-hee, her expression still
looked gloomy. Of course, my attention was not aimed at her but
towards Lee Seolho and his other crooks.
The old man himself had a calm expression, but his followers all looked
uneasy as they looked at me. The guy they had tried to kill me was still
alive. They were probably regretting their choices now.
‘You idiots.
These humans really did take incompetence to a whole new level. Even
if I tried to forgive them a hundred times, they would never change.
They were the so-called guild-parasites.
Lee Seolho appeared to want something to say, meanwhile,
“Huh, you’re really lucky to still be alive. It must be terrifying to

experience such a chaos of terrorism…”
‘Crazy old man.
He certainly had a knack for pissing people off.
“In any case, you must still be feeling anxious about what’s happened.
Why don’t you take a rest?”
“Fine.”
“You must have suffered a lot after getting caught in such an explosion.
When I heard the news, I was also in shock. To lose such a talent will be
really heartbreaking.”
For a person who expressed his sincere worry, he certainly didn’t look
genuine about it
“It seems that bad news has been overlapping recently, so this old man
is feeling very anxious.”
As I thought about how to give a proper reply, I critically gazed upon the
faces of the old geezers and his idiotic companions.
“It wasn’t just a mob.”
“Perhaps everyone will ind out later. What happened wasn’t an act of
terrorism. They were all well-trained assassins. They were speci ically
targeting Hayan and me.”
“But… But why…”
“I think it is probably because of the legendary item that Kiyoung has,

Lee Sang-hee.”
‘Ha.
Of course, this wasn’t an unconvincing story. Legendary rank items did

garner that much attention. If one were to think about the possibility of
taking ownership, most people would keel over in their greed.
Nevertheless…
“Oh, it didn’t seem like that.”
“Oh…”
“Only the Blue Guild members know I have a legendary-rank item and
that I have ownership over it. I don’t know who leaked the information,
but it sure was brave of them to target me, thus making the Mercenary
Queen their enemy.”
“Information…”
Lee Sang-hee looked shocked by this news.
‘You really are an innocent lady, Lee Sang-hee.’

I didn’t know what this guild meant to her, but she had to realize that
this was no longer the Blue she had grown up in.
“The reason I was attacked is probably because of my curiosity.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m very cautious about saying this, but in fact, I have been wondering
about the Guild Master’s death.”
“Ah…”
“I know how the Guild Master was said to have died naturally, but… I
still have doubts about it.”
As I spoke, I carefully watched out for Lee Seolho’s expression. He

looked curious as if asking me what the hell I was talking about.
“Huh’
Perhaps Lee Seolho wasn’t the perpetrator, after all.
The reason I was attacked may well be because I had hurt Lee Seolho’s
pride or had discovered his plans to sell the guild to Japan.
In the irst place, Seolho had never expected us to clear the Cursed
Shrine dungeon.
Cleared dungeon or not, the Guild Master was set to die anyway, so
perhaps he found no merit in murdering him straightaway. Of course, if
he wanted to get things done a little faster, he probably would have
pushed through with it.
‘The Guild Master probably died a natural death.’

Unless Lee Seolho was acting… however, that didn’t matter now. The
situation
That fact alone can give one a framework to help solve the scattered
puzzle pieces.
As I slowly opened my mouth to speak once more, Lee Seolho looked as

if he had just stepped on a pile of shit.
“Lee Sang-hee, it looks like there is indeed a traitor within Blue—

someone who murdered our Guild Master.”
It wasn’t the truth that made the world go round.
‘It’s agitation and fabrication.

CHAPTER 106
AGITATION AND FABRICATION
(2)
“Lee Sang-hee, it looks like there is indeed a traitor within

Bluesomeone who murdered our Guild Master.”
Silence engulfed the guild’s lobby as I inished speaking. Lee Sang-hee

bit her Tips tightly, and Hwang Jeong-yeon, who knew about this in the
irst place, nodded grimly.
Meanwhile, those who were not involved looked around curiously. On

the other hand, Lee Seolho and his followers all wore grim expressions.
I didn’t need to call them traitors directly. My implication was enough.
‘Because it’s true.
Of course, agitation and fabrication wouldn’t be enough to defeat them.

The truth was needed as well, but the fabrication would prove to be just
the right seasoning.
I, for one, was not a smart person. I just knew how to speak
convincingly. It would be easy to know the right things to say by
assessing the other person’s disposition. If not, then it would be
impossible to achieve the right scenario.
The reality was that ability played a huge role in a scenario such as this.
If Lee Seolho were as good as me, then he wouldn’t be facing this kind
of situation at all.
The old men were all moving around restlessly.
“Trying to cause trouble… Now is not the right time, Lee Kiyoung.”
“I understand where you’re coming from, young man, but now is not
the time to sit around and talk nonsense. Lee Sang-hee, let’s head back
and…”
However, Lee Sang-hee spoke irmly.
“No. I think I’d like to listen to what Kiyoung has to say.”
“Ah, but…”
“I want to hear him speak,” she insisted.
Fortunately, Lee Sang-hee was on our side. She was not stupid, either.
Perhaps she felt that something was off with the whole situation when
the reinforcements did not arrive; it was obvious that wanted to stay
away from the expedition.
She must have felt suspicious of them in the past, too. However, she had
chosen to focus on her trust in them rather than the obvious. However…
‘All one needs is some water and fertilizer to let the seed of doubt grow.’
“Some vested interests have a simple behavioral pattern. If they think

that they are not bene itting anymore, they will try to take over. Some
people like that are in Blue.”
Of course, I didn’t directly pertain to them, but I was sure everyone

knew who I was talking about.
‘Lee Seolho.
The one who acts the most suspicious ends up being more hated than
the one who openly shows hostility.
For all it was worth, I had a talent for unsettling people. Currently,
Seolho’s face was bright red. Still, he had the nerve to discredit me.
“I think your imagination is a little too dramatic, haha…”
“Seolho, we are facing a very different Blue from before. Didn’t you say
you gave a huge contribution to Blue in the past? Exactly what
contributions were they?”
Lee Seolho fell silent.
“You may have had to make extreme choices for your future and your
guild. Perhaps you sought help from other guilds. Perhaps you felt
inferior to someone. It is understandable to feel nervous since you’ve
successfully led an alliance with a large guild in Lindel.”
“What…”
“But to think you’d have the idea of being in cahoots with a large guild
from another city… Nice try. For that, I’ll give you 6 points.”
As I spoke, I incited my magic to raise the report I had received from

Lee Jihye into the air, stirring up all the guild members present. It might
be a little dif icult to read the report’s writings as it was loating in the
air, but I knew everyone would be able to read it nonetheless.
On it was information that Lee Seolho had indeed been conspiring with
the Japanese. It was also recorded as to how, when, and where they had
met in the past. Though they had just met three times, I knew the data
was true.
“And what should we do with this data?”

“I’m someone who harbors a lot of doubts, so naturally, I always come
prepared.”
“This is fabricated information, Lee Sang-hee.”
“Whether or not it is forged will soon be revealed anyway. My party, led

by Kim Hyunsung, and the Black Swan Guild members are trying their
best to ind out who had attacked Hayan and me.”
“We have nothing to do with who your attackers are! Mr. Kiyoung, your
anger is understandable, but it doesn’t mean you can just frame us for
something like this.”
“Are you saying that this information is fabricated in full con idence?”
“Are you con ident that this data is not true? The truth is, the truth will
be revealed anyway, you stupid and incompetent humans. How would
you explain the empty schedules even if you did not meet up with the
Japanese guild?”
There was no denying that they had actually met up with the Yamato
Guild. They knew this better than anyone else. However, the more they
denied, the more the odds would stack up in my favor.
No matter how much they tried to conceal their actions, the evidence
would eventually appear. This was why I wanted them to deny the fact a
little more.
It was then that Lee Seolho spoke up.
“It is true that I met them, Lee Sang-hee.”
‘What… ’
“But I swear I don’t know anything about the Guild Master’s death and
this raid.”
‘Fuck I realized that they were playing my game too – adding a dash of
truth amidst the forgery. It was true that they had nothing to do with
the Guild Master’s death. The other was simply a bluff. Some fessed up
while the others continued to deny. Perhaps they still cared about their
standing within the guild.
Soon after, I heard a voice con irming my thoughts.
“I just wanted to be a part of the guild…”
“Blue tethered on the edge of being ruined. I had to think of a

counterplan in case Lee Sang-hee did not come back. I did it in honor of
the Blue Guild that our Guild Master had worked so hard to defend. This
was all for Blue’s sake.”
“And you didn’t think you should have told me this in advance?”
“I just wanted to be helpful. This is a guild that I built alongside the

Guild Master, after all. No one can ever lose their love for Blue. To say
that I killed the Guild Master… That’s absurd, Lee Sang-hee.”
“No… Shut up.”
“Lee Sang-hee.”
“Shut up, Lee Seolho.”
Their attempt was good, but it proved to be insuf icient in the end. It
was then that I realized that it had not been me who had helped the
doubt grow within Lee Sang-hee. It was actually Lee Seolho.
Though Lee Seolho’s next option wasn’t bad, it wasn’t the best, and in
the irst place, it was true that they indeed formed an agreement with
another guild.
“All your excuses for the guild is a bunch of bullshit. Just admit that you
conspired with another guild and decided you were the best authority
for Blue, you incompetent people.”
“What a pain in the ass! It’s not easy to organize a rescue team within
Lindel, so we had to ask for help from external forces! Why are you
stirring up so much chaos?!”
“That’s some of the most illogical crap I’ve ever heard. Do you know
what you have in common with people who end up destroying
countries or groups? You both bring external forces in. I don’t know
why you’re so creative with your stories. It’s not us promoting this
uproar. It’s you.”
“I was going to tell you everything eventually, Lee Sang-hee.”
“I wouldn’t have spoken up if I didn’t know it was true. Why, then, did
you only think of revealing your plan now when I pointed it out? You
never really intended to send a rescue party our way, now, didn’t you?”
“I just wanted to make everything perfect…”
“If that’s true, then your incompetence has reached an all-time high.
How can you not organize a rescue team within a week? And in the irst
place, are you even speaking the truth, Lee Seolho? The fact that the
schedule was deliberately delayed was found through the investigation
of the Black Swans.”
“What bullshit!”
“You are the ones spreading bullshit! Didn’t you chicken out from
joining the expedition because you were expecting us to get wiped out?!
Lee Sang-hee, this disgusting traitor has been trying to gain Blue’s
ownership and hoping that we’d fail to return. Of course, the Guild
Master who had stayed behind was also a target that needed to be
eliminated.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! You don’t know the bond that the Guild Master
and I shared! He was like a younger brother, like family. I had no reason
to kill Joo Seung-jun with my own hands.”
“But, your greed is a valid reason, right?”
“You are framing me! I swear to God I have never harmed the Guild
Master!”
“So, you say you haven’t done any harm, Lee Seolho. Then, what is this?”
I took out the potion that Lee Jihye had given me. Once again, all eyes
strayed in my direction.
“What…”
“Your acting skills are really outstanding, Lee Seolho. Don’t you know
what this is?”
As I continued to shake the potion in my hand, the old man began to

tremble.
“This was why you tried to kill me in the irst place, now, didn’t you?”
“What bullshit are you talking about… Lee Sang-hee! I would never do
that…”
“His words are a sham, Lee Sang-hee. This potion was used by Lee
Seolho when he killed the Guild Master. It is a type of tranquilizer, a
kind of medicine that can help the human body. However, it is lethal for
some people. It’s a potion that slowly kills those who are nearing
death.”
“I haven’t seen or heard anything like that! How dare you try to frame
me!”
“The public indeed does not know about this, but these kinds of potions
sometimes leave traces behind. When the plug is opened, ine particles
loating in the air stick to the wool. If you can detect an ingredient in the
clothes Lee Seolho is wearing, the answer will come out soon. No, you
don’t have to do it yourself.”
As I slowly memorized the spell, the potion in my hand began to glow

slowly. Likewise, Lee Seolho’s clothes were engulfed in bright light.
As I looked towards Hwang Jeong-yeon, she nodded, con irming that I

had not manipulated the spell in any way whatsoever.
“Explain why the same ingredients are on your clothing, Lee Seolho.”
“This is a trap, Lee Sang-hee! Why on earth would I kill the Guild
Master?”
Lee Seolho’s embarrassed expression was evident for everyone to see.

Even the other old men’s excuses fell on deaf ears.
“These truly are disgusting and incompetent humans. They are vicious,
Lee Sang-hee Joo Seung-jun probably died very painfully. And how
painful it must have been to feel betrayed by someone they had
trusted…”
“Bullshit! Lee Sang-hee, believe in your uncle. Everything that dirty

alchemist says is a lie.”
Now, they were desperately making appeals. The scenario was indeed
quite the spectacle.
“Since I irst came here, I have always considered you and Joo Seung-jun
like my own family. I would never do that. Don’t you know this already?
Everything that alchemist says is a lie. Jeong-yeon! What do you say…
Everyone, this is all a lie!”
“That’s bullshit.”
Lee Seolho was very easy to read. If someone asked me how to describe
him in three words, it would be incompetent, greedy, and hot-tempered.
As I resisted the urge to smile, Seolho’s face grew redder.
“The truth always comes out in the end.”
“This guy…”
“The guards of the guild should take that crazy old man away!”
“How dare you say that! You are the real problem! You are the cancer
within the guild!”
“Whoever sees us knows that it is you who is the incompetent human in

this guild. Actually, I’m glad you were an incompetent being. I was able
to ind traces of your actions because of it.”
“Are you condemning me, who has kept the Blue going for so long?!
Can’t you let go of this? Not everyone believes this crazy man’s words,
right? Let go of me! How dare you!”
Watching him struggle against the guild guards was a spectacle. In my

moment’s hesitation, he broke away and began to run towards me, his
anger palpable.
“This dirty guy! You are the problem, not me!”
This time around, I did not try to avoid Lee Seolho.

This wasn’t because I had Juliana. No, it was because I had Lee Sang-
hee.
As if living up to my expectations, Lee Sang-hee, consumed in sadness

and anger, opened her mouth wide to shout.
“You are acting like a child who doesn’t even know how to feel
embarrassed!”
Bang!
As she spoke, Lee Seolho’s arm was cut off, bouncing towards the wall.
‘Bravo!
This was a scene worth putting into a painting.

CHAPTER 107
I WILL REMEMBER YOU (1)
“You are acting like a child who doesn’t even know how to feel
embarrassed!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
Lee Seolho screamed as he cradled the stump where his arm had been
just moments ago. Even the guild’s guides were screaming, blood
scattering all over the ground. The old man was breathing harshly and
rolling onto the ground, at a loss for words from the excruciating pain.
The dangerous look in Lee Sang-hee’s eyes did not match her natural
disposition, but I knew it was normal for her to feel that way.
After all, the murderer responsible for the death of her loved one was
right in front of her.
That wasn’t the only reason. She had chosen to believe in Lee Seolho,
and look where that had gotten her.
Nevertheless, her patience explained what she had been thinking of Lee
Seolho.
“Hah… Hah… Hah…”
“Ahhhhhhhhh! I… did not kill him! Lee Sang-hee, trust your uncle. You
are the one who knows best that I will never commit such a sin!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I trusted you! That… The result of that trust… Is
this it?”
“No, I am being framed…”
Lee Seolho had become a parrot crying out for compassion. Of course, I
did not feel any compassion.
I found it ridiculous seeing this old man beg for everything he had lost,
but at the same time, the image of a wounded Jung Hayan kept
replaying itself in my head.
“I am being framed! I didn’t kill anybody! Jeong-yeon, say something!

There is no way I can kill Seung-jun!”
“Stop speaking, Lee Seolho! You really are…”
“No, no, I would never kill the Guild Master!”
“You’re a piece of shit. The Guild Master did so much for you… How
could you do this?”
“I didn’t kill him! Ugh…”
Meanwhile, the old men around Lee Seolho were trembling. Some were
already preparing to change sides, but their struggles were useless.
“We really didn’t know about this.”
“Kwan, this is irrelevant.”
“Catch everyone. There will be no exceptions. Put them all in jail.”
“It was all done by Lee Seolho! Lee Sang-hee! It was Lee Seolho’s idea to
attract Japanese guilds! Other than that, I didn’t know about anything
else!”
“I really didn’t know about the Guild Master’s death. Please believe me,
please… It’s all done by that old man!”
“Can you not hear me?! Catch them all.”
At her order, the guards raised their spears and began to capture all the
old men, who continued to scream for mercy.
“We are being framed!”
“It’s a lie! Lee Sang-hee! Please believe us… Ahhhh!”
The most ridiculous thing was that those grandparents also thought
that Lee Seolho had killed the Guild Master. Of course, this only
happened because I had been able to present solid evidence, but I still
couldn’t believe that they would just accept that fact so easily.
“We didn’t know that Lee Seolho would kill the Guild Master, Lee Sang-
hee! Please believe us…”
It was no wonder that Lee Sang-hee’s expression looked complicated. In

an instant, the inner system of Blue had been shattered. No matter how
much puri ied water one would put in the tank, it would be impossible
to clean it, as rotten, stagnant water had already in iltrated the area.
Therefore, putting them all away would be the best option. It might be a
little confusing and unsettling to do so, but this would be all they can do
for the time being.
As I tried my hardest not to smile, a familiar voice began to shout once

more. It was Lee Seolho.
“That dirty alchemist! You’ve tricked everyone in Blue with your

disgusting tongue!”
“You are the one who sold Blue out, you disgusting traitor.”
“I didn’t kill anyone! You framed me!”
“It’s funny how you choose to make excuses until the end. How about
you admit to breaking the trust of everyone who decided to put their
faith in you?”
“I didn’t kill…”
“All criminals say that. But in the end, you are supposed to confess with
your mouth. Your denial in the face of solid evidence is really
embarrassing. If you had just decided to confess, there might have been
some consideration for you.
“Sang-hee, just please trust me… just one more time.”
“Lee Sang-hee, haven’t you already given him a lot of faith?”
“He is framing me. That dirty alchemist is cancerous. You have to kill
him, or to lock him up! He will soon become a monster that will eat
Blue up.”
“You talk big, Lee Seolho. You seem obsessed about your contributions
to Blue, but you’re not the guild owner. You don’t even deserve to
comment on Blue since you’ve been in cahoots with other guilds, hiring
assassins to kill new guild members, as well as killing the Guild Master.”
“This guy!”
“You are the one promoting trouble here. By nature, it is common for
people to try to solve a crisis together. However, humans like you don’t
do that at all. You can’t because people like you value your own
interests above everything else.”
Lee Seolho was that kind of person.

Though he continued to make appeals to Lee Sang-hee, the woman in
question refused to acknowledge him and stared into the air instead.
Although I was worried about her mentality, I knew she would recover
from this eventually.
‘Hyunsung will take good care of her.’
I knew Kim Hyunsung could make her feel better once he got back.
Anyway, Lee Sang-hee simply refused to look at Seolho. Perhaps this

was the only way she could rein in her anger. The rest of the old men
were being dragged away to be locked up by the guild’s guards. Their
screams were like music to my ears.
With almost everything in order, I slowly stepped in. This was simply to
con irm our current status. The guild now felt cleaner, as we were
successful in removing the rotten members off the roster.
As I made my way underground, the screams became more vivid once

again. It felt pleasing to watch as the guild’s guards subdue the
struggling old men, all of whom were shedding tears. As I kept looking
around, a voice rang out.
“Lee Kiyoung. How will we deal with the criminals?”
I was surprised to see that it was a female guard. However, upon

checking her stats, I knew she was more than capable of managing the
prison.
“Just keep them intact until the Vice Guild Master decides what to do
with them. In the meantime, just supply them with enough food and
water to keep them alive.”
“Okay, will do.”

“Also, I would like you to go outside for a minute. I have something to
ask the criminals.”
“Do you have anything to ask them separately?”
“Yes, of course. Ah! I would like you to wait at the entrance, in case you
didn’t know.”
“Sure.”
“The underground prison is quite large. You’ve done a great job taking
care of the place.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll borrow one of the chairs here.”
“Of course, Lee Kiyoung.” At this, the guard hurriedly stepped away.
As I slowly entered the prison, the eyes of those old geezers rested on
me, looking for salvation. Then, various voices exploded at once.
Some swore at me, and some tried to appeal to me. However, they were
not the ones I came here for. I only had business with Lee Seolho.
After settling down on my seat, Seolho stared at me in an agitated

manner, cradling his severed stump.
“You motherfucker! This isn’t the end, you piece of shit!”
“Thank you for telling me what I wished to say, you delusional old man.”
As I said this, I slowly built up a magical barrier around Seolho and me.
It was only a small amount, but it was enough to host a conversation
with him safely.
“What are you saying…”
“Don’t you dare think that this is the end. I am stronger than you think,
and I won’t spare you any mercy. You really made me mad…”
“What…”
“You won’t be left with anything when you leave this guild, Seolho.”
“What bullshit are you talking about?”
“The Japanese guild you’ve been communicating with will take you out
of the dungeon.”
“What?”
“The story will go like this. The killer who murdered the guild master,
Lee Seolho, the Blue criminal who betrayed the expectations of the Vice
Guild Master Lee Sang-hee, of icially escaped the dungeon. Of course,
unof icially, you will go to the Red Mercenaries’ underground torture
room. A priest know very well will take care of you. She’s looking
forward to meeting you. You will feel how strong a priest serving God
is.”
“This… This motherfucker!”
“You and all of the old people here will be killed and abandoned
somewhere. Of course, everyone else will think that the Japanese have
taken you, leaving no evidence. Fuhaha. The media will talk about you
as a traitor, and all the humans in Lindel will call you trash. Blue will try
to forget your name, and your name will slowly fade away before only
half a year has passed.”
His face went pale.

“Your death, the things you have contributed to the Blue, and the things
you have accomplished so far, one by one… Gone. It’s as if you never
existed. You will die without leaving anything behind.”
“You… You!”
“You don’t have to worry too much, old man. I will remember you.
While the priest takes care of you, I will watch from the sidelines. From
your screaming, your distorted expression to your pain, and your voice
calling for help, I will inscribe everything to my memory. Until the
whole process is over… I will be looking at you.”
“You can’t do that! You… You!”
“I will dedicate your face, distorted by pain, for my dear one who risked
death for me. Your voice will always resonate in my mind as a reminder
of what an old man who made a moment’s wrong choice. You will
become a stepping stone in my growth, and there is nothing you can do
about it.”
At this, Lee Seolho fell silent, the expression on his face fading.
“Look… Kiyoung…”
“Would you like to do business with me?”
“No matter how badly we got along… isn’t this too disgraceful of a
death?”
“I can’t die like this… Ugh…”
He began to talk consecutively. I could feel the heartbreak in his voice,

his fear of the inevitable torture that would soon come his way. I didn’t
dare to respond.
However, I looked at him right in the eye, as if to rehearse for the
moment where I would inally get to witness his pain.
Everything went silent.

CHAPTER 108
I WILL REMEMBER YOU (2)
“I’ve done my research well. Those that should be punished…”
“They were bastards who deserved to die.”
“I’ve seen a lot of shitty guys while living here, but this is my irst time
seeing real trash. The so-called terrorist attack in the middle of the city
was actually to kill the new guild members. Even the innocent people
who got caught up in the event feel sorry for them, but how
embarrassing it must be!”
“Did you know? I heard they tried to attack the Red Mercenary Queen’s
Gigolo. I heard it from a friend who works for the Red Mercenaries. It
doesn’t feel right, however…”
“If so, then it’s good that war did not happen. Ah! Look over there… Hey,
Mr. Kim! Have you read the newspaper today?”
“Of course, I’ve read about what happened within Blue. Thanks to you, I
was able to sleep well last night.”
“Is your store, okay?”
“Of course! In addition to the insurance money, there seems to be no

problem in recovering it if we add Blue’s compensation money. They
actually didn’t have to do that. They were victims as well. However, they
felt sorry about it. I thought I would have to throw away my shop
altogether, but the reward will be more than enough to ix it back up!
Hahaha.”
“Look at the smile on this man’s face.”
Resounding voices from all over the place reached my ears. Most of
them were either cursing Lee Seolho or were worried about how Blue
was faring.
The true problem for us would be the cost of restoration within the city.
It was clear that Blue could not handle the cost alone and would need
donations from numerous clans and guilds to restore their image.
Once again, we were indebted to the Black Swans and Red Mercenaries.
As I wandered around the plaza to look at the newly-established

buildings, the newspaper titles on display caught my eye.
[Blue traitor Lee Seolho, apparently hiding in the Ramadel Mountains

near Celia.]
Why did he make such a choice?
[The relation between Lee Seolho and his Japanese guild predicts
Celia’s future relationship with Lindel.]
Everything was just as I had expected.
Everyone was already tired of the Black Swans incident, which was why
they eagerly lapped up the newest media coverage. The entire city of
Lindel became noisy once more, and people eagerly voice out their
opinion on the matter everywhere – in bars, in restaurants, and even on
the streets.
It was not an exaggeration to say that it accounted for 90% of Lindel’s

current conversations. It was a story that everyone found interesting.
As I walked down the street, I gazed down at the newspaper in my

hand.
[What is the future of Blue within this great ordeal?]
[Days after tracking the criminals who escaped after a terrorist incident
in the city, a search team of Red Mercenaries found dozens of bodies
near the Ramadel Mountains. The body’s identity is presumed to be the
criminal Lee Seolho, as well as the other Blue of icers who chose to
follow him.]
As a result of accurate identi ication, Blue judged them to be the

aforementioned executives, and the of icial search ended on the 15th.
The body was so badly damaged that it could not be recognized

properly, so it seems that a professional torture engineer severely
tortured the body.
Red Mercenary of icials have designated the Japanese guild as the

culprit who had killed them, the plausible reason being their anger over
the executives’ misconduct.
While Blue’s Vice Guild Master Lee Sang-hee has not yet appeared
before the masses, all attention is focused on Blue.
Once one of the guilds representing the free city of Lindel, Blue lost a lot
of party members alongside Guild Master Joo Seung-jun, and it seems
impossible for them to recover. Although the Red Mercenaries and the
Black Swans’ alliance is still smoothly maintained, many medium-sized
guilds have also announced their support for Blue.
Many of Lindel’s scouts are also paying attention to what choices the
remaining Blue executives will take. While many experts expressed
concern about whether the Blue Guild would eventually disappear, the
Red Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra, 28, remarked that the Red
Mercenaries are indeed the Blue’s allies and that she will do her best to
help them out. Lee Jihye, the Black Swans spokesperson, also killed the
buzzing rumors, and said that Blue would rise again.
The reporter cannot accurately judge what Blue would decide to do
next for their future.]
‘Huh, it’s not bad at all.’
I found it to be a well-organized article. Most of all, I like the fact that it

had chosen to take Blue’s side. Of course, it was natural for all media
companies to bring our guild into a new light, but Lindel Daily was
quite reliable compared to other media companies.
Kim Seong-gyeong is also… ’
Seeing that he always wrote his articles in favor of us, he was

apparently trying to get on friendly terms with us. I didn’t know if he
was doing it out of bene it or loyalty, but I would be sure to reward him
later on either way.
As I nodded along, I heard a familiar voice. It was Sun Hee-young’s.
“What are you reading?”
“Oh, just another article. I couldn’t really sleep well. Hee-young doesn’t
seem very tired.”
“I actually feel refreshed. It’s been a long time since I had time to serve
God. It feels good to witness our achievements based on the reactions
of all the citizens living here.”
“I didn’t do much. Hee-young did all the hard work.”
“You prepared a lot. If I had been alone, I wouldn’t have been able to
contribute so much.”
‘That’s not it.

In fact, it didn’t matter if I was with them or not. Although it had been a
little quiet recently, it seemed that our dear priest felt the most
rewarded with the incident regarding Lee Seolho.
I didn’t even like Seolho from the beginning, but I didn’t think he would
go this far. It seemed like there was more to him than what was
expected.
‘Indolent thoughts, indolent spirit, he is the evil of society. He’s as

useless as a homeless peasant in the slums. Many people require help
because of people like him who eat away at society. Repent. Of course,
what I want is not just repentance.
‘Ahhhh!
When I recalled what happened yesterday, nausea bubbled up from

within me. Personally, I wanted to praise myself for not averting my
gaze halfway.
Although I felt disgusted, I was still able to look at Sun Hee-young in the
eye.
“Thank you so much for saying that back then.”
“Yeah?”
“You told me we could make a beautiful Lindel together.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Of course, I was anxious at the time, but I’m happy that it’s turned out
so well. We’ve been together for such a long time… Anyway, today is
such a good day.”
Sun Hee-young really did act like a priest, no matter what. I felt like we
had gotten closer. At the same time, I already knew how she felt
towards me.
‘Don’t do this to yourself.’
Sun Hee-young and I worked best as colleagues. I was already stressed

by the woman I already had around me.
At the same time, I could understand Sun Hee-young’s heart. I was her
only ally and the irst one who opened up her eyes to reality. What she
felt for me was not love yet, but if it continued to develop, then she
would only get hurt in the end.
This was a world where it was natural for people to develop feelings,
even if one saw my close relationship with Jung Hayan. Monogamy,
polygamy, these were taken for granted, anyway.
Even if I happened to have a lover or wife, it would not stop Sun Hee-
young from trying to get closer. She wouldn’t even consider other
people, like Jung Hayan or Cha Hee-ra.
I need to keep her in line and block her advances.’
“Oh, why don’t you grab a quick bite? It’s been a long time since we’ve
got the time to do so.”
“Oh, let’s do that.”
Of course, it would be dif icult trying to keep Sun Hee-young in line.
After entering the restaurant and getting a seat by the terrace, Sun
Heeyoung began the conversation immediately after placing an order.
“How was yesterday, Kiyoung?”
“It was a rewarding time. We’ve done service all the way.”
“You’re right; it was really rewarding. It’s nice that there are people who
can understand.”
“Indeed.”
“I’m really grateful to you, Kiyoung. You made me realize that I was
wrong.”
“Haha…”
I knew where this conversation was going, and it was better to divert
the topic as soon as possible.
“So, how is Hayan’s condition?”
“She’s still recovering. Her body’s recuperating. The priests in the Red
Mercenaries are also working hard. You don’t have to worry. She’s only
facing fatigue now.”
“I see. That’s very fortunate.”
“By the way, what are you going to do next?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“Will you still stay in Blue? You don’t seem to be too involved in the
guild these days…”
“Ah.”
I knew what Sun Hee-young was talking about. I certainly hadn’t been
paying much attention to Blue lately. The guild was shaking from both
the external and internal problems it had received.
In fact, if I wanted to in luence Blue, now would be the perfect

opportunity. However, I didn’t, and it was because of Kim Hyunsung.
‘It’s better if the power is concentrated into one place.’
It honestly felt like I had handed the seat of power to Hyunsung on a

silver platter.
Lee Sang-hee was close to retirement, and Hwang Jeong-yeon was

never interested in anything related to power. This meant that Kim
Hyunsung would undoubtedly be the next leader.
Of course, he would only serve as a regent and not a Guild Master, but
he would become one anyway, as the people would put their trust and
faith in him.
Right now, if I reached out to Blue, it would prove to be a

counterproductive measure. I was the one who had contributed the
most to the guild, after all.
‘You don’t have to ask me. I’ll take care of you.’
It would be advantageous for me to take a step back at this point. I was

still a necessary talent for Kim Hyunsung’s kingdom.
“I’ve been a little busy lately. Hyunsung is always with Lee Sang-hee
while the guild is in crisis, so I think it’ll be okay.”
“Ah.”
“Now that we’ve removed all the rotten people, we can now make a
proper group.”
“Ahh! That’s, right. Ah… This is what Kiyoung has expected. I never
thought about that…”
“Hahaha.”
“Maybe we should postpone the rest a little bit. I was expecting to have
more time to serve with you, Kiyoung. Oh, don’t get me wrong! I’m not
confessing or anything. I’m just saying that…”
“Ah, I think I know what you’re talking about.”
Her face reddened for some reason.
‘Ah… ’
I already knew what she was imagining. She probably wanted to build a
volunteer house together and be in service there for life.
‘That’s not nice at all… ’
If such a house were to be completed, it would not be a house of love. It

would be a house that would come straight out of a horror movie.
Sun Hee-young had a crooked mindset, not a crooked affection. She had
a radically different mindset from Jung Hayan, who wanted to con ine
me and be with me forever.
As a priest who works for God, it seems that she did not harbor such a
unique idea.
‘However, it’s still not normal… ’
“What you’re thinking isn’t bad, Hee-young, but there is another

important problem. There are more things to focus on for Hyunsung
and me shortly, but you can call that a reward for yourself instead!”
“To put it simply, you are taking a break. We’ll have more time together
because of it. l-I mean, not that I meant anything else by saying that…”
“Yes, of course, I understand.”

Of course, I had no intention of making Sun Hee-young’s dream come
true. I had to focus on what kind of painting Kim Hyunsung was
painting for our future.
Though he was weak in politics, Kim Hyunsung is Kim Hyunsung.
Seeing as he stayed by Lee Sang-hee’s side this entire time, it was

evident that he had his own thoughts about the matter.
‘Huh, Hyunsung, you really are naughty.
If I were in his shoes, I would also have aimed to gain Lee Sang-hee’s
favor, too. We would probably be getting results before long.
‘What is Hyunsung really doing, though?’
Lee Jihye’s jokes about Kim Hyunsung and I resonated in my head, but
the truth was, I really did have no idea about what was going on inside
that guy’s head.
CHAPTER 109
RECALLING THE PAST (1)
“Hye-jin, suddenly…”
“Master, Jung Hayan has passed away. The cause of death is still unclear,
but we’re leaning on suicide as of the moment.”
“What the…”
“It may be hard to believe, but it is true.”
“Clearly, something is wrong…”
“She is really dead.”
“Yeah. The guild members of the Magic Guild con irmed that they saw
her hanged igure in her room.”
“Perhaps some assassins entered her room? That’s also a possibility…”
“No, it really is suicide. The suicide note was also found, though I’m not
sure about this either… It is said that unknown letters were found in
Jung Hayan’s room. We can’t decipher them because they’ve been
magically encrypted, but after the news came, other guilds have been
thinking about the possibility of communication with them.”
“So, she was experiencing inner pain?”
“It’s just a guess.”

“It won’t be. When you consider the achievements Lindel’s genius
wizard has shown so far, it’s stupid to think of that possibility. If I could
have made a deal with them, I would’ve been on their side long ago.”
“The Master is right, Hye-jin. Without Lindel’s Archmage, the

foundation itself would not have been maintained in the irst place. It is
not an exaggeration to say that they’ve withstood simply because she
was there. The victory in the Battle of the Ramadel Mountains, the
Battle of Northern Frost Wall, and even the Defense of Benigor was all
thanks to her. Her cause of death is probably disguised as
misinformation to divide us.”
“Hye-jin, the will is… What was written in the will?”
“Ah, sorry, sorry… Of course, there was a will, but the Magic Guild
refused to disclose it, so the full text could not be con irmed… However,
it looked as if there were traces of abuse on her body.”
“Are you sure she wasn’t assassinated?”
“Yeah. I have heard that the wounds that remained on the body were
wounds from a long time ago. Considering that there was also a wound
just before the fester burst without treatment, some speculate that it
was the work of self-harm. Despite being able to heal with potions or
divine powers, I heard that not only were the wounds left as they were,
but even the unspeakable parts of the body were severely damaged.”
“Self-harm…”
“Yeah. There’s a real possibility that she really did self-harm, Master. I
heard that Jung Hayan always had a hard time taking lives. She always
had nightmares after the battle was over, and she was very reluctant to
participate in the killings. It is not unreasonable to feel guilty because
she was the type of person who had been forced to stand on the
battle ield.”
That did make sense, considering the character of Lindel’s Archmage,
Jung Hayan.
‘Standing on the battle ield itself… ’
It had probably been too much.
“If that’s true… I am totally at fault. I shouldn’t have called her to the
battle ield.”
“No. It’s not the Master’s fault. It wasn’t just the Master who persuaded
Jung Hayan. Everyone in the Holy Empire, the Republic, and the
Kingdom Union were hoping that she would go. It was Ms. Jung Hayan,
who also made the inal decision. The Master’s persuasion didn’t drive
her. Jung Hayan also said that she always owed a debt to the Holy
Empire and Lindel’s free people. She joined the battle for that very
reason.”
“However, no one knows why she had decided to take her life. Master,
it’s probably true that you felt guilty, but I don’t think that’s the reason
why. Of course, it was undeniable that you suffered, but… you were so
proud of who you protected. Jung Hayan is de initely that type of
person.”
I could imagine Jung Hayan not getting along with other people, and her
smiling faintly after every battle and shaking hands with soldiers who
had saved her life. This must also be contained in her memory.
And the conversation we had together.
‘It’s rewarding.
‘You made a tough decision.’
‘No, Mr. Hyunsung. No, of course, it’s not that hard, but everyone is
ighting as well. It’s not just about feeling bad… It also feels good to see
everyone smiling. Hehe… Thank you for calling.’
‘No. Rather, I am just grateful.’
She must have felt guilty.
However, as Cho Hye-jin said, Jung Hayan must already know the pain
she would have to endure. However, to lose her life over guilt didn’t
seem to it.
“Then why…”
“We are still iguring out why. I guess there will be a clue in the letter
encrypted with magic, although all the wizards on the continent are
currently struggling to interpret the encrypted object.”
“I see.”
That was when I looked at Cho Hye-jin with a bitter expression.
Quaang!
I heard thunder rumble in the distance, and I wondered if the enemy

had arrived.
Soon after, I had no choice but to lower my sword.
“Kim Hyunsung!”
“Ah, Young Kim! If you do this…”
“Shut up and open the door. Kim Hyunsung, I know you’re there! Open
up!”
“Calm down… H-He’s in a meeting right now!”

“You’d better open the door before my patience runs out.”
A familiar face came into sight as the loud noise rumbled once more.
“Young lady…”
“Kim Hyunsung, you motherfucker!”
In an instant, the huge sword she held swung my way, the loud sound
echoing once more. Then, objects lew around in all directions, and the
window that could not withstand the pressure broke.
“Son of a bitch! You killed her!”
“You dragged her into the war. This is bullshit! She died because of
you!”
“Ah-young… What are you doing now? Coming here suddenly and
aiming your sword at our Guild Master… I will formally protest this
against the guild.”
“Shut your mouth, Cho Hye-jin. Do you want to protest? Go ahead. What
will it mean in this situation? Do whatever you want. We’re all going to
die anyway. Fuck that shit!”
“Nevertheless…”
“I told you clearly, Kim Hyunsung. She said she would not participate in
the war… She died because of your greed!”
“If Jung Hayan had not been on the front line, countless civilians would
have died, Kim Ah-young.”
“Did you hear me telling you to shut up? I’m talking to Kim Hyunsung!”
“It was an unavoidable judgment. Of course, our master persuaded Jung
Hayan, but because of her, we managed to win numerous battles…”
“My sister died because of those numerous battles. She is dead!! should
never have listened to you.”
“The reason why she took her own life isn’t clear yet. The possibility
that she killed herself in the shock of battle has not been con irmed yet.
You must check the evidence irst.”
“That’s all you’re going to say? You dirty hypocrites. I should have
listened to him instead…”
“Who is that person…”
“You don’t need to know!”
“Sorry.”
“Now you’re sorry, huh? Kim Hyunsung, a hero? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You should think a little more calmly.”
“Shut up. Our guild will leave this shitty alliance. It was absurd to think
that the enemies ighting each other would soon become one. The
Republic and the United Kingdom uniting is such bullshit. I regret
listening to you. Kim Hyunsung, the hero who saved hundreds of
thousands of people. What does it all matter? My sister died… My sister
is dead! No matter how many people were saved because of her, it has
nothing to do with me. Do you understand?”
“You will never see me again in the future.”
“Please wait a minute, Kim Ah-young.”
“Cho Hye-jin.”
“The reason Jung Hayan took her own life would not be because of her
guilt.”
“Don’t bullshit me.”
“If you say so, but I know she wouldn’t want you to do this. She indeed
suffered a lot, but I clearly remember Jung Hayan being happy about
saving a lot of people.”
“There is no exact will yet. Actually, we are not aware of even the
possibility of assassination. Perhaps there is indeed a clue in a sealed
letter or will. If after all investigations, it is revealed that Jung Hayan’s
death is related to us, then…”
“I will apologize for this with my death.”
“I’m not interested in your life.”
It felt strange, not knowing what Kim Ah-young wanted. With this, I
opened my mouth once more.
“The same is true of me. I will apologize with my death after all of this is
over.”
“Master!”
“That’s right, Hye-jin. Obviously, I am responsible, too.”
Perhaps I didn’t deserve to live. I had already made numerous mistakes

in the past. It felt funny apologizing for them now, but I had no choice
but to do so.
However, I knew I still had work to do.
It was natural seeing Kim Ah-young’s con licted expression in response

to my words. I patiently waited for her answer.
Bang!!
Suddenly, a loud noise resonated from somewhere.
“What?”
“We’re under attack!”
“Master!”
“We’re under attack! Hye-jin, behind the current wall… Ahh!”
It felt like a familiar yet disparate magical force that rained from the
unseen. We re lexively moved our body upon seeing this type of magic
emanate from Kim Ah-young.
As she slashed down the sword, the split magic began to break down
the walls of either side completely.
“I’m going to head to the wall now.”
“Please don’t!”
“First, we must gather our strength. After everything is done, I will

leave my treatment to Kim Ah-young. Please lend me your strength for
now.”
“Shit.”
“Hye-jin, is Cha Hee-ra still in the city?”
“Yeah. Signals keep coming from 12 o’clock. Perhaps the Red

Mercenaries also headed there…”
Qawahhh!
A blinding, white light engulfed the entire city of Lindel.
As the light burst from all the buildings and lit up the entire
surroundings, my eyes started to open.
CHAPTER 110
RECALLING THE PAST (2)
“It’s a dream…”
It was a dream that I had gotten used to now.
As I stood up slightly and looked out the window, I felt the roaring
sound and light of that time as vividly as it had ever been. I tried
shaking my head, but the feeling stayed.
As I swallowed, I heard a tapping on the door.
“Hyunsung, it’s time for the meeting. Lee Sang-hee summoned all the
party members and executives who are still in Blue.”
“Ah… Yes. I will go out soon.”
“Yes. In thirty minutes…”
“Yeah. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
I still had a lot of thoughts to sort through. I always ended up dreaming

about the past. Every morning was the same.
However, the moment I looked around, I would always come back to my

senses.
As I got up and headed for the bathroom, I saw a grim face re lected in
the mirror.
I haven’t been able to sleep well recently.’
I still had a lot of work to do. The Lindel terrorist incident never did
exist the irst time around. I didn’t even think they would attempt to do
anything this early on.
‘This feels so uneasy…
I should have kept Lee Seolho’s temperament in mind. I knew his

relationship with Lee Kiyoung wasn’t good, but I would never have
imagined that he would go to this extent.
Thanks to this, he had helped me establish my position in Blue, but it

had been a painful occurrence as he had fatally injured Jung Hayan.
‘I won’t be able to do this without her.’
In the future, she would become a magician representing Lindel and

even the Holy Empire Benigore. Her appearance had been a big source
of motivation for everyone.
In fact, if she hadn’t died, the war could have ended with a human
victory.
Lindel’s Archmage’s appearance, who was respected by everyone,

would be more overwhelming than any other hero, and thus, she played
the most important role.
Considering her recent growth rate, she really did have an abundance of
talent.
She was born with a natural aptitude for magic. The more achievements
she obtained, the more her reputation grew as Lindel’s genius wizard.
In fact, there wasn’t much information about Jung Hayan during the
irst time. She had joined the Magic Guild as a researcher on the
condition that she would not participate in any expeditions or wars,
and for a long time, she had not shown up.
However, given her personality, her lifestyle had been easy to predict.
She had refused to talk with people given her past experiences and had
locked herself up in a tower.
Perhaps her daily life had been very monotonous. Her hours probably
consisted of studying magic all day and then sleeping. She probably
never went out at all.
Other than Kim Ah-young, she refused to talk with others. I knew I was
probably right
‘She lacks social skills.’
If this was Jung Hayan’s shortcoming, then it could be called a

disadvantage. This was the reason why I took her as my companion on
many adventures.
Growth does not end in an instant. Numerous characters have their

own stories, and each has achieved growth through their suffering.
Some grew from a co-worker’s deaths, some were betrayed by their

lover, and some were able to play their roles during their struggle to the
death.
The same went for Jung Hayan.
Perhaps the reason why she had been so strong was that she had locked
herself up in the tower and refused to do anything else but study magic.
When I think about it that way, I thought it would be right to send Jung
Hayan to the Blue Guild. However, her mentality proved to be more
important than her growth.
That was the best choice I could make. After all, Jung Hayan was still
growing, both externally and internally.
And now, she had even started dating!
I would never have imagined it the irst time around.
The relationship was obviously lawed as Hayan was evidently

obsessed with Lee Kiyoung, but the fact stood that they were dating.
By maintaining a lasting relationship with him, the future of extreme

choices can be avoided. The worst ending I had seen in my dreams
could inally be overlooked. Even if it came to the point where they
would break up, I knew Lee Kiyoung would never let anything happen
to her.
Meanwhile, Lee Kiyoung was a completely different type of talent than

any other talent I had ever seen before, he was a very competent man. It
would be right for me to continue paying attention to both him and
Jung Hayan.
Since I didn’t feel con ident in myself, I needed their talent to prepare
for this kind of raid.
Deputy Hye-jin had been my right-hand man the irst time around. With
a spear, she had managed to scatter the enemy, going as far as to call
them newborns.
‘Perhaps she has arrived in Lindel now… ’
As I thought about this, I quickly washed my face and stepped out. The
familiar landscape came into view.
With the head of the guild gone, Blue seemed to tether on the edge of
ruination. It had maintained an alliance with the other guilds, but the
quest hall was closed, and most of the guild members already left.
Even some of the second unit members’ transfers had already been
decided.
If this continued, then Blue would really dismantle.
Recently, as Lee Kiyoung spent more time with the Red Mercenaries,
many members were concerned about him leaving. However, I was
certain that he wouldn’t. It was because I was fairly certain of what it
was that he really wanted.
He wanted me to take over the Blue Guild.
‘How competent.’
Knowing Lee Kiyoung, he would be able to calm everyone down. I also

understood what I wanted. The steps had already been laid out before
me. All I had to do was take them just as I had expected.
Not long after I started walking, voices came to greet me.
“Kim Hyunsung.”
“Yeah.”
“I have some documents you need to look at.”
“Ah… Yeah.”
“There are issues you need to look at because Kiyoung hasn’t been
here…”
“Did you tell Kiyoung that we have a meeting?”
“Yeah. I heard you were coming. Yesterday, the Red Mercenary took care
of Jung Hayan…
“Ah. I heard that too. Please leave the documents that require payment
in my room irst. After the meeting, I will check it myself, so I can speak
to the Master separately.”
“Of course. May I post the announcement on the expansion of guild

members today?”
“I will be able to tell you this in person.”
The guild member continued to ask me questions as we made our way

to the meeting room. In fact, a lot of people had turned to me after Lee
Kiyoung decided to go for a temporary leave.
As we move slowly, it is no wonder that the conference room is in front

of us.
Upon opening the door, I caught sight of Lee Sang-hee, who looked
noticeably awkward, and Hwang Jeong-yeon, leader of the second unit,
staring up at me.
There were only three people in the meeting room that had once been
full, and they all looked terrible.
“Ah… You are here.”
“Yeah.”
“Mr. Kiyoung…”
“I heard he’s on his way.”
“I’m glad to hear that…”
“It seems like a long time since we hosted a meeting.”

“Yeah. Sorry. Actually, I should have called for one earlier, but things
didn’t go as planned.”
Lee Sang-hee’s eyes were lifeless. However, I knew she would be able to
pull through, just as she did during the irst time.
“Mr. Kiyoung hasn’t arrived yet, but it would be nice to tell you in
advance.”
“Yeah.”
“First of all, I am very sorry to see you put in a bad light. If I had thought
of you who were still in Blue, I could have made better decisions. I am
very grateful to the two of you, who served as the guild’s support even
while I was away.”
“I just did my best.”
“That… In fact, I was able to think of many things while I was resting. Of
course, I thought a lot about what to do in the future. Considering the
guild’s future, it would only be right to dismantle your unit and send
you to another guild… No, that would be the right way.”
“But… No, I couldn’t dismantle the place the Master built with his own
hands. I am very sorry to both of you, but please, I would like you to
remain in this guild.”
“Of course.
“Yeah… With the master…”
“I am not the master anymore, Jeong-yeon. It is only right that I step

down.”
“W-What?”
“I not only endangered you during our expedition, but I had also let you
down while I was busy grieving for the Guild Master. Although Lee
Seolho had communication with a Japanese guild, I was not able to beat
him because of my affection for him.”
“I’m not the one who should take the lead. I am also included in the
category of incompetent people that Mr. Kiyoung has mentioned before.
If I take control of Blue again, nothing will change much from before. It
is only correct that I retreat. It may be dif icult, but…”
“But, I…”
In truth, I had been expecting this kind of decision on Lee Sang-hee’s

part. She hadn’t inished talking, but Hwang Jeong-yeon had already
expressed her refusal.
Lee Sang-hee’s expression was also darkening. Around this time, it

would have been effective to have Lee Kiyoung around to diffuse the
situation.
“If Jeong-yeon is reluctant…”
“Yes?”
“I will temporarily keep the seat of power.”
“Ah…”
“Of course, it is impossible for me to do all the work by myself, from one
to ten. If you two help me in avoiding the wrong direction, it may not
take long for me to get it back to where it was.”
“Ah…”
“There are still many talents who remain within Blue.”
At the same time, a voice called out from outside.
“This is Lee Kiyoung. I’m going in.”

CHAPTER 111
GO TO WORK! (1)
“Kiyoung, you’re inally here.”
“Ah. clearly…”
“This is Park Jung-ki, a member of the Blue Guild.”
“Ahhhhhh… Jung-ki, yes. I remember. What happened?”
“The guild master has called for all the executives.”
“I see. Please go back irst and tell them that I am on my way.”
“Yes, Okay.”
For an ordinary guild member, Park Jung-ki’s agility level was evidently
high as he quickly disappeared from view.
He must have been a designated messenger. Due to my ability, I

managed to view his stats.
‘Agility stat hero or less… ’
“Huh. That’s not bad.”
“What?”
“Ah… It’s nothing, Hee-young.”

“Do you have to go now? I heard him say that there was a meeting.”
“I think I can go in a little late.”
“Ah… That’s fortunate. Then, how about drinking a cup of coffee?”
“Let’s stop by a nearby cafe.”
It felt weird because this felt like a date, but I didn’t think I needed to
rush. I knew why Lee Sang-hee had called for the meeting. She had
made up her mind.
She had probably called for us to discuss Blue’s current status and the
Guild Master spot’s vacancy. It was only right for her to do so.
Lee Sang-hee was, after all, incompetent as a leader. She was most likely
aware of this fact, and since I had been absent from the guild, I knew
she felt it even more.
It was dif icult to see the majority of the guild members choosing to
leave rather than stay. At this point, it was no exaggeration to say that
Blue was already sinking underwater.
It was not a matter that Lee Sang-hee, with her troubled mindset, can
handle.
It seemed that Kim Hyunsung had kept her sane for a purpose, but I
couldn’t help but feel like there was a hole in his plan. However, the
current result would not matter.
‘Because I can make the desired result happen later on, anyway.’
The fact that Kim Hyunsung was taking charge showed how much he
had contributed to Blue. Unlike Sang-hee, Kim Hyunsung was a
competent leader with both power and intelligence.
I knew that all members would turn to him if I were absent from the
guild for a long time.
‘I feel sorry for doing this, but… ’
Surely he knew why I had done this.
‘That’s why I decided to stay silent.’
As I continued to talk with Sun Hee-young, I felt the time pass us by.
In fact, the conversation I had with Sun Hee-young was actually a little
fun. Among the women I knew, Lee Jihye was, of course, the number
one, but Sun Heeyoung had some parts that complimented me well.
It felt much better than having my brain picked at by someone like Cha
Hee-ra.
“I have to get going now.”
“Ah. That’s a little disappointing. It felt good to be able to talk after so

long.”
“I can say the same, Hee-young. Anyway, I’ll often go out on breaks.”
“Will you hang out with me sometime?”
At this, we both stood up.
In fact, while being with Sun Hee-young, I couldn’t help but worry
about Kim Hyunsung.
I didn’t know if I had done the right thing, but it felt like I had just given
a list of chores to someone who did not want to be part of the process.
I regretted not helping him out, but I knew Kim Hyunsung had probably
done a great job. After all, he was not a fool.
“Then, I’ll see you after the meeting.”
Though I tried to walk slowly, I arrived back at the guild in no time. It

seemed that I had walked faster than I normally intended.
I was worried that he would have done the job well.
After roughly bidding Sun Hee-young goodbye, I went straight to the

conference room.
After knocking on the door and peeking in, I could see three sets of
serious expressions inside the room.
“This is Lee Kiyoung. I’m going in.”
Lee Sang-hee wore a little glutinous expression, Hwang Jeong-yeon

exhaled a sigh of relief, and Kim Hyunsung smiled up at me.
It seemed that his work had gone successfully.
‘Good.’
“Forgive me for being late. There was a little accident on the way
back…”
“It’s ine! The meeting was very sudden, after all.”

It was Kim Hyunsung who answered.
“We were discussing how Blue should go forward. Lee Sang-hee has
expressed her desire to retire from the front lines and was talking
about the vacant spot.”
“Ah…”
“Good, good.
“It’s not enough, but I think I’ll be in charge of the guild for the time
being. Of course, Lee Sang-hee will stand in the position of teaching
various things as an advisor.”
At this, I quietly nodded.
‘That’s not bad.’
Having Lee Sang-hee as an advisor was also an excellent choice. Though

she was an ineffective leader, it didn’t make her an incompetent person.
Perhaps she decided to make up for her incompetence as a leader by

honing her skills in other ways. In this case, she seemed to have noticed
how the guild members had been faring with the sudden power shift.
Anyway, it was clear that Lee Sang-hee would not be intervening much.
It wouldn’t make sense to corrupt such talent.
‘Yet you should still get to work, Lee Sang-hee.’
It felt like Kim Hyunsung had handled her a little better than I thought.
“You’ve made such a dif icult choice, Lee Sang-hee.”
“No, Mr. Kiyoung. I felt like I was wearing clothes that didn’t really suit
me. It feels good to have taken them off. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
“Yeah?”
“I have to inform the other guild members about this.
“As you’ve ordered, they’re all in one place.”
“Then, I’ll head there right away.”
From the way she spoke, it was apparent that she had prepared for this
burdensome task. Naturally, I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
Kim Hyunsung seemed to have asked Lee Sang-hee a lot of questions

about the new announcement.
One look inside the auditorium noti ied me of the people we had
gathered together. I could see Park Deokgu, Kim Ye-ri, and Sun Hee-
young sitting in the front row. This time around, it would not be me
speaking in front of everyone.
“Hyung.”
“How are you?”
“Oh, aren’t you too busy these days?”
“Various things have happened. Now, there will be a lot of time to be

able to do stuff together. After the guild has successfully recovered,
we’ll have more time to relax.”
“I hope that day comes soon… More than that, is Hayan okay?”
“Yes. She was even sleepwalking yesterday.”
“Ha, that’s a good thing.”

“Miss Hee-young also said she could move around soon, so don’t worry
too much. Instead, we should focus on the news I heard today.”
“I was surprised to see everyone gathered around… Did something

interesting happen?”
“You’ll know soon enough.”
It would not be a fun announcement, that was for sure.
After some time passed, Lee Sang-hee and Kim Hyunsung appeared on
the podium. The real reason why Lee Sang-hee had called everyone on
such short notice was that she wanted to get this over with as soon as
possible. As she slowly opened her mouth, a calm voice resonated in the
auditorium.
“The reason I have gathered you all today is to resolve Blue’s current
problems for the betterment of its future. To start with the conclusion, I
have decided to step down from being the leader.”
She was calm as she spoke, but it did not stop the voices from rising. A
lot of people were concerned about what this meant for Blue.
“The new Guild Master of Blue has been determined. Kim Hyunsung,
the leader of the 7th party, is suitable, and all of the leaders of Blue,
including me, agreed. I understand that this is a confusing time. I am
ashamed as a former leadership to appear in front of you like this, but I
hope that we can overcome this crisis together.”
At this, a small round of applause illed the room. It was admittedly a

good speech, both short and intense.
As Lee Sang-hee quietly left the stage, leaving the stage to Kim
Hyunsung, who did not appear to be nervous or awkward at all. In fact,
it looked natural for him.
“Perhaps…
Perhaps he had held a similar position in the past.
“It is an honor to be seated in such a way. To address your concerns, Lee

Sang-hee did not come down suddenly. She has given a lot of thought
regarding this change, and has told me so in advance. Fortunately, Lee
Sanghee, who was the founding member of Blue, will continue to
remain in the guild as an advisor.’
‘Good. That’s the way you should go.’
“Blue has suffered a great deal. Most of the members here have
probably been in Blue for a very long time. Understandably, you are all
agitated by an event that happened a while ago.”
That was an understatement.
“Let’s think of this as a fresh start.”
Kim Hyunsung was amazing at this.
“I’m telling you that the change will start right from this moment. It’s
sudden, but I want to tell you my greetings and plans for future
development.”
I never thought that he would have prepared for this. When I looked at
Lee Sang-hee, I felt like she already knew.
I didn’t know when they had such a conversation, but what I did know
was that people weren’t good at handling change. They would probably
receive backlash, although not on a large scale.
However, Kim Hyunsung didn’t seem to think so. My heart pounded as

he opened his mouth once more to speak. I knew he would give me a
solid seat, given everything I had done so far.
Kim Hyunsung’s voice boomed over the crowd.
“First, I appoint Mr. Lee Kiyoung as the Vice Guild Master.”
‘I love you, Hyunsung!’
My eyes lashed. This is what I had been waiting for, though I was not
expecting to get it.
I am second-in-command in his kingdom.’
I knew he cherished me, but it appeared that Kim Hyunsung

appreciated me more than I thought. I couldn’t help but smile at this
point or dance. This had effectively brightened my mood.
“The Guild Secretary will temporarily also be Mr. Kiyoung for the
moment.”
Being able to handle the guild’s funding would also give me an

additional semblance of power. I was not only the Vice Master but the
secretary as well. This meant that I would be busy for some time, but I
knew I could handle
“After, a temporary personnel committee will be established to recruit

the most important personnel, Lee Kiyoung will also act as the
chairperson for that.”
Being able to pick people that would suit my tastes would de initely
also work in my favor.
“We will create a new strategy team for targeting the dungeon, and Mr.
Lee Kiyoung will be doing all the hard work temporarily.”
It was only after a little while that I realized something was wrong.
“The Guild Future Strategy Headquarters and the Damage
Countermeasure Committee have been established, and Lee Kiyoung
will serve as the irst chairman for the time being.”
‘Wait.’
“We temporarily appoint Mr. Lee Kiyoung to the Chief Executive Of icer
position to encompass the overall administrative work. We will
continue to work hard until the situation stabilizes.”
‘Stop.
“We also appoint Mr. Kiyoung Lee as the manager of the Pension
Strategy Planning Of ice.”
‘Stop.
“We have established a PR strategy team, and Lee Kiyoung will also
temporarily be in charge of promoting the guild.”
‘Please stop already, you bastard!’
The problem was that my name kept popping out of Kim Hyunsung’s
mouth.
Of course, in addition to my name, the names of Hwang Jeong-yeon and

Sun Hee-young also popped up in the middle, but it was me who kept
getting appointed to various positions with the strangest titles.
Eventually, the people around me started to give me pitying looks. At

this point, I was suspicious of whether Kim Hyunsung was trying to
keep me busy to prevent me from doing or saying anything else.
“I also appoint Mr. Lee Kiyoung as the interim chairman.”
‘Okay, I get it already… ’

The room had gone silent at this point.
It was the irst time I felt resentment for Kim Hyunsung.

CHAPTER 112
GO TO WORK! (2)
In the story, Hwang-hee asked to resign more than ten times, but Sejong
unethically ordered him to work until he died.
Whenever Hwang-hee asked for resignation due to health problems,

Sejong ordered him to work from home. When he asked for resignation,
he sent a kiln to the palace. He even sent of icials to Hwang-hee’s house
to handle paperwork even as he lay on his deathbed, so the poor man
really did work until he died.
‘Fuck… ’
I could de initely say that this was a similar situation.
It felt like Kim Hyunsung was trying to make me conform. If his

kingdom grew, and he left his name in history, it would be clear that my
name would also be mentioned next to his.
Albeit, I would be known as the stupid guy who overworked himself to

death.
However, this didn’t mean that I would be left with nothing. Like
Hwanghee, who Sejong favored until the end, despite committing
various corruptions, I will also be able to gain unprecedented power
‘Ah, power…
My position within the guild had completely shifted.

Of course, my original position wasn’t low, per se, but now? Now, I had
gained enough power to control the guild itself.
‘The only problem is that I wouldn’t have the time to enjoy that power…
Considering that most of the positions entrusted to me were only

temporary, I knew this would soon be resolved. However, I also knew
that handling the administrative systems within Blue was a very
important job to be given.
With this, I had come to realize that, once again, Kim Hyunsung was
placing his trust in me. I knew that the other guild members also saw
this and would now try to establish themselves in front of him.
Still, my job title would always be weighty.
Blue was not big, but it would reward me for all my work. I had become
the person who would receive the most salary among everyone else,
even more than Guild Master Kim Hyunsung himself.
The annual salary I received when I irst came here was 10,000 gold,
and with less than a year passing by, it had multiplied by 12 times,
perhaps even higher.
Of course, the reality is that this would not be enough. The real problem
lay in the fact that Blue’s current status meant that I wouldn’t be able to
receive my full salary. Though my payroll had risen, it would be
impossible to receive it so long as the guild was still in a crisis. This was
due to inancial and manpower shortages.
‘Alright, irst things irst… ’
I knew I had to start with those two irst.
As I read the report placed in front of me, I heard a voice speak up.
“Lee Kiyoung, this is a report from the Damage Countermeasure
Committee.”
“Leave it on my desk. I’ll take care of what we’re doing now and check it
out right after. Oh, and if you’re free, would you please call Jeong-yeon?”
“That… Hwang Jeong-yeon says she has something to do…”
“Yeah? I’m sure she just decided to take a break.”
“She says something urgent has come up.”
‘She de initely ran away.’
I shouldn’t have believed her when she said she was going to take a
break. I had only been here for a day, yet I’ve lasted even longer.
However, I had to admit that she had made things easier, seeing as she
had sorted out all the documents that had been piled up. This was a
world that struggled without the existence of computers.
Still, it was impressive that she had decided to show just how
resourceful she could be. Even then, I had not expected her to run away
in the middle of it.
I understood that the pile of work on my shoulders was scary, but that
wasn’t a valid reason.
“The guild’s promotion…”
“As I said, we will give priority to posting the story of the change within
the Blue Guild in the article, and we will disclose the attack journal of
the Cursed Shrine. Please allow three days for the scheduling. No, I’ll do
it again. It would be nice to sell some of them after we released the free
ones.”
“Are you saying that you’d be selling a strategy journal?”
“Yes, I will sell it.”
“Ah. So, this one goes to the business-“
“No. Just let it go. Business units have their work to do.”
“Yeah?”
That particular division was also under my jurisdiction, anyway. I

noticed the guild member’s pitying look as he, too, realized this sad fact.
“It will have to go through a little tweaking, but it will sell. The story of
the Cursed Shrine is very stimulating, after all.”
“I think I know what you’re talking about.”
“Before leaving the expedition, I think it would be better to include a

story about Lee Seolho. However, I’ll need to re ine it a little bit. If any
people say that they write within the guild, we will collect all of them
and put them into editing. Let’s start that right now.”
“It’s a good idea… It may take longer if you think about publishing and
mass production, Vice Guild Master.”
“I will reschedule everything. Oh, it’ll also be a good idea to add a list of
items obtained from the Cursed Shrine in the article, along with the
strategy journal. I think it would be better to unravel information about
Juliana.”
“The legendary item you have?”
“Yeah. Of course, I will not disclose the function of the item. Please
emphasize ‘legendary item holder’ and then start the promotion. It will
be fast and effective.”
“You must be more curious about the strategy journal.”
“De initely.”
It would be better to disclose the strategy journal after informing the

public about where the legendary item came from. I wasn’t entirely
sure, but I had a feeling that it would make enormous sales. The public
would surely have a lot of questions about it.
The story of where the item was obtained and how I had become its
rightful owner would surely be the talk of the town once more.
It wasn’t every day that legendary items were found, after all.
And even then…
“The delivery time of the fantasy potion will be a little earlier than
planned. For the timing, I think it would be better to unpack it at the
same time as the strategy journal is sold.”
“Of course. I will adjust the schedule.”
This would also be a good promotion. The potions that worked

tremendously well within the Cursed Shrine would be a huge hit.
Overall, the plan itself was not bad. I just felt like something had been
severely lacking.
“Hm…”
“What’s the matter?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
I felt like I was somehow veering in the wrong direction. I must not only
promote the guild’s products. I had to ind some way to promote the
guild itself. If I only focused on these, the guild would have only gained
money, not in luence.
That alone could increase the guild’s value. However…
‘It won’t make the people want to join forces with Blue.’
I lacked that one decisive factor.
“Ah. What is the market price for a wagon billboard?”
“I heard that if you get it for a discount, it costs about 200 gold a day. Of
course, if the area had a large populace, the cost would…”
“Not bad. The cost-performance ratio is good, and above all, we can use
it right away.”
“Yes, perhaps…”
“It seems like a problem that we need to consider a little more. Aside
from that, have you organized all of the heroic-grade items?”
“I heard that it’s almost done.”
“There is not much left until the auction, so please tell them to bring it
soon. I will sell everything that we do not need.”
“Of course.”
I hated to admit it, but the work wasn’t that bad. This was my area of
expertise, after all.
If this were a typical company, these problems would have required

numerous meetings to coordinate the schedule. Adjusting everything
by myself meant that I did not have to go through all the tedious
processes.
Of course, that didn’t mean that my work wasn’t dif icult. My abilities
were already limited in the irst place. My head had begun to hurt from
trying to do everything by myself. I wasn’t even familiar with the
imperial laws of this continent.
It was easy enough to deal with the usual things, but some sensitive tax
issues and imperial law-related issues were bound to take me some
time to sort through.
‘Also, our lack of talent within the guild has become our biggest
problem… ’
Blue was never a guild that was small in size. Sure, it looked like an
entertainment agency housing seven parties, but the number of plain
guild members and guild staff assisting them also played a signi icant
role.
However, it was obvious that there were no signi icant talents among
them. This was no thanks to the old geezers, who hadn’t even thought
about reforming the guild.
‘They were useless from start to inish.’
In this situation, it was only natural for me to resort to some

underhanded tactics.
‘Cheap manpower.
What I needed was inexpensive yet competent manpower. The guild’s

image should attract them, and the promotion and marketing would
determine the guild’s future image.
I knew some capable people would apply, but their numbers would not
be enough. Thus, how could I solve this?
As I massaged my temples, I heard Park Deokgu’s voice from outside
the room.
“Hyung, it’s me.”
“You can come in, Deokgu.”
“No… Oh, aren’t you too busy?”
“Uh. Yes, I’ve been really busy.”
“I came because our Guild Master wanted me to pass something onto

you.”
“What?”
“It looks like a fatigue recovery potion…”
“Ah…”
Kim Hyunsung, you bastard.
At this point, I must have lost to an enemy like him in my previous life. I
broke out into a cold sweat as I realized I could have been the
reincarnation of Hwang-hee in that story.
“I’m so concerned about my Hyung’s health… I don’t know where he got

it, but it works great. With one potion, you can stay awake for about
three days…”
The more Park Deokgu spoke, the more I felt scared.
‘Do not do this, you bastard… ’
If Kim Hyunsung continued to play the role of Satan, I would de initely

become his spawn.
‘Perhaps the best solution was simple… ’
At this, I opened my mouth to speak.
“Deokgu, let’s talk for a minute.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“How is the image of our guild?”
“Well… Aren’t we a ruined guild? We’ve just started to recover again. We

will de initely be successful in the future, but for now… Goodness.”
That was the perfect answer.
“Then what do you think are the strengths of our guild?”
“Even if you suddenly ask me that…”
“I didn’t ask you seriously, so you can answer in any way you want.
What should I say to have competent human resources come into our
guild?”
“I’m not sure about that… Well, if it’s the strength of our guild, of
course, isn’t it youth, passion, and ambition? And we have a capable
Hyung!”
“Uh…”
That was an answer I never expected to receive. I couldn’t believe I had

not thought about this before. This made me smile, as Park Deokgu had
actually helped me!
After giving him one last glance, I spoke to Park Jung-gi, sitting next to
me.
“Mr. Jung-gi.”
“Yes, Vice Guild Master.”
“Please contact the Lindel Shipping Association right now and have
them spread lyers everywhere.”
“Of course. I knew you’d be able to recruit more people…”
“No, no. For now…”
“I think I need to recruit some interns.”
I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle all this work alone.

CHAPTER 113
GO TO WORK! (3)
“I-Interns?”
“Yes, interns.”
Park Jung-gi, who had been helping me with things in the meantime,
wore a doubtful expression. I didn’t blame him for it. Will an intern be
willing to apply for a collapsing guild? That didn’t seem possible.
However, it wasn’t a bad choice in our current situation. We had the

media and masses on our side. We would still have some applicants
willing to come in, either way.
When public opinion and the media come together, applicants are
expected to come in anyway. This was how we could revive the image of
our guild.
‘Young Company, Young Guild!’
What we needed was to capture the guild similarly to a venture

company on Earth. It should be seen as a free, creative environment
everyone can enjoy.
Of course, the reality may be a little different, but the publicity had to
be like this to ind more talent and noncombatant recruits who were
both loyal and okay with relatively low wages.
‘That’s where the interns come in.’

“First, it would be better to change the interior of the guild a little.”
“Yeah?”
“I think the of ice looks a little dull. This kind of guild isn’t what Lindel’s
young talents would want. It would be better to remove all the desks
using magic to change Blue’s interior.”
“I don’t… I don’t understand why we need to do that all of a sudden.”
“What Blue needs is innovation. In this kind of environment, it would

be hard to think of new ideas. This is why we need to change the
environment and make it livelier.”
“Ah… Yes. Okay.”
Nothing sounded better than the word innovation. This was another
one of my sleazy reasoning.
“It would be nice to tear down the of ices used by Lee Seolho and the
other old people. The area would look better if it was open and have
sofas where the staff can rest. Oh, a sleeping capsule sounds like a good
idea! We should use an existing one rather than create a new one
entirely to minimize the budget. The important thing is the atmosphere.
It is important to make Blue look like the kind of guild that promotes
freedom and activity to stimulate the young ones.”
“Ah… Yeah…”
“It doesn’t matter if you install a pool table or a card game in the
common room where employees can use during breaks, just make sure
to put something. Oh, it wouldn’t be bad to have a board game like
chess. The price won’t be too costly, anyway. Also, let’s change the guild
restaurant to a buffet establishment.”
“Ah, but the restaurant’s budget…”

A well-fed slave worked harder, after all.
I didn’t know about the rest, but I was sure this particular area needed
an improvement for the sake of all the guild members and workers.
‘The executive dining room is too big in itself… ’
“If you sort out the useless luxuries of the old men that were in place
before, we can pave out a plan.”
“It still won’t be enough. How much would you want?”
I knew I had to worry about that for a bit. However, the answer in itself
was simple.
“There will be no such thing as a maintenance fee in Blue from now on.
Please make sure to subtract the cost for the welfare of party members
and executives. You just have to put it in some of the remaining
budgets.”
It would be better to run slaves with money.
The annual salary that the executives and party members received was
enough in terms of dignity. To use and receive bene its on top of that
sounded ridiculous. I bet that, if it weren’t for the guild’s old forces,
Blue would have been a much larger guild than it was now.
“The salary of the Guild Master, Vice Guild Master, and diplomatic
of icers remains the same. We’re just going to cut the amount we will
actually receive by 30%.”
I was only being honest. There were many things to do, so much that
they would have to be written separately.
Perhaps sensing the workload this entailed, Park Jung-gi looked at me

in a tiresome manner, so I hurried to speak irst.
“I’ll make sure not to set a lunch schedule. Eat what you want, and
when you want to. This also applies to all of the guild staff right now.
Please notify me about this tomorrow morning.”
“Of course.”
“We will also open all the amenities that were only used by executives
in the past to everyone.”
“Really? Won’t it be too small for all the guild members?”
“We will operate by reservation. Of course, it would be better if the

party members or executives have priority reservation rights. It is a
facility designed to be used, so it’ll be a waste if we don’t use it. During
the expedition, there weren’t any people who used it at all.”
‘Ef iciently, might I add.’
“Oh, I see.”
“We will run a class where you can study magic, swordsmanship, or
imperial law for plain guild members or guild staff. Jeong-yeon will
teach the magic class. The swordsmanship class… Well, if Lee Sang-hee
permits it… No, I will speak directly about it to Lee Sang-hee.”
“Yes, sir.”
“How much do you think the budget will cost?”
At my question, Park Jung-gi began to do the math in his head.
Park Deokgu could do the work that required labor, and if one were to
consider the changes with the maintenance budget, there would still be
some money left.
‘If we’re going to be hiring interns, then the money will be enough.’
The cost of wages for a one-year hiring period for interns seeking free
work was much lower. This was the best environment in which slaves
could be freely enslaved in exchange for almost nothing.
In the irst place, not a lot of people would understand this type of
system.
“No, you don’t have to calculate anymore. Come to think of it. It will all
be okay. I’ll do the rest of the work today at the lodge. Please go home
and bring the documents I need to review directly to my room. Mr.
Jung-gi can bring it.”
“You mean, right now?”
“Yeah. Construction will start right now.”
“The Guild Master’s approval is…”
‘Not required.
“There is no need for his approval. I’ll tell him about it later.”
“Ah… Okay.”
In the irst place, Kim Hyunsung had entrusted me with this task. It
made no sense to stand around, waiting for his approval when I could
be as ef icient as possible with the allotted time.
He also had his tasks as the Guild Master, so it would be better not to
bother him.
“Then, let’s get started.”
“Of course.”
I tapped a distracted Park Deokgu on the back, and he was quick to nod
in reply.
As I had expected, the construction went very quickly. There was a lot
of manpower for such simple labor.
The Lindel trade union hired technicians at a low price and brought
together artists whose talents were wasted in the plaza. This wasn’t just
a paid job for them. It was another shot at bringing their careers to life.
The dull interior space began to be illed by the works of artists who
wanted to promote themselves for free, and because of that, there were
even other people who were willing to donate works that they did not
manage to sell.
‘Ah, what a dif icult world for artists to live in.’
Park Deokgu had been busy doing manual chores such as breaking
down the dividers of the old of ices. Although he was the type who
refrained from using his head properly, this was still a plan that he was
interested in. Thus, the plan proceeded quite smoothly.
“Lee Kiyoung, how would you like to deal with the remaining space?”
“How is the child compensation in our guild?”
“Subsidies are coming out…”
“Oh, then, I think establishing a children’s home inside where they can
safely leave their kids is a good idea. If you have ever worked as a child
care teacher in your district, please report it to me. How many
households are in the guild now?”
“Three families.”
“I see. That’s actually very little…”

“I’m a bit reluctant to marry anyway…”
If a parent swore allegiance to the guild, there was a high probability

that the child would also be loyal to the guild. We weren’t just inding
slaves for shortterm work. We were inding slaves who would devote
their whole lives to working for the guild.
Thus, it was only right to expand on parental compensation and the

maternity leave system, thus abandoning the old corporate guild beliefs
on pregnancy and the like.
The guild’s appearance changed so suddenly that a lot of the existing

guild members felt confused. Of course, this was also for their bene it.
Promoting our guild was an indispensable opportunity.
In addition to contacting the Lindel Daily, I had to worry a lot about

renting a billboard. The title would be…
[The Dream Job: A Job In Blue]
Or…
[Completely Different: 23 reasons why Blue Has Become the Dream

Workspace]
Showing our concern for our employees’ welfare rather than our overall
dignity, creating an atmosphere where everyone can enjoy their work,
and focusing on developing each member’s capabilities—all these
would be able to move the people’s hearts.
The guild we were going to create would prove to be very satisfactory.
Of course, it was evident that Blue still had some incomplete areas, but
it was only human to show these. It would have a negative impact if we
looked too perfect
“We’re relying on word of mouth here. Please continue to educate our
guild members. Public opinion is more important than the press itself.
Send some members to the tavern to help pay their expenses. Due to
the guild’s circumstances, I will set a limit on what you can spend for
dinner.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Enjoy as much as you can and come back. Of course, we cannot
allow anything to interfere with our work tomorrow.”
“Yes… Of course.”
“Innovation. What matters is innovation. It would be good to improve

our image. We are the guild of the young and innovative. That’s the
image we should maintain. In addition to this, we’ll also be supporting a
variety of activities. Don’t stop developing yourself. The same is true for
Park Jung-gi. I think you have good agility stats… It’ll be a waste to rot
your talent.”
“Ah… Thank you.”
“So, why aren’t you all wearing the guild’s insignia?”
“Oh… It can only be worn by the executives as well as other party

members.”
“Ha… Those crazy old men…”
“W-What?”
“It’s nothing. In the future, all guild members and staff shall also wear
the insignia. Make sure to wear it outside, too. You represent the guild.
That means everyone should be on their best behavior unless you want
me to blow your head off. Make sure to remember that. I won’t even
allow you to look ugly. I’m not turning this into a fashion show, but you
should at least look neat.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“I’m not sure what you’re thanking me for. It’s only natural for you to
wear the insignia as well.”
The results were going fast, and they all led in a positive direction.
We were currently seen as extending our efforts in taking care of our

remaining members, all while changing the overall atmosphere of the
guild. Thus, the people’s opinions of us soared.
At this point, we were receiving inquiries even though our application

processes had not yet opened until eventually, a press conference was
needed to reveal the guild’s new interior.
I was surprised to see how much the situation had improved. The
public’s attention positively stayed on us, and I was sure talented
people would come knocking on our door.
Our previous events have become a thing of the past. And the past
debates on whether Blue would sink or not turned into people wanting
to join the guild.
The Red Mercenaries and Black Swans, who never backed out on our
alliance, also began to reach out again, and we were soon emerging as a
promising guild with high potential. The old executives from the past
were no longer a concern.
I also liked the fact that our current staff was doing their best. Without
their organized skills, the rumors about Blue would not have settled
down so quickly.
Even the guides already belonging to the large guilds were interested in
us, which gave me a sense of how thorough the Blue guild was in terms
of our educational systems.
With this, our once-lazy guild members felt motivated enough to

improve themselves.
‘These days, reports are also coming up on time… ’
Mistakes that were previously evident were now noticeably reduced.
Of course, many of our people had skills too low to be called competent
slaves, but it was nice that they were all doing the best that they could
for the guild. Everyone alternated between maintaining public opinion
while dealing with their guild tasks.
I endured as long as I could, but when I came to the point where I could
no longer handle the work with such a small amount of people, anxiety
began to well up within me.
[Blue Internship Recruitment Announcement 1602]
[We are looking for someone to become a new family member in the
Blue Guild. Can become an of icial guild member in due time.]
The reactions turned out to be more passionate than I had expected.
“The Blue Guild has risen.”
“Did you see their recruitment notice?”
“Is it true that they are also electing a combat team?”
“Ah…”
Lindel became noisy once more.

CHAPTER 114
GO TO WORK! (4)
Lindel became noisy once more.
It felt rewarding seeing this kind of reaction. Perhaps the people had
familiarized themselves with the current guild system. We now looked
like a dream-like company that considered numerous welfare and
convenient bene its for employees.
It was basically the same type of marketing that worked back on Earth.
Numerous professional managers in this land who studied business

administration and knew entrepreneurship also knew which
companies were attracting talent. However, there was a difference
between simply knowing and practicing.
At least most of the companies I know don’t successfully apply what

they know. Perhaps it was because their greed got in the way, or it may
be because they internally abused their workers or caused internal
problems within the company.
The point was, there was no enterprise, here or back on Earth, that
cared about its employees to this degree. This was true, especially in
Lindel, who was known for its dangerous areas.
For large guilds such as the Red Mercenaries and Black Swans, the
circumstances are good, but it was a hellish experience for the rest of
the small and medium-sized clans.
What I did in the irst place was far from being innovative. Recruiting an
intern wasn’t good at all, but I knew I would ind someone desperate to
work because of the reward we promised.
‘They can become full-time employees.’
That would serve as the honey for the bees. My insistence upon the
term ‘innovation’ was only just a cover-up, after all. It was necessary for
our long-lasting image, and soon, all of Lindel would link us to that
word.
‘The most important thing is our image.’
It was no exaggeration to say that the public’s opinion of us could make

or break our guild. As I leaned back and massaged my temples, I heard
someone speak up.
“There are quite a few successful candidates.”
“It’ll take some time to sort them out.”
“Yes. The irst test has already been taken, yet there are still so many.
It’s nice to have more talented applicants than expected… After all, the
Vice Guild Master is also exhausted.”
“No, no. I’ll see to them myself.”
It was better this way because I could check their status windows.
“I’m afraid you’re going a little too overboard.”
“Of course not. It is necessary for me to know who will be our future
guild workers.”
“I know.”
“It won’t take too much time anyway.”
The way to pinpoint talent was simple. There was nothing more
effective than an imposed test.
Those who applied for tests related to imperial law and tax
management questions and applied to the Pension Planning Of ice
decided that it was best to take an alchemy test, and it actually worked.
They had heard the rumors and blocked the crowds in advance.
The unfortunate thing was that, although some talented people had
been eliminated because of a momentary mistake, there was no time to
embrace them.
People who could be used for additional power were the more
important ones.
“Are all the interview applicants gathered?”
“Yeah.”
“Send them in one by one. I’ll be the one conducting the interview.”
“Will do.”
The irst man who entered harbored a worried expression, seemingly

too nervous to sit down. From my irst impression, he was already a
dud.
It seemed like he wasn’t aware that he’d be meeting me for the

interview, and I was already known as quite the powerful igure in the
city.
Laughing slightly, I checked his status window. His overall ability was
low, and his propensity was…
‘Indolent egoist.
Ugh, he was the type of person Sun Hee-young absolutely hated. He

would grow to become another thorn in Blue’s side. I found no reason
to give birth to another Lee Seolho.
“Ah. Kim Chul-soo?”
“Yes. Hello.”
“Ah. You do not need to introduce yourself. It will be a little different

from the existing interview. You supported the crisis response team…”
“Yes, that’s right. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but I was a team
leader in the Guardian Tree guild for a while.”
“Yes, I’ve heard of that. That’s very impressive.”
That was a lie. I’ve never even heard of it. It was probably one of those
guilds that eventually dissolved. Kim Chul-soo had an eager look in his
eye, but his disposition did not lie.
“I’ll ask you a simple question.”
“Of course.”
“Please design an evacuation plan in the event of a disaster that would

affect all of Lindel.”
“Y-You mean, now?”
“Yes. It’s okay if it’s not perfect. All of Lindel’s population must be
evacuated. How would you evacuate them?”
“Ah… that… First of all, I think using magic will be the most ef icient
way…”
He had started rambling, far from my expected answer.
‘How stupid.
He hadn’t even wondered about what kind of disaster would take place.
I had given him a chance to redeem himself, and he just blew it.
“Lindel’s gate number three…”
“Ah, that was a satisfactory answer. You may head out now.”
“I will notify you if you managed to get in. The answer to your question
was impressive. Thank you.”
“Ah! Thank you.”
If the right person didn’t show up, it might be fun to keep him as a pet
for a year. The next person came in as soon as Kim Chul-soo headed out.
“Well…”
The woman who walked in looked very pretty. However, traces of

suffering were evident all over her body.
‘She looks quite old, too.’
Her status window presented itself to me soon after.
‘Name: Kim Mi-young, 39 years old, and is a working lawyer.’
Her intelligence was better than expected, and even her magical ability
reached thirty.
Her history looked pretty peculiar, as well. It seemed that she had
worked for a middle-sized guild, retired at the age of 30, and opened up
a small general store in the square after getting married.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad to hear about her story.
“Miss Kim Mi-young.”
“Ah… Yes.”
“You applied for the Imperial Legal Affairs Team.”
“Yeah.”
“Your history is a little peculiar, but I would like you to tell me about it
yourself. You’re also married… It seems that the rest period is a bit long.
You took ive years off as a result of it.”
“Ah… Yes.”
At this, her expression darkened. I was sure she felt overwhelmed at

this point. Thus, I decided to help her out by asking her a question.
“Your husband…”
“He is dead.”
“I see. I’m sorry. Have you ever had children?”
“I have two. However, it will not interfere with my work.”
“You must have been treated unfairly by your previous guild.”
She fell silent.

At that point, I could already deduce what happened. She probably met
her husband in the guild, got married, and then got pregnant almost
immediately after.
After leaving the guild, she started a business with the money she had
saved, and when the business did not work, her husband must have
gone hunting.
I didn’t know if he died from illness or a monster, but anyway, her dead
husband likely gave way to inancial problems. She hadn’t been able to
apply for jobs right away because she irst had to focus on parenting as
well. She must have had a hard time trying to ind a job afterward.
“During the break, I spent a lot of time trying to not only challenge
myself but also to re lect inward. It was my intention to develop my
skills through various activities.”
That was a lie.
“I see.”
However, I saw no reason to point out her ibbing. That was because
this woman had the best talent I’d seen thus far.
‘Very good.
Having children may be seen as a fault, but in another perspective, it

meant that if I did something on behalf of her kids, she would become a
loyal worker for Blue.
Even her children might become future Blue guild members. Her only
fault was that her rest period had been long. However, I knew she
would exert the effort needed to adjust.
‘Because a mother will do her best for her children.’

More than I can even begin to imagine.
“Do you think you can work actively for us?”
“Yes, of course. I continued to study during my breaks, and I hold an

Imperial Law Level 1 Certi icate. Of course, it needs to be updated, but…
It won’t be hard to do that.”
“I think you know what the situation of our guild is right now.”
“Yeah.”
“I would like to hear why you applied as the legal team of the Blue
Guild.”
After a brief silence, she slowly opened her mouth to speak.
“I thought you would need people who are luent in imperial law. With
imperial law not allowing disputes with other Free Cities, considering
the Blue Guild’s recent incidents, I thought you would formally protest
against the Japanese side. Of course, assuming that Blue has evidence.”
“I see. What if we don’t have any evidence?”
“You might think of a way to put pressure on them that won’t go against
the law. As there are loopholes in modern law, there are also obvious
loopholes in the imperial law.”
“Is there a way?”
She nodded but did not expound any further. She probably believed that
this would be one of her winning traits to get her the job.
I liked it.
“I see… Well, that’s interesting. No, more than that, this is great.”
“I think it’ll be nice to work with you.”
“R-Really?”
“I’m telling you I’m hiring you. As you may already know, you will have
to work unpaid for a year. Of course, it doesn’t mean that you won’t
receive anything. We will pay for your basic living expenses. Afterward,
it would be better to negotiate a salary again. Ah! And, if only you’d be
willing to, I would like to entrust the position of team leader of the legal
team to you. Of course, it will only be possible if you can obtain
achievements during your internship.”
“Oh?”
“You can leave your children at the Guild Facility while you work.
Where do you live now?”
“U-Um… On the outskirts…”
That meant she lived in the slums. That was even better. She had
nowhere else to go.
“It would be better if you live in the Guild House. We will arrange a
room for you and your children.”
“Ah…”
I placed the contract on the table, and her eyes immediately focused on
it. She would probably know more about this than I did. After all, she
was more well-versed in this ield than me.
“Read it and sign it.”
I watched as she lipped through the contact, her suspicious expression
turning into joy.
“You will get busy. This means you probably won’t be able to see your
kids for a few days. Of course, we will prepare everything you’ll need,
from education to future career paths. If you manage to make a
difference, I will also send you to study abroad in the empire’s capital.
Of course, it is provided that your children will also join Blue. All of that
is stated in the contract, Miss Kim Miyoung.”
“Ah… Yes, of course!”
“If you also want to learn the basics of being an adventurer, the guild
also hosts simple swordsmanship classes and magic classes, so both
you and your children can participate.”
“Thank you… Thank you so much.”
There was no reason for her not to sign, considering her children and
their living conditions in the slums. It would be better to serve and stay
in Blue than to live in daily fear in the slums. It didn’t take too long for
her to sign the contract. At this point, I was already smiling,
“Then, I will go to work…”
“Starting now.”
“A-Ah, really?”
“Find a man named Park Deokgu in the lobby, and then you can come to
the Guild House with your children. After organizing your luggage and
going up to the of ice, you can rewrite the employment contract you are
holding. I’m a little ignorant of the law. I made it by referring to what
was in the past, but it looks strange to me.”
“Ah…”
“Please submit it to me after you’re inished with your work, Miss Kim
Miyoung.”
Kim Mi-young stared at me, doubting if she had heard me wrong, but
overall, she wore a pleasant expression.
“W-Will do!”
Ideally, you should never let your employees know that you’d be
treating them as slaves. I couldn’t help but smile as I saw her joyful
expression.
“If you show us acceptable results, we will convert you to a full-time

employee even before the year is up. Do remember that it must be a
convincing achievement.”
“Yes, I will do my best.”

CHAPTER 115
GO TO WORK! (5)
The interview proceeded smoothly and ended successfully. I was

surprised to ind out that there were more talented people like Kim Mi-
young than I had initially thought.
Of course, I found no reason to ire her. I knew desperate people ended

up working better.
Meanwhile, some people found strange questions I asked to be unfair. I

couldn’t blame them. Even I didn’t know what the correct answer
would be.
“All Blue Guild members fell into the water. Explain who you would be
looking for and why.”
“You had been asked to clean all the guilds in Lindel. How much can you
say is the appropriate amount to charge?”
“You went on a dungeon expedition with your colleagues.

Unconditionally, assuming that one person will die during the
expedition, will you or will you not work on this dungeon attack?”
“What would you explain to your 5-year-old child if they ask what
alchemy is?”
All my questions were ridiculous, yet all of them aimed for one
wordinnovation.
It didn’t matter in the irst place because I initially asked these to
people I had no intention of keeping, yet some of their answers ended
up surprising me. Thus, I decided to keep some of them. In the irst
place, I based all my questions on usual questions that companies back
on Earth asked.
In the end, I was able to quell Blue’s previous controversy by

establishing the guild as the new dream workplace for everyone. The
interview process made sure of that.
“In case you do not get accepted, please contact me separately.”
“Why?”
“You may be wondering why you weren’t chosen. Please take a quick
look at your resume and tell me why you think you didn’t get chosen,
and write me a letter about it. This will probably help you out in your
next job interview.”
“Ah, yes… Thank you.”
“No problem.”
I made sure Blue was also known as a guild who cared even for the
dropouts, that it was different from other guilds who sent these people
home without even telling them why they had been eliminated.
At the same time, I did not neglect to make use of my journalist friends.
[Why is Blue Different?]
I sent them an article in the form of an interview with this title, and I
received an embarrassingly hot response. Our followers made sure to
spread the word about our guild.
At this point, the former guild members who had deserted Blue after
the incident with Lee Seolho began to contact us again. Of course, I
refused to let them join once more.
‘I don’t need a bunch of migratory birds.’
It was better to hire a new batch of people who would surely love
working with Blue. This meant that they were swamped with work,
sure, but they were happy with the amenities and privileges that Blue
provided. Plus, they got rewarded whenever they showed good results.
This simple system encouraged Mi-young and the other interns. After
they had successfully adapted, they immersed themselves into their
respective tasks, thereby creating a strange atmosphere of
competitiveness within the workplace.
In short, everything was going smoothly. Nevertheless…
‘I still feel like I’m going to die.’
The fact that I was still busy was undeniable. My daily routine was
simple, in a sense.
I didn’t know why, but I always found myself making excuses just to be
able to see Jung Hayan in her hospital room, seeing as she still hadn’t
woken up. I felt like if I didn’t do this, then I wouldn’t be able to hold
myself together anymore.
There came the point where I felt so distressed that I had even slept
right next to her. I even came to the point of masturbating, thinking that
Jung Hayan would like it if she woke up. However, all I got from doing
that was a sense of self-immolation.
After taking a short break, I still had time to go to the workshop and
study the potions that would soon be shipped off as products. Although
the newlychosen alchemy planning team was doing a lot of work, it was
dif icult to say that my burden had been reduced since there weren’t
many things that they could do in the irst place.
Those who were still on their second jobs were not yet quali ied to be
researchers. After that, meetings were held, the guild was organized,
and detailed work orders were given.
I particularly made sure to give Hwang Jeong-yeon a little more work

and allowed myself some time to resent Kim Hyunsung.
Next, to make it smoother, the public relations strategy, future planning,

imperial legal affairs, and the personnel planning for the future ighting
force were alternated.
I tried to inish the tasks that the interns could not do yet as much as I
could. Of course, I couldn’t ignore particular matters that required Kim
Hyunsung’s approval.
“Kim Hyunsung… You cock-sucker…”
As I muttered this almost unconsciously, I heard a voice speak up.
“What was that, Mr. Kiyoung?”
“It’s nothing, Miss Mi-young. I heard you are doing well recently.”
“Ah. Yes, I am. Thank you, Vice Guild Master.”
“How about your children?”
“It seems that they are very happy because of you. Thank you so much
for helping us out.”
‘Ah, no, I’m more grateful.’

It was interesting how grateful she was to me just because I had helped
her kids out. Among all the people I had chosen to work for Blue, Kim
Mi-young was the best. Given enough time, I was sure that she would be
more than capable of being the team leader.
“No, no. I actually want to thank you for coming to our guild.”
“Yes, of course. Anyway, here are the new iles.”
“Ah. Well done. I think you should rest for today.”
“But the amendments…”
“I’ll have to consult with the Guild Master now. Anyway, you hardly
spend time with your kids.”
At this, Kim Mi-young’s face reddened.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
After Kim Mi-young left, I stood upright after organizing the new
documents. Some particular affairs still needed the Guild Master’s
approval, especially for the riskier matters.
At least, if the results did not turn out to be good, the higher-ups
wouldn’t be able to blame me.
As I made my way up with my head buried in thoughts, a peculiar scene

presented itself to me.
“Huh?”
I could see some Red Mercenary Guild members, the same ones Cha
Heera had sent to protect me in case the assassination would happen
again.
One of the mercenaries opened his mouth, and I worried about why
they were here again.
“Long time, no see.”
“Yeah. It’s been a long time. What brings you here?”
“Our Master is here.”
“Cha Hee-ra?”
“Yes, she’s currently talking to Mr. Hyunsung, the Guild Master of Blue.”
As soon as he inished speaking, the door swung open, revealing Cha

Hee-ra. It had been quite some time since I last saw her, yet I still
couldn’t adapt to her smiling expression.
“Hey, there you are.”
“Hee-ra?”
“Perfect timing. I was just about to look for you.”
Kim Hyunsung’s voice rang out from the open doorway.
“Kiyoung, come in.”
“Ah, yeah.”
I didn’t know what was going on, but anxiety de initely coursed through
my body. I didn’t know what Cha Hee-ra would talk about with Kim
Hyunsung alone. Conversation between two Guild Masters was normal,
but most negotiations with the Red Mercenaries went through me. It
didn’t help that Kim Hyunsung’s facial expression looked as if the sky
itself had collapsed.
‘What happened?’
I had never seen that kind of expression on his face before. What was
strange was that Cha Hee-ra’s expression was the exact opposite.
As my anxiety started to build up, Kim Hyunsung started to speak.
“Nothing happened. We were just talking about a particular meeting.”
“Is this an important meeting?”
“Yeah. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it, so it would be nice to

explain it from the beginning. It is said that the Holy Empire Benigore
holds a party every year, inviting masters of large guilds belonging to
each free city. It is a social event, so to speak.”
“Okay…”
I de initely heard of this in the past, from Cha Hee-ra no less. Of course,
this had nothing to do with us.
Only guilds such as the Black Swans and Red Mercenaries were invited.
Blue was literally just like a newly-starting guild. However, judging from
Cha Heera’s expression, there seemed to be something amiss.
Upon seeing me looking at her, the woman in question started to speak.
“Of course, my Red Mercenaries as well as the Black Swans were

invited.”
“Ah…”
“But I, the Red Mercenary Queen, have formally requested to bring Mr.
Lee Kiyoung with me to the social event.”
“It’s actually more of a plea bargain than a request…”
“A-Ah!”
I realized what had happened in an instant. I was also able to

understand why Kim Hyunsung looked as if he had lost face.
‘Damn! Cha Hee-ra, I love you!’
This meant I would get a break from my job!
I had to resist the urge to kiss her luscious red hair and smiling lips out
of pure appreciation.
“Ah, I see…”
I resisted the urge to control my facial expressions.
This would grant me the chance to take a breather from my tasks, enjoy
a social event, be able to spend some time with Cha Hee-ra and wander
around the empire itself.
I missed being able to rest so much.
“Cha Hee-ra…”
“But, if Mr. Kiyoung, who is in charge of the overall business in our

guild, goes missing… Our situation may become very dif icult, but it
would be helpful for him to go to the capital to meet in luential people.”
As he spoke, Kim Hyunsung’s expression was disastrous.

I was not overcon ident of my abilities, but in fact, it was not an
exaggeration to say that the reason the guild was running well was
because of me, Lee Kiyoung.
It would be obvious as to what would happen if I fell out in this

situation. The tasks on the rest of the members’ shoulders would be
even heavier.
Justice prevails.
It would be natural for Kim Hyunsung not to let me go, but it would not
be a bad exchange if it meant giving us some publicity. That was why his
facial expressions looked complicated yet subtle.
“The Red Mercenary Queen says that if Mr. Kiyoung refuses, she will not
take him.”
“Thank you for coming.”
“Yes, I suppose that’s true…”
Considering Blue, who was always being helped by the Red

Mercenaries, it was natural to accept such a simple request. I wasn’t
doing this just because I wanted to escape my duties.
“Is it then decided? Hyunsung?”
“Yeah. I actually want to thank you, Cha Hee-ra. Opportunities like this
are rare.”
“You look a little bitter, saying all that.”
“Because Kiyoung has so many roles in the guild… Haha. When he’s
away, our jobs will be much harder to do.”
‘Now, it’s your time to cry over work.’

At this moment, I felt very triumphant. My time as a housewife was
over, even if only for a short while.
***
“Hey, is she okay, Miss Hee-young?”
“Yes. I’m not sure why she isn’t up yet, but there seems to be nothing
wrong with her body.”
“It’s good to hear that she’s healthy, but it’s a little worrying that she’s
not waking up. Still, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with her
vitals.”
“You don’t have to worry. She’s as healthy as can be.”
“By the way, did you hear? It seems like Lee Kiyoung is going to the
Imperial Capital this time.”
“Ah, yes. Thanks to it, the guild’s swamped with work. Didn’t they say
that he’d be gone for some time?”
“Probably. I heard that he’d be going with the Red Mercenary Queen. It
seems like the iery boss won’t be here for some time as well.”
“Ah… No!”
“H-Huh?!
“J-Jung Hayan?!”
“Please explain that to me in detail!”

CHAPTER 116
WATERWAY (1)
“Jung Hayan has awakened.”
The news came right after Cha Hee-ra had just left.
The timing itself seemed a bit odd, but I would be lying if I didn’t say
that it didn’t make me happy. What had happened to her still felt so
vivid in my head.
It was ridiculous, but I wanted to see her right away. Of course, it didn’t
mean that I was falling for Hayan, but I was allowed to be affectionate
with her, wasn’t I?
It was still a little too early to call it love. Plus, the fact that she had
saved my life was probably interfering with how I truly felt about her.
“Ah. I’d better go visit her.”
“I will allow the Guild Master to take over the acquisition of work today.
Mr. Park Jung-gi and Miss Mi-young, please review the instructions after
you’ve inished all the work.”
After I tapped them both on the shoulder, I left them to suffer with Kim
Hyunsung and began to make my way towards where Jung Hayan was
kept.
Seeing that it was quiet inside, I was probably the irst to get there.
“Hayan.”
“O-Oh…”
I’ve gone to visit Jung Hayan every day, but this was the irst time I’d be
visiting her awake. However, Hayan looked depressed, scared even, and
I quickly formed a hunch.
‘Perhaps… ’
It must have been because of the vulgar words I’d screamed at her
before she blacked out-me yelling at and telling her to get out of the
way. Thus, it would be natural for her to show such a reaction. Perhaps
she felt like I hated her now.
Jung Hayan was in a precarious state at the time, but she must have
remembered what I said.
For some reason, it felt a little embarrassing to say thank you due to the
awkward atmosphere. I knew she must be feeling the same way.
However, I soon realized I didn’t even need to say anything. The

moment I opened my arms, Jung Hayan bounced between them and
hugged me tightly.
“O-Oppa… H-Hic…”
“Hayan, I’m very grateful and sorry.”
“Oppa…”
Jung Hayan thought of this as an excuse to rub her head against my

chest. Even her weird habits looked cute to me today.
As she looked healthier than usual, the worries in my heart began to
fade away.
“It hurt a lot, right?”
I asked her, stroking her back where there had been many scars. That
was the part that worried me the most.
However, as I slightly lifted her upper garment, a happy gasp escaped

from my lips.
‘There are no scars left.’
Meanwhile, Jung Hayan was staring up at me with a reddened face. I

realized what this looked like to her and promptly released her top, my
cheeks reddening.
Of course, her expression shifted into one of disappointment as I did so.
“You’re ine now, thank goodness.”
“Ah… Well, thank you for your concern, Oppa.”
“It’s natural for me to worry. You can’t do that next time, Hayan.”
“Of course…”
“I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Yes, Oppa.”
As I stroked her cheek gently, her body trembled, much like a frightened
animal. Though it was not much different from the usual, I probably
regarded her a bit differently this time.
I felt sincerely grateful to her and worried about her wellbeing. She
must have had a hard time trying to adjust to the way I was looking at
her now. I could understand Jung Hayan’s feelings of affection for me
now.
It was then that, all of a sudden, she let out a little scream.
“Ah!”
“W-What…”
Jung Hayan began to breathe harshly, embracing her stomach and

seemingly in pain.
“Where does it hurt?”
“I’m ine. I’m ine.”
Her expression started to change as she replied, and I could see her
struggling to calm herself down.
“Are you really okay?”
“Yes, Oppa. My stomach just hurts a little… The wound from the knife
gets sore a lot.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to bring in Hee-young?”
“No, no, it’s ine… This is just a little pain…”
It felt unsettling to see her act this way. My feelings of worry came back,
this time, for a different reason altogether.
This was the same feeling back in the Cursed Shrine expedition. It felt
like Jung Hayan would start to harm herself if I left her alone. I knew
she was not really in pain.
Therefore, the only thing to do was to correct Hayan’s abnormal
behavior from the very beginning. What really annoyed me was the fact
that…
‘My heart is weakening.’
My conscience kept replaying the memory of Jung Hayan holding onto

me while bleeding nonstop. I could still feel the hot blood and her voice,
whispering that she would protect me.
I guiltily wondered if I should doubt her acting. It wouldn’t be bad to

play along for once.
Jung Hayan got stabbed instead of you… Think of that.’
As I quietly stroked her head once more, Hayan continued trembling.
“Ah… It hurts…”
“I think I should call Sun Hee-young in now…”
“Ah, no… It feels better when Oppa strokes the affected area…”
At this point, it felt ridiculous to continue going with the low.
However, it was then that Jung Hayan raised her top, exposing her bare
lesh to me. I reached out to stroke the skin, and her expression shifted.
‘Ah, is she expecting a prize?’
If so, there was no reason to hesitate.
I placed my hand on her stomach, and her expression changed

completely.
All the while, Jung Hayan kept mumbling about being in pain, but I
knew that she was just pretending at this point. In fact, she looked as if
she had just been given the entire world.
“Are you okay now?”
“Uh, a little further down than that…”
“Here?”
“Further…”
“How about here?”
“Just a little further down…”
‘Fuck, how far do I have to go?’
“A little further down… Oppa, just a little more…”
‘Hayan, stop telling me to go further down… ’
“Just a little more… ’
‘Stop’
Something had changed in Jung Hayan. It felt like she had appealed to
my sympathy for her, turned it into some kind of trick, and used it to
her advantage.
Was she learning this from me? She had de initely changed. I shook my
head to rid myself of these thoughts. Jung Hayan was still a kid, after all.
‘Still, though, it wouldn’t hurt to try.’

In the irst place, Jung Hayan didn’t have a talent for this kind of thing.
However, I felt like I could not stop at this point, even if I wanted to.
Seeing as she continued to goad me to trail my hand further down, she

would get what she wanted soon enough.
As I inally started to give in and give her her reward, I felt a voice speak
up from behind us.
“Where are you sick?” It was Sun Hee-young.
“I went to ind my Hyung, but it appears as if he was already here.”
“Hayan, I’m glad you’re awake.”
It wasn’t just her.
There was Park Deokgu, who looked at us with a knowing expression,

and Kim Ye-ri, whose eyes were being covered by an embarrassed Kim
Hyunsung.
“I already know this,” Kim Ye-ri’s soft voice drifted out. “You’re about to
make a child…”
‘What is this kid saying?’
My face turned red in an instant. I quietly mumbled as I pulled my arm

out, hoping no one would notice.
“It’s because Jung Hayan had a stomachache. I was just checking it out.”
“Yeah… Oh, I’m sure we weren’t interrupting anything.”
“Would it be better for us to come back later on?”
‘Park Deokgu, you bastard.’

“No, no, I really was just checking it out.”
For the irst time, I could understand why Jung Hayan liked to stutter.
Past the incident, however, our party seemed glad to be reunited once
again. Everyone laughed but did not say anything about it, happy
expressions apparent on their faces. Even Jung Hayan, whose cheeks
were bright red, seemed happy.
Of course, we couldn’t forget that the guild was still very busy.
Nevertheless, it was nice for everyone to stop by to spend some time
together. It was only for a short while, but I was happy that we could
have a conversation together once more.
Of course, as the chattiest one, Park Deokgu enjoyed this reunion the
most. My ears had gone sore.
“Well, I was really surprised! When I told her that my Hyung was going
to the capital, Hayan suddenly opened her eyes! I think this is what we
call the power of love! Ahh!”
“It was only a matter of time until I would wake up, Deokgu. It’s all
thanks to the perfect treatments I’ve been receiving.”
“Ah, I see.”
“I was really surprised to wake up, myself…”
‘Huh.’
Inferring from Park Deokgu’s story, I had doubts about whether Jung
Hayan had woken up earlier or not. However, that wasn’t important
right now.
I felt more worried about her stable reaction. According to Park

Deokgu, she already knew that I was leaving for the capital.
At this point, I had already expected her to cry or to throw a tantrum.
As thought about this, someone else spoke up.
“Ah, it must be so hard for Hayan…”
‘Ah, shit.
“Shouldn’t she come with Hyung? Isn’t that a good idea?”
This pig… ’
“The Mercenary Queen has given her permission, Kiyoung. I’ve thought
about it a little, and I’ve decided on the fact that Jung Hayan is indeed
still un it for work.”
‘Ah, then you’re de initely blind.’
“I think being with Kiyoung will help her mentally.”
I knew they just didn’t want to deal with Jung Hayan after I left.
Kim Hyunsung, even you…
They were all de initely aiming for me.

CHAPTER 117
WATERWAY (2)
Kim Hyunsung’s expression noti ied me of his desperation.
I knew he wanted me to bring Jung Hayan along, for she wouldn’t be

able to help with the workload here anyway. Though she possessed
high intelligence, Hayan had no aptitude for work.
If she were with me, her ef iciency would increase. If she stayed behind,
she would just end up being a hindrance to everyone. Kim Hyunsung,
who had already gone through an entire expedition with her without
me, knew just how stressful this was.
After all, Jung Hayan tended to throw tantrums and whatnot in my

absence. Hyunsung, with all his work, wouldn’t even be able to take
care of her. Even Park Deokgu seemed to side with him.
‘You bastard.
The problem was that it would be dif icult to take responsibility for
Jung Hayan. As Cha Hee-ra’s Gigolo, it would be hard to bring her along
to the party.
Not only would it interfere with hosting a conversation with the Holy
Empire’s nobles, but it would also be hard to emphasize my friendship
with the Red Mercenary Queen.
Plus, this was supposed to be my vacation. I had to try and rebel.

“I think it would be nice to go together, but as you can see, Jung Hayan
isn’t feeling well. I’m afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle such a long
trip…”
“Ah!”
“She was complaining of abdominal pain just now.”
“I’m okay now! Really!”
Jung Hayan!
Now I knew for sure that she was just pretending to be sick.
“No, Hayan, you still need to be stabilized…”
“Oh, but Hayan is the most stable when she’s beside you.”
“Ah, that’s right, Deokgu Oppa.”
It wouldn’t be too long before I had to leave. I wanted to ind a way to

make Hayan stay behind, but I couldn’t ind a counterattack for the logic
they had presented to me.
“Oh, and by the way, isn’t love the sweetest and most effective
recovery?”
‘What kind of logic is that?’
“No, Deokgu. Actually, Mr. Kiyoung has a point. Although her body has
fully recovered, she will still need a stabilizer. Mhh, there doesn’t seem
to be anything wrong with her body and magic power…
“That’s why she just needs some peace of mind, Sun Hee-young.”
I could already feel that they had planned this setup right from the
moment Cha Hee-ra had decided to take me along for the event.
The tanking power of Park Deokgu, who ignored my remarks, coupled

with Kim Hyunsung’s logic, rendered me helpless.
At this point, there was nothing I could say to get me out of this
situation.
The options were already set. I felt utterly bitter about it.
“I can’t help it then. We’ll go together.”
“Great…”
“You thought well.”
“Nice, Hayan!”
“Hehe…”
As the loser lowered his head, the winners openly celebrated. A sigh
escaped me. I had no other choice but to educate Jung Hayan.
‘In particular, I should educate her about Cha Hee-ra.
“Speaking of which, the time has already come.”
“Kiyoung and Jung Hayan need time to get ready.”
“Yes, but before that, I have to oversee the handover.”
“Ah, I see. Have you already packed your luggage?”
“Yes, of course. Just bring it right down.”

I felt like running away without settling things, but I knew the guild
would suffer if I did.
Although most of the tasks had already been relayed to Hwang Jeong-
yeon, there was a difference between having her tell them to Kim
Hyunsung and having me tell it to him myself.
Since there wasn’t much time left, all I could do was explain the best I
could while showing him the previously prepared documents. Kim
Hyunsung simply nodded.
Our Hyunsung was not stupid. He would be able to handle all the work.
And, in actuality, there wasn’t a lot for him to do.
“It won’t be that big of a deal. We have also hired new personnel, and
the division of work has been clearly re-established. You just need to
understand and organize the sorted documents, and you just have to
con irm your decision as the inal manager of whatever needs to be
con irmed.”
“Okay.”
“The Pension Planning Of ice can report to Jeong-yeon, and the Imperial
Legal Team can report to the newly arrived team leader Kim Mi-young.
We have prepared all guidelines for the work entrusted to the division,
so please check all production and distribution lines yourself.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“You can also check the entire Crisis Response Committee, and…”
As I continued to talk, Kim Hyunsung’s expression began to change. He

probably only just now realized that I had done so much for the guild. I
could already guess what he was thinking of.
‘Lee Kiyoung is such a competent person.’

It wasn’t actually a matter of competence. I just needed to ind talented
people to come to work for us. Though I didn’t like working, I did my
best to uplift our current situation.
However, the truth remained that this wouldn’t have been possible if we
did not have such talented recruits. We were able to settle to some
extent because of their hard work.
Whatever the reason, I was glad that Kim Hyunsung had, once again,
seen me in a new light.
“You can take care of Kim Mi-young yourself.’
At this point, Hyunsung’s expression turned to guilt. He probably felt

bad for forcing Jung Hayan on me.
T’ve already forgiven you, Kim Hyunsung. You don’t need to worry.’
“That… Thank you.”
“Jeong-yeon is already familiar with most of the guidelines.”
I wanted to say more, but I already felt sorry for Hwang Jeong-yeon, so I
refrained from doing so.
As I continued to explain, I felt the minutes tick by. Though I wanted to

be as detailed as possible, I knew I couldn’t make Cha Hee-ra wait any
longer.
“I need to go, Hyunsung.”
“Of course. By the time you return, the guild will be a little more
relaxed. On the work side, of course.”
“I’m sorry for making you feel as if I’ve escaped from my work.”
“There is no need to be sorry. It will be a good opportunity for Blue as
well. I also had a bit of work to do, but… but so did Deokgu and Kim Ye-
ri with her training. I thought it’d be nice to get some new parties for
any upcoming quests or expeditions.”
“Hahaha, alright.”
“Thank you.”
“No. That was what I wanted to say.”
The warm farewell felt like a death lag to me, but I knew nothing would
happen.
As usual, Blue would focus on restoring previous damage and returning

the guild to normal, while Park Deokgu would continue to grow, as well
as Kim Ye-ri, who already had excellent potential.
From then on, it would be natural for more talented people to lock to
Blue. Perhaps Kim Hyunsung already knew about who to recruit. As
Kim Hyunsung looked at me affectionately, my heart squeezed.
Don’t stare at me like that. I know how you feel, motherfucker.’
As I held out my hand, Kim Hyunsung clasped it over his. As I stepped

closer, 1 thought about hugging him, but that felt awkward for some
reason.
Resisting the urge to smile, Kim Hyunsung simply patted me on the

back.
‘Ah, stop being so handsome.’
After that embarrassing moment, Park Deokgu approached me as well.
“Ah, Hyung…”
We settled for bumping ists. I had no intention of hugging Deokgu,
either. Considering his build, I would de initely get hurt.
“Always remember, Deokgu. If I can do it, you can do better.”
“It has already been engraved into my heart.”
“And share some meals with Jeong-yeon. She’s been eager to talk to
you.”
“What?!”
“And Hee-young, take care of yourself. It won’t take long, but…”
“Of course. Just continue to work hard, Kiyoung.”
“Volunteer work is prohibited while I am away. Wait for me to return,

okay?”
“Alright…”
“You too, little kid.”
“Yes. Please be safe, uncle.”
I looked up to see Jung Hayan holding her bag and drifting by the sides,
unsure whether or not I would abandon her.
As we opened the door of the Guild House, I could see Cha Hee-ra
waiting outside. However, what caught my attention was the beast
standing behind her.
“Huh?”
This was an animal with large wings resembling a bird’s, paired with a
beast’s body. This was a monster that I had only ever heard in
mythology.
“A griffon?”
“There are only two of these in Lindel. This guy is perfect for long-
distance travel. They even tried to mass-produce animals like him in the
Holy Empire but failed. That’s how rare they are.”
“Ah…”
“I didn’t know there would be three of us. I don’t know if he’d like that.
This was supposed to be a two-man ride.”
“Aren’t the other Red Mercenary members going?”
“The rest of the people will follow on land. Wouldn’t it be convenient for
us to go irst? I’ve been to the capital, but I barely have enough time to
enjoy it. Get on quickly. I suggest you hold on tight because I’ll be the
one in front.”
I nodded and followed her instructions, but I couldn’t shake my nerves

away. Of course, it was only natural for me to feel scared.
As the beast’s body trembled, I had no choice but to grasp Cha Hee-ra’s
waist tightly. She smelled good and was soft to the touch, but I couldn’t
afford to get drunk on her.
“Ugh…”
‘It hurts… ’
“Yikes!”
Meanwhile, Jung Hayan angrily kept trying to pull me away from Cha
Hee-ra. If I did, however, I didn’t think we’d survive the fall.
‘If I fall, we both die, Hayan. Please stop pulling.
It already felt like I was going to die this early on.
As the Griffon slowly rose into the air, the guild members waving their
hands as a farewell gesture gradually began to minimize in size.
Hwang Jeong-yeon and Lee Sang-hee, who could not come out to say
goodbye, settled for waving from the windows. The same went for Park
Jung-gi and Kim Mi-young.
“It took you a while to say goodbye to everyone. I didn’t take you for
that type of person, sweetheart.”
“I’m a person, too, Nuna. A person.”
“I didn’t think you had a cute side. Hold onto me tightly. Be careful not
to fall off.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice. As I did so, a voice called out from
below us.
“Hyung! Hayan! Oh, when you return to the guild, you have to come
back as three people!”
Keep dreaming, Deokgu.’
Even if we came back after two years, there would be no such thing.
Meanwhile, Jung Hayan nodded.
Don’t make any promises, Hayan.’
It wasn’t bad to hear Park Deokgu like that again. The irst time I heard
that sound of his was when he irst arrived in Lindel.
‘What did he say? World, Park Deokgu is here?’

I couldn’t remember properly, but I knew it was somewhere along
those lines.
As we continued to rise into the air, I mustered the courage to look

below us and understood why Park Deokgu had shouted like that.
‘It looks so small… ’
The continent looked so small, almost as if it would it perfectly in the

palm of my hand.
CHAPTER 118
SHAMAN (1)
“How does it feel to ly high in the sky?”
“It feels good, Hee-ra.”
It was a little scary, but it didn’t feel bad. It certainly felt like a privilege
to be able to see the vast continent all at once.
Unlike other public transportation methods, it had the disadvantage of

discomfort, but the view made it all worth it. In particular, what stood
out was the magni icent, natural environment, the huge waterfalls, trees,
forests, and large cliffs.
I don’t remember seeing all of the tourist attractions on Earth, but I bet
the things I’m seeing up here are incomparable to those on Earth.
“It’s magni icent.”
“Because this is where the monsters are. It’s not an environment where
you can develop things like on Earth, right? Without the monsters, the
trees below would have been cut down and cleared immediately. It’s a
valuable resource.”
Cha Hee-ra was right.
It must be because of the ecosystem that the area had maintained its
astonishing beauty. In short, these monsters were the protectors of
nature.
I’ve heard once that a writer compared humans to cancer cells on Earth.
If you think of it as a sympathetic statement, the monsters living here
are vaccines that eradicate cancer cells. Without them, I would never
have been able to witness this.
‘Is the tourism business worth doing?’
I felt embarrassed by my line of thoughts.
“Oppa…”
It was then that Jung Hayan spoke. She must have felt alienated during
my time spent talking with Cha Hee-ra.
Since I’m proud that she was patient thus far, I lightly stroked her hand.
I half-expected her to act similarly as to how she did back in the Cursed
Shrine, so it pleased me when she didn’t.
It was not clear as to why she was behaving, but I had a hunch.
‘Is it because Cha Hee-ra saved my life?’
Probably so. This was all dangerous, after all.
The danger was doubled – even tripled – once you stepped out of the
city. Jung Hayan knew this, as she had already been the victim of such an
attack.
Either way, I was glad that we had gone past her plans of isolating us in
the dungeon forever.
‘A woman she could be anxious about, yet still, protect her man at the
same time… ’
This was probably how Jung Hayan saw Cha Hee-ra now. As a result, I
could feel Jung Hayan evolving. On another hand, however, I still felt
uneasy.
As I busied myself with my thoughts, the time passed us by. After lying
for over half a day, a landscape that was entirely different from Lindel’s
presented itself to us.
“Wow!”
Jung Hayan couldn’t help but squeal, and I couldn’t help but join her.
“Wow…”
“You’ve never seen it before, have you?”
At Cha Hee-ra’s question, it was only natural for me to nod.
The whole area displayed gothic architecture, with a huge temple

re lecting in the glow of the sunset, and even though I had only seen it
from a distance, its grandeur was visible.
“Huh. That’s great.”
I could see some griffons lying in the air to see if other people were
coming here besides us. Perhaps Guild Masters that were not from Korea
were also coming.
Looking down, I could see the inhabitants of the Holy Empire Benigore,
dressed up in style more sophisticated than I would have imagined.
None of them looked dirty or unsanitary.
“The civilization here is not as backward as we think it is. Rather, it has a

long history and tradition. Residents and nobles alike are proud of their
culture, and they have the power and intelligence to match that pride. In
fact, in the Holy Empire, there are strong people like me who stand out.”
“It de initely looks like that…”
“You better not look at them too stupidly, baby. There aren’t too many
players looking down at the imperialists.”
“Thanks for the advice, Hee-ra.”
Cha Hee-ra was right. Even when I checked the soldier’s stats with my
ability, I realized that their stats overpowered Lindel’s every time.
Of course, when we compared individuals, the power we had was better,

but the comparison was inevitable since there was a vast population
difference.
I knew that they had power, but I didn’t imagine it to be to this extent.
‘If you had the same power as Cha Hee-ra… ’
There would be no madman who would dare invade the Holy Empire.
Sure, there were some in the past, but they were all dead now.
“The restaurant over there is pretty good. The food they serve is
delicious. There are also a lot of quality goods in the blacksmithing shop
over there. Sometimes, weapons that are of heroic-class come out, and
their price is lower than Lindel’s. Oh, some players also have roots in the
capital. Getting permission is a bit tricky, but once you get a seat, you
could believe that you’ll enjoy the empire more.”
“People live the same wherever they live.”
Cha Hee-ra was more talkative than I initially thought.
Of course, it wasn’t because she was simply with me. She must’ve felt
excited to be able to tour the capital after a long time, considering her
spontaneous personality.
“And that’s what we’ll be doing for the time being, since staying indoors
would become very boring.”
Our griffon continued to ly towards the castle as Cha Hee-ra continued

explaining her capital tour plan in great detail. I alternated between
listening to her and assessing the stats of the people below me.
When the griffon landed in what seemed to be the landing site, some of
the imperial soldiers on standby came to greet us.
The eldest soldier was the most striking as he was adorned in luxurious,
heavy armor. Seeing him smile at Cha Hee-ra made me guess that they
had a good relationship.
“It’s been a long time.”
“It de initely has! You look more re ined now. Are you still working?”
“Of course. There are more rumors than that… Let’s see. This is the man
who is reputed to be the Gigolo of the Mercenary Queen.”
“I am Lee Kiyoung.”
I immediately activated my abilities to assess him.
‘Victor Hart, 74 years old, his abilities… ’
He was even more powerful than Cha Hee-ra. No wonder Cha Hee-ra
liked him. With just one strike of his palm, he could probably behead me.
Once he was done assessing me, Victor’s eyes landed on Jung Hayan.
“And that…”
“That is his lover.”
Jung Hayan bit her lips. Although she looked uncomfortable, she bowed
her head and introduced herself.
“Hello, I am Jung Hayan.”
‘Well done, Hayan.’
“The young man looks more capable than I thought…”
“That’s exactly why I brought him here. My baby, I’ll explain more to you
later on. Grandpa, how about a ight?”
“Sure. I have no intention of making the royal palace noisy, however. If

you have time later, please come to me. Tsu. You never change.”
“I haven’t been able to get any exercise. By the way, are we the irst ones
to arrive?”
“No, unfortunately, you’re the second ones. Those from the Free City of
Celia have been waiting for a long time.”
“Who?”
“Kasugano Yuno.”
“The shaman?”
“Yes, I don’t know why…”
“For a woman who always came late, this is a irst…”
The two seemed very invested in their conversation. The old man Victor
doesn’t seem to pay much attention here.
Actually, this was better.
Getting attention just for being the lover of the Mercenary Queen can
make it annoying to move around.
As they continued to talk, Jung Hayan slipped by my side, seemingly

excited.
I wanted to say something, but I was more interested in trying to hear

what Victor and Cha Hee-ra were saying. The insigni icant conversations
of those in power proved to be very good information for people like me.
Kasugano Yuno?
Perhaps she was the person who ran a large guild in Japan. At least, it
does not seem to be the Yamato guild, as Cha Hee-ra did not show much
hostility. As I decided to store this information in my head, a woman in a
modest out it showed up.
‘Is she Japanese?’
No, she looked neat, not modest. Several people followed closely behind
her, as if ready to assist her at any given time. After all, the woman
herself was walking with her eyes closed. Her long, braided hair reached
the ground, and the calm way she presented herself was very
impressive.
[Check player Kasugano Yuno’s status window and potential.]
[An eye that sees through the essence and the past and future resists the
ability.]
‘Shit… ’
I instantly lowered my head. I had never expected to come across such a

case.
However, the status window changed as soon as I felt scared about being
caught red-handed in stealing information.
[Player Yuno Kasugano opens her status window and potential ability by
herself.]
‘What is this?
[Check player Kasugano Yuno’s status window and potential.]
[Name-Yuno Kasugano]
[Title-Quiet Shaman]
[Age-20]
[ALIGNMENT-Fallen Seeker]
[Occupation-Shaman-Legendary Grade]
[Job Effect-Basic Magic Knowledge Acquisition]
[Job Effect-Advanced Magic Knowledge Acquisition]
[Occupational Effects-Advanced Magic Knowledge Acquisition]
[Job Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Astrology Knowledge]
[Capacity]
[Strength – 13/Growth Limit: Less than normal]
[Agility-20/Growth Limit: Normal growth limit or less]

[Health – 17/Growth Limit: Less than normal]
[Intellect-89/Growth Limit: Heroic or higher]
[Durability-15/Growth Limit: Less than normal]
[Luck-00/Growth Limit: Legendary or higher]
[Magic-96/Growth Limit: Legendary or higher]
[Equipment-None]
[Talent-Essence and eyes that see through the past and future-
Legendary grade]
[General review-This is a legendary shaman. She has a terrible level of

strength, agility, stamina, and durability, but her luck, intelligence, and
magical potential are high, so she has very good stats for the rear. Just
because she has less than normal stats, please don’t think you are
similar. She’s essentially a different kind of person from player Lee
Kiyoung. It can be said that the ef iciency of the legendary trait and her
occupation is good, but her condition doesn’t look good because of
contamination from something. I wouldn’t recommend being too close.]
‘What… ’
Legendary traits, legendary jobs, and legendary potential stats. She was
the kind of person that could easily be classi ied as the strongest out of
everyone.
It was the irst time I had seen a person with such a high luck potential,
yet I was very worried about her other stats.
Of course, what was more worrying than that was…
‘What… ’
She was facing my direction, even with her eyes closed.
‘What?
Tears fell down those shut eyes.

CHAPTER 119
SHAMAN (2)
‘What… Why is she crying?’
Her eyes were basically nonexistent. I wasn’t sure, but I had a feeling
that she was blind. Nevertheless, she was looking in my direction.
I could no longer comprehend the situation at hand. Seeing the tears

streaming down her face, I felt confused and distraught. I looked
around me anxiously, but it was obvious that she was heading towards
me.
‘What…
She furtively avoided her gaze and stopped for a bit.
Seeing her quietly wiping her tears with a handkerchief, it seems she
didn’t even realize she was crying.
More than anything…
‘It’s hard just trying to read her expression.’
Of course, this might also be because I was trying my hardest not to

look at her. It was hard to grasp the concept of her having the
propensity of a fallen seeker, and I didn’t even know what kind of crazy
trait was the eye that could see through the essence, the future, and the
past. All I knew was that her eyes could see way further than mine
would ever do.
In other words, I met someone I wouldn’t be able to understand at all.
‘Fuck…
There was nothing as annoying as meeting someone unpredictable.
I knew Cha Hee-ra felt uncomfortable, as she did not know how this
particular woman would behave. At least Jung Hayan was honest with
her feelings. How this shaman chose to react in front of me was already
way out of my expectations.
No wonder I couldn’t understand her. As I stepped back, Cha Hee-ra

took a step forward.
Ah, Cha Hee-ra…”
“What are you doing?”
“It’s been a long time, Cha Hee-ra.”
“Yea, it’s been a long time, whatever… What brought you here all of a
sudden? And with tears scattering like that…”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just came to say hello.”
“To whom? We weren’t close enough to do that. No, it seemed like you
had some business with my baby rather than me… I’m not wrong,
right?”
“It’s not like that. I just… I really just came to say hello, Cha Hee-ra.”
“You know we’re a bit sensitive because of those motherfuckers in Celia

right now, right?”
She fell silent.

“I don’t know if you’re involved or not, but honestly, the junk over there
doesn’t look very good. I should know what kind of rubbish you’ll be
doing again. You came to say hello to me in this situation… You stupid
woman. If it wasn’t for a strong castle, you’d be dead.”
“I don’t know what’s going on… exactly…”
“If you don’t know, shut up and get out of my sight. I don’t know if you
really don’t know or if you’re pretending not, but my baby seems to be a
little uneasy.”
I didn’t feel anything negative from Yuno Kasugano, so I felt like Cha
Hee-ra was too harsh. However, I supposed it was only right to feel
sensitive from the attack on Lindel.
Of course, assuming that the shaman is showing a different behavior

than usual, Cha Hee-ra’s reaction makes sense.
Considering the conversation between Cha Hee-ra and Victor, the

shaman herself didn’t seem very passionate about this meeting.
However, she still arrived early and had even come to ‘greet’ us, which
was already quite suspicious when assessed logically.
Soon enough, the people who stood close behind Yuno Kasugano did
not take to Cha Hee-ra’s words very kindly.
“You’ve always been so harsh, Cha Hee-ra.”
“Yuno-sama is always…”
“I said shut up, trash.”
As the situation escalated, magic power began to form in the

atmosphere. It was then that Yuno, who had been silent for some time,
opened her mouth.
“Oh, no. Everyone, you can stop. I guess I really did act too abruptly.”
“To Cha Hee-ra, as well as to everyone else. We sincerely apologize for

any inconvenience we have caused. And if Celia has done anything
wrong, then we apologize on their behalf.”
As Yuno bowed down, her calm voice rang out towards us. Even Victor
was silently staring at Cha Hee-ra as if telling her to respond to the
sincere apology.
I could understand him. After all, a ight breaking out between two
powerful ighters right in the middle of the empire would not look
good.
“I accept your apology.”
‘Not bad, Hee-ra.’
“Then I’ll take that as my cue to leave. Please have a good time…”
The Mercenary Queen nodded, and the shaman quietly began to go

back the way she had come. That was when a voice drifted into my ear.
-Please come to my room when you have the time. It is located on the
2nd loor of the West Building.
‘What… ’
As I looked around, I realized I was the only one who could hear the
voice.
-I hope you come.
‘What a shitty situation… ’

Nothing about this made sense at all. Why was she looking for me? Did
she actually shed tears for me?
Why would she invite me to her own room, feels like everything is
shrouded in a veil.
‘It isn’t to spend a heated night… ’
I would have enjoyed receiving such an offer if this were at a bar in

some random hotel.
Obviously, I needed more information. At that moment, I heard Cha

Hee-ra looking here and whining.
“I can’t igure out what you’re thinking, it’s creepy.”
“Do you know her, Hee-ra?”
“This is our second conversation. It’s really amazing to see her talking
like that… It’s the irst time she’s spoken so long.”
“I heard she entered this place about ive years ago before establishing
a guild in Celia. She is the owner of Yozora, an emerging guild that is
very successful now. We don’t know much about her, to be honest. Some
people say that she can see the future and the past or see things that
others cannot. It sounds like bullshit, but from the way she acts… Well, I
can’t exactly say she’s lying, can 1? I hardly know a thing about her.”
“Don’t look at me like that, honey. My fellow Red Mercenaries and Black
Swans are sure to be familiar with them. Once they arrive, we can ask
them.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, I know one thing about her for sure, though.”

“What’s that?”
“That woman is blind.”
“Um, yeah, I could tell that much…”
I felt like I wouldn’t be able to rely on Cha Hee-ra, information-wise. In

the irst place, I should have prepared myself for this a little more
accordingly.
“That woman is a little strange, Oppa.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. There’s something weird about her… Something I can’t explain.”
Jung Hayan didn’t really talk to people in the irst place, but she already
appeared to harbor a deep dislike for Yuno Kasugano.
It felt embarrassing to see her sticking closely to my side.
“Old man, can we just go in?”
“Sure, sure. Now, where should we eat…”
“We’ll just grab a bite at this restaurant today. No, just have people send
it to the room. After two hours… I’m a little tired after a long distance
light.”
“You were saying something about dueling?”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“Well, do whatever you like. As I always say, making useless trouble…”

“I know, I know, I shouldn’t start ights. I couldn’t help but feel a little
sensitive, though… Do you even know what happened back at Lindel?”
“I know, but Hee-ra, if you have anything to protest, it is only right to

make a formal complaint through the agency. You are too hotheaded…”
“I know.”
“Tsk. Let’s go upstairs.”
“I’ll see you again tomorrow.”
Seeing how casual Cha Hee-ra felt as she moved within the place gave
me an idea of just how good the people here treated her.
“The food here is not bad. It’s a little greasy, but it’s ine eating once in a
while. Let’s go to the room irst.”
Seeing as it was our irst time, Jung Hayan and I had no choice but to
rely on Cha Hee-ra. I was sure we looked like two puppies chasing after
our mother.
After going down a light of stairs, we soon arrived in front of Cha Hee-
ra’s door.
When I opened the door, a colossal area greeted me.
The area looked so spacious, It could accommodate four or ive people.

I had never been to an expensive hotel, but I knew none of their suites
could compare to this.
“I have a lot of rooms anyway, so just pick one. There are also two
toilets.”
“It looks great.”

“That’s because this was the room I got from the empire… Isn’t it a bit
useful? Actually, it’s okay to stop by occasionally and stay for a while. I
don’t like these things very much, but it’s good to feel luxurious every
now and then. Help yourselves while waiting for the food. We have
about two hours. I have something to do now, so I’ll be going out.”
“Alright.”
“If you’re bored, you can roam around as well. No one will try to hurt
you anyway. It’s not dangerous in these parts.”
“Yes. Okay.”
Maybe there’s a reason why Cha Heera came so early. I don’t know for
sure, but she must have an urgent work-related thing. She seems a little
preoccupied while taking her stuff out and closing the door.
As soon as she left, Jung Hayan jumped onto one of the luffy beds,
reveling in its comfort. I thought of taking a breather but stopped
myself.
‘I might as well do something now.’
I couldn’t afford to pay attention to Jung Hayan for the moment, and the
reason for this was obvious. It was because of the shaman.
‘I would like you to come to my room when you have time. It is located
on the 2nd loor of the West Building.’
The voice that had whispered to me so earnestly kept repeating itself in

my head.
It could be a trap, but I doubted that someone would dare harm me

being this close to the capital.
More than anything, when I thought she knew about my mind’s eyes
attribute, it was inevitable that I should go ind her.
No matter what happens it’s right to have a conversation at least once.
It’s no exaggeration to say that my mind’s eye is actually my

breadwinner. It was the only weapon I could use with various low stats,
I honestly don’t like the idea of people knowing the existence of such a
weapon.
Since Cha Hee-ra went out… ’
If I had a chance, now would be the best timing. In the worst case
scenario, I had to ind a way to get rid of her somehow.
“Hayan.”
“Yeah?”
“I think I should head out for a while.”
“Oh, sure!”
“Can you wait for me here?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”
Though she looked reluctant, Jung Hayan did not try to stop me. I left
quickly before I could take in the sight of her looking like an abandoned
puppy.
As I went on my way, I made sure to ask the numerous servants for

directions, leaving as much of an impression as I could. I needed them
to be informed of where I would be going in case I really was headed
right into a trap.
‘If it’s a trap… ’
I felt anxious, but I knew this was unlikely. If something went wrong, I
knew a signal would be sent to Jung Hayan right away.
As I headed towards the shaman, I slipped a hand into my bag and

stroked the quiet Juliana.
‘Even Juliana didn’t react… ’
It hadn’t judged Kasugano as an enemy.
Still, I refused to let down my guard. If I died now, all my work with Lee
Seolho would be for nothing, and the problems back in Blue would only
become bigger.
Eventually, I caught sight of members of the Yozora Guild guarding the

area. As if they were told to wait for me, they greeted me as I
approached them.
“You can go into this room.”
“Oh, alright.”
“However, that weapon…”
One of the men looked warily at Juliana, but he couldn’t seem to get the
words out. It was at this moment that a voice rang out from the door
they had been guarding.
“It doesn’t matter. Please let him in.”
“Yes, shaman-nim.”
The moment they opened the door for me, I could see Kasugano Yuno
kneeling down, her eyes closed. I wondered if any danger awaited me,
so I gripped Juliana once more. Still, she was unresponsive.
“I have been waiting for you.”
“My…”
“…”
“Oh, Master.”
It’s a spectacle seeing her slowly bowing to me with her outer clothes
off.
Tears once again poured down Kasugano’s face, which exhibited pure
joy. It didn’t seem like she was lying, but this whole situation just
seemed bizarre to me.
“Ah, my Master. I have been waiting for you for a long time.”
Oh no, she’s a crazy bitch.’
“Peal and punish this bad servant… My master.”
‘Fuck…
As I glanced around, I caught sight of the strange tools that I had never
even seen before.
“Please punish me… My Master, my Master.”

“This is crazy!”
I tried to open the door behind me again, but it refused to budge open.
“Please punish this lowly pig…”
“Get me out of here!”
In this crazy situation, I had no choice but to scream.

CHAPTER 120
THE BLACK WORLD (1)
In this crazy situation, I had no choice but to scream. I couldn’t

understand what was going on around me.
‘She’s out of her mind!
The shaman in front of me was simply insane.
I kept trying to open the door, but it was still hopelessly shut. This
hadn’t been the kind of trap I was imagining, and I felt more confused
than ever.
In the meantime, the shaman continued with her onslaught of

nonsensical ramblings.
“Master! Master! I have been waiting for this day for a long time.”
“F-Fuck!”
“My light, my love, my everything.”
“Don’t you dare come near me!”
Seeing her crawling this way made goosebumps rise throughout my

entire body. I had no idea how to respond to her.
‘Should I call Jung Hayan?’

It didn’t matter; if she tried to physically touch me, Jung Hayan would
be alerted anyway. She would realize that something was wrong and
would come to me right away.
No – it was highly probable that she was on her way here right now.
‘Nevertheless…
As I tried to igure out what to do, my lips formed a frown. With the
shaman’s sudden antics, I had completely forgotten the purpose of my
visit. I wanted to ind out why she had called me here, and just how
much she knew about me.
With all the ruckus, I must have stepped back unknowingly, for I felt my
back hit the door. However, Kasugano had not gone too far from her
original position just moments ago.
The door was locked, but it seemed like she had no intention of
harming me.
‘If she tried to do something… ’
She would’ve done it already.
Even now, she seemed uneasy, her body trembling, but I felt like now
would be the right time to have a conversation. For a moment, I thought
pretending to be her so-called master would be more effective, but I
quickly realized that that would be a bad idea.
Considering her ability, she would see through me in an instant.
As I calmed myself and sat myself down on a nearby chair, I could see
the woman staring at me expectantly. It felt weird to be gazed at in that
manner, and as I looked behind me, I was reminded of the weird tools
that had been the irst things to come into my sight ever since I entered
the room.
‘Why are they here in the irst place… ’
“Ahhhhhh…”
Please don’t make that sound.’
“Master… ’
Don’t even think about it.’
I soon regretted choosing to sit down. However, I really had to start a

conversation with her. The only problem was, I didn’t know how exactly
should start. Should I lead? Or should I go with her low?
Meanwhile, the shaman kept crying for punishment, a miserable

expression on her face.
As I had apparently spent too much time mulling over my thoughts, she
opened her mouth irst.
“Please, don’t be formal with me.”
That was better.
“Do you know who I am?”
“You are my only master.”
“That’s not the point of the question. I mean, do you know exactly who I
am?”
“I know nothing but the fact that you are my master.”
‘What kind of shitty situation is this?’

“I was able to realize it the moment I irst saw you. You were the one I
have been looking for. And the mind that saw through everything…”
“So, you do know.”
“I’m sorry if I’m being too unpleasant…”
‘Stop.
“To be honest, it’s a little embarrassing. I don’t even know what you’re
talking about. I’ve never even seen you before. I wanted to know why,
so I came here, but your behavior… You’re right. It feels very
unpleasant.”
“I’m sorry. My, I couldn’t igure out my master’s feelings… I’m so sorry,
I’m such a mistake… Please do kill me…”
“What am I going to do… I felt so excited and was unable to grasp the
situation properly… Please do forgive me!”
‘She’s not acting.
Those were genuine tears falling down her face, which confused me
even further. Because of this, I could tell that she wasn’t lying.
I just had to ind out if she could really see the future or the past, as
such an explanation was already written in her ability’s description.
[Talent-Legendary grade: Eyes that see through the essence and the
past and future]
[You can have a glimpse of what others cannot see.]
Although it was described in a vague manner, it would be correct to

think that she could see the future or the past. The title of her ability
was already quite the telltale sign.
‘Perhaps…
“Have you ever seen me in the future?”
It was a good possibility, and it would explain why she kept calling me
her master, and why I seemed to have such an in luence on her.
However, I would know the real answer only if she didn’t lie.
“That is…”
“Or have you met me in the past?”
“Neither, Master. To be precise…”
“To be precise?”
“To be precise, it’s neither the future nor the past. I don’t know how to
say this, but… I can certainly see things through my eyes. You might
think it’s strange, but what I see isn’t the past or the future. It’s more
like… a memory engraved on my body.”
“A memory engraved on the body?”
“Ah, no, I think it would be more appropriate to call it the memory

engraved in the soul. I don’t know how to de ine it, but I’ve been here
for 6 years…”
“Didn’t you say it was 4 years?”
“That’s what the public knows, but it’s actually been 6 years since I
came here. l-if you want to go back four years ago…”
“No, it doesn’t matter. I’d like you to explain this to me irst.”

“T-the irst thing I saw as soon as I came here was my master and me
together. I’m not sure what happened, but I remember that I seemed
very happy. Of course, it was a dif icult memory for me to accept at that
time…”
“How are you so sure that what you saw isn’t the future?”
“Scenes from the future are usually in a white setting, while the past is
gray. For scenes that are neither from the future nor the past, the
setting is black. I call this the black world.”
“Right.”
That did sound convincing, even more so because the status window
never lied. If she saw was neither the past nor the future, then that
could only be one thing.
‘Was it from the irst timeline?’
All I could think about was the irst timeline that Kim Hyunsung had
come from. There was a high possibility that parallel worlds existed,
yet! couldn’t exactly disregard the possibility of her just having
delusions.
‘However, the former just might be possible…
This girl seemed to know about me – and quite possibly, my own ability,
too.
She didn’t seem to be aware of the fact that this was a different reality
now, or the fact that she was also a time returner, just like Kim
Hyunsung. The problem was – where did I it in?
‘Did I survive?
I was sure I had also been present from the irst timeline. In fact, I
thought it would be less likely for me to have survived.
Back then, Kim Hyunsung would not have been a returner, and I would
not have been intrigued with his ability. Therefore, I wouldn’t have
chosen to follow him. However, it was likely that I had still chosen to
pair up with Park Deokgu.
However, I had been saved twice by Kim Hyunsung in the tutorial

dungeon this time around. Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to
get out of there.
‘And… ’
If this woman really saw me as her ‘master’ from the irst timeline, then
it must mean that I had managed to garner some talent for myself. I
didn’t know what exactly happened, but this all felt a little odd.
Of course, this was assuming that what Kasugano saw really was from
that time. I couldn’t con irm it yet, but it didn’t stop me from weaseling
out more information.
“Have you seen anything else? No, what else have you seen about me?”
“I couldn’t see much other than that. I’m sorry, but my ability doesn’t
show what I want to see. The future or the past sometimes shows what
I want, but in the case of the black world…”
‘Is there a penalty?’
“In the case of the black world, all I see are fragments of a scene. Of
course, tthe one I would always see was the scene with my master… No,
in fact, most of them are just memories of spending time with you.”
“What kind of memory are you talking about, exactly?”

“I-I’m ashamed to say it, but that… that is…”
I saw her looking at the things behind me. Only then did I begin to
understand this shaman’s reaction.
‘Lee Kiyoung, what the hell did you do?’
According to her status window, she was only twenty years old. I didn’t
know when I met her, but this situation felt so ridiculous that I couldn’t
help but laugh.
“No, you don’t have to say. I think I can kind of understand. Then, I’ll
change the question. How did the two of us meet in the black world?
Were you able to see this?”
“N-no. I could see to some extent anything related to the master. It’s
fragmentary, so it’s a little hard to explain in detail, but in the black
world, I remember that I myself went after the master.”
“What?”
“In the black world, I could see my ability showing me my future with
the master. I must have felt confused about seeing myself being very
happy in them, so I went after him. However, I also felt suffering with
him. I am also aware that I looked stupid back there in the black world.
I even went so far as to sympathize with the master. Even though I
wanted to reject the future with him, I couldn’t help but feel sorry.”
“Right.”
“At the time, I brought my master in, who had been injured at the time,
and devoted myself to treating him.”
“You’re a lifesaver.”
“Ah, I feel embarrassed… Anyway, after the master had recovered, I
saw…”
“What did you see?”
“I saw the master choking me…”
“What?”
“My master was choking me. I wasn’t able to see it in detail, but I can
clearly remember the words he said.”
I got nervous for some reason.
“What did I say?”
“You said: Get rid of your pity, you damn bitch. All of you are the same.
And… In that way, my master and I became connected. The next scene
happened after a long time. That’s how our relationship in the black
world began…”
‘What the hell… ’
How exactly would we have connected through those means? The story
felt so absurd!
As soon as I calmed my rapidly-beating heart, I began to piece what I

had found out so far.
First off, this shaman could see the future, the past, and the irst
timeline, unlike before, when her abilities were only limited to the past
and the future.
Second. She could not trigger her ability at will. The scenes came at
random intervals.
Third. What the shaman could see from the irst timeline was very
limited. It seemed that only the memories engraved on her soul could
be read.
Fourth. I don’t know why, but it seemed like she again wanted to be my
servant. Perhaps it was a side effect of looking into her ‘black world’ too
much.
Fifth. She had saved me back in the irst timeline.
Sixth. Back in the irst timeline, she had seen herself having a future
with me. She decided to reject this.
Seventh. In the end, she felt sympathy for me and thus decided to save
me. How she found me, or where she saved me was not known.
However, the fact stood that she still took me in and nursed me to full
recovery.
Lastly, the Lee Kiyoung from back then strangled her as soon as he had
recovered, yet she still refused to change the future.
Or perhaps she did, but couldn’t. In short, I had stabbed the person who
had decided to save me. There was no excuse for any of my actions.
‘I was a total piece of trash… ’
I felt ashamed of myself back then. I must have been a real asshole.
‘This… bastard…
CHAPTER 121
THE BLACK WORLD (2)
‘This… bastard… ’
I couldn’t help but swear at myself, but in reality, my situation wasn’t all
that bad. I felt a little guilty thinking like this, but assuming that
everything I had judged so far was true, then having the shaman by my
side would be similar to having a strong alliance, as I did with Cha Hee-
ra and Kim Hyunsung.
Plus, she’s unconditionally loyal… ’
In other words, she was the perfect ally for me.
At this point, I was lucky not to have chosen the path of a Summoner
when the job presented itself to me.
‘This is a new class altogether.
This shaman was not only the owner of the large guild in the Free City
of Celia, but was also a non-standard existence whose power had a
different concept than her preexisting magic – and could also see the
past and the future!
I couldn’t accurately assess her strength, but based on her stats and
potential, she could be of greater use than even Jung Hayan.
Naturally, I had to smile.
‘I guess I’m the irresistible type of trash, then.’

Of course, I had to con irm my assumptions before I could even think
about reeling her in. Besides, I still had other questions on my mind.
With this, I had no choice but to respond to the shaman who was
currently looking at me with an impatient expression.
“I have a few more questions. How did I die in the black world?”
It was what I was most curious about.
“I don’t know that.”
“Do you mean you couldn’t see it?”
“I couldn’t. Perhaps it was because I died earlier than the master.”
“Maybe. How did you die?”
“I died for you. I haven’t looked in detail, but that was all I could tell in
the black world, I had no regrets at the end.”
“Well… Then I’m curious about how we got to know each other.”
“I’m sorry, but what do you mean…”
“It is just as you heard. As you know, I can see others’ information with
my ability. Thanks to you opening your own info, I was able to check it
with my own eyes…”
“Yeah.”
“You’re a wizard with a magical stat of 96, complete with a legendary

class, and a legendary ability. No, would it be correct to call you a
sorcerer?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I can’t see the black world, so I can’t say for sure, but… I imagine I
wasn’t very strong there, was I?”
“No. The master is more digni ied than anyone else…”
“It’s not what I’m saying. I am asking on the grounds of a physical

speci ication. Am I right?”
“Yeah… That’s right.”
“The question is, why didn’t you resist me? You said you saw me
choking you, but there’s an explanation missing in there, especially
assuming that we must’ve met each other at a later date back then
compared to now.”
“That’s right. I haven’t seen the exact date, but I know that in the black
world, master and I will meet two to three years from now.”
“It means that you were 22 when we met.”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter when we met, but the point is that you
were in a stronger position than me.”
“H-how dare I say that?”
“You know I’m right. If you had the intention of killing me, I would’ve
already died. The same can be said here and now. Why didn’t you kill
me in the black world?”
My asking this question was inevitable. I didn’t know why, but it was
clear that I had been abusing her the irst time around. Her mental state
didn’t seem to fare well because of it.
I thought about the possibility of her using drugs or indulging in other
methods, but I knew none of that could affect a person this strong. I
knew that she must have had a lot of opportunities to break free from
me if she wanted to.
That being said, there must be a reason as to why she chose to stay.
This shaman began to nod slowly, as if she was agreeing with my

question. I realize she had been waiting for me to ask this all along.
“That’s…”
“That’s?”
“That’s because… I, in the black world loved you.”
I almost fell off my chair upon hearing her answer. However, Kasugano
continued talking, her eyes directly meeting mine.
“It’s hard feeling emotions in the black world, but what I felt for you
was obvious. I was in love with you there.”
“Perhaps you developed it while you were nursing me?”
“It could be that. However, I think it has something to do with fate.”
“Right…”
“The more time I worried about you, the more I kept thinking about
you. Of course, that also meant I spent more time with you. After
spending so much time in the black world, I suppose the feelings
transferred to me, so I can’t help but feel this way now.”
Am I some sort of chic magnet or what?’

In fact, I had never even thought of myself as handsome. Although I had
no laws except for my asymmetrically-shaped eyes, nonetheless, it was
not enough to say that I was handsome.
The word ‘handsome’ suited someone like our lovely Kim Hyunsung.
It was no exaggeration to say that he was the kind of person that could
be considered ‘perfect, due to those strong, big eyes, sharp nose, pretty
lips, and chiseled body.
‘His personality isn’t bad, either… ’
If anyone was suited to be the object of people’s affection, it would be

him. In short, I did not understand why these women clung to me
instead.
In Jung Hayan’s case, I had acted on my own accord to capture her

attention, but in the case of the other women? I had no idea.
I had even gotten the affection of a powerful woman in the irst timeline
just by staying still!
Of course, this hasn’t been con irmed yet.
‘Isn’t this an advantage at this point?’
“Perhaps that was why I felt like I could accept anything from you.”
“What about the opposite? Was I in love with you?”
“I think you weren’t. But I must have been one of the only people my
master could lean on.”
I don’t know the past Kiyoung’s feelings, but she was probably right.
“I understand to some extent.”

“Then…”
“What you’re saying absolutely makes sense. It’s very impressive that
you revealed your own information and showed me your own status
window. In fact, I don’t doubt your ability to see the future, the past,
and even the black world. I don’t even have to check. I can see your
ability with my own skill.”
“Ah.”
“But it’s still not enough.”
“This feels too suspicious. I’m curious about how you’re explaining
what you’ve seen in the black world, compared to what you really saw
—the black world me and the present me are not the same person.
Likewise, the black world you and the present you are not the same. Of
course, I don’t deny that you are affected. Still, it sounds absurd from
my point of view. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
“O-of course.” At this, the shaman trembled. It was as if she feared me

telling her to go away.
“It’s not just that. There is no guarantee that everything you told me is
true. I’m worried that you told me only the things you wanted. I don’t
know what being your master means, too… To be honest, it sounds
unpleasant. How many people in this world can accept this kind of
story?”
“Ahhh…”
“How can I trust you?”
“That… that’s…”
“What you told me about the black world doesn’t do anything. With that
alone, I can’t be your master. How can we build the relationship you
want?”
It sounded like a trashy deal, but it was the only thing I could work on.
“I-If you want, I can give you anything you want…”
“That’s not what I want. If this relationship is established, what you

have is mine regardless… Or are you looking for a relationship whose
foundation is based solely on words?”
“N-no. My… Everything belongs to my master. That… That’s right!”
“Is there any way I can restrain you? No, have you ever thought about
how I can take you in with no doubts in mind?”
“Of course. There will be a way. I know my master feels suspicious. Yes.
There is a way.”
She seemed a little excited as she spoke.
“I hope you can explain.”
“There’s an incantation.”
“Incantation?”
“Yeah. It’s a kind of witchcraft that helps my master own me. I can
transfer ownership of my body to you.”
‘Is that possible?”
I had never heard of this method up until now. Sure, I had thought
about creating magic that was similar to it, but nothing had come to
mind then.
Perhaps it was she who had created it with her own powers. If I were to
think of it as her way of preparing the day when she’d meet me in this
timeline, then it would make sense.
“It’s a kind of incantation that I put on myself. I directly connect my

body, my master, and my mind…”
“I guess I know what you’re talking about. However…”
I wondered whether she was lying and that the magic would have the
opposite effect, but I didn’t want to think about the possibility.
Just as Kasugano Yuno was desperate, I also wanted to earn myself

another powerful ally. I wanted to be able to get her on my side as
quickly as possible, without all the headache.
I hated gambling, but just this once, I felt like the risk was worth it.
“Alright, let’s see.”
“Okay. Then I will quickly start the ritual.”
With her eyes closed, her smiling expression was apparent. It was
almost as if she had just gotten the entire world handed to her on a
silver platter.
When she pulled a little dagger out of her arms, I linched a little, but
when she hurriedly wounded her own arm with it, I realized that she
was trying to complete her incantation with her blood as the medium.
‘Is the process similar to alchemy?’
“Please wait a little a bit… It’s almost done. Almost!”
“It’s ine. You don’t have to hurry.”

Seeing her drawing the incantation on the loor was quite the sight to
behold. Even though I had told her not to hurry, she still seemed
anxious to inish it as soon as possible.
The process looked similar to most of the spells that I had dealt with,
but the truth was, I still felt confused.
Only one thing was for certain; this incantation was more dif icult than
1 initially thought.
It was a spell that could only be completed with blood as the medium,
even if the caster was a high-ranking wizard on her level.
I didn’t know anything else, but the effect of the spell was certain.
I waited for her to inish, a mix of anticipation and nervousness welling

up from within me. Soon, I saw her rigid igure settle down in the
middle of her incantation. She then looked up at me from her kneeling
position.
“You can come this way.”
As I moved, a faint light glowed from the incantation on the loor.
There was still no reaction from Juliana. At least I knew whatever this
was wouldn’t hurt me.
After a faint red light embraced her, the shaman opened her mouth
again with a very satis ied expression.
“S-sorry, but I need to take my master’s blood…”
Almost as if in an enticed trance, I cut myself slightly on the hand and

reached out for her.
“I want to give my all to the one who is before me. This lock will be a
blood covenant that nothing can break, and no one can interfere with.”
The light burst out in an instant.
I somehow thought I had to grab her head, and so I did. Thus, I saw a
fragmentary, yet incomprehensible sight.
It was literally the scene where I was strangling her.
It must have been the black world she saw.
‘Get rid of your pity, you damn bitch. All of you are the same.’
‘Ahhh… Poor man.’
‘You think you have the right to pity me?’
In the scene, Kasugano Yuno cried and hugged me.
Hwaah ahhhhhh!
When I opened my eyes again, I could see the incantation she drew
being absorbed into her body.
“It was a success, Master.”
As she spoke, Kasugano looked overjoyed, which in turn made me feel

guilty.
“Perhaps you really are a piece of trash…
If the Lee Kiyoung from before had seen me now, he would probably
think something along the lines of, ‘Isn’t this bastard a real piece of
shit?’
Because of this, a sense of shame came upon me.
CHAPTER 122
THE BLACK WORLD (3)
Because of this, a sense of shame came upon me.
However, it was only right to get this done and over with
“I’m thinking of doing some tests…”
“Sure… I’m looking forward to it.” Kasugano had an expectant look as

she spoke. One might even say she was overjoyed.
“I don’t harbor any negative feelings towards you.”
“Yes, I know you are punishing me, only because you care about me.”
“You can’t call it a punishment, but how you take it is up to you… First
of all, you won’t be able to breathe from now on.”
With widened eyes, Kasugano stared at me. With her stoic expression, 1
wondered if she had been scamming me all along.
However, I realized my mistake as I heard her voice again.
“You must speak with magic.”
I felt embarrassed at this point. The shaman opened her mouth once
again, and I saw her trying to breathe in.
“You won’t be able to breathe.”

A lot of my mana was used up in an instant.
I couldn’t even imagine that so much magic would escape, but it was a
cheap price for taking full control over another’s body. I hadn’t even
noticed that I was frowning.
The igure currently holding her neck and coughing was certainly not
acting. As Kasugano rolled on the loor, stretching her hand towards me,
I could tell how hard my order had been for her.
“Mas… Master… Cough…”
Against her will, air refused to enter her lungs, hence her struggle.
Tears naturally lowed down her eyes, and her tongue had rolled out,
craving for oxygen.
It would be a shame for her to die here.
“You may breathe from now on.”
And so, I ended the test.
With this, I could af irm that the contract between us had inally set.
After Kasugano regained her breathing, she spoke once more.
“T-Thank you. Master.”
I wasn’t sure why she was thanking me, but at least the spell was
complete.
‘And so perfectly done… ’
If there was one penalty after all this, it would be that I had to take
responsibility for Kasugano from now one.
‘However, it should be ine.’
If I had seen the scene just before the incantation, I wouldn’t have even
bothered doing the test. I didn’t even know why I had seen it in the irst
place, but I didn’t think it was because of the incantation itself. It was
probably an occurring error during the connection of body and soul.
As I lifted her from the loor, I saw her looking at me with joy plastered
on that innocent expression. Upon seeing this, my guilt came back.
I’ll be nice to her from now on.’
I know that I did something worse that had surpassed my actions the
irst time around. It felt like I had personally quided an innocent soul
into the depths of hell.
After seeing her expression in the black world, I felt even worse for her.
‘Fuck…
However, it was a reasonable choice, and the result wasn’t bad, either.
Kasugano looked happy with what had transpired, so it was probably a
win win.
“Of course, it’s reasonable, but still… ’
The momentary guilt was nothing compared to a lifetime spent with an

additional, strong ally.
“I don’t know what to say, but…”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“W-what is that…? That doesn’t even make sense.”

As Kasugano lipped her long hair, her embarrassed expression was
apparent. She laughed a little and tried to switch into a sitting position.
For now, it would be right to give her a reward for letting her come to
me.
“Ah, master…”
I leaned in slowly, and she closed her eyes. As I kissed her on the
forehead, she fell apart.
“Thank you. Thank you.”
“Your actions in return for my trust aren’t comparable. And this is

nothing compared to the warmth you’ve given me in the black world.”
“Ah…”
“It was only for a brief moment, but I think I saw what you saw.”
“What?”
“Then… You said I was a guy in a poor situation, right?”
“Yes. I did. W-why…?”
“I can’t understand, but perhaps we really are fated to meet, just as you
said.”
Her face turned ecstatic upon hearing this. I had said what she wanted
to hear.
It was then that I could hear noise from outside.
Jung Hayan?’
She had probably been alerted when I made physical contact with
Kasugano Yuno. She said she would tolerate it, but she probably
couldn’t in the end.
‘No…
I still had more things to discuss with Kasugano.
However, I couldn’t let Jung Hayan inside.
“I’m only being curious, but have you ever talked to someone else about
me?”
“Of course not.”
“That’s a relief. So, that’ll be it for today’s meeting.”
“As you wish.”
“I know it’s already obvious, but please don’t tell anyone about our
relationship.”
“Yes, alright.”
Seeing how she so easily accepted my instructions, it was possible that I

had done the same back then.
I also nodded and went to open the door, and unlike before, it opened
easily for me now. At this point, I wondered how I should comfort Jung
Hayan, but then I saw a man I had never seen before I entered.
He was a little tall and had a long sword at the waist.
‘Is that a Japanese sword?

It looked ridiculous to carry a Japanese sword in a continent based on
the Middle Ages. Was it a custom order? I couldn’t really focus.
However, it was probably because I noticed the man in question staring

at me.
‘What?’
I decided to check his information with my ability.
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Ito Souta.]
[Name: Ito Souta]
[Title: Celia’s Wind]
[Age: 28]
[Class: Warrior (Legendary)]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of basic sword skills]
[Class Effect: Intermediate Swordsmanship Knowledge Acquisition]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of advanced sword skills]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of advanced magic operation knowledge]
[Stats]
[Strength: 81/Growth limit: Heroic or lower]
[Agility: 99/Growth limit: Legendary or higher]

[Health: 61/ Growth limit: Rare or lower]
[Intellect: 89/Growth limit: Heroic or lower]
[Durability: 66/ Growth limit: Heroic or lower]
[Luck: 34/ Growth limit: Common or lower]
[Magic 75/Growth limit: Heroic or higher]
[Equipment: Wind Sword (Heroic) 1602]
[Ability: Wind Blade (Legendary)]
[General review: This is a legendary class warrior. The overall high

stats, especially the high agility stats, stand out. His low durability is a
law, but it is unnecessary for him as an agile swordsman. It’s
heartbreaking to see such low stamina. It is also noticeable that he’s
obtained a legendary class as well as a legendary attribute. The only
thing similar to our player, Lee Kiyoung, is his disposition. Please try
harder.]
‘Everyone I meet is a monster.’
This one was a swordsman focused on agility. I didn’t know who he was,
but he certainly didn’t look ordinary.
It was impossible for him to be an ordinary man. He was just as

powerful as Cha Hee-ra, if not more.
Being a Vice Guild Master, I thought my own stats weren’t bad.
What was funny was that his disposition was a careful strategist, like
me. Nevertheless, when I thought about the power he got, I felt like it
was unfair for some reason.
With these thoughts, I went to pass by him.
“Mr. Lee Kiyoung?”
I felt the man’s hand slightly holding my shoulder.
“Mr. Ito, what’s wrong?”
I felt wary of him. However, this bastard kept looking at me, smiling.
‘I don’t like this… ’
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yamato Guild’s Guild Master, Ito Souta.”
I was speechless for a second. The Lindel terror incident had lashed in
my mind. Though it had not been enough for me to feel traumatized,
remembering it still felt annoying.
However, I swallowed and still decided to shake the outstretched hand

in front of me.
I couldn’t show any agitation in this state, lest he noticed this. Anyway, I
was safe for the time being. There was no way he could hurt me in a
place where con lict was completely forbidden.
I still had Kasugano in the room behind me, and Juliana was capable
enough of preventing any surprise attack.
‘If I think about his agility stat, it’s unlikely… ’
For now, it would not be too bad to talk to him casually. We were fated
to meet anyway, and since I came here to formally protest against the
Yamato Guild, I had to extract as much information as possible.
“It looks like you’ve seen me before.”

“No, I haven’t, but I’ve heard a lot of stories about you. You were the
centerpiece of the recent Lindel terrorist incident, after all.”
‘This bastard…”
I could see a slight smile forming on his face as he spoke.
I thought it was only a pretense, but he was calmer than I thought.
‘A careful strategist?’
It was probably because he had the same disposition as mine.
“I was really surprised when I heard the news. An attack in the center of
the Free City? Although our cities are different, I was worried since we
both came from Earth to this place.”
“Ah… Right. Thank you for your concern.”
“By the way…”
“Yes.”
“They say that the Lindel made our guild the prime suspect in the
attack.”
‘So what?
It felt too uncomfortable to talk about it here. Besides, Cha Hee-ra

should take part in the conversation.
“It would be better to set up a place for this conversation later. I don’t
think the timing is good now.”
When I turned to go, I felt a hand clutching my shoulder once more.

This time, it was Kasugano Yuno who came forward. Her quiet but
heavy voice echoed.
“What are you doing to my client?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just wanted to talk a bit more.”
“Please, don’t be rude.”
That was when I felt a pulsating energy resonating from somewhere

around me.
‘Shit.
I wasn’t the only one who felt the unusual energy, as I could see a hazy
curtain around me in an instant.
Looking sideways, I realized it was Kasugano Yuno who had memorized

the spell. I could see the motherfucker still smiling.
I didn’t think he would do anything crazy here, but since they were the
ones who had caused terror in Lindel, I had to think that they wanted to
get rid of me for sure.
Kasugano Yuno, on the other hand…
No matter how strong a shaman was, as a magician, it would be

impossible to win a battle. It wouldn’t take long to break through her
shield and hit my throat as a warrior with his skills.
‘Hyunsung…
For some reason, I missed Kim Hyunsung’s warm arms.
Woooooooooooong!
Juliana jumped out, yet Ito Souta’s smile never faded.
Something was wrong.
“No, Juliana!”
I screamed, but it was too late. Juliana had already pierced the
swordsman’s neck next to Ito.
‘What did the status window say? That he was a careful strategist?’
It was the perfect checkmate.
‘Shit.
After the man whose throat got pierced fell to the loor, Ito Souta
grabbed the handle of the sword and began to speak.
“Well, well, well… What is this, Kiyoung-ssi? Threatening me with a

sword, hm? And in the throne of the Holy and Great Benigore Holy
Empire, no less! Pfft… And you killed one of my favorite subordinates…”
“Can I make a formal complaint on this?”
“If not… Can we take this as a declaration of war against our Yamato
guild?”
It wasn’t only our dispositions that were similar.
We also acted in a very similar way.
I had no choice but to accept this fact as I looked into his provoking
face.
CHAPTER 123
STRIKE BACK
I had no choice but to accept this fact as I looked into his provoking
face.
‘So annoying…
I didn’t know if I was being xenophobic or whatever, but looking at ito

pissed me off. I never imagined that I would get caught in his uncreative
little trap.
‘He knew about Juliana.
He had even used the sword’s ability to detect danger to his advantage.
Although one of his underlings had died, it was nothing compared to
what would happen from now on. No – I couldn’t even tell if that had
really been his underling in the irst place.
I also had no idea if he had planned this, or if he just made it on the spot
after meeting me, but I did know one thing – this wasn’t over.
It felt absurd to be caught, but Kasugano Yuno next to me could testify

that it had been a sudden incident. It would also be helpful to explain
Juliana’s skills to the investigators.
‘Do I have no choice but to disclose information about Juliana?’
It would be annoying, but it would not a bad deal if it meant I could

strike back at him.
However, it won’t stop there, either.
If I chose to assume that he had made connections with the Holy

Empire’s superiors in advance, then there would de initely be room for
disputes in future debates.
If a trial was held, it would likely put me at a disadvantage.
No matter what I could say, the fact that my underling killed his
underling wouldn’t change. If this guy really had the same disposition
as mine, then it must mean that he had already prepared everything in
advance.
And if he hadn’t – then that meant he was envisioning the big picture as
of this moment.
‘That’s because even I would’ve done that.’
The only thing that he wouldn’t have calculated would be that

Kasugano Yuno, the lovely shaman, would take my side, but he probably
didn’t think that it was a threat.
As I mulled these thoughts in my head, I heard his voice right in front of

me.
“What you’re going to do? My favorite subordinate has died, right in the
royal city of the Holy Empire.”
“Don’t mess around, Mr. Ito. It was your subordinate who threatened
my guests by showing bloodthirstiness. This case will be handled as
selfdefense.”
“This is a little surprising, shaman. I didn’t think our relationship was

this bad.”
“That’s what you think. It is undeniable that your subordinate
threatened my client.”
“I would appreciate it if you could explain exactly how they threatened

him. No, even if he was threatened, would he throw a sword right away?
No matter how you view it, we are the victims here. I at least expect you
to maintain a good judgment as to who the offender and victim are.
That’s an action that will help your reputation as a shaman. Of course, it
will also be helpful to Yozora, which is under your control.”
“You…”
Kasugano Yuno was de initely a reliable ally.
It was clear that Ito wouldn’t be able to lure her in. She and her guild
Yozora would at least defend me with their power.
However, I didn’t know how to deal with this situation.
When I looked at Juliana, she hovered around me, almost as if she was
aware that she had done something wrong.
As the sword seemed depressed, I took it back to my belt, and I

immediately spoke.
“I apologize.”
“It is not something that can be simply solved by an apology, Mr.

Kiyoung.”
“The armament I’m carrying, Juliana, the cursing sword, is a sword that
moves in response to anything that threatens her master.”
“Ooh, I see. I didn’t know there was such a weapon.”
“That’s surprising. I thought you knew about it.”

“Of course, I’ve heard rumors that a Lindel adventurer has acquired
legendary armor, but who knew it was this weapon?”
He knew, without a doubt.
I couldn’t tell whether he heard the rumors or whether he con irmed it

for himself, but I was almost certain that this nasty bastard was the
main culprit in the Lindel terrorist incident.
‘If not, there’s no reason for him to be provoking me.’
“Yes. I don’t know why your guild members threatened me, but…”
“Our guild members have never threatened you.”
“No. They threatened him without a doubt. If I take this case to court, I
will testify that your guild member threatened my client. Of course, our
guild members who are here now will testify the same.”
‘You’re cheering up your master! Yuno!’
“I can’t ignore the shaman testifying like that… That’s a little weird to
me. Right now, he seems to be in control of his sword. Even if you testify
that my side threatened him irst, there’s no reason for my loyal
subordinate to have died. Perhaps Kiyoung and the murderer who tried
to kill his comrade looked a little alike, so I guess he unknowingly got
angry.”
“To have a sword pierced in the neck for such a thing… What a pity. It is
also a sin not to properly control a weapon. The more I think about it,
the more my heart breaks.”
‘This bastard…
Seeing that he kept focusing on emphasizing himself as a victim, I knew

he was decided. He wanted to frame me, no matter what.
‘Should I just accept it at once?’
If it was about self-harm, I could do it, too. If I could poke myself with
his sword, I could also establish my side as self-defense.
The problem was, Ito Souta would not make this easy for me. His high
agility stats would make it impossible for me to do so.
My options were limited, and I hated doing setups, but I still had to try.
“Isn’t Souta-nim the one who caught me when I was trying to go my

own way in the irst place? It happened suddenly, but I wonder if there
was some other meaning for one of your guild members was sacri iced.”
“No way. You have a lot of imagination.”
“No, I was just telling the facts.”
“You can explain that useless conspiracy theory to the Imperial

Inspector. First of all, someone died in the castle, so the procedure must
be followed. And look, they’re coming over.”
pretended to stay calm, but my insides were twisting. This was because
I could indeed see the castle guards running towards our direction. It
felt annoying to be treated as a suspect, when in reality, I had gotten
caught in the trap laid out by the bastard in front of me.
It was the shaman who answered. It was the second time she took the
lead, but then I continued her words.
“The guild member of the Yamato Guild threatened Mr. Kiyoung Lee and
died in a self-defense attack with a sword stuck in his neck.”
“To be precise, it wasn’t a threat. It seems that there was a little
misunderstanding between us, but all of a sudden, he had his sword
pointed right at us.”
“My sword is a weapon that is triggered by a threat. If you want to

check the item information, I can show you. I was threatened by a guild
member of the Yamato guild with no doubt, and that fact will be
testi ied by Kasugano Yuno of the Yozora guild and her guild members.”
Of course, the arguments of our two sides were different.
After whispering to each other, one of the guards ran in the opposite
direction. He was most likely calling up a senior.
Not surprisingly, a guy wearing fancier clothes came in a hurry not long
after.
At this point, the incident was slowly becoming bigger.
This kind of situation was what Ito Souta probably expected, but my
head hurt just thinking about how things would work from now on.
‘I guess they will start an investigation.’
Of course, I would be labelled as the suspect. No matter the reason, no

matter what had happened, the fact stood that a man had died in the
royal city of Benignore, the Holy Empire.
Although we identi ied ourselves as free people, we were also affected

by imperial law.
Considering that excessive disputes between guilds were not allowed in

the empire, I, who committed murder, will most probably be treated as
the suspect.
As Souta had said, that was the procedure.

As expected, the man who had appeared before us stepped irmly in our
direction.
‘An imperial of icer.’
“I am Carlton of the Empire’s Holy Knights. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to
follow me.”
“Of course.”
It was annoying to do so, but I knew it would be ine. Now that there
were three different testimonies, Ito Souta may also become a
perpetrator.
It was clear that the victim’s identity would be investigated right away,
but with our shaman’s testimony, public opinion as a killer could be
calmed to some extent.
‘Besides… ’
Judging from Carlton’s attitude, I’m not completely con irmed as a

suspect.
‘Rather, it feels like he respects me.’
Of course, that might change once the investigation took place, but I
knew would be able to reverse things afterwards.
“Yes. Okay.”
However, when I began to move in the direction Carlton showed us,

heard Kasugano Yuno speak, her voice sounding a little different than
usual.
“Don’t move.”
“What…?”
“If you take my client and move even one step, I will make sure that
you’d be crawling on the ground in no time. Threatening my client is
not allowed.”
At this point, the ground began to tremble. The unknown incantation

from before appeared and began to spread in all directions.
As she opened her once closed eyes, I could see eyes that looked like
two black holes.
Anyone could see that she had enormous magical power, enough to
pulverize the whole place.
I swallowed nervously.
“Shaman…”
Even Souta’s calm façade broke as the man gripped the handle of his
sword. He could sense that Kasugano was just seconds away from
exploding.
“Get rid of the dirty hands that are holding my client.”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.”
‘This is bad…
It was okay to defend me, but making a fuss about it would make things
worse.
Carlton of the Holy Knights also felt embarrassed by this scenario. He

was looking this way with a frown, pulling out his sword.
“I-I just want to act according to the procedure. And this kind of magic
within the royal city is forbidden. Even it is you…”
“I won’t say it twice.”
At this point, I had to do something.
“It will be ine, Yuno. First of all, I think it is right to follow. It’s just a
simple procedure.”
As the magic started to settle, the surrounding area, which had been
shaking, stopped.
“But… Kiyoung-nim…”
“It won’t be a big deal. You just have to testify the facts.”
The truth was meant to be revealed anyway.
Although the world doesn’t always work as we want it to, right?’
Souta’s expression, which had returned to smiling, seemed to be saying

just that. He would feel even more determined to mark me as the
culprit now.
Out of curiosity, I opened my mouth to ask.
“Are investigations con ined?”
“No. It is only procedural investigations. Of course, we will try to

provide you with the best possible convenience. I believe you will
understand that inevitably there may be restrictions on your
movement.”
“Yes. Of course.”
“All those who were on the Yamato guild side will also be investigated.”
“It’s a little different position than ours, right?”
“I’m sorry, but it is. First of all, this was a murder case…”
“I see. Is it possible to testify through a representative?”
“Of course, that’s possible.”
“Okay. Then let’s go.”
“Atchoo.”
“Do you have a cold?”
“No, eunni. I’m sorry for suddenly sneezing.”
“It seems like you’ve been working too much these days… It’s good to
work hard, but you should prioritize your health. Anyway, I brought you
with me so you can take a well-deserved rest. What do you think about
the capital?”
“It looks like a good place to live. It’s not bad considering this is my irst
time here, and I can see the life in people’s eyes. I couldn’t even imagine
that the level of civilization in the Holy Empire would be this high, but I
felt surprised because it was more systematic than I thought.”
“I knew you would say that.”
“Rather than that, eunni, your makeup is really good today.”
“You…”
“Are you seeing someone lately?”

“I don’t even have time for that! I’m super busy… No, I think rather
you’re the one who’s been dating… Isn’t it time to stop telling me about
that kind of stuff now? Well, I already know everything, but it would be
nice if you introduced me to him formally…”
“I will tell you when our relationship progresses a little more. Oppa still
has some things to deal with.”
“Well… Oh, it’s arrived.”
“Black Swans, I sincerely welcome you to the Holy Empire. It’s been a
while, Park Yeonjoo.”
“Yes. Long time no see.”
“Haha. I can see a familiar face for the irst time. If it’s okay, may I ask
for your name?”
“Of course. Jihye?”
“Yes, eunni. Hi, everyone. I’m Lee Jihye, who joined the Black Swan Guild
during the last tutorial. It is an honor to meet the honorable and great
imperialists of the Holy Empire. Thank you.”
CHAPTER 124
SOUL MATE (1)
‘Huh. This is com ier than I thought.’
My treatment had been quite comfortable if you think about the fact
that I was considered the killer of one of Yamato guild’s members.
The place where I was lying on was a comfortable bed, not a hard loor,
and the quality of the food served was excellent.
I had been worried about eating the same type of food as lowly
criminals.
Seeing how I was being treated, I had no choice but to admit that both
Cha Hee-ra and Yuno Kasugano were a stronger in luence than I
thought.
If I had just been a lowly countryman, I would’ve been hung

straightaway. However, my position as the Mercenary Queen’s lover and
the shaman’s client imposed a certain in luence.
I like having power because of this.’
It was safe to assume that I was safe.
Of course, it was unlikely that my neck would be hanged just by my

position. It would not be a pleasant story for those who want the
empire’s power cut off if they were to be oppressed by both the
mercenary queen and the shaman.
It was more important to protect me, than to blame me for the death of
a common member of the Yamato guild.
What I needed to know was what that bastard Ito Souta would do.
The intensity of the punishment I would receive would probably be

determined by how much he talks, but the conclusion was that I at least
didn’t have to worry about being in a real mess.
My only problem at this point was being at a disadvantage in terms of

diplomacy. My issue certainly was controversial at every angle.
After I ate, Cha Hee-ra appeared before me. Strangely enough, the
woman looked unwell.
“Honestly, I feel good.”
“Huh?”
“It’s not you who’s screwed, it’s that bastard.”
“I thought I’d be scolded. I’m actually surprised.”
“Of course, it’s not that I’m not feeling bad. It’s bad enough that my plan
has been ruined, and I feel even worse knowing you got humiliated
after going up to the shaman’s room without informing me. You know I
secretly value appearances. Nevertheless, you managed to kill a guild
member of theirs. And in an audacious manner, too…”
“Thank you for that…”
“What is your relationship with the shaman?”
“I never imagined that a woman who would stand by the Yamato Guild
would vouch for my honey in the end. You weren’t pulling strings
behind my back, right? If so, I’d feel a little sad.”
“You are free to believe it or not, but the other day was really the irst
time that I met this shaman.”
“You know that if you lie to me, the things that’ll happen after won’t be
sweet, right?”
“Why would I lie to you? Remember when I irst met Yuno Kasugano,
she saw me and cried?”
“Of course.”
“She can see the future.”
“What nons-“
“Of course, she can’t see what she wants, and even if she sees
something, it’s only a fragment. However, she can certainly see the
future.”
“You’re not kidding, are you?”
“I checked it myself. In fact, if you give it a little thought, you have the
answer. How can a 16-year-old girl build a large guild in 4 years
without that kind of ability? I kind of know why she’s obsessed with
me. I will get connected to this girl in the future.”
“That’s nuts.”
“That’s why she was looking at me crying, and that’s why she defends
me this determinedly. You are free to believe it or not.”
Cha Hee-ra seemed annoyed with this. Knocking on the table for no
reason whatsoever, she spoke once more.
“Ha… This bastard, you are full of pheromones.”

“You know, I only have you.”
“It’s not good if you cross the line, honey.”
I could see a slightly distorted expression crossing over, striking the

table. She didn’t seem to like what she had found out. In fact, anyone
could see that she was angry.
“So… There is a way, right? Although I’m constantly making a fuss, the
public opinion isn’t very good. It’s the irst time someone died from a
quarrel in the holy city of the Holy Empire. They won’t dare behead you,
but the guilds from Lindel can lose ground. Even if it doesn’t seem like a
big deal, the situation is actually very delicate…”
“I’ve been thinking. There will be changes in the plan, but the results
will still be the same.”
“It will be good for you to behave properly. The reason I’m looking after
you is that at some point, you’ll be of help. It’s always good to keep in
mind that your attractiveness is only a secondary reason.”
“I know. Thanks, Hee-ra.”
“…I’ll come back in the evening. Do not get stressed. Take a break and
think, honey.”
“You too.”
‘You seem to be in a good mood.’
I didn’t know if I managed to make her feel better, but a faint smile was
clearly visible.
Like Jung Hayan, Cha Hee-ra’s face was quite transparent. The only
problem was that her emotions changed fast, as her status window
suggested.
I felt tired after dealing with all the women that came here today. In
fact, it felt more dif icult to deal with Jung Hayan and the shaman than it
was to be investigated.
“Sniff… Oppa… Waaaah…”
As soon as Jung Hayan came, she broke down into tears, as if the sky
had collapsed. She seemed to feel heartbroken upon seeing me in
custody, all the while waiting to reunite.
Perhaps she thought I would receive a big punishment. It was evident

from the way she was crying and touching my cheek.
Anyone who looked at us would think I was already on death row.
Of course, after I explained the situation to her, her sadness turned into
anger towards Ito Souta. In addition to this, she also harbored anger
towards Kasugano, as she thought that this whole incident happened
because of the shaman.
Though Jung Hayan had gone into special treatment for her emotions,
nevertheless, the anger did not subside, so she asked Cha Hee-ra for
management
‘Isn’t she coming today?’
I shook my head as I felt as though I was waiting for Jung Hayan today.
Of course, in Kasugano Yuno’s case, the situation was not very different.
Since she had to do other activities for me, it wasn’t easy to come often,
but she still found the time to report to me.
Though I felt sorry for them, I was truthfully not waiting for either
Hayan or Yuno to come.
I was waiting for a lawyer who could successfully defend me.
Of course, it didn’t matter if I had to defend myself, but it would

de initely be better to have one of the main pillars of a large guild act as
a representative.
What I needed was a smart and capable woman.
As I got lost in my thoughts, the door to my room opened. I wondered if

it was Jung Hayan or Yuno, and I looked up…
The woman in front of me turned out to be the woman I was waiting for.
‘Lee Jihye.’
She looked at me quietly lying in bed.
“Look at you… There is no better loser.”
“You got me.”
“You’ve been caught very perfectly.”
“Your pride must hurt a lot, right? It’s the irst time I’ve ever seen such
an angry expression on your face.”
“Is that so?”
“I can tell just by looking at it.”
I didn’t know if she really knew me that well or was just quick-witted,
but I felt like I had gotten kicked.
I knew I should keep my composure as much as possible, but it was

natural to feel angry for various reasons. I was the one who had a talent
for backstabbing – how was it that I was the one who got backstabbed
this time around?
Some other monster managed to reel me in with a lousy trick.
I may be smiling, but inwardly, I felt furious.
I also felt embarrassed that Lee Jihye was able to see what Cha Hee-ra
and Jung Hayan failed to, but I felt like I knew why.
‘Soulmate.
I thought about it every time I saw her. Certainly, Lee Jihye and I were a
good match.
“I thought you would already be acting, but you’re not.”
“I was waiting for you.”
“Is the title of Red Mercenary’s lover and Shaman’s client still
insuf icient?”
She was right.
The fact that the Black Swan’s executive, also a high-ranking executive
trusted by the Guild Master, would act as my representative was very
signi icant.
That was how relationships between the powerful worked.
Considering that there was a practice in Korea that gave preferential

treatment to the irst trials of lawyers who were former judges or
prosecutors, the answer came to me quickly.
‘Keeping appearances is important.’

“I wouldn’t say that there wasn’t such a thing, but rather than focusing
on that, I needed you.”
“Well… That doesn’t sound so bad, oppa.”
“I’m glad you think so. Actually… you are right. It’d be a lie to say I’m not
angry. Also, my pride was indeed hurt, and my back aches a lot.”
“Shall we cry together?”
“No. I have a plan, and I hope you can help me. I’m not going to end up
simply getting back at the same level. Of course, you will be gaining
something with this, too.”
“I was thinking of helping you even if I ended up not get anything, since
I’m such a romantic. Personally, I’m also angry at the guy who threw
dirt on my own plans… The irst thing to do will be to ind your rights,
is that correct?”
“My fate will be in your hands, deputy.”
“Don’t you worry, my client.”
Lee Jihye stood up as she spoke. She then walked towards the guard
standing by my door, and I could predict just what she was going to do.
After all, this was the role I wanted for her.
“Excuse me?”
“Yes.”
“Where is Lee Kiyoung’s weapon?”
“Ah. In the case of that armament… We are keeping it for

investigation…”
“Please bring that to me right away.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I told you to bring that weapon to me right away.”
“B-but… Since it was a weapon used at the murder site, we are the ones
in charge of managing it. Even if you tell me to bring it all of a sudden…”
“Isn’t the investigation done yet? The function of the item was clearly
explained in words, and I know it was checked. I know they have
already experimented on it several times. Is that not enough?”
“We keep it for any sudden situation that might arise. It’s still
considered to be dangerous…”
“In that case, this is one of those sudden situations, and I’m telling you
to bring it to me now. First of all, you must know that the Yamato
Guild’s guild member threatened my client. This is directly testi ied by
Yuno Kasugano, who was there. He is half imprisoned even when they
don’t know for sure who is the victim and who is the perpetrator, and
they even dared to take away his weapon!”
“Someone has died. For now, we have to follow the procedures…”
“The cursing sword, Juliana, is our client’s minimal means of protecting

his body. If an accident happens to my client who has lost the means to
protect his body, can you take responsibility? The Mercenary Queen will
not stand and watch.”
“But…”
“You people… I’m asking nicely.”
“Do you know how much that weapon is worth? It is one of the few
legendary items on the continent. Do you think you can take
responsibility if a problem arose with its functions? As far as I can
con irm, I know that weapons that have been separated from their
owners for a long time will develop side effects. If there is any problem
with Juliana, I will sue you on behalf of my client.”
“We are just moving according to the procedures of the Holy Empire.
Even if you say you will sue us…”
“It’s not the Holy Empire I will be suing. I am suing you, people, for
neglecting management. It’s not the Holy Empire’s fault, but it is
de initely yours, the individuals who are oppressing my client.”
“Ah…”
“The value of my client’s weapon is so high that it cannot be converted

into a meager amount. If you don’t properly manage such weapons, do
you think you can still be innocent? If I sue you, all of the guards here
will quickly drown into debt, and will have to ight long court battles
against large guilds to earn the money. It’s so obvious that I don’t have
to say whose side the Holy Empire you believe in will take. Are you still
con ident with your answer?”
“I don’t know if you’re behaving this way because you believe that the
Holy Empire will protect you if things go wrong, but if not, shut up and
bring my boyfriend’s stuff. Tell your supervisor exactly what I said, and
if the supervisor doesn’t have the authority, ask them from a higher-up
to solve the problem. If that doesn’t work, you can come up with a
solution yourselves and bring Juliana here right away… Otherwise, the
humans involved will be bound together, and all will be sued.”
“T-that… Our authority…”
“Did you not hear me? Bring a superior or a supervisor! Who is in

charge here?! Who’s doing things this way?!”
Jihye, you’re so cool… ’

At least by my standards, she was worthy of being a girl-crush.
That was the only way I could express this situation.

CHAPTER 125
SOUL MATE (2)
That was the only way I could express this situation.
After Lee Jihye’s grand speech, the guards ran off to ind their superiors.
Unsurprisingly, she laughed and turned back to me.
“Well then. Shall we tell each other what we’ve been thinking? I think
you’ve just noticed it… Is the answer a little easy?”
“Yes.”
“When I count to two, we will speak at the same time.”
“One, two.”
“Safety is the priority.”
“Safety is the priority.”
“It worked. You know that the public’s opinion of us is not very good,
right?”
“Of course.”
“The irst thing we need to do is to get Juliana back. Aren’t you the
victim? I actually think it might be quite dif icult to retrieve it. As the
next best thing, it would be better to get help from a powerful person
from the Holy Empire…”
“Victor Hart.”
“Is he someone you know?”
“He is close to Hee-ra. I don’t know exactly, but he seems like the type of
person who would feel sad if he were to be the second in the Holy
Empire. With just this guy, we can get what we want. No, he’ll be more
than enough.”
Of course, what Lee Jihye and I wanted was not simply safety. What we
really wanted was…
‘To overturn public opinion.’
That was the irst goal.
Changes came even with the littlest things.
Public opinion was concentrated in the royal castle due to the sudden
murder case. Knowing that I was being held in custody by guards was
not very pleasant news.
‘However…
Everything would change when the perception that I was being

protected would spread, not by the guards, but by Victor Hart, one of
the Empire’s best.
This was my only option, but it would be enough to lip the tables.
“That’s because it is you whose life is threatened.”
“Since I’m in a very dangerous situation, I can’t help it. It would be

effective to be protected by a Mercenary Queen or a shaman, but it
would be better if my protector came from the side of the Holy Empire.
I don’t know when Yamato’s assassin will come, so it would be better to
use that as an excuse.”
“Do you intend to touch Lindel too?”
“That’s correct.”
“If you use the press, it’s not hard to even develop anti-Japanese
sentiment However, what you’re planning worries me.”
“The Yamato Guild, who was the main culprit in the Lindel terrorist
incident, persecuted and threatened the guiltless Blue guild member
Lee Kiyoung. In the process, an unavoidable incident occurred, and the
victim, who had been condemned, went on the verge of being tried. I
think that’ll be ine. If you want it said in a more provocative manner, an
innocent Korean would be in danger of climbing the guillotine. How
about putting it like that?”
“That’s not so bad. However, the reactions will be big. You know that,
right?”
“Sure, that’s what I’ve been aiming for in the irst place. If you punish
me, you will soon be punishing Lindel.”
“And thus, the Holy Empire, who prefers avoiding trouble, won’t dare
mess with you. You take care of your life properly. I like that, but…”
“You have a strange taste for men.”
“I told you. Ambitious men are my thing. I like a dirty, powerful man like
you.”
“You’re just the same.”
“They’ll be a little reluctant to touch you. Well, it would be better to

wage a war than have you dying.”
“War doesn’t happen that easily.”
“I think so, too… Come to think of it, it’s not my business. In fact, it
didn’t seem like it would matter if you prepared it alone, but if you are
using me as a representative, I think you have something else in mind.”
“Of course. I’m sorry, but I hope you can do this.”
“I was already going to. In fact, rather than the victim doing this by
himself… It is more effective to have a large guild’s representative. Take
a good rest.”
“It’s okay if I don’t help?”
“Of course. I feel more comfortable when I work alone when it comes to
this sort of thing.”
Of course, I already know that Lee Jihye was competent. However, I

couldn’t help but admit that I still felt nervous. This wasn’t something I
could easily control. In particular, I felt like it would be better if I could
contribute in being able to have Victor Hart vouch for us.
Less than two days passed, and I had no choice but to admit that Lee
Jihye’s in luential power was indeed impressive.
“Will you take responsibility if there becomes a problem with my

client’s health? No, it looks like he’s already come down with
something…”
‘That’s right.
“Ah. Are you Kendrick-nim? Are you in charge of this place?”
‘Well done, well done.’

“How are you going to compensate for the mental damage of his
hal imprisonment?”
‘You’re the best, Lee Jihye.’
“Is the investigation of the Yamato Guild being done properly?”
‘Way to go!
As she went about with her complaints, Jihye Lee’s appearance

reminded me of a particular foe from the previous Three Kingdoms
period.
I predicted, but couldn’t even imagine, that she would be able to rob
them right from the very bottom. In fact, I even felt sorry for Kendrick
and the other guards. I knew how much they cared about me.
They were innocent, but I knew what Lee Jihye was trying to do.
‘We are the victims.
She was emphasizing this fact.
This press play, which started with the rumors that Ito Souta of the
Yamato Guild had tried to assassinate Lee Kiyoung of Blue for some
reason, had been very effective.
No, simply describing it as ‘effective’ was not enough.
Knowing that a member of the Black Swan had chosen to represent me,
that the Red Mercenary Queen protected me, and the shaman
continued to testify in my favor will not be pleasing to them.
The keywords we held were safety, threats, and life.
‘She is de initely talented.’

It was amazing as to how Lee Jihye knew what areas to tackle on. This
allowed me to focus on my own personal matters.
If it weren’t for her, it would have been a little more dif icult to deal
with the Yamato Guild.
“My client is in a very stressed state.”
“Considering that we also give the most convenience…”
“Is this the best you can do? If you check the notes released by the
Priest of our Black Swan Guild, you can see how mentally uneasy the
client has been feeling. If I think about the post-trauma, I can see how
much you pressured and persecuted him.”
“But…”
“Why is Juliana so late? Is there any problem?”
“I’m looking for a room right now. The upper level is also having various
meetings… We would appreciate it if you could give us a little more
time.”
“How long do you intend to repeat the same words? It’ll become really
hard if you keep doing this. Is there any problem with Juliana?”
“There is nothing wrong with the weapon.”
“That’s a problem we need to check, Kendrick-nim. Once again, Juliana

is my client’s private property and is the only way to protect him. We
can’t guarantee that there will be no second threat when he has already
been threatened once. It is undeniable that the Yamato Guild tried to
threaten my client’s life due to the circumstances of the incident. It
would be nice if you could ix this somehow.”
“In case you don’t know, we are on guard 24 hours a day.”

“Assuming Ito Souta is coming to hurt my client’s life, I don’t think you
have the power to stop him. Excuse me, but given the possibility that
some of the Holy Empires might have collaborated with them, we need
a little more absolute protection. The protective measures requested by
Victor Hart are still there. What should we do if you say that we can’t
even get Juliana back?”
“That is…”
“Are you saying that, if the villains come here like this, he must submit
to his death? It has already been 18 hours since the formal request for
protection. Our client is still very uneasy.”
“Well, that’s…”
“If a request from Victor Hart-nim is impossible, isn’t it natural to show

minimal sincerity? The Mercenary Queen is also very worried. With a
repetitive situation where you have to stay away from your desk, the
victim’s personal protection who is threatened with murder in the
castle is so inadequate. If I could, I would take my client to Lindel right
now.”
“We are also making our requests as much as possible. Oh, as you may
know, Victor Hart is also very busy…”
“I feel like you’re just making up excuses.”
Lee Jihye had also been working hard, but Cha Hee-ra was also busy
with secretly asking the old man, her old friend.
I felt nervous, for it was taking such a long time, but I knew the end was
near.
Of course, it didn’t take too long for the irst piece to be completed, as
expected.
“P-permission has been passed. Kendrick!”
I could see a very happy expression from the guard who had made the
announcement. At this, the once-sweaty Kendrick began to smile.
“Victor Hart said himself that Lee Kiyoung was in his protection. Juliana
is also scheduled to be shipped again today.”
“Not at all, Kendrick-nim.”
“It’s a relief, Lee Jihye-nim. It seems that the permission has been
passed. In the future, Victor Hart will formally protect Lee Kiyoung. As
you heard, the investigation into the cursing sword is also over, so I will
return it for now… We believe that you will understand that in some
areas, it will not be allowed to be taken in. Especially when you are
away from Victor Hart-nim, Juliana should…”
“The irst thing is to completely separate the guild members of the

Yamato guild from him, Kendrick. They are undoubtedly threatening my
client’s life. It is not Lee Kiyoung that must be repressed, but they.”
“Yes. I will try my best.”
I got a better result than simply getting Juliana.
After I heard the door closing, Lee Jihye popped her head back in. I
smiled.
“Good work.”
“I didn’t know if you would be able to get Juliana back, but the results
were not bad. In the future, Victor Hart will protect you.”
“Just listening to that makes me feel better.”

One of the things we worried about the most since we came here had
been dealt with
“I’m worried about the movement restrictions, but it’s not a bad deal.
Anyway, our Jihye is on the move and the fact that Victor Hart will be
useful for my plans.”
“You won’t tell me about it yet?”
“It’s better if only I know. It’ll work better. As things go on, you will
naturally know.”
“I’m disappointed… Well, anyway, as you’ve heard, the restricted areas

will also start to loosen up, little by little. If you go out with Victor Hart,
it will be possible to go worship at a social church.”
“Doesn’t old man Victor have a close match with Yamato?”
“I know a little bit about that… Would you like me to tell?”
“Of course.”
“Did you know that the Holy Empire is divided into emperors and
popes? That old man is on the emperor’s side. As Yamato sticks to the
Pope’s side, they obviously don’t have a good relationship.”
“Well, that’s an interesting story. What happened to Lindel?”
“Causing some anti-Japan disputes won’t be a problem. If you are

treated unfairly, you don’t have to worry about it, because even war
could happen. Perhaps, with the old man sticking to your side, Lindel
will have some background.”
“Please keep track of the public opinion back in Lindel.”

“You don’t have to worry about it as it’s progressing quickly. But, more
than that, shouldn’t you go outside? They were working hard too… I’ve
been working on the Vatican’s side, but it’s not easy since they settled
there irst.”
“On the emperor’s side, we will meet secretly one by one. You didn’t get
the composition of the delegation, did you?”
“The imperial igures are still working on it. I’ll leave this task to you.
Anyway, if you go with them, they will inevitably stick to you. It won’t
be dif icult… Since we’re going to be with Victor Hart, it would be better
to maintain a close relationship with him.”
“You already seem close to Hee-ra… It won’t be that dif icult.”
“Hmm… Then, are you coming to the party tomorrow?”
“I probably will.”
“A killer attending a party with an escort…”
“If anyone hears, they will misunderstand. I’m the only victim… You can
be proud of this. This is the result of your achievement.”
At this, a hint of a smile appeared on Lee Jihye’s face.

CHAPTER 126
SOUL MATE (3)
Of course, the solution that Lee Jihye and I came up with slowly began
to overturn the public’s opinion.
Bringing in Victor Hart as an excuse for the assassin actually managed

to quiet the rumors within the royal castle, and had the effect of
keeping Ito Souta in check.
Explaining Juliana’s functions and characteristics combined with Yuno

Kasugano’s, there was a lot to say about the case itself.
The question of whether or not I willed my sword to hurt was still

unanswered. Still, unless Ito Souma decided to make a solicitation to
the Pope’s side, even this was suspected of disappearing soon.
The reason why I still had a suspect label was nothing more or less than
that of the speci icity of the case, which was the irst murder case in the
royal castle within the Holy Empire, and that it de ied the Pope’s
attempt to make the large Japanese guild look better.
Of course.
The reason all of this was possible lay in Lindel’s present state.
Originally, Lindel had a good relationship with Celia, but upon hearing
the Yamato Guild’s trap for an innocent victim did not sit well with most
people, especially since Yamato was suspected to be the main culprit in
the Lindel terrorist incident.
Of course, the fact that I was in danger was a lie.
Even now, I sat comfortably in my chair and could drink if I wanted to,
but it was important for Lindel’s citizens to believe the rumors.
Of course, that wasn’t all.
The real goal was to develop hostility within the Lindel citizens by
spreading the idea of the Yamato Guild’s planned invasion in their Free
City.
In particular, Lee Jihye’s plan was so disruptive that I felt it a little more
radical than mine, so the possibility of a war between Lindel and Celia
was a worrying possibility.
The biggest problem among them was that the Red Mercenaries and
Black Swans did not intentionally suppress some radicals’ actions.
Even if I were to take a quick look at the current media, the answer was
splattered everywhere.
[Guild Ilsung conducts bombing magic training in the Ramadel

Mountains near Celia.]
[Today at 9 am, Lindel’s Guild Ilsung conducted bombing magic training

in the Ramadel Mountains. The ultra-long-range magic that hit the
Ramadel Mountains across Celia has not been seen in Guild Ilsung so
far. Accordingly, Lee Seol-Ju (21), the highest dignity of the Guild Ilsung,
said that the Japanese people’s arrogant behavior has reached the peak
and are constantly testing their guild’s patience.
Not only did he not hesitate to say that it would make the Free City
Celia into a sea of ire. But after three days, they were surrounded by
Celia’s territorial waters and trained for ultra-long-range bombing
magic… and is expected to proceed. – Lindel llbo, reporter Kim Sung-
gyeong]
Among some of the radical factions, the actions of the Guild Ilsung were
the most embarrassing. I had to ask Lee Jihye about the truth.
“These motherfuckers, this is ine, right?”
“Yes. They’re asking for money. Then you can rest assured. I made a
deposit yesterday. Although all of these have been settled through
agreements… Well, seeing what they’re doing, I got a little nervous. I
didn’t know they would do this much.”
“Too much provocation is not very good…”
“The kids in their guild are weird, but you can rest assured that the
Black Swan will de initely stop them.”
“Do you know them?”
“Well… I guess we do, a little bit… We had a drink together once, and
that’s all. I thought it would be dif icult to get along because I was a
little bit dizzy, but who would’ve thought that I could use them this
way? They had crazy guys singing war songs, so I tried not to get close…
But after all, the more connections you have, the better.”
“There are all kinds of people.”
“Yes. Rather than going for some weak actors, something like that
works. Thanks to this, rumors that a war is about to be waged is
spreading throughout Lindel. A reaction certainly will come.”
In other words, Lindel was a time bomb just waiting to explode.
In fact, the merchants from Celia were quickly leaving Lindel in fear,
and the innocent Taiwan’s large guild was also undergoing evacuation
procedures for their citizens.
However…
“There won’t be a war. How will a war happen when the Holy Empire is
preventing such con lict? Relations with the Republic and the Kingdom
Union are also skewed, and the head-on con lict between the two cities
is ridiculous. Tell them to enjoy doing bombing magic drills how much
they want. The more they do that, the safer you are.”
“Ah. As much as possible, Juliana’s information should be spread out,

especially towards Celia… State it as a wide-area curse that cannot be
puri ied even by divine power. Research on wide-area magic that can
curse an entire city by using Juliana as a medium is in progress. It’s
paying off so far.”
“That’s not bad.”
“External war reporters were also sent to Celia for a different plan
altogether… Oh, write a letter to announce that the Guild Ilsun is also
developing mental attack strategy weapons. It seems like they like
talking in this way. It would be more ef icient for crazy guys like
themselves to move than for normal people to announce.”
“Yes, Yes. I get it. Are you working on the Japanese press?”
“I’m working on spreading anxiety, since our shaman is also working

hard. You don’t have to worry about the Japanese. No, don’t worry
about Japan as much as possible.”
“You sure are talented. How did you make connections with Yuno
Kasugano?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“No. It’s okay. As long she’s being useful, I don’t care who she is, or
where she lives.”
“I like this side of you.”

“Is this a confession at this timing?”
“Who knows?”
At this, Lee Jihye slowly leaned in.
It was then that we heard a thump outside.
“Oppa!”
“I guess it’s time.”
“Yes. I’ll have to start preparing as well.”
“I will help with preparation on my side. I already told the Mercenary

Queen, so please wait.”
The time to attend the social gathering this evening was fast
approaching.
For now, I had to focus on Jung Hayan, so I stepped towards the door.
The door slammed open, and there stood Jung Hayan, who looked way
different from before.
I didn’t know if it was because I had seen her a lot as a wizard, a class
who wore hoods often, but her appearance for the social gathering
looked quite beautiful.
She was wearing a white dress, a necklace, and earrings.
Overall, she looked very neat.
As she had a very nice body, it looked like the dress was prepared for
her, and the makeup on her cute and blunt face looked a little sexy.
Overall, I had a strong feeling that she brought out her unique charm
without going overboard.
“You look pretty, Hayan.”
“R-Really?”
“Of course.”
“Hehehehe…”
While laughing, I could see her glancing at Lee Jihye sitting on the side
of the room. However, her expression showed gratitude, not hostility.
It was natural for Jung Hayan to show such a look, as Lee Jihye was the
one who made it possible to be with me by releasing me from the
halfcon inement.
“Oh, Hayan is so beautiful.”
“R-Really? Thank you, Jihye-ssi.”
“You look more mature today. Seeing you inished it so early, I think you
wanted to show it to Kiyoung quickly, too. Am I right?”
“Yes.”
“You’re a cute couple. Ah. I was just about to prepare Kiyoung… Would
you like to wait outside? Or you can sit here…”
“I’ll be sitting here!”
“Okay. Do whatever you feel comfortable with.”
When Jung Hayan settled, a full-scale renovation began.

I just wanted to go like this, but it was essential to wear clothes that
suited the formal occasion. Of course, what Lee Jihye was preparing for
me felt a little too much.
“Everyone, come in.”
“Okay.”
This is because I didn’t know that Black Swan artists, who were known
for having many female guild members, would appear.
“He’s not very handsome, but he isn’t that bad. Please do your best,
everyone. Kiyoung can’t go to such a place and be ignored, right?”
“Yes, Lee Jihye.”
I can’t deny that I wasn’t handsome. As these people clung onto me, I
couldn’t help but sigh and decided not to pay too much attention to
them.
Lee Jihye would be doing most of it, anyway.
“It would be better to leave a little bang. I would like the makeup team
to create a good impression. It would be nice to go with a slightly weak,
yet charming disposition. The costume team should avoid strong colors
as much as possible… I think it would be good just to make him stand
out.”
“Okay.”
“Alright.”
“Not red. Did you hear me? He has to look like a victim, enough to make
the nobles feel compassion for him. Make him look as young as
possible… Instead of a suit, he’s going to wear an imperial out it. It’s
good to make him look friendly.”
“Yeah… Yes. Okay.”
I knew keeping appearances was important. This was also part of

politics, after all.
However, the sight of the Black Swan staff sweating and moving to meet
Lee Jihye’s demands was a spectacle. Some of the world’s most
renowned makeup artists, coordinators, and even beauty creators were
here.
I had been checking myself in the mirror, but I honestly couldn’t igure
out what was changing.
However, in Jung Hayan’s eyes; it didn’t seem that way at all.
Little by little, her gaze became blunt.
‘She’s always like that.’
“Hayan.”
“Hayan?”
“Hayan?!”
“Yes… Yes!”
It would be no exaggeration to say that my transformation was going

smoothly just from her reaction.
“Did you inish all the work I ordered you to do?”
“Yeah?”
“The thing you had to send to Blue and the letter you should’ve given to
the shaman.”
“Yes, I did it all. As you’ve said, I tied it tightly with magic and sent it.”
“Well done. After all, Hayan is the best.”
“But Kiyoung… So, from now on, you don’t have to stay here?”
“Huh. It doesn’t mean I won’t have any movement restrictions, but as

long as I can attend the gathering, it’ll be a convenience. It’s all thanks
to Jihye-ssi.”
“Ah…”
“Perhaps, when the time passes, it will be completely removed.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
As I talked with Jung Hayan, I could feel the time pass us by. In the
meantime, Lee Jihye and the other Black Swan members continued to
struggle with my appearance.
After a while, even the physical change became apparent to me.
‘Huh…
I feel like I’d become a handsome guy for some reason. Not as much the
original face, but still…
‘It’s worth comparing with Hyunsung as well… ’
I could now kind of understand what clothes, hair, and makeup were,
and how they were important.
When they said that most of it was inished, I got up and once again
looked at myself in the full-length mirror.
I had gone into a suit, but the aristocrats’ clothes, along with its many
cumbersome decorations, certainly did not make it easy to move.
“Turn around, Kiyoung. I want to see if it went well.”
“The decorations are a little crooked.”
Lee Jihye quietly pinpointed what was wrong, but the expression of the
guild staff told me they thought it looked good.
‘So sly.’
The sight of Lee Jihye coming to me to check my clothes for the last time
looked like a mother tying a father’s tie to work.
I don’t know if it was because she wanted to show off to Jung Hayan or
because she wanted to do it herself, but annoyance lashed onto
Hayan’s face.
‘If only they got on each other’s nerves openly… ’
I would have felt a little more comfortable if they did, instead of going
with such annoying subtlety.
“Our oppa is so cool, right, Hayan?”
“Ah? Yes…”
Even with an important task ahead, Jihye still seemed to have some
time for provocations.
“T-The rest, I will…”

“Since you’ve been sitting so far, keep sitting. It’s better to leave this to
an expert, right?”
Even tidying up the back of my jacket seemed to bother Jung Hayan.
‘Stop, Jihye…
“That’s right. All done!”
“Thank you, Jihye-ssi.”
“You’re welcome. Of course, this is something I should do. Since our

Hayan is still young and doesn’t know anything, shouldn’t I have to
work hard to support you? I’m having such a hard time because of
this… Ah…”
The moment I saw Lee Jihye’s face, which seemed to provoke openly, I
was sure that we were soulmates.
‘This is my wife, kid.’
Lee Jihye’s expression as she taunted Hayan, was very similar to my

usual expression.
“Shall we go now? I also have to prepare. Hayan, please take care of our
oppa today.”
“Yes, of course…”
CHAPTER 127
DON’T YIELD
“Then, I’ll see you at the meeting. Kiyoung oppa, Hayan-ssi.”
I felt a slight resentment towards Lee Jihye for leaving in such a heavy
atmosphere. Jung Hayan didn’t look all that good.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem like she was in the mood to kill anyone, but
the look of defeat on her face didn’t seem like it would go away anytime
soon.
“The trimming’s c-crooked, oppa…”
‘It’s not crooked.’
“Ah… I think it’s ine.”
“No. It’s crooked. 1-I’ll ix it.”
“Ah… Yeah… Thank you, Hayan.”
She had just now realized the difference between Lee Jihye and herself.
Unlike she, who had come just to show off how she looked, Lee Jihye
had made sure to take care of me, so she must be feeling inferior.
Of course, I was not a child, and I didn’t ind any reason for women to
act as pure housewives.
If Kim Hyunsung were the one to stand on the podium today, it would
have been me who’d be fussing over him to make sure he looked good. I
certainly wouldn’t put makeup on him, but I would de initely make sure
he had on the right clothes and the correct disposition.
As she the representative agent among the representatives, Lee Jihye’s

behavior was quite normal. The problem was Jung Hayan, who had no
choice but to accept all of this. Lee Jihye’s snide remarks all throughout
must have gotten to her.
‘Because it’s true… ’
At this point, she’d forgotten all about Lee Jihye saving my life, for the
nervousness was evident on her face.=
“T-there’s some dust here.”
“Ah. Thank you, Hayan.”
“There is something on your head, o-oppa…”
Perhaps she was more affected than I thought, as she continued to

smother me. Seeing her tear- illed eyes, I felt a sense of discomfort, as I
knew she was on the verge of crying.
Jung Hayan was blaming herself. It shouldn’t have been Lee Jihye who
could take care of me, but her, who came from the same guild as I did. I
personally would prefer Jihye handling things over her, but I, of course,
wouldn’t tell her that.
“I’ve been b-busy since morning. I was also preparing… I would take
care of you if I had the time. Because of what you told me to do, I f-
forgot…”
‘It’s okay. You don’t have to explain, Hayan… ’

“No. It’s okay. I can see how hard you’ve worked. Seeing how pretty you
look makes me happy too.”
If Jung Hayan knew everything that Lee Jihye had handled, she would
bow her head in shame.
Unlike Jung Hayan, who only ran a very simple errand, Lee Jihye was
not only manipulating the masses in Lindel, manipulating the media,
and managing a personal network within the castle, she was also
defending me.
However, what I wanted from Jung Hayan was not Lee Jihye’s role.
Each one of them had their own role to do.
“Jung Hayan is doing well. You don’t have to worry about too many
things.”
She only needed to be patient as she was now, and to grow up as she
had done so until now.
This was not yet the stage for the out-of-standard great mage.
“O-oppa…”
‘This is the stage for my soulmate and !
As I snuck outside, I saw Victor Hart and some of his knights, whom I
had recently met. They were my guards for the day, to protect me from
any potential killer.
“Hello, Victor Hart.”
“You’re a little late, young man.”
“Thank you for taking care of all this.”

“I thought it wasn’t dangerous enough to call out this resting old man…
You’re more chicken-hearted than I thought.”
“There is nothing wrong with being careful.”
“Hee-ra said she would be waiting at the entrance. Then, will you go
slowly?”
“I’m just asking just in case…”
“I understand.”
“A citizen of Celia has been killed, after all.”
“Of course not, Victor Hart. I am only a victim of murder threats. Juliana
was just doing something her job to protect me.”
“Right.”
“Aren’t you familiar too, Victor Hart? It is only because Ito Souta is
collaborating with the Pope’s side and putting pressure on us by
accusing me of being a suspect. Everything has been a calculated move.
It would be retaliation from when we, the Blue, announced that the
Yamato Guild was the main culprit in the Lindel terrorist incident. He is
either trying to assassinate me or show me off as a murderer to conceal
the truth.”
“Is that it?”
“Yes. Isn’t it a little more intriguing that he couldn’t stop Juliana in the
irst place? What do you think, Victor Hart?”
“I don’t know what you’re asking, exactly.”

“If we assume that my sword was hurting someone around here, would
Victor Hart be able to block it?”
“Ito Souta also has the ability to stop Juliana. Most of the invited guests
here are probably able to stop Juliana. It is not true that I killed him on
purpose.”
“But, you’ve been labeled a suspect.”
“That’s because the world doesn’t necessarily work with the truth. This
is already not a simple murder case. It has become a little more
political. Political battles within the Holy Empire were divided into the
Emperor’s and the Pope’s. It’s a ight for interests that has spread to
Lindel and Celia.”
“So that’s why they’ve spread strange rumors over in Lindel.”
I knew he was an armed man, but it seemed he had a logical mindset,

too. I had to hold my breath, seeing him in such a bad mood.
“I’ve seen a lot of young people like you. The ones with snake tongues.”
And that’s why I don’t like quick-witted old men like you.’
As an old man who had gone through with all kinds of things, he was
not just an ordinary ighter. This was a man who hadn’t aged for
nothing.
Before I could organize my thoughts, he spoke once more.
“Usually, those kinds of people have sacri iced countless people to

protect their own peace of mind, and they always don’t end well. They
destroy the people around them, as well as themselves in the end.”
“What are you talking about…?”

“Tut-tut. Don’t pretend like you don’t know. I’ve heard a lot of things.
Aren’t all of the provocations against Celia taking place at Linde all your
doing?”
The old man’s eyes appraising me quietly were making me nervous.
Even if I kept playing innocent, I felt like there will be no results. I had
no choice but to answer.
“About half is correct.”
“I don’t know why you don’t like this, but it was an unavoidable choice
for me. If I must exaggerate a little, I wouldn’t be attending this meeting
in Lindel; instead, I would have been in court. Being caught up in Ito
Souta’s and Pope’s traps, I don’t know much, but I know I would suffer a
lot of damage.”
“You wouldn’t die.”
“Of course, because I am a lover that the Mercenary Queen cares about,
and I am a client of the Yozora Guild’s Shaman. But what do you think?
If I were an ordinary person who didn’t have any connections, are you
sure I wouldn’t get my throat cut in this situation?”
“Well…”
“It would be dif icult. A concession is a word suitable for people like
you. Let’s suppose I gave them a hundred concessions to minimize
con lict. I mean to say, old man, that I’m only human. It’s so simple that
if the favor continues, they’ll think it’s a right. Then you’ll have to yield,
and if you yield this time, chances are you’ll have to yield the next.”
“Among the many free people, do you know why I can talk to you here
in less than a year after coming from the tutorial dungeon? How could
an idiot with no talent or special talent be here? It is not because I’m
the one that mercenary queen loves. It’s not because I’m the shaman’s
client.”
“It’s because I didn’t yield; thus, I’ve reached this point.”
“Tut…”
“Because I didn’t yield, I’m being protected by the best-unmanned man

in the Holy Empire. Because I didn’t yield, I can be in a party venue and
not in the courtroom, and because I didn’t yield, I’m still alive. Special
people will not understand. Those who stand in a position that can
concede don’t understand guys like me.”
“That’s a unique way to think.”
“Anyone can think like this. The answer comes when you think about
why the Emperor of the Holy Empire gets conscious of the Pope’s side.
You’ve probably been making concessions for centuries. It’s because
you kept yielding that it has become this way. Humans or groups who
avoid con lict cannot speak out. I can understand you. Of course, I
understand your love for the empire. But that’s possible because you
are in a position of power. There are so many guys like me in the world
– those who ravenously eat the ones that yield and the ones who have
fallen to the ground. In extreme terms, it’s like you raised them.”
“That’s sophistry. All you say is sophistry.”
“I hear that often. Still, there must be something you agree with. If I had
swung my sword, had I coveted what was mine without conceding,
what would’ve happened?”
“There must have been a ight and a quarrel. There must have been a lot
of blood on my hands, and I must have lived a life stained with regret
because of it.”
“Instead, the Emperor and his descendants, whom you love, would have
lived a happy life. Of course, I understand that harmony is important. I
am not telling you to defeat the Pope’s side right away. They are already
part of this Holy Empire. Still, to protect your rights, you must not
yield.”
“I am not trying to start a war. I just choose not to give in to their own
sel ish desires.”
“If…”
“Yes?”
“What would you do if the ones you were talking about also don’t
yield?”
“I don’t know. I want to avoid war, too. One thing I can tell you for sure
is that I don’t mean to cause con lict. Stepping aside is something the
other person should do. I threw the card, and whether to take it or
avoid it is in their hands.”
“If they do not avoid it…”
“I told you, I already threw it.”
“You’re scarier than I thought… And also excellent… I can see why Hee-
ra likes you.”
“I will take that as a compliment, old man.”
“Tut. Do you even like Heera?”
‘Subtlety is not your strong suit, Victor.’
As we continued to walk, Jung Hayan stared up at me, almost as if

waiting for my answer. Of course, there wasn’t a right answer for this,
but I had long since prepared an answer for such a situation.
“About half.”
“It looks like you care about her a lot.”
“Of course. It may sound funny, but Hee-ra is like a daughter to me.”
I didn’t answer after that. I saw Cha Hee-ra waiting once we arrived at
the entrance hall. Her igure had been clad up in a red dress, alongside
her red hair and bright, red lips.
“Victor, honey, what did you two talk about?”
“Nothing much.”
“I’m happy to see the two people I like arriving side by side. Secondly…
You look a little pretty. You’ll make a good impression wherever you go.
What do you think, honey? It’s been a while since I wore something like
this. Do I look good?”
It wasn’t about looking good or not.
I could see the numerous wounds that the revealing dress exposed, the
wounds that showed the struggles Cha Hee-ra had faced. Although we
chose different paths, I could see that she had lived a life similar to
mine.
Until she got to her current position, she never looked back.
Cha Heera was ire – a blazing, unquenchable ire. She wore a con ident
expression and an unrelenting attitude, unashamed to show off the
wounds on her body.
“You look beautiful.”
Upon hearing my words, Cha Hee-ra’s face turned red, and Jung Hayan’s
hand squeezed mine painfully.
And then…
“Guild Master Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra of the Red Mercenary Guild
and Victor Hart-nim, Knight Commander of the Imperial Knights. Lee
Kiyoung of the Blue Guild and Jung Hayan, also of the Blue Guild, are
entering.”
I heard a booming voice announcing our entry.

CHAPTER 128
TRAP CARD INVOKED (1)
I was not particularly interested. I had a plan to put into action, and
making my debut into the social world wasn’t part of it. However, it
would be quite bene icial.
Just do what you have to do.’
Being a new igure always earned attention, especially one known as

the lover of the Mercenary Queen, and the hot topic of this meeting.
Simply put, this gave me an advantageous position.
With that simple announcement, all eyes had gone to me.
There wasn’t such a daring person who would go so far as to mess with
me, someone who was currently being protected by Victor Hart.
I could see a luxurious interior as the door opened for us. Tables were
arranged on one side, with uniform-clad servants walking around
carrying trays illed with light desserts or wine. Asians with dark hair
talking over in one corner stood out.
Of course, the most eye-catching among them were the imperial ladies
with colorful hair.
Just by looking at the clothes, I could tell the fabric was luxurious, and
the accessories they were wearing were dif icult to measure in terms of
value.
‘Imperial nobility:
Those wearing the clothes of the priests of the Holy Empire were also
noticeable. Perhaps they belonged to the Pope’s side. What was
confusing about them were the clothes and ornaments they wore, all
looking highly expensive.
It seemed that their religion did not have integrity included in their
motto.
Before I could take another step, I saw Cha Hee-ra reaching out to me,
an expression of guilt on her face.
“Hold it, honey.”
Even in the Holy Empire, it was common for men to escort women, yet
Cha Hee-ra took my hand and started to lead me in a provoking manner.
Although my arm hurt from the magic lowing to me, I kept my mouth
shut tight and moved on.
‘It fucking hurts. Fuck…
The Mercenary Queen’s gaze showed that she didn’t care about what
people thought of us as we walked. I didn’t know how this would look
to the people, a man being escorted by a strong woman, but…
‘It works.
This was helpful for my image.
“She is…”
“The rumor that the Mercenary Queen fell in love is true. Is this her irst
time?”
“He looks a little different from what I thought. I thought he would look
a bit rougher…”
“It looks like he is a capable alchemist. He must be the academic type.”
“It’s a face that I can’t think of hurting anyone. And he’s cute…”
“Ah, I felt it too. Doesn’t it make you want to protect him?”
“Right. It makes you think exactly that.”
“The Mercenary Queen’s taste is great. At irst glance, he looks ordinary,

but you can see some peculiar aura around him…”
“Yes. Yes, I felt that too.”
The women talking to each other had their mouths covered with the
fans they held, but I could still hear everything.
‘What are those ladies talking about?’
I wasn’t sure, exactly, but it felt like I had become a hit with the noble
ladies.
Of course, this meant that the other men were looking at me in disgust.
It hurt my pride slightly, but it wasn’t too bad being known as the idiot
following the Mercenary Queen.
Anyway, my true prowess would be known someday. For now, it would

be best to appear as the victim.
‘That kind of guy?’
‘Ha, it must be a joke.’
‘A murderer, you’ve to be kidding?
‘There must be something in there.’

To instill this kind of perception was the irst step. I didn’t know if Cha
Hee-ra intended for this to happen, but thanks to her bold actions, it
was working so far.
Even though we had been here for some time, eyes were still on us. I
could see some people coming over with the intention to talk.
I knew whoever you talked to irst was a very important procedure. It

would be good if we could talk to someone powerful.
Once I settled in the right place, I could see Jung Hayan biting her lips
tightly.
“Our little Hayan looks quite miserable.”
“You can enter together tomorrow.”
“Ah… Yes.”
“I like being fair.”
Even in the midst of this, I felt grateful for Cha Hee-ra’s consideration
for Jung Hayan.
“It feels like all the main characters are gathered here.”
“It’s been a long time, Duchess Catherine.”
“It’s been a while, Victor Hart-nim. How is the Mercenary Queen?”
“I’m ine.”
‘Huh, not bad.
The one who had spoken to us was a woman with indigo hair. With just
one look, one could tell that she held a very high position.
‘Duchess Catherine.’
This was a woman who was said to be the center of the social church.
Despite her position as the Duchess, I knew that she had made many
connections because of her unique sociability.
She held a lot of in luence even in the Holy Empire. That was because
she went on the front line for her old husband, who was currently lying
in bed.
In other words, it meant that she was someone who was optimized for
working on sociability.
“Is this the protagonist of the buzzing rumors?”
“Hello, I’m Lee Kiyoung.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Catherine. You look a little different from what I
imagined.”
“What do you mean…?”
“I imagined someone a little scarier. I didn’t know you’d be handsomely

tall like this.”
“Thank you. Duchess Catherine is very beautiful, just as I heard.”
“Oh. You’ve heard of me?”
“Yes, of course. I always hear a lot of stories about you from Hee-ra.”
Smooth talk was my forte. As expected, I could see her smiling in

response.
“If the Mercenary Queen doesn’t mind, is it okay if I borrow your

boyfriend for a while?”
“Of course, Duchess. I was worried that you would be bored of us, but I
feel relieved.”
“Thank you.”
There was frustration on Jung Hayan’s face, but I had gotten Cha
Heera’s okay sign. She had something else to do as well.
Perhaps we would talk about the current atmosphere of Lindel with the
Black Swan’s master.
Jung Hayan would also have to show her face to the court wizards, so it
was natural that I had to deal with her too.
As I extended my left arm to Duchess Catherine, I saw her face looking

at it unexpectedly.
In fact, it was only to protect my right arm that Hee-ra had caught
earlier, but in her eyes, it seemed that I was escorting her.
Of course, other noble ladies beside her had also begun to approach me
slowly. Since I was the center of gossip, it was natural for me to receive
such treatment. As I saw questioning glances on everyone’s
expressions, wondered about what to start with.
Above everything else, I knew it would help not to indulge into the topic
they wanted right away.
‘It is important to lay down some stable foundation for conversation,

irst.’
I couldn’t just talk about the incident right away.
“Oh… Then the Mercenary Queen…”

“Yes. Hee-ra and I have known each other back on Earth. From then on,
she helped me a lot.”
“Ahhh. So that’s it.”
“Where did you get the sword called Juliana?”
“I got it while trying to save a party member from an attack in a

dungeon. Originally, it was supposed to be owned by our guild master,
Kim Hyunsung, but Juliana didn’t choose him.”
“That’s awesome. I heard what the Blue went through because of

someone’s interest in the Free City. You found the treasure during the
attack in the Cursed Shrine, right?”
“You seem well informed.”
“Yes. I heard that the potion you made was used to successfully reduce
the curse’s effect, am I right? It was a hot topic in Lindel, as it was the
irst time an alchemist made something to help with an expedition.”
“Ah, I feel embarrassed.”
“Oh, so that really happened?”
“How amusing…”
It seemed like some people already know about me. Of course, this
didn’t mean that they had researched about me in advance.
Surely Lee Jihye had been talking about me everywhere. I didn’t know
how, but she must have instilled only the good stuff about me.
From then on, we moved to talking and establishing friendships.
“Yamato Guild’s Ito Souta from the free city of Celia is entering.”
The guy who messed with me started walking slowly from the entrance.
Of course, gazes lew from all over the place.
A pretty sharp-looking face came into view. He must have been good at
keeping appearances.
He did not only receive favorable glances from the Pope and his
underlings, but also from the other nobles present in the party as well.
‘So he’s talented… ’
There were already people coming to greet him. At irst glance, it

seemed like he was intent on showing it all to me – his network, his
talent, and his established talent.
He moved with dignity and gave off a good impression. He didn’t seem
to be someone who had committed this kind of thing.
I didn’t know when he came, but if one were to assume that he had
managed the people here for a long time, their trust in him probably
went beyond imagination.
His situation was different from Cha Hee-ra, who only kept close to
Victor Hart.
Considering that Park Yeonjoo of the Black Swan has just become a
guild master and Yuno Kasugano didn’t have that kind of personality…
‘It means he’s a popular guy.
What was unexpected was that he was fast approaching me. At this, I
changed expressions at once, shifting into a slightly frightened stance.
“It’s been a long time.”
I couldn’t igure out why he was talking to me.

To simply show off? Or did he want to reconcile?
I doubted it was the latter.
“Yes… Long time no see.”
The noble ladies began to step aside, and Victor Hart began to get a
little wary of him. As long as he was acting as my escort, this kind of
behavior would be natural.
I could see a little bit of interest on his face.
‘Ha… ’
There was amusement on his face.
‘That’s right, that’s it.’
Souta did not know much about me. He probably thought of me as an

easy win.
However, the results would be different from the one he was expecting.
I was not in the courtroom but in the social hall, and Lindel was on the
verge of exploding.
Even in the Holy Empire, I was in a position that was not to be messed
with.
From his standpoint, I must have just seemed like an interesting toy.
“There seems to be a little misunderstanding, Lee Kiyoung.”
‘Son of a…
He wasn’t backing down at all.

On the contrary, he was de initely looking down on me, acting as if he
had already won.
‘You worked hard. That’s pretty good. So what can you do now? You
know you have no other option anyway. Hold my hand. That’s the best
you can do.’
That was what he was trying to say. I would be lying if I said that didn’t
hurt my pride.
Suddenly, a voice spoke out from behind me.
“Saying it’s a misunderstanding now? Stop with the bullshit.”
“Cha Hee-ra-nim, we only want to keep a good relationship with Lindel.

Whatever the reason, the two groups are too heated up.”
“Are they?”
“In the Holy Empire, we do not want con lict. Whatever the case’s
circumstances, I think it would be a good idea to unravel each other’s
resentment. It hurts me to lose one guild member too… Isn’t it better to
collaborate than to be ighting within the borders of the Holy Empire?”
In summary, he was saying that he was willing to sacri ice, to yield in

the name of peace.
“You should be talking to my honey, not me, Ito Souta.”
“Yes. Of course, I’m also talking to Lee Kiyoung. I think it would be

better not to cause any more problems. We sincerely apologize if our
actions felt threatening.”
His act of putting down his pride was indeed a spectacle. Upon the
watchful eyes of everyone, I had no choice but to reach out for his
outstretched hand.
As I held out my hand unwillingly, Ito Souta squeezed my hand tight,
smiling.
If there was one thing he didn’t expect…
“Thank you for the rational choice… huh?”
“Ahhhhhh!”
Indeed, one of my arms had not been normal from the moment I
entered this place.
I invoked the trap card, you bastard!’
“Ahhhhhhh!”
CHAPTER 129
Of course, I never intended to end things on even ground. It was not a

bad idea to break an arm or dislocate a shoulder, but the gift I had
prepared for Ito Souta was a little heavier.
As I slipped my magic power into the pre-loaded magic from Cha Heera,
results better than I had expected began to appear.
I heard that it would hurt, but it was actually a lot more painful than I
thought.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!!”
The blood fountain popped out of my right arm instantly. At this, Cha
Hee-ra cut off my arm with an urgent expression.
Of course, she wasn’t attacking me. Amputating my arm was more of a

irst aid.
Before we had entered, the magical power that she had planted in
advance had already come up through my body. Had my arm not been
cut now, her magic would have soon penetrated my brain.
Although I felt tremendous agony, seeing Ito Souta’s absurd expression

was more than worth it.
It’s a painkiller, a painkiller.’
“This son of a…!”

‘Huh, I like the acting.’
Cha Hee-ra’s acting de initely added more liveliness to the sudden

event. In the irst place, the person who had objected to the plan and
felt that it was too dangerous was her, so this added more realism to
her feigned urgency.
I wanted to laugh out loud. However, all I could do was scream.
My arm fell off in an instant.
Of course, it was painful. No, it would be correct to say that the screams
that I had endured so far burst out at once. I couldn’t bear it, as I had
been enduring the pain right from the moment that she escorted me
into the party.
I felt like a newborn baby.
The group of noble ladies moved away from me as they screamed in

unison. I could see Jung Hayan running towards me with a startled
expression.
At this, Cha Hee-ra clenched her ist and turned to attack Ito Souta.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Kyak!”
“Take this!”
In the irst place, to pretend to be the real victim, it was effective to

move yourself. Though painful, it was the only reasonable option.
Even when faced with Cha Heera’s ist, I saw Ito Souta’s distorted face
staring at me.
It was only for a short moment, but as I rolled around on the ground, I
let myself smile.
“Stupid bastard!”
Kwajijijik!
With a loud sound, Cha Heera’s ist connected with his face, and his
body lew through the air.
Baaaaaaang!
“This son of a bitch…”
“Cough…”
After the smoke had cleared, I could see Ito Souta spitting blood as he
raised himself up against the wall, with Cha Hee-ra approaching him.
I knew he would be experiencing pain beyond imagination, for his

endurance wasn’t that high.
Most of the attendees had a hard time following what was happening,
but most of their eyes had fallen on me. I had naturally gathered their
attention as I continued screaming in pain.
The priests locked to my side in no time, and many started running

towards this side to check my condition.
“O-Oppa, are you okay? Oppa… Sniff… Oppa…”
“Uuggh…”
“Oppa…”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Jung Hayan, who didn’t know how to react in these kinds of situations,
was holding my arm while crying, shedding large drops of tears. Lee
Jihye, who came running, was also tearing her dress and controlling the
blood dripping out from me.
‘Huh, this is a really great scene.’
I felt like I was an actor in a movie.
“How did this happen?” Lee Jihye asked an obvious question to the
nearby priest.
Of course, she knew. Her own acting skills were outstanding.
“No, please treat him irst. You need to reattach his arm. What are you
doing? It’s not the time to falter! Call the priest right now!”
“Quickly, the priest… The priest!”
“If you dawdle for too long, it won’t only be his arm that would be lost!”
“Please tell me the symptoms.”
“S-someone intentionally put in magic power through him. Fortunately,

Cha Hee-ra prevented this by cutting off his arm, but he should be in a
lot of pain. 1-I think the irst thing is to suture the arm. Before it’s too
late, you must clear the remaining energy from the fallen arm. S-
someone…”
“I-I’ll do it…”
“Please, Hayan.”
Thankfully, this priest’s remarks were falling in our favor. It would have
been better if I’d screamed even louder, but this was already quite
effective. The sudden lood of magical power that started from my right
arm was the cause of this situation, after all.
And, even better, the suspect was obvious.
It was our very own Ito Souta.
This bastard was the culprit, in any angle that one would choose to
take.
Usually, those classi ied as strong had a class effect, the knowledge of
advanced magic power management. Being able to deliberately inject
magic into my arm and make it explode was only possible with those
who had earned this kind of knowledge.
The ones capable of that in this place were at most ive people, and the
ones that come to mind irst are Cha Hee-ra, Victor Hart, and Ito Souta.
In the irst place, Victor Hart couldn’t afford to put magic power in me,
leaving only two suspects, and my beloved Hee-ra couldn’t possibly do
that to me, which left Ito Souta.
Perhaps he was aware that he had gotten himself into a trap.
As I lifted my head a little, I could see Jung Hayan grabbing my fallen

arm and pushing away the remaining magical power, and behind her, I
could see the bastard vomiting blood.
“Cough… Bleargh…”
It was a sudden attack, but he should have been able to avoid it.
It felt a little frustrating.

Although I was happy to see the guy vomiting blood, it would be better
to see him counterattack Cha Hee-ra. However, things were exciting as
they already were.
The Yamato Guild members around him tried to somehow stop Cha
Heera, but it was impossible. I wanted to see more, but…
‘It will be hard in this context.
Seeing the guards and Victor Hart blocking Cha Hee-ra, it seemed that I
wouldn’t be able to.
I could see the crumpled expression on Victor’s face as he quietly stared

at Cha Hee-ra.
“Stop. I won’t allow this to go any further.”
“Get out, old man. My business is not with you, but with the
motherfucker behind you.”
“This is not a training center, Hee-ra.”
“You probably know who started this nonsense! Still, seeing you
blocking, it looks like it’s me, not that bastard… The same goes for the
other guards… Are you still unable to distinguish who among us is the
victim and the perpetrator? Do you need other evidence? He was
caught in the act. Dying is nothing for this bastard who tried to kill my
honey in front of me.”
‘Good.’
Though everything she had said was purely nonsense, her acting was
enough.
No matter how crazy Ito Souta was, he surely wouldn’t be crazy enough
to burst my head with magic at such a place where all the executives
were gathered.
If one were to think calmly, it was possible to recognize that the culprit
wasn’t Souta Ito.
However, the same went for me.
Of course, I was also not crazy enough to kill his guild members in the
Holy City of the Holy Empire.
I don’t have the guts to do that… ’
It would all lead back to the pain I suffered today. Just like what Souta
had done, I had made up my own truth.
“You know that’s weird. No matter how much he threatened Lee

Kiyoung, he is not stupid enough to do something in a place like this.
Obviously, something is wrong. The irst thing to do is to listen to the
story according to the procedure.”
“Well. It’s up to you to think. We have pretty high-level information.”
“I can’t tell you clearly because there is no physical evidence, but it’s all
based on in luence. I fully understand why Ito Souta did such a foolish
thing. Even in this situation, he wanted to cover our honey’s mouths. He
knows that if our honey opens his mouth, he will not be safe.”
‘That’s it.’
Cha Hee-ra was acting better than I had initially thought. I was worried
about her abilities, but it seemed like she was doing a great job.
‘Attagirl, Cha Hee-ra!’
“What…”
“He wanted to shut Kiyoung up so much that he did this in a place like
this. He has a motive for that. I will vouch for it.”
Of course, that’s a lie.’
“In the irst place, he threatened our honey and used Juliana to
incriminate him for that reason…”
‘That was also a lie.’
“Can this also be explained if I say that the Lindel terror incident is also
related to this?”
‘Of course, that was also a lie.’
“If so, you know that you shouldn’t be punishing his crimes. I
understand that the person you love is injured and that you feel
enraged, but please think about what kind of place this is. Otherwise… I
have no choice but to lift my sword.”
Victor Hart looked pretty nervous as he spoke. It was clear that Cha
Hee-ra’s acting had him convinced that she might be telling the truth.
‘She’s like a daughter to him, after all.’
Considering his words, it seemed that he had tremendous trust in Cha

Heera, but they did say that raising a son or daughter might be useless
in the end.
Victor Hart, who had his sword raised quietly, stood there with a
crumpled expression, so I had no choice but to open my mouth. There
would be nothing to gain if I failed to confront the situation any further.
“Hee-ra, I’m… ine…”
“Honey.”
Seeing Cha Hee-ra’s beautiful igure rushing to meet me, my heart
pounded.
At this moment, she was more precious to me than Kim Hyunsung was.
For some reason, I felt sorry for Hyunsung, but anyway…
“Are you okay, honey? What about your arm?”
“I’m ine… You can’t make a fuss. Hee-ra…”
“Yes… Okay.”
As the excitement subsided, her voice returned to that cheap play tone
again. Fortunately, Victor Hart and the other guards had begun to
encircle Souta Ito at this point in time.
“I have to arrest you irst. What is your reason for doing that in a place
like this?”
“I did not attack Lee Kiyoung.”
“For now, you will be investigated according to our procedure.”
‘That’s a good word. The procedure… ’
“Yes. For now, I will accept to be investigated, but I attest that I have
never attacked Lee Kiyoung. I would like to tell the others here that I
did not approach him with the intention of killing, nor did I ever
threaten him.”
“There will be a chance to make statements separately later. For now,

come with me.”
“Yes.”
I saw him looking at me. It was only for a brief moment, but the anger
on his face was evident.
He had thought of me as an easy win and was proven wrong. I knew he

would feel furious. I’m sure he would love nothing more than to destroy
me right now.
‘If you wanted to kill me, you’ve chosen the wrong place.
In the irst place, he shouldn’t have gone for such a political ight.
‘It’s not over yet. Poor guy. This is just the beginning, so you can look
forward to more.’
As I slowly lifted my middle inger, a thrilling pleasure ran through my

back.
‘Screw you.’
CHAPTER 130
‘Screw you.
Laughter came out of my mouth. I tried to resist it, but found that I
couldn’t. I was still surrounded by people trying to assist me, after all.
“H-He seems to be suffering seizures. Priests, please keep doing the

spells, and wizards, please check if his body has some magic looding.”
“Yes.”
Lee Jihye, who realized about my situation, luckily made up a lie in time,
so I was forced to roll around once more as I held my arm. At this point,
I could also see Yuno Kasugano pacing around restlessly.
In fact, there was no reason for her to stay. My body was already
recovering. I was already craving to rest in my room than to stay here
creating a spectacle for the people.
However, I needed to continue the act for one reason, and one reason
only.
‘We are the victims, you bastards!’
That was the message I wanted to portray.
Of course, the person who showed this even better than I did was Jung
Hayan.
“Waaaah, oppaaa! Waaaah…”
“I’m ine…”
“Sniff…”
Jung Hayan looked utterly lost and sad as she gazed down at me. For
her, all of this must’ve seemed real. Thus, her reaction was normal,
seeing as she had almost seen me die from the hands of that dirty
bastard.
Anyone who saw her would think that I was already dead.
Because she was crying so sadly, she had managed to touch the hearts
of some of the noble ladies within the crowd.
Even Kasugano Yuno, who knew about the situation, had tears in her
eyes. This kind of situation probably felt unfamiliar to her.
My only role was to show how much pain I was feeling. At the same
time, however, it wouldn’t be good for me to overact at this point. As
Lee Jihye thought of the same, she shifted her effort into lightening the
atmosphere.
It was then that Cha Hee-ra lifted me up. I knew this would prove to be
another spectacle.
She didn’t seem to care about the blood on my body and clothes. In an
instant, her body became covered in blood, yet this must seem like an
in initely beautiful view to the nobles of the Holy Empire.
I really felt like I was being protected by this woman. Though I had not
touched her all over, I could feel her solid body.
Hee-ra wasn’t needlessly bulked like Park Deokgu. Her muscles were
perfectly compressed.
When I thought of Ito Souta, who was beaten up by this massive ist,
laughter came out again.
‘It’s great that you’re not dead.
At the right moment, he had probably protected his body with all his
power. However, seeing that he vomited blood, he must’ve suffered fatal
injuries.
To put it plainly, Ito Souta had received double the damage that I had
sustained.
At this, we left the party hurriedly.
Jung Hayan was also following me while wiping away her tears, and Lee
Jihye stayed behind, as she felt like the duty fell on her to calm the
people we would be leaving behind.
Since she had con irmed that I was safe, she had moved on to the next
part of the plan.
I felt a little disappointed, but that was Lee Jihye for you.
‘It’s also an action that’ll work in my favor… ’
Meanwhile, we were cruising straight into the medical wing.
As soon as we arrived, Cha Hee-ra placed me down onto the bed, her
expression serious.
Even as the priests came and began the treatment again, I couldn’t
resist the laughter.
Jung Hayan also took a step back and looked at me, and Cha Hee-ra
quietly opened her mouth.
“How is his state?”
“It seems like he’s gotten a lot better, Cha Hee-ra. I don’t think there will
be any other side effects if he continues to rest like this.”
“Good work. Now you may go.”
“Yes.”
“Hayan, you should go, too.”
“I don’t want to…”
“Hayan, if you go to my room, there will be a letter in the second chest

of drawers. You can go now and give it to the shaman.”
“O-oppa… Sniff…”
“My body is ine, so you should listen to me, alright?”
“Y… Yes…”
“You just need to come back after changing clothes and washing up. Just
deliver it to her, then we’ll stay together. You’re a good girl, right? Tell
Kasugano Yuno that I’m ine now.”
“Yes. Yes…”
I didn’t know why Cha Hee-ra asked even Jung Hayan to go, but the
truth was I also wanted her to leave for a while. The errand she must do
was just a good excuse.
I felt a little sorry, seeing her still crying, but I couldn’t openly laugh in
front of that worried face.
The priests had already left the room in a hurry, followed by a
depressed Hayan.
At this point, I had no choice but to let out the laughter I had been
holding back.
“Puh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.”
“Puh ha ha ha ha ha. Cough!”
I burst so badly that I began to cough. Cha Heera looked at me without

saying anything
“I feel like a decade-old congestion has gone down. Hee-ra, did you see
Ito Souta’s face? Cough. Puhaha.”
“It was much more perfect than I thought. Really… Actually, it would be
better if he avoided your ist there… That’s a little disappointing. Had
you beaten him to death there, it would have made things a lot easier.
No, if I think about it now, I’m glad he’s still alive. There are still a lot of
gifts that I’ve prepared, so he can’t die just yet. You controlled your
strength, right? Or was that bastard just quick to react? Puhaha.
Anyway, it was successful in the end. Cough.”
While I laughed continuously, Cha Heera’s expression began to change

little by little. I didn’t know why, but for some reason, I couldn’t get rid
of the feeling that she wasn’t happy at all.
‘Why is she like that?’
Obviously, I had no choice but to feel self-conscious.
At this point, Cha Hee-ra began to speak, anger laced into her tone.
“Honey.”
“Yes?”
“Is this funny?”
‘Why is she doing this again?’
“I’m asking if this is funny, you bastard. Fuck Ito Souta or whatever, are
you aware that you almost died?”
“I didn’t…”
“Don’t even say that it’s ine since you’re not dead. If things had
happened a little later, you could have died. You could have been
crippled for your entire life. If I hadn’t cut off your arm…”
“That’s why I said I believe in you, Hee-ra.”
“I’m not saying that. It’s about your attitude. I’ve seen many crazy guys
in my life so far, but this is the irst time I’ve ever seen a crazy guy like
you, you bastard. I sometimes see people betting their lives, but this is
the irst time see someone laughing over it. Do you really want to die?”
“No…”
“If you want to tell me anytime. I’ll beat you to death myself.”
“Why are you doing this?”
A strong, unusual feeling welled up from within me. I had initially

thought that Cha Hee-ra would laugh alongside me once everyone had
gone, so her reaction confused me.
However, as soon as she began biting her lips tightly, I could understand
why she reacted that way.
‘Huh… ’
I never imagined that the Mercenary Queen would ever look like this.
‘No way… ’
I thought about whether Cha Hee-ra was really into me, but I shook that
thought away.
No matter how much I tried to imagine it, the picture of her clinging
onto me just didn’t seem possible. It felt a little confusing, but at least
her worry for me didn’t seem that undeniable.
No, she indeed liked me, as she said. Whatever the reason, this could be
called a green light.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Shut your mouth…”
As I gently rubbed her face, she trailed off.
“You don’t have to worry, Hee-ra.”
“You…”
“It’s because you were there. That’s why I was able to laugh. I didn’t
think you would make a mistake. I was not betting my life. I knew I
would never die.”
“You…”
“Thank you, Hee-ra.”
I grabbed her face and pulled her closer, causing her to tremble.
‘She is nervous.
I would have never imagined it, but Hee-ra was actually nervous. At that
moment, seeing her desire for me, I knew I was half-right with what I
had been thinking.
However, when she squeezed my arm none-too-gently, I couldn’t help

but let out a scream.
“Ah!”
“S-Sorry.”
“No, Heera.”
Her reaction this time around was also a bit different.
Hee-ra looked a little embarrassed, as if she knew that she did

something that wasn’t like her at all. I saw her desperately trying to
change the subject.
“Ah, I’m glad to hear that it went well as you thought.”
“Yes. This is enough. It turned the situation over.”
“You have other ideas, right? You screamed as much as you wanted, but
everyone will be wondering what it is that you know. They’ll want to
know why Ito Souta tried to kill you. Without solid evidence, he can be
released easily.”
“I know that. The Holy Empire hates con licts, after all.”
“It is certainly an ambiguous problem to execute the master of a large

guild… Considering that the Pope’s side is also looking after the Yamato
Guild, he’ll probably be released a week or two later.”
“You don’t have to worry. I’m only telling you, but I’ve been working on
something separately.”
“What?”
“You can think of it as being related to the errand I sent Hayan.”
At this point, Hee-ra had donned a curious expression. I wondered if it

would be better to keep my mouth shut, but I felt like she had the right
to know.
Telling her a little wouldn’t ruin it, anyway.
“That’s because I released the potion in Japan.”
“What?”
“I’m distributing potions from Blue to Japan through Yuno Kasugano. Of

course, externally, Shaman and Blue will take the position that they
have nothing to do with this potion… The people will know that a new
clan in Japan is developing and distributing this potion.”
“You… bastard…”
“Of course, with the new clan as a distraction, rumors will spread that
the real distributor of this is Ito Souta. Now, because of these damn
procedures, his movements will be limited. This is a good time for the
media to come into the foyer. Of course, I’m not going to spread rumors
directly here. It would be too risky. The truth will be revealed little by
little… That will eventually choke him.”
“You do know that Ito Souta made a good impression not only for the
Pope but also for the nobles, right, honey?”
“That’s why It’s even better, Hee-ra. People don’t really care about the
bad guys committing crimes. Rather, it’ll be easier to work with if his
appearance is good. I don’t know exactly, but by the time Ito Souta
appears in society again, public opinion about him will be irreversibly
deteriorating. I can squeeze his image to the point where it will become
impossible for him to recover.”
“Do you know what these kinds of people ind the most fun in the
world?”
“What…”
“They ind it fun talking behind other people’s backs.”
A disconcerted expression appeared on Cha Hee-ra’s face.

CHAPTER 131
WITCH HUNT (1)
Nobles who had nothing else to do liked to gossip about other people,
and this was a subject that I knew everyone would like talking about.
The news that Ito Souta, who everyone initially saw as a nice guy, tried
to assassinate an innocent to conceal his weakness; this was enough to
shake his social circle.
Because he had a good image and reigned as an idol in the social world,
this had created a larger impact.
After my conversation with Cha Heera was over, it felt a little wasteful
to spend the day by comforting Jung Hayan, but at the same time, I was
in a good mood over the things I was hearing. Knowing that Lee Jihye
was working hard was enough to make me happy.
Though talking was part of my skill, backtalk was Jihye’s specialty.
‘Today, I should backtalk too.
Anyway, it had been a while since Yuno Kasugano came here. She knelt
down quietly and bowed to me.
“You seem to be in a good mood, master.”
“Of course, there are no aftereffects like I thought, and the plan is
proceeding smoothly.”
“That… Did it hurt a lot?”

“It hurts, but it’s ine. I took painkillers beforehand… In fact, it wasn’t
very effective because it felt like the magic was turning my insides…
Rather, how is the distribution going?”
“We took care of everything exactly as the master said. It is already on

the market, and the sales rate seems to be good.”
“About how much?”
“As of today, the net pro it has exceeded 20,000 gold, not considering
what was put on the black market before.”
“That’s not bad, considering the short period.”
“Yes. There are more and more people who purchase simply for
personal satisfaction… I am expecting it to increase little by little.”
“Good.”
I knew it couldn’t not be sold. Considering the price that could be easily
accessed by the general public, it was not strange that it would become
a hit, since its effects could make you forget the harsh reality for a
while. It was an improved version of the psychotherapy concoction that
I had developed back in the Cursed Shrine.
The problem was that the potion was very addictive.
There would be no big problem if you consulted with a pharmacist, but

there was no one who could handle the potion properly when I was the
real pharmacist in the irst place.
“We won’t get caught, right?”
“Yes, of course, master. Items sold on the black market are laundered
through my personal business site, and the new guild selling potions is
also moving according to procedures. Even some among the Yamato
Guild members are using the potions…”
“That’s amusing. Any other news from the Yamato Guild?”
“I can’t igure it out exactly, but it seems that the guild’s mood has
changed a little after Ito Souta was taken in for investigation. They are
refusing to trade with our guild, and they are meeting with the other
guilds.”
“Did you handle this?”
“Our guild is also constantly trying to contact the other guilds. You don’t
have to worry, master. Even in Japan, Ito Sota’s public opinion is not
very good.”
“Good.”
It’s been a while since I’ve heard some good news. It felt better knowing
his reputation was also dropping back in Celia. That was probably
because Yozora, another large guild, was directly accusing him.
Of course, I couldn’t say that the public’s opinion of Yozora was good
either because of their support in our favor. However, that would be
resolved after all this was over.
“If there is anything unusual, report it.”
“Yes, master. We will continue to watch closely.”
“Ah. Have you seen anything lately?”
“No. Until now…”
“You have a good yet annoying ability.”

“I’m sorry. P-Please punish me.”
Once again, Kasugano knelt even lower. However, this wasn’t the right
time to give her the punishment she wanted.
This was because I could hear Cha Hee-ra calling me outside.
“Honey? Didn’t you say you had an appointment with Duchess

Catherine?”
“Ah. I’ll be out soon, Hee-ra.”
Her voice sounded a little uncomfortable.
Although the environment surrounding me had changed a little, what

changed the most was my relationship with Cha Hee-ra. Though she
had forgotten that little awkward scenario back in the medical wing,
she had been talking to me a lot more frequently, especially whenever
she saw me with Kasugano. I feel like she worried about how the
shaman would be with me from now on
‘She just can’t show it.
She was the proud Mercenary Queen, after all.
I myself didn’t exactly know the cause for her changed attitude, but I
knew it was on a personal level. Liking someone wasn’t something that
could be explained logically
‘In any case, it’s a good thing.’
“I should get going.”
“Yes. Please do as you please.”
“I’m always grateful to you.”

Even with the Mercenary Queen being who she was, I never forgot to
take care of Yuno Kasugano. Just by gently stroking her hair, she already
looked as happy as Jung Hayan.
In other words, Kasugano Yuno was easy to handle, the lowest in terms
of dif iculty.
Since she had already entrusted her body to me, there was no need to
say anything else.
“You look happy, Master.”
“Ah. Being with you isn’t boring. It’s only because it’s fun to curse Ito
Souta with Duchess Catherine, so don’t worry. Oh, keep getting
acquainted with the characters in the Holy Empire. I’ll see you next
time.”
When I slightly opened the door, I saw Cha Hee-ra gazing at me for a
moment, before staring straight at the shaman with an odd expression.
At irst, Kasugano Yuno kept her head bowed, but sensing Hee-ra’s
unrelenting gaze, she had no choice but to look up and meet the
redhead’s stare right-on.
“Can we talk for a minute?”
“Ah.”
“Go do your things, honey. The women have something to talk about.
It’s okay, right? Shaman?”
“Yes. Of course. I also have something to talk about with Cha Hee-ra. I’m
quite busy, but I think I will be able to make time if it doesn’t take too
long.”
“That’s great. Then, see you in a bit, honey.”

I was a little scared about what they would talk about, but I knew it
would be better not to get myself involved. Besides, I had an
appointment, and sharing my joy was more important than indulging
myself in what I knew would be a stressful conversation.
As I moved with the imperial knights who came out on behalf of Victor
Hart, I saw the noble ladies having tea time in the garden.
“Ah, Lee Kiyoung.”
“Nice to see you, Duchess Catherine and Countess Elise. Ah! Marlin
Young-ae is also here today. It’s been a while, everyone.”
“Everyone wanted to participate when they heard you were coming

today. So? Are you feeling a little better?”
“Alas, it still feels very uncomfortable to move, but… I can’t miss the
opportunity to talk with these beautiful ladies. You must have been
surprised about what happened the last time… Thank you very much
for calling me again today.”
“No. At that time, we, too, were sorry for not being able to take care of
you properly, as we weren’t aware of the situation.”
“It was a situation that would scare anyone. Rather, you don’t know
how grateful I am that you visited me privately… Thank you so much for
inviting me to this meeting.”
“No. Talking with Kiyoung is very fun for us too.”
It couldn’t not be fun.
I would never say my speech skills were excellent. However, just by

showing my admiration or applauding whatever the noble ladies said, I
had gained their favor.
More than the conversation’s topic, I was the hottest person in this
royal city right now. Just talking with me gave them a sense of
superiority.
‘The rumors will be quick… ’
These ladies were said to be the center of gossip, so I knew the rumors
would spread within the castle instantly.
At the same time, I used this as an excuse in order to be able to relax

and have tea. Sure enough, seeing the ladies already chit-chatting made
me smile.
Although they shifted conversations from one topic to another, in the

end, the conclusion of all conversations came down to Ito Souta.
“Oh… I didn’t see him that way, but he seemed a little scary.”
“Yes, that’s right. Who knew he would do that in social gatherings? If I

think about that day, I still become so restless!”
“So Countess Elise does that too. The same goes for me. I thought he
was trustworthy because he seemed to have a good relationship with
the Pope, but it’s so hard to see through someone.”
“Actually, there is a story I heard…”
“Ah! Did you hear anything, Marlin Young-ae?”
“Yes. It’s a bit of a delicate story… I heard it from a friend on the Pope’s
side. I’m telling this only because I trust you all; I hope you keep the
secret.”
I bet that Marlin Young-ae’s story would spread all over the castle
within three hours after this meeting was over. Her secret would soon
become the next raging hot topic.
“Ito Souta and Sister Ariel from the Pope’s side…”
“Yes?!”
“Shh. Please lower your voice, Countess Elise.”
“There are rumors that they are in an inappropriate relationship. Of

course, it’s not exactly con irmed, but if you think about him going in
and out of the Pope’s side in the middle of the night, it does sound
believable…”
“Actually, Sister Ariel doesn’t seem to be liked by many. To think that she
was doing something like behind our backs! I ind her a little weird, but
who would’ve guessed Ito Souta would like her, out of all the people…”
“That’s because the Pope’s side is not the same as it used to be. Oh, of
course, I don’t doubt the hearts of those who serve God, but some
people act so crudely…”
“Actually, this is also a story I heard from a friend in Celia, but it seems
that Ito Souta doesn’t have a very good reputation in the Free City,
either.”
“What?”
“They say he’s showed a lot of unknightly behaviors such as harassing

women and children, and harassing the weak. As the head of a large
guild, everyone pretends to be unaware, but they said that such
criticisms have only recently emerged because his in luence has
weakened.”
“Ah…”
“There is also a saying that he is the owner of the back world, that he
runs a black market and enslaves various races…”
“Oh… How scary.”
It didn’t even matter if I joined in the conversation or not. Ito Souta’s

reputation was still going down the drain.
Not only was he in a bad relationship with the Pope’s side, but strange
rumors about him had also started circulating. Most of them would be
taken as the truth and would impact him badly.
Of course, I saw no reason not to participate in the conversation.
“Ah. I’ve heard it before.”
‘Damn, Kiyoung. Lying again.’
“I mean, I’ve heard that he was running the black market.”
This is a rumor I spread, after all.
“Oh… Really?”
“Yes. They said that you could get a variety of things. In fact, from the
free people’s point of view, there are a few busybodies who evaluate the
growth rate of the Yamato Guild as abnormal. Of course, the guild’s
achievements are not being minimized, yet their growth rate is
suspicious if you consider all their expeditions and activities so far…”
“Oh, my…”
“It’s hard to say exactly what, but they say they’re growing in a bad way.
Oh, of course, the source is not con irmed…”
It didn’t matter; they would take it as the truth.

“I see. Just in case, the thing you know… Is it related to this?”
“Yes. However, it is not yet the right time to tell. I have to be a little
cautious as well… I’m worried about whether I’m creating useless
trouble.”
“Seeing how hurt Lee Kiyoung was, I don’t think it’s just a rumor. He
must have a guilty conscience, right?”
“Oh yeah… In the meantime, the fact that we drank tea and talked with
that person…”
“There is no one in the world we can trust. Right, Marlin Young-ae?”
“Yes. Duchess Catherine is right. I certainly have to tell my father.”
“Me too.”
“The same goes for me. I must tell my husband.”
This was why I couldn’t stop coming here.
If Ito Souta were here now, he would laugh at the ridiculous situation.
As time passed, harsher criticism over his character became more

apparent.
“Dirty trash.”
“Isn’t it because of people like him that other innocent citizens are
being criticized? Of course, I’m not talking about Kiyoung…”
“No. I understand your feelings enough.”
How could I miss out on meetings like these?

‘It’s fucking fun!
Just imagining what other rumors I will spread tomorrow was enough
to make me smile.
I could enjoy the warm sunlight and delicious tea, and above all, a fun
conversation.
‘This is what motivates me to live.’
Gossip was indeed like a drug.

CHAPTER 132
WITCH HUNT (2)
Gossip was indeed like a drug.
Of course, I wasn’t the only one who was intoxicated by it.
As the days would pass, Ito Souta’s reputation would eventually go down
the drain. Assuming that the material that made up this content was the
same as that of the Earth’s, his reputation would sink until it would
reach the Earth’s inner core.
‘What a piece of shit.’
Even before four days had come and passed, he went from being a
respectable igure to being a monster who did not hesitate to trade
slaves, organs, and the like, the type of cold blooded man who would
sacri ice others’ lives in order to maintain his power.
The probability that he tried to assassinate me in order to cover up his

operations helped the rumors grow faster.
‘Of course.
A few people did not believe in this fresh gossip, but that didn’t matter. I
knew most of them didn’t care enough to inquire if the rumors were
really true or not.
‘That’s because it distracts them from their own, boring lives.’
“This already seems like a proper witch hunt. Puhahaha.”

Rather than talking to those who actually held seats of power, I chose to
talk to the noble ladies instead. This was because, once they returned to
their respective homes, they would talk about Ito Souta’s stories all day
long on my behalf.
It was like inding workers without having to worry about their salaries.
Although our enemies were sending out their own people to clarify the
rumors, it was too late. No matter how much they defended themselves,
the public’s eyes have already gone cold.
If these were modern times, Ito Souta would probably have already held
a press conference to prove his innocence. However, since he was still
being investigated ‘according to the procedure,’ his actions were still
limited, and thus, it would not be possible for him to.
On the contrary, I continued to roam around, enjoying my freedom.
Of course, the Pope’s personnel who were quickly working on removing

Ito Souta from their roster also proved to be valuable customers.
“Ahhh. Vice-Diocese Glen, it’s so nice to see you again.”
“Haha. It’s been only a day.”
“Hahaha. I always want to meet you. It is a very bene icial and enjoyable
time for me to meet with you in order to talk about God.”
“Lee Kiyoung, you are lattering this insigni icant priest.Oh, I have
someone to introduce to you today. Have you ever heard of Bishop
Jessica…?”
“Of course. I guess today I can get closer to the Benigore’s Goddess.”
“First, you have to get close to Bishop Jessica. She is really looking
forward to it.”
“Ah, I can already feel the pressure…”
“Hahaha.”
Today I was meeting Vice-Diocese Glen, and tomorrow I would meet

with Bishop Jessica. After that, I would immediately scout for more
people.
“Ah, Kiyoung-ssi is here!”
“I came running because I wanted to see Bishop Jessica.”
“We decided that you would call me Jessica when there’s only the two of
us.”
“Ah. We did, right?”
“Yes. Today, let’s go together to meet the Archbishop. I told Archbishop

Andrine about Kiyoung-ssi, and she de initely wants to meet you.”
“I feel a little pressured. However, I still have to be brave for our Jessica.”
“Kiyoung-ssi, stop.”
Likewise, after establishing a close relationship with Bishop Jessica, I

gained another step to power.
“It’s nice to meet you. Archbishop Andrine.”
“It’s such an honor to see a well-known man these days.”
“I am more honored to see you in person. I heard good things about you
from Bishop Jessica, but it seems you are more impressive than I
imagined.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha. Our Lee Kiyoung is so funny. Come to think of it, it’s
time to eat soon, so how about we eat together? I have a meal scheduled
with Cardinal Basel. Bishop Jessica should come too, if you have time.”
“Thank you for your consideration. Archbishop Andrine.”
My steps to meeting the higher-ups just kept getting laid out for me. As
continued meeting more and more people, memorizing everyone’s
names became dif icult.
However, compared to Souta’s predicament, mine was a blessing.
“It’s a little sudden, but I prepared a gift for you, Cardinal Basel.”
“Oh my, what did you prepare Lee Kiyoung? You don’t have to give
anything like this. Oh, well…”
“Stop. It’s just a little something. It’s a good drink, so it’ll be helpful when
you’re alone. Oh, and this is a donation I’m making directly for your
cause.”
“Well, all this…”
“It may be insuf icient to be offered to God, but I put in about 50,000
gold. From now on, if there is an opportunity, I will continue to do my
best to donate.”
“I think I know by now how much Lee Kiyoung loves God.”
“Hahaha. In fact, this is not the only thing I have prepared. I would like to
give a separate donation to Cardinal Basel.”
“Well, what is that…?”
“I believe you will use it for God.”

“Hum…”
Cardinal Basel’s stunned appearance was quite the sight to behold, as he

took what I had given him. After all, the Pope’s side was already rotten.
When a religion becomes permanent, it automatically becomes corrupt.
It may be frowned upon by most, but this was the ideal place for me to
establish my position.
“We can’t stay like this, how about seeing the Patriarch as well, Lee
Kiyoung?”
“Yes, of course, I’ll have to meet him too.”
“Oh, I have someone to introduce you to before that. This is Helena,

Director of Inquisition.”
“Helena?”
“Yes. Cardinal Basel.”
“He is a precious guest. Shouldn’t you introduce yourself?”
“Nice to meet you, Lee Kiyoung. I’m Helena, the Director of the
Inquisition.”
“Oh, I’ve heard about you. You are doing an honored job of cutting down
the throats of dirty heretics… It might seem rude, but I never imagined
that you would be so beautiful.”
“Ah…”
“Thank you for the hard work, doing what everyone doesn’t want to.”
Of course, I didn’t forget to cozy up to the lower groups. In fact, it wasn’t
all that easy to manage social networks.
It was because there were so many things we needed to take care of.
If someone were to say that making the irst contact and giving small
gifts during important events were not a big deal, then I would have
nothing to say. However, there was a reason as to why most people were
not good at this sort of thing.
That was because most ended up getting tired of such a task. Their time
was more precious for them, and it was more important for them to
protect their own space and territory.
Rather than talking with others, they got stressed about self-
development and contacting useless people. I respected their value for
their lives, but these people tended to be at a disadvantage in most of
their relationships.
‘Because the world is such a rotten place.
Making sure you’re known and having small talk was a way of setting
your own insurance. The shirt was always nearer than the coat, and in
turn, one would get fonder of people they’ve already seen and heard
about compared to those that they haven’t.
With one small mistake, everything a person had worked for could
instantly unravel.
It was my own opinion, but I felt like society’s system was specially built
for people like me.
I hadn’t been here for a long time, but my schedule was already bursting
at the seams. Of course, it wasn’t just me who was busy.
Cha Hee-ra was also busy meeting with business higher-ups.

She wouldn’t be happy about it with her personality, but showing her
face once a day, even brie ly, was a necessity for her, an individualist.
In truth, however, Yuno Kasugano was actually the busiest.
It was natural for her to be busy because she was in charge of all the
potions’ distribution and management. In particular, it seemed that she
was not adapting well to the fact that she had to manipulate the masses
within the Free City of Celia.
Jung Hayan seemed to have some spare time, but she used it to deal with
her stress about not getting to spend too much time with me.
Fortunately, the last incident seemed to shock her, so she chose to stay in
her own room, immersing herself in magic training.
Among them, Lee Jihye had also been forced into a grueling schedule
much like mine. She looked very tired on her way back after inishing
her schedule.
“What did you do last night?”
“I was with Bishop Jessica and Helena, the Director of Inquisition.”
“You’ve got talents.”
“I just inished attending a prayer meeting.”
“It lasted all night?”
“Yes.”
“Who will believe that? I don’t care about that, so just take care of it.”
“It’s up to you to believe it or not.”
“They are useful people, right? Oppa?”

“They are, for now.”
“That’s all that matters. Did you get anything?”
“What I’m doing personally doesn’t seem to be bad… I didn’t bother

talking about Ito Souta. The donations overjoyed them. What about
you?”
“I have some hot news. If you listen, you’ll be a little surprised…”
“What is it?”
“He got a trial schedule.”
“Surely… That’s surprising news.”
I thought it might not be easy to get to trial in the irst place. That really
was unexpected.
Although Lee Jihye and I had been talking with many people,
considering the guy’s position, it was better late than never to stand on
trial.
‘Because I’m being suspected, too.’
As I said before, the relationship between Ito Souta and I was like the
relationship between Lindel and Celia just before the explosion
happened. If Souta were to get an unfair trial, Celia would get upset.
From the Holy Empire’s standpoint, it would be better to smooth things

over with everyone, even if it meant walking on eggshells.
‘However, Ito Souta is not that stupid.’
If he found out that Lee Jihye and I have reduced his in luence little by
little, then there would be no reason for him to choose an unfavorable
battle ield.
sensitive to external gazes, was in a dif icult situation to take care of him.
“What about the judges’ bribe?”
“I’m not sure yet. Some people have met me, and I think I saw people
from their side too… But there is something unusual about this whole
thing.”
“Ito Souta himself asked for a trial.”
“Ahhhhhh…”
“I thought he might want to inish things on his own before things could
get worse… but It doesn’t seem like that as well. When I see that he has
worked hard in his own way, I think that he may have information that
we have to worry about.”
“Ahhh.”
“It’s because you are not clean, either. Of course, I don’t know if the
information he holds will have any in luence or not, but once you see
him trying to lead this to the court, then it’s likely not made up. Perhaps
its quality is so good that nobody will think it’s weird.”
“Really?”
“The reaction seems to be lukewarm… Have you ever thought about

what to do in this case?”
“Pff… Hhhh. Well, it’s similar. Remember when I said I had a little bit of
insurance?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve thought of dozens of options to prepare for whatever happens. Of

course, one of them was to deal with Ito Souta asking himself for a trial
and trying to attack us…”
“Hmm…”
“I can assure you that he has chosen the worst option among the list. If
he moves according to my plan… Pfft. You’ll know for sure what it’s like
to be backstabbed. You can look forward to it, Jihye.”
CHAPTER 133
WITCH HUNT (3)
Ito Souta’s trial date was fast approaching.
The sentence was simple, but it meant a lot. The citizens of Lindel, who
were in a raging situation, clinked their drink glasses, saying that this
was a way of dealing justice, and the personnel in Celia were agitated
by the sudden news.
Of course, Ito Souta was the one who had asked for a trial, but it was
impossible for people from Lindel and Celia to know about that. We
wouldn’t let the people know he was the requester, and likewise, Souta
never delivered this piece of news to Celia, either.
Last time, I became the victim, so it seemed that he wanted to be the

victim this time.
However, the only thing that mattered to us was the fact that he was
being tried, because Yuno Kasugano was already blocking his attempts
at manipulating the masses in Celia.
In fact, most of the people didn’t have to know about the real situation.
They only needed to know that he was standing in court as the
perpetrator, and that the good-hearted Lee Kiyoung was being taken in
for attempted murder.
For now, this was enough. Anyway, the trial might not proceed normally.
What they knew about the trial was that the punishment level
depended on how much the offender Ito Souta harmed the victim Lee
Kiyoung, but those in an important position in this trial were aware that
that place would also be a battle ield of politics between us.
That was why Lee Jihye felt uneasy.
“It’s a little too sudden, so I don’t know if you’re ready, oppa.”
“Enough, Jihye. We had a nice talk with the judges and those under the
Pope.”
“That’s because I’m nervous. I think I know what you’re hiding, but I
have something that bothers me too. Even if you say that you have the
insurance prepared, I’m not sure if it will work… Perhaps the trial is
just nominal. The trial here is a little different from the modern trial.
Thinking about what he will say while defending himself… Isn’t it
natural for me to worry?”
“You don’t have to worry. Our Ito Souta-sama can be just as smart as us.”
At this, Lee Jihye looked at me quietly. It was the irst time I had ever
seen her so worried. It looked like she knew something, but it didn’t
seem to be too bad.
“I will trust you.”
“Yes. You can trust me, Jihye.”
Although she felt uneasy, it seemed that she had decided to get rid of
the rising anxiety.
Good. The fact that Lee Jihye didn’t care as much as she should, meant
that things were going the way I wanted them to.
I was curious about how Ito Souta would try to attack me, but
everything had been calculated anyway. However, I still had to speak
upon seeing Jihye’s incessantly curious expression. I felt like it wouldn’t
be bad for her to know beforehand.”
“So, you’re curious, huh?”
“If I say I’m not curious, I would be lying. I’m only not bothered because
you told me not to care. Didn’t you say that I was getting in your way
running around? You said it would be more noticeable if many people
move at once.”
“It’s not like that, exactly. In a normal situation, it would’ve been better
to get your help. That way, I could have made a more perfect trap. I kept
it a secret from you because I wanted to show Ito Souta that I was being
careful. That’s insurance. What do you think? How do you think things
will go? Fine, I’ll ask this irst. How far have you reached with a simple
mind? What do you think was my original plan?”
Lee Jihye thought for a moment before speaking up.
“First…”
“Yes?”
“To end Ito Souta’s political life… You would have to isolate him from
both the side of the Emperor and the Pope. And the means were…”
“Yes?”
“It’s the drugs we are releasing in Japan. There are a few other things
that I can see, but I thought the rest were just fake rumors to draw
attention. Most of the rumors, like slave traf icking and organ
traf icking in black markets, are all made up.”
“You knew?”
“Of course, I don’t have any material evidence. Just by the low and
simple thoughts… I just thought that would be it. Of course, I was the
only one who knew. I didn’t dig into it any further, and even if I had, it
would be impossible for me to know since my movements are limited.
Wasn’t it your plan to use the drugs as clear evidence and put it with all
the offenses Ito Souta had done so far and put an end to it?”
“Just use simple words, Jihye.”
“The original plan is to end him with fake information that the Yamato
Guild, run by Ito Souta, is selling drugs in Celia.”
“Yes, that’s the irst. Then, why didn’t I tell you or others about this?”
“That’s because you have to be careful. There may be many reasons, but
this is the most obvious answer.”
“That’s also the right answer, Jihye. But, as I said earlier, the important
thing here is that I have to show that I am as careful as possible in this
matter. I didn’t even tell my representative, whom I trust the most, to
make him think that I’m preparing a big punch.”
“That…”
“Of course, the information I made up is actually a heavy hit. The Lee
Kiyoung’s attempted murder case isn’t just a rite of passage that he has
to go through… If he doesn’t know that a new potion is in circulation in
the city, he will be fatally hit by the crime of drug distribution. We’re
making him take the crime of distributing illegal potions in the city.
This was the irst route.”
“I got it.”
“Let’s think of one more case here, this time when if he knows the
existence of the potion.”
“Yes.”
“He might ind out that the potion I put in circulation was a trap
because it all looks suspicious. Personally, I think this is a bit more
likely, since he asked to hold a trial irst.”
“I think so, too.”
“It will be hard for him to ind. This is information that only Yuno
Kasugano and I know… If he’s competent, he could’ve reached out to
the fabricated information. Still, he probably had a hard time getting
through the investigation. As I said earlier, this was the kind of work
that even you did not get involved in. He must have thought about many
things while digging. Since there was no evidence, he would think it was
suspicious. For example…”
After I took a moment, I saw Lee Jihye hurriedly opening her mouth.
“For example, that this is the only thing you’ve prepared?”
“Yes.”
“I see what you mean. But what if Souta Ito was expecting a second? He
already knows that you are going to send him off with the potion
thing… What would you do if he knew your next move?”
“What do you think it will be my next move?”
“If I were you, I would incriminate Yuno Kasugano. It would be the most
reasonable and worthwhile idea to send Yuno Kasugano and Ito Souta
off, together. If Ito Souta speaks in court that it was not him who is
currently distributing potions to Celia, but Yuno Kasugano and Lee
Kiyoung, she would be your only means of escape, right?”
“Pfft, haha.”
“It is the right thing to testify falsely and send them both off. But it’s a
waste to throw away Yuno Kasugano here, oppa. If I’m right, I’d rather
revise the plan now. I understand that you’re angry, but wasting that
shaman on that bastard… It’s not a business that its the budget.”
“Do I look like that kind of bastard?”
“I just thought about what I would’ve done if I were you. That’s the
most reasonable option.”
“You’re right. It’s certainly reasonable, but I don’t intend to abandon

Yuno Kasugano. Let’s say that Ito Souta succeeded in digging about the
potion and brought information to the court that I was circulating the
potion. Let’s say I’m in a critical situation.”
“Yes.”
“It was wrong from the beginning, Jihye.”
“This is not a drug.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“This is not a drug… To be precise, if I say it is a drug, it becomes a drug,

and if I testify that it is not a drug, it will not be a drug.”
“Ah…”
“If Ito Souta doesn’t know about the existence of this potion, this potion
will be a drug. He would become a drug offender in no time, so his neck
would be severed, or he would receive a fatal blow. On the contrary, if
Ito Souta’s evidence about the potion pushes me into a drug offender,
this potion will not be a drug.”
“How is that possible?”
“Why do you think that is not possible? I’m the only one who can detect
the ingredients of this potion. No one knows alchemy better than me on
this continent, Jihye. I made this potion, and you won’t know the recipe
unless you open up my head.”
“Ah…”
“I’ll tell this only to you…”
“Yes.”
“Do you know what the base catalyst of this potion is?”
“Holy water.”
“It’s holy water, the kind of holy water of icially handled by the Holy
Empire Benigore Kingdom. The moment Ito Souta says that this potion
is a drug, the game is over. A potion made of holy water, said to be a
drug? If this is not blasphemy, what would it be? Puhahahahaha. What
can he do if he knows about the existence of this potion? What can you
do? He won’t know even if he dies that this potion is made of holy
water.”
“Puhahahahaha. It would be better to just die as a drug offender

without knowing anything. The moment he pushes me to be the one
who distributed drugs trying to turn the situation, the heresy
interrogators will be dispatched! Puhahaha. Cough, cough. Yeah, I admit
he’s smart, Jihye. And what? Whether Ito Souta is smart or stupid, the
game was over from the moment my potion entered Japan. He’s not an
alchemist.”
“Ah…”
“It’s a story that the choice is decided anyway. Puhahahahahaha! That’s
why I said he made the worst choice, Jihye. If it’s correct that he will
attack me with the potion I distributed, he made the wrong decision.
For heresy, from his family members to the guild members will be
screwed… Because this is the Holy Empire.”
I saw Lee Jihye, quietly looking at me. Perhaps now she was organizing
the information in her mind. There were many possibilities, but these
two were the most representative.
First, if Ito Souta didn’t know about this potion, we prepared the fake
evidence that the Yamato guild was distributing drugs. He would end
up as a drug dealer.
Secondly, if Ito Souta knew about this potion and brought evidence that
would drive me as a drug dealer, I prepared this potion’s recipe. I can
calmly say that I am the one who distributed this great potion. It will
end in blasphemy.
Either way, hell would await for him. It was hard to rein in my laughter.
“Puhhahahahaha!”
Lee Jihye’s face upon looking at me had turned red.
“Oppa.”
“Yes?”
“You are really sexy.”
“You have such weird taste.”
“You are also an awesome piece of shit. It’s really attractive.”

I was speechless with her comment. As I looked at my watch, I saw that
the time to head to court was approaching. As I got up and opened my
mouth, Lee Jihye nodded.
“Let’s go inish this, Jihye.”
“I’m really looking forward to it, Kiyoung oppa.”

CHAPTER 134
LIES MIXED IN THE TRUTH (1)
As I would be standing in a court, I would have to keep my body and

mind in order.
I didn’t know about my mentality, but my external appearance was

bound to be important.
I needed to prepare myself better this time around, compared to going

to a social event.
It was Lee Jihye who took care of me this time, but Jung Hayan, who
learned a lesson from the last incident, was also snooping around and
disturbing the Black Swan’s Guild staff with all her might.
She looked at me with satisfaction only after receiving I thanked her,

but in fact, Jung Hayan’s stake in this work was less than 1%.
As I stepped forward with Lee Jihye, my delegation representative, I

saw the courtroom in all its silent entirety.
Meanwhile, my representative was already taking a seat. Over at one

side, the religious leaders were doing the same.
When I saw Bishop Jessica and Helena, the Director of Inquisition, and
other important contacts, a satisfactory smile blossomed from their
mouths as I slightly greeted them.
‘They’re important… The religious leaders.’

I didn’t know why, but Cardinal Basel, who was always smiling, looked a
little serious.
As she was one of my precious insurance, it would require careful

management
‘That’s because a priest can only hold a religious trial with a cardinal
level or higher.’
On the other side was the jury. Originally, it was the right thing to be
invited to such an event, but in Duchess Catherine and Marlin Young-
ae’s case, this did not seem all that necessary.
Since this was not a jury system, it cannot be said that they had great
authority, but it was still good having a supportive audience.
When I made eye contact with them, the two began to smile.
This place began to feel more and more like the Colosseum, and we
were the gladiators ready to ight to the deaths. All things considered,
this was not such a bad metaphor.
“Because this is also a ight.”
“Yes?”
“Nothing, Jihye-ssi.”
“You’re so cold.”
As I shook my head as if it was nothing, I saw Lee Jihye immersing

herself in her papers again.
As we didn’t know what would happen, she was trying to check other
countermeasures as well as other factors in various ways.
After some more time, people started to ill up the empty seats,
appearing one by one.
The judges we already talked with had already entered, followed by Cha
Heera and Yuno Kasugano in the witness stand, and…
“Please let the defendant in.”
There stood our lovely Ito Souta.
He looked quite con ident as he entered through the door.
As if to appeal that he was not a sinner, he was casually looking around,

but the handcuffs on both hands showed that he was the perpetrator.
Precious colleagues who I planted in the audience were slowly opening

their mouths to speak.
“That… That piece of trash…”
“Do you know where we are, for you to come like that?”
There was no need to explain for the sudden pressure and intensity
within the room.
As the people on Ito Souta’s side started screaming, the ones who had
spoken only a couple of words started yelling and pointing at each
other as well.
However, the uproar didn’t last long, for the Supreme Court Justice had
begun to speak.
“I ask everyone to be quiet. Anyone who makes a fuss in the sacred

court from now on will be dismissed.”
“This trial was held at the request of the defendant Ito Souta, the Guild
master of the Yamato Guild. Before we start with the trial, I will give a
time for Benigore’s goddess prayer. Cardinal Basel will carry out the
prayer.”
“Let us pray.”
I could see complex and annoying procedures everywhere. I wanted to

start the trial right away, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to do anything
about it.
While everyone had their eyes closed, I let my eyes drift over to Ito
Souta, only to see him staring right back at me.
‘He’s angry.
I could tell that with just one look. It was, of course, natural for him to
remember what I had done to him during the last time we met.
The eyes that were directed at mine looked like the eyes of a demon,
ready to tear me apart.
Of course, he was scary. However, knowing that he can’t move, there

was no reason to be scared. In any case, Victor Hart and the Imperial
Knights were guarding me, and there was no way a guy with his hands
tied up could hurt me.
It was only natural for me to raise the middle inger once again. As I
stuck out my tongue with the corners of my mouth raised as much as
possible, blood oozed from the lips that Ito Souta had been biting.
‘What are you going to do, you bastard?’
“Pff…
Once again, it was proving to be hard trying to rein in my laughter. I
knew that one had to be quiet when they prayed, but riling Souta up
was so much fun.
Plus, that was the evilest look I had ever seen.
“Give us the blessing for a fair trial…”
“I would like to express my sincere thanks to Cardinal Basel for your

hard work. The trial will last 60 minutes…”
I nodded as the Supreme Court talked about how the procedures would
go. I already knew about it, anyway.
It would take place several times, but I could squeeze Ito Souta out if
this went according to my plan, but the time I needed would not be
enough for one day only.
“Then irst, the plaintiff’s testimony… This trial will begin with the
statements of Lee Jihye, the representative of Lee Kiyoung’s delegation.
Plaintiff?”
“Yes. Honorable Supreme Court. Before I start speaking, I would like

you to look at the data we have compiled.”
“Please bring it in.”
“The incident didn’t happen for the irst time at the church on the 18th.
My client, Lee Kiyoung, has been under constant threats of murder and
unknown threats. This was the reason for some transactions between
the Blue Guild’s Lee Seolho and the Yamato Guild.”
“Please continue.”
“My client, Lee Kiyoung Lee, was directly harmed on October 1st, and
you all probably remember the Lindel terrorist incident. This terrorist
incident, contrary to what is known, was not a terrorist attack, but an
assassination that speci ically targeted my client, and the incident
involved dozens of innocent Lindel free people. When the Blue Guild,
the Red Mercenary Guild, and the Black Swan Guild were investigating
Lee Seolho, they found that he had contact with Ito Souta of the Yamato
Guild and even secured testimony. Still, a few days later, on October 7th,
his corpse was found near Ramadel Mountain.”
‘You’re speaking so well, Jihye.”
“The corpse of Lee Seolho found near the Ramadel Mountains was
damaged by numerous torture wounds, but in the wounds, traces of the
katana used by the Yamato Guild were found. I will present the data
submitted and the conserved body of Lee Seolho as evidence.”
Of course, everything was fake information. It was me who killed Lee

Seolho in the irst place. However, it wasn’t all that bad to use a few
tricks with Lee Seolho’s body, which was with us.
“Apart from that, most of the pleural luids of the Lindel terrorist
incident killed themselves before being caught, but we were able to
con irm that the poisonous ingredients detected in their bodies were
the main methods used by Japanese assassins.”
“I have objections. There is no evidence that the poison found in the

assassins in the terrorist incident belongs to the Yamato guild. It is
unsuitable for use as evidence.”
“First, I will take it as evidence. Please bring in the related materials.”
“Yes, Honorable Supreme Court.”
That was not fake information. Of course, there was no evidence that
the assassins were sent from the Yamato guild, but depending on how
you fabricated it, not having evidence was also evidence.
“It was not possible to check the exact background of the ef luents, but
it turned out that most of them were Japanese from the free city of
Celia. I will also provide the evidence that the form of the weapon they
were holding and the magical mechanisms was largely from the Free
City of Celia.”
As expected, from the other side, Ito Souta’s representative eagerly

started talking.
“I have objections. There is no evidence that they really came from

Celia, even if they say that the magic mechanism or form of their
weapon is from the Free City of Celia. Other groups trained
professionally in order to condemn Yamato…”
“I will irst take it as evidence.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
“Please be quiet. All of the plaintiff’s statements have not yet been
completed.”
Our Supreme Justice was eagerly taking evidence where our argument
felt lacking. At some point, he would begin to feel that something was
wrong.
‘Puhahahaha.
This only meant that Lee Jihye had already met with the Holy Empire’s
Supreme Court Justice several times before. Of course, I had no idea
what they had talked about, but he had received a lot of bribes, so he
must be willing to close his eyes to some extent.
There would be no fair trial within this courtroom.
“I have objections! That evidence is…”

“I think it’s evidence good enough to be taken. Please bring in the
related materials.”
“Yes, Honorable Supreme Court.”
“I have objections! It is not physical evidence; it is more of a belief.

Please reconsider the possibility of this being fabricated material.”
“Stop! All statements to the plaintiff have not yet been completed. First,
let’s read the related materials. Representative, please bring in the
materials.”
“Yes. Thank you, Honorable Supreme Justice.
And Souta’s representative again began to shout.
“I have objections!”
“I will take it.”
“Thank you, Justice.”
Everything was full of evidence. For him, this was a faux trial.
Those who I had planted here were applauding whenever the Supreme
Court nodded, and every time Ito Souta’s side opened their mouths,
they all threw them a cold gaze.
There were no holes in this plan.
No matter how much they stated that our information was fabricated, it
was too late – it had already been taken as evidence. Everything
indicated that everything was indeed the work of the Yamato Guild.
“The Juliana case is in a similar vein, Justice. In order to accuse my

client as a killer, Yamato Guild’s Ito Souta made a plan based on
information obtained from the terror attacks of Lee Seolho and Lindel.
If you look at the item information of the legendary item, Juliana, as you
can see, it only moves if it poses a threat to my client.”
“I see.”
“Kazuma Hiroyuki of the Yamato Guild was ordered by Ito Souta to act
as a direct threat to my client. I will present as evidence the materials
with the analysis of Juliana’s reaction pattern and Yuno Kasugano’s
testimony.”
“I’ll check. Yuno Kasugano of the Yozora Guild, please come to the
witness stand.”
“Yes… The irst thing I saw…”
Could this get any smoother? Yuno Kasugano’s testimony was also very
reliable.
The jury and the religious people nodded at her testimony, and after it
was over, she began to speak once more.
“Let the plaintiff take the last statement.”
“Yes, Honorable Supreme Court Justice. As everyone knows, you will

remember the attempted murder case at the last social gathering.
Fortunately, thanks to Cha Hee-ra, it became an attempted incident, but
I don’t think I need to prove this because he committed the sin of anger
in a place where all nobles and religious people gather. It is undeniable
that Ito Souta has evil intentions towards my client with all the
evidence and circumstances that have been said so far, and everyone
has con irmed with their eyes that he intentionally put magic into my
client’s arm that day.”
“Yes.”
“I won’t bother presenting evidence separately because everyone here
is a witness. That is all.”
Even the ending was good.
Ito Souta’s representative also made a few statements in the middle, but
it was a futile attempt that managed to sway no hearts.
I don’t know how he’ll refute this, but…
‘This isn’t the end, is it?’
This was to Souta we were talking about. It wouldn’t end so easily.
He was competent and smart, so he certainly wouldn’t collapse like this.
‘Show me what I’ve expected.’
It’s obvious that had fake evidence or whatever, and as I expected, Ito
Souta began to speak.
“It’s not true. The words of representative Jihye Lee are a little different
from the truth.”
‘That’s it.’
“I didn’t commit the Lindel terrorist incident, the Juliana incident, and
the attempted murder incident either. To be precise, it was done on our
side, but I can af irm that I have nothing to do with any of these.”
“Please refrain from statements that make no sense, defendant.”
“This is not a ridiculous statement. Everyone, and the Honorable

Supreme Court Justice. It’s a little bit sudden, but the potions that are
currently being distributed in Japan… Have you ever heard of fantasy
potions?”
As expected…
He bit the bait.
He bit it very properly.
‘I am so glad that he’s competent.’
Fortunately, you noticed the detailed changes happening around you.

Fortunately, you have reached results that could not normally be
reached. It was fortunate of him to have dug into the relationship
between the fantasy potion and I as fabricated evidence.
‘Puhhahahahahaha.’
Laughter was already busting inside me. However, I quickly resisted it.
‘Thank you, you smart motherfucker!

CHAPTER 135
LIES MIXED IN THE TRUTH (2)
‘He knew about it!’
If he were an idiot with nothing but air in his head, he wouldn’t be

aware of what was happening around him. However, due to his
cautiousness, he had indeed noticed this.
His timing was also not bad. He probably thought he was one step
ahead of me.
Seeing his arrogant expression made the urge to laugh noticeably

harder to resist. However, I knew I should stop acting so awkwardly.
‘I should look surprised.
It was good to bring about a sense of realism to the situation. However,

it wasn’t easy to contort my expression the way I wanted it to.
‘Should I take an acting class?’
I could probably ind a suitable tutor within Lindel.
Even as I held back my laughter, Ito Souta was preparing himself to deal
another blow. He looked around the audience, aware that everyone’s
attention was on him.
With his relaxed demeanor, it would be hard for everyone to think of

him as a sinner. Meanwhile, one of his delegates could be seen pulling
out a familiar, tiny potion. Without a doubt, this was the product I had
made.
“This potion is currently circulating.”
“Please refrain from making a statement that has nothing to do with the
trial!”
It had been good of me to tell Lee Jihye beforehand.
She stood up while hitting the desk with a bang. Anyone would think
that she did so in panic.
“I have objections! Supreme Judge, that person is talking about

something that has nothing to do with this trial!”
“No, Supreme Judge. The story I’m going to tell you from now on is,
undoubtedly, a key issue that will play a major role in this trial, and it is
a subject that should not be left out. Honorable Supreme judge, please
allow me to speak.”
The Supreme Judge shook his head slightly at Ito Souta’s remarks, but
the Yamato Guild Leader seemed to have one of the other judges on his
side.
As he whispered to the Supreme Judge, he eventually nodded.
“I will allow you to speak.”
“Thank you.”
‘Good. Good
“As I said, this potion is currently in circulation. It hasn’t been long since
it started selling, but it was already being sold on the black market for a
long time. The price is about 20 gold per person; you can say that it is
cheap, and you can also say it is expensive.”
“So what’s the problem, defendant?”
“The problem lies in the effectiveness of this potion. Honorable

Supreme Judge, just as it was named a fantasy potion, it was designed
to allow humans to see the fantasy they want to see. It’s a kind of
hallucinogen. It’s not just that. It’s also deadly addictive.”
“I have objections, Supreme Judge.”
“I’ll listen to his explanation a little more.”
Ah, Jihye’s timing was impeccable, and not to mention – her acting skills
were amazing.
After analyzing her expression and inding nothing wrong, Ito Souta
continued to speak.
“Yes. You are right. This potion is addictive. Like… Just like drugs.”
‘Bingo’
‘Well done, my child!’
At this point, I wanted to cheer for him.
The question now was how he was going to link this potion to me. If he
linked it forcefully, it would look like he’d gone down the wrong path.
However, looking at his determined expression, it looked like he had
something more to say. I continued to watch him.
“Our Yamato Guild has been paying attention since this potion was
being sold on the black market, and a tremendous effort has been put
into inding out the source of this potion. It is not an exaggeration to say
that it is a drug, and I was curious about who was trying to make the
Free City sick.”
“The irst traces were found on October 1st of the Lindel terrorist
incident. The plaintiff pointed out and misunderstood us as the culprit
of the case, but as a result of our guild’s investigation, it was Kake, a
small guild in Celia, the Free City that attacked Lee Kiyoung.”
‘Huh, he does have a way with words.’
“You mean you have related evidence? Defendant?”
“Yes. I do, Supreme Judge.”
When I saw the Supreme Court carefully reading the document he

prepared, it indeed looked very well fabricated.
It would probably have been dif icult to gather information about the
small guild Kake in a short period, so it was highly likely that the
existing guild was used as a victim.
“Small Guild Kake is a criminal guild that makes pro its by distributing
illegal items and unauthorized items such as drugs. It’s spread out in
the city, so you can think of it as a nuisance group even in the Free City
of Celia. At irst, it was a simple guess. Even with our guild’s
intelligence, we couldn’t igure out why the Kake guild attacked Blue
Lee Kiyoung, but we could ind a very small hint.”
“What is that, Defendant?”
“It was evident that the Lindel terrorist incident was not just a terrorist
incident, but a territorial dispute between drug groups.
‘Whoa…
“Is this true, Defendant?”

“Yes. The person I mentioned, who distributes the fantasy potion in
Japan, is the person who turned the power struggle between drug
gangs into the Lindel terrorist incident. And the owner of the new guild
Sora is Lee Kiyoung, sitting by the plaintiff’s table.”
‘Perfect’
Ah, this had gone the way I wanted it to.
So now, I was the owner of a new guild called Sora. I was also the one
distributing fantasy potions in Japan.
What was not true was the fact that the Lindel terrorist incident is a
power struggle between drug organizations. Everyone was looking at
me as Ito Souta mixed the lies within the truth.
The question was whether or not they would take the fabricated
material as evidence, but I knew it was likely from how good its quality
was.
“Lee Kiyoung-ssi, who is still sitting by the plaintiff’s table and

frowning, formed a new guild in collaboration with Yuno Kasugano of
the Yozora Guild, whom he had previously known. The guild’s name is
Sora. Kasugano Yuno was brought in to distribute the potion sold only
in the black market, and their plan was a great hit.”
‘Correct.
“We have created a system that allows a drug called a fantasy potion to
be deceived as a medical potion to go through distribution procedures
and distribute it legally.”
‘It’s not a drug, but, yes, that’s correct.
“In less than a few days, they succeeded in making a net pro it of tens of
thousands of gold.”
It wasn’t just tens of thousands of gold.
Already, a huge amount of money had been rolling in my way. Anyway, it

was quite surprising.
In just a short time, I never imagined that he would come so close to the
truth like this – and create fabricated evidence with his limited
movement!
He was certainly competent.
As I slightly frowned, I could see Ito Souta carrying on with renewed

vigor.
“I think you may be aware that the Juliana’s case that happened the
other day was also investigated separately by the Holy Knights and our
guild. Another interesting fact came out as a result of the investigation.
Hiroyuki Kazuma, whose throat was pierced by Juliana’s cursing sword,
actually tried to kill Lee Kiyoung. It is certainly true that Juliana, who
really sensed the threat to the owner, attacked Hiroyuki Kazuma.”
“Defendant. If so, are you saying that you admit to the crimes of the
Juliana case?”
“Yes. It is my fault for not properly managing the guild members.

Hiroyuki Kazuma, who was a regular member of the Yamato Guild, had
two identities, but irst of all, since he was indeed in our guild, I should
be punished.”
“That means…”
“Yes. Hiroyuki Kazuma, who died, was also a member of the Kake Guild.
When the assassination at Lindel ended as an attempt, he tried to
assassinate even within the royal city. Perhaps it was an unavoidable
choice for the Kake Guild. It’s because they knew that the drugs they
were selling wouldn’t sell if fantasy potions were on the market, just
like the case with drug disputes.”
“At any cost, they would’ve wanted to get rid of Lee Kiyoung-ssi, who is
running the Sora Guild.”
That was such a great script. At this rate, Souta could be called a
playwright.
Leading the two assassination cases into the ight of the drug cartel…
Anyone could see that things were about to get fun.
“Do you have any evidence that Lee Kiyoung-ssi is making and
distributing fantasy potions?”
“Of course, Honorable Supreme Judge. Fantasy potion is actually a

variant of the mental healing potion that played an important role
when the Blue Guild attacked the Cursed Shrine. If you take a closer
look at the Cursed Shrine’s attack log sold by the Blue Guild, you will
realize that much of it is similar to the fantasy potion.”
“Keep talking, defendant.”
“If you look at Blue’s strategy log, the dungeon called the Cursed Shrine
is described as a dungeon where you will gradually experience and see
hallucinations after a certain period. As a means to suppress
hallucinations that have a negative effect on us, Lee Kiyoung decided
that the means is to see a new type of hallucinations. It is the mental
healing potion that was born of this kind of theory. The only thing that
can be said to be different from the fantasy potion on the market is
whether they are addictive or not.”
“I have objections. Supreme Judge! The defendant is turning to a

different story after the most important case; the attempted
assassination has been carefully ruled out. The main proposition of the
trial is not the fantasy potion, but an attempted assassination at a social
gathering.”
“No, Supreme Judge. Obviously, all of this is related. The attempted

assassination at a social gathering, I swear to Benigore’s Goddess, was
not something I committed. It was dif icult to draw an accurate
conclusion about why such an abnormality occurred in Lee Kiyoung’s
body, but I think this is also related to the Kake Guild. If you think about
the connection between this fantasy potion and Lee Kiyoung, it’s not
weird to be aimed for your life when and where you are. Knowing that
fact, Yamato Guild and I were framed because he knew that I was
digging about the fantasy potion. I think you should also consider the
probability that the attempted assassination case was his doing.”
Good, good.
“I know that this trial is not a trial for the fantasy potion, Supreme
Judge. However, it is undeniable that this potion is involved in all of this.
Also, if you think about the dangers of this potion, I think you should
hear about what the truth is from Kiyoung Lee sitting by the plaintiff’s
table.”
Ito Souta was perfect.
At this point, the man himself was nodding in satisfaction as the

audience around us became agitated.
Of course, this was natural. He had successfully manipulated them into

thinking that I was the bad guy. It wasn’t a full fabrication.
More than half of it was true. I didn’t know how he dug this so well, but
I wanted to applaud the guy for coming to his inevitable conclusion.
Now, it was my turn.

As I looked at Ito Souta, smirking, I knew he thought he had won. Of
course, this was the moment I dropped the act.
I drew my eyebrows in a grimace, and let my lips droop to its fullest

extent.
‘Puff.
And then I looked at him, smiled, and nodded as a thank you. The more
my expression changed, the more confused he looked.
The moment I opened my mouth to calmly respond, Ito Souta’s

expression had crumpled.
“It’s correct to say that I am the distributor, dear Supreme Justice

Court.”
CHAPTER 136
THE THIRD CARD (1)
“It’s correct to say that I am the distributor, dear Supreme Justice

Court.”
I swallowed the laughter that was about to rumble out of me.
As soon as I inished speaking, the audience was up in an uproar.
Cardinal Basel looked calm, but others seemed to be disconcerted by

the sudden change.
It was, yet again, a natural reaction. It was the same as inding that a
neighbor who had been sending out a good smile one day was found to
be a drug offender in the next.
It was a little embarrassing for me to admit this, but my image within

the Empire was good enough to penetrate the sky itself.
Perhaps thinking I had something up my sleeve, Ito Souta started to

speak once more. However, what the public was waiting for were my
next words, not his.
“It’s too shameless to confess his sins so calmly. Supreme Judge, would
you still need to listen? At present, the plaintiff and the defendant are
clearly interchanged. Go ahead and arrest him as per the procedure…”
“Arrest as per procedure? I indeed distributed it, but I have never

admitted my crimes with my mouth. You are still the defendant in this
case.”
“If it is not a sin to distribute drugs in a free city, then what is? If you say
that trying to drive an innocent person as an offender is also a sin, you
can say so.”
“I’m saying that I have no idea what you’re talking about now. This is
what I’m saying, Ito Souta.”
“It is as it is shown, Lee Kiyoung-ssi. Didn’t you admit to your doings

yourself?”
“What are you talking about, Souta-ssi?”
“If you are thinking of playing innocent…”
“The fantasy potion is not a drug.”
Seeing his disconcerted expression, the urge to laugh only grew

stronger. He had no idea what I was thinking, and what I was trying to
do. Perhaps he thought I was only bluf ing, as he had taken the
necessary and cautious steps with the assumption that I had an ace.
“Dear Supreme Justice Court, the fantasy potions that I have distributed
are not something that can be called drugs. I hope that you will allow
me to clarify about the fantasy potions in circulation to the citizens of
the Empire here.”
“Certainly… I think this needs an explanation.”
“Supreme Judge!”
“I will allow you to speak.”
Very good.
“Most of Ito Souta’s testimony is true. It is also true that I made a

mental healing potion at the Cursed Shrine and actually made a fantasy
potion deriving from the former. I also created with Yuno Kasugano, a
new guild called Sora, and distributed potions through this. I haven’t
been able to con irm that it’s being sold on the black market, but that is
probably true as well.”
“Please continue to testify.”
“Of course, there are other testimonies that are not true. Saying that the
Lindel terrorist incident was a ight between drug gangs and that
Hiroyuki Kazuma was a member of the Kage Guild are all false. Of
course, it is also false that the attempted assassination case was my
own doing.”
“Supreme Judge!”
“Be quiet for a moment, defendant. As the defendant said before, what
the plaintiff will testify from now on is very important in this trial.”
The Supreme Court Justice, who had maintained a good relationship

with my side, was also hoping for us to win the trial. Seeing him
cheering me on silently, I felt more con ident.
“Of course, the biggest lie among them is the statement that fantasy
potions are drugs. It’s an empty story that doesn’t make any sense.”
“Do you have any evidence?”
“To be precise, the fantasy potion is a potion made for healing

purposes.”
“You mean treatment?”
“Yes, treatment. Like the mental healing potion used for the Cursed
Shrine, the fantasy potion was created for healing purposes and then
distributed for healing purposes. The defendant testi ies that incidents
occur due to the battle between the Kake Guild and my territory, but the
truth is completely different. The Yamato Guild, in which Ito Souta is a
member, is holding hands with the Kake guild.”
Yamato Guild and Kake Guild holding hands was something I had made
up on the spot. Of course, I didn’t have any evidence to present right
away, but I thought it would be more ef icient to talk like this.
“Everyone has heard of it somewhere.”
‘That’s because of me.’
“It is rumored that the Yamato Guild’s Ito Souta handles slave
traf icking, organ traf icking, and illegal drugs, as well as running the
black market.”
“I have objections. Supreme Court! Those rumors have no basis, and the
content of the evidence to be presented is very poor.”
“The greatest evidence will come in a moment. Here is the start.

Supreme Judge, the story begins when Yuno Kasugano of the Yozora
Guild visited me. It was about a drug that had been illegally circulating
in Japanese markets for a long time. Yes. It’s not a fantasy potion; it’s a
real drug. I heard directly from her that Celia, the Free City, was already
exposed to illegal drugs and that many people were suffering from
them.”
“What she asked me to do was make a cure.”
“Ah…”
“Yeah. As you all might think, fantasy potions are a cure for illegal drugs
that are now hard to ind in Celia. We, the Blues and Yozora, wanted to
cure drug addicts and wanted to know where these illegal drugs were
circulating. That was probably where everything started.”
“What started, plaintiff?”

“I was constantly under threat of assassination. They seemed not to
want me to approach the truth. In addition to the Lindel terrorist
incident, there have been many threats that continue to target me. In
fact, we weren’t able to ind about the group that was controlling the
Japanese drug market, but we learned a lot thanks to the ongoing
assassination attempts. As I said at the beginning of the trial, the
Yamato Guild tried to assassinate me. Oh, maybe it was the Kake Guild
too. I mean a guild member of the Kake Guild who was ordered by the
Yamato Guild.”
“Everything is a lie under the guise of sophistry, Supreme. The

statement that fantasy potions are the cure for existing drugs is
unfounded. I wonder how a fantasy potion, which is addictive in the
irst place, can be a cure for drugs.”
“Why are you saying that it can’t be a cure, Ito Souta-ssi? The fantasy
potion has already proven its effectiveness with the cursed shrine. And
to say that is addictive… Please be careful. It is true that fantasy potions
have some addictive properties, but calling them drugs is no different
from calling favorite foods such as wine as drugs.”
“That’s…”
“It is a product that was originally released as a treatment. If someone

somewhere did not intentionally block the distribution, it would have
already been in circulation. Supreme Judge, the reason Ito Souta
continuously threatened me was to prevent the circulation of a remedy
called the fantasy potion.”
“It’s ridiculous. Your Honor, the alchemists in our guild, discovered the
Weed ingredient that induces addiction and hallucinations in fantasy
potions.”
This is really surprising.

Of course, I knew he would do the component analysis to get some solid
evidence, but I didn’t think he would hit exactly one of the catalysts in
it.
Bringing alchemists who could be said to be competent in their own

way was certainly a thing to have my head cut off.
However…
There was no alchemist better than me on the entire continent.
“You have already inished detecting the ingredients. This is where you
can get a little more curious, Supreme Judge. To be calling the fantasy
potion a drug even though the ingredients analysis has ended.”
“If you don’t call a potion containing Weed ingredients as a drug, what
should you call it, Lee Kiyoung.”
“Ito Souta-ssi. Is it correct that you have properly detected the

ingredients? If it is correct that you fully know about the fantasy potion,
the same words cannot be said. No, they shouldn’t come out.”
“What…”
“The fantasy potion is an object made of holy water, Ito Souta-ssi.”
It wasn’t just him. The entire courtroom had gone silent.
This entire situation has just gotten a lot more interesting.
Ito Souta’s face was already very distorted. I saw him turning his head
in a hurry to check the faces of Cardinal Basel, as well as the other
religious people.
‘Pfft.’
He didn’t look like a powerful person who could control a city.
“Originally, that’s what healing does, Ito Souta-ssi. Putting Weed as an

ingredient was with nothing more than or less than the purpose of
treatment. Benigore’s Goddess holy water puri ies all harmful
ingredients. It was a little easy for me, seeing as I am an alchemist.”
“In fact, I didn’t even need to make a separate treatment. The goddess’
holy water was enough to clean up; it wasn’t just illegal drugs that were
eating away the Free City Celia. What the fantasy potion shows is a gift
from the Goddess for us, Ito Souta-ssi.”
“You dare call the Goddess’s gift a drug. If this isn’t blasphemy, what is
it? Isn’t that right, everyone?”
Some still had their mouths closed tightly. However, it didn’t take long
for the silence to be replaced with agitation.
The irst to shout out was Helena, the Director of the Inquisition, and
one of the people who had maintained a close relationship with me.
“It’s blasphemy!”
This triggered the rest of the shouting.
“It is blasphemy! Blasphemy!”
“It’s heresy! It’s heresy!”
“It’s blasphemy!”
I thought that heresy was a little too far, but that de initely went in my
favor.
‘Pfft.’
Ito Souta spoke in a hurry.
“‘T-That is because I didn’t know the fantasy potion was made of holy
water. If I had known, I would never have said that. Honorable Supreme
Court. No, Cardinal Basel, don’t you know how much faith I have in
Benigore’s Goddess?”
‘It is better for him to make excuses like this.
“I want you to forgive my ignorance, dear priests. There was absolutely

no other intention.”
Cardinal Basel was currently the highest religious person here.

Considering that only the Cardinals could hold the Inquisition, it was
not unreasonable for him to be begging to Cardinal Basel. Still,
unfortunately, Cardinal Basel had been on my side for a long time.
Well, apart from that, in fact, his excuse was reasonable.
Saying again that the fantasy potion was not a drug is like denying the
testimony he had given so far. In other words, he was more likely to
survive if he denied his former testimony.
‘There is a possibility.’
If he said that he didn’t, then there was room for more excuses.
‘The problem is…
This wasn’t the end of everything that I had prepared. What else did I
have up my sleeve?
Of course, the precious wine I had prepared.
‘It is also a special product. Puhahahahaha.’

The fantasy potion basically makes you see what you want to see, after
all.
Perhaps some religious people might think that what they see after
drinking the holy water from the Goddess is a divine revelation.
The same was true for Cardinal Basel, who was very religious.
‘What do you think Cardinal Basel had seen after drinking the wine I
presented? Idiot.’
Ito Souta couldn’t even begin to imagine.
“At this time, it is judged that this case is out of the authority of the
imperial court, and under the authority of the Second Cardinal of the
Holy Empire, I formally request Judge James to hold an inquisition here
and now.”
“What…”
That would be a little secret only Cardinal Basel and I would know.
‘Take this, Ito Souta!’
This was the most heartfelt gift I could ever give him.
CHAPTER 137
THE THIRD CARD (2)
“At this time, it is judged that this case is out of the authority of the
imperial court, and under the authority of the Second Cardinal of the
Holy Empire, I formally request Judge James to hold an inquisition here
and now.”
Cardinal Basel’s stiff voice echoed throughout the courtroom. I knew Ito
Souta felt confused about everything that was happening. The fact that
he became a blasphemer was undeniable, but it was also true that this
had stemmed from his ignorance.
‘What a stupid guy.’
His ignorance would be the very cause of his downfall. This all
happened because he had inevitably called the fantasy potion a drug.
Considering that it had been a mistake on his behalf, there may have
been room for an extenuation, at the very least.
However, the problem lay with Cardinal Basel, who was now trying to
hold the Inquisition trial.
Of course, the reason why I had met with cardinal priests wasn’t just to
build friendships. Of course, establishing a relationship with them was
by no means a bad thing, but it also created amazing opportunities for
me.
For example, it gave me an opportunity to screw you over.’

It was not a big deal to experience hallucinations after presenting the
wine made from holy water. Of course, the wine I had given to Cardinal
Basel had been specially made by me.
It had the same mechanism as the fantasy potion, but it was a luxury
item that could not be said to come from the same roots.
[Sacred Wine: Heroic Grade]
[It is a wine made from holy water, called a gift from God. This wine,
which is a mixture of several complex ingredients, has the effect of
permanently increasing the Holy Power stat by 2 and recovering the
consumed Holy Power, limited to the irst glass. Sometimes it shows
something special.]
‘There’s no need to say anything else.
Only about 8,000 gold was needed to make the bottle.
Of course, it hadn’t been that complicated to make, but the situation I

was trying to create was a bit dif icult in itself. The fantasy potion was
out of my control not in its creation – there was an alchemy factory in
Blue – but in its gathering of ingredients. It might have been impossible,
if Ito Souta had not been under investigation.
No, it was de initely impossible.
What I did after making the holy wine was very simple. I simply had a
meal with Cardinal Basel and drank the wine together. The scene that
unfolded afterwards had been even more elaborate.
‘Puhahaha.
It was something that would happen after 20 years.

The scene had showed to Souta, who eventually signed a contract with
a demon summoned from hell. In short, I had showed Cardinal Basel a
gruesome scene for someone of his profession.
Of course, the man himself struggled to protect both the Holy Empire
and the Goddess of Benigore. Thus, it would be natural to think of Ito
Souta as an enemy.
The cardinal would’ve seen Souta slowly and carefully entering the
Pope’s fold, and, ive years later, controlling the Pope himself. At this
point, Basal would have also seen himself as the church’s only hope,
and the only one who would dare stand against the Yamato Guild
leader.
‘Very good.
What he had seen was a lonely ight between Cardinal Basel and Ito
Souta that lasted a very long time. As with any Apocalypse, Cardinal
Basel would lose everyone he loved, and he would eventually face a
very miserable and painful death.
He would’ve seen himself with a sword stuck in his heart, looking at the
Pope’s members surrounded by demons that had climbed up from hell.
These people, in turn, would be crying and looking at ito Souta, who
would be busy killing off their Goddess.
After seeing the hallucination, Cardinal Basel’s expression proved to be

unforgettable.
He seemed to doubt whether what he saw was a divine revelation, but

the man had to admit that he had accepted the will of the Goddess with
a irm face the next day.
‘This is simply because he has great faith.’

To our Cardinal Basel, Ito Souta was an enemy that needed to be
removed right away. It was nothing more, nothing less than that.
‘Like when Hyunsung saw Jung Jinho for the irst time.’
There was no chance of escape for them. This was the last insurance
prepared.
Of course, I had a few more, but I felt like this would be enough.
“Judge James?”
“Okay. I will formally accept Cardinal Basel’s request. As of this time, it

is judged that this case is out of the authority of the imperial court, and
under the authority of the Supreme Court of the imperial court of the
Holy Empire. Thus, I will close this trial here and now.”
Ito Souta’s face looked overly disconcerted.
“Honorable Cardinal Basel, I understand what you are feeling, but I

don’t really understand this situation right now. I said I didn’t really
know about the fantasy potion; I never meant to insult Benigore’s
Goddess. Rather, it is Lee Kiyoung in the plaintiff’s seat that should be
punished!”
“Why should I be punished, Ito Souta-ssi?”
“Did you not commit a disrespectful act of mixing Weed ingredients

with the holy water of the Goddess?”
This was proof that he was indeed in a crisis. He was trying to ind
anything he could use to his advantage.
“Why is that disrespectful? Ito Souta-ssi, I have been through the

puri ication process. The great power of the Goddess can bring
anything back to a clean state. Of course, it can purify your disrespectful
heart, too.”
“I-It’s not just that. Cardinal Basel! Lee Kiyoung of the Blue Guild used
the Goddess’ gift to take advantage and gain an undeserved pro it.”
“Some of the pro its of the fantasy potion go to the Pope’s side as
donations, so you don’t have to worry about unfair gains. Another part
will go into rehabilitation treatment for real drug addicts. It is an object
made as a gift from the Goddess. There’s no way I’d use it for private
things. I’m not like you, criminal Ito Souta.”
“Who are you calling a criminal…?”
“Yes, of course, you are the current criminal. If the fantasy potion isn’t a
drug, aren’t all the testimonies you’ve given up till now a lie? Having
confessed your sins with your own words, you would have been
convicted even if you had not passed on to the Inquisition. Oh, if you’re
regretting what you’re saying right now, I de initely want to ask you
again. Is the fantasy potion a drug? Is it?”
“Our proud to Souta-ssi of Yamato Guild. You have to answer my

question. Is the fantasy potion a drug? Or is it not a drug?”
“It’s not worth answering the question.”
“The Goddess’ gift can’t be? Asking questions is in itself disrespectful.

Supreme Judge, Cardinal Basel. This is a trap and a setback. Once again,
I ask for a formal trial. No, I will request an adjournment. Supreme
Judge!”
He tried yelling at the Supreme Court eagerly, but there was no way that
the Supreme Court would be positive in his response. Already, Cardinal
Basel had gained the authority.
“The power of the current court is not on me. Defendant, please send
the request for adjournment and appeal after the Inquisition is over.”
“Then… Cardinal Basel, this is a frame. This is a dirty masterpiece of Lee

Kiyoung of the Blue Guild, who tried to trap me in the irst place. If you
give me a little more time, I will be able to bring you convincing
evidence.”
It was impossible to understand why those kinds of people transformed

into parrots shouting about setups at this point, but this was evidence
that he was now desperate.
While looking around with an unfair expression, the public’s reaction to

him was quite cold. It was revealed that he had already lied once. Now,
there was no way they would listen to him, testifying that he had fallen
into a trap.
Rather, he was only making Cardinal Basel angrier.
“Shut up!”
“Cardinal Basel?”
“Shut up, you ilthy heretic!”
“I-I am not a heretic. Cardinal Basel, Chief Inquisitor Helena. There

were some misunderstandings, but I never thought of betraying
Benigore’s Goddess.”
“Don’t lie, you dirty heretic. Y-You think I don’t know how dark you are
on the inside?!”
“That’s unfair.”
“From the very beginning, when you were going in and out of the Pope’s
side incessantly, I felt something was weird.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“I told you to shut up. You dirty heretic! Did you think I didn’t know that
you were collaborating with the demons from Hell?”
“What?”
“Since you came here, I knew, by receiving a revelation from the

Goddess, that you were trying to dominate the Holy Empire with the
demons.”
“That…”
“You dirty demon worshipper.”
“What are you…?”
“I’m saying that I heard from the Goddess that you wanted to corrupt
and kill everything in the Pope’s side by slowly dominating from the
inside!”
“T-There’s some misunderstanding. Collaborating with the devil, that is

not true. I understand that you’re angry…”
“No matter how many excuses you make, the fact that you tried to
assassinate Lee Kiyoung in order to stop the distribution of the potion
made with the holy water of Benigore’s Goddess in Japan does not
change.”
“Once again, we never did the assassination. It was the Kage Guild that
tried to assassinate Lee Kiyoung.”
“Are you saying that’s a dispute between guilds?”
“N-No. The Kake Guild probably did not want to distribute a remedy
made from the Goddess’ holy water in Japan, so it attempted to
assassinate Lee Kiyoung…”
“Your words are now different from before.”
“It is because I was ignorant.”
“You always have been. Hey. What is the Chief Inquisitor doing? Helena!
Helena!”
“I’ll start preparing right away.”
“Arrest that devil worshipper right now, and interrogate and judge him!
There is no need for an inquisition. Even the means for a trial is a waste
for that heretic. No, it’s not just him. Take all the ilthy demonic groups
in the Holy Empire now, and the ilthy heretics in the Free City of Celia.”
“Yes.”
“I will send Heretic Inquisitors and the Holy Knights to Celia right away.
I’ll cut off the sprouts of the ilthy demon worshippers!”
It seemed that Cardinal Basel had reminisced about what he had seen
and now felt angry. Of course, I could understand his feelings.
Wasn’t the future destroyer of the Holy Empire in front of him, after all?
Of course, he would want to have him removed right away.
‘I didn’t expect that there wouldn’t be a trial… ’
Ito Souta’s defeat was inevitable, but I had wanted to play with him a
little more.
In the second half, he collapsed, but I still want to know what else he
had prepared. It would have been a good source of entertainment.
Even amidst the confusion in the hall, you could see Ito Souta looking at
me.
‘So, you noticed?’
He seemed to have understood a bit about how things were going, why
he was stuck in such a situation, and why Cardinal Basel felt so angered.
He looked as if he had something to say, but did not say anything.
Logic never worked with religion.
‘He must know that too.’
“Put him on the ire right now! That demon worshipper!”
“Kill the heretic!”
“Execute the blasphemer right now!”
After being cornered, he only had two options.
Would he be interrogated by a heretic inquisitor, which was like

witchhunting? Or would he resist or run away from this unfair
situation?
The irst option had little chance of survival. He would have been
tortured and then died, but there may be a tiny hope.
However, the second option was a different story. It was natural to be

labeled as a demon worshiper and a heretic at the moment of
resistance.
The fact that he resisted the Pope’s side proved that he was indeed a
demon worshipper.
‘What’re you going to do?’
I was very curious about which one he would choose, but sadly, the only
option he had seemed to lean on was the latter.
Why?
This was because I saw the Holy Knights and heretic inquisitors
running towards him.
‘Bingo.
CHAPTER 138
THE THIRD CARD (3)
“Catch the heretic!”
“Execute the demon worshipper right now!”
Of course, there was no way he would come back obediently. No, it

seemed hard to come up with a positive result even if he didn’t resist, so
this would be a natural choice for him.
As such, our priests in the court were engulfed in pure anger.
Pfft.
Simply put, he had no choice but to resist.
“Just obey and get right onto the interrogation, you devil worshipper!”
“Shit!”
The two people around him fell out in an instant.
The restraints on his hands were broken so easily that it was futile. He
wasn’t even properly trapped in the irst place. He must have taken over
some of the Imperial Knights.
“That… Catch and kill the demon worshipper right now!”
“Catch him! It’s heresy! Bring that heretic to this place right now!
Helena! Get that guy’s neck! The neck!”
“Yes.”
In an instant, our surroundings fell into chaos.
The problem was that no one there was on a level that could harm Ito
Souta, but seeing them rushing to ill the courtroom seemed quite
unwise.
The guy had to make a decision quickly.
‘He has to decide whether to ight or avoid.’
Even Gandhi, who shouted about nonviolence, eventually made the

Holy Knights’ side scream when he pulled out his sword to protect
himself.
Ito Souta wounded a knight when trying to take down the sword lying
towards him.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“That dirty heretical bastard!”
Lee Jihye, who saw it, quietly looked this way and muttered.
“Oppa, I think it would be a little dangerous to stay here.”
“No. It’s not dangerous; you just have to watch the situation. I think
things will get a little fun.”
“Ahhh… I see.”
Some were already leaving. The Supreme Court or those in high

positions were preparing for any possible danger in the Imperial
Knights’ warm arms.
It was a bit fun to watch Cardinal Basel.
The sense of duty to save the Holy Empire from danger seemed to move
him.
“Get him here right now! Director of Inquisition Helena! Doing that kind
of thing in the sacred inquisition… It must be heresy. You must be a
demon worshipper!”
“Yes!”
“No! I’m going myself. I will kill him myself! Bring my mace! Right
now!”
“It is not wise for you to move.”
“If that’s the case, hurry up and catch him!”
It was more scary than ridiculous to see an old man who seemed
unable even to walk properly. After all, the chosen warrior who
received the revelation of the Goddess was truly different.
Eventually, as Helena, the Director of Inquisition, quietly moved her

body, the war situation began to grow slightly.
‘She is a powerful woman.’
It was not comparable to Victor Hart or Cha Hee-ra, but she was
powerful enough to lead the armed group. She would probably be on
the same level as Lee Sang-hee or Hwang Jeong-yeon.
Seeing her running with a mace reminded me of a holy warrior

preparing to go to war.
Seeing Archbishop Jessica doing all sorts of divine spells, putting

shields and buffs, the Holy Knights once again struck at Ito Souta.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
‘This is a spectacle, a spectacle.’
At irst, Ito Souta was stopping those who kept running towards him,
but how far could he go while still maintaining his pace?
I thought he wouldn’t last long, but Agility 99’s abilities were more than
1 imagined.
‘He won’t be able to resist any longer.’
Seeing dozens of knights rushing at once, Ito Souta moved his body
backwards. Of course, there was also a knight behind him getting ready
to rush him.
After pushing the knight with his arm, he took down the sword lying
down from the side.
It was certainly incredible for him to avoid all attacks in such a

situation, but I could de initely see his crumpled face when Helena
jumped into the front line.
All this was because of my doing.
Laughter burst out of me for no reason. His desperate voice felt like a
catalyst that would summon my laughter.
“Cardinal Basel! All of this was planned!”
“Shut up! You dirty heretic!”
“Everything is a misunderstanding. For now… Please tell them to stop!”
“Shut your dirty mouth!”

“Helena-nim, you know well enough that I’m not that kind of guy!”
“Don’t call my name, you devil worshipper!”
“Bishop Jessica, please say something…”
“What are you doing?! Are you thinking of watching that devil
worshipper teasing us with his cunning tongue?! Go ahead and shut his
mouth!”
I felt a little sorry for the guy, but the Director of Inquisition Helena and
Archbishop Jessica were already on my side. I didn’t even have to use
the sacred wine. They spent a long time eagerly discussing about Ito
Souta with me.
Cardinal Basel’s wrath was decisive.
This breathtaking game was fun no matter what, but it needed new
winds.
As I looked at Jung Hayan, I saw her chanting a spell.
“The magic chain.”
A chain made of blue magic power eventually wrapped around him.

However, Ito Souta destroyed it with ease.
Although Jung Hayan seemed a little disappointed, I nodded and

clapped my hands to encourage her. Praise bred both willingness and
desperation within Jung Hayan.
“Wind blade! Magic chain! Air boom!”
I hadn’t expected her to cast a triple-effect spell.

She had reduced the output a lot, considering that others got caught up
too, but as raid’s main damage dealer, Ito Souta was in perfect
condition.
I felt like I needed to pitch in as well. Since my magic would be of no use

here, I decided to call upon Juliana.
“Juliana!”
Juliana, shooting out according to my gestures, was faster than most of

the knights’ movements. She moved on her own, towards Ito Souta.
The tanker group of the Heretic Inquisitors and Holy Knights were in
the front line, so the main damage dealers like us were at ease in the
rear. Moreover, Ito wouldn’t be able to get past them.
I didn’t know if he would attack me or not, but seeing that he was still
eagerly claiming innocence, it looked like I wasn’t safe anymore.
Ito Souta didn’t want the dispute to get any bigger. He believed that if he
continued to persuade, this madness would calm down.
“Ah… This is not easy?”
“I know, right.”
“I couldn’t really imagine him to be this strong…”
“How about getting the Red Mercenary Queen and the shaman?”
“No, I don’t think they’re needed… First of all, I have to protect the VIP
guests if anything happens. Hee-ra seems to be enjoying herself… If
something happens, she’ll join the war.”
“Ah. I avoided it! Please, focus.”

“He’s not easy to catch even with Juliana’s speed. He’s really fast. Are all
those who are masters of large guilds like that?”
“It would be nice trying to connect with Hayan-ssi. Or perhaps we can

look for another way to attack. You said that if one gets hurt by Juliana,
he will be cursed? I think it would be better to start by making shallow
wounds one by one rather than aiming for the big one from the start.
And didn’t you say that she can directly curse and move things like
black tentacles?”
“Oh, that’s a feature that is currently unavailable. I think I can use it

when Juliana’s ego awakens…”
“Then it can’t be helped. Since we can make the mental attack, try
talking to them irst. It wouldn’t be bad to lead the Heretic Inquisition
or the Holy Knights.”
This was an excellent suggestion from the Strategy Team Leader Lee
Jihye.
Originally, a raid had to be done regardless of means and methods. My

mouth began to open before I even inished thinking.
“We must capture that dirty heretic. He has been rendered strong under
the power of the devil, so I think we should join forces as well!”
As expected, I could see him staring at me. However, what else could he
do?
As soon as I said this, we clearly got in a systematic formation. The

excitement had encouraged everyone to clear their minds and focus.
“Good! Let’s kill that demon right now! Everyone!”
“Kill the heretic!”

“You mustn’t let him run away. If you block the door and stick to it, you
will soon weaken the ilthy demon’s power attached to him. Let’s try a
little more, everyone! For Benigore’s Goddess!”
“For Benigore’s Goddess!”
Ito Souta was still staring at me.
That was when Jung Hayan’s magic hit his arm.
It was just bondage magic, but taking advantage of that, Juliana passed
by his arm.
“Damn!”
‘Good’
At this point, I was unconsciously clenching my irst. If the setting had

been outdoors, Souta’s agility would have helped him, but since we
were inside, he was put at a disadvantage.
Countless humans who are blocking him, he can’t even attack properly.
Of course, as time passed, he also started to change.
I didn’t know if it was because he decided that he had no hope anyway

or because he wanted to rip my talkative mouth off, but the important
thing was that he was resisting with all his might.
In the meantime, it was his condition that caught my eyes.
‘It’s not ordinary.’
The damage that almost killed him from Cha Hee-ra still remained.
In that condition, he had to face Helena, the Director of Inquisition,
buffed by Archbishop Jessica. Jung Hayan’s chains holding him in place
also played a huge role.
“We must punish that heretic! Everyone!”
“He is the cancer of the Holy Empire! No, he is the Free City’s Cancer!
We must remove him! The sprouts! The roots.”
“Let’s all gang up together and do it!”
“S-Shut up…”
“The inish line is right in front of you!”
“Shut up! Please, please shut up!”
“You should be the one to shut up, not me. This ilthy demon
worshipper! Benigore’s Goddess will punish you!”
“This… This motherfucker! Motherfucker!”
“It is God’s judgment! You dirty heretic! Benigore’s Goddess, give me

strength!”
He certainly wouldn’t be able to come to me. It wasn’t just that.
Not only was he noticeably anxious, but he responded with insults to

me, who he had initially ignored.
He looked angry, but that wasn’t all. This was because of Juliana’s curse.
“Receive the power of the goddess!”
“Goddamn it!”
“Everyone, the ilthy devil’s power is gradually fading away. You must
be tired, but we’re almost there. Let’s try a little more!”
“This… This weak trash! These pieces of shit!!”
“The devil is revealing its true color!”
“Shut your mouth!”
“You are inally revealing your true color! You dirty devil’s servant!”
As time went by, the more wounds accumulated on his body, the angrier
Souta got. I once again felt like the chemistry between Juliana and I was
quite good.
In the end, Souta’s gaze fell on me once more.
‘Ah.’
The explosive magic power began to spread in all directions. This

meant Ito Souta had given up on trying to persuade and defend at the
same time. He had already made his decision.
No, perhaps because of the curse, he couldn’t igure out the situation,
but no one would ever know the truth. It could simply be because he
wanted to exact revenge on me, or perhaps he thought it would be
better to render the Holy Knights incapable of combat irst.
One thing was certain, however.
‘He’s very strong.’
He was stronger than I thought.
I heard screams from everywhere. It was already hard to see him, but
the Knights and the Heretic Inquisitors fell ridiculously.
If he had a sword in his hand, his arms and legs would have been lying
in all directions.
The divine power that illed the area retains the existing troops, but in
fact, their role was only to limit his movements.
The Holy Knights and Heretic Inquisitors were by no means weak.
The armed groups that the Holy Empire considered as the elite, Helena
and Jessica, and some visible people, also had considerable stats.
The fact that ito Souta is holding up so far doesn’t make sense.
‘In a wounded body condition? With no equipment? Are you serious?’
I could understand why the Holy Empire was sure to respect such
strong people.
I felt it with Cha Hee-ra last time too, but there was de initely a reason
for calling non-standard beings out of standard.
“Catch him! Ahhhhhh!”
“Don’t let him move! Surround him as much as possible!”
“Helena-nim!”
“Don’t make space for him!”
“Everyone, please give me a little more strength!”
The road opened up in spite of me talking. Ito Souta was now running
towards me.
‘Whoa!’
I was surprised but not disconcerted.
There were still many rough mountains left for him before hitting me.
I could see Cha Hee-ra, who approached quickly, kicking him on his side
even before he came to me.
Baaang! With this sound, he got stuck in the opposite wall while
screaming.
He succeeded in breaking through the irst gateway, but unfortunately,

he did not pass through the second gateway.
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Stop him right now!”
“Cough. Let me go! Let me go! I will kill you! Blaaargh… Kill you! I’ll kill
you no matter what. At any cost! At any cost! Lee Kiyoung. Lee Kiyoung!
Let go of me right now! Cough!”
“Tie up his arms and legs!!”
“Let go of me. Blaaargh! I will kill all those who approach me.”
It wasn’t intended, but the appearance of Ito Souta, who had been
in luenced by the curse, now looked like he was really drunk by the
power of the demon.
Seeing him spit blood out of his mouth after getting hit by Hee-ra, the
possibility of him being af iliated with the devil became even more
believable.
This was a itting end for a guy who pretended to be nobler than he
really was.
“Whoo… I’m feeling way better now.”
I had to nod at Cha Hee-ra’s words.

CHAPTER 139
THE VERDICT (1)
I felt as refreshed as if I had gotten rid of a 10-year indigestion.
Seeing him already surrounded by Heretic Inquisitors, I felt that all the
hardships I had to do had been rewarded. I felt happy.
Of course, Cardinal Basel, a warrior who felt like he had received a

revelation from the Goddess, showed more joy than I did. Since he
could change the dark future he saw, he may be thinking that he had
accomplished his assigned mission.
“Good job! Well done!”
Of course, this was not the end.
“No. It’s too early to celebrate! I have to send the Holy Knights and
Heretic Inquisitors to the Free City of Celia right now. Archbishop
Jessica, take the lead on the Holy Knight’s of icial dispatch.”
“Yes, Cardinal.”
“It is a Holy War. A Holy War.”
What I said earlier was also a fact, but what Cardinal Basel wanted was
not just the death of Ito Souta. He wanted to ind the other ‘demons’
rooted in the Free City and eradicate them.
Of course, I didn’t want to miss out on such a big event.

As I subtly glanced at Yuno Kasugano, I saw her nodding as if she knew
what I was thinking.
“Cardinal Basel, if it’s okay, can we, the Yozora Guild, join in?”
“Ah!”
“It’s a situation where we don’t know when the demon’s trumps will
escape the Free City of Celia. It will surely be helpful as time is urgent.”
“Oh… thank you. Yuno Kasugano-nim. Thanks for the help. The Goddess
will never forget about this.”
If I were the Guild Master, I would have participated in the heresy

judgment parade, but our Hyunsung and Deokgu both had many things
to do.
I didn’t know about Kim Hyunsung, but Deokgu, who was soft, may
have a hard time doing this.
“We, the Black Swans, shall help too.”
“The same goes for the Red Mercenary. Of course, since it is a Free City,
we will require permission from the Yozora Guild, but if it is okay, I
would also like to send troops.”
“Of course, everyone.”
‘Whoa.
Of course, the Black Swan and Red Mercenaries were also going to
participate in this big event.
It was time for a whole large guild to disappear from the map.
I can tell that I, the number one contributor, would get a big share out of
this entire event.
Anyway, most of what Yuno Kasugano would get was supposed to come
to me.
Lee Jihye would also have something to give me, and the Red Mercenary
was sure to give me some of their bounty, too.
Actually, various businesses in Blue were on hold due to capital issues.
I thought that if I combined all the gold from the fantasy potion and the
ones from the Yamato Guild, I would still have some leftover gold if I
were to screw up a few times.
“The future of the Holy Empire is bright because of all of you.”
“Of course, Cardinal Basel. This is a great opportunity to pull out the
cancerous roots in the Holy Empire. I am very glad to be able to lend a
hand.”
“Hohoho.”
“I will send a letter to the Yozora Guild.”
“Thank you very much. It’s not a situation where you can afford to be at
ease, but thanks to you, I think I can calm down a little bit…”
It would also be good for me to stay on the down-low.
Ito Souta, who had been alternating between groaning, screaming, and
resisting the Inquisitors’ arrest, was already out of my sight.
I wanted to talk with him at least once, but this came irst.
I have to take care of my achievements.’

It felt right to calculate what I can receive rather than indulge in a brief
satisfaction. Everyone’s gazes eventually focused on me as I began to
move.
In particular, Cardinal Basel greeted me with a very happy expression.
“Ah. Lee Kiyoung!”
“I think you have relieved the burden on your heart a little, Cardinal.”
“Ahem… Ahem…”
“For the last few days, you didn’t look so well. I am a little relieved to
see you are doing better.”
“There is still a lot of work to do, but at irst, I have eased my biggest
burden. This is all thanks to Lee Kiyoung. Hohoho.”
“Haha. All I did was move according to the will of the Goddess. Wouldn’t
all of this be the will of Benigore’s Goddess? In fact, it would have been
nice if our Blue Guild could also participate in this Holy War… But we
still aren’t in a position to move, I’m sorry.”
“No.You’re sorry? Lee Kiyoung is the biggest contributor to this event. If

it weren’t for Lee Kiyoung, we wouldn’t have been able to ind out about
those demons. Haha.”
I had done a lot, indeed. Not only did I cure a city that was about to be
contaminated by demons, but also helped uncover Ito Souta’s real
identity.
I presented the revelation of the Goddess to Cardinal Basel with sacred

wine, and at this trial, I also provided good pieces of evidence.
To exaggerate a little, everything had gone as smoothly as I had

expected.
“I’m really embarrassed.”
“No. You have accomplished an achievement that deserves much praise.

Besides, isn’t it because of the Yamato Guild that the Blue Guild’s power
has been reduced? Governing internally comes irst. I understand Lee
Kiyoung better than anyone else.”
What I wanted were not just words of praise.
“Give me a reward” lingered around my throat, but it appeared that I

had no need to speak up.
“There will be a reward from the Pope’s side.”
“Ah.”
“No, it’s not just the Pope’s side. You’ve done a great job for the Holy
Empire, so you’ll be rewarded by the royal city itself. It would be nice to
talk to everyone else. Ah! If you have any questions, you can tell me.”
“I wasn’t hoping for compensation, Cardinal Basel.”
“Hoho. Lee Kiyoung, don’t you think that I know that? However, you are
right to receive a decent reward for what you have done. Only then will
my mind feel at ease.”
“Ah…”
“You have gone through a lot of trouble, Lee Kiyoung.”
“No. Hahaha. Cardinal Basel faced a lot more struggle than I did.”
‘Good.’
This situation was progressing beautifully.

If it is enough for the Cardinal-Priest to make a rant like that, I think I
can tell what I can receive.
It’s hard to predict exactly, but maybe…
‘Ministerial-level treatment?’
I can be sure that I can receive such a reward. Of course, I’ll know only
after opening the gift box, but at least I’ll be treated as a guild master of
a large guild.
I still do not know exactly about the privileges they receive, but I might
get my own room in the palace and a Griffon payment for now.
Of course, it is undeniable that other options will come with it.
‘This is sweet.
It was worth it to risk my life.
I had to smile comfortably in a situation where a smile was on my lips

even when I was still.
Looking aside, Ito Souta was being trapped by other Heretic Inquisitors,
including Helena, the Director of Inquisition.
The surroundings are very agitated.
I could see those cleaning the hall due to a sudden ight, and the Holy
Knights were busy running around to arrest the remaining Yamato
Guild members in the castle.
There’s nothing to do, but it’s okay to pretend to also be busy in the
current situation.
“Let go of me! I am innocent! Let me go! Cough. Cough.”

“This ilthy demon worshiper. If you make fun of your tongue anymore,
I will crush your mouth.”
“Shit… Shit!”
In the meantime, Ito Souta’s voice continues to be heard.
He looks miserable.
It doesn’t look like a guild master who once was loved by everyone and
wielded.
CHAPTER 140
THE VERDICT (2)
“I think it will be a very good method for a guy who blasphemed,

speaking ill of the Goddess’ holy water saying that it was a drug.”
“Oh…”
“Since the devil contaminates the whole body, it will be a ritual of

puri ication.”
“Yes, that seems to be a very good method. If the execution were made
carelessly, the demon’s energy in his body would pollute the castle.
That’s right! Just as I expected from Lee Kiyoung.”
I had just thrown him a curveball, but the Cardinal’s reaction was very
enthusiastic.
If I thought about one of the punishments faced by witches in the

Middle Ages, the one where they threw them into the sea with them
tied to a stone. thought they had a similar method, but it seemed like
they didn’t.
They must have their own methods, but at least, Cardinal Basel looked
happy with the idea.
‘Hmm. It’s not bad.’
Ito Souta’s case was completely different from Lee Seolho’s. He was
already completely in trouble, but as one never knew what could
happen, it was right to deal with it when you had the opportunity.
There was no need to wait around.
At this point, I was sure Cardinal Basel felt more eager than I was.
‘Considering what he had seen, that’s understandable.’
“W-what…”
Of course, Ito Souta’s reaction was to feel very disconcerted. Up until

now, couldn’t believe he had been throwing insults my way just a few
minutes ago.
He must be realizing what the reality truly was.
Dummy.
Even though he was exposed to the curse, seeing him laid down lat and
struggling madly made me realize that pride usually didn’t help at all.
When he saw Cardinal Basel opening his mouth, his face turned pale
again.
“Bring the bronze statue right now! A bronze statue!”
“Yes!”
“Bring the empty bronze statue! That’s a bronze statue illed with holy
water!”
“I’ll honor your order.”
He indeed moved very fast. I didn’t know what he had done in the past,
but I knew I had made the right decision in choosing Cardinal Basel as
the receiver of the ‘Goddess’ revelation.’
I thought he had a personality that preserved dignity and elegance, but
it looked like he had a iery spirit hidden inside. Of course, this worked
to my advantage.
“Lift the very demonic worshipper, Heretic Inquisitor.”
“Yes.”
“The trial will proceed quickly. No, it cannot be called a trial. It is a good
idea to ask the demon worshipper whether he is guilty of sin or not. It
will be a simple execution.”
“Damn it… Damn!”
“Even if you regret the sin you have committed now, it is too late, devil
worshipper. Now, please, clear up the messy hall, Holy Knights.”
“Yes. Okay.”
“It would be better to make space for the statue to come in. Yes. This
way. This way! Everyone here now will be an observer of this execution.
You will be the eyes and mouth of the Goddess to testify of this
execution, seeing what the words of the wicked, who not only
committed the crime but also betrayed God, are.”
It was at this moment that Cardinal Basel would prove to be very useful
for me in the future. If he were to get promoted one day, I, who would
already have established a considerable acquaintance with him, would
be able to wield unprecedented power.
‘I have to be good to him.’
It would be good to bring him a few more bottles of sacred wine.
Shortly after that, the former courthouse’s door, the current execution
site, began to open.
What caught my eye was a large statue, a statue of a woman with large
wings. Of course, I know who it was. In order to impress these people, I
had to gain some knowledge of theology.
‘Raquel’
She was an angel that was considered the right-hand woman of

Benigore’s Goddess.
I didn’t know whether it was a good end or not to die inside such a
statue, but the statue, which was made very beautifully, seemed more
than enough to it two adult men at once. It looked grandiose at irst
glance, but I soon realized it was a torture device.
Or perhaps it was made just for storing items. Of course, its usage had
nothing to do with me. Currently, the priests were busy pouring holy
water inside the statue.
As if they had practiced this beforehand, the whole thing looked sacred.
Of course, it wouldn’t look that way to Ito Souta.
“Crazy… These crazy guys! These savage guys! Cough…”
“Marlin Young-ae! Duchess Catherine! Cough! Will you just be watching

this madness? Judge James! Cough… in the heavenly court. Execution?!
Are you insane? Yuno Kasugano! Are you really betraying your country
now?”
“What do you mean by betraying my country? This is not the Earth, Ito
Soutassi. We are now the imperialists of the Free Cities of Lindel and
Celia. If you sinned, you must be punished. This society, which is fair to
all, is very equal to sin.”
“Kiyoung you… Cough…”

“So why did you do that? Why did you collaborate with the devil?”
“No. I am not like that. Wasn’t all of this something you made up…?”
“If anyone hears, they will misunderstand, Ito Souta-ssi. You have
instincts, right? The wrong choice in an instant is what makes this
result. You shouldn’t have turned the Goddess as an enemy.”
To be precise, you shouldn’t have turned me into an enemy. I knew

Souta would understand this.
“Benigore’s Goddess never forgives enemies. She shows mercy only to

the believers who turn their heads toward her.”
“You… you!”
“She will never forgive those who oppose her.”
“Cough… you…”
“You came too far to repent, Ito Souta-nim. I will not lie about you going
to a good place. Since you have committed numerous sins, it would be
hard to go to Heaven. I hope you don’t make the wrong choice in the
next life.”
Though I knew I was speaking too much, I felt like it was only right for
me to repay him for what happened in front of Yuno Kasugano’s door.
When he irst backstabbed me, he wouldn’t have imagined that the

result would be this way.
“Pfft.”
It was heartbreaking to see him tied up tightly, but this could also be
seen as the perfect end for such an opponent.
Cardinal Basel then spoke up in a solemn tone.
“Shut his mouth so that the sinner does not play with his cunning
tongue.”
“Yes.”
“These savage guys! Let go of me! I said, let go of me!”
He was resisting, but there was no way that a tightly tied up guy could
do something.
Eventually, he got gagged, muf ling his directed curses.
“Mhmpf! Mhmpf!”
Of course, this only served to anger Cardinal Basel further.
“Verdict! Guild Master Ito Souta of the Yamato Guild, the perpetrator of
the Lindel terror incident, in licted great wounds on the citizens of the
Free City of Lindel and caused dozens of casualties due to personal
greed. Not only that, he committed a crime of anger in the Imperial
Palace, threatening and assassinating the Holy Empire’s guests. He is an
imperial sinner who broke the imperial agreement to minimize
con lict.”
“But.”
“This is not the primary reason to condemn the execution of the

criminal Ito Souta. He made plans to dominate the Holy Empire through
the demons, traded illegal drugs in the Free City of Celia, and
committed the sins of anger, such as slavery and organ traf icking. In
the heavenly court, he blasphemed about the holy water of Benigore’s
Goddess, saying that it was a drug, and then betrayed his oath with the
Goddess with false testimony.”
“Ito Souta, a sinner that has sinned against the God and man with
adopting the disobedience to the interrogation of the Heresy
Inquisitors as evidence of being a demon worshipper…”
“I’ll sentence you to death.”
People began to applaud as Cardinal Basel gave his verdict.
Ito Souta, who was delivered to the statue with his limbs tied up, was
struggling as much as possible, but there was no way he could resist at
this point. However, his body was eventually squeezed into the dark
and cramped door. “Mhmpf! Mhmpf!”
A small splashing sound was heard, and the statue closed.
I heard a continuous thumping sound hitting the wall, but slowly, very
slowly, it started to calm down.
What was he thinking in there?
Was he having regrets by now?
I decided not to think about it. He tried to kill me, and I only paid it
back.
That was all.
Thud
I couldn’t see the end personally, but well, this was not a bad result.
Thud
It was actually good.
Thud
This was the story that had been written down for him.
After some time, the thumping sound from the inside disappeared. It
was such a shabby end for what could have been such a powerful
person.
I stepped forward after greeting the people around me.
You had a hard time.
Thank you.
Justice has won.
The Goddess will bless you.
These words enveloped the whole room. However, Lee Jihye and Cha
Hee-ra still seemed like they had some more tasks to do. Now was not
the time to talk to them, though.
Holding Jung Hayan’s hands, I passed through the chaotic place, and
soon after, a voice called out for me.
“The royal castle is going to pronounce the Griffon.”
“Is that so? That’s good news.”
“Yes, young man. Not only that. As Cardinal Basel said, there are several
rewards planned for you. Representatively, tens of thousands of gold
coins and items will be paid. There will be a room just for you in the
castle, and you can use all kinds of luxury items. Perhaps you’ll be
awarded a title… It is almost certain for you to take a position at the
Pope’s side.”
“Ah, that’s great.”

“Are you happy? Are you satis ied?”
“Of course. That wouldn’t be bad news to Victor Hart either. Everything
was put together without war between Celia and Lindel, which you
were worried about.”
“The war is not a problem. Innocent people may die…”
“Victor Hart. The guild members of the Yamato Guild are not innocent
people. Ito Souta is a criminal who committed a crime, a vicious man
who blasphemed and charged as a demon worshipper. The same goes
for those in the Yamato guild. These are the ones who have become his
hands and feet. You have to be careful with your words.”
“I say once again, but if it were me who yielded, I would not have been
here.”
“I understand what you are saying. There must be circumstances that I

do not know. But that way is too much.”
“No, Victor Hart doesn’t understand me. If you think there is an enemy,
you should not show mercy. Mercy is an emotion that the strong can
have towards the weak, not the weak.”
“Who would see you as the weak? You are not the weak.”
“But I feel that way. Perhaps Victor Hart will never understand me.”
“That’s the same for me. I… I don’t think I can like you.”
“But, we will be able to get along.”
I saw Victor Hart smiling at this as he eventually nodded.
That was not a bad reaction.

“How is it? Let’s have a drink. I have some very good wine.”
“I’m good.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
I watched Victor Hart as he stepped away. I had been worried as to how

he would treat me afterwards, but there seemed to be no hostility in his
eyes.
On the part of the Emperor’s side, I was not a person who can be rid of,
so Victor Hart would have to stay close to me. Apart from that, the old
man’s eyes somehow annoyed me, but…
“Hayan.”
“Yes?”
“Shall we drink some wine together?”
“Y-Yes, I would love that!”
I wouldn’t care about such trivial things. Today was a pleasant day,
made to be celebrated.
As I looked behind me, I gave one last glance at the ominous statue,
sitting there in such an innocent manner.
“Thank you, you asshole.”

CHAPTER 141
GOING HOME (1)
It was the same day as per usual.
Of course, this was not the case for the others. After all, one of the
largest guilds within Celia had disappeared instantly, so I knew that the
possibility of an uproar was probable.
The Lindel Daily had also been diligent with dealing with the story, so
wherever one would go, the topic of discussion would be about Ito
Souta and the Yamato Guild. All the members of the Yamato Guild had
also been executed the same day Ito Souta had died.
The Pope’s personnel, joined by the Yozora, Black Swan, and Red
Mercenary Guild, had done their job, and the whole of Celia simply
watched them do so. Of course, not everyone died.
Those who thought that there was room for extenuation had their lives
spared, but these were a sparse few. Most of the members dedicated to
Ito Souta ended up dying.
It was quite a disastrous result, simply for taking the wrong side.
‘Tut-tut… ’
I wasn’t able to witness the scene myself, and therefore did not know
the exact situation. However, I knew this had put me at an
advantageous position. I could build up both mine and Cha Hee-ra’s
reputation, slightly crumpled from the Lindel terrorist incident, and
also gain power by chumming up to the Pope’s members.
The alliance between our three guilds and the Yozora Guild had also
been a great achievement. This had created great repercussions within
the Holy Empire, and everyone had to admit that this was the irst time
that this had ever happened.
Though the two Free Cities maintained a comfortable relationship, this

was the irst time that there had ever been such a close alliance. This
showed quite the beautiful image, of guilds from two different cities
yielding to one another.
Of course, this had not been the only case to happen.
“T-Then, will you become a priest?”
“Probably. Who knows?”
There was also the case of a freeman earning an of icial title granted by
the Pope. That freeman was, of course, me.
‘Ah, how beautiful.’
I knew gaining a position was a good possibility, but I never thought I’d
achieve a position better than what I had initially thought. Being
granted the title of Honorary Bishop, which was considered to be of the
same ranking as that of the Archbishop, felt quite excessive for me.
If one were to compare this position to the positions within a royal

family, would be of the same power as a count.
I would be well-treated no matter which church I would go to, for I was

now known as the Benigore Goddess’ Honorary Bishop, a god that was
considered one of the best among the few gods that did exist within this
world.
It felt amazing, just thinking about it.

As I came to my senses after a while, however, I noticed Jung Hayan’s
pale, worried face. I felt like I knew what she had been worried about,
and it would only be right for me to clarify things before the problem
could get bigger.
“You don’t have to worry. It’s just an honorary position… It doesn’t

come with any responsibility, only rights. I don’t have to attend prayer
meetings, and I don’t have to answer to the Pope.”
“Ah…”
“Of course, marriage and dating are also possible.”
“Ah!!!”
As expected, it seemed that this was the problem. This had been Jung
Hayan’s concern.
Unlike the Free City priests, marriage was taboo for those who served
the Benigore’s Goddess. However, this didn’t seem to apply to the
Honorary Bishop of the Free People.
“There are conditions for me to be able to distribute sacred wine

periodically, but there are no other restrictions. It’s not a free delivery
too… Rather, it’s nice because I can make money.”
“Y-You’re right.”
“It’s so good to be close to the church. Especially in the Holy Empire…”
“What exactly is so good about that?”
“There are many things. First of all, the most obvious is the treatment
I’d get.”
“Ah.”
“I am considered to be one of the highest at this point. If you think
about being the Pope, the Cardinal, the Patriarch, and the Archbishop, it
makes sense, right? Of course, there are positions such as Director of
Inquisition or Commander of Holy Knights found within the middle, but
the ranks of armed groups in the Pope’s side only come in second.”
“I see.”
“Yes. The position of Honorary Bishop can be considered the same as

Archbishop’s position.”
“Then that’s actually quite high.”
The rights that went with the title were not yet distinguishable, but I
felt like it would be enough to move the Heretic Inquisitors and Holy
Knights around.
Basically, I could use them at my disposal if I ever came across a

problem. Though this did not reach the scope of having them
accompany me in dungeons and the like, the fact that I could seek their
help or support should any external disputes occur was already more
than enough.
‘If I can go up to the Cardinal’s rank… ’
If I did, then the three Templars in possession of the Pope’s side would
react if I got in danger.
I haven’t con irmed it with my own eyes yet, but as they were the
monsters the Pope’s side was so proud of, they would be at least similar
to or better than Cha Hee-ra and Victor Hart.
T’ll get there soon enough.’
Since I was a free citizen, it may be hard to become a cardinal priest, but
anything can happen.
Anyway, who would have known that I would have a position similar to
that of Archbishop right now? if the right opportunity arose, I know I’d
be able to achieve the position.
In conclusion, what I got was several hundred times better than earning
the noble title of the kingdom, which was only super icial. The real
nobility lay not on the Emperor’s side, but on the Pope’s. However, this
did not mean that the Emperor was to be taken lightly.
Because I gained a lot from them too.’
First, as Victor Hart had said, the royal castle gave me a griffon, a white
one that was a little different from Cha Hee-ra’s. I felt like they had
given it to me while thinking of my position as an Honorary Bishop, as
religion was a symbol of pure whiteness.
I had examined the griffon to be of a suitable size to be called an adult.

It was smaller than Cha Hee-ra’s, but it could ly with no problem
whatsoever.
Pride illed me every time I looked at it. It felt like owning an expensive,
foreign car.
In fact, considering the high value of griffon in this world, it was

incomparable to the mass-produced products at a factory.
“Whoo…”
Who would have thought that when I came here, I would get a griffon?
And not only one!
‘I got two.
The other one was taken rather than gifted. It had been owned by Ito
Souta himself, and was the thing that I wanted the most.
I only had to spread rumors about wanting it, and I had naturally
obtained it.
The reason why I wanted him was obvious.
‘I can’t just forget about Hyunsung.’
It was a perfect gift for my Guild Master, who would still be suffering
back in the guild.
The black guy was de initely a male. My griffon was a female, so

perhaps they would make a good pair. We could even produce another
griffon in the future if possible. Though it was said to be theoretically
impossible, I felt like it was still worth a try.
All in all, I was happy.
“Ah, oppa. Cardinal Basel is here.”
“Ah… Alright.”
Seeing him coming all the way here when I was about to leave revealed
that he surely liked me.
Even though we talked all night last night, I was grateful for him
showing up like this. I can even see the others hurrying right behind
him.
There were Duchess Catherine and Marlin Young-ae, Countess Elise,

Archbishop Jessica, Director of Inquisition Helena.
Of course, Cardinal Basel reached me irst. His face showed his

displeasure at me leaving.
“You haven’t left yet, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.“

“Hahaha. That’s because the Mercenary Queen hasn’t come yet.”
“Ah…”
“I expected Cardinal Basel to see me off.”
“Hohoho. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung always seems to be good-

natured. Haha.”
“I am so grateful that you came out to see me off so early in the

morning.”
“It is not just a regular man, but Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung that is
leaving, so of course I have to see you off. I’m worried that this old man
has been holding you too much.”
“No. I enjoyed it a lot too. I’ll see you again soon. Cardinal Basel.”
It was certainly interesting to see Cardinal Basel holding my hand tight.

In his eyes was the kind of insurmountable trust no one could ever dare
to reach.
If this man became the next Pope, perhaps become a cardinal. With this
thought in mind, I held his hand just as tightly.
Of course, Cardinal Basel was not the only one who did not want me to
leave.
“Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
“Oh, Duchess Catherine.”
“I’m sorry, I have come at slightly bad timing. It seems that you didn’t
enjoy the social gathering properly…”
“No. Actually, I was a little busy before, but the last days have been
really fun. It was really exciting to meet and talk with the people to who
you introduced me to. I seem to have met all the people I could ever
meet in a lifetime. It’s all thanks to you, Duchess Catherine.”
Even Marlin Young-ae was crying, strangely enough.
‘What’s wrong with that one?’
She made me remember Yuno Kasugano, who I had left two days ago.
She had sobbed to me before she had left for Celia. I had to promise to
stop by once a month, which barely even calmed her down.
Of course, I understood her feelings. It would hurt to keep living

separately from me. However, I couldn’t take Yuno Kasugano to Lindel
since she had some more work to do for me at Celia.
“Sniff… Snife…”
“It seems that Marlin Young-ae is very sad. Hoho.”
“L-Lee Kiyoung! You must come again. Sniff…”
“Yes, Marlin Young-ae. Of course, I’ll visit you. I will come as soon as
possible, so you don’t have to be sad. Countess Elise too, we will
de initely meet again.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll make sure to visit Archbishop Jessica and Director of Inquisition

Helena as well.”
“Yes. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. We will also visit you at Lindel.”
“That would be an honor.”

There were a great many people besides them who had arrived, and it
was hard bidding them goodbye one by one. Though I was mainly
focused on those who held a high rank within the society, I knew I had
to value each and every one. Each of those here had their own set of
networks and connections that I could surely make use of. I couldn’t
throw anyone away.
Managing a human network was certainly dif icult.
Although I felt like I had become a popular person in no time, well…
‘It’s a little tiring.
I couldn’t show my exhaustion, however.
“If this is your irst time riding a griffon, the Pope’s side will send you a
driver.”
“Hahahahaha. Thank you for the offer, but it’s ine, Cardinal Basel. I’ve
already lown in the sky a few times, and it felt okay. I think the Goddess
has helped me in advance.”
“If you are an Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung, that is more than likely.”
“That’s such a big praise, Cardinal Basel.”
When I thought it was getting boring, Cha Hee-ra and Victor Hart
arrived at the Griffon take-off.
They stopped by to greet everyone, too.
After glancing at me, Cha Hee-ra couldn’t help but smile.
“Shall we go, honey?”
“Yes, Hee-ra. Thank you, everyone, for seeing us off.”

“You are always welcome here, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.”
“Hahaha. Thank you so much.”
As I climbed onto my griffon’s back, Jung Hayan took the spot behind
me.
Cha Hee-ra placed herself on her griffon, and on top of Ito Souta’s
griffon sat an executive of the Red Mercenary Guild.
It would seem like he would be the current driver on the way back.
After a slight nod, griffon slowly started to lap its wings.
I’m going home.
As the background surrounding me changed, the place I thought was

my home also changed.
I felt a mix of relief and disappointment,
I wanted to see my family back at home. No, rather than that, I was
curious about Hyunsung’s reaction to my various gifts.
‘Hyunsung! I’m going!’

CHAPTER 142
GOING HOME (2)
I was looking forward to going home. It had been fun staying in the city,
but now I missed the guild more than anything.
‘Ah…
Of course, I was afraid of the upcoming work stress, but I knew it would
have been sorted out to some extent by now.
Thinking of Kim Mi-young, Park Jung-gi, Park Deokgu (whom Hwang

Jeongyeon was in love with), as well as other members of what could be
said as a competent administrative team working hard made me smile.
I began to wonder how everyone was faring – from Kim Hyunsung to

Park Deokgu, Sun Hee-young, and even little Kim Ye-ri.
Though I missed everyone, I thought of our party members the most. It

seemed to me that I had gotten attached to them. It wouldn’t be bad to
hang out as a group once I got back.
‘Shall we go into the dungeon?”
It might not even be bad to travel to Celia as a group. Of course, I didn’t

know if everyone would have the time to do so, but I could probably
convince them to take time off to relax.
Meanwhile, I had named my griffon White Paul.

There had been no other reason for its name other than its obvious
color. Though I initially felt uncomfortable getting on top of it, I could
see that it acted in consideration of me.
After crossing a small mountain, I inally saw the Free City of Lindel.
This meant we were close.
‘We have arrived.’
I was inally back.
Of course, the place we arrived at was the landing site of the Red
Mercenary Guild. There was still no space within Blue to accommodate
griffons.
Sadly, Jung Hayan fell apart from my back and got off the griffon, and I
stroked White Paul’s head once.
“Krook.”
It’s de initely a cute guy.
“It’s okay if I leave it with you for a while, right Hee-ra?”
“Of course.”
“Take the other griffon, too. There is still no space in our guild to
accommodate these children.”
“It’s not dif icult, honey. Why don’t you take a break for one night before
heading back.”
“No, it’s ine. I should stop by the guild irst.”
“Really? That’s sad.”

“I’ll stop by tomorrow or the day after. When I have time… I have some
things to talk to you about.”
She seemed a little sad, but I knew she must have other things to do on
her end. After all, she had been gone from the guild for quite a long time
as well.
Jung Hayan and I eventually left the Red Mercenary Guild. Though it
appeared that we had been gone for some time, Lindel still seemed
about the same. I could still see the square lively with both vendors and
people looking for party members, while others were conversing.
‘Ah, it’s good to be back.’
It was then I saw a strangely large and familiar igure.
‘That bastard…
Even the back of the woman next to him was familiar. I didn’t know
what they were talking about, but they both seemed quite happy.
“Ah!”
Jung Hayan, who was beside me, uttered a small exclamation as if she
was surprised to see who was in front of her. I didn’t even have to
explain.
I wasn’t sure if the two were already in such a relationship, but they
looked very friendly from where I was standing.
Smiling, I called out for the guy. He jumped in surprise and looked in
our direction.
“Deokgu!”
“Huh?”
I could see Park Deokgu smiling, as if I was someone who had died, but
then came back to life. Then, his expression shifted, distorted, even, not
in an angry manner, but in a manner that made him look as if he was
trying to hold back his tears.
“H-Hyung-nim!”
His vigor was like an 8-ton truck with a broken handle. It was as if a bull
was charging towards me. I thought about dodging, but I felt so glad to
see him that I stood still.
That was a mistake on my part.
“Hyung-nilim!”
When I opened my arms a little, he looked a little more moved. As he

hugged me tightly, I was instantly breathless.
‘Fuck… I shouldn’t have let him hug me.’
I think some part of my back had broken.
However, I also patted Deokgu on the back. People around us looked

confused with our passionate embrace, but Park Deokgu was not
conscious of it at all.
Eventually, he began to speak.
“Hyung-nim! You should’ve told me that you came back…”
“Puhahaha. Everyone else knows already. Didn’t you see the griffon
lying here?”
“Ah! Was it you riding that white griffon?”

“Yes.”
“I think I heard about hyung-nim’s success… Whoo… Did you have any
other hard time besides that? You look a little tired.”
“It’s not like that. The last few days were quite comfortable.”
“Speaking of… The newspaper said that you were framed. Do you know
how much my heart fell? Is that all solved now?”
“Of course. It was a story to be revealed in the irst place. It wasn’t a big
deal, so don’t worry. Didn’t you know since you got the letter?”
“No, of course, I know something, but I didn’t really know what was
going on there from here, so I couldn’t tell how things were. I wanted to
go if I could, but every time I got a letter… Oh, I just thought you would
ignore it. I was so worried that I couldn’t sleep at night.”
“Puhahaha.
“There’s nothing to laugh about, Hyung-nim. Really! He doesn’t say

anything but, Hyunsung-ssi wanted to go too. Oh, and it turns out that I
forgot about Hayan. How are you?”
I found this to be good news.
“Yes. Deokgu. W-We’ve been doing well.”
“No. We shouldn’t be like this; you have to go back to the guild.

Everyone will be happy to know that hyung-nim is back.”
“Rather than that, what were you doing here with Jeong-yeon?”
At this, Park Deokgu hesitated. A shy expression crossed his face.

Seeing Hwang Jeong-yeon blushing and turning away revealed that
something really did happen between the two.
“R-Rather than focusing on that, return to the guild quickly, Kiyoung-ssi.

It’s so good to see you after a long time.”
“Ahem. Let’s go quickly.”
He looked so cute, trying to change the subject. At this point, I knew

that the way back to the guild would not be boring at all.
Meanwhile, Jung Hayan and Hwang Jeong-yeon seemed to be catching

up as well. As they did, I continued to converse with Deokgu about the
guild’s current situation.
“How are Hee-young and Ye-ri?”
“Hee-young seems to be the same every day… Ye-ri, that kid, is growing
up.”
“Huh?”
“They grow up differently from day to day at that age. In fact, as I see
her every day, I can’t tell, but the other people in the guild say that she’s
grown a lot. Oh, and she seems to be getting stronger very quickly…
That… You will probably be surprised when you see it.”
“Ahhh…”
“You don’t look so interested, hyung-nim.”
“No. I was already expecting that Ye-ri’s growth would be fast. How are
you, Deokgu?”
While speaking, I looked at Park Deokgu with my Mind’s Eye, assessing

his stats.
It was not that impressive because I had already seen more monstrous
stats than most would ever see in their lifetime, but his progress
seemed to be going quite smoothly.
Deokgu]
[Name: Park Deokgu]
[Title: None. You should try a little more.]
[Age: 23]
[Disposition: Simply ignorant enthusiast]
[Class: Steel Shield (Rare)]
[Stats]
[Strength: 67/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]
[Agility: 34/Growth potential: Rare or lower]
[Health: 70/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]
[Intelligence: 27/Growth potential: Rare or lower)
[Durability: 71/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]
[Luck: 23/Growth potential: Rare or lower)
[Magic: 22/Growth potential: Normal or higher]
[Overview: He is showing decent growth due to high strength,

endurance, and stamina. Endurance and stamina stats beyond 70 stand
out. I feel bad for the relative lack of magic power, but if he tries hard,
he might be able to rise to become the top player. However, I still feel
quite sorry for his magic stats.]
‘Endurance is 70…
That was actually great. 70 was not low, by all means.
‘You worked hard, Park Deokgu.’
It appeared that he could still catch up with the rest of the geniuses in
the party.
However, I knew that this would be a dif icult feat. There was still a
distinguishable difference between working hard and having natural
talent, yet I knew Deokgu would be able to do it.
“Ah, nothing great… I worked just as hard as everyone else…”
“Really?”
“It’s the usual training. My stats have risen, and I tried to visit the
veterans I saw at that time to learn a lot, but I don’t think I’ve grown as
good as I wanted to.”
“How much is it?”
“I have over 70 endurance and stamina, and my strength is still 67. My

magical power stats won’t grow no matter what…”
“You’re doing well.”
“What?”
“You’re doing well, so you just have to do as you do now.”
“Ah…”
“You don’t have to compare yourself with other people, Deokgu. If you
work hard as you do, someday you will surely be rewarded. It’s good to
think about it, but don’t go too deep. If it’s too hard, come to me. If you
look at the stats of the other free peoples we started with, or the people
who have no choice but to choose the non-combat army, you can
understand how fast your growth is.
“H-Hyung-nim…”
“Your efforts will never betray you. There is a quote that says that.”
I felt guilty as I spoke. I knew that effort too easily betrayed human
expectations. However, I knew I had to say it for the betterment of Park
Deokgu. The man was already feeling emotional.
“Anyway, is everything I ordered done?”
“Ahhh. Probably so. Actually, I’m not sure, but I don’t think that the
person named Kim Mi-young, chosen by you, controls other tasks
besides her own.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“Well, of course, you have to check it yourself… Hyung-nim didn’t seem

to have any problems either.”
“Anything special?”
“Ah! I don’t think I told you this… Do you know that there is a new
person here?”
“A new person?”
“It seems like Hyunsung-ssi brought him personally, but I think it’s been
a while since he joined the Blue. He’s a kind man, and he’s also very
strong. Ah! While he was away, he organized the guild, making him
general manager of the administration… He hangs out every day with
our Hyun-ssi. They get along really well.”
Against my will, I began to feel very nervous.
“And?”
“I am not sure what to say… It feels like he’s combining those things. He
is smart and ights well.”
I knew someone would ill in for me, but I didn’t even think a new
person would come. When Deokgu said that he was close to Kim
Hyunsung, my heart squeezed.
‘Fuck… Hyunsung… ’
It was natural for me to feel anxious. I knew Kim Hyunsung would be

able to attract talent to our Guild, but this was earlier than I had
expected.
As Kim Hyunsung’s closest friend, I felt a bit uneasy.
It was then that I could see the man himself from afar – what a joke of
fate! He had a person right next to him. I could see Hyunsung smiling
widely.
“Ah… It looks like Hyun-ssi came to meet you. Hyung-nim.” Park Deokgu
eagerly told me, but I couldn’t focus on his words.
It was obvious why.
It was all because of Kim Hyunsung. Anyone could see that he was
having such a pleasant conversation.
‘You never laughed like that with me, you bastard…

CHAPTER 143
GOING HOME (3)
I felt incredibly disappointed,
I didn’t know if this was the right way to express it, but it felt like seeing
your beloved wife lirting with someone else on your way home from a
business trip.
Plus, I had even prepared gifts, so the heavy feeling had doubled.
‘I worked really hard… ’
I even pulled a griffon for him.
Of course, Kim Hyunsung could obtain it on his own in a few years, but it
was I who had made it possible for him to acquire one earlier.
Few people owned one in this entire continent; its value was beyond
description. Of course, that was not the only thing that I’d brought home
for him.
Currently, the items brought by the Red Mercenary Guild members could
ill up a small room. It had all sorts of goods, including good quality
items.
I could take all these things as my possessions, but I had set them aside
for Hyunsung.
Seeing the bright smile he directed to her, one that he had never shown
me, it was no wonder that the desire to give the griffon to him faded
away in no time at all.
Kim Hyunsung was already waving in my direction. He was smiling

happily, but it wasn’t on a level to be compared with the sincere smile
from earlier.
Still, I decided to act naturally and waved back.
“Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Ah, Hyunsung-ssi.”
He didn’t come running like Park Deokgu, but he walked quickly and
hugged me, which made me feel a little better.
Nevertheless, the doll next to him bothered me.
“I found out that you came back after seeing the griffon returning. It’s
good that I came out in advance.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“No. Of course I had to. Kiyoung-ssi must have gone through a lot too. I
already knew that you were involved in various things… You’ve done
really well.”
“Haha.”
“What happened to Ito Souta of the Yamato Guild?”
“He was executed, just as you heard. He didn’t have any holes to escape
through because there were various charges on him. Actually, I wanted
to free him of the death penalty as well, but Cardinal Basel’s will was so
stubborn.”
“I see.”
“There seemed to be an underlying situation besides what had
happened, but I didn’t exactly get to ind out…”
As I spoke, Kim Hyunsung’s relaxed expression did not change. In fact, it

felt as if he was glad to hear that Ito Souta died. From this, I gathered
that the man did not play a positive role in the future.
Considering Souta’s personality, that was highly possible. He was an

arrogant guy, and he had attempted a preemptive attack on Lindel.
Of course, he wouldn’t be conspiring to overturn the Holy Empire by

becoming a demon worshipper as I showed Cardinal Basel, but at least
he was out of the way now.
‘It was a good thing I killed him.’
“Have you ever heard about Ito Souta?”
“Yes. If you talk with many people, stories about other cities come out
eventually. I just know that he was a guy with poor qualities. It was a
rumor that had been openly spread before this case broke out, so you
can assume that he was punished. It is not something for Kiyoung-ssi to
feel guilty about.
‘I don’t feel that way, Hyunsung.’
It may be the starting point of backstabbing the Holy Empire or the war
between Lindel and Celia, but the important thing was that his death
had made the future a little more beautiful.
Whatever he did in the irst timeline did not matter anymore.
“How has Hyunsung-ssi been doing?”
“It was always the same for me. First, I had to stabilize the guild. In fact,
when we heard the bad news, most of the work that Kiyoung entrusted
had already been inished…… If Kiyoung-ssi hadn’t sent a letter stating
that I didn’t have to come to the Holy Empire, I would certainly have
headed over there right away.”
“Hahaha. There was nothing to worry about. Rather, things went

smoothly. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but this time I got an of icial
position from the Pope’s side.”
“What?”
“It was because Cardinal Basel liked me. I was given an undeserved
position of Honorary Bishop.”
“Ah. I see.”
“Perhaps you haven’t heard of it in detail. I heard it’s been a while since
the Pope’s side gave an outsider an of icial position. It has been more
than 254 years. The rank itself is the same level as the Archbishops, and
there are various bene its… It will also help our guild out.”
“Ah!”
It seems that no one had ever obtained the title of Honorary Bishop the
irst time, or perhaps Kim Hyunsung really wasn’t just interested in that
sort of thing. However, when I mentioned that it was on the same rank
as the Archbishop’s, his face began to brighten.
His reaction was only natural. There were a lot of bene its aside from
being able to control the Heretic Inquisitors and the Holy Knights,
especially when it came to the Holy War.
‘What can I say? I’m talented.’
“I didn’t expect anything like this at all… It’s more than I imagined. You
did a really good job.”
‘You think that’s all, right?’
As I was thinking about informing him of the gifts, Hyunsung began to

speak urgently. I already knew what he was going to do – he was going
to introduce this unknown person to me.
In his own viewpoint, this was his achievement, and he wanted to show
her off to me, but I couldn’t help but feel a little bitter.
“Actually, we have something new, too. I don’t know if you’ve already

heard from Deokgu, but while Kiyoung-ssi was away, I recruited a new
person.”
“Ah… So this is her.”
“Yes. This is Cho Hyejin, who just joined Blue.”
The person standing next to Kim Hyunsung was a woman holding a long
spear. The hair tied to the back, coupled with her tall height, somehow
reminded me of an old samurai.
She had distinct features, but she seemed to have a strong-minded

personality for some reason.
‘It seems like she actually is…
“I’m Cho Hyejin. I heard a lot about you, Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung.”
“Ahhh. So you’re Cho Hyejin. Nice to meet you. I am Kiyoung Lee.”
“Yes. It seems like you’re exactly what I heard. I’m looking forward to
working with you.”
Of course, I immediately assessed her with my Mind’s Eye.
[Name: Cho Hyejin]

[Title: Castle Rock’s Stubbornness]
[Age:25]
[Disposition: An In lexible Woman of Principles]
[Class: Spearmanship Expert (Heroic)]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of basic spear skills]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of intermediate spear skills]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of advanced spear skills]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of advanced magic power management skills]
[Stats]
[Strength: 75/Growth potential: Hero or higher]
[Agility: 82/Growth potential: Hero or higher]
[Health: 87/Growth potential: Hero or higher]
[Intelligence: 51/Growth potential: Hero or lower]
[Durability: 71/Growth potential: Hero or lower]
[Luck: 50/Growth potential: Hero or lower]
[Magic: 60/Growth potential: Hero or lower]
[Attribute: Hard-worker: Legendary]
[Overview: Nothing stands out, but before the growth potential, she
knows about the military more than anyone else. Also, due to the
in luence of her disposition and attribute, she has the capacity to grow
even more than her supposed potential. She is a different type of genius
than the other genius players Lee Kiyoung has seen so far.]
‘There’s nothing that stands out, my ass… ’
Many people lived in Lindel, but this was the irst time I’d seen someone
with these stats and talent levels, all except for people on Cha Hee-ra’s
level.
Of course, there were no stats beyond legendary, but her potential was
already enormous.
I already knew she was strong, just by looking at her stats. They were
either Hero or higher or Hero or lower, and it felt unfair that I had been
stuck with such sucky stats on my end.
“I think it’s my irst time… seeing you in Lindel. Of course, I haven’t seen
all the people in this wide area…”
“Ah. Yes. Kiyoung-ssi is right. Cho Hyejin is from Castle Rock and not
Lindel. Due to unavoidable circumstances, she left her previous guild
and made connections with Blue when she came to Lindel.”
“Castle Rock”
“Yes.”
Castle Rock was not a free city where free people settled. It was a
territory contained within the Holy Empire.
Since there were many hunting grounds and dungeons that could be
used in its surroundings, I had also heard that some free people had
settled over there.
Considering that it was a little further south and close to the Monster
Forest, it certainly didn’t seem like a bad place to settle in.
Of course, some disadvantages certainly existed. First of all, as it wasn’t a

free city, the tax rates were higher, and there were signi icantly more
restrictions. Free people were somewhat free from imperial laws, but
that only applied to areas such as Lindel.
“I see.”
‘Was Marlin Young-ae from Castle Rock?’
I felt like I was right. Anyway, it wasn’t my business if she came from
Castle Rock or Camp Rock, for that matter. The important thing was, Kim
Hyunsung seemed to have known Cho Hyejin from the irst timeline, and
even trusted her quite a bit.
Her title was Castle Rock’s Stubbornness; the disposition being

In lexible Woman of Principles.
No matter which angle I tried to see her in, I didn’t think we would have
any af inities. I can tell she was just straightforwardly in lexible. To work
with me, who throws principles in the trash, there was no way we could
have good chemistry. However, I knew Kim Hyunsung wouldn’t know
about how I was feeling.
I began feeling nervous for some reason.
I really don’t think we’re compatible… ’
It wasn’t just prediction, it was conviction. Her disposition had already

spelled it all out for me – we wouldn’t it well together.
“Actually, Hyejin helped with the work that Kiyoung-ssi entrusted to us.”
“Ah… Yes. I see. There was a lot to do, but thank you very much.”
“No. I just did what I had to do. I simply handled it according to the
documents you had organized.”
“She’s a really competent and kind person. If you talk to her, you will
understand what I am saying.”
“I see.”
“She also has a lot of power. I wanted to appoint her a key position in the
guild right away, but I think it’s a matter that requires Kiyoung-ssi’s
consent, so it’s been pending.”
“Ah…”
I at least appreciated this. I had no reason to reject her appointment, but

I appreciated the fact that Hyunsung respected my authority.
Even so…
“No. The offer is still overwhelming.”
It felt nice seeing her reject the position.
“We can’t be like this, let’s go back to the Guild House quickly. Ye-ri and
Heeyoung will also come right after work.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, Master.”
As anyone could see, Kim Hyunsung was very excited about the idea of
introducing new friends to an already-existing group.
Although he was evidently hoping for some synergy between the two of
us, I could already roughly predict how things were going to be from
now on.
For me, who wanted to remain as the closest person next to Hyunsung,
this was quite the crisis.
‘Hyunsung… I’m going to believe in you.’

CHAPTER 144
GOING HOME (4)
On the way back to the Guild House, we were able to talk about various
things. We mostly caught up on what had happened with each other,
but it was fun overall.
At irst, Jung Hayan eyed Cho Hyejin cautiously, but immediately lost
interest when it appeared like there was no connection between her
and me. My only problem was…
‘A new person has entered.’
My thoughts kept repeating themselves as I continued to observe her. In

short, my initial reaction of her was similar to Jung Hayan’s.
Park Deokgu seemed to respect Cho Hyejin a lot, though. It seemed like
the two had gotten close while I had been away.
Of course, the conversation in itself wasn’t bad.
“Hey, Hyejin-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“What do you think about our hyung-nim?”
“He seems to be as wise as I’ve heard. In fact, I was always curious

about who was able to organize the papers so well…”
“Without Lee Kiyoung, it would have taken longer for the guild to
establish itself.”
“Yes, Master. I thought… it de initely wasn’t an amount that could be

solved by himself…”
“You’re exaggerating. I didn’t do it alone. This was possible because of

the help of others. There are many talented people within Blue.”
Having Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu chattering made me feel happy.
The fact that there was someone I didn’t know hurt a little, but I gave
way simply because I saw how happy Hyunsung was.
Cho Hyejin was still growing. She didn’t show her full potential yet.
Nevertheless, it had already reached this much. She had a lot more
room to grow in the future. She might even be able to grow into having
a Guild Master-level power in the future, considering her attributes.
Assuming that Kim Hyunsung had indeed come from the irst timeline
and had met her before, then it would surely be bene icial to have her
on our side.
The only thing I had to focus on was which position I would take.
Should I push her away, or accept her?
The latter, of course, was reasonable. The fact that there were people
like this would help the guild itself. If Kim Hyunsung’s kingdom were to
grow bigger in the future, having competent members like her would
surely be useful. She was knowledgeable in both literary and martial
arts, and her power and talent levels were way beyond the ordinary.
There was no reason for me not to accept her.
The problem was that my in luence would be reduced. Until then, for
me, who had monopolized the love of Kim Hyunsung, having a sudden
rival did not sit well with me.
‘Although, it’s pretty hard to imagine Kim Hyunsung being crazy about a
woman…
He wouldn’t probably be like that. Of course, if colleagues from the irst

timeline like Cho Hyejin continue to come in, I felt worried that our
Hyunsung would neglect our already-existing party.
In Park Deokgu and my case, who had relatively low stats, we might be
left in the dust.
Of course, if I were to think about it in another way, the division of

power was necessary. I had to reject having too much power on my
side.
However, I had to think that it was also a little too early. Even if forces
that could keep me in check appear after Kim Hyunsung’s kingdom had
been established, it would not be late. There was no room to be
worrying about principles; now, rapid growth was needed.
Of course, it was all my brain’s delusions that Cho Hyejin will tackle me.
Because of my tendency to always think about the worst, I could readily

think of various solutions if anything were to happen. Still, Kim
Hyunsung’s happy disposition, which I had never seen before,
continued to bother me.
‘First, let’s just act normal.’
There were times when worrying ahead could be a big help, but that
was not the case now. An unimaginably strong person had joined our
Guild, and it was only right for me to feel happy.
As we continued to move, the Blue Guild House slowly came into our
view.
I expected that I would be welcomed to some extent, but everyone
looked busy thus far. It seemed like the guild staff had been working
hard to prepare something.
I instantly realized that it was a party, and I felt better. Sun Hee-young,
Kim Yeri, and Lee Sang-hee, whom I had not seen for a long time, ran to
me and began to say hello in turns.
“Welcome back…”
“It’s been a while, Ye-ri.”
She didn’t say anything, but she looked at me quietly and said hello.
“Kiyoung-ssi! You are inally here.”
“Yes. Hee-young-ssi. Long time no see.”
Sun Hee-young greeted me brightly, on the other hand.
“Thank you for your hard work, Vice Guild Master.”
“Thank you. Lee Sang-hee-nim.”
Even Lee Sang-hee greeted me with respect, along with Kim Mi-young,
the manager, and Park Jung-gi of the administration team. Seeing their
reactions, I realized that they were able to successfully conclude their
work with ease.
After greeting me, everyone started talking to Jung Hayan, and the
atmosphere quickly became noisy. At the same time, food constantly
sailed through the guild’s yard. The person who prepared all of this was
obvious.
‘Hyunsung…
This bastard clearly understood how to push and pull. Though all the
disappointment did not go away, the welcome party clearly lessened it
to an extent.
Now I felt like I really was back home. Seeing my reaction, Kim
Hyunsung smiled.
“Welcome back once again, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Welcome, Vice Guild Master.”
And just like this, the short party started.
There were many people who got moderately drunk, but all in all,
everyone seemed to be enjoying.
If I were to think about it, this was the irst time I could have fun ever
since joined Blue.
Jung Hayan still stuck to me, sipping juice, and Park Deokgu busied
himself by walking around and shoving food into his mouth.
Of course, Hwang Jeong-yeon was sitting next to him. It was obvious

that the two really did grow closer, as they were already acting like a
couple.
As the time passed by, some of the people began to fall prey to their
inebriated state. The guild staff was no exception to the drunkenness.
“Ugh… Do you know how hard it was? In fact, I kind of resented the Vice
Guild Master.”
“You’ve been through a lot, Mi-young-ssi. Ah! Now I should call you
Manager Kim Mi-young.”
“What?”
“I’ve only been postponing your appointment. I know best how hard
Kim Miyoung has been suffering. Let’s do the salary negotiation
tomorrow.”
“Ah!!”
“You will be able to work with a better treatment. I’ll also keep your
children in mind.”
“Ah!!! T-Thank you. Thank you.”
I also did not forget to take care of my administrative team. Of course,

Kim Mi-young, the best among them, immediately got promoted, which
led to Park Jung-gi looking at her with undeniable envy. I knew I had to
take care of him to some extent as well.
“It is only natural to do so. Ah. I heard that you received a lot of help
from Cho Hyejin.”
“Yes. She’s a bit stubborn, but… she is a good person.”
Her reputation is good.’
It seems that she was loved by many people. As we continued talking, a

loud voice came from the side.
“Hyung-nim! Try this once! Hyung-nim!”
“Please try this, too, Hayan-ssi.”

Sun Hee-young and Park Deokgu approached this way, both bringing
plates of delicious-looking food.
“It’s really good, Kiyoung-ssi. Much more than the food the restaurants
here sell…”
“Ah, is it?”
“Please try this, Hayan-ssi.”
“Yes. T-Thank you.”
“It really tastes great!”
What he had in his hand was a simple stew served in a small bowl. It
looked a little different from the fancy food that had been served so far.
From its unsophisticated serving, I knew it was not the Blue’s chef that
had prepared this.
Although the thickly-sliced beef looked delicious, I was con ident that it
would not exceed the food level that we could eat during the expedition.
I couldn’t understand why they were fussing over it so much.
“Try it quickly! Quickly!”
“Alright.”
I couldn’t win over Park Deokgu’s enthusiasm, so the moment I took a

spoonful, I thought something was different.
“Huh?”
The different taste instantly made me alert.
“Isn’t it delicious?”
‘It’s delicious.
I didn’t answer Park Deokgu, but my reaction said it all.
“Who made it?”
“Our Guild Master Hyun-ssi and Lee Sang-hee-nim made it. He went to
the kitchen and made it, but who would have thought? Doesn’t it just
melt in your mouth?”
“Huh?”
“It really does!”
“Ah, it’s so good!”
“How about you, Hayan?”
“I-It’s delicious, D-Deokgu. This… is really good.”
There was an unknown feeling of defeat in Jeong Hayan’s voice.
“You can cook, too, right?”
“Huh? Ah… That… Yes! I have learned a little…”
Her reaction betrayed the insecurity Jung Hayan felt. She reluctantly
headed to the kitchen, her facial expression similar to that of Ito Souta’s
before he entered the statue.
I made a mental note not to try out any of the dishes Jung Hayan would
make today.
Everyone in the party was in pairs and were enjoying the party in their
own way. What stood out was Cho Hyejin, who was sitting down by
herself.
As she quietly chewed on her food, I decided it would be better to try
and talk to her. I was curious about what kind of person she was. As
Jung Hayan was in the middle of an in inite challenge, it would be the
right timing to do so.
After excusing myself from Kim Mi-young, who expressed the desire to
talk a little more, I saw Cho Hyejin looking my way.
“What do you think of Blue?”
“It seems to be a good place. I expected it from the rumors, but it was
even better than I irst thought.”
“Ah.”
“Especially when the Vice Guild Master entered, the atmosphere looks a
little better.”
“It’s not like this every time. This is actually the irst time I’d gotten to
enjoy…”
“You can see how much the members of this guild trust their Guild
Master and Vice Guild Master.”
“Ah…”
“I also had the tutorial with some people, but because of various minor
events after entering the continent, we split up, so it’s de initely nice to
see Blue being like this.”
Though she was calmly eating her food, her words were quite
sentimental. I thought about the possibility of her being drunk, but it
certainly didn’t seem that bad to me.
I felt like I knew how her irst party had ended, and why she left Castle
Rock and came here.
‘That’s how people live in the irst place.’
“It especially seems that Hyunsung-ssi really trusts Kiyoung-ssi. Even

when we were on the way to meet Kiyoung-ssi, he kept talking about
you.”
“Ah.”
“I thought you didn’t laugh very often, but that was a little unexpected.”
Cho Hyejin’s words surprised me. I realized I had misunderstood the

situation completely.
Looking at Kim Hyunsung, who was still busy cooking with Lee Sang-
hee, the corners of my lips went up.
‘I trusted you, you bastard!’
This was the moment where I felt like my loyalty to my returner had
been properly rewarded.
No more con irmation was needed.
Kim Hyunsung trusted me, as much as he trusted the people he had

been with the irst time around.
CHAPTER 145
GOING HOME (5)
Until recently, I was on the verge of throwing away the idea of giving a
griffon, but upon coming to terms with this realization, I had gone back
to wanting to present the gift.
I knew that Kim Hyunsung was not good at expressing himself, but who
would have known that he harbored such a bright smile?
Very good.
Honestly, I was on the verge of feeling pure disappointment. Though a

year was only a short time, I had endured so much for Hyunsung. I was
worried about my efforts being disregarded, but it appeared that I had
nothing to worry about at all.
It would be weird if he didn’t return any of my affections. However, I

could understand him to an extent.
Of course, when I saw his expressionless face the irst time we met in
the tutorial, I had to think that this guy, who had returned for a reason,
had abandoned his humanity, but the power of friendship had gently
melted his frozen heart.
Come to think of it, the variety of his facial expressions had increased
quite a bit recently.
At irst, this guy had always treated us in a businesslike manner. The

proof lay in the fact that we still talked to each other formally. Though
he joked with us quite a bit, I felt anxious because it felt like the
distance between us wasn’t shortening at all.
But, thinking about it in the logical sense, our relationship was indeed
progressing
‘It’s not good to be too inhuman.’
Between a colleague in crisis and an about to end world; if Hyunsung

was given the chance to choose, all I wanted was for him to choose the
former.
‘You have to save me irst.’
I wanted him to prioritize me, too. I had no plans of leaving him at all.
After giving the best of my allegiance, if he were to say, “I’m sorry,” and
chose the world instead of me, it would feel like doing all the work and
having someone else take all the credit.
However, it looked like all was doing well – Hyunsung was indeed
becoming affectionate towards me.
Because of this wonderful realization, I lost control over my facial

expressions. Cho Hyejin noticed this and smiled in return.
“You look happy.”
“I didn’t know how Hyunsung thought of me. He doesn’t usually express

his emotions well…”
“Of course, he thinks highly of you. You’re colleagues, after all.”
“I think of him as a friend or a brother rather than a colleague. Of

course, I don’t know if Hyunsung feels the same, but I consider him like
that anyway. The same goes for the other people who are with me in
Blue.”
“Ah.”
“In fact, I can’t say that we have been together for a long time, but there
is a bond that the party members have built up.”
“Bond…”
One would be amazed to ind out the effort I’ve exerted to build this
bond. If it wasn’t fatal, I would take a knife wound for Kim Hyunsung,
Jung Hayan, and Park Deokgu.
“And that’s what I’ve been actually doing.
“I heard that there was a problem in Castle Rock, and you came here.
Can I ask what happened?”
“Ah, that’s…”
My curiosity about Cho Hyejin naturally came back after a while.

However, Hyejin hesitated, as if she did not want to disclose what had
happened.
As she continued to stutter, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get anything

out of her. This didn’t matter, however.
T’ll have to write a letter to Marlin Young-ae.’
Something indeed smelled ishy.
Her reluctance was enough for my suspicion to rise. This meant that
she had either made a mistake, or had faced a situation she wanted to
hide.
The fact that she had chosen a risky guild such as Blue was also strange
in itself.
Of course, Kim Hyunsung had to move around to recruit her… Still, I had
to think that there was something she felt guilty about.
‘Hyunsung would have still accepted her despite knowing that… ’
This meant that he had thought she would be worth it.
At this, I immediately decided to try and ind out. There was no need for
me to be scared anymore. I could use my newly-formed connections for
this kind of situation.
“If you do not want to tell, you do not have to. You don’t have to be
nervous, since this isn’t an interrogation. I’ve read the pro ile of Cho
Hyejin upstairs. It’s almost excessive for us that you came to our guild
since you’ve been so active here.”
“You’re over complimenting me.”
“It seemed like I was the only one who didn’t give you the welcoming.
Hyejinssi, welcome to Blue.”
“Thank you, Vice Guild Master.”
“Alright.”
That marked the end of my short conversation with her. I wouldn’t have
to worry about the division of power right now. It would probably
happen after a year or two… I would just have to continually remind
her that I held a higher position than she did.
Not long after we’ve said our goodbyes, I saw Jung Hayan approaching
me.
She was holding a plate with an original dish in hand. Not too far away, I
could see Park Deokgu and Sun Hee-young quietly making their escape.
From this, I surmised that I should never eat whatever Hayan had
prepared.
As I tried to look away, Jung Hayan inally reached me.
“O-Oppa. Would you like to try it?”
“Ah…”
I would gamble if necessary. However, this seemed like something that

wasn’t worth even throwing a dice for.
The outcome was ixed, anyway, so I had to quickly change the subject.
“Would you like to head to the Red Mercenary now?”
“What?”
“Since the party’s reached a lull, I think it’s better to give the present
today.”
“Yes…”
It was already 10 pm, and the atmosphere had changed signi icantly. It
was quite a good time to present the griffon to our dear Hyunsung.
The problem was that Jung Hayan looked sad at having her culinary
efforts ignored. Considering the fact that she herself hadn’t received any
gifts from me, I knew just agreeing to take a bite of her food would
make her happy.
With this in mind, I instantly picked up a nearby spoon, took a portion,

and swallowed it as quickly as I could. However, the taste still lingered
in my mouth.
‘Fuck’
I felt worried about what I had just eaten, but there was no getting out
of this situation at this point.
“It’s delicious.”
“Ah!”
“Shall we go, then?”
“Yes, of course!”
Though Jung Hayan seemed excited at the prospect of us sneaking away,

we were doing this for the sake of business.
In short, we were to retrieve our gift from the Red Mercenaries.
It had been quite a long time since I’ve seen Lindel in its evening charm.
The streets were still quite lively at this hour.
I thought the security would be bad, but it seems that I was mistaken.
Of course, the slums were dangerous, but the plazas and areas where
the guild buildings were found were as safe as the streets in the
daytime.
There were shining pearls that stayed lit until dawn, and there were
merchants who ran night markets. Every house had its light on, and of
course, the Red Mercenary Guild was no exception.
I went back and forth for a short time, but I couldn’t call the Mercenary
Queen. I stopped by the stable for a while and came out with the items
left in the warehouse as well as the griffons, and then everyone’s eyes
were focused on me.
“Krook.”
Everyone looked at me in amazement as I dragged my two griffons
along. It was like riding a foreign car in the countryside. As there were
only four griffons within Lindel, their awed expressions were natural.
‘This is the gift I’m giving you, Hyunsung.
Kim Hyunsung was no different from them. Of course, he could have

ridden his own a lot of times back in the irst timeline, but this was a
different period.
These guys were practical and could be used in combat. The black one,
which I planned to gift to him, looked quite sharp and charismatic. As
Ito Souta was a man who valued his appearance, even his griffon was
well-maintained.
The murmurs around me soon became louder, and people crowded

around me to get a closer look. I would never have imagined to receive
gazes such as these back on Earth.
I felt uncomfortable with how their gazes never left me until I arrived at
the Blue Guild house, but Jung Hayan continued to look back at them
with an expression of pride, as if to announce that I was her boyfriend.
‘For some reason, I feel ashamed.’
She even seemed to be enjoying it.
Once we got back, the people who were no doubt looking for us had on
surprised expressions.
“Hyung-nim. Where have you been… Huh? That is…”
“Actually, I was going to tell you about it separately… But I think now is
a perfect time. We’re also at a party, and I think it’s very suitable to give
a gift.”
“Wow!”
No one hated gifts.
The guild staff did not have much interest, already assuming that they
were not included, but obviously, I had gifts even for them.
“I couldn’t prepare a gift for the staff, so I got you simple things sold in
the capital.”
“Wow!”
Even though I had phrased it like that, it wasn’t a simple gift. What I had
given them were valuable items that were treated as high-end brands in
the capital.
There were fountain pen sets and watches for the men, as well as
cosmetic sets and bags for the women. Although they were quite
expensive, they cost nothing compared to all the money that I had
earned. Of course, also had handwritten letters for all of them.
It was only right for me to give them personal keepsakes, after all.
That was how one maintains his social life. Simply letting someone
know that you have not forgotten them was already a huge boost.
I nodded approvingly as Jung Hayan began giving them away one by

one.
“I am not discriminating, but I prepared a separate gift for the

executives, so hope that the staff doesn’t get sad.”
Of course, these people had no reason to be sad. In the irst place, the
noncombatants would feel happy to have even received a gift in the irst
place.
“Deokgu obtained a shield from his last expedition, so this sword…”
“Huh? T-Thank you. Oooh!”
Park Deokgu’s eyes, who had con irmed the function of the item, were
huge. The heavy weight didn’t disconcert him. He must have been
surprised to see its stats.
That was a natural reaction. This was, after all, an item considered to be
superior among all the heroic-grade ones.
[Giant’s Great Sword: Heroic Grade]
[Now, it is a great sword made of fragments of small daggers used by

giants, a forgotten race. There aren’t many people who can handle the
master Kahalas’ work properly, but you will have a sinister destructive
force if you can handle this heavy greatsword in the correct manner.
Just owning it will increase your strength by 6. There are no other add-
ons.]
“I also prepared a heroic grade necklace to Lee Sang-hee and Jeong-

yeonssi.”
“…Thank you.”
[A necklace with the blessing of the Benigore’s Goddess: Heroic grade]
[This necklace contains the blessings of the Benigore’s Goddess.

Intermediate curse cancellation, intermediate detoxi ication, and
advanced healing magic are enshrined. All stats will increase by 1.]
“To our little one is a dagger…”
“Thanks…”
[Archmage Isaac’s Throwing Dagger: Heroic Grade]
[It is a dagger that can both summon and unsummon. It is not known
from which path it came in, but some experts are open to the possibility
of whether this dagger has crossed another dimension. It contains
traces of many years. On the back, there are letters that are not
recognizable. Agility stat increases by 3.]
“To Hee-young, I prepared a ring for you.”
[Queen Carlena’s Wedding Ring: Heroic Level]
[It was a wedding ring that Carlena, the Queen of the Ruin, had kept her
whole life. This very modest ring describes the character of Queen
Carlena better than anyone else. Through the effect of Queen Carlena’s
sincere prayers, it was given divine power. The effect of all holy spells
slightly increases.]
All of them had received special items.
Some were received gifts from the shrine, and some were brought over
here after the Yamato Guild was destroyed.
In fact, besides this, there was also the Sword of Wind that Ito Souta
owned and some items used by the executives, but I thought it was right
to distribute them later on.
After I gave everyone presents, only Kim Hyunsung was left.
Just remembering the fact that I used to be the one receiving gifts from
him a few months ago felt absurd. Our returner de initely deserved his
gift.
“The gift I prepared for our Blue Guild Master is this griffon.”
“Ah!”
Whether he noticed I was talking about him, the black griffon opened
his black wings widely. Kim Hyunsung looked stunned, as it was
obvious that he was not used to receiving anything.
‘His mouth is almost tearing.’
I knew he would like his gift, but I never imagined that he would show
this kind of reaction.
Of course, it seemed as if he was trying not to smile, but just to elicit

this type of reaction from him already felt like an achievement in itself.
The smile on his Tips seemed to be planning to stay stuck on his face
for a while.
I’m offering you my heart, you bastard.’
This could be said to one of my proudest moments.

CHAPTER 146
WHISTLEBLOWER (1)
Kim Hyunsung was not used to receiving gifts.
I didn’t know how it had been like for him during the irst timeline, but
if one were to think about his high-level talents, it would seem like he
was the giver rather than the receiver.
This seemed to be the reason as to why he was unable to hide how he

felt. He wasn’t wearing a smile, nor was he laughing, but his expression
was one of pure joy.
‘He likes it.’
This was a well-maintained black griffon. I would have been

disappointed if he had not made that expression. Because of its rarity,
you couldn’t dare to measure it by value. If this was rated using artifact
ranks, this would obviously be a legendary-grade gift.
This was also the reason why everyone around us looked very
surprised.
“Wow…”
It was hard to accept the fact that this gift had come from me, and not
from a guild. It had been quite easy for me to acquire, which wasn’t the
same for the others. The fact that I had made my gift public meant there
was a lot for me to gain.
‘In this way, I’m able to show how good the relationship between the
Guild Master and Vice Guild Master are.’
This was also a reaf irmation of my power. It meant I was very loyal to
Hyunsung, and this would be the image engraved on everyone’s minds.
As expected, Kim Hyunsung shook his head, looking as if he was

overwhelmed.
“l-I’m ine, Kiyoung-ssi. I am grateful for the offer… but it’s too
overwhelming.”
‘You should de initely be overwhelmed. This is very expensive… ’
“You don’t have to be overwhelmed, Hyunsung-ssi. Since I have received

so much from my trip, it was only right of me to do so. Ah! And I’ve
received this through sheer luck, so…”
Of course, I knew he would react like this. This was a very big gift, after
all. However, anyone could see that he really wanted it, and that he was
only refusing out of courtesy.
Hyunsung simply refused because he knew he would still get the gift,
nevertheless.
“This is also for letting me acquire Juliana. I have my own griffon, so

don’t worry!”
“Ah…”
‘Take it quickly, you bastard. You’re going to take it anyway.
In the end, Hyunsung conceded. “If you say like that, l-I will take it
gratefully.”
‘Do not stutter…
“You don’t really have to feel overwhelmed. Haha. You can think of it as
my payment for the things you have given me.”
“No. The one I’m receiving is bigger. I will de initely repay this
kindness.”
‘That’s how it should be!’
As I slipped over the black griffon, I saw Kim Hyunsung stroking him
happily. As the giver, I felt pretty good about myself, and it wasn’t just
Hyunsung who had such a happy expression.
Park Deokgu, Sun Hee-young, Kim Ye-ri, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Lee
Sanghee all wore a similar glow on their faces.
I thought that, with the gift ceremony done, the party would also end,
but it appeared that this was not the case.
“We have to party all night today since we’re here. Ah! Hyunsung
hyung-ssi, can we do that?
“Sure. Let’s just resume working tomorrow afternoon!”
“Ah…”
“It’s a joke. It wouldn’t be bad to take a day off. It’s a great day, so we
can get a little drunk. Hyejin-ssi, come here and hang out with everyone
else.”
“Yes, Master.”
I actually felt tired from the trip back, but I knew I could hold out for a
little longer.
“Ah! Oppa. Try this too.”
“Okay.”
“Kiyoung-ssi, about the next volunteer schedule…”
“Yes. I’ll try to make a schedule and go.”
“Can’t you tell me about what happened irst?”
“It’s a bit too long to talk about.”
The night was long, and we had time, drinking the whole time and
catching up on each other. Kim Hyunsung did not say much, but he kept
looking at us whilst smiling. Park Deokgu busied himself with dancing.
Though Cho Hyejin was unable to adapt, she got along very well with
everyone in the end.
Both Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young bombarded me with questions,

and Kim Ye-ri was forced to head to her room by Hyunsung, seeing as
she was still a minor.
For a while, I forgot about all my worries.
It was only after I saw the sun beginning to rise that the party ended,
and I closed my eyes, indulging myself in the happiness that I felt.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
After a while, I woke up at a sound from outside the window. I thought,

It would have been nice if I slept a little more’, but I had to lower my
head because I felt heavy for some reason.
“Ah…”
Half of Jung Hayan’s body was on me.
I seemed to remember taking her to her room yesterday. I didn’t know

why she was here now, but she probably snuck here under the guise of
being drunk.
Perhaps she thought I wouldn’t remember, but I didn’t care at that

point. My body was tingling. I didn’t know how long I had maintained
this posture, but my arm felt hopelessly numb.
I didn’t feel embarrassed as she had already pulled this tactic during
our expeditions, but seeing as she was still pretending to be asleep, it
seemed like I had to lie like this for a little longer.
Tap.
Tap.
In the meantime, the sound continued to echo through the window. As I

turned to look for its source, I saw a little bird constantly pecking at the
window.
It appeared that Marlin Young-ae’s letter had already arrived.
‘Good.’
I knew her reply would be quick, but not this quick. This proved to be
quite advantageous for me, as I had so much I wanted to learn about
Cho Hyejin. What had happened at Castle Rock was a mystery I wanted
to unravel.
I didn’t want to pinpoint her weakness; I just wanted to know what she
was hiding.
I quietly opened the window so as not to wake Jung Hayan, and the bird
entered the room. After I took the letter that was tied to one of its feet,
quickly wrote down my reply, telling her I would meet her soon, and
sent the bird out once more. That would surely satisfy Marlin Young-ae.
I then opened the letter carefully.
[I am very happy that you gave me this sudden letter shortly after
goodbye. It was less than a day, but I was secretly thinking about you in
my heart. In such a situation, this letter moved me as if it was warming
my heart that was abandoned by the bleak winter breeze. Is it my
mistake that you read my mind?]
‘Why is this so long?’
I felt expectant upon seeing how long the letter was, but most of the
contents were written in this manner. It seemed that Marlin Young-ae
had exerted a lot of effort writing this.
[I am ashamed to say this as an aristocrat, but the dreamlike times I had

with Lee Kiyoung in the royal castle keep replaying in my head. What if
I could have been able to ly in the sky like a bird? Please, I hope that my
heart will be conveyed with this letter.]
I didn’t understand. We’d never met alone. Duchess Catherine was

always with us.
Of course, considering the number of times we’d met, it could be a

possibility. However, there was no incident wherein I could’ve possibly
captured her heart. I had tried my best to be on my most polite
behavior, but it appeared that my efforts were not effective.
The more I read through the letter, the more disconcerted I felt. I
skimmed through the pages before inally inding what I had wanted to
know about.
[I haven’t been able to research much because of the lack of time, but I
think this is the information Lee Kiyoung wants. Since I was in a hurry, I
gathered the free people and conducted an investigation. I called upon
an employee who formerly belonged to Cho Hyejin’s guild and asked
about her. With this, I learned that the Little Rock Guild was closely
related to our Castle Rock Estate.]
Oh’
Things were getting more interesting.
[To conclude, the inspectorate of our estate has investigated the Little
Rock Guild to which Cho Hyejin belonged. Although it was an
investigation involving various things, I remember that the guild was
mainly suspected of smuggling monster by-products and tax evasion.]
Considering Cho Hyejin’s disposition, it didn’t seem like her at all. I

continued reading through the letter in order to ind more information.
[The reason for the investigation was that a conscientious free citizen
belonging to Little Rock irst made a report to the inspectorate. At that
time, I was too young to participate in the family event, so I only heard
about it, but I know it was Cho Hyejin who helped at that time. Even
though she belonged to Little Rock, I heard that for the sake of her
conscience, she reported directly to our estate.]
‘Whistleblower?’
I was able to realize why Cho Hyejin came to Lindel, especially Blue.
For me, this was a bit of a headache. I didn’t mean to blame or criticize
her actions. She did the right thing and deserved to be praised. It was
indeed a courageous act.
However, the problem is that her former guild members did not think
so.
The story must have come out.
Some free people don’t think they must obey the laws of the Holy
Empire. That was why they did not become imperial citizens.
It would be easy to understand if you were to think that the Free City of
Lindel was created for such people. Due to the nature of these people,
they were often stingy about taxes.
To some extent, a lot of people resorted to tax evasions, and ignored

most of the imperial laws. Cho Hyejin’s old guild was probably the same
– or even worse. If they committed the act of smuggling monster by-
products, then they must have dabbled in worse things.
‘For example, the trade of interracial slaves… ’
The truth remained unknown, but the important thing to note was that
Cho Hyejin was a whistleblower who reported her guild’s internal
corruption. What happened to her after was obvious.
She was probably branded as a traitor, and was used as the scapegoat
for many of their failures.
‘That’s how our society works.’
And, with that line of thought, that was also how whistleblowers were
treated in modern society.
Because of this, she probably couldn’t join any other guild, as everyone
else saw her as a potential harm to their own groups.
Even those who knew she had done the right thing would still hate to
be seen with her. I was completely sure of this.
Shaking my head, I continued reading.
[In fact, the Little Rock Guild was able to avoid punishment due to
insuf icient evidence, but when I asked the former guild staff, I heard
that Cho Hyejin left the guild because of unavoidable circumstances.
The last thing I heard was that she left for another city because she
couldn’t ind a place at Castle Rock. I thought she would have gone to
Lindel, but I couldn’t even imagine that Lee Kiyoung knew Hyejin. I
think it can be called fate.]
“So, I’m right.”
Cho Hyejin acted according to her conscience, and it ended her

reputation. Everyone had seen her as a dangerous bomb, ready to
expose the guild’s secrets should she deem it it to do so.
Though I personally understood and respected her way of life, it would

be a lie to say I did not think the same as these people.
‘Ha… We’re in trouble… ’
Due to my anxious nature, worry began to bubble up inside me.

CHAPTER 147
WHISTLEBLOWER (2)
Of course, everything was legal to a certain extent. The reason for

trusting Kim Mi-young manager, an expert in imperial law, was that she
made good use of the law. This was because there were secretly many
ways to avoid the dense net known as the Imperial Law.
There was no room for a problem once the investigation came in, but
this in itself might already seem a little dangerous from Cho Hyejin’s
eyes.
If she was a woman of principles, then perhaps she noticed the ills
within the guild while I was away.
‘That’s not the only problem… ’
Sun Hee-young’s volunteering service could also be a problem. The

work of removing garbage in slums may be viewed as contributing to
society by catching and killing criminals from the point of view of some
people, but to be precise, it was also a crime.
The fact that I could control the media on my own might not sit well
with people who adhered to their own values. People like Cho Hyejin
would probably think that the press should be transparent.
From my standpoint, she would be a hindrance. As her authority and

in luence within the guild increases, I would become more limited with
what can do.
‘Hyunsung…
Why did he have to do this now? For a moment, resentment illed me
up. However, this was no time to be picky. I needed Blue to grow as
much as possible. Though it sounded sel ish, I didn’t want to be held
back by my conscience.
I thought Cho Hyejin would refrain herself from doing the same due to
her past experience, but I knew it would not be easy to change personal
values. She might overlook my activities the irst few times, but I knew
she and I would not get along in the end.
First, I had to gauge how things would go.
With this in mind, I gently disentangled myself from Jung Hayan,

heading to the bathroom to wash up. In no time, I was dressed and on
the move. I’d initially thought that Jung Hayan was only pretending to
be asleep, but it appeared that she genuinely was still unconscious.
Right off the bat, I decided to visit Kim Mi-young. I felt a little sorry,
seeing as it was her day off, but it would certainly be better for me to
take care of things in advance.
The whole Guild House was quiet, as if everyone was still sleeping.
When I went to knock on Kim Mi-young’s door, a little kid opened up.
“Ah!”
“Hello. Is your mom here?”
“Mom! Uncle is here!”
“Mom!”
I knew I wasn’t old enough to be called an uncle, so that de initely hurt.
As the children frantically called for their mother, I had to shake my

head. I knew nothing felt more uncomfortable than having a boss
suddenly call on an employee during a holiday. The sorry feeling came
back again, but there was nothing I could do.
‘You have to suffer as much as you receive.’
Since she had been promoted to manager, situations like these were
inevitable.
After some time, Kim Mi-young had come to the door, obviously having
done so in a hurry.
“V-Vice Guild Master. Why did you come?”
“I’m sorry for bothering you on your day off, but I have something to
talk about. And I have to write a new contract too. I actually came to do
both…”
“If you could tell me…”
“Ah. It’s a personal affair that I don’t want to tell others about.”
“I’m sorry?”
“It’s work-related. Will it be okay for me to come in?”
“Yes. It’s shabby, though…”
This was the irst time I had entered a room used by one of our guild
staff, and it was de initely better than I had initially thought. It
appeared that we treated our members better than I had irst thought
as well.
Of course, Kim Mi-young had been given a better room because of her
children, but the interior, as well as appliances, looked to be in very
good condition.
As I looked around, I noticed her children staring up at me, looking
daunted by my presence. Pretending not to notice their wariness, I sat
down on a nearby chair.
“Have you eaten?”
“No. Not yet. I came as soon as I got up.”
“If you’re okay to…”
“It’s ine. It looks like you’ve already eaten; I can’t bother you. And the
children…”
“Ah! Yes. Can they go to their room for a minute?”
“Yes!” came the immediate response, and they went and followed my
request.
“Ah, they are very obedient.”
“‘They’ve matured at such an early age. It’s comforting, but it also

makes me quite sad. Anyway, may I ask what kind of business you came
for?”
“I just have a few things to check. As I said, I’m also going to proceed
with the contract part again. The annual salary is 700 gold.”
“I’m sorry?”
I knew Kim Mi-young would feel disbelief at this. It was dif icult for an
employee to receive 700 gold per year. That was equivalent to about 70
million won in Hanwha, which wasn’t easy to receive even back on
Earth.
“Your annual salary is 700 gold, and you may receive a salary increase
depending on your performance.
“T-That’s too much…”
“It’s not.”
‘That’s because the amount of work you’ll do is roughly that much.’
“I already know that you’re doing more than your annual salary. If you
look at the contract, the welfare conditions have also changed, so I
think you should go over those as well.”
“T-Thank you.”
“Please read it slowly and sign it. It doesn’t have to be today.”
“Okay.”
“Ah! And another reason for coming here today…”
“Yes.”
“I would like you to tell me about Cho Hyejin.”
“Uh… As I said yesterday, she works well, and…”
“Not like that. I want you to tell me what she had been doing and
handling in my absence. If she made some payments, inform me of
which document she paid for, and if there were any problems in the
way she handled things. Tell me even the smallest detail – from her
personality, behavior, or anything, really.”
“Ah…”
“Of course, the fact that I asked about her is a secret.”
“Yes, of course…” Kim Mi-young’s eyes had widened at this point. It was
evident that she was not sure about what was going on.
“Is there something wrong with Cho Hyejin?”
“It’s not really a problem. Rather, she’s too clean. Oh, I think I need to
explain her background irst.”
“Okay.”
“Cho Hyejin moved from Castle Rock to Lindel because she’s a

whistleblower. She exposed her previous guild’s corruption and was
then forced to leave. As the rumor spread, she could not join other
guilds or clans in Castle Rock, and was forced to come to Lindel. She
probably knew that Hyunsung-ssi was recruiting. I got the information
from another source.”
“Yes…”
“Of course she’s right, but that doesn’t mean it’s something I can’t
worry about. I asked because of what I’ve been telling you. Do you
understand what I’m talking about?”
“Yes… Yes.”
Of course, she knew what I meant. The conclusion of my question was,

did she ever do something that would make her guilty? If so, did Cho
Hyejin know about that?
“I know why you are concerned. Vice Guild Master.”
“I’m relieved.”
“You can relax, you don’t have to worry too much. First of all, I was
dealing with the part that seemed to be a problem… Some things
related to the potion factory, taxes, and the Free City of Celia, I’ve taken
care of and reported it to the Guild Master.”
“Ah!” That was indeed a nice thing to hear.

“Cho Hyejin mainly handled tasks in a more direct ield, such as the
Crisis Response Team and the Dungeon Strategy Team. I didn’t know
what speci ically, however…”
“No. That’s okay.”
“The guild itself is transparent and very clean. You can rest assured that
you haven’t broken the law, and everyone is working according to the
law.”
“That’s a relief. So what about the moral part? Ah! Just honestly tell me
what you felt.”
As I glanced at Kim Mi-young, I could see her nodding again and

opening her mouth.
“In the case of the potion market, small clans and private pensioners
have a monopoly that makes it dif icult to move, but… There are no
legal problems either. If you start the Lindel Alchemy Assistance Project
this time, there won’t be any dispute. Actually, our guild image is pretty
good. Everything seems to be working out ine.” At this, Kim Mi-young
bowed her head in embarrassment. I had done the right thing picking
her – she was de initely competent.
She was different from shit like me. Compared to me, who only knew
how to agitate, fabricate, and cheat, she was a genuine intellectual.
However, it was good to have her by my side, for she would make me
look a lot more competent as well.
“Good.”
“Thank you.”
‘Because of that, you can take a little more.’

With this in mind, I changed her salary to 1000 gold, 300 higher than
her initial one. I could see Mi-young’s eyes widening, but I continued to
talk as if nothing big had just happened.
“I give you an annual salary that its your capacity. I really like that the
parts that are likely to have problems were pulled out beforehand and
processed.”
“That’s… Nothing compared to your kindness…”
“No. No. There is no such thing as kindness. It’s ridiculous to say that
it’s kindness to pick up a rolling gem. Oh, are there any other speci ics?
For example, something about how much authority the Guild Master
gave Hyejin?”
“If I may speak objectively…”
“Yes.”
“I kind of feel like it’s too much. When I think about her ability and
character, understand that it is better to be in a good position, but she
has more authority than what I was expecting.”
“Strictly speaking, is she on the same level as our Manager Kim Mi-
young?”
“Well, I’m just acting as a representative for the Vice Guild Master,
nothing more or less.”
“Hmm.”
“Hyejin is different. After recruiting Cho Hyejin, the Guild Master put
her into work right away and handed over various positions. It was just
a story, but I heard that Cho Hyejin would be serving as the guild’s
secretary as well. I understand the Blue Guild motto, but there are
many comments that it seems she has given the authority to
outperform other party members. A lot of members are concerned.”
“I see.”
“Apart from Cho Hyejin’s character and ability…”
“Ah. I understand what you’re talking about.”
Of course, this did not mean that Mi-young was jealous of Hyejin. She
wasn’t that type of person, and they were on different levels. No matter
how good Mi-young was, Cho Hyejin was far stronger in terms of stats,
with one of the best powers. She was the type of person who was
already guaranteed success.
From this, I knew Kim Mi-young was just concerned about Hyejin’s
sudden surge in power.
“Ah, but for our Vice Guild Master…”
The fact that she was looking out for me surprised me and pleased me
at the same time.
“Thank you for worrying about me.”
“I-It’s only natural.”
“Of course, the Guild Master said that he would decide about Cho
Hyejin’s key position after discussing with me, but I think he’s already
made up his mind.”
“Hmm.”
‘Guild’s secretary… ’
In terms of position, she had the same power as 1, the Vice Guild
Master, did. Of course, my title was a notch above hers, but she had just
as much authority as I did.
I knew Kim Hyunsung was not trying to create a division of power. He

was probably looking forward to how Blue would develop if Hyejin and
I worked together, but she and I were as compatible as water and oil.
I did not blame him, however. Hyunsung couldn’t read status windows
like could, and therefore was likely to not have noticed how
incompatible she and I were.
‘Ah, this is bad…
I was beginning to realize just why Hyunsung had failed back in the irst
timeline.
Perhaps he had gotten backstabbed by guys like me several times.
I’m sure of it.

CHAPTER 148
WHISTLEBLOWER (3)
I didn’t know what exactly had happened the irst time around, but
considering his stats, I knew Kim Hyunsung had been granted a high
position back then. Assuming that Cho Hyejin was his lieutenant, the
guild that he had led in the past must have been straightforward and
in lexible.
If their enemies had been like Lee Jihye or me, it would have been easy
for us to defeat them. In this way, I could guess just how Hyunsung had
failed.
It was very simple to beat humans who weren’t used to backstabs, for
they were unaware of the complexity that humans like me possessed.
With this in mind, I surmised that Kim Hyunsung must’ve been hit by
Jung Jinho, and then had probably gotten harassed by Ito Souta.
‘What would you do if you didn’t have me, Hyunsung?’
No, perhaps Lee Seolho would have been enough to humiliate him.
Assuming that Ito Souta managed to settle in Lindel through that old
geezer, he would’ve been able to wield great power as well.
Returning to my senses, I realized that Kim Mi-young was staring at me.
“If you have any instructions…”
“No, no, it’s ine. I think it would be nice to wait for now. Oh, but you’ll
still have your insurance, so it would be bene icial for you to have books
and materials that could be used when the Imperial Auditor strikes.”
“Ah! Of course, sir.”
“It’s very reassuring to have you here, Kim Mi-young.”
“T-Thank you.”
“I’m sorry for taking your time on a day off. I’ll best be off now.”
“No. I’m glad to have been able to help you.”
Cho Hyejin had not left my mind the whole time I conversed with Kim
Miyoung. Though nothing about her had been of icially decided, I had
already made it my plan to control her.
Blue had already accepted Cho Hyejin, and I had already af irmed as to
how much Kim Hyunsung trusted her. Considering that they had been
together back in the irst timeline, there was a high probability that I
wouldn’t be able to break the trust they had for each other.
Considering Cho Hyejin’s growth potential, it would also be hard to ind

faults with her.
The most appropriate way to make her interested in me was to turn her
into the same way as I had done with Hayan. However, just thinking
about it made me self-conscious. I had already seen the side effects
from Hayan and Heeyoung, and they weren’t pretty at all.
Plus, I don’t think I’d be her type… ’
After I bid Kim Mi-young goodbye and left, I walked around the halls,
feeling lost for some reason. It would be nice of me to take a break
without worrying about anything, but with the sudden events, I knew it
would be impossible for me to relax, given my personality.
Of course, it didn’t take long for me to decide on my next destination. I

could only think of one place to go.
‘Hyunsung.’
It would only be right for me to talk to Kim Hyunsung, the Guild Master
of Blue, about the guild’s future plans for Cho Hyejin. If he knew what
the future would hold, then he would probably make the most rational
decision based on that future.
‘How is this a holiday?’
I had been busy the moment I had woken up.
“Is Guild Master there?”
“He is probably in the of ice right now.”
“Ah, okay.”
I didn’t know if I should feel comforted, but at least I wasn’t the only
one working hard. This would de initely be a great time to talk about
work.
As I knocked on the door, I heard a familiar voice.
“Come in.”
I walked in and found Kim Hyunsung seated on his desk. Cho Hyejin
was also there, and the two of them looked at me as I approached them.
“Ah…”
I didn’t expect to see her there.
“Good, you’re here! I was about to call you soon enough.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Have you eaten already?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then, let’s have a meal together…”
‘This is more bothersome than I thought… ’
I was beginning to understand why Jung Hayan got so angry seeing me

with other women. Of course, this situation was different, but the fact
that Hyejin and Hyunsung talked to each other in private bothered me.
In Jung Hayan’s case, she was worried about what I did with other
women. I now felt sorry for her.
I’ll be more careful in the future, Hayan.’
As I sent an apology to Jung Hayan in my heart, Kim Hyunsung cleared

his throat.
“Did you have some business with me?”
“Yes, but it’s no big deal…”
Kim Hyunsung spoke with affection evident in both of his eyes. Of

course, this was a natural reaction. Before I had even gifted him the
griffon, Hyunsung already trusted me a lot.
“I was just curious about any future plans or schedules we had in

store…”
“Ah.”
“Thanks to Hyejin, the stabilization of the guild is being inished to
some extent. It seems okay for us to go on an expedition. It’s time for
me to get back to my job. I wonder if you’re thinking the same as I do.”
“Yes, in fact, I had been thinking of that, too.”
‘As expected.
“I think it’d be better to tell you in advance. In your case, you’ll need to
prepare a schedule in advance, as you’re handling several jobs at the
same time.”
“Yes. Hyunsung is right.”
Of course, Kim Hyunsung had no intention of abandoning me during

this time’s expedition. I had proved my worth in the previous one, and
he had judged that having me with him would prove to be an advantage.
Though my attack power was insuf icient compared to other wizards, I
had the ability to handle Jung Hayan, the lexibility to adapt to sudden
situations, and the drive to carry the party should the need arise.
He must’ve felt like I needed to work more than expected, as he also

wanted to see my growth as an alchemist. For this reason, he wouldn’t
leave me behind. The most important thing for me to focus on was to
not fall behind during this time’s expedition.
“There have been no de inite decisions yet, but I think you’re right. It’s
important for us to expand our funds through various businesses, but
thanks to Kiyoung-ssi, we can now afford to go out. I’ve also been
focusing on a lot of things, but I think it’d be better to tell you in
advance.”
“Ah…”
“I think our next destination will be Castle Rock.”

“…Castle Rock?”
“Yes.”
‘Marlene Young-ae will de initely be happy.’
“I don’t know exactly, but I heard that they’ve seen signs of abnormality
with the monsters in Castle Rock. Either a new dungeon appeared, or a
hero-grade monster had made the area it’s home.”
“Hmm…”
“The probability is small, but this could also be a monster wave. There
are many hunting grounds near Castle Rock, so it would not be bad to
go on an expedition around it. I want to hear what you think, Kiyoung-
ssi.”
“Ah, it also sounds good. I’m a little surprised to ind out that it’s not
near Lindel. Come to think of it, Cho Hyejin said she was from Castle
Rock, so I think it’d be a little easier with her help, right?”
“Yes, Vice Guild Master. I know its geography.”
“I neglected to tell you, but I was thinking of expanding our sales with
the basic potion. Of course, we’ll prioritize the expedition, but it won’t
be bad to sign supply contracts with stable guilds within Castle Rock,
am I right?”
“…Yes, Guild Master. Though it’s not larger than Lindel, the market itself
is good. Most guilds there make a living out of going on expeditions.
There will also be fewer priests there than here in Lindel.”
‘That’s right.
I glanced at Cho Hyejin and saw that she wasn’t looking too well. She
had settled for guiltily biting her lip as she answered my inquiries, and
it seemed as if she wasn’t expecting us to head to Castle Rock for our
expedition, either. However, Kim Hyunsung seemed to think he had to
bring her along.
‘Will this expedition be that hard?’
The answer lay in Hyunsung’s answer. It could be a simple dungeon

expedition, or it could turn out to be a hero-grade monster raid.
Then there’s the possibility of encountering a monster wave… ’
At this point, I was beginning to feel like we were heading to Castle

Rock to take care of whatever would happen in the future. In any case, I
would be able to bene it from this expedition. I was going in order to
improve the quality of our party, after all.
What I liked most, however, was the fact that I’d get to learn more about
Cho Hyejin.
‘Yeah, that’s de initely the best part.’
I would have a chance to talk directly with the leader of Little Rock
under the guise of visiting for business purposes.
Although Hyunsung looked sad upon seeing Cho Hyejin, who suddenly
stopped talking, he seemed to have no intention of changing his mind.
“When can I prepare for the expedition, Hyunsung-ssi?”
“Hmm…”
“How about leaving immediately tomorrow? In the case of

commodities, they can be procured later, but I think I’ll personally need
to ind out about how we’ll be distributing the potions.”
“I see. In fact, I thought we would leave within a month or two, but
there seems to be nothing wrong with doing that. The problem is where
we’ll be staying.”
“I don’t think you need to worry about accommodation. I’m a little

intimate with the daughter of Lord Castle Rock… Perhaps we could
make use of that.”
“Ah!”
Marlin Young-ae would de initely welcome me with open arms.
Even after we had arrived at the restaurant for our meal, our
conversation revolved about our Castle Rock expedition. Cho Hyejin
wasn’t as participative, and though Hyunsung noticed this, he chose not
to point it out
‘She evidently has bad memories of the place.’
Though Hyejin knew she’d come back there at one point, she wasn’t
expecting to come back this early. Considering that she had only been in
Lindel for a short while, she was still likely to be one of Castle Rock’s
hottest topics.
Other than that, the conversation was a bit plain. It felt like routine
pleasantries.
Kim Hyunsung seemed to praise Cho Hyejin consciously and seemed to

appeal to me about her good points, but by the time the meal was
almost inished, I was able to realize why he had said these kinds of
things to me.
When Cho Hyejin had gone for the loo, Kim Hyunsung spoke to me.
“What do you think, Kiyoung-ssi?”

“I mean, about Hyejin.”
“She doesn’t seem to be a bad person. She is capable, and her

disposition is ine. I think I know well why Hyunsung-ssi recruited her.
Given the strength and potential for future growth, she is a coveted
person everywhere.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried that you would be uncomfortable.”
‘Would I openly say I’m uncomfortable if I really were, you bastard?’
“It feels like the timing is a bit early, but as I said yesterday, I would like
to appoint Hyejin to a key position… I’m curious about what you think.”
This may very well be the reason as to why Hyunsung had tried to call
me today. As he looked at me expectantly, I felt happy that he respected
me enough to ask me, yet I also felt a little uncomfortable.
‘Ha… ’
“Well, I am…”
I had to think about this thoroughly before I could even give a reply.
CHAPTER 149
DON'T YOU KNOW WHY I'M
DISAPPOINTED? (1)
“Well, I am…”
I had to think about this thoroughly before I could even give a reply.
The kind of answer I wanted to give was quite obvious. Of course, I

didn’t want her to gain any more power than what was necessary, but I
also didn’t want to show my contempt for her.
It wouldn’t be easy to achieve both, but I decided it was worth trying. I

didn’t want to give Kim Hyunsung the impression that I was someone
who was greedy for power.
‘It’s a good thing that he’s asked for my opinion.’
“Before that, I am curious to know exactly which key position you are
going to give her.”
I already knew that the position would be for guild secretary, but of
course, had to ask again.
“Ah, in fact, I’ve been thinking about this a lot…”
“Yes?”
“If it’s okay, I’m thinking about what it would be like for her to be the
guild secretary.”
“I’m sorry?”
“The guild secretary.”
“Ah… I see.”
“That… well, I’ve thought about it a lot, but I think your life will get a lot
easier because of this too. Since you have so many tasks, Hyejin will be
able to help you.”
“Hmm…”
“You’ll probably be amazed if you check out how she handles things.”
“Yes…”
“She has helped in all kinds of aspects that you can’t even begin to
imagine.”
“I see.”
Honestly, I was against this, no matter what Hyunsung said. I could also
see him nervously idgeting as I thought about how to respond.
Ah.
I was able to realize why he had on such an expression. First, he could

see that I was not happy about it. Secondly, he seemed to feel guilty
about trying to place her in a high position without even consulting me
properly.
Of course, he was asking me now, but the fact that he was bothered was
still evident.
‘What a cute bastard… ’

My unpleasant expression must have barred his idea of me liking his
plan. He must’ve felt embarrassed to see that I, the star of his supposed
gift, did not look happy after opening the present he had presented.
No, he must’ve noticed my discomfort as well. By this point, Kim

Hyunsung must have realized that he had made a mistake. That was
because he was not a stubborn type of person.
My unpleasant face blocked his idea of me liking this or agreeing or

being happy about it.
I didn’t know how Hyunsung had failed in the irst timeline, but thanks
to that, he seemed more attuned to his party members’ psychological
and physical conditions.
‘Especially about mine.’
That had been made obvious to me as I remembered his devastated

expression back when I was asked to go to the Holy Empire – Kim
Hyunsung was not a dictator.
Though he was our Guild Master, he acknowledged his shortcomings

and knew when he needed help from the people around him.
What mattered was the fact that I was one of the people he looked to
for advice.
‘That’s right.
After assessing him carefully, I began to speak.
“I do not know…”
“Ah.”
“I can see how competent Hyejin is, but I think it is a little too early. I
think it’ll be better to watch her a little more… Ah! First of all, I
understand how Hyunsung-ssi thinks. You made such a decision
because of me, who is under pressure… That’s very considerate of you.”
“Yes…”
“But I think that if she suddenly gets the guild secretary’s position, it
will instill a sense of discomfort in other guild members. Of course, this
is only my personal opinion… But perhaps this needs a little more time.
From a guild employee’s point of view, it will look as if a CEO who has
never been related to the company has appeared to suddenly take
control.”
“Ah, I didn’t think of that at all… But when you weren’t here, she seemed
to it in well enough.”
“So I was the only one who didn’t see it…”
“Ah.”
Though I didn’t show my direct intention, I used my skill to make him

grasp my mood. The moment I shot Hyunsung a disappointed look, he
linched by re lex.
I’m a little disappointed in you, Hyunsung,’ my expression seemed to

say.
Of course, this was only acting on my part. Kim Hyunsung seemed more
embarrassed than before. He had not expected his question to receive
this kind of reaction from me.
In a way, I was happy because he had done this with his concern for me
in mind. It showed that he cared about me, yet I didn’t show this. I was
kind of happy because Kim Hyunsung did this because he cared about
me, but I didn’t show it.
Even the littlest sigh on my part seemed to work. Slowly, Hyunsung was
realizing that the topic of Cho Hyejin’s appointment was a delicate
topic.
“I didn’t mean that.”
“No. I believe in Hyunsung. You have never made the wrong choice until
now. Personally, I think it’s a bit unreasonable, but I trust your
judgment.”
“No…”
“I think it will be okay. Thank you for asking me, but the Guild Master of
the clan is Hyunsung, so you can do whatever you want.”
“You seem to have misunderstood something.”
“No, this isn’t a misunderstanding.”
“Well, I was thinking about this because Kiyoung-ssi looked tired. I

don’t have any plans to appoint her right now, and because Hyejin-ssi is
very uncomfortable with this…”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
I had expected him to react like that. Normally, what people would say
in this situation was, ‘I did this for you.’ However, that didn’t happen. I
wasn’t angry or annoyed, but as I continued to send out a strangely
disappointed attitude, could see his frustrated expression.
‘You don’t even know why I’m doing this.’
To express an example, I cast a special move, one known as ‘Don’t you

know why I’m disappointed?’
Of course, the effect was better than I imagined.
It hurt me to hurt Hyunsung’s feelings, but I had to delay Cho Hyejin’s

appointment as much as possible.
“Uh, Hyunsung-ssi… You can forget what I said before. It’s just a
personal thought. If you think Hyejin is suitable for the job, you can
appoint her without any rejection on my part.”
‘Get all the burden!’
“Ah! I’m just telling you, but there is nothing misunderstood. Of course,
you can think like that from your point of view.”
“I’m not disappointed.”
I’m disappointed! I’m really disappointed.’
I was twisting everything I said. Though he may think that I was okay
with it, it would be dif icult for him to appoint Cho Hyejin now. No
matter how stupid Hyunsung could get, I knew he wasn’t that slow.
‘I think I’ve managed to delay it a bit… ’
I knew Cho Hyejin would end up securing a high position for herself
anyway. I also knew I would have the authority to use her properly. It
would be such a waste to remove a capable member.
Her image as a whistleblower would also be helpful for our publicity. It

would be ignorant for me not to use someone strong and smart as a
party member.
The only problem was when she had come in.
It almost felt like playing a game of tug of war for power. However, once
the problems around her were resolved, I was ready to work harder
than anyone else to exploit her talents.
Just like a dog.
“Hmm. I’ll be going, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“Ah?”
“The meal is over. I need to get ready to go to Castle Rock.”
“Yes, okay…”
“I will order the basic items irst, but if there is any additional need, I
would like you to instruct and send it as a document.”
“That…”
It was time for me to go, and as I opened the door, I saw the guild staff
just about to enter.
“Oh. Kiyoung-ssi!”
It was then that Kim Hyunsung decided to grab onto me as he called out
for me in a loud voice. In that instant, all eyes focused on us. I could see
most of the guild members blushing. Some of the female employees had
even started squealing.
‘What…
“I still have something to say!”
The atmosphere around us had become very unusual. I heard a few ‘I

told you so’s and a few ‘Oh’s.
I immediately realized what all these people were thinking.

‘It’s not that… Fuck… ’
“That… I guess I didn’t think this through, Kiyoung…”
I got it. Let go of my arm.’
“I only wanted to ease your burden…”
That sounds even weirder!’
Kim Hyunsung seemed to struggle with himself for a bit before

speaking once more.
“As Kiyoung-ssi said, it would be better to delay the timing a little. If you
feel confused, then I sincerely apologize. I know the timing was strange,
considering that you’ve just returned.”
“No, that…”
“Kiyoung-ssi also needs time to get to know Hyejin-ssi. I also

understand that the other guild members may feel uncomfortable. Of
course, Kiyoung-ssi may also feel a sense of incompatibility. Naturally,
you are a little embarrassed, and, naturally, you are disappointed. I
didn’t think this through.”
That did feel like a sincere apology.
It seemed like a strange misunderstanding had occurred, but it wasn’t

bad. Jung Hayan was not the only one that was poor when it came to
human relationships.
My dear regressor, who had lived more lives than me, was also quite
clumsy. He was like a train – simply straightforward, and generally
in lexible.
‘He’s a well-meaning arbitrator.’

The fact that this guy had gone through a lot and still maintained his
humanity was amazing. The Kim Hyunsung I met in the tutorial was
different from the Kim Hyunsung now. He seemed to have been slowly
recovering.
The fact that he was a kindhearted person comforted me. If I were him,
I wouldn’t have apologized for this ambiguous situation.
‘It’s really not bad at all.’
I looked up at him before I spoke up once more.
“No. It’s really ine, Hyunsun-ssi.”
Half my words were sincere.
I’ll forgive you, you bastard.’

CHAPTER 150
DON'T YOU KNOW WHY I'M
DISAPPOINTED? (2)
“So, what happened, Hyung-nim? Did everything go well?”
“Can’t you tell? It went very well.”
“Ah…”
“Why do you ask?”
It had been a few days since my serious conversation with Kim

Hyunsung. It was Park Deokgu now who had deemed to ask me, as we
both packed our luggage.
“Nothing. It was just a little unexpected. Ah! How’s our hyung-ssi?”
I didn’t know what to say. I’ve only been noticing that Kim Hyunsung
seemed a little depressed from our interaction. I couldn’t igure out
what Cho Hyejin meant to Kim Hyunsung, but the man must have
realized that he had put her in a position I could not accept.
I knew he gave it the excuse of preparing this for me, but I knew there
was something else underneath. As a result, he had realized his fault.
‘He looked like a dejected puppy.
I knew Hyunsung had expected a positive reaction from me. However, if

it was up to me, I would do my utmost to reduce Hyejin’s authority. At
the very least, what power I currently had should remain until Kim Mi-
young can inish her job.
All this I had disguised under the guise of Cho Hyejin being an entirely
new member. In fact, apart from her abilities, there had been a lot of
speculations about her and Hyunsung being in a relationship.
‘It seems like he doesn’t know.’
Personal reasons aside, I knew it was not the right time for Cho Hyejin
to be put in a position of power. However, it wouldn’t be good for me to
be too openly discriminating.
At this, I looked at Park Deokgu and spoke once more. “Well, he seemed
a little sad about it, but he agreed with me in the end.”
“I’m glad, then…”
“What’s with that face?”
“No, it’s not a big deal. I’m just surprised at the fact that you two had
different opinions.”
“There was no trouble.”
“I know, I only heard things.”
“What did you hear?”
“Well, what the female guild employees are saying is one thing, but the
rumors state that hyung-nim and hyung-ssi fought. Is that true?”
“Ah…”
“Wait, wait! Did you actually ight?”

“It’s not as big as you think. We just had some misunderstandings, so
you don’t have to worry about it. I felt disappointed that he made an
important decision and only said it last…”
“So…”
“As a result, I got an apology, and everything is normal. If I keep going

against it, there may be friction, but it won’t happen. In any case, I think
Cho Hyejin is competent, and in Blue, we need talents like her. Ah! I’m
just telling you, don’t go anywhere and talk about this…”
“Mm. My mouth is as close as an oyster.”
“Did you prepare everything you need?”
“Almost everything.”
“Can I check it once?”
“W-Wait just a little more.”
“It’s been a while since we had a long expedition. There can’t be any
mistakes.”
As I looked around, I saw other people busy preparing for the

expedition. Hwang Jeong-yeon had come to help Park Deokgu with his
belongings. Jung Hayan, Sun Hee-young and Kim Ye-ri were also taking
quite a long time in organizing their luggage.
Most of the members were disconcerted by the news that they were
suddenly leaving for Castle Rock. Still, they were experienced, and in no
time, I saw them transporting all the items without missing anything in
a carriage.
The guild staff proved to be busier than the party members. Loud
voices echoed everywhere.
“Are you sure you packed the supplies there?”
“Yes, Park Jung-gi! The last one is entering.”
“You have also arranged for the items to be sent later, right?”
“Yes. So… Alchemy kits, consumable catalysts, and spare equipment

were irst put in the warehouse.”
“Put the griffon feed in there as well.”
“Okay.”
“With basic protection magic, manage the items so that they don’t get
damaged. I’ll check and tell the team members to be on standby.”
“Yes. Okay.”
It felt good to see them preparing for the expedition on their own,
without me having to take care of everything.
“But, manager… I heard that it’s going to be a long expedition, but there
seems to be too much supply. There are many lists to purchase at Castle
Rock… The organized supplies are more than what our budget can
handle…”
“This is a matter directly requested by the Guild Master, so just follow

the orders. It’s not our job to be curious, or to have futile questions. All
we have to do is deliver the supplies without error.”
What was interesting was that the supplies that were going to the
Castle Rock expedition, in fact, felt excessive compared to the usual
expedition. I felt certain that Park Jung-gi, deemed Head of the
Expedition Support Team, understood this the best.
He couldn’t say anything because the Guild Master directed it, but even
if I were to think about it, the items that did go into this expedition
were a bit strange. Of course, considering the current situation in Castle
Rock, it made sense to an extent.
I didn’t know if the citizens over there were aware that something was
indeed happening in their city, but Kim Hyunsung had clearly stated
that something was happening in their area.
‘A new dungeon appearance? Monster wave? A hero-grade monster?’
Considering the supplies, I knew which among these was most likely.
‘You’re so obvious, Hyunsung.’
It was necessary to prepare for any situation in an expedition, but it felt

weird preparing a thousand arrows for Kim Ye-ri, who wasn’t even a
pure archer by default.
And it wasn’t just this, either.
Basic stamina potions were being massively produced in our potion

factory, all in order to reach the quota Kim Hyunsung had set for them.
At this point, it was easy to predict about what was going to happen in
Castle Rock – we were preparing for a massive battle.
Of course, as Kim Hyunsung said, it was to prepare for anything, but

seeing that the guy who knows the future is preparing too much, I could
at least realize that the purpose of this expedition was not a simple
dungeon attack.
‘We’re either going to face a monster wave, or a raid.’
Personally, I hoped it was the former. I was anxious, but I was also
excited. If Kim Hyunsung was willing to dive into such a situation, it
must mean that the reward was great.
“Not to mention, the experience…
“What?”
“Oh, nothing. Hee-young, did you pack all our luggage?”
“Yes. I’ve packed all my personal belongings.”
“What about the others?”
“We packed everything and checked Ye-ri and Hayan’s luggage. Hyejin
seems to have inished preparing as well. Everything is going well.”
“Good. Then I will tell our Guild Master that we are ready to go.”
“Yes.”
My job here was done. Next…
“Manager Park Jung-gi?”
“Vice Guild Master.”
“I believe you have handled everything without errors according to the

list.”
“Ah. Yes. There are a few things that are missing from the sudden
preparation, but when all the supplies are in place, you can head to
Castle Rock. This is one last check, but do I really have to send all of
these supplies?”
“Yes, Manager Park Jung-gi. Please send it without any error. No, it
would be nice to send additional supplies if you still can. You did a
really good job. Ah! If there are more items to be needed in the future, I
will tell you again using a carrier pigeon.”
“Okay.”
This part also seemed ready.
Kim Hyunsung appeared then, at what I’d call a perfect timing. There
was no more need for me to ind and report him about the inished
preparations. We were set to go.
“I think we can leave right away, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“Yes, thank you. You don’t have to come out and check every time…”
“I get a bit nervous if I don’t check it personally, anyway.”
“I feel reassured to have Kiyoung-ssi.”
‘You have to, you bastard.’
“It’s not hard work. The number of expeditionary members is 13,

including me, Hwang Jeong-yeon, Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, Sun Hee-
young, Kim Ye-ri, Cho Hyejin, and ive other guild employees. Except for
some items that need to be adjusted, everything else is loaded onto the
wagon. Later, as soon as the quantity is met, the other wagons will
depart.”
“Yeah.”
“The guild is planned to be handled by advisors Lee Sang-hee, and

manager Kim Mi-young, among many others.”
“Yes. I con irmed. Then let’s go.”
“Yes.”
After the guild members slowly entered the carriage, I also went to
enter. It would be quicker if I went on a griffon, but there were a lot of
supplies. It was unfortunate that the road to Castle Rock was a little
rough in itself.
Considering that it was a place that had already been stabilized, I didn’t
have to worry about monsters attacking us, so the journey would be
like going on a picnic. In short, I could relax.
“Well, it’s been a while since we went on an expedition, so I’m excited.”
“We’re not going for fun, so you better be tense. You can rest until we
get to Castle Rock.”
“Ahem, isn’t hyung-nim being too tight?”
“Ha ha ha ha ha.”
At Park Deokgu’s words, Kim Hyunsung spoke up.
Whenever it rained, the ground would harden. The same could be said
between Hyunsung and me, who had just gotten out of a dispute.
Perhaps I was just imagining it, but I felt like our relationship had
gotten a little stronger compared to yesterday. Just thinking about his
nervous expression made me laugh.
I already knew Kim Hyunsung wasn’t a bad person, but yesterday’s

incident seemed to make me trust in him a little more.
That aside, we had a lot to do.
On my side, I needed to ind out some more information about Cho

Hyejin, as well as ind a way to distribute my potions in Castle Rock. Not
only did I have to meet with Marlin Young-ae, I might also have to visit
the church.
Never mind a possible raid or monster wave – I had enough to do in the
city.
Out of everything, however, there was only one thing I considered the
most important.
That was to protect Kim Hyunsung.
It was then that something happened.
[Your Hero-grade attribute, Mind’s Eye, increases its grade.]
‘What is happening?
CHAPTER 151
MARLIN YOUNG-AE (1)
This should have been a trip where I could inally get some rest.
‘Whoo… ’
My body had already gotten into a comfortable stance. The problem

was that this sudden development had me feeling constantly worried. I
did not know why Mind’s Eye’s level suddenly evolved, but I found
myself feeling expectant.
It was only my hypothesis, but it felt reasonable to assume that it was

because of Kim Hyunsung.
Kiyoung.]
[Name: Kiyoung Lee]
[Title: Mercenary Queen’s Gigolo, Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire

of Benigore]
[Age: 25]
[Class: Living Alchemy Summoner: Unique Heroic Grade 3333]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]

[Class Effect: Acquisition of Basic Alchemy Knowledge]
[Class Effect-Acquisition of Intermediate Alchemy Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Special Summon Knowledge]
[Stats]
[Strength: 21/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Agility: 22/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Health: 30/ Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Intelligence: 72/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]
[Durability: 22/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Luck: 60/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]
[Magic: 33/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Equipment]33333333
[Cursed Sword Juliana: Legendary: Ownership]
[Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy: Heroic: Alchemist Only]
[Magic Shield Ring: Rare]
[Attribute: Mind’s Eye: Legendary]
[General Review: You’ve grown up to the point where you can act as a
person. The intelligence stats and high luck stats that are already high
are very impressive. Needless to say, the rest of your stats are trash, but
it is still commendable that your magic power stat is over 30. Of course,
among them, the Unique Hero Grade class and the Legendary Grade
item stand out the most. There may be limitations, but try to struggle
hard. I’ll send you a little cheer.]
‘Ah, it’s become friendlier.’
It may just be an illusion, but it did feel like the General Review had
become amiable towards me. Instead of telling me to die, it was actually
cheering me on.
Of course, I didn’t know how this system worked, but it probably

developed further due to my oath of allegiance towards Kim Hyunsung.
It could be just a coincidence. However, considering the fact that Kim

Hyunsung was a returner, it de initely didn’t feel like one.
You couldn’t go back in time just because you wanted to.
Looking at his status, I noticed that one of Hyunsung’s titles stated,

“The Regressor of Altanus.” Perhaps he had received someone’s help in
the process of going back in time. Was it from supernatural beings?
Perhaps he had even received help from God.
The deity called God may be the guy who had made this system and
watched us from afar, but he might also be the one responsible for
imparting power that ordinary people couldn’t normally use.
Whatever the case may be, the fact stood – this was a timeline different
from the irst.
‘The problem is… ’
Why did he turn Kim Hyunsung’s time back?
The answer was simple.

He must’ve wanted something in return, and, in doing so, granted
Hyunsung’s wish. I didn’t know what he wanted, but our dear regressor
seemed to be someone loved by transcendental beings, so perhaps skill
level up was a gift just by being in his presence.
It was a gift meant to comfort one’s hard work, and to encourage them
to look forward to the future.
[Attribute]
[Mind’s Eye: Legendary Level]
[You can view the status window and hidden talent level of yourself as
well as others. It is a legendary attribute, but an unknown force locks
most of its functions.]
[Addition: You can check the hidden uniqueness of yourself and others.
A unique characteristic is a type of stat that the player cannot directly
check and can only be checked with the legendary Mind’s Eye, an
attribute that only the player Lee Kiyoung has.]
Knowing this, I knew that if I continued to work hard in the future, I

may be able to release these said limitations one by one. Of course,
everything was just my hypothesis. One could even say it was my brain
deluding itself.
However…
‘Yes! I will pledge my allegiance! Thank you! It doesn’t matter if I have

to think of you as ‘God!’
The important thing was that I had gotten new abilities. This was the
most important part.
I thought about the difference between my unique characteristics and

the attribute, and why it would be important to see this, but I realized
that it could be more useful than I thought.
Suppose an attribute was a power given by the system. In that case, the
unique characteristic would be the power of an individual who did not
rely on the system, and had a different personality other than their
original disposition.
Most of my attributes had a positive effect, but perhaps my unique

characteristics would not.
On the contrary, it could be very negative.
[Checking the unique characteristics of the player Lee Ki-young.]
[The Liar’s Temptation]
[Seduces the other person and makes them listen to you. The
probability of being loved by a dangerous opposite sex increases.]
This was a prime example. Of course, there were also others.
[Checking the unique characteristic of the player Jung Hayan.]
[Love over lowing with blood]
[You can dedicate everything to your loved ones, even your own life or
conscience. The probability of awakening in certain situations involving
the target increases. Please be careful of side effects.]
In conclusion, I could deal with the people around me a little easier

than before.
I didn’t know how much of this unique characteristic could affect

individuals, but just looking at Jung Hayan already gave me a good idea.
If Jung Hayan saw anything related to me, it could be classi ied as an
individual’s ability to exert power beyond imagination or to have
strange ties to me.
Anyway, while others enjoyed the trip, I had no choice but to work hard
on what I had just gained. I felt mentally exhausted from researching
new stats and analyzing the current situation rather than analyzing
them one by one.
‘But I like it.’
If I could lift all of Mind’s Eye’s limitations, I could con irm almost
everything about a person. Perhaps I can even learn to read someone’s
mind, and extract all the information they knew!
‘Goddess Benigore! Altanus! I will be loyal to our returner! You can give
me more! Please give more!’
I cried out in my mind again, but nothing changed.
Instead of the Goddess’s voice, however, I heard Jung Hayan speak as

she worriedly looked at my face.
“You look a little tired.”
“Ah. Is it because I couldn’t sleep…? I’m actually a little tired. How far
until we arrive at Castle Rock?”
“I heard that we just need to go a little more. No… we’re almost there.”
“O-Oppa.”
“Yes?”
“That… That… Isn’t Castle Rock where Marlin Young-ae is?”
“Ah… Yes.”
“I’ve heard it somewhere… That… She likes you…”
‘Park Deokgu, you bastard… ’
It feels like it was him who had told her that.
I thought that Jung Hayan had had more time to think alone for a few
days, but she seemed to feel guilty about something. I wasn’t sure as to
why Jung Hayan was conscious of Marlin Young-ae, but something did
come to mind.
‘The letter… Did she read it?’
It turned out that after reading the letter, I left Jung Hayan sleeping and
left the room. If Jung Hayan had indeed read Marlin Young-ae’s letter,
this could be a useless misunderstanding.
Even more, if she visited Park Deokgu for consultation and Park Deokgu
said weird stuff, things could get even more complicated.
Still, it was not good for Jung Hayan to start acting up now, especially
since I had a lot of things currently giving me a headache.
‘Ugh, and it’s all this pig’s fault… ’
I had no choice but to stroke Jung Hayan’s hair while speaking

soothingly.
“You can rest assured that I’m in no relationship with Marlin Young-ae.”
“Ah!”
After the Cursed Shrine incident, Jung Hayan had mellowed down and
the incidents had decreased, but of course, she was still being herself.
Continuous psychological management was required. I didn’t even need
to look at her unique characteristics to know this.
“Hyung-nim! Come out. Hayan, too!”
“Huh?”
“I think we’re already in Castle Rock. Whoa…”
“Okay.”
When I went outside while holding Jung Hayan’s hand tightly, I saw
large walls built entirely of rock.
“Wow…”
“It’s something worth seeing, right?”
“It’s truly magni icent to see.”
These barrier walls, all standing high, seemed as if they could

withstand any attack without collapsing. I felt a little frustrated upon
being unable to see what was within the walls, but just having this as
my welcoming sight was already enough to make me fall in love.
Lindel, for me, felt slightly modernized, and the Holy Empire’s capital
felt too fancy. However, the castle-like walls in front of me represented
the fantasy world I had always imagined.
I found myself unconsciously remarking.
“That’s cool.”
“You think so too.”

“Ah, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“As I heard it, Castle Rock in the past is said to have been the most
important and strategic location in the Holy Empire of Benigore.”
“Hmm.”
“The high walls were designed to keep out the monsters, and prevented
them from invading the Republic. Of course, no monsters dare to hit the
wall now, but it’s still considered as Castle Rock’s pride and joy.”
“That’s understandable. Because the location is good, it is also the

closest to the border, with a large forest next to it… Ah! If so, has the
condition of the forest only recently started to become a little weird?”
“Yes. I have to check for further details, but I heard that the exchange
rate of the mercenaries and free people staying in Castle Rock is
constantly falling. Sometimes they see monsters popping out of the
forest. I don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s not a good sign.”
‘Don’t know exactly what it is, yeah… ’
It felt ridiculous to hear him say that after seeing just how much he had
prepared for it.
‘Cute bastard.’
While gently stroking Jung Hayan’s head, the wagon continued to head
towards Castle Rock. The closer we were, the higher the walls became.
It was then that a familiar igure came into sight.
‘Ah… ’
Marlin Young-ae, accompanied by her many knights, came out to meet

me.
I didn’t know why she had come, but just looking at her made me feel
worried.
I didn’t want to upset Jung Hayan. I could also feel Kim Hyunsung
staring at me questioningly, wondering if it was because of me that they
were here, waiting for us.
At this, I was stuck between showing him my competence and soothing

Jung Hayan’s psychological needs.
However, the decision was taken entirely out of my own hands.
“Lee Kiyoung!”
I saw Marlin Young-ae running towards me, tears streaming down her
cheeks.
‘Fuck… Hayan, it’s nothing this time.’
I made a show of pointedly talking to Hyunsung, making sure Hayan

could hear.
“I never told her I was coming… I guess she saw us coming from a
distance.”
“I see.”
“Ahem. I think it would be better to say hello irst.”
“Yes, yes.”
I waved my hand after getting off the carriage.
“Ah! Marlin Young-ae!”

The moment I tried to act as formal as possible, her breathless igure
appeared in front of me.
“Lee Kiyoung-nim!”
Embarrassment looded into me as she hugged me tightly, acting as if

we were a long-distance couple that had only managed to meet again.
As her knights watched us warily, I worried about whether I could push
her away, or leave her be.
‘Ha… ’
As Jung Hayan bit her lips in silent agitation, Cho Hyejin and Kim
Hyunsung both sported surprised expressions.
It was then that I heard Kim Ye-ri speak, a surprising turn of events as
she was always the quiet one.
“Womanizer.”
CHAPTER 152
MARLIN YOUNG-AE (2)
I felt guilty hearing that, for some reason. However, this situation was
more important than Kim Ye-ri’s words. The only problem here was
how Marlin Young-ae had chosen to treat me.
“It’s been a long time; it’s a pleasure to meet you, Marlin Young-ae.”
“The same is true for me. Lee Kiyoung.”
“I didn’t know that you would come to meet me in advance.”
“Actually, after receiving a letter saying that you would come here once,
I waited only for the day Lee Kiyoung would be coming.”
“What?”
It took about 15 days from the time I sent the letter about maybe
coming here. I felt a little disconcerted about how she had chosen to
react.
‘She’s a little weird, too… ’
[Checking the unique characteristic of player Marlin Young-ae.]
[The Obsessed Girl]
[She gets really obsessed about something she’s interested in.]
‘Fuck… ’
It would be better for me to keep my distance in the future, considering
her disposition. Back then, I didn’t think there would be any problem
with her, but I ended up being mistaken.
I didn’t know what was with her, but she was de initely not normal. I
also found no other advantage to her than the fact that she was the
Castle Rock lord’s daughter, but I still had to play my cards right.
‘This will get me a headache.’
I didn’t want to gain a new Jung Hayan.
“I have always been waiting for news from Lindel. I knew you would
come here someday.”
“Right…”
“I’ve been keeping tabs on Lindel’s press.”
“Ah… Right…”
“You don’t know how happy I was to see a carriage coming from afar
this morning. Ah, that reminds me… Where are my manners? Hello,
everyone that came to Castle Rock. I am Marlin Young-ae, but you can
call me Marlin.”
“Nice to meet you, Marlin Young-ae.”
“This is Kim Hyunsung, our Blue Guild Master. Say hello to everyone
else, Marlin Young-ae. Have you ever met Hayan?”
“Yes. It’s also good to meet you. I heard a lot about you, Blue Guild
Master.”
“I have heard of Marlin Young-ae often too. It’s only for a short time, but
thank you very much for your willingness to take care of us during our
stay.”
‘Ah, it’s not good to talk like that… ’
It wasn’t a good idea to inform Young-ae about that, given her tendency
to misunderstand the situation. Already, Jung Hayan’s expression was
slowly worsening.
As I thought about whether or not to make excuses, a different voice

piped up from a distance.
“Whoo… Whoo… Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung!”
“Archbishop Judah! You were in the Castle Rock Temple.”
This was also another acquaintance I had made back in the Empire.
Though all we did was drink a cup of tea together, the Pope’s members
tended to be a little tight.
“If you had contacted me in advance, I would have come to meet you.
Hohoho.”
“Hahaha. I can’t keep a busy guy waiting. If I knew that Archbishop

Judah would come, I would have brought a gift. I didn’t even know that
you would be in Castle Rock.”
“Haha. It looks like I didn’t tell you. The gift is… Ahem. I am already
grateful for the thought alone.”
“So. How is Cardinal Basel?”
“Haha. He is still the same. He is so busy with serving Goddess

Benigore…”
“I see. Hyunsung-ssi. Come here for a minute… I told you, right? This is
Kim Hyunsung, the Guild Master of my guild, Blue. And this is Sun Hee-
young, the priest of our guild. She has been working hard enough in the
service to be called the Saint of the Forsaken. She is one of the few
priests who are preaching the will of God at Lindel.”
“Oooh. So this is Kim Hyunsung. And this is the priest Sun Hee-young…”
“Yes.”
“I heard a lot about you, Kim Hyunsung. How many times have I heard
of you being impartial, just, and strong? I can see why Honorary Bishop
Lee Kiyoung praised you so much. Your eyes are very deep.”
“That’s such big praise, Archbishop Judah. I’m Kim Hyunsung, the Blue
Guild Master.”
“Bishop Victoria! Come over here and say hello to Priest Sun Hee-
young!”
“Yes, Archbishop Judah!”
“We are blessed to have such a priest among the free people.”
“Hahahahahaha.”
They greeted each other instantly, and because of the noisy

atmosphere, we were able to get rid of Marlin. People who had made
acquaintances with Jung Hayan in the past rushed to greet her, but she
didn’t seem very interested in greeting them. Instead, she clung onto
me tightly.
Kim Hyunsung, on the other hand, was the busiest among everyone
else. He looked a little embarrassed with everyone who had come to
greet him. However, he knew that he could make some useful
connections here, which in turn would lead him to newer connections.
Just the simple task of my talking about Kim Hyunsung to everyone in
the Empire had guaranteed that he would receive a positive
atmosphere.
This was really no big deal, but this could also be called a talent.
Our old members didn’t look that confused, yet Cho Hyejin looked as if
she couldn’t comprehend the situation.
‘It’s understandable.’
Blue was a guild with a high potential. Externally, it was allied with the
Red Mercenary, Black Swan, and Yozora Guild, and it dominated the
potion market. Though we were just a medium-sized guild, we were in
a good position altogether.
Of course, we had the money, but we still had to be careful, lest we lost
value in a place where power reigned. Considering this, it was
surprising to be treated in this manner.
Even if Cha Hee-ra and Yuno Kasugano visited Castle Rock together, the
Archbishops wouldn’t bother greeting them. However, they did so for
our sake. It was only normal to feel disbelief.
‘Hyejin, take care of this, please.’
“It’s better not to be outside; we should go inside irst.”
“Hohoho. Let’s do that. Marlin Young-ae, it was so nice to hear that

Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung was coming, so this old man ended up
taking away your time.”
“It’s not like that. We are happy that you welcomed us. Archbishop.”
“It seems like our Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung’s still very sweet with
his words. Haha. Then let’s go inside quickly, as Marlin Young-ae said.
First of all, you must stay at Yeongju Fortress and rest, then stop by at
the church.”
“Yes, of course, Archbishop Judah.”
“The believers will be happy. Haha.”
At this, the huge gate before us opened, and the interior of Castle Rock
showed itself to us.
Although the nation we lived in was diverse, I could see that most of the
citizens here were Asians with black hair.
“You don’t know how surprised I was to have you visit Castle Rock like
this, Lee Kiyoung.”
“I didn’t know we would be reunited so soon, Young-ae. Isn’t it right?

Hayan?”
“Yes. Oppa!”
“Ah…”
Little by little, Hayan began to brighten up with my constant attention.

On the contrary, Marlin Young-ae began to feel a little depressed.
Kim Hyunsung, however, was busy talking with Archbishop Judah. The
rest of our party members busied themselves with looking around
Castle Rock’s amazing infrastructures.
However, what was more interesting to me than our party members

were the players that had settled within Castle Rock.
Seeing that they harbored the same expression as Cho Hyejin made me
smile a little bit.
“Pfft.”
What they were thinking was obvious.
They were probably wondering what kind of people were coming in

now for them to be personally greeted by the Archbishop of the temple,
as well as the Castle Rock Knights. Seeing them straining to see who we
were was truly amusing.
‘Tut-tut.’
However, the closer we headed towards Yeongju Tower, the more I

realized that only one person among us was garnering the most
attention.
‘Cho Hyejin.’
Cho Hyejin made sure not to appear affected by the constant stares, but
her discomfort was evident to me.
So, it was true that she left Castle Rock on bad terms.
As I continued to watch Hyejin, I saw her inconspicuously looking

through the crowds, thinking of seeing a familiar face. I didn’t know
why she, who did the right thing, looked as if she was a sinner. However,
it was interesting to see her uncaring façade.
“Marlin Young-ae.”
“Yes, Lee Kiyoung?”
“Do you remember Cho Hyejin? The one I talked about last time…”
“Ahhh! I see. I heard a lot from you from my father, Hyejin.”
“Right…”
“A few years ago, I was at the academy, so we never met. I heard you
were active in Castle Rock. You did a very impressive job…”
“That… It’s not impressive. Just like other free people do…”
“Thanks to free people like Cho Hyejin and Lee Kiyoung, our Holy
Empire can develop further. On behalf of the nation, I would like to say
thank you.”
When Marlin, a person of royal birth in the Castle Rock estate, stuck to
Cho Hyejin and chatted with her, it felt like the gazes had gone back to
focusing on her.
Things were getting a little more fun.
Some of the onlookers stood out.
They had looks of distaste on their faces, yet the guild insignia on their
chests told me what guild they came from.
‘Little Rock.’
I was sure of it.
Among all the guilds located in Castle Rock, they were the largest. And…
‘They were who Cho Hyejin reported in the past.’
While passing by, our eyes continued to meet. To be precise, I was

conscious of them, and I was only looking at them once, but whether
they knew it or not, they kept looking at us heading to Yeongju Tower.
‘Should I talk with them?’
I indeed wanted to have a conversation at least once. I wondered

exactly what happened and what position they were taking.
“Yes, Lee Kiyoung-nim?”
“I have a little question, but… How is the relationship between Castle

Rock and the free people here?”
“I think it’s a little friendly. We invited them to Yeongju Tower to spend

time together… Our Castle Rock is also being helped by the free people
settled here. As well as reducing the number of monsters, we are
grateful that they share our knights’ work.”
“I see.”
“It’s not as good as the Free City of Lindel, but in Castle Rock, we have a
lot of bene its for free people, and we have various policies set in place.
They are indeed concerned with the citizens’ welfare – not only the
permanent residents but also the free residents.”
“Oooooh.”
“Do you have any more questions?”
“No, Young-ae, rather than that… It’s sudden, but I want to ask you for a
favor.”
“Yes?”
“In fact, the reason we came to Castle Rock was to sign contracts with
some of the guilds here. If we can sell the potions distributed by our
guild to Castle Rock, we’ll be able to help each other.”
“I see.”
“If it’s okay, I would like you to set the bridge free.”
“Yes! Of course! It’s Lee Kiyoung’s request, after all…”
‘So the contract part is resolved… ’
All that’s left was to meet them. As I kept writing the screenplay in my
head, I heard a voice.
It was the irst time I heard his voice. The guy looked a little taller than I
did.
‘What, this guy suddenly… ’
In an instant, I igured out who he was.
Cho Hyejin’s rapidly darkening expression was a dead giveaway.

CHAPTER 153
MARLIN YOUNG-AE (3)
‘Ah… ’
In front of me stood the Little Rock Guild Master, the guild who had
kicked Cho Hyejin out. Instantly, I activated my Mind’s Eye in order to
read into his stats and attributes.
His stats weren’t bad, but they weren’t great, either. Nothing was
notable enough to be remembered. Of course, I wasn’t in a position to
say that, but after seeing a lot of great people, he didn’t look impressive
to me at all.
Meanwhile, his disposition was…
‘A Passionate, Ambitious Man.’
What a unique characteristic. He was de initely a leaf with different

sides to him, though I had to admit it sounded awkward for some
reason. It sounded like an ability that didn’t really have any bonus
effects. With this, I tried to picture what kind of person he really was.
‘Aha… ’’
It was just a guess, but I think I knew how he got entangled with Cho
Hyejin. Just looking at him talking to us in this manner gave me some
sort of answer. Simply speaking, he saw an opportunity, and decided to
take advantage of it. He probably wanted to make his presence known,
or know more about us in turn.
He didn’t seem to know that it was rude to barge in on Marlin during
this time. perhaps it was even planned. It seemed like he could choose
whether or not to welcome any newcomers in the area. I wasn’t a
judger, but I found it quite annoying.
“Ah, Song Jungwook-nim.”
Though she acknowledged him, she didn’t pay much attention to him.
Instead, she wrapped an arm around Jung Hayan’s shoulders and
passed by him. For her, it was more important to focus on us.
“Who was he?”
“Ah. He’s Little Rock Guild’s Master Song Jungwook-nim…”
As I looked back, I could see Song Jungwook harboring a bitter

expression, which was natural, considering he had just been humiliated.
Obviously, I had nothing to do with it. It wasn’t as if he had spoken to

me irst, and it was Marlin Young-ae who had decided to run to our side
alone. Meanwhile, I was just on my way to Jung Hayan. Therefore, the
embarrassing situation that happened was not my doing.
Of course, he would show that face, considering that he was humiliated.
“Ah. You mean Little Rock.”
“Yes.”
“I heard about them. I heard that their scale is quite large in Castle
Rock. Their adventure performance is also good. Did you say that
they’ve attacked three rare dungeons and one heroic dungeon?”
“Ah… I-I don’t know the details…”

“It’s okay, Marlin Young-ae. We almost passed by a nobleman. Could you
please call him if that’s okay?”
“Yes, of course. Lord Rodrick? Could you please call Song Jungwook
here?”
“Yes, Young-ae.”
Song Jungwook’s complexion still hinted at how hurt his pride was.
However, it could not be avoided. That was, until Marlin Young-ae called
for him.
Eventually, I saw him approaching us, biting his lip in an unsure

manner.
“I’m sorry for earlier, Song Jungwook. I was too busy.”
“No. It’s okay, Young-ae.”
“This is Lee Kiyoung Lee, Vice Master of the Blue Guild from Lindel. He
really wants to talk with you…”
“I see.”
At this, he glanced at me with an expression that seemed to say, ‘of

course you do.’ He seemed to think I had a special intention for doing
so. With this, Song Jungwook held his hand out for me to shake.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Song Jungwook, Guild Master of Little Rock.”
‘Ha… ’
“Where is the Blue Guild Master?”
“I tried to greet you once of icially, but that’s great timing.”
‘How dare you talk informally to me?’
“And… It’s been a while, Hyejin. I never thought you would be in Blue.”
“Ah. It’s been a while, Song Jungwook-nim.”
‘Are you looking down on me?’
It felt absurd that he was treating me in this manner. Of course, I was

only the Vice Guild Master, so if I were to classify us by rank, then this
meant he was a notch above me. Not only was I younger, but he had
been on this continent longer than I have.
Therefore, talking to me informally would have felt okay for him.
‘Are there any humans who still don’t know that I have become an
Honorary Bishop?’
It seemed that the Free People of Castle Rock had not heard of this yet. I
should have that fact advertised on their newspaper at least once.
I indeed came here for business, but it didn’t mean that I would be the
one to bow down. There was no law that stated that a salesman was
necessarily weaker. I didn’t intend to do as he pleased, as he was not as
powerful as Cha Hee-ra, or as talented as Cho Hyejin.
However, it also felt stupid to ight at this point, so I didn’t deem to

answer. As if to ask silently about what was going on, I looked towards
Marlin Young-ae and found her looking surprised.
“P-Please do be polite.”
“Young-ae?”
“Lee Kiyoung is a guest of the Castle Rock estate. That’s just rude.”
“M-Marlin… Young-ae.”
“I didn’t see you that way, but I’m disappointed, Song Jungwook-nim.”
“That…”
“I’ll apologize instead, Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
“Ahem. Well, that’s okay. You shouldn’t be the one apologizing, Young-
ae… Would you forget what I said earlier?”
“Yes?”
“The thing I said about potions. Originally, I was going to enjoy for a
while and go… I think I’ve changed my mind. It would be better to leave
as soon as possible after inishing my business.”
“Ah!”
Marlin Young-ae’s expression was wrinkled, while Hayan brightened

up. As I gently pulled Jung Hayan towards me, her expression became
smug.
‘This expression doesn’t suit her at all.’
She evidently wanted to let everyone know that I belonged to her. She
must have been aiming for a dangerous look, but she only looked cute
in my eyes.
Naturally, Marlin Young-ae paled. It was not because of Jung Hayan. It

was probably from what I had just hinted – that I didn’t care about
sales, or potion-related contracts, none of that. I would just go back
after doing my business. I had been so excited to travel to Castle Rock,
yet it had not met my expectations, simply because of such rude people.
That was the hidden meaning behind my words.
“Lee Kiyoung-nim, that’s…”
“Let’s just head back, Young-ae.”
The choice she would make was quite obvious. At this, Young-ae turned
to Jungwook.
“Please formally apologize.”
“What?”
“Please formally apologize for the rudeness you just showed to Lee
Kiyoung-nim, Song Jungwook-nim.”
“That… To say I was rude.”
‘It’s indeed not like me to overreact.’
“I think Song Jungwook-nim knows better what I’m talking about.

Please formally apologize for the rudeness you showed to Lee Kiyoung-
nim earlier. If you don’t, I’ll never see your face again.”
It was fortunate that Archbishop Judah was not here. If he hadn’t been
busy talking with Kim Hyunsung, Jungwook would have been
surrounded by the members of the temple.
“It’s okay, Marlin Young-ae. You don’t have to do this.”
“No. Lee Kiyoung-nim is a guest of our Castle Rock.”
‘I didn’t come as a guest, but… ’

“To show rudeness to Lee Kiyoung-nim is like showing rudeness to our
family. I don’t know what your father will think, but I think he must get
an apology.”
“Young-ae.”
I couldn’t help but feel impressed. She was doing so much for me, for
ruining a good relationship with a guild like Little Rock would not be
good for Castle Rock, either. It had just been because of her immaturity
that she dared to act in this manner.
Of course, in comparison, Marlin Young-ae’s family was stronger.
‘This means it will hurt his pride.’
“Song Jungwook-nim. Really!”
“Marlin Youngae, that’s okay.”
This situation looked pretty bad. Both the free and imperial people
were now looking at both of them. Song Jungwook, who at this point
represented the free people, had to bow to me.
‘Good.’
It would de initely clear up the misunderstanding of power between us.

The question was, would he really bow to me?
‘His pride is quite high.’
I had no choice but to think that he would try to pass this evasively. If I
were him, I would have made the same choice. Cho Hyejin was also
watching, along with our other guild party members.
Finally, Song Jungwook inally bowed.

‘Wow… ’
I knew he would gain nothing from me by doing this, but I knew why he
had done so.
‘It’s because of Marlin Young-ae… ’
He just wanted to look good in front of her. There was no other reason.
“Please forgive my rudeness, Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung.”
“Ah. It’s okay, Song Jung-nim.”
“I’m sorry to cause you so much trouble when we’ve just met.”
“Hahaha. The same goes for me. There must have been a
misunderstanding.”
“…”
“Marlin Young-ae, it’s okay now. It’s a misunderstanding caused by

mistake. I think it’s only right to forgive him.”
“…”
The picture that I, the Vice Master Guild of the Blue Guild, had forgiven
the Guild Master of the Little Rock Guild, would prove to be quite a
beautiful scene for our onlookers.
At this point, they were probably thinking, ‘We can’t mess with that
bastard.’
Of course, I had gained more than that.
“I was planning to visit the Little Rock Guild even just once, Song
Jungwook-nim. I hope you can visit Yeongju Tower soon and ind me.
No, l will go.”
“…”
“Hahahaha. It seems like I made a happy relationship today. Well, if you

have nothing more to say, I’ll be going. Doesn’t Marlin Young-ae have
anything more to say?”
“No, Lee Kiyoung-nim. I don’t think it’s important… Song Jungwook-

nim, see you next time…”
“Hayan? Hyejin, move, quickly.”
“Yes, oppa.”
“And… Well. Hyejin?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know what happened when you were in Castle Rock, but you
don’t have to look down.”
“…”
“And there is no need to treat other guilds’ Guild Masters. Hyejin is now
a member of Blue. Always keep in mind that if you bow your head to
another guild or clan, it means that Blue is bowing down to them.”
“Ah…”
“I don’t want for much. But that’s enough for now.”
“Yes. Okay.”
I now had a plan for Cho Hyejin. When I saw Song Jungwook failing to
grab onto Marlin Young-ae, a lot of good ideas began to emerge.
CHAPTER 154
LITTLE ROCK (1)
Blue had adapted well to Castle Rock. Marlin Young-ae threw a grand
party for us, and we were able to take a break, complete with delicacies
and good drinks. Our fatigue was slowly going down the drain.
Of course, I had a lot of work to do, but the special treatment I was
receiving made the whole ordeal feel like a vacation. Of course, Kim
Hyunsung was an exception.
It was understandable, though. He had his own job – to greet other

in luential nobles.
‘He looks tired.’
At the news that I was coming, bishops and nobles from other cities
also headed to Castle Rock.
During the ive-day banquet, Hyunsung had to learn about them and
greet them, and as a result, exhausted himself from doing so. He was
not like me, who was accustomed to this sort of thing.
Among them, it must have been a little harder, especially because of

Count Castle Rock.
In the end, Kim Hyunsung had to talk with Marlin’s father the most.
This was because this noble, who was more like an armed of icer rather
than a civilian, really liked him. In fact, his stats would put most of the
free people to shame.
As a result, I had the burden of having Marlin Young-ae cling onto me.
“Ahem. I think my daughter is troubling you, Honorary Bishop.”
“It’s okay, Count Castle Rock. I also enjoy talking to your intelligent
daughter. There have been many things I can laugh about these days
because of Marlin Young-ae.”
“Thank you very much for saying so. Ahem… In fact, she’s the type that
when she gets absorbed into something, she can’t think of anything
else… Looking at her recently, it seems that she really cares about Lee
Kiyoung-nim.”
“Haha…”
“I’ll say this because there’s only us, but I’m so embarrassed because of
her asking me to proceed with the marriage. Oh, this is a secret from
Marlin. Honorary Bishop. I was asked just to feel you out…”
“Right. I… I see.”
This was the kind of dangerous situation I did not want to entangle
myself in.
“I’m ashamed to say this, too… Hmm. I can’t deal with my daughter’s
stubbornness. I’m sorry to keep saying this.”
“No. I understand, Count.”
This was already my second defense. Since Marlin was his only child,
Count Castle Rock would normally want to grant anything his daughter
would want.
At irst, he had looked at me as if I was a thief, but then proceeded to

pressure me as if he wanted something from me, or had something
planned. In fact, I wasn’t that bad at all. I was a Vice Guild Master of an
in luential guild, and I was known as an Honorary Bishop on the Pope’s
side. Nobles such as him were known to be calculative people.
In Count Castle Rock’s case, he was more or less forced to grant his
daughter’s wish. However, he must’ve thought it wasn’t such a bad thing
to connect her to me.
“Speaking of it, I heard that you are in a relationship with the

Mercenary Queen.”
“Yes. We have a small relationship.”
“Even with the mage who always hangs around with you?”
“It’s embarrassing, but yes.”
“I see. Hmm… Does my daughter…”
“She probably knows.”
Count Castle Rock had taken on a debating look. I had to speak up at

this point.
“That… Marlin Young-ae may still be confused because her coming-of-

age ceremony has just passed. To the imperial people, the free people
look a little different and special. Of course, I would like to have your
beautiful daughter as a companion, but I am very worried that a
momentary mistake will ruin the future of Marlin Young-ae. The free
people have a different way of living, and Marlin Young-ae’s future is
bright.”
“That’s true, but…”
“As Marlin Young-ae will have to inherit Castle Rock in the future, it
would be better to observe her calmly rather than proceeding too
quickly.”
“Ahem.”
“I will talk to Marlin Young-ae.”
“If so, then, please do. You seem to be a better person than I thought,
Honorary Bishop.”
‘Fuck… Did I get some brownie points?’
“No, Count. Anyone would do that.”
“Haha! You don’t have to be shy. Rather, how about we have dinner
together? I just got a good drink… My daughter is also looking forward
to it.”
“Thank you for the offering, but I have something else to do today…
How about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow sounds good, too.”
“Then I’ll be going, Count.”
“Okay, thank you. I had fun today.”
I felt exhausted as I closed the door. Most of my luncheons with Count

Castle Rock had gone in this manner. Just from his expression, I could
tell just how often Marlin usually harassed her father.
It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing to marry Marlin, if only there was not a
precondition stating that I always had to stay at Castle Rock. On another
hand, a noble meant one could also become a noble. This wasn’t that
important for me, however.
I was already an Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire, a rank above a

noble position, and this position could even rival the Count’s.
If Castle Rock’s sovereignty was transferred to Marlin after Count Castle
Rock’s death, I could think about it a bit, but Marlin proved to be a
burden in my current situation.
The imperialists’ marriage customs were enough to give me a headache.
‘It is correct only to manage this to a certain extent.’
This was right when you were to think of Jung Hayan, Cha Hee-ra, and
Lee Jihye.
As soon as I got out of the room, I saw Marlin Young-ae approaching.
Her face express she doesn’t know anything.
It’s pretty ridiculous to show that expression when she has designed
everything from scratch.
“Lee Ki-young! How was your lunch with my father?”
“The Count of Castle Rock treated me comfortably, so I was able to

enjoy the meal with ease.”
“T-That’s fortunate. Did he say something…”
“I’m a little embarrassed to tell you, but Count Castle Rock seems to be
thinking that it would be nice for us to marry.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. Haha…”
“Of course,… my father… Please understand, Lee Kiyoung. My father

seems to like Lee Kiyoung very much…”
‘Ah, that bashful face.’

“It seems that Count Castle Rock cares about Young-ae very much.”
“Yes. He does. R-Rather than that, t-the answer… How did you…”
“I told him that I should think a little more. I have my life as a free
citizen, and marriage is still early for Marlin Young-ae and me.”
“First of all, it would be better to get to know each other gradually,

Young-ae.”
“Ah!! Yes… Yes!”
“And I told him to postpone today’s meal for tomorrow. I have

something to do.”
“Yes, Lee Kiyoung-nim. If you ever need help, feel free to contact me.”
“Yes. Okay.”
My job here was inished. I’ve enjoyed it as much as I had to, so now it
was right to go to work.
As I moved on, I caught sight of Jung Hayan. Kim Ye-ri’s voice echoed in
my ears, but I tried to ignore it.
‘Womanizer.’
“Oppa!”
“Let’s go, Hayan. You waited too long, right?”
“N-No, I haven’t.”
“Did you have lunch?”

“Yes. With Hyunsung, Deokgu, Ye-ri, Hee-young, Hyejin, and Jeong-
yeon.”
“I’m glad. Hyunsung is…?”
“He said he would come after he inishes investigating something…”
“Wel, then. Let’s go?”
“Yes!”
“Did you bring the documents?”
“Yes!”
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“It’s… It’s been a long time since I can go out with oppa…”
“When I think about it, it really is.”
Although I was only taking Jung Hayan as my escort, she wasn’t the only
one who accompanied me. There were also Castle Rock Knights as well
as some Heretic Inquisitors by my side.
However, in a way, this was also another manner of rewarding Hayan,

for being able to withstand all the dif iculties that came in her way.
‘I’ll take care of you little by little, Hayan.’
As if taming a puppy, the notion of being rewarded for her endurance

had to be put into her head. It would be trouble if she ran runs away
from Castle Rock.
Lee Jihye didn’t go far as to make Jung Hayan angry, and in the case of
Cha Hee-ra and Yuno Kasugano, they were far stronger than Jung Hayan
in the irst place.
However, in the case of Marlin Young-ae, she was just a common person
who had no power.
There may be cases where she could vanish depending on Hayan’s

mood.
‘It’s a good thing that I kept her from having a mental breakdown in the
regression case.’
“Then, where are we going now?”
“Let’s have a date irst, and then we’re going to Small Rock.”
“Date…”
“It’s because Hayan has been working hard.”
Hayan brightened at this, looking all the more cuter.
“Then let’s go.”
“Okay.”
“I think there are more things to see near Castle Rock than I initially
thought.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Though we were only going for a short time, I might as well enjoy our
time together.
“Oppa! Look at that! The tree is shaped like a turtle.”

“Ah. Yes.”
We went to see wonderful scenery.
“So cute.”
“How much is this?”
I presented her with some pretty accessories that we happened to pass

by.
“Shall we go see the play?”
“Yes… of course!”
Our course was no different than that from Earth’s.
“You can even ride a boat over there!”
“…”
“Let’s go ride that, oppa.”
“That… Let’s ride later.”
“But, I want to ride now…”
“We don’t have time; we will have another chance later on.”
Although their culture here was backwards compared to Earth, there

were still plenty of things to enjoy here.
“Hehehe.”
Seeing the happy and smiling Junf Hayan, I wondered why I didn’t do
this right away. Of course, I had been busy, but I thought it would be
right to take a little time in the future to do this again.
‘If she gets stressed out, I can relieve it.’
“This is so good. Hehe…”
“I’m glad.”
I held her hands, hugged her occasionally, and kissed her slightly at
sunset.
‘Was she this pretty?’
In fact, I had been aware that I was falling for Jung Hayan since before,
but when I faced her seriously like this, I felt like I was being drawn in
even more.
I had recently started liking the fact that she had begun to act normally.
“I’m always grateful for you, Hayan.”
“I’ve always been grateful for you, too…”
It sounded crazy, but if I were to get married, a girl like this wouldn’t be
bad, either.
“Then, shall we go to Little Rock?”
“Yes!”
CHAPTER 155
LITTLE ROCK (2)
The short date was over. Thanks to that, I was able to have a good time
with Jung Hayan, as well as ind out how Castle Rock worked – almost
like market research.
I was able to check how much their commodities were priced, and I was
very satis ied. It seemed as if Castle Rock had a better condition than
what I initially thought.
‘Ah, but the reason why is obvious… ’
Most of the hunting grounds around Lindel were already saturated. Of

course, it had many jobs, but there was no shortage of unemployed
citizens, either. Compared to that, Castle Rock was still full of jobs, and
as a new city, it was de initely not lacking.
Its resources were abundant, and it was considered both a strategic

location and the ideal economic hub.
‘It’s more useful than I thought… ’
It didn’t seem like a bad idea to buy some land. Both the merchants and
adventurers were active, and there was suf icient demand for certain
necessities.
What was a little funny was…
‘Signs of danger?’
It didn’t look like a city where big things were going to happen.
According to Kim Hyunsung, something will happen in this city within

the next month.
Our returner told me that there would be an imminent danger to Castle

Rock, based on some data, and that was why we went on an expedition
here in the irst place. However, everything seemed peaceful, which
meant that the people were blissfully ignorant of what was about to
happen.
In the irst place, the sign itself may have been a story that Kim
Hyunsung made up, but one could never be too sure. Things might have
been similar back in the irst timeline, so it might prove to be a mistake
not to prepare for such an event.
‘Most of the people here must have died… ’
I thought Marlin and Little Rock were no exceptions.
“They’re lucky.”
“Yes? Did you say something, oppa?”
“After looking around a bit, I think we can de initely distribute our

potions here.”
“Ah! You said they were lucky that people could use the potion you
made!”
“Yes. As I said before, Castle Rock lacks priests. The potions here are of
poor quality. Even more so when compared to the potion I made.”
“I see.”
“Of course, my overall level of alchemist has not risen by much, but…
Since there is a lot of demand, it means that goods of that quality are
also sold. Castle Rock is ideal…”
“I agree.”
“I didn’t think they were making potions in the Little Rock Guild.”
“I don’t think so, either.”
I smiled a little at Jung Hayan, who was constantly giving me

encouraging replies. As we continued moving, Little Rock Guild slowly
came into view.
‘It’s pretty fancy.’
The Guild House itself was better than Blue’s. I could see that they were
using a fairly large site.
I didn’t know about the architectural details, but it felt like a good
quality material was used. Overall, the impression of showing off was
strong.
‘Even the Red Mercenary is not that bold… ’
Song Jungwook’s disposition de initely did not lie. He was the type of
person who valued his appearance and was faithful to his ambition.
When we stepped inside, everyone’s gazes focused on us. I made sure to

appear as con ident as possible, responding calmly to the guild’s staffs
greetings.
After talking with the guide who came to us right away, we headed to
the parlor, where Jungwook had been waiting.
Of course, there were also some guild members next to him. Was this
some sort of demonstrative show? They all had a certain vigor to them.
Anyhow, this was the irst time we met again since the incident back on
the boulevard. Jungwook’s expression didn’t look so good. He had been
humiliated that day, after all.
As much as he was ambitious, I was sure that he valued reputation. If I

had his personality, I would hold a grudge about this.
‘So what? So what are you going to do?’
Pretending to be weak here was unnecessary, especially when our

power relationship was made clear.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, Vice Guild Master of Blue. Long time no see.”
“Hahaha. This irst meeting wasn’t very good, but it’s nice to see you
like this.”
“Yeah. Very nice to see you, Lee Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Hahaha. Come on, loosen up, Little Rock Master. Someone will think
that you met an enemy.”
“…”
“Well, I’m hurt. Jungwook. If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going
to feel bad.”
“…”
“It’s an important meeting, after all.”

“You seem pretty relaxed for someone who is about to have an
important meeting, Blue Vice Master. Having a leisurely date during the
day… I’m feeling like a fool for preparing like this. No matter how
prestigious you are in Lindel these days…”
“Our Castle Rock is not a subcontractor, nor is it subordinate to Lindel.

Isn’t it correct to be polite, Lee Kiyoung-ssi?”
“It looks like there’s an edge to your voice, Jungwook-ssi. Hahaha.”
“I am not kidding right now. Blue Vice Master.”
“There seems to be some sort of misunderstanding.”
“What misunderstanding…?” 3333
“This will be an important meeting for you, but not for me. Are you
saying it’s rude for me to have a date with someone I love before joining
a meeting like this? Pfft.”
“You…”
“And… I don’t know if you’ve tailed me, but… I’m a little disappointed
with Jungwook. Isn’t this an invasion of privacy?”
His expression distorted. He didn’t even know what I was talking about.
‘I miss Ito Souta.’
An ambitious guy who can’t even smell power like this… It disgusted
me.
Even though I had already given various hints, it seemed that he had
already made up his mind to hate me as he continued to maintain that
attitude. For a guy who raised a guild this big, his scope of thinking was
very narrow.
I did something that could’ve made him hate me, but I felt like there
was more to this than I had initially thought.
For example…
‘Marlin Young-ae?’
It was not entirely impossible. It would happen everywhere that a man

with a strong desire for power would use the immature aristocratic as a
means of success.
I realized that we had been entangled in an interesting manner.
‘It was Cho Hyejin and now Marlin?’
As I laughed, I could see him opening his mouth in surprise, looking

dumbfounded.
“Please go back. I thought it would be better to meet with you at least

once for Marlin Young-ae, but I don’t want to work with someone who
is not polite.”
“Ah, are you sending me back like this? Little Rock Guild Master?”
“I have said it politely, Blue Vice Guild Master. Our Little Rock is not
going to trade anything with Blue. No, it’s not just Little Rock. All the
guilds and clans in Castle Rock will not want to work with Blue.”
“You will regret this.”
“I will not be polite to you twice. If you don’t want to be forced out,
please just go quietly.”
“I’m the one who is not going to be polite to you twice, Little Rock Guild
Master. I would like you to listen to what I have to say before getting
upset.”
“…”
“I’ll assume that you have consented, then. In that case, I’ll tell you
slowly. Hey. Song Jungwook-ssi. Have you ever heard of a case such as
young people or artists starting to gather in a speci ic area?”
“What are you…”
“Please listen irst. Puhaha! I don’t know what happened, but anyway,
the young people and artists that had gathered coincidentally slowly
developed the area and the streets. Each way was different. They
painted murals and opened shops with unique and distinct concepts,
and gradually changed them as they create their own festivals and
cultures.”
“…”
“The press quickly focused on the area. An area where artists work!
They say it’s a neighborhood with lots of good restaurants… Pfft.
Celebrities or social media stars, who are self-proclaimed celebrities,
would go around the places created by artists and young people as if it
was their own property. You’ve probably seen similar situations a lot.”
“So… What does that have to do with our situation now?”
“The same will go for a place like this. It might seem pretty plausible at
irst. However, in the end, it will have a heartbreaking ending.”
“…”
“This is because they come in with bread.”

“By this, I mean big capital or big companies.”
“That…”
“The landlords, who at irst have done nothing, will immediately raise
their rent and drive out the young artists who created that glorious
place. They will expel shed bloody tears, but there’s nothing they can
do. That is because they are in a weak position. Well, the explanation is
long, but in the end, they lose the place they live.”
Song Jungwook’s expression began to distort once more.
“As if waiting for this moment, large franchise companies and self-
employed people who want to taste the money rush in, and eventually
the streets of young artists are occupied by the current vested interests
with large capital. The problem stands here! Who is the young artist in
this situation? Who are the big companies with huge capital?”
I could see his mouth shaking.
“Who has the capital and in luence that can shake your home?”
His pupils had begun to largen.
“Who has a product that can shake the market’s economy?”
He linched.
“Who has a close relationship with the Red Mercenary and the Black
Swan, who is the Honorary Bishop appointed to the Cardinal of the
Pope’s side, and maintains a very close relationship with Castle Rock’s
daughter?”
Of course, his reaction came right away. At this point, he would either
bow in submission or ly into a rage. It seemed that a lot had chosen the
latter.
Though Song Jungwook quietly looked at me, the guild members behind
him began to spit out disbelieving remarks complete with reddened
expressions.
“What nonsense!”
“Shut your mouth!”
After a while, however, their angry expressions paled. They trembled as

if threatened—an expression of fear formed on their faces.
Of course, they were not trembling at what I had said. Following their
line of sight, the source of their fear was soon evident.
They had been staring at Jung Hayan, who quietly stood behind me.
‘Wow… Fuck, that’s creepy.’
Jung Hayan had been staring at them with an expression that could be
called terrifying, even by my standards.
‘It would be better to cancel the thought of marriage.’

CHAPTER 156
LITTLE ROCK (3)
“Wh… That is nonsense…”
There was something about Jung Hayan that emitted a sense of fear
these people could not explain. Hayan’s hair slowly rose as she fought
to suppress her magic power, her pupils unblinking, and her face
emotionless.
I didn’t know if it was due to the Mind’s Eye’s effect, but in the deepest
part of her pupils, I could even sense madness.
‘Wow… ’
Overall, she emitted a dangerous feeling.
In a way, the fact that she could instill fear in people only with that
expression was already a talent. It was as if a dark shadow was
weighing down on everyone except me.
“It’s not… nonsense.”
‘Ah, I’m de initely cancelling that thought of marriage.’
I did not want to die due to her anger. In fact, I already knew that Jung
Hayan had gotten stronger. I was just not able to focus much on her as I
was too busy stressing about my own stats, which were lacking
compared to Yuno Kasugano’s and Cha Hee-ra’s.
Perhaps the reason why she had not caused any trouble for me was
because she was busy. During the times when we were not together, she
had focused solely on her magic. Thus, it was only normal for her to get
stronger.
This was what one would call a genius.
Hayan.]
[Name: Jung Hayan]
[Age: 21]
[Disposition: A Supporter Who is in Love]
[Job: Archmage (Heroic)]
[Stats]
[Strength: 18/Growth potential: Rare or lower]
[Agility: 17/ Growth potential: Rare or lower]
[Health: 30 / Growth potential: Heroic or lower]
[Intelligence: 71/ Growth potential: Heroic or lower]
[Durability: 25/ Growth potential: Rare or lower]
[Luck: 63/ Growth potential: Heroic or higher]
[Magic: 81/ Growth potential: Legendary or higher]

[Equipment]
[Stand of Life Water that Lost Light: Heroic]
[Robe of Shadow Containing Magical Power: Heroic]
[Sacred Protection: Rare 3333]
[Attribute: How to Become a Wizard: Hero]
[Overall: The magic power stat has exceeded 80. Although it is a stat
that considers the item’s effect, it is quite absurd to say that it is shown
by a player who is less than a year old. Of course, her other stats are
relatively horrible, so it is impossible to say that this is balanced
growth, but what she shows is quite absurd. It’s good to have a fast
growth rate, but it may be overwhelming, so you need to help her
achieve balanced growth. Of course, taking care of her mental health
comes irst. Please try, Player Lee Kiyoung.]
Currently, Jung Hayan’s magic power was higher than Hwang Jeong-
yeon’s. As the overall said, it was hard to believe that a player who had
been here for less than a year had grown this much.
Of course, thanks to her one-track mind, the rate of increase in other

stats was poor, but this was enough already. Jung Hayan already
possessed the stats to be called a high rank on this continent. No, she,
who originally already was a genius talent for magic, now had more
value than she looked.
After thinking about this, I glanced at Jung Hayan one more time, only
to see the same terrifying expression.
‘Wow… ’
Our Little Rock Master, who could be said to be of a high level in its own
way, seemed to be wielding resistive in luence, but those behind him
were in turmoil. When Jungwook raised his own magic, the guys behind
him sighed with relief.
“Phew… phew…”
“Hayan, you have to loosen up your face.”
“Yes…”
“I’m sorry about this. My girlfriend seems to be in a bad mood today. If

it weren’t for you, we would have been enjoying a date until now. Ahem.
Well, to continue on, I have the power to make what you call impossible,
possible.”
“…”
“I don’t think you believe it, so I’m going to tell you in a very simple
manner. There is also a way to ask Marlin Young-ae, but there is also a
way to hang for religious reasons. It is possible to completely destroy
the market economy by scattering very low-cost potions, and
merchandise on Castle Rock, as well as transferring Lindel’s high
ranked free people to Castle Rock. Ah! Wouldn’t it be nice if the Red
Mercenary had a branch in Castle Rock? It would be a good idea to ask
Hee-ra about doing business.”
“…”
“What will happen if I bring the Japanese Sora Guild here, run by Yuno
Kasugano and me? It will cost a little bit of initial investment, but we
will build a huge potion factory in Castle Rock. Small rock is also
entering the potion business, right? I don’t know how much you’re
selling right now, but I can afford to sell at half the price you sell.”
“…”
“What if I sell the monster by-products, the source of your income, to
Castle Rock? And for cheaper. Or maybe I can buy this land you are
stepping on right now. Hahaha. Since you are a free people, you can rent
and use the land in Castle Rock, but I can buy the land under the title of
Honorary Bishop.”
“…”
“Of course, if you ind this dirty, you can just move to another city.
There, you can develop the region in the spirit of a young artist once
again. By the time you reach your peak, I’ll go and pick up the sweet
fruits you’ve worked hard to grow. Anywhere in the Holy Empire of
Benigore, it doesn’t matter.”
“You… crazy…”
“Even if you go back to Lindel… Even if you remain in Castle Rock…

Even if you move to a completely different city, I will continue to watch
over you. If you want to avoid me, you’ll either have to go into the
Republic or the Kingdom Coalition, or stay in the mountains and
commit crimes and live your life.”
“…”
“If my words sound like a lie, try it out.”
A quiet stillness took place, even quieter than when Jung Hayan went to
intimidate them.
My words wouldn’t sound like a simple joke. As evidence of that, Song

Jungwook’s complexion was now quite pale.
Of course, it was impossible for me to do all those troublesome things.
Selling the monster’s by-products at Lindel as well as building a potion

factory here would surely be a loss for me. One or two smart guys might
think, ‘Is that possible?’, but this was a slightly different thing from the
possibility of realization.
What if this bastard was crazier than we thought?
What if this guy could really harass me for pure malice, even after
throwing away all the gains he has?
The moment he would think about this, it would be game over. I had to
deal the inal blow.
It was fun to see that when I opened my mouth quietly, the reaction
immediately came.
“I mean, money and power. It is a device that makes it possible for

people like me to be on the powerful side in this world, where power
comes irst. I understand that they have great pride because they have
established themselves due to their individual strength. You guys
hitting me with the gentle force you have is like hitting rocks with eggs.”
“…”
“If you’re not strong enough to break the frame of society, it’s your role
to fall lat and quiet. What do you think I’ve done to someone who
didn’t? How do you think I am where I am, considering I’ve been here
for less than a year? Huh? Can you understand me? There are two
options. Will you be a young artist? Or will you become a parasite that
sucks honey from the giant capital?”
Even if I didn’t ask, the answer would be obvious.
“W-What can I do? Blue Vice Guild Master.”
At this point, Jung Songwook had become polite.

“You chose the correct answer. I am really glad to avoid annoyance,
Little Rock Guild Master. Hahaha. I think we can have a proper meeting
now. Very good.”
I didn’t know what he was thinking inwardly, but on the outside, he fell
lat. It didn’t matter if it was sincere or not. Anyway, getting them wasn’t
the important thing here to me.
“Hahahahaha. Isn’t there a place that is a bit comfortable, instead of an

uncomfortable of ice? Oh, my friend over there. It’s a good day, bring
some drinks. Is this okay, Little Rock Guild Master?”
“Yes… of course. Youngcheol… As he said… It would be better to bring

something to drink.”
“Yes. Master.”
“Hahaha. It’s not good to drink by myself. You should drink with me,
Little Rock Guild Master. Hayan can also be a little comfortable. What
would you like to drink?”
“Yes… Yes! Oppa, milk is enough for me.”
“You heard her, right, Youngcheol? I think it would be better to bring

some snacks as well. Ah! And I brought the contract in advance.”
“Yes.”
“You can read it slowly. I don’t want anything big. You know I run a
potion factory. It’s a waste to use good quality potions alone. Isn’t that
why I came running here with the news that Castle Rock had a lack of
priests? It’s all for Castle Rock.”
“That… Thank you for thinking about us, Blue Vice Guild Master.”
“I am thinking about supplying potions to the large guilds in Castle
Rock on a regular basis. Of course, it’s not free, yet it’s very cheap. Oh, I
guess you should see the product irst.”
“Ah, of course…”
Jong Sungwook was clearly not expecting much, but the product itself
was clearly good. It was ridiculous to see that potions made by me were
much cheaper. It proved better to increase my brand’s value.
“Take a look.”
[Red Health Recovery Potion: Rare]
[It is a potion that has an excellent recovery effect that heals wounds. It
has an upper-intermediate healing effect. It stops either poisoning or
bleeding. After taking a dose, the target’s endurance increases slightly
for a certain period. Producer: Lee Kiyoung]
As I rummaged in my bag and pulled out the potion, I saw their eyes
widen. Song Jungwook had begun to look at me strangely. He was
clearly not expecting this from me, yet I knew nothing in this world was
free. My plan was, after all, to establish a clear power relationship and,
at the same time, receive a high price for it.
“The price is low, 40 gold.”
“Ah…”
“40 gold in a bottle.”
“I-Isn’t it too expensive…?”
“Hahaha. Expensive? Little Rock Guild Master. You are reading the
effects of the item, right? It’s just the right price. I know that you have
the capacity to buy this. Your hunting ef iciency will also increase, so
there will be no problem.”
“O-Our guild does not have the capacity to purchase this potion for 40
gold. If you are going to sell in bulk, even more… If you think about it,
20 gold is the Maginot line. Considering the quantity written in the
contract, the price that goes out annually is tens of thousands of…”
“It’s 40 gold.”
“30 gold… C-Can’t it be?”
“Hahaha. I’m going to be disappointed, Little Rock Guild Master. Saying

that you want it for 30 gold, wouldn’t it be like daylight robbery? It’s 40
gold.”
“Then…”
“O-Okay.”
“You just need to sign the contract. You don’t have to worry too much.
I’ll set some aside for you. I am a very generous person to the ones on
my side. Haha.”
“Okay…”
“Well, well, well. Please, sign up here! You will be able to get the potions
right away.”
A beautiful situation where only I was satis ied? This was what I would
call a real business.
CHAPTER 157
HYPOCRITE (1)
“Hahahaha. I think we understood each other better than I thought.”
“I think so, too. Blue Vice Guild Master.”
“There will be a lot of business meetings in the future. You’ll be sure to

bene it a lot from this agreement.”
“Yes…”
“Wow… And the stories I heard today was very interesting. In particular,
the one related to Hyejin.”
“Yes. In fact, I was a little surprised that she was in Blue. I told you
today, but as you heard, she is not a good quality person. Some talk as if
she is an apostle of justice… Tut-tut. It must have been because of their
personal grudges. Actually, our guild was cleared of its charges.”
“Ah! I see.”
“Actually, we didn’t agree with each other in almost every case. At irst, I
thought she was a little complacent, but she started intervening in
everything as soon as she got the executive position. I didn’t know if she
was asking me to raise her salary or to do something else, but it was
very dif icult because this happened constantly.”
“What were you accused of?”
“That’s…”
“If you don’t want to tell, there is a way for me to ind out personally,
Song Jungwook-ssi.”
“Ha… Haha. Of course, I can. The charges were cleared anyway. It was a
monster deal.”
“Ah.”
“Apart from the tax issues… There was a problem with the treatment of
the guild staff, but the most important thing was the charges of illegal
monster trading.”
“I see.”
“She turned small things into big problems, and she is not lexible
enough. There were a lot of problems in the dungeon and elsewhere.
She also caused various troubles with other guilds.”
“Ah. She looked a little like that. There was a strong feeling of being
stubborn.”
“She is a person who has a lot of problems in many ways. Ah! You
should also have a drink, Hayan-ssi.”
“N-No… I’m good, Song Jungwook-nim.”
“It seems that Hayan-ssi doesn’t like alcohol very much.”
‘This guy lays lat better than expected.’
His arrogance from before had completely dissipated. He was now like a
dog wagging its tail.
His ability to suck up to me certainly stimulated my sense of

superiority.
‘Well, I still don’t know if it’s real or not.’
If one were to think about his unique characteristic, there was a high
probability that he was planning something. He was either going to
backstab me, or ind a way to use me properly.
‘That’s why it’s more fun, but… ’
Particularly, it felt amusing seeing him badmouthing Cho Hyejin. I’d

have to ilter half of it, but I could still get a rough idea of what kind of
situation she had been in. Jungwook had probably manipulated the
public’s opinion of her.
I thought he would have isolated Cho Hyejin with words such as ‘I don’t
like her’ or ‘She a bit suspicious.’ The words of those in power garnered
the most trust, after all.
It would have taken less than a few months to isolate a woman like Cho
Hyejin.
As the conversation dulled, Song Jungwook glanced at me.
“It’s late. How about sleeping here tonight, Lee Kiyoung?”
“Ah! It’s already this late. Thank you for the favor, but I think it would be
better to return. Marlin Young-ae will be worried. Haha.”
“…”
As expected, his expression dimmed. It was only for an instant, but the
brief frown that lashed across his face was an expected reaction on my
part.
“Then, we’ll be going now. I also drank a lot… We’ll talk about the
un inished stories later. Oh and… Can I trust you with the work I asked
for?”
“Yes. As you said, I will contact all other guilds in Castle Rock to proceed
with the contract.”
“Thank you. You’re a little more competent than I thought, Little Rock
Guild Master…”
“Thank you. Ahem… Rather than that, it’s late. Should I assign you an
escort…?”
“Ah. I’ll accept if it’s an escort. Hahaha. I understand what you’re

worried about, but I am safe.”
“What?”
“I haven’t told you. Last time, about the Lindel terrorist incident. I don’t
know if you remember, but I’ve become a bit sensitive to safety since
then. My sister Hee-ra pays a lot of attention… The shadows of the Red
Mercenaries are escorting me.”
“What?”
“Of course, since I came to Castle Rock, the knights of Youngju Tower
and the Heretic Inquisitors of the Pope’s side have also been helping
me. I am not an important person, but it seems that I am loved by many
people. Hahaha. I’m joking, but if the Little Rock Guild Master would
dare to harm me, you would have been in a very dif icult position.”
“I-I see.”
Seeing that he was sweating, he seemed to have something planned for

me.
“Of course, that won’t happen. Then I’ll be going. Hayan, let’s go.”
“Yes, oppa!”
As soon as I went outside, I saw what Castle Rock looked like at
nighttime. Though it was marvelous in the day, it wasn’t bad during the
evenings, too. This medieval-styled city, looking a little rugged, certainly
seemed very attractive to me.
As I mulled over these nonsensical thoughts, I realized that I’d drank a

little more than I expected. No, if it was Little Rock that had prepared it,
it was probably stronger than what I was accustomed to.
As I slowly grabbed onto Jung Hayan, she automatically moved to

support me.
“Y-You can lean on me.”
“Then, I will. When I stood up, I suddenly felt dizzy.”
“Are you having trouble walking, too?”
“No. I can still control my body. Thank you for your work today, Hayan.”
“No. That’s all I do anyway. Anyway, there’s something a little more

surprising than that.”
“What?”
“I mean, Hyejin.”
“Oooh.”
Come to think of it; this was the irst time that Jung Hayan had heard
about Cho Hyejin. Unlike me, who knew about the situation roughly, it
must’ve been fun for her hearing about Hyejin.
“I didn’t know she was such a person…”

“Ah. That’s not a bad thing. And to be precise, I’ve only heard the story
from the standpoint of Little Rock. Shouldn’t I have to listen to Cho
Hyejin’s words at least once?”
“Ah, yes, you’re right. That’s the right thing to do.”
“But that fact alone makes us feel a little awkward. I hate to think of
this, but it sounds a little awkward to be a whistleblower.”
“Yes! I feel the same way too. It is awkward, indeed. Oppa.”
“But it’s not easy to act according to your conscience.”
“Right! Y-You still have to take care of your conscience!”
Jung Hayan hurriedly agreeing with whatever I said made me smile. I

was curious as to what she really thought about the matter, but she
probably wouldn’t bother with it that much. It wasn’t like her to think
deeply about other people. What mattered for her was gaining my
approval.
The story of Cho Hyejin I heard from Song Jungwook was simple. It was
nothing more than I had already thought. If Song Jungwook hadn’t been
exaggerating in some parts while telling me, the story would have
become boring.
‘Of course, I don’t think he told me everything.’
Anyway, what was interesting among them was that the majority of
those who joined Little Rock were the companions who completed the
tutorial dungeon with Cho Hyejin.
The guild was literally composed of friends and acquaintances, just like
Blue. It was like having Jung Hayan expose all of Blue’s corruptions. It
was easy to understand how her colleagues would’ve thought she was a
traitor.
‘Illegal monster trading.’
Although they turned out to be innocent, I thought that Cho Hyejin was
probably right.
‘I’m sure of it.’
Little Rock had many things to hide. Of course, there was no evidence,
but looking at the dispositions and characteristics, the answer came
quickly to me.
Little Rock was illegally trading monsters through a route that I didn’t
know. Some of the lord’s castles may be involved, as well as some other
guilds and clans.
‘He’s a scammer.’
If possible, I would like to hear about Cho Hyejin’s statement.
As I walked while thinking about various things, we reached the square.
“Are you drunk?”
“I’m just a little dizzy, but I’m ine.”
“You seem to be very tired.”
“No, Hayan.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to rest a little and go?”
“I said I’m ine. We’re close anyway.”
“I-I’m a little tired, too.”

Following Jung Hayan’s gaze, what I could see was a luxury motel. I
instantly realized what Jung Hayan meant.
‘I… Oh my.’
“L-Let’s take a break for a bit.”
I thought she wanted to be together with me by taking the long way, but
it seemed that her real purpose was this.
“I think you are tired. You must be.”
She was even forcibly making me think I was tired. What made me
embarrassed was the fact that I wanted the same thing as she did. I
wondered if it would be nice to spend a little more time together.
“Hmm…”
“…”
While I was trying to make my decision, I heard a voice call out to us.
“You are here.”
“Ah…”
Jung Hayan stiffened as an unwelcome guest made itself known, yet I

peered over her to ind out who it was. My current position with Hayan
looked somewhat tricky.
“Hyejin. What are you doing here?”
“I came to pick up Kiyoung-ssi and Hayan-ssi.”
“What?”
“To be precise, it would be right to say that the escort car came. It’s a
dark night. Castle Rock is more dangerous than Lindel. There are also
imperialists of poor quality in narrow alleys. Of course, it’s hard for
something to happen when you think of Hayan-ssi, but I think I’ll be
relieved to do this as I’m the escort.”
“There must be a knight of Youngju Tower.”
“Ah. I don’t know if you’ve heard it, but in this case, the Guild Master
entrusted me with being Lee Kiyoung’s escort. He was worried about
the Lindel terrorist incident.”
“Ooooh…”
I realized once more that our returner cared for me.
“Since it’s dark, I thought it was right for me to come out. I was
worried… Then let’s go together.”
“Yes. Thank you for picking us up. Hmm… But when I think about it, I
don’t think I had a long conversation with Hyejin.”
“Ah…”
“I’m sorry?”
“About going somewhere to spend a little time.”
I just thought it wasn’t a bad idea. Anyway, it was time to conduct at

least one frank conversation with Cho Hyejin.
Jung Hayan pouted her lips, but it would not be bad to drink at a nearby
bar for a while.
I thought Cho Hyejin would accept my offer. However, the reaction she
showed was different from what I thought.
She stared at me as she trembled.
“T-That’s rude.”
“What?”
“I didn’t see you that way. Were you such a rude person?!”
Something unexpected just happened.
‘What bullshit are you talking about?’

CHAPTER 158
HYPOCRITE (2)
I wondered if I had made a mistake, but nothing came to me. It didn’t

help that I currently felt dizzy.
‘Was I rude?’
Was it really necessary for her to react that way to my offer? I could see
why Song Jungwook had said she was an in lexible person.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what was wrong with what I’ve said.”
“A-Are you being serious right now? Jung Hayan is right next to you…”
“Is it a problem that Hayan is here?”
“I don’t mean that!”
‘What is this kid talking about?’
Upon seeing her reddened face, I understood what Cho Hyejin had been
thinking.
‘Huh… ’
The problem was not in my words, but the environment surrounding

us. It is clear that she misunderstood what I had meant, as we stood in
front of a luxury motel on a dark night.
‘Your innocent imagination… ’

She had seen me as a person who had just molested his junior at work.
Even Jung Hayan wouldn’t misunderstand that.
As I continued to show a disbelieving expression, Cho Hyejin blushed as

if she became even more embarrassed. As she started to realize her
mistake, Jung Hayan spoke.
“What are you t-talking about?”
“I don’t…”
“Ah…”
“…”
Cho Hyejin busied herself with looking around, realizing what she had
done wrong.
“That… That…”
“Is there any problem…?”
“N-Nothing. I guess I was seeing things for a moment.”
“What things?”
“Did you have any strange thoughts?”
“I think I can tell how Cho Hyejin sees me now…”
“That…”
“It’s a little disappointing.”
‘What a welcomed situation!’
The fact that I could make fun of her was an advantage. There was
always a good chance that Cho Hyejin would reject any offer I make
with her, but since she had committed a mistake this time around, I
knew she would feel guilty if she dared rejected me this time around.
“Well, I’m joking. I said something that could be misunderstood. My

relationships are not so clean, so It would be natural for you to think of
me like that.”
“It’s… not like that.”
“You don’t have to worry about it. I’m quite familiar with this kind of
thinking…”
“N-no, it’s not that.”
“Are you really sorry?”
“Yes.”
“Then… How about killing some time with me for a while, and then go?”
Cho Hyejin went silent for a moment before she nodded.
“If it’s only for a while…”
“Good. Then let’s go in.”
“Vice Guild Master. T-that way…”

“Yes? There’s no pub in this motel?”
“A-Ah. Maybe there is.”
Though I was just teasing her, I could see I wasn’t someone she trusted.
Though polygamy and polyandry were commonly seen here, my
relationships were indeed messy. It seemed like she was wary of the
fact that I might try to possess her, too.
‘It’s not that I didn’t think about it… ’
In the irst place, I wasn’t her type. Upon opening the door, the motel’s
guide approached us.
“Hello. Do you have a reservation?”
“Ah. I am not here to stay. I want to spend a little time at the lounge bar
or pub.”
At my words, Jung Hayan took out a bunch of gold coins from her purse.
I tilted my head.
‘Why give him so much?’
Even if she gave him only one, he would be remarkably happy, but when
she just grabbed what her hand could get, it seemed that the guide had
received at least ive. His face showed his disbelief at his luck.
“If you could get us a quiet place, I’d really appreciate it.”
“Yes. We will guide you right away.”
Certainly, having money was convenient. As I went upstairs, I noticed a

nice seat where we could observe the city from above.
“Let’s go there.”
“Yes.”
“What about the order?”
“You can bring anything that tastes good, regardless of the price.”
“Yes. Okay. Then have a good time.”
“Yes.”
Cho Hyejin sat quietly and looked at me with an awkward expression.

This seemed to be the irst time she came to such a place. It was a little
luxurious, but it was not so much that Cho Hyejin, who was once a Litte
Rock executive, couldn’t have passed by.
Either Song Jungwook was stingier than I thought, or Cho Hyejin chose
to live a modest life.
Personally, I chose to believe in the latter. It was hard to imagine her

being underpaid.
“Is this your irst time in a place like this?”
“Huh? Yes…”
“I heard you’ve been in Castle Rock for a while, but that’s surprising. I
thought you would have visited many good places because you were an
executive in Little Rock… It seems that you lived a modest life while you
were here.”
“A modest… I think you can say that. I certainly don’t remember

spending gold coins in useless places.”
“Hahaha. It’s not useless.”
“What?”
“It is not a good thing to stack gold coins. It means that you have to
consume it to use its function properly. People who have gold coins
must sprinkle gold coins in society for society to work properly. I think
you understand what I mean.”
“Ah…”
“The guide who we just tipped will also spend it, and the gold we spend
here today will be spent somewhere else. You go into a restaurant or
shop run by an ordinary free man or poor imperial man, and someone
else spends again. As you may know, the person at the top of the
pyramid must reasonably roll down gold coins to make the economy
more active.”
“I know what you mean, but…”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know if I’m mistaking, but your tone sounds like you’re looking
down on me…”
“I am not. But it is necessary to be aware.”
“You mean the Vice Guild Master is on top of them?”
“Yes. Personally, I think that having such awareness makes it a little

easier to face. You have to keep thinking about where you are, and what
impact you can create.”
“It’s hard to understand what you want to talk about. Vice Guild
Master.”
“I think I’m a little tipsy and have said useless things. I didn’t call you to
talk about this. In a way, it can be seen as an extension line. Ahem. I
don’t know if you know, but today, I signed a contract with the Master of
Little Rock.”
“That… That’s good.”
As expected, Hyejin sported a dissatis ied expression. At this point, I no

longer found a reason to hide the fact that I knew about her. In fact, I
wanted to discuss it in detail.
“Have you heard?”
“Are you talking about you being a whistleblower?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, I heard about why you left Little Rock, and why you left Castle
Rock and came to Lindel. I didn’t even ask; he told me irst. It seemed
that you were being resented a little. And it is understandable. You’ve
been betraying your colleagues that you have been together with since
the tutorial.”
“…”
“It seems that almost everyone knows. I don’t know why you tried to
hide it in the irst place, but it is something that I would ind out
anyway.”
“Are you criticizing me?”
“What did Hyunsung-ssi say when brought Hyejin-ssi to the guild?”
“He said it didn’t matter.”
I could see that her expression was slightly relaxed.
‘Ahhh.’
I noticed it slowly, but Kim Hyunsung was not a simple boss to this
woman.
‘He did it.’
I didn’t know if it was intentional or not, but Kim Hyunsung certainly

lagged this woman.
“Rather, he said I did well. It is important to carry out your own

beliefs… That’s what he said.”
“That’s a reasonable argument. This is like Hyunsung-ssi. The same

goes for me. I don’t blame you either. Didn’t you accuse them of illegal
monster trading and tax issues?”
“The issue of the interracial slave trade was also entangled.”
“Oh, that’s news I haven’t heard. Well, it’s okay. I will talk openly. I don’t
blame you, but I do think you’re stupid.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You are stupid.”
“This society is not very friendly to whistleblowers. No matter how

much you carried through your convictions, you are really stupid when
you look at the results. Why did you do that?”
“It’s hard to understand what you’re talking about. You certainly have
said earlier that you are not criticizing.”
At this point, Cho Hyejin had on a disconcerted look, which was only
natural.
“I must have told you earlier. I said that you should always be aware of
which position you are in. Have you ever thought about the
consequences of whistleblowing?”
“Should I care about that too? They committed a crime!”
“It was not about them that you were told to think. I’m talking about a
lot of people who will be hurt because of you, and that is Little Rock.
After that happened, they said they were forced into restructuring. The
charges were cleared, but the tax issue was indeed entangled.”
“…”
“Their number of guild staff has decreased a lot. Many people lost their
jobs overnight. I heard that most of them are in a bad situation either
by taking their own lives or by forcibly hunting.”
“That…”
“The female employees were driven to the streets, and the heads of
households became unemployed and headed to the hunting grounds in
order to feed their children. Even a young man who had just gotten a
job is living and begging in the slums because he was ired.”
“That… Is that true?”
“No. I made all this up.”
“V-Vice Guild Master? Are you playing with me?”
“However, it’s not a story without reality. In fact, it may not have been
as I said, but some may really be living that way. I just didn’t look it up.
If you decide to ind it, you can easily ind it. The dear old colleagues
you really wanted to accuse are still eating and living well, but only the
tough people were hurt.”
“Ah…”
“I just said you are stupid for the same reason. It means that leaving it
to your conscience does not solve everything, Cho Hyejin-ssi. You have
to strangle a little more if you wanted to end it. In the end, you did
something that was enough for you to be hated by many.”
“…”
“You have not contributed anything. Even in the development of Castle

Rock, nothing has been done properly in carrying out your beliefs. I
couldn’t ind the evidence, and I was just thinking about it. You didn’t
do anything other than resolving personal remorse. Even if the plan
were successful, I would have called you an idiot.”
“…”
“Do you know how many employees Little Rock Guild has? This
includes those who do not participate in work, or are forced to
cooperate with the Guild Master to live and eat. You are not the one
who can take responsibility for their lives. At this point, it is time to
think that it is fortunate that it has failed. Hundreds of unemployed
people were not driven into the streets.”
“…”
“Have you ever thought about this type of problem at all?”

CHAPTER 159
HYPOCRITE (3)
“I… haven’t.”
She wouldn’t have. If she had ever thought about it at least once, she
wouldn’t have done anything like this.
“Everything is about thinking irst, and then acting. Frogs die by the
stones thrown for fun. In the end, there are many humans out there
who can die if I just cough.”
“…”
“You always have to think about the position you are in, and how many
wavelengths you’re going to cause when you talk. People like us… Ah,
have a drink.”
“No… I will not drink, Vice Guild Master.”
“I’m embarrassed because I’ve been drinking by myself. I will formally

request an escort to Yeongju Tower, so I hope you will follow me.”
“Then, perhaps just a little…”
“Thank you for that. Well, anyway. If I were Hyejin, I would have done it
a little more boldly. Someone like you would probably have thought of it
like me.”
“What are you saying…?”

“You are aware that simply whistle-blowing doesn’t solve the problem,
right? You can solve the problem step by step from the inside and blow
Song Jungwook’s and your colleagues’ heads off. The guild will run
normally, and there will be no damage to the guild staff, so there must
be no problem.”
“…”
“It’s a personal idea, but I’m guessing you’ve thought about this at least
once in this room.”
‘That’s because you’re not stupid.’
“Perhaps you didn’t do that because you didn’t want to create con licts
with your old colleagues. You don’t want to blow their heads off, and
you want to keep your conscience. You wanted to do it without crossing
the line, so you chose the whistleblower route. What do you think? Is it
my delusion? I tried to persuade you in various ways, but it didn’t work,
and in the end, you went with the last resort.”
A strange silence sank in the interior of the bar. Jung Hayan looked
straight at Cho Hyejin without saying anything, and Cho Hyejin settled
for quietly sipping her alcohol.
Silence was a positive thing in this situation. I spoke once more.
“As a result, you were abandoned by them.”
“That criticizing expression doesn’t suit you.”
“No. I’m right. This is the irst time I have seen a person named Song
Jungwook of Small Rock, but I can tell what he did. Oh, even the friends
you did the tutorial with.”
“How…”
“They are greedy people. They are the kind of humans who constantly
want to climb up. They don’t care much about conscience or morals.
More goods and more money means more power for them.”
“You can’t know that for a fact.”
“They’re very different from you. Perhaps they pulled some strings to
get you out. First, to spread bad rumors on Castle Rock. Second, to ask
other guilds and clans not to accept you. To have their plans hindered
wouldn’t have been so pleasant.”
“I know… that much.”
“I heard a lot of stories from everywhere. They say you’re a person who
has used her body to gain her current power, or that she frequently
caused friction with other guild members. It’s really funny. They’re still
doing what they did back when they were students. I don’t know if they
want to bully you, but it’s so unsightly for adults to act like kids.”
“It’s a simple rumor. I don’t care about rumors.”
“They can still harm you. As a result, these rumors ruined your position
and reputation. What do you think? How do you feel about getting a
betrayal in return for a good deed?”
“I’m ine with this. I was prepared for it.”
“So, what do you think about your choices? I mean, about this situation
where nothing has been resolved. People in the world will see it and
call it hypocrisy.”
“It’s not hypocrisy!”
Bang!
Cho Hyejin slammed her palms onto the table, panting heavily and
looking angry. However, this reaction only meant that I had hit the spot.
Meanwhile, Jung Hayan grew disconcerted. She started getting up from

her seat, but when I raised my hand, she reluctantly sat down again.
“Anyone can say that except you, Lee Kiyoung Vice Guild Master. You are
the hypocrite.”
“Ah.”
“I am not a fool. I know how different you are from the stories I heard
about you.”
“You are sharp.”
‘I didn’t think she knew… ’
“So?”
“That’s exactly what I mean!”
“I know what Hyejin is talking about. Obviously, I’m not all clean. The
business I’m doing and what I actually do are subtly across the
boundaries of the law. So what do you mean?”
“That’s what you call real hypocrisy, Lee Kiyoung.”
“I donate tens of thousands of gold to the Pope’s side once a month.”
“…”
“The donation is used into various parts of the Holy Empire and
becomes a fund to help imperialist believers in need and free people
who have a hard time in settling themselves.
“Barely!”
“Not at all. I also run a soup kitchen in a slum in Lindel. You may
remember Manager Kim Mi-young. Not long ago, she was a poor
woman begging every day in a slum. She was a woman struggling with
poverty with two children. Who do you think saved her?”
“That’s…”
“It’s not just her. Blue doesn’t choose only talented people. We may also
choose a disabled person or a single mother, perhaps a warrior who
suffers from sequels from a major injury in battle. It was also my order
to tell them not to discriminate against them. Of course, it’s an act that
bene its Blue, but it’s a great social activity itself.”
“How would you explain that you are controlling the media in
collaboration with a large guild?”
“You know more than I thought.”
“I just happen to know. When you work in a guild, you end up seeing
things you don’t want to see.”
“Is there a law in the Holy Empire that states that individuals should
not control the media?”
“In the Holy Empire, the concept of the press created by Lee Kiyoung-
ssi is still not well understood. For them, the press is just a newsletter.
Most people don’t understand the seriousness of what Lee Kiyoung-ssi
is doing right now.”
She was de initely a sharp knife.
“Vice Guild Master, this is a matter of basic common sense. What you
are doing is wrong.”
“Well, I don’t know. Then, why doesn’t Hyejin-ssi comment about the
problems of the current Holy Empire?”
“Why are you closing your eyes to the aristocratic or royal system that
believes that destiny has been decided since birth? If you think about
this, too, it isn’t unacceptable by the common sense of the Earth, as
Hyejin said.”
“That’s their life…”
“If you really want to keep morality, shouldn’t you have to start the
French Revolution here? Marlin Young-ae can eat cake if she doesn’t
have bread, right? Chances are, she doesn’t even care about the poor
people in Castle Rock. How about leading the people and making a
guillotine right now?”
“This is… choplogic.”
“I am aware of it to some extent. It is a choplogic. However, it is obvious

to shout choplogic in this situation. The boundaries of the law are very
vague in the irst place. Whether to follow the common sense of the
Earth or the common sense of this continent is what confuses all free
people.”
“That’s choplogic too.”
“There are so many intertwined values to behave according to an

individual’s conscience. Even if you just think about the death penalty
right now… Isn’t it unethical to burn someone who commits a crime? A
Japanese man named Ito Souta Ito drowned in a statue illed with holy
water on charges of being a demon worshipper. Isn’t this unethical?”
“…”
“The death penalty itself is unethical. But such a practice is natural in
this continent. Let’s think once again. Who is the bigger hypocrite?”
“That’s… choplogic.”
“Is it me, who is contributing to this society while remaining within the
boundaries of the law? Or Hyejin, who ran away as a whistleblower
because she was afraid of being confronted by her colleagues? Who is
the bigger hypocrite?”
“…”
“I’m not saying we should argue right now, Hyejin-ssi.”
“It doesn’t seem like that. Anyone can see that the Vice Guild Master is
provoking me.”
“It’s a common matter that can be debated about while drinking. Think
of it as a simple exchange of opinions. I’m not taunting you, but in fact, I
don’t think Hyejin looks that bad. It’s wonderful to keep your personal
beliefs.”
“If you’re teasing…”
“No. I’m not teasing. You are a closer human to Kim Hyunsung than I
am, but I long for those who adhere to that method. I admire upright
people.”
“You say that too easily.”
“It’s my role to help the upright people from breaking.”
“Lee Kiyoung… Vice Guild Master…”
“I am a helpful human being. Oh, let’s turn the subject once again and
talk about Song Jungwook. Assuming that they’ve still been dealing
with illegal monsters and trades of interracial slaves, what would you
do if I had a way to decapitate them?”
At this, Cho Hyejin took on a serious expression.
“I think I can take your revenge.”
Her expression deepened.
She was usually poker-faced, but now I could understand why she was
acting this way. I already knew what she would choose in the irst place.
“I don’t need help, Vice Guild Master… You should just focus on your
job.”
“Ah. I see.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ll be going irst. I will ask the knights in Yeongju Tower
to escort you. I’m sorry.”
I saw Cho Hyejin standing up quickly, looking deeply offended. I knew

she would have a lot of things to think about now.
‘Hypocrite.’
It was a word that suited her a little. She may be aware of it too, which
was exactly why she had on such an expression.
‘She wants to implement justice, but doesn’t want her colleagues to get
in trouble.’
There was no pushover like her. As Cho Hyejin left, Jung Hayan opened
her mouth.
“She’s a sel ish person. She said she’d escort you and went irst…”
“Huh?”
“I’m talking about Hyejin!”
“Ahhh. Don’t hate her so much. She’s actually very kind.”
“But.”
“Even if she acts like that now, we’re going to be very close friends
later.”
“What?”
“Friendships only get stronger after resolving disputes.”
[Checking the unique characteristic of the player Cho Hyejin.]
[Flower that Blooms in Friendship]

CHAPTER 160
WHAT MONEY CAN’T BUY (1)
A few days had passed since the day I spoke with Cho Hyejin. I started
to get serious about my work, and although I tried to get around by
myself, it was Song Jungwook of Little Rock that proved to be a harder
worker than me.
He started promoting my potions to other guilds and clans as if he had

pledged his loyalty to me, and before I could even make a move, he
brought the signed contracts to me.
It seemed like he wanted to get close to Marlin Young-ae and other

nobles by visiting Yeongju Tower, but he was free to use his spare time
the way he wanted, anyway.
Rather, there was one time when he introduced me to the lower

aristocracy with a feeling that he wanted me to take advantage of his
connections, so he must feel that we were even now.
Seeing him transforming into a loyal person was certainly

disconcerting. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason Song Jungwook
continued to visit Yeongju Tower.
‘Marlin Young-ae.’
He moved as if he had a deadline. The fact that he wanted to use Yeong-

ae was a matter that I already noticed before, but since he was being
obvious about it, I couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Do your best.’

Certainly, if Song Jungwook connected with Marlin Young-ae, there will
be a lot to gain from his perspective. He could become an aristocrat, buy
some land, and thus be freer about taxes. I didn’t really know if he loved
her or not, but the closer he could get to Marlin Young-ae, the closer he
could become a part of the big-time capitalists that I had mentioned
before.
I didn’t have to say anything because it wasn’t really something that

would go against me, but I could tell that his intentions weren’t good.
Though Song Jungwook wanted to be close to me, he didn’t want Little
Rock to be under Blue’s in luence. On the outside, he planned to
pretend to swear allegiance to me, and on the inside, he planned to
somehow move around to reverse the situation. He was de initely a leaf
with two sides.
‘What a dishonorable guy.’
I had no intention of taking care of him, either.
All one had to do was wait for the moment to cut the line while not
compromising too much. Of course, I planned to take everything I could
before that. It was not only Song Jungwook who had been busy.
My other party members had also been busy. As I continuously went

out for work every other day, I saw Kim Hyunsung busy evolving both
Park Deokgu and Kim Ye-ri. Perhaps one of the other things Hyunsung
had to do was persuade people by bringing the monster wave signs.
“Then I will be going out today too, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Okay. Hyunsung and Deokgu, be careful.”
“Oh, I already told you that you don’t have to worry. Anyway, it’s okay
because we’ll just wander outside and do some investigating.”
“If so, I won’t worry. Hee-young-ssi, please also be careful.”

“Yes. Do not worry.”
“Hayan too.”
“Yes… Sniff!”
“Stop crying.”
This time I didn’t have to take any measures, Kim Hyunsung would take
care of this, and I trusted him. It was quite a pleasure to have a
colleague you could rely on.
Based on what would happen in the future, Kim Hyunsung would

collect information step by step and of icially announce that
information within Castle Rock.
Unlike the previous timeline, Castle Rock, which entered into a state of
war, would prevent the attack from monster waves or named monsters,
and our regressor may stand up as the hero who saved Castle Rock.
I didn’t know if it would go as planned, but I knew it was my job to

make it happen. I was also busy in many ways, but I could handle that
much.
“Wait a minute, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Yes, Hyunsung-ssi?”
“That… Did something happen between you and Hyejin?”
“What?”
“It seems like you’re not getting along well recently…”
“Ah, it was just a little dispute over work. You don’t have to worry about
it.”
“I see.”
“I think I know what Hyunsung-ssi is worried about, but that will not
happen.”
“Ah. Yes… That… I just want for you to get along…”
“Yes. I want to be close to Hyejin as well. Since Hyejin-ssi is not going on

the expedition this time, I will approach her carefully. Haha.”
“Haha. That’s fortunate. Since you said so, I’m relieved. Then I’ll be
going.”
“Okay. Be careful today as well…”
“Okay.”
‘I guess he’s worried.’
Of course, I was also worried. Since the last incident, Cho Hyejin had
been a little cold to me.
However, the conversation window had not been cut off at all.
This silent Cold War proved to be more terrifying than petty arguments.
As I waved goodbye at the party members, I could see them waving

back at me as well.
Time had passed since we arrived at Castle Rock. It seemed that I got
some outline of the things I had to solve.
‘The irst thing I need to do is to prevent a crisis that is about to come to

the city.’
In fact, it was the main purpose of this expedition. It was also the goal
of our lovely regressor, and the reason as to why our party came to
Castle Rock.
Additionally, we needed to announce the danger and establish our

guild’s position in Castle Rock. Right now, Kim Hyunsung was working
on this, so there was nothing for me to do, but I must thoroughly
prepare for all kinds of possible situations.
‘The second thing is about Song Jungwook of Little Rock.’
I had to think about whether to keep him and continue, or to cut him off
in the proper line.
In fact, in this matter, the irst thing was to know what Cho Hyejin will
do, but for now, it was correct to prepare a paddle that could be used
while maintaining the current situation. And…
‘The third one is improving the relationship with Cho Hyejin.’
I needed to create a bond of friendship between her and me. Unlike the
irst thing, the two other tasks were not to be done as a party, but were
supposed to be done personally.
I thought I should at least be able to control Cho Hyejin if I was going to

work with her in the future. I needed to let her know I was a friend she
could trust.
Of course, it was not easy to get close to her when she kind of already
knew about me, but by no means would this be a dif icult job. This was
because I had already caught some strands.
In that sense, the time when other party members were away was
always an opportunity.
It was better to try to get closer by talking to her at least a little. Even if
we didn’t become friends, it was important to make her see me in
another way by doing something to own her a debt or anything.
While Song Jungwook was working for me, I didn’t stay still.
Looking ahead, I saw Cho Hyejin, who had been seeing off the outgoing
party members.
“It seemed that Hyunsung-ssi was worried.”
“…”
“He wondered if you and I had a ight.”
“I don’t want to have conversations other than about business, Vice

Guild Master.”
“This is within the boundaries of business matters, Hyejin-ssi. It is very

important to promote friendship between guild members.”
“If you’re going to say weird things again…”
“No. It’s not like that. Although we’ve had some misunderstandings
with each other, wouldn’t it be better to resolve these
misunderstandings in advance?”
Although her reaction was a little cold, she had been like that all the
time recently. Perhaps she, too, had a lot on her mind. What I had said
in the past struck deep in her heart.
“When I talked about revenging you, it was for you, but it was also
related to work. Regardless of personal grudges, if they’re still trying to
do something illegal, I’m going to have to be taking measures about this
eventually.”
“…”
“If you are not busy, there are places I would like you to come with. Oh,
of course, if Hyejin-ssi refuses, I will go there by myself. It’s a pretty
dangerous place, but I’ll be able to come back alive somehow. If I’m not
lucky enough, I’ll be kidnapped and have an arm or leg cut off.
Hyunsung-ssi will be very happy.”
“You are…”
“I am not a bad guy, Hyejin-ssi. This is all work. All the other party
members are out and working hard, so shouldn’t we be doing our job
too? Ahem. Will you come with me?”
“I don’t think you’re giving me a choice. I’ll go with you.”
“Thank you.”
In a way, I was lucky that Kim Hyunsung had entrusted her with
escorting me. In this way, I could spend some more time with her.
“Ah. It is not a place where you can enter with the clothes you are
wearing, so you should change your clothes.”
“What?”
“You don’t have to worry, because I prepared everything in advance.”
“Can I ask you about the destination?”
“You will see. It’s not fun if I tell you in advance. We will leave in an
hour, so please do hurry.”
“You have already decided this beforehand. You really do as you please.”
“That’s because I have a good initiative. Thank you for the compliment.”
She still didn’t look very happy, but seeing her go inside, it seemed like
she was willing to follow my suggestion. On the other hand, I thought it
wasn’t bad to go on a date with someone who could be called beautiful.
While she was getting ready, I, too, started getting ready. I changed into
clothes prepared beforehand and groomed my hair properly, and then I
was inished.
It wasn’t the clothes I had when I was at a party at the royal castle, but I
smiled when I saw myself looking quite human.
She soon came out onto the lobby, her face red.
“Do I really have to wear this?”
“Didn’t you already change them? You don’t have to be shy, Hyejin-ssi.”
“B-but… They’re too revealing…”
“You don’t have to worry because it looks beautiful on you.”
My prediction that the blue dress would look good on her was correct.
It felt valid to tell the guide of Yeongju Tower to make her look good. It
didn’t matter if she was wearing makeup or not, but the inely tied hair
looked really good with the dress. She looked uncomfortable as it
showed off one of her legs and her back, but it had a sexy feeling
overall.
‘I thought she was a woman who was far from colors… ’
She was attractive in her own way.
“Are you going to a party? If you need a partner, you could ask someone
else…”
“It’s not just a party, so just trust me. I have a wagon outside. Let’s go?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I have a question before that.”
“Yes.”
“It’s about Little Rock… Have you ever seen them illegally trading
monsters or trading slaves between different species?”
“Yes. I saw them trapped inside a wagon.”
“You’ve never seen how the deal actually works. You probably found out
about it by looking at the tax issues or monster trades.”
“How did you know…?”
“There must be a reason that the charges were cleared even with
insuf icient evidence.”
“…”
“You asked for the destination, right?”
“Yes.”
“We are going to visit that site from now on.”
“What…”
“I’m trying to ind out how the illegal activities are happening. That’s
what I’m saying.”
I could see Cho Hyejin looking at me with a blank expression as if she

was speechless.
There was no need for her to understand now. She only needed to come
with me at this point to see.
At this, I handed her one of the two objects I had in my hands.
“Take the mask.”

CHAPTER 161
Cho Hyejin settled for silently sitting in the wagon, wearing the mask.
However, I could tell she was nervous, and I knew what she was
thinking.
“Is there really such a place?”
“There is a supply only when there is demand. People only sell when
someone needs it.”
“I haven’t even heard of a place like that in the three years I’ve been in
Castle Rock.”
“It is not a black market that is common in some cities. It is a little more
luxurious and operates as a VIP-only place. Such black markets can be
found in Lindel.”
“Still it is…”
“The most active place in the drug trade is usually at the border. On
Earth, there are relatively many cities close to the border between the
United States and Mexico. Castle Rock’s geographic requirements aren’t
bad. I think it’s because it is close to the Republic.”
“To the Republic…”
“They’re in a cold war, but… In the meantime, items that can be sold are
selling well. Human beings are animals that can commit crimes
anytime, anywhere, in any situation. To put it a bit exaggeratedly, the
market will still operate even during a war.”
“How did you-?”
“How do I know this? I have purchasing power. Nothing is impossible

with money in this world.”
In fact, it was not just money. The truth was, I had gone through hell to
ind the route.
Obviously, I was convinced that there was a market or auction house

within Castle Rock, but it wasn’t easy to discover the route that had
formed over the years. Truthfully, it would be simple with the help of
Song Jungwook, but I wanted to hide the fact that Cho Hyejin and I were
planning on entering the underground auction house.
In the end, it was Yuno Kasugano who helped me while I was working
hard looking for this.
Who would have known that one letter would solve everything?
Thanks to that, I made a promise to stop by Celia after my work was

over, but it was a promise I didn’t know when I could ful ill.
“Even Count Castle Rock or Marlin Young-ae probably don’t know about
this. The same goes for Hyunsung.”
“The Guild Master, too…”
If I were to consider things during the irst timeline, it was about this
time that Kim Hyunsung struggled to increase the armed forces within
Lindel. He may have encountered it after work, but the illegal auction
house was a bit far away for people like Cho Hyejin.
“It’s because Hyunsung seems to have a fairly solid goal. There is a high
possibility that he is missing these details. To put it nicely, he’s looking
at the forest, not the trees.”
“You mean, he’s looking at the big picture.”
“Yes. For example, he focuses on events that could directly impact the
continent, such as war or monster waves. You are more concerned with
the comfort of Castle Rock rather than the underground auction house
of Castle Rock. That’s the reason why I am searching through the forest
now. If you have someone who sees the forest, you need someone who
sees the tree.”
“…”
“That role can be played by someone like Hyejin or me.”
“But…”
“Of course, I will report it, but I don’t think there is a need to show our
Guild Master the rotten wood. He already has too much on his mind.”
“I can understand what you mean. Then the reason why you asked me
to come with you…”
“I’ve said this before, but I like you, Hyejin. I can also agree with the
reason why Hyunsung wants to make you the guild’s executive.
Wouldn’t it be easier for us in the future if we can understand each
other well? Ah. It seems that we’ve arrived. Let’s get off. Until you enter
the underground auction house, you should save your words.”
“Okay…”
“Ah! My name here is Kasugano Haruka. You can call me Yuka.”
“Ah. Okay.”
As we got off the wagon, I saw a rather quiet banquet hall. Cho Hyejin
looked nervous for some reason. I wondered if it was due to our sudden
departure, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
She wore a mask, but she must be thinking about whether she would be
noticed.
“The other people…”
“The entrance is not only here, Yuka.”
“What?”
“Stick a little closer to me.”
“Ah… Okay.”
‘Hyunsung, I’m sorry.’
As I gently grabbed her waist, I felt her tense up. Of course, I had no
hidden intentions. We just needed to look like a Japanese couple with a
load of money.
Soon after, I saw a guide approaching our way. I could tell that he was
strong just by looking at him, but he wasn’t hostile. It would be strange
to show hostility as we were customers who were also potential buyers.
“The Invitation.”
As I took out what I had prepared, I saw him nodding.
“You just have to get in the carriage.”
“How is it today?”
“You will probably be satis ied.”

“That’s good.”
Once again, we got on the wagon covered with blackout cloth, and the
wagon slowly departed.
“Is it safe, Vice Guild Master?”
“It’s Haruka, Yuka.”
“Is it safe, Haruka?”
“Of course. Your heart is as big as beans.”
“It is because Haruka is here. I can’t help but think about safety.”
“It’s safe, so you can rest assured, Yuka. It’s a matter of trust. I bet the
guards here are more concerned about my safety. They can’t lose their
valuable customers.”
“You said it was dangerous before departing…”
“It was a lie.”
“What kind of person…”
“Why don’t you just enjoy and stop trembling? Have you ever drunk
wine in a carriage?”
“…”
I saw Cho Hye-jin quietly biting her lips, but she remained tense. It was
natural to feel this way when going to an unknown place. She had no
way of telling if we were walking right into the mouth of a tiger.
Though she was like this, her wariness wasn’t a bad thing. It would not
be needed here, but being prepared at all times was never a bad thing.
Soon after, we got off the wagon, only to be led into yet another wagon.
After some time, I could feel that we were almost at our destination.
I heard a voice from outside as I sipped the wine in my glass for the last
time.
“We’re here.”
“Let’s head out, Yuka.”
“Yes, Haruka.”
“Just in case, don’t look around in awe like a country bumpkin in the
city.”
“I know.”
When I opened the door of the carriage, the scene before me caught my
attention.
Seeing orange lights shining brightly inside with all sorts of luxuries felt
as if I was in the capital of the Holy Empire of Benigore.
Cho Hyejin also seemed amazed, but as I had warned her beforehand,
she restrained herself. Nevertheless, I could see her pupils spinning.
She linched once again when I sneakily grabbed her hand, but I felt like
she was adjusting quite well. It was quite fun teasing her.
“Let’s head in.”
“Yes.”
We weren’t the only ones wearing masks. The other people around us
were also wearing fanciful clothes and colorful masks. Though I was
making a lot of money from my potion business, it was still in its initial
stage. If I didn’t have the allowance from Hee-ra and an ATM machine in
the form of Yuno Kasugano, I wouldn’t have been able to get here in the
irst place.
“Is that person managing this place?”
“That’s ridiculous. Song is just one of many merchants here. Do you

think that moron could really manage this kind of place, Yuka?”
“No…”
“There are quite a few things to see. Let’s just enjoy the tour.”
“This is not the atmosphere Haruka was talking about. It feels like I’m
in a masked ball.”
“Appearances can be deceiving. Anyway, if you go in, you’ll know what I

mean.”
I raised my hand slightly and saw a guide carrying a glass of cocktail

approaching us.
“Take a glass, Yuka.”
“…”
“If you don’t want it, I’ll drink by myself.”
As Cho Hye-jin had said, this place was more of a social church than a
black market. However, that was only on the surface.
Of course, it was a little different if I were to see with my Mind’s Eye. I

can see that these people’s dispositions or unique characteristics were
not normal just by looking at them.
‘Men and women… ’

There were sexual perverts, ambitious people that simply wanted o
show off their strength, and people who had the same disposition as Ito
Souta and I.
‘Even… ’
I could even see a murderer just like Jung Jinho. It was obvious why
they visited this place. It looked like murder was an option here.
I could see for what purpose so many spaces that I could see were being
used. People’s tendencies were quite easy to predict, depending on
where they went as well.
‘What should I show her irst?’
Showing the weak ones step by step would be good for her mental
health. It might be too disturbing to see something too strong from the
beginning.
Of course, it was natural to see the market managed by Song Jungwook.
Just when I was about to go, an unknown voice came from the side. It
was from a woman.
“There.”
“Yes?”
“Would you mind for a minute? If only your wife, who’s next to you, is
okay with it. I want to spend a moment together…”
“W-Wife…”
“Ah. You must be a girlfriend. It doesn’t matter whatsoever, but…”

I couldn’t see her face because she was wearing a mask. However, just
by looking at her, I could see how high her stats were.
‘She’s strong.’
She was wearing a Chinese dress, which was a little unusual. She was
probably a Chinese from the Republic or a Taiwanese staying in the
Holy Empire. She looked great enough for me to deal with if I had the
time, but now was not the time for useless small talk.
“No. We’re good.”
“No… Don’t do that. I’m okay with three, too.”
“Ah, I’m a little busy.”
What bothered me a little was her eyes that re lected behind the mask. I
didn’t know exactly how to describe them, but they were enough to give
me goosebumps in an instant.
[Checking the unique characteristic of the player Shaolin.]
[Strangler Romanticist]
‘Fuck.’
“Don’t do that.”
“No, no. We’re ine.”
It was then that I came up with my own unique characteristic for a

moment.
[Checking the unique characteristic of the player Lee Kiyoung.]
[The Liar’s Temptation]

[Seduce the other person to listen to you. The probability of being loved
by a dangerous opposite sex increases.]
‘The probability of being loved by a dangerous opposite sex increases.’
Come to think of it. It felt like eyes were focusing on me from

everywhere.
There was only one crazy woman brave enough to confront me head-
on, but many other women were also staring at me with fans covering
their faces.
‘Ah… Am I in danger…?’
It felt like all the women that the system would judge as dangerous
were clustered here.
‘What the f… ’
As anxiety began to grip my entire being, I had no choice but to grip Cho
Hyejin’s hand.
CHAPTER 162
As anxiety began to grip my entire being, I had no choice but to grip Cho
Hyejin’s hand.
“Don’t do that. It may not be obvious, but I am pretty attractive. You

can’t check my face because of the mask. This is uncomfortable. I can’t
even take it off…”
“We’ll be with you next time when the opportunity comes. I am sorry,
but I have an appointment today.”
“Even just for a minute? I’d like to talk in a quiet place. I don’t do this to
anyone… Really.”
“I’m sorry.”
I glanced at Cho Hyejin helplessly, as if telling her to handle this insane

woman in front of me. Seeing this, she stepped forward, still holding my
hand tightly.
“I don’t know who you are, but I think that’s enough. He has clearly
refused. Don’t be rude.”
“Ahhh…”
“Let’s go quickly, Yuka.”
“Yes, Haruka-nim.”
“What the… She was a subordinate and not a girlfriend?”
“Our relationship is not your business. Would you step aside? If you
keep bothering us, I’ll call security. I don’t want to cause any problems,
so please just go away. It’s also quite unpleasant that you keep blocking
our way.”
“Your subordinate is more possessive than I thought…”
“It’s not about being possessive or not. It’s about basic etiquette.”
“…”
“…”
I could see the two women staring at each other. I felt a little nervous,
but what could this crazy woman do? She knew that she couldn’t make
a fuss here.
Cho Hyejin pulled me towards herself once more, but I knew she did
not mean anything by it except to protect me. However, to everyone
else, it looked like she was marking her territory.
She must not mean anything strange.
Thus, a woman with a unique characteristic of Corpse Lover looking at

me slowly moved away from the crowd. Another woman, whose unique
characteristic was A Master that Causes Pain, also lost interest.
‘There are so many crazy women here.’
There were also many crazy guys, but they were irrelevant since they
didn’t care about me in the irst place.
In the end, Shaolin slowly started to move away from us as well. Seeing
some of the men nearby running towards her, I could guess that they
were her subordinates.
“Paper and pen.”
“Yes.”
“This is the address where I can receive the letter. I hope you will
contact me soon.”
“I will contact you if I have the time.”
“It seems that the people who do not want to reveal their identity to
each other are all equally ordinary… Seeing that you’re here, you seem
to be the same, but I’m more capable than you think. Perhaps I can be
helpful. In many ways, even…”
“It’s hard to promise that I’ll contact you, but I’ll see you someday.”
‘I’ll never do that, bitch.’
“You must. You made a promise, okay? Then, I’ll be going…”
‘Please, go away quickly. Please disappear. Disappear from the

continent… ’
As if unsatis ied, I felt her gaze continuously followed me. I could feel
goosebumps rising on my skin. I tried to avoid her gaze as much as
possible, yet at some point, I could af irm that she was indeed
completely gone.
“You’re very popular.”
“It’s undesirable popularity in a place like this. I wish you could walk a
little closer.”
“…”
“I don’t want to pretend to have a good relationship with you either, but
can’t you at least make it look like you’re marking your territory? It’s
uncomfortable to have eyes focused on me from everywhere.”
“Are you spraying pheromones?”
“I think that’s similar. It’s a little bit painful to say that these are the
ones who get affected, but… Anyway, walk a little closer…”
“It’s a bit unpleasant being so close.”
“It hurts quite a bit to hear that right in my face.”
“…”
However, it worked. As we walked like a couple in a romantic

relationship, I felt safer, as if I was out of these women’s range.
In the irst place, talking to others in this kind of place was not a
commonsense behavior. It was clear that the woman I just saw had
been a little too active.
As it was a place where customers’ security and safety should be

thorough, I could reduce my worries about anything happening.
‘Let’s never meet again.’
I had no plans of meeting any of the women here.
Of course, it was undeniable that everyone here was also capable, but I
didn’t want the number of women I had to deal with to increase.
Anyway, as I still had a purpose, I had to look around slowly once again.
Cho Hyejin also started to snoop around as if she was getting used to
this place. Right now, her curiosity seemed to triumph over her
discomfort. However, the more we went inside, the more she noticed
that the atmosphere was changing, so she naturally became cautious.
When one could see people disappearing one by one in the corridor
that was once full of guests, it seemed that everyone had gone for their
own personal affairs. That meant we should, as well.
When I glanced at the security guarding one of the doors, they went and
opened it for us.
Inside was a typical slave auction house. Numerous people were sitting
in luxurious chairs, indicating that they were regulars in this place.
‘Is it her irst time seeing a different species?’
When I took a seat with Cho Hyejin, I saw a guide approaching us. He
must have come to ask what we were going to drink. Meanwhile, I felt
like I could fall asleep just sitting in this luxurious and luffy chair.
As if it hadn’t started yet, I could see more people coming in and taking
seats one by one.
“What is this place?”
“Well, I did not check before coming in… It looks like a slave auction
house. I’m just saying this, but let’s not make a fuss.”
“I know that much.”
“I’m glad to know that. Do you know anything about different races?”
“No. I only heard them through stories. I just saw it once during that
time.”
“Really? It’s a little disappointing. I don’t know much about it, either.”
“Rather than that, look at that woman sitting farther. Isn’t that the same
one from earlier?”
As I followed her gaze, I could see that it was de initely that woman.
‘Fuck… ’
“She probably didn’t follow us. Don’t look at her. I don’t want to
announce that I’m here.”
Apparently, she had been here even before we came in.
I tried to turn my gaze away from her, and after a while, someone
stepped onto the stage. Bright lights poured down from across the
room.
Then, a voice spoke.
“You’ve all been waiting for a long time. Today, I would like to express
my sincere thanks to all of you for visiting our auction house. You can
look forward to the quality of today’s products. We have our heart in
our club, which always delivers sincerity.”
These cheap comments were typical of such a place. I was expecting

more for such a luxurious atmosphere, but this part seemed to be
inevitable.
“It wouldn’t be nice for me to take too long, since you are all busy
people. It’s sudden, but I’ll start the auction right away. First, we have
the 54-year-old Elf Rumenia.”
A woman with long ears on one side slowly stepped onto the stage.
I hated this, but my own eyes widened. This was because she had the
most beautiful face than anyone I had seen so far.
However, I was only fooled for a short while.
Seeing the elf looking up at the stage with a terrifying face, I frowned.
Her body was not wearing a single thread, and her hands and feet were
wearing restraints. Her trembling igure was enough to induce
sympathy.
Greed quickly illed the eyes of those sitting in their seats.
She was puf ing her mouth, but I couldn’t hear her voice, so she seemed
to be under some spell.
“This is a hard-earned object. She has unusual emerald-colored hair,

and, as you can see, she is in great shape. It’s a clean product that’s very
well maintained, as well as its nutritional status.”
As two people who came together slowly grabbed the elf’s body and
arrested her, she screamed and opened her mouth, but I still couldn’t
hear her voice.
It seemed like they were trying to show us her back, but she trembled
as if that alone was terrifying. Big tears popped out of her eyes, and she
couldn’t even stand as if her legs gave out.
“As she doesn’t have any ighting ability, we didn’t train her. I think it
might be a necessary item for customers with a sadistic personality. It’s
also quite a young age for an elf.”
“I want to hear her voice.”
“Ah. If you want, of course, I have to show you. I need to ask for the
other customers’ consent. From now on, I’ll only release the magic that
she’s been under for a while.”
The wizard on one side of the stage slowly chants a spell, and
immediately a voice similar to a scream burst out.
“Help! Please… Help. Someone… Please help me.”
The voice itself was clear and crisp, but the content was not clear. She
looked around with a crying voice, but there was no way that there
would be a reaction.
In the irst place, some nobles of the Holy Empire did not see other
races as human.
“She has a nice voice.”
“Hahaha. Of course, I thought you would feel that way.”
As I looked beside me, I saw Cho Hyejin shivering. Her crumpled face
and clenched ists seemed to represent her feelings. I knew she would
be a little angry, but I couldn’t even imagine that she would be this
furious.
Cho Hyejin’s personality was a little better than I thought.
“I say it once again, but if you cause a fuss…”
“I… know.”
In other words, this was the scene depicting human rights violations.
De initely, the common sense of modern people could not be
understood.
There is no way the righteous Cho Hyejin can understand the low
people who sent cheers or raised their ingers to express purchase
intentions. They didn’t even care about the pain of others. No, to be
precise, they enjoyed seeing others in pain.
“What do you think is the problem? What do you think can solve the
problem?”
“What do you want to hear?”
“Nothing, Yuka.”
It seemed to me that she was regretting this and was feeling stressed.
Maybe she couldn’t even imagine that something like this existed. She
didn’t really understand how this place worked.
“This is normal. Honestly, it’s surprising that it’s a little cleaner than I
thought. Well, there may be places dealing with special slaves, but there
is no time. You better pass it over.”
“…”
“I checked the reality of the slave trade myself. So, aren’t you curious
about how the monsters that they caught illegally will be used?”
“That’s…”
“Let’s stand up.”
I saw Cho Hyejin’s face with her lips tightly closed.
“Give me a glass, too.”
I knew she would react like this.
“Let’s go to another place, Haruka.”
“Okay, Yuka.”
CHAPTER 163
“You don’t have to feel guilty.”
“Well… I feel like I know what you’re thinking about. ‘If I had done the
right thing… ’ Are you not thinking like this?”
“I’m… not.”
‘You’re not, right… ’
I already knew what she was thinking. Wouldn’t this have happened if
the work hadn’t been done lukewarmly?
Of course, even if she’d handled the Little Rock matter properly, nothing
would have changed. I could assure that it wouldn’t affect even 1% of
this place.
“Even if you had handled the matter properly, nothing would change.”
“…”
“Song is a part of this place, not all… As you can see, this place is
working without any external in luences. I told you, even the Lord of
Castle Rock wouldn’t be able to predict that there would be such a
place.”
“How can you not know what is going on in your estate?”

“Do you think the mayor of Seoul knows everything that happens in
Seoul? Perhaps some of the people related to the Castle Rock’s Lord
have joined this place. Some people know and cover it up. And can you
be sure that the place we are in is Castle Rock? Perhaps it’s a border
close to the Republic. It’s in a secret location, after all.”
“Why…”
“It may be entangled in various interests, but it’s not something Yuka
should bother with. What you need to know is simple. It is a part that
needs to be cut out, but this reality is de initely part of society. And the
people in these seats are also members of society.”
“What…”
“There is no such thing as a world without crime.”
“You will, eventually.”
While we talked as we walked, Cho Hyejin continued to frown. Her tone

was a little cold, and she seemed to be doing her best to hold back her
anger.
Of course, she wasn’t angry with me. The only thing she was angry with
was this environment and herself, who could not do anything.
It was only now that she had faced reality, and it had slapped her right
where it hurt.
Thinking that now was the perfect time to talk to her a little more
kindly, I spoke up once more.
“Don’t you think there’s really nothing they can’t get?”

“They think they can buy everything with money. It’s obvious what
these people think.”
“That’s right. If you have money, you can buy everything. Not only
slaves but drugs or sex. You can even buy experience.”
“You mean experience?”
“Yes. Experience. I’m just asking… Have you ever killed someone, Yuka?”
I thought that maybe she did.
If she had rotted in this place for quite a long time, there was no way
she wouldn’t have experience. Perhaps her irst experience was in the
tutorial dungeon. In places where food was limited, there were many
instances for brawls to break out,
Our party also had this experience, all except for Park Deokgu. The
same went for Jung Hayan as well as Kim Hyunsung.
I also killed some in the tutorial dungeon, though I could no longer

remember their names.
As I stared at Cho Hyejin, she stared back at me for a moment before

replying.
“I have…”
“I guess it’s not a very good memory.”
“If it were a good memory… It must be weird.”
“You’re right. It’s not a good memory. However, people who think of it
as a good memory pop out often… Free people like us all have some
experience, but it’s dif icult for ordinary nobles to experience it, right?
In particular, murder among imperialists is absolutely illegal. Nobles
can punish commoners, but they cannot kill them without sin. Where
do you think crazy humans go to satisfy their needs? I’m sure it will
happen here, too.”
“No way…”
Upon seeing Hyejin’s doubtful expression, I couldn’t help but laugh. She
still seemed to have hopes for humanity.
At this, I raised my hand, and the guide headed straight towards me. Of
course, she started looking at me as if to see what was going on.
‘If you see it, you will know.’
Trying to explain in words would prove to be fruitless.
“How can I help you?”
“I need help with directions.”
“I want to try this sword… Is there a suitable place?”
“Of course. Will it be against a monster? Or…”
“I have something to do now, so if you can tell me the way, I will go

there on my own. Oh, before that, if there is a place where I can see a
large monster, please do guide me as well.”
“Am I allowed to guide you directly?”
“No. Just explaining it is ine.”
“Go straight down this road and continue to the right; you will get to
exit 3. Walk over there, and you’ll see a circular arena. The admission
fee is separate…”
“Yes. Okay. You can go now.”
“Thank you.”
When the guy disappeared, I saw Cho Hyejin with a disbelieving

expression.
“Did you see?”
“…”
“There is nothing that cannot be bought. Experience can also be bought

with money here. The same goes for illegal experiences.”
“…”
“Is there anything you usually want to do, anything that you have only
pictured in your head? I’ll pay the money here, so why don’t you look it
up?”
“You…”
“I’m only kidding. Relax.”
Whatever she would want, it would probably exist here.
I continued to step forward, ignoring her, and I saw the circular arena,
just as the guide said. It was bigger than I had initially thought.
It was almost as if the former Colosseum had been moved underground.
I could see some people waiting to enter, while others talked to each
other. As soon as we gave out the gold we had prepared, one of the
guides nodded and directed us.
“To the VIP.”
“Additional charge is applied.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Alright, then.”
“Is the game about to start?”
“We’re on a break. The next match is scheduled to start in 5 minutes.”
“Okay.”
After the guide left, Cho Hyejin immediately opened her mouth,
curiosity evident on her face.
“Haruka-nim, what game?”
“Well… Didn’t I say it was the irst time I came here? If it were a game
with large monsters, it would be obvious what kind of game it would
be.”
“Do you mean that this is a hunting game of some sort?”
“I don’t think it’s something boring… Do you think the people gathered
here just because they wanted to see an adventurer beating monsters?”
“Then…”
“You’ll see.”
As soon as I inished speaking, a voice resonated within the arena,

signaling the event’s start. Though no one screamed outright as they
had to maintain their appearances, a few of them had settled for
applauding.
Among them, the one that stood out was the woman we had seen
earlier. It felt like she was looking our way, so I averted my gaze.
‘I must not give her any attention.’
As I lowered my head, a large monster soon entered the arena.
‘So big… ’
I couldn’t even express it in words. The monster’s head was similar to

that of a lizard, but it had six legs. It was drooling at the corner of its
mouth, and its scream was so loud that it hurt my ears. The audience,
who had been quiet at irst, also began to cheer as they saw it.
Of course, someone else appeared on the other side. They were

probably the humans who would have to deal with that monster. They
were about thirty.
These were ordinary people who would face monsters without even
having basic equipment. I could also tell that these people were of
different races, and therefore had no product value.
The beautiful elves, perhaps re lecting the tastes of various audiences,

stood out.
Naturally, I looked at them through their status window, and of course,

their stats were terrible. Those who had signs of ighting among them
could be noticed, but of course, this wasn’t enough to deal with such a
monster. They were de initely going to face their deaths soon.
After the chains holding the monster were broken, the monster rushed
toward these thirty humans instantly. The said humans, who had all lost
the will to ight before the match even started, began to scatter, leeing
through the arena.
Voices erupted from everywhere.

“Hold on!”
“I told you to hold on a little more!”
‘Are they even betting?’
The appearance of a monster crushing humans like a ish in the water

looked so ridiculous that sudden uncontrollable laughter came out of
me.
Blood spurted out continuously, but there were no people in this place
who cared about them.
“Kie-e-e-e-ee!”
“H-Help me!”
“Help me! Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Their gruesome drama was unfolding, but those present here would
not be interested in their documentaries. In fact, everyone would see
this as a form of entertainment.
As I found the scene quite gruesome, it appeared that I was not yet as
rotten as these people. Seeing that more than half of the humans had
already died, I began to feel uncomfortable.
‘Tut-tut.’
Since I was feeling this way, Cho Hyejin should be even worse. She
frowned at what we just saw at the slave market. I turned to look at her.
‘Is it too strong?’
I could see rage shining from deep in her pupils. Blood dripped down
from her lips from her incessant biting, as well as from her clenched
ists.
‘I think she will do something.’
“You can’t make a fuss here…”
“I know.”
“You can’t.”
“I… know.”
I knew she was not registering what I was saying. I began to feel
anxious about what she might do next. When I went to hold her hand, I
could feel her trembling.
In the meantime, the screaming continued. Now, only ive humans

remained in the stadium.
“H-Help me.”
“Please help me!”
“Please! Someone… Somebody help!”
“I don’t want to die… Sniff…”
“I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die here like this… Please… Please…”
The victims’ begging were hopelessly drowned out amidst the shouts of
the insane audience. However, it seemed as if Cho Hyejin could hear
them clearly.
‘Son of a… Fuck… ’
My anxiety spiked at the possibility of her running out. If that
happened, it could escalate to a situation that even I would not be able
to handle.
I saw Cho Hyejin getting up slowly, and I held her hand tightly once
again, but in the eyes of Castle Rock’s Stubborn Woman of Principle, I
seemed to be invisible.
‘Was the provocation too much?’
“Don’t do anything crazy.”
“I know.”
“If you jump in, I’ll die too.”
“…”
“Do you still want to save them?”
It was a little too soon, but it was only right that I did it now.
“Think harder. How do you think you can save them?”
The correct answer had already been decided. What was important
now was if the answer would come out of her mouth or not.
I stared up at her for a long time, waiting for her to respond to my

question.
After what seemed like forever, Cho Hyejin inally spoke.
“I…”
“…”
“I will buy them.”
CHAPTER 164
I had to admit that her learning ability was better than I thought. If one
were to look at this place, the reality would be much faster to accept.
As soon as I raised my hand, the other mercenaries came into the

amphitheater in no time.
Several humans with shields approached the survivors while casting

spells on the monster.
Some people in the stadium wrinkled their faces in the sudden

situation, but some were interested in the change. Arrows and magic
were gradually embedded within the monster’s body. Of course, it was
natural that some got injured in the process.
It seemed that they had to go overboard on this a little to save the item I
was buying.
In the end, however, the monster who had torn and killed humans soon
stopped moving.
I thought they would inish stunning it, but it seemed like there was no
way to stop the enraged guy except by killing it. There was no use
crying over spilled milk, however.
‘I guess I’m going to have to pay for that, too.’

Not only that, I feel like I’ll have to pay to treat the injured.
Unlike me, who worried about useless things, Cho Hyejin muttered
quietly as she continued to watch. I could tell what she was thinking.
“Like this…”
She wouldn’t have imagined it would be solved so simply.
“Like this…”
She wouldn’t have expected it could be ended so easily.
While she muttered to herself, various voices popped out from the
stands.
“Kill it!”
“What are you doing! Kill it!”
“You think I’m paying to see something like this?!”
“Kill it! Kill it!”
‘I think I’m going to lose some money.’
However, it wasn’t such a bad end.
“Simple, right?”
“…”
“I’m saying that it’s just like that. It wasn’t this simple to solve because
we’re in this place, Yuka. The problem was solved easily because I have
purchasing power. Not only here, but also out there. Most of the
problems around us can be solved with these shiny objects.”
“This…”
“Perhaps Yuka can’t afford to pay for that, so I will lend you the money. I
think it will be more expensive than I irst thought.”
“…”
“I have one condition, however… that you become my friend.”
Cho Hyejin didn’t dare open her mouth. She just looked at me quietly.
Of course, one of the guides started approaching us. Probably, he was

calculating what just happened.
“How would you like to pay?”
“How much is it, exactly?”
“The cost of the surviving slaves is 50 gold each for four people. One is a
different species. An elf will be up to 500 gold…”
“No problem.”
“The cost of a dead monster is 10,000 gold.”
“Good.”
Monsters were worth a lot more than dead slaves.
I had expected this, but for Cho Hyejin, I could see that she wasn’t
convinced as she looked at the guide, who had brought the slip with a
blank expression.
“Also, the cost of the mercenaries invested in the rescue is 600 gold. Oh,
the price includes treatment for the injured.”
“Okay.”
“The total admission fee for the audience in the stadium is 40,000 gold.
In addition, the damage compensation amount is 20,000 gold, and the
base cost is 50,000 gold. This will be a total of 121,250 gold.”
‘Ah, it is more expensive than I thought.’
However, I would still be able to pay for it. Though it was a tremendous
price, I knew Yuno Kasugano would end up paying it for me.
‘I’m sorry, Yuno.’
Even for a large guild, it didn’t feel good that this much money went out
at once. It would only be right for me to pay her back someday. For that,
I needed to write her a letter.
“I will take the payment slip.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“I’m sorry for these 3333 sudden events.”
“It’s okay.”
“I am a lover of different races, and it hurts to see the elf dying. Elves
aren’t born to die. I haven’t heard in advance that there were elves on
the prey side… Doesn’t the original vendor provide advance
information about the show?”
“Oh, we’re sorry, sir…”
“I think it would be okay to make a brochure. Tut-tut.”
“Well, I can’t call this to be an apology, but I’ll provide you with some of
the remaining elven slaves.”
When I looked at Cho Hyejin slightly, I saw her slowly nodding her head.
It would be strange to refuse to get the elves for free when we could
free them from pain.
“Hmm. Alright. I hope they are those who have even a little combat
ability. Oh, I don’t want elves that are too educated. If you were serious
earlier about apologizing, you’d better show your sincerity. I also want
to keep a good relationship with this place.”
“Yes. You don’t have to worry. Our company always acts only for your
satisfaction. When are you going?”
“I will go after looking around for a bit. I’m not really in a good mood.”
“We apologize once again for our inexperienced management of a

company.”
“It’s ine. I can understand. Then, we’ll be going.”
“There are a lot of good elves in the central auction house today… If you
are interested…”
To be doing business at such timing, this guy had some nerves.
“Are there any special items besides that?
“A variety of items will be auctioned, including a monster egg and

heroic-grade items. There will also be various artworks that are not
available anymore…”
“I’m not interested in art, but… Hmm, did you say that a monster egg is
coming out?”
“Yes. They say it is a special item that was very dif icult to obtain.”
“Although it is interesting… Unfortunately, we’ll stop by at the central
auction house next time.”
I didn’t know what kind of egg it was for the central auction house to be
selling, but it was better to get out of here right now.
If we spent more time here, I might have to spend more than what I
could afford. Cho Hyejin seemed to want to leave as soon as possible,
anyway.
Seeing her not saying anything until she got up from her chair and went
out of the circular arena, she must’ve been really shocked. The
provocation was too strong for an innocent person.
“What?”
“The value of those who have just died is only 50 gold. Only… Only… 50
gold…”
“To be honest, it was more expensive than I thought. I guess that’s not
like that to Yuka.”
“That damn monster cost 10,000 gold.”
“Don’t you think it’s a reasonable price? I heard that it is dif icult to
capture that kind of monster… Of course, it will be more dif icult to
manage. It is quite natural for them to be of higher value than humans
assigned to be food; this is natural from their perspective. If you
disassemble the corpse of that monster right away, the price of the
things that can be used as catalysts will be over a few hundreds of gold.”
“I’m still not convinced.”

“No one cares about whether or not our Yuka is convinced. The only
thing that matters is the fact that monsters are more expensive.”
“You…”
“I’m not saying what I think; I’m telling you a fact. It is not me who set
the price; it’s them. You’re free to get drenched in your emotions, but I
think it’s time to wake up to reality… Or are you a little more naı̈ve than
I thought? You’ve seen it with your own eyes. Isn’t that what you would
call injustice?”
“I… understand, too… I de initely understand, but…”
“Is it not convincing?”
“Let’s… just say so.”
At this, Cho Hyejin closed her mouth, looking deep in thought. At this
point, I knew it would be ine to end the conversation. Just the fact that
she was thinking was a good thing altogether.
I had come this far. It felt embarrassing just to leave. I went inside again
and looked around slowly, but the other features didn’t seem like they
would provoke her much. Of course, she would show a shuddering
reaction, but that would be all. It seemed that the scene she saw in the
amphitheater would not be leaving her mind.
Eventually, we ended up heading outside, where a wagon waited for us.

Several elves looked our way, trembling, but I had no particular interest
in them.
‘Five people.’
Although the numbers were small for those who said they would take
care of me, their condition didn’t look bad. The restraints completely
constrained them, and there was a feeling of fear rather than hostility in
the eyes looking at me.
“They’re ine.”
“This is sincerely for customer satisfaction.”
“I am de initely satis ied. I shall visit again next time.”
“That is noted. Please do have a comfortable trip back.”
“Ah. Those elves can be loaded onto the wagon.”
“Alright.”
After getting on the carriage with Cho Hyejin, the elves with trembling
ears began to enter as well. When the carriage door closed, I could see
Cho Hyejin carefully reaching out for one of them.
“Kyaak!”
I cringed at the sound.
From their perspective, Cho Hyejin would not be seen as a brave knight
who saved her, but a crazy human.
Cho Hyejin quietly spoke up as she watched the ive people shaking
together. I realized she was talking to me, not to them.
“What do you… plan to do with them in the future?”
“Well… In fact, one can be said to be yours… I need to think about it. I
don’t think it’s good to go with them to the Yeongju Tower or release
them in a reasonable place. I must ind a place where they can be safely
stored. Perhaps it makes the most sense to send them to Blue.”
“You are not going to release them?”
“Even if I release them right now, it doesn’t change much. Soon after,
they’ll be caught again, and they’ll be humiliated in the same way once
again. Do you think elves, who can’t do anything, will ind their forest?”
“…”
“For now, I have something important to do, so it’s impossible right

now. I will take them to the Elven Kingdom when I have something to
do there. It wouldn’t be bad to visit once the work is done.”
“That’s… a relief.”
“I’m not as bad as you thought, right?”
“I don’t want to answer that.”
“I will take that silence as a positive sign.”
“Why did you bring me here?”
“You needed to understand. You needed to see the result.”
“The result… What do you mean?”
“Yes. The result. The result of your judgment and the results you see
now. The difference between what you previously did at Castle Rock
and what you did today. Think for yourself which one is the right
solution, Hyejin-ssi.”
“That’s…”
“It was me who saved them, but it was you, too. Your right choice saved
them.”
“I don’t necessarily think so…”
“The results you see are different, but… If you say you don’t think so,
then I’ll respect that.”
Cho Hyejin shut her mouth at this. She seemed to be in denial about it,
but it didn’t matter at this point. What mattered was that I was able to
get my thoughts through to her.
By nature, bonds could not be formed in a short period. A bond was

formed only when each other’s values and ideas were exchanged and
accumulated over a long time and when they can understand each
other.
Personally, I didn’t think I was going to be in luenced by her stupid

ideas, but I at least had to show that I understood her. I was not hoping
for something dramatic. I just needed to understand her for her to
understand me.
For now, this was enough.
“I don’t necessarily think so… but… About today… Thank you, Vice Guild
Master.”
‘As expected, I’m right.’
There was nothing that money could not buy.

CHAPTER 165
MONSTER WAVE (1)
“For now, you will be heading to the Free City of Lindel. If you stay in
our guild, I will de initely send you back to your hometown later on.”
“R-Really? Just in case…”
“You don’t have to worry. I wouldn’t have used this complicated method
in the irst place if I was just going to harm or de ile you.”
“Ah…”
“I wouldn’t have saved you from monsters in exchange for a huge loss.
As soon as you go to Lindel, you will receive a new ID, and you will be
acting as a Blue guest. As long as you do not go outside the city, you are
free to go out, and no humans will harm you. Of course, if you are afraid
to go outside, you can only stay within the Guild House.”
“Thank you.”
“You should thank Cho Hyejin here rather than me. She was the one
who wanted to save you.”
“Ah! It’s only for a short time, but thank you so much for taking care of
us…”
“You will de initely be able to go back home. I promise.”
“Sniff…”
As the elves cried together, Cho Hyejin busied herself with comforting
them. It looked like a beautiful scene overall.
The reality of having to return 120,000 gold worth of elves to their

hometown for free felt heartbreaking, but right now, this is better.
They weren’t useful anyway. Although their stats weren’t bad, their
talent levels would not be enough to nurture them into adventurers.
They were meant to be normal villagers.
This was a case where if they have no luck, they would again be caught
by a hunter while trying to lead a normal life. It would be better to
return them as fast as possible.
This was because the news that I had obtained ive elven slaves would
come to Yuno Kasugano.
For her, who still called me Master, that would lead to inevitable
conclusions. I had to make sure I sent them out as soon as possible
because she had just sent a letter, making a fuss about coming to Castle
Rock herself.
As I mulled this over, the elves looked at me warily. They must still be
worried about whether they were being sold elsewhere, but they would
understand me as soon as they arrived in Lindel safely.
“I’m telling you just in case, but it would be better not to get out of the
wagon until you arrive. It’s not dangerous inside the wagon with the
guild insignia, but outside it will be.”
“Yes. We will keep this in mind, dear benefactor.”
“Well, it’s embarrassing to call me a benefactor. Rather, I feel sorry that I

can save only you. On behalf of all human beings, I apologize.”
“A-Ah, but in case…”

“Yes. If I see another elf, I will try to help them as much as I can.”
“Thank you.”
“Then, let’s get on.”
As the elves got into the carriage, they bid me goodbye. Cho Hyejin
fussed over them one last time before she stepped back. She seemed a
little bit relieved.
“Are you relieved?”
“I’m not.”
“Have you grown attached to them in the meantime?”
“Yes. Though it was only a short time… I must’ve grown attached to

them.”
“As a human being, you did everything. Not only did you save them, but
you’ll also hide them in a luxury inn and take responsibility for them in
Blue, so I think you did more than that.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Vice Guild Master.”
“To be precise, it was you who showed kindness. Anyway, if you save
the elves, you might get something in return.”
“…”
Her fed up expression was highly evident in my eyes. To be fair, it wasn’t

exactly what I wanted to do, but it wasn’t a bad idea overall. There was
nothing bad about having elves feeling indebted to us, as their gratitude
for us was immense. I didn’t know when that would happen, but it was
good to have them in our debt, just in case.
“Then let’s go get something to eat.”
Of course, I wasn’t being nice just with the elves. I had conversations
with Cho Hyejin several times and succeeded in getting closer to her to
some extent.
She hadn’t changed as extremely as Sun Hee-young or Jung Hayan, but

she was slowly starting to understand me. Of course, I was also in a
situation where I had to understand her. Cho Hyejin might’ve thought
about becoming closer, but I felt like she had decided to draw a line.
It seemed a little dif icult to make me look more favorable to her than a
certain level because she was not included in what the system
categorized as dangerous or crazy women.
The most important thing was that I had gotten through to her.
We still had a long way to go, but at least the worst was over. The proof
was that, even though we kept hanging out together like this, she no
longer felt any other discomfort.
‘It’s enough just by being friends.’
I much rather preferred this kind of relationship, anyway. Aside from

that, I was sure I wasn’t her ideal type of guy at all.
“So… Have you thought about it?”
“About what?”
“You know what I’m talking about. We need to take care of this quickly
before a new victim emerges.”
“I’m not sure about that.”

“What?”
“Ah. Of course, it doesn’t mean I don’t intend to punish them. They have
to be handled by the law. I have believed in that so far, and I still think
like that, but…”
“You don’t know if you’ll be able to handle it well. Is that what you’re
thinking?”
“It’s embarrassing, but it is. Even if you inform the others about this,
there is no guarantee that we will not get the same outcome as before.”
“Perhaps Hyejin is right. If you move blindly without having the right
evidence, it will certainly be the same.”
Though she was not overly friendly with me, we had progressed enough
to address each other’s concerns. Even the smallest change helped.
While we continued to walk, Cho Hyejin continuously participated in

the conversation. This was good. It was an opportunity to let her know
that one’s way of life was diverse.
“Are you abandoning your compassion for your precious colleagues

from the tutorial?”
“Now, I don’t want to forgive them.”
Her standpoint on this had changed as well, which was only natural.
“I don’t think they did something wrong, but… It was a bit confusing
because they were very different from what I imagined. No, I doubt that
the people I knew are even involved in that.”
“The environment changes humans. Neither my friends on Earth nor

Hyejin’s friends would think we have committed murder. Well, it was
self-defense, but your hands are indeed dirty. They just throw away one
of their possessions to go up. Even if they don’t know that the elves or
monsters they’ve caught are being used for that purpose, the sins they
commit will not disappear.”
“Vice Guild Master is right. It is not the right thing to do; it is only right
to be punished. I’m talking about that method. It looks like the Vice
Guild Master has a plan in mind, but…”
“Yes. I like solving things personally.”
“I’ve also been thinking about it, but I started thinking about whether it
was right for an individual to punish another individual. Do we really
have the right to punish them?”
“Why wouldn’t we have? They, including the Little Rock, wielded their
power and achieved its corresponding results. An eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth is still my favorite proverb. If you commit a crime, you
are punished. That’s all. Having many thoughts is good, but drowning in
them is not. Think it over. What do you want to do, Hyejin?”
I could see Cho Hyejin looking at me quietly. I didn’t respond, but the
answer was ixed.
‘That’s right… Of course, you’d think so, too.’
If she could, she would kill all the guys in that disgusting place.
These conversations were annoying to handle, but they were helpful

enough. It was not about being stubborn. It was a process of constantly
exchanging values we each had.
She unknowingly accepted some of my values, like the one where

money could solve most problems, and thus had been in luenced little
by little after that.
Of course, I also had a lot of thoughts about her words. My relationship
with Cho Hyejin was a little different from my relationship with Lee
Jihye.
Black Swan’s Lee Jihye and I were called soul mates by the system
because we had almost the same way of behavior and values. Of course,
there was a synergy effect that came out of it. It was almost certain that
our ef iciency will more than double.
Cho Hyejin was completely different from Lee Jihye. She was a person
who could hinder my ef iciency, but she certainly made me think a lot. A
different type of synergy emerges whenever one’s opinions and values
differ from another’s.
‘This is called harmony.’
Of course, this was a little more advantageous to me. I didn’t want Cho
Hyejin to block me and become a wall.
In comparison to a car, she was a brake and a black box. She was
someone who could block accidents in advance and take care of me
even after an accident.
In short, she was someone I could control.
Even after Kim Hyunsung’s kingdom expand and become huge, she, as
my friend, will be the brake on the other side whenever I want.
To really move the way I want, I had to decide who would be the person
on the other side.
‘I’m looking forward to working with you, Hyejin.’
She and I would last long.
“I also think the same as you, Vice Guild Master.”

“Since society doesn’t solve it, the individual should move. That is the
irst step of a revolution.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I’m telling you that it won’t end by just pushing them away. Crime
doesn’t go away, anyway.”
“What…”
“It is impossible to create a perfect society. I haven’t been living for

many years, but I do think that. Wherever humans live, sin always
follows. Even if the Little Rock and that place disappear, a second Little
Rock and amphitheater will eventually be created. If you destroy them,
a third Little Rock and amphitheater will be created. There is demand,
so there is also a supply.”
“You’re saying…”
“I will control the ills of society.”
“That’s a dangerous idea…”
“It’s better than just looking and do nothing. After pushing away the
existing one, I will build a tower on top of it once again. The same is
true for Lindel and Castle Rock.”
“How?”
“I do not know. How would it be?”
“Are you thinking of buying the whole place?”
I couldn’t even imagine that she would tell me to buy it. Laughter burst
out of me.
“No. I intend to push it all at once. I will push away all of them without
leaving a weed.”
Of course, this would also work in my favor.
After I inished speaking, I noticed Cho Hyejin was looking at me with

an expression of mixed feelings. Perhaps she was thinking about
everything I had done and said.
Perhaps she even thought about not stopping me. It was because the
sight she saw was very shocking for her to stop me simply with
humanity. She might even be wishing to act by my side.
The question is, how could I, who had no power, push all of this away?
Although Cho Hyejin seemed to be feeling doubts, it was not impossible

if the situation helped.
‘The monster wave will also happen soon… ’
Unfortunately, I did not know the location of that place. After all, Cho
Hyejin and I had been blindfolded all the way to the black market, so we
did not know where it was.
However, I knew exactly who did.
It would be someone who had been tracking my location from start to

inish.
‘Hayan, you must know it, right?’
Being stalked by the Archmage was more helpful than one would think.
CHAPTER 166
MONSTER WAVE (2)
‘Am I right, Hayan?’
Actually, I was worried about the possibility of the guards discovering a

location tracker’s presence on me. However, I knew there was a good
chance that it would stay hidden. After all, the magic used was of a type
that even Hwang Jeong-yeon, someone considered as a high-ranking
wizard, could not notice properly.
Using catalysts to track locations was also a magical idea that hadn’t yet
appeared on the continent. Jung Hayan’s tactics had slowly become
more sophisticated over time. It would indeed be dif icult to notice the
magic on me unless another Archmage was in the vicinity.
Although we went through an unknown location where one’s magic

might stop working, I think that the location tracker would not have
stopped its function. This was the whole reason why I waited for Jung
Hayan.
Of course, the information that Kim Hyunsung would bring would also
be expected. The puzzle I had been solving this entire time would soon
be inished. The whole reason why I couldn’t complete it by myself was
that I couldn’t it the last piece in.
Those who were each bringing a piece of the puzzle hadn’t yet returned
from their expedition, so there was nothing I could do right now.
‘When are you coming back, guys?’

The big event about to unleash onto the city would be a golden
opportunity for a person like me to move easily. Waiting for it proved to
be a hard feat, given by impatience.
Honestly, it was also because I had nothing to do at the moment. I either

spent time with Marlin Young-ae and Cho Hyejin or busied myself with
managing the guilds and clans that had agreed to sign a contract with
me.
Of course, I didn’t forget to manage each key character continuously.
The representative one was Song Jungwook of Little Rock. The man in
question still seemed to love pestering Marlin, but his anxiety about
things not going as planned was evident.
I knew I should sort this out after seeing this. Though Jungwook was
loyal to me now, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t backstab me
when it came to Marlin Young-ae.
Though he had sworn his allegiance, it would not be strange for him to
betray me when the right time came, given his characteristic.
‘Even if it were me, I would want to do that… ’
It seemed that I was the biggest obstacle in his plans to become a noble.
Of course, even if I were not in the way, there was no guarantee that
Marlin Young-ae would choose him, but…
‘It’s not something I should care about.’
Unlike Marlin Young-ae, Song Jungwook’s value was slowly decreasing

over time. Once I had taken everything I needed, I would drop him
immediately.
‘There’s the thing with Hyejin, too.’

Spending my time with Jungwook was proving to be wasteful at this
point.
Besides that, in my spare time, I exchanged letters with the Strategic

Planning Teams of Blue and discussed Castle Rock’s defense system and
siege battles, and I didn’t stop talking with Cho Hyejin about this topic.
It was also an opportunity for me to learn battle tactics from her.
In any case, I tried to organize and calculate the status of Castle Rock’s
troops while considering the appearance of raid monsters, and it was a
simple everyday routine where I was constantly checking goods and
supplies.
It was around this time that Kim Hyunsung returned to Castle Rock
with our party members.
“Lee Kiyoung-nim! Kim Hyunsung-nim just came back.”
“Yes. Thank you so much for coming to tell me, Marlin Young-ae.”
“N-No. It is only natural for me to do so.”
“Then I’ll be heading out for a while.”
“Okay.”
For others, they were just coming after hunting as usual, but this meant
a lot to me. Kim Hyunsung’s return meant that the changes would make
themselves known soon.
‘Good. Good.’
With these in mind, I headed out to meet the rest of my party members.
Jung Hayan automatically ran towards me, and Park Deokgu greeted me
with a wave of his hand. Kim Ye-ri, Sun Hee-young, and Hwang Jeong-
yeon de initely looked tired.
With this, I was able to realize that everyone had experienced a very
tough schedule.
“Oppa!”
“Ah, Hayan. How have you been?”
“I’ve been doing well!”
“Did something special happen during the expedition?”
“Well, I don’t know if it should be called anything special or not, but I

guess what our Hyung-ssi said last time is true.”
“What he said?”
“You know, about a monster wave or something.”
‘As expected, you brought in the information I needed.’
“Is it true, what Deokgu said?”
“Yes, Kiyoung-ssi. It would be nice to tell the details later.”
“Ah, so it is true…”
“Yes. It has been dif icult to make accurate judgments, but I could get
some strands with this expedition. First of all, it would be nice to meet
with Count Castle Rock. As soon as I get back, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to
head to the of ice irst. Perhaps…”
“Yes. I will join you in a little while.”
“Okay.”
A whole meeting would ensue later on. For now, it would be nice to
have a casual conversation with Jung Hayan.
“Come with me for a minute, Hayan.”
“Ah… Okay!”
“I’m sorry to do this as soon as you came, but I have to ask for Hee-
young-ssi and Jeong-yeon-ssi to check the supplies and place an order
for items to be requested separately from Lindel. Hyejin must know.”
“Yes, Kiyoung-ssi.”
As soon as they left, Jung Hayan went to follow me. I didn’t know what
she was thinking, but she seemed to be in a good mood. As she went to
hold my hand, I smiled.
‘How can I talk to her about it?’
As of now, Jung Hayan was not aware that I knew about her secret. It
would not be good if she tried to hide it, so I had to approach her as
positively as possible. When I opened the door to my room, she started
to smile like a kid receiving her Christmas present.
Her face had reddened as if she had been expecting something.
“Come in.”
“Yes, Oppa.”
At this, Hayan came in, shutting the door with a click.
‘Why is she locking the door?’
I didn’t know what she was thinking, yet I still went to sit down,
gesturing for her to sit beside me.
“W-Why did you call me?”
“I have a question.”
“Ah. A-A question?”
“Yes. It’s actually no big deal. By any chance…”
“Yes?”
“Are you hiding anything from me?”
“Huh? Of course not, Oppa. What’re you talking about?”
It felt disturbing to see her lying to me so con idently. Now would be the
right time to talk to her a little more directly.
“I’m asking because it’s about something absolutely necessary. Hayan,

do you know where I went the day you left for the expedition?”
“I’m sorry?”
“The day the party members left for the expedition, you know where I
went. Am I right?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. How would I…”
“I’m not trying to blame you, Hayan. You know that.”
“W-Well. I don’t…”
As she spoke, Hayan averted my gaze, her con ident façade now torn
apart. She really didn’t have a talent for lying now, did she?
“I know everything. You can speak comfortably. I’m not trying to

condemn you. I’m asking because it’s really necessary.”
“I-I’m not sure. R-Really…”
‘You’re so obvious… ’
It felt like we would get nowhere if this continued, so I decided to exert

a little more pressure.
“Hayan.”
“Ah… yes?”
“I hate people who lie the most.”
“Ah…”
“Everything else is ine, but I really hate people who lie.”
“T-That…”
Of course, seeing her shivering didn’t sit well with me at all. Tears had
even begun to pour out of her eyes, much like a child who had gotten
caught lying by his mother.
“Hic.”
She even started to hiccup.
“Hic.”
I thought she would be a little scared, but her reaction was a little
harsher than I thought.
“Hic.”
“You knew where I went, right?”

“…”
“I’ve known about your location-tracking magic for a long time now,
Hayan.”
“…”
“One. Two.”
“Yes…”
As soon as I gave a small threat, she had immediately admitted to it.

Though it hurt to see her crying, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t ind her
reaction fun.
Although I wanted to make fun of her a little more, I had to get this over
with. At this, I began to stroke her hair.
“I’m not angry, so don’t worry. I didn’t like it a little at irst, but I know
that Hayan did all of this while thinking of me. Am I right?”
“Of course, Oppa…”
“You put that spell in case it would become dangerous for me, right?”
“Ah, yes, I also did it because of that…”
“You did it because you were worried that I would be attacked.”
“Yes. Y-You’re right.”
“Your method is a little wrong, but I know that Hayan did it thinking of
me, so I can understand.”
“Ah…”
‘It’s actually helpful and… ’
A location-tracker was the most reliable insurance for me, who was
continuously exposed to external threats at any time due to my poor
speci ications. Though there were some problems regarding personal
privacy, it more than made up for my safety.
“It’s okay, just don’t lie. Of course, this doesn’t mean that Hayan’s
actions were good… You know it wasn’t good, right?”
“Yes… Oppa, I…”
“I’m not trying to blame you. Stop crying.”
“Alright.”
“Good. Then, shall we look at the map together?”
“A-Ah, of course!”
I could see that she was de initely relieved, bouncing back immediately.
I didn’t know if it was due to her intelligence, but she seemed to have
realized that she could be of help to me now.
I even thought about whether I had done this correctly upon seeing her
so happy, but I also pinpointed that she was wrong, so the result wasn’t
bad overall.
Of course, I couldn’t guarantee that she wouldn’t lie again.
“Can you point it out with your inger?”
“I-I don’t know the exact location. I don’t know the geography of Castle
Rock.”
“It’s okay.”
“However, it is de initely about 500 meters to the left from this side…”
Even though she didn’t know the exact location, the fact that she had
managed to track down all the roads I had taken was creepy. Looking at
her so focused on inding the way with a smile even before her tears
had completely dried, I couldn’t help thinking that this was so like her.
‘She is really… ’
“This was a magic power freeze area. Still, that can’t block the magic I
put on Oppa. It’s stronger compared to before.”
“Ah… Yes…”
“This must be a closed space, but it’s strange. You de initely went this
way… And… After stopping here for a while, it seemed like you went
underground.”
“Don’t worry about the road that was blocked. Just keep pointing.”
“Ah. Alright.”
“Here, like this…”
“Yes.”
“Like this…”
“Yes.”
“It’s here!”
As soon as she inally pinpointed the exact location where we had gone,
I couldn’t help but smile.
‘The place is within the city.’

CHAPTER 167
MONSTER WAVE (3)
‘The place is within the city.’
This worked in my favor. It would make it a little easier for my work.
‘The western area, huh.’
Except for the fact that that was where the upper classes of Castle Rock
lived, there was nothing special about it. It was hard to imagine that
there was such a large site underground, but seeing that Jung Hayan
pointed this out with con idence, it seemed that I would not have to
worry about an error.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Alright. Thank you, Hayan.”
“Hehehe.”
‘I think it’ll be okay… ’
The location wasn’t bad. There were some things I was worried about,
but to be honest, it didn’t matter if the underground site ended up
getting swept away.
‘It’s also far away from Yeongju Tower… ’

Considering the fact that it was also on the opposite side of the church,
it really wouldn’t mean much if it disappeared off the map.
‘Not bad.’
Even as I mulled over my thoughts, Jung Hayan continued to stare at

me. Since I had this settled, it would be prudent for me to join the
meeting.
“Good job, Hayan.”
“Ah… It was no problem at all!”
“I’ll see you later.”
“Alright…”
I personally liked putting together puzzles. As one more piece it in, I

began to feel better. Anyway, even if I did not move, the situation in
Castle Rock would continue to change.
After praising Hayan and stroking her hair, I was immediately noti ied
of Count Castle Rock summoning all guild and clan masters in the
territory. This only made me smile.
I knew a situation similar to this would happen if this were the Holy
Empire. Although similar in its conscription, it was the free people’s
duty to ight for the empire as they themselves were living within its
borders.
‘It’s actually a very good situation.’
After all, it was Blue that had informed them of the impending danger. If
I had to explain it, it would mean that we were in a pretty good
situation even before the wave had started.
As I moved towards the conference room, I saw Count Castle Rock and
Kim Hyunsung talking. They both wore serious expressions, but this did
nothing to alleviate my happiness.
“Is that true?”
“Yes, it is. There are many similar situations already appearing in the
forest.”
“This hasn’t happened in decades…”
As soon as I snuck into their conversation, their eyes began to focus on

me.
“Normally, a threat sends a warning and doesn’t come. Then, at some

point, it suddenly comes in. I think we should prepare for it.”
My role was to support Kim Hyunsung’s opinion and have the others
believe in him.
Even if something suddenly happened, there would not be many people

to trust. Whatever would come out of the mouth of the Honorary
Bishop of the Holy Empire would be different.
At my open, trusting expression, Hyunsung nodded at me with an

expression of gratitude. Building up his courage, he began to talk once
more, looking every bit like the man I admired.
“I have already told you, but signs will continue to appear. We checked
it personally during our hunt. It is surprisingly similar to the signs that
occur in cities that receive monster waves.”
‘So we are indeed experiencing a wave.’
“It’s strangely quiet, and the ecology of most monsters is abnormal.”

“It certainly seems like that. It’s also suspicious that they are out of
their territory… First of all, it would be nice to have a meeting and come
up with measures.”
“If there is a countermeasure, there’s some data that have already been
organized.”
“Ah, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.”
“Of course, there may be a manual in case the situation breaks out in
Castle Rock, but we have something personally prepared. In fact, this is
because we received the news that abnormal signs appeared in the
monster forest even before we came to Castle Rock.”
“What? I haven’t heard of it…”
Of course, you wouldn’t have heard it. There was no news like that in
the irst place.
“It’s a rumor spreading secretly among free people… I understand that

you haven’t come across it, Count Castle Rock. As a free citizen, it’s a
little embarrassing to say, but… Many people do not like this situation.”
“I think I can understand what you’re talking about.”
“Yes. Despite living in the Holy Empire’s land, many claim only freedom
and do not take responsibility for their obligations and rights. Some
free people aren’t very happy with this situation of being drafted. ‘Why
should we ight for Castle Rock?’ There are certainly people who think
that.”
“…”
“Most of them are the ones who will run away if the wave suddenly
were to occur.”
What I just said was not a lie. I knew there would be people who would
try to lee. Count Castle Rock was no fool, so I knew he would
understand what I was talking about.
“We need to declare martial law right now to ensure people’s safety. It
is better not to end with convocation, but to organize troops and wait
for it on a war footing.”
‘So, the motherfuckers at the auction house can’t get out. Them and
their money.’
Besides, the motherfuckers who would try to run away at this

opportunity should also be properly stopped.
“I am worried that it may create anxiety for permanent residents, but…

This makes sense.”
“Feeling anxious is normal. It’d be worrying if they didn’t feel nervous

at all.”
Before I even inished speaking, other people had started to enter the
conference room. These were all faces that I had seen at least once, due
to Song Jungwook’s introduction of them.
It looked like Count Castle Rock didn’t like them, however, and if one
were to think about what I had just said before, then the reason why
would be understandable.
“You can sit down.”
“Yes, Count.”
“It’s been a long time, Count Castle Rock.”
“Hem.”
Although they greeted him one by one, this was, by no means, a social
intervention.
The guild masters and clan masters all sat down with a puzzled look.
Song Jungwook started looking at me as if asking what was going on.
He looked funny, looking as if he could get something out of this.
As the Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire, he may already know that I
was close to Count Castle Rock, so he, who had maintained a close
relationship with me, felt that he was safe, no matter what would
happen.
‘He’s cute.’
I couldn’t tell if he was quick-witted or not. He knew that the case had
happened, but he didn’t seem to think about how his treatment will
change.
I sat in a nearby seat next to Kim Hyunsung, and after a while, Count
Castle Rock began to speak. I already knew what this would be about,
but not what he would say in detail. Whatever the choice, Count Castle
Rock was free, but I knew that Marlin Young-ae’s father, who now stood
in front of me, would respect me to some extent.
‘Right?’
Once the meeting of the day was over, after telling that a monster wave
would be happening, there would surely be an expedition, a trip, or
some guys choosing to lee from Castle Rock.
It was unacceptable even for the Count, who must protect the resident
people. It would be reasonable to accept my opinion in many ways.
“From now on, Castle Rock will enter on a war footing.”

‘Nice.’
“I think there will be a monster wave within the next month. While
requesting assistance from other cities, after blocking the exit, I will
integrate the forces of the free men in Castle Rock with the forces of
Yeongju Tower.”
“What…”
Everyone’s expressions had gone blank. In such a sudden situation,

some of the faces began to crumble.
“A monster wave will occur?”
“That’s… Where did this information come from?”
It was Kim Hyunsung who answered that bullshit.
“This is the information we have managed to investigate during our

stay.”
“A-Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’ll tell you again later in the brie ing. We are sure about this fact.”
As soon as our returner stopped speaking, panicked voices began to ill

up the room. In lieu of such a terrifying situation, it was natural for
these people to feel anxious. Even hearing about Count Castle Rock’s
plan seemed to do nothing but heighten their panic.
‘Tut-tut.’
I thought something would come out of dissatisfaction, but Count Castle

Rock’s attitude was much stronger than expected, and all the guild
masters here didn’t dare say anything.
It was at this time that Song Jungwook, of the Little Rock, quietly
opened his mouth.
“Count Castle Rock.”
“What is it, Little Rock Guild Master?”
“It makes sense to say that you’ll be on a war footing and that you’ll
declare martial law… but incorporating us with the Yeongju Tower
forces in order to ight, that’s…”
“Is there a problem?”
“Perhaps it won’t work properly. In the irst place, it is stated that the
guilds and clans act as independent units in the event of a dangerous
situation similar to that of war under imperial law. This same rule is
also applied in Yeongju Tower…”
“No. To be precise, imperial law states that the troops’ organization can
be changed at the Supreme Commander’s discretion. There is nothing
wrong with imperial law.”
“But…”
Other voices began to pop out from everywhere.
“When it comes to the discretion of the Supreme Commander, I would

like you to consider the choice you just made. We, too, are aware that
we, as free people in Castle Rock, must join the threats that come, but…
Perhaps…”
“It seemed that a lot of ighting would happen with the Knights of
Yeongju Tower. Do you mean for this to happen?”
“I don’t mean that. I was just telling you that free people have their own
way. Please make a more rational choice.”
“About the free people’s way… I don’t know what you’re talking about.
What is the free people’s way? Is it the free people’s way to put the
imperialists at the forefront and only survive?”
“No, Count. At least I think that it should be a free citizen that should
command the free people…”
“So, the Little Rock Master will use his own troops. This is what you
mean.”
“No…”
“If not, what is it, Little Rock Guild Master? I am not stupid. I know why
you are staying in Castle Rock, and I know why you want an
independent unit. I know you would hate to give your life for this place.”
“I never mean that. But the situation…”
It felt like neither of them would yield. This was not a helpful image for
both. It was imperative that free people and imperialists maintain a
peaceful symbol of friendship.
From the Count’s perspective, he might think that this was a temporary
dispute, but this would de initely create a rift in the future.
‘Their relationship might break at some point.’
Even if I didn’t like it, I had to ind some agreement. It was then that an
unexpected response came out of Count Castle Rock’s mouth.
“If you think so, then I’ll leave it to Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.”
‘That’s it!’
Of course, it was not a good thing for the free people living in Castle
Rock. I was just a guest, after all. As expected, I could see some of the
guild masters opening their mouths to protest.
“But Lee Kiyoung is not even from Castle Rock.”
“It’s the maximum concession that I can make.”
“I think that would be nice, too.”
What was a little surprising was that Song Jungwook had agreed with
the Count’s decision. He was now looking at me, smiling.
He seemed to think that I would take his side in this discussion.
‘No matter how much you beg, you’ll be at the forefront, Jungwook.’
That had already been decided since the start.

CHAPTER 168
MONSTER WAVE (4)
‘No matter how much you beg, you’ll be at the forefront, Jungwook.’
I could understand his thoughts. Of course, there was a difference

between ighting and being commanded while being incorporated into
a separate command unit.
He wanted to keep his guild intact. No, to be clearer, this in itself was
already a matter of survival. This was con irmed when he had agreed
with the Count. It seemed that if he sided with me, I would hand over a
suitable position for Little Rock.
Perhaps…
‘He probably wants to be placed in the rear.’
Count Castle Rock had made up his mind, anyway. The entire Castle
Rock estate was turned into a war footing, and martial law was
declared to block the free people from leeing the city.
He already knew that the Count would not give way. If he said that he
was at the top of the command system, it might give a sense of
incongruity. However, standing in the position of Honorary Bishop,
things would be a little different.
I had a plausible position as a free citizen, and the position of Honorary

Bishop received by the Pope’s side was enough to grant me the needed
authority.
Choosing me as the person to be the shield of Little Rock was a great
choice, but not grasping my intentions was the worst mistake he could
have ever made. It seemed like he still thought that I cared about him;
seeing him desperately agreeing was kind of fun.
Naturally, some of the other guilds began to support his opinion.
“It is said that guilds and clans can operate independently, but… we
need to be on a war footing anyway. The Count’s words seem to make
sense. Although Lee Kiyoung is not from Castle Rock, isn’t he from the
Holy Empire just like us?”
“Hmm…”
“I don’t think it’s a bad decision.”
“In fact, it’s not that we didn’t think…”
Sensing an opportunity for escape, others began to agree with the

Count’s proposed notion.
“I think Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung should lead this…”
As some guilds began cooperating, the other existing guilds and clans
who wanted to receive bene its also began cooperating. They
instinctively understood that they could get something out of this.
Instantly, the public opinion that ‘this was a bad choice’ changed.
Seeing them wagging their tails as if this was their chance was
ridiculous. It was like seeing domesticated dogs beg for their treats.
‘The Count made the right choice.’
Coercive dealing with free people would help solve the crisis right now,
but it was not a smart way if one were to consider the future.
Compromising on the right line was an obvious step in the irst place.
Choosing me as a connection point to connect him and the free people
was a good idea for both him and me.
‘It’s reasonable.’
This was a situation where none of the free people in Castle Rock could
be trusted.
I didn’t know if it was because of Marlin Young-ae or because of his

heartbreaking attitude to Castle Rock, but it seemed like the Count had
placed his trust in me.
‘It’s not that I don’t understand when I think about the rumors that are
spreading within the royal castle.’
My position meant I had a pretty good evaluation of the situation.
Seeing that Kim Hyunsung also quietly nodded, it seemed that he also
agreed with the Count.
‘Of course, it’s a good thing for me, too.’
“I am… It’s overwhelming.”
“No. Lee Kiyoung. I will provide you with my full support.”
“If Song Jungwook says so… ahem.”
Anyway, I wanted to do the commanding of the large-scale troops. Of

course, theoretically, I had to study, but practice was different from
theory. If I missed this opportunity, I would be no different than a fool,
but humility was a virtue of Koreans.
As soon as I opened my mouth, intending to say that I was struggling

with the premise of not being good enough, I immediately felt all gazes
focusing on me.
‘Good.’
“If so… I will do my best to organize and operate units together with
Castle Rock’s Yeongju Tower. Thank you very much, Count Castle Rock.”
“Please take good care of it, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.”
Now it felt like the atmosphere had calmed down. Seeing that all eyes
were on me, it seemed that I had a lot of things to say. Considering that
unit formation was of the utmost importance, it was only natural for
them to look at me in this manner.
‘Who would want to go to the irst city wall?’
Although the protagonist had already been decided to ill the position,
it is a position that I would have to consider until the end.
While the brie ing continued, I could see that some people were
thinking about completely different things. Of course, many of them had
doubts about whether the monster wave will really happen, but Kim
Hyunsung proved to be quite good at answering their questions.
“Most people who have been hunting recently can feel it. It means that
there is a problem with the monster’s ecology living in the forest in
front of Castle Rock.”
“I’ve de initely… felt it. Basilisks living in swamps suddenly appeared in

the woods, and so on. Higher monsters also appeared outside the
forest. Even in our clan, we have been refraining the new guild
members from hunting.”
“If you look at the signs of the monster waves that hit Castle Rock
decades ago, you can see that they are surprisingly similar.”
“What is the cause?”

“It would be correct to think that a population saturation or a new
monster that may threaten an existing monster is moving its habitat.”
“But can you judge with just that as a sign of a monster wave? It is only
after the situation becomes clearer that war footing and martial law can
be implemented…”
“By then, it will already be too late. I think there is a difference between
knowing and preparing and not knowing and preparing. Besides, if you
look at the graph here…”
“Hmm… I see.”
Now was not the time for me to intervene. It may seem that the
information in the data presented by our side was a bit lacking, but all
the evidence clearly testi ied that something would happen. Those who
harbored doubts were either dissatis ied with the sudden war footing
or just didn’t want to admit it.
In fact, I was also having doubts.
Looking at the circumstances brought by Kim Hyunsung, it was almost

certain that a monster wave would indeed occur. I didn’t even have to
look for evidence. If it happened in the irst timeline, it would de initely
happen here, too.
However, the reason was not clear. Kim Hyunsung did not seem to
know for sure why the wave had occurred.
‘Does that matter?’
Anyway, what we had to do was obvious.
‘To catch incoming monsters. That was all.’

Most people besides me could understand this very well. Even after the
brie ing was over, conversations continued to take place. At this point, it
would be prudent for me to speak. If I didn’t, this would go on for a
longer time.
“Then, I will speak as a commander. I would like you to submit

information about each guild and clan’s unit formation and major
classes. There should not be anything hidden because it is possible to
have a reasonable arrangement only if it is accurately described.”
“What?”
“Supplies held by each guild are integrated. We, the Blue, will also
integrate and operate the items we have brought.”
“That’s…”
“Support will also come from Lindel. I hope you follow along as we plan
to integrate the supplies arrived from Lindel. We intend to leave the
management of supplies to the Castle Rock Merchant Guild and Castle
Rock Merchant Group. You don’t have to worry too much, as we will
distribute the supplies left reasonably after the work is done.”
“Still… Each guild or group has its own circumstances…”
“This is a list of supplies to be paid for free from the Blue. It will be
more than the total amount that some small and medium-sized guilds
can afford. It would be nice to consider each of the guild’s
circumstances, but I am not in this post for your convenience. Of course,
I’ll take some into account, but if you don’t want to follow it, you should
go under the command of Castle Rock and ight together with them.”
“It’s not that I won’t follow…”
The irst thing I had to do was control the idiots who refused to listen.
As for the supplies, it would only be right for me to guard them.
At this, Song Jungwook from Little Rock also spoke up while nodding.
“I also agree with Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.”
Though I knew he wasn’t sincerely loyal, this was good of him to do.
“Only the minimum number of troops will be left in the Guild Houses,
and all guilds, for the time being, will use the barracks inside the walls
and always wait by these areas. Also, the whole training will start
tomorrow. Those from the Red Mercenaries will be in charge of
training.”
“Ah. Are the Red Mercenaries coming, too?” A hopeful voice inquired.
“Now, we are constantly in communication with Lindel. Perhaps, if the

timing coincides with hers, Cha Hee-ra will be able to ight together
with us.”
“Oooooh.”
Hearing this had successfully eased away their anxiety. I knew what
they were thinking. They were glad that the Red Mercenaries would be
there, since it would help them overcome the situation.
I knew Cha Hee-ra was one of the reasons why most of these people
looked up to me, too. Of course, the fact that I was a personally
prepared commander was also a reason why they liked me.
From the time Kim Hyunsung asked to go to Castle Rock, he had done
nothing but gave orders and information. Still, it was the commander’s
con idence in uneasy situations that, in turn, also gave con idence to
those under him.
Meanwhile, I had made sure to let them know of the consequences of

disobeying me.
“Hahaha. I don’t know how fortunate it is for having Lee Kiyoung at
Castle Rock.”
In the meantime, Song Jungwook busied himself with constantly kissing

my ass in the hopes of getting the rear placement.
“The Castle Rock Merchant Guild will start sorting after receiving all
supplies within today. Other guilds will also be armed and move their
residence to the walled barracks.”
“All of this will happen today?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll have to move quickly, then.”
“If something happens, you must report it directly to me.”
“Yes, alright.”
“Well, what kind of barracks can I go to?”
“When you come back, everything will be ready.”
They would need time to organize, so it was only right to give this
amount of time.
As I continued to talk about the plan as if everything had already been

prepared, the expressions of those listening to me began to change.
They had started to look glad that I had taken command.
‘And that’s what I want.’
As an Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire, I could get help from priests
in other cities, and I could also get help from the Red Mercenary
because I was the Mercenary Queen’s Gigolo. Perhaps considering that I
could also get the Yozora Guild’s help in Celia, my background alone
might make me look like a rather competent commander.
“We will try to complete the formation of the unit in consultation with
Count Castle Rock as soon as possible. Let’s dismiss the meeting at this
point. Personal arrangements should be made as soon as possible. As
Count Castle Rock said, we’re placing on a war footing now. I’m not a
person who likes to make useless troubles, so if you follow me well,
there will be something for you to get, too.”
“Ah…”
“It would be a good idea to think about what would happen after the
wave is over instead of just thinking about what’s going on as of the
moment.”
“Alright.”
As I stood up, all of them stood up as well. They approached me as soon

as I left the room.
Of course, the most active one among them was Song Jungwook, the
number one contributor who had placed me on my current pedestal.
“Lee Kiyoung, what time can I come in?”
“In fact, I would like everyone to gather by the afternoon, but…”
“I think it will take a little longer…”
“Then, it’s a bit, but I’ll give you this convenience.”
“Hahaha. Thank you.”
“No. I can’t be too in lexible.”

“As expected from Lee Kiyoung. When you irst came to Castle Rock, did
you feel that you were the one who would be the light to Castle Rock?
Hahahaha.”
He wasn’t the only one wagging his tail. Most of them threw me praises
in all directions.
It took me quite a while to get rid of all of them. My conversation with

Jung Hayan about the location-tracker on my body would have to wait
at a later date.
‘I have to organize the troops, too… ’
This would not be a big problem as long as Cho Hyejin could help me
with it.
“Hyejin-ssi?”
“Yes, Vice Guild Master?”
“I have to go to do something now. I have things to organize, too…

Hyejin may be able to organize the troops on her own.”
“What?”
“Little Rock and Song Jungwook will be on the irst wall, so just get the
strands for the rest, please.”
“Ah…”
“If one has sinned, shouldn’t they be punished?”
Song Jungwook should de initely be on the lookout now.

CHAPTER 169
FROM TRUST TO BETRAYAL (1)
“Uhm, Master. Is this really okay?”
“What?”
“That you entrusted Lee Kiyoung of the Blue as the general commander
this time…”
“Ah. You don’t have to worry.”
“What? But… The thing you’re planning…”
“First of all, we have to deal with what’s coming. Anyway, Lee Kiyoung is
from Lindel, and even if his in luence at Castle Rock expands, there will
still be a limit to it. No, rather, it’s good for me. There are still a lot of
bene its to gain.”
“Ah…”
“He’s a human who clearly understands what a give and take

relationship is. Lee Kiyoung from Blue… Hahaha.”
I de initely thought he was. He had surprised me the more time he

spent within Castle Rock.
At irst, I only thought of him as a lucky kid. It seemed to me that he had

acquired the current status by using his title of the Mercenary Queen’s
Gigolo.
However, as time passed, I had to realize that the skills he showed were
unusual. I was wondering how he got his current power, but that didn’t
matter. More important than that was his attitude toward the use of
power.
‘He understands.’
I felt like he understood better than anyone how to deal with power and
use his position.
In fact, it hadn’t even been a few days since he came to Castle Rock. He
got acquaintances with the clan masters of almost all small and
medium clans.
‘Of course, this was because of me… ’
One clear indicator of what kind of person he was had been coming to
ind me right off the bat. I found it a little funny, but perhaps he found
me somewhat respectable. As a person, Lee Kiyoung valued ef iciency
and could draw whoever his opponent was to his side. He also
rewarded loyalty, making the people feel just how helpful he was.
It was obvious what the consequences would be.
Castle Rock’s situation had changed a lot, from big aspects like economy
and politics to the smaller ones that would initially not be worth
mentioning. It had already reached the point where Castle Rock matters
could be discussed without Lee Kiyoung.
‘That’s all abilities.’
As I thought about this, I saw deputy Park Ga-eul approaching me.
“I understand the Guild Master’s thoughts, but strangely, I’m a little

worried about it…”
“There’s need to worry.”
“Okay…”
“Regardless of what you’re thinking, I am not so stupid… I heard that he

is also not very close to Cho Hyejin. What does that mean?”
“Ah.”
“That he is also a human like us. Most of the businesses undertaken in

Blue are of the kind that has a foot wedged into the law. The contract he
signed with me in the irst place wasn’t that legal, right? It was forced.”
“Ah, it… de initely was…”
“If you put together all the stories that we’ve heard, it seems that he
also showed a lot of actions that indicate his lack of conscience. He’s
closer to me than to Cho Hyejin. In fact, I think I can keep a closer
relationship with him without any consequences.”
“Master… Are you going to tell him about our business?”
“No.”
“Whoo…”
“It’s still too early.”
“Well, then… You mean you’re going to say it in the end?”
“The more I think about it, the more I think it won’t be that bad. It will
probably be worth seeing when he gets in. Can you imagine what kind
of attitude Lindel’s Lee Kiyoung will show us when he goes to the
underground? We could get a little bigger, too… He can hold onto the
amphitheater tightly. He can teach a lesson to those who looked down
on Little Rock. That’s it.”
“Certainly, the Master’s words make sense, but… I’m still a little
nervous. I kept thinking that it would not be good to get too close with
him…”
“Ahhh. I’m being careful, so you don’t have to worry too much. Ahem.
For now, let’s keep moving just like we are now. Who knows? Lee
Kiyoung just might pass Marlin over to me… For now, if I pretend to be
loyal, there will be plenty of bene its. You don’t have to worry too much
because I know what I’m doing, Ga-eul.”
“…”
“I was a little worried when they said that I have to live on the wall. It’s
de initely good to have a network.”
It certainly was. My room was so spacious that it could not be called a

barrack, and it felt more pleasant than the room I had been sitting in.
Though this situation could not be called extravagant, it was still better
than what I would get on average after the city changed into a state of
war. Lee Kiyoung was de initely being considerate.
“Even if you look at the room where we are now… Can’t you see how
much he cares about me? Heh, he needs me, too.”
“Yeah.”
“By the way, Park Ga-eul. You’ve had that expression since a while ago.
What is it?”
“Do you have any complaints?”
“No. It’s not like that. However, it seems like things are going too well…”
“There is no need to be anxious.”
“That person somehow seems…”
“Yes?”
“I should say that it feels a little ominous… Of course, it’s just a feeling,
but… I really feel like there’s no good in getting close to him.”
“Tut-tut. You’re being careful to a fault.”
“I’m sorry, Master.”
“It’s not something to be sorry about. I also like that. Of course, it may
be unreasonable to believe in a crazy guy who just suddenly appeared,
but I heard something the last time I had a drink with Lee Kiyoung.
“Yes?”
“I don’t like gambling. But when you think it’s worth it, then you must
throw the dice.”
“Ah.”
“Whoo… When I heard the story, I thought that he could do anything

and be successful about it. Although he is younger than me, I still
learned something from him. There’s something in him to be respected.
I don’t like gambling, but my sense is telling me it’s time to roll the
dice.”
“I see…”
“Of course, I understand your worries, but it’s not good to shrink in fear
too much. What do you think is the difference between him and me?
Look at what he has accomplished. Can you believe that Lee Kiyoung
has only been here for a year? Of course, there may be reasons for being
close to the Mercenary Queen, but there are obvious differences
between us.”
“What differences?”
“Every time the moment of choice came, I didn’t throw the dice, yet
Kiyoung did. That’s why I’m shilly-shallying in Castle Rock right now,
and that’s why Lee Kiyoung has Lindel in his hands. Do you understand
me?”
“Yes. Of course, Master.”
“It means that you can’t get anything without betting anything. Oh, this
is what he said, too. Perhaps he seemed to be telling me to follow him.
Ahem. Let’s stop with this talk here. It’s time for the meeting, so I have
to head out. Just in case… The things are stored properly, right?”
“Yes, Master. All of them are being kept in the guild warehouse.”
“What about the egg?”
“You can rest 3333% assured that we are managing it properly.”
“Ah, that’s right. That way, l can rub it once when work is over. Keep
caring about the outside as well. At times like these, we have to work
harder. Make sure to take care of the guys, too.”
“Yes.”
After a long conversation, I came outside, only to see a huge wall.
I could see the soldiers patrolling the exterior from the top of the wall,
as well as the guild members for joint training, as well as those wearing
the Red Mercenary’s insignia.
Of course, the most striking thing was a woman with red hair mixed
with them.
‘Cha Hee-ra?’
Although Lee Kiyoung said he could get the support of a Red Mercenary,
I didn’t even think they would really come.
Considering that bursting, solid body and strong impression, this was
really the Mercenary Queen, just like I had heard. Just looking at her
was enough to make my heart pound for nothing, so I didn’t need to say
anything else.
‘Didn’t he say that he knows her from Earth?’
To be honest, if someone asked me if I was jealous, I would de initely

say I was.
The Mercenary Queen was really powerful, but her exterior beauty also
made me speechless. Her red lips, strong eyes, and laming red hair felt
like a goddess from a myth.
As I stared at her blankly for a while, I could see her looking at me,
waving her hand. I righted my posture right away. It was correct to be
as polite as possible. When I turned back, she had disappeared. I guess
she had headed to the conference room.
To enter the conference room after the Mercenary Queen was, of

course, unimaginable.
Holding on to the runaway spirit and running to the conference room, I

could see that everyone had already gathered and were having various
conversations.
‘Am I a little late?’

It was natural to feel as if I had made a mistake.
In fact, a little bit of tension was relieved. Considering that we’re on a

footing war, it was no different from making a big mistake.
“You are a little late.”
“Ah… Yes, I’m sorry.”
“Well, that’s okay, Little Rock Guild Master. The unit formation has not
yet been completed. Still, I hope you move with a little tension starting
today.”
‘That’s it.’
“I’m really sorry about this.”
Looking at Lee Kiyoung talking as if it wasn’t a big deal, it certainly felt

good.
‘It’s nice to be a friend of a man of power.’
“Then, it would be better to continue what we were talking about.”
“Yes.”
“Ah. Little Rock Guild Master should sit down quickly, too. We were in
the middle of forming a unit.”
“Yes. Okay.”
“We have decided that guilds or clans that are a little smaller in size will
be integrated. Although we have tried to give autonomy as much as
possible, we ask for your understanding on the aspect that this had to
be organized due to the structure.”
“Why do you speak with so much consideration, honey? If a general
commander orders it, then it’s done. Right? Disobedience to orders can
be punished by military law. All you have to do is cut their throat. Does
anyone think I’m wrong?”
“Yes. You’re right, Cha Hee-ra.”
“Ah… Yes, absolutely. The Mercenary Queen’s words are correct.”
“See? Everyone agrees. In wartime situations, the commander’s order is

the law. This is the same with Lindel and Castle Rock, so it doesn’t
matter where you came from. I am not as soft as my honey.
Disobedience means that you will die.”
“Yes… Yes!”
“Good.”
“Hee-ra…”
“Okay. Okay. I’ll be quiet. Don’t look at me that way, honey.”
As I looked around, it was clear that almost all clans and guild masters
tried to avoid making eye contact with the Mercenary Queen as much as
possible. However, she was only noticing it now. Perhaps it was a
natural reaction.
She was the most powerful person in Lindel, and one of the ive most
powerful people within the Holy Empire, so it would not feel right to
the free people in Castle Rock to be at the same place with such a
woman.
However, when I remember how she waved her hand, it seemed that
she was willing to welcome me. That was probably because the Gigolo
of the Mercenary Queen spoke to her in advance.
‘I will be safe. Thank you, Lee Kiyoung. Heh heh.’
I was one who played a decisive role in honoring Lee Kiyoung as the
commander, so I may be able to receive sweeter rewards.
“Ah. It would be better to announce the schedule irst. First, I will

announce the ones from the First City Wall.”
“Yes.”
“In First City Wall’s case, I thought that it would be best to have
someone I trust as it is a strategic point that is exposed to many risks.”
‘Right.’
Perhaps one of the guilds with a size similar to that of Little Rock would
enter.
Being able to reduce the size of your rivals was a huge advantage here
as well. I had to smile.
“Little Rock will take over the First City Wall.”
“Yes?”
‘What… ’
My head snapped up in an instant.
What caught my eye was Lee Kiyoung, who shot me a look while
sending me a bright smile.
‘That… That son of a bitch!’

CHAPTER 170
“Little Rock will take over the First City Wall.”
At this, Song Jungwook’s expression trembled. It was surprising to see

that he could sport such an expression. One would think that this
situation is funny, but I thought it would not be fun for him either. If he
could, he would scream right now. It was obvious why he was
suppressing the urge to swear.
‘Cha Hee-ra is an effective anger control disorder therapist.’
The biggest reason was that the lovely Cha Hee-ra was right next to me.
‘In a war situation, the commander’s order is the law. This is the same
in Lindel and Castle Rock, so it doesn’t matter where you came from. I
am not as soft as our honey. Disobedience means that you will die.’
I wasn’t sure if this was calculated or not, but it was easier to move
thanks to the groundwork prepared in advance. She was the reason
why I, who had only been here for one year, could have the seniors in
my hands. It meant that she could solve everything that stood in my
way.
I thought that I might look like a fox that sponged off Cha Hee-ra’s
power and force, but who cares about what others think?
The only thing that mattered was that they elected me as commander
and that Cha Hee-ra was next to me.
Taking another look at Song Jungwook’s face, I felt extra-grateful that
she was beside me.
‘His face shows that he’s been betrayed.’
We were going to go different ways anyway.
The answer came when I thought about his characteristic. In the irst
place, he couldn’t be considered competent enough to be carried. It
would be better to offer him a sacri ice for Cho Hyejin’s peace of mind
rather than dry him out.
‘I’m sorry, Jungwook.’
“The Second City Wall is the Giants Guild and the Peppermint Candy
Clan… The Third City Wall is in Yeongju Tower’s care. Subsequently, the
Fourth and Fifth walls are formed by the Clan Alliance in the northern
region of Castle Rock. As I said before, the Castle Rock Merchant Group
will be in charge of the supply.”
“Alright.”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
“After establishing the central command center centering on the Blue

and Red Mercenaries, we will unify the reporting system.”
“Ah… Yes.”
“Thanks to the Mercenary Queen, the atmosphere seems to be tenser. I

apologize again for this. Hahaha. It’s only right to be nervous, but in
fact, I’m looking for a more relaxed atmosphere.”
“Hahaha.”
“Hahahaha.”
I didn’t say it to be funny. I didn’t mean to make jokes, but I could see
everyone quick to react.
‘Puhaha.’
Everyone was absorbed in acting carefully in front of me. They were

probably thinking of the possibility of getting sent straight to the First
City Wall once they made a mistake. Some people seemed a little
disconcerted by me, who suddenly abandoned Song Jungwook, but it
was not Song Jungwook that was important to them.
I just announced the end of his modest power, and he was forced to
accept it.
As the rest of the guild masters looked at me warily, I couldn’t help but
smile. It seemed that their relationship was not as close as I had initially
thought.
“Ah. If you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me.”
“Hahaha. Of course.”
“If you are dissatis ied with the schedule, we will accept it after careful
consideration.”
“That… Honorary Bishop…”
“Yes. You can talk.”
“That… First of all, I am not dissatis ied with the organization, but I
think you should pay more attention to the western area walls. Of
course, it’s only my personal opinion.”
“Ah. Thank you for the great comment.”

‘He’s sharper than I thought.’
When I opened my mouth to speak the line I had prepared in advance,

Cha Hee-ra, sitting next to me, spoke irst.
“You thought you had to put a little more strength on the First Wall that
faces the forest, right, honey? That’s why the Little Rock Guild took that
heavy duty… In the case of the west wall, if the irst row is opened,
Yeongju Tower and I will support you after that, so you don’t have to
worry.”
“Ah… Yes. Okay. That… Sorry for the useless comment.”
“Well, there’s nothing to be sorry about. You’re asking because you

don’t know…”
“The Mercenary Queen’s words are indeed correct. You can feel free to
ask questions. As I am still lacking, many of your opinions will be
helpful.”
“You’re not lacking. It’s great to be able to do this in a short period, and
at least, I don’t think you lack in any way… we couldn’t have done this if
it wasn’t Blue anyway.”
“…”
“The pre-war defense wouldn’t happen properly. I can bet on it. After
discovering the monsters belatedly without any preparation, you would
prepare for it, but it wouldn’t be enough. Eventually, you would have
abandoned Castle Rock and run away, or would get eradicated right
away.”
“T-That…”
In fact, I also agreed with Cha Heer-a’s thoughts. However, I couldn’t

just say it like that.
“Hee-ra.”
“I know. I know.”
It was good of her to work hard for me, but she was working too hard.
The atmosphere was a bit weird, so I thought it would be better to end
the meeting at this point.
“We didn’t progress that much, but since the organization is complete, I
think it’s better for all of you to settle down. Details can be
communicated to each group later… And about work, the guild masters
can do it at their discretion. Everyone will participate in the afternoon’s
training.”
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
“Thank you for coming here.”
At this, everyone slowly started to head out, their friendly facades still
in place.
‘They don’t feel the danger.’
In fact, a lot of them didn’t feel nervous at all. Of course, I could see
those who took the current situation seriously, but I felt that some
people were more interested in the bene its that would come after that
rather than stopping the monster wave.
Wherever one would go, people’s vested interests were similar. Indeed,
commanders who gave orders from behind in such a war were
relatively less exposed to danger.
As I exchanged greetings with everyone, Song Jungwook approached

me.
“Uhm. Lee Kiyoung-nim…”
“Ah, Song Jungwook-nim.”
“Uhm…”
“You can talk comfortably. Little Rock Guild Master.”
“B-By any chance…”
“Yes?”
“Did I do anything wrong…?”
“I’m not sure why you’re saying that…”
“What?”
“Hahaha. What could the Little Rock Guild Master have done? Rather, I
want to express my gratitude here. You took over the wall that might be
relatively dangerous.”
‘To be exact, that’s what I told you to do.’
“Perhaps the Little Rock Guild will be a great example for the knights of
the Yeongju Tower and other imperialists. We plan to provide as much
support as we can, so don’t worry about anything else. Just focus on
protecting Castle Rock.”
I could see him staring at me with a blank face as he found this absurd. I
didn’t think there would be a need to talk about anything else.
“Is there any problem?”
“It’s… nothing, Lee Kiyoung.”

“As you may already know, the Little Rock Guild Master’s duty and
responsibilities are enormous. I hope you will do your best.”
“Yes…”
Of course, he had to do his best. If not, he would die.
“Ah. And in the future, if you have any questions or needs, you can tell
me through my lieutenant.”
“Your lieutenant…”
“Lieutenant!”
“Yes, Vice Guild Master?”
“It’s Cho Hyejin.”
Upon my call, Cho Hyejin quickly approached. Song Jungwook bit his
lips tightly.
It seemed that he thought that the reason that he’s been had was
because of Cho Hyejin. I didn’t mean to come between, but I feel like
this was not bad, either.
While looking at Cha Hee-ra and slowly walking away, I could see him
clenching his ists.
‘He’s not all that wrong.’
Cho Hyejin was right about half of the reason he’s been had.
There was no reason to resolve the misunderstanding as it was better

for him to resent her rather than me. Even if he tried to overturn
something now, the tide had already been turned.
He had no choice.
“Hyejin will manage the major events of the unit from now on. Well,
even the smallest events will be impossible for me to manage. Come to
think of it; you two already know each other… This will be easier, then.”
“Hahaha. So I’ll trust you, Hyejin.”
As I moved slowly, I could hear the two talking behind me, but I didn’t
pay much attention.
‘They must be resenting and ighting with each other by now.’
It was obvious as to what kind of situation would unfold. What was

more important than their conversation was what I could get from this
big event and how I could execute the plan according to the strategy.
Now, that alone gave me headaches.
“Are you trying to make them ight, honey?”
“It’s not like that, Hee-ra. More than that, thank you for coming.”
“No. Rather, I want to say thank you for calling me from here… I was
waiting for an event like this.”
“It’s nice of you to say that.”
“It would be nice if a monster wave happened, but there is a chance that
it will not. So you can say that I came to see you instead. At the same
time, I came to instill tension in the guild after a long time. It’s not bad.”
“What does that mean?”

“There is a chance that the monster wave will not happen, honey.”
“No way.”
“I don’t know. Looking at the circumstances Kim Hyunsung brought, it

seems almost certain, but… Should I say that the evidence is a bit
lacking?”
“Huh?”
“Well, you don’t know because you haven’t been here for a long time,
but the usual signs of monster waves are saturation of the forest or
destabilization in the dungeon. It means that monsters that don’t have
enough food or places to stay in the forest pop out. However, no matter
how much I search through the data, there is no indication that the
forest is saturated.”
“Really?”
“There was no dungeon found nearby that could stimulate other

monsters… If I say that there are signs, then the cause wouldn’t be
visible, would you understand?”
“I know what you mean.”
Of course, this was the part where I also had questions.
Unlike Cha Hee-ra, who seemed to have actually experienced a monster

wave, there were times when I felt like I was missing something,
although I could not pinch it properly because I had no experience.
Of course, I felt like I was not the only one missing out.
Kim Hyunsung, who seemed busy preparing for the monster wave, also
seemed to be looking for the reason as well. In the irst round, our
lovely returner, who didn’t have much to do with Castle Rock, was also
unable to answer the reason as to why the wave started.
‘But this is already con irmed.’
Whatever the reason, the wave would happen. It wouldn’t end as to

how Cha Hee-ra would describe it.
As I thought about letting her in on what I knew would happen, a faint

sound echoed.
“Kieeek.”
‘What is this?’
What I heard faintly was the cry of a monster. It was a voice that came
from inside, not outside the city.
“What… What is this noise?”

CHAPTER 171
What I heard faintly was the cry of a monster. It was a voice that came
from inside, not outside the city.
“What… What is this noise?”
As I shook my head at Cha Hee-ra’s question, I heard another cry

resonating from somewhere. It was a long, thin, high-tone cry, too
distinct to be considered a human’s.
“Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeek!”
‘Did the monsters in the basement jump out?’
It was not impossible, yet it sounded a bit pathetic to say so. Whatever
the reason, it would be right to identify the sound. As I opened my
mouth to speak, Cha Hee-ra cut me off.
“Honey. Could you be quiet for a minute?”
“Huh?”
“Just pipe down.”
At this, she closed her eyes, trying to detect the sound. Though I
couldn’t understand her behavior, I could understand why she had told
me to be silent.
The loor had started to shake, and it felt scary to look down. Though it
was subtle, the vibrations were similar to that of an earthquake. In an
instant, I sensed the incoming danger.
‘What… is it?’
“Should we get ready?”
“What?”
“I think it really is coming.”
“What?”
“I’m not kidding. I guess I was wrong. It’s coming now, so get ready as
soon as possible. It seems that it is still a little far away… However, it
will probably come soon.”
“Why is all of this suddenly happening…”
The situation felt so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but laugh. I hadn’t
expected it to happen this soon. Though Kim Hyunsung had busied
himself, he didn’t move with a sense of urgency.
‘Did it happen earlier than the irst round? Did Kim Hyunsung know
that the monsters would be coming in today? At this timing?’
As if I had conjured him, I could see Kim Hyunsung running towards us,
a clear, disconcerted expression crossing his face.
‘He didn’t know.’
I could con irm this with the genuinely disbelieving expression he had
on. Something must be wrong.
“Kiyoung-ssi”
“Yes, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“Quickly prepare for battle… The monster wave seems to have started.”
“Ah… Yes, alright.”
Though I had wondered about the possibility of twisting the future, I

didn’t think it would change so much. At least we had done our best to
prepare our troop formation.
However, as I continued to think hard, I was able to get a glimpse of the

fuse of this sudden bomb. No, I didn’t even have to think harder. The
answer was decided on the circumstance.
‘The sound of that cry just now… ’
I didn’t know how it rang out of the city, but I was sure that the
protagonist of this situation right now came from that cry.
“I think the scale is… a little bigger than I thought.”
“I see. I’ll get ready for battle right now. What about Hyunsung-ssi?”
“I will inform the Yeongju Tower directly. Kiyoung-ssi can continue to

monitor the situation at the Central Command Department and operate
a conservative reserve force. All Blue members will move at once.”
“Ah… Yes. Then I will load all the arrows and cast magic, then lie in
wait.”
“Yes. And the sound we just heard…”
“We’re working on it. If something strange happens, I’ll report it

immediately.”
“And… Kiyoung-ssi?”
“Yes?”
“I trust you.”
At that, I felt better. I knew Kim Hyunsung’s words were not just mere
pleasantries, especially during an event he considered important. This
would be an excellent opportunity to accumulate a good amount of
experience.
Due to the circumstances, I was entrusted to command, but it also

would have been hard for Kim Hyunsung to trust me, someone, who
had no experience.
Of course, I felt grateful for his continuous, silent support. Although I

had blanked out for a while, I knew I should not idle like this.
As soon as I started running to let the rest know that the situation had
erupted, the soldiers quickly began to spread in all directions.
A loud bell started rattling, and the surroundings become noisy in an

instant.
“Ready for battle.”
“Ready for battle!”
“Get ready for battle! Ready for battle!”
At this point, I opened my mouth once more.
“All forces hold the position, and the magic corps shall wait after
casting!”
“It’s a monster. All troops prepare for battle! Hold the position! Magic
corps on standby!”
It was certainly comfortable to have a messenger who would scream

out for me.
It seemed that Castle Rock wasn’t completely a mess, as it entered a war

state in no time.
Since the monsters were not visible, our ighters cast their spells and
loading arrows without knowing why, but the anxiety was evident on
their faces. Of course, in my case, I was still in a situation where I
couldn’t think of where the sound would have come from.
However, the cry was a hint in itself. It sounded like a puppy crying out
for its mother.
It was momentary, but the egg of the monster that would come out for
sale at the auction house popped into my mind.
‘It must be that, right?’
I hadn’t checked it properly, but if the egg was sold or kept by a guild
with a different purpose, I couldn’t help but keep in mind the possibility
that the egg had hatched.
‘I should have checked a little more carefully.’
In the irst place, I should have been more suspicious when a monster’s
egg appeared in the central auction house. The puzzle seemed to it
perfectly when considering that.
If the wave would start faster than expected, it was correct to assume
that the cause would be that cry. I needed to ind this out for myself
irst.
“Hee-ra.”
“What?”
“The sound we just heard came from within the city.”
“Do I have to check it?”
“Yes. You don’t have to go there yourself. No, you better protect this
place. The Mercenary Queen’s name helps increase morale.”
“Of course.”
“What about the western area?”
“When the wave starts, we’ll start the operation right away, so you don’t
have to worry, honey. There’s no problem here, so it’s good to think
carefully about what you’d like to give me as a reward for this job.
Because if it’s money, I have too much already. Don’t think about giving
me gold coins.”
“Hmm…”
“Are you thinking about solving it with money this time, too?”
“About half…”
“I knew it. This is our maiden battle… I mean. How about doing a short
speech or something?”
“…”
Everything felt so sudden that I felt unsettled. I already knew the

importance of the commander’s role. It was not a human-to-human war,
but it was also important to promote morale as this could be classi ied
as a large-scale battle.
However, this was not a good time to make any risky decisions.
It wasn’t long after the formation was over, and everyone else had
gotten busy.
However, it was evident that everything had been irmly established.
Little Rock, which I worried would escape through a chaotic gap, was
also looking down from the First City Wall’s top.
The Merchant Union that delivered supplies was moving consumables

such as arrows and potions to each location, and some of the imperial
people, who were weak at heart, busied themselves with their prayers.
Perhaps…
‘They must’ve realized it.’
The vibrations on the ground had slowly begun to get worse. The earth
itself had started to shake, its magnitude slowly increasing.
From far away came the echoes of monsters crying.
‘Hmm… ’
If someone were to ask if I was scared, I would say that, indeed, I was.
Everything felt so unrealistic. I wondered if I would be able to do my
job, and my anxiety spiked from there.
‘Fuck… It’s scary… ’
Of course, I had my own source of strength – the lovely leader Kim

Hyunsung, the meat shield Park Deokgu, the adorably obsessed Jung
Hayan, and the high-quality priest Sun Hee-young.
Little Kim Ye-ri and Hwang Jeong-yeon were a little too considerate to
be in my line, but they were still colleagues who could save my life if
ever I’d be in danger.
The most reliable one right now was Cha Hee-ra, who was here beside
me.
It was undeniable that I was safe, watching the situation safely from the
rear.
Besides these, there were thousands and tens of thousands of soldiers

who could throw their lives for me.
“Ah… you bastard, there is no need to be anxious.”
“Huh?”
“Voice magic, please.”
“You want to say something?”
“Of course, Hee-ra.”
I began to speak as the screaming grew. The voice I spit out wrapped
around the entire castle wall and the castle through ampli ication
magic, and for a while, my voice was louder than the cry of the
monsters.
Perhaps it was my voice, not their shouts, that they heard was
trembling.
“Our hometown is not here.”
“…”
“Strictly speaking, we are people who have nothing to do with this

place. Most people have been brought here without knowing why, and
some have come to Castle Rock to survive. Some came to ind work.”
“…”
“There are probably many people who have their own share of bad
memories. The environment here is not friendly to us. Some of you may
have lost your friend, and some may have lost your lover. There may be
some who spend their nights with alcohol because each day is so
dif icult, while others are worried and wondering about whether to
take their own lives.”
“Honey?”
“But everyone… Take a moment to look back and see the output behind
you. You are the one who made the current Castle Rock. It is the free
and imperial people who changed Castle Rock, which previously
functioned as a military facility. Since everyone thought it was
dangerous and was busy migrating and evading, Castle Rock is now a
tourist attraction and hunting center for many tourists and free people.
It’s the result of your lost friends, lovers, and family.”
“…”
“All of you have accomplished and built this up. This high wall we are
stepping on, the arrows we hold in our hands, everything you are in. It
is you, not anyone, who have built these. It is a precious place made
with your blood and sweat. This is our shelter and home. It is a home
with our loved ones and friends.”
“You’re good at talking, honey.”
“I will ask you guys. Isn’t Castle Rock really our hometown? Do you
really think it has nothing to do with us?”
“…”
“Castle Rock will be safe. If you lift your weapons with the will to
defend, our homeland, where we work for ourselves, will be safe!
Everyone, we are not forced to lift our swords because of our contract
with the Holy Empire. We lift our swords to protect our hometown
ourselves. Let’s protect the base of life together! Everyone!”
Though my speech was sudden, it didn’t sound bad at all. The human
mind would easily be impressed by this kind of speech when faced with
extreme conditions.
Some may be swearing at what bullshit I had just spouted was, but
some who were touched may shout to forget their fears.
“L-Let’s protect our hometown!”
‘As I had expected.’
“Let’s protect our hometown! Let’s protect our living base!”
‘Good. Very good.’
“Let’s protect our hometown!!!”
Shouts of de iance began to spread throughout the entire area. It felt

ridiculous to hear it resound from the First City wall all the way here,
but it appeared that even Little Rock had garnered courage from my
words.
‘You’ll have to protect it harder, you bastards.’
“Gwooooooooaaa!”
Soon, monsters began to ile out of the forest. Although the soldiers
linched, they soon recovered and readied their stances.
“Today, Castle Rock will be safe, everyone!”
“Let’s protect Castle Rock!”

“All forces on standby!”
“Launch!”
Magic and arrows covered the sky.

CHAPTER 172
I never imagined that I would see this kind of scene with my own eyes. I
had only ever seen such in war movies and cartoons.
What was more unrealistic than that was the presence of monsters
constantly running towards the wall.
“Ah uh uh uh uh!”
‘There are so many of them… ’
I didn’t go hunting a lot, but the ones I saw for the irst time de initely
stood out. These were medium-sized monsters, which were about ive
times larger than humans, to small monsters that were continuously
being stepped on by the bigger ones.
The monsters may each have their own purpose and size, but the ones
with only one purpose of crossing the walls certainly felt terrifying.
As they stood there, magic and arrows began to fall upon them.
There was a momentary yet loud roar.
Kaw-ahhh!
Kwajiik!
Kaduuuk!
An explosive sound was heard, and debris spread to the ground in all
directions. The small monsters quickly got caught in the ire.
Arrows were embedded in the whole body of medium-sized monsters,

and thus, they fell. Arrows with magical power on each one of them
were steadily blowing the heads of the small monsters.
However, the number of monsters in the crowd was more than I had
irst imagined. It was ridiculous to see that they all protruded from the
forest side.
‘Where are they coming from?’
It was clear that even the monsters residing within the deepest forest
also popped out. As the forest was so large, their numbers would also,
no doubt.
“Launch!”
When I went to speak once more, the secondary bombardment hit the
ground from the wall. Once again, the same thing happened.
The monsters that ran towards us got knocked down, and the others
tripped over the already fallen bodies. When I raised my hand, the
wizards who specialized in handling the earth’s properties cast their
spells, and spears made of soil and rocks started to pop out from the
ground.
The rest of the screaming mob got pierced by the spears.
‘Good.’
Though it didn’t show off very much, it proved to be quite effective in

clearing up the monsters’ forefront with a minimum attack.
‘It’s barely noticeable.’

The only thing we could do here was to use our arrows and magic
ef iciently. I thought about at least getting the experience by chanting
spells, but I gave up on this thought immediately.
To ef iciently take care of this large event prepared by the returner, it

would be good to leave the common-grade monsters or rare-grade
monsters to the unimportant people.
‘I have to save up my magic power in case of a formidable enemy later

on.’
“It was easy.”
“Really?”
“Yes, honey. This is a good start. It is impressive that you put the brakes
with earth magic. There are not many lying monsters in Castle Rock, so
if you keep blocking and defending the entrance, it’ll be easier in the
long run.”
“That’s good news.”
“I’m just saying this, but you’d better save your magic power.
Opportunities like this are rare.”
“I know.”
I could see the reality here; the guys who had more power were taking
more than those who didn’t. Unlike those under orders, setting rare-
grade and common-grade monsters, who didn’t want to die, on ire,
those who could be classi ied as commanders were saving their magic
power and stamina for later.
“They’re attacking the First City Wall irst.”
“Yes, they are.”

During a pre-war defense, the monsters that entered in the irst wave
began to bump into the city walls. Their vigor alone seemed to create
some damage, but the massive walls that had protected Castle Rock for
hundreds of years could not possibly fall.
At this, the monsters decided to use their fallen comrades as some

makeshift staircase.
“Block them out!”
“Quuuuh-uh!”
“Shoot your arrows! Shit! Arrows!”
“Push them away with magic!”
The Little Rock Guild maintaining the front line was showing quite an
impressive performance.
‘Whoa… They’re desperate.’
It would only be natural for them to feel this way. If the monsters broke
through, they would die.
If I could, I would leave them to die right now, but there was no way I
can do that.
We were still in the early stages of the wave, so it was only right for
them to keep holding on.
Looking at Song Jungwook, who was doing his best to protect the guild
members from afar, was enough to strengthen my resolve.
‘Noble guys.’
If that wasn’t a sacri ice, what would be a sacri ice?

They were guarding their hometown, but they would not be able to
protect themselves.
Archers were shooting arrows constantly, as their wizards were already

in danger of exhaustion.
Some priests did not miss the tension, and the warriors were trying
their best to drop the monsters that have started climbing up.
Among them was Song Jungwook of Little Rock.
“Don’t let them come up!”
They might want to run away at this point. However, it seemed that
they couldn’t do so because of the Red Mercenaries on the ground.
It would have been dif icult even for me to throw everything away and
run alone.
Considering the guild members that they cultivated and the locations in
Castle Rock they had made so far, there was no way they could make
such a choice. I used the hometown reason for that speech, but in truth,
this was a more precious place than their real hometown.
‘Wow… ’
This was different from what I had expected; I thought they would
collapse in an instant. The power of Little Rock was stronger than I
thought. Naturally, I was happy as a commander for their hard work.
“Support the First City Wall.”
“Yes, sir. The reserve squad should head straight to the First City Wall!”
What was needed in this situation, which may be a prolonged war, was
how to use adequate physical distribution and reserve forces.
It was burdensome to have hundreds or thousands of lives in my hands,
but it was more ef icient to think of human lives as mere numbers on
the battle ield.
The damage would de initely occur to the other city wall, but now it
was ef icient to give a little margin to the irst wall side. I could see that
the wizards included in the reserve troops were running quickly.
“Hmm…”
“What, Hee-ra?”
“Nothing… I just think you would be a competent commander.”
“…”
I didn’t answer because Cha Hee-ra seemed to understand my thoughts.
“Do you like giving people hope?”
I did not look at her. Instead, my gaze rested on Song Jungwook.
With the sudden help from the reserve forces, I could see him looking
this way, even from a distance. In an instant, hope came into his tired
face.
I could take this to mean that he had not given up on the First City Wall.
“The reinforcements are here! Hold on a little longer, everyone!”
“Yes, Guild Master!”
I didn’t know what he was imagining, but it was impressive that he was
still doing his best as if he hadn’t gotten abandoned.
As soon as I started to focus support towards the First City Wall, the
monsters’ movements that were constantly climbing up began to take a
break.
“I don’t like it, Hee-ra. I think it would be better to use it as much as

possible to make the most of it.”
“Huh.”
“Anyway, the First City Wall will inevitably get pierced after some time.
According to Castle Rock’s pre-war defense records, there has never
been a First City Wall that hasn’t been pierced during the pre-war
defense that lasted for hundreds of years. Of course, the wall has never
been completely pierced, but it has always sustained serious damage.”
“You studied hard.”
“It’s a simple fact you can learn just by reading the record. I don’t know
what Castle Rock’s wall architects thought when building this wall, but
they seemed a little bit crazy.
“Why?”
“It is made to force sacri ices on the pre-war defense itself. The man
who built the wall originally designed this wall under the premise that
humans in the irst wall could not survive… Well… That’s why the rest
of the bases surround the First Wall. For example, the background of
Castle Rock, which has never collapsed until now, was based on the
sacri ices of numerous people.”
“You are saying that this time, the scapegoat is Little Rock?”
“Of course. Perhaps they can withstand the offense a little more. I just
need to use them through, and after I have extracted all the magic
power, I can throw them out. It would be unfair for them to die with the
remaining magical power, and it would be a loss to this side as well.”
“You look so trashy…”
“I thought this was the reason you said I was going to be a competent
commander.”
“That’s right… Still, you’re really fucking crap.”
“These are criminals who would have had to die anyway. I gave them a
chance to die like this, so they have to thank me. Isn’t it what one would
call a so-called honorable death?”
It was, indeed. I could easily ind evidence of the crimes they had
committed. Even if he were to survive, Song Jungwook would end up
dying in one way or another.
There was also a possibility of him suffering severe torture, so it would

be best to die surrounded by monsters. His death would work in my
favor.
“Fight them back!”
“Don’t let them come up! Never! What are the warriors doing?!”
‘They’re holding on better than I thought.’
Having the First City Wall precariously preserved was an impressive

feat in itself.
Of course, these were still only rare-grade monsters, yet it was not an
exaggeration to say that just by holding on was enough for their role.
If they blocked higher-grade monsters once, Little Rock would be doing

more than their value, so I thought it wouldn’t be bad to support them a
little more. When the arrows intensively fell on the monsters under the
irst wall, they screamed out and gave room once more.
Hope once again was shown on Song Jungwook’s face, and he was
sending a look of complete trust to me.
‘This stupid guy.’
It seemed as if he thought Little Rock was placed on the irst wall to

make it active.
It was at this moment that rare-grade and higher-grade monsters

appeared from the back.
‘The full-scale battle begins now.’
A distinct four-legged monster jumped out towards the wall at once,

climbing up with ease. Magic intensively poured out towards it.
The primary goal was to reduce stamina by urgently integrating the

reserve troops.
In the meantime, seeing that Jung Hayan’s and Hwang Jeong-yeon’s

magic had mixed into the ight, it seemed to me that now was the time
to take a little more action.
As the support to the First Wall was cut off due to new monsters’
appearance, our proud Little Rock had settled for ighting hand-to-hand
with the monsters coming in.
‘It won’t make sense to support that.’
The thought of throwing them away had now crossed my mind.
While slowly draining the remaining troops, I continued to support the

First City Wall only from a distance. Screaming had already enveloped
some of the areas.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Help me! Help…!”
Song Jungwook of Little Rock had also started to feel impatient. I could
see him staring at me with a pathetic expression, but what he saw when
he turned his head was the support team already retreating.
“Lee Kiyoung, you motherfucker! Re-Retreat! Troops, head back…”
However, they couldn’t. It was impossible to turn their back against the
monsters that had already locked in. Song Jungwook only continued to
scream.
“Lee Kiyoung! You motherfucker! Lee Kiyoung! Lee Kiyoooouung!”
‘Bye.’
“Lee Kiyooooouung!”
Eventually, a large number of monsters penetrated the First City Wall,

and his voice got blocked out.
I opened my mouth as I memorized the numbers.
“The sacri ice of Little Rock must not be in vain!”
Tears fell down my cheeks as I spoke this.

CHAPTER 173
“The sacri ice of Little Rock must not be in vain!”
Tears fell down my cheeks as I spoke this.
I thought the troops would get it together upon hearing my trembling

voice, which spread out loudly due to voice ampli ication magic.
Although some of them knew they could also die, Little Rock had not
gone down running away.
They probably hadn’t even heard Song Jungwook’s scream.
Unlike me, who could identify the battle situation with magic, ordinary
soldiers busied themselves with dealing with the monsters in their way.
Therefore, Song Jungwook’s incessant cursing of my name must’ve
looked like a war cry to them until Jungwook had died. For them,
Jungwook had died a beautiful death.
He and Little Rock had become heroes of this pre-defense war.
‘I did you a favor, Song Jungwook.’
I had no intention of doing the same for myself. It would be better for
me to survive through dirty tactics.
Not surprisingly, many troops were impressed by Little Rock, one of the
guilds representing Castle Rock. One by one, they echoed my words.
“Do not let the sacri ice of Little Rock be in vain!”

“Kill these dirty cubs, you bastards!”
“Let’s protect our hometown!”
In the last moments of his death, the pre-defense’s troops got alive once
again from archers who had ire in their eyes as if given a buff, to
warriors who did not spare themselves, and to priests who constantly
exuded divine power.
I had to set an example too, so I also slowly started chanting a spell.
It was time to show the dirty monsters that illed the First City Wall
how big Castle Rock’s united power was.
“Let’s protect Castle Rock!”
‘Puh hihahiiihat!’
As if she felt my magic, Jung Hayan also started to chant spells from a
distance.
If I were alone, it would be dif icult to do great damage to them, but

with Jung Hayan’s magic, I could do a lot more damage than imagined.
‘I have to gain more experience.’
The moment the spell was completed, I could see a large hand
descending from the sky to the First City Wall. The massive hand of the
catalyst that had been reconstructed instantly continued to expand; of
course, the magical power supplied from Jung Hayan constantly infused
it with magic. With a ‘Kwaang!’ sound, the monsters in the First City
Wall were immediately crushed.
Little Rock seemed to have been crushed, too, but a small sacri ice was
necessary for the cause. Eventually, the huge hand expanded and burst,
causing an explosion.
It was not my work, but it was obvious as to whose it was.
‘Hayan!’
“Kaw-ahhh!”
“Kadududukkk!”
“Kuh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh!”
‘Nice!’
You couldn’t hear any experience bar rising, but it felt like hundreds of
monsters were swept away by the magic that we had chanted just
before. As a result, part of the wall collapsed, and the number of
monsters that fell under it was quite large.
[Some classes have been opened. Please choose the class you think you
need.]
‘Already?’
Considering that the higher ranking one got, the more dif icult it was to
grow, this was a great achievement. It seemed like I had managed to kill
quite a few monsters, but I didn’t expect to get a new class this early. A
smile formed on my face.
Upon seeing this, Cha Hee-ra spoke.
“New class?”
“Yes. I never thought I would rank up this fast.”
“How many times has this been, honey?”
“This is the fourth.”

“I think that one just now was good, but it appeared pretty fast… I think
the experience points from Ito Souta were also counted. Basically,
combat gives one the greatest experience, but usually, all actions give
experience in one way or another. I’ll choose my new class after this
wave is over. I’ll accumulate more experience that way, anyway.”
“Thank you for the tip.”
“It’s a fact that we all know. Rather than that, you should control your
facial expressions.”
“Of course. Let’s focus our magic power on the First City Wall, where
monsters are being concentrated! This is the last message from the
Guild Master Song Jungwook!”
Of course, he had never said that.
“We must not let the will of the Guild Master Song Jungwook to protect
Castle Rock in vain! Everyone! Let’s hold on a little longer. Nothing can
be saved without sacri ice. Let’s ight together for the hero who lost his
life while protecting Castle Rock! All forces, ire!”
After all, I also wanted to get rid of any possible Little Rock Guild
survivor. At my words, magic and arrows descended upon the area.
A lot of magic was poured onto the battle ield, making it scary to
calculate.
“Kaw-ahhh!”
“Kwajijijijijijijiji!”
The roaring sound that rang through my ears sounded just like music.
As much as I had to focus on reserving magic power, chanting lame-
based magic was worth it. As a result, everything within its path burned
into ashes, setting off an array of mini-explosions.
‘Whoa… ’
“Kieeeeeek!”
“Kuh-uh-uh-uh-uh!”
In an instant, a huge hole illed up from within the mob of monsters

trying to get past our defenses. Of course, the rest of them continued to
run, yet they had also gotten in licted by tremendous damage.
‘All of this is thanks to Song Jungwook!’
At this thought, a smile formed on my face.
“This might be easier than I thought…”
I couldn’t deny Cha Hee-ra’s words.
Our people were effectively driving away the monsters, though new
ones kept appearing.
Some of them had managed to climb over the wall, but they were
quickly taken care of. Even my own Blue party was doing the same
thing.
Kim Hyunsung lew from wall to wall, steadily arranging the monsters
just like a god of war.
I didn’t know how he managed to cut off the neck of such a large
monster with a single sword slash, but he managed to do that and much
more.
‘Kim Ye-ri, too… ’
Even the kid was showing off his immense talent. Jung Hayan’s magic
accurately hit the monsters, and Hwang Jeong-yeon assisted her as
much as possible. Sun Hee-young focused on sprinkling her divine
power in all directions.
The only commoner at our party was Park Deokgu. However, even he
was doing more than average, so I could feel the impact of such a well-
trained and capable party on the battle ield.
‘They’ve grown a lot.’
I could say the same about me, but our party was completely different
from before.
It was then that a man wearing a Red Mercenary’s insignia quickly

approached us.
“Cha Hee-ra-nim.”
“Huh? Oh. Did you take care of it?”
“Yes. As you said, we’ve got all the remaining items in the underground
auction house. Besides, I also checked the cry of the monster we heard
before.”
“Report it.”
“In the guild warehouse of Little Rock, I found a baby born from a
monster’s egg in a form I have never seen before…”
“What?”
“It was a type of monster that I have never seen before. First of all, we
are securing new recruits since we occupied the Little Rock Guild
House… You will have to come and check it out yourself. Perhaps…”
‘Hm?’
“Perhaps it is the cause of the monster wave.”
The Red Mercenary member nodded as I made this assumption.
‘I was right.’
There would be no effect without a cause.
When my speculation was con irmed, my head started to ache. If we

were to assume that the wave started because of a monster’s egg, we
might have to deal with its parents.
Cha Hee-ra appeared to have thought of the same thing.
“Did you check where the eggs were found?”
“I interrogated the Little Rock warehouse manager, but he gave no clue

other than inding it in a deep forest.”
“Huh… They’re crazy guys. It is not illegal to bring in monster eggs, but
it’s still taboo. I knew they were doing illegal things in the irst place,
but I didn’t think they were stupid enough… At this point, I feel like
those damn guys died too honorably…”
“Then, the monster wave…”
“There is a high probability that it’s happened because of that baby,

only now it can be explained. The beginning of the monster wave was
clearly that howling…”
“Is this a dangerous repayment?”
I could realize it was a stupid question even as I spit it out.
Of course, it was dangerous.

“No. There won’t be a big problem. First of all, it would be nice to go
inside the city and check it out. I think I need to sort out a bit of
appetizer before the main dish comes. Don’t worry too much. Now, we
have to deal with just one more guy.”
I was a little disconcerted to hear that Cha Hee-ra had to start moving
now. Of course, it wasn’t bad timing, but it was evident that the
situation was urgent.
“I’ll come back.”
“Ah… Yes.”
She waved as if it was not a big deal and jumped down the wall. Just in
case it wasn’t dangerous, I looked at the member of the Red Mercenary.
He spoke right away.
“She prefers to ight alone.”
“I see.”
“The master often shows excitement when she concentrates… It would

be better to say that she actually ends up losing her head.”
I knew that much. If one were to think about Cha Hee-ra’s attribute, the
answer came quickly.
[Attribute: Bloodthirsty Woman (Heroic)]
[Intelligence stats are temporarily reduced to increase attack power.]
This attribute made Cha Hee-ra the way she was. Considering that her
original strength was already 97, her appearance in a state of increased
attack power was like a god of war, and even that was not enough.
Kaaduuuuuk!
Baaaaaaanng!
As I looked down at the bottom of the wall, I saw the monsters being
ripped apart, just as I had expected. Though Cha Hee-ra calmly picked
them off at irst, her disposition gradually changed into something as
similar as a beast’s. It was like she was never a human in the irst place.
The way she tore apart a medium-sized monster with her own hands
made her look terrifying.
‘She is strong… ’
I knew how strong guys like Ito Souta were, but they were nothing
compared to Hee-ra.
Seeing her laughing while covered in intestines de initely made her

look insane.
‘It’s scary… ’
It was then that Cha Hee-ra’s gaze, whose eyes seemed to have lost all
reason, moved onto the wall.
“Uh?”
It was not an illusion. Her gaze had rested on me while holding a

monster’s head in one hand.
Her expression soon turned into an eager one.
‘No way… ’
[Checking the unique characteristic of the player Cha Hee-ra.]
[A Lioness Faithful to Instinct.]
‘No way… ’
What I had only been imagining had come true.
Seeing Cha Hee-ra running to me suddenly, I had to admit that

something was really wrong.
“Fuck… Shit!! Run!”
I didn’t know why, but Cha Hee-ra was de initely following me.
CHAPTER 174
A LIONESS FAITHFUL TO
INSTINCT (1)
“Fuck… Shit!! Run!”
I didn’t know why, but Cha Hee-ra was de initely following me.
Those bloody eyes gave me goosebumps. I didn’t know what she was
imagining, but she was groaning with the sound of a beast, and a smirk
was plastered on her face.
‘Shit… ’
She had become an actual bomb.
Unlike Jung Hayan’s, Cha Hee-ra’s case was completely unexpected.
Usually, when one did something, there were things within the range
that could be expected. The same could be said for most things.
The same was true for this expedition alone. Although I was a little late
to realize, the wave’s cause could actually be inferred, and the collapse
of the First City Wall was already predictable.
In this pre-war defense, we had prepared for a lot of variables, many of

which I had thought up on my own. However, I never imagined that
there would be a crazy situation where my own allies would be chasing
me.
I never expected this type of situation.
‘This was not in my calculations.’
Having her chase after me was de initely terrifying, especially as she

climbed up the wall with ease. I felt like I could understand why she
had focused on me rather than the enemy.
The answer came quickly if one were to think of her attribute, Lioness
Faithful to Instinct.
Cha Hee-ra had lowered her intellect for heightened offense, probably
not thinking of this situation happening.
In normal circumstances, she would have wandered the battle ield like
a Bloodthirsty Madame. She would have focused on exuding the
violence that was inherent in her.
This time, it felt like something else had exploded instead of her
violence.
If this had happened before, I knew she would have warned me at least
once.
‘This is her irst time.’
It de initely was.
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Cha Hee-ra.]
[Name: Cha Hee-ra]
[Title: Bloodthirsty Madame, Red Mercenary, Red Madame of Holy

Empire]
[Age: 28]
[Disposition: Unpredictable Innovator]
[Class: Mercenary Queen (Legendary)]
[Class Effect-Acquisition of Basic Sword Knowledge]
[Class Effect-Acquisition of Intermediate Weapon Knowledge]
[Class Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Weapon Knowledge]
[Class Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Dual Weapons Knowledge 3333]
[Class Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Magical Power Management

Knowledge]
[Stats]
[Strength: 117/Growth potential: mythic or higher]
[Agility: 90/Growth potential: Heroic or lower]
[Health: 90/Growth potential: Heroic or lower]
[Intelligence: 00/Growth potential: Rare or higher]
[Luck: 56/Growth potential: Rare or higher]
[Magic Power: 82/Growth potential: Heroic or lower]
[Equipment: None]
[Attribute: Bloodthirsty Madame: Heroic]
[Intelligence stats are temporarily reduced to increase attack power.]

[General Review: Intelligence stats are temporarily reduced. The
strength stat has increased by 20 to 117, which is only temporary, yet
exceeds the legendary stat. She had lost all reason, so it would be better
not to get too close. In particular, player Lee Kiyoung’s endurance, such
as a piece of paper, may ly away with player Cha Hee-ra’s one gesture,
so be careful. I hope this meeting is not the end. Please survive…]
‘A general review that doesn’t even help! I’ll rip you off and kill you.’
As I expected, she was already and completely swallowed up by

instinct. What stood out above all was that the ridiculously high
strength stat and growth potential were written as higher than mythic.
‘Is that even possible?’
At this point, Cha Hee-ra’s sneeze would be enough to kill me.
The Red Mercenary member who had been beside me had confusion
written on his face.
“W-Why?”
“First, run!”
There should be at least one shield to protect my body. With this, I

glanced at the status window and checked out his stats.
‘Not bad.’
“Has she ever been like this?”
“N-No. This is the irst time she’s ever been…”
Cha Hee-ra is continuing to climb the wall even as he spoke. I ran as far
as I could until she inally got over the wall, but considering agility and
stamina stats, I wouldn’t be able to hide.
“Block me!”
“O-Okay!”
As if possessed by my words, he held out his shield and tried to stop

Cha Hee-ra, but he could not block her outstretched foot and crashed
through the nearby wall.
Crack!
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
His bone had de initely gotten crushed.
Cha Hee-ra would de initely not make the mistake of killing her
subordinates, but if he were a normal person, his whole body would
have burst, and he would’ve died before he could even ly away.
“Juliana! No! White Paul! White Paul!”
The thing that came to my mind instantly was Griffon White Paul, who
had come with me.
I didn’t know if he heard my voice, but for now, there was no other way
than to call him eagerly. However, the blasted creature ignored my calls.
I didn’t know if it was because he couldn’t hear me or if he found it too
dangerous, but if it was the latter, then he was perfectly my griffon.
I thought it would be okay if Cha Hee-ra caught me, but there was the
possibility of her crushing my entire body, and I would rather not take
that chance. Fortunately – or unfortunately – I saw Juliana rushing my
way.
‘That would slow her down for a while.’

She surely would. In the irst place, this was a ridiculous, unexpected
situation.
One of the walls would not be able to properly play the pre-war defense
role thanks to Cha Heera, who had lost all reason. Whether I sink or
swim, it would only be right to bring her into the city to lead this pre-
war defense to victory.
‘At irst, I should head under the wall.’
Even without Cha Hee-ra or me, the pre-war defense would proceed
smoothly. Of course, the story may be a little different if the mother of
the baby that Little Rock was holding appeared, but the troops who
were already struggling to protect Castle Rock knew that the victory of
this battle was in our favor.
If the remaining commander were not an idiot, there would be no

problem right now.
As I ran, I could hear screaming from behind me. Cha Hee-ra was
probably striking everything that stood in her way. Given her power,
she might exude damage that other people can’t handle, but now was
not the time to worry about others.
“Grrrr…”
‘What is she, a monster?’
I felt like she was getting closer. Tens of thousands of thoughts passed
through my mind about what would happen if I got caught, but no one
could guarantee that my body would be safe.
That was when I got lifted into the air.
As I screamed without my knowledge, I soon realized that a different

situation greeted me.
After opening my eyes, I saw that it was not Cha Hee-ra, but Cho Hyejin,
who had me in her arms.
“Whoo!”
“This… What the hell…”
“It’s a long story. For now, it would be better for us to run into the city.”
“Ah… Yes.”
“You must be careful, Hyejin-ssi.”
“Okay.”
“How is the situation at the pre-war defense?”
“It seems to be going well. However, I saw that Cha Hee-ra-nim was
chasing the Vice Guild Master…”
“It’s okay. Does the command team know about this situation?”
“I told them that to prevent monsters from in iltrating the underground

water, the Vice Guild Master and Cha Hee-ra would be moving with
some troops.”
“Who?”
“It’s only just a ruse I made up… Ah! The total command of pre-war
defense was entrusted to the Giant’s Guild Master.”
It appeared to me that Cho Hyejin had become a little more lexible

now.
I know she did that not to confuse the troops, but I would like to praise
her a little for her willingness to lie. I also liked the fact that the Giant’s
Guild Master is in command.
He was a guy with a good sense and had asked sensible questions about
the formation of troops on the western wall, so he would de initely lead
the pre-war defense according to the manual.
“By the way… Why did Cha Hee-ra suddenly…”
I struggled to ind the right explanation, ighting through my

embarrassment. Even I couldn’t genuinely understand what was
happening.
Seeing my reluctant expression, Cho Hyejin decided not to ask further.
In fact, I might’ve looked out of my mind now because of how Cha Hee-
ra was chasing me.
As the stats themselves were so different, we settled for drifting past

alleys, but she continued to destroy everything in her path in her fear of
missing my location.
At this, Cho Hyejin struggled to avoid all the debris falling onto the
ground. As we moved at high speeds, my sight began to blur.
“Grrrrr…”
Despite my unsettlement, a laugh bubbled out of me. This situation felt

so absurd. I had not expected this completely different variable.
At this point, I felt pretty sure that Song Jungwook had placed a curse
on me before he died.
This situation did not feel realistic at this point.
However, since this was only an attribute, I knew Cha Hee-ra’s behavior
would soon revert to normal. All attributes had a time limit, after all.
When I looked at Cha Hee-ra with my Mind’s Eye once more, I could see
her attribute information. I remembered that there was no such
function until then. It looked like it had come with the evolution of my
own ability.
[Checkind the details of the attribute, Bloodthirsty Madame, of the

player Cha Hee-ra.]
[Intelligence stats are temporarily reduced to increase attack power.

Time limit 1 hour: 49 minutes remaining]
‘Time limit, 1 hour?!’
It had only been only 11 minutes!
It personally felt like 30 minutes have passed. Still, it was fortunate that
a time limit even existed. If there was a condition written like, until Cha
Hee-ra’s stamina was exhausted, I might have to make a little extreme
choice.
“You have to last for about an hour.”
“What?”
While Cho Hyejin replied, I could see Cha Hee-ra heading right in our
direction.
“Careful!”
Cho Hyejin hurriedly turned around at the cry, but it felt like it was too
late.
I saw her biting her lips tightly, throwing me outward before pulling out
a spear. She had realized the difference in stats.
However, my predictions were wrong.

I heard a bang, but Cho Hyejin did not bounce outward. After hearing a
voice that seemed to cut through the air once, what I could see was Kim
Hyunsung, who had gone to block Cha Hee-ra.
‘Hyunsung!’
Our Hyunsung had saved Cho Hyejin and me from danger.
Of course, the difference in stats was still absurd. However, seeing

divine power being poured into him, I could see that Kim Hyunsung
was not the only one who had arrived here on time.
Looking back, Sun Hee-young was reaching out to Kim Hyunsung, and
Jung Hayan was staring at Cha Hee-ra quietly. Even Kim Ye-ri and
Hwang Jeong-yeon came. I felt shocked.
“What is this suddenly? Hyung-nim?”
Park Deokgu, holding a shield, had stepped in front of me.
“I don’t know well either. I don’t know why, but she suddenly started to
run towards me…”
“Ah. I know about the Mercenary Queen’s attribute, having heard of it.”
“I see.”
“It is a kind of attribute that improves attack power by reducing

intelligence, and the estimated time is about an hour… A little bit of
time has passed, so we’ll have to hold on a little. I don’t know why this
happened, but I think the irst thing to do is to stop Cha Hee-ra.”
“What about the walls?”
“The pre-war defense itself has been ine so far. It would be okay to
leave it for a while.”
“Ah… Yes.”
“Let’s hold her down instead of killing her.”
Jung Hayan shook her head at Park Deokgu’s question. I didn’t know if
she saw this as an opportunity to kill Hee-ra, but her bright eyes looked
creepy to me.
Of course, if Cha Hee-ra died here, things would get more complicated.
Honestly speaking, our party was severely lacking in power.
The balance of power could be maintained because of Hwang Jeong-

yeon, who can be said to be a high-ranking wizard, and the returner,
who was performing way better than imagined.
Cho Hyejin was also one of the talented people who could maintain
balance.
Assuming that these three people were not here, the meat shield, Park
Deokgu, would only last for about 3 seconds. Kim Ye-ri, meanwhile,
would last about 15 seconds.
If the front row collapsed, the back row would be pushed away in an
instant.
“I don’t know what kind of situation this is.”
I was not the only one who sounded disconcerted.
All of the people here would not have expected that they would also
have to stop Cha Hee-ra when they came to stop this monster wave.
‘This is such an important event… ’

CHAPTER 175
INSTINCT (2)
“We will ight with the idea of dealing with at least a legendary-grade
named monster. Hee-young-ssi will buff the close-ups. Deokgu-ssi and
Hyejin-ssi need to focus on not breaking down the back row. Ye-ri and I
will block the front as much as possible, so I think, Kiyoung-ssi and
Jeong-yeon-ssi should cast magic to stop her.”
“Yes. Okay.”
“Understood.”
Sun Hee-young and Park Deokgu nodded in reply.
Normally, it would be the standard to add buffs to the rear, but I felt like
he was trying to focus the buff on the front line to not let the melee
forces collapse in vain. I knew I would have made the same choice.
What was a little exciting about this was that Kim Hyunsung looked
quite familiar with this situation. In the future that would happen from
now on, there seemed to be a few things that would cause Cha Hee-ra to
stray.
‘Of course, it will not be this kind of case… ’
At least I knew Kim Hyunsung had been through this situation at least
once.
“Grrrrrr…”
Cha Hee-ra, staring at us quietly from a few meters from here, felt a bit
scary. Her entire self was doused in red from the blood of the monsters
that she had torn apart. I began to tremble.
‘Whoo… ’
The good news was that she could clearly separate allies from enemies.
If she didn’t kill a member of the Red Mercenary, she wouldn’t launch a
dangerous attack on us, either.
Of course, even a stone that she would throw would be enough to

behead me, but it as merit enough not to make a fatal attack anyway.
“She’s coming.”
“Grrrrrr!!”
In the meantime, debris from a large building started lying in our

direction.
‘She doesn’t mean to kill, right?’
In an instant, the shadows cast upwards swallowed up our party

members, but as Hwang Jeong-yeon recited the spell, the fragments
paused in the air.
It seemed to be a magical shape that used telekinetic power. Cha Hee-ra

disappeared among the thrown rubble.
However, she appeared at the side in no time, her arms stretched out.
It was surprisingly Park Deokgu that stopped Cha Heera.
“Don’t even touch Hyung-nim… Aaaak!”

As soon as he blocked her attack with his shield, he bounced off to the
other side. Though I knew he wouldn’t die, his arm had probably gotten
crushed.
‘Wow, he only lasted for one second?’
Taking advantage of this, I could see Cho Hyejin, Kim Hyunsung, and
Kim Ye-ri rushing to her.
Cha Hee-ra struck Kim Hyunsung, who wielded his sword, with her arm
as if she found him annoying, but our lovely returner avoided the attack
by twisting his body.
Cho Hyejin’s spear then extended through that gap. A piercing sound
rang through the air.
‘I see.’
The strange thing was that I could see their attacks in detail. Perhaps
this, too, was the effect of Mind’s Eye evolution to a legendary level.
However, when Cha Hee-ra punched through the spear that pierced her,
Cho Hyejin’s balance was thrown off. As the crazed lioness prepared to
land a blow, Kim Ye-ri, holding a dagger, appeared behind her. The kid’s
advanced ability left me open-mouthed.
Assuming that they worked this well together during the irst round, I
knew Kim Hyunsung’s efforts in inding them had not gone to waste.
“Hmmmm-ahhh!”
Kim Ye-ri hurriedly threw her dagger, but as soon as Cha Hee-ra moved,
the three members were swept away by the shock of her magical
power. Seeing this as an opportunity, Jung Hayan cast her magic.
“Iiiik! Disappear!!”
‘We’re not supposed to kill her!’
It seemed that her true intentions had come out without her knowing,
but it was hard to imagine that Cha Hee-ra would take damage from
Jung Hayan’s magic.
Jung Hayan hurled a magic elemental bomb at high speed towards Cha
Hee-ra.
As a result, various magical powers completely turned the ground into

a powder that tried to swallow Cha Hee-ra.
“Hiss!”
However, the lioness simply struck the magic with her hand as if she
found it annoying. The elemental bomb, created by Jung Hayan, struck
the opposite building with a loud roar.
Baaaaaaanng!
Kaduuuuuk!
‘Motherf… ’
Seeing the buildings falling like dominoes reminded me of myself

saying that Castle Rock would be safe, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
First, we had to sort out this situation.
Kim Hyunsung, as if thinking the same as me, immediately rushed to

Cha Hee-ra with his sword, with Cho Hyejin and Kim Ye-ri right behind
him.
Once again, swords, spears, and daggers were shot at her, but
everything proved to be useless. Meanwhile, Cha Hee-ra had focused on
Kim Ye-ri.
‘Isn’t it dangerous?’
Kim Ye-ri’s endurance was not high. When I tried to chant a spell in a
hurry, Park Deokgu, who had popped up from nowhere, again blocked
her attack.
“Nice, Park Deokgu!”
“Uuuuuuuhhhhhk!”
I could see him being thrown back naturally into the opposite building.
He rushed out as soon as he returned, but he at least prevented Kim Ye-
ri from getting killed. His guts and strength were not bad. However, I
felt like there would be no end to this.
‘The problem is… ’
I did not know for how long Cha Hee-ra would go easy on us. Even now,
it seemed that she felt quite annoyed. Though the remaining reason
within her told her not to kill us, she might be unable to hold herself
back if this went on.
If one were to face a mythic-grade stat, being bounced off to the

opposite building will not be the end. Chances were, one would explode
into a bloody mess.
‘This is not good… ’
I, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Jung Hayan continued to pour out magic, but
we achieved nothing with our efforts. Kim Hyunsung himself looked
anxious.
Cha Hee-ra and I still had plenty of strength. It was annoying to realize
that I had to use my reserve of stamina and magic power I could’ve
used to gain experience with, but if this could be considered as an
experience value, then it would not be so bad.
‘Still… ’
‘We can’t keep going like this.’
Actually, the experience was not a problem.
If the monster’s mother appeared while Kim Hyunsung and Cha Hee-ra
were away, we could be annihilated along with Castle Rock’s
imperialists within the city.
As I thought of a way to escape, a huge cry came from outside the wall,
as if it had been waiting this entire time.
“Gruuuuuuuhhhhh…”
A low cry resounded. However, it was enough to shake my entire body.
‘We’re doomed.’
I couldn’t see it from inside the city, but I thought I could predict what
was going on. Seeing that I saw no igure hovering in the sky, I could tell
that it wasn’t a lying type, but upon hearing the chaos that had
suddenly erupted, I had to admit that the situation had worsened.
Of course, I was not the only one who had heard the cry.
Kim Hyunsung’s expression had distorted, and Hwang Jeong-yeon also

looked surprised.
The impact in the voice was different from that of a heroic-grade

monster’s. I didn’t know what kind of monster it was, but one thing was
for sure—our wall needed support.
Cha Hee-ra was indeed a problem, but the city wall was of greater
importance for now.
‘I have to stop it.’
“First, to the wall! Hyunsung-ssi! I think it’s right to head towards the
city wall irst.”
“B-But…”
“No, go west!”
“What?”
“I don’t have time to explain. After taking me west, you can go straight
to clean up the monsters on the wall.”
“T-That’s too dangerous, Oppa…”
“The party members are heading to the wall right now. Hyejin is in
charge of the command and should focus on blocking the monsters
approaching the wall. After you take me to the western area, I will head
straight to the wall.”
“But.”
“No. This is our top priority. I’m going to be okay, Hayan.”
Jung Hayan looked surprised, but Kim Hyunsung quietly nodded, at

once knowing what I had in mind. The order had already been given,
after all.
Kim Hyunsung came to me in an instant, grabbing my hand and running

straight to the west. Thanks to his high agility stats, we arrived there in
no time.
The feeling of being in his arms was strange, but his speed was vastly
different from Cho Hyejin’s. I could see Cha Hee-ra running this way,
screaming as if he had just stolen her lover, but it proved to be hard
trying to catch up to us as we ran through different alleys.
“What do you have in mind?” Kim Hyunsung then asked, panting

heavily.
I knew he would be curious. It de initely seemed strange for me to

suddenly want to head west.
In some ways, what I was doing could be considered a gamble.
I couldn’t guarantee it, but if my predictions were correct, there was

one more person in Castle Rock capable of ighting right now.
“I’m not sure, but maybe… I might be able to get support there.”
“What?”
“There’s this person I met a few days ago by chance…”
“What?”
Kim Hyunsung’s expression told me that he found me crazy. I wasn’t all

that sure, either. However, it was not impossible.
If that person left the city immediately after exiting the underground
auction house, it was possible that I would be wrong. Still, martial law
was dropped on Castle Rock immediately after our trip to the black
market.
Of course, security was tight, and the Red Mercenaries had encroached
upon Castle Rock so that a single ant couldn’t escape.
If there were a separate underground entrance that I didn’t know, it

would be unknown, but as a result of an investigation centering on the
underground auction house, no exit to the outside could be found.
That was not all.
If there were any lingering attachment for me, it would be impossible to

get out of the city that easily. I knew that there was a possibility that
this person would have been snooping at the underground auction
house in the hopes of meeting me again.
As I rummaged through my pockets, I saw the notes I had received

before. I thought we would never meet again, but I couldn’t even
imagine that I would actually look for her.
“How far do I have to go?”
After we continued to run on, I called out the name I had never thought
of calling out before.
“Shao… lin!!”
“What…”
“Shaolin! Come out!!”
The returner’s face looked disconcerted.
His strangely twisted eyes seemed to be asking why I knew the name,
but I could see that he was biting his lips and not asking anything else.
‘Fuck… You know who it is.’
It felt like he had been entangled in a bad situation with her. It wasn’t
the same reaction as Jung Jinho, but their relationship didn’t look all
that good, either. Considering Shaolin’s characteristics, it seemed that
she was not on the side of justice very much.
‘She may be from the Republic, so this would only be natural.’

“Shaolin! Come out!!”
“Is she really there?”
“I’m not sure, but perhaps… No, she will be.”
If she was really here, I was willing to bow down to her and ask her to
come out. There were still 34 more minutes until Cha Hee-ra could
regain her sanity.
Seeing her still frantically chasing us, I knew this was our last hope.
I could not depend on Hyunsung to keep running forever. Until now, we

had managed to avoid her somehow, but to be honest, we would not
last that much longer.
Suddenly, an explosive sound rang through the air.
“Ah.”
“I never thought I would meet you so quickly… And in this situation…

Ah, what should I make of this… masked man? Can I call you that?”
The woman I was looking for appeared right on top of one of the nearby
buildings.
It is impressive to see her wearing a Chinese dress, just like the day we
met before. She indeed looked beautiful without her mask. A smile
appeared on my face.
‘This is it!’
It would be most effective to make a crazy deal with a crazy bitch

during this time.
‘The balance of power must be maintained!’

“It’s an honor to meet you again, beautiful Shaolin-nim.”
Her face took on an expression of shock at my greeting.

CHAPTER 176
INSTINCT (3)
“It’s an honor to meet you again, beautiful Shaolin.”
Her face took on an expression of shock at my greeting.
“Really? Well… this is my irst time meeting you, so how do you know
my name?”
“Of course, it is because your beautiful igure never left my mind. I kept
looking for you.”
“Liar.”
“I’m not lying, Miss Shaolin.”
“Ha…”
“Aren’t you coming out because you’re thinking of helping?”
“I’m not in a good mood because I’ve gotten dumped… To be precise, I

came out to witness a death.”
‘This bitch!’
I had expected her to act like this. However…
‘She will de initely help.’

If she didn’t want to, there was no reason for her to show up. She was
playing hard to get because she wanted to get something out of this.
After all, the fact that she, a member of the Republic, responded to my
call and appeared within the Holy Empire’s borders was already a
penalty in itself.
Of course, the ones who had seen her were me, Kim Hyunsung, and Cha
Hee-ra, who was still on a rampage. However, her greed was still
apparent, considering her reaction during our encounter at the
underground auction house. However, there was a possibility that she
had gone out to land herself a negotiation with me.
‘I’m not sure what negotiation is, but… ’
What surprised me was Kim Hyunsung’s reaction. The man looked

angry as he gazed at the woman adorned in Chinese garbs. He then
stared at me, not with hostility, although he appeared to be asking for
an explanation.
“We met at a masquerade ball.”
“Ah… I see.”
“This is the person who once I met with Hyejin while the party
members were out hunting.”
I knew Cho Hyejin would make the alibi with me.
“With Hyejin?”
“Yes. Previously, I received a slightly awkward proposal… I remembered

refusing, though. Do you have any idea who it is?”
“No… I don’t know.”

While I tried to convince Hyunsung of my innocence, a voice rang above
us.
“Will you ignore me like this after calling me? Perhaps it would be
better for me to go.”
“O-Of course! It’s been a long time since we met. How can you talk like
that, Shaolin-nim? I’m really sorry about last time. At that time, my
partner next to me was a little sensitive for my safety…”
I felt sorry for putting Hyejin on the spot like that, but I had to appeal to
Shaolin irst. Even as I spoke, Cha Hee-ra continued to follow Hyunsung
and me.
“In my memory, the one who looked uncomfortable was you, am I

right?”
“Hahahaha. Why would I reject such a beautiful woman? I knew you

would be beautiful, but you exceeded my expectations. Staring into
your eyes will surely drown me.”
“Huh. What a smooth talker.”
“Why would I be lying?”
“Easy. It’s because you’re in a desperate situation right now.”
“In the irst place, a desperate situation is the best background to feel
good about each other. Usually, all the main characters in movies act
like this. Why don’t you stop looking around and help me out? My
situation isn’t so good…”
“It’s not a problem for me to help, but it’s a bit of an expensive order to
stop the Mercenary Queen from the Holy Empire. I’m not sure if I can
stop her or not, and there must be something I can get in return.”
“I am not asking you to do your best to ight. I would be really grateful if
you could help us against her for about 30 minutes… If there is anything
you want, we will do as much as possible to grant it. Of course, this
includes safely exiting Castle Rock.”
“Hmm… 30 minutes is by no means easy.”
“How about gold coins?”
“Well…”
“If you want material things…”
“I’m not a person who lacks money…”
“I’ll of icially serve you a meal. Not only that, but we will be able to give
you anything we can give.”
“Hmm…”
“Please help us, oh, beautiful Shaolin-nim.”
“First of all, since it looks urgent, should the contract be concluded with
this?”
“You just need to hold off against her without actually killing her.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. She won’t die even if I wanted to
kill her anyway. That crazy gorilla… Ah, well, it won’t be bad to have you
lot feel indebted to me.”
I didn’t know how, but she seemed to be acquainted with Cha Hee-ra. If
Shaolin really held a seat of power, then it was possible that she
would’ve met Cha Hee-ra at least once.
‘Does this make things better?’

It didn’t matter. The only thing that did was that she had decided to
help us, though it didn’t seem like they were very close.
‘Not bad.’
As Shaolin quietly reached out, a man appeared from behind her and
handed her an armament from within the box he was holding. Shaolin
accepted the weapon quietly.
‘A whip?’
It really didn’t feel like she cared much about Cha Hee-ra.
A second later, enormous magical power lew towards Cha Hee-ra, who
was still charging towards us. An explosion resounded, and Cha Hee-ra
was struck to the side.
Baaaaang!
I found myself staring, mouth agape.
‘Was she really that strong?’
Previously, I had not been able to check her stats properly.
[Checking the status window and the talent levels of the player
Shaolin.]
[Name: Shaolin]
[Title: Sadist]
[Age: 22]
[Disposition: Curious Seeker]

[Unique Characteristic: Strangler Romanticist]
[Class: Whip Engineer (Heroic)]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Basic Swordsmanship Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Whipping Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Fighting Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Whipping Knowledge]
[Class effect: Acquisition of Advanced Magic Power Management

Knowledge]
[Stats]
[Agility: 89/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]
[Stamina: 71/Growth potential: Rare or higher]
[Endurance: 64/Growth potential: Rare or higher]
[Luck: 81/Growth potential: Heroic or lower]
[Magic Power: 89/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]
[Attribute: Vibrant Lash (Heroic)]
[Restores stamina in proportion to the damage done with the whip.]

[General Review: I feel sorry for the low stamina and endurance stats,
but she has overall stats that are faithful to the basics. She has a good
disposition, but her characteristic is not very good. It would be right to
say that she is a player who possesses dangerous curiosity. One thing
I’m sure of is that she is not a good person to get close to.]
Certainly, she was a kind of human that could be classi ied as a strong
man, but she was nothing compared to Cha Hee-ra. The difference in
stats was still evident.
However, it was the whip she was holding that bothered me.
[Equipment: Whip Woold That Punished a Goddess (Legendary)]
[This is a weapon found in an ancient shrine. We don’t know how and

who used it, but rumor has it that it was made to punish the goddess.
Although buried for a long time, it retains most of its power. Ten points
permanently reduce the owner of the item at random. As a result, the
magical power of the whip increases.]
‘As expected.’
Though most of its functions still appeared to be locked, it was entirely

different from my Juliana, who still had not awakened yet. However, if
one had a legendary item, it would make sense to try and stop Cha Hee-
ra with it alone.
‘At the cost of 10 stat points… ’
Shaolin seemed con ident with her ability, as the subordinates she had
brought along stood still, not helping. If something dangerous
happened, they would probably move, but as of the moment, she could
still deal with Cha Hee-ra as she was still a considerable distance away.
Meanwhile, her whip continued to create sharp, piercing sounds that

seemed to cut through the air.
“Grrrrr!”
Cha Hee-ra no longer focused on me, as she had sensed an imminent

threat. She changed direction right away and rushed towards Shaolin.
Because of this, Kim Hyunsung must’ve thought that he didn’t need to
carry me anymore, seeing as he had started running towards the wall.
However, I had no intention of going with him.
“I think you can head to the wall irst. I need to stop by somewhere
irst…”
“What?”
“I have some insurance in mind. Ah! Rather, just in case, I would like
you to send the Red Mercenary members here. So far, it looks like it’s
going to be ine, but if things continue like this, we’ll have to stop one of
them.”
“Yes. I see what you mean. I’ll head to the wall now, then.”
“And…”
“Yes?”
“I would like you to explain in detail about today.”
“Of course.”
Once more, Kim Hyunsung’s expression did not look good.
‘He must be suspicious.’

It was understandable. He obviously hadn’t expected me to know
someone from the Republic, much less ask them for help. Of course, I
didn’t know where Shaolin lived or what she did, exactly, but I had still
called out her name, and she still responded to me.
To be honest, I had completely forgotten about meeting her back at the

auction house.
Anyway, I was in no panic about the monster wave. Currently, anyway.

Since the Giants Guild Master was in command, the Western region
forces may have been reinforced. I didn’t know what would happen, but
it at least eased my worries for the time being.
“Gwuuuuhhhh…”
Of course, if the crying, crazy monster outside went on a rampage, it

would be a whole different story.
“Then, I’ll see you in a little bit.”
Kim Hyunsung looked worried, even as he lew off. Meanwhile, I still

had one more place I needed to stop by at.
‘Of course, it’s a little scary to go outside… ’
In case Shaolin did something to Cha Hee-ra, I would have to hide here
and watch her until the Red Mercenary members arrive, anyway.
It’s hard to imagine Cha Heera being killed or injured, as Shaolin had
said, but…
‘Anything can happen.’
Therefore, I owed it to Cha Hee-ra to watch over her for now.

“Mad bitch!!”
“Grrrrrr!!!!”
A chaotic ight had broken out both outside and within the walls.
Thinking about the pre-war defense, where all I had to do was

command safely from the rear, I realized things had just gotten a lot
harder for me.
This did nothing but make me feel sad.

CHAPTER 177
INSTINCT (4)
Thinking about the pre-war defense, where all I had to do was

command safely from the rear, I realized things had just gotten a lot
harder for me.
This did nothing but make me feel sad.
Still, to some extent, it felt like the situation had been cleared up.
However, this did not mean that I was free to feel at ease. There were
still many unstable factors. There was still the western wall that was
scheduled to collapse in advance, as well as the existence of a raid
monster that would probably be classi ied as legendary, at the very
least.
Of course, remembering that time has passed since we irst heard the
howling, I had good reason to think that our troops were holding on
well enough. The side where Kim Hyunsung had gone would regain its
vitality with his help. Thus, our pre-war preparations would not be for
nothing.
‘However… ’
It was always natural to think of the worst-case scenario. One would

never know for sure when and how a war situation would change. Cha
Hee-ra had changed unexpectedly, for one, as well as the baby
monster’s howling.
‘Therefore, the more insurance, the better.’
To successfully solve this crisis, I had to keep thinking hard. With my

limited skills, I had to rack my brains out to ind more solutions.
As I mulled these over, the battle in front of me continued to rage.
Shaolin was strong enough, but I began to understand why she didn’t
seem con ident about being able to kill Cha Hee-ra.
Sure, her legendary item Woold was certainly powerful, enough to

sweep away small buildings with one whip. However, Cha Hee-ra had
successfully managed to stay on guard right after the irst surprise
attack.
“Grrrrrr!”
Bang! Bang! Seeing Cha Hee-ra being able to dodge all incoming attacks
didn’t seem to be the work of someone who had a 90 agility stat. This
only proved that she had indeed lost all reason, and all that was left to
her was instinct. I could see all of this with my own eyes, and yet…
‘It’s sense.’
She had both sense and instinct. Cha Hee-ra couldn’t have possibly
reached that area if it weren’t for all her training.
Just like Jung Hayan, she was also a kind of genius. Of course, it would
be faster to ind a player who did not have a special talent among the
players who have reached that level, but in my view, Cha Hee-ra was
clearly unwise.
Shaolin somehow managed to keep their former distance in an attempt

to tie her up, but the beast would never follow the trainer, and so, the
battle ensued.
‘She’s holding on well so far.’
Contrary to my opinion, however, I felt like Cha Hee-ra allowed Shaolin

to keep that distance. Though the presence of magic could offset the
weapon’s shortcomings, the fact remained that it was still a whip. This
meant that engaging in close combat would be very disadvantageous,
especially if the opponent was Cha Hee-ra, someone who specialized in
close combat.
When the beast rushed right in front of Shaolin with murderous intent,
the other woman ended up dropping her whip.
After settling into a strange posture, she struck Cha Hee-ra’s arm before
striking her solar plexus using her elbow.
‘Martial arts?’
Seeing Cha Hee-ra bounce off from the impact looked very much
unrealistic to me.
‘Fuck… what’s with those moves?’
It would be natural to think that a person wielding a melee weapon

would lack combat power. However, I was surprised to ind that this
was not the case at all.
‘Why is she so strong?’
No matter how fast Kim Hyunsung himself grew, he still struggled to

keep up with Cha Hee-ra.
Shaolin was the kind of person who could be classi ied as a strong
woman. She perfectly accustomed her body from medium to long-
distance battles and even super close-battles using legendary weapons.
Although her stats seemed to be a little lower, she seemed better than
Ito Souta. After all, she managed to fend off against Cha Hee-ra pretty
well.
However, it appeared that Shaolin did not think the same. I could see
her displeasure at having only in licted this much damage on her
opponent. Following her gaze, all I could see was the red-haired beast
once again standing, this time holding two cheap-looking weapons. It
appeared that Shaolin had struck her right into a weapon shop.
‘Come to think of it… ’
This was de initely the irst time I had seen Cha Hee-ra wielding a
weapon.
Yes, this was de initely the irst time. I didn’t know why she, who had
acquired knowledge of advanced dual weapons through her class’s
effect, did not carry her own armament, but the fact that the tides of
battle would change from here on out was apparent.
I started to worry about Shaolin.
“Isn’t she dying, just keeping up like that?” I found myself wondering
out loud. Someone answered me, however.
“It will be dangerous. Sure, she’s strong…”
“You scared me!”
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
“No. You came sooner than I thought.”
It was the Red Mercenary I told Kim Hyunsung to bring over. He was
currently standing behind me, staring right at me.
“Currently, there aren’t a lot of troops on the wall, so I brought six
members along. We came because they said that we had something to
do together… I guess now I know what it is.”
“Yes. That woman with a whip is now fending against Hee-ra. I would
like you to watch her so that other accidents do not happen. I was
worried that she might get hurt…”
“You don’t have to worry about that… First of all, it is our job to protect
the master, so we will follow your orders with gratitude. What about
that other woman?”
“It’s con irmed that she has subordinates with her. They’re about ive.
They seem to be from the Republic, but they have decided to cooperate
with us, so please take care of their safety as well. Make sure that they
don’t die to the best of your powers.”
“Yes. I see what you mean. Usually, It’s not easy to stop the master in
that state… Until her reason comes back, I think I should support that
woman. If she hadn’t come, another accident would have happened. She
hasn’t been like that recently…”
‘I can’t say that the cause is me.’
“Has she ever become like that in the past?”
“There have been several occurrences back when she was new here on
the continent, and only once when she became Guild Master. Of course,
this wasn’t the same feeling back then…”
“Back then?”
“I remember her attacking both enemies and allies with no ability to

distinguish them. I’m glad that that part’s changed now, at least.”
If that was the case, then that indeed eased some more of my anxiety. I
was still curious about the news on the wall.
“I see. Ah. What is the current situation of our pre-war defense?”
“Fine. Although a legendary-grade named monster appeared, it was a

little passive.”
“Aha…”
“Until then, only heroic-grade monsters or sub-species have been sent,

but they have not made direct attacks on the walls. If the guy comes in
pushing, we would de initely take a lot of damage, but in the previous
battle, our wizards saved up a lot of magic, so we can afford to ight.
Defeating the monsters all at once on the First City Wall was de initely
effective…”
I nodded slightly. I had expected the named monster to stop moving at

some point. However, I still didn’t know why it would stop moving. It
was not easy to wonder about.
It would be a strange situation if I didn’t smile.
‘I can move comfortably for now… ’
My prepared insurance garnered me some additional safety.
“What about the western wall?”
“The western wall also hadn’t faced any dif iculties. Although there
were many deaths, reserve troops were quickly put in to ill the void. Of
course, compared to the other wall, it is true that their power is being
pushed down… Is there anything wrong with the western wall?”
“No. Listening to you, I think it will be okay. If you have any problems,
you can evacuate to the eastern area.”
“Alright.”
“Are there any wizards capable of voice ampli ication magic?”
“Ah… Yes.”
Even though the Red Mercenary’s Wizard Squad was weak, seeing him
here con irmed that our Kim Hyunsung really felt considerate for my
wellbeing.
‘Good.’
“Apart from the wizard, everyone else can perform the mission I just
mentioned. If by any chance, after the end of the runaway state, Hee-ra
is…”
“There won’t be any other side effects. You can assume that she will
immediately return to the same state as before.”
“That’s a relief. Then, I’ll send the signal from this side.”
“What signal?”
“Hee-ra can tell you. From now on, I’ll be heading towards the Little
Rock Guild House. It looks like it’ll be safe, so you don’t have to escort
me.”
“Please take one more person with you.”
It seemed that they really cared about my safety. I know it was because
of Cha Hee-ra’s past orders, but I was indeed thankful. At my nod, a
warrior sided up next to the wizard.
’15 minutes remaining.’
It was nice to be able to watch the ight, thanks to Shaolin’s capabilities.

Being able to be escorted like this also made me feel comfortable.
Seeing my escort wizard cast illusion magic as we headed out for fear of
being discovered, I knew they were afraid of Cha Hee-ra stalking after
us. However, the woman in question didn’t seem interested in going
after us.
As we moved, I heard explosions and roars resonating from

everywhere.
Nevertheless, the situation on our side was very comfortable. It made

me feel very good, and it was obvious why.
‘It feels like all the puzzle pieces have been gathered together.’
We made good time moving as fast as we could while Shaolin and the
others distracted Cha Hee-ra. Of course, when she realized that I was
gone, I could hear a louder roar than before, this time angrier, but I
couldn’t ind it in me to care.
’10 minutes remaining.’
“Can you hold me and run?”
I felt sorry for the warrior who would bear the physical burden, but he
was way faster than me. It would take us a little more time to reach the
Little Rock Guild House because of its location.
‘2 minutes remaining.’
If I had been with Kim Hyunsung, we would have already arrived. Since
I was with a warrior who invested in endurance and strength rather
than agility, I still found it impressive that we could move at this speed.
Soon enough, the Guild House came into view.

On cue, as if Cha Hee-ra had woken up, the explosions in the western
area decreased.
After a few more seconds, I could hear her screaming. I felt like I knew
why, but it would be better to pretend that I didn’t hear that.
As I got closer to the Little Rock Guild House, a team member

approached us.
“So, you were there?”
“Ah, Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
“Is there anything special here?”
“Yes. Rather than that, why did you come to this place?”
“The newborn baby of the monster, is it here?”
I knew I was being rude, but pleasantries were out of the question. The
Red Mercenary members had already wandered around, inding what it
was that I was seeking.
The creature looked like a little dragon. The only difference was that its
wings had not yet sprouted. To be precise, there was something
attached to its forelimb, but no one could see it; I realized it was not
meant to ly.
Anyway, its appearance didn’t matter.
As soon as I removed its mouthpiece, the little guy’s sad cry illed the
city.
“Kie-e-e-e-e-ee-eek…”
Bang! With this sound, I could see the mother monster smashing the
western wall, this time looking directly towards me.
“Oh? What’re you going to do, you bastard? Puhahaha!”

CHAPTER 178
THE RESULT OF THE
HOSTAGE CRISIS (1)
“Oh? What’re you going to do, you bastard? Puhahaha!”
My prediction proved correct. For someone who appeared so proud,

embarrassment lingered in the eyes of the mother monster. She
evidently hadn’t expected us to hold her baby as a hostage.
Although this made me the villain, this tactic worked in my favor.
“Guh-uh-uh-uh…”
I could see her trying to move towards us. However, I moved Juliana
close to her poor baby, and she ceased her movements immediately.
It wasn’t just her. The other monsters had also stopped moving.
‘Did she signal for them to stop?’
She seemed to understand me better than I thought. Thanks to this, I

could observe her closely. She was bigger than I thought, and although
she stood a good deal of distance away, I could still scrutinize her igure.
Even though I looked at her from a distance, I could see her igure
exactly.
There were two huge horns on her head, yet I knew they were not just
decorative. Those horns must have played a decisive role in smashing
the western wall just before.
‘They can be sold expensively.’
Her horns weren’t the only ones that looked expensive. Her dark hide
looked intimidating to anyone. Even from a distance, the shiny leather
seemed impenetrable to rare-grade spells or lower. It would certainly
make great quality armor.
This creature was de initely a type of dragon, with its long tail and all.
‘I think that could also be turned into a weapon… ’
Of course, I had never thought that dragons would appear here. It didn’t
seem like the type of creature that sat on top of mankind, freely using
its magic. However, even if one were to look at it simply, they would still
be able to feel its enormous magical power. I didn’t know if all
legendary-grade monsters were like this, but this one seemed to harbor
both emotion and high intelligence.
Thus, it was also capable of maternal love.
As soon as I looked at her with my Mind’s Eye, information about her

spilled out.
[Dark Dragon Dialugia (Legendary)]
[This is a legendary-grade monster that lives deep within the Rock

Rebel Mountains. As a dragon-type monster, it has a certain level of
intelligence and lives by hunting medium-sized or higher monsters
using its huge horns and long tail.]
[Checking the status window of the legendary-grade named monster,

Dark Dragon Dialugia.]
[Name: Dialugia]
[Title: Ruler of the Rock Rebel Mountains]
[Age: 4,036]
[Disposition: A docile mother]
[Category: Dragon]
[Stats]
[Strength: 105/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]
[Health: 123/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]
[Intelligence: 100/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]
[Durability: 132/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]
[Luck: 101/Growth potential: Legendary or lower]
[Magic Power: 125/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]
[General Review: She is very angry because her child was stolen. You
should be careful.]
‘The stats… ’
Her stats were ridiculously high. Assuming that the method of

calculating stats for monsters and humans was different, her stats far
exceeded my expectations.
Although her strength points were lower than those of Cha Hee-ra after
a runaway, the two were vastly different in the weight division. It would
not be an exaggeration to say that she had at least several times the
ef iciency if her strength depended on sheer size.
Her endurance was 132, while magic power was at 125. I hadn’t yet
raided a legendary-grade monster, but I doubted the power of a city
would be enough.
‘It should be possible… ’
It probably was. Of course, if they were to confront her, Castle Rock may
be put at a disadvantage.
However, I was holding her precious child as a hostage.
The now silent legendary-grade monster’s voice and reduced pressure

gave Castle Rock a momentary silence, but there was no problem. Her
intelligence proved to work in my favor.
The answer came when I thought about why she didn’t move actively in
the irst place. There was a reason why someone who could easily
break down the city walls would stop her rampage.
‘Because the location was not con irmed.’
The body of the baby next to me was very much fragile. This made the
mother monster anxious for the wellbeing of her lovely little child. She
was probably thinking that we’d whisk her baby away if she continued
taking down our walls.
There was no reason to directly confront a monster of such high

intelligence.
As the angry and anxious mother continued staring at me, our troops
also looked confused and disconcerted. They tried to analyze why this
non-standard monster suddenly stopped all movements.
Of course, it was my mission to command the troops that seemed
unable to cope with the sudden situation. Their reactions proved to be
interesting when I spoke.
“Let’s protect Castle Rock, everyone!”
My voice spread out with the voice ampli ication magic, clearly
reaching every wall.
“It’s just a monster. We have to show how strong our powers are to the
dirty monsters who try to invade Castle Rock! The defense team shall
chant shield spells in case of any situation, and all other troops should
attack the monsters in front of you. Concentrate magic and arrows on
your right arm! Melee ranks must protect the distant ranks and take
down monsters that are still outside the walls!”
“Wahhh!”
“Victory is right before your eyes, everyone! All forces, ire!”
Flashy-colored magic lies from the wall and fell on her in no time.
Although her stats were high, the amount of magic they had gathered to
direct at her would be enough to penetrate her hide.
Sure enough, the mother monster staggered. This could not even be
called a raid. She was being treated as a punching bag.
Because of her defensive instincts, her tail swayed, but she knew it
would risk her baby, so she kept quiet and quelled her rebellious streak.
“Kie-e-e-e-eek…”
Once again, the baby started crying softly. It was impossible to tell if it
could sense its mother, but it indeed sounded sad. This only served to
disconcert the mother monster even more. Seeing her constantly
getting pelted with magic and arrows was very amusing.
“Let’s do our best, everyone! The enemy is now in an irresistible state.

Victory is at hand!”
‘She can’t resist!’
“Today’s victory will be remembered forever in Castle Rock! It will be a

victory achieved through sacri ice! Let’s speed up!”
‘This is the power of humans! You savage monster!’
“Let’s protect our hometown!”
Through my exhilaration, however, I felt a little guilty. Dialugia had gone

into a pitiful state, given the countless attacks she had been receiving.
Whenever she threatened to move, I brought my sword closer to her
baby, effectively stopping her in her tracks.
She hadn’t seemed to realize that, if she were to die, her baby would be
next.
Of course, even if she were aware of this, she wouldn’t be able to do

anything.
This was what maternal love was. No parent would want to see their
child get hurt.
‘Whoo… I’m a little sorry, but… ’
The guilt continued to stab my conscience, but I naturally had no

intention of stopping. If I did, all of us would get hurt.
This was an easy way to win, and I was going to take that chance.
Half of Castle Rock’s population might die if I didn’t, and we were not
unlikely to be pushed back. Though it was a sorry situation for this
docile mother, whose egg had gotten stolen, there was no other option
available.
‘It can’t be helped.’
She looked so helpless right now that it was impossible to believe she
was a legendary-grade monster.
It was then that I could see her looking up, her mouth still shut.
‘What… ’
It felt like strange energy, different from magical power, was lowing in
this direction before I could even blink.
Nothing felt wrong with my body. However, I felt my energy

continuously sapping away. Worry began to gnaw at me.
My status window popped up.
[Title has been created.]
[Dragon Spouse]
‘What… This is bullshit.’
[It is a title that can only be received by those who have been chosen as
spouses of dragons who die and live together at the same time. You
have been chosen as the spouse of Dialugia. From this time on, as
Dialugia’s spouse, you will live and die together. Magic Power will
increase by 5.]
‘This… crazy… ’
It’s obvious what the debilitating feeling that suddenly came to me was.
‘Shit.’
Though I should be happy that my magic stats had increased, this also
proved to be a disadvantage. As the troops prepared their inal blow, I
knew I would die alongside her.
“S-Stop the attack! Stop the attack!! Stop the attack!!”
First of all, I had to prevent her from getting killed. Logically speaking,
considering the dragon’s endurance, she probably would’ve still
survived, my anxiety-ridden nature couldn’t get rid of my worries.
As if they understood my orders, the magic attack stopped, yet Dialugia

staggered. It appeared that she had fainted. Since the buildings covered
her, it was hard to tell.
My mind lashed at the possibility of some troops planning to deal the

inal blow for some added experience points.
‘N-No… ’
“Toward the monster!”
“What?”
“I need to head to the monster right now!”
‘What the hell, you are going back and forth several times.’
Scooping me up, the Red Mercenary member began to run again. This
time, I had the baby monster in my hands.
Meanwhile, the battle resumed once more.
The monsters that had stood on standby began to rage again, perhaps
because Dialugia had lost consciousness.
“Capture the named monsters! Focus on clearing up the monsters

outside the walls!!”
‘Please don’t kill her… ’
“I say it again! Capture the named monsters! After blocking the

collapsed walls with shield magic, enter the water system once again!
Capture the named monsters!”
‘Where is she?’
Despite reaching almost all the western regions, the shadow of Dialugia
was not visible.
Feeling frustrated, I ran down from the arms of the Red Mercenary
warrior. However, I still couldn’t see anything.
No, what stood out was a human with a large horn on her head. It was
noticeable that she was looking at me pathetically while being
suppressed by several troops.
I felt a little disconcerted, but I instantly recognized her to be Dialugia.
“Ba… Baby!”
Whoever would see the scenario would see her as the victim and me as
the villain.
“You were okay… Baby… You’re okay…”
When I saw her vomiting blood, I hurriedly began to shout.
“Hands… Hands off, you bastards!”

CHAPTER 179
THE RESULT OF THE
HOSTAGE CRISIS (2)
When I saw her vomiting blood, I hurriedly began to shout.
“Hands… Hands off, you bastards!”
I had no choice but to put on a furious expression. Dialugia looked as if

she would die on the spot if someone were to touch her. The soldiers
around me looked disconcerted, wondering what this was about.
However, I didn’t have the time to explain.
“You need to return to the front line. I will detain her, myself.”
“Yes… Yes!”
There was nothing they could do but follow my orders at this point.
Meanwhile, I didn’t know if Dialugia would recover with the potion I

had, but this was the only one that could heal her. Currently, she
continued to mourn over her child with what little energy she had. As I
approached her with the baby in one arm, she reached out.
I worried about her attacking me, but I knew she wouldn’t dare try
upon checking her status window.
‘I was completely fooled.’

The fact that she could transform into a human form was less important
than the fact that she tied my life and hers together; I had been lured
into a complete checkmate.
The only explanation was that Dialugia had really used her brain. She
knew that, if she died, her baby was likely to die as well. Thus, she tried
to conserve her life by choosing me, the one who had held her baby
hostage, and the one who commanded the enemy forces, as her spouse.
I didn’t know if she had realized that I was the type of person who
wouldn’t sacri ice my life for the sake of mankind, but her gamble
proved to be successful.
As she had expected, I didn’t want to make any sublime sacri ices.
She understood that saving herself was the way to save her baby; and
that holding my life would be the most reasonable way to survive.
‘There was too little information about her in the irst place.’
What I missed was the ecology of a race classi ied as a dragon.
I at least learned four facts about them with the day’s events. Of course,
I didn’t know if this was applicable for all dragons, but it was at least
applicable to Dialugia.
A female dragon can produce children on her own. In the irst place,
their sex might be meaningless to them. Considering their sparse
population, this was probably the case.
Dragons had a way to transform into a human form. It was not magic. It
would be correct to call it their race’s unique ability.
Though the means were unclear, a dragon has the right to choose their
spouse. I didn’t know if I’d be able to resist it or not, but it was
meaningless to try, as my resistance was comparable to that of an
automatic door.
A dragon’s spouse shares its life with the dragon.
‘My body is evidently the biggest evidence.’
Though I did not understand them, I knew they were not simple
creatures. They lived a life that had evolved in a different direction from
humans.
‘In a way, they should be called high-ranking individuals.’
I had a lot to research about this, but for now, I had to save Dialugia.
As I poured the potion over her wounds, she started to recover, albeit
very slowly.
In the end, it didn’t seem effective at all.
As her original body was enormous, recovering in human form had

massive drawbacks. If an actual human needed one potion to recover,
this one would need at least a few hundred.
Though Dialugia drifted in and out of consciousness, I could see that the
potion had at least helped somewhat, as liveliness was gradually
returning in her eyes.
Instantly, she turned her attention to her precious baby, still in my

arms.
“Ba… Baby!”
“Kie-eh-eh-eek…”
The thought of granting their reunion crossed my mind, but as I didn’t
know what action she would choose to take right after, I had to be
cautious. I approached her slowly, and she looked up at me before
speaking in a sad voice.
“P… Please return it. My… child… Please return my child.”
‘Fuck… ’
“Please. Please return my child. Please.”
‘Do not cry… ’
“Please…”
Her tears lowed down freely, like a waterfall. I felt like such a shitty
person.
I had expected her to rush into me as Cha Hee-ra did, but she lay lat as
if she knew her situation well. I had also expected her to threaten me by
taking both our lives, but she deviated from my expectations. She knew
that choosing me as her spouse was her last resort.
‘Is this her original personality?’
Perhaps it was, considering her disposition as Docile Mother. Seeing

that there had been no record of her invading Castle Rock while being
over 4,000 years old, it was right to think that she only came here in the
irst place because of her child.
‘Song Jungwook, you evil bastard.’
To feel less guilty, there was no choice but to blame Song Jungwook. As I
mulled over what to do, a Red Mercenary member approached me
before speaking up warily.
“This person is…”
“It’s that monster from just now. Apparently, she can take on a human
form.”
“I haven’t heard of anything like this…”
“I can’t believe it either. I’ve never thought anything like this would be
possible. Perhaps it was because of this child that she invaded Castle
Rock.”
“I-I see.”
“The pre-war defense is still going on. First, I will detain that monster,
no, that woman. The situation at pre-war defense…”
“I think it’s almost cleared.”
Dialugia continued to reach out to me even as I spoke with him. She

proved to be hard to ignore. I felt pity for her even when she was still in
monster form, so my guilt only doubled upon seeing her as a human.
Dialugia’s situation was indeed heartbreaking.
Not only was her egg stolen, but her baby had also been taken as a
hostage. Humans had also almost beaten her to death.
“P-Please, return…”
“…”
“Baby… Mom is here…”
“……”
“Everything will be ine. You can rest assured. Baby… You can rest
assured.”
“…”
“Baby…”
“Kie-eh-eh-eek…”
As much as I had to avoid returning her child, this scene was just too
heartbreaking to bear. Dialugia’s whole body was a wreck, and although
the possibility of her returning to her original form and destroying us
after we gave the baby back crossed my mind…
‘There was no possibility.’
Dialugia had already lost most of her combat capabilities. The potion I
had given her was just for irst aid purposes. She knew that if she ended
up dying now, her baby would be next.
With this thought, I knew it wouldn’t be bad to let her hold the baby.
For now, I had to form some semblance of a good relationship with her.
I didn’t say anything; I just placed the little monster into her arms. At
once, Dialugia cradled the baby tightly to herself.
“My baby… My baby!”
“Kiek!”
The Red Mercenary member next to me looked worried.
“Will this be okay?”
“There will be no other problems. She has already lost almost all her
ighting abilities, and holding a baby wouldn’t make any difference.
Rather, it will help her mental state.”
“I see.”
Already, I could feel her mental state improving.
After a few moments, Dialugia’s eyes snapped to us, evidently wary of

us possibly taking her baby away again. She was more sagacious than I
had initially thought.
At this point, it wouldn’t be bad to have a conversation.
She was de initely different from us. There was no way that those two
big horns on her head were human. Neither were her eyes.
“Can you understand me?”
“…”
“Excuse me?”
It took her a while to answer.
“I can…”
“That’s fortunate. It would be better to introduce myself irst. I am Lee

Kiyoung.”
“Dialugia…”
“Well, there seem to be some misunderstandings between us. I want to

give you several explanations, but not right now. For now, I think you
should follow our constraints.”
“…”
“I don’t know if you believe it, but it wasn’t us who stole the child. From
our perspective, Ahem… The obvious thing is that you attacked us irst.”
“…”
“If you don’t follow the constraints, we may have to use a somewhat
rough method. Of course, your child will be safe the whole time. I
promise I won’t do any harm to the child.”
“I-I can’t believe in humans…”
“You have no choice. Whether or not you choose to believe, you can only
follow what we say.”
“Ah…”
Dialugia’s expression harbored serious doubt as she stared at me. If I

were in her shoes, I would’ve felt the same.
I decided to look at her with Mind’s Eye once more. I had to ind out
what type of attitude she had to make it easier for me to talk to her.
[Checking the unique characteristics of the legendary-grade monster

Dialugia.]
[The Giving Tree]
‘Huh?’
It had been a while since I’d seen a normal characteristic. As her

existence itself was dangerous, I was worried about whether she was
kind of like Jung Hayan or Cha Hee-ra, so this came as a surprise.
‘That’s good.’
Until now, I couldn’t igure out the situation, but, naturally, various
thoughts came into my mind as soon as I saw her characteristic.
Dialugia had Docile Mother as a disposition and Giving Tree as a unique
characteristic. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen someone
with such a normal combination.
‘Isn’t this a very good thing?’
Considering the fact that she and I now shared a lifeline, this proved to
be very advantageous to me. Although I wasn’t sure as to whether my
life expectancy would increase or not, Dialugia was in a position where
she had to keep living for the sake of her child.
If I died, her precious child would be thrown in immediate danger.

Thus, to care for her child’s life was to care for her own. She could
create monster waves, possessed huge magic and high intelligence, had
steel-like horns and tails for an appearance, and had a breakthrough
skill that could pierce the western wall.
In short, she had successfully fooled me. However, I saw this as an

opportunity.
‘Dragon spouse!’
Because of this, I had received 5 points in magic power, which was

dif icult to obtain given my stats.
‘It’s not just that.’
As an alchemist, who else would get the chance to study a living

dragon?
If I could get Dialugia’s cooperation, I would have a living subject

instead of a corpse. Of course, considering the fact that she and I now
shared a life, it would be impossible to do rough things to her, but this
would still be of great help.
A smile formed on my face.
Dialugia stared at my sudden change in expression warily. At this, I

gently grabbed her shoulder. She groaned a little, but I was able to lift
her.
“Let’s keep the promise.”
“Yes…”
“Many humans died here, too.”
“…”
“Of course, I understand the situation, but I was in a position wherein I

couldn’t help.”
“Yes… Okay.”
“First, I will go and arrest the recruits. I hope you understand that we
have also been very considerate.”
“My child…”
“You don’t have to worry about your child’s safety.”
“…”
“It’s my child now as well, after all,” I whispered this part into her ear.
Realization dawned on Dialugia’s face, and she began to get pale. Of

course, it would be better to keep this fact a secret. I didn’t want to
acquire any more trouble.
However, love for this baby monster had genuinely bloomed in my

heart.
In the end, it was Dialugia, not me, who had been checkmated.
‘Dad will be good to you!’

CHAPTER 180
THE END OF PRE-WAR
DEFENSE (1)
‘Dad will be good to you!’
It was originally an unwanted child, but that did not matter anymore. I
now considered it as solid insurance, as it could protect me once I
became too old.
Meanwhile, Dialugia still looked speechless, her face taking on a

complex expression. However, the answer had already been decided for
her.
“It was an unwanted situation, but I will do my best. Oh… well…”
“Ah…”
“I’ll head in irst and inish my work, then go right after you. Pfft. See
you in a minute. My baby, you should also stay there and listen to your
mother.”
“W… Who… What baby…”
“Who would it be? Anyway, let’s talk about it after work. Again, don’t
make a fuss about it. I don’t want to employ the rough method either.
What parent would want their child to get hurt?”
“…”
I left quickly right after saying that. Though I didn’t need to be present
if the pre-war defense was coming to an end, it was mandatory since I
was still the troops’ general commander. It would only be right to be
present when they celebrated their victory.
I didn’t do much, but I still had every right to show off.
As much as I wanted to be with Dialugia, I knew the Red Mercenaries

would be enough to guard her. I nodded in thanks to them, and they
nodded right back as if telling me not to worry.
‘Hmm… ’
As I slowly climbed up the wall, I saw the monsters’ bodies lying

underneath.
It didn’t feel like more waves could come. None at all, as long as I had
Dialugia and the baby here. Most of the humans on the wall looked
exhausted, yet they pushed on to clear the few inal creatures.
“Don’t be pushed!”
“Let’s end this!”
Baaaaaang!
It was nice to see the troops trying their hardest to inish them off. I
could even see my party in the distance running along the walls.
Jung Hayan was still spreading magic while biting her lips tightly, and
Kim Hyunsung busied himself with cutting the throats of the guys
trying to come up with his sword.
It is natural that I, who had not gotten a lot of experience, was in a

hurry.
It was not a big spell, but I was forced to continue to attack the guys
down there.
“Tankers, block the road to prevent the remaining monsters from

entering the collapsed western wall!”
I had to show them that I did something, too. The conclusion of this
battle was important.
Crack!
Crash!
“Groooooaaar!”
Whoosh.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Block!”
The huge hand summoned by me fell, and the monsters screamed.
I was not good physically, but my magic power was ine. I had to show a
suitable example of what a competent commander was for everyone.
My overall appearance did not look bad. My whole body was covered in
dirt, and I had wounds from running away. I looked no different from
those who had genuinely battled hard.
Of course, the truth was far away, but who cared about it?
Unlike the command unit, which looked relatively clean, my appearance

was very dirty.
Sneaking up to the front of the wall, I thought about showing myself
holding Juliana in my hand and cutting through some of the monsters.
The way I held a sword was still awkward, even though I had learned
from Kim Hyunsung when I had gotten Juliana. To be precise, it would
be correct to say that my body simply moved in the direction Juliana
would move.
After cutting the throat of a small monster coming up, I once again
activated my voice ampli ication magic before shouting loudly.
“Don’t let your guard down until the end! Wizards who have run out of
magic should lift their swords and spears! Even the priests who have
lost their divine power should throw stones under the walls. This is our
hometown!”
Of course, this was not my hometown.
“Victory is right before your eyes!”
This was an undeniable fact. I knew the image of me struggling would

prove to be an inspiration for our troops.
‘Good.’
“Stay strong, comrades!”
“General commander.”
Of course, I didn’t forget to encourage them. I patted them on their

shoulders to show support.
“Do not let the sacri ice of Little Rock be in vain!”
It was then that a small monster ran into the soldier next to me. I knew
that I would not receive severe damage if I were to get bit. Thus, I
pushed the soldier away and let myself get attacked instead. Its sharp
canines sunk into my lesh.
‘It fucking hurts!’
This marked the irst genuine wound I got in this pre-war defense.
As soon as I let go of Juliana, the sword lew and pierced the monster.
The guy I had saved looked at me in bewilderment.
“Lee Kiyoung-nim! We must treat that wound!”
“It’s not a big wound. Save your divine power.”
“And… And the potion…”
Of course, I had one with me, but I was not stupid enough to use it right
away.
“I’m ine. Divine power or remaining supplies must be used for the
seriously wounded ones. I can bear such a wound.”
“Lee… Lee Kiyoung-nim…”
“We have to live and meet our precious family again, right?”
“Yes…”
If my endurance stats were a little higher, I might not have been able to
fake the blood.
Due to my low stats, my wounded appearance looked convincing.
Anyone who sees me wielding my sword while grasping one arm would
say that I indeed looked sorrowful.
‘Good.’
It really hurt, but it was necessary for my façade. Although I could still
move my arm, my sloppier movements proved to emphasize my
struggling form.
I didn’t necessarily ask them to look at me. Instead, I chose to ight in

the most desperate way in an area that didn’t seem so dangerous to be
in. Though I could not achieve as much as Kim Hyunsung did, I had to
show that I was doing a lot, too.
I shook my head when the priest said he would treat me.
“This kind of wound is okay.”
“General commander…”
At this, I took the potions I had with me and treated the others irst. It
was no big deal to me if it meant this would boost my reputation a lot
later.
‘There are quite a lot.’
At some point, the shouts of humans became louder than the shouts of
monsters. This meant we were on the verge of victory.
It was worth saying that the victory or defeat had already been decided
to some extent from the moment I joined. Unlike those who were busy
dealing with the enemies right in front of them, I had already checked
the overall situation and knew that we would emerge as the victors.
“Waahhhhhhhhh!”
“Don’t give up!”

The archers who had run out of arrows pulled out their swords and
were now stabbing the monsters. And the warriors were now knocking
the medium-sized monsters askew since their weapons had now
become blunt.
“Waahhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
After the cleanup, the soldiers in the third wall dropped their weapons
and cheered, and the people in the fourth and second walls dropped
their weapons and hugged each other.
I also wanted to congratulate myself on the victory, but it was only right
to return to an area that had not yet been cleaned up and show a little
bit of despair.
It seemed like the arrangement would be over soon, but I still had to
stay until the end. I guess I overdid it a little since I was out of breath,
but did that matter? My fellow party members were also on the way.
I threw Juliana, who instinctively lew and pierced the neck of a

monster that had been ighting with another soldier.
‘Whoa!’
That would mark another soldier who felt grateful upon being saved.
My breathing had become rough at this point – I didn’t have to fake

looking so tired. At this point, I was really gasping for air.
‘Accumulating beautiful stories!’
For later evaluation, the more I upped my reputation now, the better.
“T-Thank you.”
Kim Hyunsung must also be working hard. One by one, the monsters
collapsed, and a shout echoed from almost all walls. Most of the
monsters in the western wall were almost cleared.
‘We won.’
Of course, in my case, the aftermath was the problem. There were quite
a lot of things to do.
The thing with Hee-ra had to be solved, and I had to settle things with
Shaolin. I also had a lot of explaining to do with Kim Hyunsung, and
above all, it was important to secure Dialugia and my lovely child.
Of course, other guilds in Castle Rock could not claim ownership of her,
but that was why I had to think about what to take care of irst.
‘I also have to decide on my class.’
The post-war readjustment was also a problem.
It meant that I had to settle those many monsters’ corpses and have a
meeting about the damage situation and the kind of bene its I could
bring.
Originally, guys like me were way busier after than during the war.
“Waahhh!”
“I lived! I lived!”
“Fuck! We did it!!”
“Wahhhhh!”
In the meantime, the shouts were getting louder and louder. Each
person’s appearance was different.
Some were crying because of the loss of a colleague, while others
shouted with joy.
Of course, most had gone with the latter. It would be right to give a
conclusive speech now. It was time to declare the end of the war.
“We are…!”
When I opened my mouth to speak, all eyes naturally fell upon me.
However, it was here that the dizziness hit me.
‘Huh?’
I felt like my head was spinning. I tried to open my mouth again, but my
lips refused to move.
‘Fuck… ’
I wondered if someone had killed Dialugia, but that did not seem to be
the case.
‘Did I bleed too much?’
I didn’t, not that much. It was then that I realized that the troops had
in licted so many scars on Dialugia before, and it seemed like some of
the damage had already been passed to me. In the meantime, I had used
my magic power a lot, so it was not unreasonable to look like this.
‘Ah… ’
I struggled hard, but my eyes gradually became blurred and dark.
I keep staggering. I tried to stay focused, but nothing happened.
‘No… Will this even look good?’

Everyone was already at me.
“Oppaaaaaaa!”
“Hyung-nim!!!”
“Kiyoung-ssi!”
As I listened to the party members’ voices screaming, I closed my eyes.
‘Ah, perhaps this still looks good… ’
It would be nice if they settled all the post-war preparations for me

before I woke up again, but I knew that was useless wishing.
This was the Battle of Castle Rock, a city that suffered an enormous
number of fatalities and serious injuries. The General Commander
became a role model for those who passed out due to exhaustion, yet
the wound he had on his body was only one wound and that from a
small monster.
CHAPTER 181
THE END OF PRE-WAR
DEFENSE (2)
When I opened my eyes, brightness illed my sight. Though I still felt a

little dizzy, it seemed as if only a little time had passed. I also felt a little
refreshed, as if I had just woken up after a nap.
The wound on my right arm was also healed, and my entire body felt
clean.
‘It looks like someone washed me.’
They probably washed my body with magic. I felt better all in all.
Seeing that I had been left alone in a large room, I gathered that I was
staying at a hospital of some sort. Of course, the room felt too luxurious
to actually be a genuine hospital room.
It was then that the door slowly opened. I turned my head, thinking it
would obviously be Jung Hayan, but who I see was, surprisingly, Marlin
Young-ae.
It was a spectacle to see her running to me, with tears running down
her face. My face lushed with embarrassment. This was de initely not
how a noblewoman was supposed to behave.
The remarkably embarrassing appearance was likable, but
unfortunately, I was not interested in Marlin at all.
‘She is cute, but… ’
There weren’t many bene its that came with her, and it felt like it would
be a huge headache to take care of her and her antics.
“Ah, Marlin Young-ae.”
However, this didn’t mean that I shouldn’t still get on her good graces.
“What day is it?”
“Exactly three days have passed since you passed out. I was worried
that you wouldn’t wake up…”
“Three days?”
“Yes, Lee Kiyoung.”
It seemed that I’d been unconscious for longer than I had initially
thought. Hope began to bloom from within me.
‘The cleanup must be almost over… ’
No, even the task of cleaning up the monsters’ corpses was not
something to be done overnight, so the work was probably still going
on.
I had to realize why my party members didn’t show up.
Seeing that there was nothing wrong with my body, Dialugia seemed to
be doing well. I was curious about where she was, but there were many
other things I was also curious about.
“I see…”
“Thank you very much, Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
“Marlin Young-ae?”
“You worked hard for Castle Rock until your body was broken like this…
You don’t know how resentful I was for being unable to do anything.
Sniff…”
“Hahaha. I’m ine. The other people did the hard work. I didn’t do
much.”
“Lee Kiyoung-nim did a lot! Not only did you command the free people
of Castle Rock, but you prevented the monsters from coming from the
underground waterway… All the imperialists in Castle Rock watched as
you spared no effort on the battle ield! Sniff…”
“That’s… Ahem. The Little Rock Guild and Song Jungwook, who
sacri iced themselves for Castle Rock, are the true heroes. I just…”
“O-Of course, they’re also appreciated… Rather, are you… Are you
feeling a little better?”
“Yes. There seems to be no other injury.”
Song Jungwook seemed to be irrelevant now. I could say that this entire
thing was a success.
As Marlin Young-ae said, there was no such thing as a monster coming

over from the underground waterway. It was a lie made by Cho Hyejin
to escape from Cha Hee-ra, but to make the lie true, some of the Red
Mercenary members even threw a few monster corpses there.
The fact that Cha Hee-ra’s plans for the pre-war defense were smashed
because of a runaway was a story that shouldn’t be known except for
the Red Mercenary members.
The same went for the part where I tried to ‘ ight’ on the battle ield
myself.
‘It’s good.’
If Young-ae thought of me in this manner, then the rest of the

imperialists must be thinking the same, too. There would be no red
light on the bene its that Blue and I will take.
“Where are the others…”
“Which one?”
“My party members and Cha Hee-ra. And what about Dialugia? Has the
cleanup been all over? What happened to other things?”
“Ah! I’m really sorry, Lee Kiyoung. My irst step was to explain what
happened while you were lying down…”
“It’s okay, Marlin Young-ae. It’s nothing to be sorry for. I just wondered
if the battle had been properly inished.”
“I-I didn’t know you would care for Castle Rock that way…”
“Hahaha…”
“Sorry. I got distracted again…”
“No. It’s really okay.”
Marlin Young-ae de initely looked a little excited. She must’ve thought

that I had risked my life for Castle Rock in an effort to gain her affection.
It was just my guess, but it would be right to block this
misunderstanding beforehand as soon as possible.
“After Lee Kiyoung-nim passed out… Ah! They started cleaning the
corpses of the monsters right away, and that’s still in the process.”
“I see.”
“There is a possibility that there may be monsters that have survived,

so the free people irst sorted it out… It’s taking a little longer. Perhaps
the Blue party members…”
“They must be working hard.”
“Yes. Together with the Red Mercenary Guild, they are protecting the
workers from being injured in the front line.”
“Is Cha Hee-ra also joining them?”
“Cha Hee-ra hastily returned to Lindel. I’m not sure what’s going on, but
she seemed quite busy, so I didn’t even have time to say thank you.
She’s a hero that gave her time for Castle Rock… It just hurts because I
couldn’t even treat her properly.”
‘Did she run away?’
“What do you mean by her being busy with work?
“Ah, she apparently had an issue that needed to be dealt with urgently…
Also, this is the letter Cha Hee-ra asked me to deliver.”
“Thank you, Young-ae. If you’ll excuse me…”
“Yes. Of course, you can read it right away, Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
After dismantling the cryptographic magic on the letter, I looked down

quietly and saw Marlin Young-ae trying to peek at the contents. Of
course, I had no intention of showing it.
I thought that there would be an apology written on it, but the result
was slightly different from what I thought.
[Do not forget and do not ignore Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung-nim,
living in Lindel. I believe that you will keep your promise. I’m waiting
for a good invitation at good timing. -To Honorary Bishop of the Holy
Empire, Lee Kiyoung-nim, From Miss Shaolin, Chief General of the
Republic]
‘Shaolin?’
She had probably delivered a letter to Cha Hee-ra after the debrie ing
with her was over.
If I could, I would ignore it, but I couldn’t even imagine that she would
be revealing her identity like this.
‘General, huh… ’
I didn’t know the details, but the Republic didn’t seem to think badly
about giving such positions to free people. Her position was a little
higher than I had expected. There were at least ive more powerful
people like her.
I didn’t know how the Holy Empire and the Republic’s relationship
would low in the future, but I got some good information.
‘I think this can be used… ’
I had to take risks on my side as well, but there will be some proper use
for her later on.
Anyway, I had to meet the Republic once, whether in a good or bad way.
‘I don’t think it will be very positive, based on what I do these days… ’

Right now, I didn’t even have the time to think about the Republic. It
was dif icult even to take care of myself right now. Just thinking about
my work within the Holy Empire was enough to give me headaches.
Cha Hee-ra was my immediate concern.
Seeing that she exited from Castle Rock without meeting me irst, she
was de initely embarrassed about what had happened. It would be
natural for her to feel this way, seeing as she had made quite the mess
after leaving the front line.
She would have the courage to appear to me again after some time, but
it surprised me to know that she had such a feminine side.
“And!”
“Yes?”
“That… Although the event to grant honors has not been properly
carried out, it seems that our Castle Rock Yeongju Tower will directly
reward Lee Kiyoung, Kim Hyunsung-nim, and the other members of the
Blue Guild.”
‘Ah’
“I wasn’t hoping for compensation.”
However, I was smiling. I had naturally ditched my cold exterior and

became friendlier as I processed the news. Seeing this, Marlin Young-ae
brightened and began to speak again. She had realized what I wanted.
“Castle Rock overcame this crisis because of Lee Kiyoung and the Blue
Guild. I can see that my father is also thinking about rewarding you
various things…”
“Hahaha…”
“If you think it’s not enough, I will…”
“No. Marlin Young-ae’s heart is good enough. I didn’t really ask for a
reward. As a member of the Holy Empire, I just wanted to help.”
“No. Let us repay you.”
“If Marlin Young-ae feels like that… then I can’t help it.”
“T-Thank you.”
“No. Rather, I am more grateful to you for compensating for the

obvious.”
It appeared that Marlin had such a pushover side to her. In this manner,
I could get something better than what I had initially expected.
As I sat up in my bed, Marlin Young-ae’s face reddened. However, I had

no intention of doing anything to express my gratitude. My mind was
already set on the work I needed to do.
“The monster we caught…”
“Yes?”
“Did you see a woman with horns on her head?”
“Ah… If it’s that woman…”
“Anything happened?”
“She’s probably in the Castle Rock Dungeon. In fact, we were also

thinking about how to deal with her… And…”
“Yes. You can talk freely.”

“That monster talked nonsense about her sharing a lifeline with you…”
‘Did she actually reveal that much… ’
I thought it was a reasonable judgment. It seemed like she didn’t say

that I was her spouse, but she and her child should have their lives
spared for now.
I also liked the fact that she was waiting quietly for me. She herself
must not have recovered properly yet.
I didn’t know if she was with the baby, but I knew I had to check.
“I think I’ll have to go there.”
“What?”
“What Dialugia said is true. Actually, I don’t know about what has
happened in detail… For now, I know nothing but the fact that she and I
share one life.”
“Ah!”
“Thank you for letting me know, Young-ae. Let’s have a meal with Lord
Castle Rock.”
“Yeah, Lee Kiyoung-nim! Of course.”
It was only natural for me to move as fast as possible.
‘Shall I see if my child is doing well?’
That was my top priority as of the moment.

CHAPTER 182
BRIGHT CHILD (1)
When I went outside, I could see the scenery through the window,
re lecting a completely ruined portion of the city. Of course, they
intended to demolish the entire western area from the start, so seeing
the slow restoration process reminded me that the battle was indeed
over.
‘The underground… ’
The original plan for it had been to break it down and make an entirely
new pathway.
I realized that the work was being done vaguely. Of course, a simple
organization would be enough, but I knew things wouldn’t always go as
one would plan for it to be.
‘While the restoration work is in progress… ’
I could proceed with my plan, albeit a little late.
‘My head hurts.’
In many ways, various reasons were causing me to have a headache.

Though my primary objective was to head to where Dialugia was being
held, I could see various tasks that needed focus on every window I
passed through.
There were people still cleaning up the corpses of monsters, as well as

eradicating the splattered blood from the walls and buildings. However,
despite these mundane tasks, the workers were all wearing a smile.
From everyone’s standpoint, everyone had grown, one step at a time.

This meant that even the low-level players would have a chance to
inally level up and get themselves another class.
The same went for my fellow party members and me.
Hwang Jeong-yeon, Cho Hyejin, and Sun Hee-young, who already had
high growth, may not have noticeable changes, but I knew that Jung
Hayan, Kim Ye-ri, Park Deokgu, and Kim Hyunsung would have
bene itted in terms of both stats and class.
“I have to talk about this with them…”
As this expedition’s purpose was to level up, everyone must have

achieved a result that they would ind satisfactory. Park Deokgu may
have even obtained a heroic-grade class. A smile dawned on my face.
It was then that one of the guards guarding the dungeon approached
me.
“Lee Kiyoung? You woke up.”
“Ah… Yes. So, you are Baran-nim.”
“Y-Yes!”
He looked surprised to ind out that I knew his name. He might have felt
like he wasn’t important enough to be remembered, but the truth was, I
was being aided with Mind’s Eye.
This would de initely garner me some more positive reviews.
“May I ask why you came here?”

“Of course. I have some business in the dungeon.”
“Ah, perhaps…”
“Yes. It’s exactly what you’re thinking. I don’t really know how to get
there, so I would appreciate it if you could guide me.”
“Ah…”
“It’s okay if you’re busy with something else.”
“No! No. Of course, I have to guide you. Just trust me and follow.”
“Hahaha.”
“By the way, coming here, as soon as you wake up, you’re really
amazing. You should be resting…”
“I’ve been unconscious for too long, and I don’t want to sit around while
everyone else is working.”
“It is all thanks to Lee Kiyoung and the Blue Guild that they can be like
that.”
“You are over complimenting me. Rather, how are you managing that
monster?”
“Actually, I do not know the details. My job is to guard this place, but
other than the wizards coming and continuing to check on it, I don’t
know what’s going on. At irst, they put the restraints and bound them,
but I know that at some point, the straps were dismantled.”
“I see.”
“It’s not a space allowed for me, but you can check it out for yourself. I
think you can go in alone from here. Hey, open the way.”
“Yes. Okay.”
“Thank you.”
The guards stationed from within bowed to me before doing what they
were told to do, chanting the required magic. The door began to open
with a clanking sound.
I thought Dialugia’s environment would not be good, but it looked

better than I thought.
Complex magical techniques were felt everywhere, but it was not the
kind of magic that bursts if not stimulated.
It was then that I saw a familiar doll, with horns on her head.
‘My child is here, too.’
Dialugia was hugging the baby tightly. I was worried about them being
detained separately, but everyone seemed to deduce that this would be
the best solution in appealing to her docile side. Currently, Dialugia was
wearing magical restraints, with numerous magic circles on both her
hands and feet. It appeared that they had found other countermeasures.
There was even a complex-looking magic circle drawn onto her neck.
‘Ah, but can they really control her with all that?’
Her body was not in normal condition, so it should be okay for now.
“Kiek!”
“Ah, yes, Dad is here!”
The little dragon who cried shortly as it looked at me looked pretty

cute. I didn’t know what was going on, but it felt like it was glad to see
me. It appeared that my standing as Dialugia’s spouse was in luencing
it.
Seeing the tail waving softly gave con idence to my theory.
Of course, unlike my precious child, the woman was still wary of me,
holding her child tightly. However, it was obvious that the baby wanted
to come to me.
As I clapped my hands, Dialugia shrunk a little more. I could, however,

see evident relief on her face. It seemed that she was worried as to
whether I would die or not. If I did, then she would be in trouble.
It seems that she was worried about my death.
“Who did you say was the father last time?”
“Ah, I’m disappointed to see you’re acting like you don’t know. We’re
going to be a family, and you’re still so hard on me. Ah, baby! Did you
miss daddy?”
“Kiek!”
“Our Tol To-ri (bright child) is also going crazy, wanting to see me.”
“He is not Tol To-ri…”
“Have you just made up his name without consulting? I’m a little
disappointed.”
“In the irst place… You…”
“This all happened so suddenly, but wasn’t this your choice to do so? It
won’t hurt me to become a father suddenly. This little baby is such a
good boy. Well done!”
“Kiek! Kiek! Kiek!”
“Well done! Well done! Well done!”
“Kieeek!”
“The reason Dialuria is friendly with you is only because I chose you as
my spouse!”
“Ah, you named it Dialuria? You should have discussed with me irst…
Well, that’s okay. I’m a faithful spouse, anyway. By the way, it’s really
fortunate. It seems that these additional functions were also implanted
in me because I became your spouse. I was worried that my child would
hate me.”
“Chomp…”
“Our Dialuria should be held in daddy’s arms once!”
“Kiekeek!”
She was still holding our Tol To-ri, who was going crazy with
excitement. It didn’t take long for the overly excited guy to get out of its
mother’s arms. It looked pretty cute, wagging its tail and jumping in
and licking my face.
Meanwhile, Dialugia sported an amusing expression of betrayal.
“Ah… Baby!”
“Oh, dear! Our Tol To-ri!”
“My baby has to come back to his mother!”
“Oh! Oh! Our Tol To-ri is so good! Well done!”

“Kieehek!”
“Baby! Can’t you hear your mom tell you to come back?!”
“Our Tol To-ri’s daddy will drive you an airplane!”
“Kiek! Kiek! Haa! Haaa!”
“Ba… Baby…”
“Oh! Oh! Are you excited? Our Tol To-ri?”
“H-He’s not Tol To-ri! D-Dialuria…”
“Tol to-ri!”
“Kiek! Kiek! Ahhh!”
‘This child likes me too much.’
I worried about it harboring a dangerous characteristic, but it seemed

that even its characteristic and disposition had not yet been created
when I checked with Mind’s Eye.
In the irst place, I still didn’t know its gender, and I didn’t know
anything about dragons, so my lack of understanding was
understandable. It felt right to think that the baby felt pleased to meet
its dad after such a long time. It felt more like a puppy than an actual
child.
Fortunately, I already knew how to deal with these kinds of guys.
To be in this small place, it would have been bored alone with his
mother, so it was understandable for it to feel excited when I showered
it with treats.
In short, Tol To-ri wanted to be with me more than it wanted to be with
its mother.
“B… Baby…”
However, Dialugia’s depressed appearance could not be ignored. Seeing

as Tol To-ri tried to pull me towards her, it seemed as if it wanted me to
get along with her.
“Isn’t this like telling us to get along? Our cute little boy…”
“It’s not Tol To-ri. It’s D-Dialuria.”
“Haha. This is only a nickname, so don’t worry. It looks so cute, doesn’t

it?”
“Kiek! Haa! Kie-eh-eh-eh!”
‘Ah, it’s so cute.’
At irst, I didn’t think I could get used to it, but the more I looked at it,
the more I fell in love. It had adorably big eyes and a little tail that
swung excitedly like a propeller. It held onto me as if it didn’t want to be
separated from me.
For some reason, I felt my heart squeeze.
Eventually, Dialugia could no longer watch me act friendly with the

baby.
“Why did you come here?”
“Does the breadwinner need a reason to come to see his wife and
child?”
“I-I couldn’t help it back then. However, I have no intention of
acknowledging a human like you as the father of Dialuria, nor as my
spouse.”
“Whether you acknowledge it or not, I am already the father of this

child as well as your spouse. Isn’t that your choice? I believe this type of
pact is irreversible. Above all, our Tol To-ri likes me. Saying that you
have no intention of acknowledging me… Tol To-ri, do you like me as
your father?”
“Kiek! Haaa!”
“B… Baby…”
“Ah. I’m only curious, but is it possible to cancel the pact? I don’t know
much about dragons yet.”
“…”
“So, it cannot be canceled.”
“…”
“I can’t help it. I’m still a young man with a bright future, but I can’t
pretend to be aloof when I see such a cute baby.”
“You don’t have to be responsible… It was my m-mistake, and it was just

an unavoidable choice for my child. In the irst place, you took Dialuria
and threatened me!”
“You shouldn’t say that in front of the child!”
“Ah… D-Dialuria, it’s not like that.”
“Tut-tut. Didn’t I tell you clearly that it was not us who kidnapped Tol
To-ri? Even in human law, it is taboo to kidnap monster eggs or
children. The criminals are already being punished well, except for a
few. At that time, I was just protecting our Tol To-ri, and I never thought
of doing anything.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m serious. Why else would I care for Tol To-ri like this?”
“I can’t believe in humans.”
“Then what will you do?”
“After I recover, I will go back into the forest with Dialuria. I no longer
want to be involved with humans.”
“Do you think you can get out of this place?”
“I can…”
“Ah. I see. I am very sorry about this.”
“That… What are you saying?”
“Did you know that I passed out for three days?”
“…”
“It felt really painful. The blood didn’t stop lowing just from the bite of
a small monster, and I almost died from the side effects of excessive
bleeding and using a lot of magic power. Isn’t the human body very, very
fragile? Passing out and dying even from minor wounds…”
“Ah…”
“If you and the baby go to the woods and I suddenly end up dying, it
would be very dangerous for our Tol To-ri. He would have to grow alone
without a mom and dad… Now, isn’t that such a pitiful scenario?”
Dialugia’s pupils had begun to sway at this point.

CHAPTER 183
BRIGHT CHILD (2)
“If you and the baby go to the woods and I suddenly end up dying, it
would be very dangerous for our Tol To-ri. He would have to grow alone
without a mom and dad… Now, isn’t that such a pitiful scenario?”
Dialugia’s pupils had begun to sway at this point.
At irst, she seemed bewildered, but then slowly, her eyes became alive.
I could tell what she was thinking. Due to her docile disposition, she
was what one would call a pushover. However, it was natural for a
mother to act for the best interests of her child.
“I believe that, in any case, you won’t pick the option of keeping me
captive for life. And to grow without a dad, I pity our Tol To-ri. I’m not
foolish enough to not provide safety.”
“That thought…”
“I don’t know if you understand the dynamics of power, but I am a very

important person, even among humans. There are a lot of people who
care about me… It will be a little dif icult trying to achieve what you’re
thinking of.”
“I didn’t… think that.”
‘Of course, you did.’

I knew I needed to explain a little to help her understand. When I gently
pulled Tol To-ri to me, the little baby didn’t hold back, its tail wagging
incessantly as it panted eagerly.
As I drew a small circle on the loor, I could see Dialugia looking at me

curiously.
“This is the city of Castle Rock, where you are located.”
“…”
“And this medium-sized circle is called Lindel, the free city where
players live… The largest circle that contains all of this is the human
country, known as the Holy Empire of Benigore.”
“What does that have to do with the story now?”
“It’s not just the size of the land you have. The population is as large as
the size of the land, and of course, there are differences in the quantity
and quality of troops that can ight. Whatever the reason, you’ve
touched Castle Rock, and you’re here after losing a battle against a city.”
“If we fought with all our strength, it would have been different.”
“Humans are basically persistent. And mean as well. Ah! It’s not my
story, so you don’t have to look at me like this. The story might be
different, assuming you could kill all the personnel in this huge country,
but I don’t think so. In other words, I am in a rather high position on
this huge land. You understood that, too, so you chose me as your
spouse.”
“Humans are…”
“Let’s suppose you kidnap me and lock me up somewhere. They will

inevitably come and save me. Of course, Dialugia’s ierce attack will
oxidize most humans, but we are a very persistent species. They know
your value very well.”
“What value are you talking about?”
“The value of your body.”
Dialugia looked surprised, her face reddening. She had not expected me
to say this.
“To put it plainly, what’s more important than the fact that I was
kidnapped is the discovery of a legendary-grade monster, which is you.
Your high horns, beautiful, sturdy scales, and a sharp tail, even your
jewel-like eyes, will be coveted by many.”
“Even if you praise me that way…”
“I am not praising you. Haha. Everything I’ve explained earlier is useful

to humans. And uhm… We can also get enormous goods. Do you know
the concept of goods?”
“I don’t know it that much, but I know what you’re talking about.”
“Your body is money. Your leather can make armor, and your horns can
make weapons. All of the organs that make up your body are good
materials for experimentation and have astronomical value. The reason
humans haven’t visited you until now is that they were not aware of
your existence until now.”
“…”
“Humans are greedy. The moment you showed up, you put yourself at
inevitable risk. Many humans will hear of you, and they will stop at
nothing to get you.”
“…”
“It will be a long ight. I won’t put it past them to try and take Tol To-ri
hostage, too.”
“I-Isn’t that what you did? And as I keep telling you, it’s Dialuria.”
“Anyway, the result is that whatever you choose, things aren’t going to
be very good. You have already stepped deep into human society. You
are free to come, but not free to exit.”
“That’s absurd.”
“Yeah?”
“It was humans who irst persecuted us. We have nothing to do with
them. Humans stole my egg and separated my child from me. I didn’t
want to ight.”
Anger was evident on Dialugia’s face.
“I just want to live quietly with my child. I don’t want to go to war with
humans.”
“Have I already told you that it’s not your choice? It’s not a good
example, but aren’t you hunting other monsters to live on?”
As I slowly stroke Tol To-ri, he panted again and clung to me tightly. At

this, Dialugia huffed and took Tol To-ri from me, not liking this any
further.
“It is a very different act from sel ishness that is simply made out of
greed.”
“It’s not so different, in my opinion. If we dig too deep, the story will be
too long, so let’s stop this story here. Let’s change the subject for a
moment. Tol To-ri, come here.”
“Kiek.”
“Why do you think you are alive now, thanks to whom?”
“That’s…”
“You know it. The legendary-grade monster Dialugia invaded Castle

Rock, in licting numerous casualties and in licting astronomical
damage. Of course, you can take advantage of the side effects such as
the corpse of a monster, but to be honest, you are an enemy to
humanity.”
“How many times do I have to tell you? It was humans who persecuted
us irst.”
“That doesn’t matter to humans. To them, you are not an intelligent

being but a monster. Strictly speaking, I am taking your side. We say we
share our lives, but being able to spend time with our Tol To-ri and
being able to live your own lives in a dungeon is because of one reason,
that you are connected to me.”
“…”
“In extreme terms, if you hadn’t chosen me as your spouse, you and the
lovely Dialuria would have died. Because you understand that too, you
have connected me to your life. In other words, you not being killed,
well, it’s the same for me.”
“Chomp…”
“If you just have your life, there would be no problem, right? We already
know that cutting off tails or horns or peeling skins won’t kill you.
Assuming that I take Tol To-ri with me all the time, what could you do?
As a result, I am treating you in a gentlemanly manner. Am I right?”
“Kiek! Haaa!”
“I want you to live a life with your child without causing any pain.”
I knew she would realize this soon enough. I wasn’t saying anything
wrong. She hadn’t fully recovered yet and was in a special situation
where she must protect her child.
“I don’t know anything about a dragon’s ecology. However, there are a

few things that can be inferred. For example, why the dragon needs a
spouse.”
“…”
“Why was your egg stolen in the irst place?”
“That’s…”
“You probably needed nutrition. Dragons are entities that consume

energy, and it would have been dif icult to be attached to a child for 24
hours straight. You might have had to prepare for parenting, and you
might have had to prepare for winter. Perhaps you had to build a nest
and do several things at the same time.”
“You’re right.”
“Parenting is not something you can do alone. There was no problem in

the forest if you live alone, but seeing as you had something to protect,
it must’ve been different. For this reason, the dragons, which can have
children alone, can choose a spouse. Am I right?”
“Co—rrect.”
“That’s fortunate. I can also see why a spouse who is unlikely to need it
appears. You will have to protect your child from enemies around you,
so don’t you need someone to raise and protect your child together?”
“Yes.”
“Now, it’s your turn to tell me the right answer. As I said earlier, you are
already in a relationship with humans. Whether you don’t want to get
involved or not is not up to you. When the environment in which you
will live is moved from a deep forest to a human city. Who do you think
would be your ideal spouse?”
“…”
“Who do you think will be able to keep our Tol To-ri safe, guarantee a
minimum of freedom, provide the education you want, and supply them
with good quality and large amounts of food? Where is the household
capable of presenting a hard and safe nest to loved ones? Who is the
ideal spouse you’ve been looking for?”
Dialugia still looked too hesitant to admit it. Tol To-ri, who could not
understand what I was saying, innocently started licking my hand.
If she decided to live in the woods, of course, she wouldn’t need a

spouse like me. By the standards of this beast, I was a weak, sel ish, and
powerless human. I didn’t know if there were more dragon races, but
perhaps she would’ve preferred another dragon of higher stats.
However, things had changed a lot. Not everything will be as I said, but
she had already given herself this situation. As a result, she chose the
next ideal spouse she could ind.
“It’s… you.”
“Correct!”
As I approached her slowly, she linched. However, I had no intention of

hurting her. Since she didn’t know why I was lifting her, she let herself
be dragged by me.
“First, let’s get out of the dungeon. It will be frustrating if Tol To-ri is
kept here.”
“Yeah?”
“Since you’ve suffered so far, shouldn’t you relax and eat delicious
food?”
“But…”
“It would be uncomfortable to explain that I’m your spouse, so it would

be better to think about something that people would understand when
they see you outside. This is sudden for me too, so please be
considerate of me. There are also women that I’m going out with… It’s
complicated in many ways. I may not be a good husband, but you can be
assured that I can be a good father. You would like that better, won’t
you?”
“No…”
“There is a lot to be done. First of all, I have to get a document stating

that I own you… You also have to deal with what to do with the damage
you have done. The human world is a little complicated. Right. Tol To-ri,
let’s go outside.”
“Kiek! Kiek! Haaa!”
“Our cute Tol To-ri also has a lot of problems to deal with.”
The sudden change of posture made her disconcerted. However, she

seemed to be aware to some extent that she and Tol To-ri were safe
now.
Her thought process must be complicated by now. I, who she viewed as

a nasty human being, had been showing her what a dedicated spouse
should show.
“One thing… I want to ask you something.”

“You can talk.”
“Humans are greedy.”
“Yes. Yes, they are.”
“That’s the same for you. You don’t have to lie. There are things I can see
with my eyes.”
“Yes. I am also a greedy human being.”
“What do you want?”
“Ah, that’s no big deal. To take care of your safety is to take care of mine.
You can join me in my experiment. At best, it’s all about being stabbed
with a needle, and there’ll be no harm in life. It ends with lying still.”
“Experiment?”
“Ah. I didn’t tell you. I am an alchemist.”
“I’m not sure what an alchemist is.”
“Let’s get to know that slowly together.”
“Is that really all that is required?”
“What?”
“Will you only provide nests, food, and safety for our Dialuria?”
“If you follow the procedures well, we can provide you with more. I was
thinking of that in the irst place… I also want to be a good father to
cute Tol To-ri. I will do my best to make this a happy family. And again,
you have no choice. Didn’t I already say this?”
“…”
“Your body is money. However, if you lie still, everything will be solved.
Hahaha.”
Even I knew how shitty that sounded.
At this, Dialugia began nodding her head, as if she had decided upon
something.
CHAPTER 184
EMPIRE’S EIGHT SEATS (1)
A lot had changed.
No, to be precise, it would be correct to say that we were in the middle

of a change. My top priority was to gain ownership rights over Dialugia.
This proved to be an easier process than I thought.
Originally, Castle Rock had already decided to reward me; and the idea
that the most active group of this expedition was the Blue Guild spread
everywhere.
Some guilds and clans felt regretful, but they decided not to complain.
The fact that we had saved their hometown was indeed true, and we
had no obligation to provide them with Dialugia’s precious scales or
leather.
It was a little sel ish, but Dialugia was de initely by my own

achievement. Just the idea of sharing her already felt strange.
The only problem was the damage Dialugia in licted on Castle Rock.
Although the bereaved family should be given suf icient compensation,

it is natural that this alone would be insuf icient.
I solved that by expressing my gratitude to Castle Rock for giving me

enough rewards privately.
Of course, it couldn’t be inished, but I was able to somehow get it done.

There were suspicions about whether Dialugia was the main culprit of
the monster wave, but of course, the Heretical Interrogators ruled out
this suspicion for my sake.
‘Having power is good because of this.’
With this matter, I properly used my Honorary Bishop position, which

had not been used until now. Starting with the Archbishop of Judah,
whose roots were in Castle Rock, I sought help from those in high
positions of the Pope’s side, whom I had stayed in touch with. This
resulted from constant petitions to Bishop Jessica, Director of the
Inquisition Helena, Archbishop Andrine of the Pope’s, and Cardinal
Basel, who all loved me.
Since I thought that the secret auction house in Castle Rock’s

underground should be maintained, I had to hide the fact that Little
Rock kidnapped Tol To-ri and that Tol To-ri was also an entity affected
by the monster wave.
I was in a situation where I had no choice but to ind a cause other than
Dialugia.
The Heretical Inquisitor and the Holy Knights concluded that the
monster wave’s cause was an unknown dungeon in Castle Rock’s deep
forest. Of course, most humans who did not want to be branded as
traitors did not argue with their supposed indings.
All in all, this was an ef icient ending.
Of course, the prerequisite for all of this was possible only because
Dialugia and I had an of icial relationship.
‘I am the one who has been chosen by the dragon.’
Of icially, Dialugia was a pitiful dragon that had come into the city
under the control of an unknown dungeon, which gave her no choice
but to choose me to save herself.
Though it sounded terribly cliché , it didn’t sound bad at all. It was

certainly better than saying that she had chosen me to save her baby.
Besides, there had always been stories of humans being chosen by
legendary entities.
Since a legendary-grade named monster came rolling into the arms of

the Holy Empire, it was no wonder that the Emperor’s side also actively
supported my case. I knew that, though the Imperial Knights were wary
of such a creature, they were also hoping that Dialugia would someday
become a dragon that would defend the empire.
“Because dragons are precious.”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
“Er…”
“Yes?”
“That… Thank you.”
“I’m not sure what you’re expressing gratitude for.”
“In many ways…”
“You don’t have to worry. It’s because of you that things went well.”
“What?”
“Dragons are precious. Since your personal history is longer than the
history of the Holy Empire of Benigore, humans feel that your existence
is amazing. You have been living for 4,000 years. All the books about
dragons are almost lost. The Holy Empire wants to have an intact
dragon, just as I want to hold you.”
“Ah…”
“Of course, the power I have has indeed been helpful, but this result is a
great result from a mix of various interests, so you don’t have to thank
me. Right, Tol To-ri?
“Kiek! Haaa!”
“Oh, come here, Tol To-ri.”
“Heck! Heck! Heck!”
“Shall we play airplanes with dad?”
“Haaaa! Kiek!”
“Oh! Our Tol To-ri is good! Well done! Well done!”
‘This kid… is so cute.’
I tried not to get too attached, but this baby monster was much cuter
than I had expected. Anyone would ind it cute, given that it would run
as soon as I clapped my hands. Its adorably big eyes kept blinking as it
wagged its tail eagerly.
Even its cry, which at irst sounded annoying, now sounded like the
cutest thing ever.
In his own way, Tol To-ri had secured a permanent place in my heart.
Of course, based on his appearance, it felt like having a pet rather than a
real child, but I could now understand why people on Earth were
obsessed with keeping animals, like dogs and cats.
“Oh! Come here, Tol To-ri!”
“Haaa!”
“Shall we eat a snack?”
“Kiek! Kiek! Kiek! Haaa! Kiek!”
The way it went all crazy when I said something about snacks and
walks made me want to hug the heck out of it.
“D-Didn’t he eat snacks before?”
“In the irst place, kids only grow by eating. Right, Tol To-ri?
“Kiek!”
“You’ll eat snacks twice a day. It’s decided.”
“Tol To-ri likes eating this much, so what’s wrong with a snack? Rather,
isn’t it good that he can accumulate nutrition?”
“His nutrition intake is already too much. And candy can’t be called
good food. It’s a human-made food… After a few years, he can eat as
much as he wants, anyway, so it’s good to keep his intake in the right
amount now.”
“You don’t like that your mother is too strict, right?”
“Kiek!”
“Dialuria… M-Mom is only saying it for your sake…”

“From tomorrow, I will feed him only two. Let’s eat only one more
today, okay, Tol-Tori?”
“Kiek! Haaa!”
The cute kid’s eyes widened as soon as I pulled out another candy from
my pocket. As the candy rolled back and forth in front of its eyes, I saw
its pupils constantly moving.
Its body was still, but its tail was hitting the loor without mercy. It was
also cute to see it running around the room mercilessly once I placed
the little candy in its mouth.
“Kiek! Haaa! Haaa!”
“Oh, is our Tol To-ri excited?”
“Haaa! Haaa! Kiek!”
“Well done! Well done!”
Once again, I clapped my hands, and it jumped on the sofa.
It was no exaggeration to say that I gave snacks just to see it react.

Dialugia, who claimed that three snacks were not allowed, smiled upon
seeing how delighted it was.
It still felt like she was wary of me, but at least now she seemed
convinced that I indeed liked Tol To-ri. Anyway, it was natural for her to
feel that way.
Without trying hard to imitate being a good father, I was showing the
family she had dreamed of.
‘This guy is so cute.’

What she was thinking was so obvious, as I also thought about whether
I was giving Tol To-ri a little too much love. Recently, her quietly
laughing and looking at me and Tol To-ri became a frequent occurrence.
“Tol To-ri is standing!”
“Oh my, Dialuria!”
Currently, the baby, who had always been crawling on all fours, had now
managed to stand irmly on its own two feet. This baby never failed to
surprise me with each day that passed by.
‘Grow up quickly and take care of your daddy when he gets old!’
Though I still hoped for that, it didn’t mean that I didn’t genuinely care
for Tol To-ri.
The other party members in the Blue were also very fond of him, so it
wasn’t unusual for me to feel this way.
Of course, not all the party members found him cute.
“O… Oppa.”
It was that Jung Hayan who had opened the door and came in.
“Ah. Is it Hayan? You worked so hard today.”
“N-No. It wasn’t much. I was just watching the people working… Now,
we’ve almost inished clearing the corpses. Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes, I’m healthy now. I only fainted because I exhausted my magic, and
I hadn’t received any special injury. What about the others?”
“I think everyone will gather in a bit. Hyunsung asked for a meal with
the party members…”
“Okay.”
“Are you free today?”
“Ah, I am.”
“T-That’s fortunate…”
I knew she was thinking that Dialugia and Tol To-ri had managed to
take me away. Because of this, I knew I had to start working on bringing
Dialugia to my side without making Jung Hayan cry about this new
development.
A few days ago, I had enough time to spare for her, but now I was so
busy that I couldn’t even sleep properly.
As work was work for me, it wouldn’t have been strange for Jung Hayan
to feel robbed.
Dialugia was a monster, but her appearance in human form was quite
beautiful, and although I said I would be careful, I knew Hayan would
have seen me holding Tol To-ri.
She didn’t say anything but…
‘She may have felt like we were acting like a family.’
What was decisive was the announcement that Dialugia and I were
sharing life.
I didn’t know why, but perhaps she was feeling a tremendous sense of
loss. This was proven when she refused to come out of her room all day
long. Even when I came to visit, she refused to open the door.
She seemed to now devote her time to studying magic, but the results
did not appear. No, it would be right to say that they had not yet
appeared.
If Jung Hayan was studying magic now, it was inevitably to ind a way to
connect her life with mine as well.
It was impossible in theory, but perhaps…
‘If it’s her, it could be done.’
She might even conjure up something worse.
Originally, her talent for magic was on the level of genius, and through
this wave, she had grown tremendously.
Jung Hayan was also a person who needed management as much as Tol
To-ri, so I knew I had to pay more attention to her. Had it been
announced that I became the dragon’s spouse, it would have been much
more dif icult to control her.
Just looking at her willfully ignoring Tol To-ri and Dialugia could tell me
that much.
At this, Jung Hayan stepped closer to me.
“Let’s go together now!”
For some reason, I was very much aware of Dialugia and Tol To-ri’s
presence. It felt like I was cheating on them both. However, I had no
choice but to go along with what Hayan wanted.
“Then I’ll be back, Dialugia.”
“…”
“Dialuria should also stay quiet.”

“Kiek! Haaa!”
“L-Let’s go quickly, Oppa! Everyone might be waiting.”
Though Jung Hayan kept urging me to hurry along, I couldn’t help but
notice Tol To-ri’s eyes, which were currently illed with anxiety.
Unfortunately, it would be best to ignore it here.
“Kiek! Kiek!”
“Let’s go quickly, Oppa!”
After closing the door, Hayan breathed out, as if she felt relieved.
Instinctively, I too felt anxious, as if she noticed something. I knew I

should be more alert.
“Is there any reason that Hyunsung-ssi said we should meet today?”
“Yes.”
“Eh?”
“Oh, Oppa still… I guess you haven’t heard it.”
“I haven’t. Is there any news?”
“I’m not sure about the details… They’ve been saying that the Holy
Empire will elect the Eight Seats this time.”
“What?”
“Rumors say that they’ll be choosing around two people from the Blue
Guild.”
‘What’s happening now?’
I felt a little disconcerted by the sudden news.

CHAPTER 185
I think I could understand what that meant.
‘The Eight Seats?’
What was the intention of the Holy Empire to create such a system?
The Holy Empire did not give such high positions to players. It was
already unusual for me to be appointed as Honorary Bishop of the
Pope’s side, and this alone had brought great tumult to the Empire. In
simple terms, it was not an exaggeration to say that players other than
me had nothing to do with the imperial of icials.
Though Guild Masters of large people were also considered important,

there were boundaries in place so they wouldn’t be able to intervene in
the actual politics within the Empire.
With this, I could understand the Empire’s position.
It wouldn’t be nice for the Empire if the players got too deeply involved
in their work.
‘But now… ’
Perhaps this new development was brought by the players who tried to
protect Castle Rock by risking their lives, but then again, perhaps it
wasn’t.
Although this may stem from an external reason, it was a business that
did not make sense if it had been brought about by the occurrence of
just one monster wave.
‘Have they become conscious of the Republic?’
That was not a bad guess. The Republic and the Holy Empire had been
in a strange rivalry since a long time ago. When the Holy Empire raised
tall buildings, the Republic also raised tall buildings. When the Republic
published research on new magic or dungeons, the Empire soon
published a similar kind of literary work.
This meant that there was always such a struggle in international

relations. If I were to think of Shaolin, who had a high position as the
Five Tiger General of the Republic, there was a high probability that the
Holy Empire had chosen to take action.
Whether or not there was an of icial announcement about the generals

of the Republic, I had not heard anything about that. Still, it was a good
possibility since I had planted some of my own spies into the Republic.
Besides that, there must be a strange tug-of-war and con lict of interest
between the Emperor and the Pope’s forces, as well as political factors
that I did not know about. They might have given me, a player, the
Honorary Bishop position as a way to spite the Emperor’s side.
Considering that they might be picking someone from Blue…
‘Won’t they still pick an imperial person for the position, though?’
Whether my predictions were correct or not, I would be able to ind out

by talking to Kim Hyunsung. Because of our past misunderstandings, it
would be awkward to meet with him now, but it wouldn’t matter much
as this was a meeting where everyone would be present.
“Hehehehe…”
“Why’re you laughing?”

“It’s good to have everyone here again.”
“Ah, you’re right.”
Jung Hayan laughed, evidently unaware of my complex thoughts.
‘It wouldn’t be Jung Hayan.’
Most likely not. No, in fact, it would be dif icult to ind a person who
would be it to take on the position in Blue. Obviously, people saw us as
rookies with rising potentials, and this was mostly due to Jung Hayan,
Kim Ye-ri, Sun Hee-young, and Cho Hyejin.
‘They’ll probably pick Hyunsung.’
If only one person would be picked, it would undoubtedly be Kim

Hyunsung. Of course, he hadn’t shown anything big yet, but if I were to
think about him illing up the position Cha Hee-ra had left vacant
during the monster wave, it made sense.
I, who had been busy wandering around, could not properly see what
Hyunsung had managed to do. Still, unlike me, who had been busy
raising my reputation, he had imprinted his strength onto the
imperialists and the free people.
‘Can I say that I’m relieved that Hee-ra didn’t participate?’
If Cha Hee-ra had been there, it would have been relatively dif icult for
Kim Hyunsung to be at the center of the Castle Rock City Wall battle.
Whether she knew my complicated thoughts or not, Jung Hayan

continued to smile, clinging tightly to me. It felt a little annoying, but it
was good to walk with her all in all. The usual Jung Hayan was still
pretty cute, after all.
Before long, we arrived at the restaurant’s entrance. I irst caught sight
of Hwang Jeong-yeon, who had been talking with Park Deokgu. Sitting
next to her were Sun Hee-young and Cho Hyejin, drinking tea quietly.
‘They look alike.’
Then there was Kim Hyunsung, who was taking care of Kim Ye-ri. He
was the irst to notice me. His expression as he waved us over certainly
didn’t seem all that bad. Contrary to my expectations that he would ask
all kinds of questions as soon as his work was inished, he seemed to
observe me closely, saving the asking for later.
‘Although this is exactly like him… ’
I knew I had to ind a way to isolate both of us so we could talk, as I did

not want any unpleasant feelings to remain within Hyunsung. Park
Deokgu noticed us as well.
“Oh my, Hyung-nim!”
“Yes.”
“Whoa… Just having a dragon choose you makes it harder for the rest of
us to see you!”
“Don’t make a fuss. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“No. It’s great enough. This is because Lee Kiyoung lives with a heart of
gratitude to God…”
“It’s really not a big deal, Sun Hee-young-nim.”
At Sun Hee-young’s words, Cho Hyejin stared up at me with a strange

expression. However, she soon avoided my gaze, apparently not
wanting to get involved. Instead, it was Hwang Jeong-yeon who spoke
up.
“You two are so close together today. It’s romantic.”
“Ah… T-Thank you.”
“Please sit here, Hayan-ssi, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Alright, Jeong-yeon-ssi.”
It had been a while since I had seen the party members, but the
atmosphere wasn’t all that awkward. Kim Ye-ri nodded a little, and I,
knowing this to be a greeting, nodded back in reply. The rise in power
among my party members looked obvious.
I had not yet decided on a class either, but I would have to focus on it
soon. Kim Ye-ri, Kim Hyunsung, and Jung Hayan had already inished
their class changes. I thought it was right to take a closer look at these
when I had the time. Contrary to my thoughts that all party members
would have changed classes, Sun Hee-young, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and
Cho Hyejin only managed to increase their stats, yet no class change
occurred for them.
‘These guys… It’s because their growth levels are already high.’
Park Deokgu was the problem.
‘It’s a pity. This guy… ’
I didn’t know if he was procrastinating on changing his class or if he

simply couldn’t get one, but he still had the same rare-grade class. His
endurance and stamina stats rose, but the overall growth wasn’t that
great. Of course, his stats were great compared to ordinary people, but
he was among the lowest ones when it came to our party of geniuses.
‘I think I should give him therapy sometime soon… ’

Park Deokgu was working hard. I was the one who knows that best.
However, it felt as if a wall was blocking him. I wanted to solve his
problem right away, but for now, I had an urgent task. I turned to look
at Kim Hyunsung.
No wonder everyone’s eyes were on him. They were hoping that the
guild leader would be the irst to speak.
His voice then echoed as if meeting everyone’s expectations.
“It’s been a while since everyone’s been gathered like this. It seems like
the aftermath of the battle is busier than the preparation beforehand.
Hahaha.”
“…”
Though this was clearly a joke, no one laughed. Kim Hyunsung certainly
had no talent in that. He cleared his throat before speaking again.
“Ahem. Anyway, I-I’m glad that everyone is safe. And… Thank you so
much for trusting me and following me.”
“Ah, but it’s only right to do so. You’re our Guild Master.”
“No. Hyejin-ssi. It’s not like that. This was probably the irst major
battle for you all, especially for Hayan-ssi and Deokgu-ssi… And even
Ye-ri and Kiyoung-ssi. I know best than anyone else that it’s hard to stay
on the front line even though you’ve only been here for about a year.”
“Ah… I didn’t know that this was the four’s irst time.”
“It is.”
‘I see.’
This was common sense. Park Deokgu scratched his head, evidently
feeling shy.
‘They were scared.’
If I, who believed in Hyunsung and Hee-ra, still felt scared, it would be

normal for Deokgu to be as well. Kim Ye-ri was still expressionless, so I
couldn’t igure out what she was thinking, but Jung Hayan didn’t seem
to understand what Kim Hyunsung was talking about. I was sure that
among all of us, she de initely did not feel an ounce of fear.
“No. Basically, we were able to stand on the wall because we had the
belief that Hyunsung-ssi would not leave us alone. Actually, Hyunsung-
ssi saved my life several times.”
“Kiyoung Hyung-nim is right. In fact, if it weren’t for our Hyung-ssi, I

would have died several times already. I admit that I was scared, but… It
was a good experience… It is only right for us to thank you.”
“Yes. Right, Oppa is right.”
“Yes. Kiyoung-ssi is right.”
As the party members shook their heads, Hyunsung appeared to feel

moved. His sensibility was rich. As he bowed his head and thanked us, I
realized his genuinely good nature once more. Seeing Hyunsung appear
all embarrassed just made him way cuter.
“Thank you, everyone. Ah! My reason for calling everyone today was to
talk about the Empire’s Eight Seats, which will be announced soon. I
didn’t know if Kiyoung-ssi has heard, but…”
“Ah, I heard it from Hayan on the way here. This was so unexpected…”
“Yes, it felt a little sudden for me, too. I knew it would eventually
happen, but it’s so sudden…”
“Has Hyung-ssi ever heard anything related?”
“I haven’t. Likewise, Kiyoung doesn’t seem to have received this news in

advance. It’s not unnatural not to have heard of it, but the fact that even
Kiyoung-ssi doesn’t know…”
It was true that this had been hosted by the Emperor’s side, not the
Pope’s. This didn’t mean that the Pope had been inactive. However, this
affair was not under their jurisdiction.
“First, I have to explain about the Empire’s Eight Seats. To put it simply,
Empire’s Eight Seats refers to a system that selects the eight people
they think are the strongest in the Empire and gives them positions and
authority. I think we need to ind out a little more about it, but in
comparison, it’s like giving the title of a noble.”
“Then, we’ll have to accept it. No, I mean, do they really think that there
are two people in our guild who they consider as the strongest?”
“It might be about how strong we are, but there are also probably many
political reasons.”
“It is undeniable that Hyung-ssi is strong, but…”
I agreed with some of Park Deokgu’s words. It was true that Kim
Hyunsung was strong, but it was still unreasonable to place him among
the eight strongest in the Empire. I tried to explain, but Cho Hyejin cut
me off.
“Maybe the imperialists have been excluded. If they include the

imperialists, the number of 8 is too small. There’s Victor Hart of the
Royal Castle. And I heard that the three Templars from the Pope’s side
are a little stronger or similar to Cha Hee-ra. They already make up four
people…”
“That… Do you mean the red-haired lady? I’ve heard of the old man
Victor Hart before… Tem, what is a Templar?”
“It refers to the three strongest knights that the Pope has. I’ve heard
that their power is of the legendary-grade, and they only move as a
group when danger is posed to a priest above the cardinal-grade. Hee-
young, a priest, must know this well.”
“Yes. Cho Hyejin is correct. Cardinal-grade priests play a big part in the
Pope’s side. Perhaps, if Lee Kiyoung also reaches that position…”
If that happened, then it would de initely be a good day for me. As it

was still a distant story, I didn’t dare to answer, and Cho Hyejin once
again spoke.
“If you think about it without the imperialists, it may seem right. First,
there’s Cha Hee-ra of the Red Mercenary Guild and Park Yeonjoo of the
Black Swans. There’s Yuno Kasugano from the Yozora Guild. In return,
another strong player will come out of Celia to replace the dead Ito
Souta… Likewise, in the Free City of Dawan, where the Taiwanese live,
two people from the large guilds will be chosen.”
“Ah…”
“Of course, there are a lot of players in the Empire who are said to be
strong, but it is very likely they have ruled out some of those who live a
secluded life or those who did not maintain seats of power. Perhaps, if
some of the people refuse their seat, our Blue could have a chance.”
“Is there any reason to refuse it?”
“As much as you have authority and position, responsibilities will also
come with it. Most people who want to be free from those shackles will
not accept it. When they were about to announce the Eight Seats of the
Empire, the monster wave took place in Castle Rock, so it would only be
natural for them to pay attention to us. Probably…”
At this, Cho Hyejin hesitated. Kim Hyunsung now took over.
“Yes. Kiyoung-ssi and I were asked to join as members of the Eight Seats
together.”
“Y-You mean, Hyung-nim?!”
Park Deokgu stared at me in shock.

CHAPTER 186
“Yes. Kiyoung-ssi and I were asked to join as members of the Eight Seats
together.”
“Y-You mean, Hyung-nim?!”
It was easy to tell what Park Deokgu was thinking. Though he admired
me, my strength was an entirely different story.
‘Hyung-nim? Hyung-nim to be one of the eight seats?’
This was probably what Deokgu was thinking now. My physical ability
was basically insigni icant. A simple punch would be enough to wound
me. Of course, I had Juliana, but this didn’t count when it wasn’t active.
Sure, I also had a lot of alchemy magic considered tactically useful, but
this was nothing compared to someone like Jung Hayan.
Simply put, my individualistic power was less than a maggot’s. Of

course, Park Deokgu may not be thinking like this, but I knew he was
wondering how someone like me could be recommended to the Eight
Seats of the Empire.
“Hyung-nim too…”
“In Kiyoung-ssi’s case, perhaps…”
“Yes. Dialugia’s existence would have been decisive. From the Empire’s
standpoint, there’s no reason to exclude humans who had been chosen
by a legendary dragon. If one were to think about it, Dialugia’s power
would be more than enough to occupy all eight seats in the system.
Considering that Kiyoung-ssi is the one responsible for such a creature,
it would be strange for him not to get chosen.”
“Ah…”
“In simple terms, they would need to get the dragon’s tamer before they
can place the dragon in their favor. Plus, Kiyoung is also a well-known
Vice Guild Master. And…”
“Huh?”
“It might be unlikely, but he holds a unique position as an alchemist.

Currently, he is almost the only one that can make potions of heroic-
grade or higher. Of course, since the class itself can be said to have
nothing to do with combat, it wouldn’t have much of a big impact.”
“I-I see…”
“I can’t control Dialugia at my own will like a tamer or a summoner.”
“B… But even that is great, Hyung-nim! Isn’t it?”
Sure, one could describe it as great. As Cho Hyejin had said, Dialugia’s
existence was extraordinary. Though she was currently in a very
unhealthy state, she was still powerful enough to cause destruction
with one simple sweep. Of course, she had a free will of her own, but
what would these people know about it?
What was important was the fact that she had chosen me and that I
could borrow her powers. Park Deokgu kept up the chatter, but he now
sported a very bitter expression.
‘Ha… This bastard… ’

The reason why he was acting this way was obvious. He felt as if he was
falling behind. The gap between him and the rest of the members had
become way too evident. To put it simply, what he was feeling was more
of shame than jealousy.
He was continually surrounded by monsters, which was why he failed

to recognize his rapid growth. Now would be the right time to comfort
him.
“It’s only because of political reasons that I was given the high position.
The Yeongju Tower may have been conscious of the Pope’s side and had
taken action. However, nothing will change, Deokgu.”
“But it’s great enough to be chosen. Hyung-nim is already an Honorary

Bishop of the Holy Empire… I really believe that you are the smartest
person among everyone on this continent…”
“I am not smart; I just move a little more carefully than others.”
“That’s not it. Besides, since you conducted the pre-war defense
brilliantly, they must’ve also considered that. The Guild Master Hyung-
ssi also… Anyway, I’m glad there are so many things to celebrate
about… Everyone’s on a roll!”
“I have not yet decided on whether to accept it or not, but…”
“Yes. This will depend on the thoughts of the Guild Master and the Vice
Guild Master.”
At Cho Hyejin’s words, my gaze fell on Kim Hyunsung. Jung Hayan

looked disinterested in the topic, but the rest of our party members
looked serious. This would determine our future.
‘Perhaps… ’
There didn’t seem to be anything bad by accepting it.

“In my case, I think it is only right to accept it. We’ll have a lot of
responsibility, but it won’t be pro itable to refuse both as an individual
and as a guild. In the future, it will be of greater help for Blue’s growth.
In Kiyoung-ssi’s case, I think it is a matter to be decided by Kiyoung-ssi,
but… I would like to recommend you to accept it.”
He was right.
“I don’t think I need to refuse, too. Representing the Empire will be

advantageous for my activities.”
“I knew you would say so.”
“Haha…”
“Then… Kiyoung-ssi and I will have to visit Yeongju Tower for a while.”
“What?!”
At that moment, Jung Hayan looked horri ied. Of course, she

immediately went silent, but Kim Hyunsung seems surprised by her
sudden reaction.
“Ah. You don’t have to worry, Hayan. You’ll be going with us.”
“Ah… Okay…”
“I hope that Hyejin-ssi will remain here to clean up, and Jeong-yeon will
take the rest and return to the guild. Prepare for the command of
advisor Lee Sang-hee.”
“Ah… It seems we have to start to prepare for it slowly.”
“What’re we preparing for?”
“The next group will come soon.”

“Ah!”
I had completely forgotten this. I knew it was usually held once a year,
so considering the timing, it would de initely happen again soon. The
tutorial in itself was probably already in progress, and depending on
how quickly they would pass the exam, this might take from a few days
to several months longer.
‘Time goes by so fast.’
“The Red Mercenary will be in charge of this tutorial dungeon, but…

Even if it’s not our turn, recruiting new recruits is essential.”
“By how much will you increase the guild members?”
“That hasn’t been decided, but… if we can ind a talented person who
can understand and blend well with us, then we’ll accept them.”
“Alright.”
“I’ve also been thinking about the direction of getting the priority to
recruit under discussion with Cha Hee-ra… This time around, we’ll be
busy again. Of course, even so, you should not neglect training and
hunting. Anyway, let’s skip the boring talk. Let’s talk about this in
further detail while we eat.”
As soon as Kim Hyunsung inished speaking, the atmosphere became a

little noisy. I knew this would eventually happen, and I admit that I did
miss getting to talk with everyone.
However, knowing that Tol To-ri was waiting for me made me feel a
little guilty about chatting with everyone. I was worried about Park
Deokgu, too, but he was doing his best to show his eagerness.
“Please have another drink, Oppa.”

“No. This is enough for me.”
“T-This is a good day.”
“Then, should I have one more drink?”
“Yes!”
In the meantime, I didn’t know what Jung Hayan was thinking, but she
had been actively urging me to drink. It was good to drink in
moderation, but I knew I shouldn’t drink any more than I already have.
Of course, it was dif icult trying to refuse Jung Hayan continually.
I didn’t know what Deokgu was thinking, either, but he didn’t seem to
be in the mood to drink. He had refused with a smile when I offered him
one, but he was evidently distracted. I thought about whether or not to
talk with him, but he had managed to sneak away at one point.
It wasn’t just him. Kim Ye-ri, a minor, and Sun Hee-young, a priest who
didn’t enjoy alcohol in the irst place, had already gone away. This was
okay because it was already late, but…
“Then, I will also be going, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“Yes.”
The drinking session eventually ended. Jung Hayan was still guarding
my side, and now it was only right for me to head back to my room.
“Let’s go too, Hayan.”
“Ah, alright! Are you perhaps feeling drunk?”
“No. I’m still ine.”

“Ah…”
‘Why do you look so sad?’
“It’s late now, so you should go to sleep.”
“Ah, yes…”
“Or would you want to go for a short night walk?”
“R-Really?”
“Sure.”
I had recently been neglecting her, and now seemed like the right time
to reward her. I knew Hayan must feel stressed, so it was only right that
I ease her impatience before she burst.
It was a bit chilly now, but it still felt nice enough to walk. The moon
was high up in the sky, and just about anyone would consider this a
romantic atmosphere. I could feel Jung Hayan’s hand, which was
holding mine, trembling. Though we were just walking around the
gardens in Yeongju Tower, she already seemed happy. It was then that I
heard a sound resonate from the area.
“Did you hear that just now?”
“Yes.”
No wonder I felt curious. I grabbed Jung Hayan’s hand, who had been
trying to lure me into a secluded area.
‘What the… ’
Though I felt puzzled for a while, I began to realize what they were
doing. Kim Ye-ri was currently running towards Park Deokgu with a
dagger aimed at the latter’s neck. Deokgu, in turn, lifted his shield as a
reaction.
“Hup!”
The sound we had heard was Deokgu’s brief shout of concentration, yet
his attack didn’t faze Kim Ye-ri at all. The kid had successfully avoided
the attack.
‘What is she, a cat?’
It felt like she could stay in the air longer than the others. Deokgu tried
to swat her away mid-air, but she twisted her body just in time. As if
this wasn’t enough, she landed by sitting on his shield, and even I
couldn’t understand how she did it.
Even Park Deokgu seemed both bewildered and perplexed about her
incomprehensible actions.
Taking advantage of his distracted state, Kim Ye-ri landed a kick. As she
kicked his head, Park Deokgu hit the loor. The short match was over
with her holding her dagger right against his neck. The quiet voice of
Kim Ye-ri echoed in the hall.
“You’re weak.”
“It’s not over yet.”
“It’s already over… If I don’t head to bed now, I’ll get scolded. Anyway,
it’s already late.”
“No… Let’s do it one more time.”
“No. It’s not fun anymore.”
“Just one last time!”

“Uncle Deokgu, if I had done it seriously, you would have died several
times already. This will be the end for today. We’ll train again tomorrow,
even though it’s not fun.”
Her words weren’t intended maliciously. The kid was horrible at

communicating. However, it appeared that her words had struck
Deokgu right into her heart.
“Then, ahem… I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Wrong. I am sorry, uncle. I’m helping you practice.”
“It’s the same thing. You should head in irst, Ye-ri.”
“Yes. Uncle should also rest well.”
“And… It’s not uncle, but Oppa.”
“Huh. But you look like an uncle.”
“…”
This made me wonder whether Kim Ye-ri was inciting him on purpose.
With a blank look, Park Deokgu watched Kim Ye-ri quietly leave. Even I
had not spoken to that kid in forever. Perhaps Park Deokgu and Kim Ye-
ri had already conducted a lot of these meetings.
‘Tsk… ’
Even after Kim Ye-ri left, Park Deokgu did not leave his seat and sat
down, leaning against the wall. Jung Hayan, who had constantly been
pulling me, was now looking at Park Deokgu seriously. His whole body
was already a disaster. Not only was he covered with sweat, but he
looked entirely dirty. Assuming that he had continued to do this after he
quickly got out of the drinking table meant he had already been beaten
by Kim Ye-ri several times, so this was natural.
I didn’t like seeing him burying his face between his knees. I thought
about approaching him and talking to him, but he didn’t seem to want
that right now. Soon enough, he stood up and once more began to swing
his sword in the air.
Hoowook.
His body trembled, showcasing his exhaustion.
Hoowook.
However, he continued to swing his sword over and over again. I

honestly wanted to tell him that this was meaningless. He wouldn’t be
able to catch up with the others with this useless training regime. If one
could become powerful by simply swinging a sword in the air, then
almost everyone on this continent would have become powerful.
The problem with Park Deokgu was not a lack of effort but a lack of
talent. Even if he were to exert double the effort, the gap between him
and our party members would continue to widen. Once he could catch
up, the gap would soon widen once more. It’s a vicious cycle.
I wasn’t in the right position to say this, but people like Park Deokgu
simply cannot compete with people like Kim Hyunsung or Kim Ye-ri. Or
so the system says.
No matter how hard he would try, it would be those blessed with talent
that would eventually rise to the top. To put it plainly, the probability
that Park Deokgu could catch up with those above him was close to
zero.
However, I didn’t want to point out how stupid this was. I could hear
him muttering all the way from where I stood.
“I can do better…”
CHAPTER 187
FOOLISH GUY (1)
“Let’s head back, Hayan.”
“Alright…
Though I wanted to comfort Park Deokgu, now was not the right time.
Nothing would get to his head, considering his current state of mind.
Even Jung Hayan, who spent a lot of time with him, looked bummed. I
knew she cared about the party members in her own way, but Kim
Hyunsung and Park Deokgu were the most important for her. They
were the ones we had been with since the start and had taken care of
her, who had been a lonely person.
In particular, Park Deokgu had been the one who had beaten up her
molester, so he must be the one she was most fond of aside from me.
‘He also played matchmaker… ’
We took care in quietly heading back, in case he would hear us. What he
had muttered still bothered me up until now.
‘I can do better.’
He was obviously re lecting on what I had told him when I irst met
him. At irst, it had only been to make him take action, but this
appeared to be his pillar of support now. I felt embarrassed as I realized
this.
Of course, I believed in Park Deokgu. However, the reality shown by the
status window was cruel.
‘It’s such bullshit for his effort not to count.’
Of course, for some, this may result in a big gift. However, some
situations could not be reversed with effort alone. One example would
be if the genius level were what Deokgu had been aiming for. When I
looked behind me, I could see him mercilessly swinging his sword. And
though I looked away, the scene never left my mind.
Of course, I didn’t want his efforts to betray him. However, upon

concluding that his growth was really hitting its limit, I didn’t know
what to do.
‘He might die.’
This wasn’t the case of abandoning him in the worst-case scenario.

Unlike me, whose position was in the rear, his position was on the
frontlines. If he fought against something that he wouldn’t be able to
handle, Park Deokgu would surely die.
This was proven back when Cha Hee-ra had gone berserk. If she had not
been able to distinguish between enemy and allies, Park Deokgu would
have died instantly on the irst blow.
Considering that our party’s path would be quite dif icult in the future,
it might be better for Park Deokgu to stay put.
‘My head hurts. Fuck… I still have to change my class… ’
Still, I had a lot of things to worry about now, one being my fourth class.
***
“Then, we’ll see you later.”

“Yes. I’ll inish the cleanup.”
“You can do it slowly. Hyejin-ssi.”
“I’ll inish Lindel’s affairs too, so you can go with no worries, Hyunsung-
ssi. Kiyoung-ssi, please also have a nice trip with Hayan.”
“See you at Lindel. Jeong-yeon-ssi.”
“Goodbye, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“I will be back soon. Thank you for taking care of the slums, Hee-young.”
“Of course.”
Before leaving for the capital, I was given a short time to say my
goodbyes to the party members. However, I could feel someone gazing
at me sharply. It was not Cho Hyejin, who had to do all the remaining
work, nor Kim Ye-ri who did not feel happy to be apart from Kim
Hyunsung. It was Dialugia, who had Tol To-ri in her arms.
Although she was expressionless as usual, I felt like she was not in a
good mood, and seeing that she had a dissatis ied expression, I could
tell she wasn’t happy about me going to the capital. I said I would only
be there for a short time, but nevertheless, she still seemed angry.
She had raised her voice at me when I had returned the night I
witnessed Park Deokgu’s breakdown. To her, it felt like I had neglected
the family and wandered outside.
I knew that if she had her way, she would tie me up. Tol To-ri struggled
through his cries, realizing that we would be apart for some time.
Naturally, I knew I had to say something. Since Jung Hayan was still
busy talking with the other party members, I had some time to talk to
her.
“I will be back, Dialugia.”
“…”
“Dialugia, didn’t you hear me?”
“…”
“Don’t worry, it won’t take long.”
“I don’t know why you’ve chosen to report to me. Won’t you be satis ied
only by doing everything you want to do, anyway?”
“I want to be with Tol To-ri too, but I don’t have a choice in this
situation.”
“Then what is the situation?”
“I gave you a clear explanation last time… I hope you know that these
are all efforts to provide a safe nest for both of you.”
“Well, I know what you think. All you talk about is providing a safe nest
for us. That’s good. However, the safest nest for Dialuria is one with you
in it. As I said, I can’t understand you whenever I think about how
important this period is for Dialuria’s growth. Don’t you see Dialuria is
also feeling so anxious?”
“Kiek! Kiek! Kiek! Kie-eh-eh!”
‘Tol To-ri… You… Don’t exaggerate, you fool.’
“The human mind is so obvious. Anyway, you were already out of your
mind, drinking that night. I think you’ll know better how badly it affects
our Dialuria’s education, as well as your health, too. I don’t care
whether you hold hands or kiss other women, but you should at least
be faithful to Dialuria.”
‘Fuck… she’s scary… ’
“I knew well that humans are liars anyway. Nothing but good
contractors… A human who has promised not to get a shot of water on
his hands throws away his nests easily. In the irst place, you lack
awareness.”
“Human society is complex. Communication is important, and drinking

is indispensable.”
“You always talk like that. ‘It’s complex. Human society is dangerous.’
Could you irst explain why you have chosen to leave Dialuria alone in
that complex and dangerous society?”
“I’m telling you. It’s because of work.”
“Your job is not to get distracted by drinking, but to protect and love
Dialuria.”
“…”
“…”
“Oh, come on, our Tol To-ri!”
I did not know what to reply with, so I naturally switched my focus. I

knew very well that none of my explanations would work on Dialugia.
For now, it would be best to be kind to Tol To-ri before I left.
“Kiek! Haaa!”
“Oh! Our Tol To-ri, good! Oh, right! Wait for two days. I will come back
quickly, okay?”
“Tol To-ri! Don’t scream!”
“Kie-e-ek…”
“I’ll be coming back soon, so can’t you wait a little bit?”
“Ahhh… Haaa!”
“You must listen carefully to your mother and wait quietly.”
“Heck! Heck!”
“Our Tol To-ri has grown a lot.”
“Kiek!”
As the little guy started to jump again, the dragon’s anger seemed to
lessen. With Tol To-ri looking so cute, it would only be natural for her
expression to soften. Although she was still in a bad mood, her baby
was the best way to melt her frozen heart.
That was when I felt a strange gaze. It was Jung Hayan, whose stare was
a stark contrast to everyone else, who had been staring at us with warm
gazes.
Of course, it was only then that she realized that the scene Dialugia and
I showed was unusual. Dialugia didn’t seem to care very much, but I,
who was conscious of Jung Hayan, had no choice but to be concerned
about this.
However, most of the female crews just thought that Tol To-ri was cute.
In particular, the eyes of Kim Ye-ri, who was seeing Tol To-ri jump for
the irst time, were shining brightly. Of course, Dialugia, seeing those
eyes, hurriedly and warily lifted Tol To-ri.
“C… Cute.”
“You must come back as soon as possible.”
“Okay. Ah. And after arriving at Lindel, the construction of the nest will
proceed immediately. You should ind a human named Kim Mi-young
and tell her what you need.”
“An actual nest?”
“Yes. Actually, I don’t know what a dragon’s nest looks like… I told her to
start work immediately after consulting you.”
“Ah…”
“It’s custom-made, so you can choose whatever you want.”
Dialugia’s expression was still full of dissatisfaction, but hearing the

news that she would have a new nest seemed to make her feel better.
However, this came at the expense of Jung Hayan. It seemed that, after
crossing one mountain, I had to cross another one. However, I would be
going to the capital with Jung Hayan anyway, so there would be many
opportunities to work with her.
Jung Hayan also knew this, so she also looked a little happy. Soon
enough, she ran up to me and hugged me a little tightly. At this, my
worries shifted to Park Deokgu, who now approached me with a casual
expression.
“Well, Hyung-nim, have a good trip!”
“Yes. Please do take care of Dialugia and Dialuria while I am away.”
“Ah…”
“It’s because we share one life. Can you understand what I’m talking
about?”
“I think I know.”
“Deokgu.”
“Huh?”
“I believe you. And if I do…”
“I know. I can do better. Are you going to keep saying that? I think it’s
going to create a crust on my ear. You don’t have to worry about it, so
you can just go.”
“You should get along well with Jeong-yeon.”
“Ahem. It’s not like that with Jeong-yeon, so Hyung-nim should better
be nice to Hayan.”
“Cheer up! Deokgu Oppa.”
“Am I not Park Deokgu, who is always full of energy?”
At Park Deokgu’s words, I smiled and stroked Jung Hayan’s hair. I had to
pretend that I believed him. While I didn’t know much about him, I still
had every right to be bothered because the signals were still noticeable.
He had de initely swung his sword all night. He may think that I had not
noticed it, but I could smell his sweat just by being near him.
He had changed his clothes, but he didn’t have time to shower.
“Kiyoung-ssi, we should…”
“Ah… Yes, Hyunsung-ssi.”
We got on our respective griffons. Jung Hayan, too, stuck to my back like
gum, and I waved my hand towards the people who were still greeting
and Tol To-ri, who cried after me. To me, it felt like Park Deokgu had
clenched his ist when I ascended to the sky alongside Hyunsung.
Before I disappeared from their sight, I turned around, just in time to

see him running off somewhere.
‘Foolish bastard.’
He was the most foolish human I had ever seen.

CHAPTER 188
FOOLISH GUY (2)
The capital, which had seemed quite amazing when I irst saw it, was
not very impressive when I looked at it the second time. Though the
view was stunning, my eyes could not register its beauty. This was
because Park Deokgu kept popping up in my mind.
‘This bastard can really make a person feel upset… ’
However, I had no choice but to discard these thoughts for the time
being. I understood better than anyone else that I had come here for
work. However, I had to make sure not to neglect the management of
connections, either.
This was the second time, but as soon as I got off at the familiar Griffon
landing area, I immediately heard a cheerful voice calling out to me. I
knew who it was, as I knew who liked me the most within the royal
castle.
“Cardinal Basel!”
“Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung! Ah, you look so different! I’ve heard
about what’s happened at Castle Rock.”
“Hahaha. It’s all thanks to Benigore’s Goddess. Bishop Jaina! And it’s
been a while, Director of the Inquisition Helena.”
“Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung, long time no see.”

“Ah. Please say hello to Kim Hyunsung, the Blue Guild Master who was
recommended to take part in the Empire’s Eight Seats.”
“Ooooh. I’ve heard a lot about you, Believer Kim Hyunsung.”
“Yes, I also heard a lot about you, Cardinal Basel. I’m Kim Hyunsung.
Please take good care of me.”
These three had greeted us the moment we had arrived, giving time for
a short discussion. It felt like Cha Hee-ra herself had not arrived yet. In
the irst place, the of icial announcement for the Eight Seats was still
scheduled later on, but it wasn’t like her not to be here yet.
‘Is she still embarrassed?’
Considering this, she may have already arrived at the Royal Castle,
quickly made her pledge, and then went away. I had heard that a few
others had arrived earlier than us. Anyway, the Red Mercenary Guild
was undoubtedly busy preparing for the new recruits, leaving no time
for leisurely activities within the Holy Empire.
While it had been fun talking and catching up with the members of the
Pope’s side, I was surprised to ind out that it had been Cardinal Basel
who had recommended me to take part in the Eight Seats of the Empire.
I thought they would actually discourage me from being a part of it, but
it seemed that I was wrong.
They seemed convinced that I would remain faithful to the Pope’s side
than to the Royal Castle. If Cardinal Basel thought so, it would be
natural to earn myself a spot within the system. The fact that the
Honorary Bishop had been elected as one of the eight strongest in the
Empire could be a form of publicity in its own way, after all.
With Bishop Jaina and Director of Inquisition Helena, we had a short

and interesting prayer meeting of only three people. Afterward, I
continued to meet with the nobles I hadn’t seen in a long time. All I did
was greet the old man Victor Hart, but I also ended up chatting with
Duchess Marlin, Duchess Catherine, and Marlin Young-ae, who had
already come to the castle.
The conversation mainly lowed toward Marlin Young-ae, who

explained my saga about the Siege of Castle Rock to the other
noblewomen. Since the other Blue Guild members were mentioned, my
mind naturally lashed back to Park Deokgu, annoyingly enough.
Of course, I realized just how interested everyone was in Dialugia.
‘It was good of me not to bring her.’
If Dialugia had come at this busy time, bringing Tol To-ri with her, an
incident would most likely have taken place.
Like me, who was very busy, it was no wonder that Kim Hyunsung also
had a busy time. As this was his irst time in the Royal Castle, he spent
his time building a network with Jung Hayan and me. Unlike me, who
spent time with the noble ladies and the Pope’s side, he spent his time
drinking alcohol or competing for martial arts with the Royal Castle’s
powerful people.
Contrary to me, who was being supported by the Pope’s side after being
chosen by a dragon, there were still doubts about Kim Hyunsung
everywhere. It seemed that talking about swords with important
characters from the Royal Castle like Victor Hart helped raise his
evaluation.
Though I knew I would be busy upon my arrival here, I had not

expected it to reach this extent. Therefore, it was not unreasonable to
ind Kim Hyunsung looking even more tired than I was.
Only two days had passed since we arrived at the capital. Unlike Jung
Hayan, who always seemed to have a reserve of energy, Kim Hyunsung
looked exhausted.
‘Of course, I am the same, but… ’
I had a lot to worry about, like Blue’s future, my next class, and my
relationship with Kim Hyunsung. Having too much to think about was
also work in itself. Of course, I didn’t even have to mention what I was
most worried about.
Though he had a different mindset, Kim Hyunsung was also in the same
situation. As the tutorial dungeon’s timing would be open soon, I knew
that a lot of talents that Kim Hyunsung would be expecting would
arrive.
He had to select people who would play an active part in the future, and
he would have a lot to think about his position, which would soon
change externally. I didn’t know what will happen in the future, but he
did. There would be many situations in which mutual agreements were
required, and their interests would be consistent. This was what tired
him out, day and night.
Though it felt like we had been avoiding talking seriously with each
other, our conversations still lowed smoothly. After all, he and I were
still friends as well as colleagues who trusted each other.
“Whoo… It’s been a long day.”
“Perhaps it will be a little busier tomorrow. I have to prepare for the

ceremony… Maybe we really were the last ones to arrive. In any case,
there are a few more people Hyunsung-ssi needs to meet.”
“…”
“You should also meet Archbishop Andrine, as well as the noblewomen

from in luential provinces…”
“Ah…”
His expression pleaded with me, asking me not to push through with
this. He didn’t mind meeting Archbishop Andrine, but he didn’t seem
happy about meeting the young ladies. His reaction made me smile.
“Ahem. If Hyunsung-ssi is uncomfortable, I will take care of the meeting

with the ladies.”
“You don’t have to…”
“Don’t worry. I have some time to spare.”
“T-Thank you.”
It had been a while since someone had sincerely thanked me. As Jung
Hayan dozed off next to me, Kim Hyunsung spoke again.
“It’s already been a year.”
“Yes. Time seems to be passing faster than I thought. I was so busy that
I didn’t even notice that we’ve been here for that long. In fact, you don’t
know how surprised I was when I heard from Hyunsung-ssi that we
had to prepare for the next group.
“Hahaha. So there is something that Kiyoung-ssi does forget.”
“What? I’m just an ordinary person. It’s honestly overwhelming to only

deal with what’s happening right away.”
“No. I’m… I don’t think Kiyoung-ssi is ordinary at all.”
“I was just lucky. If I hadn’t met Hyunsung in the irst place, I wouldn’t
have been able to survive the tutorial dungeon. And that’s the same for
Hyunsung-ssi.”
“Ah, I know I sound so serious, but Kiyoung-ssi actually gives me a lot of

strength.”
I was proud to hear him say this so openly. The atmosphere wasn’t that
bad, and I had a drink beforehand since I had just attended a meal, but
it appeared that I was still having dif iculties trying to say what I really
wanted to tell him. At least things were okay between us.
“Er…”
“Say it to me, too. Well done. Well done…”
Jung Hayan’s sleepy voice resonated from beside me, which naturally
caused us to laugh. It was slightly different from what she usually said,
but her tone of voice sounded serious.
“Come to think of it, I’ve thought about something.”
“Yes?”
“It’s about how Blue currently is.”
“Ah. I see. Perhaps it’s about the problem related to the expansion of
guild members?”
“Yes. That’s correct. It will still take a little more time, but I feel the need
to revamp the system and the party now.”
“Hmm…”
“I like how we are one big party now, but when the new party members
come in, it feels inef icient to stay as one group. I’m still thinking about
it, but perhaps it would be better to set up a second party and entrust it
to Deokgu and Jeong-yeon.”
“Ah…”
I shut my mouth. It turned out that Kim Hyunsung and I were thinking
the same thing. Though Kim Hyunsung did not say it outright, it
appeared that he had realized how dif icult it would be for Park Deokgu
to keep up with the current party.
‘Are there any good tankers among the newcomers?’
I thought there might be. If a good front-liner were active in the future,
it would be more ef icient to accept him as a party member. Although
this felt a little too sudden, I knew that Kim Hyunsung was not looking
down on Park Deokgu. He had made his decision based on his
understanding of Deokgu’s limitations, and it was a reasonable choice
at that.
Making Deokgu a party leader would be the best way for him to gain
experience.
Park Deokgu’s prestige and position in the clan would increase, but as a
result, he would move away from Kim Hyunsung’s party. In fact, there
was no reason for Kim Hyunsung to insist on Park Deokgu, considering
that Lee Sang-hee’s immediate return to the front line could lead to her
joining our party.
‘I know he’s thinking about Deokgu’s safety as well.’
Kim Hyunsung’s party, which had gained momentum from growth,

would continue to set foot in new places, and Park Deokgu would still
continue to face new dangers. Considering the guy’s specs objectively, it
would be detrimental for him to stay with us.
‘His role is different from mine, after all.’
However, it was natural to understand that keeping Park Deokgu in Kim

Hyunsung’s party and placing him in the rear would rather hinder his
growth. Kim Hyunsung must have considered all these things. I knew
he had brought his suggestion up to me because he considered me as
Park Deokgu’s closest friend.
‘If you put everything together, such as Park Deokgu’s growth and
safety, and the fact that he wants to raise him as an executive in the
future clan, Kim Hyunsung’s suggestion may de initely be better… ’
For some reason, however, leaving him behind felt a little cruel.
‘Fuck… ’
It wasn’t just me who knew about his limit. Though Kim Hyunsung
could not see status windows like I did, he had fought alongside Park
Deokgu enough to realize his growth potential.
“I know what you’re trying to say, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“Yes.”
“If I’m not mistaken, perhaps… You seem to be talking about Deokgu.
Am I correct?”
“Yes. I’m curious about what you think. In this case, I mentioned it irst
because I think Kiyoung’s judgment is more important than my own. I
think that Kiyoung-ssi… knows him better than I do. It would be more
dangerous for the party as time will go on…”
“Well…”
My head already knew the answer, but my lips refused to move.
‘This is annoying… fuck… ’
It felt good of him to ask about my feelings, but I hated Kim Hyunsung
for this particular one. It felt like he was leaving the cruel decision to
me.
However, this was a situation where I had no choice but to answer.

Eventually, I had to tell him what I thought was best.
“I…”
CHAPTER 189
FOOLISH GUY (3)
“I…”
“…”
“I think it would be better to wait and see how things go irst.”
Honestly, that was a lie.
I didn’t think it’ll be okay. Of course, I knew Park Deokgu was doing his
best, but if the discussion was whether or not he could keep up with
our party, that was a de inite no.
No, forget Kim Hyunsung. He wouldn’t even be able to catch up with

Cho Hyejin.
No matter what one was to think about this, the best option was
de initely to kick him out.
‘Have I become too affectionate?’
I thought this was the case. I was making excuses, which was unlike me
at all. In any case, Park Deokgu relied on me in many ways, and he saw
me as a trustworthy person. Someday, I would de initely kick him out,
but not now.
I hated the thought of having a new tanker join us, thereby decreasing
my in luence within the party, and I also hated the thought of possibly
spending my time taming whoever would be our new member.
At least Park Deokgu was the type who would be willing to risk his life
for me.
Of course, it was unclear as to how this fearful guy would behave if that
ever happened, but at least he wouldn’t leave me alone.
‘It’s because he’s working hard.’
It wouldn’t be bad to believe in him a little more.
“I see.”
It felt like Kim Hyunsung sighed brie ly with what I said. I was forced to
speak once more.
“Of course, we know very well that if the front-line collapses, the whole
party will be at risk. But I think that there are still areas that can be
illed. Items, or… There will be many ways. Most of all, Deokgu himself
is working hard, so even a small achievement can be gained.”
‘The outcome may be very small, but… Honestly, I’m not expecting too
much.’
“I feel like he’s training every day, and no one has noticed. Recently, I
saw him sparring with Ye-ri. Of course, I can’t really evaluate them, but
they seemed to be having a good ight.”
‘He was beaten to death.’
“He de initely has enough willpower.”
‘Useless and needless willpower.’
“He might be slow, but he’s still growing.”
‘The problem is that his growth is too little.’

“I think he would change a little on the next expedition. De initely.”
‘I can’t be honest. Hyunsung… Shit…”
I was used to lying, but this was de initely not one of my best ones. I
was too busy making up excuses for him that I had forgotten to rely on
logic. It was de initely not something that suited me. However, I could
see Kim Hyunsung smiling as he nodded.
“Okay, got it.”
He looked happy, almost as if I had relieved him of a burden that I didn’t

know about.
‘This bastard… No way… ’
I began to wonder if he had just tested me. Considering that he had felt
wary of me due to recent events… then that was de initely a possibility.
If so, then Kim Hyunsung was way foxier than I had given him credit for.
Perhaps he was suspicious as to how inhumane I could get.
Seeing the bright expression on Hyunsung’s face, however, it felt like he

had succeeded in getting something. I then began to wonder if this had
also been a scheme of Deokgu’s.
‘It mustn’t be a plan.’
I irmly believed that it wasn’t. Before I could even respond, Hyunsung

had spoken once more.
“I know well what Kiyoung-ssi is thinking. In fact, I said earlier that I

believe in Kiyoung-ssi’s judgment, but there will certainly come a day
when, not only our party members but also Deokgu-ssi himself, will be
in danger.”
“Yes… I know that, too.”
“Let’s wait and see for now, but if his growth level or training results are
not satisfactory, as I suggested… It would be nice to form a second
party. Of course, it would be better for Kiyoung-ssi to decide the timing.
You have a better feel for this than I do.”
“Yes. Okay. Then, let’s do that.”
‘Does he mean he’ll give Deokgu more opportunities?’
Whatever, I had still gotten what I wanted.
Of course, if Deokgu did not perform to his standard, he would

de initely get kicked out, but at least he would still be given more
chances to improve.
That meant I could only take one position at this point.
‘I have to strengthen him.’
I had to ind a way to make Park Deokgu improve. Though I didn’t know
exactly how, I knew there were many ways for one to get stronger. As I
had mentioned earlier, I could get him some items or use my alchemy to
strengthen his body.
Of course, I doubted whether or not I could do this. However, this could

grant me the needed step in obtaining my legendary class.
That was my irst step.
Considering that I, who had no talent in the irst place, had found a way
to grow, Park Deokgu, who was undoubtedly better than me, could also
do it.
Though I found it funny that I felt concerned to this extent, I felt as if
Kim Hyunsung was still testing me up until now. This meant I had to
tackle this matter with all my might.
‘This is the last time I’ll care about you, Deokgu.’
I was not doing this because I cared about him. I already had a lot on
my plate, and it would be better to focus on my work than spend my
time remembering that bastard’s face.
“Then, I’ll be going, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“Okay.”
“Also, what were you trying to say earlier?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Next time, we’ll have a drink and then talk about it.”
“Kiyoung-ssi, I trust you.”
‘You foxy guy… Now I know this is de initely a test.’
“Haha… Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
After picking up the dozing Jung Hayan, I left Hyunsung’s room. Though
Hayan herself was quite heavy, I could carry her without much
dif iculty, seeing as I at least had superior muscle strength compared to
the ordinary people living in this continent.
Having moved around all day, it seemed that she was in no state to
wake up. This freed my limitations a bit, seeing as Jung Hayan hated it
whenever I had to head out somewhere.
After depositing her in her room, I moved as quickly as I could.
I had wanted to visit someone, and this was the perfect timing. I had
postponed this because I felt both annoyed and busy, but now I had a
good excuse to go.
I had already decided that I should do something for Park Deokgu, but
honestly, I didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t even know what had been
hindering his growth!
I was not a personal counselor. I just knew how to read status windows
and dispositions.
His magic power growth was ridiculously low, but his stamina and
endurance were higher than heroic. The problem was that, even so, his
overall growth had been progressing too slowly.
Of course, that was not the only problem.
Though it hurt to admit this, his combat ability as an individual was

lesser than the simple monsters that Kim Hyunsung had slain in the
past.
‘To be honest… ’
Even if Kim Ye-ri had lower stats than Park Deokgu, she would still be
able to beat him.
They had different abilities, after all. It was the same as Jung Hayan
being able to defeat people whose magic and intelligence stats were
higher than hers, all because she understood magic better than they
did.
In short, Park Deokgu lacked both experience and abilities. His class
was still of the rare-grade, and he hadn’t even obtained an attribute yet.
‘It’s a total disaster… ’
Of course, his potential attribute could still provide some hope for
Deokgu, but his ability wasn’t really something that one could hone
through luck.
In the meantime, I had to know what Park Deokgu had been like in the
irst timeline. After a few years, he must have grown more than he had
in this timeline, but I wasn’t yet sure. I had to check to understand how
I could make him grow.
Though Kim Hyunsung did not know Park Deokgu and me in the past, I
knew Yuno Kasugano did.
Before even reaching the room, the guild members of the Yozora Guild
had come to greet me.
When I waved my hand, the door opened on its own, and I could see
Yuno in the same position as she was in the last time.
‘Yuno Kasugano.’
She still had her long hair down, her eyes closed. She then spoke.
“I’ve been waiting, Master.”
“I’m sorry for coming to visit late.”
“No. Just you coming is in inite glory. I know better than anyone else
that the Master is busy. Come inside.”
“Did you know I was coming today?”
“T-That’s not it.”
“Then…”
“I had been waiting for your arrival. I knew you would de initely
come…”
I didn’t know how to respond.
“It must have been hard.”
“It wasn’t. Thinking I would be waiting for the Master made me feel a
little better… It was rather a fun time.”
‘This is why I can’t deal with her.’
“Ahem.”
“I’m sure Master is here for something.”
Seeing Yuno Kasugano’s disappointed yet unsurprised expression, I felt

a little guilty.
However, I couldn’t really lie to her. I had business to attend to, and it
felt as if I was running out of time.
As I sat down quietly, Kasugano inched closer to me, looking incredibly

happy.
Of course, she didn’t smile openly as Jung Hayan did. It felt like she was
doing her best to control her facial expression but was utterly failing.
“Well, at least I came, right?”
“Master, please just tell me what it is you want.”
Since she said that, it wouldn’t matter if I cut down to the chase.
Anyway, just the fact that I was here seemed enough to make her happy.
I had a lot of questions in mind.

“It’s about the black world.”
“Yes.”
“You said you clearly found me in ruins.”
“Yes. I saw a dying version of Master.”
“So… That was supposed to happen two years from now?”
“Yes. The exact date is not known, but I think it would happen after two
or three years.”
“Was I the only one you found in ruins? Maybe others… For example…”
Yuno Kasugano cut me off before I could inish my sentence.
“I think Master is asking about a big man.”
“Do you know him?”
Yuno Kasugano’s closed eyelids opened, and she looked at me.
In the place where her pupils should be, there was only black darkness.
It looked like a scene straight from a horror movie, and goosebumps
naturally rose on my skin.
‘Don’t look at me.’

CHAPTER 190
FOOLISH GUY (4)
Yuno Kasugano’s closed eyelids opened, and she looked at me.
In the place where her pupils should be, there was only black darkness.
It looked like a scene straight from a horror movie, and goosebumps
naturally rose on my skin.
‘Don’t look at me.’
Though I wanted to say this out loud, it felt as if Yuno Kasugano couldn’t
really see me. It felt as if she was seeing something different. Perhaps
she was in the black world now.
Suddenly, her facial features, shaking with her lips tightly closed, looked
very different from before. Though I knew her ability was very limited,
there was a possibility that she could see what I wanted to know, and
that in itself would be able to make me happy.
‘Huh, not bad.’
Seeing that she knew about Park Deokgu, I felt as if my guess was
correct to an extent.
I couldn’t con irm how I had lived in the irst round before meeting
Yuno Kasugano, but considering my disposition, I must have gone
through a similar pattern. Therefore, I could at least predict that I had
still gotten stuck with Park Deokgu back then. He must have really been
someone I could rely on.
It was not a big deal right now, but it was only natural to think this way
since his initial stats were pretty good as they were.
‘Since Hyunsung wouldn’t have been a returner then, it would have

been more likely that he did not try to contact us… ’
I did not know whether or not Hyunsung’s talent levels were high back
then, but they probably weren’t, seeing as I did not stick to him during
the irst timeline. Rather, I had chosen to cling onto Park Deokgu. That
was until I met Yuno Kasugano.
Did I end up backstabbing Park Deokgu in the end? This thought alone
worried me.
‘At least Park Deokgu wouldn’t have abandoned me irst.’
This fact was, at least, undeniable.
As I mulled over my thoughts, Yuno Kasugano reached out to hold my

hand.
‘That scared me.’
When I turned to look back into her black eyes, I could see something
shining through.
‘Huh?’
[Access limited information due to external intervention. Checking the

activation of the legendary-grade attribute, the Mind’s Eye.]
‘Wait… ’
[Player Kasugano Yuno’s attribute, the eyes that see the essence and
through the past and future, do not resist.]
“What…”
Before I could even form my own thoughts, I suddenly found myself

being able to see the black world, as Yuno Kasugano mentioned it.
Now I realized why Yuno Kasugano called it that. I could also con irm
the fact that I was currently seeing what she was seeing. I didn’t know
how this was possible, but I had been able to look at her memories in
the past, so perhaps…
At the time, it was a scene where I had been strangling her, but she was
not in this particular scenario.
What I was seeing now was Park Deokgu and me.
As Yuno Kasugano described before, it was as if unedited videos or

pictures had been mixed up.
The Park Deokgu and I, in this version, looked entirely different, in a

shabby kind of way. I looked like a third-class adventurer who had just
left the slums. Not only did I look miserable, my entire body felt frail
and weak.
‘Hey… I’m sorry… ’
‘For what?’
‘Today’s hunting. I should have performed a little better… ’
‘You don’t need to worry about it, Deokgu. It was our irst time anyway,
and we still got paid.’
‘It was a good party… I don’t think they’ll call us from now on.’
‘I told you that you don’t have to worry about that. I will do the rest on
my own.’
‘Still… ’
‘And oh, you can go irst today.’
‘Do you have any other appointment?’
‘I have one with the Geumma Clan Vice-Director.’
‘Are you having dinner with her again?’
‘Don’t be too upset. This will be helpful for both of us.’
‘That woman… The rumors about her are not very good… ’
‘It’s not something you should care about. You just train hard.
Remember what I told you.’
‘…’
‘If I can do it, you can do better.’
‘…’
The scene changed once more. This time, I didn’t know where we were,
but I could tell that we were de initely not in Lindel.
At least, as far as I know, there was no hunting ground in Lindel. I was

now out of my cheap clothes at this point, seeing as Park Deokgu was
dressed like a warrior, and I, a wizard.
I didn’t know what I had chosen for my next class, but I had de initely
not chosen alchemy. In the irst place, I would see no reason to choose
it, as I had not received Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy from
Kim Hyunsung in the irst place.
‘Hyung-nim!’
‘You bastard! I told you to focus! Didn’t I say that if you slack off, I will
kill you?’
‘But, Hyung-nim… your magic power.’
‘Don’t worry about me. Worry about yourself.’
‘O-Okay.’
My movement didn’t seem that bad, either. I appeared to be a wizard

wielding a spear, and Park Deokgu looked like every bit a foolish
frontliner.
It seemed as if our relationship with the people nearby wasn’t too bad. I
didn’t know if the others belonged in a clan, but it didn’t seem like we
belonged with the rest of them, either.
I alternated between using my spear and chanting spells, but Park

Deokgu himself seemed to commit many mistakes. It was as if he had
not managed to overcome his trauma, as he had when we had irst
entered the Garden of Terror.
Eventually, a monster passed through the front line and had aimed to
hit the priest in the rear, but I had chosen to block its way. As a result, I
got hurt by the monster, though it was me. However, the battle soon
ended.
As I tried to comfort the angry priest, Park Deokgu bowed his head in
shame.
‘How can you say you’re sorry? I believed in your endurance ability and
followed you… ’
‘That… that… ’
‘Excuse me. Please say it directly. Don’t hesitate. It’s really annoying. Did
you know I’m being patient because of Kiyoung-ssi? Do you know how
many times this has happened already? If you’re going to be like that, I
don’t know why you chose to be a tanker. It looks like Castle Rock is
looking for more workers. Go there and do some physical labor. After
Celia’s guys came, the situation has gotten a lot worse. They say that
anyone can go hunting these days… It’s so ridiculous, really… ’
‘Ah… I’ll apologize for this, Gahee-ssi. He’s not usually like this.’
‘I’m only being patient because of Kiyoung-ssi. For Kiyoung-ssi… ’
‘He’ll be able to adapt soon. I’ll buy you a meal later. How does that
sound?’
‘Lunch? Dinner?’
‘Of course, it’ll be dinner.’
‘Then… I’ll extend my patience. Ah. Have you given my guild proposal
some thought?’
‘I still have some work to do, haha… I will give a de inite answer as soon
as I am done.’
‘I’ll be waiting.’
Once again, the scenery changed. This time, it appeared that we were
on our way back from the hunt.
‘Hyung-nim… ’
‘So, didn’t I tell you not to look back and focus? You bastard.’
‘That… That… I’m sorry… ’

‘There’s no need to be sorry. Hunting wasn’t really our purpose
anyway… As a result, we got some stuff.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘You don’t need to know.’
‘Are you sure…?’
‘Shut your mouth.’
‘I… I’m sorry.’
‘You just have to follow me without worrying about anything. I’ll do the
rest for you. Everything will work out in the end.’
‘Still… Getting in the right guild is more… ’
‘You just need to shut up and remember one thing. If I can do it… ’
‘I can do better.’
‘That’s right. And… Think about what I said a little more, Deokgu.’
‘T… Thank you.’
More scenes lashed after that. They weren’t very useful, but they
depicted me drinking with him, screaming at him, kicking him with my
foot, etc. Everything passed by so quickly, so even the scenes that
looked important had gone by in a blur. It was a shame all in all.
‘Don’t forget, Deokgu.’
‘I know.’
Interestingly enough, Deokgu’s growth didn’t seem that high, even
during the irst timeline. At this point, I wasn’t surprised to come to this
conclusion.
‘Don’t forget.’
‘I know. If Hyung-nim can do it… ’
‘That’s it.’
I had been curious about how he would grow in the future, and these
memories were all useless.
‘Are you tired?’
‘Hyung-nim, how can you be so cold?’
‘Because I have to kill to live. That’s why I’m being cold. I don’t think it’s
a big deal. This is the type of place where you either kill or be killed. Do
not forget it. If I can do it… ’
‘If Hyung-nim can do it… I can do better.’
Once again, the scene changed. This one portrayed him carrying me
around and running without any hesitation.
I wore classy-looking clothes, and Deokgu had on ine armor, but what
really registered in my mind was the fact that I was bleeding.
It didn’t seem as if we were in Lindel. I would have gloated on the fact

that we looked quite successful now if it weren’t for the fact that I was
bleeding.
‘Can you hear my voice?’

‘Yes… ’
‘If you die… ’
‘Don’t say that shit. I don’t want to die.’
‘I’m sorry, Hyung-nim. I’m sorry.’
‘What are you sorry about?’
‘Because of what I said… ’
‘Stop. I didn’t really follow your words, so don’t worry. There was only
an error in my calculation. I was wrong for believing at least a little in
those hypocrites. You didn’t do anything wrong.’
‘But because of me… because of me… H-Hyung-nim, as you thought… I

should have done… ’
‘Yes, you bastard. I think it’s because of you, so run faster. Seeing you
regretting it like this, you can do better next time. Right?’
As I spoke, various spells came our way, as well as a multitude of spears

and arrows. Park Deokgu continued to run, looking really desperate.
I wasn’t sure about what had happened, but it seemed like Deokgu had
made a suggestion, and I, for some reason, chose to act upon the said
suggestion. As a result, things had back ired.
Anyway, it appeared as if this whole game of tag had been going on for
some time now. Park Deokgu alternated between trying to escape the
siege by blocking the arrows with his body and beheading the people
trying to block our way with a sword in one hand.
However, his limit was coming. Although he could stop the combatants,
he couldn’t stop the multitude of spells and arrows falling from above.
‘I can’t tell you to abandon me and go, you bastard.’
‘I thought you would say that.’
‘But it would be better to leave me. Your body is ignorantly strong. You
can live. I don’t really care about dying, but I’d appreciate it if you get
revenge for me… ’
‘Isn’t this a plan to prevent me from abandoning you through

sympathy?
‘You bastard… ’
‘No matter what you say, I won’t abandon you, so don’t say that bullshit.
I will save Hyung-nim.’
‘Stop with the bullshit, put me down.’
‘I’m not bluf ing. I will save Hyung-nim. Don’t you remember?’
‘What?’
‘How many times Hyung-nim saved my life. I remember it all.’
‘I haven’t really moved to save your life. You looked to be promising, and
that’s why I took care of you… ’
‘I don’t necessarily think so. No matter what you say, the fact stands
that you still saved me. Thank you for taking all those hits instead of
me… ’
‘You couldn’t die because I invested in you so much.’
‘I was grateful to you for defending me when we went to the dungeon

and grateful to you for choosing me. No matter how much I try to
remember, it seems that I was only saved by Hyung-nim. No matter how
many memories I go through, you’re the only one in them. I owe you so
many things. It’s my turn this time.’
‘You will die, too… ’
‘I told you that I would de initely save Hyung-nim. Don’t forget, Hyung-
nim.’
‘What… ’
‘If Hyung-nim can do it… I can do better.’
‘…‘
‘If Hyung-nim can do it… can do better.’
‘…’
‘If Hyung-nim… can do it… I can do… ’
‘…’
‘Better… I can do… ’
‘…’
‘If hyung-nim… can do it… ’
‘…’
‘I… can… do… ’
‘…’
‘It… I… ’
‘…’
‘…’
The scene changed.
This time, I could see the face of Yuno Kasugano.

CHAPTER 191
FOOLISH GUY (5)
I could see myself in an unfamiliar scenery, and Yuno Kasugano was

also there.
Unlike the explosions and screaming just moments before, I could only
hear the chirping of birds here. Though the room I was in was de initely
not luxurious by any standard, it still seemed neatly organized.
The Kiyoung in this scene didn’t seem capable enough to move his body.
I felt like I had seen this room before.
When Yuno Kasugano let me see through her memories, I had also been
lying in this room.
It seemed like she had made me stay here for the whole duration of my
recovery. I didn’t know how much time had rolled by since I passed out,
but what I could tell was that the black world de initely didn’t look
normal.
Though I couldn’t move my body for half of it was broken, I could see
the intensity of the attacks that Deokgu had blocked for my sake. It was
a miracle that I could even survive the attack. If Yuno Kasugano had not
found me, I would have eventually died.
Upon closer detail, I realized that I couldn’t even move a single inger.
Only my consciousness remained.
Eventually, the door opened, and Yuno Kasugano came in and

approached me.
‘Poor person.’
‘…’
‘What a pitiful person.’
Yuno Kasugano looked a little more mature than she was now. Since
two years had passed, her hair was a little longer, and the atmosphere
itself felt a little calmer.
‘I know you must have a lot of questions. I can’t answer them, but for
now, I think it would be better for you to focus on your recovery.’
‘…’
‘Ah, it turns out that I still haven’t introduced myself. My name is Yuno
Kasugano. I think you’ve probably heard of it at least once, although I
don’t think my reputation is a good thing… ’
‘…’
‘Yes, you probably know me. I’ll eventually tell you why I brought you
here. Though I can’t guarantee that your body will recover, I know that
if you harbor the will, you’ll be able to do normal activities.’
‘…’
‘It seems like I’ve been talking too much.’
‘…’
‘I’ll be heading back now, but I’ll see you tomorrow.’
The Kiyoung in the scene didn’t even register Yuno Kasugano heading
back out. My gaze had been ixed on the ceiling, so I probably hadn’t
even seen her face.
However, as I watched him, it seemed as if the Kiyoung in this timeline
was thinking about various things. The anxiety-ridden face made me
realize something.
Park Deokgu was dead.
This was probably the entire reason why I looked so upset here. It was
uncomfortable seeing myself cry continuously without either moving or
not making a sound.
Anyone could see that this was a tragic scene. I probably was a little
more emotional in the irst timeline than I was now.
Honestly, I had to admit that I felt shaken just by seeing this scenario.
The tears running down the black world Kiyoung’s face didn’t stop, yet I
continued to watch her.
After a moment, the scene fast-forwarded a few days, depicting Yuno

Kasugano looking for me to check on me once more.
I couldn’t tell why she was being so kind to me, but it appeared that
what she felt was more complex than it appeared on the surface.
In the black world, she probably knew that she and I would be together
in the future. Taking this into consideration, then I could see why she
was so dedicated to me. Her sympathy for me went beyond words, and
she probably wondered if she would be able to change me in the black
world.
Once again, the scene changed. Though the background itself did not
change, it at least appeared that I could speak and move my body to
some extent.
‘Are you feeling better?’

‘…’
‘I brought you a meal.’
‘Now… I can eat it.’
‘It will be a little dif icult to move your body yet.’
‘No need… ’
‘Haven’t I told you that it would be dif icult to do so? Please let me. I’ll
feed you.’
‘…’
Though Yuno Kasugano’s devotion was evident, the black world

Kiyoung didn’t seem to believe her, which felt natural to me. If I were in
that state, I wouldn’t have believed in Yuno Kasugano either. I didn’t
know if Yuno was aware of it, but my eyes did not re lect friendliness.
‘Why did you save me? No, I will change the question. What kind of
ability is an eye that sees through essence, future, and past? Do you
know about the future? Or did you know it was going to be like this?’
‘The information I can know is limited. You can’t know all the futures,
and you can’t know all the pasts.’
‘If so… Why did you save me?’
‘That’s… ’
‘You know the future me.’
Yuno Kasugano did not answer. I took that as a positive sign.

Perhaps in the black world, I was constantly thinking hard. I would
continue to question why she saved me and what she expected from me
by doing so.
In the meantime, the scenery changed once more. Yuno Kasugano

continued to care for me. While I seemed to be opening up to her, I still
questioned her favor.
This entire time, Yuno Kasugano told me useless stories as her way to
pass the time. She narrated stories about her childhood, her current
life, and her personal story.
Through her constant chatter and determination, I could tell Yuno

Kasugano was in love with me.
She seemed to think of me every day, coming to spend time with me

after a day of hard work. Sometimes, she shed tears right after exiting
the room where I stayed in.
She became happy with the smallest compliment that came out of my
mouth and saddened by the smallest jab that I uttered.
‘Why are you doing so much for me?’
‘…’
Whenever I asked this, she couldn’t give me an accurate answer. She

simply blushed.
A little bit of time had passed in the black world, and the pain of the
past began to heal alongside the recovery of my body’s wounds. Of
course, Lee Kiyoung of the black world didn’t seem to like this fact, for
this meant that I had more time to drink alone, thus more time to feel
angry.
It was evident why Yuno Kasugano was obsessed with the future. She
probably saw hers with me, which was the whole reason why she had
dedicated her entire time to taking care of me.
The ‘me’ now wanted to tell her that I found this whole thing stupid, but
since I was just an invisible audience, I couldn’t.
A little more time passed.
I recovered enough to move my body completely in the black world, and

Yuno Kasugano’s visits became less frequent. Her conversations had
dulled, leaving me more time to mull over my thoughts.
I couldn’t igure out what black world Kiyoung was thinking, but if I
were to guess, he was probably debating whether or not to use
Kasugano or just simply accept her kindness. My irst timeline version
looked very much torn between these two options.
Out of all the uncertainty, I seemed to be sure of only one thing. I relied
heavily on her.
‘Lee Kiyoung-nim, it’s time to have some tea.’
‘Ah. Thanks.’
‘I think it would be a good idea to take a look at your body today to

check on its recovery.’
‘I’m ine. I can move now.’
‘Nevertheless… ’
‘Do you have a hobby of taking caring of children?’
‘That’s not it. I just… ’

I had also made it a pastime to crack useless jokes. The atmosphere
between us was so good that it felt ridiculous, even to me. However, I
knew this inevitably would happen. Yuno Kasugano had devoted all her
efforts to me, and I was stuck in this room, with only her for company.
With all the time we spent together, it appeared that her feelings were
only strengthening. From my standpoint as a third-party audience, this
was indeed dangerous. The best option at this point would be to leave
Yuno Kasugano.
Though the black world Kiyoung didn’t show this outright, I could still
see what he was thinking.
Black world Lee Kiyoung was afraid of forgetting.
Yuno Kasugano evidently hadn’t noticed this, but I could see this as
bright as day. Black world Lee Kiyoung was a ticking bomb.
A bomb that could explode at any time.
The scenery changed once more.
This time, the two seemed to have gotten a little closer, yet black world
Kiyoung seemed to still actively reject this development.
Winter had ended, and spring had come. Spring had ended, and
summer approached. Once again, the seasons changed, and fall arrived.
‘I am going out.’
‘I… I’m not sure what you’re talking about.’
‘I think you know what I’m talking about.’
‘Y… You can stay a little more.’

The leaves continued to fall.
‘Y-Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet.’
‘I’m sure my body can function normally now.’
‘It… cannot. You still have to take care of yourself a little more.’
‘…’
‘Don’t… Please don’t go, Lee Kiyoung-nim.’
More leaves continued to fall.
‘I’m grateful to you. I refrained from asking why you have been so kind
to me, but now I know why.’
‘…’
‘I’m grateful to you, but that’s all. I will correct my mistakes by killing
many people. I will become more heartless and cruel. I know this is the
future you’ve seen.’
‘It’s not like that. That’s not what I saw, Lee Kiyoung-nim. What I, I saw,
was me and… I was with you.’
The fall air grew colder.
‘You and I were together. I… I checked it myself. I saw you and me

together in this house. We looked happy. We had two children, and
though I didn’t catch their names, they were good kids.’
‘…’
‘You cared for me and loved me.’

‘I… I-It’s true. You and I were having a peaceful life. Yes. Both of us
looked happy. Not only me, but you looked happy, too, no doubt about
it. You were living a normal routine. I’ve been looking for you because
the future I’ve seen over and over had been bothering me. It didn’t
mean anything else.’
‘You are lying. I can see that for myself. I see no opportunity to waste
any more time here.’
‘You stroked my head and whispered to me that you loved me. Y-You
were living happily after forgetting everything. D… Destiny! That’s right.
This… is destiny. You and I, free from all pain, oppression, and the
bonds of the past, just to be happy.’
The air grew colder and colder.
‘Forget what?’
‘The pain… It seemed that you had forgotten the pain. In the future I
saw, I didn’t see Lee Kiyoung suffering. He didn’t even try to wash the
pain away with alcohol. He did not suffer and always laughed. You
looked really happy. A-And also, about him… ’
‘What?’
‘Ah… ’
‘Do you think I would have forgotten him?’
‘L-Lee Kiyoung-nim… It’s… Not… ’
‘I’m asking if you think I would have forgotten him.’
‘Lee Kiyoung-nim… That, that… ’

‘Just because I wasted so much time here and even gotten around to
smiling and laughing, you really thought I would’ve forgotten all about
it? Do you think I would’ve forgotten what those damn hypocrites did?
Did you really think I would forget about that stupid bastard who
risked his life for me? Are you really saying this is the future you saw?
Huh?!’
‘That… ’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. I would never forget. Yuno Kasugano, you are

poison. I thought you were medicine, but I was wrong. You are poison to
me. Destiny? I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I know one
thing for sure, true destiny’s the reason why I came here.’
‘Ah… ’
‘Because of destiny, I’ve been able to detoxify the poison that threatens
to drown me.’
‘Lee Kiyoung-nim… Sniff… ’
Harsh winds picked up.
‘Get rid of this cheap sympathy, you dirty bitch. All of you are the same.’
‘Ah… ’
‘Do you think you deserve to sympathize with me?’
The lights had begun to dim down.
‘Cough… Cough… ’
‘Thank you. Because of you, I know what to do. You will be an indicator.’
‘Cough… ’
‘You will be an indicator that can show how cruel I can be. This is the
conclusion you want, huh? It is not so? It may be a little far from the
happy life you want, but… Still, you will be by my side.’
‘Cough… Cough… ’
The leaves continued to fall in a haunting symphony.
‘I will never forget him for as long as you are with me. You will be the
medium that keeps me from forgetting him. It’ll be good for you, too,
huh?’
‘Don’t… cry. My… love.’
‘…’
‘Don’t cry, my love… ’
The haunting tone had reached a crescendo.
The foolish guy stepped on the fallen leaves.
Once again, the long winter had come.

CHAPTER 192
NOTHING HAPPENED
All of a sudden, I was thrown back into the throes of reality.
I could feel it without having to look around. I was out of the black
world.
As soon as I tried to refocus, I felt tremendous pain, so intense that I

couldn’t even scream. My brain blacked out, and I had no choice but to
grasp at my face.
‘Shit… Fuck… ’
Perhaps this was a side effect of going into the black world with Yuno
Kasugano. It felt like my eyeballs would pop out at any time, and a
scream lodged itself into the back of my throat.
In the irst place, I didn’t even know it was possible to head into the
black world as well, so having dire side effects was natural. I didn’t
know if the tears that streamed down my face were because of the pain,
but they continued to run down my cheeks all the same.
My current body seemed to have forgotten the irst timeline, but my

tears lowed all the same.
‘What is this… shitty situation?’
Of course, I was impressed. I didn’t really care about the black world.
All I wanted to know was when and where I would die and what I had
done with my life. What was important was not me as a whole, but how
I had chosen to survive.
I had come here only intending to know how to strengthen Park

Deokgu, but I had ended up seeing more than what I had bargained for.
I got to learn more about Yuno Kasugano.
The problem was that I couldn’t remember my own life from the irst
timeline, but I at least got a glimpse of what happened during that
particular winter back in the black world.
Once again, I had to turn the story back to its origin.
I heard Yuno Kasugano’s story straight from her, so I already knew

about this, but I didn’t think I would be able to witness this in detail.
The contents were ridiculously catastrophic. Park Deokgu died while

protecting me, and I had betrayed Yuno Kasugano.
‘I really was a piece of shit… ’
If Yuno Kasugano had decided to kill me right then and there, I would
surely have died. Even though the black world Lee Kiyoung was sure
that Kasugano would not kill him, he was still brave enough to take a
risk and gamble the odds.
Meanwhile, Yuno Kasugano was staring at me, her tears streaming

down her face.
‘How does she die?’
I didn’t exactly know what the shitty version of myself was thinking, but
due to her pitiful state, I at least gathered that it wouldn’t be him who
would’ve killed her.
‘Because he said he’d let her be with him.’

Chances were, I had made this decision since she had proven herself to
be useful to me.
Based on Kasugano’s story, it seemed as if I had been with her for quite
a long time, so I de initely wouldn’t have chosen to kill her. Therefore, it
was only natural to conclude that an incident fell upon us, resulting in
her eventual death.
It wasn’t just Yuno that lingered in my thoughts. The fact that Park
Deokgu had died protecting me in the irst timeline continued to bother
me as well.
‘This stupid guy… ’
I had already assumed that he would be dead by the time Yuno found
me, but I had not expected him to die a heroic death, and all because of
me.
I shook my head as I rubbed at my reddened eyes; my emotions were

bubbling up from within me.
Park Deokgu was alive this time around.
I had at least managed to ind some hints about his growth, so this
didn’t seem to be all for nothing.
However, only one more question remained.
‘Access limited information due to external intervention. Checking the

activation of the legendary-grade attribute, the Mind’s Eye.’
What external intervention?
Up until now, I had never heard or seen such a phrase while using my
attribute. I didn’t know who it was but considering that I hadn’t even
triggered Mind’s Eye, there seemed to be someone who wanted to show
me something. Due to common sense, it was unrealistic to intervene
with this legendary-grade attribute. Both Mind’s Eye and the Eye that
could see through essence, past and future were not humane, ordinary
attributes.
Therefore, I had no choice but to think that some transcendental had

shown me this scene.
‘Why?’
Did they want to let me know that Kasugano and Park Deokgu were
both important people to me? That wasn’t a bad hypothesis.
I at least was able to realize just how shitty black world Lee Kiyoung
was.
‘Perhaps whoever wanted to show me is supporting me?’
It turned out that I was not the only one who didn’t want Park Deokgu
to die.
‘Is it because that foolish bastard is my best form of insurance?’
That might be the correct answer.
One thing was certain: whoever had intervened here didn’t want a
repeat of the irst timeline’s events. This was a situation where our
interests had coincided.
I had come to visit in a light state of mind, but what I had witnessed was
a tremendous scene.
When I turned to gaze at Yuno Kasugano, my eyes widened.
“Uh… Huh…”
“Ah…”
She was lying next to me, completely naked.
‘What… ’
As I turned to look out the window, I saw the sun starting to rise.
I knew that I’d spent quite some time in the black world, but I had no
idea that it would take me all night. I wasn’t expecting this situation at
all.
‘Shit.’
It couldn’t be. I pulled up the blanket, yet all the evidence pointed to the
fact that Yuno Kasugano and I had indeed made love.
Yuno herself looked happy, yet tinges of sadness were still evident.
I didn’t know if the last scene I had seen was of her intent, but the fact
that she and I had explored each other was undeniable.
Not wanting to think about this in-depth, I shook my head, which

prompted the woman beside me to awaken.
“Ah… Master.”
“You woke up.”
“Yes… I have.”
Her face was strangely red, but the smile on her face was evident. Her
expression contrasted oddly with what I had seen in the black world,
but if she seemed happy, then this wasn’t such a bad situation at all.
Since she lived in Celia, I had neglected her. I didn’t know if yesterday’s
events in luenced me, but she seemed a lot cuter to me now.
Most of all, I was also responsible to a certain degree as her life had
gotten twisted due to my doings. She had a completely different
personality from Yuno in the black world because she had chosen to
take a whole new approach.
I could say she felt quite ashamed of how she had chosen to act back
then.
With these thoughts in mind, I patted her head for a moment, then
began to ask her a question I felt the most curious about.
“I’m just asking, but…”
“Yes. Please do speak your mind.”
“Is it correct that you showed me the black world?”
“Oh, no, Master. I also couldn’t imagine you having the ability to do so.
The Master came into me without any time for me to resist.”
Something seemed off with her reply, but I decided to play along.
“I see.”
“A deterrence of power that I couldn’t understand suddenly rushed in,

like a lood. I didn’t know if the cause was Master or something else, but
it was my irst time being in the black world for such a long time.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s embarrassing, but I can usually only see one scene in
fragments. Of course, if my ability grew a little more, this would
improve, but… Ah! Does the Master know something?”
“No. I haven’t heard or seen anything like this. One thing is for sure. I’m
not the one who triggered the Mind’s Eye. The attribute was already
activated before I even looked into you with those eyes. Other than that,
nothing changed, but… Anyway, it was a bit of a fresh experience. My
greatest achievement is being able to understand what the world you
are seeing is like.”
“Have you gotten anything?”
“I have. Thank you.”
“Ah…”
“And thank you for informing me about the black world.”
“M-Master.”
“I have one more question I wanted to ask.”
“Yes.”
“This is nothing but… Was the future you saw in the black world really
the future with me?”
“I can’t con irm it. However, I think that that stupid Kasugano, in the
black world, would have lied to capture her Master.”
“You think?”
“Yes. I don’t doubt it. She probably didn’t know that she would have
disgusted her Master. Oh, I think maybe it was part of it.”
“Hmm?”
“It must have been because she wanted to be with the Master in the
black world.”
In summary, she had lied in an attempt to draw black world Lee

Kiyoung to her, for fear of me straying away for her. In this context, I
could believe that Kasugano’s guess was indeed correct.
Anyway, the situation itself wasn’t that bad.
As I tried to recall what I had seen, I remembered something I had

forgotten about up until now.
However, before I could voice it out, an explosion ensued.
‘Fuck… ’
Realizing that I was indeed right about what I was thinking of, a frantic,
familiar voice echoed from the outside of the room.
“Oppa! Oppa!”
‘Shit!’
I had forgotten that I had put Jung Hayan to sleep in my room.
“You shouldn’t do this.”
“Let… go of me!”
Crack! Crash! Based on this sound, I could hear Jung Hayan fast
approaching with the use of her magic. I didn’t know if she was reacting
in this manner because she thought I was in danger or because she had
realized that I had been in contact with someone, but whatever the
reason, I was not in a very good situation.
“Y-Yuno.”
“Yes, Master…?”
The wall next to me collapsed, and a familiar face peeked in before I

could even think about how to go about in this situation.
There was an indescribable madness in Jung Hayan’s eyes, who had her
hand outstretched, a ridiculous amount of magic all over her body.
Her eyes are swollen and red as if she had cried a lot.
Her hair was a mess, and she seemed to be staring straight at Yuno
Kasugano. I cringed with guilt.
‘Fucking shit… ’
I didn’t have much interest in Jung Hayan’s thoughts, but I knew this did
not look like a good situation. Just a few minutes ago, I was thinking
that letting Kasugano cling onto me was my karma for everything I did
to her in the irst timeline.
The same went for Park Deokgu.
When I thought about in licting hurt upon Jung Hayan in the same
manner, I knew I had done something wrong to her.
“Eeeeek!”
Blood oozed out of her clenched ist as well as her tightly clenched
mouth. Jung Hayan was trembling all over, and seeing her in this
manner was terrifying.
Before I could even think about this properly, a defensive statement

erupted from my mouth.
“Nothing happened.”
“Ah…”
What nonsense bullshit.
However, the way I spoke seemed so transparent, almost as if I wasn’t

lying at all.
CHAPTER 193
DRAGON’S NEST,
EXPERIMENT, CHANGE,
ENHANCEMENT (1)
Upon seeing Jung Hayan constantly crying behind Kim Hyunsung, my

conscience stabbed at me.
She cried the whole way the entire time we rode back to Lindel, so it
was perfectly reasonable to feel guilty. However, I had no choice but to
maintain my serious expression.
‘I’m sorry, Hayan.’
I had to show her that I was still angry. If I didn’t, I would get myself
into an unpleasant situation.
Not only did she suddenly crash into Yuno Kasugano’s room, but she
also harmed the other guild members of the Yozora Guild.
She even deemed to use magic inside the castle. Though it was not
intense, it still had the power to destroy the castle. From the standpoint
of the aristocracy that had been present, it was a pretty serious incident
considering it hadn’t been a long time after the Ito Souta incident.
They wondered if there was something wrong between Yozora and

Blue, trying to catch the most popular rumors, but that proved to be an
impossible feat.
Since this was an accident that happened in the castle, it would not be
possible to hide this.
Since Yozora Guild and Blue were in an alliance, however, we could

easily cover up the event.
If Yuno Kasugano didn’t have full control of Yozora, it would have been a
big incident that could cause irreparable damage to the relationship
between Blue and Yozora.
‘Fuck… ’
Of course, it was evidently a big incident for me as well. I had to

convince Jung Hayan somehow, but there was no way I’d be able to
convince her. It was clear that logic wouldn’t work on her, which was
why I took the option of acting all angry.
I was able to end the case by acting as if nothing had happened and
getting angry instead over how rude Hayan had been. I knew there
were many more options I could have taken, but I didn’t have the time
to think about it because I felt embarrassed enough about the entire
situation.
Though we were covered by one blanket and had evidently spent the
night together, I continued explaining that what Jung Hayan thought
had happened did not actually happen.
Although I was almost naked, I made an excuse, saying it was needed

for the ritual to do magic.
When I managed to lie without batting an eyelid, I surprised even

myself by how naturally I seemed.
‘I really am complete garbage.’

For a moment, I felt similar to the shitty black world Lee Kiyoung. The
reaction my acting incited was even more impressive.
Jung Hayan began to look doubtful at how convincing I sounded.
I knew that to keep up with the act, I had to successfully maintain my

acting. I started by telling her how disappointed I was in her, then
informing her of how rude she was. I then told her that she needed to
re lect on her actions.
Afterward, I asked her to apologize to all the Yozora guild members.
Yuno Kasugano, who was quick to notice, jumped on the acting, thereby
making Jung Hayan seem like the traitor among us.
As a result, I had to keep the cold façade up until now.
‘Sorry, Hayan… ’
Didn’t they say that the one who loved more was also the weaker one in
a relationship? This event proved that.
With embarrassment, guilt, and realization over how impulsive she had
been, Jung Hayan remained shell-shock in that situation, not knowing
how to react.
Of course, I did not contact Yuno Kasugano after that.
After the ceremony was over, I decided to leave without saying

anything. This was because I thought Hayan would ride behind me, but
she instead chose to ride behind Kim Hyunsung.
I had pushed Jung Hayan to this extent just so she wouldn’t cause any
accidents later.
Kim Hyunsung thought that we just had a lovers’ quarrel. If only he
knew…
‘This shouldn’t happen the next time.’
I eventually realized that Jung Hayan wanted me not to hate her more
than she wanted to prove her doubts wrong. Back then, I had forced her
to apologize, choosing not to acknowledge her trembling form. Of
course, she had to concede to my orders.
This emphasized the fact that I really was a piece of shit.
After that, not a single day passed where Jung Hayan didn’t cry.
When I looked back at her while riding White Paul, I saw her continuing
to wipe her face with one hand. Until now, I had been doing well, but I
was soon reaching my limit, too.
“Let’s take a break and go.”
Due to Hyunsung’s excellent ive senses, he understood the atmosphere

and had chosen to act upon it. Upon his suggestion, I followed him into
landing on a nearby cliff.
Afterward, an awkward silence ensued.
Actually, it was Kim Hyunsung who acted more awkwardly than I did.
‘This bastard.’
I knew he was quite insensitive in this aspect, but it was very

unfortunate seeing him look between Hayan and us in such an obvious
manner. From his perspective, this strange silence probably felt as
striking as if a thunderbolt lit up the sky.
If this were a mistake between the party members, he would try to
mediate somehow, but as Jung Hyan and I’s personal problems were
entangled, it seemed that he didn’t know how to go about this situation.
‘I wasn’t expecting anything, anyway.’
“Let’s have a quick meal and move on.”
“Yes… It would be nice to do that, Kiyoung-ssi.”
He was evidently trying to widen the distance between Jung Hayan and
me.
After we took our seats, he started to take out the food he had brought
from the Royal Castle. Jung Hayan kept wiping away her tears as she
helped him prepare. Upon seeing this, my guilt refused to go away.
Though Hayan evidently did not have any appetite, she still forced
herself to eat. It appeared that she had been crying with everything she
got, but seeing my cold disposition, she soon held back her tears.
Jung Hayan was very much aware of me, while Hyunsung was very
much aware of her. Thus, a strange meal unfolded before us.
“I-It’s a nice day.”
“Ah… Yes.”
It wasn’t actually very good weather. Embarrassed by what he had said,

Kim Hyunsung decided to shut his mouth. Meanwhile, Jung Hayan
continued to force herself to eat.
As this was an atmosphere that I had created, it was also my job to take
care of it. In the end, I had no choice but to reach out to Jung Hayan irst
to reconcile.
When I inadvertently put some of my food onto Jung Hayan’s plate, she
looked up at me in shock. Eventually, a new batch of thick tears started
streaming down her face.
“Hmmmk… Hmmmk… Hic…”
“You should eat a lot.”
“Okay… Hmmmk…”
“Slowly.”
“Yes. Hmmmmk… I’m… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t cry.”
“I’m sorry… Ugh…”
“You’re going to choke.”
I felt quite uncomfortable.
‘It shouldn’t be like this… ’
I felt like I did something bad, but since I had reached my limit, I had no
choice. Jung Hayan and I were, in fact, of icially maintaining the position
of being lovers.
Though this wasn’t one based on genuine love, we at least had some
semblance of feelings for each other. We’d go on our own dates, whisper
sweet nothings to each other, and be intimate every now and then.
It didn’t matter if I truly loved her or not. I was her lover, and that was
an undeniable fact. Jung Hayan was also aware of this.
If she found out that her boyfriend had spent the night with another
woman, reacting this way was something that any normal girlfriend
would do. However, this wasn’t a normal situation, and Jung Hayan was
not a normal person.
‘Yes. I had to do that.’
Once again, I had resorted to making up excuses. My relationship with

Jung Hayan required a constant acquiring of power instead of the
relationship being purely romantic. However, if I were to think about
the Cursed Shrine incident, the guilt returned.
It may sound like bullshit to some, but I was evidently the powerful one
in this relationship.
Seeing her still eating with tears running down her face had been
enough to weaken my mind, but I had to remind myself that I should
not let go of my tension.
After eating, I boarded the griffon once again.
At this point, Hayan looked torn between riding behind Hyunsung once
more or riding behind me. At this, I reached out to her, and a smile
immediately formed on her face.
“Heh… Hehe.”
She instantly looked better, and I instantly felt more comfortable.
“Hold tight, Hayan.”
“Yes!”
Her voice was livelier than before. She must have thought she had been
forgiven to some extent.
‘I should have done more research, anyway.’
I had a lot of work to do once we got back in Lindel, and since I didn’t
have the time to decide if I could still maintain this uncomfortable
relationship with Hayan, I had to compromise for the time being.
For now, I had to focus on strengthening Park Deokgu and creating a

spark of change with my research and work.
I hoped I would be able to achieve both. Although the research should

be a bit dif icult, I knew I’d be able to yield some results at least.
‘Why?’
Because Lindel had a treasure trove of knowledge.
Although I did not have time to study it in detail, Dialugia herself was a
living specimen. She was a great sample that would let me know
everything about dragons.
Of course, I also felt worried about whether I could understand Dialugia

with my current knowledge, but I knew it would eventually work out.
The only way to evolve Park Deokgu would be to ind some results with
my research.
‘A serum.’
The most realistic plan for reinforcing Park Deokgu was already being
drawn into my head.
Eventually, the Free City of Lindel entered my point of view.
I wanted to relieve my accumulated fatigue, but I knew it would be

better to start my research right away. It was then that I caught sight of
an unfamiliar building coming into view.
No, to be precise, it couldn’t even be considered a building.
“Huh?”
It was an architecture that looked like a cave. The problem lay in the
materials that made up the building.
‘Mithril?’
It feels like the building itself was covered with mithril, though it had
been made of many other metals that I did not know of.
Basically, the massive structure made of heroic-grade or higher

materials was of the right size to house Dialugia’s dragon body.
At this, I remembered what I had told Dialugia before leaving Lindel.
“We are planning to build a nest, so you can do whatever you want.”
‘You’re crazy! You’re crazy!’
“You don’t have to worry about money.”
‘This is crazy!’
“You can do whatever you want to do.”
“This crazy girl!”
This was what would inevitably happen if I left bankbook management

to someone who had no knowledge about the economy. I had to hurry
back and check my safe.
CHAPTER 194
DRAGON’S NEST,
EXPERIMENT, CHANGE,
ENHANCEMENT (2)
“Shit.”
I arrived at Lindel, but I couldn’t ind it in myself to rest comfortably. It

was because the party members were still out hunting, and I was in dire
need of help.
I immediately visited manager Kim Mi-young.
I had to check if what I saw was true. The almost completed nest was so
absurd that it was jaw-dropping.
“Shit!”
Not much time had passed since I left Lindel. If I were to think about it
with common sense, it was impossible that the building was already
nearing completion. No, to be precise, it was not impossible. This place
had a different background from the Earth, after all.
If you put high-quality personnel to do the job, then it was a whole

different story.
Of course, if one were to hire wizards or craftsmen with skills, the

reality was that it would cost a lot more. Looking at the beautiful
architecture that resembled a piece of art, it seemed as if all craftsmen
had been gathered.
Probably, more than one or two people were employed. Otherwise,

there would have been no way that the central axis would have already
been completed.
‘Fuck!!!’
In order to make the nest, they seemed to have hired all the wizards of
heroic-grade or higher, as well as blacksmiths and even production
workers.
The labor cost itself must have been very expensive. However, the
bigger problem is the material that makes up the nest.
In the irst place, it was questionable whether that amount of mithril

ore was available in Lindel.
Considering that mithril ore was imported from other cities and
Yeongju, the transportation cost would have been unimaginable.
They must have even used griffons!
Even if they refrained themselves, it would already be costing

astronomical amounts of money.
Of course, my personal fortune was immense, but even if I spent all my

fortune, it would never match the money that went into building that
nest, especially if the interior had been decorated.
‘Crazy woman. Crazy woman!’
With this, I had forgotten about Park Deokgu and Yuno Kasugano in the
black world for a bit.
When I opened the administration of ice door in a hurry, I saw the face
of manager Kim Mi-young, looking surprised.
Of course, she has something to say about this ridiculous situation.
Manager Kim Mi-young is not stupid. There is no way she will allow to
put that amount of money to build the nest. I mean, she couldn’t control
the situation either. I had to open my mouth immediately.
“Kim Mi-young manager, that nest…”
“F- irst of all, I want to apologize, Vice Guild Master.”
“I need to get all the details.”
“Yes, so…”
The story was a bit concise. She explained that Dialugia immediately
commissioned the nest’s construction after Kim Hyunsung and I went
to Lindel.
Of course, the work progressed quickly because I had already told

manager Kim Mi-young that we would make a nest.
“At irst, I listened to Vice Guild Master and didn’t pay much attention to
the budget…”
“The budget kept increasing?”
The problem was when Dialugia started directly intervening on the

construction site.
She insisted on completing the nest as she intended by continuing to
give additional orders as if she wasn’t satis ied. Of course, everything
had to go her way.
There was a limit to the budget that could be organized, and I must
have already used my personal property and the property of Blue.
At this point, when manager Kim Mi-young realized that something was
wrong, she and several party members tried to stop Dialugia, and as I
thought, they couldn’t.
“I thought that it should not be left as it was, so I cut off the money line
as soon as possible, but…”
“…”
“That… Dialugia herself started to get money.”
“How?”
“She went to each guild and borrowed money directly from her name.”
“You couldn’t have stopped her.”
“Yes. Strictly speaking, the guild cannot force Dialugia-nim to exercise

any rights. She isn’t someone who can be controlled physically, so what
we could do was to put pressure on other guilds not to issue bonds to
Dialugia.”
That was a great decision.
If you can’t stop her from borrowing money, you could stop the guild
from lending her the money.
“Of course, this plan did not go smoothly either. When the guilds in
Lindel didn’t issue bonds to Dialugia-nim, she quickly realized that we
were doing something… She then announced that she would sell kins
and scales to humans throughout Lindel.”
“Was it sold?!”
It is impossible to sell anything from her body without my permission. I

had no choice but to realize why the situation had reached this point.
“No… To prevent that, we had no choice but to allow her to borrow

money from other guilds.”
“Let’s see how much it is.”
Manager Kim Mi-young slowly handed out the documents to me. The
more I checked it, the more I felt like passing out. I had no choice but to
realize that I should praise the administration team, including manager
Kim Mi-young, rather than reproach them.
It can be seen that they managed the funds tightening the belt.
Come to think of it, her dark circles almost reached her chin, as if she
hadn’t slept for a few days. The same was true for the others. I could
have been sure that these days were hell for them, too.
“Thank you, Manager Kim Mi-young.”
“No, Vice Guild Master. Rather, I want to say sorry.”
I couldn’t blame the guild’s administrative team. Strictly speaking, this

was my fault. I felt like I’ve worn her out before I even had the chance to
study.
I was speechless. I had gotten myself into a pile of debt in no time at all.
Of course, some pro its would continue to come in. However, the black
market in the underground of Castle Rock was still under construction,
and various projects were still being prepared.
I felt a bit bitter, but how could I recover if Dialugia was still there?
Of course, I had to go to Dialugia. I had to know the welfare of the nest.
As soon as I got onto White Paul, Jung Hayan looked at me. She
obviously wanted to come together, but I couldn’t let her. After all, this
was de initely a family affair.
“Hayan.”
“Yes, Oppa…”
“I will start researching tomorrow. You should start preparing. Perhaps

you’ll have to stay overnight with me in the lab for a few days.”
“Yes… Yes!”
For now, I could leave Jung Hayan with this. I then lew quickly towards
the nest.
‘That’s cool… Did she pour out magic stones, too?’
Its sheer size would be enough to overwhelm people, and it seemed like
it was not only magic stones that were used. Many artifacts were also in
place.
As I entered the nest, I could see a very colorful interior.
The night lights embedded in the sky were sprinkled with brilliant
light, and even objects whose purpose was unknown were visible.
I was not a dragon, so I was not entirely sure, but perhaps each of them
had their own use.
It was then that a voice called out to me. It was obvious who it was.
When I turned my head and looked, I could see Dialugia approaching
me.
“You came back quickly.”
“Where is Tol To-ri?”
“He’s still sleeping. More than that, I have something I want to show
you.”
“You made this so fast…”
My anger once again rose to the surface. However, I realized that

Dialugia looked the happiest than I had ever seen her ever since she
had come here.
I would look like that, too, if it were me. Anyone could see that this
place was beautiful.
It even had its own artistic landscape. There were also ponds and trees
in the cave, so what else did I need to say? The resources were enough
for them to be called lakes and forests.
“I think it’s amazing what human magic can do.”
‘Fuck… ’
“I didn’t think we could create an environment like this in the nest.”
‘She looks so happy… ’

What she was feeling was the complete opposite of what I was
currently feeling.
“Actually, since I have to live with you, I wanted to discuss things with
you in further detail, but I thought you were busy… Tol To-ri also needs
a big nest.”
“I wasn’t very busy. You could have consulted me at once.”
“No. I think I had been a little sharp last time. It hit me how high your
position is in the human world. There were many things that I couldn’t
solve by myself, but by putting your name on it, I was able to realize
what you told me before.”
“I see…”
“I was able to realize why you could provide a safe nest. Ah. Of course, I
would like you to restrain yourself a little from going out too much…
You need to focus on Tol To-ri, too… Anyway, it seems as if you’ve
worked hard.”
Honestly, my lips were trembling. I had come here, completely ready to

burst out at her for wasting so much money.
But for now, I felt like I could tolerate it. This was because she suddenly
became kinder, the one who had treated me so coldly up until I went to
the capital.
‘She is a treasure.’
Dialugia was indeed a treasure. Even she was realizing, little by little,
her worth.
Although she robbed my entire fortune and even made debts, it was not
bad overall if I could manage to look good with owning such a nest.
Anyway, many things could be obtained with little research. The money
will come in eventually. She would be the key for me to earn
astronomical amounts of money and would be responsible for my class
change as well as the enhancement of Park Deokgu.
‘Tol To-ri’s quality of life will also improve.’
It seemed that taking this direction wouldn’t be so bad. Thinking like

this made me smile.
“Ah. Come to think of it, did you say that there is something you want to
show?”
“Of course. A large nest has been made, and of course, there are many
things you should know about. Humans don’t know anything about
dragons.”
I knew I certainly didn’t. I had initially thought that I could get a rough
idea of the dragon’s ecology just by going around this place.
Walking around with her, I could see that there were certainly a lot of
amazing things.
“It’s a food warehouse.”
“Does it need to be so big?”
“Now Dialuria is starting to eat more little by little… He will continue to

take nutrients between 3 and 5 years. This is to turn all nutrition into
magical power.”
“Ahhh…”
“Some of the magic of humans is a kind of magic that preserves the food
for longer periods of time. Thanks to that, I think I can get a lot of help.”
“What about that forest and lake?”
“Ah, Dialuria will learn to hunt there.”
“I see.”
She didn’t spend my money on useless things as I thought. Of course, all

the goods to be used by our Tol To-ri should be of the highest quality.
‘Although my chest still feels sore… ’
“And this is your room.”
“You also…”
“You are Dialuria’s father. Of course, you have to think about sleeping
here. I’m still ignorant of the way humans live, and I’m still not sure, but
I did my best.”
‘I can’t stay here all the time, but… ’
First, however, it would be correct to thank her.
“In fact, this is what I really want to show you.”
“Yes?”
As I passed through the room of a dungeon-like structure, what I saw is

a large alchemy laboratory. It was a laboratory of a size that could not
be too dif icult to it in Dialugia’s original body.
‘What… ’
“They said that it is indispensable. I honestly don’t like it that much, but
didn’t you say you want to know about my body? In the irst place, I am
here with that condition, actually. I’m not sure, but by human standards,
I know I’m a luxury product. You just need to know that it is my gift to
you for giving me this nest.”
“Gift…”
The scale was quite large. It felt like many gold coins were spent in this
particular area.
Dialugia must have ordered the construction manager to create this

workshop. As she didn’t know anything about this, she must’ve
struggled a little, but honestly, her efforts and consideration were
admirable.
Though momentary, a question passed through my mind.
‘Is the budget correct?’
The budget that was roughly calculated with the papers and in my head
was just this cave. It would not be enough to set up a workshop of this
size.
“You don’t have to worry. It’s really a gift.”
“Gold is…”
“Ah. Kind humans lent the money to me.”
Fortunately, she didn’t sell her body parts.
“I was able to complete this nest with a lot of help from the guilds in
Lindel, but in fact, gold alone was a little short even with that. There
was a kind human being who lent money to me, and I asked for help
from them.”
For some reason, an ominous feeling passed through me.
“The conditions were a bit tricky, but fortunately, I met those

conditions…”
“What was the condition?”
“Unusually, there seemed to be humans who offered loans only to

women. I didn’t know in detail, but I stumbled across a Player
Professional Women’s Loan. As it was a gift, I don’t think I should owe it
to the humans of the guild you belong to, so I made a contract for the
irst time. I wasn’t a player, but it seems like there’s some credit because
of you.”
“What?”
“You don’t have to be so happy. It is my sincerity for you to be good to

Tol To-ri in the future.”
“No, what did you say before? That… Before you said about not wanting
to owe me.”
“Are you talking about player Professional Female’s Loans? Are you
hearing about it for the irst time?”
“Hey… I already…”
“So you know, too. Ame… Ame… I don’t remember what he said… Ah! It
was lent from the guild called Love America.”
“Hey, you crazy woman!”
I had no choice but to scream the moment she said this.

CHAPTER 195
DRAGON’S NEST,
EXPERIMENT, CHANGE,
ENHANCEMENT (3)
“Hey, you crazy woman!”
I knew this continent was not very kind to women.
If you had talents like Cha Hee-ra, Jung Hayan, and Cho Hyejin, or if you
were strong like Lee Jihye, the story was different. But most of the
women who freely rode from the tutorial dungeon were considered the
underdogs of this society.
Men also had a hard time when they had to ight monsters. Naturally,
physically weak women would have a hard time, too.
The reality was that those without a wizard aptitude or priest aptitude
gave up ighting even before they even started, and even if they had the
aptitude, those without talent did not get many different results.
Even those who dared to go into a party hunt with some of the crazy
guys would get humiliated. Female players exposed to the speci ics of
hunting or having to spend a long time with the homeless were
naturally separated from hunting.
In fact, female players who were not in a guild did not get in easily
unless they were in a ixed party. It wouldn’t be easy to trust in a man
they had only seen for the irst time in a situation where you had to
spend days and nights together, either.
So, considering that most of the guild members were only women in the
Black Swans, this problem felt a little more serious before we even
came in.
In the end, the women who gave up living as players turned to be a

common worker or got in a guild as a clerical worker.
However, guilds, clans, and even self-employed people did not pay them
the proper wages.
The minimum wage system was implicitly set, but most of the time,
they were not followed.
So, as a result, what was born was…
‘The Player Professional Women’s Loan.’
It was a legitimate loan company such as Love America or Garrosh &

Cash.
Lindel also had its own bank. Although it was a little primitive, the Holy
Empire also ran an Empire bank, and loans and insurance products
certainly existed here.
Obviously, people with no base could borrow money from such

facilities.
‘Damn.’
In the end, a common cliché was that those who could not afford the
snowball-in lated interest would get con ined to a corner.
Of course, there were cases like mine, when wives with adventurer
husbands were unable to meet their consumption barriers.
I never imagined that a dragon that wasn’t human would end up

backstabbing me.
Dialugia looked confused with my reaction, apparently not having

igured out the situation yet. Her bewilderment soon turned into anger.
“W-What did you say? It’s rude. I did it for you! This is a gift!”
“It’s for me, my ass!”
“You… really are a rude person! This kind of person is the father of
Dialuria! Don’t humans understand what a gift of gratitude is?!”
“Are you saying this without knowing who is really rude?! Get the
contract right now!”
“What?”
“I want you to get the contract quickly, you woman!”
After seeing me so perplexed, she began to realize that something was

wrong. Hurriedly, she handed me the documents.
It would have been a little better if she had borrowed money from
Garrosh & Cash. It was a small clan, and Clan Master Gal Oh-shik’s
power wasn’t too strong.
However, Kim Mijoo’s story from Love America was a bit different.
It was a little insuf icient to be called a large guild, but at least, it had
the force and network to protect itself. Of course, if one were to look at
the size itself, it couldn’t be compared with the Red Mercenary, the
Black Swan, the Blue, and the Yozora Guild, but not only had she legally
borrowed money, she has already used it all.
Because of this, I felt annoyed about the prospect of all the time I would
spend negotiating in the future. There were so many things to do right
now that I didn’t even have the time to pay attention to it. The one who
had asked to borrow money irst was our side. Blue would not look
good for all the other guilds or clans.
“H-Here it is.”
Suddenly, my irritation sprang up.
“I don’t need it!”
Having been unable to withstand my anger, I threw the contract away

as soon as Dialugia handed it to me. She seemed unsure as to what she
had done wrong, but the atmosphere made her feel that she had made a
huge mistake, so she, of course, looked a little depressed.
This was a huge sum of money. Plus, it was Dialugia who had
approached them irst.
There was no excuse for this.
‘I already spent a lot of money in the underground arena… ’
It would be hard to get help from the Yozora Guild. Perhaps the best
option was to borrow money from the Black Swans or the Red
Mercenaries.
I couldn’t wait to see the monetary interest increase more and more.
‘If there were a table, I would like to turn it over.’

I wanted to explode. However, I had to restrain myself. Nothing good
would come from falling out with Dialugia.
“I… told you… to not to come into contact with humans thoughtlessly,
Dialugia.”
“I still don’t…”
“You don’t borrow gold carelessly. I know you are intelligent, but your
sociality is the same as a child in terms of human society. I understand
what you meant, but let’s learn this step by step. No, in the irst
place…!”
“Kieeek!”
“…”
“Oh! Did our Tol To-ri wake up?”
“Haaa! Haaa!”
Tol To-ri managed to appear to save her mother just when I was about
to explode. I wasn’t sure if my loud voice woke him up, but Dialugia
must be thinking that he appeared at the right time.
I couldn’t get nervous in front of him since we had to look like a close
couple.
In fact, the appearance of Tol To-ri jumping toward me was so cute that
my anger got relieved for a moment. At this point, I think I could
understand what it felt like to live for your children, so I didn’t need to
say anything else.
“Oh! Yes, daddy’s come home. Did you miss me?”

“Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee Kie eh eh! Haaa! Haaa!”
Tol To-ri, shaking his tail like crazy, seemed to be on a sugar-high. He

licked me all over, evidently showing how much he missed me.
Since he hadn’t seen my face for a long time, it would be natural for him
to react like this.
“Yes, yes, daddy came back after work!”
“Kieehek!”
Perhaps he didn’t even know what I was saying. He excitedly jumped

around, trying to be hugged.
As I picked him up and turned back to Dialugia, the woman averted her
gaze.
“I… I can repay it.”
“How? Note that there is no option to sell any part of your body. Your
body is entirely mine. That was a deal.”
“Kieek! Haaa!”
“T-Then I can go hunting and grab the monsters.”
“It is not an amount that can be covered by catching one or two

monsters. And if you catch it, you can only use it to block interest,
anyway. I will take care of the gold. Whoo. Tol To-ri is not the only
creature that needs education. I think you should get some education,
too. This shouldn’t happen next time.”
“…”
“I have something to check about your body right away, so please
prepare for it.”
I was thinking of taking it easy, but with the sudden turn of events, I
now wanted to head right into work. Anyway, the laboratory itself had
already been completed.
Sure, I felt grateful, but I couldn’t even express it because of my instant

annoyance.
She didn’t tell me, but Dialugia felt a little bit disappointed. In the end, I
had to thank her quietly.
“And… Thank you for the gift. I gratefully accept your intentions.”
Only then did she begin to feel better.
After spending time with Tol To-ri, I thought it was appropriate to get to
know her right away. I had a lot of work to do, so I had neglected this
particular task.
‘In fact, I wanted to rest for a few days… ’
However, my empty bankbook had slapped me in the face.
‘I was supposed to make money… ’
Compared to the money I would make from now on, the money I had so
far was only a small amount, anyway.
Even though I knew it better than anyone else, I couldn’t resist my

anger. It was natural to think about how to approach Dialugia while
spending time with Tol To-ri.
Meanwhile, Dialugia still looked immensely guilty.

“What should I do?”
She was looking at me with an expression depicting her lack of

knowledge.
“First of all, you just need to change into your original body. I haven’t
igured it out yet.”
“Ah, alright.”
As soon as I inished speaking, I saw something wrong happening with

her body. Her clothes were torn, but there was no time to appreciate
her body openly, seeing as she was slowly transforming back into
dragon form.
Her unique scales grew along the arms, and the appearance of human
skin breaking out to form dragon’s skin looked really fascinating. I
could hear the sound of twisting bones and muscles, but it didn’t look
painful. It was as natural as walking.
“Grooooaarr…”
Her dragon form was still too overwhelming for me to bear. My jaw was
dropped without my knowledge. I honestly still found her scary like
this. Now I was starting to regret throwing the contract in her face.
I didn’t know how I was being re lected in her gaze right now, but
Dialugia’s appearance from up close was really overwhelming.
I could see her big eyes staring straight at me.
“Wow…”
Dialugia had big horns, as well as teeth that seemed to be able to chew
and swallow me whole. Looking at her glossy leather and scales, I could
feel that a dragon was really in front of me.
-Is it weird?
“Huh?”
-I can only convey my mind to my spouse. Somehow, the body organs of

dragons are impossible to speak out human language…
“I see what you mean. You don’t look weird. I just thought it was really
great. At that time, you only looked scary, but looking at you calmly
makes me feel really surprised.”
‘You blew away my money, but… ’
“At irst, I’ll start by simply analyzing your blood. After that, we will
measure the numbers and employ various ways and methods. If it
hurts, you have to tell me.”
I put into her arm a specially designed syringe and slowly drained her
of some of her blood. Immediately I heard her voice.
-It tickles. Hee… Hihi. Hihihi.
The sound of her laughter was lighter than I thought.
“Please be patient.”
-Hee… Hihihihi!
“If you don’t want to see me dying, don’t move!”
-But…
“It’s all over now. Please be a little careful. My body is really fragile.”
-Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.

In fact, I didn’t think this study would be inished overnight. I worked
quickly because I didn’t know how long this would take.
Immediately, I activated my Mind’s Eye and began to transfer her blood

to the pension kit.
Her blood became separated little by little, transferred to each lask,

and immediately reacted with the catalysts.
I wasn’t hoping for a result. My irst step was to check how it reacted to
the equipment I had prepared. It was natural to extract cells and search
for any genes.
I thought it would be better to experiment with this equipment irst

because it may take a little time to calculate with my current equipment
and magic power.
‘Where should I dig into?’
[The irst to discover the legendary-grade catalyst —–.]
[Intelligence increases by 1.]
[Please enter the name of the catalyst directly.]
[You got a new title.]
[First Discoverer]
[This title is for players who have discovered a new material that did
not previously exist on the continent. Intelligence increases by 1.]
[Alchemist Who Experimented with Dragons]
[This title is for the irst player on the continent who explored living
dragons. Intelligence increases by 1.]
[We admire your endless search for alchemy and truth, as well as your
adventurous spirit.]
[Discovered a new legendary-grade class.]
[Dragon Alchemist: (Unique Legendary)]
“I love you!”
At that moment, I forgot that she had blown all my fortune.

CHAPTER 196
DRAGON’S NEST,
EXPERIMENT, CHANCE,
ENHANCEMENT (4)
I had already expected that, to some extent, there would be results.
This was because Dialugia was a legendary-grade monster classi ied as

a dragon race, and her body was still a mystery.
However, I didn’t think I would be presented with such a big gift.
[Dragon Alchemist (Unique Legendary)]
‘A unique legendary!’
I had gotten a unique legendary grade. I was happy when I got my

heroic-grade class, but the effect was different from before when my
body shone in purple.
“Wow…”
I saw my body shine in bursting. The golden light was an effect that I
had only heard about, which signaled the change to a legendary-grade
class. It felt like I had turned into a powerful person.
I didn’t think that the golden light that emanated from my body would
cease to shine, and I didn’t think my smile would ever disappear, too.
‘Legendary grade!’
Eventually, the light started to fade, which gave my tired eyes some time
to relax. However, the lingering feeling did not fade easily.
“Pffft… Hahahaha.”
It was foolish, but laughter kept bubbling out of me. It would be strange
not to be happy. I knew that having anything on this continent that was
legendary meant a lot.
Juliana was fully effective even when it was not active. I had my
legendary–grade attribute Mind’s Eye. And now, even a legendary-grade
class!
I wanted to ask the general review guy who had been mocking me
about who was blind now.
Considering that the continent’s common sense was that usually, at the
ifth or sixth time a legendary-grade class would be given, my growth
rate seemed so fast that it was shameful to say that I was not talented.
‘Of course, my stats are poor… ’
This was not a normal legendary class. This was a unique legendary
grade. This achievement was worth it just because I was the only
person on the continent who could achieve this class now.
[Dragon Alchemist (Unique Legendary)]
[It’s a new kind of class that has never been discovered. Despite the
continent’s long history, alchemy using a living dragon as a catalyst was
never tried nor practiced. We highly appreciate your achievement and
decided on making Dragon Alchemist a Unique Legendary-Grade. Every
alchemist will be surprised by your great achievements. Dragon
Alchemist is the only alchemist who can use alchemy with dragons as a
catalyst. What you can make depends on your research and alchemy
skills. Intelligence increases by +6. Magical power increases by +7. Your
understanding of dragons will improve. The class effect of the previous
class Living Alchemy Summoner remains the same. Some of the results
created by the class effect of the unique legendary-grade Dragon
Alchemist are judged as summoned creatures.]
‘Whoaa!!!’
[Checking the status window and the talent levels of the player Lee
Kiyoung.]
[Name: Lee Kiyoung]
[Title: Mercenary Queen’s Gigolo, Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire

of Benigore, Spouse of Dragon, First Discoverer, Alchemist Who
Experimented With A Dragon]
[Age: 25]
[Class: Dragon Alchemist (Unique Legendary)]
[Class effect: Acquisition of Basic Alchemy Knowledge]
[Class effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Alchemy Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Special Summoning Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Alchemy Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Professional Dragon Alchemy Knowledge]

[Stats]
[Stamina: 30/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Endurance: 22/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Magic Power: 45/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Equipment]
[Juliana, the Curse Sword (Legendary-grade: Ownership)]
[Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy: Heroic-grade: Alchemist

Only]
[Magic Shield Ring 3333: Rare]
[Attribute: Mind’s Eye (Legendary)]
[General Review: I am sorry to see you working so hard to raise the

magic power that does not seem to grow alongside your intelligence. I
couldn’t even imagine that you would have a magic power of 45, but I
want to applaud you. The other stats are still terrible, but I would like
to compliment you for getting an intelligence stat that will soon break
through 90 and for your unique legendary class. I look forward to your
endeavors from now on, but… Don’t be too proud. Except for
intelligence, magic power, and luck, all stats did not increase by even 1.]
‘I’m an alchemist anyway, you bastard. What does it matter?’
In fact, it didn’t mean it didn’t matter at all. Strength, agility, and

endurance were ine, but stamina was a very important factor.
However, I was in no state to regret now.
Who would have imagined that I would have 45 stats of magic power?
‘This… is 45 stats of magic power!’
It was still desperately shameful compared to other wizards, but

laughter came out due to the enormous magical power inside me.
Of course, this was tremendous magic power by my standards. I slightly

pushed the magic power into my hand, held the catalyst that looked
pretty hard in my arms, and exerted some strength…
‘Damn.’
It didn’t break.
Unavoidably, when I put down the catalyst and picked up another

catalyst, the thing broke with a clopping sound.
‘Ha!’
I felt like the Hulk. Things that couldn’t be done with the magic power
of the 30s become possible in the 40s. I could use temporary body
enhancement through the use of magic power. My intelligence stat,
which wasn’t increasing well recently, also achieved explosive growth.
I had already heard through Hwang Jeong-yeon that one more attribute
would open when the intelligence stat reaches 90.
Raising my intelligence stat by 3 while researching would probably be
nothing.
Of course, there may be some limitations when moving from 89 to 90,

but there was no problem with my growth right now.
Anyway, I had only achieved the 4th class change, and I still had the 5th
to expect.
It was dif icult to understand the speed of human growth here since I
had only been living here for about a year. At best, the guys who came
with me were, at most, in their third or second class. My choice to hold
onto Kim Hyunsung’s party it perfectly.
I bene itted a lot, and thanks to that, I had shared very pleasant
situations with them.
At this point, Dialugia, who had been looking at me with a very pathetic
expression, spoke.
-Did you get anything?
“Thanks, I got something very good. I love you, honey. Oops! Oops!”
Dialugia’s status was promoted from a crazy woman to a lovely boss.
I couldn’t express this joy in words, so I ran to her big face and kissed
her without hesitation.
-That’s disgusting. Could you please stop doing this?
“No, we can kiss each other, at least!”
-Anyway, I told you not to do this. This expression of affection is

uncomfortable and unpleasant. If you have the time to do this, inish the
experiment as soon as possible, and pay more attention to our Dialuria.
As expected, humans…
“Our sweetie! How come I haven’t known this charm so far? Glossy,
shiny, and elongated horns! There is no place that isn’t pretty.”
-I don’t know why, but despite being praised, it feels very unpleasant.
“Hhhh!”
-I told you not to stick to me. Stop it, or else I will move.
“Oh, you are so lovely… If you move, I will get crushed and die.”
-T-This human…
Honestly, I was very excited. I had been very happy upon achieving the
unique heroic-grade Living Alchemist Summoner, but this was a whole
new feeling. Anyway, nobody could see me here, so I thought it wouldn’t
be bad to express my feelings alone.
At irst, Dialugia seemed disgusted by my actions, but after a while, she

sighed quietly as if she had given up. She then spoke once more.
-So… What did you get?
“Ahem…”
-Please tell me quickly. Is there anything you’re trying to hide?
“No. I just had to calm down a little from my initial excitement. I knew
your body was worth more than I thought.”
-It was because of your greed in the end.
“Not really. Well, that’s not wrong, but…”

-…
“…”
-Please just tell me quickly.
“Of course. Humans living on this continent are given classes differently
from you. I don’t know if you can be given a class when you’re in human
form, but humans do. Ah! This story is too complicated, so I think it’s
better to skip it. That’s not what matters now. I must have already told
you last time that my class is an alchemist.”
-I remember that, yes.
“Alchemists are the professions bestowed on those who seek the truth.
Although it is a profession derived from wizards, it is undeniable that
their pursuits are different from them.”
-It doesn’t suit you very much.
“I won’t deny that. Anyway, to be a little grandiose, things like genes and
blood from your body are materials that have never been found on the
continent. Of course, it is impossible to use it as a catalyst immediately,
so it has to undergo a puri ication process. Still, it is undeniable that
this is the irst to be discovered. In other words, these three substances
are objects that were not originally in this world.”
-Isn’t that my blood? It is not a material that did not exist in this world,
but it has existed since the past.
“Since it has gone through the puri ication process and successfully
catalyzed it, it cannot be said that it is your blood exactly. Strictly
speaking, it is a synthetic catalyst made up of several catalysts that help
smoothen activity. The fact that the main ingredient came from you
doesn’t change. An experiment that was done simply to see a chemical
reaction made a huge hit. Of course, I did some calculations in
advance… Honestly, I didn’t expect this result, either.”
Of the hundreds of lasks, only three survived.
At irst glance, it didn’t seem to have been a very good result, but it was
undeniable that I had hit the jackpot right from the irst experiment.
The legendary catalysts that were shining brightly made me feel

thrilled just by looking at them.
At a glance, interest passed through Dialugia’s expression as she quietly

looked at them with her big eyes.
-What is its name?
“It is undecided. Didn’t I tell you? This is the irst discovered catalyst.
There are three, so I think you, me, and our Tol To-ri can each decide
the name of one.”
-Ah…
She seemed to be in a good mood. The big eyes blinked widely once.
“Since they were prepared without accurate calculations, there is still

time to de ine and prove what effect they have and why these results
came out, but the process of organizing it is not that dif icult.”
-So, that was helpful.
“Of course. And it’s not just this that I got. I mentioned earlier that
humans are given classes through certain actions.”
-Yes.
“Before the discovery of these three catalysts and even a closer look at
your body, I was given a class. It would be right to say that it is a top-
ranked class and a class specializing in the study of the dragon races.
That means I can understand you better.”
-Are you saying you have been given a special power?
“Yes. You can think of it in that way. Of course, this is still in the early
stage, so a little more research is needed…”
-Ah…
“If the research is done successfully, I will be able to do many things,

like putting your breath into this little lask.”
-Breath?
“It’s hard to expect the same irepower compared to when it would

come directly from you, but it probably will.”
-That is impossible. You cannot it it into that tiny lask. That is common
sense.
“Whether it’s impossible or not, I’ll need to go into research to ind out.
I am judging that there is a possibility.”
-Honestly speaking, it was probably impossible.
“It will be possible. This kind of thing is achievable now. The third class
I got was called a Living Alchemist Summoner. Considering the effect of
that class and the effect of the class called Dragon Alchemist now…”
The moment I grabbed the catalyst made from Dialugia’s cells, the
catalyst turned into magical power, and I felt it hovering around me.
Contrary to the original, which needed a switch and remote control, the
dragon’s catalyst had completely eliminated such a complicated
process.
Simply put, everything was possible with just one catalyst. It could be
said that it was a unique legendary-grade class correction effect.
Zap! Zap! Strange energy splattered in my hand with the sound. It was
natural for Dialugia to look at me blankly.
She naturally looked pretty curious about what I was going to do. I was
also curious about what the outcome will be.
As soon as I used the energy in my hand to seal and touch the ground, a
little further away, a large dragon’s hand began to materialize from the
earth.
Magical power drained in an instant and broke! Zap! The dragon’s arm
protruded with the sound.
-Uh…
“This is great… This…”
-Nonsense… Y-you…
Dialugia had on an incomprehensible expression. She wasn’t the only

one.
I, too, felt perplexed by the results I had made.
-Are you a god? What you did now… That excluded all types of common
sense!
“Oh, of course, that is not a living thing. So far, it is hard to expect even
destructive power. And I can’t make a real dragon. I don’t think this is
an area where we can question whether it is possible or impossible by
experimentation. Creating a human-shaped homunculus is also very
time consuming and expensive. If that’s possible, as you say, I’ll be in
the realm of God, not human. I can’t create a complex and noble
creature like you. Of course, the subspecies…”
-You mean creating a subspecies is possible?
“No, no, it is impossible.”
-I see.
“Yet.”
The sound of Dialugia swallowing echoed through the nest.
It would be impossible to make a clone of Dialugia. However, it may be

possible to produce clones for other drake species.
Ideas that seemed possible, such as the breath potion, continued to pop
up in my mind.
Of course, there was much to think about this study’s inal purpose,
which was Park Deokgu’s enhancement method.
‘Perhaps there is a real possibility.’
I may be able to turn myself into Captain Lindel, whose name would
always be mentioned within Blue’s history.
CHAPTER 197
DRAGON’S NEST,
EXPERIMENT, CHANGE,
ENHANCEMENT (5)
With as much enthusiasm I could muster, the research began in earnest.
First of all, I prioritized collecting Dialugia’s data, so I kept scanning her

with my Mind’s Eye and made sure to check on anything I thought I
would be missing.
Though I initially wanted her to lie down when I did my research, I now
had no choice but to hope for Dialugia to move. This was because the
research was conducted on how much of her athletic ability and her
magic power could operate.
It was not possible to properly con irm how much power her breath
held, but it was possible to obtain some data through her testimonies or
her ability to manage her magic power based on her magic power stats.
‘One city?’
Her testimony was that she had enough power to incinerate a small city.
In fact, I didn’t doubt this at all. This was because it was judged that
only those who matched the top ranks among the players with a magic
power stat of 125 and advanced magical power management
knowledge could do it.
Of course, in Mind’s Eye, I couldn’t ind any traces of her acquiring
advanced magical power management knowledge, but the evidence
revealed that she possessed something similar.
In the irst place, she wouldn’t have been able to use different types of
breaths if she hadn’t acquired advanced magic power management
knowledge.
There were also two types of breath, and they were classi ied as
follows:
A radial type with enough magic power to blow away a city.
Concentrated type for those with high magic resistance or for those
who are dif icult to deal with simple magic power.
For example, the radial was a breath made to deal with multiple
enemies rather than an individual. Although the range is large, the
damage was less to humans of the same type as Cha Hee-ra, who had
high endurance and magic resistance.
This was where concentrated breath came in.
As such, the concentrated type had a high density but narrow range.
However, it was considered superior in all aspects.
It was dif icult to calculate the exact number, but it was enough to
penetrate the shield of an Archmage who had completed the 5th to 6th
class change.
Of course, there was a difference in lying speed, so I thought that even

those with high agility would not be able to properly avoid the
concentrated type of breathing.
Of course, it wasn’t just the breath I focused on. I immediately pulled

out data on how much power she could generate by assuming her
agility and strength stats, and all other data were extracted and stored.
There was a small margin of error, yet I knew I could acquire more
precise data later on. It all depended on the timing.
‘To intensively dig into only one side… ’
Dialugia was so big and vast. She was a treasure trove of knowledge and
a mountain range of knowledge. Therefore, it took a while just to study
the specs.
Honestly, I wouldn’t be able to do this alone. Contrary to my thoughts

that light would be impossible, I was a little surprised that she could
use magical power to ly. It seemed like she didn’t usually use it because
it continually consumed magic power, but the ability to ly seemed
important for her.
‘A dragon is a dragon.’
I had to raise Dialugia’s rating a little more.
Of course, I couldn’t be passionate only about the calculation of these

said specs. Classifying and extracting such data was a basic task. It was
merely a classi ication of information in order to facilitate future
research.
Although the common principle was to wait for data to accumulate,

Dialugia was not a dead creature but a living one. The blood or cells I
could draw from her were almost in inite. A few liters of blood could
repair itself in less than a few hours.
There was no reason not to accelerate progress while worrying about

money and materials. Excluding the elements that threatened my
safety…
‘I’ll just do it.’

A slightly dangerous experiment didn’t matter. I was willing to take the
risk.
There was only one way to solve my problems, and I had more than
enough alchemy kits to make real, substantial progress.
Various materials were continuously undergoing re ining, and the

magic ire circle never went out.
Of course, it was Jung Hayan that continually supplied magic power to

this magic circle.
Everything about Dialugia was considered top secret.
The only one that could enter the lab was Jung Hayan. In fact, I thought
that it would be better to call scholarly Hwang Jeong-yeon, but I didn’t
dare call her because I had judged that the only one I could trust was
Hayan herself.
Dialugia was my supreme treasure.
Even if Jeong-yeon and I came from the same guild, my greed dictated
my reluctance in handing over precious data.
Except for the accidental burst on the irst day of the experiment, no
new developments occurred, but I didn’t feel nervous. This was because
I was con ident enough to know that there would be an improvement
soon. The vast amount of data and kits that kept running day and night
were similar to those of an automated laboratory.
Dialugia was looking at us without knowing anything but sometimes

ended up falling asleep as she remained lying down for most of these
procedures.
When the outer side made no progress, I focused on her inner

resources.
Since I had no intention of dissecting the lovely Dialugia, I started by
scanning her as a whole before experimenting in various directions at
once.
Of course, the most memorable experiment among them was to enter

her interior directly.
It sounded crazy, but Jung Hayan and I actually looked inside through
her mouth before coming back out. With her help, I explored Dialugia’s
esophagus and stomach, as well as other organs quite well.
-Must you do it in this manner?
“It’s all about the advancement of great alchemy. It’s also for your
bene it.”
-I also don’t know how my body will react.
“If I think it’s dangerous, I’ll get out of it right away, so don’t worry too
much.”
-It’s not because I think you’re in danger—I-It’s embarrassing.
“…”
-…
Surprisingly, it was also the irst experiment that Dialugia didn’t feel
comfortable with.
Dialugia described the experiment as feeling naked, but I found this

funny, considering that she wasn’t dressed right from the beginning.
Fortunately, the heartbreaking possibility that Jung Hayan and I might

end up dissolving in the acidic solution of Dialugia’s stomach did not
happen.
This was because dragons did not digest what they ingested but rather
decomposed them into magical power. In other words, Jung Hayan and I
almost became her new source of magic power.
Dialugia’s organs had almost started disassembling without her

knowledge due to past injuries, so she was able to get the help of Jung
Hayan’s protective magic to ix them.
The irst body exploration ended there. Special equipment was made
in-house, and only after this was I able to look around relatively safely
and comfortably.
The interesting thing I had discovered while exploring her body was
that her organs’ structure was more complex than that of humans.
In a way, this would be obvious knowledge. She was, after all, a race that
could be said to be a superior entity. The fact that her form of digestion
would be to gather magical power was a surprising discovery in itself. I
thought it would be amazing to see Tol To-ri do this since he ate more
than double his size. Who knew he would have such an organ?
Like a common cliché in any fantasy novel, digested magic power was
sent to the heart, and the heart would then supply it with blood to the
whole body.
‘So, it was this.’
That was the reason why her blood could become a catalyst containing
magical power.
All her other organs were also unique. In a way, her body was a huge
power plant. The unre ined, contaminated magic power would also
undergo a puri ication process without discharging it outside the body.
The secret of all the energy she turned into action lay in magic.
I just nodded when I saw all of that, but Jung Hayan, as if amazed just by
the fact that Dialugia could even move, was analyzing the data in her
own way.
There was something even she could learn from this. Eventually, she
acquired her own achievement just by exploring Dialugia’s body.
Thus was the creation of a legendary-grade attribute.
[Archmage’s Heart (Legendary)]
This was absurd.
“How is this is an attribute? No, how…”
“I made one more organ made of magic power.”
“What?”
“I thought it would be nice to have something like this, too… I tried it

once before…”
“…”
“I think I’ve accomplished it right away, Oppa… Hehehe…”
“I see… Good job, Hayan.”
“Hehehehe…”
I knew this without the need for an explanation. However, my gaze

continued to rest on Hayan. I knew she was a genius, but I honestly
hadn’t expected her to produce something right away.
Like Dialugia, she couldn’t break down everything into magical power,
but Jung Hayan certainly became able to constantly recirculate and
recycle magical power in her body.
In addition to preparing a charger that could quickly recharge magical

power in the body, she continued to purify and accumulate the
remnants of magical power remaining after using magic.
Although the magic power level did not increase right away, it had
established a system that could continuously circulate and recharge
magic power in any situation.
Of course, Jung Hayan’s awakening proved to be quite the stimulus for

me.
I didn’t feel inferior, yet I found this whole affair unfair. I was no longer
satis ied with getting the legendary-grade title of Dragon Alchemist. I
had to get another one.
Amidst continuing research on the serum to strengthen Park Deokgu, I

approached the principle of how she could release that breath in my
spare time.
The breath delivered the magical power stored in the Dragon Heart to a
special organ in the neck before releasing it at once.
It was true that Dialugia was also at risk if we were to take samples of
important internal organs.
If I did something wrong, and she ended up losing her breath ability, the
damage would be very serious. I had no choice but to make a small
model of this organ. After a complete scan of her organs with the Mind’s
Eye, I eventually igured out how her organs worked.
Dozens and hundreds of experiments turned out to be useless, but I

learned something new every time. Eventually, I created a small bottle
that looked exactly like the main organ, thus making the breath ability
available.
The deformed-shaped glass bottle had already undergone magical
treatment and had been engraved several times with small spells for
ampli ication, diffusion, and control.
The inal touch of the potion was a magical catalyst made up of

Dialugia’s blood.
With my magic, the stored blood all fell into a small vial.
Hmmm!!
The blood entered through the malformed glass bottle entrance and
rotated violently like a motor, thus activating the spell.
It only took about 2 seconds.
Eventually, this small vial created a wave of magical power, releasing

the magical power contained in the blood in all directions.
That was how dragons employed their breath. However, the glass bottle
could not withstand the magic and broke in an instant.
Though this could not be classi ied as a radial or concentrated type

since it was simply an explosion, this was enough to create the magic
power of the magnitude I desired.
[Legendary-grade potion —– discovered for the irst time.]
[Please enter the name of the potion directly.]
[Enter the name of the potion.]
[Dragon Breath Potion (Legendary)]

Baaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnng!!
“Explosion is art!”
Dragon Breath Potion MK1. This was the moment when the continent’s
irst-ever combat potion was created.
CHAPTER 198
DRAGON’S NEST,
EXPERIMENT, CHANGE,
ENHANCEMENT (6)
[Dragon Breath Potion (Legendary)]
[This is a legendary potion made by Dragon Alchemist Lee Kiyoung.

After 2 seconds, Dialugia’s magical power is released in all directions
when injecting magical power, creating an explosion with a shock
wave.]
This peculiar-looking glass bottle in my hand looked cooler than I

thought. The deformed appearance also looked highly unusual. I was on
a de inite high.
This was a tool that could make up for my lack of magic power and as
another means to protect my body. Of course, the fact that it would take
two seconds before activating would prove to be quite a disadvantage. I
wouldn’t be able to use this during an interpersonal battle, yet I still felt
good despite knowing this.
For now, it’s an advantage just to have one more option besides magic.
My personal specs alone were not enough to reach the Eight Imperial
Seats, but as I continued to improve this potion, the magic power alone
may be enough to deal with even an Archmage.
At this point, Dialugia had returned to human form.

“That’s great. Really… I didn’t think I could really make it…”
She was amazed enough when she irst saw it, but she looked even
more amazed to see it up close. Her amazement soon turned into a
smile. The fact that she was surprised meant that I had done it right.
‘This is the power of alchemy.’
“Didn’t I say it before? This is the product of science, magic, and

alchemy. Of course, there are still many things to improve… In a way, it’s
a primitive test piece, but it will develop more and more in the future.”
“I… don’t understand how this is possible. Of course, its magnitude isn’t
as powerful…”
“I think it’s suf icient, though… Ahem. Anyway, the principle is simple.
Your organ was just a model. What appears to be a vial contains a few of
your cells. It’s not perfect, but it’s probably enough to be a thermal
organ plate. The only difference is that it has been drastically reduced
in size and that what lows through this organ is puri ied blood, not
magic power.”
“…”
“In fact, I’m not sure how this organ can emit magical waves, but that’s
not what matters. The important thing is that the organs inside you can
emit magic power, and I was able to copy it.”
“Is that possible?”
“It is impossible for common people. My eyes are a little better than
theirs… Well, for explanation’s sake, it’s like this: Magic power lows
into your blood. Just as you’re delivering magic power to your organs, I
dropped a dose of your blood into this glass model. Following the
guidance of the engraved spell, the blood creates energy and activates
this organ. It takes two seconds to activate…”
“Yes.”
“And…”
Zzzaaaaaaaap!
Baaaaaannnnng!!
The potion I threw broke, thus creating a large wave of magical power.
I didn’t know if this was the in luence of her magical power, but seeing
it burst in such a manner seemed to make my guess plausible.
I knew it de initely wouldn’t be that cool if it had been an ordinary

explosion.
Considering the price of that glass bottle, it seemed a little wasteful to

break, but it was a test product anyway, so it didn’t matter if it burst.
“It’s amazing, just looking at it again.”
“I am also amazed. Anyway, I think you don’t need to participate in the

experiment for the time being. We’ve also gathered all the data we
need, and everything else is up to me.”
“Is what you originally decided to make been completed?”
“I’m almost at the inal stage. In fact, it’s okay to say it’s almost
complete, but… I didn’t have the con idence to make anything more
than this with my current ability.”
The serum that would strengthen Park Deokgu was almost in the inal
stage.
It should have been a little dif icult to make two things at once, but Jung
Hayan, who busied herself with playing with Tol To-ri, proved to be
very helpful.
The reason was that the probability of success could only be increased
when alchemy’s area got expanded and imported into magic.
Repairing a person’s body was more dif icult than making a dragon
breath potion.
Although it was complete, I knew more improvements were in order.

However, the limit of ability cannot be helped. At this point, I was
limited to improve the potion only by this extent.
[Enhancement Serum (Legendary-Grade)]
[This is a legendary-grade potion made by Dragon Alchemist Lee

Kiyoung. Made from Dialugia’s serum as a catalyst, this potion forcibly
increases the user’s physical abilities. It can only be used on players
with stamina of 70 or higher and endurance of 70 or higher. The
probability of success is not that high. If it fails, the user will die, so
please be careful when using it.]
The green liquid looked ominous. It wasn’t even warm, but the way it
boiled alone was quite gaudy. It was obvious as to why it required more
than 70 stamina. Naturally, there was a risk.
Even if one managed to make a serum, it would not be safe to inject it.
The human body would reject the dragon’s blood, and the minimum
stats to overcome the rejection were either stats of 70 stamina or 70
endurance.
Of course, the probability of success could be increased with the

practitioner’s will as well as the help of various spells, but the success
rate was less than 62%, which was risky no matter how high it seemed
to be.
Though it can be used on people like Kim Hyunsung or Cha Hee-ra, the
effects would prove to be meaningless since their stats were already so
high. I wasn’t that stupid.
In other words, this was a custom-made item just for Park Deokgu.
It was originally designed with him in mind and improved to it his

body.
Nevertheless, I thought that the probability of success was only this

much because the enhancement procedure itself was a risk-bearing
procedure.
“It de initely looks dangerous.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Our blood causes rejection to other monsters as well. To do this

with the blood of another race in the irst place is a dangerous idea.”
“Hmm…”
“If it fails, one’s whole body may burst and die…”
I de initely didn’t want to see Park Deokgu’s body bursting to death.
When I collected Park Deokgu’s body data during a busy experiment, he

was still busy wielding his sword. What I was trying to do now was, in a
way, similar to making a chimera.
Considering that all chimeras had some side effects, I didn’t even want
to recommend this.
But…
‘I think it will work somehow… ’

I didn’t know why, but I was con ident about this. It was different from
feeling con ident in my abilities. This particular con idence stemmed
from my honest judgment that this experiment had a higher probability
of success than what it really seemed to have, thanks to whatever
transcendental being kept intervening in my affairs.
‘Whoever that is doesn’t want Park Deokgu to die.’
Though this sounded like a simple delusion, I couldn’t help but feel that
way.
Considering that the being had also intervened with my Mind’s Eye,
there was plenty of room for it to intervene in this experiment as well.
‘The probability of success can continue to increase.’
I knew Park Deokgu would accept this, anyway. It was entirely his
decision to make. However, I myself could get kicked out of Kim
Hyunsung’s party if I became too reckless about this, so it would be
better to play safe for now.
‘Let’s do that.’
I wanted this to be a surprise, but it was dif icult to raise the probability
of success without a de inite target.
“Hayan.”
“Yes, Oppa?”
“Can you bring Deokgu here?”
“Ah… Of course!”
Jung Hayan nodded at my request and ran out. Dialugia looked at me

with a strange expression.
“Are you really doing it?”
“We have to do as far as we can to improve it. It’s a potion tailored to

individuals, so if he’s here, I can increase the chances of success a little
more.”
“How will you…”
“I think it would be a good idea to check out what kind of rejection his
blood is causing and recreate a potion that can offset the effectiveness
of this forti ication serum. I’m just going to inject the potion irst, then
inject the serum to increase the chances of success. I have to go through
a close inspection.”
“It’s hard to understand exactly what you’re talking about, but… you
seem con ident.”
“Yes, yes. It’s a bit disappointing that we can’t do clinical trials…

Anyway, this time, I will try to approach this a little carefully.”
“Well… Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Just injecting your energy will reduce the rejection.”
Surprisingly, Dialugia herself seemed interested in alchemy.
‘Shall I get her to train with the newcomers this time?’
While waiting, I decided to entertain these useless-sounding thoughts.
Park Deokgu was important, but Dialugia’s socialization was also a task
that I needed to solve.
In conclusion, I did get help from this lab’s costs, but I would hate
having to undergo such a situation again. If Lee Jihye hadn’t helped me,
I would have felt how risky the loan business was.
As I continued to talk with Dialugia, I gradually began to hear Jung
Hayan’s voice. Coupled with Park Deokgu’s, they proved to be quite the
noisy pair.
I wanted to show Deokgu the serum right away, for I had prepared it as
a gift.
‘It’s not a surprise, but I have to show him this.’
I could understand the feelings of a man without talent better than

anyone else. Because of this, I was already looking forward to seeing
what kind of reaction Park Deokgu would have.
As the two approached me, Park Deokgu waved at me. Since it had been
a while since we had seen each other, his expression appeared to be one
illed with joy.
“Hyung-nim!”
“Deokgu.”
“Well, how are you? Experimenting is good, but please show up every
once in a while in Blue. The guild’s administration team is living hell.
There seemed to be more preparations than expected for the tutorial
dungeon.”
“I was a little busy lately making something.”
“I heard everything from Hayan. I heard you made something

amazing…”
He was smiling, almost as if he was feeling good about himself. Seeing

that he was all sweaty, it appeared that he had been training before
Hayan had urged him to come with her.
After hearing him talk, I was worried about whether Jung Hayan told
him about the serum, but I quickly realized that he was talking about
the dragon breath potion.
“Didn’t you call to show me that dragon breath potion or what? Whoa…
I knew Hyung-nim would show me irst! Hayan has already spread
rumors throughout the guild.”
“Haha. Actually, it’s also because I made something else, something

new.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
No wonder my heart had been trembling. Park Deokgu was totally

clueless. With this, I handed him the Enhancement Serum. The man
looked completely startled.
“Please read it.”
“Huh? This?”
At my request, Deokgu immediately checked the potion’s status

window with interest. As he did so, I began to speak.
“There are some things that I still need to do, but it’s all custom made,
so it won’t be a problem. For now, I think it would be better for you to
stay here from now on.”
“Ah…”
“There are some problems with what I’m doing right now. I have to
weigh the number of cases. Oh, and don’t mind the penalty. If I can
improve it, the success rate will eventually be higher than 80%. I called
you here…”
“Is this what you called for?”
“Yes. You seemed to be having a hard time lately.”
“…”
“What?”
He showed a reaction that was different from what I had been

expecting. Did he not like it?
At this, Park Deokgu quietly pushed my hand away.
“I’m not going to drink it, Hyung-nim.”
“What?”
“I told you I’m not going to drink it.”
For the irst time, Park Deokgu was staring at me with a serious
expression.
CHAPTER 199
DRAGON’S NEST,
EXPERIMENT, CHANGE,
ENHANCEMENT (7)
His reaction was different from what I had been expecting. I thought he
would feel excited, but instead, it was as if he felt reluctant.
Of course, I was disappointed.
It was natural to feel this way, considering the time I spent making the
Enhancement Serum. It was a research of my choice, but this was still
made exclusively for Park Deokgu.
‘This… bastard… ’
I didn’t understand why he would reject this. Of course, I knew there

would be a reason why, but I didn’t think he would stick to that resolve
so much.
This was probably because he wanted to get stronger with his own
strength, and he didn’t want to borrow the power of these potions.
Was he not desperate? If he were aware of the situation he was in right

now, he would never say that. In the irst place, he was only able to get
this far because of my help.
I was dumbfounded by his narrow-minded way of thinking when it
came to abilities.
If Park Deokgu were in a small or medium-sized guild that wasn’t Blue,

he would have accepted this serum right away. If this potion were
released on the market right now, a lot of people would immediately go
and buy it.
It was embarrassing to say this, but this was an elixir for people like
him.
My eyes were sparkling as I felt a little betrayed. I was not angry. I

simply felt a little offended.
“What?”
“I appreciate this, but I will not drink it. Did you really call me just for
this?”
“Yes, that’s why I called you.”
“I appreciate your concern, but you don’t have to worry about me. I am
not a child, and I can do well enough without anything like this.”
Park Deokgu did look very uncomfortable. This was the irst time he
had looked at me like that ever since we had met.
It seems like I had hit his soft spot, but perhaps it was also because he
felt inferior. He had been working hard to catch up with us, but with
this potion, he might feel that I pitied him.
However, at this point, I had no choice but to urge him.
“Stop this useless stubbornness.”
“I am not being stubborn.”

“Remember that it’s not just for you. It’s also for the party.”
“You can just cut to the chase. Are you saying you need a stronger front
liner?”
I could neither con irm nor deny this.
“Then you just have to use someone else. Anyway, I won’t take this.”
“You!”
“I said I’m not taking it!”
The moment I grabbed him, trying to pull him back, he got angry and
struck my arm. Although my stats had increased quite a bit, obviously,
my weak body bounced off.
Park Deokgu looked shocked, and his shock quickly gave way to guilt.
‘Motherf… ’
Fortunately, I was able to protect the Enhancement Serum, but it didn’t

change the fact that my fall had been a painful one due to this. After
checking the serum’s safety, I immediately turned to look at him.
“You bastard!”
As I tried to scream in anger, I felt a huge low of magical power.
‘Ah.’
“What… are you doing?”
As I turned my head, I saw Jung Hayan reaching for Park Deok-gu. It

looked like her new legendary-grade attribute was a success because
the magical power that I could feel from her was much more than I
could imagine. I didn’t know what spell Hayan used, but the ground on
which Park Deokgu had been stepping on began to crumble.
Deokgu tried to hold on while trembling, but he couldn’t resist the

pressure of magical power felt from above. I felt sad seeing him lying
lat on the ground like a frog.
“Ugh…”
He kept trying to get up, but this was not possible. It was a completely
different thing to withstand attacks due to high endurance and to be
able to move with the pressure of magic.
It was especially impossible for a guy with low strength and magic
power to resist this unknown magic. I knew that Jung Hayan was
sensitive to my safety, but I didn’t think she would treat Park Deokgu
like this.
“I apologize.”
“Whoosh!”
“I apologize!”
Craaaaaaackkk!
“Argh!”
She exerted more strength once again, and Park Deokgu began to dig
deeper. I had to rush to stop her. Although Deokgu was strong, there
was no way he wouldn’t sustain any injuries from the spell.
“Jung Hayan, stop.”
“Ah…”
“I wasn’t hurt, and he didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Apologize to Deokgu later.”
“…”
As Jung Hayan lowered her hand, the intensity of her magic

disappeared.
Even with 45 magic power, Jung Hayan’s magic power had been hard to
bear.
As I moved towards Park Deokgu, I could see him quietly getting up. I
checked him with Mind’s Eye and was relieved to see that he had not
received any major damage. To resist Jung Hayan’s magic, he raised his
magic power too much, so his innards were a little damaged, but he
would be able to recover solely with his own power.
I quietly reached out and waited for him to hold my hand, but the
bastard’s expression didn’t look very good. What blossomed on his face
was a terrible look of defeat. He had not even been able to withstand
Jung Hayan’s attack.
‘Ah… ’
I had to admit that things had gotten a little more twisted. Now I was
sure that Deokgu felt inferior.
‘Right now, even I… ’
Even I had a hard time trying to catch up with such a party full of
monstrous geniuses.
As a part of the noncombatant group, I was somehow getting by. This
put Deokgu in a more desperate situation than me.
In the end, he didn’t reach out for my hand.
Feeling defeated that he couldn’t escape from the magic, he stood up by

himself and started walking outside the nest, refusing to look at any of
us.
“I… I’m sorry about earlier, Hyung-nim.”
“No. You seemed a little angry. I’m sorry too, Deokgu. I think I rushed
things a little… Let’s talk about this slowly later.”
“No. Hyung-nim didn’t do anything wrong.”
‘This is so annoying… ’
I wanted to just tell him that he didn’t have the talent, that he had
bigger limitations, that he should just shut up and drink if he didn’t
want the gap between him and the party to widen. However, I cared
about his feelings, so I kept my mouth shut about it. I didn’t need to tell
him, for I knew he already felt that way. In this regard, it would be
better for me to act gently.
Jung Hayan was watching me quietly as if she knew she had made a
mistake, and Dialugia, looking at me from a distance, seemed to know
what the situation was right now.
I clearly was not expecting this.
‘It’s fucking frustrating, fuck… ’
I didn’t know what Park Deokgu was thinking, but it didn’t mean my
worry for him lessened.
In the end, I knew I had to head out.
“I’ll go to the guild for a minute.”
“Okay… Oppa.”
I had to ind another solution to this problem.
‘This is the last time, really.’
This was the last time I would take care of him. If he fell again, I
decided, while going back to Blue, that I wouldn’t protect him any
longer.
I didn’t head back riding White Paul. I wanted to see how Park Deokgu
was. If he saw me approaching him with my griffon, his sense of
inferiority would only increase.
Anyway, the Guild House wasn’t that far, and I soon reached my
destination.
Though I wondered if he would drink his sorrows away, I felt like I

wouldn’t ind him at the bar. Just in case, I headed to the place where he
was with Kim Ye-ri last time.
When I arrived, I found Park Deokgu and Kim Ye-ri together, as I had
expected. Kim Ye-ri rolled her eyes upon sensing my presence. Though
she was aware that I was here, it seemed that Park Deokgu was not.
Seeing that she didn’t tell Park Deokgu, she must be aware of the
situation here.
“This isn’t good, uncle. You shouldn’t forcibly train yourself. Give
yourself time to rest.”
“No, it won’t be training today.”

“Then what will it be?”
“Sparring.”
“If it’s sparring, we do it every day. It’s also considered training.”
“No. Not that.”
“Then what?”
“I want to spar for real.”
“You mean you don’t want me to go easy on you? You’ll get hurt.”
“It’s okay.”
Park Deokgu looked nervous as he spoke. I knew he felt shaken at the

fact that he couldn’t even resist a single attack from Hayan and thus
wanted to know exactly how strong he currently was.
Instead of answering Park Deokgu, Kim Ye-ri slowly turned towards me.
It looked as if she was asking me if she would really be allowed to do

this. Since I couldn’t ind any other solution, I gave her a slight nod. Now
would be the right time for Park Deokgu to face his harsh reality.
The moment Park Deokgu got into position, Kim Ye-ri immediately
rushed towards him.
‘Kim Hyunsung?’
I instantly realized who the kid’s model for practicing close combat
was. She was a bit lighter and more stylish than Kim Hyunsung, but the
fact that they had the same stance was inevitable.
It seemed like Hyunsung had in luenced her more than I had initially
thought.
Park Deokgu corrected his sword as he felt startled, but Kim Ye-ri had
already reached him. Blood spurted out, almost instantly.
When she fought Cha Hee-ra, I had felt it roughly, but that little kid’s
ighting ability was almost comparable to Cho Hyejin’s. It really hurt to
see Park Deokgu pushed down to the point of embarrassment. This
wasn’t even a fair ight.
Although he was holding on with his innate endurance, he could not

catch nor block Kim Ye-ri.
However, this did not mean that Park Deokgu was weak.
‘It simply means that Kim Ye-ri is too strong.’
It felt like she already knew how Deokgu usually moved. The fact that
she moved faster than half a heartbeat should also be taken into
account.
After she dashed away, one of her throwing knives got stuck in
Deokgu’s body, and with her other dagger, she slashed through his body.
It was dazzling to see Park Deokgu’s bloody appearance in an instant. I

now understood why she kept saying she had gone easy on Park
Deokgu.
“I want to stop now.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s stop now. It’s too dangerous. If we continue… I’ll call the priest.”
“A little bit more… Please…”

“I don’t want to. I don’t know why you keep trying to ight with me.”
“…”
“Uncle cannot ight me. Do you inally admit defeat?”
“…”
“You can’t do it like Aunt Cho Hyejin or Hyunsung Oppa anyway. It’s
better to accept this fact.”
The little kid looked at Park Deokgu quietly before immediately turning
away, presumably to call a priest.
Park Deokgu sat on the ground and buried his head between his knees.
I looked at him, thinking he would eventually get up and start swinging
his sword just like last time. However, he did not get up again.
Instead, I could only hear the sound of him crying as quietly as he could.
CHAPTER 200
LEE KIYOUNG’S PRANK (1)
It wasn’t that he was desperate. In fact, Park Deokgu might be more

desperate than anyone else. Just by looking at his relentless training, I
could see how much he felt cornered.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t just accept my gift,

but I knew there must be a reason why. Perhaps he had wanted to repay
me for my trust, or that he wanted to stand by our side using his own
strength, but what was more important to me right now was to make
him realize that his growth should hold precedence over his pride.
‘But no, he had to be all stupid.’
Right now, he did not have the ability to make his self-diagnosis.
Naturally, he felt frustrated since he didn’t know what his problem was.
From the beginning, it was unreasonable to have tried to put geniuses

such as Kim Ye-ri, Kim Hyunsung, and Cho Hyejin on the same line as
him.
Kim Ye-ri was right. He had his own role, and even if Park Deokgu
accepted this serum, he would not be able to catch up with the geniuses
in Kim Hyunsung’s party.
I, too, was similar to him. After realizing that I couldn’t catch up with
geniuses from the beginning, I promptly changed my route. Though I
had a great purpose and strong will, the chances of me catching up to
Jung Hayan’s level were zero.
Of course, Park Deokgu had a higher possibility of reaching them when
compared to me.
“So the method you thought of is this?”
“Yes, it is.”
“I don’t think it’s a bad method… If anything goes wrong, it could

completely ruin a person, right? I’ve seen so many people since the
tutorial, but they didn’t seem to have strong willpower. Rather they
looked pretty dependent. Honestly speaking…”
“Yes?”
“To be honest, if it weren’t for Kiyoung, Park Deokgu would have died in
the tutorial.”
Lee Jihye spoke this harsh fact. If Park Deokgu heard her, he would feel
depressed.
Jihye herself seemed tired, which led me to believe that her work in
Black Swan had been tough so far. However, she still looked relaxed and
had a con ident expression, as always.
“You’re one to speak.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I would have survived without Kiyoung-ssi

and Hyunsung-ssi. Well, it’s already in the past, so let’s stop
reminiscing. That’s not what matters now. And why do you keep calling
me Nuna, Oppa?”
[Checking the status window and the talent levels of the player Lee
Jihye.]
[Name: Lee Jihye]

[Title: Black Swan’s Head.]
[Age: 29]
[Disposition: Sel ish Ambitions]
[Class: Commander]
[Stats]
[Stamina: 27/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Intelligence: 67/Growth potential: Rare or higher]
[Endurance: 14/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Luck: 44/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[General Review: It’s been a long time since we saw your soulmate. As
always, I hope you don’t get too intimate. You know that the possible
child to be born will be really pitiful, right?]
‘It’s because you’re older.’
She didn’t seem to know that I could check her age. As I still wanted it
to be a secret that only I knew, I swallowed General Review’s joke about
the child to be born and quietly averted my gaze.
“I don’t even look that old… Anyway, it really is amazing.”

“What?”
“I didn’t know you would care for him like this. I thought you were
more of a cold type… Do you ind it hard trying to get rid of him because
you’ve been together since the start?”
“Something like that.”
“That’s surprising. I knew you were all about Hyunsung-ssi, but this
time you seem to be doing everything you can for that big dunce. If I
hadn’t heard the news that you were with Yuno Kasugano in the Royal
Castle, I would have had doubts about whether Kiyoung-ssi was a
homosexual.”
“What?”
“I’m just joking. That’s because I know better than anyone else that
you’re not. Still, if you really do like men, you should let me know. It’s
good to feel challenged, but if that’s true, it’ll sadden me a lot.”
“I know. I know you’re just worried about Park Deokgu, so I just said it.
There’s no reason not to throw him away, but it’s evident that you still
want him around. You know that there’s been a lot of talk at other
guilds and parties, right?”
“No. I’ve been quite busy with my research lately. Are there any bad
rumors circulating?”
“Something like that. It is rumored that the Eight Seat members Kim
Hyunsung and Lee Kiyoung of the Blue party are looking for a decent
front liner.”
“That’s just a rumor.”

“It may not sound like gossip to big-mouthed people. Some people are
more observant than you think. The fact that Deokgu can no longer
catch up with the party is a known fact, and there are various worries
about entrusting the front liner of Blue to someone like that, right? The
transfer market is moving strangely due to rumors of you seeking a
capable front liner. The freelance tankers are also excited about getting
contacted…”
“…”
“Of course, I understand you, but in order to succeed, you have to think
carefully about the best timing to get rid of him. Well, I know you’ll do
well on your own… I am not in a position to judge this. Please just think
that I’m worried about my husband and had just been babbling things.”
“No. You’re actually right in some parts.”
“Really?”
“Actually, Hyunsung-ssi asked me about setting up a second party.

Rather than abandoning Deokgu, we chose to prevent him from
endangering himself in potentially dangerous situations. We also had
the idea of recruiting a new tanker for our current party…”
“How unfortunate… for Deokgu-ssi. If you decide to raise one, is he

going to recruit from the new recruits in the tutorial dungeon?”
“Probably. Although retired, Lee Sang-hee is still a Blue adviser, so it’s

not really an urgent situation. But we still have to prepare. I’ll only be
willing to take care of Park Deokgu to this extent. Do you understand
what I mean?”
“Yes.”
“Honestly, I spent so much time and money making the Enhancement

Serum even though I had a lot of other priorities to attend to. It’s not
just the Red Mercenaries and Black Swans that value these new
recruits.”
“Well… Since Blue has settled down a little, you would want to bring
many good newcomers. I understand.”
“This is the irst and the last time. If something doesn’t work or if he
doesn’t change anything…”
“Will you kick him out from the guild?”
“No. It would be appropriate to leave him to the second party. We’ll

either make him a training instructor or an administrator.”
“See? You de initely got softer.”
“I’ll take this as a compliment, Nuna.”
As I teased her, Lee Jihye smiled. It felt a bit uncomfortable for her to be
observing me like this, but since she had promised to help me, the
purpose had been completed.
“I know you must be busy, so thank you for your care, Nuna.”
“I’ll just think that you bought a few stocks. Something will come back
later. Well…”
“Sooner or later, the Black Swan will also have a drop of bean sprouts.”
“I think that Yeon-joo Eunni will like it. Ah. And please ask Hyunsung-
ssi to make some time.”
“What?”
“My Guild Master keeps asking me to see him, but there’s been no
response.”
“Park Yeon-joo?”
“Yes. Did you hear anything?”
“Absolutely nothing…”
“I think Yeon-joo Eunni likes Hyunsung-ssi. She seems really intent on

asking me to arrange a meeting. I’m just curious… he’s not a eunuch, is
he?”
“I don’t think… so…”
This was a new story that I had never heard of. I thought he had been
getting close to Cho Hyejin. Who would have known that he would be
caught up in a dating rumor with the Black Swan’s Guild Master?
Of course, this helped Blue. Seeing that I didn’t know, Kim Hyunsung
seemed to be disinterested, but still…
‘This is good news.’
“Really, it seems like you’ve been stuck in research lately. There wasn’t
any of icial movement, but this was also a story that became popular
within Lindel, much like Park Deokgu.”
“What story?”
“It is rumored that the reason why Blue Guild was able to rise to its
current position is due to the womanizing of the Guild Master and the
Vice Guild Master. Honestly, it’s not even wrong, right? I don’t know
about Kim Hyunsung, but it’s a rumor that perfectly its you. You don’t
even have that handsome face, but women still seem to stick to you like
a charm…”
I knew that was indeed a very sad story, but I didn’t dare give a
substantial reply. However, Lee Jihye’s previous remark was indeed
correct. I had spent too much time on my research. I had to wonder if
there were any other rumors.
“Are there any other rumors I haven’t heard of?”
“I don’t know. Well, the Red Mercenary is betting life and death on
acquiring newcomers from this tutorial dungeon. The Mercenary Queen
hasn’t given an of icial statement yet. I’m guessing there’s a different
reason as to why she hasn’t yet appeared, but other people think
differently.”
‘That’s the correct answer.’
“And what else? There are rumors that the Eight Seats of the continent
will be of icially announced sooner or later. I think the Holy Empire
spread this rumor. It should be viewed as a fact rather than a simple
rumor.”
“Good. I knew there would be an of icial announcement. The timing

seems right, too. Perhaps…”
“It will be after the tutorial dungeon opens, right? Ah! Also, I heard that
you got engaged to Marlin Young-ae and would acquire Castle Rock
soon…”
“That’s just a rumor.”
“I thought so. The source of information came from Marlin’s side.”
“You seem to know all kinds of stuff.”
“What can I say? The intelligence in Black Swan is the best in the
Empire. Oh, and did you know, Oppa?”
“Yes?”
“Kim Ye-ri of your guild…”
“What about her?”
“Did you know she’s been getting close to our guild’s kid lately?”
“I don’t know much about her. It’s Hyunsung that takes care of Kim Ye-
ri…”
“It would be better to tell her to stop coming to Black Swan.”
“Did she cause some trouble?”
“No. Not like that… In fact, the one that Ye-ri is close to isn’t that… safe.
Of course, she doesn’t do anything bad, but… Rather than Yeri damaging
the Black Swan, I’m worried that my child may become a bad in luence
on yours. It’s quite hard to control our kid, too…”
“What, is she a psychopath?”
“No. Her personality is good. She has both talent and ability and is
actually evaluated as a talented person who can soon lead the future of
Black Swan.”
“If that’s the case, you don’t have to worry too much. It seems politically
bene icial that Blue’s future and the Black Swan’s future are getting
along well… If you think about making friends, there is a high
probability that you will become positively affected. Our guild’s little
ones have always been lonely. It’s a relief to hear that she has friends.
Hyunsung will also like it. You don’t have to worry too much.”
As I inished speaking, Lee Jihye began to call out, startling me.
“You’ll see. Sira? Chae Sira?”
Someone answered her call right away.

“You called because you need me? Do you admit it? Yes, you do. The fact
that you called me during a meeting with Lee Kiyoung, who has been
appointed as one of the Eight Seats of the continent, means that you
inally acknowledge me! Awesome. This is sick. You’re calling me on a
quiet night! I’m feeling surprisingly excited!”
“No. There is no need for you to come in.”
“…”
Though I couldn’t see her face, I now knew the reason why Lee Jihye
had warned me about Kim Ye-ri often visiting the Black Swans.
“I know what you mean… I will stop her using all means possible.”
“Yes… Anyway, you are going to enter the dungeon soon, right? Don’t
worry. We’ll have everything Oppa ordered. I will proceed according to
the scenario.”
“Thank you, Nuna.”
“No need to thank me. Between us… Anyway, please do well. Park
Deokgu is still a good guy, but I hope this opportunity will give him
some good results.”
“Are you serious?”
“Absolutely. It’s natural for a person in power to have one or two such
loyalists, right? I won’t see you off, my love.”
“Yes. See you later, my soulmate.”
The dice has already been thrown.
This was the irst-ever Park Deokgu Awakening and Enhancement Plan.
I would make him Captain Lindel later on, but irst, I had to enter the
dungeon with him.
Of course, before that…
‘I should warn Hyunsung beforehand.’
He shouldn’t let Kim Ye-ri, the future of Blue, grow in such a lopsided
direction.
CHAPTER 201
“Is this really okay?”
“Sure. I don’t know when we’ll be able to gather like this again. When I
start getting busy in earnest, I’ll have less and less time to hang out
with you all. Things will get crazy once the new recruits arrive.
Hyunsung-ssi also understands that, so I think that’s why he allowed
me to go to the dungeon this time.”
“But…”
“I also need some time to relax, and it’s been so long since we’ve done
this. Some people also need a break, you know.”
“Hyung-nim…”
Park Deokgu looked grateful for some reason. Perhaps he thought that
the reason for this dungeon trip was because of him.
In his position, it would be natural for him to think so. Going to the
dungeon at such a sudden time might seem suspicious to anyone who
was to chance upon it.
It was only a few days ago that he had a dispute with me.
Naturally, he’d think that the reason why I started planning a dungeon
expedition was that it would be my form of reconciliation to him.
In fact, Jung Hayan still felt uncomfortable with Park Deokgu, and I
didn’t dare talk to him until this expedition arrived.
Thus, it would be natural for him to feel this way.
He wouldn’t even be able to imagine that I had planned all of this in a

completely different direction from his line of thinking.
After all, this was the irst Park Deokgu Awakening and Enhancement
Plan, directed by Lee Kiyoung, written by Lee Kiyoung, and supported
by Lee Jihye.
It was a real gift prepared for him, who had felt dejected after Kim Ye-ri
had beaten him. This way, he would have a real shot at achieving what
he wanted to achieve.
He lacked many things, but one of the biggest problems Park Deokgu
currently had turned out to be…
‘The fourth class change.’
Among the Blue party members, he was the only one who hadn’t gotten
a 4th class change yet and was still maintaining his rare-grade class. I
didn’t know why he hadn’t gotten around to changing his class after
experiencing an entire monster wave, but my guess lay on the
possibility that his barrier was a psychological one.
This made me curious about one thing.
If a crisis would hit us, how would Park Deokgu react?
It wasn’t a big deal, but it was something worth thinking about. This
was something he had never experienced before since Kim Hyunsung’s
party was full of geniuses. Thus, every possible problem ended up
getting solved by Hyunsung before it could scale into trouble.
It wasn’t just Kim Hyunsung. Jung Hayan’s protective magic blocked the
backup before Park Deokgu could get hurt.
That being said, in every party battle, our party members always ended
up outshining Deokgu in terms of performance. Though he was able to
experience the battles alongside them, it made me think if his constant
behind-the-scene performance was the reason why the system wasn’t
able to judge what kind of class to give him.
This was only my hypothesis. However, I had to think that it was worth
experimenting with. It didn’t matter if he didn’t develop his class or
attribute this time. If he felt that he lacked in this expedition, it would
be a little easier for him to accept the serum, and if he couldn’t get
through this, I could push through with assigning him to a new party.
However…
‘There is no chance of that happening.’
I knew Park Deokgu would never give up, hence why I had proposed
this expedition.
Having cleared up my thoughts, I smiled and spoke to him once more.
“Even so, you shouldn’t be too distracted. It doesn’t matter that the
dungeon is rare-grade. Always keep in mind the possibility of an
accident.”
“Yes. Uncle Kiyoung is right.”
“I know that. This time, Hyunsung-ssi will not be here, so we should

stay alert.”
“Of course, I’m not telling you to feel too pressured. I bought a dungeon
with low dif iculty on purpose. You can get nervous, just don’t move in a
rush.”
“Hm… You didn’t have to buy a dungeon…”
“The other guilds are now busy preparing for work after the opening of
the tutorial dungeon. I got it for cheap, so you don’t have to feel so
burdened.”
“If so, that’s a relief.”
The smile he currently showed was one I hadn’t seen in a while. Though
Deokgu usually laughed when he was with other people, this was the
irst time that his expression felt sincere.
I didn’t know what exactly Deokgu was thinking, but I was sure he was
feeling better now.
‘His condition’s not that bad.’
I also felt like he desperately wanted to restore his relationship with

Hayan, considering how badly things had gone last time. However, it
wasn’t him who needed to apologize. It was her.
‘Tsk. This foolish guy.’
However, it was cute seeing Deokgu fretting about this, so I let him be.
When I took my gaze away from him, I saw our ive other party
members approaching. Five of us would be going—me, Park Deokgu,
Jung Hayan, Kim Ye-ri, and one priest, who would serve as our backup
should anything happen.
Originally, I wanted to bring Sun Hee-young, but I couldn’t because of

the busy time.
Hwang Jeong-yeon, who had maintained a fairly close relationship with

Park Deokgu, was also unavailable because she was currently in charge
of Blue’s administration.
In fact, I thought Hwang Jeong-yeon could be used as the centerpiece of
this plan, but considering her poor acting ability, I decided it would be
better for her to stay still.
Of course, the rest of my members were the same. Both Jung Hayan and
Kim Ye-ri were unaware of the basics of socializing and were far from
my irst choices when it came to plans.
‘They, too, have terrible acting.’
With this, I had chosen Ahn Ki-mo, a priest from the Red Mercenaries.
This was because I needed talented people who could somehow relieve
the awkward atmosphere created by Kim Ye-ri and Jung Hayan.
At this point, Deokgu began to speak.
“Oh, it looks like I didn’t greet the priest… If it’s okay, please introduce
me, Hyung-nim.”
“Is this your irst time meeting him?”
“Well, yes.”
“It’s to meet you, Deokgu-ssi. I’m Ahn Ki-mo.”
“Ahhh. I’ll call you Ki-mo Hyung-nim.”
“Haha. Yes. As a member of the Red Mercenary Guild, I came across fate
and was able to join this expedition.”
“Since Hee-young was very busy, I had to use a network.”
“Ah… I see.”
Ahn Ki-mo’s appearance seemed to help, seeing as Deokgu seemed to

like meeting new people. Plus, Ki-mo had a friendly, likable face.
“Thank you for coming, Ki-mo-ssi.”
“No, no, Kiyoung-ssi. Blue is also a friend of the Red Mercenary, and I
was feeling very bored. You don’t know how honorable it is to be with
the party that has made Lindel upbeat these days.”
“I was just lucky. When it comes to clearing dungeons, one dungeon

with a heroic-grade and one dungeon with a rare-grade is all I’ve got to
show for it.”
“Why does it matter how many dungeons you have cleared?”
“Hahahaha…”
‘This guy is a natural… ’
It was worth it. I heard that he majored in theater, and though he wasn’t
famous, I heard that he was able to do some roles in Daehakro.
I could remember that he was not an ordinary priest, but a kind of

combat priest. However, no matter where I looked, there was no
evidence of his experience in the area.
Whoever sees him would see him as a common priest. The appearance
alone made him deserving of joining us.
The party members began to head to the dungeon while talking loudly.
Though it would be possible to move quickly with a wagon, I thought it
would be better to talk while walking, creating a picnic-like
atmosphere.
There was no problem at all, except that Jung Hayan had strangely been
avoiding Park Deokgu because of the pressure for acting, and he felt
uncomfortable by it.
I did not intervene, simply because this might be better than her
destroying my plans.
Kim Ye-ri was all about being quiet, throwing a few words out every
now and then, but fortunately, it was unlikely that she had been
in luenced by her Red Mercenary friend very much.
Deokgu, who was naturally friendly, got closer to Ahn Ki-mo in no time.
We spent a lot of time sitting and resting while walking, and I put a lot
of effort to sleep overnight by building a camp.
Although I didn’t drink too much, I enjoyed the atmosphere as much as

I could. So far, almost everything was going perfectly. I also had a lot to
worry about, so this proved to be a good chance for me to enjoy and
take a breather.
What was interesting, however, was that Kim Ye-ri was surprisingly
good at cooking.
“Bride class.”
Her answer, which brie ly explained why she was so good, revealed that
Kim Hyunsung had been garbage at this particular skill.
Once I knew we were getting nearer, I snuck a glance at Ahn Ki-mo. The
peaceful break ended here.
Seeing my signal, Ki-mo upped the acting.
“I think we’re almost there now.”
“Yes, Ki-mo-ssi. We will be able to enter the dungeon by tomorrow

morning.”
“You said it was a rare-grade dungeon, right?”

“Yes.”
“Looking at the composition of the party, I don’t think there will be any
big problems. Those of you who are here must be able to attack easily.”
“Of course. We have Hyung-nim and Hayan with us…”
“But if you are to enter this area, you will have to be a little alert.”
“Ahhh… You’re talking about that.”
“Yes, Lee Kiyoung-nim knows about it.”
At this, Park Deokgu looked between the two of us curiously. He

evidently didn’t know what we were talking about. Upon seeing this,
Ahn Ki-mo continued to speak.
“Ah, Deokgu-ssi doesn’t seem to know about it.”
“A few years ago, a clan was completely annihilated in this area. It is not
of icially known, but if you are a member of a large guild, you would
have heard of it at least once.”
This was a lie.
“It happened around here?”
“Yes. At the time, Lindel did not make an of icial announcement on this
case. I know everyone else knows about it, though.”
“They call it the Murder Brigade.”

As the atmosphere changed, I could see Park Deokgu swallowing. By
this point, Ahn Ki-mo had taken on a nervous expression.
‘This bastard.’
I had brought him along because I heard he was good at acting, and it
was more than worth it. Even I began to feel nervous with the sudden
change in atmosphere. Both his facial expressions and actions seemed
so perfectly natural.
‘This bastard… makes me want to recruit him.’
“It’s a murderer clan created by psychopath killers who have passed

down to the Holy Empire.”
To be precise, this was the future clan that would be created by Jung
Jinho, the now-deceased psychopath killer.
‘I owe you one today too, Jinho!’

CHAPTER 202
In a way, Jung Jinho was the biggest victim in the second timeline. Had
the future lowed as it was, Jung Jinho may have founded the Murder
Brigade by now.
‘Perhaps he could have become the real owner of Juliana… ’
Of course, I didn’t know if they would have the same af inity, but this
did not matter now.
Anyway, the answer as to how I knew all this was easy.
‘Because I saw it.’
I didn’t actually see it. In the conversation between Lee Kiyoung and
Park Deokgu in the irst timeline, it wasn’t hard to deduce the fact that I
had been in contact with the brigade at the time.
It seemed that I didn’t join because of Park Deokgu, but I personally got
close to Jung Jinho.
The Murder Brigade was an unof icial clan that would be created in the
next year or two. Though I didn’t have any detailed information, I knew
one thing for sure. Since this was a clan built around Jung Jinho, it
would not appear in the second timeline.
I was only borrowing the name of Murder Brigade under the ictitious
murderer clan’s name, but it certainly still felt cold.
‘Even if the guy is not here, the members aren’t going anywhere, so it’s
not like there is no chance of being created… ’
However, I knew that without Jinho, they wouldn’t have much of an

impact.
Meanwhile, Ahn Ki-mo continued talking, and even I attentively

listened.
“Murder Brigade?”
“You mean there are such guys found near Lindel?”
“Yes. Although they regularly patrol at the city level, the Murder
Brigade’s own technique is so secretive. I know that our guild still
hasn’t caught their tail. Of course, a little time has passed since then,
but we still have to be careful.”
“Oh, did they ever show up recently?”
“If so, I wouldn’t have joined you guys. Hahaha.”
“That’s fortunate…”
It was interesting watching Ki-mo assured him that nothing would

happen anymore right after raising the tension this much. After all, one
had to throw the bait in order to catch the ish.
Ahn Ki-mo’s naturalness at acting was a stark contrast to Jung Hayan

and Kim Ye-ri, who were both spouting out fearful remarks with
painfully stoic expressions.
“Don’t worry too much, Deokgu. It happened a long time ago… Just be
careful, because anything can happen. Isn’t that right, Ki-mo-ssi?”
“Yes, it’s been a long time. Of course, it doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t…”
Park Deokgu, who was responsible for the safety of the party members,
spoke quickly.
“What’s on your mind?”
Without a doubt, he had taken the bait. Upon seeing this, Ahn Ki-mo
sent a subtle signal back to me, con irming what I already knew. Things
were going well so far.
“Ah. It’s no big deal. You really don’t have to worry about it, Deokgu.”
“I’m asking because I’m really curious, Ki-mo-ssi.”
“This is because the frequency of disappearance cases has increased a

bit recently.”
“Disappearance… cases?”
“Yes. Of course, it’s not a remarkable number. It usually just happens

annually.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Anyway, they’ll de initely lessen if you can train the new recruits
right. Usually, their stats increase explosively in the irst year of entry…”
“Ah.”
“Although the city has been avoiding brutal expeditions, they usually
don’t listen. Even though it has been less than a year since entering the
continent, the recruits from the last year were exceptionally full of
con idence, thanks to the two people chosen for the Eight Seats of the
Empire. Hahaha. Of course, I’m not blaming Kiyoung-ssi. The accidents
that have happened were because of their choice.”
“Are you sure that’s the only reason?”
“It’s not really something you should care about. The Red Mercenaries
had already inished their search for that. We have searched several
times already, but there’s been no trace of the Murder Brigade staying
nearby.”
“The Red Mercenary is reliable, but…”
I didn’t know if it was because Kim Hyunsung wasn’t here, but he had
fallen for the trap much easier than I had initially thought. The fact that
he was responsible for our safety probably helped.
Of course, there was Kim Ye-ri as the front liner, but she had an
assassin’s role. She would focus on the offense, barely giving her other
teammates any thought.
Park Deokgu now looked so serious that I resisted the urge to laugh.
“Then, let’s get going.”
“Hyung-nim.”
“Yes?”
“N-Nothing.”
At this point, Park Deokgu must want to go back. Had this not been a
place for reconciliation, he might have pushed through with retreating.
Personally, I liked that expression of his very much. I really liked the
fact that he always worried about and always thought of the worst.
When we were almost at the dungeon, he started asking questions once

more.
“Hyung-nim, where did this dungeon…”
“I don’t know. The source has not been con irmed, so I bought it
through a guild. The last one who had it was the Black Swan.”
“I see.”
“Why? Is there something wrong with it?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. Well, perhaps the Black Swan Guild… Do they
have anything to do with the brigade?”
“There must be some sort of relation. Even when they were still active,
the Black Swan was still one of Lindel’s giant guilds. Are you still
worried about the brigade?”
“Not really. Something just feels a little ominous…”
“You don’t have to look so serious. I’ve been careful. It’s been a few
years already, and there’s no reason the brigade would be aiming for
Lindel at this time. Of course, they aren’t the type to do something for
no reason…”
“If it’s you saying that, then it must be true… For some reason, I keep…
Isn’t Hyung-nim an important person in the city?”
“Huh?”
“Well, since you’re a member of the Empire’s Eight Seats… well, I’m just
worried about an accident happening at this time.”
His hunch had been right. Though he was bad at explaining, I

understood what he was trying to say.
He probably thought that having me accompany them to an expedition

right after being given such an important role would make things much
more dangerous for me.
If one were to assume that a group of unspeci ied individuals would

target me, it must mean that the brigade within the city would have
found information of me quietly buying a dungeon.
With my death, they would be able to resurrect their brigade.
Of course, Park Deokgu wouldn’t have thought this far. In the irst place,
the only pieces we threw were bits of information about the brigade,
and there was too little other information to it the whole puzzle. This
was why he kept drilling us with questions, trying to complete the
puzzle by himself.
There was no way to check whether the piece he was looking for would
it the picture he drew or not, but I honestly wanted to applaud him.
‘This bastard has grown.’
It was quite different from what he used to be when he started

following me without thinking. Simply put, Park Deokgu was growing
both mentally and physically.
With that aside, I could feel his anxiety gradually increasing.
Ahn Ki-mo’s role in throwing baits would prove to be crucial at this

point in time. The fact that both Hayan and Ye-ri stayed quiet certainly
helped.
As time went by, Park Deokgu’s suspicion grew, so I tried my best to

soothe him, saying that Jung Hayan and Kim Ye-ri would be okay.
Of course, this was all just the initial steps that we needed to take for
the plan to go off without a hitch.
Of course, it will begin once the ‘It’s going to be safe’ consciousness had
unconsciously settled in their head.
‘It’s about time to come out.’
The timing was perfect, both in terms of location and timing.
Since Lee Jihye had completely planned this part, I also felt curious
about it.
When we were almost ready to enter the dungeon, a woman appeared

from nowhere and began to approach us, harboring a cold expression.
‘Is that…?’
It de initely was. Seeing her would seem like a strange sight, even to me.
Anyone who saw her would think that she was blocking the road.
“Hey… Who… are you? Did you come here alone?”
Even when Park Deokgu spoke carefully, she didn’t answer. In contrast
to Park Deokgu, who felt anxious, I felt a little disappointed.
‘Just one person?’
Lee Jihye, who had ranted that she would prepare perfectly and told me
not to worry, passed by in my mind. I thought she would at least send
the Black Swan elite, but it appeared that she had only sent one.
I checked the surroundings just in case, only to con irm the fact that she
was indeed the only one that Lee Jihye had prepared.
Of course, since this was just acting, it didn’t really matter who came,
but I still felt like this lacked the urgency I had been aiming for.
‘Tsk.’
It was then that I felt an explosive, murderous aura emanating from the
woman.
‘Huh?’
My hands and feet trembled, and I started backing away, almost

unconsciously. This was the same feeling as when I had gotten hit by
Cha Hee-ra before.
‘Uh… ’
The moment I felt the aura wrapping around my body, I realized just
who Lee Jihye had sent.
This was another powerful player in Lindel, who had been evaluated as
an equal to Cha Hee-ra.
It was another member of the Eight Seats of the Empire, the Guild
Master of the Black Swan, who had been said to like Kim Hyunsung.
‘Park Yeon-joo?’
Before I could even organize my thoughts, Park Deokgu began to shout.
“Run!”
CHAPTER 203
HEROES ARE MADE (1)
I had de initely ordered Lee Jihye to do this properly.
‘It would be nice to make it feel like a real crisis… If it feels too
awkward, it won’t work.’
‘Isn’t it just enough to neutralize your party? It won’t have a chance if

it’s a common guild member.’
‘Ah, you think so?’
‘Hmm… The executives are busy right now… I don’t think it will change
much if I send one executive… I’ll just do this on my own. I can’t help it.
I don’t know if it will work or not, but if the deal goes well, you will
probably get satisfactory results.’
‘Do you have some people in mind?’
‘It’s a secret. Please just wait and see.’
Obviously, I was not expecting something to this extent. I had never

doubted Lee Jihye’s ability to handle work.
I knew she would have prepared some great event, but I couldn’t even
imagine that she would bring the master of the guild she belonged to. It
was easy to understand what kinds of conditions were offered.
She must have decided to participate in this event on the condition of

meeting Kim Hyunsung.
Of course, it was undeniable that Lee Jihye’s work was perfect.
‘But… ’
Once again, she did it too well.
“Run!!”
After receiving the wave of magical power and the murderous aura
right in front of him, Park Deokgu’s reaction was natural.
Of course, all of us here could be classi ied as strong. We had Jung

Hayan and Kim Ye-ri, and even Park Deokgu, who had the lowest specs,
had also achieved tremendous growth compared to most people.
However, this de initely did not indicate that we would be able to defeat
her.
“W-what is this all of a sudden…”
“Hyung-nim! Run quickly! Quickly!”
Seeing his distressed expression meant that he cared about my safety,

but assuming that this was not acting, I could understand why he was
raging like that.
This was different from when I ran into Cha Hee-ra. Back then, the
balance had been maintained with the presence of Kim Hyunsung and
Cho Hyejin, plus the fact that Cha Hee-ra could still distinguish me as
her ally.
Now alone, Park Deokgu would not be able to hold the front lines. He
must have also realized this, hence his current attitude, but he had also
grown stronger compared to that one time.
Re lexively, Jung Hayan chanted a spell, and Kim Ye-ri readied her
dagger and began to watch out for the woman, who was currently
looking at us coldly.
‘Fuck… What if that really is a brigade?’
Looking at the covered woman with Mind’s Eye, I could con irm that it
was indeed Park Yeon-joo, and yet…
‘I feel scared.’
Not only did she disappear from view in an instant, but seeing her
materialize while running towards us proved to be a horrifying sight.
“Oh!!”
Because since there was a certain distance between us, Jung Hayan’s
spell reached her irst.
Baang! Along with the sound, dozens of spells begin to pour out toward
Park Yeon-joo.
Though they all intended to track her down, she continued to rush
toward me, blocking all attacks with the one dagger she was holding.
Since Hayan’s magic had been thrown for exploration purposes, it

would be hard to affect her.
Of course, I had no choice but to put magic power into the dragon
breath potion.
Forget resisting. It would be better to get rid of the murderous vibe we

were receiving.
Zaaaaaaaaap!
Baaaaaaaannnng!!
After hitting Jung Hayan’s strands of magic, what awaited us was a huge
explosion.
Of course, I didn’t think we would get hurt. Even if we did our best, she
would still be more than ine.
Park Deokgu, who was surprised upon seeing the dragon potion’s
effects, looked at me, but I couldn’t answer him.
“Focus, you bastard!”
“O-okay. Hyung-nim!”
Now, there was nothing that Park Deokgu could do. She was currently
trying to close the distance between us, and we were trying to increase
it.
Jung Hayan continued to chant spells to get rid of her, and I responded
to variables just in case.
‘Ugh, my pride hurts.’
This was also a test to show how strong Jung Hayan and I have become.
“The winding step!”
Jung Hayan’s body began to light up due to her spell. Even so, compared
to that woman’s agility level, hers was inadequate, but it would
de initely help her.
After the explosion was over, Park Yeon-joo passed through the smoke
as if it was nothing. There was annoyance plainly written on her
expression.
‘Did we piss her off? Fuck… ’
I threw a legendary-grade potion, so it would make sense for her to feel

that way. Now, she moved a little faster than before.
Once again, I put in my magic power.
My potions took two seconds before exploding. However, it would take

less than two seconds for Park Yeon-joo to reach us.
Zaaaaaaaap!
Still, it was only right for me to throw it. The explosion would reach us,
but that didn’t matter.
Immediately after throwing it in front of us, a dragon’s tail materialized

and wrapped around us.
Baaaaannnnngg!!!
Due to its protection, only Park Yeon-joo got caught up in the next
explosion.
Again, Park Deokgu looked at me with a shocked expression.
“This, this…”
“I have had some achievements recently.”
“I see…”
The moment the dragon’s tail disappeared, Jung Hayan’s magic burst
out.
‘Actually, can we win?’

I daydreamed about this for a moment, but this was soon shattered
when Park Yeon-joo continued to move again.
‘Oh, my God… ’
I thought we had a little more distance between us, but this turned out
to be a luke.
‘Is it an attribute?’
All that I could check with my Mind’s Eye was her name.
Park Yeon-joo probably had an attribute or ability that could shorten

the distance in an instant.
When I hurriedly touched my catalyst, a crackling sound sprang from

my hand once more, but there was no way I would be able to do
anything else.
At this point, Park Yeon-joo was swinging her dagger straight towards
me.
Before Park Deokgu could even react, Kim Ye-ri jumped in front of me,
holding her own dagger.
Baang!
“I heard that there are many talents in Blue… I guess it was true?”
I felt like praising Kim Ye-ri for being able to block her attack. However,
though she was the only one fast enough to respond to Yeon-joo, this
didn’t mean that she would be able to defeat such a powerful woman.
One attack was prevented, but, naturally, subsequent attacks couldn’t

all be avoided.
After recovering her dagger, Park Yeon-joo struck Kim Ye-ri with her
foot straight away, and the child began to spew blood, lying to the other
side and eventually getting entangled into the branches of a large tree.
‘Retire.’
“Ye-ri!”
“It would be better to start worrying about you, Lee Kiyoung.”
“Ahh!”
After the incident, a startled Park Deokgu began to run towards Ye-ri’s
direction.
“Ahn Ki-mo, treat Ye-ri!”
“Yes… Yes!”
Right after his response, dozens of daggers and swords struck the back
of Ahn Ki-mo, who had been running towards Kim Ye-ri in a hurry.
‘Is that also an attribute?’
“Cough!”
It would be natural for him to die immediately, but looking at the

screaming Ahn Ki-mo, it didn’t seem like he had received a direct
damage attack. Park Yeon-joo had probably used a specially-processed
dagger.
“Groaaannnn…”
Nevertheless, looking at Ahn Ki-mo, crawling and acting so naturally,

was a spectacle to behold. He must’ve been born with such talent.
‘However, it’s not necessary for him to do that much… ’
The way Ahn Ki-mo acted, one would think he had just lost Kim Ye-ri,
who was a comrade. However, he was not the star of this show.
It was Park Deokgu.
All these stages were indeed made just for him.
Biting his lips anxiously, I saw him gradually facing Park Yeon-joo.
Of course, there was no way he could win a match against her. There
was a vast difference in their agility stats, so it couldn’t be helped.
There was no way that he would be able to stop Park Yeon-joo from
running to Jung Hayan.
In the end, Jung Hayan also had a black dagger stuck in her chest, which
signaled her retirement from the play.
At this, I approached Jung Hayan with a startled look and sprinkled a

potion on her chest.
‘This isn’t really stuck in, right?’
I con irmed this fact when Jung Hayan’s eyes opened slightly. It
appeared as if nothing was wrong with her. Though I was curious about
how the sword was made, it wasn’t important right now.
“Op… pa… I love…”
“You can live, Hayan.”
“I love you…”
“Hayan!”
After acting as the heroine of misery, which I had never ordered, Jung
Hayan’s breath gradually began to subside.
Upon seeing this, Park Deokgu screamed while raising his shield.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
I had expected this, but he looked pretty desperate. His expression

contained resentment for his own helplessness.
I didn’t know what he was thinking about right now, but I felt a little
sorry upon seeing the tears low down his eyes.
‘It’s all for you, Deokgu. You can do it.’
Park Yeon-joo did not aim at me after she had attacked Jung Hayan. This
granted me the position to continue crying while holding onto Jung
Hayan. She probably knew it would be more dramatic to deal with me
once the change within Park Deokgu occurred.
Though she allowed Deokgu to rush at her, his sword could not reach
her.
“Shit!! Shit!!!”
There was no way a sword that couldn’t reach Kim Ye-ri would be able
to reach Park Yeon-joo.
It looked like he was being thoroughly harassed.
Seeing him getting bloodier by the second, I felt sorry for him.
Nevertheless, he did not let go of the sword. The reason for this was
obvious.
He was trying his best to protect me.

“Run! Hyung-nim! Get away quickly!”
He kept repeating the same words over and over again.
“Hyung-nim!”
‘I’m very sorry… ’
If he discovered that all of this was just acting, I would not resist it if
Park Deokgu beat me to death as a result. Seeing him telling me to run
away with tears lowing down his own eyes made the whole thing more
emotional.
Once again, I could see just how much he valued me.
We knew all this was fake, so we didn’t think of it much, but all of this
obviously felt real for him.
To tell me to run away while holding her back meant he valued my life
more than he valued his.
Of course, passion and determination did not solve everything.
As more time passed, a bloody Park Deokgu panted heavily, his shield
and sword still in his hands. However, it appeared as if he was not able
to move his body anymore.
As Park Yeon-joo raised her hand, a black dagger loated in the sky,
signaling his execution.
“Run… Hyung-nim… With Hayan… Quickly…”
The moment the black dagger aimed right for Deokgu’s heart, I jumped
out, taking the hit for him.
I knew I moved only because of Park Yeon-joo’s signal, but there was no
denying as to how dramatic it was.
Though the black daggers struck my body, I felt no pain, just discomfort.
A small voice protruded from behind me.
“Hyung-nim?”
“Ah…”
“Hyung-nim?”
“Bastard, run… run…”
When I looked at Park Deokgu while spitting out the red potion I had
prepared in my mouth, his expression was severely distorted.
“Hyung-nim… Hyung-nim… Hyung-nim…”
Looking at him crying and calling out to me like a child made my heart
squeeze. I couldn’t even imagine that he thought so highly of me.
“Hyung-niiiim… Haaaah… Hyung-nim!!”
“Ah…”
“Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim!!”
“Always remember… Deokgu.”
“Don’t go… Don’t go… Because I remember… Hold on a little more… a

little bit more…”
Though his face was still covered in tears, his expression had taken on a
more serious note.
Perhaps Park Deokgu was also aware of it.
‘He can still save us.’
Jung Hayan was still breathing hard, and Kim Ye-ri was doing the same.
The same went for me.
‘Good.’
The bastard, who had done nothing but tremble in fear up until now,
slowly began to stand up, despite it being hard to move due to the
sustained injuries.
He had chosen to stand up in order to ight and defend, rather than

squeeze and die with a body in a pitiful state.
‘Good! Fuck! That’s it!’
As he tightened his hold on his sword and shield, moving to block me,
Park Deokgu began to look more and more like the heroes found in
movies.
His murmuring reached my ears.
“I… I can do better.”
It was the line that had continued to support him up until now.
All the preparations were completed, and the situation was dramatic
enough.
Originally, heroes reached past their limits during this time of the
battle. Of course, I believed in him.
Just seeing him lift the sword and shield once more made him well-
quali ied to be a hero.
“I… I can do better.”
The moment Park Yeon-joo, who still maintained a cold expression,

swung her hand again, dozens of daggers struck me once more.
At this, Park Deokgu lifted his shield up higher, and I saw his body
turning gold as he began screaming something I couldn’t understand.
“Change…”
[Checking the unique characteristic of the player Park Deokgu.]
[A hero that does not fall]
‘That’s it!!!’
I knew this would eventually happen.

CHAPTER 204
HEROES ARE MADE (2)
The golden light emanating from Park Deokgu’s body was so dazzling
that I found it hard to keep my eyes open properly. It was similar back
to when I had changed into a Dragon Alchemist, and my satisfaction
doubled.
‘I did it!! Fuck!’
I was worried about whether all of these plans and stages would be
meaningless, but in the end, all of this work proved to give better
results than I imagined. In fact, if I hadn’t seen the black world with
Yuno Kasugano, this project wouldn’t have come to mind in the irst
place.
At that time, I paid attention to the fact that when Park Deokgu chose to
save me back then amidst the hail of magic and arrows, sacri icing his
own life for my sake.
Of course, it was undeniable that he had a strong body. Even now, his
endurance and stamina stats were excellent. However, that didn’t mean
that Park Deokgu could’ve saved me.
No matter how strong he was, his body would’ve inevitably been

destroyed. It was far from a simple miracle that he could save me from
the many spells that swept away the city.
Perhaps the same thing happened back then.

If my hypothesis was correct, then it was true that he had true potential
since the start.
The light engul ing his body did not stop as Park Yeon-joo’s daggers
continued to hit him. Only when the brightness had begun to dim could
I properly check Park Deokgu’s status window.
‘Good!’
Deokgu]
[Name: Park Deokgu]
[Age: 23]
[Disposition: Simple and Ignorant Enthusiast]
[Class: Shield of Faith (Legendary)]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Basic Sword Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Basic Shielding Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Shielding Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Shielding Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Magic Power Management

Knowledge]
[Stats]

[Health: 81/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]
[Intelligence: 29/Growth potential: Rare or lower]
[Magic Power: 28/Growth potential: Common or higher]
[General Review: Durability stat has reached 90. Magical power and
agility stats still haven’t grown much, but his high stamina and
endurance are compatible with the legendary-grade class “Shield of
Faith,” so he has grown to the point where he can rise to the top. The
growth potential of endurance and stamina is noticeable, but since they
were determined to be higher and not lower, I can say that there is
room for a little further increase depending on whether or not he tries.
Of course, he will go through hell. Please do not spare support and
encouragement.]
‘Awesome… Endurance stat of 90?’
It was so ridiculous that I had to clear my throat. As General Review had

stated, the fact that his endurance stat had exceeded 90 was equivalent
to opening the way to the top for him.
Of course, his other stats were terrible when it came to relativity, but it
was certainly meaningful to have a legendary-grade class, as well as an
endurance stat of 90.
Besides…
‘Advanced magic power management knowledge?’

It was also surprisingly disconcerting to learn that he possessed
advanced magical power management knowledge, something that only
people like Park Yeon-joo, Cha Hee-ra, the deceased Ito Souta, the old
man Victor Hart, and Kim Hyunsung had.
Deokgu’s magical stat was only 28. It seemed as if the size or the
amount of magic did not matter when acquiring knowledge of magic
power management.
It may be hard to use this knowledge right now, but it was undeniable
that it would help a lot in his climb to the stop.
Of course, the most disturbing thing was his explosive increase in

endurance.
It was obvious why the endurance stat, which had not exceeded 80
when I had checked it recently, became 90. He probably got a class
bonus.
[Shield of Faith (Legendary)]
[From ancient times, the shield of faith was not a name for a class, but a
title created to honor great warriors. Only those warriors who threw
their lives to protect others have earned the title of Shield of Faith, and
they have been enshrined in the warrior’s graves and have been
revered by ancient warriors for centuries. The will of these great heroes
is inherited, and the title of Shield of Faith is determined as the class of
player Park Deokgu. Durability stat increases by 15. All stats except for
endurance stat decrease by 1. He has been blessed by heroes and thus
has acquired advanced shielding knowledge and advanced magic power
management knowledge. With the special class effect of the Shield of
Faith, a legendary-grade attribute, the Ultimate Sacri ice, is opened.]
[Checking the attribute of the player Park Deokgu.]
[Ultimate Sacri ice 3333 (Legendary)]

[For a certain period, he has received external shock and damage
instead of a selected target.]
‘Scam!’
I knew he would bloom, but it turned out that he had developed too
much. I felt shocked at the rising of his endurance stats, as well as the
attribute of receiving damage instead of allies.
The low level of agility that bogged him down had been solved with
“Ultimate Sacri ice.” Now, he had the chance of taking damage that
would originally be far for him to reach.
I didn’t know if this would be the direction he would want to grow in,
but he had now inished his class change as the best tanker on the
entire continent.
“Ahhhhh!”
Clang! With a shout, he moved to block my way again. Perhaps this was
Park Deoukgu’s attribute, Sublime Sacri ice.
‘I cannot be right.’
There were things that I was worried about while supporting his
digni ied igure. If Park Deokgu knew that the black daggers didn’t do
any damage, things would get very serious.
We’ve come too far at this point, so I had to hide the fact that this was a
prank.
I wasn’t getting injured because of his new attribute that managed to

block the attack of Park Yeon-joo, but the moment the black daggers
would hit me, this prank would end.
‘This can’t happen.’

No matter how much all of this had been for Park Deokgu, I couldn’t
even imagine how betrayed he would feel. I had no choice but to ask
Park Yeon-joo to stop disappearing, and thus I nodded my head.
In response, Park Yeon-joo also turned her head.
However, contrary to my thoughts that she would go back;

unfortunately, the place where she turned to look at was Kim Ye-ri.
‘Fuck… ’
Her black daggers began to shoot at Kim Ye-ri as if she had taken my
head gesture as a signal to attack Kim Ye-ri.
Even after seeing Park Deokgu’s body shining in gold, she hadn’t
realized it was all over. Perhaps she had been driven by her passion for
Kim Hyunsung.
‘This crazy bitch!’
“No!”
Black daggers were shot at Kim Ye-ri in an instant.
Park Deokgu also tried to reach out with surprise, but he wouldn’t be
able to get to her in time.
In the end, whether he thought it was right to activate his attribute once
again, a transparent shield began to intercept the daggers heading for
Kim Ye-ri.
‘Shit!’
The moment that the dagger touched the shield, he might discover that
all of this was an act. As I debated whether or not to use alchemy, I saw
Ahn Ki-mo taking the dagger instead of Kim Ye-ri.
‘You’re not dead yet! That bastard!’
“Nice, Ahn Ki-mo…”
It looked like he was still alive on the setup.
“Groooan…”
“Ki… Ki-mo Hyung-ssi!”
“I can’t let a young child… die.”
He didn’t even need to say that. This was already dramatic and
impressive enough.
Park Yeon-joo was not the only one who was full of passion. That
bastard Ahn Ki-mo seemed too immersed in this acting.
‘Now stop.’
It was too much.
I understood the two actors’ passion, but I had no choice but to swallow
hard when they were slowly exceeding the risk level.
Now the time had really come to put things to an end.
While Park Deokgu was distracted by Ahn Ki-mo, I started sending OK

signs repeatedly.
Park Yeon-joo nodded as if she inally understood what I was saying.
Park Deokgu had already become noticeably stronger. As if he had

received a reward for his efforts so far, he increased all of the stats that
were stuck, as well as the legendary-grade class attribute and class.
However, I didn’t think he could beat Park Yeon-joo in a ight.
Of course, considering the fact that he was blocking all attacks, a draw
might be possible, but his role was not about personal offense but on
protecting the rear.
‘Plus, Park Yeon-joo isn’t being serious.’
It was better to have this end rather than to pretend that Park Yeon-joo
lost.
Finding this to be good timing, she began to retreat, and for a good
reason.
Behind us, I could hear loud voices calling out for us.
‘Black Swan.’
The rescue team had come.
“Do not miss it.”
“Rangers, start tracking right away.”
“The rest, please move the injured quickly.”
Voices were heard from everywhere, and the Black Swan’s pride, the
elite rangers, disappeared, following their Guild Master. Meanwhile, the
priests approached us, with the other Black Swan Guild members
following suit.
Ahn Ki-mo, who had pretended to be stunned with a dagger in his

chest, took the dagger instead of Jung Hayan and Kim Ye-ri.
Two or three priests began to approach Kim Ye-ri, who really seemed to
be stunned.
With the reinforcements’ sudden appearance, it didn’t take long for
Park Deokgu to return to his senses. At this, one of the elite Black Swan
guild members addressed him.
“Park Deokgu of Blue? I have something to ask about the accident.”
“What… What?”
“You can rest assured now.”
“H-How? No, what is this?”
“Ah, we caught sight of a rescue signal.”
“Ah… Ah… Rescue signal… What about Hyung-nim? Are he and Hayan
safe? And Ye-ri?”
“Out priests are now working on healing them.”
“W-Wait a minute…”
“I’m sorry, we’re currently in an emergency.”
“I-I will go with them. Let go of me!”
My body was carried into a carriage regardless of my will. Kim Ye-ri,

Ahn Ki-mo, and Kim Ye-ri also started coming in, one after another.
Looking at the wagon that looked like a makeshift ambulance, I could

con irm that the Black Swans had a better system than I had initially
thought.
When I slightly opened my left eye, I could see Deokgu watching us

getting into the carriage one after another.
Of course, he had a runny nose and a face illed with tears.

“Hic, hic… Hyung-niiim…”
He was reaching out as if the crying he had endured all this time had
inally burst, seeing the actors, including myself, entering the carriage.
“Hic, hic… Hayan cannot die. If you die… No, I will go with you! Let me
go with you!”
It seemed as if he was just now realizing that all the trouble was over.
With the advent of the reinforcements, the brigade’s villains escaped,

and the dying colleagues were once again visible.
“Let me go! Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim! Say something. Say something! Hic

hic…”
“You should not do this, Park Deokgu-ssi. The patients are in an urgent
situation right now. It’s a situation where they need to be as
comfortable as possible!”
“Hic-hic-hic… Please save our Hyung-nim…”
“We will do our best.”
“Please save him. Please. Haaa… Ye-ri! Ahn Ki-mo-ssi!”
“Don’t get so close to the wagon! They have to relax!”
“Hic-hic-hic… Please save them. Sir, please…”
“Yes. Please believe me.”
He sounded so sad that even my own eyes had begun to tear up. It took
all of the medical experts and priests’ participation in order to calm
Park Deokgu down. However, the man didn’t appear to be calming
down anytime soon.
“Hic… hic…”
The sound of him crying began to bother me.
“The villains may ind the wagon again. Deokgu-ssi, please pay
attention to the safety of the carriage.”
In the end, seeing that he quieted down in response to this, I was able
to con irm that his sense of responsibility had remained strong until the
end.
Once the door of the carriage inally closed, the four of us lying down
slowly started to get up. There were some indescribable emotions on
each individual’s face.
‘It’s an expression I know very well.’
I knew they were feeling the emotions that I usually felt. Ahn Ki-mo’s
face showed satisfaction of having done something perfectly, but that
was all. There was no way he couldn’t be embarrassed to look like this.
He also had some conscience. Among them, the most serious was Kim
Ye-ri.
‘She was awake.’
Kim Ye-ri, who seemed very shocked, now had terrible guilt on her face.
As the four sinners looked at each other’s facial expressions without

saying anything, Kim Ye-ri’s small voice echoed in the carriage.
“From now on, I don’t want to do this. I… feel like garbage.”
“Good work… Still… This whole thing is a success.”
“Uncle Lee Kiyoung.”

“Yes.”
“We did well, right?”
I nodded a little, but I couldn’t ind it in myself to sound cheerful. This

was because I could still hear Park Deokgu crying outside.
The innocent Kim Ye-ri had not yet overcome her guilt.
As I slowly opened my mouth to comfort her, Kim Ye-ri quietly nodded.
“There are some things that cannot be helped in life.”
“Yes… Okay…”
However, she still looked a little worried.

CHAPTER 205
G.T.O (1)
Nearly a month had passed.
After receiving irst aid for about a week at the Black Swan Guild, I was
transferred to Blue and spent the rest of the time in the guild’s hospital
room.
Of course, a week later, Ahn Ki-mo, a member of the Red Mercenary,

headed back to his own guild, but in the process, I had no choice but to
feel a little disappointed. This was because I genuinely wanted to snag
him for myself. He would prove not only a trusted ally but someone
who could take on the role of both sub-tanker and sub-healer.
His stats as a battle cleric wasn’t bad, and in fact, I liked that his
disposition was a little similar to mine. It was natural for me to feel
greedy. This was because, putting the good abilities aside, I knew it was
hard to ind an actor that was so passionate.
What made me happy was that he also said that he would like to work
with me again.
He had said this because his contract period with the Red Mercenaries
would end soon and thus had been hoping for me to take him in. Of
course, I agreed.
I was going to visit Cha Hee-ra anyway. I would discuss Ahn Ki-mo with
her the next time I visited.
‘It’s been a long time since I saw her.’

It wasn’t as if she had not visited me after receiving the news that we
had gotten attacked by the Murder Brigade. Given the public’s opinion,
her visit had been long-awaited. Though she didn’t stay for long due to
her embarrassment, I was still able to talk to her for a bit.
In the meantime, the Black Swan made an of icial announcement about

one of the Eight Imperial Seats of the Holy Empire getting attacked by
the Murder Brigade, showing off its in luence in Lindel in the city.
This was something that Cha Heera and Kim Hyunsung also of icially
agreed on.
Kim Hyunsung and the Blue’s main characters knew that all this fuss
was a prank for Park Deokgu alone, but there was no reason not to
politically use this big incident.
This was probably something that Lee Jihye herself had done.
The trilateral alliance between our guilds immediately strengthened

the city’s boundaries and exercised in luence within the city in terms of
security.
Since I believed in Lee Jihye and Kim Hyunsung, I did not check the
detailed report, but it was con irmed that they are actively moving to
see if this incident could awaken a sense of awareness in a city that had
been a little settled as of late.
Of course, Park Yeon-joo, the Guild Master of the Black Swan, seemed to
be expecting to meet Kim Hyunsung for this reason, but according to
Lee Jihye, there wasn’t much progress, so it would be up to me to
arrange a meeting between the two of them.
Though I did everything I could to support our lovely returner, the fact
that I would be getting myself into his love affair would make things a
little complicated.
If I were to see the big picture, it would be bene icial for both guilds for
him to connect with Park Yeon-joo. There was no reason not to help, so
if this incident ended well, it would not be bad to take some measure in
that matter.
Of course, the Black Swan’s movement was not limited to Park Yeon-
joo’s personal greed. The irst thing they asked upon coming to me was
whether I could sell the Dragon Breath potion. Explicit amounts and
explicit offers came and went, but I wasn’t surprised.
Since it was a potion that could show insane irepower simply by

putting in magic power, it was understandable that they clamored for
me to sell.
Of course, I had no intention of selling the Dragon Breath potion on the

market.
In the irst place, the production process was complicated, so mass

production was impossible because the quantity of products could be
limited.
It could not be made in a factory since it was something that had to be

made by hand.
Of course, one could sell only one or two, but it didn’t make me feel so
good to pass over my source of income. Anyway, the stone I had thrown
had caused a ripple of events to ensue, so it wasn’t all for nothing.
“Hic… hic…”
Of course, the bastard in front of me was still unable to escape the

in luence of said ripples.
“I told you it doesn’t hurt anymore. Stop crying, Deokgu. It’s been a
month.”
“But…”
“Tsk. I just have to be a little careful next time. It’s not your fault. I’m the
one who made a mistake this time.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I should have moved a little more closely. If I had properly prepared,

this wouldn’t have happened in the irst place. As Ahn Ki-mo said, I did
become overcon ident.”
“What… do you mean?”
“Why? It is said that players who have just passed a year are
over lowing with con idence and go on unreasonable expeditions. The
same happened to me. In fact, I didn’t really imagine something would
happen or that I wouldn’t be able to solve it. To put it bluntly, I thought
that even if the Murder Brigade attacked us, we could, of course, beat
them. This is a big lesson. We’re not standing at the end. We’re just at
the starting point. I think we gained more than losing. Not only me but
you, too.”
“Ah…”
“So how is it? How do you feel about being stronger than before? Have
you tried it?”
“Well, I haven’t tried many things. All I did was spar a few times with
advisor Lee Sang-hee and Hyung-ssi… The two seem to be very
satis ied. Actually, I’m not sure what’s changed. Certainly, my body has
become irm, but… Ah! My endurance stat is now 90!”
“Really?”
“It’s still hard to use the sword as well as the advanced magical power
management knowledge and advanced shielding knowledge, and I
haven’t even absorbed all this knowledge yet…”
“You don’t have to rush, Deokgu.”
“Ah…”
“You’re doing well enough right now, and you’re actually strong. To be
honest, it’s more than I expected. The things in your head won’t run
away. If you keep doing the way you are now, you will achieve even
greater results. And…”
“Hyung-nim…”
“I’m sorry about this.”
I slowly put Enhancement Serum down on the table next to the bed.
“It wasn’t because I didn’t believe in you.”
“Ah…”
I could see that he felt overly touched. Though it embarrassed me by

doing this, Deokgu’s expression was more than enough to want to hug
him. In the end, I had to be direct.
“As I have always said, I believe in you. All I can do, you can do better.
From the time we irst met until now, that fact has not changed.
Anyway, congratulations, Deokgu.”
“Hyung-niiim…”
“Okay, don’t cry. I’m sick of it now.”
“Hic… Ye-ri.”
Seeing him getting teary-eyed once more, I had a feeling it would take
yet another month for him to recover.
When I pushed him, he tried to grab Kim Ye-ri’s arm, who had been
beside me, but there was no way Kim Ye-ri would accept it. Rather, Kim
Ye-ri was desperately looking away from him.
The guilt in her had not healed yet.
‘I can’t look at Uncle Deokgu in the eyes,’ she’d told me, and I let her be.
“Hayan… Hic… hic…”
“I-I’m really okay now. I am healthy. I can walk around like this!”
Jung Hayan, who didn’t feel guilty in the slightest, was now also
embarrassed.
Normally, it was okay, but when he asked us where we were hurting,

everyone reacted the same way. Honestly, I was embarrassed to face
him properly. I knew only Ahn Ki-mo could handle him.
“But, Hyung-nim…”
In fact, I, too, could move freely. As he kept following me, I just decided
that it would be better to lie in bed. No matter how many excuses I
made, I felt like he wouldn’t believe it, so I had to look at Sun Hee-
young, who was currently here with us.
“I’m ine, too. Actually, I’m also doing work here. Hee-young also said
that he’s ine… Isn’t that right?”
“Yes. The trauma has completely healed. There are no other side effects.
The reason my recovery was slower than other people seems to have
been unavoidable due to the nature of my class.”
“See?”
“Perhaps, after a week, you will be able to move as usual.”
“Than… I’m glad…”
“So, I would like you to be considerate so that Kiyoung-ssi can rest

comfortably.”
‘Nice, Sun Hee-young.’
She fully understood that I wanted to be alone.
With Sun Hee-young hitting the nail on the head, Park Deokgu coughed
a couple of times, taking Kim Ye-ri and Jung Hayan outside.
Of course, Jung Hayan didn’t seem to want to go out, but… She also
thought that it was a good opportunity to talk with Deokgu.
In the end, it was only me, and Sun Hee-young left in the room.
Come to think of it. It had been a while since we had been together like
this. There was nothing awkward about the situation, but I was very
bothered about her strangely reddish face.
‘At least this one knows how to discern.’
Honestly, I was very grateful for her being in the Blue. The moment’s
silence was bothering me, so I knew I had to speak soon.
“So, how is the tutorial dungeon?”
“Ah… Originally, it is usually opened around this time… It seems a little

later than usual.”
“I see.”
“Yeah. It will probably open after a while. I haven’t been here a long
time here either, but it usually opens around this time.”
“Ahhhhhh… Come to think of it, Hee-young has been around for a long
time.”
“Yeah. In fact, I didn’t do anything productive back then. When I think of

myself back at that time, I think I was just dead.”
“What?”
“I don’t know if this sounds a little ridiculous, but I only recently felt
alive. So is the true meaning of service and the work I do in Blue. I
always think about how insigni icant my actions had been before. It’s all
thanks to Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Hahaha. I didn’t do anything. It’s all thanks to Hee-young’s good work.”
“No. I am really grateful to Kiyoung-ssi. In fact, I think I know why you

did this again.”
“What?”
“With Deokgu-ssi… That you made a plan to kill murderers outside the
city conclusively…”
‘What is she talking about?’
I had never made such a plan. However, this crazy priest seemed to
think that she was right.
Considering her disposition, however, I should’ve expected this.
“I understand that this kind of thinking is presumptuous, and I’m

sorry… that… Kiyoung-ssi…”
‘What’re you thinking?’
I was getting nervous, especially now that Sun Hee-young was looking
straight at me.
Her cheeks were strangely red, and she was holding her chest with one
hand.
Her breathing was a little bit rough, but she didn’t seem all that excited.
Rather, I felt like she was looking at me a little anxiously.
‘Ah… ’
Even a fool would know what she was trying to say.
‘Why so suddenly?’
I knew that this crazy priest had a crush on me, but I couldn’t even
imagine her making such a move. She had always taken on a passive
role this whole time.
Though she had hinted at her feelings before, this was the irst time
she’d been so aggressive.
I mean, Sun Hee-young was de initely pretty. She was not called a saint
of those who was abandoned for nothing. Of course, her behavior and
character were certainly in luential, but I was sure that one of the
biggest reasons she came to be called a saint in Lindel was her looks.
With that neat priest’s uniform she always wore, with hair that reaches
her shoulder and calming atmosphere would make one think, ‘This is
an adult woman.’
I was also a man, so, naturally, I was thrilled. Looking at me with such a
serious expression, it was not unreasonable that my heart began to
lutter.
“Oppa!”
That was when the door opened with a bang. It turned out to be Jung
Hayan that opened the door without knocking.
“Huh?”
There had been no physical contact between us.
She popped out in good timing, but I couldn’t even imagine that she
would do this even after getting scolded the last time.
Perhaps there was a reason? Jung Hayan looked excited.
Rather than getting angry, she waited calmly for a moment, and I could
be sure I wasn’t wrong.
“The tutorial dungeon has opened! The Red Mercenaries want to call
you in as an instructor!”
“This is de initely interesting.”

CHAPTER 206
G.T.O (2)
“Oh, I made a patient come here… I’m sorry, honey.”
“Don’t make fun of me. You already know it. Anyway, I never thought I’d
be here again… I somehow feel different. Thanks for calling me, Hee-ra.”
“Right? Most of the people who come back here usually react this way.”
Cha Hee-ra looked the same as usual. She had an unblushing

expression, and her eyes and red lips still felt dangerous for some
reason. Her biggest feature was the hair that had not been properly
trimmed. Seeing that it now went over her shoulders and down to the
chest, it really seemed like I hadn’t seen her in a while.
This was the irst time we were able to see each other. I knew she had
been avoiding me, so it was quite surprising to see Cha Hee-ra
pretending to be okay.
‘Is she trying to pretend that nothing happened?’
Perhaps this was the case. Due to her personality, this would be natural
for her. Whatever the reason, what Cha Hee-ra did at Castle Rock was a
pretty big mistake.
Since it had caused damage to me, it would be natural for me to gain

something from it.
Perhaps her calling me here would have something to do with that. The
guild in charge of this tutorial dungeon was the Red Mercenary Guild.
Even if the Blue and the Red Mercenary were in an alliance, it was still a
privilege to disclose this to me irst.
‘Maybe she could even give me some priority bargaining rights… ’
I wasn’t sure, but I had to think that there could be some bene its once I
came here.
“Ahem. Then, I want to hear how this will work, is that okay?”
“Uh. Well, okay, I was thinking of starting right away, anyway. Did you
have dinner?”
“Not yet.”
“Then, listen while eating. It won’t be hard.”
“Okay.”
“Hey! Could you bring me something to eat? It can be something simple.

Ah! You know what we ate last time, right? Bring that.”
“Yes. Guild Master.”
Certainly, the Red Mercenary was different compared to when Blue was
in charge of the tutorial dungeon last time. It was quite strange that the
Guild Master did not go directly to meet the attacking team like Lee
Sang-hee in the past.
I could realize how unusual it was for her to visit Jung Hayan and me
before.
‘Perhaps it was because we had inished the tutorial in the shortest

time… ’
I couldn’t believe that the place where I was in now was the place that
Lee Sang-hee used in the past. The training center, which could be seen
out of the window, was also completely refurbished, waiting for new
recruits to enter.
At this, the door behind us opened, and the food that Cha Hee-ra
ordered had arrived.
Since I wasn’t the type to enjoy food, I didn’t pay much attention, but
the edibles’ quality looked pretty good even at a single glance.
‘This is also different.’
“Try some of this, honey. I tried it last time, and it’s delicious.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Would you like a glass of wine?”
“No. I’m good. I’m still a patient, after all.”
“That’s a little disappointing. By the way, what do you think of this?”
“You want an impression?”
“Yes.”
“I was really surprised.”
“I would like you to tell me in more detail.”
“I feel like I know why people say that Red Mercenaries are the Red
Mercenaries. When I irst came here, Blue seemed quite amazing, but
its level was de initely different compared to you. You are just showing
off, right?”
“Right. Although newcomers are coming, this event, which is held once
a year, is a place to show other factions about how strong our guild is,
so I have no choice but to care about it. The transfer market will open
soon, and other guild scouts would be here. Isn’t it good?”
“That’s a mean hobby.”
“Originally, the person at the peak needs to show off his power at least
once, honey. Otherwise, there will always be useless challengers.”
“There won’t be a crazy guy in Lindel who will dare challenge you.”
“Of course, I didn’t do this thinking about the people in Lindel. We also
have Celia, home of the Japanese, and Dawan, home of the Taiwanese.
As you can see, we, the Red Mercenaries, exaggerated a bit. In order to
properly show our power, I replaced all the badges and equipment of
the members with new ones, the training center equipment was up-to-
date, and heavy construction was carried out a few months ago.”
“Is this related to the reason you called me?”
“Hmm… It can’t be said that it’s not. Though it’ll be good to be able to
show that my alliance with Blue is strong, I have another reason for
calling you.”
“Hmm…”
“You know what it is, right?”
“I don’t know if it is the reason I think… Is it because of the

manufacturing job?”
“Yes.”
“I was worried that I would be wrong, but I’m relieved.”

“In fact, until you came in, I didn’t pay much attention to such matters.
To be honest, I was entirely indifferent to the whole thing.”
“Yes. That’s normal.”
“An alchemist is, at best, enough to be used at parties without priests. In

fact, it is nonsense to hire an alchemist… You only need to buy potions,
but there is no reason to call a non-combatant alchemist as a party
member, right? Alchemists are the ones who bite the bullets at parties
without wizards or priests.”
“You are stating too many facts.”
“I’m not talking about you. The same goes for blacksmiths. There are
already many capable blacksmiths in the Holy Empire. No fool entrusts
materials and weapons to beginners even while adventuring… Besides,
I think you know how these people usually end. They spend the rest of
their lives in the slums until someone stabs them.”
“That was, until I appeared, right?”
“You got it right. It was until you came in. Until now, there has been no
case of a manufacturing production with the support and capital of a
guild. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the guilds tried. Even before you
came, there had been several attempts, but it was all a failure.”
“I know what you mean.”
“Because of this situation, I started thinking about giving possible

support to production workers in cities.”
“That’s a little surprising.”
“Actually, besides you, there’s another guy who was a starlight engraver
or a sunlight engraver. He appeared in a small neighborhood… He didn’t
seem to be very ef icient, but he’s also one of the manufacturing
workers supported by a guild. I wasn’t able to get how much he was
worth, but I saw the potential. He’s here because of my personal greed,
but also because of the petitions of Lindel’s guild and clan masters.”
“Hmm… So, that’s how it worked out.”
“It seemed like it wouldn’t matter if I ignored it, but I’m also in favor of
improving the quality of urban production workers. Even the Empire
seems to want it.”
I could clearly understand what was going on.
‘So, it was like that.’
In other words, because of me, the expectations for manufacturing

production had risen. In fact, among all the potions I made, the
advanced products were so effective that they had similar ef iciency to
a priest’s healing.
Since they were recognized as consumable, expensive potions were not

used a lot, but one could always carry a few for an emergency if one
were to go hunting.
Because of this, there was a rise in manufacturing jobs within Lindel,

and some guilds and clans still did not stop investing in manufacturing
production.
In this situation, it was obvious what kind of petitions many guilds and
clans had made to the Red Mercenaries. They must have asked what it
would be like to put a manufacturing job course in this training center’s
training.
Some guild’s petitions could simply be ignored, but this would prove to
be a problem for the guild in itself. In particular, considering that the
Empire was also strangely hoping for it, it was not unreasonable to
make this choice.
‘The wise king deigned to come out… ’
Cha Hee-ra probably thought that this timing would be an opportunity

to show both authority and mercy just like the ideal king.
“They were thinking that if they kept making a petition to the Red
Mercenary Guild, you would call me. They are clever…”
“They probably want Blue, too. When you were stuck in the lab, there
must have been a lot of harassment and lobbying everywhere. They
were considerate of you and let you research in peace.”
“I’m grateful to them.”
“So touching. Just in case, you two are not dating, right?”
“What and who are you talking about?”
“Nothing. It’s just a strange rumor going around the city…”
“It’s just a rumor.”
“Then, that’s a relief; anyway, it’s turned out like this. Of course, I told
you not to worry, and if you don’t want to do it, I don’t intend to force
you.”
“No, it’s not that I don’t want to.”
“Is there a reason?”
“I’m honestly in favor of improving the quality of manufacturing

production.”
“That’s surprising.”
“Of course, since I’m monopolizing the market, I might think it would be
bene icial not to do it, but it won’t necessarily be that way. To be honest,
the market hasn’t even been formed yet. I’m the only famous seller, and
my potions are pretty expensive. Because of this, it means that only
those who are able will be able to buy it.”
“Ahhh…”
“Poor parties or clans can’t afford to buy my potions. Those who go out
hunting without a priest and die can’t use my products, anyway. That’s
why it’s only a low-cost model, but… There is also a problem with the
brand image, and if you are going to run a factory, it would be bene icial
to run a high-end product.”
“Well… I understand. Doesn’t it mean that the market is more active

only when there are people who spread it from the bottom?”
“Right. Originally, potions are recognized like expendables, so its image

isn’t good, but some people have never drunk it. What do you think
would happen if the people in the bottom made progress after
returning from hunting? Do you think they will continue to use the low-
end model with their lives at stake?”
“The destination is ‘made by Lee Kiyoung’ anyway, is that what you

mean?”
“Right. People like luxury goods here and on Earth. This is because
buyers want a company they can trust. I am not showing off, but I am
unique as an alchemist. I’m sure there’s zero chance of a competitor
appearing while I’m alive. The question is, is there anything I’m getting
with this right now? They wouldn’t have petitioned with nothing to
offer.”
“Of course, they’re offering something. First is the reward that will be
returned to you. The guilds and clans will pay gold under the guise of
education.”
“Nice!”
“So, you like it?”
“Recently, something bad has happened, and I needed money. There’s

nothing for the Red Mercenary?”
“Aren’t you being too blunt, honey?”
“Ahem…”
Although Cha Hee-ra pretended to look disappointed, I knew it was

impossible for her to get nothing in return.
“Of course, the Red Mercenary will also receive a reward. There are also
a few things I’m going to give you personally… I was thinking of giving
this even if you chose not to push through with the manufacturing.
And…”
“And?”
“I plan to transfer some of the priority bargaining rights to Blue.”
“How many?”
“Before that, shouldn’t you be asking how many attack teams there
are?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“There are a total of 14 people who are attacking the dungeon in this
tutorial. There are ive priority bargaining rights that we can give. I’m
only giving you too much.”
“You say there are fourteen?”

“Yes. Your small party was special. So… Are you going to do it or not?”
“Isn’t this a little too much for you?”
“I told you, I’m doing this as an apology, so don’t worry.”
“Apologies for what…”
“Don’t mess with me, you know why. Don’t even look at me while
making that expression. Answer me quickly. Are you going to do it, or
not?”
Upon seeing Cha Hee-ra’s rushed expression, I couldn’t help but smile.
She looked pretty cute. Of course, the answer had already been decided.
CHAPTER 207
G.T.O (3)
‘I’ll do it.’
It was only right for me to do so. Though I did not desire the ive
priorities of bargaining rights, it would be helpful for Blue to be able to
recruit potential members rather than give it to other guilds. Even if I
hadn’t gotten such rights, I still would’ve stayed to take a look at the
newcomers.
Just being able to see who was talented and not talented irst would be
a huge advantage.
Now was the time to openly search for a new jewel.
What was a little surprising was the choice of the Red Mercenaries for
these new recruits.
‘I’m going to train the target team before everyone else. Of course, I’ll
pay more attention to them, but that’s it.’
‘You mean you won’t give them special treatment? Can you do that?
Then, there’s no reason to have the right to bargain irst, Hee-ra.’
‘Honey, I’m Cha Hee-ra. Is it a good idea to give special treatment to the
new recruits who have just arrived because you want to look good to
them? It’s not me that needs to be conscious of them. It’s them.’
‘You’re right… ’
‘In the last tutorial dungeon, your party was a little special, and because
Blue was in a hurry, Lee Sang-hee gave you special treatment. Usually,
guilds don’t do that. Anyway, all of the groups are the same for me. I
refuse to hear that they didn’t train the new recruits well this year… ’
‘I didn’t know you were taking care of that, too.’
‘You know how badly Blue was criticized last year, right?’
‘Huh?’
‘Since they were busy recruiting your party, they did a bad job training
the new recruits. Of course, each one of them received more training in
their respective guild or clan, but people saw all of it as a mess. They
forcefully entered the forest and raised the mortality rate because they
didn’t obey the procedure. That can happen this time, too, right?’
‘Ohhhhhh… ’
‘The Red Mercenaries should always be perfect. That’s why we called

Sun Hee-young and Hayan… ’
‘What? Really?’
‘We have to do this properly.’
When I thought about the conversation I had a few days ago, I was
forced to nod.
First of all, since it was Cha Hee-ra, it would be obvious to have the
target team trained to their potential. In fact, I hadn’t seen the target
team yet, so I couldn’t see how strong they are, but it seemed that their
level wasn’t very good, considering that the Red Mercenaries were not
preparing for recruitment right now. Of course, they would have to give
out additional bene its, but not moving in a hurry was de initely
interesting to see.
‘It’s completely different from Blue last year… ’
Lee Sang-hee had hurried to make us an offer back then. Considering

their situation, their actions were understandable, but now the
differences were so big that I felt a little off.
What was most surprising was that Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young had
been invited as instructors.
I knew that the Red Mercenary’s priest and wizard lines weren’t very
good, but this didn’t mean they were weak.
‘There are kids like Ahn Ki-mo… ’
Despite having high-level wizards and priests, it seemed that they really
wanted to inish the training of this tutorial dungeon by collaborating
with Blue.
Thanks to that, Sun Hee-young and Jung Hayan seemed happy. It

appeared that they found being a teacher more fun than being with me.
The training center opened a few days ago, and Jung Hayan and Sun
Hee-young, which were in charge of mainstream subjects, had already
taught their irst class. Seeing that their condition was better than
expected, they de initely felt good.
The good news here was that Jung Hayan found something she could
focus on.
I knew that Sun Hee-young originally liked this kind of work, so this
was good for her as well.
“Hee-young-ssi looks really happy.”
“Oh, did it look like that? I remembered a little bit of my old days…”
“Yes?”
“I was a teacher for a while.”
“Huh? Is that true?”
“Yes. Of course, I quit because of personal circumstances, but I am very

impressed to be doing something similar to this again.”
‘It kind of suits her.’
It was new information, but the image it Hee-young somehow.
Of course, doing relief activities in places such as UNICEF matched her,

but wearing glasses and standing at the teacher’s platform also
perfectly synchronized with her.
“I also dreamed of being a teacher when I was in elementary school,

Oppa!”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes.”
‘This doesn’t suit her very much… ’
No matter how much I think about it, I couldn’t imagine Jung Hayan
becoming a teacher.
“That… You must have done it very well.”
“Really?”
“Then… How was the class?”
“It was better than I thought, Oppa. Hehe…”

“Really?”
“Yes. I’m not sure why people don’t understand the basics… Still, there
were a lot of people who seemed to be trying their hardest.”
“They don’t understand?”
“Yes. No matter how much I explain, they don’t understand the

techniques well. Even if I try to explain it as easily as possible, it seemed
that not even one person understood… Most of them were nice,
though.”
“How did you explain it?”
“Just told them to do like this and like that… Even if I asked him to feel
the magical power, they couldn’t feel it.”
‘No wonder.’
In the irst place, Jung Hayan and the common people had different
perspectives. No matter how much passion she put into a class, less
than 1% would be able to understand Jung Hayan’s explanation.
I had to think that it was fortunate that the magic instructor had not
been her.
“Is the same for Hee-young-ssi?”
“Yes. But I think it is natural. The target team members usually have
completed the irst class change, but in the case of the survival team,
many people have not even been able to change the irst class. Not
being able to feel magical or divine power… if you think about it, it is
natural.”
“Hmm…”
“This isn’t about in-depth classes. Those with talent are likely to change
class in this process… I don’t think it’s bad that one can decide their
own career path. That’s why the Red Mercenaries haven’t separated the
classes yet, right?”
“In short, it’s enough just to teach them little by little. Is that what you
mean?”
“Yes, Kiyoung-ssi. It’s like sending the young children to the piano
academy, taekwondo, and English academy. Come to think of it… Is
today your irst class?”
“Yes. Since there aren’t many categories, there aren’t many classes, too.”
“Huh? Let’s go together, Oppa! I have classes, too. Hehe.”
“Really? Then let’s go. What about Hee-young-ssi?”
“I have no more classes today. I’ll see both of you later.”
“Okay.”
In fact, I wasn’t really concerned about the class.
None of them could understand alchemy properly anyway… Of course,

during the in-depth course, I should give proper education, but the
more important thing was to ind more slaves to work hard in Blue.
Once I have had time to explain what noncombatant or production

alchemists were, I could explain the basics of Ramus Tucker’s
introduction to alchemy to those who had changed their class as
wizards, and that was it. It wouldn’t be a dif icult task at all.
As my time approached, I decided to hurry up.

Holding my Introduction to Alchemy book in one hand made me feel a
little cool. I could somehow understand why Jung Hayan felt excited
about hosting her own class.
“What class is Oppa?”
“Class C.”
“Ah. I went there yesterday, and the kids were really nice. The average
age is a little young there.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Still, the ratio of wannabe wizards is high, so everyone is feeling

motivated… Come to think of it, the ratio of girls is a bit high.”
“Ah. By the way… don’t we look just like a teacher’s couple, Hayan?”
“Y-Yes, we actually do!”
‘She’s happier than I thought.’
As it was my irst time entering the camp, I looked around and saw
people doing physical training at the gymnasium.
The instructors who were watching the training from outside greeted
me, so I greeted them back with a nod. Of course, I didn’t intend to stay
long.
I kept looking around, but there weren’t that many who stood out.
“I’m going this way, Oppa.”
“Okay. Then, I’ll see you later.”
“Alright.”
Jung Hayan seemed to be in charge of class B. As soon as Jung Hayan
entered the quiet classroom, her would-be students immediately
greeted her.
“Hello, instructor!”
“Yes. How are you all? I will now start the class.”
For some reason, the oddly-digni ied voice didn’t sound like Jung Hayan
at all, leaving me with no choice but to laugh out of amusement.
‘These new recruits seem to be in good shape.’
Certainly, unlike Blue, the Red Mercenary had a systematic system, so it

seemed that they already knew how this place worked. Naturally, I had
very little expectation for my future students. Upon reaching Class B, I
heard voices murmuring.
“Isn’t Instructor Sun Hee-young really pretty?”
“Yes. But I ind Instructor Jung Hayan prettier…”
“Oh, Jung Hayan instructor is also pretty… She’s cute. It’s the only
pleasure in life here.”
“What does it matter? They said that Instructor Jung Hayan has a
boyfriend.”
The voices continued to talk even as I had entered the room. Of course,
they had noticed me and sat down, but I received none of the greetings
Jung Hayan had gotten.
‘Uh?’
Some time had passed since I entered. Nevertheless, seeing that the
atmosphere was not calming, it seemed that they had not been properly
informed about who was in front of them.
Some of them looked curious, and some of the others were looking at
me, laughing. It was ridiculous, but they certainly had on looks of scorn.
‘Didn’t they tell them who I am?’
If so, I could understand their cold reaction. It would be natural that

most of them would not be interested in manufacturing production, as
they were all hoping for combat jobs.
I could now somehow understand the sadness of a teacher in charge of

a non-mainstream subject. Of course, I was feeling worse than that.
In their eyes, they obviously thought of me as a freak.
‘Huh… ’
I wanted to praise them for being able to distinguish between the

combat and production workers.
‘However, they chose the wrong person to mess with… ’
As I continued to stare at them for a while, a rude voice called out.
“Aren’t you going to start the class? It’s been ive minutes already. Can I
call you a noncombatant teacher?”
CHAPTER 208
G.T.O (4)
‘Ha… ’
This situation felt so absurd that I kept laughing.
The people in front of me can be classi ied as newbies, no matter which

angle I saw them in. At this, I quickly checked the rude girl’s status
window.
She had had her irst class change, but her stats weren’t even good.
‘She must have been carried.’
Her teammates must have outshined her in every way. I could easily
forget about her.
Anyway, she didn’t need my help, seeing as she obviously thought of me

as someone she could easily disrespect.
‘Han Sora?’
Upon not receiving a reply, the short-haired girl spoke again.
“Teacher?”
It would be natural to think that I had no idea what to do. It felt

ridiculous trying to look good in front of a room full of newbies. Now
that I had to worry about my appearance, it hurt my pride even to have
to think about how to deal with these crazy guys.
I didn’t need to think hard as I did with Ito Souta. I could just smash
them with force. In response to my emotions, Juliana struggled to free
herself from her sheath.
Meanwhile, the newbies continued to laugh, thinking that I felt

morti ied. I couldn’t believe Jung Hayan had described them as ‘nice.’
“Teacher? Are you not starting the class?”
“I am not a teacher. Call me Instructor Lee Kiyoung.”
“Ahhh. So the noncombatant teacher should also be considered an

instructor.”
At this, more laughter erupted from the class. Though I wanted to laugh
alongside them, I was not the type to let such disrespect go.
“Whooo…”
As I sighed, Han Sora began to utter another insult.
“Instead of sighing, why don’t you start the cla-?”
Whing! In an instant. Juliana had unsheathed itself and aimed its blade
at her.
Screams erupted as the sword slashed through various objects in its

way. Due to the presence of a legendary item, the windows began
clacking from the pressure.
In the blink of an eye, Juliana’s blade was a few millimeters away from
Han Sora’s throat.
“Uh…”
The short-haired nuisance couldn’t even ind it in her to properly react.

The same went with everyone, who stayed quiet until Juliana calmed
down and returned to me. However, Han Sora had begun trembling,
realizing that she had almost died.
‘That was awesome… ’
Seeing the yellow liquid dripping under her desk, it looked like she was
properly scared.
“Ahhh…”
Pretending to be strong was more fun than one would think.
“This is fun. What is your name?”
“Ah…”
Han Sora hesitated. At this, Juliana threatened to approach her once

more.
“I’m… Han Sora…”
“So, you’re Han Sora. Before I start this class, I think it’ll be necessary to
explain its background. It seems that many people are dissatis ied with
this class.”
“…”
“I know all of you are probably thinking, ‘I don’t have enough time to
train… Why should we receive training conducted by a non-mainstream
and production worker?’ You, sitting next to Han Sora. Do you think the
same?”
“What?”
“You can answer as honestly as you want to.”

“I-it is not like that. I never thought of that…”
“No. I already told you, you can answer honestly.”
“Y-Yes I do… A-A l-little…”
“Perhaps it’s natural to think so. You don’t know what’s happened, but
you’ve been thrust into a situation you never expected to be in. It’s a
little early to get used to, but you should have understood this fact
already.”
“…”
“If you have power, you get special treatment.”
After I inished speaking, I looked around, seeing their expressions shift

into something complex.
“I think some of you have already noticed this difference. Everyone

knows that the raid team who completed the attack in secret is being
treated better. In fact, they deserve to be treated. That’s how fast they
adapted… They’re the type of new recruits that our society likes.”
“…”
“Your thoughts are correct. This is a place where you will be treated
better if you have strength. In fact, some of this world’s few strongest
players enjoy privileges that are impossible to compare to common
players… The goods they earn are also beyond imagination. What will
be the difference in income?”
“I… do not know.”
“Some players don’t earn even 1 gold per day, while others earn over
1,000 gold per day. The corpse of a monster becomes money, and the
higher its dif iculty, the higher its value. The same goes for attacking
higher-level dungeons. Targeting a dungeon with a heroic-grade or
higher is the same as obtaining enormous goods. The problem is…”
“…”
“The problem is that there aren’t that many players who reach that
level.”
I could see the trainees looking at me, their interests piqued.
“Yes. There are not so many. Everyone starts like you at irst. You doubt,
you overcome, and then you train. At this point, I think about whether
this world is okay or not. It’s fun to level up like playing games, and it’s
fun to get new equipment.”
“…”
“Then, an accident happens, or you reach your limit. You realize this is
not a game. The talented and the non-talented begin to be categorized.
Some will ascend upwards, and the others will be left on the ground.
Perhaps some of you will feel the reality as soon as you leave this
school. It’s more dangerous than you think it is. Why are there so few
players going up the top?”
They already knew.
“Most of them die in the process. Even if they don’t get eaten alive by a
monster or survives, they end up living in the slums. In men’s case, they
are often used for human experimentation, and in women’s case, they
are easily sold as slaves to other countries or become prostitutes. It’s
harder than you think just to simply eat and live.”
“…”
“Those aren’t even the worst-case scenarios. Some people get

kidnapped by monsters, eventually getting eaten.”
Honestly speaking, that was still a mild case. There were some worse
scenarios I could still think of.
“Perhaps a similar case will happen to one of you. I’ve only met you all
today, but if I tell you my personal impressions, most of you here will
probably die within three years or become half-wit and wander around
the slums. Perhaps I’ll even see you working at a bar. Ah… Especially
people like you, Han Sora.”
“What?”
“Usually, someone like you dies irst or becomes a cripple. Of course,

you all look almost the same, but why… It’s a common cliché that the
person who runs irst reaches the end irst.”
“Ah…”
“You, and you… And you, the trainee next to him… And also the trainee
next to him… There is a high probability that you are all going to die
away from home. I can bet not one of you will go up in a high position…
Ah! Except you!”
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Yoo
Ahyoung.]
[Name: Yoo Ahyoung]
[Age: 21]
[Disposition: Timid Optimist]
[Class: Unemployed]
[Stats]
[Stamina: 27/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]
[Intelligence: 10/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Magic Power: 01/Growth potential: Rare or higher]
[General Review: The talent levels in stamina and strength are high.
Although the talent levels in endurance and magic power are
unfortunate, they have the potential to grow into a great front liner.]
‘It’s ine.’
I don’t think she participated in the target group, but she was much
better than I thought. This was the irst time I had ever seen a
legendary or higher-grade of stamina.
I came here to ind myself a gem, and it seemed as if I had succeeded.
Though her enormous chest area prompted me to stare at her longer, I

managed to keep my gaze strictly on her face. She seemed startled by
my sudden pick.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m… Yoo Ahyoung, i-instructor.”
Come to think of it. She was one of the few who didn’t laugh at me at
irst.
I could see everyone had turned to see her. They looked like they didn’t
understand, but their comprehension had nothing to do with me. After
knocking on one of the school tables with my inger, I continued to talk
again, effectively recapturing their attention.
“Except for trainee Yoo Ahyoung, none of the people here will have the
chance of getting to the top. Not one. Well, perhaps you can, but I’m
sure that you’ll only be able to reach it after encountering a lot of near-
death experiences.”
“Th… at…”
“Originally, the world is unreasonable. Let’s talk about instructor Jung

Hayan for a moment. She is now one of Lindel’s leading wizards. She
has achieved such high growth that even the Magic Guild is paying
attention to her, and there are actually more wizards underneath her
than the ones above her. How long will it take for you to achieve all of
this?”
“Ah…”
“She only took a year to do so. It may seem like nothing, but this is
unusual enough, even more, when you think about the fact that there
are people in the city who can’t even keep up with her toes even after
studying magic for over 20 years. At this point, I will be speaking
bluntly.”
“…”
“You are all garbage with no potential.”
“Ah…”
“That’s why I am here. Do you ask why a noncombatant worker is

acting as an instructor in one of your classes? I’m here to rescue at least
one of you, seeing that most of you will die once you head to the city.”
“Y-You’re being…”
“I’m not being rude at all. Even if you go monster hunting or to war, you
won’t be able to amount to anything more than a bullet trap anyway. If
you can’t contribute to the city in terms of combat, then hammering or
touching an alchemy kit will help the city more. Don’t try to go in a
futile direction, idiots, because it’ll be a waste of time. I bet it’ll be better
for guys like you to listen to me than to take another instructor’s class.”
As I inished speaking, a hostile atmosphere began to emanate from the

class. It felt like the trainees wanted to interject, but they couldn’t,
which was perfectly understandable, seeing that Juliana was still
hovering in the air.
“I’ll see you in the next class, morons.”
As I headed outside, I found Jung Hayan waiting for me. Her sticking to
me proved to be a fun ordeal, seeing as the trainees were watching us
through the window.
The two guys talking about her before I entered the class shot me blank
looks, which improved my mood.
“Pff haha.”
“Did you have fun, Oppa?”
“Oh… Yes. It was more fun than I thought. The students are okay, too…”
“Right? All the C-class kids were really nice.”
“Yes. In particular, I kept looking at Han Sora for some reason…”
“What?”
“She’s so passionate about the class…”

“Ah…”
“Her face is also cute…”
“I-I-I… I see.”
“It seemed like she was in the attacking team, but I think it would be
better to recruit her in Blue. I want to have her next to me.”
“Oh? If so… Ah… I know, I r-remember her… yes, she’s indeed cute…
Ah…”
Jung Hayan struggled to keep her smile intact as she responded.
I knew Jung Hayan tended to be more hostile, responding to feelings of

jealousy, rather than when someone tried to insult me. Though this was
such a petty method of revenge, I couldn’t help but expect Hayan’s
eventual treatment of Han Sora in her next class.
‘You need to be punished, you bedwetter.’

CHAPTER 209
AN OMINOUS FEELING (1)
“That crazy, tiny fox-eyed bastard!”
“Don’t cause useless problems, Han Sora.”
“He’s so annoying. So annoying! He thinks he’s so important… An

alchemist who makes potions! How… dare… he lecture me?!”
“I told you not to cause trouble. This is not the tutorial dungeon. We
may have been the kings there, but here we are newcomers. No matter
how you think, it’s only right to submit as much as possible.”
“We are newcomers, meaning, new recruits that would be getting offers
from large guilds.”
“It has not been con irmed yet. We don’t know anything until we stamp
the contract. We only got an initial offer, and we still have to show how
much we grow, and there’s the demonstration at the training center.
Some guilds even say they do separate entrance tests, so don’t worry
about anything else except your training. Of course, it’s not that I don’t
understand how you’re feeling…”
“You should know since you’ve taken that bastard’s class, too!”
“I don’t know… Him looking down at someone from above was not very
pleasant, but his personality in itself did not seem to be a problem. It
was a realistic story, so I didn’t get offended. Of course, what happened
in our class didn’t happen in yours, so it wasn’t such a coercive
atmosphere… The other instructors were also treating him
respectfully.”
“Go igure. He’s the boyfriend of instructor Jung Hayan, hence the
treatment.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. That fox-eyed bastard is Jung Hayan’s boyfriend… She de initely

made that lying sword. She’s one of the best wizards in the big city.
Wouldn’t she be able to make a sword like that? That bat-like foxy
man… It’s clear that he’s having an easy life because he got lucky with a
woman.”
“I can’t stand it, Oppa.”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter what you do, but at least you’d better
make sure you don’t do any harm to us. I have an ominous feeling for
some reason.”
“What?”
“That person named Lee Kiyoung. Even if I try to igure out who he is,
nothing comes out. The instructors also seem to be careful about what
they say.”
“These are the Red Mercenary Instructors. They don’t accept personal
questions. You must have mistaken it.”
“I don’t know… I wish I were mistaken… It seems that they don’t want
to intentionally leak information, and anyway, I don’t know. You can go
ind out. Honestly, I can’t afford to care about this. Just thinking about
the entrance test right now gives me a headache.”
“My God. You babbled that we were forever one in the tutorial dungeon,
but…”
“Situations change. Stop caring about useless things, and focus on the
entrance tests and the demonstration. All the other kids are crazy about
it. It’s also time to grow up.”
“Save it. I’ll do it myself.”
“Just don’t do any harm to us.”
“I said I got it!”
Of course, the situation would be annoying.
‘Forever one, my ass… ’
I thought my colleagues back in the dungeon would help, but it turns

out that I was mistaken.
In fact, I didn’t expect much, but I didn’t think they would show such a
cold reaction.
‘They are all stupid.’
I felt frustrated. These guys weren’t using this opportunity properly.
‘Do we really need to submit, just like that?’
No matter how hard I thought about it, I didn’t think we needed to do

that at all.
Of course, it made sense to want to join a huge guild. It was worth

thinking that having a stable start while receiving their protection was
ideal enough.
However, they did not care about the treatment they are currently
getting.
The attack team basically got different treatment from the survival
team.
Of course, there seemed to be no big difference on the outside, but it

was undeniable that they were getting preferential treatment and the
reason why was obvious.
Unlike the survivors who couldn’t adapt and wasted their time
trembling in the dungeon, they risked their lives and eventually got
what they wanted.
Considering that the guilds and clans here wanted to recruit more
powerful and more talented people, it was also important to play hard
to get moderately good results.
‘Now we are the best!’
Stupid people.
‘Chang-ryul Oppa said he wanted to go to Blue… Didn’t Hyeja Eunni say

she wants to go to the Black Swan? The rest want to join Red
Mercenary… Phew… ’
I can bet that if the attack team had done a better job negotiating, I
wouldn’t be in this situation now. It also meant that the alchemist
wouldn’t have made me look like a fool like this.
“Damn…”
I remembered that mortifying moment when his sword came my way,

causing me to urinate with fear on the spot.
As I opened the door to the lecture room nervously, I could see gazes
focusing on me. I saw some women running this way. I didn’t remember
their names well, but I was familiar with this scenery.
‘I guess they want to stand in line.’
That was because I was a privileged person around these parts.
“Eunni? Did things go well?”
“No. The Oppas are not very interested in this. They’re all preparing for
the entrance test and the demonstration… It’s so annoying.”
“If it’s an entrance test, is it hosted by Red Mercenary?”
“Red Mercenary and Blue. There are other guilds and clans too… Ah! I
guess you don’t know yet.”
“Yes. We weren’t informed of anything.”
“There’s the Magic Guild, Black Swans, and various others. In fact, the
conditions for medium-sized guilds seemed all right as well.”
“Ah. Where are you going to go?”
“Well… At irst, I got an offer from the Red Mercenary, and although it is
a secret… I got an offer from the Magic Guild too, but I’m not sure… I
won’t say I didn’t think about Blue, too, but…”
“I don’t think Blue is a bad choice if you continue to grow as a wizard.

Instructor Jung Hayan is there.”
“I haven’t met the people from Blue yet.”
“What? Really? I-Is it because of that person?”

“Maybe…”
This was another reason why that alchemist was annoying.
“It’s intentional, right?”
“Well… I think the probability is high.”
“I think… he is in a high position with a big in luence in the guild.”
“In luence, my ass…”
“Erm… You know Yoo Ahyoung, right?”
“Who is Yoo Ahyoung?”
“Big breasts…”
“Ah… That cow?”
“I’m not sure, but they said she would be getting into Blue.”
“What?”
“They said she also had an interview with the Blue Guild Master.”
At this, I clenched my ists, an ominous feeling rising to the surface.
It was because the stupid bitch, who had been busy running away
throughout the tutorial, received an offer from Blue, and I felt perplexed
that I didn’t.
I could understand why this had happened.
‘He’s taking revenge.’

The reason had probably been my cocky attitude when we irst met. It
was too absurd of a reason for him to try to deliberately exclude me.
I’m sure there were some circumstances behind the scenes that I didn’t
know about.
‘Why didn’t you wear a guild badge, so I knew who you were? So
annoying… ’
Involuntarily, I began to swear.
“Ha… Fuck. That’s really absurd.”
“Yeah. What did they see in a cow like that, to give such an offer? Her
grades weren’t good, either. Stamina training seemed okay, but…”
“Isn’t it obvious? They must be thinking about something dirty. It’s all
bullshit that he has in luence in the guild. The reason that Lee Kiyoung
is pretending to be king here is all because of instructor Jung Hayan…
It’s probably the same in Blue. He must be a headache. That guild,
shaken by a casanova? Even if an offer for recruitment comes in, I will
reject it.”
“Really?”
“…”
Of course, it was a lie. The other large guilds were not bad, but if one
were to ask which guild I really wanted to go to, it was Blue.
One reason was that I might be able to learn various things from the
genius wizard Jung Hayan, but the other reason I thought Blue was okay
lay in the background of that medium-sized guild.
For one, it had an alliance with the Red Mercenary.

Going into the Blue that has just started to rise and grabbing the real
power is more advantageous than entering as a bottom low-rank guild
member of the Red Mercenary.
As the scale was not large, the support I’ll be given would be a little
more concentrated.
‘Now, it’s all messed up.’
I was nervous about whether he had even told the instructor Jung
Hayan about this incident.
‘I have to do something… ’
It was then that the classroom door suddenly opened.
Naturally, my head turned.
In an instant, the rabble, who had gathered, ran to their seats and
waited for the instructor to say hello. Instructor Jung Hayan had come
into the classroom to lecture.
However, her personality seemed off today.
“Sit down. I will skip the greetings and start the class right away.”
“Okay.”
“Like the last class, we’re going to write with magic power. Those who
haven’t felt magical power yet, separate from the group.”
“Yes, instructor.”
“W… We don’t have time, m-move quickly, quickly!”
“Ah… Yes!”
Unlike the last time, she seemed noticeably colder.
It was annoying that she didn’t pay attention to the sitting trainees, but
instead, she was looking at me. It seems that she had lost some weight.
She looked sick, which made me wonder if something had happened.
Of course, that fox came to mind, seeing her exuding an annoying

atmosphere.
I could be sure that all the trainees here were thinking the same thing.
‘He must have turned the story to his bene it.’
I didn’t really understand why two people who didn’t match were going
out, but that was not what mattered.
There was a de inite edge to her voice all throughout the class. She
wasn’t openly irritated, but…
“Stu-Stupid! D-Do it right!”
She kept spouting up insults like this.
“I was able to do this from the beginning… I already explained… How

stupid.”
Or insults like this.
“Why don’t you understand? So frustrating… Everyone else can

understand this.”
Or like this.
“They’re stupid. Stupid… Really stupid… They’re really stupid…”

I could hear her muttering all these. It was no wonder that the class,
which usually had a nice atmosphere, had become very uncomfortable.
Considering that few were still practicing to feel their magical power,
there was no way other people could do the lessons that proved to be
dif icult, even for the wizard herself.
Amidst that, I was concerned about the way she was looking at me.
I didn’t know why, but her gaze sent goosebumps down my spine.
I haven’t tried or heard about the practice of writing letters in the air
with magical power. However, I thought I had to live up to their
expectations, and in fact, I felt like I was following the pace.
‘You have to smash them with your skills.’
If I worked hard, they would eventually acknowledge my worth.
‘You have to do this, at least.’
I had to keep showing that I was special. Only then would I be well
treated.
Eventually, I bit my lips tightly and slowly began to form the magical
power to make the letters loat. I felt like it would collapse immediately
if I let go of the tension. As I concentrated my magical power while
trembling, I felt instructor Jung Hayan’s gaze burning a hole through
me.
‘Huh?’
I didn’t know if I was mistaken for a moment, but she looked annoyed.
No, her expression was more complex than that. I wondered if my

method was wrong, but it didn’t seem like I was doing anything bad. I
felt like she was wondering a lot about something.
‘What is she thinking? What… is she wondering?’
The whole room had gone silent. That was until Jung Hayan slowly
began to smile. She looked startled, almost as if she had realized
something.
‘Huuuuh?’
As she started to laugh, I couldn’t help but shiver. Not only was I
breaking out in cold sweat, but my chin was trembling without my
knowledge.
Seeing her laugh made me feel upset for some reason, but something
about it made me feel uncomfortable.
‘What… Why is she… ’
Even her eyes seemed strange. There was something within their
depths that I couldn’t explain.
“Uh… Ah…”
“Well… Well done, trainee Han Sora.”
“Ah… Yes. Thank you.”
“You’re pretty good among the people here… Thank God… you’re not
stupid…”
“Thank you.”
“I think trainee Han Sora can take a separate class… Hihi…”
“Ah… Yes.”
“If it’s okay… Can I teach you some stuff after school?”
No doubt, she had inally acknowledged me. It was only right for me to
be proud and, of course, to be happy. I looked around, and everyone
was staring at me with envy. Their gazes were saying that, as expected, I
was different.
‘I have to agree.’
Of course, it was only right to nod.
An opportunity to be tutored by a genius wizard probably only came

once in every century.
However, for some reason, I couldn’t ind it in me to utter a sound.
“I said I would… t-t-teach you!”
This was because her smile had reached a lopsided igure, thereby
causing me to feel the slightest bit of fear.
“I…”
CHAPTER 210
‘Thank you.’
That was what I should say.
I knew this was the correct answer, but my mouth wouldn’t open for
some reason. Missing this opportunity was silly. My brain understood it,
but I was confused by the feeling that my body was constantly rejecting
it.
‘I have to agree.’
I kept repeating this to myself, but my mouth eventually betrayed my

expectations.
“I… that…”
“Yes?”
“A-After school, I have something… I have something I need to do. I’m

sorry.”
“Ah…”
Instructor Jung Hayan’s expression seemed very disappointed. Her

dejected expression was like seeing a puppy getting abandoned by the
owner.
The slightly lowered eye slant and big eyes were full of disappointment.
For a brief moment, I blamed myself for my stupid choice. I wondered
my body caused such a reaction, but the answer refused to reveal itself.
I was bothered by Instructor Hayan’s voice, who had kept muttering

about something.
‘Something’s not right.’
It was probably a trap set up by that fox. This was a high possibility,
considering the fact that he had a fairly petty personality.
And…
‘It’s overwhelming just trying to follow the class.’
Of course, it was good to learn something new, but the homework and
assignments I’d been learning over and over were already making my
head explode.
Although I gave various excuses, it was undeniable that I had made a

stupid choice.
However, I didn’t want to correct this. My breathing was gradually

returning to its original state.
Just in time, the bell announcing the class rang, and Instructor Jung
Hayan, who continued to mutter quietly, slowly began to leave the
classroom.
I even thought about approaching her because she had looked so sad,
but I did not raise my hand. This was because I saw trainees from the
same class rushing to me again.
“Y-You’re really great, Eunni…”

“Ah…”
“Who would have known that Instructor Jung Hayan would make such
an offer?”
“Is… that so?”
“Yes. When I saw today’s class atmosphere, I thought that the alchemist
must have said something… After showing your ability, it seems that the
instructor also got greedy. That’s because she is also a Blue executive.
Perhaps, sooner or later, you’ll be getting an offer from Blue?”
One of the rabbles next to me immediately spoke.
“Sora said she would not go, so it doesn’t matter if the offer comes or
not. Didn’t you see her latly refusing the instructor offer?”
“Ah… She did, right?”
“Instructor Jung Hayan did seem a little desperate…”
“Really?”
“She was wearing a startled expression…”
“It de initely was when Sora was successful, wasn’t it?”
Though they were all talking in front of me, I couldn’t ind it in myself to
participate. My mind kept coming back to Hayan’s complex expression,
as well as the strange feeling I had.
When I started to speak, everyone’s attention refocused on me.
“Yes, Sora Eunni?”

“Have you not felt anything weird?”
“I mean, Instructor Jung Hayan. Didn’t she seem a little weird today?”
“She did look a bit sick. She was a little irritated… and looked tired.
That’s what I felt…”
“No, I’m not talking about that… There’s something else.”
“She looked… a bit retarded.”
The answer I got had been far from what I was actually expecting.
One of the rabbles next to me opened her mouth immediately.
“Hey! Someone will listen. Pfff. Actually, you’re not wrong…”
“Why? Isn’t that true? Actually, I did feel like that a little from the
beginning… At that time, I just thought that… she stuttered a lot. I don’t
know if all geniuses are like that, but didn’t you feel like she was a little
disabled?”
“Are all geniuses like that?”
“If that’s a genius, I’m not envious at all. Are, are, are… Aren’t they
stupid?”
“You nuts! Your impression of her is on point! Do it one more time.”
“Y… You are all, s-s-s-stupid! She’s not even a snake, but why does she
keep his-s-s-s-ssing like that? Pfft. I think she doesn’t know that she
looks more stupid talking like that.”
“So damn funny!”

“She must be going out with a guy like that because she’s a little
retarded. Some people I know do that, too. They’re people who have a
little problem communicating with others. They couldn’t learn from a
good family and thus grew up like that. I don’t know, but she must have
had some traumas.”
“You crossed the line a bit, but it actually is funny. She must not be
really retarded, right?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she was normal, but got crazy because she studied
magic too much… Isn’t that it? Sora?”
‘Did I take it too seriously?’
Seeing them joking around, I felt weird upon realizing that I was taking
this too seriously.
‘Maybe she was a bit sick.’
She really didn’t seem to be in good shape at the time. She used to laugh
alongside us whenever she would stutter.
At this, I began to join the rest of them with their laughter.
‘It seems like she really is a bit retarded… ’
I thought that maybe they were right, so I spoke up.
“I don’t know… It’s possible. It’s usually like that in the movies. There
are cases where people with autism also have a very good memory. Isn’t
that the case in magic, too? In the case of instructor Jung Hayan, it
seems that they have inherent magical power and af inity…”
“Oh, really?”
“Perhaps she turned crazy. Haha. Some people have aphasia due to
trauma in the tutorial dungeon. Isn’t that the case?”
“Ah. You inally laughed. Until before, you were all serious.”
“It’s because you guys are so funny. I really thought so without knowing
it. Retarded. Hahaha. I feel so stupid to think that I looked up to a
person like that. What does it matter if she’s a genius? She just keeps
stuttering anyway.”
“Right. If you have the same skills, the guild should use a person who is
ine psychologically or speaks normally, Eunni.”
“Right? Shall I go to Blue and be better than her? There is no guarantee

that I am a genius… If I grow to some extent, wouldn’t they prefer me to
a retarded bitch? I know the Blue Guild Master is not a fool.”
“It would be possible if it’s you. If that happens, you can’t forget about
us, okay?”
“Why would I forget you? Even if you go to another guild, we should

keep in touch often. Hey, if I get into the Blue and catch the Guild
Master’s eyes, I can even petition for you to enter as a low-rank party
member.”
“Really?”
“Of course, it’s only a possibility. Blue is not a large guild…”
“I really wish that could happen. Blue’s de initely different from other
large guilds. When my in luence grows… It’s convincing, seeing what
the alchemist is doing right now. What will that person do if you ever go
to the Blue?”
“There shouldn’t be such a guy in the guild where I am going. He’s going
to be stuck next to instructor Jung Hayan. When the two break up, that’s
it…”
“Right now?”
“It’s very easy to ruin a man’s life. What will he do if I say I was sexually
harassed? Instructor Jung Hayan, no, even that retard would get
disgusted, and he might even get kicked out of the Blue. If I can pretend
to be a victim for a while and get the guild’s support, won’t it be
enough?”
“Do you want to do that? No, if anyone hears this now…”
“Do not worry about it. I blocked the sound with magical power since
that retard was saying a bunch of stuff.”
“Wow…”
“This is a place of survival. Ability is also important, but sometimes you

also need the wisdom to live easily.”
“It really looks like you’re going to be successful…”
“It’s good to use all means and methods necessary. Being a weak
woman is also a great weapon in society.”
“I feel like I’ve learned something substantial from you.”
“Huh? Eunni… I think someone is coming.”
“Who?”
I looked behind me and was surprised to see who it was.
‘Chang-ryul Oppa?’
He was a person that I was a bit careful of among all the people in the
attack team. It was because he didn’t talk much, and he always wore a
cold expression.
I didn’t know why he came to see me, and it was hard trying to guess
because I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“I’ll go talk to him a little, and then I’ll be back.”
“Okay. Do that, Eunni.”
This man was someone I considered important, so I had to approach

him right away.
‘Why is he wearing a mask?’
He was still a dif icult person to understand. However, I couldn’t show

this. As I approached quietly, he spoke to me irst.
“Let’s talk for a minute.”
“What is it, Oppa? Ah! Come to think of it. You recently met the Blue
Guild Master, haven’t you?”
“…”
“Is there an entrance test there, too? Are you con irmed to enter? No,
how much are your down payment and annual salary? It’s not just
roughly cheap, right?”
“…”
“Our values should be decided by us, not by them. If we can get it right,
we can increase both the salary and the down payment…”
“I didn’t come here to say that, so shut up. And lower your voice.”
“My… gosh… Then speak quickly.”
“I honestly don’t like you.”
“That’s very fortunate. I don’t like you, too.”
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t have any affection at all. Still, we had a
good relationship in the attack team. And there’s the thing in the
tutorial dungeon.”
“Quit stalling. Tell me something a little more productive.”
“I don’t know what you’re planning to do from now on, but… It would
be better for you not to be connected with Blue and live quietly as if a
dead rat.”
“What? Saying this so suddenly…”
“This is a warning. Do not do anything useless and think about yourself.

Don’t do anything like what you did in the dungeon.”
“What? What did I do in the dungeon…”
“Don’t think I don’t know. You are too greedy.”
“Stop saying these useless things, say something helpful…”
“That’s all I can say. I don’t want to be deeply involved with you, and I
don’t want to be known to have a big mouth. Honestly, I don’t want to
tell you this right now… It’s annoying.”
“What information do you have?”
“This is the information I’m giving. Be quiet, as quiet as a rat.”
“No, don’t… Was it decided for you to join the Blue?”

“I’ll be going now. I clearly told you.”
“What? Chang-ryul Oppa!”
After the conversation, he put his mask back on and walked away.
Though it was only a short conversation, my displeasure was immense.
‘If there is anything you want to say, you can just say it openly.’
It was not unreasonable to feel annoyed hearing him speaking so

vaguely. My face crumpled, and of course, I started talking to myself.
“This is so fucking annoying. If you give me information, make sure you

do so thoroughly. Who said I was curious about that?”
After saying this, I immediately turned and saw the rabbles still talking.
They were eagerly raising their voices as if they didn’t notice that I was
approaching.
I wondered if they were saying something behind my back, so I

concentrated the magic in my ears to hear them more accurately. Of
course, they weren’t talking bad about me.
“But can Eunni really go to Blue? Didn’t she just ignore that retard’s
offer?”
“I don’t know… Maybe not? Even if she did, if Eunni’s plan succeeds, it’s
almost certain she will join, and it’s good that it’ll feel like we’re getting
a blow in that stupid alchemist’s face. He’s just a production worker…”
“If Eunni goes to Blue, is there a possibility for us to join Blue, too?”
“Well… No, but Eunni will take care of us. And the instructor Jung
Retard wasn’t likely to give up, so I guess Eunni’s quite coveted.”
“Why?”
“She kept muttering as she left the classroom earlier.”
“What? I didn’t hear…”
“Did you hear what she said?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“She said, ‘I-I-It’s ine… T… There are still m-many opportunities… I can
do it.’”
“Your impression of her is funny.”
“What can I say? I was trying my hardest to hold back the laughter.”
CHAPTER 211
‘Yoo Ahyoung… ’
Of course, she was my number one recruitment target.
Although she had no class job yet and her attribute hadn’t even
blossomed, she certainly had the merit. The talent level of her strength
was heroic, and her stamina was legendary.
I didn’t feel like her disposition would suf ice as a front liner, but I knew
it would be possible if I brought her to Blue and trained her intensively.
‘Although she is a little passive… ’
As the number of trainees was large, their dispositions were also very
diverse. If I categorized it largely, there were about three.
Those who wanted to move by themselves.
Most of the attack teams belonged to this side.
Because they were the ones who were most aware of what they should
do and what would happen from now on, these kinds of humans seem
to try to do everything on their own. Besides lectures and set training,
they divided their time and moved actively.
Those who only did what they were told to.

In terms of proportion, this had the highest percentage. They worked
hard in lectures and education, and they worried about the future, but
they did not show much effort after training or education time was
over.
Those who were not worth feeding.
Lastly, we had the garbage that was not worth mentioning. They had no
enthusiasm, no achievement, and were the garbage scum of the
education center.
We could say that most of them would end up in the slums or would
just worry about making a living after their education was over.
‘Hmm… ’
To be precise, Yoo Ahyoung was a character lying between the second

and third.
Although she seemed like she was of the third type, she had strangely
been catching up in terms of progress. Her training performance wasn’t
bad, as if she was determined to show that her strength stat was
legendary.
Honestly, if she weren’t talented, I wouldn’t have paid much attention to

her.
‘But because she has talent… ’
It was important to have talent in any way possible for Blue’s sake.
A year had passed while living at Kim Hyunsung’s party. While looking
at many characters’ talent levels and status window, a thought had
begun to manifest itself in my head.
Surprisingly, inding people with legendary talent levels was a common
occurrence.
It was natural to feel that way.
Park Deokgu and I were the only ones who didn’t have such natural
talents within Kim Hyunsung’s party, and the people I met and saw
each time always had something special to them. If it wasn’t their talent
level, it was their special attribute or class. Therefore, my standards had
naturally risen.
However, after arriving at the education center, I noticed that there

weren’t many people with legendary-grade talents.
‘Come to think of it, Cho Hyejin herself didn’t have a legendary-grade

talent.’
Even if one had heroic-grade stats, they could be strong enough. There
was a difference between the heroic or lower-grade level and the heroic
or higher-grade. However, the heroic-grade meant that you could at
least up your stats to 90.
‘If I think that way, I am not bad, either.’
Anyway, the important thing was that she was a talented person.
Although she lacked enthusiasm, I want to compliment her just for

following me without falling behind during training or class. Perhaps
the environment surrounding her helped to some extent. In Class C, she
was in a strangely lonely position.
‘It’s probably because of me.’
Jealousy made a person ugly, after all.

She wouldn’t have been much noticed except for her big chest until I
spoke to her, so it would be natural for her to garner everyone’s
resentment.
While I mulled this over in my head, I heard Sun Hee-young calling out
to me.
“I think the recruitment is almost certain.”
“Ah, are you talking about Yoo Ahyoung?”
“No, the other one.”
“Lee Chang-ryul?”
“Yes. Hyunsung-ssi also seemed to have decided that. Of course, he was

a little doubtful at irst, but…”
“Come to think of it, didn’t you say that he had a battle with Ye-ri?”
“Yes. The result was a little good. She said she liked the fact that he was
seeking to be an assassin, and she said he was a natural in battle.”
“Did you watch it, too?”
“Yes. They needed a witness, and they had to prepare if anything

happened… I’m not sure about the battles of the melee soldiers, but it
seemed desperate. As soon as they started, he threw the sand he had in
his hand, and he didn’t hesitate in attacking a vital spot. Ye-ri was a
little disconcerted, too. It seemed that he had been hiding a stinger in
his mouth, so I think that’s why he was wearing a mask… Anyway, he
was impressive.”
“Ahhh…”
Besides Yoo Ahyoung, if there were someone I thought would be
recruited, it would be Lee Chang-ryul, the archer.
‘I felt like his talent levels were not that good.’
His agility stat was heroic or higher, strength stat heroic or lower,
intelligence heroic or higher.
The rest of his stats, however, were bad. Nevertheless, I used one of the
priority bargaining powers on this guy because he had trained himself
to specialize in close combat.
It was impressive that he had decided to become an assassin, the top

class of archers.
It always helped for one to have a solid goal. However, I didn’t know if
his battle ability was excellent or not because I had not seen it myself…
‘He must have guts. It’s no different from revealing his true nature while
the Guild Master was watching.’
Throwing sand to test the opponent and solve the battle with all sorts
of undercover tactics was a very dif icult idea for ordinary people to do.
It felt like we not only tested him. He had tested us, as well.
‘This is my style. What do you think?’
That was what he wanted to say.
Of course, Kim Hyunsung was not the type who cared about that.
Rather, it was enough for him to see that he was a natural in combat, so
he naturally had a good af inity with Lee Chang-ryul.
Though he hadn’t yet signed a formal contract, he was already

considered as a guild member.
I heard that he had a meal with Kim Hyunsung, so it was basically the
same as con irming the contract.
“It worked out well.”
“Yes. So now you have three priority tickets left?”
“Yes. In fact, there are no other people who stand out so much other
than the two, so for now, they are on hold…”
“Considering that the demonstration is coming soon…”
“I am de initely worried.”
This recruitment was for the creation of the second Blue Guild party.
However, the problem lay in how to compose a party besides Yoo
Ahyoung and Lee Chang-ryul.
Assuming that Ahn Ki-mo, who was classi ied as a combat clergyman,
could also be included in the second party, the front line would be solid
at irst, but the rear position would be too poor if it remained this way.
‘I can’t just pick a random recruit.’
I cared more about quality than quantity.
As it was a request from the lovely returner, I had to keep thinking

about what kind of party I would make. It didn’t mean that I couldn’t
look for people with potential at all, but there were a lot of people who
made me think, ‘Should I recruit them?’
Coming to the Blue was like saying that one could get overwhelming
support, so I had to be cautious even when it came to sparing the
resources.
This was the reason Sun Hee-young and I had been busy recently. Jung
Hayan, meanwhile, was blissfully unaware of how the guild’s politics
worked.
“Hee-young-ssi, I want to read the document of the attack group once

again… Ah. Actually, you can read it irst.”
“No. No. You can read it. I’m going, anyway… I have something to do
today.”
“Okay.”
Sun Hee-young, who handed over the papers she was reading, bowed
slightly and then left.
After saying goodbye, I also started skimming through the document,

which contained a brief pro ile and stats of the attack team. Though I
had checked them with my Mind’s Eye, I also needed an indicator of
how much growth had been achieved during their time here.
As I turned to the next page, a little familiar name stood out.
Han Sora.
Naturally, I didn’t pay much attention to her after I talked to Hayan

about her.
‘Her grades are better than I thought. She’s able to catch up, too… ’
It appeared that she wasn’t as useless as I had irst thought. I had

spoken a little bit harshly at the time, but this woman seemed to have
something in her, seeing as she belonged to the attack team. She would
end up reaching the limit, but as the ratio of usable wizards was small,
she was a talent that medium-sized or large guilds would want to take.
The Red Mercenary seemed to be observing her secretly, but I did not
stop them.
This was because, as I did with Ito Souta and Lee Seol-ho, I knew it
wasn’t necessary to have a scuf le with this woman.
‘She will fall eventually, anyway… ’
It was then that, suddenly, a loud sound resonated from outside.
“You can come in.”
The door slowly opened, revealing a familiar face.
“What the hell?”
I couldn’t help but utter this aloud. It turned out to be Han Sora, who
was smiling slightly, looking at me.
‘Speak of the devil… ’
It was pretty unsightly to see her looking so con ident.
I didn’t know what she was thinking, but she seemed rather expectant.
“Are you curious about why I can be here?”
I was not very curious. There was only one reason a trainee could be
here.
“Have you had an interview with the Red Mercenary?”
“Correct.”
“It’s a place where trainees can’t come in. I think it would be better for
you to go out.”
I shook my head at her. However, she persisted in staying.
“I came because I wanted to say, or rather, suggest something. I guess it

can be called a deal. Ah! Of course, I would like to apologize for the rude
behavior from before.”
“…”
As soon as I closed my inger, Juliana began to come to mind. I saw Han

Sora linching.
“It would be better not to threaten me. Isn’t it useless anyway? Wasn’t it
a rule that instructors can’t touch the trainees?”
“It’s not absolute. Therefore, it would be better to go back to where you

came from quietly.”
“This is something that can help you out.”
“Whooo…”
“I want to join the Blue guild.”
‘I don’t care.’
“Actually, I’ve thought about a lot of possibilities, but I don’t think it’s
bad to start with Blue. If you offer to recruit me on good terms, I am
willing to enter.”
I don’t know what kind of con idence she was high on, but she was
plainly ridiculous. Did she really think I would just agree and offer her a
contract?
“I don’t think it’s a bad offer for the Blue Guild, either. Wizard human
resources are a little precious, right?”
“You are not quali ied. And a transaction can only be established when
there is something to exchange with each other. The word ‘deal’ is my
favorite word, but anyone can see that you have nothing for me.”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure which of us is not quali ied… You think you
are something just because you are in the arms of Instructor Jung
Hayan.”
‘Crazy bitch.’
“And you are completely wrong. I’m here to make a deal, and this is
pretty appealing to you, too, right?”
“What can you give me?”
“Your reputation. And everything.”
“What bullshit.”
At my reply, Han Sora began tearing off her clothes. Though I was able
to get a good look in, I didn’t understand why she was doing that.
‘She’s really going nuts… ’
When I irst visited Cha Hee-ra, I didn’t know if Cha Hee-ra felt this way,
but I really couldn’t discern this punk.
“I think the conversation will get a little better now… What do you
think?”
Was her best plan really to get involved in a sex scandal?
‘Should I kill her?’
It would be a little annoying, but I was con ident enough to get around
it.
Anyway, the other person was a trainee who had nothing, and I had the
power to manipulate the public’s opinion. Of course, I couldn’t easily
cover the fact that an instructor killed the trainee when the
demonstration was just about to come, but her face annoyed me so
much that I could not stand it.
Just in time, someone knocked on the door, and a familiar voice echoed.
“Oppa? Can I come in?”
Jung Hayan appeared with good timing. No, it wasn’t good timing.
Rather, she might have calculated it. She had used her brain pretty well.
Meanwhile, Han Sora looked triumphant.
“Soon, instructor Jung Hayan will come in. Are you okay with that?”
Once Jung Hayan came in, it would be her, not me, who would be in
danger.
“You don’t want to lose everything you’ve built up, right? It won’t be
very good for you to get caught in such a scandal. If you get into
problems with Instructor Jung Hayan, it would not be good…”
“You crazy bitch.”
“Thank you for the praise, instructor. I hear that a lot.”
I felt like she didn’t even know what I meant. I suddenly felt exhausted.
‘What am I going to do with this child?’
“Whooo…”
“You don’t have to worry. If you take care of the contract, this won’t
happen again.”
“There will be a cloak in the desk closet next to you. Just put it on and
head out quietly. Then nothing will happen.”
“What?”
“You’re just a stupid bitch who thinks she’s so smart. I would only feel
pathetic if I decide to toy with you. Just go out… Then you can still be
saved.”
“Can I really just go out? You will regret it. Can’t you hear the voice of
Instructor Jung Hayan outside?”
“Talking to you pisses me off. Just get out. I’m busy.”
“I de initely gave you a chance.”
“I also gave you a chance. The choice is yours.”
I saw her tightly biting her lips. Evidently, she thought I was bluf ing.
However, in the end, she didn’t wear the cloak, as I had instructed her to
do. She didn’t seem to realize that I had said it for her sake.
‘I also don’t want to see Hayan crying… ’
I wasn’t such a shitty person.
Thus, it was a spectacle to see her open the door after ignoring my
command.
“Ah… Oppa!”
What Jung Hayan encountered would be Han Sora, who was almost
half-naked.
“Uh…”
It had been a long time since last I saw Jung Hayan with such a
distorted expression.
CHAPTER 212
It had been the irst time I’d seen that expression since the Cursed
Shrine incident. I unconsciously linched, but I wasn’t very conscious. I
knew Jung Hayan was better than this.
Lately, she hadn’t killed anyone, and I had seen her trying to avoid doing
things I didn’t like. In fact, her current silence meant that she would not
harm me.
Jung Hayan stared at Han Sora for a long moment before thick tears
started dripping down her face. Even as she started hiccupping, she
looked surprisingly cute in my eyes.
“Haaa… Ugh… Hic!”
‘I have to soothe her later.’
I was beginning to think she would soon develop a sadistic disposition.
I didn’t know what she thought when she saw Jung Hayan crying, but
Han Sora looked quite happy. She must have felt that things were going
according to her intentions.
Her own plans were just as dumb as her. Her big plan was to ruin me
with a sex scandal and ensure her spot in Blue?
‘Her efforts are commendable, but… ’

She was going against a powerful enemy. Her plan was understandable,
considering that even the owners of large corporations suffered from
sex scandals, but unfortunately, this was not Earth.
“Haaaa… Hic…”
Jung Hayan’s expression had taken on a complex form.
In the case of Yuno Kasugano’s bed-sharing incident, it seemed that

being severely scolded had been memorable, so she seemed to be
hesitating now.
She thought she would get scolded again. Eventually, after lowering her
head, she started to cry and run away.
‘I have to praise her for that.’
It seemed that it had been effective to get scolded once. Meanwhile, Han
Sora shot me a triumphant look.
“I told you you’d regret it, right? Now, who will protect you?”
“…”
“It will make you feel that you have messed with the wrong person.
Please note that I didn’t want to do this, too.”
“Alright, whatever. Just get out.”
“I will go to instructor Jung Hayan.”
“Okay. Do whatever you want to do.”
“I’ll run to instructor Jung Hayan and tell her that you have molested
me, and then I’ll tell the instructors of the Red Mercenary.”
“You’re a dumb bitch. You know that, right?”
“That’s what I want to ask you. Anyway, please struggle with your
heart’s content.”
“Okay. While you’re already visiting, make sure to tell her to do

whatever she wants.”
“Aha, bluf ing until the end…”
“I said, I’m busy. Get out quickly.”
Jung Hayan’s tearful acting was nowhere near close to Ahn Ki-mo’s, but
she would still get merits from me for that.
‘About 70 points… ’
After the door closed, I could hear Han Sora running.
I still had a lot of work to do, so I was annoyed as I had lost so much of
my precious time, but I didn’t bother with it very much. As Han Sora
said, she was going to ind Jung Hayan on her own.
‘If I think about it, it wasn’t a bad plan.’
If she was going against a common instructor of a medium-sized guild

and not me, it was worth applauding her. She aimed for the time where
Jung Hayan would come, and although it was a little dull, she did that
because she knew she was in a weak position.
‘And she was daring, too… ’
If only I were a common instructor from a medium-sized company…
“At least it wouldn’t have been like now.”

She wouldn’t get humiliated if that had been the case. Jung Hayan was
surprisingly clever. Basically, she understood the power difference quite
well.
Compared to dealing with the woman who I couldn’t remember the

name of, a lot had changed.
She knew her social position very well, and she could even afford to
think about others’ social position and strength. She was aware of who
was important to me and up to what extent.
For example, Cha Hee-ra, Yuno Kasugano, Lee Jihye, and Dialugia have
already been classi ied as important people to me.
She had categorized them as ‘a strong person,’ ‘a person who is helpful

to Oppa,’ ‘a useful person,’ and ‘a person I don’t like a little, but should
not harm’ respectively.
I couldn’t read the inner heart of Jung Hayan, but it was an aspect of
hers that I realized after observing her for a long time. Of course, even
so, her disposition had changed a bit. She was still very jealous and
often gave out a cold expression at times.
Han Sora, however, was neither a strong person nor a person who could
help me. She also had a very low social position.
It was just a simple guess, but I knew she wouldn’t stand for it this time.
Jung Hayan may know better that there was no physical contact
between us, but…
‘I think she forgot, seeing her reaction… ’
It seemed that everything had been completely forgotten by the impact

of what she had seen.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

If Jung Hayan did this matter right, I would reward her handsomely.
“Now, who should I take for the second party’s backline…?”
***
‘It worked better than I thought… ’
The best thing was to encounter instructor Jung Hayan in this state. No,
in fact, a better situation would be to have the stupid alchemist to
accept the offer, but heartbreakingly, he refused. I wondered if there
might be any other bluff that I don’t know about because he looked
overly relaxed…
‘It’s over.’
Everything had been done perfectly.
I knew the bastard would try to control the instructors somehow to

prevent the spread of rumors, but there were many things I had
thought of and prepared for.
One would be to draw Instructor Jung Hayan over to my side. I felt

better when I remembered her crying. Of course, it would only be
natural for her to do so.
It would naturally be shocking to see the man you love rape and harass
another woman.
Originally, I thought about visiting the Red Mercenary irst, but when I
remembered Instructor Jung Hayan’s devastated expression, I had no
choice but to think that this might be a little more effective. She must be
really confused, so if I visited her to inform the facts, it would be a
natural step for her to become Lee Kiyoung’s enemy.
‘It will take a little time, but it’s going to be easy to persuade Jung
Retard.’
She would be my irst priority before the Red Mercenaries. I was in the
victim’s position, and I didn’t have an affair with Instructor Lee
Kiyoung.
That part was important.
As I followed after Hayan, I could see people looking my way. This

would be good, as it would be suf icient evidence.
I held back the laughter wanting to come out and continued to shed
tears as I knocked on Jung Hayan’s door. However, there was no answer.
“I-I’m coming in, instructor. Sniff…”
“…”
As soon as I opened the door, I caught sight of Instructor Jung Hayan

enveloped in a blanket.
“S-Sorry. It was so sudden… I know it’s rude, but I thought there was
only one place to go for help. I-I thought you might misunderstand…”
“Haaa… Hic…”
“There was no other intention. Instructor… Instructor L-lee Kiyoung

asked me to come to the temporary of ice for a moment… I just thought
he’d make an offer to recruit me…”
“Hic…”
“It’s a misunderstanding, Instructor Jung Hayan. It’s not what you

think.”
“Misunderstanding?”
“Yes. I’m not in that kind of relationship with instructor Lee Kiyoung…”
“…”
“I-It’s very hard to say, but… Instructor Lee Kiyoung… Sniff…”
“…”
“He said that if I stayed quiet, he would make me look good to the
guild… O-Of course I said no, but…”
“His… Did Oppa say that?”
Right.
“Yes. Although I told him that he shouldn’t be doing this… Forcefully…”
“D-d-d… Did he touch you?”
“Yes…”
“W… Where did he touch you?”
“To say that…”
“I-I-I’m asking where he touched you!”
The sudden outburst took me by surprise, but still, I felt happy with the
situation.
Jung Hayan looked more angered than I thought, and she seemed to be
mentally shaken.
“That… My breasts and…”

“Waah… Waaaaaaahh… Hic… Wahhhhhhhhhhhh…”
‘This is over.’
By now, the stupid alchemist may be trying to prove his innocence to

the Red Mercenary, but if I make Jung Retard stand by the side, it would
be the same as being half successful.
“What did… Hic… oppa say… when he touched you?”
“Can I tell you…?”
“T-T… Tell me quickly!!”
“He called me attractive… And, of course, I kept saying no…”
“Attractive?”
“Yes. He said that as an instructor… he knows he couldn’t, but he was

saying… sniff… that he was sexually attracted. Forcing me to kiss him…”
“…”
“He told me not to tell anyone while he lifted my skirt up, but…”
“Down below, too? Hic…”
“Yes.”
“Waa… Waaaaahhh… Hic… Wahhhhhhhhhh…”
‘She sure cries a lot.’
Of course, I could understand that it was shocking, but I couldn’t even

imagine crying like that with my body wrapped tightly in a blanket. I
was starting to think she really was deluded.
Her emotional shock worked in my favor, but not when she would be
too busy crying in order to talk to me properly, and that would be bad.
‘She has to testify… Tsk. She’s so annoying.’
“Waah… Hate… I hate it… Hic!”
“The shock must be great… Instructor Jung Hayan.”
“I-I will kill…”
“You can’t do that. Even if…”
“Hic… Gasp… Waaah… I’m going to k-k-k-kill… I will kill!”
‘Crazy bitch. She really is a crazy bitch.’
“Wouldn’t it be nice to go to the Red Mercenary and explain the

situation? T-To go this far, even Jung Hayan-nim would be in trouble.
The irst step should be to testify… Of course, it doesn’t mean that
instructor Lee Kiyoung is not guilty, but if you kill him…”
“I-I think I can kill because it’s useless. Only this time… right? I’m only
doing it this time. It’ll really be the last…”
“I’m sorry?”
“Y-You can’t… you can’t do that! Oppa will get angry. You might be really
scolded. This time it’s real. What if he bans access this time?”
“What… What are you… saying now?”
“But she doesn’t have anything, right? It’s not even helpful to you, like
the red-haired and the blind bitch! Oppa didn’t even tell me to be
careful! Isn’t this true that he hasn’t told me anything? No! It’s different!
This time I might not be going to be s-s-scolded!”
“Instructor…”
“Can I do that? Just, just, just this time? Yes… she doesn’t have any
talent… Oppa was mistaken this time. He hasn’t even offered to recruit
her yet. Yeees! She’s useless!”
“Jung Hayan…?”
“Okay! T-T-T-then… Let’s kill it! No… You can’t kill it. If you kill, you will
be caught by oppa.”
“Huh?”
She slammed against the wall.
“If I just don’t kill… ine! Let’s do it!”

CHAPTER 213
It was natural for me to wonder what had happened. I grabbed my hot

chest and stepped back, but my body refused to move properly. It was
obvious why.
‘Magic? None was cast… Something like this… Is it possible?’
I’d heard in class that simple magic could be completed with no

chanting, but I didn’t think it was really possible.
Perhaps this was an improved version of the trapping magic.
There were many thoughts in my mind, but none could explain the
situation I was in now.
“Ah… Ah…”
As I slowly turned my head, I could see a dark room. This was an eerie
atmosphere where no single light could enter.
As if a magical power occupied the said room, it was getting harder and
harder to breathe.
“Ah… Ahhhhhh!”
Without even realizing it, screams continued to pop out of my mouth

before I could even comprehend what was happening.
“Don’t do this! Ahhhhhh!”

“…”
“S-Save me… Save me. Help me. Help me. Help me.”
“I-I’m not killing you. I can’t kill you.”
“Don’t come close! Don’t come close!”
“B-B-But I want to. Hehehehehe.”
It was natural to realize what the anxiety I felt at that time was. I wasn’t
mistaken, and it wasn’t that she was sick.
The fear I felt then began to rise to the end of my chin. I couldn’t even
feel the pain of having a dagger in my chest.
In this con ined space, I couldn’t even move my body.
The most terrifying thing was Hayan’s expression as she looked at me.
Her lips were completely twisted, and her eyes strangely looked empty.
‘What to do?’
I can’t think of anything.
I couldn’t think of anything else. If I moved a little, I would die. No,

dying was not the problem.
I just wanted to get out of this place. My body had been trembling so
much.
‘He knew.’
Lee Kiyoung knew that this woman was a completely crazy bitch.
‘That’s why he told me to put on the cloak and go out.’
He already knew in advance that this would be the result.
“Instructor Jung Hayan, please do not do this. I have done nothing

wrong. I just…”
“Eeeeekk!!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
All of a sudden, she stuck something into the back of my hand.
“This thief! P… Prostitute!”
Pain spread throughout my whole body. It was so frustrating that I

couldn’t move my whole body, and I couldn’t even scream properly.
“Fool! Stupid!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Tears continued to pour out of my eyes, and I couldn’t igure out what
was going on in my body.
“It hurts! It hurts! Save me. Please… Please save me.”
I was scared of what she was doing because the pain had been
transmitted from so many places simultaneously. When I inally came to
my senses, I felt like there was no sensation in one of my eyes, and my
limbs weren’t moving properly.
Obviously, I was going to die here. However, I couldn’t let that happen. I
only realized now how to survive. In fact, it could be said that I had
realized it for a long time.
I just didn’t have the right time to speak. I had been busy screaming
over and over again.
“This is a… lie. Nothing… happened…”
“…”
“No such thing…”
“Uh…”
“Happened…”
I could barely speak. I felt so numb.
At this point, the room became completely quiet, save for me spitting
out blood every now and then.
“What… did you say?”
“It’s… a… lie. No such thing…”
“Lie.”
“It’s… It’s true… I made up everything up…”
“What?”
“All… made up… I’m sorry… Save me… please.”
“What? What? R-Really? Yes. I think it really is.”
“Save me…”
“Oh my god. What do I do? What do I do? B-by any chance, has anyone
seen you coming in here?”
It was a voice that seemed a little embarrassed.
I didn’t know if her anger had subsided a little because of the words I
just said, but she completely sounded different from before.
As usual, Instructor Jung Hayan was correct. It seemed that my

consciousness was gradually fading, but I had no choice but to grasp it
straight.
I knew that answering the question had something to do with survival.
“Yes… Red Mercenary members… Some of them…”
If no one had seen me, she would have no qualms about killing me right
off the bat.
‘Damn… ’
If I were to think about it, there had been several signs. It was the same
as Chang-ryul Oppa’s advice, and most other colleagues told me not to
do anything useless.
Even instructor Lee Kiyoung had sent me a signal. I could remember

him looking at me as if I was pathetic. Tears popped out of my other
eye.
“Do not cry.”
“I won’t… say… anything. Save me.”
“I said I’m not killing you. W-Where is the potion? Consider this a
punishment for lying. You can’t think this way, Han Sora! You shouldn’t
fool an instructor!”
“Yes…”
“H-How can you tell a lie like that?”
“I’m… sorry.”
“But really, w-what should I do? I can’t be caught by Oppa…”
“It’s okay… I… My eyes keep closing…”
“Y-You can’t! Die!”
Her attitude was so different from the previous one that I felt confused.
After I felt something warm sprinkled all over my body, I passed out.
I prayed that I at least would wake up somewhere other than in this

room.
***
No matter how much I thought about this…
‘She exaggerated too much… ’
I thought Jung Hayan would do this right, but I couldn’t imagine that
she would do this.
She seemed to have relieved all of her recently accumulated stress.
If Jung Hayan hadn’t gone to Sun Hee-young, Han Sora would be dead,
without fail.
Of course, I did not blame Jung Hayan’s actions. It seemed that it wasn’t
right to compliment her, so I went in the other direction.
Rather than focusing on what made her wrecked, I was patting her
head for punishing a trainee for trying to do something bad.
As a result, Jung Hayan gradually thought that she had been praised for
what she had done.
When I asked Sun Hee-young to bring her to me with only external

wounds healed, she gave me a guilty expression. But when I told her
about the problem, she immediately asked for a reward with a
triumphant expression.
I felt a bit disconcerted by her sudden change in attitude. Anyway, I was

a little busy, but I had a pretty good time with her.
In the meantime, the demonstration had passed, and most of the

trainees inished their irst class change.
I, who would be in charge of training for the manufacturing production,

also gathered wizards to give alchemy lectures. Blue offered Lee Chang-
ryul a higher salary than expected.
‘It’s because he wanted it.’
They wanted an environment in which they could practice rather than

salary or down payment.
Chang-ryul was not as shitty as I had expected him to be. He wanted a

narrow room where he could be by himself, as well as a heroic-grade
item that he could use as a weapon.
‘What an unusual guy.’
Of course, everything was going well with Yoo Ahyoung, too.
Kim Hyunsung did not understand why I wanted to recruit her, but he
relented upon my insistence. Though Ahyoung couldn’t be said to be
naturally talented, her legendary-grade of stats became better as the
days passed.
It was probably around this time that Han Sora Han woke up and
started coming to the classes. Of course, a tremendous aftereffect
remained on her body.
At irst, most of her magic power circuit had been broken. In Sun Hee-
young’s words, she could only recover after about a year, so her life as a
wizard was actually over.
Of course, it didn’t seem like she couldn’t aim for recovery at all, but the
fact that her body was a mess was undeniable. One of her eyes could
not recover, and she had developed a limp. The fun part was that she
came to listen to an alchemy lecture hosted by me.
‘Thak you… for giving me a chance.’
‘What?’
‘Thank you… for trying to save me… back then.’
It was annoying to deal with her from my perspective, so I just waved

my hand for her to get dressed. But from her point of view, she had
accepted that I gave her a chance.
Of course, the results weren’t good, but I didn’t know Han Sora would
accept it that way, so I just nodded.
Absurdly, she was incredibly focused on class.
I didn’t know if she wanted to become a full-time alchemist, but she

didn’t give up on her life anyway. The most interesting part was that she
was being a little harassed by those who always crowded her.
I couldn’t check it with my own eyes, but it seemed that she had quickly
become the weakest in the newly formed group.
‘After all, humans are fun… ’

If my memory was correct, it means that the people who followed Han
Sora, calling her Eunni, had started tormenting her. All I had seen were
them laughing at her and calling her a dork, but she probably suffered
worse.
Of course, I didn’t feel any sympathy. It seemed a little pitiful to see

them smack her legs while she was wearing a bandage, but her pain
didn’t make my heart squeeze.
Besides that, anyone could see that Han Sora, struggling with a painful
life, had shown that she did not want to meet Jung Hayan. When she
met her once, she pissed herself.
‘What on Earth did she do?’
I had to think about that. Perhaps that was not the only painful thing.
It was natural for her not to receive an offer from any guild as she was
not available at the demonstration due to her long absence. It meant
that, at the end of the training period, she had nowhere to go.
When I lost all interest in her, I immediately focused on inding a

backline.
This was because Kim Hyunsung did not pay much attention to the new
recruits this time around, contrary to my guess that he would bring in
as many talents as he knew in the future.
Of course, he sometimes was dubious about his memory, so he slowly

looked at the trainees’ faces, but he realized that there was no one he
was looking for.
In short, Blue had not yet used its three other priority bargaining rights.
Even today, Cha Hee-ra asked me about it.

“Is it really okay to not kick her out, honey?”
“What?”
“That stupid girl, Han Sora or something.”
“What? It’s alright.”
“Whoa.”
“Why?”
“Nothing. You just seem a little bit more generous. Weren’t you the type
to go till the end to chew, bite, taste, and enjoy this kind of thing?”
“It depends on who I’m dealing with. If I had thought about it from the
beginning, I would have just killed her. Rather, how much did you pay
them for compensation?”
“A hundred gold per person?”
“You didn’t give much. No, it’ll be a lot from their point of view.”
“They’re about to fail anyway, but it’s meaningful that they ran irst to
me and reported. I don’t think they’re good kids, but they did a good
thing. Anyway, that Han Sora, or whatever her name is, is also very
pitiful. The ones who call themselves her friends told me all of her
plans. I ind that funny.”
“From their point of view, they thought it would be more bene icial to
appeal to our sides.”
“They asked me if they could join the Red Mercenary as a reward. I

wanted to smash their heads, but I held myself back. By the way…”
I braced myself for the real conversation.

“Do you have any plans to use your rights, honey? Other guilds won’t
wait, either. I’m trying to block the transfer market as much as possible,
but the small and medium-sized clans are soon going to feel furious.
How about just recruiting anyone?”
“Hmm… Our Guild Master won’t like that. In the irst place, Blue is
aiming for elite recruits…”
“My gosh. Every day, it’s all about Kim Hyunsung. You two have
something going on between you, right?”
“Of course not.”
“Okay, then. Anyway, are you thinking of using it? The Black Swan
Leader, Park Yeon-joo, that bitch is raging. She even screamed, asking if
we made an alliance.”
“Ah, I’m also indebted to her. I can give her one. And in our guild, I think
I can just open it when the recruitment of Yoo Ahyoung is inished… Oh,
and Hee-ra. I’ll just give you the remaining one. But, by any chance…”
“Ahn Ki-mo?”
“Huh?”
“He said he wanted to go to Blue…”
“Can he, Hee-ra?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll get the money, though. Our guild also invested in
that bastard.”
“That’s okay.”
“Well… He said something about being loyal and whatever… Ahn Ki-mo,
that bastard. Don’t trust him too much. He’s very clever. When he came
in, he said that this was his grave, that he’d stay with the Red
Mercenaries until he died. And now? He says he wants to go to Blue. I
thought he was a comedy actor. You have to be aware as to when you’ll
get backstabbed. I’m warning you in advance, okay?”
“Okay…”
For some reason, he de initely looked like that type of character.
Though I had fun during my conversation with Cha Hee-ra, now was the
time to move things along.
As I stood up, she looked up at me inquiringly.
“Going to the interview, honey?”
“Yes. I have to go see Yoo Ahyoung. I want to recruit this one quickly, but
she just won’t come to us easily.”
“Originally, big kids are like that.”
“That’s sexual harassment, Hee-ra.”
“I didn’t say which part of her was big.”
At this, Cha Hee-ra laughed at me knowingly, which incited my feelings

of guilt.
I was forced to leave the of ice in a hurry.

CHAPTER 214
GANGWON-DO’S DATING
EXPERT (1)
There were certain things that one would eventually start to notice if
they lived here, even if they did not want to notice them in the irst
place. Special treatment was one of those things, and although it wasn’t
usually obvious, it was de initely noticeable in this small, con ined
space.
The trainees here stood on an almost equal starting line, all except for
the attack team. They all received the same training and took the same
class.
Each one might want different things, but as they could recognize the
fact that talented people were getting special treatment, most of them
desperately changed as the time for the end of education approached.
Those who usually didn’t have any thoughts about getting serious also
started to get nervous. It would be natural for all trainees to act so
desperately with the deadline looming on the horizon.
‘I think I can enter a medium-sized guild, right? Still, I think I’m good
enough to get an offer from one of the main guilds in Lindel, right?’
Vague thoughts such as these would begin to revolve around every

person’s mind.
Contrary to what they thought they needed to live enough, they began
to realize that they had nowhere to go. In the midst of that, the attack
team, or those who at least had potential, became envied by everyone
after getting offers from guilds as an early admission.
Those who remained started to get a little more impatient, but there
was no way that those without talent could show anything in such a
short period.
The possibility of joining a middle-sized guild, getting good grades, or

receiving offers from any guild would soon be evident during this short
period.
Someone was already expected to walk the path of success, while

others would take the path of failure.
The problem is all of these people used the same classroom, the same
restaurant, and the same accommodation. The invisible stratum was
formed.
The cases of the maids and servants who were sucking up Han So-ra
began to spring up everywhere. In a society where there was nothing,
the number of people trying to somehow grab onto the string of
opportunity increased.
For a while, the nominees who joined the group felt what life was like in
the upper class. Of course, everyone was careful with each action they
made.
‘It’s because it’s a network.’
This wasn’t a bad thing. If some of these people were to go out into
society, they would meet all kinds of people anyway, so making
connections now would prove to be quite bene icial.
The problem was the opposite case—people who were destined to stay
at the bottom. It was better to be indifferent to them.
However, some of these individuals were pretty relaxed. They were
neither the nominees who joined the group nor talented. They were the
ones ambiguously standing somewhere in the middle, tormenting those
who seemed to be weak, and with it, consoled themselves day by day,
feeling superior that their situation was better than those they
tortured.
Simply put, Han Sora was facing such a situation now. In just one day,
she became someone everyone either adored or envied, to someone
everyone mocked because she had become magically disabled.
‘There is also the opposite case.’
If Han Sora was the person who fell from the top, it was obviously the
opposite for Yoo Ahyoung. Of course, it wasn’t that she worked hard.
She was the type of human being who could jump up without doing it.
When I irst entered class, I had praised her potential. And because of
that, she seemed to be secretly hated, but her true value was revealed
as time passed. Most of the trainees who hated her began to act as
loyalists. The evaluation and grades as a close-quarters class at the
bottom were from the lowest to the best. When rumors that she had
been offered to join the Blue became of icial, she became a beacon for
all the garbage trainees.
When I saw Yoo Ahyoung talking with Park Deokgu, I certainly realized
how unfair the world really was.
“Ahem… I mean. Our guild’s support is very good… I wasn’t a big deal in
the past, too. I changed completely since I entered Blue. So… We’ll do
everything we can for you.”
“Ah… Okay.”
“If you want to change your life, go to Blue! I’m sure of it! You probably
already heard it, Yoo Ahyoung-ssi. Although it hasn’t been of icially
announced yet, the Blue Guild Master Hyung-ssi and our Hyung-nim are
assigned to a seat at the Eight Seats of the Empire, and our Hayan is
very good with magic! If you see it, your jaw will drop.”
“I see.”
“The kid Ye-ri is so fast that when she moves, she disappears, and
there’s also Cho Hyejin, who is really good at handling with spears…
And! Mage scholar Jeong-yeon is really smart. Probably as smart as
Hyung-nim. She hardly ever forgets what she saw once, and her
administration work is amazing! Our Sun Hee-young’s a little scary, but
when you see her sprinkling divine power, your jaw will drop as well.”
“Yes.”
“The way they all ight is so incredible! Some of them just go toink-
toink-toink, some of them go bang-bang! That kid Ye-ri is good with a
bow, too, so she just shoots it very fast everywhere. But in the
meantime, if monsters come in, Cho Hye-jin’s spear attacks them with
tease! Like this! It moves like this, just like a snake!”
“Pfft.”
“I don’t even have the chance to do anything, because it all gets cleared
in no time! And there’s about the other time, too…”
“Yes.”
“Oh, irst, get another drink. Eat the meat, too! Isn’t the trainee’s food a
little too poor?”
“No. It’s better than I think. The accommodation is also good.”
‘Deokgu! You’re doing good!’

When I saw Yoo Ahyoung laughing, I had to realize that my thoughts
were correct.
‘Good.’
Interviews with Kim Hyunsung had already been conducted several

times.
She even had an interview with me. Of course, it had been a long time
ago when the guild’s catalog had been distributed, and there was a time
when I thought the money wasn’t good enough, so I kept raising the
salary and the down payment.
There was also a time when Kim Hyunsung approached her irst to
become friends, but his social skill level was not so high, so it would be
impossible to convince her.
I also tried quite a bit to suck up to Yoo Ahyoung, but I thought it was
impossible to get closer to her, as she always seemed wary of me.
I sent Park Deokgu just in case a few days ago, and it was inally starting
to produce results.
‘I don’t know what she’s thinking.’
I bet Park Deokgu was way friendlier than I am. When I remembered
how quickly he became close to her at their irst meal, I had to nod once
again.
“It looks like you are really close to each other.”
“Ah! Of course. Didn’t you say it last time, too? Of course, I’m close to
everyone else. But what can I say about Hyung-nim, me, and Hyunsung-
ssi? The close bond that has been passed was maintained since the
tutorial. The unspeakable passionate friendship of men! Something like
that! Now I think I can see what Hyung-nim and Hyung-ssi are thinking
even when I close my eyes!”
That must just be his illusion.
“Speaking of the tutorial, I remembered something… At that time,

Hyung-nim… there’s a crash! After hitting the monster’s head with a
stone… He said, ‘Deokgu, if I can… You can do better.’ Wow! That gave
me courage in the dungeon. Originally, I was trembling because I was
scared, but I got courage!”
‘How many times has he told this story?’
One downside was that it would make me a little embarrassed, but I

could bear it.
“You told that story last time, Deokgu Oppa.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Still, it’s a story that makes me feel good every time I listen to it. I
feel that you are really close.”
“Hahaha. We are a little bit, actually. Of course, the relationship between

Deokgu, Hayan, and Hyunsung, who have met in the tutorial dungeon, is
also valuable. But our Blue Guild is the best because it has a family-like
atmosphere. I have a good relationship with other guild members, too.”
“Ah! I see.”
“Yes. In fact, everyone is close to each other like family.”
“Not only close like a family! Hyung-nim and Hayan can soon become a
real family.”
“Ah… As expected, they were dating each other, right? I heard
something about it, but I wasn’t sure, so I was just thinking…”
“For… now, it is.”
“And it’s the Gangwon-do’s dating expert, Park Deokgu, that connected
the two!”
“I’m not saying that I was a bridge between them and played a decisive
role. Hayan was a little timid, so I just gave her a little push. Ahem.”
“Gangwon-do’s love doctor? So, did you two meet in the tutorial and
started dating?”
“Yes. That de initely happened.”
She looked like she was inding this interesting.
‘Is she interested in this kind of thing?’
I thought maybe it could be. Although time had passed by without

anyone noticing, it was natural that she, who was still in her early
twenties, would be interested in such love stories.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Park Deokgu cut me off.
“That… Actually, Hayan is a genius, but! Ahem! When she was in the
tutorial dungeon, there were some bad times. I don’t know in detail, but
other people just hated her…”
“Oh…”
“I’m not saying that bad people bullied her. At that time, in our tutorial
dungeon, Hyung-nim was gathering and protecting the survivors…
Anyway, they gave just a little bit of the distributed food to her on
purpose! These rotten bastards!”
“Ah…”
“I don’t want to say this, but there was this guy! He was trying to do
something to her! No, this story is a bit delicate. Anyway, Hayan couldn’t
say anything, but it must have been very hard at the time.”
“I see.”
“At that time, it was our Kiyoung Hyung-nim who appeared like a hero.”
My face turned red.
‘So embarrassing.’
But it wasn’t so bad. I could see Yoo Ahyoung glancing at me and

nodding.
“At that time, Kiyoung Hyung-nim started to take care of Hayan. Of

course, up to this point, Hyung-nim said that he took care of Hayan
because he remembered his younger sister… But a human’s heart
doesn’t work the way we want it to. Since she liked him so much, I gave
her some advice…”
“Yes.”
“At the time, there was no one who didn’t know about Park Deokgu, a
dating expert in Gangwon-do. Ahem… It wasn’t a big deal. It gets too
long to talk about in detail, but anyway, I gave her a lot of advice, and
they suddenly got close. Anyone who gets into the hands of a Gangwon-
do’s dating expert is successful!”
“I see.”
“But, in the end, it is because of these two people that their love
blossomed. Hayan took courage, and Hyung-nim ended up liking her.
The fact that their love ended beautifully is because of the role they
played, not mine. I only helped.”
As he looked at me and raised his thumb, I felt like shaking my head at

him, but at least Yoo Ahyoung’s reaction wasn’t a negative one. She even
looked impressed.
It was then that she spoke.
“Er…”
“Yes?”
“If it’s okay, can I get a consultation from you, too?”
Of course, that had been completely unexpected.

CHAPTER 215
GANGWON-DO’S DATING
EXPERT (2)
“Of course! When it comes to dating, Park Deokgu is the best, right?”
Unlike me, whose cheeks were red, Park Deokgu busied himself with
boasting. I wasn’t sure if he really was Gangwon-do’s dating expert, but
it seemed that he couldn’t hide his joy upon learning someone wanted
to apply for a consultation after a long time.
‘Who is it?’
Though I felt exhausted, I was also curious.
‘Is it Kim Hyunsung?’
It was not impossible.
Unlike Deokgu and I, our lovely returner was not only a typical good-
looking guy, but he also had the desired manners. If I were a woman, I
would be chasing him, too. He was successful, so it was obvious for him
to put up iron walls around him to prevent girls from approaching.
‘Or is it one of the trainees?’
I thought there was no reason to keep postponing our guild’s proposal,

assuming that the one she liked was among the trainees. All I had to do
was wait for her answer.
Since she is not asking me to leave, I suppose it didn’t matter if I heard
it.
“So.”
“Well, tell me openly.”
“Err…”
“Anything is ine.”
Ahyoung hesitated before speaking once more.
“The fact is… I have someone I’m going out with.”
“Huh?”
“I, like Instructor Lee Kiyoung and Instructor Jung Hayan, in the tutorial
dungeon…”
“Ahhh…”
I felt surprised at the fact that she already had a beau. However, I wasn’t
surprised.
If you were a man, you couldn’t possibly dislike a woman like this.
Although her personality is ine, her appearance was the one that
proved to be overwhelming.
The face was a little ordinary, but the legendary chest’s majesty covered
all the cons.
It should be the same now, but there must have been people trying to
do something to her in the tutorial dungeon.
“Then, aren’t you two already dating? I don’t think you need much
help…”
I couldn’t even imagine that Yoo Ahyoung would have a boyfriend on

campus. Obviously, I remember that she was always alone at irst.
Though I hadn’t been interested in the other recruits, I paid quite a bit
of attention to her.
It might sound like I was a stalker, but it was to igure out what kind of
person she was, and in fact, I was able to empathize with the situation
she was in.
‘I haven’t seen her recently, but… ’
I haven’t seen anyone I could call her boyfriend.
She didn’t have any friends to talk to, and she was always alone. The
only people that talked to her until she achieved some results were only
gangster-like bullies.
However, for some reason, there was a situation that I can predict.
“No. The situation is a little complicated now.”
“Ahem. I’m sorry I couldn’t play the role of cupid of love, but counseling
is still counseling. Well, aren’t you worried about your relationship?
Then, here is Park Deokgu!”
“Yes. As I said before, Oppa and I met in the tutorial dungeon. He

accidentally rescued me from being almost hit by a monster. We didn’t
ask one another to go out, and as the situation was, we didn’t have time
to do something like lovers…”
“Hmmm… Yes. Hyung-nim and Hayan were the same.”

“That… Did you say that the Blue Guild Master Kim Hyunsung saved the
survivors?”
“Yep. He is great.”
“It wasn’t like that, but Oppa did something similar. He saved the
survivors as far as he could, and he did not hesitate to go on dangerous
paths with others to get food… Maybe because of us, he couldn’t
participate in the strategy. He wasn’t on the attack team, but he changed
his class in the tutorial dungeon.”
“Wow!”
“Anyway, the important thing is that I liked him, and he liked me, too.”
“That’s so exciting.”
“It’s hard to tell everything that happened in the dungeon, but… Ah!
What else happened…”
I wanted to listen a little more, but the dramatic pauses were driving
me crazy. When it appeared that no one was going to speak up anytime
soon, I took matters into my own hands.
“I have a question. May I ask it to you, Trainee Yoo Ahyoung?”
“Ah! Yes.”
“It’s a little rude, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you go around with
your boyfriend. Of course, I understand that because of class, yet you
always seem to be alone every time…”
“Ahhhhhh… Actually, when we came out of the tutorial dungeon and

just started getting the education, Oppa asked me to keep a little
distance. I understand it because it was a time when we had to focus
more on training. It was a little lonely, but…”
‘I knew it.’
[Checking the unique characteristic of the player Yoo Ahyoung.]
[Rich Heart]
‘You got conned… ’
I was now able to put the pieces together.
He had only stayed with her back then because he had nothing left to
lean on. However, once he found a possible path he could take, he
dumped her.
‘A shitty person like me can understand this. He’s de initely a Lee

Kiyoung-inspired bastard.’
There must’ve been a reason for him to hang around with Yoo Ahyoung
in the tutorial dungeon.
In short, he may have needed someone to release his sexual desire, or

he may have needed someone to die for himself or someone to sacri ice
in case of an emergency.
“It’s not like we got the seven-year itch yet. Oppa is just a bit cold-
hearted… Still, he’s a warm person inside.”
In other words, she was the one who had gotten abandoned. The reason
she survived the tutorial dungeon was that she had gotten lucky. If
there had been an opportunity for her to be abandoned, she would
de initely have been.
What came after was also obvious. After completing the irst class
change and leaving the tutorial dungeon, he must have realized that he
was quite talented… The existence of this woman, who was holding him
back, must have bothered him.
In the eyes of a guy who couldn’t see her talent, he would have thought
that the only advantage of this woman was her big chest. Of course, it
wouldn’t take long before he realized that the insurance he was
carrying was a gem.
Now would be the right time for him to change his attitude.
“Since education is almost over now. Oppa came back to me as before.

He hasn’t received an offer from a guild yet, but he will de initely be
taken by other clans and guilds. What I’m worried about…”
“Maybe the guy who is your boyfriend said he wanted to join the same
guild. Or he probably asked you to ask us if he could get in the Blue to
be together with you.”
“Huh. How did you know?”
It was too obvious.
“It’s nothing. I felt that way for some reason.”
“Instructor Lee Kiyoung is right. It may feel a little insigni icant, but it’s
an important issue for me… Actually, it’s the irst time someone has
expected something from me. The reason I was able to work hard was
all because of what the instructor said… Also, I want to comply with
what the instructor said, but I feel kind of guilty because of him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me to bring him together with you?”
“Because I know it’s a nuisance.”
‘Ah, she’s nice.’
If she had asked me with no worries, perhaps I could have done

something. She deserved to be treated, after all. However, she didn’t
because she knew it would be a nuisance for us.
‘The guy who conned her… Should I take him in?’
That guy’s personality seemed like trash, but he could be used once the
contract was successful.
Even if I didn’t use him as a party member, he could still be useful in

other things, and it was not a bad deal to be able to save talent in
exchange for taking in one piece of trash, as long as he didn’t get too
cocky and ask for a boost to raise his salary.
It may be annoying to have someone who could control a person like

Yoo Ahyoung, but it would, in turn, be easy to control him with the
power I currently held.
If I did not feel satis ied with him, I could just kill him…
‘I can just give him some gold.’
Of course, I could provide some love counseling to Ahyoung. That would

be a simpler method.
If not…
‘Is it better to just drop him?’
Ahyoung looked like a pushover. It looked like she would give him
everything with a little bit of sweet talk, so perhaps it was okay to do
the work.
As I tried to organize my thoughts, Deokgu took a deep breath.
“Hyung-nim, I have to say something.”
“Okay…”
“I’m sorry to say this, Ahyoung-ssi, but…”

“Yes?”
“I think it’s better for you to break up.”
At this, Ahyoung looked a little disconcerted. It was also strange to see

Deokgu looking so serious.
The girl’s reaction was natural. She must’ve thought Deokgu was rude
to suggest such a thing.
“I’ve never seen him, and I don’t know his face, but he honestly doesn’t
seem to be a good person.”
‘He’s too direct… ’
Speaking carefully here would’ve been the better option. Park Deokgu
was too direct.
‘Gangwon-do Dating Expert King Deokgu, my ass.’
“Ah…”
“As a messenger of love, it hurts not to bless you two, but Ahyoung is
worth more than him. I’m not saying this because I’m in the Blue Guild.
Honestly, if it were Hyung-nim, it wouldn’t be a problem to bring that
person to the guild with Ahyoung. Isn’t it? Hyung-nim?”
“Well, yes.”
“Of course, there are vacancies in our guild’s T.O! Can you call him a
man when, instead of supporting and cheering for the person he loves,
he holds you back and wants to be carried by you? To tell you to keep
some distance just as soon as you got out of the dungeon, he’s someone
petty and shamefully dirty. Who can guarantee that he didn’t come back
because Ahyoung is doing well?”
“Ah…”
All of a sudden, this bastard had become sharp.
“Well, it’s a little abrupt, but I’ll tell you an old story. In the past, there
was an aunt named Oh Young-hee in our neighborhood. It is assumed
that her husband met another woman and ran away to Seoul, leaving
her with a less than a three-month-old baby. When I was just a high
school student, aunt Young-hee’s restaurant was doing pretty good, so
she put out the 2nd and 3rd stores in other areas… The cheating
husband came back and asked her to take him in.”
“Ah…”
“In the end, since that aunt had a daughter, she was forced to accept
him. After she died of a sickness, he returned to the woman he ran away
with and spent a lot of aunt’s money. There are many bad people in the
world. It’s because Ahyoung seems to be too nice…”
“Oh…”
“Of course, I haven’t lived long enough to give this advice. I’m not a
fuddy-duddy that is telling you this for you to obey. I’m not saying this
because I’m in a higher position either, but… Ah! Aren’t we friends now
since we had a drink? I’m speaking as a friend. This is something
Ahyoung has to choose. Please think carefully about whether that guy is
really the person that Ahyoung thinks.”
‘Why is this bastard doing this suddenly?’
“If he’s not that kind of guy, then Park Deokgu, the messenger of love,
will support you with all my utmost power.”
Park Deokgu’s response was heavy, but it was not bad overall. I could
tell that Yoo Ahyoung knew how genuine Deokgu’s words were. She
probably understood that this was not bait to try and get her to join
Blue.
There was a tense pause, and, as Ahyoung’s expression worsened, I

could tell she had come to a decision.
If that guy treated Yoo Ahyoung sincerely, she had nothing to be anxious
about, but I could be 100% sure that he was trash.
“I… I do not know.”
Though her response had been this, her expression looked sad. She
must’ve remembered some bad memories of him.
“W-What if what Deokgu Oppa said… is correct… W-What should I do?

What should I do?”
Park Deokgu glanced toward me before speaking up once more.
“Well, Hyung-nim will get revenge for you!”
Once again, this bastard reminded me of how annoying he really was.

CHAPTER 216
CUTE REVENGE (1)
Each person valued different things. In my case, I valued survival.
I thought getting on Kim Hyunsung’s bus was my top priority, and I

moved desperately to survive with my lack of talent. I threw the dice
and visited Cha Hee-ra, risking my life, and even had to beat a crazy old
man who didn’t have the right disposition.
I knew that I shouldn’t belittle other people, and I knew that I shouldn’t
ignore the different values each of us had, but honestly, Yoo Ahyoung’s
worries didn’t really touch me.
‘I understand, but… ’
Of course, I could understand. She was now in her early twenties.
She needed a safe place to put her mind since she was risking her life all
the time in a place where there were all kinds of monsters. It certainly
had merit.
First of all, the promise of being lovers contributed to each other’s

mental stability.
I couldn’t understand all of Yoo Ahyoung’s thoughts, but perhaps the

reason she was able to withstand the tutorial dungeon was that there
was someone who she could mentally depend on.
‘In my case, is it possible to project it onto Kim Hyunsung?’

I could also remember the stability I felt from our warm returner. It
may be a little different from Yoo Ahyoung, but if I were to think about
struggling not to fall off of Kim Hyunsung…
‘Now I can understand… ’
Things had just gotten a lot more interesting.
If a third party realized that Kim Hyunsung was a returner and that
third party tried to take Kim Hyunsung from me, I would go crazy.
As I glanced at my side, I could see Yoo Ahyoung looking nervous.
“Are you really okay with this?”
“Yes. It’s okay. I’m a little sorry for Oppa, but… Listening to Deokgu
Oppa, there are a few things that bother me. I want to check it with my
own eyes.”
“You may be a little shocked…”
“I can bear it. Would I not be seeing his true nature? And the
conversation will be inaudible to other people, right?”
“Yes. I’m sure of it. Of course, it won’t work for those sensitive to magic
or warriors with acute senses, but this is a training center. At best, only
the instructors will be able to see or hear us. The attack team won’t be
able to see it, too.”
“It’s incredible—this thing called magic. You can even make your body
transparent. No, in this case, isn’t the Instructor Jung Hayan the best
one at this sort of thing?”
“No one else can handle this kind of magic so perfectly.”

In addition to attack magic, if there were another kind of magic that
Jung Hayan could do well, it would, of course, be stalking magic.
Jung Hayan was a specialist who had unrivaled authority in such types
of magic as location tracking, invisibility, and sleep magic. She was so
good that even Magic Guild said that we should open up a school in
honor of her.
‘She must have even developed magic that I did not know about.’
It was just a hypothesis, but considering that she was even checking my
heartbeat, it was a probable story.
“Anyway, it would be better to wait. Let’s wait while chatting.”
“Do you think he will come?”
“Trainee Yoo Ahyoung should hope for that person not to come.”
It was already not a good thing to come to an empty classroom after the
class was over.
“Yes…”
As the prospect of giving up made itself known to me, the door of the
lecture room opened.
However, the people that came in were not who I expected them to be.
These people looked familiar, and soon, I began to realize who they
were.
‘Han Sora’s maids.’
Of course, they were now playing a leading role in harassing Han Sora.
They held Han Sora herself, wearing bandages around her arms and
legs and wearing an eye band.
‘Oh, my… ’
I didn’t activate the invisibility magic to see this kind of thing, but I felt
worried about being a witness to such an event, all the same.
‘Yoo Ahyoung can’t know about that… ’
Externally, it was said that Han Sora inadvertently entered into Jung
Hayan’s magic laboratory and had an accident. Of course, I could have
said she was punished for trying to do something with me, but seeing
how Han Sora looked now; there was no way I could announce that.
‘Since she was talking about sexual harassment or something, I gave her
a lesson!’
Of course, the innocent Jung Hayan was disquali ied as an instructor for
careless management of the magic laboratory.
Han Sora, a thief who tried to steal Jung Hayan’s magic with a small
amount of consolation money, will not be charged for trespassing on
Jung Hayan’s laboratory, showing the broad generosity of Blue to the
trainees.
There was still a little time left, so it didn’t matter if they came in here,
but if she heard that maid 1, maid 2, and maid 3 were talking about the
sexual harassment case, it would get awkward.
‘Since they received 100 gold each, they wouldn’t talk.’
However, it didn’t feel nice seeing them up to no good.
When Han Sora was pushed away, she staggered and hit the corner at
the end of the classroom.
This, of course, elicited giggles from the three other girls.
“You look good. You pretended to be a queen, and now you’re

completely disabled, Han Sora-ssi. Pfft.”
“I knew it since you were walking around so cockily. Instructor Lee

Kiyoung was right. Originally, the kids that pretend the most are the
irst to get fucked.”
“…”
“Look at her expression. Look at her expression.”
“Let your expression loose, bitch.”
“Maybe you don’t like us. How could you be happy? The maids who
used to suck up to you are now looking down at you. It would be
annoying enough, right? Inside, you must be cursing us a lot. But, Sora-
ssi, it’s time to know your place now!”
“…”
It was a little embarrassing to see the maids beating Han Sora. Of

course, I knew she was being bullied, but I didn’t expect it to be this
severe.
“Hey. Don’t hit her too hard.”
“It’s okay. No one will notice. You just need to hit around the area with
the bandages.”
“No, she can’t die like that. She’s not in good condition. She can’t even
walk…”
“Don’t worry. Originally, these strong bitches have an extra physical

strength to be beaten up.”
“She won’t even scream. She’s really strong. Hey, Sora Eunni. Please talk.
Yeah? Haven’t you thought we’d be more upset if you come out this
way?”
“…”
“Hey. Bring me that.”
“Ah… Okay.”
Of course, I knew why they were acting this way.
‘It’s because of their sense of inferiority.’
Unfortunately, all four were students in my alchemy class. In Han Sora’s

case, if the magic circuit was smashed and she was forced to choose
alchemy, the other three students would be in a position to complete
the alchemy course with no choice.
The interesting part was that Han Sora had the best grades among
them.
In the irst place, she was smart, she was quick to understand, and
when I saw her desperate focus, I think this result was inevitable.
‘She is strong.’
I couldn’t say that she was talented, but she was de initely desperate.
Perhaps these girls weren’t happy about this fact.
Yoo Ahyoung spoke to me nervously, yet I shook my head.
“S-Shouldn’t we stop them? Instructor Lee Kiyoung?”
“No. Let’s wait and see. Of course, the three trainees will be disciplined,
and we’ll take different measures with Han Sora later. It’s not a good
thing to be found out that we were hiding here with invisibility magic.”
“Ah!”
“There are things I want to check personally…”
“What? What did you say?”
Our voices did not reach Han Sora and the other wenches, anyway.
It was hard to understand why we were whispering, but I had to focus

on the situation happening in front of me for now. It was because I saw
one of the maids was carrying a bag.
“What is this?”
“…”
“Isn’t this something you saw a lot? Sora Eunni?”
“Give… Give it to me.”
“Our Sora Eunni has inally opened her mouth wide. Pfft. Why? You
ignored this so much, and now it has become precious?”
‘Wow… These are real demons… ’
One of the maids brought out a personal alchemy kit. It was a cheap
alchemy kit distributed to students for practice.
“I said, give it to me!”
Han Sora, who had not resisted until now, lifted her body and rushed to
them, but there was no way she could take the object from the hands of
those who could move normally. I felt bad for her.
“I said… give it to me!”
“Your impression of her is damn funny! Pu-ha-ha-ha!”
“I told you to give it to me!”
“I told you to give it to meee! I don’t want to. I’m not giving you. Hey,
take it!”
“Yes!”
They then began to pass each other the kit, making a game out of it
until Han Sora inally managed to snag it for herself. Of course, this only
resulted in the others grabbing onto her.
As she refused to let go of the kit, I could tell she was quite strong.
“Our Sora Eunni is really strong. Hey, let’s destroy that.”
“Huh? Really? It’s a ixture that came out for practice.”
“It doesn’t matter. She will do it by herself. Whether she gets another
one or not, that’s her responsibility, and it’s not our concern. She will
have broken it because she was careless.”
“Don’t…”
“Don’t do what? Sora Eunni, are you telling me not to break this? But I
want to, what should I do? You once said that it was trash from
manufacturing workers, but now you are hugging it as if it were a
treasure. Hey, grab it!”
“I told you not to. Sorry. I was wrong.”

“It’s too late to apologize, Sora. Pfft.”
I bet those three were born with qualities that would make them great
villains in the future. The whole situation felt so ridiculous that I
couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
As the three girls tried to smash the kit, Han Sora did her best to protect
it from further harm. It was like seeing Park Deokgu protect me with all
he had. However…
‘There’s no way she can block it.’
Eventually, two of them caught Han Sora directly, and the other started
to step on the alchemy kit with excitement palpable in her actions. The
kit broke easily, seeing as it was cheap.
“Don’t do it! I told you not to! You!”
“Nope? Nope? Pfft…”
“Don’t do it, I was wrong!”
“No? Hey. Sora Eunni is crying.”
“Sniff… Don’t do it…”
Looking at Han Sora, who was now crying while grabbing the broken
bag, the girls slowly calmed down. Eventually, they all turned around.
“It should have been that way from the beginning, Sora. Now you know
your place, right? Stop being cocky. Pretending to work hard and
getting compassion is disgusting… Let’s go, girls.”
“Oh. It’s already this late. Sora Eunni, we’ll be going now.”
“Pooey! Get off to Asgard! You one-eyed Odin-bitch!”

“Pu-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. She said Odin!”
Of course, Han Sora did not follow them. After checking the inside of the
bag, she cried even more, which made my heart squeeze.
“Waaaahhh…”
It was then that the door of the classroom once again opened. Yoo
Ahyoung’s eyes widened.
The next batch of tormentors had come in.

CHAPTER 217
CUTE REVENGE (2)
‘Tsk.’
The next batch turned out to be a tall and handsome guy. Of course, he
was not alone.
Attached next to him was quite a pretty woman.
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Kim Ki-
cheol.]
[Name: Kim Ki-cheol]
[Age: 25]
[Disposition: Sel ish Optimist]
[Class: Warrior]
[Stats]
[Strength: 18/Growth potential: Rare or higher]
[Agility: 18/Growth potential: Rare or higher]
[Stamina: 18/Growth potential: Rare or lower]

[Intelligence: 18/Growth potential: Rare or lower]
[Luck: 18/Growth potential: Rare or higher]
[Magic Power: 08/Growth potential: Rare or higher]
[Overall: He just has ordinary talent levels and stats. Uninteresting

piece of trash. 3333/3333.]
I couldn’t see anything unusual about him at all.
One thing I could con irm was that he was an optimist like Yoo
Ahyoung.
Of course, Yoo Ahyoung had ‘timidity,’ and he had ‘sel ish,’ but I thought
that there were some parts that both matched quite well. Anyway, it
would be natural for the two sudden guests to open the door and look
surprised, seeing as they were not expecting anyone to be here at this
time.
“Huh?”
“What do we do, Oppa? Should we come next time?”
“Who knows when an opportunity will come again? We don’t have time
anymore, but this is the only classroom where instructors don’t go
around.”
“We can do it later.”
“But I don’t want to. I want to be with you now. Excuse me.”
“…”
“I’m sorry, but if you’re not using this place… Can we use it?”
“…”
Of course, there was no way that Han Sora could reject their proposal.
Seeing her head out was like seeing a puppy head off into the rain.
‘What a pity.’
Of course, many people were more pitiful than Han Sora in Lindel, but
watching an event like this irsthand stabbed my conscience. She was
the one who started this whole thing, but she was still human, and I was
capable of feeling sympathetic.
“What? She didn’t even answer. Why does she look like that? Do you
know her?”
“That’s Han Sora.”
“Han Sora?”
“Yes. The kid who was in the attack team.”
“Really? Are you talking about that wizard Hanso? Ki-cheol Oppa?”
“Why are you so oblivious to the news?”
“Should I be scolded for not knowing that? I just wasn’t interested.”
“She got caught while robbing an instructor’s lab. I heard that she was
greedy… Well, she didn’t have luck. They said that the instructor Jung
Hayan was away for a while, and she accidentally touched what she was
experimenting with, and it exploded.”
“Ohhh…”
“It’s the result of a genius wizard’s research, so it’s natural to want to
steal it, but karma apparently exists. Thanks to that, many of the
wizards resent her. Many people thought that the lecture of instructor
Jung Hayan was a little bit dif icult to understand, but it was de initely
helpful. I also learned how to use magic power because of instructor
Jung Hayan.”
“Ohhh… So that’s what it was.”
“Han Sora is the wrong one, but it’s sad for me, having Instructor Jung
Hayan disquali ied. I should have gotten a little closer with her…”
“Is that because you want to get into Blue?”
“It has not been con irmed yet, but it’s good to have some connections.
This is already a society. Rather than spending time stupidly, there is
nothing wrong with getting close to each instructor.”
“Is that why you are being nice to me?”
“Well… do you want to know?”
“Save it. Thanks to Oppa, I’m getting bene its, too.”
“That’s why I like you.”
As I averted my gaze, I saw Yoo Ahyoung trembling. Naturally, I cringed.

However, Yoo Ahyoung next to me was not Jung Hayan. She wouldn’t go
berserk.
It appeared to me that this wasn’t the irst time these two had gotten
intimate.
‘Tsk, tsk.’
[Checking the unique characteristic of the player Kim Ki-cheol]

[Horny fox]
When I checked the unique characteristic, a very predictable

characteristic came out.
‘Ah, then he de initely likes women.’
I began to like him even less. Though he was doing what he could to
assure his position, he had no substance to him whatsoever. Guys like
him never became successful.
“By the way, you have a girlfriend… Is it okay to do this?”
“You ask that every day.”
“That’s because this turns me on a little more. Isn’t it the same for you?”
“A little bit.”
“You have to be good to Yoo Ahyoung so that you can go to Blue.”
“Ah, I’m already in. Or I can go to another guild… Who would have
known that the woman that I threw away would be a gem? The fact that
I hung around with her in the tutorial is good.”
“But if it were me, I would be a little more careful. Of course, it’s not bad
for me to do this with Oppa, but… Are you not nervous? Although the
cow looks to be quite slow… Just settle down. She has a nice body.”
“It has nothing to do with her body. She’s not much fun. It’s the kind
that’s okay to be married with, but not to date. You know what I mean?”
“Then, what about dating?”
“Is that what you want to hear? Of course, I have to date you.”
“Good.”
Seeing them start to make out made me feel sick. Of course, what I felt
couldn’t even be compared to what Yoo Ahyoung was feeling.
The more intimate they got, the more she trembled. She reached out to
take my hand.
Tears continued to pour out of her eyes.
‘Even Han Sora… ’
Today, I saw two women cry, which, for some reason, incited my
feelings of guilt.
“Shall we leave?”
“…”
“I think it would be better to leave.”
“Yes…”
“No good would come from staying here.”
They might be surprised to see the classroom door open by itself, but
that was not something I cared about.
Meanwhile, Ahyoung’s emotions only worsened.
I knew it would only be right to comfort her. When I patted her

shoulder, I was tightly hugged.
‘I knew it.’
“Waaaaahh… Gasp…”
Of course, I started to resent Park Deokgu.
“Waaahhh… Waaah…”
It seems as if she trusted him more than I thought. Due to the tutorial
dungeon’s nature, this was a natural and inevitable result.
It was hard to sympathize with her because I had never been

backstabbed like that, but I could tell just how much hurt she was
feeling.
She calmed down after a while.
“Are you okay?”
She was still snif ing, but it was much better than before.
Her eyes were swollen, and her face was buried in my chest as if she
couldn’t calm down, but she eventually nodded.
Hugging for a little longer could have alerted Hayan, who was resting at
Lindel, so I quietly disengaged from her before speaking once more.
“I’m not sure what to say in order to comfort you, but I’m sorry.”
“No… Sniff. It’s okay. I was expecting it… I could remember some
things…”
“Ah.”
“But when I saw it… Ugh…”
Although I did not sympathize with her sadness, I had no choice but to
convey words of consolation diligently. I knew that only this would
make her give a positive answer.
At this point, I was sure she would end up going to Blue. However, one
more thing remained.
This was Park Deokgu’s work, not mine.
‘Revenge?’
Of course, looking at her status or disposition, she didn’t seem to want

it much, but she might want to get some retribution for her broken
heart.
‘She is not going to kill him or make him a crippled person… ’
People like Jung Hayan, Lee Jihye, and Cha Hee-ra would do this, but it
didn’t work as a solution for these women or newbies.
‘It sounds like fun, but… ’
It wouldn’t be bad to enjoy some entertainment, seeing as I’d been

working hard recently.
Yoo Ahyoung hesitated for a moment before speaking in a irm, clear

voice.
“I’ll join Blue.”
‘Nice.’
“You thought well. There is also a saying that says the best revenge is
success. Maybe your ex-boyfriend will bitter. We will offer you both the
annual salary and the down payment, along with the best treatment.”
“Yes… but I don’t really have that kind of mindset.”
“If he knows that the woman he has abandoned and joked is actually
such a precious person, he will regret all that he’s done.”
“Thank you for the kind words… Thank you.”
“I’m not just sweet-talking. I’m talking about reality. Yoo Ahyoung, you
are a talented, beautiful, and smart woman. It’s actually a waste for the
idiot in the classroom over there. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to
recommend a fun way to exact your revenge… Oh, of course, this is a
gift for joining Blue.”
“What? No, you don’t have to…”
“Let’s date for a while.”
“What?”
“Ah. Of course, it’ll just be for a few days, so you don’t have to worry
about it. It’ll last until the end of the training period. That boy will
de initely be foaming at the mouth.”
“…”
“You’ll be someone who’ll be more capable than him. Well, in many

ways, be it sexual, power, or inances.
“Ah…”
I knew she knew what I was talking about.
Originally, she could have planned to deal with the sadness all by
herself, but I had managed to intrigue her with my suggestion. This was
why human psychology was interesting.
The scene she just saw had been shocking enough. The sadness may not
go away yet, but negative emotions such as revenge were coming up on
the one side of her heart.
‘It may be that reason she wants to come to Blue immediately… ’

It would not be bad to deal with this right away since she might
constantly be crying of sadness.
Rather, if she kept it inside, there may be room for an explosion in the
future.
‘I can’t let this destroy her personality like Hayan or Hee-young.’
This was revenge that could be considered cute.
Yoo Ahyoung nodded effusively without knowing.
“Then… Please, instructor, help me.”
If I was going to do this, I would do it properly.
‘I have to employ Tol To-ri. And call White Paul.’
After all, a man’s car was his pride.

CHAPTER 218
CUTE REVENGE (3)
In the end, Blue ended up using its real priority bargaining rights with
Yoo Ahyoung.
Of course, after everything had been concluded, we still had one left,
but I did not feel the need to use it. I knew that making other guilds and
clans wait any longer was a nuisance enough, so I hurried to open the
transfer market. As a result, new recruiters came pouring in.
In my opinion, these new recruits’ potential was just ordinary, but the
reaction was very good, perhaps because of the perception that the Red
Mercenaries had directly trained them.
‘That’s because everyone is actually in good condition.’
It may be insigni icant to a medium-sized guild, such as the Blue, Red

Mercenary, Black Swan, or Magic Guild, but this would prove to be a big
deal for the smaller clans and guilds.
Thanks to the Red Mercenaries, these recruits garnered more attention

than they would ever have if any other guild had trained them.
Meanwhile, their said trainers shared information about each clan and
guild with the trainees in the training center. Guild guides, such as
catalogs and pamphlets, were distributed among trainees, and it was
common to see them having discussions about these during their
breaks.
Information that had been almost completely controlled began to be
released.
While the training schedule was still ongoing, there were concerns that
the training center would become quite a bustle and training would be
disrupted, but that did not happen.
In order to stand out to the scouts who visit several times a day, new
recruits who had not yet received an offer had to work on training with
everything they had, and the ones who were already recruited had to
work hard to increase their value.
A strange, competitive atmosphere resonated within the area. Of

course, it wasn’t just the trainees who competed.
Each clan and guild also felt the competitiveness and thus showed each
other up.
The proper recruitment war had begun.
Various events occurred, such as giving gifts to prospective members

and slandering other clans in order to get the trainees on their side.
For example, guild masters and scouts began to show off a more
luxurious appearance. They were always seen with a well-trained elite
to show off their strength or wealth.
The clan welfare, the guild’s budget, and even the accommodation’s
quality and future development possibilities have become common
topics to hear about.
Although it seemed surprisingly effective, Blue did not participate in

their competition.
We didn’t even distribute a guild catalog, and it was obvious why.

‘There’s no more need to promote anything.’
Blue’s recruitment had actually ended with Lee Chang-ryul and Yoo
Ahyoung. We thought there was no need to seek other new recruits
anymore, so there was no need to bother preparing presentations to
promote the guild.
Even if we didn’t do anything, rumors were sure to revolve around,

anyway.
Information was constantly being released in the training camp. After

the market was opened, it was no longer a closed place. In the process
of talking with the scouts of each guild, the new recruits gradually
learned to what extent of power Kim Hyunsung and I had in Blue.
Besides being appointed to one of Eight Seats in the Holy Empire and
being the Vice Master of Blue, I was also the Honorary Bishop of the
Holy Empire. As a bonus, I was also the Mercenary Queen’s Gigolo. I
didn’t know how many titles these trainees knew about me, but I didn’t
care.
Even if they hadn’t heard the story, they would de initely feel that
something had changed about me.
“Isn’t that a griffon?”
“Is it for Instructor Lee Kiyoung?”
“I heard that there are only four of them in Lindel. One belongs to the
Red Mercenary’s Guild Master, one belongs to the Black Swan Guild
Master, and the other two are owned by the Blue Guild Master and the
Vice Guild Master…”
“Who did you hear it from?”
“From a Nuna in my clan…”

“Ohhh… Did you inally decide to go in?”
“Yes. Thanks to this, I heard all kinds of things, and I think that people
shouldn’t judge someone just by their appearance.”
“I’m not joking. Even cars can be priced, but griffons are more
valuable…”
“He was chosen as the Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire. That would
be normal.”
“What?”
“Do you think that’s all? Oh, this hasn’t been con irmed yet…”
Of course, it wasn’t just White Paul that I showed. From wearing simple
clothing, I had begun wearing more expensive and luxurious items.
Of course, I still didn’t think that the trainees would be able to

distinguish these things, but I enjoyed them eyeing my classy getup.
‘The class is almost inished, too… ’
In fact, there were no classes today. It wouldn’t be awkward to look like

this as long as I intended to privately visit the training center as a
‘possible recruiter.’
I saw the trainees settling in front of the training center’s main entrance
before leaving to do their respective tasks. With just a little bit of magic,
I could hear what everyone was saying.
“I’m so jealous…”
“I’m not.”
“You’re lying. It is said that polygamy is also common here anyway…”

“There’s no love in polygamy.”
“If you have a lot of money, love that you didn’t initially have will
blossom, bitch. This is a dangerous place, anyway. Entering Instructor
Lee Kiyoung’s arms is better than living with a beggar that is looking for
love. You will be a thousand times happier than living with him. Should
I give an extreme example?”
“What?”
“Others may not know, but at least I’m more likely to be Mansour’s third
wife than a capable lover.”
“Somehow, I sympathize with that…”
With this, I greeted the students simply by raising one hand.
Only a few of the trainees came close to me to be friendly. Most of the

female trainees glanced at me and decided not to say a word, knowing
who I had been waiting for.
Eventually, Yoo Ahyoung approached me, looking happy for some

reason.
In an instant, the trainees who were passing through the front door
scrambled to get out of her away.
‘Is this some sort of Moses reenactment, or what?’
Yoo Ahyoung now looked more con ident. She was obviously aware of
the interest and jealousy pouring out from everywhere.
Seeing that she was enjoying the gazes quite a bit, I laughed. She herself
had changed a lot. First of all, there was her appearance. Most of the
things on Yoo Ahyoung’s body were also luxurious. No one would think
she was a trainee that had been receiving the same education.
‘She looks more like a princess now… ’
Conscious of the envy in everyone’s gaze, she hesitated, so I took this

chance to speak.
“Shall we go then?”
“Yes, Instructor Lee Kiyoung.”
Her wide smile didn’t even seem like it was just acting.
Of course, most of the things she was wearing were the ones I had given
her, even the rings on her hand. When I remembered the irst time I
gave that gift, another laugh came out.
Of course, what was interesting was not Yoo Ahyoung’s reaction, but the
people around her.
Yoo Ahyoung still hadn’t of icially joined Blue.
When I irst sent that kind of gift, there were speculations about
whether it was a small bribe to her come in the Blue, but as time
passed, the story of whether the offering went beyond the meaning of a
simple gift started passing around.
I wasn’t surprised that strange rumors had begun to circulate within

the training camp.
‘Instructor Lee Kiyoung is interested in trainee Young Ahyoung.’
It all started with that rumor.
‘Making her come to the Blue was because he wanted to have her next
to him.’
However, I didn’t just receive positive gazes.

In my case, there had already been rumors that I liked women anyway,
so it didn’t matter that much. It was just that a lot of uncomfortable
gazes had begun to rest on Ahyoung, who had suddenly become a
princess overnight.
Of course, it took only a few days for those uncomfortable gazes to turn
into envious gazes. Her level had risen too high to cancel her out of
simple jealousy.
From the trainees’ point of view, Yoo Ahyoung’s existence had so far
lown so high that it was now invisible for those who still remained at
the bottom.
It was now a familiar sensation for her to hold my hand in order to get
onto White Paul. As I couldn’t help but chuckle throughout this ordeal,
Ahyoung glanced at me.
“As expected… It doesn’t suit me, does it?”
“No. I’m laughing because you seemed so natural.”
“I feel ashamed to hear such a statement.”
“How do you feel?”
“Honestly, I like it. In fact, I felt skeptical about it at irst, but I was
surprised to feel better than I irst thought.”
“That’s fortunate. Did anything unusual happen today?”
“Yes. Some people have asked me if it is true that I’m dating Instructor
Lee Kiyoung. They asked about Instructor Jung Hayan, too. They were
surprised when I said that I wasn’t dating you yet.”
“I see.”
“Oh, and that person…”
“Yes?”
“He said that I should stop seeing you.”
“He seems to be anxious. Haha.”
“He hasn’t told me, but he must really be anxious. He tried to touch me
too… Of course, it was annoying. I left right away. It was him who irst
told me to get closer to you, and now he’s afraid that you might take me
away. Thanks to that, he tries to approach me every chance he gets.”
The fact that I had been showering Yoo Ahyoung with gifts was
undoubtedly the reason why he had become anxious.
‘It would be strange if he wasn’t… ’
The same was true of me, too.
If a smart guy stuck to Kim Hyunsung, I was sure that I wouldn’t be able
to sleep due to anxiety.
“Do you know what else I said? That he has changed these days…
However, he rather asked me if I was still the Ahyoung he knew.
Honestly, I was so perplexed back then that I wanted to squeeze his
head off.”
“You could have hit him.”
“Can I really do that? The plan you told me about…”
Ahyoung was de initely more talkative now.
‘She’s de initely having fun.’

I thought it would be a very fun time for her, but I realized that she had
ended up liking my plan a little more than I thought.
“You can do whatever you want to do. The plan is easy enough to
execute. The most important thing is that Ahyoung’s mood is relieved.”
“Ah… Yes!”
Her voice had considerably brightened.

CHAPTER 219
CUTE REVENGE (4)
In a day, everything had changed. It might be a bit cliché , but I couldn’t

think of any other words that could explain the situation right now.
The attention and gazes of people were uncomfortable, but I got used to
it after some time.
Of course, I wasn’t enjoying their envious expression. I knew better

than anyone else that this was just acting anyway, and I didn’t value it
much.
What I was interested in was the effect of the reactions of people

around me on Kim Ki-cheol.
‘That mean bastard… ’
No matter how I try, the thought of him annoyed me. The disgusting
scenes and voices I had witnessed kept coming back, and it was hard to
bear. Just by imagining it, my eyes got teary, and tears threatened to
pour out of me.
‘So annoying.’
I didn’t like the fact that I had to feel this way because of him. If I hadn’t
pulled through with this plan, I would’ve been holed up in my room,
crying. At irst, I wondered how helpful making this kind of plan with
Instructor Lee Kiyoung would be, but it certainly helped.
At least, the frustration in my chest was released, and that was enough
to make put me in a good mood. This wasn’t an emotion that I couldn’t
express, but what is important is that it relieved the frustration.
As I headed towards my room, a familiar voice called out to me.
“Ahyoung.”
“What?”
“What? I came because I wanted to see you.”
It was Kim Ki-cheol.
At irst glance, he seemed relaxed, but his anxiety was evident. For a
moment, tears threatened to come out.
However, I felt at ease for some reason, probably because I could read
the anxiety contained in his expression.
“Aren’t you not supposed to be out at this time? I know that the trainees
are not allowed to leave the accommodation after midnight.”
“It’s the same for you, too.”
“Don’t you know well that the situation is different between you and
me? I was given the right to go out, and you came out without
permission.”
“To be precise, it is not without permission. I had something to do, too.”
“Do what? Did you get an offer from a clan?”
“Well. It’s something similar.”
“Where?”
“It was a medium-sized guild. It’s not in Lindel, but a guild in the Castle
Rock area, I don’t know if you know, but it’s called Giant Guild.”
I had heard of it. It was a guild that became successful after making an
impressive performance in the Siege of Castle Rock. Originally, a guild
called Little Rock had been the leading guild before them.
‘Didn’t he say that a person named Song Jungwook came up after giving
his life for Castle Rock?’
I didn’t remember well, but from what I heard from Instructor Lee
Kiyoung, this appeared to be the case. Though the Giant Guild was not
in Lindel, it was still said to be one of the guilds that most trainees were
aiming for.
Recently, the joining cut had also increased considerably, so if one were
to think objectively, it was a guild that one could not get in easily, but
Kim Ki-cheol’s performance seemed to make the cut.
Little by little, I began to feel frustrated, though I couldn’t igure out

why.
Eventually, however, I began to realize that the reason why was because
I didn’t want Kim Ki-cheol to be doing good.
‘So annoying… ’
In the end, I couldn’t help myself from speaking harshly.
“It’s not a place where you can go to, considering your grades.”
I regretted my words at once, but I gradually felt better when I saw Kim
Ki-cheol’s slightly distorted expression.
‘Ah… ’
“With your grades, shouldn’t you be looking for a clan and not a guild?”
I knew I wasn’t supposed to say this, but my mouth, moving as if

possessed by something, didn’t seem to want to stop.
“If you’re going without a down payment or an annual salary, you’d

better quit, Oppa. I heard it from Instructor Lee Kiyoung. In that case,
you will likely be used for things like transporting the corpses of
monsters, not for an of icial guild member.”
“You…”
“I’m saying all of this for your own good. How much are the annual
salary and down payment?”
“It’s pretty good.”
“Really?”
“Yes. When I told them I was going with Ahyoung…”
“I never agreed. Why’d you do that?”
I was so angered that I couldn’t even speak properly. I knew something

about this was ishy, but I never imagined it would come out this way.
“You… Are you really going to Blue?”
“What about it? Kiyoung said he would treat both my down payment
and annual salary as the best. Blue’s welfare issues are also higher than
other large guilds.”
“When I asked to go in together…”
“I never said that I would go in together with you. Only you thought that
way.”
“Don’t you know that the rumors about them are not very good,
especially Lee Kiyoung?”
“What about the instructor? Wasn’t it Oppa who said that it would be
good for me to get close to Instructor Lee Kiyoung in the irst place?
Oppa told me to do that. And he doesn’t look like a bad person. He is a
much better person than you think.”
“I heard something, too… His relationship with women is also

complicated… It’s what they say—a dawdler in one thing is a dawdler in
all. The power gained by Instructor Lee Kiyoung… Do you think it could
have been made in the right way? Do you think he is only an alchemist?”
I had no choice but to hold back so as not to say, ‘You’re just as complex
as him.’
“This is not even Earth. Why is that a fault? Rather, it’s nice that he’s
con ident. It’s not that he does it secretly. It’s a story that everyone
knows… Most people with ability do that, too.”
“So… You mean that looks good?”
“It doesn’t look good, but it’s not bad, either. That person… He is
capable enough, so I think he can do that.”
“Don’t think that Instructor Lee Kiyoung’s interest in you is real,

Ahyoung. You think you know his world because he’s so kind to you, but
you don’t know it well… All that…”
“Is it important whether his interest is real or not? How much do you
think that all of the clothes I’m wearing are? Even if you work your
whole life, you won’t be able to buy anything I’m wearing. I thought it
was just common, but this ring… It costs 20,000 gold.”
Kim Ki-cheol’s expression changed into something I knew very well.

‘Inferiority.’
“Did you… sleep… with him…”
“Well, they say that it takes one to know one… Do you think I sold my
body?”
“Speak straightly. Yoo Ahyoung, you…”
“What if I did?”
Once again, his face wrinkled. My body had begun to tremble. I knew I
shouldn’t do this, but it felt so addictive that I couldn’t stop.
“You!”
“It’s not just money and power that’s great about him.”
“I can’t even compare him with someone like you in any way. Do I have
to say it? It was the irst time I thought I was happy to be born a
woman.”
“Yoo Ahyoung!”
Kim Ki-cheol’s expression had begun to worsen. At this, Instructor Lee

Kiyoung’s words came to mind.
‘Men foam at their mouth when the woman they thought they owned
gets taken away by another man.’
When I irst heard that, I didn’t know what exactly he was talking about,
but now I could see what Instructor Lee Kiyoung, just by seeing Kim Ki-
cheol.
Not only did I feel the tingling sensation behind my back, but I felt as if
the frustration in my chest had exploded, all at once.
‘I feel good.’
Just seeing him feel so inferior was enough to make me feel better.
‘Can I end it like this?’
Normally, I wouldn’t have done it. However, I wanted to see this man
suffer a little longer, and I wanted to see it for a long, long time.
I wanted to make him feel pain, over and over again. However…
‘I was also in pain.’
My heart seemed to be torn.
‘But I shouldn’t be the only one who suffers. He should also know how
it feels to be betrayed.’
Once again, Instructor Lee KiYoung’s voice resonated in my head.
He might have said it without meaning, but for some reason, his words
lingered in my head.
‘The best way is to exact revenge until you feel relieved. People who say
they feel guilty or say it’s meaningless are people who have never
properly taken revenge. If you do it correctly, it’ll feel so good that your
heart will burst.’
I was de initely on a high right now. I wanted more.
“I said it because I was angry. I’ve never really done that.”
“You…”
For a moment, I could see an expression of relief on Ki-cheol’s face.
“…”
“…”
“Ahyoung.”
“What?”
“Do you know you’ve been weird these days?”
“…”
“Is that because I made you disappointed? Is it because I asked you to

take some time away?”
“It was all for you. I believed in the potential you had and thought that I
might be blocking your way. However, looking at you now, it sure seems
that I have been very negligent these days.”
Bullshit. Of course, I knew he was lying.
“I’m sorry, Ahyoung.”
“…”
However, I couldn’t hold back a smile.
“I don’t want to see your face now.”
“I’m sorry. Really… Still, I hope you at least know this. I love you.”
“I’ll be going now.”

“Ahyoung! Yoo Ahyoung!”
“And…”
“I will accept the apology, Oppa. Tomorrow… Let’s have a meal.”
At this, Kim Ki-cheol began to smile once more.
Once again, that familiar, thrilling feeling coursed through my spine.
***
As I was sitting on a sofa in Cha Hee-ra’s room and browsing the

documents, Cha Hee-ra herself spoke to me.
“You still haven’t picked up the backline? Honey?”
“Yes. I have to make a second party… There are no kids that seem
useful. I was going to pick up a freshman, but I guess I have to turn this
into a job position.”
“Perhaps there will be a few wizards from the Magic Guild once their
contract expires. I’m also trying to bring some people from there, but
you should look out as well.”
“Rather than that, I want to grow them from the beginning, without any
impurities.”
“Ah. I like that. So, that’s why you’re recruiting newcomers…”
Certainly, the job position was ine, but as two more new recruits grow
together, I wanted to bring a new backliner as well.
It would be hard to bring in someone I personally liked this time

around.
Since I understood that wizards had to have an understanding of magic,
talent, and determination to work hard, I knew that ine wizards
weren’t commonly found.
I would have accepted them if they were half of what Jung Hayan was.
“Phew…”
“You seem to be having fun joking like that even while you’re busy.”
“It’s kind of fun.”
“Well, that’s up to you… You told Hayan about Yoo Ahyoung, right?”
“Ah… Yes. Not much. Hayan is in Lindel now. I think it’s ine. Are you
okay with that?”
“I always liked this kind of thing. It feels refreshing. There aren’t many
things to enjoy here… I’m too successful to be treated like such a
princess, so I can’t feel that kind of catharsis, right? It’s about being
satis ied for others.”
“Why, do you want to be treated like a princess?”
“You’re walking all over me these days. Huh?”
I stopped smiling, guilt sparking up from within me. I knew Cha Hee-ra
still had a scary aspect to her.
‘Because I saw that form… ’
Her with red eyes, drooling and approaching me like a crazy bitch was
still clear in my head, so it would be natural for me to show such a
reaction.
“You just imagined about that day, right?”

“No… Hee-ra.”
“I know just by looking at your face. Didn’t I tell you to forget about
that?”
“It’s not something I can forget just because you tell me to do so.”
I was just making excuses at this point.
The door opened, and the guild staff informed us of the new report.
The thought of being able to see Tol To-ri after some time made me feel
better.
“Lee Kiyoung-nim. Er… A guest has come.”
“Please guide him to my room. Please tell him that I’ll be meeting him in
a little while.”
“Uh… The door is too narrow for him to be able to enter…”
“Yes?”
“That… Excuse me, but I think you’ll have to go outside and check it
yourself.”
“What? No need to… Isn’t Dialugia with him? I don’t understand what
you’re talking about right now…”
“Kie-e-e-e-e-eeeeee-ee-eeeek!”
This voice was different from usual. As I headed to the window and
looked down, an unfamiliar creature came into view.
‘Tol To-ri?’
It was like a large dog… no, it was a beast. My eyes widened.
‘Tol to-ri… How did you grow up this much?’

CHAPTER 220
A GROWN TOL TO-RI (1)
Even as I rubbed my eyes before looking again, the scene before me did
not change.
Dialugia, who was standing blankly and looking around, had come with
him, but I paid her no attention and ixed my gaze on Tol To-ri once
more.
When I saw him last time, I remember that he had been about the size
of a pup.
Seeing that he had grown up to the size of a large tiger, my jaw

inadvertently dropped. At this point, he looked scary, not cute.
Though Tol To-ri had been snif ing around curiously, he perked up and
looked my way instantly. The unexplained emotion in his eyes unsettled
me.
“Kie-e-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee!”
After letting out a huge scream, he began to nod, drooling. I felt

nervous. Though he often drooled during his infant years, I began to
wonder if he now saw me as food.
In addition, he looked highly expectant. I knew I shouldn’t let him

down, as I had neglected him thus far and only got to see his new form
now. Dialugia’s upset expression reinforced this idea.
The best thing to do now was for me to welcome them.

“Ah… Tol To-ri…”
The moment I spoke, Tol To-ri brightened.
“Haaaaa! Haaa!”
‘What’s with him?’
He surged forward at a faster speed than I had initially expected.

Re lexively, I got into posture. Before I could even come to my senses, he
jumped onto me, and I fell onto the ground.
“Kiek! Haaaa! Kie eh eh! Haaaa!”
It was painful, but the pain only lasted for a while. When I saw the tears
in his eyes, my guilt only doubled.
“Kie eh eh eh! Haaaa! Haaaaa!”
As he looked up at me with his tail wagging furiously, I could tell that

this was de initely Tol To-ri.
“Oh!”
“Kiee-ek!”
“Oh! How have you been, Tol To-ri?”
“Haaaa! Haaaaa!”
Not only did he lick each place with his tongue, but he also kept snif ing
and smelling me everywhere. I couldn’t hold him in my hand like I used
to, but I hugged him tightly and stroked him everywhere.
“Kiek! Haaa! Kiek! Haaa! Kiek! Haaa!”
His reaction remained the same to my praise.
‘So cute.’
In the meantime, he was looking at me with eyes, asking me to lift him

up, but given his size, it now proved to be dif icult to do so.
Dialugia, who saw this, approached us slowly.
“He grew up too fast.”
“If you are always together, you’d be able to check on his growth. I can
feel how much you have neglected our Dialuria in the meantime.”
was a little busy. I to visit home. Somehow, things didn’t go well. Isn’t it
me that sends the food he eats every time? If you scold me too much, I’ll
be a little disappointed.”
“Just doing that doesn’t mean you’re doing a father’s duty. It’s more
important to be by his side. Think how lonely Dialuria has been. Isn’t he
missing you enough to shed tears? Are you okay? Dialuria?”
“Kiee-ek!”
“I’m not mad at your dad, Dialuria. I’m just talking for a moment. It’s
not that I’m punishing and ighting him, my lovely son.”
“Kiek!”
“I won’t tell you to be together every day, but you should be with him at
least once a week, no, maybe once every three days. And from now on, I
will teach him how to hunt little by little… I don’t know about the other
days, but you must be with us on that day. It’s the day of Dialuria’s irst
hunt. It will be helpful if his father sees it.”
“Ah… Yes. Of course. If there is such a day, it would be better to tell me

in advance…”
“Aren’t I telling you right now?”
Dialugia seemed dissatis ied. Certainly, seeing tears on Tol To-ri’s face
was sad, even to me.
In fact, I didn’t think it’d been so long in terms of time, but there was
de initely be a difference between what I felt and what he felt. However,
a thought popped up in my head.
“Will he get bigger than this?”
“No. He will keep this size for a few months. Of course, he will grow
little by little, but we still have to wait for him to grow up.”
“Ohhh…”
If he got a little bigger during his stay here, he might really feel life-
threatening.
“It will be a little dif icult to handle.”
“He will also learn how to change and learn how to speak.”
“Ah! Like you?”
“Of course. Usually, it is normal to take a little longer, but… our Dialuria
is very smart.”
As if Dialuria wasn’t content staying on the ground, he got on his hind

legs, trying to get on top of me.
‘Hmm… ’
Of course, he couldn’t easily climb.
‘Ah, he’s heavy.’
Since my strength had increased a lot, I had stronger muscular strength

than common adult males, but it was not easy to bear this much weight.
Nevertheless, it looked like he didn’t want to give up.
In the end, he hung off of me in a half-piggyback.
His legs and tail were wrapped around my waist, his front legs around
my chest and left shoulders, and his right shoulders kept pushing my
face as he continuously screamed.
“Shall we go together today, Tol To-ri?”
“Haaa! Haaa!”
I had to use a little magic power, but I felt more comfortable once I did.
A familiar voice now called out to us.
“Is he Dialuria? No, was it Tol To-ri, Honey?”
It was Cha Hee-ra.
“Kee-e-e-e-eek!”
I didn’t know why, but Tol To-ri began to scream as he caught sight of
the red-haired woman.
The sound was a little different from usual. He appeared to be hostile.
‘What’s with him?’

“Ke-e-e-e-ee-ee! Kiek!”
“He’s so cute! Tol To-ri! You really are a real dragon. Even by looking at
the nest in Lindel, I could feel it, but seeing him here, it feels a little
more plausible.”
However, the more she approached, the more Tol To-ri trembled. He
must’ve felt that Cha Hee-ra was a dangerous person.
The fact that he had been quick to notice certainly seemed to resemble
me.
Of course, in my case, I didn’t have any contributions to Tol To-ri’s

genes, but I thought about it anyway.
“Really cute. Look at him with his head down. Tol To-ri is drooping,
honey.”
It was then that Dialugia blocked Cha Hee-ra’s hand, which had been
trying to stroke Tol To-ri.
“Don’t you see he is scared? Please step back.”
“Ah…”
Cha Hee-ra looked at Dialugia up and down, and after ixing her gaze on
the horn for a while, recognition dawned on her face.
“Oh. You are… Dialugia?”
“Yes. You?”
“You can call me Cha Hee-ra. I didn’t know he was scared… my mistake.
I’m sorry, Tol To-ri. And I’m sorry to you too, Dialugia.”
“Ah, no… I overreacted a little…”

It was a little unexpected to see Cha Hee-ra acting like this.
Seeing that she kept giving attention to Tol To-ri, she seemed to like
cute things.
Of course, the current Tol To-ri was too grown up to be called cute, but I
wasn’t used to seeing the red-haired woman being so gentle.
‘Does she like children?’
Cha Hee-ra apologized immediately at Dialugia’s words. It may be a

little rude to describe her in this manner, but it felt like I had seen
something akin to a gorilla cherishing its babies. After everything was
said and done, Cha Hee-ra was a woman, too.
On the contrary, Dialugia, who had reacted with an edgy voice, looked
confused.
“I heard a lot about you… Nice to meet you. Is it okay if I speak to you
comfortably?”
“I don’t really care about that.”
For some reason, it felt like they would get along well.
“Are you going to the training center now?”
“Huh? Yes.”
“Dialugia? How about we go to take a little rest?”
“Yes? But… I have to take care of my child.”
“It will be ine for a while. Our honey will take good care of him. The
place where he works is also nearby. If something happens, he can run
there right away, and I think it’s better for you to take a break.”
“But…”
“Let’s have some tea and talk. You look like you need a break.”
Dialugia evidently looked tired. I didn’t know if it was just me, but there
were dark circles under her eyes, and her skin and hair, which had
always been smooth, now felt crumbly.
The long-stretched horns above her head also seemed to be a little dull
in color.
Of course, she couldn’t help but be tired. Even though she had more
than a 100 stamina stat…
‘Parenting is exhausting.’
Right now, Tol To-ri was quietly sticking to my back, but it probably
wouldn’t be easy to control him once he went berserk.
Of course, I felt guilty.
“It would be better for you to take a break, Dialugia. I think it would be
nice for me to take care of Tol To-ri today.”
Only then did Dialugia begin to look relieved. For a short time,
Dialugia’s gaze ixed onto Dialuria, but she eventually nodded.
“Then, please.”
“Yes. Please rest assured.”
“Today, Tol To-ri should hang out with dad. Okay?”
“Kiek! Haaaa!”
“If you don’t behave, I’ll send you back home. You have to be quiet.”
“Kieeek!”
Dialuria nodded effusively as if he surely understood the words.

Dialugia’s expression also brightened.
“Then, I will be going.”
“Okay.”
‘It’ll be ine, right?’
It was a fact that most of the trainees knew that I had been appointed to
one of the Eight Seats of the Empire anyway. They also knew that a
dragon had chosen me.
There must be some trainees who had doubts about whether that was
true or not, but I knew I would get more attention today than usual.
Although there were practical education and training using monsters, it

would be their irst time to see a legendary-grade monster.
‘Even if he’s still a baby… ’
Tol To-ri’s speci ications were quite high.
[Checking the status window of the legendary-grade named monster,

Dark Dragon, Dialuria.]
[Name: Dialuria]
[Title: Tol To-ri]
[Age: 1]
[Disposition: ???]
[Category: Dragon]
[Stats]
[Durability: 41/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]
[Overall: He is very excited. You’re lucky to be able to be the father of

this kind of being. Please be careful.]
‘His disposition hasn’t come out yet.’
His durability stat was at 41, while his magic was at 40.
In short, even if the attack team rushed to Tol To-ri all at the same time,
it would not be possible to defeat him.
Of course, my baby couldn’t ight as he still couldn’t handle the magic as

well as his body properly, but I could be sure that Tol To-ri would have
the upper hand due to his primal instinct.
‘There are three days left to inish the ceremony… ’
After the work here was done, I knew I had to pay more attention to Tol
To-ri.
‘Yoo Ahyoung also seems to be nearing the end… ’
Seeing that she had been spending time with Kim Ki-cheol again
recently, I knew she wanted to ind more ways to stab him in the back.
I let her do what she wanted, but I never thought she would be
designing it to this extent.
It seemed that this aspect had been hidden behind her optimistic and
relaxed personality.
As I entered the training center with these thoughts, I could feel the
gazes from everywhere.
Of course, there were also voices whispering everywhere I went.
“That… Isn’t that a dragon?”
“Really?”
“Wow… I didn’t believe it, but I guess it’s true… I think only a few can be
successful here in that aspect. Won’t I get chosen or something, too?”
“At best, you’ll get chosen by goblins.”
However, something felt off.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
Tol To-ri was hanging quietly behind my back.
When a male trainee passes by, there is no problem.
‘What?’
However, when a female trainee passes by, the problem is that he foams
his mouth.
“Keee-ek!”
I even thought about whether he had a problem as he even showed his

teeth as if telling them openly not to approach.
He looked around to check if there is no one approaching.
It’s ridiculous, but that kind of look is pretty familiar.
‘Jung Hayan?’
Tol To-ri is showing what Jung Hayan has always shown.
‘No, it can’t be.’
I activated my Mind’s Eye to check it.
[Checking the unique characteristic of the legendary-grade named

monster, Dark Dragon, Dialuria.]
[Twisted and Dangerous Affection in the Dark] [#Father that can’t stop
him] [#Mom is annoying, too]
“Ke-e-e-e-e-e-eeeeeek!”
“Tol To-ri, y-you’re crazy…”
I was able to realize now that Dialugia had failed to properly discipline
her child.
CHAPTER 221
No matter how much I rubbed at my eyes, the result stayed the same.

[Twisted and Dangerous Affection in the Dark]
[#Father can’t stop him]
[#Mom is annoying, too]
‘What is this?’
It was hard to understand what the hell was going on. Somehow, I could
feel that he had been sticking to me too much, but I never expected him
to grow in this direction.
‘This… ’
I found it so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but laugh. Perhaps it was

because I had been away for such a long time.
I thought that I’d been good to him and cherished him in my own way,
but I didn’t realize that he would become this way because I hadn’t
gone to see him in so long.
‘Plus, what’s up with the hashtags?’

If Dialugia knew what her son thought of her, it would drive a stake
through her heart.
The only thing I could be relieved of was that his disposition had not yet
been decided.
‘Is it possible to change the characteristic already created?’
I was anxious about one thing.
There was no choice but to pray for a good disposition. It seemed a little
late, but I had to pay attention to his education with all my strength
from now on.
‘If you can change the odds, change it… They have to choose a
disposition that is as good and safe as possible.’
Only then could this extreme situation be reversed.
“I said you should be quiet, didn’t I?”
“Haaaa!”
“It’s not good if you threaten other people.”
“Kiek!”
“Today, you need to be quiet in order to be together with me. Otherwise,

I’ll send you back to your mom right away. You got that?”
“Kiee-ek!”
He had an expression full of dissatisfaction. However, seeing that he

nodded effusively, it seemed that he did not want to return to his
mother.
It was natural to show such a reaction since I only saw him again after a
few months, but my anxiety did not go away. I felt like sending Tol To-ri
back to his mother right away.
However, when I remembered how tired Dialugia looked, I knew I

couldn’t. First, I had to control Dialuria with a half-threat to keep him
well-behaved.
However, he kept trembling and sending wary looks whenever women

passed by.
Most people were interested in whether he seemed cute, blowing air

out of his nose while blinking those big eyes. I was sure he would bite if
they approached too near.
As I entered the lecture room with these thoughts, I saw the trainees
looking at me with nervous expressions on their faces. They greeted me
as soon as I took my seat.
“Instructor, hello.”
“Yes. It’s nice to meet you, everyone.”
How everyone here treated me had changed the moment they found
out about my titles, and how most of them had their base talent
situated within alchemy. I also knew that the more they tried to dig in
information about me, the more they realized how unique I was in this
ield.
Sure, there might be stronger people than Cha Hee-ra on this content,
and there may be wizards who were more familiar with magic than
Jung Hayan, but there was no alchemist who was better than me, as far
as I knew, especially among players.
I was a Dragon Alchemist, a unique legendary-grade class. Even if there

was someone who had a better understanding of alchemy than me,
there was no way he could follow me in the ield related to dragons.
In other words, they saw me as just a mere production worker, so they

must’ve thought that I had risen to the top with only alchemy. I was a
person who changed the continent’s perception of alchemy and was
named one of the continent’s Eight Seats.
I even devoted myself quite a bit to this class, so it was not

unreasonable that people who respected me began to increase.
‘Even I think it’s a little amazing… ’
I could even see Han Sora straightening up, expecting what I would be
teaching today. Unfortunately, I had no intention of starting another
lesson.
“In fact, there will be no class today.”
“Ah…”
As soon as I said this, more than half of the class donned saddened
expressions.
Though the trainees ended up enjoying alchemy class, I had already

taught them all that I could. What direction they would next take would
depend entirely on them.
“There are also only three days left until completion… I’ve taught you
most of the basic things. Some of you have already changed your class
as an alchemist, so you must know, some of the knowledge I gave you is
much greater than the basic knowledge they infuse.”
‘Although this is all based on Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy…

’
Heroic-grade books contained more advanced information than a
normal one. More than half of the trainees in my class would have no
problem making some money just from being an alchemist.
“In fact, even if we did an alchemy experiment today, there wouldn’t be

a big difference for you. From now on, this is an area where each person
must study in the direction they will choose to take. How you will grow
will be up to you.”
One of my more dedicated students raised his hand.
“Then today’s class…”
“Let’s make it a little more fun. For this session, I’ll turn it into a time to
respond to your questions. Perhaps this will be a little more helpful for
you. I’ll answer any question you might have.”
“Ah!”
I was expecting to receive some academically-related questions, which

was why the irst question surprised me.
“Well, then Instructor Lee Kiyoung. If it’s okay, can I ask you about the…
creature on your back?”
A lot of the trainees seemed wary of Tol To-ri, who had been glaring at
all of them.
It wasn’t a question I couldn’t answer, so I spoke with no hesitation.
“This is a dragon.”
“Ah…”
Murmurs responded to my answer.

“Er… I’m Kim Min-young, a trainee who has been appointed to join the
Magic Guild. That… I’ve heard that a dragon chose instructor Lee
Kiyoung. Is it that dragon?”
“The dragon that chose me is this child’s mother. Perhaps, if you go to

Lindel, you can check it with your own eyes. There is a big nest just
outside the city. In terms of size, it will probably be several times that of
this training camp.”
“Wow…”
“I would like to tell you a little bit more, but most of the detailed
information about the dragon is con idential. There is no need to block
in our guild. The Empire controls the information. Of course, very basic
information is already available on the market, but… Anyway, let’s stop
talking about this. Any other questions?”
“Er, Instructor Lee Kiyoung?”
“Yes.”
“If it’s okay, by any chance, you… with the Mercenary Queen…”
“Yes. I have a relationship with her.”
‘Are they really asking these questions?’
The ones who had been asking me were the same girls who had
tortured Han Sora. It appeared that they weren’t aware of how valuable
this time would be for them.
“Do you have any plans of adding more lovers?”
The next question was a little more spectacular. Apparently, they were
more interested in personal questions. Unfortunately, if they thought I
would take in one of them, they were wrong.
“Kiee-ek!”
Tol To-ri also began to stare at them, looking seemingly frustrated with
their questions. I also felt a little annoyed, yet I knew it was my fault for
not specifying which questions to expect.
However, for these trainees, they were throwing away the opportunity
to get good tips for alchemy.
It was then that Han Sora raised her hand.
“I’m Han Sora. That… About what you said earlier, you said that from
now on, it is an area where each person should study… I want to know
exactly what you mean.”
“Okay.”
‘This is a good one.’
It was the most realistic question for one to ask.
“Can I think of it as a question that asks me how I wanted to grow?”
“I’m embarrassed, but… That’s right.”
She was probably asking this because she knew just how bleak her
future was.
“Well… If I were to explain it simply, you could think of it as going into

an advanced course of one discipline. Let’s suppose that we are
learning about cars. You guys have now realized what a car is like. We
know how a car is, and we know what it does.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s think of it as a little specialization. Yes, specialization. Now that I
realized what a car is, I just need to dig into it a little more intensively.
Which way you go, of course, is up to you.”
“Ah…”
“Some people will study the exterior of cars, and others will dig into
engines and some of the devices inside. Perhaps some people will
change their direction and think about motorcycles. The same goes for
alchemy.”
“…”
“Potions, homunculus, chimeras, catalysts… the areas vary. Of course,

there may be other areas that I do not know.”
“If it’s okay, can I ask you what area you studied?”
“Of course. I irst majored in living bodies. Naturally, I set foot in other
areas, too, but it can be said that the main thing I started researching
was about potions and living bodies. After that, I studied dragons
professionally.”
“Ah…”
“Being a pioneer in one ield has quite a merit. Those who think ‘what
can be done with only alchemy’ are people who don’t deserve to be an
alchemist. Look.”
As I slowly gathered magic power in my hand, magical power splashed

out of my hand with a snapping sound. As I licked my ingers lightly, a
pair of dragon arms began to form on either side of the blackboard
behind me.
At this point, the trainees were probably well aware that this was not a
simple model.
Although the size was reduced to one that could it in the classroom, I
could see the trainees’ faces whitening as the arms began to move.
“It… can’t be…”
“Huh?”
Awe was written on everyone’s faces.
“How… This is… This is nonsense. How is this even possible?”
‘Effort and experience, class correction, a genius wizard’s support, and

a devoted dragon, non-dry resources, as well as natural luck.’
In fact, the most important were the last three, but I couldn’t say that.
“It seems a little dif icult to answer that question. It’s okay to say as
what I just showed you is my breadwinner. If you think carefully about
why an alchemist is not just a class, but a wizard’s higher class, the
answer will eventually come.”
“Ah…”
“You may be able to realize the ridiculous things you imagine in your
head. If you just drink, you might be able to make a potion that can turn
you into a superhuman. Perhaps there is someone who can create the
Homunculus or Sage’s Stone. Of course, even if it takes a lifetime, some
people do not realize even half of the class’s contents… Your question
was pretty good, trainee Han Sora.”
“Thank… you.”
“A lot of time has passed receiving unnecessary questions… Let’s inish

with a few words.”
“Ah…”
“You’ve all worked hard.”
“…”
“Perhaps most of you received offers from guilds or clans, right?”
“Yes.”
“Some are medium-sized, and some are large, and some are small, but
well, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that Lindel needs you.”
“…”
“The reason I joined this class is that I was asked to share some of my
alchemy knowledge at the city level… no, the Empire level. If you think
about it that way, you will ind an answer. The world has changed. They
think they need an alchemist at the Empire level so that it would be
okay for clans and guilds to invest a little more in alchemy and other
production positions.”
“Ah…”
“You are part of a project under the Empire level. I’m not going to tell
you to show outstanding performance, but at least try to get out and
make sure you don’t get humiliated. If you can’t prove your worth, you’ll
be thrown back and will have to beg on the road.”
I didn’t know if they understood what I said, but the room had now
become quiet.
“The reason I taught you to the best of my ability was not because I like
you, but because it was a national project. I think you can understand
what I’m talking about.”
“…”
“Don’t disgrace my name, everyone. And…”
“…”
“If you come to me when you’re having a hard time, I’ll give you some
advice. Thank you for your hard work.”
CHAPTER 222
Ending the class in this manner proved to be bittersweet. If one were to

ask if I had gotten affectionate, I would simply say no.
Though I didn’t much like people such as Han Sora’s tormentors, most
of the students who worked hard were kind.
Though I felt slightly affectionate, it was not enough for me to sacri ice
my life for one of them. If they came to me during their hardships, I
would gladly give them a meal, as well as some expert advice.
This was exactly the right distance between an instructor and a student.
In fact, I didn’t have any worries about them now.
‘Everyone will be making their own breadwinners.’
In fact, except for a few, including Han Sora, almost all of the trainees
had managed to enter the middle or large guilds.
In the irst place, considering the purpose of this education, it was a

very natural result.
There was no reason not to get alchemists who harbored good and
useful knowledge in each guild and clan.
Even if their grades were a little exceptional, they received offers from
large guilds, and those with high magic power or high intelligence were
happy at the offerings coming from everywhere.
Of course, they couldn’t get the down payment and annual salary as
much as a combat job did, but at least it was still higher than that of a
normal production job. They were treated better than a half-wizard
who couldn’t use magic properly.
As a side note, most of those who chose the combat post on the irst
day, ignoring my advice, were miserable. The wizards, not only lacking
magical power but also understanding, lost their place to go, and the
warriors without talent would surely become monster food soon or
waste away their lives in the slums.
As a result, the rise in alchemy irst started within Lindel.
In this situation, it was obvious that most guilds did not recruit Han
Sora, whose grades were at the top. They had probably heard the news
that she tried to sneak into Jung Hayan’s laboratory and steal her
achievements.
Usually, those with this tendency would get excluded from the group.
Of course, the truth was that she ran into me with a sly trick, but it
helped her that I end the situation to this extent rather than revealing
the useless sexual harassment.
If the truth was announced to the outside world, it was clear that all
guilds and clans who did not want to be disliked by Blue would try to
defeat her.
‘Her current outcome is way better than that.’
Even if she hadn’t received an offer within her training period, she
would probably get in somewhere else if she applied for a job and got
an interview. She had the ability.
“Han Sora…”
When I unconsciously muttered her name, Tol To-ri began to scream.
“Ke-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ek!”
“Shush! You should be quiet!”
“Kiek…”
I needed to suppress Tol To-ri soon, much like what I had done with
Jung Hayan. She was the whole reason I had improved at observing
people’s behavioral patterns, after all.
I had just screamed for a moment, but there were already tears in his
big eyes. The guilt soon overwhelmed me. Nevertheless…
‘I need to be a strict father.’
“Dialuria.”
“Haa… Haaa…”
“It’s okay when it’s just you and me or with your mom, but you have to
be careful when you’re with other people. Otherwise, Dad cannot hang
around with Dialuria.”
“Kiek!”
“Since you are smart, I believe you will understand what dad means.
Am I right?”
“Kiee-ek!”
Just in time, I saw two people approaching this way.
‘Yoo Ahyoung… and Kim Ki-cheol… ’

Seeing Kim Ki-cheol’s wary exterior, I knew I had done a good job in my
acting. Yoo Ahyoung soon reached me, looking pleased.
“Instructor Lee Kiyoung!”
Kim Ki-cheol had no choice but to approach me as well, although

reluctantly. However, there was a glint of triumph in Ahyoung’s eyes.
“Kieee-ek!”
“Shush!”
Once I gave Tol To-ri a warning, he stayed quiet.
“Ah, trainee Yoo Ahyoung, and… trainee Kim Ki-cheol.”
They looked pretty close now, which reinforced just how cruel Ahyoung
could be. Goosebumps rose along my skin as I saw how good she now
was at acting.
Kim Ki-cheol, who didn’t know anything, thought that he had once
again gained his girlfriend’s heart back, but this was far from the truth.
“Instructor. Er…”
“Did you think about it?”
“No. Not yet…”
“That’s a shame.”
“Can I postpone my answer until the completion ceremony?”
‘You already signed a contract, you… ’
Her acting skills proved to be comparable to that of Ahn Ki-mo’s.

“Yes. Of course. Come to think of it… he is…”
“Hello, Instructor Lee Kiyoung. I’m Kim Ki-cheol. I’m Yoo Ahyoung’s
boyfriend.”
“Ohhh. I’ve heard about you.”
“I am… I heard that Ahyoung is indebted to you. Thank you for taking
care of her.”
“No. People like Yoo Ahyoung aren’t people who can easily be seen
anywhere. It is natural. Hahaha… You two look good together.”
“Yes. Recently, there had been some misunderstandings…”
I could recognize Kim Ki-cheol’s expression as that of inferiority.
His gaze was ixated on Tol To-ri, hanging behind me, and he also
seemed to be envious of the clothes I was wearing. Jealousy did not
look good on him.
As I quietly turned to Yoo-Ahyoung, I saw that she felt quite good as she
kept smiling.
‘She won’t get weird from this experience, right?’
At this point, my worries began to rise, but I knew it wasn’t dangerous

yet, for her case.
I was even more worried at the fact that Tol To-ri was also ixated on
her chest.
“Kie-e-ek…”
It was then that Yoo Ahyoung, who had not noticed, moved her body a
little more actively.
“Oh, is this the kid, Dialuria, you talked about the last time?”
“Yes, trainee Yoo Ahyoung.”
“He is cute. Can I touch him, just this once?”
Not only did she snuggle him closer to her chest, but her voice had also
taken on a higher pitch.
Anyone would feel like she was constantly sending out signals that she
wanted to look like a woman to me no matter what.
I was worried that Tol To-ri would go crazy, but seeing that he remained
silent, Ahyoung seemed to be within the allowable range. Of course, his
body trembled, but there was no offensive reaction. Rather, Kim Ki-
cheol proved to be the more angered one.
His expression had now shifted into hostility.
“Tol To-ri doesn’t like the touch of human hands very much. It would be
better to spend time together later. You can get along quickly.”
“Really?”
“Yes. How about tomorrow evening?”
It was Kim Ki-cheol who answered for her.
“Instructor Lee Kiyoung, Ah-young has no time tomorrow…”
“Yes! I would love to, Instructor.”
But Yoo Ahyoung interrupted him.
“Ahyoung…”
“I have time. Of course, it’s okay, instructor.”
“Haha. That’s fortunate.”
“Er… Instructor! Since we’re meeting… Again, er… Can I ask the same
thing to you?”
‘Ask what, you woman?’
Though Ahyoung didn’t directly say what she was asking for, the
suggestive look in her eyes eventually made me smile.
‘Genius.’
Didn’t they say that a woman’s vengeance knows no bounds?
This acting, which seemed to be saying that there was something

peculiar between us, was better than Ahn Ki-mo’s own acting.
‘I really have to recruit this one.’
Perhaps she didn’t even know she had this kind of talent. I bet, if she
received proper guidance from Ahn Ki-mo, it would be no different than
getting the Lindel Actress Award.
“Er… I really liked what you taught me last time…”
‘What was good… we didn’t do anything. We… ’
I felt a little embarrassed with the sudden set-up. However, I had no

choice but to respond.
“Of course. Ahyoung. Rather, I would like to ask you that… It’s fun to be
with Ahyoung as well. I will teach you everything I couldn’t tell you last
time.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But there is also Ki-cheol…”
“No. You don’t have to worry about Oppa. I don’t think he knows much.
Instructor Lee Kiyoung teaches better. Then, I’ll see you, instructor.
We’ll get going!”
“Alright.”
Of course, what we would be doing would be completely innocent, but

Kim Ki-cheol would de initely think that we’d be up to no good.
“W… What’s going on? Do you have to meet him tomorrow?”
“Ahhh… You don’t need to know.”
“What?”
“No, why are you trying to intervene in what people do? Isn’t that an
obsession? It was Oppa who asked me to stay cool. Don’t worry too
much about my things.”
“Ahyoung… still…”
As they moved away, the remnants of their argument reached my ears.
I had initially thought she was a fool just wandering around smiling, but
she seemed to understand the concept of how to mess with him
properly.
As anyone could see, Kim Ki-cheol was anxious, while Yoo Ahyoung
seemed relaxed. He didn’t even dare to ask openly if she was cheating
on him. The power dynamics of their relationship was completely
reversed.
At this point, Kim Ki-cheol would constantly be wondering about the
possibility of Ahyoung and I having an affair behind his back.
However, something unexpected occurred.
‘Huh?’
It appeared that he was not the only one who thought this way.
“Chiing… Kiehek…”
Tol To-ri had begun to cry. He must’ve understood the conversation that
had just taken place.
Of course, I didn’t think that Tol To-ri would notice this strange
atmosphere, but considering that he was smarter and quicker than
most people, I should have expected this.
Thick tears continued to wet my shoulder as he hugged me tightly, as if

not wanting to let me go. He then continued crying sadly.
“Y… Your dad is not cheating, okay? I’m serious…”
Now I felt even shittier.
“Dad only has Tol To-ri. I’m not having an affair and leaving your mom.”
No, I was already a low-class piece of shit even back then.
‘Damn.’
CHAPTER 223
COMPLETION CEREMONY (1)
I knew this was an important issue.
It was natural for me to want to show Tol To-ri all the good things, as he
had not yet formed his disposition. He even already had a strange
characteristic!
If he ended up with a sel ish or calculating disposition, there would be a

big problem raising him.
‘Hmm… ’
I could no longer stay still in regards to Tol To-ri’s education. I simply

couldn’t entrust Dialugia with such a crucial matter.
Seeing the kid sleeping next to me while snorting, I began to wonder if

my worries were useless.
However, in any case, I had to pay attention in his early stages as he

may soon have enough power to blow away a castle with one simple
breath.
As I slowly turned my gaze away from Tol To-ri and looked ahead, I saw
two women who were still ixated on him.
“He is really cute.”
“Yes. He seems a little tired. Lately, he was so excited that he wasn’t able
to sleep well.”
It was Cha Hee-ra and Dialugia.
It is quite surprising to see that they had become quite close after only
three days.
Cha Hee-ra also maintained a relatively amicable relationship with Jung

Hayan, so it can be said that she had good sociability in her own way,
but Dialugia was a little different.
Even if her sociability was zero in the irst place, she couldn’t even
blend in. I had a rough feeling about how Cha Hee-ra could get close to
her.
Perhaps Cha Heera was able to develop their relationship because she
understood the mother’s heart to some extent. Looking at Cha Hee-ra
gently patting the head of Tol To-ri was similar to how one would pet an
animal.
“Hee-ra, are you not going to the completion ceremony?”
“Ah. Is it already this late? Well, if I stay from the beginning to the end.
What would I do? Anyway, I only need to memorize a congratulatory
speech… The executives decided to do the rest. How about you?”
“I’m going later. I have to leave today, but there are some things I
haven’t organized yet. I’m almost inished.”
“Time lies so fast. It’s already the completion ceremony… Oh, did you
manage to form the backline?”
“…”
“You couldn’t in the end.”
“No. I’m just going to look inside Lindel. It was hard to ind a useful
wizard, so I tried to ind archers, too, but I didn’t like anyone. Everyone
is below my standards.”
“Are you saying this for the other clans and guilds, recruiting kids below
that level, to hear you?”
“I don’t mean that…”
“I was kidding. You don’t need to panic.”
“That’s so mean.”
“I still want to say something, however. Is that okay?”
“If it’s advice, it’s welcomed.”
“Blue has a cut line that’s too high in the irst place.”
“So we look that way, huh?”
“No, more than Blue, you seem to be putting strict standards on other
people.”
“Hmm… You might think so.”
I knew Cha Hee-ra was right.
“In the irst place, the Blue members are a little peculiar, honey. We
both know how strong Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan, the two
geniuses, are. There’s also that kid, Kim Ye-ri, and even that priest, Sun
Hee-young. She isn’t remarkably great, but she’s innately familiar with
divine power.”
“Yes.”
“Cho Hyejin, that girl, can’t be called a genius, but she’s de initely
talented. I think that trying hard is part of talent, too. I bet that
probably Kim Ye-ri, no matter how strong the kid gets, will have a hard
time catching up with someone like Cho Hyejin.”
“Hmm…”
“In fact, it’s peculiar as to how all of these talented people are gathered
together. Usually, most of these people should be running their own
guild or clan somewhere. Well, anyway, even if we leave these monsters
aside, there are other ordinary people in your guild, right?”
“Right.”
“You, too…”
“Yes.”
“So is the Mage Scholar Hwang Jeong-yeon… And your guild’s big fat…
Oh, you said it was Park Deokgu. Isn’t that the same for him? But, as far
as I can see, these people are also members of the guild that shouldn’t
be left out right now.”
That was de initely true.
“Even though you and the Mage Scholar originally had one foot in the
combat group and the non-combat army, it’s not like that for Park
Deokgu, right? I feel a little sorry for him, but in fact, I thought he was
going to fall off soon.”
In fact, I had thought the same thing as her.
“Look at him. Not only had he endured for a longer time than I thought,
but he was even able to improve. It’s because the guild members helped
and cared about him so much that that pig will someday become a top
player.”
If it were before, I would have shaken my head at Cha Hee-ra’s words,
but it was de initely different now.
Of course, Deokgu may be more famous as a tanker with a famous name

rather than becoming famous for his personal strength, but certainly,
Park Deokgu now had the potential to catch up with Kim Hyunsung’s
party.
“Even ordinary people can be strong, with the right support and care.
That’s why our Red Mercenary’s recruitment cut line is lower than
expected. In fact, there are times when people who you never expected
anything from suddenly stand out, you know?”
“Hmm…”
“Talent is, of course, important. There are cases where you can’t do
anything. But when I see people, there is one more thing I see other
than talent.”
“What?”
“Their willpower.”
“Good.”
“Actually, that’s why, in the beginning, I accepted your request here. It

may sound funny, but your eyes were a little different… Usually, those
who are desperately clinging achieve one or two things.”
It certainly made sense.
Even if my eyes could see almost anything, it didn’t necessarily predict

the future.
In fact, I had no idea that Park Deokgu would grow this much. At the
same time, I never expected Lee Jihye to be perfectly settled in the Black
Swan.
‘The same goes for me… ’
“You’ll do it in your own way, but that’s what I wanted to say. Let’s go
out and take one last look. After the completion ceremony, you should
take your guild kids anyway.”
“Ah… You have to do the speech, right?”
“Yes. It’s annoying, but I have to do what I have to do. What about
Dialugia?”
I had initially thought that Dialugia wouldn’t want to go.
“It would be hard to move together, Cha Hee-ra. Dialuria is still

sleeping…”
“Ah. Then we’ll come together after I’m done.”
“Alright.”
‘Blue doesn’t need completion ceremony or whatever.’
Come to think of it, the out it Cha Hee-ra wore was a little different
from usual. Usually, she preferred wearing clothes with a little
exposure.
It was the same when I irst met her, and when I saw her wearing a
dress at the party.
It seemed that she now thought that she had to be formal as she had to
read the congratulatory address in front of everyone. Seeing that she
was wearing pretty cool armor, it seemed that it would be okay to call
her a Red Knight rather than Red Mercenary.
I was also dressed neatly, but I couldn’t be compared to her current
extravagance.
‘She really is cool.’
As we headed to the training center’s tourney hall while being escorted

by members, I saw all the trainees lined up. On the platform, Lindel’s
main guild masters were sitting in a simple tent while watching the
trainees.
‘Hyunsung!’
Of course, even Kim Hyunsung stood out. Though he was speaking to

Black Swan Guild Master Park Yeon-joo, he smiled when he caught sight
of me.
I didn’t want to wave my hand frivolously, so I greeted him with a nod.
Meanwhile, Cha Hee-ra climbed onto the platform without giving

another glance to the trainees.
Although some trainees looked at Cha Hee-ra’s red hair in an immobile

position as if amazed, most of them wore a tense expression.
‘Come to think of it, is it their irst time seeing her?’
She was ranked as Lindel’s top player, as well as the leader of the Red
Mercenary Guild.
Her red hair luttering behind her armor made her look like a goddess
on the battle ield. Usually, those kinds of people exuded an intimidating
aura without even trying.
I don’t know if it’s an appropriate example, but it was similar to

watching TV.
I, too, went up on the podium with her. I took a seat in the right place
and looked at the trainees eagerly, but unfortunately, no one stood out
that much.
After the ceremony was over, Lee Chang-ryul and Yoo Ahyoung would
prepare to head to Lindel with me. I could see some glances over here.
‘Was Kim Ki-cheol’s case solved well?’
Upon seeing Ahyoung’s happy expression, I felt like it did.
Perhaps she was thinking of messing with him a little more after the
completion ceremony.
Lee Chang-ryul stood still, wearing the mask he always wore, but he
sent me a favorable look.
It was then when Cha Hee-ra started her congratulatory speech.
“I’m sorry for making you suffer through such an ordeal such as a
speech. I would like to go to Lindel and focus on my own life, but
usually, there are useless events and customs in these places. In fact, I
don’t have much to say to you. The guild’s executives wrote the
congratulatory remarks…”
‘She won’t read it.’
“I’m not into these things, and I’m sure you’ll need a little more realistic
advice than just trying to look good reading something like this.”
Looking at the Red Mercenaries’ executives’ expressions standing

together on the podium, I could tell they already expected this.
“Actually… it is inevitable to hold a sword once you get here. Whether

you’re a blue-collar worker or a hater of ights, someday the day will
come when you’ll have to lift your sword. Monsters could attack the
city, or war could happen unexpectedly. Players are designed to live that
way.”
This was an interesting story.
“That’s why we gave non-combatant soldiers and people useless

training such as basic physical training. This expression will be easy to
understand for those who don’t know the world’s situation yet. You
guys were sent here as warriors and were also raised as warriors. From
Earth’s point of view, it may sound ridiculous, but you are all warriors.
The possibility of disaster is de initely something that could make you
shrink, but… Of course, everyone has different ways of ighting… Well, if
I continue to talk like this, I’m going to end up rambling. All I want to
say is one thing. Don’t get killed in useless places.”
“…”
“…”
The entire venue had become quiet.
“See you on the bigger battle ield, newbies.”
As if planned, the lag of the Red Mercenary was lifted. The ceremony
ended with all the members sending a salute to Cha Hee-ra.
I had no choice but to think that it would not be so bad even if I went to
the Red Mercenary Guild instead of going to Blue with Kim Hyunsung.
“Would you like to say a word, too?”
As I shook my head, she came down from the platform, looking

perfectly at ease.
‘I’m really going to fall for this one… ’

Rather than being a ‘woman,’ the person Cha Hee-ra had become was
cool.
Thanks to the fact that she had wholeheartedly distracted me, there
was no time to have a look around the trainees waiting for completion.
As I tried to go for one last scope, the other guild executives began to
herd their charges out.
A few trainees started to move on to the wagons that would take them
to Lindel, and Blue, which received the two reserved ones, was no
exception.
Yoo Ahyoung and Lee Chang-ryul were now on their way to the Blue
lag.
It was then that a person came in my line of sight, someone who had
not received any offer and thus had stayed by the sides, looking for the
wagons that were just waiting to depart.
‘Han Sora.’
For some reason, this felt similar to when I had seen Lee Jihye last year.
I had thought about bringing Sora along, but I knew Blue didn’t need
another alchemist.
Of course, I also knew it wouldn’t be bad to use her since she had the
passion for it, but since she already had friction with me…
‘Usually, people who are desperately clinging achieve one thing.’
The words Cha Hee-ra said before we came here lingered in my head.
I habitually looked at her status window, but nothing had changed

much from before.
‘No… ’
The most crucial thing had changed. I was so surprised that I began to
laugh.
[Class: Warlock]
‘Would you look at that… ’
Almost unconsciously, I began to call out.
“Hey, come here.”
I saw Han Sora’s pupils shaking as she realized I was talking to her.
“Please come here, Han Sora-ssi.”
Though I was talking as formally as I could, she did not cease her
trembling.
CHAPTER 224
COMPLETION CEREMONY (2)
I could understand why Han Sora was trembling. If I were her, I would
not want to get involved with Blue anymore at this point. She might even
want to move out of Lindel and into another city.
If she were smart, this would be her best plan. What Jung Hayan had
done to her had been very traumatic. Fortunately or unfortunately, Jung
Hayan wasn’t here, but I thought there was a high probability that she
wouldn’t want to be entangled with me.
However, what she thought had nothing to do with me.
What was a little more important was that she had chosen black wizard
as a class.
‘Warlock.’
There was no reason to ask why.
[Warlock (Rare): This is a ranged class that can use black magic. Black
magic is a new level of magic that completely overturns the existing
magical common sense. Because of the concept of borrowing power
from the devil, some religious groups feel strong resistance to black
magic, but its destructive power can be overwhelmingly higher than that
of other occupations. Acquired basic black magic knowledge. Magic
power will increase by 4.]
‘Look at her… ’
Her magic power circuit had been destroyed, so this class was what she
could at least choose.
Unlike wizards that forcefully demand af inity for magic, black wizards
were one of the classes that were less in luenced by magical power.
I also remembered taking a lot of time to decide between a black wizard

and an alchemist.
At the time, Park Deokgu recommended the warlock class, and Kim
Hyunsung recommended changing to an alchemist.
I thought the former would be better, but what made me come this far
was choosing to be an alchemist with the heroic-grade item called
Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy.
However, there was something that came to mind at times.
‘What if I had chosen to be a warlock instead of an alchemist?’
Of course, being an alchemist was not all bad. I think I had been
excessively well treated, and my achievements were excellent. In
addition to obtaining a unique legendary-grade class, my lack of force
had also been partially illed.
Nevertheless…
‘Warlock wouldn’t have been bad, either.’
I sometimes wondered about this. If I had chosen to be a warlock, it

would have been inconvenient to move around the Holy Empire, but that
area was unknown to me.
I was both curious and interested.

While thinking about these things, Han Sora spoke. Of course, she looked
very embarrassed.
“Is it… me… y-you’re calling?”
“Yes. Please get off the carriage for a moment, Han Sora-ssi.”
“Ah…”
She did look anxious. From her expression, I knew she had not taken the
warlock class to take revenge. No matter how well she must’ve done, the
idea that she could harm Jung Hayan was impossible.
‘I guess that’s fortunate.’
The two were already at different levels, and the gap would never close.
She knew this better than anyone else.
I nodded and spoke to the coachman waiting for departure.
Still wearing a bandage all over her body, she got off the wagon and
looked at me anxiously.
“You can go irst. The Blue Guild will take her to Lindel.”
“Yes. Okay, Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
“I think it would be better for trainee Han Sora to come with us in our
carriage. Follow me.”
“…”
“We could talk a bit. Oh, I forgot that your legs were a little
uncomfortable. You can walk slowly.”
“…”
An awkward atmosphere ensued as she followed me to my guild

carriage.
“Instructor Lee Kiyoung…”
“Yes?”
“Did I do anything wrong? Er… If I have made any mistakes, I-I’ll

apologize. So…”
“Ohh… It’s not that, so don’t worry. To be honest, I’ve already forgotten
about that. You don’t have to worry. And I think it would be okay to call
me Kiyoung-ssi, not Instructor Lee Kiyoung… or you can call me Blue
Vice Guild Master, or well, whatever title is ine.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I’m not an instructor anymore.”
“No. Not that…”
“Oh… You mean that. That’s exactly what I meant. I think you have
already received enough punishment, and you’ve already apologized.”
“Then, why…”
“I don’t know. Why did I call you? And right after the completion
ceremony was over.”
“…”
“You’ll be able to guess easily.”
“Perhaps… kill…”
“Let’s go to Blue together.”
“What?”
“I said, let’s go to Blue together. The treatment won’t be bad. We’ll give
you a good salary, and we’ll make the down payment as much as the
others. Of course, not as much as Yoo Ahyoung or Lee Chang-ryul, but
compared to other guilds, you will not be disappointed.”
“What?”
“You can check the welfare content and other parts while reading the
catalog, and the contract term…”
“Ah…”
“The contract period is for life. Actually, this is not common, and, indeed,
this is not permitted under imperial law, but well, if you don’t open your
mouth, no one will know.”
“Well, I…”
“There are some things that you’ll have to do. First, since you have
knowledge of basic alchemy, you will be seated as a vice chief in the
alchemy lab… Oh! You’re going to take the backline of the new second
party of Blue, so you should keep that in mind.”
“My… magic power… And the l-legs…”
“The legs don’t really matter. It’s not agility that I ask of for the rear,
anyway. The problem is about magic power. A broken magic power
circuit will take a while, but let’s see if there’ll be a way to ix it. Of
course, the aftereffects will remain, but it doesn’t really matter to you
whether the power circuit is alive or not.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about… I am…”

“Han Sora-ssi. Let’s not lie. Don’t worry about how I know or what did I
do to know. Just nod your head. Anyway, rather than wandering off
alone… It would be a little safer to be next to me. You should know by
now what in luence and power I wield.”
“…”
“I mean, if you do not want to receive sudden visits from Heretic

Inquisitors that the Empire boasts about, then just quietly sign the
contract. Blue cares about talent. It doesn’t really matter about the
secrets or disabilities you have.”
At this, Han Sora stayed quiet. Of course, I saw her face turning really
pale. I didn’t know what she is thinking, but I’m sure she was fully aware
that the situation was already twisted.
Rejection was not an option. I knew she had taken my threat to heart.
‘It’s because she is smart.’
“And Hayan…”
“Hic.”
Seeing her hiccupping as soon as I spit out Hayan’s name was amusing. I
knew she wouldn’t want to come to Blue because of Jung Hayan rather
than me.
“You don’t have to worry. She won’t ever touch you irst unless you pull
crap on her irst. Oh! I just have this one paper. Please, sign up irst.”
“I’m sorry. I-I was wrong. I’m sorry. Hic. Please, don’t… do this.”
“No, aren’t there the salary and the down payment below? This is good
for you, too.”
“Let me live. I beg you… Everything else is ine. Just please… please…”
“Gosh… Didn’t I say she wouldn’t kill you?”
“I beg you, please. Please, I don’t want to go. Please…”
“I will add a little more down payment.”
“I didn’t mean that… please… Instructor, I was stupid. So…”
“I’m not really trying to harass you. Please, just sign up.”
The way she grabbed my pants was indeed a spectacle. I knew and
understood why she refused me, but I also felt like she was exaggerating.
‘But she’s going to be really useful… ’
Cha Hee-ra was right. She had enough surviving will, and she was
desperate, too.
If I think about it, I think she was a talent I could have more expectations
for compared to Lee Chang-ryul or Yoo Ahyoung.
‘She’s going to be the backliner.’
Seeing Han Sora signing her name on the contract with her trembling
hands made me feel proud, for some reason. In time, Yoo Ahyoung and
Lee Chang-ryul, who had been where the Blue lag was, also began to
approach us.
I thought Kim Hyunsung would guide them, but it was unexpectedly a

guild employee who guided them.
‘Manager Kim Mi-young?’
It had been a long time since I had seen her.

“Manager Kim Mi-young, it’s been a long time.”
“Yes. Vice Guild Master. It does look like it’s been a while.”
“What about Hyunsung-ssi?”
“The Guild Master said that he has a business meeting with Park Yeon-
joo of the Black Swan. He said he was sorry and asked me to guide them
instead.”
“Hmm…”
It looked like she really fell for him.
Perhaps Kim Hyunsung thought this would be an awkward situation,

too.
‘She’s not the type of person who he can just ignore.’
What was a little strange was that Sun Hee-young wasn’t here, either.
Upon realizing this, Kim Mi-young spoke once more.
“Hee-young-ssi also decided to come in the Black Swan’s carriage.”
“Oh! So, it really was a business meeting.”
“Yes. Of course, he said he was coming to Lindel by this evening. He

asked me to tell you that they were going to eat together as a welcome
meal.”
“Okay.”
“More than that, who’s…”
“It’s a bit too sudden, but I recruited someone else. I’m sorry to bother
the administration team, but I think she’s a necessary talent for the
second party.”
“Oh…”
Manager Kim Mi-young’s gaze at Han Sora strayed towards her one eye
and leg. Of course, what was most evident was her anxious expression.
However, I knew she would trust in my judgment the most.
“Yes. As soon as we get there, we will go through the enrollment

procedure and report it to the guild association. The contract…”
“Since she just signed the contract, please check and add 10% more than
what has been written. Now that I think about it, it feels like it was a
little cheap. Come to think of it, you and Chang-ryul-ssi were at the
attack team together in the tutorial, right?”
“Yes, Vice Guild Master. But…”
“Since we have considered many things, you can trust and follow us.
Although your body is not really well, you’ll do your job well enough.”
“Yes, Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
Since he was wearing a red mask, I couldn’t con irm what kind of
expression Lee Chang-ryul was making, but he didn’t look to be in a bad
mood.
Of course, it was Yoo Ahyoung who looked to be in a better mood.
I was worried because my gaze was taken away by Han Sora for a while,
but it seemed that things had worked out better than I thought.
“Come to think of it, Ahyoung-ssi… has the thing with Kim Ki-cheol been
solved? I should have helped… I’m sorry. Something suddenly
happened.”
“No. You didn’t have to help.”
“I’m glad, then…”
“I feel relieved enough. Manager Kim Mi-young also helped… Of course,

there are still more things I want to do… Can I tell you that later?”
“Of course.”
‘I think she really got the hang of this… ’
I didn’t know how Manager Kim Mi-young helped her or what she
wanted to do in the future, but it was a little scary to think that her mind
was still on revenge.
‘It’s not bad, though.’
Overall, I felt like I had gotten myself a decent party in this round, which
I was sure I would feel a little dissatis ied in.
Yoo Ahyoung, Lee Chang-ryul, and Han Sora—a well-balanced party

would be completed in a short while if I put the experienced Ahn Ki-mo
in there.
However, when I put everyone together, I realized each individual had

something missing from them. In fact, I was worried about leaving them
to Ahn Ki-mo, but I knew he was a clergyman capable of being a front-
liner and a back-liner.
They were capable enough, yet there was room for more growth in the
future.
‘I guess I can raise them properly… ’
Of course, many problems must be solved for them to blend into the
guild. As I mulled over my thoughts, I could see a wagon coming in this
way.
What was a little unexpected was the presence of one person in the
carriage.
“Oppa!”
I saw Jung Hayan waving with a bright expression. This was de initely
not a good time.
Sure enough, Han Sora began to tremble.
“Argh… Ahhhhhhhhh… Argh!”
What was more problematic was the fact that she had peed herself once
more.
‘Is she still like this?’
It appeared that it was only me who had thought that she was gradually
getting better. Her situation seemed worse than what I had initially
thought.
Seeing Jung Hayan waving with a bright expression, I felt goosebumps

behind my back.
‘You… What the hell have you done… ’
“I… I’m sorry…”

CHAPTER 225
THE PARTY (1)
In fact, even I had felt unsettled when Jung Hayan had brought Han Sora
to us. Though Han Sora had received treatment from Sun Hee-young,
she looked nothing more than a rag at the time.
It was unknown what had exactly occurred between Jung Hayan and
Han Sora.
However, considering Han Sora’s condition at the time, it was clear that
she suffered more than I could ever imagine. The aftereffects had
remained even after she had gotten healed.
‘I think her trauma is stronger than I irst thought.’
Who knew she would pee on the spot with just a mere glance at Jung
Hayan?
Now that she knew that everything was a misunderstanding, Jung

Hayan seemed not to care much about Han Sora, but I had no choice but
to worry about her all the way back to the city in the carriage.
To be precise, she changed her pants three times from the tutorial
training center to Lindel. If the wagon had not been wide, I could have
been sure that she would have changed at least seven more times.
Thanks to this, Han Sora used the same space as Dialugia and Tol To-ri,
who was busy sleeping, and not mine, but it seemed that even that
made her a little uncomfortable.
Even if I wanted to do something, I knew I couldn’t.
Hearing Jung Hayan’s name not only triggered her seizure but also
caused her to tremble continuously. For now, I had no choice but to wait
and see until she got used to it.
At this point, I wondered if it was a mistake to choose Han Sora.
Even if the irst party and the second party were to be divided, the
second party could stand together with us in a dungeon or battle ield
once they got on the right track.
Considering this, I knew it was necessary to do something with Han

Sora’s mentality.
First of all, I had to show that I had various safety insurances.
I was the one who held the collar of the overly excited dog, and it would
be effective just to show that it usually wore a muzzle. Sure, she still
would be scared, but I could at least stop her from having seizures.
As I was thinking of a solution, the wagon had now passed by Lindel’s

front door.
That was when Yoo Ahyoung’s jaw dropped. Han Sora, who had been
trembling, was also looking out the window as if she was curious, and
Lee Chang-ryul also glanced outside the carriage, all the while
pretending not to be interested.
“Wow…”
It was the same as our party’s reaction when we had irst seen Lindel.
Of course, I knew it was natural to show such a reaction. Unlike the

training center that did not have any amenities or forms of
entertainment, there were pieces of evidence that Lindel had achieved
some degree of civilization throughout the city.
There are also cultural facilities that one could enjoy, and the faces of
some of the people were full of life. And just as expected…
As soon as we entered the square, various voices began to be heard.
“We’re looking for a party! We just need one priest in order to go

hunting. By-products are also distributed in proportion. We just need
one priest! We politely refuse a thief.”
“We dispose of rare-grade items. They’re all cheap, so come and take a
look.”
“Extra! Extra!”
“We’re looking for more people to explore a dungeon! It’s only a

common-grade dungeon!”
“The best seller who struck Lindel, How An Alchemist and a Genius
Prosecutor Fell in Love, the 3rd book! Only 93 copies are left in limited
quantity. We will only distribute it up to 93. I’m really sorry for those
who have been waiting.”
‘Now they’re even selling novels… ’
Among them, what caught my eye were the crowded people outside the
square.
All in all, the area was very noisy. Seeing that a group of almost all
women struggled to buy that unknown novel, even I began to wonder
what the hell was going on.
“What?! Are you kidding me? I’ve been waiting since last night. Does
that make sense?”
“How can you organize an event like this… Where is the organizer?”
“I don’t care about money. If there is any remaining quantity, just

release it, quickly!”
“Do you think that I don’t know that you distributed it to the large guild
of icers in advance? Do you think that only the large guilds read it?”
It was a fever similar to the time when Blue announced the new
potion’s model.
Certainly, it felt like the amount of gold consumed for any content had
increased as people had more money. I even laughed at the people
urging the ones who had already bought the limited edition novels to
sell them back.
Unconsciously, I began to speak.
“Manager Mi-young?”
“Yes?”
“That’s…”
“Oh. That… It seems to be a popular novel on Lindel recently.”
“I see. Does it sell well?”
“Yes. Originally, it was a novel that only wandered around in the dark,
but gradually it was on everyone’s lips… Recently, I heard that it is also
distributed in Celia and Dawan.”
“Celia and Dawan? Huh… Whoa. That’s interesting. Certainly, the

content business seems to be okay these days… Do we have any item
being prepared by Blue?”
“No. We haven’t thought about in that area yet…”
“If it’s okay, please give me a report, including market research. It

doesn’t matter if it’s a little laid-back, so I’d be grateful if you send it to
me. It would be fun to be in charge of distribution… Oh, did team leader
Kim Mi-young read that novel?”
“What? Ah… Yes.”
Her expression looked a little shaky.
Manager Kim Mi-young was the type of person who was considered a
work addict. I felt a little relieved to know that she was enjoying her
leisure time and hobbies.
“That’s a good thing. Perhaps the content…”
“It’s a bit complicated to explain.”
“I see. Did you read it too, Hayan?”
“No. This is my irst time seeing this. I didn’t even know there was such
a thing.”
Certainly, there were still a few people who still enjoyed that kind of
content.
Anyway, at least the newcomers didn’t ind Lindel to be all that bad. On
the contrary, they looked to be in a pretty good mood.
Of course, if one were to look a little deeper, some things may make one
frown, but it was certainly a place where other people live, too. There
were also a lot of people smiling, and they seemed to be very active.
The reason for the whole city to be a little livelier must be, in part, the
newcomers, but I wanted to thank the Lindel citizens who had managed
to show them good impressions.
Eventually, the carriage passed the square and headed for the Blue
Guild House.
“We’re here, Vice Guild Master.”
“Oh, alright.”
The moment I got off the carriage, Park Deokgu and Hwang Jeong-yeon
caught my eye. It had also been a long time ago since I last saw Kim Ye-
ri, and it was Ahn Ki-mo who stood next to her. And…
‘Cho Hyejin also came.’
The work at Castle Rock seemed to be inished now. I knew there would
be a chance for us to talk separately later.
What was a little fun was that the Blue Guild House had been expanded
while I was away.
‘I heard it in the report, but… ’
It was different, being able to see it for myself.
The design itself seemed to be more of a medieval-style than a modern

one, but there was also something classical about it.
The new recruits looked amazed at how the Blue Guild House looked.
Before I could even give the infrastructure a full appraisal, someone

called out to me.
“Hyung-nim!”
“Oh, Deokgu. It’s been a while, Jeong-yeon-ssi, and Hyejin-ssi. And Ye-ri,
you too…”
“Yeah…”
“Yes. Long time no see, Vice Guild Master…”
“What about you, Ahn Ki-mo?”
“Actually, our former guild master told me to leave as quickly as

possible if I was going to leave, so I packed up and left. I’ve been living
in Blue since a few days ago… Haha.”
“Ah! I see. Welcome to Blue. And let me introduce to you. These are the
newcomers who came in this time. From the left, this is Yoo Ahyoung,
Lee Chang-ryul, and Han Sora.”
Greetings ensued after I said this.
“Hello. I’m Yoo Ahyoung. Take good care of me.”
“I’m Lee Chang-ryul.”
“I’m… Han Sora. Please take good care of me.”
Seeing them introduce themselves in different ways made me happy.
Yoo Ahyoung was quite lively, Lee Chang-ryul was quite… poker-faced,
and Han Sora was still highly aware of Jung Hayan’s presence.
I spoke once more.
“Yoo Ahyoung is a warrior, Lee Chang-ryul is an assassin, and Han Sora

is a wizard. I’ll tell you more about them later, but I’m planning to raise
them as the new second party’s main members. I think it’s better to
start with the accommodations irst… Oh, Deokgu. I think it would be
better if you were to guide them. Please also join them, Jeong-yeon.”
“Well, if it’s this kind of thing, I’m always down!”
“I think I can guide you step by step from the basement to the upper
loors, and Jeong-yeon can choose the accommodations right away. Lee
Chang-ryul-ssi said he wanted to go to the most isolated room, so
please do that… Han Sora and Yoo Ahyoung, please make your decisions
carefully.”
“Hmmm…”
“There will be dinner in the evening, so you can inish all of your things
by evening.”
I thought there was a high probability that the guild staff had done it all,
but there would be people here who would want to prepare as well.
“I’ll… do it…”
It was Kim Ye-ri who looked at her irst-time juniors with an amazed
expression.
She seems to have already recognized herself as a senior.
Of course, it was impossible to entrust such a task to a child who was

not yet an adult. Before I even thought about whether she needed a
guardian, I heard a voice next to me.
“I will go with you, Vice Guild Master.”
“Then, please, Hyejin-ssi.”
“Okay.”
“I will go with you.”
“You do that, Ahn Ki-mo-ssi.”
Although I felt distracted by how many people were around me, the
atmosphere wasn’t all that bad, all in all. Jung Hayan herself didn’t seem
to care.
Since Tol To-ri had been asleep for quite a long time, it seemed like
Dialugia would not return to the nest today. Meanwhile, the sun seemed
to set at a faster pace than usual.
The new recruits were still going around the Blue Guild House, and as
Kim Ye-ri, Cho Hyejin, Ahn Ki-mo, and even Jung Hayan began preparing
for the party, all the work preparations ended soon.
As soon as I heard that Kim Hyunsung had arrived back in Lindel, I

promptly began to wait around for him.
Shortly after that, the man himself entered my line of sight.
‘I missed you, you bastard.’
It had been a while since we’d been face to face like this.
CHAPTER 226
THE PARTY (2)
I knew Hyunsung would feel the same, too.
He for sure wouldn’t express it openly, but upon seeing me, a

welcoming feeling shone in his eyes. We had both been so busy that it
was nice just to be able to see each other like this. We were like a busy
couple who only managed to ind time to relax now.
Even though we were aware that we were living in the same house, we
were so busy that we could only see each other when going to and
returning from work.
I knew I, myself, had been busy, and I knew Hyunsung was, too.
Of course, I didn’t know the details of what he did exactly, but at least I
could be sure that he was ready for the future to come.
Kim Hyunsung was very diligent and had no way of doing a crappy job. I
felt curious as to what he had been up to.
“You’re here.”
Once he noticed that we had been waiting for him, he replied.
“Forgive me for being late. Something suddenly came up.”
“It’s okay, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“I was thinking of joining you guys…”

“You said you had a business affair with the Black Swan.”
“Actually, I don’t think I’ll be talking about this here. It’ll be better to tell
you about it once the party ends. For now, let’s enjoy the arrival of our
newcomers.”
“Alright.”
‘It seems a bit serious… ’
As we had spent a long time together, it was easy to tell when

something was off. Kim Hyunsung’s expression de initely didn’t look
very good. Something was obviously bothering him.
Of course, his expression had only been brief, and as soon as the stories
of the new recruits came out, his expression shifted into one of
happiness. However, he couldn’t fool me.
‘He’s thinking about something… ’
There was nothing I could predict because nothing had been revealed
in context.
I started to remember that Park Yeon-joo of Black Swan had constantly

been talking to Kim Hyunsung. I thought she was expressing interest at
the time, but now that I thought about it, I felt like they did have a
pretty serious conversation.
‘Did anyone cause some trouble?’
I couldn’t imagine the Red Mercenary or the Black Swan guilds in crisis.
First, the Guild Master Park Yeon-joo was in a good situation, and even
when I spoke with Lee Jihye, I couldn’t ind anything unusual. I couldn’t
help but feel bothered.
After Kim Hyunsung patted my shoulder, I started to move. Of course,
all guild members’ eyes were focused on him. Seeing him trying to join
and take a seat was quite the spectacle. I thought it was time for him to
say something, so I decided to push him a little.
“Please say something, Guild Master.”
“Yes. Hyung-ssi should say something since we’re all gathered like this!”
“Ah…”
Hyunsung seemed embarrassed, but he didn’t look upset. Eventually, he

stood up.
“Yes. I think it would be better. First of all, I’m sorry for being late. I
tried to come as soon as possible, but some things held me up.”
“It’s because of work and nothing else. You don’t even have to apologize.
You’re running around busily in order to feed us.”
“Haha. Thank you for thinking so. Actually, I planned today’s meeting,
but since I didn’t actually prepare, giving a congratulatory speech
seems very embarrassing. Yoo Ahyoung, Lee Chang-ryul, Han Sora, and
Ahn Ki-mo… I haven’t been able to talk much with you since I wasn’t at
the training center, but I feel like you are good people.”
In fact, they were chosen based on ability rather than disposition, but I
kept this to myself.
“Of course, you must have the ability to combine it. Actually, with
Chang-ryul-ssi, I checked it myself. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you all. It
may sound obvious, but we, Blue, are aiming for a family-like guild. I’m
probably not alone with this idea.”
“Lee Sang-hee and Hwang Jeong-yeon, who irst founded Blue, think so,
too… Also, Kiyoung-ssi, Hayan-ssi, and Deokgu-ssi, who came here irst,
and Ye-ri, Hee-young-ssi, and Hyejin-ssi, who came in after that, are all
probably thinking the same thing. The same goes for Dialugia.”
Though fellowship tended to be a bit of an overkill, this kind of

friendship was very welcome.
“Thank you to all the members who made this guild come alive… Thank
you to all of you who are new. You will not regret choosing Blue.
Finally…”
“…”
“Welcome to Blue.”
When I saw him talking with a slight smile on his lips, I had to admit
that he was handsome.
Seeing that the faces of Cho Hyejin and Kim Ye-ri were subtly
reddening, it seemed that I was not the only one thinking about this. If
Kim Hyunsung had stayed back on Earth, he probably would’ve made a
living just from his looks alone.
“Let’s all raise the glasses.”
Of course, it was Park Deokgu who screamed the loudest.
“Let’s drink!”
And then, the small party started.
Yoo Ahyoung felt distracted with the colorful food in front of her that
she couldn’t have possibly eaten while she had been a trainee.
Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young were quietly eating food on either side
of me, and Kim Hyunsung and Lee Sang-hee were talking about various
things.
Although it was a dinner party, the number of people exceeded ten, so

we all ended up talking separately in the end. Of course, it was Park
Deokgu who always showed an unrivaled performance in such a place.
It was enough to hear him talking loudly, even from here.
“No, but why does Chang-ryul wear a mask like that?”
“…”
“Uncle Chang-ryul. It’s in his mouth. He has that… Stinging.”
“Huh?”
“I… the other day… we fought once. While taking the entrance test and…
though he ights a little dirty, he’s not all that bad. I feel like he’s
talented.”
At least Park Deokgu and Kim Ye-ri had Chang-ryul covered. Meanwhile,
the focus fell on Han Sora.
“Ah. Is Han Sora really uncomfortable with her legs? Well, don’t worry
about anything. Our Hyung-nim and Hee-young are the types of people
who can heal a crippled lower! If they start treating it properly, you’ll
be able to stand up in less than three days. Right, Hee-young?”
“I have to try, but… I’m not sure. I’ve already treated it once, but the
aftereffects still remained, but of course, if she continues exercising, her
condition will get better than it is now.”
“Of course, you’ll get better! And don’t worry about your eyes—if
Kiyoung-ssi’s miracle potion doesn’t work, he’ll at least attach a glass
eye!”
“T-Thank you.”
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the ability to heal crippled lowers. Of

course, I thought it would be nice to have it, but it was beyond my
ability to perfect Han Sora’s physical condition.
“I heard about you… Well, I mean, you suffered after getting in at my

Hayan’s magic lab. Don’t worry, though! Our Hayan! Huh? She’s the icon
of forgiveness. There’s no angel like her!”
“Hic…”
“Right? Hayan?”
“Yes. I-I made a mistake, too. Still, from next time you c-c-can’t do that,
okay?”
“Ah… Argh…”
“Don’t worry! Urinary incontinence will also be cured!”
Park Deokgu was really something. This time, he focused on Dialugia.
“And about her… Well, newcomers haven’t seen her, but in fact, her real
identity is a dragon.”
The horns on the head were enough for one to guess.
“I saw her original form once in the Siege of Castle Rock… No, well! A
bad wizard in some dungeon controlled this dragon. And just like that,
Hyung-nim was the one who gave a helping hand to her! What did
Hyung-nim say back then…?”
“…”
“Stop the attack! Stop the attack! Don’t attack anymore! He shouted and
blocked her front. Phew! If he were a girl, I would have fallen in love at
that moment! Even the dragon’s son! So, he was protecting Tol To-ri,
holding him in one hand!”
I felt embarrassed.
“Actually, it was fortunate that we didn’t ight back then. Obviously, if I

had been hit with that paw, I would have died immediately. If you get
swallowed in one bite, well, you won’t be able to resist. Anyway,
because of that, the dragon chose Hyung-nim. Oh, right. Then it turned
out that there was something like an energy wave coming out of the
dragon’s mouth.”
“It’s called Breath.”
“Breath or energy wave, they’re the same! But what’s interesting about
this is that Hyung-nim made that Breath a potion!”
Deokgu was admittedly being too noisy, but I couldn’t really blame him.
In fact, thanks to him, the atmosphere became better, and some people
were even smiling.
As he talked about Dialugia and me, I felt embarrassed and wanted to

hide somewhere.
However, most of them looked and listened to him with interest. Truly,
the atmosphere would’ve been gloomy without Deokgu here. I didn’t
have to take things into my own hands.
Of course, it didn’t take long for Deokgu to take the wrong

conversational path.
“When he irst said he was going to be an alchemist, you don’t know
how much I tried to stop him. Of course, I believed in him back then, but
he still chose to be an alchemist after leaving a cool job like a warlock…
Now, it’s all proved to be the right choice, but well, I was looking down
the production staff at that time.”
“Ah… Yes.”
“Speaking of which, countless possibilities are open to production

workers, too! It’s all up to you. I realized it upon seeing Hyung-nim.”
“You really mean that, Deokgu Oppa?”
“Ah, is Ahyoung also interested in it?”
“Ah… Yes. At irst, I was unsure if I would go for a combat job, but
Instructor Lee Kiyoung told me that I had potential… So I decided to dig
into this seriously.”
“Ohhhhhh… I see!”
“And…”
“Yes?”
“Actually, I have a second class change ahead. I haven’t chosen yet, but…
That…”
“What?”
“I have the blacksmith as an option.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
Silence illed the room. Kim Hyunsung’s expression was that of an

urgent one.
There was a bit of embarrassment on Ahyoung’s face as she looked at

Park Deokgu. Not surprisingly, I heard Park Deokgu muttering.
“Blacksmith… seems good…”
‘This crazy bastard… ’
At this, Kim Hyunsung spoke up as well.
“Ahyoung-ssi, did you have any other classes?”
“Ah. There are two options. One is a blacksmith, while the other is a
defensive warrior.”
“That’s not bad. It’s surprising that you only have two options, but it’s
probably a side effect of your lopsided growth. If you become a
defensive warrior, you’ll be able to do your part.”
“Defense Warrior… Well, I think it would be nice, but… In fact, all the
basic shield knowledge comes with the class effect that I can teach.”
‘Don’t start, you bastard.’
“Think about it. Hyung-nim chose an alchemist, but what about the
magic power that he shows right now? It’s better than just wizards.”
I was, of course, a special case.
“People who walk on special paths that other people have not originally
walked get more attention! Well, isn’t it a complete fraud to make
weapons with a hammer that kills monsters, all while lifting a shield?”
“It… makes sense, but there will be a difference in growth as we go to
the second half. As Ahyoung-ssi is talented, she will probably be able to
get a heroic-grade or higher legendary-grade class.”
“Well, let’s say, a legendary-grade blacksmith might rip off a monster’s

head with a hammer at once.”
“No… Such a thing…”
Kim Hyunsung also looked perplexed by the lack of logic.
“The choice will be up to Ahyoung-ssi, but if you think about Hyung-

nim’s case, it’ll be nice to go for a blacksmith! A new breeze is coming!
Yoo Ahyoung, a genius blacksmith who can make anything! Wow…
Doesn’t it make your heart shake, just thinking about this?”
“Of course, that doesn’t mean that production workers are bad. As
Deokgu said, considering Kiyoung-ssi’s case, there is a possibility.
However, considering Ahyoung’s talent, you can get enough results
even if you take the classic route. From a comprehensive perspective, it
would be ideal to choose a warrior as well.”
Kim Hyunsung’s words were, in fact, true.
Of course, one needed a blacksmith. However, Yoo Ahyoung was too

good to settle for this.
“Considering Ahyoung’s talent, she can be strong without taking the

regular route! Lindel needs a new wind! I de initely recommend going
for the blacksmith!”
“If Ahyoung-ssi chooses to be a defensive warrior, I will give this shield

as a gift.”
Kim Hyunsung was employing the same tactic as the time he urged me
to be an alchemist.
The one thing Kim Hyunsung overlooked, however, was that Park
Deokgu was no longer a child.
“If you choose to be a blacksmith, I will not only pass onto you my
shield skills, but I will also give this hammer as a gift!”
It was a heavy hammer that he one day acquired from a dungeon

expedition. Kim Hyunsung’s face was stained with embarrassment for a
brief moment.
“Blacksmith! Originally, a person with a wide chest can hit with a

hammer!”
“Go for a defense warrior. Don’t let that talent go to waste.”
“That talent can be fully demonstrated elsewhere! Blacksmith!”
“Defense warrior!”
“Blacksmith!”
“Blaacksmiiiith!”
‘This… this crazy pig… ’
What was even more embarrassing was that I felt convinced by Park
Deokgu for some reason.
Yoo Ahyoung’s expression showed her embarrassment since she didn’t

know that the topic she threw would overheat like this.
“Defense Warrior!”
“Blacksmith! Blacksmith, no matter what!”

“The defense warrior is better, I’m sure.”
“Blacksmith!”
“Blacksmith! She needs to wield the hammer!”
Yoo Ahyoung looked con licted.

CHAPTER 227
THE PARTY (3)
Even I felt convinced.
It felt like Deokgu had been spouting bullshit at irst, but what he said
sounded appealing.
‘I guess he’s right… ’
I could tell that Deokgu’s words made sense. There was no reason to
choose a defensive warrior. Its advantage lay in the fact that one could
head to the related melee high rank.
Of course, what he said was the most important factor in Ahyoung’s

growth, but it was undeniable that it would take a long time,
considering her disposition was basically optimistic.
If I were to think about it, Yoo Ahyoung did not show that kind of
passion at the training center.
‘It doesn’t suit her aptitude.’
The personal analysis was that although she was very talented, she was
not very interested in this particular ield. Therefore, I was not
surprised that blacksmith was one of her options.
‘Because Park Deokgu himself never got this kind of class.’
As she said, the category was created because she was interested in
production work. Of course, what we needed right now was a front-
liner who would endure for the party.
However, if Park Deokgu, who has advanced shield knowledge, cared

for Yoo Ahyoung, it was worth trusting in him.
Considering that I also had the same magic power as a wizard with
alchemy, we might be able to use a blacksmith as a front-liner if the
timing and growth method were correct.
‘Her talent levels are also not bad.’
The fact that her stamina was legendary-grade also showed that she
could be used as a blacksmith.
One thing I was worried about was that Kim Hyunsung was reluctant
for her to be a blacksmith.
Of course, this was not because Yoo Ahyoung would achieve great
success as a warrior in the future. Kim Hyunsung seemed not to know
Yoo Ahyoung well.
From Kim Hyunsung’s point of view, he would not want to turn a very
valuable talent into a production worker, but with time, it was possible
to ind a person with a level similar to Yoo Ahyoung somehow.
Why?
Because I had my Mind’s Eye.
The same went for Kim Hyunsung, who could still recruit future talent.
In particular, considering that there was Dialugia, the supreme treasure

here, perhaps Ahyoung could get a class like Dragon Blacksmith.
“Hey, what does Hyung-nim think? Do you not like the blacksmith, too?”
“Well…”
“Think about it! Blacksmith is perfect! Anyone can see she looks like a
blacksmith, right?”
It really did look like that.
“Imagine hitting an anvil with a hammer. Since you work in an ultra-hot

furnace, her lame resistance might be better than normal potential.
She will be able to survive in a sea of ire.”
‘That sounds ridiculous, but… ’
As I glanced at Yoo Ahyoung, she was also looking at me with a

confused expression.
I also think that something like a blacksmith would look better than
just wearing armor.
“Blacksmith!”
“Blacksmith!”
In the meantime, Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu were still arguing. I
knew I had to say something soon. Unfortunately, I had to let our lovely
Kim Hyunsung down.
“I don’t think… being a blacksmith is bad, either.”
“Kiyoung-ssi?”
Kim Hyunsung looked shocked.

‘I’m sorry, Hyunsung-ssi.’
Even his pitiful expression could not be compared with Deokgu’s

enthusiasm.
“Of course, I can understand what Hyunsung-ssi is thinking, but I think

it is more dif icult to ind an excellent blacksmith than to ind an
excellent warrior. If you look through the entire Empire, you will ind a
good blacksmith eventually, but…”
“Yes.”
“Personally, I don’t want to disclose the special resources that Blue has
to other guilds or outside… As Deokgu said, he can teach enough of the
knowledge that can be obtained through a class change.”
“Nevertheless… She won’t be able to learn advanced magic power

management knowledge.”
“I also don’t have advanced magic power management knowledge, but I

don’t think it’s a big boost compared to other wizards in terms of
irepower.”
“That’s because you’re a special case…”
“She could be a special case, too. Oh, of course, I’m just explaining a
simple example. I think it would be better to leave the choices to her.”
In fact, this was the most important issue.
‘What choice will she make?’
No matter how hard I push, her fate would be determined by her own
choices.
In fact, even from the guild’s standpoint, it was possible to push it
forcefully. This was especially true if you signed a contract as a combat
job as Yoo Ahyoung did.
However, Blue respected individual freedom. Force was never an

ef icient option.
Of course, the reverberation of Park Deokgu’s soul had strangely

persuasive power, but Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu’s struggles were
only mere recommendations.
The most important thing is Yoo Ahyoung’s opinion.
Once again, the room quieted down.
“Er…”
“…”
“…”
“In fact… the blacksmith…”
“…:
“Whoa! I knew you would! You look like a blacksmith, through and
through!”
“Can I hear why?”
“Ah, yes. It’s hard to say anything in particular, but… Should I say that I
am attracted to that for some reason? I don’t know if this would suit me,
but it’s what my heart tells me.”
This was rather convincing.

“Ah…”
The returner quietly averted his gaze, his face reddening.
‘You are a man, too.’
Yoo Ahyoung, who was not aware of Kim Hyunsung’s reaction,

continued to speak.
“Of course, I will train hard not to harm the second party. I think it
might be possible if I ind my own way, just like Instructor Lee Kiyoung
has said. It’s a bit scary to choose to be a production worker, but…”
“I see.”
Kim Hyunsung returns to reality, his expression sullen.
However, that expression was loosened in an instant. If Yoo Ahyoung

thought that way, he probably knew it’d only be right to support her.
He may have been crazy about the resources Dialugia had, and he may
have thought that the timing was not bad when thinking about the
blacksmithing techniques that would appear in the future. Above all,
the fact that Ahyoung had chosen to follow her heart must’ve sat well
with him.
Overall, I felt that he respected her choices.
“It’s unfortunate, but I can’t help it. The guild will provide maximum
support.”
“If you want to change what is written on the contract, you can do that.
I signed a contract as a combat job in the irst place… I feel guilty.”
“Oh. You don’t have to worry about that, Ahyoung-ssi. Instead, I think I
need to adjust the contract period… If Ahyoung chooses a blacksmith,
then the resources she can touch may be a little different…”
“Yes. I have that in mind enough, Instructor.”
“If so, that’s good.”
“Well! Well!”
Park Deokgu nodded his head as if satis ied. I even thought about this
as his scheme to eliminate a front-liner who could potentially be better
than him, but I knew Deokgu was not that type of person. He probably
had never even thought of that.
However, it does feel a little strange. From Park Deokgu’s point of view,
it may have been only a gain, but considering the result alone, it was
reasoning that was worth having at least once.
‘It was Park Deokgu who irst brought up the story of production
workers… ’
Of course, he wouldn’t have seen the blacksmith in Yoo Ahyoung’s class

selection list. Such things could not be seen even with the Mind’s Eye.
However, his persuasion had worked to his advantage this time around.
“I’ll push that hard! Leave the training to me!”
Deokgu’s boldness had begun to sprout in a different direction.
‘Perhaps he’s not a fool.’
In the end, Yoo Ahyoung was engulfed in a faint light, and Park Deok-gu
once more maintained his position as the best front-liner thus far.
The conversations once again picked up, and course, most of the
subjects were about Yoo Ahyoung, Han Sora, and Lee Chang-ryul.
“Some new knowledge came in?”
“Yes. I want to try it right now.”
“I’ll look into it to see if there is anything I can help with.”
“Thank you, Instructor Lee Kiyoung.”
Of course, it was Yoo Ahyoung who received the most attention among
them.
As we saw this kind of conversation coming and going even in the place
we created to get out of various situations, it seemed that we were
already players to our bones.
Kim Ye-ri was also having a rather serious conversation with Lee
Chang-ryul, and Sun Hee-young was also having a conversation with
Han Sora.
Of course, it was not an ordinary conversation.
‘It seems she was able to adapt here in the end.’
As I had just come back to Lindel today, I wanted to leave this party a
little faster. Eventually, people gradually got drunk and began to leave.
Kim Ye-ri, who was still a minor, had long been inside with Cho Hyejin
under the Guild Master’s strict order to sleep and get up early.
Sun Hee-young, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and the newcomer and Ahn Ki-mo
also went in to take a rest, and Jung Hayan was dozing yet holding onto
me irmly.
Of course, the same went for Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung.
Somehow, the last people left were the four I met in the tutorial
dungeon.
“As expected, only the four of us survived until the end!”
“Yes. The ones from the tutorial…”
“Phew… I think it’s been a year already, so my feelings are really

different. It’s amazing because I think the time to raise our successors
has already come. I thought I’d be stuck with Hyung-nim all the time,
but in fact, I’m happy to be with Hyung-ssi for so long, too.”
“I think I know what you’re talking about. It’s a bit awkward to say this,
but thank you for coming along for the entire ride.”
Perhaps he thought it was a little embarrassing remark, but it was only

right to meet his remark in stride.
“It’s only natural. We’re colleagues, after all.”
“…”
“…”
“Hyung-nim…”
I knew I had made a cheesy remark. However, I could see Park Deokgu
and Kim Hyunsung looking at me with an emotional expression. I had
to hurry to change the subject.
“And it’s probably because Hyunsung-ssi’s decision is always

reasonable.”
“Yes… That’s right.”
It was then that the atmosphere began to get serious.

“Actually…”
“Yes?”
“It may not be a little rational this time.”
“Are you talking about what happened with the Black Swans?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“Yes.”
‘Fuck… ’
The thing that I had been worried about inally came.

CHAPTER 228
CRACK MUSEUM (1)
“Is it dangerous?”
“Yes.”
“I… see…”
I already knew that something bad had happened, especially if

Hyunsung was present. He was like an NPC harboring the main quest,
seeing as he always stood at the center of various events where crisis
usually followed.
If I were to think about it, it had never not been dangerous.
Participating in the attack team with Jung Jinho in the irst tutorial had
also been a risk, and the siege of Castle Rock was also a dangerous
thing. Of course, I didn’t feel burdened with such an event because I
believed in him.
I knew that if any crisis came, he would appear like lightning and solve
it.
In particular, in the tutorial dungeon’s case, the reality was that the
dif iculty had greatly decreased when he joined. It was a dangerous
situation, but I wasn’t particularly nervous.
If I were to think about it, all of my decisions were rational choices

made after considering all kinds of factors. Indeed, Kim Hyunsung
never warned me of the dangers of his choices.
Even when an incident happened, he would say that he could solve it,
but at least he had the con idence to make sure that colleagues in the
same party would not die.
‘If he says it’s dangerous this time… ’
Then this meant it really was. Anxiety bloomed from within me.
“Can I hear what’s going on?”
“A support request came from the Black Swan.”
“It will be dif icult to refuse.”
“Yes.”
Park Deokgu spoke up, looking confused.
“Why is it so hard to refuse?”
“It’s because we owe them a lot.”
“Oh…”
“We owe the Black Swan a lot in various ways. We haven’t paid for
everything yet, and they helped us even when I had a problem at the
royal castle. Also, I got a lot of help in aspects that cannot be seen.
Maybe you’ll be surprised if you know, Deokgu. We’ve been in luenced
and affected even in the trivial aspects.”
They had even helped us get rid of Park Deokgu’s potential barrier.
“Although it is called an alliance, the Blue, the Black Swan, and the Red
Mercenary are groups that maintain independent powers. Of course, we
have no choice but to move for personal gain. This alliance is
maintained because the groups need each other, not because of the odd
friendship or the goal of defending Lindel.”
“But Hyung-nim and the red-haired were being pretty… friendly, right?”
“It’s a relationship between Hee-ra and me, not a Blue to Red

Mercenary one. Of course, there are some advantages to being close,
but that’s all. As much as I put Blue irst, she will put the Red Mercenary
irst. Actually, Hyunsung-ssi also maintains a close relationship with the
Black Swan Guild Master. Public work is public and private work is kept
separate.”
“Ohhh…”
“Nevertheless, if you think about the fact that among our three
alliances, we are the ones receiving support in various ways in various
ields, it becomes pretty obvious. It means that we are the ones being
fully cared for. In the irst place, our guild is a medium-sized guild when
it comes to moving goods and abilities, but the scale itself is small.”
“I think I can understand…”
“In short, it is Blue that gets the most advantages in this trilateral
alliance relationship. However, this honey is not free. You can
understand it like that. It means the time has come to pay for the honey
we’ve been eating.”
Kim Hyunsung nodded at my words.
“Kiyoung-ssi is right. This is the irst time that the Black Swan Guild has
of icially requested help from us. If we reject it because this is
dangerous, we will lose trust from the Black Swan and the Red
Mercenary guilds. Of course, the same goes for other guilds and clans.”
“Oh… It’s like that… so it’s about trust.”

“Yes. It will be easy to understand if you think that way.”
From this standpoint, it was something that we really had to accept.
If, as Kim Hyunsung said, this mission was really dangerous, it may be
possible to repay our debts.
Blue, too, may get in danger someday, somehow.
It was a little ironic that we had to take risks in order to overcome more
risks, but originally this continent gave rewards equivalent to the risks
one took. It was necessary to gamble this time around.
“What exactly is it?”
“It’s a rescue trip to a dungeon.”
‘I knew it would be like this.’
Unless a war broke out and or they were held captive in another
country, the Black Swan’s only reason to ask for help would be because
of these types of things.
“To explain, I heard that the main executives and members of the Black
Swan were isolated in the dungeon. The request I received from the
Black Swan Guild Master Park Yeon-joo is to rescue those who are
isolated in this dungeon, as well as attack the dungeon at the same
time. Of course, it seems that the main power of Black Swan, including
Park Yeon-joo, will move alongside us. I think the total number of the
attacking team will be 30.”
“Hmm… Is it possible that those who were in the dungeon died?”

“There is one survivor who has managed to exit the dungeon. According
to the testimony, those in the dungeon are surely isolated. The name of
the dungeon is Crack Museum. The unusual part is… It is said that it is
an unclassi ied dungeon.”
“So, there was a survivor who came out. No, rather… You mean the
dungeon has no rating?”
“Yes. If I explain it in more detail, I heard that it is a type of dungeon

that changes its rank. It can be a common-grade dungeon, as well as a
legendary-grade dungeon. Personally… maybe we should think about
the possibility of the dungeon changing to above the legendary-grade.
“What?”
“Of course, the odds are very low…”
If there was really the possibility of changing to a dungeon above the

legendary-grade, entering itself would be both irrational and suicidal.
Considering that there were only a few legendary-grade dungeons that
had gotten attacked so far, the assumption of entering a dungeon that
might have a legendary-grade or higher felt wrong.
Of course, if there were survivors, the Black Swan would have to

prepare things related to the attack, but nonetheless, there were still
too many risk factors.
‘If it is above the legendary-grade… Is it a mythic-grade?’
It could also either be common-grade or heroic-grade, too.
“How is that possible?”
“The Crack Museum is a type of dungeon where named monsters

appear randomly.”
“Ohh…”
“It is said that named monsters of rare-grade, heroic-grade, legendary-

grade, and mythic-grade are sealed in a crack and only randomly send
out named monsters.”
“How did you get such information?”
“It would be better to show the report in person, rather than just
explaining it in words. This report is based on information from a
dungeon guide called Crack Museum Guide.”
“Yes, please.”
‘Dungeon guide… ’
I sometimes heard that there were dungeons of this kind. No, I had
actually experienced it.
It may be a little different, but in fact, I could think of the woman’s voice
heard in the tutorial dungeon as a dungeon guide.
For example, being a dungeon guide was an irregular that informed

how the dungeon ran and what goal was needed to be achieved within
it. however…
‘It’s different from the Cursed Temple… ’
The problem was that the information did not exist at all in the case of
the Cursed Shrine, where I had obtained Juliana.
That was the reason why a dungeon had been able to swallow up most
of Blue’s former members. In that sense, it was not bad to have such a
special NPC attached.
‘Is it okay to assume that there are no annoying traps or complicated
things?’
That could mean that the dungeon might have other complications,
but…
‘For now, it doesn’t seem that bad.’
At least, like last time, I wouldn’t have to think my brains out or worry
about other things than the attack, which was further strengthened the
moment I read the Black Swan survivor’s report.
Of course, it would be hard to trust the report’s accuracy, but this was
still better than nothing.
Kim Hyunsung stayed quiet as he watched me read the report, being

considerate enough for me to concentrate completely.
‘In fact, nothing will change if I read it, but… ’
[Unrated Dungeon Crack Museum Report.]
[This report is made based on the testimony of the Black Swan Guild’s
survivor, who was guided by the Crack Museum guide.]
[It is divided into the irst half, listing the guide as it is, the middle
listing the dungeon called Crack Museum’s progress and events, and the
last half listing the attack.]
“…”
[According to the Crack Museum Guide, the Crack Museum is a

collection of secrets and treasures created by the Guardians of the
Crack, and the guide Marx is an ego ring that has been created by them.]
[The Crack Guardians have been weathered over time and have lost
their existence and signi icance, and the guide Marx is the only
remaining Crack Guardian. Among those who entered the dungeon, a
representative was elected, and about 30 explorers were ixed for the
museum’s peace. Museum explorers started exploring the museum
after wearing the guide’s ring, but once they entered the dungeon, they
couldn’t leave the dungeon until they inished the exploration or paid
the price, and they were forced to attack.]
“…”
[Dungeon attack can only be completed after sealing the Crack

Guardians or defeating three of the named monsters contracted, and
there is no other method. Named objects managed by the museum exist
not only from the main continent but also outside of it. Some
transcendental beings take the form of contracts, not seals.]
“Ha…”
[There are a total of 500 entities in the museum, and three types of
legendary-grade or higher named monsters, thirty types of legendary-
grade monsters, four hundred types of heroic-grade monsters, and the
remaining monsters are classi ied as rare-grade monsters.]
‘This is… completely… ’
[Named monsters of the three selected entities are thoroughly

randomly determined.]
‘…’
[There are three rewards for exploring the museum. The rewards are
three types of legendary-grade or higher armaments, thirty types of
legendary-grade armaments, four hundred types of heroic-grade
armaments, and the remaining armaments of the rare-grade… this part
has been omitted.]
‘…’
[The rewards are also thoroughly randomized.]
‘So, the whole system depends on luck… ’
[You could also get rare-grade rewards by defeating legendary-grade

monsters, or get a rare-grade monster and receive legendary-grade
weapons.]
Park Deokgu, who quietly looked at the report I was reading next to me,
seemed to be able to understand this much.
“Isn’t this much like a game of drawing lots?”
I had no choice but to nod in response to his muttering.

CHAPTER 229
CRACK MUSEUM (2)
“This is basically a game of drawing lots.”
“Someone in our guild said the same thing.”
“Who?”
“Park Deokgu.”
“…”
“…”
“Oh! It turned out that Yuno Kasugano of the Yozora Guild also revealed
her intention to participate in this expedition…”
“She can’t.”
Lee Ji-hye looked at me as if surprised by my irm remark.
Of course, if she, who was counted as one of the Eight Seats,

participated in the expedition, it would be something to cheer for.
Unfortunately, this was not an ordinary dungeon.
‘Her luck stat is zero.’
Considering Yuno Kasugano’s luck stat, she would only prove to be a

nuisance. Honestly, I wanted to tell her not to bother at all.
“This is unexpected. I thought you would want to take her…”
“She has a low luck stat.”
“Oh…”
“There’s not even a single ray of hope for her.”
“I knew you were a little close, but enough to share stats?”
“I don’t know it in detail, but…”
“Well. What can I do?”
She seemed to be glancing at me strangely, but seeing that she didn’t

say anything else, I understood that she didn’t care. She didn’t really
care who I went out with in the irst place.
One thing she cared about was whether the people I went out with
were useful.
I didn’t know why she thought that I would come back to her in the end,
but one thing I could admit was that her presence made this work very
easy.
‘I should have brought her to Blue.’
She was not only adapting well in the Black Swans, but she was also
doing really great, so I thought it was fortunate to be in there, but there
were obviously regrets.
‘I’m comfortable.’
We were so good working together that I had to think that. Lee Jihye
began to speak as she checked on the expedition’s pro ile again.
“This is hard. The luck stat is also important, but it’s dif icult to balance
it, and it’s the irst time I’ve been putting my energy into the formation
itself. Of course, the formation of other expeditions was obviously
tricky, but it was never that hard.”
“…”
“Besides… Looking at it like this, there aren’t many people with really
high luck stats. Yours is only in your 70s… I thought it would be
higher…”
“What is the average luck stat for those isolated in the museum now?”
“I don’t know. About 30? There could be an error of about minus 15 or

plus.”
“It’s enough for them to fail.”
Of course, the most necessary part for attacking the Crack Museum was
the luck stats.
I didn’t have to look for those with high stats with my Mind’s Eye.
Lee Jihye proposed to reveal some limit to luck stats for the attack on
this dungeon, and of course, the Black Swan and Blue members agreed
on this.
Contrary to what I thought that it would be a smooth formation, what

made it hard was that no one had a higher luck stat.
Ideally, it would be to organize the expedition with only those with luck
stats over 80, but those with legendary-grade luck were harder to ind
than those with talent in other general stats.
Among the players’ stat, there was no choice but to admit that it was
the most veiled stat.
‘Of course, it was.’
How to raise it hadn’t been identi ied yet, and even why there was a
luck stat in the irst place was unknown. There were cases in which
people with high luck stats died, and in some cases, people with low
luck stats like Yuno Kasugano could still walk the path of success.
As your strength stat rises, you get stronger.
As the agility stat rises, you get faster.
The simple logic that could be easily applied to other stats did not it
well for luck stats.
Of course, getting luckier…
‘Seems to affect the production workers… ’
Anyway, this expedition had no choice but to include those with high
luck stats in the spirit of catching at straws. Of course, going to the
expedition with this formation was suicide.
Being realistic, the number we were targeting to have is an average luck

stat of 60 or more.
A member with this level of luck stats has the power to deal with at
least a legendary-grade named monster. This was the core of this
program and the reason why Lee Jihye was struggling.
“What did the Blue decide?”
“We are thinking about it together. First, we four are con irmed, such as
me, Hyunsung, Hayan, and Hee-young.”
“Aren’t you taking Deokgu? Hasn’t he grown as a great power of Blue?”

“I have a lot of worries about that now. All other parts of him are good,
but his luck stat is currently forty. It’ll be a problem just having him
around.”
“Just put him in. He’s the one who can protect you when things go
wrong. Since your stats and as well as Hayan’s and Hyunsung’s, are
high, it probably doesn’t matter. The problem is our Black Swan
members. What will Dialugia do?”
“I think she will probably participate… As it is a dungeon, it will be

dif icult for her to commit. I don’t want to welcome her because she is
not good with weapons. Of course, she should be useful as her stats are
high…”
“And what about her precious son?”
“If she comes with us, the guild members who’ll stay in Blue would take
good care of Tol To-ri. I’m worried about leaving Tol To-ri alone, but… if
she thinks she has to go, what can I do?”
“In human form, her luck stat was about 80.”
“Your Guild Master…”
“Yes. She has about 80. If that’s the case, the front line isn’t bad. Even if
any named monster pops out, they’ll be able to respond lexibly,
especially Deokgu…”
“He is de initely helpful. In the irst place, pure tanks with specs capable
of receiving attacks from legendary-grade named monsters are rare.”
“The priest line is a bit weak, but it seems we can’t do anything about it,
and this makes it dif icult to organize the backline. We don’t know when
a monster with high physical resistance or with high magic resistance
will appear…”
“We’ll have to talk a little more about the formation. I think the guild
masters are probably talking about various things… They’re the expert
in catching monsters, and we’re just giving an opinion as a strategy
team. All we have to do is submit a report, select a list of names, and do
our job. When’s the next meeting?”
“In about two hours.”
“Let’s look at the distribution team.”
“What about the formation? There are still some members left from my
guild…”
“I’ll inish it.”
Although she looked at me suspiciously, Lee Ji-hye nodded immediately.

I understood why she seemed suspicious, though.
She didn’t know that I knew about the Black Swans very well. While
walking around in the Black Swan, I had already con irmed the
attributes and rough speci ications with my Mind’s Eye.
Of course, I remembered those who went above the executive level, so it

felt a little more comfortable to do it alone. This meant that making a
formation with the attributes, stats, classes, and dispositions
considered is something that other people couldn’t do.
‘If everyone reveals their status window, the story would be different… ’
Unexpectedly, there were many things that the people here wanted to
hide, especially in terms of disposition and characteristics.
It was not common, but considering that many people leaked false
information by using the fact that others couldn’t check the status
window, I thought that I would be the only one on the continent that
could form a suitable group for this expedition.
Formation was also about statistics, after all.
If I compared the dungeon strategy to a soccer game and thought of the

expedition’s formation as the 11 players, the answer would soon come
to me.
I had to consider the rate percentage when two players were used
together, the win rate when a particular player played at home, and the
odds when they didn’t play.
The victory of the game would be the success of the expedition, and the
defeat of the game would be the failure of the expedition.
Of course, certain parts could not be explained in this kind of way.
‘Because it’s just a numerical value, anyway.’
Obviously, there were other variables in practice, and it was entirely up

to the expedition to respond to these said variables.
In the irst place, if the players were capable enough to play against
each other, they wouldn’t have needed a manager or coach.
Statistics never lie. This was far more persuasive than the useless
power of friendship or the inexplicable kind of passion and spirit.
‘What kind of disposition usually fails in expeditions?’
Of course, I was not a god. I also knew that it was dangerous to judge a
person only by their disposition or characteristic.
However, in order to increase the probability of success, even by a little,

I knew it was not bad to quantify and mix these small parts. This was
emphasized to me upon seeing how nervous our lovely returner was.
Unlike Park Deokgu, who optimistically thought, “We just need to draw
well,” Kim Hyunsung was unexpectedly unable to hide his nervousness
throughout the decision of this expedition.
It was obvious as to why he, who always exuded con idence, would be
like this.
‘Has he ever experienced it?’
Again, this was only speculation, but I’m sure he’d have experienced the
Crack Museum at least once. If not, at least he may have heard about
this dungeon.
What I could predict was that if a mythic-grade monster pops out, all of
our companions would be annihilated.
I knew how dangerous our situation was, given Hyunsung’s hardened

expression. Due to his anxiety, preparations were done at an urgent
pace.
Perhaps Kim Hyunsung is worried about the ones who have been
sealed or have signed a contract with the Crack Museum.
There was de initely a monster that he thinks to be impossible to

control with his own power.
‘I will carry you.’
There wasn’t much I could do, but at least I could help in this aspect.
It had been a while since I had focused on something to this extent. No,
it had been a while since I’d been busy dividing most of my duties to
others’ tasks.
It had also been a long time since Lee Jihye left the of ice upon noticing
my energized state.
The meeting began, and the report of the unit I organized was safely
delivered to Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo.
Of course…
“Hyunsung-ssi, your Vice Guild Master… is really competent. How…

How is this… possible?”
The expedition I formed had gone onto an immediate pilot training

session that produced results that even surprised the Guild Master of
the Black Swan.
‘I was lucky.’
It had gone exactly what I thought.

CHAPTER 230
CRACK MUSEUM (3)
The expedition crew who completed the simulation training were

engulfed in a strange sense of loating while gasping for breath. Some
were screaming, and some simply nodded.
Everyone thought it might be natural in some way to be illed with

unfamiliar excitement. Even Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung were also
clenching their ists.
Of course, I could understand how they felt. I, who participated in this

training right now, was also feeling an unidenti ied joy. Most of them
probably think this was fun, much like a sport or a game.
Of course, this was a different kind of training, but the feeling of success
was similar to when orchestra members succeeded in a perfect
ensemble.
When compared to soccer, ten people created a perfect goal together,

and when compared to an AOS game, ive people managed a perfect hit.
The training ended smoothly from start to inish without any creaky
parts, and an expedition of close to thirty people was gradually able to
move like one body.
The low wasn’t twisted either, and the swapping and timing were
perfect.
Even I, who had made this expedition, felt amazed, so it wouldn’t need
another modi ier.
Of course, the most passionate reaction among them belonged to the
Black Swan’s strategy team and the Guild Master Park Yeon-joo, the
designated leader.
I remembered that they didn’t look very happy at irst upon the
unfamiliar formation. Thus, they had acted coldly the irst time around.
Most of their irst-team party members were removed, after all, so their
reactions were understandable.
‘But I think it would be better to try it once.’
The training, which started with encouragement from both Kim

Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo, took the temporary expedition to the
regular expedition within less than 30 minutes.
As she nodded at the satisfactory result, Park Yeon-jo spoke once more,
brushing off the dust on the equipment.
“I’m really… embarrassed. Actually, I didn’t really trust the strategy

support team. This… Of course, the actual performance may be
different, but it feels so different now.”
What was a little fun was that Kim Hyunsung seemed a little more
proud of the praise I had received than me.
This was proof that he believed in me. It felt satisfying to be able to

prove my worth once again.
“Kiyoung-ssi has shown outstanding abilities in many ields. In fact, this

is the irst time I had entrusted to another person the organization and
composition of an expedition of thirty people, so I was a little worried,
but I am glad that the results came out well.”
“First time?”
“Yes. Oh, of course, in the Siege of Castle Rock, I had commanded a large
force, but this is the irst time that I have formed a 30-man expedition.”
“Ha…”
“I always think about it, but Kiyoung-ssi really seems to have a lot of
talent.”
“No, Hyunsung-ssi. This is not something that can be explained as

having talent or not. Would you understand if I said today was the most
perfect one among the many hunting expeditions and training days I’ve
ever experienced? This is really… this is nonsense. Kiyoung-ssi received
the information about our guild members only yesterday. He would not
have memorized all the names of the members…”
“Hahahahaha.”
“In the irst place, the formation of large troops and expeditions is a
completely different matter. This is too weird. Besides, even though
there was a limit of 60 or more of the average luck stat, and it is this
much…”
Seeing that Kim Hyunsung’s face, which looked originally anxious, had
loosened a little, he seemed to be in a better mood.
‘Why are you more proud?’
It wasn’t just Hyunsung. Even Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan looked
openly proud.
Seeing that they were being bombarded with questions from other
Black Swan members, it certainly looked like they were interested.
“Our Hyung-nim is a genius! A genius!”
‘Don’t praise me that way, you bastard.’

Of course, it wasn’t bad to make me look good, but the problem was
that he always exaggerated. Park Yeon-joo was still looking at me as the
expedition members were getting acquainted with one another. Her
disconcerted expression made me feel anxious.
“How did you do it? This is…”
“It’s simple. It’s just statistics.”
“I know that, too. Creating data by quantifying the report in the

expedition journal… That’s what our guild’s dungeon strategy team is
also doing.”
“I also received a lot of help from Jihye-ssi.”
“Jihye? Oh, of course, Ji-hye is also competent and smart, but…”
In fact, it couldn’t be said that I had done this on my own.
Although it was almost entirely my responsibility to organize the

troops, I was able to derive the results based on the data that Jihye Lee
had made in advance.
I actually received a lot of help from her in the part of the expedition’s
position line and swapping.
Even the data she had was information that had not been spread to her
guild, so it would be correct to say that I de initely received that help.
Besides, because Lee Jihye…
‘Is a Commander.’
The class Lee Jihye chose was a Commander, so she was a little brighter
than me in this aspect.
In other words, there was a synergy effect that the system had also
recognized.
‘I was lucky.’
Originally, I hit the jackpot at once during a process that I had to revise
repeatedly after a test.
The formation that I had been thinking of for about three days had
succeeded in one queue. If I tried the same thing again, I knew I
wouldn’t get the same results.
“It’s competent, but it doesn’t make sense. Kiyoung-ssi, if you like,

maybe you would like to… Black Swan…”
I felt shocked. She shouldn’t have said that in front of Kim Hyunsung. At
once, her face reddened.
“Ah. I’m sorry, Hyunsung-ssi. I was a little…”
“It’s okay, Black Swan Guild Master. Being the head of a group, it is
unavoidable that you are attracted to talents.”
“Oh! It was not an offer to recruit. It’s just really amazing… If I’m not
being rude, can you please tell me if there is a speci ic method? It’s okay
if you don’t tell me today.”
“Hmm…”
I knew I had a personal debt to Park Yeon-joo due to the problem with
Deokgu.
Naturally, I thought it was right to give a tip.
Of course, if I explained from start to inish, I’d have to talk about my

attribute, so I had to come up with a reasonable reason. I’d feel a little
sorry for the Black Swan’s strategy team, but…
‘I have to say something.’
“I was really lucky. Originally, I was planning to do it in three days…”
“Three days are amazing enough.”
“Anyway, some reasons are a little dif icult to tell, but the one thing I can
tell you is it’s probably because I’m an outsider that I could produce
this result with an unfamiliar composition.”
“I’m sorry?”
“The organization and composition created by the internal strategy

team are bound to be affected. I heard that the strategy team is made up
of retired people…”
“Yes. That is correct.”
“They are also affected by relationships. The reality is that they tend to
organize the formation thinking of the people they are more mindful of
than people with the same abilities. There must be some who’ve been
rotting their talent within the Second Army of the Black Swan. Most of
the people I found are of that kind. It’s hard to happen in a guild with a
few elite talents like ours… In the case of Black Swan or Red Mercenary,
the situation is different.”
“Ohhh… I see.”
“If this problem is solved, things will be better than now.”
“Yes. Thanks for the advice.”
“No. It was a great experience for me, and above all, I think this result
came out because they have been well trained. They are de initely Black
Swans.”
It was for a brief moment in a pretty warm atmosphere, but her

expression got a little cold.
That was when I thought of what Lee Jihye had said before.
“The sociability goes too far here. It’s not because only women are
gathered, but… It’s just that there are many times when it’s easy to see
people ighting and splitting sides. Gosh.”
I remembered Lee Jihye’s lamentation, saying that this was the

weakness of her guild.
Looking at the expression of Park Yeon-joo, it looks like she was also
experiencing stress for a similar kind of reason. I didn’t know for sure,
but I could tell that this was something they would try and change after
this expedition.
‘I feel guilty for some reason… ’
Although this had nothing to do with me, I became curious about the
dungeon strategy team’s fate, who had tried hard in their own way.
‘It might be good for Lee Jihye.’
Perhaps she had waited for me to say something like this. As I glanced
at her, I saw her immediately smiling, so it seemed that I was right.
At this, Hyunsung began to speak.
“You’ve worked hard, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“No. I don’t think it’s enough to say that this was all hard work. This
time, I really got a lot of help from Jihye, and I also got lucky. I was also
surprised by the result.”
“You don’t have to be so humble.”
‘But it’s real, why don’t you believe it, bastard?’
I felt that no more excuses would work, so I thought it was best to

change the topic.
“Is it possible to start?”
“I think the period will get a little longer. I originally tried to take a little
more time to prepare. The Black Swans were not expecting how quick
the formation had been made. As you might think, there will be a
schedule change.”
“That’s good for the Black Swans.”
“Yes. Even though she pretends to be okay, Yeon-joo-ssi is quite

nervous. It seems to me that there are many units that she likes among
those who have been isolated. It would be natural to want to rescue as
soon as possible.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
As I looked up at Kim Hyunsung, his anxious expression had deepened.

He looked more anxious than usual.
It wasn’t an expression that suited Kim Hyunsung, but it felt like seeing
a puppy that couldn’t pee. It almost seemed like a lie about him feeling
proud of me. He seemed to want to talk about it but found that he
couldn’t.
‘This bastard… Does he have worries again?’

I couldn’t always give the right answer, but it was also my job to take
care of his mental state.
I had to at least try to make him talk.
“Do you have anything you want to say?”
“Ah… It looks like I’ve been too obvious.”
“No, you didn’t.”
He got embarrassed for a moment.
Soon after, he gathered enough courage and began to speak. I thought it

was probably related to the strategy, but what he spoke proved to be
completely different.
“Er…”
“Yes?”
“That… What the Black Swan Master had previously said…”
“Oh, what she just said.”
“Yes. I mean, by any chance…”
His lips were wriggling, and his eyes were uneasy. I could immediately
notice what he was thinking.
‘I’m not going anywhere, bastard.’

CHAPTER 231
WELCOME TO THE MUSEUM
(1)
I felt pleased upon realizing that Kim Hyunsung was, indeed, giving me
more importance.
In the irst place, I already played a major role in his plans, but it was
clear that this incident had managed to surprise even him.
I remembered the question he’d asked me a few days ago, and laughter
popped out of me.
‘I said I’m not going anywhere.’
He’d been anxious at the fact that many offers had come my way.
‘I do have some skills.’
Although it was ironic to evaluate myself, in truth, my in luence in Blue

was by no means small, in terms of both income and diplomacy.
The potions produced at the potion factory of Blue were distributed not
only to Lindel but also to Celia and Dawan, thus accumulating our
enormous wealth. Even the other businesses promoted by our
administrative team were now spreading their wings.
Blue didn’t even have to go on expeditions anymore. We could survive

simply by relying on the potion industry. Of course, I haven’t done just
that.
I was also the person who completed the triad with the Red Mercenary
and the Black Swan, and even the Yozora Guild with Yuno Kasugano,
forming the fourth alliance; I was also the Honorary Bishop of the Holy
Empire.
Since I maintained friendly relations with the Pope’s side and the
in luential nobles, it was correct to think that I was already important
enough in terms of diplomacy. I had even gotten a position in the Eight
Seats and had Dialugia in my possession.
In the extreme, even if I leave the Blue and set up another guild, I would
not lack anything.
It was also natural for Kim Hyunsung to feel anxious.
‘Why?’
Because he didn’t have anything left to give me that I would need.
In the beginning, I accepted everything he gave me, but Kim Hyunsung’s

and my social status were now almost equal. I felt a little bad for him,
but in fact, it was not an exaggeration to say that my position was a
little more superior.
This was no longer the old Lee Kiyoung, who felt innocently pleased
with a single rare item. We’d aged like high school sweethearts who had
become adults as time passed by. The things that these high schoolers
once enjoyed, such as small accessories, dates, and having a cup of hot
coffee together on rainy days, gradually became dull as they got used to
it.
In particular, assuming that the other had already achieved great social
success and nothing was lacking, it would be clear that even luxury
items might not be able to satisfy me.
It would be natural to think, ‘Will he/she really be happy with this?’

Choosing a gift for someone who had everything was not easy.
It would be natural for Kim Hyunsung, who is not very familiar with
human relations, to go through dif iculties.
‘What I want is not that, Hyunsung.’
Of course, I was not hoping for an expensive gift or a legendary-grade

item. Rather…
“Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Oh, yes.”
‘Yes, I wanted something like this, you bastard.’
He was currently handing me a cup of coffee.
‘That’s the right answer.’
I felt satis ied, and pride- illed.
“Gosh…”
“Did you see them?”
“Are they really…”
“The mood just now is pretty good.”
We were watching the formation of the members we had formed.
“They said this is a coffee from another kingdom. You seem a little
tired…”
“Thank you. Actually, I couldn’t sleep yesterday… I think this will help.”
Though I wasn’t looking at him, I could feel him glancing at me.
‘I think I know why… ’
The main reason was that there were only four men included in this
expedition.
Except for Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, Ahn Ki-mo, and I, all the
expedition members were women.
‘…’
Wherever one would look, there were women.
Recently, I thought that Jung Hayan and Hwang Jeong-yeon were a little
on the warpath, but I had to admit that the cause was here.
Jung Hayan, who would be going with us, looked a little better, yet
Hwang Jeong-yeon seemed worried. It was the same for Kim Ye-ri, who
had not gotten selected this time. I could still remember the way she
looked at Hyunsung when she had not gotten picked.
It was unusual enough for Kim Ye-ri, who rarely changed her
expression.
From Kim Hyunsung’s point of view, it was a decision made considering

Kim Ye-ri’s safety. There was no need to insert her since the Black Swan
already had a high rate of assassins, but Kim Ye-ri’s expression, who
had always been included in the irst group, was terrible.
‘Well, if she thinks that her beloved Oppa will spend more than a few
weeks in an environment like this… ’
Even I would feel worried.

“Did you bring pads?”
“Yes, Eunni. I’ve got the ones that came out as supplies.”
“I don’t want it to come during the expedition… It feels uncomfortable

and annoying to move.”
“I know, right. There won’t be any medicine. Why won’t someone

develop magic for this?”
“Wouldn’t this be solved with alchemy?”
They were obviously saying this because I was within hearing range.
‘Do usually women talk like that?’
It was not something I could tell, but one thing was certain: the women
who grew up as adventurers on this continent were almost 180 degrees
different from the women on Earth.
They were freer with things related to sexuality, and they were more
independent.
Their physical ability was already almost the same as that of a man, so
they became a little easy-going, and they didn’t care much about what
others thought of them.
As if they didn’t care whether I saw it or not, I could see the members
sitting on a chair and changing armor like stockings.
It was no wonder that the beautiful legs attracted attention.
I felt Jung Hayan grabbing my sleeve.
‘It’s not like that, Hayan. This can’t be helped. It’s like inertia.’
Most of the assassins and archers were wearing armor with lots of
exposure.
Of course, if that were the end, Kim Ye-ri and Hwang Jeong-yeon would
not have sent such anxious expressions. What was more dangerous
than those defenseless people was the group that was conscious of me.
‘It’s not bad, though.’
To put it plainly, the four men here were not bad candidates to be
husbands if I were to think about this continent as a standard.
Kim Hyunsung, who had a model-like proportion and a celebrity-like

face in the irst place, made the impossible possible in a year.
I was not handsome, but I was also forming my own group of

unwelcome enthusiasts.
Park Deokgu, who had a large body with bursting muscles, was
certainly in demand.
And, though Ahn Ki-mo didn’t seem to have any distinct characteristics,
he had a face with all the basics as much as he once wanted to become
an actor.
What was important is that we were those with a guaranteed social

status and future.
Not only did we possess force, which was considered the most
important factor in the continent, but we were also the executives of
the emerging venture companies, so I understood the desire to look
good to us.
‘Because everyone is old… ’

Of course, age was a factor that didn’t matter at all, but since they were
in their late 20s or early 30s, I felt like they had to have a desire to get
into a good relationship.
Usually, players who reached that level had high standards.
Strangely, the most popular was surprisingly Park Deokgu.
‘Park Deokgu, king of harem… ’
Seeing that women surrounded him after saying goodbye to Hwang

Jeong-yeon, I almost felt a little bit jealous. It seemed as if he didn’t care
much about Hwang Jeong-yeon’s expression, who was biting her lips.
“Can I hang onto your arm once?”
“I don’t mind, but… Ahem…”
“Look at your body. It’s all muscle.”
“You’re really tall.”
“I grew up like this because I ate well and slept well.”
Park Deokgu truly looked like the Gangwon-do’s dating expert.
Kim Hyunsung was the one who their Guild Master, Park Yeon-joo, had
eyes on, so they would think it was better not to approach, and I also
had a relationship with the Mercenary Queen, so it would not be easy to
approach me.
Of course, the biggest cause was Jung Hayan, who was holding my
sleeve tightly and glaring everywhere, but since I was also a man, I got a
bit jealous of Park Deokgu.
Contrary to the expressions of those who remained, the atmosphere of
those who left the expedition is not bad. If only one more person joined,
the composition of this expedition would be completed perfectly.
I saw the one that we all were waiting for, walking this way slowly.
“Ke-e-e-e-ee!”
It’s obvious as to who it was.
It was Dialugia, acting as a special bodyguard.
‘I told you not to bring him… ’
Apparently, there was also the lovely Tol To-ri, who I ordered not to
bring along.
‘I have to be irm… ’
Dialugia’s feelings were also understandable, but… I was sure it would

be worse to say goodbye here.
Whatever she was feeling, the expedition waiting for the departure was
already busy.
“Ah… You have arrived. I think we can just say our goodbyes and leave.”
“Yes.”
“Kiyeeek… Kie-ee-eek…”
“Everyone, prepare for departure.”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
“Jihye has all the supplies, right?”

“Yes, Eunni.”
“Please take care of the guild.”
“Don’t worry, just have a good trip.”
Black Swan Guild Master Park Yeon-joo was now saying goodbye to Lee
Jihye.
“Kiiyiing… Kie-ee-eek!”
“Then I’ll be going. Jeong-yeon-ssi. Take care of the rest. The training of
newcomers…”
“Yes. Leave it to me, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“Yes. Thank you again.”
“No problem.”
“I’ll be back soon, Ye-ri. Hyejin-ssi, prepare for departure.”
Kim Hyunsung was not only saying goodbye to Hwang Jeong-yeon, who
would be in charge of the guild while we are away, but was also
comforting Kim Ye-ri.
He was seen eventually exiting the door with Cho Hyejin.
It was time for Jung Hayan, who was on the lookout, to leave, so it took
a long time to say goodbye to the remaining personnel.
“Kiyiing… Kiyiing. Kie-ee-ee-eek!”

However, I could not it into that group’s category. This was because I
had to be in a grand separation ceremony with Tol To-ri.
“Kiyiing… Kiyiiing…”
“You have to be quiet, Dialuria. Your mom is… Mom is…”
“Kie-e-ek…”
“It won’t take long. In the meantime, my friends will be with you. It
won’t be in the nest, so it’ll be a little uncomfortable, but you won’t get
bored because there are many things to play with.”
“Kiyiiing…”
“I’m so sorry for leaving it like this. My baby…”
“Ke-e-e-e-ee!”
“Tol To-ri, Dad and Mom have something important to do for a while, so
we have to go out. You can hang in there, right?”
“Kiyiing… Kieeeeeek! Kee-eh-eh-eh-eh!”
My heart aches to see tears dripping from his big eyeballs. Of course, I
knew Dialugia would feel even worse than I did.
“Dialuria, if you cry, it makes it hard for your mother to go…”
“Kiyiiing…”
“Dialugia, I think we have to leave now. Everyone is waiting…”
“Wait a minute… Let me hug you one last time, baby…”

The way the mother and son were mourning together looked beautiful.
However, the expedition was already ready for departure.
It would get embarrassing to keep dragging time here. It was best to

end this time with one last hug.
“Dialuria…”
It was then that Tol To-ri passed by Dialugia with his arms open.
“Kie-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-eok! Haaa! Kiying!”
However, Tol To-ri ran right past her, jumping into my arms in an
instant.
“Dia—luria?”
“Ke-e-e-e-eel! Kiyiing… Haaaa… Kiyiing!”
He seemed pitiful as he whined, his face buried in my chest.
“Kiiyiing… Kiek. Kie-ee-ek!”
He continued screaming as he glared at the rest of the expedition.
“Kueeek! Kie-eh-eh-eh-ek!”
“You can be calm, right Tol To-ri?”
“Kiyiing… Kiyiing…”
“After this inishes, I will play with you all week. Until then, you have to
be patient.”
“Kiyiing… Kiek…”
Dialugia looked at Tol To-ri, who was busy licking my face, with an
expression of devastation on her face.
“Di… a… luria?”
Anyone could see that she felt betrayed.

CHAPTER 232
(2)
“Kieeek. Kiying kiying…”
“Dialuria…”
Dialugia’s betrayed expression was still evident. Meanwhile, I felt

embarrassed.
I thought I would see the heartwarming parting scene of a mother and

her son, but what I could see was the mother’s distorted face, who had
gotten betrayed by her son.
“Kiiyiing…”
Whether he knew his shocked mother’s expression or not, Tol To-ri still
buried his face in my chest and waved his tail.
As I gently stroked his head, the whine turns into panting in an instant.
He eventually turned over and exposed his stomach to me. Naturally, I
reached out for a scratch.
I sometimes thought that he was like a puppy, but he acted like one
more so today.
It seemed that he was showing affection as much as we would be

separated in a little while, but Dialugia’s expression of looking at all
these actions seemed to be terrible.
Her mouth was open, of course, and her pupils were shaking
continuously.
When Dialuria was still the size of a puppy, I remember that he followed
his mother, too.
At that time, I felt that he paid more attention to me, but now that he
grew up to a teenager’s size, I had no idea that this would be how he’d
react. Seeing her extremely tired expression, I could tell that he had
given his mother a lot of trouble…
‘Didn’t he show his mother this behavior?’
Considering Dialugia’s reaction, he would never have shown his belly

like this.
I understood roughly what ‘Mother is annoying,’ written with a hashtag

on his unique characteristic, meant.
‘That’s not good… ’
Although his characteristic was already twisted, I honestly wanted him

to grow up normally. However, I couldn’t focus on this now. I had the
expedition to focus on.
As it was, the expedition members were waiting for me.
“Tol To-ri, I think daddy needs to go…”
“Kiyiing…”
At this, Dialuria continued crying. Tears immediately illed his eyes as if

he could understand what I was saying. Seeing his arms open, he
seemed to be waiting for a hug.
As I held him slightly, I could still hear the sound of panting.

“Ah…”
Dialugia continued looking at us with a blank expression. I knew I had

to speak up.
“Tol To-ri, shouldn’t you say goodbye to your mom?”
It was a bit cute to see Dialugia looking grateful.
Tol To-ri seemed to be reluctant, but Dialugia, who was in a hurry to

miss her chance, quickly went to hug her son.
“If you obey them well, we are going to play together all day, okay?”
“Kiek!”
“Dialugia, it’s time to leave.”
“Okay. Dialuria, mom…”
“Kiek!”
The situation ended only after passing Dialuria to Hwang Jeong-yeon

and Kim Ye-ri, who were not going to the expedition.
Of course, the screaming picked up once we left, but I chose not to look
back.
“You must not look back.”
“B-but…”
“You need to be irm.”
“…”
“If you look back and keep responding, it will become more dif icult to
separate. I don’t know much about the dragon’s ecology, but Dialuria
can be alone right now. Of course, he needs a lot of help, but the guild
members will take care of him.”
“…”
I wanted to give her some advice, but unfortunately, I was not an expert.
I hadn’t had any parenting, and I hadn’t raised a common puppy, either.
Rather than pretending to know something, I thought it was best to

keep my mouth shut.
“Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-eek!”
Seeing that Dialugia was constantly linching and reacting to the sad
cries from far away, it seemed as if she would have run to Dialuria again
if I had not been here.
I saw her holding back her tears.
“Sorry for being a bit late.”
“It’s ine, Kiyoung-ssi. We are still departing earlier than scheduled. We

also understand the situation, so…”
Park Yeon-joo, who said so, look at Dialugia this time.
“Nice to meet you, Dialugia. I’ve always seen you in the nest, but it’s the
irst time I’m of icially greeting you. I am Park Yeon-joo.”
“I’m Dialugia.”
“Thank you for coming with us.”

Dialugia nodded, looking overly depressed. Perhaps she needed time to
calm her sadness while thinking about Tol To-ri.
“First, get on the carriage. We will have to travel for about two days.”
“Okay.”
“Go inside and rest, Dialugia.”
“Alright.”
A total of ive wagons were loaded with luggage.
There were supplies for 30 people to eat during the expedition, irst aid
supplies, and clothes to change for those isolated in the Crack Museum.
‘Their carriages are really good… ’
After I irst sent Dialugia into the wagon where Blue was staying, and I
was forced to realize that it was certainly not just big when I looked
around the wagon.
‘We should also buy it.’
In the irst place, as I went only on a small expedition, it was true that I
did not feel the need for a large wagon. However, upon seeing this, I
knew it would be a good investment.
It looked like a trailer. When I saw there was such a room in the
carriage, my jaw dropped.
‘I knew that the welfare of all guild members was good… ’
As it was a women’s guild, the welfare for this part seemed certain.
Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo, who had already entered, were also
looking around with expressions of wonder.
“It’s really good.”
“Well, weren’t you from the Red Mercenary? Such a wagon…”
“Of course, it is true that they also have large wagons, but they are not
so well maintained. They don’t really believe in comfort during
expeditions. She said it would be better to invest in equipment with this
kind of money. It is also a problem that wizards and priests are
indispensable.”
“It’s because it is a burden on horses to pull a carriage like this anyway.

No, rather than that, it is impossible in the irst place. This is why
sorcerers have to give up their magic power to horses constantly. Of
course, in order to manage the overburden, the priests must also give
them divine power.”
“Ohhh…”
“Perhaps the Black Swan shall employ coachmen. Usually, most of the
wizards are abandoned because they have no talent or progress.”
“Well, that’s right…”
“You don’t have to be bitter, Deokgu-ssi. This is good for them, too. The
wages are higher than you think, and in a way, they created jobs. It will
be perfect for wizards who have lost their talents.”
“Oh. I can see it that way, too! Hyung-nim, can we have this kind of
wagon?”
“I think that’ll be okay…”

“Of course, it is!”
Jung Hayan, Sun Hee-young, and Cho Hyejin, the female members
sitting in the carriage, showed more joy than Park Deokgu.
They didn’t say it outright, but it seemed that the guild members were
envious of the Black Swans, who could use such facilities.
Kim Hyunsung, who had just inished organizing his luggage in the
room, came out.
“I was thinking about it, too. New members have also joined, and we
plan to have one more party in the future.”
It was quite interesting to see their faces brightening once again when
the guild master gave his permission. Of course, Dialugia didn’t seem to
care that much, but in the irst place, these facilities weren’t for her.
Kim Hyunsung smiled a little and spoke once more.
“And about this expedition…”
“Yes.”
“In the future, there will be no time to have brie ings or training. Of
course, it seems that there will be a time to convey brief changes while
having a meeting and a meal, but… First, I have documented all the
parts that everyone needs to understand, so you must read them.”
“When we enter the dungeon, we will probably get quite busy. It

wouldn’t be bad to enjoy your leisure thinking it’s the last time.”
“Yes.”
He could say that, but there was no way we could enjoy it when we
were going on an expedition. The same was true for Kim Hyunsung, and
even Jung Hayan was not as relaxed.
‘That’s because there is always danger in dungeon attacks.’
Everyone knew it very well as this was not their irst time. As the
wagon began to move, we began spending our time in our own ways.
As Kim Hyunsung had previously announced, we had a short brie ing

time based on changes or reports during our every break, and we
organized or repaired other items whenever he had time.
Personally, it was a bit boring, but these repetitive brie ings were
certainly helpful.
Though we moved quickly, it was apparent that Yeon-joo felt impatient.
Exactly two days passed, and when we arrived at an area where it was
no longer possible to travel via wagon, we unloaded the luggage and
began the march.
‘The reality is a little different, but… ’
In fact, the dungeon attack would not take long.
The reason I forcefully illed the bag was because of the possibility of
being isolated in the dungeon. Of course, I didn’t tell the expedition
members this, but those who were quick to notice were probably
feeling the possibility of failure.
Assuming that a mythic-grade named monster would appear, all we

could do was endure it with the collective power we had now. Or else,
we would pay the price.
Anyway, the atmosphere of the expedition wasn’t all that bad.

Harem King Park Deokgu was enjoying his heyday surrounded by
female guild members of the Black Swan, and although not as much as
Park Deokgu, Ahn Ki-mo also became very close to some.
Jung Hayan had the privilege of sticking to me during our breaks. Sun
Hee-young seemed to be having a serious conversation with the Black
Swan priests, and Cho Hyejin, who was secretly in love with Kim
Hyunsung, didn’t seem very happy about his relationship with Park
Yeon-joo.
The scenery before us kept changing, and the expedition gradually

reached a place that no one else seemed to have reached.
‘It’s pretty… ’
A purple light emanated from the cracked space of a large rock wall,
with no end visible.
Perhaps the Crack Museum would be found within that rock wall.
And then…
[Welcome to the Crack Museum]
A little kid created out of magical power appeared before us.
We had of icially entered the Unrated Dungeon Crack Museum.

CHAPTER 233
(3)
[You have entered the Unrated Dungeon Crack Museum.]
[Checked the number of people limit [30/30].]
[Unrated compulsory quest 3333 is activated.]
“…”
[Quest: Museum Tour (0/1)]
It seemed as if the quest would start once the group entered. A

‘museum tour’ must mean a dungeon attack.
After checking the message, I looked around and saw a gorgeous stone
room. The atmosphere was different from the inside, as opposed to the
outer wall surrounded by rock walls.
The most interesting thing, however, was the presence in front of us.
The magical manifestation of a cute little boy greeted us politely as if he

knew that we would be here in advance.
[Checking the information of the dungeon manager Max.]
[Seeing the dungeon manager’s pile with the legendary-grade attribute,

the Mind’s Eye.]
[Manager Max’s Pile]
[It is an agglomerate of magical power created by manager Max. Since it

is a virtual image without a substance, the status window and
information window cannot be checked. You can see limited access to
information in the museum.]
‘Is that so, too?’
I couldn’t see the status window and the information window. What
was visible was simply a description of the pile.
‘The Mind’s Eye is convenient.’
Only someone with my ability would probably know that he was not a
real person. He looked like an object. There was no emotion in his eyes,
and I felt a sense of awareness in his polite posture. His handsome face
garnered his cute attribute.
Was this a Homonculus? Probably not.
It was unknown how high the Crack Guardians’ abilities are, but I was
sure that manager Max was not a Homunculus.
‘What the hell is it?’
As I mulled over this, the kid began to speak once more.
-Welcome to the Crack Museum, dear museum explorers.
“…”
-Those who’ve come this time are not aggressive. Usually, those who
come here come in and prepare for battle right away…
We, too, would have had the same reaction if we didn’t have
information about this place.
There was no way to tell if the one in front of us was a manager or a

named monster.
Park Yeon-joo slowly opened her mouth, inding the quiet silence too
uncomfortable. As we had already read the report in advance, it was
easier to respond.
However, our irst step would be to take a look at this so-called

museum.
“We know a little bit from the explorer who has visited this museum
most recently. One being that you are the manager of this museum, too.”
-I thought you would. A few weeks ago, I sent one back. You are the
ones he sent in return.
“Yes. To be precise, the people who are now isolated in the museum are
those under my control. Are they by any chance…”
-If you are asking whether they are alive or dead… Yes. They are still
alive.
I saw Park Yeon-joo look greatly relieved by Max’s words. We came as

soon as possible, but she would have been nervous as it took us some
time.
“That’s a relief. Is there any way I can get them back?”
-Of course. It is a very worthy reward to give the exhibited items to

those who have completed the museum tour. They haven’t been
exhibited in the museum yet.
“…”
-In fact, since it’s the irst time we’ve received a sample of species from
another dimension, I felt a little excited to display them. However… I
held off from doing so.
“…”
-Looking at the guests who have visited today, I think it’s fortunate that
they haven’t been exhibited in an empty place yet.
“What…”
-I couldn’t even imagine that a soul whose causality was distorted

would visit.
He was de initely looking at Kim Hyunsung.
Fortunately, he didn’t talk about regression or anything, but it seemed

that Kim Hyunsung looked different from the others in his eyes.
‘Does he also have Mind’s Eye?’
The odds and ends of this possibility were slim. As a museum manager,
he would only have the talent to ind ‘items’ worth exhibiting.
He simply said that the cause-and-effect ratio was distorted, but he

didn’t seem to know that Hyunsung was a returner. Meanwhile, our
returner stared back at him calmly.
-And also, there is a dragon that has been recently discovered.
The manager turned his attention to Dialugia next.
-How many thousand years have you lived?
“Am I obligated to answer?”

-I apologize if it was a rude question. It’s just because I’m glad to see
you. I remember that there were so many dragons in the past… Of
course, if you think about dragons’ ecology, it’s not strange when their
generation ends… Oh! I think I’m being inappropriate. Sorry.
He started to talk more, evidently getting more and more excited.
‘I guess he is not a machine?’
I could see that he harbored emotions, which a simple guide would not
possess. This information will certainly be useful later.
I glanced at Dialugia, who still hadn’t gotten over her separation from
Tol To-ri.
Naturally, she was not in a good mood because she had just been hit by
a rude remark. However, she managed to rein her emotions in and
nodded calmly. She seemed to be better at holding back her emotions in
matters that did not concern her son.
“There is no need to apologize. Obviously, more and more people are

giving up their duty to have children. It’s been a long time since I also
saw others. The species obligations and customs are often being
ignored. Fewer than three dragons have children.”
-I see. That’s a shame. Hmm… Come to think of it. You also have a
descendant.
“Yes.”
-Ah… I also remember that the Guardians said you were important.
Dragons, like the Guardians, exist to maintain the balance and safety of
the continent. Unfortunately, you have a descendant; I don’t think you
can go to the museum tour. Instead… Well… If it’s a dragon’s horn…
“I don’t want to leave my horn in a place like this.”

-Of course, I am not asking this for free. How about this? This will be a
good enough deal.
As soon as he inished speaking, a rumbling sound began to resonate

throughout the museum.
The details were unknown, but it felt as if the inside of the room was
moving.
Shortly after that, the glass wall on the museum’s entrance wall
disappeared, and a new glass tube appeared. What was interesting was
that there was an item on the glass wall.
I could see that a very large box was illed with tools I had never seen
before.
‘That is… ’
[Dragon Lord’s Parenting Set (Legendary)]
[This is a set of parenting tools made by the Dragon Lord, which existed
tens of thousands of years ago, to increase the fertility rate. It includes
an improved bottle, toys to help with brain activity, and aids for babies
who are still struggling to ly. Unlike other items, this parenting set is a
handcrafted product made by the Lord himself with his own scales, and
it is of great value.]
‘What… ’
I thought that all kinds of things would be on display, but I couldn’t even
imagine that such a product would exist.
Dialugia’s brightened expression worried me at this point.
“Oh! This is…”

-What do you think?
“Where did you get this?”
-What do you think?
If it continued like this, she would probably agree to make the trade.
Of course, I owned everything about her, from head to toe. The horn,
considered to be of the highest value, could not be given to the museum.
I didn’t want to intervene, but I had to.
“Dialugia, I will make a similar type. If Tol To-ri inds out that the horn
on your head is gone, he will be very upset.”
“But…”
“I will make it with items of the same grade, using your scales. Even if a
Dragon Lord made that, it would be a little more meaningful if it was
made from you, the mother.”
“Oh… I see.”
Even though she answered, she still couldn’t take her eyes off the
object, seemingly possessed.
She had the same look as a housewife looking at TV home shopping.
“Tol To-ri will like it more. And, although it looks to have a great value…
That’s all already used. Dialugia, it’ll be okay to trade your horn for it,
but I would hate seeing the adorable Tol To-ri using items that have
already been used by others.”
I knew I had inally gotten through to her. In particular, there were no

mothers who would dare use used baby bottles. Relief coursed through
me.
Of course, the dungeon manager, who had missed a good opportunity,
was now looking at me, frowning a little.
It took less than a few seconds for the expression on his face to turn
into one of surprise.
-You…
“Yes?”
-You have something amazing, too.
‘Fuck… ’
-How does such a lowly and despicable being possess such a valuable
thing? May I take a closer look at your body?
I could instantly realize what he was talking about.
‘The Mind’s Eye?’
The only thing I could boast of was that. I was aware that the Mind’s
Eye’s value would be quite a lot because of the legendary-grade, even
though various functions were still limited. Still, I didn’t think that the
museum manager who kept mythic-grade items would be surprised.
‘Perhaps… Is there any possibility of further evolution?’
I thought about it, but what bothered me the most about this situation
were the expressions of the people around me. Hearing that I, who
looked ordinary, would have something worthy to be displayed in the
museum would, of course, make them curious.
I had to speak hurriedly.
“I refuse.”
-Sorry if it was sudden. Nevertheless…
He certainly didn’t know in detail as to what I exactly had. He was

murmuring something, but of course, I didn’t intend to make him look
into my eyes.
As if he noticed that I was aware of him, he looked a little bit regretful

and averted his gaze.
-Compared to the three mentioned earlier, your quality is a little lower,

but… Some humans have been blessed with mana. And you, too…
This time, he was pointing to Jung Hayan and Park Yeon-joo.
‘I guess Yeon-joo has something, too.’
Of course, she had something to hide since she occupied a Guild’s

Master position.
Looking back, I remembered that she had nothing special in my Mind’s

Eye.
Come to think of it. It seemed that her title looked a little peculiar. I
guess he probably meant that.
-It’s a very fun day. I cannot just serve these important people. Yes.
Right. If it’s okay with you, I would like to guide you personally.
I wanted to ask him that, myself. It would be fortunate to have someone

to talk to about the dungeon. It was only right to accept this.
‘You have to extract the courtesy as far as it could possibly go.’
I had to see if I could also get something bene icial out of this.
CHAPTER 234
MYTHICAL BEING (1)
-Our museum handles many things. Things that you call artifacts also
exist, and, as I showed you earlier, we also have things of historical
value. Of course, it’s not just weapons and equipment that we keep.
“…”
-Some creatures have been sealed, as well as those who have signed
contracts. They exist to let you experience the museum tour irsthand.
Of course, there are also beings from other dimensions. Those who
have come through the Crack need to be managed properly, as they may
harm said dimensions.
“…”
-There were many sacri ices and many ights. The Crack Guardians have
devoted their all to sealing the Crack but have always been concerned
about the invisible threat ever since. That’s why they said we should
always be alert about the Crack. That’s why most of the rewards of
exploring the museum are made up of what your species would call
treasure.
“I see.”
-Of course, great power comes with great responsibility. That’s

probably why the Guardians only reward those who complete the
expedition.
‘I think I can tell what happened… ’

I didn’t know when, but once a Crack had opened on this continent, it
appeared as if threatening beings had appeared through it. The Crack
Guardians had sacri iced their lives to stop the threat and eventually
succeeded in sealing the Crack.
The result of this was…
‘The Crack Museum?’
I was sure it hadn’t been made with bad intentions.
‘It seems a little bit deteriorated, but… ’
I wasn’t sure as to why all the named monsters and all the rewards
were set randomly, but the creator’s intention didn’t matter.
Max then spoke again.
-All rewards and tests are randomly determined. The threats can be of
any kind, size, or aspect.
‘I knew I should focus on the words coming out of the manager’s

mouth, but honestly? I was more af ixed to the items that we passed by.’
[Doom Beast’s Gauntlets (Legendary)]
[These are Doom Beast’s gauntlets that came through the Crack. As a
weapon used by the legendary Beast Master in the past, it enhances
af inity for all beasts and can interact with the souls of animals. You can
summon three legendary-grade beasts inside the gauntlets, and these
beasts have been lifelong friends with the legendary Beast Master. This
part of the information is omitted.]
‘Huh… ’
It wasn’t just this.

[Frost Greatsword (Legendary)]
[This is the cursed ice greatsword used by the King of De iance. No

detailed information is known other than its ability to control the dead.
The information is so deeply sealed that even the Mind’s Eye cannot see
it.]
‘Control the dead?’
It meant that one could become a necromancer just by getting this

sword.
The same went for Doom Beast’s Gauntlets, as one would be capable of
controlling three legendary-grade beasts just by having it in one’s
possession.
Of course, Juliana was also legendary-grade, but I had to think that she
was a little weaker since her ego was still sealed.
Whirr.
At the sudden sound, I looked around, my hand still stroking the

sword’s handle.
-As expected, you are very interested in weapons. Most of these are
dangerous to handle. Some types are impossible for those who are not
quali ied to use in the irst place. Oh, can you see this here?
[God’s Hammer (Mythic)]
[It is a hammer in which the power of ive titans sleeps in. The Volcanic
God of Light’s powers, the Goddess of the Forest, the Lord of the Waves,
the King of the Wind, and the Queen of the Heart are sleeping. Five
properties are available… The rest of the information is omitted.]
‘Huh… Something like this… ’

It was a hammer that seemed too dif icult to lift with both hands.
However, I could feel its tremendous power just by looking at it.
Even if an ordinary person lifted it, I felt like he could immediately

become a top-level player.
-This is one of the weapons that came through the Crack. In terms of
grade, it can be called a mythic-grade. Would you believe if I said this
hammer had the power of the ive titans asleep? I remember that the
Crack Guardians at that time did their best to seal the power of the
titans raging inside this hammer. Other weapons have their own values,
but I can con idently say that this is, by far, the best among the weapons
you call items.
Max’s face was full of con idence as he said this.
I was not the only one staring at the displayed hammer blankly.
Everyone else seemed just as trans ixed.
This was not because I could see the ability of the item with my Mind’s
Eyes.
There were things whose power one could feel even without such an
ability.
Anyone could see that it was a weapon that would be impossible to ind
within the entire continent.
‘Fuck… ’
What was interesting in the meantime was the brief explanation

written at the bottom of the exhibit.
‘It seems that the Crack Guardians haven’t even noticed the true
identity of the item.’
I did various tests and investigations and actually checked it, but half of
the information that my attribute could not know was not written. Such
was the power of Mind’s Eye.
In the meantime, Max looked really proud at the looks of awe written
on our faces.
-Of course, there are only two more mythic-grade weapons, but it is still
one of my proudest collections.
“Is this one of the items we can get as a reward?”
-No. This item is not awarded as a reward. Unfortunately, the Crack

Guardians did not allow it. However, the two remaining mythic-grade
items will be given equally at random probability.
“Ah…”
The odds were two in ive hundred.
Assuming that Kim Hyunsung acquired this kind of weapon, he would

probably jump out of happiness. It was a heartbreaking fact that he had
not yet gotten such a quality item.
In terms of acquiring a legendary-grade item, the probability was

thirty-two in ive hundred.
It was not a bad number in probability.
If we get a mythic-grade item, it would be awesome, but even a

legendary-grade one would be great. I didn’t want to settle for anything
lower than a heroic-grade item.
‘That’s not allowed.’

-Of course, as I mentioned earlier, you must complete the museum tour
to receive a decent reward. Would you like to go somewhere else?
“Yes.”
It would only get more important from here on out.
Items could be received as a reward, anyway. Survival always came irst.
After walking for quite some time, it was clear that the atmosphere had
changed from before.
We eventually saw the beings sealed or collected by the Crack

Guardians.
Of course, I activated Mind’s Eye as soon as I realized where we were.
‘I have to collect all information.’
There were a total of three named monsters needed for the tour. No
matter what kind it was, we would de initely bump into three of them.
As there was no information about them at all, it would not be bad to

prepare in advance.
I excluded the heroic-grade monsters and focused on the legendary-

and mythic- grade monsters, as they were the more urgent ones.
[This is the target that the attribute Mind’s Eye cannot be applied in due
to the difference in rank.]
‘What’s… that?’
A monster with green skin sat in a chair made of weapons. It had huge
horns, a huge tail, and seven weapons loating around it. Just looking at
its eyes was enough to make my body tremble.
How could we ever beat something like this? Just one glance noti ied
me of how otherworldly it was. The difference in power was so evident
that attempting to ight it would be suicide.
Even a multitude of Kim Hyunsungs would not be able to defeat this

thing.
As I looked at Kim Hyunsung, I could see that he was quietly staring at

the green monster.
‘Did he meet this monster in the past?’
Taking this into consideration, I could now understand why Hyunsung

had called this trip dangerous.
Park Deokgu then spoke up.
“What is this monster? Whoa… He does look cool.”
“Don’t touch it! You bastard!”
I couldn’t help but scream out of re lex. I was afraid that the green
monster would suddenly jump up and attack us.
-Oh, as expected, you recognize it. But you can rest assured. Nothing
will happen just by touching the pavilion. Besides, what’s in front of you
is a dummy.
“A dummy?”
-Yes. It is a well-made replica. In fact, these beings are dif icult for even
the Crack Guardians to seal completely. I had only heard of it as a
mythical being here since before I was born. Oh. If you want to see the
mythic-grades, I will show the other ones as well. One is staying here on
a long contract with the Crack Guardians, and the other is… It’s hard to
explain. You’d better see it for yourselves.
It meant that there were two more monsters just like this.
‘Shit… ’
I had taken this too lightly. This was indeed a dangerous expedition.
Though the chances were only three out of ive hundred, we had to
avoid these three mythic-grade monsters no matter what. We wouldn’t
be able to beat them with the power we currently had.
Forget about ighting or anything; running away was the right choice.
The manager, Max, didn’t seem to be interested in what we were

thinking. He was still busy showing off the collection of the Crack
Guardians.
-This might be more familiar to you. It is a fragment of the ancient god

of the continent. I don’t think you know, but perhaps the dragon here…
“I heard something from the Lord when I was very young. I’ve heard
that it was sealed somewhere… so, it was in a place like this. Is this
controllable?
-Yes. Fragments have no ego. The seal of the Guardians weakens its
strength. If you were to deal with this being, it would only be unsealed
for a certain amount of time.
The topic of discussion was a monster with big eyes and tentacles. I
could not read its information with my Mind’s Eye, either.
It looked better than the monster we saw before, but if this one were
released, we would be wiped out as well. One single sweep would be
enough to eradicate the whole frontline.
We had to avoid picking the mythical-grade heroes, no matter what.

It had a less than 1% probability, and our expedition’s average luck stat
was over 60.
Only those with really bad luck would get mythical beings. Most would
just get heroic-grade named monsters. It was no wonder that
everyone’s facial expressions worsened the more they heard Max
explain.
-Oh, it’s time.
“It’s… time?”
-Yes. It’s been a long time since I talked with high-ranking people, so I
lost all consciousness of time. The seal has been released. Oh, it’s
already started.
Once again, a rumbling sound resonated, and our location changed.
The exhibited beings disappeared into the ground, creating a decent

vacant space for a ight.
My anxiety started rising.
-Let’s look here irst. Although it is randomly selected, the Guardians

have created a system called a spinning wheel so that you can easily
adapt.
‘…’
-When you spin this sign and insert magic power, the monster to ight
gets randomly selected. Please, select one representative and spin the
sign.
“Yes, alright.”
‘What the hell is this spinning wheel? Shit… ’

It was a bit disconcerting, but I had already seen it in the report.
Who would spin it was also already decided.
The irst was Park Yeon-joo, who had a high luck stat. The Black Swan
Guild Master put her hands on the wheel with a slightly edgy look, and
everyone looked at her nervously.
‘Please… ’
She just needed to avoid any mythical-grade monsters.
‘Please… ’
We would have to use our full strength with the legendary-grades, but it
was still better to ight against three legendary-grade monsters than a
single mythical one.
[The spinning wheel is spinning.]
“Please!!”
At this moment, everyone’s thoughts were united.

CHAPTER 235
MYTHICAL BEING (2)
Everyone’s eyes were focused on the funny-looking spinning wheel,

which would be the ultimate decider of our collective fate.
The spinning wheel was constantly spinning under the in luence of

magical power, whether or not it knew our intentions.
If I were to think about it in terms of probability, the probability of

getting a mythic-grade was remarkably low. The odds were three in ive
hundred.
Of course, I could say that the probability of getting a legendary-grade

monster was not very high, too. It would be ideal to get a heroic-grade
named monster, but even if a legendary-grade monster came out, we
would be able to handle it.
‘It will depend on which type comes out, but… ’
The expedition’s specs were enough to handle even legendary-grade

named monsters.
Among the legendary ranks, it would be different only if monsters

about to be promoted came out, but I knew that most of them could be
dealt with.
The wheel gradually began to slow down, to the point where we could
read the divisions imprinted on the wheel. Every time it went past the
mythic-grade division, which was colored white, there was a collective
sigh of relief.
The same went for the legendary-grade, which was distinguished by
gold.
“S-Spin a little more!” Deokgu shouted, and I could feel the members of
the Black Swan sending their silent support.
Eventually, it landed on a gold division.
“Ah…”
There were sounds of regretful murmurs shifting among us.
It was okay, though. We could still handle this.
What was important was it was not mythic. With that fact alone, I could
feel relieved.
[The spinning wheel has stopped.]
[Legendary-grade named monster Skeleton Knight Baan has been

selected.]
-Ah, Skeleton Knight Baan. I remember it being a creature on this

continent that had the soul of a hero.
Though Max gave a brief explanation, I didn’t care to listen.
All of his information had appeared in my eyes, anyway. The only

important thing about it was whether or not it could be defeated.
‘It’s a melee type that can use unique spells.’
Its unique spells were Energy Drain and Summon Skeleton.
Although the latter was roughly predictable, it was not known what
form the other would be activated in, so when I looked at the sub-list
again, I could see a little more information.
‘It would appear as a magic circle on the loor.’
I didn’t know what Baan looked like when it was human, but now it was
quite large, de initely taller than the average human height.
It seemed to be over 2 meters long and looked more like a mercenary

than a knight.
This was a legendary beginner or intermediate at best. We could

de initely win.
Of course, the exterior aura itself was de initely legendary. It would not
break with a simple hit.
Not only was there green light shining through the gap between the
eyes and the bones, but the weapon he was holding was also emitting
rather ominous energy.
If I met it alone, I would have run away with all the energy I could
muster.
But now, I was not alone. Our attack method seemed to be fairly clear…
‘So, we just need to avoid the Energy Drain?’
First, the key was to avoid the magic circle that would form on the loor.
The front line would then take care of the annoying trash mobs.
I gestured for Jung Hayan to listen to what I had to say, and she nodded
and stepped closer.
“Hayan.”
“Yes, Oppa.”
“Prepare the loating magic for everyone.”
“Ah, of course! I’m on it.”
“I’ll signal when it’s time. Focus on triple-casting. Floating magic should
always be in the last place. Always be ready to chant it when you get the
signal.”
“Yes. And the m-magic… By reducing the magic power a little, up to f-

four are possible.”
“Then, please do that.”
It was not a lie when the museum manager said she was a human being
blessed with mana.
In fact, the quadruple casting was not possible to do simply by having

magic power and af inity. It depended on talent, and how blessed one
was with mana.
‘She’s a genius.’
Of course, there was a disadvantage about draining magic power upon

the simultaneous casting of spells, but it wouldn’t be bad to give it a try
since Hayan already had a feel of the spells’ patterns to some extent.
Some time had passed already.
The manager, Max, was still explaining about the creature, but the
Skeleton Knight seemed ready to ight.
At this, Max nodded.

-I’ve talked too much. I guess I made you wait for the ight between you
and Baan. Then! Good luck, museum explorers.
At Hyunsung’s words, everyone started to prepare in their own way.

The Skeleton Knight slowly began to lift his sword.
Shiing!
Could the monster cover a long-distance attack? If he did, it would use

up large amounts of magic. The possibility did not surprise me at all.
Obviously, the manual for that kind of attack was already stored in my
mind a long time ago.
Divine power poured into the front-liners as they blocked the rear.
Wizards began to chant spells, and all front liners except Kim Hyunsung
and Park Yeon-joo waited.
“Good.”
Everyone understood the pattern, even without verbal instruction.
‘That’s why they prefer experienced people.’
Each person understood how to move around due to both practice and
experience.
“Grrrrr… Grrrrr…”
The moment the monster raised its hand, skeleton soldiers started to
rise from the loor. I spoke immediately.
“Deokgu, Hyunsung-ssi, and Yeon-joo are the main front-liners. The rest
should make a wall with your bodies and clear the soldiers irst. Please
corner the named monster separately to the right. Until the next
soldiers come out, the long-distance ones should focus your irepower
on the named monster, and when the soldiers come out again, clear the
soldiers irst. When the pattern changes, I will send a signal. Defensive
wizards should always keep only the shield magic that responds to the
same ranged attack.”
“Okay!”
No one answered except Park Deokgu. However, I knew they all

understood.
At this, Kim Hyunsung, Park Yeon-joo, and Park Deokgu began to run
and approach the Knight. They would naturally attract its attention.
Since the monster was not a fool, it would want to clear the backline
irst, but, naturally, there was no way to do anything because the front
line had chosen to attack him head-on.
For now, he had no choice but to rely on his summoned soldiers.
‘I’m sure you’re hoping the trash mobs will solve it… ’
The irst spell of Jung Hayan popped out in no time.
“……!”
‘It’s freaking fast!’
Her magic burst with an unidenti ied sound. Large spheres of lame
began to fall, incomparable to the ones I had conjured before, all at the
same time.
Baaaaaaaaang!
Several skeletons that had been summoned were smashed.

At this point, I thought that the skeletons would collapse soon, but it
turned out that they weren’t that weak. Translucent defense magic
spread among the enemies.
‘Is there a skeleton wizard? No, were they summoned by class?’
I was able to realize once again that a legendary-grade ight was

something we should not take lightly. Skeleton archers pulled out their
bows, inciting shield magic to spread in our party.
The mages of both camps began to chant their spells.
As I felt that the battle would drag on, I immediately pulled out the
Dragon Breath potion.
Shooooo!
As I threw the potion into the air, its effects activated, melting the
enemy’s shield magic. Taking this opportunity, our wizards’ spells
landed on their side soon after.
‘Good.’
Meanwhile, the front line was successfully keeping them from reaching
us.
The fact that the backline was safe was evidence that the raid was
working well.
I knew that just summoning the soldiers already used up Baan’s energy.
Moreover, if he summoned each class like this, he would consume more
magic power than before.
I began to understand how this monster fought. He extracted magical

power that could be used as an Energy Drain, all while still calling
skeletons with his Summon Skeleton.
This was a knight magician strong enough to prevent the joint attacks
of Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and Park Yeon-joo.
Since we didn’t know how he actually battled, we were naturally having

a hard time. I was also well aware of how a single hit of his Energy
Drain would kill a good number of our people.
“The main wizards should focus their magic on Baan. The front line
should clear the remaining soldiers, and the third party wizard should
continue to maintain the shield magic. When the second summoning
begins, the front line will need to rebuild the wall.”
“Okay.”
“The second summoning has begun. The second summon has begun!
First, focus on the soldiers. Priests, please focus on Deokgu.”
What surprised me a little more was that Park Deokgu was doing better
than expected.
Of course, without the priest, Kim Hyunsung, and Park Yeon-joo, it

would have been dif icult to withstand, but he was successfully blocking
each attack thus far.
‘Excellent, you piggish bastard!’
I knew I had to reward him with all the effort he had shown thus far.
“Once again, focus on damaging Baan. The third summoning has begun.
It’s a massive troop. Thirty mages… archers, start shooting the mages.”
“Alright.”
As I spoke, I took Juliana out. It would not be possible to escape this

battle unscathed.
What annoyed me a little was…
“It may be dif icult for people in the front line, but please do not get
hurt as much as possible. Baan seems able to recover his mana. It is
only a small amount, but please be careful.”
“Yes.”
It was weak, but the skeletons he summoned also had the ability to
drain. The fact that he pulled a large summon at once by the third time
also showed that he was in a hurry.
As expected, Baan raised one of his hands.
The moment he began to lower it, I screamed aloud.
“Jung Hayan!”
“Float together!”
After the screamed, the bodies of 30 people began to rise into the air in
no time.
It had been fortunate of me to tell her to prepare the spell in advance, I

realized. Baan’s magic circle was something that could never be avoided
if one stayed on the ground. The whole battle loor had gotten engulfed
within the circle.
‘This level of strength is enough to be classi ied as cheating… ’
Even if one’s agility level were high, it would be impossible not to step
on this loor. This was the true power of a legendary-grade monster,
after all.
The unique skills he had were de initely enough to be classi ied as

above standards.
Nevertheless…
‘My Mind’s Eye can win when it comes to cheating!’
As we loated in the air, Kim Hyunsung rushed forward and landed the
inishing blow, effectively bursting Baan’s head.
‘Let’s get the reward, Hyunsung!’

CHAPTER 236
MYTHICAL BEING (3)
‘I guess that’s okay.’
It was not easy to catch a legendary-grade named monster, even if its

rank was slightly lower than ours. However, it was true that we
should’ve given it some more time.
No matter how we could respond the second time, there would have
been no way to avoid the irst Energy Drain. This meant that things
might have gotten twisted if the loating magic had not been cast in
time.
The most obvious thing was the difference between knowing and not
knowing.
After casting the irst Energy Drain spell, the monster’s skull, which had
concentrated a lot of magical power, was vulnerable to attacks, and Kim
Hyunsung had taken the opportunity.
Though he had done the right thing, the way with which we ended
Skeleton Knight Baan did not seem legendary at all. In any case, we had
beaten him without having to sacri ice anything.
Now, it was time to challenge the second monster.
l had begun to look forward to the next challenge, and apparently, so

were the Black Swans.
-You are strong.

“…”
-Of course, there are some people with high pro ile, so it’s natural, but I
didn’t think that Baan would fall so easily. When the Guardians see you,
they will be really happy.
Looking at the expressions of the people around me, I knew that they
were feeling just as impatient as I was. Just how long was Max going to
keep talking?
-As mentioned earlier, rewards are provided for each experience. One of
the museum’s armaments will be presented to you, which is also
randomly selected. The method is the same as before. After completing
all the tours, you can run all three at once, too.
“I’ll start right away.”
Waiting was stupid, especially if the item could help us against our next
enemy. Sure, there was still a possibility of receiving a cursed item that
we wouldn’t be able to control, but that had a much lower probability
rate than receiving a legendary-grade item.
It had been a very smooth expedition thus far, but it was also necessary
to gamble.
Even if we received a cursed item and got a penalty, we could still

somehow win against a legendary-grade monster.
If we were to face off a mythic-grade monster, it didn’t matter if we had

a cursed item in our possession or not as we would still get annihilated.
The only way we could beat a mythical being was…
‘Equipment.’
We also needed to be armed with a mythic-grade item.

Of course, the entire expedition will not change with just one item, but
if our returner’s boring equipment was upgraded, I knew he would
make a breakthrough.
‘We have to get a mythic-grade item for Hyunsung, no matter what.’
That way, the team would be safe.
-Some of you may have seen it before, but there may be items that
interfere with your tour.
“That’s okay.”
I didn’t know if Max was talking about it because he was worried about
us or because he didn’t want to remove the artifacts displayed in the
museum, but he still nodded.
-If you say so… Okay. As before, the representative can come out and
spin the spinning wheel.
“Alright.”
Except for Park Yeon-joo, the ones who had a high luck stat were Jung
Hayan, Dialugia, and I.
‘It can’t be Dialugia.’
If something like that parenting set we saw earlier came out, it wouldn’t
even be a funny situation.
In that sense, Jung Hayan and I were also dangerous. If Hayan spun,
perhaps other unthinkable items would come out as well.
‘Kim Hyunsung is also not bad.’
Though it was not too high, Kim Hyunsung also had good luck stats.
More than anyone here right now, he most desperately wanted a
weapon. If his luck stats helped in this situation, we might be able to get
compensation.
“I think it would be better for Hyunsung to spin this time unless other
people have disagreements.”
“Yes. He can do that.”
“Hyunsung-ssi, please, spin.”
“No. Those who have a little higher luck stat than me…”
“I think it would be better if Hyunsung-ssi spins it.”
At my irm reaf irmation, he nodded and stepped forward. Taking a

deep breath, he spun the wheel. Everyone’s eyes immediately focused.
“Please…”
A mythical weapon must come out. That way, we could proceed with
the remaining two sessions with a sense of stability.
Kim Hyunsung also looked very desperate. I knew he had a weapon he

had his eyes on but couldn’t get the chance to obtain it.
After I stole Juliana, he had always been stuck with heroic-grade

equipment. Those sad days seemed to be passing by on his face.
He must be thinking that it would be nice if even a legendary-grade

came out, but it was not the legendary level he should choose.
‘It’s mythic that you need, Hyunsung!’
If he were to receive a legendary-grade item, it must be one of the

higher level ones, which would soon get promoted, a weapon just like
the Frost Greatsword we saw earlier.
‘Please.’
[A rare-grade weapon, Archmage Isaac’s Magic Sword, was chosen.]
“What?!”
-This is one of the items that came through the Crack. It’s lower-ranked,
but it has value…
Silence illed the entire room. Everyone’s expressions resembled that of

absurdity.
The Skull Knight was de initely a legendary-grade monster, and the

expedition team wasted the time they worked hard to beat it. The fact
that our reward was this magic sword was laughable.
Kim Hyunsung was staring at the result he got with a blank face. The
number of rare-grade items in this place was less than ten. The
probability was even lower than the legendary-grade items. He had just
proven how he didn’t have the required level of luck.
As if he was thinking this to be unfair, he clenched his ist, but he didn’t

throw the sword or cursed. He just stood there, quietly looking at the
sword.
“I’m sorry.”
“No. It’s nothing to be sorry about. There is no guarantee that the result
would be different if another person had picked. We will get a good
reward for the second time.”
“Yes…”
“You don’t have to feel so depressed.”
“Right, Hyunsung-ssi. There’s no guarantee that you will have a good

pick just because of a high luck stat… If you see that I picked a
legendary-grade monster just now, perhaps the luck stat doesn’t mean
much in this kind of draw…”
Though we weren’t sure about how luck factored in this dungeon, it

would still be safer to pick someone with a high luck stat. However, just
because one’s luck stat was high didn’t mean they were born to have a
good outcome in life. There were people with high luck stats yet were
stuck in the slums.
Of course, it may be different for Yuno Kasugano, whose luck stat was a
big, fat zero. The fact that she had been able to become successful only
proved that this stat needed more research.
In Kim Hyunsung’s case, he didn’t have the necessary luck this time. In
fact, the thing that bothered me more than that now was…
Was this whole spinning wheel actually randomized?
No, whether it was random or not, the attitude of the manager, Max,
was also a problem.
The fact that he was proud of the museum was painfully obvious. He
knew what the Crack Guardians, who created him, had intended upon
creating this place, and the fact that he respected said Crack Guardians
was fully recognizable. Seeing as how he passionately explained about
each item, I knew he was attached to this museum. If he were an
intelligent being, he would not want to remove the high-value items
displayed in the museum.
The manager, Max, may not be of perfect intellect, but he was close to it.
Even now, he was harboring a relieved expression at the results.
However, I didn’t know if the others could also observe this, or I was
different because of my Mind’s Eye, but…
Though Max was a machine, he was also an intelligent being.
I wondered if he was a hidden named monster in the dungeon, but I

didn’t think this was the case. This Crack Museum was managed by the
system, not by him.
The Crack Guardians had created the system, but it was also a system
maintained by the transcendental beings who controlled this continent.
Had it been possible to destroy everything, I would have taken a
mythic-grade item for free and then ignored the museum expedition he
was proceeding with and leave.
Just like the tutorial dungeon, one could leave after completing the
quest. This museum was a similar case.
The important thing was, to what extent could the administrator’s

rights in luence the system?
There was a possibility that Max could manipulate the outcome.

However, I still needed to think about this some more.
First of all, the main task would be to manage the items on display.
Seeing that he was able to show the dragon’s parenting set meant that
he could get things out, but perhaps that was the only thing he could do.
As I struggled with my thoughts, Max continued talking, mostly about

the item we had just gotten. Though he had a regrettable expression, he
explained that this was still dif icult to obtain.
-It’s a little disappointing that I have to say goodbye to our dear stuff. It
was one of the objects that have been on display in our museum for a
long time, even if it is low ranked… However, I can’t help it. There’s
nothing I can do about it.
“I see.”
“I have a question, Max.”
-Please say it.
“How big is your authority over the museum?”
-I don’t know what you mean… I’m simply the system manager, so I’m
not in a position to do anything.
I didn’t know if he was telling the truth or not, but I thought it was
probably true. If he were the boss of this dungeon, not the manager, he
wouldn’t have treated us this way in the irst place.
“I see.”
-Ah, I lost track of time again. It’s time for the next battle. Completing
the second will give you a little more time to explore the museum, so
please, stay strong.
“Then, the next…”
“I will spin it.”
“Ah, yes. Kiyoung-ssi also had a high luck stat.”
At this point, I feel like it wouldn’t be bad for me to spin, especially

since I wanted some more extra time to explore the museum.
I didn’t know how much time we would get, but I de initely needed to
extract more information about this place.
‘However, it won’t be enough.’
It was impossible to escape from the dungeon’s basic system, but who
knew if there was another way?
Since Park Yeon-joo had gotten a legendary-grade named monster, this

time around, we had to get a heroic-grade!
For some reason, I didn’t feel pressured at all.
When I put down the pressure and inserted my magic power, the
spinning wheel began to spin iercely. I couldn’t help but expect to get a
heroic-grade purple space or a rare-grade purple space.
‘It’s ine.’
I never thought I had bad luck after coming here.
Everything was good, and I had faced some pretty dangerous things,
but… overall, I had de initely been born with strong luck.
However, my expectations were shattered in an instant.
As the spinning wheel began to slow down, my heart rate increased.
“Wa… Wait.”
“W-Wait!”
“Please stop. Shit…”

“Ah.”
[Mythic-grade monster, Ancient God’s Fragment has been selected.]
“…”
“…”
“…”
A heavy silence illed the entire room.
Suddenly, a loud voice shouted out.
“It’s… It’s a frame-up!”

CHAPTER 237
MYTHICAL BEING (4)
“It’s… It’s a frame-up!”
Unexpectedly, Kim Hyunsung had said that this spinning wheel was shit
because it was a bit suspicious, but it didn’t make entirely any sense in
terms of probability.
Perhaps I just wasn’t lucky enough, but I had to stop the mythic-grade
being from popping out at any cause.
‘Nonsense.’
The one called the Ancient God’s Fragment was now trying to pop out,
making a rumbling sound. I didn’t know if it took this long for the seal
to be released or if Max had delayed it for a while, but I knew that he
would annihilate us all once that guy was released.
“The odds are being manipulated!”
I didn’t know what I was talking about, either. I only knew that I felt
scared.
However, manager Max seemed to be interested in my bullshit.
If he respected the Crack Guardians, he wouldn’t be happy about this

museum being insulted.
-I know what you mean. The odds are not manipulated. Everyone has a
chance of one in ive hundred.
“From our position, there is no way to believe if this is true or not. Isn’t
that right?”
It was Ahn Ki-mo who had spoken.
‘Nice, Ahn Ki-mo.’
I knew he would be useful in this kind of situation, but I couldn’t even

imagine that we would be good together. The plan was obvious. He
needed to distract him while I tried to think of a way to escape.
Fighting a mythical-grade monster was not an option.
The level difference was so big that it was impossible even to assume
that we had a chance of ighting. It was like attacking a tank with a
slingshot.
Even assuming that Kim Hyunsung had several aces up his sleeve, we
would not get out of this unscathed.
As Ahn Ki-mo inished speaking, he turned to me. I nodded and spoke

again.
“Ahn Ki-mo is right. You said there had been no manipulation, but
where is the evidence that your words are not false?”
-Is there any reason for me to answer your questions?
“Of course, there is. You did not call this place a dungeon, you called it a
museum, and you called us explorers, not attackers. If this museum is a
dungeon, there is no reason for you to convince us, but if this museum
is not a regular dungeon and the arrangements made by the Crack
Guardians are correct, an explanation is a duty, not an option.”
-Duty, not choice… You make an interesting argument.

“It would be fun from the manager’s point of view, but it’s a very
important issue for explorers. We did not come to attack the dungeon.
We are here to experience and explore the museum. Isn’t that right,
everyone?”
“Yes. That’s right. Absolutely right.”
Ahn Ki-mo was the only one who answered. However, I knew everyone
else had begun to latch onto the same idea.
-I understand your position. Although to my eyes, it appears to be just

an act not to proceed further, but… since it’s been a long time since
welcomed guests came, I think I do need to give you an explanation. I
don’t know how to explain it, but… would you be convinced if I quantify
the results of the explorers who have visited the museum so far?
He was more quick-witted than I thought, and he looked offended.
The crack museum he loved was on the verge of falling into a bad
reputation, so it was only right that he would want to remedy this.
Our points of view had to be different. Though we thought of this place

as a dungeon, he saw it as a museum. For him, this was a gift from the
Crack Guardians for the continent’s humans and a place where
numerous histories had been recorded and stored.
“I wonder if there is any evidence that you didn’t manipulate the

numerical data as well. Where is your original body in the irst place? It
is a dummy that guides us, not you. If you are really the manager and
not the owner of this museum…”
As I spoke, I knew I had no choice but to think that it shouldn’t be done

this way.
‘I would only be dragging time in the irst place.’

It was already con irmed that he was not the Dungeon Master. The
system’s focus here was the exploration of the museum, not the death
of the manager, Max.
His death would not mean anything for the dungeon. It would be
impossible to resist the system itself with ordinary human power.
If it were possible to resist, the players before us would’ve already

destroyed this place. Even the Cursed Shrine where I met Juliana could
also be stabilized after bombarding magic from the outside.
In summary, there was only one way to attack the dungeon.
‘Follow the rules.’
If it was impossible to resist the system, there was nothing else you
could do.
‘Damn.’
Of course, I didn’t want to die in a place like this.
Meanwhile, the manager, Max, had begun speaking once more, but I
couldn’t seem to tune in to his words. I couldn’t even afford to answer.
Rather, it was Park Deokgu who was more angered than me. I watched
him slightly in awe as he continued to shout. Ahn Ki-mo readily assisted
him.
“Where is the evidence that this is true, as Hyung-nim said?! It was a

little weird from the beginning! Saying weird things about exhibiting
Hyung-nim and Hyung-ssi as soon as we irst met. Isn’t that a strange
intention?”
“That’s right!”
“If you haven’t said that from the beginning, then perhaps… I don’t
know about the cause-and-effect ratio being distorted and blessed with
mana, but it doesn’t make sense to believe in a dungeon manager who
says he will exhibit a normal person in a museum!
‘You’re doing well, pig.’
He certainly had the qualities of an agitator. The tone of the voice itself
could somehow make heads nod.
-That’s the rule. As a manager, I can’t say that I have no greed for rare
objects at all, but there has been no probability manipulation.
“Saying that you’re greedy, doesn’t that say it all? If you really had the
quality of a manager, you shouldn’t say that in the irst place! I don’t
know what the Crack Guardian is, but it sounds really weird that a
manager, who was made by them, who has defended the continent,
would display the people living on this continent!”
-That’s a humanistic way of thinking. It is not you who make up the

continent. Rather, humans are close to cancer on this continent.
I understood what he was talking about.
I’ve heard such a thing before on Earth. It was not the humans who the
Crack Guardians protected. It was probably the continent itself they had
been guarding.
“That’s the way the Crack Guardians think? If so, why are you trying to
test against humans? Why give them the weapons that humans use as a
reward?! Isn’t your opinion, not the Crack Guardian’s, that humans are
cancer?”
-That’s the guardians’ will…

“Who made this museum to watch in the irst place? In my opinion,
you’re deprived. Of course, the Crack Guardians regret putting someone
who doesn’t know what kind of fruit comes out of his farm as a
manager! Wouldn’t a guy like this try and manipulate the system?”
‘Well done.’
Though Deokgu’s words were offensive, they certainly it the situation.
In the irst place, I knew that when Deokgu was angered, he tended to
rely on strange logic to support his claim, but he was doing a lot better
than I had initially thought.
The others were gradually raising their voices as if they agreed. It was
mainly the women’s team included in Park Deokgu’s harem.
“Right! It’s strange, no matter how I think about it. There are only ten
rare-grade items, but we pick one of them. And what’s with the mythic-
grade monster? It is certainly strange to think about the fact that a
legendary-grade was picked from the very beginning.”
“Right. Deokgu-ssi, you’ve said it well!”
Ahn Ki-mo was raising his voice, too.
“What we don’t believe is you, the manager, not the Crack Museum!”
“Ah, yes! Absolutely, Ahn Ki-mo! After all, the educated ones are
different! Anyone can see you look like a scammer… you can’t manage
anything properly! I think Hyung-nim could do better if he were the
museum manager! Hyung-nim as the museum manager!”
Their conclusion was de initely weird, but they were at least giving me
ample time. This gave me enough time to talk with Kim Hyunsung and
Park Yeon-joo.
“What do you think we should do, Kiyoung-ssi?”
“There is no option to ight. It must be avoided. You have to think about

this in another way. For now, it would be best to do business with a
museum custodian, but I don’t think the authority given to Max is
enough to override this system.”
“Oh, the irst time you spoke up was to take time.”
As Park Yeon-joo realized this, she nodded and spoke once more.
“Then, the choices we’ll encounter are…”
It was Kim Hyunsung who answered her.
“It is impossible. This is completely different from catching a legendary

monster. Of course, if you are to head into an unavoidable situation, you
should consider that, too… I don’t want to recommend it.”
“Yes. I know it won’t be a fair ight in the irst place. But I don’t see any
other options.”
They now understood my concern. We had to ind another option.
‘Although it is ideal to do business with the manager… ’
-Whatever you mean, whatever you say, I am the manager of this

museum. All I do is maintain and manage. In the irst place, the
probability of manipulation is out of my authority. Unfortunately, there
is no way to block the options that have already come out. Although I
have been delaying the emergence of mythic-grade being for a while…
He will probably appear here soon.
‘I knew it.’
-The time to release the seal is only one hour. If more fragments are
released, the seals of the Guardians may be released. So this test will be
about holding on, not ighting.
“This scammer!”
-I told you I’m not a scammer. I thought you were good people, but it
turned out that you were rude customers. I can also understand why
you were so unfortunate and chose a mythical-grade being. The Crack
Guardians didn’t want people like you getting artifacts from this place!
“Once again, that’s bullshit.”
In the meantime, Max had begun to tremble, looking very much upset.
His offended expression only grew when our thirty voices rose as one,
criticizing every aspect of him and his beloved museum.
This transaction was impossible in the irst place. As expected, it was

impossible for him to act outside of the basic system.
‘It’s not even a manipulation.’
It was simply bad luck.
I had begun biting my nails. Although I knew I had to do something

about it, I literally choked when I saw the creature slowly appearing in
front of my eyes.
‘Shit.’
The Ancient God’s Fragment continued to stare at us.
It was dif icult to express the feelings one would feel when they saw
someone on a totally different level from them. Jung Hayan was also
biting her lips tightly, and Kim Hyunsung nervously held his sword.
Even Dialugia looked nervous.
‘One hour? We won’t last that long.’
I knew everyone was also thinking this way. However, there was no
choice but to rebel, so all that was left to do was prepare.
That was when an absurd thought entered my mind.
If we went through this the traditional way, we would surely die.

However…
[Part of the seal that held the Ancient God’s Fragment is removed.]
The moment I heard the message, I spoke.
-Good luck.
“It will completely unseal. However, don’t attack the monster. Attack the
blue chains that trap the Fragment.”
-Huh?
CHAPTER 238
JULIANA’S AWAKENING (1)
Everyone looked at me as if I had gone crazy, and I could understand

why.
What would happen was obvious if we were to break the chains.

However, this was the only option we could take in order to survive.
The manager, Max, did not have the power to destroy the large system
in the Crack Museum. The same was true for us.
If anyone could interfere with the system, it would be the Ancient God’s
Fragment.
It would be possible for it to smash the exhibition hall where the

mythical weapons protected by the system were stored or to open an
escape from this dungeon, which would be impossible to escape from
without completing the quest.
If things were to go wrong, we would have released a great threat to the

continent with our own hands, but there was no guarantee that this
monster was necessarily bad.
“What…”
“I will not listen to objections. I just thought this was the most probable
way to survive.”

“I am serious.”
If the Ancient God’s Fragment was crazy, it was only right to make a
violent sacri ice here for the continent.
This had a good probability. The entire continent could get swept away
by this single monster and get completely destroyed. Nevertheless…
‘First, I have to survive.’
It was a typical small, civic mindset, but I had no choice but to think of it
in this manner. I was not a saint with an aptitude for sacri icing, just like
Kim Hyunsung was.
My life was of the utmost importance. I had no intention of dying here,

nor did I intend for my comrades to die in this place.
‘To hell with sacri ice.’
The lives of the people around me were also more valuable than all
other humans on the continent. It was a trashy mindset, but I couldn’t
help it.
“Is there any other…”
“There is no other way. I’ll think about it after releasing the seal.”
Kim Hyunsung bit his lips a bit but nodded vigorously upon seeing how
serious I was.
There was no other way for us to do this except to improvise. One single
mistake could make everything collapse.
However, I naturally did not explain any further than this. If Kim
Hyunsung’s self-sacri icial personality came out, I would not have a
logical counter. All I knew was that we needed to survive this hellhole.
Of course, it wasn’t just the expedition team that felt disconcerted by
my words. Max looked utterly perplexed as we approached the Ancient
God’s Fragment.
There had obviously been no madmen for centuries who had attempted
to unseal the mythic-grade monsters completely. I was con ident that
we would be the irst.
-What are you… trying to do?
“Obviously, we’re trying to survive. What can we do about it? The

dungeon guide is an idiot. What else can the explorers do?”
-This is a dangerous idea. Don’t do this…
“Puhaha. Your tone has become quite polite, manager. If you don’t like
that, why don’t you stop this mess?”
-I said I don’t have that authority. A-Again, there was no odds

manipulation. And… Er…
“What?”
-If you thought I had given you a rude reaction, then I’ll apologize.
“Where can I get the apology? Can I die and get it in heaven? Shut up,
manager. If I die, I won’t die alone.”
-D-Do you have any idea what you’re trying to do?
“Shut up, you bastard. We’re not doing this because we want to.”
-Sel ish humans. These rotten humans! Do you think you can break the
seals the Guardians have hung?
“The way I see it, we have a better chance of breaking them than
defeating the Ancient God’s Fragment. What do you think, museum
manager Max?”
-Dialugia! You know, right? Do you really think that creature should
come out to the world?
“…”
Changing tactics, Max appealed to Dialugia, who had been harboring a

dark expression.
I didn’t know much about dragons but seeing as they were balance-
correcting beings, I thought she might want it not to come out to the
world.
As expected, she spoke up, but…
“Er…”
“If you don’t want to see our Tol To-ri being teased for not having a
mother and father, do whatever you want, woman.”
Her mother’s intuition stayed strong. Dialugia began to bite her lips
tightly.
Upon seeing this, Max began to shout once more. I felt amused upon
seeing his embarrassed expression. The more crumpled he looked, the
better this idea sounded to me.
This meant that there was indeed a possibility. The seals hung by the
Crack Guardians were fragile against external shocks, although I didn’t
know about the internal shocks.
‘This is possible… There must be a hole.’

Even if they had managed to seal mythical beings like Ancient God’s
Fragment, there was no way that there will be no errors in constructing
such a system.
Of course, it was just a guess, and even if I were to assume that I was
right, it would not be easy to break it. However, it was a much more
plausible plan than dealing with a mythic-grade monster for an hour.
“Ignore all of Max’s bullshit. Dialugia, prepare your Breath and pour out
your biggest irepower magic at the same time. If possible, Hyunsung-
ssi and Yeon-joo-ssi, after the explosion…”
“Okay.”
“Understood.”
It sounded no different than an order to commit suicide, but for now,

the two nodded.
[3. 2. 1.]
[The battle has begun.]
It must be destroyed before the monster could attack us.
As expected, the Ancient God’s Fragment began to go insane as soon as

we tried to rip off the seal. Just looking at it was enough to make my
entire body tremble in fear.
However, this fear soon dissipated as Dialugia herself transformed.
Her sheer size and majestic appearance could make everyone exclaim.
As soon as she inished transforming, Dialugia had begun to gather
ridiculous amounts of magic power.
If the aftermath of her Breath hit me, I would get severely damaged.
However, as much as protection magic would be ideal, we had to focus
all magic power on offense.
‘I have to stop the shock wave.’
It was up to me to block the aftermath of the shock by summoning the

dragon’s tail.
That alone may not be enough, but I had no time to think of a better
counter.
Leaving some of the dragon Breath potions in my pocket, I instilled

magical power. Jung Hayan had also begun casting spells.
It was the irst time she had looked so serious. The amount of magic
power she was gathering was comparable to even that of Dialugia’s.
Everyone had begun to look at her in amazement.
Meanwhile, other wizards also began chanting spells, and even the
priests, like Sun Hee-young, also chanted prayers in order to aid their
irepower.
Breaking that seal was de initely possible.
At this, Dialugia released her Breath.
Craaaaaacckkk!
The sheer intensity pushed her body back.
The light she ired out instantly gnawed the ground and looded into
the chains that held the Ancient God’s Fragment.
Meanwhile, in front of Jung Hayan, an indescribable sphere had

appeared. The sphere approached the seal slowly before heading right
into it as if being sucked in.
In addition to that, various spells had also begun to tap the chains of the
seal. As we got to work, the monster continued to roar.
The sound was enough to tear through everyone’s eardrums, but Kim
Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo still managed to break through the
aftermath of the explosion.
Their job was to hit the seal’s weakest link, therefore destroying it in
the process.
Though they moved with high agility, I was still able to view them with
my eyes.
Even though Hyunsung’s shield had worn off and he had gotten
wounded, he continued to concentrate his magic on the hand that held
his sword.
It would be hard enough to handle the shock wave of an explosion.

Hyunsung seemed to be in bad condition, but he continued swinging his
sword while forcibly swallowing the blood that was about to come out.
‘You can’t die, Hyunsung!’
“Deokgu, prepare to collect Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo.”
“Ah… Yes! O-Okay.”
“Hee-young-ssi, Ki-mo-ssi! Please intensively push the divine power to

the position I pointed to. Wizards must always prepare their defense
magic, and the front line, including Park Deokgu, should begin to enter.
When Dialugia is ready for her next Breath, shoot immediately.”
“Hyung-nim, are you going to go, too?”

“Yes.”
We no longer had enough time to talk. If Hyunsung died, I would die,

too.
It was then that something huge hit us. It looked to be a huge tentacle.
‘Ah… ’
Though the Ancient God’s Fragment’s attack didn’t recognize us as

targets yet, getting hit would kill us. I could do nothing else but stare up
at it blankly.
‘Are we going to die?’
Fortunately, Dialugia prevented the attack.
‘Damn.’
Though she had saved us, this was also a terrible occurrence. She had
ended up using her second round of Breath at it.
If something like that hit us, it would have killed us all. She had no
choice but to save us.
Once again, the shock wave struck, and my body was almost pushed
back, but I avoided falling over by holding onto Park Deokgu.
Once again, various spells were poured out, and Kim Hyunsung and
Park Yeon-joo continue to try and break the seal’s chains.
Nevertheless…
‘It’s not enough.’

We needed just a little more… A little more power just to break the
seals.
‘Damn.’
As I tried to think of another way, my sword began vibrating in my

hand.
“Juliana?”
“…”
“Juliana! Oh, my Juliana!”
“…”
“Wake up, Juliana. Ahh, my Juliana! I need you! Juliana! I need you!”
Though this, too, was a suicide attempt, I could see no other choice but
to appeal to my sword in a tone that was dramatic enough to appear in
a Shakespeare play.
“Aaah, Juliana! My love! Wake up, Juliana. Please! Please save my

colleagues and me in this situation! My love, Juliana!”
‘Shit.’
“Juliana! Shit!”
Was it a mistake trying to rely on something like this?
As I began to succumb to my turmoil of thoughts, I heard a voice that I

had not heard in a long time.
-Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Gedric! My Gedric!

“What?”
-Aaaaaah! My love Gedric! My everything! My all! The light and hope of

my life! Savior of my life. My eternal lower! Gedric! Finally! Finally, I
can hear your voice! My Gedric!
CHAPTER 239
JULIANA’S AWAKENING (2)
“Good!”
Though her voice gave me chills, I couldn’t help but rejoice all the same.
Though it would be hard to sort this out afterward, what was more
important was the task that I had to accomplish in front of me. I would
take care of the rest later on.
“My Juliana! You inally woke up! You don’t know how long I’ve been
waiting for you.”
-Gedric! My Gedric, I, too, have been imagining being with you for a long
time.
“Juliana!”
-Gedric!
It was a bit scary seeing the sword loating around me and making
weird sounds. I worried about it eventually piercing my neck as it
realized that I was not Gedric.
Nevertheless…
‘It’s ine.’
There were no such signs yet. Juliana still considered me as Gedric and
was now moving to protect me.
‘I did a good job wearing this… ’
[Gedric’s Proposal Ring (Heroic)]
[You can resist the curse of Juliana.]
This was Gedric’s Proposal Ring, found in the Cursed Shrine. Though it
had no function, I had always worn it on my inger out of habit.
I had to smile.
“Juliana! My Juliana! We don’t have time for this. Juliana!”
-Gedric… Ahhh! My love Gedric! Please kiss me. Please hug me to let
this body crumble!
‘You’re a sword… ’
“Juliana! I need your strength. We must release the wicked Crack

Guardians’ seals that are forcibly holding onto the Ancient God.”
-Aah! My love Gedric! Whisper a little more love. Gedric! My lantern! My

light!
‘Crazy bitch!’
I knew I wouldn’t be able to control her, but I had no idea her sanity
was this unstable.
I didn’t know why the hell Gedric liked this woman and why he had
been looking for her for such a long time, but I bet it could be a type of
Stockholm syndrome.
Perhaps he had gotten kidnapped. For some reason, that thought began
to settle in my mind.
“Help me! Juliana! I need your love.”
-Gedric! My Gedric!
“Juliana! The world is in danger!”
-Ahhh…
‘Shit!’
There was no more time left to delay. If I kept going at this rate, Juliana
would only move after the rest of my party members had gotten wiped
out.
I had no choice but to run as I held her in my hand.
I didn’t know how to use a sword, but something had changed after I
inserted my magic power into it.
-Gedric! Your warm magic is lowing! Your power is lowing into my

body! Ahhh! My love!
‘Please, shut up!’
Though her voice drove me crazy, it appeared that my magic had

activated something.
-A little more! A little more! Please! Gedric! A little more of your love!
[One of Juliana’s sleeping functions has been unlocked.]
[AS’s Tentacle]
‘Nice!’
Until now, Juliana’s only function was to cast a curse.

Of course, that alone made her worth it. If I cursed the other person just
by hurting them and consuming a lot of magical power, I could even
apply a wide area curse.
Just listing the features mentioned above was not enough for a
legendary-grade item.
It even protected me by itself, so it was de initely an ideal item.

However, that was not its only function. This would soon be con irmed.
“Nice!”
Of course, AS’s black magic had been used before, but the magical
power lowing from the sword was different from before.
If what I used before had been the closed beta version, what I saw now
felt like the function had undergone several upgrades.
The tentacles of black magic, previously used by Juliana, began to

bloom around her sword.
As these tentacles also moved towards me, I began to feel nervous.

However, I knew she did not intend to harm me. The feeling of
discomfort, however, rose when the tentacles slipped through my
clothes.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the tentacles didn’t seem to limit my

actions, but it was natural to think that they might eventually trap me.
However, the tentacles weren’t the problem.
-More… More! Ahhh! Gedric, your love! A little more of your love!
‘Stop sucking it up!’

Juliana was drinking my magic like crazy. My magic stats were already
low, so having her slurp it up like it was nothing felt like a total burden.
It even felt as if my life force was being drained.
However, the results were better than expected.
‘Fine… take a little more!!’
The energy the sword emitted was obviously not the type that I could
create with my meager supply of magic. The black tentacles extending
in all directions had long been out of my control.
However, I had no idea or ability to control it, anyway. All I have to do

was hit this over lowing energy against the sealed chains, and it would
be ine.
“Deokgu!”
“Ah… Okay!”
Park Deokgu, who had been looking at me with a strange expression,

stretched out his hand toward me. When I saw that he understood
without any explanation, I felt proud.
With the tentacles wrapped around my body, I wouldn’t be able to

throw myself off the aftermath of such an explosion. I felt sorry, but I
had no choice but to seek Deokgu’s help.
‘I’ll have to hurt you instead… ’
A transparent and faint shield appeared on my body. This was Park

Deokgu’s attribute, where he would take the damage received by others
in their stead.
As soon as I touched the ground with my crackling hands, the dragon’s

tail protruded from the loor and raised me up to the chains.
Although it was a little scary, Park Deokgu would take the damage even
if I fell, anyway. Right now, swinging my sword was the top priority.
Of course, there was no damage from the aftermath of the explosion. I

didn’t feel hot, and my skin didn’t come off.
‘Be patient, Deokgu!’
“Kiyoung-ssi?”
Though I heard Hyunsung calling out to me in confusion, I chose to

ignore him. I couldn’t afford to answer him, anyway.
“Break it! Fuck!”
I then attacked the weak-looking seal using the energy within the
sword.
The magical tentacles surrounding my body and the tentacles

stretching out from everywhere quickly fell toward the chains, and the
remaining magical power also quickly escaped.
-Gedric! Gedriiic! Aaah! Ah!
“Break!”
If once was not enough, then I would have to break it twice. If not twice,
three times.
Though I was a beginner when it came to swordsmanship, I still had to

try. Even the seal itself had a limit.
Cracks had begun to form along the chains. This indicated that the seal
was breaking.
‘Good!’
It was then that Kim Hyunsung jumped out and swung his sword
towards the part I hit.
I felt surprised, but I also felt glad. I was past my limit, for Juliana
drained too much magic power from me.
Hyunsung had come just as I had lost all my magic, and I was grateful
for that.
As soon as the lovely returner’s sword touched the cracked chain, the
blue chain broke, and light began to pour out.
“Nice!”
I felt Kim Hyunsung’s hand on my back. Regardless of my will, my body

began to move away from the chains, and I saw the Ancient God’s
Fragment once again.
‘I did… the right thing, right?’
We had only managed to break one of the chains.
However, the balance of the seal holding the mythical being tightly
broke, which prompted the other sides to break as well.
No, to be precise, the Ancient God’s Fragment was pulling the chains
apart on his own.
‘He looks very strong… ’
It was only then that I started to realize what we had just released in
the world. My entire body had begun to shake.
[A Fragment of the Ancient God is released from the seal.]
[Warning]
[The Crack Museum’s protection program is operating.]
[Warning]
[The program is not operating normally.]
[Warning]
[The preliminary program is operating.]
[Warning]
[The Fragment of the Ancient God completely awakens.]
“Groaaaaaaaaaaarrr!!!!!!!”
-Ahhh… Ahhhhh… No!!!!
Max began to cry out at the same time the mythical monster roared out.
‘Preliminary program?’
I was unsure what it was, but fortunately, there seemed to be a Crack

Museum program that would handle situations like this.
Of course, I didn’t know if that preliminary program could really ix this,

but it was too late for me to do anything else. Now the responsibility
rested with the manager, Max.
After all, it was sweeter to screw someone over than to let others screw
me over.
Of course, I could not ind it in me to laugh aloud in this situation. Even

if we succeeded in breaking his seal, the fact that we were in danger
still remained.
Before this monster could threaten the rest of the world, it was
threatening my life, irst.
The fragments seemed to have no thinking ability, so there was no

option to negotiate with the ancient gods. Nevertheless…
“Yay, it’s the Ancient God!”
“…”
“The Ancient God has awakened! The Ancient God’s Fragment has been
freed!”
I could see no other choice but to shout this aloud. I didn’t know if this
would work, but at least I was producing some results.
The museum’s outer walls, which seemed to be unbreakable, were now

collapsing, and the sturdy exhibits were also breaking.
‘My prediction was correct.’
This monster had the ability to resist the system.
“Grooooaaaaaarrr!!!”
As the Ancient God Fragment’s tentacle swung once more, the museum
began its road to destruction.
-No… Noooo!!
Max kept screaming. I then turned to the other members of the

expedition.
“First… Let’s go to the broken area and gather some items. There will be
several exhibition halls in luenced by the Ancient God.”
CHAPTER 240
MYTHIC-GRADE ITEM (1)
Everyone was looking at me as if I had gone crazy, thinking about

grabbing items at a time like this. However, it was only right to increase
our chances of survival in this situation.
There may even be a mythic-grade item within the broken pavilion.
It was not an option, but a necessity, to raise the entire expedition’s

speci ications at this point.
“Of course, it would be nice to look for our isolated people.”
“Is there any way to ix this?”
“That is not our job; it’s the museum manager’s. The preliminary
program has been triggered, so the Crack Guardians’ arrangements
would have worked. What matters now is our safety. Please, let’s move
quickly. Hyunsung-ssi. Right now, it’s hard to move my body…”
“Ah… Yes.”
Kim Hyunsung, who had been holding my body, nodded to show that he
understood. In fact, even his body looked damaged.
It was natural for him to be a mess since he had continuously swung his
sword towards the chains in the explosion.
Park Deokgu, who had received all the damage I suffered, looked even
worse.
Although Sun Hee-young and Ahn Ki-mo continued to sprinkle divine
power over us, it would take us some time to recover fully.
-Gedric… Gedric!
In the meantime, Juliana keeps crying out. She had gotten considerably
quieter once I sheathed her back to the scabbard around my waist, but
she continued to mutter anxiously.
“I will go out to the exhibition hall on the side. Other monsters may
have awakened, so it would be better to move to the opposite direction
from the monster exhibition hall.”
“I’ll move as fast as possible to recover even a little bit. Let’s enter.”
All members of the expedition nodded, exhaustion apparent on their

faces.
I was not the only one who had drained their magic power to the limit.
Everyone used more magic power than they had to in order to break
the seals created by the Crack Guardians.
As their stamina stats were high, they could still walk normally. Such
was not the case for me, however.
‘I really can’t move my body.’
Of course, being able to be closest to Kim Hyunsung had not been

intended. But this was not a bad turnout of events. I didn’t care if the
Black Swan members were looking at me with a strange expression.
In the irst place, everyone knew that I had a weak body.

As soon as I inished talking, Dialugia scooped everyone up, and we
rushed towards the pavilion. Leaving the insane Ancient God’s
Fragment, we entered the exhibition hall.
Though Ancient God’s Fragment continued to scream, his attention was

not on us.
The things that had con ined him for so long were still around him. He
would probably want to smash it all to pieces before going after us.
Of course, the condition of the museum was terrible. Most of the

exhibition halls were utterly broken, but even those inside of them had
gotten destroyed.
‘We won’t be able to save anything here.’
“Let’s go to the next room. If we stay here, the aftermath of the

explosion can reach us. Our goal will be to get to the manager’s of ice.”
“The manager’s of ice?” Park Yeon-joo repeated.
“Yeah. There must be somewhere where Max’s original body is located.

Seeing that he’s not here, he might be quite busy doing something else.
It will be hard for him to care about us anymore. First, take off the ring
that you received before entering the dungeon, Yeon-joo. We no longer
need to be guided by the dungeon manager anyway.”
“Yes. I was thinking of doing that.”
“And… Hayan?”
“Yes, Oppa?”
“I think it would be good for you to make a map from now on, alongside
the Rangers of the Black Swans. Don’t worry too much about me. It’s
just that I can’t move because of magical exhaustion, but I have no other
wounds.”
“Yes. Oppa…”
“Does Hayan know how to draw a map?”
“No. Instead, she is always checking my location. This will help. It will
be quite detailed and accurate.”
“You’re… a unique couple.”
Park Yeon-joo looked amazed at the fact that I had tolerated my

girlfriend relentlessly pursuing me.
If it were Earth, it would be natural for me to feel suffocated, but it was

possible to tolerate this in a place where one never knew what, where,
and when something might happen.
‘Of course, by my standards… ’
“Hee-young-ssi, Ki-mo-ssi, and other priests should also take a break

for a while. If you are exhausted, we won’t be able to get out of this
place successfully.”
“Okay.”
“It’ll be hard to relax, but please try to recuperate as much energy as

possible.”
“Hyung-nim is right. It won’t be good if we rush into this impulsively. In

fact, we’re not just in bad condition to ight; we can’t even walk
properly.”
“That’s right, Deokgu.”

“In that sense…”
“I was going to set up a camp when we got a little farther away.”
“Are we going to eat?”
“Of course, we should eat. It’s just that we lost a few supplies, so we’ll
have to ration.”
If our conditions permitted it, sleeping would be recommended.

However, I knew this would be impossible. As the roaring continued
behind us, even camping sounded dangerous.
However, this was necessary. Our expedition members desperately

needed the rest.
As we rested for a moment, another Fragment tentacle pierced the left

wall.
“Whoa!”
“That’s…”
“That… scared the crap out of me.”
It was hard to imagine how scared other people would have been,
seeing that Jung Hayan, who had always been so aloof, looked terri ied.
Calming the expedition member was one of the things people like me
could do. I had no choice but to speak up at this point.
“It probably wasn’t for us. He seems to be just moving… First, it would
be better to move to a place where those tentacles won’t be visible.”
“B-But why isn’t he doing anything?”

“Well… I’m not sure what the Ancient God’s Fragment is… It looks like
he’s about to create roots, though. Maybe he’s working on paralyzing
this museum’s function and trying to absorb the magic power lowing
from it. It’s better to focus on our situation now.”
“O-Okay.”
Though I spoke this assuredly, I also couldn’t help but wonder what the
monster’s plan would be.
It seemed like a good idea to ask Dialugia afterward, who had heard of
the Ancient God’s Fragment before.
After she had returned to human form, she seemed lost in her thoughts.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a very serious expression, but she looked to be
engulfed in shame. It was, after all, the job of dragons to promote the
low of balance.
As she had contributed to our plan, she must’ve been thinking about
how her ancestors would regard her now.
Meanwhile, the rest of our members were at work.
Based on the map made by Jung Hayan and the Rangers, I began to
igure out the structure of the museum itself. The tentacles of the
Ancient God were visible as I studied, but he was certainly not moving.
‘So he really has created roots.’
I wasn’t sure what kind of consequences this would bring, but one thing
was certain: it was now easier to move around. The walls that the
system had brought up as a barrier were now broken.
It was easier for us to grasp the situation now that the museum’s
function had been paralyzed.
I was curious about how the museum, which had triggered its
preliminary program, might be taking care of this, but of course, I knew
that going to check it would be a stupid choice.
If the museum’s function had really stopped, it was possible that the
sealed monsters had also awakened. Perhaps they had begun ighting
each other.
However, seeing that the museum had not yet collapsed, it seemed that
Max was still working hard on its preservation.
‘Can he stop it?’
In fact, I didn’t know which side I should support.
The perfect scenario would be for the museum to reseal the Ancient
Gods after the expedition could rescue the isolated people, as well as
obtain a few items.
Of course, because I tended to think about the worst, it was dif icult to
settle for this hopeful scenario. Some positive thinking would be ideal
at this point, though.
“Oh… I think it’s ine here…”
Upon reaching a de inite spot, Deokgu quietly spoke up.
“It’s de initely… okay.”
Cho Hyejin also nodded.
The Ancient God’s Fragment was not visible within this area, and it was
wide enough for thirty people to rest. The most important thing was…
“Hyung-nim! There are a lot of items here! It seems that the functions
stopped here, too… The exhibition hall doesn’t seem to be obeying.
Huh! There seem to be a few legendary items, too… Can I have this?”
“Oppa. There’s a wand here! T-This one looks to be legendary, too!”
“I think there are a few heroic-grade items, too… It seems to be in better

condition than most heroic-grade items. There seems to be an item that
boosts divine power, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Is there anything that Hee-young is also greedy for?”
“Rather than being greedy, if there’s a Bible elsewhere… I’m just

curious…”
I knew that we could obtain items along the way, but facing this reality
was still jaw-dropping.
Everyone gazed around with their mouths wide open.
When I turned to gaze at the items, however, my own jaw dropped.
There stood a sword, shining in its own glistening hues.
It looked a little crude, but I could see that it is a great sword just by
staring at it. What was even more spectacular was that it was pointing
directly at Kim Hyunsung.
‘I-It’s a mythic-grade.’
We had hit the lottery.
‘Hyunsung! We are safe, right?!’
When I turned to Kim Hyunsung, I saw him already shooting a pleasant

smile my way. It had been a long time since he smiled like that.
CHAPTER 241
MYTHIC-GRADE ITEM (2)
My worries began to dissipate upon witnessing this.
Kim Hyunsung, receiving the light emanating from a mythic-grade

sword, truly looked like a warrior that one usually only saw in fairy
tales.
‘Whoaa… ’
I had never regretted following Kim Hyunsung, and this reinforced my

belief.
‘It’s magni icent! Hyunsung! It’s great!’
The protagonist, originally, was mostly him.
I remembered myself being chosen by Juliana, but this was a different

situation. Even I had to admit that Kim Hyunsung was de initely
different from me.
The white light turned towards him as if it were enticing him, and he
slowly reached out, as if it was his own from the beginning.
I was not the only one trans ixed by this sight. The Black Swans had
begun to swoon upon seeing his handsome igure engulfed in such a
light.
I already knew that the world was unfair, but I had no choice but to face
this harsh reality once more. It was as if God had chosen Hyunsung to
have both talent and looks.
As soon as the sword reached his hand, the light spread out into the
entire room.
However, as if nothing had happened, Hyunsung took his sword to his

waist, looked around with a little embarrassed expression, and spoke.
Unlike me, who could see information about the sword from the
beginning, other people would be very curious.
“I think I have succeeded in getting the Sense of Ownership.”
“As expected… you have. Is it a mythic-grade sword?”
It was Park Yeon-joo who asked this.
“Yes. It’s a mythic-grade sword. I don’t think I can use all the functions
because I am not yet capable as a user… Compared to the legendary-
grade item, there seems to be no shortage. First of all, I apologize to all
of the Black Swan members.”
“No. You don’t need to apologize at all, Hyunsung-ssi. Ownership is not

something one can decide on. The weapon has chosen you. And since
you were in the position of helping the expedition in the irst place, I
don’t want to make this a problem. It would be a lie if I said I’m not
envious, but seeing that you have done well makes me feel better.”
Hyunsung was really lucky. Though this was ground for ownership
problems between guilds, the Black Swans still let him take it.
Plus, Black Swan Guild Master Park Yeon-joo had a crush on Kim
Hyunsung, and this problem was passed without worry because of the
peculiarity of Sense of Ownership.
‘But since we got it, it’s right that we take it.’
No matter how high the value was, it was no different from a stone if
there were no capable users.
When I, unfortunately, thought that it would be unreasonable for us to

own the legendary-grade shield that Park Deokgu was touching, as well
as the legendary-grade staff that Jung Hayan was staring at, I saw Hayan
herself getting engulfed in bright light.
‘Good job, Hayan!’
She had also succeeded in getting the Sense of Ownership.
A faint smile was already hanging on Jung Hayan’s face, who bowed her
head.
Though I should’ve controlled them from touching the items, I couldn’t

help but hold back a smile.
“Jung Hayan.”
“I’m sorry… Oppa.”
“Deokgu, for now, put down your shield.”
‘Don’t put it down.’
“Deokgu.”
‘Start the Sense of Ownership quickly! You pig bastard. Put in the magic
power and take it! I will handle it! Originally, you just have to take it,
and then wait and see.’
“O-Okay. Hyung-nim.”
‘Just take it!’
Unfortunately, my real intention had not been properly conveyed.
Park Deokgu, who put his shield down on the ground while looking
clueless, retreated about two steps while smacking his lips. It was a
little regrettable, but I had no choice but to continue talking,
swallowing the bitter taste on my mouth.
“I think it would be better for Hee-young-ssi to put down her item for
now as well. The same goes for Ki-mo-ssi. I understand that you’re a
little excited, but we didn’t come alone. Item distribution is the
exclusive authority of the expedition leader, and Park Yeon-joo is the
expedition’s right leader. There’s nothing to do in Hyunsung’s case,
but… Hayan…”
“I’m sorry.”
‘What are you sorry about? You did really well. Do that again next time.’
After all, after going out of the dungeon, it wouldn’t be bad to reward
her.
“Well, it seems that it happened without Hayan knowing. Scolding her

like this… It’ll be quite dif icult to stay composed in this situation unless
Park Deokgu… Ah, yes!”
The clueless Park Deokgu was proud of himself as he was eager to be

patient with Jung Hayan, but that pig needed a punishment, not a prize.
‘You’re grounded when we get back.’
However, I couldn’t show what I truly felt.

At this, I looked towards Park Yeon-joo.
“I will apologize instead.”
“No, Kiyoung-ssi. It’s been done already… I think it’s better to celebrate
than to get angry in this situation.”
“You don’t have to keep apologizing. Anyway, in the current situation,

this is more important than anything else. It is appropriate for someone
who can use it right now to take it. First of all, I want to think of
surviving as my top priority. If she succeeded in getting the Sense of
Ownership, it means that Hayan-ssi is the one who can handle that
weapon best at this place. Our wizards also seem to be okay…
Congratulations, Hayan-ssi.”
“T-Thank you…”
‘Right.’
I was sure of it. Park Yeon-joo was an angel. She seemed to be conscious
of Kim Hyunsung since she was showing too much kindness, but I
started to envy Kim Hyunsung once again as she showed that she would
yield to him as much as she could.
I thought that a very bright tomorrow would be waiting for this

particular love affair.
‘It makes sense, too.’
I also really like the part that she thought on the premise of surviving
rather than to succumb to her greed. I could see why she had appointed
Lee Jihye, who originally had nothing, and gave her the authority to
solve both the big and small issues in their guild.
“Of course, can we irst determine whether the remaining items can be
used on our side?”
“Yes. I think it would be nice to do that.”
I also like the part of taking what she could in this situation.
‘I envy Kim Hyunsung.’
In the midst of that, Juliana began to talk to me, muttering something.
It might be the aftermath of waking up after a long time as she soon

became quiet, but there would be a substantial difference between Kim
Hyunsung’s mythic-grade sword and Juliana.
Anyway, if I looked at the situation objectively, it seemed that the Blue

Guild had gained both mythic and legendary items. The remaining
legendary item was the shield that Park Deokgu touched. However,
there were also other high-quality heroic-grade items.
Since the shield was an item that required ownership, our side had a
chance of obtaining it, but in fact, I thought that the Black Swan might
dominate the heroic-grade items.
Sun Hee-young glanced at me as she wanted to get the heroic-grade

auxiliary tool classi ied as a Bible, which bothered me, but it would be
hard, even for me, to ask for that item now.
There were only four priests in this expedition right now.
Although all of them were equipped with heroic-grade items, there was
no guarantee that they would not want that Bible.
As it was a secondary weapon rather than the main armament, it may

be dif icult for priests who generally wore a two-handed staff to use,
but there was no end to the original human greed.
It would only be right to wait and see.
That was, if…
[Sword of the 12th Knights: Durendal (Mythic)]
[In mythology, this is a great sword used by the head of the 12 Knights.
Known to cut out anything, this great sword, despite countless years,
did not wish for its light. It is no longer possible to access detailed
information. -Durendal does not break.]
[Blood-Stained Red Gem: Anemone (Legendary)]
[This is a staff decorated with jewels from the blood after the jealous
goddess murdered her husband’s lover. Basically, it ampli ies the user’s
magic and awakens the knowledge of the unique magic embedded in
the gem. The user’s growth value is low, so the available unique magic
knowledge is limited. Magic power increases by 10. -Anemone to be
cursed! Dirty whore Anemone! You will never get out of that gem for a
lifetime.]
Since we had already taken items of this level, there was no conscience
left to claim ownership of heroic-grade items.
Like the Fragment of the Ancient God or the green monster I saw
before, mythic-grade items couldn’t be checked with my eyes, but there
were things that I could feel even if I didn’t see them with my ability.
Kim Hyunsung’s sword was de initely the highest treasure, as it was a

sword that would never break. That alone was worth it.
Kim Hyunsung’s swordsmanship skills were already high enough to be

recognized as one of the Empire’s Eight Seats, even with the public
doubting his experience.
I didn’t know what features were hidden but assuming that Hyunsung,
who already had no shortcomings in many ways, used it, just the fact
that this was an unbreakable sword would prove to be dangerous in his
hands.
The legendary-grade staff that Jung Hayan had gotten also didn’t need
much to say.
‘The explanation… made me a bit uneasy… ’
However, I felt good. Our rank had de initely raised.
After the jealous goddess murdered her husband’s lover, the

explanation that the blood was made into gems sounded ominous, but,
for now, it was a good thing.
‘Anemone… ’
Even if it had a good af inity with Jung Hayan, I felt like there would be a
problem. In fact, after taking ownership, she didn’t seem to be all that
interested in the big staff.
‘If you’re going to do that, why’d you run so fast and take it?’
It felt ridiculous, seeing her lose all interest right after the Sense of
Ownership had ended.
It seemed that she was greedier for the stats inherent in the staff than
the staff itself, but I wondered why she had wanted to take the
legendary-grade staff, even when she knew that I would scold her.
However, I soon began to understand why.
‘Her magic power stats are at 97… ’

It had only been a little over a year, but this marked the moment when
Jung Hayan gained enough power to of icially enter the Empire’s Eight
Seats.
With this realization came another, darker thought.
‘Now, wait a minute… ’

CHAPTER 242
A SHORT BREAK (1)
‘This is not good… Ah… ’
Of course, a shitty person like me had no right to say this, but Jung
Hayan had a more meticulous and trickier side than I had initially
thought.
Unlike the innocent Jung Hayan from the past, she didn’t immediately
act whenever she wanted to kill. Of course, the schemes that she had
shown so far were of a cute level.
Though it was not apparent to everyone else, I knew something about

her was different.
She understood the difference in power and strength and could realize
when she was in a relatively weaker position.
That was why she had become obsessed with magic after meeting Cha
Hee-ra for the irst time, for a chance to gradually become stronger than
her.
Of course, it could be said that it was because she got the ability to
discern whether a person was important to me or not, but it was also
because she knew she was stronger that she turned Han Sora into a
mess back at the training camp.
It was just speculation, but I understood Jung Hayan’s behavior pattern.
‘This isn’t good.’

On the one hand, I was happy at the fact that she was getting stronger.
On the other, I felt anxious because I couldn’t predict what kind of
trouble she might cause.
‘And now, her magic power is at 97… ’
Entering the late 90s with major stats was the minimum condition
necessary to become a strong player on the continent, considering that
Cha Hee-ra had a 97 strength stat.
Ito Souta also had agility in the late 90s, and Park Yeon-joo, who was
now talking eagerly to her members, also had specs in the late 90s.
Of course, one could not measure the power simply by their stats, but in
Jung Hayan’s case, she could become one of the top players in the entire
Empire after gaining a little more experience. She must be aware of this
fact now.
It was common knowledge that the existence of an item that could

increase one’s stats existed, so she grabbed such an item while
everyone was distracted by Kim Hyunsung.
After she got her stats, she dumped the artifact itself, and once more, I
was able to con irm that I was right.
In the past, compared to Cha Hee-ra and Yuno Kasugano, she was
relatively in the position of the weak, but now she seemed to think that
she was fast approaching their level.
I couldn’t help but laugh at my suspicions being proven right. Though

we had no problem right now, I knew I had to control her early on. I
would have to retrain Hayan once we got out of this dungeon.
It was very annoying that I had to take care of her mentality regularly,
but it was a low price in exchange for having the Supreme Archmage as
my pet. Though I worried about her causing any trouble…
‘She won’t do that.’
As I looked at Jung Hayan, still holding my arm and guarding me against

the Black Swan’s female group, a sigh came out of me once more.
It was then that Park Deokgu called out to us.
“Hyung-nim! Hayan! Come and eat!”
“Oppa! I think the meal is ready!”
“Oh? That was fast.”
“Yes. Hehehe.”
“Phew… I’m telling you the food is delicious! Yeon-joo prepared it, and
my eyes almost popped out at how delicious it was!”
“Really?”
“This is just my opinion, but it seems that Yeon-joo likes our Guild
Master, Hyung-ssi! So, I think she was trying to show her skills. This is
the message of Gangwon-do’s dating expert, Park Deokgu. I smell
something. I really can!”
He sat down on the loor, spitting out what everyone already knew.
When I glanced over towards Hyunsung, I could see Yeon-joo all over
him. Cho Hyejin looked sullen.
‘So she gets jealous, too.’
This was such a contrasting expression to the stiff one she always
showed me.
“We’re still on an expedition, Deokgu-ssi. Such a personal story…”

“Hyejin doesn’t look so good, either… Hyung-ssi and Park Yeon-joo are
giving off good vibes together, so why would she look that way? Hm?”
“What…”
“Ahem. If you don’t want to reveal it, I can’t help it, but nothing gets past
the dating expert.”
“P-Please refrain from saying useless things…”
“If you don’t want your guy getting stolen by other guild people, you
better go there now. It looks like the vibe over there is good… Of course,
I’m still cheering you on! Look, even if it looks like they’re just having a
simple meal together, that in itself is already a pretty big deal.”
“Ah…”
“Even the Black Swan members are rooting for them. You need to do
something.”
“Then…”
“It would be better to get over there before they become sweethearts.”
“It’s not because of that reason, but… Suddenly, I just remembered I

have something to report to the Guild Master, so I’ll get up irst, Vice
Guild Master.”
“Yes. Hyejin-ssi. Cheer up.”
“I already told you I’m not going over there for that reason!”
As I saw her blushing while getting up from her seat, I couldn’t help but
laugh. She even forgot to bring along the spear that she always carried
around.
Her lustered expression showed how she felt for Kim Hyunsung.
‘Cute.’
A relationship should be fresh and pretty like that.
It was different from Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young, who looked
around everywhere as if warning the others not to approach me.
What was a little surprising was that Sun Hee-young didn’t seem to be
very close with the Black Swan guild members.
As a priest, it seemed that she did not it well with them, who were free-
minded. In fact, it appeared as if she didn’t like them at all.
‘I have to have an interview with this one, too… ’
Although she had been neglected so far, Sun Hee-young was also one of
the targets that needed major management. I did not care for her much
because, unlike Jung Hayan, she seemed capable of taking care of
herself.
Just as Kim Hyunsung trusted Cho Hyejin as an aide, I also trusted Sun
Hee-young.
‘She does her job pretty well… she is rational… ’
It is a completely different topic, but in fact, she was also pretty. Even
with her strict sister-uniform and sacred vibes, Sun Hee-young could
very well be my type.
As I gazed at Sun Hee-young for a while, I felt Jung Hayan grasping my

arm.
‘It’s not that, Hayan. Don’t get angered… ’

After gently patting Jung Hayan’s hair, Park Deokgu continued to speak
once more.
“Hey, Hyung-nim. This is a slightly different story, but…”
“Yes?”
“It’s nice that we’re taking a break now, but I don’t know if we really can
be here like this.”
“What?”
“Ahem. Aren’t we a bit too relaxed?”
“Ohhhh.”
It did seem that way. Since we had to classify heroic-grade items

anyway, we went and set up camp, and after preparing a meal, we
decided for all expedition members to rest.
Of course, the Rangers had to search the surroundings by rotation, but

it would be no exaggeration to say that they were really resting too
freely in the time after that.
Some people were sleeping, and some of the other members were
sitting and reading books.
‘How Alchemists and Genius Prosecutors Love? Volume 3?’
I caught sight of one of the books they were reading. It certainly seemed
to be a hit within Lindel.
‘I have to read that one.’
I didn’t know what it was about, but it seemed to be a big hit.

Anyway, since everyone was resting like that, it would make sense for
Deokgu to feel unsettled. It was like everyone was pretending to be
unaware of what had happened to us.
“It’s because there is nothing we can do right now.” It was Sun Hee-
young who said this.
“Ah…”
Of course, I had no choice but to agree with her.
“Hee-young-ssi is right. It doesn’t make sense to go back there now, so

it’s better to rest. I don’t know if it’s unfortunate or fortunate, but it
looks like the Fragment of Ancient God, or whatever it is, is quiet, so
you can relax. Just to you know, I intend to camp here today. Of course,
it will only be for a short time…”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
‘For now, it’s only right to take a break.’
It was not that I wasn’t uneasy.
If the museum were to collapse, then we would have to ind a way to get
out of here. However, nothing could be done about it as of now.
Dialugia had stayed quiet this whole time, focusing on her recovery.
Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo, who were the strongest in the
expedition, were also in terrible condition.
‘They look to be ine on the outside, but… ’
I knew they were also quite a mess on the inside.

Of course, it was true that we had big expectations for Kim Hyunsung,
who had obtained a mythic-grade item, but he could only be of use once
he recovered.
He pretended to be okay in front of all the expedition members, but I

could see how much damage he had taken with my Mind’s Eye.
Above everything else, I was anxious about this worst-case scenario to

happen.
I also had to keep in mind that the manager, Max, might consider me a
removal target.
“So don’t worry, take a rest, for now, Deokgu. Rangers are looking
around, and once they check the position, we’ll move right away and
start ixing everything from scratch.”
“I am ine. I’m more worried about you than me. Even now, your pale
complexion doesn’t look so good.”
“It’s okay. I can recover, given enough time.”
Park Deokgu, who originally had no sense of crisis, saying that made me
feel more anxious.
I also wanted to focus on recovery, but I also felt like we should be on

the move now.
I had no choice but to look at Dialugia quietly.
‘Fragment of the Ancient God.’
Dialugia was the only one that had any useful information.
Seeing that she had opened her eyes, it seemed that she had
successfully recovered.
I had inished my meal. As I stood up quietly and sent a signal to her, I
saw her getting up as well. Park Deokgu didn’t follow, realizing we
would be talking about something important, and Jung Hayan glanced
at me, wondering if she should come with me or not.
I didn’t say anything, so she decided to wait. It bothered me a little that

she surprisingly stayed without saying anything.
‘I have to listen to Dialugia irst.’
It would be better for me to be the only one allowed to hear about what
Dialugia had to say. If I were to make a sel ish choice, it had to be me
who would have to be responsible for pulling the trigger.
As our distance from the expedition members became somewhat

distant, Dialugia began to speak. Considering how urgently she spoke, I
knew our situation did not look good.
“You can speak, Dialugia.”
“The continent will be destroyed.”
“I knew it. If so… how can it be ixed?”
“In the next 30,000 years… The continent will collapse.”
“But how do we ix it?”
“It will disappear without a trace. Don’t you have any idea as to how we
can solve this?”
“So, we don’t need to ix it.”
It was a little reassuring. I was trembling at the news of the world

falling or collapsing, but I didn’t expect it to happen after my death.
Dialugia looked somewhat perplexed with my answer. However, my
mood had already brightened.
‘In 30,000 years! Fuck! I can just leave it alone!’
I knew I was being sel ish, but I couldn’t help it.
‘I’m sorry for the descendants of these bad ancestors… ’
I was not interested in whether the world would perish after I died,
which I knew made me sound like an even shittier person.
However, I couldn’t ind it in myself to feel guilty at this point.
“Yes!”
CHAPTER 243
A SHORT BREAK (2)
Dialugia looked mixed parts perplexed and speechless, seeing me look

so happy. In fact, I didn’t even try to hide how happy I felt.
‘If it’s 30,000 years, even mankind would have perished.’
In fact, it didn’t matter to me whether mankind would perish by then or

not. I knew that this continent had its fair share of ancient stories.
‘No, it must be really old.’
Dialugia alone had lived for 4,000 years, and there was also someone
they called the Dragon Lord. Considering that God had blessed this
continent, then the history of mankind must’ve indeed been long.
Although the probability is low, the civilization here could be

maintained even after 30,000 years.
‘If I think about it in a dragon’s standard, however, it would be a lot

different… ’
Considering that I shared one life with Dialugia, I thought I would live
quite a long time, but not for another 30,000 years.
Dialugia spoke once more as I mulled this over.
“Is it true that you said this doesn’t need to be ixed?”

“It doesn’t… mean exactly that…”
“I can’t even speak of how absurd that is. Or did you not understand the
seriousness of this situation? The Fragment of the Ancient God will
slowly absorb all life on the continent. It will suck in the magic power
spreading in the atmosphere and start to eat some of the lands we are
stepping on. All lifeforms will die, and in the end, there will be nothing
left.”
“Ah! Do the rooted tentacles play that role? That’s why the museum’s
function is also stopped. It doesn’t seem to be affecting us either… Are
we safe?”
“It doesn’t matter that right now. You really are…!”
“No, why are you so angry? You can speak slowly without being excited,
Dialugia.”
“You’re not grasping the severity of our situation.”
“Why are you so angry with me? Honestly, who’s the one who played
the biggest part in unlocking the seal?”
“T-That…”
“Does the dragon have a lifespan of more than 30,000 years? Is that
why?”
“No. Our longevity varies from individual to individual. It’s around

10,000 years, but it is usually impossible to live longer than that. For
reference, you, too, will follow my life span as a dragon spouse and live
for about 6,000 more years if nothing happens during that.”
It felt a little too long, and though I had expected this, I felt restless
when Dialugia spoke it out loud.
“It won’t collapse after 3,000 years, so there’s nothing wrong with it.
Our Tol To-ri can live comfortably for about 10,000 more years… I also
think my grandchildren can endure it without dif iculty, but I don’t
know why you’re saying this.”
“How come you don’t? Didn’t I just tell you?”
“It’s ine. All of our descendants will take care of it.”
“What on Earth are you talking about?”
“The future is created by our descendants.”
Even I knew my statement sounded trashy.
Dialugia looked disgusted.
“You can’t just say that. The continent will be destroyed. This will be
con irmed if we don’t ix it now. It’s like destroying the world with our
own hands. How should we see our a-ancestors at this rate?”
Certainly, with the standard of dragons, the feeling was a little different.
If someone is told me that the world would perish in 300 years, then
the average person may feel a little upset. Even Kim Hyunsung would
take on the responsibility.
I also knew Dialugia would be that kind of dragon.
“This is something that needs to be ixed. It must be ixed.”
“You mean risking our life?”
“No, but…”
“No, Dialugia. Let’s be a little more honest. What’s the most important
thing?”
“The most important thing for us, isn’t it our Tol To-ri?”
“But…”
“So, didn’t you help unseal the Ancient God? Think about this carefully.
If we shut our mouths and pretend we don’t know, we will be able to
live happily with Tol To-ri. Honestly, we were lucky just now. We were
really lucky. It would not be strange even if we all had died.”
I knew she would eventually agree with me. Just the fact that we had
survived was a miracle in itself.
The Fragment of the Ancient God didn’t even recognize us as the enemy.
He was just wriggling around, destroying everything it saw.
“I understand that you love the continent. I don’t know much about
dragons, but hearing about balancing things or something, I think you
feel responsible. But it’s okay to be moderately sel ish. If we do
something wrong, trying to ix this, we will all die.”
“I know that. But…”
“We are not alone, right? You have to think about Tol To-ri, who will be
left alone.”
At this, Dialugia shut her mouth, a terrible expression of guilt crossing

her face.
‘She’s really… ’
She was a tree that gave generously as a unique characteristic, so if it
weren’t for Tol To-ri, she might have jumped into the ire to protect the
continent at the expense of her life.
“You say you don’t know that Tol To-ri might be waiting for her mom
and dad to return as soon as possible. Do you think I want to pretend
that I don’t know about the fate of the continent? However, it is not the
fate of the continent that Tol To-ri needs. It’s his parents. Let’s talk
openly. Is Tol To-ri important? Or the ones who will be left on the
continent more important?”
“Tol… Tol To-ri…”
“Right. Tol To-ri is the most important. So, you don’t have to think about
this too much.”
“I-It’s not this…”
“You don’t have to worry too much. Didn’t you hear it, too, Dialugia? A
preliminary program has been triggered, and the Crack Museum is now
working hard to ix it. If what they prepared fails, I will do my best to
prevent it. Of course, if it’s within reach of my hand.”
“Yeah…”
When I patted her shoulder, I could see her bowing down. It seemed
hard for her to accept this fact, but what she thought about this didn’t
matter.
As my life was the most important thing to me, Tol To-ri was the most
important to her.
‘Good thing.’
I was glad that Tol To-ri existed.

“Oh, for reference, about the collapse of the continent or the
destruction of the world, it would be better not to tell any of these to
the expedition members.”
“What?”
“It’s obvious that normal humans will think like me… Still, there may be
someone who feels responsible. Let’s agree on what to say.”
“I don’t understand how.”
“Of course, it’s about the Fragment of the Ancient God. So far, you’ve
been recovering yourself and didn’t ask anything, but you’ll probably
get a few questions when you get back. You are the only member of the
expedition who knows about the Fragment of the Ancient God, and you
are the only one who knows why these tentacles are stuck on the loor
of the museum. Everyone has a lot of questions. I’ll tell them a bit, so
you just need to sprinkle it with enough af irmation for everyone to
trust us.”
“Should we do it, even to that extent?”
“If you don’t want to do it, close your mouth, and it won’t matter, but…
It’s a little uncomfortable as I’m the only one doing the bad things.
Show me your love for Tol To-ri.”
Dialugia began to bite her lips. Eventually, she nodded.
Though it felt like I was destroying something pure, this was the only
way we could do this.
As we talked about what to tell the rest of the members, a loating

object caught my eye.
‘What is that?’
Funnily, it felt like it was invisible to Dialugia’s eyes.
She noted that the surrounding magic power had become weird, as if
she felt something strange, but she certainly couldn’t see the object. At
this, I activated my Mind’s Eye.
[Anemone’s Eye]
[It is one of the unique spells given by the Anemone’s blood-stained

gem. You can see the world through the Anemone’s Eye.]
‘It’s just Jung Hayan… Phew… ’
I was scared at the possibility of it being the work of the Ancient God’s
Fragment, but I was relieved upon realizing that it was only Jung Hayan
spying on me.
In fact, even saying that I felt relieved seemed funny. Though this was
not unusual for me, it would certainly feel creepy for others.
However, I didn’t feel bothered, mostly because I had gotten used to

Jung Hayan.
What intrigued me, however, was the fact that even Dialugia couldn’t
see it.
‘Thinking about it, this might be dangerous… ’
I hadn’t even expected Hayan to be able to employ the Magic of

Knowledge spell right away.
She really was a genius. I knew better than anyone else how hard it was
to practice magic.
However, I couldn’t dwell on Hayan’s growth right now. The important

thing was to talk to our fellow members.
Jung Hayan would de initely cooperate if she found out that I wanted to
lie to the expedition, and she wouldn’t care if the world would get
destroyed, anyway.
After we inished talking, we started heading back to the group.

Anemone’s Eye continued to follow us until it inally disappeared. As
Hayan could now see us with her own eyes, she must’ve dismantled the
spell.
“O… Oppa!”
Though we had only been apart for some time, her happiness upon
seeing me was cute.
When I stroked Jung Hayan’s hair once, she made a grunting sound that
sounded similar to Tol To-ri’s, but I couldn’t just pay attention to her.
This was because Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo approached us

immediately.
“I think you can rest assured for now.”
“Oh. So, you already know the story?”
“Yes.”
“May I ask you to explain what that means?” Park Yeon-joo spoke, her
curiosity evident.
My face, which looked more optimistic than they thought, seemed to be

instilling hope within them. All other expedition members were also
looking at me. Although they pretended to be casually listening in, the
anxiety on their faces was palpable.
“First, Dialugia will explain.”

Beside me, Dialugia stepped forward with an expressionless face.
“The Fragments of the Ancient God… I-I think he has entered in the rest
phase.”
Of course, only I could see the guilt she felt at having said such a lie.
CHAPTER 244
A SHORT BREAK (3)
“A rest phase?”
“Yes. He had entered the rest phase. Perhaps this is a side effect. I don’t
know in detail either, but I can be sure that he will continue to be in the
same state as it is now. If I express that he is sealing himself, it will be
easier for you to understand.”
“That… is a relief.” Park Yeon-joo nodded.
Kim Hyunsung sighed, looking relieved.
All other members of the expedition looked happy. They must have
thought that we would have to do something about the Ancient God’s
Fragment.
Honestly, I didn’t want even to imagine the outcome. Everyone knew

that it was simply because of luck that we survived. Hearing that he
would be inactive made them all smile.
In the irst place, classifying it as a ‘rest phase’ was not entirely a bad
thing. Of course, the monster’s main body was ighting with the
preliminary program, but at least the tentacles had settled in to begin
and absorb the museum’s system, and with it, the entire continent.
If he wasn’t attacking us, then that meant he was resting. Right?
“There is also an arrangement of the Crack Guardians prepared by the

museum, so things will soon get… ixed.”
“Things… worked really well. Kiyoung’s choice would have been right…”
“It was a luke. It was actually dangerous. I was lucky. It’s a little late,
but I apologize for causing trouble to the expedition. It was actually
gambling. Not only us… Even the people in Lindel could’ve been in
danger.”
“Apologize? It was unavoidable that a mythic-grade monster appeared

randomly, and since Kiyoung-ssi took care of it well, everyone survived,
so it’s only right for us to be thankful to you for the moment. It’s a little
late, but… I want to personally show you my gratitude. If it hadn’t been
for the base that you showed me, some of us would probably have died.”
“I’ll be ashamed if you praise me like that. In fact, at the time, survival
was the only thing in my mind.”
If things were to go wrong, my position would have been quite

awkward.
“By the way… What on earth is the Fragment of an Ancient God?”
“That’s what Dialugia will explain.”
“Ah… Yes. Actually, I don’t know anything in detail, because the time I
have lived hasn’t been that long… I just heard it from both my mother
and grandmother. I know nothing else but the fact that it has existed
since the beginning and will put the continent at risk.”
“So, the manager, Max, was right. That’s really absurd. We already knew
that this place is not an ordinary place, but an Ancient God’s…
Fragment… Everything just seems so surreal.”
“Yes. I fully understand that. I have lived for more than 4,000 years, but
such beings have only come through stories. Of course, I didn’t think it
would be found in places like this… and even more so, while sealed.”
As Dialugia continued to talk, a loud voice cut her off.
“Why didn’t they just kill him instead of sealing him? I don’t know why
this museum did such a nuisance.”
“It is impossible to kill the Fragments of an Ancient God. It’s because

there is no shortage of being called God itself rather than a person who
has earned the divine. Those called Crack Guardians would also have
been best able to seal the Fragment. Of course, it was a mistake to be
too overcon ident of them. They probably never imagined that seal
would break.”
“Well… I see…”
“If he has entered the rest phase, what about the tentacles that are
reaching the museum now?”
At this point, I felt like it would be ine if I took this particular question,
which Ahn Ki-mo had asked. The man himself looked uneasy for some
reason.
Meanwhile, I already felt proud of Dialugia for being able to talk with a
poker face. Although she seemed to try her best to rein in the guilt, only
I was actually able to notice her struggle.
“The previous guess is correct. He’s probably trying to bring down the
museum’s system because it was the seal that held him up until now…
He has entered the rest phase, but the main body is ighting for strength
with the museum’s preliminary program. Of course, that won’t even
take long.”
“Ohhhh. I see…”
After coughing to catch everyone’s attention, I spoke once again, this

time in a louder tone.
“To sum it up, there seems to be no big problem. The preliminary
program will seal him during the rest phase and will probably succeed
in sealing it with a high probability. Right, Dialugia?”
“I think we’d better exit the museum after rescuing the isolated
survivors before the seal is completed. The system also has a hole, so
we can leave the dungeon without completing the museum tour.
Although the quest is un inished…”
“We can’t help it, right? If the seal is complete, the museum may be
under the in luence of the system again…”
I nodded at Park Yeon-joo’s answer.
I didn’t know if the manager Max would really succeed in sealing the
Fragment, but I had no intention of going where his main body was,
anyway.
There was no reason to support putting the seal if the monster itself
didn’t seem to possess any threat to us. The only sealing we would do
was to seal our expedition.
It was the perfect plan—no additional troubles included.
“Anyway, to conclude… At least, it seems that we are completely free

from the in luence of the Ancient God’s Fragment. Of course… Yes. The
continent is also safe. You can rest assured. Right, Dialugia?”
“Yes…”
“…”
“The continent… The continent is…”

“…”
“T-The continent… is safe!”
As Dialugia struggled to conclude this, cheering burst out within the

group.
Park Deokgu expressed his joy by hugging the female teams. Seeing
their spirits rising up once more, even I felt relieved.
“Of course, it is too early to be happy. The dungeon attack itself has not
been completed yet. As I said, shouldn’t we save the isolated survivors?”
“Yes, absolutely!”
“In fact, because I think it may be a little dif icult to ind isolated people
in this large area… I think the party should go to the museum’s
administration room.”
At my suggestion, Kim Hyunsung spoke. Since he had more experience

than I did, he for sure knew how we could get there.
“If we follow the tentacles of the Fragment, we can ind the place where
the museum manager is.”
“Yes.”
Though the plan was vague, it was better than having none at all.
‘First, we should follow the tentacles and ind Max, the museum
manager… ’
And with this, we could identify the location of the survivors. With this,
I had to consider the possibility of making Max the villain of this whole
situation.
I’d appreciate it if he informed me of the location, but he probably
didn’t like us anymore because we had screwed him up.
Of course, how he treated us didn’t matter. I bet he had no way of

stopping this mess.
Seeing that he didn’t show up right now meant that he couldn’t afford
to pay attention to other places while trying to clear things up.
If we were to ind the manager’s room—and, by default, him—it was

clear that I would be the de facto leader in trying to handle him.
‘Or I can just kill him… ’
In fact, I could disguise him as a named monster hidden in this

dungeon.
As I mulled this over, Kim Hyunsung continued to lead the way.
At this point, I felt glad that I cared about Hyunsung. As he noticed the
path I had opened up, I had to admit his skills were good.
“It should be safe right now, but everyone should still stay alert. Even if
the Fragment has entered the rest phase, this dungeon is still
dangerous. There may be other programs that protect the museum in
the direction of the manager’s room… There is a chance that other
monsters affected by the Fragments will also be awakened.”
“…”
“Even if we go to the manager’s room, not everything will be solved. We

don’t know anything about the museum, we just took a break, and we
haven’t inished our attack yet.”
As I wondered if Hyunsung was being too irm on us, he continued

speaking.
“And…”
“…”
“Taking a break is also one of the essential missions during an attack.

We will leave in 4 hours. Everyone, please recover as much as you can. I
really want no one to die so we can all return to Lindel.”
At his words, all the other members nodded, acutely aware of the
potential severity of our situation.
‘Good.’
If it had been I who had spoken this, it would be dif icult for them to
place their trust in me. I hated to admit it, but Kim Hyunsung’s dashing
appearance was a prerequisite to garner this kind of crowd effect.
Even now, Park Yeon-joo, Cho Hyejin, and some Black Swan members
had begun to swoon.
‘They’ve really fallen for him, haven’t they?’
Seeing them staring at him with such admiration made me feel

perplexed.
Anyway, as Kim Hyunsung said, everyone tried to recuperate as much

as they could. Though I had expected to be given a lesser time frame, it
appeared that he thought we could still spare some more time. This
meant that Hyunsung could make a full recovery in just four hours.
Since I had been suppressing my urge to sleep, I found this fortunate.
‘I think I can sleep… ’
Like me, those in desperate need of recovery set up camp, settled in a

suitable place, and began to sleep.
When I entered the simple tent, a pretty comfortable space greeted me.
My anxiety gradually began to melt.
Of course, Dialugia, who had since been wallowing in her guilt, found it
hard to loosen up.
‘Tsk… ’
She sat further away, muttering to herself.
“It was for Dialuria…”
“…”
“It was for my dear son. Mother… Grandma, I’m sorry.”
Seeing her like this, the familiar feeling of guilt lared up within me.
“It was for Dialuria… Ugh…”
Whether or not I felt guilty had nothing to do with my exhaustion.

However, I soon fell into a deep sleep.
‘Ah, I really am a piece of shit.’
Once again, I was reminded of how trashy my personality was.

However…
Sleep was indeed a sweet escape.

CHAPTER 245
MAX, THE MUSEUM MANAGER
(1)
“Wake up, Oppa.”
“Ugh…”
“We’ll be leaving soon.”
“Okay…”
I slowly opened my eyes, only to see Jung Hayan right in front of my

face, just a few millimeters away. However, I did not stir, for I had
already gotten used to her. Having her look into me with her large,
unblinking eyes had become a routine.
As I sat up, I gave us a little distance and began to rub at my eyes.
‘I feel strangely tired… ’
Even though I had a pretty good sleep, my fatigue remained.
Of course, I wasn’t just tired. The magical power that was on the verge
of exhaustion had also been somewhat illed.
Seeing Jung Hayan with a healthier complexion, it seemed that, if one’s

magic stat was high, the recovery rate was also higher.
“How many hours did I sleep?”

“About 3 hours and 40 minutes.”
“You should’ve woken me up a little faster.”
“Y-You were sleeping so well that I didn’t notice… I’m sorry.”
“No. You don’t have to apologize.”
“May I wash you?”
“Ah… Yes. Please.”
Of course, this didn’t mean that she would wash me by hand. As Hayan
chanted a spell, my face started to feel moist. Magic proved to be
convenient, even for the daily necessities of one’s life. Of course, since it
felt like someone else had been washing me, I felt a little
uncomfortable, but this was something to be thankful for in the
dungeon.
As soon as they packed their luggage, the expedition members were

already starting to clear up the camp.
No dictating was needed. Everyone already knew what they had to do.
At this, I could con irm that most of the Black Swan members here were
veterans from the slow yet sure movements that they exhibited.
Nevertheless, some of their other members moved in a relatively quick

and panicked manner, informing me that not all of them were
experienced when it came to expeditions.
The smoothness in the way they moved was surprising, considering

that they were all women. At least, they were all aware of how
dangerous this place was.
One could lose their life with just the tiniest mistake.
As I mulled this over, a voice called out to me.
“Kiyoung-ssi, you’re up.”
It was the lovely Kim Hyunsung.
“Ah… Yes. I’m a little late.”
“No, no. Actually, I was going to wake you up just before the departure,
but I saw Hayan-ssi in the tent… Are you feeling well?”
Strangely, I felt lattered that he was looking out for me. He probably
knew that my body had not yet fully recovered.
In fact, Park Yeon-joo and Kim Hyunsung were the ones who suffered
real damage, but as my body was weak, I felt extremely tired just by
being drained of my magic power.
“Can I hold your hand for a minute?”
“Ah… Yes. Of course.”
As soon as he inished talking, some of the members’ gazes focused on

us. The Black Swan members who had been busy cleaning up stopped
and turned to watch what we were doing.
‘I think I know what they’re thinking… ’
Something similar had already happened once.
I could see them swooning at the sight of the two of us standing close
together, with Hyunsung clasping my hand and closing his eyes.
Although I knew that he was only doing his best to check the condition
of my magic power, it may have looked affectionate for the rest of the
members.
“You seem to be okay.”
“Yes. I’m not fully recovered, but thanks to your consideration, I was
able to rest.”
“That’s good, Kiyoung-ssi.”
‘Don’t smile like that, you bastard.’
He was showing me a smile he hadn’t ever shown, even to Park Yeon-

joo. My anxiety spiked, as this only seemed to empower the members’
misunderstanding.
Come to think of it. I began to be suspicious of ‘How Alchemists and

Genius Prosecutors Love.’
I knew it was just a ictional novel, but I had slowly grown to be

suspicious of the story it contained.
‘Fuck… ’
When I get back to Lindel, I would have to read it once to igure out the
situation.
Besides this, our expedition appeared to be sailing smoothly. The Black

Swan expedition began to move faster and faster. They reminded me of
veteran soldiers expertly packing up after listening to a charity ball.
Strangely, they all seemed to be full of spirit.
I think this expedition was different for them because there were men
around.
“We’ll be leaving in a bit. As we said in the brie ing, the destination is
the administration of ice. We will follow the tentacles of the Fragments
of the Ancient God. Make a last check for anything missing, and be
careful not to touch the tentacles during the march. There may be an
accident, so wizards, please cast defensive magic in rotation.”
“Okay.”
“We will move as fast as possible as long as we are fully recovered.

Hyunsung-ssi said that he would be in the lead, so it would be nice if
you can follow us as quickly as possible.”
Immediately after the short brie ing, we stood up and started walking.
The only difference from the previous one was that Kim Hyunsung had
begun to walk at a very fast pace. Usually, those who lead this kind of
march were the archers.
Among them, it was common sense to leave the task to rangers, who
specialized in reconnaissance and trap dismantling.
In Blue, the pursuer Kim Ye-ri was included in this position, and of
course, the number of rangers who joined this expedition was more
than three. The fact that they all followed behind meant they had placed
complete trust in the de facto leader in front.
One would think that everything was possible just because they were
strong, but this was not the case at all. Such was the exquisiteness of
jobs.
For example, in Cha Hee-ra’s case, she could never do what a Ranger
could.
She wouldn’t be able to dismantle a trap, only to destroy it, and even
then, she wouldn’t be able to sense where it was located.
When the Rangers who, at irst, looked at Kim Hyunsung unwelcomely

began their march, the surprise soon showed on their faces as he
expertly led us around.
‘Was he a Ranger in the irst round?’
It is natural to think that even in the irst round, he would be a

swordsman.
Perhaps he had chosen a ranger-type class.
‘Did he take a growth route like Kim Ye-ri?’
Perhaps his experience stemmed from the past. At this point, what did
it matter? Amidst my curiosity, only one thing was for sure—Kim
Hyunsung was the most comfortable when he was the one in front and
leading.
“There seems to be no trap. I’ll speed it up a little more.”
“Yes. Check.”
“I see some golems in front. We cleared them up.”
“Yes. Check.”
“I see monsters of heroic-grade or higher. They seem to be out of the

in luence of the system.”
“We cleared them up.”
The most beautiful part was that we were able to move at such a fast
pace.
Named monsters with a lower level of heroic-grade were cleared
immediately.
Luckily, we didn’t see a legendary-grade monster, but it was hard to tell

whether Kim Hyunsung avoided it on purpose or if he really didn’t
come across it.
In fact, he didn’t even give us a chance to see the monsters that came
our way, slashing them apart the moment his eyes settled upon them.
Seeing that even the monsters which seemed quite large had had their
heads blown away, the mythic-grade sword had really helped Hyunsung
a lot.
Seeing his ef iciency, the Rangers had begun to bow their heads in
shame.
‘He’s fast!’
The speed at which the expedition advanced was higher than expected.
It felt as if we were in a race rather than a dungeon exploration.
Instead of large rooms, broken pavilions, or broken items, narrow

streets or golems began to appear. Meanwhile, the tentacles stuck to the
loor or wrapped around the pillars were getting thinner. This meant
that we were approaching the end.
Shortly after that, the tentacles’ end began to appear, yet Kim Hyunsung
did not stop.
Although the road seemed to be cut off, he continued moving to a place

where the low of magical power was still being felt.
Arriving here in less than six hours would not have been expected by
Max, who was moving around while watching a large video.
-N-No!
[Error]
[The main program is not operating.]
-Why isn’t the main program operating? Is he already being eroded? No,
no… this can’t happen.
[Error]
[The main program is not operating.]
-Even a preliminary program needs to be reinforced. If this is pierced,

it’s over. I need to put all the reserve magic power into the main
program. That’s the right thing to do. The museum will be destroyed,
but… I have to protect the continent, the continent. The Crack Guardian
entrusted it to me. I can’t give up like this. Grunt…
[Injecting magic power into the preliminary program.]
While preparing for the battle, we had entered quite con idently, but
what was unfolding in front of me proved to be quite the spectacle.
A little boy with blonde hair was moving around and controlling a
device made of magic circles.
He didn’t even notice we had arrived, or perhaps, he couldn’t afford to.
The Ancient God’s Fragment shown in the large hologram of magical

power seemed to be held by blue magical power, but anyone could see
that it would not be enough to seal him back in.
As expected, the preliminary program and the Fragment of the Ancient

God were ighting. It looked terrible, even by watching the video. We
were fortunate not to have gotten stuck in that battle room.
-No matter what it costs, I have to seal it again.
As I took another step, Max whirled around, apparently not expecting

us to ind him.
-How… did you…
I thought he was a machine-like guy, but the original body certainly

harbored emotions.
The expression “Why?” was seen irst, followed by surprise.
Then, fear etched onto his expression.
Surprisingly, the last emotion that he showed was a sense of

responsibility.
While holding a device made of a magic circle tightly, he began to shout.
-No, no! You… you… trash! You ilthy Ancient God, minions! Do you
think I’ll let you destroy the continent?!
‘We’re not the bad guys, you bastard.’
I knew that, at this point, the situation had completely changed.

CHAPTER 246
(2)
Anyone could see that he looked anxious.
When I look at his face, I could see what kind of misunderstanding had
passed through his mind. His body trembled, and he seemed to have all
sorts of wicked thoughts.
Seeing that he was desperately blocking the control device, he seemed

to think that we had come here to destroy it, which was the opposite of
what we had been trying to do.
Right now, I was hoping that the seal would remain, but if things were
to go awry, then there was no reason not to destroy it.
Anyone who had something to protect automatically became weak.
Of course, I still had to think about whether I could call him a person,
but I at least liked the fact that he was capable of feeling anxious.
‘That’s interesting.’
It wasn’t just him. Everything that made up this room proved to be full
of wonders.
In fact, from the moment I entered this room, my interest in the

manager, Max, had declined signi icantly.
‘This is a trove of treasure.’
The hologram, which seemed to be made of magical power, was

probably the best of them.
It was natural to be amazed upon seeing such a kind of technology in a

world without video media and recorders. Looking at magic circles
shining everywhere, I could somewhat understand how it worked in
principle.
At the very least, I can use what he already had.
‘Do these need permission to be used?’
When I checked with the Mind’s Eye, the information showed in my

eyes.
[Crack Museum Control Device (Legendary)]
[Manager permission is required.]
‘As expected… ’
It was unfortunate, but besides that, there were also some interesting
artifacts.
My interest also seemed to be a threat to Manager Max.
-Never… I will never let things happen the way you want.
Seeing him act upon his misunderstanding just made him look cuter.
In fact, his whole appearance was the whole epitome of cute. He looked
like a blond boy that would break just by touching him.
Also, the power felt from him was not that great. Although the
expedition members were preparing for battle, it was only to prepare
for an emergency.
Honestly, there was no need to be so vigilant. Unlike the expedition

members who thought an element could be a threat, there were no
dangerous elements in my eyes.
A golem outside that guarded the manager’s room was all there was,
and Max’s power could be classi ied as that of a heroic-grade monster’s.
To sum up, this was a situation where we ourselves could take action.
I didn’t think about it when I saw the pile, but when I looked at his
original body, the sensor that detected pushovers kept lightning up.
I then stepped forward and spoke with a smile.
“Well, well… Who is this? Aren’t you, Max, the museum manager, who
protected and inherited the Crack Museum?”
-You… you!
“I’ll be disappointed if you get so angry like this, manager. As expected,

the vibe is a little different when we talk face to face. Your original body
is actually that of a little boy’s. So? If you have a moment, would you like
to have a conversation?”
-You… You crap, fucking bastard!
“I don’t know why you are so angry.”
-You ilthy Ancient God’s servant! T-Things won’t work out the way you
want them to!
“I don’t know why you think of us as servants of the Ancient God…
Ahem. We apologize for making things a bit complicated. We couldn’t
help. First, you’re the one who started faking, and I don’t know about
the museum tour or whatever, but we didn’t have many options to
survive.”
-S-Shut that dirty mouth! I didn’t manipulate the probabil-
“I have a few questions I want to ask…”
-Dirty humans! I shouldn’t have received people like you as guests.
“Hey, I’m just talking to you, but why are you so angry, museum
manager?”
-L-leave now! Right now! W-where’s the guard golem…
“If it’s a rock that doesn’t do anything, I’ve already dealt with it. Don’t
do that, let’s just talk…”
-Eeek!
The only problem was that he refused to listen to me. It would be

bene icial for both sides if we could just talk this out instead of ighting.
‘We can’t ight… we can’t.’
Of course, no one wanted to harm the treasures within the room by

battling.
The value of many of the devices, including the museum’s control unit,
was indescribably astronomical.
Depending on the use, it may have more value than the mythic-grade
sword that Kim Hyunsung obtained. That museum device control
certainly goes beyond Durendal’s value.
The expedition members, who were still lustered, hadn’t thought about
it yet, but everyone would come to know this if they only had my ability.
After entering the continent, I wondered if I had ever wanted

something so intensely.
In the end, I had to speak to Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo quietly.
“I’m sorry, everyone, but I want to negotiate with the museum

manager… If it’s okay, could you leave it to me?”
Amidst Max’s insane ramblings, I continued to speak.
“I think it would be more effective to be just the two of us than to have a

group together… Please.”
“Wouldn’t it be dangerous?”
“Ah! It’s okay if Dialugia comes with me. I think I can get satisfactory
results for both guilds. That is if the Black Swans permit it…”
“Fine by me.”
I already expected Kim Hyunsung to say this, but the problem was Park
Yeon-joo.
‘I think this one has also noticed… ’
“I will tell you the whereabouts of the isolated people within 10

minutes.”
I didn’t know what conclusion she had come to, but seeing her nod
meant that she had decided to leave this up to me. I knew I had done a
good job building up her trust.
“Yes. If so, please.”

‘That is why people’s usual behavior is important.’
I could con irm once more that my reputation had done me some good.
Everyone slowly started to get out of the management room, and only
Dialugia stayed beside me, looking displeased. Finally, we could have a
conversation in peace.
-Negotiation? Negotiation? Do you think I’m doing something like that

with you? Get out of here!!
I expected Max to react like that, but I honestly didn’t care.
As he stopped to take his breath, I began to speak, and anxiety illed his
expression. It seemed like he did not know how to react to this sudden
change in attitude.
“Hey.”
-Huh?
“Can’t you igure out what’s happening now?”
-What…
“Our brilliant Crack Guardians have planted a sense of responsibility,

but I guess they didn’t give you wit.”
-I don’t know what you’re talking about, but…
“Shut up and listen to me, manager. You’ve been talking about

protecting the continent or whatever, but… You’re not hoping that the
seal over there will be released.”
-Huh?
“Oh. Push the strange misunderstanding into a corner of your magical
brain. I am neither a servant nor a merciful of the Ancient God as you
might think. Releasing the seal was unavoidable, but there was no other
reason than to survive. Of course, it feels good to see how things went
well.”
-Don’t say weird stuff and… Fuck!
Seeing as I didn’t want him to start screaming once more,
“If that is released… You said the continent would fall apart?”
At this, he shut his mouth.
“I heard it from our woman. Right, Dialugia? In the future, it will slowly
absorb the life force of the continent and become stronger… That
period is probably… Did you say it was 30,000 years?”
-Actually, it’s a little shorter…
“You seem to feel quite responsible for this continent, but unfortunately,
I don’t. Honestly, it has nothing to do with me whether the continent is
destroyed or is intact after 30,000 years. The future is created by our
descendants… They will take care of it.”
-H-How can you say that?
“Is this a hologram made of magical power? Looking at him right now,
this is the Fragment of the great and digni ied Ancient God? Ha! He
seems to be trying to get rid of something like a preliminary program. If
my eyes aren’t a knothole, the power balance looks pretty tight…”
-Er…
“Ergo. You’ve seen this, right? What if this potion explodes here? What if
one of the control units over there goes down and the magic power
being delivered to the preliminary program is cut off?”
-D-do you think I’ll let you do th…
“Oh. Don’t get angered, Max. Dialugia, please subdue it.”
As Max ran towards me, Dialugia placed herself between the two of us.
I could see him struggling with her overwhelming body.
-E… Eeek! Put me down! Put me down!
“I-I’m sorry…”
-I don’t know about humans, but you shouldn’t do this! Those who keep
the continent’s balance shouldn’t be involved in this! You are a dragon!
Do you know what you’re trying to do now?!
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
-We have to protect the continent! If you are a proud dragon, get that
trash right now! That’s the only way for this continent to survive!
-This is ridiculous… You can’t do this! You can’t!
Dialugia’s face showed a terrible sense of guilt. For some reason, I felt
like she was blaming herself too much.
As I said earlier, it didn’t matter whether he was released or active, but

it was less unpleasant to be quiet than to be released.
I had no choice but to stick with my current attitude, however.
‘Good.’
I didn’t even think about using the continent as bait, but his reaction
was so good that I found myself gradually becoming excited.
“It must be really worth it seeing this! The Crack Guardians will jump
up from the grave! I’m about to put in the bomb now.”
-Don’t! D-Don’t!
“I think it’ll be stronger than I thought, so it might not be possible with

one bottle… When magic power enters this potion, it will explode after
two seconds! The continent will soon perish!”
-Don’t! Don’t!
“Hey! You have to speak formally with adults!”
-Please don’t!
“No. After all, I need to do it with my own hands rather than destroy it
with a bomb. Isn’t there any suitable stick?”
-Ugh…
As I picked up a stick nearby and made a swinging motion, Max began

to look more and more anxious.
Honestly, it didn’t make sense to smash that control with this stick, but
nothing could make him more anxious than a violent demonstration.
It was funny how he shook every time I threatened to destroy the

control.
“The continent will now be destroyed after 5 seconds. Thump, thump,

thump, thump!”
-No… No!
“Five!”
-Please don’t do this!
“Four!”
At this point, Dialugia had also begun to look anxious.
“Are you really going to do it? You!”
-Highly proud dragon! Quickly!!
“Three!”
-No… No!
“Two!”
-Ugh!
“I’m doing it!”
-W-What do you want?!
When I let the stick swing dangerously close to the control device, Max
hastened to bring up negotiation.
Fortunately, he had given me the right answer.
I couldn’t help but smile. When I prepared to speak once more, he

trembled.
“The museum.”
I spoke in a irm, unwavering voice.

-H-Huh?
CHAPTER 247
(3)
“You heard me loud and clear. I want the museum.
-Hu… uh?
“This museum. Give it to me.”
-W-What are you talking about?
“Let’s run this museum together. Well, there is no other purpose…”
-T-the system doesn’t allow you to take any stored items even if you
step in as a manager. That won’t be allowed.
“I know that. On the way here, I found out that some are still being
protected. You must complete the expedition to receive the reward
because that’s the rule here. I know that rule cannot be broken. What I
need is not an item. Oh! I almost forgot. First, I have to know where the
isolated people are.”
-…
“Don’t even think about trading things using them. If the number is
wrong, I will really smash everything. It hurts me to see the continent
collapse. Please don’t make me react so negatively, alright? I am a gentle
and kind person.”
I saw him rolling his eyes at my request, which led me to think that I
might have to respond a little more roughly. I could see his plans of
doing negotiations with the Black Swan survivors.
‘Not a chance.’
It meant that I have to show him that there was no room for a deal. It
was important to instill an image of a psychopath that would really
overturn everything if he made the wrong choice.
-But… that’s…
“You look a little uncomfortable.”
-Er…
“I guess I really did make you feel uncomfortable, huh, Max?”
-No, it’s not that…
Using Jung Hayan for reference, I opened my eyes wide, emphasizing

how angry I was, and Max began to tremble once more, looking at me as
if I was demented.
“It seems like my request was too much. I almost made a big mistake,
didn’t I, Dialugia?”
“That…”
“It really looks like that! I made the museum manager, Max,
uncomfortable! I was wrong! This demoralized mortal is wrong! How
dare I upset the museum manager defending the Crack! I made a very
big mistake!”
In an angry fashion, I began to hit the wall next to me with the stick –
and although I did not have enough power to actually make a dent, I
knew it still had an effect.
“Don’t do anything! Don’t run the museum too! Don’t explore! Don’t
even seal it! Do nothing!”
Crash!
Bang!
This was a little hard to do alone. I wanted to have Ahn Ki-mo with me
or even Park Deokgu, but upon seeing Dialugia’s expression, it seemed
that I no longer needed one.
She, like Max, was also looking at me as if I had lost all my sanity. I knew
she was now thinking something along the lines of, ‘This man is my
child’s father?’
‘This is acting, woman. Don’t misunderstand… ’
Although I wanted to clear things up with her, I needed to continue my

acting if I wanted the little blond boy to successfully respond to me.
And it was effective. The moment Max looked at Dialugia’s expression,

he realized that my actions indeed seemed genuine.
Honestly, I was out of breath now.
As I regained my breathing, both Manager Max and Dialugia looked at

me with absurd gazes. I must’ve looked like a man who had gone crazy
from his anger.
I didn’t feel bad at all.
“Phew… Phew… Phew…”
-…
“Max-ssi, have you ever heard of this?”
-Heard… what…
“I mean, I am doing you a great favor right now, Manager-ssi. It’s a very
good offer. It’s an ending that can make everyone happy…”
At this, Dialugia spoke up.
“Accept it.”
-E-Even you…
“Come on. Quickly. You can see how serious he is.”
It was fun to see Max nervously swallow. He seemed to have

tremendous trust in Dialugia’s judgment, as his gaze alternated
between the museum’s control unit and me.
I could understand Dialugia’s train of thought, however. In order to

keep the continent safe, she, too, thought that the best way would be to
accept my deal.
I didn’t know if she remembered me holding Tol To-ri as a hostage, but

her expression as she gazed at me de initely resembled utter disgust.
‘I must’ve looked like real trash back then… ’
However, she had no choice but to comfort herself that I was on the
good side.
“Phew… Phew…”
“Be quick; accept it. I know a human’s disposition best. If you accept,
nothing will happen. I promise.”
-To do this to this extent…
“I was forced to be here, but I also do not want the continent to

collapse. Never.”
-Grunt…
Max, who was shedding thick tears while being suppressed by Dialugia,
was the victim himself.
I felt a little sorry, but I had no other option.
“There is little time left to choose, Max-ssi. Don’t test my patience.”
In the end, he began to shake and nod his head in alternation.
‘I did it.’
It would indeed seem that he had the authority to bring in another

manager.
In fact, the museum itself had ceased almost every function.
Since all the magic power left in the main circuit was redirected into the
preliminary program, it was unknown whether the dungeon’s original
shape could be maintained as before.
‘I actually feel sorry for him.’
The exhibition halls that he boasted of were all smashed, and most of
the objects in them were destroyed in vain. With just a bunch of new
guests, his museum had quickly become a garbage dump. From his
point of view, I was the plague—the bringer of destruction.
I saw him wiping his tears, biting his lips tightly while trying to calm his
shaking hands.
Dialugia released his hand with a somewhat pitiful expression, and
when he went to touch the magic circle, a system message appeared in
front of me.
[Max, Level 5 Manager of the Crack Museum, has offered you a position
as the Manager of the Crack Museum.]
[Do you want to accept it? The class will not change. Upon acceptance, a
title will be created.]
[Crack Museum Level 5 Manager]
[You can view information that can be viewed with the Level 5 Manager
of the Crack Museum. Basic privileges of level 5 managers can be used.]
‘Good.’
As I appraised the message, I could see nothing that would come back
to bite me in the ass.
It wasn’t a slave contract, and it wasn’t a life-sharing obligation, like

with Dialugia.
I wouldn’t accept it if it would change my class, but it would indeed be

welcomed if only a title would be created. As soon as I chose to accept
it, a message came once again.
[A title is created.]
[The magic power increases by +1.]
‘Nice!’
I wanted to yell at the pleasant news. It only raised my magic stat by 1,
but for me, who could no longer improve in terms of magical power,
this was also good news.
At the same time, various pieces of information also began to appear in

the status window.
Although it contained the authority and responsibilities of the Crack

Museum manager, I did not read it in detail.
Max would do all the duties anyway. I only had to enjoy the privileges
that came along with it.
However, a lot of information poured into my head. My head began to

tingle.
‘Huh?’
The most amazing thing was that I could see all the control devices that
couldn’t be normally be seen with my Mind’s Eye.
I didn’t know if this was the effect of becoming a level 5 Manager, but
now, I had access to more detailed information, including operation
methods and manuals about getting around with this job easily.
‘Still… I don’t think this will be an easy job… ’
Looking at the solution book from the manager’s perspective, I could

better understand how serious the current situation was.
If I had ever slapped the control with that stick, there would really be a
possibility that the museum would collapse.
‘I can ix this.’
As I mulled the possibilities over, I saw Max crying and talking to
himself.
-Grunt. The museum is over… It’s over… Guardian… Guardian Metel…

I’m sorry. I made a mistake.
“Why are you crying, manager? A coworker came in, and you’re not
happy…”
-Waaaahh… Haaah…
“Get out of your seat for a minute. Please pass the location of the
survivors to the expedition outside.”
-What do you want to do again?!
“What else am I going to do? Now, this is also my museum. Isn’t it

natural to ix that insane Ancient God’s Fragment?”
-Wait a minute! Do not touch these things so carelessly!
“Please get out of your seat. It’s my irst time, so I don’t know if it will
work… However, I think I know what to do.”
-What can you possibly know!?
“I don’t know if this is the right to do. No, but why do you keep talking
to me so informally? Huh?”
-W-What do you know?
“I only know because I can see it. Why, you can’t see it?”
-See?
“No wonder your museum became a mess. Tsk.”

-…
“The museum is in a mess, but why wasn’t the auxiliary power in

District 4 turned on? It’s also in the manual…”
-Huh?
“The main program seems to be down, not damaged. I’m glad you didn’t
put the magic power all the way into the preliminary program. And why
are your unused piles still maintained? I’ll dismantle it right away and
turn it into magic power. Even such magic power can be used in a time
like this.”
Now that I had gotten into work mode, Max’s voice had become
irritating.
“Get out of the way. I’ll cut off all the magic power supply that goes into
the exhibits maintained by the main power. It’s better to save even
some of them… If it went like this, the seal would have been completely
released before I could even destroy it.”
-What?
“Wow… It almost got really dangerous. Dialugia, the isolated Black Swan
expedition will be in District 5 and District 32. It looks like they’re in
better condition than expected, so please tell them to rest assured and
guide them here. And staff Max.”
As I called his name, his expression tightened.
-Yes? Well, if there’s anything… Can I help? What should I do? I’ll assist
next to you right now!!
“Get some coffee.”
At this, I received another system message.

[Legendary-grade compulsory quest is activated.]
[Quest: Continental Salvation (0/1) (Legendary)]
[Reward: (Title) Continental Guardian]
[Continental Guardian]
[This is a title given to members of the expedition who prevented the

collapse of the continent. All stats are permanently increased by +1.]
Now, this would be suf icient motivation. It now seemed absolutely

unacceptable to destroy the continent where my precious descendants
would live.
And just like that, I had undergone a dramatic change in attitude.

CHAPTER 248
(4)
I probably wasn’t the only one who had received the quest.
Since the task was to save the continent, even the members waiting for
me outside would probably have gotten the same system message.
Shortly after, the expedition members began to enter the

administration room and settled in.
Seeing that some unfamiliar faces were visible meant that they had
successfully managed to save the isolated survivors.
‘They’re in better condition than I thought.’
I had expected this.
In the beginning, staff Max was not actually a named monster but a
magic aggregate classi ied as a dungeon guide. There was no reason
why he would persecute them in the irst place.
‘He kind of has a pushover personality as well… ’
Anyway, I could see that everyone harbored absurd expressions. They

seemed to be asking me as to what the hell I was doing here.
They seemed confused as to how different the scenery now was.

Compared to the previously screaming Max, they now saw me skillfully
handling devices I had never before seen in my life, all while drinking
the coffee the blond boy himself had made. I knew it was necessary to
explain.
It was Park Yeon-joo who couldn’t resist her curiosity any longer.
“What… is going on?”
“We made a deal. I said that I would ix the seal of the Ancient God.”
“I-I see. And how do these devices…”
“I am not sure, but it is a system that is easier to understand than you

think. In fact, at irst sight, I thought I knew how it worked, so I
proposed the deal. There are several noticeable errors. I’m pretty good
with machines…”
“So this can be solved because you’re pretty good with machines?”
Doubt illed Yeon-joo’s voice, and I couldn’t tell her it was because I had
my Mind’s Eye attribute that I was able to understand right away.
Even Kim Hyunsung looked surprised, but soon enough, his expression
shifted to one of pride.
Once again, he had begun to appraise me as if I was a rare treasure he

was glad to have gotten his hands on. Contrary to his subtle expression,
Park Deokgu was more direct.
“I told you our Hyung-nim is a genius! Whoa! Hyung-nim is awesome!”
“Well, didn’t you say that you knew just by looking at it?”
“…”
To be precise, I didn’t have a good brain, but good eyes. If I didn’t have
Mind’s Eye, none of this would have been possible.
However, due to Park Deokgu’s cheers, the Black Swan members had
begun to see me in an entirely new light. In the irst place, I had already
managed to get into their good graces by creating the perfect formation
for the expedition.
Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung once more looked triumphant, and
Jung Hayan began to look wary once more, perhaps because of the way
the Black Swan members were now looking at me.
Though I wanted to bask in their attention, now was not the time. The
preliminary program in itself would not be able to handle the Ancient
God’s Fragment.
In the main protective device’s case, the Crack Guardians’ arrangement

was a system that moved by itself, while the reserve was a system
which must be moved manually to catch him.
I could understand why Max was desperately holding onto it.
‘You have to keep it tied up.’
The Fragment of the ilthy Ancient God had not yet been completely
sealed. Not only was he constantly wriggling, but he was struggling to
cut down the preliminary program in one way or another.
Right now, the image re lected in the video was simply that the blue
magic power was holding him around, but this seemed to be a little
more complicated than I thought.
I needed to keep injecting magic power into the holes that Ancient God
had made. It meant that I have to empower every side where he would
attack.
In short, it would be like playing a game wherein I would have to avoid
all the bullets coming my way.
Of course, the operation would be much more complex than simple

game controls. That was why this would be a dif icult task.
In summary, I had to focus on this task and this task alone. I could not
afford to get distracted.
In an instant, the noisy atmosphere gradually became quiet, perhaps

because of my serious expression and fumbling hands.
As time passed, the only sound I could hear was the sound of the magic
circles running and Max desperately pacing back and forth.
Anyone might think that things were not going well.
Upon noticing my turmoil, Kim Hyunsung spoke up.
“Can I help you with anything?”
‘Ah… the only one who gets me.’
“Hmm… Yes. I think it’ll get easier if I get more pairs of hands.”
I needed more workers for this thing to be successful.
“Staff Max, handle this for a moment. Don’t inject magic power into
useless places… It won’t take long, so just keep the things the way they
are.”
-Okay!
As soon as I got up, he hurriedly went to take my place. I then shifted

my focus onto the expedition members who were now giving me their
full, undivided attention.
After launching a magic hologram, I started a brie ing about the
situation.
“I’ll explain the situation for a minute, as concise and fast as possible.”
“Okay.”
However, before I could get right into it, Park Yeon-joo began to speak.
“Excuse me. Excuse me, can I ask you a quick question? Kiyoung-ssi?”
“Yes. You can speak.”
“Before that… Didn’t you say that the Ancient God’s Fragment entered
the rest phase?”
“Yes. He de initely entered the rest phase. Dialugia judged to be that,

and when Manager Max heard the story, he said he thought the same
thing.”
Of course, this was a lie.
“I tried to reseal the guy who went to rest at the museum, but the
current situation was that the Fragment of the Ancient God noticed the
activity of the preliminary program and started to resist. I’d like to
explain it in more detail, but I don’t have the time right now…”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Of course, you will be in doubt. At this point, almost all the
parts are now sealed. However, as you can see, cracks are starting to
form in the seal. What staff Max is doing right now is to cover the hole
using the magic power stored within the preliminary program.”
“Hmm…”
“Fortunately, I’ve got some spare magic from somewhere else, and I’m
keeping it the way it is. However, my judgment now is that I need other
means to keep the guy still. I also need another worker to handle things
if anything happens.”
“I see.”
“Certainly, if I knew this would be dangerous, I would not have asked

you for help. Of course, this doesn’t come without any risk…”
“It’s not like it’s going to kill you.”
“No. I’ll block anything before you get in danger. The preliminary
program exists for that reason, too.”
“I think I know… what you mean.”
“If it is judged that things are not going well, we will not only open a
retreat but also put your safety irst.”
“Then if the seal is broken…”
“It was me who broke the seal in the irst place. There must be some
way to ix it.”
Truth be told, there was no way to ix it. This meant that if the seal
breaks, the continent will collapse after 30,000 years.
Honestly, I didn’t care about the continent’s existence, but the sad part
was that I would have something to lose this time around.
‘My museum… ’
These control devices will not be able to be used again, nor will they
even be available. All functions would cease to work.
‘It would be better to block the seal.’
I nodded and spoke again, this time with a slightly heavy voice.
“We will move while giving importance to our survival.”
“Yes. Okay.”
“Because Hyung-nim said such things, I am strangely relieved.”
“Ahem. And I have something to say, which may seem out of character…”
“You can speak.”
“Everyone must have received the quest.”
I knew they have.
[Checking the legendary-grade quest.]
In fact, I could see everyone looking at their status window.
“Actually, I am someone who would rather prioritize your lives than the
existence of the continent. It was also because of my sel ishness that
made things more complicated than it already is. Receiving a quest in
this manner made me feel a little strange.”
Actually, it did not feel strange at all.
“A strange sense of responsibility began to manifest itself in me. Oh, of

course, it’s not because of the stats attached to the titles that come as
rewards. Haha.”
As soon as I laughed a little, everyone did the same. Of course, there
was no sense of responsibility for me. I just wanted the reward. Gaining
another point for my magic stat meant a lot.
“We’ll have to do our best in this quest, of course, with no one dying in
the process.”
This was for the museum!
“This is for our descendants who will live in Lindel in the future.”
Cho Hyejin, who knew my true nature to some extent, and Dialugia,
who couldn’t seem to forget my previous reactions, showed their
confusion at the bullshit I had just spouted out, but most of the
members nodded in response to my words.
In particular, Sun Hee-young and Ahn Ki-mo seemed to like my speech.
“Let’s go.”
At Kim Hyunsung’s words, all the members of the expedition nodded

and began to move.
Dialugia looked at me with a perplexed expression this entire time, and

although it pierced my consciousness, we were at least moving to save
the continent now.
‘Let’s show the power of humanity to the Fragment of the dirty Ancient
God!’
And thus, the battle began in earnest.

CHAPTER 249
(5)
Finally, the ight to protect the museum, no, the continent, had begun.
With one gesture, Max hurried to step away. The way he transitioned
from enemy to loyal subordinate seemed funny to me, but it must’ve
been an unavoidable choice for him.
‘Because he’s desperate.’
He seemed convinced that I could do the tasks he lacked in.
The irst reason was that I could directly check the weakening areas
with my ability before the system could even alert him of it. The same
went for the behavioral patterns of the Ancient God’s Fragment.
I couldn’t check his information, but I could study his movements.
In a situation where every second was important, being able to see

vulnerable areas in advance helped prepare for severe situations.
“You told them exactly the shortest distance, right? Max?”
-Yes. Maybe in a little while, they will enter!
“Very good.”
-Is there anything else you want me to do?

“For now, get me another coffee.”
-Okay!
As soon as I looked at the magical hologram, I saw the expeditionary

squads invading where the Ancient God’s Fragment was located.
“What about the voice connection?”
-It’s already connected. When you want to talk to them, just put the
magic power in the magic circle located at the far end and talk, um…
“You can just call me President Lee.”
-Yep! President Lee.
He was certainly quick to catch on, de initely not as stupid as I irst

thought.
With this, I tried the voice connection out.
-Ah… Voice test. Hyunsung-ssi, if you hear my voice, please raise your
right hand.
The returner in the video raised one hand as if con irming. It was
comforting, seeing him move with the mythical-grade sword in hand.
The others were already preparing for battle. I knew that they were
capable enough of handling the smaller things without me having to tell
them to do so.
-Again, it is important not to touch the magic power of the preliminary

program. Others, except for Hayan, please infuse your magic power for
the preliminary program. Hayan, it would be better to prepare a big
spell, and Dialugia should be committed as well.
Of course, the expedition’s magical power was very helpful, although it
was still insuf icient to overpower him. However, all of them were
pretty high-level wizards, and their magic stats were all over 80.
-The same goes for the melee group. You just need to infuse it slowly
until I tell you to stop.
I was talking as if they were doing well, but in truth, the situation
wasn’t looking that good.
The stronger our power was, the stronger he became. Our system of
handling the problem at hand proved to be very complex.
In fact, I was taking magical power from everyone, but it was still not
enough to completely seal him. After taking a sip of the coffee that Max
made, I continued talking once more.
This time, I was speaking to Max himself.
“Let’s check if there’s any more magic that can be drawn from other
areas.”
-President Lee, the situation is…
“I don’t think this is such a good situation… However, it’s good that you
guided the expedition members in advance.”
-Ah…
“I will try to block it as much as possible, but there is a high probability

that one side will still get pierced. We still lack too much magic power.”
-If you inject the dragon’s magic power…
“We need to be prepared if it gets pierced. Dialugia is just an insurance.

The more insurance, the better.”
-I see.
“And since anything can happen, we also have to secure a retreat.”
-What?
“What, punk? Why are you glaring at me? Even if things go wrong, we
have to live, so we can come back to make another attempt. You, I don’t
think you know because you’ve lived your entire life in this museum,
but the guys out there are one of the best in mankind. If they can’t ix
this, no one can.”
-Ah! Is that so?
“Otherwise, would we have been able to beat the legendary-grade

monster so easily and break the seals placed by the Crack Guardians?
Don’t worry too much, Max. To be honest, I also value this museum. It’ll
be sad if we won’t be able to use what’s here. And quit twisting my
words. I can’t focus.”
-Yes… Yep!
I was surprised at how willingly he followed my commands. He, too,

must know that I was undertaking a very serious task.
At this point, I had begun to alternate between focusing on the magic

circles and speaking to the expedition members.
-Hayan, keep the magic you are casting as it is and inject a little more
magic power to the side where the tentacles are focused on Deokgu. It
seems that it’ll break over there.
What was a little annoying was that the monster had become a little
cleverer. He had started to focus on one side only. With this, we had no
choice but to focus the magic on the weaker sides.
‘Damn.’
I wanted to preserve the magical powers of Jung Hayan and Dialugia as

completely as possible for our future escape, but there was no other
way. It would be better to take a risk in order to stop the monster’s
tentacles from piercing than to risk having to escape from a failed
mission.
That was not the only problem.
‘My magic power is another problem.’
I had to be aware of this, possibly being a long-term battle.
It was a tedious task to continuously pour magic into the magic circle to
control the device. Though it didn’t take a lot of magic power compared
to casting a spell, I still had to reserve it, seeing as I would have to keep
doing this for quite a long time.
This was the reason why I had to use Max, who was watching the
situation from behind me.
He was actually doing quite well. My only worry was that he might get
too con ident of his abilities and make a mistake.
-President Lee, Numbers 21 and 7 are tightly sealed!
“Don’t get too excited. If one gets released, the monster will think that
the other can be crushed as well. There are signs…”
-Number 9 was also successfully sealed.
“Don’t move too quickly. Only put it in the place I told you to put it in
from now on.”
-Number 10 has been sealed successfully!

“Recover the remaining magic power.”
-Number 69!!
“You bastard! Who told you to put it there?!”
-Huh? 6… 9… Look at it…
“A quick look on one side of video 69…”
Craaashh!
Along with the sound, I could see a large tentacle protruding through
the seal.
Looking at the towering tentacles, it’s so ridiculous that I want to laugh.
While Max pushed his magic power to the side of 69, the monster
bounced as if it was expanding. Once again, I held the magic circle and
ired a chain of magic at him, but it was not easy to grab ahold of it.
‘He can break all the others, too.’
No, if I let him run wild, he would surely break the rest.
The situation had already gotten out of hand.
-Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!
The video showed the members of the expedition preparing without

me having to tell them.
Though I could not hear what they were saying, I could see Kim
Hyunsung yelling while Jung Hayan busied herself with activating a
spell. They all knew they had to push the monster back in.
The only good thing in this situation was that their target was clear.
-Focus on the tentacles. You only have to hit the tentacles.
It was spectacular to see dozens, no, hundreds of tiny magical powers

hitting his tentacles continuously. That was probably Jung Hayan’s
doing.
Dialugia started throwing herself forward, predicting that she might

hurt someone if she used Breath with such strong irepower, and so, I
had to invest a little more magical power into the chains that held him,
just so she wouldn’t get hit.
“The command and control room’s magic power is being kept to a

minimum, and all of the reserves are being delivered to that side.”
-I-I’m sorry…
“You should do better next time, Max.”
-President L-Lee.
It was indeed a spectacular sight to see a large dragon trying to bite the
monster. I didn’t even need any audio; just watching it from over here
was more than enough.
However, I was unsure as to whether or not the monster received

damage from it. I began to worry about the possibility of Dialugia dying,
but fortunately, that didn’t happen.
However, the Ancient God’s Fragment started twisting his tentacles in

resistance, causing her body to bounce off and hit against the wall. Sun
Hee-young and Ahn Ki-mo’s divine powers immediately shot towards
Dialugia, who quickly stood up.
Park Yeon-joo and the Black Swan personnel had also started jumping
at the monster with their swords.
‘What… ’
It felt like seeing Valkyries jumping onto a God.
The image of female swordsmen who did not know fear would look
beautiful to anyone.
‘Damn.’
However, the Ancient God did not seem to think the same way. Smaller
tentacles had begun to shoot at them. I didn’t even know he was
capable of doing that.
Most of the members blocked the tentacles with their swords. At the
same time, Park Deokgu jumped between them and blocked some of
the attacks with his shield, and Cho Hyejin grabbed Park Deokgu’s
shoulder and swung a spear at the monster.
Thud! Thud!
Although several strands fell off, the attack continued to spread out.
However, Dialugia took the attack with her tail to prevent any injuries
from forming. I saw great magical power gathering around her mouth.
-No Breath! Ah! Piercing type! Piercing!
A piercing Breath shot from her mouth, piercing the same side where
she had hurt him with her teeth. That was when a chain of the
preliminary program broke, creating an opening.
Kim Hyunsung, who had been cutting numerous tentacles with his
sword, reached the pierced section.
‘Please… Fuck! Hyunsung!
It felt like time had stopped the moment the returner swung his sword.
The moment the sword, neither slow nor fast, swung through the
tentacle, it neatly divided into two parts, wriggling helplessly.
“Yeeeeeeeeeeeessss!!!”
-Grunt!
“Start sealing it! Fast, fast, fast! Seal the other side at once, I say!”
-Waaaaaahhh…
“Don’t cry! No, come out!”
As I fumbled with the magic circle, Max’s trembling voice had begun to
resonate from behind me.
-The upper areas are all sealed. Sealed everything from Number 32 to
Number 41! Number 69 has also been sealed… Waaaahh…
The monster was now being wrapped in chains. Chains of blue magic
power that protruded from everywhere held him tightly, in the same
shape back when he was still sealed.
Before long, a large door began to open, one that would put him in a
long, deep sleep. The Ancient God struggled in resistance, but the tide
had already turned.
“Disappear, you ilthy devil! Puhhahaha!”
At this point, I was totally pumped.

For some reason, his big eyes seemed to stare right into the
administration room, but that didn’t matter to me now.
“I’m not giving my museum away! Puhaha! Cough! Cough!”
I ended up laughing so much that I started to cough.
Eventually, he was placed inside, and the big door made of blue magic
started to close slowly.
The magical barrier in front of the door began to distort, and a crystal
of magical power in the shape of a human began to appear, chanting a
spell to strengthen the seal.
‘What is that again?’
It didn’t seem to be a threat.
When I saw Max looking at the video blankly, I realized that this was the
Crack Guardian, though she seemed more like a remnant of herself.
I didn’t know what the hell she was doing there, but Max had begun to
shed tears.
In an instant, she had completed the spell, and the unknown runes lew
toward the large door.
Once again, the blue light darted towards the inside of the hall before
lying back once more. I could see the expedition members sitting down
on the ground and hugging one another.
“Niiiceeeee!”
[You have completed the legendary-grade quest.]

[Title is created.]
[Title: Continental Guardian]
[All stats increase by 1.]
[Museum Manager level has increased by 1 level. The Crack Museum

Level 5 Manager title has been changed to the Crack Museum Level 4
Manager. A new title is forcibly created due to the earnest request of the
Crack Guardian Metel.]
[Max’s Guardian]
“Huh?”
Amidst my joy, I turned to look at Max in confusion, only to see him

hanging his head in embarrassment.
CHAPTER 250
(6)
When I opened my eyes, the irst thing I saw had been people looking
down at me.
“We did it.”
“It was a success!”
I remember inding this particular scenario strange. There had been a

lot of peculiar beings that illed up the room I was in. Some had pointed
ears, and the others were noticeably short in height. Some were
evidently taller, and others even had green skin.
As I looked around, I saw the face of someone with blond hair with
sharp ears, who laughed loudly as she stroked my head. For me, she
was the most memorable of them all.
“Your name is Max.”
-Max?
“Yes. Max.”
-Max!
“And my name is Metel.”

-Metel?
“Yes. Metel.”
-Metel!
“This is a place called the Crack Museum. You are an agglomerate of

magical power created by our Guardians… Shall we walk irst before I
explain further? Can you walk?”
-Ah… Yes.
At the time, everything had been full of wonders. These people greeted
me, stroked my head, and proudly brandished the objects on display all
around them.
Everything had been new for me—the cold sensation I felt when my
feet touched the loor, even the magical feeling prickling my skin. I
couldn’t help but feel grateful for being born. Everything around me
seemed to be a blessing.
Time passed.
Of course, I had learned a lot since that day. I learned how I was made
and why I was born, and I learned about the existence of the Crack
Museum, its signi icance, and how the administration of ice worked.
The study time had been fun. I was able to spend time with the
Guardians, and if I worked hard enough, I would receive praise.
“Do you understand?”
-Yes. Jamie-nim. I can understand. I also memorized all the list of items
in the museum!
“Really? Our Max is so smart.”

-Thank you.
I managed to acquire a lot of knowledge.
“You were born to manage the museum, Max. This is in order for you to
take over the duties of our Guardians. I’m sorry, but I hope you can
understand us.”
-You don’t have to be sorry. Oliver-nim. I am happy to be born. I really

am.
I learned what responsibility is.
“I’m just saying that, but you know that your body will scatter when you
go outside the museum, right? Because the magical power in this
museum is the only thing that keeps you up and running. You have to be
careful.”
-Yeah. Snef-nim!
I had learned what I shouldn’t do.
“I’m glad you worked hard. Hmm. You look a little like me…”
-It’s an honor for you to say that, Isaac. I heard you are leaving today…”
“Yes. I’m not from here, after all. I’ll see you again someday. Bye, Max.”
-Ah… Okay.
Of course, there were things that I didn’t get used to even after time
passed, but I really enjoyed my time with the Guardians. I missed when
I used to be able to talk with them.
‘Thank you for making me, Guardians.’

It was enough to think about similar things several times a day. Some
Guardians were a little dif icult to deal with, but there was also the
opposite.
-Guardian Metel!
“Max! How was it today?”
-Well. Today I checked the administration room and saw the sealed
Crack with Snef.
“Oh. Didn’t he say anything? Did he treat you well?”
-Yes. I heard several explanations. The Crack is completely blocked now,

but as we don’t know when it will open again, we have to keep an eye
on it. And the items in this museum…
“It’s the same story every time, you must feel sick of it now…”
-No, Metel-nim. That’s why I was born. I was created to take over the
maintenance of the museum after the Guardians! I have to work hard!
“…”
-Guardian Metel?
“It’s okay if you don’t get too overwhelmed.”
-I’m sorry?
“No, nothing. Shall we not go to the class tomorrow and play together?”
-Can I do that?
“Sure. You can take a day off.”

I especially enjoyed my time with Guardian Metel very much. Although
the others were kind and treated me well, Guardian Metel treated me
differently from all the other Guardians.
-Guardian Metel, what is a ‘parent?’
“A parent is either a father or a mother. Elves like me, and humans like
Jamie, are born differently from the way you were born. When a woman
and a man share love, they have a child in the woman’s belly, and in
time, they come out to the world. They call parents to the ones who
gave birth. Of course, the concept of raising… Ah! Why are you asking
about parents suddenly?”
-Snef-nim said that the Guardian Metel is like my parent.
“Of course! The method is a little different, but I’m no different from
being Max’s parents. I’m the one who made the biggest contribution in
getting Max out to the world. Snef is quick to notice. Actually, I was
thinking of Max as my child. What do you think? Can you call me mom?”
-N-No.
“Why?”
-It’s just… embarrassing.
“Oh, don’t be. Just call me mom, come on!”
-L-Later. I’m really embarrassed.
I really thought it had been a good thing to be born. Those were the
happiest times of my life.
I didn’t have any worries. I laughed every day, ran around, and
sometimes even acted like a baby to Guardian Metel.
More time passed by.
I didn’t really know how much time had elapsed, but it was enough time
for Jamie’s hair to turn from blue to white, and it was enough time for
wrinkles to form on Oliver and Snef’s faces.
Snef-nim, who had always been angry every day, had more time to
quietly read or look away, and his body noticeably weakened. Oliver-
nim couldn’t chew his food properly, and every time we were together,
he would stroke my head.
“I’m sorry.”
-No, Oliver-nim. I’m the one who’s sorry. There’s nothing I can do…
“I’ve become a big burden for you.”
-I’ve never thought of it like that, Oliver-nim!
“Haha… Thank you for thinking that way. Yes… Thank you.”
-Oliver-nim? Guardian Metel! Oliver-nim is weird! Guardian Metel!
And… For the irst time in my life…
I learned what death was.
-So, humans die.
It must have been around this time that I realized what I already knew.
“Our cutie…”
After that, Jamie-nim passed away.

“I’m sorry for treating you the way I did. I just want you to know that I
didn’t hate you, though. Max, take good care of the museum.”
Then, after that, Snef-nim disappeared.
Guardians Metel cried quietly every time the other Guardians closed
their eyes one by one, and the days when she did not eat became
frequent.
Around this time, I began to regret being born.
When the Guardians died, or when Guardian Metel holed up in her

room, I always thought of that.
I thought the same thing as time passed, and now there were only two
of us left in a large museum. Of course, this didn’t mean that I had
become unhappy.
Guardian Metel wasn’t old, and she spoke of a lot of things we could
laugh about.
We read books together and ran around the museum. We had various
conversations, and the classes didn’t stop. I still laughed more than I
cried.
It was a little disappointing that I couldn’t go outside with her, but I

loved it all the same.
I thought everything would stay like this forever.
However, Guardian Metel was not in inite, either. Like Jamie-nim and
others, she started to act differently around me.
Around this time, Guardian Metel didn’t seem to be able to exit her
room.
“I’m going to start… a research, Max. I will get busy, alright?”
-Yes… Guardian…
“I don’t think I’ll be coming out too much. During that time… Please
take care of the museum.”
-You can count on me, Guardian.
I didn’t know what exactly she was researching, but I didn’t like the
expression on her face. I began to dwell on my unhappiness at being
born in the irst place.
Guardian Metel continued to devote herself to her research and thus

began to deteriorate rapidly. On the rare times that she came out, I
would see her coughing, holding her chest, and gasping. It was scary,
but I had no choice but to smile and focus on the museum’s
management.
I had to do my job.
Guardian Metel continued to put spells on me during this ordeal, saying

the same thing every time.
“I love you.”
That was a lie.
She said the same when it became dif icult for her to move.
“I love you.”
That was a lie.
Even when all the magical power in her body was gone, she spoke with
a smile.
“I love you, Max.”
She was lying.
She said the same when she poured out all her magic and took me out
of the museum.
She said the same thing while muttering, ‘The research is a success,’ and
when her body inally broke.
“I love you… I love… you, Max.”
I thought of all of these as lies.
-Lie…
“…”
-If you love me… Then you shouldn’t have made me. Sniff…
“…”
-If it’s true, you shouldn’t leave me alone like this. If Jamie-nim, Oliver-
nim, and Snef-nim, liked me, they shouldn’t… Sniff… leave me alone like
this. Metel-nim is a liar. Sniff… You said that we could be together
forever… You liar… It would have been better if I weren’t born. It would
have been better not to have been created.
“…”
-I never said I wanted to go outside. You said I could continue living in

the museum. I haven’t even asked for anything like this. If you said you
love me… You should’ve stayed with me. You shouldn’t have done this to
me.
“…”
-…
“…”
-Me too… I love you too! I love you too. So don’t go. Please…
“…”
-I knew it wasn’t actually a lie. I know it’s real. Wake up. Please wake up.
“…”
-Sniff… Please… Please.
“…”
***
“Is that the end?”
-Yes… Afterward, it is as explained. I entered the museum and ful illed

the duties and responsibilities of the guardians. I was surprised when
the museum suddenly turned into a dungeon.
It had been a more touching story than I thought.
I began debating about whether I should shed some crocodile tears for
Max, who calmly managed to inish the story.
However, I didn’t cry.
His story felt a bit unrealistic to me, and the loud voices approaching us
proved to be a distraction. The other expedition members had probably
arrived.
[Max’s Guardian.]
[This title was created with the earnest request of Guardian Metel.
Depending on whether Max grows or not, the Museum Manager’s level
is raised. -Sorry. Please treat him sincerely.]
‘Wow… ’
This wasn’t bad at all.
I wasn’t mortgaged like I was with Dialugia, and it was up to me to

decide what to do with him.
However, I started to feel guilty.
Even the woman named Metel had crossed the Rainbow Bridge after
taking responsibility for the inal seal. This all felt so ridiculous that I
couldn’t help but laugh.
“Then, what I saw for a moment…”
-It’s probably the remnant thoughts left by Metel. Perhaps she didn’t
believe in me until the end.
“No. It’s right to think in the context that perhaps she left it in
consideration of you going out.”
-Ah…
“Anyway, so… now the Crack Guardian wants me to take care of you. No,
why didn’t you go outside that day in the irst place?”
-S-Someone has to be responsible. I am the manager… I-I’m sorry.
“There’s nothing to be sorry, staff Max. Nothing has been lost. But the
question is how to explain this…”
Jung Hayan bit her nails nervously as I trailed off, thinking about what
to do with Max.
Of course, his story wasn’t all that bad. Being able to raise the level of
Museum Manager was already a huge bene it in itself. Many things had
happened to us, but acquiring this responsibility was de initely the
highlight of this expedition.
‘It needs someone to take care of it, anyway… ’
Of course, since I had become a guardian, it would be a little different

from how I lived here, but this guy’s existence was indeed
indispensable. He was the only one other than me that could handle
these devices. Besides, it would be possible to shorten the time it took
to extract the mass-production type based on these devices.
“Hey, staff Max.”
-Yes?
“By any chance… The internal design of the devices here…”
-I… know about them. Of course, I can’t touch the core devices…
“This? How about this?”
-Ah… I guess I can handle that…
“Huh… Is there anything else you can do?”
-Ah… I think I can make that too, President Lee.
“Huh?”
-President Lee?
The answer has already been decided. In fact, I didn’t even have to think
about it much.
“President Lee, my ass… You can call me father, son.”
-What?
“Pfft.”
I had gotten myself a son who would be responsible for my happy

retirement.
CHAPTER 251
A QUICK-WITTED SWAN (1)
Although I had unexpectedly gotten myself a son, the expedition ended

perfectly.
One mythic item and two legendary items were acquired, and a high-
quality heroic-grade item was also obtained.
Unfortunately, the shield had been acquired by the Black Swans, not by
Park Deokgu, but if Blue had taken even the shield, I would not have the
heart to face Park Yeon-joo anymore.
‘Rather, it’s better this way.’
For Park Deokgu, I would just need to make him a useful shield.
Anyway, we’d soon have a competent blacksmith, and garnering the
right materials would be easy.
One important thing was that we bene itted more than them.
Considering that the most successful people who led the expedition
were the main pillars of Blue, it seemed that the prizes had gotten
properly distributed. Still, it was natural to have a conscientious
distribution as we had established a suitable alliance. Anyway, the
things that we did manage to obtain were priceless.
We got titles, items, and so on, but of course, the mythic-grade weapon
obtained by Kim Hyun-sung and the museum control device I had
obtained stood out the most.
Right now, everyone’s focus was on the mythic-grade item, but it was
true that everything here was greater than any other achievement for
me.
‘The world will change.’
If what I was thinking was right, then a transformation would de initely

take place soon.
‘There are so many things I can do.’
Everything I hadn’t yet done would become possible. I wanted to return

to Lindel as soon as possible to study, but the problem was that our way
back was slow.
All the expedition members were physically limited, so this was natural.
I didn’t feel too nervous about it. A wagon would be waiting for us
anyway and would bring us to Lindel soon.
Because if we go outside this area, a wagon will come in, and after
getting in the wagon, it will be very soon to Lindel anyway.
‘And we’re all in good spirits… ’
This was all thanks to a new guest who had deemed to join us—the
little boy who I had now deemed as my son. Even the survivors we had
saved showed just how grateful they were for having been saved. Max
had been friendly with them and had hosted a lot of conversations with
them as we walked. I could guess that his eagerness stemmed from the
many years he had spent wallowing in his loneliness.
The museum had been his only friend, and seeing how obsessed he was
with the place, I could tell that it had become his own coping
mechanism.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason as to why expedition members
accepted him.
“Sniff…”
“Waaaah…”
As soon as the story of him was revealed, all everyone could feel for him
was sympathy.
“Waaaaaah…”
In particular, Park Deokgu began to care for Max a lot more than what
was necessary.
“So, then…”
-In fact, I have been in the museum since then…
“You must have been lonely…”
-A bit, but I got used to it. There are so many things you can do at the
museum.
“I told you not to say anything. Sniff… If you are Hyung-nim’s child, you
are also my child!”
-Ah… Okay.
Of course, I did not hide the fact that I had become Max’s Guardian. It
was just a title that did not bring about newer changes anyway.
Jung Hayan, who I thought would be quite shocked, didn’t seem to be

interested, and Dialugia was quite aloof as well. At irst, she worried
that I would neglect Tol To-ri, but she must’ve concluded that having a
brother wouldn’t be bad for Dialuria.
In short, Max had transitioned from being a villain to being another
family member.
Unlike the machine-like dummy, the original body was faithful to

expressing emotions, and he looked terribly adorable. He had captured
the Black Swan members’ hearts in an instant.
Eventually, we reached the area where the Black Swan wagons were
waiting for us. Kim Ye-ri and Hwang Jeong-yeon were also there,
anticipating our arrival. However, the Blue newbies were nowhere to be
found. They must have stayed back in the Guild House.
Before I could even raise my hand, I could see a little kid running fast
from afar. I knew she would be anxiously waiting for Kim Hyunsung’s
return, but I wasn’t expecting her excitement to be this great.
‘This cold kid… ’
I could also see Tol To-ri eagerly waiting for me to come.
Hwang Jeong-yeon eagerly passed by me to greet Park Deokgu, which

made me snort derisively. Meanwhile, Kim Ye-ri was hugging Kim
Hyunsung as if they’d spent years apart.
“Thud, thud.”
“Yes? Did you say anything, Oppa?”
Seeing this made me feel anxious. I knew Hyunsung viewed the kid as a
younger sister, but from what I could see, Ye-ri saw him as something
way more than that. Due to the ignorant personality intrinsic to
protagonists, Hyunsung did not notice this.
“Get in the carriage quickly and have a good rest, Oppa.”

“Yes. That’s right. I used too much magic power in the administration
room… And I’ve only slept for three hours.
“Ahhh…”
“Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“No. Hee-young-ssi. There’s no pain thus far.”
“If you sleep well, you will be ine.”
As expected, the only ones that took care of me were Sun Hee-young
and Jung Hayan. However, when I was about to get onto the wagon that
I’d be sharing with Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu, I saw a familiar
face.
“So, you’re ine, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Oh. Jihye-ssi.”
Lee Jihye had also come to greet her Guild Master.
Jung Hayan appeared a little wary upon seeing her, but this soon
dissipated when Jihye addressed her casually.
“Oh. Hayan-ssi, it’s been a while. It’s nice to see the two still sticking
together.”
“Oh. J-Jihye-ssi. Hello.”
“Hee-young-ssi, too, it’s been a long time, right?”
“Yeah. Long time no see.”
Friendliness was indeed the way to go to destroy any wariness.

Jihye had a habit of buttering Jung Hayan and me up, but today, she
seemed to do so with double the eagerness.
‘The news must’ve reached already the Black Swan… ’
When one of our Rangers went ahead to inform the rest of the people
back in Lindel, news of our achievements as well as what had
transpired within the dungeon must’ve reached their ears as well. They
may have even created a simpli ied attack journal about it at this point.
After all, Black Swan was one of the most sensitive guilds in Lindel.
The only reason that the busy Lee Jihye came was probably here
because she had received a direct message from Park Yeon-joo. Sure
enough, when I turned to look at the two of them, I could see them
exchanging meaningful glances.
‘Jihye works hard, too.’
She also possessed the desperation to maintain good standing in her

guild.
As she tried to endure keeping a good façade with Jung Hayan and Sun
Hee-young, I decided to help her just this once. When I coughed slightly,
Lee Jihye turned to me and spoke.
“Oh! Come to think of it. I have something to tell you. It’s a bit
important, so I don’t want to tell you here. Why don’t we go back to
Lindel together? I have arranged a separate carriage.”
“I’m a little tired, but…”
At this, Jihye glared at me as if she couldn’t believe I would say

something like that. However, this dissipated when she realized I was
just messing with her.
“Hyunsung-ssi and our Guild Master will also be together.”
“If so… Let’s do that. Jihye-ssi.”
Although Jung Hayan de lated with this news, she wouldn’t be able to
do something about it. A summit meeting was a summit meeting, and
even Kim Ye-ri would have to answer the protocols.
Thanks to this, both Park Yeon-joo and Lee Jihye became the object of
hatred by all the women in Blue, but I knew they were too focused on
other matters to care about this.
As I entered the carriage, I could see the gorgeous interior that still
stood out. It was a different one from the carriage we had used to get
here. Of course, I knew they were doing this because we were
distinguished guests. I also knew it was probably because they were
hoping to wheedle some bene its from us by treating us well.
After all, this expedition was a joint effort by both guilds. I

acknowledged this and would make sure not to appear so ungrateful for
all their help. I may be a shitty person, but I wasn’t shitty enough to
stab a trusted colleague in the back.
As the four of us settled in a carriage that was too large for a party of
four to use, we got served tea and had begun chatting. Once a relaxing
atmosphere had been established, Lee Jihye got down to business.
I was able to realize once again that she was very used to this.
Of course, it was Park Yeon-joo who actually called for this meeting, but
it was undeniable that my soulmate was the apparent leader.
“Before congratulating you on a successful expedition, I want to express

my gratitude for participating in this expedition, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“No. Rather, we are even more grateful to you for making such an offer.
It’s embarrassing because the Blue gained so much than what was
necessary.”
“Ah, you’ve helped us more than you realize. In fact, it was Hyunsung-ssi
and Kiyoung-ssi that played a decisive role in the attack. In many ways,
you deserve to own your rewards. And it doesn’t make sense to argue
about it when you already got the Sense of Ownership. However…
uhm… Now, Kiyoung-ssi owns the museum, right?”
“Yes. To be precise, I received the title of Manager. I’m also Max’s

Guardian.”
I began to worry about whether or not we would have a dispute over

this. I could give them a small portion, but if they were to discuss taking
half of the contents, I would have no choice but to destroy our formed
alliance.
“I have to tell you. We have no intention of claiming ownership of the

museum.”
Lee Jihye, who was quick to notice, spoke this. Park Yeon-joo nodded.
“Yes. According to Jihye, we have no intention of claiming ownership of

what Kiyoung-ssi has. However, in the future, all the investments that
the Blue Guild will carry out… I would very much like for you to be a
little considerate of us.”
“Hmm…”
I knew Yeon-joo did not mean her words. She must’ve probably wanted
more than just ‘a little.’ They wanted us to remember that, if it weren’t
for them, we wouldn’t have the museum in the irst place.
In fact, they deserved more than that. An expedition was never done
alone.
I, too, planned to hand over a certain share to the Black Swans and
actually planned to promote this as a joint project. What surprised me a
little was how quick they were to act about this.
They already knew what I was going to do.
‘Ah… they do like sticking their noses in everywhere, don’t they?’
“In fact, I think it’s too early to talk about business, but…”
“Just tell us, Kiyoung Oppa. I want to know if you’re thinking of the
same thing as us.”
“Of course, I have two things in mind. I happened to have ownership of

the museum, but I wouldn’t have been able to get it without the Black
Swan.”
“That’s fortunate. If it’s okay, can we hear a bit of… what you’re
thinking?”
“Of course. The irst thing I’m thinking of is running the Unrated
Dungeon Crack Museum…”
From the looks on both women’s faces, they had already been expecting
this.
“The second is… making a broadcasting station.”
At this, Lee Jihye clenched her ist. She was probably thinking the same
thing as me by now.
‘We’d have full control of the press.’
This was the moment when another pillar of power was added within
the Holy Empire.
CHAPTER 252
A QUICK-WITTED SWAN (2)
“You mean that that little boy named Max has the skills to make it
possible, Oppa?”
“Yes. It’s still impossible to use all the functions of the museum. The
core devices that made up the system are still out of my control. The
management level is still only at 4… When it reaches level 1 or 2, there
may be another way. In fact, I wasn’t very interested in other features.
I’ve been concerned about the magic hologram since the irst time I saw
it.”
“This technology de initely… doesn’t exist on the continent. It is

understandable. I would go crazy over it, too. Even so, many guilds
studied that area after you gave such a hard time for all the reporters in
Lindel…”
“No. I was thinking of getting help from guilds who were already
conducting this type of research. What they have is literally just
technology, which won’t be enough to commercialize it.”
“Isn’t it rather disadvantageous to get help from others like this?”
“No. Actually, it doesn’t matter if I leak the video technology. Of course,

the later they get, the better it’ll be for us, but the important thing is not
the video, but from where we send it.”
“Ohhh. The control tower is in the museum.”

“Correct. Anyway, we’ll still have control because this is not an
interactive communication like SNS. It won’t be impossible if Max does
it, but… I don’t even think it’s necessary. There’s nothing like a fool box
to fool the public. Since ancient times, the nobles have made use of this.”
“They did. Spreading celebrity scandals and passing by the law from
behind… Making stimulating broadcasts makes people fools… Would
they call the public “the brainwashed” for no reason?”
“That’s ridiculous. Brainwashed, my ass. They’re customers who bring

us valuable license fees.”
“Somehow, that sounds even more disturbing.”
“You’re mistaken.”
I didn’t know if they wanted me to discuss this further with Lee Jihye,
but the Guild Masters left after the conversation’s crucial part ended.
This only symbolized just how much they had grown to trust us over
the course of time.
In fact, it was natural that Kim Hyunsung had delegated full authority to
me, as the museum control device was owned by an individual, not by
Blue. He wasn’t an idiot.
I knew more than anyone else how much money this would cost as well
as its eventual impact. Nevertheless, seeing that he didn’t say anything
to me, he certainly didn’t seem to be greedy.
Even if I were to think about it a hundred times, I was right to choose

him.
Anyway, Kim Hyunsung left all of this work to me, as did Park Yeon-joo
with Lee Jihye.
This was the reason why she and I were having this conversation.
Of course, in Lee Jihye’s case, she was not entrusted with full authority
like me. However, this was still great.
This was possible because not only did Park Yeon-joo trust her, Lee
Jihye met all expectations.
Jihye took a sip of her tea before speaking once more.
“So, how much will you do?”
“Well…”
“I was given permission not to care about the investment cost. It

seemed that our Guild Master would like to board with you at any cost.
The guild executives are also on the same page… You know, without
saying, that the Black Swan has high expectations for me, right? Oppa?”
“So, right now, you are asking me to save your face, right?”
“Directly speaking, yes. I think I deserve enough. So far, I’ve accepted

everything you asked for. No matter how much I feel for you, I don’t
think I’ll feel so good if you don’t help here. Of course, it is natural that if
my authority increases, it will bene it you. It’ll be a win-win.”
“Hey… You may be right, but you have to say it properly. Actually, it’s not
just me that’s been gaining. You also sold my name a lot. To be precise,
until now, it has been a win-win… Talking like you sacri iced alone. I’m
a little disappointed…”
“Hey, Oppa…”
“You know that cuteness doesn’t work with me, Nuna.”
“I know. I was just trying to grab at straws. So what are you going to do?
Don’t make fun of me and decide quickly.”
“Ahem…”
Lee Jihye certainly looked nervous, almost as if she was testing just how
much I thought of her through this discussion. Of course, there was no
reason for me to neglect her.
Besides the fact that the Black Swan directly connected to me, there
were many bene its to having her as an ally. It was natural for me to
take care of her, seeing as she was very competent and had good
chemistry with me.
“Do whatever you want to do.”
It was a line I wanted to try once for some reason.
“Really?”
“Of course, in a conscientious manner.”
“Of course, I will. I’ll only call it 3% higher than the guild expects.”
“How much is that?”
“5 percent?”
“Hmm…”
“Too high?”
“It’s the opposite. It’s quite lower than I thought. It’s not as if the Black
Swans did not help during the expedition. Let’s go for ten. A total of
13% would be enough.”
“Can I really do that?”

“Yes. Honestly, I felt bad, too. It is safe to divide in moderation. You don’t
know where the beast-like guy who has shot Yushin’s heart will pop out
after eating all alone.”
“Your expression is a little weird, but I know what you mean. As much
as you care, I’ll push the investment bigger. And from the dungeon…”
“I think it’s just right to take ifty/ ifty over there.”
“Ohhh.”
“The museum controls are basically my personal achievements, but I

don’t intend to do that with the museum. We did the attack together. I
wouldn’t have gained it without the Black Swan.”
In fact, I thought that the museum itself was in my possession, so I

couldn’t help but feel wary of my allies. When giving something, it
should be given, as relationships such as ours could quickly get
distorted even during a minor event.
‘The control device is mine anyway.’
Even if I were to divide the big ship in half, I would still have the
steering wheel and helms under my possession. No further explanation
was needed than that.
“Then we will pay a little more for the remodeling of the Crack Museum.
I have to separate the partitions, so that’ll cost a bit more.”
“Of course, it will. It’s the irst dungeon theme park in the world.”
“Rather than a dungeon theme park… I think the word Kangwon Land
would be more suitable…”
“Don’t go anywhere and say that…”

“Obviously.”
“Well, anyway, we’re done talking about this. Would I be able to save
your face with this?”
“Yes, much more than I thought.”
As I glanced at Lee Jihye, I could see her smiling. There seemed to be a

faint smile on her lips, but she seemed able to suppress the laughter
that was about to burst out.
‘Is she happy?’
There was no way she wasn’t.
I didn’t know if she is happy that I saved her face or because of the favor
I did, but personally, it seemed like the latter.
‘I’ve never seen such an expression on her face.’
I didn’t know if it was because the system certi ied her to be my

soulmate, but even though we hadn’t spent much time together, I could
feel something.
‘Was she related to me in the irst round?’
I couldn’t mull this possibility over, however, for Lee Jihye was now
approaching me.
“What? Why are you approaching like that?”
“I do not know?”
“Don’t stick too close, Nuna. I’ve got an eye on me these days. I don’t
think I can see it now… I don’t know when it will pop out.”
“Eyes?”
“Yes. It seems like we’ll arrive soon anyway. We don’t have enough time
to spend a long ride together, Jihye-ssi.”
“We really don’t. We’ve spent so much time talking that we’ve already
arrived. It’s been a long time since we are alone. I think we should’ve
had a little private time.”
“Talking about work with Nuna is a private conversation in itself.

Talking about what’s going on in the world and…”
“Talking about behind the scenes events is the most fun.”
“Agreed. Anyway… I’ll see you later. No, we’ll keep meeting anyway, even
for museum work. Nuna will be in charge of that, right?”
“I don’t know what will happen because of the checklist within the
guild, but there is a high probability that I will take charge. I’m also the
number one contributor to this agreement. I’ll see you tomorrow. I
won’t go out to say goodbye so that Hayan doesn’t feel too bad.”
“Okay. Do that.”
As the carriage stopped, I headed outside and saw Ahn Ki-mo and Sun
Hee-young greeting the Black Swan personnel.
Of course, it was not just them.
There was also Dialugia shaking their hands with an awkward

expression, as well as the female team surrounding Park Deokgu. Since
the number of people was quite large, it felt like it would take quite a
long time to say goodbye.
It was then that one of the Black Swan members ran over here and
handed me something.
“Er… I’m really grateful to you for helping us on the expedition.”
At this, Jung Hayan immediately started walking my way, already alert.

However, the woman who had approached me quickly slipped into their
carriage, terri ied that she might get attacked.
I didn’t remember helping her, but at least she seemed to think I had
saved her.
It was a little disappointing to realize that I couldn’t con irm her unique
characteristic, but it didn’t make me feel too bad.
‘You still got it, Lee Kiyoung.’
I wasn’t garnering as much attention as Park Deokgu or Kim Hyunsung,

but I could at least still get my own fair share of admirers.
Anyway, the Black Swan personnel waved at us until their carriage was
no longer visible, and then we were inally free to get back to the Guild
House.
Everyone moved with familiarity, except for one person who hadn’t
adjusted properly yet.
“Come here, staff Max.”
-Yes…
It was the guy who had come out to the world for the irst time. Even
after arriving at Lindel, he kept looking around as if amazed.
As I quietly reached out my hand, he eagerly grabbed it.
It was then that a loud sound came from far away.
“Dialuria!”
Just by looking at Dialugia’s tears and screaming, I knew who awaited
me.
“Tol To-ri!”
The one who was waiting for me had come to greet me.
It felt like she had gotten a little bigger in the meantime. Nevertheless,
seeing her running on all fours looked quite adorable, and of course,
she completely ignored her mother.
It was a little bit painful to see her pass by Dialugia, who was busy
shedding tears.
“Huh?”
What I saw next was quite unrealistic.
-Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!
Tol To-ri’s body hammer, containing a full-bodied blow, hit Max’s chest
accurately.
“Ke-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-eeek!”

[#Mother came, too] [#Who is this guy again?] [#I don’t know, but body
hammer] [#Successful]
CHAPTER 253
THERE’S NO BAD DRAGON IN
THE WORLD (1)
It all happened so quickly that I didn’t know how to respond.
Although Dialuria did not attack with the horns on her head as if she
still had some conscience left in her, Max’s face was clearly distorted
with pain; his eyes closed as he fell back.
“Ke-e-e-e-ee-eeeek!”
It was a spectacle to see him maintaining a digni ied posture, almost as

if saying, ‘What are you looking at?’
As dragons only deemed themselves threatening by looking big,

Dialuria stood up on her hind feet and maintained her offensive
posture.
“Kiek! Haaaa!”
Of course, afterwards, her tail had begun to wag. I didn’t know whether
or not to pet her.
Before I could even say anything, Dialugia beat me to it.
“Di! Ah! Luria!”
I had initially worried about Dialugia getting mad at me for

discouraging her baby, but that didn’t happen. On the contrary, she
looked both perplexed and angry.
Though Dialuria was always impulsive, this was the irst time she had
acted in such an aggressive manner, and so Dialugia knew she must
correct this behavior immediately. Meanwhile, I hurriedly went to
check Max’s condition.
As if the pain was unfamiliar, the boy grabbed his chest before looking
up at me.
“Max, are you okay?”
-Lee, President Lee…
Instinctively, he recognized that it was safe to be with me.
“Ke-ee-ee-ee-eee!”
Of course, Tol To-ri screamed upon seeing this.
“Dialuria! What have you done now?”
“Kiek!”
“What is that attitude now? Are you saying you did the right thing?!”
“Ke-e-ek!”
“Why are you always…”
“Ke-e-e-e-ee!”
“Haven’t I always said that you shouldn’t do it that way? Why are you
glaring at your mom?!”
“Kiek!”
“Mom has been patient, too!”
“Wow!”
“Mom is also a dragon! Dragon!”
In the meantime, Tol To-ri was showing a lukewarm attitude towards

her mother. She continued snorting, as if her anger had not yet
dissipated.
‘This child needs some solid education.’
Right now, Tol To-ri could be classi ied as between rare and heroic
grades, but assuming that she would grow to a legendary-grade later,
the normal body hammer may no longer feel normal.
If Max had been an ordinary kid, he would have gotten seriously

injured. The feeling that we started on the wrong foot dwelled within
me, but I still had to correct Dialugia’s behavior from now on. In the
end, I had to take a irm position.
As I spoke, both an excited Tol To-ri and upset Dialugia turned to look at
me.
“Dialuria.”
“Haaa…”
“You know what you did just now was wrong, right?”
“Haaa…”
“Go back to the nest right now. You’re banned from going out from
today. You’re forbidden to play, and I won’t play with you until you
re lect on yourself. I’ve canceled all of the things I said about hanging
out together and going out together after returning from this
expedition. Snacks are also banned, so this is all up to you.”
“Kiek?”
At irst, Dialuria looked embarrassed. A few moments passed before

thick tears began to fall from her face.
“Kiiyiing… Kie-eh-eh…”
Anyone could see that she looked devastated. Though her sad
expression looked irresistibly cute, I knew I shouldn’t fall for her
charms. It was important to stay as calm as possible.
“Kieehek! Kiiiiiieeenng. Kiiieng… Kiiiiiieeenng…”
It appeared that Dialuria had already begun to regret her decisions.

However, this was not enough. As someone responsible for her
behavior, I had to educate her properly.
Meanwhile, the other expedition members had begun to pass by us

after seeing that Max was alright. However, Jung Hayan’s expression
had become serious.
She seemed to think that she would end up just like Tol To-ri if she did
something wrong and would get exiled as I saw it.
At this point, I realized that what I’d done for her back in the Cursed
Shrine was slowly fading. I knew I had to take action with Hayan once
more, but the problem was I just didn’t have the time to take care of
everyone.
Of course, in Jung Hayan’s case, who had become the top-ranked wizard
with a magic power of 98, I should be careful, but Dialuria was the top
priority for now.
‘Anyway, it doesn’t seem like she will burst right now.’
Even Jung Hayan would have to stay quiet for the time being, as she still
had to take some time to organize her newfound strength and abilities.
“Kiing… Kiing…”
-President Lee. I think…
“Don’t worry, staff Max. This kind of behavior needs to be corrected.”
-But, he seems to be crying so sadly…
“Kids at that age are clever. At least for a few days, he has to think about
what he did wrong.”
-Ah… Okay.
“Ke-e-e-e…”
In the background, only Tol To-ri’s cries rang through my ears.
‘I have a lot to do, though… ’
I had to take my time with this one, seeing as it was his education that I
had been neglecting. Eventually, however, I left a crying Tol To-ri behind
and entered the Guild House. I could inally see the faces of the new
recruits after a long time.
Yoo Ahyoung, as if she had been hammering all day, greeted me with a
little sweat, and Lee Chang-ryul bowed his head and greeted me in his
own peculiar manner.
As expected, Han Sora avoided Jung Hayan as much as possible,

greeting me with a trembling voice. Fortunately, it seemed as if they
didn’t have any problems that needed to be taken care of.
Moments later, Kim Hyunsung of icially declared the end of the
expedition, giving us time to rest and relax. Of course, this was only
applicable to the combat members.
The guild staff, on the other hand, would have more work to do from
now on. Even now, Manager Kim Mi-young was busy calling all the guild
staff.
Of course, I was in the position of overseeing the guild staff, too, so I

also couldn’t relax. There were always new occurrences every time that
I couldn’t ind it in myself to just sit back and let others do the work.
‘The Eight Seats of the Empire will be announced soon, too… ’
We had delayed this enough times already, so it was only right to focus
on it now.
‘I also have to stop by the Castle Rock Black Market once… ’
I had to make sure things were working properly.
‘Before entering the business, market research on the area of con licting
cities… ’
I also had to consider whether my products can slip into the Republic.
‘I have to take care of the newbies, too… Black magic research is also
scheduled… ’
And that wasn’t all. It was absolutely imperative that my connection

with the Pope’s side was not cut off, so I also had to spend time with
Cardinal Basel and host a tea party with the rest of the aristocrats.
In the meantime, considering the need to conduct research on the

museum’s control system and various projects together, there was no
room for me to sit comfortably and relax.
‘Let’s inish this all one by one.’
I could leave most of it to talented staff, but some things couldn’t be

done at all. With all the things I had to do, I wouldn’t even be surprised
if I would end up dying young.
My head hurt like hell. However, Park Deokgu, who was freed from all
his luggage, had already begun to make some noise.
“Hey, Hyung-nim. Why don’t we, men, soak our bodies in hot water to
celebrate? Ki-mo said he was coming, and Hyung-ssi, too… Oh, Chang-
ryul will also come! Max will come, too!”
“There’s a private bathroom, so why…”
“It’s different from that! The shared bathroom is for this type of
bonding! Do you think there is any other use? This is what strengthens
teamwork. Teamwork!”
“Hmm… I’ll catch up with all of you.”
“You have to come!”
“Okay, Deokgu.”
I didn’t know why he was so inspired, but it seemed like he got all
excited for a group bath. Even the women’s team planned to do the
same, with Hwang Jeong-yeon leading the group.
“Hayan-ssi, get ready quickly.”
“Ah… I-I’m… ine…”
“Aw, come on, don’t do that.”

Even Jung Hayan was being dragged into it. She looked my way as if
asking for help, but there was no way I could get her out of this.
The one who seemed to really need help was Han Sora, who tried her
best to avoid Hayan on a daily basis. Sharing a bath together would be a
de inite hellish experience for her.
‘Should I go in, too?’
Still, though, I had my own responsibilities to take care of.
“Manager Kim Mi-young.”
‘I would be screwed if she weren’t here.’
“Did you get any letters while I was away?”
“Oh. I was trying to tell you that. There were about ive letters from
Cardinal Basel and three each from Bishop Jessica and Director of
Inquisition Helena. Duchess Kathrin also asked if she could be part of
the party. There are exactly 144 letters from Marlin Young-ae. There are
also letters from other guilds, as well as letters whose senders are
unknown…”
‘144 letters from Marlin Young-ae?’
“A letter with an unidenti ied sender?”
“Yes. The sender only told you to keep your promise.”
Ah, it was the Republic’s crazy bitch. I’d almost forgotten about her.
“There are so many…”

“Yes. There’re many invitations to events from Celia and of icial
invitations from Dawan… Oh! Cha Hee-ra also asked you to contact her
as soon as you arrive at Lindel.”
“Hmm… Please organize my schedule by selecting only those that you

think are really important. Of course, Hyunsung’s too. If possible, please
adjust the destination so that it does not overlap.”
“Yes. I will.”
“Oh. And how old are your children?”
“They just started going to school. Of course, I am satis ied enough with
the educational program within the guild, but I thought it would be
better to stay with other people together…”
“Ohhh. I see. That’s rather good. Can the little blond kid who just came
in go there, too? No, just tell them that he is my adoptee and prepare for
him to go to school right away.”
“Okay.”
“And… Talk with the Black Swan and take care of the publicity for this
expedition. It is important to emphasize that we have obtained the title
of Guardian of the Continent, so I would like you to ill in that part.”
“I always tell you this but thank you very much. I wouldn’t have
survived without you.”
“No, no, you’ve done more than enough for me, too.”
“If you need anything, feel free to tell me.”
“No. I am satis ied enough, Vice Guild Master.”

“Then, I’ll be heading in.”
“Yes. Please have a good time.”
If Kim Mi-young would one day decide to leave her job, it would become
a major catastrophe for me. I knew I had to raise her salary once more
to keep things sweet.
I hadn’t even started my work yet, but I already felt a little lighter.
It may be because I put down all my heavy equipment and stuffy

luggage, but I couldn’t say I didn’t like the feeling.
After entering the bathroom to keep my promise with Park Deokgu, I

took off the rest of my equipment one by one. The guild staff would
collect it later on, anyway.
‘Is this my irst time visiting the public bath?’
There were many amenities in the Blue, but it felt like my irst time
using one. The moment I took off my clothes and went into the
bathroom illed with steam, Park Deokgu’s voice greeted me.
“Whoa…”
“Why?”
“Whoa…”
“What?”
“As expected from Hyung-nim!”
Although I didn’t exactly know what he was talking about, I found

myself instinctively wrapping my towel around my waist, cheeks
reddening.
CHAPTER 254
THE WORLD (2)
“But why take a bath suddenly? I know your intentions are good, but it
just feels a little sudden.”
Though I seemed to be complaining, it didn’t feel all that bad.
‘Rather, it feels good… ’
I had been washing myself with magic all this time, but taking a bath
like this seemed more effective. I felt like I would be able to relax better.
When I heard about the remodeling design in the past, there was
de initely an explanation about what the water component was about,
and it seemed that this was the effect.
‘Mineral bedrock water, or something.’
I was not the only one who felt good. Everyone else was smiling.
In particular, Kim Hyunsung and Ahn Ki-mo’s facial expressions were

the most relaxed, almost falling into a deep sleep.
‘It’s surprising that Hyunsung is also here.’
In fact, it was also unexpected that our lovely returner participated in

Park Deokgu’s plan. He seemed like the type who would avoid such a
place. However, it seemed as if he didn’t really care.
‘This bastard… I guess he’s con ident… ’
In fact, I would not have participated if Kim Hyunsung himself had not
participated. It didn’t suit my personality to a position where the
company’s boss personally visited.
At this, Park Deokgu replied.
“I’m telling you it’s about promoting friendship? It doesn’t mean much.”
“To promote friendship?”
“Yes, friendship. In fact, I haven’t spent time with you since the new
recruits came in. Well, we’ve been moving and sleeping together since
the tutorial. So, we’re close, but newcomers don’t have that at all. That’s
why Chang-ryul is here!”
“Right.”
“I should have paid more attention to it… I was worried about

neglecting the new recruits and going to the expedition right away.”
‘Our pig is being nice.’
Honestly, it was the part I’d been missing. Since Park Deokgu had
already gotten alienated once, he would probably pay more attention to
this part.
‘I thought he was living without thinking… ’
I was certainly grateful to him for taking care of this part.
“That’s why I planned this with Jeong-yeon. Ahem. When it feels like a
group event, it’s usually a little dif icult to miss. If you forcefully go skin-
to-skin like this, you are supposed to get close to each other.”
“…”
“And since we’re talking about it… Actually, there’s no problem on our
men’s side, but the women’s side really doesn’t feel close. Hayan and
Hee-young also went on an expedition like that, but they’re not that
friendly. When I see them, I get all awkward.”
“There’s de initely no feeling of them being close.”
“Of course, Hyung-ssi feels that way, too! And since Cho Hyejin is a
person who only talks about principles and principles every day, isn’t
she a person who’s built up a wall from sociability? Ye-ri, that kid, never
answers properly. In fact, it’s a little embarrassing to say this, but Jeong-
yeon may well be the only friendly one among them.”
“Ahhhhhh…”
If I were to think about it, that was certainly true. In the meantime, it
was embarrassing to see him taking care of his iancé e, but I couldn’t
think of anything to refute that line.
Among the Blue female guild members, Hwang Jeong-yeon was the
closest to normal.
“Ahem! Referencing from this… Han Sora, that person, trembles when
she sees Hayan… The situation is better for our blacksmith, but it is
really dif icult when I heard from Jeong-yeon. On the way home in the
carriage today, Kiyoung and Hyunsung weren’t with us.”
“Did anything happen?”
“I’d rather be happy if something happened. They didn’t even say a

word to each other!”
“What?”
“I had to be wary of them in the wagon! While riding that long road…
Ye-ri and Hyejin exchanged a few words, and that was all. There wasn’t
a normal conversation. It was all related to work! This is de initely not
normal, isn’t it? Ki-mo? Ahn Ki-mo!”
“Yes. If I could’ve escaped from that situation, I would’ve. Well, it wasn’t

an atmosphere that could be both ignored and endured.”
“Yes. It wasn’t!”
“It would have been better if they at least fought… I tried to release the
hardened atmosphere, but… It would have been better if I didn’t. I still
can’t forget their expressions.”
I was half-expecting this to happen, so I couldn’t say I was surprised. Of

course, Park Deokgu started to talk more excitedly as he thought this
was an opportunity to let loose some more.
“Chang-ryul, say something, too!”
“I don’t know much about the other people yet.”
“Then! Can you tell me a little bit about the relationship between
Ahyoung and Sora?”
“There aren’t enough connections to de ine. To borrow the expression

Deokgu used earlier, I think it would be appropriate to do it forcefully.”
“Ahem… Look at this! This is the current address of the Blue female
members!”
“Well, actually, all I can do is just this much… A more fundamental

solution seems to be needed. At this point, Hyung-nim and Hyung-ssi
have to come out with power… Don’t we have to do a unity competition
at least once? Of course, I’ll be in favor. Someone say something…”
When Park Deokgu trailed off, a different voice drifted through the
baths.
“Wow… Ahyoung-ssi, it’s really big. How can it get this big?”
‘Huh?’
I could hear Hwang Jeong-yeon’s voice drifting through the wall. We

hadn’t noticed it because we’d been very invested in our conversation.
‘It seems like the renovation of the construction wasn’t done properly…
this… ’
Though I tried my hardest not to listen in, it proved to be quite hard.
“I-I’m not sure. It just happened…”
“Anyway, it’s just a chunk of fat.”
“Oh. That’s not it, Yeri. Look how pretty…”
“Not really. People said it wasn’t good to have them too big. They clearly
said it wasn’t good.”
“I don’t know. I wonder if there are people who don’t like it…”
“Some men will like it, but more people probably don’t. Yes, that’s right.
There are surely many people who have different tastes.”
It was Cho Hyejin who spoke this. I felt the need to refute her words, for
I was pretty sure that had been a fake statistic.
“If it’s the right size, it’ll be about Hayan’s or Hee-young’s…”
“No. In Hayan’s case, it is above average no matter what… Actually, Hee-

young’s, too… I think that Sora’s is the right size. By the way, Hayan’s
body is surprisingly pretty. I didn’t think you’d have such a igure.”
“I-I-It’s embarrassing if you keep staring.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
My imagination had run into overdrive. Naturally, I began to head out of

the bath, afraid that a more detailed description might be spoken aloud.
The other men followed right after me, startled. This was because the
girls had become even more preoccupied.
“You can go for it, but be careful. I get ticklish…”
“Yes. Okay, Ahyoung.”
“T-Then m-me, too…”
“Ah… Yes. Then Hayan-ssi, too… Please wait.”
“I’m not very interested, but… it seems interesting, so please…”
“W-Wait a minute! If you do it all at once… h-hey…”
Though I didn’t know what exactly was going on, my body had begun to
respond.
All of the female crews seem to be paying attention to Yoo Ahyoung’s

overwhelming size. I knew I had to escape as soon as possible.
“I guess we were mistaken. They… seem close, right?”
Ahn Ki-mo’s small voice echoed throughout the tiny hall. Even Park
Deokgu couldn’t argue.
However, I had to admit that the bath felt good. In the meantime, seeing
Max whining alone and drying his hair looked like his chest was
hurting, so I brushed his head off with a towel.
-T-Thank you.
“You don’t need to be grateful. Would you like to drink anything? No,
can you even drink?”
-Yes. Basically, it doesn’t matter if I don’t consume nutrients, but after

all, as I’m out of the museum, I want to enjoy everything you have to
offer.
“Now, drink some milk here.”
-Thank you.
“Tsk. Is your chest a little better?”
-Yes… Yep. It’s throbbing a little bit, but it’s okay now.
“Tol To-ri will be your sister, Max.”
-Ah…
It was fun to see him looking so worried.
“You’ll be busy starting tomorrow.”
-Yes!
“You’re going to go to school. Your research needs to be done quickly.

Do you understand me?”
-Ah… Yep. Okay, President Lee.

Come to think of it. I hadn’t even decided on his room yet.
With this in mind, I excused us to Kim Hyunsung. When I brought Max

out, however, I unexpectedly found Dialugia waiting outside.
‘Why is this woman here?’
There was only one reason she was here now—he must’ve caused
trouble again.
Before I even said hello irst, she spoke, looking very embarrassed.
However, what she said was entirely different from what I had been
expecting.
“Er…”
“What happened? Is it Tol To-ri again?”
“Oh! Not like that. Not like that, but…”
“Yes?”
“I was wondering if you could forgive Dialuria…”
“What?”
“Our D-Diaruria looks so pitiful… I think she has already received

enough punishment.”
“Er… I think she’s been looking forward to the both of you going out
together… It seems that she’s already re lected a lot. Er… So…”
Less than three hours had passed since the body hammer case. I knew
Dialugia’s pushover disposition was the whole reason why Dialuria had
grown in such a negative manner, but…
“I think… it would be better to forgive her.”

CHAPTER 255
THE WORLD (3)
“You don’t mean that, right?”
“She’s already re lected on this a lot, really.”
“I doubt that’s the case. She’s just upset the schedule didn’t go the way
she wanted it to.”
I could already guess what had happened. At irst, Dialugia had agreed
with Tol To-ri’s punishment upon seeing how she behaved. However,
returning to the nest and seeing her daughter shed thick tears had
softened her up.
This alone made me realize how bad her parenting was. She must’ve
comforted Dialuria with promises of talking to me and getting her out
of her punishment. In short, she had basically taught her to cry in order
to get his way.
‘And it actually works… ’
Dialugia was the type of mom who would do anything to make her kid
happy. No wonder Dialuria thought of her mother as a pushover.
“Actually, I only told her that outings would be banned.”
“Ah… Really?”
“Yes. But looking at you, I think it would be alright to prolong the
punishment a little.”
“I don’t understand what you mean…”
“You have to teach her that she can’t get everything she wants. I know
very well that I’m not in a position to tell you, but our Tol To-ri has lived
doing what she wants to do up until now. She should know that
sometimes there are things that she can’t get by crying over it.”
“O-Of course, I agree with…”
“So you agreed. What’s the problem here?”
“I think Dialuria was really looking forward to the both of you going out
together… Wasn’t that the promise you made before you left for the
expedition? I know Dialuria best. She is already re lecting on it enough.
If you go there and reason with her…”
“You’re too soft on her.”
“I think you’re well aware that Dialuria likes her father a lot.”
Absolutely. I even thought it was dangerous, looking at her

characteristic.
Upon seeing my guilty expression, Dialugia decided to take the

opportunity.
“I can say for sure. It’s because you didn’t stop at the nest and didn’t
give love since she was very young. Still, leaving a child thirsty for her
father’s love as it is… Of course, it is Dialuria’s fault today. But I think
you should let a little loose for your child to be able to breathe.”
“Is that really the reason? It seems you’re saying that simply because
you don’t like to see Tol To-ri crying.”
“W-What do you take me for?”
Seeing her reddened cheeks, I knew I had hit the bullseye.
However, Dialugia didn’t say anything wrong. It was undeniable that I

had left most of the child-raising to her. I only spent once a week with
Tol To-ri, and even that was stopped when I had to go to the training
center for a month.
If I were to think about it, I had no right to talk about proper parenting.
Nevertheless…
‘This one is de initely a problem.’
Dialugia’s unique characteristic was a Tree that Generously Gives. This

was proven in the way she smothered Tol To-ri with her love. Seeing
this for myself reminded me of a slave working hard to please her
master.
Dialugia didn’t even have her own life in the irst place.
Everything about her revolved around Tol To-ri. Though I commended

her dedication, this was exactly the problem as to why Tol To-ri took
her for granted.
‘This one also has a problem.’
I had to teach her to respect herself more, but the problem was I didn’t
know how to do it.
‘It’s dif icult to raise a child.’
Honestly, I didn’t even know where to start.
I didn’t have a child on Earth, nor have I ever been in a place like early
childhood education to learn theory. The only knowledge I had was the
one I saw through programs like “Super Nanny,” and I didn’t even enjoy
it. Perhaps that was the same with Dialugia.
This meant I needed an expert who could give me some realistic advice.
I’ve got a ton of work to do, but if I were to think about the grown Tol
To-ri later, there could be nothing more important than shaping her up
now.
Eventually, I spoke up.
“For now, go back today. I’ll be there tomorrow morning.”
“T-Then!”
“No. I don’t mean to withdraw the punishment, but… I think we need an

accurate diagnosis of our family.”
“What?”
“You just need to know that for now.”
I went to quickly write a letter, leaving a wondering Max behind.
***
The next morning, I faced a displeased Dialugia.
“You… will… consult an expert? I don’t understand. Why do we need

help from others to raise our child? Our Dialuria is a dragon, not
human.”
“Well, I’m not sure if it will work or not, but it won’t get worse than it is
now. Whatever it is, the advice of people who have experience is
helpful.”
“That… it is, but…”
“Oh… Was Tol To-ri well yesterday?”
“Yes. Yesterday she fell asleep when she heard that her dad was
coming… She seemed to be looking forward to a lot this morning.
Anyway, has that expert raised a lot of children?”
“No. He didn’t. Just think of it as having a professional education. He is

not just limited to early childhood education, he is also a person who
spans many ields. Before coming here, he was working as a family
psychotherapist. When he came here, I was told that he helped with
various raids while using the title Monster Behavior Analyst.”
“A dragon is not a monster.”
“I know that, of course, but we still need to give it a try.”
As expected, Dialugia didn’t seem to like the idea of getting an expert’s

help.
It was not unusual for her to respond that way since psychotherapy was
not properly established on this continent as of the moment. Plus, they
were a different species than humans.
In fact, I didn’t have high expectations, either. Raising humans and

raising dragons seemed to be different because I assumed that the
dragons’ intelligence exceeded that of humans’ to dismiss it as simply a
monster.
‘Although Tol To-ri seems to act according to her instincts… ’
I didn’t have enough time, so I sought help from Lee Jihye to help me
ind someone.
She had assured me that this would help, but I honestly still doubted it.
If I kept bottling up my emotions, I would just take longer to solve the
problem. It was at least more realistic to get advice from people who
have learned a little more than me.
Not far from the nest, I took a seat with Dialugia and waited. Eventually,
someone came.
Appraising the man, I saw that he had a trustworthy look on his face.
“I am Kang Hyun-wook. Uhm… Lee Jihye introduced me…”
“Ohh. Yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Kiyoung.”
“I’m Dialugia.”
“I am truly honored to meet these high-pro ile people. I didn’t know

that I would be in contact with you… Haha. They say we don’t know
what can happen in our lives, and it’s amazing. This big and magni icent
nest amazes me every time. I didn’t know I would ever get to step into
it.”
“This is all spent money, too.”
“Someone like me can’t even imagine. Anyway, I don’t know if I can help,
but I’ll do my best.”
“Please, doctor.”
“You don’t have to call me that. Just call me Hyun-wook, Blue Vice Guild
Master.”
“Ah… Okay. I think you can just call me Kiyoung-ssi too.”
“Haha. It’s a bit too much for me, so I’ll call you Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
He gave off a better impression than I thought…

When he irst appeared, I didn’t feel that he was very trustworthy, but it
seemed that he was not a bad person after meeting him face to face.
‘I think he will be helpful… ’
As if Dialugia felt the same way, she loosened up a bit.
When we went up to the nest together, he looked around as if he was

amazed, but I could also see the irmness in his expression, meaning he
was aware that he was working.
“So, what will you do, Hyun-wook-ssi?”
“Oh. First of all, you don’t have to worry about me. I think you can be
with your daughter like you normally do. I think it would be better to
see what kind of problem there is irst.”
‘He is real… ’
I felt like he was already eager to get started. Though it bothered me, I
couldn’t mull it over because Tol To-ri had already come running
towards me.
“Haaaa… Kiek! Kie-ee-ee-ee-ek!”
Though Dialugia ran to meet her irst, Tol To-ri once again ignored her
mother, waving her tail softly as she waited to be hugged. I realized that
she had never really re lected on what she had done the day before.
“Dialuria.”
Noticing how serious I sounded, Dialuria stiffened and began to whine

once more.
‘She de initely has a lot of problems… ’

Right now, I wanted to scold her again, but for now, seeing as Hyun-
wook was watching us, I had to show my usual appearance as much as
possible. In the meantime, Dialugia was openly scolding her daughter,
looking perplexed as she realized that Dialuria never did regret her
actions.
Still, seeing how happy her daughter was, she decided to let it pass.
We ate together, talked a little, and played, and the time passed us by.
Only after Tol To-ri fell asleep did Kang Hyun-wook approach, looking
very serious. I was curious about how he would start this, and he chose
to take the harsh path. I already knew this, but Dialugia herself looked
very shocked.
“The child is behaving as if she had no mother. It even seems that she is
completely ignoring her.”
“Ah… that…”
“She has no eyes for anyone other than her father.”
Anyone could see this. The important thing was what caused this.
“Is there any reason?”
“There is a reason for every behavior of children who are not yet
mentally mature. Actually, there are many small problems, but in my
personal judgment, the biggest problem seems to be that the guardians
don’t look so close to each other.”
“What?”
“It’s not just that you don’t seem close. It seems that the two guardians
aren’t interested in each other at all. It’s so blatantly obvious that even a
child like your daughter can see that. Did you know that you two talked
to each other in less than 30 seconds in a timespan of a few hours?”
“Ah…”
I had not realized this fact.
“I’m sorry to say this, but… The root cause of your daughter’s problems
seems to trace back to the two guardians. I can never think of this as a
normal family.”
Dialugia’s face turned pale due to this brutal conclusion.

CHAPTER 256
THE WORLD (4)
“W-What does that mean?”
“I’m sorry, but please take what I said in a literal manner.”
“Ah…”
Anyone could see that Dialugia was shocked. It was natural for her to
ind it hard to accept her daughter’s deviation, seeing how much she
loved her.
There were probably many things coming to her mind.
‘Now I think I know why it became like this… ’
This was a family that had not been created in a normal manner.
Dialugia and I didn’t have a common denominator, and we didn’t like
each other very much.
If one were to ask me, I felt a little uncomfortable with her.
Of course, the impression of a bad irst meeting was offset by a large

nest and warm, high-quality food, but… Tol To-ri never seemed to have
forgotten her irst impression of us. Rather than being a couple, we just
decided to raise a child together.
There was no physical contact, no sweet words, nothing. If Tol To-ri had
indeed noticed this, then her behavior was de initely understandable.
After checking our expressions, Dr. Kang Hyun-wook once again

prepared to speak. Dialugia, who at irst had condemned me saying that
an expert couldn’t solve this problem, was listening with full force.
“Of course, the diagnosis has not yet been completed, but at least this is
what it looks like to me. Your daughter…”
“You can comfortably call her Dialuria.”
“Okay. You may already know that Dialuria is showing signs of excessive
obsession with her father. We have to wait and see a little more, but it
seems to be an early symptom of the Electra complex… She is likely
being in luenced by the bad relationship between you two.”
“Ah…”
“Usually, this kind of obsession is caused by the feeling that she doesn’t
want her father to be taken away by her mother. Among them, a very
rare case…”
“Yes. Please keep saying.”
“Well. Before I explain, it would be better to tell the background irst. I

heard in advance that Lee Kiyoung-nim doesn’t have enough time to
devote to his family.”
“Ah… Yes, that’s true.”
“It’s natural to be this busy as you are the most famous person in Lindel
these days. The problem is, thanks to that, you’re reducing the amount
of time you spend with your daughter… Lee Kiyoung-nim may also
think that this part cannot be helped. The problem is that Dialuria
thinks that her mother is the reason why her parents are unable to
devote time to her. Of course, the actual cause is a little different…”
“Ohhh…”
“I-Is it because of me?”
“Yes. Dialuria doesn’t know exactly what her father is doing outside. She
has no idea what you do, how high Lee Kiyoung’s position is in society,
and what responsibilities you have. Of course, you may have heard it,
but what your daughter sees is just the fact that her father is never
around.”
“I-I see.”
“Perhaps she may have concluded that the reason why the guardian
doesn’t come home often is that Lee Kiyoung-nim does not value
Dialugia. If she has ever seen Lee Kiyoung-nim with other women, this
conclusion may be even more concrete. It may be rude, but I have seen
a similar case after coming to the continent. Of course, it was a monster,
not a human, but…”
Kang Hyun-wook seemed cautious about not comparing dragons to

monsters. However, there was nothing bad about listening to him.
I could say that Dialugia was certainly a higher life form that surpasses
most humans, but Tol To-ri was still in a period when instincts were
ahead of reason.
“You can speak freely.”
“Hmm. Among the griffons living in a typical paternal society… I

certainly remember that there was a case like this. It’s a case I’ve only
seen once, and I’ve worked at the Griffon Training Center for a long
time.”
“…”
“The situation was very similar. It was a male with many females, and
he began to obsess over one female. Naturally, I remember that he
didn’t pay attention to other females and didn’t even go to them,
thereby neglecting his other children. Eventually, it seemed that one of
the young griffons who hadn’t gotten their father’s attention started to
think strangely.”
“W-What is it, Doctor?”
Now Dialugia was even calling him a doctor. Using the monster griffon
as an example did not seem to make her angry.
“The child seemed to think, ‘My mother is not an attractive woman.

That is why my father does not love me.’ Therefore, he seemed to think
that she was not loved, either.”
“Huh…”
“In Dialuria’s case, the situation is a little more serious. The griffon in
the case I explained did not seem to have an Electra complex. We need
to ind out a little more about why Dialuria is showing a severe
obsession with his guardian…”
That was probably because of his unique characteristic.
“There is a high probability that she thinks that she should be a

charming being and have her father in her hands. Of course, ignoring
her mother is a similar context.”
“Then…”
“Perhaps she also inds her mother annoying. There is a high

probability that she also has questions about why her mother is with
her father. Of course, she becomes dif icult to control. If her guardian is
taking care of her with too much sincerity, this problem is only
emphasized. It’s because, usually, the beast… no, the children rank up
against everyone in this period. If you think you can overcome this with
greater love, you are thinking in the wrong manner.”
“Then, the more we do, the more the symptoms will accelerate.”
“Lee Kiyoung-nim is correct. It just makes your child’s thoughts a little

irmer. Of course, all of this is speculation. I can’t be certain that the
diagnosis is correct, having seen her only once.”
However, what he said was very likely.
‘No… It was too accurate… ’
I checked his attribute, but there was nothing that analyzed the
behavior of people or monsters.
This meant this was a diagnosis that only pros who had seen and heard
numerous cases could make. He was certainly an extraordinary person,
seeing that he made a living with such talent.
‘It won’t be bad to get close to him… ’
Perhaps he would be able to help me in the future.
Dialugia spoke up at this point.
“T-Then, is there no way? We have to keep going like this…”
She had even begun to cry.
From her point of view, it may be unfair. Tol To-ri, who she expected to
grow up while reciprocating her love, was now ignoring her.
It was natural for her to feel shocked upon hearing that Tol To-ri saw
her as the lowest ranker in the nest. Of course, the biggest emotion that
encompassed all of that was the guilt for not presenting a normal
family.
‘It’s a little pitiful… ’
If I were to think about it, it was not an exaggeration to say that most of
the causes are my fault.
Dialugia may think that things have come to this point because of her
own fault, but in all actuality, I was the real culprit. Therefore, it was up
to me to ix this situation.
“There must be some way.”
“Yes. Of course, there is a way. It’s actually very simple.”
“To regain my authority as a mother, uhm… it would be nice for us to

have a good relationship.”
“Yes. Like Dialugia-nim, Lee Kiyoung-nim’s role is also very important.

Lee Kiyoung-nim with Dialugia…”
I had to spend more time, not only with Tol To-ri, but also with Dialugia.
“If possible, it is important to express a lot of affection and draw a line

with your daughter. This area is the mother’s, and it’s not where you
can come in. You have to make her understand that her mother’s rank is
not third.”
“Hmm… I see.”
“Of course, Dialugia’s role is also important. If you have generously
poured out your love so far, it would be better to reduce that love a little
from now on. It may not be easy, but it is a must. Likewise, show that
you are spending a lot of time with Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
“Okay.”
“It won’t be easy to change the thoughts that are already ixed in her
head. I hope for this to happen, but… at irst, she will probably show a
strong rejection reaction.”
“A strong rejection reaction? Then uh, what can we do?”
“You still have to keep going. You must be a irm guardian.”
“Ah… Okay.”
“I will tell you this once again because I think you have a soft spot with
your child, Dialugia-nim.”
“…”
“You need to be irm.”
I knew that Dialugia had heard this a lot of times, but this seemed to be
the irst time that she had truly acknowledged it. Slowly, she nodded as
if she had decided upon something.
I could predict that things wouldn’t change much even if she did that,
but I wanted to praise her for being willing to show a little effort.
‘I will have a lot of work to act on.’
At this point, I would have to take some acting lessons from Ahn Ki-mo.
The next day, we put the plan to action. After asking manager Kim Mi-
young to postpone all schedules, I went to the nest once more.
Naturally, I also had to soothe Jung Hayan, who expressed her desire to
be together all day long.
I wondered if she would monitor me with that eye again, so I even came
out with a small homework asking her to conduct research with Max.
This was because I thought that if she was focusing on other things,
there was a high probability that she would not dare to peek.
For reference, Juliana, who had fallen asleep again, was sealed in a
sword strap and then tied up and left in the room.
This was because I thought that Lindel wouldn’t be ready to face the
sword anyway. Meanwhile, I had an important task ahead of me.
‘Tol To-ri Rehabilitation Project.’
It was the irst day I decided to try Dr. Kang Hyun-Wook’s solution.
I was already ready, but I doubt that Dialugia was. Anyway, the bow had
already been pulled, and the arrow was gone. Nothing would change if
we didn’t try.
‘Phew… ’
As I moved towards the nest, I could see Tol To-ri panting from afar.
“Kiee-ek! Haaa! Haaa!”
She may have already heard from her mother, but upon seeing her
overly excited expression, I could tell that she hadn’t expected me to
come twice in a row.
It was a spectacle seeing her tail swaying and even running towards me,
drooling. She looked so cute that I wanted to hug her tightly. However…
‘You must be irm, guardian.’
After avoiding her, I immediately ran into the nest and hugged Dialugia,
who had been waiting for me. Thanks to preparing this in advance, she
hugged me back in a more natural fashion.
Anyone could still see that this was an awkward expression of affection,
however.
“You came?”
“…”
“Ke-e-e-e-ee-eeeeeeeeee!”
This was when the screaming began.

CHAPTER 257
THE WORLD (5)
‘There is a high probability of a strong rejection reaction at irst.’
Dr. Kang Hyun-wook’s voice rung in my ears.
Anyone could tell that Dialuria was angry right now. When I glanced
back at her, I saw tears running down her eyes.
She looked a little scary, staring at me while snorting. I felt perplexed,

not knowing what she would try to do. Dialugia also looked
disconcerted, not expecting Tol To-ri to react in this manner.
However, Tol To-ri had not tried to ram into her mother, which meant
she still had some reason in her left. It wasn’t too late to ix her attitude.
If she showed such animosity right in the beginning, I would have to

think about how to solve this problem more seriously.
“How are you, Tol To-ri?”
“Kieeek!”
I had to say hello to Tol To-ri after saying hello to Dialugia.
Kang Hyun-wook’s solution was that, whatever I did, I should let her
know that her mother was my priority.
She kept panting and running as if asking me to look at her, but I didn’t
show any reaction other than giving her a slight pat on the head. I then
turned back to Dialugia.
“Have you eaten?”
Though I wanted to be more informal, this was more comfortable for

me. Dialugia, on the other hand, showed less effective acting than I did.
‘Of course, she would react this way.’
Right now, even I, upon seeing Dialugia’s friendly appearance, felt

awkward. Of course, her appearance, polymorphed as a human, was
beautiful enough, but the reality was that she wasn’t my type.
Of course, it would be the same for her, who harbored a very normal
characteristic. Naturally, it was dif icult to act in such a situation.
“No. I was waiting for you so we can eat together.”
“What about Tol To-ri?”
“Not yet…”
“We should have a simple meal.”
“But I have prepared something because you were coming. Let’s come
in.”
Our exchange was so awkward that it was enough to drive me crazy.
Seeing Dialugia all dressed up and acting friendly only emphasized this.
Her hair, which was well-groomed around her big horns, was swaying
more today, and it felt like she applied something on her skin that was
not necessarily makeup but made her glow all the same.
She had also tried to put on a nice out it. All in all, I could see that she
had done her best to imitate the fashion sense of the young women
wandering around Lindel Square. Though it didn’t suit her very much,
she still looked undeniably beautiful.
She must have been shocked to hear that Tol To-ri didn’t think of her as
a charming woman.
‘Obviously so.’
When I thought that her human form had changed this much, I
wondered what her dragon form would look like. Though I was not
knowledgeable enough to evaluate the dragons’ beauty standards, I
knew her black scales must be shining.
In any case, this non-standard family began to spend time together

slowly, maintaining a little awkward atmosphere.
In the meantime, Tol To-ri was constantly trying to divert my attention

using small, melee attacks, but as advised, I did not give more attention
than what was necessary.
Of course, it didn’t mean I didn’t react at all. I would give her a little pat
or brief praise, but that was all. I was careful not to show an
enthusiastic reaction.
Instead, I spoke more to Dialugia and paid more attention to her.
Of course, the angered child began to scream once more, but we had to
push through with this if we wanted her to grow the right way.
We did the same thing as we ate, with me showing more attention to

Dialugia. It didn’t take much time for Tol To-ri to realize that she had
been pushed back to second place.
“How was your meal?”

“It was delicious. Thanks to you, I ate well. Just sit down. I’ll do the
dishes for us.”
“No. I’ll do it. You don’t even go hunting these days…”
“No. I’ll…”
“Then, let’s do it together.”
“It’s really ine…”
“No. Let’s do it together.”
I was not in my prime. Anyone could see that this was bad acting, yet
Tol To-ri seemed completely fooled. It was harder to keep up this façade
with Dialugia than expected.
Fortunately, the situation itself did not seem all that bad.
The process of standing next to each other and washing dishes was
very tiresome, but I knew our image must look very romantic.
Of course, I didn’t like the way we were doing this without smiling.
‘Did she say she is very ticklish?’
I remembered it for sure because I almost got smashed in an

experiment before.
As I gently touched Dialugia’s hand with my own bubble-stained one,

she glanced at me as if to ask what the hell I was doing. However, she
did not reject me outright, knowing it would destroy everything we’d
worked for.
It seemed to be a success as I saw that she eventually started to giggle,

right after I had begun scratching the back of her hand.
“I-It tickles. Hehe…”
“Haha.”
Though the awkwardness was still evident, our technique seemed to be

working. As I continued to talk to her, she continued to listen to me.
‘It’s not that bad… ’
Since this was the irst time we had talked to each other longer than
what was necessary, I began to see more of Dialugia’s good qualities
than her laws.
We communicated better than I thought, and, surprisingly, we were on

the same wavelength.
“Hehe. That’s a fun story.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yes. It seemed to be the funniest story I heard recently. Ah! Come to

think of it… Has the museum manager got a little better?”
“He is adjusting well now. In fact, he wasn’t really hurt from the start.
It’s because he is stronger than normal children.”
“How about the work he’s doing?”
“Now that he has just entered research, we’re bound to see results
soon.”
“It’s amazing.”

“I mean, how we can send out a hologram of magic power in multiple
directions from one place. Humans have been doing that since before.
They’ve tried to do a lot of strange things. In fact, I haven’t been very
friendly to humans, but I knew there was something to learn from
them.”
“That’s a little strange. Most of the empire’s ancient books state that
dragons have a fairly good magic level and have some things
developed…”
“I heard that we usually get a lot of such misunderstandings. However,

if you think about it a little, you will ind the answer. Our people…”
“Hmm… You won’t need it.”
“Yes. We don’t. Of course, we can learn, but we don’t have to. Some
dragons cannot use magic, and most of them are interested in the
human world. Of course, they are apt to be treated differently by the
older ones. In a way, humans are amazing.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Since humans are biologically weak, they constantly develop to

overcome that weakness. They craft weapons, learn magic, and keep
searching for new things. Of course, there were times when that desire
produced negative consequences, but there were certainly other times
when it had bene icial results. To be honest, even to you…”
“Yes?”
“It’s nothing…”
“Yes?”
“Ah…”
“No. Don’t do that. Please tell me, wife.”
“That term of endearment is terrible.”
“The child is watching.”
“…”
“I am asking you because I’m curious, Dialugia.”
“It’s nothing. Just like the previous story, I just thought you were great.
The dragon Breath potion, and the previously made serum… It’s even
more so when I think about your lack of physical ability or magical
af inity compared to other humans. You’re not that bad.”
“Am I different from your irst impression?”
“I still get angry when I think about that time, so I hope you don’t
mention it…”
“Ah. Okay. Pfft.”
“Pfft.”
As soon as I started laughing, Dialugia did the same. This wasn’t acting
anymore. It all felt genuine. Remembering our irst meeting was indeed
hilarious at this point.
I knew Dialugia would never have expected her life to end up this way
—to go from living in the wilderness to eventually forming a bond with
humans.
I didn’t know her real feelings, but she seemed to think that her life
here wasn’t too bad.
‘This is a nice atmosphere.’

After all, being natural was better than useless acting. I even
momentarily forgot about Tol To-ri’s constant screaming. If we could
keep this up, we would make a more bene icial process.
When I raised my hand slightly and tucked Dialugia’s hair behind her
ears, she looked up at me with wide, startled eyes.
‘She actually is pretty.’
The atmosphere was strange for some reason, perhaps because of her
big horns.
Seeing that her face was strangely red, she seemed a little embarrassed,
but she also seemed to think that this expression of affection was ine.
This was all for Tol To-ri, after all.
‘I think this is harmonious enough… ’
When I wondered if I should kiss her forehead to show a more

de initive image, Tol To-ri started grabbing my pants, trying to separate
me from her mother.
‘This is… ’
“Kiyiing. Kiyiing… Kieek!”
As if she found this unacceptable, she had begun to pull at me with all
her might. If I were to remove my resistance, I would end up getting
dragged onto the loor.
“Ke-e-e-e-ee!”
Her big eyes seemed to desperately ask me not to do this. It was almost
as if she was a wife whose husband had gotten stolen by a prostitute.
‘This is your mother, Tol To-ri.’

“Kiyiing… Kiing…”
Not only did she continue to cry, but she was also now staring at her
mother. At this point, I had begun to wonder if Kang Hyun-wook’s
diagnosis might’ve been wrong, but it was still necessary to have to try
and discipline my family.
Right now, she was frantic about not wanting her dad being taken away
from her, but if she were to constantly see this, I knew she would
eventually learn.
What I was worried about was whether or not Dialugia could withstand
her child’s hurt gaze, but upon seeing her determined expression, I
knew she would be able to handle this.
“I’m talking to your mom, Tol To-ri. You shouldn’t do this.”
“Ke-e-e-e-ee!”
“Hey! You can’t keep throwing a tantrum.”
“Kiyiing… Haaaa… Haaaa!”
As if trying to draw attention to herself, she began to show off the jump
pose that I liked seeing the most. It squeezed at my heart to see her
doing it with tears in her eyes, however…
“You can’t keep doing this. Sometimes you should be alone, too.”
Dialugia opened her mouth with courage as if this was also an

opportunity.
“D-Dialuria. You should listen to your dad, right?”
Her expression was de initely that of a irm mother’s. At this, I subtly

nodded at Dialugia, praising her for her efforts.
“I… I don’t want to!!!”
Upon hearing an unfamiliar voice, I turned to see a child—not a dragon

—staring de iantly back at us.
“Uh? Tol To-ri?”
Now it looked like I couldn’t use this nickname anymore.

CHAPTER 258
THE WORLD (6)
This was de initely a very embarrassing situation.
The human appearance of Tol To-ri, who was still angered, was
de initely Dialugia’s daughter.
Her head still had undergrown horns, and her small stature and large
eyes were reminiscent of her mother’s. It appeared that Tol To-ri’s
cuteness was now at its peak, one I wasn’t able to see develop as I had
not spent enough time with her.
Her hair was just down to her waist, and her skin was white like her
mother’s.
When she had irst transformed, she had been utterly naked, but now
she was, thankfully, wearing clothes that were similar to Dialugia’s. I
didn’t know if Dialugia intended this or not, though. All I could see was
how similar they were to each other.
Even their mannerisms were similar. The way Tol To-ri kept her mouth
shut, her habit of touching the hair around her horns, the way she
impatiently tapped her foot…
‘She really looks like… ’
Dialuria was de initely the spitting image of her mother. Of course, it

appeared as if she herself didn’t care, seeing as she was clinging onto
me and ignoring Dialugia.
After a brief silence, a perplexed Dialugia spoke.
“Dialuria… What’s going on? Why are you being like this?”
What was ridiculous was that Dialugia felt happier than anything else.
Apparently, it was an unusual occurrence for a dragon to be able to
transform this early on. I could see how proud she was of her daughter
for being so advanced.
Of course, I couldn’t blame her for thinking that way. What I didn’t like,
however, was how she openly showed how pleased she was.
The disciplinary period was going well as it was, but it was undeniable
that the situation had taken an unexpected turn. However, I could admit
that there were more positive points than there were negative ones.
Being able to actually communicate with Tol To-ri was one such positive
point. However…
“…”
Her focus was entirely on me, having ignored Dialugia’s question. At

this, Dialugia spoke once more, the disappointment evident on her face.
“Dialugia, you have to pay attention to what your mother says.”
Now I could see how Dialuria treated Dialugia while I was not present.
‘She is really a saint.’
I couldn’t understand how Dialugia could endure being treated like this,
but I never did understand how maternal love worked in the irst place.
“Dialuria, how are you feeling? C-Can you walk? Your magic power is
also good… That’s great. Mother wasn’t able to do it like Dialuria until I
was over 100 years old…”
I shook my head. The more Dialugia praised her, the more she would
think of her mother as a pushover.
“I knew you were smart, but… you have higher magic power than kids
of your age…”
‘Don’t praise her.’
“I didn’t know you could speak right away… That’s amazing. Can you tell
your mom how you felt?”
She had evidently forgotten about yesterday’s discussion, fawning over

her child like this. I knew I had to intervene.
When I went to speak, Tol To-ri’s attention eventually shifted to me.
Though I wasn’t much of a leader, I still needed to act like an

authoritarian.
“Luria.”
“Yes, Dad!”
“You have to answer your mom’s questions sincerely.”
“Oh, okay…”
“And keep your posture straight. I haven’t said anything so far, but your
mom is still the person your dad loves. I still haven’t forgiven you for
what you did last time… I wouldn’t have been here if your mom hadn’t
told me to forgive you. Of course, I’m happy that you’ve grown up and
achieved results, but it’s not good to have this kind of attitude. Have you
treated your mother with this attitude since the start?”
“N-no… I haven’t…”
“I’m glad that’s the case, but I hope you’ll be careful from now on.”
I knew I had to emphasize that part about loving Dialugia, so I did.
“First, you have to apologize to your mother.”
“I… I’m sorry.”
“I-it’s okay. Dialuria… Our Diaruria is apologizing… Your mother is

crying for nothing…”
“Go and give her a hug.”
“Okay.”
Dialugia looked thrilled to have Tol To-ri acknowledging her, but I

honestly felt like the situation itself hadn’t improved. She still obviously
saw Dialugia as a rival.
I couldn’t even believe that what I had feared would happen would
actually happen.
Of course, I knew she was someone to take care of, but Dialuria always
felt more like a pet. Seeing her transform into a human created a new
sense of responsibility for me.
I was vaguely aware that I had become a father, but now this was even
more emphasized.
‘Now what do I do… ’

As I mulled this over, Dialuria began to speak once more.
“Er, dad. By the way…”
“Yes?”
“Can I be with dad every day now?”
Upon hearing this, a peculiar sense of burden began to overwhelm me.

Of course, I would be Tol To-ri’s real interest. Though she felt jealous of
Dialugia, her biggest concern was getting separated from me.
Naturally, I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to lie. Even as I

thought about what to say, Dialugia’s sad expression was apparent.
Though I would hate to give this type of answer, it was still better to be
honest than to lie.
“It’s impossible right now. I have many things to do. I have more work
to do in the following weeks… You understand that daddy is busy,
right?”
“Yes…”
“But if I have a little less work to do, I can be here every day. Of course,
even from next week, if I inish my work early, I’ll try to visit.”
“Really?”
“Sure. However, Luria has to make a promise, as well.”
“What is it…”
“The irst is to respect your mother’s words and treat her well. The
second is to apologize to your younger brother, who you saw the other
day, and get along with him. Oh… And one more thing. Blend well with
people in the human world and be quiet. If you keep these three things
well, I think dad will also like Luria very much…”
“I can keep it! I can keep it!”
“Really?”
“Yes! I can keep it!”
As we interlocked our pinky ingers and made the promise, she hugged
me tightly, apparently in a very good mood.
“I like this so much!”
Though I knew I had to be a little stricter in order to discipline her, it

was hard to do so when she was acting in such a cute manner.
I felt like now wouldn’t be the right time to continue being so strict with
her.
As I nodded a little and patted her back, she displayed her cuteness,
lying down as if asking me to touch her belly. Though her appearance
was still a human’s, she was, after all, still Tol To-ri.
“Purr… Purr…”
It was a spectacle to see her starting to make a purring sound as I

gently stroked her lower chin.
I knew that if her tongue was long, she would lick my cheeks like she
used to do before.
“Good job! Good job! Good job!”

She looked so adorable, responding to me in such a childlike manner.
Though this wasn’t normal behavior, she wasn’t a real human, so I felt
like this would be alright for now.
Meanwhile, Dialugia looked between the two of us unsurely, not

knowing what to do with her.
It seems that she wanted to participate, so I slowly gestured for her to

come closer. Though Tol To-ri was highly aware of her mother
approaching, she didn’t seem openly upset.
That, or she knew she had to keep her promise to me.
To be honest, Dialugia was the one who seemed to be enjoying this

more than Tol To-ri. At times, Dialuria would turn to her mother and
give her an awkward hug like before, but it only lasted brie ly, as
Dialugia intensely showed her happiness.
I didn’t know if Dr. Kang Hyun-wook’s solution worked or not, but upon
seeing her positive reaction, I felt like it was working some wonders.
‘This is a family. Family.’
Although it was still a mess… It would have been impossible to say that
we could make good progress just a few days ago.
“I like dad very much!”
The strange aspiration in her eyes still made me nervous, but I had to
believe that time would eventually ix it.


[#Why isn’t he calling me Tol To-ri?] [# I’m not sure, but my dad is
mine.] [# I’m not going to give him to mom either.] [#Love changes.]
Yes, time would de initely ix it.

CHAPTER 259
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT (1)
Tol To-ri’s problem had been settled for now.
I had blindly hoped for her to change dramatically, but no such miracle
happened. The only thing that changed dramatically was her
appearance.
Dialugia regained her position in the house little by little, and Tol To-ri
also seemed to recognize her mother’s position.
Whenever I was around, she clung to me tightly, refusing to let go.

However, she gradually started to change. Of course, I didn’t know if Tol
To-ri intended this change, but Dialugia had begun to feel happier with
every day that passed.
She was greatly impressed by Tol To-ri’s kindness, enjoying her

changed attitude.
Of course, Dialugia was working harder and more intensely on Tol To-ri
as she received this new treatment, which I was against. My personal
judgment was that she should be separated from her mother’s arms.
As a result, Tol To-ri started going to school with Max.
Dialugia seemed reluctant to know that Tol To-ri, a dragon, was being
educated by humans but eventually conceded because she knew this
would help build up her character.
Of course, it was the right decision.

Though Dr. Kang Hyun-wook originally recommended this for Tol To-ri,
it also helped Dialugia to an extent. The mother also needed some time
to herself, after all.
I already knew that many mothers gradually lose themselves after

having a child.
‘Parenting depression?’
Dialugia got a very high score in the test that Dr. Kang Hyun-wook used
to use on Earth, which worried me more than it should’ve. Though
Dialugia laughed about her results, I couldn’t ind it in me to do the
same.
The expert judged that it would not be strange if she would suddenly
burst one day, for Dialugia had a lot of pent-up stress stored within her.
While Tol To-ri enjoyed her time in school, I helped Dialugia ind things
she could enjoy during her free time.
Slowly, she improved day by day.
The opposite happened for me. Since I had postponed most of my work
in order to build up some progress with my family, this only meant that
I had a lot to focus on.
To sum up, three things happened all in all.
First was the Pope’s side network management.
I met with Cardinal Basel, whom I hadn’t seen in such a long time, to
resolve our misunderstandings and talk about various things. I wanted
to scream in joy when I heard that the present Holy Empire’s Pope was
too old and would soon return to God’s arms.
Of course, I was told that one of the three cardinals would be elected
Pope, and I heard directly from Cardinal Basel that he would most likely
be the next Pope.
If Cardinal Basel became the Pope, it was no wonder that my standing

would also rise. As I may receive a slightly higher status than Honorary
Bishop, I worked hard to satisfy Cardinal Basel’s mood. And it wasn’t
just him, either.
I also held a prayer meeting to con irm our strong friendship with
Archbishop Jessica and the Director of Inquisition Helena. It was also
natural that I participated in various activities such as dinners,
voluntary services, and other related events on the Pope’s side.
Since I no longer had to keep managing the Bishop-level line, I brought

Sun Hee-young on this particular visit.
‘The atmosphere was good.’
It was no wonder that Sun Hee-young, who was truly an exemplary

priest, became close to the bishops. They seemed a lot more intimate
than I thought, so I thought it would be okay for her to take over every
matter other than Cardinal Basel.
The second was network management with nobles.
It was as important to manage the Emperor’s side as much as the

Pope’s side.
Of course, as my direct link was with the Pope, I didn’t give that much
weight to the social world, but it was quite important to take care of a
legion of noble ladies, including Duchess Catherine, who had helped me
greatly with the Ito Souta incident.
Immediately after the end of the meeting with Cardinal Basel, I was
invited to the nobles’ social church. I remembered this period as being
really crazy.
The Blue and Black Swan’s adventure journal had also been released
around this time, and soon, we had a lot of work to do revolving around
the museum. People’s awareness of me soared.
The aristocratic wives who were with me started to feel proud, and I
was able to access a variety of information.
During one of these events, I heard a story about a particular imperial

princess. Though I didn’t give much importance to it, I stored it in my
head, thinking it might help me later.
The third was the Castle Rock’s black market.
After the social parties ended, I headed straight to Castle Rock, the
hometown of Marlin Young-ae. Though this was because of Marlin
Young-ae’s invitation, it was actually to check on the black market built
in Castle Rock.
I couldn’t involve myself directly because of Cho Hyejin’s strong

opposition, but this black market was still running with decent pro its.
I thought it would be okay to deal with something more illegal, but I

had to give this up because I couldn’t handle having any more tasks on
my plate. I wasn’t even interested in this place for the money, anyway.
The reason for this black market’s existence was to check the list of
customers who used these places, nothing more or less.
‘There will be some use for them later on.’
Having a list of customers and a ledger was a big boost.
If I tracked the documents, books, and locations that have piled up, it
was easy to ind out the identity of the masked bastards.
Of course, since Marlin Young-ae clung to me most of the time, I
couldn’t look around in too much detail, but the black market was
de initely a decent place to be.
“Phew…”
That wasn’t all of the work I needed to do. I also had to focus on the
guild’s internal and external affairs, as well as my research.
While joining the research of the magical hologram device with Max
and Jung Hayan, who had been experiencing a little dif iculty, Lee Jihye
and I also began to prepare for our business and eventually began to
renovate the museum.
I didn’t forget to support the newbies, too.
We found out what mechanism the Black Wizard worked with through
discussions with Han Sora, and I gave Yoo Ahyoung full- ledged support
to quickly improve her blacksmithing skills.
Research on the new potion did not stop, and I had spare time to think
about how to treat the serum that Park Deokgu refused to use.
This workload felt similar to when Kim Hyunsung assigned me all the
guild’s work in the past. The only difference was that he didn’t have a
choice back then.
Now, the reason was that we didn’t have enough time. The Empire no
longer wanted to postpone the of icial announcement of the Eight Seats
of the Empire.
I had to clear my schedule somehow, and because of that, I was forced

to proceed with this impossible schedule. I was able to cope easily since
I was used to working so much, but everyone else felt irritated with the
schedule.
Like me and Kim Hyunsung, the Red Mercenary Guild Master also had a
busy time during this period.
“It’s so tiresome. Is there even a plausible reason for the eight people
from each free city to gather for the of icial announcement? Can’t the
Emperor just formally proclaim it?”
“Yeah, you’re right…”
“Even though they know that everyone is busy, they still insist. I’m
pretty sure the Taiwanese and Japanese guys are also annoyed. The
problem is that the Empire’s so bent on such events. I’m so annoyed.
Right? Honey?”
“But from the Emperor’s perspective, he wants to show that he is doing

something. I haven’t heard of it in detail, but it seems that his position is
getting weaker recently…”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I don’t know if it’s a rumor or something, but rumors were

circulating among the nobles. Just having these rumors around already
weaken his position. It seems like he wants to take this opportunity to
let them know that he’s in good health…”
“I didn’t hear that… Did the Black Swan Master know?”
“Yes. I’ve heard about it, too.”
Park Yeon-joo spoke up at this point. However, Cha Hee-ra looked

uncomfortable.
“And only we didn’t know. Is this really a three-way alliance? Huh?”
“…”
“Honestly, I’m very disappointed with the museum thing. Honey, even if
you were me, you would have been disappointed, right?”
“I’m sorry, Cha Hee-ra. We had already received so much help from the
Red Mercenary… I had heard that you were going to another dungeon,
so I thought it would be better not to tell you.”
“I’m just saying this, so don’t worry too much. Even if I couldn’t
participate in the strategy, I’m grateful to you for being considerate
enough to let me invest. Still, I hope you can talk about things like this
with me beforehand. I don’t have the type of personality that gets
greedy about gains and losses. It’s natural to send troops when an ally
is in danger.”
“Yes.”
Park Yeon-joo nodded enthusiastically as soon as Cha Hee-ra inished

speaking. I, too, understood what the Red Mercenary Queen meant.
If Park Yeon-joo thought that this alliance was entangled in a particular

interest, Cha Hee-ra seemed to understand this alliance with a concept
a little further away from it.
I always thought about it, but her personality’s in luence would be

greater than the strength of being favored by the members.
I would never be able to do it like Cha Hee-ra. However, I averted my

gaze, feeling awkward.
Currently, Kim Hyunsung, Cha Hee-ra, and Park Yeon-joo were sitting
down, and respective deputies were standing behind each one.
Behind Kim Hyunsung was Cho Hye-jin, behind Cha Hee-ra was an
unknown Red Mercenary of icer, and behind Park Yeon-joo was Lee
Jihye.
Originally, Blue didn’t carry its attendants, but as this was an important
event, we had to send out one of the parties, and the lucky member was
Cho Hyejin.
In the irst round, she had been close to Kim Hyunsung, so he seemed to
think she was suitable for such a position. Of course, I also brought an
attendant with me.
“…”
“…”
It was a happy Jung Hayan.
‘Actually, I think she can sit here, too… ’
As I was lost in thoughts, the door slowly opened.
After Yuno Kasugano, who was the irst to enter the room, it was my
irst time seeing all the other faces.
‘The Eight Seats of the Empire.’
It was de initely my irst meeting with the other three. However, Kim
Hyunsung looked as if he already knew who they were, which meant he
had met them back in the irst timeline.
At this, I began to study his expression as the three other individuals

walked in.
CHAPTER 260
Anyone could see that one of the three persons, who came in right after
Yuno Kasugano, also came from Japan. Naturally, I began to assess them
with Mind’s Eye.
‘Ibuki Suzumiya.’
His class name was Twilight Assassin. He was clearly someone

powerful who was in charge of Celia, succeeding Ito Souta. I’ve heard
about him from Yuno Kasugano before.
He had been here for three years now and was one of the people who
was considered a talent.
Overall, his selected stats caught my eye, but the most striking one was
his agility. Considering that his class and attribute were also legendary-
grade, I knew his base stats were enough to garner him a place within
the Eight Seats of the Empire.
‘He must be strong.’
Kim Hyunsung nodded at him, which meant he had been impressive

even in the irst round, where it was presumed that Ito Souta had been
alive.
He must’ve been famous even back then.
His disposition wasn’t bad, and his unique characteristic was normal.
He seemed a little timid, but his skills were more than good enough.
The two people who came in after him were a man and a woman.
‘Taiwanese… ’
They were both Guild Masters in charge of the giant guild representing
the Free City of Dawan.
One of them was known as Cheon Gwan-wi. Seeing that he was tall and
was holding a cane, I could tell which class he had.
‘Wizard?’
He was a Fog Summoner ranked at the legendary-grade.
Reading the description, I think I knew what kind of magic he was

using. Even though he didn’t have a legendary item, seeing that he had
96 magic power, I could see just how much time he invested in magic.
Considering that there weren’t many decent wizards on the continent,
this man’s achievements were tremendous.
Nevertheless…
‘It’s lower than Hayan’s… ’
Of course, his stats weren’t negligible.
I knew it would be dif icult to determine superiority and inferiority by

considering only experience, skill level, and magic power.
Of course, considering the monstrous things Jung Hayan had shown so

far, I couldn’t imagine her falling behind. There must be a few cards
hidden up Gwan-wi’s sleeve as well.
The woman that came in with him had long hair tied to one side.
‘Wi Ran.’
Wi Ran was your typical archer. I had a strong feeling that she was the
type of strong woman who behaved according to her mood. Her class
was a heroic-grade Ranged Sniper.
Although she had good stats, what stood out to me was the legendary-
grade attribute Perfect Marksmanship. I could understand what her
attribute was about without bothering with its description.
What was interesting was that the woman’s equipment and accessories
were pretty expensive. I was able to recognize it at a glance because I
was wearing the same brand.
‘The combination is good.’
Although each one of them was strong, I felt that the synergy between
the two could not be ignored. I could de initely imagine the Fog
Summoner obscuring the opponent’s view and the Ranged Sniper
blowing their head off with an arrow.
If I used them on the battle ield, they would undoubtedly lead us to new
victories. Perhaps they were aware of their worth as well.
‘That’s why the two guilds were able to reach the top.’
Kim Hyunsung’s reaction towards them seemed to reinforce this fact.
Looking at him greeting with a smile this time, there didn’t seem to be
any problem with the people who had gathered here. Though I didn’t
know what criteria they used when they selected the Eight Seats, no
one here seemed to be ineligible for the spot. If I were to pick one…
I was most de initely the least deserving.
In the meantime, Yuno Kasugano had quietly bowed her head to me,
and I reciprocated her actions. She seemed to be aware that she needed
to act normally in a place where all the important people were present.
Her eyes were still closed, and she wore the same style of neat clothing
she usually wore.
However, it was still a little embarrassing to see her so attuned to me.
“I’m Ibuki Suzumiya.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Cheon Gwan-wi.”
“Oh, Lee Kiyoung.”
“Wi-ran. I am from Dawan.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
What followed afterward were the awkward introductions. Though

most of the people here already knew each other, Kim Hyunsung and I
were newcomers, so we had to undergo this torturous form of
socialization. I wasn’t nervous, but the atmosphere felt pretty heavy to
me.
‘Is this natural?’
The ones who had already settled down here and had gained fame and
strength in their own way were now all gathered in one place. Naturally,
a strange atmosphere was created.
Amidst the silence, the irst one who opted to speak was the Taiwan
prodigy, Fog Summoner Cheon Gwan-wi.
He had on a little sullen expression from the time he entered, depicting

his dissatisfaction with the selection’s results.
“Four, two, two…”

“Why? Do you have any complaints?”
“No, Cha Hee-ra-nim. Rather than being dissatis ied, the selection was a
little bit… I wonder if it was being biased towards one side.”
“So, you’re complaining.”
“Of course, I admit that the newcomers from Lindel are exceptional… I
guess I’m just disappointed. There are many talents in Dawan as well…”
“So you think we’re undeserving.”
“No, no, please don’t think that way…”
“How can we not when you say it like that? Aren’t you complaining?”
“You don’t really have to do this, Cha Hee-ra.”
“Hey… Look at her glaring. You look like you’re going to hit me, how
funny. It still seems like yesterday when you couldn’t even look me in
the eyes.”
“That was a long time ago…”
“Why? You didn’t do that when you went down on your knees, asking
me to save you.”
“Cha Hee-ra-nim…”
Though they quarreled in this manner, Gwan-wi didn’t seem like a bad
person. They must have shared history the rest of us weren’t aware of,
probably a con lict with Hee-ra in the past.
In an attempt to hide her embarrassing past from the rest of us, Cha
Hee-ra smiled, cleared her throat, and spoke once more.
“Gwan-wi, don’t feel bad and listen. The Empire was considerate to you
and not us. We could have taken at least one more seat for Lindel. They
were considerate for you not to feel bad. Do you understand me?”
“Even though…”
“Why? Do you think I’m lying?”
As Cha Hee-ra glanced at Jung Hayan, the expression on Cheon Gwan-

wi’s face hardened in realization.
“This is our little honey… It’s been a little over a year since you came in,
right?”
“No… way…”
“Why doesn’t it make sense? Our honey and our honey’s Guild Master
Kim Hyunsung, as well as Jung Hayan over there, are the players who’ve
cleared the tutorial dungeon in the shortest time. I knew immediately
that they had potential, but honestly, I wasn’t expecting them to achieve
this much, either. Well… they were lucky, and they have the skills…
Anyway, that’s it.”
“Huh…”
“There is one more, but… She’s still a little bit insuf icient to it in here…
Still, she seemed to be useful.”
“That’s unfair.”
“I feel that way sometimes. What do you think? In the eyes of the most
famous wizard in the Empire…”
“I will not comment any further.”

Jung Hayan seemed aloof to the situation, but most of the people’s eyes
were now on her.
In particular, Wi Ran, the archer, looked at her more explicitly.
“There are so many talented people at Lindel. There are two new
recruits in the continent’s Eight Seats, which have only been here for a
year. I didn’t know that they might even have an amazing wizard… In
fact, I thought the Empire might be giving too much preferential
treatment to Lindel until I checked it with my own eyes. Seeing you all
in person is a different experience.”
“You’re overpraising us.”
“No. I was simply telling you what it is, Blue Guild Master. I can tell that
you’re strong without having to con irm… The other one has a non-
combat job, so it’s even harder to judge, but he must have got a high
score for having a dragon choose him.”
‘Right on point.’
She was pretty direct. Kim Hyunsung smiled and spoke once more.
“He is actually an excellent alchemist.”
“I know that. We’re using the potion well coming into Dawan. Thanks to
that, the surviving rate of players has also increased a lot, although the
price is a little high… I think it would be right to say thank you. Oh, do
you have any plans to sell those items in your arms?”
It looked like she was talking about my Dragon Breath potion. I thought
she would have a good eye for being an archer, but she was more
perceptive than I was expecting.
“If I have the opportunity, I would like to, but it is an item that cannot be
mass-produced. It’s a legendary-grade potion, so the cost to craft it
even once is already too high.”
“That’s unfortunate. Well, it’s nice to meet you all anyway. It’s been a
long time since our last meeting. I’m glad that the Red Mercenary Guild
Master and the Yozora Guild Master have been doing well.”
“You still talk too much.”
“You’re saying that again. Cha Hee-ra-nim still has a mean mouth. I
understand that she upset you, but don’t get me involved in this, too…
That person’s will is not Dawan’s. Although we move together, I have
never been dissatis ied with this selection, really. Oh! Again, I’m
changing the topic, but… this newcomer has a pretty good eye.”
Perhaps she was talking about the brand of clothes I was wearing?
Seeing Cha Hee-ra nodding, I knew she understood why Wi Ran had
said that.
“It must be fate, seeing us all gathered like this… Shall we have dinner
after this is over? What do you think? Yuno Kasugano-nim, too…, Oh,
and…”
“I’m Ibuki Suzumiya.”
“Oh. And what about Ibuki-ssi?”
“That’s ine with me. If we have time to do that, I mean.”
“Perhaps we’ll be too busy with the party.”
“You’re right. Oh. I think I haven’t prepared a dress…”
The atmosphere was more harmonious than I thought.

After Ito Souta died, Celia and our side got close, so there would be no
other problems, but the people from Taiwan were also quite peculiar.
Though they openly quarreled with Cha Hee-ra, there seemed to be no
real animosity between the two parties.
‘It may be because it feels like we’re in the same boat… ’
Obviously, our positions were different, but in any case, Lindel, Celia,
and Dawan were in the same boat, known to all of us as the Holy
Empire.
If there was no crazy guy like Ito Souta present, this was a perfectly
normal gathering.
“By the way, isn’t the Holy Empire really funny? They haven’t even
thought about doing something like this, but as soon as the Republic
announced about the Five Tiger Generals or something along those
lines, they hurried to create the Eight Seats of the Empire. Anyway,
when they announce this, I know the Republic will be releasing a new
zodiac.”
“I’m afraid they’ll really do that.”
“I don’t think the atmosphere between them is good these days… I don’t
know if a war will break out soon. Has our shaman seen anything?”
“You say the atmosphere is bad?”
“Originally, the Chinese guys and our guys hate each other, but these
days, it seems a little too hostile. Lindel is in the center, so I’m not
entirely sure, but in Dawan, which is adjacent to the Republic, the
circumstances are visible.”
“…”
“There have been several ights.”

“You always ight.”
“I’m just saying this, but… I’ve de initely felt something different than
usual.”
Seeing that he was talking quite seriously, it felt like it wasn’t just a
theory.
‘Why would a war happen so suddenly?’
At this, I glanced towards Kim Hyunsung, who wore a calm expression.
“Can you tell us a little more about this?”
However, upon hearing the serious tone in his voice, I knew we weren’t
necessarily safe.
I didn’t know when it would be, but the possibility of war seemed to be
high.
‘Hyunsung will protect me, right?’
I knew I would be safe in his arms.

CHAPTER 261
Similar to when compared back on Earth, the relationship between

Taiwan and China was complex.
Most Chinese residing in the Republic still irmly believed that Taiwan
was a sub-state that they owned, which the Taiwanese obviously did
not take with pleasure. It appeared that Dawan was still being caught
up in this particular dispute.
Of course, it was funny to bring Earth’s international relations here, but

it didn’t seem unnatural, for there were also players who still had anti-
Japanese sentiment within Lindel.
In fact, guys from Islamic cultures were still ighting every day, and the
United Kingdom, where European powers were located, was still not
free from the shackles of the past.
The relationship between China and Taiwan was a little more

complicated than that, however.
The tutorial dungeon in Dawan was closely related to the Republic, so it

was consistent with their interests to secure even more tutorial
dungeons. Even the place where Dawan was located was the territory of
the Old Republic. Thanks to this, the Republic had taken on a
provocative stance.
International relations had always been a chaotic matter, no matter

where one went.
As the Empire, the Republic, the Kingdom, and the different races had
been ighting since before we came, they may seem normal from the
outside, but its inner relations decayed from this fact. Therefore,
rumors of war, possibly breaking out, did not seem surprising to me at
all.
‘A player is still a player in the end… ’
Now, I could tell that the leaders were on the verge of war. However, I
felt as if it would take some time before that were to actually happen. I
knew these guys weren’t stupid. If they were really thinking about
starting a war, they wouldn’t have announced the Five Tiger Generals or
the Empire’s Eight Seats. This meant they wouldn’t clash right into
battle.
At this time, this kind of announcement was just an armed

demonstration. However, I couldn’t deny that I had begun to feel
nervous.
Kim Hyunsung and I had just settled down and spread our wings, so a
war would put us in a disadvantageous state.
Hyunsung himself was listening with a serious expression to the stories

about the Republic continually provoking Dawan.
“The exact place where the incident took place is Laius.”
“There…”
“It’s a neutral zone, a place where some Southeast Asian guys, including
Laos, are summoned. Have you ever heard of… no, I believe you’ve
already heard of it. It’s just below the border…”
“Yes. I don’t know in detail, but I’ve heard of it.”

“Our Dawan’s tutorial dungeon is just right next to the Republic, and
Laius is right in the lower south, so anyone can go in and out of it a lot.
Of course, the same goes for the Republicans.”
Fighting within a neutral country is prohibited by continental law.
“Of course, the battle didn’t happen inside. It was only small-scaled, and
all the guys were ighting each other in front of a rare dungeon, but the
ight eventually got more intense. The beaten guys called over their
senior guild members, so their opponents called theirs over, too. There
wasn’t a massive battle, but if someone had pulled the bowstring…
Boom!”
“You guys do that every time.”
“Should I say that it was a woman’s hunch? Should I say it’s an archer’s
hunch? Perhaps Cha Hee-ra would have felt something similar if she
had been with me. I knew something was going to burst, and I almost
regretted not being able to do something about it to the best of my
ability.”
“There was no mediation?”
“A full- ledged ight didn’t happen because there was. I also sent an
of icial report to the Empire’s side. Come to think of it, they said that
they were of icially protesting, but I don’t know if they’ve actually done
anything…”
Unlike us, who busied ourselves ighting with monsters, Dawan seemed
to be suffering from more than just the usual oppression.
They might not take it as a big deal, but ignoring these trivial signs was
illogical.
‘Should I visit them?’

It didn’t seem all that bad to visit Dawan and Laius. I felt like I was
prepared to face whatever the atmosphere would be in there.
‘Tol To-ri might go crazy again, though… ’
It wouldn’t be bad to get there as fast as possible with White Paul

before such a tantrum occurred.
As I mulled this over, the others concluded their conversation without

much results.
“I will take you to the audience chamber.”
It was inally time to meet the Emperor of the Empire.
When the deputy of Cheon Gwan-wi opened the door, I could see a
guard waiting for us outside, bowing his head to us.
Upon seeing this, Cha Hee-ra got up.
“What’s the schedule?”
“There is no speci ic schedule after dinner with Your Majesty. There is

tomorrow morning, however…”
“Ohhh. So, we just have to keep the pose in front of the imperialists.”
“Ahem…”
“Please guide me. We waited for quite a long time, but I hope the
mealtime is short.”
‘Hah, there’s no way that’ll happen.’
I didn’t know how long these types of dinners usually lasted, but I could
bet they wouldn’t be shorter than four hours.
It took about two hours to eat with an ordinary nobleman, so, naturally,
dinner with the Emperor would be double the time. Just thinking about
it was enough to make me feel exhausted.
“Oh. Excuse me, but… I will take the entourage people separately.”
“What?!”
It was Jung Hayan who strongly protested. She had come here thinking
that we would be together the whole time, so this tidbit surprised her.
“It will be inished soon, Hayan. Stay here and eat with Jihye and
Hyejin.”
“Okay, Oppa…”
“Let’s go, Hayan-ssi.”
Since this seemed to be an important setting, Hayan thankfully

relented.
I was curious about what kind of conversation they would have there,
but my place was not there. The guards who were already waiting
began to take the entourage group separately, and Jung Hayan
disappeared from view only after looking back at me several times.
Cha Hee-ra was already walking with a tired expression, and Yuno
Kasugano had stepped up to take the seat next to me, where Jung Hayan
had previously been.
In front, Kim Hyunsung was walking while talking with Park Yeon-joo
and Wi Ran, while Cheon Gwan-wi walked with Ibuki Suzumiya behind
them.
The scenery that greeted us as we walked was very much pleasing to
the eye. I had already expected this from someone whose position was
the highest among all the noblemen.
Ornaments that seemed to have poured gold were arranged neatly, and
the road to the parlor was also gorgeous. This was a place it for the
Emperor of the Empire.
As we reached our destination, the colossal, intricately-designed doors

opened to reveal Victor Hart, who I hadn’t seen in quite a long time.
‘Is he the escort?’
Cha Hee-ra began to exchange words with him, but I didn’t think to
listen in. Knowing him, he was probably advising her to stay polite.
After the rough body search was over, the vassals and the guards began
to guide us, and once we again stepped on the red carpet with Victor
Hart at the lead.
‘Did we just pass by three large doors?’
When the last door inally opened, it revealed the Emperor, sitting on
his seat and waiting for us.
‘What is that?’
I hadn’t been expecting anything great.
Cha Hee-ra had already told me that he was an old man, and she
couldn’t really feel that the Emperor of the Holy Empire was a
competent human throughout her stay in the Empire.
But this was even lesser than I imagined.

Although he was wearing a large crown, he trembled as if he had no
more strength to handle the crown’s weight, and he did not seem to be
smart.
Rather, he had suspicious and venomous eyes evoking useless

boundaries, with a wrinkled face and a dwar ish body to boot. It was
hard to think of him as the Emperor of this great Empire.
‘What kind of Emperor is that?’
I’d rather believe that the woman sitting next to him was the Emperor,
whose identity I believed I could guess. When I triggered my Mind’s
Eye, I found out I was right.
‘Princess of the Holy Empire.’
She de initely had an aura, with her disposition as a Calculating

Innovator.
Her characteristic wasn’t bad, and her stats were good.
Her eyes seemed to see through me, and there was the elegance of a
leader that was dif icult for one to describe.
When I turned to look at the Emperor once more, all I see was an old
man on the verge of death.
“Everyone… sit down… in your seat…”
A voice that seemed to be unable even to kill a mosquito rang out.
“I see Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
“I see Your Majesty, the Emperor.”

Everyone was polite as they had learned before, and the old man smiled
at this.
“It’s an honor to see the heroes… who represent the Empire. I… I think
everyone knows why I called you here. First… everyone, please sit
down. Oh, before that, I need to introduce… my daughter, Charlotte.”
“I’m the Second Princess Charlotte. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I see the Princess.”
“You don’t have to be so polite. I already know that you are not familiar
with imperial etiquette. I didn’t invite you to make you feel
uncomfortable, so I hope you raise your head.”
“Yes.”
“Right. Yes, absolutely. You said well… Charlotte.”
“I’m sorry.”
Everyone sat down slowly, and the meal began with a light
conversation, but I didn’t think to listen in.
Most of the stories that came out were useless, and all the stories were
about heroes.
“Ahem… Ahem…”
Honestly, all I could hear was his constant coughing. I bet I could ight
him and emerge as the victor.
‘How can this be an Emperor?’
Without a regime change, the Empire de initely had no future. I could

even bet that the Emperor would be the one to incite the war, given his
senile appearance.
With this, I spoke up once more.
“As expected from the Emperor, your eyes are full of vibrance. Hahaha.”
Everyone’s gazes shifted to me; their widened eyes surprised at my

nerve.
CHAPTER 262
It was very easy to coax powerful people.
The Princess, sitting next to the Emperor, would take a little time, but to
look good to that old man would indeed be a piece of cake.
I didn’t know how this Emperor ran the Empire when he was young and
what he did, but I knew very well what his state was right now.
‘Lame duck.’
This Empire really needed a change in regime if it wanted to be

successful in the future. No wonder so many rumors were circulating
about him.
Of course, this didn’t mean that the Emperor had lost his power. He was
still in position, the supreme decision-maker with a ixed amount of
support, and the power to proclaim his successor. This meant that he
would stay in power for the next three to ive years.
The question was, how did the Emperor himself feel? Even if he actually
wasn’t…
‘He can obviously feel the imperial power weakening… ’
Otherwise, there was no reason for us to be here.
The Emperor’s disposition was Timid Power.

He was the kind of human who would match well with me.
Those in power pretended to hate the vassals, but the truth was that
they loved them more than anyone else. Humans couldn’t hate those
who lattered them directly.
‘I can’t latter him too openly, but… ’
I could de initely get him to like me within the course of this dinner.
“Hahaha. That’s… a funny story…”
I didn’t have to talk much, and he was already showing me a smile,

undoubtedly seeing me as a nice guy at this point.
“Come to think of it… you are an alchemist, right?”
“That’s right, His Majesty, the Great Emperor.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I remember that you… hmm… had many
titles. You are also the person who developed alchemy in the Empire…
Didn’t they say you were chosen by a dragon? If my memory is correct…
Charlotte?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Lee Kiyoung, who was appointed as one of the Eight
Seats of the Empire, is the Vice Guild Master of the Blue Guild, founded
in the Free City of Lindel, and is the irst to be chosen by a dragon on
the continent. I was also told that he was the irst summoner to receive
an honorary post from the Pope’s side, and he is very close to Cardinal
Basel.”
“Right. He did… He is the Honorary Bishop of the Pope’s side.”
“I was lucky. That’s why I could get acquainted with him. Haha. Cardinal
Basel has a iery side, but he is more concerned about the Holy
Empire’s future than anyone else.”
“Right… I know.”
“In fact, I like to meet new people. I have a strong relationship with
other nobles in the Empire.”
“Oh, is that so…”
“I have a good relationship with people like Count Castle Rock, Duchess
Catherine, and Count Elise.”
I also had a very good relationship with the nobles of the pro-emperor
faction.
“With Victor Hart…”
Victor Hart, who was standing near the Emperor, sent me a questioning
look, but I averted my gaze and continued.
“Since Cha Hee-ra and I are also close…”
“Ah… is that so? Hahaha. I see. Come to think of it… Victor Hart, you said
you think of that red-haired foreigner like a daughter… right? My old
friend got a very good son-in-law in his later years…”
“I-I apologize, Your Majesty.”
Victor Hart didn’t seem to want to be associated with me very much,

but it was far too late for that.
“Yes… okay. That’s right…”
In the meantime, seeing that the woman named Charlotte told the
Emperor that I was related to the Pope’s side, it seemed that she didn’t
like me. Because of this, I thought about whether I was too openly
acting as a vassal.
The Emperor was important, but the Princess was also the main subject
of management.
Of course, she also seemed to loosen her expression after hearing that I
was getting along with the nobles of the pro-emperor faction, but she
was still wary of me.
Now, I knew it wouldn’t take too much time to get her over to our side.
I bet the Princess also knew that they would eventually need me. I was
already the center of attention as it was, and not taking advantage of
this would be their loss.
“By the way, the Princess’s beauty is dazzling. Seeing the eyes full of
vibrance, anyone can see that you have inherited His Majesty’s blood.”
“Right. Our Charlotte is beautiful.”
“It’s also thanks to Your Majesty.”
“Yes… absolutely.”
It was funny seeing how easily he accepted my praise. However,

Charlotte herself was aloof to my compliment, which gave me more
insight into her personality.
‘I need to spend some time in order to get close to her… ’
This would only work if I could see her after this affair, but I could focus
on that later.
While the meal continued, we talked course, the topic wasn’t just
focused on me. From the Emperor’s point of view, all eight people here
were subject to management.
Everyone else answered the Emperor’s question sincerely and tried to
maintain a good atmosphere, but somehow, attention was bound to
focus on me.
Each of the Eight Seats of the continent was basically the head of their
own respective group, and it was natural for each one to stand on top of
others. I could already tell I had won this ight, though. All of these were
necessary techniques for living in society.
Anyway, the Emperor had shown me that he wanted to have a separate

discussion with me as the meal continued. The others also felt like
leaving the Emperor up to me.
In particular, Cha Hee-ra, Celia’s Ibuki Suzumiya, and Dawan’s Cheon

Gwan-wi seemed to have little interest in getting close to the Emperor.
They even seemed grateful to me for snagging his attention.
Kim Hyun-sung felt unusually focused on the Princess, but it was

dif icult to read his face, so it was dif icult to judge what the Princess
had been like in the irst round.
‘Is she the next Empress?’
The possibility was high.
In the irst place, it was already evident that she had a high standing, as
she had been included in this social event.
As time passed by, the hard atmosphere gradually loosened.
Of course, the old and sick Emperor also began to focus on the stories,
turning his attention back to me. I didn’t even have to bring up the
subject irst.
Rather, he was just throwing questions to me, ones that were easy to
answer.
As usual, with someone who had condescending attitudes, I exclaimed
at his youth’s story and praise for His Majesty’s greatness. The pleasant
Emperor smiled once more at this.
Of course, this alone was not enough. The art of conversation was a
tricky ield.
One had to keep in tune with the other person’s story and ind elements
that interested them as well. That was the way to be liked.
Of course, it wasn’t dif icult to ind such an element.
Even our 1-year-old Tol To-ri would know what these humans wanted.
“Did you just say an elixir? Hm…”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It is a potion that has been handed down only as a
story along with the Sage’s Stone to those who study alchemy, although
I haven’t yet learned the details due to my low achievements. It is a
divine gift that is said to be able to heal all diseases and injuries, as well
as restore youth.”
“Haha. I see. Is it possible… to research about it?”
“Sorry, but it is not. To be honest, it is almost impossible to achieve such

results within a short period.”
“Hmm. Thank you for being honest.”
“It seems like I shouldn’t have said it.”
“No. It’s not that. Rather, it’s better to be honest like this. You uh… are a
little different from the other nobles.”
“I sincerely apologize for that.”

“No. I’m not rebuking you, so you don’t have to apologize. Hmm… So,
that elixir…”
Hook, line, and sinker. There was no need for me to instill hope in him
for that elixir.
It was more advantageous for me to tell him that it was impossible than
try and deceive him. He was already interested, anyway.
“It seems that elixir is a potion that can turn the Sage’s Stone into a
catalyst. Of course, it is still not possible to properly igure out what the
Sage’s Stone is.”
“Ohhh… I see.”
“Making an elixir or seeing the Sage’s Stone is probably the dream of

every alchemist. I believe it will happen someday. I didn’t expect that I
would be chosen by a dragon until a few months ago, so perhaps
someday…”
“Well, yes. Come to think of it, you said you were chosen by a dragon…
I’ve never actually seen a dragon in my whole life, so I was hoping it
came along, but how unfortunate.”
“Yes. As you might expect, it’s not a creature I can control…”
“That’s right. Even if I say they’re better creatures than human beings,
there is no shortage.”
“But… I can show you a little bit of that here. Of course, it’s not a
complete dragon, but…”
The Emperor looked at me, curiously. At this, Victor Hart stiffened.
“Please refrain from doing useless things…”

“No. Victor Hart… Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is not such a person.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
I de initely liked the trust in his voice.
“No… How can I see the dragon?”
“I know you’ve authorized it, so please excuse me, Your Majesty.”
As lames sprang up in my hands, the face of a dragon slowly began to

materialize in one of the walls of the spacious parlor. The crackling
sound as it formulated its shape sounded unrealistic, even to the most
experienced wizard.
“Grrooooaarr…”
Although it was downgraded enough to it inside the room, with its

large eyes, menacing teeth, and huge horns, anyone could see it was a
dark dragon.
The Emperor and members of the Eight Seats from other cities—even
Charlotte—were looking at it with their mouths open. However, this
was just a childish showmanship.
It went without saying that Jung Hayan’s magic was more useful on the
battle ield than any of my skills. Kim Hyunsung could easily cut my
materialized dragon’s head off with his sword.
However, my goal here was to give off an impressionable show of my

alchemy, and it was working.
“Ha… Haha…”
The Emperor quietly laughed, looking perplexed.

“This, like this, uh, how…”
The Princess herself was also speechless.
“It’s just alchemy.”
This was only a small event that would prove my worth.

CHAPTER 263
“You did very well.”
“Huh? What?”
“You know… about what happened yesterday.”
“Oh.”
“The old man’s reaction was an expected one, but the fact that the
Princess had also spoken surprised me.
It certainly did feel like that.
I couldn’t look at the Princess’s face because I was concentrating on the

Emperor, but I remembered her stuttering with her eyes wide open.
Of course, the Emperor’s face was even more spectacular.
It was enough to be worried that the old man’s heart would stop in
surprise, so I would not need another modi ier.
After the short demonstration, it was natural that various questions

were raised.
They seemed amazed that, even in this place where magic and divine
power were normal, I had managed to create a dragon-like entity. Of
course, what I created wasn’t a real-life form, but it would de initely
look no different for them.
The look of those who rubbed their eyes was still clear. The Emperor
wasn’t the only one who was surprised.
Ibuki Suzumiya seemed to have been told by Yuno Kasugano

beforehand, but the attitudes of those from Dawan to me had changed
noticeably.
I had proven that I wasn’t just lucky to be there.
Cheon Gwan-wi, the wizard, continued to ask questions even after

mealtime was over, and Wi Ran, the archer, made me feel embarrassed,
seeing as she continued to send me strange gazes.
Of course, the Emperor’s reaction was more important than theirs.
I didn’t know if the bait had been effective before, but after the meal
was over, he told me that he would like to have a separate conversation
with me.
He even said he wanted to support alchemy, so it was quite a big

achievement to say that this happened in only ive hours.
‘Sweet!’
In the irst place, I wasn’t interested in unnecessary support, but in the

rare catalyst that may be stored in the treasury/ If I were to receive
imperial support and support from the Holy Empire, it would be
strange not to look forward to it.
“I thought I would get bored to death, but thanks to you, I had fun,
well… Maybe some of them are also grateful to you. Dealing with that
old man is so annoying.”
“That… is what people would like you to think. The opportunity to have
dinner with the Emperor doesn’t come easily, and in this case, if I don’t
give a strong impression, I don’t know when I can do it again. In my
perspective, I’m the one who doesn’t understand you.”
“I don’t like it. It doesn’t matter if I don’t get close to that old man. It
seems that Wi-ran and Park Yeon-joo think that they need that, too…
Well, do you think they do it because they like it? Phew… Seeing you
doing that yesterday, I just thought…”
“What?”
“This bastard is enjoying it.”
“It’s a compliment, right?”
“Sure. I thought you were a natural.”
“I won’t deny it.”
Hearing that I was as natural as a suck-ass is a bit painful, but I indeed

enjoyed it.
When I turned my face at the sudden rush of embarrassment, what I

saw was a crowd cheering under the platform of the royal castle.
I expected the scale to be quite large, but they paid a little more
attention than I thought.
The shouts I heard made my ears hurt, and just looking at the scale of
the imperial lags and decorations all over the place, it felt like they
spent quite a bit of gold.
The nobles sitting on one side were also in luential nobles representing
the Empire. My gaze stayed for a while where Marlin Young-ae was
waving, before I waved back roughly.
Located a little farther from there are the members of the Pope’s side.
The Pope did not appear, but there were three cardinals present,
including Cardinal Basel.
It was con irmed that Archbishop Jessica and the Director of Inquisition
Helena, who could not usually be seen in of icial events, were also
present.
Seeing that all the people who have a strong relationship with me
attended made me feel proud.
“But when does this start?”
As soon as I heard Cha Hee-ra’s voice mixed with dissatisfaction, a loud

voice began to resonate.
“Your Majesty is entering.”
The Emperor and Charlotte, the Second Princess of the Empire, had
appeared on the podium. The only difference from yesterday was that
the woman who was estimated to be the First Princess was also
present.
As soon as I looked at the status window with my Mind’s Eye, the First
Princess’s information appeared.
‘Hmm… ’
Charlia, the First Princess of the Empire. Her disposition was a Self-
righteous Egoist.
‘Whoa… ’
Even the Emperor, who couldn’t see things straight, also knew which of
the irst and second princesses suits the Empress title better.
‘She can’t make it… ’
With a vicious face, the First Princess looked like a villain.
The poison that illed Charlia’s eyes was directed towards Charlotte,
who was favored by the Emperor. Of course, her face also looked full of
greed.
[Unique Characteristic: Jealous Witch]
Her unique characteristic was also a witch. I thought there might be a

reason her personality was formed that way.
It was like an obvious cliché , so I didn’t think I’d have to explain it.
The second was more favored by the father, and the irst was unloved. It
was a story that I heard a lot about quarrels between sisters. I didn’t
know them much, but I was sure the hostility was present.
Until now, the ight for successors had not been so ierce, but if the
Emperor’s health was deteriorating in earnest or external factors were
involved, it would soon emerge on the surface.
I even thought about whether it had affected her unique characteristic,

but being within a villain category did not mean that everyone will not
love her.
‘It would be better to avoid this one.’
Anyway, the Emperor, accompanied by the First and Second Princesses,

slowly began to walk out. It didn’t take long for him to stand in front of
the platform where all the imperial people were visible.
“I think he is going to give a speech…”

“Well… he has to. It’s because it’s been a long time since he has the
chance to launt himself. He made the Eight Seats or whatever to do
that.”
I had no choice but to agree with Cha Hee-ra.
As expected, the Emperor’s voice stretched out and was heard loudly
using the voice ampli ication magic… Honestly, it wasn’t all that great of
a speech.
‘It’s boring.’
He had no power to attract people with his voice, his speech content
was too long like the words of a principal’s admonition, and honestly, it
was just dif icult to bear.
My expression of irresistible yawning would best describe the situation.
“Dear people of the Holy Empire. Thank you for keeping this place
together…”
It felt like I’d already heard the phrase ‘Dear people of the Holy Empire’
about 23 times.
“Even today… the power of the great Empire…”
That ‘great Empire’ seemed to have been spoken about 35 times.
When I inally heard the concluding statement, I couldn’t help but

breathe out a sigh of relief.
“Now… I would like to introduce to our proud citizens of the Empire…

the power of the Empire, the shield that protects the Empire, and the
sword that kills its enemies… These dark-haired foreigners have lived
together in this land and have contributed a great deal to the Empire’s
development, and now, I appoint those who will be called as the Eight
Seats of the Holy Empire!”
“Woooooaaaaaahhh!!”
It was natural for a loud shout to come out.
I didn’t know if it was a cheer that the Emperor’s long speech was
inally over, or if it was a cheer for the Eight Imperial Seats, but the
probability of the former was never low.
The Emperor nodded happily at the shouts of the crowd and continued
to speak.
“The First Seat of the Empire, Cha Hee-ra.”
Cha Heera, sitting next to me, jumped up and headed in front of the
platform.
“I’m going irst, honey.”
“Okay.”
I could see her red hair swaying while she walks con idently in front of
the crowd, wearing some nice armor.
‘She looks cool.’
The soldier who was introducing Cha Hee-ra on behalf of the Emperor
shouted out her performances. My face turned red upon hearing this,
but I knew it was a necessary part.
‘It’s a little too much, but… ’
I wondered if it would have been nice if they had taken easy, but it was
not so bad. This was the right place for it, anyway.
The publicity effect that the Emperor was expecting was suf icient.
There was no problem, as the public seemed enthusiastic.
Even after Cha Hee-ra, the Empire’s people cheered every time the
Eight Seats went out one by one.
‘I know why he did this… ’
As time passed, I thought about it deeply, and the answer I came up

with was ‘The public is thirsty for power.’
“The Third Seat of the Empire, Yuno Kasugano.”
Yuno Kasugano was next to the Fog Summoner’s Cheon Gwan-wi.
I could see her going forward with a slightly hardened expression as if

she wasn’t used to this.
“The Fourth Seat of the Empire, Park Yeon-joo.”
The crowd shouted.
“The Fifth Seat of the Empire, Wi Ran.”
The shouts burst once again.
“The Sixth Seat of the Empire, Ibuki Suzumiya.”
And…
“The Seventh Seat of the Empire, Kim Hyunsung.”
The lovely returner stood up only after some rabbles went out.
Despite wearing a light armament, his footsteps were unstoppable.

The imperial lag luttered due to the blowing wind, catching everyone’s
eyes and inducing a strange feeling that raised the atmosphere even
more.
‘It’s picture-perfect, Hyunsung!’
I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but just as the clouds in the sky
parted, sunlight began to pour.
‘Its direction is great!’
The direction that I thought was too early felt okay now.
The cheers of the imperialists were growing and growing, and of

course, my turn was no exception.
“The Eighth Seat of the Empire, Lee Kiyoung.”
My name was called next, so I tried to walk as digni ied as possible, but
it was impossible to show such a digni ied image like the other Eight
Seats.
I even missed my step and almost fell. However, the shouts were still
quite loud.
“He is the Blue Vice Guild Master representing the Free City of Lindel,
and he has been chosen by a dragon. He is also the Honorary Bishop of
the Holy Empire, one of the 30 Continental Guardians who saved the
continent, an alchemist representing the Empire…”
I also thought that there were quite a lot of titles I had won. It had even
increased as the unof icial titles were added.
Of course, an extraordinary genius, the guru of strategy and

resourcefulness, and ridiculous titles came out with them, but they
were all just part of publicity…
‘I could turn a blind eye on this.’
Perhaps the people who planned this event had chosen to make me
appear as the brain of the Empire.
All they showed were the Castle Rock’s Monster Wave blockage and
troops’ formation, but as the Five Tiger Generals of the Republic had
similar things, it seemed that they wanted to balance it.
Although there were a few lies, I had no reason to refuse them, all
because it made me seem like a genius.
It was also the position I wanted in the irst place, and the effect that I
looked great even if I wasn’t really great was tremendous.
“Woooooaaahhhhhh!!!”
Crowds were screaming as loudly and cheerfully as they could.
It was a perfect success for the Emperor, the planners, and the
participants of this event. If there were a problem, it would be that
many events will be organized after this.
Many schedules had piled up, such as going down to the platform and
doing a march, shaking hands with some imperial representatives,
parties with nobles, etc.
‘Do I have to do it like this…?’
It was quite fun at irst, but as time passed, I seemed to hit the limit of
my physical strength. It was then that the old Emperor personally came
to me and raised my hand.
A cheer burst naturally, and the old Emperor tapped my back.

‘This old man really likes vassals.’
It was uncommon to see an emperor who liked vassals too openly.
I didn’t know why, but Cardinal Basel, who was shocked by looking at it,
slowly approached my direction.
‘I did not hope for anything like this… ’
It was nice to be favored by many, but in this way, the possibility of

creating enemies increased.
Of course, the results went as expected. I felt Charlotte’s gaze, looking at

me with displeasure. However, having the Emperor on one side and the
Cardinal Basel on the other side proved to be more reliable than
expected.
‘I, man! Ugh! I went with them! Man! I had a drink with them! Ugh! I had
a meal with them! I went to the sauna! You know! I did everything,
man!’
These words continuously revolved around in my head in a mocking

fashion.
CHAPTER 264
1ST PRINCESS CHARLIA (1)
Being liked by someone was easier than one might think. Human
relationships were also not as dif icult as most people thought.
Of course, it was also important for us to have a meal together and head
to the sauna at least once.
However, the important thing was how much you could suit others’
needs. What they liked, what stories they wanted, and what they
wanted to hear. It was important to think through the conversation and
suited them as much as possible.
I didn’t have to resist at irst. I didn’t even need to claim my beliefs.
If the other person was a conservative type, I listened to the story from
the conservative standpoint and just agreed with it.
If the other person is standing in a progressive position, I also listen to

the story from a progressive standpoint and just agreed with it.
That was all, really.
It was even simpler if one were to think about the death penalty.
If the subject was in a position in favor of the death penalty, one could
just prepare information and stories that the subject wanted to hear.
It would be even better if it sounded a little more professional. I would

raise my voice, discuss the death penalty’s necessity, and actively agree
with the subject’s words.
Naturally, the subject had no choice but to think, ‘Oh! We it better than
I thought! We have the same thoughts!’
Of course, I had beliefs, but that didn’t matter. Just because I was in the
opposite position didn’t mean I had to shout it out. Most of them would
get upset, or try their best to escape from the conversation if I did.
If I wanted to show my position to the other person, I couldn’t just get

angry right away. I needed to take a little more time. From the moment I
recognized that the subject was a good friend and a colleague
expressing the same position, I could add my opinion, little by little.
This was the way to get close to the subject, and the way for a vassal to
handle the powerful.
‘Cardinal Basel… ’
In Cardinal Basel’s case, this had been done for a very long time.
As we spent time together, I kept in tune and nodded happily. It was

also essential to study in advance to have a conversation.
I had to be luent in theology and knew well about hearsays and

demons. I even took longer studying to keep up with his knowledge
level than talking to him, so there would be no need for other words.
It only took me several months to build a relationship that couldn’t be

broken.
Naturally, I was also thinking about the amount of time I would spend
with the Emperor and was working on it. However, the effect was more
than I could imagine.
Sometimes, there was this case.

No matter how much you’d try to be liked by the other person, you
couldn’t get close to them if your ire point didn’t match, leaving the
conversation’s topic and the disposition aside.
Of course, the old Emperor was the opposite. It felt like our ire points
it perfectly.
This Emperor was looking for a perfect form, and I was 100 percent
compliant with that condition.
‘Whoa… ’
He was a different type of soulmate from Lee Jihye. He kept talking to

me, even making me feel uncomfortable.
Even as the party began after the Eight Seats of the Empire parade was
over, I noticed that he wanted to keep talking. I bet this Emperor would
have been stuck here if he hadn’t been aware of the other nobles.
This old man also had a lot to do. He had to talk to the in luential nobles
and build relationships with the people of the Pope’s side. He was
naturally busy.
Of course, the eight foreigners newly appointed as the Eight Seats of the
Empire were also busy.
Every time there was a meeting like this, we got a lot of attention, but it
was the irst time we received attention to this extent.
Although the Free Cities of Lindel, Celia, and Dawan were in the Holy
Empire’s arms, they were always recognized as independent regions.
The same went for the strong people in the cities that controlled them.
Indirectly, they had a lot of in luence on the Empire, but it was

impossible to engage in direct activities. Since the situation had
completely changed, it was reasonable for the in luential nobles to stick
to us.
In the name of the Eight Imperial Seats, it was possible to empower the
Holy Empire’s politics.
I didn’t know for sure, but the aristocrats who stood in the anti-
emperor group and those sensitive to changes in the situation were
likely to be more sensitive to today’s affairs.
“Hahaha. The cheers of the imperialists seem to keep ringing in my

ears.”
“Of course they would. Was the fame of adventurers who settled in the
Holy Empire created overnight?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
“I heard that every kid these days have read the adventurer’s journal. It
was as if I was seeing the stories of heroes and warriors that I had only
seen in children’s books.”
“Hahaha. What’s different from a hero or a warrior? The Eight Seats of

the Empire proclaimed directly by Your Majesty are already heroes of
the Empire.”
“Absolutely!”
I could hear these types of talk all around me. When I saw the nobles
who rushed in to talk about these kinds of things, it made me want to
laugh.
It had not been long since the party started, but many people were
already tired.
Cha Hee-ra was talking as numerous nobles surrounded her. A smile
was painted on her lips, but I knew best than anyone else that she was
on the verge of reaching her limit.
Park Yeon-joo was leading her own conversation quite skillfully, and in
Yuno Kasugano’s case, she was the kind who listened to the stories
around her calmly.
The same went for the lovely returner.
‘Has he learned the nobility etiquette?’
Certainly, it felt like he had the etiquette in his gestures. It was visible
that he was paying more attention than usual.
I had also learned many things by locking with noble wives so far, but I
couldn’t behave as naturally as Kim Hyunsung.
‘He must have put some effort in the irst round… ’
As I thought about it and turned my head, one of the nobles I was

talking with, one with blond hair, continued.
“My daughter is furiously asking me to buy the adventurer’s journal

where Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung was introduced. She is a spoiled
kid who only causes trouble, but curiously, she becomes quiet if you
hand over a book that’s related to you… Hahaha.”
‘He’s pretty good at lying.’
Still, he had said that to win my favor. It wouldn’t be bad if I accepted it

in moderation.
“That’s such an honor, Baron Naboth. Haha. Whenever I have the time,
is it okay for me to visit the estate? Of course, I don’t know when that
will be.”
I didn’t have any plans to visit, but it was still good to pretend to take
him up on his offer.
“Ohh! I’ll be thankful if you do that! I will be ready and waiting.”
“If I remember correctly, the territory that Baron Naboth rule is…
perhaps Garcia near the east-west…”
“It’s an honor that you know, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. In fact, it’s
a trivial little manor, but it has a beautiful lake called Mirror Lake,
which makes it a nice place to go for boating in the fall. Perhaps if you
come with your lover, you will be able to make good memories.”
“Ah. Is that so?”
He said that, conscious of Jung Hayan sticking to my side.
Seeing that Jung Hayan’s hand, who only had a business smile without
saying anything, was clenched, it seemed like she was telling me to
actually take him up on his offer.
“Ah… I’ve been there. The lake was a very attractive place as if it was
re lected in a mirror. When my husband was still healthy, it was a place
we visited every year.”
“You’ve also been there, Duchess Catherine.”
“Yes, Lee Kiyoung. You probably won’t regret it.”
“Since other people also have said this, I will have to visit next year
right away. Hahaha.”
“Hahahahahaha.”
Of course, I had no intention of going. Perhaps it would be different if

there were a treasure hidden in that mirror lake, but I didn’t have
enough time to go to that distant place for some simple sightseeing.
‘By the way, this atmosphere is great.’
It seemed like a lie that I talked about the war with the Eight Seats of
the continent just a day ago.
Seeing the nobles enjoying their leisure, things like war felt like a story
of a distant country.
I had to think that people in power were like this everywhere.
Not only did everyone raise their glasses, but the sound of laughter
illed the banquet hall, and the ladies continually tried to show off all
their luxury.
Some of them talked about the Empire’s future, but seeing that their
faces had turned red, it seemed like they had already consumed quite a
few glasses.
‘Empty talk.’
Rather, empty talk was better. It was an irony to talk about the future of
the Empire whilst being drunk.
‘But I don’t really care about it.’
I had a lot of things to care about besides the future of the Empire.
Princess Charlotte, who kept on guarding me at this point, bothered me
the most.
‘Did I behave too much as a vassal?’
I bought her vigilance when I increased the tempo, wanting to look

good to the Emperor right away. However, the Emperor had ended up
liking me too much.
‘I don’t think I could even get close to her… ’
Apart from her disposition, I had the impression that Charlotte was the
kind of human I could not get close to, for some reason.
As she was someone close to being the next Empress, I would have to
work hard, but it would consume so much time.
‘After some time, I’ll try to get close to her again… ’
When I was busy thinking about it, something unexpected happened.
Slap!
Along with the sound, a loud voice came from somewhere.
“I-I’m sorry. I-I’m sorry.”
‘What is that again?’
It was an incident not far away from where I was.
One of the maids bowed her head and continued to squeeze her head,
and the woman in front of her was panting as if she couldn’t relieve her
anger.
Even if I don’t hear what happened, I knew.
‘The First Princess.’
It was the First Princess Charlia.
Seeing that wine was spilled on the white dress she was wearing, it
seemed that the maid had caused the most unfortunate accident in her
life.
The appearance of her slapping a handmaid’s cheek once again with a
reddish face after being drunk was de initely the standard scene of a
vicious villain.
‘Whoa… ’
“You bitch… How dare you? You bitch!”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. K-Kill me, please.”
“Bring the sword. I don’t think my anger will be relieved without

cutting the bitch’s neck right now. Hurry! Can’t you hear me?!”
‘That’s a completely crazy bitch.’
Even if it wasn’t her mistake, and even if she was drunk, showing that
attitude was de initely a negative factor. Now I knew why the nobles
didn’t want to be anywhere near her.
‘Does she have an anger control disorder? Does she have no

conscience?’
Looking at her disposition and characteristic, I thought she was a lost

cause, and seeing what she was doing now, really did make me feel that
way.
Some knights and nobles tried to calm her down, but she was already
out of control.
The appearance of the princess, who was already properly sunk in

alcohol, was a drunkard itself.
The Emperor shook his head from side to side and clicked his tongue,
and the Second Princess Charlotte did her best to try and ix the case.
It was then that something interesting caught my eye.

“This one is peculiar. This…”
As the maid repeatedly apologized to the First Princess, I appraised her

with Mind’s Eye.
It was no big deal. I just thought it was de initely strange. All her stats
were more than 60.
‘You said that such a woman stumbled and fell?’
I bet it was impossible even if the sky collapsed. I could only think that
the wine was spilled as part of it for some purpose.
For example, the purpose of lowering the image of First Princess

Charlia.
Someone probably wanted to make a crazy bitch look even crazier. It

was almost obvious as to who the culprit was.
‘Charlotte.’
The reason was also simple.
‘She’s much greedier than I thought.’
The invisible ight for the Empress title had already begun a long time
ago.
CHAPTER 265
“Princess, calm down…”
“I told you to get my sword as quickly as possible!”
“P-Princess!”
“Right now! Can’t you hear me? Is there anybody capable enough of
doing this?”
The angered Princess could not even properly control her body.
She was de initely drunk. If someone knew what the First Princess
Charlia was like, they had caused this incident at the very best time.
There were various circumstances to simply dismiss this as a minor

happening.
Right now, the First Princess, Charlia, may look like a psychopath, but
this was not a causeless effect.
‘This was all properly planned.’
It was also done when Charlia was out of her senses, so the person who
caused this must have been rejoicing within.
I didn’t know if the culprit was really Charlotte or a noble under her
control, but the situation had become so chaotic that it was no longer
possible to ix it just as the one who caused this wanted.
Charlia staggered and bumped into tables all over the place. The food
and the bottles on the table began to fall on the loor with a rumbling
sound.
The weak-hearted ladies had begun to scream while avoiding the

broken glass, while the noblemen couldn’t igure out how to react.
In the meantime, Charlia, who couldn’t igure out the situation, was
yelling to bring her sword, and the maid standing in the position of the
perfect victim was showing off a performance in a similar level to our
guild’s Ahn Ki-mo.
‘It’s a mess… It’s a real mess.’
The most prestigious banquet in the Empire quickly turned into space
where the city of icers drank cheap rum.
It was also not unreasonable for the atmosphere to suddenly become

awkward.
In the midst of this, the Emperor, the father of this crazy woman, turned
his head and clucked his tongue, almost as if he didn’t want to see this
anymore.
I could understand why the First Princess had become like this. This
just reminded me of how much I had neglected Tol To-ri in the past.
Of course, the drunken woman was still screaming her head off.
“How dare… you bitches look down on me?! Are you bitches looking
down on me, too?”
“I-It’s not that, Princess.”
“If not, why don’t you move even after hearing my command…? Ugh…”
“P-Princess.”
“Let go of me. Didn’t I tell you to let go of me right now?!”
“You seem a little drunk…”
“I’m not drunk.”
“P-Please, just calm down.”
Baron Naboth was now cringing, almost as if he found all this terrible.
Of course, I had begun to speak at this point. Since there was little
information about the First Princess, I wanted to hear more about her
in detail.
“Baron Naboth, she…”
“Yes. This is… Charlia the First Princess of the Empire.”
Seeing that he went silent after that, it seemed that he was not bold
enough to openly gossip about the Princess.
However, just by looking at his distorted face, I could predict how bad
she was.
Today couldn’t just be the irst time. There must have been various
incidents that had taken place in the past.
I could be sure that she would have had caused troubles alone, even if
Charlotte or the nobles under her did not step forward. I thought about
sorting out the situation, but I was not the main character who would
end this event.
As expected, shortly afterward, female knights appeared from one side,

and Charlotte quietly opened her mouth to the knights while calming
the people at the party.
Only one word from her was enough to clear up the chaotic hall.
“She looks very tired. Take care of the First Princess.”
“Yes.”
“Princess, we’ll take you to the bedroom.”
“Let go of me! I told you to let me go!”
Despite the guardian coming, she still continued to struggle. It was

embarrassing to call such a being a Princess.
I bet, if it were an ordinary noble doing that, they would have been
overpowered and rolling on the ground.
It was not easy to deal with her even from the knights’ standpoint as
she kept struggling and shaking off their hands.
It seemed that Charlotte was trying to handle it carefully, trying not to

hurt Charlia, but in some ways, she seemed to be taking as much time
as possible.
‘Does she want to show this scene a little more…?’
If I were Charlotte, I would have delayed the time as much as possible.

That way, the crowd here would know just how trashy the First
Princess was.
They were not expressing it, but what these people were thinking was
very much obvious.
‘Is that a Princess… ’

‘The future of the Empire is dark… ’
It was then that the situation surrounding the First Princess changed.
“Uhhhhhhh!”
“Aaahh!”
The Princess’s body, who staggered and tried to shake off the hands of
the knights, suddenly tilted. Embarrassingly, she fell towards our side.
The disloyal Baron Naboth sneakily left with a grotesque scream, but I
couldn’t ind it in me to escape.
‘Should I take this, or not… ’
In an instant, various thoughts passed by.
I was worried about whether it was right to intervene here or not.
It was obvious that there was nothing good about being associated with
the First Princess, who was already falling into hell. It meant that taking
a step back and watching was a more beautiful picture.
‘I think that… ’
It was only right to accept it.
Many eyes were watching. Many nobles, and their daughters and wives,
were focused on the scene, so it would not be bad to save her from
becoming a frog.
It was better to show that I had manners rather than not showing any
help.
Since anything could happen, physical contact was out of the question.
As I quickly licked my ingers, a dragon’s palm popped out of the
ground with a crackling sound to catch her.
“Let go of me!”
It was ugly and heartbreaking to see her scream as if she thought that
the knight had gotten her.
While the nobles were looking at her and me with their eyes wide open,
the struggling Charlia leaned on the dragon’s hand and began to calm
down after a long time.
She was all out of stamina.
‘Did she fall asleep?’
As I slowly went to her, I saw her face with her head, furtively raised.
Since she was looking up at me, it looked like she hadn’t fallen asleep
yet.
“You…”
“Are you okay? Your Majesty…”
“It’s quite good. What’s your name?”
“You’re quite good-looking.”
A laugh came out of me because I found it all so ridiculous.
‘You’re crawling into the ground.’
She was talking as if she was conversing with a male prostitute.

“You seem to be drunk, Your Majesty. Please sleep. Rest assured that I
will take care of you.”
“Okay. Okay… I’ll try. If I am satis ied, I will give you a thick… gold
coin…”
As she nodded and started to doze off, it seemed that her physical
strength was already at the limit. There was no choice for me but to
smile for now.
This was because the Emperor had already begun to look at me in an

apologetic manner.
Even seeing him coming to speak to me directly, it seemed to me that he

was embarrassed to have shown this type of scenario.
“Ahem… I made you see what shouldn’t be seen.”
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. Anyone can make mistakes.”
“Tsk tsk… I can’t even face anyone. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung… I
will de initely repay you for today.”
“I wasn’t hoping for anything. Haha.”
“Ahem… No.”
“Rather, it is an honor to be able to help, Your Majesty.”
The Second Princess, who was suspected to be the culprit, also seemed
to have thought that this was not a bad inish. She was already busy
organizing and controlling the hall.
In the end, there was only one loser in this commotion.

Charlia was the only victim here, being dragged and leaning onto the
knights.
If she was sane, she’d remember the mistakes she made today as soon
as she would wake up tomorrow.
‘She’ll want to run away in embarrassment.’
Princess Charlia had just successfully showed all the delegates here
how hopeless the future of the Empire would be if it were in her hands.
Of course, it was obvious from the beginning, but in this case, I could
con idently say that the victim was a fool.
Rather, if she had generously forgiven the maid, she could have given a
different impression than usual.
Her irst mistake was to drink wine without thinking, and the second
was that she let it intoxicate her.
‘She can’t be the Empress.’
Now, the delegates’ opinion of Charlotte would rise.
This was natural, was it not? One was incompetent and a wicked
woman, and the other was meticulous and had a wise king’s qualities.
‘There’s an obvious victor even if they haven’t proclaimed it yet.’
For the future of the Empire, it was obvious as to who would be

selected as the successor.
This stupid Emperor, who continued to talk next to me, seemed to have
already appointed the second Princess, Charlotte, as his successor.
“But I’m glad Charlotte is good with this.”

“Hahaha. She must be very reliable.”
“Yes… She is. My only concern is the stupid thing you saw earlier. I
shouldn’t have brought her today. Tsk…”
“Everyone has their own dark times.”
“Right… Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is right. Thank you for saying so.
Yes… I should think so…”
It was obvious that, although he was speaking ill of Charlia as if he was

disappointed, it did not mean that he wanted me to do the same.
Even though she had fallen out of favor with the Emperor, she was still
his child and blood.
I thought the words he wanted to hear would be words to relieve his

worries, and I was right.
‘Still, he must like the Second Princess more.’
At this point, the Second Princess had begun to approach us.
She was approaching the way a triumphal general who had already
cleared up everything and won the war would. She already sent back
the maid, who spilled the wine, and the loor was neatly clean. She
cleared it out perfectly as if there had been no commotion from the
beginning.
Realizing that she was a competent human being, my heart began to

lutter without my knowledge.
‘Long live, Her Majesty Charlotte!’
Although it was not yet inal, I was already ready to serve her to the
best of my ability.
It would take a while as we didn’t get off to a good start, but my efforts
would prove to be satisfying in the end.
When I was about to speak, her gaze fell on me in the same way as one
might appraise a cockroach.
“You worked hard…”
“Your Majesty, it is very late. I think it would be better for me to get

going.”
“Right. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is…”
“I will express my gratitude instead. I am worried about your health…”
“So, I’ll be doing that.”
Seeing her turning her back on me, completely ignoring my existence,

made my teeth clench.
‘This rotten bitch… ’

CHAPTER 266
“He’s been tamed.”
“……”
“You should have controlled the old man properly. Anyone can see that
the Emperor seems too friendly, but it’s not unusual for the princess to
be wary. I think I know what kind of person she is just by looking at her.
Anyone can also see that you two don’t match. Rather, she seems to hate
you. I don’t understand. How can she hate someone like you?”
I could be likable to her, but it was de initely different for the princess.
“This time, it’s your mistake. Of course, I didn’t even think that the
Emperor would like you that much.”
“Hmm…”
After the party was over, I couldn’t properly register what Lee Jihye was
saying. Indeed, I couldn’t refute anything.
It would be natural for her to be wary of me since the plans I had for up
to a month or two had ended within the span of one day.
“It’ll be hard for the Princess to beat you, since you’re also a member of
the Eight Seats of the Empire, and considering your relationship with
other nobles and the Pope’s side, it would be even harder. I think there
is a high possibility that she will contact you at the right time.”
“After taming is over?”
“Don’t you think so? She is not stupid enough to push you away just
because you two don’t match. If she’s just doing this because she
doesn’t like you, you can assume that she’s similar to that stupid First
Princess. That would mark the end of this Empire.”
I had to nod.
‘She’s not that stupid.’
There may be many reasons other than the ones Lee Jihye said.
Perhaps the reason was that I maintained a lot of close relations with
other nobles. Perhaps she didn’t want my in luence to grow anymore
within the group.
She understood that my valuation would skyrocket if even the next

Empress herself showed favoritism to me.
I’ve already shown a friendly relationship with the Emperor in front of

many people, and everyone knew about my close relationship with the
Pope’s side.
She might have thought that minimal inhibitors would have been
needed.
‘That’s herself… ’
Another reason was that she might’ve thought that the Pope’s side sent
me here.
The Crown and the Pope’s side were basically living together in the
same boat of the Holy Empire, but they were still ighting a subtle
power battle.
If she considered the fact that I was approaching the Emperor with a
certain purpose, it would make sense for Charlotte to ignore me.
Well, whatever the reason, the issue was exactly as Lee Jihye said.
‘I have to tame her.’
“You must’ve been pretty annoyed. She will probably and gradually
reduce your political position…”
“You mean cut off my hands and feet?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know if she can do that much… She’ll probably just
crush you only enough to stop you from sticking out like a sore thumb,
and perhaps there will be a secret contact after that. Honestly, your
current self is too big for the Princess to eat. After reducing you to a
suitable size, she would probably swallow you in one bite.”
“This is annoying… I don’t know how long this work will last, and I
honestly don’t like that she’s trying to beat me. Since the Pope’s side or
Duchess Catherine’s a ixed power, there’ll be no problem, but…”
‘I can lose more than that.’
“Are you worried about losing more than that?”
“Right.”
Lee Jihye was like a ghost lurking in my mind and knowing all my
thoughts.
“I don’t know. She will probably not do that much. She might want to
compromise properly. If you yield now, you can get bigger things later…
Wouldn’t it be nice to slowly control the Princess after yielding once?
It’s like a frog thrown in a lukewarm place. Oppa, you’re good at that.
Pretending to be on the same side and backstabbing them later on.”
“I’ll accept it as a compliment.”
We indeed had very similar thoughts.
Of course, I also agreed with Lee Jihye in this part.
If I yielded once, there was a possibility that I could change the Princess
to suit my taste.
The supporting forces that the Princess defeated would also come back.
Rather, they may have grown stronger than before.
“Still… To do that, you are…”
“Right. I have a lot of doubts…”
If it was my belief or my pride that she wants to take away or step on, I
could give it to her, but if it was power or something materialistic, I’d be
reluctant to give it up.
“I will never give up on this aspect.”
“So, does that mean you want to ight with the Princess?”
“But to get on the wrong side of the next Empress, it’s a little bit… I’ll
have to ind a way. I still have a little time.”
“I thought you would, but… as expected. Is there anything I need to

prepare in advance?”
“Not yet. I have a lot to think about, too. Let’s stop talking about this. I
will tell you if there is anything that comes to mind later. You should
also think of other ways. I’m so annoyed that I’ve already had so many
headaches. Oh, more than that, how was the meal?”
“What meal?”
“At that time, after we went to meet the Emperor, we ate separately.”
“Ah… What are you curious about?”
“I’m curious if Hayan has adapted well.”
“It wasn’t bad. She talked well… She seemed a little annoyed to be
separated from you… she was very depressed.”
“Did anything happen?”
“One of the attendants from Dawan was quite interested in Hayan.”
“What?”
“It was ine until mealtime, but the man slightly touched her shoulder
to talk after it was over…”
“And then?”
“Well, he was just crushed. I don’t know if it was magic, but the room
was distorted, and the man’s arm was crunching. It was a mess. He was
screaming, and I could see the magical power running through his
shoulders… it was fortunate to have a priest among the attendants who
came with him because he would have been crippled.”
“Why are you telling me this now…”
“Of course, we agreed to bury the incident. I didn’t even have time to
meet you. After that, she looked a little embarrassed… I predict that she
wouldn’t even tell you about it. Everyone knows that this could be a
problem, so we decided to pretend that nothing happened. And it’s not
like the man didn’t make a mistake.”
“So, you agreed with her.”

“It’s wrong to touch a lady’s body. Well, we didn’t want things to grow
because she is one of the most powerful wizards in Lindel. That’s why
power is good, right?”
Jung Hayan seemed to be under a little more stress than I thought.
She didn’t show it whenever she was with me, but her dissatisfaction
must have accumulated as her time away from me got even longer.
I had to be grateful that Lee Jihye was helping me around.
‘Because I don’t have time to take care of her.’
I wanted to express my gratitude to Park Yeon-joo, who had agreed to

bring Lee Jihye as an attendant.
‘She seems to adapt well, too… ’
Considering that most of the attendants had a strong force, she was
adjusting very well. It even felt like she was more proactive.
Lee Jihye was Lee Jihye, after all.
As if she was conscious that I was looking at her with a strange

expression, she tucked her hair behind her ear and opened her mouth.
“There was no incident other than that. The atmosphere wasn’t good
after that, but what can I do? The top heads are really close. It will
probably come back to normal soon. I think he roughly heard about
Jung Hayan. I can tell just by seeing the change in his attitude.”
“If so, that’s good. If this case ever grows, tell me.”
“It won’t. There’s no need for you to interfere directly… but just have a
word with Hayan. It doesn’t matter that I ixed it, but it honestly scared
the hell out of me.”
“Okay. I’ll warn her.”
“That’s good. Anyway, that’s it, then?”
“Thank you, Nuna.”
“It’s okay. I also gained something. If you need help, just tell me. Oh, and
about the Princess, she’s a must. You have to set the route so that I can
decide how to move.”
“Okay.”
“Then see you next time, my love.”
Lee Jihye stood up, kissed my cheek, and then went out.
Seeing that she didn’t say anything about the ‘body talk’ as usual, it
seems that she felt slightly bothered by Jung Hayan and the scene that
Hayan had caused.
‘It must have been a surprise.’
I thought that maybe Jung Hayan’s face was more memorable than the
shattered hand of that stupid man.
Even I, who was always with Jung Hayan, couldn’t get used to the face
she made whenever she was really annoyed.
‘I need to have a word with her.’
I remember that when I asked, she de initely said not much has
happened. Even though it was ixed now, she had lied, so it would be
right to give her a warning. I had a feeling that I’d been letting her loose
too much lately.
Since we’d be seeing each other less from now on, it would not be bad
to take her to the woodshed.
Just in time, I could hear the door opening and closing.
It was obvious who it was, so I immediately opened my mouth.
“Come and sit down.”
It was natural to show a different voice than usual.
It only worked when I showed that I was very angry. An uncertain

attitude did not work anymore with Jung Hayan, who had gotten
cleverer.
Probably by now, she was wondering about whether she should come
in or not, re lecting on her mistakes.
“Didn’t I tell you not to lie?”
She was de initely wondering. Perhaps something had come to her

mind.
“No. Rather, stand at the door and answer. I don’t want to see your face
right now.”
If I saw her crying, I would get soft.
It was hard to hear, but by now, it was clear that she was shedding thick
tears.
However, it was then that a different voice was heard.
“Er… Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Uh…”
The visitor was not Jung Hayan, but Kim Hyunsung. It felt like my face
turned red instantly. Kim Hyunsung looked at me, sticking his neck.
He seemed to think that he had done something wrong, but seeing my

face; he realized that he had misunderstood.
However, he was wondering if it was okay to come in without having

igured it out.
“I’m sorry. Come and sit down. I thought you were Hayan…”
“Oh, no. It’s ine. Rather, I’m sorry. I’m the one who came so suddenly.”
We were both embarrassed. It was hard to ix the gaze. In this case, it

was only right to go straight to the point.
Kim Hyunsung nodded as if he was thinking the same, and when I saw
that, I had to speak right away.
“Has anything happened…?”
“Oh. I have a little… Well… I don’t know what to say. I came here for a
personal request.”
“Yes. Please tell me anything.”
‘If he asks, I have to do it.’
If I were to think about it, Kim Hyunsung never asked me to do

something directly. For some reason, I was proud, and I began to feel
curious since I couldn’t igure out what he needed.
It was also strange that he had something to ask suddenly at this

timing.

Kim Hyunsung looked quite serious.
The awkward atmosphere suddenly disappeared.
It felt like he continued to worry while trying to speak. He seemed to

keep thinking about whether his judgment was correct.
And then, with an embarrassed expression, he spoke.
“I want to stop the Second Princess Charlotte from becoming the

Empress.”
CHAPTER 267
‘What is this suddenly?’
Anyone could see that it was an embarrassing request.
I kind of knew that our lovely returner was thinking about something,
but I couldn’t imagine it would be this.
‘Why?’
When my expression shifted into doubt, Hyunsung continued talking. I

didn’t ask why, but he had noticed my skepticism by himself.
Of course, he couldn’t seem to be able to explain in detail. I couldn’t

blame him – he couldn’t just straight up confess that he’d come from
the irst timeline.
“I’m sorry… I hope you don’t ask why. I will return this favor…”
“No. You don’t even have to think of it as a favor. You must have a
reason. If it’s something that helps the guild or our party…”
“No. It’s nothing like that. It’s personal…”
He could’ve just said it was for the guild, but when I saw him drawing a
line with this personal thing, I thought that this was so like him.
‘Tsk tsk.’
Of course, it was personal.
Charlotte was wary of me, but considering the Holy Empire as a whole,
her becoming Empress was the only way to go for this Empire.
The current Emperor was a shameful igure to even be called an

Emperor, and the First Princess, Charlia, was crazy.
Of course, it was easier for me to handle the Emperor or the First

Princess, but if I considered the Empire’s development to be more
important, I would unconditionally exercise a vote for Charlotte.
‘I don’t even need to exercise it.’
Charlotte was practically next in line for Empress.
The First Princess was a troublemaker of this insane imperial family,

and the succession structure was limited. The Emperor also seemed to
think of Charlotte as his successor, so unless a twist happened, she
would safely rise to the throne.
‘And she may already have… ’
Charlotte was likely the Empress even in the irst round. No, it was not
just a probability.
The fact that Kim Hyunsung said he wanted to prevent her from
becoming Empress was in line with the saying that the First Empress
had been her.
I didn’t know why Kim Hyunsung didn’t want her to become Empress,
but I had two guesses.
‘Will she go crazy?’

The irst was if Charlotte would become the worst tyrant ever in the
future. It was not impossible.
Considering that she tried to ostracize Charlia, she was not a nice
person, either.
Although her characteristic and disposition were closer to goodness,

she didn’t hesitate to swing her sword against those who she judged to
be her enemy.
It was not unusual for her to become a blood-crazy Empress, given her
cold appearance.
For Kim Hyunsung, who must lead the second round successfully, it was
natural that he did not want to entrust the country to the tyrant of the
irst round.
However, looking at his face, I thought that this speculation had to be

put aside.
There was no hatred toward her in his face.
‘He may be hiding it, but… ’
I had a strong feeling that he was feeling sorry for her.
The second one that can be guessed was the miserable life of Empress
Charlotte.
If she couldn’t bear the crown’s weight, whether she felt ashamed of
herself or her becoming an Empress, it would have been miserable.
Charlotte herself may have regretted she ascended to the throne, and
Kim Hyunsung may have watched it.
I didn’t know their story, but I thought that the second guess might it
when I saw him asking me without malice.
If not…
‘What if the First Princess becomes an all-time high Empress?’
No matter how I think, it was not the third guess.
The First Princess I saw was a crazy bitch full of ego and poison and
was a hopeless fool.
If this was the case, Kim Hyunsung should have said that he wanted to
make the First Princess Empress before saying he wanted to prevent
the Second Princess from becoming Empress.
No matter how I would think about it, the third was out of the question.
The probability lied in either my irst or second guess.
It seemed like it wouldn’t be a bad idea to talk about this irst.
“Is there anything I don’t know about?”
“Ah… a little…”
“I see. Actually, I’m talking about it for the irst time, but the Second
Princess Charlotte was hostile to me as well. It would certainly be
dif icult if such a person became the Empress.”
“Yes. You’re right. That’s why.”
“I’ll do it perfectly so she can’t come back again…”
“Oh, you don’t have to. As moderate as possible… I’ll be satis ied if she
doesn’t become the Empress.”
‘It’s the second.’
The second was indeed correct. Kim Hyunsung favored Charlotte.
Even though he could be favorable because she was a bloody Empress

in the irst round, these speculations were now meaningless.
The important thing was that Kim Hyunsung did not want to make the
Second Princess Empress.
“I understand what you want. I also understand you can’t answer the
questions.”
“Not at all. There are many things that I have received so far, so I have to
pay back… and we are colleagues after all.”
“That means…”
He looked very touched.
The more requests like this, the better.
Just in time, I should have set a course. I was thinking about her, too.
It wasn’t bad that I felt like Kim Hyunsung opened the way, but it was
true that my head hurt when I were to think about quarreling with the
Second Princess.
Naturally, it would be almost impossible to end it well.
There would be friction in any way, and even if I assume I’ll win this
dog ight, Charlotte was likely to get hurt.
‘I don’t care, but… ’
The question was whether Kim Hyunsung would tolerate it. It was
natural to check with him before starting work, and when I opened my
mouth quietly, there was a moment of silence.
“You must have expected it, but it won’t end well.”
But it looked like he has already made up his mind.
“Okay. Please, do so.”
He looked a little bit bitter, but I was able to set my mind right.
‘Charlotte is an enemy.’
There were absolutely no personal bad feelings left. If it wasn’t for Kim
Hyunsung’s words, there was a high possibility that I would have taken
the Charlotte route without dif iculty.
That was the reasonable decision with the biggest gain.
The reason I came to think this way, however, was because of Kim
Hyunsung. I couldn’t help but smile.
***
Thanks to that, my daily life, which was already busy, became a little
busier.
It was obvious why.
I had to organize yesterday’s work.
I already told Lee Jihye the route I would move, and she nodded without
saying anything as if she had expected it.
I heard, ‘I knew you would. That’s how Lee Kiyoung works,’ but it was
not because of personal bad feelings.
Although it seemed she misunderstood, it would be better if Lee Jihye

moved with a strong will.
Of course, Lee Jihye wasn’t the only one who moved quickly.
For some reason, even Cha Hee-ra said, ‘As expected, honey. If you need
anything, tell me,” and with that, she said she would help; and Yuno
Kasugano obviously decided to cooperate with me.
Even the rest of Blue wasn’t still.
Kim Hyunsung was a little more motivated than usual, and he was able
to entrust a few things to Jung Hayan.
In the meantime, I was also running around and promoting meetings

with in luential nobles.
It was the usual schedule, but, naturally, the inside story was different.
If the meetings until now were to maintain a close relationship, this

time, I had to use the close ties I had gained.
It meant that, since I’d tapped the anvil and hammer, it was time to pull
out the inished knife and swing it.
Of course, the inished weapons were waiting for me to judge who the
enemy was, and once I did, I thought there might be repercussions.
Anyone could see that the Second Princess’s position was solid, and
turning my back on her was like turning away from power.
‘Duchess Catherine… and the Count Castle Rock.’

They might be reluctant.
No matter how close we maintained our friendly relationship, throwing

a dice saying that they were hostile to Charlotte would still be hard.
Of course, the Pope’s side would support me, but considering that the
Imperial Family and the Pope’s side were not very involved in each
other, there was a high possibility that my position as Honorary Bishop
would not be utilized.
‘It’s hard… ’
Charlotte might not know that I was hostile to her. But sooner or later,
she would.
‘I have to choose the route well.’
To be honest, I’ve already thought of a way.
No, the options were limited, anyway. It was either I go right into
Charlotte’s camp and troll it to divide the camp completely…
‘Or I make Charlia the Empress… ’
Honestly, I was reluctant about them both, but there was no other
option.
‘The other way is treason.’
I didn’t want my neck to be cut off by the guillotine, so I couldn’t help it.
In the meantime, since Charlotte was wary of me, doing this was out of
the question.
In the end, I had no choice but to choose the latter, but this was, in a
sense, a disaster for the Empire.
Perhaps Kim Hyunsung took this into account and had asked me the
favor.
In fact, to stop the Second Princess from becoming Empress was the
same as telling me to make the First Princess the Empress.
‘So, he means that it doesn’t matter if the Empire collapses?’
Or, he must have believed that I could control the First Princess.
Of course, even if I set up Charlia’s camp, the problem would lie after
that.
The First Princess was still an imperial nuisance, and many nobles had
turned their backs to her.
She had no support base, and she was not capable.
‘It will be tougher than I thought.’
It was not just tough. However, I had to choose the most obvious option.
While I was about to meet Charlia, who wanted to thank me for the last
party, I saw the maids’ faces at the place where the First Princess
stayed, leaving me to think about her characteristic more and more.
‘Cra—zy.’
All of the maids I encountered looked terri ied, and they were
extremely nervous that something would happen. It was obvious as to
how she usually treated her subordinates.
I bet that there would be no good days for the maids who lived here.
‘Real trash.’
It was also true that I was slightly nervous.
Originally, I wanted to avoid being associated with Charlia as much as

possible, but what could I do in this situation?
‘I have to face it once.’
“E-er… Your Majesty. L-L… Lee Kiyoung-nim has come.”
After the voice of the maid, who was shivering, a voice brighter than I
thought came out from the inside.
“Really? Tell him to come in.”
“Okay, Your Majesty.”
It was a very different voice from yesterday.
It sounded a bit sharp, but I would not be mistaken that it sounded

more careful than I thought.
After the door opened, what I saw was Charlia waiting for me in the
parlor with her hair and make-up done.
I don’t know if it was because of my characteristic, but her eyes, looking

at me, were full of favor.
It was a spectacle to see her smiling with a shy face.
It was enough to doubt my eyes if she was the same person as the
woman I saw yesterday.
“I am Charlia.”
CHAPTER 268
Her platinum hair, considered a symbol of the royal family, was

stretched, and her high-rise nose and long eyelashes were surely
considered a beauty.
It may be because they were of the same blood, and although I can see
that she resembles Charlotte overall, they had differences on the face.
Of course, the impression itself was not that good.
She continued to smile, but even so, it didn’t mean that her vicious
nature would dissipate.
In fact, what stood out more than her face was what she was wearing.
‘How much is all that?’
Upon seeing that she was adorned with all kinds of jewels that anyone
would think were gorgeous, my eyes widened.
Rings with large jewels and rings with elaborate carving patterns were
placed on her ingers, and the small earrings on her ears were re lected
by the light coming through the window and shimmered.
The gorgeous necklace, enough to think that her neck might get stiff,
was located in the center of her exposed chest.
The dress she was wearing was not ordinary by any means. It wasn’t a
brand I knew, but that was why it was more valuable. It must be a dress
made by a famous designer in the kingdom.
What was a little peculiar was that her upper body’s exposure was
considerable, but it didn’t feel vulgar.
Overall, I felt like she was being too much, but I couldn’t deny that this
suited her well.
As I looked at her, realizing that the introduction was late, I quietly

bowed and opened my mouth.
Inwardly, I thought that tens of thousands of hungry people would be

able to eat to the fullest by selling just one of the things she was
wearing, but there was no way I could show this.
“Of course, I know you. Honorary Bishop Kiyoung Lee. I’m thinking of
having some tea, do you…?”
“Anything simple is ine.”
“You’ve heard it, right?”
“Yes, yes, Your Majesty.”
Charlia looked at the maid to see if she had heard it, and she trembled
and answered.
‘By the way, this one also has a brazen-faced… ’
Even though she looked like a fool when I irst saw her, looking at her
pretending to be a normal person was indeed funny.
It didn’t look bad, as it meant that she could at least judge what was
right and what was wrong, but it looked ridiculous for the maids.
Contrary to what I thought that I had to wait a bit, two glasses were
served along with several kinds of refreshments as soon as the maid
went out.
‘It’s very fast.’
Some things had been arranged on the table beforehand, but several
maids still stuck to the table.
Unlike their anxious expressions, their body didn’t have an inch of error
like a well-trained soldier.
Even though there were already more than ten types of refreshments
on the table, more refreshments were constantly popping up.
The maid, pouring tea slowly into an empty cup, looked to be praying
for the taste of this tea to suit my taste.
The maid who was pouring the cup to the First Princess seemed to be
praying not to make a mistake.
As I naturally raised the cup, as usual, the maids’ faces focused on me.
‘It’s so uncomfortable.’
It was obvious why. They may be wondering if the tea suited my taste.
If I said something negative here, the handmaids’ wrists may be blown

away.
As I quietly nodded and opened my mouth, I saw two of them grabbing

their chests as I expected.
“It tastes good. Of course, the scent is good, too.”
“I’m glad that it suits your taste. I was worried that it wouldn’t.”
“It’s de initely new, but it’s good. It feels like it calms me down… and it
feels like it makes me drowsy, too. There is also a feeling that it’s
warming my body.”
“It’s a tea that was brought from the faraway Elven Kingdom.”
“Ohh. Is that so?”
‘Elven Kingdom, my ass.’
When I felt something in my body, I looked at the tea in my hand, and

the additives in the tea began to shine.
[Raf lesia’s Petals (Common)]
‘Aphrodisiac.’
It was so ridiculous that I wanted to laugh.
‘This crazy woman.’
Her plan to pretend to call me to express an apology and gratitude was

ridiculous.
She used very small amounts to make it inconspicuous, but it was

obvious as to what her purpose was.
My heart rate gradually increased, and the woman in front of me

suddenly looked more attractive.
As I continued to look at her with the Mind’s Eye, I realized that tea was
not the only thing that contained aphrodisiac ingredients.
It was also mixed with Charlia’s body and scent. To put it simply, it was
illing up this large room little by little.
I didn’t know if she wanted to take more time to explore each other, but
if the quantity was this much, it seemed that she wanted to make me
look at her as a woman.
‘Is she in luenced?’
Not all crazy girls seemed to be in luenced by my unique characteristic,

but this Princess seemed to have a pretty big crush on me.
Putting her characteristic aside, she must have heard that I had
defended her in front of the Emperor.
‘I guess I can use her… ’
However, this method made me uncomfortable.
I wasn’t that much affected because I had a pretty strong immunity to

the drug, but seeing her continuously give out suggestive signals was a
little annoying.
The scent from her body kept tickling me, and she was attractive
enough.
My gaze kept moving toward her chest, and there was also a desire to
kiss her vicious face.
However, obviously, I couldn’t do that. Honestly, I didn’t want to get

involved in anything other than work with her.
And the Anemone’s eyes that suddenly popped up was bothering me,
too.
‘Why are there so many things bothering me?’
However, I had no choice but to keep complaining.

Contrary to me, who had many complex thoughts, Charlia slightly
bowed her head as if she felt that things were going well.
“I should have told you this irst… I would like to apologize for being
rude the other day formally. Of course, I also want to thank you for
helping me after that…”
It seems that she received such education as she spoke to me like a

graceful royal family. I had to take it in moderation, too.
To her, what happened that day would be a shameful incident that she
would want to erase.
However, it would be advantageous to be more honest with each other

for future conversations.
“It’s ine. It’s not something to apologize for, and I didn’t give great help
to hear this. Anyone can make mistakes… and I’m sure you were having
a hard time. No, before that, I can also understand why the Princess
couldn’t hold her anger.”
I could see she was disconcerted.
However, as if it was hard to say that she agreed with me, she probably
thought that she should start with excuses.
Of course, this was not the kind of reaction I wanted.
“Ah. It’s not that I couldn’t hold my anger… I was too…”
“No. Since the dress you wore for an important party was ruined. It was
also because of a maid’s mistake. Of course, I understand. Yes.”
“No, I was having a hard time then… To be precise, it wasn’t that I

couldn’t control myself…”
She kept playing coy with me. I had to talk more honestly since she still
couldn’t seem to catch the point.
It was because it seemed that she could only understand it by speaking

openly.
“Princess, I’m not that good a person.”
“It literally means that. To be honest, I am a very bad person. Even if

you had your maid’s neck cut off at that place that day, I wouldn’t have
cared that much. I am a sel ish person, and… if only me and the people
around me were okay, it didn’t really matter what happens with
anybody.”
“……”
“Oh! I am like Charlia-nim.”
“What does it mean to say that we are the same…?”
“I’m also a person who has to give a disadvantage to the person who
has harmed me in some way to be satis ied. I bet, if the same thing
happened to me at the party, I could be laughing on the outside, but I’d
be thinking differently on the inside.”
“……”
“It’s hard to hold in one’s anger. In such a situation… you have to pay it
back right away when you are annoyed enough. It certainly makes me
feel better when I see the person who raised my anger on his knees…”
Despite having said this much, it was a spectacle to see that she was
acting coy to the end.
That would be natural. She was suspicious of my intention in saying
this.
That wasn’t all. It was a small amount, but seeing that she had used an
aphrodisiac, I could at least tell she had a crush on me.
It was not easy to reveal her inner self to such a person.
“I’m joking.”
“Ah… Er, as I heard, you have a great sense of humor.”
She then forced out a laugh.
I quietly put down the tea and spoke once more.
“It seems rude, but… I will be going now.”
“What?”
“I received the words of an apology and gratitude properly and… I have

an appointment with the Emperor.”
“S-So quickly…”
“After drinking, the tea doesn’t seem to it my taste… I will make time
again around tomorrow.”
“Ah!”
She seemed disconcerted as I stood up right away.
Seeing that her face was distorted momentarily, it seemed that she
found it actually dif icult to hold in her anger.
It was obvious. The attitude I had shown right now was downright
rude.
Nevertheless, seeing that she still refused to show her true personality,
she still must be trying to reel herself in.
It now seemed that she had resentment toward the person who ruined
today’s meeting, but I didn’t care.
After getting up and showing good manners, I turned my back and the
maids who were waiting outside quickly passed by me and went inside.
The door was irmly closed, and the faces of the maids waiting outside
turned pale.
‘They think I ruined it.’
There was no sound from the inside as if soundproo ing magic was in
place, but I thought I could see what would happen.
She must be screaming, ‘that damn bastard.’
If I weren’t the one she was angry with, I thought she would be pouring
her anger elsewhere.
After counting only 10 seconds, I turned around and headed back to the
already closed room, and I saw the maids’ faces more embarrassed than
before.
“Charlia, Your Majesty! It’s Lee Kiyoung-nim!”
I cast a simple spell that I had memorized beforehand.
“Silence.”
“Mmm!”
I could see the maid touching her neck with no voice.
“Now, w-what rudeness… Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. If you are

going to visit the Princess again, I-I will tell your intention to the
Princess irst.”
Crack! Craaackk!
The dragon’s tail protruding from the loor blocked the mouth of the
maid trying to speak.
When I opened the Princess’s room door with my own hands, I saw the
scenery I expected.
The irst thing I heard was the voice of the Princess.
Slap!
I’ve heard it before came along with the voice of a terri ied maid.
“I told you… I told you to make sure there weren’t any mistakes in
serving the guests. I’ve said that again and again! Didn’t I! Say it! He’s an
important guest!”
“K-Kill me. Please kill me, Your Majesty.”
“All right! If that’s your wish… Ah.”
The splendid event that took place in less than a minute after I went
outside is a spectacle.
One of the maids who entered had already red cheeks, and the one who
was on her face was rubbing her palms.
The Princess, who couldn’t igure out what to do while looking at them
and with me alternately, looked embarrassed.
In the silence that entered the room for a moment, I gradually opened
my mouth.
“My prediction was correct. No matter how I think, the Princess and I
seem to be the same.”
Of course, that crazy woman and I were not the same kinds of trash.
‘We’re not the same. Absolutely. I’m not that trashy.’

CHAPTER 269
LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER
(1)
I could see Charlia’s face turning pale.
Of course, she would be embarrassed. She had wanted to look good to

me, and her plan had back ired.
The same went for the two maids. They had no idea what the hell was
going on.
In the irst place, there was nothing they could do except to tremble.
Charlia tried to open her mouth to see if she could ix this somehow, but
the situation was so strange for a proper excuse to come out.
The circumstance was obvious to anyone, and she was between the
devil and the deep blue sea.
“S-so, this is… this is…”
“Oh, I don’t care. You don’t have to explain. As I thought about it, it was
just time to eat, so I just wondered if we could have dinner together.
First of all, you shouldn’t let this stay like this, so it would be a good
idea to clear the room a little. Please also clean up outside the door.
Before entering, I used a little rough method…”
“Ah…”
“And I sincerely apologize for the rudeness a while ago, Your Majesty. I
think it would be a good idea to reveal each other’s inner feelings a
little more when having a deeper conversation. I thought it couldn’t be
helped.”
“No… No…”
“I will serve Your Majesty, so I would like you to prepare the dinner.”
When I lifted the two maids who were still lying on their faces, I saw
them hesitate.
They were watching out for Charlia, but she nodded quietly, and I saw
them disappearing outside.
“The tea was delicious.”
“T-that’s fortunate.”
“Your Majesty Charlia, you don’t have to be so embarrassed.”
“Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung-nim, just now, that was…”
“I know everything. You were correcting the underling’s mistake.”
“Ah… Yes. Yes. That’s right.”
“I said it before, but it’s understandable enough. You may be upset

because there is a disruption in your guest service. If I had been in your
position, I would have been angry, too.”
“Yes. You’re right.”
“In the irst place, there are humans who understand even you speak to
them once, and there are humans who do not. It’s not unusual for them
to be punished since they did not listen to the words of Your Majesty…”
“Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung-nim is…”
“Yes?”
“You really understand me.”
“Yes. Didn’t I tell you earlier? We are the same kind.”
I could see her thinking hard. She had only noticed that I was armed
with goodwill rather than evil will.
She seemed to think that it was now okay to be a little more honest. I
felt her glancing at me carefully.
“There are many who lack a little.”
“That’s it… they are different from the Princess.”
“Most are stupid…”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Where is that descent going…? Once I say it, they can’t understand it
properly. I always get stressed because they’ve annoyed me more than
once.”
As she spoke excitedly, her face looked like she had met an old friend. I
nodded, going along with her words.
“Hmmm. You can… Of course, you can think like that.”
“Of course, it hurts me to do this, too, but in order to discipline them…”
“It is necessary… necessary. It can’t be helped.”

However, this didn’t mean that Charlia dropped all her pretenses.
It seemed that she was trying to go with the ‘correcting the discipline’
topic, but she was at least honest enough that it could not be compared
to before.
Meanwhile, dinner began to be prepared.
Since I told her in advance that we would eat here, not a restaurant, the
appetizer had come, with the maids looking extremely tense.
They were different people than the ones from before, but their hands
were also trembling.
However, they thought it was fortunate that the Princess had on a big
smile.
“Actually, I heard about you from my father.”
“I’m curious about what he said. I am worried that His Majesty might
have said something about me again.”
“Ah! Nothing like that. That you defended my mistake… that… what
happened that day…”
“Haha. The word defense is not appropriate. I just said the right thing.”
“I don’t know if it’s because of that, but my father asked me several

times.”
“What…”
“Make sure to make a time to apologize to Honorary Bishop Lee

Kiyoung… Of course, it wasn’t because of my father that Lee Kiyoung
was brought here. At that time, I wanted to talk to you about my
mistakes once again, and most of all, my personal curiosity toward
Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung was big…”
“Aha…”
“I feel like you’re a better person than I irst thought of, seeing you in
person like this.”
This line sounded a bit ominous. It was especially embarrassing to hear

that the Emperor had talked about this with Charlia irst.
Of course, it should be done, but I was worried that he might think

differently inwardly.
“I wonder what kind of curiosity you have. But I understand. Most

nobles are also very interested in us, summoners, especially now that I
was appointed as one of the Eight Imperial Seats. Maybe an adventure
journal…”
“As a matter of fact, I was able to read the journal from the Blue Guild
for a moment yesterday.”
“Hahahaha. That’s an honor. By the way, this is really a coincidence. In

fact, I also wanted to see Your Majesty Charlia.”
“What?”
“I wanted to see what it would be like to chat, but who knew that the
opportunity would come in this way? Haha.”
While we were talking, the meal continued.
When I stopped talking for a moment and looked at the maid, I saw
those who opened their mouths as if they were waiting.
It seemed like they were waiting for the right timing to continue to say
something, and I guess I had just helped.
“Er… Your Majesty, the steak.”
“Rare.”
“I would like the same thing as the First Princess.”
“Okay.”
“You can bring dessert an hour later. I think the conversation will take a
little longer.”
“Yes. I understand.”
In fact, although I liked it well-done, I wanted to give the impression

that I was like the Princess.
When the barely-cooked red meat came out, I was a little embarrassed
about how to eat it.
Blood was gathered on the plate of the Princess, who was familiar with
the cutting.
I didn’t know if it was because of my mood, but I found the sound and
the texture grotesque. Still, I pretended that this was nothing.
Charlia, who had cut a piece of steak like that, opened her mouth again
after the maids left.
Seeing that the cuts weren’t taken to her mouth, it seemed that she was
curious about the story from before rather than in the food.
“Er… Excuse me, but can I hear what you want to talk about?”
“Haha. It’s not a big deal. Actually, this is something about the imperial
family…”
“I’m sorry?”
“I hope you listen without misunderstanding. Charlia-nim, I don’t want

this summoner to judge or gossip about the imperial family. I just want
to hear what you think of the Second Princess Charlotte.”
“I’ve heard that the Second Princess is secretly dominating this Holy
Empire.”
“Who said such thoughtless words?!!!”
“It seems that the great and wise Emperor left many things to the 2nd
Princess after his health had deteriorated. In luential aristocrats also
were seen moving with the Second Princess. Although she is actually
outstanding in her abilities, no, I am afraid that I might sound like
blaspheming the imperial family.”
“No, Honorary Bishop. You can keep talking.”
“Ahem… Actually, there have been many proposals for us, too…”
Of course, it was a lie. No proposal has ever come our way.
“C-can you tell me in details? When you say us…”
“Oh. It was only secretly said to a few members of the Eight Seats, but
after the Emperor dies, it seemed that she wished for us to be on her
side. I don’t know if I can say this, but… it feels like she is being hostile
to you.”
I wasn’t wrong, though. This would de initely happen sooner or later.

It seemed that the Princess in front of me also had no intention of
revealing what the truth was. In fact, she wouldn’t even have the ability
to uncover it for herself.
When I saw her muttering ‘Charlotte… Charlotte,’ it seemed that her

anger toward her younger sister had illed her head.
“So, the answer is…”
“It is still on hold, but in fact, in our Eight Seats of the Empire’s case, we
are refraining from entering the politics of the Holy Empire as much as
possible. Foreigners have foreigners’ lives. However, Her Majesty
Charlotte did not seem to like us very much for keeping a lukewarm
attitude. I don’t think she has a bad temper with the stories that are
going around in public, but it’s hard to believe it because there are
many fake stories these days.”
“Yes… Yes. You’re right. The Second Princess Charlotte… No, the
evaluation of that sneaky whore has already been fabricated. Yes.
Absolutely. Everyone is being deceived.”
“What?”
“It’s embarrassing to say, but she’s a bitch with bad demeanors. We

shouldn’t have accepted her as a Princess since she was born an
illegitimate daughter after eating her mother’s poor blood. It was
something everyone was concerned about. Yes, it was. I knew that her
greed would reach the sky, but as soon as she became a member of the
imperial family, she showed off her ambition by bewitching my father.”
“Hmm…”
“She says she is not interested in men, but my ears hurt with her voice
that I hear every time I pass by the place where she lives as she brings
several men to the palace. Blood cannot be deceived. Yes. Absolutely.
She always smiles in front of people, but you don’t know how much
dirty stuff she does in the back… I can’t even explain everything in
words.”
I expected it, but once she started to talk about Charlotte, it felt like she
wasn’t paying attention to me.
It was natural that a short mealtime was not enough for her to vomit
resentment for the Second Princess. I couldn’t help but smile.
This was because it sounded like the saying, ‘the pot calling the kettle
black.’
“That damn bitch. A loach is de iling the imperial family and damaging
its authority. I cannot see the faces of the ancestral emperors. And my
father, my father is my father. How, how can he… value that dirty… more
than me…”
Not only was her ist trembling, but she was biting her lips tightly.
The pleasant atmosphere from before now felt like a lie.
She had bloodshot eyes and was shedding tears from how resentful she
was. Of course, those tears weren’t pure tears that truly worried about
the imperial family.
These tears stemmed purely from jealousy.
It was full of anger, obstinacy, and malice toward Charlotte, who had
what she could not have. Her resentment was this big.
It was no wonder that I sneakily gave her a handkerchief. As she wiped

the tears, I could see her leaning back as if she was surprised.
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
“Lee Kiyoung-nim is… kind.”

‘What?’
It was a line that sounded dangerous for some reason. As I felt like she
would use this opportunity to have an intimate moment with me, I
pulled back immediately.
“It’s nothing. I couldn’t even dream that such a thing was happening.
After all, it seems that there are more lies than truth in the words of the
public. Haha.”
“What?”
“In fact, I have heard rumors about the First Princess… Yes. De initely,
most were bad reviews. But looking at you like this, you seem to be
quite different. You are more than anyone else who thinks about the
imperial family and is intelligent, and you are beautiful, gentle, and
strong. The wisdom, words, and actions you have made me feel like I’m
seeing the incarnation of the Goddess Benigore…”
“Ah…”
“I dare say…”
“Yes…”
“I feel like you are really close to the next Empress.”
As I took a bite of the cut meat, I felt the taste of raw meat that had not
been cooked properly.
Charlia, who has heard me and was smiling widely, quietly nodded, and
swallowed the food.
I didn’t know if it was because of the sweetest lattery in the world or

because the cold meat tasted better than she thought, but I could see
Charlia shivering softly with pleasure.
‘Like father, like daughter.’
CHAPTER 270
(2)
I was not sure what the poor blood and the royal blood she was talking
about were, but I had to admit only one thing.
The First Princess in front of my eyes properly inherited the blood of

the Emperor.
It seemed that even a little lattery worked wonders for her.
As if she couldn’t remember ever being praised, I couldn’t get used to

how she quivered her body every time I said sweet words.
Her face didn’t necessarily need another modi ier.
‘Will it really be okay with her?’
Among the numerous compliments and lattery, the First Princess was
most eager to respond to words that lattered her more than Charlotte.
As expected, her favorite sentences were the ones that contained ‘than
the Second Princess.’
It was almost like a magic sentence.
I think you’re more beautiful than the Second Princess. You’re more
intelligent. You’re the exact opposite of what I’ve heard in the city.
However, the stupid Charlia has somehow managed to catch up that, in
my long-standing praise, I was praising her more than the Second
Princess.
‘This, she understands well.’
My face, smiling widely, seemed that I was blitzed. She seemed to feel
this kind of compliment sweeter than anything else.
‘Of course, she would.’
I had learned a lot while talking with her.
First, the mother of the Second Princess was a commoner.
The second was that, thanks to the clever Second Princess, the First
Princess had begun to fall apart, little by little.
‘I understand.’
One day, suddenly, a commoner’s bloodline was appointed as the

Second Princess and monopolized her father’s love.
The Second Princess was very clever when she talked, and she began to
show her outstanding talent in many different ields.
For the First Princess, it was natural that she would think of it as
absurd.
As opposed to her stat talents that almost looked like crap, the Second
Princess had an overwhelmingly high proportion of heroic-grade or
higher stats, so it was obvious how much she blamed herself in her
childhood.
[Acquisition of Basic Swordsmanship Knowledge]

[Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]
[Acquisition of Basic Constitution Knowledge]
[Acquisition of Basic Training Knowledge]
[Acquisition of Basic Military Knowledge]
[Acquisition of Basic Re inement Knowledge]
[Acquisition of Basic Alchemy Knowledge]
[Acquisition of Basic Spirit Knowledge]
The most striking part of her status window was the several
acquisitions of basic knowledge. In addition to this fact, the knowledge
she had acquired was countless. The reason was simple.
I could af irm that there was nothing that the First Princess hadn’t done
in her childhood. I could see that she struggled desperately in her own
way.
If swordsmanship didn’t work, then it was magic. If magic didn’t work,

it was military knowledge, and if that didn’t work either, it was spirit.
Nevertheless, it was clear that her various efforts had collapsed like a
sandcastle when compared to the Second Princess’s talents.
Needless to say, I could imagine what that little girl must have felt at
that time.
The First Princess must have gotten on the perverse line after that. In
the end, she stayed in the palace, drinking heavily and harassing her
maids.
Of course, these stories were thoroughly described in Charlia’s view.

I bet that the life of the Second Princess could not have been so smooth,
considering Charlia’s characteristics and temper.
‘She must have bullied her persistently.’
She may even have gone beyond simple bullying.
She may have faced the threat of possible assassination, and it would
have been routine for her to have red cheeks.
Considering how evil this vicious villain could become, the Second
Princess must have grown up with bloody tears through her childhood,
too.
This was a story of the heroine Charlotte, who had become stronger by
standing up even when she was stepped on, and the villain Charlia, who
tried to step on her.
This story was becoming the separation of good and evil, and it must
have been moving toward a conclusion.
‘Until I intervene.’
Right. Until I intervened.
Charlotte, who was persistent, had grown enough to have the imperial
family under her control. It was time to relieve the frustration she had
since childhood, and the situation was actually still going on.
Currently, there was nothing left for the First Princess Charlia. Charlotte
cut off her hands and feet and took all the authority to exert in luence.
The stupid First Princess probably wouldn’t know what kind of

situation she was in until she had a sword right to her neck.
‘But… ’
It didn’t mean that there was hope.
It was good that the legitimacy belonged to the First Princess.
Charlia hadn’t even started, but she wasn’t too late.
As we continued to talk, Charlia spoke, gently wiping her tears from

laughing too much.
“I don’t know when was the last time I’ve laughed like today. I laughed
so hard that I almost cried.”
“Hahahaha. Me, too. This was a lot more fun than I thought, Your
Majesty.”
“I didn’t notice it was dark already… If it’s okay for you, I’ll give you a
separate room, so why don’t you rest here today? I want to talk more
with Honorary Bishop…”
“It’s ine, Your Majesty. If I could, I would stay here talking all night long,
but it’ll probably be troublesome to the First Princess. You know how
the public eye is…”
“Ahhh…”
“They’ll be making a lot of noise everywhere. It doesn’t matter if my

image gets bad, but I don’t want the Princess to become word-of-
mouth.”
“The public eye…”
“You have to be careful. The masses are the kind of people who believe
only what they see. Even if we were only talking about the Empire’s
future, today’s meeting wouldn’t look that way for some dirty-minded
people. I want to protect Your Majesty.”
“Ah…”
“Maybe it will be the same in other aspects besides this.”
“There will be many stupid people who don’t understand Your

Majesty’s will to correct her discipline. You should think carefully about
the difference between the Second Princess and you. Humans need to
have two faces in order to be favored by the public.”
“……”
“Of course, I understand the version of the innocent Princess Charlia,

but… just as the taste varies depending on how you cook good
ingredients, the information that is passed on to the public also
depends on how you cook it. As I spent time with the Princess, I could
see how broadminded you are, but how could your countrymen, who
know nothing, dare to measure the size of the sea.”
“Ah… Thank you.”
“The stupid ones should also be able to gauge your intelligence and
re inement. It is not the imperial discipline that matters to them. The
most important thing is what they see.”
She probably knew better than to act recklessly.
However, her iery temper was not stopping the anger and
stubbornness that came from within.
“I think… that Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is right. Yes. That’s right.
Stupid people believe in what they see. Nobody cares about things that
they cannot see.”
“Yes. Sometimes you have to wear a mask that suits the public. Ahem… I
will be honest.”
“You can talk…”
“I want to get on the same boat as Charlia.”
“Ah!”
“Actually, I intended to watch a little more, but today, speaking with

Your Majesty Charlia, I realized how useless my worries were. As I am
also in the position of the imperial people, I think I can tell how much
Your Majesty thinks about the imperial people. Of course… I will not
deny that I’m blinded by your beauty. Haha.”
“Ahhhhhh…”
“What will you do, Your Majesty?”
“What…”
“Will you get on the same boat…?”
“Of course! Of course! Absolutely! Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung! Of

course!”
It was like seeing a starving demon.
I could see her standing up and holding my hand as soon as I reached

out.
She, too, was surprised and let go of my hand, but she couldn’t possibly
be in a bad mood.
It looked as if she had found a lantern in a dark place.

‘So easy… ’
I initially thought it would be easy to control her, but it was easier than I
imagined.
No one trusted her or looked for her. I understand that I’m her only ally,
but seeing that she has in inite trust, I coughed with embarrassment.
“I don’t know how to react since you are welcoming me like this.
Hahaha.”
“I-I showed an embarrassing…”
“No, Charlia. I’m rather happy that you showed it. Ahem… Then, it
would be better to wrap up for today. Before it gets darker…”
“Ah… Yes. Let’s do that.”
She seemed a little disappointed, but I thought it couldn’t be helped.
If I kept staying in this room, I would really get in trouble. This would
be all for today.
If we were going to work together in the future, I would need to correct

her behavior, but today’s progress felt too hasty.
In fact, I could only advise on her schedule or behavior after I got a little
closer to her.
When I got up and opened the door, I saw a smile on the maids’ faces
waiting outside.
They must have checked Charlia’s face behind me.
The Princess sent me away with a delightful smile, and the maids who
guided me looked the same.
“I don’t need a bath service today. I’ll do it myself, so don’t let anyone in
the room for a while.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And be sure to ask when Lee Kiyoung will visit again.”
“Yes. Okay.”
Charlia’s voice toward the underling sounded very warm.
‘She felt something.’
I had to leave with light steps.
She seemed to have forgiven at least the minor mistakes when she was
in a good mood.
I hated to think of this, but that aspect was de initely similar to me.
I was determined to scold Jung Hayan for the attendants’ problem, but I
thought it would be hard to control my emotions.
Apart from the maids who guided me, I could feel the maids who heard
the Princess’s words approaching at a rapid pace, and as I looked back,
I saw them bowing their heads in a hurry.
As I quietly looked at her as if telling her to speak, I saw her nodding

and opening her mouth.
“H-Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.”
“Yes. You may talk.”
“Er… May I ask when you are visiting again?”

“Well… I have to think about it a little more…”
The maid’s face became gloomy at once.
“No… can you ask her if a lunch tomorrow is ine?”
“Yes. Okay!”
Her sad expression turned into one of happiness right away.
‘I know why.’
He seemed to think that I could make the crazy woman quiet.
I could tell without having to say it. I didn’t know how badly Charlia
treated them, but I could be sure her kind disposition was a new treat.
Of course, I wasn’t the only one who had noticed her change.
“The First Princess has changed.”
It was one of the warmest news that hit the castle exactly three days
from that day.
CHAPTER 271
(3)
The First Princess had changed.
To be precise, rumors were spreading throughout the city that she was
“coming to her senses.”
She looked different even for me, so those who had been with her for a
long time will be taking her change more dramatically.
The irst who had noticed the change was her direct maids. They would
probably get more surprised as time passed by. Things that she used to
have taken sensitively were now often overlooked, and she also
generously overlooked small mistakes.
It would not be unreasonable that the happiness circuit of the maids,

who had been taking all kinds of craziness under her, would go wild.
Interestingly, these maids only waited for me to ind the First Princess,
but as if they were convinced that I changed her, they were showing
strange movements. Regardless of her being the First Princess, they
were showing organized behavior in order to bring her closer to me.
Of course, to me, these actions were just cute, so I didn’t care much.
Rather, I felt sorry for her maids, who had to show such a move.
‘Right. You must have suffered the most… ’

I just didn’t want to burn their happiness circuit.
This didn’t affect me much, but this organized action is like a struggle
for survival for them. I even felt a strange cheap sympathy for them, so
whenever I was with Charlia, I sometimes raised my thumbs for the
conduct of her maids.
The effect was better than expected.
When I met the maids the next day, their faces were illed with spirit as
if they were ready to swear allegiance to me.
Considering that was something I just did out of pity, the effect was
good.
In fact, after a little more time, whenever I wasn’t there, her maids had
come to the point of telling me how Charlia was doing.
Of course, this was not a common form of reporting.
When I asked them what she was like when she entered and left her
parlor, all they did was give a fairly sincere answer.
They’d say something like,‘ Since the Honorary Bishop went back, she
looked very happy,’ or ‘She took the time to read, and she couldn’t easily
fall asleep.’
However, it was certainly pleasant news that her maids favored me.
‘They’ll have some use.’
There was always a place to use any material. Even the maids who had
little power would prove to be advantageous on my side.
As mentioned earlier, the biggest bene iciary of this event was the First
Princess’s maids.
It was obvious without saying it, but it wasn’t the only ones she bullied
that gave me a big smile.
Her people, who were worried about her, were also nodding at her
changed behavior.
In particular, the Emperor of the Empire was very happy.
Charlia, which he always considered to be trouble, had changed enough

to make the old man, who only looked at his children, feel good.
In fact, it wasn’t that big of a change.
It wasn’t that I did some magic to completely ix Charlia’s state of mind.

In the irst place, humans were easy to turn evil, but dif icult to become
good.
Even if it could be ixed, it couldn’t be done in such a short time.
‘Absolutely… ’
It was almost impossible to reform Charlia and make her Empress.
I just talked about how she would be better seen by the public and
presented that vision. In addition, it was natural to manage her
schedule by making a list of things to do.
Charlia had the same malice and stubbornness as Charlotte.
The sense of defeat that she felt since she was a child was only ruining
her self-esteem. She was incompetent and tightly packed with
inferiority, but that was why she had grown up as someone who wanted
to be recognized more than anyone else.
I couldn’t dare imagine how stressed she would have been when no one
cared for her as all of the gazes were directed at her sister.
I’m sure the kind of person that Charlia was waiting for would have
been someone like me.
Someone who could recognize and support her. Someone who could tell
her that even waste that couldn’t be recycled was great.
Decisively, someone who could properly decorate her insigni icant

behavior and put it on the market or a person who could sell a cookie
bag illed with nitrogen, more than half.
“She gave the maids a vacation.”
“Seeing that she continues to go to the temple, it seems that the First
Princess’s Majesty is determined.”
“I was told that she was also attending the cabinet meeting in the
morning. They said she was just listening quietly…”
“I heard that she is curious about how the country people live. I heard
that she wanted to go out on her own and that she had already set up a
schedule.”
“Come to think of it… I heard that recently she is not even drinking.”
“I also paid attention when she refused the wine at the last dinner
meeting.”
The nitrogen to put in the First Princess’s insigni icant steps was very
simple. When I opened my mouth, their gazes switched over to me.
“The bloodline is not going anywhere as expected. Hahahaha.”
It was a sentence of conversion that could attract old nobles in a single

moment.
‘Elective symbol number 1, Charlia. The bloodline doesn’t go anywhere.’

Of course, the Empire wouldn’t set up such a frame, but this was
necessary to decorate Charlia’s insigni icant moves.
The candidate’s actions for the common people were basically focused
on the common people, and those who wanted to save the economy
were focused on the economy.
Their policy directions, public relations, and campaigns all looked the
same, but of course, there were differences.
In my case, it was more absurd. The frame I put on for Charlia was not
for the imperial people, nor did it mean to save the Empire’s economy.
It was not even a slogan representing a candidate.
‘Orthodox.’
“Absolutely! Her Majesty Princess Charlia inherited the royal family’s

blood.”
“Right. Hohoho. Who doesn’t get lost once, right? Where will that blood
go?”
“If you think about it, didn’t they say that the youth of the Seventh
Emperor, who was only heard as a story, was not so smooth? Only when
he was over forty years old, he devoted himself to studying, and only
after he was over ifty, he inherited the throne. If you look at the
achievements he has accomplished despite that… I also wonder if now
it’s just a beginning to Her Majesty Charlia.”
“Hahahaha. That’s right!”
It was a spectacle to see them talking by themselves.
I thought my mission was over by just saying one line, so I started

heading to a corner with a wine in my hand.
It was no wonder that Jung Hayan, who I haven’t spent time with for a
long time, had begun to follow me. Lee Jihye, who was doing the same
work on the other side, was slowly approaching me as well.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“Ah… no, Oppa… because I’m with you. Hehe.”
It felt like a long time since I last talked to Hayan.
Of course, I always talked to her since I saw her every day, but I felt
sorry because I couldn’t take care of her in decisive moments.
I wanted to do something for her, but Jung Hayan seemed to be happy

as long as she was with me.
As I gently stroked her hair, she snuggled closer and closer, as if she was
in a good mood.
“Shall we toast?”
“Yes!”
“So, how was the study?”
“Ah. I think it’s doing well. I had to advance my schedule a little, so I got
a little busy, but it w-was… smoother than I thought. We’ll try to build a
prototype within a few days.”
“Did he say when will it be ready?”
“No. He didn’t…”
“Hmm…”
“Should I ask him a little more?”

“No. There’s no need to. The Second Princess…”
“I-I’m keeping an eye on her.”
“Okay. If there’s anything unusual going on, you should report it

immediately.”
“Yes!”
As I held her hand slightly, I could see her bowing her head.
We just happened to be in the middle of the social party, and she

seemed utterly happy as I dragged her around.
I hadn’t learned social dance properly, but it felt like I could do some
steps.
Jung Hayan, too, began to spin round and round, feeling good.
I didn’t know what she was thinking, but seeing her big smile, it seemed
that she felt pretty good. I thought she felt as if she was a fairy tale
princess.
Of course, I was not in a bad mood either. If you were to ask me, I would
say I feel pretty good.
Although she was often scary, Jung Hayan basically put me irst. I had
gotten used to it, and she was pretty cute to me whenever she did so.
‘I’m a little nervous that she’s been too quiet lately, but… ’
I thought there would be some action as her magic powers increased,

but she hadn’t done anything other than using the Anemone’s Eyes
occasionally.
Considering that we’d been separated for a long time, she had indeed
become very quiet.
‘Did she think it was insuf icient?’
Except during the time she was doing the quest I’ve given to her, she
spent all her time making use of her knowledge from the legendary-
grade staff, so she may feel that she hadn’t yet digested the things she
has gained properly.
‘I guess she wants to become stronger.’
I was, of course, anxious about how she would behave once she got
what she wanted.
Even if I were to only think about what I heard from Lee Jihye, I didn’t
know when and where she was going to make an unexpected move, but
at least she wouldn’t do anything weird where I couldn’t see her.
Anyway, things that could be called plans were already in progress.
Charlotte’s surveillance entrusted to Jung Hayan and the research on

video hologram technology I’d requested from Max are cruising as if
they were in a breeze.
The key was whether it could be done in time, but I didn’t need it right
now.
The two sisters’ ight for imperial power had not yet come to the
surface, and just because the video media had gotten created right now,
it did not mean that it could be utilized.
That was to say that it was time to balance the scales.
It was time to raise the position of the First Princess a little further and
proceed with the negative things about the Second Princess.
‘The powerful people must have at least one bad rumor about her.’
I even thought about spreading some pretty well-fabricated groundless

rumors, but I thought it was good to keep a decent level as the returner
cared about her.
Of course, from Charlotte’s point of view, it could be a frame that would

piss her off, but this was the best I could think of.
The slogan for making her negative was quite simple.
‘As expected, you can’t fool the blood.’
It was the same words, but the meaning was clearly different.
Having a commoner as a mother was a big weakness in this kind of

society.
‘Where will that half-blood go?’

CHAPTER 272
(4)
The negative rumors about Charlotte proceeded secretly, very slowly,

and quite maliciously.
I didn’t want the rumors to escape outside the walls of Imperial Palace,
however.
I designed it so that the rumors would come from the outskirts to the
center, and proceed to low from the small side to the large side.
It wasn’t hard. The Black Swans and Yozora Guild of Yuno Kasugano had
been helping me.
The Black Swans, which could be classi ied as a large-scale information

guild, specialized in this kind of work, and Yozora, which managed to
absorb the guild of Ito Souta, was also good at it.
Of course, we did not openly move the media. I thought that the timing
had not come yet.
Besides, the Blue and Red Mercenaries were still not there.
I had limited movement, so Kim Hyun-sung and Cha Hee-ra were busy
trying to persuade Dawan’s Eighth Seats, Cheon Gwan-wi and Wi-ran, to
move together.
In fact, it didn’t matter if they stuck to the Second Princess’s side, but in
the end, I thought they would be with us as we were in the same
position as players.
If they were imperialists, they would have made different choices, but
they understood that they couldn’t afford to be against Lindel and Celia,
which were in the same predicament as them.
Obviously, not only was uncovering information easy, but so was

creating fake information.
The most important thing when creating this kind of information was
to base it on facts that exist. It was effective to add at least something
suspicious rather than fake information without any basis.
One might think that Charlotte might have nothing to be attacked, but
in fact, it wasn’t that way.
The fact that she cared for the imperialists very much was a valid hit.
“Jihye, what’s the schedule for the Second Princess today?”
“Well, today is the same as usual. Have a meeting with the citizen’s
representative…”
“Ohh. So, nothing relevant. I think you can do it as usual.”
“You’re talking being prodigal to those poor blood, right?”
Her civic talks, who talks seriously about the Empire with civic
representatives, has been transformed into a time to enjoy playing to
prodigal with poor blood.
“Oh, they said she had a simple meal with the maids.”
“Hmm… Let’s spread that together. About the poor blood.”

“I tried to do it, though. We have to push it properly since we started
this. One side is poor blood, and the other is noble blood. Whoever sees
it, what the half side does is better. This is really fun.”
The meal she had with the maids to humble herself was turned into
bullshit, saying that poor blood was lowing in her body.
‘She is also really amazing.’
I didn’t know if it was her mother’s in luence, but her ankle had gotten
caught because of her nature for caring for the people.
She wouldn’t have been caught if I hadn’t caught her in the irst place,
but what was important was that she had already caught my eyes.
In fact, the more I learned about her, the more I realized that she was
the ideal Empress.
Perhaps Lee Jihye was also thinking the same as me.
“Well, I don’t care, but the more I see her, the more I wonder if we’re
doing the right thing.”
“…”
“I bet, if Charlotte becomes Empress, she would be good and wise that
will last in history for a long time. If only people like you don’t blow up
in the middle.”
“I’m thinking about that, too, Nuna.”
“Honestly, we don’t care about the Empire anyway, but if we’re going to
be on the same boat, it’s good to be in on that’s big and safe, right?
When I just heard about her, I didn’t know, but looking at the
information taken by Hayan-ssi, she is really natural. She has
leadership, charisma, and tenacity.”
“…”
“Being weak to the weak and strong to the strong, she has the right
political skills… Do you think she’s pretty daring to have tried to tame
you in the irst place? It is by no means easy that the Princess, who has
a commoner as her mother, reached this position. And how great is her
love for the people… it’s not unreasonable with her appearance, her
talent, her intelligence, her character, for the First Princess to be jealous
and go crazy.”
“I think so, too. It’s funny that I’m talking about politics here, but… I’m
sure there are quite a lot of things in her mind, but what can I do?”
‘If Kim Hyunsung said that I couldn’t… ’
There is no perfect human in the world. She also had all kinds of
problems.
“Did you get that offended by that? You’re narrower than I thought. I
prefer her…”
“I said it wasn’t because of that. Honestly, I don’t think that Second

Princess is bad either. No matter how I think, she’s much better than
the First Princess… That’s all, though. Charlotte may be for the
imperialists, but not for us. I’d rather have Charlia, who I can change to
my taste over. It’ll be hard, but it doesn’t make sense for her to miss the
opportunity to become the Empire’s unelected leader.”
“You’re right. I was just saying. Anyway, I’ll keep working on it because
the title has been decided. Today I have to see how and from which side
to spread.”
“Is there any movement over there?”
“Isn’t it weird that there isn’t any? It may take some time for the rumors
to reach the royal castle, but this is because the Princess is too sensitive
about her stories. I’m sure she’s looking behind the rumors to discover
from which malicious side had leaked it. If we get caught, you and I are
both dead.”
“We can cut off the tail anyway. If we pretend that we didn’t do it, it’s
okay.”
“You’ve been sticking around with the First Princess these days. It won’t
be easy for you to pretend that… You just didn’t do anything of icial yet,
but even a dog knows that you’re trying to get in that line. Charlotte, of
course, must know.”
“I’m feeling it, too.”
The number of nobles saying that they couldn’t make it to the

appointments was increasing.
Charlotte’s camp judged me as an enemy and had pressured several

aristocrats to refrain from meeting with me.
Duchess Catherine, Count Elise, and Marlin Young-ae were still giving
me strong support, and in fact, most of the people who expressed such
intentions were not friendly or were useless.
However, what was surprising was how fast Charlotte reacted.
She stole a march on me even before the relations between Charlia and
I came to the surface.
It was not just that. It was certainly strange that suspicious claims were
popping out in the royal castle.
The purpose of the strange story was also very explicit.
‘Is it right for one of the Eight Seats of the Empire to be involved in the
politics of the Empire?’
Claims with such titles were popping out.
In fact, with a little thought, one could see how absurd this claim is.
It was the Emperor’s arbitrary act to appoint foreigners as the Eight

Seats of the Empire in the irst place, and to oppose this was no
different from defying the Emperor.
Of course, Charlotte, as I knew it, was not dumb enough to deny the
Emperor’s decision head-on.
To nevertheless maintain such a claim was an expression of a

willingness to reduce somehow the authority and radius of action of the
Eight Seats of the Empire.
When bargaining for a hundred gold item, calling out a ridiculously low
price from the beginning symbolized trying to beat the original price.
She wanted to lower the price as an excuse for a little law in the
product, lower the price once more with a scratch as an excuse, and
then take me in after offering the lowest price.
‘I understand her thoughts.’
The Eight Imperial Seats might not have been in the picture Charlotte
was drawing in the irst place.
So to speak, we were unwanted guests, uninvited guests.
In her irst round, the foreigners may have actively pursued her, but
now that the situation is the opposite, the Empire’s Eighth Seats would
have been a nuisance.
In summary, after that day, we had exchanged a light punch without

even facing each other.
Any quick-witted noble will be aware of the strange atmosphere in the
imperial family.
“The problem is that it is a little faster than I thought…”
“What I was thinking about came a little faster. It is natural to go with

this low in the irst place, and whether the Second Princess’s camp is
competent or herself is competent, I should consider it’s one of them.
Personally, I think it’s the latter, but what does that matter? First, our
side is also progressing smoothly, so it would be good to wait until the
rumors settle in the royal castle. Anyway, isn’t it time for you to visit the
First Princess?”
“Yes. I have to.”
“I left the schedule on the desk. You could review it and proceed as it is.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s ine. I’m doing it for myself. It’s a chance for my future husband to
become the unelected leader of the Holy Empire… you think I’d miss
this opportunity? I hate gambling, but I know if I push from here, I’d be
helping.”
“I’ll take it well.”
“Do well… Oh, and I won’t control the intensity level on some of them. I
think there should be a few that’s really stimulating.”
“You just have to do it moderately. I’m not trying to step on her so that
she cannot recover.”
“I know. I’ll do it moderately… Moderately.”
I didn’t know what the standard of moderately to Lee Jihye was, but I
thought it would be better to review it at least once.
As I walked out of her room and headed for my own, watching her
waving, I saw a maid pacing around my room.
It was one of the First Princess’s maids.
I didn’t know her name, but I remembered seeing her often.
She must have been the one lying on her face and rubbing her palms the
day I went to see her for the irst time.
It was obvious why she was walking in front of my room.
“Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.”
“Ohhh.”
After con irming her name with the Mind’s Eye, I carefully started to
speak.
“Maid Alice.”
“Please, talk more comfortably. I-I’m afraid that someone will listen.”
“Haha. It is because talking formally has become a habit. Rather, why

did you come… no, no. I guess I asked a useless question. I was about to
visit her Majesty. So… how is her schedule…”
“She went to encourage the Imperial Knights and praise the hard work
they have done so far.”
It was so trivial that I had forgotten it. Visiting the Knights Templar to
encourage the Imperial Knights, it was a way to show.
Seeing her looking for me even in this kind of work, she seemed to trust
me quite a bit.
‘Of course, she would.’
Her evaluation had changed in less than a week after following the
camp’s schedule and properly enjoying the promotional effect.
Even blind people were aware of the great power of the camp.
‘Although being too dependent is bad.’
“Not necessarily bad…”
“Yes?”
“It’s nothing. Did the Princess leave already?”
“No. She is still wondering what dress to wear…”
“Ohhh. Come to think of it. I haven’t told her yet.”
“Yes?”
“It would be better to wear light armament, not a dress. It’s light armor,
but it’s a little luxurious. She doesn’t have to wear a dress to visit the
Knights Templar. I bet this will work better. I believe she’ll understand
“Oh! Okay!”
These details were important even for trivial out its.
“Tie her hair up, minimum accessories, and the Imperial Knights’ seal is
perfect.”
“Yes. Yes.”
“If you go ahead and set her up, I’ll follow you quickly.”
“Okay!”
At this, she began to run away.
I went into the room for a second and arranged the schedule once
again.
After she visited the Imperial Knights, she would visit the Court
Wizards.
‘It’s the day to play the First Princess Cosplay.’
In this way, it felt as if I was a celebrity manager as I scripted her

schedule, her clothes, and even her speech.
After another inal check, I headed for the parlor where we had always
met, and I was able to see Charlia ready.
She looked exactly how I ordered the maid to make her look.
It wasn’t enough to be called a knight, but there were no light arm and
no unnecessary accessories when training.
“Honorary Bishop!”
“Charlia-nim, well… sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No. I just got here, too…”
“Hahaha. Certainly, you don’t just look good in a dress. You look very
beautiful this way, too, so it seems to me that the clothes look good
thanks to the Princess.”
“You’re exaggerating…”
In fact, her maids looked even more amazing than the smiling Princess.
They have a lot of abilities that they certainly have because they’ve
struggled in hell.
It must have been a short time, but, surprisingly, they understood what
I wanted, and even the light makeup had been perfectly done.
Even the roughly ordered hair was of quite high quality.
‘They’re insane.’
Standing like a folding screen in the back, the maids saw me praising
Charlotte and made a face as if saying that they did it.
I wanted to check the maids with my eyes, but due to the lack of time, I
had to turn my gaze back to Charlia.
After again praising Charlia for her beauty, I briefed her about her
precautions and about what to do.
After explaining how she would move, when I handed her a note with
the speech’s contents, she carefully read and reviewed it.
‘I like this look.’
You must have a will even if you did not have the capability.
As if she had gained con idence, she walked pretty con idently.
However, it didn’t take long for her face to frown.
Another person was seen in front of the training ground of the Imperial
Knights.
‘Would you look at her… ’
After checking Charlotte, who visited the Imperial Knights one step
earlier, I had no choice but to click my tongue.
‘It is correct to think that she aimed for it.’
CHAPTER 273
CARROTS, STICKS, AND
SWORDS.
‘Tsk tsk… ’
I had to say that it was intentional.
I de initely remembered that there had been no visit to the Imperial

Knights on her schedule.
It was no different from a local candidate from the precinct coming here
to campaign for the same place, so it was reasonable to think it was
ridiculous.
As opposed to the First Princess, whose position was narrow, the

Second Princess’s camp and support were indeed solid.
When I saw the in luential nobles who had come with her, I thought
about having brought more people, too.
Charlotte made a welcoming expression as if she had been waiting for

us, and slowly began to walk toward us.
Charlia wasn’t stupid enough to not igure out why she was here, so she
was also was staring at her with her bloodshot eyes and trembling
hands.
“You can act, as usual, Your Majesty.”

As I whispered to her in case she might do something unexpected, I saw
Charlia nodding quietly.
However, her face still looked as if she wanted to tear apart and kill the
woman in front of her.
‘I don’t know if she can stand it.’
When she thought about her half-sister, she shed blood tears at her
jealousy, so it was natural that I felt anxious.
The Second Princess, Charlotte, may have bad feelings for her sister, but
she at least did not reveal it on such an occasion. She was quietly
nodding with a smile on her face.
Seeing her, Charlia began to speak.
“W-What are you doing here?”
“I heard that you would visit the Imperial Knights and praise their hard
work. Since it’s not a common occasion, I came to see you in case I
could be helpful. I’m sorry for not being able to contact you in advance.”
“…”
‘Help, my ass.’
“Okay… Thank you.”
Charlia replied, quietly nodding at her embarrassing words, but anyone

could see she was in a bad mood.
I wanted to compliment her just for not showing off.
‘The picture is not bad.’

“The First and Second Princesses visited the Imperial Knights together”
would indeed be good news.
If it went well, both could produce very good results, which could be
considered a win-win.
Of course, the Emperor would nod, and it was clear that the
imperialists, who knew nothing, would also raise their voices about the
sister’s friendship.
The problem was only one risk factor of not knowing when Charlia
would go crazy, but at least the behavior she was now showing was
quite normal.
In any case, these sisters, without further conversation, began to enter

the knights’ training ground.
The Second Princess glanced at me and not at the First Princess, and
she still seemed not to like me.
‘Of course, she wouldn’t.’
She must be thinking that I was one disloyal retainer.
Every time Charlia did something, she whispered to me, so it would be

weird not to notice that I’m controlling her from behind.
Since I was managing her actions and schedules, she’s not wrong…
‘I don’t want her to look at it too badly… ’
Small citizens’ honest feelings were that they didn’t want to look too
bad to the powerful, even if they were enemies.
When we entered the training hall, the Imperial Knights’ vice

commander and the person-in-charge of this event bowed and greeted
us, but he looked disconcerted as if he didn’t know that both sisters
would be coming.
“I am very happy that you came like this, First Princess and Second
Princess.”
“I’m worried about whether we are bothering the knights.”
“No. They would be very pleased just with the visit of Your Majesty
Charlotte.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
Charlia was also trying to say something, but it felt like Charlotte had
stolen her march.
‘I knew this would happen… ’
In contrast to her, who skillfully led her mood as if she was familiar
with this, Charlia’s position was somewhat unclear.
She must feel that she had openly become a folding screen.
“Ah…”
Looking at her hesitating was a spectacle.
She seemed to want to take back the initiative to herself, but the vice
commander and Charlotte were already having a conversation on a
subject that she couldn’t interrupt.
It seemed that our Second Princess had extensive knowledge in this

area as well.
“So, did you solve the problem of restructuring your troops?”

“Yes. Of course. The Imperial Knights indeed consist of cavalry-oriented
troops, but I thought it would be better to increase the proportion
between common infantry and shields.”
“De initely, these days, it’s impossible to operate troops with only
cavalry…”
“Yes. You are right. It’s indeed impossible since there are some
limitations. And the supply of knights’ personal potions you promoted
is also highly expected.”
“I think it would be better to talk about it with Honorary Bishop Lee

Kiyoung here.”
“Come to think of it…”
“Yes. The potion supplied to the Imperial Knights will be brought

directly from the Blue’s alchemy workshop. The best alchemist on the
continent is in the Empire, and there is no reason not to use it.”
“Haha. I see. In fact, I have used the high-quality potion distributed by

Blue. It is indeed hard to purchase with the salary of ordinary knights,
but the potion is incredibly effective.”
‘Look at this… ’
I had my eyes wide open at the sudden carrots that were thrown in.
It was true that Charlotte holding the stick was unpleasant, but the
carrots were sweet.
‘Should I see it as an apology gift?’
Upon looking at the supply potions that had been in circulation in the
Empire, it was undeniable that the quality was poor.
Considering the knights’ survival rate and safety, it was, of course, right
to use the potion that was being mass-produced in the Blue’s alchemy
workshop.
I thought it was time to make a direct contract with the Empire, but I
couldn’t even imagine that they would be doing it in advance.
‘I don’t think so… There must be a reason.’
Anyway, if I were to think about it in terms of stability, it would be

correct to supply them with this potion.
It was common sense in both the Earth and the continent to bring good
quality goods to soldiers.
Of course, there must be some countries where this common sense

doesn’t work, but at least the Empire was not stupid enough to neglect
the knights and soldiers who sacri iced their lives for them.
That was to say, from Charlotte’s point of view, this was just thrown
bait.
If I were to take it, it would be good, but there was something she could
get even if I didn’t take it.
‘To drive a wedge?’
My guess was probably right.
When I saw Charlia being openly uncomfortable, I was also forced to

linch.
It wouldn’t be a bad thing to get in between their conversation. Of

course, Charlia, who was completely alienated, had to be brought here
with me.
“It’s true that it is expensive, but you won’t need to doubt the quality,” I
replied.
“I will pay special attention to the items to be delivered to the Knights,

who are working hard day and night for the Empire. Actually, Blue is
not economically good because of some things, but…”
Actually, it was.
“We’re going to make a contract with a much lower price than what’s on
the market.”
As it was an opportunity, it was natural that I should take it as much as

possible. There was no special discount.
“In fact, the First Princess Charlia had mentioned similar thoughts with
the Second Princess… Hahaha. This is a coincidence.”
Of course, I had never heard anything like that.
Many lies had popped up in less than a minute, but I’m not
uncomfortable as they are good-intentioned lies.
As I pushed Charlia, she nodded and went ahead.
‘Just roughly go along with me.’
“I see. Your Majesty Charlia, too…”
The vice commander of the Imperial Knights, who smiled and nodded,
still looks proud.
Charlia also seemed to be going along with this. “I’m embarrassed.”
“Hahaha. I see. Hahaha. I didn’t know you two would think of the
Knights to this extent.”
“The country must be safe for it to develop. To do such acts for the
Imperial Knights, the best-armed group in the Empire, it’s probably
something that anyone living in this country would think.”
“Thank you for your words, Your Majesty Charlia. Hahahaha.”
‘Good. She is doing well.’
It had worked that she read my note beforehand. Charlotte herself was
calm.
Seeing that Charlia took a step back from the place she went in and
narrowed the distance to me, it seems I was right.
Since she couldn’t embrace me, she must be determined to at least

drive a wedge between us.
During the conversation, Charlotte and Charlia gave words of

encouragement to the Imperial Knights, who were performing their
show-off training.
I felt that most of the knights were showing favor to Charlotte, but it
certainly seemed that they were showing off who was the strongest.
It was the irst time that I had also entered the Imperial Knights
training hall, so while I was constantly paying attention to Charlia, I was
busy checking the Imperial Knights speci ications with my Mind’s Eye.
‘The knighthood level is quite high.’
It was not shameful to say that it was indeed the best power of the
Empire, as Victor Hart was raising it with his best.
Seeing that most of them have high endurance and stamina, their
destructive power when riding on a horse was truly unimaginable.
I bet that any small and medium-sized guilds would be wiped out at
once. Obviously, however, the First Princess wasn’t thinking about that.
She was busy following the actions and movements that I had given her.
‘However, she’s doing pretty well.’
She expressed words of encouragement and praised their military

exploits.
Anyway, this kind of tour was mostly insigni icant and was only for
show. The Second Princess, who was also good at swordsmanship,
showed better performance from there, but it was ine if Charlia didn’t
show that much.
‘Because she only has to do what she can.’
She didn’t have to be so loud.
“I will do my best to protect the Empire.”
‘Very good.’
“It is thanks to you that the Empire is safe.”
“Thank you! It is an honor, First Princess.”
‘Yes, you just have to do that. All you have to do is do what you can for
the moment.’
In fact, it was dif icult enough just to shake hands with knights with
high strength.
Even though they controlled their strength, it was inevitably painful for
people like us who had weak endurance.
She had already shaken hands dozens of times and still managed to
keep her smile even when she had swollen palms.
Just that was enough.
While nodding satisfactorily, Charlotte approached us and opened her

mouth.
“You think this will change something?”
Her tone was very calm.

CHAPTER 274
CARROTS, STICKS, AND
SWORDS (2)
Charlotte always maintained the same poker face. Looking again, she
had many similarities with Charlia.
The same went for her platinum hair, as well as for her white skin tone.
I thought that, if I were looking from a distance, it would probably be
hard to tell them apart.
Of course, upon closer inspection, there was a difference between her

and the First Princess, who had a vicious expression, but I basically
realized that she inherited the same imperial blood.
‘If her hair color had been different, it would have been a little more
convenient… ’
Going along with the rumors about the poor blood would have been
easier.
I didn’t know if she knew what I was thinking, but after Charlotte
tucked her lowing hair in her ear, she spoke once more.
“A person doesn’t change so easily.”
“Yes. I also agree with you. I actually have that kind of thought… I
wonder why you are saying that to me.”
“You don’t have to pretend you don’t know, Honorary Bishop Lee
Kiyoung. I know roughly what kind of person you are, and don’t you
know what kind of person I am?”
“Really, I don’t know what your Majesty Charlotte is talking about, and
in a place like this?”
“I’m asking now about you taking the same path as my sister.”
I thought she was pretty direct. As I thought it was time to save her
words, I quietly shut my mouth, and she continued talking.
“I thought you were a chatty type, but you spoke lesser than I thought.”
“It looked like you had the wrong idea about me.”
“Yes. You are right. I indeed had the wrong idea. I thought you were a
little more rational, but… you’re just acting out of common sense.”
‘You’re right.’
Anyone could see that it was not a rational act to stick to Charlia’s side.
Normally, I would have chosen to side up to Charlotte right away. My

fear of how much Kim Hyunsung’s request and his whip would hurt
was to blame for this irrationality.
“…”
“Especially from Victor Hart. I already knew you didn’t really like
making concessions, but you’ve acted more extreme than I thought. I
admit I was making some misjudgments about you. And I apologize for
the rudeness I have shown before.”
“Saying that was rude. I’m worried someone might hear you, Your
Majesty.”
“I was telling you about what I was doing to get rid of your hands and
feet, Honorary Bishop. As you can understand, I didn’t feel very happy
about your existence. Had the Honorary Bishop been in my position,
you too would have thought about how to restrain yourself. The fact
that one person has too much power is a threat to someone like me.”
“I don’t think I have much power, Your Majesty Charlotte. How can I talk
about my power in front of a member of the imperial family?”
“You don’t have to feel uncomfortable having this kind of conversation.

But I don’t think you will respond if I say this. Then, let’s change the
subject.”
Charlotte stopped talking for a moment and looked forward.
It was because the First Princess had climbed onto the platform after
she inished her tour with the Imperial Knights.
After she was seated in the right seat, she looked at me blankly, and it
seemed that she wanted to continue to talk after I sat next to her.
After I pleaded with a glance to the First Princess for her

understanding, I sat down, and she pulled out the speech, which was in
her pocket, and put it on the podium.
Since this was the speech I wrote down, she would go at least halfway.
Charlia began to read the speech in a con ident and silvery voice.
Those sitting in their chairs looking at the platform applauded, and

voices of even more con idence were heard.
I wanted to see how she was doing, but I couldn’t focus on the First
Princess, perhaps because Charlotte had started talking to me again.
“I’ll tell you a little more directly, Honorary Bishop.”
“Yes?”
“I want you to be on the same boat as me.”
“What are you saying…?”
“It is exactly what I’m saying. I want you to get rid of my sister and get
on my boat.”
“…”
“I have a lot of doubts. I also have a lot of worries. I think I may be the
kind of person similar to you. Even if you tell me that you will, I will
probably not stop the work I’ve planned in advance. I’m going to
diminish your power and try to get your concessions.”
“Ahh…”
“But I can promise that the results will be good for you. You may not
like it right now, but… I bet all results will be good for both you and the
Empire. Of course, I can’t say that it will be better than the outcome that
Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is planning, but at least it will not be
riskier than the investment you are currently making.”
I had thought that she would be saying this. It was indeed an appealing
offer.
‘Does she mean that I’m a talent she desires?’
Of course, she also recognized that I was too big to swallow. There was
no change in the idea of reducing my authority.
In fact, I didn’t mean that I didn’t want to change my posture at all.
If it wasn’t for Kim Hyunsung’s request, it was worth thinking about

seriously changing boats.
‘But… ’
As I told Victor Hart during the Ito Souta case, I never yielded in this
aspect.
Others should yield, not me.
“Excuse me, but I did some preliminary research about the Honorary
Bishop. I was interested in another thing than the title that everyone
knows, such as the one chosen by a dragon and the Holy Empire’s
Honorary Bishop. It was most impressive that the media was rooted in
Lindel and brought about several transformations.”
“It is an honor.”
“The free city is basically separated from the Empire, but it is indirectly
affected as it is separated in reality. That’s just the fact that a similar
institution was created within the Empire soon after the media took
root and started at Lindel. You are basically a sel ish human, but we also
know that you have a minimum conscience. Whatever the reason, what
you’ve been doing has had good results for many.”
“I see.”
“Perhaps… I think the reason you can produce such results is that
you’re watching out for others. No. I’m sure. You must be watching out
for the public. Even if you don’t yield what you have to the strong, you
are the one who does it to the public.”
“Thank you for thinking so. I have to think a little bit about whether I
should accept this as a compliment.”
“It is a compliment, so you don’t have to worry. Honorary Bishop, the
Empire needs talent like you. We need people who can do politics that
watch out for the majority and talents that watch out for the public.”
I had to hold my breath for a moment.
‘This is a real deal… ’
She was a really good dealer. I knew she was clever, but she was
smarter than I thought.
Her way of thinking itself feels different from many of the nobles here,
and it is impossible to compare her with Charlia, who reads the note I
wrote in front of the podium like a parrot.
It felt like I could see why people gathered around her.
If she was a person of this degree, being authentic or whatever didn’t

matter. Instead, they would want to follow her.
It was said that there was a separate seed for the heirloom, but the
person in front of me seemed to have been born to become an Empress.
It felt like I was looking directly at the growth period of a great person
that I had only seen in fairy tale books when I was a child that I almost
jumped right onto the offer.
“Oh. For your reference, I also know that strange rumors have been
circulating recently.”
“…”
“A lowly bloodline, a prodigal game, or the seductive voice every night.

These are ridiculous rumors that don’t even feel worth responding to.”
I expected it, but it seemed that she already knew about this.
“I haven’t caught the tail yet… and it may take some time to ind the
source of the rumor, even if I catch it, but I’m suspicious about where
it’s all coming from.”
“I am not sure what rumors you are talking about, Your Majesty.”
“I am not saying that I want the Honorary Bishop to know. You just need
to listen. If the previous apology and the offer were the carrots, then I’m
talking about the stick from now on.”
“…”
“I don’t hesitate to throw swords at my enemies, Honorary Bishop. I

know you are an important person to the Empire, but if you really turn
your back on me, I have no choice but to pull the sword out. You will
have to make wise choices.”
‘Damn… ’
“If you think about why there aren’t any people who are advising father,
no, His Majesty’s side, the answer will come.”
‘Fuck… ’
“It will be a good experience to yield this time.”
‘If I could, I would yield with full force.’
It was natural to think that a lot of annoying things would happen if I

faced her head-on.
However, I had my own problems, too.
As much as I received Hyunsung’s special order not to make the Second

Princess Empress, I couldn’t get onto her boat.
At that point, Charlia had already inished her speech.
“If you have the desire to yield, get down on your knees, and kiss my
hand. I’m not a person who says this twice. The carrots and sticks for
you were the last ones here. The next thing I draw will be the sword.”
At a glance, it seemed like this was the case, but the answer was ixed.
“I’m sorry.”
I had already decided on a route here, and there were no other options.
I didn’t come too far, but it would be funny to come back now.
The desire for posture change was still alive and breathing in my
heart…
‘If I yield once.’
I must keep yielding.
I couldn’t help but make this choice because I could see what kind of
human Charlotte was, just as Charlia began to run over here with an
anxious expression.
She wanted the well-being of the imperialists, and for that, she would
continue to demand concessions from me.
The result was obvious without having to open the lid.
As I looked next to me, I saw Charlotte’s faintly smiling face. I didn’t

know what that smile meant, but I could guess that it was a look that
her own expectations were correct.
“Remember the irst words I said, Honorary Bishop. People don’t

change easily.”
She immediately turned her back and left without saying goodbye.
I understand what Charlotte meant, but I myself thought Charlia wasn’t

that much.
“Thank you for your hard work, Princess.”
“Did I do well?”
“Yes. It was a very good speech.”
She was good at doing what I told her, and she was aware that she was
just spreading her wings.
‘She won’t be that stupid.’
However, absurdly enough, it didn’t take much time for my irm beliefs
to collapse.
Charlia was indeed that stupid bitch.

CHAPTER 275
THOSE WHO HAVE LIMITS ARE
BOUND TO REVEAL THE
ROCK-BOTTOM (1)
Everything had been going smoothly.
Charlotte, who left after making me feel uneasy, was quieter than I
thought.
Actually, it was the timing when the disinformation that I had spread to
the nobles and the public had begun spreading everywhere.
I could con irm that the Eight Seats of the Empire were growing in
check, but in the end, this resulted in Dawan’s Eight Seats coming to our
side.
It wasn’t only bad. Of course, there were some anxiety factors. The
reason was that Charlotte’s camp was even bigger than I thought.
In fact, they were gathering faster and more cautiously than I had
initially expected.
They weren’t really doing anything, but the problem was that I had a
feeling that we were de initely under political pressure. This was
because supporting Charlia, a bad egg, meant there was more to lose
than expected.
‘Of course, it would be like that.’

Charlotte’s camp was not just about its size.
There was a strange bond between them, and in reality, they seemed to
be running towards one goal. Obviously, the members themselves
weren’t bad, either.
Of course, some members remained in the camp because they thought

it was advantageous to simply be in Charlotte’s arms, but at least the
core members were mostly respected by the imperial people.
‘Noblesse Oblige.’
They were those who practiced it, and their individual power was, by
no means, small.
I tried to get those who were at the bottom, but of course, the process
had not been easy.
In fact, it became hard to see the nobles that I was close to. We would
talk at the social gatherings, but the core nobles avoided one-on-one
meetings with me, and I was often isolated without knowing it.
Charlotte’s people network was much wider than mine.
Naturally, I thought my side also needed power. At least I had to grow to

a similar size. That way, I could surely attract those who stood on the
edge of uncertainty.
The legitimacy Charlia had.
It was natural to keep pushing the idea: ‘She properly inherited the
Emperor’s blood.’
I had to push exaggerated publicity for the First Princess and a negative
invisible rumor for the Second Princess.
As a result, the picture I wanted was made. People gathered, and power
was formed. The problem was that most of the gathered nobles were
garbage.
Their power was by no means small, but… most of the people in

Charlia’s camp were old.
‘Old people like Lee Seolho.’
A deep-rooted evil festival of grandpas that doesn’t it with the young

blood or innovation—that was the current Charlia’s camp.
Of course, Duchess Catherine and Countess Elise, which had a strong

relationship with me, and Count of Castlerock and Marlin Young-ae,
who had a debt to pay me, had been sending positive signals. Still, they
were also in a position to lead their families to their future, so it was
hard for them to decide.
In this situation, all I could do was to make Charlia look good.
To the nobles who were indecisive, I had no choice but to show that she
had changed.
As I understood well that my destiny depended on this matter, I put all

my devotion and effort into playing a game of raising a princess.
Of course, Lee Jihye was also working hard, but I could be sure that I
was more exhausted than her.
Still, unlike her, who didn’t have to see Charlia’s face, I had to keep
sticking to her side.
‘Fuck… ’
In other words, I was the one who needed to clean up every mess she’d
make.
It was natural that I was tired because I had to check her clothes, as
well as cheer her up and praise a grown-up adult like a child.
It wasn’t just that. Besides work, conversations like personal actions

and questions were getting longer, and as time passed, I often felt that
she was trying to invade my personal space.
For example, she had been asking me what kind of relationship I had
with Cha Hee-ra or Jung Hayan.
The most she did was ask me what I thought of her, but with the unique
characteristic I have, what kind of crazy situation would happen?
It was natural for me to worry.
One good thing was that there was a difference in our positions. Maybe
that was an obstacle for Charlia. She was proud to be the blood of the
Imperial family.
If she thought that even that didn’t matter, then it meant that she’d
really taken over the emperor’s blood.
Anyway, Charlia was following my schedule irmly without complaints.

The idea of being recognized by her surrounding environment seemed
to give momentum to her behavior.
In fact, Charlia’s external evaluation had been completely reversed.
It wasn’t a long time, but the First Princess built up her pro ile, and
although she was in the middle of a deep-rooted evil festival, she had
developed her own strength.
‘It was the most important period.’
The importance was insuf icient to emphasize.

Although she still lacked a lot in many aspects, now this incompetent
First Princess was on the same starting line as Charlotte.
Unlike their well-organized forces, Charlia’s side had a ight going on of

deep-rooted evils for food. I was lucky that Charlia trusted me the most.
The story was long, but for now, it was a result that I could be satis ied
with.
The only thing that was a little worrying was how she would take this
situation.
Charlia, who didn’t do anything, might have felt a radical change, but
she wouldn’t be acting up if she knew her place.
No matter how much she created her power and was becoming snobby,
she would at least know her limits as she was just standing at the
starting point.
That was my mistake.
‘Shit! Shit!’
It was my mistake to see a little bit of hope for this stupid woman.
The First Princess Charlia was having a little tea time with Duchess
Catherine, Countess Elise, and Marlin Young-ae, that I’d always met.
What happened while I was in the bathroom was so unrealistic that it

was disconcerting.
‘Stupid bitch. Stupid bitch!’
I had no choice but to realize the meaning of ‘People do not change’ that
Charlotte had said.
The peaceful atmosphere until now had long since disappeared. The
scene in front of me was illed with confusion.
Nothing more or less.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
Seeing Marlin lying on the ground and grasping her face with Duchess
Catherine taking care of her was truly unrealistic.
Charlia looked down at Marlin Young-ae, huf ing angry and annoyed,
and Countess Elise was also clearly embarrassed.
After opening the door, I expected to see the four women laughing and
getting close to each other, but who would have imagined that it would
be such a mess?
I don’t know how this happened, but I could tell why Marlin Young-ae
was rolling over the loor, grabbing her face.
Somehow, Charlia had thrown tea onto Marlin Young-ae. I was so

embarrassed that I had to pause for a moment.
However, my body responded irst to the painful scream of Marlin’s

young-ae.
“Ahhhhhh!!”
“M-Marlin Youngae!”
“L-Lee Ki-young Honorary Bishop! That… That one! She dared to!”
In the meantime, Charlia spoke to me as if I had arrived at the right

time, but she wasn’t important.
After ignoring her, I went straight to Marlin and her footsteps and
seeing her condition. I immediately lifted her up.
“Maid Alice, the priest…”
“I have already called for him.”
“Thank you.”
Charlia was literally more incompetent than a maid.
Seeing me very desperate, it seemed that she realized what mistake she
had just made. I really wanted to crush her myself.
“L-Lee Kiyoung… it hurts. It hurts! Sniff… it hurts.”
“Just hold tight, Marlin Young-ae. No, Maid Alice! I have a potion in my
bag. For now, get that!”
“Oh! Okay!”
“Duchess Catherine and Countess Elise, take care of Marlin Young-ae for
a moment…”
“Ah… Yes. Okay, Honorary Bishop.”
I am not in a position to be picky.
Naturally, it hurts because the hot tea is all over her face.
It was possible to treat wounds, but if her eyes were to get injured, it’d
be a problem. No, it would be harder to ix the situation if there would
be a scar left on her.
The maid was already bringing my bag. Countess Elise was crying as if
she was in this kind of situation for the irst time, and Duchess
Catherine was biting her lips, trying to somehow calm Marlin.
“It hurts. Lee Kiyoung… Sniff… I can’t see. Waaahh…”
“Marlin Young-ae, please, hold tight. I will treat you now. The priest will
also be coming soon, and everything will be ine.”
Unlike Charlia, who was blankly watching all these situations, Alice
handed a potion to me, like a nurse handing a scalpel, and I
immediately opened the lid and began pouring a high-quality potion on
Marlin’s face.
It was good that I carried potions all the time, just in case.
“One bottle will be sprayed on the wound, and you will drink one bottle
slowly. It will also have pain relief, so it will surely be okay.”
‘She must get better.’
“Yes… Yes… Yes…”
“Open your eyes slowly.”
“Yes. Lee Kiyoung-nim…”
‘Shit.’
I wasn’t a doctor, but anyone can see that Marlin Young-ae’s eyes were
not ine now.
Since it hasn’t passed much time, she would de initely be able to

recover.
“This is going to sting a little bit.”
“H-Hug me tight, Lee Ki-young. Sniff…”

“Yes. Yes. I will.”
As I held her hand tight, I felt Marlin Young-ae’s hand shaking.
It would be natural for her to be scared. As I slowly put the potion into
her eye, her body suddenly became stiff, and she began screaming.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“You will get better, Young-ae. Please, hold tight. It’s recovering.”
“Okay… Haaa…”
After lifting Marlin Young-ae’s body again, I immediately kicked the

door and left.
Duchess Catherine followed me, and Count Elise’s face was already
illed with tears.
Meanwhile, the priest Alice had called for had arrived. Marlin Young-ae
had already exhausted herself. Only then did I feel the situation had
been cleared up a little.
“First, we must move Marlin Young-ae somewhere she can rest. I think
it would be better to do the rest of the treatment there.”
“There is a room I received from His Majesty not far away, so it would
be better to go there, Honorary Bishop.”
“Thank you, Duchess Catherine.”
“It’s nothing. I am doing what I have to do. Honorary Bishop, is Marlin

Young-ae okay?”
“She will probably get better. I don’t think there will be any scars left,
and her eyes will recover. But why did this happen so suddenly…?”
“It’s long to explain, but… Charlia, that crazy… No, while her Majesty
was talking with Young-ae, she suddenly threw a kettle of hot water at
Marlin Young-ae. Marlin Young-ae did not commit any disrespect to Her
Majesty Princess Charlia. She was simply talking about her friendship
with Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung…”
“Ah…”
“She did that so suddenly that… I didn’t know what the hell was going
on. I’ve been thinking about if Marlin Young-ae had conduct that would
be troublesome to Her Majesty, but… I don’t remember anything.”
‘Fuck.’
As expected, Marlin Young-ae hadn’t done anything wrong.
The two who followed were also looking at Marlin Young-ae nervously.
Perhaps they were the most surprised. When I looked closely, I started
to see marks as if they were burnt by hot water.
It was such an urgent situation that they couldn’t afford to take care of
themselves.
Immediately after asking for their consent, I began to look after the
wounds.
Everything had gotten completely ruined. All the hard work I’d done so
far has become a waste of time.
I feel like I knew why Charlotte hadn’t been active. She knew what her
sister was capable of doing in order to destroy herself.
‘Shit! It’s fucking ruined. All fucking ruined!’

CHAPTER 276
THOSE WHO HAVE LIMITS ARE
BOUND TO REVEAL THE
ROCK-BOTTOM (2)
My options were limited.
Fortunately, among the misfortunes, Marlin Young-ae recovered her

body somehow, but she still had to rest.
In fact, the expression “fortunate among misfortunes” also did not it

well with the current situation.
Duchess Catherine was busy shaking in anger, and Countess Elise was
also wearing a blank expression, as if the shock had not dissipated yet.
I also had a bitter taste in my mouth.
I hadn’t been paying much attention to Marlin Young-ae, but it wasn’t a

good feeling to see her hurt as we often met each other.
Even in this situation, the thought still in my head was how to solve this
problem.
‘What can you solve? Fuck… ’
This was a problem with no answer.

In the irst place, she was one of the members who were deciding about
entering Charlia’s camp, and they would prove to be an indispensable
force.
They were the real deal. They were on the border with the Republic, the
central force of the Eastern aristocracy, and had powerful military
power.
They were different from the old men who were just trying to reap
bene its from Charlia.
She was not only rude to such a customer, but poured hot water on her,
so there was no way to ind a resolution.
On the surface, they might have bad feelings for me, who urged them to
soak in Charlia’s camp.
It would make no sense to reconcile them.
I, too, had to choose between Charlia and Duchess Catherine.
Marlin Young-ae, who was asleep, was still holding my hand tight.
It was then that Duchess Catherine’s heavy mouth opened.
At irst, it seems like she was saying words of consolation to me after

reading my apologetic face.
“There is no need for Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung to be sorry.”
“No. You haven’t done anything wrong. Even if I were the Honorary
Bishop, I wouldn’t have expected this to happen.”
“I’m deeply ashamed.”

“No. Really. But…”
“Yes.”
“I understand what Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is thinking and in

what direction you are trying to move, but I think it’ll be dif icult for us
to be together in that direction.”
‘Damn… ’
This was an obvious result.
If they said they would be with us despite this situation, I would call
them saints, not nobles.
“I know you’ve been caring about us, you’ve made room for us, and
you’ve helped us in many ways, but…”
“I can understand. Duchess Catherine, Count Elise.”
“Of course, considering Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung, we will not join
the forces of the Second Princess. But…”
There was no way to end this situation just by not participating in the
forces of the Second Princess. I knew their anger would not be relieved
so easily.
It didn’t matter if she was a member of the imperial family. There was
indeed a limit.
If today’s affairs spread to the aristocratic society right now, Charlia

would surely be attacked. Even the ilthy old men on her side would
probably run away from her.
Who would want to serve as Empress who harms them?

After a brief sigh, Duchess Catherine spoke once more.
“However, I cannot help but ask Her Majesty to take responsibility for
this matter. We will formally report this matter to the Emperor, and we
will ensure that the First Princess faces a fair penalty.”
“I fully understand. I, too… I will do my best to ensure that the First

Princess is punished.”
I also had to make this choice.
If I didn’t join the other side right now, I might be considered an enemy
as well.
It was enough to be thankful just to maintain neutrality.
As if she liked my answer, Duchess Catherine nodded again. It wasn’t a

simple factional ight. It was sincere advice.
“I know that Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is smart, but I will say a
word from an older perspective. Being with her will not bene it the
Honorary Bishop either. You’d better take off your feet when you can. I
also thought about whether she changed, but I realize that people don’t
change so easily. She is inherently violent and unable to hold in her
anger. I believe that Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung will make a wise
choice.”
“I’ll be sure to take it into account, Duchess Catherine.”
There was nothing I could say other than that.
‘Damn. Damn.’
Marilyn Young-ae’s accident would get into Count Castle Rock’s ears
very quickly. Of course, I was also worried about what Count Castle
Rock, who cares for his daughter, will do.
I was also concerned about the Emperor’s reactions, who would once
again think Charlia was hopeless, and Charlotte, who would take
advantage of this chance.
‘All she needed to do was follow along blindly.’
Instead, she blew the opportunity I had given for her.
‘This stupid bitch! Scum!’
This was what one would call real trash.
“We will be protecting Marlin Young-ae, Honorary Bishop. You can go

back and…”
“No.”
“No. You don’t need to worry… the Princess was left alone in the parlor.
She will need someone to take charge of the situation and sort it out.
We honestly don’t have the courage to see her face again. Please.”
“Fine, alright.”
Finally, after holding Marlin Young-ae’s hand tight, I said goodbye and
returned to the site where the accident took place.
The sights along the way were certainly a mess.
The decorations were broken apart, and an empty potion bottle could
be seen lying on the loor.
As I got there, Charlia’s maids also looked the same as before…
Maid Alice’s cheeks were already swollen red.

Seeing her cleaning up outside with tears in her eyes, it looked like
Charlia, who couldn’t stand her anger over what happened, had
returned to doing her bullshit.
“Maid Alice.”
“Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung-nim!”
“Your face…”
“It’s nothing. Rather, Honorary Bishop… t-the Princess is looking for

you urgently.”
“Before that, the irst thing to do is to get treatment. If you have the
potion, you’ll get a little better.”
“H-How dare I drink this precious thing…”
“It’s ine. This is in return for helping me quickly. The Princess is now…”
“Ah… Err… S-she seems very angry. I think it was a shock that the
Honorary Bishop ran out, leaving the Princess alone… She ordered us to
bring you as soon as possible, but perhaps you haven’t met the other
maids.”
“Oh. I haven’t. It seems like I missed them.”
“You have to go in quickly. She is very sad.”
Translation – the bitch had gone crazy.
As I continued to hand out the potion, Maid Alice felt burdened, but
nevertheless, swallowed the potion in her mouth.
Her cheeks swelled up, and the wound in her mouth has healed.
“I can’t be like this. I’ll take you there.”
“No, it’s okay, Maid Alice. I’ll go alone.”
“But…”
“You can clean up here with others. I’ll comfort her well.”
“Oh… Okay.”
In fact, I didn’t know how to soothe her.
It would be appropriate to say that I didn’t have the slightest idea. I

think I knew what the situation was.
While I was away for a moment, they would have started talking about
me, and as usual, Marlin Young-ae would have gotten excited and
chatted about me.
I didn’t know what Young-ae had said, but there was a possibility that
she had brought up the previous story about the possibility of us having
an engagement.
Perhaps she talked about the letter that we had exchanged or the things
we did in Castle Rock.
Although she didn’t show on the surface, Marlin Young-ae’s behavior

was very similar to a teenage girl’s fan behavior following a singer.
Obviously, Charlia had been unable to reign in her anger.
That would be the end of the case. It was unlikely that Marlin Young-ae
had provoked her. She was not that type of person.
As I strode and pushed the door wide open, Charlia looked at me as if

she had been waiting. She looked as if she had found this entire
situation absurd.
Then, she opened her mouth.
If I could, I would’ve thrown the Dragon Breath potion right in her face.
“Lee Kiyoung-nim! You are here now.”
“……”
“Have you heard about what happened from Duchess Catherine or

Countess Elise? I-I don’t know what you heard, but… that stupid Marlin
keeps saying weird stuff…”
“……”
“She kept saying nonsense that she might get engaged to the Honorary
Bishop. It’s ridiculous. She said that you’d exchanged a lot of letters, but
I couldn’t stand listening. I thought that I should protect your honor, so
my hand moved automatically.”
“……”
“I didn’t expect things to get this big, but she deserves more. She is only
the daughter of a Count… How dare she doesn’t know her place…”
“She’s not just the Count’s daughter, Charlia-nim.”
“It’s okay. I understand what you’re worried about. However, just

because we won’t get a little aristocrat’s power on the outskirts doesn’t
mean that the ship that Lee Kiyoung and I are together is sinking. We
have already gathered many forces…”
It had already sunk to the mantle.
To be in a boat with this woman was more dangerous than to be with

Jung Hayan.
I had realized it a little late, but I could be sure of it now.
“She’s not a small noble. Count Castle Rock is one of the loyalists who
have defended the Empire from the Republic’s threats for over a
decade, and Marlin Young-ae is Count Castle Rock’s most cherished
daughter. Although small in size, it is hard to imagine the symbolism of
the Castle Rock family and the trust that the imperialists send them,
Princess.”
“I-It’s okay. No matter how it is, just because of one crazy bitch…”
She was completely wrong.
She didn’t do it accidentally, and not only was this deliberate, but she
had no awareness of what she had done.
Seeing the rush to make excuses after releasing her anger, I felt pathetic
when I thought of how I had struggled to make this an Empress.
It’s embarrassing just to imagine how funny Princess Charlotte would

have looked at me.
“The same goes for the Duchess of Castle Rock, and so is Countess Elise.
They were more valuable people than those who are gathered in the
camp.”
“Ah… but… then, if we ind a law…”
“They are not stupid, either. They will formally protest this matter to
the Emperor, and he will also discipline Charlia. It doesn’t matter that
they are descendants of the imperial family. Nobles devoted to the
Empire cannot be treated this way. It’s not just a matter of joining our
side or not. I’m talking about turning her back on the Princess at all.”
“W-We’ve done well so far, so somehow…”

“You must’ve had done something so far to be able to ix it. What is
easily stacked will easily fall apart. The Princess has not accomplished
anything great. You were just starting to step off the starting line, and
you broke down the tower you could keep building in the future. This
time…”
“D-Didn’t I tell you that it’s ine?”
“What?”
“I-I de initely told you that it was ine. When I become Empress, I can
solve everything!”
I was surprised to see that she had started screaming.
It felt like she was saying that she didn’t want to hear any more nagging,
so I almost laughed in perplexity.
CHAPTER 277
UNWANTED PLAN (1)
I kept imagining throwing the Dragon Breath potion right into her face,
but I knew I couldn’t do that.
Unaware of her place, Charlia began to talk once again as if she got the
courage upon seeing me speechless for a moment. Of course, this was a
stupid assumption on her part.
“I-I’m sorry for yelling. However, I wasn’t saying that for no reason, Lee
Kiyoung-nim. No matter how big the problem is, I can ix it all.”
“What?”
“Until now, I was quietly cowering because I had no power, but not now.
Look at the nobles gathered under my name. Compared to Charlotte,
there is absolutely no shortage.”
‘What bullshit.’
“They are gathered under legitimate and authentic blood. They are the
ones who will agree with me.”
‘It’s not that… ’
“M-My dad must have seen me in a new light. If I become the Empress,
everything will be solved. Yes. Absolutely. Perhaps, sooner or later, he
will realize who really will take over the throne. It will de initely come.
Lee Kiyoung, when that time comes…”
“Yes?”
“I will seat Lee Kiyoung as the prime minister of the Empire. I will do
that.”
‘I never said I needed anything like that.’
Looking at her saying that as if it was even a great gift was laughable. It
wasn’t even realistic.
Even if she had said that after being chosen as the successor, I would
still say that it was not time to get excited.
However, it would be strange to believe her when she was saying that
right after she ruined what we had built so far.
‘This is ridiculous.’
No wonder I had begun thinking about abandoning her.
Charlia’s ship was already sinking. I was on top of it and would feel it
greater than anyone else.
Even if a miracle happened, it was impossible for her to ascend to the

throne.
I always walked a single path, and it was the irst time that my senses
were screaming so much.
I thought that no matter how I persuaded Charlia or made a fuss, I

couldn’t change her.
‘I have to get out, quickly.’
Of course, contrary to what I was thinking, my head had begun to

unconsciously nod.
This was because I thought it would be more realistic to ind a way to
live just accepting, rather than saying, ‘Let’s stop with the open alliance.’
It was no wonder that Charlie herself looked slightly surprised.
Unlike the inside, where I was swearing all kinds of things, I had no
choice but to maintain my usual appearance on the outside.
“Ohh. I see. I didn’t know you were thinking so far…”
“Yes. If you continue to help me, I will never forget your kindness,
Honorary Bishop.”
“Of course, I’ll do it as I’ve been until now, but… it’ll be hard if today’s
thing happens again.”
“Yes. I-I’ll admit that I was a little hasty. But Marlin, that crazy girl…”
“Yes. Yes.”
No matter what she would say, I wouldn’t listen. It would only further
my anger.
She was talking as if I wasn’t angry anymore when she saw me nodding
and thought that my anger was relieved.
Though I was laughing now, I would not see her for a few days
afterwards.
If Duchess Catherine, Count Elise, and the Count of Castle Rock began to
protest formally against the Emperor, the Emperor’s position was
bound to punish her.
Right now, everything would be the way she was thinking, but in less
than three days, she would realize that something had gone wrong.
Of course, my expectations had never been wrong.
The enraged Count Castle Rock knocked on the imperial city’s gates
right before the next morning, got in a conversation with the Emperor,
and remained locked out for hours.
He thought he couldn’t have neglected it even as an Emperor because

she didn’t mess with a sub-noble that didn’t have anything, but this was
the Count of Castle Rock, who had fought hard for the imperial family.
This was a situation that he couldn’t ignore, even though this was a sub-
noble in the irst place.
Still, as the Emperor was in a desperate situation that he had made the
Eight Seats of the Empire strengthen his imperial power, he would have
no choice but to accept Count Castle Rock’s protests sensitively.
I couldn’t hear what they talked about, but eventually, the Emperor
ordered Charlia to be detained in her room.
Of course, the rooted evils side also took showmanship, such as

apologizing to Marlin Young-ae. Still, it was impossible that Charlotte
would do nothing during this situation.
Like a ish in water, she shook public opinion, proving how useless the
legitimacy was.
Perhaps because of the last resistance of the rooted evils, Princess

Charlia was allowed to meet with a minimum of people during her
custody, which was not very pleasant news that I was included.
She had personally mentioned my name.
My position was a little more embarrassing because this was the time
when I also instructed the Eastern aristocrats, including Duchess
Catherine, to distance themselves from Charlia.
It didn’t matter if I distanced myself from other people, but because
they were the ones that I could say were my most valuable contacts.
It seemed that they understood my political position, perhaps because

I’d been good to them, but I thought it would have been hard for them
to look only positively at me even if I were in their shoes.
The atmosphere changed afterwards.
Stocks, which had been rising well, suddenly plummeted.
“Have you heard the story? The Count Castle Rock’s Marlin Young-ae…”
“Oh. Of course, I heard. Princess Charlia poured the boiling tea on her
face as it was… Are the rumors true?”
“Yes. I happened to see the Honorary Bishop running while holding

Marlin Young-ae. At irst, I wondered what was going on because I
could not see in detail through the window. I didn’t even dream that
that would have happened.”
“They said that if Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung weren’t there at the
same time, she would have almost lost her sight. If he had gotten there
a little later…”
“It’s hard to imagine. Count Castle Rock must be very upset.”
The noble ladies talked about this day and night, and the powerful
noblemen also exchanged their opinions on the incident.
“Tsk. It doesn’t matter if she has the royal family’s blood. My common
sense doesn’t really understand how she could do that to the Count,
who has protected Castle Rock silently for the royal family.”
“There may have been some reason…”

“Even if Marlin Young-ae’s attitude was disrespectful, how could she
throw boiling tea? In fact, we are talking between ourselves, but Her
Majesty Charlia’s maids look terrible. You can see how her usual
behavior will be. There must be a citizen to have an Empire… How can
she treat people below her like that…?”
“His Majesty will be very upset, too.”
“Actually, he said he drank wine that he doesn’t like last night, so how
heartbroken he must be… When he heard the news that the First
Princess had changed, I remember him being happy. It would have been
better if he hadn’t had such expectations.”
Even the Eight Seats of the Empire, who were only trusting me, were
inquiring about it, so I wouldn’t have to explain what my position would
be like.
“I’m just talking about it, but… Is this okay? Even if I look at it, the
atmosphere doesn’t look good… If I take a step out, don’t hate me too
much. I’ll trust you will explain it well to Cha Hee-ra. Oh, of course, it
doesn’t mean I’m doing it right now, so please rest assured.”
“If you have any other plans or anything we can help with, please tell
us.”
Even if Dawan’s Wi Ran and Cheon Gwan-wi said this, I had nothing to
say.
One of the reasons I was bothered was that Kim Hyunsung was busy
moving while I was having a hard time.
Our lovely returner left everything to me and started wandering

everywhere, but it was hard to ind out where and what he was doing.
When I irst laid the foundation, he supported me, but it seemed like
something else was happening at the time.
In Cha Hee-ra’s case, she didn’t really see it as a big deal if I failed in this
or not,
Certainly, those who weren’t very interested in politics seemed to think

that it wouldn’t have much damage if I failed.
Actually, they weren’t all that wrong.
Even if Charlotte became the Empress without much dif iculty, it

wouldn’t affect us directly.
To be precise, it would not cause any physical harm. They wouldn’t cut
our throat for treason, and we wouldn’t rot for life in prison. However,
in my case, the story was a little different.
Getting on the wrong line once meant the loss of the political grounds
that I considered most important.
Charlotte, who had already recognized me as an enemy, would do her

best to cut off my limbs, and I would have to start all over once again.
No one would want such a hellish situation.
‘Strong bitch.’
Of course, this situation was hell for me.
It was not that I did not try to contact Charlotte again, but the Second
Princess seemed to be thinking about aiming at my back by being
openly hostile rather than being subtle about it.
Perhaps unfortunately or fortunately, the nobles at the Second

Princess’s camp also gave me a warning.
‘We shouldn’t say this in the irst place, but… this is in consideration of
Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. It would be better to stay quiet for the
time being.’
Something was indeed happening.
My nobles’ connection was gradually being cut off, and all that was left
was all the people with whom I had been close from the beginning.
Of course, I went around meeting people, but it was dif icult to achieve
good results.
As a result, the only place where I could go was to the Emperor, who
could die at any time.
It was the reason why I had to go to the Emperor’s room, thinking if I

really should develop an elixir.
‘I will serve you with all my heart, Your Majesty.’
The loyalty that had been for Charlia for a while was once again
transferred to the Emperor.
The most important thing was that the Emperor must be healthy until
all of these events subsided, and I re-establish my foundation.
The Emperor’s maid greeted me, and the door began to open from the
inside.
It was a face I often saw these days, but nevertheless, it looked more
tired than yesterday.
Naturally, drinking alcohol like that would put a strain on his health.
The insane behavior of the First Princess was paving the way for the
Emperor’s road to heaven.
The Emperor’s presence was precious to me as he was the only one I
had a chance of winning back at this point.
“Ooh… You’re here.”
“Your Majesty, are you okay?”
“I’m always the same… I’m okay…”
“You must recover your health as soon as possible.”
“Hahaha… I am always healthy… Rather, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.”
“Yes… Your Majesty.”
“Did you… come after meeting Charlia today?”
I froze.
CHAPTER 278
UNWANTED PLAN (2)
The existence of the First Princess within the Empire was troublesome.
The Emperor was also well aware of it, and for that reason, he had
refrained from letting the First Princess do any important tasks, for fear
that she would cause trouble.
‘It’s not just that.’
It was no wonder that he was worried about her as a father.
If I were the Emperor, I wouldn’t be able to leave the First Princess as

she was, too.
Right now, it was good to have the Emperor’s protection, but if I were to
think about him going back to the arms of the Goddess Benigore, it was
pretty obvious as to what would happen afterward.
The Second Princess would probably ascend to the throne, and the First
Princess would be disadvantaged somehow.
She may not end up with simple discipline if she were to cause some
trouble, just like now.
From a father’s point of view, that may make him feel uneasy.
However…
‘But this is ridiculous. Ridiculous.’

If this old man also had a conscience, he would never think that way.
Today, I was worried upon seeing his serious face, but I don’t think he
was thinking the same as me.
He would not come up with an unforgivable offer.
My intuition kept ringing with warnings, but the problem was that I
couldn’t do anything right now.
I had to somehow stop the line from popping out of his mouth.
“I met her for a moment in the morning.”
“Right… how is she…”
“She is a little psychologically unstable, but… It seemed that she was

deeply aware of her own mistakes.”
“I’m glad she thinks so…”
I didn’t want to talk about Charlia anymore.
“Rather than that, I heard that your Majesty had a drink yesterday…”
“I did. And the reason why I called Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung today
is that I was thinking about having a drink together. Today, I have
something to tell you…”
“It’s not good for your health, Your Majesty.”
“Hohoho. I think the Honorary Bishop really cares about me. Even if you
say the same thing as other loyalists, what you say sounds a little
different… It’s amazing.”
“Who would think different than wanting Your Majesty to be healthy?
Perhaps the reason Your Majesty feels that way is because Your Majesty
has more con idence in me.”
“Right. I trust Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. Yes… Absolutely. That’s

why I wanted to say…”
“Haha. In order to repay His Majesty’s trust, I must work really hard.”
My form of distraction was not working. It looked like he had already

made up his mind.
‘It may not be what I’m thinking, however.’
The Emperor had different troubles, and perhaps he would say

something completely different.
No matter how much of a troublemaker Charlia was, I was a foreigner

who was not included in the imperial category.
No matter how I was to think about it, it was a situation where many
dif iculties were blooming.
As the Emperor quietly raised his hand, some maids popped out and
started pouring wine into a glass.
It was a great honor to be able to drink wine together, but I couldn’t

igure out why I was so anxious.
Eventually, the Emperor said what he wanted, and I was forced to curse
the fact that my prediction was correct.
“I’m just saying this, but… what does Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung
think of Charlia?”
‘This psychopathic bastard!’

I thought about how to respond for a moment, but there was nothing I
could do except to change the topic once more.
“Contrary to popular evaluation, she is someone who has great

qualities. Although she has a iery temper that can’t hold in her anger,
she doesn’t hesitate to push ahead with what she’s planning. She has
determination and momentum, and takes responsibility at all costs to
the work entrusted to her…”
“No. That’s not what my question meant, Honorary Bishop Lee

Kiyoung.”
“Your Majesty. I’m sorry, but it’s hard to understand exactly… w-why His
Majesty is saying that? What kind of rudeness did the First Princess
do?”
“No. I didn’t mean that. It would be better to ask a little more clearly. I
am now asking… what Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung thinks of my
daughter Charlia as a woman.”
The Emperor was indeed a psychopath.
“Uh, what do you mean by that…”
“It… I’m sure you know what I mean.”
‘Shit.’
I don’t know what to think of Charlia as a woman.
‘Honestly, if given the opportunity, I want to throw the Dragon Breath

potion in her face’ was in my mouth, but there was no way I could say
that.
‘You have to get rid of your shit… why do I have to do that?’

It was only right to start with praise and then reveal the will of
rejection.
“I’m not sure how to say this, but… H-Her Majesty’s beauty is as
beautiful as a gem. She even has a voice that came down from the sky…
and that noble blood always maintains its dignity… so it’s not suitable
to foreigners.”
I thought it wasn’t a bad inish, but it seems that the words I told last do
not come to this psychopath.
“Hohoho. Right. It’s not wrong that even though the child has a mean
side, she looks like her mother and is beautiful as a gem. In fact, when
she was young, she was voted the most beautiful girl in the Empire, so
where would that beauty go?”
“Ah… Yes…”
“For a long time, marriage proposals came from all over the place.
Yes…”
“I see.”
“I was holding Charlia for my sel ishness, but now is the time to let her
go.”
“Ah… Yes…”
As he stopped right in the part ‘for a long time, marriage proposal has
been coming from all over the place,’ there was no need to explain the
reason.
There may not have been anyone who the Emperor or Charlia liked, but
I bet they all realized what kind of person she was and widened their
distance.
They decided that there was more to be lost than gain with having a
relationship with the First imperial Princess.
I feel the same, too.
‘What can I get?’
The relationship between the First and Second Princesses was like
water and oil.
It didn’t matter if she was a member of the imperial family or whatever.

Being associated with the First Princess was no different from making
the Second Princess into one’s enemy.
“Actually, I was really disappointed and thought a lot about this

incident.”
“Yes…”
“I was unknowingly looking forward to Charlia because of the stories

that have been told, but I realized once again after going through this…
Governing someone doesn’t suit her.”
“It doesn’t necessarily…”
“I’d love to see her build a family before I die, Honorary Bishop Lee
Kiyoung.”
“I-I’m sure you will.”
“Yes. I should be. So that I… can be relieved. To leave that spoiled brat
and leave…”
“P-Please refrain from saying that. Your Majesty will remain healthy
and last as a ruler of the Empire for a long time.”
“Hohoho. Thank you. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung, you already know
it, right?”
“……”
“Everyone must, but the relationship between the irst and the second
child is not very good. I am indeed worried that the second will do
something terrible to her sister after I leave. My father, His Majesty, and
I went through that process. Charlotte is clever, but she doesn’t hesitate
to use her hand for what is needed. She will probably be the same to
her sister.”
‘Fuck… ’
“Charlia. That fool is my daughter, too. I want our irst to live a safe and
peaceful life. If it is someone she likes and follows, she will be able to
give up her greed and live happily.”
“I don’t know… w-what you mean, Your Majesty?”
“Hohoho. I thought you were quick to notice, but you’re a little dull in
this aspect.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I heard why that child did something terrible to Marlin Young-ae. I also
raised my voice when I contained her. I don’t know if you’ve noticed,
but it looks like the kid is thinking about you a lot. It seems that she’s
been quiet for you to like her.”
“……”
“I thought you feel the same when I heard this…”
‘What’s that bullshit again, fuck… ’

Of course, I’ve never shown anything like that. Apparently, this crazy
woman had spouted a lot of bullshit. It was so ridiculous that I wanted
to laugh.
“I also thought about various ways, but after much thought, I was
convinced that this was the best option. Yes. Absolutely.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Please take Charlia in.”
‘This bastard!’
Before I could say anything, the Emperor had come to a conclusion.
I clenched my ist tightly. It was understandable enough to come to that

conclusion, but honestly, I didn’t think of anything other than running
away.
If possible, I would escape the imperial castle by sprinting.
“There is a manor left in the north. It’s hard to say that it’s a good place,
but it’s quiet and out of sight.”
I know.
It was incredibly cold, and there was nothing to eat.
Most of the northern provinces within the Empire were like that.
“There may be opposition from the nobles to give a manor to a

foreigner, but as it is you, they will surely agree. It wouldn’t be bad to go
there with Charlia and live a leisurely life. Charlotte wouldn’t even use
her hand to her sister in the periphery. If Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung
takes that child, it wouldn’t be too much considering the other
foreigners’ gazes.”
“That… Er… So.”
“Don’t worry about being a foreigner. Couldn’t you also say that you are
already an imperialist? If you are the Honorary Bishop of the Pope’s
side and hold the status of one of the Eight Seats of the Empire, you are
well-quali ied. Above all else, aren’t I sending my trust to the Honorary
Bishop like this? You can ignore the gap in status. Yes. Absolutely.”
‘The gap in status, my ass… ’
“Hohoho. Of course, I would like you to keep in mind that there is a little
bit of my desire to get a good son-in-law, Honorary Bishop Lee
Kiyoung.”
It seemed that he thought I would happily accept this offer.
This whole situation had gotten out of hand.

CHAPTER 279
UNWANTED PLAN (3)
I felt as if the three imperial family members had decided to drive me

crazy.
I had begun to resent the Emperor. I had also even begun to resent Kim
Hyunsung, the lovely returner, who had given me this ordeal.
I didn’t know when it started, but I felt like he had already appointed
the Second Princess as the Empress. Of course, it wasn’t a hopeless
situation for the First Princess, but I thought this case was probably
decisive.
As he mentioned earlier, it must be ine to at least make the First

Princess live safely.
The problem was that the old psychopath’s plan included me.
‘If I have thoughts, would I want to make a living with that?’
The moment I accepted that, at least a few necks would be cut off.
It would be dif icult to stop Jung Hayan that had been quiet these days,
and Cha Hee-ra was also likely to be uncomfortable.
I bet, if I set up a living in the north with the First Princess, the next day,
she would be found as a cold corpse. I would know exactly who would
be her killer.
No, going to the northern part with her in the irst place was no
different from being distant from the central power.
‘I have to refuse, no matter what.’
“Your Majesty.”
“Hohoho.”
“That… Thanks for the offering… As you know, I am…”
“Ahhh. The wizard attendant and the Queen of the Red Mercenary can
be tolerated.”
“That… What do you mean…?”
“It’ll be too much to say not to meet people who you are already
meeting. Hohoho. Charlia’s jealousy is so severe that you will have a
hard time. Yes. Probably so.”
‘It’s not something that you can talk about while laughing… ’
Upon seeing him saying that with a bright smile, it certainly did seem
that this old man was senile.
Now was not the time to be considerate of his mood.
“I’ll… have to think about it over time, Your Majesty.”
“Right. It’s an important matter, so you’ll need to be prepared, Honorary

Bishop Lee Kiyoung. I can understand.”
“No matter how I think, it’s a burdensome proposal… Of course, I am

grateful for your Majesty’s proposal, but honestly, I can’t judge if I’m the
right person for Her Majesty Charlia.”
“Too much humility is poisonous. Hohoho. Honorary Bishop Lee
Kiyoung has nothing to lack. Yes. Absolutely. Who would call our son-in-
law lacking? Think carefully. Of course, as it is premature, the
conversation we had today, the other people…”
“Yeah. They won’t know anything.”
“Right. It’s really late. You can go. Oh and… I understand your feelings,
but I hope you answer as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will give you an answer after careful

consideration.”
“Yes. You should.”
“Then, I’ll be leaving. Your Majesty.”
“Okay. Go, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.”
‘Shit.’
As soon as I turned away from the Emperor, a curse came out of my

mouth.
Somehow, this imperial group not only bothered me, but it seemed that
they were conspiring to destroy my life.
Until now, I’d been through annoying situations many times, but among
them, this was surely the worst. I had to ind a way out of this somehow.
In the irst place, it was troublesome that my movements were limited,

as I could not know exactly why Kim Hyunsung told me not to make the
Second Princess the Empress.
Simply put, his request was too much.

I was grateful to him for taking my abilities into high account, but
making the lunatic First Princess the Empress is impossible no matter
what bullshit I do.
He even gave a restriction saying that I cannot pull Charlotte to the

rock-bottom completely, so it felt like my hands were empty.
Charlia was a dif icult opponent to ight with a huge burden.
‘I’m stressed.’
Naturally, I went to ind the returner.
I had to stop by my room, so I quickly walked in and opened the door,

and I saw Jung Hayan lying on the sofa in a strange position.
She was ridiculously wearing the outerwear that I had taken off on her
face, and it seemed better not to think about what she had been trying
to do.
“Is it Hayan?”
“O-o… Oppa? Y… You came back?”
“Yes. It seems like it’s been a while…”
“Yes… Yes.”
As she opened her mouth in a voice of embarrassment, she hurriedly

squeezed the outerwear covering her face to the side and sat up.
She looked very embarrassed that it was so unlike her.
It seemed that it would be better to change the topic for Jung Hayan, so
I had no choice but to choose a good topic and open my mouth.
“Lindel is the same, right?”
“Yes. Er… Research is also paying off. And… Deokgu is doing well, and…
and the new Han Sora… and Yoo Ahyoung… and… both Ahn Ki-mo and
Chang-ryul have completed attacking rare-grade dungeons.”
“That’s fortunate. Oh, let’s talk a little bit later. I have something to do
now. And Hyunsung-ssi…”
“It seemed like he’d be coming in late today. I-I think Hyunsung-ssi is
also very busy these days. Hyejin said… that recently even she could
hardly see Hyunsung’s face.”
“Is Hyejin in the room right now?”
“Yes. We ate together and came back.”
“If it’s okay, can you call her?”
“O-Of course!”
If Kim Hyunsung was away, I had no choice but to ask his deputy, Cho
Hyejin.
In order to hide her embarrassment, Jung Hayan ran outside, and after
a while, she showed up with Cho Hyejin.
It had been a long time since I saw Jung Hayan as she had many things
to do in Lindel, but it had been even longer with Cho Hyejin.
This also indicated how busy I’d been, so I felt a bitter taste in my
mouth.
Jung Hayan took a seat on one side as if she had no intention of leaving
Cho Hyejin and me in this room, and Cho Hyejin bowed as usual and sat
in front of the table.
“It’s been a while, Hyejin.”
“Yes. Long time no see, Vice Guild Master.”
“Are you not moving with Hyunsung recently?”
Cho Hyejin’s expression became very dark at the words I said.
She came to the capital as his attendant, but that guy was moving alone,
so it was not unreasonable for her to feel ashamed as this would make
one feel like she was not doing her responsibilities as his second-in-
command.
Cho Hyejin nodded quietly as if my prediction was correct.
“Er… Yes. That’s right. The Guild Master seems to be focusing on his
personal work these days…”
“I see.”
“Yes. Come to think of it. I had a message from the Guild Master to
Kiyoung-ssi.”
‘I knew it.’
“Please tell me right away.”
“That… he’s asking even though it’s hard… he said he would inish his
work as soon as possible and come back and join you.”
“……”
Naturally, there was nothing I could say.
I wasn’t expecting a solution, but I couldn’t agree with his words to

make me wait.
‘The bastard.’
Of course, the Emperor’s health had not yet deteriorated to a dangerous

extent.
If he knew roughly when the Emperor was going to heaven, it made

sense that he was expecting this ight to drag on a little longer. Still,
even now, considering that my political position was being ruined, I
couldn’t afford to remain still.
As I had many fears, I had no choice but to think about the variables
and prepare for what could possibly happen.
Still, the timing had been struck by the Emperor’s words. This would be
a good time for the Second Princess to completely annihilate us.
Perhaps Charlotte would openly promote a meeting with the First

Princess and me.
It would be seen as a good opportunity to send two people she doesn’t

want to see in exile simultaneously, so even if I were Charlotte, I would
actively push the two of us.
I was now a little more stressed than before. My voice began to sound
annoyed, even to me.
“Excuse me, do you have no idea what Hyunsung is doing?”
“No. I also don’t know what he’s doing right now. However…”
“Yes.”
“He seemed… to be looking for someone.”
“Someone?”
“Yes. A person. The Guild Master also seemed not to know who he was
looking for. Unusually, even if I were a little farther away, I would always
attend a social party like a masked ball with him… It felt like he was
looking around more sensitively than usual.”
“Ah…”
“I offered to see if I could help, but he shook his head. After he said that
it would be more comfortable to move alone…”
“He started going to places where Hyejin’s gaze couldn’t reach.”
“Yes. That’s right. I’m just sorry for not being able to ful ill my
responsibilities. I should have been an attendant who can be a little
more helpful…”
“No. No. It’s not Hyejin’s fault, so you don’t have to blame yourself.
Perhaps he’s doing this for something else. Yes. De initely.”
‘Is it important?’
I knew from the beginning that he would not be just playing around.
This meant that this was an urgent event for Hyunsung. I could bet that
this person would play an important event in the future.
‘I have to understand.’
It was annoying to have my position narrowed, but what Kim Hyunsung

was doing now was more likely to be more important than just getting a
political position.
‘I still have a lot of time. Right. It is correct to understand.’
As mentioned earlier, the Emperor’s health was normal. I still had time
to change this situation.
‘Okay. That’s right. He has to work out more important things irst.’
But gradually, my annoyance began to get the best of me.
Of course, I could understand that he was having a hard time, too, but I
had to think about whether he had been neglecting me too much.
If the house’s head neglected the house and started to wander around,
the house would eventually fall into shambles.
All I needed right now was a word of comfort and some warmth, but he
was still busy running around.
It was of icial – I was very much annoyed. I doubted this feeling of

resentment would ever disappear.
I wonder what the hell was going on for him to leave me altogether.
‘So that’s more important. Okay, that’s it.’
I didn’t know if it was because of my anger towards the imperial family,

but I was gradually becoming disappointed with Kim Hyunsung.
‘Shall I just ruin everything…?’
The condition that the Second Princess couldn’t become Empress.
If I were to get it right, it didn’t matter as to what would happen.
‘Yes… Let’s turn it over.’
I started to smile.
CHAPTER 280
UNWANTED PLAN (4)
‘It’s not your Majesty Charlotte’s fault.’
‘You don’t need to comfort me.’
‘It was inevitable.’
‘No. It is not a problem to end with rationalizing that it is inevitable.

Maybe there was another way. I should have looked for another way.
Yes, I should’ve.’
‘It was a decision made for the imperial people.’
‘I killed another innocent imperial citizen with my own hands for those
imperial people.’
‘If you hadn’t done that, more people would have died. The knights and
soldiers who defend the Empire, and many good people looking only at
Your Majesty, would all have died. That plague… ’
‘I know. I know. I already know that there was no other way to save the
contaminated land, that there was no other way because it was polluted
through the air, and that I had to deal with it before the symptoms
occurred. But Count, they weren’t undead yet. I’m sure they were
human. Their painful screams weren’t the sound of the undead. It
seems I can still hear the children crying. No, I can hear it clearly.’
‘What… ’
‘I hear them talking to me. I hear the imperial people blaming me after
dying for being betrayed by this stupid Empress.’
‘You seem to be very tired, Your Majesty.’
‘No. I’m not. I am de initely ine.’
‘Your Majesty… ’
‘When I was very young… ’
‘Yes.’
‘When I was very young… I remember what my mother said when it

was before her death.’
‘…… ’
‘She told me not to be harsh. She told me to quietly live a normal life
and enjoy the moment. She told me to live apart from the imperial
family, peacefully outside the center, and like others. When she died, I
remember that she also said something similar. I was very young at that
time.’
‘I saw all the hardships my mother had suffered here. I felt more keenly
than anyone how the powerless, not the privileged class, were treated
in the Empire. So I wanted to change the Empire. Yes. That’s why I
wanted to become an Empress. I got rid of my sister with my hand,
betrayed my father’s expectations, and I even have blood in my hands. I
have fought with the Pope’s side, and also with foreigners like the
Count. That’s how I became the ruler of this Empire.’
‘…… ’
‘And after I got to this position like that, in the end, I thought I was the
same human as them. No. From the beginning, I was no different from
them. I got blood in my hand once again to keep my position, and I have
lived that way for several years. I have lived that way… because I was
afraid of losing my power. The commitment to create an Empire for the
imperial people was overwhelmed by fatigue and pressure, and my
childhood dreams were worn out by reality. Suddenly, when I looked in
the mirror, it seemed that the face of my sister, who I hated so much,
was re lected.’
‘No, Your Majesty.’
‘This position doesn’t suit me. I only realize it now. I’m someone who
cannot bear the weight of the crown and cannot wash away sins. It’s
hard. Yes… It’s so hard. As my sister said before… in the end, it seems
that poor blood can’t bear this weight.’
‘If I were born again… If I were born again, I would like to live as my
mother said, like everyone else. Meet loved ones, laugh and chat, have
many children, and start a family… like others… I want to live like that.’
‘You will be able to do that.’
‘Haha. Of course, I have never thought about marriage, but if I’d met
someone like the Count, I would be very happy to live such a life…
anyway, let’s stop with the chitchat. I have to get up again.’
‘I think it would be better to take a rest. You don’t even have to go out.’
‘I’m ine. I have to inish the remaining work quickly. I have to protect
the Empire by burning the imperial people.’
‘Charlotte-nim.’
‘Today… tomorrow… and also, the next day, I have to protect… the
Empire by killing… ha… hahaha. The imperial people.’
I opened my closed eyes for a moment and grabbed the sand on the
loor.
It must have been in this place.
It was here where I had the conversation with Charlotte, and the
innocent imperial people died. It was the place where the plague had
spread, transforming common people into the undead.
It was the irst area where the disease, which killed a quarter of the
continent’s population, came into being.
When I opened my hand, the wind blew away the sand I had been
holding.
As I looked at it blankly, a person in front of me suddenly came into my

view. I realized that I had spent a lot of time lost in emotions.
“W… Why are you here…”
“So, you know me.”
“……”
“The rumor seems to have reached this place. A common person

wouldn’t recognize me.”
“No. No. How can people like us not recognize someone important like
you? R-Rather than that… what… brings you here? Do you have any
business in this small town…?”
“I came to do an investigation. I got information that an association

uses magic that is not allowed in the Empire, so I came to see if by any
chance… but looking at your reaction and the current situation, it
seems that what I was worried about was true. Who would have
imagined that there would be a place like this in a basement like this?”
“E-Excuse me, but I don’t understand w-what you’re talking about.”
“Saladin the Secret Society. A Black Wizard Alliance within the Empire.
It has been established for 24 years, has about 670 people, and it is
distributed evenly in the outer regions of the Empire. The purpose of its
creation and its signi icance is the eternal life of the clan members. Did
I say something wrong?”
“I-I don’t know what you’re… t-talking about.”
“I will irst ask you a few questions.”
“What?”
“Have you ever met a masked man and woman?”
“I don’t know… what you mean.”
“It’s an expressionless, dull black mask. The mask has a spell on it, and
it is dif icult to dispel unless you are a high-ranking wizard. The man is
of average height, and the woman is a bit smaller. They call each other
best friends, and they’re actually very close. Oh, and the man is a Black
Wizard like you guys. If he’d come here, you would have recognized him
right away. Perhaps he’s a clan member from Saladin.”
“Black Wizard?”
“Yes. He’s a Black Wizard. If you’ve ever seen him, you will de initely…”
“I have never heard of him. R-Rather, I’m not sure… what you’re talking
about.”
“I guess you’re not lying.”
“Of course. I don’t know anything about Saladin or b-black magic, sir.”
“No. What I meant was that you didn’t know about the masked people.
We’ve already con irmed that the people gathered here are Black
Wizards, so you don’t have to hide it. I have met other Saladin Black
Wizards. Gartel in the north, Valla in the south, Hebbel in the east, you
are already the fourth.”
“This c… crazy…”
“I will change the question. If you’ve never seen the masked man and
woman… Where is your clan master?”
Silence descended upon the entire room.
He still kept his face saying that he didn’t know anything, but at the
same time, I tried to speak up again. I heard the sound of a spell being
cast.
“D… Die!”
Black and green spheres and arrows struck in an instant.
As I leaned over and swung my sword, the large orb that was
approaching split in half.
‘Poison.’
This was an uncommon magic.
When an unknown substance from the shrapnel splashed on my

clothes, smoke rose with a squealing sound. I held my breath with
magic and moved instantly.
As soon as the sword was pulled out and I rushed, a huge monster rose
up from the summoner and struck me.
It was a low-grade demon I had seen before.
After I cleared it by putting magic into the sword and wielding it, the
black wizard’s arm in front of me was thrown, and the body of the black
wizard who was chanting the curse was cut off.
‘One devil summoner and one necromancer.’
Skeleton soldiers poured out from all sides, but I swung my sword, the
soldiers collapsed, and the necromancer fell with blood.
This was the same as last time.
‘Their level is low.’
It was not that I got too strong.
It felt like there was de initely a level difference from the ones I had
seen in the irst round.
It was hard to imagine it was the same Saladin that drove the entire
continent into fear then. There was no demon summoner to summon
named demons, and at best, low-grade demons and intermediate-grade
demons were all that there was.
It was dif icult to ind those who completed the 4th class change in the
irst place.
‘Was there a trigger?’
It was correct to think that the masked man, who had declared himself
to be the head of these people a few years later, had done something.
‘They haven’t met yet.’
I didn’t know exactly when he would be active, but it was not at this
time.
When I saw that he was not moving, even when the struggle for the
imperial power had been revealed, it meant that he’d be active a little
later than now.
In the irst place, this was not the time when the man would usually be
active.
It wasn’t too bad since I wasn’t looking for the man from the beginning.
However, it was a bit hard to understand that the woman wasn’t
showing up, either.
I remembered that the masked woman was clearly active in the

Imperial Palace at this time.
Of course, I hadn’t spent much time in the imperial city in the irst
round, but I think I had seen her move with the in luential nobles of
Charlotte’s camp when I once entered the capital.
‘Is she hiding? Or has the future changed? If she were active, she
wouldn’t have a reason to hide… ’
Seeing that she didn’t show up even when the Second Empress was
politically threatened meant that the future might have changed for a
certain reason.
Considering the fact that the woman in the mask spent a long time with
the murderous brigade, including the demon swordsman Jung Jinho…
perhaps, after Jung Jinho’s death, she had lost her place.
If this speculation was really correct, the masked woman wouldn’t be

lured after driving the Second Princess to the brink. The masked
woman would not show up in the second round.
I could think of this as a positive butter ly effect created by Jung Jin-ho’s

death in the tutorial dungeon.
As I slowly went down to the underground, I began to see Saladin’s

indings.
I could not recognize many things, but considering that the plague
began based on these studies, these were objects that should not exist
on the continent.
As expected, it was still in its early stage.
When I generated magic power from my hand, a small lame sprang up,
and the lame that fell on the research data began to burn.
I kept thinking of the imperial people burning and screaming painfully

and the face of Charlotte, who had gone mad while screaming, but I
shook my head and erased the bad memories.
However, her voice continued to come to mind.
‘I want to wake up in a quiet forest listening to the birds singing. It will

be dif icult, but I want to live without maids, too. I want to listen to a
troubadour’s song from a bar. Yes. I want to live like that. I think I liked
you a little. It seems like that when I think about it now. I’ve never loved
someone, so I’m not sure what my feelings are, but it’s probably similar
to what my mother talked about. Please be happy, Count. In the next
life, let’s run into each other a little more ordinary. Let’s face each other
while smiling.’
I bit my lips, and then I went back right away.
After going up the long basement, I saw the town with nothing different
than usual.
‘Huh?’
It was then that I found a very familiar face on one side of the town
square.
‘What the?’
He disguised himself poorly with magic, but he couldn’t hide that big
size—the original member of the Blue, whose face I long have seen.
‘Deokgu?’
The reason why Park Deokgu was here on the outskirts of the
continent, far from Lindel or the capital, was unknown, but Kiyoung-ssi
must have sent him on an errand.
By now, he would be busy calming public opinion.
‘Why is he here?’
Naturally, I was curious. I think he had already received orders from the
fact that he was on the outskirts.
The crowd was nodding and cheering at the big man’s speech. It was
when I moved in curiosity and put magic into my ears.
The contents I heard from the strangely drawn voice completely

overturned my expectations.
“Imperial people! By the imperial people! A country for the imperial

people! The owner of the Empire is not the imperial family! It’s the
imperial people!!”
“W-what… is that…?”
This certainly didn’t happen in the irst round.

“With a burning thirst! With a burning thirst! Democracy! Hurray!”
“What is this…?”
CHAPTER 281
UNWANTED PLAN (5)
Even if I rubbed my eyes and looked again, Park Deokgu was still
screaming in the square.
I was embarrassed to ind him here, but the way he screamed with his
ists clenched was even more embarrassing.
“The imperial people are the owners of the Empire! Think carefully!
Who has the sovereignty of the Empire?”
“Isn’t that the Emperor?”
“No! Absolutely not! The Empire only exists because of you! The
sovereignty of the Empire belongs to the imperial people! All power
must come from the imperialists to be the right country! No matter how
much power the Emperor has, what can he do without you?!”
“T… That’s right! That’s right!!”
Someone in the crowd cheering eagerly also looked familiar to me.
‘Ahn Ki-mo?’
He looked no better than an imperial commoner, but if you peeled off

the magic that surrounded him, you would surely get a familiar igure.
It was not just Ahn Ki-mo.

Blue guild employees, who I could only recognize by their faces, began
to appear.
Several people were already screaming and instilling an uplifting sense

within the surrounding atmosphere.
“From the very beginning, Goddess Benigore has said that everyone
living on this continent is equal! Just think about it! Dear Imperial
people! Is this Empire truly equal under the protection of the Goddess
Benignore? Think again! This unlearned, ignorant guy also had to send
his beloved family to the demons of poverty and hunger!”
“Gosh…”
“Oh…”
“In my daily life, I’d like to think that it is fortunate to be able to eat corn
porridge! The thieves in the imperial palace celebrate every day with
alcohol and meat! What nonsense is that?!”
“Politics for the imperial people, by the imperial people, in the Empire!
That’s what this country needs right now. We need to enlighten
ourselves to get what we want! We need to remind the self-proclaimed
noble blood that despises us that the owners of the Empire are the
imperial people!”
“Of course! Absolutely! We have to ight! We have to realize that even

stupid guys with nothing learned like us can do something for the
Empire!”
“W-What can we do?!”

“Anything dear comrades can do! First, quickly get one of the books
here! Our Hyung-nim, no, it’s a book written by someone who is with
us!”
“But… Isn’t this treason against the imperial family?”
“Treason against the imperial family! Those imperial noble blood are
the ones rebelling against Goddess Benigore! Are you saying we can’t
even read books like this? I’m not armed or spitting directly in front of
the Emperor, so why would we be charged with treason? The Empire is
not the Emperor’s, but of the imperial people, and the Goddess! Are you
saying that a country that prevents you from reading books really
seems normal? If that seems normal, run to the lord right now and
reveal my sins! I will be proud to sacri ice for democracy!”
“L-Long live democracy!”
“Long live the Democratic Fighter!”
“My name is Bark Teoku! Democratic Fighter Bark Teoku!”
I was forced to be away for quite some time.
It was no wonder that I actually could not afford to look around the
world because I had to be cautious and stealthy when digging about
Saladin or the masked man and woman.
It felt like the world had changed upon seeing this scene happening in
front of me. Both the old and the young were now clamoring around for
the books.
It was then that a voice came in from the crowd. An old man had
opened his mouth.
“Are you a foreigner?”

“Ah… Yes.”
“I heard that there was no king or Emperor where the foreigner came
from… Is that true?”
“Yes, it is, but…”
“There really was a country like that. Oh, I’ll read this book here.”
As soon as I took the book, I saw that it was of a fairly small size.
Seeing that it was made so that it could be easily hidden and it in a

pocket, it seemed that they were also concerned about matters of
censorship.
At the bottom of the book titled Sacred Democracy, an unknown author

was marked.
‘Oscar?’
I didn’t know who Oscar was, but as Deokgu had said, Kiyoung had
written this.
When I open the book randomly, I can see the full text.
[The imperial people must be able to participate in the imperial rule

actively. The human rights of imperialists must be guaranteed, and laws
and procedures for implementing them must be applied equally to all
imperialists. The laws of human rights and equality are “basic rights”
that must be enjoyed by the citizens of the Empire, and these equality
laws, according to the will of Goddess Benigore, apply not only to the
Empire but also to all humans living on the continent.]
‘Huh… ’
[The Empire must maintain a welfare system that guarantees a
minimum life for the imperialists. Listed above are the contracts
between the state and the people. The Empire is not maintained by
vested interests, but by contracts between the state and the people, and
the people need to realize this. The sovereignty of the Empire rests on
the imperial people, and all power comes from the people. It is the one
thing to keep reminding yourself of.]
It felt like a mix of words I had heard before.
The logic of political scientists was brought to the continent and

changed to suit their taste.
I could see that the doctrine that all men were equal under Goddess
Benigore was being used as a shield.
‘It’s de initely Kiyoung’s skill.’
That person’s personality was highly visible within the text.
As I kept turning the pages, the contents that popped out in the book
were a spectacle.
The Pope’s side, another vested interest in the Empire, was described
completely separately.
Although there were many words written on it, this book had only one
meaning.
“Equality for all is…”
“This is the will of the Goddess Benigore. That’s it! That’s what Oscar
wants to say! That’s our Hyung-ssi with a quick understanding… H-
Hyunsung? W-Why are you…”
Deokgu looked embarrassed.

“Mr. Bark Teoku, it would be better to talk for a moment.”
A bitter laugh popped out.
***
This certainly worked.
‘It has no choice but to work.’
Considering that 99.9% of the people were Benigorians, it would be

weird if this did not work in the irst place.
A sentence that had appeared a few times in the Bible was in lated and
interpreted politically.
Since religion was woven into democracy, it was natural for this book to
gain momentum.
However, since this was also written in a hurry, it didn’t mean that there
weren’t any holes at all, but I knew the people would be willing to
overlook these holes.
Everyone was equal under the Goddess.
The weight and sweetness of this sentence would be irresistible to

common imperialists. It may have re lected sweetly even to the
common priests.
As I slowly closed the book while sitting in front of the bon ire, I saw
Deokgu and Ki-mo staring at me.
It was good to hear the branches crackling and burning, but I couldn’t
help but ask.
“Can I hear an explanation?”

It was natural to wonder what had happened in front of me today.
However, I did believe that an explanation was due.
“No, I think I should speak before that… Well, why is the Guild Master
here?”
“There was something I had to do personally. I’ll tell you more about it
when it’s sorted out, but you can think of it as something related to
Black Wizard.”
“What? Did you get a request from the Pope’s or the Imperial Family?”
“You can think so. Then, and Deokgu…”
“Well, I am on Hyung-nim’s errand. This is already the twelfth one. I was

told to work slowly starting far from the capital, but… you know that
Lee Jihye? I was commissioned to spread this book from where Jihye-ssi
picked! Curiously, I haven’t seen any nobles or knights like nobles while
working on this. Isn’t that right? Ahn Ki-mo?”
“Yeah. It’s as Deokgu said. Since the troops are concentrated on the
eastern side, the western side where we are right now has a lot of room.
Also, long time no see, Guild Master.”
“Yes. As I was focused on my work…”
“I heard that it had been a while since you’ve been gone from the royal
castle.”
“That’s right. Things happened in the middle… Actually, we’ve bumped

into each other just when I was about to return. That… Is Kiyoung-ssi
the one who made this book?”
“To be precise, it wasn’t made by him alone… he made it with Jihye-ssi.

Hee-young seemed to have often visited the royal castle to help, too.
Well, what can I do? More than that, it seems that Hyung-nim is looking
for you anxiously… Haven’t you seen each other for a long time?”
“Yes. Actually… a lot of time has passed.”
“Oh, Hyung-nim looked for you… well.”
“Ah. Did he?”
“Yes. Absolutely! It seemed like he wasn’t in a good mood, as if

something bad happened in the royal castle. In fact, it seems like he has
no energy every day. He walks around with a face that he does when he
is a little angry. That’s why I’m even doing the Democracy Fighter Bark
Teoku.”
“Did you say he wasn’t in a good mood?”
“Yes. I de initely had that feeling.”
“Is this book…?”
“Oh. It’s a book that he made crankily.”
“Hmm…”
‘Perhaps he can be like that… ’
I suddenly thought about it, and I realized that I certainly didn’t care
much after leaving the job with him.
I thought that Kiyoung would do well, and in fact, I thought that only
Kiyoung could control the First Princess.
Perhaps it would be weird if it wasn’t hard.

The Charlotte I knew was a capable Empress, and Charlia was an
irreparable idiot.
I, too, couldn’t help it because I had something to do, but if I had to say
something about this, it meant that I had made a mistake.
Kiyoung was a really trustworthy person in general, but I knew that he

sometimes expressed his dissatisfaction like this.
As we had spent a lot of time together, I can roughly see what kind of
person Lee Kiyoung is.
It was the same with Cho Hyejin’s case, and it would be strange if I
didn’t know because he showed such behavior in very small things, too.
‘He’s expressing dissatisfaction.’
Considering what Deokgu said, it would be okay to think that this was
an expression of his dissatisfaction.
‘I couldn’t take it into account.’
I thought it was de initely a mistake.
I only thought that there was still a lot of time left, and I could not
calculate the anxiety Lee Kiyoung would feel, or that the political
prestige would be ruined.
The problem was that what he did was too big and radical to be called a
mere expression of dissatisfaction.
There was an old saying that the country and home must be at peace.
I had focused too much on the outside and was too negligent to the
situation inside.
‘W… What should I do?’
I had to worry about whether it would be better to bring him a gift.

CHAPTER 282
PLEASE, REVOLUTIONIZE (1)
“This will work unconditionally, Oppa. I bet it will. I knew you were
good at this. How did you even think about linking this with religion?”
“Anyone could’ve thought of this. They just didn’t have a chance to do

so. In the irst place, I’m the only foreigner who memorizes the doctrine
of the goddess Benigore, aside from the priests. A revolution was an
option that you were also thinking about, and it’s not that great, you
know.”
“Although… In my case, I still thought that the civic consciousness of the

imperial people was not enough to accept this.”
“No, no. The imperialist level of consciousness is quite high. The Second
Princess, who loves the imperial people more than anyone else, has
constantly raised the level of consciousness several years ago. The
situation itself could have burst at any time. There was just no
opportunity.”
“Have you judged it that way? You give a lot of credit to the imperial
people. In my personal opinion, I think the doctrine of the Goddess
Benigore is the irst contributor to this work. In fact, the reaction’s
better than I expected. If you’re lucky, you can even get the Pope’s side,
so it’s even better.”
“I am also talking about my personal thought. A civil revolution is like

this in the irst place. Most of these kinds of revolutions…”
“You want to talk about the bourgeois revolution, right? It is led by
capitalists who have economic rights, but do not have control.”
“Yes. Right.”
I could see Lee Jihye nodding. Seeing her smiling, it seemed that she
was having as much fun as I was.
‘Of course, it’s fun.’
Lee Jihye liked this kind of situation in the irst place.
The ordinary people were moving according to my plans. She felt that
she had been the catharsis for that, so it was not unreasonable for her
to indulge in her newfound power.
When I raised my face, I saw Lee Jihye looking at me as if she was

asking me to continue talking, and so I did whilst smiling.
“Of course, it is a matter of thinking a little about what happened on

Earth and whether we should put the same kind of history here.
However, there is no guarantee that we will not be able to do that if only
the shortcomings are met.”
“What is lacking?”
“Force.”
“Ohhh. I know what you mean.”
“The difference here and on Earth is the intensity of force. Unlike the
bourgeois on Earth, where they only need to have an economic zone,
this one feels slower because it has one more condition.”
“It is said that the bourgeois class here has to add force to the economy.
There’s no way a revolution could ever happen.”
“I think so. It seems that the reason why those in power here could have
power was simply because of the force they possess. Just looking at the
knights here, you can assume that they can deal with dozens of
civilians… In such a situation, can you really rebel against the powerful?
In fact, they were almost ready for the revolution. They just couldn’t put
it into action.”
“How can you say that?”
“Poverty, hunger, inequality, the gap between the power and the
marginalized, the growing civic consciousness, and…”
“The press.”
“Right. The press is decisive. Another reason might be the emergence of

the new bourgeois. People who have power and economic power, yet do
not have control.”
“The foreigners.”
“Yes.”
“There are a few more factors. Private mercenaries or wizards stuck in

the magic tower. As you said, the conditions to have a revolution were
already being met little by little. You are saying that everything was just
not connected, right?”
“I don’t know if I’m right, but I think so. The question is how to blow
this off.”
There was also another problem – the condition to move radically.
Unnatural revolutions or reforms, no matter how well done, had side

effects.
If I was lucky enough to get this done successfully, this Empire was sure
to bear some side effects.
Of course, I was not a political expert, so I did not possess the ability to
predict anything like that, and I had zero interest in it in the irst place.
It was beyond my ability to anticipate upcoming problems.
It meant I had no choice but to focus on this right now.
‘I have to inish it in a lash.’
Another factor of insecurity was the existence of the Republic.
It was just an imagination, but if things were to break out, they would
likely try to jump on the bandwagon of the revolution that would take
place within the Empire.
I had to solve this problem by exploding it all at once.
It was natural that the longer the time that those in power and
imperialists communicated with each other, the more we were
subjected to external pressure.
Losing Duchess Catherine, Countess Elise, and Marlin Young-ae was one
of my concerns, but I think I could protect them.
Nobles respected by the imperial people would be established as a new

class altogether.
It may be a bit unreasonable, but it was only right to force them to

participate in the revolution.
‘I have to do it like that.’
Of course, the most problematic among them was the existence of the
Second Princess.
She noticed that I had been moving, and I had to move carefully as there
was a possibility that she would steal a march on me.
‘It could be ruined in an instant.’
If I were to be accused of treason, it wouldn’t matter that I’m one of the

Eight Seats, Honorary Bishop, or the dragon’s spouse. It’ll be the end for
me.
That was why I kept meeting the Emperor and Charlia, or politically
ighting by constantly camping.
I could turn their gaze right now, but I knew that my limit would come
soon.
“Oh, Nuna. So, how about the Second princess? Does she have any
reaction?”
“No. She’s pretty quiet. I don’t think she’s still interested as if she’s busy
solving the problem with the evil nobles on Charlia’s side, but… She’s
strangely quiet when I think about it. Even though she is working
quietly from the outskirts, for a woman who can even notice when
someone is cursing her to be quiet…”
“Right? It feels like the pressure on this side has been reduced,
considering that she talked as if she would come running right away
not to let me breathe. Actually, it seemed like I couldn’t even breathe
until a few days ago… is she watching out for the Pope’s side?”
“It could be. Or…”
“Yes?”
“It’s just my simple thought… er… and it suddenly came to my mind.

Didn’t you say that the Second Princess of the Empire cares a lot for the
imperial people?”
I felt like I knew what Lee Jihye wanted to say.
“It can’t be…”
“It would be a good idea to keep that possibility open.”
“Isn’t that too speculative?”
“I just imagined. There is no physical evidence anyway, and if you write

a novel, she might even want this situation. As you said, the Second
Princess could also have made plans, recognizing that the foreigners
are of the new bourgeois class. If she were at least interested, she
would have been noticing some situations. Just looking at the
enormously enlarged media is enough to think about it, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
“It would have been an idea she couldn’t have had if you hadn’t created
the press… There are already several presses in this Holy Empire. Not
only foreigners but also imperial people are making and selling
imperial newspapers, so I think anyone could call them precursors,
right? If the Second Princess isn’t an idiot, she would have smelled it
since the Imperial Newspaper was published. Even now, there is a video
hologram with magic power. If… If only the Second Princess has noticed
about the magical video hologram… then, we can really think she
wanted to lead this situation.”
“So, you’re saying that the Second Princess provoked me, who is at the
center of the new bourgeois class. Is that what you mean? She forcefully
tightened and threatened me to want me to move like this? To move the
foreigners?”
“I said it was a novel. By the way… It makes a lot of sense. Spending a lot
of time with the imperial people and… honestly, even trying to tame you
feels a bit arbitrary. She threatened as she would swing the sword right
now, but your limbs weren’t completely cut off, right? Of course, it is
impossible to say that it was not cut at all, but… she didn’t touch your
force. I was expecting this was her thinking of getting you.”
“If she wanted, she would have spoken directly to me.”
“If she had told you, do you think you would have listened to it? Even I
don’t think you would’ve. You would have thought of backstabbing her
with it. Like gar… no… how can I say it? Oh! Feudalism and absolute
monarchy are more advantageous to those who are cool disloyal
people. I say it because it seems that it its well with you and me, but if
the method is not correct again, there wouldn’t be a revolution or
anything like that. We would be just getting bene its the way we are
now.”
Honestly, I couldn’t deny this.
If the Second Princess had calmly brought up about the revolution, I

would have smashed her back, using that as a weapon.
Even though I thought that there was no way she would be doing that,
my mind kept moving towards Lee Jihye’s novel.
In particular, the conversations I had with the Second Princess

suddenly began to occur. Speci ically, the conversation at the Imperial
Knights Training Center.
At the time, it felt like an unimportant conversation, but when I think

about it now, I have a lot of doubts.
‘It may be rude, but I did some preliminary research on the Honorary
Bishop. I was interested in something a bit different from the title that
everyone knows, such as the one chosen by the dragon and the
Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire. It was most impressive that the
media was rooted in Lindel and brought various transformations.’
Revolution.
‘The Free Cities are basically separated from the Empire, but in reality,
they are bound to be indirectly affected as they are separated. That’s
just the fact that similar institutions were established within the
Empire shortly after the press took root and started on Lindel. You are
basically a sel ish human, but I also know that you have a minimum
degree of conscience. Whatever the reason, what you’ve done has
brought good results for many.’
Results in favor of the majority.
‘I think the reason you can produce such a result is that you are
probably watching out for others. No. I’m sure. You are surely watching
out for others. Even if you don’t yield to the strong, you are a person
who concedes what you have to the public.’
Concessions for the public.
‘The praise is correct, so you don’t have to worry. Honorary Bishop, the
Empire needs a talent like you. We need talented people who see the
public’s eyes and people who can do politics that sees the majority.’
Perhaps Lee Jihye was right.
I didn’t know why the returner, who I had begun to resent a little, said
that such a woman shouldn’t be the Empress, but it must be that some
kind of trash drove her crazy in the middle.
Predicting that there was no such thing in the irst round, it wasn’t the
time to make a quick decision yet. This was not an unusual occurrence
altogether.
Various circumstances were visible, but there was no accurate physical

evidence, so I had to move a little more carefully.
Of course, in the meantime, my beliefs about her continued to sprout.

Even the last words she said to me now sounded suspicious.
‘I don’t hesitate to use swords at my enemies, Honorary Bishop. I know

you are an important person to the Empire, but if you really turn your
back on me, I have no choice but to pull the sword out. You will have to
make a wise choice.’
It was natural to wonder exactly what it meant to really turn my back

on her.
It wasn’t clear what was the wise choice she was talking about and who
she de ined as the enemy. If I were to assume that this is what she really
wanted, I could interpret it this way.
‘I do not hesitate to put a sword into the monarchy. You are needed in
the Empire for the future. You will bring a transformation to the
Empire, so there is no shortage even if you are someone important in
the Empire. If you really turn your back on my expectations and the
public, I will draw a knife. So… Please… ’
“Revolutionize.”
“What? What did you say? What are you talking about suddenly? We are
already doing it.”
“Fuck…”
“What? Why?”
“I think you’re right.”
To be precise, in the case of Lee Jihye and me, we had been forced to
join, but…
The Second Princess. I had to realize that Charlotte had also wanted the
same thing as us.5
CHAPTER 283
“Sacred Democracy.”
“What?”
“It is a book written by a man named Oscar. Honorary Bishop Lee

Kiyoung probably wrote and distributed it. I think everyone has read it.
The more I read it, the more I think it’s a really interesting book. In
places where the foreigners lived, this idea seems to be common. I
knew it, but it was true that our Empire was in retreat.”
“……
“This book, completed in a matter of days by a foreigner, completely

denies the current regime of the Empire. Anyone who thinks such a way
will know how the Empire’s vested interests have led its people with
absurd ideas. He didn’t say anything wrong. All humans are equal.”
“What does Your Majesty… think of this Sacred Democracy?”
“Excellent. It’s very good. Of course, the idea of bringing democracy

based on the doctrine of Goddess Benigore bothers me a bit because
there is a con lict with the ideals we want. Rome wasn’t built in one day,
right? I can’t even argue that this is the best course of action right now.
He might have thought that the Goddess’s will must be laid on the
ground for the imperialists who are still accustomed to the imperial
system to stand up. He may have thought of the Pope’s side support,
too. In a way, it is a genius idea to draw in the doctrine of the Goddess.”
“De initely…”
“Yes. There may be some side effects, but it’s just as effective. He might
be focusing on the restless imperial people.”
“I’m glad that what you thought has worked out, Your Majesty.”
“This is just the beginning. Yes. It is more important what happens from
now on.”
I could see their faces nodding and responding to my words.
Seeing that everyone’s eyes were sunken, it looked like they hadn’t slept
well yesterday while reading the book.
That was obvious.
This little book was, strictly speaking, the irst new kind of Bible in
circulation in the Empire. It was a book containing the ideas and ideals
from the continent of the foreigners.
Of course, it wasn’t without fault, but as I said earlier, I thought this was
a problem that time would eventually solve.
For now, the top priority was to overturn the current system of the
Empire. The work that had been done little by little from the old days
has only begun to bear fruit.
‘My prediction was correct.’
It was right to judge that, if I pushed him to a corner, he would destroy

the system.
Of course, it was much faster and more radical than expected, so I was
surprised, but it seemed to remind me that he was competent, so I
could con irm once again that this decision was correct.
‘I thought it would take at least six more months… ’
In less than a month, a strange atmosphere had formed throughout the

Empire.
Unlike me, who couldn’t igure out how and where to start, he was
doing things perfectly. It would be strange if my jaw hadn’t dropped.
Civil revolution.
It was a dream and a wish that had been in my mind for a long time.
If I were to think about it, the irst idea came when I overheard the
conversation between the foreigners, Cha Hee-ra and Victor Hart, a few
years ago.
‘Old man Victor, there were no nobles or Emperor where we lived. I’ve
never learned this etiquette.’
It was just one word, really just one word.
It was something I heard by chance, but it’s a voice that kept coming to
my mind.
I couldn’t understand with my head full of thoughts of being Empress at

the time, but I remember that was the beginning.
A country not ruled by an Emperor. A country without nobles.
‘Is that possible?’
No wonder my head had been illed with doubts.
Of course, it wasn’t impossible at all when I were to think of the

Republic, which was in con lict with the Empire.
The Republic, whose power had been skewed by special groups,
advocated for the liberation of all humans, but it was because the
President was wielding unprecedented power under a one-party
dictatorship.
I thought it would be different from the meaning of the absence of an

emperor and nobles, as the foreigner Cha Hee-ra had said.
Literally, their continent was a place where one did not need to learn
etiquette.
‘They’re all equal.’
I tried to forget about it, but my curiosity began to grow like a snowball.
In a few words, my curiosity had been piqued.
There were many times I couldn’t sleep because of frustration, and in

the end, I had to move to solve this curiosity.
I started by inviting foreigners to the castle.
Where is the place? How can such a place exist? Without an Emperor,
who would rule the country?
I had conversations with foreigners several times a day, but it was

dif icult to ind someone who could correctly answer my questions.
This was because the majority of them were scared.
It was not unusual for ordinary foreigners to be scared, as it was

considered taboo to discuss their continent within the royal castle.
Of course, it is natural that I was shocked by the basic information that I

could get.
‘An election in which a leader is elected every few years. A
representative elected by citizens, impeachment. The people’s check of
power, the history of the foreigner’s continent… ’
Everything was full of wonders.
When I reached the point where my curiosity could not be solved only
by the invited foreigners, I immediately began to run outside.
Of course, I couldn’t move freely because of all the gazes, but I looked
around the Free City built by the foreigners whenever I had a chance.
What was their life like, what did they do, and how did those who had
come to a new continent live?
It was to check the things I was curious about. Honestly, the results
were not satisfactory.
Contrary to what I imagined as a utopian world, there was also poverty

and discrimination.
An Emperor did not exist, but there were leaders up there by force, and
in a way, it seemed that there was nothing much different from the
situation of the current Empire.
When I tried to return after feeling skeptical, what I saw was the
beginning of the media. This was what had urged me to learn more.
I felt like the world had changed overnight. I could see how the world
was changing, even from the eyes of others.
The foreigners, who belonged to the lower class, rose, and they directly
began to boycott the powerful. It was an incomprehensible situation.
It looked like a small version of the events that I only heard as stories
that the ones who had been quiet so far started to move as one.
What I thought would never change slowly did.
The giant guild Black Swan, located in the Free City of Lindel, began to
watch out for the foreigners, and even within a few days, the Black
Swan’s leader changed.
“No way…”
The lower class of foreigners changed everything without spilling any

blood or causing any damage.
‘Bloodless Revolution.’
The shock of seeing it with my own eyes was indescribable.
It was no wonder that my gaze had been drawn to the person at the
center of the case.
At the time, the media had been dealing with Lee Kiyoung as a victim. I
began observing this foreigner, who seemed to be moving the media,
and dug information using my powers as a Princess.
I learned several things about him.
That he came to the castle and found the demon worshipper Ito Souta.
That he successfully defended Castle Rock.
That he was chosen by a dragon, and not only obtained a position from
the Pope’s side, but was also loved by many nobles.
Of course, there were times when I saw things I didn’t want to see, but
the important thing wasn’t what kind of person he was.
I started to see more and more of what he could do. His weapons
weren’t just dragons or potions he made.
His fancy speech and personal connections were also his weapons, but
the biggest weapon he had was the press, and the right way of using it.
Because of him, I learned a lot of things.
The incident at Lindel became a new hope and light.
‘I need to prepare.’
I could change the Empire.
‘Imperial people can also stand up.’
Those with will had to be brought together.
‘There are de initely nobles and awake intellectuals who consider the
current system unfair. De initely.’
Foreigners would also help.
‘I have to move him.’
What I had been doing without a break has inally begun to pay off.
I hadn’t accomplished anything yet, but if someone were to ask me if I

was happy, I would nod.
“You seem to be in a good mood, Your Majesty.”
“Yes. It is dif icult to continue to conceal my joy while thinking that this
is the beginning.”
“Er… Princess.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, but may I say something?”

“What are you sorry for? You can tell me, Baron.”
“I’m just asking. If this is over… I’m curious about what you will do.”
“Ohh. I will be the same as you. I will probably live a normal life. Of
course, it’s hard, but I want my father and my sister to live a new life.
The life my mother told me about in the past. That is… if it’s possible.
Haha.”
“Princess, but as I’ve always said…”
“Baron, I am no different from other imperial people. I was lucky to be

more educated than they were, and I was lucky to be able to explore
more than them. There is a lot I realized while learning about
foreigners. I am not a person who can stand on top of others. I just want
to live a normal life. Like you guys, I want to love, and I want to have
normal relationships.”
“This is so like Your Majesty. Haha. Do you have anyone in your mind?”
“Haha. That’s a question so like the Countess.”
“Perhaps… the reason you’re always watching the Honorary Bishop…”
“Hahahaha. No. He’s an interesting person, but he’s far from my type.
Rather, the person who can be called his boss is a little closer to my
type. I don’t know what I’m talking about in front of you. Anyway, let’s
end the conversation here today. We’ll be busy again from tomorrow.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Have a good night, Your Majesty.”
As I quietly nodded, I could see them leaving.

When I hurried back to my room and lipped through the Sacred
Democracy again, previously incomprehensible ideas started to get
stuck in my head more clearly.
For the time being, I thought I would spend my time reading this book
“The sovereignty of the Empire rests with the imperial people, and all
power comes from the imperial people.”
Others who might be reading this somewhere would not be different

from me now.
Some would be reading this book in the stables, others in the school
when they were out, and others relying on small candles.
Perhaps there were even people in this imperial castle reading this
book.
They would be enlightened by sharing the book and discussing it with

each other. This little Bible would be the beginning of the revolution
and the light of the imperial people.
“He is a genius.”
I had no choice but to admit this as I lipped through the pages once
more.
“Honorary Revolution.”
If everything went according to plan, the Empire would be able to take

one step further without ever spilling blood.
CHAPTER 284
“Honorary revolution, my ass.”
“I’m sure that’s what she’s aiming for. I can see what she’s thinking.
After stabilizing the imperial people who will rise for the revolution, the
nobles that united with the Second Princess will pressure the existing
vested interests to change the system. Saying the line, ‘This is the will of
the imperial people!’ There is nothing I can think of other than that.
Charlotte wouldn’t want the imperial people to spill blood.”
“It sounds good to hear. Bloodless revolution, honorary revolution.”
“Don’t you like it? Again, would it be better to stick to the First Princess
and accuse the Second Princess of treason?”
“I won’t do that. You’re not supposed to work with such a stupid

person, to begin with. So, all other options are out of the question. The
revolution will go on.”
“Are you going to go along with the beat?”
“No. It’s a little different from the direction Charlotte wants. What I
want is not an honorary revolution, but a revolution made by
completing the struggle. There is a difference between a revolution
being led by the citizens and the Second Princess. I’m not saying this
because I was caught by surprise, Nuna. When things are done,
Charlotte will surely remain as the symbol of the Empire. Even in the
course of the honorary revolution, it is a nuisance to prevent the
Republic from jumping on the bandwagon… The longer you drag this
on, the more disadvantages you get. It means that it’ll eventually
become impossible to negotiate.”
“They must have a meaning, too. You’re not just trying to do it because
you’re upset, right?”
“I’m not trash enough to spill innocent imperialists’ blood simply

because I’m upset. It’s just about 2% of the reason, but it is inadequate,
so I would like you to think that there are other reasons.”
“I do not know. You’re trashy enough as it is… No, it’s because you’re a
cool, disloyal man.”
“The symbol of the Empire will be Oscar, not Charlotte.”
“Ohhhhhh! So, until the end, you will remain as a non-elected leader.
This is good news.”
“To be honest, it’s a little funny.”
“What?”
“I don’t know if she thought I was going to blow something and stop the
imperial people from getting up. I’ll show her. If she thinks I’ll stop at
Sacred Democracy, she’s mistaken…”
“She must be expecting you to use the press. She will be prepared for it.
The Second Princess has a good image, so she will ix it immediately
after you blow something lukewarm. Do you have something good?”
“That’s a secret. Have a guess. You can look forward to it.”
“It’s hard. It is still impossible to commercialize it, but I’m expecting

you to use that magic hologram, but… the content in it will be a
problem. To inish it in a short period, the entire continent would have
to watch it. And to make the people angry, it won’t be possible to do
with an ordinary content… Did you even ilm a nobleman beating up a
commoner? Or did you ilm Charlia’s usual behavior? Actually, did you
even have time to shoot…? Oh! That was what you ordered Hayan to do.
That means that the invisible eyes you mentioned earlier meant…”
“That’s correct. I won’t tell you the content, though.”
“It’s a bad hobby. Well, as you prepared it, I won’t worry about the
content. And it would be good to quickly decide who will play the role
of the Democratic Fighter Oscar. I think it’s important that you don’t
give them time to prepare and rush over. Anyway, I’ll be leaving, Oppa. I
have work to prepare. Oh! And this is from Deokgu. It looks like it also
contains a letter, but read it before you go to soothe that crazy bitch.”
“Okay. Thanks, Nuna.”
“Oh. And there are 44 letters of thanks from Marlin Young-ae.”
“I’ll read that later.”
“Then do it.”
I could see her placing the letter on the table and leaving.
Still, I had a little time left before I had to see Charlia.
Considering that I received regular reports from Deokgu, I thought it

would probably be useless this time.
‘I miss you. When will you come?’
It would be about this kind of content.
Seeing that it was a little thicker than usual, however, it looked like it
was illed with something else.
It was when I tore up the envelope sealed with magical power and took
out his letter, thinking it was probably something of a specialty from
somewhere, that I noticed a slightly different font from the usual font I
had been receiving.
[I heard about the situation from Deokgu.]
“Huh?”
[Sorry for not being able to help in various ways. I sincerely apologize
for not being able to focus on this properly after burdening Kiyoung-
ssi.]
‘Kim Hyunsung?’
It was Kim Hyunsung who had sent the letter. Though the handwriting
was familiar, I never would’ve thought it would be him.
‘Why is he with Deokgu?’
I de initely remember that Park Deokgu had been working on the

outskirts.
I couldn’t understand how a guy, who became democratic ighter Bark

Teoku and working like crazy, could be with Kim Hyunsung.
Seeing that there was an explanation that he met Park Deokgu by

chance, I thought that human fate was really a wonder.
In the letter, Kim Hyunsung seemed to be trying to explain something,

but in fact, such excuses wouldn’t be enough to catch my eyes.
Seeing him going on and on apologizing, it seemed that he had

recognized his mistake.
I began to nod at the words of a sincere apology. There was a busy job,
and he did his best to do it.
Of course, I was still a bit upset, but I was able to understand him in the
end.
[I was a little surprised by the sudden changes and unexpected things,

but as much as I believed and trusted in Kiyoung-ssi from the
beginning, I will trust you until the end. In fact, I wanted you to think of
a different direction, but it must have been an unavoidable choice for
Kiyoung-ssi. I believe that you will achieve a stable regime change by
minimizing as much damage as possible.]
I didn’t know if this meant that he would accept a bit of blood being
spilled, but it probably meant something similar.
Kim Hyunsung also believed that a perfect, bloodless revolution

couldn’t possibly occur.
[I can tell what Kiyoung-ssi is worried about. Perhaps the most

worrisome thing is the intervention of the Republic.]
‘He’s not wrong.’
[I don’t know if I can help, but I will try to curb the Republic’s
intervention as much as possible. By all means, I hope that this will help
Kiyoung’s plans. Thank you, and I’m sorry for your continued care.]
‘This is fortunate.’
It was de initely welcome.
He hadn’t responded badly to this plan, and it felt best to be in a

situation where Kim Hyunsung couldn’t pay much attention to such
internal affairs.
I decided to overturn everything, but it must be true that I was worried
about what the people’s holy struggle would look like to him.
He said he would take the initiative and block the Republic’s

intervention, so I couldn’t help but be in a good mood.
‘Good!’
It was then that a phrase caught my eye at the end of the letter.
[Behind the letter, there is a gift in another envelope. I think Kiyoung

can use it more than me.]
“Why did he send it?”
The parcel was not a special product from Park Deokgu, but a gift from
Kim Hyunsung. Unconsciously, I had begun to smile once more.
“He didn’t have to do this… no… why is he sending something like this
again? Gosh.”
[Chanelia Hermes’ In inite Bag (Heroic)]
“This is sick… Phew…”
[This is an in inite bag created centuries ago by Chanelia Hermes, a

legendary hunter and leather craftsman. Crafted in Drake’s leather, this
bag is made for adventurers, so it’s not only convenient, but also
durable as an armor. The built-in subspace, worthy of the name of an
in inite bag, is large in size, and you can store things very safely. It has
an additional function that increases your luck stat by +3.]
“Kim Hyunsung, salute, salute!”
It was something I de initely needed. My desire to dance was growing.

Seeing that my resentment had begun to melt away, it de initely seemed
like I was not immune to bribery.
It even looked better than the bag Kim Hyunsung had been carrying in
the tutorial dungeon.
This was an item that was absolutely necessary for me, who had to
carry various potions due to the nature of my class.
I didn’t know how he suddenly got this, but as he was hanging around
with Park Deokgu, he must have managed to rob a monster’s treasure
trove at night.
It felt like it de initely suited me when I deemed to wear the bag. When
I put my hand inside, however, I felt another item waiting for me.
‘He’s even more thoughtful than I thought!’
There were advanced catalysts inside.
It wasn’t jaw-dropping, but when I saw the many interesting materials,

it seemed like he had carefully selected them. It was no wonder that my
smile refused to fade.
It would be strange not to be in a good mood when he sent me the right

things just when I needed them. The fact that he supported my plan
was an unprecedented bonus.
Still, he was a little more concerned about me than the Second Princess.
The brakes were now gone.
I didn’t like being ahead of myself, but I started to think that it might be
okay to think about the post-revolutionary period.
‘It won’t be a problem if I run it right away.’

It was the last thing I had been putting off.
The author of the Sacred Democracy, determining my substitute as

Oscar, was actually the inal piece.
I needed someone to guide the revolution from the bottom, like the
democratic ighter Bark Teoku.
It couldn’t be a foreigner, and choosing nobility was a little uncertain.
He shouldn’t be stupid like Charlia, or smart like Charlotte.
The reborn leader of the new Empire, author of Sacred Democracy,

must have a good feeling for me while knowing how to think properly.
To put it a bit openly, it should be someone I could control. The problem

was that there were no such characters around.
Lee Kiyoung’s connection had completely built up a wall with the

commoners.
As I managed to establish relationships with good people, I naturally

only met nobles, or high-ranking of icials from the Pope’s side.
As I mulled this over, a voice called out for me.
“Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. T-The

Princess is looking for you.”
When I opened the door re lexively, I saw a face I encountered quite

often recently.
“Oh! Maid Alice!”
“Ah… Yes?”
“Hold on. Please come in for a moment.”
“I’m sorry? What do you…? Oh! I shouldn’t be like this! H-Her Majesty
Charlia…”
“I want you to give me some time. First, this way. Please, sit on the bed
or the sofa.”
“H-Honorary Bishop? Er… Do you have any business with a girl? Er…
Uhm… It’s too, s-sudden, Honorary Bishop. I-If the Princess knows
about this… A-And I’m still not ready! Of course, if you push it, I can’t
help… How a lowly maid like me could dare to… So! I’m not upset!
Nevertheless!”
I didn’t know what kind of weird imagination she had, but I had
different plans for her.
“When you have two, you can lower the word.”
“Yeah? What do you mean…?”
“You will know soon, Mr. Oscar.”
The image of Maid Alice, trembling like a puppy in the rain, was
re lected in my view.
CHAPTER 285
ALICE’S LETTERS (1)
[Sincerely yours, Alice from the Imperial City.]
[How are you, mother? This is Alice. It’s getting colder, and I just
wonder how my mother, who is far away, has been doing. Since I haven’t
been home for a long time, I’m worried if my younger siblings are going
to school, or if my grandmother is in good health.]
[I think mother is also worried about how her daughter is doing. Don’t
worry about me. I’m doing well, and the First Princess still treats me
very nicely. She always praises me for being a good working maid and
occasionally strokes my head.]
[Last time, I did a great job in hosting an important guest, so she

rewarded me. Of course, it was possible not because of my strength, but
because of all of the other maids’ efforts. Oh, actually, I’m sending a
letter after a long time because I have something to tell, mother.]
[The fact is… I think I have to quit this job. Of course, it is impossible to
quit at will, but I’m able to leave thanks to the strength of the man I
mentioned before. I know nothing and learned nothing, but I know that
he wants me eagerly… so, since I’m soft, I was forced to follow him.]
[Looking at it, there may be a little misunderstanding. I’m not saying

he’s taking me as his concubine! Of course, if that happens, I wouldn’t
complain, but… right now, I am satis ied with just being by his side. Oh!
And you don’t have to worry too much, as I will continue to send money.
Anyway… I feel like something important is about to begin. I also feel
like my life will change. I’m not sure what it is yet… Ah. I have to leave
now. I’ll tell you more about it later when I have time! I’ll write to you
again later, mother. Stay healthy!]
***
[Sincerely yours, Alice from Lindel.]
[I came to Lindel, Mother! It’s a free city where foreigners live, so it’s
full of wonders. The person I told you about last time sent me directly
here. I’ve ridden a Griffon for the irst time in my life, and you don’t
know how nervous I was… I was fortunate to have arrived safely. All of
the people who I’m with are nice and good people.]
[All of them are talented wizards and swordsmen, so I can’t believe that
I’m with them now. And I even saw the rumored dragon with my own
eyes! It was really enormously large and majestic, and my legs went
rubbery upon seeing it for the irst time.]
[Actually, it’s a little scary. It’s not the dragon. It’s just my current
situation. Sudden changes in the environment are unfamiliar to people
like me. I cut my long, golden hair, which was said to be the village’s
pride, with short hair, and for the irst time in my life, I even tried a
sword that didn’t suit me.
[When I looked in the mirror, it felt like I was seeing somebody else. Of
course, I was relieved that he said it suited me, but it hurts because I
can’t seem to show him a womanly igure. I feel anxious because I don’t
think I can meet his expectations. I just wonder what the hell I can do.]
[And… I don’t know why, but I felt like I was hated by some wizards
here. Even the little dragon hates me. Even the priest is also cold, so I
don’t know how to act. Did I do anything wrong? I’m used to being
hated, but I want to get along with them, so I’m very worried. Do they
not like my lowly status? It can’t be helped, but it’s a bit bitter.]
***
[Sincerely yours, Alice from Castle Rock.]
[I’m in Castle Rock! And I was able to see him after a long time. In fact, I
heard a lot of stories. I’ve also learned many things. I couldn’t
understand all of what he said, but it didn’t seem wrong. They said he
was extraordinary, but who knew he was thinking so big. I think that
Goddess Benigore sent him as an envoy to us.]
[On the second day, I also met Count Castle Rock. I was quiet because he
told me not to say anything, but I could hear them in a separate room,
debating loudly.]
[I was a little anxious, but it seemed that Count Castle Rock agreed with
him. Marlin Young-ae was very angry recently. It looks like some
promises were made, but it’s not something I’m concerned about. In the
end, I’m glad things seemed to go well.]
[I heard that people like Duchess Catherine and Countess Elise are
heading to Castle Rock. It was something I thought about casually, but I
am anxious because it seems to be getting bigger and bigger than I had
irst thought. Even more, because I have an important speech
tomorrow.]
[I am going to work hard. With so many people working for the Empire,
I should do my best, too. I think the next letter will be posted from
elsewhere. Stay healthy. Today, I’m sending a little big money. Don’t be
surprised and don’t tell anyone. It’s not bad money, so you can rest
assured. I’ll close for now.]
***
[Sincerely yours, Alice, from an unknown place.]
[Have I told you that the irst speech ended without a hitch? Since I’m
busy, I’m confused about if I sent the letter I wrote. Contrary to the
concern if I could do it well, I have already delivered my fourth speech. I
was very nervous and worried, but thanks to the people who cheered
me up, I was able to get courage. I think I’ve gotten a little used to it
now.]
[In fact, until now, I thought that I just had to do what he told me to do,
and… I think my thoughts have started to change little by little lately.
Yes. He must have in luenced me. I came to think that not only the
background that surrounds me, but also that my eyes to see the world
have widened. In fact, I haven’t seen him since Castle Rock. But when I
look at the books he has given me; I feel like I’m always with him.]
[This is all the will of Goddess Benigore, right? It’s not just me that has
changed. The irst, the second, the third. It feels as if the cheers of the
people grow little by little as time passes. Yes. Everyone is changing.]
[Today, I think he will come to visit me after a long time. I heard that he
was coming with Cardinal Basel… perhaps he’ll say something
important again. Can I be in a position like this? I always think that way,
but it wouldn’t be strange that I could raise my voice as he said. I’ll close
for now, mother.]
***
[Sincerely yours, Alice from Celia.]
[I had a meeting with the Eight Seats of the Empire. One of them didn’t
come, so it would be correct to say that it was with the Seven Seats.
Hehe. Unlike when I couldn’t understand anything initially, I can now
understand what they are saying. I thought that it was fortunate that
what I was studying had results. I thought I had to move desperately.]
[There shouldn’t be anything lacking as I give a speech every day. Of

course, I think I will do it today, too. Today, it is for foreigners. I am
worried about whether they will accept me, but the people of the Seven
Imperial Seats also smiled and greeted me, so foreigners will certainly
like me, right?]
[Because the Mercenary Queen and the shaman also welcomed me with
open arms. In particular, the shaman quietly nodded, but I’m still
curious about what that means. Rumor has it that she can see the
future, but will something good happen in my future? Maybe I’ll
become his concubine! It could be that!]
[I remembered when I was writing this, but in fact, I heard that a

marriage conversation with the Princess is in progress. Yes. That
Charlia-nim. I knew Charlia-nim was yearning for him, but I had no idea
that she would move this way. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be
interested in Charlia. That bitch ## die# be## good# then ##, right?
Ink has spilled. Hehe. It’s not anything important, so you don’t have to
worry about it.]
[Oh! And did I tell you in the last letter that there was a meeting with
Cardinal Basel? Yes. Fortunately, I think the talk with Cardinal Basel was
good. In the beginning, I wasn’t worried since he has a close
relationship with Cardinal Basel… And as expected, Cardinal Basel also
greatly nodded. He asked me to shake hands and told me he is looking
forward to work with me. This is what he said. In fact, after this is over,
Cardinal Basel may be able to take the place of Pope! Of course, this is a
secret! Mother! Please!]
***
[Sincerely yours, Alice from somewhere underground.]
[Mother. It’s been a long time since I’m sending you a letter. It was a
short period, but during that time, I was very busy. Some things didn’t
go well. I didn’t have time to send a letter. I don’t think you had any
inancial dif iculties since I sent you a large amount last time. You
haven’t spent all of it, right? If it’s mother, I know you wouldn’t.
[There are many things I want to tell, but I don’t have the time, so I need
to reduce it, mother. I just wanted you to know that I’m doing well. Just
in case, I will be sending money again. Don’t be too surprised because
it’s the money he gave me. And please burn all the letters I have sent so
far. Don’t tell anyone. Please. Please. You have to burn them all.
Everything.]
***
[Now, I think I know what job has been given to me, Mother. It’s already
come to this point after following him busily. Actually, I’m still
dumbfounded. It’s hard to understand all of his words, and I don’t know
what’s going on right now, but as time goes by, I have a sense of mission
that I need to help even with such a small force. He told me that it
seemed I’ve changed, too. Hehe. Of course, I was relieved by him still
saying ‘Alice-nim is Alice-nim after all.’]
[Of course, I have become a little closer to him. It’s embarrassing to say
this, but I was able to kiss him. I don’t know if he likes me. Actually, I
took courage. I still can’t forget his startled expression. I think things
have made me stronger.]
[Usually, I would never have been able to move like that… Hehe.
Anyway, he didn’t look so upset either. He patted me on the shoulder.
After that, it seemed that the wizard hated me, but I couldn’t hide my
true feelings anymore.]
[In fact, at irst, it was just a little crush. I just thought about how good
it would be to enter as his concubine, and that was all. Since he has
power and is handsome. However, while spending time together and
working toward the same goal, my feelings grew bigger and bigger, and
I couldn’t hold it in anymore.]
[Oh. Of course, it wasn’t just my feelings for him that grew. The same
goes for my feelings for the Empire. Did I ever say that I have a sense of
mission? Yes. At that time, I have more sense of duty now. I was born
with a lowly status and grew up lowly, but there was no such thing as a
lowly life in the world. He said it to me directly.]
[My younger siblings, I, my mother, and my grandmother are all the
same. The Princess and I are the same humans. He must have known
this for a long time ago. That’s why he treated me well. Unlike Charlia.]
[Mother.]
[I think I have to do something that could be dangerous. Not only me,

but all of my comrades who share my goal will be in danger. But don’t
worry too much. I will make an Empire where my mother and younger
siblings can live happily, even at the cost of my life. He told me that
when you have to spill blood, you just have to do it. Yes. At irst, I was
scared, too, but now I am not.]
[As much as he shed tears for the imperial people to be sacri iced, I am
ready to throw my all. I won’t make tears come out of his eyes anymore.
Never.]
[Yes. Never. Even if I have to give my all.]
[I am ready to throw everything. Even if I die, my blood for the Empire

will nourish the future.]
[Mother.]
[I will ight. I corrected my common sense from the past and doing so,
for democracy. For the cause. I will ight for a sacred democracy.]
[Never come outside after three days.]
[Do nothing and stay at home. Perhaps my people will go there. They
will protect you and my sisters. I’ll say it again.]
[Never come out after three days. Heed my pleas.]
[Sincerely yours, Oscar from the capital of the Empire.]

CHAPTER 286
HALF-BAKED REVOLUTION (1)
‘Time goes so fast.’
No, in fact, if I were to think about it, not much time had passed.
However, it felt like two years had passed. A lot of things around me had
changed, so it was not unreasonable to feel like this.
Perhaps it wasn’t just me who felt this way.
‘Charlotte.’
I think she would be feeling the same way.
Of course, speed was the most important thing in this work. Moving in
secret was important, but moving fast was even more important.
Before the Republic could intervene.
Before the imperial family could respond in any way.
I had to get ready to blow this thing before Charlotte got anything more
up her sleeve.
It was no wonder she also agreed with this idea.
We didn’t say anything to each other, but I agreed to match her actions,
and she agreed to move according to my will.
It had been decided to form an implicit alliance.
It was a bit vague if one was to call it sleeping with the enemy, but I was
now on her boat, as she said before.
I had united the foreigners, the Pope’s side, and some nobles, and she
united the awakened civil representatives and the nobles of her own
forces.
Meanwhile, I began to move the imperial people simultaneously across

the continent.
Not only did I quickly spread the ideas written on the Sacred
Democracy, but I awakened the hidden aspirations within them.
If I were alone, I wouldn’t have been able to get things going so fast.
I thought it would be dif icult to enlighten the imperial people, but this
idea began to spread from the moment the foreigners settled on the
continent.
The current was rising way faster than I imagined.
If she moved to the East, I went to the West, and if she moved to the
South, we went to the North.
Was the difference moderate, or more radical?
If I were to think about it, it certainly meant that she was getting on the
same page as me.
It was impressive that Charlotte also borrowed the Sacred Democracy.

Thanks to this, it was easier for me to assemble the imperial people.
After some thoughts had taken root, the imperial family also began to
notice my movements.
While designating Sacred Democracy as a forbidden book, they began
digging behind me, and the problem was that the Emperor had
appointed Charlotte as general manager of this matter.
The general manager was thinking differently, so there was no way they
could catch me. Although there was time to linch once, the outpost of
the revolution had already begun.
Numerous secret societies that Charlotte and I did not intend were
created, and they showed their activities to enlighten all imperial
people.
Cardinal Basel of the Pope’s side decided to ride on the imperialists’

backs to become the next Pope, and some nobles with whom I was close
to also agreed with my plan.
It hadn’t been easy to persuade the nobles. It came to the point that I
even thought about getting rid of them if things went wrong. However,
Count Castle Rock and Duchess Catherine, feeling tired of the ways of
the imperial family, eventually accepted my words.
‘Our power will remain even after the revolution is over.’
Even if a sacred democracy would begin, they would not lose power.
The same went for the nobles, some bourgeois classes, and us
foreigners. Rather, I presented a vision that they would gain greater
power, so they nodded.
Though they shook their head at the dangers of the real democracy
Charlotte wanted, they had no choice but to recognize the bene its
behind it. In the meantime, Oscar, who had been picked as the next
leader, began working hard to ful ill her responsibilities.
This woman, called a symbol of democracy by some groups, was also

one of those who made me feel the passage of time.
Perhaps she had gotten even busier than Charlotte.
It would never have been easy for her to become a symbol of

democracy, coming from a maid. The undeniable fact was that she tried
harder than anyone else.
It was effective as she followed my words properly.
When I irst adopted Alice, I hadn’t been expecting much, but she was
surprisingly in line with my set conditions.
As I glanced toward the window, I saw her staring blankly at the sky – a
short-haired with a sword worn in her waist.
All she learned was re ined swordsmanship, but she achieved results
within a short amount of time. Thanks to her hard work that is beyond
her talent.
As I quietly called her name, she looked back in a hurry.
In fact, her expression or face itself was not all that different from
before. However, the strangely changed vibe, and the emotions re lected
in her eyes prove that my plan was indeed the right one.
“Oscar-nim.”
“Ah… Honorary Bishop. You said you’d call me Alice when we were
alone.”
“Haha. Yes. I did. I must have been a little bit distracted as we have a big
thing ahead.”
“Don’t worry too much, Honorary Bishop. Everything will work out. I
will do my best to make your plan come true.”
“Haha. Thank you for the words. And… Thank you so much for sharing
this big burden with me.”
“No. You don’t have to say that. Actually, when the Honorary Bishop irst
called me, I was surprised, but now I feel very happy. I feel a sense of
duty for what I am doing now. Yes. I really do.”
“I don’t know what to say as you think so.”
“I’m the one who should say it.”
“Maid Alice, no… Alice -nim, too.”
“No. No! It’s better to call me Maid. I like it better.”
“But…”
“No, please. When there’re only us, please call me like that. If even the
Honorary Bishop calls me Oscar… I think… I’ll get a little confused.”
“I understand. If you say so…”
“Come to think of it, did you eat? If you didn’t, I have to hurry to
prepare…”
“No. No. It’s ine. Actually, I just came here to make sure that Maid Alice
is doing well.”
“Then I’ll serve you some tea!”
It was not bad to be served tea from the symbol of imperial democracy.
This was why I couldn’t hate Alice.
Since she polished various skills under Charlia, the tea had been
prepared in an instant. It felt as if all kinds of fatigue were gone by just
taking a sip.
“Do you like it?”
“Of course, Maid Alice. Come to think of it. You kept looking outside, so
perhaps…”
“Yes. I’m worried if my mother and my younger siblings are doing well.”
“You don’t have to worry. The Blue guild members are already
protecting them. If I get into trouble, Alice-nim’s family will be
protected.”
“Please refrain from saying that. I don’t want the Honorary Bishop to
get hurt. Okay, now… Is it time to leave?”
“Yes. Let’s leave, Oscar-nim.”
“Yes, Honorary Bishop.”
‘Cute.’
The way she bit her lips tightly was cute in her own way.
However, her face started to get serious.
Probably as far as the last part was ahead, she’d have mixed feelings,
too.
‘It must have been hard.’
However, it must have been that rewarding.
It felt like I was looking at someone else. I got goosebumps for some
reason when I saw Oscar with a stiff expression.
When I opened the door, the irst people I saw were Max and Jung
Hayan, who both looked very nervous.
I thought they would be nervous since I explained every single day how
important this was.
In Jung Hayan’s case, she glanced at this side and in lated her cheeks, so
she didn’t seem to like Alice very much.
Of course, Jung Hayan never did like any woman, but as the time spent
with Maid Alice was getting longer recently, she’d been feeling under
the weather.
‘I have to give her some attention.’
As much as she had endured and worked hard, I had to soothe her after
this work was over.
I gently waved, and she smiled in return.
Next to her, Max, the museum manager, was jumping with both arms up
as if he’d thought I waved at him. When I sent the signal asking if it was
ready, he made a circle with his arm.
Sun Hee-young, Ye-ri, and Hwang Jeong-yeon, who I hadn’t seen in a

long time, were also present.
Except for the newbies that went to protect Maid Alice’s family, and Cho
Hyejin, who was called by Kim Hyun-sung, all the Blue members were
gathered.
Of course, democratic ighters ‘Bark Teoku’ and Ahn Ki-mo were still
waiting to blend with the imperial people.
It was then that the Maid Alice, no, Oscar stepped to the podium.
‘It’s now beginning.’
It seemed that she had already memorized everything as I saw her

speaking without looking at the speech that I’d written.
Charlia, who hadn’t even tried that much, came to mind.
‘She’s a hundred times better. Much more capable. Yes.’
I wanted to focus on the last part of the speech, but I had to head to
where Jung Hayan and Max were as I had other work to do.
Lee Jihye spoke to me while I was moving. Her voice pierced through
the cries of Oscar and the imperial people.
“It’s beginning.”
“Yes, I guess.”
“I’ve been curious to death, but I can inally see it. I was really curious if,
by any chance, Charlotte could calm down the imperial people, because
that’s the most important thing.”
“If she can ix the one blow I prepared, I will call Charlotte a god.”
“So, you must be con ident, right? Honestly, I don’t mean I don’t
understand what you’re thinking… it’s just not very likely to be realized.
Historically, it’s not there wasn’t anything that could be called an
honorary revolution or a bloodless revolution at all…”
“Wasn’t there one in England?”
“Ohh. The one that made James II exile abroad? That didn’t mean
democratization was achieved. It is meaningful that the Bill of Rights
was drawn up, but… and I think that one has spilled blood, too. I don’t
know if Charlotte knows this, but if she’s taking that as a model, I guess
we can say it is. Corrupt, incompetent, and of course, a self-righteous
imperial family mixed with religious issues… the people are also
complaining.”
“I don’t know much about world history…”
“You don’t need to know. It’s obvious, anyway. Although it has changed a
lot, the plan is to recover the imperial people who have risen, release
the troops that have been built up, and go with the people to press the
Emperor. In the case of the British bloodless revolution, there is a
difference that the troops came from outside, but I don’t think it’s that
different. It will spill blood, but we can minimize it. That’s a good plan.
It’s a good idea… Personally, I don’t think Charlotte is stupid. In fact, I
even have respect for her.”
“I didn’t think you would say that, but it’s surprising.”
“Originally, historical philosophers, innovators, and idealists are like

her. The example must be different, but would those who have put
industrialism to the world, or who have chosen it as a state system,
have made that choice because they were stupid? It’s not just those
people. Most of all, political idealists are what can be called geniuses.”
“You are right.”
“The problem is why these people fail.”
“I think I know that, too.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a personal thought.”
“If it’s a personal thought, it’s rather welcome.”
“They believed that other humans would also pursue their ideals.”
I was no longer interested in what Charlotte thought, but it was a bit
heartbreaking to ind out that she believed in the imperial people and
those in her camp.
I bet some in her power did not agree with her ideas.
However, what mattered right now was not her internal circumstances,
but what route my boat took to its destination.
It had been her who had been running the boat so far, but from this
moment on, I would.
At the moment, our Oscar was giving an interesting speech.
I thought it was just the right timing.
“Hayan, Max, release the video.”
We couldn’t watch this good thing alone.
A magical hologram large enough to be seen from outside the window

appeared.
The screen created in the air was large enough to be seen by all the
capitalists’ imperialists, which revealed Oscar standing in front.
Lee Jihye, staring at the scene blankly, looked at the video in front of her
and turned her head toward the hologram that Max was preparing with
a rather astonished face.
“W-What is that?”
“What else could it be? This is the video to be released next time.”
“I know that. The question I am asking is… what would the content be?”
“It’s a list of the nobles and their activities going in and out of the black
market I run.”
“Y… you’re crazy. Oppa… this is really…”
“Puh-ha-ha-ha-ha.”
“I-I think you went too far. This is… too…”
“Why? Nuna… Do you think that’s too much?”
“No… It’s good. To be honest… I got a little wet.”
I didn’t know what exactly she meant by that, but Lee Jihye’s voice had
begun to tremble subtly.
Naturally, I smiled.
I was sure it wouldn’t take too long for the anger of those who were
staring at the magic hologram to explode.
Anyone seeing this video with a vested interest would de initely think
that way.
CHAPTER 287
-Dear comrades, who share our will. It seems like this is my irst time
greeting you. I think some of you have met me, and some of you know
me indirectly. I’d like to introduce myself formally. My name is Oscar.
I’m the author of the Sacred Democracy and one of the ordinary
imperial people, like you, sitting at the Civil Revolutionary Corps’ head.
***
“Er… Charlotte-nim.”
“I’m also watching. What am I seeing…?”
“T-the Honorary Bishop seems to have prepared it.”
“Is it illusion magic?”
“Probably not, Princess. It is impossible even for an archmage to display

such large-scale illusion magic. I thought he’d be preparing to some
extent, but what the hell is this…?”
“……”
“……”
“A video. It’s a video.”
“I’m sorry?”
“It’s a video created via magic power. One day I heard that there was
something like that in the city where the foreigners live. Yes. It must be.
It certainly is.”
“How… did you…”
“I don’t have time to give you a detailed explanation. There must be a

source that is sending that out from somewhere.”
“Do you mean a source?”
“Yes. Isn’t he a wizard, Count? Can you feel the low of magic
somewhere?”
“I-I’m sorry. I think someone twisted the wavelength of magic power in

the capital, so I don’t think I can.”
“We have to stop that. We can’t let that out. Never. Never! A lot of blood
will be spilled. Count! We have to stop that quickly. We have to stop
that. Ahh… How do we…”
“It’s… already late. We can’t ix it…”
***
-You don’t have to be surprised or disconcerted. Dear citizens, what you

see now is not illusion magic. It is a gift given to us by the Goddess
Benigore, who sees all humanity equally, and a means to unite and raise
our dear comrades.
It was the mirror and blessing of the Goddess Benigore, who re lected
things we couldn’t see.
***
“The Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung… Where is… the Honorary Bishop
Lee Kiyoung?”
“I-I heard he went into Lindel today, Your Majesty. He’ll be back after
catching up on some work…”
“That… What the hell… If there’s anyone who can explain this
phenomenon, bring me right now. Anyone will do. Anyone…”
“It’s Oscar, Your Majesty. The one you see up there right now is Oscar.”
“I know that. I’m asking why the author’s face is loating in the sky. You
stupid thing! What are the court wizards doing?! Make anyone stop
that. Right now!”
“Your Majesty. P-Please, calm down. The court wizards are looking for a
way now.”
“Oh, God… Oh, God…”
***
-Dear comrades. Please check and judge with your own eyes. And you
have to move by yourselves. How was the Holy Empire so far, and what
those nobles, who looks down on us saying we’re poor blood and calls
themselves nobly, really are! You must check and judge for yourselves.
From now on, the scenes that I, Oscar, will show you can be a bit
shocking and cruel. But it shows exactly how it is, and it is our life itself.
Please do not look away. Instead, look properly. I hope you can see what
kind of place we have been living in so far.
***
“Very good.”
I saw Maid Alice speaking as calmly and clearly as she could.

I knew she would do well, but she was leading the atmosphere way
better than I thought.
She had been able to calm those who are confused by the magical
hologram that suddenly appeared. Most of the foreigners were very
surprised by the new technology that Max and Jung Hayan now
showed.
As if it was valid for Alice to say that this was a gift from a Goddess, I
was able to see that the imperial people were quickly regaining their
composure.
Oscar, who stood inside the screen, didn’t have to add anything else.
After she introduced herself and successfully snagged their attention,

she urged them to watch the following scenes.
It was the right decision. There was no need for unnecessary comments
on these videos.
The scene that would be seen next would be devastating and powerful
enough by itself.
After Oscar’s face disappeared, a slice of corrupt nobles took its place.
Things were getting so much fun that I needed popcorn.
There was Baron Haian, who reigned in absolute power in the small
town of Vine.
There was Duke Caribou, who had a pretty good image, in the
Metropolitan City of Vatican.
There was Count Bush, who already had a lot of trouble due to his high
tax rate.
Many others were the black market VIPs.

“Puhahahaha.”
It was a list that I thought I could use someday. I could tell without
having to say that to blow it in this situation would be the most
effective.
These targeted people would feel fear at irst. Then curiosity, and then
anger after that.
Those who were with us right now were also trembling at all this
information.
It would be strange not to get angry with such a scene unfolding in

front of them.
-Ahhhhhh!! Ahhhhhh!!!
-Ahhhhhhhhh! Please… please!
The black market in the underground of Castle Rock would be closed

because of this, but there were many other places where I could make
money, anyway.
By the end of this, most of the Empire’s humans would be cleaned up,
so demand would also be reduced.
I feel like it would be good to start a new business in another country.
In fact, not all nobles were like that, and what was seen in the video also
underwent some editing and exaggeration, but what did that matter to
the public?
After all, most people only believed what they could see with their own
eyes. Some of them had even begun to turn away, unable to stomach the
scenes playing in the hologram.
-Hahaha… It seems that this relieves your stress, Duchess.
-Didn’t I tell you not to call me that way, Count.
-Ah. Sorry. I’ll stop…
-Haha. It’s okay. It’s okay. It was just a joke, so you don’t have to lower
your head like that. I think I was a little sensitive. Right. Count is right.
It really feels my stress is relieved. It’s important to clear my head like
this from time to time as I do important things for the Empire. Even
though this place isn’t actually the same as it used to be, it’s comforting
to have a place like this.
-In fact, I was thinking similarly. Duchess. It’s de initely dull these days.
Therefore, I made a separate space in my estate. Even for the Duchess…
no, it must be dif icult for the Duchess who is respected by the
imperialists.
-What is so great about being respected by people who aren’t even

human? Tsk. This is all because of my son. I also would like to, as Count
Bush… Ah! I’m curious about this, but… The tax rate in Count Bush’s
province…
-Yes, it is high. But what, is there another way? In other provinces, many
foreigners are coming. In fact, I really don’t want to get them into my
province. They are strong, but aren’t they also born with low blood? I
don’t like them at all. His Majesty is also in an ambiguous position. Isn’t
it a humiliation to us already, just to say that we’re giving them a title?
What can we do? If you don’t want to fall behind other provinces, you
have no choice but to squeeze the permanent residents. Hahahaha.
Come to think of it, even the Duchess?
-Our province is likely to open sooner or later. Count, how can I reject
when the low of the times is like this? I can’t fall behind. Actually, it is
not that I like them all, but there are often good ones. I mean, that ——-.
Unlike other strangers, he has a pretty good side. He is a good guy.
-Ohhhhhh… I heard about ——-. There are certainly such rumors. I
don’t have any contact with them in the irst place, but… since Duchess
says that, I’ll have to schedule it someday.
Naturally, the name ‘Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung’ had been censored.
-By the way, Count, if you raise the tax rate like that, the imperial
people…
-Hahaha. Of course, a petition for reconsideration comes up. Well,

lightly ignoring such things is enough. Duchess, those lowly guys were
dogs and pigs anyway. If you ignore them lightly or step on them
carefully, they will be quiet.
It could be said that this was a good picture that showed just how some
corrupt nobles usually thought of them.
-Resist…
-Then you just have to step on them even harder. Duchess, these guys
are like weeds, so they keep growing unless you take their roots. When
you step on them, you have to step properly. You have to keep making
them recognize that their identity itself is different, and handling them
like you’re dealing with livestock makes them quiet. Hahaha. What do
you think? If you are interested, Duchess…
-When I have time, I’ll stop by.
-If you visit, I will do my best to serve you. Hahaha.
I could bet that all the comrades currently gathered would be angry just
by seeing that. As the video progressed, the images re lected in my view
were indeed a spectacle. It wasn’t just that one that had been prepared
in the irst place.
As much I thought that I should blow it right once I blow it, I needed to
show it to the people in this Empire properly.
The production made for the hungry imperial people was like a tragic
independent ilm.
The next scene showed a nobleman harassing children.
-P… Please stop. Please.
Another was a nobleman who cruelly executed innocent people.
-Please save me. Please save me. Please…
There were shitty old pieces of trash that executed dirty things to those
who could be called their granddaughters.
Poor imperialists discriminated against and oppressed intellectuals.
The boy soldier mobilized to hunt monsters, eventually meeting his

end.
Consideration for all walks of life was not left out.
Even those who made remarks that looked down on the foreigners and
those who complained and ranted against the Pope’s side were
included.
In the irst place, a foreigner or Cardinal Basel would be driven by need,

not anger, but the more motives, the better.
It was no wonder that the magical hologram that protruded like a

panorama was enough to take away their souls.
The entire capital quickly became quiet. Surprisingly, no sound was

heard.
It was then that Lee Jihye, who had approached slightly, quietly opened
her mouth.
“Oppa, this is being sent out throughout the Empire, right?”
“Yes. To be precise, it’s being sent within each headquarters. Our

comrades in other regions are also watching the situation… Oscar will
ire the lare, so we have to move it simultaneously.”
“You were right.”
“About what?”
“You can see the atmosphere now, right? If Charlotte can calm this
down, I would call her a Goddess. Sincerely. The bloodless revolution
has already crossed the water. If Charlotte is looking at this, she must
already be at her wits’ end.”
In the middle of the conversation, the video reached its peak.
The face re lected in the video was none other than the face of the First
Princess Charlia.
That mad maniac’s performance began to ill the screen like a leading
actor in a 10 million audience movie.
There were so many great scenes that we had a hard time editing it.
The scene not only included slapping a maid’s cheeks, but also insulting
them and embellishing herself with luxury. Anyone could see that she
was a wicked woman.
At this point, my favorite scenes and lines came out. As I lifted my head
again with full anticipation, I saw her face, spitting out an excellent line
with a pretty unhealthy expression.
-The imperial people don’t have bread to eat? Haha. If you don’t have
bread, you eat cake, right? Why do they wonder about it?
Lee Jihye then asked me a question again, as if she was feeling too
absurd.
“Did she really say something like that?”
“Of course, it’s a frame-up. Nuna.”
That was why it worked.
This was because that frame-up would be one of the frame-ups most
recognized by history.
CHAPTER 288
“They’re not scrambling to rebel like I had irst thought.”
“They don’t know how to rebel. They are scared and angry, but they
might not know how to burst what’s inside.”
“I understand, but you must be a little disappointed.”
“It can’t be helped. I’m not that disappointed either. I expected this to
some extent. Even if they were on board with other forces, can those
who have been bred all this time come out of the fence with their will?
Probably, when the lare goes off, they will all come out running. Look
at the faces of those here right now. I bet, they’ll wail, ‘let’s ight
together.’ By just saying that everything will be over.”
“The process of putting ideas in their head was a little hurried. Well, I
know, too. I just said that out of disappointment. So? Shall we blow it
now?”
I had to wonder about it for a bit. They didn’t express it, but all the
imperial people’s anger was now on the verge of explosion.
In fact, Charlia’s famous lines were enough, but as it was a scene that
decorated a page of history, a little cool direction was needed.
For example, the sublime sacri ice of democratic ighters should come
out.
It was one of the things I had been planning, but Oscar’s brand value
was quite great to use as a lare.
“Hang on. She hasn’t inished her speech, anyway.”
In fact, it was Charlotte that I had been waiting for.
The timing was certainly not bad. It was a very good time to take care of
the people and march together.
However, seeing that they hadn’t revealed themselves, it seemed that

there had indeed been some internal problem.
The awakened nobles who agreed with Charlotte’s opinion would still
be with her, but they must have thought, ‘can we keep our power?’ after
watching this video.
Even within her camp, some nobles appeared in the video, so she would
be doing her all to calm them down by now.
The degree of friction between those who thought they could not ix the
imperialists’ anger and those who thought they had to do what they
had to do could be predicted even without an eye to bat in the future.
‘As much as I moved in a hurry.’
She also moved in a hurry. They both had side effects.
It was when I slightly nodded towards Lee Jihye.
“The traitor’s sugar-coated words should not deceive all imperial

people, but keep their place!”
The ampli ied voice protruded from the royal castle.

I waved my hand to withdraw the plan, and Lee Jihye also sent a sign
saying that she knew.
‘Good.’
This low tide was not bad, either.
I thought Charlotte would respond irst, but the irst one that opened
the mouth to the imperial people was the royal family’s representative.
I thought it would be better for the Emperor to come out at the same
time, but there was no way a scared old man could go to such a place.
The old man that can die at any moment would be looking for Charlotte
or me by now.
With a loud voice, the knights popped out from the inside for an
unforeseen armament, and it seemed that the wizards were somehow
looking for a way to stop the magic hologram.
The archers all shooting arrows at the magic hologram was a spectacle.
The urgency in their movements revealed the crisis they were
experiencing now.
They already know that something big would come out if they failed to
calm down the imperial people.
‘They’re not that incompetent.’
However, no plan of theirs could effectively cover this up.
A forced arrest had already taken place, and screams were now starting
to erupt from all over the capital.
How was the behavioral pattern of those in power who felt a crisis o
different from the Earth or here?
Laughter came out of me, almost without my knowledge.
“I’ll say it again. Don’t be fooled by the rebels, all the people of the
imperial stand! Everything is false and manipulated by magic. Imperial
people, what you are seeing is not the blessing of Goddess Benigore, but
the whispers of the devil. Oscar is an imperial traitor! The same is true
of all who share her will with and who follow her. It is an evil that
moths the holy Empire!”
‘I better start responding.’
Before sending a signal to Oscar, Alice began to respond in an angry

tone of voice, so unlike the gentle maid I had come to know.
-Aren’t you the ones who moths the country?! Dirty imperial families, it
was you who were dragging this Empire below the water. Look above
the sky. What you have done is known by the imperial people who died
of evil deeds, and the Goddess herself knows.
“How dare you speak about the Goddess with that dirty mouth? You
traitor!”
-The traitors are you. You are against the Goddess’s will that considers
all humans to be equal under the Goddess! You are the traitors who
divide the class and create discrimination between the lowly and the
noble blood. Remember, since they’ve been an imperial family. Check
with your own eyes what those with noble blood have done.
Contrary to my worries that she might become speechless, Oscar was

stubborn, and she said what she had wanted to say.
Lee Jihye turned to me. “That’s not a script, right? Oppa?”
“Yes. It isn’t. It’s probably from her own thoughts.”
“She’s worth it. She’s even better than Charlia.”

I was just thinking the same thing.
I didn’t think she would be embarrassed, but Oscar took the lead and
denied the imperial power head-on.
-You are not the reason that there is an Empire. The existence of
imperial people is needed in order to have an Empire.
“There is an empire only when there an Emperor. You traitor! Look at

you now. Look at you agitating without showing your true face.
Imperial people, Oscar is a demon who tries to put you in danger. That
person a wicked witch who’s wrapped in good words but pushes your
back on the cliff. Anyone will do. Whoever catches that witch,
regardless of the reason or your status, I will give a title and prize
money. She is a witch to be executed. She must be executed!”
-I am not hiding. The Goddess is rebelling!
Maid Alice, looking straight at Jung Hayan, who was sending the video,
turned her back instantly. She then walked away, out of sight from the
hologram.
‘Huh?’
It felt a little disconcerting, but her execution wasn’t that bad. It would
at least create quite the impression on the imperial people.
I quickly started to beckon to Jung Hayan.
Since it was time for Oscar to appear in the world, it wouldn’t be bad to
let all the imperial people check where she was.
“Honorary Bishop.”
“You can do whatever you want, Oscar-nim.”

“Okay.”
To set the mood, she picked up a randomly hanging lag.
Holding a lag with the logo of the Sacred Democracy, which had now
become a symbol, Oscar showed herself to the imperial people.
The clock tower at the top overlooked the imperial capital.
The igure of Maid Alice standing there holding a lag was enough to
decorate a page of history.
The imperial people who had been watching, all turned their heads to
the clock tower.
Everything felt so dramatic that I wanted to scream in joy.
‘Perfect.’
With this kind of production, I didn’t even need to use a scapegoat as a

signal.
“I am not hiding.”
-I am not hiding.
The mirror of the Goddess re lected her words right from the top of the
clock tower.
Certainty abounded in the faces of those who thought that what was
seen would be illusion magic.
The soldiers rushed into the clock tower in no time, and the soldiers
that had been waiting for this blocked them. A loud sound popped out
from all over the place, and the prepared lames soared one by one.
Although magic and arrows poured out, it was natural that they were
blocked by the defense magic we had prepared in advance.
It was scary, but the democratic ighter continuing to speak out in the
meantime showed more than what I was picturing.
-I am not hiding, Rebels of the Goddess. I am not pushing the backs of

the imperial people here. I will stand before them irst. Where is the
Emperor?! Say you who accused me of hiding. In this situation, where
and what is the Emperor doing?!
‘She has awakened!’
I could bet that this was indeed the brightest time in Alice’s life.
-Where is the Princess who adorned herself with the blood and sweat
shed by the imperial people? Where and what are they doing now, who
harbor the divine blood you propagated? I don’t want to hear your
voice. Imperial dogs. I want to hear the voices of those who created this
wrong system, drinking sweet liquors behind it!
“T-This is Charlotte, the Second Princess of the Empire! Your

aspirations will come true!”
Another voice I inally hear.
The appearance of her screaming without voice ampli ication was a

spectacle.
I wanted to associate myself with her, but the train had already gone. I
didn’t want to spoil the historical landmark that was already happening
here.
“Hayan, turn up the volume on our side and block all the voice
ampli ication magic going to Charlotte. Cheon Gwan-wi, please, also
help her.”
“Yes! Yes! Oppa.”
No one was interested in Charlotte’s voice, which was soon drowned by

various sounds.
Since the ires were rising all over her, I saw several knights pushing
her back inward.
The Second Princess, who loved the imperial people more than anyone
else, was throwing them away, telling them not to do this, but how
could her loyal servants leave her in this dangerous situation?
They knew best that things had already gone wrong.
Instead of her voice, what resounded within the capital was the soft
voice of our energized Oscar-nim.
-Imperial people! They are hiding behind the castle for fear of getting
hurt. These are the real faces of the powerful dogs who so far despised
us as lowly blood and believed that strength and power would protect
the imperial people. As re lected in the mirror of the Goddess, their
concern is not to rule the Empire and lead us in the right direction. All
they want is to exploit, exploit, and ill their stomachs. All the nobles in
this country, except for some who have awakened, civic revolutionary
supporters, such as Count Castle Rock, Duchess Catherine, and
Countess Elise, are no different from society’s cancerous mass.
I liked the fact that she made sure to do what I ordered.
Of course, she had to reveal the names of our sponsors. My contacts,

who were a little anxious, were all probably nodding by now.
Oscar glanced at me.
It felt like she was asking if she could start now, so I opened my mouth
silently.
‘I really like that she obeys me well.’
If Charlia had been like her from the start, I wouldn’t have had to do all
these troublesome things.
Upon seeing my signal, Oscar delivered what I said to the public.
“You must get up.”
She raised the lag, pulling out her sword, and spat out the words that
dwelt inside.
-You must get up!
“We must build an Empire for the imperial people.”
-We must build an Empire for the imperial people!
“Comrades.”
-Dear comrades!
“I will take the lead irst.”
-I will lead the way before anyone else.
“I will bleed irst.”
-I will bleed before you. I will shed blood for the cause and for you.
“Wake up.”
-Wake up!
“Many people will be with us.”

-Many people will be with us. The Pope’s side, which knows the true
will of God and truly prays for the Empire, some nobles who support us,
and the foreigners who have now blended like a family, everyone will be
with us!
“Fight.”
-Wake up! Raise your weapon! Take your rights back! Dear Imperial
people, the time has come!
CHAPTER 289
From then on, the lames of the revolution soared.
Hidden foreigners and troops poured out from underground, and lame
magic burst out from all directions.
The Civil Revolutionary Corps put weapons in the imperial people’s

hands and threw themselves into the lames alongside them.
When a large number of people gathered, the fear disappeared, and the
erupting madness spread.
This revolution, which had started from the Empire’s capital, was being
shown in real-time through each city’s magical holograms, excluding
the provinces governed by sponsors.
Citizens from other cities were also running out into the streets with
swords whilst shouting.
“Hayan, how is the situation?”
“I-I think all other cities are similar. It all went as you thought!”
Certainly, looking at the hologram managed by Max, a pleasant smile

graced my lips.
When I saw the live broadcast screen, I had chills. It was a pity that I
couldn’t comment.
‘Georgina, a small and medium-sized city, managed by Count Bush, who
showed great performance with his dog pig speech.’
The foreigners were the Garrosh and Cash Clan of Lindel.
I knew that a guy named Gal Oh-sik with a big ax had decent skills, but
seeing what he was showing now proved to be more than I imagined.
It was also a level that could be said to have a high level of incitement.
I didn’t think it would be bad to set up a meeting with him later.
-We are not dog pigs!
-Waahhhhhhhhh!
-We will be the master of the Empire!
-Stand up! Compatriots! Fight and Revolutionize!
-We are not dog pigs!! We will be the… master of the Empire!!
I certainly thought that no place would be more passionate about the

revolution than here.
As much as it’s suppressed, the burst is big.
As I slowly turned my gaze toward the Vatican province, a beautiful

scene was drawn once again.
Imridan, the demon hunter of the Illidari Guild, had chosen to lead the
people.
With her class change’s in luence, her eyes were spewing green energy,
but it looked like it would be reassuring if she were on the same side.
-Dear comrades. We must hold onto our fate with our hands. We can’t
avoid this forever!
-Waaaahhhh!
-Reinforcements arrived from Castle Rock Estate. The blood we shed

today is not meaningless. It’s for a place to live for the Empire! In the
capital, compatriots are already starting a rally. Victory is before our
eyes! Let’s ight, everyone! Everything is ready. It is they who are not
ready.
‘That woman is okay, too.’
In addition to that, the revolution was starting in various ways, in

various provinces.
I had put the foreigners and honorary nobles since I thought that things
with those facing off against the Republic needed to be sorted out
immediately, and it seems to have worked.
Originally, the eastern part was composed of the supporting regions of

Count Castle Rock, Duchess Catherine, and Count Elise.
It was natural to want this to be cleared out as quickly as the largest

forces were together.
It seemed that another area was having a hard time, but it was not
something I cared much about while I myself was in a safe place.
‘Cardinal Basel must’ve started the change… ’
I thought it would be a successful regime change, as it attracted people

from the Pope’s side, including the Director of Inquisition Helena and
Archbishop Jessica.
Aside from Basel, another cardinal was also said to support Basel. Two
out of three Templars were with us, so I was in an even better mood.
If Cardinal Basel became the Pope, my heart luttered, thinking that I

could also become the Honorary Cardinal.
‘Hyunsung must be doing well.’
It was still too early for the Republic to move.
I didn’t know how they were able to judge this case internally, but it
took three more days just for them to bring in the troops.
‘Before that, the revolution will be over.’
There was no need to kill all the nobles’ troops.
All one needed was the throat of some nobles.
Soldiers who refused to draw swords to ordinary imperial people and

those affected by the magic hologram scenes were all ready to betray
the nobles who paid them salaries.
Troops of Charlotte, who didn’t want to sacri ice the imperial people,
were also compelled to follow this side, so the revolution could be said
to already be half-successful.
It seemed that it wouldn’t be bad to release one more video.
“Hayan, prepare Ahn Ki-mo.”
“I’m sorry? Ahn Ki-mo?”
“I’m going to shoot a video here and release it right away. I think I need
a scene of a sublime sacri ice… I think that role will need the
democratic ighter Ahm Ki-mo.”
“Ohh. Okay! Ahn Ki-mo! Ahn Ki-mo! O-oppa is calling.”
There should be at least one scene of sublime sacri ice in this kind of
revolution. Lindel’s Ahn Ki-mo, who had always dreamed of becoming
an actor since the Earth, looked at me with a nervous expression as if
he has already heard about the situation. It was a screen debut that
would spread across the continent. Originally, I wasn’t going to sacri ice
him, but I had started to think that this would be better. Some of the
imperial people might get scared if I sent out too many realistic scenes.
Their sacri ice should not be a terrible and desperate death, but a
sublime, touching, cinematic death.
Who would like to see the guts and blood spilling?
“Please tell me when you are ready, Ahn Ki-mo.”
“Yes. Vice Guild Master. How do I… how should I move…”
“It is a scene where you’ll be wearing imperial armor and being hit by
arrows. Of course, the arrows are fake, so you can rest assured. It would
be nice to see the democratic ighter Argimo sacri ice to protect the girl
who has joined the revolution. Oh. Ye-ri! Come here, too.”
“I said I don’t do this anymore. I want to go outside like uncle Deokgu.

You said we should protect Oscar.”
“Let’s do it one last time since you did well the last time. You can do
well this time, too. Both of you will roughly disguise yourself with magic
and will enter at the cue sign in exactly 10 minutes. There is only one
scene to be released anyway, so you don’t need to be so nervous.”
“Ah, yes. Okay, Vice Guild Master.”
“I really… don’t want to do it…”

“This is the last time. Really. I promise.”
“This is really the last time, okay?”
“Okay. Then, get ready. Don’t improvise too much. Jihye here will
explain the script.”
“Okay.”
The scene was composed of one professional and one amateur, but they
were ready in no time.
Several Blue guild staff appeared wearing the imperial soldier armor
with a sour expression, and Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri nodded, meaning
they were ready.
Unlike what she said she didn’t want to do, Kim Ye-ri seemed to be
looking forward to doing this.
‘She can’t be honest. This kid.’
As soon as the okay sign went off, the dynamic acting began.
Kim Ye-ri walked, struggling with a lag of the Civil Revolution Group
larger than her own body. However, the longing for revolution in her
eyes could not be hidden.
Her facial expression was the best part, and I was all trembling. Unlike
with Park Deokgu, when she had acted all awkward, she was showing
perfect concentration this time.
‘Did she practice?’
I couldn’t imagine Kim Ye-ri practicing her acting looking in the mirror,
but it meant that she was a natural at this if she didn’t.
The voice burst out of Kim Ye-ri’s mouth after she swallowed her saliva
once.
“For the sacred democracy! Fight! Revolutionize! Let’s ight together

and win!”
The scene of her running around with a lag was truly a democratic
ighter.
The extras that were put in were swinging their swords together, and in
this narrow space, a wonderful production started.
The soldier with the bow aimed the cruel and mean arrow at the girl
who yearned for democracy, and a lame burned in the eyes of
Democracy Fighter Argimo.
‘Aaaahh!!!’
Argimo’s expressions of momentary agony are de initely immersive.
Argimo, which had been established as a symbol of revolution along

with Bark Teoku, had mixed feelings about both the cause and the need
to protect the girl.
“Die! You ilthy traitor!!!”
One of the Blue guild employees improvised without my knowledge,

but it wasn’t all that bad.
Argimo, our hero, trying to block the dirty arrow of the mean vested
interest, lew toward the innocent girl.
“Haap!”
Chuck, chuck, chuck!

Several arrows stuck Ahn Ki-mo.
Ahn Ki-mo shook quite nicely. He didn’t make painful screams, nor did
he cry for life.
Movie-like blood lowed from where the arrow had struck.
“Ah!”
The screen once again showed Argimo, and somehow the next arrow
did not ly.
Something was indeed strange about that, but who could think of such
a probability in this scene right now?
They would think that some foreigner who protruded from somewhere
had overpowered them.
“Ahhhhhh!”
“I’m ine… I’m… ine.”
An urgent cry went out from both Kim Ye-ri and Argimo, who refused to
let go of his democratization aspiration whilst dying.
His igure, forcibly raising his body while being hit by an arrow, was
openly melodramatic. However, in a world like this, this kind of
melodrama indeed worked.
“I have to get up. Yes. My comrades… are ighting, too.”
“Ah… I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’ll…”
“A child… doesn’t have to ight.”

At this point, I felt like cringing, but considering that the public will
accept this as a real situation, it was acceptable.
Still, Argimo staggered and could not stand up properly.
He dragged his body, stood irmly, holding his weapon, and eventually
fell apart.
“The blood that I shed… is to make the imperial people… proud…” He

mumbled. “With a burning thirst… With burning thirst… sacred
democracy… hurray.”
The way he closed his eyes was indeed cool. Kim Ye-ri’s eyes were illed
with tears.
However, she wiped away the tears and picked up the weapon the
Democratic Fighter had. This made me cringe, but after some editing, it
would be pretty acceptable.
With a lag in one hand and a sword in the other, she started to shout
while looking at the castle.
“Cut!”
“……”
“……”
“Now. I really won’t do it anymore.”
“Our little actor Kim! Why are you so good at acting? It was really
perfect. Ahn Ki-mo was also very cool. Max, send this out right now.”
“Yep!”
“You know. Put in moderate noise when you think there’s an awkward
scene, you know what I mean, right?”
“Yep!”
Kim Ye-ri, with a strangely happy expression, and Ahn Ki-mo, who had
made his successful debut, took off their disguises and got ready to
support the foreigners once more.
In the meantime, the video they shot had begun to go through a bit of
editing, and the fuel was added once again into the lames.
“Waaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
“Sacred Democracy! Hurray! Hurray!”
“Goddess Benigore is with you! Stand up and ight!”
“Do not let Argimo’s sacri ice be in vain!! Let’s stand up with the lag,
people!”
A ight between those trying to head to the castle and those trying to
stop them began.
When I saw Oscar ighting with the people under the protection of Bark
Teoku, I couldn’t help but nod.
At this time, the appearance of a strong reinforcement was already

enough to decorate a solid page of the history of the Empire.
“Let’s get ready to go.”
The time had come to smash the Emperor and Charlia’s back.
CHAPTER 290
Flames surrounded the entire place.
Several screams erupted, and I had no choice but to ix the falling

helmet whilst biting my lips tightly.
It was uncomfortable because my view kept getting blocked.
Not only did the breathing sounds get worse, but swearing began to
pop out of my mouth.
“Shit. Shit…”
“Fire! Fire! They are not imperialists, but rebels possessed by a witch!
Don’t stop with the arrows! Never let them enter the Imperial Palace!
Don’t put compassion in your hands! Don’t let them come here!”
‘Traitor. They are traitors.’
Though I knew I had to do what I had to do, the bow could not be pulled
off that easily.
Perhaps it was not just me who felt this way.
The colleague next to me had also been unable to pull the arrow off of
him.
All I can do was to pray not to hit anyone and shoot these to the sky.
‘Shit! Damn! Fuck!’
“Don’t look at the sky! It is the whisper of the devil. The blessing of
Goddess Benigore is a false story! That’s not the Goddess’ mirror! All
that Oscar said is a lie! Don’t be fooled by their words. Do not believe
anything! Only His Majesty is right! Don’t panic! Do not panic!”
He said this without hesitation, but Chief Baek also had traces of
anxiety on his face.
When I saw him open his mouth to tell us not to panic, I thought it
might be a message to himself. He probably felt that something was
weird, too.
‘Devil’s whispers, my ass!’
Indeed, if that was the devil’s whisper, as the Imperial Palace said, by
now, the Heresy Inquisitors from the Pope’s side should have come out
to stop them.
Even some priests had also begun to side with the imperial people.
No matter how I thought about this, it didn’t make sense that the
foreign priests and the actual priests who had prayed were also
present.
There was no of icial announcement, but they must have determined

that they were not wrong.
If the Pope and other cardinals had also checked the Goddess’s mirror, I
guess they would know who was good and who was evil.
‘That’s not a lie.’
In fact, I was born and raised in a province ruled by Count Bush, and I
knew better than anyone else as to what had been going on over there.
The hungry imperial people and the nobles were busy illing their
stomachs.
I had to worry that today would pass with no trouble, and I had to pray
to Goddess Benigore every night that no other incident would happen
after this.
Why was our life so miserable?
If Goddess Benigore did exist, I had to wonder why she did not care for
us every time.
‘They are correct.’
It was not that Goddess had a problem. The problem was the nobles
and royal families who had rebelled against the Goddess.
‘Everyone under the Goddess is equal.’
There was no way that the Goddess Benigore distinguished the

precious from the unworthy from the beginning.
The Goddess’ mirror was the Bible and weapon of enlightenment that
she had chosen to give to the people.
There were aristocrats who did not see people as humans, but as dogs,
and only saw them as targets to be exploited.
Meanwhile, an imperial family was busy living a luxurious life with the
imperial people’s taxes.
‘If you don’t have bread, you can eat cake? What… bullshit is that?’
‘What bullshit she is talking about?!’
“How can she say something like that…?”

In cities in the north or west’s outskirts, thousands and tens of
thousands of people couldn’t even eat grass porridge, let alone bread.
Before coming to the capital, I only thought that cakes were things from
fairy tales.
It was a kind of luxury that I needed to be prepared to buy with the

salary I was currently receiving.
They always said that they always thought of the people as well as the
imperial people, but the royal family didn’t even care as to what kind of
life they lived.
It was not even strange if one were to see what the nobles, the royal
families, and those who could be called the vested interests of this
Empire really did.
The Second Princess Charlotte, famous for being incorruptible and not
extravagant, also used an amount unimaginable by common people’s
standards for dignity maintenance.
Probably, tens of thousands of imperialists could live without hunger if

the royal family’s vaults were released.
“You have to stand up! Let’s stand up together! This Empire is not of the
royal family. It belongs to Goddess Benigore and all imperial people!”
“Let’s follow Oscar!”
“For the sacred democracy!”
The appearance of Oscar, who had begun to lead the people with a lag,
was different from what I had always heard.
She looked as intense as if she was the Goddess of Liberty.

She was a woman with golden hair, receiving light from the priests’
blessings and divine powers. Her appearance was even sublime.
As I looked above the sky without noticing, I began to see new people
within the Goddess’s mirror.
I could see a still young girl, a girl who can’t even hold a big lag
properly.
If I had married a little early and had children, I’d probably have a
daughter about her age.
When I raised my head again with my mind confused, I saw an imperial

soldier wearing the same armor as mine.
“N-No!”
‘Are they shooting even a small child…?!’
I was also an imperial soldier.
But what was the reason to pull a demonstration with such a girl? My
hands had begun to tremble.
I didn’t know if this was unfortunate or fortunate, but it was seen that
the girl was saved because of a man who had chosen to dive in front of
her.
However, the man who was hit by the arrow stumbled and began to fall
to the ground.
As I watched him slowly closing his eyes, I felt a lump in my throat.
-With a burning thirst. With burning thirst… sacred democracy…

hurray.
What was right, and what was wrong?
‘Damn.’
What was I doing here now?
All these people were ighting.
Why couldn’t I lift my sword together and shoot arrows at them? Why
should we protect those who harassed and oppressed us?
I couldn’t understand anything anymore at this point.
“Don’t think about anything else.”
“Sir.”
“Mike, I’m saying this for your own good. Don’t think about anything
else. We just weren’t lucky. We just happened to stand on the other side
of them. If we turn our backs like this now, we will be killed by a
knight’s sword, not the imperial people. It’s not just you. There might
be at least a few thousand people who want to get out of this position
right now.”
“Then why…?”
“That’s life for guys like us, Mike. As the wind blows and the waves
strike, being dragged back and forth… that’s our life. I am not pulling
the bow because I want to.”
“The Goddess will punish us, sir. I won’t be at peace, even if I die.”
“No. The Goddess will also forgive us. Yes… She will de initely forgive.
She will pat our back, saying it was unavoidable.”
“But…”
“……”
“……”
Craaackkk!
Baaaaannngg!
“Don’t stop! Don’t stop your movements!”
“You are also imperial people! Let’s stand up and ight together! Your
swords shouldn’t go to the same imperial people! It’s the imperial
soldiers and knights. Let’s stand up together. Let’s ight together!”
“Ahhhhhh! Get your defense magic ready!”
“Don’t listen to your enemies! Right now, you should only think about
protecting His Majesty. His Majesty!”
“Where is your Emperor?! What are you ighting for?! Empire soldiers!”
“It’s a witch! Oscar is a witch! Cover your ears rather! Cover your ears!
Soldiers of the Empire! If you haven’t forgotten that you have pledged
allegiance to become His Majesty’s sword, throw arrows! Save those
who are possessed by the devil!”
“Priests! Call the priest!”
“We are not lifting our swords towards you! Lower your weapon! Lower
your weapon and ight with the will of the Goddess in your heart!”
“Protect His Majesty!”
“I will protect you! I will be with you!”
Various voices began to come in, all mixed up.

In the meantime, explosions and screaming sounds continued to be
heard.
Chief Baek literally wanted to cover his ears.
‘Right. It can’t be helped.’
This was inevitable.
I had sworn to the Goddess to ight for His Majesty.
I couldn’t possibly abandon that oath.
Even if I were to die here as the sir said, the Goddess would understand.
She would pat my back, saying it was inevitable.
My mouth was distorted, and my hands had begun to shake.
It was then that an unexpected voice was heard.
“The Emperor is leaving the imperial city!”
‘Huh?’
“The Emperor and Princess Charlia! They are exiting the Imperial
Palace!”
‘W… What is that…?’
When I raised my head again, I saw them re lected in the mirror of the
Goddess.
Surrounded by knights, the appearance of quickly exiting the Imperial

Palace’s back door is a spectacle.
It was not just them.

The same went for some of the nobles who stayed in the Imperial
Palace.
They were hiding in the safest place and were leaving when the ight
was about to take place.
“These bad motherfuckers! You dirty bastards! How can you say that
you still rule the Empire?!”
That was the one to which I pledged my allegiance—the one who ruled
as the absolute of this great Empire.
No wonder sparks had begun to burn in my eyes.
At that point, I aimed the arrow without knowing it and shot it at the
Emperor re lected in the mirror of the Goddess.
Chuck.
With that sound, something hit by an arrow fell to the loor.
“Uh…”
“What’s… that…?”
I could see a large shadow gradually cast over the capital.
The Goddess mirror, which I could see just before, was not even visible,
hidden by something huge.
As if it was at night, the appearance of a creature that covered the sun

for a while is the best part.
It was hard to understand how someone with such a huge body could
loat in the sky.
“Ohhh… Ohh…”
There was no way I wouldn’t notice what that was. This was something
I’d heard only by stories.
“Really… It really existed.”
Other soldiers also began to mutter, gazing at the sky blankly.
Craaaaackk! Cruuuusshhh!!
After passing by the soldiers, a huge claw lodged itself into the Imperial
Palace.
Although the imperial castle debris fell to the loor, the huge creature
began to occupy the top of the imperial castle as if it were its own nest.
Grrroooaarrrr!
It made a loud sound that made the skin vibrate. The surroundings
were immediately silenced.
‘Dragon.’
It was obvious as to why such a creature was here. It was because of the
foreigner chosen by a dragon—one of the Eight Seats of the Empire, as
well as the Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire.
I could see a little human muttering, all while holding the horns on the
head of the dragon.
“Where are you going in such a hurry, Your Majesty?”

CHAPTER 291
“Where are you going in such a hurry, Your Majesty?”
‘Nice one.’
This was a very fun situation.
Naturally, a pleasant smile had formed on my face.
I wanted to applaud to the Emperor and the nobles.
‘They were running away.’
I thought that I should also give a reward to Jung Hayan, who had
caught the Emperor right in the act of doing so. In fact, I did predict this
to some extent.
Even historically, in the face of a national crisis, the irst ones to run
away were always those who possessed vested rights.
There were only a few people who calmly met their end, or stayed with
the people.
Of course, there was no way that the nobles holding a deep-rooted evil
festival with that stupid Emperor could make such a beautiful choice.
‘It’s not that I don’t understand… ’
I could understand that the head of a group should be safe.

However, it was entirely their responsibility to see how people accepted
their behavior.
The soldiers’ faces, who now looked at the Emperor with a dejected
expression, was now re lected in the Goddess mirror.
‘The timing is not bad, too.’
They dropped the weapons one by one while staring blankly at

Dialugia.
In fact, dragons were not invincible.
They fought in an uncomfortable state, but the people who actually

gathered at Castle Rock had pressured Dialugia to the point of death.
In a little more detail, they had only accomplished this thanks to the
villain who had taken her child as a hostage, but this in itself could
already be considered a victory.
Even the hard leather of a dragon would be pierced when it was hit by
magic, or a sword containing magic power.
Although their basic resistance was strong, dragons also had a limit of
stamina and endurance.
However, her strength was not important. Her value and symbolism
were even more important.
Although she did what I told her to do, I heard Dialugia’s voice talking
to me as if she still harbored some doubts.
[We’re in the middle of the enemy’s line… are you really okay with
this?]
‘Sure. If I wanted to ight properly in the irst place, I could just shoot
your Breath or shoot from a distance. Why would I come all the way
here? Our wizards will protect us against small attacks. You don’t have
to step on the humans here and kill them. You just need to shout and to
look cool.’
[I don’t feel good about it. I feel like I’ve become an attraction for
everyone to see…]
‘You’re mistaken, Dialugia. It would be more appropriate to call it an

object of awe, not an attraction. So you just have to put in some magical
power and cry once more with a growling sound. If you can do anything
like that, then please do.’
[You must keep the promise.]
‘Of course.’
It wasn’t that a transparent dragon would appear somewhere, but

Dialugia cried vigorously again anyway.
“Groooooaaaarrr!”
Hearing that sound, some soldiers began to fall into confusion.
The impact was enough to stir the Civil Revolution side, which I had
told them in advance, to go crazy.
Of course, it was not only the people and soldiers who were looking this
way. The Emperor was also looking at this side with his eyes wide open.
What was fun was that there was a ray of hope on the face of the old
man, so it seemed that he had thought of me as his savior.
It was clear that he was hoping for Dialugia and me to resolve this riot.
It wasn’t unreasonable for this country to look like this since he still
didn’t know that I had backstabbed him.
“Ohhh. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung! You inally came. You inally c-
came!”
“……”
“I knew you would come. I knew you were a loyal one. Right now. Kill all
those traitors right now… R-Right now!”
“……”
“These… foolish traitors. Ho… hoho. It looks like that’s a dragon. You’re
indeed reliable, Honorary Bishop. Yes. Very reliable.”
“……”
It was not just the Emperor. The other nobles had begun to cheer on me
as well. Charlia looked as if I was a prince who had come to save her,
which was perfectly ridiculous.
“Honorary Bishop! Hahahaha! I knew you would come! Let’s kill those
ilthy rebels right now!”
“Honorary Bishop! Honorary Bishop! I’ve been waiting!”
“Hurry! Wipe them out! Honorary Bishop! You have to drive those
demons out right now!”
In the irst place, foreigners had also joined the revolution. I didn’t
know why they thought I was on their side.
My voice echoed in the hall, where it went silent for a moment.
“There seems to be some misunderstanding, everyone. I am not your

ally. Haha.”
“Huh?”
“I am also a member of the Civil Revolution and one of the imperial

people who follow Oscar, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor looked labbergasted, as if he didn’t want to believe that I

had done this.
“You don’t have to joke… Honorary Bishop. Ho… hoho… I think I made
Honorary Bishop… disappointed. R-Right! What was the problem?
Honorary Bishop. I-I guess you didn’t like the fact that I gave you a
manor in the north… okay… I got it wrong. Tell me wherever you want.
I-I’ll give you everything I can! Honorary Bishop!”
“Hahaha. That’s not what I want, Your Majesty.”
“T-Then, what do you want? I’ll do anything you want.”
“Even without Your Majesty’s grace, what I want will come true, Your
Majesty.”
His face began to distort slowly. It seemed as if he had believed in me

more than he was supposed to.
I felt a little sorry for making him feel this betrayal, but ironically, I also
felt good.
After a slight exhale, I spoke once more. Jung Hayan’s voice

ampli ication magic came in, and before long, my voice began to
resonate loudly in the capital.
The Goddess’s mirror also re lected Dialugia and me, so I was sure my
image was being shown within the entire Empire.
“Look at me! Imperial soldiers and knights who follow the Emperor!”
“H-Honorary Bishop…”
“Engrave in your eyes is the image of the Emperor you were asked to
protect! That is the reality of the old Empire, the vested rights you were
trying to protect, even risking your life. They are the ones who are
trying to save their lives by throwing you into the battle ield as their
scapegoats and discarded horses! Could that be said to be a leader
suitable for an Empire?!”
“What are you… Honorary Bishop?!!”
“What the Empire needs is not a person who exploits the imperial
people and takes care of their own comfort, but it’s someone who takes
the lead before anyone else and ights for you!!”
At the right timing, the camera turned to Oscar exquisitely.
It seemed as if she had been thrown on the ground as she was covered
with dirt, and blood was lowing through the broken armor.
Oscar’s face, with sweat on her head, really it the igure of the leader I
had talked about just now.
As I beckoned again, Jung Hayan’s camera began to show the Emperor.
The Emperor, who was trembling and terri ied, was a stark contrast
compared to Oscar.
‘This is the object of my loyalty.’
I knew most of the people were now thinking this way.
“Leave your weapons, soldiers of the Empire! Throw away your

weapons and ight with us! You, too, are members of the Empire and
deserve to be with us. The Goddess’ mirror is shining on us. You have to
make your own judgment as to which side you will stand on. Everything
is the will of the Goddess Benigore. The Goddess will be with us!!
Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung will be with you. Along with Cardinal
Basel and many priests! The Holy Knights will be with us, too! Would
you stand on the side of an ugly vested right? Or will you be embraced
by the sacred democracy and join the glorious Goddess’ temple?!”
It was no wonder that I looked at Sun Hee-young quietly.
Divine power was pouring all over the place.
All the priests with this side and the foreigners had begun to spread
their divine power together, and it was spectacular.
“The Goddess said that all humans under the Goddess are equal. We
have forgotten that word until now. We’re all sinners. But we can be
forgiven. It is their fault that we sinned against the Goddess. If we drive
away those who have rebelled against the will of Goddess Benigore, we
can be forgiven by the Goddess ourselves. It is not too late, even now.
Dear imperial people! Join the temple! Don’t go against the Goddess and
become her sword!”
The Civil Revolutionary Corps had begun to radiate brilliant light

surrounded by divine power. The imperial troops were now trembling
in a hurry to hide.
Soldiers abandoned their weapons one by one and began to take off
their armor, and the priests who were on the side of the Empire also
began to change camps.
“I-I will be with you, too!”
“I will also use the sword for the Goddess.”
Although Chief Baek and some knights were screaming against it, the
trend had already declined.
‘It’s a magni icent sight. A magni icent sight, indeed.’
I had seen various posture changes so far, but what I was seeing now
was an unprecedented large-scale change of attitude.
99.9% of the imperial people had begun to become believers of the

Goddess Benigore.
Mixing religion and ideology really did it perfectly in situations such as

these.
CHAPTER 292
Of course, I had to admit that I had a fair percentage of my share in the

bene its.
No ire existed without smoke.
Actually, what happened to these people had nothing to do with me

now.
Even now, as things were being inished, I did not feel interested.
The Emperor’s power had been smashed, anyway. Even if this

revolution was not completed, it would not be possible to raise the
imperial power that had already fallen to the earth.
‘There is no possibility of that.’
There was literally zero chance this work would fail.
I thought that the dragging period of power ight could be quite long,
but the anger that the existing vested rights showed was enough to
change the minds of those in a vague position.
Even if I were a soldier of the Empire, I would have naturally pressed

the button to change the posture.
All that was left for them now was the sincere devotees of the Emperor,
some knights, and the soldiers who couldn’t choose to stand with the
Goddess in the end.
I was a little worried about how the Imperial Knight Victor Hart would
move, but seeing that no other news came, Cha Hee-ra seemed to have
been able to block him well.
In fact, when I saw the situation going by, I wondered if I didn’t even
need to send Hee-ra along.
‘That old man must not have chosen again this time.’
Whether he was guarding the Empire or that old Emperor, he must be

confused as well.
I couldn’t imagine him wielding his sword for the majority of the
imperial people that were now deemed as traitors.
Likewise, it was hard to imagine a scene where he would swing his

sword at the Emperor.
Again, the old man had chosen not to choose a side.
‘Should I say he’s clever, or just plain stupid?’
I didn’t know what other people’s standards would be like, but Victor
Hart was the idiot among idiots, at least in my standards.
Under the Imperial Palace, yelling and screaming were heard

continuously.
“Find the traitors of the Goddess! Find the Goddess’ traitors! Search
everything inside the castle! She will be hiding somewhere! De initely!”
“The maids are innocent! Even the Goddess will not forgive anything
that hurts the innocent. They can be with us just as we have repented of
our sins!”
“These crazy traitors! Get on your knees! Will you not get down on your
knees right now? How these dirty and lowly commoners dare touch
me?!”
“Please save me. Please… I was wrong. Please save me!”
“Don’t leave even one alive! What are the Heretic Inquisitors doing?!
Without immediately inding out that the Goddess’ rebels had
cooperation with the devil!”
“Get them out! Get them all out!”
Various voices were all mixed and heard. It looked as if everyone had
gone mad.
Oscar was still leading the people, protecting the innocents in the
castle, all while searching for the hidden nobles.
In the meantime, seeing Heretic Inquisitors on their way, it seemed that

Cardinal Basel’s work, which had already occurred inside the Holy See,
had also been well completed.
The imperial people had already blocked and tightened the entrance to
the capital’s back, so the Emperor and Charlia had already been caught.
Since the Goddess’ mirror continued to show the sinful people, there
would be limits for them to withstand.
I thought about whether I should shoot the Breath once, but I only
regret not being able to do that.
“Puhahahahaha.”
To sum it all up, it was not a situation where laughing would be weird.
It was no wonder that in the midst of that, I saw Jung Hayan staring at
me.
I nodded slightly, and I could see her disappearing from my sight as if

she herself felt excited.
I didn’t know what she was trying to do, but if I would guess, she would
be headed right for the First Princess. Since she had said something
about sharing love or whatever, Hayan must have thought of this as an
opportunity to loose what hatred had been accumulated inside.
‘It’s victory.’
As I slowly got off of Dialugia, I saw some familiar faces.
“Oh, Cardinal Basel!”
“Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung!”
“So? Did everything go well? Cardinal Basel?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, Honorary Bishop! Absolutely! It hurts a little, but

what can I do if it’s the Goddess’ new will? This is all for the Goddess, so
she will be happy.”
“Yes. Absolutely. The Goddess would laugh too, and nod at the Cardinal.
Hahahaha. By the way… If things were done successfully, I should call
you Pope Basel, not Cardinal Basel, from now on. I’m jealous, Pope.
Aren’t you a little closer to the Goddess? Hahaha.”
“I haven’t even been crowned yet. Hohoho. Well, it looks like that it’ll
happen soon… and Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung, shouldn’t you be
called the Honorary Cardinal?”
“I’m sorry? What… do you…?”

“Hahaha. You don’t have to be so surprised, Honorary Cardinal.”
“No, Cardinal Basel… I-It’s so sudden, well…”
“In fact, I’ve been thinking about this since this story came out,
Honorary Cardinal. Although there is no precedent in the church yet,
who would dare to deny my words when I, the next Pope, would do
that? Haha. Actually, it’s not Honorary Cardinal. I wanted to raise Lee
Kiyoung as a Cardinal on the Benigore Church. Still, there are some stiff
internal regulations, and honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung seems to hate
being repressed, so I could only do this.”
“Ah… Cardinal Basel… It’s too much for me.”
“It’s not! Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is the right person for this
position! You’re the one I trust the most!”
“I have done nothing but serve the Goddess, Cardinal Basel.”
“That’s why I have no choice but to like the Honorary Cardinal. Hahaha.
You’re not greedy! Greedy! How can a person who’s not greedy exist?
Hahahaha. Are foreigners like Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung… no,
people, common? Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is a blessing from the
Goddess!”
“T-This is a great praise, Your Holiness Pope.”
“Hahahaha. Stop saying that, Honorary Cardinal. Please use that title
when the crowning ceremony is over. Hahaha. Oh! And even if you are
an Honorary Cardinal, we will take measures so that you can receive all
the bene its you enjoy as a cardinal. Don’t be too disappointed.”
‘Nice! Nice!’
I wanted to scream inside. On the outside, I would say that he didn’t

need to do this, but who in actuality would refuse this position?
‘It’s the Honorary Cardinal.’
In addition to numerous privileges, the three Templars would respond

to the personal safety of Lee Kiyoung.
One of the secret weapons hidden by the Holy Empire was to become
my shadow warrior. I wanted to dance in happiness.
“Thank you for the words, Cardinal Basel. Come to think of it,
Archbishop Jessica and Director of Inquisition Helena…”
“Ah! Archbishop Jessica is helping those who go to the city to realize the
will of the Goddess, and Director of Inquisition Helena is still punishing
the existing sinners at the Holy See… Actually, I also have to leave, but
when I saw that Cardinal Lee Kiyoung came with the dragon, I came in a
hurry. Hahaha. It’s the irst time I’ve actually seen it, but to have been
chosen by such a transcendental creature…”
“Everything is the Goddess’s will. Haha. Would there be any other

reason?”
I certainly thought that this had all been done too soon, but it seemed
as if things had been going better than what I had initially imagined.
Since he said that Helena was inishing up, he could come out rest
assured.
They were still scuf ling inside the royal city. The temperature
difference from here was probably quite big.
In fact, I wanted to drink a cup of tea, but I couldn’t afford to relax now.
I saw those who were now approaching, swayed by the troops. Some of
them looked to have paused in the middle, and some were smiling.
They, too, were convinced that we had won.

“Duchess Catherine! Countess Elise!”
“Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung! Ah! Cardinal Basel was here, too.”
“Ohh. Long time no see, Duchess Catherine.”
“Cardinal Basel also seems to be in a better mood.”
“Hahaha. It is the day when the enlightened people can preach the new
will of the Goddess. Of course, I would be in a better mood. Come to
think of it, didn’t you say she came to talk with Honorary Bishop Lee
Kiyoung? Let’s talk about it.”
“No. That’s okay, Cardinal Basel. It’s a good day as you said, so why
don’t we have to show us that we are together? Honorary Bishop Lee
Kiyoung is actually only here to give his thanks, so it feels more
burdensome if you leave. Stay here.”
I saw Cardinal Basel nodding.
There was an old saying that the Pope’s side always said: As a new era
has arrived, there is no need to growl and show teeth to each other.
The nobles, including Duchess Catherine and Cardinal Basel’s Vatican,

understood this better than anyone else.
I, too, nodded and spoke right away. It was only right to make the
friendly atmosphere even friendlier.
“Haha. Duchess Catherine, too… What are you grateful for? Rather, it’s
only right for me to say thank you.”
“No, Honorary Bishop. We, the eastern nobles, no, we are no longer
nobles. Gosh… Anyway, if the Honorary Bishop didn’t care about us, we
wouldn’t have been able to stand in the Goddess’ temple either. What
the Honorary Bishop has done for us will never be forgotten. I’d also
like to apologize for the things I made you take care of, since it’s a very
sensitive and heavy matter.”
“Of course I can understand, Duchess Catherine. Rather, thank you for
being with me. Thank you for trusting me. If the eastern nobles had not
been with me, things would not have worked out so well.”
“No. Rather, we were very happy to be able to share our will with the
imperial people, but…”
“Hahaha. You don’t have to worry, Duchess Catherine. I arranged seats

in the assembly for the nobles who joined the declaration of support for
the civil revolution. No. It is not something I prepared. Our imperial
people will provide it. Haha.”
“Thank you for caring for us.”
“I’ll thank you again, Honorary Bishop.”
“There is no need, Countess Elise. I’m all embarrassed. Hahaha.”
Our pleasant conversation was a stark contrast to the nobles who had
not taken our side.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
“It hurts… hurts! Help me! Help me!”
“Don’t miss a single one! We must not miss a single rebel who betrayed
the Goddess!”
“Don’t let Argimo’s sacri ice be in vain!”
“For the sacred democracy! For the Goddess!”

Hearing all that made me acknowledge what a pleasure it was to know
that I belonged to this group. I felt a bit guilty, but this was how society
worked, anyway.
“Then, why don’t we go to another place?”
“Where…?”
“Hahaha. We have to get this done right. Duchess! Cardinal Basel, come
with us, too. It is a glorious imperial people victory. On a day like this,
the Cardinal shouldn’t be left out.”
“This is…”
“Yes. Come with us, Cardinal. You have to introduce yourself to the
people of the Empire. You’re going to be the Holy Father now.”
“Ahem. Then, let’s do it. The great Goddess’s army has won, so of
course, we have to celebrate!”
It was when we were just about to move. Another group appeared in a

fairly close place.
When I saw that distorted expression, I smiled. Naturally, I began to

clap. The eastern nobles joined me in doing so.
“Hahahaha. Isn’t that the number one secret contributor to this

revolution? Your Majesty Charlotte! Hahahahaha. And all the nobles
who supported our revolutionary group! Thank you very much. Your
Maje… no, no. They are no longer the royal family. Charlotte-nim!”
“Y… you…”
“Well, well, well. Let’s move together! It is a great victory for the
imperial people.”
With a shameless expression, I lifted my thumb up, and a shivering ist
appeared in my sight.
CHAPTER 293
What she was thinking was obvious. If she wasn’t cursing me right now,
then she was probably thinking as to how shameless I was.
Her face looked as if she wanted to question or say something, but

when she saw Cardinal Basel and Duchess Catherine approaching, she
deftly closed her mouth.
In fact, the reason why she was able to come out of her hiding place and
come here was also because of my help from before.
If I hadn’t, she would still have to hide in fear of being swept away by
this ire.
“Hahaha. It was a fact that even I didn’t know. Charlotte-nim seems to

have been the secret contributor to this event.”
“Thanks to you. You helped a lot, Your Majesty.”
Of course, she deserved a thumbs up. I af irmed that if I had done it

alone, I would never have been able to complete the revolution in such
a quick time.
When she opened her mouth, I can see that her gaze had focused on me
again.
“I haven’t been able to tell you, but in fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say
Charlotte is the number one contributor to this revolution. We spread
the Sacred Democracy together and spared no effort in supporting both
sides in various ways! It is said that despite having a big contribution,
you give up everything for the imperial people, so it would be nice for
other imperial members to be as good as Charlotte. The people would
probably never have risen.”
“……”
“Hahaha. Am I right, Charlotte? It seems that our Charlotte-nim is so

thrilled that she can’t talk properly. Of course, that’s understandable,
since we are on the verge of completing the revolution you dreamed of.
Oh! And the same goes for the nobles who follow the Second Princess.
Well then, come here. In fact, you couldn’t join us in the Declaration of
Support for the Civil Revolution, but all the imperial people will know
that you were with us in your heart.”
I could see some nobles reading the room. Duchess Catherine and
Countess Elise were also holding the hands of other nobles having
conversations, while the others, who were a little nervous at irst,
began to settle down.
They had already igured out which one here was the popular one.
Those who really sympathized with Charlotte’s will were still with her,
but those who were acting for their personal gain already had their
switch posture button pressed. She kept rubbing her lips as if she had
something to say, but in this friendly atmosphere, causing a quibble
would be hard.
She probably cared more about the nobles behind her rather than
herself.
She understood that the imperial people would judge not only her, but
also the nobles with her if I were to say one word.
“Hahaha. You can laugh. Charlotte-nim, although some blood was
spilled, it is still a victory for the people.”
I didn’t intend to get under her skin, but her ists trembled once again
as if she didn’t like the way I talked. When I quietly asked for a
handshake, she held my hand tightly.
‘Ouch, it hurts.’
It was fun as it seemed to represent her feelings.
“Hahaha. I didn’t know that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung would be

close to Charlotte-nim…”
“We’re not that close, Cardinal Basel. We were connected as we were

running toward the same goal. Charlotte-nim also has a special regard
for the Goddess.”
“I know that well! Charlotte-nim made a very big decision. It would

have been a hard decision…”
“Isn’t that proof that she is thinking about the imperial people and the
Goddess? Haha. Well, well. Come this way. I will escort you. You might
see angry people… so you will probably be safe with me. Charlotte-
nim.”
“……”
“You don’t have to be so grateful, Princess. You don’t have to think of

this as a consideration. The things Charlotte-nim has done for me are
the real consideration.”
Seeing that she couldn’t even speak a word, it was no wonder that I felt
a gratifying feeling. In fact, she looked as if she wanted to punch my
smiling face, but she was now thoroughly in a weak position.
Perhaps she was thinking about what my intention was. To be precise, it
was natural that she had her doubts about why I was keeping her alive,
and although we had been working together so far, it was clear that
Charlotte and I had started taking a different route through this
revolution.
For me, I no longer need Charlotte. Since she didn’t know about Kim
Hyunsung’s request, she would be busy trying to use her head by now.
‘Okay. Why would I want to keep you alive?’
No matter how much I tried, all that would come as an explanation

would be about clearing up and ixing up after the revolution. However,
many people can do that besides her.
‘No. I guess not.’
Since most of the nobles were dead, a person who could quickly clear
up the confusion was also needed. Some can be said to be the Civil
Revolutionary Corps executives along with Oscar, but there was no way
that those who did not know about business could move a country
properly.
‘I should move the nobles of Charlotte’s camp together.’
That was right.
‘I did a good job of saving her.’
It was only because of Kim Hyunsung’s request that I saved Charlotte,

but at this point, I started to think that it had been the right choice. I
could also imagine the imperial family giving back sovereignty to the
imperial people, so Charlotte’s existence was a stroke of genius, no
matter what I were to think about it.
While pondering many things, screams could still be heard—screams of
those who could be said to be mostly from enemies.
I didn’t feel anything, but she seemed to be in pain upon hearing it.
“Oh. Look at the Goddess’ mirror over there! Honorary Cardinal Lee
Kiyoung. It seems that the evil Emperor and the First Princess, who
knows only luxury, were inally captured by the crowd following the
Goddess. Tsk, tsk. So clueless. Clueless! How can the Emperor, who is
said to rule a country, run away, abandoning those who protect him?
Tsk. Isn’t that right, Duchess Catherine?”
“Yes, Cardinal Basel. The people of the imperial family were always self-
involved. Oh. Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t say it with Charlotte-nim in
mind.”
Just in time, I could see, in the mirror of the Goddess, the Civil
Revolutionary corps handling the Emperor and his people.
Seeing that Charlia’s condition was quite good, it seemed that Jung
Hayan had been a step late. However, she still screamed the same way
as before.
-Charlotte… Charlotte, this dirty bitch! Everything is your fault.

Everything!
-…
-Let go of me! Let go of me! I am a Princess of the Empire! How dare

you… You bastards!
-…
-I told you to let go of me!

Of course, the eastern nobles were looking at the Goddess’ mirror
coldly. They were still thinking about her pouring hot tea on Marlin
Young-ae.
‘They are also very scary people.’
Fortunately, we were on the same side. Anyway, starting with Charlia in

the video, I felt that the crowd’s shouts were getting louder, drowning
out her screaming.
The scene of the existing vested rights being dragged down by the
revolutionary group was enough to be considered a spectacle. As
anyone could see, this time was the victory of the Civil Revolutionary
Group.
The remaining insurgents were quickly cleared up, and more and more
people were choosing to surrender with white lags, or were throwing
away their weapons.
“It is the people’s victory!”
“It is the victory of the Empire! It is the victory of our Civil

Revolutionary Corps!”
“Blessed be the Goddess Benigore!”
On the other hand, cheers popped out from everywhere.
“That damn bitch!”
“We must cut the throat of the ilthy Goddess’ traitors right now!”
“Kill it! Kill it!”
Those who wished for blood once more screamed in madness. Some
people were shedding tears at the thrilling victory, and some were
praying to the Goddess.
Anyone could see that this situation was fun. The Goddess’ mirror once
again showed Oscar.
As I had chosen her as the next leader, her promotion was not an option
but a must. Oscar’s appearance still looked sublime.
It was certainly beautiful to see her commanding a revolutionary group

with a lag raised to a sacred democracy, leaving many wounds behind.
‘Phew… I chose her well.’
I originally thought it would be good to use her as a scapegoat, but she

was more than I had ever imagined.
In an instant, a voice burst from Oscar, staring straightly at the camera.
-Surrender! The imperial people who are still resisting their interests
on the opposite side of Goddess Benigore, throw away your weapons! It
is pointless to spill blood anymore. This is the victory of the imperial
people.
The cheers burst out in response.
-Yeah. That’s right. It is the victory of the imperialists, the civil

revolutionaries, and the people!
‘Good, good.’
-It is a victory that has been wrought by your blood. It’s the Goddess’
victory!
‘Very good!’
-But, everyone, this victory was not achieved by our own strength
alone.
‘Of course, of course, you should.’
– All the foreigners who support our Civil Revolutionaries, and all the
Eight Seats of the Empire who are at the center of them, and some of
the nobles who have supported the Civil Revolutionary Corps are also
entitled to enjoy today’s victory.
‘Right! That’s it!’
-Cardinal Basel of the Holy sector and Charlotte, who made great
decisions for the Empire, are also good enough to be the leading roles in
today’s victory.
‘You speak well! Alice!’
-Those in the Civil Revolutionary Corps who have joined us from the
beginning to the end also deserve to be here!
Now was the time to head out. No wonder there was pride in the faces
of those who are here. The civil revolutionaries who were with us
started shouting our name. Oscar’s proper incitement and support have
paid off.
“Honorary Cardinal, now…”
“Ohh. I think we can go up together. Oh, before that, since many people
are watching, it would be better to tear off your clothes and put a little
dirt on them. Shouldn’t we leave the impression that we fought
together? By nature, the public always cheers for this.”
“Oh, right. Lee Kiyoung is right. Certainly, it would look a little weird if
our clothes were too clean.”
“Well, well. I will help you all. Oh! Charlotte-nim, come here, too.
Originally, in these things, it is more important to give a show.
Hahahaha.”
As I started to help, everyone here begun to transform, looking like we

had all been in a ierce battle together.
The cheers didn’t stop even when we appeared to the public, going up
to the place where Oscar was.
Anyone could see that this was the imperial people’s perfect victory.
However, the number of people who can climb on the platform was
limited.
The executives of the Civil Revolutionary Corps, whom I picked and

selected, and our nobles who had chosen well which side to get on were
the only ones who could. The foreigners and some of the Holy sector
were greeting each other. Some people might think that something was
weird, but what about it?
This kind of revolution naturally lowed in the direction the media

wanted.
“Puhahahahaha! This is our victory, imperial people!!”

CHAPTER 294
The cleanup went faster than I irst thought.
The people cheered fervently at us, who had become the new Empire’s
entitled of icials, and the Civil Revolution Group shouted in honor of
today’s victory. According to Oscar, it was a victory for both the people
and the imperialists. Though I thought differently, I chose to stay quiet.
It was my aim that the majority of the people thought they had made
this revolution.
‘That’s good. That’s good.’
No matter how I thought about this, I had no choice but to nod

satisfactorily.
The voices asking to bring the guillotine and cut the throats of the
Goddess’s rebels were rising, but the executives and nobles of the
revolutionary group, especially Charlotte, would not want such a brutal
task.
Their treatment should have been done legally, but also humanely and
democratically. It meant they would have to get a fair trial on the
surface.
Of course, this trial would move in the direction the new entitled
of icials want, but it was important to instill hope that this regime
would be different. The results would just be the same, anyway.
The important thing was, ‘Who is being executed and who is having a
toast?’
‘It’s sweet to be on the winner’s side.’
The Emperor and Charlia couldn’t be helped, but most of the nobles
who got on the wrong side would also have their heads blown away.
In fact, I could say that this was a positive side of this revolution.
This was an opportunity to sort out the incapacitated trash centered on

Charlia at once. I was sure that Charlotte would not be able to refute
this opinion.
Blood had to be spilled, but the fact that the nobles who exploited the
imperial people would have completely disappeared remains the same.
There were cities where the revolution had not yet been completely
inished, but I could bet that it would meet the same ending within a
few hours. Things were getting more and more fun.
Lee Jihye, who quietly took a seat next to me, seemed to be thinking
similarly to me, seeing that she was smiling.
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“It’s not bad.”
“Oppa.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry to say this during such a good time, but is it okay to talk
about work for a moment? Some things need to be done right now.”
“Of course, Nuna.”

“Well… irst, it’s about the grain or goods stored in the Imperial Palace.”
“I think you can check the important things separately, store them, and
take care of the rest. Sort by item and store things that you think will be
really helpful here…”
“Well… then, as you said, it would be better to keep the goods and the
items stored in the warehouse of the Imperial Palace irst and open all
the grains. I don’t think it’s bad to take on victory right now. I think
there will be a little left, though…”
“Then give some of them to nobles or something. The western and

southern nobles are also stocking up a lot, so it’s not going to run out
right away. Rather than that, how about the outside? Did it turn out
well?”
“I’m still busy moving the corpses. I thought I did it quickly, but there
were a little more dead than I expected.”
“Fair enough, since the knights and wizards possessed by the imperial
castle aren’t suckers. I was fortunate that Hee-ra was holding on to
Victor Hart. If it weren’t for that, things would have been a little harder.
Even if that old man had gone on the front line, he wouldn’t be able to
cut through the imperial people… still, he is one of the symbols of the
Empire.”
“He is.”
“Oh. And put all the dead in the National Cemetery, Nuna. It would be
nice to sweep away unnecessary space on the Imperial Palace’s side
and build a national cemetery for the Democratic Fighters in the corner.
Also, don’t forget the tombs of our democratic ighters Argimo and Bark
Teoku. For those who are a bit important, make the tombstone a little
taller.”
“It’s too hard for that… aren’t you giving me too much work? I’m busy
enough already…”
“I have my own work to do.”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t look that way… This isn’t what someone who is
drinking leisurely would say.”
“This is all real life. Maybe in a little while, you will get really busy.
Originally, in this kind of thing, it’s more dif icult to pick up the pieces
than to start.”
In fact, there were not just one or two things to worry about. Although
we tried to reduce property damage as much as possible, the amount of
damage would be enormous as the people from all over the Empire had
joined us.
Right now, I was able to withstand my personal property, the goods I

had accumulated in the imperial city, and the Holy side donations. Still,
the problem was a little more serious in the case of the cities where the
production facility itself was damaged.
The fact that most of the useful knights were dead was also a problem.
When I irst appeared, I enjoyed a comfortable life from the safe rear, so
I could not check the actual battle scene in detail, but the Empire’s
appearance after the battle was de initely disastrous.
There were also many imperialists cut with a single swing, and those
who could not be protected with magic ended up completely burned.
In fact, what had been worse than them were the Emperor’s soldiers
who rebelled against the Goddess.
That would be an indicator that the anger of the people was great. Of
course, there were also deaths among foreigners.
Since it was to deal with famous knights and wizards, it was an
unavoidable sacri ice, but the Eight Seats of the Empire, or named such
as Lindel’s Gal Oshik, and Imridan did not lose their lives.
If the Emperor hadn’t been shown running away in real-time, the battle
would have been a little longer, and more damage would have occurred.
In fact, such internal problems could be ixed somehow as long as time

would permit it.
‘Republic, United Kingdom, Heterogeneous Kingdom.’
Although it prevented foreign forces from jumping on the bandwagon

of the revolution or attacking, taking advantage of the chaos, the
current Holy Empire was in a situation where its power had been cut
off.
The irst concern was how the United Kingdom would think of this
revolution, how the Republic would react to the suddenly changed
regime, and whether different tribes would send their delegations.
In short, this had been a heavy blow for the continent. Whether it was
positive or negative is was known yet.
As I quietly looked away, I could see Lee Jihye quietly leaving.
She would have her things to sort out, but she left for a moment due to
the sudden appearance of a guest.
“Something happened, Charlotte-nim?”
Charlotte had a strangely heated expression.
Seeing her holding a wine glass in one hand, it seemed she was a little
drunk.
“I’d like to move… to a quiet place.”
It was true that the voice that seemed to be openly drunk made me
somehow anxious, but I willingly nodded.
Jung Hayan would be looking at me anyway, and Park Deokgu would be

keeping an eye on me, so my safety was guaranteed.
‘There’s no way this woman would suddenly throw a knife.’
“Yes. It would be better to do that.”
I felt like a gentleman escorting a lady at a party like this.
As I slightly extended my hand, I could see her holding it with a

reluctant face. Like the last handshake, her hands were illed with
emotion, and it hurt.
As I stepped forward and opened the huge window, I saw a balcony

where two people could talk in private. She took a seat on one side, and
I took a seat, too.
‘She wouldn’t push me from here, right?’
These scary thoughts continued to envelop me. However, seeing that

she had begun to speak quietly, it seemed that she hadn’t called me here
to kill me.
“Why did you save me?”
Ah, what an interesting question. Of course, I didn’t know how to

properly answer it, but I could still try. I couldn’t tell her Hyunsung’s
request, after all.
“It must be for a similar reason as Charlotte-nim told me. Didn’t you say
that the Empire at that time needed people to watch out for the public
eye? Haha. That’s exactly why. There is no reason to pretend. Oh. If you
doubt that, then I will change the answer. The reason is that I had no
reason to pretend with you.”
“There is no reason to pretend…”
“Aren’t you a fellow who has been running toward the revolution
together? Of course, there was a little difference between our methods,
but in the end, it produced the ideal results for both. The imperial
people won, and the existing privileged and deep-rooted evils forces
lost their power.”
“And new privileged and deep-rooted evils forces took their place. You,
and the people with you.”
“I don’t like the way you talk, but I’ll just smile and let it pass. Charlotte,
even if this revolution had been completed as a bloodless revolution, it
would have been inevitable for new privileged and new deep-rooted
evils forces to settle. That’s because the nobles under you are not by
your side. They do not have the same dream as yours. Of course, I don’t
know if there is one or two who really want to realize the same ideal as
you, but the vast majority of the nobles in your camp would not choose
to let go of their power.”
This was an undeniable fact. Charlotte looked as if she also agreed with
me on this front.
“It’s no different from drugs. The power to move the people being on
top is like drugs. Noble idealists like Charlotte-nim may not know this
well, but most nobles will agree with me.”
“So that’s why you killed the people. That power you call drugs has
forced countless imperialists and innocent soldiers to die.”
“I’m not the one who killed the people. They fought for the value they
wanted. If you say the sublime sacri ice of the democratic ighters is
meaningless, do you think that the empire people will like it?”
“They didn’t die for the value they want. You are brainwashing the
imperial people. You released fabricated information, agitated them,
and pushed them to the edge.”
“It’s not me who had been pushing. It was done by the nobles and royal
families of this country. It doesn’t mean there was no such thing as a
hoax, but what the Goddess’ mirror was re lecting was based on facts,
Charlotte-nim.”
“There was no need to… There was no need to do this!”
As she slammed the table on the balcony, the table cracked. I knew she
was strong, but it was a little unnerving to see such a display of
strength.
I knew what picture Charlotte really wanted, but even if I tried to refute
it before my greed, it would never be able to get refuted.
“So, as you wish, if an honorary revolution had really happened… Do

you think a lot would be changed from now? I bet it could have gotten
worse, but it wouldn’t have gotten better.”
“At least it wouldn’t have spilled a lot of blood. No, before that, we
wouldn’t have faced these different situations. The existing production
facilities would have been preserved, and the troops would have
remained intact and would have resisted other countries’ intervention.
It would not have instilled disharmony in the United Kingdom, and
many imperial people would not have to lose their families.”
“I can agree that the side effects could be minimized, but it would not
have been without side effects. This is not meaningless death, Charlotte.
It is important that the imperial people spill some blood and rise on
their own. If you had intervened, the imperial people of this country
would have lived their entire lives passively. The next time I face this
kind of situation, I won’t move thinking someone like you will help.”
“That’s a leap in your logic.”
“It’s not a leap, Charlotte. You may not know, but the history of
foreigners is evidence of this. Humans are a kind who do not realize
unless they learn. The same goes for the ruler and the ruled. The ruled
must try to pull the ruler down with its own hands, without the help of
people like you. They must try to kill their king. That’s historical
learning, Charlotte.”
“Humans are not so stupid. I don’t know what you think of humans,
but…”
“No. Humans are stupid. Not everyone lives with an ideal like you.
There are surely humans who can’t realize by themselves and only
understand by learning. That’s why this will help. It spilled a lot of
blood, but it must have been a great lesson. Later, the rulers will fear
the ruled, and the ruled will also remember that they can pull them
down and cut their throats. Charlotte, you said you need someone who
knows how to do politics that watch out for the public eye. From now
on, I bet those who have been in charge will be compelled to watch out
for the public. It’s only half, but I don’t think the output I’ve made can
be better than this. I am a conscientious person and not someone who
exploits the imperial people. This victory will be remembered not as my
victory, but as an imperial people’s victory, and this history will remain
in the hearts of the imperial people forever.”
I could see Charlotte, who listened to me, trying to open her mouth
again.
She would certainly want to refute, and there would be a lot to refute.
However, if we were to continue talking, it would be me who would
seem like the fool.
I then stood up.
“I! I have… one last question.”
“Yes.”
“Did you… foreigner’s country…”
“Yes. Surely, on the surface, it is a country in which the people have

sovereignty.”
“Is it… Is it…”
“Ahhh. I guess I know what question you’re asking. Well… I think this is
the only thing I can tell you.”
“…”
“Either here or there, the privileged do the same thing , anyway.”
I didn’t want to break the dream of a girl who believed in Santa Claus,
but the reality was indeed cruel. As I left Charlotte with her head
hanging down, I could see Jung Hayan and Yuno Kasugano coming up to
meet me.
Everyone seemed to be spending their time in their own way.
I had been thinking a lot, but as always, time would make me forget
everything.
In their own way, some would share joy, and others would dwell on
regret. The privileged would always be there, as always.
As usual.
As always.
And in that line of thinking, a little time had passed.
CHAPTER 295
TIME HAS PASSED (1)
[The history of the Holy Empire completely ended in the year 1093 of
the imperial calendar.]
[It was the will of the people who could not stand the evil done by the
imperial family and some nobles, and it was the will of the Goddess
Benigore, who tried to punish heretics, apostates, and rebels. On
November 9th, when the revolution was completed, the rebels’ trials
proceeded for exactly one week. On the 23rd, an institution called the
New People’s Assembly was created by the Civil Revolutionary Group.]
[The New People’s Assembly is an institution whose signi icance is that

200 members selected as representatives of the imperialists re-
establish the constitution and human law or discuss the state’s general
administration. It consisted of 42 aristocrats, 60 foreigners, and 98
members of the common public who made up the civil revolution,
which was the great irst step of the newly launched New Sacred
Democracy.]
[The irst agenda for them was the treatment of the apostates, but the
Holy See transferred their trial to the people in honor of the will of the
Civil Revolution. In the New People’s Assembly, the irst historic vote
was held, and the rebels’ execution was decided with 299 af irmations
and one abstention. At the end of the 29th, all the royal families were
executed except for the Second Princess, Charlotte, the last blood of the
imperial family. The execution was very humane because of the request
of the former Second Princess.]
[After that, the provisional government was established immediately,
and a general election was held under the auspices of the New People’s
Assembly. It was the irst Sacred Democracy’s proud…]
“It was the Sacred Democracy’s proud irst general election.”
“…”
“It was still less than a year ago, but it’s something you must know if
you live in our Sacred Democracy. It goes without saying that it was a
victory that had been won because of many people’s sacri ices. What
you have learned today is highly likely to appear in future exams, so be
sure to know. Now, here is the question. We learned it yesterday. Who
are the people who have the right to vote in our democratic country?”
“Me, me! Me! Me! Me!”
“Yes, student Luria. Shall we answer?”
“All the country’s people and foreigners who believe in Goddess

Benigore!”
“That’s the right answer. Well done. We’ll give you a compliment card,
so be sure to pick it up after class. As Luria answered, the irst thing
Oscar, who is the leader of the Civil Revolutionary Corps and now the
leader of our Sacred Democratic State, did after establishing the
Provisional Government was to give the imperial people the right to
vote.”
“Yes!”
I could see Dialuria, looking triumphantly behind her after shouting the
correct answer.
She wore a hat on her head as she continued smiling.

Max, the museum manager, who raised his hand but couldn’t make
himself heard, looked disappointed.
‘So cute.’
She seemed to be in quite a good mood, showing how active she was.
This was a class I visited to keep my promise with Dialugia, but looking
at that happy face, I started to think that it was a good thing that I came.
‘I have to see if her education is going well, too… ’
It was natural to wonder how Dialuria and Max were doing, and how
they were living. I couldn’t act as a father every day, but I wanted to see
how they’ve grown all the same.
In fact, to be more honest, I had my own personal reasons.
What I was more curious about was the current curriculum itself.
Publication of state-authored textbooks and appropriate education

were as important as outside work.
This division was not launched to work for only a few years.
Citizens’ education was a necessity, not an option, as it had to last for at

least a few decades, or even a few hundred years more.
I had once told Max and Dialuria that history education was not
important, but this did not extend to other children next to them.
History was evaluated as more important than swordsmanship or
magic, which were commonly considered as important.
Today’s young prospects become my faithful voters a few years later,

and their children also become valuable guests who would willingly
exercise a vote for us.
With the Goddess’ mirror completely under control, I didn’t have to do
this, but the more insurance, the better.
‘I can’t get off guard.’
It was why educational institutions were installed throughout the

Empire, even if it was considered a little too much.
When I glanced over, I saw Dialugia looking at Dialuria whilst smiling

widely.
The situation was the same for other parents. Of course, they had also
been eyeing me.
Although it was a private school where the sons of former nobles,

famous adventurers, or the children of well-known wealthy families
gathered, I was the Honorary Cardinal of the Sacred Democratic State
and the Vice Guild Master from the most popular guild in the Free City
of Lindel, no, in the country.
It was not unusual for them to focus on me.
‘It’s funny.’
To put it plainly, humans with higher authority than me in the Empire

could be counted within ten ingers.
If I were to think of even my unof icial position, they could be counted

within at least three ingers.
Despite the great revolution of the people, there was still an irreversible
gap in status. A lot of things had changed, but the point was, it felt like
nothing had changed. This was exactly what I had told Charlotte.
“Isn’t our Dialuria really smart?”

“Look, who did she get that from? Naturally, she is smart.”
“Yes. She de initely got that from me.”
Dialuria was likely smart because she resembled me. I could be sure of
it.
“Now, soon, the history class will be over. Next is swordsmanship

practice. After that, there is also magic practice. Let’s move, quickly. Oh,
and Dialuria is also learning alchemy through her after-school
activities, so please keep an eye on that.”
“I’ll go. You don’t have to whine about it. But Dialugia, this… does she
really need to learn this? Actually, I don’t think Tol To-ri needs it…”
“Aren’t you the one who told her to go to school in the irst place?”
“I meant to learn social life… not this.”
“Anything is good once you learn it. Indeed, she doesn’t need it as a
dragon, but our Dialuria said she wants to learn it… this behavior itself
helps brain growth. I am familiar with basic combat skills, too. Not all,
but I know some of the continent’s history. Of course, I don’t know it at
a professional level.”
“Ohh. You did.”
“Regardless of the reason, it de initely helps to use the brain, especially

at this time. She already has more magic power than all the children her
age.”
“There aren’t other dragons her age. How can we compare?”
“I know just by looking. Hihi.”

I felt like there was no fool for a daughter like Dialugia. I got all
embarrassed for her.
I thought she would’ve changed a bit, but now, I felt like she became
one of those hyper-parenting moms.
Of course, the difference was that she was sticking to me without

spreading much distance as in the past.
“Well. Then I’ll end the history class with this. The swordsmanship
practice will begin immediately, so students, prepare the weapon and
parents, please, move to the training center.”
Seeing that things were going just as Dialugia said, it seemed that she
really knew her schedule.
Anyway, as the teacher had said, I slowly started to move.
Of course, I didn’t forget to greet others who had come here to greet me.
“Honorary Cardinal. Hahaha. I didn’t even know that I would see you
here.”
“Yes. Long time no see, Senator Chenko. Haha. What a coincidence. Isn’t
this the irst time since then? How… is the council nowadays?”
“It’s always good. Oscar-nim is still the same. In fact, there are many
problems to solve, so it’s a bit concerning, but…”
“What, is there any problem that is too dif icult to handle?”
“It’s obvious. It is the United Kingdom again.”
“Ohhh.”
“I don’t know if they’re feeling threatened after the revolution, but
they’re still not favorable. Even the Republic sent us congratulatory
remarks, but they have no response at all, so… it’s just frustrating. I
don’t know if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working or not… It still
feels unorganized inside.”
“It will be obvious. They must probably also be anxious that a

revolution will erupt from within there. They must think about whether
or not there will be a spark of ire in their own country. You don’t have
to worry too much, Senator. Perhaps, in a little while, whatever it takes,
a solution will come out.”
“Hmm. I see.”
“Yes. In fact, you can rest assured that my trip to the neutral country is
also related to that matter.”
“As expected.”
“The kingdom will not be able to maintain that attitude over and over
again. Most of the foreigners living there are friendly to us.”
“You are referring to the Goddess’ mirror.”
“Yes. Right. Like the current people, in fact, foreigners are also very
familiar with the Goddess’ mirror. Contrary to the kingdom’s privileged,
the foreigners who are located there will surely be hoping for us to
export the Goddess’ mirror.”
As television suddenly appeared in this barren land where there was

nothing to enjoy, it was not unreasonable for the foreigners to harbor
such expectations.
Right now, even in Lindel, Celia, or Dawan, the reaction to the Goddess’
mirror was explosive.
Even though it had only happened for a short period, plans such as
dioramas and movies were also coming up on the surface, and the
‘Master of Battle,’ which was actually aired as a test, recorded explosive
audience ratings.
The craftsmen, who had been in this area for several years, talked about
the tips and know-how needed for battle and their experiences, and
there was no way that the reaction would not be good.
It was no wonder that the people, who had a lot of interest in

foreigners, had also begun to get addicted to this stupid box one by one.
I bet that each kingdom was struggling with the foreigners’ request to
import the Goddess’ mirror.
‘Culture and technology are also weapons.’
In a sense, it was more threatening than a sword or a spear.
While I was lost in my thoughts, I heard Dialugia’s voice again.
“Now is Dialuria’s turn! She’s doing it now.”
“Ohh. Yes. I’m going. Going.”
Although the swording practice had begun, my expectation had

diminished for the obvious result.
Our Tol To-ri was already capable of crushing the children around her
with only her basic physical ability.
As expected, she was showing swordsmanship knowledge, along with

her physical abilities, to the innocents in an openly provoking manner.
‘Better than most adventurers… ’

Even with the opponent who picked up the sword together, she did not
inish him at once, but used it to show herself.
From anyone’s perspective, it felt like the opponent was better, but the
kid couldn’t withstand the agility and strength of our Tol To-ri.
Even before inishing, she stopped the sword aimed at the opponent
and showed off her next skill.
‘Her opponent is so pitiful… ’
The kid, who had learned swordsmanship for a long time, was also
trying not to disappoint his parents, biting his lips tightly, but no matter
how hard a cat trained his claws, he couldn’t beat a tiger.
The difference in basic stats was so big that it could be considered a

joke, rather than a serious demonstration.
I, who could be said to be obtuse, somehow found myself empathizing

with the kid.
It was enough to be ashamed of Dialugia, who was clapping her hands

next to me and smiling.
“Isn’t our Dialuria doing great? I don’t know much about swording, but
even if I look at her with the other kids out there, she isn’t comparable.
Considering that it hasn’t been a year since she started it properly, she’s
indeed a talent from heaven.”
‘This is your daughter dragon. And that’s pushing it with force… ’
“How nice for her to be considerate of the other so that they do not get
hurt…”
‘It’s not a consideration. She’s toying with him… ’

“I think I’m making a fool of myself.”
I wanted to say all this, but it kept lingering in my throat.
“The winner is Dialuria.”
“Good job. My daughter! Dialuria! You’re the best! The best! Dialuria!”
Tol To-ri looked at me while taking on a victory pose. I didn’t know

where she had gotten it from, but she seemed to harbor the talent of
provocation.
CHAPTER 296
TIME HAS PASSED (2)
The world had changed so much as time continued to pass.
To be precise, only the Empire, or the country that was now called the
Sacred Democratic State, and its surroundings had changed, but at least
no one could deny that positive changes were taking place inside.
Most noticeable was the disappearance of the empire-wide class.
Of course, informally, there had to be a visible class. Most of the nobles

still had enormous wealth and were referred to as parliament
members, and Charlotte was also a part of the parliament.
However, the fact that the status system was of icially abolished was a
story that the general public would also cheer for.
Privileged classes such as the nobility and the royal family had
completely disappeared.
Of course, there should have been a privileged class of priests, but as

much as it had the Church’s title, there was no word about the
privileges the Holy sector enjoyed.
Rather, it was not necessary to explain that there had been a

widespread awareness of how they were wielding greater power than
before, based on sacred democracy. It was a privilege that should be
enjoyed by those with the job of a priest serving God.
Everything went exactly as I thought. Although distribution had not yet
been completed, the Goddess mirror was distributed one by one for
each generation, and the contents that were transmitted through the
mirror of the Goddess were all packaged and aired in favor of the
current government and foreigners.
Although a lot of information was released, it was natural that the

information that the general public could access was very limited.
Things I thought were a bit unfavorable to me couldn’t even be

examined in the irst place. A lot of the citizens had been fooled by the
television they called the Goddess’ mirror.
As a result, the task of shaking public opinion using the media was a
piece of a cake. I had been hoping for this to happen right from the very
beginning.
If the cage was comfortable, animals would not dare go out of the cage.
‘If they are happy, that’s it.’
No one cared about the truth. I didn’t know if it was because of the
Goddess’ blessing, but it was enough to leave the inside problems to our
Alice/Oscar.
It wasn’t that there weren’t any creaky parts, but she was moving as
well as I intended, and above all, she was passionate and highly
motivated.
What I had to think about at this point was the things outside the
country, rather than inside.
‘Are the kingdom bastards out of their minds?’
It was no wonder that what I just heard from Senator Chenko remained
strangely in my head. The problem was the United Kingdom, which was
sensitive to each and every step from this side. Of course, it was a
natural reaction.
Since a revolution broke out in a nearby country and the heads of the
royal family led, they were worried that a similar kind of revolution
would break out in their kingdom.
I could understand by looking at the world history that took place on

Earth, but I didn’t like the fact that they kept trying to ostracize our
country.
As the number of knights in the country had decreased signi icantly, I

wanted to avoid con licts with foreign forces as much as possible.
‘Alliance’
Alliance was necessary for the country to survive, and work to improve
relations with the Republic was also essential. To do this from only
within, the country was very limited.
My choice of a neutral country, Laios, was far too reasonable as my irst

diplomatic stage.
Of course, Dialugia would not have liked this news.
“So. You really are going outside today.”
“Aren’t you familiar with the inevitable situation? I talked about it a few
days ago… I thought that recently after I inished my work, I could
always come to the nest…”
“It was something you hadn’t done so far, so you just did what you were
supposed to do as a father. You know it’s not something you can show
off or use as a bargaining chip.”
“It won’t take that long. Still, today I attended her classes.”
“Actually, it’s a promise that should have been kept months ago.”
“It was an unavoidable situation. How can I visit a school that was
closed and has been remodeled? It is unfair to blame me for that since I
participated in a larger visit in a better circumstance. And I’m saying
because I’ve already said that. I am not that free either. Even during that
busy schedule, if you keep expressing your dissatisfaction like this,
when I have poured out my passion on Tol To-ri made her happy
enough, I can’t help but be disappointed. Or is there any other reason
that you don’t want me to leave the nest for?”
“What…”
“For example, Dialugia, you don’t want to let me go…”
Although it was a word thrown to provoke Dialugia, I noticed that

Dialugia’s expression had changed. She looked at me absurdly, as if
asking what the heck I was going on about.
‘Fuck… I am also popular, you know.’
I was loved by some unique people, but at least it was not enough for
me to be treated like that. No wonder my face heated up as she
continued to look at me the same way one would look at an insect. In
that moment, I saw Tol To-ri, no Dialuria, and Max running to us after
classes were inished.
Although her body trembled, she and I played a good relationship in

front of her. As I pulled her body as tightly as possible, Dialugia glanced
at me and frowned.
However, it was natural that she would be unable to push me away. She
must be conscious of Dialuria. Dr. Kang Hyun-wook’s solution was still
in progress.
“Dad! Today…!”
“Everyone was watching, Dialuria. I can see how hard you have been
working.”
“Hehehehehe!”
“Aside from classes like this, you are working hard on what your mother
is teaching you, right? What do you think, Dialugia?”
No wonder I looked at Dialugia with my eyes full of love. Dialugia, who

had been showing her rotten expression until now, was also acting with
love for her daughter.
“I saw it well, honey. You were amazing, Dialuria. Especially, the last
swording demonstration is really…”
“……”
Of course, Tol To-ri’s eyes, who harbored a twisted characteristic, would

see the two of us disapproving. The way she looked at her mother was
scary in itself.
Dialugia looked a little embarrassed, but I began to express affection

with the momentum that I would give in inite love, and she glanced at
me as if telling me to stop.
‘Screw you, woman.’
It was dreary and timid revenge, but I didn’t care at this point.
“Oh. Our youngest son, too, I watched you well.”
“Yes, yes.”
“You are getting along with Dialuria, right?”
“Ah… Yes… Yep, Father.”

“Yes!”
In fact, it didn’t feel like they were getting along very well. Max, the
museum manager, who had not forgotten the body-hammering of their
irst meeting, was still struggling with Tol To-ri, and Tol To-ri still did
not like her younger brother.
I usually thought that this was a problem to be solved by time, but it

was taking longer than I thought.
Anyway, as the class visitation, which I thought was a big task, ended,
and as we had a good time after eating together on the way back to the
nest, I didn’t see the time to leave for Laios fast approaching.
As expected, Tol To-ri cried and grabbed my pants, and he did not
express it well, but the manager also showed signs of disappointment.
“I’ll be back soon, so you have to listen to your mom and wait. Max, also
take good care at managing the museum, and the opening seems to
have to be delayed a little more because something has happened…”
“Yep. Okay.”
“Okay. Tol To-ri… No, Dialuria. This time it won’t take really long, so it’ll
be ine.”
“Okay.”
“Well, let me hug you. Come here.”
Her appearance of jumping in immediately was quite cute. I even

stopped as she ran towards me in dragon form.
With the sound of Kieeeeeek! There was a lot of saliva on my face, but I
didn’t get upset.
It felt as if Max was noticing the tearful breakup between a daughter
and father. As I beckoned, he noticed this and approached.
‘This one has also changed a little.’
There had been a strange increase in him acting like a baby. Originally,
even when she was in a human form, our Tol To-ri was openly clingy,
but in Max’s case, he often took a position that seemed to be constantly
watching out.
Perhaps it could be said that it was a side effect of having connected

with me too suddenly.
Of course, as he was the No. 1 contributor that accelerated the magical

hologram’s birth, I gave him the best care, but it was a different story
from whether Max was comfortable with me.
Only recently did he do this little by little, so I had no choice but to think
that the guy had also changed.
It didn’t seem as if he didn’t like to be treated as a child, as I saw a small

smile come out in response to a single stroke on his head.
‘He’s cute… ’
I couldn’t help but mull over all the changes that had happened as I
returned to the Guild House.
It was because it was not only the background and Max that had
changed.
Blue also had undergone a huge change. Now, the newbies brought in as
the Blue’s second party, Lee Chang-ryul, Yoo Ahyoung, and Han So-ra,
had grown to the point that they could no longer be called newbies.
In particular, Lee Chang-ryul achieved a startling growth, but rather
than stats and his talent levels, he had a colossal and fatal awareness of
battle.
As a blacksmith, Yoo Ahyoung grew enough to handle Dialugia’s scales,

and although a little lacking as a tank, she was able to grow into a kind
of front liner that could stand up stably based on her excellent stamina.
The same went for Han So-ra. She still had her lame one eye, but she
was on the verge of a direct contract with the demons beyond the stage
of beasts.
Of course, it went without saying that her growth as a Black Wizard was
a secret between us.
Ahn Ki-mo was still the same, but he was putting all-out efforts to raise
the second party to the level of the irst party with Hwang Jeong-yeon,
who of icially became Park Deokgu’s girlfriend.
‘Of course, it will be impossible, but… ’
Blue’s main party could be said to be the best in the current country or
continent. In Park Deokgu’s case, who was now solidifying his position
as a genuine tanker in name and reality, he hadn’t changed so much, but
his skills weren’t stationary. He had gone up to a position with his crazy
training, and in fact, he was able to ight with Kim Hyunsung’s eternal
lieutenant Cho Hyejin.
Originally, Kim Ye-ri, a kid who could be classi ied as a genius, had
achieved terrifying growth and grew up with an appearance that could
not be called a kid anymore, but for some reason, she did not grow at all
in one place. Sun Hee-young had also grown into a top-notch priest. She
was given the title of Honorary Bishop that I had previously received,
and she had a divine power worthy of its position.
If I had to clear it up, Blue had become stronger and stronger. Not only
by force, but also by political position, which had risen to the point
where no one would dare challenge it.
In fact, it was not an exaggeration to say that it was on the path to

success. Of course, even amidst such growth, some anxiety elements
somehow bothered my nerves.
There were two things, to be precise.
One thing was Kim Hyunsung, the lovely returner, and…
The other thing that ampli ied the anxiety more than him was Jung
Hayan, who had been very quiet recently.
‘It’s too quiet. Fuck… Why is she so quiet these days?’
Being able to make me so anxious without doing anything could be said

to be one of Hayan’s ability. The atmosphere was like the calm before
the storm.
Soon, the candle would blow out.

CHAPTER 297
TIME HAS PASSED (3)
In fact, there was not a big problem, even in Kim Hyunsung’s case.
He was still doing his job as a Guild Master quite well, and was also
doing various things simultaneously as one of the state’s Eight Seats.
He took the newbies and went to a heroic-grade dungeon, and of

course, he never neglected his personal growth.
Although he was a little hated by Charlotte, it seemed that he had

rebuilt their relationship by meeting her regularly, and while also
struggling to balance himself with Cho Hyejin and Kim Ye-ri, he
continued to meet with Park Yeon-joo, the Guild Master of the Black
Swan.
He was a handsome and capable guy, so it was no wonder a lot of

women got hooked.
No matter what I was to think of it, he was having good days.
Although everyone was busy with the Church’s internal arrangements,

no one could deny that they had a relatively relaxing and peaceful time.
The problem was that he was uncomfortable with ease.
‘Tsk… ’
‘Can I stay like this?’

It was natural that he often seemed to think these thoughts. Perhaps
the thing from a few months ago was crucial.
Actually, it was not much. In summary, it was a small event that

happened to the guild members, but it was an event that could be
classi ied as a little fun from my point of view.
Our returner, who had been serious for about two months, went
ambitiously on an expedition after convening the guild members.
I thought that the expedition itself was unreasonable because, at that

time, I was very busy with internal arrangements, but of course, I had to
think that there must be some reason.
It was because it wasn’t common for that guy to summon all guild
members, so I thought there might be a good reason. There had been a
great sense of responsibility to prepare for one of the catastrophes that
would happen in the future on Kim Hyunsung’s expression, so I also
had to be nervous.
Kim Hyunsung didn’t seem to take the deceased into account, but
things could get wrong.
In the case of other guild members, they had gone on an expedition,

puzzled. But when I opened the lid, surprisingly, nothing happened.
The only thing I could see in front of me was a common-grade

underground dungeon, and the expedition members had no choice but
to send a disconcerted expression to Kim Hyunsung.
There were cute little monsters, and even non-starter monsters placed
in the black curtain place that would drive Kim Hyunsung into a crisis
in the future.
‘Er… I arranged this place… because I thought you had been too busy
these days. This… it is a pep rally. A pep rally… Yes. That’s right. I hope…
you can take a break.’
I still couldn’t forget the guy’s trembling face of the guy, who completely
had no talent for lying. He carefully searched the dungeon to see if his
memory was wrong, but nothing could be found naturally. He
con irmed with his own eyes that the future had indeed changed.
He should’ve been relieved, but on the contrary, he seemed to be

noticeably nervous.
It was heartbreaking to see our lovely returner anxious. Of course, I

could understand to some extent. There must be many disconcerting
things for him now.
‘I think he thinks the future has changed too much… ’
If it were in the irst round, it would be time for the city where Park
Deokgu and I were living to disappear from the map, and Deokgu would
have crossed the rainbow bridge.
It was also about the time when Yuno Kasugano would have discovered
me in the ruins. There might be some time errors, but the rough
calculations were indeed correct.
In the black world, I must have been recuperating in Yuno Kasugano’s

room by now.
I did not know what happened in detail, but a city had been wiped out.
There was no way this case wouldn’t be reported in the irst round
because, whatever the reason, the city I looked at through Yuno
Kasugano had totally crashed.
That didn’t happen in this round. The ilthy killer Jung Jinho was also
killed before he had managed to grow, preventing the birth of the
Murderer Clan, and demon worshipper Ito Souta was also prevented
from seizing Lindel or summoning demons due to the performance of
the Honorary Bishop.
Yuno Kasugano’s Yozora Guild also increased their moves after meeting
me. With the press’s birth, some in luential people started to act more
carefully, and a sacred democracy was established in the country.
There were already many signi icant cases. There was no way that the
butter ly effect would not happen.
Obviously, Ito Souta, Jung Jinho’s agents, and those who were with them
also wouldn’t appear in this world. The number of the Murderer Clan
itself had dramatically decreased.
It was not surprising that the future disasters Hyunsung knew had
disappeared, as it was also thanks to the Free Cities of Celia and Lindel’s
attention to security.
It was right to be happy, but he’d also be anxious about it.
The big picture that ran through the continent may not have changed,
but there was no way to be happy that the merit of knowing the future
was fast disappearing.
Kim Hyunsung poured his anxiety into concentration and training to

become even stronger. He often traveled around the continent by
himself and seemed to move with the intention of stepping on
someone’s tail.
He was certainly in a situation where he could be at ease, but he was

opting for a way to blow away his anxiety by whipping himself up.
‘Because this bastard is feeling nervous… ’
I had become nervous, too. In Kim Hyunsung’s case, this was all.
However, in Jung Hayan’s case, the situation was a little different.
“Uh? Hey, hyung-nim!”
I heard a voice calling out to me as I had been walking.
“Ah. Deokgu.”
As I turned, Park Deokgu, who had not changed much, came into view.
He was still the same, except that he had gotten a little bit bigger. It was
a spectacle to see him running this way, being on the lookout. It looked
like he was guarding me, but unfortunately, I was not under threat.
“I mean. It’s dangerous to go around alone like this. If you had sent even
one pigeon, I would have met you in the nest.”
“There’s no danger… we’re not in another country. It’s Lindel. Didn’t

Hayan come along?”
“It seems she is stuck in her room today… I asked her to come to meet
you together, but she refused, saying there was work to be done.”
‘This kind of thing makes me nervous.’
I’m sure Jung Hayan would never have made this choice. She was not
only strangely quiet, but there had been a small change in her behavior.
“Come to think of it, you’re kind of separated from her these days… Did
you two ight?”
“That’s nonsense.”
“If you have any concerns, get a consultation from Dr. Park Deokgu…”
“It’s nothing like that.”

“Even if it’s Hyung-nim, you’ll have a couple of worries. You’re welcome
to speak frankly at any time.”
‘I wish it had been a ight, you bastard… ’
That’s right. If we really had a love ight or something, I wouldn’t be this

nervous.
In fact, her behavior hadn’t changed signi icantly from the usual. I still
could feel relieved that Jung Hayan had not stopped stalking me yet.
She sometimes observed me through Anemone’s Eyes, and when I went

to meet her, she still stuck to me like crazy.
She often insisted that we should go out on a date, and she still tried to
have physical contact with me in any way.
What had changed was that she had not been sticking to me for 24
hours like before. If I calculated the average amount of time we were
together per day, it was less than 5 hours. It was an unbelievable
situation if I compared to the old days when she tried to stick with me
all day long.
I thought about whether she had matured or not, but the odds would be
small.
‘No. Maybe she has really… matured, but… ’
In fact, there were many times where I felt like she was trying to
restrain herself.
As a great example, when I went out to meet Hee-ra or Yuno Kasugano,

she didn’t even cause a scene, and even when I went out for dinner or
didn’t come back to the guild house for some time with work, she didn’t
come to look for me.
She was still biting her lips, waving her hands, and telling me to come
back quickly, but she seemed to have a notion that she should not cause
trouble to these people.
I couldn’t complain about that, but I felt like Jung Hayan herself was
under more stress.
I could see how stressed Jung Hayan was, just by looking at her.
She bit her nails so much that her right ingernails were all messed up,
and there were many times when she looked tired as if she didn’t have a
nice sleep.
I even witnessed her muttering alone or screaming loudly, saying she

was an idiot, so it was not unusual for me to tremble at the thought of
what she could change into.
Right now, she had been quiet and well, but her condition was like a
bomb that might explode at any time. As this situation persisted for
several months, there were times when I approached her irst.
‘She’s not playing games with me, right?’
Of course, I couldn’t picture Jung Hayan doing that. If this was a

strategy, she was half-successful. I had spent a lot of time actually
worrying about Jung Hayan.
“What is she doing?”
“Well, it seemed the same as usual… isn’t Hayan going to Laios with
you?”
“Yes.”
“I think I’ve heard that… she’s preparing for that…”

‘Has she really matured?’
I couldn’t imagine Jung Hayan waiting for us after packing things up

irst, but if Park Deokgu’s words were true, I could think of the
possibility that she had really matured.
As I slowly walked, I arrived at the guild house in Lindel. The guild staff
greeted me one by one, including the newbies and others.
“Hee-young-ssi.”
“Oh. You’re here, Kiyoung-ssi. Do you need to leave right now? I have
something to discuss with you about the Holy sector…”
“Yes. I think I have to pack and go right away. If it isn’t anything that will
take long…”
“No. If so, I think it would be better to talk next time.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. No. There is no need to be sorry.”
After greeting Sun Hee-young, it was natural to take care of Han Sora,
who had decided to come with me.
The urinary incontinence symptoms that popped up when she saw Jung
Hayan were somewhat cured. I thought it would be appropriate to take
her as an assistant because she had actually proved herself to be
competent.
I couldn’t keep Hee-ra and Yuno Kasugano, who were coming together,
waiting again, so I had no choice but to go upstairs to pack.
‘What is she really doing… Is she really getting ready?’

Of course, even at that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder what Jung
Hayan was doing.
It was the irst time wherein she didn’t show her face to me, even
though I had arrived at the guild.
It was just when I tried to divert my happiness circuit without even

realizing it that something unusual happened. With a short bang, the
door in the next room bounced out.
“I… I did it. I did it… it’s done! Hehehehehe! It’s done now!!”
Hayan seemed to be in a good mood.
Of course, I looked at the door. After seeing Jung Hayan in the room
with my own eyes, I had no choice but to swallow hard.
I wanted to laugh because it was so ridiculous.
‘Magic power… her magic power stat… Ninety-nine.’
Jung Hayan stared back at me.

CHAPTER 298
MAGIC POWER STAT 99 (1)
“O-Oppa! I did it!”
“Oh… Right…”
“I-I inally did it!!”
I heard a voice that sounded very excited. And it was not just her voice.
Her face was positively glowing, too. It was a sight to see her run over,
opening her arms as if she were asking for a hug.
It was the irst time she had been running openly like this, so I couldn’t
help but feel a little embarrassed.
As I opened my arms and patted her back, she sniffed and buried her
face deeper into my chest.
‘She’s as usual.’
As usual, although nothing had changed, I was very concerned about

the magic power that now luctuated inside her body.
‘Ninety-nine magic power… ’
It was ridiculous, but my ability never lied.
I felt so disconcerted that I had to clear my throat. Of course, I expected

that she would grow, but I never imagined it would increase so fast.
When certain stats entered the 90 range, one’s growth slowed
noticeably.
If the growth potential was heroic-grade or higher, it was almost

impossible to level up, and even if it was a legendary-grade or higher, it
was still not easy to raise the stats.
In Jung Hayan’s case, having magic power of 90 with a legendary-grade

item and a case of successful ownership, her stats had exploded.
Although the magic power increased very quickly, it was, of course, an

abnormal growth route and had its own side effects.
She chose to increase the specs because of her desire to get stronger
quickly, but she was in a situation where she had to take some time to
review the path she got.
After twists and turns, she got a magic power stat of 98, but the time it
took to raise the magic power stat by 1 was about 3 to 4 years.
In fact, Kim Hyunsung also judged that it would take a lot of time to
assimilate the things Jung Hayan possessed, and he expected that she
would spend about a year only learning the magic she had learned from
the legendary item, Anemone.
‘She turned it over.’
She had turned it over perfectly.
Jung Hayan, currently having magic power of 99, meant that she had
assimilated all the magical powers absorbed from the blood-stained
gem, Anemone.
Without that being enough, it seemed she had pushed through the
limits.
I hadn’t seen her hold on to magic lately, so I never imagined that she
would grow so suddenly.
‘So, it was this.’
This was the reason she was quiet. It seemed that she put some
restrictions on herself.
I didn’t know the details, but I thought there might have been a promise
with herself, such as refraining herself until she reached the goal.
I had to be happy and applaud, but thinking that a rugby ball, which
could bounce anywhere, had risen to the ranks of Superman in name
and reality, I couldn’t help myself from feeling alert.
‘How far did she get?
I couldn’t measure her combat power well.
‘Fuck… She mustn’t be stronger than Kim Hyunsung, right?’
She was not.
The growth balance of Jung Hayan was too specialized for magic and
intelligence. And in the irst place, the wizard’s interpersonal battles
could not be compared to that of a swordsman or a warrior.
However, at least in terms of irepower, I personally judged that she was

not behind. I wanted to use the combat power meter Park Deokgu, but
even if I were to compare with Park Deokgu, if the current Jung Hayan’s
magic hit him, he would become a barbecue in no time.
If I were to think about simple irepower, she might be in the top three
of Lindel’s, no, of the entire State.
Naturally, I was happy and anxious at the same time. But for now, I
thought that congratulating her growth was the irst thing to do.
“Oh! M-My magic power has increased. It’s ninety-nine now! I can use
magic that I haven’t been able to use until now, and I think I can do
experiments with things I’ve been thinking about!”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
“That’s really great. Hyunsung said it would take a few years.”
“I-I worked hard, though. I’ve worked hard thinking about Oppa. That’s
why I haven’t been able to give you a lot of attention. Now we could be
together a little longer. Hehe.”
“That’s great. I also thought that Hayan wanted to be alone.”
“No! Absolutely not! Never! When I’m with you, I always keep thinking
about something else…”
“Ah… Okay…”
I could tell what the other thoughts were, but I didn’t ask in detail.
“You must be tired, then. It looks like you didn’t sleep…”
“Yes. Actually… I am a bit…”
“I think I better go to Laios alone, right?”
“No! I-I’m ine! I’m not tired at all! L-let’s sleep together. No, let’s go
together, Oppa. I’m almost done packing!”
I didn’t even think I would be able to leave her anyway. When I glanced
into the room, I could see the inside as if it were in ruins.
I was sure that she hadn’t packed her luggage, let alone mine.
I wanted to go without her as an unknown uneasiness kept rising, but it

also worried me to leave her in this condition alone.
There was some internal con lict, but it was only the right choice to take
her. I could see her rush into the room and pack her things just in case I
suddenly changed my mind.
She had a smile, and seeing her even humming, it looked like she was
thrilled.
It felt like she had gained a lot of con idence.
I could see her simply packing up her clothes and cosmetics as if she
could buy everything else she needed in Laios.
I also went into the room and packed my own luggage.
After a while, I went down to the irst loor with Jung Hayan, and from
there, I could see Park Deokgu and Han Sora waiting for us.
Han Sora felt a little surprised when Jung Hayan came down, but she
remained calm. She realized that she was in a good mood, seeing her
with a pleasant smile on her lips.
“Are you not going to say goodbye to the Guild Master?”
“I did it yesterday. Today, Hyunsung-ssi said he would not be able to

meet us because he had something to do… Let’s leave quickly. We will
be late.”
“Hey, we’re this late because Hyung-nim and Hayan came out late. But if
we move fast, we will arrive on time. If not, I can run with all of you
three.”
“I refuse that… let’s move. I think it’ll be ine if we’re a little late.”
“Okay.”
We said goodbyes once again to those who came and turned our backs.
I could see Kim Hyunsung, who said he might not be able to come out. I
was happy to see him, but I didn’t bother to give him a lowery greeting.
I smiled and held out my hand at the face of the guy who always seemed
nervous recently, and he also held my hand and smiled.
“I’ll be back.”
“Yes. If anything happens, I will contact you.”
“Okay. Hyunsung-ssi.”
This was the end of the goodbye as I didn’t plan to be away for long.
I couldn’t make the Red Mercenaries wait too long, so I walked as

quickly as possible.
Jung Hayan was holding my arm tightly and showing a triumphant

expression. Park Deokgu had an anxious expression in case we would
be late, and Han Sora was steadily maintaining a safe distance from
Jung Hayan.
In the meantime, Jung Hayan seemed to want to get a reward for being
separated as she was gradually burrowing into my arms.
In fact, I felt a little uncomfortable. But right now, I thought it would be
better to let her do what she wanted.
There was nothing good about giving her a bad mood.
‘Did she think I’d like it if she got stronger quickly?’
There must be such a reason, but I thought there was probably a

slightly different explanation.
When I recalled, it was after she saw someone powerful with her own
eyes that Jung Hayan irst started obsessing with power.
She continued to go through situations in which she needed strength,

and that memory served as her driving force and spurred her growth.
If my prediction was correct, I might have a little headache to contend

with in the irst place.
As we chitchatted, I saw some people waiting for us in front of the

meeting place.
It was de initely attractive to see her wearing clothes that reveal her
body shape, just like when I irst met her. The woman with red hair, the
Guild Master of the Red Mercenary, and one of the State members.
She was the Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra, who was called the number
one in Lindel’s name.
She was still the same, rushing in this way and opening her mouth with
her arm on my shoulder.
Although Jung Hayan was startled for a moment, she did nothing but
stare at Cha Hee-ra.
“You’re a little late, honey?”

“Oh. Because work ended a little late…”
“Such an unbelievable lie… Well, you must be late procrastinating in the

guild house. Anyway, let’s go. Oh, long time no see.”
“Yes…”
“How have you been?”
“Well…”
However, Jung Hayan’s expression looked quite strange. It wasn’t

obvious, but it felt like she was measuring Cha Hee-ra up.
She didn’t look hostile, but it looked like she was trying to start
something slowly.
‘Fuck… What’s up with her?’
I didn’t know how to put it, but Jung Hayan, who slowly looked up and
down at Cha Hee-ra, also kept moving her ingers up and down.
Cha Hee-ra, who took me into the carriage with her arms around my
shoulders, also stopped.
I could see that she turned and looked directly at Jung Hayan. There
wasn’t any conversation, but somehow, I felt like I was being ignored.
Jung Hayan’s risk meter, Han Sora, hobbled and moved to Park Deokgu’s
back, the combat power meter, and the sudden situation dumbfounded
Park Deokgu.
It felt like a bomb was going to go off. It wasn’t good timing for me to do
something about it.
The two were just looking at each other, and Jung Hayan wasn’t
particularly rude to Cha Hee-ra.
“Why? Do you have anything to say?”
“N-no… actually…”
“But why do you look at people like that? Huh?”
“H… How did I look?”
‘Don’t fucking do this, you two… ’
Suddenly, the surroundings become quiet. Those who gathered to go to

the Laios together and the voices that were heard from the
surroundings could not be heard.
I suddenly wanted to pray to Goddess Benigore right at this very

moment.
Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, Jung Hayan lowered her head

a little, and Cha Hee-ra smirked and started talking to me once more.
Of course, the arm on my shoulder and her chest position, which was
strangely close, were still there.
“Let’s go in, honey.”
It was then that Jung Hayan opened her mouth.
“I think… you’d better put that arm away…”
She was whispering to herself, but it was loud enough for us to listen.
“O-O-Oppa seems to be uncomfortable…”

“…”
“…”
“What?”
‘Don’t fucking really do this, you two… ’
Jung Hayan was smirking. Cha Hee-ra’s own expression was

unreadable.
CHAPTER 299
MAGIC POWER STAT 99 (2)
It felt like the air was getting heavier.
I didn’t know why, but it was getting harder and harder to breathe. An
unknown pressure had bloomed within this atmosphere.
‘Fuck… ’
Jung Hayan, too, was not doing any other threatening actions.
I had no choice but to pray that she would not do a crazy thing, like
openly being hostile to Cha Hee-ra. However, the fact that her behavior
was a little strange was undeniable.
I didn’t know how to put it, but it might be appropriate to say that she
was acting up.
Of course, Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra didn’t have a vertical

relationship, but Cha Hee-ra had the upper hand in this.
The madwoman with her red hair was the only anger control disorder
therapist in Lindel, and the treatment was in some ways valid for Jung
Hayan.
Since there was a gap between the two that could not be illed, Jung
Hayan lowered her head irst.
The reason why Jung Hayan suddenly took this position was simple.
’99 magic power.’
Now she must be thinking she was stronger.
‘Is this animal kingdom or something?’
Cha Hee-ra’s balancing had ended in Jung Hayan’s mind. It would be

appropriate to say that it was a small struggle that had started within
Jung Hayan.
I didn’t know if I was reminiscing about the revolution that took place
in the Holy Empire, but it felt like seeing a young challenger showing
his teeth to a male who monopolized a female.
It was natural to reminisce an intense struggle.
Of course, in my case, the genders were reversed, but the fact that I was
in a similar situation was undeniable.
It was a spectacle to see the two slowly exchanging words while making
the situation more uncomfortable. I bet, if these two had nothing to do
with me, I would have escaped from this situation straight away.
Just like Han Sora, who was already far away.
“What?”
“I think… Oppa is u-uncomfortable… nothing else…”
“…”
“…”
“I don’t think there is no other reason…”
“You’re… m-misunderstanding…”
“…”
“…”
“I’m not misunderstanding…”
“You’re really mistaken… it’s true. I don’t mean anything else. I told you.
It’s just because Oppa looks u-uncomfortable…”
“Sister, do you think I’m a moron?”
The atmosphere had changed in an instant.
Of course, I thought I had to intervene, but Cha Hee-ra blocked me,

blatantly coming forward as if telling me to shut up.
In no time, she had stridden towards Jung Hayan.
There was a slight height difference, so Cha Hee-ra was looking down at
Jung Hayan, and Jung Hayan was looking up at Cha Hee-ra. However,
Hayan looked con ident.
“You know you’re annoying me right now, right?”
“I don’t think I do…”
“…”
“…”
“Now, you’re talking to me informally.”
“I’m not sure…”
“So why are you glaring like this?”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I’m j-just as usual… i-it seems
like eunni disapproves of me. E-Eunni, you don’t like me, right?”
“…”
“I guess you went crazy, right?”
“…”
“I think I know why you’re doing this shit, but if you don’t want to die,
look down.”
“What?”
“I won’t say it twice, newbie. If you don’t want to have your delicate
neck twisted, look down right now.”
Suddenly, I felt as if I was suffocating.
Until now, I felt like it was hard to breathe, but suddenly, something
seemed to be stuck in my throat.
Cha Hee-ra started threatening Jung Hayan by drawing up all her

energy. I wasn’t sure if it was her magic power or killing aura, or
whatever, but I just knew I had to leave right away.
It was hard to imagine how much pressure Jung Hayan would feel since
even I was feeling it.
‘Fuck… ’
No wonder I looked at Cha Hee-ra with my Mind’s Eye.
I could see in real-time that her intelligence stat was going down, little
by little.
Of course, her strength stat was constantly rising.
She was using her unique characteristic to reduce intelligence and

increase strength. It felt like they were really going to ight, and my feet
moved without my knowledge.
I thought Cha Hee-ra to be at least rational, but considering that her

title was a Blood-Thirsty Madwoman, a red madwoman in the Holy
Empire, her temper was far from rational.
It was not an exaggeration to say that her current position and being a
group leader were giving her a cosplay of someone normal.
To put it, she was a lioness with chains on her own, a mad dog who was
holding her temper.
It was true that a young challenger had nudged a sleeping lion’s nose.
‘Stop it, Hayan… ’
There was a reason as to why she had reigned as queen of Lindel for
years.
Actually, I know what Jung Hayan was thinking. Her magic power stat
was 99, and she had actually grown to an unparalleled level from
before.
Judging by those who can be said to be powerful, for example, Garrosh

& Cash’s Gal Oh-sik and Im Li-dan, too, were no match to Jung Hayan.
However, in Cha Hee-ra’s case, the story was a little different.
‘Strength 98.’
The basic strength was 98, and also, it was possible to move the
intelligence stat to the strength stat lexibly at any time.
‘Strength 101, 103, 106.’
As the strength continued to increase, the intelligence decreased.
While I was worried that the same situation as the last time would
happen, I had to look at what kind of action Jung Hayan would take.
Biting her lips tightly and her eyes illed with strange spite, her face
seemed to be getting more and more angered.
This was not a cat ight. It felt like bloodshed.
Hayan indirectly challenged her, and the red-haired madwoman was

now trying to stamp out the new challenger.
I bet, if Jung Hayan had been a person who had nothing to do with me,
the incident would have happened no matter what.
‘Does she think she’s stronger?’
She might have thought it was worth trying, but the reality was a little
different.
I also didn’t doubt that Jung Hayan was strong, and I thought that she
could actually be a match to Cha Hee-ra, but when I opened the gift box,
I could con irm that the experience and years between them were
different.
‘She’s stronger than I thought.’
Even though her class was the Mercenary Queen, considering that she
didn’t carry a weapon, she was even more than that.
“…”
“…”
When they were spending some time with each other, inally, one of
them started to lower their tail.
Of course, this ight’s winner was not the new challenger, but the red-
haired madwoman guarding the throne.
Jung Hayan began to lower her head as she talked slowly.
‘Yes… Do that.’
As if she felt it was unfair, tears were forming in her eyes, and her hands
were trembling.
Now, when she just thought that the world belonged to her, the wall she
thought she could overcome blocked her once again, and it seemed that
tears of injustice had burst out.
“Haaap…”
“If you were like this from the beginning, we wouldn’t have to do this. I
told you when we irst met.”
“Hic…”
“I don’t remember exactly what I said, but… did I tell you to learn how
to kill a killing aura? I think so. Isn’t it right, honey? Today, I will teach
you one more thing, sister.”
“Hic…”
“If you’re not sure, don’t try. Don’t mess with me. Do you know what I
mean?”
The situation ended with Cha Hee-ra patting Hayan’s shoulder like that.
It was a very short time, but it seemed even longer to me.

Cha Hee-ra stroked Jung Hayan’s head as if it wasn’t a big deal, but the
challenger wouldn’t have overreacted like that if she thought it was
nothing.
In fact, it was correct to think that she moved because she felt
threatened to some extent.
“Honey, you can also come here and talk to her. Well, it’s good if you
comfort her, and make her understand what I’m saying…”
“Ah… okay, Nuna.”
“I said it irst in case something happens later, but if this happens next
time, I won’t stay still. You know what I’m saying?”
I understood this enough.
It would cost a life.

CHAPTER 300
LAIOS, THE NEUTRAL
COUNTRY (1)
I still was anxious, but pressuring Jung Hayan had been done properly. I
really wanted to get mad and ask what crazy thing she was doing, but I
couldn’t say that right now.
Jung Hayan wanted to annoy Cha Hee-ra little by little, and Cha Hee-ra
had overreacted.
I thought they both had their own faults.
If I were to take Cha Hee-ra’s side too much, it might cause other
problems.
First, after pointing out Hayan’s attitude, I started by saying that she
should show a little more respect, and I also expressed that I wasn’t
really uncomfortable.
Of course, it was natural to latter her in the midst of that by saying,

‘thank you for thinking of me’ or ‘I understand you.’
When I irst pressed her a little harshly, she had produced thick tears,
but after that, I could see that her face melted at the other bene its that
lew in.
Everything didn’t go as she thought, but I was satis ied as to how it had
ended.
‘Damn.’
It felt like she was still thinking the way she wanted to.
Of course, she had nodded at my stern warning, but I had doubts about
how far this effect would go. This was only a preview of the disaster
that was to come.
Seeing that she had shown her teeth to Cha Hee-ra right after gaining
strength, it was evident that she would do this to others even more.
If she was left alone, even if she was quiet right now, an incident would
de initely happen someday.
In the irst place, magic was a dif icult area for me to understand.
It was hard to imagine what a wizard like Jung Hayan can do when they
got enough momentum.
‘Although it is dif icult… ’
Nevertheless, Jung Hayan was very important to me.
In a way, this was no different than an equivalent exchange. If the price

of dealing with Jung Hayan magician was to care for her mentality
enough, it was a business that I could do.
The problem was that it became strangely dangerous, but considering

the future, this could be well-tolerated.
Of course, she was not the only one who I needed to take care of.
However, Cha Hee-ra was much easier to care for than Jung Hayan.
Among the people I knew, she was one of those I communicated the
best with. At least, until she turned crazy.
From my perspective, the two should stay the same without any
friction. However, it was not that easy to solve other people’s work.
Of course, Jung Hayan wasn’t starting any quarrel with Cha Hee-ra, but
anyone could feel a strange atmosphere between the two of them.
Park Deokgu and Han Sora, who specialized in detecting Jung Hayan’s
dangers, was no exception.
“So, recently, I felt like Hayan had a sharp edge!”
“Ah… right.”
“Yes. It’s what I’ve said many times. We haven’t had time to do anything
properly because we’ve been busy, but, naturally, even Hayan is
stressed!”
“…”
“I think it’s de initely time to refresh. In fact, Hee-ra also had a little
edge in her reaction, but Hayan’s eyes were a little harsh, too. It’s hard
to de ine just what… honestly, I was a little scared, too. I’m sorry to say
this, but I just wanted to leave.”
As I slowly turned my gaze toward Han Sora, I could see her trembling.
“You can believe it because I de initely saw it with my love dating expert
Park Deokgu’s eyes. Honestly, it seems like Hyung-nim and Hayan are
getting along well, but the progress is too slow, and since Hyung-nim is
so popular, every woman sticks to you like this! And like that! Ahem. No
matter how freely this continent thinks about love, people like Hayan,
who is too soft and can’t kill a single ant, get too stressed out about this.
Yes, absolutely! Isn’t that right?”
“Yes… Sure…”
I was curious about where the information ‘being unable to kill a single
ant’ came from, but there was no energy left to tackle Park Deokgu’s
words.
Han Sora, the biggest victim of Jung Hayan, was also staring at Park
Deokgu as if he was talking bullshit, but for the sake of her social life,
she nodded meekly.
However, with her lips tightly closed, she seemed to be preparing for
the real situation that might come.
“It’s a good idea for you two to go on a trip sometime. The territory
from the man said to be that Nabot Baron, no, now he’s a senator!
Didn’t he say there was such a thing as a Mirror Lake? You can go out
there sometime, enjoy the boat, have dinner, and then it’s the best if the
carriage gets cut off…”
“We have to go around here for a long time to get to the Mirror Lake.
And why would the carriage be cut off? I have a griffon.”
“Of course, that’s all excuses. That’s what they usually do. Ahem. I can’t
say… exactly, but that’s what they usually do.”
“I may go out to play someday, but…”
“Not now. You mean this?”
“We can take a rest in Laios. They’ll be taking care of us there. Of course,
after that, we’ll have to move busily, but we can still rest. Anyway, as
you said, I should go out with Hayan.”
Even Yuno Kasugano’s trip to Laios was also scheduled.
Except for Lee Jihye, who was in the Black Swan, all those related to me
were gathered.
There was no need to explain that I felt a little guilty as much as there
had been an incident with Yuno.
‘Fuck… ’
Of course, I just said nothing had happened at the time.
Rather, I escaped the crisis by getting angry, but there was no doubt
that Jung Hayan had not forgotten about that.
As she revealed her teeth to Cha Hee-ra, there was no guarantee that
she would not do so to Yuno Kasugano.
‘She’s different from Cha Hee-ra… ’
Although strong enough to rise to the Eight Seats of the Empire, Yuno
Kasugano was the support-type.
If I measured her in terms of combat power, Yuno Kasugano couldn’t

handle Hayan.
‘She’s not going to do crazy things like when we were in the Shrine.’
Since the Jung Hayan regression case, there was no way that she had
been thinking of such crazy thoughts until now.
However, it was worth considering that, upon having a lot of time alone
with her, as Park Deokgu said, as much as something could happen.
While pondering, Park Deokgu opened his mouth again.
Seeing that the subject hadn’t changed yet, it seemed that he also took
this case quite sensitively. Of course, he didn’t seem to have the same
worries as me, though.
“That’s that… So, what are you going to do about Hee-ra and Hayan? To
be honest, I’m de initely on Hayan’s side… Still, the atmosphere is
uncomfortable. That atmosphere is more terrifying than ighting
openly. I’d rather try to make them talk…”
‘That’s probably the thought of those who wish to commit suicide.’
“But I’ve heard that there are a lot of problems like this on the continent
these days. Since everyone is monogamous and polygamous, of course,
there is such a thing as having a staring contest. Well, I had a drink with
a friend in the past, and I heard that he also had two wives.”
“Oh. Who?”
“Maybe Hyung-nim knows… It’s Gal Oh-sik.”
“Of course, I know. That friend was quite useful… How did you get to
know him?”
He was the one I wanted to make strings with.
Seeing that he was quite close to Deokgu, I didn’t have to do anything.
“Of course it is by a love consultation! In any case, he’s running a clan,

and he earns good money, so it seems like it happened. But the problem
is that the two don’t get along. Every time they met, they stare at each
other, they talk behind their backs, they raise their voices, and they
ight, so my friend is in the middle having a hard time.”
‘That’s not even having a hard time… That’s good enough.’
If it had been that much, I would have just laughed off.
Whether he understood me or not, Park Deokgu began to open his

mouth, taking that guy as an example.
It was a very long story, and honestly, I didn’t care enough to listen.
“Ahem… Well, that’s what happened. Hyung-nim, you have to stay alert,
too. It’s good for the person in the middle to get in tune and balance.
There is the famous adage saying that the balance of power must be
maintained.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Well, anyway, it is nagging to say that Hyung-nim’s role is more

important than anyone else in this. Whatever it is, arrange a meeting
once and make the two get close. This way, no one would suffer. Of
course, it is important to take care of Hayan irst. If Hyung-nim is going
to have a relationship with several people, it is correct to improve their
relationship little by little from now on. I bet it’s really dangerous if it
doesn’t happen.”
He must have said without thinking, but the words saying that it would
be dangerous were true.
Park Deokgu was right, by a hundred times.
‘I have to do it somehow.’
I wanted to call Kim Ye-ri and Ahn Ki-mo to act once again, but they
were not in this wagon.
‘Are we almost there?’
Come to think of it. It felt like we had been on this wagon for quite a
long time.
In the middle of the conversation with Park Deokgu and Han Sora, I
glanced at the window, and I could see the background passing at a
fairly fast pace.
It was just a wild guess, but unlike the State, the exotic landscape stood
out a lot.
‘Neutral country.’
This was the only country on the continent that stood for a neutral
state.
It was not as strong as the State or the Republic, but it was one of the
countries that I thought had numerous possibilities.
As it was located in the south, it was warm, had a wide variety of food,
and close to the sea, making it a resort and travel destination often
visited by foreigners from the State and the Republic.
Although the purpose of coming here was far from rest or Jung Hayan’s
care, it was correct to take action as Park Deokgu had said.
“The landscape is awesome… Isn’t that right, Hyung-nim? Isn’t it Sora’s

irst time to see such a landscape?”
“Yes. Of course, this is the irst time, but…”
“Anyway, Hyung-nim, this is an opportunity. Originally, a place like this

makes people more open! Obviously, Hayan must also be preparing
herself.”
I needed to ind out more about what kind of preparation it was, but I
didn’t want her to be preparing herself.
Of course, everything went according to my wish.
The carriage, which had been running continuously, stopped, and the
door of the carriage opened. A little childish voice was heard.
“Welcome to Laios, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung and Mercenary
Queen of Lindel.”
We had arrived in the neutral country.

CHAPTER 301
LAIOS, THE NEUTRAL
COUNTRY (2)
As I got out of the wagon, I could see people roaming around with
beautiful brown skin.
I could de initely feel that I had come to another area. They looked
different from the State people who were your typical white people.
If I compared them with the races on Earth, it seemed like I was seeing
people from South America. Their healthy, elastic skin and shiny black
hair stood out.
The most interesting thing was how they were dressed. Everyone was
wearing light clothes, unlike the typical medieval era.
‘Because it’s hot.’
The weather was quite hot because it was located further down to the
south.
Right now, I also wanted to throw away these cramped clothes.
The inside of the wagon, where the temperature control magic was
continually spinning, was okay, but I knew it would be hard to breathe
outside.
‘Ah… so stupid.’
One thing I had overlooked was the attire of the Laios’s people around
me.
‘It would be ine, right?’
The problem was that everyone was dressed too freely.
In this place, this would be a normal out it, but honestly, I didn’t know
where to look.
Like the dancers’ clothes, they showed off their solid bodies, regardless
of men and women, so naturally, I was worried about Jung Hayan.
Jung Hayan, who was absorbed in magic training in the carriage,

frowned as soon as she came out.
‘I just need to be careful.’
If I didn’t keep looking dumbly at them, there wouldn’t be any other

accidents. Even so, Jung Hayan probably wouldn’t do anything because
she had gotten scolded before coming here.
Anyway, since they came to say hello, it was correct for me to greet
them, too.
While I was distracted by the exotic scenery, Cha Hee-ra had already
inished with the greetings, so I also took a step closer.
’15 or 16 years old?’
What I could see was a kid who looked like a middle school student.
She had brown skin like the rest of them, but the distinctive ornament
on the shiny black braided hair stood out.
It was a pretty noble face, but for now, I could see her greeting us
politely.
It was an old custom of Laios to tap the red diamond pattern on the
forehead. It was awkward, but I also thought it wasn’t bad to say hello
in that way.
Nothing was stamped on my forehead, but it was a natural act because I

had to show that I respected Laios’ culture as much as possible.
If the person in front of me were a normal kid, I would have ended my

greetings by only bowing.
‘Pristina, the 27th Queen of Laos.’
Considering that the kid’s identity, whose complexion seemed to have

been burned because of wandering outside, was the queen, there was
no way I could treat her like an ordinary kid.
“I’ll introduce myself. I’m Pristina of the neutral country, Laios.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Pristina-nim. It’s a great honor to meet you.
I didn’t think you were going to come in person, but I don’t know what
to do with such hospitality.”
“No, Honorary Cardinal. It is an honor to be able to see the Honorary

Cardinal, who is an important person in the State.”
“You can speak to me more comfortably.”
“No. I can’t. You’re an important guest, so it’s better to take you inside
irst.”
“Thank you.”
‘It won’t be easy.’

I just said hello for a moment. However, I was sure it would be hard to
get what I could get from this conversation.
‘The guard is strong.’
They knew very well why we visited such a distant place. The purpose
of this mission was to ally with Laios.
Strangely emphasizing the word neutral and saying she couldn’t treat
me comfortably, I felt their will to never get involved in my affairs.
‘It will be so from their perspective.’
Being neutral was possible only when you had the power to protect
your country.
However, this small country in the southern part of the Sacred

Democratic State and the Republic was relatively weak compared to the
two countries.
The number of named powerful people, the troops’ quality, and even
the foreigners were also poor.
The reason why Laios could stand in a neutral position, despite being
ironic, was the situation between the State and the Republic.
This happened as they walked a tightrope between the two countries

that had always been ighting from the past.
In some ways, Laios was a strategic point between the two countries.
There was also a way to cross the sea, as well as being able to go
directly to other countries through Laios.
From the Republic’s point of view, if Laios joined hands with the
Empire, they thought they might be left behind, and the same was true
of the Empire’s point of view.
In fact, there were times when the Empire and the Republic considered
how to split the country called Laios, which meant that this country had
suffered unwanted pain between them.
Some changes took place after the Continental War II when the Empire
and the Republic almost extinguished each other, and there was no
choice but to choose a cease ire.
Laios declared complete neutrality, saying that they would not choose
either the Republic or the Empire, and the two countries accepted and
respected it.
I didn’t know why the Republic and Empire at the time accepted the
Laios declaration of neutrality, but I had to think that there were
probably some political reasons intertwined.
Perhaps it was because they were worried about whether or not the
Laios would give power to the other side, or perhaps another talk came
out with the armistice agreement between the leaders of that time.
I didn’t know whatever it was, but one thing was for certain: the Laios
leaders were all wise.
Political skills were also unusual, and I could be certain of their ability
to walk on a string.
‘It’s great.’
It was by no means easy to maintain sovereignty while breaking your

back among the great powers.
Not as much as the State or the Republic, but they also possessed
power.
I didn’t know what the foreigners from here were thinking, but perhaps
the people who lived in Laios would have great pride in the country.
Looking back, Jung Hayan was slowly following me whilst talking with
Park Deokgu, and Han Sora was still maintaining her safe distance from
the two.
‘I can be relieved right now.’
Although she was on the lookout as if she felt upset, she didn’t look like
she would explode right away.
If I told her to go out together tomorrow or the day after, she would
loosen up and start laughing at once.
Apart from her, Cha Hee-ra and I, the main members of this mission,
were walking on the street alongisde Pristina.
Although it was peculiar to walk down the street without using a

wagon, I felt like I knew roughly what this kid intended.
‘This is a nice place.’
Basically, there were smiles on people’s faces.
The standard of living itself did not seem very high, but I could see that
they were happy.
I didn’t know if the continent also surveyed the national happiness

index like the Earth, but this country would surely rank at the top if I
were to evaluate them.
The answer came just by looking at the people cheering for Pristina and
her responding to their greetings one by one.
The faces of the city’s people were full of energy, and the tourists
assimilated to them did not look awkward.
Those who had come from Dawan’s side for recreation and those who
wore clothes that were slightly different from the national dress style
were probably the Republicans.
It wasn’t without any strange tension, but it seemed that they were
trying to avoid the friction in this place, where it was not classi ied as a
con lict zone under continental law.
‘I didn’t know such a place existed.’
I kept seeing unusual things in front of me.
It was then that the kid with a bunch of things on her hair opened her
mouth again.
“I’ve heard it’s the irst time that you two visited this place.”
“Yes.”
“I’m curious as to how you two see our Laios.”
It was obvious what answer she wants. And I can predict what she’s
going to say.
However, it was such a reasonable argument that I didn’t think it was

going to be easy to refute.
Cha Hee-ra slightly passed the answer to me, and I had no choice but to
speak up.
“It’s nice. People’s faces are full of life, and everyone seems to be
satis ied with their lives. In a way, I think it’s ideal.”
“Thank you so much for seeing it this way. Since it is the Honorary
Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, who fought together for the ideals of the State
people, who said that, I’m happy.”
She smiled a little and spoke again.
“It is as Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung sees. Of course, this country

also has some problems, but I am proud of the previous kings’
achievements, and I want to keep their ideals in place.”
I knew it would be like this.
“A lot of time has passed in, bringing the country that has suffered every
time between the two powers during Continental War I and Continental
War II. Also, with many small wars, famine, and invasion of outside
forces, Laios has shed a lot of blood to protect the ideal and its
independence. Of course, we are grateful to the State and the Republic
people who consider our Laios very important… To be honest with you,
excessive interest is burdensome.”
“I can understand.”
“Perhaps that’s why Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung came here. I’m
sorry to have to offer you a lat refusal even before you bring it up. But
as before, we have no intention of standing on either side. Of course, I
said the same thing to the Republic, so the leaders of the State and the
Republic won’t have to worry.”
This meant that she didn’t want to go through hard times again.
If additional weight was shaken to either the Republic or the State,

everything that had been achieved so far can be lost.
‘I can understand. Absolutely.’
This felt much like the power struggle between Jung Hayan and Cha
Hee-ra.
To sum up, I had to remain neutral, but I couldn’t let Laios stay neutral.
‘I look like garbage.’
I couldn’t help but think that I was a typical hypocrite.
“I didn’t come here only because of that matter, Pristina. I’ll talk to you
about other issues, but you were too hastily…”
“I see, Honorary Cardinal is right. I was a little hasty. But… I hope you
think it was a way to convey our meaning more clearly. Of course, it
doesn’t mean that we don’t welcome you. We at Laios are always ready
to thank and welcome those who come here. Of course, it is also one of
our tasks to welcome your delegation to this place.”
“Thank you.”
“It is an old custom and pride here to thank a friend from afar.”
“Ohh…”
“You must be tired, so we will guide you through the room as soon as
we enter. Oh. Come to think of it. You said that it was your irst time in
Laios. It’s a little embarrassing for me to say this, but there’s a lot for
lovers to enjoy. I heard that Cha Hee-ra and Lee Kiyoung made good ties
since the continent of foreigners. It wouldn’t be bad to take a brief look
around.”
It was Cha Hee-ra who said thanks.

She seemed to be in a good mood right away, but for some reason, I was
afraid to look behind me.
Like me, I didn’t know if she was trying to smash my neutrality, but she
was quite sharp.
“Looking like this, the two of you make a nice couple.”
It felt like the temperature in the back was gradually decreasing.
‘She’s not doing this on purpose, right?’
There was no choice but to send a slightly suspicious expression to the

battered blows that lew in.
“There is a rock that says that if you whisper love, you will be together
for a lifetime, and many people who visit Laios often visit it together. If
you have time tomorrow, perhaps you two…”
‘Stop.’
I knew Pristina meant no malice, but I wanted to shut her mouth as of

right now.
Jung Hayan’s expression looked positively dangerous.

CHAPTER 302
LAIOS, THE NEUTRAL
COUNTRY (3)
The sharp attacks were unsettling, but Laios was a more peaceful and
livable place than I thought.
I didn’t know if it was because of the exotic scenery or the unique

nationality, but I thought I could see why so many people visited Laios.
They hated quarrels and valued balance and harmony.
Most people made it their highest value, the one that ruled and
controlled them, and some of their unusual behaviors reminded me of
Earth’s Buddhism.
In fact, unlike the State, the prominent occupations in Laios were

monks and ascetics. Those who could be classi ied as priests were
different in nature from the Holy Knights owned by the State.
If the crusaders’ pursued faith in God, their pursuit was a spiritual

discipline.
In some ways, it seemed that religious issues could cause friction, but it
was not.
This was probably because the people of Laios believed in the Goddess
Mahamara, who could be classi ied as an ally of the Goddess Benigore.
The doctrine of the Goddess Mahamara was not belief in herself, but the
discipline and happiness of believers. I could be sure that their
nationality’s background lay in the doctrine of the Goddess that they
were serving.
‘It’s a nice place.’
As a result, the country as a whole was simple and lacking in luxury.
However, it was impossible to treat the guests of the State recklessly.
It went without saying that we had received a magni icent banquet as a

gift that could be considered quite magni icent from their standpoint.
They must be thinking that they might make a mistake with the
delegation.
The State was de initely a big country. Even after the civil revolution,
the State still stood at the center of the continent’s political scene.
It was apparent that they thought that they should not commit a
mistake to our delegation representing the State.
I had been invited to many places in the meantime, but it was the irst
time that I had received hospitality so comfortably.
The dancers’ dance was beautiful, and their culture and music were
also good to see and hear.
“How was the banquet?”
“I had a fun and great time. I didn’t know how to express my gratitude
for the hospitality that is full of heart.”
“I’m glad you were satis ied. I was worried that the food and drink
wouldn’t suit your taste… I’m relieved. We have a separate building that
you can use during your stay. Red Mercenary and Blue members can
use it separately, so I hope you stay with the delegations that came
together and take a slow tour of Laios tomorrow.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Pristina.”
‘The treatment is good.’
I had felt it before, but she seemed to know how to make me in a good
mood.
That didn’t mean that she was just obsequiously fawning over around.
Since Pristina had already expressed her edgy rejection of the proposal
to be with our side, this banquet would also be an apologetic
expression.
It was already dark, so naturally, I needed to sleep.
When I got up, I felt like the drunkenness came all at once.
‘Is the drink stronger than I thought?’
I thought it was a sweet drink, and this was happening since I had
drunk it thoughtlessly.
My body was tired from a long trip.
Park Deokgu, who approached without a word as if he had noticed that

I was struggling, grabbed me.
Jung Hayan, afraid of being stolen, also grabbed my arm, and in the
meantime, Cha Hee-ra took over my baton.
She started directly dealing with the kid. She gestured as if telling me to
leave.
Park Deokgu nodded in reply, and I was able to leave the banquet after
greeting roughly.
‘I’m very tired… ’
Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan seemed relatively ine.
Since there was a difference in stats, it seemed that I got drunk a little
bit faster.
Even Han Sora didn’t seem to be as tired as I was, so my low stamina

saddened me.
“Gosh. Didn’t you have too much? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drunk
like this.”
“Well. I’m particularly tired today.”
“I understand you, too. It’s a pleasant place after a long time. Everyone
seems to be nice, too.”
“Well, I guess.”
“Anyway, take a rest today and go around with Hayan tomorrow. I heard
there are many things to see and do here and there.”
“Really?”
“Well, there is also a cave of truth, but it is said that it is the heritage of
the Goddess discovered hundreds of years ago. I’m not sure what it is,
but it seems that there are many cultural heritages and preserves
designated by continental law. There is also a law banning the hunting
of endangered monsters in Laios, so wouldn’t these things be well-
preserved?”
“Strictly speaking, even the State is strictly managing things related to
the Goddess Benigore.”
“Ah, does the State have such a thing?”
“Yes.”
“Anyway, it seems like a much better place than I thought.”
“Yes.”
‘I’m tired to death.’
It would be a side effect of taking drinks from Jung Hayan.
Jung Hayan held my arm, as if she were worried about me, and moved,
but in fact, we were both being dragged by Park Deokgu.
Not long after leaving, I could see a large annex.
Exotic styles were still visible, but the inside of the annex was similar to
that of the State.
It must have been the place where the State’s delegation always came.
“I-I can take him on my own from now on.”
“What?”
“I can take him to the bedroom.”
“Then you do that!”
“Yes. T-Then let me do it.”

Park Deokgu raised his thumb towards me as if it was good, but
unfortunately, I could not afford to do something.
I felt like I would fall asleep any minute now.
‘I’m glad I don’t need to wash.’
Magic was quite effective in this case.
After entering the spacious room, it was no wonder that I immediately

spread out in the bed.
Jung Hayan asked, ‘Shall I wash you?’ and all I could do was gesture a
yes.
Of course, I was thinking about what to do with Laios, even as I slowly

fell asleep.
It cannot be said that it was very urgent thus far, but the current State
needed a reliable alliance. The Republic, our sworn enemy, was out of
the question.
In the case of the United Kingdom, they were prepared to pull out the
sword on their guard, so the only places we could try were Laios and
other races.
I started thinking about how to approach those who were constantly

insisting on neutrality, but the problem was that I couldn’t ind an
answer.
It wouldn’t be bad to ind a weak spot and drag it, or worsen their
relations with the Republic.
‘It’s not good to approach too quickly. I’ll wait and see.’
They treated us well on the surface, but they were already wary of us
enough.
‘My head hurts… ’
Even though I could rest comfortably, seeing me thinking about this

over and over again, I could say I was de initely a workaholic.
As the kid Queen said, I felt like it would be nice if I could take a rest
tomorrow without thinking about anything.
With that thought, I closed my eyes and was able to jump out of bed at
the same time as the sunlight shining on my face.
It was morning already.
“Ugh… my head.”
“Oppa, are you awake?”
“Ah, Hayan. What time is it now?”
As I turned to the side where the voice was heard, I saw Jung Hayan
walking around while holding a large bowl at the door.
“It’s three o’clock now.”
“Three o’clock?”
“Yes. I-I thought you would get up by now, so I brought some warm
stew. I made it myself! You just got up at the right time.”
“Is it already this late?”
“Yes.”
“I feel like I’ve only slept for a few hours… why am I so tired?”
“Y-y-y… you overdid it yesterday.”
Ah, that was right.
As I glanced at her quietly, I could see her wearing a big smile,

apparently in a good mood. I had been worried about her the day
before, but it seemed as if her emotions had improved overnight.
It looked as if she slept well or was energized.
‘Her skin is also very irm.’
It was hard to believe that we had a drink together.
I didn’t know if it was magic or not, but the gloss lowing on her skin
looked as if she had even applied oil on it, and overall, she seemed to be
in a better mood.
I was also a little relieved by that.
My head hurt from various things. However, I couldn’t help but be

happy with her feeling better.
“Since… you’ll be tired, eat this and sleep a little more…”
“No. It’s a little wasteful to come here to sleep. I can just drink a bottle
of potion. What about Hee-ra? No. Is Deokgu still inside?”
“Oh. The two of them went outside with Sora. All the members of the
Red Mercenary, too. I think they are going to take a tour in Laios today.
They asked me to contact them when you wake up.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“We have a lot of time, so let’s move slowly. Ah… Wait, Hayan.”
“Yes… Yes?”
“I’ve been a little indifferent these days, right?”
“N-no… Because Oppa is busy. Y-you have a lot to do, and I can
understand.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
I gave a kiss on her forehead, seeing her ears redden cutely. Anyway, I
couldn’t just sit still here.
After inhaling the mingling and strange stew she brought, I immediately
started to get ready.
‘It would have been nice if Maid Alice was here.’
I couldn’t understand why I still called her a maid, but I was so tired
that it made me think about all kinds of things.
It was usually burdensome, but it was a pity that she was not here at
times like this.
No matter how much Jung Hayan tried to take care of me, there was a
gap that cannot be illed between a professional and an amateur.
Although I was grateful for her intention, Jung Hayan running around
panting to take care of me was actually slowing down the preparations.
“Let’s get out.”
“Yes!”
“It looks like we’re going on a date after a long time. Right?”
“Ah! Yes! I-it is!”
‘Okay. Today is complimentary.’
After that, I would have to join Cha Hee-ra anyway, but it would be
important to Jung Hayan for us to be together even for a short time.
Since she was already in a good mood, it wouldn’t be bad to bring it to

the top here.
She could be quiet for a while, and it would be possible to improve her
relationship with Cha Hee-ra little by little.
‘I might feel less worried… ’
Thanks to Jung Hayan, even I was getting in a better mood.
But as I thought everything would work out, it didn’t take long before I
realized that it was going to be twisted somehow.
‘What is she doing here?’
She was now someone I had blurred memories of and couldn’t

remember her name well, but she was very familiar.
The irst time had I encountered her was at the black market, and the
second was when I got help with Cha Hee-ra’s episode.
The only Republican contact I knew, a member of the Five General

Tigers, the Republic’s pride, possesses a legendary-grade weapon, a
whip that punished the Goddess, owner of the Woold.
She also had one of the shittiest characteristics I’ve ever seen.
‘Shaolin?’
I had no choice but to rush to turn around.
‘Fuck… ’
It was because I felt guilty.

CHAPTER 303
TIGER’S MOUTH (1)
‘It’s not my lucky day… ’
It was de initely Shaolin.
The information in my Mind’s Eye also con irmed that she was, without
a doubt, the woman I had seen before.
There was growth in her stats, but the characteristic was the same, and
the class and all aspects perfectly matched.
The minions she always dragged around were also still the same.
One of the minion’s bags must have a legendary-grade weapon.
They were looking around the shops on the street, just as I had chosen
to take a leisurely stroll on the streets of Laios.
Since I had met an unwelcome face on the street, obviously, I turned

around immediately.
‘Fuck.’
It had already been over a year since I got help on the condition that I
would arrange a meeting in the near future.
The letter that said ‘Keep the promise’ still lingered in my head.
Since she was mighty crazy, just like Jung Hayan or Cha Hee-ra, I didn’t
know what she might do.
If I let Jung Hayan bump into that crazy bitch, an accident would likely
happen in the neutral area.
Jung Hayan looked a little surprised as I suddenly turned around.
I never expected to hear Shaolin’s surprised voice.
“Huh?”
Jung Hayan seemed a little confused, but the crazy woman’s voice was
clearly heard.
‘Did she notice?’
As a particularly loud voice came from the heart of the streets illed
with Laios’ people and tourists, I had to pull Jung Hayan’s arm
immediately.
‘Let’s go quickly. Quickly!’
I was walking unconditionally without looking back, so I didn’t know if

she found us.
“Oppa, just now…”
“I don’t want to be disturbed by other people right now.”
“Ah… O-oppa.”
Jung Hayan didn’t need to know that I had promised to have a secret
meeting with the Republic’s mad bitch.
It was in no time that I managed to escape from the crowded area with
Jung Hayan. However, my anxiety refused to die down.
‘Is it better to go through the other side?’
Or…
‘Would it be better to go to see Hee-ra right away?’
Jung Hayan began to whisper at some point.
“Er, Oppa.”
“Yes.”
“I think there is someone following us.”
“What?”
“There are three people following us. I can’t determine the exact
location, but I think they are people we saw earlier.”
“Are you sure they’re not the shadows from the Red Mercenary?”
“Yes. They’re not those uncles. They look like the ones she had with her
earlier. I don’t know, but… I think I’m pretty sure.”
‘Ah… ’
“For now, just leave them alone. We just have to give them the slip
slowly. What about that person?”
“I can’t see the woman. I don’t know why, but I don’t think they want to
be spotted either. We’re still a bit far away. D-Do you know them?”
“A little…”
It was nice to hear that they didn’t want to cause a big problem, either.
I thought it would not be bad to go straight to her and say hello in a

casual way, but…
‘That bitch was a real crazy bitch, too.’
She was a VIP of the black market, and I could tell she was insane just
by looking at her eyes.
I didn’t know what it meant to have Strangler Romanticist as a

characteristic, but I didn’t want to die from being choked at this age.
Aside from not thinking right, she would probably have violent
reactions if she so much as got upset.
Of course, Jung Hayan was more likely to react to the reaction.
Since I had con irmed that she was in Laios, I thought it would be better
to contact her separately.
For now, I thought it would be better to get out of here quickly,

pretending not to have seen her.
I had dragged Jung Hayan, moving to the most crowded places, and then
we started to wander around the outskirts of the city.
In the meantime, she swelled her cheeks, feeling disturbed, but, of

course, I couldn’t just focus on this date.
Jung Hayan was constantly live-broadcasting about the people

following us, and I had no choice but to worry about when the crazy
bitch with the whip would ind me.
Even Jung Hayan was also quite alert.
When I thought back to the Lindel terrorist incident, it was not

unreasonable for her to be sensitive.
Even back then, it had started like this.
Eventually, we wandered around a couple of store alleys, and we often

used her magic to get rid of them, but…
‘Where are we?’
The problem was that we had come quite far.
I wasn’t lustered as we weren’t lost, and I had the most reliable

bodyguard next to me, but I felt frustrated thinking of the way back.
I came out looking forward to enjoying Laios, but I couldn’t help but
sigh.
Although Hayan wasn’t showing openly, she was also a little bit bitter. It
had been quite a long time since we had gone out together.
It was actually a time that she was really looking forward to, and since I
didn’t know when I would be free again, today was a very precious
opportunity for Jung Hayan.
Her happy plans were interrupted by an unexpected visitor.
“We’d better come out again next time. Today was kind of crazy.”
“Okay… Oppa.”
To sum up, the initial purpose of making Hayan feel good was already
ruined.
I had to pray that having a meal in a decent place would help Jung
Hayan cheer up.
All the good places nearby were also open, and I thought it was time to
eat, so I held Jung Hayan’s hand and went to a suitable place.
‘What can I say to Hee-ra?’
As much as I had to cheer Jung Hayan up, thinking about having to

spend time with Cha Hee-ra also gave me a headache.
As I chose the right place and went inside, the interior was quite
pleasing.
There was a luxurious feeling in its own way, and seats illed with
people also looked ine.
What was a little strange was that there were many people with dark
hair and not the brown-skinned Laios.
Even white people who seem a little different from the State people
stand out.
I immediately realized that something was wrong.
As if representing my uneasiness, my Mind’s Eye reacted quickly.
[Checking the status window and talent level of the player Valentin
Alexandro.]
[Name: Valentin Alexandro]
[Title: Ronaf’s Monster, Ronaf’s Slayer, One of the Republic’s Five

General Tigers]
[Age: 39]
[Disposition: Simple Ignorant Killer]
[Class: Ronaf’s Brawler (Heroic)]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Basic Martial Arts Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Martial Arts Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Martial Arts Knowledge]

Knowledge]
[Stats]
[Intelligence: 31/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Attribute: Anger Control (Legendary)]
[Overall: I feel sorry for the low magic power, but the strength, agility,
and stamina are balancing it. Neither the disposition nor the attribute is
very good. I would not recommend spending a long time with such a
person. I mean, if player Lee Kiyoung doesn’t want to die quickly.]
‘What the… ’
What stood out was a white man who is as big as Park Deokgu. No, he
was even bigger than Deokgu. He also had a long wound on his face that
imposed on his intimidating aura.
He seemed to be an unusual martial artist and considering his

advanced magical power management knowledge as his class effect.
The disposition itself seemed dangerous, but what was bothering me

the most was the title of one of the Five General Tigers of the Republic.
‘Fuck… ’
There was one more person who stood out beside him.
It was the guy sitting at the center of the table with black hair and a
body shape similar to me.
He was no doubt Chinese. Unlike me, who looked a little bit sneaky, his
easy-going impression stood out, but the stats themselves did not seem
like that at all.
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Jin Qing.]
[Name: Jin Qing]
[Title: Bookmaster, Sage on the Battle ield, One of Republic’s Five

General Tigers]
[Age: 30]
[Disposition: Premeditated Tactician]

[Class: Legion Wizard (Legendary)]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Magic Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Magic Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Summoning Knowledge]

Knowledge]
[Stats]
[Strength: 65/Growth Potential: Heroic or higher]
[Agility: 75/Growth Potential: Legendary or higher]
[Stamina: 89/Growth Potential: Rare or higher]
[Intelligence: 99/Growth Potential: Heroic or higher]
[Endurance: 77/Growth Potential: Rare or higher]
[Luck: 67/Growth Potential: Rare or lower]
[Magic Power: 97/Growth Potential: Heroic or higher]
[Attribute: Unable to read.]
[Overall: A mage with perfect balance. The stats and talent levels stand
out that make me sorry to even compare it with player Lee Kiyoung, but
I won’t mention it. Unfortunately, the magic power level seems
impossible to grow any further, but the intelligence level of 99 and high
basic stats are more than enough to offset the shortcomings.]
The remaining one was also one of the Five General Tigers of the
Republic.
The other scums were also quite skilled.
‘Are they having dinner or something?’
Obviously, I felt like I had to get out of here as soon as possible.
Jung Hayan, who didn’t notice, looked at me and urged me to go in

quickly, but I didn’t move.
The attention was now focused on me because of the sudden

appearance of a customer.
The Russian, larger than Park Deokgu, was also looking at this side, as
well as the Chinese, who had ridiculous stats as a wizard.
‘Would it be weirder if they don’t recognize me?’
I thought maybe they wouldn’t recognize me, but it was more likely that
my face was better known than I thought.
No, even if that’s not the case, they would likely expect me to be a
member of the State.
The irst to get up was Valentin Alexandro, who had a large body. His
monstrous body seemed even more imposing now.
“Imperial people, no, are they now state people?”
His raspy voice made my hairs stand on end.
The Chinese Jin Qing was looking at me, tapping on the table, and there
was an amused look on his face.
I didn’t know about the others, but at least he seemed to know me.
I could feel Jung Hayan slowly releasing her magic when she noticed
something was wrong, so I had to hold her hand tight for now.
There were two on this side, and a lot more on the other.
There were even two of the Five General Tigers of the Republic, and
Jung Hayan might not know, but, right now, it was hard for me to be
treated as a man of strength.
If we were to get into a ight, it would be us who would die, without a

doubt.
‘Although it’s a neutral area… ’
There was no guarantee that a battle would not take place. I didn’t
know if this was for better or for worse, but I also heard a familiar voice
behind me.
“These dickheads. How can they miss it? Useless bastards. They are all
trash.”
‘Shit… ’
The retreat was blocked entirely.
It will be ridiculous for them, but I had no choice but to open my mouth
with thick skin.
“Shaolin, you were here!”
“You…”
“You don’t know how much I have been looking for you. Hahaha.”
Her reaction wasn’t that good, but well.
“You still look beautiful as ever.”
Jung Hayan’s expression crumbled entirely.

CHAPTER 304
TIGER’S MOUTH (2)
Shaolin’s face was illed with perplexity.
Her face seemed to ask, ‘What is this bastard doing here?’ She also
seemed unable to respond to the sudden lattery.
The big Russian and the Legion Mage, Jin Qing, looking over here, were
observing us with an excited expression.
They had noticed that we already knew each other.
“Is he a customer?”
Jin Qing didn’t say anything, but I could hear Valentin muttering alone in
a tone of disappointment.
I didn’t know why he was disappointed, but one thing for sure was that
we had to get out of this place quickly.
Only when I held Jung Hayan’s hand tightly as if telling her to calm down
that it felt like her breathing was a little more stable.
‘She’s not jealous.’
She was also extremely stressed.
Since three strong people in the room were at her level just by looking at
them, she was worried that my safety might be compromised.
Looking at her with her head down and mumbling without paying
attention to me, I thought she was doing some sort of image training, but
it seemed like she was preparing for a situation if anything were to
happen.
“You…”
“I’m sorry for the late contact, Shaolin-nim.”
“It’s not enough to say it’s too late. I’m sure I told you. That if you don’t
keep your promise, I don’t know what I would do.”
“Of course, I also wanted to contact you, but as you know, the State has
suffered a series of serious incidents over the past time. I’ve tried
everything I could, but I didn’t have time… It was very hard for me, too.”
“I don’t know… I thought we bumped into each other earlier, but I think
that was my mistake. And, if you’re here to see a lady, it’s good manners
to come alone, but why did you come with a woman? Besides, how did
you know I was coming here?”
‘Fuck… I didn’t think about that.’
I had made a mistake on my irst line.
Instead of ‘You don’t know how much I’ve been looking for you,’ I should
have used lines like ‘What a coincidence.’
She had a reproachful tone of voice, thinking that I’d pried into
information about the foreigners of the Republic.
Even Jin Qing looked perplexed. They might have thought that I was
paying attention to their movements.
Of course, it was nothing like that. I just came in by accident, and I just
met Shaolin by accident.
However, it would be natural for these people to be suspicious that
someone powerful from the State had entered such a place outside the
city.
They thought I might have had a purpose.
“Perhaps you mistook somebody else for me. It was also a coincidence
that I came to this place. Anyway, you’re still the same.”
“You, too. You still have that mouth. You still sing a different tune. You
say it’s a coincidence that you have just entered here among the many
places? I don’t know how you got here, but you know it doesn’t look
good to you, right? Even if it’s a good customer, he’ll become an
uninvited guest if he comes too suddenly. Of course, I don’t really care,
but I’m curious about what my friends will think… I don’t think there’s
anyone around, considering you came con idently. I think I’m looking at
a herbivore that walked in on his own to be eaten… What should I do?
Shall I eat it?”
‘Fuuck… ’
“Who is it?”
“Oh. Valentin-nim probably knows him…”
“That’s why I’m asking who this is.”
“He’s the most popular in the State lately? The Blue Vice Guild Master
located in Lindel, the one chosen by the dragon, the irst foreigner who
received the position in the Holy Empire, one of the Eight Seats of the
Church, and the Gigolo of the Mercenary Queen…”
It was then that Valentin suddenly swung his ist against the wall.
Jung Hayan, who reacted re lexively to the sound, immediately raised

her eyes and moved her hand.
A dagger was aimed at Jung Hayan’s neck, but she quickly opened her
mouth as if she didn’t care.
She seemed to be thinking of chanting the spell even at the cost of her
life, but I couldn’t ridiculously lose Jung Hayan like this.
“Stop!”
The movement stopped, and the dagger, rushing toward her neck, also
stopped moving.
A line of blood was lowing from Jung Hayan’s white neck, and Shaolin
lowered the dagger.
“If you had chanted, you would have died. Although half of the people
here would have died too, but… that thing just now wasn’t a big deal, so
you don’t have to get angered, wizard lady. That uncle is just a little hot-
tempered.”
‘So, what’s up with him?’
“Ohh. He had a thing with that red gorilla in the past. They broke badly
at that time, I guess? The scar on the face was that gorilla’s work. When
the Mercenary Queen is mentioned, he’s like that… I think I shouldn’t
have talked about the Mercenary Queen.”
I could see her laughing. However, it felt like her level was quite high for
her to crack such a simple joke.
The guy, who looked like a bomb about to explode, was staring at this
me with bloodshot eyes.
Not only was he breathing hard, but he was starting to put pressure on
me with energy.
My legs almost luttered for a moment, but pretending to be weak
wouldn’t help. I felt like a mouse dangling right in front of a cat.
When Jung Hayan bit her lips tightly and held my hand, I felt better.
It was then that he came swinging his ist without notice.
‘Fucking… crazy!’
Because of the wind pressure, all nearby objects were blown away, and a
sound as if the air was being torn was heard.
Jung Hayan bit her lips, and I also tried to move my hand, but, of course,
I was also worried about Shaolin behind us.
‘If I get hit, I’ll die.’
I would get crushed, just like that.
In fact, I somehow believed in Shaolin. However, that didn’t eradicate the

fear I had inside of me.
As the fear of death struck right before my eyes, I immediately turned

my head and looked for the bitch I could lean on to.
However, Shaolin was already not there.
Although I cursed, I rushed to make a seal. Jung Hayan was also trying to
chant a spell again. However, it seemed as if this would not be needed.
In a split second, Shaolin had appeared in front of us, holding out her
whip.
‘Sha… Shaolin is the best!!’
Once again, a roaring sound was heard, and their voices came to me.
“What are you doing? Are you trying to kill him? Didn’t I say he was my
guest?”
“Let me go.”
“What if I don’t? You’re the one who should fall back before I lose my
temper.”
“You…”
‘He is also a mess… ’
No matter what I was to think, it was necessary to sort things out.
The wild boar’s face turned red and blue from anger, but Shaolin was
also shaking her arms as if it was too hard to block that attack directly.
She was a medium-to-long distance type to begin with, so it was correct

to think that she went a little too far to block this attack.
At this point, I wanted nothing else but to ind a bathroom.
Fortunately, there seemed to be one normal person among them.
It was no wonder that they needed a leash to control these two crazy
nerds.
“You better stop, Valentin, Shaolin. This is not a con lict area.”
‘Legion Mage?’
It was Jin Qing.
What I was curious about was that at one word, the Anger Control
Disorder and the crazy bitch slowly stepped back a few steps.
The big guy was still shaking his hands, but he seemed to be holding
back his anger by turning the table into powder.
Shaolin also took a few steps back without saying anything, and started
getting her arm healed by her minion next to her.
The easy-going looking parasitic guy, who stood up, continued to talk,
coming in this direction.
“If you do it any longer, we will face a bad situation either. He was the
irst foreigner to receive the title of Honorary Cardinal… He is one of
those under the protection of the Templars, managed by the Holy sector
of the State. I don’t know what they are, but perhaps one of them would
have blocked it if Shaolin-nim hadn’t stopped it.”
‘He knows well… ’
I had only been told that this was the case, but I hadn’t actually tried to
see if a Templar would really pop out.
I had never seen the Templars themselves, and I didn’t know how they
moved to protect me. I had only heard stories of them protecting those
they were assigned to out of the blue.
‘Just now was very dangerous… Why didn’t it pop out?’
I am worried that it will pop out after my head gets broken.
“The delegation from the State is still in Laios… and even under
continental law, it is taboo to ight in neutral areas. Of course, it is also
illegal to kill people from other countries. Being criticized by the
international community is something anyone wants to avoid…
Especially in sensitive times like these days. I understand Valentin’s
feelings, but he’s not the Mercenary Queen.”
“……”
“Even if it is not here, there will be a chance someday. In fact, from my
point of view, it is ideal that it does not happen…”
“Oh. It turned out that the introduction was late, Honorary Cardinal Lee
Kiyoung. I’m Jin Qing, one of the Five General Tigers of the Republic and
serving as the Republican military. Nice to meet you.”
“Ah! Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
In fact, I hadn’t heard about him, but he quietly nodded.
‘Intelligence 99.’
He looked to be easy-going, but I knew he was the type to have a lot of

thoughts.
A simple intelligence stat was not an indicator of being smart, but this
wizard looked pretty smart since he had Book Master attached as a title,
as well as an unreadable attribute.
It seemed impossible, but it was not unreasonable to be curious if he

had a mythic-grade attribute, or if he was a user with eyes like Yuno
Kasugano or me.
‘He’s a high level.’
I realized once more in this slightly calm atmosphere that they were of
higher quality than I thought.
She was simply holding on, but that Shaolin had faced Cha Hee-ra for
more than 30 minutes, and Valentin Alexandro was a moving bomb.
Jin Qing, who looked like a good person, was also hiding something
despite his excellent stats.
‘Is he stronger than the Eight Seats?’

Of course, there were monsters like Cha Hee-ra and Kim Hyunsung in
the Eight Seats.
However, they had speci ications that exceeded the lower squad of the
Eight Seats of the Empire.
For example, Dawan’s archer, Park Yeon-joo, and Cheon Gwan-wi could
not possibly handle these guys.
The strength was not determined only by visible things such as stats,
attributes, and weapons, but it cannot be said that the gap did not exist
at all.
“Well… I don’t know why you came here, but I think it’ll be okay to listen.
I think it would be right to say hello irst. Ah! Please take a seat. The
same goes for the lady.”
“Thank you.”
I could see him pulling out the chair to make me sit, but Jung Hayan
slightly crumpled her face as if his kindness was unpleasant.
I didn’t know why, but for some reason, it felt like he was trying to look
good to Jung Hayan.
‘Son of a bitch.’
He had found out that she was an unrivaled talent in the world.
I did not know if he was interested in her as a man, but it was an

undeniable fact that either way, I felt like shit.
He was looking at me with an amused expression.
“Well… It looks like you haven’t eaten yet…”

“This place takes quite a bit of time. Why don’t we try a simple game
before waiting for the meal?
This was unexpected.
‘What’s this bullshit all of a sudden?’

CHAPTER 305
SIMPLE GAME (1)
“You mean a game?”
“Yes. It’s a simple one. It will be easier if you think of it as a game like
chess or Korean chess. Of course, it can be a little more complicated
than that, but… you will understand it quickly.”
‘Why a game all of a sudden? This crazy bastard… ’
I just wanted to ask them to let me go back home quickly, seeing as I

was not interested in this at all. However, I couldn’t possibly say that.
‘Is it safe for now?’
Seeing that he didn’t want to cause problems in con lict areas, he didn’t
seem to like being involved in complicated affairs very much.
Right now, it seemed like he was being strangely favorable to me, but I
would never know when this would change.
I thought it wouldn’t be bad to play along with it since it felt like it

wouldn’t be bad to follow what this guy was saying. For now.
The atmosphere was also not very uncomfortable, and this bastard
certainly controlled Shaolin and Valentin.
I didn’t know if it was because he had the power to surpass these two,
or if there was any other reason, but seeing the Russian Park Deokgu,
who breathed hard but didn’t try to get me, answered my question.
‘It’s ine.’
As I turned and looked at Jung Hayan, I noticed that she still could not
relax, but she seemed to calm down a little when I patted her shoulder
slightly.
I lost my appetite, as I thought I had almost died, but I had no choice

but to do as he suggested.
“This dinner is on me. Oh, I think I need to explain the game irst. Have
you ever heard of this kind of game?”
“No. I’m only seeing it for the irst time…”
One of the guys brought him a board game that looked ridiculously big.
It was composed of dozens of Korean chess horses, and it would be true

that the map itself was taken from a real terrain.
Forests, seas, deserts, plains, city walls. The composition of Korean

chess horses also varied greatly.
Kings, knights, wizards, knights, priests, people, I couldn’t say exactly

what, but as he spoke, it felt like this was an extension of chess, or
Korean chess.
It’s even more complicated than those. We had to deliver supplies to the
ighting horses, and in order to move troops classi ied by classes, we
had to meet the necessary resources.
The soldiers were also very subdivided, and many classes were
basically operated on the continent, such as archers, infantry, and horse
riders.
‘Game, my ass… ’
This board was a miniature version of a war.
Of course, it was undeniable that some rules were in place as we were

playing a game.
‘What is his intention?’
I started to get curious about his primary intention.
Perhaps I could think of this as real entertainment, or perhaps he

intended to test me out.
The way he looked forward to it, it seemed like he’d heard about me,
but most of the information about me being a genius of resourcefulness
was fabricated.
‘I think I made him misunderstood… ’
However, this was not a situation where I could refuse.
“The basic rules are the same as always. When the king dies, it’s a
defeat. Losing all the horses you have is also a defeat. If you have any
questions or need anything, feel free to tell me.”
“Okay.”
“I think it would be better to give some additional handicap…”
“I will not refuse. The more, the better.”
“I thought you would be offended, but that’s fortunate.”
‘Why would I be offended?’
If he thought I would refuse, then he was wrong.

I enjoyed starting advantageously, to begin with. I was just doing this to
gain more time, but…
‘This is an opportunity.’
As I glanced at Jung Hayan, she nodded as if she knew what I wanted.
Since he was a military of the Republic, it was natural that he was smart
for this kind of strategic simulation.
Unfortunately, I was not into chess or Korean chess, but I could adapt a
little since this was not an ordinary horse game.
Exactly until a few minutes ago, I thought so.
‘This… this… son of a bitch. This fucking pro!’
From the beginning, my troops and supplies were superior.
However, as the game progressed, I gradually felt embarrassed.
No matter how much it was my irst time, he did so well aside from my
inexperience. Little by little, he gnawed my horses and tightened my
breath.
I wonder how I, who had maintained more troops, managed to get

stuck.
The more I moved the horses, the more I felt like things are getting
twisted.
In fact, my camp was in a state of chaos from the start. What was even
more annoying was that I felt that he was going easy on me, but he had
a slightly annoyed face as time passed, unlike the initial amused look.
“The genius of the Empire, no, the State…”

It was a spectacle seeing him mumbling.
Unfortunately, being a genius was only part of publicity.
At the time of the Eight Imperial Seats’ announcement, the imperial

family had spread a lot of ridiculous stories, so I thought it was not
unreasonable for him to have such information.
But even if he were to grasp this false information, it didn’t mean that I
did not feel offended at all.
There was de initely a feeling of contempt on his occasional cold stare

at me.
‘No, is it different from contempt… ’
His face now was not showing a boring face or a face that is looking
down on me. I didn’t know why, but he seemed very upset.
‘What’s up with this bastard?’
It was then that a little unexpected voice burst out, just as we had
reached the game’s midpoint.
“Are you not playing properly? You don’t have to bother about the
others here. It’s literally a game, and I don’t want to cause friction
regardless of win or loss.”
‘What bullshit is that?’
“I want you to play it a little sincerely.”
‘So, what bullshit is that?’
I was already playing as sincerely as I could.

If I were really playing the game for entertainment, I’d have chosen to
lose at some point. That was the way to make the other side like you,
after all.
‘What can I do if it’s not working? You bastard.’
If I had been familiar with this game, I wouldn’t be losing in such a

ridiculous manner.
If I had been good at tactics, I could have tried, but he was like Lee Jihye,
who had chosen to be a commander, not me.
I did some basic studies and thought that I wasn’t bad either, but…
‘He’s on another level.’
I couldn’t even be considered a match for him.
It was then, after 10 moves had passed, that this crazy guy’s mood had
changed a little.
“I thought this would be a good entertainment in a while. From my

perspective, I thought I was considerate enough of Honorary Cardinal. I
guess the Honorary Cardinal doesn’t want to compete sincerely with
me.”
‘Compete for what, you crazy bastard?’
“I think it would be better to make a light bet. That way, Honorary

Cardinal will be a little interested, too…”
“What?”
“Let’s say that if I win in the next 100 moves, it’s my victory. Otherwise,
it’s the Honorary Cardinal’s victory. What should be the content? Oh,
let’s bet a inger. All ten ingers. I’m not sure, but if it’s a simple bet, the
Templars of the Holy sector may also tolerate.”
I almost cursed. This ilthy pro had no consideration for newbies.
I lifted my head a little in doubt and looked at his face, but his eyes
weren’t looking at me. It was striking to see that he was focused 100%
on the game, trying to somehow bring out my true intentions.
‘He’s serious.’
What was stuck in his eyes was sincerity without a speck of dust.
In terms of disposition, he was not someone who enjoyed gambling.

This meant that he already knew he had victory on his side.
Unfortunately for him, I had no hidden intentions with playing this

game.
‘This crazy bastard!’
“B-Beat him! Oppa! Don’t go easy on him!”
‘I said, I’m not.’
Jung Hayan was also cheering with her two ists clenched as if I could
win, which added some more tension to Jin Qing’s expression.
‘Fuck, someone, bring Lee Jihye.’
I was de initely not strong enough in this area.
The crazy bastard who promised to inish it in 100 moves began to

pressure me in earnest.
It was impossible to oppose him in the irst place. I couldn’t keep up
with him with my dull mindset.
‘I have to hold on.’
It might be possible if it was just about not losing.
The conditions for defeat were that the king must not die, as well as
prevent the horses’ annihilation.
As soon as I said that, his face crumpled immediately when he igured

out my intention.
“You mean you won’t ight until the end.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about right now.”
“I thought I had shown enough favor to you, but the Honorary Cardinal
seems to ignore me to the end.”
“You seem to have misunderstood something, really.”
“…”
His expression crumbled. I didn’t know why, but I think I had made him
mad.
If I was ridiculously defeated, I thought that not only my ingers but my

neck might be blown away, so no other expression would be necessary.
However, my behavior didn’t change.
It was impossible to overturn a match that had been lost from the
middle.
This was a turn-based game in the irst place.

Although the space was limited, if he moved one space forward, I could
step back one space. I might be able to endure this for 100 moves, but
that was a small possibility.
‘The priority is to save the king.’
I wouldn’t think about anything else.
One knight was sent to a plain where it was relatively easy to move, and
the archer or assassin was sent to lee to the forest.
The wizard was used only to attract the attention of the enemy and the
people…
‘That’s going to be discarded.’
After securing as much of the supplies that the people provided each
turn, I used them to gain some time, or block a path.
Killing the people running toward the main force made him consume a
turn.
If this wasn’t a game, I’d be absolutely crushed, but…
‘It doesn’t matter because it’s a game, anyway.’
Honestly, I couldn’t be sure that I wouldn’t also move in this manner if a

real war were to actually break out.
I don’t know if he would be satis ied, but if his purpose was to

understand a human named Lee Kiyoung, then part of that purpose was
achieved.
‘I’m sorry I’m such a shitty person.’

While our great people blocked his main force, my king began to fall
back.
I also used common soldiers until the end and pushed it in boldly when
I judged that they could no longer withstand it.
Nevertheless, his troops, who were taking away my side one by one,
were now suffocating.
‘Is he some kind of Zhuge Liang?’
In the next 20 moves, a picture of my king being caught by his soldier

was being drawn in my mind.
CHAPTER 306
SIMPLE GAME (2)
It would all be over in the next 20 moves.
Considering the location of the horse that he would move and the space
where I can run away, his troops would arrive here within at least 20
moves.
There was still a little more left until the 100 moves he promised would
come to an end.
Although I tried hard to hold on, he didn’t spend turns by ignoring the
bait thrown earlier or chasing away troops.
He must be thinking that he only needed to take the king.
‘Was I supposed to have added more troops to the king?’
The baits thrown in all directions to prevent the annihilation of the

troops did not work.
He knew that he wouldn’t be able to get me within 100 moves.
‘My inger… ’
Of course, I could put it back on, but that didn’t mean that I liked the
pain that came with having it getting cut off.
No wonder I wanted to give this crazy pro a blow.

I had no choice but to start thinking.
Although I had endured enough, the retreat had already been blocked,
and he had tightened me in all directions.
There was also a limit to putting the king behind, and most of the
people had already come to their end as chess horses.
I tapped my inger on the table and saw the guy glancing at me.
Seeing that he was still staring at me with a quiet face, he thought that I
had still been dealing with him moderately.
The meal that was served a few minutes ago was now getting cold, and
those watching the game now turned their gazes to me.
Those who knew how to watch the match must be counting the moves
by now.
‘Fuck… ’
Although I had no choice, I had to try.
Not only did I smirk, but I also showed a smile as if everything was
going as expected. Everyone’s gazes shifted into curiosity.
They’re wondering why I was able to make this face in such a situation.
Of course, everything was just bullshit and acting.
Jin Qing also started looking at me, amused as I was maintaining the
poker face. He then suddenly grinned.
I didn’t say anything, but I had instilled the idea that my next move
would be different.
‘Different, my ass.’
Strategy was my area, but not my strength.
It was embarrassing for me to say this, but my strengths were

incitement and fabrication, fraud, blackmail, and…
‘Psychological warfare.’
In this kind of game where you could play face-to-face, there was room
for this kind of joke.
As soon as I licked my inger, it began to form a small dragon arm from

the table.
The faces of those looking at me were amazed.
Of course, they would.
It was not a very useful ability, but I had never seen anyone who wasn’t
surprised to see this dragon skill.
King.
The main unit moving with the king was caught by the product of my
alchemy skill, and the horse slowly began to move.
Even in the meantime, I maintained the smile on my face as if Jin Qing

would soon get caught.
I made the troops that had spread penetrate his core, and the knights
who gained time in the plains also turned around.
It was a ridiculous, evil move, a move that meant nothing.
‘Work. Please… let it work.’

If the answer was that he was overestimating me, I could get this to
work. This was not entirely lost yet.
The scattered troops and the soldiers with the king also could afford to
resist until the end.
The same went for supplies. It would not be enough, but I could still
procure things that could reach his king.
No more production was possible because there were no people…
‘I just need to move the supplies that the soldiers have to the knights.’
Of course, the soldiers would die in isolation.
However, the knight’s sword could still reach the other king.
I had no intention of counterattacking, but I also had no choice but to

hope that this meaningless move would become a genius stroke that no
one would be able to understand.
It was then that he looked at me quietly.
‘Did it work?’
His face seemed to be wondering as to why I made this move. Seeing

him scrambling for an answer was quite funny, honestly speaking.
I didn’t know what his next move would be, but at least I had made
room for thought.
Too much pretentiousness could cause doubts, so it would not be

harmful to be appropriately arrogant.
I stared at him with my legs crossed slightly as if telling him to igure

out, to accept it, and he began to look into the board to see if the move I
had made was really correct.
I didn’t say anything. No, it was already unnecessary.
I had no choice but to wait for the Republic’s galleries that came with
him to interpret it at will.
As expected, a humming sound began to resonate. I didn’t think he

would lose his judgment, but I wanted him to be shaken by the galleries
a bit.
Doubt and irm determination were evident in his eyes.
One side would think that he should be careful with my move, and the
other side would think it didn’t matter, and to just keep pushing.
In the ight that was taking place inside him, I had no choice but to hope
that the one who wanted to wait and see would win.
Finally, he began to hold his horse in his hand.
I looked at the board with a throbbing heart, and he…
‘Done!’
He chose to wait and see another move.
‘Pfff.’
Of course, even if I earned one more turn, it was planned that I would
lose, but at least it felt like I had screwed with him.
I didn’t know if he pretended to be deceived or was really deceived, but

it was undeniable that he moved as I intended, anyway.
I picked up the horse again with the dragon’s arm still in shape on the
table.
There was expectation on his face.
It looked like he was looking forward to what I would do next. Of

course, there was nothing to show.
It was just a show to gain some time, but it really seemed like he
thought I was hiding something.
‘Retard.’
If he were to look back in this game in the future, he would probably

notice that I had nothing hidden up my sleeve.
Once again, it was just when I lifted the horse.
Baaaaang!
The door popped out with a loud sound.
Not only the door, but the entrance itself had gotten completely
smashed.
As I turned my head momentarily, I saw a person I was glad to have

seen in that moment.
“Hee-ra?”
An angel had come to protect my ingers.
‘Fuuuckl! Cha Hee-ra is the best!’
Of course, it wasn’t just her.

Park Deokgu and Han Sora were also present, and some members of
the Red Mercenary.
And…
‘Yuno Kasugano!’
With both eyes closed, I saw a face looking for me urgently.
I had never been this happy to see that face.
“What…”
Jin Qing was dumbfounded, but only for a brief moment. Meanwhile,
Valentin, who lost his mind whenever something about Mercenary
Queen was brought up, rushed toward her.
Korean Park Deokgu, a combat power meter, blocked him.
Korean Park Deokgu bounced out with a banging sound, but the guy got
up again and rushed to the Russian.
“This insect… I’ll kill you.”
“Don’t you think this greeting is too rough…? Ahem. Huh?”
In this sudden situation, Shaolin withdrew her whip, and other

Republicans were also preparing for battle.
Of course, our saviors who came to ind me also had poison in their
eyes.
Jin Qing stood up and once again opened his mouth toward Russian
Park Deokgu.
“Valentin Alexandro, I told you I don’t want to cause any problems.”

“…”
“Cha Hee-ra, it’s been a while. And… it’s been a long time, too, Yuno
Kasugano.”
“I didn’t come here to get your greetings, you rat. I came to get someone
back.”
“Oh, there seems to be a misunderstanding. We did not persecute Lee

Kiyoung, one of the Eight Seats of the State, but… rather, Lee Kiyoung
came here…”
“Shut up. If you don’t want to see me going crazy… The reason I’m not
doing anything now is because of the debt my honey owes to that crazy
whip girl.”
I could see Jin Qing staring at Shaolin with a smile on his face.
Shaolin began to open her mouth, gently softening her arm.
“I once stopped that gorilla from going crazy at Castle Rock. Probably
because of that…”
“You’re right. Whatever the reason, this event ends here. Oh, Valentin,
you’re still the same. How have you been?”
“This bitch…”
I thought their roaring at each other was just like a dog and a cat.
I realized that the Empire’s relationship with the Republic was

de initely not that good. Not only for continental people but also for
foreigners, but it wasn’t nice to see.
If an accident occurred, there was a high possibility that Jung Hayan

and I would be the irst to be sacri iced.
Under the Continental Law, accidents in neutral areas were taboo, and
Jin Qing, just like me, did not want to cause signi icant friction.
Although I couldn’t tell which side was superior, the squad with Cha
Hee-ra, Yuno Kasugano, and Jung Hayan was by no means weak.
That pro’s ability was still unknown, but if something were to happen,
someone would de initely die.
Whatever the case, the irst thing to do was to calm the hostility that
was illing the air.
“Excuse me, but I think it would be better to stop, Jin Qing.”
“Oh…”
He had a look of regret, probably because he wouldn’t be able to see my

next move.
I stood up fairly con idently, and, of course, no one held me back.
It was because Jin Qing had grabbed the hand that I extended.
He also didn’t want to cause friction here, so it was only right that this
would end here.
Hee-ra also let go of the tension as the warm atmosphere of exchanging

greetings while shaking hands was created.
I wanted to make fun of him a little more, so I opened my mouth toward

him.
“If it had gone that way, I would have won the bet.”
Of course, it was bullshit.

“It would have been fun.”
He bowed before turning to look at the board once more.
“Shaolin-nim, I will get in contact with you.”
“I bet you I may go crazy if you don’t do it this time again. I won’t see
you off because of that red gorilla, so goodbye.”
Of course, I now planned to make an appointment with Shaolin.
Unlike before, when I was busy paying attention to the inside, I was
now interested in the Republic.
What kind of guy Jin Qing was, who were the members of the Five
General Tigers of the Republic, and some other basic information.
While I was saying goodbye to Shaolin, Jung Hayan was also talking to
Jin Qing, and I could see that he had given her a note.
I had no choice but to realize that the interest he irst showed in Jung
Hayan was sincere.
‘It’s impossible to like him, that guy.’
It was natural to be upset when someone tried to put their hands on

what I had.
As I looked at her quietly, she got surprised and ran over here. The guy
who was just trying to say goodbye to Jung Hayan hardened his face for
a moment.
Jung Hayan grabbed my arm tightly, and I silently opened my mouth

toward her.
I had to make sure she did what I ordered.

“Did you just record it?”
“You mean the war g-game, right?”
“Yes. I’ll analyze it right away when I get home. I’ll send the video to Lee
Jihye as well, you will be tired, but it would be better to stay with me all
night today. It’s okay with you?”
“Yes… Yes! O-of course. Absolutely.”
“Oh. And I don’t like you getting along with someone like that. Do you
know what I’m talking about?”
I can, and you can’t.
I was such a hypocrite.
I could see that Jung Hayan’s face had turned pale upon seeing the
reproach on my face.
Innocent Jung Hayan seemed to think that she had just cheated on me.
CHAPTER 307
JUNG HAYAN’S INSTRUCTION
MANUAL (1)
‘I’m annoyed.’
I wasn’t neglecting Jung Hayan, but, indeed, I wasn’t paying attention

enough. I had thought that, whatever I did, she would support me all
the way.
Of course, that thought remained the same now, but…
‘I forgot.’
I indeed forgot about the value of Jung Hayan.
She was a genius wizard that Kim Hyunsung had been watching since
the tutorial.
Her importance was indescribable when I recalled that her talent was
extraordinary. Even I, who could not see the same future as Hyunsung
could, could understand that much.
It was not enough to say that she was a talent sent from heaven.
Even those who had legendary or higher-grade magical talent didn’t

grow as fast as her, or were as familiar with magic as her.
Among many talented wizards, Jung Hayan’s growth was

overwhelmingly fast and strong.
She was a talented person who was essential in order to escape the
future threats that Kim Hyunsung knew.
She was fast catching up with Kim Hyunsung, a returner, with her pure
talent, so this alone was enough to label her as out of speci ication.
It was just a simple guess, but Jung Hayan was an indispensable wizard
for the future to come, and she was a talent enough to those who didn’t
know this to drool over for her.
It was not unreasonable for the opposing camp to be interested in her

like today.
If she simply looked strong, it would not have caused a problem.
Anyone could see that she looked mentally unstable, and since she was
not easy to be handled, it was no wonder that she could attract people.
Even if I had been on the opposite side of Jung Hayan, I could be sure I
would have done all kinds of crap to get her on my side. Jin Qing
seemed to think the same.
‘Absolutely not.’
There was no one anywhere who wanted to be robbed of the sweet fruit
he had grown with all his might.
In fact, there were many times when I thought that it would be better to
distance myself a little because Jung Hayan’s excessive affection
burdened me, but when I felt that someone was taking away our
precious archmage, love that did not exist before began to arise.
‘It surely would be a shame.’
On one hand, it was regrettable that Jin Qing was interested in her.
If it were someone else, it would not be a bad idea to use it as a role in
extracting information.
Anyway, after I inished talking, she started to panic.
She seemed like an innocent girl who didn’t have the concept of
pushing and pulling, and was worried that this might make me hate her.
“I-i-it’s not like that. It really isn’t like that! He was just talking to me… I,
I…”
“……”
“I’m not t-that kind of woman!”
Suddenly, she burst.
I didn’t know what kind of woman Jung Hayan was talking about, but if
what I was guessing was correct, I was indeed a man like that.
It was quite the sight to see her running towards me in a it of surprise.
It wouldn’t be bad to try increasing the intensity a little more, so I could

see her tearing up when I turned to avoid her gaze.
Upon seeing this, she made short work of Jin Qing’s note, even going so
far as to use magic to burn it up before stepping on it, as if she had been
touching something dirty.
The interesting fact was that Jin Qing was looking at the scene, and, of
course, it made his face crumple.
Whatever his intentions, it would be strange if he wouldn’t be upset to

see something like that in front of his eyes.
‘Don’t touch it. I call dibs on this.’

Obviously, I showed this type of expression.
Jung Hayan shed thick tears while she continued to desperately defend
herself.
I was a little embarrassed because even I didn’t expect such an

overreaction.
“Sniff… hic. I’m really n-not that kind of woman. Really. Hic. I’m not
cheating on you or something like that, really…”
It was all the more exciting to see her staring at the person who made
the misunderstanding as if she didn’t like him, but I felt that any further
stimulation would wear out my conscience, so I had to hold out my
hand.
It was undoubtedly cute to see her running to me when she saw this.
Looking ahead, I could see the lovely rescue workers still waiting for
me.
“I know, Hayan. I was just saying, so you don’t have to worry too much.”
“I’m really not. Hic… really.”
“I know. I just said it.”
And with this, I went to ix the atmosphere.
I repeated that it was okay, but she continued breathing harshly. The
glances of resentment sent to Jin Qing remain unchanged.
And that concluded the business I had with him.
The of icials of the Republic seemed to be on the lookout for us until the
end.
It was not unusual for them to react like that since Hee-ra was glaring
at them in such a scary manner.
The irst one that greeted me was Park Deokgu as I moved from the
Republic to the State’s camp.
Perhaps thanks to blocking the attack of the Russian Doppelganger, he

didn’t look the best.
Still…
‘Even to be able to continue standing up is something to be grateful for.’
He bounced off terribly, but he had already grown to the point where he
could stop that attack at least once.
“Did you get hurt?”
“No, Deokgu. There’s no problem. I think it’s better to take care of your
body irst than me. You just blocked an attack…”
“Well, I think my insides are a little twisted, but it’s not a big deal. I can
survive by receiving treatment from the priests. Rather than that…”
“Why did you come here? Honey?”
Cha Hee-ra cut our conversation off. She seemed annoyed, but perhaps
she didn’t like the fact that I’d put myself in danger. She also seemed to
think that I went crawling into the tiger’s mouth by myself.
Even if I were Cha Hee-ra, I wouldn’t believe that I came in by chance.
“It was really a coincidence. Actually, there is a reason that I’ve come
this far, but to explain it is a little long… Thanks anyway, Nuna. It was
actually a time when I was getting a little nervous.”
“If this weren’t a neutral area, you would have died. No matter how
much you say our second is next to you, it’s not good to wander around
too much. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.”
Even at a glance, she didn’t seem to be in such a good mood.
Although the Republic and the State had always been in disputes, in
fact, I didn’t expect the foreigners to have such a bad relationship
between them.
It seemed that emotions ran deep enough that they couldn’t be united
by the fact of being the same foreigners.
If they had faced each other on the battle ield several times, it would be
natural to think that way.
Even though it was said that they were doing well now, it was dif icult
for those who fought in the past to smile and greet each other.
‘The ones who came in recently won’t understand… ’
Even Yuno Kasugano didn’t seem very comfortable. When I went to

greet her, however, her expression loosened.
Anyway, Cha Hee-ra continued staring at the people of the Republic

until the end.
She still seemed to be in a bad mood.
Even Jung Hayan was walking, feeling a little blue, so there was no need
to explain that the way back was pretty gloomy.
‘I guess I’m going to get busy… ’

In the meantime, I began to wonder as to what could happen in the
future.
As the problem with the Republic loated on the surface, I knew I had to
gather some information.
The irst was to ind out if they really were our enemies.
***
‘Please. Please, just let it go as if nothing happened… please… ’
I didn’t like coming here from the beginning.
I felt as if every day I was on pins and needles.
There was something ominous from the beginning, but seeing the way
we were going back, I had no choice but to repeat the same thoughts
Instructor Lee Kiyoung, no, moving with Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung
was also burdensome, and my lesh trembled.
Just thinking that the same accident as the last time might happen
made me tingle.
As I glanced at the side, I saw Jung Hayan-nim, who has maintained the
same face for the last few days.
A stiff face.
I understood very well from my experience that that face meant she
was on the verge of exploding.
Just by glancing at her, I felt like my bladder was tickling, so I had to

turn to the person I thought was the safest.
He was the only one who could protect me if something happens.
“Do I have something on my face?”
“No…”
“Come to think of it, how are the things Hyung-nim asked for…?”
“There is no problem, for now. Even though Queen Pristina is still a

little irm, the Vice Guild Master seems to have thought that this would
take a lot of time… I was instructed not to move, being too obvious.”
“Yes. I see. There’s a reason why Hyung-nim brought you. I noticed it

from the time he asked me to bring you, but it seemed like he was
trying to entrust the administrative affairs as well. Isn’t that right,
Hayan?”
“Ah… Yes.”
However, he also seemed to be watching out for Jung Hayan.
She seemed a little nervous for a different reason than me, but she was
openly showing that she was in a bad mood, and it was not
unreasonable for her to be so restless since she continued crying even
while eating.
The atmosphere resembled a mourner’s house.
When I recalled the cause of all this, a resentful feeling began to leak
from one side of my heart.
‘Please… Please… ’
The same was true now.

Jung Hayan’s eyes were illed with tears since morning, but I didn’t feel
sorry for her.
I was rather scared.
It was because I remembered the irst encounter with her.
“Hey, H… Hayan, don’t worry too much.”
“Gasp… I-I’m really not that kind of woman… Hic…”
“H-hyung-nim told you he was just saying. H-he really doesn’t care. The
reason he doesn’t have time to be with you is because he’s always busy.
Busy…”
“B-but…”
“It’s not only you but also Sora, and I haven’t seen Hyung-nim in years.
Even the Mercenary Queen and the Shaman said it’d been a long time
since they had a meal with him. Perhaps, from his perspective, isn’t it
natural that he wants to learn more about the Republic while we’re
here? I can guarantee, I don’t know what mistake you made, but it’s
never because of you that he hasn’t been here recently.”
“I-in the past, no matter how busy he was, he always hugged me once,
but… from that day on…”
“It’s all your imagination. Actually, it didn’t look much different to me.
Instead, I feel that he’s paying more attention to you… and it seems
you’re overreacting a bit.”
“But… hic…”
I wanted that prediction to be correct.

If that were the case, I would have been able to sleep relaxed. However,
I also knew it was impossible for things to be solved so quickly.
“Haap… It’s all because of that guy. H-he said we would go on a date
again. Haap… He hasn’t said anything else since that day… the date has
been canceled, too…”
“It’s not really your fault.”
“I’m not that kind of woman… Hic. T-that guy made him
misunderstand…”
“It seems like that, too…”
“……”
The look in her eyes had begun to look weirder and weirder. My mind
lashed back to the past.
‘Please don’t do this. Please, please, let’s live peacefully.’
I didn’t know what she was thinking, but Jung Hayan-nim’s face was
slowly stiffening.
‘Please. Please… Please, just hold it in.’

CHAPTER 308
MANUAL (2)
‘What do I do?’
My legs trembled, almost unconsciously.
‘S-Should I run away…?’
It was not unreasonable to think that. Deokgu didn’t seem to have

noticed something strange yet, but I, who had already seen her like that
before, knew very well what that meant.
It felt like the point of the conversation didn’t match. It was scary to
hear her voice continually muttering quietly.
I didn’t know what it was, but it was natural to think that she was
buried in one thought.
The current Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung was really busy. He was
already busy because of the thing with the neutral country, and since
the Republican variable had intervened, it was natural for him to have a
lot of routes in mind.
The situation had even gotten busy enough for him to entrust me with a
few simple things, so there would be no need to explain how busy he
really was.
The problem was with Jung Hayan, and the way she had accepted it.
‘What the hell did he say…?’
I didn’t know what happened or what she heard because she didn’t go
out to meet the Vice Guild Master, but looking at her reaction, it seemed
like she had been scolded, being asked if she had cheated on him.
‘It’s complete hypocrisy.’
The fact that the Vice Guild Master’s relationship with women was not
so clean was the fact that not only Lindel, but also the State and the
whole sky knew.
I just wondered how he said that without blinking.
‘She thinks it’s all that guy’s fault.’
Not only was the initially scheduled date suddenly canceled, but the
recent drastically reduced time together made me feel like she was
turning all of the causes to him.
She turned the arrow at one of the Five General Tigers of the Republic.
Of course, it was just a prediction, and it could simply be speculation.
However, it was natural to become sensitive to each and every action of

Jung Hayan-nim from my standpoint, hoping that a big thing would not
happen.
I wanted to leave in a hurry, but my legs didn’t move. Surprisingly, it

was Deokgu who went irst.
“Oh. I-it’s training time. I have to go out irst… Ahem. I’ll see you this
evening… Ahem.”
‘S-so cheap.’
I didn’t know the details, but he thought that it was out of the scope of
the cases he could handle.
‘I trusted him… ’
I wanted to leave, but my feet refused to move. Instead, my legs started

to tremble, and my body trembled like strabismus. With the cold sweat
that kept running down, I bit my lips tightly and turned my attention as
much as possible.
“W-What can I do?”
“Yes… Yes… Yes?”
“What can I do…? What if Oppa keeps hating me?”
It was hard to tell whether she was talking to herself or me.
“So…”
Obviously, I had gone through a similar situation before. Whatever the

case, the right answer was to get up and get out of this place right now.
The moment I moved my body while tapping my stubborn leg, I

suddenly felt her squeezing my hand.
“Aaaahhh!”
A scream popped out at the moment, my heart rattled, but the hall was
still quiet.
“So, what do you think, Sora-ssi? What should I do?”
‘Don’t ask me.’

“Hic… I don’t want to be hated by Oppa… He must be thinking that… I-
I’m such a woman who goes around in any place… Hic!”
‘That’s not you. It’s him… He’s doing it!’
I had to swallow back the words that came to my throat. I couldn’t

predict what would happen if I were to spit that out.
With as much courage as possible, I turned my head, and what I saw

was a woman showing an anxious look while wiping thick tears.
I shouldn’t think of this, but I started to feel somewhat sorry for her.
‘It would be right to comfort her.’
For now, that was the right answer.
“As Deokgu oppa said, it would be okay. He wouldn’t think that. It

seems… that he was just saying… and because he’s actually… very busy.”
“H-His eyes de initely looked a little different from usual… Hic. He just
seemed to hate me…”
“You must have been mistaken. Yes. E-Even when he’s with me, he
talked a lot about Jung Hayan-nim. That you’re kind, good, and he
always says… you’re the one he loves.”
“Really? Ah… did you ever talk to O-oppa?”
“Of… course! We weren’t alone! Yes! We weren’t alone! Deokgu was also
there! Yes! We couldn’t have been alone. Yes. Hahaha… We weren’t like
that.”
“Ahhh… I see.”
“And whether he just said it or not, isn’t it good to have listened to t-
that?”
“W-what? What’s good about it?”
Despite having a short conversation, my body trembled, all out of

nerves. There was a possibility that I would fall into hell with one
wrong move.
‘It was dangerous.’
In particular, the story that I talked about with Vice Guild Master Lee
Kiyoung had room for misunderstanding.
“What exactly did the Vice Guild Master say?”
“He doesn’t like that… Hic! I talk to people like him.”
“Yes. That’s good!”
“What’s good about that…”
‘Don’t stare at me… please. Please… ’
“It means… he’s jealous.”
“Jealous?”
“Yes. Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung doesn’t want to see you talking to
other men. De initely. If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t care… no matter
what you did with that guy. If he said that… it means that he’s
possessive. It’s rather good.”
“I-i-it means that?! Possessive?”
“Yes. Sure.”
“Was O-pppa jealous?”
“I’m not sure because I wasn’t there, but…”
“Oppa was jealous…”
“Yes. Right.”
“Oppa was jealous!”
“Yes!”
“He wants to own me!”
“Yes! That’s it!”
Did I say the right thing? I thought about it, but I couldn’t igure it out
for the life of me. For now, she stopped crying.
She was so excited that my nerves skyrocketed, but my breathing

became more and more comfortable when I saw Jung Hayan’s eager
face.
‘Did I really say the right thing?’
But the problem was that I kept feeling anxious. I don’t know why, but
unidenti ied anxiety sprouted in the corner of my heart.
‘If the… ’
She realized that the Vice Guild Master was jealous, but if she tried to
do the same thing again, and end up being really hated… If this
happened once again, and once again come into a groaning and crying
situation, this time the arrow may turn towards me.
‘It’s because of the S-S-Sora. It’s because of Sora! Hic… I really didn’t
want to do this… It’s all your fault!’
When I imagined Jung Hayan stabbing me with a dagger by saying that,

I started to think it wasn’t the right thing. Whatever I said, it would be
hell after that, but at least I wanted to avoid the arrows to my side.
I might really die. Last time, I just survived because I had been really
lucky. No, it was better to die than to go through that once again.
I had been looking for happiness little by little recently.
“A-and!”
“Yes?”
“And that person must’ve had… bad intention. Yes. Bad intentions. The
Vice Guild Master tends to see people well, so he must have noticed that
the person has a different idea. He doesn’t really care about Jung Hayan
talking with other men, right? He must have had something different in
his mind. That’s why he was upset.”
“Ah… I-I see.”
“Yes. Of course, it doesn’t mean that everything I’m saying is correct,

but I think it’s likely to be so. Rather than because of Jung Hayan-nim…”
“Right? Is it because of that, that bad person, right?”
“Yes.”
“What do I do?”
“Yes?”
“I have to prove that I have only Oppa. I have to prove that I don’t care
about that bad guy as much as a hairpin.”
“You don’t have to prove it…”
“Oppa should know that I am not that kind of woman… Yes. Right.”
“Wouldn’t he… already know?”
“But he needs to know a little more. Jealousy is good, p-possessive is

good, too, but… I hate him looking at me like that. I will… Yes. I only
have Oppa. We have to prove our innocence. Because she said he was a
bad person. Yes… It’s not our fault.”
I started to feel like the air was gradually getting heavier.
“Yes. It’s… not because of Hayan-nim.”
“It’s because of that person, right?”
“If you have to ind someone guilty… It could be, but…”
“I only have Oppa, but he talked to me for no reason and made him have
a useless doubt. He made him look at me as a strange woman. So it’s
correct that it’s his fault. This wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been
for him. He was the one who interrupted our date… At that time,
though, the atmosphere was good at irst… We could have dinner
together, and we could have become o-one formally! Okay… But we
were disturbed.”
“Ah… that…”
“We were disturbed. We were disturbed… It wasn’t enough to interfere,

so he took time with something unreasonable. Just think about it. It was
actually dangerous then. My precious oppa could have died by them.
Those are the people he doesn’t need. And they are dangerous people.”
‘It’s wrong.’
It was terrifying to see her keep muttering alone. I thought I was going
to feel nauseous thinking about that time. The rat in front of the cat
would not be more scared than this.
“Right. It’s not just that person. That woman seemed to like Oppa, too…
Even the big guy swung his ist at Oppa. Just think about it. It’s those
people who keep him busy. If it weren’t for those people, we would have
been able to hang out every day… Why do they come to Laios and make
people feel uncomfortable? They should be stuck… in the Republic!
Those i-idiots! Those fools! There are many places I haven’t been to yet,
and there are many things I want to do… Deokgu also said this trip was
an opportunity! They ruined all those opportunities. Everything! They
screwed it all up!”
“P… please…”
“I have to get rid of them. I have to kill them.”
“Help me…”
“I have to kill… It’s to clean up. I should have gotten a little stronger…
Because those people are also strong…”
“Please. Please save me.”
Not only was my body shaking, but I started to feel that my bottoms
were getting damp.
Tears lowed out of my tightly closed eyes. I knew that I wasn’t the
target of that anger, but my mouth kept asking for help. The nightmares
I felt before started to come to my mind.
The voice of Jung Hayan-nim, which was heard while murmuring

unknowingly for help, gradually faded. The room had quieted down.
‘Did she leave?’
As soon as that hopeful thought entered my head, a voice spoke up to

dash it.
“Sora-ssi also thinks the same, right?”
Of course, I had no choice but to nod at her words.

CHAPTER 309
MANUAL (3)
It was undoubtedly unpleasant that the situation was twisted.
It was something I had been prepared for. From the time I came here, I
knew that I would have to spend some time on this, but the work had
become more complicated than I had initially thought.
In fact, hoping for results in less than a week after coming here was
worse than a thief’s mindset.
Looking at Pristina gently avoiding my suggestions or questions, I

thought maybe this alliance proposal itself was problematic.
‘Prematurely.’
Only a week had passed since then. As the other side was also aware of
our intention, it was natural for it to be necessary to do prior work,
rather than move openly.
Even Han Sora, who I had an expectation for, was working hard, and I
also spent most of my time with the people of Laios, so it would be
correct to think that I was laying the foundation for now.
‘Republican bastards… so annoying… ’
It was obvious as to why I had become so nervous about something I

didn’t have to be anxious about. The anxiety factor that everyone knew
was none other than the existence of the Republic.
Three of the Eight State seats moved, and those who could be said to be
important igures of the Republic also visited Laios. It would be
fortunate if they simply came to enjoy tourism, but that was an
impossible thing to hope for.
I had to think that they wanted something else, and that maybe, what
they wanted wasn’t much different from what we wanted.
‘An alliance with Laios.’
In a way, I could say that it was a kind of work that would take place
every year, but this time it felt like the scale had gotten much bigger.
As such, it was an indicator that the situation on the continent was

unstable, so there was no need to explain the importance of this event.
If Laios and the Republic formed an alliance, it would be a big loss for
the Empire. As the State had already achieved many results, it would be
regrettable for us not to take any action now.
‘Absolutely… ’
I did not want to miss the bene its that I could reap from this place. It
had already been decided that I was busy with all the important issues
gathered. Thanks to that, each day had become very monotonous.
The day would begin by meeting Pristina and other people from the
neutral country.
It was no big deal, but I had also met with foreigners living in Laios and
talked about the supply of potions I made, all produced in the State.
While proposing a contract enough to satisfy them, I talked about the

bene its we could share if Laios were to join the State. In a way, we
would give them enough money that can be called a lobby, and of
course, a contract with this good condition has not been yet
implemented. Rather than me refusing, the neutral country didn’t like
these contracts, and they were aware that if there was something to
receive, there should be something to give.
‘Their vigilance is thick.’
They say they welcomed the guests, but the Republic and the State were
indeed unwelcome guests for Laios. They hoped to maintain their
position as a neutral country rather than the immediate gains, so in a
way, it was like talking to a brick wall.
Nevertheless, since there was nothing that I could do other than trying
continuously, it was best to lay as much ground as possible from the
State’s perspective.
The Republic might be in a similar situation. It was impossible to

implement extreme diplomatic strategies as we knew that opposite
camps were staying at Laios. Although we were in a position where we
couldn’t con irm what each force was proposing and how it was
moving, we didn’t have to see to know.
Actually, I should have taken a rest and focused on talking with the
Laios. Since there were many complex issues entangled, I had to skip all
the schedules with Jung Hayan or Cha Hee-ra.
I immediately sent the game’s content against that pro to Lee Jihye for
her to analyze with Max the patterns and habits. I had to ind a different
way to get past this.
[I think it’s still hard with my level. You felt it too, but at irst, it felt like
he was taking it easy… I don’t think I can use it as data either… Of
course, it is better to have it than not have it. For now, I will continue to
simulate. Honestly, I’m not con ident.]
That was the reaction I got after Lee Jihye saw the video I sent. The fact
that a capable person like Jihye could admit that made me nervous. This
was even harder than the war propaganda plan.
It was about the dangers of potential enemies.
Originally, I had already con irmed that the Five Tiger Generals were
strong, but what I had actually seen was more than I had heard before.
The Russian Park Deokgu seemed to be a combination of Korean Park

Deokgu and Cha Hee-ra, and I didn’t even need to say anything about
Shaolin.
The same went for Jin Qing. Not only did he have a high magic power to
be considered a sheer genius, he had such a good physical ability that
he could also be considered a magical swordsman. It was a little
shocking personally that they were stronger than the lower squad of
the Eight Seats. If the level of the remaining falls short of them…
“They’re stronger.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You said they’re stronger than me, right? It’s not publicly known, but it
doesn’t make any difference. To be precise, I am the lowest among the
ive republicans. No, in a way, you can think that I’m similar to Valentin.
We haven’t fought before, and I can’t judge how strong they are with
just these specs, so I’m not sure, but I’m just making a rough guess.”
“Hmm…”
“I mean, except for our soldier. I can say he’s in second place in the
hierarchy, but he’s a wizard, so it’s hard to measure… One thing is for
sure, our number one is really strong. You will probably be surprised if
you see it. But… aren’t you being too explicit?”
“I am not sure what you are talking about, Shaolin-nim.”
“Of course, you do… I understand that you want to get information
out… but I can see that you only want to ask that kind of questions.”
“It’s just your imagination. Well, if you have any questions, you can ask,
too. It’s more about exchanging information than taking it out.”
“This is not the kind of information exchange I wanted… this is a

meeting between a woman and a man, of course, I don’t want to talk
about these serious things. We’re even having dinner at a nice
restaurant with a glass of wine… You owe me a lot, and I think you’d
better think of my mood at least a little bit.”
“Of course, I am truly grateful for your help before, but… there’s also
our current situation… and it’s only been a few days since the two of us
started seeing each other. Anyway, ahem… This time, it’s your turn.”
“Then the question, what do you think of me?”
Overall, spending time with Shaolin in this way was already a

con irmed issue.
I needed information, and as she said, I had a debt to pay.
‘She’s bold.’
I didn’t know if it was because she was still immature, but she was
more outspoken than I thought.
Of course, Shaolin would be like this. She was 22 years old when I irst
saw her. It would have taken quite a while for her to reach this level, so
she must have been active in her mid or late teens.
Her talent was indeed extraordinary, and she would have taken all sorts
of expectations at an early age going through an elite road.
Even her face was very attractive. In a way, she was de initely a different
type from the women I had seen so far. It was a similar word, but she
had a stronger impression of sexuality than sexiness.
She had a ferocious impression like the “people-snatcher” Charlia, who

I didn’t even remember the face of anymore, but she was sexually
attractive in a way that could not be explained. With the deep sidecut of
the Chinese dress that she was wearing, as well as the long lashes and
ingers, the reddish face and the eyes looking at me, and even her
actions, I could feel a strong sense of temptation.
I felt sorry for Jung Hayan, but it was impossible to compare with her
periodic seduction.
That didn’t mean I wouldn’t try my best to wheedle information out of

her, however.
‘It’s crazy.’
This could be a trap. If I successfully get baited…
‘I might die.’
In other words, she was not what she seemed to be. Seeing her right
now, she looked normal on the outside, but I knew best than anyone
that she was not.
The irst place I met her was in the black market, and it didn’t show, but
the temper itself was very cruel.
Kim Hyunsung also treated her as a villain, so it was obvious as to what

she was doing in the irst round.
To put it all together, spending time with her was no different from
wanting to be found the next morning as a corpse.
“I think you’re beautiful. Honestly, I am interested.”
“That’s fortunate. In what way?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know exactly what to say… Ah. What do you think
of me?”
“Is that a question?”
“Yes. This is a question.”
“Can I be a little honest?”
“…”
“…”
“You look really sexually attractive…”
I had no choice but to cough. It was not because she was thinking the
same thing as me, but because I was embarrassed that she said that too
bluntly.
“I don’t usually get this feeling… It’s really weird. In fact, it is true that
you are a little far from my type… you keep making me impatient… it
looks like sweet honey is dripping from you. Can you understand it if I
explain it like this? Your body seems to have a sweet scent, and your
lips seem to have some nectar on them. You wouldn’t have put magic…”
“Ahem…”
“I don’t know if you look like that to other people’s eyes, but… It’s funny
that at least it looks to me.”
I didn’t think Cha Hee-ra or Jung Hayan would see it as Shaolin
described it.
“Well, if it’s a compliment, thank you.”
“Of course, it is a compliment. Although the expression was long and

vulgar, I meant that I’m attracted to you as a woman.”
I could see her smirking. I didn’t know if it was my imagination, but I

felt like she was smacking her lips for some reason. It was when a sense
of uneasiness rose within me.
‘What the… ’
“Uh…”
‘What is that?’
The problem didn’t come from her. Instead, a little far from this place.
The ground had started to reverberate, and I could feel unimaginable
magical power from above.
‘Fuck… What is that?’
I could see a large concentration of magic falling out in the outskirts of

the city.
CHAPTER 310
MANUAL (4)
Even though I rubbed my eyes once, I could still see the same thing in
front of me.
It was not a dream. Certainly, a large dark red sphere was falling from
the sky.
“What is that…”
Shaolin was also lustered. She looked out the window and muttered to
herself, and she looked even more bewildered than me.
It was obvious why she had such an expression.
‘There… ’
The place where the magic fell off was the place where people from the
Republic lived.
‘That’s crazy… ’
Baaaaaaaannngg!
With that sound, huge magical power began to strike the protective
magic that protected the city.
The people who were eating with us screamed at the ridiculous scene.
With a crackling sound, the basic magic that protected the city was
shattered, and the enormous magical power was sucked into the gap in
an instant.
All of this happened within a few seconds.
Amazingly, the impact did not reach here.
I didn’t know what kind of magic it was, but it seemed to be a kind of

magic aimed only at the exact target point.
It was not an element type. There was something like black magic, but I
couldn’t feel it.
The expression of simply swallowing up space would be appropriate. It

was an aggregate of high-density magical power.
‘That’s crazy… crazy!’
No wonder I was more surprised than the dinosaurs watching the

meteor fall.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I wondered if it would be better to
run away from here right now.
I didn’t know what others would think, but at least from my point of
view; it was like a natural disaster that I couldn’t understand.
‘Is it really a natural disaster… ’
Kaaaahhhhhhhhh!
The sound I heard for the irst time in my life began to ring in my ears.
The sphere that had fallen in the speci ic place rotated iercely and
completely consumed the space it was in.
There was nothing in it, leaving only a neat section that looked as if a
paper had been stapled.
Even in other places, the dark red magic power was falling. It wasn’t a
number that could be said to be that many, but it was enough to turn
the city into an abyss.
As if that thing was lucky, it swallowed most of the minerals at random.
That’s the only place that thing hit directly.
Kaaaaahhhhhhhhh!
After the chain of sounds got smaller and smaller, I began to see a
landscape that I had never seen with any magic.
‘How can this be? No, what is that?’
I admit that magic was a science that even I couldn’t understand, but I
couldn’t believe what I was seeing with my own eyes. If I hadn’t felt
arti icial magic, I would have thought it wasn’t magic. I would have
concluded that it was one of the peculiar natural phenomena occurring
on the continent like a magical storm.
I was not the only one who was speechless at this ridiculous situation.
The restaurant had now gone silent.
Beginning with the cry of a baby heard from somewhere, everyone

started rushing outside. Of course, we were no exception.
“I have to go.”
“I’ll go with you.”
She seemed to be thinking for a moment, but I could see her nodding.
She must have felt that it would be ine if I went, too.
Immediately going out of the restaurant, I could see the surrounding
scenery going wild. I could see investigators dispatched from Laios
running, and monks and ascetics looked for any injured people.
Wizards who came out late also seem to have moved early.
It was commendable that they responded faster than I thought, but…
‘The level of the wizard is low here.’
It was hard to expect them to igure out something. Perhaps the most
they could do was control the surroundings and pretend to do
something.
Civilians were running in all directions in the meantime. In fact,

Shaolin’s minions showed similar reactions to them. It felt like they all
didn’t know how to handle this.
I was not very different from them either. I had to worry about a second
bombing right now. That was why I had stuck with Shaolin.
We headed to the place where the irst magic fell in an instant.
‘What the… ’
After arriving at the place, I saw a magni icent sight.
‘They must have all died.’
I didn’t know what happened to the people inside, but I bet they
couldn’t even rescue the bodies of the ones that had gotten properly hit,
‘Are the pro and the big guy dead…?’
However, seeing some people gathered, it seemed that my wish had not
come true.
As I passed through the crowd, I saw the pro and the big guy that I’d
seen a few days ago. Only three minions survived. The rest were all
dead.
I didn’t know how they were able to survive this mess, but I was able to
nod when I saw the big guy’s one arm twisting in an inexplicable
direction.
He must have saved the pro.
“Shit… Ahem. Damn!”
He was coughing while being treated by several priests.
By immediately receiving the healing magic, they could save his arm,
but it seemed that he needed a little more time to recover his entire
body.
On the one hand, I thought that it was amazing to have survived such a
thing, but it seemed that he went too far.
Jin Qing was looking at the neatly-cut section while calming others.
It seemed that he was doing his own analysis.
I was not the one who did this, but I started getting anxious for some
reason.
“I was wondering if… this…”
“I can guarantee this has nothing to do with the State this time.”
“…”
“…”
“Is it true?”
“Yes.”
This time, I had nothing to be ashamed of.
Shaolin, looking at me quietly, slowly nodded. She seemed to have

understood that I was not stupid enough to do something like this.
Launching a preemptive strike against the Republic in a neutral

country, it was extremely sensitive.
There was no single reason why we, who were staying here to form an
alliance with Laios, would do this. Of course, I would be grateful if they
thought so, too, but…
‘They can bog me down.’
If they wanted to twist my words, they could do it anyhow.
First, I needed to come up with a solution. Although we were together, I

had to open my mouth in a hurry.
“It’s better to go and talk, Shaolin. I have to look into the situation
separately, too…”
“Yes. I think it’s better, too. Before that big buy gets angered again…
We’ll only know what happened after looking into it, but right now, they
have no choice but to doubt you. Please understand that much.”
‘Understand, my ass… I hope they don’t make up a scenario.’
The probability was low, but it was not impossible.

“I won’t see you off.”
“Okay.”
After talking to me, Shaolin approached Jin Qing and Valentin.
I heard them talking, but I couldn’t listen to it clearly.
They would contact the Republic immediately, and an investigation

team would be dispatched immediately.
Of course, I thought that the State would also send an investigation

team.
The powerless Laios would not be able to prevent a forceful group

under the name of the investigation group from entering the country.
Eventually, the situation would become more complicated.
‘It should be absurd from their point of view, but… ’
The case had already happened and could no longer be reversed.
By now, the Queen of Laios might be having a headache.
When I looked back again, I saw those who had already controlled other
people’s access and started investigating them.
At irst glance, it seemed like there was nothing wrong with the State
camp, but since it was a sensitive issue, I have to investigate.
If it was Jung Hayan, she might ind out something…
‘Fuck… ’
“Shit.”
I thought out loud automatically.
Unknowingly, the curse words continue to linger around my mouth.

Suspicion began to dwell inside of me.
‘It’s not, right?’
No. It can’t be. Jung Hayan couldn’t possibly be the culprit.
‘The motivation is also uncertain.’
It was already foreseen that she would cause some accident from the
time she gained 99 magic power.
Although she was being repressed by Cha Hee-ra right now, the fact that
Jung Hayan could run wild at any time did not change.
She was very quiet lately, but because of that, I felt even more anxious.
Since the incident with the Republic people, I hadn’t seen her in some
time.
Of course, we met occasionally and spent time, but I wasn’t con ident
that it was enough to care for Jung Hayan.
The date was ruined, and we even got a strange misunderstanding, so if

she thought it was all because of the Republic guys, she could easily
take extreme measures.
I mean, unless there was no one to stop her.
‘No. Maybe not. It won’t be.’
However, within my common sense, the number of people who could

demonstrate this kind of magic is limited, and of course, the number
one priority was Jung Hayan.
It was her.
The idea that it wasn’t the time to cover up for others suddenly
awakened. For now, I had no choice but to head to the camp of the State.
‘Shit. Damn. Damn!’
As I ran in a hurry, I saw those who were de initely located nearby.

There was no way they wouldn’t have come out after all this fuss.
They were very well established, and access was controlled so that even
those from Laios could not approach.
I didn’t know who took these measures, but the decision was perfect.
As soon as I threw my coat and walked inside, the Red Mercenary guild
members guided me, and the wizards who came with Yuno Kasugano
were also pursuing magical power or collecting fallen fragments.
“You’re late, honey. Where have you been? Did you see the magic
falling?”
“Yes. I came because I saw it. I was looking at the situation elsewhere.
This…”
“No, wait, just in case, I have to ask irst. Did you do this?”
“No. I’m not related to this.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It’s really not me.”
I don’t know why she asked me if I did it, but Cha Hee-ra nodded for
now.
It seems like she thought that I had done something.
Cha Hee-ra tried to tell me something, but this time I had no choice but
to interrupt her.
Because it wasn’t her that was urgent at this moment.
“Have you seen Hayan? Nuna?”
“There she is.”
She said, nodding as if she understood the meaning of my question.
As I moved my gaze along her inger, I was able to see Jung Hayan
working hard on the investigation with her back on me.
‘You didn’t do it, right?’
The way she didn’t come to me at once was undoubtedly suspicious.
I called Jung Hayan, and she began to turn her head with a slightly
nervous expression.
‘Please… ’
CHAPTER 311
MANUAL (5)
“Hayan.”
“Oh… O-Oppa, you’re here?”
I could see her rushing here as soon as she turned. She had the same
expression as usual. No, it was a little different.
She was restless. Her unidenti ied guilt was also visible. But that feeling
was momentary. Jung Hayan, now, was de initely her usual self.
“Hayan, did you…”
As I started talking, she was preparing to answer with her lips shut. I
could see her taking a deep breath as if she was also worried.
Jung Hayan had no talent with lies. She was hopelessly obvious when
she lied to me.
If Jung Hayan tried to tell a lie, she would be as prepared as she was
now. No wonder I looked around while trying to ask the question.
It was not appropriate to ask such a question in a place like this in the
irst place.
“Yes?”
“No, nothing. Let’s talk later.”
There were too many eyes here. If it was right that Jung Hayan did this,
the fewer people who knew it, the better.
It was not that I didn’t trust the Red Mercenary and Yozora guild
members, but I had to be careful as anything could happen afterwards.
It would be weird to drag Jung Hayan to another place. I also think

perhaps this wasn’t done by Jung Hayan.
‘There is no sign that she consumed magic power.’
I even looked at her with my eyes opened widely. I didn’t know how
strong the magic power of 99 was, but she should be exhausted if she
had just used the same magic once.
‘There may be some other way.’
No matter how crazy she was, she wouldn’t have done it without
thinking about the aftermath.
If the culprit was her, it was right to think she’d done this with
something in mind. Probably, things like evidence were handled earlier.
The fact that not only the Republic’s accommodation but also other
areas were blown out would be a result of the desire to avoid the
situation where the State would be suspected.
Not experiencing magical exhaustion was also an extension of that

work. I had to turn around and open my mouth, looking at Park Deokgu,
who had a blank face.
“Deokgu.”
“Yes?”
“Take Hayan and go outside for a moment.”
“What do you mean… s-suddenly at this time?”
“Maybe there are civilians, and other people caught up in this incident.
Don’t do anything else. Just focus on helping with the remedial work.
Do you know what I’m talking about?”
“Ohhh…”
“I’m talking about helping the neutral country with magic. While you’re
going, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give them what we have as relief
supplies… Anyway, the main aid is magic. You need to help as well as
you can. I’m leaving this to you.”
“Ohh! Oh! It was that! Phew… as expected from Hyung-nim.”
“What…”
“Even in this situation, you’re trying to take care of other people…

You’re really different. This is a real righteous person! You always seem
indifferent, but you’re thinking about other people more than anyone
else! Lee Kiyoung, the righteous! Even the sound of it it’s different.”
“Stop saying useless things, and come back quickly.”
“Yes. It’s an urgent situation. Absolutely. Leave it to me! I will solve it

perfectly.”
“Take some of the wizards of the Yozora Guild. Hayan, let’s talk when
you come back after going around the city.”
“Yes… Oppa.”
She was looking more and more nervous. It even seemed that she
wanted to pee really badly. As I kept looking into her eyes, I could see
that she snuck away from my gaze. Seeing that she didn’t stutter, I felt
like she was conscious differently than usual.
‘You’re the one who did it. Fuck… ’
I couldn’t really be sure yet, but I was able to make a half-decision

looking at Jung Hayan’s expression. I didn’t know how she did it, but…
‘She’s the one who did that.’
There was a high probability that she was the protagonist of this
incident. Even if she wasn’t, I had to act thinking that she was. No
wonder that I felt that I should make her go out a little faster. I had to
show others that she had enough magic power in her body as she could
be suspected of being the magical manifester.
The volunteer work was a bonus. If I was lucky, we could look good to
Laios, so it was right to let Jung Hayan go right now.
Anyway, Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and some Yozora Guild wizards
quickly started to leave this place at my urge. It wasn’t long after the
incident, so it seemed to be the right timing as well.
“I’ll be back, so be careful, Hyung-nim. There is no guarantee that it will

not fall again.”
“It’s unlikely that’ll happen. Just go quickly. I’ll be building all defense
magic.”
“Okay.”
When Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan were no longer visible, I had no
choice but to start moving, too.
If Jung Hayan had hidden her evidence, I had to check it with my own
eyes. Even if she hadn’t, I had to igure out where this kind of magic
came from.
Other wizards from the State and Yuno Kasugano were collecting
samples and seeing the reaction. As I approached, I could see
welcoming faces.
I couldn’t say that I had great knowledge of magic either, but at least
alchemy was often helpful in this area. I even had the Mind’s Eye, so I
would be a hundred times more helpful than the existing wizards.
[??? Scattered Magic Power Crystal (Legendary)]
[Semi-mythic-grade magic, it’s a crystal with the in luence of ???. It can

be used as an advanced catalyst.]
As soon as I laid a mat and started gathering magic in my eyes, I saw

many things.
[??? Survival magic power (Legendary)]
[Semi-mythic-grade magic it’s the residual magic power loating in the

atmosphere under the in luence of ???. It will be scattered in 7 hours.]
‘Semi-mythic-grade… ’
The level of the revealed magic was semi-mythic-grade. Strictly

speaking, it was a kind of spell with an effect of magic power 99 or
higher.
Indeed, many things were invisible to this eye. Naturally, it could not
read it properly because it had been rated as a semi-mythic-grade. In
fact, even when the magic fell, what I could see…
‘Was nothing.’
Though I got a lot of thought, it was faster to open the lask immediately
and collect things that seemed worth researching, as well as magic
crystals and debris, and things like residual magic that others couldn’t
see, so it was faster for me to do the work myself.
It was a little disconcerting to see other wizards picking up useless

stones with only magic, but it was not easy to distinguish even with my
own eyes.
‘Good job.’
Probably, it was possible because the traces were also swallowed up

entirely. It was hard to say that it was impeccable when I actually got up
close and look at the swallowed section.
Most of the traces were fragments that had fallen, and there were no
other traces other than that. It was not going to be easy to ind the
magic spot in this way.
Considering that the residual magic power loating in the atmosphere

would disappear in the next seven hours, it would be even harder to
ind traces by then.
What was a little interesting was that the fragments affected by this
magic could be used as catalysts, but the exact use was not known yet,
but as it is a legendary catalyst, it seemed that various uses could be
found. Of course, this magic itself is also very interesting.
‘It looks like the whole space was swallowed up… ’
It de initely felt like that. If I were to look at Valentin’s arm uncut and
distorted in a deformed direction, it was correct to think that the arm
was removed before being swallowed into the space.
He resisted the force that pulled him, and although his arm broke, he
was spared from losing it completely.
If it were sucked a little further into the sphere or couldn’t resist, I
could bet that his shoulders, or the whole body, would have been neatly
removed.
‘No… It’s not disappearing… ’
I decided that this wasn’t swallowed by space when I found a very small
substance. It was a small piece that was the size of a grain of dust.
‘Something is weird.’
It was only momentary, but it was natural to realize what that is.
It didn’t disappear.
‘It’s compressed.’
This magical effect that neatly swallowed the section of this place
compressed it into this little piece.
‘This crazy… crazy… Fuck… ’
I thought that dying by whatever it was would be the same, but if I were
to think that the victims of the Republic were compressed into this
small piece, sweat began to drip down my forehead.
This was a kind of magic that compressed what was around into a grain
of dust from the moment the sphere’s shape exploded. It sucked in and
compressed it before the person even noticed it. In an instant, the
bones and blood crumbled and reverted to a radish-like shape.
It was embarrassing, but this grain of dust felt heavy, almost as if I’m
holding a stone. This thing I had now contained the ground that the
magic dug out of this area.
I was wondering if it would be a useful energy resource in some sense if
it had magical power or could compress something in this form, but…
‘It’s so scary… ’
This was too scary.
At irst, I hoped it wouldn’t be Jung Hayan, but the more I learn about
this magic, the more I would rather hope… it was her.
‘What if an unknown enemy uses this magic?’
This felt like a level of a natural disaster similar to that of meteorites

falling from the sky. If Jung Hayan caused this, I could ix it, but if an
unknown enemy had manifested this magic, I would choose to quickly
run away. As always, the smartest way to do this was to press the switch
posture button.
‘Please, this should be Hayan’s work… Please… ’
What was disturbing in the meantime was that I could see an

unfamiliar black smoke coming out of this little substance.
It was so ine that it wasn’t noticeable, and of course, there were more
remaining magical powers of other types, but it kept bothering me that
out of all the remaining magic, there was something that was supposed
to be black magic. I remembered someone then.
‘Where is Han Sora?’
I started to feel like the puzzles were being put together.
‘Where is she…? Fuck… ’

CHAPTER 312
MANUAL (6)
‘Jung Hayan didn’t do it alone.’
It was just a guess, but I started to think that. It was impossible to say
that it was only her skill.
No matter how careful she got, Jung Hayan wouldn’t be able to handle
things this carefully. It was even impossible to detect where the magic
power came from.
The magical power was different from anyone I knew, and it felt like the
spell was completed by twisting it two or three times. Even if she had a
powerful magical ability, it was correct to think that someone from the
outside helped.
It was in an instant that I quickly turned my gaze. This was because I

was very bothered that Han Sora wasn’t in this room.
If the Republic side found out that black magic was also involved, we
may also be in a dangerous situation.
Using Han Sora as a discarded hand was a problem that solved

everything, but it was a waste to throw away the Black Wizard, which
was now gaining momentum in level-up.
‘It doesn’t make sense.’

When I was indulged in all sorts of thoughts, it was Celia’s Yuno
Kasugano who spoke. When I nodded and opened my mouth, I could
see her nodding.
“Master, no, Lee Kiyoung-nim. Are you looking for something…?”
“It’s not really anything important… Have you seen Han Sora from our
guild?”
“Ah… Probably in her room. I heard that she wasn’t feeling well… Is
there any problem? Or have you found anything?”
“It’s something uncertain to say, but I think I caught a clue. Kasugano-

nim, please wrap this up. This is a sample I collected. I think you can
take all the similar things. In particular, you must take the magic crystal.
It may be used for clues or new research later.”
“Ah…”
“I think it’s a catalyst that can be used as a high-end material. I’m not
sure what this is, either.”
Of course, I thought it would be better for me to keep the compressed

catalyst. I had to see if there was any other reaction.
“Yes. Okay.”
“Cha Hee-ra will take over the external work. If there is an of icial
announcement, I will come back here. If possible, look for traces that
have occurred in other areas, and take whatever it’s needed.”
“Yes. Please do as you please.”
“And I’m asking just in case… Is it possible for you to track this magic?”
“I don’t know in detail. I’ll have to look at it a little bit more, but even if
it’s traceable, I’m going to spend a lot of time on it.”
“And with your eyes…”
“I-I’m sorry, but it’s not something I can see whenever I want… But I
think it would be better to get out of Laios soon.”
“What?”
“A-Actually…”
She was taking a long time. Of course, I started to get impatient. As soon
as I spoke, I could see her starting to speak as well.
“You can talk.”
“I could see a scene where the city was ruined when the magic fell. Of
course, it was only a short time… the time is not accurate either…”
‘What the hell is this again… ’
I swallowed hard.
“I was wondering whether I should tell Lee Kiyoung-nim or not…”
‘Is there anything to think about? Of course, she has to tell me.’
It had to be a little questionable, but I realized why she hesitated to tell

me when she started to talk again.
“I also don’t know what the consequences of the future I’m telling are.
Unlike the past, the future has the potential to change even with a tiny
thing… if Lee Kiyoung has anything to do with the future I’ve seen…
then, maybe what I’ve said will create the original future.”
“Are you saying that there’s a possibility that it’s going in the original
way because you’re conscious of the future?”
“In short, yes. What I have said now may also be one of the processes
that will lead to the future I see. Of course, the opposite can happen… I
decided that it would be better to tell you as it could be dangerous. I
don’t know what will happen after, so you should think about getting
out of Laios irst.”
“I understand what you’re saying.”
I understood very clearly. I was sure she was worried that something
might happen because she just told me about the future. Even if an
average villager had heard this, the future was likely to be distorted.
They would indeed warn people to leave the town.
Since I was a powerful man who could move many people, I might be at
the center of this case. The act of trying to stop the future Yuno
Kasugano saw may be a catalyst for accelerating things.
‘It’s complicated… ’
Obviously, there were many things to be careful about when she had
only seen a fragmentary scene. Kasugano, in the irst round, had to live
a life where she was unhappy because she slipped her tongue.
“For now… I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Please move carefully.”
“Oh. Rather than that… about Laios…”
“There is no of icial announcement yet. Just now, Cha Hee-ra formally

requested the State to dispatch an investigation team, and Laios also
accepted it. As concerns about secondary damage, they care more
about civilians in their own country than us. It’s the same for the expert
who came to our delegation. If you want…”
“No, it’s okay.”
It was obvious as to what they would say anyway. They would have
expressed a sincere consolation to the Republic, preparing itself if
anything happens, and said that they were doing their best to cope with
this situation.
Even in a neutral country, the current situation was problematic. They

could twist the situation politically if they wanted. As it was such a
sensitive matter, they wouldn’t be able to settle their positions
immediately.
In fact, I was worried about how Laios would come out, but there was a
problem that was bothering me more. Anxiety began to amplify in the
story about a sea of ire in Laios.
‘Will it be Jung Hayan?’
It was very likely. It was Jung Hayan who caused this accident from the
irst round, too. The story was that from now on, there would be a
series of incidents that could provoke Jung Hayan, and the explosion,
due to her meltdown, would destroy Laios.
Although the possibility was low, this was a phenomenon such as an

external attack or natural disaster. There was also a theory that it
would go into ruins as the second impact begins. Still, obviously, the
irst story was more likely.
It was indeed good that Yuno Kasugano told me. Her remarks reminded
me of the need to be careful even now.
‘I just have to be careful.’

Be careful not to irritate her as much as possible, and once again
prevent her from having a meltdown. Of course, it was important to
ind Han Sora before that.
‘Why is it so complicated?’
Things seemed to have gone twisted, but the top priority was to erase
the traces and take care of Jung Hayan.
As I walked, lost in thoughts, I could see the accommodation right away.

Unlike before, when it was peaceful, the Red Mercenary members were
strictly controlling others’ entry.
Even I, too, went through a simple procedure. I didn’t get upset. That
kind of check was de initely something they had to do.
After entering, I went straight to Han Sora’s room and started knocking
on the door. There wasn’t much reaction, so I opened the door right
away, and I could see her sitting quietly on the couch.
“Sora-ssi.”
“Oh… Yes. Vice Guild Master.”
“You know why I came, right?”
“Not exactly… what is it?”
“Don’t play innocent with me.”
“Is it because of what happened outside…? I heard that something

happened. I’m sorry that I couldn’t help because I wasn’t feeling well.”
De initely, her acting skills were at a high level. She had developed in
this aspect in the irst place, so she didn’t fall behind with Kim Ye-ri and
Ahn Ki-mo. I even wondered about whether she didn’t know anything.
‘Does she really not know?’
I thought about it for a moment, but I could see a feeling of fear in her
eyes, so I thought it wasn’t that. She was not afraid of me.
‘She must be afraid of Jung Hayan.’
It was clear that Jung Hayan had irmly warned her not to speak of this
matter. That was not acting to screw me up. It was the struggle for her
own life.
“Han Sora-ssi. I don’t have time to do this. I know what you’re worried
about, but I’d like you to speak quickly. I need to igure out what’s going
on. It’s okay if you’re worried about Jung Hayan. I’ll take care of it as far
as I can.”
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about. Vice Guild Master. R-
Really…”
“Speak quickly. I don’t have time.”
“I really don’t know. W-why are you doing this?”
However, her eyes were trembling. I didn’t know what she was
imagining, but I could see her pupils, arms, and legs shaking.
It seemed like her whole body was telling me not to do this, begging for
me not to ask her.
I started off a little poorly, but, naturally, I felt sorry for some reason.
However, I was not in a position to take care of her.
“Please don’t do this. I really don’t know anything.”
‘Don’t do what.’
“I need to know what’s going on so I can ix it, Sora-ssi. I know roughly

everything. That you’re related with what happened today.”
“Really…”
It already consumed much time. Naturally, I approached her, and she

looked confused.
Seeing her crouching as far as she can, I felt that she wanted to hide
something. I grabbed her arm, and I saw a face looking up at me as if
telling me not to do this.
As she chanted simple magic, her top would be split in half. Of course,
the scene I expected came into my eyes. A large black speck was
covering her chest.
‘The phenomenon of magic power exhaustion.’
It was the perfect proof. Of course, the voice of excuse burst out of Han
Sora’s mouth.
“This, this is not that. That’s not what you’re thinking!”
She mumbled and shouted as if she was startled, but the evidence was
so clear. Han Sora and Jung Hayan did this.
“It’s really a misunderstanding. This is I… I mean. It’s a

“Misunderstanding, my ass…”
“You’re wrong. This is a misunderstanding. Yes! A-a misunderstanding!

Please… please save me.”
“It’s ine.”
“H… Help me.”
“Why am I…?”
She, who mumbled with her body trembling, quickly realized that I was
not the one who opened my mouth. As I looked behind without even
knowing it, I could see Jung Hayan looking here.
‘Fuck… ’
CHAPTER 313
MANUAL (7)
‘Shit… ’
It was no wonder that my head went blank instantly.
‘It’s ruined.’
It was obvious as to why Han So-ra kept shouting for me to save her.
“This… I mean… please…”
Han So-ra, trembling like an aspen tree, looked not only pitiful but
pathetic. In a way, she even looked tragic.
‘Why of all timings… ’
Whatever the reason, it was obvious what the situation would look like
now.
The fact that Han Sora, who had taken off her top, and I were together
was not a good picture for Jung Hayan.
I would have to explain that there was a misunderstanding, but I didn’t

think she would accept it.
‘What a time to appear.’

I wonder why she appeared at this timing.
She was obviously expecting me to visit Han Sora.
It was clear that she moved quickly, anxious that she would be caught,
too. Of course, the picture she saw now would be more shocking than
what Jung Hayan expected.
If I were to think about it in common sense, it made no sense for Han

Sora and me to enjoy secret meetings at this time, but I wouldn’t have
suffered this much if she had the common sense to think that.
Jung Hayan’s pupils shook in an instant. I could see her biting her lips as
if she was showing hostility toward Han Sora.
Of course, this should be ixed.
Thick tears illed up in her eyes. It was a spectacle to see her run to the
other side in no time before I even open my mouth.
Immediately I tried to run, yelling ‘Jung Hayan,’ but I felt somebody

gripping my ankle.
It was Han Sora, who was crying with a runny nose that’s sitting behind.
‘What’s up with this again?’
“Let go of me.”
“Don’t leave me alone… Please don’t leave me alone.”
“Let me go.”
“Please don’t leave me alone. Please s-save me. Please explain to her.
Please tell her it wasn’t anything. Please. Please. Ahem. Please…”
“No, irst, let me…”
“No. No. Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me alone. I’ll
do whatever you ask. Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me! Please…
Waaahhh…”
Of course, it was not good to follow her with Han Sora.
At irst, I thought it was best to leave her and go, but I couldn’t do
anything because, like a cicada clinging to an old tree, she didn’t want to
fall off my leg.
There was no way to get rid of this woman with my weak strength.
“You have to tell her that it was an accident. Please tell her you have no
interest in me. Please… You have to tell her that you think of me as less
than a stone on the side of the road. Ahem.”
“Okay. I got it.”
“Nooooooo! Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me! I’ll explain
everything about what you were asking. Please don’t leave me. Don’t
leave me alone. Please… Please don’t leave me alone… Ahem. Save me…
I said, save me! You son of a bitch!”
I knew very well that Han Sora was afraid of Jung Hayan, but now I
could see that her condition was more severe than I thought.
It even seemed laughable to think that she had gotten better recently.
Naturally, I felt that I shouldn’t waste more time here. I kept thinking
about the future that Yuno Kasugano saw.
‘The story about the ire sea in Laios.’

It bothered me very much that I don’t know the exact time. I also
started to get more and more anxious as I think it may be today.
If, as Kasugano said, Jung Hayan really ruined the city…
‘I won’t be able to ix it.’
That was completely out of my reach to ix.
It was also essential to avoid continuing to drag time here. For now, I
had to think that taking her with me was the top priority.
As I sighed and opened my mouth, I saw her face as if she is asking

what I’m talking about.
“Let’s go, for now. Quickly. I’m going to ind her right now.”
“What?”
However, at the words she heard right away, she nodded.
“If you don’t like that, stay here…”
“I’ll go! I’ll go! Of course, I have to go. Of course. Of course, I will. I’ll go
with you. Y-you need to prepare quickly. Quickly…”
“Yes. We have to go quickly. Only then can this misunderstanding be

resolved.”
She tried to get up in a hurry, but she cannot stand properly as if her leg
suddenly gave out. She overlapped with the appearance of a newborn
zebra, trying to raise its body.
I threw a jacket that could cover her upper body right away, and Han
Sora was ready to go out with a trembling body.
“There will be no damage to Sora-ssi, so you can calm down. I’ll tell her
it was just a misunderstanding, so you don’t have to be too anxious.”
“Yes… Yes. Okay. Yes.”
“And you have to answer in detail to the question I asked before. If you
don’t like that, you can stay here alone.”
“Of… course, I have to… tell you. Yes. Of course…”
“You can follow me from a few steps away.”
“Okay. Yes. I’ll do everything. I’ll do and tell you everything you ask me.
I-instead, you…”
“I’ll explain it to her.”
I spoke con idently, but I had to worry about myself irst.
‘It’s not just you, Sora… it’s the same for me.’
I didn’t know where Jung Hayan went, but, naturally, I moved in a hurry.
This was because Yuno Kasugano’s words came to my mind. I didn’t

know how or why Laios was ruined, but somehow I felt that I had
sparked the catalyst for it.
It was all speculation that Jung Hayan’s explosion would turn it into
ruins, but at least that was the only thing I could think of now.
I wanted to dash to ind her, but because of Han Sora, who was running
while limping, it proved to be a hard task.
There was no guarantee that the wild Jung Hayan will not attack Han
Sora.
After seeing that Sora was not with me, she may appear to wrap up the
event she couldn’t inish at the training center.
She wouldn’t have gone too far anyway, so it wouldn’t be bad to sort the
situation while looking for her.
“Let’s talk about what happened before, Sora-ssi.”
“I don’t know e-exactly where to start with.”
“First, why did Sora suffer from magical exhaustion?”
“Because I’m the one who unleashed the magic.”
“The fact that you cannot unleash the same kind of spell before…”
“No. I simply chanted the last word and literally made it appear. I don’t
know how she did it, but Jung Hayan-nim transferred the spell to me. I
don’t know if the expression “transfer” would be appropriate…”
“Is that possible?”
“Because it is single-shot. Of course, even that is impossible in theory…

And the magic that combined all my magic power into it is the magic
you saw.”
‘Is it possible because it’s Jung Hayan?’
In other words, the enormous magical power was unleashed by

borrowing Han Sora’s body for a moment.
I thought this was a twist in her magic power to make it dif icult to ind
traces.
Perhaps, while Han Sora unleashed the spell, Jung Hayan chanted
another spell, and it was certainly a spell to confuse future
investigations.
The person who completed the spell was Jung Hayan, but the
manifester was the Black Wizard.
I didn’t know if this was also planned, but this was why I felt the scent
of black magic that Jung Hayan couldn’t use.
I felt like my curiosity had been resolved to some extent.
I felt like the puzzle was now being put together.
“Don’t you think you should’ve told me in advance?”
“I’m sorry. I’m s-sorry.”
I did not blame her. Her actions were understandable enough.
I didn’t know how the two did it together, but somehow this came up,
and Han Sora couldn’t have rejected Jung Hayan’s offer.
‘Who will say she is not a Black Wizard?’
It was not only ridiculous, but embarrassing to see her sign a contract
with Jung Hayan.
Of course, from Han Sora’s point of view, there was no option to refuse
with the fear that she might die.
Instead, I thought that she would have assisted her with in inite
af irmation on her plan.
“But she took some measures to prevent others from inding traces in
various ways. It was the reason why she unleashed the magic with my
body. I tried to stop her, but…”
She wouldn’t have tried to stop her. She didn’t have that much courage.
“She was under so much stress…”
“…”
“The more she thought about it, the more I felt like she was trapped in
her own thoughts. She seemed to… have concluded by herself that
everything went wrong… because of the people of the Republic.”
“What in the world is wrong?”
“She said that she hated to think that Vice Guild Master thinks of her as
a strange woman… I told her that you were rather jealous, and she liked
it very much at irst, but even after that, you continued to be very
busy…”
“You mean she got more anxious?”
“Yes. After that, she kept muttering only words I couldn’t understand,
and eventually… she said that it seemed that you hated her, or that she
doesn’t have the con idence to look at Vice Guild Master’s face… that
she had to ix things. I didn’t know it meant something like this. She
said she had to prove her innocence… and she asked me to join the
plan… Of course, I didn’t know what she was talking about, but I just
wanted to live… I didn’t want to get hurt… Sniff…”
‘Fuck… ’
Whether she was illed with sorrow, she started talking nonsense.
To be honest, it felt a little bit painful to see the tears falling.
‘I think I’m the one to be blamed… ’

I had momentarily pushed Jung Hayan when I saw an unwelcomed
guest.
Of course, I thought I pulled her back afterward, but the problem was
that, from Jung Hayan’s point of view, she didn’t feel like it was pulling.
Since the Curse Shrine incident, she was very quiet, so it was a losing
move that I thought that she was being cared for this much.
Because of the quiet Jung Hayan, I also let go of the tension.
In the end, something that could explode had indeed exploded.
‘What’s with that she can’t look straight into my eyes?’
I only once warned about having conversations with guys like Jin Qing.
I couldn’t understand why that would make her a weird woman and
that she had to prove her innocence, but from the pro’s point of view, he
received a lifelong grudge for giving the wrong note.
‘It’s ruined.’
It felt like I was getting closer to the end.
The future that Yuno Kasugano saw continued to shimmer in front of

my eyes.
‘It won’t be the ending to die together. Right? That’s correct, right?’
Perhaps she was still running around struggling to prove her innocence.
Whatever it was, it was clear that I would be in the worst situation.
As I looked out of the window, I could see the back of Jung Hayan,
clenching her ists and running outside.
CHAPTER 314
MANUAL (8)
No wonder I thought I had to catch up to her in a hurry.
I was moving too slow because Han Sora kept limping, trying to keep up
with me as much as possible.
‘Should I leave her?’
The thought passed for a while, but Han Sora, who recognized my
expression, opened her mouth.
“Don’t leave me. I’ll run as f-fast as I can. Haaap… Haaap…”
“…”
I felt like carrying her on my back.
However, it was terrifying that Jung Hayan might see the scene again.
But more important than that now…
‘Where is she going?’
I just wondered where in the hell she was going.
I didn’t know if she thought she should leave for now, or if she was
trying to inish something she didn’t inish, but whatever it might be, it
was not good news for me.
Once again, the words of Yuno Kasugano echoed.
‘Is this serious…?’
If the city became ruined by this kind of thing, it would be a ridiculous

occurrence.
‘Shit… Damn.’
I put magic into my eyes as much as possible and continued to pursue

Jung Hayan.
It was dif icult for me to catch up as I ran around an unorganized,

crowded city.
First of all, I was curious about which direction she was running. The
most likely thing was, however, the ruined place where the Republic
people were.
I thought it was likely that she was going to inish something she didn’t
inish.
Putting Han Sora aside, for now, it seemed she was thinking about me
hating her irst.
I began to think that my Mind’s Eye would be able to read the subject’s
mind.
I couldn’t igure out what Jung Hayan was thinking right now, so it was
frustrating.
It was hard to understand Jung Hayan in a standard way of thinking, but

I can’t get the hang of it this time.
Perhaps the most probable guess was that she was going to use magic.
Even while wandering through the alleys, I couldn’t get a picture of

where Jung Hayan was headed.
One thing was for sure; she was continuing to go into the outskirts of
the city, which made me a little more puzzled because it was far from
the place where the Republicans were staying.
It was then that Han Sora opened her mouth.
“I think I know where she is heading.”
“Where is it?”
“To the beach. I’ll give you the explanation while moving.”
Even if she didn’t say that, I wouldn’t want to throw her away, but it
seemed that Han Sora herself tried to build her own safety device.
“There is a place where I made a magic circle. Basically, it was a device

to trap Jung Hayan’s magic power in my body, but she customized the
magic circle I made. She said it was a way to maximize the magic
output…”
“You haven’t erased that yet?”
“I’m s-sorry. However, Jung Hayan-nim said that it might be useful in the
future. She said that if things were to fail, she might have to come again,
that for now, it would be better to watch the situation after the irst
attack…”
“Shit. How can you leave a trace? Is it a place where other people can
ind?”
“They won’t be able to ind the place of the magic circle. There are
complex types of magical barriers, so no one can enter except Jung
Hayan and me. Of course, there is no problem because the place is
twisted in double or triple. Finding or destroying it is impossible unless
they are a wizard who is in the ield…”
Unfortunately, there was one more wizard in Laios who had reached
the point.
Of course, there was a possibility that he would not be able to ind out
right now since he was solving this problem with the Republic side, but
if that remained, it was correct to erase the traces as soon as possible.
If the pro moved faster than I was thinking, there was a chance that
they would get there.
‘You did a lot. Fuck… How in that short of a time…?’
Not only did she search for a magic spot, but she laid traps and even
twisted them in double and triple.
By my standards, it would take more than a month to prepare. It felt

right to think that it was possible because it was Jung Hayan.
Han Sora, who was also smart, also helped, so of course, the job was
solved in a lash.
Since there was no one to stop it, she would have worked like a
runaway locomotive. If the place where Jung Hayan was heading right
now was really that place, it was correct to think that she would
undoubtedly go to unleash the next magic.
Of course, I could tell without seeing that the irepower will be even
greater than the irst.
‘I have to go quickly.’
At least, I must arrive before Jung Hayan had completed the magic.
“Where is the shortest distance?”
“I don’t know that well. We can just head to the beach.”
“I think we should go a little faster. First of all, you’re going to need to

be on my back or my arms.”
“I can’t! P-please… Jung Hayan can see it. I can’t do that.”
“Uh? Hyung-nim! Did you also come here? Hey, have you met Hayan?
She said she was going back because she had something to do…”
‘Nice timing, Park Deokgu!’
It was Park Deokgu who was cleaning up the collapsed wreckage.
He was busy doing volunteer work, and his face had something, but his
face that saw Han Sora and I was happy.
He thought we also came to join him.
But after checking our faces that seemed desperate, he realized that it
wasn’t.
“What is going on?”
“It’s all good. Carry Han Sora here and follow me. Sora can tell Deok-gu
the place you said earlier.”
“What kind of frenzy happened? W-what happened? This.”
“First, follow me. I’ll explain it later.”
“Where did Hayan go?”

“Just run.”
“I-I have to do what you ask, but…”
“It’s urgent, so quickly.”
“Okay.”
We met a reliable support group met at a reliable timing.
As if responding to my expectations, Park Deokgu lifted Han Sora and

started running, and I, too, was able to move quicker.
The more I chased after Jung Hayan, the more I headed toward a place
where there were no people.
It was a place I decided to come to one day, but I feel a little sorry for
coming only after this situation.
However, there was no reason to think of such sentimental thoughts.
When I saw that I was now standing at the crossroads of death or life,
or destruction or not, the sunset sea did not look pretty.
“Where are you going?”
“Sora-ssi.”
“Oh, we’re almost there. Just go inside a little more…”
“From here on, I will take the lead. Sora, please, just guide me. Deokgu, I
think it would be better to follow from a few steps behind.”
“Oh, I see. Are you going to a dungeon in this situation?”

It was not the right answer, but it indeed felt similar. The inside looked
like a maze.
It was like recycling a dungeon that was previously abandoned.
As Han Sora chanted the spell, the magic barrier faded, and Park
Deokgu and I entered inside.
It felt like pressing a password, but curiously, I could see the magic
barrier created immediately after I passed.
It really felt like I had entered a dungeon.
If this dungeon’s boss monster was Jung Hayan, it was almost

impossible to execute the attack with these party members now.
As I went inside to some extent, I could see various barriers, so,

naturally, Han Sora pressed the password each time.
It wasn’t until after a long time that I could go to the passage that led to
one road, but it was better for me to enter irst than Han Sora and Park
Deokgu.
Even Han Sora, who asked to come together, didn’t seem to have any
intention of meeting Jung Hayan before me.
When I beckoned, she immediately nodded, and I had no choice but to

repress my anxious mind and move on.
What I saw was a room with a light generated by the magic circle.
It was usually where the dungeon’s boss monsters took place, but if you
want to say that it was beautiful, then it is beautiful.
Of course, it was Jung Hayan in the middle of that magic circle.

I could see her looking at me with messy hair and bloodshot eyes that I
hadn’t seen in a while.
“Hayan.”
“Hic.”
The outward appearance showed that there was a great deal of mental
concentration.
“In a little bit, i-i-it’s over.”
‘What’s over… ’
“This, this time, I can de initely do it! S-so please forgive me. Please
forgive me. I won’t say it anymore. Hic!”
‘Forgive what?’
“I-it’s that person’s fault. I’m not a strange woman.”
“I never said you were a strange woman. And it was a

misunderstanding when I was with Han Sora just before. Come here.
It’s okay, so you have to come here.”
“I know it’s a misunderstanding. Still, the way Oppa l-l-looks at me has

changed. I’m really not that kind of girl… You said we would go on a lot
of dates… and it was all canceled. Hic. It’s all because of them. You said
we would go to the beach, too, but all of it was canceled…”
“No. It’s not that…”
“You still think of me as a b-bad girl. Hic. That’s why you didn’t meet
me!”
‘It’s not that. Fuck… ’

I didn’t know where to begin with this ridiculous misunderstanding. I
couldn’t even think that my thoughtless words would cause such a big
wave.
‘Why did this turn out this way?’
No matter how much I thought about it, it was dif icult to understand
Jung Hayan’s thoughts.
“T-That’s what Deokgu said in the past. Once in doubt, you will continue
to doubt… me too.”
‘Park Deokgu, this bastard. Stop saying useless things.’
“O-Oppa will continue to doubt. You’ll keep being suspicious until that
bad idiot is gone from this world!”
“I don’t do anything like doubt, Hayan. Really.”
“You’re saying you don’t, but you still have doubts. You think I’m a
super icial woman! I think I know just by looking at your eyes. Hic…”
“No. I don’t. Never…”
“Right. You’ll continue to doubt. You’ll keep being suspicious.”
“I’m saying I’m not. Fuck…”
“I have to prove my innocence!”
‘There is no need to prove… Stop proving.’
“Right now!”
The room began to rumble in an instant.

Magical power beyond my imagination began to burst out.
‘The ire sea ending is not allowed.’
Yuno Kasugano’s voice spread like an echo.
“Jung Hayan!”
“I have to prove innocence!!”
‘This crazy!’
With a rumbling sound, dirt fell from above.
The light of the magic circle continued to illuminate Jung Hayan, and
the magic power from all over her began to gather on her.
“Hayan, there is no need. You know how much I…”
“They should be gone. Those idiots must be gone!”
She kept muttering that she loved me, but there was no sign of any
decrease in her magical power as if she had already gone crazy.
It was natural to think that, if magic is unleashed here, they’ll de initely

suspect us.
The alliance with the Laios won’t happen, and instead, the continent
may be stamped as static, resulting in a scenario for the destruction of
the State.
‘I neglected too much.’
I just pushed and didn’t pull.

Without my knowledge, she was mentally con ined. The magic
continued to rise, and the sound coming from the room grew as if it
would tear my ears at some point.
It was natural to think that it was not long before the magic would be
unleashed.
Probably the moment a spell pops out of Jung Hayan’s mouth, I bet that
part of Laios will be ruined.
‘It’s ruined. Fuck. It’s ruined… ’
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
The moment a dark red light emanated from the spellcaster’s eyes and
mouth, I was also forced to shout the magic spell with a loud voice.
“Let’s get married.”
In an instant, silence subsided in the room.

CHAPTER 315
MANUAL (9)
“Let’s get married.”
In an instant, silence subsided in the room.
The pulsing magical power and Jung Hayan, who was screaming to
chant the incantation, also became quiet. Even I was surprised by the
sudden change of attitude.
Jung Hayan, which had emitted a dark red and ominous light with her
messy hair, was also returning to normal at some point. She had
sparkling eyes, and her hair, which began to loat into the sky due to the
in luence of her magic power, settled down.
I could tell she doubted what she had heard.
Her irst reaction was to tilt her head. She thought about it, and the
second one was that she wore a startled expression.
Of course, in the end, she had a face asking for an answer if what she
heard was true.
“Yes… Yes?”
‘Shit… ’
“Yes?!”
‘Fuck… ’
“M-m-m… marry…”
The way she kept muttering, it was obvious that she had gone even
crazier than before.
It was tough to judge if I did well.
This was because I thought that if it became for me to give her bene its
whenever she would go crazy, she would start acting like this even
more.
However, it was also true that I couldn’t think of any other way to stop
Jung Hayan right now.
If I’d said a half-hearted line, the magic would have fallen.
I even thought of browbeating her, but looking at the possibility that

she would’ve gone even crazier…
‘It’s only right to do this.’
It was the best choice I threw to stop Jung Hayan right now. No, it was
an unavoidable choice.
“J-Just once again. Please say it once again.”
For some reason, I couldn’t say it again. It seemed that unidenti ied
anxiety was clogging my throat. However, it was no use crying over
spilled milk.
Eventually, I had to close my eyes and open my mouth.
“Let’s… get married, Hayan.”

Still, as it was a memorable proposal, it was natural to take a formal
posture as much as possible, and Jung Hayan, who had already started
dropping thick tears, seemed to be touched enough, but I had to ix it
properly once I did it.
Come to think of it. I remembered putting some items in my pocket. I

didn’t know if it’s a coincidence or not, but I pulled out the ring I got
before.
“It’s not that the way I look at you has changed. Er… I needed time to
re lect on what I think of you.”
“Ohhh… Ohhh…”
“I’m sorry if you were sad.”
In fact, it was hard to deal with it because it was just random words. I
don’t know what the hell I need time to re lect, but ridiculous words
started popping up unconsciously.
But no matter what I said, Jung Hayan was ready to be moved.
‘It’s better than the ruin of the State.’
I couldn’t fall apart from Jung Hayan, anyway.
It’s a high risk, but the merit was big enough to outweigh that risk.
Had this not happened, the relationship between Jung Hayan and I
would not have been certain ten years later.
‘I made a slightly better choice.’
I thought this was more rational, but somehow, bitterness was coming
up deep in my heart.
‘Still… I didn’t want anything like this. Fuck… ’
“I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to pay much attention and made you
anxious. But rather, I think it was a time when I could look back on o-
our relationship. I realized how precious you are…”
‘I really want to look back.’
I kept stuttering my words like Jung Hayan. I thought I was gifted for
lies, but I was really reluctant in this.
“Waahhh… waaah, Oppa… Hic. Sniff.”
“You can answer…”
“No! No, no, no! Now! I want to do it now! I want to do it, n-now!”
‘You can answer later… ’
Before I even asked her, I saw he nodding relentlessly while shedding

thick tears.
“Yes… I’ll do it. I’ll do it. Waaah… I’ll do it. I’m doing it. I will. I will do it,
no matter what. Even if the sky falls, I will do it. Hic, hic…”
‘Damn.’
After grasping the ring in my hand, I saw her hugging me and crying.
There was a great deal of emotion and a sense of accomplishment on

her face. She put the ring on her left ring inger before I could even do
it.
It was instantaneous, but Jung Hayan’s move had just surpassed demon
worshipper Ito Souta.
‘Shit!’
“It’s inally done. Finally…”
She looked happy when she talked to herself and nodded to herself as
usual.
It seemed to be quite contrasting with my face, but I was forced to

smile.
Of course, Jung Hayan, who was continually wiping her tears with her
hands, seemed to have no room to see my face, but I could say that this
was essential to prevent other accidents.
I had to tell Han Sora and Park Deokgu, who were still waiting outside,
that the situation was over to some extent, but Jung Hayan had no
intention of stopping from crying. Tears came out once more when I
think she has calmed down.
“Waaahhh… I love you. I love you. I only have Oppa. Hic!”
“I love you, too.”
When she rushed in and hugged me tightly, my chest quickly became

damp.
“I will never let go… never.”
“…”
In the meantime, I felt an unknown chill for some reason when she was
muttering.
We slowly fell apart after hugging for a few minutes.

She slowly closed her eyes, standing on her tiptoes as if asking for a
kiss. When I think about it, it was a romantic scene.
Between the magic circle, which still has a lot of light, dozens of colors
illuminated each other, and a pool of water trapped under the cave
re lected the light.
Jung Hayan was waiting for a kiss from me, half-cuddled in the middle.
People who didn’t know my situation will think it’s a stunning scene.
No, in Jung Hayan’s mind, today’s events will re lect much distorted.
This space, which may be remembered as fear to one side, will feel like
a blessing to the other, so this indeed felt ironic.
Many married men and married women made jokes about marriage
and said bad things, but in my case, it was not something to dismiss as a
joke.
However, this cursed body specialized in survival began to rush toward

Jung Hayan’s lips.
After putting our lips together for a long time, I could see her face
looking at me with swollen eyes.
Of course, there is no need to mention that Jung Hayan opened her

mouth quickly, wanting to inish this quickly.
“Hic… When should we hold the ceremony? And what about the
marriage certi icate…?”
“Oh, that…”
“What about the children? I’m okay without a b-b-baby. I’m worried
that you would only care for the baby… S-Dtill, we can have as much as
you want! As much as possible! After holding the ceremony, we’re going
to travel right away, right?”
“I mean…”
“I have a lot of money saved up! Oh! Are we going to stay in the Blue
Guild? It doesn’t matter, though. If you like it, everything is ine!”
“Ah… yes.”
“I think it would be okay to live in a place where no one could ind us…
but you won’t like it. Still, I wish we lived in a quiet place if possible. R-
right? And let’s go to Mirror Lake for the honeymoon. I really wanted to
see it. I want to ride a boat… it will be very romantic to be together at
the l-lake. A-And I’ll serve you breakfast every day. Now, I-I don’t know
very well about it… but I’ll study hard that thing to do at night! And! I’ll
study everything! Hic… I’m really happy… I will also attend a cooking
school.”
“First of all, let’s talk about t-that. First, it’s important that we think that
way.”
“Yes… Yes. And again…”
“And… For the time being, let’s keep it secret from others…”
“W-Why?”
“There is still a lot of work to be solved… Actually, I want to be with you

right now, but there are many situations involved.”
“What?”
“And…”
“Yes.”
“I want to settle down a little bit more properly.”
Since I had done it, it was natural that I needed to ix it.
Although Hayan looked surprised, it was only right for her to yield this
much. It would be hard to handle Cha Hee-ra’s anger as it was.
‘Although it is openly typical… ’
This was the last resistance I could make.
“Well, I’m ine. We can do it in any way. It’s okay to be j-just two of us… I
don’t need anything else. I just need O-Oppa…”
“It’s because I don’t want to rush that.”
“Still…”
“For now, let’s talk about this later. Don’t be too nervous… The most
important thing is that we share the same feeling.”
“Yes…”
“And although… it’s a good day. I think I need to say a word about this.
Let’s go back and talk.”
“Ah…”
Only then did she realize what she had done, and her face turned blue.
Certainly, she seemed to have completely lost reason just before. It was
a magical spell that I spat out in a panic, but with this, I think I could
stabilize Jung Hayan for the time being, so I think it’s not bad.
It must have been the sweet thing that Jung Hayan had been waiting for,
too.
She may be worried that if she has done something wrong, I would
cancel the marriage.
‘Not bad.’
At least one means of control was created. The sweeter the bait, the
better it worked.
The only thing I’m worried about is when all of this bait is gone, but I
think she’d stay quiet for at least a year.
Right now, the expression of concern was strong.
‘Responsibility for doing this.’
She must be thinking about it.
She was so angered that she went wild and blew it up, but she was not
stupid enough to not know the incident’s seriousness.
At irst, she seemed psychotic and out of her mind, then happy as if the
world has approached after talking about the ceremony, and now a dog
in the rain.
She had a more anxious expression than I expected.
It was then that Jung Hayan carefully opened her mouth.
“O-Oppa…”
“Huh?”
“I think s-s-someone came.”
At the line that seemed to say what should we do, her face was forced to
turn blue.
As I solved the internal problem, an external problem came in.
“This…”
CHAPTER 316
IN THE NAME OF LIGHT (1)
“What?”
“I-I think someone is here. There seems to be someone outside

breaking the barrier. I’m not sure, but I think so…”
“Can you check it now?”
“I’ll check it out…”
I could see Jung Hayan slowly chanting the spell.
She must be trying to watch the situation with Anemone’s Eyes because
that was the only way to ind out what was going on outside right now.
I should take some action, too.
I could see a little embarrassment in Jung Hayan’s face when she slowly
opened her eyes.
“Who is it?”
“…”
“Quickly.”
“TTthat person.”
“What?”
“It’s that person. The Republic people.”
“…”
Jung Hayan, who glanced at me, seems to think that I might

misunderstand something, but I was not in a situation where I could
misunderstand that.
I was also getting more and more anxious.
Naturally, I felt that the ire I had barely recovered could be rekindled.
No, internal problems were no longer a problem.
I had stopped Jung Hayan in the irst place to avoid being pointed out as
an outlaw. It was to avoid the continent’s public rush and to establish
an alliance between this side and Laios.
If they were to ind this out now, the alliance would no longer be
possible. I would also be recorded as the continent’s political opponent
and be attacked by neighboring countries.
‘Why did they come so quickly? Fuck… ’
That was the evidence that Jin Qing was competent.
It meant that he had that much good magical skills to move just by
following my trail.
It was not easy for an ordinary wizard to feel the trace itself.
To search for the magic that Jung Hayan twisted in double and triple
was also impossible for other wizards with stats over 90.
Perhaps he found my whereabouts because of my movements.

Nevertheless, it was undeniable that the Republic side moved quickly.
It didn’t matter as to how he found me. What was more important is
that I was cornered as a result of that.
There were a lot of magic barriers and a huge magic circle.
And anyone could see that Jung Hayan in there was the one who
unleashed the magic. By any means, I was no better than a cornered rat.
‘I’m screwed. What should I do?’
My head was burning with stress from the series of recent events.
“Can you erase the magic circle now?”
“I-I can erase it, but it will take a while. Perhaps there will be some
traces left… And… I think they have broken through the irst barrier
right now.”
‘Shit.’
“Wait.”
“It seems that the second barrier has also been broken…”
“What?”
“I think they got there in the third time…”
‘Why so fast?’
“Is there any other way to get out of here?”
“No. There’s no such… S-should I look for it?”

“No.”
Even looking for it, a way out would not appear anywhere.
‘Damn it, damn it… ’
The situation was rapidly getting worse, just like when the murder
suspect was found at the scene by the police.
“Park Deokgu and Han Sora…”
When I were to think about it, I started to worry about Park Deokgu
and Han Sora, who were still waiting outside.
First of all, it was important to inform them of this situation.
As I hurried out of the room, what I could see was Han Sora, who was
waiting for me with a nervous expression.
Park Deokgu still didn’t seem to know what’s going on.
“Has everything worked out? No, rather, why the hell are we here?”
“I’ll explain later.”
“You keep saying that. The curiosity is driving me crazy.”
Park Deokgu really looked curious.
Perhaps looking at my face, he realized that the situation was indeed

serious.
Of course, Han Sora was no exception. In her case, she began to turn
pale. It was obvious as to what she was thinking.
She must be thinking that things with Jung Hayan went wrong.
“Things went well, right?”
“Yes. It went well.”
“Re… ally?”
“Yes. You don’t have to be nervous.”
“Because you don’t look so good…”
“Something else happened. First, let’s go insi… no, No, I think it’d be
better if only Sora came in. Deokgu, you keep on alert. If something
happens, call me right away.”
Deokgu, who did not know what was going on, was excluded for now.
It was hard to predict as to how he would react if he heard that they

destroyed the city.
‘It’s better for Park Deokgu not to know.’
It was correct to hide the fact that Jung Hayan and Han Sora’s
collaboration destroyed the city.
However, it looked like his frustration has already reached the limit. I
could see him opening his mouth with a loud voice.
“Hey, what is it? I followed you because you asked me to, but I don’t
know what the hell is going on. Up until now, the inside was making a
rumbling sound. No, was Hayan inside? Is it really Hayan who did that
before? It seems like she was screaming, too… I can think of a way to
help if you explain what this is all about!”
“I’ll explain everything in a bit.”
“Perhaps…”
“What?”
“What happened today…”
‘This pig is faster than I thought… ’
It was momentary, but it was natural that my heart sank.
However, I had to clench my ists at what he said later.
“Did you found the whereabouts? Did you catch the culprit? No, at least
a hint? So that’s why only the wizards moved?”
“Isn’t that it?”
‘This lovely pig bastard!!’
It was only momentary, but a lightbulb had licked on inside my head.
I wonder why I didn’t think of this. This pig, who gave me a big hint,
became lovely.
‘You bastard!’
I didn’t know if it was a coincidence or not, but I realized it at Park

Deokgu’s guess.
‘That’s it!!’
The perfect solution that looked like a picture.
Of course, there would be several variables, but what else could I do?
Currently, there was nothing else I could do.

“Right. Deokgu. You’re right. Fuck! You’re right! How did you know?!
Puhahaha!”
I sent him a heartwarming smile instantly.
The pride of getting the right answer passed through Park Deokgu’s
face momentarily.
“Really? Yes. I knew it! I knew it! It’s my job to notice what you’re
thinking! Phew… Am I not your brother Park Deokgu? But why did you
hide it from me? Were you giving me a quiz or something?”
“It’s not enough to tell Laios people or anyone else yet.”
“There’s no reason to hide it even from me! I’m disappointed.”
“I was going to tell you at the right time. It’s not because I don’t trust
you, but because I haven’t been certain yet. It’s also dangerous. Anyway,
I got caught, so there’s nothing I can do. Everything you said was right,
Deokgu. Pfff. Just like you said, Hayan, Sora, and I were looking for the
one who did that magic, and I’m not sure, but we’ve come to a
conclusion.”
“Still…”
“Don’t be too upset. It was all because I had something in mind. I think I
have to look at the situation inside once again, so if anyone comes until
the investigation inside is inished…”
“Stay alert, you mean?”
“Of course. You are the only one I can trust. Deokgu, you can do it,
right?”
“Of course, I can! If that’s the case, leave it to me! Because I will be
holding on to prevent even one ant approach! Yes, I will!”
“Wow! Our Deokgu is so reliable!”
“When it comes to trust, come to Park Deokgu! Saying it like that, I can
feel the responsibility!”
I saw Park Deokgu raising his shield after nodding effusively.
I felt like it would have been better if Ahn Ki-mo or Kim Ye-ri had been
here. I didn’t know if this would be the second episode of Park Deokgu’s
prank, but this wouldn’t happen.
‘Maybe he’s not an idiot.’
I didn’t know how he appeared at the right moment and helped at the
right time.
I looked at Park Deokgu with my Mind’s Eye, but the way the guy was
snorting and holding the shield was still the same.
In the meantime, Han Sora was looking at me as if saying what I was

talking about, but what could I do?
Han Sora, one of the culprits, didn’t have the right to do that kind of
expression.
I kept feeling like I was going to burst into laughter. I quickly spoke up.
“I would like you to help me with the investigation inside, Sora-ssi.”
“What?”
“Quickly. It’s urgent.”
“What… happened? Are you… sure everything’s ine? Perhaps…”
“It’s not what you’re thinking, so, quickly. It’s urgent.”

“I, I… I won’t get in trouble, right? You’re not angry, right?”
“It’s nothing like that, so come in quickly.”
“Really? Really? I’m not going to be sacri iced…”
“I’m not calling you for that. Please come inside quickly. This is not a
request. It is necessary.”
“R-Really…”
“Go in quickly, Sora. It’s! This is all necessary to catch the outlaw! If you
avoid this because it’s dangerous, those who were unjustly sacri iced…
Anyway! I don’t know who they are, but those vile scumbags need to be
eliminated! I don’t know where they live, but since it’s caught in Hyung-
nim’s hand! They will de initely pay for their sins! Yes! Absolutely! It’ll
be crushed! The moment you get caught by the righteous Lee Kiyoung,
the bad guys will tremble!”
“Right. We must ind the outlaw. Right! Deokgu, then, I’ll trust you.
Criminals usually come back to the scene, so they might come back
here. Perhaps they know we’ve arrived here.”
“It’s okay, just leave it to me. I’ll be holding on tight until your
investigation is over.”
The problem with Park Deokgu was over.
When I hurriedly looked at Han Sora, I saw her moving as if she was
really reluctant.
When we entered, I could see her linching as if she saw Jung Hayan
nervous, but when Jung Hayan came running to me, she sighed,
relieved.
She realized that the problem between Jung Hayan and I had been
solved.
“Thank God. Thank God… I’m saved…”
She even started to cry thick tears. However, we didn’t have any time to
spare.
“I’m saved… It’s all solved.”
“Not everything has been resolved, Sora-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Just one more thing.”
“W… What.”
“You can summon it, right?”
I could see her face looking at me as if she was asking what I was
talking about.
CHAPTER 317
“You can do it, right?”
“I-I can, but… I haven’t tried… it yet…”
“Let’s try it. Because the more supplies you have, the better.”
She looked like she wanted to ask what the hell I’m talking about right
now.
Of course, she could be perplexed.
In the irst place, I had blocked the Black Wizard Han Sora from signing
a contract because the information on the demons that could actually
be summoned was very limited.
However, this was something that needs to be done.
This process was necessary for a more detailed plan. The irst reason
was that I felt the black magic energy from the magic that fell today.
There were many other reasons, but I didn’t have time to explain them
individually. We should move as fast as we can now.
“But right now…”
“It’s okay. Hayan can lend the magic power, and this place will take care
of all the arrangements. You just need to lend your body. Instead, I’ll
make sure that you get a reward afterward. Depending on the case, I
could send you out to another area…”
Of course, I didn’t intend to send her out, but I could see her eyes were
open, biting the bait.
“I-I’ll do it!”
“I can’t promise you exactly when, but I’ll try to move in the direction
you want. And about summoning…”
“There was so little information that I didn’t have enough time to study.
I think it would be okay with Jung Hayan’s magic power… I was worried
about whether I could do it… so I think maybe an intermediate or
advanced demon will be summoned…”
“I don’t know how strong intermediate and advanced demons are, but it
must be an entity that can do the magic that fell in the city today.”
“An entity that can do that much… It doesn’t seem to be common even
among demons… but I will try.”
Seeing her burn her heart with hope at the bait of transfer, it seemed
that she really didn’t want to be with Jung Hayan.
Jung Hayan was clenching her ist as if she was determined to make up
for her previous mistake, but it seemed she had a rough idea of what
my plan would be, without me explaining.
“How far did you go?”
“There are still some left. I think there will be enough time, Oppa.”
“So let’s start right away. Sora, do you need any other summoner or
anything else?”
“No. I don’t. I heard that each demon has a slightly different summoning
method, and some entities can be summoned with only magic power. In
severe cases, you may have to meet ridiculous conditions, but… magic
power is enough for now.”
“Well, I’m glad if it doesn’t matter, but… I think it’s better to start. We
don’t have time to hesitate. Let’s start right now.”
“Okay.”
After I talked, Han Sora headed to the center of the magic circle in a
hurry.
As before, there wasn’t a magical storm like raging billows, but

signi icant magical power had gathered in an instant.
I could see the magic power pouring into Han Sora through the magic
circle.
Han Sora’s continuous mumbling and chanting the spell was a

spectacular sight. As a once talented student, she had no distraction in
chanting the spell.
‘I guess she will succeed.’
However, I could see that the magic circle was gradually losing its light.
This was not a good sign.
As if she recalled the possibility that the summoning would fail, Jung
Hayan pushed in her magic again, and Han Sora also opened her mouth
with a slightly louder voice.
I had to do something here, too.

I didn’t know if it will help her, but the moment I pushed my weak
magic power into her magic circle, a black glow began to emit from
where Han Sora was standing.
The cave reverberated with a crackling sound, and all the magic that
had glowed brightly until now were all turned black.
Black light sounded ridiculous, but what I could see now was black
light.
‘What the.’
Naturally, I was lustered because I felt a wave of magic power bigger

than I had imagined.
Eventually, when the light brought me to the point where I couldn’t

even open my eyes properly, I could see that there was something
beyond description in front of me.
‘What’s that again?’
[Belial, the devil of falsehood and incitement (Mythic)]
[One of the 72 Demon Lords]
[???]
‘Why did something like that come out… ’
Looking down, loating in the air, was a monster with an indescribable

appearance.
Han Sora was staring as if she couldn’t believe the outcome she had
achieved, but I could see her swaying as if because of the aftereffect of
the subpoena ceremony done with a weak body.
-It’s fun.
It was not fun at all. Just a glance at it seemed to overwhelm me.
Nevertheless, it exuded such a presence that even I felt bewildered.
His low tone of voice felt like it was shaking my brain.
He didn’t seem stronger than the demon with seven weapons and large
horns or the Fragment of Ancient God from the museum, but he was
also a superior entity that I could not bear to look at.
‘It’s mythic-grade.’
-It’s amusing. How could you bring this body over here? It wouldn’t be
the in luence of this magic circle, and there would have been
insuf icient sacri ices to meet the conditions for summoning me…
Unfortunately, this method of summoning violates the terms of the
contract. This black wizard is too small to hold me… and it didn’t even
meet all the conditions.
It just so happened that a slightly stronger one came out.
Nothing changed.
As soon as I inhaled as much air as possible, I started to feel that I was

stabilizing.
Han Sora was still holding her head, and the aftereffect of summoning
him was probably quite large.
I didn’t know if it was right to do it here, but it was only right to talk to
him.
I was running out of time.

“T-Thank you very much for answering the call.”
-So, it’s you.
He was looking straight at me.
It didn’t need to be said that I wanted to prostrate myself in case I did

something wrong.
-It’s you, Mortal. Your disgusting magic power brought me here.
“I’m sorry?”
-It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a human with a wavelength that
matches so well with me. It is a pity that a human with such aptitudes
does not walk this path. Hmm… Anyway, since I came to this world like
this, tell me what you want. A direct contract is not possible, but there
must be a reason for summoning me, so I’ll listen. Yes. You can think of
it as a commemoration of meeting someone with the right wavelength
after a long time.
‘Things are going better than I thought.’
I didn’t know about the magic power wavelength, its propensity, and
what it was but the fact that he was friendly to me is good.
Of course, considering that he was wearing the mask of a devil of

falsehood and incitement, I was worried about whether he would
backstab me with a smile, but a demon could not harm his summoner.
At least, those who were not the upper demons couldn’t.
Of course, I didn’t know what the mythic-grade creatures with the

strength to resist some part of the system will be, but doubting him did
not make a difference.
-I like that you have a lot of doubt. I haven’t seen a disgusting human
like you for a long time.
‘Is that a compliment or a curse? Fuck.’
-But there is no need to doubt, mortal. You are valuable ones. It’s not
common to summon one of the 72 Demon Lords. The vessel that
summoned me also has room for further growth and has been blessed
with magic power. Of course, the disgusting human with better eyes
than us. The same goes for you. If you don’t like the indirect contract, I
would recommend summoning others, but considering the vessel’s
condition, it seems hard to summon again… If this is something I can
easily help you with, I will. You guys have no idea, but this is also an
achievement.
“What do you mean, an achievement?”
-Well, it’s something you don’t need to know. It will be easier to think
that being able to gain a contract is something good for us as well. It’s
such a shame. If you had had a direct contract with me, you would have
been able to get a direct contract after a very long time among our 72
lords… Well, enough with the small talk. It’s better to read the contract
irst. It’s an indirect contract, but a contract is a contract.
“…Thank you.”
-It’s not enough, but let’s settle the price with the magic that summoned
me. Of course, it includes the pleasure I will feel in this work. Please, I
wish it was something that would entertain me…
It was in an instant that a black contract was created in front of me.
I think it was safe to say that it was an inherent power of demons.

I didn’t know where and how they were living, but it didn’t seem like
they lived happily in the inferno like I was thinking. The contract had its
own system.
There were also no clauses that would be a problem.
‘I guess it looks good.’
I was doubtful, but I realized he spoke the truth.
The devil who occupied one of the 72 Demon Lords was favorable to
me.
However, it was the Black Wizard Han Sora who had to sign the
contract. At this point, I think it wouldn’t have been bad even if I had
been a black wizard.
‘Such a shame.’
If I had chosen to be a black wizard, I would have really a chance to

make a direct contract with him.
No, perhaps in the irst round, where I chose to be a black wizard, I

could have really signed a contract.
For now, the best I could do was to look at the contract carefully.
I could see Han Sora, who still did not seem well, glancing at me.
No wonder I nodded, looking at her like that. I expressed that there was
no problem with the contract.
She looked suspicious, but Han Sora also began to nod her head in a
positive light.
– This is a special case, so I’ll take all three of you as contractors. Of
course, the contractor had to be limited to a vessel, but she couldn’t
have brought me in alone.
“Thank you very much for your consideration, Belial.”
-No need to latter me, disgusting human. Hahahaha. Instead, say what
you want quickly. I don’t know the circumstances, but you called me
because you wanted something, right?
Of course, I do.
As I nodded quickly, he also nodded his head.
“It’s something very simple for you, Belial-nim.”
-Tell me.
“I want you to fool some humans. That’s all.”
I could see the demon smiling, as if it was a really pleasing request.
-That’s a pleasant request, disgusting human.
‘Devil Summoner, Jin Qing!’
It was right to eradicate such darkness on the continent.
And it would all be in the name of light.

CHAPTER 318
I could see the lieutenant, who had come with me, with her mouth
open.
She was probably expressing surprise at the barrier in front of her.
She was also a wizard. There was no way she couldn’t recognize its
worth.
“Is it fascinating? Ludmilla.”
“No. I can understand. Since you’re also studying this science… It would
be strange not to be surprised.”
“It feels… It feels like we have entered a dungeon, sir.”
“Strictly speaking, it is far from a dungeon. There’s no system judgment

in this place. It will be easier to think that someone made it arti icially.”
“If that’s true, isn’t it even more amazing? The very fact that a human
can create this kind of magic barrier… It’s hard to understand from my
common sense…”
“If…”
“Yeah.”
“If you are a specialized wizard, it will be possible. This is not a matter
of magic power but rather a matter of technique… As you can see, it is
designed quite complexly. Even those who are familiar with magic
won’t be able to igure it out at once. This is enough to think that the
class or attribute related to this… is most likely to be at least legendary-
grade.”
“Legendary-grade…”
“Probably, it is the work of one of the State’s Eight Seats or the

Republic’s Five Tiger Generals or someone who has similar powers. The
most appropriate person would be the State’s shaman. Or a wizard
hiding in the magical kingdom…”
“But isn’t she not a wizard? To be precise, she is close to a sorcerer…”
“Of course, this is not her doing. Her magic has a different mechanism
than the magic we use. If it were her doing, I would have noticed right
away. Of course, the State wouldn’t have done such a stupid thing.”
“Then, sir.”
“Yes.”
“Are you saying that the person who made this barrier and the person
who dropped the magic this morning is not the same person?”
Of course, I had to nod at the question.
It was hard to say that the same person cast the two magics, no matter
how I thought about it.
The fact that the one who had the magic of formidable power and the
user of defensive boundary magic that even I found hard to decipher
was the same person was impossible, even on a continent where there
were many incomprehensible things.
The two magic were entirely different types of magic.
It would be impossible for a genius on top of a genius to master both

magic, which was not easy to get to the level even if one kept digging on
only one thing.
“It’s highly likely they’re not the same person.”
“I knew it… If so, it would be right to think that this is a speci ic group
targeting us.”
“Yes. I think it’s probably right that they planned it for us at the national
level.”
“National level…”
“I don’t know what the purpose is, but…”
“Is there any possibility that it’s the State?”
“It won’t be them.”
Something was suspicious about this whole thing.
However, if it was the Lee Kiyoung I knew, he would have no reason to

do this. The political problems this would bring would be massive.
I didn’t know him well yet, but he preferred to minimize the risk as
much as possible.
His past moves gave a strong feeling that he was always concerned
about his safety and political position.
In fact, I could see that in the simple game that we played.
‘To say that the State did this?’

No matter how unstable the State was, they wouldn’t be foolish enough
to commit such stupid things.
Despite the task of making an alliance with Laios, no one was going to
make this stupid move.
‘The situation itself is useful.’
If I hadn’t considered the possibility of a third force hoping the two

forces to ight, I would have sent a protest to the State right away.
As I didn’t know exactly who they were and what they wanted, I had to
avoid moving externally as much as possible.
As I went inside, lost in thoughts, the more dif icult it became to

dismantle the magical barrier.
Looking back, Ludmilla and other wizards who came with us were also
in deep trouble.
It was also surprising that archers were not allowed to follow their
tracks.
Not only was the magic barrier periodically erasing traces in this place
by itself, but it was continually interfering so that it could not be traced
in any other way.
‘As if the magic power is alive.’
It was a passing thought, but it might be an expression that it well.
I had a hard time processing all of this.
‘Is it really made by a human?’

I didn’t know if rangers that could read hundreds of years old trails may
be able to light up this trail, but archers who had reached that level did
not exist in the Republic.
No, it was not even common to ind such power among the elves.
Even if they come…
‘They won’t be able to read the traces accurately.’
Had it not been for the faint reverberation of black magic, we wouldn’t
have even come to this point.
‘A black magic… black magic.’
It was then that a voice came from next to me.
“Er, sir.”
“Yes.”
“It’s not for me to say this, but can I suggest to go back… It doesn’t
matter if something happens to us, but I’m afraid you’ll get in trouble.”
I could understand them, but this couldn’t possibly be delayed.
“I’ll be ine. We have insurance on hand, and an investigation team from

the Republic is probably arriving… I know I’m at risk, too, but just
following this trail took a lot of time. The time it takes for magic to
remain loating in the atmosphere immediately after the manifestation
of magic is usually around ive hours. In this case, it may take about
seven to eight hours, but it is by no means a long time.”
“Seven hours…”
“It means that the concentration of magic power is that strong. We have
to keep trying at least until the reverberation of loating magical power
in the atmosphere remains. If we can’t follow this trail within today, it’s
very likely that everything will be cleared after that.”
“But the President will be worried, sir. If the one who unleashed this
kind of magic is aiming for you…”
“I can look after myself. For now, the break is over. We will move faster
than we just had.”
“Okay.”
“Please prepare the magic right away. I will lead.”
“Okay.”
With the momentum, the unof icial investigation team went through
the cave in a matter of seconds.
The more I went in, the more ominous magic power I felt. The more the
barrier was released, the more magic power blocked inside lowed in.
‘It’s inside.’
I could consider this a hint.
‘It could be a trap, but… ’
The insurance against raids was more than enough.
As soon as I walked, I could see the hall.
Of course, what was inside was way beyond my expectations.
“Sir, sir… this.”

“I’m also seeing.”
“Sir… what… What the hell is this?”
“A demon…”
“Demon?”
It was a monster with a huge appearance.
His face was like the lightning of ire, and his eyes were like lames
burning in the abyss.
His mouth was like a crack in a rock, and his large wings seemed to tuck
into a crumpled sky. It seemed that I was overwhelmed just by looking
at him.
It’s hard even to describe the majesty. A human being is too small and
shabby to look at him located among several black magic circles.
You couldn’t even stand properly under his pressure.
Biting my lips tightly as the best I could do.
‘This… Something like this… Exists? On this continent?’
I was starting to feel suffocated.
While wandering around the continent, I have watched many creatures

that the expression “out of standard” its, but no one had provoked this
fear.
‘This is… This makes no sense… ’
“R-Run away…”
“No, Ludmilla. There is no need to run away.”
“I’m sorry?”
“It is sealed.”
“Oh…”
“Someone seemed to have sealed the devil. I don’t know if he’s here
from the beginning, but… right now, that demon can’t move by itself. I
don’t know who sealed such creature here, but…”
“Maybe a black wizard?”
“Yes. I believe to be a… pretty high-ranking black wizard. I’ve studied

black magic for a while, but I haven’t seen or heard anything about how
to use a high-ranking demon. Maybe…”
The destruction of the city was most likely the power of that. The most
convincing evidence was right before my eyes.
The magic circle used to summon demons is also relatively recent. The
binding magic to seal this demon was also noticeable.
‘What is it aiming for?’
The probability was low, but I had to think about the case where the
magic was not aimed only at the Republic.
It sounded ridiculous, but it was possible that it was waged by black

wizards who harbored resentment from the State, the Republic, or the
neutral country.
It wasn’t that there weren’t any black wizard clans working in secret.
The number of cases that should be considered for this incident had
increased.
Whatever the reason, the important thing now was to inform others
about this.
“First, report to the Republic… and then, Laios. Take control of all this
area right away and take steps to ensure that the dispatched people can
also come here. This is our top priority. I’m telling you just in case, but
you guys here right now haven’t seen anything. Anything.”
“O-Of course, sir.”
“Then… right now…”
It was when I said this. Someone appeared on one side of the room.
‘What is that… ’
It was so dark that I couldn’t see well, but when I put in magic on my
eyes as much as possible, I could see a face I had seen before.
‘Lee… Kiyoung?’
I couldn’t instantly understand why he was here.
It was because I had encountered an unexpected person in a much-

unexpected place.
The Honorary Cardinal of the Holy State was with a sealed demon.
He spoke way before I could.
“It was you. The summoner who summoned the demon here… was it…
really you?”
“What?”
“I asked if it was you, Jin Qing.”
“What…?”
‘Bullshit.’
CHAPTER 319
Of course, I held no personal spite against him. However, it was only by

chance that he had stepped on my tail.
The possibility of being a potential enemy may also be a reason, but it

didn’t really matter what it was.
It doesn’t matter who I blame. All I had to do was get out of my tight
spot.
It was the irst thing I could do at this point. From my point of view,
delicious prey appeared at the right timing.
Rather, I was glad it was him.
If he continued to be active, there was a possibility that I would be in

danger.
If I gave him more time, he’d notice that all of this was our doing.
‘It has to be this guy.’
I was glad I had come here.
Such thoughts began to appear in my mind. For now, I opened my

mouth. Naturally, I had to warm up slowly.
“Was it really you?”

“W-What are you talking about…?”
He looked bewildered.
He must be trying to igure out the bullshit I was spouting.
He was probably thinking of several possibilities. The irst thing he

could think of was that I was misunderstanding.
“There seems to be some misunderstanding. We, too, have only been

looking for traces. No, why are you here in the irst place… I want to ask
you how you came in.”
“Is that true?”
“It’s our irst time here, too.”
“How can you prove that?”
“We don’t trust you, too, Lee Kiyoung. Before asking why we are here,
you have to prove why you are here. How did you guys get here?
Depending on the answer, I may have to use other methods.”
“It’s the same for us to be in a position to use force, Jin Qing.”
‘I’m sure.’
So far, he hadn’t turned his arrow towards me.
I had con idence in this kind of acting, but I started to be proud of

myself when things really went as I thought.
Of course, I didn’t know if he was suspicious of the State from the

inside, but at least he doesn’t look to be.
As he said, I couldn’t explain how I had come here, so it was natural to
open up some possibilities.
Before opening my mouth, Park Deokgu popped out and began to be on

guard against them.
Jung Hayan did the same. There was a tension in the air, seeing that she
was already trying to chant a spell.
In fact, Park Deokgu’s acting was even better than mine, probably
because he wasn’t even acting in the irst place.
When he irst came in, he was so shocked that he was open-mouthed,

so it wouldn’t be too much to react sensitively.
The collaboration between Park Deokgu, who is really worried about

this situation, and Jung Hayan’s solemnity to make up for her mistake,
was wonderful.
‘It’s perfect.’
If Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri were here, they would have performed this
mission even better.
“Deokgu.”
“Hyung-nim.”
“You don’t have to be on guard for now. There seems to be some

“B-But… I don’t think it’s good to let our guard down for now. It doesn’t
mean it’s unlikely that he could have summoned this big monster.”
“No. It may be a trap, but it’s not going to happen openly.”

“Still…”
“He’s not someone who can do that. Maybe there was a

misunderstanding. First, let go of your guard. This is not a request,
Deokgu.”
“If you say it like this… Instead, it’ll just stick together. Honestly, I don’t
want to leave Hyung-nim in this place for long. If that wakes up…”
“Y-Yes, Oppa! There’s the demon and… t-t-that bad person…”
Meanwhile, Jung Hayan’s acting was a spectacle.
As I looked at her openly, she closed her mouth tightly. “You shouldn’t
speak,” she understood my meaning.
I could see her hinting at his murder.
Anyway, my remarks seemed to relieve some tension.
When I took one more step, it seemed that Jin Qing’s camp had softened
the guard to some extent. Of course, nonetheless, they seemed to be
sensitive to their own safety.
The wizards were muttering spells, and Jin Qing also stared at me
quietly.
‘That’s normal… ’
Even if I were the guy, I’d consider whether this side could attack them.
But, unfortunately, what I wanted was not their death.
‘Rather, it’s the opposite.’

In fact, I thought I couldn’t have had this conversation if it wasn’t for
Park Deokgu.
It was because Park Deokgu, who was afraid of the demon, continually
sweated and seemed to be really concerned about our safety.
“Damn… if you’re going to talk, talk quickly. No, more than that,
shouldn’t we do something about this encounter irst?
I nodded and opened my mouth.
Of course, it wasn’t for Park Deokgu.
“First, let me tell you how, Jin Qing. We arrived here by tracking the
traces of magic power loating in the air and the black mage’s
reverberation. Of course, I didn’t move at the State level. Since this is an
issue, I thought I’d move before the State’s investigation team moved
irst. It had to be solved before the magic power loating in the air was
completely gone.”
“The same is true for me. I haven’t informed the Republic yet… how did
you do with the magic barrier?”
“I can’t tell you that. How did you get to this place? Dismantling the
magic barriers…”
“We can’t tell you either. Let me tell you one thing for sure. This is not
our doing. I can’t prove it right now, but if I do a full- ledged
investigation later, I will be able to read the traces.”
‘The full-scale investigation team should not come.’
“To Laios…”
“I won’t inform them yet. No, to be honest, we, from the Republic side,
wanted to take care of this, but…”
“Things must have changed.”
“Yes. I never thought I would meet you. More importantly… when did
you arrive here?”
‘So, you’re going to feel me out, huh?’
“It hasn’t been that long. It was only a few hours before you entered,
and it wasn’t long before we discovered the sealed demon and the
magic circle. I sensed someone was coming in this way, and I thought it
was the creator of this division. There is no reason to disappear after
summoning a creature with such tremendous power. I thought it would
come again.”
“…”
“It may have tried to inish the plan that could not be inished with
today’s magic, or it may have a completely different purpose. To be
honest, it doesn’t mean I didn’t think about the probability of this to be
Republic’s own creation…”
“It’s the Republic’s foreigners who died, Honorary Cardinal. You better
be careful with your words.”
“I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”
“I can guarantee the Republic has nothing to do with this. Rather, it

would be more persuasive to assume a third force promotes the ight
between the State and the Republic. If, indeed, the State has nothing to
do with this, as you claim.”
“A third force…”
“It’s just a hypothesis. But considering the correlation between the

magic barrier and the magic that fell today and this demon, It’s highly
likely that a group did this. It’s just a guess, but… about the possibility
of being a black wizard clan’s work…”
“It is convincing. I don’t really know about black magic, but the creature
we are looking at is not just any creature…”
Suddenly, heavy energy fell into the room.
Park Deokgu was the irst to detect a hint of danger.
He took care of us with a really startled face. Perhaps it was an

instinctive act.
Jin Qing and the party were also looking at him with wide-open eyes.
They were worried about whether something had moved.
It was then that the giant demon’s closed eyes slowly opened.
“He wasn’t… sealed… Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!”
Before he even opened his mouth, monsters with an indescribable

appearance popped out from under the ground.
“Shit…”
Jin Qing looked very much lustered.
As if Park Deokgu was really surprised, he started to swing his shield as

much as possible, but he seemed to be anxious that the same thing as
Park Yeon-joo’s case would happen again.
Jung Hayan bit her lips tightly with somewhat exaggerated acting, and I
also responded and started to form a camp.
“A trap? Jin Qing-nim, let’s deal with this irst.”

“Yes. That’s better…”
“Uh…”
“Huh?”
It was no wonder that both of us had taken on a startled face. I was only
acting, but it was a real situation for him.
Looking at the situation right now, he would have no choice but to

express that feeling.
Different types of monsters were now threatening us.
In contrast, Jin Qing and his minions seem to be protected by monsters.
“W… was it really you?”
“No. It’s… not. No…”
“This… scumbag! How do you do this while wearing a human mask?!”
Park Deokgu’s really angered voice as a bonus.
“What is this…?”
“Is it a trap to attract this side from the beginning?”
“It’s not. You’re misunderstanding.”
“It was you… who really dropped the magic in Laios?”
“It’s a misunderstanding. The situation at this time has nothing to do

with us.”
However, it was only us that the monsters were attacking.

Everything was an act, but thanks to Park Deokgu, who wielded a shield
with a rather thrilling expression, it felt real. He was indeed the top
contributor in this act.
“Damn. Prepare for battle! Get ready for battle!”
At the same time, the demon lord also began to open his mouth.
-My contractor, Jin Qing. Your wish will come true. Unseal this seal!
Then you’ll have more power in your hands!
It was the timing expected from the lord of falsehood and incitement.
What came out after that were swearwords.
He realized what I had wanted since he was clever.
“This scumbag!!!!!”
Everything had been improvised from start to inish.
-Do you want power?! Jin Qing! Everything you want will come true!!
CHAPTER 320
At that instant, the demons rushed in from all directions.
Park Deokgu was in a defensive posture with the most number of

wizards he could gather, and his face had a sense of mission to save us
somehow.
I felt both sorry and grateful, but we were not more important than this
one.
-Come on, unseal my seal, contractor, Jin Qing! You’ll get more power in
your hands!
“These motherfuckers! Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch!!”
-I will give you in inite power! Contractor!
“Lee Kiyoung, you son of a bitch!”
‘The height… That guy’s a catch. A catch.’
I think I knew why he said that I was a human with a wavelength that
matched with him.
As if it were a troupe from the beginning, he had a great deal of skill in

giving out the lines I wanted.
Above all, I was satis ied that I felt like he was enjoying it the most.
When he behaved like the title of a demon lord of falsehood and
incitement, he seemed to feel pleasure in when the other person was
suffering.
Of course, I thought the same thing.
Looking at his distorted face, I felt like I was relieved of all the stress
that I had gained with Jung Hayan.
After all, sometimes you had to hold an event like this to bring your life
back to life.
-This city! No, I’ll give you the power to destroy this continent
completely! Contractor!
“T-This lowly garbage!”
-Unseal the seal! Jin Qing! Hurry!
The picture itself was so perfect that I didn’t have any complaints.
He swore at me while Park Deokgu and our group were struggling,

surrounded by demons.
Since we were ighting desperately enough to doubt whether the acting

was real, there was no way that a good picture wouldn’t come out.
I also sprayed the dragon breath potion in all directions, and Jung
Hayan cast a spell quickly and attacked the demons.
Some fell apart, but other demons quickly appeared in the empty spot.
If it weren’t acting, I would have peed.
In Han Sora’s case, who showed up late, she struggled a lot, but looking
at her like that gave more vitality.
“Don’t lose, Deokgu, Hayan. If such a devil is released in the world, then
Laios will not be safe. You have to break through, not hold on. Don’t let
that devil’s seal be released! Is Sora okay?”
“I think she was eroded by black magic, Oppa. Sora…”
We started to recite the pre-set lines.
I had to make sure that we would not get investigated, but it was an
excuse, considering the possibility of bad things happening to Han Sora.
“Sora, please hold on a little more. You have to resist the black magic.”
“Hyung-nim! First, the body!”
“The body is not important now. Listen to me, Deokgu. Even if I die here
today, that demon must be sealed.”
“Hyung-nim!”
The face of the crying Deokgu was a sight to see.
In fact, even saying that line felt embarrassing.
Still…
‘This is a video to be sent to the Holy See.’
It was correct to prepare a separate edition for the Holy sector.
Perhaps Pope Basel would love it.
Of course, I held the rosary in my neck tightly.
The scene of me closing my eyes and praying to Goddess Benignore was

also captured on Hayan’s camera.
“Goddess Benignore, even if your servant loses his life today…”
“Even if I die today! I’ll never let Hyung-nim die!”
In the meantime, Park Deokgu, who was listening to my prayer, began

to awaken.
As the guy who had grown more than the last time wielded his shield in
earnest, lower-ranking demons fell down in a row.
“You ilthy devil’s servants! How can you put on a human mask and do
such bestial things! Trying to take advantage while sacri icing even
your own colleague!”
Seeing him burning with a useless sense of justice, I thought it was

fortunate that I didn’t tell him.
Of course, Jung Hayan was also preparing her own spell.
Seeing her looking at Jin Qing with burning eyes, it seemed like she
hated to see him.
It was the eyes that were disturbing me just before, but the situation
has turned into this, so there is no need for other explanations.
The true eyes of a righteous mage sent anger to the demon summoner,
who was trying to destroy the world.
Jung Hayan’s murderous intent could be gilded to this extent.
“Don’t lose. You must prevent the seal from being released.”
“To such a low-key joke…”
‘He gets caught. Why wouldn’t he get caught?’

He also knew it. There was no way he didn’t know that I had the magic
hologram.
‘Because he knew about me in the irst place.’
Perhaps he has realized by now – how I got to this place and how I was
able to achieve ridiculous achievements.
He might have noticed the meaning of the move I made that day.
I haven’t achieved much with real abilities. Most of them were bluf ing,
rumors, incitement, and fabrication.
Seeing his red face, he certainly noticed everything. If he were expecting

a fair battle of wits, I felt a little sorry.
‘It will be useless even if you struggle.’
Incitement could be done in one sentence, but it took dozens, or even

hundreds, of evidence to explain it.
It was ridiculous to think of the impact of this kind of video in a single

sentence.
Probably, if this thing was released, he may have to spend his whole life
trying to explain it.
What was disappointing in the meantime was that I couldn’t put a

magical hologram on Laios right now.
If I hadn’t had time to think more closely about this plan, I would have
to send the video without editing.
“Do you think I don’t know this is your own play?! People won’t be
deceived by a self-made play that doesn’t even make sense…”
He was now trying to spout up excuses, but it would all be for nothing.
Even the wizards next to him were looking suspiciously at him.
“No one will be fooled. This self-written play will fool no one.”
No matter how hard he tried to explain, he could only say that much.
Anyway, in the edited video, that line will turn into a devil’s voice.
“Ahem!”
“H-Hyung-nim!”
“I’m ine, Deokgu. Just go faster!”
“These bad guys, how you dare to do this to Hyung-nim!”
Moreover, no matter how much he was shouting, there was already a

different feeling of desperation between him and me. The public’s
reaction to this would be worse.
Meanwhile, I felt as if I had gained a thousand soldiers with Belial

hitting the right spot.
-Are you hesitating now? Contractor! Quickly, take my hand and unseal!
“S-Shut up, devil. Calling me with that dirty mouth!”
-Contractor!!
He somehow tried to defend himself, but he would realize that he could

do nothing.
The only thing he could do was to kill me so that the evidence will be
destroyed.
He could only do that much. However, I saw him hesitating.
‘Right… ’
He knew that the moment he attacked, his situation would get worse. It
was a spectacle to see him stranded. This picture was a real checkmate.
The face that told to give me 100 moves overlapped with it.
‘And I’ll give you 100 seconds, you bastard. Thank you. Thank you so
much!’
It was really fortunate that the guy hit the right spot.
Instead, I was really grateful that he came to this place. If it weren’t for
him, I would probably be thinking about how to resolve this in a
different fashion.
‘What do you want to do?’
Do you want to kill me or just to get screwed stupidly?
Or do you want to run away?
Of course, all of them were impossible.
Considering that we are contracting Belial, they would have to worry

about their own life or death.
Of course, they never really did have that kind of contract with Belial,
but it was natural for those who didn’t know the contract details to be
cautious.
-Contractor! Hurry!
“Damn…”
He must have realized that he had no choice. It was then that the voice
of the demon came into my head.
[This is fun. Fun.]
‘I’m glad you are satis ied, Belial-nim, who is respectable and great.’
[I said there is no need to latter me, disgusting human.]
‘It’s not lattering. I just told the truth. Rather, why are you talking to
me… separately?’
[Ah! No big deal. I just thought there was a problem with the contract.]
It was momentary, but a curse came out.
I thought it would be like this for some reason, but I didn’t really think
he would backstab me like this.
[You can rest assured, mortal. It’s not something that will cause damage
to you. Didn’t I tell you? You are important. Those who can call one of
the 72 demon lords are not that common.]
‘Then, what do you want…?’
[The contract was clearly asking to trick some people.]
‘That’s right, but… ’
[But, as a result, aren’t you tricking all humans all over the continent?]
This quick-witted bastard.
[I don’t know when was the last time I saw a disgusting human trying to
play a joke on me, the lord of falsehood and incitement. I bet you will be
able to adapt well enough to settle down in the place I live.]
‘T-Thank you, and I’m sorry.’
[I also made a little joke on the contract. Actually, I thought about

punishing you, but I also felt a strange sense of identity. I am going to be
satis ied with getting paid a little more. So, about the contract you
read…]
‘Yes.’
[You’re not thinking that your contract and the contract that the Black
Wizard read were the same, right?]
‘Huh?’
The contract was but a single page.
Han Sora and I were undoubtedly reading the same contract.
However, in an instant, I realized that what we were reading would

have been different.
‘Such a stupid mistake… shit!’
I nodded, and Han Sora signed off.
Of course, it was a mistake to think that we were reading the same text.
I should have had a little more in mind that he as a demon of falsehood
and incitement.
[No need to worry, disgusting human. Didn’t I say? I’m just getting paid.
The reason the Black Wizard signed without any doubts was that she
thought you would af irm. I’m saying that you would have signed it
because it was something you could have done. If it were absurd, the
Black Wizard you’re controlling would have questioned irst.]
‘Then… the content is.’

[Didn’t l say? I’m just getting paid. Just that.]
Really in the blink of an eye.
The sky began to open with the sound of heaven and earth opening up.
In an instant, the demon, who had grown in size, dropped several large
spheres at the big city of Laios.
In an instant, Yuno Kasugano’s voice passed through my ears.
That absurd prophecy that the city would be in ruins kept coming to my
mind.
Everyone here opened their mouths wide at that ridiculous sight.
It seemed that the magical power that kept him was not enough, and it
seemed that all humans in the whole city wouldn’t be eradicated, but
anyone could expect that it would cause signi icant damage.
‘Han Sora, fuck!’
In other words, Han Sora accepted without any doubt that I was in
favor of making the city in ruins.
‘He could see through people so well… ’
This could be tolerated unless it was a situation I was being suspected

of.
However, it would be better to come intact than to be completely

devastated. Meanwhile, spheres continued dropping down from the sky.
Rather, it was natural that I thought that this could be used to tie Jin
Qing further.
[Occurrence of the legendary-grade forced quest.]
[Save Laios from danger. As soon as possible, you lousy guy (0/1)]
“Jung Hayan!”
As expected, light was the way to triumph.
[TL NOTE: It’s a play on words. Hayan (하얀) = White]

CHAPTER 321
The sky deftly split with a loud sound.
“Oh, God,” I found myself uttering, my eyes ixated on the scene before
me.
Other people were no different.
Countless servants were all looking at the sky with their eyes wide
open, as a huge demon could be seen in sight.
It was a monster, one which had an indescribable appearance.
When the demon, who seemed to be able to devour the city, opened his
mouth, the sky cracked, and a dark red sphere of an incomprehensible
size fell.
-Contractor, Jin Qing. What you want will come true!
I didn’t want to believe that all of this was real. With a sudden,
unforeseen urban crisis, I was staring at the sky, speechless.
-Thank you! Thank you! Contractor!!
‘Jin Qing?’
I didn’t understand what the hell was going on.

All I knew was that I had to escape from this unrealistic scene, rather
than thinking why the name of the Republican military was being
mentioned by the monster itself.
‘All will die.’
If that kind of thing fell, countless people would end up getting killed.
That was an inevitable fact.
That was, after all, the same dark red sphere magic that previously
attacked the city.
The city’s protection magic, which was quickly reorganized, shattered

quickly with a crackling sound.
‘Mother… father.’
This was a neutral country with a long history.
‘I have to protect it.’
Yes, father.
‘It’s not that you’re superior, Pristina. Only with the people around you
can you exist.’
Yes, mother.
‘The royal family exists for the country, Pristina. You have to keep what
our royal family values.’
Yes, father.
‘Don’t forget. Only with them, we exist. Don’t forget that, Pristina.’
Yes, mother.
“No.”
Everyone would end up dying.
“No… No!!”
All my loved ones would die.
My breathing suddenly became rough. I heard screams from all

directions.
The wizards around me once again used their magic, but they soon
began to vomit blood as they overexerted themselves.
“Ahh. Oh, God. Please… Please, save them. Please. I will do anything. I
will do anything to protect Laios. Please, save them. Please.”
“Pristina, you must avoid it! Quickly!”
“Oh, God. Please… Please. Please.”
“Pristina!”
“Please!!”
Craaaacckkk.
Nevertheless, the huge sphere started to get closer and closer to the
city.
‘It’s over.’
Everything was going to be over. However…
“Aaaaahhhh…”
Kaduuuummm!
Magic materialized out of nowhere, blocking the approaching red

sphere.
“Uh…”
It was all so dazzling that I couldn’t even open my eyes properly.
“Ahhh… Oh, God.”
If Laios survived today, I would de initely tell everyone that a brilliant

light had saved the country from utter destruction in the future.
***
‘The magic power color needs to be changed… the picture doesn’t look
that good.’
I didn’t think it would be a good idea to use blocking magic that was the
exact same color as the devil’s magic.
I wasn’t blaming Jung Hayan, but it was still a pity.
Of course, the biggest question was whether it could be prevented, but

it would have been more satisfying if it had been a picture with a little
bit than bigger light.
[Occurrence of a legendary-grade forced quest. Please hold her hand.

Gnash (0/1)]
“What?”
[Take the hand of the human blessed with magical power. I’m telling
you to hold Jung Hayan’s hand, trash. I won’t say it twice. Hold her hand,
quickly (0/1)]
I once assumed that there was a subjective opinion in the overall review
or the system quest window re lected by my Mind’s Eye, but I didn’t
think it would really be like that.
Still, one thing was for sure.
‘Someone is indeed watching.’
Perhaps there was a possibility that it was the same person as the one
who returned Kim Hyunsung.
This also explained that the Mind’s Eye’s seal was released when I
swore allegiance to Kim Hyunsung, and that the system did not want
Park Deokgu to fall behind.
Certainly, Hyunsung and I were being guided by a transcendental

lifeform.
‘Lucky! Lucky! Yolo time!’
However, there was one thing that I still found a little questionable.
‘Is it possible to intervene directly like this?’
In the end, I had to forfeit the idea.
If this were possible on a daily basis, things wouldn’t have been so

twisted. In other words, it was highly possible that even the
transcendent being was going too far just by sending me on this quest.
Anyway, it had been a while since I had received a legendary quest.
Of course, I was sure that I would get a pretty good reward.
There was no choice but to hold onto Jung Hayan’s hand, who was busy
casting magic. Hayan looked startled as I did so.
She must be delighted, however, as she lashed me a big smile.
Considering the fact that I had proposed to her just moments before,
her good mood was inevitable.
My heart pounded a little like a fool, seeing her smiling in such a pure
manner.
Of course, the system’s voice made me even happier.
[Legendary-grade quest completed.]
[Please hold the human hand blessed with magic power. (1/1)]
[A new class has been opened as a quest reward. Please choose the
class you think you need.]
[Class]
[Alchemist of Light (Semi-Mythic)]
[It is said that only those chosen by God can change class to Alchemist
of Light. The magic power will have divine power. Magic power
increases by +5. I’ll just say one thing, you’re a real son of a bitch.
Disgusting bastard. Really, you are really irreparable piece of trash.]
‘Semi-Mythic-grade! Yolo, indeed!’
No wonder my eyes had widened upon this scene.
In fact, I didn’t even care about the curses that were written in the end.
It was certainly disappointing that my magic power would only rise by
5, but it was still good.
I didn’t know what else had changed, but at least the color of my magic
had indeed shifted. It was now a brilliant gold, one that would surely
dazzle whoever would see it.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
‘Cheer up! Our existence! Jung Hayan!’
When I held her hand, Jung Hayan also gradually began to be colored
with light.
I don’t know if it was due to my in luence, or whether Jung Hayan magic

had changed just because she held my hand, but more and more radiant
light began to ill the city.
I couldn’t even open my eyes properly because I was the

aforementioned emitter of light.
Even though the quest was necessary, the contract with the demon was
also important.
‘Is it okay to block it? It… It wasn’t in terms of the contract… ’
[It doesn’t matter. Just remember you can come to this side whenever
you want, disgusting human. Since despite being surrounded by light,
your trashiness does not go away, I’m getting greedier. How can a single
human be so purely dirty…? I guess I know why she won’t let you go
even by sacri icing herself so much.]
‘When you say she, do you mean… ’
[The other being talking to you right now, human. Anyway, always
remember, disgusting human. If you desperately want to… we can,
anytime…]
[Forced heroic quest is activated. Don’t talk with the demon lord, you
piece of trash. (0/1)]
[Isn’t this much okay…?]

[I told you not to talk to it.(0/1)]
[Ahem. Well, I think it’s okay to step back from this point. Anyway, it
would be better to wrap up. Struggle with this situation, disgusting
human. That’s all for the conversation.]
Of course, I didn’t understand what was going on.
Right now, I wasn’t sure what the system meant. However, one thing
was for sure. Jung Hayan was doing her best to barricade the magic that
was coming our way. It was apparent that she was struggling a little.
‘She can stop this, right?’
I thought I should add my weak magic power onto hers, but my magic
just made her shine even brighter.
No, it actually seemed to be helpful. The brilliant golden light seemed to

steadily drive away Belial’s energy.
“Eeeeek! Eeeeeek!”
I found it ironic that Jung Hayan, who tried to destroy the city just
before, was trying to stop this somehow, but that was how life usually
worked.
‘I think she can stop this.’
I didn’t know if Belial was reaping his magic power, but when I turned
my magic power around Jung Hayan’s body, she seemed to have gained
a little more energy.
Although it was weak, there was a possibility that it could have divine
power as well.
I had to learn a little more about this “semi-mythic-grade” class.

Even so, Jung Hayan’s nose was bleeding. I was getting tired as well.
Of course, it was a scene too good to watch alone. Han Sora seemed to
have come to her senses even in the midst of all this.
There was even no need to edit such a scene.
It was unfortunate that I could not prepare in advance, but video

holograms began to emerge in some areas.
This scene would eventually be broadcasted throughout Lindel as well

as the State.
‘I should’ve installed it in a large size in Laios as soon as I arrived… ’
“I-I’m ready.”
“Okay. Send the sign.”
The broadcast began spreading throughout the country when Park

Deokgu was protecting us frantically.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
When I thought of the people who would soon be watching Jung Hayan
and me, brightly emitting light, I began to smile.
“The light will not lose, demon!”
-Kukkukku! If you want to come, come! Petty human! Contractor, unseal

the rest of the seal! I’ll help this insigni icant mortal realize what real
fear is. What are you doing, Jin Qing?! Unseal this seal! I will listen to
what you want. I’ll put the world in your hands! I will make you rich!
The demon was also backing me up.
The face of Jin Qing, who couldn’t even do anything about this situation,
turned blue. He would be unable to escape from this situation
unscathed.
“The light will burn the demon! Everyone! Please give me strength.
Please give us the strength to stop this wicked demon!”
-You mere human! How dare you!
[I told you not to talk with him. (0/1)]
Someone seemed discontented, but it was undeniable that this was a

near-perfect communication.
CHAPTER 322
HERO OF LAIOS (1)
The moment a dark red sphere fell on the city, I stared at the scene
blankly. It was because even I couldn’t even igure out what was going
on.
Of course, I could recognize that something big had happened. That was
because I heard screams erupting from everywhere.
“Everyone, head underground! Repeat. Everyone, enter the

underground shelter! This is a real situation. This is a real situation, not
training. Enter the designated near building with protective magic. I
repeat. Go into the underground shelter or the designated building with
protective magic and wait!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Oh, God. Oh, God.”
“What are you doing, Marina? Can’t you hear them shouting for us to
avoid you? Quickly, now.”
Instantly, I was awakened by the voice.
I began to get dizzy when I realized that the surrounding landscape,

which just before felt like a dream, was still there.
‘Leah.’
I thought of my daughter, who would be left alone at home.

‘Please… Oh, God. Please.’
I heard a voice calling me from behind, but I couldn’t stop. I had already
started to run. Though I was soon running out of breath, I was still a
long ways away from reaching my destination.
Thanks to the people running to the other side, I was far from moving
forward.
Everyone must be heading to the shelter or to the place where the

protection magic was still maintained.
‘I shouldn’t have left her alone… I shouldn’t have left her alone!’
“Marina!”
“Let me go! Let me go! Let go of me!”
“First, let’s go to the shelter. Leah must have avoided it already.

Quickly…”
“I told you to let go of me. Please. Let go of me. Please… I have to check,
at least. I have to make sure she’s avoided it safely!”
“Damn… Wait here.”
“James?”
“I’ll be back as soon as possible. Wait here. No, wait in a safer place.”
“Ah…”
I saw James running to the other side in a hurry.
I knew I should go with him, but my legs refused to move, probably

because of my fear.
All I could do was pray.
“Please be safe… Please, let my beloved Leah and James both to be

safe… Please. Please.”
The waiting time wasn’t that long, but I felt like waiting for hours. My
tears kept lowing out of anxiety, and my chin and legs were shaking.
Gradually reaching the city, the sphere was being sucked into the earth
as if it were ready to devour everything.
As the little bit of hope was about to vanish, I saw James holding Leah
from a distance.
Baaaaanngggg!!
The dark red sphere collided with the clock tower with a tremendous
sound. The loud roar made my ears hurt.
“It’s dangerous! James! Dangerous!”
He looked at the sky immediately.
As the fragments of the huge tower fell, James laid on his stomach,
holding Leah tightly. I was afraid of them getting knocked out from the
debris.
Time seemed to stop around me.
“N-No!!”
As I closed my eyes and burst into tears, my daughter’s voice began to

be heard faintly.
“Mom… Mom…”
‘What… the… ’
It didn’t make sense.
As I slowly opened my eyes, I could see the city surrounded by a crowd

of lights.
The fragments that fell from the tower were also engulfed by the light
and pushed out more and more. The light seemed to engulf everyone in
a dazzling white gleam.
Leah was pulling her collar carefully, and James was looking up at what
happened.
‘He helped.’
My prayer to God had reached.
“It’s a miracle. It’s a miracle. God, thank you. Thank you very much.
Leah… Leah!”
“No. It’s not a miracle, Marina.”
“What?”
“It’s not a miracle… This… is de initely not a miracle.”
Naturally, I followed James’ gaze while hugging Leah tightly.
What I saw was a scene that could only be said to be horrendous.
-Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim! Please, hold on a little more. Just a little bit!

Just hold on a little more!
-Ahhhhhhhhh!!
-These dirty bastards! Damn. Damn! Hyung-nim!! If you hold on a little
more, support will come! Hold on until then. You know that you can’t
die pushing yourself too much, right? Don’t overdo it. I’ve warned. I
won’t forgive you if you pass out overdoing it. I won’t forgive you!
The scene in front of me was dif icult to understand. My jaw hung open.
“James… that…”
“I don’t know what happened, Marina. But… it seems that people from
the State are confronting the demon. The lights surrounding the city
now seem to have been created by them. I’ve heard about the…
Goddess’s Mirror before, but who knew I’d really see it?”
“It looks dangerous…”
It literally did.
It looked like a close call to anyone.
A large man was wielding a shield and sword while surrounded by

countless demons. Rather than taking care of his own safety, he did his
best to protect those behind him.
He smashed big and small monsters coming from everywhere with the
shield or cut them with swords, but his body had long since been
in licted with numerous wounds.
I couldn’t understand how he could move in that condition.
As the number of monsters closing the siege increased beyond his

control, he began to block them with his body.
Having his arm bit off, his leg limping, and not worrying about his
safety; I could see him not sparing himself for his embattled colleagues.
-Hold on a little more. Just a little bit. This time… this time, for sure.
This time, I will take you without any wounds. The same thing will
never happen again!
-Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
-I won’t let you inish that way like last time. I won’t be so helpless! I
won’t be just staring at it like that! You dirty bastards!! You can’t lay a
inger on Hyung-nim. Son of bitches… Son of bitches! Come here. Come
here!!
I didn’t know what was going on.
However, even a fool would know that the tears in the large young
man’s eyes were not because of pain. Instead, they were illed with
anxiety at the thought of losing those who he cared for.
The large young man with the shield seemed to have more wounds, but
the dark-haired woman next to him also did not look normal.
I didn’t know why, but one of her legs was limping, and a slender hand
was shooting magic at the approaching people.
Anyone could see that she looked precarious.
Not only was her skin cracking, but blisters were blowing out of the
skin on her body.
-Haap. Haap. Whew… Let’s hold on just a little. Just a little bit. It’s
almost done. Let’s hold on a little more. You can’t pass out yet. Sora, you
can do it. Let’s not pass out. Do not pass out. You can still do a little
more.
Of course, I didn’t know what kind of force they were using.

She was also doing her best to somehow protect those around her with
her own body.
-Hyung-nim, Hyung-nim!
-It’s going well. Everything is going well.
There was one man and one woman. They were holding hands tightly
and reaching out to the sky.
Anyone could notice the fact that they were blocking the black sphere
falling in this city.
Like the brilliant light surrounding the city, their bodies were shining
all over.
-Ahhhhhh!!
The woman holding a shield of light was vomiting blood from her
mouth and nose.
-Ahhhhhhhhh!!
Likewise, the man was grabbing his chest and sending light together.
They looked ine on the outside, but their legs were evidently
trembling. I could see just how serious their situation was.
-Don’t overdo it. I really won’t forgive you if you die like this! If you two
go irst like this… Haap… I really won’t forgive you! I’ll die with you, too!
-Ahhhhh!!
-If it’s too hard, you can give up… No one will blame… Gasp. Hyung-nim
and Hayan. No one can blame you. You already did enough. Haap…
You’ve already done enough.
-Focus, Deokgu. Focus. Kahak.
-H-Hyung-nim.
To make matters worse, the man had begun to vomit blood.
-Don’t look back, focus! I’m okay. I’m okay.
-Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!
The woman had also begun to vomit, yet was still trying to exert all
she’s had.
-Don’t die… Please. Please… please… God. God. God. Buddha. Goddess
Benignore. Please. Please save Hyung-nim and Hayan. Please… if you’re
really there… please. Don’t take my good Hyung-nim and Hayan.
Please… they are people who have lived this way all their lives. Please
don’t take them away with something like this! Isn’t it too unfair to die
from something like this? It seems too unfair!!
-Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
-I’d rather die instead. Rather, take me. Rather… if you’re going to take
someone, take me. Haap…
-Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!
The light did not fade.
Despite the big young man saying that it was okay to give up now, I
didn’t think that the lights that ill the city will disappear.
“A-Are they in danger? James… are they in danger?”
“They could die.”

“What?”
“No… They’ve already crossed their limits for some time. They must be
using all the magic power in their body. I’m a low-ranking mercenary
who’s only caught goblins, but… I know that much. This is not the kind
of magic that a human can manifest. Perhaps… even if they save this
city. Those two who unleashed this magic… they will die.”
“Why… to that extent…?”
“I don’t know either. People like me will never understand people like
them.”
Tears had begun to low down my cheeks. My heart had already

reached out to them.
‘Please… ’
As I looked next to me, I saw my daughter gently putting her hands

together.
She pulled her collar and looked up at me as if to do it with her, as if

asking for us to pray together.
No wonder I closed my eyes quietly with my hands together toward the

sky.
‘I wish they will be all right… Please do not those nobles lose their lives
unjustly… ’
Immediately after that…
A scene that could only be explained as a miracle began to manifest

itself.
CHAPTER 323
HERO OF LAIOS (2)
‘We did enough! It was perfect, Deokgu! I’m sorry, but you carried us!’
No matter how intense the acting was, it would not be livelier than the
real thing.
If one really made this into a movie, Park Deokgu showed acting good
enough to aim for the best supporting actor award.
He seemed to be in deep despair with tears in his eyes, trying frantically

to protect his colleagues.
It hurt a little that his whole body was now covered with blood, but
seeing that he was a very strong guy, I knew he would be able to
recover his stamina within a few days.
Rather, it was Jung Hayan and Han Sora that were the problems.
‘I’m also a problem.’
Even if I tried my best to hold it in, my vomit refused to bubble down.
It would be natural to be like this as I tried to support Jung Hayan with

the little magic power I had. In fact, if I hadn’t been able to change my
class to the mythic-grade, the Alchemist of Light, Jung Hayan would
have been a total mess.
She was able to endure until now because the magic power that I
shared was slowly recovering her body.
To put it a little exaggeratedly, not only did she use all of her magic
power in her body, but she was also using up the entirety of her vitality.
There was Jung Hayan’s tremendous af inity to consume magic power

and restore magic power, but if it weren’t for my magical power that
became divine, her insides would have been completely damaged and
retired.
‘No, before that… ’
If that Belial had been completely summoned, the magic would have
already fallen into the city.
In any case, the important thing was that Jung Hayan and I were
excellently defending against the magic of the demon that had been
‘summoned’ by Jin Qing.
I didn’t know anything about black magic, but I could see that the time
left for the demon lord to stay in this world was short.
Now felt like the good time to wrap this up.
As I glanced at Belial quietly, I could see the guy also nodding.
“Hyung-nim, don’t overdo it. Hold on a little more.”
In the midst of all that, Park Deokgu, who was busy shedding tears and
wielding a shield, seemed like the noblest one of them all.
Anyway, Jin Qing looked at me and Jung Hayan wrapped in a crowd of

lights absurdly.
He already couldn’t think of getting rid of me.
As soon as Jung Hayan and I, who were doing our best to save the city
from the demon, went through the media, this plan would be over.
I wished he would attack me instead, but it seemed that he could not
cast attack magic either because of the dark curtain placed by Belial.
Since he couldn’t get out because of this guy’s monsters escorting him,
it would be an awkward situation for him.
Of course, even in this extreme situation, the demon lord Belial

continued to shout Jin Qing’s name.
-Contractor, it’s still not enough. Not enough. Don’t lose to the light,
contractor!
“Shit. Damn…”
Instantly, we both realized that it was time to end this.
Even the place that could not be called a cave because the sky was
already open began to spread in all directions in a slow manner.
Everything I was worried about as evidence burst in a cluster of light.
This place, created by Jung Hayan and Han Sora, disappeared without a
trace.
The light also destroyed the demons who were persistently tormenting
Park Deokgu, and even the ground we were stepping on had hollowed
out.
Perhaps, with the in luence of enormous magic power, my body had

slightly risen into the air, and the light went through the veil of
darkness.
Hwaaaaaaaaahh!
I heard a sound that was quite hard to describe.

‘It’s a warrior of light. A warrior of light.’
“Ahhhhhhhhh!!”
When I poured out the last handful of my magic power to Jung Hayan, it
was natural that she also increased the output a little more.
The dark red magic power that surrounded the sky split under the
in luence of the shield of light.
‘Phew. It’s a magni icent view. Magni icent.’
The brilliant light devouring darkness was like a beautiful scene from a
myth.
At this point, everyone would be praying, looking at this scene.
I was not sure about Laios, but there may be a loud crowd shouting and
a voice saying not to lose, at least in the State.
We were able to win because you were here!
It was only natural that I would have to prepare the lines I would use
later.
By the time the brilliant light in the sky devoured the dark red sphere,
Jung Hayan had held my hand and screamed once more. At this point, it
would be better for me to play along.
“Aaaahhhhh!!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!!”
Belial also showed off his inal acting as if he noticed that the inale was
approaching. He looked just as desperate as Deokgu.
-These bastards… how dare you bastards do this to me?! Did you think
you could beat this demon lord? Contractor Jin Qing, hurry up and pour
out the rest of your energy!
Here, a close-up of the bewildered face of the devil summoner was

taken.
Then, there was another close-up to the scene where the attack against
the city gained strength.
The passionate cameraman Han Sora’s ability to switch screens was as

natural as if she had just realized this talent.
-Ugh… these dirty henchmen of the light. Shit… damn! Damn!! How
dare these mere humans!!
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Ahhhhhhh!”
It was strong acting that seemed to explode the last power. I, too,
pushed my body to the limit while holding Jung Hayan’s hand tightly.
“Ahhhhhhhh!”
And silence came.
An explosive light illed the sky afterward. There was no way to express
that scene without literally the word explosion of light.
Hwaaaaaaaaahhh!
It was hard to even open my eyes properly. There were no more dark
red spheres in sight.
Instead, there was a light powder that began to fall into the neutral
Laios.
Jung Hayan started to droop, and Han Sora, who had already crossed
her limit a long time ago, also vomited blood while having seizures.
Meanwhile, Park Deokgu prepared for Jin Qing’s next possible attack
with a shield.
I thought it would be better to pass out, but I could stand a little longer.
That was, at least, until I had completely wrapped up the situation.
I kept smiling at the loud crowd’s shouts that shook the whole city.
Public opinion was completely settled in me. At the shout, Belial also
slowly went through the process of reverse summoning, and began to
say his last line.
-Don’t think this is the end, human.
Of course, the voice that I heard separately was a bonus.
[Don’t take it personally about today’s work, disgusting human. I

inished my job a little more splendidly, and in the end, it was good for
you. I want you to know that the lord of falsehood and incitement can’t
be backstabbed, so I played a little bit more than intended.]
He went a little too far for this to be just a joke, but…
‘No question about it. Phew. Thank you very much, Great and
respectable Belial. If I have time, I want to arrange a meeting… ’
[Haap… I’m getting greedier.]
‘I will only be waiting for the day to meet Belial-nim. Yes. Absolutely.’
[Heroic-grade quest is generated. I told you not to talk with the demon
lord. (0/1)]
[Then I’ll be going. I have little time to stay in this world… Anyway, as
you said, I really hope to meet again.]
‘Have a good night, Belial-nim.’
-I will come back. Don’t forget, humans. Don’t think today will be the
last!
Belial’s splendid inish till the end was the standard work of a hard-
working boss.
He also looked very magni icent during the reverse summoning amid
light.
Even during that, his burning eyes staring at the city were enough to
instill fear into everyone’s hearts.
At irst, I wasn’t sure if I should express my gratitude, but he must have

gained something with this.
Since the demon of falsehood and incitement was with us to scam the
entire continent, the performance may have been better, as he had said.
‘That’s not what’s important.’
The demon lord who had already left was not important.
Jin Qing, watching this situation, being con ined by the non-standard
entity, was now more important.
‘It’s almost time for people to come.’
The light side was on the verge of completely retiring.

Park Deokgu tried to protect us as much as possible with the shield, but
he was also in danger.
In contrast, the dark side was looking relatively ine, so it was natural to
be dangerous if we were being attacked at this time.
Despite the aftereffect, Demon Summoner Jin Qing had no sign of

running out of magic power.
‘If I get rid of him, everything will be over.’
Just then, I heard the sound of many footsteps.
The Red Mercenary Guild, Cha Hee-ra, Yozora Guild, and Yuno Kasugano
had already arrived. I couldn’t help but smile.
I started to think about what would happen afterward.
Of course, the investigation team sent from the Republic also hurried to
the demon summoner Jin Qing, but the people in the Laios were like
rats trapped in poison.
As expected, I could see some of them trying to run away.
Even if it were me, I would have wanted to avoid the option of being
investigated by Laios as well.
Like Ito Souta, the last thing that the demon of icials did was always to
run away.
Laughter popped out unknowingly at the thought that this was the end
of the cursed darkness that had turned away from the light.
“The demon summoner is running away! Demon Summoner Jin Qing is

running away! Pfff. The demon summoner is running away!”
It was then that blood spurted out of me.
“Huh?”
My head felt dizzy in an instant. My surroundings blurred out.
Along with the beeping sound, my mind went blank. My body now
refused to move.
“Huh?”
Blood started trickling down my throat.
“Shit… don’t… miss him… demon… summ…”
I couldn’t even talk properly, but it surprisingly didn’t hurt.
‘I’m not dying like this, right?’
“H-Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim!!”
Park Deokgu had begun to cry out.
“Take care… of… Hayan… and Han Sora. I’ll trust Yuno Kasugano… to…”
“I got it. Don’t talk. I got it, so you stop talking!”
“Make sure to catch… the demon summoner…”
It wasn’t just him I could hear. There was also Cha Hee-ra and Yuno
Kasugano.
“Do… you feel… better, master…?”
“Are you okay? Honey? Are you sure… you’re ine?”

I started to hear the beeping sound continuously. This was the real limit
now. I was really on the verge of passing out.
‘If I’m going to pass out, I have to do it properly… ’
First, I held the rosary tightly on my neck. I knew that, upon seeing this,
Pope Basel would inevitably shed tears of emotion.
I thought about fainting while standing, but I knew that would just be
overdoing it.
A good option was to look like I was protecting Jung Hayan.
‘It’ll work.’
Soon, everything went black.
[Legendary-grade quest is completed.]
[Save Laios from danger as soon as possible, you bastard. (1/1)]

CHAPTER 324
HERO OF LAIOS (3)
“Guild Master. Guild Master! Ye-ri, have you seen the Guild Master?”
“I don’t know, either. I wanted to ask uncle Ki-mo… but is this really a
dangerous situation? Somehow… last time, with… er… uncle Deokgu
was…”
“Ahem. It will be this time. You shouldn’t think that way, Yeri-ssi. No
matter how Vice Guild Master… even so, now…”
“Oh. Right… sorry. I was wrong. Worrying irst rather than doubting.
Right. I think I have become weird, thinking too much these days. It
seems I’ve been contaminated… I’m sorry.”
“It would be better to apologize to the Vice Guild Master. Rather than
that, w-what should we do. I can’t see the Guild Master…”
“Ahn Ki-mo-ssi.”
“Ah, Sun Hee-young-nim! You’ve come at the right time. Have you seen
the Guild Master?”
“He went out irst. Immediately after the video started… with Dialugia,
he might be able to arrive after his business is over…”
“I see. Does he have another compromise…?”
“He doesn’t, but I decided to go straight to Laios with Hyejin. We’ll leave
in an hour.”
“I’m sorry?”
“After canceling all schedules held in the guild, all party members will
head to Laios. We will not accept disagreements. That is all.”
“Oh. Yes. Okay. I will also pass it on to Ah-young and Chang-ryul.”
“Then, please.”
“…”
“…”
“Er, Sun Hee-young.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to worry too much. The Vice Guild Master will be safe.”
“Yes. T… Thank you.”
***
“Holy Pope.”
“You useless things! You useless things!”
“Is the Honorary Cardinal… Honorary Cardinal still dying? Still… why…
why! Until things get to this point! What are the Holy Knights doing?!
Where and what were the Templars doing?!”
“The Templars have not yet received the signal… a-and since the safety
of other cardinals, and Your Holiness is a priority… they had no choice
but to stay in the State.”
“So… So, you mean they stayed still even though Honorary Cardinal was
ighting until the point where he couldn’t stand up?! You stupid thing!
So you left him alone until he looks like that now?! You stupid things!
You stupid things!”
“Holy Pope…”
“Shut up! Useless garbage! When you guys were arguing over the table
here, the Honorary Cardinal was alone against the demon. Without
anyone knowing, he was ighting the darkness. If the Honorary Cardinal
dies, I will not remain still. No! I will go directly. Right now! Directly! I
will stand by him until he wakes up!”
“You must keep your seat, Holy Father. Even Honorary Cardinal
wouldn’t want Your Holiness to move. It takes more than a few days,
even lying with a griffon. He’ll be ine. I’m sure Honorary Cardinal Lee
Kiyoung will be safe. Surely…”
“No. Then… bring Honorary Cardinal here…”
“I was told that he should be as comfortable as possible. We are also

saddened… by not being in Laios now. But even if the Honorary
Cardinal had been here, he would have said that Your Holiness must
remain in the State.”
“…”
“…”
“Okay… You are right. You are right. Archbishop Jessica is right. Even
Honorary Cardinal wouldn’t want me to leave. He is that kind of person.
He lived only for Goddess Benignore. He was that kind of person.”
“…”
“Let him be ine… ine… Goddess Benignore. Please do not forsake the
servant who follows you. Please… This old servant will pray once more.
Please…”
***
“I will go directly to Laios.”
“What?”
“I said I would go myself.”
“Oscar-nim…”
“Lee Kiyoung is ighting alone. I can’t be still. He sacri iced everything

he had for the State, no, for the continent. Again, we cannot leave him
alone to sacri ice. I know very well what you mean. I also know that I
shouldn’t be away. But… but, I would like to inish this work myself.
Laios is irst talking about an alliance. I can’t entrust Lee Kiyoung to do
this later. As he has worked hard for the State and the continent, I, too,
have to take risks. Please prepare a delegation. I will visit Laios in
person.”
“O-Oscar-nim…”
“So, I’ll be asking you.”
“I will prepare as soon as possible.”
“Senator Catherine…”
“I will formally request support from foreigners as well. I heard the

news that the Blue Guild and the Holy side are also moving. We will also
schedule a meeting with Queen Pristina as quickly as possible. I will do
my best to get things done as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, Senator Catherine. Lee Kiyoung, please… just be alive. Just
be alive…”
“He must be ine. Surely, he’ll wake up again as if nothing had

happened. De initely.”
***
“He really annoys people.”
“Why? Jihye Unnie? Oh, it’s because of the lover that you hid. Are you
worried, too?”
“Worried, my ass. He’ll probably be safe without any wounds. He must

be up and dancing by now. Why would I have to worry? No, I don’t want
to. He might be angry when he hears that we missed the demon
summoner or something. Anyway, I’m not worried. That fainting is just
a show, too. De initely.”
“Your face doesn’t show that.”
“Does it look like I’m really worried?”
“It looks like that to anyone. Your face is different than usual, and… why
are you biting your nails again?”
“When did I bit my nails? You’re funny. Will you keep acting up? Did you
inish everything I ordered? Are you here doing this after inishing your
work?”
“N-No, I didn’t, but…”
“But why isn’t this person picking up? If he’s up, he should tell he’s
okay. It’s really annoying.”
“You’re worried about him.”

“You!”
“Just go to him. He’ll be happy to see you. I understand your idea that
being too clingy doesn’t look attractive, but if someone you like has
fainted, you have to visit him at least. There are a lot of strange rivals
around already. Didn’t you see him fainting while holding hands with
the wizard girl at the end? It’s not attractive to be too clingy, but
pretending to be too uninterested is not attractive, too. Who knows? If
he’s not even picking up, he may be waiting for you to come.”
“He’s not the kind of person.”
“Still…”
“Still… It wouldn’t be bad to go there. Of course, I’m not listening to you.

I just don’t have anything to do, and I think I should show my face.
Something important in Laios will happen in the future. I have to go. I’m
also curious about the truth… Let’s go right now.”
“What?”
“Let’s go quickly. If I can borrow a griffon from Yeon-joo, we can go fast.

Let’s go.”
“But, I’m still not ready.”
“If you need anything, you can buy it there anyway. Let’s go irst.
Quickly.”
“Ah… Yes… Jihye Unnie.”
***
“Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Pristina. Even us, who came together as a
delegation, didn’t know… most of all, such a miracle would not have
happened if it had not been for the desperate prayers of the people of
Laios.
“No. We…”
“As a result, not everyone in the group lost their lives. Haha.”
“You must be very worried, Cha Hee-ra.”
“He will be ine. No, more than that, I’m already familiar with this. He is
the type of guy who sacri ices himself for others. I have a lot to worry
about when I spend time with him. He always wakes up as if nothing
happened, so I’m sure it will happen again this time.”
“I see… as expected. So, Honorary Cardinal of the State was that kind of
person.”
“Rather, Pristina. Why don’t you say that this is alright for those
gathered in front of the castle? Everyone must have their own life. Being
gathered like that for days… of course, we are grateful enough, but still,
seeing people gathered without even eating makes me worry. If some
people end up getting health problems staying like that…”
“No. It’s okay, Cha Hee-ra. They are all gathered by their own will and
are praying. That’s how grateful the people of Laios are to Honorary
Cardinal Lee Kiyoung and other heroes. Wasn’t everyone watching the
scene in the Goddess’s Mirror? Of course, it cannot be compared with
Cha Hee-ra or others, but our people and I only hope for Honorary
Cardinal Lee Kiyoung to get well soon, too. I am well aware that God is
not very involved with matters in this world, but… we hope this time
our prayers reach…”
“You really don’t have to worry. For those who voluntarily gathered, the
royal family has been very supportive. In fact, I don’t know if we’ve
been very helpful. The people themselves are scrambling to share food
and give what they have. Of course, it’s not a suf icient amount, but… it
may be because Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung’s sacri ice greatly
moved everyone. Even after hundreds of years, the achievements of the
Honorary Cardinal and heroes will be remembered by Laios forever.
Yes. Forever.”
“It is an honor.”
“No, rather, I am more honored, Cha Hee-ra. Thank you very much.”
***
“Sora-ssi.”
“Yes? Vice Guild Master. Did you call…?”
“What do we have for dinner?”
“Oh! I think we’re having meat after a long time.”
“How…”
“It seemed that Yuno Kasugano was secretly bringing it in. It wouldn’t
have been easy because the castle is completely surrounded by
people…”
“Whatever the reason is, we’re going be able to eat meat after a long
time.”
“Yes. Rather, Vice Guild Master.”
“Tell me, Sora-ssi.”

“When are you going to announce that you’re awake? It seems that
there are quite a few people gathered in Laios right now…”
“Ohh! I think staying in bed for three more days will be ine. That way,
people will know how to be grateful. There is a danger of life and death.
If you play with public opinion once, it will be ine. Oh, since we’re
already talking about it, please spread the rumors.”
“What rumors?”
“That tonight is the crucial moment. That there is a high probability, I

won’t be able to make it to the next day. Things like that.”
“Ah… Okay.”
“It will be noisy outside the city because of people crying, but I think
the picture that happens the next day will be pretty good. Anyway,
please give me what you brought, Sora-ssi. I’ve been lying down for
more than half a day, and I’m starving.”
“Okay. Vice Guild Master. Er… And when… will you move me out…?”
“As you know, the public eye is so focused right now… you will have to
wait a little longer. Don’t worry too much. When everything is over, I
will assign you to the safest task possible. Oh, this is delicious. Is it a
short plate?”
“Yes!”
“It melts in my mouth. Whoa… it melts smoothly!”
“I know, right. It’s really delicious. Thank God. I’m really glad.”
“I think it tastes sweeter eating while watching the people gathered in

front of the palace. It seems to melt gently. I don’t know if they’re going
to end up building a statue for me or something… Fuhahahaha.”
CHAPTER 325
HERO OF LAIOS (4)
I had no choice but to look out of the royal castle with a delighted
expression. My good mood was indeed inevitable.
Of course, it wasn’t that there weren’t any unpleasant parts at all, but it
was because mostly everything was going as I had initially thought. I
couldn’t even sleep properly from the amount of people that had
gathered last night.
It was annoying to become a hero in a country, but it was also de initely

a good thing.
Looking outside, I could see the citizens of the neutral country praying
for my safety.
It was even touching to see people of all ages, young and old, and
foreigners from all over the continent.
I could be sure that a scene like this wouldn’t be made even if Pristina,
Queen of Laios, was the one on her deathbed.
‘Of course, they should do that.’
What they saw through the Goddess’s Mirror on that day was truly the
standard of sacri ice. What they saw were true heroes.
There was Park Deokgu, a warrior who had tried to defend me whilst
covered in blood, Han Sora, who continued to chant spells with her
skinny body exposed to dark magic, and Jung Hayan and I, who
decisively defended the demon’s attack while being surrounded by
light. Even though we all frequently vomited blood and grabbed our
chests as we reached our limit, the image that we tried to protect Laios
was an image that would only ever be seen in epics.
‘It was a perfect picture.’
I feel proud, even as I thought about it again.
Just as expected.
Loud voices were already starting to be heard from outside. They must
have listened to the news that I had already woken up.
‘Hyunsung also came, right?’
The person who was waiting with Park Deokgu, who woke up the
fastest, for me to wake up was, of course, the lovely regressor.
When I heard the news that he had been walking outside for a very long
time because he was told that I had to be absolutely calm, I felt moved.
‘Right. I can also understand you.’
I had already felt someone supporting him right from the very start.
No, it can be said that it is uncertain to say that he was being supported,
but at least it was undeniable that a transcendental entity had been
gazing at him.
Again, it was correct to think that I had received a bit of it because I had
pledged my loyalty towards him.
‘It’s a semi-mythic grade class. Semi-mythic grade.’

It is very strange and annoying that the reward for being upgraded to a
semi-mythic grade was only 5 magic power, but it was also unusual for
a class to be rated a ‘semi-mythic’ quality.
Since my magic had the nature of divine power, I was the only person in
the State, no, the continent that could use both divine power and magic.
It was a little perplexing at the moment, but considering that the

transcendental entity did not want Jung Hayan to die, I had to take note
of this as well.
If I had not healed Jung Hayan’s body at that time, I bet she would not
have woken up until now.
Perhaps she would’ve even lost her life.
‘It thinks that Jung Hayan is also important.’
To analyze it, the transcendental being looking at all of this from above
was hoping for Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan to not die.
For example, it was the reason why Kim Hyunsung had no choice but to
return.
So, assuming that an invisible threat was real, it made sense to hope
that Jung Hayan was safe. Though she had monstrous stats, her safety
was still of the utmost priority.
I didn’t want to imagine losing a card named Jung Hayan when I was to
think of preparing for an invisible threat.
Despite receiving various buffs, blocking a massive attack falling across

the city was an achievement great enough that the common people
wouldn’t understand.
[Alchemist of Light (Semi-Mythic)]

[It is said that only those chosen by God can change class to Alchemist
of Light. The magic power will have divine power. Magic power
increases by +5. I’ll just say one thing, you’re a real son of a bitch.
Disgusting bastard. Really, you are really irreparable trash.]
‘I think this one hates only me that much… ’
In the meantime, I still felt like the system hated me, something I didn’t
understand at all. However, it didn’t change the fact that I was getting to
enjoy more and more bene its.
In any case, I had to prepare to greet the guests, those from the State,
from the Holy side, and Laios. Many guests awaited the hero.
As I looked next to me, I saw Jung Hayan, who had also just gotten up.
Since we had to live only within the boundaries of Yuno Kasugano, Sora
wasn’t the only one watching out for Jung Hayan.
Having to use one ward for three was very fun for some, but hell for
others.
Still, unlike Han Sora, who had recovered her energy to some extent,
Jung Hayan’s face was pale, so I had no choice but to feel worried.
No matter how much semi-mythic magic I gave, and regardless of the

fact that her magic power stat was 99, it was apparent that she was
experiencing side effects from using excessive magic power.
However, she didn’t look upset.
Just as I enjoy the Laotian people’s worry, Jung Hayan also seemed to
enjoy the situation where I would worry about her.
‘It seems like she’s getting strangely similar to me.’

She held the ring with her left hand as if it were precious, so even if her
body was struggling right now, she still thought that she gained more
than what she lost.
“Hayan, do you feel better?”
“Yes, Oppa. It is still impossible to use magic, but… no problem. It’s

okay. Ahem, ahem. It’s really okay. You don’t need to… ahem. worry.”
I already knew that her continuous coughing was just acting, but I had
no choice but to worry as I knew the condition of Jung Hayan better
than anyone else.
“Yes. I’m really okay. Ugh… I’m really okay, so don’t worry… ahem.”
Even the way she grabbed her chest was a spectacle.
“Ahem, ahem. I-I’m sorry. Actually, I’m not okay. Ahem. I-I think I will be
better if you pat me a little. You know, that magic power.”
“Ah… Okay.”
“My chest hurts so much. Ahem. My chest… My chest hurts so much.”
“Okay.”
“It hurts so much. O-Oppa…”
Also, there are now reasonable excuses.
Jung Hayan already knew that my magic power also contained divine
power.
After she woke up, I had already been sending her magic power dozens
of times, but she silently showed off her chest as if she was still hungry
for more.
When I put my hand on her, the sight of her linching looked strangely
cute.
“Huh…”
She made a strange sound for a moment, but for now, I had to send
magic power to her desperately.
Anyway, if I wanted to greet the guests soon, it would not be bad to

extract some magic power now.
“Yes. A little m-more left from there. Not in the middle… my c-chest area
hurts. Please do it around the chest area. My chest… my chest hurts so
much.”
“Do you feel better now?”
“Huh… no. A little bit more… Just a little more. The middle of my chest
hurts so much. Ahem. Ugh… Huh. The middle hurts, so there…”
I didn’t know exactly where the middle of her chest was, but her face
had begun to turn red, whether it was from pain or pleasure.
Han Sora didn’t even know where to look in this sudden situation. I also
felt embarrassed.
We kept trying not to make eye contact with each other, and then,
voices came from outside.
In any way, they saved both Han Sora and me.

Jung Hayan looked at me as if it was a pity, but I couldn’t always accept
this stupidity.
“I’ll do the rest later.”
“Yes…”
She had a long expression. However, she also looked like she needed to
control herself.
It was impossible to say that she had matured, but she seemed to at
least have regained some sort of composure.
This could all be said to be the in luence of the proposal.
I roughly arranged the sheets, and as I got up, and I saw a face that
looked a little pale, whether it was the in luence of having my magic
power drained by Jung Hayan.
The original pale Jung Hayan and Han Sora, who were slow to recover,
was also not easy.
I was a little sorry to hear Park Deokgu’s voice, but the remorse soon
turned into approval. At this point, the door had opened with a rattling
sound.
Some of the barriers that had covered the room during that time were
immediately dismantled, and at the same time, several people quickly
entered the room.
“H-Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim!”
The irst thing I heard was Park Deokgu’s voice, but the other thing I
also noticed was the maid Alice, no, the person who should now be
called Oscar.
“Honorary Cardinal!”
It was very embarrassing to be hugged at the same time as she jumped.

I knew she would be worried about me, but not to this extent.
“Sniff… Sniff… Is your body, your body okay?”
“Ah… Yes.”
“Where were you injured? Can… ugh… you recognize me?”
“Of course, Mr. Oscar. You didn’t have to come here… It looks like I made
you worry.”
“Wow…”
It seemed that she was unable to hold back her bursting cries.
Still, as she was the head of a country, I thought she would show a little
de inite appearance, but she couldn’t hide the anxiety she had in her
heart.
I wasn’t in a bad mood, but it was no wonder that I would still be

watching out for Jung Hayan.
As I turned, I saw Jung Hayan looking certainly unpleased.
I thought it would be okay as she was being quiet at irst.
‘No… ’
Rather, there were completely different emotions on her face.
‘What should I say…?’

Instantly, I realized that the expression she wore was one of superiority.
Soon enough, Hayan began to stroke the ring on her inger.
‘Is that supposed to be effective…?’
Of course, it may be as ambiguous to say that this worked, but the sense
of superiority on her face had not disappeared.
Nevertheless, as the cuddling time got longer, she gradually began to

look nervous, but when I pulled her off a little, Hayan settled for
nodding as she knew I would eventually do this.
As I looked at the people who came to this hospital room one by one,
familiar faces that I had not seen before came into my eyes.
“Hyung-nim. Hyung-nim… Haap. Is Hayan okay? What about Sora? Is

everything okay?”
“Yes, Deokgu. There seems to be nothing wrong. We were a little blank,

but as for the whole body… I think we’re doing better.”
“Isn’t it back to normal, yet?”
“No. No. It’s okay. There is nothing wrong with the body. The same goes
for all others.”
Park Deokgu was squeezing me whilst he tended to his runny nose.
The guild members who came together were also visible.
Sun Hee-young was also looking very relieved, and Cho Hyejin looked
really surprised, Kim Ye-ri seemed to be overwhelmed with guilt for
some reason, and Ahn Ki-mo was still smiling.
I could also see Yoo Ah-young and Kim Chang-ryul.

“Fortunately. Vice Guild Master. The outsiders said that the sky
helped…”
“I think so, too.”
Seeing Lee Jihye’s face glancing at me from behind, she seemed

disappointed that I hadn’t contacted her.
Still, I could see her sweeping away from her chest as if knowing that
her turn would be later.
I started to get tired as I continued to greet the people of the Laios and
those who came to see my condition from the Holy side.
However, I was still grateful for everyone worrying about this.
Duchess Catherine, no, people like Senator Catherine and Senator Elise
were also shedding tears. Many of the personal connections that I had
built up lashed at my awakening after a long time.
Of course, I smiled as innocently as I could and responded to their

worries.
“Er…”
“Oh.”
“Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Hyunsung-ssi!”
And there entered Kim Hyunsung, our lovely regressor.

CHAPTER 326
HERO OF LAIOS (5)
“Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Hyunsung-ssi!”
In fact, it hadn’t been that long since we had been apart, but it felt like I
hadn’t seen him in a long time.
A bitter smile began to circulate at the thought of having suffered that

much. Eventually, things had worked out so well that I was able to
laugh, but it had been from a series of situations where I had been
walking on thin ice.
I had to think I was lucky, no matter how it was. If something had

slipped, I would have had to run away from Laios, or could have died.
Kim Hyunsung, this bastard, must’ve had a hard time as well, but as a
result, I was the one who had to overcome the danger of death several
times. While Kim Hyunsung was taking care of his mental health, I
actually went back and forth between life and death.
He must have known enough about it. It would be natural to show a

pretty somber face.
‘Yes. Punk. I was very sick. It really hurt a lot. And it was hard, too. It
was really hard… Fuck. This is all for you. So you can feel a little sadder.’
Actually, it wasn’t very painful, but it felt like I wanted to express that it
was hard for some reason.
While I didn’t see his handsome face, he got pretty bony, and I didn’t
know if I was mistaken, but his eyes were de initely red. He didn’t cry
like Park Deokgu, but he was also worried about me.
‘Does he have more affection than I thought?’
In fact, I didn’t think Kim Hyunsung would be worried about me this

much.
Of course, I thought that an invisible bond between us had built up, but
when I heard that he headed this way with Dialugia as soon as the news
about the magic hologram went out, I was quite surprised. He even
stayed in front of my door with Deokgu rather than going after the
enemy.
He chose to stand by my side rather than close the case.
“Hyunsung-ssi. It’s been a long time. Ahem.”
A coughing sound began to come out as if Jung Hayan’s cough had

infected me.
Rather than thinking irst and act, the body was pretending to be in
pain irst. I was even embarrassed to believe that it really started to
hurt.
Did they say that humans changed their bodies as they deemed it? Not
only did it feel like someone pricking my chest with a needle, but it was
also getting harder to breathe.
“Are you okay?”

As expected, Kim Hyunsung approached in a hurry. It seemed like he
was pretending to be okay right now, but anyone could tell that he was
worried about me.
I kept wanting to smile. The specs that I saw with my Mind’s Eye were
also excellent.
“Yes. I’m ine, Hyunsung-ssi. More importantly… You didn’t have to

come all the way here…”
“No. Of course, it is correct to come irst. I was really… I was really

worried. I’m glad you’re okay, Kiyoung-ssi. And your body…”
“Haha. Ahem. It’s ine. Hyunsung-ssi, really. I heard that my body

recovered quickly enough to be called a miracle. Hayan, Deokgu, and
Sora suffered more than I… Really, ahem. I’m ine.”
He seemed to be worried as I kept coughing. I kept saying I was okay,

but anyone could see I wasn’t. I was hoping to see if he would take out
something like an elixir from the bag, but I would have used it earlier if
there were such a thing.
Of course, others also seemed worried, too, but perhaps because of the
strange atmosphere, they stepped back and simply watched us.
“Excuse me… for a second.”
He even snuck up and started to put his hand on my chest.
‘Why? What’s up with this bastard? What’s wrong with him?’
Although it was momentary, Jung Hayan’s eyes opened widely. Most of

the female audiences who looked at Kim Hyunsung and I also had
reddish faces for some reason, but a sound like ‘oh my god’ started to
come out from behind.
It even made me feel more uncomfortable because I was lying in bed.
He leaned over irst, just in case it would be uncomfortable for me

getting up. I was surprised for a moment, but I believed he wouldn’t do
anything to harm my body.
As expected, he began to pour his magic power on me. There was no

such thing as a function to recover the body with his magic power, but
he was trying to igure out whether my body was in normal condition
by turning the magic power around my body.
It was no wonder that I thought that I did well at pouring magic into
Jung Hayan just before. What Kim Hyunsung was feeling right now was
my completely empty magic power.
He had on a serious look. In fact, there was nothing strange about me

but a little heavy breathing, but he seemed to be checking if there was
any residual effect.
Of course, he was not a doctor. However, after a few laps on my body

with magic power, I really felt relaxed and drowsy.
‘I really want to sleep now.’
I didn’t know if it was an appropriate expression, but it felt like I was

getting a massage. It felt as if the inside of my body was being massaged
coolly with magical power.
‘How is this possible?’

It was impossible to do this with my magic power that had gained
divine power. It was the advanced magic power management
knowledge possessed like a privilege of the continent’s powerful
people.
However, I could be sure that not many of them could do this. Without
Kim Hyunsung’s delicate control, I wouldn’t have felt this comfortable.
What was a little strange was that the room was becoming extremely
quiet. The galleries surrounding Kim Hyunsung and I were shutting
their mouths and engrossed in the strange sight we were showing.
In particular, Laios’ maids who watched this situation showed reddish

faces as much as Han Sora when she looked at Jung Hayan and me. I
thought it wasn’t a big deal, but…
‘This is fucking… ’
I started to get nervous as our audience had begun to gush. When Kim
Hyunsung’s magic power rotated around my body, a blush appeared on
my face, and suddenly, an exclaim popped out.
Of course, this was only the effect of magic, no other reason. I felt like
the occasion where everyone that was worried about me was suddenly
turning weird.
“I-I’m all right now, Hyunsung-ssi.”
I had no choice but to hurry to stop him because it seemed that if it kept
going like this, this occasion would lose its essence.
“But…”
“This is enough. I appreciate your thoughts, but your magic power is so

great… that it’s too much for me to accept any more…”
“Then, how about a little more gently…”
“No. Just your thought is enough.”
I thought it was all over, but the faces of those who were listening to our
conversation seemed to get even redder. I had to speak once more.
“Everyone, thank you for visiting. Really… I am worried that I may have
troubled you for nothing.”
“You didn’t, Honorary Cardinal. Thank you very, very much. Laios will
never forget the sacri ices of Lee Kiyoung and other heroes.”
“Thank you. Pristina-nim. But we can’t be the only ones to take the
credit. Had it not been for the prayers sent by others, we would not
have been able to stop the demon that day. I don’t know if it’s really a
miracle, but it seemed like I could actually hear many voices.”
“Ah…”
“It’s not that much to be thankful for. Probably, even if other people
were there, they must have made the same choice as us.”
As I looked at Jung Hayan, Han Sora, and Park Deokgu, I saw them
frantically nod. However, Pristina still didn’t seem satis ied. Not only
did she thank me with the long-standing custom of Laios tapping on the
forehead, but she bowed her head toward me. Of course, her eyes were
illed with tears.
“Thank you very much. Thank you very much.”
“You can raise your head, Pristina-nim. And the same goes for other
Laios people. If you keep doing this, I’ll get more embarrassed. Ahem.”
“Ah… Honorary Bishop.”

“Kiyoung-ssi.”
It was a little ridiculous that everyone here linched with just one
cough.
The atmosphere got more pleasant. Park Deokgu, who was constantly
crying, was energized, and Kim Hyunsung, whose eyes were getting red,
also wiped out his chest.
Dialugia was looking at me like trash, she didn’t say anything, but she
seemed to have noticed that there was no danger of dying in the irst
place.
In fact, if something went wrong with my body, she would be the irst to
feel the signal, so it would be natural for her to look like that.
After con irming that not only I but also Jung Hayan and Han Sora were
in good shape, the room was the same as usual, and even in the middle
of that, I had the Laios people thanking me. Of course, I opened my
mouth as if I didn’t know anything. This time it was about those whose
outside.
“Come to think of it. It seemed a little noisy outside. Did anything

happen? No… more importantly, was the work properly inished…”
“I think it would be better to take a rest without thinking about

anything else, Honorary Cardinal.”
“But… That demon summoner Jin Qing…”
I knew the truth. I had already heard all the progress from Cha Hee-ra.
I knew that the demon summoner who tried to destroy the city had
escaped from Laios, but I had to open my mouth naturally because I had
to show that I was constantly caring about Laios.
“First, you have to pay attention to recovering your body.”
“But outside…”
“It’s ine, Honorary Cardinal. It wasn’t because of the demon summoner

that it was noisy outside… it’s because of the Honorary Cardinal.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I guess you haven’t seen it yet.”
“Ah… I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
I knew the truth.
Pristina smiled slightly and began to open the curtains. As she opened
the window, a pleasant breeze began to enter the room.
It was natural to pretend to be surprised because it was my irst time

seeing such a sight of icially.
“Ah…”
What I saw was a scene of countless Laios citizens praying. It was a

massive crowd, as if almost everyone in the capital was gathered.
This was, therefore, a magni icent sight.
Naturally, I had to stand up slowly at this point. Of course, since I didn’t

have physical strength, I stumbled, but thanks to Park Deokgu holding
me tight, I avoided falling.
It wasn’t a scene I had planned, but it was not all that bad. As I raised
my hand a little, a thunderous shout began to burst out. Even…
‘Why are these guys crying…?’

I laughed when I saw the innocent Laios people shed tears of joy.
“Wahhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
I didn’t know if it was because of the shouts, but my back was tingling.
They cried and hugged each other. It was as if there was a festival.
“Ha… haha.”
I looked at her as if I didn’t believe it, and she looked at me with a quiet
smile.
“Everyone has gathered voluntarily. After watching the heroes’

sacri ices, they have waited with us for all of you to wake up. Everyone,
as one.”
“Really… It’s a grateful sight.”
“In the square.”
“Yeah?”
“If it’s okay, I would like to put a statue of you guys in the square.”
‘Pheeew… You’ve made it, Kiyoung.’
I laughed a little without saying anything, but Pristina sent a big smile
as if she accepted it as a positive sign.
“Laios will never forget your sacri ice. Never.”
The alliance had already been established. Everyone was smiling

happily. There were shouts outside and laughter from inside the room.
In summary, everyone was happy.
Of course, there were still people who were uncomfortable in this
situation. Looking back a little, I saw Yuno Kasugano, watching out for
me with her head down.
‘Yuno Kasugano.’
It was obvious why she was with such a face alone.
‘Because she did something wrong.’
I didn’t know the reason. However, it was a behavior I could not

understand. Although she confessed with her own mouth irst, it was a
little vague to say that it was a problem that I could forgive easily.
Others didn’t know it yet, but about Jin Qing, the dirty demon
summoner…
It was her who had helped the guy get out of Laios.
CHAPTER 327
HERO OF LAIOS (6)
Everything was done perfectly, but wrapping things up proved to be

annoying. No, in fact, I was more happy than annoyed.
As a result, if I were to think about it, everything was going in the

direction I wanted, except for the missing Jin Qing. However, I had no
choice but to feel anxious about the fact that the demon summoner was
alive.
The people of Laios and I would be thinking the same.
I requested the Republic to take over the demon summoner Jin Qing,
but there was still no answer. There was nothing to be heard other than
saying that they would grasp the situation a little more closely.
Of course, the Republic’s remarks to closely grasp the situation were

excuses and bullshit. There was no way they could do anything.
The place where we confronted the demon had already been erased
from the map, leaving no traces other than a bunch of lights.
Even in Laios, they were refusing the people of the Republic to pass
over. The only evidence left was Ito Souta’s conviction and the
Goddess’s Mirror we’ve recorded the incident with.
No matter what I thought, they couldn’t grasp the situation.
Nevertheless, it would be irrelevant to interpret that bullshit as an

expression of the will to protect Jin Qing, no matter what.
I knew that the Republic wasn’t as sensitive to black magic as the State,
but what happened would affect the entire neutral nation. The
Republic’s foreigners were also killed, and in some way, it was a case
that was bound to be entangled in international affairs.
Despite all these backgrounds, the Republic chose to protect the guy
after listening to Jin Qing.
‘They said men are blind in their own causes.’
I didn’t know what was going on, but he might be trying to clarify this
case and put his sins on me.
In fact, the probability of a bomb dropping on me, who had so much

evidence, converged to zero, but I still had no choice but to be
dissatis ied with the fact that the opponent with a grudge was still alive.
Of course, I didn’t have to explain that I was also swaying public

opinion.
I felt a little sorry for the demon worshiper Ito Souta, but that was the
reason his name had been repeatedly mentioned recently.
“The demon worshiper Ito Souta. And this time, demon summoner Jin
Qing…”
“…”
“Does the Honorary Cardinal think there is a connection between those

two?”
“It’s probably… hard to say there’s any. We don’t know when they got in
contact or what they want, but it doesn’t change that their ultimate goal
is the same. The darkness is already deeply rooted in our continent. I
knew there were groups of only black wizards all over the place, but… I
didn’t think they would be expanding their in luence this much. In fact,
it was just a coincidence that I stepped on Jin Qing’s tail…”
“You are saying that the situation seems to be more serious than the
Holy See thought.”
“Yes. Maybe they have their own communication channels. Given that
the Republic currently protects Jin Qing, it would be better to think that
the Republic is also affected by its roots. In the worst case, we can
think… it’s already completely stained…”
“Already so far… Oh, God…”
“Think of the case of the State. No one knew that Ito Souta was a demon
worshiper. During the long period of his career at Celia, no one had
noticed that Ito Souta was a demon worshiper. If Ito Souta had
swallowed the country as it is, we would have had to take a position
similar to the current Republic. Maybe the State would’ve faced a great
threat, just like Laios.”
“It’s terrible just to imagine.”
“It’s not just the Republic. In each country or city, there may be places
touched by the demon. Yes. I’m sure of it. There certainly will. First of
all, I will report on this event…”
“Ah! Honorary Cardinal. You don’t have to. I appreciate your thought,
but for now, please consider recovering your body as the top priority.”
“What? But…”
“His Holiness said it directly. He said that he would move immediately

after the Honorary Cardinal got better… so he told us not to force you. I
understand that you have many worries in many ways, but it would be
better to let your body rest suf iciently. We know how much the
Honorary Cardinal is thinking of the Holy See and the Goddess
Benignore. But now, in this situation, the Goddess will not want you to
jump back to her front line. The irst thing is to recover your body.”
“…”
What was a little annoying in the meantime was that my movement was
limited.
I couldn’t move properly because of those who overprotected me,

although I got tremendous bene its from exaggerating to be hurt. In
fact, this situation was not con ined to the Holy See.
“Oscar-nim.”
“You said that when we’re alone, you would call me Maid Alice,
Honorary Cardinal.”
“Ah. Yes, Maid Alice. I made a mistake. Haha.”
“So. Does the tea suit your taste? I should have prepared some
refreshments, but I didn’t have time, coming in a hurry…”
“Haha. It’s ine. It’s been a long time since I had the tea that Maid Alice
made, and it feels like my body is already recovering. More importantly,
the alliance with the neutral country…”
“Yes. It’s going well. Some of these tribal kingdoms also want the same
thing as us… No, please forget about this. Recovering your body right
now is the top priority, but I’m talking about work again. I understand
the Honorary Cardinal, but I hope you don’t think about anything other
than relaxing now.”
“But the situation is…”
“I know you don’t believe, but we’re doing our best, too.”
“Maid Alice…”
“I will do my best to inish the work so that it does not become a

nuisance. So please…”
“Yes. Okay. If you say it like that…”
And so did the State’s leader, Alice, no, Oscar, and even Kim Hyunsung
began to protect me as if protecting a baby bird.
Whether this was shocking to him as well, he started acting as if he

would give it all.
“Hyunsung, now, I should slowly…”
“No, Kiyoung. You can still lie down a little longer. Hyejin and Hee-
young are taking care of the guild-related work together. I am also
working hard. In the meantime, you have been running too crazy. You
can rest a little more.”
Although the lovely returner showed warm eyes and urged me to rest.
‘You, your political sense is zero.’
There was no way I wouldn’t feel worried.
Thanks to our trustworthy Cho Hyejin and Sun Hee-young, I felt that the
issues related to the current case were smoothly resolved.
In fact, it wasn’t a long time after waking up, but due to my nature of
becoming anxious when I stay still, I had to get stressed out in various
ways.
While lying down, statues in honor of the heroes were climbing on the
square of Laios, and even the sixth volume of How an Alchemist and a
Genius Swordsman Love appeared in Laios.
Whenever I saw the statues in the square getting more and more
distinct, and every time the wandering Laios maids talked about the
novel, I realized that time was passing me by.
Practically, not much time had passed, but seeing the popular bestseller
in the State was hitting Laios, it wasn’t a short time either.
‘What kind of novel is that? Is it that fun?’
I didn’t know why, but it was surprising to see that they were selling
like hotcakes.
Anyway, whether it was big or small, the things surrounding me were

gradually changing. In fact, I was anxious about what the next move of
the demon summoner would be, but the Republic still remained silent.
Around this time, I, too, had completely let go of my external work.
‘The State is not that incompetent.’
I already had arranged everything, so if they could not achieve results

in this situation, it was only right to seek asylum in another kingdom,
even for the sake of my future.
‘Instead… ’
It wouldn’t be bad to have time to solve internal problems rather than

outside.
Not only did I set a schedule of the study to ind out about the semi-
mythic-grade class of the Alchemist of Light, but I also started to make a
lot of hypotheses.
I also began thinking of some solutions to the problem surrounding the

lovely returner and the management of people in need of it, including
Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra, and discussions with Lee Jihye.
The busy work quickly relieved the feelings of being unable to stay still.
Of course, the fact that there was an important thing to deal with didn’t
need to be mentioned twice.
“I’m sorry, master. I’m sorry.”
Yuno Kasugano, who was ready to become a demon summoner

companion, was an important issue.
“No matter how much you ask for my sin, I have nothing to say. Please
forgive me for making this choice even though I knew you wouldn’t like
it.”
“…”
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Sniff! Please don’t throw me away. Please
don’t abandon this girl.”
Looking at her quietly, it was a sight to see her shedding tears.
I’ve heard many times why Kasugano saved him, but I was compelled to
ind out with this incident that her future wasn’t always right.
In fact, it was not that I didn’t believe in her.
She was the one who took care of me in many ways when I fainted, and
it was she who had been the most active in ixing things and swaying
the media since then.
I couldn’t just openly hate her.
Lee Jihye asked if we could really trust Yuno Kasugano, but from my
point of view, Yuno Kasugano was a card that was attractive enough.
However, if I considered that Yuno Kasugano and I didn’t have a very
good relationship in the irst round…
‘She wouldn’t be gathering energy to backstab me, right?’
It was something worth worrying about.
As a result, in the irst round, the black trash Lee Kiyoung had made
Yuno Kasugano’s life miserable, and she knew that, too.
Although she said it was a happy time, anyone could tell that it was an
experience far from happiness.
The chances were small, but I couldn’t help but wonder for me, who felt
suspicious.
‘To be planning a revenge of the irst round… ’
There were many awkward points in many ways.
First of all, I held her life and death ticket.
However, if I considered that looking forward to the future or the black

world, she might have thought differently about me, it was hard not to
look at her with suspicion.
“…”
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
“Well, it would be better to listen to the story in detail once again. I

hope this time, I can understand.”
“I can’t explain the details. However, Jin Qing shouldn’t end up in that
way in that place. The master… The master…”
“…”
“The master may be in danger.”
There was more than half the probability that she was really worried
about me.
However, there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t have the perfect
plan in her mind to send me to hell. It was right to think that it was an
issue that gave me headaches in many ways.
CHAPTER 328
US IN THE BLACK WORLD (1)
In fact, it was Lee Jihye’s words that made me doubt.
‘I am not sure about the relationship between the two of you, but think
carefully if she’s someone you could really trust. No matter how I think
about it, it’s a minus that she helped others in a crucial situation. And it
was none other than Jin Qing, the demon summoner. I’m not saying this
just to reduce our rivals. I’m just really worried. People who are good at
backstabbing get backstabbed in strange situations. That’s a common
cliché .’
She said that right after I said that it was Yuno Kasugano who had let Jin
Qing go.
Of course, she was not wrong.
However, I couldn’t agree with the saying that the one who was good at
backstabbing would be backstabbed, but in Yuno Kasugano’s case, I
couldn’t help but mull this over.
No matter how I was to think about it, it was true that meeting with her
was arbitrary.
Of course, there was an inaccessible safety device between Kasugano

and me. However, even so, I had to avoid letting my guard down.
It was a bit different, but like the famous line that was popular
somewhere, if you didn’t believe it in the irst place, you wouldn’t be
betrayed.
Probably, Yuno Kasugano was also anxious because she could tell the
suspicion in my face.
There was no way that Yuno Kasugano, who was more sensitive to the
atmosphere than others, couldn’t notice the temperature difference.
As I set the mood and looked straight ahead, she continued to speak
again with a visibly nervous face.
“I didn’t have time to explain because the master was down at the time.
It’s hard to understand, but at least my actions… please know that it
was for you.”
I already knew that.
However, the problem was that she couldn’t explain what kind of future
she saw.
If it were a convincing story, I would be able to nod…
“I can’t remember anything. I must have seen the future with my own
eyes, but I can’t remember it as if there’s a haze. Really. Please believe
me.”
This situation was a problem.
Of course, I wanted to give more credit to the possibility that her words
were true.
She was also the one who had confessed her sins right after I woke up,
and she even said she would take any punishment sweetly. It made no
sense for her to plot something like this and still accept punishment.
If I looked at Yuno Kasugano, who came every day before I could

organize my own thoughts and said that she had made a mistake, the
probability of thinking something different seemed to be in initely close
to zero.
However…
‘No. There is no need to doubt. If I don’t believe in her, nothing can be

solved anyway.’
Although there were risks, it was also true that this problem could not
be solved without trusting Kasugano.
It would be natural to hold on to a string of suspicion, but for now, it

would not be bad to think about the premise that Kasugano’s words
were true.
“Are you sure you have seen the future?”
“Yes. It’s not the black world. Neither is it the past. That’s for sure. What
I saw must have happened in the future. It seemed to be after a lot of
time passed from now…”
“What exactly does it mean to be in danger…?”
“I don’t know what to explain. Should I say that your life is in danger?
Or should I express that the position or situation of the master is in
danger… I’m not even sure about that. Shortly after seeing that future
with my own eyes, I tried several times to check it out, but it didn’t
seem like a lie. I’m really, really sorry.”
It was a sight to see her prostrate herself. Now I felt embarrassed.
“Is there any probability that you could not remember or recall because
the future has changed?”
“It doesn’t work that way. As the future I mentioned recently has not
been realized, the future change has nothing to do with my inability to
recall the scene. Please talk to me more comfortably before that.
Please… please speak informally. Sniff.”
She looked signi icantly anxious. In fact, at times like this, I thought that
she resembled Jung Hayan.
It seemed that me talking formally was a harbinger of not accepting her

as a servant.
I thought I didn’t have to be distinct since I spoke respectfully when we

were with others, but it seemed very important to her.
‘Didn’t I talk formally last time?’
In fact, I didn’t even remember it well.
However, unlike then, it would be natural for her to be anxious since I

was talking as if I were treating a stranger in this atmosphere.
Of course, the way I speak didn’t matter.
At the moment, I wasn’t happy with Yuno Kasugano, so I spoke with

honori ics, but her frustration made my annoyance soar, and the
informal way of speaking popped out.
“Isn’t Yuno Kasugano the one who knows best that the future could
change? Again, the city was not in ruins.”
“Yes. Of course. But… for some reason, I thought I should do that. The
feeling like I had to let him go right away… I felt that way. I can’t explain
it, but I’m sure of that.”
“In other words, does it mean you let him go because of a simple
feeling? Even knowing that I’ll be in an awkward position?”
“Although a little different… yes. Maybe… Please kill me. Sniff.”

“In fact, it’s not that I don’t believe in you, but… I still don’t understand.”
“I am also confused. Sniff… I’ve seen so many things, but it’s the irst
time I didn’t remember it, and it didn’t look like fog. As if someone from
outside intervened… Yes. I feel like someone disturbed it.”
“Intervention from outside…”
“Yes. Yes, it is. This never happened before… Please kill me.”
In fact, Yuno Kasugano had been making the same excuses over the last
days, but the word of external intervention comes anew.
‘This… ’
There were some things that I had some doubts about.
‘Is it the system?’
It was not entirely impossible.
I had concluded that transcendental beings did not directly intervene in

mortal affairs, but there was still room for intervention in this area.
If the future that Yuno Kasugano saw was a future it didn’t want, or a
future it didn’t want to show, the phenomenon of fogging her head
could be explained.
‘It’s pretty convincing.’
Considering that Yuno didn’t intend to backstab me, it was indeed

pretty convincing.
One question was why the transcendent existence prevented her from
remembering the future. It might not be the system because I was
friendly enough to it.
In fact, it also invested a lot in me, and it cursed me, but as a result, it
was always kind to me.
Of course, it was obvious as to why we had a good relationship. It was

because I was being submissive to the lovely returner. I inally got a
semi-mythic-grade class and even became someone capable of using
divine power.
This achievement was perfect, and I was able to send the demon away.
In any way, I could only be seen as an ally of the transcendental being.

Judging from that, there were two possible hypotheses.
The irst was that there was not only one transcendent being watching
me.
This was a pretty convincing deduction. One might feel that it was
forced to drag me, while the other may not like me.
Maybe it didn’t let Kasugano recall the future that I was in danger
considering that I could avoid the danger.
In other words, it may be hoping for me to be in danger or, worse, to

die. Aside from this case, there was one other thing I could think of…
I mean, if the transcendental beings didn’t plan on antagonizing me, the

rest I can think of…
‘Is it because of Hyunsung?’
I knew that the danger I was in some way related to Kim Hyunsung. It
was sudden, but I felt like it was something I could think of.
The system and the transcendental existence had nurtured Kim

Hyunsung, the protagonist of the worldview, and were actually
watching him with interest.
That was the reason why I received so many bene its. If I had started as
an enemy of Kim Hyunsung, I would never have received gifts like this.
For example, in an extreme case, the scene that Yuno Kasugano saw was
a scene where Kim Hyunsung was hostile to me, and if I were to ind out
that fact…
‘Will I backstab him?’
Transcendental beings may be on the lookout for a future where I will

backstab the lovely returner.
‘But I got very fond of him. I’m not so trash… ’
Of course, I couldn’t guarantee how I would move when the actual

situation came.
‘It’s just a deduction anyway. I don’t have to think deeply.’
It was interesting, but unfortunately, these two hypotheses were

impossible to hold.
Both stories had nothing to do with the demon summoner Jin Qing.
Even if one of the two was true, it was not a reason for Yuno Kasugano
to save the demon summoner.
It was a hypothesis that struck my head hearing about an external

intervention, but it was still a trashy deduction.
The puzzle pieces seemed to be gathered, but it felt like they weren’t
connected.
‘Maybe it is related to the irst round?’
I think this might have gone too far. Of course, there was nothing bad
about inding out about it.
However…
‘The problem is that it can’t be seen just because she wants to.’
Although she had tried several times, Kasugano had never succeeded in
connecting with me since Park Deokgu’s day.
Kasugano, who always said sorry with her head down, looked like a
middle-aged man suffering from erectile dysfunction.
She failed every time she tried, so she rarely called me to meet her as if
she had lost her con idence. She was afraid to see my disappointed and
annoyed face.
“The black world…”
Kasugano got startled by my self-talk. In an instant, a sense of urgency

illed her face.
“I-I will try. As it may be a hint, this time I’ll certainly…”
“Can you do it?”
“I am in good shape today. Yes. I think I can do it.”
I made an expectant look. As she looked straight ahead, Kasugano

slowly opened her closed eyes and began whining.
Somehow, she was trying her best to see the future or the black world,
but she started sweating as if it wasn’t going well. She looked worried
as if asking herself, ‘What if it doesn’t go well this time as well?’
It didn’t mean that she could see it just because she wanted to, in the
irst place, nor could she connect just because she wanted to connect.
However, deep inside, disappointment rose in her like water.

‘I guess she can’t do this again.’
I had been through this situation so much that now I could sense it.
It seemed like she was doing her best while whining, but she looked
like Tol To-ri with her head down this time. Eventually, she slowly
closed her eyes and started turning her head in my direction.
In that desperate face, there was a feeling that she had to succeed at all
costs this time.
“I have an absurd request…”
“…”
“Er… D-Do you remember that the last time you and I were connected,
our bodies were also connected?”
“I do, but…”
“It’s unlikely, but I’d like to give it a try. Maybe a kiss or a corresponding
act might create a possibility to connect. It’s only speculation, but…”
‘What is she talking about again?’
But for now, it wouldn’t be bad to nod.
It was not without an anxious mind, but I grabbed her hand and kissed
her lightly in an instant. Magic power started to rise as much as a very
red face.
However, the anxiety in her eyes refused to disappear. She still looked
like Tol Tori with a bowed head.
‘That’s so frustrating… ’
What she was thinking was obvious.
‘What should I do if it doesn’t work well this time?’
Or…
‘I’ll be abandoned. If it fails, I’ll be abandoned.’
It was a matter of con idence rather than a matter of method.
I let her be for a while, but it didn’t seem that bad to give con idence as
the issue was important.
“You can do well.”
“Ah…”
“You can do well this time. Slowly. You can be comfortable. Right. Like
that. Slowly. Now, you just need to be comfortable and trust your body
to me. I’ll do it all on my own.”
There was nothing I could do, but when I tried to do physical contact
while gently stroking her hair actively, I felt a reaction coming.
Not only did she shake her body softly, but she also puffed her mouth in
the air like a gold ish.
“Ahhh… Ahh.”
“You don’t have to worry. Actually, I never doubted you, Kasugano. I just
complained. I think you know that I care for you. It will be this time, too.
Do not try to do it in a rush; do it slowly. It doesn’t have to be today.
Relax and slowly. Right. Okay. Right…”
I just tried it to try it out, but as I whispered sweet words and breathed
in, Kasugano, who was wearing Tol Tori’s expression with a bowed
head, gradually raised her head.
She looked solid as if she burped on purpose.
I thought, ‘Would it work with this?’, but immediately afterward, I had

to shout at the sense of being sucked somewhere.
‘Nice!’
I had solved the inner erectile dysfunction of Kasugano.

CHAPTER 329
[Reading limited information. Con irming the activation of the

legendary-grade attribute, the Mind’s Eye.]
[Player Yuno Kasugano’s attribute, the Eyes that see the essence and
through the past and future, do not resist.]
At irst, it was a coincidence.
At the second time, it was possible to spy on the black world through
external intervention, but this time it seemed to have passed very
smoothly.
The attribute grade remained unchanged, but I thought it could be the

in luence of my class evolution into a semi-mythic.
I didn’t know if it was right to express it this way, but it felt like the
human price had risen. It would be natural to feel good. The precursor
was the same as the last time.
I felt like I was being sucked somewhere in an instant. At the same time,
the scenery I saw began to change completely.
It felt as if the soul had escaped, but there was nothing wrong with it.
It was not lustering as I had seen it several times. It was no wonder

that I began to feel very happy. It wasn’t as much as the future, but the
black world was also signi icant enough to me.
‘What. What am I watching?’
It was annoying that I had gotten inside the black world for now, but
couldn’t know what I could see. However, this was still satisfactory.
Even if it was just for a moment, being able to stand on the same line as
the lovely returner was beyond merit.
In an instant, the scenery in front of me began to pass by.
The unannounced scene I saw was…
‘Huh?’
The lovely returner, who had completely lost his mind, and a masked
man.
A masked man was looking down at Kim Hyunsung, who looked worse
than I thought. No, the gender was not clear, either. It was hard even to
tell, if it was a man or a woman.
For some reason, the silhouette looked like me, but the atmosphere was
subtly different from me.
In the context, it felt like that garbage drove Kim Hyunsung mad.
Regardless if he regressed, considering the talent Kim Hyunsung has…
‘This bastard is the villain from the irst round. This dirty piece of trash.’
The scene that had been completely ruined was giving strength to my
hypothesis.
I couldn’t even notice what kind of place this place was. It had
completely collapsed to the point where I wondered if it will change
this way when the end of the world comes.
Corpses were everywhere, and those bodies were even decaying in real-
time.
The painful screams of humans still alive were being heard everywhere,
and some were melting or self-harming.
‘It’s a living hell, a living hell.’
It seemed that it was being in luenced by something, but of course,

there was no way to know what it was.
If I were there, I could ind hints, but unfortunately, I only looked at the
scenes that had already lowed from a third party’s perspective.
It was dif icult to grasp what the hell happened and exactly when the
scene in front of me happened.
‘Isn’t Hyunsung dead?’
I thought about it for a moment, but the scene I was seeing was not the
ending of the black world.
A young woman, staggering to her feet, now blocked Kim Hyunsung.
She was also not ordinary. Her body was so damaged that her ability to
stand still was a miracle. Of course, I knew very well who was blocking
Kim Hyunsung’s front. She belonged to the same guild as us, so it was
only natural to know.
Cho Hyejin, Kim Hyunsung’s lieutenant.
She was a party member with a political sense, and although it was
uncertain to say that she was out of standard, she was talented with
spearing skills comparable to a monster.
She was also my friend with whom I occasionally drank, so I wasn’t
happy looking at her broken appearance.
Standing lean on one of her spears, she seemed to collapse right away.
Most of her clothes were torn. It was enough for me not to know where
to put my eyes on.
‘This is not intentional… ’
In fact, her embarrassing appearance didn’t even catch my eye.
I, from the black world, didn’t seem to care much about it either. It was
actually an appearance that looked desperate rather than
embarrassing, so it would be natural for me to react that way.
Anyway, the way she was glaring at the man wearing a mask seemed to
tell that she was the Cho Hyejin I knew.
But that was only for a moment. After a moment, she spoke.
‘Please save him.’
‘…… ’
‘…… ’
‘What?’
‘Please… save… ’
‘Pfff! I don’t think it’s a line that a woman admired enough for being
called Mythical Spear should say. It seems that you don’t want to die.’
The voice seemed to have been altered, but this dirty villain’s tone was
very similar to mine for some reason.
‘Please… Please save it. If it’s my neck, I’ll be happy to give it to you. But
please. Please, only the Guild Master… ’
‘…’
‘Please. Please have mercy on him.’
She was so subdued that it was hard to think that it was the Cho Hyejin
I knew.
Her always con ident face was nowhere to be seen. Tears continued to
low from only her one eye, and she put her forehead to the ground
with her body covered in dirt.
It was not a situation to say that it was simply humiliating.
I knew very well why a proud woman like her was looking like that.
Cho Hyejin never bends her will.
The image didn’t match enough to doubt whether it was the same
person or not. It seemed it was the same for the guy wearing the mask.
The guy made an exaggeratedly surprised gesture and continued to talk

again.
‘Alas. It was him. I guess it was him. Gosh, Kim Hyunsung has a good
network. So many people say they will die instead. I’m envious and
bitter… ’
‘Please. Please.’
‘What should I do… Actually, I came to kill today, but seeing someone
like you, I become strangely weakened. I’ve been through similar
experiences a few times, and I know very well what it’s like to lose
someone important. I like this kind of humanity. Isn’t it cool? It’s also a
beautiful look. It’s a scene that looks like it will come out of a drama or
a movie.’
‘Please.’
‘If it’s love, no, respect… I don’t know what it is, but it is sublime to
throw your life for someone you care about. Yes. It’s sublime.’
‘Please. I beg you.’
‘By the way. Whenever I see a scene like this, I feel upset rather than
sad. My head seems to be burning, and I get nauseous. This means it’s
tough because I keep thinking of scenes I don’t want to remember.
Other people’s beliefs cause guilt in what I am doing. Oh, if you think I
don’t feel guilty, you’re mistaken, Cho Hyejin. I am de initely a person. A
Person.’
‘…… ’
The more I looked at it; the more unpleasant emotions began to appear.
I hoped it was not the case, but I thought that I might be that masked
villain. In fact, I had come to that conclusion right from the start.
Obviously, this was the black world that I was seeing through Yuno
Kasugano.
At least she or I, who were connected to her, one of us should have

appeared.
I wanted to curse.
If I were to think about it, it seemed likely.
Lee Kiyoung of the black world was hopeless garbage among the
garbage, and after losing Park Deokgu, he completely lost his mind.
The purpose was, of course, his revenge.
I didn’t know how many years would have passed since Park Deokgu
died, but it felt that the story it perfectly when I thought that he had
reached this point after going through many things.
I wanted to guess how many years have passed with Cho Hyejin or Kim
Hyunsung’s appearances, but it was hard to infer from their appearance
that didn’t age under the in luence of magic power.
Anyway, my anxiety started to rise more and more. As nothing has been
decided yet, it seemed that I would not have to make hasty judgments.
In the meantime, the words of the masked trash were a spectacle.
‘Look, Cho Hyejin-nim. Isn’t my head continuously burning? I also want

to be satis ied with you alone, but I’m worried that I can’t aim well with
my head hurting. I’m afraid it’ll hit the person behind you. That
shouldn’t happen. Wouldn’t it be sad when you try to give your life for
someone you love, but my hands slip, and I make a mistake? Haha.’
‘If so… ’
‘Alas. Stop it, Hyejin. That’s not right. That’s not right. Decide yourself!
Lancer! I’m not saying that. It’s also part of revenge, so it would be
better to inish it with my own hands. All you have to do is stop the
headache. Just the headache. Then everything will be solved.’
‘I… What can I do?’
‘You don’t have to do anything. Actually, I don’t know what to order.

Even if I ask you to come with me, it is obvious that it is dif icult for you
to accept it. I also don’t want to hold a bomb, so… well, that’s it. I think
it would be better to solve this headache on my own. I’ll keep my
promise.’
It was then that an arrow lew in from somewhere. In an instant, a
bunch of arrows started to get stuck in Cho Hyejin’s body.
‘Kahak… ’
Cho Hyejin looked more relieved than in pain.
The man wearing a mask spoke out once again, looking at her face.
‘Cho Hyejin. The master of your guild will go back alive.’
‘Thank… you… ’
‘In such a situation, if I receive even gratefulness, it makes me sadder.

Rather than thanking me… say what you want to say. I don’t hate people
like you. I can’t be sure if I’ll give you your will, but it’s still better than
having no one to listen to the last words.’
‘Sigh… Sigh. Guild… Master.’
‘Yes, yes.’
‘Guild Master.’
‘Yes, yes.’
‘I… I… liked yo… ’
‘Yes, yes… I de initely got it, Cho Hyejin.’
‘…… ’
‘Ah… You are already dead.’
‘…… ’
‘Actually, I didn’t hate you… ’
‘…… ’
‘What can I do? The situation we are facing is different. It’s an obvious
line, but we could have become friends if we had met differently
elsewhere. I was your enemy, but on the one hand, I respected you. The
last was the same. In fact, I didn’t want to end it this way, but Mythical
Spear’s end was more humiliating than sublime… Well, what more do I
need to say? You are already dead.’
I think I knew roughly what that trash was talking about.
The black world’s details are unknown, but Cho Hyejin was a foreigner
with a high reputation called Mythical Spear.
There must be a desire to show her a humiliating death, rather than a

sublime one.
However, seeing that he couldn’t easily leave Cho Hyejin’s side, it

seemed that his conscience remained as he said. What he was worried
about was indeed obvious.
He was thinking about whether to leave Cho Hyejin’s body as it was.
That masked trash and I were never the same person, but even if it
were me, I wouldn’t like that Cho Hyejin, who showed a similar
appearance to Park Deokgu, would face such an end.
As if he was determined, he slowly stretched out his hand.
Contrary to the mention of her humiliating end, black lames began to

soar from her body. He didn’t say anything, but he picked up her spear
and put it in the ashes.
He slowly turned back and removed the mask that covered his face, and
the man muttered.
‘I feel dirty.’
It was also true that there was a certain expectation that we would not
be the same person.
However…
Upon seeing the face re lected in my eyes…
It was perfectly the same face as mine.

CHAPTER 330
It was momentary, but my mind was dazed.
I couldn’t be any happier.
I wanted to put a curse on Lee Kiyoung in the irst round, who looked
like a human trash villain.
I didn’t know what had happened, but the atmosphere itself had
changed considerably. The dark circles were down, and he had lost
more weight than now.
It didn’t need to be said that there were many differences with the
current me. My mind was a mess, but I couldn’t organize my thoughts
right now.
I thought I could’ve taken the crazy route, but I never thought it would
be this big.
I didn’t know how this happened and how this division came about, but
Kim Hyunsung was unconscious, and Cho Hyejin had died.
The surrounding area was completely ruined, and counting the

deceased was meaningless.
It looked like a war had happened. No, it must be a war. At this scale, I
could only think so.
‘Is this maybe… ’

It was an instant that I thought that I might be the one that the lovely
returner has been searching for all along. Just having killed Cho Hyejin
was enough to hold a grudge.
Recalling Kim Hyunsung’s reaction when Shaolin called me ‘masked

man,’ I thought that my hypothesis might be correct. At the time, I
thought that the lovely returner’s sensitive reaction was due to Shaolin,
but perhaps the focus was on the masked man.
The awkward expression he showed right after also bothered me.
As soon as I thought I had to watch the situation a little more, I started

to feel an unknown force pushing me away.
I couldn’t say precisely what, but it was frustrating for me, who wanted
to see the story behind this scene. It felt like it was rewinding a video.
From the scene where arrows fell on Cho Hyejin to the scene where I
was looking at Kim Hyunsung for the irst time, the scenes started
passing too quickly that it was now hard to recognize.
I knew roughly what this was. Time passed quickly like this last time.
The only difference was that it was rewinding time this time around.
The scenes that would be interesting in the middle were noticeable, but
of course, I couldn’t know exactly what was going on, or what it was.
The appearance of Yuno Kasugano and I together was also re lected in

an instant after passing by…
Jung Hayan?
Jung Hayan and I were together.
‘Oppa, I love you. I really love you.’

‘I love you, too.’
What the hell was this?
I didn’t know why Jung Hayan and I were together, but it looked quite
sweet to anyone.
What was particularly surprising was Jung Hayan’s eyes. There was no
such madness or obsession as it had now.
To be precise, she looked like a simple girl, and it felt like she would
break with just a touch.
The big eyeballs were still there, the hair that only came to the
shoulders, and she even wasn’t well dressed.
Nevertheless, looking at her cute face, I had doubts about what

happened to my mind, but that Jung Hayan was really cute.
In time, the scene in front of my eyes was a spectacle. I couldn’t even

imagine seeing romantic scenes, but they were so dynamic that my face
had reddened.
Looking at Jung Hayan that clings to me in the black world, I felt guilty,
but I was the one who’s with her anyway, so I could face it with
con idence. Of course, I couldn’t stop turning red.
When I thought that the current me also maintained a deep

relationship with Jung Hayan, the guilt disappeared quickly.
In the meantime, it stood out that every single action of Jung Hayan was
very passive. Compared to her now…
‘It just looks like a different person.’

I even thought that she might be a person with a similar face, but what I
was seeing now was de initely Jung Hayan.
She was still crying, and she was also trying to look good to me.
‘Yes. Oppa is right! I-it seems it was destiny that I met Oppa. Destiny. It
must be destiny.’
Or something.
‘I-I-I was wrong. Really hic… I’m sorry.’
These behaviors were not that different from now.
I was not sure as to how I met Jung Hayan. Judging from the fact that
Park Deokgu was not next to me, I met Jung Hayan after Park Deokgu
had died.
I was more interested in this because there had been no more

information about this.
It was because I couldn’t even imagine that Jung Hayan and I would
have had a contact in the irst round. Considering if the reason as to
why I was suffering from Jung Hayan was to pay for my previous life’s
sins, I had no choice but to look at it as carefully.
This was because I was wondering what the trashy guy would do to
Jung Hayan. However, this looked like the exact opposite.
I could guarantee that it was showing something that could be called

the epitome of an ideal boyfriend.
Jung Hayan always looked bright, and I, as well.
The only thing that I was a little curious about was that there was no
one else but her and me.
I couldn’t tell where we were meeting. It was a magic lab, and inside a
large room. Others were nowhere to be seen.
I even thought about whether Jung Hayan was imprisoning me, but it
was different than that.
Jung Hayan of the irst round seemed unable to think like the Jung
Hayan of the second round.
I was curious, but the curiosity quickly disappeared. Rather than

inding an answer, I got speechless at a very shocking sight.
After passing quickly one more time, the next scene was a spectacle.
Jung Hayan was being abused. She was being abused both mentally and
physically. Even so, I could see that she couldn’t let go of her bond with
me.
As she was now, she was obsessed and accepted everything that was
done to her in case she might be hated.
‘I love you. I love you. So please don’t say that.’
Nevertheless, it didn’t make sense for her to hug me.
Even now, the affection of Jung Hayan could only be seen as

unconditional.
‘Hehe. I love you.’
He was laughing.
‘I like you very much.’

He held her in his arms like a fool.
The black garbage was smirking. I could understand what he was

thinking.
He must be thinking that Jung Hayan had completely fallen for him.
Once again, the scenery began to change.
The next scene showed Jung Hayan, quietly left alone in a room.
To be precise, I, from the black world, was just looking at her with a
strange crystal ball, but I could see the scene inside the crystal very
clearly.
It was unknown how long time had passed since then, but looking at
her with messy hair, blankly looking up at the ceiling, she was on the
verge of collapse.
‘What is this?’
What she was looking at was a rope hanging from the ceiling.
It was obvious as to what she was thinking. Her eyes were swollen from
crying, and the stuff in her room was indescribably messy.
It looked like she kept reading a bunch of letters.
I couldn’t even see what it was, but she kept crying, reading dozens or
even hundreds of letters.
Seeing Jung Hayan reading the letters while smiling like a fool, those
many letters seemed to have some pretty happy memories.
It wasn’t just one occasion, but this apparently looked like all the letters
Jung Hayan and I exchanged throughout the entire relationship.
However, as time passed, her face distorted, and tears burst out.
‘I like you. I love you. Sniff… So please come back. I was wrong. Please
come back.’
Of course, the answer was not heard.
She was just talking to herself. No, I thought perhaps she might have
noticed that I, from the black world, was watching her, but now she
seemed unable to afford to bother about her surroundings.
‘I’m sorry. I’ll do better in the future. Please don’t say that. Don’t say you
hate me now.’
‘…… ’
‘Hic. Sniff. Please. I beg you. If you’re watching, talk to me again, Oppa.
As usual. I hate it like this. I hate breaking up like this.’
‘…… ’
‘You remember when we irst met, right? I remember everything. I

confessed with courage, and your surprised face at that time. And I
remember everything when we connected. I remember the day we irst
connected, the day we fought, and the day you got angry. Everything. I
miss you. I really miss you… really… I’ll never say no again. I will do
everything Oppa asks me to do. Now I don’t care what happens to other
people. I won’t be bothered no matter what happens. All I need is you.
So please come back. Don’t say you hate me. I’ll do everything you ask
me to do. Sniff. Sniff… ’
‘…… ’
‘You said it was fate. You said it must be fate that we met. You told me
that even if we were born again, we would meet again. You said we’ll
continue to be together. His… I hate that. It is so painful not to have you.
I can’t do anything. Nothing. I-i-it’s better to die. I’d rather… ’
‘…… ’
However, hesitation continued to be seen. She made the decision, but it

couldn’t be easy.
‘Hic. Hic… ’
I could hear the hiccups and sobs.
She looked at the ceiling and stared outside. She climbed up and down
the chair several times.
‘It’s so painful… I can’t think of anything… I’m scared… Please help me,
Oppa. Please help me. Smile again like before. Hic. Sniff.’
She grabbed her head and curled up or even lipped the blanket over.
However, the gaze continued to focus on the rope ixed to the ceiling.
I had a bitter taste in my mouth.
‘Right… Oppa said.’
‘…… ’
‘That w-we’ll meet in the next life. He said so. Right. It’ll hurt just for a
moment. If I suffer for a second, I will get comfortable. It won’t be dark.
He said we’d meet in the next life, so I can do that. Hic… ’
‘…… ’
Her body trembled.

It seemed very dif icult to step on the chair and climb up slowly. I know
how hard it was for one to take their own life.
Some people said they take their lives for no signi icant reason, but the
weight of life each could bear as all different.
It was an extreme choice made only when the courage to die was
greater than the courage to live.
To be honest, just looking at it made me feel all painful.
‘Phew. Phew… Oppa will recognize, too. He’ll recognize how much I love
him. If he knows I’m d-dead, he’ll remember me forever, right? Maybe
he’ll r-r-regret. He might be sad. I’ll be gone, but maybe I’ll remain in his
memory forever. It’s better than being forgotten. Yes. T-that’s better. We
will meet in the next life. Because Oppa said that. Yes… right.’
‘…… ’
‘No. M-Maybe, he’ll show up to rescue me. B-Because he always came to

me when I was in trouble. He might suddenly appear out of nowhere.
He might do that. Hic… he might… ’
She continued sobbing.
Tears continued to fall on the loor, and her voice trembled. Her
breathing got rougher little by little, and from a certain point, there is
no sound other than weeping.
‘Sniff. Hic.’
‘…’
‘Sniff… Hic. Please. Please… ’
She hesitated several times.

However, Jung Hayan eventually made the decision. She walked on her
own and slowly began to hang the rope around her neck.
‘Pant… pant… ’
The sound of her voice resonated. If she wanted to cut the rope, she
could cut it with magic.
However, it was even more painful to see because she did nothing.
As I reached out to the crystal that Lee Kiyoung was looking at, my body
was sucked in immediately.
I could see Jung Hayan struggling right in front of my eyes.
‘He… will… Keck. To save me. Oppa… will come.’
Of course, he wouldn’t come.
However, Jung Hayan continued to mutter the same words.
She looked into the air and began to mutter.
What was a little strange was that she seemed to be staring at one
place.
I might be mistaken, but the place where her gaze stayed was certainly
where I was.
I was momentarily startled and looked behind me, but there was
nothing. I was the one in her eyes.
I didn’t even think that my current condition would be re lected in the

eyes of others, but it seemed that I was visible in Jung Hayan’s dying
eyes.
Of course, it may be my illusion, or what Jung Hayan saw might be a
hallucination.
However, for some reason, I could be sure that this Jung Hayan was
looking at me.
It was because her muttering voice was reaching strangely loudly.
‘You came. To save me… you came.’
Slowly. Her body was stretched.
I wanted to run and cut that rope, but of course, I couldn’t in luence the
black world.
I tried to open my mouth, but there was no voice.
‘I’m relieved. Relived… Now we can really be together… ’
Oddly enough, tears seemed to low from my eyes.
The same was true in Jung Hayan’s eyes. With her struggling body, she
reached out, and thick tears were dripping.
‘I love… ’
And that was the end.
Her immobile appearance made my lips clamp tightly.

CHAPTER 331
There was no need to be shaken.
It was the same as when it happened with Park Deokgu. I knew I didn’t
need to be shaken, but the shock was pretty big.
Still, this was the last image of the person I was fond of. There was no
way it wouldn’t be painful.
No, I didn’t even know that I was going to be this shaken.
Of course, it was true that I had gotten affectionate, but there were
times when Jung Hayan made me annoyed, so it wouldn’t be strange to
feel such a difference.
Anyway, my head was burning.
This was the second round. It just wouldn’t happen in my timeline.
I knew it wasn’t appropriate to be too immersed, but it was annoying

that I was being forced to get immersed repeatedly.
The current Jung Hayan was spending her days very happily, so she was
indeed different from the irst round. It felt like I was stabilizing my
mind and body when I breathed a little bit.
In the meantime, what was very lustering was that I was really paying
for the sins I made. Fuck.
A joke had, indeed, become a reality.
It was correct to think that I had committed an indescribable amount of

sins, not simply a mistake.
Because of the circumstances, it was no different from driving Jung

Hayan to the end of a cliff and urging her to jump down the cliff.
But now that I thought that I was being punished, I started to get more
and more lustered.
In fact, I was responsible for 80 percent for why Jung Hayan was in this
condition, but it was a small citizen’s way of thinking that if others were
being blamed, I would be the one to blame.
When I clicked my tongue for the rush of bitterness, the scenery

surrounding me changed once again.
The most recent connection with Kasugano felt like I saw quite a lot,
but this time, too.
I didn’t know if it was because I helped, but I could only explain that I
was lucky to see various episodes like this.
It seemed that the scenes I was going to see now would be the fastest
thing in time.
What happened shortly was after Park Deokgu died.
The moment I saw myself from the black world very lean and full of
spite, that thought began to shake my mind.
I couldn’t igure out where on earth I was heading or where I was in the
black world.
It looked like an underground waterway, and in a way, it also looked like
an abandoned dungeon.
However, it couldn’t be helped to be unkind when looking at the black

world. One thing was certain. The place I was heading to right now was
not a good place.
No matter how I thought about this, it didn’t make sense to arrive at a

land lowing with honey and milk after passing such a place.
As expected, a voice began to come from one side of the darkness.
‘Long time no see. So… you’re Lee Kiyoung? I’m sorry for the confusion.
I can’t remember people’s names well… ’
‘No. It’s ine.’
‘I thought you wouldn’t look for me anymore… No, honestly, I never

thought you would be alive. It’s nice to see you like this.’
‘Something happened. Well… I don’t think you want to know about it.’
‘You are right. It doesn’t matter how you are alive. Why did you come to
this place? A few years ago, you de initely rejected my offer… Oh, come
to think of it, is the big man dead?’
‘…… ’
‘I thought he wouldn’t be able to live long, but my prediction… ’
‘…… ’
‘Honestly, it’s a miracle that the big guy was alive until then… ’
‘Shut up.’
‘What?’
‘I said, shut up. If you talk one more time, I will tear your mouth as it is.’
‘I think I didn’t hear right. Are you sure you’re saying this to me?’
‘Of course, I am, dirty bitch. Do you have the right to say that? The bitch
who was playing to be the saint of the abandoned was backstabbed and
ended up in a cheap brothel.’
‘What?’
‘Did I say something wrong? Sun Hee-young?’
‘This crazy bastard… ’
And what are you doing here…?
It was Sun Hee-young, the current Blue guild member, who appeared in
the dark.
I roughly anticipated that the end would have been bad, but I never
imagined I would meet her in a place like this.
It seemed that we had been well acquainted.
We didn’t look to be on good terms, but it was nice to see her. She
looked very different from now.
Her face revealed that she had suffered all kinds of things.
Still, there was a bit of madness on her face, unlike now where she was
in a good position.
Since I heard that she was going around a cheap brothel after being
backstabbed, it would be natural for her to look like this, but still, I was
surprised.
One little question was why Kim Hyunsung did not recognize her.
It was probably right to speculate that she was very likely active only in
the shadows, or was not exposed to external affairs.
Perhaps she died relatively quickly, but now that was not important in
this situation.
‘I didn’t say anything wrong.’
‘Do you want to die?’
‘That’s what I want to say. You crazy bitch.’
‘You!!’
I was more bothered about what kind of place this was, than why she
was even in this place.
What the hell was that I had come here before, and I didn’t know what
it meant that I rejected the offer she had made, but it was not that there
was nothing to be expected.
I hoped my prediction to be wrong, but the voice coming from a deeper

place told me that I was right.
‘Stop. I think it would be better to stop there, Hee-young. And…

Kiyoung… it’s been a long time.’
It was Jung Jinho, the psychopath killer.
Another villain in the irst round, Kim Hyunsung’s enemy and the
owner of the murder brigade.
Of course, he was very different from what I saw in the second round.
I wanted to see the stats with my Mind’s Eye, but I couldn’t see them.
In fact, I didn’t even have to look. I could tell enough without checking
that he was a powerful man.
He looked the same. He had several swords on his waist, and his
equipment was light armor. It seemed that he still preferred lighter
movements.
No matter how I thought about this, it looked like he had grown into a
huge piece of trash. I am proud of myself for the wonderful disposal of
this trash bastard in the second round.
He was not the only one who was here.
Lee Ki-cheol?
It was the guy who became the prey of the burning zombie in the
tutorial dungeon.
Somehow, a criminal with a familiar name was also visible, and various
other guys stood out.
Of course, they were all faces I didn’t know now. There were over ten
members at a glance, and everyone looked like a strong player who had
reached a considerable level.
Naturally, they were powerful since they had been doing enough evil
that made the lovely returner frightened.
They were not comparable to the Eight Seats of the State like Cha Hee-
ra and Park Yeon-joo, but they were at least a group of guys who could
make a name for themselves right below them.
The brigade was stronger than I had previously imagined.
Anyway, in response to Jung Jin-ho’s welcome greeting, I, too, in the

black world, nodded, answering the greeting.
The atmosphere was quite harsh, but the black world Lee Kiyoung did
not seem to be scared.
‘Yes. Long time no see.’
‘Groan. This is dif icult.’
‘…… ’
‘I remember sending you on the condition that you will never ind us
again… You should have died the moment you rejected our offer in the
irst place. It was my whim and consideration that saved you, but who
would’ve thought you would come back like this. Oh, of course, if you’re
here to tell something nice, I won’t use the rough method. However,
depending on the situation, you may have to die here.’
‘…… ’
‘Can I hear the reason you came?’
‘It won’t be something you won’t like.’
‘Yes, yes.’
‘It’s a bit embarrassing, but I came because I wanted to change the

answer to the offer I had received.’
I knew it.
‘I don’t know. It’s nice, but I changed my mind from the time when I was
trying to recruit you. At that time, I needed Kiyoung-ssi, but I don’t
think I need you that much now.’
‘It will be helpful.’
‘I know it will help. I already know that you are excellent. However, if
there is more than one head in a group, it will be a little messy. Oh, I
think you understood what I mean, but the brigade has already
recruited a head. It may be someone who may be better than you in
some aspects. Personally, I want to include you, but the opinions of
other members are also important. Of course, the position of the
existing head is the most important, right? The opinions of the
members of the brigade are the top priority. I am friendly to you, but
the most important thing is our family.’
The appearance of the guy looking around in exaggeration was a

spectacle.
I could see some of them opening their mouths as if in response to him.
‘Kill him.’
‘Let’s kill him.’
‘I think it would be better to kill him, too.’
‘I agree.’
It was male and female twins who opened their mouths.
The skinny and tall man also nodded. The guy without one leg also
spoke quietly.
I didn’t know who they were, but it would be nice to remember these
bastards’ faces now. All the guys who need to be killed right away were
gathered here.
In particular, I surely remembered the faces of those who voted against
it.
What was a little curious was that Sun Hee-young did not vote in favor.
Her own characteristic was probably in luencing her, but her

personality was a bit cautious. Although they had a brief quarrel, it was
more natural for them to take a position to wait and see.
‘It seems that opinions will be divided into half and half, but I think we
should hear about the motive before that. What made you feel like
joining the brigade? It’s not unexpected, but I still want to hear it
through your mouth.’
‘Revenge.’
‘Who is the target?’
‘All rotten humans on the continent.’
‘Ha… Haha. Puhahahahaha!’
‘It’s not funny.’
‘No. I wasn’t laughing because it’s funny. Hahaha. That’s great. Great.
Haha. That passion is important. What do you think? Everyone. He
wants to take revenge. Kiyoung, do you know that? Not all of those who
come here move for the same reason. Some come in because of impulse,
some because of pleasure, simply because they like money or murder,
and others come in disappointed with humans. Everybody is different,
but no one here will think less of your reason. Probably most of the
brigade will agree with you. We grow up eating that negative energy. I
particularly like that there is a clear direction.’
‘If so… ’
‘But it’s impossible for now. If the existing head agrees, I will also vote
in favor. Well… So I think things will be like this. What do you think?’
As psychopath killer Jung Jinho looked back, I could see a woman

sitting.
Perhaps she was the head Jung Jinho was talking about. She was
wearing a mask, and interestingly, that was the same design that I
would wear afterward.
I see the woman, who slowly took off the mask, looking straight at me
and opening her mouth.
‘Welcome to the brigade.’
Absurdly, the masked woman was also familiar to me.
Lee Jihye.
It was the woman who the system recognized as my soul mate.

CHAPTER 332
I was surprised at that moment.
I immediately felt like I was getting sucked in somewhere, and I had to

watch the situation impatiently.
This couldn’t be happening. Thoughts of something like this began to

ill my head, and it was natural to think of this. What I honestly wanted
to see was how things worked afterward.
I was also unable to capture all of the brigade members, and could not
see their future actions.
I was most curious about what the hell Lee Jihye was doing there. I
didn’t think she would have just died in the irst round, but I couldn’t
even imagine that she would be active in the brigade.
Of course, in the second round, Lee Jihye didn’t join the brigade, and a
brigade was not even created anyway. It was something I didn’t need to
know, but I couldn’t help but be curious.
It was bothering me as it felt like I got cut off while watching a diorama.
If I thought that the brigade may be secretly working, I got even more
bothered.
It was not just empty speculation. Since there was no Jung Jinho, its
power was inevitably weakening. However, the brigade members I
actually checked were those with excellent ighting power and
personality to say that they were incompetent to be unable to act just
because they had no head.
Even if the brigade was not created according to the existing

speculation, each of them might be working secretly.
I hated to wake up, but my eyes slowly started to open regardless of my

will. I was looking forward to seeing anything else, but this seemed to
end here. A familiar scenery that was different from the black world
came into view.
‘Fuck… ’
The place I was lying down on was a bed. I thought I had a good time
with Kasugano again this time, but it didn’t seem like that. Yuno
Kasugano was sitting in a chair and guarding my side.
“Did you get what you want?”
“About half… First, thank you. I guess I know why you said that. I think I
can roughly know what the future you saw is…”
“I’m really, really glad that it helped.”
“How long has it been?”
“It hasn’t been so long. So… do you need time to organize your
thoughts?”
She seemed to have noticed my troubled face.
“Should I leave you…?”
“No, you don’t have to leave. Rather, is there a chance to see one
more…?”
“I’m sorry. Master. That’s impossible. K-Kill me, please. If you want to
punish me, I’ll accept it willingly…”
“No. It’s okay. I didn’t think it would be possible.”
It seemed impossible to see the future or the black world repeatedly,

regardless of whether it was okay for one’s body.
Yuno Kasugano’s power was an ability that went beyond reason. If I

simply think about it, there is no way I can see it in succession. It’s a
pity, but I couldn’t just keep hanging on to it, so for now…
‘Shall I arrange them in chronological order?’
I thought it would be nice to retrace the story that went unruly. The
irst priority was to organize what Lee Kiyoung of the black world did
after Park Deokgu died.
In time, it was like this.
Lee Kiyoung of the black world entered the brigade after Park Deokgu
died.
He didn’t seem to have gone in with Yuno Kasugano, and it was the irst
place he went to. Naturally, he felt that he needed power at the time he
had a goal. As the brigade was a group that perfectly it the black world
Lee Kiyoung was trying to do; it made sense that Lee Kiyoung had taken
the risk to join.
I didn’t know why her Lee Jihye was there, but I thought what may have
happened after was obvious.
He would have done trashy things I couldn’t see with my eyes open, and
he would have continued to grow in size and power.
I would have to think about whether he had kept moving with the
brigade, but they would likely have worked together, at least until he
was established.
What happened after that was Jung Hayan’s death.
Time had passed since number 1. It was unclear whether he worked

with the brigade or Lee Jihye, or whether he was with Yuno Kasugano.
One thing was for certain. I had driven Jung Hayan to the edge of the
cliff.
The reason could be easily inferred. At that time, Jung Hayan de initely
belonged to Lindel, and it seemed that she was not active in the Blue
Guild, but the trash in the black world recognized Jung Hayan as an
enemy.
I wondered why he didn’t take Jung Hayan, but as a result, the black
piece of trash threw her away, and as a result, she hung her neck.
‘Really… I’ll never say no again. I’ll do everything Oppa asks me to do.
Now it doesn’t matter what happens to others.’
I remembered she said that. I didn’t remember it exactly, but before she
took her own life, she de initely muttered similar kinds of words.
At some point, Lee Kiyoung would probably have urged her to

cooperate with him to do trashy things together, and unlike now, Jung
Hayan from the irst round, who was soft, did not seem to accept his
proposal.
It was possible that she sold information from an ally or did a frivolous
errand, but she couldn’t turn her back on such a decisive matter.
She, as a result, was abandoned and driven to the edge of the cliff. She
hadn’t been able to choose what the current Jung Hayan would do even
without ordering.
“The environment is very important… ’
Assuming that the only decisive difference between Jung Hayan of the
irst round and Jung Hayan of the second round was the time when she
met me, the decisive reason for her being strange now was really me.
There was no reason to deny it, but…
‘It’s bitter… ’
It was hard to judge whether Jung Hayan and I were well-matched.

Anyway, I started to understand why our lovely returner was so happy
that he clapped his hands, seeing Jung Hayan and me together.
In the irst round, to the people of Kim Hyunsung’s camp, Jung Hayan’s
suicide incident would have been re lected like this. The case where
some trash completely ruined an arch wizard that no one could mess
with.
Kim Hyunsung, who didn’t think that I and the trash were the same
people, may have thought that a great shield had been created in the
affectionate, close couple in front of him.
No, he must have thought so. Even when it wasn’t allowed to take Jung
Hayan, Kim Hyun-sung tied Jung Hayan and me as 1+1 and sent us to
the expedition. It was even enough to be linked to on the way to the
training camp or the royal castle, so I understood how much he wanted
to avoid what happened in the irst round. He didn’t want to kill Jung
Hayan.
At that time, I thought that this bastard might have made a strange plan
like Park Deokgu, but now that I knew the truth, I could only nod.
Anyway, what happened next was…
Massive war, or terrorism.
As a result, most people, including Cho Hyejin, had died. Many things
were not clear about this. The problem was that I couldn’t see the exact
group that attacked Kim Hyunsung’s camp in the irst round.
Of course, I could see myself, but no matter how I were to think about
this, it was hard to say that an individual or the brigade did the scene I
had seen at that time. One city was completely in ruins, and Kim
Hyunsung also couldn’t get up, just like a rag.
Cho Hyejin seemed to know me, and I couldn’t even con irm the
appearance of those who had shot arrows at her.
What I could think of was that I had planned a large-scale war scenario,
such as in ighting or war with other countries. However, it was
impossible to say that this also it perfectly.
Not only did Kim Hyunsung never send out anger against a speci ic
country, but he seemed to want to minimize con lict and save as much
power as possible.
‘There must be a reason for Kim Hyunsung’s return.’
Of course, it seemed that I was included in the reason, but perhaps

something like humanity’s enemy may pop out.
‘If I think about the system, it’s even more so.’
The answer became a little clearer when I were to think about the
behavior of the transcendental being that returned Kim Hyunsung.
It wanted to save Jung Hayan and attach me to Kim Hyunsung.
Even though I, who was already presumed to be the irst round’s

mastermind, was stuck with the returner, I didn’t feel that the problem
had been completely resolved. I couldn’t check it with my own eyes, and
yet…
‘There is a reason for returning. De initely.’
Kim Hyunsung and the system were preparing for an invisible threat. It
could be a devil or an angel. Perhaps a third force would suddenly pop
out.
Even now, the answer was not coming out, so I should avoid thinking
about it deeply.
What was more important than that now was why these scenes were
visible.
Of course, I think I know why. The future that Yuno Kasugano saw…
‘Must be a scene where Kim Hyunsung threatens me.’
This was a scene that the transcendent being absolutely didn’t want to
show me. If I had known from Yuno about that, I would have taken
action no matter what. I wouldn’t have done anything extreme like
turning my back against Kim Hyunsung, and yet…
‘I don’t know.’
Whatever it was, it was undeniable that I was the villain in the irst
round. Knowing that fact was the best achievement of seeing the black
world this time.
I immediately understood why Yuno Kasugano had let Jin Qing go to

protect me.
It was a very simple matter if I were to think about it. She didn’t seem
to understand why she felt that way, but I had no choice but to nod.
Yuno Kasugano’s choice was really the best. As I slowly turned and
looked at Kasugano, her face became lovely to my eyes.
‘Phew… Thank you.’
Even though it was just momentary, the suspicion that sprouted in my

heart began to disappear like snow melting. When I grabbed her face
with my hands, she seemed startled, but I could see her slightly
blushing when I kissed her forehead.
“T-Thank you.”
“No… I’m more grateful. I think your choice was right.”
“I’m sorry. How dare of me.”
“No. Your choice was right. It would have been more dif icult if Jin Qing
had been in our hands or died…”
“What exactly are you talking about…?”
Yuno Kasugano didn’t know that Kim Hyunsung was a returner. It’s
clear that she didn’t even know that what he was looking for was the
masked man, and even because she lost what she saw through outside
intervention, she didn’t seem to understand the correlation between
what she saw today, and letting Jin Qing go.
It was natural to open my mouth slowly. I could see Kasugano nodding

at what I said.
“Oh yeah… It’s a bit unfortunate that I missed that demon summoner…”
It was correct to hold a little more solid evidence.
‘That bastard is the culprit. Yes. Absolutely, that bastard is the culprit.’
Demon summoner wasn’t the only title he got.
‘The masked garbage in the irst round, Jin Qing… ’
After joining the brigade in the irst round, he not only made Jung
Hayan commit suicide, but also killed Cho Hyejin and backstabbed the
lovely returner countless times, the one that Kim Hyunsung was
looking for and the masked trash who turned the city in ruins. It was
the true identity of the man who was thought to be just a demon
summoner.
‘A masked trash who couldn’t even be recycled!!’
My heart had begun to burn with full intensity.

CHAPTER 333
I HAVE NO SHAME IN MY LIFE
(1)
Naturally, I had already completely forgotten what I checked. To deceive

others, one irst had to deceive oneself.
In fact, I felt ierce anger at the trashy Jin Qing that I could easily pass
through a lie detector.
‘Dirty demon summoner. Trash bastard. There was a garbage guy here
that couldn’t even be recycled.’
At this point, I could even conjure tears.
When I recalled that Jin Qing, the dirty masked trash, had toyed with
Jung Hayan of the irst round, my ists had clenched without my
knowledge.
My beloved prospective bride had suffered from some dirty punk in the
past. Not only that, but he killed Cho Hyejin and strongly backstabbed
the lovely regressor.
It would be strange not to feel angry even though this wasn’t the real
turn of events.
Yuno Kasugano was quietly glancing at me a few steps away as if she

was feeling my anger. She didn’t seem to realize what I was thinking yet.
“Thank you for showing me something important, Kasugano.”

“It is natural, master.”
“I’m glad to see the garbage in the black world with my own eyes. We’ve
igured out the ilthy trash identity who drove the light camp into a
corner. Right? What would have happened if we didn’t see this today?
He must have been a great threat to us.”
“What?”
“I think that demon summoner Jin Qing was the villain who threatened
the black world. Whoa… I really didn’t expect it. Right?”
“Yes? Ah… Ah yes. You’re right. Yes. You’re right, master.”
“Are you sure you understood?”
“Yes. I got it.”
As soon as I spoke, she nodded frantically. As she was smart, she would
know what I was talking about.
Kasugano, who didn’t even know Kim Hyunsung was a regressor,

seemed to be wondering why I was saying this.
But that was not what mattered. What mattered was who the masked
trash was. I had already decided his identity, and Yuno Kasugano simply
went along with it.
“The master in the black world spent the rest of his happy life with me.
I clearly remember living with you after I rescued my master from an
isolated dungeon. I mean, when the masked Jin Qing joined the
brigade.”
“Ohh. Yes. We did, right?”

In the meantime, Yuno Kasugano started adding useless details to the
story. It didn’t matter, however, and it didn’t bother me at all. Honestly
speaking, I even wanted to applaud her for making up such a detailed
backstory.
Seeing her muttering to herself whilst smiling, I could tell she was in a
good mood.
First, all the heavy burdens in my heart had been removed.
I hadn’t decided what to do afterwards, but what I needed to do now

was obvious. I had to prove my innocence to the lovely regressor.
This mission’s goal was to indirectly convey the fact that the dirty
demon summoner Jin Qing was indeed the masked trash.
In the meantime, Kasugano carefully opened her mouth to ask a

question.
“More importantly, master, can I ask you a little arrogant question?”
“Of course. I think I know what it is, but… you may be wondering why I
care about the black world, right?”
“Yes. Of course, if the master doesn’t want to, you do not have to tell
me… I wonder if I can help…”
“Hmm…”
‘She can surely help, but… ’
In fact, I wondered if it would be better to tell her that Kim Hyunsung

was a regressor in order to do things a little more smoothly, but I also
thought that I had to consider this matter a bit more.
‘What do I do?’
Of course, I could be indecisive.
It was not that I didn’t trust her, but because I was naturally wary.
However, considering that the merit when she directly acted was also
quite big, I started to think that there was nothing wrong with revealing
it to her alone.
She herself was a half-regressor, anyway.
If Kim Hyunsung found out that Kasugano can watch the irst round, I
might be able to move things forward in a whole new phase.
‘That’s right! Fuck! I should have done that from the beginning!’
I felt so stupid, wondering why I haven’t thought about using her all this
time.
Having Kasugano dispatched unconditionally bene itted me. Upon

making my decision, I opened my mouth to speak.
“Have you ever heard of a regressor?”
Of course, she shook her head.
Yuno Kasugano didn’t even know that the black world had been the irst
round.
Besides, I could roughly predict her reaction, but it was still quite
different from hearing the story through others.
As I slowly began to explain, I could see her continuously nodding.

Unlike the weight of the content, it didn’t feel like I was talking about
something big.
I just calmly conveyed the fact that Kim Hyunsung was a regressor and
that the black world that Yuno saw was the irst round that Kim
Hyunsung went through, and about the probability that he was looking
for the masked trash, Jin Qing.
Yuno Kasugano continued to nod. Funnily enough, she didn’t seem to be

suspicious of me.
Of course, this was a highly improbable story. And yet, there was not a
single speck of doubt on her face.
The moment I expressed my conviction about the black world that had
been unclear so far, Yuno Kasugano suddenly began to cry.
‘What’s up with her? What’s wrong? It’s not something to cry about.
Wasn’t she expecting something like that?’
“I see. Sniff… so, that’s what it was.”
“Yes.”
“And master knew that the Blue Guild Master is a regressor…”
“Right. The reason I’m with him is not simply because of that… Well,
anyway, what I just told you it’s a secret between us. I believe you got
what I mean.”
“Ah. What about the others…?”
“The others?”
“The wizard or the Mercenary Queen.”
“They don’t know. No one knows about this, including Jung Hayan or
Cha Hee-ra. This is something that only you and I know.”
“Ah! I-I’m so honored. It’s a secret… it’s a secret between us.
“There is nothing to feel honored about. Well, you might think like that.
I believe you probably know what to do from now on. I think I can
explain the details later… But is there any problem?”
“This… no, nothing. But master, maybe…”
“Yes?”
“Do you remember what I told you in the black world?”
“What speci ically do you mean…? I heard so many things.”
“I mean the lie I told to keep you.”
“Ohh…”
“I said that I had seen a future where you and I live happily together. I
said that the master would’ve had forgotten everything and live happily
with me. I told you that I found you because you kept appearing in the
future I had seen. With no doubt.”
“You did.”
“At the time, I thought it was a lie to keep you from leaving. As a result,
it was a foolish remark that touched the wrath of the master who had
lost Park Deokgu, but… I was thinking about the possibility that it
wasn’t a lie…”
“I’m talking about the possibility that I may have seen the future of the
second round, master.”
“Ah…”
It felt like I got hit in my head with a hammer momentarily.
In fact, I had never thought about the possibility that Kasugano in the
irst round would see the future of the second round.
At the time of seeing that future, I thought Kasugano would have lied to
stop me simply, but the speculation she was making right now sounded
very credible.
Kasugano in the second round was also limited, but she could look
inside the irst round.
Perhaps Kasugano from the irst round could also look into the second
round. For Yuno in the black world, the second round would have been
part of the future as well.
If that was the case…
‘It’s awesome.’
I started to smile.
“Maybe, in the black world, I think that while I was dying, I thought
about the second round. Thinking like that… makes me sad and
overwhelmed… Sniff.”
“I see… and you…”
“I died for my master. It was an end that its me from the black world,
and she, too…”
“Can you tell me exactly how you died? You said you couldn’t know
exactly before. Have you seen anything in the meantime?”
“That’s…”
It seemed to me that she was having a hard time answering such a
trivial question. Unlike that time, when she was not clearly aware, she
now seemed to know how she had perished.
However, it seemed as if she didn’t want me to know, so I chose to stay

quiet.
When Kasugano saw my face and was just about to speak, I just raised
my hand and stopped her from opening her mouth because, in the irst
place, it wasn’t very important for me to know how she died.
“Stop. It doesn’t matter now. Anyway, thank you again.”
“No. I just did what I had to do. D-Do you trust me now?”
“Hmm…”
“Oh…”
My hesitation was a joke. However, when I saw her devastated face, I

had no choice but to immediately stroke her hair. Perhaps this was the
answer instead.
Naturally, I saw Kasugano smiling widely. Even I started to feel better.
If what black Kasugano saw was really the future of the second round, it
was almost certain that I would walk in a bed of roses.
‘Although the future can change… ’
Basically, the warm news that I would actually have a happy ending
made me want to ly.
No wonder I opened my mouth, glancing at Kasugano.

“I also hope the future you saw is the present future. No, it will
de initely happen. Even if it is a different future, we have to do our best
to achieve it.”
“Ah… Master. To think that much!”
It was when I smiled that I felt like I’ve made a big mistake. What she
told me at the time began to come to mind slowly.
‘I saw you and me together in this house. We looked h-happy. We had

two kids, and I haven’t heard their names yet, but they were de initely
good kids.’
“Huh?”
As I turned, I saw Yuno Kasugano’s face, who was still crying with her
face blushing.
“Huh?”
“I am not good enough, but I will do my best to serve you.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean that…”
“Please accept my bow once again.”
“No, wait.”
It felt like she was having some kind of weird misunderstanding.
When I swallowed hard, I heard a knock on the door.
For a moment, I thought that it might be Jung Hayan, so I got tense, but
it wasn’t her voice at all.
CHAPTER 334
I HAVE NO SHAME IN MY LIFE
(2)
“Can I come in?”
It was Lee Jihye who had come.
As if she expected that someone was inside after hearing me speaking

formally, she looked a little stiff when she came in.
It was natural to have such a face as we had always maintained a

businesslike relationship in front of others. After seeing me
immediately, she looked at Kasugano and seemed to tell me to get rid of
her quickly.
“I’m here to talk to you about business, Blue Vice Guild Master.”
As I nodded roughly, I saw Yuno Kasugano getting up. She probably

thought that now was the appropriate time for her to leave. I de initely
liked that about her.
If it were Jung Hayan here, she would have insisted on staying. Even Cha
Hee-ra would do the same. If Cha Hee-ra were here, Lee Jihye herself
would have gone back.
Except for having a slightly strange taste, Yuno Kasugano fell within the
category of extremely normal people, at least.
“Then I’ll be leaving, Blue Vice Guild Master.”
“Yes, Yuno Kasugano. You’ve worked hard.”
After showing a smile at my farewell, Yuno Kasugano left lightheartedly.

Lee Jihye’s face became a little sulky when she saw a big smile on
Kasugano’s face.
“Seems to be in a good mood.”
“Huh?”
“The woman who just left, not you. Yuno Kasugano of the Yozora Guild.
She looked very satis ied, and recently, Jung Hayan seemed to have a
similar face… Is there any fun story going around without me knowing?
No, more importantly, do you remember what I said?”
“What?”
“Can we trust that woman?”
I saw a face looking at me with piercing eyes.
‘Gosh… ’
It was no wonder that I, too, looked closely at her face. For some reason,
she had overlapped with herself in the black world.
‘It’s really amazing.’
It was almost impossible to survive in the tutorial dungeon with Lee

Jihye’s specs. No, considering her personality, she must have done her
best to survive at all costs.
‘Who knew she would pop out of the brigade suddenly?’

If I were to think about this carefully, she didn’t meet Jung Jinho in the
tutorial dungeon. This was because it seemed like Jung Jinho, the
psychopath killer, had been trying to recruit me before her.
Perhaps she, too, had established herself in the brigade after various
twists and turns.
‘She is said to be my soul mate, right?’
I didn’t know how long she and I worked together in the irst round, but
it would have been a very long time. This was because we had been
wearing the same mask, and I, in the black world, would have judged
her to be useful.
So was Jung Hayan and Lee Jihye.
Even Sun Hee-young and Yuno Kasugano were also related to me in the
irst round. Human fate really was amazing.
‘Was her purpose of joining the brigade, revenge, too?’
There were plenty of possibilities.
Psychopath killer Jung Jinho and his gang were originally a group of
crazy people, but Lee Jihye and I were basically gray humans.
It meant that she might’ve had a reason to reject me, too.
Of course, I didn’t know why, but I thought it would be most likely that.
As I stared at Lee Jihye, I could see a slightly embarrassed expression on

her face, one that was so unlike her.
“W-Why are you staring at me like that? It’s embarrassing.”

“No. It’s nothing. Did you say you had something to talk about
business?”
“I just said it. I just came to see you. Well, since I came, I tried to talk
about something else… but why is it so hard to see you? Do you know
how hard it was to get through the visit reservation?”
“But I was about to get up. It’s rather a problem because they keep
asking me to rest around. I have to know what’s going on outside. It’s
good that you came. How are things going lately?”
“Nothing has changed that much. The Republic is still silent. They said
they would investigate, but they’re just pretending to be blind. Oh! The
State side is preparing to mention this matter in the Continental
Tribunal formally. Of course, the Republic will not respond, but they
must care about the international perspective, right? I was surprised to
ind that Oscar has been so competent. Anyway, she keeps putting
pressure in different directions. She is distributing data that the
Republic violated continental law to neighboring countries this time…
In fact, the reaction has been pretty good so far.”
“That’s good news.”
“In some countries sensitive to black magic, public opinion has already
turned its back… Oh, especially among the different races, the
atmosphere is really good.”
“Different races?”
“Elves hate black magic, too. Well, I don’t know how they are either…”
“Really?”
“Perhaps… Didn’t you hear that the delegation was coming?”
“I don’t think I heard it… Are the elves coming to Laios now?”
“Yes. Perhaps the alliance will start with three sides. The State as the
main body with the elven kingdom, and even Laios, not being a neutral
country anymore. Wow, you were really alienated. You’re not even a kid,
but you don’t know that this is a secret? I guess you really took a good
rest at this opportunity. Ah, I envy you.”
“I don’t feel so good. It’s true that I get anxious when I stay still…”
“This is also a work addiction. Anyway, the background is roughly the

same as I said. I don’t know what kind of guts the Republic has to keep
covering the demon summoners, but they’ll have mixed feelings, too. I
heard that Jin Qing’s personal power also seems to be great. They must
be thinking it’s too big a tumor to cut out, well. In fact, I’m sure he’s
playing a part in his continuous plea of innocence. The truth doesn’t
matter. He’s already known as a demon summoner…”
“Right?”
“What an evil face. How did he get caught up in this kind of thing…? I
guess he sold his country in the past life. Anyway, this is all you need to
know. Oh! About the elven delegation that I told you about… This isn’t
clear to me either, but it looks like there’s quite a tycoon among the
elven delegation visiting Laios.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Actually, I don’t know who it is. They’re so closed that I couldn’t
ind any information… Perhaps when the delegation arrives in Laios,
they may irst ind you. Even if they’re not involved in the negotiations
currently taking place, it doesn’t change that all of this is thanks to the
heroes of the light who protected Laios. But how does it feel? To
become a hero?”
“Do I have to say that? Look outside, Nuna. Having our own statue says
it all, well.”
“You’re never humble. I like your trashy side.”
“I’ll take it as a compliment.”
“Of course, it’s a compliment.”
Lee Jihye approached quietly and sat down next to me.
She was smiling, but whatever the reason, she must be happy that I was
achieving something.
When I were to think about what Lee Jihye had said when she irst
reached out to me, the answer comes out quickly.
‘I’m a woman who can turn a man like you into a king.’
I remembered that she had told me the story of the U.S. president.
Actually, I couldn’t even say that I managed to come up here without

her help. Of course, most of it was thanks to me, but I knew how hard
she worked in the areas I couldn’t overlook.
Actually, it felt like she was my invisible hands and feet.
“Come to think of it, before…”
“Ah. I guess you remembered it. I didn’t bring it up irst because I

thought it would be bothersome. So, what percentage is my share?”
“Well…”
“Don’t do that. Actually, it doesn’t matter what you think, but I’ve had
already told you before. It doesn’t matter what you do with the mad
wizard or the Mercenary Queen. A woman like me will be the one who
is loved in the end, anyway. Do you remember that?”
“I do.”
“So… Do I look attractive now?”
“Of course.”
It wasn’t a lie or just a line. Actually, Lee Jihye was attractive enough.
As she noticed that I wasn’t lying about it, I saw her smiling. She looked
satis ied.
In fact, when she mentioned Kasugano and Jung Hayan earlier, it

seemed that she had a slightly anxious expression, but when she looked
at my face, it seemed that her remaining anxiety had surely lown away.
“What are you going to do now, anyway?”
“Is there anything we can do? We’ll just do like we are doing now. You’re
doing well enough. I should get up and get active here, too. I know
you’ve told me, but it’s different from when we actually see in the ield. I
have no idea how’s the atmosphere because I’ve been lying down. It
seems to be lowing to our advantage, but no matter how I think about
it, I don’t know what guts the Republic has to be holding up like this…
The atmosphere…”
“It was a little weird in the irst place. It felt like they were preparing
something, and in fact, there were still small disputes in Dawan. Maybe
it’s not us who want to get the bene its, but them, but who knows?
You’ll never know until you open the gift box.”
“Right. There’s de initely…”
‘There’s something that’s not right.’
Although my personal problems were important, I certainly needed to

sort out the external issues, as well.
Anyway, the urgent thing to focus on was Kim Hyunsung.
As soon as I started to speak, I saw Lee Jihye opening her mouth right
away.
“Do you know what Hyunsung is doing now?”
“Ah. Maybe he will be on the scene?”
“Scene?”
“Where the devil was summoned. Recently, he’s been only wandering
around the scene with Deokgu. Honestly, I don’t know if there’s
anything to be found there, but his face is a little scary recently. Still, I
thought his face was a little loosen up, but… what should I say? Oh,
when he was expressionless in the tutorial dungeon for a while. It looks
just like then.”
“Ah…”
“Perhaps even now…”
‘This is not good… ’
In fact, just having Kim Hyunsung in that place was already not good.
Even more, I couldn’t express how I felt now that I had seen the irst
round through Yuno Kasugano. The candles were burning for real from
both sides.
He didn’t seem to be suspicious of me yet, but when I thought that an

arrow might ly to me, anxiety started to rise.
“What? You look like…”
“Send someone over there and tell them that I got worse.”
“What?”
“Something like I’m not feeling well. You know.”
“No, why suddenly…”
“Quickly.”
“Okay, for now. I just have to tell them exactly what you’re saying,
right?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Then I’ll be back.”
‘Let’s go with this irst.’
First, it was natural to prevent our regressor from snooping around the
scene as much as possible.
When Lee Jihye quickly went outside and called for someone, the
outside became bustling in no time.
Of course, my physical condition was too normal to be pretending

anything, but there was no other way.
There were not enough supplies to put out an urgent ire right away.
First of all, I had to hold Kim Hyunsung on my side as a pretext for

being sick.
‘The problem is if this will work… ’
Of course, I knew that Kim Hyunsung cared for me, but…

Kim Hyunsung was an outside man who had a very important task laid
out in front of him.
It was clear that he would not completely abandon the work just
because I had suddenly gotten sick. He might think it was more
important to track the trash from the irst round than me being sick
right now.
“Kiyoung-ssi!”
‘Huh?’
“Do you feel better?”
“This bastard, why did you come so quickly?’
What I could see is Kim Hyunsung, whose whole face was pale and
sweaty.
‘Phew!’
There was a saying: “If one could get even one true friend in his life, it
would be considered a successful life.”
It was the moment I realized that I had been living without any shame.
‘I believed in you, Hyunsung!!!’

CHAPTER 335
AFTEREFFECT (1)
‘It hasn’t even been 10 minutes!’
The place that was now in ruins was, by no means close to here.
As soon as Lee Jihye talked to him, it would be correct to think that he

came running in a rush, literally.
It seemed that he, who already had a high level of agility, came running
quickly using magic power. If not, there was no way he could get here so
fast.
Seeing Kim Hyunsung taking a slow breath, I had to think that he may
have gone too far.
‘Can he get this fast?’
I had already felt how fast humans with high agility could be, even with
the demon worshipper Ito Souta, but I didn’t think it would be that
much.
Anyway, it was natural that part of Kim Hyunsung was happy.
I thought there could be some action, but it was a bigger result than I
had initially imagined.
‘I’ve no shame at all!’

He even arrived faster than those inside the castle. I felt sorry for
thinking something weird just before, but I was busy convincing myself
that I didn’t do that.
I may look like trash, but at least now I could face Kim Hyunsung with
con idence.
“You still… haven’t fully recovered.”
“Cough. It’s not. Haha, there’s nothing wrong with me anymore. I just
had a brief seizure… Even though I told her not to tell… it looks like I’m
disturbing you. I’m sorry.”
Of course, it was natural to convey that I didn’t want him to know.
I coughed and looked at him with moist eyes that were seemingly about
to die. It wouldn’t be bad if I were to lie around this point.
“I am healthy. First, you have to inish what you are doing.”
“No. It is not urgent.”
‘Not urgent, my ass. There is nothing more urgent than that right now.’
There was one. It was that a close friend had been lying on the sickbed.
‘Hyunsung, I didn’t know you would think of me this much.’
Compared to the time in the tutorial dungeon, there were changes in

several ways in both Jung Hayan and me. It seemed like there was no
change in Park Deokgu, but the truth was that he had changed at least a
little as well.
However, if I had to pick the person who has changed the most among
them, it would be natural to say that it was Kim Hyunsung.
As Lee Jihye said, the expression of the person who rarely showed his
feelings had become rich.
Looking at his desperate expression now almost made me want to

laugh. This bastard was, by nature, a kind of affectionate human being.
I had also realized that I was a colleague who joined the ‘Kim Hyunsung
family,’ but it was the irst time I had been so sure.
When he just started the second round, he should have been moving
with a great sense of duty, but one’s nature didn’t change so easily. This
bastard was basically a good man.
‘It must have something to do with the irst round.’
The loss of not only Cho Hyejin but also many colleagues was likely to
have caused trauma to him.
As if my predictions weren’t wrong, he urgently started grabbing my

hand.
“Wait.”
“Cough. I’m really okay, Hyunsung. It’s just a seizure. I know my body
best. Yes. I’m really okay now.”
With good timing, the medical staff and Lee Jihye rushed in.
Even though it was a group of priests, the atmosphere in the hospital

room quickly became busy. Kim Hyunsung’s expression also began to
get serious. I could feel the magic power coming into my body.
Perhaps he wasn’t able to ind the cause of the seizure either. Of course,
he couldn’t. There was no such thing as a seizure in the irst place.
“Er, Guild Master. Wait…”

“Yes.”
“We’ll see how his condition is. For now, you could leave us alone…?”
“Yes. Okay.”
“Lee Jihye, please tell us exactly… how’s his condition.”
“I don’t know exactly either. Suddenly, he grabbed his chest…”
It was apparent that she was thinking about how to explain to the high
priest, so I opened my mouth irst.
“It was just a short seizu…”
“Yes. He grabbed his chest and had a seizure. I don’t know why, but I
was so surprised and lustered, too… and he was in too much pain. Is
there anything wrong with the Blue Vice Guild Master?”
“I think we should check it. There seems to be no problem just looking

at him… there is a high probability that you’re experiencing
aftereffects.”
“A-Aftereffects?”
“Yes. This is not something common.”
‘This is another new setup.’
From there, I paused for a moment.
However, looking at Kim Hyunsung’s face full of worries, I felt that the
aftereffects’ setup was not bad. It was part of an operation to throw a
load at Kim Hyunsung, to begin with, so it was only correct to applaud it
rather than panic.
‘This bastard won’t suspect a sick person.’
The more safety devices, the better.
“Seeing that the magic power circuit was not broken, we thought you
would be okay now, but… maybe we were thinking wrong…”
“What exactly happened to him?”
The lovely regressor also spoke urgently to the hesitating medical staff,
including a high-ranking priest.
Actually, I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but for now, since
they were putting on a show for me, it was better to keep my mouth
shut.
“This is a very rare case, so how do I explain it… I think it would be

better to go outside. Since the patient is also here.”
“No. You can tell me.”
“Kiyoung-ssi.”
“It’s okay, Hyunsung-ssi. I need to know what’s going on with my body.”
His mouth was shut tight, and he looked sorrowed. The priesthood,
watching out for us for a moment, began to open its mouth as if
determined slowly.
As a medical staff representing the State, they were making a quite

plausible reasoning. It even looked quite sharp.
“Did you know that your magic power has become divine?”
“Yes. I don’t know how this did happen, but… Is that a problem?”
“I don’t know in detail, either. It is the irst time that magic power and
divine powers are shared in the irst place… It’s probably a rare case
that won’t come out even if you search the entire continent.”
“Yes.”
“Of course, I am not saying that it is bad to have a divine nature. Of

course, the fact that the Honorary Cardinal’s body recovered quickly
can be af irmed that the divine power has had a profound in luence.”
“Okay.”
“But assuming… assuming that originally, Honorary Cardinal’s body and

the magic circuit had to be completely destroyed…”
“Yes?”
“The reason why the body should have been completely destroyed is
that it’s still in normal condition… if it’s due to the divine nature of the
magic power…”
“Ah…”
“It is very likely that you might have side effects that we are not aware
of. Like the seizure just now, it’s likely you’ll get the aftereffects when
using magic power, or doing certain behaviors.”
Of course, there were no such aftereffects. I currently felt so lively that I

could get up and dance.
However, listening to them, I started to think that it might be that, too. It

was due to the divine nature of magic power that I was able to maintain
living in this completely broken body!
Indeed, I was quite lucky to have a background story this dramatic.

Lee Jihye made an absurd expression for a moment, but she suddenly
began to cry. Her acting skill was superb.
‘She’s not a joke.’
The situation was no different for Kim Hyunsung. He currently looked

as if the sky had collapsed.
Considering how important magical power was to those who lived on

this continent, it would not be unreasonable to have such a face.
On the continent, there was a joke that it was better to have no arms
than to have no magic power, so the situation in which I was now was
like the main character of the tragedy.
“No way…”
“Of course, it is not enough to be able to give a de inite answer yet. First,
there seems to be no problem with the Honorary Cardinal managing
the magic power right away… and the circuit itself is ine. Of course, I
don’t know what will happen if he continues to use magical power… it
would be better to refrain from using it as much as possible. You should
avoid engaging in ierce battles like this or before.”
The bitter look on my face would make this atmosphere even better.
Kim Hyunsung had a very troubled face. He didn’t shed tears, but it
seemed that his trembling arms were a suf icient explanation for his
feelings.
In a way, this was like a death sentence for an adventurer.
He faced a crisis, one wherein he would have to leave me behind on this

long journey. As I glanced at Lee Jihye, she noticed what I was trying to
say. She started to nod.
I saw her taking the medical staff, which had done its part, and leaving
the room.
Of course, I started preparing the ield in order to complete the original

mission.
At this timing, I decided that it would not be bad to take this to the next
level.
“Ha… haha. It’s a relief. Because it means there’s nothing wrong with
my body. Even if it’s an aftereffect, it won’t be a big deal. My body was
weak in the irst place, and in fact, I wasn’t very gifted with magic.
Alchemy doesn’t use a lot of magic, so I won’t have any problems living
as I did before. Of course, it may affect the use of magic…”
“…”
“Hahaha. I can be as active as before. Thanks to Hyunsung’s great

consideration, I could avoid dif icult things… my body is just a bit tired.
It should be ine to use alchemy magic as before. Yes. This doesn’t mean
that I can’t use magic at all.”
Although smiling, my current expression was the face of a person who

was feeling quite lost.
Thanks to all the pranks, my acting skills had genuinely improved.
I could see Kim Hyunsung looking at me with a sad face. Only

heartbroken people could make this kind of expression.
His red eyes seemed to be holding to their tears.
‘No, if you do that, I’ll feel too trash.’
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”
‘Hyunsung, if you do this, I will feel very sorry.’
“Hahaha. You don’t have to be sorry. They said it was just a speculation,
and my body should be able to recover quickly. Please raise your head,
Hyunsung-ssi. It doesn’t suit a Blue Guild Master. You should always
look con ident to other guild members.”
“…”
“Naturally, please keep what happened today as a secret. Especially

Deokgu or Hayan, I don’t want them to know. They will de initely suffer
from guilt. Oh, the same is true for Sora.”
“It is not your fault.”
Perhaps he felt guilty for not being with me. However, I was also
thinking that this bastard was feeling guilty for nothing special.
‘That’s why you got backstabbed that much in the irst round, bastard.’
Looking at him with his head down poked my conscience. Naturally, I

thought it would be okay to say something.
This was because I didn’t think it was in my interest to see him shaking
because of my pretense. Rather, this was an opportunity to make him
stronger.
Those main character-like people grew at the expense of their peers’
sacri ices.
The situation had become strange, but this was the best position all in
itself.
“Look up, bastard.”
Although he looked startled for a moment, he didn’t bother to point out

my tone.
“It just got a little annoying, but nothing changes. It means that there is
no problem with being active as before. Of course, there are several
limitations, but it’s not something for you to have your head down. I
would have died if it weren’t for you in the tutorial dungeon in the irst
place. I’m the one who has to be thankful.”
Although it may be cringy, these lines work well.
“…”
“I know the burden you are carrying. Actually, I don’t know exactly, but I
feel like that for some reason. Of course, I believe the burden you have
is for us, and I am not falling behind or anything. I’ll just walk a little
slower, so…”
“…”
“Stretch your shoulders.”
I inished by patting him on the shoulder. I could see him looking at me.
“Then, Guild Master. Let’s get some air for a moment. I have something
to tell you.”
I prepared the ground. I hadn’t yet decided what to talk about irst, but I
still had a lot to share.
‘First… ’
It would be right to start with Jin Qing’s lirting at Jung Hayan.
‘I have to protect my precious bride-to-be!’

CHAPTER 336
AFTEREFFECT (2)
It had been a while since I came outside. I had been lying down so much
that I wasn’t used to walking anymore, but I felt good.
I was just walking around the Laios’s royal castle, but I felt like I was
de initely abroad. Unlike the State, where colorful lowers were lined
with other colorful lowers, Laios’ garden was green with an
unorganized feeling.
I liked the light coming through the thick trees and trunks, and the
overall atmosphere was not bad.
Kim Hyunsung seemed to be supporting me, and even at my request for

him not to, he refused to listen. He looked a little relieved because of the
irst aid, but his guilt didn’t seem to disappear.
‘I don’t even know why the hell he is feeling guilty… ’
However, I could expect this a little. Until now, Kim Hyunsung had only
been focusing on his personal work than on actual guild work.
In fact, there were more times when he didn’t stay, than when he
actually stayed in the guild.
He was trying to ix the wrong things from the irst round, but in the
present, when the future had changed a lot, it was a very meaningless
act.
He had been so lost in the specter of the irst round that he was missing
out on something really important. It was a mistake for him not to
know that the masked trash Jin Qing was making a new start in the
Republic.
In such a situation, since I had received a big aftereffect, being busy, he

might feel the responsibility of not taking care of the guild members
properly.
In my case, it was fortunate that he wasn’t sticking to me, but I didn’t

want to bother to stop him from thinking like that.
Right now, I felt like he was taking care of me greatly. I would never fall,
but he seemed to be thinking about my leg getting rubbery and falling.
‘There is no need to do this.’
I didn’t know why, but I could feel the eyes of those who were
wandering around us. It was starting to stand out, and I could see the
maids glancing at this side.
I wondered if it would be nice to go to another place, but perhaps our

voices won’t reach them.
“What did you want to say…?”
“It’s something a little important.”
It was natural to think about a better way to tell him. It might be

questionable if I were to talk too openly about the identity of Jin Qing.
Of course, Kim Hyunsung didn’t seem to be suspicious of me right now,

but there was still nothing wrong with being careful.
At last, he started to speak. It looked like he was not slow. He seemed to

be expecting what I was trying to say.
“About what happened in Laios…”
“Yes. You’re right. I think it would be good to know the exact progress…”
“I know a little about it, Kiyoung-ssi. I don’t want to burden you right
away. I’ll take care of everything this time…”
“No. No. It’s ine. You don’t have to worry that much. It’s a little
frustrating just to keep lying down, and this is important to me as well…
Yes. It’s really important. It’s probably something that Deokgu doesn’t
know. And… I have something I would like to ask for a while.”
‘Should I do it now?’
Since I couldn’t tell what he’s thinking, I felt frustrated in many ways.
I began to wonder if he was really suspicious of Jin Qing as the masked

man. There was a high probability that he was thinking that way, but if
Kim Hyunsung saw Jin Qing with the masked man in the irst round,
things might get a bit twisted.
‘What if… ’
What if Jin Qing and Kim Hyunsung were close friends in the irst
round?
Or what if Jin Qing was also building a hostile relationship with the
masked trash?
What if Jin Qing was also one of the people who were murdered by the
masked man?
As in the example above, if there was a certain situation that was

certain that Jin Qing was not the masked man in the future of the irst
round that I didn’t know, Kim Hyunsung might be excluding the demon
summoner as masked trash, Jin Qing, from the suspect ship.
He may be starting an investigation on the premise that a third force

was maneuvering to condemn him.
If Kim Hyunsung was really investigating, considering this case to be

the act of a third force and, my rash remarks may rather raise doubt.
I had to slowly, yet carefully, make him suspect that Jin Qing was the
masked trash, to the point that he felt that everything he had seen in
the irst round was a lie.
The key to the beginning was Jung Hayan.
I felt like it was a little early, but for now, speaking out would be the
correct thing to do. There was no need to worry any further.
As soon as I started explaining, I saw Kim Hyunsung nodding frantically.
“It’s something related to Jung Hayan.”
What I wanted to say was very simple.
‘That Jin Qing bastard kept lirting with our Jung Hayan.’
Of course, I couldn’t say it simply like that. It was because there must be
a form. If I were to exaggerate this a little, then I might be able to
produce a plausible result.
I shouldn’t give him the answer.
Kim Hyunsung must realize by himself that Jin Qing was trash.
“What about Hayan-ssi?”

He looked puzzled. However, Kim Hyunsung slowly ixed his expression
as he read my serious face.
“Of course, it would be nice if it was my misunderstanding and

unfounded, but I feel something is not right.”
“Okay.”
“In fact, when I irst encountered the foreigners of the Republic…”
When I tried to open my mouth to explain everything, case by case, a

loud voice started to come from somewhere.
“Hey! Hyung-nim! Hyung-ssi! What are you doing there?!”
‘Ah… Shit. Park Deokgu!’
As I turned in the opposite direction, he opened his mouth with a

louder voice.
“Hyung-nim!! I am here!”
It was quite the spectacle to see him running over here.
The atmosphere became uncertain because he invaded just when I was

about to start a serious conversation.
Although I beckoned for him to leave quietly, he accepted it as an

expression to come this way.
“Hyung-nim. Can you move already? Are you alright? Didn’t you say you
were in pain earlier? When I saw Hyunsung suddenly running toward
the royal castle, I thought something happened… I was really worried,
you know? It seems like you’re okay seeing you move like this. Well, I’m
a little relieved now.”
I couldn’t resent him. I didn’t know if he was really worried, but it was
apparent that he was indeed looking for me diligently.
He pretended to be okay, but seeing him with his eyes getting red, I felt
sorry for some reason.
However, that was a separate issue. First, as there was something

important to talk about, I had to make him leave.
“There seems to be some misunderstanding. My body is ine, Deokgu.

Nothing has changed. Anyway, we can talk later, irst, tell Hayan…”
“Ah! Was Hyung-nim about her? No need to worry. I asked Jeong-yeon

to take care of Hayan. You can be relieved. Probably not a single ant will
be able to invade her room.”
‘What bullshit is this pig talking about…?’
“I was the only one who knows since Hyung-nim and Hyung-ssi might
be worried. Oh… As expected, you can’t be fooled, as expected from
Hyung-nim!”
“What do you mean, Deokgu-ssi?”
I also couldn’t understand what the hell he was talking about. Following
the previous moment, Kim Hyunsung also looked very confused.
It would be nice to realize that he made a mistake by looking at

Hyunsung’s face and my distorted face, but he began to open his mouth
with a loud voice.
I grabbed my head for a moment, but Deokgu’s next words really

worked in my favor.
“That Jin Qing Demon Summoner trash guy! He is aiming for Hayan!”
‘Deokgu! Fuck. I love you!’
“Of course, I’m not sure. But seeing that Hyung-nim thinks the same
way as me, I think I can reveal it now!”
‘This pig bastard… ’
“I’m sure!”
‘Why are you so helpful…?’
He may not be stupid. I always thought about it, but today I started
thinking more and more like that.
Unlike ten seconds ago, when I wanted to tell him to leave immediately,
it was natural that I felt like Park Deokgu could join our chat at any
time.
“That ilthy demon summoner trash even… lirted while handing her a
note! At that time, I thought that because she is so attractive and kind, it
would be an insect twisting, but… no matter how I think about this, it’s
too suspicious. Then I came to the right conclusion today. Yes,
absolutely!”
‘Yeah, that’s it, bastard.’
“I don’t know much about magic power, but for some reason, it seemed
to contain suspicious magic power! Actually, she seemed a little weird
at that time, but I didn’t mention it because Hyung-nim didn’t seem to
want to talk. I was doing some kind of volunteer work, but Hyung-nim
asked me to follow him, so I just followed. Who would have known that
the demon summoner was standing there?”
“I see.”
“This is just my guess. Hyung-ssi, maybe we should think about the
possibility that the demon summoner intentionally attracted Hayan! It’s
weird that he even lirted with her, giving a note even though he was
there that day! Most of all, it was the most suspicious that the devil’s
seal was not completely released. Yes, absolutely! Perhaps… I even
thought that those rotten guys were trying to sacri ice Hayan!”
‘That’s another new interpretation… ’
At this point, he was capable of telling a story interesting enough to

become a writer.
It was so ridiculous that it made me laugh, but if there was something

that could support this evidence, then I would have the power to make
it come true.
“Even I know that Hayan was blessed with magic power, but wouldn’t
they know about that? Probably, they couldn’t have summoned the
demon completely by their own power. Inevitably, they had no choice
but to ind her… Everything was a setup from the beginning.”
“It may be possible.”
“I don’t know the details, but maybe they’re still looking for a chance!”
Park Deokgu looked at me as if he was asking what I thought of his

deduction. It was different from the scenario I had originally written,
but this was also convincing in its own little way.
Kim Hyunsung, who said that there was a possibility, stiffened, but he
seemed to have not yet believed what Deokgu had said.
He seemed doubtful of this explanation – it was up to me to make his

resolve weaken.
“What Kiyoung-ssi was trying to say…”

“Yes. Although different, they are similar. Of course, it would be nice if I
were mistaken, but this is not impossible. It was late, but I was also
feeling some strange signs. At the time of the museum expedition, there
was a moment when Max said that she was a human blessed with magic
power, remember?”
“Yes.”
“As far as I can see, Jung Hayan’s body is a crystal of pure magic. I don’t
know much about black magic, but it would be hard to ind a better
quality material than her if she is used as a sacri ice. Maybe they have a
different purpose, too. Most of all, strange things keep getting caught in
my eyes. To be precise, it was bothering me.”
It wouldn’t be bad to hesitate here once. It was time to bring up

something important.
“Before the Republic left Laos, I had seen some people hovering around
Jung Hayan. Of course, I could be mistaken, but…”
“…”
The faces seen in the irst episode should appear at this point with
strength. These were the trashy people that voted against for me to
enter the brigade.
Perhaps it was petty of me to exact revenge this time around, but I

couldn’t help it. Though I didn’t know who they were, I knew Hyunsung
probably did.
“A man and woman twins who looked like archers, a young man
without one leg, and a tall skinny man.”
Now the displeasure on Kim Hyunsung’s face was highly evident.

“…brigade.”
Everything had fallen into place.

CHAPTER 337
AFTEREFFECT (3)
This was just the beginning, but it was no wonder that I felt partly
relaxed, almost as if I had taken some medicine. It had been quite a long
time since I felt this comfortable.
I had succeeded in indirectly preventing the masked trash from

threatening the camp of light.
I had to admit that I felt a bit guilty, but I couldn’t wait to see the forces
of darkness run wild.
As there wasn’t much I could do right now, I thought giving heavy

homework to the lovely returner was the most beautiful way to do it,
and it had worked perfectly.
This was because, after the conversation about the brigade and Jin Qing
trash was over, I was feeling that he had been moving a little more
actively. It was obvious what Kim Hyunsung, who had a lot in his mind,
picked as his top priority.
‘I think it would be better to attach Cho Hyejin to Jung Hayan.’
Naturally, it was a protective measure for Jung Hayan. If the masked

trash Jin Qing had a negative effect on Jung Hayan like in the irst round,
it was not enough to say that it was a reasonable judgment.
The brigade may be watching for opportunities anytime, anywhere. In

that sense, it would be the best option to attach Cho Hyejin to Jung
Hayan.
First, Hyunsung was also working on internal affairs while remaining in
Laios.
Jung Hayan and I were also recovering from this place right now, so I
wondered if the reason he didn’t go around was just to take care of us.
However, I knew that that wouldn’t be the only reason for this.
‘Maybe he’s thinking hard… ’
He had a feeling that the masked piece of shit was really Jin Qing.
Naturally, he would want to take some action, but Kim Hyunsung was
also not all-around. He couldn’t do everything just because he wanted
to.
Currently, the masked Jin Qing was under the protection of the
Republic, and the dirty brigade was holding his breath somewhere out
of my gaze. After invading the Republic’s main headquarters, there was
no way to assassinate masked trash Jin Qing or capture brigade
members when we didn’t even know where they were.
No matter how strong Kim Hyunsung was, there were limits to what an
individual could do.
Of course, his advantage was that his range was very wide, but doing a
Republic’s solo play was quite close to suicide.
As the situation was like this, Kim Hyunsung was also nervous. What
was a little surprising was that he was showing a surprisingly calm
appearance.
I didn’t know whether he had grown in his own way, or remembered

being backstabbed by the masked trash Jin Qing in the irst round, but
he was showing a satisfactory move.
‘Very good.’
It was hard to say that this was a dramatic sudden development or
reversal, but what the lovely returner had chosen was to focus a little
more on this situation that currently surrounded Laios. Not only did he
take the initiative to form the Three Kingdoms alliance, but he also
focused his efforts on the unity of the foreigners in the State.
Those who ran medium-sized guilds lew in and out of the Laios several
times a day, and he held the Eight Seats of the State conference directly
while moving to rally the foreigners staying in the confederation.
Our Hyunsung had indeed changed!
He thought that it was right to slowly take care of the immediate tasks
rather than ind results by running around busily.
‘My tears want to come out of your growth… ’
In the past, he probably might have left for the Republic on his own, and
only after the situation came to an end would he come back to help.
I didn’t know if someone who was not good with words like him could
rally many forces, but the attempt itself was beautiful enough. Of
course, the important thing was its purpose and justi ication, and yet…
‘That’s too obvious.’
It was a move to perhaps prepare for an enemy, or put some pressure

on the Republic side.
I thought it wasn’t too bad if war broke out, but Kim Hyunsung seemed
to want to separate Jin Qing and the Republic. Of course, there was a
high possibility that this would not low the way Kim Hyunsung wanted
it to.
If there was a move from the State’s trilateral alliance, there might be a
move from the Republic side as well. It was even more so if the Republic
side did not intend to abandon Jin Qing.
If the current Republic was completely contaminated with black magic

and brigade, it might be thinking of backstabbing.
Since I was not currently in the ield, I couldn’t igure out exactly how
things were going, but I could feel the atmosphere as strange as Lee
Jihye had said.
Of course, I wasn’t the only one who had felt the strange atmosphere. It
was slightly different, but Park Deokgu, who played a big role, was also
showing quite an anxiety.
Whether it was stimulated by Kim Hyunsung’s talk about the brigade,

he always took a longer training time. As Guild Master and Park
Deokgu, who could be said to be the guild’s main axis, showed
themselves off in this manner, it was natural that the minds of the guild
members staying in Laios also changed.
As a result, the heroes of light, except for Park Deokgu, were the only
ones comfortable in the guild.
Jung Hayan was having a great time day by day, and Han Sora inally got
a separate room, so she couldn’t help but cheer.
It was no wonder that in a moment of peace, I did the things I had to do,
too.
Spending time with Tol To-ri, Max and Dialugia was the most important
thing among them. It wasn’t that long, but Tol To-ri and Dialugia
seemed satis ied in their own way, and Max was the same.
Not only taking care of the family, but also taking care of myself was
very obvious. I even went into research to get a closer look at the class
‘Alchemist of the Light’, but there had been no great achievement.
This was not unreasonable because the research base was all in Lindel.
I hadn’t been off that long of a period, but I was de initely having ants in
my pants.
After spending enough secluded time to satisfy Kim Hyunsung, Oscar,

Pristina, and the other guild members, I expressed my opinion that I
was okay now and received a con irmation from the medical staff that it
wouldn’t be bad to return.
There was no doubt that it was not bad for the timing to return when
the three-nation alliance of the elves, Laios, and the State had been
formed.
[Eberia’s Princess of the Elven Kingdom, Elena, visits Laios.]
[The news that Princess Elena of Eberia, the elven kingdom of the veil,
is visiting Laios, is drawing great attention. It was already well-known
news that the Eberian delegation would come to Laios, but it is
speculated that Princess Elena’s presence in the delegation may be an
unconventional personnel reshuf le.]
[Eberia, which has long refrained from exchanges with other countries
due to the issue of elven slavery or discrimination against different
races, has been able to show such a radical move, and it is not dif icult
for everyone to guess why. According to Princess Elena’s aide, it is said
that she received a lot of inspiration from the heroes of the light,
including Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung of the Holy State, who
overcame the case of the Laios demon summoning. Since other aspects
were not yet clearly clari ied, she dismissed the controversy with the
remarks, but the Kingdom of Eberia also expressed great regret and
anger for this demon summoning case. Currently, the Kingdom of
Eberia is escorted by the State and the Laios’ allied forces, and is
scheduled to stay in Laios from the 25th to the 31st. -Reporter Kim
Seong-gyeong of the Lindel Daily]
‘It’s very good.’

Perhaps this was the important guest Lee Jihye had been talking about.
When I looked down, I could see the stacked articles, but I did not want
to read them. Of course, I was familiar with the content of the articles.
This was because, unlike what I just read, all other articles had gone
through Lee Jihye’s hand.
[Demon summoner Jin Qing, who the hell is he? -Reporter Park Seong-
gyeong of the Lindel Daily]
[The full story of the Laios Demon Summon Case. -Reporter Merlia, the
State Newspaper.]
[Why is the Republic defending Jin Qing? About the long history of
black magic and the Republic. -Reporter Cheon Wi, Dawan Daily]
[Who are the heroes of light, who became heroes of Laios, and the
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung? Including a special interview with
Pope Basel. -Papal Magazine.]
‘Whoa… I want to read this.’
Of course, things that I hadn’t seen before stood out to me. When I
picked up the article roughly, I could see the pleasant content.
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was a model for all religious people and
a treasure given by the Goddess Benignore for the continent.
I already knew that Pope Basel cherished me, but it was heartwarming
to directly hear such a warm message.
‘That’s it. Yes. Absolutely.’
It was a biased article that made you feel what it contained just by
looking at the title. Of course, my happiness surged just by reading this.
It was not unreasonable to say that the Elf princess or something
wanted to see me. As I smiled, a voice came from outside.
“Oppa!”
“Ah, Hayan.”
It was Jung Hayan that opened the door and appeared. Immediately
behind her was Cho Hyejin, who closely marked Jung Hayan.
I felt guilty that I couldn’t save her from the trash Jin Qing’s hand in the
irst round, but I nodded and opened my arms.
“Hehehe.”
“Er, er, er… I think I’m better than before, but it still hurts… The lower
abdomen is aching and aching. Like someone kicking… My heart hurts,
too.”
“Really? Shall we take some time after work today?”
“R-Really?”
“Yes. We don’t have a long schedule anyway. Come on, come here.”
As I spoke again, she rushed to hug me.
I thought it wasn’t good to be accepting such foolishness, but for some

reason, I remembered her face at that time, and I wanted to hug her at
least once every time we met.
‘Dirty masked trash Jin Qing.’

It was a little embarrassing to feel her digging into my arms, but this
much attention was safe.
As I patted on Jung Hayan’s back and looked ahead, I saw Cho Hyejin’s
face. She was coming to talk to me.
In fact, I already knew what she wanted to say. It was something I had
heard hundreds of times.
“Are you sure you’re really okay? Vice Guild Master?”
“How many times are you talking about it already? I’m ine, Hyejin. No,
and you can talk to me as usual. Vice Guild Master sounds a little stiff…”
“I’m on a mission now, Vice Guild Master. And… no matter how much
you have recovered your health, it is dangerous to overdo it. Actually, I
also wanted to cancel today’s schedule.”
“Ah. You can’t. It’s the irst step in bringing the interracial alliance.
Princess Elena wanted to see us, so I have to meet her. In fact, it’s not
that I’m not able to move.”
“Eberia said it was also okay…”
“It’s okay, Hyejin. I’m absolutely not overdoing it. Haha.”
Although she softened up when drinking, she was certainly too hard
when working publicly.
However, even this hard conversation didn’t seem to pleasure Jung

Hayan. I saw her pulling my clothes, trying to divert her attention to
herself.
We had been through many of these patterns, but in fact, most of the
stories were useless. However, this time, there was quite a bit of
interesting news.
“You know that?”
“What?”
“The rumor is that the elf princess… can tell the cleanliness of the soul!”
Strange worries began to rise from her sudden remarks.

CHAPTER 338
AFTEREFFECT (4)
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Where did you hear it?”
“I heard it from the people of Laios.”
She nodded her head as if convinced, but when I looked at Jung Hayan’s
con ident face, somehow, it didn’t sound convincing.
Of course, it didn’t mean that I didn’t believe in Jung Hayan, but I simply
could not rule out the possibility of it being a lie to grab my attention.
I had to look for someone to judge the truth.
As if asking if this was really true, I looked at Cho Hyejin, and

unexpectedly, she nodded and opened her mouth.
“Yes. It is true. I don’t know exactly, too, but… I have heard it like
Hayan.”
“What?”
“There is no way to tell whether it is true or not, but… Sometimes it is

said that a special entity among the elves is born with that ability. Of
course, there is no known difference between the cleanliness of the soul
or simply the distinction between good and evil. In fact, there is so little
information about the elves that there will be no exact information,
especially for the high elves.”
“You mean high elf?”
“Yes. It is said to be a story passed down among continental people.

Considering that Princess Elena is a high elf born after thousands of
years, it’s plausible enough… Oh! Stories of high elves looking at clean
souls often appear in fairy tales and stories of the State.”
“Ah…”
‘This is rather more convincing… ’
It was far from meaning that it was absurd to appear in children’s

books, traditions, and stories on this continent because this was not the
Earth.
Most of the children’s books and legendary stories here were based on
true stories, and there were actually many dungeons and monsters
discovered because of these. There was nothing strange about that.
It was not strange for an elf to pop out, looking at the cleanliness of the
soul.
‘This is making me worried… ’
In fact, there was nothing to feel guilty about. I was already a hero
among the heroes who had saved Laios, no, even the continent.
Even if they judged my soul to be unclean, it would be dif icult to ind a

situation in which they would condemn me. Following this mindset, it
wouldn’t make sense to worry much.
Light Kiyoung’s magical power was illed with divine power, and his
title was also inscribed as “Continental Guardian.”
Although things were a bit twisted, it was also true that I had saved
Laios.
Perhaps…
‘Who knows if my soul has become a little cleaner?’
There were countless numbers of good things I had done recently.
Things got a little twisted in the irst round, but anyway, wasn’t I
currently working hard for the camp of light in Kim Hyunsung’s arms?
Although I had begun to think like this, it was no wonder that I began to
feel anxious because anything could happen. In fact, it didn’t matter as
to what would happen, but looking good was still an important part of
the job.
In the end, I had to open my mouth toward Cho Hyejin. I had to refrain
from pretending that I was sick anymore, but this much was okay.
“Hyejin, do you have a wheelchair here?”
“What?”
“Somehow, I suddenly ran out of breath…”
“…”
She looked as if she wanted to say many things, but Cho Hyejin accepted
my request without saying anything further.
After she went outside for a while, her face pulling a wheelchair was
engulfed in an unknown sense of shame. She sighed differently from the
way she was worried about me before.
It seemed that she noticed what I was thinking.

‘I have to exaggerate this much.’
Even if my soul was a little dirty, everything would be solved if I were to

compete with a clean and noble appearance.
“Cough. Cough.”
A cough came out unexpectedly, whether it was the in luence of being

too absorbed in acting too much, but Cho Hyejin, pushing the
wheelchair, had on a cold expression.
Of course, Hayan’s worried face was evident. With this, we went on our
way.
As the faces of Laios guards opening the door showed in inite respect
for me, my con idence to get out of the wheelchair rose.
After imitating Laios’ speci ic greeting method, placing my palm on my

forehead, I went inside and saw Han Sora and Park Deokgu sitting with
awkward expressions on their faces.
Of course, Kim Hyunsung was also present.
I noticed him a little lustered whether he hadn’t expected me to appear

in a wheelchair.
“What’s going on? Kiyoung, maybe again…”
“Ahh. It’s nothing, Hyunsung. I was dizzy for a moment. There is no

problem with walking or moving, but I came like this because I was
wondering if I wouldn’t show a good appearance to the Eberian
delegation. The conference with Oscar and Pristina is…”
“We have a schedule later. First of all, the Eberia side requested that
they want to meet Kiyoung-ssi and Hayan-ssi personally… Kiyoung,
rather than staying like this, you can go in if you’re not feeling well.
Even if you don’t do this, the Three Kingdoms Alliance will come true
without any major problems.”
“Haha. I am not here for the Three Kingdoms alliance.”
“Hyung-nim, are you not feeling well again?”
“It’s not like that, Deokgu. It’s as I said to Hyunsung, you don’t have to
worry.”
“But…”
“It’s okay.”
Worries were coming from everywhere, which pleased me a lot. At this

point, one of the guards came to announce.
“Princess Elena is entering.”
The door on the other side opened, and some elves appeared.
‘They came very quickly.’
I heard the news that they wanted to see us, but I couldn’t even imagine
that they would come running to this place as soon as they arrived in
the State.
It seemed like I really became the hero who saved the continent. When I
looked at them smiling, I could feel that they were de initely different
from humans.
Overall, they gave off a calming impression, and even their walk felt
mysterious.
I had seen elves before, but they still had an exotic and mysterious
appearance. I was blankly looking at them, so there would be no need
for other expressions.
Among them, an elf appeared, wearing white cotton yarn.
Just by looking at the clothes she was wearing and the vibe she showed
off, I could tell that she was Elena.
When I looked at her with the Mind’s Eyes, her information poured
down right away.
[Checking the status window and talent levels of Elf Elena Eberia.]
[Name: Elena Eberia]
[Title: High Elf, Princess of Eberia.]
[Age: 231]
[Disposition: Curious Defensor]
[Class: Elune’s Guardian (Legendary)]
[Stats]
[Strength: 19/Growth potential: Rare or higher]
[Agility: 20/Growth potential: Rare or higher]
[Health: 30/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Durability: 35/Growth potential: Rare or lower]
[Luck: 90/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]

[Attribute: A Sense of Looking at the Soul (Legendary)]
[She can feel the soul of others.]
[Overall: On the whole, she has a weak body, but she has great stats.
Basically, the legendary class that can be classi ied as a priest class,
Elune’s Guardian, and the legendary-grade attribute that can
distinguish the soul’s cleansing stands out. Of course, player Lee
Kiyoung does not have to test. The result is obvious.]
‘Ah… That was true. Fuck.’
Of course, I felt guilty, momentarily. Besides, I didn’t know how that

attribute worked. The explanation was also very short and simple.
However, I started to get nervous at the comments of the overall review.
In the meantime, when I saw Elena taking off her cotton yarn, my
anxiety began to dissipate little by little. She had hair of the same color
as her emerald eyes. Her appearance was ridiculously overwhelming.
Although there was a sense of heterogeneity that her race itself was
different, she was suf iciently beautiful from the point of view of human
beauty.
‘This is crazy… ’
No, I couldn’t de ine her with words, saying that she was simply a
beauty.
I felt like I was seeing an entity that best matches the expression
“beautiful.”
I was startled at the thought that I was staring too blankly, and I looked
at Jung Hayan, but she was controlling herself, looking at the ring that I
gave her. I knew the proposal I had made was indeed very helpful.
At this, Princess Elena began to speak.
“Nice to meet you, everyone. I’m Elena, from the Kingdom of Eberia. It’s
a great honor to meet some of the most renowned heroes.”
It was like the sound of jade beads rolling over a silver tray. However, I
pulled myself back without even realizing it.
Unlike my brain, which recognized her as beautiful, her voice somehow

felt repulsive.
When everyone was silent, Kim Hyunsung was the irst to greet her.
As he slowly lowered his head, I could see Elena lowering her head
slightly. Whether he was acquainted with her or not had not yet been
con irmed.
No matter how well I had gotten to know Kim Hyunsung, I couldn’t tell
what emotions he was feeling just by looking from the back.
“I am Kim Hyunsung of the Blue Guild. I’m not enough, but I’m the
master of the guild of heroes who saved Laios. It is an honor to meet
you like this.”
“Blue Guild! I have heard of it. It’s the guild from the heroes that saved
Laios. Ah… As expected.”
“Pardon me?”
“Yes… I see. Yes.”

At this, Princess Elena had begun nodding. Tears had even begun to fall
from her face, all looking like glistening, teardrop-shaped jewels.
However, it is certainly bewildering to suddenly drop tears after

holding Kim Hyunsung’s hand.
‘Is she feeling anything?’
I didn’t know in detail, but I think she had seen something in Kim
Hyunsung’s soul.
I suspected that she saw Kim Hyunsung’s irst round, but it didn’t seem
like that. It was very different from saying that someone can look into
the soul and look into the black world.
Even the explanation itself seen through the Mind’s Eyes was very
simple.
Unlike my eyes or Kasugano’s eyes, it was correct to think that her

attribute was not seeing something, but feeling.
“Oh, I’m sorry. To suddenly behave like this… I’m sorry.”
“It’s ine.”
“I did it suddenly… without noticing. I’m really sorry. I’m… sorry.”
Of course, apart from that, I didn’t get a sense of how to deal with this
kind of case because no one usually shed tears right after a greeting.
If I could, I would ask openly what she was doing, but I couldn’t just say
that. Although this wasn’t an of icial meeting, it was still a very
important one.
It was then that Park Deokgu, who could not hold up his curiosity,
opened his mouth.
“Did you just look into his soul?!”
“I’m sorry?”
“Well, everyone is saying that. That the high elf princess can see the
soul and blah blah blah. In fact, I don’t believe in this kind of thing, but
it was because you suddenly cried when you saw him. If you don’t want
to say anything, you don’t have to. Still, I would like it if you say.”
Silence with a different meaning from before lowed.
I couldn’t even imagine that Park Deokgu would ask that kind of thing.
I wondered if it was diplomatic rudeness and looked at her in an

anxious mind, but it seemed that she hadn’t really put it in her mind.
As Kim Hyunsung glanced at him, Park Deokgu began to lower his head
quickly. In the meantime, Elena smiled slightly and shook her head.
“Deokgu-ssi.”
“Ah… Did I make a mistake? I-I’m sorry…”
“No. No. It’s ine, Kim Hyunsung, that’s okay. Rather, sorry for the late
answer. In fact, I didn’t think you would ask me directly, so I thought
about how to tell you. As expected, you’re very… pure and transparent.”
“Do you know me?”
“Of course. I only saw you through the Goddess’s Mirror… You’re
actually the way I imagined. Huhu. Oh, you asked a question. I don’t
know if this will be the correct answer, but I will try to answer it irst.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Of course. It can’t be called a big secret anymore. Well… To be
precise, it is not possible to look into the soul. I think it would be more
accurate to say that I can feel it. The fact that I was rude before…”
“Is it because Hyunsung’s soul felt that way?”
“Yes. I think that expression is appropriate. Rather, I should apologize.

I’m really sorry, Kim Hyunsung. I didn’t mean to know… I felt it without
noticing.”
“No, Princess Elena. I understand.”
“Thank you for your understanding. If I made you uncomfortable…”
“Well, it’s not uncomfortable. I don’t know when its soul or anything
like it, but isn’t it just like when we smell, taste, or see with our eyes?”
“Yes. That’s an appropriate expression.”
“Well, then it doesn’t matter. Ahem. Rather, it’s a good thing for us. You
will be very surprised by seeing our Hyung-nim’s soul!”
As my anxiety began to rise, Park Deokgu’s con ident remarks were a

great spectacle.
‘Stop it, pig bastard.’
His sudden remarks forced me to step back a little, as quietly as I could.

CHAPTER 339
AFTEREFFECT (5)
‘Don’t raise her expectations unnecessarily.’
I could quickly notice why Elena looked happy. Literally, that elf can feel
what kind of soul others possessed.
Although Park Deokgu used a cheap expression of smelling, it was not

actually wrong.
It would be correct to express that she had senses that worked the
same as sight, touch, and smell, but was built differently in a way that I
couldn’t seem to understand.
She seemed to have been greatly moved by Kim Hyunsung, and she
seemed to be feeling purity and transparency from Park Deokgu.
For her, it was as if a pleasant place surrounds her, so it was not

unreasonable that she was smiling.
‘Will Han Sora be okay?’
I was a little worried about her, but perhaps she would be okay.
Even if Elena were to feel something, there’s plenty of room to gloss it

over, and she couldn’t de initively detect the relationship between the
soul and class.
To avoid the fact that Han Sora was a black wizard, I had already
worked on many things with Jung Hayan. As if that was not enough,
Yuno Kasugano joined and had helped with concealing various
circumstances.
As a result, even high-ranking priests couldn’t notice that she was a

black wizard.
‘It’s a legendary-grade attribute, but it’s de initely vague.’
Han Sora glanced at me as if she became anxious about the elf

princess’s soul remarks, but of course, I nodded as subtly as I could in
reply in silent assurance.
Meanwhile, Park Deokgu greeted Elena in earnest.
“Oh, I don’t think I’ve introduced myself. I’m Park Deokgu from Blue.”
“I’m familiar with your name, Park Deokgu. I’m Elena Eberia. It is a
great honor to meet you.”
“Hmm. Do you even know my name?”
“Yes. It’s natural to remember a hero’s name. I’m a little embarrassed,

but I don’t just know the name. In fact, even what you guys did…”
“Can you even know that?”
“Ah! I didn’t mean it that way. As I said, all I can feel is your soul. I know
of you because I have come across a lot of newspapers and magazines
while in the Kingdom.”
“Ahhh. Come to think of it, there have been a lot of such things since
that day. It seems those things reached there.”
“Actually, our Kingdom is still forbidden to bring in goods of the State

and Laios, but most of us already know about you. Some even made it
into a play, and bards sing songs that praise your achievements.
Because the sacri ices and miracles you showed that day was deeply
rooted in the hearts of our elves, not just Laios. It was amazing. And… it
was so majestic that I could not take my eyes off. I haven’t lived for that
long, but I’m sure it was the most brilliant sight I’ve ever seen.
“I-It’s an honor for you to say that. Actually, I have done very little.
Ahem. That’s embarrassing. Oh, Sora here was also a great help. I
wouldn’t have been able to endure it alone if it weren’t for her.”
He looked embarrassed, which was so not like him. It must be

embarrassing to hear that right in front of him.
It was quite a sight to see him blushing and handing over the baton to
Han Sora. In any case, even Han Sora popped out and greeted with Park
Deokgu’s introduction.
“I’m Han Sora.”
“Nice to meet you, Han Sora. It is an honor to meet you.”
It was true that I was worried about what kind of reaction she would
show. However, there was no sign of change.
‘Uh?’
Although Han Sora mended her ways, it could be said to be a surprising

result considering that she had been trash at it before.
She wasn’t showing a pleasant smile like Park Deokgu or Kim

Hyunsung, but she quietly smiled, lowered her head, and looked pretty
happy, even grabbing her hand irst.
I was really surprised to see them talking so casually.
‘I think I will be okay, too.’

I was sure that I had a soul, at least similar to Han Sora. No, I was better
than Han Sora.
Lee Kiyoung’s 26 years of life, the timing when I knew better than
anyone that I had lived without shame.
Rather, I was partly relieved as I watched her talk to her longer than
with Park Deokgu.
After spending time with her for a while, it was Jung Hayan’s turn.
Kim Hyunsung introduced Jung Hayan, and once again, the awkward
self-introduction time passed.
“I’m Jung Hayan.”
“I-It’s an honor. It’s really an honor.”
She seemed happy enough when she was with Park Deokgu and Han
Sora, but after Jung Hayan appeared, her face has become even more
spectacular.
I don’t know if it’s an appropriate expression, but she looked like a fan
meeting idols.
‘No way… ’
“So, are you all recovered now?”
“Yes? Oh… Yes.”
“M-More importantly, I will of icially introduce myself. As you may have

already heard, I’m Elena Eberia. It was… it was really moving. How
could you take care of others even at the expense of yourself…? Your
noble image prepared to die will go down in the history of the
continent.”
“What?”
“I still feel like crying when I think about it. I heard that you have been
on this continent for less than two years, but how did you use such pure
magic power…? Oh! I can’t be like this, no, that’s not it, I was really
impressed. What should I start with…? There were a lot of things I
wanted to say, but my mind went black… I’m really sorry.”
“No. There is no-nothing to be sorry for.”
“If it’s okay with you, can I shake your hand…?”
“I-I-It’s okay, but…”
“It is an honor. It’s really an honor. After all, everything was exactly
what I thought.”
“I don’t know… what you are talking about.”
‘This is almost certain.’
I was not mistaken about this at all.
Her graceful face still remained, but her being strangely excited, made
her look just like a teenager. Showing such a face at the age of over 200
was also an ability.
Jung Hayan was at a loss as to how to respond to the way the elf was
gushing over her.
I wasn’t exactly sure, but the princess of the Elven Kingdom seemed to
be obsessed with our heroic story.
In fact, although most of the Laios and the State showed similar
reactions, this woman felt more excessive. She seemed to have read
everything about us, such as magazine interviews, and she even saw
that scene many times through the Goddess’s Mirror, so I could say that
my prediction was correct.
I could understand the Laios people because they had actually seen us,
but she was stuck in a kingdom secluded from other countries and
faced us only through media. In a way, it was not unreasonable to have a
strange fantasy about us.
Although she had adapted to this kind of case because of the Laios
people, Jung Hayan was confused by the sudden change of posture.
Since she wasn’t good with human relationships, she was confused with
the princess saying something she hadn’t yet understood.
It was then that Park Deokgu’s explanation came in.
“Isn’t it that you were amazed by our Hayan’s transparent and clear
soul?”
“That’s right, Park Deokgu-nim. She is illed with such pure love. This…”
“I knew you would.”
“I’m sorry if I upset you. I don’t usually say this, but Jung Hayan is
really…”
“As expected from our Hayan. Isn’t it just as I said? I’ve never seen or
heard about anyone as clean and nice as Hayan in my life. In fact, when I
irst saw her, I wondered how there was such a nice person, but seeing
now the Elf Princess talking, I think I can tell. Well, the person next to
her is out Hyung-nim. I think you’ve seen him through…”
“Yes. I know. I clearly remember his face, too. It’s really an honor, Lee
Kiyoung.”
“No. I am honored.”
“I-I think I should thank you irst.”
“I received enough thanks, Elena-nim. I didn’t do that to be receiving

gratefulness in the irst place, so you don’t have to lower your head.”
“No. This time, I am not thankful for the things I said earlier. Haven’t
you rescued the elves before?”
“Oh!”
“It’s been a while, so you might not remember, but… I clearly heard the
news that Lee Kiyoung saved our people who were suffering at the
time.”
“It was true, then. Thank you very much.”
I could see her bowing her head a little far away.
‘Wow… It worked out like this. That’s why people have to live nicely.’
The good deeds that were done in secret had come back as a plus.
‘This is karma! Yes. Absolutely!’
I wanted to smile more and more as I wanted to maintain a good

relationship with this elf. It felt good to see her talking so casually to
me.
In fact, it didn’t matter as to how she perceived my soul, but she didn’t
seem to have any suspicion on her face. I even felt like a fool to have
been worried. It would have been better not to have arranged this
wheelchair either.
“Our people who were saved by Lee Kiyoung at the time are doing very
well. They wanted to be with this delegation, but they’re still reluctant
to go outside. On behalf of the two, I would like to say thank you.”
“Hahahaha. I just did what I was supposed to do.”
“You are so humble. I am worried if I have come too suddenly. I didn’t

know you were still having a hard time walking…”
“Cough, cough. It’s ine. Thanks to many people praying, I’m ine. It’s
just a little hard to breathe. You really don’t have to mind it. Cough. In
fact, I also really wanted to see the princess. If the princess hadn’t
suggested it, I would have visited you irst.”
“Thank you for saying so. Er… I-If it’s okay, could I shake your hand…”
“Yes. Of course, Elena-nim.”
Unlike my expectations, a warm atmosphere continued. With the

unexpected good story being revealed, others also looked surprised.
Who would have expected I had helped the elves with no one knowing?
Originally, good stories were more effective when it was revealed in an

unintended situation.
Elena’s expression was also full of joy.
Demon Lord Belial’s expression saying that I was disgusting seemed to

mean that I was divine enough to feel disgusting.
At this moment, Elena moved one step forward.
“U-Ugh.”
‘Huh?’
The elf, who had initially been smiling and gushing around, suddenly
began to frown and start nauseating.
“Ah. I-I’m sorry. Suddenly, u-ugh. I’m being rude… gosh, what’s going
on? There’s no way. U-Ugh.”
‘No.’
“U-ugh. U-ugh.”
‘Why are you doing this? Fuck.’
“W-Wait. U-ugh…”
‘No, this is too bad.’
“Blaaaarrgghh.”
Something happened that had not been included in my calculations at

all.
CHAPTER 340
AFTEREFFECT (6)
“You look happy, Elena-nim.”
“How can I not be happy? It’s about seeing heroes who saved Laios and
the continent. It is an honor to be able to actually see them, who I only
saw through the Goddess’ Mirror. Oh! Look there, Ludwig. I guess it was
true that they made a statue of them.”
“Yes. You’re right.”
“The warrior standing at the front is Park Deokgu, the wizard is Han
Sora, and the two in the middle are Jung Hayan and Lee Kiyoung. You
know, too, right? About the heroes who defeated the evil magic that fell
that day. Whoa. I can’t believe they look so majestic. We should also
honor their achievements in our kingdom. I made a request to my
father and mother, but they only said they would consider it. I don’t
think they intend to… Oh! Do you know that? Ludwig? About the
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. How devout his faith is, it is said that
Goddess Benignore sent him to the continent.”
“Yes.”
“In an article published directly by the Holy side of the State, the life of
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is expressed as a struggle against the
darkness itself. The demon worshipper foreigner, and this time he
blocked the Republic’s wicked plan who summoned the demon, so
there is a possibility that he is indeed an apostle from the Goddess
Benignore… No! Maybe it’s not only Goddess Benignore, but Elune’s
apostle. Whatever the reason, haven’t we also had a connection with
him? Of course, it’s a public matter, but…”
It was an inference that the more I thought about it, the more I nodded.
“Can you believe that mother and father directly ordered the promotion
of the Three Kingdoms Alliance? As a result, if you think about it,
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung has served as the bridge. Fate. Just like
fate.”
“Elena-nim, I understand the excitement, but…”
“Yes. Of course, I always remember what mother and father said.”
“I’m glad then. However, we should avoid getting involved in private

matters as possible.”
“Yes. I know that well, Ludwig. But…”
“There is no such thing as ‘but,’ Elena. Please behave quietly in the city
and refrain from getting in contact with them as much as possible. It
doesn’t matter that they are heroes. You must remember that they are
human, too.”
“But our people were saved by Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung…”
“Sigh…”
“Not all humans are the same, Ludwig. I understand you, but I believe
some of them will have a clean soul. Not everyone is bad. Recall what
happened at Laios that day. They weren’t terri ied, and they didn’t run
away. Instead, they stood upright on both feet, facing the demon’s
threat head-on… No elven or other race would behave like them.”
“…”
“I know what you are worried about. However, it is not good to
disparage even the heroes who defended the continent.”
“I think I made a mistake, Elena. I apologize.”
“No. You don’t have to apologize to me. More importantly, I guess we

will arrive soon.”
“Yes.”
“I can inally meet them. I really don’t know how to express this feeling.”
“You don’t have to be so nervous.”
“Yes. Yes.”
I heard him telling me not to be nervous, but I couldn’t help but tremble
all the same. My heart kept racing.
I would inally face the heroes who had saved the continent. It would be
strange not to tremble.
‘It’s mental.’
It would be appropriate to express it that way.
When I arrived at the castle, I was greeted by the Laios people and
important people of the State, but time passed fast enough that I didn’t
even get to acknowledge it.
I thought I should be calm, but I kept getting thirsty. I couldn’t even

notice the surrounding view. At this, I could see Ludwig opening his
mouth as if he was worried.
“Elena, are you okay?”

“I-I’m ine, Ludwig. Can I have anything to drink?”
“Yes. Of course. I will prepare it soon.”
“Do I look weird right now?”
“You don’t. You’re, as usual, Elena.”
“How much time do we have left? No, where are the heroes of light…?”
“I heard they’re waiting in the reception room right now.”
“What? A-Are you saying we made them wait?”
“They came a little earlier than expected.”
“We have to head to the reception room right now. To keep them
waiting… such rudeness!”
“Yes. I’ll follow as you said.”
No wonder I had begun to hurry out of anxiety. Once again, my heart

beat fast, but I knew that shouldn’t make them wait any longer.
After the reception room door was opened, my head began to go blank.
I tried to control my emotions somehow, but I couldn’t understand

what I was talking about in reality.
However, I couldn’t help it. The heroes I longed for were just as I had
imagined.
Park Deokgu, who defended many demons, Han Sora, who did not stop
chanting spells even though her body was in bad condition, and the two
behind them were de initely Jung Hayan and Lee Kiyoung.
It wasn’t easy to see them because of Park Deokgu’s big size, but I
thought it would be better to greet them one by one. I felt like my heart
would burst if I stayed like this.
‘How can there be such a pure person?’
When I saw Park Deokgu, I was surprised without knowing. He has a

clear feeling. It was also honest and transparent. It was like seeing an
unstained little child.
In fact, I was a little surprised when he asked the sudden question, but I
even smiled when I saw him apologizing immediately.
In Han Sora’s case, it felt a little different.
‘It’s weak.’
It was very small and fragile.
Crucially, she even seemed to be scared. It felt as if she would collapse

immediately, and she was unstable as if she would break down in an
instant.
‘How… despite being in that condition?’
Could she have thought of throwing her own life easily? How could she
confront a huge demon with such a small and fragile soul?
No one could easily do it. I didn’t even need to explain how much
courage she needed to confront the demon. When I recalled her facing
the demons face-to-face while trying to grasp the trembling legs, I
almost cried.
However, I had to open my mouth wide to the soul I saw afterward.
‘Jung Hayan-nim!’
It was her—an archmage who used magic by vomiting blood while
surrounded by light.
When I saw that scene through the Goddess’ Mirror, it was a series of
surprises, but Jung Hayan-nim was even more surprising in reality.
‘No way… ’
It felt like seeing someone broken in a soul illed with love. It was that
huge and overwhelming.
I had never felt this kind of soul.
I couldn’t feel anything else. Jealousy, anger, happiness, sadness, and the
primitive emotions that someone could feel were all bound up in a
single great spirit.
Naturally, awe arose without my knowledge.
Even adults who had trained their minds for tens of thousands of years
could not have that kind of soul. It was almost obvious who that love
was intended for.
‘Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. This is Lee Kiyoung-nim. Really… he’s

here… real.’
I was sad seeing him sitting in a wheelchair, but I was relieved to know
that he was ine. My heart pounded, hearing that he wanted to meet me,
but something felt weird.
‘I can’t feel anything.’
It’s just as I said. I don’t feel anything.
I tried to look at it slowly while having a conversation, but nothing

changed. Rather, it felt very ordinary.
I wondered for just a moment. The second I moved to shake his hands,
what I felt…
‘What is this?’
“Blaaaarrggh.”
It was a disgusting soul inside. I didn’t know how to explain this. I

couldn’t understand how such a saint had such a soul.
It was not the kind of soul that gave fear, nor was it wicked.
It was a ridiculously pure, disgusting soul.
I felt goosebumps on my back. I wanted to leave. I tried to endure it as

much as possible, but I couldn’t. It was just when I was bent on my
back, almost vomiting.
“Cough… cough.”
“Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Cough. Cough, cough. I, I…”
“Kiyoung-ssi. Are you okay?”
“Please… the p-priest…”
“Kiyoung-ssi! Now!”
“H-Hyung-nim. W-What’s going on suddenly? Q-Quickly, even if it’s Hee-

young!”
“Oppa, Oppa!”
He suddenly grabbed his chest and began to fall. Others swarmed
around the man gasping.
“Seizure! It’s a seizure.”
“Waaaahh. Oppa… Hic. Oppa!”
“Don’t touch him, Hayan-ssi. Touching the body makes it more

dangerous. Hyejin-ssi, please call the medical staff quickly.”
“A seizure. What do you mean? Huh?”
“This is an aftereffect.”
“What the hell…”
“After the last incident with the demon summon…”
“So! What are you saying suddenly? What do you mean by aftereffect!
He said it was no big deal when he was sick the last time!”
“Kiyoung-ssi didn’t want to announce it. I’ll explain it later, Deokgu-ssi.”
“Isn’t it that we shouldn’t let him be like this? Don’t we have to inject
even magic power…?”
“It’s not just a matter to be solved with magic power. This…”
“No! No! Oppa, Oppa!!!”
“He will be ine. He must be ine.”
I was speechless at how the situation had suddenly unfolded. The

disgusting smell of the soul felt strong.
‘What the hell is this…?’

In the meantime, the priest and other medical staff come to the
reception room.
Jung Hayan-nim was crying, and Han Sora looked anxious. Park Deokgu
and Kim Hyunsung also looked very sad.
I thought he would get better, but Lee Kiyoung, who groaned in pain
and shivering, wasn’t getting better.
Instantly, a small deduction came to a corner of my mind.
Perhaps…
“The d-divine power does not work. His body must be in normal
condition…”
“Aren’t you a priest? Q-Quickly, do something! Huh? I mean, try to save

our Hyung-nim!”
“His body is de initely normal. This is my irst time seeing t-this kind of
seizure…”
“Waaaah. Oppa… Waaaahh.”
Perhaps… It may be Elune’s revelation that I could meet the heroes of

light.
CHAPTER 341
AFTEREFFECT (7)
The continuous voices seemed to tell how urgent the situation was.
Naturally, I could see the faces and backs of the lustered people. The
leader of the State and Pristina of Laios also appeared in the noisy hall
in an instant.
Of course, there was no time to greet them because they had

disappeared into the crowd to immediately check Lee Kiyoung’s
condition.
The divine power of the high priests of the State was constantly lighting
up the room.
During that, the people present all had their own reactions. Some
prayed, and others watched the situation with an anxious expression.
Park Deokgu was talking to a high-ranking priest, and Jung Hayan was
crying. Others were no different.
Everyone was nervous.
“Gasp. Waaaahh… Oppa…”
“H-He will be okay. He must be ine. Calm down.”
“Waaaaahhh. Hic. No. It can’t be…”

“Hey, doctor, is there any way? He’s suffering like this! Does it make
sense that there is nothing wrong with him?”
“The body is ine. I-I’m sure of it. The body is de initely normal… I
couldn’t ind the cause. For now, there seems to be no other way except
to inject divine power. I heard that he was suffering from aftereffects,
but I couldn’t imagine he was suffering like this. Honorary Cardinal kept
saying he was okay…”
“Did you believe that?! How can you say that’s normal! Did you accept
that even though you know Hyung-nim’s nature?”
“I’m r-really sorry, Park Deokgu. I’m doing my best, too… Honorary
Cardinal…”
“You don’t have to be sorry for me! You have to know the cause of what
the hell hurts!”
“Calm down, Deokgu-ssi. It is not a problem that can be solved by

yelling.”
“T-Then what can I do, Hyunsung Hyung-ssi? We need to know what

aftereffects he has to do something about it, right? O-Of course, there is
nothing I can do… Still, we need to know what’s going on!”
“I don’t know the details. In particular, since Kiyoung’s body exudes a

lesser amount of magical power, he must have received a bigger
rebound than Hayan-ssi. On the outside, there seems to be no problem,
but there is a high possibility that the shock is overlapping inside.”
“T-Then how does he usually…”
“The reason Kiyoung was able to recover his body is because of his
unique constitution. It is a special constitution that shares divine power
and magical power. I am also sorry for not being able to tell you in
advance. He told me to keep it a secret, especially from Deokgu and
Hayan… I’m really sorry.”
“N-No. It’s not something for you to lower your head. Even if it were me,
if Hyung-nim had said that, I would have kept my mouth shut. H-
Hyung-nim must have thought that he had to endure it. It’s a busy time.
Since it’s something important, he didn’t want to be a burden.”
“…”
“Since he didn’t want to worry others, he must have suffered alone. He

must have acted as if nothing had happened, squeezing his chest every
day. Even though he was in pain like this, he just didn’t want us to be
worrying, so he was enduring it with a smile.”
“…”
“Gasp… if only I could be in pain instead… I would want to do that. I

really can’t see it. I don’t think I can stand to see Hyung-nim suffering
like this.”
“I understand. I feel the same way.”
“Damn. Damn!”
Park Deokgu turned his back and clenched his ist.
‘I’m right.’
Of course, it was a simple doubt at irst, but the more I listened to their
conversation, the more I had to be sure.
It was natural that I nodded and stood up.
Nothing was clear yet, but if Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung really
received the revelation of Goddess Benignore and Elune, I might also
have been guided by something.
What I was currently looking at in the Laios reception room may be one
big revelation, all of which were being put together like a puzzle.
‘Right.’
No matter how I were to think about this, I could only conclude that
way. Of course, I was not sure if my guess was correct or not.
However, even at this moment, the odor that was pricking at my nose
was getting worse.
There might be a possibility that it may be my misunderstanding, but

there was no more time. This was because I felt the soul of the hero,
who was still in pain grasping, was fading.
No, in the irst place, even the small light was engulfed in perfect
darkness.
“Please make room. I…”
“What?”
“Perhaps I have a way.”
“What do you mean? Elena-nim, until now… Then, how come, seeing
Hyung-nim, you…”
“I am not sure. I’m just guessing, but maybe something happened…

with the Honorary Cardinal’s soul.”
“What on Earth are you talking about? C-Can you even know that?”
“Yes. The current condition of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is a

dif icult condition to judge simply that it is an aftereffect. If there is
really nothing wrong with his body, it may not be a wound on his
physical body. It is even more so if the high-ranking priests of the State
have not noticed it.”
“If it’s not a physical wound… can it be a s-soul wound?”
“I think I can explain it like that for now. It is unclear whether this is the
area I can help with, but… if you leave the Honorary Cardinal as he is,
there will surely be problems. I also don’t know how the outcome of
this will be. One thing I can say for sure is that the current condition of
the Honorary Cardinal is so disastrous that it is beyond words. If I don’t
take any measure, he will collapse right away.”
“Please explain in an easy-to-understand manner.”
“I think it would be most appropriate to say he is contaminated.”
“What do you mean… contaminated?”
“Yes. He is so polluted that it is dif icult to describe. Perhaps as a side

effect of resisting the power of the demon that day…”
“Is that why the elf princess just got nauseous?”
“It’s… embarrassing, but it is.”
“No. There is no need to be embarrassed. That’s because Hyung-nim’s

condition was terrible. I-I can understand this. More importantly, w-
what happens if there is a problem with the soul?”
“I have never seen anyone contaminated that collapsed, but the body
will likely begin to collapse. Just as if the water in the pond rots, the
surrounding area also gets affected. That’s exactly the Honorary
Cardinal’s condition. He is probably going through a painful process
beyond our imagination.”
“T-Then, do something. Quickly! Please, do something to Hyung-nim!”
As I nodded, the heroes stepped aside. What stood in their eyes were
expectations and doubts.
Of course, I could understand. I felt disappointed, but what I was saying

was ridiculous even when I thought about it myself.
“If something goes wrong or you see other signs…”
“I can understand you are doubtful. However, I am here on behalf of the

kingdom of Eberia, not to harm the heroes. If I try to harm Lee Kiyoung,
you can cut my throat.”
“Elena! That…!”
“It will be ine, Ludwig. Don’t worry. Everything will be ine. I think I
know why I came here. No doubt, Elune brought me here.”
Every time I took one step, I felt disgusting energy that could not be
explained in words. However, I had to bite my lips tightly and maintain
my composure.
The hero was suffering worse pain. It was not him that was painful, but
the sublime soul that resisted the demon until his soul had begun to rot.
‘It’s painful.’
It all felt so disgusting that even my own soul felt like rotting.
It was surprising to see that purity still remained in this situation. It

was hard to guess what his original soul was like.
With this sensation that was confusing me, I shook my head as much as
I could and stood in front of him, and what I could see was a miserable
sight. He was constantly gasping for breath, and tears lowed out of his
bloodshot eyes. He was biting his lips to bear the pain, but a miserable
scream was leaking from him.
Even the trembling legs and twisting body seemed to be telling the
extent of his suffering. It did not match the hero’s appearance, one who
did not retreat at all with a huge demon in front of him.
This hero of light, who had not suffered even from breaking his own
body, was suffering enough to shed tears of blood at the contamination
of his soul.
How… How could he be so sublime?
How could this happen to a human that was so altruistic and sacred?
Lee Kiyoung struggled to swallow his scream and nodded as if he was

okay, for me not to worry.
Tears lowed out without my knowledge. Slowly, I put my hand on his

chest.
I had the sensation of touching a rotten maggot, but after biting my lips
tightly once again, I put the other hand.
‘It’s neither disgusting, nor dirty.’
I didn’t know if it would work.
However, I continue to push away the energy inside his body. This was
because I thought I should stop it from being completely eaten.
‘Elune, I know you led me here because of this noble soul. Since it’s
your servant who is asking, please give me the power to save this soul.
Please. Please.’
Please, I beg you.

‘Please… I will never forsake him even if I sacri ice my all.’
While I kept holding his hand, struggling to crush these gruesome

sensations, a short scream was heard.
“Ah!”
His breath slowly stabilized.
Both the deformedly bent waist and the limply trembling legs began to
return to normal.
The hero who was suffering was not there. Instead, his face looking at
me while touching his body with eyes of doubt stood out.
‘It was a revelation. The revelation was correct!’
[My dear daughter… run… (0/1)]
[For unknown reasons, the forced quest of the heroic-grade was

canceled.]
I think there was something going on that I couldn’t seem to

understand.
[Legendary-grade forced quest is activated.]
[Transition of Revelation (0/1)]
I think I knew what role I had now been given.
“Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim!”
“Oppa, Oppa. Sniff.”

The moment I heard a big cheer, I had to smile a little.
“Thank you, Elune.”

CHAPTER 342
CRYING WOLF (1)
‘It was an enthusiastic performance! Fuck!’
I had been telling many lies so far, but even I was surprised by my
acting this time around.
I was so focused that my body was soaked with sweat. It was a scene
that suited the expression of putting a soul in acting very well.
From the middle, it was actually painful, so no other expression would

be necessary.
As I turned my eyeballs as if I had become a really sick person, I could

see Elena’s face, looking at me with her moistened eyes.
The same went for the others. It knew it might have seemed a bit
exaggerated, but the more I thought about it, the more appropriate it
was. It seemed like it would be okay to pass it over as a simple
happening and go quietly, but as it was a sensitive period, even such a
small incident would be unacceptable.
A discarded cigarette ire could eventually spread to a large ire.
My previous action was irst aid by putting out a small ember with a
ire extinguisher.
‘Very good. Very good! This is Light Kiyoung. Yes. Absolutely.’

Light Kiyoung must remain forever as Light Kiyoung, and this shield
must be constantly maintained.
I wanted to pay tribute to myself, who had managed to escape the crisis
with my momentary wits and rising acting skills.
Of course, even amidst joy, I thought I couldn’t help but feel a little
bitter. Belial’s expression of “a man with a disgusting soul” was
completely correct.
I comforted myself bitterly that it wasn’t, but I couldn’t completely deny

what he said.
‘It’s not enough to vomit, though.’
I was hurt a little bit.
‘The nausea was too much.’
However, immediately after this, I shook my head.
What did the soul matter? It didn’t mean that transcendental beings
would reward you just because it was clean.
Anyway, the part that I thought was fortunate was that Elena didn’t
show much doubt about me.
Instead, it felt like she completely believed in me. Anyone could see that
the expression on her face seems worried. Of course, she seemed to be
in pain, being next to me, but she was still smiling widely.
However, I couldn’t appreciate her face for long. It was because I had to
endure the smacking of Jung Hayan’s body that ran straight in.
“Waaaah. Oppa. Oppaa…”

Her face was illed with tears and a runny nose as if she was really
surprised.
The situation was not different for Park Deokgu, too, and Kim
Hyunsung exhaled his breath and grabbed his chest.
Until now, I was just pretending not to know, so all I had to do was to
show that I wanted to ind out the truth.
“What the hell… happened?”
“H-Hyung-nim, are you really okay?”
“Ah… Right. I’m okay, Deokgu.”
“Are you really okay? Are you really not in pain?”
“I’m ine. I’m really ine. I’m sorry for worrying you. And that I hid it…
I’m sorry.”
“Gasp…”
“…”
Once again, thanks to Park Deokgu, it had de initely become

burdensome.
He didn’t talk as if he choked, but looking at other people’s faces, I

couldn’t do this twice. Many people had gathered, and even Oscar
looked worried.
“Are you feeling better? Honorary Cardinal.”
“Yes. The pain is gone. I showed you something I shouldn’t. I looked so

stupid. Haha.”
“You don’t have to say that.”
“More importantly, Oscar-ssi, just now…”
“Princess Elena of the Kingdom of Eberia helped.”
“Elena’s… help?”
It was natural to look doubtful. Light Kiyoung, who was being tortured
by the demon, did not notice why this pain had gone.
Oscar slowly got up and bowed to Elena, and I began to look even more
embarrassed.
“Come to think of it, the situation was so urgent that I couldn’t even
greet you. I’m Oscar, Elena. The State will never forget the help you gave
today. Thank you again. Sincerely.”
“I’m Elena Eberia. You don’t have to lower your head, Oscar. I just did
what I had to do. I wasn’t asking for compensation. I was helping the
hero, and it’s a mission given to me.
“Honorary Cardinal, it is Elena-nim who stabilized the Cardinal in a

dangerous state.”
“Is that true?”
When I asked her back, I could see Elena looking at me. “Yes. I don’t
know what happened, but I was the one who stabilized Lee Kiyoung’s
condition.”
“So… can you explain this?”

“Of course. Honorary Cardinal, you may feel absurd to hear this, but I
hope that you do not misunderstand and listen.”
“Okay.”
Elena slowly nodded and immediately continued talking.
It wasn’t exactly the same as I expected, but some parts matched. In

summary, it looked like this.
After that day, the aftereffects remained in me, and the place where the
aftereffect remained was not actually the body.
Although she said boring things about souls and everything, seeing that
the State’s priests nodded, they seemed to think there was a possibility.
‘Good.’
No matter how they thought about this, they couldn’t ind any
abnormalities in my body, so it was simply natural to turn the arrow to
the other side. It may sound absurd to these people, to think that there
was a problem with the soul, but the people here had actually
con irmed that I had recovered.
It was not unreasonable to nod at Elena’s remarks. I wasn’t the only one
who knew the high elves’ traditions.
Anyway, as the story continued, more and more people began to nod.
There was no need to explain that I was also included in the group.
“It’s hard to believe, but… now it’s a bit clear.”
“Yes. It is no exaggeration to say that the current Honorary Cardinal’s

soul is on the verge of breaking down. I have never seen such a pure,
disgusting soul.”
“Then what about now that the treatment is over?”
“I didn’t do any treatment, Honorary Cardinal.”
“What?”
“I was simply alleviating the suffering of the Honorary Cardinal. Sorry

to disappoint you, but no real treatment has been done. The erosion is
still going on… and with my weak strength, I couldn’t get rid of the
disgusting energy surrounding the Honorary Cardinal in a short time. I
had simply done some irst aid. Yes. It was all about simply giving irst
aid. Nothing has changed from before.”
It was then that the voice of Kim Hyunsung, who was still listening, was
heard.
He had to be interested. It was probably the most important thing for

him.
“Then, do you mean he may continue to show seizure symptoms in the

future?”
“I hate to disappoint you, but it’s very likely. Of course, if he receives

proper treatment and management, his condition can improve slightly,
but even that is not clear… It’s a good idea to ind some other way. I hate
to say this, but maybe the time is running out.”
“T-Then what about our Hyung-nim? He has to keep living like this, you
mean? No, you mean he could die?”
“…”
“…”
“It won’t be, Deokgu. My condition seems to be getting better little by

little…”
“No, how can you judge that? Who knows if one day this will happen
again? Er… E-excuse me, but can’t Elena keep watching Hyung-nim
every time he gets sick? I-I will do whatever I can. P-please…”
“That’s not possible.”
It wasn’t Eberia’s elven princess who stopped Park Deokgu, but an

attendant who had come with her.
This was a natural reaction.
No matter how much my life depended on it, Elena was still a noble
high elf born after thousands of years, and even a country’s princess.
It was unreasonable to be a healer for the soul of some dog shit. There
may be room for compromise to some extent, but there was a high
possibility that even that would not work.
‘I’m comfortable with this, too.’
Of course, this was also a comfortable setting for me.
If she kept sticking to me, there was a high possibility that various
dif iculties would soon blossom.
There was the problem with Jung Hayan, and I didn’t want anyone
knowing my whereabouts anymore.
For whatever reason, there was no way to let Elena from the Elven
Kingdom do that. As expected, he started talking seriously again.
“Princess Elena is the body that must protect the kingdom.”
“B-But…”
“That’s right, Deokgu. It’s not right to ask an unreasonable request
because there is a difference in our positions. Please forget what
Deokgu just said. Everyone, I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”
“No. It’s not that, Honorary Cardinal.”
“I’m sorry?”
When I realized the sense of responsibility in Elena’s face, I thought

that something had gone slightly twisted.
“I will not return to the kingdom.”
“…Yes?”
“As Park Deokgu said, I will continue to remain with the Honorary
Cardinal and take care of the wounds. I shouldn’t let the hero of light
die like this.”
“Elena-nim, what are you saying?!”
“I have already made a decision, Ludwig. I will tell my mother and

father as well. I will continue to be with him.”
‘What bullshit is this again?’
“You can’t.”
“It’s not up to you, nor anyone else to decide. If it’s my position that’s
holding me back, I’ll be happy to take them off. I think you understand
“Elena, please refrain from reckless remarks. Do you know what you’re
saying?”
“Ludwig, it’s not the position that matters to me.”

“Why…?”
“I have received a revelation. I’m absolutely not mistaken. I really got a

revelation from Elune. I also had a role to play in the continental crisis.
It is no coincidence that I am here.”
“…”
“…”
As the two elves looked at each other for a long time, the room’s
atmosphere became heavier.
‘Why is she suddenly saying about some kind of revelation?’
“It was inevitable that I met these heroes today.”
‘So what bullshit are you talking about?’
“I also had a role.”
I couldn’t igure out what she was talking about. It seemed as if she had
de initely misunderstood something.
It was even more lustering because I didn’t know if it would bene it

me, or damage me.
“I came here to save you, Honorary Cardinal.”
It was such a sight to see her bowing to me.
I didn’t know what that revelation was, but I was assured that she
would soon put me in trouble.
‘I’m having a headache… Ah… ’
CHAPTER 343
CRYING WOLF (2)
There was no more time to be spent thinking.
This was because the situation had changed immediately after the
ridiculous incident ended. After calming down Elena, who announced
that she would follow me for a while, a strange silence circulated in the
room.
“I don’t know about the revelation and what’s going on… but you’re
saying Hyung-nim might die?”
No wonder Park Deokgu opened his mouth. Jung Hayan also began to
cry like a waterfall.
There was loud talking.
Kim Hyunsung also seemed to be greatly agitated. His face, tightly

biting his lips, was exactly the same as the face he showed last time.
‘Was my performance too enthusiastic?’
Upon seeing this, tremendous regret dominated me.
The elven aides took Princess Elena, who was still showing a
determined face, and more silence fell in the room.
‘It wasn’t supposed to be like this. This is bad… ’
It was then that Kim Hyunsung opened his mouth.

“Can other people go out for a while? I have something to talk about
with Kiyoung. Oh, if it’s okay, please stay, too, Deokgu. Hyejin, take care
of Hayan, please.”
I felt like he was going to say something serious. The Blue guild
members, as well as the priests and Oscars, began to leave.
Seeing that Park Deokgu was left behind, it seemed as if he wanted to

persuade me at any cost.
However, it was not nice to even talk about this.
“Uh, what should we do? Wouldn’t it be better to keep asking for it for
now?”
“…”
“…”…”
“That’s ridiculous. What would the princess of a country gain to be in

charge of treating me? Even if she says she wants to, it will undoubtedly
be a problem on Eberia’s side. You don’t have to worry too much. You
too, Hyunsung. You don’t have to keep in mind what happened just
before.”
“It’s not something to be saying so easily, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Hyunsung Hyung-ssi is right. It’s not that easy to decide. Whether you
get down on your knees or think about another way, it is only right to
continue to seek treatment from Elena for now.”
“It’s useless.”
“This is not useless.”
‘Shit.’
Things got a little complicated. Although I felt sorry for Park Deokgu,
who was talking with tears, I couldn’t let Elena stay here.
Kim Hyunsung was constantly looking at me with a irm expression. He

seemed to be looking for a way to do something, but he frowned even
more as the answer wasn’t coming out.
Kim Hyunsung would also agree with me to some extent. It was easy to
say, but the Three Kingdoms Alliance itself could not happen if we were
to do something wrong.
Of course, it would be an expanded interpretation, but a very small

thing could distort political relations.
“Can’t she stay? The elf princess is saying she would stay, too, so what’s
wrong?”
“That’s why I said it wasn’t that simple.”
“I don’t care if it’s a simple matter or whatever! Hyung-nim is about to

die, and how isn’t that a big deal now? If the State of icially asks her to
take care of you for at least a few months, they will certainly listen to it.”
‘Gosh, this pig bastard. Stop it.’
“Ugh…”
‘You pig bastard.’
“Hyung-nim, please change your mind, too. You have to think about
those who remain. You don’t have to worry about anything else. No
matter what happens, you should get treatment!”
‘You, bastard. Do you know how hard this meeting was arranged?’
It was when I was about to say something that Kim Hyunsung quietly
opened his mouth.
“No. We don’t have to let her stay here.”
“Kiyoung-ssi can go to the Kingdom of Eberia.”
“I’m sorry?”
‘Shit.’
The curse almost popped out.
‘Shit.’
“So… What Hyunsung is saying…?”
“Yes. It would be better for you to go to the Kingdom of Eberia. It’s

certainly unreasonable to ask Elena to stay in Laios, but it’s also
possible to send Kiyoung to the Kingdom of Eberia.”
“Are you being serious right now?”
“Yes. Of course, you may think that this is not a good time, but you
getting better is the top priority for now. It’s the most reasonable way
to do that.”
“Even so, to be leaving at this time…”
“There will be no problem. I understand you, but…”
“Still, this is…”

‘Fuck. They’re making a fuss when there’s nothing to be cured. I’ll be
screwed… ’
Big lies always came with great responsibility.
Naturally, my head was hurting from the various problems that had
suddenly sprung up. It seemed like both candles would be burning in an
instant.
Even if it affected the alliance, it was better to force the elf to stay over
here. The most painful part was that I would stay away from Kim
Hyunsung.
No matter how much I was out of the suspect line, it is not nice to go to
the Kingdom of Eberia apart from Kim Hyunsung. Just imagining that
he would be investigating around while I was away made me nervous.
‘No way. It doesn’t make sense. Yes.’
I spoke con idently, but the atmosphere was pretty cold.
“Hyunsung, you don’t have to do that.”
“No, Kiyoung. I can understand the desire to stay here and watch the
end of the situation, but Kiyoung’s health comes irst.”
“I’m really okay…”
“No, how can you say that after what happened?! How could I believe in
those words? It’s not okay to say that you’re okay! Of course, I
understand that you have many worries, but your health is the top
priority. That’s right. That’s right! Hyung-nim, if the Three Kingdoms
alliance is completed, the Eberia kingdom will be opened soon anyway,
and then you will be able to enter the place where the elves live.”
‘Shit!’
“No, it’s really okay. I’m really ine. Besides…”
“No, Kiyoung-ssi. I will not hear an objection this time. Kiyoung will
unconditionally go to Eberia.”
“What? What are you…?”
“It is exactly what I said. And all the Blue guild members, including me,
are also going to go to Eberia.”
“No… what the hell…?”
There was no choice but to look at him quietly.
‘Is this kid really sane?’
Of course, for me, I had to cheer. Whatever the reason, I would be stuck
with Kim Hyunsung anyway.
However, when I was able to recall his personal affairs, I could never
say that he had made a reasonable decision.
‘Does he know how important it is now?’
External work was also important, but for Kim Hyunsung, he had just
caught the brigade’s tail and the trash.
He had already moved a few steps away, but he was still one step closer.
It was not unusual to get annoyed since he was being held back by
something like this.
Nevertheless, we would still go together to Eberia.
‘He really deserves to be backstabbed several times.’

After weighing the masked man and me, he must have decided that I
was more important now. I was expecting a trauma about a colleague’s
death, but it felt worse than I thought.
I had no choice but to exclaim at his goodwill because he would rather

choose to spend his time with me, leaving many political problems
behind.
‘That’s why you get backstabbed… ’
However, unlike what I was thinking, I began to smile.
There were still problems, but the worst had been avoided. It was a
hundred times better to move together than to move alone.
Even that feeling was being conveyed, so I felt better inside. The fact
that Kim Hyunsung protected me was in line with the fact that I would
be safer.
“No. You don’t have to. There’s no need for you to go together…”
“No! That’s right! It’s not just Hyung-ssi. All other Blue guild members
will move together!”
“But the situation…”
“Forget about all other issues for now. You have to focus only on
recovering.”
“…”
“You will de initely be able to recover.”
‘No, that would be impossible.’

It was fortunate if the condition did not get worse and worse, let alone
recover. No matter what Elena did, I knew better than anyone else that
she wouldn’t be able to do this.
It had not yet been revealed on the surface, but it could still be
considered a problem.
‘She’ll notice… ’
It was a good thing if the big ears continued to make

misunderstandings, but if there were even minor troubles, an annoying
situation might unfold.
Even if I showed off acting that my body was getting better, my soul
wouldn’t get better at all.
For now, I had no choice but to endure and endure.
In the meantime, a curious thing came to mind, and I opened my mouth.
It was understandable that Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and Jung

Hayan would go together, but it was not explained why all the guild
members had to go.
I didn’t know what he was thinking. If he was really worried about me,
it was right for only him to come or just send Jung Hayan or Park
Deokgu.
Taking all of the Blue Guild members to Eberia was a waste of

manpower anyway and irrational.
I didn’t even understand why he was doing this right now.

I could see Kim Hyunsung quietly opening his mouth as if he had
noticed the curiosity in my face.
“I’m not sure yet, but…”
“Yes?”
“Maybe, we may be able to restore Kiyoung’s body to normal.”
“What? What does…?”
“Really?”
“Yes. Of course, it is not yet a step to say de initely. It is unknown

whether it is possible or not.”
“You mean his body will be back to normal?”
“If it succeeds.”
“It means he won’t die?”
‘Fuck… ’
I was forced to feel anxious. It was because I couldn’t even get a hint of
how the hell could I be cured. This was just ridiculous speculation, but
he might recommend that I take a drink of spring water that would heal
the soul.
Of course, there could be no cure for that.
In the end, the suspicious ending was inevitable. It was an uneasy

situation to be with Kim Hyunsung, and even more so not to be with
him.
The former would be better if I have to choose, but there was no law
that the less bad could become the worst.
‘What should I do? Shit. What should I do?’
When I was holding my head, I could see the regressor’s face patting on
my shoulder.
“I promise you again. I won’t let Kiyoung die at any cost.”
I didn’t know when I had gotten deadly sick, but Kim Hyunsung’s face
had the most enthusiastic look I had ever seen.
‘I won’t die, you bastard. I’ll live until I reach senility.’

CHAPTER 344
CRYING WOLF (3)
‘I won’t die, you bastard. I’ll live until I reach senility.’
Of course, there was no way I could say this. Demonstrating willingness

for life had the potential to make the situation worse.
“Hyunsung Hyung-ssi is right. We will never let you die.”
‘Shit.’
“Hyunsung, the seizure lasts for only a short time. The rest of the time,
I’m really healthy.”
After lying that much, I felt like no one would believe me even if I were
to say I was ine now. I could understand how the boy who cried wolf
felt in the fairy tale.
I wanted to show that I was ine somehow, but in Kim Hyunsung and
Park Deokgu’s eyes, I looked like a righteous person who did not want
to be a burden to his colleagues.
Honestly, if I really had a fatal disease, I would want to head to the

Kingdom of Eberia at all costs. However, this was a different situation.
As I always thought of the worst, the worst scenario came to mind

again.
First of all, checking what card Kim Hyunsung had was the top priority.
No matter what, it was not good to refuse too much, as it may seem
strange that I didn’t want to leave for the kingdom of Eberia.
‘Does he have a way?’
Looking at Kim Hyunsung’s con ident face, it seemed that he really had
a way.
‘Does he have some kind of an elixir recipe?’
He probably had something that matched.
I didn’t know what it would be, but the place was de initely the
Kingdom of Eberia. Whether it was a dungeon reward or a treasure
held by the elves, it seemed that something was corresponding to the
mythic-grade.
The only way I could heal my current soul’s wounds was that much, so
it was correct to think as above.
‘Is it a dungeon? Or are there some elves’ treasures?’
Considering that all party members were moving, it was likely to be the
former one. Of course, the possibility of the latter was high enough. We
may have to use force if it was the latter.
If I considered that the only information that Kim Hyunsung had from
the irst round that it relatively accurately was the dungeon’s location,
the probability went up even more.
His strange remarks were tantamount to suggesting that he was aware

of a certain amount of the situation. The possibility was more than
enough.
The Kingdom of Eberia, the Forest of the World Tree, had not been
touched by foreigners so far, and because of the strict guard, I could
count on one hand those who have entered there.
Right now, even High Elf Elena had an ability with a completely
different mechanism than mine.
They may be over lowing with similar abilities or things that cannot be
found in human countries. Among them, there must be a possibility that
there was something that could help me.
I didn’t know if it was a coincidence, but from Kim Hyunsung’s

perspective, the timing was indeed just right.
I thought that, maybe the reason he led the Three Kingdoms’ alliance
was that he was planning this.
‘This is plausible.’
Of course, he didn’t think I had a mortal illness until then, but he knew
about the aftereffects. After realizing that the situation was a little more
serious, he may have thought he couldn’t afford to delay anymore. His
priorities had changed.
Of course, this was unpleasant for me. There was no such thing as a
wound to the soul.
It was quite the sight to see him looking at me like I was going to die
while grabbing his head. For them, I seemed to be living a life with
limited time.
‘But it’s not that… ’
It was embarrassing to say that it was a lie now.
“We will leave tomorrow.”
“What? It’s too sudden…”

“There is no time to delay.”
‘I’m just delaying a little more.’
“It will be a hard expedition.”
‘Then let’s just take a break at home. Hyunsung… please, please.’
“It won’t take long. You don’t have to worry about Laios. It’s not
something that Kiyoung-ssi should be concerned about right now.
There are more talented people in the State than Kiyoung thinks. For
me, I would recommend getting away from work as much as possible,
but if you wish, I will take action so that you can continue to see the
situation.
‘It’s not necessary, you bastard.’
“Hyung-ssi is right. Both Oscar-nim, Pristina-nim, even the people from

the Holy side, and the Laios people all work hard. They couldn’t make
you worry… Everyone thinks the same thing as us.”
‘I got it. Don’t be impressed.’
Park Deokgu’s face, swallowing words, came into sight as if he felt like
crying. I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about and why he
moved, but since he was a sensitive guy, it was clear that he was
thinking something I couldn’t possibly understand. I wanted to get out
of this situation somehow, but the problem was that I couldn’t.
“But Eberia’s permission…”
“I will inish it within today. Perhaps they will agree.”
What I could hope for right now was that Eberia refused this request,
but they couldn’t say no.
‘Please refuse. I don’t want to go. Fuck… I don’t want to go… ’
I had mixed feelings about this. I was grateful that they were organizing
all these things for me, but it was heartbreaking that the result of the
act would come back to me like shit.
It was at that moment I had a pretty good idea. Of course, it may be

irrational, but it was still worth trying.
“I want to ask you one more thing, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Will the method be dangerous?”
Kim Hyunsung paused. Like an innocent guy, lies didn’t come out of him
so well. Eventually, he exhaled and spoke.
“I can’t say it’s not dangerous. But as much as possible…”
‘This is it!’
“I will not refuse to go to Eberia, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“Yes.”
“But I don’t want to get my body back to normal if it puts others in

danger, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“But…”
“…”
“…”
“I can’t put others in danger just to save my body. And also, to go on an
expedition at a time like this. No matter how I think about it, it’s all
nonsense. You must have your own business to deal with. The same
goes for everyone else. I don’t want the Blue Guild members…”
If someone else was in danger, the story would change. I wanted to get
up and dance right now.
“I can take any risk.”
“Don’t think that just because you do, other people will be able to do
that. If you try to save someone who hasn’t died yet, you will be
criticized toughly. Of course, it’s not that I don’t understand you and
Hyunsung, but it’s right to focus on what’s right in front of us. My
problem is after that. Unless we are at least surely prepared, such an
expedition…”
“I-I can bear it! Hic!”
That was when the door suddenly opened with a bang.
‘What is this again?’
It was Jung Hayan.
It looked like she had been crying until now. It was quite a sight to see
her looking at me.
No, I wanted to ask what kind of day drama she was ilming right now.
And behind her, Blue Guild members began to appear one after another.
‘Shit. What is this?’
It may be very touching in some ways, but in the current situation

where everything was a lie, it was nothing more than a cheap tear-
jerker.
My cheeks started to turn red for nothing.
Sun Hee-young, who seemed to be feeling a sense of responsibility for

some reason, and Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri, who had always sent
mischievous expressions, had determined expressions for some reason.
The same could be said for Kim Chang-ryul and Yoo Ahyoung.
In fact, despite not having such great contact with Kim Chang-ryul, he
seemed to have decided to be with me. Jung Hayan kept shedding tears.
Magic scholar Hwang Jeong-yeon was also standing there with a warm
smile.
‘You don’t have to do this coming in groups. You guys… ’
They even started talking one at a time as if they had all combined.
There was no need to explain that I felt like my limbs were gone.
“I’m okay, too, Vice Guild Master. Hahaha. I’ve received a lot of help in
the meantime. You’re also the one who helped me to be in this guild.
This time, it is my turn. No matter how dangerous it is, it is natural to go
together.”
“Me too. I’ll go with you, uncle Kiyoung. I don’t like it… But I don’t want
you dying. And it won’t be very dangerous. Since Hyunsung… will be
there. Yes. We are also strong now.”
It was Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri who were making an unsuitable
expression.
“Me, too. I will never, never let Lee Kiyoung die. Even at the expense of
my life. I will do whatever I can.”
“Me, too. You’re the one who made the current Blue guild the way it is,
right? Researching with Kiyoung is one of the joys of my life, and I can’t
have that taken away.”
Sun Hee-young and Hwang Jeong-yeon also had their chance to talk.
I appreciated their thought, but I also started to feel like I wanted to

escape somewhere. My face was getting redder and redder by the
minute. I was so embarrassed that I was right in the middle of this tear-
jerker.
“I’ll do my best, Vice Guild Master.”
“Vice Guild Master is the benefactor who made me now. I want to be

helpful this time.”
Kim Chang-ryul and Yoo Ahyoung also sported determined faces.
Instead, an ambiguous face like Cho Hyejin would be more bene icial to
my mental health.
Han Sora looked like she didn’t want to come, but she was watching the
situation from behind as if she had just realized the atmosphere.
“Hic. Hic!”
Jung Hayan, who shed tears without saying anything, was a bonus.
I don’t know why she’s here, but even Princess Elena was shedding
tears.
While waiting for the quick end of this cheap tear-jerker that couldn’t
be seen without tears, Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung, who inhaled
Blue feelings with lethal doses, quietly approached and patted my
shoulders.
“I will never let you die. Never.”
“I think it is decided. Look. Kiyoung is not alone.”

‘Not alone, my ass.’
I wanted to leave this place.
However, I was forced to nod and drop a tear because of those serious
faces.
It was a perfect checkmate. I wanted to resist a little more, but I

couldn’t say anything else at this place.
Naturally, I opened my mouth in the end. A voice that sounded like I

was very moved came out without my knowledge.
“Everyone… thank you very much.”
It was a time when it can be called a crisis, both externally and

internally.
It was the moment when the expedition caught in a big lie took the irst
step to the elves’ home to recover my body.
I didn’t know when it would be, but perhaps history would remember
an event like this. I meant, as the warriors who risked their lives to save
the hero of light from a crisis.
‘From now on, I should refrain from lying.’
It was only half sincere.
‘For something like this.’

CHAPTER 345
CRYING WOLF (4)
In fact, it wasn’t that I didn’t think about my inal resistance, but

everything happened so fast that I couldn’t even take any
countermeasures.
It was very heartbreaking to see the guild members prepare for the
expedition immediately after the meeting was over.
Of course, the tears were not from the guild members’ suffering.
Instead, to be perfectly honest, I wanted the guild members who
pushed me to the wall to suffer a little more.
I was hoping that the elves would refuse my trip to Eberia, but even
that was ruined. On the elf’s side, they were welcoming us with open
arms instead. I didn’t know if they really asked what our party wanted,
but it would have been the best news for the elves who were worried
about the welfare of Princess Elena.
Of course, the elf called Ludwig didn’t look very happy, but after
Princess Elena’s ierce argument, the weak opposition had
automatically become smashed.
It was no wonder that the Three Kingdoms Alliance also proceeded

very smoothly. With the elves, Oscar and Pristina, who decided that
they couldn’t be delayed for a day, moved quickly.
Even the country leaders were doing their best to put me into the pit of
Eberia, so everything had gotten solved easily.
The speed at which the Holy Democracy State, the Kingdom of Laios,
and the Kingdom of Eberia were hindering complicated documents was
faster than my act of gathering energy for a change of posture. As a
result, everyone was satis ied.
It was an alliance that was neither favorable nor disadvantageous to

anyone.
[Success of the Three Kingdoms Alliance, the irst step toward harmony
between different races.]
[On the 26th, the alliance between the Holy Democracy State, the
Kingdom of Laios, and the Kingdom of Eberia were concluded. Each
country’s leader expressed great satisfaction that the alliance was
formed much faster and more lexible than expected. In particular, the
transformation of the Kingdom of Eberia, which had been exclusive to
humans, surprised many. The declaration of the Three Kingdoms
Alliance was read aloud at a convention held in the royal city of Laios,
and a step into a new utopia amid the cheers of the people. “This is a
small step, but it is a big step toward improving relations with the
different races,” said Oscar, the State leader.]
[Since then, the Three Kingdoms Alliance condemned the Republic that
was protecting the demon summoner Jin Qing and appealed to join
them in the extinction of black magic on the continent. While everyone
is paying attention to the Republic’s future movements, which are still
sparing words, the Three Kingdoms Alliance plans to formally refer this
matter to the Continental Court on the 29th. -Reporter Kim Seong-
gyeong of the Lindel Daily]
‘Shit.’
It took less than a day for the documents to be stamped, and the article
had come out.
The content was also very satisfactory, and I liked the plan to refer this
matter to the Continental Court, but dissatisfaction arose naturally.
If they could have inished it so quickly, I would like to ask why they had
been delaying so far. It could have been possible because each of the
articles had gotten conceded by the State and Laios, but I couldn’t
understand the elves who accepted it without any suspicion.
In a way, it could be seen as an advantage. It was no different than the

fact that I had made the three kingdoms.
“It’s time to leave, Kiyoung-ssi.”
I wanted to take a little more time, but Kim Hyunsung didn’t even
bother giving me a small margin.
“Let’s go together.”
“Yes. How are the preparations?”
“The preparations are perfect. The guild members were also in better
condition than ever. They are very passionate, especially around
Deokgu. He is already passionate, but this time he is more enthusiastic
than usual.”
‘Park Deokgu, this bastard, is the worst.’
“You don’t have to worry too much. It won’t be a big deal.”
“Yes…”
It was such a sight to see him holding me up with one arm even though
I could walk by myself.
Kim Hyunsung tried to give me strength as if he thought the reason I

had no strength was that I was sick. I began to feel embarrassed.
‘I’m not sick. It was all lies.’
Even if I were to come and shout out now, no one would believe me.
There seemed to be nothing in the mind of the lovely returner other
than the idea of treating me.
As we keep moving, I could see people glancing at me.
Even though it was still early in the morning, rumors had already begun
to spread.
It was news that the Blue Guild was leaving on an expedition to recover
the body of the hero of light, Lee Kiyoung.
I didn’t know where the rumors had originated, but I thought it might
be Park Deokgu with a high probability for some reason. As we moved a
little further, the guild members, Elena, and other major igures from
each country were visibly waiting in front of the royal castle’s gate.
Yuno Kasugano, who was chatting with Hee-ra, Lee Ji-hye, Oscar, and
Pristina, was looking at this place from a distance.
It went without saying about the papal of icials.
It looked like they had been waiting for me since dawn, but it was not
easy to exchange greetings one by one. Cha Hee-ra, who seemed to be
under the weather, looked at me, and patted my back, and Yuno
Kasugano also lowered her head.
Although Oscar had said some words of blessings, it honestly didn’t get
into my ears. The high priests of the State and others were also similar.
Of course, I tried not to lose my business smile, but I didn’t need to

explain that a smile with bitterness, which was inherent, popped out.
In fact, it seemed as if that face suited better. Suddenly, I started to hear
a snif ing sound from somewhere.
Lee Jihye seemed desperately holding on to laughter, but she was

showing off her acting skills as she was shedding tears.
‘She’s really… ’
I could bet on it.
If Elena were to see Lee Jihye, she might even vomit blood. It was a
shame to be unable to do so.
In fact, I wanted to bring people who could help me a little more, but
unfortunately, the situation was that only the Blue Guild members could
go on the expedition.
Kim Hyunsung held back other people’s participation, and honestly, I

agreed with that decision. It was because we needed people to take
charge of the ield before we ended our expedition in Eberia.
Anyway, the overall atmosphere was like a mourner’s house. However,

they also seemed to have some hope. Incessant encouragement was
poured out to Kim Hyunsung, who was in charge of this expedition, and
the expedition opened the gates of the royal palace to take a step
forward.
‘Oh, don’t do this. What kind of tear-jerker is this?’
A spectacular and magni icent sight came into view.
‘Please don’t do this. Don’t attack my conscience. You bastards. ‘
In fact, my conscience was ine. It was because I had seen the endless
low of Laios people before.
There was no crowd shout as it was a very solemn atmosphere.
Honestly, it would have been a pleasant sight if it were the usual, but I
didn’t feel well for some reason. In fact, when I saw the gathering when
I was passed out, I cheered, but the situation was the opposite
compared to then.
Everyone waving their hands and cheering for me looked like the
demons of hell, shouting that the time to be punished had come.
“It looks like they gathered more than last time? That’s great…”
“Yeah.”
“As expected from Hyung-nim.”
Park Deokgu, next to me, began to mutter, and Jung Hayan nodded. Kim
Hyunsung was still sticking to my side as we walked.
Voices kept popping out from everywhere. At irst, it was just a small
voice, but the voices began to grow louder as time passed.
“B-Be strong.”
“Cheer up! I will pray.”
“Thank you. And I hope that you will come back to Laios in full form! I
will pray every day for the Honorary Cardinal.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“Laios will not forget you. Please stop by again.”
“Don’t lose hope. Thanks to Lee Kiyoung, we didn’t lose hope. Please do
not lose hope.
“You will be able to overcome it. If it’s Lee Kiyoung, you will surely
overcome it!”
Honestly, it was spectacular. People were standing densely in all places

except on the path our expedition were to pass by. Some screamed from
the windows of the houses, and even people on the roof can be seen.
All they had in common were their tears.
The Laios’ guards seemed to have a hard time controlling the crowd, so
there was no need to say anything else.
It was then that a little kid broke out of the line.
Instantly, the guards rushed to stop the kid, but in the meantime, the
cursed brain of having to manage the image began to move irst. When I
quietly went to stop the guard, the little kid stepped over and gave me a
letter and a bar of chocolate.
[Thank you, Champion of the Light. Thank you for saving my mom and
dad, and for saving me, too. I heard that you’re hurt a lot. I hope to see
you again in a healthy way. I will pray every day.]
It was crooked writing. The font sizes were also different, but from the
kid’s point of view, there were signs of trying to write as straight as
possible.
‘This is too much.’
Nevertheless, my wall of conscience did not collapse. I could see the

cute hand clenching her ist and talking to me.
“Cheer up! Cheer up!”
“What is your name?”

“Leah, I’m Leah. You must stay healthy, warrior!”
“Thank you.”
I inished by nodding and patting her head once.
Although bitterness came up once again, Kim Hyunsung seemed to

think that I was having a complicated idea. He turned his head slightly
and smiled.
“I wanted to show you this scene.”
‘This was your work.’
“Everyone is hoping that Kiyoung’s body will be healthy as soon as

possible. Look at them. There are so many people who support you.”
‘I can see it too, Hyunsung.’
“I will do my best, too. I hope that Kiyoung will not lose hope.”
‘I have never lost… ’
“Be relieved, everyone! We will de initely return him to normal!

Everyone rest assured! Ugh…”
“Please, Park Deokgu!”
“Trust me! I will de initely bring him back to my health! I will de initely
save him!”
“You can overcome it! Lee Kiyoung!”
In the meantime, Park Deokgu screamed loudly, and cheers popped out
again.
Park Deokgu couldn’t igure out why he was crying, but he kept raising
the atmosphere. The greater the cheering, the more the guild members
had a strange sense of duty.
‘Shit.’
“Let’s go, everyone.”
Our group’s morale was strong.
Unlike the Blue Guild members, who constantly grew to adapt in

whatever situation they were to face, anxiety was constantly blooming
inside me, as much as the sound of cheering from afar.
[12 more chapters will be uploaded later today when I get back!
Cheers!]
CHAPTER 346
THE ELVES’ CITY (1)
“How are you feeling, Honorary Cardinal?”
“Yes, I’m comfortable. I can’t remember when was the last time I was
able to be so comfortable. I’m in a very good mood.”
Of course, it was all ironic, but Elena didn’t seem to notice the thorns in
my words. She smiled widely as if she was happy upon hearing my
response. She sent a divine power that I hadn’t heard of while thinking
that she had a rewarding time today.
It looked like she was treating a leprosy patient. She seemed to put up
with it, but I could see her mouth slowly opening as if my disgusting
energy was not disappearing. As we had been in an enclosed space for a
long time, it was frankly amazing to endure this much.
I didn’t know why my soul was disgusting, but considering that she let
everything inside her out as soon as she met me, she could be said to be
courageous to hold on so far.
“Can I go get some air? Ugh.”
The sound that came after leaving the wagon with a smile was a
spectacle.
“Ugh. Ugh.”
‘I can hear everything… ’
“Blaaarrggghhh.”
‘I can hear everything… ’
“Blaaaar… ggghh.”
“Elena-nim… Elena-nim.”
“Sigh… Sigh… Yes.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m ine. Ludwig.”
“You don’t have to overdo it.”
“No, Ludwig. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will be having a harder

time than me. I have to work hard as the mission was given to me. I
can’t even say that it’s hard at all. Haha…”
“But… Elena, he’s…”
I couldn’t hear his voice as if he realized that he hadn’t used

soundproo ing magic, but it was like locking the stable after the horse
was stolen.
‘There is no such nightingale.’
I couldn’t hear them, but I think I could tell what they were talking
about. Perhaps Ludwig and her attendants were telling her that she
needed to take a break, and Elena, united with her strange sense of
mission, was nodding her elongated head, saying it was all okay.
In fact, this treatment was a trivial process of sending her divine power,
but to her attendants, it would seem as if their princess was stepping
into a space full of twisted, deadly plagues. It was hard for them to see
the princess vomiting several times a day.
It was too harsh even for me to think of, but perhaps over there, they
would think it was even worse.
As I glanced at the window, I started to see the landscape constantly

changing. It seemed like I was on a train. It was not unreasonable to be
fast because it ran with a horse with various buffs pulling the carriage.
Even the wagon didn’t feel shaken. I couldn’t imagine how hard the
guild’s wizards and priests were trying to maintain it like this.
I bet it would feel more comfortable to just march.
‘Because there is no need to do this.’
Of course, even if I were to say that I was okay in the current situation.
It was nothing more than an empty cry. In the meantime, I said
countless times that I felt like I was getting healthy, but all were
ignored. In fact, by now, I had come to the point where I had to keep
lying. Pretending to be ine all of a sudden could look strange, so I was
still maintaining my previous state.
Of course, I was slowing down the cycle of my seizures, little by little, to

show that Elena’s treatment was working, but all the other guild
members were unsure, thanks to this elf princess, which stiffened her
complexion.
Come to think of it, the last time I had a seizure was 11 hours ago.
The seizure cycle was gradually slowing down from the irst 8 to 11
hours, so it would be appropriate to have a seizure by now. I didn’t want
to do it because I felt sick for some reason, but I quietly adjusted my
breath and tried to crumple my whispering voice into my throat.
The point was that I didn’t want to be noticed. The current Light
Kiyoung was a person who wanted to hide as much as possible that he
was sick from his teammates. He repressed a miserable scream and
twisted his whole body, much like when someone was watching. He
moved enough to appear in a major zombie movie. It was a move that
deserved an acting award to me.
“Ah… Ah…”
Of course, the unbearable screams started to leak out. As the door

rattled open, seeing Elena appear once again seemed to con irm my
voice.
“Lee Kiyoung! Lee Kiyoung!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Ludwig! Please hold onto the arm of the Honorary Cardinal.”
“Okay.”
“Once again, erosion seems to be going on. Please be patient, Honorary

Cardinal. I am with you. I am with you.”
“Ugh.”
It was no wonder that she bit her lips tightly and shed a few drops of
tears. Of course, Princess Elena herself was crying, and she was pushing
her divine power over here.
“You will be able to overcome it, Lee Kiyoung. You have to ight.”
“Gasp…”
“Please do not give up. Don’t accept it. Resist it to the end.”
“What. Our Hyung-nim again…”
“O-Oppa!”
It was natural that the galleries that came to see my acting irst went
into the room with anxious faces.
She had a deep divine power, so it would be normal for me to look

healthy for some more time, but for some reason, this woman’s divine
power was painful. What I felt last time was not my mistake. I had been
treated several times since then until now, but it hurt for some reason.
Of course, it wasn’t annoying, so I could show a calming performance
when Elena, who eventually pulled her divine power to her limits,
sighed and took her breath away.
“Waaahh…”
“Are you okay? Hyung-nim, are you okay?”
However, afterward, my body became drowsy as if I would fall asleep.

The painting contrasted with Elena, covered with sweat, and Park
Deokgu and Jung Hayan, who were crying. Even today, the thought that I
had piled up a stack of trash was quiet, but this was the best in the
current situation. For now, I had no choice but to keep this lie.
The voice I heard when I was about to fall asleep with my eyes closed
was a spectacle. It wasn’t good news for me.
“Is he a little bit better? Is he sleeping right now?”
“Yes. Fortunately, he seems to have blacked out.”
“I want you to be honest with me. He looks a little relaxed now, but the
seizure cycle is noticeably longer… wasn’t it irst aid, for now?”
“No. I would like to say good news, but it is not. Of course, it is welcome
that the cycles are getting longer apart, but… the condition did not get
better. The inside is still contaminated and twisted that I can’t see with
my eyes. Rather, I feel like he’s increasingly resisting my strength. I
couldn’t imagine it would it be so rotten… it may be dif icult to improve
his condition simply on my own completely.”
“Then…”
“Yes. There is still erosion going on, and it is still dangerous.”
“Uh, what should we do?”
“How do I tell you… for now, I will try to reach with my strength.”
“Well, thank you very much. Heartily…”
“I always tell you, but there is no need to say that. It was a job given to
me.”
“Oh! A-And I want to ask you one more thing…”
“You can talk.”
“Time, how much time is left… does he still have time?”
“…I can’t exactly know that. Will it be tomorrow or a year later? For
now, I have no choice but to hope that Lee Kiyoung Lee will endure it. It
all depends on the will of the Honorary Cardinal.”
“T-Then it won’t be a problem. I don’t know anything else, but Hyung-

nim has a strong mentality. Erosion, contamination, or whatever, he’s
going to blow it all away. Probably, if you let him be, he will endure for
ten years. I’m sure he will… I can be relieved… Yes, absolutely…”
“Yes. He will de initely get through it.”

I heard Park Deokgu’s voice, who seemed to be crying, and sensed Jung
Hayan, who was busy rubbing my hands. In fact, I had heard such a
conversation more than once or twice, but it had soon become
burdensome.
‘No, not much time left, my ass.’
I wanted to get up and dance right now, but I couldn’t even open my
eyes to the very solemn atmosphere. As this happened several times a
day, it became rather dull. In the asshole show, which had now become
a daily routine, the Blue Guild members were swaying day by day, and
there was no day where no tears ran down their cheeks.
“I think he’s having a good sleep after a long time…”
“I think it would be better to leave. There is not much left until arrival,
so it would be better to let him rest, even Jung Hayan.”
“I’ll stay in h-h-here.”
“…”
“I’ll stay h-here.”
“Jung Hayan-nim, I understand your feelings.”
“I will stay here… Hic. I will stay here.”
“Please let her stay with him for a moment.”
“But…”
“Hyung-nim will want it, too. We will arrive in a few hours anyway. Let’s
leave.”
“Yes.”
I didn’t know what the hell he meant by I was going to want it, too, but I
heard the door closed once again. It was no wonder that I had gotten
tense. This was because, in the past, when I was sleeping, Jung Hayan
always did something unusual.
However, she didn’t do anything other than lying next to me. Instead,
only a crying sound continued to resonate.
“Hic… Waaaahh…”
‘Oh, gosh.’
“Hic… Hic…”
‘Don’t cry… ’
At this point, even though it was me, I was going to feel guilty. It was
very burdensome to hear only the snif ling sound in the quiet room. I
want to lead my tired body and take one more nap, but I couldn’t
possibly sleep in this atmosphere.
“Hic… You can’t be sick. Hic.”
“…”
“Hic…”
“…”
‘When will we arrive? They said we’re almost there.’
Time seemed to continue to low, but the sound wasn’t going to

diminish, and it wasn’t until three more hours with my closed eyes that
I started to hear the sound of bustling outside.
‘Good.’
I couldn’t con irm what kind of situation it was, but the wagon’s speed
that was running crazy seemed to be gradually decreasing. We were
close to the Kingdom of Eberia. Jung Hayan, who had only been crying,
got up.
I didn’t know exactly what she was doing, but she was probably looking
out of the window. At one point, the carriage stopped, and I heard the
sound of the door opening.
“Nuna, it seems like we arrived. You should come outside…”
“How about Oppa?”
“I guess he has to stay a little…”
“No, Deokgu. I’m awake.”
“Gasp… You can sleep a little more. Why are you already…?”
“We’ve arrived, and I have to see what the Eberia Kingdom looks like.”
As soon as I got up, Jung Hayan grabbed my arm. Park Deokgu also
started to treat me like a baby bird. Eventually, I got out of the wagon,
but everyone’s treatment had begun to make me feel uncomfortable.
“Welcome to the Kingdom of Eberia, everyone.”
“Welcome.”
At the forefront, Kim Hyunsung was talking with someone while

shaking hands, and Cho Hyejin and others were no different. In fact,
what caught my eyes more than the guys was the current background
surrounding me.
An eye-catching scenery unfolded before my eyes.

“Wow…”
My jaw had unconsciously dropped.

CHAPTER 347
Information about elves was extremely limited. This was because they
were the most veiled among the heterogeneous peoples who
maintained a closed policy, and I could not even say that their
relationship with humans was good. After Castle Rock was turned
upside down, it became dif icult to ind elven slaves in the State, but in
fact, elves were traded in secret somewhere on the continent.
As the situation was like this, the elves had chosen to hide about
themselves, and as a result, the forest of the elves had become an
unknown land except for them. I was indeed quite surprised when I
irst saw Laios. However, the Kingdom of Eberia was showing a more
overwhelming sight than I had initially imagined.
‘Really… ’
It was a natural scene that was truly awe-inspiring. The lush green
forest, the colorful lowers, and the large trees of different sizes were
dif icult to look up at the ends, and the air entering the lungs was also
different.
It was ridiculous for me to use this expression, but it felt like my whole
body was puri ied. Of course, it was not actually puri ied.
The most impressive thing was the large tree located in the center of
the city. The tree, whose size could not be determined, was strangely
harmonized with the surrounding scene, creating a perfect picture.
‘World Tree?’
That was the World Tree that had only been heard by rumors. I had
never heard of a tree emitting a faint light, so it must be it. In the
meantime, Elena was holding her ears punctuated, but she seemed to
be in a good mood.
I felt good coming to a place with good air after wandering around in
the trash. As I looked around here and there, I turned to the voice I
heard, and a face that seemed familiar for some reason came into sight.
‘They look alike.’
It was a man with emerald hair and eyes like Elena. Anyone could see
his connection with her.
After greeting Kim Hyunsung, the leader of the group, he turned to me.
He was 300 years old. The age difference was not so big to say that he
was her father, so I thought I could probably think of him as her sibling.
The peculiar thing was that the force he had was considerable. He was a
capable person who had reached a level similar to the Eight Seats of the
State or the Five Tiger Generals. There were some other strong players
besides him, but I was very happy to be able to see someone talented
who could be used as the front.
“Welcome to the kingdom of Eberia, Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
“And you are…?”
“I’m Elios Eberia. You can call me Elios.”
“It is an honor to meet you…”
“No. There is no need to express courtesy. It’s an honor to meet you.

More importantly, I heard you are not very well…”
“It’s embarrassing, but… that’s correct.”

“I don’t know what to say… I’m sorry.”
“It’s not that serious to worry about.”
“I also saw Lee Kiyoung ighting through the Goddess’s’ Mirror. On

behalf of our elves, I would like to express my gratitude.”
“I just did what I had to do.”
Our greetings were a bit stiff. I started to feel like some of them were
truly wary of us.
“Let’s move irst. I will guide you where you’ll be staying.”
“Okay.”
Armed men can be seen covering this place. It was to protect us, on the
surface, but I also thought that it was to protect the other elves from us.
Interestingly, the other elves were watching us as if they were looking

at zoo monkeys. It was the same with the little elves who were gathered
all over the place, but those looking at us from the strangely shaped
building also stood out. Some were gossiping, and others were
cheering. Looking at their reaction…
‘Does it mean that half of them are welcoming?’
In other words, it meant that the other half were not welcoming. I felt
that they were more vigilant than rejecting us, but it had the same
meaning. While we were walking slowly, I saw Elios opening his mouth
again.
“This is the irst time humans have come here since 556 years ago.”
“…”
“It’s not a long time, but it’s going to be amazing enough for children. I
hope you don’t get offended. Of course, some occasionally express
hostility…”
“I can understand.”
“I’m glad you understand. In fact, when I heard that you were visiting
here, I felt a little worried, but rather… I also think it’s a good thing.
Everyone has a certain level of aversion to humans. Of course, it’s not a
hatred of the heroes of light, but our people still remember the pain. It’s
even more so if you think about the fact that we can still see cross-racial
hunters outside of the royal palace and that cross-racial slaves are
being traded somewhere.”
“…”
“Of course, I know that the State is one of those countries that have
adopted a ban on the slave trade, but most of the elves will not make
that distinction. It’s heartbreaking for me, too, but for some elves,
humans… are just greedy and dangerous ones.”
“These people are different from others, brother. What I saw in the
Goddess’s Mirror…”
“I know that, Elena. I am not trying to blame our guests right now. I am
just explaining the truth.”
‘He’s not just doing that… ’
Of course, this elf named Elios did not show hostility to us, but the
conversation just now may contain a lot of hidden things. In short, he
told me to be quiet. Certainly, although the Three Kingdoms Alliance
was formed, the temperature difference felt by that side, and this side
seemed to be different.
‘Things got interesting.’

I literally meant it.
‘There seems to be something wrong… ’
It was just a simple idea, but it was still a good guess. Although they
stamped the document, if I looked at those agitated by the fact that only
a few humans were here, I could see what the atmosphere was like. It
may be that they simply reached out to face a great threat, but it was
likely that they also had external or internal problems. I mean, they
could have reached out to us because of need.
‘What can it be?’
Of course, I didn’t see any situation right now. It seemed like a peaceful
place without contention at the moment. Besides, they didn’t look like
they didn’t have power. The soldiers’ overall level seemed to be high,
and there were many useful archers among them. The proportion of
summoners that were not easily found on the human side was higher
than that of wizards.
To be honest, this was one powerful country. Also, considering that the
barriers spreading near the city were also of high quality, it was
questionable as to why they asked to join the Three Kingdoms Alliance.
‘There must be a reason.’
When I tried to think again in a situation where the background

knowledge around me was insuf icient to guess various things, I heard
a voice again. We’ve arrived at the accommodation in no time.
“As long as you stay in our kingdom, you can stay here. Today, relieve
your fatigue, and I’ll schedule a meeting with the King. Oh, I won’t stop
you from looking around the city during your spare time, but I hope you
don’t approach restricted areas.”
“Okay.”
“I will guide them directly to the city, brother.”
“No, you should see our father for a moment, Elena. I think it would be
better to leave the guests’ guidance to Ludwig.”
“But…”
“Father is waiting. Then, everyone, have a relaxing time…”
“Wait, Elios-nim.”
It was then that Kim Hyunsung suddenly spoke.
‘What? Hyunsung, why are you doing this again… ’
“If possible, I would like to see His Majesty separately now.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I know it’s rude, but it’s an urgent thing. Could he…”
“It’s late now…”
“Please.”
‘…What’s up with you, man?’
It was certainly sudden for him to continue to ask for permission. I

didn’t know what the hell it was, but Elios looked disconcerted, and I
didn’t even need to say anything about Elena’s face. I didn’t know, but it
was undeniable that it was something related to me.
It may be unreasonable to say that it was rude behavior, but he would

not disagree that the atmosphere had changed a little. I could see
Elios’s face while talking once more. It was clearly different from
before. It was a look that seemed to be wary of something.
“Can I hear why, irst?”
“His Majesty will be able to understand if he hears it himself, Elios-

sama.”
“…”
“There won’t be any harm done towards Eberia.”
“…”
“…”
A long silence followed. Kim Hyunsung was quietly looking at Elios, and
so was Elios. It was then that the tall elf sighed loudly.
“If you say so, I will submit a request. Kim Hyunsung, please follow me.
Elena, you go back to your room for a minute…”
“No. I will stay with them.”
“Elena.”
“I think you’ve heard the situation roughly, brother. My will remains

unchanged.”
“Sigh…”
His head must be hurting. I feel sympathy naturally. I know very well
how he felt. In the end, it seemed that he could not overcome his sister’s
stubbornness.
After Elios nodded to us and started to walk, I saw the back of Kim
Hyunsung following the guy. It was a sight to see him glancing at me.
His face looked like someone who was going to an important interview,
and it was illed with solemnity.
‘What on earth is it?’
It was true that I was anxious because there was no information. I

thought something was going on, but I didn’t expect him to act so fast.
He even needed to be alone with the King. I was worried that he would
suddenly say to hand over the kingdom’s treasures, but even though the
situation was urgent, I would not make an irrational move to that
extent.
‘This is nerve-wracking… It’s making me nervous about sending him

alone… ’
I wanted to follow along, but I was already tightly stuck with others. I
hope that the way to heal my body was not found. I thought it would be
perfect if this were inished in moderation, not becoming something too
big.
In the meantime, Elena was busy guiding the other guild members
while checking my condition, and the other guild members were also
having conversations, but I couldn’t hear them. This was because I was
worried that the uncomfortable situation would become even more
uncomfortable.
Of course, as always, my sad hunch had never been wrong.
An hour passed after Kim Hyunsung went outside. Then, I started

hearing busy noises somewhere. It felt like the armed men were
heading this way. As I naturally looked at Elena, I could see her nodding
and looking outside the door.
“Excuse me for a moment, Elena-nim.”
“What is this doing now?!”

“Please forgive the rudeness.”
“Put that weapon down from your hand right now!”
There were noisy sounds from outside. I couldn’t igure out what was
going on, but I could tell one thing for sure.
‘What the hell did Kim Hyunsung say?’
Our lovely returner had indeed made an irrational move.

CHAPTER 348
As I concentrated my magic on my ears, I started to hear a loud sound

from the next room. Armed knights rushed into the room in an instant.
‘Fuck… What the hell did he say?’
Instantly I put my hand into my arms. It was only a matter of seconds to

decide whether it was better to throw the Dragon Breath potion.
Princess Elena was constantly shouting as if she felt greatly

embarrassed, but she didn’t seem to be that helpful.
“I have clearly told you to put down your weapon!”
“It is an order from Elios. We’re not trying to do any harm. It is in order
to protect the guests for a moment.”
“Is that the attitude of those who want to protect now? It doesn’t matter
if it’s an order from my brother. I will not stand it anymore.”
“I’m sorry, Elena-nim. I think you should stay, too.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
I didn’t know what the hell was going on.

Of course, I didn’t feel the murderous intentions towards us from those
elves, but I couldn’t feel comfortable with them trying to detain us.
‘It looks like everything is ruined.’
Naturally, I was seriously worried about whether I should escape from

here. That was when the wall on the side collapsed.
The thing that emerged through the walls was holding a large shield.
“Vice Guild Master!”
It was Yoo Ahyoung.
Next to her was Kim Chang-ryul, wearing a mask as always.
“Come over this way. Quick, this way!”
Naturally, I got up and hurried. I could feel Yoo Ahyoung tightly

grasping my body.
I could feel her, but it was impossible to think something differently in

such a crazy situation. As soon as I grabbed Elena’s hand, she also came
to this side.
“Ahhh!”
“What the hell is going on?”
“I-I’m not sure either. Why suddenly. Suddenly…”
“A trap? Is it a trap? Vice Guild Master?”
“I don’t know. Ahyoung-ssi, do you know where others are?”
“I do, Vice Guild Master.”

Kim Chang-ryul was the one who answered. Contrary to his name, his
talent was not lame. Whatever it might be, I had to open my mouth
quickly as opening the road was an urgent priority.
“We’ll try to avoid killing as much as we can.”
“Okay.”
The explanation was indeed concise, and the answer was short.
Immediately, Yoo Ahyoung put on the helmet that had been loose on the
bed and started running. Kim Chang-ryul also prevented the elves from
entering through the wall where Yoo Ahyoung had made a hole.
Interestingly, their level was way higher than I thought.
I thought it wouldn’t be bad if I looked at them carefully with my Mind’s

Eyes when I had a chance, but it was impossible in the current situation.
As soon as I chanted the spell and licked my ingers, the tail of a large
dragon protruded from the loor and illed the wall that Kim Chang-ryul
was blocking.
Despite not instructing anything else, Kim Chang-ryul stuck to the door
with Yoo Ahyoung and began to break through the troops that were in
the crowd.
“Come over here, Vice Guild Master!”
“Let’s look for Hayan irst.”
A great low of magic power emanated even before I inished talking. Of

course, only Jung Hayan could move this level of magic power.
‘What is she planning now?’

No wonder I opened my mouth with a loud voice.
“Don’t kill!”
I shouted, but I don’t know if she heard it.
I waited for the magic to fall out of anxiety for a moment, and
fortunately, the magic power disappeared as if she could hear my voice.
I didn’t know what this situation was right now, but I prevented the big
magic from falling for now.
I didn’t think I could say it was instead, but…
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
With this sound, a few of the elves on one side could be seen bounced
out.
It seemed that she simply injected her magical power and pushed away
the oncoming troops. The place where the binge was heard was clearly
from Jung Hayan’s room.
“Let’s go to the place where we heard the sound.”
“Okay.”
In my words, Yoo Ahyoung tapped the helmet again, and the face cover
on top of the helmet had come down with a click.
I was worried if she was seeing properly, but I don’t have to worry
about it in the irst place. Her appearance immediately starting to move
was quite impressive.
Wearing heavy armor and the way she was swinging the hammer, she
could be called the main tanker rather than a blacksmith. She also
seemed to have been in luenced by Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung a
lot, seeing her movements.
Since her talent was outstanding in the irst place, it was not strange
that she had grown to this extent.
Of course, the same was true for Kim Chang-ryul, who ran around
whilst doing what Yoo Ahyoung couldn’t do.
‘Are we doing well with this?’
What bothered me was that they really did not seem to have any
intention of killing us.
However, the situation was clear just by sending an armed army. I didn’t
know if it was really only to contain us, or to protect us.
‘It would be better to ind the others irst.’
At least, it had been correct to listen to them when all the guild
members were gathered together.
When I licked my inger again, the dragon’s head popped out. However,
this time, magic was gathered at the dragon’s mouth…
“It’s the B-Breath!”
“Get out of the way!”
There was no way I could shoot something like the Breath.
Yoo Ahyoung led me, and quickly we went between those who moved to
space where we could escape and those who realized that they were
deceived blushed, but it was already too late.
“There are four of them right around the corner.”

“Get ready, Ahyoung-ssi.”
“Okay, Vice Guild Master.”
At that moment, I was trying to push the magic power into the potion in
my arms while moving my body like a slide to be prepared if anything
happens.
Yoo Ahyoung, too, tried to swing the hammer, but put her hand straight
on a familiar face.
No, to be precise, she was being blocked by a large shield.
“Gosh, you scared me, Hyung-nim! Ahyoung, you’re here, too!”
“Kiyoung-ssi!”
“Vice Guild Master!”
It was Park Deokgu, Han Sora, Hwang Jeong-yeon and Sun Hee-young.
Han Sora looked somewhat anxious while Park Deokgu and Hwang
Jeong-yeon were no different than usual.
“Are you okay? What the hell is going on?”
“I’ll ind Hayan irst.”
“Maybe she’ll be ine because she’s with Hyejin.”
“Did you check where Ahn Ki-mo and Yeri are?”
“Maybe they are…”
Bang!
It was then that an explosion had been heard from upstairs.
As I glanced at the window, I could see Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri
jumping outward.
“We’re going, too.”
“Will Hayan be okay?”
“You said she’s with Hyejin. They will come down soon.”
“Oh, okay. Hold on tight, Hyung-nim.”
“Jeong-yeon and Sora, prepare loating magic.”
Before even sending a signal, Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung strongly
struck against the wall with their shields and, momentarily, the wall
collapsed.
While I was trying to say something, Park Deokgu grabbed my waist

and immediately fell to the ground without hesitation. Princess Elena
was screaming with her eyes wide open, as if asking what was going on,
but I wanted to ask it more.
I looked down and looked for Kim Ye-ri, but the problem was that I
couldn’t see where she went.
As I fell, I turned my head, and I saw Kim Ye-ri hanging on the wall on
one side. There was a string on her waist, and Ahn Ki-mo was hung at
the end of the wire, screaming.
Kim Ye-ri, who saw us, immediately cut the line where Ahn Ki-mo was
hanging, and she jumped.
I didn’t know how she could move in the air, but she grabbed Park
Deokgu’s shoulder and joined the party, and loating magic was used on
Ahn Ki-mo, who was falling.
Soon, Elena and I, Kim Ye-ri, and Yoo Ahyoung hanging on Park Deokgu,
came down to Sora, and Sun Hee-young immediately opened her mouth
to speak.
“Gather together.”
“Okay.”
She just said a word, but a light shined through the tightly gathered
Blue Guild members.
The buff series of divine spells were constantly pouring out, and vitality
began to grow in the body. The explanation was long, but in a series of
steps that took place in an instant, Elena’s jaw dropped.
“A-Amazing…”
I could agree with her.
Even so, it seemed that our Hyunsung had not been still while I was
resting, seeing that the growth of the party members stood out even to
me.
There were also people whose stats were not completed, but they were
completely offsetting each other’s shortcomings.
However, I was surprised only for a moment.
When I turned to move on to the next route immediately, I heard Elios’

voice approaching this side.
‘Ah… ’
“I didn’t mean to attack. Please throw away your weapon.”
“Brother! What the hell is this for?”
“You stay quiet for a minute, Elena. I swear. I wasn’t trying to cause a big
problem. I just had to keep you all safe until the detailed talk was
over…”
“Isn’t that the same? What the hell are you doing? We have to talk.”
“It is dif icult to talk about here. First, the weapon…”
‘Damn.’
“…”
‘What should I do with this?’
It was natural to think about whether I wanted to believe or not.

Looking at Elena’s expression, she de initely didn’t know.
In general, I thought it could be a misunderstanding caused by Kim

Hyunsung, but the possibility that the elves were related to the
Republic could be excluded.
“I want to hear what’s going on irst.”
“I can’t tell you here right now. Please give up. It won’t help both
countries to cause other problems anymore.”
“You have to be aware that it is you who are causing the problem right
now.”
“It was never meant to threaten. If you are surprised, I sincerely

apologize.”
‘It doesn’t seem like he’s lying… ’
Nevertheless, I didn’t feel comfortable throwing away the weapon in my

hand.
When I was in the upper hand, it was only right to choose conversation,
but anyone could see that the current guild is in a dif icult situation.
If I were to even throw away my weapon, I could be ridiculously

backstabbed. He blocked even the retreat.
It was not that I didn’t think of a picture of Elena being held hostage
and escaping, but the fact stood that I didn’t want to.
“First, I have to do something about that bastard.”
He was powerful with a level similar to at least the Eight Seats. Even if I
were to run away from here, doing something about him was the top
priority. I looked carefully in an instant, and his power was not bad.
Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung stood in the front line, and Ahn Ki-mo
and Sun Hee-young could take care of the sustain. If Jung Hayan or Cho
Hyejin joined us, we could penetrate through not only him, but also the
troops.
‘That bastard is the problem… ’
It was when I was thinking about it that I remembered something.
‘Where’s Kim Chang-ryul again?’
He was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if he ran away by himself, but

he wasn’t that lame. I don’t know what that guy was thinking, but I
think I knew.
‘Should I do it?’
I could try. It would be more beautiful to start with a surprise attack if I
was thinking about breaking through them. Quickly, I put my thoughts
into action. As soon as I chanted the spell, the party members who
noticed my movement reacted. Elios also showed a startled expression
and pulled out his sword, but Kim Chang-ryul with a dagger jumped out
in a moment.
‘Kim Chang-ryul, you cowardly bastard! Nice!’
The guy turned and grabbed Kim Chang-ryul’s hands, but the coward
began to say some memorizations with a shouting sound. I thought that
I was experiencing the miracle of the red mask he always wore, but the
elf turned his head and avoided even that. Of course, Kim Ye-ri took the
chance and quickly launched and took off the dagger from the hand of
the guy holding Kim Chang-ryul, and Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung
immediately grabbed the shield and took a big step forward. The
surprise attack gave me some time to think.
‘We can break through.’
If there was a mistake in my calculation, it was that Kim Chang-ryul

could not get out of his arms completely.
Bang!
With that sound, I could see Elios crushing Kim Chang-ryul, who was
stuck on the loor.
“I am serious. Throw away your weapon. I didn’t want to do any harm.”

CHAPTER 349
‘Shit… ’
“I will tell you again. I never intended something different.”
“…”
“…”
“If I do this, can you trust me?”
As he stepped away from Kim Chang-ryul, I could see the guy raising his
hands. He really expressed no willingness to ight.
‘Am I overreacting?’
It would not be unreasonable for me to think this way. If he really

wanted to do something to us, it would have been ideal taking Kim
Chang-ryul hostage.
When I swallowed hard, Kim Chang-ryul got up and moved with an

embarrassed expression.
He had bowed his head slightly to mean he was sorry, but I couldn’t say
it was his fault. I patted him on his shoulder to mean he did well, and he
bowed his head again.
With the brief lull, all of the guild members’ eyes were focused, and
everyone was looking at me as if asking what to do. It would be a
natural reaction because I had the inal decision, but in this case,
everyone’s eyes felt a little burdensome.
‘Sigh… ’
In the end, I also had to step back and raise my hands. It was because I
thought that there was no hostility in him and that it would not be bad
to have a conversation.
Of course, there were minimal lines that could not be compromised.
“We won’t give our weapons. Since the situation is like this, I hope you
understand this much.”
“If that’s what you want… however, I want you to follow the control.”
“What kind of control are you talking about…?”
“You just have to answer a few questions and wait until the
conversation between my father and Kim Hyunsung is over. If you move
in a way that doesn’t make us feel threatened, I can be satis ied.”
“Has anything happened inside?”
“I’ll tell you after going inside. This is not something to be told here.”
“Okay.”
There seemed to be a reason why he couldn’t say. His face that was
biting the lips was the face that had all the worries of the world.
Anyway, this sudden happening ended futilely. I could see Jung Hayan
and Cho Hyejin walking from the entrance, but they also recognized
that there was no need to ight. It seemed to be Cho Hyejin’s judgment
rather than Jung Hayan’s judgment. She watched the situation calmly.
“Oppa!”
After giving her a little hug, I began to walk immediately. It was a bit
embarrassing to look back at the debris made by this side and the other
side, but the feeling disappeared quickly because of the serious
atmosphere.
Interestingly, the number of elves to control us was very small. Elios

was here, but he could be dealt with Jung Hayan alone.
If the situation were to break, the advantage lay with us. Of course,
other elves must be blocking the road outside, but we were
advantageous if a battle occurred immediately.
It was obvious as to why they were in this position because we were

not humans to trust.
‘He said he had a question… ’
It was security. It must be something that others should not hear.
What he wanted to ask us was likely to be what Kim Hyunsung was

currently talking with the King of Eberia. I didn’t know if I was right or
wrong, but I would know in a moment anyway. After roughly taking a
seat, I could see him opening his mouth.
“I want you to forgive the rudeness from just before.”
“No. There were mistakes between each other. I’m glad to clear the
misunderstanding even if it’s now.”
“No. I think I was too hasty. I sincerely apologize.”

“I think there must have been a situation where you had to do that.”
“…”
“…”
“Did you hear from Elena?”
“What?”
“N-No, brother. I…”
“I’m not asking you, Elena. I am now asking Honorary Cardinal Lee
Kiyoung…”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know, brother. I don’t really understand why you are doing this.
It’s such rudeness to the heroes who prevented the continental crisis.
It’s not like us to behave like this.”
At Elena’s words, I could see Elios glancing at me. He seemed to be

thinking about whether or not to tell us.
I also thought that frustration would be relieved if I knew something,

but unfortunately, I had no information. I thought it would be better if
he could at least tell me something.
It was then that Elios, who had a stiff face for a while, opened his mouth
again after he touched his lips. There was a worried expression, but it
seemed that he calculated that we would know anyway.
“The Blue Guild Master knew about the condition of the World Tree.”
“What?”
“You really didn’t say anything?”
“I swear I don’t know about that. Why…”
“Swear to Elune?”
“Yes, brother. I really don’t know. I’ve certainly never said anything
about the World Tree.”
“Then how…”
‘Kim Hyunsung… This bastard… ’
I didn’t know what happened, but I think I could tell as much that Kim
Hyunsung had made a mistake.
The conversation that he was having in the castle was a secret that only
a few elves knew.
From the elves’ point of view, it was natural that they were agitated
since humans who visited the village suddenly talked about the subject
of security.
‘He thought he heard it from Elena.’
They, too, would have speculated on this issue, but it was impossible
that he would have heard it from Elena. Kim Hyunsung just told about
what happened in the irst round.
“How could this bastard say just like that?”
From his point of view, it was because he thought he had no time to

delay, but even so, it was impatient to talk immediately upon arrival.
If he knew the elves were hiding something, he should have done at

least a bit of preliminary work.
From their perspective, it was not unreasonable to be lustered since a
foreigner who suddenly came talked about a secret that only they knew.
‘This frustrating bastard.’
In fact, Kim Hyunsung was not so stubborn. Seeing that even when
releasing information from the irst round, he only did it after creating
an excuse, it was correct to judge that he moved after at least thinking
about it.
Nevertheless, I was sure that he had gotten me in mind, by all accounts,

for doing this kind of overkill.
He really was in a hurry.
‘If it’s really like this, he’ll be willing to take any risk.’
It seemed that he didn’t care about the question between us and the
elves. I didn’t even need to explain that it appeared that I was checking
with my own eyes the driving force that made him be backstabbed in
the irst round.
It was true that it was a little uncomfortable, but as a result, it was an

action taken for me, so I could not resent it.
Rather, it made me feel better, as he thought he had to save me by

taking the risk of getting into various rumors.
‘Okay, it’s my role to ix this shit. Well… ’
I was hoping that the expedition itself would fall apart, but it was
correct to help him as much as it could be dealt with as an international
problem.
This much was easy to be ixed. After getting a hint hearing about the
World Tree, it took me an instant to organize my thoughts.
This was probably the most appropriate excuse. I opened my mouth a
little, and immediately I could see Elios looking at me.
“He must have known something that outsiders should not know.”
“Do you know about that, too?”
“No. I don’t, but there is a point…”
“What are you…?”
“There is a foreigner in the State who can look into the future and the
past. Of course, it’s limited, but she can see what we don’t see, just like
Princess Elena.”
“…”
“I don’t know what it is about, but maybe you have heard of it. I don’t
know the details, but the Guild Master is close to the shaman of the
State.”
Actually, she was a little closer to me.
“That means…”
“You can rest assured. She’s the type who doesn’t talk about what she
sees. I bet others don’t know. Even with a few knowing, there will be no
harm to Eberia.”
“How… can you assert that?”
“For reference, the fact that a shaman of the State can see the future is
also a secret that should not be told to other countries. There are fewer
than ten people in the State who know this. I think you know what I
mean, Elios-nim.”
“I see.”
This was because we were in the same boat now.
“Then, can I hear exactly what’s going on?”
“Sigh…”
“If you are uncomfortable…”
“No. It’s something you’ll know anyway… I think I can get what the
Honorary Cardinal means. That’s right. It is no longer the same time as
it used to be.”
“…”
With a slight sigh, he began to speak up in earnest. It was roughly

predictable, but I was also curious.
However, it felt different from when listening directly to him.
“Do you know how our elves could deter outside invasion for such a
long time?”
“I don’t know. If I think about what you just said to Elena…”
“Yes. It’s because of the World Tree.”
‘I already heard it and knew it, bastard.’
“To be precise, it is because of the powerful magic that the World Tree
emits. It is no exaggeration to say that our kingdom is maintained by it.
Forests and water are affected, as well as in very minor areas. You can
think that it is because of the World Tree that we have been able to
continue to maintain a closed position. The Kingdom of Eberia does not
have to worry about running out of resources.”
‘He seems to be talking in a too detailed manner… ’
“The same is true of barriers that prevent outsiders from entering. The
existence of the World Tree itself was able to avoid great dangers
without large human resource consumption. Yes. Until now.”
‘So there was no separate wizard.’
Somehow I thought the level was too high.
“You’re talking in the past tense.”
“Yes.”
‘I smell something.’
It’s something simple.
“When did it start?”
“It’s been 42 years ago.”
“…”
“Starting from 42 years ago, the roots of the World Tree continue to
rot.”
There was no room for denial. The fact was very simple.
No matter how much we were making a show, the elves wouldn’t have
reached out for us.
‘You guys were also having a hard time.’
It was not only the State and Laios that were in danger.
CHAPTER 350
If I were to think a little bit about their current situation, the answer
would come quickly.
The Eberian Kingdom had been able to live a wealthy life while
maintaining its closing policy until now, all because of the World Tree.
I had no choice but to think that something was wrong right now.
The continent’s resources were not in inite. The reason why the
Kingdom of Eberia, completely disconnected from the outside world,
could continue to develop was nothing else.
‘It means the resources are endless.’
I didn’t know with what mechanism the city was working, but it was
undeniable that most elves depended on the World Tree, and
considering that soil and drinking water were also affected, the answer
was already there.
The same went for defense systems. Historically, the Kingdom of Eberia
had constantly resisted external threats. Many countries were now
adopting laws to ban the interracial slave trade, but it was not in the
past.
Most of the authoritative nobles had elven slaves. There was even a
precedent that they invaded the Kingdom of Eberia on a national or
territorial basis, so there was no need to explain what the situation was
like.
The World Tree was closely related to their lives as well as the existence
of the Kingdom.
However, said World Tree was rotting.
‘It can be said that it is on the verge of breaking down.’
From their standpoint, they had no choice but to ind an alternative

quickly. If the World Tree collapsed as it was, the future of Eberia was
almost as obvious.
They would be struggling with resources and would not be able to cope
with external threats properly. If I exaggerated a bit, troops would be
sent to bite them from all over the place.
I didn’t know if that would become a reality or not, but at least it was
enough to make the leaders nervous.
At the same time, the Laios’ demon summonsing case bursts. The State
was still a country that could be classi ied as a powerful country, and
the image of Laios, who spent most of their time as a neutral country,
was inevitably better.
It meant they would have thought that joining us was their way to live.
If they could trade with the outside world, they could get out of the
situation of limited resources and even prevent other threats.
Of course, the fact that they reacted negatively to black magic also
helped to encourage the choice, but the fundamental reason lay in their
own crisis.
When I looked at Elena slightly, she looked serious, but she didn’t seem
to think that the alliance had political reasons.
‘She’s naive.’
By comparison, Elios must have acted with all of this in mind.
It seemed that the State was worried that this would be a cause of
concern, but even in there, Eberia was prey that they did not want to
miss.
There were many resources in the forest and the external image we
could get from joining them.
Of course, if we knew that their resources were on the verge of running

out, we would not have proceeded with the alliance on equal terms.
In a way, we were scammed. It wasn’t enough that the back was

tingling, but it was correct to say that we had suffered minor damage.
“The root of the World Tree…”
“It is still in progress. The investigation continues from the point of

discovery to the present, but the cause has not been directly discovered.
At irst, the rotting area was very small, but now, about a third of the
roots are completely contaminated. The rate of erosion is very…”
“It’s fast.”
“Yes. It even continues to accelerate.”
“How much is left?”
“It’ll be gone in 30 years, if long…”
‘It’s too fast… ’
They are pressed by urgent business.
“Then, Hyunsung has…”

“He said he could solve the problem.”
“You mean Hyung-ssi?”
“Yes. He’s still talking to my father.”
“Can I check it with my own eyes?”
“I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I hope you’ll stay here until
his Majesty inishes the conversation. It’s really not because I don’t
trust you. I just want you to understand that the situation is that much
serious.”
“I repeat, but you don’t have to be sorry.”
This was because there was no guarantee that we would not aim for the
roots; I would have made the same choices as he did.
Rather, it was correct to think that this was not too much. Although it
was a little twisted initially, the quarantine measure was enough
evidence that they were showing suf icient consideration to us.
Of course, I felt curious about the case when things didn’t go well
afterward.
‘Because Kim Hyunsung is not good at speaking.’
One way or another, I could only grasp the exact situation when he
returned. It was then that I could just hear the knocking on the door.
I was happy to see him momentarily, but I was forced to harden my

expression.
‘That bastard.’
Although it was for me, it was an undeniable fact that he acted without
a word to me.
Of course, it was Kim Hyunsung who showed up. His face, with a smile,
was somewhat proud.
‘Was he successful?’
It was only right to think that he at least elicited a positive response.

Kim Hyunsung, who entered the room with several elves, explained to
the guild members as soon as he arrived.
The elves who had come together were also having a conversation with
Elios in an atmosphere that could be said to be quite harmonious.
Naturally, I was worried that he would leave it up in his mind and then
suddenly go off. He should have been like this straight from the
beginning.
When I went straight to the door with a hardened face, not looking at
him, I felt his gaze focused on me, but this method was the most
effective to uncover the secrets that he kept.
‘You don’t know why I’m angry?’
It had been a long time since Cho Hyejin’s case that I used this skill.
When I looked back for a moment, our eyes met, but I saw a bright
smile as if he felt proud, rather than if he had made a mistake.
It was only natural to frown. It was only then that he realized he had
made a mistake, and I saw him running towards this side.
It was a sight to see him following me through the door that was about
to close. Other guild members seemed to be wondering what was going
on, but they did not come inside together as if Kim Hyunsung
restrained them.
“Er, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“…”
“Kiyoung-ssi…”
“…”
It was only right to ignore his voice.
“You heard about it from Elios-nim… Fortunately, things seem to have

worked out well. Of course, he said that he would think about it a little
more, but I was told that he would give a de inite answer within
tomorrow as soon as possible. He also said he was positive.”
“I see. That’s great.”
“I didn’t think things would go well…”
“Ah… Yes. I see.”
When I tried to make my face harden and show that I was upset, I saw a
little anxious face like last time. I didn’t know if he was quick-witted or
not, but it seemed that he thought I would praise him if he were to
achieve some results.
It was so ridiculous that I wanted to laugh. As I was organizing my

thoughts on how to speak up, I immediately heard a voice.
“Er… I’m sorry.”
“Yes?”
“I am sorry for not telling you in advance. I wanted to tell you, but it was
a little impulsive. Also… you’re not feeling well, and I didn’t want to
burden you with various thoughts.”
‘Oh, if he comes out like this, it’ll be embarrassing again… ’
The appearance of apologizing for knowing that he had done something

wrong seemed to show that he also developed tolerance. In fact, I
wanted to be a little more annoyed, but the reaction seems that I didn’t
even have to be.
“Sigh…”
“Hyunsung-ssi, at least, shouldn’t I know how things work…?”
“I’m sorry.”
He looked like a puppy left alone in the rain.
‘I can’t get weak.’
I thought about it, but in the end, I had to surrender at his sad shoulder.
The atmosphere was created roughly anyway. I didn’t even need to
press him anymore. When I sighed once again, I could see him glancing
at me, but he seemed to be relieved by my slightly relaxed expression.
“I don’t know how Hyunsung knows about this, but I roughly said that it
might be because of Kasugano.”
“Ah!”
“I don’t know what happened or how Hyunsung knows about this issue,
but it’s not the case that matters. At least I think I deserve to know what
will happen in the future.”
‘Considering how much I have done so far.’

Of course, considering that he didn’t have the time to make excuses, he
wouldn’t have been able to talk about this easily. He still seemed to
want to hide the fact that he was a returner.
“I… I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“No. It’s not because I want to get an apology. Yes. Never. Didn’t I tell
you clearly?”
“What do you mean…”
‘This slow bastard.’
He didn’t seem to realize that if there was anything he would be hiding,

it was an expression to pay the tax quickly. As soon as I hardened my
face, I could see him showing off the dog’s expression in the rain.
I was forced to open my mouth again because he seemed to be able to

understand only if I were to speak directly one more time.
“I told you that I deserve at least to hear what will happen in the
future.”
“…”
“…”
“But…”
“…”
Although he seemed to be wondering, it seemed he thought it was only

right to talk about it in the end. I could see him opening his mouth
carefully.
“I don’t know how far you have heard it, but…”

“I heard that you said you could solve the current situation in Eberia.”
“Yes. I know roughly the reason. Of course, I am not sure. It’s only
speculations…”
‘Speculation, my ass.’
The words Kim Hyunsung said was the right answer.
“It’s probably being in luenced by the dungeon.”
“What?”
“It will be easy to understand if you think about the time of the Cursed
Shrine.”
I understood. Not all dungeons do, but certain dungeons affected the
surroundings just by remaining.
What I could easily guess was that a dungeon was created in the
Kingdom of Eberia. I didn’t know if the dungeon was contaminating the
World Tree, or sucking up nutrients, or if the dungeon’s reward was the
key to solving this situation. It was likely that any of the three would
have a pretty high rating.
Perhaps this was the reason he described it as dangerous.
“Do you know the exact location?”
“It’s not accurate, but it’s easy to ind. I hope you don’t ask how I got to
know this.”
“Okay.”
“The name of the dungeon is Twisted Demon’s Pond. Most of the main
monsters are demons, and so are named monsters. The rating is above
the legendary-grade. The dungeon strategy is the puri ication of the
pond, including the killing of named monsters, and you will probably be
able to heal your body there.”
‘So, it’s the third one.’
The detailed situation remained to be seen, but he seemed to believe

that a pond that could cure the World Tree could cure my disease as
well.
“I see. Do you think the twisted pond can solve my problem?”
‘This is pretty good.’
I couldn’t even imagine him telling me everything like this just because
I put a little pressure on him. I thought that I could only know simple
information at best, but his current face was quite a pleasure to see.
It seemed as if Hyunsung wanted to confess something, but his voice

was not coming out properly. I realized what he was worried about and
what he was trying to reveal in an instant.
‘Right. Hyunsung. You can tell it all to your heart’s content. You know
that I’m full of understanding.’
“Are you not asking?”
“Why do I…?”
“Do you know all these things?”
“Yes.”
“It’s ine.”
“What?”
“It’s okay if you don’t tell me. It would be a lie if I said I’m not curious,
but I don’t want to make you troubled.”
‘This is the correct answer.’
In response to my trusting response, Kim Hyunsung looked moved.
He even looked to be feeling guilty. It seemed to be telling whether it

was only right to continue lying to me, who gave him such in inite trust.
It felt like his eyes looking at me were somewhat changing. It was then
that he nodded and opened his mouth.
“Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Yes.”
“So…”
‘Bingo!’
“It may sound ridiculous. But in fact…”
It was natural to cheer inside, but it didn’t last long, either.
“Hyung-nim!! Hyung-ssi!! Please, come out!”
The appropriate intruder appeared at the right time.
‘That son of bitch is really… ’
Without realizing it, I clenched my ists tightly.

CHAPTER 351
KIM HYUNA (1)
‘I don’t know if that pig bastard is helpful or not.’
He could be helpful in decisive moments, but he could also be a blow to

unexpected situations.
This was the moment where I could inally hear the words that Kim
Hyunsung had returned from his mouth. He must have worked very
hard.
It was evident that he was trying to unlock the treasure chest

impulsively without even knowing it in a subtle atmosphere. This short
break would give Kim Hyunsung time to think again.
While I was driving him into the wall, an obstruction came out. Of
course, it was not the time to say that it was too late.
‘It’s still possible.’
Naturally, I opened my mouth while looking at Kim Hyunsung

immediately.
“What you were trying to tell me…?”
“…”
“…”
“No, it’s nothing.”

‘Damn.’
“I think it’s better to tell you later. Others seem to be waiting, too, and
some problems need to be solved right now.”
‘I knew it. Fuck, I knew it.’
I wanted to ask one more time. However, I couldn’t just ask too openly.
It was unfortunate, but…
‘I guess I could be satis ied with this much?’
In fact, just having thought about revealing the truth at least once was a
big achievement to me. I think I knew how he trusted me just by trying
to reveal a secret that would be too dif icult to tell anyone.
The irst attempt was made, so the second and third attempts would
appear a little easier. There was still a feeling of stickiness around my
mouth, but I had to let the train go for now.
“Yes. Then next time…”
“…”
I noticed a slight nod. As Kim Hyunsung opened the door, I saw the
guild members looking at this side, turning their heads.
Of course, the most noticeable person was Park Deokgu, who had
shouted loudly. He looked happy for some reason, but it was a face that
I wanted to smack.
Jung Hayan, Sun Hee-young, and Cho Hyejin, who had also been hanging
around, also had smiles blooming.
“What’s going on, Deokgu?”

“It would be faster to hear from Elios than me. Ahem. It’s good news.”
Despite Park Deokgu’s words, Kim Hyunsung looked quite nervous. It

was then that Elios, who was talking with other elves from behind us,
opened his mouth.
“I think I have a few things to tell you. First, I would like to apologize
again and again for the rudeness from before.”
‘How many times is he going to apologize?’
It seemed like he was really sorry. Well, it was understandable since the
elves were known to have a soft personality, but at this point, I was a
little tired of it. Anyway, he started opening his mouth with a rather
serious expression. There was no need to explain that everyone’s eyes
were focused on him. From now on, his answers would determine the
path to our party.
“I just received an edict from my father.”
“…”
“To start with the conclusion…”
“…”
“My father decided to accept the Blue Guild’s proposal positively.”
‘Whoa… ’
“It was a message to mobilize everything Eberia can do to support the

Blue Guild… I think you have to agree to a few terms.”
‘That’s it.’
“It doesn’t matter. You can tell us right away.”

“Ah… Yes. First, it seems that the elves, including me, should move
together. To get you guys to move, it’s… I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Rather, I want to thank you.”
“Because it is natural to be nervous.”
“Then… another thing is that there is a clause that we won’t talk about
this outside. Of course, this document has no effect, but it would be nice
if you checked it at least once. The committee’s position is that they
want to be assured even in a formal way… I hope you understand.”
“Of course, I can.”
“And inally…”
“…”
“I would like you to tell the State about what you heard from the
shaman. About what Kasugano-nim saw… It may be uncomfortable, but
please.”
‘Our Hyunsung is not that good at lying… ’
When I turned my head and looked at Kim Hyunsung, I could see him
clearly contemplating. The thing he heard about the future through
Yuno Kasugano was a lie that I roughly put together.
It was very likely that he hadn’t even spoken with her. It was a moment
when I thought it would be better for me to come forward. Kim
Hyunsung opened his mouth with a small voice.
“It is the destruction of Eberia.”

“What?”
I could instinctively know. This bastard was not lying now.
‘Was it the irst round?’
Perhaps it didn’t matter if I thought so. Elios felt the sincerity in his
face, too. I could see him immediately responding.
“Is that true?”
“I am just telling you what I heard. I also didn’t hear the exact timing,
but I was told that the Kingdom of Eberia was caught in a war disaster.
There will be a great war unimaginable, and everyone, including
humanity and these races, will struggle with this place as their inal
stronghold. However, I have heard that in the end, it will not be able to
withstand and collapse.”
At irst glance, it sounded like a cult leader shouting about the

apocalypse and hurling curses, but his serious expression was making
this absurd remark sound convincing.
“Can you explain in more detail?”
“I haven’t heard of the cause or anything else. That’s exactly what I

heard.”
“Then the World Tree…”
“It won’t rot because we are here. The future may change, Elios. What
she can see with her eyes is not the exact future. Even small actions can
certainly change. Just like now.”
‘Is it okay to think that he has grown?’

He was a bit different from the past that used to act by relying on the
information from the irst round. He was con ident that he could step
forward and change the future.
I had to nod in satisfaction because Kim Hyunsung’s growth was always

helping me. Of course, personal development was also important, but
the information he had revealed was also interesting.
‘The last resistance? Union?’
This was not a war between the Republic and the State as it was now. It
may probably be about Jin Qing, the masked trash, or an enemy who
had not yet appeared.
‘If it really is… is it okay to assume that the rotten World Tree has been
resolved before that?’
Of course, it was speculation. However, it was hard to believe that the

Kingdom of Eberia, where the barriers sustained by the World Tree, fell
and became the place of inal resistance. Of course, it cannot be said
that the defense here was weak, but it did not feel like Castle Rock or
the State, made of high walls.
If the World Tree had completely collapsed yet chose this place as the
last place, the irst round commanders were indeed shitheaded.
‘Hyunsung knows how to solve it, and… ’
In the context of the situation, it was unknown whether he had been

directly involved, but it was correct to think that the World Tree had
gotten cured before Kim Hyunsung’s inal resistance.
He has at least heard of it. In a nutshell, after the World Tree was
healed, there was a ight here, and in the end, humanity had gotten
destroyed.
I didn’t know if there were other battles afterward, but the time when
Kim Hyunsung returned would not be too far.
There were many interesting things to think about, but there was no
time. This was because the atmosphere felt unusual.
‘Shit… ’
“I see… I got what you mean. I think it’s better to discuss this matter
slowly.”
“No. I think it would be nice to talk while moving.”
“What? That means…”
“We will move right now. Elios-nim, I would like you to prepare an elven
expedition right away.”
“That’s ine, but… it must have been overwhelming for you to come a
long way… if you can just rest for a little bit…”
“We don’t have time to delay. I’ll give you short explanations and
brie ings while we’re on the move.”
‘You can take a break.’
“Of course, after that, we will give you enough time to rest. All the guild
members, please get ready to leave right now.”
“Hyunsung, I understand, but… everyone is very tired now…”
“No. We’re okay.”
“We’re okay, too. We still have enough strength.”

“Well, Ki-mo, Hyung-ssi, and I have plenty of physical strength. Ahyoung
and other people are ine, too, right? Rather, I think you’re the one that
needs a little rest, wouldn’t it be better to sleep a little? If it feels a little
uncomfortable, I can carry you and move. Or I think it’s not bad to put
you to sleep with sleep magic and take you. After you wake up,
everything will be resolved. Ah! Come to think of it, does Hyung-nim
even have to go?”
This was another problem I didn’t think of. As I naturally turned my

head, I could see Kim Hyunsung nodding.
“Yes. It may be hard, but I think it would be better to move with

Kiyoung. I’ll give everyone just 30 minutes.”
“I’m glad I didn’t unpack. I didn’t think we would move this fast. It’s all
because of Hyunsung.”
“I’m ready.”
“I’m ready, too.”
“Me, too.”
In fact, there was nothing to get ready for. This was because, as Park
Deokgu said, we literally didn’t have time to unpack our luggage
properly. I always thought that Kim Hyunsung was moving in a hurry,
but I did not know that this would proceed so fast. I needed time to
think, so I opened my mouth, but even that was a futile resistance.
“What about the supplies?”
“You don’t have to worry. My father told me that Eberia would give all
the support needed. Maybe my brother is arranging everything.”
“Are you coming with us?”

“Yes. Although I’m weak, I’m thinking of helping. It would be terrible if
something happens with the Honorary Cardinal while I’m away. Since
there is no one else to treat him except me… I can’t help it.”
“No. We are very sorry and grateful. But where are we going…”
“I’ll start investigating the fairy forest irst.”
“You mean the fairy forest?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll have to brace ourselves and go.”
I spoke to her as I saw her strange face, and I immediately heard an

answer.
“Is it a dangerous place?”
“It’s not, but…”
“Yes.”
“Because the fairies love to play around.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Come to think of it, you don’t know much about fairies. Well… they
must have been forgotten by the continental people… Of course, you
won’t have to worry too much. Although the power of the fairies is
special, it does not harm the human body… For example, it’s all about
changing the body’s appearance or changing gender for a while. Among
them, some do little nasty pranks, but they’re all basically nice.”
This had gotten a bit interesting.
CHAPTER 352
KIM HYUNA (2)
“It is natural that you cannot see them on the continent. The type of
environment is very important for the fairies to live.”
“You mean the environment?”
“Yes. When our long-time ancestors were active, we heard that they
were found all over the continent, but… At this time, you will not ind us
anywhere except the Kingdom of Eberia. Basically, fairies can only live
in unpolluted forests.”
“Well, they’re like an extinct animal… They can only live in the top
quality water area. You mean this?”
“Yes. That’s right, Park Deokgu. Those who have lost their place in life
because of humans’ reckless development… are a little more… Ah.
Sorry. I wasn’t trying to say this…”
“No. I can’t say you’re wrong.”
“As expected!”
“But Elena… I can’t think just like that. Unlike the elves, who are
protected by the World Tree, nothing has been given to humans.
Considering that all the resources necessary to build barriers and walls
come from the forest, sacri ices would have been indispensable for
human survival and development. Assuming the elves didn’t have a
World Tree, things would be more interesting.”
“Ah.”
“The elves would have had to build barriers and build walls. There
would be no continuous fruiting, so they might have needed some land
to farm to sustain the large population. It would have been necessary to
create a water channel for drinking water, and it would have changed a
lot differently than now.”
“T-That’s reasonable.”
“Of course, nowadays, the boundaries are blurred whether it is simply

for survival or to satisfy their own greed… If humans were given the
same means as the World Tree, I think it could have been a little
different from now. I think that’s very unfortunate. When the
environment changes, many things change.”
“I see.”
“I think I talked about useless things too much.”
“No, Honorary Cardinal. I think you were telling from a slightly different
perspective, so I think it helped to broaden my narrow perspective.”
“More importantly, now…”
“Yeah. We will be entering the fairy forest by now.”
“Have we arrived already?”
“Because we came running a full day. From now on, it’s a good place to
get off because it’s a place where we can’t get in by a carriage. Jung
Hayan, Sun Hee-young, I think it would be nice to get ready.”
“Okay.”
“…”
I could see the faces of Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young, who nodded
slightly.
‘They don’t seem to be in a good mood.’
Interestingly, Jung Hayan seemed to be less upset. Seeing that she didn’t
explode even during the constant conversations with Elena, the
proposal seemed to have worked.
Of course, it may have been decisive to think that she was now in
charge of my health.
In contrast, Sun Hee-young had a slightly darker expression, and I think

I could see why she was maintaining that expression.
‘Does she think her place was taken?’
In fact, Sun Hee-young was in the position of being my doctor before

this false bum show.
Recently, many things happened that made her fall apart from me, and
she seemed to be in an even worse mood because she was deprived of
her job.
The series of processes of taking care of me was the only thing where
she could be connected to me, so it wouldn’t be too much for her to
make that face.
Of course, I don’t know if it’s still the same as before. It seemed that Sun
Hee-young was showing interest in me without making it obvious, so I
was consciously pushing her away. Seeing that she continued to
maintain a dark face, it seemed that my plan was not very successful.
She’s just not extreme compared to Jung Hayan. I need to limit my

actions considering she’s gotten a little weird. It was little by little, but I
need to prevent her from having a mental breakdown.
As I smiled, she’s smiled slightly as if she cheered up a little. A very
bright smile stood out. It’s something I’ve always thought, but certainly,
her appearance is close to my ideal type. Of course, only the look.
As I got off the wagon while having useless thoughts, I could see the
party members just starting to get off the other wagons, but in fact, this
sight was unfamiliar.
Usually, we all rode large wagons together, but we divided the people as
the road we took was hard for a large wagon to pass through. Of course,
the horizon was way more worth it to watch than that scene.
“Wow…!” Jung Hayan exclaimed.
“It’s beautiful. It’s really beautiful. This place…”
Sun Hee-young expressed. Of course, my mouth opened, too.
When I irst came to Eberia, my reaction had been the same, but the
appearance of colored lowers that could not be seen on Earth was
spectacular.
“Aren’t monsters living here?”
“Yes. This is also one of the areas protected by the World Tree. Of
course, wild animals come in, but basically, it’s a place where even they
don’t like to come… As I said before, the fairies are a little bit serious.
Perhaps those without immunity were startled and left.”
“If possible, it would be better to go back quietly.”
“Okay.”
Even while I chatted for a while, the guild members unpacked their
luggage and prepared to march. As Kim Hyunsung sent a signal, the
formation was provided instantly. The elves were no different from us.
I realized that they were well-trained, but looking at it like this, I felt
different again. Even in the wagon, the two formations were quite
complementary, perhaps as if they had a separate conversation with
Kim Hyunsung.
It didn’t feel like it was perfectly harmonized, but it looked like it was
well mixed. It was de initely worth a nod.
I liked it more than anything else that she regarded my safety as more
important than her being a healer. It didn’t seem to be very different
from usual, but it was a good feeling of being cared for one way or
another.
Anyway, the party began to march slowly. Of course, Kim Hyunsung was
at the forefront, and I didn’t know if he had ever been here, but he was
indeed busy guiding the people.
Of course, the steps we had taken were quite cautious, not because we
felt that the situation was dangerous, but in order to avoid annoying
situations. It was true that it was boring and dif icult as we continued to
move on.
After a long time, I resented my cursed stamina. After taking a sip of the
stamina potion, I could see Elena looking at my frowning face.
“Honorary Cardinal, are you okay?”
“If you are feeling tired, you must speak to me. Just as the body breaks
when the soul is weakened, the opposite is possible. No, I think it would
be better to bring it to the front rather than this.”
“No. It’s ine, Elena. In fact, it’s not that hard.”

“You don’t have to refuse. It’s getting darker, and everyone is getting
tired… I think it would be nice to tell you.”
“It’s really okay, really.”
However, the rest had already been decided. As Jung Hayan tapped in
front of her and began to convey her intentions, the news was delivered
to Kim Hyunsung, who was instantly in the lead, and all the elves had
begun unpacking to ind a suitable ground.
It was getting dark. It was then that the light shimmered slightly in
front of my eyes.
“Huh?”
“Oppa. Just now…”
“I saw it too, Hayan.”
It felt like a ire ly. The only difference was that a small chatter was
heard.
Basically, it was a language that even strangers who were equipped

with translation magic could not understand. I was a little puzzled for a
while. When I remembered what we had been talking about all day, I
felt like I could see what was in front of me.
‘It’s a fairy.’
It looked similar to what you imagined—a dragon ly a little different

from the palm of the hand with wings were constantly emitting tiny
light.
It would be right to think that it looked like an elf rather than a human,
and it looked very cute.
Strangely, it seemed that a lot of them were gathering near Jung Hayan,
but considering that the place where they gathered is a forest where
pure magical power was gathered, the scene gathering around her did
not seem strange.
It was a very pure arrangement, so it attracted the fairies to the temple.
“Fortunately, they didn’t gather a lot.”
“Ah. This is not a lot?”
“Yes. The days are dark, and it seems to be rewarding to move quietly.”
There were enough by my standards, but to them, it wasn’t.
‘It’s pretty.’
In the meantime, the elves were familiar while setting up a camp, and it
felt like they didn’t pay much attention to the fairies. On the contrary,
most of the Blue Guild members were glancing at their surroundings.
I had seen many amazing things so far, but this would be the irst time
I’ve seen it, so it was understandable. Kim Ye-ri, who pretended that she
didn’t like cute things, was completely absorbed.
Of course, some who had suffered from the pain they gave already
existed.
They robbed the red mask Kim Chang-ryul always wore, and Park
Deokgu became like a Christmas tree. Strangely, some of the fairies had
begun throwing small rocks at Han Sora, but it didn’t seem painful.
Instead, she looked quite shocked.
She, too, was a woman, so she seemed unhappy to be hated by those

with cute faces.
She seemed to know why, but it was natural for her to pretend that it
was nothing. I didn’t have to say anything about the others.
Returning to scholar mode, Hwang Jeong-yeon had her eyes wide open,
and many fairies had begun pulling at her hair and taking her glasses.
Yoo Ahyoung’s appearance was, even more, a spectacle. Quite a few

fairies were pulling her collar. There was even a guy trying to get
through her shirt, so it didn’t need to be said that it was a pretty
embarrassing scene to look at.
“Ahh!”
“Stop it. S-Stop now!”
Of course, Elena’s situation was no different. Some of the fairies were

using her ears as if they were trampolines. Looking at the guys’
expressions jumping from her big ears, it seemed that they were not
happy.
‘These guys are really annoying.’
Just in time, several had started rushing to me as well. They were not
really harmful, but it felt really annoying.
“Can’t we do anything to stop them?”
“Ah… Yes. You can kick them out, but if you do, they will bring in more
friends. Maybe it’s time for the kids to fall asleep soon, so they’ll be a
little quiet after dinner. Until then…”
It was when Elena continued talking. Slowly, Kim Hyunsung began to

approach. He also had many fairies attached to him, but he probably
had something he wanted to say.
It was then that I realized that something had become strange. I was
not mistaken. Kim Hyunsung’s body shape can be seen gradually
changing.
I didn’t know if he noticed the weirdness either, but I could see his head
down, looking down.
“Huh?”
It was a thin voice.
“This became annoying.”
His long hair was down to his shoulders.
I was able to realize that he was the irst sacri ice to their pranks.
“Kiyoung-ssi. Don’t you feel anything uncomfortable?”
‘I’m the one who should be asking it.’
Looking at me was a woman who looked like she was in her late teens.
“Oppa… became a girl.” Kim Ye-ri mumbled in shock.

CHAPTER 353
KIM HYUNA (3)
“Oppa… became a girl.”
There was nothing else to say because Ye-ri’s description had been
highly accurate. As I looked around quietly, the faces of those still
staring at Kim Hyunsung caught my eyes.
It was no wonder that laughter had come out.
I had heard about this beforehand, but the scene that happened in front
of me was quite unrealistic. Even if I were to guess, he only seems to be
about 17 years old, max. It was not only his gender, but his age seemed
to have changed.
The height and limbs were shortened, and the straight hair down to the
waist was noticeable Glossy black hair seemed to be referring to this
kind of hair, all luttering.
His face looked as if the original Kim Hyunsung had been transferred
into a woman’s body.
I always thought he was good-looking, but when he went to change his

gender, it seemed like he could be comparable to the elves. He seemed
to be unaware of himself, but he looked good enough to say that he was
a girl of matchless beauty.
This was not a subjective evaluation.

The Blue party members and even the elves glancing at him also turned
their eyes as if they looked amazed.
What was even more interesting was that the behavior of a girl in her
late teens seemed a little older to her and, for some reason, was
unnatural. For example, seeing Hyunsung stroking the chin or frowning
with a serious expression oddly looked cute.
‘This bastard is too cute.’
Of course, it was not that my heart was beating or anything.
In the irst place, I was aware of the fact that he was younger, and that
Kim Hyunsung was the core. However, there was no denying that I
wanted to stroke his hair at least once.
This was a situation where I was entirely speechless.
As I looked at Elena, I saw her calmly starting to speak.
“It’s temporary. You don’t have to worry too much.”
“Ah, is it?”
“Yes. Basically, if it’s not in the fairy forest, the magic won’t be
maintained, and he will return to his original state soon after leaving
the fairy forest or after a while. Unusually, it is impossible to dispel it in
general…”
“What’s the reason?”
“I’m guessing it’s probably because the magic is driven differently. The
boundaries of whether or not the magic used by fairies is indeed
magical are also very ambiguous. I don’t know much, but I can at least
af irm one thing. It won’t be a big problem.”
“I see. That’s a relief.”
Kim Hyunsung nodded as if relieved by Elena’s words. Of course, Kim

Ye-ri and Cho Hye-jin also exhaled a sigh of relief.
It seemed that they were quite anxious to see that they sighed too
openly. Considering that Kim Hyunsung was also the same…
‘It means that he hasn’t been here before.’
He pretended as if it was no big deal, but I thought he might have been

quite surprised because I could see him smiling slightly after
rechecking what he already had heard of.
I didn’t know if this was just acting or not, but it was indeed true that
Kim Hyunsung also experienced the fairies’ pranks for the irst time.
In other words, he did not experience this dungeon himself.
Considering that he said that this was above legendary-grade, it was

impossible to proceed with the expedition like a picnic.
‘If you had experienced it, it would be better, but… ’
However, the problem was that the atmosphere had gotten blurred
because of the constantly crowding fairies. The chattering around and
the serious atmosphere didn’t mix well. I could see that they had let go
of the tension, even if it was a little bit.
‘Because taking rest is also important.’
It seemed that the others had recognized the implicit permission. It was
Ahn Ki-mo who opened his mouth irst.
“I had doubted, but it was true. It’s really amazing. The Guild Master
and ah, Ye-ri… They are affected by magic.”
“What?”
“I mean the gender.”
“Uncle Ki-mo… I’m still the same.”
It was momentary, but his face looked like he got scared. Whether he
realized that he had made a mistake, I could also see him desperately
ixing it.
“My, my eyes are strained.”
“…”
“N-No one else has changed on our side except for Hyunsung. Is there
any reason?”
“Isn’t it just because the fairies wanted? I thought I had seen all the
strange sights when I came here, but it still seems that there’s much
more. It’s also the irst time seeing Hyunsung changed like that… No
matter how brief it is, don’t we have to change the name? I think it
would be okay to call him Kim Hyuna.”
“That’s rude.”
“Well, Hyejin is too strict.”
“Calling him Guild Master is enough.”
“Ahem. I only said it as a joke. I just wanted to say something useless. It

sounds like a unique experience, but I don’t want to join.”
“That, everyone… must feel the same.”
“I may want to see a little…”

I didn’t know what the intention in Hwang Jeong-yeon’s words was, but
I had no choice but to agree with Kim Ye-ri saying that she didn’t.
Of course, this was a sight that I didn’t want to see either.
When I realized that even the fairies had eyes, Han Sora was constantly
being attacked by the fairies in the midst of that.
For some reason, this was all a little sad.
The other female guild members were preparing the meal, but it was a
little full- ledged, unlike what I thought would be something simple.
There seemed to be a direct instruction from Kim Hyunah, but it
appeared that we were entering the dungeon tomorrow.
‘Didn’t he have anything to say earlier?’
When I turned, I saw him coming this way.
Looking down at the guy who was a little taller than me felt a little
strange. Looking at him patting my shoulder also seemed unnatural for
some reason.
“After that, it seemed like I hadn’t heard the answer before… Are you
feeling all right considering you’re not well?”
“Yes. Actually, there’s nothing wrong, but… Elena said it would be better
to take a break. I didn’t want to cause any damage…”
“No. We are almost there, anyway. I thought it would be better to take a

comfortable break for a day or so. Everyone agreed without saying
anything, but the back liners would have struggled physically. Both
Hayan and Hee-young, too, as well as Sora and Jeong-yeon.”
“Since they kept using magic power… are you okay?”
“Yes. Of course. Physically, the problem is… Oh, are you talking about
my condition now?”
“Yes.”
“The clothes I am wearing are uncomfortable, but it’s okay, except for
the shorter height. It seems like it’ll be okay to ight, only the
appearance has changed, but the physical ability seems to be the same.
It would have been a bit uncomfortable if I had been in the position of
Deokgu or Ahyoung, but it seems that there will be an advantage as the
body became smaller. Of course, the answer will come soon as to which
one is more ef icient.”
‘I didn’t ask about that… ’
“I don’t know if it’s because of the mood, but should I say I feel a little
delicate and agile? I think it is correct to think so. Oh, thank you,
Hyejin.”
As if the meal was ready fairly quickly, Cho Hyejin handed over the stew
bowl to Kim Hyunsung. Of course, a bowl was delivered to me, too.
Kim Hyuna opened his mouth once again, holding a spoon to his mouth.
“Anyway, I am glad that there was a slight difference. The seizure timing
is also getting delayed… Yes. I’m really glad.”
It was quite a spectacle to see him smiling widely. I could tell he hadn’t
adapted to his body just yet.
“Isn’t it really pretty?”
“What?”
“This place.”
“Oh, I agree. It’s probably a sight that we can’t even see on Earth. Haha.”
“Yes. Of course, it is. No matter where you look on the planet, there will
be no such place.”
“…”
“…”
“Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Yes.”
“It’s a bit sudden, but in fact, I’ve had many times resented for coming
here.”
“I think…”
“Yes. Probably most of us did. No one likes being brought here without
knowing anything. There were many times when I cried and shouted
without understanding what the quest was or why I was here.”
“That’s surprising. It didn’t look that way at all…”
“That’s because I thought it would be better to keep my composure in

front of others. But… humans are so ickle, you know? I guess I got fond
of this place, too. I sometimes miss the city walls and Lindel, which I at
irst didn’t want to see, and I often think that I don’t want this place to
disappear. Of course, the same is true for Kiyoung and others.”
“…”
“In fact, I never imagined we would get so close. I didn’t know that I
would have trusted Kiyoung this far.”
‘Me too, man.’
“It’s funny, but I began to think, recently, how fortunate it was.”
“Fortunate?”
“Yes. The fact I met all of you, the connection created like this. It’s
unexpected, but I hope to see this scene together even after a lot of
time. So… let’s hold on a little more.”
He got up irst and extended his hand to me. It was natural to hold his
hands slightly. When he raised me, I was able to get up naturally.
“I said something embarrassing, but I mean it.”
“No. I appreciated it. I think the same way.”
The sunset background was very noticeable. Even the sunset seems to
be helping him. It was impressive to see him smiling brightly.
It was then that I found that Jung Hayan, located a little farther away,
with terrifying eyes.
It was scary to see her twisted mouth after a very long time. She
seemed to pretend to be okay, but she had on a deformed face no
matter who were to see her.
‘She’s not going to cause more accidents, right?’
Naturally, I let go of Kim Hyuna’s hand momentarily.
Seeing him still smiling, I think he hadn’t noticed anything strange.
‘Stop smiling. Bastard.’

If he didn’t stop, a real monster clash might happen. I beckoned to Jung
Hayan instantly out of anxiety.
She suddenly lit up and ran over here, hugging me.
“Haha. It looks like I took too much time. Then I will take a look around
with other elves for a moment. If you take a rest today, you will be able
to enter the dungeon tomorrow. Again, I believe in Kiyoung. You will be
able to withstand it somehow.”
“Yes.”
With a satisfactory face and patting my shoulder, I felt guilty. What illed
up in his eyes was strong trust and belief.
The dungeon was coming soon, so I was more concerned about the end
of this.
‘It would be terrible if Kim Hyunsung really misunderstands

something… ’
If I was misunderstood as the masked trash Jing Qing, it would be

terrible because there was nothing more painful than getting
backstabbed by someone you really trusted.
Of course, I was innocent, but I thought I had to think about a case

where this treatment didn’t work or the situation worsened.
‘That pointy ear is the problem.’
If Kim Hyunsung’s solution worked, it would be a great relief. I felt

guilty, but it could be a good thing to clean my soul.
However, the biggest problem was if it didn’t change much.

Even a lie, a small variable, could make the given situation more tangled
than it already is. The problem was that, although I had been looking
for a solution until now, I couldn’t ind any.
At irst, my thoughts were inclined toward interfering with the dungeon

journey itself, but the plan was out of the question since I heard Kim
Hyunsung talk about the last resistance and stuff.
It was true that the dungeon must be cleared at any cost. That was how
we responded to future threats.
‘Does it look so disgusting to need treatment?’
It was just when I was lost in my thoughts…
‘How do I look through Hayan’s eyes… ’
Jung Hayan was staring at Kim Hyuna a little too much.
As I looked at her holding me tight enough to hurt my arm, I started to

think that, although momentary, I had gotten hit in my head with a
hammer.
“Why didn’t I think of this?”
‘Why haven’t I thought about contaminating that elf until now?’

CHAPTER 354
AN EASY ELF, AN EASY ELENA
(1)
‘Why haven’t I thought of this until now?’
I knew I had to keep a look a bit serious, but I still kept smiling. The
problem hadn’t been solved yet, but it seemed like I had found a good
solution.
Even after Kim Hyunah, Kim Ye-ri, and Kim Chang-ryul got clues about
the dungeon together, the laughter continued to pop out of me, and
though a loud voice resonated from the front, I did not pay much
attention.
Anyway, it must have been news that the dungeon that Hyunsung was
hiding was found.
Whether this prediction was correct, the guild members and elves were
preparing to enter the dungeon. It was no wonder that Elena also
showed an excited expression; it was pretty fun to see her looking at me
whilst moving her ears up and down.
Looking at her, who looked so innocent, I couldn’t understand why I

hadn’t been able to think of this until now.
In a sense, I wanted to thank both Jung Hayan and Kim Hyuna.
‘There is no need to really cleanse my soul.’

Literally, it didn’t really have to be cured. She was the only one who
could see my condition anyway.
As long as that emerald pointy ear elf didn’t feel uncomfortable with
me… Even if Kim Hyunsung’s plan were to fail, there was a possibility
that this would be solved if I made her believe that the treatment was
over.
‘If the characteristic change… ’
I was curious about what she would think of me. Belial certainly called
me a disgusting soul, but he did not vomit or frown.
Perhaps it was the effect inherent in my characteristic. It may be a

disgusting soul to Elena and others, but it might not look like that to
Jung Hayan.
Of course, Jung Hayan didn’t have Elena’s attribute, but she wouldn’t get
nauseous if she did.
If Elena’s characteristic or disposition would get reversed, there was a

possibility that her perspective on me would also change.
It may be a little dif icult, but since I had a lot of time to be with Elena, it
was worth trying at least once.
‘This is not my specialty… ’
Of course, I did not feel comfortable. Bringing a pure elf to the abyss
was a very dif icult spell for Light Kiyoung, who had been reborn. This
was not even my specialty.
However, I thought it couldn’t be helped for the cause. I had even

considered an unfortunate accident of this innocent elf in the worst
case, but more than that, this showed how cheap I was.
Of course, there were many dif iculties in implementing the plan right
away, but…
“Oppa, are you not feeling well?”
“N-No. Hayan. I was thinking about something else for a second.”
“That’s f-fortunate.”
At last, that dif iculty began to talk, but it was the right timing.
I saw the party members who were just about ready to enter the
dungeon waiting for me. As I walked while preparing plausible
storytelling, I couldn’t even think that things had gone this far.
‘I need a little more time to think… ’
Of course, there was no time to enjoy such leisure. As I thought the time
was urgent, I had decided to enter immediately.
It would have been nice to have realized this before leaving, but after
the train had already left, I have no choice but to do my job well within
my current situation.
For example, this was a quest with a time limit given only to me. From
the moment I entered the dungeon until the dungeon was attacked, at
any cost, I must make Elena realize what the true light was.
As soon as I nodded and walked, a familiar voice came immediately.
[You have entered the Twisted Pond in a legendary-grade dungeon.

Number of people [23/34] checked.]
‘It’s still the same.’

It gave an atmosphere of choking and pressure. It was about time I got
used to it, but I couldn’t get used to this strange atmosphere.
The overall atmosphere of the Twisted Pond was like the Garden of
Horror.
Though, in fact, they didn’t have much in common except that they had
plants. This was because the whole place, which we had come through
the underground, was damp and moist, and all the roots and plants
tangled around were rotten.
It was different from the garden that kept it green. Elios slowly opened
his mouth as if something was bothering him before we really entered.
“I had doubts, but… it was true.”
Of course, who answered was Kim Hyunsung. It was time to explain

how he could ind clues so easily that even Eberian rangers couldn’t. I
was lucky, anyway. He would speak, but what about it? As long as they
accepted it, that was it.
“I was just lucky because I had received guidance from the fairies. I
didn’t think I would be able to ind it this early either.”
“This area has already been investigated…”
“You will not be familiar with dungeons, so it will only be natural.”
“But… it’s really amazing.”
“Oh, it’s that our Guild Master has found dungeons amazingly since long
before. There’s nothing to be weird about. Since we’ve been summoned,
there will be more than ten dungeons that have been found or attacked.
It’s not something to be blamed for… and he is exceptional among
foreigners who are eager to ind dungeons.”
“…”
‘You covered it well.’
“Uncle Deokgu is right. Since before. Hyunsung… No, the Guild Master is
a pro in inding places like this.”
“I see. I think I know why you, who have just arrived here, have grown
so much.”
“Well, actually, discovering is important, too, but attacking is even more

important than that. Without Hyung-ssi… no, without the Guild Master
and Hyung-nim, our guild could not have grown this far.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Absolutely, if I were to tell stories of our guild’s attacks on

dungeons, a day wouldn’t be enough. Ah, but I’m a little nervous
because it’s still a legendary-grade… Are you, elves, familiar with
dungeons?”
“Actually… We’re not.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. If it’s not for a special reason… of course, it’s not that we won’t go
at all, but it will be dif icult to compare with you guys. There are not
many dungeons in the Kingdom of Eberia.”
“That’s not known. It might be hidden here and there, just like this
place.”
Even if I were to think about it, the last remark was bullshit. Anyone
could see that he didn’t know a thing about dungeons. Although I was
expecting him to be a little trustworthy, the elves were rather an
awkward bunch.
‘Tsk, tsk.’
They really didn’t look experienced. I didn’t know why a group with this
kind of power looked somewhat so awkward.
‘Can I think that they are similar to the Knights?’
I didn’t really know if this could be expressed like this, but it seemed to
me that it was similar to the fact that the Knights possessed by the State
were unfamiliar with attacking dungeons.
Unlike mercenaries and professional treasure hunters, these people

were ignorant of the dungeon itself. It was a completely different story
between going through war or an interpersonal battle and attacking a
dungeon.
These were the former specialists, not the latter.
‘Of course, they know the basics, but… ’
It meant that there was a high possibility that they wouldn’t know what
to do in sudden situations. Since it was not the forest, their movement
would indeed be limited, and the dungeon itself, called Twisted Pond,
didn’t seem to suit the elves. They had come together to watch us, but
perhaps I should think about the possibility that they might be a
nuisance.
“Since you said you’re not familiar with… it would be better to

reorganize the overall formation. Is that okay?”
“I think we’ll listen to it irst.”
“There is no change in creating a line around Kiyoung and Elena…

Others except Elios would be better off standing in the rear. Rangers,
summoners, and the rest of the warriors will be in charge of the middle,
and we will be in charge of the front line.”
“Hmm…”
‘He doesn’t look very pleased.’
If it were me, I would have welcomed it with open arms. However, on

the elves’ side, it seemed that they did not like us to be completely in
charge of the front line. They might think so.
In fact, this expedition had been created to heal the World Tree rather
than me. Considering that it was an elven job and a task given to the
elves, it might feel uncomfortable to see the Blue getting the advantage.
If it were an individual group, some would think it would be fortunate

to receive the bene its, but they belonged to a huge kingdom. It meant
that we had to consider several things.
‘They aren’t stupid than I thought either.’
In fact, it didn’t matter what happened with the camp.
‘Hyunsung will take care of the dungeon strategy… ’
I just had to do what I had to do.
I didn’t have enough time and ability to pay attention to strategy. It was
only correct to try to solve the immediate problem.
‘How can I do this?’
I must also be careful with Kim Hyunsung and guild members’ eyes.
Above all, I needed to igure out exactly how Elena thought and felt
about me.
I planned to start as soon as suf icient preparations have been made.
‘She is the real problem.’

Of course, the most problematic one was none other than Jung Hayan.
She wouldn’t dare put magic on Elena, who had been serving as my
nurse, but I didn’t know what she might do if she were to lose it.
If I were to think about the possibility of having a boat ride with just the
two of us on Twisted Pond, it was not enough to be careful a hundred
times.
The ideal thing was to somehow create a situation where we could be

alone. Above all else, this was my top priority. There was no beginning
without talking to her irst. There was no way to have an accident if
nothing happened.
No matter what happened, I had to talk to her.
‘How long does it take to attack the dungeon?’
If I were to think about the food we brought, the expedition would take
at least ten days. Even assuming that camps would be made more than
ten times, it was undeniable that time was insuf icient. No matter how I
was to think about it, there was no other way than to grab my chest.
It was even hard to walk, as there were no wagons in sight.
There was no law against going in a rickshaw because there was

enough manpower left.
“Cough… Elena, I can’t breathe…”
“What?”
“Cough. Cough…”
When I started with the plan, I felt all of the gazes focused on me.
I looked like a child screaming for a toy. I promised myself to refrain
from doing these bullshit shows as much as possible, but human
commitment was originally easy to break.
When I started with the same symptoms they had seen the last time, I
saw them moving in a hurry.
‘This is not my fault.’
The warped air in the warped place had no choice but to devour some
pure soul.
This was the moment when I desperately needed to cut off the outside
world. Of course, everyone knew that the beautiful elf caregiver should
stay with me.
‘I don’t want to walk. Bastards! “

CHAPTER 355
(2)
‘Isn’t this too comfortable?’
It was going perfectly as planned, but it all felt so comfortable that I felt
guilty.
Looking outward, I could see the guild members and elves still
struggling. They were in trouble due to the sudden appearance of a
monster.
‘This is tricky.’
This was de initely tricky.
As Kim Hyunsung had, most of the main monsters in the Twisted Pond
were demons. Even so, they were low-level demons that couldn’t be
compared with Belial, but this dungeon was not of a rare or common-
grade.
It was de initely a dungeon that had received a legendary-grade, so it

was only correct to think that a demon or monster of at least legendary-
grade would appear.
It didn’t make sense to compare with a mythic-grade creature in the

irst place.
If it was the mythic-grade that I had seen so far, it was at least three or
four levels higher than a legendary-grade. In that sense, my semi-
mythic-grade class, the Alchemist of Light, also had endless ways to use
it, but the problem was that I couldn’t research because I was only in
bed recently.
It might take a while, but perhaps I should create a potion that would
hit the system’s walls.
‘It’s just a wish, but… ’
My body was de initely comfortable, so my thoughts had begun to leak

to one side.
The expedition members who were wordlessly ighting wouldn’t even

afford to do that.
This was because the demons’ faces from at least heroic-grade or

higher, and those who were ighting them looked quite serious.
There was anxiety on Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung’s faces, not to
mention the facial expressions of Jung Hayan or others. Of course,
trying to break through the dif icult dungeon with the elves as quickly
as possible made them look like that.
‘It seems that they’re not at ease anymore… ’
Of course, the cause lay solely with me.
Even so, since Light Kiyoung, was suffering, they were under pressure
to complete the attack quickly.
I was worried about what to do if an accident were to take place, but I

had begun to feel relieved when I saw Kim Hyunsung – no, Kim Hyuna –
effortlessly splitting the head of one of the demons.
About three hours since I started my comfortable journey in the
rickshaw, Kim Hyunah was still smooth sailing.
As she continued to glance at me, Elena, who was in the same space as I
was, slowly opened her mouth.
“You don’t have to worry, Honorary Cardinal. Nothing bad will happen.”
‘It’s not because of that, but… ’
There was nothing bad about thinking that way.
“I would like to help them in any way… I am not comfortable lying here
alone.”
“No. As I said before, you should avoid going outside as much as

possible. This Twisted Pond and the polluted magical power emitted by
the demons are adversely affecting your soul. Moving rashly now will
only make things worse. Blue is strong. The same goes for our Eberian
Elune Knights. Nothing bad will happen.”
“I am not doing this because I don’t trust them…”
“You have to trust them. I’m sure your colleagues totally understand
you.”
‘Of course, they do.’
“They will be able to reach the end of the dungeon without any
problems. Please think of yourself irst rather than the people outside.
That way, your colleagues will also be able to ight relieved.”
“Yes. I should think so.”
Naturally, I maintained a sorrowful expression. I could see Elena

looking at me worriedly.
[Disposition: Curious Defensor]
Her disposition was a Curious Defensor.
[Checking the unique characteristic of Elena Eberia]
[Emerald Delusional Flower]
Her characteristic was Emerald Delusional Flower.
It made sense if I were to think of her background.
She was an elf who had been stuck only in the Kingdom of Eberia, and
seeing that she was basically interested in humans and other countries,
her characteristic must have stemmed from this.
If one asked me if I didn’t like it, I would answer that I liked it. The
disposition and the characteristic were ine.
I liked the fact that she was curious, and that it went well with the
unique characteristic. Most of all, it was best that she was like a dreamy
girl who didn’t know the reality.
It meant that this was better than dealing with people who were worn
out from the world.
‘It means I have to do something with her… ’
First, the most important task was completed. The narrow space was
uncomfortable, but it was a great achievement to be alone with her.
We were even magically blocked from the outside, so this was pretty
good timing to have a conversation.
Of course, the problem of her instinctive rejection of me remained, but

as our relationship progressed or her way of thinking changed, it would
eventually be easier for her to accept me.
‘It’s a problem that I don’t know which direction to shake.’
First of all, there was no disagreement that I needed to get closer to her
in the current situation. We had to talk as much as possible.
I needed to know more about her, and igure out what kind of life she
had been through. The irst step required to connect was to understand
each other.
As I nodded and opened my mouth, an answer came immediately.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“I’m ine.”
“But…”
“No, Honorary Cardinal. No matter how polluted your soul is, it doesn’t
feel dirty. In my eyes, I can see more of the nobility in it.”
‘Right. Thank you for saying that.’
“…”
“It’s true, Honorary Cardinal. As I said before, I have watched the

Honorary Cardinal and the Heroes of Light through the Goddess’ Mirror.
It was a great sight. Yes. It is vivid enough to make me receive
goosebumps whenever I see it. It will be unforgettable even after a few
hundred years that the four heroes faced the great demon without a
single step back.”
“It’s not a big deal, Elena. Everyone else would have done the same.”
“No. I actually thought of myself there, but even if I think about it
hundreds of times… I couldn’t do anything other than sit down. The
Heroes of Light had given me courage.”
“Courage?”
“Yes.”
“It hasn’t been that long, but I had lived in the Kingdom of Eberia for
200 years. Like all elves. Ludwig and my brother, Elios, said that outside
the kingdom was always dangerous, and in fact, I had grown up hearing
stories about other humans. I’ve been told that it’s a scary and
dangerous place outside.”
“So you’ve only stayed in the kingdom.”
“Yes. For me, the outside of the kingdom was just a scary and terrifying
place.”
“You didn’t look like that, but…”
“Didn’t I say this before? It was the Heroes of Light who had given me
courage. Perhaps, if I had not seen the Goddess’ Mirror, I wouldn’t have
left the kingdom of Eberia. And I probably wouldn’t know what my
mission was. Have you ever heard of High Elves?”
“Yes, I have. The story of not being born for a very long time, and the
fact that Elena is a high elf.”
“In fact, being a high elf doesn’t mean anything special. There is nothing
different from others other than receiving the blessing of the World
Tree and the blessing of Elune. Of course, historically…”
“Yes?”
“Historically, the ancestral guardians have always played a huge role.
Long ago, from the time when the human kingdom was not divided,
from the days when humans and these races had been ighting as one,
the ancestral guardians appeared in the world and faced direct danger.
You can think of all the elven companions in fairy tales or history books
as the guardians of our ancestors.”
“I see.”
“I don’t know if this is because of it, but I thought that I would have a
role given to me. And Lee Kiyoung directly found the reason for me.”
“The mission you talked about last time…”
“Yes. I have received a revelation. I mean the Elune’s revelation to heal

Lee Kiyoung’s contaminated soul and join the Heroes of Light.”
I didn’t know what she was talking about right now, but this spelled
good news for me. This meant that it was true from the start that she
was feeling favorable towards me.
‘It’s better if she misunderstands like that.’
If she really thought that she had received a revelation, perhaps I could
make use of that.
‘Yes. I absolutely can.’
There was no reason not to use this since she was making up the story
for me herself.
I thought about this for a moment, but it was in no time to make a

decision. There was no reason to take any more time than this.
As I frowned, I saw her approaching in a hurry to check my condition.

She looked harried. At this point, I could feel the divine power being
sent to me in a hurry, but of course, it didn’t work. This time around, it
seemed that a little different treatment would be needed.
I instantly stopped breathing as much as possible and had begun

shedding tears. To Lee Kiyoung, having 26 years of acting, shedding
crocodile tears was a piece of cake.
“Are you okay? Honorary Cardinal, are you okay?”
“Cough…”
I didn’t forget to shake my arms. No, actually, this was the most
important task.
This was because she had to properly recognize that the time had
passed when she could treat me with divine power.
She kept pouring out her divine power to me, but I had to make her
realize that it was not working anymore. As I shook my whole body as if
I went crazy, Elena immediately became lustered.
“N-No.”
As I rolled my eyeballs and looked at her, I caught her looking at the

window inside the narrow kiln as if she was thinking about asking for
help from outside.
However, everyone was busy helping out in the ight – no one would
help her now.
In the meantime, the event I prepared was soon reaching the peak.
My entire body staggering, I reached my arms out into the air. I showed
sad eyes whilst making grabby motions, almost as if asking for
salvation.
“Oh, Elune. Elune… please…”
“Cou… gh… sigh…”
“Oh, Elune.”
Elena had begun to cry. I felt her tightly holding my arm, all while
reaching out into the air.
That was when my condition stabilized.
“Huh?”
Sighs and doubts of relief lay on her face illed with tears.
She had experienced a miracle of sudden stabilization of my body,

which seemed to die just before, so it would not be unreasonable to
make that face.
“Ah…”
‘Right… ’
“No way…”
‘That ‘no way’ is true.’
Soul erosion had broken into stage 2.
It was no longer a divine power that was needed. Only Elune could
rescue Light Kiyoung from the crisis of death.

[Stop! You damned demon! (0/1)]
[For unknown reasons, the forced quest of the heroic-grade was

canceled.]
CHAPTER 356
(3)
‘Good. It’s good.’
It seemed like something had just passed, but I didn’t pay much
attention to it. This was because what was important at this moment
was Elena’s reaction.
She looked to be speechless, but then, she took her breath as if she was
so relieved by my normal condition.
It seemed to me that she was very surprised by the sudden situation.
Her ears were trembling, and her emerald hair was sweaty, but she
thought it was more urgent to take care of me than to take care of
herself.
“Are… are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m okay, Elena.”
“I’m glad. I’m really glad.”
This turned out to be a pretty good event.
Looking at her reaction, the result didn’t seem to be bad either. I think it
had been a little impulsive, but there’s certainly merit.
Elena had a legendary-grade class and legendary-grade attribute with
magic power and luck stats over 90. She was talented with her innate
quality of magic, and she was someone who was expected to have a
powerful impact on the Kingdom of Eberia.
If it were before, I would have tried to bring her to my side at any cost.
I hadn’t been much hung up on talents because my life had improved a

lot by now, but being able to take her as a pet was a good enough
reason to take on the risk.
The dice had been thrown in a very easy way. Since I had decided to
move, it was better to do it properly.
“You don’t look well… did anything happen? Maybe you’re feeling
worse…”
“No. It’s nothing like that. Yes. It’s not that, but… Yes. Yes… Absolutely
not. Rather, how do you feel right now?”
“I don’t know. I feel a little more comfortable than usual.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“I… see.”
“I don’t know how on earth this happened, but thank you.”
“What?”
“It’s just that you’ve stayed with me like this again.”
“Ah… Yes. It’s nothing. I just did what I had to do.”

“Perhaps Elune’s revelation…”
“Yes?”
“It looks like it really exists.”
“…”
“Actually, I was a bit aware that I had only days left to live, Elena-nim.”
“What? You knew…?”
“Of course, I couldn’t diagnose what exactly it was, but it was constantly
sending signals here and there. In fact, I was giving up halfway… I also
thought a lot about whether the role that was given to me only came
this far.”
“…”
“Elena said that Elune had a revelation for me… Maybe I have a little
more reason to stay on this continent. Something more important than
what happened at Laios. Haha. Cough. Cough.”
It was quite the spectacle to see her holding both my hands in a hurry.
The anxiety had never left her face.
“Yes… Yes! I think so, too. There must be a reason Elune ordered me to
help the Honorary Cardinal. Yes. De initely. And… Yes. And there may be
another reason to… why we met.”
‘As expected, she would think like that.’
“Another reason… What do you mean…?”

“N-Nothing. It’s nothing.”
I saw her with her head bent. Although she looked uncomfortable, her
red face, for some reason, showed that she was harboring many
thoughts. This was only natural.
‘Has she ever held a man’s hand properly?’
She was an elf who had been stuck in the forest for nearly 200 years.
She was also a character who seemed very ignorant about the
relationship between men and women in the irst place.
Elena didn’t feel uncomfortable holding my hand freely for a

handshake, or putting her hand on my chest for treatment. She wasn’t
aware that the treatment practice so far was in contact with the
opposite sex. It was just a process of treating a patient.
However, when the setting was changed, then her mindset would
change as well.
Once she started to recognize it, it meant that simple treatment actions
would no longer be the same as before.
For a girl with many dreams, the subject of God’s will or destiny was a
subject that she could only nod to.
When I considered that the lines appearing in the numerous romance

novels distributed throughout the continent were all about the will of
God, revelation, and guidance, and destiny, the answer to taming her
was obvious.
Even in her imagination, it would be the background where this bullshit

would work, but what happened to her had been a reality.
I couldn’t expect a complete change, but she would de initely be

conscious of me.
‘No, I could do it much faster than I thought.’
Once I had built a quick but solid relationship, it was easy to push
things into her head.
No, I didn’t even need to push. Hopefully, I might be able to get things
done smoothly without such a task. There was no choice but to keep
nodding. It was then that I felt cold energy somewhere.
“Ah…”
A pair of eyes were seen through the small window that was open for
me to see the outside situation.
I was quick to realize that Jung Hayan was looking inside with her face
close. It felt like a snake scanning my back.
‘Shit.’
I felt guilty for a moment, but when I saw Jung Hayan slowly removing
her face from the kiln, I realized that she had not igured out the
situation.
She was just wondering what I was doing.
When I saw her worried face, I felt my conscience being stabbed. I

wasn’t a complete douche after all.
‘I’ll do better, Hayan.’
Although it was a useless commitment, it was only natural to suppress

the remorse that had been raised for a while.
Now, I had to start with the immediate situation. It was when she was
constantly checking my knee that I heard a sound.
Craaack!
Baaaaaaang!!!
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
The irst thing I heard was a loud voice. I had no choice but to cover my
ears momentarily by the sound of a tearing voice.
I don’t know why, but I felt a huge impact on the kiln.
I momentarily looked outside through the small window, but the party
members could not be seen. No, her body was crashing inside the small
kiln where she was rolling and falling through.
No wonder Elena and my body had gotten tangled. I thought I had to ix

my body somehow, but it was not easy to chant spells in this situation.
‘What the hell is this? Fuck!’
It was evident that the stallions, whether it was an Elven Knight or

what, had an accident.
I wondered if Jung Hayan caused this, but the possibility of this was
zero. It was hard to imagine a scene where she was hurting me even if I
were to simulate hundreds of times.
If she had wanted to kill Elena, she would’ve done it instead of attacking
the wagon.
‘It’s an accident.’
In this context, it was only correct to think so. No wonder I thought I

was off guard.
I should have expected something to go wrong from the time the elves
moved awkwardly.
I didn’t know if Kim Hyunsung or Jung Hayan was currently pursuing

us, but if they were in combat or were in a special situation, there was a
possibility that I could be completely isolated.
It was rather poisonous not to know what the situation was doing
outside.
I shouldn’t have blocked the sound.
Fortunately, this kiln was very strong, but it seemed to have come down
to a very deep place seeing that it kept falling even after a long time had
passed.
I didn’t know how far it was going to fall, but I knew I had to do
something about it.
“Da… mn!”
Crack!
Bang!
Craaack!
However, even that was not easy.
I could hear the kiln being hit by external objects, with various sounds
resonating. If it weren’t for the spells put on for safety, they would have
already been broken.
‘What about using loating magic?’

Considering that wizards like Jung Hayan, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Han
Sora could not afford to catch me, the situation may be worse than I had
initially expected.
There was no more light coming through the windows.
As I hugged Elena desperately and clapped her hands, the dragon’s tail
emerged and began to wrap around her body.
The protection magic outside the wagon must protect us, but as there
were situations that we did not know, we must prepare as much as
possible in order to protect our bodies.
‘Shit. Shit.’
The moment I heard a great sound, I luttered, but there was nothing
wrong with the body compared to the sound.
Strangely, the wagon had not gotten broken in the irst place.
I didn’t know how many layers of defense magic had been put on it, but
it was rewarding to have had it.
‘Our wizards are capable.’
Meanwhile, it was pitch black when I tried to look outside.
As I chanted the spell a little, my surroundings began to glow slowly

with a bit of light. As I raised my body in an ambiguous posture, I saw
Elena trembling while hugging me tightly.
Seeing the linching and moving ears, it seemed that she didn’t know
about this situation.
Of course, I was the same. I wondered how a well-going expedition

could reach such a close.
As soon as I bit my lips, Elena, who had her face pressed right over here,
slowly began to talk to me. There would be no need to explain how the
expression was.
“Lee Kiyoung. How on earth did this happen?”
“I don’t know in detail. I think we fell after being shocked by

something…”
“Where are we?”
“I’m not sure either. Nothing can be seen outside… First of all, it would
be a good idea to check the outside situation. In the worst case, I think
you should think about that when we’re far from your party. It is
possible that we are isolated.”
“Then…”
“For now.”
The irst thing to do was check where this was, and if there were people
who had also fallen.
I rummaged through the in inite bag that Kim Hyunsung gave me, and
immediately took out the dragon breath potion. As much as that event
could happen, I got ready to get out.
I could see Elena looking at this side with an anxious expression, but I
had to open the door of the kiln slowly for now.
The shrieking sounds heard from outside was exceptionally loud.
I looked around while swallowing, but I couldn’t see anything as if the

pupil was quite bulky.
That was when something fell from the sky. I wondered if it might be
the lovely returner who had come to me, but what I saw was a
completely unexpected igure.
‘Shit.’
It was not even alive.
Re lected in my sight was the upper body of an elf.
“This is terrible…”
My lips had begun to dry.

CHAPTER 357
(4)
It was certainly one of the Elune Knights who was dragging the kiln.
It was so messy that his shape couldn’t even be recognized anymore

because of his falling shock, but my Mind’s Eyes kept telling me that he
was the elf who had been with us.
‘Did he fall from where he originally was?’
I simply couldn’t igure out what had happened.
What was certain was that there had been an accident that I didn’t
know about, and the expedition could not respond. Other than that,
everything was unclear.
It happened so quickly, and as I was stuck in the wagon, I had no way of

knowing what had been going on outside.
‘Who was in the backline?’
Most of the Blue Guilds were in the front line.
The ones who were close to the kiln were Ahn Ki-mo, capable of close
combat while at the same time being a back liner, and the elves who
dragged the kiln.
Seeing that this poor guy also looked like this, it would be reasonable to
assume that the accident took place from behind.
‘Is Ahn Ki-mo safe?’
If he didn’t fall here together, I knew he’d be okay, but it was possible
that he had gotten caught in the middle.
Of course, there was a possibility that other guild members had also
fallen.
‘Has the ground collapsed?’
All kinds of imagination had entered my name, but there was no clear
answer.
One thing was certain, however. This was not a very good situation.
In any case, if I were to get isolated inside the dungeon, I should

consider the worst, especially since this was a legendary-grade
dungeon.
There was no front-liner to protect me, and our supplies were limited.
It was not unreasonable for me to frown. This was because I had

realized that my current situation vastly differed from the norm.
It was only natural for me to check my belongings. I knew I had to check

what I had.
I had a portable alchemy kit.
‘This is something I always carry… ’
I had food and drinking water that would normally be suf icient for
about ive days.
‘If I save it, I can eat it for 20 days.’
I had a Dialugia catalyst.
‘I brought this generously.’
I was also carrying legendary-grade health potions, as well as other

catalysts and materials.
‘It’s not enough… ’
These weren’t bad items to hold onto, but none of them were suf icient
enough to protect my body.
I missed Juliana, who had been left behind back in Lindel.
After she woke up once, she didn’t have a chance to participate in the
battle directly, and having left her alone was a mistake.
‘I’ll have to carry it with me when I return.’
I had to admit that I had gotten quite soft.
Being surrounded by monsters, it was true that I had indeed neglected

to develop myself. I didn’t have the time to be playing in the ield, but I
couldn’t deny that I had indeed been idle recently.
Of course, nothing would change if I were to regret it now.
After shaking my head once, I immediately rummaged the arms of the

elves. I had to ind out if there was anything useful.
I searched quite carefully, but the only thing I could save was a dagger
that had been sheathed around the waist. In fact, I didn’t know how to
use one, but it was still better than nothing.
‘It’s so light.’
“L-Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
I heard a voice when I looked around slowly again. It seemed that Elena
had become anxious because I did not come back.
“Are you there? Honorary Cardinal?”
“Yes, Elena. You don’t have to worry. I’m going there now.”
Once again, I returned to the carriage, and I saw Elena, looking up at me

from inside.
Seeing her ears trembling, it seemed that she was terri ied. She was
relieved to see me, but she didn’t seem comfortable. She had on the
same expression as those I had been with back in the tutorial dungeon.
Although I had already expected it, it seemed that she had not much
experience in real life compared to her stats.
In a way, she had become an annoying baggage for me.
“H-How is it outside?”
“It doesn’t look good. We don’t know where we are now, and we don’t
see anything around… It would be nice to wait for the expedition until
the wagon’s protective magic fades. If they are okay, they will come
down here.”
“Yes. Honorary Cardinal is right. They will come to ind us soon. Yes.
De initely.”
‘I hope things go well so easily, too.’
“Honorary Cardinal?”
“Yes.”
“I’m telling you this just in case… In case no one comes…”
“It won’t happen. I don’t know how long it will take, but they will
de initely come.”
There was no way they would not come.
I didn’t know what had happened, but I highly doubted that this event
had managed to kill them. I hated to think of the opposite, and I highly
doubted that Kim Hyunsung would just go down in this manner.
I may just hate to think that way, but I couldn’t imagine Kim Hyunsung
retiring in a place like this, no matter what I were to think.
If those two were alive, it was clear that they would choose to ind me
rather than attack the dungeon. They probably knew where Elena and I
fell, so they would be heading right here after the expedition would get
overhauled.
‘It will take some time to learn.’
When I thought about Jung Hayan’s crying, blowing, and raging, I

thought it was fortunate that I wasn’t there right now.
Probably everyone is sweating out to stop her.
‘It’s weird that the Anemone’s eyes are not visible… ’
Because it is too far, the cast itself may be impossible.

Because Jung Hayan’s stalking camera doesn’t have a long-range.
“The question is, how long can we endure this…? I guess. We’re safe
right now, but you don’t know when the monsters will attack. It would
be nice if the protection magic hanging in the kiln would continue, but
it will probably be a day long. There is not enough food.”
“How much…?”
“If we save it, it will run out in about ten days.”
“Then…”
“First, I think it would be better to hold on while saving as much as

possible. Maybe you also have separate luggage…”
“A-All my luggage is managed by Ludwig… I’m sorry.”
“No. You never thought this would happen. More importantly…”
It was then that I felt that the ground was moving suddenly.
“…”
Elena suddenly held her breath. She was frightened, as it seemed like
the earth beneath us had begun to move. Naturally, I went out of the
carriage to check – and it appeared that this was indeed a true
occurrence.
“Wait…”
“I-It is dangerous, Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
“Doesn’t it… seem to be moving?”
“What?”
“It seems that the whole ground is moving. Yes. De initely.”
No. it was not just about moving. After a while, I started to feel that it
was moving in earnest with a roar.
‘Fuck. Is this?’
Naturally, I hurried to the place where the elf body was. I had noticed
something strange.
The corpse, whose lower body had gotten completely blown away,
looked no different from the previous one, but the cross-section was
indeed very worrisome. I was, by no means, an expert, but I at least
knew this much.
It looked like it was bitten by a huge stapler. It had a rough surface as

well as strange saliva.
[Salit’s Saliva (Semi-Mythic)]
[It is a material that cannot be used as a catalyst for alchemy.]
‘Shit… ’
I began to look around continuously with the Mind’s Eyes.
I wanted to turn my circuit of happiness at least a little, but the sight I

had witnessed using my Mind’s Eyes again betrayed my expectations.
[Salit’s Stomach (Semi-Mythic)]
‘Fuck.’
[Salit’s Stomach (Semi-Mythic)]
No matter where I looked, it all seemed the same.

‘We were eaten.’
The place where Elena and I fell right now was the stomach of an
unknown, giant monster.
His teeth must have ripped that elf, and only the upper body had
managed to come in. The kiln that Elena and I were riding on fell to this
side, fortunately.
‘We have to get out.’
Even Park Deokgu would know that we would eventually get digested
after being here. If we were to stay here and wait around, we would get
digested faster than we would get caught.
“Elena, come out. I think we should move right now.”
“What?”
“It seems that we are in the belly of a monster. For now, I think it would
be better to get out of where we are.”
“What are you t-talking about…?”
“I’ll give you an explanation on the move.”
As soon as the elf came out with a bewildered expression, she frowned.
This was a natural reaction, given that she now understood the
situation we were in.
“Where are we going?”
‘That’s what I want to ask you.’
Of course, this monster’s organs were completely different from

humans. It was no wonder that I couldn’t get a sense of what was going
on.
‘Can I think that it is similar to Dialugia’s?’
It was no wonder that it was more comfortable to start with something

rather than start with nothing.
Of course, there were substantial differences in size, but I couldn’t help

but think that Dialugia’s body tour might be helpful on unexpected
occasions. After all, Dialugia’s organs broke down everything it ingested
into magical power, and delivered it to the body.
I was not sure about this, but I was sure of the possibility of it being
able to move its body with a similar mechanism.
This was a semi-mythic-grade monster, after all.
Naturally, I began to look at our surroundings in a much more hurried

manner.
I thought there must be an organ that would transfer the broken down
energy to the body, especially the heart. I looked around right away, but
the problem was that it had gotten so wide that I couldn’t even look
closely.
However, there were certainly places where magic power lowed

through.
“Elena, please check if there is any place where you can hear a sound.
Even the smallest sound is ine.”
“…”
“Elena-nim?”
“…”
“Elena-nim!”
“Ah… Yes, yes! Lee Kiyoung. What did you say?”
‘Ah… It looks like this one let her fear get the best of her.’
This was not an unreasonable reaction.
If one were to suddenly hear the news that they had entered the
stomach of a monster, anyone would surely react that way.
Rather, it was good that she was not screaming and going crazy. I
thought about abandoning her for a moment, but it was unconditionally
helpful that one priest knew how to do at least something in the
current situation.
Slowly grabbing her hand, I could see a face looking up at me whilst

linching.
Her ears were trembling, and, as expected, her expression was one of
fear.
I quickly decided that it would be better to soothe her rather than get
angry. Slowly stroking her head and then opening my mouth, I could see
her looking at me.
“You don’t have to worry, Elena.”
“Ah… Yes… Yes.”
“No matter what happens, I’ll be sure to protect you.”
“…”
I was sure that I had gotten used to saying these cringing things. Of
course, I was only lying. If a crisis were to fall upon us, chances were I
would have to abandon her.
Seeing that this was not enough, I went to hold her hand. Her eyes were
still horri ied, but I could see her biting her lips and nodding as if she
had decided something.
“No. I-I… No matter what happens, Lee Kiyoung must be. Must…”
‘Okay. I like that attitude.’
“We will be able to get out of here. The two of us.”
“Yes. The two of us.”
“Er… Honorary Cardinal.”
“Yes.”
“Unless it’s something special, I think it’s helpful to keep holding hands.
You might have seizures again in case.”
“Yes. I think it would be better to do that.”
‘She is really too easy.’
Her strangely red face was de initely not an illusion.
As I turned her hand, which I normally held, and interlocked our

ingers, I saw her head down quickly, as if she felt a little nervous.
CHAPTER 358
(5)
“Will the others be okay?”
“They will be okay. There was no other trace except for the one who fell
with us. They must be heading where we are right now.”
“Yes.”
“There is a high probability that this monster is the Dungeon Boss from
the Twisted Pond. He is also the one who has caused the World Tree rot.
I don’t know why the dungeon boss, which should be at the end,
suddenly appeared, but if there is no other problem, the expedition
members will also be able to reach this place within 15 days.”
Though I said that I didn’t know why, that did not mean that I couldn’t
predict why the dungeon boss suddenly popped out.
This was just a guess, but he was probably settled somewhere in the
center of the Twisted Pond.
It was said that this place was a dungeon, but it looked like it took
enormous magic power to keep the demons within the dungeon.
The visa that allowed the demons who could not stay on the continent
to stay here was the magic power emanating from the Twisted Pond, or
the World Tree.
Salit, the named monster, was likely located closest to the Twisted
Pond.
There was no way that such a guy would suddenly go for a walk at the
dungeon’s beginning without harboring any plans.
It was correct to think that we were being aimed at right from the
beginning, rather than accidentally being discovered.
‘Because it doesn’t seem like there was a battle after that.’
It meant that he had just swallowed the kiln and pulled out
immediately.
That was the reason that Kim Hyunsung and other guild members
could not react to it, and the elves who were guarding the rear did not
respond properly.
Of course, considering that it was a semi-mythic-grade monster, it could

not be helped, but it was undeniable that the rear was not able to
respond.
In the midst of this, doubts arose as to why he was aiming at me.
Of course, there was an expected answer that arose. Belial, the demon
lord, said that he coveted me, so I must have been coveted by Salit as
well.
This posed another problem here.
‘Why the hell did this bastard swallow me up?’
Belial clearly expressed that he was not willing to kill me, and he
actually didn’t.
For demons, a contract would be needed. He even showed himself to be
friendly, saying that he wished to meet me again.
The fact that Salit swallowed me to kill me was far from the devil’s way
of thinking that I knew.
‘Is he incapable of thinking?’
It could be the kind that moved by instinct.
Not everyone who was classi ied as a demon would think and act like
the 72nd Lord.
It would be nice to check his information a little more, but the

information given to me was only this much. It was regrettable that
there were parts that could not be seen with the Mind’s Eyes, which
was still a legendary grade attribute.
The only reason why I could see fragmentary information about him
was also because of the in luence of my class.
“More importantly… I-I think it’s really fortunate.”
“I’m sorry?”
“If it weren’t for Lee Kiyoung, I would probably still be there…”
“You don’t have to think that way. I was able to get here because of you.”
“It’s not. It was you who found out that we were inside a monster… I did
nothing… Yes. I was only scared. In fact, I still am. It’s amazing how the
Honorary Cardinal can be so calm. I’m just sorry for not being able to
help you as much.”
“Haha. I am not that courageous as you think. In fact, I’m just the same
as Elena-nim.”
“What?”
“I am saying that I am an equally timid person.”
“But how can you…?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure, but I’m already quite used to this situation.”
“…”
“Elena-nim’s presence also has an impact. If I were alone, it would have

been dif icult to hold on. It’s just as helpful to have someone to rely on.”
“Ah… t-thank you for saying so.”
“I’m not just saying, I mean it. Maybe if Elena hadn’t held my hand now,
I would have already passed out. Thank you very much for that alone.”
“Oh.”
As we walked, I noticed that Elena’s legs were shaking, so she must

have reached the limit. It was understandable. We had been walking for
two days without proper rest.
I was also in a situation where my physical strength was at its limit.
It was not unreasonable that she is struggling without her experience of

marching like this. She has high basic stats, so she may have some spare
stamina, but her feet would de initely not be okay.
“I think it would be better to take a break and go.”
“No. I can’t…”
“I was getting tired, too. We’ve been walking for two days without
sleeping properly.”
“…”
‘You don’t have to feel so guilty because I’m also exhausted.’
In the meantime, I kept looking around, but I still couldn’t ind anything
weird.
I thought that there might be other monsters in his body, but so far, I
hadn’t found anything special.
If we wanted to take a break, now was the right time. It was inside the
passage to the next organ, and it had the proper terrain to be able to
hide our bodies.
‘Well, I’m not sure if that’ll help… ’
Still, this was better than nothing.
As I sat down, she also sat when I gestured for her to sit next to me. She
frowned as if doing this was already painful.
There was no need to explain that this was what I thought it was.
“Can I take a look at your feet?”
“What? No. I’m ine…”
When I took off her boots carefully without listening to her reply, I
could see that the blisters had burst and had gotten all tangled.
Although it seemed painful because of the blood sticking to the boots,

the shame was greater than the pain. Once again, I saw her face
blushing.
“T-That’s okay. I can recover myself.”

“You should’ve told me…”
“I thought you would be worried. But I’m ine now, Lee Kiyoung.”
“No. I think it would be better to save your divine power. Since we don’t
know what will happen, you need to ill your stamina. I have a potion,
so I think it would be faster to treat it with this.”
“What?”
‘Not a chance I would let this go.’
Of course, the top priority is to get out of here alive, but I did not
neglect my job.
There was a feeling that the goal was just around the corner, and she
wasn’t as resistant as I thought.
I didn’t know if it was because we were inside the demon, or because

she had already gotten used to it, but she refused to get nauseous or
frown around me anymore.
The same was true now. There was no other rejection while I was
slowly touching her feet. Rather, she had her head lowered, almost as if
she felt embarrassed.
As I took out the potion and slowly poured it over her feet, I saw Elena’s
face twitching along with her ears with the unfamiliar sensation.
‘It’s a little bit concentrated, but this would be better.’
After slowly pouring the potion on her wound, she slowly began to
touch her feet, and her ears were clearly lapping.
She held her breath as much as possible, but she looked to be ashamed
of it. Seeing her overreacting, showing one’s feet must have been
embarrassing for an elf.
‘They’re very small.’
It felt like her feet were a little small for her body. I didn’t know how it
would be considered, but I had to do my best to heal her feet for now.
I put my hand on her calves while I was at it, but she wasn’t too
embarrassed or resistant. Rather, she nodded, wanting to express that it
was okay.
“I think it would be good to work on the muscles, too.”
“Yes? Ah… Okay. You don’t need to…”
“Maybe it works great for relieving muscle fatigue. I’m not showing off,
but the potion I made has many bene its. It will be okay if you stay like
that a little, so it would be better to have a quick meal while you wait.”
“Okay.”
“Please take it, Elena-nim.”
“No. This is not necessary. You should eat it instead of me…”
“I’m used to it. Rather, I don’t eat a lot at times like this. I am full enough
with what I ate before. Take it, quickly. It’s an insigni icant meal, but it
will satiate you for the time being.”
“T-Thank you.”
“You don’t have to say that.”
I inished with a little smile. I saw Elena reluctantly receiving what I

handed over.
She also looked to be feeling guilty about receiving help alone, but she
also seemed strangely happy.
‘This is working better than I thought.’
I wondered if the improvement was faster than expected, but I didn’t

have to think that this was a weird occurrence.
Couples in action movies and horror movies didn’t kiss for a climax for
no reason. The more desperate and dangerous the situation was, the
easier it was to feel likable.
Of course, if she were to get a good feeling about me paying attention to

her a little here, it was de initely bene icial.
After the expedition arrived at the place where Salit was, the event to
restore my body would begin immediately after the ight, so it was good
to pay attention in advance.
‘They must be coming, right?’
It was only natural for me to feel anxious while chewing the beef jerky
that I had eaten earlier.
I was currently heading to his heart in case the expedition got into an
accident, but it was unclear if things were going well.
Not only his outside, but also his inside felt solid. I couldn’t even be sure
that I could do damage with the Dragon Breath potion.
‘This woman also doesn’t look like she has a high attack power… ’
Whatever it was, it remained true that if we settled down, we would

surely die.
We had gotten out of his stomach right now, but there was no guarantee
that we would not be disassembled even if we placed ourselves in
another organ.
It was then that Elena’s body, holding my hand, trembled.
‘What’s up with her?’
She looked a little nervous. I was worried if something happened, but it

didn’t look like that.
She was rubbing her lips as if she wanted to ask something very much,
but it felt as if she couldn’t speak easily. I waited to see if she would say
she wanted to go to the bathroom again, but what I heard was
completely unexpected.
“Er… Honorary Cardinal.”
“Yes.”
“M… Maybe…”
“Yes, Elena-nim?”
“Uh, what kind of relationship… do you have with Jung Hayan…?”
‘Now, would you look at her?’
She was looking at me, biting her lips tight as if she had inally asked.
Her face went as red as a beetroot.
‘Look at how upset she was.’
It felt cute how she said what I had been waiting for.
On one side, things got tangled up, but on the other, things seemed to be
working out well.
Seeing Elena, who also seemed a little anxious, I opened my mouth with
a bright smile.
“I love her.”
CHAPTER 359
(6)
“He will be alive. Because Hayan also said that he was alive. Surely he
will be alive. Yes! Absolutely.”
“……”
“Hey… Loosen up your face. O-Of course, I am also worried, but Hayan
said so. He will de initely be safe! Hyung-nim was always like a
cockroach. He is someone who can survive alone in the desert. Being
alive all this time must be proof that he’s found a way… I’m sure of it. He
must be all right. He must. Yes. Absolutely.”
“……”
I swallowed hard.
It was because I felt a gloomy atmosphere. Everyone was not their usual
selves.
He kept opening his mouth as if he was okay, but Park Deok-gu also
looked somewhat anxious, and Sun Hee-young maintained an unusually
blank expression.
Of course, Kim Hyunsung, the Blue Guild Master, looked the most
unusual.
Anyone could see he was giving off vibes that made it hard to approach
him.
He seemed to be repressing it as much as possible, but nevertheless, the

surroundings seemed distorted because of his killing aura.
‘Have I ever seen him like that?’
At least I have no memory.
Of course, I usually hang out with Jung Hayan and the Vice Guild Master,
so I didn’t have time to talk to the Guild Master, but I know that he’s
never shown such a look.
That’s because I heard it from Yoo Ahyoung and Chang-ryul.
He usually spends a lot of time expressionless, but when he talks to the

Vice Guild Master or Cho Hyejin, he sometimes smiles, and when I just
joined the guild, I remembered that he welcomed me with a smile.
‘He gets quiet.’
He seems to shut his mouth when his anger rises to the top of his head.
Seeing that he didn’t say a word for two days now, it’s clear that he’s
more than just angry.
I had no choice but to think that I saw quite a lot of him in this
expedition.
“I’m sorry. I apologize again and again.”
“……”
“I have nothing to say.”

“……”
He’s not even talking to the elven leader, so I can see how angry he was.
I think it’s understandable.
It is dif icult to say that anyone is responsible for the accident, but if I
had to pick a few, it was the elves that guarded the kiln where the Vice
Guild Master and the Elf Princess were riding.
It is absolutely their fault for drawing the sword while ignoring the
command to evade. Perhaps it was because of their insigni icant pride.
‘It’s stupid.’
Although their kind is different, it felt like seeing myself from before.
After the speed of erosion of the Vice Guild Master increased, the elves
except Elios were in charge of the rear boundary for a smooth attack,
and as they also became onlookers, they wanted to show that they
could do something, too.
The problem was that what they had to deal with was the named
monster from this dungeon.
No one expected that he would pop out of the ground, swallow the kiln,
and go back.
Cho Hyejin, who approached the head elf who kept bowing his waist,
opened her mouth.
“I think the Guild Master is very upset right now. I don’t think he’s in a
condition to exchange views on the details of the expedition. If it’s
something important or something related to the expedition, I will try
to ind a point of consensus within my own words or as much as I can.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Once again, it’s not something for you to apologize. And Princess Elena
is also with him… so rather than a reprimand for the past, it seems that
the top priority is to go where the named monster is as soon as
possible. We’ll break through as fast as we can, with minimal breaks,
with Guild Master at the center.”
“Then, from now on…”
“We will try to eat within the scope of the supplies and reduce the
amount of sleep time. We don’t have time.”
“Yes. Okay.”
‘He will be alive.’
I don’t know if it were someone else, but it’s hard to imagine that the
Vice Guild Master will die in such a place.
Although he is actually alive…
‘There is no way that man will die.’
He’s never going to die like that.
Of course, he shouldn’t die that way. If there is any harm to Vice Guild
Master’s body, that person who is muttering quietly will not remain
still.
Just looking at her gives me goosebumps.
I kept trying to look somewhere else because my legs kept shaking, but
I also became very cautious about her putting those thoughts into
action.
She seemed to be quietly lowering her head, but anyone can see that
she wasn’t in her normal condition.
She kept dropping tears and frowning as if somehow uncomfortable.
If something really happened to the Vice Guild Master, the arrows of

anger currently being accumulated may be directed towards an
unspeci ied number of people.
And that shouldn’t happen.
Seeing Jung Hayan-nim glancing at the elves’ camp with a cold look,
suddenly I had to shudder and think of what happened before.
***
“I love her.”
‘Of course, I’m not in love.’
Sometimes the problem is that she loses her mind, and it can’t be
undone, but if you ask me whether I like her or not, of course, I like her.
I feel guilty for not being able to protect her from the masked trash in
the irst round, and I feel a little responsibility in the second round.
I like that she thinks about me, and her recent moves seem pretty cute.
‘This much can be considered to be love, well.’
Of course, it is natural that I started acting to give my words con idence

as much as possible.
Because I already know the answer to why Elena asked this. Maybe
Elena also knows the answer.
If she saw the scene through the Goddess’ Mirror in the irst place, it
would be hard to think of Jung Hayan and me as just good friends.
I couldn’t help but think that the reason she was asking about this was
that she wanted to con irm it with my own mouth.
‘It’s obvious.’
“I-I see. I thought so…”
“Yes. When we irst met, it was the same situation as now. At that time,
we weren’t alone like we do now, but we ran into a dungeon by chance.”
“Ah…”
Her face was clearly darkening. She has never learned how to manage
her facial expressions.
The proof is that her ears were shaking.
It is not yet possible to determine how far she has fallen for me, but the
very fact that she has asked this question tells me that she is shaken.
I can’t even tell how complicated her mind will be.
I sprinkled various baits and tossed them, but it’s up to her to put up
with it.
It was a divine move to include the subject of revelation.
When I thought of Elena, who was heart-broken, I was conscience-

stricken, but she couldn’t get back the ball she had already shot.
It’s even hard for me to keep a face saying, ‘I don’t know why you’re
asking something like that.’
‘It’s not easy to act.’
However, I think I’m cut out for it.
When I opened my mouth again, I began to see her looking at me. Of

course, her ears are still shaking.
“I am very grateful and sorry for her always being next to me. We’ve
been together since then, but I didn’t do anything. Instead, I got a lot of
help. Haha.”
“I see…”
“The way she smiles is very cute, and sometimes she looks angry, but
even that…”
“Yes. J-Jung Hayan is very p… pretty. Her soul also over lows with love.”
“I don’t know if it’s because of that, but I sometimes think about it.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I think it might be fate. Haven’t you, Elena, thought about that?”
“What exactly are you talking about?”
“It means that God will prescribe our destiny.”
“O-Of course. I also received a revelation…”
“Haha. What I’m talking about is a little different from your grandiose
story. Of course, they can be said to be similar, but it is quite different
from what Elena thinks. It may be a little insigni icant, but… if you think
how many foreigners and continental people live on the continent…”
“Yes.”
“It is the destiny between man and man. For me, it feels like that to have
met Hayan. Of all the people, it’s certainly no coincidence that I’ve been
able to meet her and build a good relationship.”
“……”
“There’s this saying from where I come from. People are connected by a
red string. Maybe she and I are connected by a red string. I’m sure of it.”
“Yes… Yes…”
It was then that Elena’s expression was even darker. It’s hard to say
something, but it felt like she’s overwhelmed by a sense of guilt.
It seemed that she was a little annoyed and upset.
Most importantly, she seemed to be sending negative energy. It’s a face

I’ve never seen before.
‘I don’t know if it can be said that it is successful.’
It was then that she carefully opened her mouth.
“B-but. O-Of course, it could be that, but…”
“Yes.”
“Such matters have to be thought… a little more carefully. T-The will of

God is not something that can be judged so recklessly.”
“Oh. I’m sorry, Elena. I wonder if I’ve been disrespectful… I sincerely

apologize for any sensitive subject. I don’t really know about Elune’s
doctrine.”
“No! It’s not that. Lee Kiyoung-nim. Yes. It’s not that. I’m not saying
that… It’s not that it’s different from the doctrine. O-Of course! It’s not
that I can’t believe in the relationship between you and Jung Hayan, but
I was worried that Lee Kiyoung would distort the will of God…”
I bet she is distorting the will of God rather than me.
“Oh, I see.”
“In my case, I heard the voice of God d-directly.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. I have heard it clearly. That is why I was able to tell you with
con idence. B-but Lee Kiyoung is a little different from me, right? I just
said it because… I wondered if you should think about that matter more
carefully as much as you are in a position to spread the will of the
Goddess Benignore to others. I-I’m sorry. If I was too… If I was too
cocky…”
“No, Elena. You weren’t. Thank you for saying that. You’re right. I was a
little careless. It is not unreasonable to be concerned when I think of
religious events that have occurred by distorting the will of God.”
“Yes. Yes! That’s why I am saying that.”
She still has a pretty dark face. She’s talking gibberish, but that’s what
she meant in the end.
‘That my meeting with Jung Hayan is not fate.’
She went around, but the key must be saying that. She has a pretty cute
way of thinking.
In my eyes, it was cute that she did what I intended, but she was
engulfed in an indescribable sense of guilt.
The way to become garbage is easy.
The irst thing to realize is that she is trash and accepts the guilt as it is,
whether she feels guilty about it or regrets her own actions.
The most important is to realize.
Of course, this is not the end. Obviously, the next chapter also exists.
In this case, it’s a little easier.
‘Because it rationalizes.’
Humans and elves are no different. Every animal that thinks is

supposed to rationalize its own wrongdoing.
Just like the innocent Princess Elena.
When it’s someone that is not used to wrong or negative energy. It’s
even more.
CHAPTER 360
TRASH ELUNE (1)
Of course, I was not saying that everything I had said was right. In fact,
this was just my own, personal opinion. This was because each person
had a distinctly different case.
There were certainly people who accepted their own negative behavior,
and those who sincerely repented.
‘It’s a problem because I’ve never seen one, but… ’
A person like that de initely existed somewhere on the continent or

Earth.
I believed in the Evil Nature Principle in the irst place, and I felt that
the former was more persuasive than the latter.
Of course, even if she were the latter type, I would continue to believe
that she would act like the former. The fact that she did something she
would regret was evidence that she was already hopeless.
Real adults didn’t even do things they would regret in the irst place.
‘Yes. Absolutely.’
She wasn’t showing any changes as soon as I expected, but whenever

she looked at me or blatantly showed that she harbored complicated
thoughts inside, I had to admit that it had worked to some extent.
I could be sure that, although the resistance had been quite rough, the
last conscience remaining in the Kingdom of Eberia would soon
collapse.
The longer we spent time here, the closer she and I would get, and the
closer Elena would arrive at the wise choice.
On the other hand, I was the exact opposite of her.
It was no wonder that I had said that about Jung Hayan.
Of course, I did not directly say things she was sensitive to, like fate or
revelation, but I proceeded with such a nuanced conversation.
It could’ve been a pretty awkward event for her.
I didn’t know if it was because of that, but Elena was getting clingier
and clingier as we continued exploring the interior of Salit. Honestly,
getting her to this point did not take too much effort at all.
Of course, this didn’t mean that the elf was obvious about her feelings,
either.
It wasn’t a situation where she could do it, and above all, she wasn’t
someone who had the courage to in the irst place.
Whether she wanted this or not, our relationship quickly drew close.
The longer we moved around while holding hands all the time, and as
much as we engaged in various actions, physical contact was inevitable.
In severe cases, we stayed together, even when dealing with the

physiological phenomenon. I was actually irmly attached to Elena, so I
didn’t have to explain how much she trusted me.
It was only natural for us to rely on each other in the worst situation
where we could not survive alone. The circumstances were in favor of
the progression of our relationship.
As expected, it was less than a day after that day that she started talking
about Jung Hayan. Instead of denying the negative energy in herself, she
began to rationalize and accept it.
‘It can’t be helped. Perhaps this is the right way.’
Although there was still a sense of guilt on her face, it was a great
improvement compared to the beginning.
It was still awkward, but it was the irst time in her 200-year life to be
insulting others. Of course, the method looked like an amateur’s and
looked cute.
Seeing her ears luttering, she seems to be thinking of getting started.

Where we were did not matter anymore. What mattered were the
thoughts in her head.
“Er, Honorary Cardinal.”
“Yes, Elena.”
“I-Is Jung Hayan-nim a little bit too jealous?”
Asking something like this was indeed evidence that she was an
amateur. This was the moment when I realized that acting as sly as a fox
truly needed talent.
I was overwhelmed with the awkward acting, but at this point, it was
my job to act fooled, just this once.
As I nodded in af irmation, her ears luttered once more.

“Actually, it is more than too much. As I said before, she doesn’t even
like me talking to other women. Of course, even though it looks cute, it
would be a lie if it wasn’t a burden. I’m a bit unhappy with it in the irst
place.”
“I-I see. After all, d… do you think that a broader understanding woman
is rather your ideal type than a woman who has a lot of jealousy…?”
‘That’s Lee Jihye’s way of thinking.’
“Not necessarily. To explain whether or not it is, of course, it can be said

that the broader understanding is better… I don’t think we can tell the
difference between the opposite sex and the same sex as we meet a lot
of people.”
“I see.”
“Yes. But why?”
“N-Nothing. It’s just… I just remembered what I felt when I met Jung
Hayan-nim’s soul.”
“Last time, you said it was a soul full of love…”
“O-Of course, Jung Hayan-nim has a soul full of love, but there are parts
that I have not yet been able to talk about. Would it… be better to say
that it’s not just a pure soul…? It is dif icult to comment in detail, but it
must be something Lee Kiyoung does not know about.”
‘I hit the right spot. Prepare the popcorn.’
“Was Hayan affected by the demon…?”
“No. It’s not that. Yes. It is not. I-It’s just the nature of Jung Hayan-nim…”
“I see. I felt it from the irst time I saw her, but it’s really amazing. Being
able to feel the soul of others… In some ways, you might think it’s mere
unhappiness. Oh! Could it be that even souls that it well with each
other can be distinguished? For example, if the soul wavelengths match,
or if they’re compatible.”
“Of course. I can’t say exactly, but… I can tell that to some extent.”
“Then, how about Jung Hayan and me?”
It was really interesting to see Elene struggling to form an answer that

would bene it her. Contrary to the stabbing conscience, my heart was
beating. The naive elf who was quietly watching out for me had become
a fun little conquest.
However, in the end, I could see her eyes closed, opening her mouth.
Again, she chose to abandon her conscience.
“You… may be disappointed, but it’s not very good. Yes. If I tell you
exactly, it will be right… to say that it doesn’t match that much.”
“Ah… Is that so?”
“Yes… I… I’m sure.”
As her face darkened from yet another lie, my heart once again
luttered.
She seemed to be regretting what she had done because she couldn’t
put up with her instant greed.
Of course, it was my role to help her not to regret it. She should’ve
known that the consequences of betraying her own conscience could
come as joy, not pain.
Only then could she be one step closer to being trashy.

“Excuse me, but what about Elena and me?”
“What?”
“I’m sorry. This was a little rude for me to…”
“No. Yes. I didn’t mean that. I was just a little surprised… Yes. I-I have to
give you the answer.”
“…”
“It’s embarrassing, but to tell you exactly as it is…”
“Yes.”
“The wavelength of the souls seems to it very well. Yes. If you’re asking
if it’s good or not, it’s de initely good.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. This is the truth, without any lies.”
She didn’t even remember anymore how much she had thrown up the
irst time she met me. At this point, I knew she would want to take
things even further.
She’ll need some ointment to apply to her guilt, and she’ll need some
water to drink.
“According to your words, the revelation that Elune-nim gave you might
be completely different. Hahaha.”
“Yes?”
“Oh! It’s nothing.”

“…”
“We should start moving again. I would like to stay here for another day,
but we’re close to the heart. Let’s cheer up.”
“Honorary Cardinal, what you said earlier…”
“Haha. It’s really nothing. It’s just something… I suddenly remembered.

Due to the current situation.”
“But…”
“I will tell you later.”
I showed her my best rendition of sad eyes. Likewise, Elena’s eyes also
held a spoonful of sadness.
However, I didn’t go on and on. This was important, but the fact that we
must get out of this place still remained.
“Okay.”
“Perhaps, by tomorrow we’ll be arriving at the main organs. Of course,

this is only if I were to assume that my guess is correct…”
“What you think is probably right. We were able to reach this place
without any trouble. However, if we arrive at the main organ…”
“I don’t know if my potion or your divine power will work, but I think
we should try. Monsters like these are usually more vulnerable to
internal attacks than external attacks. We don’t know when the party
will arrive, so we have to prepare in advance.”
“As expected… that’s why you continued studying alchemy.”

“Yes. That’s right. It seems to be dif icult in the same way as before.
Before, I got new powers from Goddess Benignore, but I couldn’t use
them properly because I was lying in bed.”
“You also… received the trust.”
“Ah. I guess I didn’t tell you.”
“Yes.”
“I am only an alchemist, but thanks to the consideration of the Goddess,

I got undeserved strength. The problem is, I can’t get a sense of how to
use this power…”
“Uh! Maybe I can help.”
At irst, I felt skeptical about her ability to help me. However, as the
moments began to pass me by, I began to feel like she might really be
able to help me.
‘This… ’
Maybe it was really possible.
‘Isn’t this really a gift?’
Thinking of the revelation she had received, I began to nod once more.
Perhaps Elena was a gift from Elune to me. No wonder I realized that
Elune was a more cold-hearted fellow than I thought.
‘Phew. This ‘guy’ is also really trash.’
I couldn’t even begin to imagine that she would just hand over her
daughter like this.
CHAPTER 361
TRASH ELUNE (2)
The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
I was sure that the revelation Elena was thinking as well as my

conclusion were far from being the same, but the revelation she
received must be to treat me.
I thought that that much was everything.
I couldn’t even imagine the assumption that there was a connection

between the system-given class, Light Alchemist, and Elena.
‘It sounds so natural that I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this before.
Who would have imagined this?’
Guardian of the legendary-grade Elune—the one and only high elf.
If I were to simply explain her with adjectives, I would fall short, but the
weight of the names of high elf and god’s apostle was never to be taken
lightly.
This was even more so when I considered that the high elves were born
under the in luence of the World Tree’s magic power.
In the irst place, it was correct to think that the World Tree itself had
the power of a semi-mythic grade. It had managed to keep the demon
that had currently swallowed us to stay in this world, and it was busy
covering the entire Eberian Kingdom.
Meanwhile, I had gotten in luenced by Elune, who was in turn being
in luenced by the World Tree. Existence itself seemed to have plans for
us.
In other words, she was the daughter of Elune, and the alter ego of
Elune. No wonder I couldn’t imagine Elune turning over her precious
daughter.
‘Who would’ve thought her to be this cold-hearted piece of shit?’
I already knew that transcendental beings were not perfect.
However, not only did she have the same mindset as me, but she was
also the type to resort to such low actions. I wasn’t expecting that.
Now I just pitied Elena.
‘Cold-hearted trash.’
Of course, no matter what the circumstances were, they had nothing to

do with me. Rather, I wanted to welcome this.
Regardless of the circumstances, it was only right to take it boldly if it

was bene icial to me.
The transcendental being had also thrown in a gift in the hope that it
would help Kim Hyunsung more, anyway. I still didn’t know what would
happen in the future, but there must be a reason for all of these events.
One thing I learned from this incident was that there was not one
creature in charge of the whole system.
Those who were called gods on the continent were likely looking down
at us from above.
‘Elune, this garbage, can also affect the system.’

Of course, all of this only stemmed from my imagination.
The exact thing had not been decided yet, but one thing that I was
certain of was that they were protecting both Kim Hyunsung and me.
It was only right to think that Elune would go so far as to even offer
Elena to me.
‘Don’t help me with this. You could help me with the situation I’m in.’
Of course, my grievances burst out of frustration. In the context so far, I

could assume that transcendental beings could not be greatly involved
in human death or life.
I didn’t know if it was really impossible, but at least the fact that it
imposed huge penalties was undeniable.
What I was certain about was that the transcendent existence did not
want Kim Hyunsung and I getting split up. There was also a possibility
that Elena would be the catalyst for the alchemy used by the Light
Alchemist.
If the latter was true, then it was only right to scream.
As I continued to grin and look at Elena, I could see her face looking up
at me, not understanding my expression.
She shivered for a second as if she felt something, but she still seemed
to be in a good mood.
“Do you have anything you want to say?”
“I just remembered that you said you would help me.”
“Yes. Of course, I can help. I will do whatever I can.”

“It can be a little hard, but I’m not sure if it’s okay. It’s quite rude…”
“You don’t have to worry about it. If it’s anything I can do… I will do my
best.”
I saw her nodding innocently. I knew she would never expect me to

decide to use her for my study.
In fact, her consent was not important. If my guess was correct, then
this wasn’t something I should try. It was something I had to do.
Still, it was more convenient to coax a little more. As the situation was
like this, the research quality may vary depending on how well she
would cooperate with me. I knew I had to get right to the point.
“I think I should take a look at Elena’s body.”
“What?”
It felt like time stopped for a moment.
I didn’t know what was going on, but since her face went as red as a
beetroot, I knew I had to clear things up as quickly as I could. I made
sure to only convey the core details as much as possible.
Throughout the explanation, Elena nodded and sometimes made

exclamations.
It was impressive to see her continually nodding, but the fact that she
had a stronger connection with me would indeed be a pleasing
proposition to her.
“I understand what you said, Lee Kiyoung-nim. However, as to how to

help with it, I don’t…”
‘That’s the problem.’

I couldn’t have her blood tested, or her clothes taken off from the
beginning. The whole process was quite problematic.
Considering the time spent discovering and researching Dialugia’s

catalyst, it was absurd to make a new kind of object here.
Naturally, the equipment and catalysts I had in my possession were also

unimaginably poor.
Dragon’s Breath potion and Enhancement Serum were the products of

assets created through numerous hypotheses and experiments.
Since there had been thousands of experiments with hundreds of

alchemy kits, it had been possible to produce results in a short time.
‘Fuck… I am not a genius.’
It is impossible to produce results right away when there were

insuf icient resources.
It took decades to formulate a theory, and I didn’t know how much

experimentation I could do.
Although Elena was next to me, the number of other catalysts that could
support her was extremely scarce.
It was clear that all the materials I currently had would run out after
four or ive experimentations. I had to think of a different way.
It would be impossible to use Salit’s body as a catalyst. Gathering saliva

would not do me any good, either.
[Salit’s Saliva (Semi-Mythic]]
[It is a material that cannot be used as a catalyst for alchemy.]

I did bring it just because, but it seemed that there were some
conditions that needed to be met in order to use a semi-mythic grade
monster as a catalyst.
Just as the Light Alchemist used high elf Elena as a catalyst, I might also
need to obtain a speci ic class to use the catalyst.
‘Shall I just convert?’
Of course, I couldn’t even try because I didn’t know how to do it, and
Han Sora wasn’t here. However, if it were Belial, perhaps he would
respond to me.
I roughly memorized the magic circle, and the place where I was
currently in was inside of Salit, so perhaps there was a possibility.
Elena’s reaction was a different issue altogether, however.
‘I think I can convince her, but… it’s a little wasteful to abandon the
Light Alchemist… ’
However, this was a risk I would be willing to take. It certainly seemed

much more plausible to use a better means for survival instead of
aimlessly wandering around.
I couldn’t just wait for Kim Hyunsung forever.
I understand that I can’t intervene recklessly, but at this point, I think

there must be some action from above.
‘The more I think about these bastards, the more I think they’re being
too much.’
I had dedicated my mind and body to the camp of the light, but what I
got in return was only a semi-mythic-grade class.
How much did I pay for the offering as an Honorary Cardinal of the
Goddess of Benignore? This thought passed through my mind. I bet it
would not be an exaggeration to say that no one had ever sacri iced
more than me.
‘That’s right. Right. Even if I think about it a hundred times, it’s true.’
What about the Laios case?
Although there was a slight crisis, the impact of the incident could not
be fully expressed.
Not only did the miracles I showed on the whole continent got
broadcasted, but statistically, the number of Benignore goddess
worshippers had increased signi icantly.
No, the number had already gone through the roof.
Just as the demon raised results through contracts, if the sky’s existence
was illed with the believers’ results, how much I had contributed to the
church could not be expressed in words.
[I’m in the red, you shitty bastard. I’m in the red, and I’m out of business
trying to settle the mess you’ve made… It’s complete chaos. (0/1)]
That wasn’t even everything. I had even made the Goddess Benignore
seem like a democratic ighter. With the Goddess’ Mirror, praise songs
for Goddess Benignore resonated all over the continent.
[Are you nuts? Is that a feat? You don’t get the situation… (0/1)]
That wasn’t all.

Not only did I always assist Kim Hyunsung, but I was loyal with the
momentum to even offer my life. I thought that if the price for that
loyalty were barely this, it wouldn’t be bad to take Belial’s side instead…
[It is taboo to intervene greatly in things on the ground. Let’s not do

this. I understand you, but if it’s you… (0/1)]
It was too late. The seeds of bitterness had already been planted in my
heart.
Now that a demon had eaten me, it was not a bad idea to convert my……
[Hey, Kiyoung. Let’s not do this. Things are a little bad now. I don’t have
any conditions either. It’s a situation where I use so much divine power
that I have to borrow from here and there. I’ve already borrowed a lot,
and it’s really impossible anymore. (0/1)]
I was on the verge of dying now. There were only ive days left of food,
and my legs were all swollen.
I thought that I would have the only glory being together with Kim
Hyunsung, but this was indeed a very cold and hungry path to take.
Now I could understand the feelings of those who had chosen to turn
away from the Goddess.
Of course, I was not making a ridiculous request, like asking her to get
me out of here. I already knew that it was impossible.
However, I never hoped to be put into a situation like this. Wasn’t it

their job to put their loyal servants onto a more comfortable path?
One thing was for sure – Goddess Benignore had to take some pointers
from Elune in terms of treating their favored ones.
‘You understand? There’ll be no such thing as a compromise.’
[Garbage bastard (0/1)]
‘It can’t be hel… ’
[Semi-mythic-grade forced quest is activated.]
[Raise your right hand (0/1)]
[Quest Completion Reward]
[Bomb of Light Potion Recipe (Semi-mythic)]
Upon seeing the system light up with the answer to my problem, I

perked up once more.
This was my answer to faith.
‘Long live the Goddess Benignore.’
After all, heaven did not really throw out its believers. At that moment,
my irm belief in the Goddess rose again.
Once again, my heart had begun to ill up with light.
[You are real trash. Really. (0/1)]

CHAPTER 362
TRASH ELUNE (3)
‘Very good. It’s very good.’
I felt as if my heart had been cleared with light. I had no choice but to
once again reinstate my loyalties to the great goddess of Benignore.
As expected, if you build up your virtue, you would surely get

something in return one day.
A smile popped out of me.
Who could believe that a semi-mythic quest that had never been seen
would occur by only raising my right hand?
As I slightly raised my right hand while maintaining a serious

expression, a pleasant sound began to be heard. This was obviously the
happiest part of my day.
[Quest of the semi-mythical grade is completed.]
[Raise your right hand (1/1)]
[Quest Completion Reward]
[Bomb of Light Potion Recipe]
[High Elf’s Tears with Divine Power (0/1) Leaf of the World Tree (0/1)]
[Catalyst for the Light Alchemist Only (Semi-mythic).]

Several other catalysts were listed. Some of them were de initely what I
already possessed.
Of course, the two most important ones were missing, but looking at
the atmosphere, it felt like Elena already had what I needed. It was very
likely that she also owned the leaf of the World Tree.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for our Goddess to throw out such
a useless card.
‘If I did this by myself, I would never succeed.’
The recipe itself was very complicated before the fact that the World
Tree leaves were used as ingredients.
There was a lot more to worry about than I had initially thought, and
this was not something I could create by risking a hundred attempts.
If I tried to do something, I would have lost all the precious catalysts.
‘It would have taken several years.’
Even techniques I had never used were being described in detail.
In general, it was common to use magical power when dealing with

alchemy circles or catalysts. For example, it could be explained as
putting the oil called magic power into a car called alchemy.
However, the alchemy of light from the venerable Goddess Benignore

was not magic power, but holy oil and fuel. There was a signi icant
difference from what I was accustomed to.
‘It was just a guess. I was really right.’
This was a bit different, but I didn’t even think it would work out so
well that I couldn’t help but try. It was only natural for me to pray out of
thanks once more. I had learned that our goddess always did watch
over me.
‘This is it! This is it!’
This also somewhat proved my hypothesis. This continent was being

protected by several gods, and they communicated their will through
the medium of quests.
Intervening too deeply was, of course, forbidden, and they would get
penalized for wrongdoing.
Perhaps the bastard Altanus, who returned Kim Hyunsung, was likely to
have suffered an unimaginable penalty. I could imagine that the
Goddess Benignore had suffered through the same thing as well.
Of course, I couldn’t care less about that now. What mattered was that I
could reap the bene its.
As I kept smiling, Elena began to look at me with curiosity. I hurriedly

spoke up.
“I received a revelation.”
The most appropriate, beautiful, and sure word. There was nothing
more reassuring to her than this.
“What?”
“I think it would be better to walk slowly while we talk about it. Oh, and
what I need right now are high elf tears with divine power and leaves of
the World Tree. Maybe you…”
“Everyone in the Eberian Kingdom has a World Tree leaf. I’ve known
that it has no effect…”
“If Elena-nim can drop a few tears in it, I can convert it into a catalyst I
can use.”
“Lee Kiyoung-nim, I think I know what this is related to, but it’s so
sudden it’s hard to follow. Just explain a little bit slowly…”
“I will explain this later. One thing I can say for sure is that I have
received a revelation from Goddess Benignore. I think I can see why
Elena-nim and I have met. Yes. I’m sure of it.”
Basically, I met her so I could use her. However, I couldn’t just tell Elena
that Elune had ratted her out. Instead, it would be better if I were to
tempt her.
“W-What…”
“Elena-nim is someone… I need…”
“Yes…”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“…”
I had thrown out the bait of temptation – it was too late to back out
now.
Although I didn’t express it in words, I turned to look at her quietly. I

knew she could discern what the suggestive expression on my face
meant – she had turned as red as a beetroot.
Oh, she de initely knew it.
Her ears were trembling as if she was nervous. However, strange

emotions had come to her face.
‘A feeling of immorality? Achievement?’
It seemed to me that she felt guilty, too, though the joy on her face
obviously overrode that.
Most of all, the fact that I wanted her seemed to make her happy.
Perhaps she thought that she had inally beaten Jung Hayan. Though it
felt to me like a mistress happy at being able to steal the man away
from his wife, I didn’t feel like it was strange at all.
However, I also wanted her to be slightly aware of the fact that what she
was feeling was wrong. Seeing her staring up at me, her lips tightly
closed, was kind of cute.
There was no need for words. She was holding my wrist tightly enough.
Her whole body was trembling, and she had on a very nervous face. Her
ears had drooped down, but she was still smiling.
At irst glance, she may seem guilty, but it would soon turn into a
pleasant tension. As expected, I could see her quietly nodding. She
obviously thought that she had won, that I had inally recognized her
feelings.
The time itself had become very generous, thanks to the efforts of our
Goddess Benignore. At this point, I wondered if it would be okay to
make a little move.
Honestly, being moderately relaxed made me feel like I was just

camping, not stuck in some monster’s body.
‘It wouldn’t be bad to get trapped at least once more.’
I could feel her pulling my arm slowly.

She turned her head as if asking me to look at her and stopped, but
cutely enough, she had pressed her body back together. I took a step
back, and she took a step forward.
“So, you’ve r-realized it.”
“…”
“I-I already knew. In fact, I had realized it for a long time, but I was
pretending n-not to know. Of course, I wasn’t sure, but I… I think I can
know everything now.”
“…”
“Of course, I know that there is someone Lee Kiyoung already loves…”
“It’s a little bit sudden, but… Elena, this isn’t what I just said.”
“No. I know Lee Kiyoung already k-knows. I’m sure.”
‘Would you look at her?’
She seemed quite determined. Her trembling legs and trembling ears
were really fun to watch.
Seeing that she was saying this despite my blatant excuses, it seemed
that greed had risen in her for the fruit that refused to fall.
“You already know. T-The reason you can’t take another step right now
is obviously because of guilt. B-Because you are too kind.”
‘Right. I’m kind.’
“Lee Kiyoung has said… People are connected with a red string. At that
time, I thought you and Jung Hayan-nim were connected, but now I
have realized that it’s different. Yes. De initely. Please look straight at
me, Lee Kiyoung. It’s not Jung Hayan… that is your fate. Please…”
‘Whoa.’
I thought that I would have to goad her, but it turned out that the
opposite had happened – she was encouraging me.
“This is not something to be talked about here. We don’t have time for
this. More importantly, Elena, you seem a little excited. If you calm
down a little bit…”
“No. It’s because we’re here that I can tell you. I can tell you because it is
now. Please look straight at me. Please do not avoid my eyes and look
straight at me.”
She had even begun to cry. I felt tempted to harvest some of those tears,
but I knew it didn’t feel like the right time now.
“Please look at me. I hope you don’t hide your emotions. I want you to
be honest and express it as it is.”
“But…”
“I know you feel guilty. But. But…”
“…”
“Hug me.”
“…”
“Hug me.”
Now Elena just looked desperate. I had never imagined that she would
act so aggressively. This only proved my point – that she acted more on
impulse than anything else.
Of course, I could see how brave she was.
Elena had recently turned into a bit of an active personality, but the 200
years she was trapped in the kingdom had probably helped with this
development.
‘She doesn’t seem to care if the fruit is poisoned.’
Her ears were trembling. I could see her coming up and bringing her
lips closer.
Of course, I just pretended to refuse, but I didn’t. Our lips touched in an

instant.
[For unknown reasons, the forced quest of the heroic level was
canceled.]
I linched at the uninvited visitor who had come for a second, but it was
obvious as to what happened next. Perhaps Elena had even noticed. The
fruit she wanted so much wasn’t as sweet as she thought.
As time passed and I was sleeping, the sound of her snif ling from
inside of the monster echoed.
Of course, I didn’t worry about it.
As always, I knew she was going to rationalize herself eventually.
This was unavoidable.
[Legendary-grade forced quest is activated.]

[For an unknown reason, the legendary-grade forced quest was
canceled.]
I didn’t know if I was just thinking it, but for some reason, I felt as if
someone else was crying, too.
CHAPTER 363
LIGHT KIYOUNG SAID, LET
THERE BE LIGHT: AND THERE
WAS LIGHT (1)
The next morning turned out to be very pleasant.
Of course, there was still the lingering smell of the disgusting demon,
but that did not deter the good news.
“This is the item you were talking about. I don’t know if this is
correct…”
“I’m sure it is, Elena. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“No. I just did what I had to do.”
[Light Alchemist-only Catalyst (Semi-mythic).]
[High Elf’s Tears with Divine Power]
[Light Alchemist-only Catalyst (Semi-mythic).]
[Leaf of the World Tree]
‘My precious… ’
My hands had begun to tremble by just looking at it.

‘My precious!!!’
Just having the ingredients prepared just for me made me feel good.
Of course, this was a treasure that could never be priced—though it

was just a small amount of liquid in a small potion bottle, and a small
leaf.
I could feel myself about to burst into laughter when I started thinking
about the impact these catalysts would have in the future.
I wanted to get up and dance right now, but I couldn’t afford to. Elena’s
expression did not look that good.
Of course, this was to be expected. I knew she had undergone a lot of

thinking last night. Nevertheless, she still took it upon herself to give
me this gift – and I was proud of her for it.
As I lifted my head once again to look at her, I saw her face, complete
with swollen eyes.
I thought she would be okay, but she looked like she was having a
harder time than I thought.
Her ears were drooping, and she still had unknown guilt on her face. It
was obvious that this elf was kind by nature.
So far, guilt and a strange sense of betrayal had coexisted within her.
‘How do I go about with this…?’
I was once again reminded of how cruel Elune could be.
It was all now spilt milk, and things had already happened. A
heartbroken elf had been thrown away by the god she believed in. It
was only right to get her out before she became unable to make a
comeback. In the future, she would have to continue with me.
As I slowly held her hand, she linched for a second. Seeing her
re lexively trying to avoid my hand was also quite interesting.
Of course, in the end, she accepted my hand without avoiding it. The
tingling pleasures of immorality once again covered her feelings of
guilt.
I thought maybe things wouldn’t get worse when she was talking, or
was with me.
“About yesterday…”
“Yes… er… I’m sorry.”
“No. It is not something for Elena-nim to apologize. I had the same

feeling. And I think it was necessary.”
“Ah…”
“I feel a little refreshed, but… of course, I don’t know if I should call this
as treatment, but it feels something different from before. How does
Elena look at me now?”
“Yes.”
“So, it was that. I… It was that.”
‘Yes… you’re right. You are right.’
She didn’t see me as someone utterly repelling anymore. Though I knew

I still had some negative effect on her, at least she wasn’t resisting the
urge to gag like before.
It was evident that her disposition was changing, little by little, and it
was proof that I had gotten into the heart of an innocent elf.
I couldn’t quite yet determine to what extent I had been settled in, but I
thought that, maybe if I let go of her hand, she could make an extreme
choice.
It is correct to think that the only reason she can withstand the guilt
that weighs on her is my existence.
Perhaps she would make the same choice of Jung Hayan from the irst
round, the one that had been toyed with by the masked trash.
‘I can’t let her do that. Yes. Absolutely.’
I couldn’t let the golden goose, no, the precious Elena turn into that.
Elena mumbled alone whilst nodding.
“I see. Yes. It was unavoidable. To heal Lee Kiyoung… Yes. It was

necessary. Yes…”
It seemed that she was now a little out of it. Naturally, I held her hand
tightly.
She couldn’t refuse and accepted when I kissed her slightly. Rather, she
was clinging to me, little by little.
What I saw after ending the kiss was a reddened face, and now it
seemed like I would have to do this kind of work for the next few days.
It didn’t matter if she felt this out of curiosity, pleasure, or anything. The
most important thing was to stop her negative thoughts.
There had been a few twists and turns, but for now, my work could be
considered a success.
I didn’t make her dangerous like Jung Hayan, and I had compromised
very well in the right line.
Whatever the process, I had successfully penetrated Elena’s heart.
Above all, it was important that the contaminated soul was healed by a
sincere sharing of each other’s feelings with High Elf Elena.
The next thing to do was quite obvious.
Having dug into Elena’s heart once, it was time to rush to the heart of
this ilthy bastard who swallowed me.
‘Did you think you could digest me?’
It didn’t have a ghost of a chance.
“I think it would be better to be going right away.”
“What you said you would make…”
“We will have time in the way. The catalyst itself can be prepared while
moving. It’s all in my head, so you can simply rest assured.”
Elena looked puzzled, but she chose to follow alongside me. It seemed
that she was amazed at my ability to prepare a catalyst that would
usually need processing whilst moving.
No, considering the fact that she was an Elf, she may even marvel at the
process of alchemy itself.
“It’s amazing. Of course, I saw it last time, but…”
Ah, she was interested. This was good; I could keep her distracted from
her negative thoughts.
“That… Are you memorizing all the methods and procedures to make
it?”
“Yes. I’m used to it. It’ll probably be ready in a few hours. And then, I
can use the alchemy kit to make potions right away.”
Currently, making a new potion was, arguably, easier than taking candy
from a baby.
Of course, it was hard to say that there was absolutely no dif iculty, but
it just felt like cheating on a test. No wonder I felt like a genius.
I could make perfect measurements and sense without a single error.
I was just reading the manual and working on it, but she looked at me
with a face that looked as if she had seen something great.
‘It’s really effective.’
Certainly, as my magic power held divine power, every time I exuded

my magical power, light burst out. Admittedly, I only had little divine
power, but as it was the semi-mythic-grade’s in luence, the whole thing
looked like a sacred show.
‘This is the energy of light. Yes. Absolutely.’
I felt like forever ever since I had done some proper alchemy.
Even I couldn’t really igure out what this was. I was just doing what I
was told to do. One thing I was sure of, however, was that It looked like I
was working a miracle.
Just before completion, I suddenly felt like the monster was moving.
‘Huh?’
It is de initely not an illusion. Even Elena looked to have felt the same.
Of course, I wasn’t as lustered, as it wasn’t the irst time this happened.

Actually, there had been several movements from him during our stay
here.
I remembered he was just tossing and turning around at best. However,

the shock that struck again forced me to realize that something was
wrong.
“L-Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
“I feel it, too. I think it would be better to go a little faster. Let’s try to
hold onto each other as much as possible, so we don’t get separated.”
“Okay.”
We couldn’t go back to where we came from. If we fell from here,

everything we worked for would just be in vain.
Once again, I had found myself on an unexpected journey.
‘What’s up with him all of a sudden?’
As soon as I started thinking of useless things, my insides trembled. I

immediately began chanting a spell.
‘This… ’
From the vibrations, it appeared as if he had engaged in a ight.

As I embraced Elena tightly with one arm, she also closed her eyes
tightly and began to hold onto my body.
‘Is it Hyunsung?!’
At that moment, he shook his body with a loud roar once again.
‘He came.’
Blue guild members and the Elune Knights of the Kingdom of Eberia
had arrived.
“What’s… going on? Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
“It seems like the expedition has arrived. I don’t know exactly, but… I’m
pretty sure.”
It’s about three days earlier than the expected time for the expedition
team to get here.
If the expedition moved very quickly, it would be about the right time.
“Then how…”
“It doesn’t change what we have to do. Perhaps the expedition is also
struggling. If you and I help them, we will be able to attack the named
monster more easily.”
“Okay.”
“I think it would be better to hold onto me. Please be careful because

you might bump your body.”
“Yes. Okay.”
In the meantime, I noticed her blushing face, but I didn’t care for it
much.
‘In the middle of this, she… ’
I had to solve the immediate problem now.
I didn’t know exactly how the situation outside was going, but it was
likely to be a tough ight, as I had just said. This was, after all, a semi-
mythic grade named monster.
No matter how good the Blue Guild members were, some sacri ices
would still have to be made.
Since the schedule had been shortened by three days, the back liners
with weak physical strength would probably have already hit the limit.
My mind was a mess, but my hands started to move quickly. I continued

to advance, putting the divine power.
‘Shit.’
I was going crazy experimenting, all while creating Dialugia’s catalyst

and balancing my body.
However, the results were getting closer.
Elena also created a curtain to prevent shock just in case and looked at
me with anxiety. Her expression gave away the fact that she was
praying.
It must be a prayer for the heartless trash Elune, but I quickly realized
that it was working.
This was because, after activating the prepared catalyst, a blinding light
rushed out.
‘Nice!’
CHAPTER 364
WAS LIGHT (2)
The light burst through from my creation.
The result that had already left the kit and entered the bottle was
radiating such a brilliant light that I couldn’t open my eyes properly.
The way it constantly emitted light made me feel anxious, for some
reason.
‘Benignore didn’t backstab me, right…?’
I felt like I was close to exploding due to the anxiety that was building
up inside of me.
Of course, it was hard to imagine that the venerable Goddess Benignore

would abandon me, a devout believer and a proud ally of Kim Hyuna,
but it didn’t mean I did not feel worried at all.
My anxiety only stemmed from the realization that not all

transcendental beings were genuine in their actions. Take Elune, for
example.
‘No. Still, our Goddess Benignore is not that kind of being.’
She must have sacri iced a lot already, so she wouldn’t backstab the
devout believer so far. Perhaps she had added her own power to this
creation to aid me.
I was nervous, but I was quite sure that this wouldn’t explode.
“It’s Elena-nim’s divine power.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Please keep sending divine power here. It will de initely work.”
“O-Okay. Please leave it to me.”
No further explanation was needed. She immediately nodded and

shoved divine power into the bottle.
It was a solid fact that Elena’s divine power was a little more
concentrated than mine. As if she had received a golden egg, she
continued to inject her divine power. I joined her in doing so.
Once again, the light began to burst.
I was a little scared whenever it would shake violently, but in the end,
the sound I wanted began to resonate.
‘As expected, I wasn’t wrong. Long live, Goddess Benignore.’
[The combination of Light Bomb Potion, a semi-mythical-grade potion,

was successful.]
[Magic power increases by 1.]
[Light Bomb Potion (Semi-mythic)]
[Alchemist of Light exclusive consumption item: Daily usage limit

(3/3)]
[This is a unique potion that can only be activated by the semi-mythic
class, the Alchemist of Light. Created by Goddess Benignore’s
consideration and Elena’s sacri ice, this potion triggers a massive
explosion of light that reacts to the user’s enemies and allies
immediately after instilling the user’s divine power. Allies are
immediately healed of serious injuries, but enemies remain exposed to
the effects of the explosion. This potion can be used three times a day.
P.S: Crappy bastard. This is really the last time. I’ve passed my limit.]
Nice! Nice! Sweet! Sweet!
“Lee Kiyoung, I think it’s done. We did it. We did it!”
“Yes. I’m also seeing it, Elena-nim.”
“I-It really… such a thing…”
“It’s all thanks to Elena.”
“No. This is the result of your achievements. Yes. The crystal of divinity
surrounded by this pure light is your feat. You’re really amazing.
Really…”
“You’re over complimenting me. I wouldn’t have been able to make it if I

were alone.”
I also wanted to scream. However, it was hard to express my joy due to

the situation.
I felt like I wanted to dance with that in my hand, but for now, it was
best to put the potion in my arms. I wanted to appreciate the brilliance
in more detail, but unfortunately, I didn’t have the time.
Considering the potion’s durability, it may not be broken by a simple

shock, but there was nothing wrong with being careful as anything
could happen.
I would only be rest assured if I put it in the in inite bag that Kim
Hyunsung had given me.
As soon as I squeezed it in and moved, I saw Elena grabbing me and

nodding.
‘She seems to be in a good mood.’
There was an unimaginable excitement on her face.
She had an expression that seemed as if she had thought that she had
indeed saved the world. There was even respect on her face whilst
looking at me.
‘Right. It’s understandable. I understand. I understand.’
This was a semi-mythic grade potion.
Of course, it was still one step below the mythic grade, but this potion
was de initely and at least on the fringes of the mythic-grade.
I didn’t know how strong it was, but I was sure the irepower would be
more than expected.
It could even recover allies from severe injuries immediately.
It should be a little insuf icient, but perhaps it would have a

performance that exceeded a high-ranking priest’s divine power.
The only downside was that there was a usage limit per day.
I didn’t know if it was blocked by Benignore or if it had been restricted

because it was out of standard, but it didn’t matter now, anyway.
‘It’s a fact that it can distinguish enemies and allies.’

No matter how I was to look at it, this object deserved some praise.
‘Let’s go! Long live, Goddess Benignore!’
Since I had overcome the most dif icult mission, the next step was a
piece of a cake. If I went into his heart and threw the thing that was in
my arms, everything would be solved.
The expeditions outside would be happy, and I also would be happy. My

contaminated soul had already gotten healed.
Everyone would feel amazed upon witnessing Light Kiyoung’s feat, who
had gained new power whilst purifying his de iled soul.
The situation I was in right now was pretty tough, but when I
anticipated the warm results that would come later, I couldn’t help but
smile.
Of course, it was not easy to move.
They were still in the middle of a ierce battle outside. No, honestly, I
was not sure that the battle was going on. I wanted to see what the
situation was like, but unfortunately, I couldn’t.
‘I wish I could convey the situation here… ’
Somewhere, I felt a little familiar magic power.
If what I was feeling right now was not my illusion, this pleasantly
familiar energy was hers.
‘Jung Hayan?’
I had to smile.
Of course, after I realized that I had Elena in my arms, I felt startled, but
since it was inevitable, she would probably understand.
Although I felt nervous, I thought she would give a greater signi icance
to have con irmed that I was alive, rather than the fact that I was
holding her.
As I slowly looked around, a familiar eye began to appear in my sight.
‘Anemone’s Eye.’
Sure enough, the expedition had arrived here. I could see the big eye
chasing me.
Not only did this pierce through Salit’s resistance, but to have found my
location accurately gave me goosebumps.
Of course, it was not magic that attacked the outside or the inside, so
the resistance judgment was different from usual, but it was still
surprising to show such magic.
As I looked exactly in the Anemone’s Eye and nodded, I felt as if that

thing also nodded.
‘My expectation was correct.’
I knew it – Jung Hayan couldn’t check on me personally because she

was far away.
It was a moment to realize once again that the reason for this agitation
was because of the expedition.
‘It means it was correct that a battle was in progress.’
She seemed to worry about me even while the battle was going on.
I wanted to tell her to focus more instead of wasting useless magic
power, but I thought that this was better.
This was easier for outside personnel to get my intention as I wanted.
“Tie him up as much as possible. I will run toward the heart.”
“What?”
“And focus on the outside, not here.”
She must have heard it. However, Anemone’s Eye was still following me.
As I looked into Anemone’s Eye and beckoned, I could see the magic
dissipating immediately as if she understood what I meant.
‘Good.’
I didn’t know how much progress was made, but my intention was
clearly communicated.
They must know that the impact he would get affected us as well. I
didn’t know how high his endurance was, but it was highly likely that
other attacks other than those of Jung Hayan and Kim Hyunsung would
not work properly.
They were giving him physical shocks, but the attacks had not reached
the inside.
As he was too big, there must be a limit to Hyuna’s cutting. Had I been
able to see the end, Salit would have already been rolling over the
ground.
‘It means I have to help.’
I was not doing this because I wanted the inal blow.

‘Very good.’
Whether the message delivered to Jung Hayan was effective or not, it

felt that his movement had substantially decreased.
It didn’t seem like they were restraining his movement right now, but
they seemed to be refraining from using magic that could give physical
shock as much as possible.
Naturally, it was now easier to move. Seeing that, Elena began to open
her mouth.
“Lee Kiyoung, are you…”
“Yes. The expedition seems to have con irmed our current location.
Perhaps, in a little while, there will be a signal.”
“I see. It’s really… fortunate.”
“I think Hayan has found me. Seeing the different aspects of the battle, it
seems like they are trying to help from outside.”
“That’s… good.”
“Let’s move quickly. The signal will probably come within minutes.”
“Yes… Yes!”
It was then that I felt a heavy shock once again. I linched for a moment,
but wasn’t surprised. I felt the pressure of something pressing him from
above.
I could feel him struggling, but he was de initely ixed in a corner. The
insides were swaying, but his position didn’t change.
‘We’re almost there.’

My legs hurt, and I was out of breath.
However, perhaps because of the passion for the last hit, or the
determination not to put the expedition members in danger, an
unknown spirit had risen inside me.
I was now starting to remember what I’ve been through all this whole
time. Of course, there were a lot of things to thank for Salit because
what I gained thanks to him weren’t little.
Unfortunately, it was time to say goodbye to him here.
[Heart of Salit]
I had inally reached my destination.
The scene of the huge heart moving violently was overwhelming, but of
course, I didn’t want to just watch it blankly.
I wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. I also wanted to get rid of
the stress that I had been under so far. I picked up what was in the
in inite bag in no time.
‘Did you think you could eat me?’
It must be clear that the energy of light that Light Kiyoung possessed
was too brilliant for him to digest.
Naturally, I poured divine power into the newly created Light Bomb
potion.
As soon as the item left my hand, a blinding glow began to spread

around the potion.
“Fuck…”
As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t take a picture of this scene.
A shout burst out without my knowledge. It was a line famous all over
the world, but I wanted to shout it at least once.
“Let there be light.”
‘And there was light.’
And there was light. Literally.
[A feat that cannot be achieved was achieved.]
[A new title is created.]

CHAPTER 365
WAS LIGHT (3)
‘Is he really alive…?’
I knew it was wrong to have these kinds of questions. However, in my

mind, an ominous feeling continued to spring up.
In fact, it was not unreasonable to have such anxiety.
This was because I witnessed a large, unimaginable monster

swallowing a carriage with one bite.
No matter how I were to think about this, it was the Elune Knights’
mistake.
Naturally, this left a bitter taste in my mouth. I realized that Elune

Knights were too weak compared to humans, based on the situation’s
judgment and the mental state.
Unlike the Elune Knights, armed with their characteristic arrogance,

humans were always calm and humble. Although the enemy’s level may
fall short of expectations, they didn’t get cocky.
Even if I assumed that this human and the elf’s basic specs were the
same, I thought that the difference between the knights and them
wouldn’t change.
‘No. It’s not just Elune Knights.’
The same was true for me.
‘I was at a distance where I could take care of them.’
Nevertheless, I couldn’t even move.
The overwhelming size and majesty made my body stiffen without my

knowledge.
This was the kind of monster I had never seen before.
Even when I close my eyes again and thought of the guy, my legs began
to shake. Other elves would not be much different either.
Nevertheless, these people in front of me didn’t seem to have any other

kind of worries.
Their only interest was whether Lee Kiyoung was alive or not.
They didn’t care about how big and how strong the giant monster was.
They just silently moved.
The wizard seemed to have been half-minded by the shock of the

accident, and the Blue Guild Master had closed his mouth completely. I
could also understand what the little assassin and female warrior with
a spear felt just by watching him, as well as the warrior carrying a large
shield by yielding a hundred times.
However, it was really amazing that the faces of those who were still
hard to say that they had reached the point were not distorted with
fear.
‘They must believe.’

It was obvious what they believed in. They believed in the Blue Guild
Master, who was silently walking with a sword longer than himself.
Indeed, the battle he had shown so far seemed unrealistic. That

expression suited him.
His speed was hard to follow with the eyes, and every time the sword
was swung, huge demons fell like fallen leaves.
It felt like it was telling me how far humans could be strong with a
sword. He even made me think of the God of War.
However, it didn’t mean that I felt assured. This expedition is strong.
Several assumptions came to my mind, but I wasn’t sure that this

monster could beat that monster. Even if he was fully prepared and
entered, I could not successfully predict the result.
I shook my head when I remembered that they had a physical penalty.
‘Is it okay at this pace?’
Everyone would already be aware that the current expedition members

were working hard enough. Even without battle, they had crossed a
dif icult area, clashing with demons.
In the aftermath of arriving here after countless battles, some had

already reached their limits.
It was hard to imagine how to deal with the demon with such a body.
“Elios-nim, is it really okay to keep going like this?”
I heard a question when I was lost in thought. As I turned, I saw the

worried face of one of the Elune Knight.
“I wonder if they’re not going too far with the expedition. Of course…
It’s not that I don’t understand them, but if they keep going like now,
it’ll be a battle where they’ll lose before ighting.”
“I know.”
“Wouldn’t it be good to ask for support from outside… Or maybe you

might want to consider another method.”
“…”
The elf who asked the question looked terri ied. I gave him a bitter
smile.
It was because it felt as if the voice contained within the question was
being heard.
I saw his face blushing as if he had noticed the meaning of the smile
that came out without my knowledge. However, he was not wrong.
The opponent was an unrivaled monster. Dealing with named monsters

without recovering health was akin to suicide.
As I slowly looked around, I could see the woman with a spear, Cho
Hyejin.
Naturally, I approached her because I had to talk about the problem.
“Cho Hyejin-nim.”
“You came in good time, Elios-nim.”
“Yes.”
“The Guild Master judged we are near the end of the dungeon. It would
be good for the exhausted elves to take a break. It’s not going to be a
long time, but I think they can recover the stamina here for a while.”
“If so, then the main force…”
“He said that the main force would continue with the expedition. Han
Sora, Kim Chang-ryul, and Yoo Ahyoung from the Blue will remain here,
prepared for an emergency with the elves. He said he would ask you to
organize it afterward, as he will open up the road.”
‘Is she serious?’
It didn’t seem like she was joking.
I could actually see those who were getting ready to move.
The wizard, who was constantly crying, was already standing up and
preparing to walk, and the situation of the others was not that different.
I could see how important Lee Kiyoung was to them. Of course, I felt the
same way. I couldn’t even dare to imagine that I would lose Elena.
In the end, I talked without my knowledge.
“I’m going, too.”
“…”
“It will de initely be helpful. No, I de initely want to go together. Some of

the knights will have enough physical strength. It is not enough, but I
will do my best to help.”
“No, no, Elios-nim. Rather, we wanted to ask. To say that you will help
us…”
“It is not something to be thankful for. Of course, I have to go.”

“Then, let’s head out immediately.”
“Yes.”
Of course, my body trembled, but this job would be worth the risk.
Looking at the humans who didn’t seem to be fearful, I felt as if my

previous thoughts were becoming more irm.
The expedition, which was moving slowly, increased their speed more
and more.
‘We’re approaching the end.’
As we went deeper and deeper, the pressure I felt before continued to

hit my whole body.
I tried to pretend it was okay, but I was not used to the feeling of my
body receiving its irst rejection. The others were also getting more and
more determined.
That was when Kim Hyunsung, who had been silent until now, opened
his mouth.
It was when I thought that it was getting harder to even breathe under
the unknown pressure.
“Take a deep breath.”
“Yes… Yes.”
“Let’s prepare to enter.”
“Okay.”
“We will make it our top priority to protect Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-
young. Hyejin and Ye-ri focus on protecting the rear as much as
possible. Jeong-yeon will assist Hayan as much as possible… It will be
dif icult, but Ahn Ki-mo will take care of the party member’s overall
recovery.”
“You mean only me? Guild Master?”
“Yes. Most of the divine power is limited to damage and maintenance of

buffs. The front line will be burdened, but Deokgu has to endure with a
personal potion as much as possible.”
“Okay.”
“If you think it’s dangerous, try to retreat according to the manual.
However, Deokgu will not remain, I’ll be the last to remain. And…”
“Yes.”
“Elios-nim will also be in charge of a key role in the battle. It will

de initely work. The power of Elios and the power of the enemy are
close to the extreme. I know it’s scary. It is not something to be
ashamed of. It is natural. It will be easy to move if you keep
remembering that the enemy is also worried about you.”
“Thank you for the advice.”
He quietly nodded. “Let’s get in.”
We entered into a large void at his voice. It was a dif icult place to
describe.
It was said that this was a Twisted Pond, but what I saw was a lake
whose size could not even be determined. This was the root of the
World Tree that was connected to the lake. I could see that the ugly
magic beast I had seen before was rooted in.
How should I describe that appearance?
The overall image was more like a snake.
However, the mouth with tens of thousands of teeth was, by no means,

an ordinary snake.
The exterior looked as if he was wearing the surface of a corpse. I saw

the unmelting ice-like eyes staring at me at the same time. No wonder
my body trembled with unknown goosebumps.
However, reminiscing about what I had just heard, I ixed the sword and
grabbed it.
It was a spectacle to see him poking out two huge tongues, but then
turning his head as if he was not interested.
‘Am I not worth ighting…?’
It seemed to have eyes as if looking at an insect.
‘Right. I would look like an insect.’
In front of that overwhelming being, humans or elves would indeed

look like insects.
It was then that his eyes were on alert. Explosive magic began to erupt
from behind me.
“G-G-Give me back. Hic. Give me back.”
“…”
“Give me back! Give me back!! Give me back!!! Give me back!!! Give me

back!!!!”
“Get ready for battle.”
“Give me! I said give me! Give me! Give me!”
“Let’s enter.”
I had witnessed tremendous magic power that I could not dare to

measure. That magic power attempted to change in an instant in the
form of magic.
Five magic spells were cast.
After a huge lame and other natural magic spells were created, it
looked like a fairy tale to see magic cast down on a monster of this type.
The earth cracked, and the sound of the explosion went off in no time.
The girl with the sword did not panic. Rather, it was thrilling to see her
immediately getting into the battle posture.
In the meantime, the magic that had been cast had effectively pinned
the monster down to the loor.
‘No way… ’
It was not possible to check whether there was damage in licted or not.
However, it was clearly visible that his body was being pushed out due
to a physical shock.
‘This is nuts… ’
The others began to form a square position around the breathless

wizard.
As soon as the priest named Sun Hee-young offered a prayer, it was

immediately visible that a crowd of lights emanated from all directions
along with a transparent membrane surrounding the square.
‘Sancti ication.’
It was known that only a few high priests could use it. The magic beast’s
gaze that was looking at us like an insect had changed.
In an instant, the moment he got up and rushed straight ahead, he got

crushed by a tragedy that came from somewhere.
What could be seen was a girl holding a sword—the Blue Guild Master
and the expedition leader.
He was someone followed by the adjective of being a genius chosen by

God, as well as being the top ten in the State.
‘I knew he was strong, but… ’
“Trash bastard.”
There were goosebumps all over my body.

CHAPTER 366
WAS LIGHT (4)
“Trashy bastard.”
Obviously, he had only swung his sword once.
Nevertheless, the magic beast with that large of a size fell. The energy
emanating from the sword was quite dif icult to describe. I found it
unbelievable to witness a human that would be able to unleash such a
crushing blow.
The magic beast in front of us was, without exaggeration, a huge hill, a

small mountain.
The fact that a magic beast of that size had lost its balance with a sword
wielded by a mere human made me doubt my eyesight. Even his fellow
guild members were also blatantly looking at him with widened eyes.
Now I had good reason to think that he had been hiding his full power
this entire time.
“Pant. Pant. Pant…”
Unlike the wizard, who had started to pause to catch her breath, the
swordsman was not disturbed. I couldn’t help clenching my ists upon
seeing this scene. The fact that a single human could grow to this extent
was thrilling.
My respect for him had grown.
However…
‘Is there no damage?’
The problem was that the attacked monster was ine.
If it had been a normal monster, its body would have gotten split in half
from the irst strike. It turned out that they still couldn’t in lict damage
on him, even with this amount of power.
Once again, the attack magic and the Elune Knights’ arrows didn’t have
any effect. In short, they were just trying to buy some more time.
Of course, from behind, the wizard was chanting another spell again,
but I knew it still would not have any effect.
‘This is not working.’
No matter how I saw this, I knew this was going to be a long, long
battle.
If the wizard named Jung Hayan stopped ighting, the monster would
automatically become the winner of this battle. The balance was that
easy to disrupt.
Currently, the means to injure that guy’s skin were her magic, and the
Blue Guild Master’s sword.
As I turned my head, I saw the eyes of the wizard who seemed to have
lost her mind.
‘No.’
I tried to scream, but thanks to the beast that raised his body again and
came lying, I was forced to bite my lips tightly.
In an instant, various supporting spells come down to the man with a

huge barrier and shield.
The warrior, with his mouth full of potion, raised his shield to cover his
body.
“Deokgu! Start with the protection magic!”
“Oh, I know! Don’t worry, Hyung-ssi! I’m not going to die here!”
Craaaackkkk!
The defense magic that protected the expedition members had gotten
completely broken.
With a shield, the warrior took the chance, went one step forward, and
hit the side of the beast’s head. He must be trying to change his course,
though his actions did not hold much power. He was nearing his peak.
I was worried that he might not have enough power to endure it, but
the magic that lew at the right time helped him.
“Jeong-yeon, nic… cough!”
“Deokgu!”
If Hwang Jeong-yeon’s spell and his actions did not occur at the same
time, I was a hundred percent sure that Deokgu would have been dead
by now, though he had successfully defended against the monster’s
attack.
At the same time as the potion was hurriedly inhaled, the combat
priest’s recovery spell continued to ly towards him.
“Cancel the spell. Hayan, look for… Kiyoung.”
“Oh! Oh! O-Oh! Okay! Okay!”
She hadn’t completely lost her mind yet. I nodded as she canceled the
offensive magic she was preparing to cast once more. However, this
meant that it was the melee group’s turn to attack.
They did not hesitate. With buffs on their side, the melee attackers dove
in…
‘It’s perfect.’
The weapons had been infused with the faint outline of divine power,
which had all been thanks to the priest named Sun Hee-young.
I, too, drove the energy inside the dagger and threw it… Though the
monster still looked to be completely unaffected. This meant that he
must have some overwhelming endurance.
“We don’t need to care if we do damage or not.”
“Yes. Okay.”
What their Guild Master wanted was a long-term war.
If even one person were to make a mistake, we would all be annihilated.

The one who induced this tense situation was the Blue Guild Master.
A very hectic time had passed.
The expedition continued to endure his attack, and he also continued to

receive crushing blows and magic with his body. We were put at a
disadvantage, but that urgency and anxiety had elicited perfect
concentration.
Everyone was probably thinking the same way as I was.
However, Kim Hyunsung looked to be in a daze, though his movements

were lawless. In fact, he appeared to be in a different realm altogether.
The magic burst out, and the sword swung. At the same time as the
shield would break, I heard the priest’s voice chanting a recovery spell.
‘Focus.’
“Focus!”
“I can do it. Just a little more focus!”
The same went for me.
I bit my lips tightly, and although it was not enough, I swung my sword.
Though it looked impossible, I knew that, given enough time, we would
eventually be able to crack through the monster.
Eventually, our fear of the enemy subsided, and the pressure about
making mistakes gradually disappeared. This was also when Jung
Hayan spoke up in a serious tone.
“S-Stop him from moving.”
“What do you mean, Hayan?”
“O-Oppa said so. He… clearly said it. To keep him tied up as much as
possible. He’s running towards the heart.”
“Is that true? Is Hyung-nim alive? I-Is he okay?”

“Yes. Hic. He’s alive. He’s ine, without a singlewound… Hic. Waaahhh…”
“Guild Master Hyung-ssi!”
“I have already heard it. Change the strategy. We’ll try to keep him from
moving as much as possible.”
“I knew it! Everyone, cheer up!”
‘This… ’
As I looked at the wizard re lexively, I saw her nodding. That meant that
Elena must be alive, too.
My ists clenched without my knowledge. There was a reward for not

giving up. I truly felt that way.
I was not the only one who felt is happy. The Blue Guild Master, who
had maintained a stiff face until now, also had a smile on his lips.
Anyone could tell he looked relieved. It must have been hard trying to
hide his joy.
‘It could be dangerous.’
Originally, he must have been mindful of the situation, wherein he

might lose more members trying to save one. It was also close to
irrational to be changing the operation of battle now. However…
‘He trusts him.’
The two trusted each other.
Since they believed in each other, he must be able to work without

considering various things.
He wanted him to tie the monster up, and that was it.
At his words, which held no further explanation, the entire expedition
changed the route. The Guild Master, the wizard, and others turned
right away without any disagreement.
I would call it crazy on typical days, but I couldn’t ind it in me to

protest. If the others were acting without doubt, then Lee Kiyoung must
be someone who didn’t mince his words. Thus, I nodded and went into
formation.
To help even a little more, I held my sword as tightly as possible.
“Get as far from the pond as possible.”
“Okay.”
It was no wonder that the enormous magic power burst once again. It
looked like Jung Hayan had drawn all the magic power inside her. She
didn’t care about the future. She didn’t even consider the fact that she
could be attacked.
It was then that our opponent sucked in a deep breath.
‘Breath?’
The tremendous energy was aimed towards the wizard who was busy
chanting a spell. However, the man with the shield – Park Deokgu –
rushed in without hesitation.
“It’s dangerous!!”
Despite my outburst, the man did not back down.
‘Isn’t he scared to die?’
When the terrible thought of the warrior’s body being melted past my
head, the Blue Guild Master, who appeared in no time, began to climb
on his back.
He had employed speed that was beyond my eyesight. In fact, I didn’t

know what he had just done.
However, seeing the magic beast splitting near his neck and bleeding, I
only guessed that he, no, she, had swung her sword. At this, great
energy spewed up from the monster’s mouth.
The ceiling collapsed. The magic to protect the expedition from the
debris was cast, and at the same time…
Chains of magic started to tie him up.
Whooooosh!
The chains that came out from all directions literally grabbed the magic
beast’s body tightly, and various auxiliary and bind magic poured out
around the chain. Even the melee ighters were sending what they had
of their magic power.
“Eeeeeeekkk!”
Maintaining the magic was also not easy. I could tell just how much
these humans can endure. If a single thing were to go wrong, the chain
might break.
‘How much power is left?’
It was not unreasonable to feel anxious. I knew it would be hard to

handle what would happen if this happened to fail.
However…
‘I have to believe.’
Just as they believed in their fellows, I also believed in them.
‘Oh, Elune.’
“Eeeeekkkkk!”
‘Oh, Elune!’
Please, let this be a miracle.
‘Oh, God.’
A miracle!!
“We just have to hold on for a little more! A little bit more!”
A miracle!!!
“Oh, Elune!!!”
A miracle!!!!
“A miracle!! In return for their faith and noble struggle!!!”
“Eeeeeekkkkk!”
“Oh, Eluneeee!!!!”
And then…
The world began to be colored with light.
God didn’t answer the prayer, but obviously, right after I shouted
Elune’s name, light from the inside of the monster began to pour hard
enough for me to squint.
Brilliant light continued to emanate through his wound and the scales.
The demon kept screaming. Even amid his howling, there was so much
light that I couldn’t open my eyes. This was the type of divine power
that would be hard to cut through.
The wounds I had gotten so far had healed in no time.
“Nonsense…”
There was no need for other adjectives.
‘Light… ’
Between the radiant light, I had to spit out the words that were full in
my heart.
“Let there be… light.”

CHAPTER 367
WAS LIGHT (5)
“Let there be light!!”
‘Thank you! Elune, you piece of trash! I accept your daughter gladly!!’
[A feat that cannot be achieved has been achieved.]
[New title is created.]
[Saint of Light]
[The magic power increases by 1.]
‘Yolo!!!’
I couldn’t help but scream in an emotional manner, my ists tightly

clenched.
Lee Kiyoung, the Saint of Light.
I knew better than anyone that it was not polite to refuse a gift from
God.
A true believer among the believers best understood the heart of

Goddess Benignore.
Looking at the miraculous things that were happening right before me,
it was not unreasonable to believe that the Saint of Light title had
actually been given to me.
‘This is +1 magic power.’
At this moment, I believed I could ind a way to raise my magic power

stats to at least 60. Meanwhile, the sublime light of divine power took
away my attention as it continued to shine with all its might.
It would be normal if I couldn’t open my eyes because of the bright

light, but strangely, the light spread out in all directions, so it proved to
be very easy to see.
Elena was also looking ahead with a dazzling expression at a glorious

scene that could not seem to be explained. The light had begun to
surround Salit’s heart.
Whoooosh!
The divine power continued to extend in all directions.
Even the word “beautiful” would be insuf icient to describe this scene
now.
I didn’t know if it was because Elune had driven her daughter, but I
certainly seemed to feel the energy of Elune from the Bomb of Light.
That was the natural result of having completed it with Elena as the
catalyst, and I could only thank Elune for this feat.
I couldn’t get a sense of how far the light was going, but one thing is
certain: the effect was more than I expected. It might look even more
dramatic because it had popped inside, not outside the body. However,
it still felt amazing.
The irst target, his heart, had already disappeared within the light.
‘Pheeew. This is the power of light! Yes, absolutely!’
[Attack of the legendary-grade dungeon, Twisted Pond completed.]
[New title is created.]
[Guardian of the World Tree.]
[The magic power has increased by 1.]
‘Earned +2 magic power! Hurrah, Yipee!’
The dungeon attack had completely ended with the last blow. The
ending was too futile for a semi-mythic-grade monster.
While my legs hurt quite a while, perhaps because of the in luence of

the light, I could feel them eventually getting better.
I thought of eating meat immediately because of my hunger, but I was

not in a hurry, and it was all thanks to the hard work of various things.
Naturally, I opened the status window with happy news. It seemed to

have been opened after a while, but it didn’t change all that much.
Kiyoung.]
[Name: Lee Kiyoung]
[Title: Mercenary Queen’s Gigolo, Honorary Cardinal of the Holy Empire

of Benignore, Spouse of Dragon, First Discoverer, Alchemist who
Experimented with Dragons, Continental Guardian, Level 4 Manager of
Crack Museum, Guardian of Max, Saint of Light, World Tree Guardian.]
[Age: 26]
[Class: Alchemist of Light (Semi-mythic)]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Basic Alchemy Knowledge]
[Class Effects: Acquisition of Intermediate Alchemy Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Special Summoning Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Alchemy Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Professional Alchemy Knowledge]
[Stats]
[Health: 30/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Durability: 25/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Equipment]
[Magic Shield Ring (Rare)]
[Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy (Heroic): Alchemist Only]
[Cursed Sword Juliana (Legendary): Ownership]
[Dragon Breath Potion (Legendary): Consumable Items (No Limit)]
[Bomb of Light Potion (Semi-Mythic): Consumable Item (1/3)]
[Attribute: Mind’s Eyes (Legendary)]
[Unique Characteristic: Temptation of a Liar]
[Overall: God of Taxation L###### ##### For unknown reasons,

overall is not shown.]
‘What is L, the god of taxation?’
My magic power is 53.
I thought it wasn’t going to grow at all, but the fact that I was still
moving forward made me happy. A smile had begun to form on my face.
We had just been able to solve a very troublesome problem, after all.
The remaining problems were all very trivial.
‘Which way is better to show up?’
It was true that it would be a little embarrassing to walk out myself.
As much time had been spent inside him, showing that I had been
rescued would be more appropriate.
I was worried about Jung Hayan, but it didn’t seem bad at adding
image-making as protecting the poor lady. Nothing special would
happen, but it was the moment when the action to be a punching bag
would pay off.
“Lee Kiyoung…”
“It’s all over, Elena.”
“Really… It’s really over.”
She seemed to be having mixed feelings. I could see her ears drooping
as if she felt both tired physically and mentally. However, the relief was
still apparent.
‘It would be nice if we were trapped a little more here.’
I suspected whether she was having thoughts like Hayan, but Elena was
not Jung Hayan.
It seemed dif icult for her to hide her mixed feelings. She must be
thinking about what to do after we were to out. For me, what happened
next didn’t matter.
Of course, it was indeed advantageous to have her by my side, but the

fact that the princess of a country that had become a guild member
would very much sound unpleasant on the kingdom side.
Considering many things, of course, my head started to hurt.

Meanwhile, a familiar voice had begun to resonate from the outside.
Light lowed in from above as if light had entered a cave. The light
pouring down in the big space was inferior to the light I created, but it
was still worth watching.
‘It’s refreshing.’
No wonder the air lowing in felt so fresh and clear.

In fact, it didn’t felt that different, but it was more pleasant than the
inside of the demon. Unlike me, Elena took a deep breath.
She didn’t say anything, but the time she spent inside must have been
very frustrating.
“Oppa! Oppa! Oppa!”
As expected, the irst voice I heard was from Jung Hayan. As soon as I
looked up at the voice, I could see Jung Hayan coming down in a hurry.
I was momentarily startled, but after I let go of Elena’s hand, I got Jung
Hayan’s.
I thought that her strength level had increased quite a bit, but still,
jumping like that, not hesitating, was too much for her.
At the same time I received her, we fell immediately, but I didn’t get
upset.
“Waaaahhhh.”
Of course, I heard her crying. For a second, I re lected on whether I had

spent more time making her cry than I had made her laugh.
As I hugged her tightly and stroke her head, I began to hear her
hiccupping. Turning my head slightly, I saw Elena quietly nodding.
I was worried whether she would get angry, but her innate nature
seemed to have not changed.
“Hic. Hic!”
“You worried a lot, right?”
“Yes…”
After I stroke her head for a while, she seemed to calm down little by
little.
Normally, she would have gone crazy not to let go of me, but I could see
her stepping aside as if she had recently grown up.
Of course, as soon as I got up, she continued sticking to me, but this was
already something I was used to. As much as she had been suffering so
far, I could endure as much annoyance.
As we slowly rose in the air with loating magic, we naturally left the
interior of Salit.
What came into sight was Elios, the elves, and the Blue Guild members
looking at me with a blank expression.
Park Deokgu was already in tears with a messy expression, and Sun
Hee-young was also wiping away her own tears.
Others were no different.
Hwang Jeong-yeon, Kim Ye-ri, and Cho Hyejin also expressed happy
faces, needless to say about Ahn Ki-mo.
In the newbies’ case, they seemed to be out of battle, but I thought it

was a very appropriate measure. In fact, it was the elf’s response that
bothered me more than the Blue Guild members’ response.
It was interesting to see how he stared at me as if seeing a ghost, all

while running and holding Elena in his arms.
‘I guess it could’ve been seen from the outside.’
He must have felt the power of the trash Elune. It was amusing seeing
him distance himself from me, as if I was someone sacred that he must
avoid.
The moment I was thinking about how I could use this, I heard
Deokgu’s voice and the guild members’ encouragement.
It was a pretty obvious moment, but of course, I felt good. Han Sora,
Kim Chang-ryul, and Yoo Ahyoung, who came right after, did the same.
It was not easy to answer because there had been so many questions at
once. It was when I kept making awkward smiles that someone else
approached.
“Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Ah, Guild Master.”
It was Kim Hyunsung, no, Kim Hyunah, who still maintained his
changed appearance.
For some reason, the word Kim Hyunsung didn’t it properly. When I
saw his face illed with mixed feelings, I felt emotional for some reason.
‘You’ve been worried, bastard. Don’t worry, I’m ine.’
He had the expression of a mother bird witnessing the miracle of the

dying baby bird coming to life. He tried to say something, but he kept
hesitating as if he was choking inwardly.
‘Right… man. I’m alive.’
“Er…”
“Hahaha. Well, I’m alive somehow.”
“…”
“I was a little lustered, but… thanks to…”

“No… er…”
“I will give a detailed explanation as we return. I also have a lot I want

to hear. Oh, we should also talk about what to do with that body. I
thought you would take longer, but… who would’ve thought that you
would come so fast. I couldn’t even imagine. You had a hard time,
Hyunsung-ssi.”
“So…”
“Thank you.”
“No. You don’t have to…”
“You don’t have to worry too much. Whatever the reason, in the end,
we’re safe. Oh, and I think we should also talk about the healing of the
contaminated soul…”
“…”
‘He must have been really worried.’
That was the expression I could see. It could be more than Jung Hayan
or Park Deokgu, but not less.
Unlike the two who were already crying, the only thing he didn’t do was
cry, but their expressions were all the same. He must have been relieved
when he really con irmed that I was alive.
I thought I had seen pretty many varieties of faces recently, but I

couldn’t even imagine seeing a face that had been pushed to the point of
crying. It even looked like he had dirt all over his body.
He kept hesitating without even thinking of saying anything. He was

trying to say something, but it didn’t seem to come out well.
No wonder he opened his mouth after taking a deep breath.
I wanted to shout out the famous lines that popped out only in third-
class Japanese comics, such as ‘I’m back,’ but unfortunately, it felt too
embarrassing for me to spit out.
“So… hmm. I came back alive somehow. Haha.”
This was enough. It was then that he hugged me tightly.
‘Fuck, that scared me. What’s up with this bastard?’
It looked like he wanted to have a wild man’s hug.
It seemed that my body moved without my knowledge, but the problem

was that his current body was not of a man’s.
There is also a height difference, so it looked like he was dangling.
For some reason, the surroundings bothered me.
Jung Hayan seemed to try not to look this way, but Hwang Jeong-yeon,
who liked gossips like this, was busy making exclamations.
Of course, with the voice I heard after that, I had no choice but to pat
him on the shoulder.
“I’m… really glad you’re okay. I’m… really… you’re… you’re okay.”
I felt like he was being really sincere.
‘That’s it. Hyunsung! That’s it!’
I just had to smile.

CHAPTER 368
RESTING UNICORN (1)
Park Deokgu opened his mouth just when the situation was about to be
cleared up.
To be precise, he hadn’t stopped talking all throughout the march. He

was back to being his old self.
The only problem was that he was being a little noisy, but it wasn’t too
annoying.
“So, didn’t I say it? Our hyung-nim is someone who would survive even
if he falls alone in the desert. Phew… In fact, I’m saying only it now, but
when others were anxious, I didn’t even bat an eye! I knew he would
obviously be alive. He isn’t an ordinary person. Not only was he alive,
but he smashed that guy’s heart! Phew.”
“I was lucky. I’ve learned a little bit about Dialugia before, and it just
helped. There was also various help received…”
“Since they’re the same reptile, the internal structure was the same?”
“It’s not that, but…”
If Dialugia had heard what he said, she would be pissed.
‘No. It doesn’t sound that ridiculous… ’
I criticized him for a second, but on second thought, it was not really
like that. Dialugia herself would be very upset, but to some extent, it
was something I could somewhat agree with.
In fact, it was my personal reasoning that it was a structure of a higher

being rather than a reptile. Of course, this was only an assumption.
It wasn’t anything ixed yet, and I hadn’t done research on the bodies of
other beings, so I couldn’t give a de inite answer, but there was a
possibility that Park Deokgu’s bullshit was not actually bullshit.
Perhaps they had similar structures because they were in the big frame
of this world’s reptiles.
If Salit and Dialugia had nothing in common, the time to reach the heart
would have been even longer.
‘If I think about it like that… ’
I knew I had been very lucky.
“Not only that. Not only he recovered and healed the World Tree, but he
achieved a new feat. Salit must have been greedy or felt threatened by
the energy of the light lowing from you. That’s why he swallowed you.
Ah. Come to think of it… Is it really okay now?”
Elena, not me, answered the next question. I wasn’t the one who Park
Deokgu was looking at, so it would be natural for her to answer.
“Yes. Of course, it is still dif icult to con irm that it has been completely
cured, but at least… I think you don’t have to worry about the collapse
of the body due to the contamination of the soul anymore.”
“Uh! Is that true?”
“Yes. I’m sure of it. However, since there is still a need to keep an eye on
him… I think he will need to receive treatment regularly.”
“…”
“Yes. If the specialist says so, you should. Anyway… please, take good
care of him.”
“P-P-Please, take care of him. And… t-thank you, Princess Elena.”
“Ah… No, Jung Hayan. This is something I have been given to do.”
Seeing Jung Hayan stuttering and thanking her, I could see that she was
feeling guilty, as her ears were drooping.
In fact, I, too, was sporting a guilty conscience as well.
This was because I did not expect that Jung Hayan would show such a
reaction. I already knew that what she valued most was my safety, but I
didn’t expect her to show as much sincerity as she did.
Of course, it didn’t mean that there had been no hostility at all.
She had seen us through the Anemone’s Eye and saw her sticking to me,
so she could, of course, show this type of reaction.
She glanced at her and forcibly pulled me towards herself. She didn’t
say anything, but she was still subtly expressing for me not to get close
to her.
Surprisingly, since Elena noticed this kind of thing quickly, she, too,
showed a subtle reaction.
Nevertheless, it was certainly worth applauding Jung Hayan for

behaving like this. It certainly showed how she had taken the situation.
It wasn’t meant to be, but it was effective to show my acting, much like I
was between life and death. Now Elena wouldn’t say that I had been
completely cured. She would somehow try to hide and stay with me.
The procurement of Bomb of Light potions was somewhat safe. Jung
Hayan’s reaction was also great. This return trip was no different than a
winner’s return trip.
‘I also con irmed my true friendship with Hyunsung.’
For some reason, I had also succeeded in winning the subtle respect of
the elves.
I had gained the ability that it the new class, and even the most painful
problem called Jung Hayan was getting easier.
No matter how I was to think about this, it would only be right to nod.
Among them, the best thing I could say was that I had con irmed how
much Kim Hyunsung cared about me. Even though it could still
improve, I could feel his sincerity in the way that he was subtly making
sure I was comfortable and safe at all times.
He seemed to have placed me at a distance where he could react in

time, just in case the same thing from before happened.
In Jung Hayan’s case, she was walking next to me without thinking, but
other guild members other than her were not neglecting their guard,
with the special order of the Guild Master.
Even the elves were the same, so there was no need for other words.
Of course, the atmosphere was not at all horrible.
Park Deokgu was constantly talking, and Cho Hyejin’s lips also had a
strange smile. Yoo Ahyoung, Han Sora, and Kim Chang-ryul, who
inished a dif icult expedition, were also somewhat relaxed.
Kim Hyuna knew when to be irm with them and when to let them be. It
would not be good news to me if he had been too irm with the guild
members in this situation.
‘It’s the Fairy Forest.’
Since we had already left the dungeon, it was correct to judge that there
was virtually no threat.
Even Kim Hyunsung put the sword he was holding into the sword strap,
and once again, a joyful atmosphere began to surround the expedition.
“By the way, how long will Hyung-ssi stay in Kim Hyuna’s version?”
“It’s not Kim Hyuna, it’s Guild Master, Deokgu-ssi.”
“Ah… Hyejin is too uptight.”
“You’re rude…”
“No. It’s okay, Hyejin. I know there is no malice. Perhaps it’ll be soon.
The Twisted Pond was located in the Fairy Forest, so even if it’s not
affected by the location, it’s time for the effect to end, so I’ll probably be
back soon. Right, Elios-nim?”
“Ah… Yes. When you leave the Fairy Forest, you will soon return to
normal. By the way, it seems strangely quiet. I thought the fairies would
come in right away…”
“Isn’t it because people other than us came in? Everyone must have
gone there…”
“The Fairy Forest is tightly controlled. We left the dungeon earlier than
expected… and even the elves who will meet us must not have heard
about it yet. Even the irst rangers must have not yet reached the
palace.”
“Hmm…”
“Uh…”
Of course, I don’t want the bothersome guys to come out. I indeed felt
good as I didn’t have to be harassed by them as soon as I leave the
dungeon.
Han Sora, who didn’t have to be hit with stones anymore, was laughing
outright, so that should be enough.
‘Is this maybe… ’
It was natural to worry about whether something happened.
It was not strange if something had happened in the ten days where we
were completely cut off from the outside world. Of course, it wasn’t that
I didn’t trust Lee Jihye and other authorities, but thinking that things or
negotiations with the Republic went wrong caused a headache to
appear.
Kim Hyuna and Cho Hyejin were also stif ing their faces whether they
were thinking similarly, but I soon felt relieved.
“Uhm… er…”
Before long, the fairies appeared in a group. There were even more than
the last time we met.
“Ah… No.”
Han Sora muttered as if she felt an unknown ominousness, but the

number of fairies around us wasn’t decreasing. Rather, it was getting
more and more crowded.
It was not painful being hit with stones from them, but I was sure she
didn’t feel too good being abused by kids who could be said to be cute.
At this, I could see Han Sora’s face turning pale.
If she had ears attached, too, it would have drooped by now.
“I think it’s more than last time…”
“This… Haha. I think today is a lucky day.”
“What are you talking about, elf?”
“I think it’s a unicorn.”
“What?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s a unicorn, given that such many fairies are
gathered. I’ve heard that sometimes it’s seen in the Fairy Forest, but…
to think I’d actually see it…”
“Is that true? Unicorn or something like that really exists?”
“Uncle Deokgu is a fool. This is a place where there’s even a dragon…

there’s nothing strange about having a unicorn.”
“Oh, t-that’s right.”
It was not only Park Deokgu that opened his eyes to what Kim Ye-ri and
Elios had said.
I, who had been waiting for the fairies who tried to beat Han Sora, had
to open my eyes wide. I concentrated my magic on my eyes little by
little, so I felt like I was clearly seeing a horse-like igure.
Of course, the one with the longhorn, shining white was the animal I
imagined.
‘It’s true.’
[Unicorn Larisa (Legendary)]

[This is a legendary-grade monster that lives somewhere in the Fairy
Forest. They have intelligence and live by drinking the World Tree
leaves and the pond of the World Tree. They are very favorable with
pure and innocent people.]
[Checking the status window of the legendary-grade named monster

unicorn Larisa.]
[Name: Larisa]
[Title: God of the Fairy Forest]
[Age: 3473]
[Disposition: Pure Idealist]
[Category: Unicorn]
[Stats]
[Stamina: 100/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]
[Endurance: 82/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]
[Overall: Don’t hurt it.]

After looking at the expedition, I think he had been surprised for a
second, but he did not care as if he judged that we were not people who
could harm him.
Rather, he even walked slowly toward this side as if he found us

interesting.
Everyone was looking at him with their mouths open in a sudden

situation, but honestly, in my case, other things were more noticeable.
‘How much is it all… ’
No, money was not the problem.
It had a brilliant mane that seemed to contain divine power. In any way,
that could be the catalyst itself. Tails, fur, leather, even tears, and blood.
If I scratched a little bit of the horn on his head, I would be able to

purify it as a semi-mythic catalyst. It was not unusual for me to swallow
hard. I wanted to run right now and defeat him.
However, looking at the atmosphere, it seemed that I was the only one
thinking about that.
In a way, it was an animal that could be classi ied as God, and it even
looked like it favored us, so I knew I couldn’t do anything about it. Since
we had saved its source of replenishment, the World Tree pond, he
seemed to feel grateful.
“Elena, why don’t you try going to him?”
“What? Brother… I…”
“Can we go? Elf?”

“Haha. If the story about unicorns is true, there will probably be no
problems. I heard from my father and mother that unicorns like pure
people.”
“Ohh. You mean the legend that… it likes virgin girls?”
“I know that gender is irrelevant. I heard that my grandfather once said

that he rode on the back of a unicorn when he was a child. And the
purity depends on how to interpret it… so It’s not yet known exactly
what kind of people unicorns like. There are only a handful of people
who actually saw a unicorn in the irst place.”
“Ohhh. So, it’s something like that. Looks like he’s coming this way.
Phew… Isn’t he coming looking at Hyung-nim?”
‘That would never happen. Pig bastard.’
All I wanted to do was to avoid getting stabbed by his horn.
The sudden appearance of the unicorn had made all of the Blue Guild
members feel nervous. Meanwhile, Elios kept pushing his sister’s back.
“Elena, it would be nice to go there. Haha.”
“No. Brother, I…”
“Hahaha.”
It went without saying that the elf’s face was becoming increasingly
embarrassed.
CHAPTER 369
RESTING UNICORN (2)
Her face was getting more and more crumpled by the second.
Although she was stepping back slightly, it seemed that Elena’s strange
behavior was not visible to Elios. Instead, he looked to be proud.
He irmly believed that the reason that unicorn was coming to us was
his sister.
“I-I…”
While Elena hesitated, the unicorn came over here.
Park Deokgu, who only looked at him strangely at irst, was also
lustered as the unicorn got closer, and I saw him opening his mouth.
“Phew. It really seems to be coming this way…”
“Is this safe? Isn’t he suddenly attacking or something?”
“He won’t.”
“I’m glad then, but…”
It was natural that I could see Park Deokgu looking at Kim Hyunsung.
Rather than listening to Elios’ words and judging them, he must be

trying to listen to Kim Hyunsung.
“Yes. I think it will be okay.” Kim Hyunsung also nodded.
The expedition didn’t bother to stop or block him as the unicorn never
showed any hostility. However, in Kim Hyunah’s case, it seemed that he
wanted to be prepared if something happens.
Seeing him approaching me, he seemed to have decided that it was

better for me to stay within his own comfort zone.
In the meantime, the Blue Guild members were showing individualistic

reactions.
For some reason, Jung Hayan had the most complicated reaction among
them. She was strangely anxious.
As far as I knew, Jung Hayan never had a boyfriend, nor did she ever get
involved.
Of course, I didn’t know everything about her, but given her behavior so
far, there was no need to prove her innocence through the unicorn.
No, I could con idently say that even if she had proven that in the irst
place, there would be no merit. The present was the present, and I
didn’t need or have a reason to care about her past love history.
‘But this… ’
But all of a sudden, an idea began to stick to my mind. It was because I

was worried about Jung Hayan’s behavior when I fell into a deep sleep.
‘Perhaps… ’
In the meantime, I’ve had this delusion that she might have been doing
something every time I was asleep, but that was only a delusion. I didn’t
really think deeply that she’d be doing something.
For some reason, I felt that my energy was being sapped in the day
when I fell asleep after drinking what Jung Hayan had offered, but I
think she wouldn’t go so far.
Seeing Jung Hayan glancing at me, naturally, I began to suspect that the
assumption was true. She made an astonished expression right next to
me, probably noticing my calculating expression.
I was worried that she would make a fuss about having to prove
innocence once again, but she didn’t seem to do that. However, before I
could even say what to do, she started taking the irst step with dignity.
From her point of view, this was to prove her innocence, and of course,
her face looked very careful.
“I-I-It’s a unicorn.”
The tone was also unnatural. Rather, the unicorn, which came here
thoughtlessly, seemed more surprised. It was dif icult to explain in
words when he looked at Jung Hayan quietly.
I couldn’t read the unicorn’s face, but he must be…
‘Wondering.’
He seemed to be wondering about whether or not to consider her to be

safe.
I didn’t know what kind of thinking there is in proving the innocence,

but now Larisa the Unicorn was de initely struggling with the re lection
of a lifetime. Jung Hayan began to look more and more con ident.
She was moving slowly, as if she had no hesitation whatsoever.

The unicorn, who looked closely at Jung Hayan several times, ended up
nodding and began to push his head out in front of Jung Hayan, almost
asking for her to stroke him.
There was no need to explain that Jung Hayan’s face brightened

immediately.
“S-so cute… s-so cute. Look. Oppa! Look!”
“Ahh… yes. I can see.”
I was seeing it, but I didn’t know what the hell she wanted me to do. I
could tell she was only happy that she had proved her innocence.
Of course, I felt relieved, too. It turned out that my delusions were

nothing but delusions.
‘Right. She wouldn’t go so far.’
Of course, there was one option I didn’t want to imagine…
‘There’s no way she would go too far.’
Our Jung Hayan wouldn’t.
As I shook my head and looked in front of me, I saw Jung Hayan trying
to get on his back, but as if he was reluctant, he moved away.
“Good boy. Good boy.”
“…”
“Unicorn, you’re a good boy, right? Come here.”
She called for the unicorn as if she was a little embarrassed, but he
turned his back and started moving to the other side.
Jung Hayan’s face was illed with regret for a second, but still, she
returned with a smile as if she thought this much was already a success.
She looked like a triumphant general.
It was visible that she felt she had completed the pureness proof quest.
“The u-unicorn must be tired. Hehe.”
“Yes. He seems to be.”
I inished with a single stroke on her head to her satisfaction, but my

eyes were heading towards the next unicorn’s destination.
As much as I con irmed that he was really friendly to this expedition, I

had to know who he was interested in.
He passed by Park Deokgu, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and the Elune Knights

and was in front of Cho Hyejin.
‘…’
I could see her turning red.
‘She didn’t seem to date much at all.’
“This is different. I am… er…”
She got embarrassed a hundred times more than Jung Hayan.
“I-I have a lot of dating experience… no, it’s not a lot… I mean, this is…”
Seeing her talking gibberish is a spectacle. She seemed to be confused

as to whether to deny it or take it calmly.
Considering Cho Hyejin’s age, she must feel embarrassed that she has
never had a relationship. However, apart from what she denied, she
seemed to hate looking super icial to Kim Hyunsung.
She seemed to be eager to ind an appropriate balance, but there was

no way she could ind one.
Cho Hyejin, whose ability to cope with such a situation was close to a
eunuch, showed that the more she talked, the more she looked like she
was collapsing.
“I-I’ve done a lot of things like dating. But I believe in premarital

chastity… Yeah! Premarital chastity! T-That doesn’t mean I didn’t have
experience… No, I have experience, but should I say I don’t…”
‘What is she talking about?’
“There is no need to be so embarrassed. I heard that unicorns like pure

people very much.”
“Yes. T-That’s right. I am a little pure… so this is for that reason.”
‘Don’t detonate yourself… ’
What was even more pitiful was that Kim Hyunsung wasn’t paying
attention to Cho Hyejin at all.
It meant that she was making all kinds of excuses, trying to look good to
someone, but that someone didn’t care about that at all.
Whether Cho Hyejin was embarrassed or not, the unicorn showed her a
friendly look and continued to rub his neck against her head, and it was
not necessary to mention that her face had turned red again. I even
wondered if she might be humiliated that way.
‘Just attack him already.’

In the end, Cho Hyejin was a spearman, so if she were to learn
horsemanship, it would be useful. Of course, Saint of Light Lee Kiyoung
was always ready to communicate with the unicorn.
‘Oh, that’s it.’
I don’t know why, but his reaction was quite different from Jung Hayan.
He seemed to be acting cute.
Anyone would see this as an opportunity, but Cho Hyejin was still busy
rectifying her blushing face.
If I were her, I would have recklessly climbed the unicorn’s back and
see. It was then that the unicorn got up and started to move again.
With a rather urgent expression, he moved toward this way.
Naturally, I was happy, thinking that maybe I would get chosen even by
a unicorn.
However…
‘There’s no way that could happen.’
At that moment, Elios, who is nearby, pushed Elena’s back.
Jung Hayan, who failed to climb him, looked to have expectations of

coming to her again. But it was the elven family that took the irst step.
“Elena, try to stroke him once.”
“Ah… Yes… Yes.”
With a dubious expression, Elena stretched her hand, but the unicorn
just passed by her.
“Pfft.”
The winner’s laughter echoed from Jung Hayan’s mouth.
“S-She must be more super icial than I thought, Oppa. R-right?”
“Ah… Yes…”
“Y-You have to be careful too. You can’t help it because of the treatment,
but… she is not pure. We can’t tell what she’s thinking…”
She even whispered in my ear. She was lightly framing Elena, but I had
no choice but to break out in a cold sweat. However, there was no way I
can do something.
I had no choice but to nod at what Jung Hayan said, leaving behind the
shocked expression of Elios.
In the meantime, the unicorn showed itself to be friendly to Sun Hee-

young and Kim Ye-ri, and lightly passed by Yoo Ahyoung and Han Sora.
Seeing that he wasn’t interested in Kim Chang-ryul and other Blue men
and Elune Knights, there seemed to be no pure men here.
I wondered if I really had a chance, but after reading his eyes, I had no
choice but to step back.
‘Okay. I won’t get close, you bastard. I won’t because I don’t want to.’
The unicorn wandered around for a long time, and the place he
eventually went to was…
“Ah…”
In front of the lovely returner.

“…”
Kim Hyunsung did not panic or blush. He smiled slowly and ended with
one stroke on his head.
“That’s a cute guy. Haha.”
He even patted on his back.
There was a strange feeling of defeat on Jung Hayan’s face, and Elena,
who was not even the target of comparison in the irst place, still
looked embarrassed.
It seemed like she was exchanging a strange gaze with Elios, but I didn’t
know what they were talking about.
In fact, I didn’t want to know much.
The expedition members began to lock around the unicorn in front of

Kim Hyunsung, and he began to shake his body lightly as if he felt
happy.
“I don’t know if he’s saying it’s okay to climb, but…”
“Oh, try climbing on him. Or maybe Hyejin can try. I don’t know what it
is, but isn’t it good to ride up there?”
“I don’t know. I think it suits Hyejin better than me… Isn’t Hyejin
familiar with horsemanship?”
“I am, but… I’m good.”
“It will probably be of great help.”
It could be said to be an opportunity, but Cho Hyejin looked very

embarrassed.
If she rode something like that and appeared on the battle ield, she
would surely be morti ied. While she may be a target of fear to enemies,
she could also be a mockery.
“Riding on his back doesn’t mean you can be the owner of a unicorn. It
would be better to try it. Hyejin, come on.”
“No, I… I mean.”
It’s a sight to see him smiling and pushing Cho Hyejin’s back.
Park Deokgu continued to urge her to climb, and Ahn Ki-mo, other
female guild members, and even the Elune Knights rushed her to head
up.
I was all in tears as Cho Hyejin’s face was getting redder.
“I’ll say it once again, but I think that… I will de initely be rejected. It’s
not what you all think.”
“Isn’t it a good idea to give it a try?”
“I will de initely be r-rejected.”
Unfortunately, the probability converged to zero.
After a little while, Park Deokgu just pushed her back, and in the end,
Cho Hyejin began to climb on top of the unicorn with a pitiful image.
I thought about whether he would reject her by any chance some, but
the Unicorn was rather snickering as if he was happy. That was when
the two bodies felt like they were shining brightly for a while.
“Whoooooaaa.”
As expected, I could see Cho Hyejin blushing, surrounded by clapping
expedition members.
[Player Cho Hyejin has acquired a new title.]
[Title: Perfect Pure Virgin]
[Title: Master of the Unicorn]
Cho Hyejin was 26 years old.
This could be called an opportunity, but she did not seem to be pleased
with this at all.
CHAPTER 370
LUCKY DAY (1)
“I mean… it’s nothing that. As I said, I…”
“…”
“…”
No one had been saying anything to her.
The sight of Cho Hyejin, who had been making excuses alone
throughout the journey to the royal castle, looked sad.
Her behavior to ignore her perfect pureness actually seemed a little sad
in some way.
It would be better if I walked around pretending to be okay, but it was

also hard for me to show a reaction because she had been begging like
that.
Of course, I understood her sentiment. It must be dif icult to withstand

the eyes of the Elune Knights, who looked at her with respect.
There weren’t talking to me, but I could hear them talking to each other.
‘She is a great human.’
‘Perfect pureness. She seems to be a respectable human.’
‘To be chosen by a unicorn… ’

There were murmurings like that. There was no way that Cho Hyejin
could not hear what I could.
“Ha… haha. I didn’t know why this had happened, but I think I’ve been
pretty l-lucky. It’s really peculiar. When I was on E-Earth, I was very
popular.”
Of course, it could be said that she was pretty enough, but I was sure
there would not have been a man who approached Cho Hyejin irst.
“It must be clear that this unicorn is mistaken. Yes. It must be.”
However, the title didn’t lie.
[Title: Perfect, Pure Virgin]
I was curious as to how someone could get the title of ‘perfect.’
Cho Hyejin’s life, except for Kim Hyunsung, seemed to have been
without close encounters with the opposite sex.
When I thought about it, she even looked a little pitiful.
What was worse was that the insensitive Kim Hyunsung didn’t even
know he had something going on with Cho Hyejin. With her hair turned
white, the image of Cho Hyejin sitting on the unicorn immediately came
to mind.
‘Poor dear… ’
Of course, it was not just me who felt that for her.
Park Deokgu, who was called to be a love doctor, quietly talked to me as

if he noticed why Cho Hyejin was acting like that.
In fact, I didn’t know if his advice would help, but if Cho Hyejin wanted
to escape from the perfect pureness, she had to grab a straw.
“Hey, it’s not something to be ashamed of.”
“…”
“Of course, it’s a little slower than others, but one day you’ll be able to
ind someone that its you. There’s someone out there for everyone.”
“So I… I’m saying it’s nothing like that many times.”
“If you need a consultation, tell me anytime. I am con ident to help you
with both sides. It’s the same with Hyung-nim. Isn’t it? Hyung-nim?”
“Of course. That’s what friends are for.”
“It’s not what you all think. I am just like everyone else… yes. Just like
everyone else. Normally…”
“You don’t have to make such excuses. Hyejin doesn’t have a problem.
This is something everyone can experience. For now, I can con idently
say that accepting is the irst. If you keep avoiding it, it will become
really dif icult to date. This is also an extension of the relationship
between people… It’s a bad habit to whip too much to yourself.
Absolutely.”
‘Is this bastard really…? He’s more serious than I thought.’
“I can tell just by looking at you. Really. Lowering your standards could
be a way… Oh, and more than anything else, Hyejin has been really busy.
Naturally, you didn’t have time.”
“Yes… I certainly didn’t have much time.”

Considering that she had always been attached to Kim Hyunsung, she
was never running out of time.
“It’s hard to do anything right now, but if you talk when you have the
time, I think I’ll be able to coach you appropriately. Hyung-nim will
help. Isn’t that right?”
Actually, I didn’t know what kind of coaching to do, but I nodded, for
now.
When I thought of the unicorn following Cho Hyejin, I knew I had to

stay favorable for now. I still wanted to use it as a catalyst.
If Kim Hyunsung really got in a relationship with her, the unicorn may
one day go away.
‘That absolutely can’t happen.’
I felt sorry for my friend, but I hope that she could spend the next 7-10
years alone – that was, until I could take everything from the unicorn.
“It’s not that Deokgu is correct… Still, it would be nice to hear about it
from you. Kiyoung’s story, too…”
“Well, well thought.”
“You really thought well.”
I sincerely wanted to cheer, but I couldn’t do that. Although I was a little

bit upset, today could be said to be a lucky day anyway.
‘It feels like I just got it… ’
Of course, I didn’t get a unicorn.
‘It’s for a guild member… so it’s like mine.’

Yours was mine. Mine was mine.
No matter what I thought about it, it was a situation that would make
me yell.
The horned horse didn’t seem to have reached that point, but that
didn’t matter.
The Bomb of the Light potion was the irst thing I had gotten after
changing classes.
Assuming that two or three potions could be developed in the future,

and if I thought that the potions’ performance would also be
comparable to that of the Bomb of Light, I could consider that I had
gained the power suitable for a class of semi-mythic grade.
I remembered the time I had spent spearing due to the lack of magic
power. I realized once again that I had really chosen the right path.
Of course, it was not just me who felt happy.
For the members of the expedition, this expedition was no different

from great success.
First, there was the body of Salit.
It was an object that could not be processed for me, but there was one
more production worker beside me in the Blue Guild.
‘Yoo Ahyoung.’
Its outer shell was strong enough to withstand the attacks of Kim
Hyunsung or Jung Hayan.
Of course, it was affected by magic power and the Twisted Pond, so it

was judged upward, but even so, it didn’t mean that the outer shell,
which was initially hard, was going anywhere.
In addition to being able to arm Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung fully, it
was also possible to process weapons with the guy’s bones.
Not to mention my treatment, which was the greatest achievement, I

also gained complete trust from the allies.
The only damage was the two Elune Knights who had died.
It hurts, but if I tried thinking about the death of a guy who I wasn’t
close to, I could safely say it was a sacri ice for a noble cause.
‘Yes. Absolutely.’
It was not just that.
I didn’t know if it was because they had overworked themselves while I

was in the dungeon, but I could see that they were growing, little by
little.
Yoo Ahyoung, Han Sora, and Kim Chang-ryul had bene itted a lot in
terms of growth, but the existing Blue Guild members were no
different.
Ahn Ki-mo, who was okay, became a little more okay, and in Kim Ye-ri’s
case, who could be called a talent bug, jumped over the wall once more.
‘It’s needless to say about Cho Hyejin.’
Even if left alone, Sun Hee-young would be ine growing alone, and Park
Deokgu’s spec-up was already scheduled.
Kim Hyunsung…
Hyunsung.]
[Title: The Returner of Altanus, the Swordsman Who Started the 2nd
Round, The One Who Failed, The One Who Embraced Sacri ice. The
Enlightened One. The Sword-Blessed Swordsman. The Unarmed
Climbing the Top. Continental Guardian. The Owner of Durendal.
Guardian of the World Tree.]
[Age: 23]
[Disposition: Well-Meaning Mediator]
[Class: Sword Left (Unique Legendary)]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Basic Swording Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Swording Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Swording Knowledge]

Knowledge]
[Stats]
[Intelligence: 75/Growth potential: Heroic or lower]

[Durability: 95/Growth potential: Heroic or lower]
[Attribute]
[Attribute: Mythic (Legendary)]
[Attribute: Sword (Legendary)]
[Attribute: Aggregate (Legendary)]
[Attribute: Job (Legendary)]
[Equipment]
[Magic Resistance Cloak (Heroic)]
[Balmain’s Dense Magic Armor (Legendary)]
[Serena’s Agile Windboots (Legendary)]
[Sword of the 12th Knights: Durendal (Mythic)]
[Overall: Don’t backstab him. Really, don’t backstab him. If you really do
it, I die, and you die. I’ve warned. Never backstab him.]
‘Phew… It’s reassuring.’
It was noticeable how he had grown even more while I hadn’t seen him.
‘When did his class change?’
I remember that his existing class was de initely a legendary grade.

It seemed that there was a certain achievement when I saw that he got
a unique legendary grade when I didn’t check it for a while. The original
heroic-grade Sword Expert had disappeared, and there were four
legendary-grade attributes.
Considering that an average player couldn’t even have a single

legendary trait, it was all worth applauding.
What about the stats?
Needless to say, his agility at 104, stamina at 101, and other stats were
never low.
‘Isn’t the seal unlocked yet?’
It seemed that the mythic sword called Durendal had not yet been used
with full potential.
That sword was good enough.
Kim Hyunsung’s status window itself was very simple, as he was aiming
for a pure swordsman class in the irst place. He was strong enough,
without any complications whatsoever.
If I were to think of the swordsmanship that could be judged by his

experience or the system, it was safe to assume that he had more than
the status window clearly displayed.
Perhaps he would be able to face Salit alone.
Of course, the stats needed to grow more.
‘Because there could be something like the Altanus Benignore buff… ’
I had thought about whether Cha Hee-ra was stronger than Kim
Hyunsung, but as he grew to this point, I started to wonder if he might
be a match to Cha Hee-ra when she had lowered her intelligence to the
maximum.
I wasn’t interested in gossip like who was stronger, but I had to nod to
the fact that the most reassuring people were allies here, anyway.
It was a perfect expedition in many ways. When I slightly turned my

head, I saw Kim Hyunsung, who had returned to his original gender.
‘Ah… That’s over.’
It was a dangerous idea, but strangely, I felt that it was unfortunate.
“You are inally back.”
“Congratulations, Oppa.”
“Thank you, Ye-ri.”
“Congratulations, Guild Master.”
“Thank you, Hyejin.”
I gained a lot, and lost little.
It felt like it was a lucky day.
I felt unknown anxiety with the good luck, but the outside would not
have been a mess after only ten days, and a few days had already
passed.
It was already overwhelming just to think about how to deliver this

good news. It was then that the Ranger, who had irst run out from far
away, had come in a hurry.
“Wait a moment.”
‘Shit.’
As always, sad feelings had never been wrong.
‘Something must’ve had happened.’
It wasn’t supposed to be a ranger, but those who celebrated the

expedition’s return were supposed to meet us.
The face of the elf running alone was distorted with pain no matter how
I was to see it.
He did not appear to be injured, but it seemed that he had continued to

run without rest. It meant that there was news that needed to be
delivered as quickly as possible.
I prayed that it would not be a big deal, but I had to realize that my
hopes were falling apart as he got closer and closer.
“That… Did anything happen? Why, all of a sudden?”
After all, bad things happened on lucky days.
Elios opened his mouth.
It caught my eyes that the messenger, who had been gasping for a long
time, breathed wildly and opened his mouth.
“Phew… War. It’s a war.”
“Fuck.”
The curse had popped out without my knowledge.

CHAPTER 371
LUCKY DAY (2)
‘I wasn’t anxious for no reason… ’
In fact, this wasn’t something I hadn’t expected at all.
‘I just set the probability low.’
This had been classi ied as something that rarely happened because the
Republic’s extreme choice could have been self-defense.
The cause was always on our side.
As if international relations were not important, it was irrational itself

to stand up to someone like the demon summoner Jin Qing with the
current circumstances.
Of course, not all countries were as sensitive to demons as the State, the
Laios, or some of the other races.
However…
‘It’s still irrational.’
Turning against God is something that couldn’t be imagined on the

continent, at least.
Of course, even if the demon in the Republic decided their course in

that direction, there would still be questions.
War was not such an easy decision. It didn’t mean that you could
prepare for it in less than a month. At least, if I had been in the Republic
leader’s position, I would have looked and moved a little longer.
That was right.
Of course, the story would be different if the Republic had been

working on this war scenario since before.
‘No. Still, it’s the same as it’s irrational.’
If I were to think about it, there had been a time when the Cheon Gwan-
wi and Wi Ran of the Eight Seats in the State had said that the
Republic’s movement was unusual.
Of course, even so, as long as the situation came to this point, it was not
the time to enter the war scenarios they had. We could never pull the
trigger irst. Even more, assuming that the two groups have similar
strengths.
If they were to pull the trigger irst, there were two reasons. No, three
or so.
They were out of their mind, they were con ident of winning, or they
really needed to start a war.
Maybe they thought that they needed to deal with the internal threat
outside, or they may have the con idence to devour the State without
much damage.
Of course, there was no guarantee that it was they who had attacked
irst. Indeed, we had not yet heard exactly how the war broke out.
However, it was undeniable that an uncomfortable situation would have

come.
‘The United Kingdom is also bothering… ’
There was also the possibility that some countries, who considered it
dangerous for the State to spread the idea of revolution, had also
cooperated with the Republic.
Both the Republic and the State didn’t choose the monarchy, but unlike
the State, which was made up of a bloody revolution, the Republic only
changed in name from the emperor to president.
Each country’s leaders may have been unpleasantly looking at the

people’s victory, which was achieved through the Goddess’ Mirror.
There was no end when I was to think about it.
No wonder a headache had begun to spring up, all because of the

constant rush of miscellaneous thoughts.
Of course, it was not just me who was suffering from a headache.
‘That… ’
Kim Hyunsung also had a complex expression.
‘Are we not expected to have a war? Was the timing early?’
Naturally, it felt frustrating because it was impossible to know what had

happened in the current period of the irst round. We didn’t even know
if the current war would work in our favor.
I had no choice but to guess.
The face Kim Hyunsung was showing was far from the one that
welcomed the war.
Even though this was an opportunity to end Jin Qing, the masked trash
of the irst round, seeing the expression on Hyunsung’s face told me
that he did not welcome this change in events.
What I could guess right now was that Kim Hyunsung’s return was not
at least because of the Republic, or the irst round’s masked trash.
What he was worried about right now was power loss—loss of troops
capable of responding to the unknown threat that he had faced against
during the irst round.
If I assumed that a really big event would break out in the not too
distant future, it would be natural not to welcome a ight between
humans.
Not only Kim Hyunsung, but also Benignore and Elune trash were not
opening their mouths.
‘Is there a security level? Or can’t you tell me, too?’
If I were to think that there was also the possibility that the masked
trash might be on the side of the unknown, then it was worth
considering. However, I still did not know what I should do about this
now.
I couldn’t set the right route to take. I hadn’t heard of the start of the
war yet, but these things had already happened.
The question now was how to solve this war.
‘Should I even try to stop?’
If we were to ight with the spirit of death, the power would be reduced
regardless of this war’s victory or defeat.
Even if the State won, it would suffer great damage. Even if we solved
the immediate problem, we would not be able to prepare for the future
properly.
When a heavy silence descended, I spoke up.
“Hyunsung. This…”
“Yes.”
“No, it’s nothing. I have no idea what to do.”
“For… now, we should hurry back to the kingdom to see the situation.
We should also be briefed on how things are going. Is the kingdom of
Eberia also under the in luence?”
The elven messenger answered the question. I could see him speaking
with an anxious voice, as if he didn’t know much.
“No, but I have heard the news that the current troops are heading to
the kingdom. Perhaps rather than a direct attack, the better idea would
be to isolate the support forces heading to the State and Laios.”
As long as the World Tree’s magic power was maintained, the troops
would not be able to enter.
What they wanted was the isolation of the Eberian kingdom. They did
not only want to decimate the troops; they also wanted to block their
supply.
“What about the State?”
“Yes, Honorary Cardinal. The State is…”

“Yes.”
“At the moment, the front line on the Dawan side has already collapsed,
and I have heard that Castle Rock is being surrounded by enemy forces.”
‘Fuck. It’s more serious than I thought… ’
It was shocking news that the Dawan Front had already collapsed. It
was clear that if Castle Rock were to be captured, we would be pushed
back to Lindel.
If we were to get pushed to Lindel, the capital would also be dominated

quickly.
The fact that the Dawan Front collapsed in the irst place meant that the
Laios side’s situation was also not very lucky.
‘Ah… ’
Even things were going against us too quickly.
“We will return as quickly as possible.”
“Yes.”
The guild members who agreed with Kim Hyunsung’s words nodded.
No wonder we began to move in a hurry.
As we approached the royal palace in Eberia, we could see that there

were certainly some battles.
Many troops were waiting. Fear lay in the faces of some. Even though
the battle had not yet taken place on the Eberian front side, they
already looked like this.
I, too, would surely soon look like them.

The soldiers and guards sent signs as the castle kept getting closer.
After a simple procedure, we greeted each other. Several of the elven
commanders started talking with Elios and Kim Hyunsung seriously.
It felt like the atmosphere had become horrible once again. The only
hope I could see was that I had caught sight of some unfamiliar people
walking towards us.
Even when I looked up straight with my eyes open, they didn’t seem to
be settled here. That would be natural because the race itself was
different.
‘Dwarf?’
Certainly, they were dwarves.
It was the same as the description I had read somewhere, with the
appearance that it was hard to think of as human by any way, with the
short stature and the big beard that covered the face.
It felt like one of them approaching us was a dwarf of a high position.

Kim Hyunsung and Elios were also confused by their sudden
appearance.
I was not the only one who felt puzzled as I could hear the entire
expedition muttering. I couldn’t imagine that things would have gone
this far while I was inside. There were so many things that happened so
quickly that it had been dif icult to follow.
However, I nodded.
I didn’t know what was going on, but at least it wasn’t bad news that he
was here.
“It’s been a while, Volgor.”

“Elios. It’s nice to see you. I couldn’t even imagine seeing you like this…
Did you achieve any results in the expedition?”
“Yes. Fortunately, it ended safely… Is it possible that Volgor is here…?”
“We also decided to add some strength.”
“That’s fortunate out of misfortune.”
“Who knew I would be impressed by human speech? Haha. Come to

think of it, there was an important guest. Nice to meet you, Blue Guild
Master, and Honorary Cardinal of the State. You can call me Volgor.”
“Nice to meet you, Volgor-nim.”
“What?”
“You’re exactly what I heard from the little human woman. You’ve been
having a lot of trouble.”
‘What is this again?’
“Ah. Come to think of it…”
“Yes. Soon after arriving, what exactly happened…? In fact, I don’t really
understand why you came to join us.”
“Five days ago, some humans came to the kingdom. And they had a lot
of conversations with His Majesty the King. I never thought that an elf
or that human woman could change his Majesty’s mind, but in the end,
it worked out. I was also impressed… That’s why we are here.”
‘Good.’
It seemed that they weren’t just being attacked. There was some
movement on the side of the Three Kingdoms Alliance.
I didn’t know how many achievements had been made at the moment,
but they probably thought that it was more advantageous to grow in
size.
I think I know who led this work for some reason. Speaking of a little
human woman, I had only one person in mind.
‘Lee Jihye?’
I thought she would be in Laios, but she seemed to have come here.
As I turned my head while talking with the dwarf, I could see those
wearing the guild pattern of the Black Swan. Perhaps the rest of their
members would be coming for me now.
Naturally, I thought I needed to know a little more details.
I couldn’t help but speak up to Kim Hyunsung, Elios, and Dwarf Volgor.
“Hyunsung-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“I think there is something I need to ind out for a minute. If you go irst
and listen to them, I will catch up with you later.”
He was a bit puzzled, Hyunsung eventually nodded.
“Yes. Okay, Kiyoung-ssi. I think it would be better for other people to

return to accommodation and reorganize. Ahyoung will repair
equipment and expand personal supplies. Others can relax if they need
a break. I will take time to explain the route and the current situation in
the future. Please, Deokgu, Hee-young, and Hyejin, come with me.”
“Okay. Don’t worry about us and go.”
“Then see you in a minute.”
“Yes.”
“Hayan.”
“Yes, Oppa.”
“Go in irst and take a nap. I know you haven’t fully recovered yet. I’ll go
right away.”
I didn’t hear an answer at irst. She seemed to be trembling, but Jung

Hayan eventually nodded.
She had also consumed a lot of magic power, and she would have hit her
physical limit as she basically had a weak body.
Not knowing when the battle will take place, recovering would be the
top priority for now.
Before long, Kim Hyunsung moved along with Elena and Elios, and
others and the guild members began to scatter to do the work they
were given.
Except for Jung Hayan, there was a slight tension on their faces. They all
knew the weight of war.
Humans and monsters were different.
It wasn’t until now that there was no battle with humans, but anyone
would have to show signs of anxiety under the current situation.
Only after I was alone, a member of the Black Swan guild began to
approach me slowly.
“Honorary Cardinal, wait…”
“Yes. You can guide me.”
It was obvious where he was going.
‘Why is she here?’
Lee Jihye was here.

CHAPTER 372
LUCKY DAY (3)
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t meet you. I’ve had so many things to do. The report
was delayed because I heard that you were coming back earlier than
expected. In fact, I’m also busy sorting everything that happens in a day.
I thought you would be okay, but you look even better than I thought.”
“It’s a compliment, right?”
“Sure.”
When I opened the door, Lee Jihye immediately stood up. Although she
was pleased with the feeling of having seen me after a while, she didn’t
dare say it.
Her appearance was the same. She still had a small stature and an
outward appearance that didn’t it her age.
She recently looked a little bit blank, almost as if she hadn’t slept well,
but seeing that she was still holding on to her spirit, it seemed she had
escaped the worst of the worst.
“Sit. I’ll serve you a cup of tea. You must have been really surprised, by
the way.”
“Of course. I had an idea but never imagined it would really explode like
this. What the hell is this… no, more importantly, why are you here?”
“I’m here because I think this is the safest place.”

“…”
“…”
‘She is a real trash.’
It was no wonder that I felt instantly speechless with the con idence in
her expression. I already thought that Lee Jihye had a trashy quality
similar to mine, but her actions proved to be faster than I thought.
It was obvious that it was safer to be here than to be at Dawan, Castle

Rock, or Laios. There was a basic defense system here called the World
Tree, and at least there was no direct threat, so here was the right place
to pick as the safest.
What surprised me was that she felt overly con ident. Her face without
any shame was so great, even from the gaze of the Light Kiyoung.
“What’s with that look? It’s rude. You know how hard it is to live as an
ordinary person in a place like this. The physical shock that can be felt
like a minor injury to others is also the least fatal injury to me. You have
to understand this much. Honestly, even if it were you, you would have
come running here.”
‘I can’t deny it, but… ’
“You’re agreeing with me right now, right?”
Although I linched for a moment, it was natural to stay as

expressionless as possible. I could see Lee Jihye opening her mouth, as
if she thought this was the opportunity.
“Well, actually, it’s not really just for that reason. At least I had
something to do. If you saw dwarves on the way, you’ll know why I am
here.”
“Oh. That’s right. How did you harass them?”
“I appealed with tears.”
“…”
“It was effective to use the tears while showing edited videos that were
circulating during the Laios incident and the things you had been
struggling with. Dwarves are simple. They actually get very affectionate.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason, but perhaps the tears worked
rather better than the gains or interests they would get. What do you
think? This was a pretty good speech. Want to see it?”
“No… I’m good.”
“Oh. And one more thing. Wouldn’t I meet you quickly being here? It’s
easier to listen to it here than in a hard situation room. Hmm. I don’t
know where to start from… how do you want me to start?”
“Of course, from the beginning.”
Right after I answered, I could see Lee Jihye Lee tapping her inger on
the desk. This was the gesture she did when she had something to think
about. I patiently waited for her to start.
She kept hitting her desk, and somehow it felt good to hear.
However, the sound lowing from Lee Jihye’s mouth wasn’t a pleasure.
“The irst was Dawan. In fact, opinions on this part are a little divided,
but the issue is whether the State or the Republic started. Of course,
from our point of view, it is true that they came in irst. From their point
of view, they are arguing that this side irst picked a ight. Anyway, the
little friction that happened there grew a little… and burst out with a
bang, that’s all.”
“Wasn’t there any declaration of war?”
“There was right after that. They said that some of them died in the
front line of Dawan, but our side also had some casualties. No matter
how you look at it, they intentionally picked a ight irst. There was no
talk of any other conditions or compensation. They just came in with
the troops right away that night. I guess they were preparing for it,
right? Of course, we could prepare for the surprise attack, but as a
result, we were forced to pull the Dawan Front back in a matter of days.
After that, it also affected the Castle Rock…”
“…”
“Did you know that Castle Rock is currently isolated?”
“Roughly. But could things get worse like this?”
“Because some kingdoms, including the Mado Kingdom, came in from

the other side. In the meantime, Castle Rock has been isolated and has
remained like that so far. Castle Rock is also a strategic point that
cannot be discarded on our side. Knowing that support will come, the
Republican Alliance decided to press the Elven Kingdom…”
“That’s why you were sent as a special envoy to persuade the dwarves.”
“Yes. It’s similar. Even though Castle Rock is holding on as much as

possible, anyone knows that the expiration date is running out. The
State and Laios are also trying various things to reduce the burden as
much as possible, but it cannot be denied that Castle Rock is in danger.
If you think so, it means that you and the party arrived just at the right
time. It was at the point when I was thinking we should push it out.”
“…”
“Our purpose is to send reinforcements to Castle Rock in at least ten

days. If we fail, things will get worse. If we lose Castle Rock, soon we’ll
be cornered in Lindel.”
“If they reach Lindel, they can get to the capital soon.”
“Right. Do you have any other questions?”
“I’m curious if the United Kingdom has all turned around.”
“No. Several key kingdoms, including the Mado Kingdom. Of course, it’s
not exact. I’m guessing they’re split in half, but is there a lot you can
trust in this situation? I’m just thinking.”
“If it’s true, it’s okay to say that it’s a fortune among misfortunes?”
“Sure. In fact, I am curious about the reason why the Kingdom Alliance
participated in the war… the State is judging that they’re wary of the
spread of the revolutionary thought. There’s no way it wouldn’t have
been a problem internally when something like that went off right in
the country next to them. They would have been annoyed. As the
Republic burst right then, there is a feeling that they ran in taking that
as a chance.”
“I think the same way, Nuna. Other reasons may be intertwined, but we
can see that that the interests were entangled. It’s understandable why
they continue to hold Jin Qing, the demon summoner trash. If they
thought they would start a war anyway, there is no reason to defeat us
while taking a big loss. The Republic is not sensitive to black wizards…”
“Well, right? Anyway, this is a report. It’s not just as concisely as I just
explained. It’s probably written in a little more detail. I’m not sure, but
it contains all the information. Take a look…”
“Oh, one more thing I’m curious about.”
“Please, ask.”
“Who’s in Castle Rock?”
“Yuno Kasugano.”
“And?”
“Count Castle Rock, no, it’s Congressman now. Our Guild Master is also
in Castle Rock. One of the Eight Seats of the State, Cheon Gwan-wi, is
also in Castle Rock. It’s not going to collapse right away. Because the
squad isn’t that bad, some people can at least withstand it.”
It was dif icult to say that the Shaman Yuno Kasugano, the Mist
Summoner Cheon Gwan-wi, and the individual’s armed forces were
overwhelming, but these were people who ranked in the Eight Seats of
the State. They also specialized in defense.
The question of how Castle Rock was holding up under such

circumstances had been resolved. After mulling over this, I began to
peruse the report given by Lee Jihye. Reading the detailed progress
made me feel a little more lustered.
‘They really wanted to start a war, huh?’
It really seemed like they had been planning this since the start.
At this point, I thought they had already combined with the Magic
Kingdom. They thought that they had the upper hand and immediately
turned the card over.
What I expected before had partly been right.
Of course, I couldn’t be happy about the war or that I was right about
that.
What was more important now was the context rather than the
beginning. What I could see was a huge map. It felt like a mini-map with
all the statuses of the troops.
“Nuna, this is…”
“Oh. I should show you this, too. This is the most updated map. The
situation of the troops is also the latest.”
“It can’t be said that it’s the worst.”
“It must be said that there is a hole with a way out.”
As she said, the situation was not as bad as I had imagined.
On a larger scale, it was true that the Dawan Front was pushed and
Castle Rock had gotten isolated, but I could see that we were gaining an
advantage, too.
Except for the two fronts, the eastern front wasn’t bad, and the western
front was even pushing itself forward.
‘Right. The State is not so incompetent.’
The key was whether or not it was possible to take the troops and
supplies of the kingdom of Eberia to Castle Rock.
If this supply route was in place, it would be of great help to lead the
future situation.
The most important thing to do was join the interracial coalition forces,
which was intuitive enough for a child to see. Now, all we had to wait
for was whether or not they would have a breakthrough or not.
‘This is a little familiar… ’

It was similar to the strategy simulation we did last time.
It was a technique of slowly tightening from place to place and trying to

take advantage of it.
Masked trash, demon summoner Jin Qing, this was de initely his work.
What I felt a little curious about was that there were signi icantly fewer
troops in Laios.
It was certainly disconcerting to deploy the least troops without

covering up the enemy allies. I couldn’t understand the current state of
the Laios front.
“Why is Laios like this?”
“Oh. I forgot to tell you. There is a brief cease ire there. Mercenary
Queen is there.”
“But what does that and have to do with…?”
“It’s all about attacking the enemy’s allies.”
‘They’re out of their mind.’
“The Mercenary Queen lost her mind when she evacuated their people,
and now it’s in that state. We think there’s going to be a loss of troops
when we enter, so both groups are not taking any chances. In the
current situation, it is extremely burdensome to subtract a few named
and go there.”
‘There must be a time limit.’
Cha Hee-ra’s attribute Blood-thirsty Madwoman clearly had a time limit

of one hour.
Her presence in Laios so far could not be explained by her status
window as seen by my Mind’s Eyes.
“How long Laios, no, Hee-ra has been in that state?”
“It’s been eight days.”
‘Something is not right… ’

CHAPTER 373
PTSD (1)
‘Eight days… ’
It was a pretty long time.
It would be lustering to think that Laios had been completely excluded

during those eight days. Of course, there may be minimal troops left,
but Laios had still gotten abandoned on the battle ield.
I don’t know how crazy she had gone for the situation to become like
this, but…
‘I understand.’
Considering that Cha Hee-ra’s strength had risen to 117 during the
Castle Rock crisis, it was natural to avoid it.
Even if I were the Republic, it would have been dif icult to take some
action.
In order to safely subdue it, it is possible to cope with it by sending at

least someone as strong as one of the Eight Seats of the State or the Five
General Tigers.
‘And that’s not easy.’
In the current situation where the front line was still tightly maintained,
it was almost impossible to pull back the named names.
Even if they were on the way to recapture Castle Rock and do the
Eberian isolation operation simultaneously, they wouldn’t be doing
anything stupid as focusing on Laios.
“Is there anything that the State is doing?”
“All they can do is wait… In fact, on the outskirts of Laios, the Red
Mercenary is in charge of the front. Probably they want to get their
queen back when everything is done. Something similar must have
happened before we came in. At that time, I heard that she was in that
state for twenty days…”
“How was the situation then?”
“I don’t know in detail, either. No one knows it, and all they did was to
bring the queen who was passed out.”
I wondered if it had a possibility of happening,
‘It is possible if there’s no survivor.’
“It’s because there were no survivors. I don’t know what the queen was
doing in the past and what’s going on in Laios now. Seeing that she is
still alive, the queen must be doing well. I want to give it a little more
weight, but what can I do about it? Castle Rock is more urgent right
now. On the Laios side, you will do something, well.”
‘Do what? You mean bitch.’
Light Kiyoung was not a suicide seeker.
When the Castle Rock Monster Wave had occurred, I remembered it

was a nightmare.
Moreover, Cha Hee-ra at that time had been in a normal crazy state.
Now that she had gone completely insane, my body would be torn as
soon as she was to see me. Perhaps my pelvis would get smashed and
chopped like tofu.
Just imagining it made me have goosebumps behind my back.
When I shook my head, Lee Jihye opened her mouth again.
“Shall we move to another place and talk?”
“It would be better. I also wanted to see the front line.”
“I wanted to show you. I asked to go out because of that.”
As I slowly opened the door, I could see the Black Swan guild members
waiting. They were the escort group of Lee Jihye.
Seeing that their level wasn’t too bad, I could tell how much the Black
Swan Guild Master, Park Yeon-joo, cared about Lee Jihye.
Of course, it was a bonus that Lee Jihye considered her own safety to be
the most important.
The soldiers around me still looked anxious. They must know that the
battle would begin within a few days. No one wanted to die. And,
whether you liked it or not, war created casualties.
I had begun to understand the situation, but it did not make me any
happier. It was because our opponents seemed determined, and had
decided to block the Eberia side.
Despite having the advantages of a castle defense battle, they had no

choice but to enter the ield irst.
It looked like we would have to do a siege battle. This was the type of
work that could not be built in a short period, but if there was magic, it
was easy to build a city wall.
Of course, this was incomparable to Castle Rock’s walls, but the fact that
there was a wall of that kind was indeed great pressure from the
opponent’s perspective.
“Who is the opponent’s commander?”
Perhaps a wizard.
“We haven’t con irmed it yet. Well, still, one of the Five General Tigers
will be with them, right? Judging by what I can see, he will be in the rear
rather than the front line. As you can see, the situation in front of us is
not very good. The troops are also inferior, but it is in a situation where
we have to even a siege battle. We were on the inferior side, but now
that you’ve joined, it’s going to be better. Hyunsung is also here. Oh,
come to think of it, there’s also Hayan.”
“Hayan can’t be used here.”
“Why?”
“We have to look at things in the long run. I ordered her to recover as
quickly as possible, but in her current state, she will fall back by using
magic only a few times. Even that, magic with a large range should be
avoided as much as possible. And our Guild Master…”
‘I want to hide it much as possible… ’
If there was a person who had the most information that had not been
released yet, of course, it would be the lovely returner.
Still, unlike me, who held the title of Honorary Cardinal, there was no
information about Kim Hyunsung at all. I bet the Republic didn’t even
take Kim Hyunsung at a high level.
To them, he was only a child who has been on the continent for less
than ive years.
Jin Qing, who knew that I was a scammer, might think that Kim
Hyunsung was a similar kind of guy. It was important that they had the
least information about him as possible.
I could recognize the urgency of the situation, but we must avoid

putting in the strongest from the irst ights. Though everyone
apparently wanted to end this as fast as possible, it would be inevitable
to prolong the ight eventually.
‘Who uses their weapon from the beginning in the irst place?’
“You want to save them for later?”
“If possible.”
“You know that simply pushing out isn’t a good thing, right? It is
important to push it properly without damage. If we don’t have the
troops to get to Castle Rock after the battle, the ight itself will be for
nothing. All they have to do is to hold on.”
“I understand that, too.”
Their role was not to do a castle defense battle, but to hold back the
ones from this side. For them, the city wall is a kind of thing that doesn’t
matter at all.
‘But what can I do?’
Whatever it was, we had to push our own troops forward.
“So, you were here.”

Kim Hyunsung’s voice came just in time. As I turned, I could see him
and the commander.
It looked like everyone had gone on a tour together.
Elios, the dwarf, Volgor, and those I had not memorized the names of
yet were valuable workers who would eventually move on the
battle ield.
“Oh my, Volgor.”
“Oh! It’s the little human woman.”
“I was looking around for a moment. I also explained the situation a

little to the Honorary Cardinal here.”
“I see. How have you been?”
“Good. Thanks. Volgor-nim is still reliable.”
Lee Jihye, who immediately adorned an inviting smile, felt surprising

even to me.
However, she was not much different than me. Kim Hyunsung, who was
asking me questions, had forced me to wear the same kind of smile as
well.
I felt a sense of shame, but there was nothing I could do.
“Have you heard of it?”
“Yes. The situation seemed a little complicated. I was able to igure out
the rough composition as well. Jihye explained in a lot of detail.”
“What do you think, Kiyoung-ssi?”

‘Think what, you bastard?’
This was the line I wanted to ask him. For now, it was the most
important to open the road unconditionally.
“I heard that the command team is setting the next ive days as the
timing. If it is delayed, Castle Rock could become dangerous…”
‘The faster, the better, but… ’
It was quite interesting that his face looked like it was asking for
permission from me.
In fact, I was not strong in martial arts, either. Everything I had learned
just scratches the surface.
As I felt like I had been lying too much, they seemed to think I had some
knowledge in that as well. Of course, the important thing was not that
he asked about my opinion.
I felt that how Kim Hyunsung looked was more important to me. He
looked very nervous.
‘Is it obvious?’
The demon in the irst round was crouching in the meantime.
Jin Qing, the masked trash, inally revealed his nature and reached out
the demon’s grip to the camp of light.
For Kim Hyunsung, who I believed in having suffered a lot in various

ways, it would not be unreasonable to become nervous suddenly.
‘How many times has he been backstabbed?’

Interestingly, I felt that he was being reliant on me.
By now, he should have solved the problem somehow if Light Kiyoung

had not been contaminated by the demon’s grasp.
He delayed a lot of time, and he seemed to think he had given time to

the masked villain. He seemed to be pretending to be okay, but his face
itself was stained with anxiety.
My eyes, who were always closely watching Kim Hyunsung’s face, could
not be deceived.
“Of course, I am aware of the fact that we have to get through the road
as quickly as possible, but maybe there is a trap… my opinion is that it
would be better to approach it a little more carefully.”
“What? You mean a trap?”
‘There’s nothing that looks like a trap… well, was there such a thing?’
However, upon closer inspection, there was nothing in here that looked
like a trap.
Rather, this was a very plain and simple problem. This was a ight over
whether or not we could get rid of our opponents and attain victory.
Even if he were the irst round’s masked trash, it would have been
impossible to prepare various things in this situation.
There was not enough time, and the range of motion was still limited.
What could be done was, at best, something using a secret agent or

inducing friction between groups. Of course, it was far from Jin Qing’s
style.
When I looked at the mini-map again, I couldn’t igure out what was
wrong with it.
However, Kim Hyunsung’s face was stained with unknown anxiety.
“There may be something for sure, de initely.”
“Ohh. Yes…”
“It would be better to take at least a little more time to watch more. Of
course, it’s just my personal opinion…”
‘No. I don’t think we need to look into it in detail… ’
“I think it would be nice if you could also ind out a little more, Kiyoung-
ssi.”
“Yes. Okay.”
For now, I had to answer Kim Hyunsung’s request, which he had

brought out very carefully.
We all had to look before we leap. However, the behavior Kim Hyunsung
was showing was no different than analyzing before leaping.
He had a face that showed he was still convinced that there was a trap
lying underneath,
‘Is this bastard suffering from PTSD?’

CHAPTER 374
PTSD (2)
“Don’t you see anything unnatural or strange?”
“No. I don’t.”
‘Stop it.’
“You can relax, Hyunsung. The command is taking care of what you are
worrying about as much as they possibly can.”
“But…”
“It’s understandable, but it’s not good to worry too much.”
“Yes. I understood. But perhaps…”
“Yes.”
“Is the detecting magic…?”
“We’ve already con irmed it, but… I will instruct them to investigate
again.”
‘You didn’t understand at all. Fuck.’
I understood that he was worried, but I felt a little tired.
In fact, there’s not much time left to enter.

As we suddenly joined this operation, it is hard enough to pay attention
to other parts.
We’re so bust to check even basic things.
Looking at Kim Hyunsung coming every day and saying useless things,
it really looked like PTSD.
He was looking openly anxious even now. I didn’t know what made him
so nervous, but the expression on his face worsened as time went by.
His expression from yesterday was different from today’s. Even I was
affected and thought that we shouldn’t head in like this.
Of course, that didn’t mean that I had delayed the schedule or thought
about a different method.
It was a situation where we could be judged to be superior in power,

and I knew that it would be disadvantageous if we did not manage to
break through.
I could understand Kim Hyunsung, but no matter how I was to think

about this, we could not delay it.
It was true that spending time here was abandoning Castle Rock, an
important strategic point.
It is no wonder that I turned and glanced at the lovely returner. He

wasn’t scared, but he seemed to be more worried about the current
situation than anyone else.
I wanted to look into what Kim Hyunsung was thinking.

“We also have to keep in mind the possibility that the wall itself is a
trap. There may be some magic in the wall itself, and there is also a
possibility that explosive magic is built into the troops protecting the
wall…”
‘You mean they would sacri ice such an army?’
“I think internal surveillance should also be a little more thorough. In

particular, a little more thorough vigilance against dwarves… It’s a bit
abrupt, but the investigation into the plague should also be conducted.”
“You mean the plague?”
‘Why are you improvising about the plague suddenly? Bastard.’
“We also have to consider the probability that the current confrontation
has become a mass infection. A type of virus that only infects at close
range…”
‘What kind of bullshit is this again?’
The explosive magic was bearable, but with the mass infection that had
suddenly popped out, I had no choice but to hold my breath.
According to Kim Hyunsung’s words, the entire army currently blocking

us had become a carrier of an unknown virus.
I had no choice but to wonder where this idea had come from. There
was no way to make such an inhumane choice, no matter how much of
a bastard Jin Qing was.
‘The masked garbage wouldn’t go this far… ’
“Aren’t you thinking a little too much about this…?”

In the end, I had to say these words carefully. At this, Hyunsung spoke
up once more. The candle was burning at both ends.
“I’m not, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“To sacri ice such troops for a simple trap… It will not be easy even for
the Republic.”
“I am not worried about the Republic.”
“What?”
“Jin Qing, he…”
“…”
“I’m worried about Jin Qing. I’m not sure yet, but the devil summoner
won’t tell the difference between friend and foe. For the sake of the
purpose, he will not choose any means, and he might not care about
sacri icing the troops of the Republic or the civilians. You must
remember that.”
“What…”
“You should not assume that he is attached to the Republic or any

group. You should simply assume that that’s all a device that can
protect his body, even those closest to him. He is not a human that
considers how much he sacri iced his troops to achieve victory.”
‘This bastard is going too far… ’
No matter how trashy trash Jin Qing was, he would not be a human
without any blood and tears.
‘Right. He wouldn’t be that much trash.’

“At least you should not assume that humanitarian methods or war
laws designated by continental law will be considered. The same goes
for women and children. Rather, those who are socially weakened are
more likely to be used as long-term means. Please preach to be extra
cautious in child soldiers’ case.”
“Yes. O-Okay.”
“Besides, do not touch other supplies or items coming from outside…”
“Okay.”
“You should be even more careful with the supplies used by enemy
forces. As soon as the battle is over, used supplies must be disposed of
immediately. What I’m saying right now may sound crazy, but you have
to be more careful right after the battle is over.”
“Okay, Hyunsung-ssi. I will remember it.”
“…”
“…”
“Thank you, Kiyoung-ssi. Oh… you can continue sleeping… I’m sorry. I
suddenly came at dawn.”
“No. No. I’m going to be up early today anyway. And a visit like this is
rather nice.”
‘But knock it off.’
It was already the third time today. Once in the afternoon, once before
bed, and once in the dawn.
It would be nice to think about it all at once and tell me, but he seemed
to remember being backstabbed once every now and then.
It was indeed meaningful to indirectly experience how the masked
trash backstabbed him, but I had a guilty conscience for some reason.
Of course, I had nothing to do with the masked garbage, but it was

because I felt guilty that I could not protect Hyunsung in the irst round.
Hostage play was the default option. I felt like I had heard all sorts of
trash behaviors.
If everything Kim Hyunsung told me was what he had experienced, then

I thought it was not unreasonable to pay attention like this.
‘So, the entire troop is a virus carrier?’
That wouldn’t happen, but if I really assumed that the plan was going
on right now, the masked trash was the biggest son of a bitch in the
world and real trash, deliberately sending troops to death.
What was more impressive was that the troops would ight, thinking
that they were dying whilst ighting for the country.
‘This is real deception. Deception, I say.’
The thoughts that masked trash Jin Qing planted on them, the cause of
the war, and the reason why his camp shouted justice were all just
bullshit for a bigger sacri ice.
All of the usual wars went like that, but the idea of deliberately creating
carriers and putting them into the war was an unthinkable idea that no
one other than a real bastard could do.
Of course, the enemy forces in front of me were not carriers.
“It doesn’t change the fact that he’s going to die, but…”
‘We must keep the minimum principle. Yes, absolutely.’

Anyway, there was some good news.
First, the lovely returner had realized little by little that Jin Qing trash
was indeed the masked trash. It seemed that he was still not completely
sure, but it was safe to assume that he was almost sure by his reaction.
If he was not worried about that, there was no way he would come and
pour out his anxiety several times a day.
‘For now, I can assume that I have stability.’
I had prepared a few more things, just in case, but at this point, I didn’t
even need to do anything. In fact, I thought that the job should be done
in the other direction.
Assuming that Jin Qing didn’t use wicked tricks, the returner’s gaze may
fall out from him. Anything was ine, but such was a thing I wanted to
prevent from happening.
It was when I was wondering whether I should show a new self-written

play.
“Hmm…”
I heard something from outside. It had been a while since Kim

Hyunsung went out.
‘Has it been three hours?’
Unlike what I thought that I would hear a knock on the door right away,
the door started to open both suddenly and slowly.
‘Fuck.’
It was natural to feel instantly surprised.

We were on the front line with the enemy, and it wouldn’t be weird for
an assassin to come in anytime.
I didn’t know how the hell they had gotten here, but that was not what
matters now.
No wonder I had gotten up right away. I put myself on the wall and put
my hand right into the bag. What I got had my hand was the Dragon
Breath potion.
Cool sweat lowed down my back, and thoughts of all kinds began to
pass by. The moment the sweat from my head lowed down the chin
and fell, I could see the doll sneaking into the room.
“Hayan?”
“Oh! Oh! Y-Y-Y-You were up.”
What was visible was certainly Jung Hayan. I had to breathe a long sigh.
‘That scared me. Really.’
“What’s up?”
“I-I slept too much… during the day. I couldn’t sleep, so I just… yes…
er…”
She looked really embarrassed. Perhaps she was trying to sneak into
my room again.
Although I was stunned by her halting, I had to give a small smile after
patting her head.
“You should rest a little more.”
“B-B-But, I really can’t sleep.”

“How much has your magic power recovered?”
“It’s hard to say that I have recovered greatly. It seems like I overused it
recently, so it’s still only a little…”
“You can’t overuse it this time. You know you have to be out of combat
as much as possible?”
“Yes. O-Of course.”
“Unless it’s a really dangerous situation, you’d better not intervene.”
“Okay…”
“Shall we go outside for a minute?”
“Yes!”
I could see her smiling continuously as if she felt good to take a walk
together.
‘I was too careless.’
Of course, in the meantime, I had no choice but to focus on self-

re lection.
‘I was lucky it was Hayan.’
Of course, an outside intrusion was almost impossible. The World Tree

was helping the Kingdom of Eberia.
However, it was not impossible at all. As this was a world that could not
be understood by simple common sense, there was no guarantee that if
it were an assassin of the level of one of the seats, it would not be
penetrated.
‘I guess I have to ask for an escort… ’
It was comfortable to move alone, but at least I felt that I needed an

escort to buy me time.
As we slowly climbed up the barrier with useless thoughts, a pretty

beautiful landscape soon came into sight.
Of course, the walls still stood out today.
‘A few days left?’
No wonder I nodded at the greetings of the guards guarding the barrier.

It was then that a loud voice could be heard.
-Surrender.
It was a voice ampli ied by voice magic.
‘It’s a propaganda activity.’
It was now time to rationalize the war they had waged by playing big
voice magic and time to encourage surrender. It was time to criticize
the present system and the State and appeal that they were justice.
By analogy, it was like a strategic loudspeaker sent to the enemy.
‘Well, that is also important.’
This was the irst time I had heard of it today, but it felt like it was
pretty elaborate.
-Dear elves. And I’m also talking to some dwarves. Our anti-State
coalition is not your enemy. You are being deceived. We are deceived by
the wicked lie of the State that disturbs the continent. I will say it again.
Our anti-State coalition is not your enemy. If you do not intervene in the
current war, we promise to pull back our troops immediately.
‘Tsk, tsk.’
The way he spit out his words was indeed amusing.
As I muttered unconsciously, I could see Jung Hayan staring at me.
“Well, let’s do some propaganda activities?”
The enemy was obviously unaware that such propaganda was my forte.
CHAPTER 375
FACT ALWAYS WINS (1)
‘Dumb humans.’
Of course, knowing the other enemy’s intentions didn’t mean that I

could stop that kind of propaganda.
It was not an option, but a necessity, to demolish the opponent’s morale

even a little before ighting or war. The anti-State alliance probably
thought that they were right, so it was natural to invest in propaganda.
I looked around a bit and found that the elves sitting there were
familiar with that voice.
It was probably heard from the time when the opposite camp’s wall was
established.
‘Was there any response on our side?’
There was no way there wasn’t. I then opened my mouth and asked.
My question was answered by an elf guard looking at the wall. She was
indeed a rare swordswoman. As I naturally saw her stats, the numbers
weren’t that bad.
‘It’s surprising.’
She was just watching the guard, but her stats were about an Elune
Knight’s level. Perhaps Elios hadn’t noticed her.
“Is it always heard?”
“Yes, Honorary Cardinal. I know it is usually heard about twice a day.”
“What is our response?”
“The kingdom also periodically uses voice ampli ication magic toward
the anti-State alliance…”
“I see. Hmm… How is it? Does it seem to be directly affecting our

morale?”
“It doesn’t. Because we know that all the words of our enemies are
false, and we know what the anti-State coalition wants. And there’s no
way we can trust such a ridiculous thing.”
‘Education is in place.’
This was also natural, in a way.
No matter how absurd it was, if you constantly listened to something,

someone would be affected.
They wouldn’t expect to move many people anyway. Even if only one
person would get affected, it could always be considered effective.
The anxiety created by that one would spread very quietly and slowly
into the unit.
Anxiety or doubts continued to spread like cancer cells. The larger the
scale, the harder it was for the command to grasp.
The superior was not God.
No matter how careful the troop management was, it was impossible to

know what the advisor was thinking.
Education was what you needed for that. It was a kind of brainwashing
activity.
We were not at fault. We were justice, and they were evil. They had
launched the irst strike. Justi ication was crucial in this part.
The size and quality, the branch of the troops, and the abilities that the
named could have on the battle ield and its direction could be used.
There were many variables on the continent’s battle ield, but the
troops’ morale was just as important as it was, even those who did not
know that the tactics would know.
While tapping the thigh with a inger, the voice ampli ied continuously
began to be heard.
It was propaganda that deserved acknowledgment.
-The State is disturbing the order of the continent. They made up

something ridiculous about a demon summoner, turning the neutral
region into a con lict zone. Not only did they urge war and encourage
con lict, but on the 14th, eventually, they declared war irst and pushed
their troops in. Numerous civilian casualties were incurred, and our
anti-Statement coalition had no choice but to raise the war lag. This is
because the lunatic group who wants a war can no longer be left to
roam the continent. The Holy State that all of you are aware of is not the
former State. It’s just a mob under the name of revolution, with the
mask of the idea of sacred democracy!
‘…’
-Oscar, who is currently the leader of the State, is the true rebel of the
Goddess and the one who disturbs the order of the continent. She
cannot even be said to be the leader of the State. She is just a puppet
who follows the words of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung of the Holy
See.
‘It’s not like a puppet… ’
Although I linched a bit, I had no choice but to keep my composure.
I could see the elven guard we talked with earlier looking forward with
a iery eye, even opening his mouth. I could see him possessing a very
cautious attitude.
“Er…”
“Yes?”
“You don’t have to worry. We know better than anyone else that it is a
ridiculous rumor, Honorary Cardinal.”
“…”
“How dare they? I don’t think any of the elves here think of what they
say to be the truth.”
Occasionally, it was very burdensome to face such eager eyes. The

innocent eyes of the lawless elven guards somehow began to pierce
through my conscience.
Jung Hayan nodded as if the elf who believed in me looked to be okay,

holding my hand tightly.
“Y-Yes. It’s all lies.”
“I-I saw Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung ight against the demon
through the Goddess’ Mirror, and I was really impressed. The story of
saving our friends at the Slave Auction, or protecting Elena while you
were in the huge beast.”
“…”
I had to protect her. But for some reason, I wanted to avoid his gaze.
“All the elves will want the same. I hope that those words will not hurt
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.”
‘I’m not really hurt… ’
“T-That’s right, Oppa. You don’t have to worry about it.”
I was pretty sure she was trying her best to comfort me. She even
looked angrier than me.
In fact, whatever they said over there, I was calm. In the meantime, the
propaganda content was getting more intense.
-Our anti-State alliance is ready to accept you at any time. Please avoid
losing our alliance and pretend. We are not here to ight you. All we
want is the normalization of the continent. It is only our wish to
overthrow the pope, who pretended to be a god, misled the entire
continent, and exploited the people by hiding behind the back of a god,
and the puppet queen and the mob who follows her. I know you hate
ights. Please consider carefully. Please listen to our voices to all of you
and the leaders.
After their speech was over, she kept glancing at me, blatantly worried.
‘I’d appreciate it if she thinks so.’
Of course, there was an existing sense of embarrassment, but if the

overall public opinion is this way, there was no need to worry too much.
Of course, we shouldn’t stop educating to maintain morale.
Most elves won’t believe that, but maybe other people, including
dwarves, might be unknowingly affected.
‘I should have read everything yesterday.’
At this point, I am curious about the content of this propaganda. It must

be de initely written in the report Lee Jihye had given me to read.
But I thought I didn’t have to look at the content again now.
‘I can ask, well.’
I just had to ask the elf woman in front of me.
“What is the content of the propaganda on the part of the Kingdom of

Eberia?”
“It varies. It is mainly content that directly criticizes the human

behavior of the Republic. The Laios incident and the propaganda that
they started war irst do not stop. Inhuman experiments, ruthless and
thoughtless logging activities, and even criticism of reckless hunting.
Each time the content is different, but this is normal.”
“I… see.”
‘What’s with the logging activities and reckless hunting?’
From an elf’s point of view, it was understandable to say that, but I

could con idently say that it wouldn’t work for most humans.
I bet they would even laugh.
‘Would they make them feel guilty with only that?’
The essence of this kind of propaganda was to make the other person
feel doubts.
Of course, there could be no humans questioning things like logging or

hunting. A more direct method would be needed.
In fact, we didn’t even have to say anything until we had a sore throat
because we already had the most convincing evidence.
“Hayan.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s prepare the Goddess’ Mirror with Sora.”
“W-Which one?”
“Did what happened in Laios still remain? I don’t need anything else,
just that.”
“Just this one?”
“Yes. Can you do it? Of course, it has to be big enough to be seen by the
other side.”
“I think I can do it if Han Sora trainee, no, if Sora-ssi helps.”
“Really? That’s great. Isn’t it a thing that consumes a lot of magic

power?”
“I’ll ask Jeong-yeon to help. And to the other elves.”
“It would be better to do that. When you’re ready, come right here.”
“Okay!”
‘Then I just have to ask for some extra time.’
In fact, there was no problem with this at all.
The elf woman seemed curious about what I was trying to do. She was
pretending to look forward, but I could see that she was moving her
ears.
In the meantime, Jung Hayan started moving in a hurry.
‘What else would I need?’
Talking all day only hurt the mouth and hurt the head.
Of course, the meaning had not been conveyed as it was, and the
ef iciency was not very good. The amount of magic power that went
into the voice ampli ication magic was also quite high.
Of course, it was more effective to borrow the power of civilization.
After a while, I began to see Han Sora and Hwang Jeong-yeon, who was
running eagerly at Jung Hayan’s call.
The use of magical hologram artifacts was no different from a

professional level anymore. As a huge magical hologram loated on the
Eberian Kingdom’s side, eyes began to focus not only on the sky, but
also here.
Naturally, I began to open my mouth because I needed some time to

explain.
“I think it’s better to keep it in the air outside of the advertising time.
They probably know better what is good and what is evil. I will tell the
command. Please spread it to other units. You don’t have to be so
surprised.”
“I will go preach right now.”
“Thank you. Hayan, test it right away and activate the magic hologram.
They might not be able to see it. The demon summoner is in close-up
detail.”
“Okay!”
“Sign up as soon as you’re ready.”
“I-I’m ready.”
“Then send it right away.”
“Okay, Oppa.”
I felt a little sorry for the demon summoner Jin Qing, but his face was
already sold. Since he had gone through a lot, I thought he could go
through a little more trouble.
No matter how insensitive the Republic was to black magic, it would be

hard to not be shaken by watching such a scene.
‘Special star Belial, thank you again today.’
-My contractor Jin Qing. Your wishes will come true. Come on, unseal
this seal! Then you will have more power in your hands!
What appeared in the Goddess’ Mirror was Jin Qing threatening the
light, all while holding hands with the demon.
There would not be many people who could smile while looking at the
true image of the day that the demon summoner, masked trash Jin Qing
showed.
‘You can’t win against the facts by only talking about incitement and
fabrication even for a hundred days. You bastards!”
The power of facts was indeed great.

CHAPTER 376
‘How dare you try to win with agitation and fabrication?’
If one were to speak without proof, you would never get out of the level
of agitation and fabrication, anyway.
Proper evidence was the most obvious fact.
It was understandable that you wanted to crush my image somehow,

but you had met the wrong opponent.
-My contractor, Jin Qing. Your wishes will come true. Come on, unseal
this seal! Then you will have more power in your hands!
-Contractor Jin Qing. Don’t you want to have this power? It is the power
to achieve whatever you want.
‘Yes, absolutely.’
-Fufufufufu… Hahahaha!
‘Long live the Belial-nim! Screw you!’
Even Ahn Ki-mo and Lee Jihye had no choice but to applaud Belial, who
had been acting eagerly. At this, I looked above the sky, feeling proud.
The scene that appeared on the huge screen was now the demon
summoner trash selling his soul to the demon. The fact that it also
showed him trying to persecute our camp was a bonus.
Perhaps some people on the side of the Republic camp had seen that
scene for the irst time.
The Republic and the State were completely cut off, to begin with. Even
if there was an exchange, there was no way that those sensitive to
information control would let us circulate such videos or rumors.
Of course, some people might know, but…
‘They must be seeing this kind of thing for the irst time, these bastards.’
They, too, had probably been educated.
‘The Republic’s Jin Qing is innocent, and everything is incitement and

fabrication by the State. It’s something that everyone has made up and
manipulated. You can never believe it or be agitated. You must never get
involved in the tactics of agitation from the State.’
They must’ve said that the State was picking apart to start a war, and it
was the State hidden behind the back of God that was in
communication with the demon.
They must have been making noise several times a day and throwing
tickets to the war.
Most of the troops would know so. However, there was a distinct
difference between listening in words and seeing evidence in person.
‘Because humans are suspicious animals.’
It was successful enough just to make the command group question.

Of course, I irmly believed that the aftereffect of this video would not
end there. Naturally, I had no choice but to affect the mentality of the
soldiers of the Republic directly.
‘To say they’re not as sensitive to black magic as the State or elves?’
“What does that matter? Are you sensitive to this situation right now?
Will it get into your eyes not being sensitive? Huh?”
This was about aesthetics.
Seeing Belial being output as a magical hologram made my heart beat.

Belial was more demoniac than the image of a demon in general.
His face was like a lightning bolt of ire, and his eyes were like lames
burning in the abyss.
His mouth was like a crack in a rock, and his large wings seemed to
poke through a crumpled sky.
This appearance alone made us feel alien and evoked a sense of

instinctive human fear.
There would be no madman in the world who saw things like that and
thought that he was on the side of justice.
‘Yes. Light won’t be light for nothing, and darkness won’t be darkness
for nothing.’
Humans who were not affected by this dichotomous way of thinking did
not exist, as far as I knew.
Light Kiyoung was surrounded by light, and the demon’s warped camp
was so polluted that it produced nausea.
Which side justice was on had already been decided. Galleries that were
currently viewing this magical hologram would also know the answer.
I overdid it a little and started putting magic in my eyes. Though the

distance was quite far, my attribute’s in luence allowed me to see some
faces.
‘Bastards. You turned pale. Pale.’
The foreigners looked at least better.
However, the faces of those who appeared to be Republicans were a

spectacle.
Their faces were staring blankly at the magic hologram as if they

couldn’t believe it was distorted.
Some were already showing anxiety on their faces. Of course, this didn’t
mean that being a foreigner was different. Some of them were biting
their lips tightly and even sighing.
-You dirty son of bitches of light. This is the power of hell magic.
Contractor Jin Qing, what you want will come true!
‘Whew!’
-Thank you! Thank you! Contractor!!
Just in time, the video was now running towards the climax.
There were very few adaptations added, but all of them were actually
what had happened and were facts.
There was no such thing as a manipulation discriminator on this

continent, but no one could object to this sense of urgency. Now I was
sure that the other camp was in a panic.
Seeing the Republic’s commanders running around and ixing the
situation was enough to make me laugh.
They were all shouting something. Of course, I couldn’t hear it, but I
could already guess what they would be in a fuss about.
They had tried their best to ix the people’s mentality, but it was
nothing more than peeing in their pants for warmth in the winter.
It would rather raise the doubts of those who have doubts, making a
fuss like that. It was impossible to stay still.
There was no need to explain that the ampli ied voice had been heard
once again.
“S-Should I stop now?”
“No. No. Why stop already? Let’s see it one more time.”
“Okay!”
The most important thing in education was obvious.
‘Repeated learning is important.’
It was important to put it in their heads enough to memorize it.
-Please stop sending the video of the manipulated content right now. All
of the videos you are sending are manipulated. It’s nothing more than a
self-written play created to fool you. Dear fellows, please do not be
fooled by the fabrication and open your eyes to the truth.
-Contractor! Do you want power!
-The Republic has never communicated with the demon, and Jin Qing
could not ind any signs of black magic. He is innocent.
-Come on, unseal! Jin Qing! You are my contractor.
-They are messing up with the continent. The wicked groups of the
State are disturbing the order of the continent.
-I’ll give you the power to swallow the continent, Jin Qing.
‘Whew.’
It felt like the talking magic hologram was hitting them back. They were
constantly yelling as if they felt bewildered, but I couldn’t hear it
properly.
The Republic’s wizards were rather embarrassed, sending out

incitement and fabricated content.
No matter how many times they shouted that what we showed was
fake, they couldn’t possibly wake up with the fact unfolding in front of
them. It was not about worrying about the misled elves, but about the
mental state of their own troops.
Of course, there was no speci ic way to do so.
-I’ll say it again. I want them to stop sending fabricated footage right
now. You are being deceived. All of this is a self-written play made by
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. It’s just a dirty trick to trap the
Republic.
‘Yes, you bastards. Keep being noisy about it.’
-Hyung-nim… Hyung-nim! Hayan! Please be patient. Just a little bit! Just

hold on a little!
-Don’t falter. All of this is manipulated. It was not the Republic but the
State that summoned the demon.
-These dirty guys! Damn. Damn! Hyung-nim! If you hold on a little
more, support will come! Hold on until then. You know you shouldn’t
die by overdoing it, right? Don’t overdo it. I warned you. I won’t forgive
you if you pass out overdoing yourself. I won’t forgive you!
It was not just directed to the elves, it was also to themselves.
They were all insisting that it was fake, but the desperate appearance of
Park Deokgu popping out through the magic hologram was enough to
inspire emotion. The same went for Han Sora.
It looked like she would pass out at any moment.
It was a moment when that would make me want to cry again.
Needless to say, the appearance of Jung Hayan and I, who were already
being limited whilst being dyed with light.
Surrounded by the divine light, the appearance of the demon

summoner’s debris ighting against the summoned Belial was like a
hero mentioned in a fairy tale. As it was a real situation, it seemed to
me that the video was selected very well.
Surrounded by ilthy evil groups, this was a famous scene that we saved
the neutral country of Laios from danger.
The elves were also becoming solemn while looking at us in the magic
hologram.
“Hayan, activate your voice ampli ication magic. Put my face on the
hologram right now.”
“Yep!”
At this point, it was the right timing for me to pop out. Clearing my
throat, I tried my best to re ine my voice. It had been a long time since I
had done this, so I still felt pretty nervous.
As expected, my mouth didn’t let me down.
‘The frame is important. The frame.’
I had already decided with which frame to choose.
The political con lict between the State and the Republic was out of the
question, for now. It was only right to exclude the State and Republic
completely from this frame.
This was not about being different. This was about right and wrong,
common sense and non-common sense.
To interpret this war only as a con lict between the two countries was
stupid in any way. This war was not a ight between the Three
Kingdoms Alliance and the anti-State alliance.
‘It’s a ight between justice and evil.’
‘It’s a ight between fact and fabrication.’
‘It’s a ight between light and darkness.’
Slowly, my voice began to be transmitted.
As I spoke calmly, I immediately heard my voice with the voice

ampli ication magic applied loudly.
“Be with the light, everyone.”
-Be with the light, everyone.
‘Good.’
-Please get on board with us on the side of the light. Please hold our
hand for the continent. We shouldn’t aim our swords at each other.
‘The sound quality is also good.’
-We are facing a common enemy. Humanity is witnessing an

unimaginable enemy together. What you have just seen is the proof,
fact, and enemy of all of us.
‘The low is not bad.’
-The Three Kingdoms Alliance was not launched to disturb the

continent, destroy order, or cause war. It’s the opposite. It is to protect
all living things on the continent, humanity, heterogeneous races, the
land given by the Goddess, and all who live on it. I think you’ve just seen
the magic hologram just before. What you’ve seen for yourself is never
false or manipulated. It really happened, it’s a nightmare that fell on
Laios months ago, and it’s an ordeal that we must overcome together.
‘Yes, that’s right. Absolutely.’
-There were still demonic forces crouching around the continent.

People like Jin Qing, who caused the Laios crisis and succeeded in
summoning the Demon Lord, are still looking for opportunities
everywhere. Of course, our State was no exception. The State
remembers. The numerous things that the demon worshipper Ito Souta
has caused… the State remembers.
Still, thinking about what happened then made my heart ache.

CHAPTER 377
-It’s not just in the State. There are already demonic minions hiding in
each kingdom or continent. Like Ito Souta, the demon worshipper of
the State, and Jin Qing, the demon summoner of the Republic, they are
disrupting the continent’s order with their own purpose. Even at this
moment, the forces of darkness continue to consume light and the
continent. They are moving to use their power to achieve what they
want. This situation is the picture they wanted. Everyone, please open
your eyes. Don’t be fooled by the demon’s voice and look at what really
matters.
Naturally, I looked at the top of the city wall with serious eyes. There
were eyes that were already moist. It seemed quite plausible, even if I
were to think about it.
The light that gently wrapped around my body added a sense of trust to
what I said.
‘As expected of Light Kiyoung.’
Even if I thought about it again, I wanted to say that this was a real
game-changer, now that I had gotten the class as Alchemist of Light.
It would have been less persuasive if it had been ugly darkness

surrounding me while talking about this.
-What they want is the destruction and fall of the continent. They want
to take away your family, the place where you live, everything you have
to protect. Your enemy is not humanity, but the demon and its minions
who have put you where you are now. The Republic’s current regime,
whose roots have been rotted by demon summoner Jin Qing, is the
target of your sword.
No one would disagree that this was a fact, all without a lie.
-Please throw away your weapon. We need to hold hands together and
face a greater threat. We need to root out the demon, including the
demon summoner Jin Qing. We must protect our living base and take a
step forward. Con licts between nations and ethnic groups must be
abandoned, and everyone must take a step forward. It is time to make a
decision toward the light. Why are you there? What did you go to the
battle ield to protect? Are you in place to protect what? The Three
Kingdoms Alliance is not your enemy, but your ally. It is time for all who
live on the continent under the name of light to gather strength. Please
make a decision.
Make it or not.
-Stand up. Do not be swallowed up by the dark, but get on board with
the light. The continent can become one under the name of light.
Of course, I could see the elf looking at me. It looked like she had been
quite impressed.
The situation was similar for the enemy camp.
The Republic soldiers, who had already been agitated since the
Goddess’ Mirror popped out, were in luenced by the soft light that I was
emitting.
The command team tried to respond as much as possible, but they were
all a step too late. Before entering the full-scale wordy warfare, I
thought I could say one more word.
-The power of darkness is too great. The power of the Three Kingdoms
Alliance alone cannot save this continent. A small candlelight cannot
light the darkness, but I could realize from the experience of the Laios
crisis that a group of people could light the darkness. You are the candle
that can light up the darkness. It is a light that can illuminate the
darkness for everyone, whether the ones with strong force or those
fearful of the sudden war.
It was then that a loud voice had come from the other side.
-It is fabricated evidence that the Jin Qing military is a demon

summoner. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, who jokes with the
continent and stands out as a puppet of the State, is the continent’s
achievement. The Laios incident is also his own play and what he
propagates through the Goddess’s Mirror…
-What you believe is a hoax. It is a hoax to cry out for justice without
solid evidence. Believe what you see with your own eyes. Believe what
you see, not what you hear. Whom the unimaginable powerful demon
calls to be his contractor? Who was the one who brought great despair
and danger to Laios? Who is the one who refuses to come out and
refuses the trial enforced under continental law? Perhaps you don’t
even know that the Three Kingdoms Alliance has been formally put to
trial. Think again. Ladies and gentlemen, who have been holding his
breath in the safest place since causing all this confusion! I am standing
in front of you now. Unlike Jin Qing, the demon summoner, I’m standing
here to talk to you!
-Don’t be fooled. Not everything seen through the Goddess’ Mirror is

true.
-Look at you now. Can you say it’s not true either?
I wanted to send a thumbs up to Jung Hayan, who immediately turned

the camera at the signal I gave.
What the magic hologram was now showing was the spokesman for the
Republic. Instantly, a startled face was re lected in my view.
‘Is she Russian?’
It wasn’t clear whether she was a foreigner or Russian, but when I

checked with my Mind’s Eyes, the needed information poured in
immediately.
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Yev Karina.]
[Name: Yev Karina]
[Age: 34]
‘Russian.’
I felt that I didn’t even need to see the other side.
She looked like a non-combat type in the irst place, and it was hard to
say that her stats were also transcendent.
It wasn’t as terrible as Lee Jihye, but I thought it was likely that she was
a wizard capable of self-amplifying voice ampli ication magic, probably
from the Jin Qing line.
Her irritated face even looked a little cute.
It was obvious as to what she was actually thinking. I could already

predict what she was about to say.
‘Something like denying the frame of light and darkness.’
Or…
‘Or try to turn it upside down.’

Either way, she would soon be reborn as a demonic of icial, anyway.
***
-Look at you now. Can you say it’s not true either?
‘Why am I here?’
I had no choice but to question from inside.
I heard that the current location had not been con irmed, but the
command’s judgment that it would be located in the State’s capital or
Lindel had collapsed.
‘No. Still, nothing changes.’
Instead, it was better. All forces were currently blocking Eberia.
If the operation was successfully completed after the Siege of Castle

Rock begins, the overall war situation became even more advantageous.
Lindel, then the capital.
This war was on the verge of victory. The problem was that many
people, including myself, were feeling pressured by the current
situation.
‘I have no choice but to deny it.’
It was not all, but it was enough to see the soldiers confused.
The Republicans, in particular, were imbued with uncertainty. Some

foreigners were also confused.
Of course, I thought they had to be. The previous video was that
shocking. Ordinary black wizards usually ended up calling a lower or
intermediate demon.
I had never seen or heard about a transcendental monster full of malice

that it was even fearful of being faced. Even though I didn’t see it in
person, my whole body was trembling, so I wouldn’t need another
expression.
‘That kind of thing… exists on the continent?’
If the demon lord’s image that was being re lected in the Goddess’
Mirror was really true, I could understand the ridiculous story
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was mourning.
The vain story that there was darkness targeting the continent.
However, if I were to think about this place as a standard, it was not

really an empty story.
Anyone with an adventurer title would know how dangerous the

malicious beings hiding all over the continent were.
Of course, I believed in Jin Qing. However…
‘Even if that video is manipulated.’
It doesn’t change the fact that it’s destructive.
Having heard of the detailed situation, I could not escape the growing
seeds of doubt. What if Jin Qing really was a demon’s servant?
What if most of the people of the Republic were really being deceived
by Jin Qing?
What if that Honorary Cardinal was chosen by the light?

If the purpose of the military was not consistent with that of the
Republic… Demon Worshipper Ito Souta, Demon Summoner Jin Qing…
I started to doubt this a little more. I had to admit that he was already
deeply involved.
‘It’s a lie. It’s de initely… fabricated.’
I knew nothing good would come out of questioning, but strange

thoughts kept popping up in my head. What I needed to do in this
situation, however, did not change.
The Republic, including myself, had already gotten their second wind,
and it was impossible for ordinary people to resist it.
‘I’m doing what I need to do.’
I needed to comfort the soldiers and to respond to the Honorary

Cardinal’s words.
I had long thought about it, but I still acted instantly. As soon as I
exhaled and opened my mouth, a loud voice began to be heard.
My re lection in the Goddess’ Mirror looked uneasy even when I saw it

for myself.
However, this was for the best.
‘It’s propaganda, and it’s a tactic. Let’s never have questions.’
-Everything is enemy propaganda and tactics. This is a deceit tactic to

defeat the allies’ morale. Oh, it wasn’t Jin Qing who summoned the
demon. The Honorary Cardinal of the State was the one who caused the
crisis. It is an elaborate script created to start this war and a ploy to
take the Republic! You must not listen to them. They are the real
demons. Those who deceive and agitate the people are the demons that
should not be settled on the continent. We must remember how much
blood has been shed because of the riots in the name of sacred
democracy.
‘Right.’
-This is a self-written play using Laios people’s lives as collateral to

attract the neutral country of Laios to them. The demon summoner is
not Jin Qing, but the State’s Honorary Cardinal and the people with him!
‘Is it really? Wouldn’t it be okay to say that those who risked their lives
to protect Laios were really the ones who summoned the demon?’
It wasn’t acting at all.
The large warrior was resisting, shedding tears sincerely, while the
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung and the wizard were constantly
vomiting blood and resisting transcendent power.
‘Was it really an act?’
-Everything… is a trap. It is a self-made play that tries to obscure

judgment. Imagine why the State attempted to attract the neutral
country, Laios. Think about why they were trying to attract different
races. It is this war that they aim for and want. It is the Three Kingdoms
Alliance that denies the Republic with a sword in order to take our
possessions and is disrupting the order. All these situations are what
demon summoner Lee Kiyoung wants! He is the one who summoned
the demon! Jin Qing wouldn’t do that!
It was then that a big, thundering cry broke out.
-What lies are you telling?! I am a clergyman chosen by Goddess

Benignore and Elune, a messenger chosen by God! You servant of the
ilthy demon!
At this point, a divine light that I had never ever seen before came out,
blinding me with its sheer brilliance.
CHAPTER 378
“Are there any other soldiers agitated?”
“There… are not, Karina-nim.”
“How about on the other side? Check it.”
“There aren’t any, too. Of course, it is dif icult to say that the
atmosphere is the same as usual, but the spread of useless rumors is
being prevented as much as possible… Since we are thorough not only
in related education, but also in the speed of admission, there will be no
morale affected.”
‘That’s impossible.’
I thought that this was de initely a lie. The Honorary Cardinal shouted,
all whilst being surrounded by brilliant light. And it was just after I
watched the incident in Laios.
There was no way that soldiers who could not shake off the fear of war
would not be anxious to see that.
‘It wasn’t invented.’
It was a great light that I had seen through the Goddess’ Mirror, a divine
light that was incomparable even to that time. I hadn’t even been on the
continent for a long time, but this was the irst time I had ever seen that
level of divine power. I thought it might be a simple trick, but…
I even thought that he might have really been chosen by God. There was
no need to mention that I couldn’t sleep properly after witnessing that
scene.
If Lee Kiyoung or someone related to him really had one hand in the
demon’s summoning, as the Republic was promoting, no matter how I
were to think about it, I could not understand this divine power.
Of course, not all clergies were good.
However, most clergymen who had reached the stage where he had had
a strong faith.
They served God, prayed for those in need, and lived only for God. The
divine power possessed by the Honorary Cardinal exceeded the saints
of each denomination. It was safe to say that it was equivalent to the
transcendental beings who had left their names in history.
In other words, if he really had anything to do with the demon…
‘It is impossible to obtain the same divine power as now.’
This was only a conviction, not speculation. I didn’t know in detail

exactly with what mechanism the divine power worked, but I was
aware that the demon summoner or those involved in black magic
could not possibly get that kind of divine power.
‘You must never trust him, Yev Karina. Absolutely.’
The words of military commander Jin Qing suddenly came to mind.

However…
‘If he’d rather be honest… ’

If Jin Qing had any purpose, I would have endured and accepted it. I
would have nodded if he had summoned a fearful being for the bene it
of the Republic. If he were honest…
‘What can I do with questioning? He wouldn’t do that.’
Anxiety in the command and control room led to anxiety for the entire
army. I began to anxiously bite my lips. It was then that the voice came
from outside.
“Yev Karina-nim. Senior Bishop Priest wants to see…”
‘Damn.’
If I were to think about it, it was the expected procedure.
“Tell him to come in.”
“Yes. I will tell him as it is.”
Shortly after some time had passed, I could see an old man with gray
hair. He may appear to be a tacky old man at irst glance, but no one
would consider the one in front of me to be an old man with nothing to
do.
Even in the Republic, a religious body exists. Of course, I couldn’t say

that it was the foundation of a nation like the State, but their position in
this society where priests were essential was not entirely small.
The same was true of priests who were serving in the military. Turning
away from their voices was no different than turning away from the
religious body itself.
That was why I did not feel happy with this situation now. I could
roughly predict what that old man would say.
“What is it? Bishop Priest.”
“Ahem… It’s about what happened yesterday, Yev Karina.”
“I have already announced our position regarding what happened

yesterday… There is nothing to say about it. The Republic’s position is
already…”
“Of course, but… there’s something that’s not quite right about it. Could
you dispense the others for a second?”
“No need to do that, Bishop Priest.”
“This is a request.”
“…”
“…”
‘That’s why I didn’t want it.’
I had to exhale because I myself knew the meaning of those words.
“Please go back to each location and check the unit again.”
“Yes. Okay.”
“…”
“…”
“So… May I hear what you want? Senior Bishop Priest.”
“I have to talk to him…”
“I’m sorry? What are you…”

“I will talk to the Honorary Cardinal of the State. If you can arrange a
seat separately…”
“That’s ridiculous. Even if it’s you, I can’t let what you just said slip. To
say you are going to meet him in this situation? We’re in a war. Our job
is to defend this place, and we shouldn’t think about anything else. My
job was to cut off the reinforcements and supplies going to Castle Rock.
It was not my job to have the priest and him meet.”
“Our job is not to win this war, but to defend the Republic.”
“To win this war is to protect the Republic, Priest.”
“Do you really think so?!”
“…”
“You really haven’t thought about any other possibilities after looking at
that just now? His divine power is not a lie. Do you really think he
summoned the demon and trapped Jin Qing, just as he said? Could the
demon summoner, or the one who does what he’s involved in, have that
kind of divine power? Goddess Benignore will laugh. The gods are not
involved in the present world, but they are not just watching, either.
Those who have bad personalities are not given such divine power! He
is a saint, and he is the one chosen by the light. Heavenly saint…”
“He is a scammer! Senior Bishop Priest!”
“How can a scammer show that kind of thing? What we witnessed

yesterday wasn’t what we saw in the Goddess’s Mirror… it was actually
happening, and it was real. There are some talks already coming out
among the priests. In order to appease them, you must arrange a
meeting with Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.”
“But…!”
“How long have you lived in the Republic? Yev Karina, I grew up in the
Republic, and I am still standing here to protect the Republic. I have no
intention to do anything that harms the Republic. I just want to know
something. Whether what we know is the truth… I know that you are
loyal to Jin Qing. I, too, don’t think he is that kind of person. But at least
I want to check it with my own eyes, if he really is the one who has been
chosen by God.”
“Jin Qing is not such a person.”
“It could be a third party’s job.”
“Jin Qing also spoke of the possibility of a third party’s actions. But in
the end, everything was the trap of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung…”
“There is a possibility that this is also a third party’s work. I can tell just
by looking at his eyes. He’s not a great man who would do that. He is a
human chosen by the light. To say that he summoned the demons and
trapped Jin Qing… I would rather believe that the demon has done
some volunteer work.”
“…”
“More than anything else, do you think it makes sense that he was able
to set a trap for Jin Qing, which have never seen the Honorary Cardinal
Lee Kiyoung before? The demon and everything that was there, the
magic that fell to summon the demon… really… you think it was all just
for Jin Qing alone?”
“As a tactic to pressure the Republic…”
“Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung didn’t even know that Jin Qing was in
Laios.”
“How can you af irm that, Bishop Priest?”

“Did you not look directly through the Goddess’ Mirror? All the people
from the neutral country were watching what happened at that time in
Laios. If Jin Qing’s words are true, doesn’t it mean that Honorary
Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was dealing with the fearful creature as a
servant? Do you think that the one who has such power fooled Jin Qing
in line with Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung? Do you think that makes
sense? Do you think that the demon, who could threaten the continent,
listened to a man and played a play only to entrap Jin Qing? Does this
mean that he even had planned and executed it all in a month? It’s not
easy, even if the coincidences were to overlap. I’m just talking within
the line of common sense right now. Yev Karina. If really… if Cardinal
Lee Kiyoung really wanted to confuse the continent, he would have
summoned the demon once again. He wouldn’t have done this annoying
thing. He wouldn’t do that.”
‘Shit… ’
I wanted to deny it, but it was pretty hard to deny. This was because the
Priest Bishop hadn’t said anything wrong.
The reality of the tremendous incident that took place in Laios…
To have played a play to deceive Jin Qing just by listening to a mere

human, even a child wouldn’t believe that. It was more realistic to think
that there was indeed a third party, and that it was trying to separate
the State and the Republic. I know I couldn’t do this, but my expression
had been growing darker and darker by the moment. As I muttered, I
immediately heard an answer.
“How… can you af irm that, Priest Bishop?”
“That’s why I want to talk to him.”
“…”
“That’s why I want to have a conversation. To see what kind of person
he is with my own eyes… and if he is really an envoy chosen by God?
What he’s thinking. And…”
“…”
“If there is a real threat to the continent.”
“…”
“There are many things I want to hear. As he said, we may be thinking

wrong. It is not at each other that we need to aim our swords.”
“The conversation…”
“It’s a request.”
“I can’t give you permission.”
“Yev Karina!”
“I mean, of icially.”
“Ah…”
“I can’t of icially give you permission. If it’s discovered that Senior

Bishop Priest will meet Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung… it will have a
huge impact on morale. There is no guarantee that it will not be used as
a propaganda tactic by enemies. But… I will take action so that you can
meet him unof icially. Of course, that would require their agreement.
First, I will convey our intention. As soon as…”
“As soon as possible.”
“I know. Senior Bishop Priest. Because the war is coming soon.”

I had no idea whether this was right or not. My head had become very
complicated, thinking about many things at once. However, I knew the
reason why I nodded at the proposal of the Senior Bishop Priest.
‘Because I want to know the truth.’
Shortly after, about an hour after sending the letter.
An identical letter had arrived from the Kingdom of Eberia. It was true
that I didn’t expect much. However, the letter of Honorary Cardinal Lee
Kiyoung had implied a perfect af irmation.
[I also want to solve this problem through conversation. We salute the

High Bishop Priest’s determination who is loved by the light and the
concession of the beautiful and noble Yev Karina. -Honorary Cardinal
Lee Kiyoung.]
“So… Yev Karina will be coming, too?”
I couldn’t easily nod to that question.

CHAPTER 379
‘I will remain here and keep my seat.’
‘Will you?’
‘Yes, if you don’t come back within three hours… ’
‘That won’t happen.’
‘No, if you do not come back within three hours, I will send troops right
away. I told you clearly. It’s just for three hours, Senior Bishop Priest.’
‘Okay, I’ll make sure to come back within three hours.’
‘The condition is not to use this meeting for propaganda. You must tell
him. And right after returning… ’
‘Yev Karina, I’ll tell you what we talked about.’
‘Yes, then, please, Senior Bishop Priest.’
‘No, I’m feeling rather grateful. It must have been an unreasonable

request… Then, I’ll be back.’
‘I’ll accompany you to the entrance.’
The conversation I had exactly two hours and 22 minutes ago was
constantly lingering in my mind. Naturally, the thought of whether or
not I did the right thing crossed my mind.
It was certainly not impossible to communicate between the
confronting troops during a war, but this was certainly an exception.
I didn’t even ask for permission from a senior unit for the meeting of
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, and the Senior Bishop Priest of the
Republic.
I couldn’t even imagine them accepting the proposal from this side so
easily.
‘They don’t think it’s a trap?’
From the standpoint of the State, it was certainly understandable to

think of this as a trap. The Republic mainly contained propaganda that
slandered Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung and actually pointed him as
the of icial enemy of the continent.
However, he seemed overly calm, waiting at the meeting place. He really

didn’t look like to be thinking this was a trap. I had only encountered
him for a second, but his quiet smile was still in my mind.
He believed that the Republican camp would not do anything useless.
‘No… why didn’t I go in with Bishop Priest?’
This was an excuse telling myself that I had to stay here. In fact, the
answer was already there.
‘This was because I didn’t have the con idence not to be shaken.’
I must have been afraid that all my beliefs regarding the Republic and
about my values would collapse.
I indeed wanted to know the truth. However, I didn’t have the

con idence to face him directly. Though contradictory, I thought it
couldn’t be helped because I was a coward.
‘It’s also someone I will ight… ’
Looking out the window, I could see the small tent where they were still
talking.
It was natural to wonder what kind of conversation was going on. It was
then that a voice came from the side.
“Will it be ine? Yev Karina.”
“Oh, Jun Weng was here.”
“…”
“It will probably be okay. They’re not going to do anything stupid.

Although it’s an unof icial conversation, it’s a conversation between
priests. The Senior Bishop Priest is not going to do such a stupid thing
either.”
“I see. Senior Bishop Priest…”
“No need to worry. He’s a little stubborn, but he’s someone that the
Republic really needs. He will never do anything that harms his home
country. From his point of view, it’s us instead that wouldn’t look
trustworthy, because we are foreigners.”
“I guess so.”
“Yes.”
“But Karina-nim…”
“Yes.”
“What is the reason?”

“Yes, I honestly don’t understand well. Of course, it is because of Bishop

Priest’s honor…”
“Well, I’m not sure either, really.”
“…”
“I don’t doubt Jin Qing. However, this war has some weird aspects. It
feels like it’s moving according to someone’s plan. Maybe…”
“Yes.”
“Perhaps the Republic started the war. I’m not sure, but there’s a high
probability.”
“That’s…”
“It’s a personal thought. And it’s also the thought I’m suppressing as
much as possible. Of course, even if the Republic is wrong, I will be with
the Republic and Jin Qing. That doesn’t change, Jun Weng, but…”
“Yes.”
“I want to know what the truth is. I don’t want to be dragged around
without knowing anything. That’s why I nodded to the Bishop Priest’s
proposal. I need to know what I’m ighting for. At least, I think so.”
“I see.”
“Has Jun Weng never doubted the Republic?”
“It’s not that I haven’t, but… I don’t think I’ve ever thought deeply like
Karina-nim. Of course, I can fully understand Karina. But… it wouldn’t
be nice to go too deep. Come to think of it, Jin Qing always said that he
worries about such Karina.”
“Really?”
“Yes, he said that thinking deeply is an advantage, but being too

indulged is a disadvantage. And also, because of that personality, he
said that it doesn’t suit the battle ield…”
A bitter smile had been created. My pride was hurt, but I was able to
understand enough.
That was why I was assigned to the guardian rather than the one who
fought. That was why I was confronting Eberia, not Castle Rock.
“You know well, Jin Qing…”
“But that’s why he said you would shine more in a place like this.”
“…”
“…”
“Haha, that’s good news. He was really thinking of me… that’s good
news.”
“There must be a reason why he told us not to trust Cardinal Lee

Kiyoung.”
“Yes. That, too…”
‘There must be a reason.’
“You said that it was for ighting. A little while ago.”
“Yes. That’s right, Jun Weng.”

“Is there not enough reason to ight for those who currently believe in
Karina?”
“Ah…”
At this point, it now felt as if the complicated things were being

organized all at once.
Of course, nothing had been organized. Still, the seeds of doubt were
growing in my heart, and my head hurt because of many thoughts.
I felt like I knew what to do. I had to do my best in the work given. That
was all for now.
Anyway, the battle would take place, and if I were to make a mistake,
many would die. It was inevitable that the soldiers of the Republic and
the soldiers of the State would collide.
Which side was friendly and which side was the enemy had already
been determined.
“I see… yes, I see.”
There was also a faint, unknown smile on my lips. Absurdly, I had

forgotten such a simple thing. Tactic was indeed an ef icient way to win.
It was a way to win the battle while minimizing the damage of allies.
The work to be done was set.
“Let’s get up. Three hours have passed.”
“Yes. Karina-nim.”
After taking a few steps, I could see the Bishop Priest. What was a little
surprising was that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was coming with
him.
Of course, the escorts were together, but the very casual appearance
seemed a little strange.
There were eyes that could be said to be a little torn, a sharp nose, and
strangely red lips. Overall, it was dif icult to say that he was handsome,
but his face felt erotic somehow.
However, when he smiled, a very nice-looking face came into my eyes.
“I heard about you, Yev Karina-nim. Thank you for making this dif icult
decision.”
“No, Honorary Cardinal. Please keep your promise. This conversation

is…”
“Of course, I will not use it for propaganda. To use the way we talk
about God is… I don’t enjoy it either… what do you think? It’s a little
disappointing to just go like this, you could talk with us, too…”
“No, I’ll go back right away. Thank you for being friendly, but as of now,
we’re enemies. Afterward, I’ll meet you once everything is over.”
“Okay, unless any one of us doesn’t die… Yes. You’ve decided that way.”
“…”
“Unfortunately… hmm… no… hmm… it’s really unfortunate. I don’t want

to ight either… I want you to understand our current situation, Karina-
nim.”
“Of course, I understand. Your side… and our side, too. Then see you on
the battle ield.”
“Yes, I don’t know if the meeting place will be the battle ield… anyway,
thank you. Bye then.”
It was no wonder that I could see him slowly turning his back. Even the
voices of conversation could be heard.
“I came out so far as Hyung-nim said, but I hope this will not happen
next time. My heart was beating, but are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be okay? I just trusted. Deokgu, them, and you, too.”
“Well, thank you, but it’s a little embarrassing. It would be better to go

back quickly. Maybe the chase team will follow us.”
“It won’t happen.”
“You trust people so easily.”
The one he was talking to must be the warrior that I had seen through
the Goddess’ Mirror.
I thought that was a familiar face. Although I was interested, I was

forced to turn my head right away. This is because a voice was heard
from the front.
“What should we do? Karina. Even now, rangers…”
“No, we don’t have to do that… we will meet them anyway.”
“Yes, then, I will do so.”
“More importantly, how was the conversation, Bishop Priest?”
“…”
“Bishop Priest?”
“Ah… Did you call me?”

“Yes, how was the conversation…?”
“Well, that’s it. He seemed to be a better person than I thought, so I

spent a little more time talking to him. I’m sorry about this.”
“No, it’s ine.”
“Hmm… You’re still thinking of ighting…”
“Yes, there’s nothing to be done. Perhaps the same can be said of the
Honorary Cardinal that the situation cannot be changed. It’s a situation
where each side can’t yield…”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Instead, have you solved your questions, priest?”
“It’s uncertain to say it’s actually solved, but I feel refreshed. I think I
know roughly what he is thinking… and I think I know what kind of
person he is. If the eyes of this old man are certain, he can be said to be
an envoy chosen by God. No, I can be sure. He is a saint chosen by the
Goddess Benignore.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes…”
“Then the Laios case…”
“He wouldn’t do that. He’s not like that. He’s a man who can’t even lie
properly. He is the one who is worried about the blood that would spill
again… He is someone who suits the expression of a saint. Yes,
absolutely…”
“Still… we are going to ight.”

“I see…”
“…”
“…”
“And the thing in your hand…”
“Oh, it’s wine.”
“What?”
“Have you heard of the sacred wine that only high-ranking priests of the
State can drink? This is what is left after drinking today. He said to take
it as a gift. It’s not poisonous or dangerous, so don’t worry. So, would
you like to go in and have a drink?”
“No, I…”
“I am not talking about getting drunk together. Karina, please listen to

what I have to say for a moment.”
“That’s…”
“Maybe it will be something very important.”

CHAPTER 380
“Maybe it can be something very important.”
For some reason, everything that was unfolding was leaving a bad taste
in my mouth. However, I had to nod slowly. I had to igure out exactly
what they talked about inside.
The disadvantage of the current Republican camp was its ignorance of

enemy information and the in luence of the World Tree of the Kingdom
of Eberia. I had only learned recently that the Honorary Cardinal Lee
Kiyoung had been staying in Eberia, so there was no need for other
expressions. It was stupid to think that this was the only card they were
hiding. If I were to think about them hiding various cards…
‘There may be some information.’
Even in a very small conversation, you could make a lot of guesses. In

order to effectively inish this battle, I needed irst to understand what
the opponent is thinking.
‘It’s not just about defending.’
The issue was how long it would take. In terms of time, there was a high
probability that the war would start tomorrow if it was early, and the
next day if it was a little slower.
Enemy troops must be prevented from arriving at Castle Rock, so they

must be held for at least ive days. Even if the enemies were to arrive, it
must be after the capture of Castle Rock.
“The situation is favorable.”
The walls were solid, and the troops were superior. They were in the
position of a castle defense battle, not a siege. If I induced long-term
battles around the wizards’ physical distribution and priests…
‘They won’t break down so easily.’
They would never fall easily. Soon after a while, I heard a knock on the
door. Who it was was obvious. I could see the Bishop Priest’s face,
entering the room with a slightly complicated expression. It was a dark
face, depending on every angle I looked in. I thought I could roughly see
what he was thinking.
‘He doesn’t want to ight.’
That was probably it. From the priest’s point of view, it couldn’t be
helped.
“What do you want to talk about, Senior Bishop Priest?”
“Oh, nothing special. Perhaps, Yev Karina, you have more you want to
hear from me…”
“You’re… right, Senior Priest. The lack of current information is

undeniable. Which cards do they have on the State’s side? Also, you
have to tell me what kind of conversations you had inside.”
“It was a simple conversation between priests. You probably won’t be

able to earn anything even if you listen. What we talked about was not
about the war in the irst place… It was about peace and coexistence
and a new step. It was about what the Goddess really wants, and it was
also the direction we priests should move forward. There is a difference
between the gods enshrined in, but everyone’s roots are the same…
Haha. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, he said he was an atheist until he
came here. Can you imagine? An atheist… to be an atheist on this
continent!”
“In fact, the place where we came from, there were a lot of people who
had the same idea. There is no such thing as divine power there.”
“I heard there was constant war. On Earth, where the foreigners came
from. What was interesting is that the wars caused by religion also took
up a large number of them. Of course, this doesn’t mean that religious
war doesn’t happen either, but… it would be impossible to compare it
with the Earth. I heard that countless people fought for their religious
beliefs. Fighting for a god who may or may not exist, a god who does not
reveal himself and does not have divine power…”
“Certainly, it happened. No, maybe even now… they will be ighting.”
“He didn’t understand it, but he said now he can understand. Of course,
that doesn’t mean he can understand distorted ights. He said he could
understand the faith of ighting for what he believed in. I think I can see
why Goddess Benignore and Elune made him their messenger.
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, his faith is pure. He is a very clean
person.”
“What?”
“He’s a real priest with pure faith. He knows the road he’s trying to go is
dangerous, but he’s not afraid. He doesn’t hesitate to ight in the name
of God. He even said he was studying Varian’s doctrine… Hahaha. It’s
time to re lect on myself once again. Have I ever fought under the name
of God? Am I quali ied to say I am a priest? About what I’ve done for
Varian-sama so far…”
“You did many things. And the Senior Bishop Priest will still do a lot in
the future.”
“No, all I did was… nothing. I didn’t do anything for God.”

“No, priest.”
“Open the way.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You have to open the way. They have a cause, and we don’t. You have to
avoid ighting. There is no reason for the people of the Republic to shed
useless blood. All he wants is to be one under the name of light. All he
wants it’s to catch the demon summoner Jin Qing and end this chaos.
We have to open the road and head to Castle Rock together.”
“What?”
“I told you we should be with them, Yev Karina.”
“What are you talking about, Senior Bishop Priest? We’re at war now.
Opening the way? That makes no sense… And doesn’t the Priest Bishop
know better than anyone else that Jin Qing is not someone like that?”
“I was talking about possibilities. If he is really con ident, why didn’t he

come out in the continental trial? Why was he consistent by not
answering questions from the State? He’s the demon summoner. I saw
it clearly with these two eyes.”
“I think you are drunk. I’ll listen to that tomorrow. Please go back now.”
“I’m not talking nonsense, Yev Karina. I saw it clearly! He said he

received divine revelation! He’s the demon summoner… He has to get
the proper Inquisition trial.”
“I told you I thought you were drunk! Bishop Priest!”
“Jin Qing, didn’t he say he was the demon summoner?! Yev Karina!”
“If you talk about useless things anymore, I will rule it with military
law!”
“…”
“…”
“I’m sorry… It Looks like I got excited for a moment…”
“Phew… No. I can fully understand you…”
“Would you have a drink with me?”
“I’m ine, priest. My head hurts, so just go back. And what happened
today will be posted regardless. No, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything.
Please, think again.”
“Okay… Okay.”
“I didn’t say much, but I respect the priest a lot. I want us to meet him
with a smile tomorrow.”
“…”
As I watched the priest walk away, his drooping shoulders came into
sight. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what conversation they had.
I bit my lips tightly. I looked at the wine on the table. Naturally, I took it
without knowing it. But soon, I had no choice but to throw the glass
that the Bishop Priest’s poured to the loor. It was because I realized my
choice had been a mistake.
“Fuck.”
And…
“You should have drunk that drink, Yev Karina.”
I turned to the place where the voice was heard in an instant, and what
I see through the cracks of the dark was the old man with gray hair. His
eyes were full of madness, and an unknown hostility lay in his face.
Naturally, I started chanting a spell.
However, the moment I saw the dagger in the hand of the old man who
ran into me suddenly, sudden fear and disconcert hit my mind. It didn’t
mean I hadn’t been through this kind of situation. However, the unusual
appearance of Bishop Priest made it dif icult to think about other
things.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
“You should have drunk it! The sacred wine I handed you!”
“This… This crazy old man!”
“I’m crazy? You think I’m crazy?! The crazy one is you. You bitch,
servant of the ilthy demon!”
“What… are you?!”
“Do you think we don’t know the plans of the demon worshippers?! A
plan to summon the demon once again to Castle Rock?! Do you think we
don’t know you’re trying to summon a complete demon once again by
offering sacri ices to everyone there? When I received the revelation
from Varian, you thought I would be deceived by obvious means!”
“This is bullshit!”
“I saw it! I saw the future, and I’m actually experiencing it! I also
received a revelation! Varian’s revelation saw the Republic become a
sea of ire! What you guys are trying to do in Castle Rock! I realized it
all, this stupid thing! I realized why you were going to start this war!”
“This… Let go of me!”
“Do you dare try to harm Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung? Are you
trying to harm him, knowing that he has been chosen by God?! He is
Varian’s son, and a chosen messenger! A mere demon’s servant like you
can’t do anything to him!”
“Crazy… old man!”
It felt like my mind went blank instantly. I struggled, but once again, it
was dif icult to speak out because of the metal stuck in my stomach.
“I will ight, too. To protect the people of the Republic, I will ight to
repay Varian’s expectations! I will be with Honorary Cardinal Lee
Kiyoung!”
My vision became blurred. However, it was no wonder that I thought

that I should hold onto my mind properly. Stuttering, as I reached out
my arm, something of an unknown shape was caught in my hand. I then
hit his head with it.
When the Bishop Priest fell to the ground, my body was released from
his restraints, and I heard him gasping. I didn’t know what had
happened, but what was certain now was that Bishop Priest was not
normal. Looking ahead again, I saw that his broken head was rapidly
recovering with divine power.
“You inally revealed your true color… You dirty demon’s servant.”
“No… I’m not that…”
“This dirty bitch!”
“I am not that!!!”
Once again, I struck the object in my hand at the priest who stretched
out his dagger. I felt a dull sensation for an instant, but my body, which
had already swung in fear, was now out of his control. To survive, I let
go of reason to survive.
“I’m not!”
“Ugh!”
“Demon’s!”
“Gasp…”
“Servant!”
“Gasp!”
“I just want to protect!”
“Ahhh!!”
“The Republic! I just want to protect Jin Qing!”
“This… dir… ty… serv…”
“Just die!”
“…”
“Die! You traitor!”
“…”
“Dieee!!!”
Something sticky splattered on my face. As I leaned down my arms
without strength, what was in my hand had come into view—Varian’s
statue.
It was a statue of Varian-nim, whose sword and shield was covered with
blood. The reason was unknown. However, looking at the statue,
somehow, I laughed. It was then that a huge sound came out.
Baaaaaannngg!
Before even knowing what happened, I could see the soldiers’ faces
coming in to report turned pale.
“Yev Karina! Interracial coalitions are locking to the walls… what… w-

what have you done…”
“…”
“What have you done?!”
There was no way I could answer. My whole body was losing strength.
‘As expected… Jin Qing… was right. Jin Qing… was right.’
It felt as if the voice I heard before was echoing in my head.
‘You must not trust him, Yev Karina. Absolutely.’
“As expected… Jin Qing… wasn’t wrong…”

CHAPTER 381
HOLY WAR (1)
‘It’s not going as planned.’
-Die!
-…
-Die! Traitor!
-…
-Die!!!
‘Savage… So, so savage.’
Yev Karina looked virtually like a demon’s servant through the Goddess’
Mirror.
Striking the head of a revered priest in the Republic with the statue of
Varian, she would look like a psychopath killer to anyone’s eyes.
I knew it would not be hard for people to believe that she was a
member of the brigade from the irst round. No, not only the brigade.
No one could deny that she indeed looked like a demon’s servant. Even
Belial would laugh out loud if he were to witness this scene.
‘That’s a good stuff, good stuff.’

Not only were her face and clothes covered with blood, but her hair was
in a messed up craze.
This was no different than a criminal caught in the act.
In fact, it was a little different from what I had originally intended, but
this wasn’t all that bad, either. If it were as it was, the Bishop Priest’s
death, who had been moving for justice, would not have happened.
He would be useful, too.
‘The Senior Bishop Priest moved too early.’
It seemed that the sacred wine did not it the taste of the Senior Bishop
Priest.
I had explained that it was an urgent situation, but I hadn’t expected

him to move in such a hurry. I had refrained from using this tactic as
much as possible because of this kind of side effect, but…
‘Since she was someone quali ied I met after a long time… ’
It would be unfortunate to send him off empty-handed.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t worried, but the result itself wasn’t bad, apart
from what I had been worried about.
Anyway, the enemy’s commander was almost dead, and the Republic’s
soldiers had come in at the right time.
This meant that confusion could not possibly be avoided.
The Bishop Priest’s desperate martyrdom would soon spread within

the unit.
Everyone would see the truth through the Goddess’ Mirror, even if they
were to try to hide and conceal the demon minion’s identity, to say the
least.
In fact, I didn’t even need to do anything else.
Even at this moment, several sounds were being heard from the inside.
He must have preached to the priests under his command to some
extent.
‘The priests of the Republic are also quite good.’
I felt stupid upon having looked down on them in the past. It was also
true that I doubted that they would be a little different from the ones
from the State.
However, I could once again con irm that everyone felt the same way
about God. This siege had gotten easier, thanks to the Bishop Priest’s
ultimate sacri ice.
As I looked outside, I could see the soldiers preparing for the ight. I
really wanted to ight together, but I still felt too comfortable within the
safe con ines in the rear.
‘I have to do things like speech.’
Just in time, I started to hear a slow knocking on the door.
As I walked outside, I saw Elena waiting for me. Naturally, it felt like this
was the irst time that I had seen her after a long time.
However, I didn’t show the fact that I was happy to see her.
It seemed that she was watching out for Jung Hayan, and now that I was
about to participate, it was time to get a little serious.
Not surprisingly, I could see her slowly opening her mouth.
“Probably…”
“Yes?”
“You will probably be a great source of courage for the soldiers, Lee
Kiyoung. I’m sorry I gave you a very burdening role.”
“No, Elena. It’s just embarrassing to say it’s a heavy role. This is a place
that should be protected because this place is now my hometown, too.
Rather, I am very grateful for the opportunity to help.”
“Honorary… Cardinal.”
“…”
“…”
“Then let’s go, Elena.”
“Okay.”
As if she had seen Elena slightly blushing, Jung Hayan began to frown,
but she didn’t care much because I hadn’t fully recovered yet.
I always felt good when going up on the platform. As I looked around, I

began to see some familiar faces.
The Blue Guild members who were forced to head into the battle ield
seemed a little nervous.
Others seemed to be determined, but Yoo Ahyoung, who was having

such a large-scale war for the irst time, seemed quite nervous.
Kim Chang-ryul was so calm that it felt a little amazing. Park Deokgu
had some unknown anxiety on his face. Kim Hyunsung looked the same.
‘He seemed uneasy.’
Of course, Kim Hyunsung would think it would be better to go in after

preparing a little more, but now was the time.
The urgent thing to do right now was to support Castle Rock. It would
be counterproductive to argue now.
I thought about making a trap that Kim Hyunsung would approve of,
but I wasn’t con ident enough to gamble like that right now.
I had to keep the troops in front of me as far as I could and head to the
Castle Rock Front. Anyway, the more I climbed the stairs, the more my
vision began to expand.
As a commander in the backline, I looked safe in any way. Of course,

there was no way I could show a relieved expression.
This was the beginning of an important war, and most of the troops
must have feelings that were hard to imagine.
As I slowly turned my head to both sides, I could see those who were
alleviating the anxiety in their own way.
Some were resolutely tying their swords or helmets, while others were
busy praying. Some were holding their colleague’s hand or patting them
on the shoulder, while others were quietly looking at the enemy in front
of them.
One thing they had in common was that they waited for my voice,
standing on the podium.
‘I can feel the pressure.’

I could bet that no one could look at this scene without any thoughts.
As soon as I had adjusted the crumpled clothes and opened my mouth, I

could see the soldiers listening in immediately.
“The most important thing in a ight is justi ication.”
-The most important thing in ighting is justi ication.
However, my voice was not light. The place had become very quiet.
When I opened my mouth again, everyone was listening with rapt
attention.
-Yes. It is justi ication. It is important to witness and face properly why

you have to ight, why you have to lift your sword, why you have to risk
your life, and why you have to take away precious life. We lifted the
sword. We made up our minds to ight, and now we are facing the
enemy. I will ask you. Why did you lift the sword? What is the cause and
justi ication for lifting our swords?
There was no way someone would answer.
It wasn’t a question I had asked to have an answer anyway, but

everyone would indeed be feeling it.
-Why, why are we here now? Why are you facing your fearful enemy
with your sword? Why are you standing here with a lag, knowing that
you may lose your life? I believe everyone knows. Probably everyone is
aware of it. This ight! This ight is for the future! Our good cause is not
who invaded irst or who disrupted the order of the continent. Our
cause lies in the future we should live in and enjoy.
This was correct.
-A future for prosperity among races! It is the future where there is a

perfect harmony between different races and humans. It is a future that
is made up of harmony, not to ight against each other. I am here. As a
human who stood on the other side of the tribe for an immeasurable
amount of time, I am now standing on the battle ield with you. I am
here now to face a common enemy. It’s a small step right now, but it will
soon lead to a big leap forward, and it’s the utopia we need to build
together.
Naturally, I looked at Elena, who was next to me.
The daughter of the notorious Elune and the Bomb of Light potion’s
precious ingredient quietly smiled at me and nodded.
No sentence would probably sound sweeter to her than what I just said.
Of course, I thought it would be the same for most of the other elves.
‘I like harmony.’
-That future is the future for this continent and light. It is not for a dark
continent but a future with light. Benignore, Elune, Varian, and all the
lights that exist on the continent live in harmony.
This was an important speech.
With con idence apparent in my voice, I once again looked straight into
the soldiers’ faces. The divine power that surrounded my body was just
a bonus effect.
Some devout elves’ eyes began to change as if they remembered the

radiant light from the last propaganda activity.
-That future is the future for the things we must protect! It is the future
for our ideas, freedom, and right thoughts and actions.
This was also important.

Of course, it would be standardization, not regulation, but saying that
would not induce the effect that I was going for.
-That future! It’s the future for our future generations. It’s the future for
our future generations who will live on the continent in the future. The
place our sons will live will not be a continent full of darkness. The
place where our daughters will live will not be where humans and
different races point their swords at each other. The place where our
children will live will be where the right ideas and philosophy are
placed. You are here for all of this. We are here for the future we must
protect and for the future we each dream of. Some are here for the
family, some for drinking and singing together, some for the loved ones,
and some for the future with God!
‘Here, I hold my breath and… ’
-We are strong!
And thus, I uttered it.
-Those with cause and justi ication are strong. An army with a cause
and justi ication is strong. We will win! In the name of every God that
exists on the continent, we will triumph. We will win that way to draw
our own utopia.
‘This is good.’
-Let’s take a step towards the future.
All the soldiers stepped forward. There was conviction in their faces,
and everyone held their weapons straight.
-That step is a step toward the future. Let’s ight together. For the
utopia, we draw. For our future generations! For all who live on this
ground! Let’s go!
The shouts burst out in no time.
It was impossible to tell if it was a polite shout or simply to forget fear,

but the noise had grown louder.
Dwarves were acting the same as usual, while the elves were being
unusually responsive.
Numerous troops reworked their helmets in response to the signals of

the commanders of each unit and took one more step.
-All! Advance!
Soldiers crammed themselves into a large battle ield. It was truly a

sight to behold.
-Let’s go together! Those who ight with the light!
‘Someone, pour some light!’

CHAPTER 382
HOLY WAR (2)
Since there were no visual effects that would make this look even more
spectacular, I felt kind of sad. I had really wanted to reenact what my
brain had been visualizing all this time.
However, seeing that there was no response above, it seemed

impossible to raise a hand to either side in a battle like this.
‘You just need to sprinkle some light on the scene, but even that you
won’t do. I’m disappointed, Benignore!’
Though disappointed, I had never heard of transcendent beings in the

sky supporting any individual or group.
Of course, I had experienced it irsthand, but that was an exceptional

case. It was unfortunate, but I also knew it couldn’t be helped.
‘Because it’s not bad even without it.’
The current scene was ideal enough.
This side was the army of light, and the other side was the army of
demons. This was a ight where the good and evil forces had already
been determined.
While looking at the scene with satisfaction, I heard Elena’s voice next
to me.
“…”
The moment she chanted the spell, her enormous divine power covered
the allied forces.
‘Whew!’
If my eyes were correct, it must have been a buff type of divine magic.
The power itself wasn’t that satisfying since Elune hadn’t bothered
helping, but at least we had gotten the buff.
‘She’s too cheap, that Elune… ’
I had anticipated it since she had sold her own daughter, but it was
certainly not like her to not aid in this situation.
In any case, the army of light had begun to get in luenced by Elena’s
divine power.
Elena, who had actually unleashed the spell, had her ears drooped. She
seemed to have exhausted most of her divine power.
The divine power had surrounded almost all of the troops, so it was not
unreasonable to look like that.
After nodding, I had begun to walk again.
Of course, I didn’t mean to stand together on the battle ield. I just went
to the control room where Lee Jihye was because I didn’t want to ight
where an arrow could hit me anytime.
“Let’s go, Hayan. What will Elena do?”
“Sigh. Sigh. I want to watch the battle here. Maybe I could help.”
“You can’t overdo it, Elena. This is not the last battle.”
“Yes, Honorary Cardinal. I will take it into account.”
‘It’s not necessary to take it into account… ’
If, by any chance, it would take a long time for her to recover after
retiring, it would be dif icult to use her abilities in later battles.
The stamina consumed in the Twisted Pond did not fully recover yet.
Having to look afterward, we had to hide and save my power as much

as possible. That was why I hadn’t given other missions in this battle to
Jung Hayan, or to our lovely returner.
Jung Hayan’s mission was to maintain the Goddess’s Mirror with other
wizards, and Kim Hyunsung’s role was to be prepared if anything were
to happen.
I had told him many times not to run wild, so I knew he would obey me
unless a big twist were to happen.
Of course, it was undeniable that if Kim Hyunsung were to use his

strength, we could easily take the victory, but I felt reluctant to expose
his power.
At present, it would be suf icient to cover the battle ield properly.
Of course, it was Kim Hyunsung’s role to take care of the Blue Guild
members.
Thinking that some elves and dwarves would de initely die was
de initely a snobbish way of thinking, but it was what I genuinely felt.
As I put magic power into my eyes, I could see Kim Hyunsung, who
looked around with his sword. He must be trying to keep his eyes on
the location of the other guild members.
‘I think I can be relieved with this part.’
It would be right to put a point that at least one worry could be

relieved.
Anyway, before the proper siege could start, I had to go to the control
room quickly, so I could see a simple tent as soon as I moved.
Opening the installed door and going in, I could see Lee Jihye looking
through the magic holograms.
In addition, I also saw some people of the Black Swan, elves, and even
commanders on the Dwarves’ side.
‘It’s a very good environment.’
The advantage of reading the low of the battle in real-time did not even
need to be explained.
On the large main screen, I could see the entire force, and in other
mirrors, I could see each unit separately.
Of course, there were separate screens for the named ones. It was
correct to manage heroes who could greatly in luence the battle ield,
such as Kim Hyunsung and other Blue Guild members, Elios, and the
dwarves.
If this had been a modern battle ield, I wouldn’t need to do that, but the
continent’s war was way different from a modern war.
It was certainly convenient if one were to compare it to chess.
General soldiers were pawns, and other heroes with different abilities
were bishops, knights, queens, and rooks.
I knew that pawns could be weapons if used well, but the other roles’
importance was not accurate to chess.
What adventurers above the heroic-grade could do was not simply

move a few more spaces.
They lead the troops, take the lead in front of the soldiers, and in luence
the pawns around them, including themselves.
Just like now.
“Come here, come on. Prepare the spirit magic. Implement defense
magic before the collision. The same goes for the summoners under the
command.”
‘Were there summoner elven sisters?’
I couldn’t remember properly.
However, I could at least get a rough spec. Although it was uncertain to

say that they were at the Eight Seats’ level, they had enough level to call
them named.
The existence of a variant that popped out behind their backs in an

instant was sure to be what the elves called spirits.
-Ahhhhhh!
As soon as they began to emit something unintelligible, the soldiers’

defensive magic was de initely different.
It hadn’t been a long time since Jung Hayan was also focusing on the
screen, with her eyes shining as if she was impressed. It was then that
Lee Jihye opened her mouth again.
“The magic of the enemy archers and wizards will fall again. Once again,
we will implement defense magic.”
Her voice resonated within the entire control room.
Perhaps that voice would propagate through the Goddess’ Mirror.
‘The correspondents will send signals to each commander and named

heroes in their own way.’
Those who received the situation before the enemies’ arrows and magic
fell would immediately implement the defensive magic.
‘The tactic genius will like this.’
Of course, Jin Qing was not here. However, it didn’t really matter if he
held the baton or not.
Leaving the tactic genius aside, the level of infrastructure we had was
way different.
In other words, his tactical strategy was not going beyond the board
game level, no matter how hard he would want to try. There was no
need to mention the difference in the system we had—how the whole
force moved, and how we could get the details.
There was no way he knew better than we did.
The speed of delivery of orders from the control room to the battle ield
was also painful to take note of.
‘Because it’s all about having good items.’
The unit command system’s infrastructure equipped with the Goddess’

Mirror was a legendary-grade item that could be used from the rear.
It had near to unlimited visibility, and a communication system that
could be delivered to individuals. It could even calculate the timing of
the enemies’ incoming magic.
Even with these things, if we were to lose the battle, I had no choice but
to doubt Lee Jihye’s qualities. After the crisis once passed, I could see
Lee Jihye looking at me.
“Blue Vice Guild Master, and Hayan is also here.”
“Long time no see, Jihye-ssi.”
“Yes. It has.”
“The current situation…”
“I think it’s good to see it as good. I don’t know why, but the enemy
forces certainly look confused, and ours aren’t. I don’t know the source
or reason, but I’m just grateful. Thanks to that, I think we can go a little
easier. Of course, it doesn’t change that we have to be careful. Do you
have anything to say to them?”
“No. Not yet. I don’t think I need to.”
“I was very impressed with the speech, Honorary Cardinal.”
“It’s an honor to say that.”
“I am more honored, well.”
“So. Are you con ident about this battle?”
“Are you asking if we can win or not?”
“…”
“Or are you worried about how much damage we’ll suffer? I’m sure we
won’t lose. Opp… No, Honorary Cardinal. I don’t want to show
incompetence even though you laid the groundwork like this.”
‘It’s a good attitude. Good attitude.’
It was not just words. It was hard to say this, but she was also talented
in tactics.
The ignorant in me had a hard time understanding exactly everything,

but it certainly seemed that the forces of light were slowly driving the
forces of the demon out.
“Support for Unit 3. Elios is coming.”
‘Good.’
“Elune Knights, stand at the front line. Priests and wizards, assist the
Elune Knights.”
‘Very good.’
“Unit 4 does not climb the walls. Wait. Wait.”
‘That’s it, Jihye. That’s right.’
“The wizards under the 7th unit attack the top of the wall, and the
Varian priests who do not resist will be protected by the warriors who
climbed the wall.”
‘Yolo!’
Gradually, I could see that the walls were getting colored with friendly
colors. The outer side of the wall had been destroyed by the spirits after
a long time.
The dwarves with shields that pushed in seemed dif icult to be dealt
with even from the enemy’s point of view.
They seemed to understand and used the characteristics of the con lict
itself. The enemy didn’t respond properly, and the prepared coalition
was very organic.
‘It’s a magni icent view.’
The other Operations Department members, who were watching the

situation in the control room together, were also quite surprised.
It seemed that they didn’t think that things would go so smoothly.
Of course, some had been resisting from either side.
-Stop them! Stop them from coming up! We can win by pushing them as
far as possible.
However, he also soon had an arrow stuck in his forehead.
-Ahhhhhhhhh!
After him came some other general soldiers.
-Gasp. Help me. Help me…
-Mother. Moth… er…
-What are the commanders doing?! What are the priests… Gasp!
-Help me. Help…
-Support! Support! Priests! Where are the priests… Cough.
Most of them died in confusion.

Of course, they had to be. There was an absence of a commander.
Of course, after Yev Karina, someone must’ve taken over immediately,

but the confusion remained unchanged.
Since the priests woke up, there must be a problem with the retention
power itself. Among the various anxiety factors, it was probably
psychological that was the most problematic for them.
With doubts in their minds, it was, in itself, absurd to hold the sword
whilst thinking about whether they were being played by a demon’s
tricks.
Most of them would simply wield a sword to survive.
This meant that no one was as easy to deal with as an army ighting
with the devil in the brain.
“An army, with justi ication, is strong.”
The sight of the forces of light striking the forces of the demon was
de initely pleasing to see.
CHAPTER 383
HOLY WAR (3)
Most humans had fragile states, especially those in situations that soon
became a war.
There was no way ordinary humans could endure prolonged situations

where they had to kill and watch each other die.
‘That’s why it’s important.’
The cause and justi ication of the war became more and more
paramount.
Fight for God.
Fight for the country.
Fight for the family.
That was why they had taken it upon themselves to educate their minds
on matters of war. The same was true about the “we are right”
justi ication.
There was a distinctive difference between ighting to defend and

ighting to invade. In their case, however, the cause had been lost.
The central commanders screamed their hearts out with their sense of
duty, but there was no possibility for such a cry to get into the ears of
ordinary soldiers.
They had doubted the purpose of the war from the beginning.
They pondered whether the demon summoner was simply deceiving

them, in which case it would have been like having the devil live in their
brains. It was better to shoot arrows in fear. Some screamed as they
attempted to get out of the situation– people who weren’t as bad as the
others.
Many of them had given up on ighting.
The more they went on the defensive, the worse the situation got. That
was how powerful the visible effects and facts became.
The scene re lected by the Goddess’s Mirror perhaps was enough to

confuse them even more.
-Die!
-…
-Die, traitor!
-…
-Dieee!!!
The scene where Yev Karina beat the Bishop, revered by the people of
the Republic, with a statue of Varian, was one of the main focuses of the
propaganda.
Even though allied troops were already invading, the soldiers of the
Republic continued to stare at the sky blankly.
The prior footage had been deleted, causing most humans to focus on
the scene rather than the context.
Why did Yev Karina, the demon servant, kill the Bishop?
Rather than asking such a question, they chose to focus on the situation
in which she smacked his head.
Some people would think humans weren’t that stupid, but based on the
extreme articles, news, tabloids, and modern people who got caught
making a fuss, I felt like that wasn’t the case at all.
Moreover, the people of the Republic were not familiar with tabloids. It
wasn’t worth mentioning that the effect was bound to be even greater.
That was a battle ield with never-ending screams and howls.
Leaving Lee Jihye behind as she constantly gave out orders, I looked
around quietly until I saw the Blue Guild members working hard.
Watching them move ef iciently and working together smoothly, I felt

proud.
Among them, Park Deokgu stood out a little, not because he was active.
Rather, it was the opposite. It felt like his movements weren’t the same
as before.
He raised a shield and climbed on top of the wall, but it was noticeable
that he was displaying subpar performance. He sometimes looked
around with widened eyes, unable to concentrate on the battle itself.
Yoo Ahyoung showed better performance, so there was no need for

other expressions.
-Deokgu. Front! Front!
-I-I know!
-Help… help me…

-……
-You have to move. Deokgu! Deokgu! You’re not in bad condition, are
you?
-It’s not that, but…
-The order has been given. Unit 4 has started to come up.
-Can we move now?
–Y… yes. I think… that would be better…
He was de initely hesitating. He was unable to adapt to the horrors of

war.
He couldn’t take his eyes off the enemy soldiers crying out for help or
crying out for their mother.
‘Sigh… This bastard.’
I bit my lips tightly. I never thought he would show such ridiculous

behavior.
I didn’t expect him to get used to it completely, but I felt like a fool who
had said he would at least adapt to it a bit.
I thought about whether I should make him return right now. If he

wandered around like that, he could be hit by a stray arrow.
After raising him like he was the apple of my eyes without

compensation, I felt like I was watching my own son get stuck in the
corner of a room.
Just as I kept muttering to myself about his confusion, I suddenly

realized that I hadn’t been paying attention to him at all.
‘This bastard… Did he even gain any experience?’
I slowly searched through my memory.
However, no matter how many memories I recalled, none of them were

scenes where he gained battle experience.
He must have seen a lot indirectly. However, he had never used his ists
in an actual battle.
When I irst started sparring with Yoo Seok-woo, he had his eyes closed
tightly, and whenever something similar happened, he quietly avoided
watching it.
It wasn’t that he had never collided with humans. It was just that he had
never inished them directly.
‘I don’t think he’s ever done that.’
Honestly, I was a little disconcerted. As long as someone had entered

the continent, anyone would experience it at least once.
If they were lucky, they would see it in the tutorial. If not, they might
see it after entering the continent. Even if it wasn’t against another
human, it could be against humanoid monsters and criminals or
thieves.
However, in my memory, Park Deokgu had never had any similar

experience before.
I felt stupid. How could I not notice that about the soft-hearted man
earlier?
He stood out, looking hesitant despite being able to push a little further
forward. It was evident that he was going easy on them. Watching him, I
began to get worried.
I knew how weak that pig’s mentality was despite his strong facade.
-Deokgu! Deogku!
-I-I said I’m going now.
-It’s the support!
-O… okay.
In the middle of that hectic battle ield, watching him stupidly turn his
gaze to the other side made me feel frustrated.
Left without any other option, I had to point it out to Jihye.
“Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung are…”
Before I could even inish speaking, Lee Jihye nodded and immediately
gave a new order.
“Unit 7, focus on protecting the surrenderers and the priests. This is

your top priority. Unit 7, focus on protecting those who surrendered
from the frontlines and the priests.”
“Order received.”
I continued to watch Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung as they con irmed
their new orders.
-Park Deokgu!
-Yes?
-A new order has been given. The content is different from the previous
one. They want us to protect those who surrendered from the
battle ield and the priests. It’s a top priority.
-Ah. I see. Q-quickly…
-Yes. The location is being transferred. Shall I take the lead?
-No. I think it would be nice for me to take the lead.
-Then do it.
-Careful!
-Oh, thank you. Park Deok-gu.
I was sure I wasn’t hallucinating when I saw his face brighten up a little.
However, the slightly brightened expression soon began to turn into an
anxious one.
He noticed why that kind of command suddenly came.
The original purpose of Unit 7, including Park Deokgu and Yoo

Ahyoung, was not to protect the priests. A different unit was de initely
in charge of their new mission, which had been announced through a
prior brie ing.
The purpose of Unit 7 was to support other units in ascending the

walls.
I said that I would give orders according to the situation through the
Goddess’ Mirror, so he might be thinking that I must have seen his
unsightly appearance.
‘It was fortunate we could afford it.’
If the war were running tight, I wouldn’t have been able to pull him out.
I could only do what I did because the tide of the battle was on our side.
Even though not much time had passed, the demon was already
gradually losing its power.
‘That’s why the priests are so important on the battle ield, everyone.’
I began to wonder if this war had been going in our favor too much.
‘Is it obvious?’
In the irst place, I already thought that the troops and walls blocking
the Eberian front were all looks with no substance.
It was unreasonable for their tactic to be viewed as nothing but their

way to buy time. Their strategy focused on endurance, and it didn’t
seem to be hoping for victory.
That was why there was no support from the other side. No, I didn’t
even have to ind a reason.
The same was true for the masked trash in a situation where there were
nowhere for large numbers of loating troops could be placed.
‘These bastards can’t afford it either.’
The most important thing at the moment from their point of view was
to attack Castle Rock.
I didn’t know if the masked trash abandoned the Eberian front or not.
One thing was for certain: the Castle Rock front was more important
than the Eberian front. If he didn’t protect it, he could be put into a
situation where he couldn’t remove his troops in the irst place. Well, it
didn’t matter either way.
If the enemy commander and priest line were solid, we might have had
to wait and see if the enemies would attack Castle Rock.
However, the result was the opposite. The Eberian front was collapsing.
The enemy commander was shouting for a retreat, and those who were
withdrawing were starting to stand out. Some could be seen
surrendering and throwing their weapons. Priests who risked their
lives and didn’t even participate in the ight were a bonus.
It’s only been eight hours since the battle started.
The battle was gradually reaching a conclusion.
“Then I’ll be going to the frontlines, Jihye-ssi.”
“Yes. Do that, Honorary Cardinal. I’ll inish the job in the control room…”
“Thank you for ighting with us until the end.”
“Yes.”
She didn’t announce our victory.
However, I heard a shout that made my ears ring. The command post
wasn’t the only one that was aware of our situation.
The ordinary soldiers were also aware that victory was on the way.
It seemed that there were many more occupied areas than unoccupied
areas.
Afterward, we would have to recheck the troops, but it seemed that the
damage was small enough for us to consider this a signi icant victory.
‘How did they climb up on this?’
As soon as I reached the frontlines, I was greeted by a large wall.

It was de initely taller than I thought. I didn’t think I could even dare to
climb it after seeing it up close.
As I kept walking, taking care of the soldiers around me, I reached the
place where Deokgu was. The guy with the prisoners and priests in tow
slowly approached my side, but I saw his head bend down when I
looked at him.
He was visibly depressed.
I wanted to talk to him, but the most important thing right now wasn’t
him.
Giving him advice or scolding him could be done afterward. My top

priority was to check if she’s alive or dead.
Initially, that was the Bishop’s role, but I had no choice but to appoint
an agent after his death.
Although the crackling sound and sensation were unpleasant, I had to

smile upon seeing Kim Chang-ryul.
“Is she alive?”
“Yes. Vice Guild Master. She is alive.”
“That’s fortunate. How is her condition?”
“She’s still out of it. We’ve already applied First Aid, so there’s no longer
any harm to her life, and she’ll be able to wake up after she calms
down.”
“Very good. Oh. Let me see her now. Is she in the room?”
“Yes.”
Kim Chang-ryul guided me to the room. No matter the circumstances,
his skills were a blessing.
I wanted to applaud him for his irst aid. I liked the part that he cared
for details I didn’t bother thinking about.
Upon entering the door, I could see the dead Bishop with his head
broken. There was also Yev Karina lying down on the bed.
As I touched her cheek with my inger, I could see her unfocused pupils
looking at me.
“Jin… Qing…?”
“Sorry, but I am the Honorary Cardinal, Yev Karina. Hahaha.”

CHAPTER 384
THE WINNER DOESN’T PAY
THE PRICE (1)
“Jin… Qing…?”
“Sorry, but I am the Honorary Cardinal, Yev Karina. Hahaha.”
Her colorful expression was quite interesting.
She looked unfocused, still, and was struggling with comprehension.

However, as she regained consciousness, she realized that I wasn’t Jin
Qing.
Her startled face was quite amusing.
‘Do we really look alike?’
Our appearance was different, but our body shape was similar, so it was
also understandable.
Since it hadn’t been that long after she got up, she should’ve still been
dizzy, and considering that Kim Hyunsung almost misunderstood me as
the masked trash, our silhouettes must’ve looked alike.
The distorted expression she had on her face was only natural.
Instead of looking at the Jin Qing that she wanted to see, she saw me
smirking. It was quite satisfying to watch the look on her face change.
It had been a while since I had seen such a face since I entered the
continent.
In Elena’s case, although she had nausea, there was still an unknown
admiration, along with respect, on one side of her face.
However, Yev Karina’s face was completely different.
Friendly feelings were out of the question. Her eyes were full of
hostility regardless of the perspective I looked at it from.
Yev Karina looked like she was staring up at a piece of trash she didn’t
want to deal with or as if I was a pile of dog shit she accidentally
stepped on.
It hurt a little, but I wasn’t offended at all.
If I had been in the loser’s position, I would have been quite upset as
well, but we won, and winners would always have time and patience to
be understanding and tolerant.
‘Yes. I am generous. Absolutely.’
“Hahaha. That’s a funny face. I don’t think I’ve committed a crime like
that. I’m the one who saved your life, you know. You could be a little
thankful. Of course, you should thank Chang-ryul here irst.”
“…”
“Why are you looking at me as if you want to kill me? Am I not a

lifesaver? I helped you become comfortable. Unlike other prisoners,
we’re giving you special treatment. I mean it.”
“…”
“Isn’t it polite to answer when someone talks to you, Karina? Am I
wrong, Chang-ryul?”
“No. The Vice Guild Master is right.”
“Well, he said it’s only proper to talk to me. Say something. Or perhaps
you’re still not feeling well? Do you need a potion?”
Naturally, I smiled and smirked, but she still refused to respond. She
just continued to look at me as vigilantly as possible. It felt impossible
to get closer to her.
“I think we could be good friends…”
“Ptooey!”
Something sticky hit my face.
“…”
“…”
Kim Chang-ryul immediately tried to reach out to her, but I gestured

him to stop. Slowly, I wiped the saliva off my face.
“Dirty human.”
“Haha. Among Korean proverbs, there’s a saying that says you cannot
spit on a smiling face. Well, I guess that’s not common in Russia. Of
course, the story on Earth is useless, but I am a bit disconcerted as I
was born in a country where mutual respect is one of our foundations.
Where else would anyone treat prisoners so humanely? I’m going to
feel a little sad if saliva is your payment for my gentle treatment, Yev
Karina.”
“Trashy bastard.”
“So. How is Jin Qing, our demon summoner? I haven’t seen him since
Laios. In fact, because of him, I have been through some hard times. I
can’t explain in detail, but that’s why I was in the Kingdom of Eberia. I
stopped the demon enough to break my body– Oh, I think Chang-ryul
may go out now.”
“Will you be okay?”
“Yes. Don’t allow anyone to enter this place until the situation has been
cleared up.”
“I will preach as it is, Vice Guild Master.”
“Thank you, Chang-ryul.”
He looked a little worried, but in the end, he decided it was safe based
on her condition.
I sent out Kim Chang-ryul because of the same reason.
As I nodded, Kim Chang-ryul opened the door. Cheers from outside

soon illed the room.
-It is the victory of light!
“Woahhhhhhhhhh!!”
-This victory was only possible because of everyone’s cooperation. It is

the irst step toward coexistence and a leap toward the future. With the
guidance of the Goddesses Benignore and Elune, the interracial union
has emerged victorious!
“Woahhhhhhhhh!!”
She seemed to be working on propaganda activities outside. The voice

that I heard continuously unmistakably belonged to Lee Jihye’s.
In the meantime, the battle must have been completely completed.
—-{sorry to interrupt, this following part is unedited due to some

unfortunate circumstances… I made this chapter half price for the
inconvenience.}—-
A face mixed with various emotions was a spectacle.
I don’t ever want to be in that position myself, but when other’s make it,
it is a pleasant look every time.
“Well, that’s how the battle ended. The priest of the Republic. Oh, it
would have been a little harder if it weren’t for the priest lying there
with his head crushed. Come to think of it, I forgot to say thank you to
the martyr of God. It’s such a pity.”
“Who would have known that a religious statue would strike him in the
head?”
“…”
“If a person asks a question, it is polite to answer it, Yev Karina. Oh! Just
in case, you’d better not think about doing your stupid skills again.
Haha.”
“Kill me.”
“Why are you asking me to kill? A priest chosen by God can’t do things
like murder easily. No matter how evil they are, a life is a life. Goddess
Benignore is generous to those who repent.”
“Do you think I’m gonna open my mouth?”
“I’m interested in the cheap information you know, of course, but that’s
not what I really want. Yes. What do you think, Yev Karina? How did you
see this war?”
“…”
“If you don’t want to talk, you can just listen. It would have been better
if we could exchange stories. Of course, you don’t have to worry, I won’t
use this for my propaganda work.”
“You scammers. You think I’m gonna believe you?”
“I am not a liar. Of course, I understand the confusion, but if I were a

real crook, would Elune and Benignore have chosen me to be their
representative? How can you call a person who doesn’t even remember
the last time he lied a fraud? I didn’t think you would be scared of a bee.
Oh, but, If you were afraid of bees, you wouldn’t be under the Devil
Summoner in the irst place. Mhh.”
“I know you made this up—dirty bastard. Now I know what kind of
person you are. You’re hopeless trash. Trusting you even a little bit was
my biggest mistake. Are you having fun? Do you feel good when you
fool people and play with them as you please? You’re nothing but a
scumbag piece of trash. Disgusting, you’re looking down at me like this
now, but someday you will pay for your lies. Remember that.”
“Yev Karina thinks of me like that, so I’m just giving you an example
that’s easy to understand. Is there good or bad in this kind of war in the
irst place? The bad guy and the good guy, they’re just two sides with
different ideologies and different interests. Don’t you know that? The
Republic started this war in the irst place.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It is the same for you. You’re like this even though you know that your
side started propaganda activities irst. If I’m a crook, you’re a crook,
too. Of course, I’m a little bit worse off, but basically, we’re of the same
kind.”
“This is crap, crazy bastard!”

CHAPTER 385
THE PRICE (2)
Yev Karina looked dumbfounded.
That was something that she already knew was coming. Even the Senior
Bishop lying over there knew the story. All I did was give her a
reminder.
The winner wasn’t the one to pay any price. That was a universal truth.
It was a simple law. Nothing could be clearer than it.
It meant that even if we tried to cover the didactic morality with all
sorts of words, our lives were destined to lead to that point regardless.
Yev Karina also seemed to agree with my words.
She merely bit her lips as she looked at me, but that reaction was all I
needed to see to know she agreed with me.
Looking back at her, I smiled once more. I knew I had to continue the
conversation.
“Am I wrong?”
“…”
“I don’t think you have any intention to answer. Well, I’ll just accept
your silence as af irmation. Haven’t I told you that already? People like
you and I are the same. If Yev Karina had won this battle, it would have
been me to pay the price. If you thought that way, you should be feeling
a little disappointed right now. Pfff.”
“I am different from you. You… You are trash.”
“Why is your hatred directed towards your own kind?”
“I am not trash like you! Mean swindler bastard!”
“I’m not thrilled to say that I’m a scammer, but it’s undeniable that I’m a
messenger chosen by God, Karina. The divine power doesn’t lie. Haha.
Jin Qing is also a demon summoner. I’m not sure what the difference is
between your lie and my lie that makes you heat up like this. Aren’t you
the same? Have you not sympathized with agitation and fabrication to
promote morale and eventually bring people who don’t know anything
into war?”
I paused for a moment, then continued again. “In a way, you and the
heads of the Republic are even worse. You can say it’s an excuse to
defend my own morality, but you don’t even have the means to
rationalize yourself. The one who picks a ight irst will always be the
one who’s prepared for war, and the one who declared war was you.
Who’s the trash and the scammer now?”
“Stop with the bullshit, trash human! I am not talking about the process.
I-I’m talking about your means to an end. After all, you lack even the
most minimal sense of ethics. Continental laws and war regulations
were not created just to be ignored. Senior B-Bishop is not someone
who would…”
“You are referring to the Bishop, whose head was broken by a brilliantly
dull technique. Gosh. In case you misunderstood the circumstances, I
would like to say I did not act in any way that violated the laws of war. I
just gave a bottle of ine wine as a gift.”
“You know that’s not what I mean!”
“You also know what I’m talking about, Yev Karina. I’ve never violated
any form of war regulation. You know that even if I controlled the
Senior Bishop from behind, it wouldn’t be against the law. It is you who
are irrational. Because you think I’m a piece of shit, you feel like it’ll
improve your situation a little if you try to console yourself with
belittling me. That’s why you’re condemning me.”
“Ptooey!”
“I think that’s how you cheer yourself up. In the irst place, if you
weren’t really like me, you wouldn’t even be in this war. You would be
stuck deep in the woods, devoting yourself to studying ethics. In the
end, you and I are the same.”
“I did it for Jin Qing and the Republic soldiers!”
“Ah…”
“…”
“…”
“Aha. After all, that’s what it was. Hahaha.”
“What? What did you…?”
“I had my doubts, but I guess that’s really it. What you just said is not a
lie. Right?”
“What are you doing now…?”
“Well, all I just said was a joke. You don’t have to get all worked up, you
know. I guarantee you we’re de initely different kinds of humans. I have
to admit that much. You aren’t moving for your own comfort.”
Karina had a weird expression on her face that seemed to wonder what
bullshit I was talking about.
Yev Karina was a completely different kind of human compared to Lee

Jihye and me.
While her unique characteristic and disposition didn’t always tell the
right answer, she and I were still far from being the same.
‘You are a friend with a strong sense of responsibility.’
Her face distorted at my sudden change in attitude. Seeing that she was
reacting nervously, she seemed to realize that she had just made a
mistake.
For example, the sophistry just before was just to make her feel worked
up.
The entire conversation had been manipulated from the beginning to

capture her weaknesses. I needed to ind ways to deal with her.
“You’re amazing. Great. Hmm. It certainly might be. I think I know now
why demon summoner Jin Qing appointed you here. If the war didn’t go
down like this, it would have been quite annoying. You must have
endured with minimal damage to have some form of bene it. Your
purpose isn’t to win the battle ield. I think I know now.”
“What, what?”
“I don’t know if you know, but in the irst place, the demon summoner
didn’t expect you to win. Jin Qing only wanted for you to hold on and
hold the elves. I’m not sure, but I think he tends to avoid battles. It
seems to me that he only wanted to maintain and hold on to this front
until the end of the Castle Rock siege.”
“…”
“You have completely ruined that mission. Well, I can understand why.
You probably didn’t know that I was staying in the Kingdom of Eberia,
but from the standpoint of the demon summoner, it must have been a
shame. Huh? Why are you making such a surprised face? You must have
noticed that the demon didn’t expect much from you. That’s why no
reinforcements came.”
There were more complex reasons, of course. Perhaps Yev Karina knew
that, too, but…
“That’s not it. The current front…”
“I know that there is no room on the frontline. I also know that there’s a
reason why you had to come to this place. I guess that person doesn’t
think of you as much as you think of him. That’s sad. There is nothing
more heartbreaking than one-sided love.”
“No matter what you tell me, I…”
“Yes. Of course, you won’t betray him. Hahaha. You seem to have
mistaken something, Yev Karina. I’m not trying to drive a wedge
between the two of you right now. Just think of it as a joke with my bad
personality. It’s undeniable that you and this force have been
abandoned. It’s true to a certain point! I don’t use low-level tricks that
shake people’s mentality. It’s not an appropriate behavior as an envoy
chosen by the light. Yes. Absolutely.”
“…”
“There is a slightly more rational way for me to do things, but why

would I go through the trouble to do that? And since it already came
out, there was something that Senior Bishop lying down there
should’ve done. I even arranged a seat in advance. It’s an essential one.
Since someone smashed the precious priest’s head, the reserved seat
became vacant. I understand you’re sad about being abandoned, but
you still have to work, right?”
“Kill me.”
“Will you not even listen to what I have to say?”
“I don’t want to know or even wonder about whatever bullshit you’re

talking about. Just kill me.”
“Why do you keep telling me to kill you? You just have to listen to it and
decide.”
“Kill me! Just kill me!”
“There are quite a few prisoners, Yev Karina. There are quite a few
people who surrendered. The same goes for the Varian priests who are
with us.”
“You…”
“Gosh. This is a problem. The fact that there are many prisoners is not
necessarily pleasant to our side. It’s enough to become a force capable
of backstabbing us in case of emergency, and it is also hard to deliver
supplies that will be responsible for many prisoners. I would rather not
have them. I ended up not thinking like a priest. I’m not particularly
knowledgeable, but in Chinese history, I think it was the Jangpyeong
War? I mean the case in which 300,000 surrendered troops were
buried alive. Our demon summoner must know about that better.”
“Son of a bitch…”
“Of course, I’m not shitty enough to do that, but I don’t know how
things will change. If something goes wrong, there may be a situation
where I will hold my tears and make a decision.”
“Son of a bitch! And you call yourself human?!”

“I was just talking about the possibilities. Yev Karina knows that I’m not
going to do such crazy things. There will be a lot to lose politically.”
“Son of a bitch! Piece of shit! “
“Even though I’m the one chosen by God, forsaking those who try to
repent… It must be heartbreaking. If I did that, they wouldn’t
appreciate me in later history books. Above all, my conscience won’t
simply hold up. Still, Yev Karina, I don’t yield.”
“…”
“I never yield. Avoiding it is something any other person would’ve done,

but not me. I’ve made a decision, so it’s up to you to yield. Look into my
eyes.”
I could see that she was avoiding my gaze. Her expression that was used
to be illed with disgust turned into fear very slowly.
“Do you think I can’t do that?”
“…”
“I have told you clearly, Yev Karina. If you reject my offer, I will abandon
half of the prisoners. You will be executed as a demon’s servant, and I
will make the same offer once more after I ind the right person. Of
course, if the successor refuses, I will throw away the remaining
prisoners.”
“You… Someone like you…?”
“Aren’t they forcibly brought, Yev Karina? You have to laugh and send
them back to their hometown. They were brought to the battle ield by
accident, but they are all dear children of other people’s homes.”
She had no choice. Her pupils were trembling as I stared at her. She
looked as if she was thinking about her options silently.
‘I don’t think I need to explain separately… ’
She must have already anticipated what her role would be.
“Should I make the choice a little easier? First of all, I think you should
try to determine if there is a demon’s minion among the prisoners. One-
third of them are highly likely to be contaminated by the demon. These
people have to go through cleansing quickly. Yes. Absolutely.”
“W-Wait a second.”
“Have you made a decision?”
She couldn’t answer. However, I knew she was already half-determined.

CHAPTER 386
THE PRICE (3)
“It’s de initely tricky.”
“Yes, Jin Qing. It is even more so because the walls themselves are
extremely specialized in magic defense. The barrier of the shaman of
the State is also…”
“It won’t be that easy to attack.”
“Yes. There is no other answer except for an all-out siege. The story
would be different if we could deal a strong physical shock to it, but it’ll
be dif icult to destroy the wall itself unless something like a dragon
arrives. If the supply situation inside Castle Rock wasn’t acceptable,
then it might take more time.”
“It would have taken far too long. How’s the state of our troops?”
“The damage is less for a few knocks on the gate. They, too, are saving
arrows as much as possible…”
“Castle Rock is important.”
“…”
“But not important enough for us to use everything on it. The Eastern
Front isn’t the only road to Lindel or the capital. The Celia front had also
been completely pushed back yesterday. The same goes for Dawan.”
Castle Rock was vital, but it wasn’t valuable enough for them to pour
out everything they had on it. In other words, the Castle Rock Front was
a pie that everyone could drool over.
I was deeply impressed when I thought of the time I had accumulated

to turn this signi icant and essential front into the perfect bait. It had
been designed so that not only enemies but also even allies wouldn’t
notice the grand scheme at play. The large painting made me refreshed
my memory about how brilliant Jin Qing was.
Anyone who observed the troops’ movements or the current front on a

large map would’ve assumed that the Republic was aiming for Castle
Rock.
Even during the numerous wars in the past, Castle Rock had always
been a formidable wall against the Republic and an impenetrable
fortress for the State.
Even when all other eastern fronts were attacked, it was never possible
to obtain Castle Rock, and historically, Castle Rock became a symbol of
sorts.
‘If we pierce… ’
On the contrary…
‘If they don’t go through… ’
That was the kind of situation that always revolved around Castle Rock.
Of course, I couldn’t dismiss it as a simple symbol.
Still, Castle Rock was one of the crucial strongholds between the State
and the Republic, and the bene its of obtaining the place were beyond
words. That was why the named ones settled to protect Castle Rock
when troops had been pushed into the Eastern Front.
Three out of the Eight Seats of the State always stood to protect the
small castle.
That wasn’t all. The main troops the State was proud of also laid coiled
within Castle Rock. Naturally, the quality and quantity of the forces
invested in other regions gave relatively more investment than focusing
all of them on one side.
Castle Rock had become harder, but less critical areas had indeed
become softer as a result.
The way he saw them wasn’t big but relatively invisible. We had cut off
supplies to Castle Rock and reinforcements coming from other regions.
Other than the eastern front, we scored points and even gave out some
of the areas.
One could be seen as a small amount, but collectively, it was by no

means a negligible number. It was clear that the opposite side would
think the same thing, but I felt I had no choice but to follow the
Republic’s intentions.
They knew that when Castle Rock became open to them, Lindel would
be next, and then the capital. I knew that this condition would persist
unless there were other variables.
‘Right. Unless there were other variables.’
However, when I had recently recalled the state of Eberia, I had no

choice but to bite my lips tightly. It was because no letter came after the
full-scale battle had begun.
There was no news, so our main unit also sent a separate

reconnaissance team.
Of course, I knew that this was an overreaction.

It was hard to communicate with each situation in a place where the
communication system hasn’t been properly developed yet. There were
only reports on each area’s overall condition, but I thought it couldn’t
be helped because of the distance.
‘The correspondents may have been caught. Or maybe it’s because I

really couldn’t afford it. Regardless, there won’t be anything special.’
I hoped there was nothing special about it. My anxiety still rose, though.
As I shook my head once more and looked next to me, I could see a man
with the same expression as myself.
Upon seeing the man, I immediately noticed the unknown emotions

that were smeared all over his face. I knew I had to comfort him.
“Y-You don’t need to worry, sir. Even if he is on the Eberian front,

nothing will change.”
I had been telling myself the same thing.
“I’m not worried, Katya.”
“You have such a dark expression, Jin Qing. The Operations Department
believes that the Eberian front will not be easily pierced. I think the
same. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is just a scammer. He’s someone
who can’t do anything but deceive and agitate, wasn’t that what you
said? Of course, I expect that it could be a little more different
depending on the variables, but my sister will never fall out of the way.”
“Yes. I know. I try to think so.”
“I’m also… worried. If I say I’m not, it would be a lie. In fact, that’s why I
tried to stop her. Still, maybe! Maybe! She must have known your will as
well. She also understood because she decided on her own. Trust her
and wait for the results. She will surely give you good news.”
“Of course she would. Katya, are you okay?”
“I am okay. I believe she’ll be able to get through this.”
Honestly, uneasiness had started to arise from within me.
However…
‘She will be able to persevere.’
I knew her better than anyone else.
It was dif icult to say that the walls would be penetrated in a short
period of time due to the structure of the military. The ratio of priests
was high, and it was the wall where the Senior Bishop was located.
She was soft-hearted and couldn’t work hard, but considering that
sister was also a better person than anyone else, and it was absurd to
think that she would get defeated that easily.
At that point, I felt agitated.
Even at that time, battles continued to be waged on several fronts.
The Eberian front shouldn’t be treated as if it was special. Everyone was

struggling just as much. I thought I had to watch the situation as calmly
and objectively as possible.
‘The role of the Eberian front is only to save time. Right now, it’s better
to focus a little more on the Eastern Front.’
The western front had requested more wizards, and the northern front
also needed more priests.
Although the supply unit had been running smoothly, it was still
dif icult to control all fronts. Every day, countless numbers of troops
were dying.
The Eberian front, which had been quiet so far, had only just joined the
battle.
Just as I was coming into an agreement with myself, the door suddenly
opened, and a member of the Operations Department entered.
“General.”
“You can talk.”
“E-Eberia…”
“Yes.”
“The Eberian front collapsed. T-The exact amount of damage has not
been compiled at this time, but the news is that most of the troops
appear to have been held captive, and the enemy is currently preparing
to advance towards Castle Rock.”
“…”
“…”
“W-What?”
“I-It’s exactly as I said, Katya.”
“H-how? But not much time has passed?”
“I don’t know the details. All of the retreating troops also seem to be
tied up… R-really…”
“Nonsense. No way! Something must have gone wrong!”

Instantly, negative thoughts illed my head.
From the enemy’s point of view, this was a siege. Although the wall had
been built with magic in a short period, it still wouldn’t collapse easily.
If I considered our troops’ size and quality, there was no way they
could’ve proceeded like roasting beans in a lightning ire.
“The battle concluded that quick? No way. There has to be some form of
error. Where are the people who brought the news? Where are the
reconnaissance units that have returned?”
“Now…”
“Tell them to come– no, I’ll go to them directly. I’ll check for myself what
exactly they’ve seen to make them come up with that nonsense.”
“Katya!”
I pushed past in a hurry. I could see the faces of the startled soldiers,
but I couldn’t ind it in me to care.
As I moved to the place where the reconnaissance team was waiting, I

noticed a large crowd had formed around it.
“Where are the rangers? I have to listen to it myself.”
“You can’t come closer, Katya.”
“What are you talking about?!”
“We are currently investigating an item sent from the Eberian front. You
have to wait. It could be dangerous.”
“Step aside! Right Now!”

“It could be an artifact with a curse. For now…”
“No, I’ll check it myself.”
Everything felt hectic. Negative thoughts kept entering my head. My

hands were shaking, and I couldn’t seem to make rational judgments.
It was then that someone quietly came next to me. As I turned my head,
I saw Jin Qing, who had been in the room a while ago. I began to hear a
familiar voice, effectively calming me down a little.
“If it’s an artifact, I’ll check it. That’s an order. Please step back.”
“But…”
“I said it was an order.”
“Yes. Okay.”
Rangers and wizards who could dismantle the trap retreated in an

instant. What came into sight was a letter in an envelope and an
unknown device in a long stick shape.
“General, this is…”
“It’s not the kind of artifact that can cause harm. It’s probably the
Goddess’s Mirror, a magic hologram device, and it has a structure that
seems to discard itself automatically once its use has been executed. I
see no other traps or magical effects to it. You can rest assured.”
“I see. If that’s a magic hologram, wouldn’t it be possible for us to use

it?”
“No. It’s impossible because there is no control tower to transmit video.

All we can do is accept one-sided information. Are you sure this is from
the Eberian front?”
“Yes. To be precise, it was attached to the leg of our carrying pigeon.
Judging by the circumstances, it’s probably a letter from Eberia…”
“Probably a message. If you put in a little magic power and

immediately…”
That was when the general slowly put magic power into the device.
A translucent membrane began to rise above the bar. The image of Yev
Karina, my sister, sitting on a bed could be seen.
Soon, an unfamiliar voice began to echo from it.
-Ahhh. Can you see it? I’m going to start now.”
It was a spectacle to see him sit down while slowly moving to the side.
With her head down, the guy tapped on her shoulder jokingly.
-I hope it arrives safely. Ah… First of all, I think it’s only right for you to
introduce yourself. Right? Could you brie ly introduce yourself?
-33 years old… Yev… This is Karina.
Her head had begun to turn pale.

CHAPTER 387
THE PRICE (4)
No other expression came to mind. I felt like my mind was turning

blank.
I couldn’t even breathe properly. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing

through the magic hologram.
The person on the screen was de initely my sister.
Not only was she bowing her head, but she was also trembling. Seeing
her shedding tears was unexplainable. Naturally, I didn’t understand
what was going on.
Less than a day had passed, and yet the Eberian front had already been
completely ruined. And that damn son of a bitch was patting my sister’s
shoulder.
It would be natural for some questions to arise.
‘This is a manipulation.’
It was all manipulated content, but perhaps I only thought of it that way
because I didn’t want to face reality.
However, I couldn’t think of anything else in a situation where I couldn’t

understand anything. I had to believe that the scene I was witnessing
right now was a lie and that it had all been fabricated.
A quiet voice then began to erupt from the screen.
-Thank you for introducing yourself, Yev Karina. Still, it seems to be a

little insuf icient. It would be nice if there were a way to prove that you
are really who you say you are a bit more clearly. Let me ask you some
questions. What do you usually do in your spare time?
-I… read.
-That’s a little unexpected. How long have you been here?
-7 years.
-What is your favorite food?
-Stew.
-Hmm. I don’t think it’s enough, but at this level, they’ll at least know
this isn’t being manipulated. I would like to have more time like this for
those who still have doubts, but unfortunately, we don’t have time, so I
think it would be better to inish as quickly as possible. Oh, my name is
Lee Kiyoung, 26 years old. I am the messenger of God. My hobby is
studying theology, and my specialty is to pray. Everyone probably
knows my face, right? Yev Karina?
-Yes. That’s right.
-Ooh. I don’t know how many people are watching this. From now on,
the scenes you will see through the Goddess’ Mirror might be a little
provocative. If you’re not ready, it’s better not to look at it. This is a
message to demon summoner Jin Qing, not to others. And I’m just
saying this, but it would be better if you don’t try to duplicate or export
the footage illegally. You know that permission is needed to transmit
from our control tower anyway. Trying to play a joke on the magic
hologram would be meaningless. This artifact is for single-use as well.
Now, I’m counting to 10, after which I’ll go straight to the point. As I just
said, the scenes you’ll see from now on might be too provocative. Now!
Yev Karina should get up and get ready.
In an instant, negative thoughts began to pass by in my mind. Before I

could say anything, the voice of General Jin Qing was heard.
-Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!
“I want others to leave. This is also an order.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I have to check it myself, sir. No, I have to… see it with my own eyes.
Please. Please let me stay. Please.”
“Yes.”
I felt nervous, but I had no choice but to witness what’s about to come.
It was something I had to watch and endure.
-One. Now! Let’s talk in earnest.
“Huh?”
-Yev Karina, please sit again. Haha. Were you startled just now? Hey. I
don’t know if you thought I was about to do something weird to Yev
Karina, but if you really thought so, you’ve been fooled. Even if I look
otherwise, I am someone who was chosen by God. I’m avoiding
immorality as much as possible. There will be no harm done to Yev
Karina. Yes. Absolutely.
-…
-However, I hope that only Jin Qing is watching this magical hologram. It
wouldn’t be bene icial for anyone if many people were to see it. That’s
like inding multiple people reading a secret love letter of yours. Well, it
doesn’t matter at all if you watch it with your friends in the Republic,
but I recommend that you watch it alone if possible. You’ll understand
what I’m talking about soon enough. Yes. It’s precisely what you’re
thinking. It’s just a little, but it’s true that I’m bluf ing.
-…
-I hate getting caught in useless gossips, so I put on my own safety

device. I’d like to point out that even if this video spreads all over the
continent, I won’t lose much.
“Crazy bastard…”
“…”
It made me angry, but he was still right.
Even if the video were to spread all over the continent, it wouldn’t be
able to shake the entire public opinion about what was currently going
on.
-Now, then. Why did I suddenly take a video like this and send it to our
demon summoner? There are two main reasons. If I dig into the details,
there will be a little more, but irst, I’ll talk about those two. The irst is
because I want to tell you that Yev Karina is in my hands. Isn’t it?
-Yes.
-I’m so grateful. Yev Karina has decided to join our Holy Allied Forces.
She decided to repent for her past as the demon’s servant and is now
ighting for the light, didn’t you?
-Yes.
-Yev Karina seems to have been taking care of you for quite a while.
While having a good time with me, things like Jin Qing seem to have
been erased from her mind, but apart from that, I am also worried that I
have stolen the General’s girlfriend. Of course, this is a joke. Don’t take
it too seriously. The important thing is that she currently got on board
with me, so I hope you know that. Now. Yev Karina, please let them
know about your future aspirations as well.
-…
-What are you doing? You have to reveal your future aspirations.
-I, I…
-Yes, yes?
-I repented for my past mistakes of living as a servant of t-the last

demon, and I… was reborn… with the heavenly blessing of the
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. N-Now I will never stand on the dark
side again and will do my best to take the lead of the light side and drive
out the power of the demon.
-A little more irmly!
-I-I have been reborn as a light. I will now take the lead in saving the
Republic’s evil forces, taking Goddess Benignore’s side!
She didn’t mean it. I could notice that much just by listening to her
voice.
When I turned my head carefully, I could see Jin Qing nodding as if he

was thinking the same.
-You did very well, our Yev Karina. Very well. It may be dif icult to
understand, but it has become like this. I’m sure you’ll come to terms
with what I’m saying. Now with the irst subject done, time to proceed
to the next. In fact, the reason I mentioned it earlier is to match the
assortment. Personally, I also wanted to show off my skills. When
sending this kind of message, doesn’t it seem a little too strange if
there’s only one reason? So I was forced to make this feature, as well as
to drive you nuts.
-…
-Of course, the real reason is that this is a declaration of war. The
Republic also declared war on the State, so I think it’s only right to
answer that. However, it’s more of a warning. Our allied forces will be
targetting the heart of the Republic from now on. Together with the
other races currently here, I will advance directly to the Republic’s
capital.
“That’s ridiculous…”
-You might think it’s ridiculous. I think so, too. But what can I do? For
me, it is you who can end the war the fastest. I want to exclude useless
sacri ices as much as possible. All of them are workers who have
worked for God and for the State, so isn’t it a waste to think about losing
their lives this way? Hence, after working hard, I had to make that
decision. But it’s not impossible at all. It won’t take any more than 20
days for our army to stab the heart of the Republic. Yes. It’s exactly 20
days. In the meantime, inevitable sacri ices will have to be made in
Castle Rock, but if we think of it as a sacri ice for a more signi icant
cause, then it can’t be helped.
The State couldn’t possibly abandon Castle Rock. That was an issue that
anyone who had studied military strategy must have already realized.
-It’s only natural for you not to believe me. You may be thinking it’s a
crazy idea and a ridiculous attempt, but I will repeat it one more time. I
intend to go into the heart of the Republic. From here on out, I’ll be
turning the army to cross the eastern front right away. Perhaps, by the
time you’re done watching this video, we’ll be ready to go.
“It’s bluff.”
-It’s not a bluff.
“This is just deceit and bullshit. I know you, Lee Kiyoung.”
-It’s not deception. It’s not bullshit.
“You are scared now. That’s why you’re talking about useless things.
You know you’re at a disadvantage like the chess game we played at
that time, so you bark like a frightened dog. Because you know that if
you act with the standard tactics, you’ll be pushed back. Do you think
this childish psychological warfare can stop me? Does this war feel like
a joke to you? This is not rock-paper-scissors. No one is shaken by the
fact that you put out your rock, you scammer.”
-I am not a scammer. Of course, you think it’s hard to believe, demon

summoner. But I will not bed. I do not yield. When we bump into each
other, it should be you, not me, who have to step aside. I have told you
that I am going to the capital of the Republic. You will come here. You
will send troops to stop me. You will have no choice but to pull back the
forces holding down Castle Rock.
“You will be the one to step aside.”
-It’s your job to step aside.
“I am not moving.”
-I will not move.
“I know this is bullshit.”
-I know you’re nervous because you’ve been beaten.
“It’s because I didn’t know you were a damn scammer!”

-Just because you’re smart doesn’t mean you can’t get backstabbed. The
smarter you are, the more delicious your back is. I know it well because
I have done it a lot.
“Lee Kiyoung, this motherfucker! Don’t mess around! This ilthy

scammer trash!”
-Just like this situation.
“What?”
-I’ve said everything I wanted to say. It would be better to stay away. In

exactly 5 seconds, this little thing is going to explode. Did you think you
could lower your guard just because you can use detection magic? You
should know by now that some magic doesn’t get caught by detection
magic.
“Jin Qing!”
“Damn!”
-Five!
“Right now!”
-Four!
“I will cast defense magic!”
-Three!
“……!!!”
-Two!
“Come this way!”

-One!
“Katya!”
-Baaaaaaaaannnggg!!! Oh, my! Oh, my! I saw everything. You just

linched. Jin Qing! Oops. Our Jin Qing is too naive! Puhahaha! You’ve
been tricked again. Puhhahahahaha!
“This…”
-You’ve been tricked again! Puhhahahahaha! Where in the world would

there be magic that doesn’t get caught by detection magic? Are you
really a wizard? Pfff. Hahaha!
“This…”
-And how much irepower would it have if it only had such a small
catalyst? At best, it would break with a cracking sound. Puhahaha. I
shouldn’t do this, but I laughed when I thought of Jin Qing’s face while
linching.
“This…! This bastard!”
-Bye then! See you in the capital, General.
“I’ll kill you… I’ll kill you… Son of a bitch.”
-I pray that everything you want will come true. Well then. Oh! One
more thing. Hmm… You have been deceived again, Jin Qing.
Baaaaannnngg!
CHAPTER 388
CHEAP PSYCHOLOGICAL
WARFARE (1)
“…”
“Cough! Cough! Cough! General! Are you okay?”
“I’m ine. I haven’t been damaged. It’s just a simple trick. There is no
damage. What about you?”
“Cough. Yes. I-I’m ine, too.”
The smoke caused us to cough nonstop until it had all dissipated.
After the smoke had cleared up, the irst thing that caught my eye was
the soldier’s distorted face. I kept staring at him unknowingly because
of the look he had on him. I’ve never seen him make such a face before.
However, I had the feeling as he did.
My hands shook uncontrollably. Of course, not all of my emotions were

due to my wrath towards him.
The reason for my anxiety laid in my sister’s current condition.
‘Is she okay? She will be okay, right? No, she looked to be okay. She must
be okay.’
She wouldn’t possibly be hurt.

Although she was showing herself to be very nervous, she seemed safe
in the magic hologram.
She was not being treated as a legitimate prisoner of war, but she didn’t
look like she was being tortured, at least.
I was nervous, but it was also relieved. I just had to keep thinking that
she was alive for now.
A voice began to enter my ears as if someone had spotted my worried

face.
“Yev Karina will be ine.”
“Yes…”
“He considers Yev Karina to be necessary, and he thinks that he will

bene it from keeping her alive. He won’t kill or harm her right away. I
don’t know why Yev Karina is working with him, but…”
“My sister is not that kind of person. I’m sure he’s got something on
her.”
“Yes. I also trust Karina. I’m sure of it.”
As we talked, I could see people walking around the door while trying
to scout the situation.
I wanted to talk a little more about my sister, but we had to brief the
Operation Department members irst. I knew what the best thing to do
here was. However, I couldn’t help but feel a little sad.
There was nothing about Yev Karina in the brie ing of Jin Qing.
The only emotion visible in my eyes was the anger I had against
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. It wasn’t unreasonable for me to be
angry, but that was the irst time I saw him so worked up and
distraught.
I couldn’t ind his usually calm and calculated appearance.
He seemed to be maintaining his composure on the outside, but it

showed in his body language. His breathing was subtle.
It was a tiny difference, but it told me all I had to know. He was furious.
Still, he was never the type to reveal his true feelings.
Perhaps the emotion that he was feeling was more akin to betrayal.
When he irst heard the news about the State’s Honorary Cardinal, the
General looked as if he sympathized with him. His pride must have
been seriously hurt as he realized his true identity and was confronted
inappropriately.
Of course, the same was true for the magic power hologram.
It was strange not to get angry even if I were to think of it as a joke and
deception from start to inish.
The brie ing continued despite the heavy atmosphere. They were only
given short information, but they could already deduce a lot of details
from it.
He sighed again as the others nodded to show that they understood.
“Then… if it’s just as he said, Eberian troops are now heading to the
capital of the Republic?”
“No. We can’t be sure about anything just yet. We can’t overlook the
probability that the words a while ago are all deceptive. Personally, I
think it’s all a lie. Honorary Cardinal is just like a stray bullet. He’s the
one who in lates and excites himself. If he’s really heading to the capital
of the Republic, he won’t let us know in advance.”
However, nothing changed. Everyone was still on edge. I was forced to

listen to the General again.
‘He has a point.’
Heading to the capital of the Republic was indeed a ridiculous remark

no matter what one was to think. If I had been a member of the State’s
camp, I would have done my best to stop his plan.
It was impossible to advance to the capital before deciding whether to

proceed or not.
The forces of the Eberian Kingdom had not even crossed the front line
yet.
‘It’s crazy.’
Even if they forcefully push and break through the frontlines, they
would still lose too many troops.
There was no way such an extreme decision was possible.
“Well, then, General. What did the video mean, then?”
“I think it’s to cause confusion. It’s all lies and deception. It’s all just a
manipulative performance, so to speak, like a clown in front of a
camera.”
“A performance…”
***
“So, it’s all a show.”

“I am not sure what you’re talking about, Yev Karina.”
“It’s all acting, what you captured on the camera. None of those were
the real you.”
“Do you even know me well enough to determine who the real me is?
Nothing is as upsetting as pretending to know a stranger, Karina. Oh.
Now I’m pretty close to you to be a stranger. Hmm. Well, let’s say you
make sense, too.”
“The exaggerated expressions, gestures, and provocative expressions

are all false. You exaggerate that you’re going to throw a bold move and
make him think you’re actually going to act on that idea. Did you really
need to do that?”
“Ooh. I know what you’re talking about. Each animal has its own
different way to survive. There aren’t many beasts on Earth that grow
larger when scared. Humans always learn from nature.”
“It will all be revealed soon. No, there is no way the he will not notice.”
“It’s not that predators are fooled because they are stupid. It’s not
because they’re stupid, Yev Karina. What appears to be obvious can
work better than you think. It’s a bit different, but if you ask people to
choose between a beggar and someone with a nice suit to go out on a
date with, a hundred out of a hundred will choose the latter. This is only
natural. Animals often play with obvious tricks. Humans are also
animals. Appearance and disguises are effective. Oh, and to put in a deal
with such a disgusting expression. I’m bald-faced, so the deal de initely
won’t happen. It’s just your face that will be frowned upon.”
“…”
I could see him smirking while stroking my hair. Momentarily, my

whole body had goosebumps, but it was pretty hard to say anything
else.
The current situation was dark as there was nothing I could do except
quietly bow my head.
‘This person is not a stupid person.’
The more I thought about it, the more the idea felt genius in my mind.
He was, by no means, a stupid person. Perhaps Jin Qing, who was

watching the video, knew it better than me.
Since he knew other people’s minds better than anyone else, he was
indeed well-informed. It was dif icult to say that the magic hologram
was just psychological warfare, no matter what.
Every portion of the hologram had a part to play.
From the beginning of the video, it was provocative and forced the
watchers to concentrate.
Treating me like an object, acting like a third-class boss, all of his

remarks were indeed a performance. Deceiving others with a light lie
and making them aware that he could fool them at any time.
He showed off his abilities and confused their minds with useless
sophistry. The same was true for the exploding blank bullets and the
tomfoolery before that.
All the actions, speeches, and provocations that took place were all for
show.
It was orchestrated to convey the words that he would go to the

Republic’s capital. It felt so strange that it made it seem like there was
no room for thought.
‘He’s like a blank bomb.’

I thought that there couldn’t be any better expression than that since it
felt like an understatement to compare him to a mere blank bullet.
No, he was the kind of person to hide actual bullets among false ones.
‘Jin Qing must know. He must be thinking that way.’
“What are you going to do?”
“Well, I think you know the answer already. Honestly, I haven’t decided
yet. The purpose was to confuse rather than convey my intentions. In
fact, you know the situation better than me, Yev Karina. I bet you know
what I’m thinking.”
“No. I…”
“You remember what I said, Yev Karina. I don’t yield, and that’s not a lie.
I have already decided to go in and have noti ied them. All that’s left is
for them to decide how to respond.”
“…”
“I do not yield. It doesn’t matter what they choose to do.”
***
“Don’t be shaken. He is not like a soldier or a policeman. He is a

scammer, a copycat, and someone who knows nothing but deceiving
others.”
I thought he wasn’t such a disparaging opponent. However, looking at

the frowning Jin Qing, there was a bad taste left in my mouth.
‘He doesn’t want to admit it.’
I had to think that my speculation was correct.

I, of course, didn’t think he was off guard or underestimated him. He
wasn’t that kind of person.
“Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung knows better than anyone that his
situation isn’t advantageous to him. I don’t know if he’s familiar with
Castle Rock’s current situation, but the whole context explains it.
Sending me that magical hologram would also be an act to hide his
anxiety.”
“In that case, Lee Kiyoung, what he’s aiming for is probably…”
“The division of forces. Confusion on the command group. What he

wants most is for us to take back the forces currently preparing to
attack Castle Rock. He will be waiting for us to take action in any way.”
“But, General, it is not necessarily impossible for them to head to the

capital of the Republic. Perhaps he’s drawing a picture of going to the
Republic through Laios…”
“It must have been said with that in mind. This is a common technique.
If he didn’t have a way to head to our capital, he wouldn’t have sent a
video like that. It would be correct to think that he said it because it’s
actually possible. I understand that this is a remark that was made with
the Mercenary Queen staying at Laios in mind.”
“…”
“He cannot possibly abandon Castle Rock.”
“Yes?”
“He must have thought so. No, he will abandon Castle Rock and will
eventually come this way.”
“General, that means…”

“…If it had been the previous me, I would have thought that it’s a simple,
deceptive tactic and that his words aren’t worth listening to.”
“…”
“Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will be heading to the capital. I’m sure
of it.”
***
“Then…”
“You already know the answer, Yev Karina. Why do you keep asking? We
are going to the capital. I will abandon Castle Rock.”
“Are you… Serious?”
“I don’t know… am I? Am I lying?”

CHAPTER 389
CHEAP PSYCHOLOGICAL
WARFARE (2)
“Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will head to the capital. I’m sure of it.”
“Do you think that’s possible?”
“He’s a scammer, but he is also quite bold. It’ll be easy to understand if I

were to say that he is someone who knows when to roll the dice. He will
probably cross the Dawan Front and join the Red Mercenary staying in
Laios. If he’s lucky, he’s planning to enter the heart of the Republic with
the Mercenary Queen. Considering the supplies remaining in Laios, he
may have calculated that they can reach the capital. It will be touch-
and-go, though.”
“It’s certainly not impossible at all, but it’s hard for us to understand
that he’s telling us his plan ahead of time.”
“I think he probably knows about it.”
“What…?”
“He’s aware that we’re bene itting from other fronts while using Castle
Rock as bait. That’s why he wants us to remove the troops from Castle
Rock. The purpose of his performance that seemed meaningless is to
give Castle Rock room to breathe even a little. I think we can be happy
about this. It’s like telling us that Castle Rock is in such a bad condition
that he needs to do something useless.
“Then, Jin Qing…”
“The main forces will remain at Castle Rock. Rather than letting the
enemies move as they want, we have to tie them up so tight they
wouldn’t be able to breathe. Of course, after delaying the enemy’s
advance by organizing a minimum number of troops, we will make
them use up supplies as much as possible, and we will defeat their
troops with no retreat. It’s going to take some time, but there will be
plenty.”
‘It’s a standard procedure.’
That was a textbook tactic, keeping the pressure on Castle Rock and
going straight into the battle.
Enemy troops would head to the capital, but if some of the capital’s
forces could be detached, it would be possible to delay the advance.
The bogged down enemies would consume supplies and would slowly
become isolated and dry out. It was reasonable enough to give it some
more consideration.
However, the plan was not without risk at all.
‘What if the enemies don’t head to the capital?’
If Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung and his troops didn’t head to the
capital, the Castle Rock Front’s position might become a bit
embarrassing.
We hadn’t talked about how we would divide our forces, but investing
even just 1/5– no, even only 1/7 elsewhere could already pose some
risks.
We might just get fooled by the cheap psychological warfare they were
employing upon us.
However, Jin Qing’s face remained unchanged. He was con ident in his
own judgment of the situation. He really thought that Honorary
Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was going to head to the capital.
I had to speak, even if it was only to ease the anxiety in my mind.
“Jin Qing.”
“You may talk.”
“How many troops do you have in mind to send to the capital?”
“About 1/6 of the total force.”
“That’s…”
“They will also be supported with a considerable amount of supplies.

The ight that will occur in the capital will be more prolonged than the
ight that will occur within Castle Rock.”
“Er… I don’t doubt you, but if they don’t head to the capital…”
“Even if they don’t, we can still attack Castle Rock. If they head to the
capital, we’ll still be able to afford to do it. If we consider the power that
is currently gathered in Castle Rock, it’s possible.”
“How…”
‘Can you be so sure?’
I had signi icant doubts about this, but I couldn’t seem to voice them
out.
“You are wondering how I can be so sure.”
“I-I’m sorry, Jin Qing.”

“The answer is very simple.”
“And that is…?”
“I got a message. A very thankful message.”
***
“You already know the answer, Yev Karina. Why do you keep asking? We
are going to the capital. I will abandon Castle Rock.”
“Are you… Serious?”
“I don’t know… am I? Am I lying?”
I could see a teasing expression on his face. Until now, I have never
thought of myself as hot-tempered.
I thought I was someone who could maintain my composure, but that

was before I met Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. There was something
about him that could easily provoke my anger. Perhaps he was aware of
that.
As I turned my head and looked elsewhere, I could see him pulling his
face even more.
“Hmm. The answer hasn’t actually been decided on yet, Karina.”
“What?”
“To be precise, I couldn’t ind an answer until the video came out. It was
literally just cheap psychological warfare, and I said that just in case. It
is dif icult to say that our current army is weak, but I want to conserve
their power and win. Of course, we should avoid any meaningless
casualties. Isn’t everyone a worker who has stood up for us?”
“Are you saying that the video was just for that?”
“To be precise, yes. I wanted to see a reaction.”
“That’s…”
“I just wanted to see a reaction.”
“That’s a stupid idea. Acting after seeing the reaction…”
“I know. I know. It’s stupid to move our troops after the Republic on the
Castle Rock front moves irst. It’s not about moving small squadrons,
but rather about moving large battalions of troops. It’s silly to move two
or three steps behind your opponent. That’s not what I meant.”
“Is there any chance that in the artifact…?”
“There is no such thing as a wiretapping device. The good relationship

between the two of us would’ve been completely discarded from that
point onwards. If I had been able to peek from one place to another in
the irst place, I wouldn’t have gone through this hassle. Hmm. I would
like very much to have such a device.”
“If so…”
“I don’t know if you’re setting some expectations, but Yev Karina. What
I want to try is not the reaction of the demon summoner. Yes. It was
your reaction.”
“…”
“Actually, it’s hard for me to be sure. Smart people stay alert even if they
are caught in a tiger’s den, right?”
“…”
“I thought you would de initely try to send some message. And I was
right. Now, let’s watch the video. It would be better to replay the video
you and I took. Finger. And your pupils.”
“Your inger. And your pupils and your legs.”
-33 years old… I’m Yev… Karina.
“Your inger here.”
-It’s a little unexpected. How long have you been here?
-7 years.
“The little inger here, too.”
-First, I want to tell you that Yev Karina is in my hand. Isn’t it?
“The pupils here. Honestly, I don’t know in detail. It’s not like the Morse
code, and I don’t know what this code is… well, that wouldn’t matter.
It’s like a code and a signal only used by the Republic anyway. Or
perhaps it’s a demonic conversation that only works between demon
summoners. For me, chosen by the light, I don’t know what those
signify. One thing is for certain. You are trying to send a message to the
demon summoner.”
“That’s a ridiculous delusion. If you’re thinking about trying me out…

you made a mistake. I didn’t send any messages.”
“Hmm. It might feel like that. Certainly, there is no difference from your
usual behavior, and if I just let it go, one would think it to be normal.
But, Yev Karina, my eyes are good. It’s a little bit better than others, and
I think my observational power is a bit better. I can see Yev Karina
attempting to deliver messages to the demon. It looks like you still
haven’t been puri ied.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I don’t know. It’s a matter of checking whether it makes sense or not.

Of course, it will take some time to interpret the codes you sent, but
honestly, it feels like there’s no need to interpret them. Oh! I think I
know this part for sure. Fast forward a bit here.”
-I am not a scammer. Of course, you think it’s hard to believe, demon

summoner. But I will not bend. I do not yield. When we bump into each
other, it should be you, not me, who have to step aside. I have told you
that I am going to the capital of the Republic. You will come here. You
will send troops to stop me. You will have no choice but to pull back the
forces holding down Castle Rock.
“A inger here, too. Shall we look back again?”
-But I will not bend. I do not yield.
“You seem to be linching a little, Yev Karina. Let’s see look at it again.”
-I do not yield.
“That’s something I heard a lot. I remember saying the exact same thing
to you. Actually, this sentence is part of the values that made me into
who I am now. Didn’t I tell you about it once or ive times?”
“…”
“Getting someone to think of someone as someone else is harder than

you think, Yev Karina. I had to do a useless show. I also had to show the
appropriate behavior. Now, let’s ask a question here, Yev Karina. What
kind of person do you think I am? Hopefully, you think I’m someone
who doesn’t yield just like what I instilled in your head— Cough! Oh,
excuse me. I’ll repeat the video again.”
“…”
“Even though I have repeatedly shown you who I am, if the current
message sent to the demon summoner is negative, wouldn’t I feel a
little sad?”
-I do not yield.
“The inger movement you see here means that it could be possible. Or
there is room to think about it. Or, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will
head to the capital. Or, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is a person who
does not yield. How is my delusion? Isn’t it quite plausible?”
“It’s wrong. Your thoughts are wrong. You’re barking up the wrong
tree.”
“No. I can’t be wrong. I’m not good at interpretations, but I’m sure I’m
right. Even Jin Qing trash, who’s so focused on the meeting, believes
that I will head to the capital thanks to your message. Phew.
Comradeship is good, right?”
“Believe whatever you want to believe, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.

You are nitpicking over something useless now. To think that the main
unit in Castle Rock is shaking just because I barely moved my inger is
stupid. I didn’t send a message to them, and… it would be bad for you to
move your troops based on nonsensical guesses. It’s gambling.”
“Whew. I appreciate it, but I do not believe only in you, Yev Karina. I
also believe in the demon summoner Jin Qing. I believe he would have
caught the signal you sent in that short video and fully trust it. Undying
comradeship! I also believe in that. Whew…”
“This is such ridiculous bullshit…”

“Only I can judge whether it’s bullshit or not, Yev Karina. Now, then I’ll
ask you one more thing. Until now, I have repeatedly appealed and
appealed to Yev Karina that I am the one who does not yield. Do you
have any guesses on how I will move in this case? Will I advance to the
capital without yielding, or am I going to do the opposite?”
“…”
“Am I a man of God who keeps my words, or am I a son of a bitch who

turns his words and beliefs around and changes his attitude? “
“…”
“The answer is… It’s the latter. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is a
fucking dog who habitually changes his attitude. I yield too, Yev Karina.
Woof! Woof, woof! Woof! Puhahaha! Let’s go! To Castle Rock!”
“…”
“Let’s go to Castle Rock!! Woof! Woof! Woof!”
“Fucking… dog.”
“Do you think that I am doing this because I want to do this? Humans
are supposed to be forced to give up their faith sometimes, Yev Karina.”
CHAPTER 390
THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP,
LOVE, AND FAITH (1)
“So, is the journey a little comfortable?”
“Fucking dog…”
“I’m offended by you condemning me like that. From my position, I have

made various concessions. Are the prisoners still intact despite being
betrayed? If I were really a psychopathic trash, I would have buried all
the prisoners currently being held by allies alive. I wouldn’t be dragging
them to the battle ield like this.”
“…”
“Didn’t you tell us that you will play a great role on the side of the light
as well? Naturally, this isn’t where your role ends. You made up your
mind to work for the light, but you should do much, much more for us.
You will continue to work hard in the future, so be sure to make up your
mind irmly.”
“If you think that Jin Qing will be shaken from this, it is a mistake.”
“Is there any reason not to be shaken? He is a human, not God.

Moreover, the gods can also be backstabbed. What makes you think he
can endure it? Even smart people often make wrong judgments. Like
you.”
“I don’t want to know.”

“It often happens when you trust others. A successful businessman goes
bankrupt after being backstabbed by a close friend or goes out of
business due to a bad guarantee. That’s usually the case when people
who are unlikely to ever suffer from fraud sometimes collapse. They
believe in others too much. Neither socially successful people nor
people with special talents that are different from others are
backstabbed for being stupid.”
“Jin Qing is…”
“It may be hard to believe, but there are about three people who
absolutely believe in me. No, there are four. I look stupid, but I don’t
think that can be helped. I can af irm that if I’m in Jin Qing’s position
and the ones I trust are taken prisoner; I’ll still trust them. Of course,
there will be several reasonable doubts, but even taking those into
consideration… I will want to believe.”
“…”
“It’s you, not me, that Jin Qing trusts, Yev Karina. Of course, he’ll think of
several ways of how I’m going to move, but what he believes in is you.
In that sense, this operation will be a signi icantly fun time. If…”
“…”
“How do you think the Republic will judge this situation if we head to
Castle Rock instead of heading to the capital? Will they simply think
that he was backstabbed by the son of a bitch who can’t keep his word?
Or will he think that Yev Karina, who he believed in, was enlightened
with light and was on board with me? Aren’t you curious? If he believes
in the hints you gave, he’ll be truly shocked. He probably won’t be able
to tolerate it. Perhaps you’ll be revered as the greatest backstabber in
the history of the Republic. Yes. Absolutely.”
“……”
“I know. Those with great character in the Republic can never blame
Yev Karina. Who would dare blame someone like Yev Karina? I just keep
talking because I am anxious and worried. Well, time will tell the
results. Now! Let’s go! The organization seems to have been inished to
some extent, and now all that remains is moving.”
“Piece of shit…”
“It will be fun. Isn’t it a prevalent cliché that light wins through the
power of friendship and faith? Pfff!”
***
‘I received a message. A very thankful message.’
‘You mean a code? That’s… ’
‘This is a message from Yev Karina. Katya, you were right.’
‘W-when did my sister… ’
‘Throughout the whole time the magic power hologram was in

progress.’
‘I-I see. She did. It was like that.’
‘Yes. She is still ighting with us.’
When I recalled what I had just heard, I couldn’t help but clench my
ists. It was natural for me to be worried.
Considering the current situation my sister was in, it wasn’t enough to

worry a hundred times.
The Eberian front had collapsed entirely, and Honorary Cardinal Lee
Kiyoung captured my sister.
That just gave me more reason not to give up.
‘She hasn’t given up yet.’
Even in the worst possible circumstances, she was constantly looking

for a way to ight.
Even at that moment, when I remembered her sending the message and
Jin Qin catching it, I couldn’t help but nod. It was dif icult to say that the
contents of the interpreted message itself had a lot of information.
All I heard was the size of the overall troops.
The current situation on the Eberian front and the fact that Lee Kiyoung
was more likely to go to the capital were all delivered. Since there was a
limit to the amount of knowledge that could be conveyed in simple sign
language, the only information she could provide was at that level.
Of course, this was a remarkable achievement considering that they

had no information before that. The number of troops to be sent to the
capital was also decided because of her message.
The troops to detach and to remain were organized based on the

Eberian front forces.
It wasn’t like Jin Qing to leave Castle Rock, the only troop that could
respond if anything happened.
Units reorganizing in the blink of an eye was enough to leave anyone

jaw dropped. Even some of the Republic troops currently maintaining
the eastern front had been borrowed, so there was no need to explain
the extent of their capabilities.
In summary, he arranged units that could respond immediately to the

Eberian army while maintaining a force to guard against enemy attacks.
Of course, there were risks involved in their formation.
The troops maintaining the front and the prestigious Castle Rock had to
be reduced little by little. We had to gamble on sending signi icant
forces to the capital.
Nevertheless, there was only one reason they were able to proceed with
such a plan.
‘Because it’s Jin Qing’s judgment.’
Everyone trusted him that much. Jin Qing judged that they could
survive with the troops that he left.
If that was his decision, then all we had to do was follow. Until now, the
Republic had been moving that way, and in fact, it had produced
excellent results.
All the commanders believed in his judgment.
Of course, there was no doubt about his skills, and in reality, the
formation itself had turned out to be perfect.
There was no noise either, but it wasn’t due to distrust towards him, but
rather towards others.
“The formation itself is so good that we cannot say anything. I was

worried about the high proportion of summoners in the enemy troops,
but I’m sure enough you will keep their feet tied. The supplies we
brought seems perfect. Hmm, I thought that the Dawan front side might
lose a little power, but…”
“I’m glad then.”
“Of course, it doesn’t mean I don’t have any worries.”

“Is there anything I missed?”
“No. I’m not saying you missed something… Hmm. Even though I am not
comfortable with saying this, but it should be worth thinking about this
thought of mine at least once.”
“You can talk.”
“What… I want to say is that…”
“…”
“I would like you to think that this is advice from an elder. The… The
Eberian Front collapsed too easily, no matter how much I thought about
it. I just can’t understand how it happened. Considering the size of the
Eberian troops delivered by Yev Karina, it makes no sense.”
“What do you want to say, Riot-nim?”
“Of course, I know that it is not polite to say this in the presence of
Katya-nim, but I wonder if Yev Karina…”
“……”
“I think you should also think about the possibility that Yev Karina is
having other thoughts.”
“Riot-nim, are you saying that my sister betrayed us?!”
“I don’t mean that. But I think we shouldn’t ignore the possibility itself.
Considering the number of priests on the Eberian front, the size of the
troops, and the walls’ size, does it make sense that they were defeated
in one day? Yev Karina said herself she would now stand on the side of
the State… I-I didn’t see the magic hologram, but she seemed too well to
be a simple prisoner.”
“It’s as if you wanted my sis, no, Yev Karina to have suffered.”
“I didn’t mean that, but we need to consider that as a factor. If we

assume that the Eberian front was attacked with Yev Karina’s in luence,
it explains why it was dominated so quickly. I wonder if she had wrong
thoughts with the continuous propaganda of his enemies, which
resulted in her making an extreme choice.”
“That is a ridiculous calumny. Jin Qing, that’s not even worth hearing.”
“But you have to think about it at least once, sir. I hate to think of the
situation this way, too, but you should also think about the possibility
that she has turned her back on us.”
“You… Do you really think my sister left me and passed over to the
State?”
“You don’t have to raise your voice, Katya! I was just talking about the
situation as it is. Strictly speaking, the responsibility for the defeat rests
with Yev Karina, the general commander of the Eberian front. No
matter how you think about it, you shouldn’t think about it
emotionally.”
“Say that again.”
“Stop.”
“…”
“…”
Suddenly, the room grew silent.
I had to bite my lips tightly at the remarks of the old man in front of me.
It might be my imagination, but it was dif icult to judge that there was
no political intention in that statement.
‘This old man is as sly as a fox.’
Everyone here knew that my sister was spending the most time with Jin
Qing.
Saying that she would turn her back on the Republic was absurd. She
would rather die. There was no way she could do that.
It was ridiculous even to say that the information provided by her code
was false.
Moreover, the suspicion that she had been betraying us due to the
Eberian front’s time must have been made with the post-war situation
in mind.
‘He dares talk about betrayal even though I am there?’
It was then that the Jin Qing’s voice solemnly rang out.
“Katya and Riot are both right. It’s worth thinking about it.”
Unable to control myself, I accidentally raised my voice.
“Sir!”
“If there is a possibility, it’s obvious that we should think about it. And
I’ll keep the possibility of Yev Karina’s defection in mind. We are also
making preparations if anything like happens. However, it is unlikely.
Not because I have been with her for a long time. It is improbable that
she would have turned her back on us even if we were to look at it
rationally.”
“Ah…”
“She has no contact with the State. She would have neither motive nor
time to betray the Republic. It is not yet known why the Eberian Front
fell so quickly, but I can bet the reason is not because of her defection.”
“But…”
“You don’t have to worry, Riot. I also have all the possibilities open.”
“I-I’m sorry for saying something useless.”
“No. It was something worth considering.”
He inished quietly, and there was no saying if he believed her

unconditionally, but as I turned my head, I could see Jin Qing’s face, all
full of conviction.
‘He trusts her.’
As he said before, he must have thought about several outcomes

already. But basically, there was no change in the fact that he believed in
my sister.
The face he was showing told me everything I needed to know. I smiled.
‘He believes.’
Perhaps my sister would repay that belief. Just as I was thinking about
such thoughts, we received another report.
“Sir, the enemy forces are moving.”
“Where?”
“I think they r-really plan to head to the capital.”
‘Good.’
“We will move right away.”

CHAPTER 391
LOVE, AND FAITH (2)
“We will move right away.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The organized troops will leave as soon as possible. Perhaps we’ll be

able to arrive on time. The Siege of Castle Rock will also take place
exactly two hours after.”
“That means…”
“We will capture Castle Rock in three days.”
“Yes, sir.”
“There is no need to be anxious. Even if there are unknown variables,

we can respond to them. I understand that this is a hard and exhausting
time for everyone. Some of you must be having a headache and doubts
about various incidents. But that’s okay. We are strong. We won’t be
dragged down or forced to collapse.”
“…”
“Arise. It’s time to ight.”
I was not the only one who felt that the atmosphere had changed a
little.
Unknown trust arose from Jin Qing’s face as he talked. He was not
saying anything signi icant.
However, his face and attitude could cause a person to feel uplifted. I
thought that it was probably because of the trust contained in his eyes.
‘He’s pretty trusting.’
Not only me, but all the commanders present, and the troops who
moved together, all felt their morale rising.
It was okay to call it a form of con idence.
It was the con idence in himself who had raised such an army and the
con idence in the people he had chosen.
In unison, the people started moving to follow Jin Qing, who got up irst.
I wanted to join the Siege of Castle Rock, but I was assigned on a
different mission.
“Katya.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If you see a bad situation, you should return to Castle Rock right away.”
“Yes. Okay, sir.”
“You should always think about all the possibilities.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I believe you will do well. After the Castle Rock attack is over, I will
return.”
He tapped my shoulder, then immediately moved on.

I have had many thoughts, but I didn’t have time to think too deeply
because there was not much time left before our departure.
As soon as I got outside the meeting room, the voice that came right
away was a bonus. We were already in a hurry to prepare for leaving.
“We will move right now. Move fast! Pack supplies, too! Are you ready
yet?”
“…”
“We have to get to the destination before the sun sets.”
“Are we ready to go?”
“Yes. I-it’s almost inished. After the last check, we can leave right away.”
As I nodded, I saw the army raising the lag.
As I stepped forward and got on the prepared horse, I heard a loud

shout from where the other side’s troops had been gathered.
It must be the force entering the Siege of Castle Rock.
‘We can win.’
I didn’t know how long the siege would take, but I could undoubtedly
say Castle Rock itself was already at its limit.
The supplies inside were running out.
The same could be said about the magic power built into the wall and
the soldiers’ strength inside.
Looking at the evident variables, it wasn’t bullshit to consider it

possible to attack within the day. Although we took a portion of the
troops, the power left at Castle Rock proved to be more than enough.
The infrastructure we had built up so far proved that.
Regardless of whether it was the State or the Republic, one side would
suffer signi icant damage from this battle.
Perhaps it was a situation where we could see the end of the war. It was
far too evident in terms of power that our forces had the advantage.
However, it was inevitable for my steps to become sober.
‘We have to win.’
It was a ight that we couldn’t lose.
We couldn’t lose the battle at Castle Rock and fail to stop the Eberian
army from advancing to the capital. We’ve already expected many allies
to lose their lives.
“Let’s attack!”
***
“I’m curious if there’s even a need to do this. If it goes wrong, not only
Castle Rock but Dawan as well will be in danger.”
“Do you have to keep complaining like that? It’s already spilled milk.”
“I’m not saying this for nothing, Wi-ran. Castle Rock is de initely at its
limit. It was only because Yuno Kasugano, me, and Park Yeon-joo were
here that the castle made it through so much. It was the balance that
three out of Eight Seats of the State were keeping together. I admit that
Lee Kiyoung is an outstanding person, but this a huge gamble. These
women can’t afford to hold anymore. They won’t be able to keep the
barrier up another day, no, two days. The same goes for the Dawan
Front. But because you were there, it was pushed only that much…”
“Stop babbling. It’s embarrassing for a man to keep doing that. Do you
think we don’t know it’s a gamble? I’m doing this because it is the only
thing that can reverse the current situation. The Dawan Front had
already collapsed anyway. I know best since I was there. It felt like a
waste to invest troops… Sons of bitches…”
“But…”
“What do you mean, but? I regret getting on board with you whenever
you’re babbling like this.”
“Same here.”
“Honestly, you also doubt the ability of the Honorary Cardinal Lee
Kiyoung, right?”
“…”
“The results are telling us otherwise. Things are moving the way
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung wants, plus the fact that he took you
out of Castle Rock. It’s also true that we are currently entering Laios. It
was because of something like a pheromone potion he gave that made
Mercenary Queen calm down. Even if we are also part of the State’s
Eight Seats, it’s 100 times better to think and move like them than to
work our asses off running away and enduring. More than anything…”
“…”
“Who knew the Republic’s troops would move, too? Have you ever
imagined something like this?”
“That’s why I’m feeling nervous.”

“Well. I don’t know what happened, but the Republic’s priests seem to
be loyal to the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. It’s understandable for
the priests to be scared as the opponent is said to be a demon
summoner.”
“Is he?”
“You don’t have to worry too much. We only have to do what we are
ordered to do. You have enough magic power left, right?”
“Of course.”
“That’s fortunate. I was worried that you might have run out of it in
Castle Rock. I guess you saved some power for the inal resistance?
You’re still the same.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I had to nod quietly. Wi-ran was indeed right.
It was Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, one of the Eight Seats of the
State, who had found the way out when we were all driven to a corner.
If he had not appeared, we would not have been able to wage war on
equal grounds.
‘Competent bastard.’
He was the kind of person I would hate to have as an enemy.
I had felt that way since I irst saw him, but the more I knew about him,
the more I felt like that about him.
It was not because of his character but because of his meticulousness

and boldness.
He dominated the Eberian front in a day, and his power to turn the
Republic’s priests into allies was disconcerting. It was unbelievable that
it only took him a few words to change the low of the war.
‘It’s understandable that Cha Hee-ra is so hung up on him.’
When I heard rumors that the Mercenary Queen had begun hanging out
with a newcomer who had just entered the place, I also thought it was
bullshit.
I thought she had simply found a new toy.
I naturally forgot about it. After some time, I had forgotten entirely
about the Mercenary Queen’s Gigolo.
Not long after that, he got a position in the State’s Eight Seats.
‘He’s not ordinary.’
I knew that a dragon chose him. I knew that he was an excellent

alchemist.
Other than that, everything was ordinary. It would have felt credible if
the wizard, who was with him, had been in the same Eight Seats.
His body’s strength was indeed the weakest.
He had strong fellows around him, but he was far from being powerful
no matter how I thought about it.
I thought that the Vatican and the emperor had some sort of in luence,
so of course, I questioned the decision and actually opposed it.
However, after opening the lid, my jaw dropped. His achievements were
beyond words.
I couldn’t even list everything that he had done.
He had quickly turned the Empire into a State and became the
Honorary Cardinal of the State.
Afterward, he accepted the half-circumvented the foreigners into the

community called State and came up with a policy for the foreigners.
In other words, all the politics and law for privileges were all just for
himself.
It was around that time that my anxiety about him arose. It didn’t mean
I had become hostile or disliked him. What sprang up had been a touch
of uneasiness.
I came to realize that he was an outstanding person.
‘He’s not like an apostle of God.’
He was not as holy or divine as he was propagating in the State. Instead,

it was the opposite. He moved thoroughly for his own gain and for those
around him. He did everything he could to take advantage of all the
circumstances in front of him and survive.
I evaluated Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung to be evil.
Of course, I felt dubious, but I was even more convinced after I left
Castle Rock.
There was an exit small enough for only one person to pass. It was the
only entrance to the now completely collapsed black market.
It was a secret passage known only to of icials. That was the reason why
I was able to get out of Castle Rock.
Thinking about it again, it was a funny situation.

The fact that he knew such a secret doorway was no different than the
fact that the Honorary Cardinal of the State, who had been admired by
everyone, was the owner of the black market.
As I moved slowly, a familiar face slowly came into sight.
“Commander of the Eberian front. Have we ever met before? Oh, come
to think of it, I heard about you from the Honorary Cardinal. Is it Yev
Karina? I guess that was you.”
“And you…”
“…”
“…”
“Do you know me?”
“N… Now I see what he meant. I see it now. W-why are you here? You
should be at Castle Rock at this point… No, you have to be in Castle
Rock.”
“Didn’t I ask you irst if you know me?”
“Damn… F-Fucking dog… fucking dog! He said that he de initely

wouldn’t’ touch the prisoners!”
“I will ask you again. Didn’t I ask if you know me?”
“One of the Eight Seats of the State… Mist Summoner Cheon Gwan-wi.”
“Correct.”
“What… What are you trying to do?”

“Well. I just obey orders. I don’t feel good about doing this. I just want
you to know that it couldn’t be helped because this is a war.”
“You…”
After being bitten by a dog, there’s nothing one can do, even if I think
about it.
CHAPTER 392
LOVE, AND FAITH (3)
“There’s too much fog.”
“How about taking a break before moving again, Katya? This area is
extremely foggy at dawn, so there is a possibility that enemies will
ambush us, even more so if we can’t see anything. Moreover, the
soldiers are also exhausted…”
“No. We will continue to march. However, we will slow down a little. It’s
already getting late. Has it been con irmed in which direction the
Eberian forces moved?”
“The reconnaissance unit is checking, but it’s still in the air. There have
been reports of large troops passing through Laios, but after the fog
entered…”
“So, they’re really heading towards the Republic.”
“What about the Castle Rock front?”
“I haven’t received any letters yet.”
“We have to wait for good news to come. How about the other units?”
“It’s the same. Currently, the retreat route and supply routes are being
cut off due to the fact that the enemy’s military force and exact location
are not known. There is also information about dragon sightings.”
“A dragon…”
I adjusted the sword on my waist.
‘It’s too quiet.’
The whole situation felt like it was being designed just as how I wanted
it to be.
Although the ground we had to cover was wide, we managed to

surround the enemy troops, and it seemed that they were actually
feeling the pressure. Not only was their supply line cut, but the
reinforcement forces also had no holes to enter from.
Troops deployed little by little from all over the eastern front strangled
the enemy and kept their surroundings in check, so it was impossible
for them to breathe.
The only thing the enemy could do was to move forward.
‘Because their retreat is blocked.’
It wasn’t because of the fog.
However, it had been so quiet that this forest, entirely covered with
silence, was enough to make me feel strange anxiety.
It was convincing enough that the troops were roaming this area. No, it
was obvious that it was to get rid of the soldiers that were pursuing
them as much as possible.
With few traces left behind and combined with the fog, this place was
the best place for them to hide.
However, that was all. It was only about buying some time when I
thought about their inability to break through the tight siege.
I had the possibility of guerrilla warfare in mind, but I couldn’t even

ind any signs of attempting to ight or reconnaissance.
‘Strange.’
If I were to think about the hand that the enemy had, the fact that they
moved like that was unfounded.
“Let’s stop for a moment.”
At that moment, a negative thought passed through my mind.
‘No. The enemy is here.’
Information was constantly coming in that traces of small forces had

been discovered.
“Is there anything bothering you?”
“Where is the closest ally?”
“It is con irmed that there is a troop led by Choon-wi in the vicinity. I
know they are coming from the southwest, but…”
“I think it would be nice if they join together with us. No, we better wait
for them here. We will set up a camp. Let the soldiers rest. It’s just ive
hours.”
“Yes. I relay your orders.”

“Send reconnaissance troops around. If they see any unusual signs of
activities, they are to report it right away.”
“I knew it. You’re being bothered by something…”
“Yes. I am. I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but it seems that the
concentration of magic here is a little too high. Is this area always
infested with such a thick fog?”
“Yes, this is normal. Not as much as today, but you can think of it as
normal.”
‘Strange.’
It wasn’t just my imagination—the feeling of something prickling all

over my body. When I took a deep breath, thick air would come in,
causing me to feel dizzy.
Unpleasantness from no apparent reason lowed. It was not because of

the damp ground or air.
Looking around, I noticed the others were in a similar situation.
I thought it was just because of the tension, but my body kept sending
out signals that it was uncomfortable.
‘Damn.’
“It’s annoying.”
My voice had protruded without even knowing it. I felt even more
surprised after I spat it out of my mouth.
That was when a noisy sound started to come from behind. However, I
didn’t really care. I was used to such a fuss now.
“It looks like a monster has appeared.”
“Is it the eighth already?”
“Yes.”
“I know that the monsters in this area are relatively docile… Handle–
no, I’ll take a look at it myself.”
“You don’t have to.”
“No. I want to check it with my own eyes.”
I moved swiftly towards the commotion.
After reaching the rear ranks, I immediately saw people surrounding

the monster.
Of course, what stood out more than the group was the intermediate,
fairly large-sized monster.
Its red eyes looked to be drowning in rage. Although it repeatedly

screamed and resisted, it couldn’t ight a large number of humans.
It was up against no ordinary humans, after all. It was ighting a squad

of elites.
It was only natural for a monster to succumb when faced with such
powerful forces. Just as I was about to take out my sword, I heard a
voice addressing me.
“There’s no need to do that. I will take care of it myself.”

I turned to follow the sound and saw the lieutenant approaching the
commotion.
However, more crimson-colored eyes came into view. It was not just
them. Little by little, everyone’s eyes were becoming bloodshot.
‘Something’s wrong.’
I could feel it.
Until now, I hadn’t been able to detect it properly, but the more I looked
around, the more I saw strange occurrences. Lost in my own thoughts,
the monster screamed.
“Lieutenant.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Investigate the monster you’ve caught. Afterward, if you see other

monsters, capture them immediately as well. Investigate what kind of
magic or curse they’re being affected by. Check if any soldiers are
experiencing physical or mental problems. Check all the water and food
supplies that we have.”
“There are no signs of magic or curse. Both water and food supplies are
normal as well…”
“Alchemy. Does your unit have any wizard with alchemy knowledge? It
doesn’t matter who they are. Make them analyze the monster as quickly
as possible.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll let them know immediately.”
‘Something’s not right.’
There had been some subtle body changes on the troops.

Of course, they hadn’t been greatly affected yet, but whatever it was, it
wasn’t the kind that could be laughed off.
The moment I realized that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had an in-
depth knowledge of alchemy, my anxiety began to amplify. I felt like
we’ve walked into a trap.
It could easily be if I assumed that the enemy forces set up a trap

aiming at squads that would come from the main unit. However, I
couldn’t think entirely like that.
‘Is he throwing Castle Rock away to get us?’
Currently, it was safe to say that the enemies were all moving in a hurry.
The Siege of Castle Rock had already begun a long time ago, and they
already knew that the main unit would head to the capital after the
siege.
It was the perfect time to ight.
To keep the grounds equal, they had to deliver a blow against the
Republic. It wasn’t the enemy’s main force, but it was our task to stall
for time with the incoming troops.
They knew better than anyone else that the more time it took, the more
disadvantageous their situation became.
The enemy’s actions in the forest seemed to wish for us to remain in it.
It felt more like they were trying to hold down the Republic’s troops.
‘There are a lot of numbers to call it a bait force.’
It was quite large in scale as well.

I would only be exaggerating a little bit if I said it had the scale to affect
the entire main unit.
It was even more probable to be a bait force if I were to think about the
selection’s splendor.
Although the exact number had not yet been determined, it merely
wasn’t pro itable for their side to use such forces large enough to be
used in siege warfare, to tie up several squads’ feet.
‘What the hell is your intention? Why… ’
“Er… Katya.”
“Yes?”
Just as the wizard was about to continue talking, a hole was pierced into
her forehead.
“Er…”
“…”
“Prepare to ight!”
“Prepare for battle!”
An arrow had been impaled into her head. A loud voice echoed across
the vicinity before she could even fall to the ground.
“Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!!!”
“Where did the arrows come from?!”
“From the northeast. Northeast!”

“Arm yourselves. We will check the exact location of enemy troops,
where they set up the camps, and where their troops are.”
“Yes, sir.”
As I was giving out commands, a volley of arrows had lown into our
location again, striking ally soldiers down.
“Damn. Let’s move quickly. Pull back the troops for now to the other
side. Spread as much as possible to avoid being mass-massacred by the
arrows, and don’t stop moving!”
“Retreat! Retreat!”
“Cast shield magic. Prepare for the second attack…”
“Ahhh!”
“Ahhhhhhhh!”
“D-Die! These ilthy demon minions!”
“The motherfuckers!”
“I will cleanse you! Dirty demons! Unclean demons!”
‘Shit.’
Screams kept coming from our sides.
I couldn’t see if the enemy had come, but I felt that our formation was
gradually collapsing.
‘Not good.’
No commander would ever wish to be with the enemy forces in a fog so
dense we couldn’t even see an inch in front of us.
Even if with the numerical advantage, no army would ever want to be

stuck in such a situation.
“Keep the line! Keep the ranks! Keep in line, and don’t let yourself get
separated! Form a line with shields! Focus!”
“Gather!”
“Gather quickly!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
More screams echoed from the sides, followed by what sounded like
bodies hitting the ground.
As I pulled out my sword, I saw the face of a man protruding from the
fog surrounding me.
He sported bloody eyes, and saliva drooled from his mouth. His
bizarrely distorted face looked like it came out of a horror movie.
Their appearance combined with their charge while holding daggers

had involuntarily evoked a primitive fear.
“Dirty demons! Hiiiiic! Die! Die!”
“What?”
“You guys, hihihihi! You think they’ll leave you alone!? These dirty guys!
G-God will not forgive you!”
“C-Crazy…”
“Diieeeeeee!”
“Son of a bitch!”
Naturally, I had begun to wield my sword, effectively beheading the

zombie-like creature.
“What… what. What… is this…?”
The noises and screams that continued to reverberate all over the fog-
covered battle ield slowly became exceptionally louder.
“What… is this?”
However, what stood out more than that was the appearance of a doll. It
had a separated neck and body.
“Varian’s believer…”
The clothing it adorned was what the priests of the Republic wore.
CHAPTER 393
LOVE, AND FAITH (4)
‘What the hell is going on?’
The person’s appearance naturally surprised me.
I couldn’t fathom why the Republic priest was running with his mouth
evidently foaming.
I looked around in hopes of making sense of our situation, but I couldn’t

see anything because of the thick fog. Nothing changed, even after
applying the maximum magic power to my eyes.
My brain was gathering up lots of questions.
I had a lot of questions.
“Trap! It’s a trap! Stick together as much as possible!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“We’ll respond to the threat once we’ve regrouped! Don’t get

separated!”
‘Where?’
We could hear a loud voice, but I couldn’t seem to igure out where to
gather. Our sights had been limited far too much. Allies and enemies
were now mixed together inside our smokey cage.
I also realized that the fog surrounding the current troops seemed a
little different from usual.
‘The magic power is highly concentrated.’
I couldn’t feel any traces of magic power until now, but the fog
surrounding us seemed to have been arti icially created. I felt like I was
in a dungeon.
‘Magic… Is it magic?’
Someone came to mind.
However, he wasn’t supposed to be where we were.
The thought that there was a mist summoner here who should be
participating in the Castle Rock battle was ridiculous. It was
unreasonable to pull a signi icant person away from their defensive line
when it’s already being beset from all sides.
No, I couldn’t even understand how that person could have come out in
the irst place. I was con ident that our troops had the entirety of Castle
Rock busy.
If she and some of the troops escaped Castle Rock, they should’ve
gotten caught on our radar.
I felt like I was losing my breath, and my mind was being overloaded.
I knew that I must analyze the situation calmly, but it wasn’t easy to
make practical judgments about what was happening. In fact, I didn’t
even have time to think that much.
The most important thing at that point was to overcome the situation.
However, my already burdened mind wouldn’t allow me to focus on it.
“This dirty demon! Eeeeeekkk! Dirty demooon!”
Those who wielded weapons indiscriminately were hard to be seen as

sane. I stepped back and swung my sword, causing blood to dye my face
red.
Intestines spilled out as screams continued to echo across the

battle ield.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Even with one arm completely blown away, the crazed being continued
to run after me in a way that reminded me of maniacs and zombies.
I bit my lips tightly and cut its throat again, inally causing it to lose its
life. Another igure ran towards me that looked to be the same as the
last one.
With a slash from my swing, the puppet collapsed as well. Another

igure approached me from behind through the fog at the very same
moment.
I oscillated my sword when I heard a voice, but as I stopped myself just

as I was about to cut its throat.
“It’s me! It’s me, Katya!”
“Mi… Mythica!”
“You were here.”
“And others… No, can you tell me how the situation is right now?”
“I’m s-sorry. In fact, I can’t igure it out. I only got here by accident. For
now, we need to prepare something to cover our mouth and nose. I
don’t know if you’ve noticed, but…”
“Are you talking about the fog?”
“Yes. It’s probably Cheon Gwan-wi’s doing. No one else can spray fog all
over such a wide area. How she got out of Castle Rock is unknown, but
this is de initely her work. I think she covered her magic power by
using a catalyst in the existing fog, but unlike before, the concentration
of magic power is very explicit. And not only that.”
“Did you ind out anything else?”
“I’m uncertain about this one.”
“It doesn’t matter whether you are or you’re not. Just tell me.”
“Okay… i-it’s just a guess, but this fog probably contains magic or some
kind of weird drug. It might be a curse as well. I don’t know in detail
either, but… seeing that the priests’ puri ication magic doesn’t work, it’s
highly likely that other means had been used.”
“Go to hell!! Hehehehehehe!”
“Careful!”
“T-Thank you, Katya.”
“Keep talking. I will open the way.”
“Yes, yes.”
“What do you mean by other means?”

“I think it’s a kind of alchemy potion. I haven’t igured out how exactly it
works, but it’s probably a stimulant of some kind that induces
hallucinations. One thing is certain: the more exposed you are to this
fog, the stronger the effects. The monsters that attacked the troops
earlier were probably also affected by this fog. Of course, as I said, these
are all my personal guesses. If magic or the priest’s purifying spells
don’t work, there’s nothing else I can think of. I’m sorry I can’t be much
help.”
“No. The insight is helpful enough. It’s probably something really close
to Mythica’s speculation. I also thought that my body was sending some
signals, little by little. It’s a bit different from mental magic. If it were
such magic, the effect wouldn’t have lasted until now. The lower the
resistance, the faster it’ll take effect. The longer the time it stays in
effect as well.”
“Yes. You’re right. The lower the magic power or HP is, the more lethal I
think it is. Perhaps the probability that Lee Kiyoung made the potion
and Chun Gwan-wi turned it into the fog is also…”
“We can think so, too.”
“That’s all I can guess. K-Katya. What will you do from now on…”
“First, I’ll rearrange our troops. Find sorcerers and drive out the fog in
any way. There is no other workaround.”
“Okay.”
“We will move a little faster. Mythica, stick to me and follow.”
“Okay!”
In fact, it wasn’t a signi icant achievement altogether.

But at least, they made sense of how things were going and how
matters were going on.
The biggest question now would be how to deal with this absurd
situation.
“Die! Die! Die! God Varian will not forgive you!”
“L-Let go of me!”
“Motherfuckers! Motherfuckers! Die! Lunatic bastards! “
“You’ll be the ones who’ll die, cursed children of the demon!”
The more I made my way out of the fog, the more I saw spectacular
sights.
I saw armed people surrounding and beating a single soldier. I also saw
someone crushing another person’s face with its bare hands.
I wanted to go and save them, but the problem was I couldn’t tell the
ally and enemy apart.
There weren’t just those who were wearing Varian’s uniform. There
were also those wearing the Republic military uniforms and those
wearing their insignia.
Even those who appeared to be civilians were mixed in the fray. It

would be a waste of time to distinguish them apart.
It went without saying that the situation was rapidly escalating more
and more as time passed by.
“Dieeee!”
“I’m an ally! An ally! Don’t swing!”

“Die! Fuck off! Don’t come close! No one. No one comes close!
Motherfuckers!”
“This crazy bastard!”
“Don’t come close!”
“Unite! Unite!”
“Form a dense formation! Defend with dense formation!”
“Don’t come closer, you crazy bastards! Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“God will punish you!”
“Dirty demon bastards! Disappear! Die!! Goddess Benignore and God

Varian will be with you. These punished bastards!”
“Kill them! Kill them all!”
“I’m an ally. Don’t swing. Ahhhhhh!”
“I’m an ally! Ally! Gab! It’s me! Me!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
‘Shit… ’
“Damn…”
‘Shit!’
“Katya-nim.”
“Please stay close. The rear troops are probably in formation around
the wizard.”
“Yes… Yes.”
No word could better describe the scene than the word hell.
Blood continued to splatter as a foul smell rose from the sticky loor. My
body was damp due to the blood, and my hair was drenched in sweat.
Screams and shouts pierced into my ears nonstop, and voices asking for
help kept ringing in my head.
The more I breathed in, the dizzier I got. At that point, I knew the drug
was working.
Of course, it wasn’t just me that was getting affected.
Everyone around me was under its effects. Anyone who approached

anyone was treated like an enemy.
People continued to wield their swords in fear, cutting their own allies
as they got surrounded by actual foes. More and more individuals got
brutally murdered while the fog continued to force madness into their
minds.
It no longer even looked like a battle ield.
‘What are we ighting against? What… ’
“Die!!!”
“Help. Help me… Save me!! I am not… I am not! Gasp.”
“You guys think you will take over the Republic…”
“Don’t do this. Don’t come closer! It’s my fault. I did everything wrong,
so don’t come any closer. Please don’t do this. I…”
“Help me. Please. Mother…”

“Kill them! Kill… Eeeekkk!”
“Dieeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
‘Help me.’
“…”
‘Help me. Katya… Please help me. Please… save me.’
“Sister…”
It wasn’t because of the fog. My vision was becoming more and more
distorted.
I saw and heart hallucinations. As I continued to swing my sword, those

who fell with blood on their faces began to look more like demons.
‘I’m just hallucinating.’
Everything was just hallucinations. My mind was getting blurrier and

blurrier.
It was like magic. No, it felt like a curse.
“Mythica… are you following me properly?”
I looked back, but the glasses-wearing man was nowhere within my

view. I bit my lips tightly, but nothing changed. It would be impossible
to ind him in this state.
“Katya!”
The moment I turned to the voice coming from the side, I saw a giant
monster.
“N-Now.”
“Die…”
“What?”
“Die… just die! This monster bastard!”
“What are… gasp.”
The monster’s neck was slashed apart instantly. However, when I

cleared my eyes, the head of an unknown soldier was the one rolling on
the ground.
It had become increasingly dif icult to breathe, and my face had become
distorted with an unknown fear.
It felt like all I could see was red as the world spun around me. Tears
started to ill up my eyes when I tried to make sense of such an
unintelligible situation.
I bit my lips tightly, but I felt like the incomprehensible reality kept
putting my mind into a corner.
‘Save me… Katya.’
“You must be puri ied! You have to be puri ied.”
‘Katya.’
“I will deliver salvation. The salvation of light! The army of light will
drive you out!”
‘Save me, Katya!’
“Salvation of light!”
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”
CHAPTER 394
LOVE, AND FAITH (5)
-I don’t know if I’m using this thing right. It’s my irst time using such a
device. But send a report anyway. The situation is reaching its end. The
enemy’s main unit has been thrown into confusion, and about the
capture of the central igure… hmm. I can’t say for sure that it’s
possible, but I’ll try my best for now. As soon as they are ready, they will
be sent to Castle Rock. I don’t know if they’ll make it on time, but that’s
their responsibility, not mine. The battle there will take a long time, so
it probably won’t be a problem.
“I think it’s going well. It would be nice to prepare some footage or

something. You’re also very in lexible. You just say what you want to
say.”
-Just in case they’re curious. Let’s send the whole situation.
“Ah, I think it’s going to be sent.”
-You will receive the salvation of the light! Who dare! Who dare! Say
something about demons!
-Gasp… Ahhhhhhhhh!
-Blaaaarrghh…
-Shut up! You dirty informants of the State!

-I’m an ally! Don’t attack! Ally! Stop! Ahhhhhhhhh!
-Dirty demon minions! Be cursed, demons! Varian will not forgive you!
Even if you fall into the inferno and die, you will suffer forever!
– You pagan cult crazy bitch! Die! Die!!
-The apostle of God… Die… I… will ight even if I die…
“…”
“…”
“It’s worse than I thought.”
“Yes.”
-That’s all for my report. As you ordered, this is going to be discarded

immediately after it’s sent. Oh, also, she said she had something to say. I
disagreed, but you know her better than me, so I hope you understand
this much.
-O-Oppa. H-How are you? I… I’m doing well. And so is Sora. It’s been
two days since I haven’t seen you. Two… days. I-I miss you. Hic. I miss
you so much. I’m so worried about how you’re doing… are you feeling
better? Make sure you eat every meal and get treatment every day.
De initely! I’ll inish things up as soon as possible and come back.
Please wait! Smack! Smack! Smack!
“…”
“…”
-I love you. Hihi.
“Blargh. I wish I didn’t see it.”

“Don’t react like that. It’s just cute. What’s the big deal?”
“It’s indeed cute, but it doesn’t look like that from the same woman’s
perspective. Do you think I don’t do that because I can’t? Do you want
me to show a decent aegyo?”
“No… I don’t think it will suit you.”
“Aren’t I cuter in appearance? I’m a little smaller and cuter than Jung
Hayan, right? It’s too hard to say that she’s cute because she comes out
and goes in. Wherever I look, I have to take that concept, and it just
interferes with Hayan’s face. Hey, why do you keep picking your ears
when someone is talking? You’re not ignoring me, are you?”
“No. It’s not that. My ears are itchy for some reason.”
“I guess someone is cursing you. You deserve it. It wouldn’t even be

weird.”
“I think you’re being too harsh, Nuna.”
“But I’m didn’t say anything wrong. Pfff! You know that this time was
particularly vicious, right? You have to be sure that the people involved
in your operation will keep their mouths shut. Even if it is known, I will
announce that I helped, but the image shouldn’t be damaged for no
reason. It’s a holy army after all, right?”
“Yes. Right. It’s holy. Absolutely. Well, actually, you don’t have to worry
about it. What happened there will always be treated as an unfortunate
accident. Isn’t it ridiculous to question ethics in a war where killing and
dying is a common occurrence?”
“Curse and magic that shake your mind are strictly taboo even within
continental law. The same goes for black magic.”
“Since I don’t use magic or curse, I’m safe. The State will not use black
magic, so it’s safe.”
“You’re good at getting away.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I could see Lee Jihye’s face giving exaggerated applause.
She was expressing admiration for my personality, but it was like pot
calling the kettle black.
It was ridiculous to see that the hidden contributor who actively agreed
with the plan and paid attention to the details was now showing to be
conscious.
Of course, it wasn’t her true feelings. She was half teasing, and above all,
she seemed to be in a good mood.
She kept humming while watching the footage over and over again.
The enemy fell into the trap.
As a commander, it certainly felt good.
The result was extraordinarily excellent considering there was no

damage to the allies, and there weren’t going to be any useless
prisoners.
But…
‘It’s a bit too much to be humming.’
“Hmmmm.”
She’s even moving her head up and down, feeling the rhythm.
I always thought I was trash, but when I saw Lee Jihye, I felt comforted
knowing I was less of a piece of trash than her.
“It really is good to have you, you know? You made me realize that I am
a little less vicious than others. You’re ruthless beyond belief. When the
demon is summoned, it will probably think you’re its brother. Oh, has it
already done that before?”
“…”
Apparently, she was thinking the same thing. Although I felt a sense of
shame, I did not bother to show it.
I felt the need to change the topic before I was hurt any further.
When I opened up a serious conversation, I felt grateful to hear Lee

Jihye answer sincerely.
“When will it arrive?”
“Anytime soon. By now, the news that our troops are approaching has
probably been heard by the enemy force, too. I wanted to move a little
bit more secretive, but as expected, our demon summoner doesn’t
neglect to send out scouts even in the middle of a siege.”
“I wanted to surprise him. It’s a shame.”
“He will be surprised. The reconnaissance team keeps catching their

scouts, so the enemy won’t even know its exact size. At best, they’d
think of it as an assortment of support units. They all know that our
troops went into the Republic. They must be thinking we gathered the
remaining troops from here and there. Of course, there is no possibility
that all of them had been detected–”
“Detection?”
“It’s just a guess. But it’s also an issue to be prepared for. If you’re in a
position to lead a big force like this, you have to think about every
possibility. Overall, the situation is ine. No, it’s a problem because it’s
too ine.”
“First of all, the movement of the troops. I can’t exactly igure it out, but
I’m worried that there are too many troops out there. For example,
think of a force that won’t matter regardless of whether it exists or it
doesn’t. It would be right to say that it’s a surviving force that can
interfere with maintaining the battle ield. It’s not always good to have
many people in a ight. You have to think about the supply, and you have
to consider the percentage of melees that can be protected with shield
magic. Although the squad was separated from the main unit, it
wouldn’t matter if such a small force is left out.”
“…”
“That’s why we haven’t heard good news from the other fronts yet. I
was out of breath on the other fronts. It takes a blow with a little more
power to make up for the previous losses.”
“What about the other circumstances?”
“I have it under control.”
“…”
“Almost the entire eastern front has been dominated. We could

celebrate the fact that the enemy didn’t notice our movement towards
Lindel, but that’s like saying that we don’t know how things outside of
the Eastern Front are going. Both sides are paying as much attention as
they can to each other’s movements. Our enemies are not fools. It’s
quite problematic that the positions of the troops located where the
mist summoner is are unknown. Some have been trapped nicely, but
where are the others? It would be nice if they were wandering in the
forest of fog, but what if they’re not?”
“Hmm…”
“In the strategy simulation data that you passed before, I thought that
the demon summoner had a strong tendency to tighten and bite
opponents, but the actual situation and the game are different. Rather, a
single surprise attack can across more effectively if you have this kind
of tendency.”
“If you’re right…”
“Yes. That means the soldiers currently in the forest may have been
thrown away as well. It may look like they’ve gone too far, but in the
irst place, Yev Karina may not have even cared about it.”
“……”
“Loosen your face up. It’s not necessarily bad. Just being able to bring
some of the enemy troops into the forest of fog is a great achievement
already. I wanted all of them to be trapped inside the fog, but that would
be hoping for too much.”
“What would you do if you were Jin Qing?”
“Well. Aren’t I the same as you? What will you do?”
“Using the capital as an excuse and sending good bait to the forest of
fog…”
“Attacking the main unit the moment they let down their guard. The
same thing we’re doing now.”
‘This trash.’
I felt like I was cursing myself for some reason, but I couldn’t ignore the
possibility.
Lee Jihye’s words were convincing explanations.
It was currently impossible to precisely determine how many troops

entered where the mist summoner, Cheon Gwan-wi, was.
It was worth suspecting that not all of the squads had gone into the
forest of fog.
There’s also the impossibility to rule out the chance that some troops
were sent to the forest of fog as the rest turned back.
I focused on the map that Lee Jihye was closely looking at as she
pointed to a spot with her inger.
“If our speculation is right, there is a high probability that we will bump
into each other right here before entering Castle Rock. To be precise,
there’s a possibility that we might get attacked. The terrain is
disadvantageous for us and good for the enemy. The central unit in
Castle Rock can also help. Of course, he may be distracted for a while in
the siege, but anyone would be mad after encountering the one who
screwed them up. And no offense, but when you provoke people, you
have an insolent look on your face. I bet even the Buddha would feel
pissed upon looking at you.”
“That hurt a little… Anyway, if you’ve read this far… I take it you’ve
prepared countermeasures as well?”
“First, we pray that the enemy did not dig a trap. If they did, the only
answer is to pierce through it. From there on, it’s a battle of tactics.”
‘Tactics.’
It was easy to say.
However, she admitted that the demon summoner was excellent when
it came to such factors.
Even in a strategy simulation game based on the database obtained

before, Lee Jihye had never beaten the demon summoner.
She even admitted it herself that she couldn’t win.
We didn’t know how much she had sharpened her skills since then, but
the demon summoner was undoubtedly powerful.
With anxious thoughts, the soldiers continued to march.
Bang!
In that instant, a loud roar emerged from the road.
I thought it would unfold like that for some reason, but I felt even
dirtier.
“Fuck…”
“……”
“Do we have countermeasures prepared?”
“Yes.”
Although she nodded her head con idently, I knew she couldn’t help but
feel anxious.
“I was hurt a lot, too, and I have to show that the game and the actual
situation are different.”
I had no other option but to nod at what I heard afterward.
“You mean there are tactics in place?”
“I already have them in motion.”
“So what is that…”
“Tactic Kim Hyunsung.”
“Huh?”
“The tactic Kim Hyunsung. That’s the tactic I prepared.”
“Ah…”
“You know better than me. That’s why I kept hiding it.”
“Puhahahaha. Ah. Yes… Phew. I forgot that! I forgot our Hyunsung!”
I wasn’t sure if it should be called a tactic, but its destructive power

alone could be regarded as such.
I laughed, but not because I was suffering from mania.
He’s a monster of expenditure created to house the gods.
He’s a real messenger who had been returned by Altanus and was
favored by the Goddess Benignore.
His mythic-grade armament and the stats he had were already more
than enough to call him a monster.
There was no need for complicated tactics.
Tactic Kim Hyunsung itself was all the strategy we needed.

“Initiate the tactic ‘Kim Hyunsung’!!”
“Roger that.”
CHAPTER 395
MANUAL (1)
The war they were experiencing and modern warfare was distinctly
different.
I had mentioned it several times already, but that wasn’t even enough to
overemphasize it.
‘Yes. Right. Absolutely.’
Whenever I thought about the impact that a single individual could

have on a war on this continent, that answer always came swiftly into
my mind.
For example, the power Jung Hayan showed at Laios and the mist
summoner, Cheon Gwan-wi’s actions at the forest of fog.
The same went for one of the Five General Tigers, who played a
signi icant role in pushing Dawan and Celia out.
How about Cha Hee-ra, who possessed a power that exceeded the
mythic grade?
A single entity paralyzed the entirety of Laios, in luencing the war

signi icantly.
Of course, in Cha Hee-ra’s case, various factors were intertwined, but

it’s an appropriate example of how great of an impact an individual
could have.
To put it simply, they were tactical hacks. While most people were
warriors, there were those who were more like tanks.
If an enemy force suddenly pushed in with a tank on a battle ield of

swords and bows, everyone would have no choice but to be surprised.
If the enemy had strategic weapons, we needed our own to counter

them.
If they had a warrior with enough endurance to prevent themselves

from being pierced with ordinary arrows and swords, we would need
an archer that could impale through them.
The continent’s war history developed in such a way, though a few

changes occurred after foreigners fell in.
The results themselves did not change. The only thing that changed was
the process.
How many tutorial dungeons one had completed became an indicator

of a country’s national power.
As such, the appearance of foreigners was also shocking to them.
In that relationship that had been tightly held together, new and
powerful people began to enter.
They naturally weren’t invincible.
If a swordsman’s defense were hit with an attack more robust than it

was, it would break. If a wizard was in its place, then even more so.
It was even more riveting when taking into consideration the

possibility of descending to the lower world due to a blind arrow that
lew in while they were off-guard.
Even a swordsman with seemingly bottomless stamina would start to

feel exhausted at some point, and even a wizard who had tremendous
irepower would eventually run out of magic power.
If an enemy could keep such ridiculous beings in check, it could reduce

the scope of my movement.
Then what about Kim Hyunsung?
What if there was no enemy tactical weapon that couldn’t be kept in

check on our side?
‘I do not need to say it.’
He’s a human chosen by God.
He had so much talent that ordinary people couldn’t even dare to

surpass it, yet his hard work never stopped.
The status window visible through the Mind’s Eyes was far too
exquisite for words to capture it.
The Mercenary Queen had a strength that could exceed the mythic
grade, but that guy was well-rounded in all aspects.
All his igures except Intelligence were 90 or higher.
He had legendary-grade attributes.
He’s like the main character in a novel or a cartoon.
I could con idently bet that the current Kim Hyunsung was the
strongest in the human world.
At least, among the humans I had seen, there was no human beyond
Kim Hyunsung.
-Prepare for battle!
-Prepare for battle!!
-Immediately respond to magic and arrows! Wizards, keep the defense

magic up!
Kim Hyunsung hid in a position away from the noisy troops, a calm look
dominating his face.
In the returner’s arms, it seemed possible to even sleep in the middle of

the battle ield.
He exhaled deeply as he did some light stretches to loosen his body.
The priests’ buffs poured out, and the wizards’ secondary magic started
to focus on him.
From anyone’s perspective, it seemed that the main factor of the

battle ield was that bastard.
Even the troops that were suddenly attacked felt lustered.
They were prepared for battle, but it was still natural to be surprised
when met with an unexpected assault.
I could still hear the explosion.
Lee Jihye and I watched the situation from a relatively safe distance,
preventing any shock from reaching us, but it was dif icult to say that
there were no damages outside.
Baaaannnggg!!!
Boooom…
Boom…
“That force wasn’t deployed to attack allies. Its main purpose is to slow
the march or to make the allies accumulate damage.”
“Really? Anyone who looks at it would think they simply want to

attack.”
“I think they’re that desperate. I wanted to preserve and move our

troops properly, but it can’t be done without any damage. First of all,
the terrain is disadvantageous. I wanted to avoid it, but I think this is a
ight that we have to face. Maybe it’s a good thing that we’re confronting
them here.”
“When are you going to use the Kim Hyunsung tactic?”
“It’s not something to be deployed recklessly. We need to use it as

effectively as possible to live up to its name. Where the name is used is
important, but the most important is how it’s used. Let’s see… We need
to open up a path. It’s my job to deliver the bombs as risk-free as
possible.”
“Hmm… Well, okay. Can I leave it to you?”
“Yes. At least, for now.”
“I’ll go outside for a second and review the situation.”
“Don’t get hit by a random arrow for no reason. Just take it and come
in.”
Lee Jihye wasn’t saying something useless. As soon as I stepped out, I

started hearing all sorts of roaring sounds.
The temperature was different as well.
It’s not that I haven’t been through that kind of situation, but the scale
was different, so it felt more real.
From the skies fell all sorts of offensive magic, and allies gathered
around to cast defensive spells.
Baaaaaaannng!!
Craaassshhh!!!
“Wizard Support Unit! Shield casting! Shield casting!”
“Collect maximum magic power! Move fast! Faster! Out of bombing

range! What are you doing?!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Priests! Priests!”
“This is an order to prepare the response magic! This is our top

priority.”
“Cast after con irming the magic circle.”
“Ready to cast!”
“Launch!”
“…”
‘Are they already retaliating? They react quickly.’
It’s evidence that the unit was well trained. I wasn’t the one who taught
them, but I couldn’t help but feel proud.
With the control tower, they responded well to unexpected situations.
However, it looked like their magic couldn’t reach the enemy located on
a relatively higher slope than us.
The situation was no different from an uphill battle.
I could con irm that the demon summoner prepared quite a bit.
“The warriors are to keep their formation as they move forward. You all
are to avoid damage to the rear as much as possible. Consider it your
top priority.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Gather around the ones with defense artifacts! Push back in!”
“Shit! Don’t let them come up!”
Lee Jihye continued to give orders in the command room, and the
troops followed her orders in real-time.
Of course, overall, all we were doing was decreasing our distance from
the enemy, but giving instructions down to the smallest details was
different from just approaching and charging in.
‘There’s no problem in the damage dealt with our teammates, but this…
’
The problem was that the wizards’ magic powers and the priests’ divine
powers were being rapidly consumed.
Even if they were to penetrate the enemy ranks successfully, the

question was whether they would have enough stamina to continue the
next war.
‘This is what they want.’
Of course, the enemy could easily remove its troops.
It’s already bene icial for them to undercut our physical strength, and if
they could cause a lot of damage to our forces, then they’ve done their
job quite excellently.
In many ways, the situation was unfavorable for us and advantageous

for the enemy.
I had to be curious about the timing of when the tactic Kim Hyunsung
would be dispatched.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Medical Corp! Medical Corp!”
“5th platoon, direct ire magic! It looks like the shield is broken.”
Our troops were taking damage.
I wondered if something had happened, but I thought that wasn’t the

case.
She’d also know when the right time had come.
As I was contemplating whether to ask for more details in the

command room, something caught my attention.
‘Huh?’
I saw ice lying over our heads.
To be more accurate, it was ice in the shape of a spear.

‘Is it really made of ice?’
It didn’t seem to be visible to other people’s eyes.
It felt like time was passing by slower than usual. I was wondering why
I couldn’t notice it until it came so close.
The spear lew our way and broke through our defensive magic. It made
me feel a chill crawl down my spine.
Although I was the one who cast it, the dragon shield still emerged
slower than the lying speed of the spear.
It wasn’t just an attack that ended with minor injuries.
It’s no wonder that I felt annoyed by my dull body that wouldn’t move.
I tried to avoid fatal injuries by twisting my body away from it as much

as possible, but the damn thing that lew right in front of me was
enough to make me think of all kinds of things.
‘They have someone capable.’
There’s someone specialized in assassination or shooting among them.
Being able to throw a spear that couldn’t be seen from such a long
distance was dif icult to execute if it wasn’t someone named.
I leaned away as much as I could.
Clink!
I heard the sound of a glass breaking.
“Huh?”
“Are you okay?”
Kim Hyunsung stood next to me.
‘Why are you here? No, when did this bastard come here.’
I remembered him getting ready to charge.
We’re located far away from the main unit.
I didn’t know when he noticed the spear lying towards me, but it’s a
mystery how he got to where I was in no time.
Actually, what was a little more surprising was his appearance.
‘Fucking handsome.’
Half-holding me, he completely broke the invisible spear with his other
arm.
Regardless of whether it was made of glass or ice, he turned it into

powder, causing it to sprinkle down onto the ground.
It felt like I was looking at a iltered picture even though he was just
standing still.
Even the sun shone just at the right time to make me feel like he’s in a
photoshoot or a movie.
Kim Hyunsung began to speak irst just as I was about to with a

strangely ambiguous pose.
“I think it would be better to go inside, Kiyoung-ssi. It’s dangerous

outside. At least just until we get rid of the snipers… since everyone will
be aiming at you.”
“Yes. I… was careless. I didn’t know protection magic could be pierced
so easily.”
“It’s probably magic that focuses on penetration. An attribute may have

in luenced it. It’s threatening, but it probably won’t reach into the
control room. Quickly go inside.”
“Ah… Yes. Okay. Thank you, Hyunsung-ssi.”
“It was only natural for me to do that.”
“Okay. More importantly… can you stay here like…”
“It’s a little late, but it’s ine. I just received an order. Then… I will come
back.”
“Yes. Catch you later.”
“Oh! And I keep telling you, but you need to be as careful as possible,
Kiyoung-ssi. Please tell that to the command and control room.”
“Then…”
I was left speechless after seeing him disappear in an instant.
I hurriedly entered the control room, not wanting anything aimed at me

to come again.
Kim Hyunsung was re lected in the magic hologram as he ran.
It’s almost obvious where he was charging towards.
‘He was following the angle of the spear.’

I watched him go to the position of the sniper that tried to aim for my
life.
“How is he so fast?”
My eyes felt strained just watching him move.
Shortly after that, screams began to echo from all directions.
“Nuke is falling!”
CHAPTER 396
MANUAL (2)
“What was that just now? What kind of man gets hugged like a
princess?”
“You saw that?”
“Of course I saw it. Why did you even go out and snoop like that? I
didn’t think I had to tell you this, but your face is like a living
provocation totem. And refrain from looking at him with bright eyes.
That’s why those types of novels are sold even during times of war. Did
you know that the percentage of female soldiers coming back alive is
really high in the State? I don’t know if it’s a joke, but they said they
couldn’t die because they had to wait for the next book. It’s helpful, but
you know better than anyone that getting caught up in useless talk is
bad…”
“What novel?”
“You don’t know?”
“I know, but what does that have to do with this…”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing. You can be so slow sometimes.”
“Huh?”
“You don’t have to worry about it. Anyway, did you get hurt?”
“No. Thanks to someone, I’m ine.”
“Take care of yourself. If it wasn’t for Hyunsung… sigh. Nevermind, just

look at the screen. We have to keep showing the GPS. It would be better
for you to do this. You understand Hyunsung better than me.”
“What screen is this?”
“It’s a magic hologram for tactic Kim Hyunsung. It’s in irst-person

because it’s dif icult to follow the movements with a normal camera.
The basic route is decided… all you have to do is show the GPS, take
coordinates, and set targets. You can help in other small areas if you
think it’s possible considering Hyunsung’s abilities. You know this. I
wanted to do it, but I think you can do it better. I have to look at other
branches as well.”
“You surely are prepared.”
“To use a tallboy, you have to prepare for it. Obviously, he still has
limitations in physical strength and magic power. It’s better not to make
him overdo it. I’ll also focus on that because the enemy doesn’t seem
too easy.”
“We’re not being pushed back, right?”
“We’re not, but… It’s not that there are no anxiety factors at all. Right
now, focus.”
“Okay.”
‘She’s de initely a successful bitch.’
It was enough to think about it.
I knew she was smart, but I never thought she would use that method.
Kim Hyunsung’s irst-person view. Considering that my instructions
were being delivered, I thought it was like playing a game.
A game where I felt like I was botting.
I didn’t have to control it. Our tactic weapon, Kim Hyunsung,

automatically took care of the enemy.
‘I think this is okay… No, it’s awesome.’
Of course, Kim Hyunsung’s judgment on the battle ield could be

trusted.
He was dozens of times more experienced in battle than I was. It was

clear that he knew how to ight and how to eliminate the target.
But the story was different when it came to war as large as the one we
were waging.
Kim Hyunsung’s vision was limited.
Unless they’re looking down from above, nobody would know for sure
how the overall war was going.
He could get isolated from getting agitated alone, or he might not be

able to see where he needed support from.
It was my role to assist him.
Kim Hyunsung was wearing one large-view camera and one personal
camera.
I could bet no role suited me better than that.
It was even more so when I recalled that I might know more about his
body than Kim Hyunsung himself.
‘Good.’
-I’ll get through right away.
Kim Hyunsung, who started running in earnest, couldn’t be judged by a

commoner’s gaze.
Lee Jihye was right.
If it weren’t for his personal camera, I wouldn’t have even noticed how
he was moving.
‘Is he really human?’
The surrounding scenery passed by very quickly.
Fast was an understatement to his speed.
He looked faster than a bullet train.
He unsheathed his sword in an instant, and the enemy’s limbs in front

of him were blown away.
Before the parts of the enemy’s body fell to the ground, Kim Hyunsung
was already elsewhere, his sword still in hand.
As soon as he swung, the enemies’ weapons and limbs lew in all

directions. Of course, before they could come down from the sky, Kim
Hyunsung had already reached his next destination.
-Tap, tap, tap, whoosh!
The reactions the enemies showed were different.

-Ahhhhhhhhh!
-What! What? What… what is this?!
-Stop him! Don’t let him come up! Block him as much as possible!
-Just now! Ahhhhhhhhh!
-Shit! Medic! Medic! Priests!!!
-What crazy situation is this?! Fuck!
He had an insane speed.
Rather, my reaction to guiding him felt slower.
It was hard to convey information to Kim Hyunsung.
‘He’s too fast.’
A101 at 11 o’clock.
-Done.
Then B21 at 9 o’clock.
-Done.
Change the route.
Southwest.
After arriving, kill the enemy wizard.
Immediately head to E point.

-Done.
He and his sword danced.
He had already reached the destination and eliminated the target

before I could even say anything.
“Jihye, Lee Jihye.”
“…”
“Jihye!”
“Yes… Yes? What? I’m busy right now.”
“Send me a few more of the Goddess’s Mirrors. One for each point.
Quickly.”
“Why?”
“I can’t check on him because he moves too fast. Quickly. I have to look a
little wider.”
“W-Wait a second.”
“Okay.”
Lee Jihye immediately sent me mirrors that showed each point as if she
had checked the situation over there.
Naturally, I moved my hands and eyes rapidly since it was being sent in
real-time.
Since Kim Hyunsung moved faster than the speed at which I could roll
my eyes, I had no choice but to do that.
It’s ridiculous enough to make me clear my throat.
I could bet that I could react that much because I was an eye user. If it
were Lee Jihye, she would have had to give up midway.
I speci ied the coordinates and kept them displayed.
I set targets and igured out in real-time what battle ields needed our
tactical nuclear weapon most.
‘It’s not enough. It’s fucking not enough. I’m not enough.’
I couldn’t follow Kim Hyunsung’s movement.
I had to deliver information constantly, but I couldn’t do that. I felt

frustrated to death.
It felt like I picked up a Lamborghini as my irst car without knowing

how to drive.
I felt miserable not being able to fully utilize the lovely returner’s
potential.
But there was no way I would give up.
As I moved my ingers, I constantly changed the battle ield’s position. I

also ensured the personal screen that Kim Hyunsung was wearing
didn’t stop moving.
I couldn’t give time for Kim Hyunsung to space out.
He would be suspicious of the orders I gave him if the guide who led
him was clumsy.
‘My head hurts.’

I wasn’t a genius or even smart, for that matter.
By the time I felt that my brain wasn’t receiving the information I was
receiving with my eyes, it started to get wet under my nose.
The scent of blood continued around my mouth.
It’s hard, but I felt like I wanted to praise myself just being able to
follow Kim Hyunsung’s moves little by little.
I wanted to pat my head, but I didn’t have time for that.
Enemies were also sending out troops to respond to the tactical nuke.
But it was different.
-This motherfucker! Dieee!
The pig that appeared with pride was immediately put to rest when his
throat was sliced open.
-Keep the shield magic up! Shield magic! Buy a little more time!
The guy who shouted and chanted had his wrist cut off and died right
there.
I didn’t know how to distinguish between the one who killed and the
one who didn’t get killed, but Kim Hyunsung seemed to have an exact
feel for it.
Personally, I thought it would be nice to kill them all, but there was an
advantage that came from leaving some simply wounded.
“The wizard casting in the 213.41 area has been con irmed. The target
is assumed to be from the main unit.”
-Noted. I’ll inish this and deal with it.
“Next.”
-Done.
“Next.”
-Done.
“Next.”
-Done.
It’s quite a long distance, but I believed he would arrive on time.
As soon as he took out a dagger and threw it, the enemy’s shield magic
was broken, and the small weapon impaled into the caster’s forehead.
-Done.
‘Fucking fast.’
However, that action just now consumed some magic power.
Of course, it didn’t show any effects yet, but it was ef icient to save
magic power if I thought about the future.
“You can slow down a little. Save your strength.”
-Okay.
‘Is that guy for real?’
What I was witnessing was the scenery our lovely returner was in front
of.
I could see soldiers and some named faces with the monster that they
cannot deal with.
Although I was simply looking through the screen, their breathing, Kim
Hyunsung’s breath, and the sense of urgency of the scene were clearly
conveyed.
It didn’t mean that there’s no danger, however.
Hundreds of arrows lew in at once, and platoons and magics organized

to deal with Kim Hyunsung continued to intercept him.
Even though I wondered if he would have stepped back, It’s a

spectacular sight to see him let their attacks slip by or get stopped.
I had never witnessed such a degree of godhood.
‘Isn’t he too strong? Isn’t that a breach of balance?’
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he was a masterpiece created by

the gods.
The pure awe of how a human could become so strong began to rise.
Avoid or cut.
Block or cut.
It’s incredible to see such a simple process repeated hundreds of times.
‘Right. That’s the exact expression.’
Most soldiers had their arms cut off without even being able to move a
muscle, and even those who had reached a certain level couldn’t
withstand the maximum ten moves.
It’s probably obvious what the enemy commander was thinking by now.
They must’ve thought that a moving nuke fell right in the middle of
their troops.
It was natural to feel that way.
Even I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing with my own eyes.
It was then that I felt that the movement of the enemy troops changed a
little.
‘They are starting to put some pressure.’
I could see that some of the visible troops, in general, were

concentrated on Kim Hyunsung.
“Jihye.”
“…”
“Jihye!”
“……”
“Honey! Honey!! Wife!!!”
“Yes? Yes? What?”
“Send one more priest and one more wizard. Only send named ones
with a long maximum range. No, just create a list of local priests and
wizards and send them to me.”
“A-are you okay?”
“What?”
“You have a nosebleed.”
“It’s okay. Send the list. Quickly.”
“O-okay. I-I guess you’re using it more than me…”
“Just show me the Goddess’s Mirror. Quickly.”
The Goddess’s Mirror that illed my vision– no, the magic hologram,
was spectacular in its own way.
“I don’t know if we should create an instruction manual for this,”
I muttered to myself, but somehow I felt like that was really needed.
“That would be fun. What would be the title?”
I didn’t answer, but I repeated the right title to myself.
‘Regressor Instruction Manual.’
‘That’s it! Hyunsung! I love you!! Fuck!!’

CHAPTER 397
MANUAL (3)
‘Is this possible? Something like this… is it really possible?’
I couldn’t help but question it.
It’s true that when I irst heard it, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
In the middle of the battle ield, moving under orders was virtually
impossible.
We didn’t know when or where something could happen that would

cause a battle to take place.
Not only did the situation change every minute, but there were also
factors outside of the commander’s range of predictions that frequently
occurred.
If a variable appeared at point A, which was the destination, the

location might have to be moved, and the possibility of a stray arrow or
magic falling on the point marked with the coordinates couldn’t be
ruled out either.
It’s understandable to build a camp in large-scale battles while moving

troops into units, but I had never seen or heard of giving such a
situation to individuals.
That’s why I wasn’t happy.

Even if the Goddess’s Mirror could be used to see the battle ield with a
wide ield-of-view, the responsibility to respond to sudden variables fell
on me.
After entering the irst operation, it was still sluggish, and I didn’t like it.
However, after a short period, I had to admit that it was beyond my

imagination when I opened the box.
‘This doesn’t make sense.’
I thought I could do it alone by merely marking the coordinates of a

route or place, which would allow them to place weapons wherever I
needed them.
However, setting targets and paying attention to details was another

problem.
There was a limit to human brains’ capacity, which meant there was a
limit to the number of information humans could visually accept and
judge.
Not only were they unable to see everything clearly, but there wasn’t
enough time to organize the information as well.
If my movements were slow, I would be able to accept them, but to

respond to his speed was close to impossible for normal humans.
‘I have special eyes, Hyunsung-ssi.’
Maybe this was what he meant by saying that.
What he was doing was not something an ordinary human could do. No
gamesman or military of icer I knew of could pull off what he was
doing.
My internal evaluation continued to pile up.
When I irst met him, I just thought he was just quite useful.
The same person who left a mediocre impression on me was now an

indispensable friend and a brother who led me.
I wondered where the hell that genius was hiding in the irst round.
Saving him by wielding my sword in the tutorial dungeon was the best
thing I did in the irst and this round.
‘Enemy!’
I could see archers pulling arrows in front of me, but I didn’t really need
to move.
The coordinates would be taken right away anyway.
As expected, I could see the signal coming in right away.
-C point is 321.12.
“Noted.”
Although the barrier was thick, he still charged on.
‘I can get through.’
A big man with a huge shield and ax swung his weapon at me.
As I swung my sword, I felt the familiar unpleasant tenderness of the

human body. Blood soon spurted out of the man.
I kept moving my feet and gave him no time to rest.

In the meantime, commands continued to come.
My body naturally responded to the voice.
His constant commands gave me the feeling of him being right next to
me.
A colleague who protected one’s back couldn’t be any more reliable

than him.
Moreover, it wasn’t only his commands.
‘The buff is running out.’
-C points 321.69
“Done.”
As soon as I arrived at the place, divine power began pouring into my

body.
The priest who gave me divine power also had his jaw dropped as if he
found it absurd.
The only command that the priest received was to pour divine power at
the exact point.
Maybe he couldn’t even properly check my movements.
‘I can understand.’
I could understand how that priest felt.
The feelings I felt now were the same as those of my allies.
It’s too absurd.

I never imagined that that kind of thing would be possible. It was like a
stage made for me.
There was nothing to think about besides cutting my enemies and

getting to the destination I was assigned to.
I didn’t even have to worry about magic and arrows falling from the sky.
Why?
Allied protection magic always protected me at that point anyway.
Baaaannggg!!!
With that loud sound, a curtain spread out over the sky and blocked the
enemy’s magic.
The ally wizard, who cast the defense magic, was looking at me
perplexed from a distance.
It was all due to him witnessing the result of a ridiculous command to

cast shield magic where the enemy de initely was a few minutes ago.
‘This… he’s reading the battle ield.’
There was no better way to explain the situation.
Wounds that I inevitably received were immediately healed while I

moved.
Buffs on my body never ended as if there was no time limit.
Just by moving to a speci ied point, a nearby allied priest added divine
power to me as if he was already waiting.
If there’s a place where I felt was too far, or if I were uncertain if I could
pierce through the enemy lines, magic would fall to open the path for
me.
The same was true for the warriors who were pushing troops out
together.
They pushed away the enemies in such a way that opened enough space
for me to ind the enemy’s face.
‘No way.’
I could feel pleasure in my heart.
I didn’t enjoy ighting very much. My pleasure came from the fact that I
couldn’t help but feel like we’ve become one singular unit.
“Die! This monster bastard! Gasp!”
I heard an ally’s voice overlapping with the scream of a fallen enemy.
“Hyunsung, behind you!”
I heard him shouting, but I didn’t care.
I wasn’t told to be careful, just as expected.
A loud shriek soon came from behind me.
When I looked back, I saw the enemy’s face falling backward with an
arrow on his forehead.
The ally archer who shot the arrow showed the same expression that
others had shown so far.
Perhaps we were all feeling the same emotion.

Even if there seemed to be no laws, we were all organically connected
like a spider web.
-Move to the next location.
“Done.”
-Next.
“Done.”
-You can slow down. Pay attention to your stamina.
“Done.”
‘This person is a genius.’
It wasn’t unreasonable to think of him like that.
“Gasp!”
“This crazy monster! Die! Stop him! Don’t let him come up!”
“Do not spare magic and arrows! You only need to get one shot. Just one
shot!”
“But!”
“Shut up and pull the string! Don’t let him com… gasp!”
-Thank you.
“No problem.”
While I took a short breath, divine power was poured over me again,
replenishing the buff.
The sight I saw after looking back was absurd, even if I thought about it.
Although my current growth level could never be labeled as slow, I

couldn’t remember having such a satisfactory battle even during the
irst round when growth was almost over.
It couldn’t even be seen as a war.
If I said that I ran with a rough off-road in the past, now it felt like
driving a very luxurious sedan on a paved road.
I had similar magic power and displacement, but the condition of the
road was different.
I clenched my ists.
‘I think I can ight all day.’
Of course, it was an exaggeration.
However, if the battle ield continued to be in that state, it wouldn’t be

impossible.
-Caution. 12 o’clock position.
“Noted.”
When I looked away for a moment, I responded to the voice and saw the
spear.
The spear that came out in an instant was the magic that was aimed at
Kiyoung awhile ago.
When I lifted my sword and cut it with a crackling sound, I saw a shard
of glass exploding.
-I will take the exact coordinates. I think they set Hyunsung as the
target.
“Yes. I’m checking.”
-Going.
“Okay.”
The moment I tried to charge forward, the spear came again.
It was natural for me to move to the next coordinates immediately.
Bang! Some of the enemy troops were hit by the spear, causing it to
crumble.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Seeing that there was no answer to whether they’re blocking or

avoiding,
It seemed like the decision was left to individual discretion.
I wanted to look around for a second, but I didn’t have time to do that.
The next attack was already coming at me.
‘Block it.’
As I swung my sword upward, I heard a clinck again.
‘Block.’
Clinck!
‘Avoid it.’
Craaacckk!!
‘Block it.’
Clinck!!
It wasn’t easy to move in a place where a massive quantity of troops

was concentrated.
However, ally troops continued to open the way for me.
The command and control room transmitted coordinates, which

allowed me to move safely to the location within the shortest amount of
time.
Until now, it was impossible to accurately determine the person who

threw the spear.
However, the enemy’s position had inally been located by the

command room.
Another glass spear passed by my shoulder, grazing it.
‘It’s ine.’
That attack damaged me, but it wasn’t deep.
‘Focus.’
Another spear surged towards me again, which I destroyed

immediately.
Clinck! Clicnk! Craaaacckkkk! Baaaanngg!
Naturally, I put more strength into my attacks, causing the

surroundings to turn into a mess.
Since the opponent was powerful, it wasn’t unreasonable for such a
situation to unfold.
But I was getting closer and closer to my destination.
I continued to cover the distance between me and my goal, leaving

havoc in my wake.
The enemy was also probably aware that I was getting closer.
-Speed up a little.
“Noted.”
I had an inkling why he suddenly asked me to speed up. Maybe the

other one’s moving.
The spears that continued to be thrown at me were less frequent.
As the number of variables increased, my destination changed

accordingly, but I could still follow the opponent.
If the ight had progressed normally, the possibility that it would have
been dif icult to chase after them couldn’t have been ruled out.
It would’ve taken a long time to get to where I was.
I would have been physically exhausted and might not have been able
to handle the troops coming at me from all sides.
But that was already far from being possible with him at the helm.
He’s already checking where the spear was coming from and estimating
where it would fall.
I didn’t even have to worry about other attacks.

“Tie him up! Tie him up as much as possible! Up until you widen the
distance… Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“That’s c-crazy! Genia!”
“Tie him as much as… gasp!”
Once again, I injected magic power into my feet and hit the ground as
much as possible.
The surrounding landscape changed in an instant.
A frightened man threw a spear right in front of me.
“Son of a bitch! Die!”
-You do not need to avoid the last attack.
“Noted.”
If I twisted my body, he’d be able to widen the distance again.
I had to take my chance before he hid in the crowd.
I was a little nervous, but I bit my lips tightly.
As I swung my sword without avoiding the spear, I could see him

greatly startled.
“Mad bastard!”
It was then that the body shone with a sound.
There was no damage despite being attacked.

When I instinctively glanced sideways while swinging my sword, I could
see Park Deokgu taking damage instead of me.
He must have triggered the attribute to receive damage from others

instead.
I had goosebumps on my back.

CHAPTER 398
MANUAL (4)
‘No way.’
“C-point 321.12.”
-Done.
“C-point 321.69.”
-Done.
‘Is that guy for real?’
I had no choice but to open my mouth while the battle was going on.
Even though my irises were already moving as fast as they could, it was
still dif icult to follow.
I had already reached my limit.
I wanted to praise myself for what I had done so far, but I couldn’t.
The war situation was continuously changing, and the information I

received continued to change with it.
It’s too ridiculous.

It was disconcerting to see him carry out orders easily that would’ve
already been dif icult to achieve for others.
He was so fast that I had to modify the route in real-time.
‘Damn.’
The problem was that I thought whenever I felt like I had adjusted to it,
I made mistakes that made things worse.
I shouldn’t have put in the wizard or the priest.
I knew he could move a little faster, but assisting Kim Hyunsung going
with the low was not easy on its own.
There was a limit to continuously injecting him into an allied position

and replacing buffs.
I was somehow able to block the falling magic or placed warriors in

advance to clear the way.
I felt like my ability wasn’t enough to be of adequate help.
‘The details part is unreasonable.’
A situation in which other support types other than replaceable buff,

magic, or divine power was made available for him was unreasonably
unlikely.
I thought he would have moved much more comfortably than now if he

had support from unique characteristics with heroic-grade or
legendary-grade attributes.
Kim Hyunsung’s output could still be improved.
I was worried that I was restricting his movements.

I liked the idea that I could help him out, but drawbacks inevitably
occurred while Kim Hyunsung received my orders.
“You can slow down. Take care of your stamina.”
-Okay.
‘Okay, let’s take a break… ’
-Gasp!
-This crazy monster! Die! Stop it! Don’t let him come up!
-Don’t spare magic and arrows. You only need to get one shot. Just one
shot!
‘I told you to slow down, this bastard… ’
-Shut up and pull the string! Don’t’let him come up… Gasp!!!
-Ahhhhhhhhh!
-The enemy is one! The enemy is one!
“Slowly down, this mean motherfucker!”
-What are the warriors doing…
-Magic! Stop it with magic! With magic! Ahhhhhhhhh!
“Thank you, Hyunsung.”
-No problem.
‘I told you to slow down. You got excited, fuck.’

It felt like my head would burst open just by assisting Kim Hyunsung
while he was moving with excitement.
My eyes continued to receive information, but my brain that deciphered

it couldn’t withstand it.
The faster Kim Hyunsung moved, the more pressure would be put on
my shoulders.
Not only did I keep all the magic holograms within my vision, but I had
to organize the information that was received. It was natural for my
average mind to be overwhelmed.
‘This… am I receiving intelligence correction?’
I didn’t know to what extent I could receive the information.
I had never used my head that hard when I was on Earth in the irst
place.
However, I personally determined I should be able to withstand that

level of strain because I had a high intellectual stat.
If it had been me during the tutorial time, I knew I couldn’t have

sustained that state for more than 15 seconds.
Five seconds might’ve been my limit.
Before my brain overloaded, I thought that the nose bleeding due to it

was only possible in cartoons and movies, but after it, I felt like a fool.
There were times when I laughed loudly, treating it as a lie for dramatic
production, but now I understood that feeling better than anyone else.
My head continued to ache as if it would break, but I had no choice but

to keep receiving information from my eyes.
I didn’t even have time to wipe the blood from my nose. Even at that
moment, Kim Hyunsung was waiting for the signal from the command
and control room.
“Why is this bastard making me work so hard?”
If he moved a little slower, it wouldn’t cause any problems, but it’s a

spectacle to watch him move eagerly as if trying to make me surpass my
limits.
Even though he still had a little time to spare, I could see him lying
right away.
When that happened, I had no choice but to follow him.
As I bit down on my lips tightly, the spear that lew from afar passed by
Kim Hyunsung’s shoulder.
“Ah.”
-It’s ine.
‘Shit… ’
Seeing a wound on one side of his shoulder hurt me.
Of course, it just passed, but if my reaction had been a little faster, there
would have been no such wounds.
‘I missed it.’
No wonder I bit my lips tightly. My pride felt damaged.
I wanted to ind the guy who threw the spear towards Kim Hyunsung as
fast as I could.
Kim Hyunsung must have been set as the target as well.
‘You shouldn’t get hurt, Hyunsung.’
The enemy was slower to set Kim Hyunsung as the target than I
thought.
It was an error on his part, thinking that I would be supporting the

other part of the war.
He must’ve been prepared to end the ight in an extremely damaged

state.
He must’ve known well that he would be in a ight and suffer.
‘This is a tricky type.’
Rather than being arrogant, it’s annoying to those who learned of their
limitations the same way I did.
He seemed to put his own safety irst as he had already secured an

escape route.
Once again, he created and threw a spear towards Hyunsung, causing it

to soar with incredible speed.
It’s natural to igure out what’s around.
It was also challenging to move the troops with Park Deokgu and Yoo
Ahyoung, continue transmitting coordinates to use magic to nearby
wizards, and move my left and right hands in different directions.
I was worried that my hands might get twisted, but that wouldn’t
happen.
Kim Hyunsung continued to move as ef iciently as possible as I watched
him from the hologram.
It’s more fun than I thought.
He never got ruf led. Avoiding or cutting spears that made me feel
intimidated just by looking at them, he moved to where I told him to go.
I was feeling some form of pleasure.
It felt like pieces of a puzzle were falling into place perfectly. It’s enough
to give me a strange emotion.
Just by giving the right support at the right place and timing, the
returner would soon sweep the enemies with ease.
‘This returner will annihilate everyone soon!’
Even though the glass spears were lying in all directions, it was
spectacular to see him continually avoid them or strike them with his
hands.
The culprit wouldn’t even understand what was happening.
I received the information about the named enemy while delivering

coordinates to Kim Hyunsung nonstop.
His reaction was so quick that it almost felt like he was moving without
my commands.
He followed the exact destination and route I gave him.
He was up against a tricky opponent who kept striking in from a blind

spot.
He was more of a sniper than a spearman.

If he could narrow down the distance, the game of tag would have
immediately ended, but the opponent was also getting help from their
unit.
The wizards, the priests, and the warriors were always moving
together.
After the number of spears he had thrown, I could see through the
Goddess’s Mirror that he was beginning to pull himself away as if he
thought it was no longer possible to defeat his target.
To my eyes, however, just the thought of his spears made me feel

daunted.
‘It hurts my head.’
Kim Hyunsung’s physical strength needed to be preserved as much as

possible.
However, it was bene icial to deal with those who were strong like that.
“Unit 7 will enter the place where the coordinates were taken.”
-Noted.
Allies and enemies continued to accumulate damage.
Kim Hyunsung was blocking attacks as much as possible, but he

couldn’t stop all the glass spears that kept on targetting him.
“Jihye, please open the road.”
“Yes? Where?”
“I’m going to send Unit 7 into the location where the coordinates were
marked. You just have to pay attention to them so that they can go up in
the shortest time possible. I’ve already put them as close as possible.”
“I can’t afford to do that, but uh…”
“First priority. Quickly. We’re going to catch the named enemy, so focus
a little bit more on this side.”
“Oh, the spearman! I’ll try then. I just have to open the road, right?”
“Yes, as quickly as you can. I’ll do the rest from there on out.”
“Yes. Okay.”
The troops could be seen moving, causing a route that had been
blocked off to open up.
As if such routes were visible to Kim Hyunsung, the place where he was
headed was in perfect sync with the course I thought of.
It was evident why Kim Hyunsung, who couldn’t look back on the
situation as a whole, could move like that.
‘Sense.’
It’s not about moving by looking or by judging.
That was probably the sense he developed as a result of spending

countless hours on the battle ield.
I didn’t know if he’s aware of it, but he’s probably a great asset that
could stand out even more if he studied tactics.
“You don’t have to avoid the last attack.”
-Noted.
It was an instant that the 7th unit broke through the road and moved to
Kim Hyunsung.
Kim Hyunsung’s face, while he swung his sword, was visible.
I thought it was advantageous to avoid useless ights, so I said he didn’t

have to avoid it, but I wondered how that might’ve sounded.
If he doubted me, even by a little, he would not be able to act ef iciently.
But, of course, Kim Hyunsung did not avoid the spear lying to him.
‘Yes, fuck! He’s going by faith. Hyunsung!’
I could see the distorted opponent’s face.
The spear almost touched Kim Hyunsung’s body before it shattered

with a clinking sound.
Kim Hyunsung swung his sword at the surprised opponent.
Just as he was about to get hit, the opponent screamed.
-Aegis!
“Huh?”
A large shield was created on his left arm.
‘What the!’
He once again created a spear of glass on his right arm and reached out
to Kim Hyunsung.
‘Is it dangerous? Isn’t that dangerous?’

Seeing the unidenti ied shield con irmed with the Mind’s Eyes, I became
inevitably worried.
Unit 7 was heading toward the team surrounding him, but Kim
Hyunsung was already exposed to the enemy.
It was a decisive mistake not to call the wizard in advance, thinking it

would end already.
Park Deokgu, who gave him his unique abilities, couldn’t afford two
activate it another time.
Various thoughts went into my head, but there was no breakthrough.
“Av…”
Before even yelling to avoid it, the body of the lovely returner became
hazy.
It’s unfathomable how he suddenly stood behind the enemy’s back and
had already swung his sword at such a speed that left the enemy unable
to react.
The guy holding the spear looked lustered.
Kim Hyunsung was clearly rushing in front of him.
However, it wasn’t unreasonable for him to make such a face. He had

been pinned from behind, after all.
Not only did he blow up his entire arm holding the shield, but the limbs
of the enemy soldiers around him soared into the air in the blink of an
eye as well.
Perhaps it wasn’t even visible to ordinary people.

Had it not been for the eyes I had, I wouldn’t have been able to
understand what just transpired.
When the enemy triggered the artifact, Hyunsung moved to the center
of the enemy force, and the arm with the shield had already been cut off
before the enemy realized that Kim Hyunsung had disappeared.
-Ahhhhhhhhh!
-Stop him! S-stop him!
-Gasp!
“Great…”
I felt ridiculous for worrying about him a little bit.
‘This bastard… I can’t tell the end with him.’

CHAPTER 399
IF HE WERE AN ENEMY (1)
“There really is no way to explain this. It’s the irst time I’ve ever seen
him ight properly, but what’s this… how can this person… how can a
person be so strong?”
Lee Jihye muttered to herself with a blank expression.
Looking at how she stared at the screen with shocked eyes, it seemed
like she couldn’t make sense of the scene no matter what she was
thinking.
How about those who are in the middle of that crazy battle ield?
They would’ve felt his presence more than us, who could only look at a
map.
‘Tactic Kim Hyunsung. Tactic Kim Hyunsung.’
From Lee Jihye’s point of view, it could be a phrase thrown around as a

joke.
However, there were traces of Kim Hyunsung all over the map re lected
in the magic hologram.
Their enemies weren’t beaten to death randomly, either.
Most of them were made unable to battle rather than killed.

It was perfectly normal to be dazed by the scene. Everyone knew that
keeping them alive was much more dif icult than killing them
mercilessly.
Of course, I had similar feelings.
I knew that he was strong, but it was hard to accept that one person
alone could affect the battle ield that much.
I knew that the named ones could turn the tide of war.
However, what Kim Hyunsung was showing was at a different level

among the non-standard beings.
Of course, various factors were involved, but the guy who steadily
ful illed his orders seemed a little unfamiliar.
As I looked at the armed igure standing on the screen, goosebumps

began to rise all over my body.
The feeling that all of my vellus hair seemed to have stood clearly
showed how awed I felt.
He looked like the warrior in stories, ready to save the day at a

moment’s notice.
‘Right. Hyunsung, you are the best. Whew.’
Perhaps Lee Jihye would feel it more than me.
Unlike me, who had closely observed his performance, it was her irst
time to witness Kim Hyunsung’s actual ability.
She hadn’t even looked into his stats, so the shock she felt wasn’t the
only one.
It was quite the sight, watching her with her jaw dropped.
I wondered if I had such an expression after giving the command in the

commanding unit.
“Isn’t he great? Did you see him swing his sword in the end? No, what
about when he caught the wizard before that?”
“How would I see something like that? And can you sort it out by saying
that that’s great? I thought that all the named ones I’ve seen so far were
monsters, but he’s even beyond monstrosity. I thought he was special
since I irst met him, but… no matter how much I think about it, I can’t
understand him. I doubt that he’s even human, and you just say he’s
amazing. Is Hyunsung really human?”
“Then what would he be?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how to describe him, but one thing I know is
that he’s special. If you think about it, it’s the same in the tutorial. How
is someone… of course, memories of the past can’t be compared to the
feelings I’m feeling right now, but he seemed weird since then.”
“Pfff. Really?”
“Of course, I know that you in luenced this work… no, you do look the
same in my eyes. Just a little less. Still, it’s undeniable that he’s an
incomprehensible person. The world really is unfair. I can roughly
understand why you hang on to Hyunsung, making every effort. Yes.
Really… you’re not dreaming right now, are you?”
“No. Actually, even I didn’t know he would be this powerful. I just

roughly expected something out of him, and he went beyond that. Do
you understand the reaction of our guild members?”
“I can tell not just by looking at your guild members, but by looking at
the soldiers around. How ridiculous is what I’m seeing right now? If
someone like him decides to rush to kill one, I’m sure no one can stop
him. No one.”
“Yes, but… don’t think too deeply, Jihye. That kind can be regarded as a
different race from us anyway. And what about the unit?”
“It’s ine. They were taken over by another commander now. The crisis
period has passed, and the named enemy has also been captured, so we
can be a tiny bit at ease. Of course, it’s we’re not in a situation where we
can rest assured yet. First, we need to inish the battle as quickly and
safely as possible. And then reorganize the unit and head to Castle Rock.
What the demon summoner wants the most is for us to take our time
here.”
Naturally, I nodded at Lee Jihye’s voice.
We only caught the enemy commander, but the battle was still going on.
Of course, judging from the current situation alone, the winner and the
loser had already been determined.
However, even a mouse driven into a corner could still sometimes bite
the cat.
No matter how optimistic our situation was, we couldn’t be relaxed.
The Siege War and the Defense War were probably still in progress at
Castle Rock.
If that battle’s purpose were to delay the main force’s entry, it would
have been half a success for Jin Qing.
‘Although I think we can sort things out faster than I… ’
“But it’s still slow.”

Considering the post-processing and the troops’ condition after the
battle was over, it was a victory, but it couldn’t be regarded as lawless.
Although the enemy had been signi icantly damaged, our own
casualties and damages weren’t low.
It’s not fatal, but if I were asked if we could continue with the next
battle with no problems, I’d shake my head.
I was glad that at least Kim Hyunsung was here.
If it weren’t for the lovely returner’s performance, the situation would

have been more tangled now.
Anyway, there were two options to choose from based on our situation.
To push our troops a little more to reach Castle Rock as fast as possible
or recuperate from our losses to remain in good condition though it
would slow us down.
‘The answer has already been decided, but… ’
I had no choice but to worry.
Turning my head to look at Lee Jihye, I wondered if she was of the same
mind.
Anyone could tell she was worried about something just by watching
her tapping the table and rocking her thighs.
But she probably already knew which one was the wiser choice.
“You can return, Hyunsung-ssi.”

-The battle is not over yet. Will it be okay?
“I think it would be better to return, for now. This isn’t the end of the
war.”
-Okay. Noted. I will return with the captured enemy.
“Okay.”
It’s not bad to face the enemy who would be in the siege of Castle Rock.
However, considering that I didn’t know what could happen in the

future, it would be wise to maintain our power as much as possible.
In particular, managing the physical strength of the named ones was

one of the essential elements.
If the returner were met with an accident in the middle of the war, our
situation would become severe.
As I opened my mouth, Lee Jihye also looked at the Goddess’s Mirror to

give out instructions.
However, there was still an unknown worry on her face.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“Nothing. I just have something in my mind right now.”
“It’s correct to go with this now, right?”
“Ah, yes. You’re worried about the troop’s condition. I’m nervous, too,
but I think it can’t be helped. Castle Rock doesn’t seem to have
collapsed yet, and I know they’re in danger, but we have to hope they
can hold out a little longer. If we take a wrong step and we get
tremendous losses, the war will end over there. It’s probably the
situation the enemy wants the most.”
“If Castle Rock falls into Jin Qing’s hand…”
“Then things will get complicated once again. If we ever come close to
that time, I wonder if we’ll have to ignore the continental law and the
international community and use biochemical weapons. Otherwise, the
damage on us could be huge.”
As she said, things would get too complicated. It’s not something that
ended with losing a foothold.
Either side could suffer irreparable damage from that single battle.
It would not be too much because there were many investments from
both sides, enough to end the war.
The troops and supplies consumed by the State couldn’t be counted.
Of course, the Republic also consumed that same amount of resources

to level the playing ield.
It could be hypothesized that the war would end in the next ight, but it
couldn’t be helped that the war’s low would heavily tilt to one side
even if it didn’t.
That was the current situation.
The demon summoner also gathered all the troops from the eastern
front, and the State wasn’t going to allow defeat without a ight.
Except for the minimum army needed for defense, all interracial
alliance members were brought into the war.
He was also aware of such a situation.
Since he thought that what was needed was a base, he must be focusing
on it.
As I looked into the Goddess’s Mirror, I could see Kim Hyunsung, who
was still on the battle ield helping the allies ight against the remaining
enemy troops.
Even though I told him to return, it seemed like he couldn’t pass

through easily.
But seeing that he kept heading towards us, he was just helping with
one hand.
‘Right. Right. Please don’t overdo it, Hyunsung. You have to take a good
rest.’
The enemies persistently fought back against the allies in retaliation.
I didn’t know if it consisted of only loyal guys, but it’s annoying to see
them struggling to the end.
“Should I just wipe them out…”
Naturally, I was a little nervous about being held back.
It would be strange not to have those kinds of thoughts, considering our

enemies kept screaming about claiming Castle Rock for themselves no
matter the cost.
‘Would it be better to send Dialugia irst?’
Or.
‘Is it necessary to open the way right now?’

It was risky to send those who had enough physical strength left irst,
but it was a necessary gamble considering we’re in a hurry.
I needed to consult the idea with others.
When I slightly turned my head, I could see Lee Jihye still tapping on
the table with a stern expression.
Her serious face seemed to hold all the worries of the world.
I had only ever seen her like that thrice.
Remembering that she usually didn’t think about anything else when
doing her duty, she looked quite different then.
Her face was too dark to say that it was the expression of someone that
had won the battle, so I also became anxious.
‘Fuck. Did something happen with her?’
Maybe I was just reading too much on it.
“Jihye, what’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Is there any problem?”
“No. Not really. Our situation isn’t that bad either. I just had a delusion
by myself.”
“What delusion?”
“It’s a thought anyone can have.”
“…”
“For example.”
“For example?”
“What if he were an enemy? This kind of thought.”
Naturally, I looked up straight at Lee Jihye. I could see the face of a small
woman staring right back at me.
“What do you think? If Kim Hyunsung were our enemy. Do you think we
could handle him?”
‘Would you look at her… ’
Her expression and ambiance were far too serious to pass her thought
off as a joke.
CHAPTER 400
“What do you think? If Kim Hyunsung were our enemy, do you think we
could handle him?”
She didn’t ask the question as a joke. It occurred to me that that was
what she had been thinking about all those times. I could roughly
understand what Lee Jihye was thinking, considering the scene she just
witnessed probably felt too much of a shock to her.
Looking at her, I could see her anxiety displayed on her face. Her eyes
were shaking, and her skin had a bluish tint to it.
‘So that’s what she’s worried about.’
She must have thought there was a high probability of Kim Hyunsung
becoming an enemy. Honestly, it was an idea that one would typically
think about at least once. I had also thought about it. It was even more
impactful due to Hyunsung’s performance. Any in luential person who
saw him would be reacting the same way as Lee Jihye. What he showed
was phenomenal and game-changing.
He was the epitome of how far a human could climb. In my case, since I
was with light, I looked less different from the others, but the complete
dominance he displayed on the battle ield was enough for him to be
warranted to be kept in check.
For her, who had many useless worries, it wasn’t unusual to seriously
think about what it would be like if Kim Hyunsung became an enemy.
“Could we handle him?”
“…”
“…”
“I told you not to look at me strangely. I asked that with con idence.
Honestly, I never thought he would be that powerful. Imagining Kim
Hyunsung as an enemy, I suddenly got an anxiety attack. If I had to ight
him, I would straightaway just say ‘GG.’ Even if I were to assume that I
would be with you, I don’t know how we could be a match for him. It’s
impossible to ight someone like that with just us alone.”
I thought so, too. If he suddenly lew in and swung his sword, there was
no way I could avoid it.
“We live in a world where today’s friend can easily become the enemy
of tomorrow… It won’t happen, but if Hyunsung tried to push you down,
there’s nothing you can do, right? Of course, I know that he is stupidly
kind, but that doesn’t mean that he’s a pushover or would do something
that would put him at a disadvantage. Just think about the tutorial. I
understand that you trust him, but considering that human greed can
change anytime, it’s not like there’s not even the slightest chance that
you two can be torn apart.”
“Well, I don’t think we’re going to be torn apart… and why are you
talking about this while we’re in a dire situation?”
“I am telling you this because of the current situation. Just be prepared

for it. If you prepare for it after it happens, it’ll be too late. I’m sorry for
saying something so senseless, but I just suddenly thought about it. It’s
something to be insanely anxious about. I understand now why the
cliché about purging a group of warriors that inished an adventure was
born. A dagger too sharp is dangerous to its owner, right?”
“That won’t happen.”
“Can you be sure? You’re someone who has a lot of doubts.”
“…”
“I’m not saying this because of my greed. It’s based on heartfelt worry.
I’ve never said anything about beating a rival because I want to see my
man be the number one. It’s true that I’m a little bit greedy, but I’m not
that psychotic. I just want to hear your answer. If you can be torn apart
and meet him as an enemy, can you handle him? If there is a means to
control him, what is it?”
Naturally, I started to think.
‘You don’t have greed, my ass… ’
To be honest, I couldn’t believe that even 1% of Lee Jihye’s greed did

not go into it, even more so when I thought of Lee Jihye’s disposition.
She wouldn’t really like that there’s someone with the power to keep
me in check or put a brake on me. After the war was over, the continent
would be on the path of peace. Of course, I didn’t know if there would
be quests remaining, but it would surely look like that in her eyes, who
had no way of knowing about the irst round.
When the ight was over, there’s only one thing to do: share what we
got.
Considering that, Kim Hyunsung’s position was ambiguous. Until now,

he was just the Blue Guild Master. The power he had was limited, but no
one would believe that it would continue that way after the war. Even
then, the achievements in that battle deserved points. The public had
already learned how strong Kim Hyunsung was.
I’ve heard that great power came with great responsibility, but I had a
thought that was a little different.
Great power came with authoritative power.
The power Kim Hyunsung had would inevitably bring authoritative

power.
Even if it’s not in the State, he had a high probability of getting a

position somewhere. Externally, he would be known as the Guild
Master of the guild to which the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung
belonged, so he was already set to receive a suitable position. There,
Lee Jihye’s worries were bound to appear on the surface.
She felt unpleasant about someone who had a transcendental force

beyond control getting authoritative power. Considering her
personality, it would be weirder if she stood still seeing someone who
could keep us in check and cut our throats at any time, growing.
Of course, she was worried about me. I had thought about that a few
times, too. It was no wonder that I recalled Kim Hyunsung’s face.
However, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine
him pointing his sword at me. There was a chance that he would
misunderstand me as the trash of the irst round, but I had many
insurances for my life in that case, so I had the con idence to get away
with it.
‘If I can just inish this, things might go well… ’
It’s also ridiculous that he would abandon me because of his greed. At

least, the Kim Hyunsung that I had seen so far was far from being that
type of individual. Of course, we never really knew when or how human
relationships would change until it’s already right in front of us.
‘There’s no way he would do it.’
Organizing my thoughts quickly, I spoke slowly, and Lee Jihye looked at

me as if she was still suspicious.
“There’s no way we’ll be torn apart.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. There’s no way we’ll split up, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You know that if you’re too greedy, you’ll get burned, right?”
“W-What did I say? I know that. It’s something that I can fully say,
seeing how you’ve acted so far.”
“As you said, I’m not without ambition, but I’m well aware of my place
and limitations. Even if Hyunsung wanted us to become enemies, I
wouldn’t want that. Think a little differently. What can our enemies do
to me if that kind of thing is on my side?”
“Hmm…”
“That person is on our side… I bet there won’t just be one or two
individuals who’d tremble just by having my ingertip move. I’m the one
with the nuke button, after all.”
“How can you be so sure? Even if you think that way, there is no
guarantee he won’t suddenly change his mind about being allied with
us. And I’m not telling you to be greedy. I’m just telling you not to take
away what we already have.”
“Jihye.”
“Yes?”
“Do you think I’m the kind who losses what I have?”
“…”
“Do I really look that way?”
“No.”
“Then the conversation ends here. There’s no problem. Don’t talk about
that in the future. Whether in front of me or front of others. Never say
anything about what’s right or wrong about this. If that situation ever
comes, I’ll take care of it. I believe you know better that we can’t cause
trouble in the current situation. I think my head will explode just
thinking about being the demon summoner.”
“Okay. So don’t look at me like that. I was really worried. If you don’t
have a problem with it, then I’ll trust you. Yes. I have to trust you.”
“If you have time to think about senseless things, inish the battle
ahead, Jihye. The same goes for organizing troops to go to Castle Rock.”
“Yes, yes. Okay. I got it.”
The conversation ended with that. Lee Jihye nodded as if she got it by
closing her mouth tightly, but her lips pouted as if she were still
somewhat dissatis ied. She understood it deep down, but it felt like she
was still unhappy about something. I wondered if she’d do something
useless without my awareness, but she wasn’t stupid enough to do that.
“Don’t do anything dumb, Jihye.”
“I said I got it, so stop. I won’t do anything. Instead, don’t regret it if you
get backstabbed.”
It was then when I heard a knock on the door.
“Speaking of the devil.”
Who knocked on the door was obvious. Lee Jihye slowly opened the
door, and I could see Kim Hyunsung quietly waiting outside.
“Oh! Hyunsung!”
“I’m sorry to come here so suddenly.”
“No. Thank you for your hard work. You were really amazing.”
Looking at Lee Jihye smiling brightly after changing her face in an

instant was a bit scary.
‘There is no fox like her.’
She changed her behavior so much I couldn’t even ind any traces of her
worries about not being able to handle him. If I had to pick a faster
converter than me, I could assure anyone that Lee Jihye would be at the
top of the list.
“You must be busy…”
“No. Not at all. The battle is coming to a close. But why did you come…”
“There’s no exact reason… I’m just curious how things are going.”
“Ah… Yes. Yes. Sit. Want me to prepare some tea?”
“No. It’s ine, Jihye-ssi.”
While having a brief conversation with Lee Jihye, Kim Hyun-sung, who
entered the room, glanced at me. He must be curious about the
command and control room quite a bit. I didn’t know why, but he
seemed a little excited. It felt like seeing a child in an amusement park.
In particular, it was a bit funny to see him snoop at the seat where I sit.
“So, this is your battle station.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Hyunsung.”

“No. Kiyoung was… greater than me. Were you controlling of all of this?”
“It’s too much to say I was in control. I think it’s more accurate to say I
was just analyzing the situation and delivering information…”
“Why are you saying like that? Kiyoung-ssi. You even had a nosebleed.
I’ve never seen anything like that. You were staring at the magic
hologram throughout the entire battle without stopping your hands
and eyes. Hyunsung should have seen it…”
“Ah…”
It was disconcerting to see her performing as if she thought that was

the chance. I was a little embarrassed, but it was a nice assist because I
suddenly saw Kim Hyunsung looking at me with worry.
“I see. Are you feeling better?”
“Yes. There’s no problem. I overdid it for a moment, but it doesn’t seem

like there’s anything wrong with me. It’s because… Jihye helped a lot.”
“I’m glad then…”
“Hey. Still, all the decisive things were done by Kiyoung. All I did was
focus on some annoying chores. Oh. What’s in your arms?”
“Oh. I forgot. Actually, I came because I wanted to deliver this.”
When I looked at Lee Jihye as if I was telling her to look at it, she
nodded as if she understood. There’s a small shield in Kim Hyunsung’s
hand. It was the legendary armor that the named enemy had.
‘Don’t worry, Jihye. That won’t ever happen.’
Naturally, I smiled.
‘I’ve never doubted you, Hyunsung.’
CHAPTER 401
[Incomplete Shield of Aegis (Legendary)]
[A shield that the God of Heaven gave to the Goddess of War. Unlike
before, it had been split into several pieces. The shield did not lose its
power despite being torn apart, perhaps thanks to the magic power
contained in it. It dramatically increases basic magic resistance and
allows the user to summon parts of the Aegis Shield for a limited period
of time in exchange for a huge amount of magic power. Summoned
Aegis Shield unconditionally prevents any form of life-threatening
attacks.]
‘Whew. It’s a luxury product. A luxury.’
I checked through the Goddess’s Mirror irst, but it was de initely an

understatement to call it a luxury. The fact that it unconditionally
prevented any lethal attack alone told us about how valuable the item
was. In fact, giving me something well-suited for tanks was just an
indicator of how much he thought of me.
“Ah… This…”
“It’s something I got.”
“No. I’m ine, Hyunsung. It doesn’t suit me.”
“It’s better for you to have it. I’ve thought about it deeply. It’s something
Kiyoung should have. There is no guarantee that the same incident with
the spear won’t happen again.”
“If it’s before…”
I certainly remembered. I went outside to check out the situation but

almost died due to a spear lying towards me. I had completely erased it
from my mind. I never imagined he would be bothered by it.
‘Whew… Look, Jihye. This is our Hyunsung. Don’t ever dare to talk about
backstabbing in front of Hyunsung!’
“It’s something I don’t need. I’m not the type to ight while blocking in
the irst place… It would be better for Kiyoung to carry it for insurance.
I was already thinking about attaching an escort… I think I’ll feel a little
relieved if you accept this.”
“Still…”
“You must take it.”
“If… you insist… yes. I will take it gratefully.”
Although I wanted to accept it immediately, rejecting it initially was a

virtue of Koreans. Even if I waved my hand in rejection, Kim Hyunsung
would’ve put the shield on my left wrist regardless. Accepting,
pretending to give in, and equipping the item all happened in a matter
of moments. It felt comfortable, the way it wrapped around my arm
with a pleasing ‘clunk’ sound. It didn’t suit me, but it still felt assuring to
have gained a way to protect my body.
Above all, I liked that it’s comfortable to move with it. It’s better to
carry around because it’s not an ignorantly large and heavy shield.
‘Fuck. Am I a little stronger now? It looks like I’m a little stronger now!’
It’s not fundamental, but it had its own attack power. I thought that if I
had that type of armor, I would also be able to deal with some of the
melee positions. Of course, it’s only my personal imagination.
Considering that Kim Hyunsung crushed the named enemy even with
the shield, it was impossible to say that arms were everything. I looked
at him with genuine gratitude. In return, I saw boundless trust in his
eyes.
“Er… but.”
“Yes?”
“If you could keep this a secret from Deokgu…”
“Ah…”
“In my opinion, it suits Kiyoung rather than Deokgu. Of course, that’s

based on my personal judgment… that’s why I’m worried that Deokgu
would be disappointed.”
“Haha. Yes. Okay. It would be better to keep it a secret from Deokgu.”
“And from other guild members…”
“Yes. I will keep it a secret to other guild members.”
‘Why is this bastard so cute?’
It made me want to bite his worried expression somehow. Looking at

Lee Jihye, the way she stared at me with a suspicious look on her face
was quite uncomfortable. Her doubts about Kim Hyunsung seemed to
have faded, but I felt like she had a different doubt in her mind. I even
felt an unidenti ied nervousness on her face.
“Hyunsung-ssi should take a little rest. The next ight will be more
taxing. The enemy forces are already retreating little by little anyway…”
“You mean we’re holding them all back?”

“Well, they also have to prepare for the next ight.”
“In… fact, I have something to say about it.”
“Yes?”
“I told you once before, but… I still feel that something’s not right…”
“Ah… yes… tell me please.”
‘This bastard is starting again. Again.’
Kim Hyunsung’s back, which was stabbed several times, seemed to be

showing signs of PTSD once again. Of course, it was less than the irst
time, but it seemed like he had various thoughts with the last ight
coming.
“I can’t get rid of the feeling that it’s a trap. Should I say it’s too easy…”
“A trap?”
“Yes.”
Lee Jihye, who saw Kim Hyunsung’s back phenomenon for the irst
time, naturally reacted as if asking, ‘What is he saying?’ Since he was so
serious about it, she became lustered. Lee Jihye looked at me as if
asking, ‘what’s up with him now?’ She didn’t seem to be taking the trap
talk seriously. In the meantime, she nodded and reacted in a way that
made her look surprised as she accepted what he was saying. Lee
Jihye’s face asking to get rid of the strange uncle quickly was superb in
many ways.
‘What’s up with this guy?’
Lee Jihye had that expression.

“We need to be careful.”
Kim Hyunsung continued to complain about the pain in his back. In fact,
it was an incident that I could laugh and pass over, but I was worried
about what Lee Jihye said earlier.
‘Although the Demon Summoner is doing well… ’
The problem was that he wasn’t doing something like masked trash. He
had to be more vicious and meticulous. The standard method itself was
destructive enough, but it was too honest to call him that title. The
masked trash that appeared in Kim Hyunsung’s memory was truly the
incarnation of the devil. It’s safe to say that he was the ultimate version
of human trash. He was the lowest of lowest that did all kinds of
disgusting and perverted things.
On the current battle ield, the dirty stuff Kim Hyunsung talked about
had never appeared in any of the battles or skirmishes. It would be nice
if he could let it slip safely, but if there was some suspicion in his mind, I
might really have to make an alternative plan, as Lee Jihye said.
‘How troublesome… ’
It felt like the situation was also very dangerous. The fact that the three
of us were in such a small space suddenly made me worry like crazy.
‘Come to think of it, she was also a masked trash… he won’t notice,
right?’
He might’ve misunderstood Lee Jihye and me as a couple of masked

trash from the irst round, causing me to take a step away from her
instinctively. Of course, the mask seemed to have various spells,
including voice modulation processing, but I wanted to avoid getting
strange misunderstandings.
“The things Hyunsung said.”

“Yes…”
“Honestly, I can’t say that there’s a possibility of realization. Of course,

those are called taboos in the Continental War Act. Some of them are
even so cruel that they don’t even appear in war laws. It’s too absurd
from my point of view. If anyone does such a trap, I would call him
trash, not human. No, the word human trash is not enough. They’d be
dirt that cannot be collected separately. Dirt.”
“He’s someone who can do that.”
“I’ll think about it from different perspectives, Hyunsung. It’s right to

look before we leap…”
Although Lee Jihye’s words had a point, I was forced to speak up.
“Even if there are things prepared… it will probably be hard to use it

openly.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Considering the current Republic’s internal situation and the situation

on the battle ield, the use of such inhumane tactics will feel like poison
to Demon Summoner Jin Qing. He still denies that he is the one who
caused the Laios crisis. The cause and morale of the soldiers will
inevitably be affected. His position in the Republic will also be
damaged. More importantly, he cares about the international
community’s gaze.”
“Hm… I see.”
“He’s not going to make a stupid choice that could turn even bystanders
into enemies. L-last time I couldn’t tell you, but I think you can rest
assured in that part, Hyunsung.”
“But…”
“Yes.”
“If he gets in a tight spot that he can’t afford to consider other

circumstances… perhaps…”
I clenched my ists when I felt like we could let that slip by. Lee Jihye
then voiced out her thoughts.
“It can’t be said that there is no possibility. I think this war is also
because Demon Summoner Jin Qing couldn’t let go of what he had. If
that kind of person is put in a tight spot… well. Do you understand what
I’m talking about? Because humans, who have nothing to lose, become
cruel.”
‘This masked trash Lee Jihye.’
I didn’t think she would blur the board like Park Deok-gu here. It’s a
sight to see Kim Hyunsung nodding and clenching his ist. There were
anxiety and worries on his face, but there was no guarantee that the
Demon Summoner would do it like the masked trash.
‘Should I have to prepare?’
There were some things I had thought about as insurance, but I had to
worry about whether I should actually implement it. But there was no
choice. The battle there was ending, and we would be at Castle Rock.
Lee Jihye, who was talking to him, looked at the Goddess’s Mirror.
“Don’t chase those who retreat. Reorganize the troops as quickly as

possible and move straight to Castle Rock. A new formation is sent to
each unit, and the advance squad must move immediately.”
-Noted.
“Transmit this to the entire unit. If there is an unknown phenomenon or

anything suspicious, please report it to the command and control room
immediately. Report all the small things. Lastly, organize a separate
reconnaissance squad consisting of rangers and wizards, and form a
separate task force to be prepared if anything happens.”
-Yeah. Checked.
“Please let all the troops know that this will be the last ight.”
-Yes.
Seeing him nodding his head, Kim Hyunsung seemed to be quite

satis ied with Lee Jihye’s message. I didn’t think he had been relieved of
his anxiety, but he seemed to be able to understand the situation at
least.
“Then I’ll be getting ready with the lieutenants here. Kiyoung and
Hyunsung should go outside and get some air.”
“No.”
“I’m not really telling you to get some air. The whole unit is exhausted.
Perhaps if you two are with them, their morale would increase. I also
ask of you to supply a fatigue recovery potion.”
“Yes. Okay.”
“Oh. One more thing. Please stop by the side where female soldiers are
concentrated. That would be helpful.”
‘How would that be helpful?’
I found it weird, but for now, I was forced to nod.

CHAPTER 402
MORALE IMPROVEMENT (1)
“I think they’re feeling better than we thought.”
“But the fatigue that built up in their body will be inevitable. It’s not the
worst, but it doesn’t seem very optimistic. I’d like for them to relax a
little bit… but we’re not in a situation where we can.”
I saw Kim Hyunsung nodding. Even though Lee Jihye said she would
care as much as she could, he seemed nervous.
I once again worried that he would complain about his tingling back,
but fortunately, he didn’t raise it up.
If it were a place where there were only two of us, it would seem that he
would speak his mind immediately, but now that we were moving
together among the troops, he couldn’t do something like that. She
wasn’t dissing Kim Hyunsung, but I could certainly understand his
thoughts.
‘Yes, that’s right, Hyunsung.’
“We will probably get there in a few hours. And they know we’re
heading there right now.”
“Perhaps…”
“No. Of course, there is no guarantee that the same battle from before
will occur again, but the terrain from here to our destination isn’t
suitable for ambushes. The enemy troops we’ve just faced were just
surplus troops picked up from each front. Their only goal was to buy
some time. Additionally, sending other troops to us separately would be
a dif icult decision for the Republic. They’ve got everything they want
from the battle we just had.”
“For example, what?”
“You can think of it as information, time, and physical condition.”
“Ah…”
“Of course, the burden on our side has piled up, but they also can’t
relax. The Republic is probably feeling a lot of pressure mentally. Even if
they’re pushing the western and northern fronts, they’ll want to
recover a lot of their investment in the Castle Rock side. If we’re lucky…”
“This could be the last battle.”
“Yes. Even if the war continues, it won’t go the way it is now.”
‘He is meticulous, though.’
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that we were not the
only ones who were betting on the next battle.
Sending surplus troops to this side could mean that they would try to
hold us back, but it was also to grasp our exact power. It’s safe to think
that it was deployed simply to check what cards we had.
It meant that our side was already rushing with all the cards that could
be used. Tactic Kim Hyunsung was the most prominent example.
I wanted to hide it, but…

‘It’s not something that I can just hide easily.’
If Kim Hyunsung had not been put in, there was a high possibility that
we would still be ighting there. It was evident that he knew we were
getting nervous. I knew that the demon summoner was trying to get
information from our side by putting Castle Rock as bait, but I had no
choice but to reveal some of our cards.
Hiding his cards as much as possible and checking our cards. The way
he got under someone’s skin, controlling the details, in a way, felt like
he’s a perv.
Of course, this worked just as well. The fact that we didn’t have a good
grasp of Castle Rock’s forces was also an extension of that. If I self-
evaluated the overall situation, the one who was buying time was the
Republic; hence we’re the one who’s pressuring them.
“Ah.”
“Are you okay?”
“Ah… yes.”
‘Fuck… this is embarrassing.’
I almost fell forward while thinking of various complex thoughts. I

didn’t because Kim Hyunsung caught me. If I had rolled on the ground, I
would be humiliated in front of the troops.
“Right, you said you overdid it. Perhaps…”
“No. It’s not that. I simply fell…”
“You may have accumulated fatigue without your knowledge. It’s good
to work hard, but above all else, you have to take care of your body.
There’s a possibility that the in luence of the Twisted Pond still
remains.”
“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”
“You’re not alone. It’s okay to take care of yourself a little more.”
Naturally, I realized that he wasn’t just saying those words. He looked

sincerely worried. The atmosphere got warm.
Patting my back after he raised my body was like the main character of
a romance comic. The same was true of the immediate laughing and
talking.
I felt like I could see why Kim Hyunsung’s harem was so crazy about
him.
It was just then that I felt some stinging gaze behind my back. There
was even an unidenti ied exclamation.
As I looked back, I could see the troops staring at Kim Hyunsung and
me. Most of them were made up of female soldiers. Some elves were
even mixed in with them. Their reaction was strangely fascinating, with
their ears moving.
‘It’s like Elena… ’
In fact, it was hard to say that the soldiers were in good condition. The
battle had just ended, but they already had to go straight to marching
without proper rearrangement. But seeing their twinkling eyes, it
seemed that they understood how important the war was.
‘That’s why the justi ication is important. Yes, absolutely. It was a good
thing to have educated them.’
When I irst joined the march, the situation was actually worse than it
was then. Lee Jihye’s prediction that Kim Hyunsung and my troop
patrol would be effective was right.
The response was better than I thought, so I even felt puzzled. All we
did was distribute the fatigue recovery potion and held small talks, but
not only the surroundings but also the relatively distant units were well
affected.
Of course, it wasn’t that the reaction didn’t make sense. It would be

embarrassing for me to say it, but of icially I was a messenger of the
gods chosen by the Goddess Benignore and Elune. Of course, it had a
good in luence on the State’s soldiers, and it was even more in the case
of elves with excellent faith.
What about Kim Hyunsung?
Although he was a little less than that of a man named Lee Kiyoung, he
deserved respect. What Kim Hyunsung showed in the previous battle
made a strong impression on humans and the other races. Although
their viewpoints were slightly different, humans were not the only ones
who were in awe of powerful beings. It was the same for the elves,
including the Elune Knight and the Dwarves.
If I were in the position of learning swordsmanship, I would have

looked at Kim Hyunsung with envy. No one would be upset by the fact
that the objects of respect were marching and walking together. If a
division commander suddenly visited the unit, they usually would be
nervous, but the case was different from that case.
The important thing was that just watching Kim Hyunsung and I had a
good effect on the unit. That’s why we continued to march and spent
time with the troops. Looking at the female elves reacting to each of
Kim Hyunsung’s actions, it seemed that one of the reasons was that he
was handsome.
Every time he took action, I heard small quips, so I felt bitter about the
fact that looksists were prevalent in the continent. Even now. He simply
laughed, but there was another exclamation that made the surrounding
troops agitated.
“Stop, you bastard. No, why is her nose bleeding?”
Some were even looking at me, covering their nose. It wouldn’t be too
much for me to be embarrassed.
Whether he knew about it or not, he was busy telling accumulated

stories. Unlike his irst nervousness, his constant conversation seemed
to have eased him up to some extent. It looked like Kim Hyunsung
missed that kind of conversation, seeing him talking about things that
had nothing to do with the war. The subject was also quite diverse.
“Do you have any intention of learning swordsmanship?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Because you seem to have better eyes than I think. If you can see the
attack, we can react too.”
“No… I am not very talented physically…”
That kind of conversation.
“I want to return to the guild house quickly.”
“Yes.”
“I wish I had a good night’s sleep for about three days.”
“Doing nothing else?”
“Yes. I just want to sleep.”

“It will increase the amount of work you have to deal with.”
“Ah…”
“It’s a joke. Manager Kim Miyoung is doing a good job, so you will
probably be able to enjoy enough break time soon.”
That kind of useless talk. However, all conversations had something in

common: assumptions about what they’d do after the war was over. No
one would argue if anyone said that was the most enjoyable
conversation that could be held in the current situation.
‘This bastard is also human.’
He must have had thought that he just wanted to take a moment to

relax rather than to erase the anxiety about even minor events. It was
undoubtedly a little fun and interesting. There were parts in my head
that did not match the image of Kim Hyunsung. Talking with excitement
for a long time, he once again spoke to me.
“Oh. Come to think of it, Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Yes.”
“Have you talked to Deokgu?”
“Ah. No. In fact, right after we left Eberia, I was so busy and had no time
to care for people properly. Is there any problem?”
“It’s not really a problem, but… Still, it would be better to go to him. He

seems to be having a hard time in many ways.”
‘Well… ’
“He doesn’t seem to be able to accept war itself well. It’s the irst time
he had hit humans with a sword… He’s too soft-hearted.”
‘His softness is becoming a problem.’
I didn’t think it would happen if he wasn’t strong. Instead of fearing that

he might die, he was caught up in fear that he might kill. Since he was
someone who couldn’t get hurt with a sword or arrow, he must have
had time to think of useless thoughts on the battle ield.
Of course, it should be the most signi icant reason he was naturally

gentle, but if it were the Park Deokgu before receiving the buff, he
would have swung his sword to survive.
‘The next battle will be the same… ’
Until now, Lee Jihye and I had been taking minimal care, but I couldn’t
guarantee that I would be able to afford to do that in the last battle. I
felt that it might be more helpful if he didn’t participate.
Rather.
‘Shall I take him out of the formation?’
I thought it would be easy to do it if the mission was to shut down the

rear command and control room. I hadn’t thought about it too deeply,
but there was room for other guild members to pay more attention to.
“How is the guild’s condition?”
“It’s not bad overall. Everyone is adapting better than I thought…

even…”
“Ah… Yes.”
“Yeah. In Hyejin’s case, she has become really famous. It seems that the
elves are very impressed by the way she stirs the battle ield on an
extremely rare unicorn. Pure Spear. No matter how I think, it seems to
be a suitable nickname for Hyejin.”
“Yes… Yes.”
‘Maybe she would hate it, but… ’
The expression of simply hating was insuf icient.
“What do you think, Kiyoung? Should we go where the guild members

are…”
“Yes. I think it would be nice to do that. I think I have to talk to Deokgu.”
“It will probably be of great help. Oh! And.”
“Yes.”
“I know you haven’t taken the fatigue recovery potion yet. It would be
better to have a bottle.”
‘I appreciate the thought. Bastard. “
“It’s okay…”
I already secretly emptied two bottles. If I took any more, I felt like I’d
be full. The moment I was about to reject the potion, I saw the galleries
looking at the situation.
‘What… ’
It felt like the whole unit was walking with Kim Hyunsung, and they
were telling me to take the potion. I wasn’t mistaken. I began to feel that
the unit’s morale would be signi icantly reduced if I didn’t receive the
potion there. When I slightly removed my hand, I heard the expression
of great disappointment and an unknown sigh.
‘What is this. Fuck… ’

There was no choice. Eventually, when I reached out and accepted the
potion, small cheering sounds came out accompanied by claps.
My steps toward Park Deokgu began to feel heavier for some reason.
CHAPTER 403
MORALE IMPROVEMENT (2)
I hadn’t seen the guild members’ faces in a long time, but they didn’t
look bad.
Since Jung Hayan and Han Sora were in the fog forest, I didn’t know
how they were.
When I recalled what I saw in their most recent communication with

us, they seemed to be adjusting surprisingly well.
Han Sora seemed to be under the stress of having to stick with Jung
Hayan, but I thought it couldn’t be helped since she had no choice.
‘I feel sorry for her, but… ’
Her ef iciency went up when she’s with Jung Hayan. Not to mention
their combination was amazing.
Although she felt very uncomfortable, they had good chemistry, so it

was impossible to separate them from the director’s perspective.
I was hoping that she would be put far away from Jung Hayan after the
war was over, but honestly, it wasn’t easy to do that.
Yoo Ahyoung and Kim Chang-ryul, who came with Han Sora, also
seemed to have adapted very well.
Yoo Ahyoung, who had a legendary talent in her stamina stats,

specialized in long-term battles, and Kim Chang-ryul always ful illed his
role even if he wasn’t always in the spotlight.
I wasn’t on the battle ield together with them, but their appearance in
the magic hologram was quite impressive.
Kim Ye-ri and Cho Hyejin, who only looked at Kim Hyunsung, didn’t
need any other morale boost, which was the same for Sun Heeyoung as
well.
It wouldn’t be strange if those three became masters of other small and

medium clans.
‘It’s a bit uncertain, but the same goes for Ahn Ki-mo.’
If I dared to rank them…
Kim Yeri, Cho Hyejin, Sun Hee-young.
Those three were the Blue’s tier 1 in name and reality.
Ahn Ki-mo, originally from the Red Mercenary, and the woman of Park
Deokgu, Hwang Jeong-yeon, a mage scholar, were tier 1.5 to 2.
I could say that three of his chicks, including Sora, were on tier 2 to 3.
Of course, that wasn’t limited to Blue.
That was when the entire continent was classi ied into about seven
levels.
I didn’t include those who were part of the Eight seats of the Continent
or the Five General Tigers of the Republic.
It didn’t make much sense to classify their strength level under the
same numbers for those outside the norm.
‘Park Deokgu is… ’
To be precise, about 1.5.
If I was feeling kind, he’s tier 1, and if I wasn’t, he’s tier 2.
Unlike those with transcendental talents such as Sun Hee-young, Cho

Hyejin, and Kim Ye-ri, he was made through pure effort.
His lack of attack power was lawed, but it was safe to say that he was
outside of usual standards as a simple meat shield.
Of course, if I were asked if he showed a worthy performance in the

war, I would have no choice but to shake my head.
Even if he had almost no attack power, people with relatively low rank
wouldn’t be able to prevent Park Deokgu’s attack.
Unlike Cho Hyejin and Kim Ye-ri, who at least pretended to be hurt
when hit by a sword, that pig wouldn’t even blink an eye when attacked.
If he only wanted to, he could be a tyrant on the battle ield.
Nevertheless, it was a sight to see him taking a step back.
Of course, I understood.
Considering his nature, there was no way he could endure that kind of
environment.
At irst, it was a little annoying and frustrating, but.
‘I have to accept it. What can I do?’
No matter what I said, if he didn’t make up his mind, he’d only be

forced.
I could nod to it in the previous battle, but the next match had a high
probability of having an accident.
Rather.
‘You should just stay at home.’
Someday, the day might come when I would have to push his back, but
today wasn’t that day.
Excluding Park Deokgu alone would not cause the front line to collapse,
and even if the enemy attacked the command, he would be able to serve
as a shield, so it’s a reasonable choice.
“So…”
“That’s right, Deokgu. You don’t have to go out in this battle. I will form
a separate squad, and you will go to the rear unit where we can prepare
for the enemy’s surprise attack. The same goes for Ahyoung and Chang-
ryul.”
“Can we do that?”
Not really.
‘What’s the advantage of having authority?’
With my current position, I could make the impossible possible.
Of course, I knew it’s wrong considering the situation, but I wasn’t the
type that cared about that in the irst place, and it wasn’t dif icult to set
aside a few of our guild members.
Yoo Ahyoung and Kim Chang-ryul could die, so they had to be excluded.
Kim Ye-ri and Cho Hyejin also nodded as if it seemed to be a rational
choice.
There was no need to mention Ahn Ki-mo, the newbies head who was
secretly worried about them.
He smiled at me after what I said.
“That’s good. I was getting a little worried about them. It should be

alright to leave them to Deokgu… Yes. It seems to have worked out well
in many ways. Perhaps the battles that will take place later will be a
little different from what we’ve been through.”
“Yes. That’s right. And this is Hyunsung’s judgment?”
“No. It’s the command’s judgment. I assumed that there could be a

situation where the rear command and control room would be exposed
to danger, and this will serve as a useful countermeasure.”
“Hmm. I see.”
“Yes. So, that’s how it is. Oh! Ye-ri or Hyejin will probably move with
Hyunsung irst. You may fall apart afterward, but…”
“Really?”
“Yes. Hee-young as usual…”
“I just have to stay with Elena-nim?”
“Yes. You will probably be safe.”
The safety of the high priest was the responsibility of the entire army.
Sun Hee-young probably wouldn’t be in danger.

As I looked around, I noticed Park Deokgu’s gloomy face.
He seemed to think that he was the reason for the rear formation.
His eyes were illed with shame.
But he didn’t speci ically refute my words.
“Hmm… W-well. Is there anything else to do?”
“Not really. The progression of the war won’t change because you are
out.”
“T-then… If it is the command’s decision, it cannot be helped…”
‘It feels like he doesn’t really want to be left out.’
He bit his lips tightly and nodded without adding any other word.
If it were because he was scared or something, I would have been a

little annoyed, but I was forced to nod because it was so like him.
“Er…”
“It’s no big deal, Deokgu. You just have to make sure to do what you
were tasked to do.”
“Don’t worry about that. And… I-I’m sorry…”
“There’s no need to be sorry. I’m more relieved to have you by my side.”
“If you mean that, then leave it to me. I’m not going to let anyone touch
the tip of your hair. Hmm. I will de initely do it.”
“Okay. Thank you.”

He looked cute when he nodded his head.
He seemed to be relieved too.
He thought I would blame him.
But the result was the opposite.
As if I was cheering him up, I saw a faint smile on his lips as I patted his
shoulder.
Since then, it was the continuation of what I had previously talked

about with Kim Hyunsung.
I couldn’t even talk to the guild members, so when I found the right
material and threw a topic, I had to watch them talk all over the place.
Sun Hee-young quietly took place next to me, and Park Deokgu joked
around as if he had been a little energized.
The little kid pretended not to be interested, but it felt as if she was
trying to listen more than anyone else to the story that was being told.
I thought we looked like a family.
“When the war ends… how about going for a picnic?”
“I’d like that. But where?”
“I don’t know. I heard the Mirror Lake in Nabot’s estate is famous. It

wouldn’t be bad to go boating. What do you think, Vice Guild Master?”
“It’s not a bad idea, Jeong-yeon.”
“I have been in the State for a long time, but I’ve never gone there. It
must be stunning, right? It should be quite romantic as well.”
All of the topics had a common ground.
Many kinds of stories came and went, but the premises were the same.
‘When the war is over.’
We talked about what we were going to do after the war was over.
The war hadn’t been going on for that long, but everyone there
probably felt like it’s been going on for years.
It wasn’t limited to the Blue Guild members either. I thought the entire
army felt that way.
The regular soldiers marched while talking to each other, the noisy little
dwarves, and even the elves.
I thought everyone was having similar conversations.
It wasn’t surprising to ind myself continually thinking about it.
Catching myself smiling, I realized I was missing that kind of talk.
I also realized that it had been a long time since I talked about anything
other than serious conversations.
‘I’m glad I came to meet them.’
It’s not that there were some achievements.
Successfully encouraging guild members could be called an

achievement, but it wasn’t the type that was visible.
I thought it would be a waste of time, but I felt as if it was right to listen

to Kim Hyunsung.
My tired head felt a little clearer.
I managed to refresh my mind, which was full of complex thoughts.
I thought that the guild members were also feeling similar emotions as I
was.
I participated in the conversations until the sun began to set slowly.
There was some calming tension in the whole unit.
‘It looks like we’re almost there.’
We must be reaching our destination.
The command and control room gave each unit’s ield commanders the
signal that the battle would soon begin.
I heard the sound of soldiers bustling everywhere as they maintained

the lines or checked the supplies and equipment.
Those who were praying could be easily noticed.
Blue Guild members were also in a similar position.
“Then, I’ll be going. Everyone, don’t get hurt.”
“Yes, Heeyoung-ssi.”
“Then, I’ll be going too, Vice Guild Master.”
“Good luck.”
Sun Hee-young and Hwang Jeong-yeon, who were included in the rear
support group, Cho Hyejin, Kim Ye-ri, and Ahn Ki-mo, who were located
in the front, began to move forward.
They also hugged each other tightly or shook hands, and surprisingly, I
managed to con irm that the relationship between Sun Hee-young and
Cho Hyejin was close.
I began to move as well.
The more solemn the silence of the troops, the louder the sounds from
afar began to be heard.
I was too familiar with the magical explosions, the shouts produced by
humans, and the terrain itself.
It’s a little different, but it’s de initely a place I had seen before.
We were approaching Castle Rock.
“Prepare for battle!”
“Prepare for battle! Each unit, prepare for battle!!”
The command didn’t take the time to give a speech.
I had to know what the current situation was like, but seeing Lee Jihye’s
judgment, who ordered to prepare for battle, I could already deduce
that it was dire.
As I walked to the other side of the soldiers, I felt a little tension and
uplifting feeling on everyone’s faces.
All I did was pat their shoulders.
“Prepare for battle! Raise the lag! Each unit, prepare to advance to the
enemy unit immediately!!”
I hadn’t been concerned thus far, but I could feel the heavy pressure
they were carrying.
They adjusted their helmets, raised the lag, and pointed their spears
forward.
Various types of buffs were poured out as I felt the wizards raise their
magic power.
The unit was ready to advance.
By now, it’s obvious what orders were issued from the command and
control room.
Without my knowledge, I gave an order.
“All forces advance.”
A loud shout began to be heard.
“All forces! Charge!!!”
The voice made my ears ring.

CHAPTER 404
LAST BATTLE (1)
What I witnessed in front of me turned out to be a magni icent scene.
I had even begun thinking that I wanted to charge into the battle with
them.
Seeing the people running through the plains with their spears pointed
forward as they screamed at the top of their lungs made me feel excited.
“Charge!!”
“Chaargeee!!”
“Wahhhhhhhhh!!!”
“For Goddess Benignore!”
Divine power continued to fall over our cavalry unit.
The ground trembled before their might as a strange heat began to rise
from our camp.
I felt stunned by the scene so much I forgot to head to the command

and control room. Soon after, magic began to bombard us from the
enemy camp, to which we answered back with defense magic that
protected our troops and wrapped around our allies.
Our magical prowess was on par with the enemy.

Of course, I didn’t know if the enemy had been hiding their true power,
but at least it felt like it would be easy for our troops to reach the
enemy.
As if they thought they couldn’t handle our entire army in melee

combat, magic spells continued to drop across the ields, causing loud
explosions to reverberate and damaging our forces. However, that
amount of casualties turned out to be insigni icant.
As I watched the enemy troops prepare to greet us with shields and

weapons unwaveringly, it was made clear to me that they had been
waiting for us all along.
A device to prevent the rushing cavalry rose above the ground, causing
some of the horsemen to roll over the loor upon being unable to
withstand its strength.
I couldn’t discern the life and death of any of the soldiers who had
fallen, even though sacred power immediately rained down within the
area.
‘We’re not doing terrible so far.’
I looked around and tried to make sense of the transpiring events, not
because I doubted Lee Jihye’s judgment, but rather because I thought I
should be aware of the overall situation.
Watching the enemy who had already set up camp, they were de initely
expecting us to arrive.
Castle Rock had been nothing but a bait.
What I wanted was a huge battle. That plain was the stage that he
himself had created.
It was safe to say that it was designed to get the information he wanted
and to initiate the battles he desired at the right time.
As for the quality and quantity of the troops, I couldn’t determine which
one was superior.
Looking at the siege itself, I could say that my judgment was correct
from all the perspectives I could think of. If they were attacking the
castle instead, I could be more relaxed.
I could’ve reorganized formations, set up camps, built frontlines, and

waited for reinforcements.
Of course, it was still fortunate that the castle hadn’t been dominated
yet, but it was inconvenient that it was all part of the plan of the guy
who had designed that very situation.
Either he had hidden moves… or he had some form of insurance.
Other than that, there was nothing that could explain the current
situation. If he wanted to see the war last a little longer, he should’ve
focused on blocking the road a little longer.
It would’ve been proper to plan the battle in such a way that would
prevent the main unit from arriving at Castle Rock to drag us back.
I didn’t know what conclusions had come from the Demon Summoner’s
command, but they didn’t want to prolong that war either.
In a way, I could see that our interests matched.
The difference was the amount of information available. That in itself

could be a problem.
“Hyung-nim, are you not going in? It’s dangerous to stand around in the
open.”
“No. I’ll go right in.”
At this, I nodded and went into the simple control room.
I could see Lee Jihye, who was still busy controlling the troops by
holding the mana hologram.
As soon as she looked at me from the side of her eyes, she spoke to me,
her voice carrying a hint of irritation.
“You sure took your time. What were you blanking out there for? You
should’ve come quickly to help me out.”
“I thought you would be doing well on your own. Never mind that. How
is the situation?”
“Neither bad nor good. We succeeded in pushing our main unit to the
enemy forces… Oh! I like the fact that we didn’t take that much
damage.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that there is no problem. This is all making me anxious.

They certainly made a lot of preparations on their side. Can you see the
named ones on the screen?”
I glanced at the Goddess’s Mirror. I could de initely see the faces of

those who could be labeled as named.
The Russian versions of Park Deokgu, Shaolin, and Jin Qing were not
visible, but those in the same league were all waiting for the right time
to join the battle.
“I’ve seen some of those guys in Laios, but there are faces I’m not
familiar with…”
“I haven’t igured out everything yet. Seeing how they were brought
here from each region like that, we can assume that they are betting
everything they’ve got on this battle. Thanks to that, it’ll be easier in
other areas, but it’s not we can’t celebrate that now. Anyway, it’s good
that we caught the spear-thrower from before. I think it would be more
inconvenient for us if he joined that lineup.”
“It would be hard to ask for support from Castle Rock, wouldn’t it?”
“Castle Rock isn’t in battle right now, but they’re trapped. They’re like a
princess captured by the Devil. I know this is dangerous, but I can’t help
it. I want to abandon the princess, but I can’t.”
“That’s an appropriate analogy.”
“Yeah. And this again…”
“Oh. Tactical consultant Kim Hyunsung.”
“I won’t use it yet. You stay on standby as well, for now. If the path
opens up or the situation becomes unfavorable, then I will put you in.
Until then, I think you can take charge of Unit 6 and 7. I’ll send the
coordinates now.”
“Noted, Jihye.”
The battle was just beginning.
The Goddess’s Mirror re lected the troops hitting each other with
swords and spears in order to push their opponents away.
When I looked at it from a distance, each unit looked to be maintaining

their camps closely. However, from a closer point of view, they were
starting to mix with each other slowly.
‘It’s not that bad.’

-These ilthy demon minions! God will not forgive you!
-Crazy bastards, you all are the demons!
-Stop the dwarves from entering! The midgets!
-Who are you calling midgets? You, humans, sold your souls to the
Devil!
Unlike the guys who already had ranks, what that side should aim for
was to smash them.
In that sense, the dwarves who broke through the ranked ones
deserved an appreciative nod.
That troop had both small and solid bodies fully armed with good
quality armor, allowing them to be advantageous in such a battle
regardless of the situation.
My mouth fell wide open as I watched them wield a large ax to break

through the shield-equipped enemy lines.
There were battles that could be dominated due to their small statures.
That was how humans dealt with medium or large monsters.
They had made the opponent run out of stamina by pushing up from
the bottom, causing them to lose balance, or by persistently attacking
the lower body. They could be called specialists in that area.
I could see our troops pushing their way through the path that started
to open little by little.
‘Nice!’
On the other side, great summoners continued to conjure spirit magic.

They couldn’t deal gigantic blows, but they constantly scratched
enemies’ nerves, something commendable in such a war.
I liked the feeling like the troops themselves were popping up like
popcorn.
Since one summoner kept at least two to three enemies at bay, their
number was enough to add suf icient power to the frontline.
Naturally, some places were forced to be pushed back. However, it was

better to focus on areas they had pierced through than on areas that
were on a stalemate.
Connecting to the screen dedicated to Kim Hyunsung as if I was the

driver of a Lamborghini, I inally noticed that the guy had been waiting
for my command.
-Should I go in?
“Yes. I’ll give you the coordinates.”
-Okay.
“Don’t overdo it. We’re just beginning. All you have to do is add
irepower to the forces that have begun to be mixed together.”
-Yes. Noted.
As I had already done it before, it felt a little easier to do it again.
First, the goal was to place allied troops, including Kim Hyunsung, at
strategic points.
It didn’t feel as hectic as before because he wasn’t alone. The troops

were constantly opening the way.
I didn’t know if it was because of that, but I kept feeling as if something
was missing. I thought it couldn’t be helped.
My head already remembered Kim Hyunsung’s movements.
My lack of frustration when I commanded him kept making me hold my

breath.
‘Still.’
Kim Hyunsung was, after all, Kim Hyunsung.
Of course, the synergy was good with them, including Kim Ye-ri and Cho
Hyejin, who had gone together.
Since it was composed only of high-quality troops, it was

understandable, but what they were currently showing was also a
series of surprises.
-Requesting support! Requesting reinforcement! Please send

reinforcement as soon as possible!
-Priests!
-Support… gasp!
I knew better than anyone else that people shouldn’t get their feet tied
in that kind of situation.
We continuously moved troops and smashed the opponents from

within.
Pushing their way to the center along with Kim Hyunsung certainly
seemed to have no sense of incongruity to be called the army of God.
‘I think it’s okay to take him out now.’

The distance from the opponent’s wizard and priest squads was a bit
uncertain. It was dif icult to judge whether Kim Hyunsung could be sent
out separately.
‘You can escape even if I calculate the risks wrong, right?’
It would be possible if I kept providing the coordinates.
I knew that the idea of wanting to bene it a little more was dangerous,
but I genuinely believed in Kim Hyunsung’s ability. After entrusting the
troops to the nearest dwarven unit, I gave orders to the lovely returner
separately.
Dozens of magic holograms now lined up in front of me.
Before I could even start, my head was already aching, but I wanted to
experience that strange feeling once again, so I started moving my
ingers.
Shortly after that, my nose bled again, but I couldn’t afford to worry
about that.
“I’ll send you the coordinates. It is a standalone action. It won’t be far

away, Hyunsung.”
-Noted.
I couldn’t con irm if it was just my imagination, but Kim Hyunsung’s

voice also sounded a bit excited.
After I con irmed that Kim Hyunsung was running into the enemy
forces immediately, I focused on the hologram. It was like being sucked
into the screen in front of my eyes.
Despite being the second time, I was still amazed.

“Goals have been set. Start with the enemy wizard squad.”
-Noted.
It was harder to ind a path compared to the last battle.
The enemy’s formation had been properly deployed, making it more

dif icult to make a path.
However, under the in luence of the surrounding forces, I pushed Kim

Hyunsung into the path that began to appear little by little.
The ability to produce results as soon as he was deployed was

impressive.
As expected, the way he wielded his sword was incomprehensible. He

stabbed, twisted around, then advanced.
Perhaps none of the named ones in the enemy’s possession could move
that much.
The difference from the previous battle was that Kim Hyunsung wasn’t
going easy on them.
‘He couldn’t afford to.’
It was something I couldn’t be happy with.
Magic poured out from all sides, and swords and spears were swung
and thrown. He was moving forward somehow, but I thought he was
probably focusing several times more than usual.
Weapons and limbs continued to soar into the air as screams echoed
across the battle ield, but the orthodox swordsman didn’t stop moving
towards his destination.
He seemed to be getting farther and farther away from the main unit.
It was natural to wait for progress after urgently putting one squad
inward.
Kim Hyunsung was nearing the front of the enemy’s wizard squad.
‘Huh?’
Craaaaacckkkk!
Along with a thunderous sound, an unknown magic power swept

through that side.
“Jihye, just now…”
“Damn… Damn! What happened to the Goddess’s Mirrors?”
‘Fuck.’
The magic holograms in front of Lee Jihye began to turn off one by one.
My mouth moved seconds faster than it took for my mind to grasp the
situation fully.
“Hyunsung! Retreat!”
Ziiing!
Along with a sound, the magic hologram in front of me also went dark.
“That son of a bitch…”
Only then did I realize what the Demon Summoner bastard was aiming
for.
CHAPTER 405
LAST BATTLE (2)
“That son of a bitch…”
Only then could I realize what the Demon Summoner bastard was
aiming for.
He was aiming for the command system.
In a way, it certainly seemed like a checkmate. It was hard to imagine

the degree of confusion that the ield commanders and the troops on
the battle ield would feel.
The means of communication, which had been maintained all

throughout the war, had been effectively disabled.
There was nothing that could express how dire the situation was. It
would be strange if the allies didn’t feel confused.
‘I relied too much on the mirrors.’
It was a method to move the entire army like one body organically.
However, it was also a one-sided method.
One control tower had control over numerous troops. I never thought
that its advantage could be turned into a weakness.
We had lost that advantage in an instant.

It seemed that he already knew that our side was controlling the troops
through the Goddess’s Mirror. It was natural to ind out about it, but
coming up with a countermeasure against it that quickly was
extraordinary.
I realized that the last battle’s strategic move and the one before were
aiming for that situation.
The question that remained was how he completely paralyzed the

control tower.
‘How did he do it?’
I couldn’t fathom what the exact method was, except that it was magic.
Perhaps they had the means of negating the artifacts made by magic
engineering, or perhaps the organically connected magic power had
been cut off.
Demon Summoner Jin Qing himself was a wizard who had reached a
high level.
It was by no means unlikely that he had directly inspected the last

battle. Thoughts and speculations lew into my head, but I couldn’t ind
a de inite answer. What mattered was the result, not the process.
It was more important to ind a way to retaliate rather than determine

how he could screw us up so hard.
However, I couldn’t help but swear in such an urgent situation.
“Fuck…”
“There’s no need to panic. Even without the magic hologram, we can

maintain the command system. It won’t be like before, but… the basic
will be possible. Yes. It’s possible.”
“Can’t it be repaired?”
“The magic holograms are already under your jurisdiction. You

should’ve brought your son. Well… Even if he had come, it wouldn’t
change much. I don’t know when it will work again, but that’s not that
important now. First, we need to get the troops back. I was just getting
used to it, too. This is inconvenient. Really… It feels like I’ve been
backstabbed.”
“…”
“I’ll be honest, oppa.”
“Yes?”
“There’s no guarantee that we will win. The other commander seems to

be ive steps ahead of me. I could have leveled the playing ield
somehow with the Goddess’s Mirror, but it’s impossible from this point
on. I will endure as much as possible, but…”
“That’s bad news.”
“I want to say with con idence that we can win, but I am telling you this
in case our ranks collapse. We have to think about the worst-case
scenario. We also have to think about the possibility of suffering
extreme casualties.”
Lee Jihye, though illed with anxiety, left the command and control
room immediately.
Fortunately, we had a different kind of command system in place for

such a situation, but that was a far-fetched idea.
Not only was it less ef icient, but we also weren’t familiar with it.
The masked trash had an obvious advantage in the current situation.

She couldn’t easily guarantee what would happen from now on, based
on what she just said.
I thought that saying he was ive moves ahead was too much of an
overestimation, but Lee Jihye knew him better than me, so I couldn’t tell
if she was entirely inaccurate.
Contrary to me, who only had occasional encounters with him, she
simulated hundreds of different types of games with a program made
up of Jin Qing’s data. Without the Goddess’s Mirror, the game of chess
had become extremely unfavorable for her.
I went out with Lee Jihye, who was biting her ingernails. Her face
displayed her stress, letting me know immediately of the general
situation.
‘Shit.’
Of course, the enemy’s movement was suspicious.
They seemed to be opening their arms to embrace our entire army as if

that was their chance.
Even I, who didn’t know a lot about tactics, could realize that the allied
forces were in danger.
The named ones who were waiting had also joined the battle ield.
Massive explosions started to be heard continuously.
The enemy forces engulfed the allies as they pushed against us, not
wanting to miss the opportunity.
“I’ll ix it now.”
I controlled the troops with hand signals or lags, but even that didn’t
feel easy because of the enemy troops constantly clawing and biting at
our ranks.
The troops were important, but I couldn’t help but worry about Kim
Hyunsung, who was left isolated in the middle of the enemy camp.
I focused my magic as much as possible on my eyes, but I still couldn’t

see him.
I didn’t think he would get hit easily, but it was unrealistic to believe
that he wasn’t in danger.
The surrounding troops’ quality wasn’t excellent, but if I assumed that

other named beings helped them, his situation could become even
more life-threatening.
Thinking of the returner waiting patiently for me, I couldn’t just stand
still there.
‘If Kim Hyunsung dies… ’
The story would end there.
Whoever won or lost the war was important, but what followed after
that would still be a problem. If the transcendental being were to die,
the continent’s future afterward was obvious.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
My plan to enjoy rich movies and other bene its at the side of the
returner would be ruined in an instant.
‘He can’t die.’
There was no choice but to do something about it.

I was the one who pushed him into such a dangerous situation in the
irst place.
‘Fuck… Kim Hyunsung.’
I organized my thoughts in an instant.
Looking at Lee Jihye’s distressed face, I spoke with conviction.
“Nuna.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going down.”
“Yes, good– What? Are you crazy?”
“Prepare the reserve. I’m leaving right now.”
“What…?”
“We have no other options left anyway, right? You can control the
troops alone. I have nothing to do. This is the best move we can do right
now. It would be ef icient if there were at least one commander from
the inside who could give general orders.”
“That’s not the problem here. Can’t you see the situation right now? I’m
trying to ix it as much as possible, but getting through is also a
problem. You’ll die if you crawl in there yourself. You will de initely die.”
“My fate will be the same if we lose this war, anyway.”
“…”
“Don’t worry too much, because I’m enough to protect myself, nuna. I
have to live for a long time like a parasite. If I die after I’ve achieved
everything, that would just be unfair. I won’t be able to close my eyes
properly.”
“I know that, but…”
“I’m going.”
“…”
“…”
“I know. Damn. Don’t be dumb. If you die, I won’t be able to do anything

about it.”
“I won’t die.”
That’s right.
If I had died there, it would be so unfair that I wouldn’t be able to close

my eyes properly.
I bit my lips and moved swiftly.
After completely leaving the command and control area, I laid my eyes
upon the unit protecting the rear.
The current situation seemed to be just as pessimistic in their eyes,

judging by how they looked.
The disrupted command system’s effect must’ve been a lot stronger on

them than on us in the command and control room.
Contrary to us, who were at least a little aware of the situation, it would
have been nothing but pure confusion for them. Since even I came out,
they looked as if their worries had been con irmed.
Glancing sideways, I saw someone running towards me in a hurry.
It was Park Deokgu, who had been assigned to the rear unit.
‘Right, this bastard was here.’
“H-Hyung-nim!”
“…”
“What is it? Are there any problems?”
“I’ll tell you more about it later. Something’s happened, Deokgu. Get the
troops ready. I will be going into the frontlines right now.”
“Hyunsung is being isolated. The same goes for Hyejin and Ye-ri. They
should still be ine, but they will soon be swept away by the enemy.”
“What kind of problem happened…?”
“It’s a long story. We have more pressing matters right now.”
“C-Can I go with you?”
‘This pig bastard… ’
Naturally, I looked at him quietly.
Honestly, I expected that he would ask to go with us, but I didn’t think
he would bring it up without hesitation.
He was pretending to be ine, but he seemed to be sorry to stay here.

“I-I don’t know if I will be helpful, but I want to come with you.
Anything can happen to you, and it would be more reassuring for me to
be by your side than others. Didn’t I say I wouldn’t let them get
anywhere near you?”
“Right… Thank you.”
“It’s nothing to be grateful for. It’s part of my duty. Let’s go save our
guild members.”
“That’s our top objective, but that’s not the only reason why we’re going
out there.”
‘We need someone to ix the situation on the battle ield.’
There were many things I could do in relation to that.
But our top priority was to go into the frontlines and settle our
foothold.
“I-I got it. Then the troops…”
“Perhaps Jihye will prepare them for us. Leave the minimum number of
troops in the backline. It doesn’t have to be large, just enough to break
through and help the isolated units.”
“Okay. Then, quickly.”
‘She is quick.’
Just as Park Deokgu seemed to feel lost, a unit had already been formed
and sent our way.
It all happened in an instant to help me repair what had been damaged.

My heart trembled when I looked at the battle ield where the roaring
sound was coming, but it was better to try all of our options than waste
time waiting around for a miracle.
Looking back, I stared at the faces of those who nodded.
“We’re going.”
“It’s so sudden… Are you really okay with this?”
“I’m ine.”
“There is no problem then. Well, I just suddenly got nervous. I don’t

know if it’s my imagination, but I feel like it’s been such a long time
since I last stood by your side in a ight like this.”
“It’s not your imagination. It has been a long time.”
“Standing next to you like this makes me remember about the tutorial…
well, that’s it.”
“Save the small talk for later. Let’s go.”
I saw Park Deokgu pounding on his shield.
As if they took it as a signal, the allied troops also struck their shields
with their swords.
Cold sweat lowed down my face for being among the soldiers who had
ferocious looks on their faces.
I seriously thought about whether I was doing something useless, but at

least it would be more helpful than staying still.
It didn’t really sink in that I was among the troops that were charging
faster and faster.
I didn’t scream, but I suddenly understood the feelings of those who
cried and charged on the battle ield.
Arrows and magic kept falling from the sky. The sounds of our footsteps
trampling on the ground made my heart beat faster.
I couldn’t even remember when I started to walk.
‘Damn.’
The closer we got to the enemy, the more I felt pressured.
When allies and enemies inally collided, it felt as if the entire unit’s
impact was rushing to this side.
Craaaaassshhhh.
“Motherfuckers! Die!”
“For Goddess Benignore!”
Noise and hostility were constantly piercing my ears.
Finally, we were on the battle ield.
‘Shit!’
CHAPTER 406
LAST BATTLE (3)
It wasn’t my irst time joining the frontlines.
Although I had been away from the scene for so long, I had already
faced all sorts of dangers just following Kim Hyunsung from the early
days of Blue. In fact, I used to participate in melee battles frequently.
However, those were only small scale skirmishes or dungeons.
It was the irst time that I had fought in a large-scale battle between
humans.
I had to admit that the feeling was different from when I looked at the
situation through screens.
The heat of the battle. The noises and screams that reverberated across
the ield, and the thick smell of blood and sweat.
I wasn’t lustered, but I couldn’t help but frown at the unfamiliar

environment I was in.
‘I guess I shouldn’t have come down.’
It was uncomfortable to be in the middle of the battle ield after leaving

the safe rear seat, but that train had already departed.
I had come too far to regret it now.

It looked as if the shock felt by the frontlines was felt all the way to the
backlines. I could see the warriors up at the irst row beginning to mix
up among the enemy soldiers.
Bang!
Crash!
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Shit!”
“Gather up! Gather up!”
“Son of a bitch!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Crack!
Even my eyes now failed to see the events properly.
All I could witness were the backs of our allied forces struggling to push
back the enemies, their armors and shields constantly banging against
each other.
I wouldn’t have been able to understand the situation properly if I

hadn’t been an eye user.
Unlike my confused mind, my eyes continued to receive information

around me.
Even walking felt dif icult due to the bodies of those who had already
fallen.
It was amazing as to how our allies keep breaking through the enemy
forces.
Looking at the situation carefully again, I could see Park Deokgu

wielding his shield with a crumpled face.
Watching him stick by my side as he pushed the opponents away with a

shield constantly reminded me of the tutorial.
I stabbed
Of course, I didn’t do that at the moment, but I was reminded about

how reliable he was in battle. It was a method that usually only worked
for tutorial monsters, but it would be quite ef icient in a place with
limited space to move.
Soldiers behind the frontal force continued to thrust their spears

beyond the shield wall in my stead.
“Hyung-nim, are you following me properly?”
“Keep looking ahead. Don’t mind me.”
“I-I said I got it. Which way are we going?”
“West. Joining the nearest unit should be our goal for now.”
“Got it. Can you follow without any problems? I have no idea what’s
happening, but I’ll de initely take you there.”
“Okay, focus, Deokgu.”
“You are the one who should follow me properly!”
We pushed our way through as quickly as possible, but our movement

was naturally slow.
I wanted to throw a Dragon Breath potion.
However, I couldn’t use such weapons to my heart’s content without

damaging our allies.
The same went for alchemy summons.
Above all else, it could give away my position. Troops hurried from the
reserves.
They were capable of breaking through enemy forces but not strong
enough to withstand an intensive offensive. If they discovered that I
was currently mixed with our force, the enemy wizards would rain
down spells into our location.
Joining the main unit behind the enemy lines was the top priority for
now.
The reserve team was also aware of that. That was why they were
moving so desperately.
“Pierce through!”
“Don’t be pushed! Don’t be pushed! We have to connect with the main

unit at all costs!”
“Gasp!”
Their task was to send me to the main unit.
I could see warriors falling one by one, but there was nothing I could do
other than sending a brief divine power.
I wanted to hold their hands and drag them away, but if I paid attention
to those who had been forcefully retired, I would end up isolated.
No matter how unconscionable I was, it was hard to watch those who
were risking their lives for me and pretend like it was nothing.
‘Shit. Shit.’
Crash!
Craaaackk!
“Block! Block!”
“Block ahead! Lift up your shields! Magic is raining down on us! I said,
lift up your shields! What are you doing!?”
“Arrows incoming! What are the ally wizards doing!?”
“Priests! We need a priest over here!”
An arrow struck clear and true into the soldier’s chest, looking for a
priest right next to me.
One man managed to push into our ranks with a spear, but a large
shield immediately blocked his advance.
The allied soldiers swiftly illed the gaps again.
As I looked down, I saw the soldier with an arrow in his chest gasping
for breath. A friendly combat priest hastily checked his condition, but
there was no hope.
Naturally, he didn’t try to extend his life by sending divine power into
his body as much as possible.
This was because he already knew how stupid it was to expend

resources on the hopeless.
‘That’s why they say a lot about war. Fuck… ’
Individual deaths were a tragedy, but many deaths remained statistics,

some had said.
I couldn’t help but think exactly that way.
There wasn’t even time to mourn the death of our allies.
It was impossible to determine who died, and who was alive.
Each of the people who died might have had their own stories, but they
were just another casualty, another corpse in the context of the war.
No one remembered those who were dying.
“I will remember.”
“C-Cough. Thank… you.”
The sight of the soldier throwing up blood and closing his eyes quietly
made me grieve.
Of course, I wouldn’t remember, either.
However, saying those words to give him peace of mind was the least I
could do. I nodded, looking at the soldier with his eyes closed relatively
comfortably, but I had a bitter taste in my mouth.
Leaving the deceased soldiers behind, we continued to move forward.
As time passed, I gradually got used to the noise of the battle ield.
I even became numb to the sight of death.
“Die!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Motherfuckers! Motherfuckers! Motherfuckers!”
“Stay strong! Bastards! Just a little more! Don’t lose! We just need to
break a little more!”
“Don’t let them put even a single inger inside our ranks!”
“Arrows incoming! Lift your shields now! Priests and wizards,

protection! We need protection!”
Volleys upon volleys of arrows rained down upon us.
A large shield then obscured the view.
Some of the arrows pierced through it, making me think that there was
an archer among the enemy that could use tremendous magic power.
However, the damage wasn’t signi icant enough to cause the tide of
battle to sway to their side.
Allies, including Park Deokgu, once again took up the shield and moved
forward by slaying or cutting those around them.
It felt like the highlands weren’t too far.
It was then that a roar and a scream came from our side.
‘Shit.’
Allied troops were lung into the air, bouncing and skidding away from
the frontlines. I didn’t know the exact details, but what happened was
obvious.
‘A named enemy?’
Craaashhhh!
Craaaaaacckkkkk!
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Block! Blo… ck. Don’t… gasp!”
‘Who’s the bastard?’
The face of the motherfucker running from afar was quite familiar. It
was the Russian who was as big as Park Deokgu.
Valentin Alexandro.
One of the Five General Tigers of the Republic, Ronaf’s Slayer, Ronaf’s
Brawler.
The motherfucker saved the Demon Summoner Jin Qing while injuring
his right arm by Jung Hayan’s magic during the Laios crisis.
I bit down on my lips harshly upon seeing him charge through our allies
like a battering ram.
‘Have they discovered my location?’
Perhaps it wasn’t that.
Magic bombardment hadn’t fallen onto our position yet.
The most rational cause I could think of was that the enemy refused to
allow our reserve team to join the main unit; hence they put him in our
way.
The person blew away heavily armored warriors with ease, showing
exactly why people who had that level of power like him were called out
of line.
The roaring sound of the guy covered in blood sounded the same as a
huge monster’s.
‘Is there no support for allies?’
Lee Jihye would’ve already noticed.
However, there was a high probability that they wouldn’t be able to

send support in time, considering the allies’ situation who were
completely surrounded by the enemy forces.
A little farther from that place, there must’ve been a friendly force
breaking through as well.
I managed to decipher that knowledge based on the four-nation

alliance’s lag that I constantly looked out for with my eyes.
However…
‘Will they arrive in time?’
It would be nice if they could come in time, but they would still be in a
pinch even if they did.
Having to stop that crazy gorilla was a huge burden to carry.
‘No. We can stop it.’
It could be possible with the current troops.
It was possible to buy some time with alchemy summons and Dragon
Breath potions. I also had the Bomb of Light potion just in case, so
maybe we could be a match to that ignorant bastard, even if it was just
for a while.
I also had a shield that was stronger than anyone else next to me.
The problem was that they might be able to con irm my position after
that. The reserve would be constantly kept in check by the enemy
forces before we could even join the main unit.
However…
There was no choice.
We were in a situation where I could not expect support right away.
‘Block as quickly as possible and join the troops who came out to meet
us as soon as possible.’
I was anxious, but that was the most reasonable option. I then barked
an order immediately.
Park Deokgu looked at me.
“Deokgu, prepare for battle.”
“Can we win?”
“It’s possible. Get ready. We have to go out of our way to meet that
thing.”
“…”
“…”
“Hyung-nim.”
“What?”
“I am not a fool either.”

“What bullshit is this all of a sudden?”
“I know how things are going, I mean. I know we’re in a dangerous

situation right now, and I know that you shouldn’t be here. No, the
enemy shouldn’t know that you’re here… Well, that or this is the same,
but…”
“Shut up and get ready, pig bastard. This is a highly urgent matter. I
don’t have time to take on a joke.”
“You go irst. I will be in charge of here.”
“Stop bullshitting me. Do you think this is an anime movie? Don’t

overdo it just to create an impressive scene. Shut up and prepare for
battle. I’m not kidding anymore.”
“I told you to go irst. I’ll take charge here. The remaining troops will
take you to the main unit.”
“What bullshit…”
In an instant, Park Deokgu grabbed my shoulder.
He had such a big body that I had to look up.
Strangely, what I saw before continued to overlap with what was

happening in the present.
The memory of the irst round I saw through Yuno Kasugano.
“I’m sorry I look so shameful. Now I can see why you were able to stand
on the battle ield so calmly. Thank you for your consideration, thank
you for being with me, thank you, and… Thank you. Of course, I know it
sounds stupid. I know that you don’t trust me much…”
“Don’t do anything stupid!”

“If you can…”
“Stop with the bullshit, crazy pig who doesn’t even know his place!”
“I can do better.”
He pushed me away.
I was pushed back against my will, and the allies caught me.
Once again, troops involved in the war were mixed between Park
Deokgu and me.
In an instant, the brawler came in rushing with his large body.
I could see the pig grabbing his arm with a large shield on his back.
Baaaaaannngggg!
The last scene I could see was the scene of two hands grappling against
each other with a loud crash sound.
“That stupid pig bastard!!” I had to scream.

CHAPTER 407
DIALUGIA, JULIANA (1)
“Let go of me, you motherfuckers!”
“It’s too dangerous!”
“I told you to let go of me, motherfuckers!”
“You must not do this, Honorary Cardinal. Please, please be patient.”
“Shit. Shit!”
“I’m sorry, Honorary Cardinal. But…”
“Shit! Fucking stupid pig bastard! Stupid bastard! Does he think he’s
worth something?! That stupid pig bastard!”
Naturally, I couldn’t hold back the anger from bursting out of my mouth.
I saw the startled soldiers.
Those who looked at me with disbelief reacted as if they were

witnessing something incredibly wrong.
It was so clear that they were thinking about whether the person they
were looking at was really the Honorary Cardinal.
‘Shit.’
“Damn…”
Thanks to the momentary anger that had gotten the best of me, it
completely destroyed my image.
It was the irst time I had shown that side of mine in front of others.
It wasn’t unreasonable for them to feel bewildered, considering the

image they had of me never raised my voice, much less curse, and
remained respectful when dealing with people.
I instantly realized the weight of the mistake I made.
I would’ve made a fuss about it like usual, but I couldn’t even care about
it at that moment.
As I breathed in slowly and exhaled, I could feel my frustrated heart

calming down a little.
I was still angry, but I knew getting agitated in a situation like that
wouldn’t help. Thankfully, the soldiers’ face helped me to regain reason.
‘I have to be cold.’
I had to be calm and cold.
Anger didn’t help.
Anger… didn’t help.
Useless agitation was poison.
In particular, it would only make the current situation worse.
‘That pig bastard… pig bastard! That stupid pig bastard!’
My anger wouldn’t subside, nonetheless. I felt like Park Deokgu couldn’t

defeat Valentin no matter the circumstances.
I admitted that he had grown considerably. I also knew that his
endurance stat was almost beyond regularity.
However, simply being strong was a different story in battles. It

wouldn’t have mattered if the opponent was just an idiot, but Ronaf’s
brawler was one of the ive said to be the strongest in the Republic.
It would be weird not to worry. No, there was no chance of winning in

the irst place.
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t think of any situation where

Park Deokgu could beat him.
What remained was how long he could endure.
He was a strong man, and he wouldn’t die easily, but it didn’t mean that
there was no chance of dying.
Even if he played out the situation as defensively as possible, the fact

that every moment was dangerous wouldn’t change.
It wasn’t just for him.
The allied troops being held back around them were also weaker. This
was no different from taking a step into a dangerous situation.
The rider of ally troops must have had already sent hand signals to Lee
Jihye, but the key was whether Park Deokgu could endure it until the
support unit arrived.
I should’ve known it from the time he kept spouting out bullshit.
‘He thinks he’s the main character of a movie.’
It was already too late to return.

It would be a more reasonable choice to go back after joining the main
unit and forming a support force. I felt like I wanted to run right now,
but it would be foolish for me to go back to where we came from.
‘Yes, this is reasonable judgment.’
“Reasonable judgment, reasonable judgment… Shit. Okay. That’s a

reasonable judgment.”
It was correct no matter how I thought about it.
I had to move forward soon as possible.
“Er… Honorary Cardinal?”
“Honorary Cardinal.”
“Ah yes.”
“Er. I-I’m sorry.”
“No.”
“…”
“Rather… I’m sorry. I showed an ugly side of mine.”
“No. I-It doesn’t even make sense. To say it’s an ugly side… we can fully
understand.”
“…Thank you. We have to join the main unit as fast as possible.”

“Yes. Okay.”
“I’ll direct our movement.”
“Perhaps…”
“No. I won’t go back there. It would be better to breakthrough after

joining the main unit. The command team probably got the information.
They’ll do something about it.”
“Yes. Okay.”
I saw the unknown soldier slowly nodding.
I was worried about whether he was thinking of something bad about

me, but I felt he got even more loyal.
I didn’t know why, but I had to think that it was fortunate that there
weren’t any additional problems arising. Naturally, I nodded and
started to move again.
The battle was still progressing.
We were slowly getting closer to the main unit, but I felt that the troops
were moving as a whole, so I thought I had to ind the right path.
The masked trash and Lee Jihye were probably having a battle of wits
from above.
The change in the real-time situation would also be its effect.
‘This is indeed fortunate.’
The main unit had not been completely dominated yet.

It was clear that they were constantly looking for an exit or exposing
the enemy’s weak spot, and the soldiers inside were busy ighting, but if
I could see this scene from above, I knew I would ind a rather
interesting view.
‘It’s good for the pig.’
He wouldn’t have to keep being isolated there, so if he was lucky, he

would be able to join another unit.
As I visually con irmed that the allies were getting closer, I became
increasingly impatient.
The troops in front of us were also starting to head over to us as if they

had seen us. The enemy forces’ resistance was strong, but it was weak
enough for us to be able to penetrate through it suf iciently.
However, the troops that were supposed to bring me to the main unit
were also gradually decreasing.
It was more accurate to say that they kept being murdered, though.
“Magic! It’s magic! Cast defense magic!”
“Protection! Protection!”
At that moment, a huge ireball fell over us once again.
Craaaasshh!!
Several soldiers were engulfed in lames despite their shields.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
That was just the beginning.

The ireball that was falling in earnest was causing damage to both
sides absurdly.
This meant that something was wrong, or someone had lost control.
Or perhaps that was his aim all along. Regardless, the magic that fell
from the sky continued to wreak havoc.
Of course, what I had to do didn’t change at all.
I had to pass through the ranks of allies and enemies alike. I had to keep
moving forward nonstop.
It was then that, once again, another great shock came to the ally forces.
This wasn’t an attack.
The enemy and the reserve team, who were ighting with the nearest
unit, collided with each other.
It would have been like a jackpot from the enemy’s point of view, but
the allies fought harder with the unexpected support.
“Push a little more! Bastards! Push them out! It’s support! Support
troops!”
‘Although there aren’t really that many of them to be called support

troops.’
Still, it was good to have other variables on the battle ield, which had
been in a tense standoff.
It was natural that I also helped without knowing. Even though it was
just a little bit of damage with an alchemy spell, it was still better than
nothing.
Of course, I knew we had to save my magic power. At this point,
however, we really couldn’t afford it. We were constantly being delayed.
The battle ield engulfed in madness approached each individual,

bringing them great confusion.
When I looked around a bit, I could see that the enemy troops were
heading our way.
The situation was so annoying that I barely managed to hold back

another series of curses.
It looked like the masked trash had sent in more reinforcements.
I frowned at the sight. Due to the nature of the guy who liked to take
advantage of the smallest details, he didn’t leave the detached squad
and reserve squad unattended.
The idea of dominating the troops with the reserves was so explicit, but
I thought that was inevitable.
No, to be precise, it could be avoided. It would be okay to change routes

after leaving the squad as it was, but.
‘That’s not allowed.’
It was irrational to ind a new path once again. It would be faster to join
the allies in front of us and break through the enemy’s ranks together.
The direction the troops were moving and how the war was going
continued to ill my head.
‘How far is the main unit?’
If we went through them quickly, we could get to the main unit right
within the expected time.
“Prepare for battle!! Prepare for battle!!”
We were already ready for battle, however. We were in the middle of

the battle ield, after all.
I said those words simply to prepare them for meeting the new faces
running towards us.
‘It might be dif icult, but… ’
There was no other choice.
Taking a short breath and swallowing my saliva, I heard screams and

shouts covering the battle ield.
It wasn’t very pleasant to be in the middle of a battle ield where blood

splattered, and limbs often lew from all directions.
I had no choice but to close my lips tightly and sigh in frustration. The
sounds of the soldiers hitting each other kept entering my ears.
The existing units among the troops that had just begun to be mixed
also joined the reserves.
I couldn’t remember the name, but the face of the person in charge of
the enemy forces was quite familiar.
This was a face that died and came back alive.
Troops continued to be detached from the main unit. Rather than being
detached, it would be more appropriate to say that the enemies were
cutting them off and isolating them.
He was accumulating damage by cutting the troops to obtain minor
accomplishments.
After hunting the fallen troops, he often scraped their surface again.
It was a creepy, meticulous, and perverted tactic. It was exactly the

same as what he showed in the game we played before.
‘We’re being pushed back.’
I felt like Lee Jihye was going through a lot.
If things were going well, we shouldn’t have been hunted down after
our allies who joined us had fallen. It didn’t seem like we were being
beaten one-sidedly, but it didn’t change the fact that we were suffering.
‘The situation isn’t good.’
Park Deokgu was facing Valentin, and since Kim Hyunsung was isolated,
his location could not be determined.
The same was true for the unit where Kim Ye-ri and Cho Hyejin
belonged. Even the main unit continued to accumulate damage.
It might seem okay right now, but the power difference would be
noticeable after a few hours.
It was no wonder that I felt that the current situation had to be

reversed somehow.
Even a very small hole was ine. If there was a hole, we could somehow
squeeze into it.
‘Should I use the Bomb of Light potion?’
Of course not.
Although the range was wide, it was limited. I didn’t bring it to use for
only that many troops.
‘Or perhaps should I create some distraction.’
That wasn’t bad at all.
I thought it would help to create some form of distraction. I organized

my thoughts instantaneously.
When I tried to give orders to the unit colliding with the enemy, I could
see the enemy’s face squeezing through the spaces in between our
ranks.
‘An assassin?’
I didn’t understand how they kept passing through the big guys.
Of course, the priority action was not to understand the situation but to
get out of danger.
I pulled my body back and raised my hand, but it was faster for the
enemy’s dagger to reach my throat than for me to execute an alchemical
summon.
The warrior next to me also had a spear in his hand, but he wouldn’t
have reached us if he were the kind to be hit by a spear that easily.
‘Shit!’
I bit down on my lower lip in desperation, but that feeling didn’t last
long. A sword fell down from the sky, penetrating the top of the
assassin’s head.
“Juli… Juliana?”
Naturally, I looked up at the sky in a hurry. I couldn’t stop myself from
cheering at what I saw.
“Grooooooaaaaaarrr!”
My wife, who I hadn’t seen in a long time, had inally arrived.

CHAPTER 408
Crack! Craaasshhh!
The sight of her stepping on the enemy like they were ants was indeed
ridiculous to behold.
The dragon with a giant horn made anyone on the battle ield feel both
fear and awe.
Actually, that was the reaction of the enemy forces.
Some raised their heads as if they couldn’t believe it, others had their
mouths wide open, and a few even rubbed their eyes. They might have
heard about the fact that there was a dragon through a brie ing
beforehand, but there was a distinctive difference between hearing a
story and actually seeing it.
It was even more surprising for the original inhabitants of the

continent.
Having a surprised look on their faces was only natural. She was so
huge that anyone had to look up to see her in her entirety.
She had enormous eyes, huge fangs and claws that awakened anyone’s
primal fear, and a glossy black and white outer shell that looked harder
than most armors.
And it probably was.

She ignored any attack coming from the common soldiers. Her basic
magic resistance was also beyond imagination.
For some reason, I was proud. Of course, to be easily targeted was a

weakness. However, in that kind of battle ield, there was no ally as
reliable as her.
“My…”
“Attack! Attack! Rain down magic upon her!”
“It’s a dragon! A dragon!”
“Attack the wings! Wings! If we follow the brie ing, we can catch it!”
“Check the location of the unit responsible for the dragon! Do it now!”
Although the surroundings had already become noisy, it seemed that

our proud Dragon General couldn’t hear the cry of the people, including
human companions.
With a single swipe of her tail, the enemy soldiers were blown away
into the sky simultaneously.
It was quite spectacular to watch her tail scratch the ground and sweep
entire ranks of troops equipped with shields.
Craaaasshhh!
“Huuuh?”
“Get out of the way!”
Baaaaannnggg!
It even looked as if magic had fallen. Of course, nobody could just end
the battle with that.
After inhaling deeply, she exhaled her Breath at the enemy’s side,
causing a large beam of light to crash onto the opponents’ ranks in an
instantaneous manner.
Naturally, her body began to be pushed back by its sheer recoil.
A huge defensive magic circle wrapped around the place where the
Breath fell, but it didn’t take long for it to start producing crackling
sounds. The Breath poured through the cracked protective magic,
increasing the fatalities of their opponents.
The power of the Breath spewed out of her mouth as if vomiting her
resentment towards her hardworking parenting.
I didn’t know how much damage she did, but it was enough to say it
was a pleasant scene for us.
‘I love you, wife!’
I expressed my passionate support unconsciously. I wanted to dance,

and it felt unfair that I couldn’t do just that.
Had it not been for the surrounding eyes, I would have already stuck to
Dialugia’s leg and kissed her passionately.
She continued breaking the heads of the nearby enemy forces. Although
it was moving a little different from her, Juliana was also active.
The self-moving ego sword penetrated through the narrow and densely
populated battle ield and pierced the ordinary soldiers’ necks without
hesitation.
Of course, it didn’t work with those at a certain level, but there were a
lot of soldiers who couldn’t handle Juliana.
The sword lew around the battle ield like a mosquito, moving
vertically and horizontally without a wielder fascinatingly.
‘That’s why they always talk a lot about ego swords! An Ego sword!
Haha!’
Typically, some humans were strong to the weak and weak to those
who were strong.
I couldn’t deny that I was such a human, but even I couldn’t imagine
that my ighting abilities would also follow that personality.
‘The Seal-Clubber!’
It was a nickname that was a bit unpleasant for me to give myself.

However, there was no word that better expressed my combat ability
than that title.
I smiled widely.
It was then that a voice echoed in my head.
-Did I get here too late?
-Gedric! My Gedric!
-Aren’t I asking if I’m late, husband?!
-My Gedric! Where have you been? Why have you…
-It’s been a while. Where on earth were you, and what were you doing…
Aren’t you curious about how Max and Luria are doing? It’s really hard
to see your face. So, have you fully recovered? You must have been
really sick. Yes. Really!
-Gedric, Gedric!
-Are you listening to me? If you are listening, answer!
-Gedriic!!
There was a momentary head-shaking noise, but I was still in a good

mood.
This was the irst time where the unpleasant nagging and cries for
Gedric felt so adorable. It seemed that they couldn’t hear each other.
They were pouring out only what they wanted to say. Although my head
had been rumbled a little, I was ready to listen to any annoyances or
craziness.
First, Dialugia.
‘No. You arrived at just the right time, Dialugia. So, is Tol To-ri doing
well?’
-She’s not. You don’t know how hard it was to stop her from following
you when she heard the news that you were sick. Yes. It was really hard.
‘It would have been nice if you said that it was enough to be worried.’
-Then, what should I say as the reason why her father doesn’t come to
see her? Of course, I understand that you have your own life and work,
but… please do not neglect your family because of this useless war. Max
is also very upset. Please make sure to spend a lot of time with Luria
after this war ends.
‘Of course. Of course, I will. De initely.’

-Why do humans waste time doing these useless things every time…?
‘As you know, it’s not a war we started. They started it. From my
perspective, I believe you’ll take it into consideration since it is to
protect the precious place of life, Dialugia. If we let them be, they would
push their troops back to Lindel, where the precious nest is located.
What would be worse than that? While you’re protecting our home
from within, you can think of me doing the same from the outside.’
-…
‘Ahem. Ahem.’
-You’re never out of rebuttals as always. A human like you… sigh…
‘Well, it’s all true, so what can I do?’
The irritation on Dialugia’s face was highly evident.
However, it didn’t look like she could refute it, so she was soothing her
anger by swaying her tail.
‘More importantly, now… ’
-You don’t have to worry about the human Park Deokgu. I left someone
there on the way who could help him, too.
‘What?’
-The human with red hair. Cha Hee-ra, that person.
‘Yo, Yolo… ’
-What is Yolo?
I had been expecting it, but when I thought that Cha Hee-ra had gone to
Park Deokgu, I felt like a heavy burden had been removed from my
shoulders.
My already wide smile had gotten even wider.
I felt completely reassured that the Russian Pak Deokgu’s head would
be completely shattered.
‘It’s nothing. First, prepare to move. It would be dangerous to stay here.

You can go up to the sky and keep them in check. No… I think it would
be better for us to go to the main unit together.’
-Okay.
It was formal and rough for a conversation between a husband and wife
that had met after a long time apart, but I thought that much was okay.
We were in a situation where we had to keep moving, so I couldn’t focus

on the conversation properly.
Juliana’s voice echoing in my head didn’t help, either.
Even at that moment, the voice calling out to Gedric made my head
ache. I had to change the channel as quickly as I could. It was already
screaming.
-Gedric! My voice! Can’t you hear my voice? Gedric! Gedric! Gedriiiiic!

Gedriiiiiic!
I immediately held my breath and began to let my mind talk. I wasn’t

ready yet to meet Juliana, but I already saved the story in my mind.
‘Ohh. My Juliana, why are you here?’

-Gedric! My voice has reached you. Gedric! My everything. My love. My
all! Where have you been? Gedric! My Gedric!
‘It is because of them that I haven’t met you. This bunch of ilthy
demons locked me up, tortured me, and threatened me all this time. You
don’t know how much I’ve missed you, my Juliana!’
-Ah…
‘Those demons are trying to turn the continent into the new hell!’
In fact, I only avoided her because of the memory of her sucking my

magic power, but it felt convincible.
Not perfect, but it was still a good excuse.
Of course, a little more supplementary explanation was needed. I

thought it would be nice to whisper sweet nothings, but I didn’t think
she needed any prior explanations when I looked at her condition.
-These… dirty guys. These dirty! These dirty guys dare to!!!
“…”
-I… I will tear you all to death. I’ll tear you down!
“What is this?”
-These trash bastards. You dare, dare!
Black energy began to surround Juliana.
I had an ominous feeling about it. The black haze of smoke clumped
together and began to form some strange shape.
[Due to her out-of-control anger, the legendary-grade weapon, ‘Cursed
Juliana,’ has been forcibly awakened.]
“So, what does this mean…?”
[Juliana’s seal is temporarily released, and materialization is in

progress. -Duration 60 minutes]
“What?”
-You guys, you guys. You guys! Daare! Dare! To try to disturb Gedric and
me? You guys, daareeee!
“…”
‘This is crazy.’
My jaws dropped open in shock.
I looked at Juliana in doubt with the system’s message, but the

materialization was really in progress.
It was just like what I saw at the Cursed Shrine before.
She had messy hair and blind eyes.
A grotesque dark madwoman was standing with a sword.
She didn’t seem to have realized that she had a body. She randomly
swung her sword and screamed, and no matter how I tried, it was
impossible to control her.
She even felt stronger than when I met her at the Cursed Shrine.
Just looking at her already told me she was legendary-grade.

-You daaare! Dare! My Gedric… con ine my Gedric! And, and! Threaten…
violate him? You guys? You guys!?
I never said that I had been violated.
-Those who don’t even know their places! Curse, the curse will fall.
Curse! Will fall!! All you guys will be cursed!! You will suffer even after
you die. Forever! Even your remains will suffer forever!
Its grotesque appearance, fully revealed, caused awakened instinctive

fear.
Of course, the soldiers were more bewildered than I was.
In addition to spraying a curse, black tentacles were being conjured

from all sides to tear down the surrounding enemies.
With the continuous screaming, she looked like a madman who sold her
soul to the Devil.
‘I have to pretend I don’t know that thing.’
That was the best I could do in that situation.

CHAPTER 409
I thought I had to pretend I didn’t know her desperately.
‘I thought she was crazy, but… ’
As the battle progressed, I realized that she was more out of her mind
than I could fathom.
Of course, it made sense for her to get that enraged.
The reunion with her better half, whom she had never ceased to love,
lasted for only a few moments.
She thought her lover was in a situation wherein he was kidnapped and
imprisoned by an unknown demonic force. Considering that the two of
them had a tragic ending before, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for her to
get so angry.
I had a lump in my throat due to the story that would’ve brought tears
to anyone who heard it, but it didn’t change my decision to get out of
there.
She was simply that grotesque.
-The curse! The curse will fall upon you! The curse! I will drag your
carcasses and travel around all kinds of continents. I will give you the
most miserable death so that you will continue to suffer even in the
afterlife! These trash bastards! These dirty bastards! I will trample on
your corpses and make everyone associated with you suffer eternally in
the ires of hell!
The black smoke swiftly enveloped the enemy forces. Although

puri ication spells were constantly procured, Juliana’s curse was
impossible to be exorcised with divine power.
It wasn’t the kind of ability that showed its effects in a short period of
time, but it was enough to affect the troops standing in the middle of
the battle ield.
“Don’t come here! Don’t come any closer! Shit! Don’t come any closer!”
“Block! Don’t let her come! Mother, mother!”
“S-Save… Run! Run! We’ll all die! We’ll all die!”
Our enemies continued to scream in fear, not even the unexpectedly

good son was left in peace. Juliana looked more like a maniac than a
swordswoman as she wielded her sword and with her torn mouth wide
open.
“Don’t come here!”
-You deserve this pain! Kyahihahahaha! Humans like bugs! Ugly

humans! You deserve all the curses! Die! Die! Die! Diiiiieee!
The tentacles, extending from her in all directions, pierced through the
enemy soldiers’ armors too easily.
Those who were stung by tentacles weren’t given a swift death. Those
who were shouting all kinds of things were already under the in luence
of the curse.
She dragged around the body of a soldier who had already died several
times. She was also seen hitting his head over and over again with the
handle of her sword.
As the battle progressed, the enemy soldiers affected by the curse

continued to shout in confusion. It was only natural for normal human
beings to be scared of the situation.
Even I didn’t want to be in that place. Therefore, I moved away from it

in a hurry.
This was because even the ally troops were staring at Juliana as if they
were tired of her, and I felt my consciousness grow heavier. I had no
choice but to say something.
“It’s dangerous. I-it looks like the seal I had put on her has been
released.”
“Ah…”
Of course, that was bullshit, but for now, I had to insist on that like it
was the truth.
I didn’t even know who I was talking to.
However, seeing the soldiers nodding hard, I was a bit relieved.
‘That’s why it’s important to leave a good impression.’
“I-I see. Honorary Cardinal, then that’s…”
“It would be nice for you to join the main unit along the way.”
“And the Honorary Cardinal…”
“I will go irst.”
“How… Oh, I see. Okay.”
The soldier nodded with his eyes widened. It seemed like he agreed
only after looking at Dialugia.
I, too, started moving right away.
The soldiers around me were protecting me, trembling with fear that
there might be any problems, but I was certain that the place
surrounding me was de initely safe.
Juliana was drawing all kinds of gazes, after all.
I wanted to ight with her since she was struggling alone, but I couldn’t
do it. It was not because I didn’t want to be in the same space as Juliana.
There was something I had to do. It was close to Force majeure.
‘Right. This is Force majeure.’
-Gedric! Gedriiiiic!
As if she had noticed I was moving away; a creepy sound came from
behind me.
The voice made me shake. It felt like it could scratch windows. She
seemed to want to chase after me, but she was blocked by the enemies
that rushed to surround her.
It was the beginning of their ‘Juliana Raid’.
-Gedric! How dare! You bastards! You bastards! My Gedric! Can’t you get
out of my way right now?! You, humans, are less than insects!
“Surround her!”
“Be careful not to be affected by the curse. Frontline, guard ahead!”
“Don’t get cut by the sword! Keep a distance away from her as much as
possible and drag her into a long-range battle. Never stop the
puri ication magic!”
The battle that transpired in the middle of the war ield was
magni icent.
-Get out of my way! I said, get out of my way!
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Shit!”
-The curse will fall upon you! The curse! Anyone who interferes with
Gedric and I will be cursed and shall die miserably!
“Gasp!”
-Aah! Gedric! No need to worry! My Gedric! Please wait for a bit! Your
little baby bird will go to you soon!
No matter how I looked at her, I couldn’t think of her like a baby bird. I
had cold sweats, but I did my best to turn my head away.
I tried my best to get away from the unidenti ied creature, even if for
just a little. That was when I saw Dialugia bowing her head to me to
make it easier for me to climb over.
-I thought it would help, but it must have been a mistake to bring it.
“No. It’s helpful enough. Just… no, it’s nothing. I will go up.”
-I don’t want to pick you up, but…

“…”
-Okay. Yes. I got it.
I boarded onto her swiftly. She slowly lifted her body as I grabbed onto
her horn tightly.
The reserve team that had been with me began to look smaller.
Everyone seemed to be impressed.
I didn’t know if it’s an appropriate expression, but they were looking up

at me as if I was the main character in a fairytale.
I subtly nodded at them.
I felt like I was departing as a hero like in the history books.
Just being with a dragon was already enough to win public envy.
Moreover, a messenger, chosen by God, had been riding that dragon.
Although the blind belief that I could solve everything felt burdensome,
I couldn’t help but reassure them from where I was.
I thought it was now the time to accept the familiar gazes humbly.
“Please, Honorary Cardinal.”
“Thank you, everyone.”
After a short greeting, Dialugia fully rose in the middle of the battle ield.
Arrows and magic instantly targeted her.
After I pretended to be cool, I tapped on her horns. Image management

was important.
“Let’s go, Dialugia.”
-I’m not familiar with the sky.
“It would be better than being on the ground. A unit speci ically made
to deal with you will be here shortly. There’s no reason not to take
advantage of this. Oh, and before lying, please lap your wings once as
strong as you can. I also ask for you to roar as loud as you can. I want
everyone to look at us.”
-I’m not a spectacle. Even in this kind of situation…
“I’m not telling you to pretend to be a clown. I have no intention of

making a show. It’s all to boost morale. Have you not seen how symbolic
your existence is during the Sacred Democracy Revolution? Think of it
as showing off your beautiful igure to them, and take a nice pose.”
-I’m not feeling like it.
“This ight will be recorded in history. Maybe you and I will also appear
in the stories people share, like the human chosen by a dragon. It’ll
appear in the history book that our Dialuria will learn. The Alchemist of
Light and his wife against the demon’s army! Shouldn’t you, too, keep
the balance as a dragon that’s just a few on the continent?”
-Are they really the demon’s army?
“Yes. Absolutely. And if I say it’s not an army of demons, what does it
matter? History is written by the victors anyway. Oh, that doesn’t mean
they deny that they are the army of darkness. The one who summoned
the Demon Lord to Laios was certainly the head of the enemy. Demon
Summoner Jin Qing. He is the one who caused all of this.”
-…
“I’m telling you the truth. Now, let’s quickly become parents Tol To-ri
can be proud of. Humans will also respect our Dialuria. I’m sure of it.”
-…
I didn’t hear an answer, but I already knew the choice she was going to
make. She raised her head mightily and delivered a thunderous roar
that shook the ground.
Everyone looked at Dialugia and me, both allies and enemies.
After she took to the skies, various spells began to ascend, all aimed at
her.
Of course, Dialugia wasn’t slow enough to be hit by such forceless

attacks.
She had deadlier abilities than such spells, but avoiding their attacks in
the sky felt like watching a well-crafted aerial combat scene.
Of course, I was on top of her, so it’s okay to assume that I was

experiencing the 4DX sensation.
The wind blasting against my face made it very dif icult to breathe
properly.
It wasn’t easy to open my mouth, and as I talked into her, I heard her
voice once again.
‘You should avoid the blue ones. It’s probably magic made to stop you. It
looks like a kind of bondage magic, and if you get caught, you might fall.’
-I don’t know, but considering the density of magic power, I guess it is.
‘The basic hold magic… ’

-Maybe I can resist. It would be better to hold onto me tightly so that
you don’t fall off.
A large blue magic rope lew toward Dialugia from all directions.
When I took out the Dragon Breath potion and threw it, the blue magic
rope burst into pieces with a loud sound.
However, some attacks proved to be dif icult for her to avoid.
Dialugia seemed to have the same thought as me.
She seemed to think that the magic sent by high-level wizards was
dangerous and was offsetting the inevitable ones.
She kept avoiding their assaults, and her actions were optimal to get
into the enemy command’s nerves. Although it couldn’t be seen as
direct damage, it was undeniable that the damage being dealt against
the enemies was accumulating.
It wasn’t surprising that a dedicated unit and specialized magic had

been created speci ically for Dialugia.
‘Where is our Hyunsung?’
I had been looking for him, but it was too hard to see anything.
It was normal that I couldn’t easily ind him.
I was on the back of Dialugia, avoiding the magic soaring towards us at

tremendous speeds.
Whenever we entered a lull, I looked around as much as possible, but it

wasn’t easy to check everything because the range was too wide.
One thing that made me feel relief was that the wizard units assigned as
his targets before communication was cut off were no longer visible. I
was starting to feel like my concern was nothing but a groundless one.
‘He will be okay, right?’
If he was looking at us, he must’ve moved the moment he saw it.
Now that the allies had inally gained some breathing space, it became
more plausible for him to get out.
That was when I felt a huge low of magic power from above us. To be
precise, it was not a low of magic power, but a strong pressure.
‘What’s that?’
A meteorite was falling from the sky.
“That’s nuts…”
A large meteorite was falling toward the densely gathered main unit.
“It’s awesome. Really. Jin Qing, you trash bastard…”

CHAPTER 410
I’M GLAD. LIGHT KIYOUNG
HAS DESCENDED (1)
This was a malevolent trap.
I didn’t know how much he had been trying to dominate Castle Rock,
but I had no choice but to come out swearing.
Of course, it was dif icult for the enemy to see that as an optimal
situation. It was obvious that they were in a hurry, too.
He probably wanted to drop the magic he prepared after pushing his

troops in as much as possible. However, it was clear that the operation
had been twisted due to the variables that appeared out of nowhere.
If I were Jin Qing, I would have activated that magic after reducing the
enemy wizards’ stamina a little more.
However, the current timing couldn’t be considered as regrettable,

either.
Enemy forces still surrounded the main unit, and it was undeniable that
that magic would in lict enormous damage to our side.
If it really fell, then the war would be over. I wasn’t the only one who
knew about such an obvious fact.
A loud voice could be heard from below. After a few moments had
passed, I began to feel great magic power trembling from within.
I was certain that it’s caused by someone forming a defensive magic
circle that could respond to the enemy’s magic. However, it wasn’t
certain whether the improvised defense magic would be able to stop
the meteorite.
I was able to realize why the enemy allowed themselves to be stuck at

Castle Rock.
‘Were they preparing that all this time?’
I wasn’t sure. However, the odds were high. It didn’t just end with Castle
Rock as bait.
Considering that it took time and manpower to unleash that kind of

magic, I thought they could have been preparing since the beginning of
the war, or maybe even after I had sent the message.
Perhaps there was a device on the command side that could materialize
and maintain that magic.
It was more systematic than the magic that fell at Laios, assuming that
the range was limited to prevent their allies from being damage. It even
seemed to have accurate coordinates and even calculations of possible
errors.
I knew that there were many talented wizards in the Republic, but I
thought the one who gave them help to create such powerful magic…
‘The Magic Kingdom.’
That much was obvious.
Perhaps that was both a message and their means of vengeance.
It could be interpreted as a blow of tenacity as part of Jin Qing trash’s

will to return what happened in Laios. I looked up at the sky with my
Mind’s Eyes.
[Semi-mythic grade magic]
[Meteor]
The level of the manifested magic was a whopping semi-mythic grade.
‘Can I stop it?’
I had the Bomb of Light potion, but no matter how I looked at it, it was
unlikely that I could stop it with one shot.
After peeling off the magic power as much as possible, we could burst
free at it. Maybe we’d have a chance.
Of course, that didn’t mean we’d succeed, but…
-That…
“First, get as close as possible.”
Still, I had no choice but to try.
If that fell, I would lose everything I had ever achieved and everything
I’d get in the future.
While Dialugia hesitated for a moment, a huge defensive magic circle

began to cover our allies.
Finally.
Baaaaaaannnngggg!
A huge crashing sound started to reverberate into my ears.

The defense magic created by the main unit was blocking the meteorite.
I became hopeful for a second, but all it did was slow that thing down. It
looked somewhat unnatural to watch it continue falling, gathering
clouds and air in the sky.
Shortly afterward, a shattering sound exploded as the huge shield got

completely smashed.
“Breath! Breath!”
-I don’t know if it’ll work.
“But it would be better to try it irst.”
I thought I had to try everything at that point.
I could see a huge light accumulating in Dialugia’s mouth, taking a deep

breath as per command. The draconic igure shot out her Breath
towards the meteorite, exerting so much force that my body was
pushed back even though I was tightly holding onto her. It was a
mythical scene, but it wasn’t as pleasing when it was happening right
before my eyes.
“Shit. It’s still not enough…”
-I think it’s better to avoid it. The closer I get, the higher the chance that
I’ll get swept away.
“No. Let’s go up. I can stop it.”
-Are you serious?
“I’m not sure if it’ll work, but I’ve got a plan.”
-…
“Just go up. Gosh! You have no faith! No faith.”
-Because you’re not very trustworthy. I didn’t have faith from the
beginning. And I don’t think there will be any in the future.
Contrary to her words, Dialugia continued to approach the meteorite.
The allies cast defensive magic once again, causing the meteorite to hit
the translucent membrane in return.
I had hopes for the spell, but the second barrier broke down faster than
the irst. Of course, it wasn’t meaningless to continue to cut down the
magic power built into the magic itself, but no matter what I thought, it
wasn’t enough to block it.
As I looked at my right arm momentarily, I gazed at the small shield Kim

Hyunsung gifted to me.
[Incomplete Shield of Aegis (Legendary)]
[A shield that the God of Heaven gave to the Goddess of War. Unlike
before, it had been split into several pieces. The shield did not lose its
power despite being torn apart, perhaps thanks to the magic power
contained in it. It dramatically increased basic magic resistance and
allowed the user to summon parts of the Aegis Shield for a limited
period of time in exchange for a huge amount of magic power.
Summoned Aegis Shield unconditionally prevented any form of life-
threatening attacks.]
‘Would this work against that?’
Part of its details was that it could prevent lethal attacks

unconditionally, but that was likely to only react to things below the
legendary grade.
It was out of standard in the irst place since it’s semi-mythic. When I
thought about the meteorite, I wondered if that little shield could block
such great magic.
‘I still have to try.’
“Breath. Once again.”
-This is the last time.
“It doesn’t matter. First, stop that thing. Since it’s the last time you’re
shooting it, use all the magic power you have.”
-I was going to do that even if you didn’t say it.
She blasted another Breath of the Dragon out again.
Another defense magic circle had been created as well.
It was unknown exactly what sound came from the bottom, but it’s
probably the ally wizards screaming.
Perhaps they were vomiting blood, like Jung Hayan at Laios.
It would be the same to the enemy who manifested such magic, but
after that, both wizards would be unable to use magic for the time
being.
‘They’re probably at their limits now.’
I couldn’t afford to look around the battle ield, but it was already
obvious, even if I couldn’t see them.
-Is it really going to be okay? Really? What can you do?
“Aegis!”
Leaving the anxious Dialugia behind, I immediately shouted the
activation word after the third defensive magic was smashed.
As light emanated from the small shield, a huge barrier began to form in
front of me.
The effect looked gorgeous, but I didn’t know how much it could
endure. The shield continued to be maintained above Dialugia’s head,
but it didn’t take long for it to crack and shatter.
“Aegis! Aegis! Aegis!”
‘Unconditionally blocks a fatal attack, my ass!’
If I paid for it, I would have asked for a refund unconditionally.
I already expended a lot of magic power.
-I don’t think it can take anymore…
“Okay, so go back! Go back! Go back! Quickly now!”
Craaash! Craaaack!
Whenever the barrier broke, my body felt like it was burning in the
heat.
I was probably the only one who had witnessed the huge meteorite
falling right in front of me.
I worried about whether or not I would die like that.
At the same time, a fourth shield blocked the path of the meteorite. It
was stopped for a moment, but it continued getting closer to the ground
soon after.
‘Would it be better to reduce its core a little more?’
I thought it would be better to reduce the intrinsic magic power a little

more, but there was no way I could do that. All I could do was throw
two potions towards it.
“This disgusting bastard! Taste the power of light, motherfucker!”
It would be nice if that could block it, but it was unclear whether that
would happen. However…
Whoooosh!
Along with the sound of a huge light lashing, the surroundings were
illuminated.
A blinding light.
The huge light began to devour some chunks of the falling meteorite.
‘Right. That’s it! Fuck! That’s it! Keep it coming! Fuck! Let’s go! Bastard!’
Whooooooosh!
The sight of some parts of the meteorite being completely engulfed by

streaks of light seemed to suggest that the potion I had was working.
What it touched gradually became light with a resounding roar. I

wanted to get up and dance, but it felt dif icult to move my body
properly.
Still, I had to cheer for the fact that my plan worked. It was then that the
falling meteorite showed an unusual reaction.
“Uh?”
The meteorite was split in half.
Baaaaaaaannnnnggggg!
One was completely swept away by the light, while the other remained
intact. The other half continued to fall toward the ally troops.
“Dialugia! Breath! Breath! Breath!! Breath!!”
-I-I can’t… more importantly, the balance! I’m falling! I’m falling!
“Damn! Damn!!”
When my face momentarily crumpled, I witnessed the half that fell off
was cut neatly once again.
It became obvious as to who did it.
I could tell without having to look at it. There was no one else who
could cut that.
‘Hyunsung! Fuck! I believed in you!’
Of course, I wasn’t in a situation where I could see that right now.
After the Bomb of Light potion completely swallowed the meteorite,

Dialugia turned to face the ground at the impact of the explosion. I held
onto her horn as tightly as possible, but it felt like I was going to bounce
right off.
“Damn!!”
-Hold on tight…
Baaanngg!!
“Cough! Cough! Cough! Dialugia! Dialugia, are you okay?”
-I can… endure it. And you…
“I’m ine too.”
‘What happened to the meteorite?’
Strangely, our vicinity had gone quiet. Rather, the entire battle ield
became quiet.
I saw the troops looking at Dialugia and me as if they couldn’t believe it.
Perhaps that silence was the aftershock of witnessing such an

incredible scene.
Of course, it was.
Even I still couldn’t believe I just stopped it.
At Laios, the scene was made up, but I succeeded in preventing

something similar. The powder of light falling from the sky enveloped
the entire army.
If I were a devout believer, I would’ve knelt and shouted Hallelujah on

the spot.
“The Second Coming of Benignore… Benignore’s Second Coming…”
“It is the Second Coming of Goddess Benignore!”
‘This is a nice atmosphere.’
I didn’t even have that effect in mind, but the reaction was much better
than I thought.
‘It deserves to have a good effect.’
The meteorite powder falling from the sky created the perfect glowing
blanket. It was truly be itting to call it the Curtain of Light.
The image of a man riding a dragon was in its middle. In my eyes, it was
perfect.
Thanks to the use of excessive magic power, my legs were trembling,

but I instinctively thought I had to say something.
I applied the voice ampli ication magic to my words as I spoke.
-Please! Stop ighting, dear Republics!
Adrenaline coursed through my veins.
-Throw away your weapons!
As expected, I enjoyed talking more than I enjoyed standing on a

battle ield.
CHAPTER 411
HAS DESCENDED (2)
It was the perfect moment for me to deliver a speech.
Although the meteorite crisis had passed, the fact that our allies were
outnumbered hadn’t changed.
The remaining magic power of the wizards wouldn’t last long, and
Dialugia could no longer afford to deal with them.
It was only natural to feel tired as she used her Breath until she reached
her limit in order to reduce the meteorite’s magic power, which was
surrounded by semi-mythic grade magic.
Kim Hyunsung probably wasn’t in peak condition as well.
No matter how much of a Superman he was like, there was no way he

could be ine considering he dealt with that tremendous magic and
consumed his stamina behind enemy lines.
If he were normal, it would be almost impossible even to move.
Even though that wasn’t the case, it was undeniable that it would have
an adverse effect on him.
‘I also have a bottle of Bomb of Light left… ’
Enemies still surrounded our allies.

I couldn’t consider that we’re at a total disadvantage since the enemy’s
wizards had reached their limits, but it didn’t change the fact that the
overall situation didn’t look good.
I didn’t know whether that method could work, but there was no harm
in trying.
The battle ield had entered a lull, after all. I had to make the best use of
that opportunity.
‘Even the picture is good.’
God’s messenger amid a crowd of falling lights.
I watched them falling from the sky, not distinguishing friend from foe.
Once again, I spoke. Although it was temporary, the faces of those

looking at me were re lected in my view.
-I’ll say it again! Everyone! Please stop ighting! Dear Republics! Throw
away your weapons!
“It is the second coming of Benignore.”
“It is the second coming of the Goddess Benignore.”
“Honorary Cardinal…”
“Honorary Cardinal! It’s dangerous!”
The anxious voices of our allies echoed across the battle ield.
But what’s more important to me was the reaction of the Republic.
Naturally, I quickly tried to read their faces.

Some reacted as if I was talking bullshit, but others hesitated.
It felt like there were more of the former, however.
Since they had been educated in advance, I immediately understood

that they’re trying not to listen to me.
Nevertheless, since we had entered a lull, my voice clearly reverberated

across the ields.
-Please throw down your weapons. Any further battles with each other
are useless. Would you really rather we keep hurting one another in
this war that’s not yours to ight? This war didn’t happen with you or
your family in mind. What are you holding your sword for? What are
you standing there for?
“…”
-You are not here to protect your country. This war of madness did not
happen for the Republic. The leaders of the Republic know better than
anyone else that the State never invaded your country! As the chosen
messenger of Benignoreand Elune, I request for both Goddesses to
punish me if there’s deception in my words! If I’m lying, Goddess
Benignore won’t ever forgive me. The State wasn’t the irst one to
attack. What you know is by no means true. Open your eyes. Open your
eyes and con irm the truth yourself!
There was no response.
-The people we need to ight together are laughing at this situation

from their high horses. Jin Qing, the Demon Summoner who caused this
war, is hiding in the Republic’s shield and is manipulating you to ight
his battles for him! He promotes con lict between our two countries for
his own security and the continent’s confusion. That’s what the evil
forces rooted in the continent are aiming for! Our enemies aren’t each
other, but rather those who are threatening the peace of our lands! We
must join forces to defeat the predator that will one day come for us!
“…”
-It would be impossible to ight off the incoming threat unless the
entirety of humanity joins their powers together! Throw away your
weapons, ladies, and gentlemen. It’s time for us to stop this war. There
is nothing left to gain from this war that’s caused by someone’s
conspiracy and agitation!
I thought I could understand why there was no response.
They might be thinking that they’ll feel like they’re losing as soon as
they reacted to what I’m saying.
But it’s not just for that reason.
It wasn’t because my words did not shake the soldiers of the Republic.
The priests who used divine power seemed to feel like they needed to
listen a little more, but that didn’t matter.
They had been swinging swords at each other’s throats until recently.
There was no way that their wrath would go away just because I
suddenly said something like that.
If we had the Goddess’s Mirror, it would have been possible to incite

what I wanted to incite faster. Talking without showing facts just wasn’t
that convincing.
If that continued, I was certain that the war’s tiny embers would be
sprayed with oil once more.
The Demon Summoner didn’t even feel the need to respond to my
words.
But I had no choice but to keep talking.
-For something more pressing than our nations and our values, we
must lower our swords and hold hands. As an ally of the Republic, the
State will never pierce our swords into your ranks irst. The history of
con lict will disappear after this war! We have to try to gain peace.
Please throw down your swords. What happened here today is just the
irst step, but it would be a gigantic leap if we can end the history of
endless wars! Stop ighting!
The question was what that oil was.
-We can go hand in hand toward greater value. Throw away your
weapons!
As I was talking, an arrow lew towards me.
‘That bastard.’
In that instant, I could feel how high its magic power was.
I didn’t know where it came from, but it was quite powerful.
I licked my inger and hurriedly built a wall, but my body was pushed
back by the explosion.
I didn’t roll on the ground pathetically, but it’s probably enough to

spark the new lames of war.
Just in time, once again, an explosion started to be heard from the

enemy camp.
I didn’t know whether it was made up or not, but agitated voices began
to be heard once more due to it.
“Shit!”
“Don’t stop! It’s a trap!”
“Honorary Cardinal! These dirty bastards!”
“What are the wizards doing?!”
“Raise your weapons! Gather up! Prepare for battle! Each unit, prepare
for battle!”
“Don’t be pushed! Hold on! Hold on!”
“Protect the Honorary Cardinal! Quickly use the remaining magic power
to create protection magic!”
My speech was long, but madness fell again without paying heed to my
words.
The enemy kept pushing through the crowded soldiers while our allies
endured and prevented themselves from getting pushed back.
‘This isn’t good… ’
It de initely wasn’t an ideal situation.
If the battle continued like that, both sides would still sustain great
damage regardless of the victor.
However, it was also undeniable that the allies were at a disadvantage.
Even if we won, it was a victory that would leave us with deep wounds.
Only our neighboring countries would be cheering.
Of course, what I wanted wasn’t the honor to leave the battle ield with
only wounds to show.
“These dirty demon’s minions!”
“Motherfuckers! Don’t go easy on them! Bring down the arrows!

Arrows!”
-Stop ighting! This is all unnecessary. Dear Republics! You are being
deceived. We must no longer be puppets to the evil forces! I know it will
be tough, but stop ighting! You have to put away hatred and anger and
get rid of your bloodlust. We must unite hand in hand together!
“Kill!!! Shit!!”
-Stop ighting! Everyone! There is no reason to spill blood

meaninglessly!
“Don’t let them push us back!”
-Stop ighting! Everyone! Please stop ighting!!
“You dogs of the dirty Republic!”
“Puppets of the State! Don’t go easy on them!”
I shouted my lungs off, but it’s hard for my voice to be heard on the
battle ield when madness had already swept away the hearts of the
combatants.
Intentionally placed moles spoke louder and louder, bringing confusion

to the battle ield.
There were people hiding within the skirmishes, heating up the
atmosphere, but there’s no way we could catch them all.
‘They’re smart. Fuck.’
I would probably have deployed a similar tactic if I were in their shoes.
As I was in an advantageous situation, I felt that it would be better to

block the conversation channel completely.
It’s unfortunate, though.
If the atmosphere of the battle ield had subsided a little more, the
continuation of the war would have been avoided.
However, it was illogical for me to try to ix the current situation.
‘Shit. This won’t work out well… ’
I was starting to feel more and more anxious.
Perhaps the dirty Demon Summoner had the same thought.
‘It’s over.’
Or something like:
‘We just have to keep going like this.’
Or something like:
‘All we need to do now is deliver the inal blow.’
The ace in the hole he’s been hiding had been reduced to nothing, but
he must’ve thought he had bene ited enough.
‘That must be what’s on his mind. That’s for sure.’
It’s a little bit early, but I thought there was a possibility that he was
already holding a toast of victory.
If it were before he received the gift I prepared, it would be fully

understandable to act like that.
-Stop ighting!!
With my head aching, it became dif icult to bear the laughter at Lee
Jihye’s signal from a distance.
It was earlier than I expected, but it’s a pleasant situation.
I wanted to laugh out loud.
But it didn’t need to be said that the inability to do so felt like a lasting
regret.
I shouldn’t know what’s happening out there right now.
I shouldn’t know at all, but the masked trash Jin Qing should know.
Some people had already started to turn blue. Perhaps the lovely
returner was also biting his lips.
“These dirty bastards!”
“These demon-like bastards of the Republic! How can you guys wear
human masks and do this…”
“Those dirty bastards! Motherfuckers!”
“That Demon Summoner…”

“What bullsh…”
-Damn! Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!!
It was natural for the enemies to become speechless by my sudden

change of heart.
But if one were to look back, they’d notice why I suddenly issued such
an order.
What was visible from afar was an unknown battalion.
Reinforcements specially brought in from the forest of fog.
Of course, it wasn’t me who called for them.
Oh! Technically, I was unof icially the one who brought them, but
of icially, it would be the reinforcement force brought by the Demon
Summoner Jin Qing trash.
“The u-undead…”
“Undead?”
They were Undead wearing the armor of the Republic and holding the
lag of the Republic.
-You inally revealed your true colors! That dirty Demon Summoner!!
Jin Qing was staged to have sacri iced his troops in the fog forest and
turned them into undead beings.
-God will not forgive you, dirty demon!
He’s the masked trash that had committed an act so unforgiving it

couldn’t be forgiven even in the name of God.
Demon Summoner Jin Qing.
The combatants were visibly confused by the unexpected appearance of

an Undead legion.
CHAPTER 412
HAS DESCENDED (3)
What I witnessed couldn’t be expressed in words.
It would be strange not to be surprised upon seeing the number of

undead.
It looked the same as before.
The allies’ mouths dropped open as they watched the absurdity of the
scene, while the enemy remained confused as to what to do in the
situation they couldn’t even understand.
It was impossible to determine if they were friendly or not.
My urgent voice made them realize that the Demon Summoner Jin Qing
sent the undead army, but the Republic didn’t seem fully convinced yet.
“Damn…”
“Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle! They’re undead with a minimum
grade of heroic or higher!”
It was just as the random soldier said.
The undead created by Han Sora and Jung Hayan with great care was
different from those of common or rare grades.
They were at least higher than heroic. There were even liches among
their ranks.
Honestly, I didn’t expect they would be able to do that much.
Jung Hayan always did the unthinkable, but that time it felt like she
really did create an army of demons.
It’s a different kind of achievement, but it’s never going to fall behind
when compared to the meteor that fell right before.
‘She even summoned Belial. That shouldn’t have been hard for her.’
Of course, compared to the demon lord being summoned, the quality

was a bit inferior, but the sight of the undead surrounded by black fog
was still threatening.
Rather, it was rather effective in some aspects.
Unlike Belial, who was alone, they put pressure onto the battle ield just
through their sheer numbers alone.
It was obvious what Kim Hyunsung was thinking right then.
They were a little weaker than necessary, but it’s more than enough to
satisfy his cautiousness.
I even wondered if there were other ways that were less vicious. I tried
to think hard about it, but that was the most humane solution I could
think of.
I couldn’t make any more plans due to my conscience, so there was no

choice but to shrink back.
At that moment, I was physically exhausted.

Compared to Jin Qing from the irst round, the insanity of the masked
trash that turned the Republic soldiers into undead beings was enough.
It was all for the victory of the war.
He became the demon who abandoned everything to wreak havoc in

that land.
That was the true identity of Jin Qing trash.
“Grooooaaarr…”
“Grooooowwwll!!”
There were also many types of undead beings in their ranks.
To make as many of them as possible, they had to create low-level

skeletons that mingled among the undead who maintained the same
abilities as they had when they were alive. There were also dark knights
and liches who possessed even more power than that.
Still suffering as pawns even in the afterlife, the undead showed their
resentment towards the Demon Summoner in their own way.
I began to speak once more.
I knew better than anyone else that timing as good as that seldom
came.
-Everyone! That is the true identity and purpose of the Demon

Summoner!
-Look at those restless soldiers. Look at the fallen beings holding the
lags of the Republic. This war has never been for the State and the
Republic. This war has been planned and executed by a degenerate
demon! Open your eyes! Join hands with us!
‘Join us! We will welcome you with open arms!’
-Do not lift your swords against each other. The continent’s existence is
at stake. We must not allow those fallen beings to take our home.
They’re aiming for the State right now, but their next goal would be the
Republic. Lift your swords together! Please join forces for the sake of all
the races living on this land!
‘Let’s unite!’
-The place where the Republic’s leadership is located has already

become a playground for the Devil. Stand with God! I sincerely ask you
to be with the Divine. Everyone! Join the Army of Light!
“Quicky, you bastards! This is urgent!’
It’s like a politician going to an election.
I thought I spoke with tenacity, but the atmosphere seemed a little

weakened.
I tried to convince them as much as possible, but the Republic soldiers

weren’t reacting properly.
But my voice was de initely reaching them.
I could tell that just by the fact that they had stopped attacking our
allies.
Neither the enemy ield commanders who used to issue aggressive

orders nor the soldiers who lost their companions in that war of
madness showed any signs of violence.
When a common enemy emerged, the only thing they could do was
swallow hard.
The situation was different from the previous one.
Unlike before, my words were backed up by evidence.
Internal confusion was tantamount to the pre-determined procedure.
“W-what is this…”
“Is that really a support force?”
“Oh God…”
Our beloved Varian believers were especially affected.
The religious priests of the Republic had closed their eyes and began to
look for their God.
-Believers of Varian God! Please, be with us! Fight for God! Please!!
None of them wanted to take the irst step, but it was working.
Unlike before, he was trying to react to my shouts desperately.
At best, I thought there would be a spokesperson, but that was certainly

the voice of the Demon Summoner.
He pretended to be as calm as possible, but I could feel that he was a

little agitated.
Maybe it’s a natural reaction.
It wasn’t unreasonable to get agitated about it, considering he’s about

to accumulate more achievements as a Demon Summoner once again
following the last Laios crisis.
He must have already burned up at the thought of being praised by the

demon of icials.
‘Trash bastard.’
-It’s all manipulated. Those undeads have nothing to do with the

Republic. They are nothing more than Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung’s
self-made play to cause confusion. Just like at the Laios crisis, he is a
demon who deceives everyone with black magic.
-I am the messenger of light chosen by Benignore and Elune. You should

be ashamed, Demon Summoner! The light given to me is the light to
judge demons. It is a light to judge you, who tricked the innocent
soldiers into shedding meaningless blood! You, who caused wars to
incite chaos in the continent. If I had anything to do with those dark
forces, then let all the gods on the continent punish me. This divine
power is the proof and the greatest power to deny your lies!
-Shut up, you ilthy scamming bastard. It is you who are putting the
continent in confusion. Don’t think that hiding behind God’s name will
hide the dirty things you’ve done! The truth will always be revealed. Do
you think I don’t know the dirty things you’ve done in the State? I know
that you used democracy as a shield to cause chaos in the Empire and
to create a black market.
-Your lies have no power against me, dirty demon. Aren’t your words
right now an incitement and manipulation to hide the truth?
Republicans! Everything that demon summoner says is a lie. Like the
current situation both of our nations are facing, every word that comes
out of that mouth is a whisper of the demon. It is all false that the State
has invaded the Republic, and that the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung
caused the Empire’s chaos, and that he has a black market. Don’t
believe what you hear. Trust what you see! Open your eyes to the truth!
Do not let yourself be blinded by agitation and hoaxes!
-The truth will be revealed! You are a dirty scamming bastard!!
-The light is the truth, Demon Summoner Jin Qing!
-What you have is not divinity. Even if the light were real, the God who
gave you such power could not be normal. It can’t be normal!!
-To deny the divine power of God is to deny God! The sky is angry,
demon! Your image in the Goddess’s Mirror is true, and my divine
power is true. The blood lowing on the battle ield, the sight of
everyone suffering, and every human being swallowed by darkness are
true! How dare you say that you are the truth! Don’t think your dirty
words will fool everyone!
-This crazy bastard! Why would the Republic bring the undead now…
-Fight back, everyone! Please join me!
What seemed a bit ambiguous to answer, I answered with a sincere and

divine voice.
-Why would we…
-Please be with us! Be with the light!
In fact, there was no need to argue.
The undead troops, who had already gone crazy, were running around
as foam formulated around their mouths.
Thankfully, the undead army could distinguish the State and the
Republic.
They were leaving the Republic’s soldiers alone and only aimed their
swords at the State’s soldiers, spreading black magic and performing all
sorts of disgusting acts.
Even if he kept denying it, the reality unfolding before our eyes could
never be disputed.
“Grooowwwlllll!
“Divine power! We need more divine power!”
“Grooooaarr!”
“Block them! Shit! Dirty Demon Summoner bastard! Are you not afraid
of God! You demons!”
“Raise your sword for the continent! Don’t stand with the darkness!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!!”
The power of light that began to be pushed by the undead made my

heart pound.
If it weren’t for the crowd of lights that were constantly falling, it

wouldn’t be strange for casualties to increase rapidly.
“Don’t lose!”
“Don’t fall down! We are Eberian knights ighting under the name of
Elune! Let them know that there is still light on the continent!”
“Priests! We need the priests!”
“Pull the injured away from them! Form a line! Gather together and
block the undead!”
The elves who liked to get serious were resisting the darkness, began to
cry.
The same was true for the Dwarves and the State’s Knights, who
quivered at the face of the undead.
There were no casualties yet, but it would only be natural for soldiers to
die.
They wouldn’t have been able to withstand that long if they hadn’t
formed a durable formation.
-It is light that illuminates the darkness. We are small candles, but one
by one, together, we can make even the abyss glow! Every drop of
strength is necessary. Please realize the meaning of the current
situation!
After shouting a phrase that sounded like a famous song’s lyrics, I, too,
began to move.
-We have to attack the State’s scammers right now! All of these are just
part of their manipulative tactics! The undeads have nothing to do with
the Republic, and if we strike the State now, the real truth will be
revealed. Raise your sword again and ight!
-We shouldn’t ight each other! Humanity’s true enemy is already right
in front of us! Keep your eyes wide open. The light will show you the
truth!
-Republic soldiers, raise your swords right now! Raise your swords!
-I have an order for the State soldiers! I will not allow you to aim your
swords at the Republic soldiers! They are not enemies! They’re not the
ones you should ight!
-This c… crazy bastard! Who do you think will be fooled by that scam?!
-Everyone… please unite your strength! The light will be with you!
Don’t listen to the Demon Summoner! Please remember what happened
at Laios! He is the creator of this undead legion!
-Don’t respond to his craziness. The entire army…!!
-The light will be with you! I will be with you! Don’t be afraid! Never be
afraid!
-Lee Kiyoung!
-We can stand united in front of this great threat!
That holy war would unite humankind.
It was still too early for a toast.
However, epic background music began to play in my mind.

CHAPTER 413
HAS DESCENDED (4)
-The light will be with you! I will be with you! Don’t be afraid! Never be
afraid! We can stand united in front of this great threat!!
-Republicans, listen to me! You must never believe the lies of the State!
-Believe what you see!
“It’s a pity that we can’t record this…”
It truly felt regrettable.
It was unfortunate that I wouldn’t be able to replay the situation.
I never would’ve imagined that I would be able to see such a sight at the
end of that war, after all.
I had been informed of it to an extent, but the actual sight was more
than what I imagined.
“I have to keep this stuff…”
“Lee Jihye, what did you just…”
“No. it’s nothing.”
“Ah… Okay.”
“More importantly, is the Goddess’s Mirror recovery still not done?”
“Yes. Actually, there is still no progress, but it looks like we’ll ind a way
soon. I don’t know if it’s due to the in luence of the magic that fell
before, but it seems that the magic power blocking the communication
system has weakened. Maybe it’ll recover naturally…”
“Please make its recovery our top priority.”
“Yes. I will try my best.”
“Trying isn’t enough. Make it work as soon as possible. Please.”
“Okay!”
‘I knew it. He really is really trash… ’
The scene unfolding in front of me gave me goosebumps.
There was no scam as large-scaled as that one.
A horde of undead was exuding a terrifying sense of intimidation, even

from a distance.
As they attacked our allies, they looked like an army of demons that had
risen from hell to end the humans of the continent.
It was rare to ind an undead legion as large as the one before us.
The forces of light continued to collide against them to stop their

advance.
It was sublime to watch ally troops surrounded by falling orbs of light

gathering together to block the waves of darkness.
The moment was so great that it moved even me despite already
knowing that it’s a hoax.
The series of situations that unfolded as if following a well-written

script had a huge impact on the Republic.
Of course, it would.
With the situation becoming direr every second, it began to showcase

which side’s holy and which side’s evil.
They’re probably just not showing it, but their minds must’ve been
falling apart already.
The reason they still couldn’t move was that there was no decisive
factor.
It was clear that everyone had already realized what action they had to
take.
That was why the timing was very important.
Before the Republic’s troops were affected by the Demon Summoner’s

theory of rapture, I had to remind them of their faith as much as
possible.
‘This is a historical scene.’
Everyone would remember it even after the continent’s history had

passed 1,000 or 10,000 years.
That story, which continued from the Laios crisis to the present time,
would forever remain and remembered as the heroic story of Honorary
Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.
‘And… ’
My body trembled just by the thought of it.
As I watched the battle ield with a serious expression, I heard a voice

talk to me again.
“Lee Jihye, the troops…”
“No. I don’t think it matters now. There would be no more meaning to

anything else that I have to say. I did everything I could. It now boils
down to whether or not they’ll be able to overcome their fears. For now,
leave the minimum number of personnel needed in the command.
Everyone else, including the rear unit, should head straight into the
battle ield to support our allies.”
“Yes.”
“Please.”
Even the lieutenant in front of me seemed to think that they should also
help as much as possible.
He must’ve been heavily burdened due to the current situation.
On his face, his sense of responsibility was clearly displayed.
‘It’s fortunate that there are many sublime humans on our side.’
I didn’t want to join that party either, but the most important thing at
that point was to make the Goddess’s Mirror work properly.
The fact that the undead was there meant that Jung Hayan had
returned. Maybe she was heading to our location.
‘Then… ’
The Goddess’s Mirror would be able to work normally.

-Cardinal Lee Kiyoung of the State is a scammer and a deceiver. Do not
be shaken by his words! Stop the State’s troops! Don’t let yourselves be
manipulated!
‘He talks too much.’
It was then that the malfunctioning system returned.
“L-Lee Jihye.”
“I’m also watching now.”
“I don’t think there’s any more magic power left to keep it blocked.”
‘Good news.’
“Please strategically position it right away. We should capture as many

of the struggling people in the Goddess’s Mirror as possible. Some may
not have grasped the details yet. It’s not a ight that can be overcome by
the Republic’s troops or the State’s troops alone. The undead can only
be defeated if the two factions work together. Please do it immediately.”
“Noted.”
If the undead did not distinguish between the forces of the State and
the forces of the Republic, the situation could have been a little easier,
but in order to properly trap the Demon Summoner Jin Qing, it was
more effective to set our forces as the undead legion’s sole target.
It must be that she was picturing for them to move on their own accord,
rather than pushing them to move around.
It was undeniable that the picture changed depending on how one

directed and edited existing facts.
Of course, I knew what picture he wanted most at that moment.

I immediately put my hands on the control unit.
Soon after, the Goddess’s Mirrors began to appear everywhere.
Largely positioned as propaganda in the rear camp, the main hologram

showed the struggles of an ally.
It didn’t show heroes such as Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung or Kim

Hyunsung.
The scenes captured by the camera were only about ordinary soldiers.
It was the image of small citizens who could evoke empathy and were
in the same situation as the majority of the combatants.
‘This is the right thing to do.’
-Block them! James! James! Divine power!! Don’t let them in! We must
protect the Honorary Cardinal!
-Oh, God. Oh, God!
-We can hold on. If we keep holding on, reinforcements will come.
-Take the injured back! Retreat!
-Isn’t there enough divine power?
-These dirty bastards… Did you think you would be forgiven after doing
this?
-Raise your shields! Don’t lower your spears! The continent’s survival is
at stake. Don’t let them push us back! Our families are just right behind
us. If you get pushed here, everything would be over!
-Maria!
It had all been planned, but it was the reality for some.
The image of the common soldiers resisting the invading darkness

rather than ighting for personal sel ishness and pro its was
heartbreaking.
Some were bleeding and crying out for priests, while others risked their
lives to defend their companions.
Heavily wounded soldiers and the priests who vomited blood as they
tended to their wounds were visible.
Everyone was struggling in their own way, surrounded by a shroud of

light.
‘This can work.’
It is not an image of someone far away.
The scenes that are currently showing in the Goddess’ Mirror are none
other than their own.
Who they really should be aiming the sword.
Who is right and wrong.
Scenes projecting their image continue to pass.
Naturally, I thought it would work. It should be enough to move the

hesitating Republican forces.
‘Move.’
The idea that those who had faced each other as enemies would ight
together felt too farfetched.
I thought whether it would be more appropriate to remove the
distinction between allies and enemies, but…
‘Move!!’
His judgment couldn’t have been wrong.
That scene was orchestrated for opposing sides to join hands and
become one.
‘Move!!’
-Block them! Shit!! Hold on as much as possible!
-Divine power…
-Respond while enduring as much as possible. The command post will

probably send reinforcements soon…
-Raise your shield. Don’t give up… Raise your shield!!
-We can be one. Fight with us! Together! Fight with us!
-These dirty corpses!!
His judgment couldn’t be wrong.
‘Move!!’
“Move! You stupid Republicans! You still don’t know who the real
enemy is? Do you think it will end when the State has been wiped out?
Why won’t you all realize that their next target would be your stupid
Republic! Fight with us! Dumb bastards! What the hell are you all still
standing around for after witnessing what those corpses are doing?
Raise your sword! Protect yourself and leave your name in history! You
little puppet bastards!”
I screamed my frustrations loudly and struck the table in front of me.
As I vented out my frustrations, I inally managed to witness the

reaction we had been waiting for.
Due to my sudden outburst, the surrounding lieutenants looked at me

with their eyes wide open, but I didn’t have the luxury to defend myself.
Checking what was currently happening as displayed by the Goddess’s

Mirror, anyone would’ve reacted as I did.
-Shit…
-Damn. The sword… raise your swords! We’ll start by driving out the
undead!
-Help the State!
-That’s…
-It’s for Varian.
-We must support them with divine power! I hope that all of Varian’s
believers who can afford it will follow me. We can save the ight against
the State for later. Purify the undead. Varian’s holy knights, begin from
the left! Move out!
-Shove them on the loor! Now!
-Damn… I also…
“Yes, that’s it. That’s it!”
I clenched my ists.
The small help spread out from the Varian believers and the holy
knights were quickly transmitted to the rear’s large mirror.
It was still a small picture.
Alone, it wasn’t that valuable.
However, it was still necessary and important.
It would help those who didn’t know what to do in deciding.
Nothing could move such a large group as ef icient as crowd

psychology.
As if the North and South Koreas had become one, the wave of harmony
slowly crashed onto the battle ield.
The video continued to promote that beautiful scene, encouraging unity

between enemies and allies.
The undead also aimed at the Republic soldiers as if they had been
waiting for that incredible timing. The war between humans and
undead, dark and light, began.
It was an overused cliché that had been appearing since the old cartoon
movies.
But it was also that effective.
“Would cliché s be cliché s for nothing?”
In fact, I didn’t even need to watch anymore.
The only question remaining was how to complete the big picture.
A picture that showed an easy end wasn’t good.

That role was no longer mine to uphold, but I could at least roughly
predict what kind of picture Kiyoung was painting.
There was always something that followed those who were in crisis.
The content to be written in the history books that the future

generations would study might be a bit groundless.
CHAPTER 414
HAS DESCENDED (5)
I nodded pleasantly at the moment unfolding before me.
In fact, I was a little nervous at irst.
But as a result, a beautiful situation was being produced.
It was probably the most disgusting outcome for the Demon Summoner.
Honestly, if I were in his position, I would have thought about how I

could reverse the situation.
‘He will have no answer.’
I inally put him on a checkmate.
It was like encountering the detectives while holding a weapon at the

scene of a murder case.
It wasn’t that different from Laios.
All the evidence and circumstances pointed to him as the Demon

Summoner, and the escape hole was completely blocked.
Of course, that wasn’t the end of the gift I prepared for him.
‘I admit it.’
Of course, I had to admit it.
He was an excellent military commander.
During the war, he was backstabbed several times, yet he remained

vicious and dangerous.
He had various plans and traps executed. Most of them were spotted
and debunked. He ended up having to walk into his trap with his own
two feet.
If I had been in his position, I would have ripped off my hair again and
again.
It was possible to say that he was in trouble to that extent.
Still, I could be sure.
He couldn’t reverse the situation.
The situation that was taking place then had nothing to do with the war.
It was illogical to think that he could use the numerous knowledge and
strategies stored in his head in his situation.
The entire state of affairs was no longer under his control.
Waves of dialogue and consensus continued to transpire as everyone

united. Humanity joined hands against the undead to drive them out of
existence.
In that situation, they no longer cared about who’s in command and

whose camp they were in.
There were only two options.

To look at the situation blankly. Or, like last time, do his best to run
away.
Of course, he could only do the latter if he had the means to escape.
There was no need for voice ampli ication anymore.
There was no need to respond to his voice, nor did I need to heat up in
anger. The only mission I had left was to be faithful to that situation and
stick to my public role.
‘I have to inish it well.’
As we reached the climax, inalizing the picture was more important

than anything else.
I could watch the situation safely from behind, but I didn’t want to do
that.
To show that I was ighting harder than anyone else, I needed to hold
up a spear.
I had to become a showy asshole, like what politicians often became

right before elections.
It didn’t seem like much, but it certainly worked.
“For the continent!!!”
“For the light! For Goddess Benignore, Elune, and Varian!!”
“Raise the lag! Let’s prove that the light is still alive on the continent!
Benignore’s sons and daughters!”
“Don’t stop with the arrows!”

It could certainly be called a crisis.
However, the image of humanity constantly resisting was enough to

give a hopeful message.
Perhaps I wasn’t the only one thinking of a bright future.
As I stood on the front line with the spear, I saw the hideous undead
that I desperately didn’t want to face.
They seemed to have linched when they looked at me, but they
continued to ful ill their role faithfully.
The common soldiers struggling to stop the advance of the undead

were worthy of being painted.
As time passed, my face became covered with sweat and dirt.
The picture was good enough.
Oh! Of course, scenes that made the surrounding people worry

shouldn’t be left out.
“Honorary Cardinal! You have to go inside. It’s dangerous!”
“Sigh. Sigh. I can’t just look. I am okay.”
“Everyone is ighting together– even the soldiers of the Republic. If I

hide, many people will blame me. Phew. I have to play the role I have
been given. I can also ight the undead.”
“But…”
“I will not listen anymore. We’re in an urgent situation. I hope you
understand.”
“Yes, yes…”
“I can add even at least a little power. Everyone, stay strong!”
There were huge nuisances with me standing in the frontlines. Even if I

said I was ine, those around me still worried.
They had no choice but to continue to move forward with me, to protect
me, which limited their actions.
However, we couldn’t miss out on the free propaganda clips.
The Goddess’s Mirror was shining on our side as if it was playing along
with me.
It hurt her to be unable to show a more dramatic look.
However, the way I continued to exude divine power was enough for me
to be considered a messenger of God.
“The Honorary Cardinal is with you!”
“The Honorary Cardinal is with us! Raise your swords!”
My presence alone was enough to raise the morale of our troops

effectively.
It’s upsetting that I had to be among the disgusting undead legion, but I
could endure it.
When I thought I needed a new spark, a huge corpse started running

over towards me.
I knew he couldn’t hurt me, but it still gave me chills.
‘I can play with this bastard a little… ’
Although I smiled too widely at the thought of creating an emotional

situation that would take all tears and make them have a runny nose, I
could see the ally troops surrounding him instantly.
It looked like they didn’t want to see me in danger.
Without Kim Ye-ri, Ahn Ki-mo, and Park Deokgu, I realized again how
hard it was to stage an emotional moment.
‘Manipulation is not easy.’
I had to approach it a little more realistically.
If it were inished in a hal hearted way, it would leave a bad taste in my

mouth.
Kim Hyunsung could be convinced by giving him the impression that

not only the ally troops but all of humanity were in danger.
Looking at the Goddess’s Mirror, I could see the lovely returner’s face
stiffening.
Taking an even closer look, he seemed quite tired.
I knew that he was safe, but his whole body was covered in scars. He
also seemed to have run out of magic power. I felt sad.
He could even rest a little, but I can still see his nervousness.
It seems to me that he’s still anxious since it’s a situation he already
expected.
‘I wonder if it’s similar to what happened.’
Of course, I had to think that I did well at causing the undead chaos.
These undead were gifts for Jin Qing, but also Kim Hyunsung.
It was to help dispel his doubts that the masked garbage was going to
fall too easily.
The question was if our lovely returner would be satis ied with that.
In the Demon Summoner’s case, it seemed to have been satisfactory

enough, but Kim Hyunsung, who was still anxious, seemed to feel that
there was more to come.
‘Is this not enough?’
I thought that it would be enough like how it was for the masked trash,
but I thought that the wicked tricks that turned allies into undead were
just a warm-up.
I really wanted to prepare something else, but I had neither ideas nor
time.
‘Fuck.’
What I could do right then was to create a more dramatic situation.
Doing something more might cause side effects.
It could leave a bad taste in my mouth, but once the war was over, I
could cover it up enough if I just glossed over it. No, I could erase the
suspicion with the heavy blow I had prepared.
Naturally, I once again raised my spear.
The picture that I wanted was to resist the undead with as many troops
as possible.
But there wasn’t enough sense of danger.
‘I think it will be more realistic if some of the dead here could rise… ’
I didn’t know if she understood it, but as if it was waiting for my signal,
the soldiers of the Republic began to rise.
Although they were all low-ranking undead, it would be enough to

burden the exhausting troops.
“The enemy…”
“They’re all low-level undead! Don’t dismantle the frontline! Hold on as

much you can!”
“Weary soldiers, go to the rear! Those who still have enough stamina to
ight should take the lead!”
“Oh, Goddess Benignore!”
The undead who had received more and more momentum screamed
and shrieked as they occupied as much land as they could.
As if they accepted the meaning of the need for support a little

differently, Jung Hayan and Han Sora began to put their efforts in
earnest.
It felt like a legendary-grade undead had popped out from somewhere.
As time passed, it wasn’t easy to get rid of the feeling that the frontline
itself was being pushed back.
‘Fuck, is this one too strong? I guess it’ll be really hard to hold on… ’
The formation was slowly collapsing.
The line maintained by physically exhausted soldiers began to show

gaps, allowing the undead to squeeze into the ranks.
“Support! Support them with divine power!”
“But…”
“Fortify the side that is falling apart. Republic troops, help the State as
much as possible.”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Don’t lose! Hold on!!”
It felt like the ranks were collapsing faster than I thought.
I thought they would hold on a little longer, but it seemed that all of the
troops couldn’t physically do that.
‘That much should’ve been obvious.’
The undead legion came while the State and the Republic were ighting
earnestly against each other.
It was the same with Kim Hyunsung, but it was clear that the named
people in each region were also feeling a tremendous burden.
Needless to say, the common soldiers were having an even tougher

time.
It’s already a crisis, but I wasn’t sure if it’s the threat Kim Hyunsung was
imagining.
The burden left on the troops was already too much for me to even
think about adding more.
‘It’s getting more dramatic… ’
“Damn it! Hold on!”
“Unit 13 collapsed! Support Unit 13! Priests!”
“The Republican troops… are by the undead unit.”
“They’re still alive. Build a unit right now and save them.”
“We can’t afford to do that.”
“Damn! Oh, God!”
“Goddess Benignore! Will you really abandon us? Goddess Benignore!”
‘When it gets even more dramatic… ’
“Elune! Grant us the power to protect the continent!”
‘A little more, a little more… ’
“Oh, Elune!”
The troops’ lines that made up the surrounding camps began to be

broken through.
The undead who pushed through the narrow gap was starting to attack
the priests and wizards.
Even some of the Republic’s troops were completely swept away by the
lifeless foes.
It wasn’t strange to keep looking for God.
The moment I looked up to see the situation a little more, I saw Park
Deokgu struggling through the Goddess’s Mirror.
The moment I saw the guy crushing the undead attacking the
Republic’s soldiers with a shield, I naturally raised what was in my
arms.
I could no longer withstand my heavy conscience.
The sound of various voices coming from all over the place seemed to
be swallowed for a moment.
The light spread all over me in an instant.
Whoooosshhh!
The world brightened.
The gazes focused on its source.
However, perhaps because of my heavy conscience, I couldn’t properly

look into the soldiers’ eyes staring at me.
Short but impactful phrases echoed across the ields the moment I
closed my eyes to avoid their vision as much as possible.
“It is a hierophany… a hierophany.”
“Goddess Benignore… has come.”
‘It’s this, right?!’
It was just as I calculated.

The second card, which I made just in case, was de initely ful illing its
role.
‘Benignore’s descent cosplay.’
It was the effect that came with the Bomb of Light potion.
‘I am Benignore itself, bastards!”
[You… really, this bastard. Let go of me! Let go of me! Don’t stop me!
Elune, you bastard, won’t you let go of me? Motherfuckers! That bastard
has done it! I can’t stand it anymore! (0/1)]
[Due to an unknown reason, the rare-grade forced quest was canceled.]
A hopeless battle.
The dark forces were pushing the forces of light. The most divine
brilliance appeared just as the darkness was about to devour the last
glimmer of holiness.
‘The Goddess’s Descent.’
Of course, it’s nothing more than a simple bluff.
However, it was effective enough that I could feel my body being

surrounded by the light.
CHAPTER 415
HAS DESCENDED (6)
The Dragon Breath potion was a potion that one could not drink.
It had been concocted in a glass bottle, similar to the organ that

conjured the Breath, which used Dialugia’s magic power and blood as
its catalyst.
Rather than considering it as alchemy’s essence, it was more

appropriate to think of it as a bomb that used several complex
techniques.
It was made to burst, so, naturally, one shouldn’t drink it. In the irst
place, nobody should drink blood. Even as an enhancement serum,
drinking blood itself carried a multitude of risks.
However, the new potion didn’t have such risks.
That potion, which had been handed down as a gift from the
respectable Goddess Benignore and trashy Elune, could clearly
distinguish between enemies and allies.
[Bomb of Light Potion (Semi-mythic)]
[Alchemist-of-Light-exclusive consumption item: Daily usage limit

(3/3)]
[This is a unique potion created by Goddess Benignore’s consideration
and Elena’s sacri ice. It could only be activated by the semi-mythic class,
Alchemist of Light. It triggers a massive explosion of light that reacts to
the user’s enemies and allies immediately after instilling the user’s
divine power. Allies are immediately healed of serious injuries, while
enemies remain exposed to the effects of the explosion. It can be used
three times a day. P.S. Trash bastard. This is really the last time. This is
my limit.]
It could cause a huge and brilliant explosion.
What if I drank it?
There was no way I wouldn’t be curious about the possibilities.
Of course, I came up with an answer immediately. I didn’t even have to

make various assumptions. There was a guy who had taken it before
me.
‘Salat did.’
To be precise, he didn’t drink it, but he took it into his body.
He struggled in pain, but the light that burst out of his body at that time
reached even the ally expedition, proving its effectiveness.
Even if I drank it, the effect wouldn’t change. It would cause damage to
enemies and recovery to allies.
It had limited range, simple ability, simple functionality.
There was no need to complicate it. Taking it didn’t give one

transcendental power, nor did it cause any dramatic changes.
Of course, it didn’t cause God to descend, or greatly increase the user’s

divine power, either.
The function remained the same.
Yes, it was the same, but the appearance of the user changed a little.
As my eyes followed the voices coming from all directions, the light
spreading out from me instantly illed my view. I felt like I could hear a
whooshing sound resonating from inside my body.
There was a feeling that my stomach was bubbling up, but nothing was
wrong. Rather, I felt a little better.
Not only did it heal all the wounds, but even the fatigue had also been
blown away.
It was truly spectacular to watch the light that illuminated me continue

to wrap around the troops.
Those who had fallen stood up, and those who had been hit by arrows
or magic also got healed in the end.
All of them had their mouths wide open, both the Republic and the
State, as they witnessed the great miracle created by both Elune and
Benignore.
‘I can barely see… Fuck.’
I couldn’t help but feel proud as I watched the light slowly blanket our
troops.
Perhaps it was also due to the brilliance of the light that had evoked a
sense of paralysis within the battle ield.
This marked the third time that I had used it.
For an instant, silence dominated the battle ield because even the
undead were under the in luence of the light.
“She has descended. Goddess Benignore has descended.”
My ass.
She didn’t descend, but, naturally, I was glad they thought of it that way.
As I turned my head and looked into the Goddess’s Mirror, I could see
Light Kiyoung, who had become the light itself.
Not only was the bright light shining throughout my body, but it also
continued to revolve around me. Even the rays of light pouring out of
my eyes looked divine.
My body slowly began to rise into the air as I muttered the loating
magic with my remaining divine power.
The way they looked at me with their mouths open proved to be very
much amusing.
“Goddess Benignore… Goddess Benignore!”
-I…
“Sniff.”
‘Stop crying. Bastards. Let me talk. Stop crying.’
-I heard your voices.
The place became quiet as soon as I started to speak.
Jin Qing’s voice, which had never stopped talking in the irst place,
could no longer be heard.
The undead stopped moving as well, and it was not because they were
being disturbed by some transcendental power.
It was simply Jung Hayan controlling their creations, but the undead
legion was doing their best to show off their acting skills. They began to
mime, as if there was a wall in front of them.
I couldn’t understand what they were doing, even when I saw it with
my own eyes.
Thousands of people bore witness to the scene, with shock enveloping

their faces.
When I opened my mouth satisfactorily, I stared right into the eyes of

those looking at me.
-There will be a lot you want to know. Why am I, Benignore, here? Why
did I come out like this, when I had never been here for thousands of
years? But… All will be revealed in due time. I cannot explain my
motives right now. All I can tell you is that the current continent is in
danger.
“…”
“…”
-What you are looking at is just the beginning. The forces that threaten
this world are yet to show themselves. The countless cursed beings you
see now, and the demon’s servant hiding… This threat is just the
beginning. All the hardships you are going through now will feel like
tiny things compared to the adversities that will soon come.
‘Good.’
No matter how much of a scammer I was, this level of trickery made

even me tremble.
I felt anxious about saying something wrong, but I continued speaking

smoothly and with a holy air, contrary to my worries.
-Sons and Daughters of Elune and Varian, and everyone that lives on
this continent. The reason I borrowed this divine, pure, and clean
human body today is to deliver this message to you again.
I looked around slowly.
-Those who threaten the safety of the continent exist.
I held my breath for a second.
-Even at this moment, they are constantly trying to taint the continents
with their colors. It may be dif icult for the human body to handle.
However, you can overcome it. Please, unite under one banner. If
everyone in this world comes together, we can survive this threat. You
will surely be able to overcome it. You will be able to overcome all
hardships and adversities by becoming one in front of the name of the
light.
Once again, I inished my speech with a strong tone.
-Please decide irmly.
I could have made a direct comment on Demon Summoner Jin Qing, but
I didn’t need to keep referring to him. Saying ‘demon’s servant’ was
enough. I knew our priests would be able to notice how things had
worked out.
“Ohh. Goddess Benignore…”
“Goddess Benignore. Goddess Benignore!”
I responded with a calm and serene smile to those who eagerly called
out the name of the Goddess Benignore.
My role was now over.

As I slowly raised my hand and reached out to the cursed undead, I
could see the reanimated bodies already suffering.
“Grooowwllll!
“Gruuunnttt. Gruuunntt.”
-You will be saved.
As I slowly shook my hand, the undead around me began to fall apart.
“A miracle…”
“Goddess…”
“Grooooowwlll!”
-…
“Grruunnt.”
Whooooooosshhh!!
As I drew a circle with the other hand, more of the undead returned to
the afterlife.
Of course, they were not in luenced by even a drop of divine power. The
light was advancing as a trick, but in truth, it wasn’t great enough to kill
the higher undead.
It could probably only tickle them.
The reason why the undead was falling like dominoes was naturally due
to Jung Hayan. It ended when she reached out her hand, terminating
her technique.
This was indeed a well-designed grand scam, but since we managed to
reach that point, the result didn’t look so bad.
Of course, even my teardrops shone brightly after drinking the Bomb of

Light potion.
It seemed sacred even to me to see the undead, who had once illed the
battle ield, returning to nothing en masse.
It looked to be a little exaggerated, but it had to be at least at that level

to be worth calling it a miracle. Watching all the priests praying, I could
roughly predict how the atmosphere would change.
-All who have suffered will be blessed.
At that point, it was a little hard even to move my hand. However, I kept
smirking.
‘It’s over.’
This was as good as done. No, it was de initely over.
There could be no excuses or words for what I was witnessing.
I could only be proven to be fake if the real Benignore actually came

down and told them otherwise. Those who now looked at me had
reverence in their expressions, both the State and the Republic. The
Varian believers looked at me as if waiting for me to mention Varian
again, and the elves who worshiped Elune also showed their respects.
-I will entrust the future work to you, the owners of this land. There is
not much time left… I borrowed this body without even permission.
Please, take care of this divine-human. I won’t be able to come down for
a while after this, but always remember.
“Goddess Benignore…”
-We are always listening to your prayers and watching your actions.
Please keep that in your hearts.
“…”
-You are not alone.
After saying those last words, the light that had been well-timed began
to disappear. Of course, my body loating in the sky plunged to the
ground.
However, I did not feel lustered or scared.
I knew someone would catch me anyway.
It was not Kim Hyunsung or Park Deokgu who made sure my body was
safe. It turned out to be the ordinary soldiers.
As if catching a singer who jumped to the audience, they stretched out

their hand.
The only difference was that I felt they were quite reverent.
I simply closed my eyes as I listened to their cries and the sounds of

weapons being dropped to the ground.
“Sniff…”
“Mother…”
The war was over.
Nobody said it irst, but I knew everyone was feeling it.
When I slowly opened my eyes, I could see the clouds that covered the
sky passing by and the light pouring out.
The war was over.
“It’s over.”
“Yes, Honorary Cardinal… it’s over.”
I laughed cheerfully, then continued to ask the warrior a couple of

questions.
“What happened… here?”
“Don’t you remember?”
“No. I remember being surrounded by light, but no, even after that… I
remember, but… Did it really happen? My mind is hazy.”
“Perhaps you will understand soon.”
The moment I raised my head after coming down to the loor, the
soldiers of both the State and the Republic greeted me.
They looked at me with a blank expression. I felt like they couldn’t

igure out what to do.
Perhaps everyone was waiting for me to tell them.
Eventually, I had to speak with the most soothing voice I could muster.
“The war… The war is over.”
At my words, powerful cheers soon reverberated across the lands.

CHAPTER 416
A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE (1)
-The war… The war is over. Yes. The war is indeed over. There is no
longer any reason to aim the tips of your swords at each other’s throats.
There have been many misunderstandings, and the period of hostility
against each other proved to be long. It stretches longer than this day
and farther than this place. However, the history of our war against
each other is now over. Throw away your hatred, your desire for
vengeance, and your anger. I know how hard it is. Everyone has lost a
loved one.
-…
-The State and the Republic both have lost a fair share of friends and
families. Some have lost their loved ones, some their precious
comrades, and others their families, but everyone has to overcome that
pain. This is all that I can ask for from everyone. I know how dif icult it
is for enemies to hold each other’s hand, but we have to keep
advancing. We need to go one step further for the grander cause. We
have to become a little more mature. We must overcome our agony and
proceed with peace in our hearts.
-…
-Republicans, raise your heads. This is not your fault. All of you from the
State, please reach out to them. This is not their fault. We know better
than anyone how little we are in front of a great current. Learn to
forgive one another. Only then can we move on. There is no need to
shed tears or to collapse. Let’s move forward together. Let’s all work
side by side to put an end to this cycle of hatred. The values we pursue
may differ, but we have a great task ahead. Those who threaten this
continent are real. They are still hiding all over the lands as they plot to
conquer this very home the gods gave us. That is the message that
Goddess Benignore left to us today. If we become one, we will be able to
push through the hardships and adversities that will come. Raise your
head! It may be dif icult to heal today’s wounds, but you’ll soon have
new lesh. When the dark clouds are cleared, and sunlight pours
down… A new era will open. Flowers can still bloom on this blood-
stained land.
-……
-Let’s unite our forces. Under God’s will, we can become one.
As expected, everyone went strangely quiet.
It was natural to be a little solemn.
Usually, I would hear the sound of glasses clinking in a noisy but

cheerful atmosphere, but after seeing the footage through the
Goddess’s Mirror, the atmosphere had become more serious.
It was just as expected.
Nick, who was right next to me, began to speak to me. It was a voice
that I didn’t want to hear, but just this once, I felt like I could put up
with him.
A week had already passed since the war.
Since he was a guy who knew a lot in various ields, I would be able to
hear various information from him.
“He’s really… a great person.”

“Yes. I don’t get tired of watching that many times every day through
the goddess mirror.”
“Absolutely amazing. He’s beyond normal. Maybe that won’t be easy

either. He was also the one who suffered the most damage in that war.
In fact, during the Laios crisis, he almost died. Didn’t they say that he
was in the Eberian Kingdom to heal? In a way, it’s like he’s the one who
had gone through tough times the most. In fact, in that situation, do you
think it’s easy to shake hands with the Republic soldiers without any
conditions? It showed how generous he is.”
“Yes. Absolutely. I was there too, and it was amazing. Tears poured out
without my knowledge. In fact, the Republic soldiers cried too, but they
probably did more than me in their case. I also saw the descent of the
Goddess Benignore on the body of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely! It’s not even comparable with watching through the

Goddess’s Mirror. With his hand! He just gestured, and the undead guys
just fell apart all at once! When he swung his left hand one more time,
everything was completely surrounded by the light, and bang, bang,
bang! Before the descent of the Goddess Benignore, he ran right into
the battle ield with a spear. Can you believe that?”
“Whoa…”
“Few people have the guts to do that. That Demon Summoner bastard
hid until the end, but was dragged out. Tsk. It’s terrible to say what
would have happened without him. We would be battling with the
soldiers of the Republic even now and eventually…”
“I would be glad if it ended like that, but we wouldn’t have come back
alive from that battle ield. Anyway, does anyone know what the
Honorary Cardinal is doing now?”
I focused my gaze on Nick.
As if he knew, he drank the water from the glass and began to talk
slowly.
“This is a bit hard to say…”
“Why don’t you just tell me? This meal is on me today.”
“Perhaps you will soon be able to receive of icial information through

the Goddess’s Mirror. No, this is not something that can be delivered
through the Goddess’s Mirror…”
“I believe you didn’t forget how long we’ve been friends, Nick.”
“Ahem. This is really hard to say… If you say you’re going to keep your
mouth shut, I’ll tell you. It’s a promise that you really need to keep. It
was a special instruction from manager Kim Miyoung from the Blue
Guild, so I also struggled to obtain the information.”
“Yes. Absolutely. I will keep my mouth shut. So, just…”
As I illed the empty glass with beer, the guy began to spill information
while reading our faces.
“The fact is… He doesn’t seem to be in good health.”
“What?”
“Shh.” 3333
“Quiet. Michael! Shit.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s so sudden…”

“If you think about it, it’s not sudden at all. Do you think it’s easy to
receive God with a human body? Even if he is a vessel to hold the
Goddess Benignore, it must’ve still been too much to handle. It wasn’t
even long since he got up from the sickbed, and his physical condition
wasn’t as usual. His condition is improving rapidly, but…”
“Is that true?”
“Absolutely true. Like the last time in Laios, he seemed to be worried

that many people were guarding the castle… He’s sacri iced so much,
but he still continues to care about people like us.”
“Whoa…”
“Of course, there are other external reasons.”
“External reasons?”
“Isn’t he like a symbol of peace now? He actually played the most

decisive role in bringing the war to an end, and how would he feel
hearing the news that he’s not well? He must be worried that the whole
thing being discussed will be overturned.”
“You mean about the tutorial dungeons being completely integrated

and operated as one educational center?”
“Not only that. The issue of alliance with the Republic, the Declaration
of End-of-Continental War, the Continental Peace Agreement, and the
initiation of a new anti-discrimination law. There are a lot of things that
are politically, economically, and even militarily entangled. Of course, I
don’t know all of them, but they’re all sensitive issues… Rumors has it
that this is the reason why he dragged out his ill body and continued to
be active. Well, it’s heartbreaking. The aides are helping him as much as
possible, but he has to solve everything by himself to feel better.
Manager Kim Miyoung is also worried. It seems like they’re
discouraging him from working too much, but can anyone break his
passion? They said that it was because of Kim Hyunsung’s request that
they got him to take a short break recently…”
“He’s a war hero.”
“Come to think of it. He was amazing too. It’s a blessing that there is not
just one such person but rather two in the State. Goddess Benignore has
indeed blessed us.”
“Changing the topic… is there any new information about Jin Qing?”
“Well, that motherfucker. It’s the same every time. Cutting that
motherfucker’s throat wouldn’t be enough. I don’t understand why
they’re putting a guy like that on trial. He’s still crying out that he’s not
the Demon Summoner. Oh, it’s coming out now. Look at the Goddess’s
Mirror.”
-As the trial of the Demon Summoner Jin Qing approaches after he
caused great confusion in the Republic, everyone is starting to become
more attentive. Reporter Kim Seong-gyeong of Lindel Broadcasting
System will be bringing you this news. Reporter Kim Seong-gyeong?
-This is Kim Seong-gyeong of Lindel Broadcasting. Helena, the Director

of Inquisition from the State, who received Jin Qing, the Demon
Summoner, from the Republic on the 2nd, inally arrived in the capital
along with Senator Marlin. There’s more tension here than ever, as he
caused an event that got much attention from the whole continent. The
Holy Knights, which is the pride of the State, Pope’s Holiness, and Oscar
herself are here.
-I am not a demon summoner. I am not a demon summoner. Gasp. Lee

Kiyoung, you motherfucker. Lee Kiyoung!! Lee Kiyoooouuung! I am not
a demon summoner! Cough! You guys are being fooled! The real demon
is that bastard! That bastard is the real demon!
-Cover his mouth!

-I am not a demon summoner! I have never summoned an undead or a
demon… I am not!! Cough! Cough!!
-Some argue that immediate execution isn’t ideal for the continent’s
safety. The Director of Inquisition may be possible to grasp the exact
truth of the incident and obtain information on the dark forces rooted
in the continent. Given the seriousness of the situation, the
investigation will be conducted by heretical interrogators and various
agencies. With the Republic’s pledge to fully support Demon Summoner
Jin Qing’s investigation, all attention from the continent will be drawn.
Once again, I am reporter Kim Seong-gyeong.
-Yes. Next news. This is news for those who might have been feeling
down with this serious information. The best-seller, Genius swordsman
and Alchemist…
“That… Demon Summoner!”
“He deserves to be beaten up! Ptooey!”
Before the next news came out, swear words began to be heard from all
over the place.
Of course, we weren’t much different either.
Everyone was probably feeling the same way. They found it ridiculous
to see him lying with a straight face.
“That trashy bastard. What the hell is there to investigate? They have to
put him on the guillotine right away.”
“Tsk. Have you seen the face re lected in the Goddess’s Mirror? His eyes
were so red. It was like he wanted to beat someone to death! He was
like that when he was irst caught. When he came with the soldiers of
the Republic grabbing him, he screamed so much that, I’m telling you, it
gave me goosebumps.”
“It’s more problematic that it’s not just him. Didn’t they say that dark
forces are hiding across the continent? If I could, I’d help with the
execution right away, but considering the possibility that he knows
various kinds of information, they can’t do that. It is also in the best
interest of the State to follow due process. It was the same during the
sacred democracy revolution. Even with that bastard being trash,
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung wants to give him a fair trial. He knows
that, yet he’s going crazy like that…”
“There’s a reason why he’s a demon summoner. Anyway, tomorrow,

everyone…”
“Ah, I’m thinking of going hunting after a long time. Monster hunting
should not be neglected. Due to the prolonged war, the monster
population has increased a little.”
“Aren’t you too unhealthy right now to go hunting? Saul? The wounds…”
At this, he slowly nodded.
“Well, that’s true. Actually, if a guy like me tried hard, I don’t think I’ll be
much help… Still, wouldn’t I be useful someday? I want to rest a little
more, but I have to step forward like the Goddess Benignore, and
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung said. Honorary Cardinal never rests, so
why should I? Then I’ll be going irst. Thanks for the good story, Nick.”
“Don’t overdo it, Saul.”
“Yes. I won’t.”
As he slowly opened the pub’s door, I saw a scene that felt both familiar
and unfamiliar.
Less than a month had passed since the war, but things had already
changed so much.
I still wasn’t used to the sight of elves and dwarves walking in the
streets. The same could be said for various structures and the different
atmosphere.
‘New world.’
“It’s a good world to live in.”
I smiled quietly.
***
“It’s a good world to live in.”
“I-it is, right?”
“This meat softly melts in my mouth.”
“S-s-s-softly melts. Yes, it does. Hehehehehe.”

CHAPTER 417
A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE (2)
“Oh, I told you not to gather those, but why are you gathering them
again? Gosh.”
I spoke a little bluntly, but I wasn’t particularly upset.
As I sat on a chair made of the inest leather, I watched the people

praying eagerly.
The endless crowd could be said to be similar to or more than that of

Laios.
If only the conditions were provided, it would be more than enough to

ill the entirety of Lindel.
It wasn’t just Lindel in the irst place.
It would be more than enough to ill a lot more than that, considering
the unimaginable crowds of elves and dwarves in Castle Rock, Dawan,
Celia, and Eberia. Even in the unrelated United Kingdom, a similar
situation was being produced.
Even though I hadn’t swayed the public opinion, it already had that
much of an effect just because they had seen me suffer from a life-
threatening danger like at Laios.
That meant that their impression of me was good. It certainly didn’t

make me uncomfortable.
‘It was de initely a good one.’
The climax of the war was still being broadcast in the Goddess’s Mirror.
It was a miracle that tens of thousands of undeads were put to rest

simultaneously when a person embraced by the light simply swung his
arm. No, he was a miracle in himself.
Since then, the image of Goddess Benignore, who had given the
message to go forward as one, was said to be so divine that humans
dared not judge it.
The image was enough to make me worry that even I would be blinded.
Of course, there was no need to say how the State’s people, full of faith
in God, would accept this certain phenomenon.
If a human who saw that labeled it as fraud, I wouldn’t have anything to

say to them even if they would get stoned to death in the streets.
‘Absolutely.’
That became even more likely upon recalling what I had gained through
that miracle.
The war had left a huge scar on the continent. Many died and suffered,
and due to the Demon Summoner’s evil tricks, some people were
unable to close their eyes peacefully even after death.
The mental shock that the cursed undead gave to the entire continent
proved to be beyond words.
There was a lot of human and material damage. Some areas were
considered impossible to recover.
The power of the State and the Republic had been reduced severely.
There were places where the production facilities had been totally
damaged, or where the terrain itself had completely changed.
Prestigious restoration wizards and renowned experts judged that even

on that magic continent, it could take several decades to return to the
pre-war era. Above all else, the number of human casualties was also
hard to ignore.
Of course, because of a couple of turn of events, the continent had

begun to move toward one goal.
They had brought their power together, and had agreed to throw away
all their history of war and con lict to prepare for the incoming threats.
Since there were still various issues to be discussed, the of icial

announcement or declaration was postponed, but it seemed like it
would only be a matter of time before the continent’s leaders gathered
in one place.
The miracle that happened in that war turned the entire continent
upside down.
If I were to think about it from a certain perspective, the current Light

Kiyoung was no different from being the continent’s center.
The Goddess’s descent was also important, but I had devoted my whole
body to prevent the war, and the post-war settlement had also been
done pretty well.
It was the right choice to forgive all the Republic soldiers and to declare
peace with everyone.
This was the second coming of Goddess Benignore. Because of this, I

was now known as the Son of the Goddess Benignore, and the Deputy
of Goddess Benignore.
There were rumors that the Goddess Benignore had even descended to
save the continent.
I thought it was a bit exaggerated to phrase it in this way, but I also

thought the same thing when I saw the demons being swept away with
a simple hand gesture.
In fact, it was true that I was receiving protection from the Goddess
Benignore, and it was also true that I had been communicating with her.
It meant that about half of the adjectives like the Second Coming, the
Son, the Incarnation, and the Deputy were true. Though the titles could
be explained through that, I still could no longer measure my true
worth because of how highly the people now regarded me.
Indeed, the word vertical ascent wasn’t enough.
Although the Kiyoung Coin’s market value was originally high, the unit
price became higher due to that incident.
Naturally, those who couldn’t invest in that coin would currently be

punching the ground in regret. Everyone who had been hostile to me,
even by a little, had begun to spoil me with presents.
As I hummed silently to myself, I heard a knock on the door.
Turning to face the entrance, I saw a fairly familiar face.
My personal secretary stood in the doorway, lifting her glasses with one
hand. Of course, it was dif icult to say that her exact position was
secretary, but it was the role she had been recently playing, so it didn’t
really matter.
“Manager Kim Miyoung.”
“Oh! You were eating. Sorry.”

“No. No. It’s ine. I’m almost inished, and it’s my fault for not getting
ready. As you can see, sitting here, I have nothing to do but lie down and
look outside. Anyway, you came at the right time. I was getting a little
bored. Do you have any new news? No, the next schedule…”
“Yes.”
“You can tell me right away.”
“Yes, Vice Guild Master. First, the good news… ahem. I’ll tell you
everything. This is a list of gifts from the nobles of the continent,
including the members of the Republic. All of them are currently being
stored in the guild house storage. Special features include catalysts and
ancient alchemy books stored in the Republic. In addition, the Eastern
Congressional Union and the President of the Republic also personally
sent a gift with a message of hope for recovery.”
“I see.”
This was why power was so good.
“They also asked to meet you personally, but…”
“Oh, that… I don’t really feel like it. It’s hard to move at the moment, and
it is uncomfortable to act because of others’ gazes. Please tell them that
I will contact them separately for personal meetings.”
“Okay. I will relay your message to them.”
“Please tell them that politely.”
“Noted.”
“One more thing, Oscar wants to come to visit you herself…”

“Hmm. Please tell Oscar that she doesn’t have to come. She’s probably
busy. Even if she’s not, I’ll soon stop by the Capital, so please tell her so.
Come to think of it. I should see Pope Basel as well. There are many
things he may be curious about… Oh! More importantly, how’re the
guild members? I mean, Deokgu and Hyunsung.”
“Park Deokgu-nim is in his sickbed. His treatment seems to be working

quite well, meaning he should recover within a few days, but he
remains unconscious until now.”
“Hmm. That Valentin Alexandro, is that son of a bitch still in jail?”
“Yes.”
“Please tell Helena, the Director of Inquisition, that I’m asking for a
special favor—no, it would be better for me to contact her separately.
Well, I’m glad that he will recover completely within a few days. And…”
“In Guild Master’s case…”
“Yes.”
“I think he has a lot to think about recently. I keep noticing him looking
out the window or worrying about something… He hasn’t said anything
special, but he’s de initely different than usual. Of course, I’m not
worried about it, but I think it would be wise for you to talk to him.”
“Hmm.”
‘That bastard.’
Due to the report about the lovely returner, I had no choice but to tap
the armrests.
“And…”
That was because worries had begun springing up in my mind.
‘It’s all over, but what’s wrong with him?’
When he came to me for a visit, he gave off some strange vibes, but it
seemed like he was still the same at the guild house.
I thought he might be bothered, but I didn’t think he would be still

spacing out.
Kim Hyunsung was not thinking badly about that war.
Rather, it was the opposite.
I didn’t know anything else, but he looked very satis ied with the
results. I didn’t know how bad the irst round was, but each continent’s
force could’ve been ighting up to that point based on his reaction.
I didn’t want to think they would have done such a stupid thing, but… It
was also possible that they were ighting even after the unknown threat
had erupted.
They would not only ight for one small bowl, but they would be
dragging each other into a hollow.
‘If that’s the case, the irst round must have been hell.’
Compared to the irst round, which ended due to the masked trash’s
activity, it was safe to think that they had all turned over a new leaf.
There were some damages, but if I compared the current situation with
the irst round, this was simply a drop in the bucket.
The continent had, so to speak, fully preserved its physical strength for
the coming threats.
I didn’t know why he was acting weird, but…
‘Is he thinking that Jin Qing is not the masked trash?’
Although it was quite dif icult by my standards, he could’ve felt that Jin
Qing was dull.
The masked trash that had harassed him so much in the past kept
screaming that he was not a demon summoner. Because of this, it was
dif icult to judge what kind of emotion Kim Hyunsung might have felt.
I, who had a little respect for him, after seeing that, felt pretty turned
off.
Instead of the charismatic masked trash, there was simply one loser
who was held in evil.
What would Kim Hyunsung have felt at that moment? Emptiness, or

satisfaction?
It wasn’t easy to judge for me, who had no means of knowing what was
going on in his mind.
I didn’t know why, but he even seemed depressed.
I thought that I would have to re ine his mental condition someday, but
now that the work had piled up, there wasn’t enough time for it.
‘I’m glad he’s doing his job at least.’
If it weren’t for that, the entire Blue Guild members would have been
having a hard time.
Manager Kim Miyoung was waiting for me as she saw me tapping the
armrest, suddenly lost in thought.
As I shook out of my reverie and hurried to speak, I saw her quietly
smiling.
“…”
“…”
“Ah. I’m sorry, Manager Kim Miyoung.”
“It’s ine. Can I continue with what I was saying…?”
“Yes. You can do that.”
“It’s an extension of what you said about meeting Pope Basel.”
“Yes. It doesn’t matter if you schedule it as soon as possible. Perhaps…

I’ll have time next week.”
“Actually, there’s a reason why Pope Basel is looking for you in a hurry.”
“What? Did anything happen with Jin Qing? Or the trial schedule…”
“No. It’s not because of that… Er… I don’t know how to say it, but…”
“Yes.”
“The Benignore statue is shedding tears of blood…”
“What?”
I steeled myself. What bad news in such a good era!
‘What happened?’
I didn’t know why, but something seemed wrong up there.

‘Ah, what’s up with her again?’
Suddenly, my head started to hurt.

CHAPTER 418
A PROBLEM FROM ABOVE (1)
My head started to hurt.
‘Fuck. That can’t be good.’
Unfamiliar situations like these were unwelcome.
When I opened my mouth, tapping my thigh out of sheer nervousness,

Kim Miyoung began answering right away.
“You say it is shedding tears of blood?”
“Yes. I heard that the Holy See is currently investigating the exact
reason and cause. It’s also something that has not been announced
externally. Considering the confusion of the State’s people, that much is
obvious, but…”
“It’s not the right time to announce publicly. No, they wouldn’t be able
to say anything like that.”
“Yes. I know he is ailing, but Pope Basel wanted you to come to the
capital as soon as possible. If possible, within the day…”
“Grunt.”
“If you don’t want to, I will tell him…”
“No. It’s not because of that. It’s not. I am not reluctant.”

‘I have to go regardless.’
It was a request from none other than Pope Basel. This was also a
matter related directly to the Benignore Church. It would be strange if I
didn’t go.
Even if I was sick, I had to attend those events unconditionally.
Other things could be lightly ignored, but considering that most of the
power I had came from there, I couldn’t afford to ignore them as well.
The problem was that the situation felt too serious for it to be treated
simply as a mysterious phenomenon, especially in the State.
‘Why are you suddenly shedding tears of blood? Fuck.’
I didn’t even know that such anomalies could occur to the Goddess
statue. It was lamentable as to why she hadn’t used those means so far.
I felt like it was an ominous sign.
The reason why the Holy sector wasn’t reacting in any other way was to
prevent confusion among the people, no more, no less. If that were
wrongly spread outside, the confusion would be incomparable to the
previous one.
‘It must be hell inside.’
Considering Pope Basel’s character, who originally had a hot temper,

the atmosphere would probably be quite stressful. In addition to this, I
knew what would happen when our Pope Basel, who was kind only to
me, was now mad, so I had to swallow hard.
In fact, I had initially thought there would be basically no problem.

Originally, the race of gods was a little bit cheap and sometimes did
strange things.
Like the trashy Elune, for example.
However, I had to be a little cautious as I recently caused a pretty big

event using their names.
It was a situation similar to the saying, ‘guilty conscience needs no

accuser.’
Of course, I was not guilty. However…
‘There is a one in a million chance.’
It wouldn’t happen, but what if. What if… it was revealed that the
Goddess descent was a lie?
‘Everything will be ruined.’
Everything that I had built up so far could collapse.
It was a little over the top to think like this, but I also thought that the
Holy side might irst notice and would want to start investigating me.
Saying that the Goddess statue was shedding tears was enough of a
reason to interrogate me.
Of course, that wasn’t a serious issue because I could prove my purity

and sacredness again through Benignore.
If that was the case, it would do more than just make me feel annoyed.
‘Benignore wouldn’t be preparing to backstab me, right?’
Benignore might just want to do that in earnest.

To think that of the numerous priests in the Holy side, no one would
think that Benignore’s voice was unreasonable.
One of them must have heard her voice, and there was a possibility that
she was planning some nonsense to screw me up through the statue’s
tears of blood.
It was even more so when I thought about the fact that I had a little,
very little, dust-like in luence on the continent in the irst round.
There was stability on the continent at that moment, and the sons and
daughters of God didn’t have anyone ready to step up to the task yet.
It was not at all strange timing to catch and torture me, who they
thought had been a risk factor.
Naturally, I remembered the old saying, ‘Kill the dog after hunting is
over.’
The ones from above might be making a move to remove me from

taking the chance to be careless.
‘Am I reading too much into it?’
However, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
‘Still, I did so much for them. They shouldn’t come out like this. Fuck,
dirty bastards… ’
I had saved the world many times, helped the lovely returner both
materially and emotionally, and helped unite humanity.
I had accepted the daughter that the trashy Elune threw away and
handled the shit that Varian had caused. And what I did wasn’t any
common achievement, either.
If it were someone else, they wouldn’t have tried to mess with it.
I had instilled stronger faith in the worshippers of the Goddess

Benignore and gave a great deal of effort to create the strongest Church.
With the sacred democracy, I raised her name and established God’s
dignity by dealing with the evil undead.
It didn’t even end there.
In the name of the light, I even punished the demon and saved the
people of Laios from the crisis. I re-sealed the ancient god in the
museum and reduced its risk to the future by proactively handling all
sorts of threats against the continent.
I was the best they could ever hope for. I could af irm that there would
be no one else like me.
‘You want to come and attack me like that now? Nonsense. If that is the
case, then it doesn’t make sense. There’s no way you can do that
wearing a god mask.’
Even Belial, the 72nd Demon King, wouldn’t treat me like that.
They should be giving me gifts instead. This kind of treatment was

ridiculous. It wouldn’t be enough even if I made a formal protest. No, if
they really thought of doing that, I was ready to make them regret their
decision right there and then.
‘Can you hear me? Are you really going to attack me like this? Fucking
bastards? Can you hear me? If you turn your back on me, you and I will
all be doomed. Do you understand?’
We really would.
‘Do you think Kim Hyunsung will be on your side?’

However, there was no voice coming from the sky.
I didn’t feel nervous, but I suddenly started to get upset. I wondered if

Kim Hyunsung was lost in thoughts because he had heard the news
about me.
‘Fucking demon bastards. So, they will come out this way, huh.’
I thought they might have stopped monitoring me for a second, but

seeing that a forced quest wasn’t created even after a few minutes, it
seemed that something happened.
Earlier, it was a simple doubt, but I began to get more suspicious.
I kept tapping the table as I waited for the quest to come down from the
sky, but nothing happened.
There were two possibilities.
There was something wrong going on up there.
They were really preparing to get rid of me as I thought.
If it were the former, it would end with a light incident, but if they really
chose the latter, I would show them how bad of a choice that was.
I stood up.
Manager Kim Miyoung looked at me with a slightly startled expression

as she called out to me.
“Vice Guild Master?”
“I think it would be better to go to the Capital right away.”

“Okay. I will prepare it. How do you want me to prepare the
schedule…?”
“I want to leave this evening, please. I’m moving in a rush since it’s an
urgent issue. I think there really is a problem in the Church.”
“Who do you want as the entourage…?”
“Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu… no, I will take Cho Hyejin. In addition,
please contact Yuno Kasugano and Heera, manager. And… Dialugia
and…”
“Should I contact Miss Elena too?”
“Is she in Lindel now?”
“Yes. Yesterday I ixed the Blue Guild enrollment form, and as of today,
she’s an of icial Blue Guild member. Her position has not been decided
yet, however…”
“Good.”
“Is everyone going to the Capital together?”
“Yes. For now, that’s the plan. And um… Send what I’m writing now as
letters to all the guilds in Lindel, including the Black Swan Guild. Please
wait a moment. It will be over soon. And… I would like you to send this
one to the elves and dwarves. You can give this one separately to Han
Sora.”
“Okay.”
“And after arriving at the Capital, if an incident breaks out, spread the
letter I am writing now throughout the continent through the Goddess’s
Mirror, manager.”
“Vice Guild Master, I’m sorry, but when you say incident…”
“If anything really happens, you will naturally know. If nothing happens,
I think you can immediately destroy what you received… It’s just a
precautionary measure, so you don’t have to worry too much. And put
the items I’m writing down in Dialugia’s nest. The more secretly, the
better. Of course, what I’m talking about right now is security. When
you go outside, don’t say anything to anyone, manager.”
“O-Of course, Vice Guild Master. B-but… is this er… perhaps…”
“I can see what you’re imagining… haha. You don’t have to worry about
it. I just want to be prepared for any scenario. Yes. This is just a backup
plan.”
“Okay, then I’ll make it happen right away, Vice Guild Master.”
“Thank you very much, manager Kim Miyoung.”
“Yes.”
As I nodded my head and looked at her back that’s heading out of the
room, I felt relieved.
‘It’s good to have people with great talent and skills underneath me.’
I was honestly sure that she was several times smarter than me.
When she irst came in, I thought things didn’t go well for her because
she was unlucky. Or maybe she was a little less sel ish.
If it weren’t for her, my life in Blue would’ve been several times harder. I
cleared up my thoughts once again.
‘Would it be better to inform Jihye in advance?’

If my relationship with the false god Benignore was broken, she was
one of those who could play a pivotal role at the beginning of the mess.
‘And Hyunsung too… ’
Lee Jihye was important, but it was also urgent to sweet-talk the lovely
returner.
That one was a bit dif icult to deal with, but I could make him come
over to my side enough based on the trust I had built up with him so far.
It was a bit hard to take them together to the Church at that time.
‘That’s because continuous management and care are needed.’
Of course, all of those might’ve just been my delusions, but if I

considered the chances of it happening, it was not unreasonable to be
prepared a thousand, no, a billion times.
Being used, discarded, and abandoned, did not exist in the Light
Kiyoung dictionary.
I had to be prepared to ight against the fallen Goddess Benignore and

the trash gang following her with the Mace of Light at any time.
[Common-grade forced quest is activated.]
[No. No. This is a misunderstanding… so, I mean. I can explain every…

thing… it’s a misunderstanding! Benignore! Say something!! You can’t!!!
It’s a misunderstanding… (0/1)]
[Due to an unknown reason, the common-grade forced quest has been

canceled.]
[Quest creation has stopped.]

“For a fallen god, a Mace of Light.”
I could surely throw this weapon her way should the need arise.
CHAPTER 419
A new message seemed to have popped up, but I couldn’t seem to afford
to pay attention to it.
Not only was the seed of doubt already in my mind, but a lower bud
had already formed as well.
Even though I was trying to block my thoughts as hard as possible, the

situation wouldn’t even let me stop it.
If I was feeling kind, I could probably take out a little bit of suspicion,
but the truth was that I wasn’t kind enough to cancel what I was
preparing.
‘Do you think I would be that stupid?’
Naturally, I couldn’t believe anything until I could check it with my own

eyes. That message was one-sided. I didn’t even know whom it had
come from. They had stopped creating quests for unknown reasons.
It was only proper for their credibility to decrease.
[Quest creation has been temporarily suspended due to an unknown

reason.]
‘Unknown reason, my ass… ’
Perhaps, after getting their problem solved, they were now thinking
about stabbing my back.
I didn’t know about Benignore, but I wouldn’t put it past Elune.
The probability of Benignore, who believed in herself and lived for

herself, abandoned me didn’t feel low after I’ve witnessed Elena being
abandoned.
They’re like peas in a pod.
From the very beginning, these fallen gods had no recognition and
loyalty. They were just mischievous parents, ready to backstab their
sons and daughters for their own greed and gain.
‘I’ll let you go comfortably on your way.’
I hated the wrong custom of Goryeojang (an ancient burial practice

whereby a dying elderly was left to die in an open tomb). Still, at that
time, I had no choice but to decide to go up the mountain with
Benignore loaded on a carrier.
Of course, doing so required very careful planning.
I hadn’t pressed the play button yet, but I was already nervous about
the safety device I prepared if the worst came.
Considering that the opponent was a fallen god, it still didn’t feel
enough.
I wrote a separate manual for Lee Jihye and checked my belongings in

an instant. First, I had to be able to protect myself.
I had Juliana, who had become quiet due to the aftereffects of being
forced awake and due to potions with various effects, and, of course, the
legendary shield Aegis. I began to check my weapons’ condition in
preparation against the worst.
It looked like I was leaving for an expedition.

I exaggerated my preparations a bit even though I was just visiting the
capital, but doing so relieved me a little.
I felt like I had become a local. As I was looking at myself quietly, once
again, I started to hear a knock on the door.
It was obvious as to who it was. As I opened the door with a wide smile,
I saw a familiar face.
“Hayan?”
“Oppa, did you call me?”
“Oh. Please wait for a second. I’ll be out soon. Have you heard the news
already?”
“Yes. That w-we’re going to the capital. That something urgent has
happened…”
“Yes. Other people will also go with us. That’s ine, right?”
“Yes. O-Of course.”
“Hee-ra is going too, as well as Elena and Hyejin.”
“…”
At this, Hayan’s expression dimmed.
She must have already heard about the selection, but it looked like it
upset her when she heard it again directly from me.
“Don’t let it bother you too much. It’s because of work.”
“Yes…”
“Who’s my favorite person?”
“Ah!”
As I opened my arms widely, she went closer and quietly hugged me.
Although it was cringing to say those kinds of lines, the recipient at
least enjoyed them.
It was important to ill the collar with the taste of the customer.
Jung Hayan was also one of those who could be classi ied to have an
important role, just like Kim Hyunsung.
Jung Hayan, a wizard with overwhelming and irreplaceable talent, was

the kind of human coveted not only by humans, but also by the gods. I
had taken good care of her, and in that situation, I thought it was only
mandatory to comfort her.
She was doing a good job at taking charge, and she had alleviated her
anger control using the marriage as a stabilizer.
Her self-esteem that hit bottom recently was also rising to the point of
breaking through the sky.
The new Jung Hayan, who had become tremendously strong, and had
changed by receiving a proposal, grew to the point where she could
inally stand talking with others.
It was a bit sad to think that the result obtained from risking my life
would be barely enough, but nobody knew how much I missed that
mental stability.
Although the prologue was long, the important thing was that Jung
Hayan’s current mental state was very stable.
“But what happened? It would be nice if you had a little more rest. You
weren’t lying down the past couple of days…”
“There seems to be a problem at the Church. It doesn’t seem like a big

deal, but I don’t know what would happen. Didn’t Elena come with
you?”
“She’s getting ready to leave outside with Hyejin. Because you said we
would be there for a week, the guild employees are also packing the
luggage. S-so, oppa. If we go to the capital, will we sleep in the Church?”
“Yes. Probably so. Or maybe we could rent a separate building. It will

depend on the situation. Shall we go out?”
I didn’t know why the place I slept in was an important factor, but she
didn’t seem very happy about the idea of sleeping at the Church.
That kind of behavior felt ominous, and I felt like an animal upon
sensing it.
I looked at Jung Hayan, who held one of my arms tightly, as I expected. I

felt a bit embarrassed since I felt that she would never let my hand go,
but I was still forced to move silently.
Even if I hinted at it, she would never let go, anyway.
In time, the guild’s griffon take-off area came into view. I could see two
other people already there.
There was Cho Hyejin, taking the griffons out of the feedlot, and Elena,
looking at them from a few steps away.
The elf smiled and waved at me upon seeing me, but her expression
stiffened when she saw Jung Hayan clinging onto my side. Cho Hyejin
simply bowed as usual.
‘Gosh… ’
I could see Elena’s face looking emotional. I was afraid that if she bit
down on her lips too tightly, she would explode.
I didn’t think Elena, who’s weak-minded, would show any behavior like
(old) Jung Hayan, but I thought she might have a side that I didn’t know
about.
The proof was that she was there even though the Eberian Kingdom
opposed the notion. In fact, she was someone that could be called my
colleague.
She laughed as if she felt carefree, but in reality, she was someone
abandoned by the fallen gods. She was like a missile pad that was all
ready to launch a ballistic called resentment towards the sky.
Since then, since she could showcase a big performance in swaying

public opinion, she required special management and treatment.
As I smiled slightly and waved, she greeted me with a gloomy smile.

Seeing this reminded me of the time Elune had abandoned her, and my
hostility to the sky’s existence rose again.
‘To such delicate elf… ’
No wonder my lips remained tightly closed.
Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, Elena began to greet me
hesitantly.
“Should I call you Vice… Guild Master?”
“No, Elena. You don’t have to call me so stif ly. Haha.”
“Ah…”
“You’re indeed a member of the guild, but with Elena-nim’s status, it’s
dif icult to treat you as a common guild member…”
“You don’t have to give me special treatment. Please…”
“No. It’s not special treatment. Blue is not that rigid, and… We are
personally acquainted. I’m also trying not to be stiff with the other
members and Hyunsung. You can also act as usual. Anyway, it’s a bit
late, but welcome to the Blue Guild, Elena. Take good care of us.”
“No. I should be the one saying that. Take good care of me, Lee Kiyoung.
And… Jung Hayan too.”
“Yes, yes… Please… Take good care of me. A-A-And welcome to Blue.”
“Thank you.”
“Are we ready to go, Hyejin?”
“Yes, Vice Guild Master. When Cha Heera arrives, I think we can leave
immediately. Dialugia decided to join later, and Yuno Kasugano will
meet you at the capital…”
“Oh, I see. Thank you for your hard work.”
“I just did what I had to.”
It was nice to get things done quickly.
The news that Hee-ra was also going was something to be cheerful
about.
Just as I was thinking about her, I saw a doll with red hair coming
towards us. She was de initely her usual self with some of the Red
Mercenary’s attendants.
“It’s been a while, honey. No, I can’t say it’s been a while since we met a
few days ago.”
After the war, I talked with her right away, but somehow it felt like I
hadn’t conversed with her in a while.
Her hair, which was rough like her, was not tidy, reminding me of a red
lion’s mane.
What was a little different was that there were dark circles under her
eyes.
“Are you sick?”
“Stressed out due to frustration.”
“…”
“…”
“Don’t let it bother you. As you already know, I’ve gone crazy for quite a
while. You can think of this as the aftereffect of that. It’s been a long
time since I’ve been out of my mind for so long, and recently, it feels like
it’s getting worse. Still, I can’t adjust to it. Shit. It’s ten times more
painful than having a hangover. I shouldn’t have worn that.”
“The Berserker Set?”
“Did you see?”
“I didn’t see it in person. I only heard about it. You were apparently
wearing armor and had a weapon. Is that a legendary-grade item?”
“Yes.”
“I want to see that at least once.”

“Do you really want to see it?”
“No…”
“That’s a good call. I don’t want to show that much, either. More
importantly… Why did you even gather us all? You’re too heavily armed
for a picnic. Did you ind a dungeon in the capital?”
“No. It’s nothing like that. Just think of it as thorough preparation.”
“Well, I trust your judgment. but hmm… I want to take a relaxing break
this time around. Can we do that, honey?”
The way she looked at me with an innocent smile somehow felt

terrifying.
She wasn’t openly threatening me, but I felt like a herbivore in front of a
carnivore.
No, it’s not my imagination.
The way she looked at me from head to toe was like a wild beast
looking at prey.
It was then that Jung Hayan grabbed my collar tightly.
‘You guys… don’t do that again.’
I knew better than anyone else what would happen if those two
confronted each other.
It somehow ended well last time, but there was no guarantee that it
would end so well if it were to be repeated. In the end, I had to be
careful with my answer.
“It’s important to take a break. Oh, it’s already this late. Let’s get on the
griffon. I think it would be better for you to ride with Hayan and Elena,
and I will go with Hyejin. Right, Hyejin?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Now then. Come up quickly, Hyejin.”
“…”
“Quickly.”
“This feels quite uncomfortable, Vice Guild Master.”
“It’s the same for me, so just get on.”
Immediately taking a seat, I held on to Cho Hyejin’s back.
The three women were showing a little lustered expression, but

fortunately, they didn’t show any jealousy.
When I saw them riding on the griffon together, I thought it was only
proper that I wasn’t there.
“Don’t hold on too tightly, Vice Guild Master. It feels really

uncomfortable.”
Of course, taken in a different context, I felt hurt upon hearing this.

CHAPTER 420
Even eye-catching sceneries became boring after being viewed too

much and too frequently. Such was the case with the scenery upon
traveling to the Capital.
I was fed up with seeing the mountains and cities, mountains and
villages, mountains and rivers, and the endless landscape. I no longer
found it as beautiful as when I had irst seen it.
When I arrived at the capital, the sight I saw felt warmer.
“Goddess’s representative!”
“Blessed by the Goddess Benignore!”
Naturally, I waved to the State people that were cheering for me from
afar. I wanted to get off at the entrance to hold each person’s hand. It
was a little disappointing that I couldn’t do that. The current situation,
in which we had no choice but to move in a hurry, made me feel
frustrated.
“Hold on tight. We’re arriving soon.”
“Okay, Hyejin.”
“It’s uncomfortable if you hold on too tightly, though. Please avoid

excessive physical contact.”
‘What does she want me to do, then?’
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
“…”
Regrettably, the place where the Griffon landed was where the former
Emperor, and now the leader of the State, currently lived.
I could see the faces of those who were already waiting for me. They
were Senators Catherine and Elise. These were my dear allies, including
Marlin and Oscar.
I didn’t know if my feelings were correct, but this pretty much felt like
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung’s return to the social world.
I saw Yuno Kasugano arriving from Celia one step ahead, as well as
other important connections that had been established in the past.
“It’s been a while, Oscar. You don’t have to come out to meet me like
this…”
“No. Of course, I have to. You are the hero who saved the continent. Are
you feeling any better?”
“It’s hard to say that I’ve fully recovered, but it’s not enough to make me
immobile. I’m sorry I came to see you so late.”
“No. If you say it like that, it makes me sorry instead. I would like to
serve you with tea irst, but…”
“I’ll pass by after I’m done with my work.”

The face of the former maid Alice, now named Oscar, noticeably
brightened. It seemed as if my words sounded sweet to her.
‘She is still the same.’
Her hair, which used to be short like a man’s cut, was now a little longer
and became bob cut.
I smiled because I knew her saying she wanted to serve tea wasn’t just a
hospitality comment.
If something happened, it was important to give a good impression in

advance, as the palace should take the initiative as well.
‘In fact, you don’t even have to do that… ’
That was why Oscar and I were close.
Considering that I was the one who had put her in that place, to begin
with, it was only natural.
Of course, she wasn’t the only one who had a good relationship with
me.
“Senator Catherine. And… Senator Elise! It’s been a while, Marlin

Young-ae.”
“It seems to be getting harder and harder to see your face as time
passes, Honorary Cardinal.”
“Haha. It looks like there are true feelings in that joke, Senator
Catherine. I’m sorry for not coming to see you often. As you know, I
haven’t had the time, recently…”
“There’s no problem here. We know better than anyone else that the
Honorary Cardinal is doing a great job for the State. I hope you can
think of it as an af irmation in my longing mind. I wanted to see you
that much.”
“I don’t know how much I missed tea time with the three of you. You
don’t know how much I thought of it while lying in bed.”
“Is that true, Honorary Cardinal?”
“Yes, Marlin Young-ae. It’s absolutely true.”
“Perhaps that’s the same for Senator Marlin, Honorary Cardinal. Every
time we met, she talked about you so much my ears start hurting.”
“Is that true?”
“S-Senator Catherine!”
“Can you see her blushing right now?”
“Haha.”
Marlin Young-ae was still showing the actions of characters from old
love comedies.
Also, Senators Catherine and Elise, who responded with all their might,
were still the same.
If there was something different from before, the aristocracy’s etiquette

was almost omitted.
Seeing that they’re properly adapting to the changing times, I felt quite
proud.
After that, I turned to greet the Celia people, including Yuno Kasugano.
“So, we meet again.”

“Yes. Mast– no, I mean– Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. How have you
been?”
In addition, I concluded the formal greeting with the other characters.
Doing small talks like patting them on the shoulder or giving words of
blessing was an extension of social networking.
Cha Hee-ra, who had also come with us, also greeted the happy faces
that surrounded her.
Simultaneously, Jung Hayan looked at Yuno Kasugano quietly, as if she

seemed to be recalling an incident that occurred a long time ago.
Although I swallowed hard, looking at Jung Hayan that raised her nose
con idently, I was able to breathe out a sigh of relief.
“By the way, Honorary Cardinal, why did you come to the capital
suddenly…”
“Haha. I came because I had some business at the Church.”
“You mean that Church?”
“Yes. It’s hard to tell the exact reason, but…”
“It looks like something happened.”
“Perhaps it’s something trivial, Oscar. You don’t have to worry about it
yet.”
“Recently, I felt that the Holy See was a little unsettled… I couldn’t really
interfere with it since it was something going on inside the Church, but
the atmosphere didn’t seem very good. His Holiness Pope Basel has
shown a very worried face recently… Can you please tell him that he can
tell me anytime if he needs any help?”
“Of course. Pope Basel will surely be happy to accept it. Perhaps there
will be an of icial announcement within today.”
“Okay.”
‘Is he keeping it a secret from her too?’
It made sense, to some extent. The State almost completely separated

the concepts of politics and religion anyway.
‘She must have a lot of worries on her plate, too.’
My partner, who was moving with me, was suddenly stamping her feet.
That already told me how she was feeling.
She was pretending to be calm, but I knew that must be burning deep
inside.
It wasn’t something I had to worry about yet, so I put it aside, but I

could see that she was feeling leery.
As I was walking slowly, I noticed some personnel approaching from a

distance. I already knew who they were.
It was Pope Basel, surrounded by the Holy Knights.
‘There’s quite a lot of them.’
Of course, this was a normal escort force. However, at that point, I

looked at the Holy Knights with suspicion as well.
It wasn’t a big deal, but because of my mentality that always assumed

the worst situation, many useless worries aggravated me.
Of course, there was no reason to feel nervous right away. Even if

something were to happen…
‘I have enough power.’
I didn’t have to look nervous; otherwise, it could open a can of worms.

In this situation, it was more advantageous for me to look the same as
usual at that moment.
I smiled at Pope Basel, who smiled in return.
I didn’t know whether his response was false or not, but the seeds of
doubt faded a little.
Unless Pope Basel was acting, there would be no movements of the

Church trying to get rid of me.
“Pope Basel!”
“Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung!”
It was in that instant that a surprisingly loud voice popped out.
It was like a baby bird’s cry of bitterness as it waited for the mother
bird.
Romeo’s voice as he looked at Juliet’s death would not be that

passionate.
What accompanied the voice was relief and longing. Since it’s been a
while since the Pope had seen me like everyone else there, it’s
understandable, but I was able to take a breath because of his reaction
being better than expected.
‘Good.’
As he came striding, the footsteps of the Holy Knights with him also
began to accelerate.
Looking at him a little closer, I noticed Cardinal Basel’s face clearly
looked visibly thinner.
As usual, he still looked neat, but he had lost a lot of weight. Perhaps he
couldn’t sleep and eat well.
I saw him when we moved Jin Qing to the capital just a week ago, but he
was far different from that time. Tears were even accumulating in my
eyes.
It showed me how much of a hard time he had been through.
When I saw that old grandfather’s weakened appearance, I held his

hand more tightly.
It was a spectacle to see him greeting Oscar and the other lawmakers
while holding my hand.
Of course, it didn’t suit formality.
It was a mistake that Pope Basel would not make, but I felt sad as it
seemed to be a point to tell us how much of a hard time he was having.
“You really did a great job, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. You don’t
know how much I worried that I couldn’t visit you in Lindel…”
“It’s not enough for you to worry, Pope Basel. I’m much better than
what is known. Rather, it would have made me feel more uncomfortable
if you really came to Lindel.”
“Is it… Yes. Right. You must have thought so. YYou did really well
coming here, Honorary Cardinal.”
“It’s a matter about the Church. It’s something related to me too. I

couldn’t just stand around doing nothing. You must be very upset.”
“Right… Honorary Cardinal, have you ever heard any voices from
Goddess Benignore recently?”
“Not recently… but I have never even dreamed of this happening. I think
it’s better to see the condition quickly, Pope Basel.”
“Right. We don’t have time to mingle around here. Let’s move quickly.”
“Yes.”
After the short answer, I moved hurriedly, of course, with my dearest

escort army.
Pope Basel’s reaction gave me a little relief, but it was still much better
to move with them.
Seeing that the Holy Knights weren’t holding us back, it seemed that
they were allowing my people to go in together.
‘That means he trusts me that much. It’s not bad.’
“Pope Basel, can you tell me exactly when the anomaly occurred?”
“Of course. I know it was around 2:00 am, two days ago. It was irst
discovered by a common priest praying to the Goddess statue. After 10
minutes, I witnessed Benignore crying too. It’s embarrassing, but we
still haven’t igured out exactly what caused it. Heretic inquisitors and
bishop or higher priests are doing their best, but…”
“…”
“We haven’t made much progress. Access to the main hall with the
statue is currently restricted to bishop-level priests, and we’re trying to
be as careful as we can to contain the spread of the rumor, but we can’t
cover the sky with a palm.”
‘Of course, it’s like that.’
The Church suddenly restricted access to the main chapel, and the
priests’ faces above the bishop’s class were bluish.
It was amazing that stories were not coming out from the priests below
that level.
While we were moving, I could see the priests with stiff facial
expressions.
The atmosphere got darker as we entered the main hall, making me

break out in cold sweat.
I slowly opened the main hall door with Pope Basel in the lead, and
what greeted me was a spectacle.
‘Why did she cry, gosh.’
I had no choice but to harbor such thoughts in the face of such a

phenomenon.
‘But, can that be used as a catalyst…?’
The same was true for the information that came into the Mind’s Eyes.
CHAPTER 421
[Benignore Statue’s Tears of Blood (Semi-mythic)]
[This is the tears of the Goddess Beginore, which is classi ied as a semi-
mythic grade catalyst.]
‘It seems like I can use that.’
There was no information on how to use it, so it was impossible to

make an accurate judgment about that aspect, but it did state that it
could be used.
I was hoping that it would be a mythic-grade, but this was pretty

acceptable as well, although I couldn’t help but think of them as petty
all the same.
‘It means that, to get the mythic grade, I have to torture Benignore.’
It was a bit disappointing, but I was still lucky to have found such a
thing in that place. Naturally, I wanted to collect the catalysts that were
still lowing down its cheeks.
If Pope Basel and the others weren’t with me, I would’ve stuck to that
statue like hot glue.
“Oh, God…”
As soon as I looked at the statue again, I heard Pope Basel’s sigh.

Even though he had already seen it multiple times, it sounded as if it
was still heartbreaking to see for him. Of course, I could understand.
Pope Basel was one of the strongest believers in the Church, and he
held the purest faith.
It was normal that he had been in various political and religious battles,
but he couldn’t have reached such a high position without the will to
hold on to his faith constantly.
It was certainly sorrowful to see the statue’s appearance in this manner.
Perhaps, if she had looked a little less as if she had been treated
unfairly, she wouldn’t be looking sad like that.
As a whole, though, the statue of Benignore looked beautiful.
Of course, I didn’t know if the image of that Goddess matched the actual
appearance of Benignore in the sky.
If there was anything unusual, she had a somewhat unjust-looking face.

She was certainly beautiful, but there was resentment all over her
expression.
It wasn’t unreasonable to think the Goddess looked like she was down,
considering she was indeed pouring out tears of blood from her eyes.
“Sniff. Goddess…”
It wasn’t just Pope Basel. Priests belonging to levels equal or higher

than the Bishop gathered in that place, sighing in such a melancholic
manner.
I pretended to pray as I secretly investigated the room. I was worried

that something else would happen to the statue.
‘Goddess Benignore, are we still on good terms? You’re not aiming for
my back, are you?’
There was still no answer.
I tried to read the people’s faces, but I didn’t feel like they were about to
do something.
They didn’t bring me here to catch me, and they didn’t get a pledge from
the Goddess Benignore.
It seemed that I could also judge that they didn’t know what the cause
of this abnormal phenomenon was. It was still too early to come to a
conclusion, but at least it seemed okay to let go of the delusion that
Benignore had indeed fallen and gone crazy.
It was a little disappointing, but it wasn’t bad, either.
“S-So, did you hear it, Honorary Cardinal? The Goddess’ voice…”
“Hmm…”
‘What should I tell them?’
I wanted to hold a lying party con idently while nodding, but I opted for
the opposite response instead. However, if I told him that I had realized
something, I would be able to see the Church’s reaction.
‘I also need some time to organize my thoughts… ’
I had to bite my lips and shake my head to make it even more

believable.
Maintaining an expression made me look like I had just lost a country

was too easy for Light Kiyoung. When I opened my mouth, I felt all the
gazes focused on him.
“I can’t hear it. I can’t hear… Goddess Benignore’s voice.”
“Huh…”
“A-Actually… I can partly predict why Goddess Benignore is looking like

that. However, it still feels too early for me to open my mouth…”
“What do you mean?!”
‘He sure did rush to answer immediately.’
He had the face of a traveler, who had been wandering the desert for
dozens of days before inally inding an oasis.
‘That’s not acting.’
I had been thinking about it for a while, but when I saw Pope Basel’s
expression, which seemed to be telling me to tell him quickly, I was
somewhat convinced.
Benignore had not yet fallen.
“I’m sorry, Pope Basel.”
“Tell me quickly, Honorary Cardinal.”
“…If it’s okay, would you please leave for a moment? I want to be with
the Goddess alone…”
“Yes. I-I will. Absolutely! What are you all doing? Get out, quickly!
Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung said he is looking at the Goddess’s
condition. Everyone, leave the main hall! F-For how long do you want us
to be away, Honorary Cardinal?”
“It might take a little while. Please don’t worry too much and wait
comfortably, Pope Basel. I will bet my all to reveal what the Goddess
truly wants.”
“Please, Honor Cardinal. Thank you.”
‘I got it, so let go of my hand. It hurts… ’
“If you ever need anything, just tell me, whatever it is!”
“Yeah. I will make sure to do that.”
“I’m really glad the Honorary Cardinal came. Really…”
“No, Pope Basel.”
‘I got it, so get out quickly. My head’s starting to hurt too.’
“Please, take care of it. Please!”
‘Just get out… ’
It was quite a sight to see him holding both of my hands tightly and
pleading repeatedly.
In the end, it took a long time before the people began to go outside.
My insurances, including Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra, started looking at

me as if asking if I was going to be alright.
I felt a little anxious, but I still nodded to reassure them. I watched them
walk out with the Pope. I was still curious how those women would
spend their time separately.
However, there were more pressing matters to handle than them.
‘I should do my job.’
Though my thoughts were complicated, I still had to ful ill my duty.
After taking out the alchemy kit I always carried, I set it in a position
where the tears of blood were likely to fall.
‘Good.’
The empty glass bottle that I used to catch the dripping blood tears felt
very lovely. If I waited for an hour or two, I knew that it would
eventually be illed to the brim.
“She wouldn’t be crying out of the blue for a gift… What’s wrong with
her?”
No matter how I thought about it, there was no reason for her to have
such problems.
‘She’s not even at war against the demon… ’
“She mustn’t be con ined somewhere.”
Assuming that all the achievements I’d made had become the merits of
Goddess Benignore, it was only proper for her to scream out of pure
bliss instead.
Perhaps those were tears of joy, not tears of sadness.
She must’ve been shedding tears of joy because she united humanity
and took the continent out of a crisis. It wasn’t strange to think so.
It was only a joke, but the reason I couldn’t hear her voice might be
because she was too busy having a party.
‘It’s a dereliction of duty and negligence.’
Of course, the probability of the assumptions I made being right was

indeed quite low.
However, without hearing her voice and without an explanation for the
blood tears, I couldn’t come up with an excuse. Since I hadn’t been able
to determine the cause, I had no choice but to grasp and use the results
of my will.
First, there was the excuse to calm the high ranks of the Church,
including Pope Basel.
‘I think I can use the demon one more time… ’
It was an old-fashioned idea, but nothing was as good as that.
I needed an oracle to quickly deal with demon minions hiding across

the continent. Since the demon’s minions were damaging the
continent’s vital forces, it wouldn’t be hard to believe that there was a
problem in the sky.
I was about to deal with a couple of bastards besides Demon Summoner

Jin Qing, anyway.
Those who were uncooperative to me…
“Because all of them are involved with the demon. It can’t be helped
since it’s for the future of the continent…”
It went without saying for the State, the Magic Kingdom, and the
Republic. The same went for motherfuckers who had only been looking
after the war began.
Like the saying, ‘Neutrality is the best idiocy,’ they also needed to take
responsibility for not choosing any side. Of course, that didn’t mean I
planned to make everyone my enemy.
When wars broke out, all the things I’d done before it became
meaningless, so I thought I could pick a few key people.
I chose the elder wizard of the magic kingdom, Medilive.
The wizard’s tower where that motherfucker, who talked about the
balance of the world, lived was actually…
“It was the demon’s spire… we almost got in trouble. I almost got
tricked by the demon.”
I also chose the high warlord of the Republic, who took the lead in
causing the war.
“The Demon 72 Corps commander’s servant, the 72 Corps

commander’s shelter. I can’t give him a chance.”
Even within the kingdoms where nothing had been involved, many
people had to be removed from existence.
The manager of the Demon’s Canyon. The lord of General Strait, who
was a demon minion contributing to polluting the sea. Many people had
to be tackled, not as an individual but as a group.
Of course, it was heartbreaking for the ightable troops had to

disappear, but those guys weren’t helpful, anyway.
They were also those who could stab my back anytime, and they could
become threats to the world if left alone. There was a justi ication.
There was also a reason.
It wouldn’t be bad to wipe them off all at once using that opportunity.
I agreed with myself. Personally, I thought it wasn’t a bad excuse.
Dealing with all the demonic of icials spread across the continent
couldn’t be completed instantaneously. I had to provide suf icient time
to execute my plan.
I also had to think of other reasons to justify the cause. If it was Pope
Basel, he would be able to agree with my opinion.
From then on, I organized the list of all the demonic of icials in my head
one by one.
‘I can just say that I got the information from Jin Qing.’
If I told the people that he had snitched out all the demonic of icials, I
would be able to create a plausible story.
‘It’s good. It’s good.’
There might be a problem in the sky, but there was no problem on

earth.
Rather, it was working so well that it made me happy.
Feeling grateful, I placed my hand on the statue’s shoulder without

thinking.
“She has a face that makes her look as if she’s been treated unjustly.”
[Please. Sniff. Please… Lord… please…]
“What?”
[Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Lee Kiyoung, son of a bitch!
Waaahhhh…]
“What’s this?”
[Can you hear my voice?]
“I can…”
[I’m glad… I’m glad. That’s a relief. Really… I’m really relieved. Thank
you. Thank you very much. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. O-Our
lovely Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung! I didn’t betray you. I never
thought of that. I would never do that. It’s all because of circumstances.
I’ll explain everything slowly. Don’t do anything useless. Don’t do
anything weird. Let’s take things leisurely, just like this. Don’t do
anything useless. Never do such things!]
As soon as I took my hand off the statue, I couldn’t hear the voice
anymore.
I had no choice but to wonder why she was contacting me that way.
When I put my hand on it again, the voice started to come back.
[I like you. I’ve never thought of betraying you. I never thought of you as
trash or a mean bastard… We have a good relationship. So let’s not do
anything that can harm each other. It’s wrong to call me Benignore, the
fallen god. I have never fallen and have never turned the continent into
an enemy. Can you think that over?]
I nodded slowly, not wanting to stop the words that poured down like a
waterfall.
Shortly after Benignore talked about the depraved new plan, she told
me something that both confused and surprised me.
[I… I went bankrupt.]

CHAPTER 422
[I… I went bankrupt.]
‘What do you mean, bankrupt?’
[I… I have nothing… It’s because I’m broke… that I keep… crying… and
stuff. I haven’t fallen. It’s absolutely nothing like that. Sniff. So please
don’t do that.]
I didn’t know if her reply could be called useful information. However, I

couldn’t help but admit that I did feel a little happy.
My hypothesis was very slightly right.
The demon performed with contracts and the gods with faith.
When she said she went bankrupt, it didn’t mean she had lost all the
money she had, but she probably meant that she had lost her divinity.
[You’re right.]
‘How could you lose all the divinity you’ve collected so far? I don’t
understand. Are you extravagant?’
[What? This son of a bitch. Trash bastard! You dare say that to me?!]
‘…’
[No. No. I shouldn’t have said that… my bad. I’m really sorry… Honorary
Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, you know that my most cherished believer is
Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, right? I haven’t fallen. So you can’t do that.]
‘…’
What a double-personality psycho.
However, it didn’t seem like she was completely out of herself. I was
mostly curious about why she had to contact me that way.
I already thought that divinity was necessary to create quests, but I

couldn’t imagine she wouldn’t be able even to do that.
“…”
[…]
In fact, I didn’t even have to think.
Wasn’t she the one who could easily give me an answer?
“Our Goddess Benignore, do you know what this lowly believer is

wondering about?”
[Basic quests have already been set by the system. For example, the
system manages the quests you can receive when entering a dungeon
or ful illing class-change quests… It’s different in the case of forced
quests or quests sent to individuals. We use our divinity directly. Of
course, unimaginable divinity is consumed. Gods cannot intervene in
human affairs. Originally, that’s the principle. Forced quests are against
that principle. Of course, the amount of divinity used varies greatly
depending on the content and dif iculty, but anyway. The same applies
to the rewards paid after completion.]
‘Good to know.’
[I ran out of all the divinity I had, and I’ve also run out of the divinities I
borrowed. All for… my proud believer… sniff… Lee Kiyoung… Sniff…
Honorary Cardinal.]
“So, it seems to me that our Goddess Benignore is saying that it was me

that caused her bankruptcy.”
[No, of course… it’s all my fault. All… A-Anyway, that’s why I could only
contact you this way. I can’t create a forced quest… I could only do this.]
“There isn’t only one deity, right? There is also Elune trash… you could
have contacted me through other means as well… although it would
only last for a while. I wonder how you even lost your divinity.”
[I-I can explain! The same goes for the others who manage this
continent. Elune, Varian, and all the other gods are bankrupt. It’s
because I borrowed a lot of divinity here and there… there were so
many unavoidable situations… yeah… even externally… things… got a
little bad. I got caught by bad guys…]
‘Were you managing the continent with your feet?’
[It’s not that. My… My proud Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. And those
words are blasphemy.]
She had denied that this wasn’t the case, but I thought otherwise.
How on Earth did they manage to instantly ruin the continent that had
been doing well for so long?
I could understand the bankruptcy of Benignore alone, but the news

that everyone who was in control of the continent was collapsing
alarmed me.
I wasn’t exactly sure if the example was appropriate, but the continent
was like a workshop to the sky’s beings.
They gained divinity through the continent and managed it with that
divinity. Of course, there were many things to use it on. They also had to
keep demons in check and solve natural phenomena.
I could also assume that some of the divine powers used by priests used
their divinity.
Besides, the continent already had an adequate amount of population.

It didn’t increase easily anymore. Many divinities could be accepted in
such a continent, but they would be limited.
Although knowing that, they used it like a parvenu. Such a miserable

end could be seen as expected.
She was seriously crying there, but in the end, it turned out to be
entirely their fault.
‘I can see how it went.’
I wasn’t sure if such concepts existed above there, but based on human
systems, I thought Benignore borrowed some sort of divinity from trash
like Elune and Varian. Since that was not enough, she borrowed from
the gods of the surrounding kingdoms too.
The gods of the continent eventually needed to use a collective

guarantee. Thanks to that, Benignore got her hands on divinity from
external parties.
She would’ve been happy for a while. She must’ve been enjoying a good
life with abundant divine nature. However, that happiness lasted for
only a second.
After a certain duration, the divinity coming from the outside became a
problem. It was no different than calling it the IMF exploding in the sky.
I was able to understand to some extent why Benignore was so friendly.

‘She’s worried about being doomed. Phew… That’s amazing. Amazing.’
Even now, the divinity must be ixedly entering.
It was natural that the number of believers would decrease as soon as

the story that the fallen god Benignore had become evil-polluted and
crazy.
A mob might even come in to smash the statue of Benignore, who was
being driven by evil spirits. Of course, that was only if Operation
Benignore worked well, but even if it were only half-successful, it would
be threatening enough for Benignore, who was struggling because she
couldn’t afford to send a quest.
I didn’t know what the consequences would be when all the gods’
divinities had been depleted, but no matter how I thought about it, it
wasn’t a good situation.
They could disappear or fall to the ground.
“Am I right?”
[…]
“Well, well… Our Goddess Benignore seems to be having a lot of trouble

right now.”
[That’s why you’re a quick-witted dog…]
[No… That’s not right. Believer Lee Kiyoung. Most of them are correct,
but I’ve always been friendly to you.]
“At irst, you weren’t. Goddess Benignore.”

[T-T-That’s Elune. Elune was in charge of you. Halfway through, the
person in charge has changed. It’s something I didn’t know well, and I
couldn’t help it. Think about it, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, my
lovely son, all the things I did for you. There’s the Bomb of Light potion!
There’s also the semi-mythic grade class! In addition to that, I helped
you a lot. Why would I hate you? You increased the number of my
believers and did your best for the Benignore Church. We are a team. At
irst, Elune was the one in charge. Really! Elune, that bastard was in
charge!]
“That bastard really is an irreparable piece of trash.”
[I… I think so sometimes. She also sold her daughter off. I never
abandon my sons and daughters. In particular, I never neglect the
people like you. When did I ever disappoint you? We are a team. One
team.]
I thought it would be unlikely that Elune trash was the one in charge,
but it would be understandable if it were her trash power.
[The rumors about Elune aren’t that good anyway. There’s nothing good
about being close to him, and more than that, Honorary Cardinal Lee
Kiyoung. I have something to say…]
“No, no, I’ll talk irst.”
[Okay… Do that. My proud son…]
“I had something I wanted to ask if ever I got an opportunity like this. It

was one-sided up until now, but inally, I got a window where I can have
a two-sided conversation. I have a lot to ask, so I’ll put the prologue
away and talk. First, the thing I’m curious about. Where are you now?
Are you here in this statue?”
[Yes and no. To be more precise, no. My body is still above… it is dif icult
to explain with human concepts.]
“Really?”
[Where are you touching, you bastard!]
“You said you weren’t here.”
[Only a part is hidden. Only a part… a part… is hidden. Because of the

bastards urging me to pay my debts… motherf– no, my lovely Honorary
Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.]
“Why didn’t you say that right away. And are you overreacting with me
barely stroking the statue? You won’t even feel it anyway. But do you
really look like this?”
[Similar… It was made from the memories of a sculptor who saw me in

a dream. So this is the second question?]
“No. I just asked because I was curious. You’re prettier than I thought.
Honestly, you’re my type.”
[I-I hear that a lot… Well, you can’t say that, though. It’s blasphemy.]
“Well… Anyway, the second question. What happens when humans

die?”
[What?]
“Like I said, what happens when humans die? Honestly, it’s something
I’ve always been curious about. Imagine you’ve met a transcendental
being. Naturally, you’d want to ask.”
[…]
“…”
[Listen, and please don’t misunderstand me, Honorary Cardinal. I swear
in Benignore’s name… Even I don’t know that.]
“What?”
[I don’t know what exactly happens. That’s not under my jurisdiction.

There are parts that we can say, and parts that we cannot say. There are
problems with security issues and problems with other aspects. But
that… that question can’t be answered. We don’t really know about
what happens after not only human death but the death of any living
being. I don’t know what happens when we are destroyed. I don’t know
if you’ll believe it, but I hope you do.]
“Well… I believe you.”
[Really?]
“Really. I didn’t even expect to hear an actual answer anyway. I thought

you wouldn’t know for some reason. So, do you mean that you can
reveal information that has security embedded in them?”
[That’s impossible too. Of course, it would be nice if I could, but I’m not
allowed to tell anyone about it. Even if I tell you, you won’t hear
anything.]
“So, you’re saying you can only tell me bullshit?”
[That depends on the question. What are you curious about?]
“…”
[…]
“Why did you bring us here?”
[…]
“I’m not blaming you or anything. I am very satis ied with this life now.
I’m just curious about this too.”
[This has no security, but it’s also something I can’t talk about in detail.
To be precise, we didn’t bring you. They left you over here, and we
accepted you.]
“What are you talking about? The Earth left us here?”
[I can’t tell you the exact details. But it is true. Of course, I know it’s
hard to accept. It must be harsh for foreigners. The tutorial dungeon is
designed like that because we had no choice. We cannot accept all of the
humans who come in. Of course, we also recognize that the method was
violent, but that wasn’t our decision either. I swear by my name, it was
inevitable. Sorry… that’s all I can tell you. I can’t tell you… about why or
how things work.]
“So, you’re saying there’s security in those details.”
[It’s really unfortunate.]
“What?”
[Being abandoned in a dimension… It’s really unfortunate.]
I didn’t know why, but her voice seemed to pity me.

CHAPTER 423
“What about it?”
[Even though you’re this kind of tras–no, human, you didn’t deserve
that…]
‘What the hell are you saying? I’m ine.’
Honestly, I really was.
I could understand that something had happened on Earth, causing the

people who managed it to give us over, but it was a little dif icult from
my point of view to think of it as sad and unfortunate.
To put it bluntly, I didn’t feel anything.
If she were to say something about being abandoned by my parents, it

would be worth crying about, but I was abandoned by the Earth, not by
my parents.
The scale was so great that it was dif icult to say from where to mourn.
‘God is a god, after all.’
Their perspective was different from humans. Compared to the

beginning, when she was going crazy, she now seemed very quiet.
Noticing that she was answering my question seriously, the statue in

front of me began to look slightly different. As I was lost in thoughts, I
heard Benignore’s voice again.
[I’m glad if you think you’re ine… Anyway, that’s what happened. I-it’s a
bit sad from our point of view.]
“It can be seen that you accepted refugee. Well… Should I be grateful?”
[You don’t have to. It was an unavoidable choice for us as well.]
“Hmm… So you mean something is wrong with Earth right now?”
[There has always been a problem there. The same is true for this
world, but… If you are asking if there is something different from usual,
the answer is yes. But I can’t tell you the details. That place is out of my
jurisdiction, to begin with. Besides, they want to hide themselves over
there…]
“Hmm…”
[Hmm… Wait a minute. If you’re worried about your sister, you can rest
assured. Rather…]
Yulha had a personality that would keep her alive even if left alone in
Antarctica, so I wasn’t really that worried.
“No. I’m actually okay about Yulha.”
[So the questions end here?]
“I have one more.”
[What?]
“Kim Hyunsung. Does this also have security?”

[Partly. There are parts I don’t know. But there is something I can tell
you. What exactly are you curious about? The irst round?]
“The reason he returned. And what on Earth is Altanus who brought

Kim Hyunsung back?”
I could say that was the main question, and it was the one I was most
curious about.
Seeing how she became quiet for a while, it also seemed to be hard to
answer.
As I slowly patted the statue on the shoulder, I heard her voice again.
[The reason he returned was that Altanus wanted it.]
“…”
[Altanus is a god and a manager like us. And she was also in charge of
Kim Hyunsung.]
“As expected. Where is Altanus? Can I meet her?”
[No. It’s impossible.]
“Why?”
[Altanus no longer exists.]
“Ah…”
[She is dead. No, to say that she has disappeared would be more
appropriate. She paid the price for turning back time. But we are taking
over that will.]
‘Is that so?’

Thinking about it for a bit, it was only natural.
Creating forced quests and giving down classes also required divinity. I
couldn’t even imagine how much divinity it would take for a god to
perform a nonsensical and ridiculous miracle like time regression.
It wasn’t just that it affected the sky, but it completely turned back time.
Perhaps Altanus was likely a higher god than Benignore. If she were
common, that wouldn’t have been possible. I never imagined that
Benignore, who had been hiding part of herself in the statue, could turn
back time.
‘Tsk.’
[Altanus loved the man. And… She also sympathized with his life. After
a lot of thought, she sacri iced herself to turn everything back. Of
course, I tried to stop her back then, but… I respected her. No god can
probably make that choice. That feeling is a common value among us.]
“Can you tell me what the irst round was like?”
[You already have a rough understanding about it due to the special

human named Yuno Kasugano. I don’t know in detail, either.]
“You can’t remember the irst round either?”
[Yes, and no. I can’t remember everything, but I do remember Altanus’s

will.]
“I don’t know what Altanus’ will is. It’s not something I can accept. You
can’t see the black world that Yuno Kasugano can see?”
[Don’t make fun of human possibilities. She is special. The same goes
for the human named Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra. Human possibilities
are endless. Right now, you alone with the Mind’s Eyes… no, actually, it’s
nothing. Of course, some of us can see the black world you’re talking
about, but there are limitations too. Managing dimensions is a lot more
complicated and dif icult than you think. If we really could have solved
everything, Altanus wouldn’t have brought Kim Hyunsung back.]
“Possibilities?”
[Yes, possibilities. Altanus must have seen it too.]
“You guys aren’t perfect either, huh?”
[Right. We’re not perfect. Remember that well, my proud Honorary

Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. We’re not perfect either. We’re imperfect. It’s just
the place where we stand that’s different from those on the continent,
but we’re not very different either. Never forget that we’re not perfect.]
“There is no need to emphasize that much. I think I can already tell that
just by looking at you. Rather, you seem to have vaguely avoided the
question. Goddess Benignore, what I’m curious about is the reason that
Kim Hyunsung returned. Saying it’s Altanus’ will isn’t what I want to
hear. Tell me exactly what threat there was and what made him return.
In short, the reason for failure.”
[That doesn’t have security, but I still can’t tell you the answer. It would
be better to listen to or watch Yuno Kasugano or Kim Hyunsung. One
thing I can tell you is that you are right.]
“What?”
[There is a threat. What Kim Hyunsung is preparing for is for that

threat. And I- I hate to admit it, but you, you have been… d-doing well…]
“Hmm. As expected. For that, I’ll accept the compliment gratefully. By

the way… I feel like I didn’t hear much more than I thought…”
[I-I can’t help it. I really can’t help it… Do you think I don’t want to tell
you? I want to get comfortable too!]
“Oh, I’ll ask one more question.”
[Ugh. You have a lot of questions. Now I, too—]
“That’s obvious. I was dragged in without knowing anything, and I got

caught up in something without knowing anything. Wouldn’t you be the
same? Anyway, the question. Can we… hmm… go back to Earth?”
[You want to go back?]
“No, not really. I’m just curious about it.”
[Impossible. You are the residents of this place now. You can’t go
anywhere else.]
“I’m a little disappointed now that I heard it.”
Of course, my disappointment wasn’t that deep. If anyone asked if I had

no attachments, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.
But what could I do with something that had already happened?
I couldn’t even openly complain that I couldn’t return to Earth. I

couldn’t believe it completely, but it seemed that Earth itself had
thrown us out, and Benignore and the others accepted us.
As I looked up at the statue, I could see Benignore still shedding tears of

blood.
[T-This is inevitable. It’s like a sign. I already stopped crying.]
“What sign? A sign that the continent’s base is falling apart?”

[Kind… of.]
‘Fuck.’
“Anyway, if you restore your divinity, everything will return to normal,

right?”
[Basically, you’re right. Oh, anyway, this time I want to say…]
“Out with it. I don’t know what it is, but… is it serious?”
[It’s a bit serious.]
The way she talked showed that she was indeed worried about
something. However, after a while, her voice began to be heard again.
[M-maybe. Quest creation has stopped for unknown reasons. Haven’t

you… heard about it?]
“What? I think I did.”
[It’s something related to that.]
“Wouldn’t it be obvious that the creation stopped since you’re like this?
That’s… no… fuck…”
[I-I’m sorry. My…]
“S-Stop bullshitting. Fuck.”
I bit down on my lips that instant.
It was so ridiculous that laughter popped out of me. it was something

that could be deduced by even an elementary student.
She couldn’t create quests because she was now out of divinity.
I could understand that. It was something I was already expecting

anyway. The problem was that Benignore wasn’t the only one suffering
from that condition.
Well, in the case of others, they were in a better situation than her, but it
wasn’t much different.
We were all one family aboard a sinking ship.
When I started feeling anxious, I heard Benignore’s voice once again.
[The minimal system such as class or tutorial dungeon will be

maintained, but… legendary-grade dungeons and some heroic-grade
dungeons… will be blocked. A-and all the raid monsters that were
sleeping will be s-sealed…]
“Why block that? Why will you block that… Why block…”
[That’s because some dungeons are dangerous. Think about the

museum. S-So, that kind of dungeon… To use your words, they need to
be monitored by gods. We have turned some places into dungeons, but
many dungeons were created naturally or because of cracks. Not only
will the humans who enter them be in danger, but if the raid fails or if a
problem arises, it will be impossible to ix it. We don’t want to block
them either, but this is something that we have to do…]
‘Fuck… ‘
The problem had become a little more serious.
It became even worse when I looked at the current situation. I wanted

to applaud very, very much that humanity had united as one.
However, if that was the end of it, the worst outcome would remain a
possibility.
They would become stronger as they fought.
There was no room for denial.
Humans were able to grow stronger in the irst round because they had
time to ight among themselves. I wasn’t complimenting stupidity back
in the days when they cut open each other’s throats.
Rather, it had gone to show that through con lict, it was possible to
improve.
The threat Kim Hyunsung was preparing for existed. I was expecting it,
but it was time I heard it from Benignore.
‘Is there no other choice but to block the dungeon?’
It was no different than blocking the growth road.
Heroic-grade and legendary-grade dungeons were the places special

personnel went to. The confusion when such places became
inaccessible would be indescribable.
If they blocked even raid monsters, the situation would be even more
serious.
All processing factories that worked based on monster corpses would

be closed, and the dormant workforce would be forced to roam the
streets. It was safe to say that the armed forces and the economy would
end up getting heavily damaged.
Supplies were sold because of dungeons.
Because people were entering dungeons, merchants could make money.

That system had already been established too deeply.
To exaggerate a little, it was comparable to a situation in which

petroleum had disappeared from modern civilizations.
‘It’s going to be a complete mess… ’
Of course, the sales volume of Made by Lee Kiyoung potion would also
drop.
‘Kiyoung Coin decreases in value.’
“Shit…”
‘The value of the Kiyoung Coin shuts down!!’
“Damn.”
‘Let’s go with Mirror Lake!!!’
This was admittedly an exaggerated reaction, but it was only natural for
the situation to remind me of a situation I didn’t want to imagine.
Whether or not she knew about my confusion, I had no choice but to

shout at Benignore, who was getting on my nerves again.
[A-And… for the time being, the creation of quests on all continents will
be stopped. I-I don’t know when it will resume…]
“…”
[…]
“Hey, you crazy troll!”
My voice was illed with sincerity.

CHAPTER 424
Silence then dominated the entire room.
It took a long time before I heard Benignore’s voice again. I thought she
would respond to me by screaming, but it was rather the opposite.
The way she talked in such a small tone of voice, not even ants could’ve
heard her. It felt oddly shamefully dirty.
[…]
“…”
[This is all because of…]
“What?”
[Do you think I wanted this to happen…?]
“What?”
[I-It’s nothing.]
“…”
I honestly had nothing to say to her broken replies, either.
The reason behind the incompetent goddess Benignore’s bankruptcy

was that the divinity she had associated with me must’ve had some sort
of effect on her.
‘No, no. Actually, it’s not even that. In my case, I was just rewarded for
my actions… And that is a completely different situation from this.’
If I was generous, I could say I had greatly contributed to her

bankruptcy…
‘It doesn’t make sense, right?’
Soon, the order of the continent would collapse.
What Benignore had said was probably just a small part of it. If that
happened, the quests and dungeons would not function properly, and
this in turn, would have countless side effects. It seemed like the ones
who had been managing the continent the entire time had ended up
abandoning it in the end.
With these thoughts in mind, I felt as if the room’s temperature was

rapidly rising.
I didn’t know if she knew what I was currently feeling or not, but
Benignore kept making more excuses as the seconds continued to tick
by. I couldn’t give her a suitable answer, so I could only respond by
sighing.
[…]
“…”
[I-I’m sorry…]
“…”
[I-I’m sorry, my proud Honorary Cardinal. You know how much I care
for Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, right? T-This is not your fault, so
you don’t have to worry too much. Forget what I just said. Can you do
that?]
“Gosh… I know that much. Did I do anything wrong? This is your mess.
You’re really funny, you know that? Even after giving you divinity from
down here, are your capabilities so low? There are limits to being
incompetent… Honestly, I’m not in charge of you, so I can’t say anything
about this, but I still think you have to re lect on this. It would be bad
for you to get insulted by me, a human, but this is my advice as a true
believer who serves you.”
[Uuugghhhh.]
“Or did you get distracted somewhere else?”
[Uuugghhh.]
My desire to scold her was strong. However, this would’ve been an

extremely unproductive behavior. What mattered at that moment was
not the cause, but how I could solve the situation. If everything I heard
from here on was true…
‘I can think of it as another threat.’
It wasn’t a problem that could simply be solved instantaneously or

easily.
If it were simply a problem like defeating a raid boss, it would’ve

needed a much simpler approach. This was a bit more complicated than
that.
This was a social problem, and it was a problem with various interests
involved.
“Do you have any solutions in mind?”

[No. Such a thing… It happened so suddenly that we had no way of
doing anything. In an instant, like a bubble that burst…]
‘Damn… ’
[A-Anyway, that’s it. The basic system will still work. It may be a little
unstable, but…]
“It’s unstable? How exactly is it unstable?”
[I-I don’t know for sure yet.]
‘What on earth is she talking about?’
“So… Why are you suddenly telling me this? Does this mean you want
me to clean up your mess?”
[You’re right… it’s partly that. I-It’s not an area where you can do
anything, but at least I was hoping you could control the chaos that will
happen on the continent…]
“You’re asking me to manage the continent?”
[No. That’s not possible. I mean that. If so many things change suddenly,
our sons and daughters living on the continent will get extremely
confused. I think it would be nice… If you could ix it… Our Honorary
Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is good at that.]
“So, you’re saying you do want me to clean up your mess. Just because
we prevent people’s confusion doesn’t mean the problem will end
there. Do you know how far the ripple will come the moment the
system becomes paralyzed? There will be tremendous social chaos, and
some countries will go bankrupt like you. The commoners will be
driven to live on the streets. Of course, I’m sure you already know that
without me telling you. It doesn’t end there either. It’s temporary, but
losing our means to level up will also be something to worry about. Do
you know how important that is? Just because you think you’ll be able
to ix it, it doesn’t mean you can. We’ll just end up holding on.”
[…]
“Exactly when will you be able to ix everything?”
[At least three years… Actually, I don’t know the details. If I can pay off
my debt quicker, I think I can ix it faster. Of course, heroic-grade
dungeons and legendary-grade dungeons will open up faster than that.]
‘This is a real problem… ’
Looking at her casually explaining, I couldn’t help swallowing hard.
It would take three years at the earliest.
I thought that Benignore backstabbing me was the worst case, but our
problem was just as bad.
It was hard to determine the superiority and inferiority of the former or

the latter.
I replied to her after a while.
“Do you have anything else to say? Anything at all. Perhaps there’s
something I should know.”
[No… That’s all.]
“…”
[I’m embarrassed now…]
“It’s not me you should be embarrassed about. You should be

embarrassed about yourself. Anyway, okay. I want to think about it
separately.”
[Think what? What? What? Separately?]
“What did I just say? I’ll think about it separately.”
[Y-You don’t have any other thing in mind, right?]
“What another thing?”
[That… That… I’ve heard of something like a plan to backstab the fallen
God Benignore…]
“It’s nothing like that. I won’t do that, of course. I’m thinking about
something else. I’ll do it on my own to get things done, so don’t worry
about it. I’m going to use your name a bit. You should know that.”
[Oh, really? Of course, you should. If that’s what Honorary Cardinal

needs to do, then that’s what you should do! By the way… You really
didn’t have any other plans, right, Honorary Cardinal? Y-you know how
much I care about you, right? Y-you’re not going to do anything weird…
We are a team, okay?]
“I said I wouldn’t. What are you nervous about? I’m not the kind of
person who just stabs the back of others. I don’t want to be on bad
terms with you. I just need some time to think about it. Wouldn’t you be
disconcerted if you were in my place?”
[T-That’s fortunate then, but…]
“Anyway, I’m going. People outside have been waiting for far too long.
As for the reason you are crying, I will look around a bit.”
[Okay.]
“And prepare a reward. A really good one. If I solve this properly, you
better have it ready.”
[…]
The loud voice immediately disappeared when I lifted my hand away

from the statue without waiting for her answer. As I looked up at the
statue, I saw that the tears of blood were still lowing.
I touched it once again just in case, but I could no longer hear her voice.
She, too, had inished her business there.
As I looked at the statue from a little farther away, I felt even more
absurd. It was weird that we had had various conversations, and one of
them included unloading a huge problem of me.
‘It’s too unexpected… ’
Of course, I thought there would have been a problem, but I didn’t

expect it to be such a major accident.
I couldn’t help but laugh due to how ridiculous it was. I didn’t even
know where to begin to ix it.
Of course, it wasn’t that I didn’t have anything in mind. When I thought

about it in simple terms, there was indeed a primal solution to the
problem.
‘The irst step should be to increase the people’s faith.’
It was only proper to make sure that Benignore and the others could
regain their place as soon as possible. Thanks to the impression that
had been accumulating over the years, people’s faith in God had been
irmly established in the continent.
The most important task was to gather divinity, give it to Benignore,
and then return the unstable continent to its original state.
Within two years, no, a year, all the gods on the continent had to be
revived. I had to become a life-rehabilitation consultant who could
bring the gods into the people’s lives a little faster.
The second was…
‘To provide alternative resources for this problem.’
The irst step might force to speed up the timing, but in fact, the second
part was the hardest.
It was unreasonable to think that there were alternatives to quests and

dungeons. In other words, there was no such thing as creating jobs.
This was a place where anyone could grow, get rewards, and even
collect gold. This was something that could give jobs to foreigners who
wandered the streets.
If I couldn’t ix that, the problem would get worse.
High-level foreigners who’d have nothing to do would enter rare-grade

dungeons and common-grade dungeons in order to survive, and
beginners who needed to grow would naturally have their feet tied.
Fights could also happen frequently.
Assuming the worst-case… It would be something like the growth of

humanity completely growing stagnant due to the three years wherein
Benignore messed up.
There was a possibility of regression, let alone a standstill. Of course, I

had the option to simply ignore it, thinking that had nothing to do with
me, but…
‘How could I?’
There was no way I could do that.
In many ways, I had fallen into a dilemma. The problem was that, no
matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t really think of a solution.
It was at that time that the words I spitted out were all stuck in my
chest.
“I can’t even make a dungeon, fuck.”
‘…’
“I already have it.”
At the same time, something I hadn’t been able to care about because of
my busy schedule had already started to come to mind.
When I hurriedly activated my Mind’s Eyes, I could see the title that
remained in one corner.
I thought it was worth thinking about.
‘Isn’t this also blocked?’
It still had to be checked, but the Crack Museum was still likely to work.
That was under my jurisdiction, not the jurisdiction of the gods. In the
irst place, the Crack Museum was a dungeon judged to be unrated and
was actually nearly being opened.
Closed beta services were often implemented, but it didn’t reach open-
beta due to lack of time.
The ink on the business plan had not yet dried up. If anyone asked if it
could be used by legendary-grade and heroic-grade foreigners, it was
indeed worth a nod.
There were quite a number of monsters still remaining in it, and there
were many chimeras made by Max.
Now that entry to dungeons was completely impossible, the value of the
Crack Museum was beyond words.
‘Because I can sell potions there. No, do I only have potions to sell?’
Potion business, dining business, accommodation business… If I could

develop it a little further, I may be able to do something like a souvenir
business or a casino business.
Gold was supposed to go around.
I didn’t know anything else, but I felt like I could certainly turn around
the economy.
“Crack Land…”
It would be a magical place to revitalize the economy of a stagnant

continent. At this, I couldn’t help but smile due to the plausible solution.
CHAPTER 425
WINNER AND LOSER (1)
I had to revise the details, but it didn’t matter much if I would decide to
go with the basic framework.
There were also other parts to be considered, but the rough foundation
was already in place.
Lee Jihye and my lovely son, the museum manager, Max, had last
checked out a few months ago, so it should be ready to open before
Benignore’s stupidity could affect the continent.
I couldn’t help but move joyfully.
As I slowly opened the door, I felt the gazes of those pacing back and
forth with anxious faces gathered instantly.
The irst face I could see was Pope Basel’s.
Archbishop Jaina and the Director of Inquisition Helena were together,

and the way they both came running and held my hands made me step
back unconsciously.
Of course, I was feeling good at the same time. I could accept this
situation to some extent.
“Honorary Cardinal! Did you hear… Benignore’s voice?”
‘Yes, I heard. That stupid bitch has decided to ruin everything here.
Don’t believe in Benignore, Pope.’
I wanted to say that, but I couldn’t. It didn’t matter if I told the Church
the general story.
“Yes. I de initely heard it. Actually, I don’t remember it well, but… I

remember faintly communicating with her.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. In fact… That’s the irst time I have ever received trust in this way,
and I am sorry to have kept you waiting, Pope Basel.”
“No, no. You were spending time with the Goddess, weren’t you? More
importantly… What did she say? Is she okay?”
“In fact…”
“Ah, it must be bad news.”
“Yes. It’s de initely not good news.”
“Ho… Ho… Something happened to the Goddess, that’s what you

mean?”
“It’s not enough to worry about. The Goddess is still safe. But she
warned us of possible anomalies all over the continent, starting with
this.”
“I heard that Benignore and the other continental gods are in a very
weak state right now. As Pope Basel already knows, the reason behind
it is that the power of demons rooted in the continent is already
harming the continent’s vital force. The demonic minions, which have
not yet disappeared, are taking their place across the continent and
threatening this sacred land.”
“Those… those… those damn bastards…”
Watching Pope Basel tremble made me feel like he would lead the Holy
Knights immediately and rush to exterminate the evil forces.
‘I guess it’s not all that bad.’
I knew Pope Basel trusted me, but I didn’t think it would be to this
extent.
Perhaps the previous Goddess descent incident was a decisive factor

towards that trust of his.
‘It’s not strange, though.’
I had proven that the Goddess Benignore had entered my body and
communicated through Light Kiyoung. It would be strange for him not
to believe I had a few conversations with her.
‘I can use this, too.’
Thinking about it, I realized there was no need to rush the museum.
Although most dungeons had been blocked, there were many heroic-
grade and legendary-grade dungeons on the continent. The dungeons
were where all the demon of icials were hiding.
It was a place that had not been judged by the dungeon system, but
what about it? Even if people killed humans, no, demons, their
experience would still increase.
Rewards, experience, items, and fame, the Demon’s Spire, where the
demon of icial Medilive resided, could still be considered a legendary-
grade dungeon.
The number of people who could enter them was limited, and it was a
place that must be raided with a party, not an army.
The same was true of the dungeon where many other demonic of icials
resided. Dozens, no, hundreds of dungeons per day could be created in
the current continent.
All the gangsters that hindered humanity from becoming one were the
ones called demons. This was a continuous holy war where each
individual could ight for the gods they worshipped. I’d be able to get
more divinity that way.
I thought that, at that level, Benignore and the other gods would also be
able to rest comfortably.
‘Whew… it’s perfect. Perfect. Benignore, this is how you manage things.’
There were certainly some vague aspects, but the detailed parts could
be dealt with later.
As I was looking at Pope Basel, I began to hear his voice once again.
“Do you know where they took root, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung?”
“I haven’t heard about that yet… But I’ll do my best to locate it, Pope
Basel.”
“It’s reassuring… Yes, it’s reassuring. Indeed, it’s Honorary Cardinal Lee
Kiyoung, after all. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is truly a messenger
of the Goddess Benignore. What’s the reason why you can stand even
though you went on so many battle ields and fought against countless
threats? If it were not for you, the Church wouldn’t have grown as
vigorous as it does now. I am truly grateful to the Honorary Cardinal. I
am very fortunate that someone like you is by the Goddess’s side.
Indeed…”
“No, Pope Basel. Rather, Goddess Benignore…”
“…”
“Goddess Benignore is always watching you. She asked me to tell you

that she’s grateful.”
“Huh…”
This was a bonus for the fool who only thought about Benignore. I said
it as if it wasn’t a big deal, but I could feel my hand being held even
more tightly.
How he looked after that was even more amusing.
“I-Is that true?”
“Yes.”
Tears had begun piling up in his eyes. It was certainly rare to see the old
man in tears.
Even though this had been a lie, seeing him like that made me think that
I did well in providing that kind of service.
“Goddess… Thank you. Thank you, Goddess Benignore.”
“…”
“My past years of serving only Goddess Benignore have never been
wrong.”
“Yes. She must have been watching all this time. She’s always with us,
after all.”
Of course, I didn’t know if she was actually watching over us, but if Pope
Basel was happy, that was enough for me. The people watched in the
back as they nodded at his warm appearance.
Perhaps the high ranks of the Church were happier than I was.
It must’ve been dif icult for them to deal with Pope Basel’s anger
throughout all those years.
There had even been a guy who even gave me a grateful look for putting
him in a good mood.
“I-I’ll go in irst, Honorary Cardinal. I wanted to spend time with you,

but today I have to pray to the Goddess all day long.”
“That’s a very good decision, Pope.”
“And, as soon as you identify the whereabouts of those dirty demon

minions rooted in the continent, please let the Church know. I will send
the Holy Knights in myself.”
“Yes.”
“Do they dare to harm the Goddess, Director of Inquisition Helena?”
“Yes.”
“You are going to start interrogating other informants spread across the
continent from Demon Summoner Jin Qing today. I can’t stay still for
even one moment.”
“Yes, your Holiness.”
‘Ah. Jin Qing bastard… You’re going to have a hard time.’
I hadn’t expected Jin Qing to suffer.

The trial was coming soon, and it was a relatively relaxing time, but I
had to remain silent for the guy who would soon be subjected to
unexpected and harsh torture.
As far as I was concerned, it was convenient for the demons’

whereabouts to come out of Jin Qing’s mouth.
I thought it wouldn’t be that bad to try to meet with him once. There
should be a relatively cumbersome negotiation process, but it didn’t
matter.
Who was strong and who was weak had already been decided. If I
offered something, the other side had no choice but to accept it.
‘They say it’s better to strike while the iron is hot.’
It didn’t sound much like an irrational plan.
“I’ll go there myself, Pope Basel.”
“Will you do that?”
“Yes. I, too, can’t stand it because I’m worried about Goddess Benignore.
I don’t know if it will help, but let me convince him.”
“If the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is coming, then that’s reassuring.
Yes!”
“I just do my best for the Goddess.”
“I trust only in you.”
‘Okay. I’ll also trust only you.’
When I saw Pope Basel moving away after a hug, I began to smile. When
I realized that inally, the work was over, Jung Hayan, who had been
walking around at a reasonable distance, rushed in.
Cho Hyejin and Yuno Kasugano slowly approached us as they talked,

and Elena was still watching out for others.
The people I brought in to be prepared if anything happened had

become surplus power. Of course, it would be better to think of it as a
form of vacation, but the problem was that I could cut the tension with
a knife.
I thought Hee-ra would also come towards me quickly, but she seemed
curious about something else.
“Honey.”
“Yes”
“Benignore’s voice… Did you really hear it?”
“You don’t believe me?”
“Since you lie around a lot… Well, it’s your karma.”
“…”
“…”
“It’s true, Hee-ra. Honestly, I didn’t think I could hear it, but things
worked out well. Maybe I had answered all the questions in my mind
that you would be curious about… I’ll tell you more about it later. There
are more important issues than that. I’m sure you’ll be surprised to
hear it.”
“What is it?”
“Quest creation will stop for a while across the entire continent. Of
course, there will be differences in each region, but there are no other
quests except class-related or tutorial dungeons.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Access to dungeons above the legendary-grade level will be restricted.

It seems it was true that something happened up there.”
“That’s… not good news. But that’s quite amazing… Honey, are you
really communing with the gods?”
“I only just got lucky.”
“Anyway… it will get quite noisy… Can you ix this? No, how long will
that even take?”
“Three years. Of course, if we try to reduce it, we can probably lessen it.
I’m thinking about how to do it in my mind. That’s why I’ll visit Jin Qing.
I didn’t really want to see his face, but I have no choice.”
“Hmm.”
“I-I don’t like him very much.”
“Me too, Hayan. But what can I do? I need to. Oh, and you don’t have to
follow me from here on out. I think everyone should just rest in a
suitable place. Let’s eat dinner together after work.”
“Okay. Well, I had something to do in the capital anyway.”
“Okay…”

“Yes. I’m only going to have a quick conversation with the Demon
Summoner.”
Jung Hayan had appealed with her eyes, as if asking me to take her too,
but if I were to take one, I would’ve needed to take all of them.
Since it wouldn’t take much time, it wouldn’t be bad if I went back and
forth alone.
‘Is he doing well…?’
Actually, that was a little late.
Since he was put in jail, I couldn’t even see his nose.
“That bastard’s life span is way too long.”
As I moved to the underground interrogation room located within the

Church, the dark and damp interior greeted me immediately.
The entire place didn’t it someone as holy as Light Kiyoung.

CHAPTER 426
‘Is it my irst time coming here?’
As far as I could remember, it was. Places like interrogation rooms ran

by heretic inquisitors honestly didn’t exactly suit people like me. It felt
like going into a dungeon.
Of course, there would be no accidents, but I was slowly becoming

mentally nervous. It was only normal that I would feel that way.
Screams and groans were echoing all over the place. There was even a
guy begging to be killed, forcing me to linch unconsciously. I was a
coward, after all.
I didn’t know what the hell was going on to make him plead for death to
come, but I could picture what had happened to him without having to
be there.
‘What are they doing to the prisoners?’
The Benignore Church had always operated a heresy interrogation

room.
But I couldn’t con idently say that it wasn’t operated in the way I
thought of.
Pope Basel’s rise had led to a rise in the heretic interrogators’ positions
in the church, and that situation had coincided with the great revival.
All religions had heretic interrogators and demon hunters, but the units
of the Benignore Church had grown in size beyond my imagination.
That was why I had to be curious.
I had to know whether the factory that extracted those negative feelings
contributed to the bankruptcy of Benignore.
‘It’s theoretically possible.’
Its chances of happening couldn’t possibly be ruled out.
As a devout Benignore believer and a true ally of Pope Basel, I was a bit
reluctant to say this, but the place truly only suited demons.
Although there was light behind the darkness, it was far from being a
facility that should be operated in the name of light. If such a place was
devouring Benignore’s divinity, it made sense that she would go
bankrupt.
Although she earned a lot, she was also being taxed highly at the same
time.
“It’ll be hard for the ones above.”
“What did you say, Honorary Cardinal?”
“It’s nothing, Director of Inquisition Helena.”
“…”
“…”
“Er, Honorary Cardinal. If you feel uncomfortable in this place, I can call
the Demon Summoner to meet with you somewhere else instead…”
“No. Helena. Honestly, it doesn’t feel pleasant, but I know to some
extent that a place like this is needed. It’s more important than how it’s
making me feel. It’s something that no one wants to take charge of. You
can be proud of yourself. This is not something dirty. It’s more sacred
than anything else.”
“…”
“Benignore would de initely be delighted to see this sight. Haha.”
Of course, Goddess Benignore would have frowned and cried for us to

stop this nonsense. However, I couldn’t just say that.
It could be bad news for Benignore, but this kind of place was a
necessary evil.
I, too, wanted to reduce the size in order to increase the amount of

divinity that went to Benignore, but it simply wasn’t possible.
Even if Benignore had gotten contaminated and her body was rotting,
this place must continue to operate.
At this, I saw Helena’s face slowly loosening up as if she liked my

opinion. Honestly, it was a bit scary to be alone with her, but she
seemed to be in a good mood after hearing that the gods were indeed
watching over her.
She quietly bowed and spoke to me.
“Yes, Helena.”
“Er… I was thinking of holding a prayer meeting with Archbishop

Jaina…”
“If you invite me, of course, I’ll go. It may be a little dif icult right now,
but a prayer meeting with the Director of Inquisition Helena and
Archbishop Jaina would be a great joy for me. I’d love to participate.”
“…”
“I think… I can go in alone from here.”
“Will you really be okay?”
“Of course.”
“If you say so. If anything happens…”
“I know.”
As I looked at her slowing moving away after bowing, it really seemed

that she was in a good mood. I had met her a lot since then, but this was
the irst time we had talked this much.
Although her personality was the opposite of Archbishop Jaina, the two
had such great chemistry. Regardless, her role ended there.
Mine was just about to start.
“Is it around here?”
I mumbled and took a seat at the door. I didn’t even have to ask, myself.
It looked like he was receiving special care compared to the other

prisoners. Seeing how there were barriers made out of divine power
blocking my way, I felt like I had gotten in the right way.
When I quietly injected my divine power, the barriers cleared away.

After performing a similar action a few times, I inally opened the large
iron gate and entered the door. The interior came into my view
instantaneously.
“I’m… not…”
“…”
“I said… I am not a demon summoner.”
“…”
‘So pitiful.’
Watching him unable even raise his head was quite spectacular.
His whole body was wounded, and his feet and hands were bound by
chains made of legendary-grade metal.
As if that was not enough, he was hung on something like a cross, and
there were a lot of tools on one side of the cell. I didn’t know how those
were used, but I couldn’t bear to look at them due to their bizarre
shapes.
It felt horrendous, just thinking about it. Surprisingly, he had the mental
strength to maintain his sanity despite going through such harsh
torture.
If it were me, the moment the chains were attached to my arm, I

would’ve said anything to be freed again.
The mental power was deserving of the masked trash that turned an
entire era into hell.
Even Kim Hyunsung suffered from the guy in the past.

“I am not a demon summoner. I am Jin Qing of the Republic…”
I couldn’t begin to imagine how wrongly accused he must be feeling for

him to continue murmuring while half unconscious. It looked like he
had mistaken me for a heretic interrogator.
I didn’t know how I’d say hello.
After checking his body’s condition with my Mind’s Eyes, I was able to
release the hanging guy while nodding con idently. I thought he would
stand irmly, but he weakly collapsed to the loor with a thudding
sound.
‘He can’t even talk?’
If he couldn’t, my visit would become a whole lot more annoying.

However, as soon I began to speak, I could see that he was looking at
me.
“It’s… de initely been a long time.”
I used a friendly tone, as if I was meeting a nostalgic lover. Although I

did my best to negotiate somehow, the masked trash hadn’t abandoned
his old personality. The wrath in his expression was unmistakable.
“You…”
“Never in my wildest dreams would have I thought I would meet you

again in this way. Why don’t you sit down irst? You probably haven’t
eaten yet, so I brought water and some food to ill your stomach. It’s
very dif icult to smuggle these in here without the knowledge of the
heretic inquisitors. Hahaha.”
“You…”
“If you look at me like that, I’ll get uncomfortable.”

“You. You! Lee Kiyoooouuuunng!”
“What, what! Come on!”
That’s why they said ‘never to bite the hand that fed you.’
Looking at him running towards me, hitting all the food I’ve prepared
with all my heart in the process, he looked like the starving demon from
the tutorial dungeon.
It was the face of a criminal who knew no grace.
“Son of a bitch! I will kill you!!!”
I didn’t know how he still had so much strength, but it was a spectacle
to watch him standing up irmly with both legs as he threw punches at
me.
Of course, there’s no way a guy who, not only in appearance but also in
stats, had degenerated down to an angler ish could hurt me.
I wanted to treat him like a gentleman, but the potential violence

inherent in such a sudden attack was revealed.
I launched a body blow on his left side after avoiding his right hook,
which he swung slowly like a turtle. Although magic was not activated
as my courtesy for the weak, Jin Qing’s body shook tremendously.
“Gasp!”
I felt like I had become trash, but I couldn’t help but feel the power I
hadn’t felt in a long time.
I landed a kick like a gust of wind as he swung his left hand again.
Although there was no force, the way Jin Qing immediately hit the wall
was terrible.
‘Am I… surprisingly good at ighting?’
I clenched my ists for no reason.
However, when I looked at him sitting on the loor and vomiting blood, I
realized that it wasn’t a well-earned victory.
Unable to get rid of his anger, he continued to rush at me with a loud

voice. This time, however, he didn’t come swinging his ist like before.
“I’ll kill you… I’ll kill yooouu! Cough.”
“Hey. Why do you keep saying that you’ll kill me, Jin Qing?”
“Lee Kiyoung, son of a bitch! Lee Kiyoung, you son of a biiitch…”
“I’m here to have a conversation with you, Jin. I didn’t come to provoke
you. The ight just now was a force majeure. I don’t have a hobby of
beating up people who can’t walk properly, so please understand my
side using a broad mind. And… you seem to have hurt your intestines a
little. I will use divine power on you enough to communicate properly
and for it not to be painful. If I heal you too much, you will charge at me
again. I don’t like violence, so let’s talk it out.”
“You… you!”
“It makes me feel worse to see how resentful you are, Jin Qing. Of
course, I understand why, but weren’t we in a situation where we had
no other choice? In the irst place, it was you and the Republic that
started the war. We simply took the victory in response. Right now, we
can continue hurting each other, but since the winners and losers have
already been decided, the losers should just applaud the winners.”
“This motherfucker… How dare you say that? I will surely kill you. If not
in this life, then in the next. Even if I die, I’ll curse you…”
“What’s the use of cursing me after you die? I came here to have a
conversation in the irst place. Why don’t you sit down? I didn’t come to
talk about something useless. It could be something useful for you, too.”
“The conversation…”
“Yes. I mean, it would be fun to do things like talking about the old days
after so long. Isn’t talking about past ights a way to get acquainted?
Honestly, dealing with you was really hard. There were times when I
wanted to run away. I don’t know what you might be thinking, but it
was a great match.”
“Shut up.”
“It was a bit vague… to say that it was a match. I hope you won’t do
anything as stupid as saying you won’t talk to a scammer. I have made
you a demon summoner, but haven’t you made me a trash bastard who
started the war? If I had been defeated, I would have been tortured here
as a war criminal. Let’s just try to understand each other.”
“…”
“…”
“Isn’t it funny that you’re feeling wronged? Please calm down a little.
Only then can we have a proper conversation.”
I was right. If Jin Qing had defeated me, I would be looking just like him.
The war criminal Lee Kiyoung, who had confused the continent and
threw it into chaos, should’ve had his head chopped off in a guillotine.
I didn’t know if he agreed with what I said, but the Demon Summoner
Masked Trash Jin Qing quietly began to look at me.
It felt like he had organized his thoughts to some extent. After a

moment, he stirred.
“…”
“…”
“What do you want?”
He seemed to have calmed down. He didn’t look as disgraceful as he

was a couple of moments ago.
He looked con ident, displaying the same highest villainous mentality

from the irst round.
“I want you to testify.”

CHAPTER 427
“I want you to testify.”
“What?”
“As I said, I want you to testify. After all, I like that you are very
straightforward. Usually, when you negotiate like this…”
I got pretty annoyed.
Nevertheless, the bastard looked at me quietly, not saying anything

useless. He looked like he wanted to listen to what I had to say before
judging my idea.
Seeing how he wasn’t worried about being stabbed in the back, not
caring about tri le things. I could roughly predict where that mentality
came from.
‘He has nothing to lose.’
Even if he got backstabbed, at this point, he had nothing valuable left to

lose.
It seemed to me that he had let go of himself, causing me to nod

unconsciously.
At that time, he was aware that he was currently in a weak position, so

it was easy to talk to him.
It seemed like a good situation, but I still felt a bit alert in case anything
happened. After preparing myself for any sudden events, Jin Qing
suddenly began to speak.
“No. I will ask questions irst. You said you wanted to talk. You should
be able to tolerate this much.”
“Of course.”
“How is the situation out there right now?”
Any human would’ve been curious. It was natural to ask that, as the
information that could be accessed after being locked up in prison was
limited. He wouldn’t be able to make use of the information he would
get, anyway.
I also wanted to show off the results of my victory, and… above all else, I
was secretly having fun with the conversation.
“I don’t know. Well, it’s going very well. As you might expect, the war is
over. Humanity has become one and is building a new system against
the incoming evil threat. Because of you alone, all of humanity has been
united, so I think I can thank you for that. I have to thank the Republic
too. It was pretty fascinating to see them shut up as if they didn’t start
the war.”
“…”
“Didn’t you feel that you had a lot of trash to clean up? Some people in
the Republic are very openly proclaiming that you are the one who
caused the war. They say they’re innocent, and all of it was done by
Demon Summoner Jin Qing’s evil tricks. Of course, all the kingdoms on
the continent, including the State, believed their story. There were some
uncertain parts, but basically, the State forgave the Republic. I received
some things later on, but I succeeded in completing the picture where
everybody wins.”
“Motherfuckers…”
“They got rid of you. Whew… and not only that. The Republic is using
the children who haven’t heard of you as propaganda. When they learn
of you and start throwing stones while trembling, they say it’s all
because of you. I’m a shitty person, too, but there is plenty of garbage
over there as well.”
“What are you trying to achieve with all this sweet-talk?”
“This is not sweet-talk. I’m just telling you the truth. The powerful
people of the Republic have abandoned you, and even those who
followed you.”
“…”
“…”
“Of course, there are still other people suffering. Your underlings are
awaiting trial with you. The loyalty of those people surprised me a little
too. No one is dead yet. You don’t have to worry about that as the
Church is keeping them locked up.”
“Are they safe?”
“Yes, they’re safe. I don’t know what will happen after the trial is over,
but they say they’re ready to die. It’s hard to talk to them. They always
shook their heads, saying that they would never betray you even after
trying to conciliate with them. It seems you chose your lieutenants
quite well.”
“…”
He looked icky, I presumed from several things. I couldn’t tell if he was

in a good or a bad mood. Of course…
From his perspective, it was indeed understandable to think like that. I

would’ve been like that too, if I were in his place.
No matter how anyone heard that those who followed them were
suffering, it wouldn’t sound good.
“Do you have any more questions? No, more importantly, have you
calmed down a bit? Your reaction is quite different from before…”
“Bullshit. If I could, I would beat you to death. But…”
“I understand that, Jin Qing.”
“I mean that I agree with you, you swindler…”
“…”
“What will happen to them?”
“The bad people, or the good?”
“My people.”
“They will die with you after the trial is over. Even though you’re the
demon summoner and they’re your servants, which have harmed the
continent, there is no need to use uselessly cruel methods in this new
era where everyone coexists. It will be quick and painless. I’m also
considering using my potion. Perhaps it’ll be less painful. It would be as
if they’re falling asleep in a dream, drifting away from a painful place.
Who knows? Will they be able to return to Earth when they die? I can
be sure they’d be more comfortable dying like that than being here.”
“Is that your offer? If that’s really all, you’d better go out right now. I
have already suffered a lot while I was here. If you think I’ll be tempted
with those words…”
“No, of course not. That’s not everything. Oh, irst of all, I have to give
you an offer. Take a look at this.”
As I handed what was in my arms, I saw him looking at it. I thought I

needed to explain the rest, but looking at the expression on his face, I
felt that there was no need to do that.
The masked trash already knew very well what I wanted from him.
“Political opponents?”
“It’s similar. It also includes a list of people from the Republic who sold
you out. All of the people in that list…”
“You’re thinking of dealing with them. That sounds a lot like you. It’s an
idea be itting trash.”
“Yes. They are all demonic minions. It won’t be a problem if I reveal

them, but wouldn’t the picture look better if you’re the one who reveals
it? You will be able to take revenge against those who betrayed you.
Some of them are not necessary, but I put them in as a bonus. The
continent’s situation is a little… Well, the more experience one has, the
better the situation would be for them. Oh! If you accept it, I would be
particularly grateful if you could tell the people about the Devil’s Spire
with more emphasis.
“Didn’t you say that you united the continent?”
“Their existence is useless. It’s obvious that they’re in the way.”
“…”
“They are also people with different values. I would like to embrace
them all, but… this is all the will of the Goddess, so I can’t help it.”
“Are you…”
“Yes?”
“Are you really a messenger chosen by the Goddess?”
“That’s not a lie. I am really communicating with the Goddess. As you

might expect, the Goddess of this world is not fair. At least the one I’m
related with isn’t. It is no lie that God has chosen me.”
“That’s ridiculous. Crazy bastards. Shit. Crazy… bastards… why…”
“I don’t know why, but what you’re saying is… blasphemous. How dare
a human try to understand the will of the Goddess? Still, this might
comfort you a bit. The reason I could scam you is because God has
chosen me. You are superior and smarter than me. I can feel the spirit of
the continental people.”
“Don’t look at me funny, motherfucker.”
I could see a face very despondent to my murmur. It was as if he denied

everything in the world.
Jin Qing didn’t seem to want to ask why I did so much shit to him.
I couldn’t help but agree with his generous way of thinking. What I told
him had indeed affected him.
“Now, it’s time for you to choose. That’s the end of my offer, and that’s
the end of what you will get in bene it. Whether you accept it or not is
entirely up to you.”
“Do I have a choice? No matter how I think about it, I don’t think there’s
an option where you can save me…”
“Surprisingly, that’s also an option. I think you won’t accept that option,
but… ahem. Anyway, if you listen intently, you might like it. It’s the irst
option if you accept my offer.”
“Tell me.”
“You can save your life. You will live miserably, but you will save your
life anyway. Of icially you will be executed, and everyone will think you
are dead. It’s like going into an underground prison and staying there.
It’s a place where you can eat and sleep, and it’s comfortable in its own
way. Think of it as something roughly similar to being exiled.”
“…”
“And the second option is… as you might expect, it’s the guillotine for
you. You will die swiftly and painlessly. The trial will proceed smoothly,
then the announcement of this list will also be announced to the public,
and in its own way, it would be your goodbye to this continent.”
“…”
“I’ll let you take off your stigma instead. I’ll say that an unknown force
actually brainwashed Demon Summoner Jin Qing, and his sacri ice
allowed the continent to become one. Or maybe we can assume that the
people on this list were controlling you from behind. Rather than being
executed… I don’t think it’s bad for you to show that you couldn’t
endure what you have done, causing you to end your life after you
regained sanity, or that your opponents killed you. There are so many
options to choose from. I’ll look at the details a little more, but…
essentially you will be going out with honor. Oh! Instead, please
understand that this other option can take a while.”
“Ha…”
“You will survive to the end while being cursed by the entire continent,
or you will take care of the enemies of the Republic and keep the least
honor. Two options. I think those are reasonable.”
“It’s your freedom. Honestly, you are already out of my reach. I once
respected you a little, but now I don’t have that feeling, and to be
honest, I don’t care much about it. My head is about to explode due to
various problems. I’m offering this because it would make it easier to
solve complex situations. Of course, there is no option to combine the
irst and second options. I am not worried about what happens after
either. If you refuse, then that’s it. You will die as a demon summoner,
leaving nothing behind. You will die as the worst trash that sold the
continent to the demon.”
“…”
“Now, what do you think? Isn’t it quite appealing? Life or honor. If I

were to choose, I’d choose the former…”
“One more thing.”
“I’m sorry, but there would be no negotiation.”
“I want you to be considerate of those who are here. They are innocent.
Let this end only between us.”
“…”
“…”
“Please.”
“Well. I will think about it. It’s an easy thing to do. Anyway, I would like
you to answer quickly. I’m quite late for dinner. Is it life or honor? Or
will you not accept such a deal with a son of a bitch like me.”
“…”
“…”
A short time had passed by.
It probably wasn’t an easy decision, but I thought I could see what

choice he would make.
The answer was so easy. I didn’t think I even needed to ask.
“Honor.”
That was what he wanted.
‘He’s quite a dif icult person to understand.’
It wasn’t just him.
The Second Princess Charlotte was of the same mind.
Our Princess and the Republic’s Jin were the ones who had chosen the
latter of the two options. From my point of view, it was bound to feel
strange.
In Charlotte’s case, of course, she couldn’t die like him, but if she too
were in a position to choose, she would certainly have chosen the latter.
‘What’s the use of honor when you die?’
People could always throw away honor or personal value in the trash in
the face of death.
If I had been in his situation, I would’ve held onto his pants and
convinced him to keep me alive.
However, he seemed to want to choose an honorable death more than
to continue to live somehow.
As I stood up, I saw the Demon Summoner looking at me. His eyes,
which seemed to have already given up on everything, made me feel a
tad uncomfortable.
‘That’s the difference between you and me.’
It was better a living coward than a dead hero.
“It looks like the conversation is over… well, I’ll be going.”
“Keep your promise.”
“Yes. I’m not trashy enough to lie, even in this situation. It won’t be dealt
with right away, but history won’t record you as a demon summoner.
You can rest assured that I am making this an oath under the name of
the Goddess.”
“…”
Of course, things like oaths under the name of the Goddess had nothing
to do with me.
However, I could see that the suspicion in his eyes was gradually fading
away.
“I believe that you have already memorized the list I gave. I will discard
it. And I’m telling you just in case, but it’s better not to do anything
stupid. You won’t be able to do it right, but you know better about what
happens to people who uselessly spread rumors.”
“I know.”
“Well, then.”
“There will come a time when the things you’ve done will eat you off.”
“No way. If there really is anything like that, would I be here now?
Winners take no risk.”
“…”
“Then, this is really goodbye.”
If I came to his trial, I might be able to see his face, but I knew this had
to be the end.
I might need to look at his face through an of icial event or the

Goddess’s Mirror. There were still many issues that had to be dealt with
involving him, after all. However, Jin Qing, which once stood at the
center of the Republic, ended there.
From that point onwards, he had already given up on his life.
As I went outside and looked back, I could see him quietly closing his
eyes. I didn’t know what he was thinking.
“Asshole.”
I would never understand what he was thinking.

CHAPTER 428
SHE’S STILL THE SCARIEST (1)
Jin Qing was a kind of insurance for me.
It wasn’t easy to create a story where he was brainwashed, even though

I would be the one making it. There were many things to be concerned
and worried about.
No matter how much I were to think about this, there were many too
many issues happening for me to deal with it.
Nevertheless, the reason why I had to put the keyword brainwashing or

exploitation on him was quite obvious.
‘It’s because it’ll help me.’
That was what I had thought.
It could be a beautiful story for him, but that was likely to be a beautiful
story for me as well.
Kim Hyunsung, who had been thinking a lot recently, was certainly the
cause.
Personally, I thought the suspicion of the masked trash on me had been

completely peeled off, but honestly, he didn’t seem to have been
suspecting me from the beginning. Still, nobody would know what
could happen.
Considering that the lovely returner might misunderstand me one day,
that kind of insurance didn’t lack importance, no matter how much of it
I did.
‘If… ’
I could use it as an excuse if Kim Hyunsung misunderstood me as the

villain in the story.
‘I think it would be great if I could make them think about the

possibility of being brainwashed… ’
The masked trash of the irst round did not commit such vile acts by his
own will.
Rather, the unlucky character who had constantly fought against inner
evil suited him more.
Every night, he suffered from what he had done. He was nothing but a
lonely and hurt man who covered his body in self-in licted wounds.
My mind came up with a two-and-two morbid setting, wherein the

mask was also a means to cover his crying eyes, but such a thought
seemed so cringe that I decided to set it aside.
Still…
It wasn’t impossible to pull off.
Even if it wasn’t perfect, moving with those frames in mind could be a

way to get out of the worst situation.
Someone would laugh at me for thinking about such useless details

when it was already over, but even if I was to be careful a hundred times
over, all it would take was a single mistake for everything to crash.
Since I didn’t know when an accident would happen, it was only right to
create as many fail-safe plans as possible. What was a little surprising
was that Jin Qing had taken the job so easily.
‘Is it natural?’
Regardless, he wouldn’t have had any reason to live any longer except
for revenge.
He could be thinking that he shouldn’t look more disgraceful since he

didn’t have the means or opportunity to take revenge in the irst place.
The way I saw him was shocking. He was pretty broken up.
Even though his pride was huge, I thought that all the circumstances
surrounding him were making him suffer.
‘Anyway, it will be solved properly… ’
The process wasn’t short, but the strand had been caught.
Quests and dungeons being blocked would be solved through the

upcoming Crack Land and the dungeons where demon of icials resided.
In the former case, Max was handling it on his own, and in the latter
case, if I left the matter up to Lee Jihye, I would be able to get the job
done quickly.
Of course, I had to direct the Crack Museum creation directly to

establish a billing system. It was also true that my heart sank for a
second in such a ridiculous situation. The appearance of a customized
solution that it perfectly was enough to make me feel ecstatic.
A moment of thought during an uncomfortable meal was enough to

make me feel good. Cha Hee-ra had begun speaking.
“You seem to be in a good mood, honey. Do you like the food?”
“Yes, Hee-ra. This is delicious. It melts gently in my mouth.”
“Although we’re already at the capital, I have to leave immediately. I lost

interest. I was hoping that I’d be able to stay for quite a while. There’s a
lot to change here due to the revolution, so there’s a lot to see, honey.”
“I also want to go around a little, but… something urgent happened. I

told you. For the time being, quest creation and dungeon creation will
all be blocked. It’s not a situation where I can stand still. Honestly, I was
going to eat dinner at the guild… It’s such a waste to have come this far
without doing anything, so I stopped by here.”
“Did you inish the Jin Qing job properly?”
“Yeah. It’s not that bad.”
It was Elena, the Elf Princess, who spoke next.
“Er… Lee Kiyoung, sorry to ask again, but is that really true?”
“Ah… Yes. Elena, this is the message I received directly from Benignore,
so I’m sure of it. Maybe Elena can communicate with Elune.”
“Come to think of it. A long time has passed… I can’t feel him.”
‘It’s because you’ve been abandoned, but…”
I couldn’t just say that.
“Goddess Benignore said that something big happened up there. She

said that the in luence of the demon rooted in the continent is affecting
their location as well.”
“T-Then how…”
“I can solve it without dif iculty. Blessings will fall upon everyone,
including those from Benignore and Elune, if we drive the demons that
have rooted here away. Through the power of the light, we can once
again prove our strong faith in them.”
“You have to work hard.”
“Yes. There is also a lot to worry about. Even the dungeons that the
Goddesses manage themselves for the foreigners have been completely
suspended. There will be great social confusion. To minimize that
confusion, we have to do what we can. Monster subjugation quests are
now too deeply embedded in our society. The eastern part of Castle
Rock, where the monster forest is located, is ine, but Celia, which has a
relatively small forest, will inevitably have a more serious problem.
Yuno Kasugano, have you…”
“I couldn’t think of anything else, Honorary Cardinal. Please provide us

with a guideline, and we will then follow it.”
“Ah… Okay.”
“It makes sense to deal with the confusion that foreigners will feel. I
agree with your sentiments. There is something wrong with the system
that maintains and balances this continent. Perhaps in time, all the
foreigners will realize. We have to make an of icial presentation, and we
have to be prepared for those who would dare threaten the Honorary
Cardinal.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I saw Yuno Kasugano smiling faintly. The problem was that she wasn’t
the only one sending me a smile.
Cha Hee-ra and Jung Hayan were seated on either side of me, and Yuno
Kasugano and Elena were next to them.
Also, Cho Hyejin was sitting next to them. I didn’t regret bringing them
all for safety, but I had to regret it to some extent when this kind of
situation came instead. No incident occurred, but I still regretted having
brought all of them together.
‘I’m sitting on a bed of anxiety and laying down on a bed of thorns.

Fuck… ’
Sitting alone felt tiring.
They weren’t ighting and yelling at each other, but no one looked at
each other. With their gaze ixed only on me, they muttered their own
story.
The way they acted like the others weren’t there was spectacular. If
there was anyone who didn’t notice what was happening in that
situation, I would de initely applaud him.
When one person asked a question or talked, someone else would talk
at the end of that irst person’s sentiments.
As soon as the conversation with that person was over, I was swept into
a talk with the next person.
Even for me, who liked to talk, it was hard to withstand it.
It was completely inappropriate, but it felt like I was a human cake

getting eaten piece by piece by the people there. It was like they were
taking turns, or it was as if I were in a high-pressure interview.
One of the anxiety factors was Jung Hayan being depressed because
many talks were about work-related things, and she couldn’t compete
with it. At this point, I couldn’t predict when she was going to start
behaving unexpectedly.
However, it was Cho Hyejin who quietly threw a stone in that situation.
“Yes?”
“Hayan has something on that I’ve never seen her wear before. I
thought it was an artifact… it doesn’t seem like that… have you received
a gift?”
‘Fuck… ’
It was a violent herbal medicine that was more bitter than the
backstabs that was set up by Jin Qing and Charlotte.
‘Why is she wearing that again?’
In an instant, everyone’s eyes converged on the ring inger of Jung

Hayan’s left hand. Everyone was aware of it, but it was the irst time
that someone mentioned it directly.
Jung Hayan, who hadn’t been in a good mood ever since sitting at that
table, began to show a delicate act of covering her precious wedding
ring with her hand.
It was akin to Gollum, which was an inappropriate example, however,

even a child would know that she wasn’t in any way trying to hide the
ring.
She covered the ring with her hand, but she intended to show it off with
that very action.
She raised her chin up, her con ident eyes telling them exactly what she
wanted to say.
“Ah… T-This is nothing.”
‘Damn.’
What awkward acting.
Jung Hayan’s face that laughed at the other women there seemed
annoying, even to me.
It was a skill to have such a cute face depict such a saucy expression.
The others’ faces were no different.
I could see everyone linching as if they had seen the ‘one ring that
would rule over them all’.
The problem that had been buried under the water had now risen
above the surface.
It was quite the sight to see her taking the ring away, as if what couldn’t
be caught was caught.
Yuno Kasugano and Elena, who had already known about the ring in
advance, looked at it bitterly.
“What ring is it?”
“N-Nothing. It was just a gift from oppa.”
“So, what is it?”
“I-It’s a secret. A secret between the t-two of us. Hehe.”

“…”
“Since it’s a secret. I should never say it.”
The way Jung Hayan smiled and answered Cha Hee-ra was
overwhelming. So far, Jung Hayan’s words felt more powerful than the
provocations I had done to my enemies.
It was childish and ridiculous, but that kind of provocation was

extremely effective when used in the right situation.
However…
Surprisingly, Cha Hee-ra possessed a rather gentle mien. I knew she

would not fall into provocation.
‘As expected of our Hee-ra!’
Yuno Kasugano and Elena seemed a little bit envious, however.
‘I’ve already told them… ’
I don’t remember when exactly, but I remember talking about an

important person to me and wanting to be together and stuff.
They probably recalled that memory clearly. I mean, they were certainly
jealous, but I felt that they were deeply comforting themselves, saying it
was okay.
‘I-I guess it’s okay… ’
The result wasn’t too bad, considering that Cho Hyejin had just dropped
a bomb.
Nothing happened throughout the entire duration of the meal, and the
situation seemed to be over.
“Then… shall we go?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going straight to Lindel?”
“I think I’m going to go to Celia, Elena.”
“Okay. It was nice to meet you, Yuno Kasugano. Please go carefully.”
“Honey. And second. Come quickly. You said you didn’t have time.”
Until I witnessed that one side of the table where Cha Heera was sitting
was torn like a sheet of paper, folded and discarded…
‘It’s made of iron… that table. Fuck… ’
I quickly realized that the laughing Cha Heera wasn’t really laughing.
CHAPTER 429
It was a table made of metal.
It wasn’t a legendary-grade metal like Orichalcum or Mithril, but iron

was still iron.
At the minimum, the raw material should be around heroic-grade or

higher in terms of quality. It could certainly be used to create weapons.
It was absurd to have made a table with this kind of material, but as I
had seen the strength that crushed it barehanded, feelings of
disconcerting and fear were intersecting.
‘Oh, that’s right. She’s that kind of person.’
Many people could easily cut metal or transform its shape using magic,
but I could con irm that there were fewer than ive people who could do
it using simple force, even if I searched for them in the entire continent.
I couldn’t even sense any magic being generated. It meant that she had
achieved such a feat purely with her ingers.
I looked at the scene with a disconcerted face for a moment, and upon
being called by her familiar voice, I couldn’t be helped but be wary of
her.
“What are you doing? Come quickly. It’s time to go home. Huh?”
“…”
“What are you doing, honey?”
“Nothing, nothing. I’m coming.”
There were no major changes in her expression. However, her subtly

distorted face seemed to elaborate how bad Cha Hee-ra’s mood was.
The reason she didn’t explode was that she knew how embarrassing it
would’ve been to get mad at something like that. Someone in her
position should be able to cope with Jung Hayan’s childlike provocation.
If I thought about it, I had never seen Cha Hee-ra getting genuinely
angry.
At best, she only gave out warnings when people, including Jung Hayan,
bared their fangs at her.
In the end, she let those situations smoothly slip with a smile. After
that, there would never be any topics raised about the incident.
She was forgiving and didn’t fret over the little details. She was the
greatest human.
‘That probably means she’s holding a grudge… ’
If she felt dissatis ied, she should’ve just said it out loud, and if she got
upset, she should’ve just expressed it right away.
It wasn’t only me. Everyone else considered Cha Hee-ra to be such a

person.
It suddenly started to amplify my anxiety to ind out that she had

something hidden inside.
Whether she knew of it or not, Jung Hayan was passing by the side of
the redhead proudly with her victorious smile.
My back trembled, thinking that the angered beast might suddenly
raise her hand to smash the insane wizard’s head. Truly, it was a
catastrophe.
What was even scarier was that that might not be the worst ending.
‘I have to take care of this right away.’
She must be trying to deceive the others through her transparent guile,
but it was only proper for me to take care of it.
After, I started to worry about Cha Hee-ra, even as I said goodbye to Lee
Kiyoung’s personal corps, including Oscar, Marlin, and Catherine.
When Cho Hyejin climbed onto the griffon and gestured for me to climb
behind her, I carefully chose my next words.
“I will ride with Cha Heera.”
It would be nice if she were a little disappointed, but Cho Hyejin started
to nod with a bright face.
Rather, it was Jung Hayan who looked as if she was about to cry.
She looked at me with anxiety in her eyes as if she was telling me to

think over my choice and that it wasn’t right, but I had no choice.
I had to drink the beverage the way it was brewed. This balance of
power had to be maintained.
As soon as it tipped to one side, my body’s balance might also collapse.
It had to be perfectly balanced between right and left.

“Then, Master, I will visit Lindel immediately for the museum case.”
“Do that, Yuno.”
“I shall.”
After having a conversation away from prying ears, I sent Yuno

Kasugano to Celia immediately.
Of course, I immediately moved towards the red-haired gal.
Her face was somewhat cold as she looked at me. She seemed to want
to hit me, at least even once.
Of course, such an accident should not happen. If such a moment

occurred, my head would burst open like tofu.
“What? Why should you go with the second option, huh?”
“No, it’s just. I have something to tell you…”
“Tell me what?”
“Well, rather than having something speci ic to say, it’s just that I can’t
remember the last time I spent time with you. I don’t think it would be
troublesome to enjoy a conversation on the griffon… So…”
“…”
“…”
“Get on.”
“…”
Naturally, I became even more careful. This situation was indeed
dangerous.
Although I was worried about Jung Hayan’s future moves, it was only
important to douse the place where the lames were burning irst.
Just after the griffon carrying Jung Hayan, our Elf Princess, and Cho
Hyejin soared into the sky, the griffon that we were riding began to
slowly rise.
I smiled at the fan club whilst waving passionately from below, but it
didn’t take long for the smile to disappear from my face.
‘Okay. It’s time to take care of this one too.’
Cha Hee-ra was Cha Hee-ra, and the Red Mercenaries are the Red
Mercenaries.
She was still in the middle of the power structure and had a signi icant
position within Lindel.
Even if I had become a bigger igure, she was not someone I could
handle as I pleased.
Thinking about her loyalty to me since I irst came in, I couldn’t just
abandon her coldly.
No, if I tried to leave her in the irst place, there was a strong possibility
that my head would fall irst.
Honestly, I couldn’t even imagine that Cha Hee-ra would react in this
way.
‘She has an unexpectedly cute side.’

When I thought about her usual self, it was strange to see her moping
around. Of course, I had to put such thoughts aside for the moment.
I had to think about how to lighten her up irst.
‘What do I do?’
‘Think, Light Kiyoung.’
‘Don’t think about your pride.’
I recalled what Jung Hayan did when I showed that attitude. I had found
the answer.
I wasn’t sure if it would work. No, I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but I just
had to man up and do it with thick skin.
“You know I like you a lot, right?”
“…”
“And I’m grateful too… Honestly, it’s thanks to you that I came this far.
You believed in me a lot when we irst met.”
Aegyo.
Somehow, it felt like I had become the girlfriend trying to cheer up her
boyfriend, but it seemed that that method was effective when employed
on Cha Hee-ra.
That was because what she wanted wasn’t someone to lead her.
If she had been hoping for that in the irst place, she wouldn’t have
approached me. My voice was full of cuteness, which tickled her gently.
I rubbed my head on her back and moved my hand, holding her waist
tightly around her stomach, locking my ingers, and gently stimulated
her.
It didn’t suit me, but I did my best to be lirtatious in hopes of

stimulating her senses.
If she were Cho Hyejin, she would have pushed me out of the griffon.
Instead, her body kept linching as if it had gotten affected by my
unique characteristic.
‘Whoa. I bet I can even work at a host bar. I’m the best.’
Perhaps I did have a little talent. Somehow, she had begun to play along.
Was this how Diao Chan felt when he played with Lu Bu and Dong
Zhou? Was this how Yang Guifei and Cleopatra felt when they played
with the world?
It was disgusting even for me to do cosplay as if I had become such a

guy, but her reaction was good, so I inevitably got excited.
‘The sex symbol, Lee Kiyoung!’
I was disgusted with myself.
“Don’t be mad, Hee-ra.”
“…”
“It was inevitable. And it was a simple gift I gave to cheer up Hayan
because she was going through something dif icult. You know that I like
you a lot, right?”
“…”
“I like your red lips and red hair. I like your con idence. You’re not really
angry, right? I’m the one who’s exaggerating, right?”
‘Why is she so quiet? Is she really that angry?’
“You know I can’t help it. I, of course, think that you are the irst, but…”
‘Is she really mad?’
I could only see her back, so I didn’t know how she was reacting.
However, even after a long time, she was still in the same position, so
my special move didn’t seem to work. In the end, I had no choice but to
put my hand in the bag that Hyunsung bought.
‘Do I have a good ring?’
I had put various bribes in my bag in case Jung Hayan exploded, but I
couldn’t get anything worth using.
As soon as I leaned in out of anxiety, I found a red ring with the same
symbol as her that began to stand out.
After taking out her ring, I gently patted one of her arms.
She didn’t look back yet. But watching how she gently lipped one of her
arms over to me, she didn’t seem to hate that kind of touch.
Of course, what I did from there on out was what truly mattered.
I felt like she couldn’t even imagine that I would put a ring on her.
I could see her body linching a bit as if she felt the cold metal sliding
down her inger. After putting it on her, she slowly pulled her arm back
and looked at her hand, emitting some form of unknown excitement.
‘It’s time to deliver the inal blow.’
I embraced her warmly.
“Cha Hee-ra, I love you. I really love you.”
I muttered words that were only half true.
Something unexpected happened right after that.
“Huh?”
The griffon, which was lying properly, suddenly deviated from the path.
The advance team, that was going irst, didn’t notice it, but the griffon
that had deviated from the route was falling at full speed.
‘What. What is this?’
I was nervous about whether or not I touched a nerve. However, I didn’t

feel any hostility.
“H-Hee-ra?”
She didn’t answer. However, what I heard was the sound of breathing
that continued to grow rougher.
‘Son of a… ’
If there were a Griffon Race, this was a performance that would catch a
trophy.
The griffon, which came down to the ground swiftly, entered a place I
wasn’t aware of and started to ly continuously through a strange cave.
‘Where are we…?’

Perhaps we were in an abandoned dungeon.
I’m not sure if Cha Hee-ra even knew where we were going. All I could
do then was to hold onto her tightly and endure the wind resistance.
When the griffon inally arrived at our unknown destination, I opened

my tightly closed eyes and took a look around.
“Where are we?”
It was so dark that I couldn’t see anything.
“Light…”
As I carefully made light, I saw a really small dungeon-like space.
However, what stood out more than that was a beast staring right at me
with red eyes.
She glared at me with bloodshot eyes.
“I didn’t mean to do this. But… you seduced me irst.”
“Huh?”
“I said that you seduced me irst.”
“Huuh?”
I felt pressure comparable to encountering the Ancient God from the

Crack Museum.
My body was stiff, and I couldn’t move properly. All I could do was
watch her slowly approach me.
I suddenly remembered Jin Qing’s last line.

‘There will come a time when the things you’ve done will eat you off.’
That bastard couldn’t have meant what was currently happening.

CHAPTER 430
‘I’m alive, Fuck. I survived. I did it. I survived.’
Those were my irst thoughts as I slowly opened my eyes. There

wouldn’t be another day where I’d be as thankful for being alive.
I tried to spit out words of victory to myself, but I couldn’t even hear my
own voice. It was as if my throat had already dried out.
For some reason, it was also dif icult to breathe, so I stretched out my
hand to open a potion, but I couldn’t open it either due to my trembling
hands. I felt no energy course through my body.
I was nervous about missing the golden time if I missed the opportunity
now.
The potion bottle miraculously opened when I felt the lames of my life
gradually disappearing.
With a slurping sound, I drank the luids in it.
Of course, I couldn’t consider I’ve already recovered completely, but at

least I managed to apply irst aid. I felt the pleasure of drinking a sports
drink after going to the sauna.
“I almost died.”
It wasn’t a joke. I had almost really died.

In fact, I didn’t really remember what happened yesterday.
I had to think back immediately about what happened after the irst
few hours. I woke up halfway through, but all I remembered was red
hair swaying and red eyes looking at me from above.
I couldn’t help but force a laugh out because it was too ridiculous. Of
course, it was a happy moment.
I could even feel a little excitement in the strangely upside-down

situation… but that was both the beginning and the end of what I could
remember.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that my body was experiencing its

worst condition ever since I came to the continent.
It felt like all of my energy had been sucked out of me.
I didn’t weigh myself, but… I could con irm that I had lost more than
about 5 kilograms. My body’s condition was far from normal.
What worried me in this embarrassing situation was Jung Hayan.
Perhaps in the middle of their journey, she realized that Cha Hee-ra and
I had deviated from the path and disappeared from sight.
Although I was worried that she would cry and make a fuss, it was also
interesting that she didn’t come to where I was.
No, maybe it wasn’t that she didn’t come, but that she couldn’t. That
was more probable.
For some reason, she lost my coordinates or couldn’t enter the place
where Cha Hee-ra and I were.
‘Is this a dungeon?’
A dungeon that only allowed two people? Or was it a place out of the
reach of detection magic?
Either way, it didn’t matter what it was. When I thought of what would
happen once I’ve gone back, my head hurt once again.
I was naturally afraid of what was going on at Lindel without me.
It was then that a voice came next to me.
“Did you wake up, honey?”
“Ah… yes.”
“Sorry. I was too much, right?”
“No. It was good for me, too.”
The problem was that I felt like my life was being threatened.
“I’m glad then.”
Cha Hee-ra’s face looked to be in a really good mood when I saw her up
close.
Her crumbly hair and skin seemed to have gained new life, and the dark
circles around her eyes had perfectly disappeared.
Her face, which had changed enough to distinguish between before and
after, made me exclaim too. She looked as if she’d lost all her worries
and stress in the world. It was as if she had been given nutritional
supplements.
The Cha Hee-ra beside me was truly in her best condition.

“Wait. Let’s have some breakfast and leave.”
“Until morning?”
“It’s not something extraordinary. I was just in the mood. Or should we

leave after having breakfast and some light exercise, honey?”
She had the look of Bear Grils aiming for innocent animals. I quickly
realized that I had to hurry and get out of there before becoming a
valuable source of protein.
“No. I told you I’m busy. There are many things to do, though… anyway,
you look really good.”
My voice felt like it was trembling.
“I told you I was frustrated, right? It felt like a dark cloud was in my
head yesterday, but now it feels perfectly clear. It’s perfect. Really.”
However, she had traded it off with my physical exhaustion and pain.
Still, I thought it was fortunate that I was with Cha Hee-ra in this
situation. If I had been with Jung Hayan in a place like that, I wouldn’t
have been able to relax as I did with Hee-ra.
I would’ve been worried about whether she would trap me here.
At least, Cha Hee-ra didn’t seem to have such strange thoughts.
‘But why does she look like that. Don’t think about weird things. Please
don’t lock me up. Fuck. Don’t lock me in… ’
After thinking, Cha Hee-ra stood up.
She kept looking at the place as if she was disappointed, but she had no
choice but to move due to my request to hurry out.
“I contacted Blue.”
“When?”
“About 5 in the morning. They didn’t have to worry about useless things
while you were passed out, but problems might arise anyway. And
honey.”
“Yes?”
“This ring is a proposal ring, right?”
“…”
“…”
“It’s… similar.”
Of course, I wanted to say it wasn’t, however, I had an ominous feeling

that I might just get locked away, so I had to nod with all my might.
I didn’t know if she knew what I was thinking, but Cha Hee-ra was
constantly looking at the ring attached to her left ring inger with a
delighted expression.
I thought that yesterday’s incident wasn’t the only reason why her steps
seemed particularly light today.
“But where are we?”
“I don’t know. It looks like a dungeon. There were also a few monsters,
although not anymore. Oh, and… when you say you’re busy, is it about
the Crack Land?”
“Right. I have to take care of that right now. The dungeon itself seems
capable of opening without dif iculty, but its sub-contents are lacking. I
should go and handle the business. I’ve got a rough plan in my head, but
properly executing it is another story.”
“Like what?”
“Are there many things to sell besides the dungeon? If we do business in

front of it, it’ll be a big hit, Hee-ra. If I can name it as the Bulgogi
museum or the Baeksuk museum, I can get double, no, triple the
original pro its. Not to mention dungeon supplies such as battle rations
and potions… I can also create special dungeon zones, tourist zones,
special economic zones, and other bullshit to increase its value. There is
no substitute. It’s a jackpot. I’m sure of it.”
“Aren’t you exploiting it too much?”
“I’ll just get paid a fair fee. It’ll become the only monster dungeon in a
world where dungeons have disappeared. What’s wrong with making a
pro it? Moreover, it would be in a situation where there is only me who
can manage the dungeon. Rather, I think I’m being generous. I’m sure
I’m being generous.”
“I think you’re thinking of something big… It will cost some initial

investment.”
“It’s a little dif icult to do with the funds stored in Blue alone, but…”
“Take what you need from the Red Mercenaries and use it.”
“What? Really?”
“You can think of it as an investment. I had never lost money when I

listened to you, and your money is my money, and my money is your
money anyway. Don’t feel burdened. Take as much as you need. Don’t
worry about anything else. I’ll take care of the workforce, so don’t
worry. Just tell me if you need anything, honey.”
‘Whew. The give and take circumstances in here are good. Okay! Let’s
get married, Hee-ra! Let’s go with the marriage!’
Of course, that was just an idea.
However, Cha Hee-ra’s comment made it worth thinking about

seriously.
‘A woman must have the ability.’
I originally felt that she was generous and cool, but she could also be
warm and gentle.
From the time we got on the griffon until we arrived at Lindel, Cha Hee-
ra’s gentleness continued.
However, her happiness circuit was running iercely, but that lasted
only for a moment. As I got closer and closer to Lindel, I was forced to
think of other worries.
I remembered the bomb I had just abandoned.
Jung Hayan recently had become a little quiet, but still, Jung Hayan was
Jung Hayan. I had to have a look at her. No one could predict when her
embers would rise again.
However…
‘It should be ine, right?’
She wouldn’t have gone openly crazy again. Even so, after continuing
repetitive learning, she should be aware that I hated such behavior.
It was natural that the longer the light time, the more anxious I felt.

I began to see someone sitting in the distance. I couldn’t even hear Cha
Hee-ra’s warm voice at this point anymore.
On one side of the landing pad, the person waiting for us with her knees
together was, without a doubt, Jung Hayan. I didn’t know why, but I felt
pity for some reason when I saw her running towards us as if she had
seen the griffon from afar.
‘Right… you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m complete trash. But this time,
please let it go quietly.’
When the griffon inally landed at Lindel, Jung Hayan ran to me and
hugged me.
“…”
It’s somehow cute that she tried to be held in my arms without saying
anything.
However, the look she directed at Cha Hee-ra with her face on my chest
wasn’t cute.
Her gaze looked like she was about to turn into a lunatic. She didn’t put
up a killing aura as if she remembered the warning, but I still got chills.
“You’ve heard, right? I forgot to do something, so I went into a dungeon

with honey. You should go there too.”
I would never enter that place with Jung Hayan. There was a high
probability that an article about the Honorary Cardinal’s disappearance
would appear in the headline after that.
Anyway, Cha Hee-ra hugged me and even patted on Jung Hayan’s

shoulder. However, she did it with her ringed hand. It was a little
gesture, but her hurt pride was restored.
“Then I’ll go irst, honey.”
Of course, the other side’s pride had gotten hurt.
She was biting her lips somehow to stop the tears that were
accumulating out of pure resentment, but the tears still dropped down.
‘What do I do with her?’
What was even more heartbreaking was that the war of nerves that was
taking place was gentle. It wasn’t even close to a ight. It was hard to
imagine what would happen when the mad women surrounding me
would begin to ight with all their might.
Even without Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra, it would cause unimaginable
destruction.
Yuno Kasugano followed me blindly, but Lee Jihye, who declared to be

the inal winner, was also another kind of monster.
‘No. Rather, Lee Jihye is the best.’
She had the most sense of reality. Even though she stayed quiet, it felt
like our elf princess was also hiding a heart disease.
“Nothing happened. It’s because she really had something to do, Hayan.
I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you in advance. Shall we go to see a play after
work today? I’ll come right after inishing my work at the Crack Land. It
probably won’t take more than a few hours.”
“…”
“Stop crying. You understand, right?”
Nod.
“You haven’t been out here since yesterday, right? Come in quickly and
take a nap, Hayan. You must be tired. I will take you to the room.”
She nodded.
“You’re a good girl, right?”
“I…”
“…”
“O-Oppa…”
“Yes?”
“W-w-when… When are we getting married? You… you said we were

getting married, right?”
She was indeed still the scariest.
“Gasp. You said we were getting married… Sniff.”
I slowly realized that the medicine’s effect had been decreasing, little by
little.
CHAPTER 431
LIFE THREAT
The fact that the medicine’s effect had already run out was utterly
ridiculous.
I bet an improvised marriage would almost prove to be a mythic-grade

potion made just to appease Jung Hayan. It would even be more
satisfying than brewing up an elixir.
If I were to exaggerate this a little bit, there would be no shortage in

expressing it as the supreme elixir that could calm any anger.
‘Is it too loose?’
I had to regret what had previously happened a little. I had said I was
busy, but it only made me feel like I had neglected to manage her.
Of course, I couldn’t help it when I had been in Salit’s stomach with

Elena.
‘No, that’s not it. If I think about it, it wasn’t necessarily like that.’
I started to re lect on myself, but considering what I had done so far, I

realized that I hadn’t really neglected her that much.
As I knew how terrifying Jung Hayan could be when she was out of her
mind, I had to devote my time to her to a certain extent, even during the
busiest times. For example, I could take her out on a short date.
Even if my schedule proved to be hectic, I always made sure to hug her
during breaks, and I even took a piece of my time to give her peace of
mind by executing physical contact. I had done my best to take care of
her.
Had it been her usual self, that would’ve been enough to satisfy her.
I thought that the reason reality came so quickly could be because she
had raised her overall expectations. Had she been her usual self, she
could have been satis ied with just having spending time with me like
that, but the medicine called marriage had now raised the bars higher.
It was like becoming more and more resistant to a drug the more one
took it into their body. This reminded me of the saying, ‘Do someone a
favor, and it becomes your job,’ she also considered the favors I did for
her as her natural right.
‘I’m a bride-to-be, so it’s only natural.’
‘I’m a bride-to-be, so you have to do this much.’
It had been normalized at this point. I didn’t exactly know what Jung
Hayan was thinking, but I knew she was thinking those kinds of
thoughts.
‘I should have controlled my progress with her better.’
Looking at her madness-stained face, I realized that I made a terrible

mistake.
The medicine I administered in Laios was certainly used too

prematurely.
I thought about taking back her ‘natural right,’ but when I saw Jung
Hayan’s face, such an option had automatically been removed.
I didn’t just rule out my thoughts because I knew that giving and taking
it back was the worst I could possibly do. If I were to take away the
rights she could deservedly enjoy, it could lead to a headache.
“You said we were going to get married… Sniff.”
Even though she had been thinking of a scene I didn’t even want to
imagine, watching Jung Hayan cry indeed felt painful.
Her face displayed resentment against Cha Hee-ra, as well as her

distrust of me. It was hard to see her like that.
She didn’t openly reveal hostility, but she did express her dissatisfaction
with me.
“I said I’m busy right now…”
“You… said we were getting married. Sniff. When are we going to…
When? W-When!?”
‘Look at her raising her voice. Did she go nuts…?’
“Raising your voice like that won’t solve…”
“Sniff. I hate Cha Hee-ra… I hate her so much. Soooo much!”
‘You provoked her irst.’
Even the way she started talking to herself was quite spectacular to
watch.
Her voice was too quiet to be heard, but she was de initely talking to
herself. It was unimaginable to see the usual Jung Hayan screaming at
me.
I realized how extreme her anger had become at that moment.

‘Should I shout as well?’
Power should be dominated over through even greater power.
I wanted to shout ‘how dare you raise your voice at me!’ like the eighth
leader of the Yangban family, born in the Joseon Dynasty, but her eyes,
looking at me, were not shaken like the loyalists who didn’t succumb to
harsh torture.
‘Fucking scary.’
She was like a bomb that was about to explode.
“Who told you to raise your voice like that?”
Amid my own confusion, a loud sound began to come out of my mouth

unconsciously.
“Sniiiiffff.”
When she bit her lips tightly as her arms trembled, I started thinking
that it wasn’t going to work.
She couldn’t hear my voice at that moment. It was natural that I even
thought about bringing Kim Hyunsung in to utterly defeat her.
I wanted to pull my body back a little, but her hands holding onto my
collar didn’t want me to move.
If we were secluded or in a closed room, I would’ve peed my pants.
It was impossible to administer stronger medicine in the current

situation. If I raised the bar one step further, I might ind myself later on
in a situation I could no longer handle.
Looking at Jung Hayan staring at me with her glaring eyes sharply
raised, apologetic feelings welled up, however…
I had to think about something that could overcome the current

situation irst.
‘Should I gently soothe her as I did with Hee-ra yesterday? No. That’s
not right. I could be doomed.’
It was only natural to worry about whether the same thing would
happen again.
I recalled the memory of enjoying the temptation that entered through

my whole body and into my mind. However…
‘I only have this.’
Unlike the previous situation where there were only two on the griffon,
I was in the middle of Lindel.
As I saw in the unicorn case, Jung Hayan wanted to keep a pure position
more than anyone else. I could guarantee that she wouldn’t blindly
attack me like Cha Hee-ra would.
‘The effect has already been proven.’
The method might be slightly different, but it should appease Jung

Hayan, who was currently getting even angrier.
As I slowly peeled her off since she had buried her face in my chest, I
could see her teary eyes more clearly.
I gave her the most alluring smile I could muster, looked at her, closed
in on her face, then kissed her eyes.
“Don’t cry, Hayan.”

“Sniff…”
After stroking her hair with my ingers, I began to touch her ears gently.
“I told you that the situation is a little unfavorable right now. I told you
many times to understand if it’s something related to work… If you
whine because of this kind of stuff, it’ll be a little hard for me, too.”
“Ahhh…”
It’s wasn’t much, but it was a touch that stimulated the ive senses for
some reason.
As expected, she began to tremble and blush. I was worried that her
legs would soon turn rubbery and sit down on the loor.
“Aaaahh.”
Her reaction proved to be more intense than I expected.
“Why wouldn’t I want to get married to you immediately? I have to be

patient because of the situation. Just thinking of you every day… makes
my heart burst. Look. Like this…”
My heart was pounding because of fear, but I whispered sweet words in

her ear and did my best to alleviate her anger in my own way.
In fact, it was not that I didn’t have any physical contact until that
moment, but it would be more impactful this way.
I was in a situation where I was trying to sprinkle pheromones as much

as possible, after all.
“Ahhhhhhhhhh.”
Something felt off.

“Sigh. Sigh. Sigh.”
Not only did her breathing become harsher, but the way she was
looking at me had also changed.
Her eyes, which seemed to have lost their morals, were now changing
bizarrely. For some reason, Jung Hayan was blushing, and she had
started twisting her body. I didn’t know if she was crying or laughing.
‘This fucking… ’
My consciousness had now begun to blur.
‘Huh? What’s going on… What?’
I was starting to feel sleepy, and my legs felt like they were slowly losing
strength. I tried my best to keep my increasingly heavier eyelids open,
but I found that I couldn’t stop it.
‘Is this your doing, Jung Hayan?’
I couldn’t even feel her magic power rising, let alone the spell. I didn’t
know if it was an aftereffect from Cha Hee-ra inally hitting me, or if it
was Jung Hayan who was the perpetrator, but I slowly began to tilt my
body forward.
I then heard a voice in my ear.
“A-A-Are you tired?”
Her voice didn’t seem worried at all. In fact, she sounded pleased.
Though she tried her best to look worried, I knew her all too well. Her
desires were practically glistening.
“I-I’ll take you there. T-T-To your room. You should take a good rest
today. Hehehehe…”
“Ah… Yes. Suddenly my body is so… p-potion, please…”
“I-I will feed you. First, lean over h-here. Here.”
“Right now…”
“Ah, okay…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Wake… up.”
“…”
“Oppa, wake up. You said you had a meeting. What are you doing?
What’s this?”
“Lee Jihye…?”
I slowly opened my eyes.
I didn’t know what time it was, but since I could still see the brightness
of the day, it didn’t seem like it had been a long time since I lost
consciousness.
I thought I was with Jung Hayan, but Lee Jihye turned out to be the one
sitting next to me. She had a lustered and worried look on her.
Meanwhile, I was having dif iculty understanding what had just

happened.
‘Where is Jung Hayan, and why is she here?’
“Huh? You really woke up.”
“What, what? Have I been sleeping for a long time?”
“You’ve been asleep for three days.”
“What!?”
“You were sleeping for exactly three days, you must not be feeling well.”
“There was a Templar who came from the Holy sector…”
“What? Why did a Templar suddenly come?”
“I don’t know what’s going on as well… They said there were signs that
your life might be in danger. After checking your condition and saying it
seemed okay, he went back, but… It’s a mess around here because of
that. The Elf Princess also took a look at your health condition… Is she a
woman we can actually trust? Does it make sense for a person like you
to suddenly have his life endangered? I think this is all suspicious.”
‘What is happening now?’
“Why Elena, of all people? No, what is Elena doing now?”
“The treatment must have just ended. She must be resting now. Doesn’t
it smell like the scent of a forest right now?”
“I don’t know… Anyway, wasn’t Hayan here?”
“I said you’ve been asleep for three days. Half a day had passed since
she brought you here. Seeing that you weren’t waking up, it seemed like
the Elf Princess went into your room to see your condition. About three
hours after that, the Templar came immediately. I’ve never seen a
Templar come out. It was really amazing.”
After I had become the Honorary Cardinal, that was the irst time a
Templar had been mobilized out of the shadows.
I couldn’t igure out what had happened while I was sleeping. However,
something troubled me above all else.
‘Elena?’
Why did her name pop up again?
One thing was for sure. I almost went to Benignore’s side with great
disgrace.
If I had really lost my life, there would have been no better comedy than
that. It was no wonder that I felt bitter.
As I looked at Lee Jihye’s face without knowing it, I could see her face
closing in on me.
“By the way, oppa, you look so sexy today. You usually already do. But
your appeal is just way stronger right now…”
‘Not you too, fuck… ’

CHAPTER 432
RE: LIFE IN THAT WORLD,
STARTING FROM ZERO (1)
I thought I knew what it was like to die of weakness by then. I couldn’t

even believe that I had been sleeping for three days.
When I thought about the fact that a Templar came to visit me, a
member of a group that never showed their face even in times of great
crisis, I could at least understand that what I went through shouldn’t be
seen as something comedic.
I de initely managed to endure Cha Hee-ra, but after that, Elena’s guilt-
ridden theft had completely shattered Light Kiyoung’s body.
Lee Jihye, who was humming and adjusting her clothes, danced to a
rhythm as if she was in a good mood. Her lushed and sweaty face felt
strangely sexy.
Of course, I couldn’t afford to start another rambunctious round. Could

a body cursed by the demon even do that?
I had a hard time moving my body even, though I had already taken
several potions. It felt as if I had been beaten with at least a semi-
mythic grade debilitating curse without wearing any artifacts, and I
wasn’t joking, either.
“I’ve been asleep for three days?”

“Yes. They said it was because your body was exhausted… The experts
also said that there’s nothing wrong with you. She’s giving you potions
in sap, so it’s understandable. In addition to the potion you made,
you’re also taking something from the World Tree, so she must have
taken care of your health properly.”
‘I hope so, Jihye.’
“After the Templar took a look at you, he began to mumble and went
outside, saying that there was simply a misunderstanding. Even after
that, it was a little weird that you only fell asleep. But you were really
tired, right? And it’s also been hard for you mentally. Why are you
making that face, though? Are you not feeling well? Shall I bring in a
priest?”
“No. I’m still tired. This is driving me crazy… Did I really take something
from the World Tree? All I did was sleep, but why am I so tired? Is my
body really fucked up? No one has put an energy drain spell on me,
right?”
“You’re just getting older. Well, looking at you today, it looks like you’re
still alive and kicking. Or was I that attractive?”
“…”
“We have good chemistry, right?”
I nodded roughly at Lee Jihye’s useless words and groped around the
desk next to the bed with my weak hands, causing something to fall.
[Visitor list]
[Lee Jihye] 08:43 AM – 09:50 AM
[Cha Heera] 11:00 AM – 12:14 AM

[Jung Hayan] 15:03 PM – 15:10 PM
[Elena] 18:05 PM – 20:02 PM
[Cha Heera] 22:23 PM – 23:03 PM
[Cha Heera] 05:02 AM – 06:04 AM
[Lee Jihye] 08:23 AM – 09:10 AM
[Jung Hayan] 09:21 AM – 09:29 AM
[Jung Hayan] 10:55 AM – 11:05 AM
[Jung Hayan] 12:11 PM- 12:22 PM
[Jung Hayan] 15:42 PM – 15:52 PM
[Elena] 18:05 PM – 20:02 PM
[# # # # # #]
‘What’s this?’
It all felt so ridiculous that I almost laughed. At the same time, I couldn’t
help but feel really grateful for them coming regularly.
‘Thinking of me so much would make me cry.’
Still, it was also noticeable that they gave me a break in the middle of
the visits, as if they thought I needed personal time and time to rest.
Jung Hayan only stayed for ten minutes every time she came, as if she
tried her best to inish her business with me very quickly. Cha Hee-ra
stayed for about an hour. I didn’t see Elena’s name much on the list, but
as she was well-regulated, she visited me twice on the same time frame,
illed in two hours, and then left.
Even Lee Jihye was a regular. It seemed that organically adjusting the
time and coming by seemed to express her personality well.
As I looked at her quietly, I saw her clearing her throat.
Although other people were coming by, most of the visitors for the past
three days were those four. Since I didn’t know how much they thought
of me up until now, I couldn’t help but shed tears of gratitude.
I wondered if they had done something to me…
‘No. There’s no way they would.’
No matter how weird those people were, they wouldn’t have behaved
impulsively around me as a patient.
I shook my head.
After I cleared my mind, I began to gulp the contents of a potion silently.

Once again, I felt something like the water of life going down my throat.
‘Did I choose to be an alchemist for this? I’m dying in shame.’
“You’re drinking a lot of potions.”
“It’s like a pick-me-up. It’s a rejuvenating drink too. I really feel like my
body has weakened.”
“You did a lot. Honestly, it’s time to take a little break. It would be
strange if you didn’t feel anything. I don’t think it’s anything serious,
though.”
“If so, that’s good.”

“But you’ll be told not to overdo it for a few days. Do you think you’re
alone? In those three days, the country, no, the continent was in chaos…
Oh, is this something you already know?”
“That the quests are gone? And that the dungeons disappeared too? I
was the irst one to hear about it.”
“Hmm. Pope Basel was right. It seemed like you should have announced
it, but as you know, you couldn’t do that because you were lying in a
sickbed. Pope Basel himself preached that meaning to the continent.”
“Good job. What was the public’s reaction?”
“Hmm.”
“It was a tremendous uproar. Well, it would’ve been weirder if they

didn’t react that way. The system that has maintained the continent has
been overturned all at once. Fortunately, the foreigners had work to do.
As you know, the Demon Summoner Jin Qing testi ied about the spread
of demonic of icials on the continent. Thanks to that, the Adventurers
Guild is preparing to go on an expedition to the scattered evil dungeons.
And… there is also the Crack Land.”
“That’s still…”
“It’s about to open, oppa.”
“What? It’s been completed?”
“The day you passed out, Cha Hee-ra personally came and told me that
I’d have to proceed with it immediately. I could tell what you would be
picturing, so I just proceeded with that, but that’s a good thing, right?
Manager Kim Miyoung helped me a lot. Oh, that person’s ability is very
good.”
“She’s a valuable talent. I think I need to raise her salary.”
“Please do that. Please give her a generous bonus, too. Currently, the
funds are coming 30% from the Blue and 60% from the Red Mercenary.
About 5% came from the Black Swan and 5% from Yuno Kasugano…
Those are all after I limited all the small things. I used the dwarves,
Max, Lindel’s wizards, and other human resources to set up a
distribution network using a minimum workforce. In fact, it’s
embarrassing to call it a commercial district because I didn’t have time
to make it better. It would be better if you go and experience it
yourself.”
“I thought it would be good if things progressed swiftly, but this is going

way too fast.”
“Oh, this is just the framework. From the beginning, Max was the one
who was constantly preparing. There are a lot of things to re ine
externally, but there’s nothing wrong with the internal affairs of the
museum.”
‘Of course, there isn’t.’
She had inally revealed her true nature, but that didn’t happen in just a
couple of days. I simply nodded in reply.
‘Okay… you really are good quality. After all, we are soulmates.’
I didn’t know how she could always tackle the issues I needed to focus
on the most. In my eyes, she had become even lovelier.
It was then that Lee Jihye spoke once more.
“You look satis ied.”
“I actually am. Thanks, nuna.”

“Then I can also get one now, right?”
“Uh?”
“The In inity Stone… no, the ring on Cha Hee-ra’s and Jung Hayan’s
inger. Could you give me one too? It isn’t very pleasant to be the third,
and I think I deserve one too. I’ll wear it all the time, so don’t worry.”
“Ah. Yeah…”
It would’ve been complicated even if I were to say I couldn’t.
‘And there is no reason not to give her one as well.’
Considering what Lee Jihye had done so far in the irst place, she was
more than deserving of it. It wouldn’t look cool since I was lying on the
sickbed, but I took out the ring with a large yellow jewel and started to
put it on her inger.
Lee Jihye seemed expressionless as I did so, but once I had inally
slipped it into her inger, she laughed as if she was in a good mood.
“If you can get up, let’s go for a meal.”
“I can get up. By the way, were you always here?”
“It’s because I was busy preparing Crack Land for its grand opening, I
was always busy. It’s been quite a while since I last returned to our
guild. Anyone would think I’m from the Blue Guild.”
“Hmm…”
As I nodded and stood up, it was surprising to see that my body was
well-functioning. I felt like I was getting healthier as I started walking
around.
As I stepped outside, the people who we passed by looked at me and
greeted me.
Most of them sported a surprised expression and gave me different gifts

or thoughts, but, of course, Elena was the one that stood out among
them.
She couldn’t come to me easily. Rather, she hesitated at a distance.

Interestingly, there was terrible guilt written all over her face.
‘What did she really do to look like that?’
She looked a little different from her usual self. She was lowering her
head as her ears reddened.
I tried to talk about my current physical condition, but it was

regrettable that I couldn’t do it since the moment I approached her, she
ran away from me.
That wasn’t the only thing that I found strange.
‘Where are the other people?’
“Where are all the Blue Guild members?”
“Where do you think? They’re at the museum. I told you we’re inishing
the inal touches. Deokgu also woke up two days ago and joined them
right away. There are probably many Red Mercenary members there
too. Actually, you should’ve been there this morning. What a shame.”
“Are you promoting it?”
“Yes. I always am. It has no choice but to work as it’s a substitute for
other dungeons anyway. Well, you know this better, but…”
When we arrived at the restaurant, she ordered a simple dish.

“It isn’t much since it’s just the drawing of the design, but I think you
can take a look at it…”
After taking a spoonful of food into my mouth, I, too, began to see the
Crack Land’s exact appearance.
‘It’s not all that bad.’
If this was a collaboration between manager Kim Miyoung and Lee

Jihye, it would surely feel reliable enough.
I had to experience the details myself, but I thought they basically had
the right idea.
I couldn’t predict how the current market would accept it, but the basic
composition deserved applause.
‘It’s what I exactly had in mind.’
They had devised a structure that typically exploited the commoners.
“I don’t think I need to see it…”
“No. You have to see it. Because it’s not re lecting your opinion, I think it
would be better to experience it yourself.”
“Is there a way?”
“What kind of stupid question is that? Aren’t you the one managing that
place? It won’t look good if you just enter it normally. You should wear a
disguise and experience it from the perspective of a commoner. It
should be a great change of pace. It’s divided into beginner,
intermediate, and advanced courses, and the ranks are rare, heroic, and
legendary.”
“Would that be good enough…?”

I was actually feeling lazy, and it wasn’t really a busy time.
After coming to Lindel, I expected to have a crazy time, but my focus

had been almost entirely on Crack Land due to my duty to the people.
Above all, I wanted to get out of the current situation a little.
‘It would be less dangerous to enter the dungeon.’
I thought something similar as I pushed the fatigue recovery potion

back into my throat.
“It would be better to do that.”
“Sure.”
“I know I suggested it, but it’s still strange that you accepted it. Then…
Should I set up a separate party?”
“No. You don’t have to. There are a lot of parties in the square. I’ll go get
one myself.”
Only through the eyes of the common people could I feel exactly how
much Crack Land could exploit them.
CHAPTER 433
RE: LIFE IN THAT WORLD,
I started moving around after having my body checked.
If I went to the square a little later, there was a possibility that I wasn’t
going to be able to ind a suitable party.
Lee Jihye’s expression as she watched me checking the luggage seemed

a little disconcerted. She didn’t think I would really go through with it at
all.
“You’re actually going? What made you decide that? Why don’t you just
rest here?”
“No. I was going to look around anyway. I’m just as nervous as you were
while you hurried to open it before sending in the testers… I’ll have to
igure out what the problems with it are.”
“Since when have you been so passionate?”
“That’s how important it is to me.”
That was not the only reason why I suddenly wanted to leave for an
expedition, but it wasn’t wrong, either.
‘It’s really important.’

Of course, I thought Lee Jihye and manager Kim Miyoung had done a
good job.
However, what they were capable of and the degree of completion the
dungeon attained were two completely different stories.
If they were museum managers, I could have entrusted it to them with

con idence, but unfortunately, Max and I were the only museum
managers on the continent.
He was level 5, and I was level 4.
It meant that I was the general manager of the museum that was going
to open that day.
It would be strange for the CEO not to show up even though he was
running that big business. It would be like the greedy man felt that he
didn’t want to proceed in vain, considering the continent’s fate was at
stake.
I had to see if it exploited the people in a balanced way. It shouldn’t

exploit too hard, yet not too softly.
It was, after all, still important to keep instilling hope and while
accumulating damage.
The players’ growth was also a market that I had to pay attention to. It
had to make them desperate. That was the signi icance of the Crack
Land – to make the foreigners desperate.
Additionally, it had to bring tremendous inancial gains to Blue.
It was easy to say, but it was inevitably delicate in many ways. It wasn’t
particularly strange for me to want to experience it the way commoners
did.
“You’re pretty famous… what are you going to do with that? It would be
unreasonable to try to do something with magic…”
“Can’t I just go out in disguise? I have a surprisingly common face.”
“To be honest, your face isn’t common at all. It’s not like there’s no
peculiarity. Even so, I think you’re going to look a little different if you
just change your hairstyle and the equipment you usually wear. You
have a standard image of being the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, so
if you deviate from that image, it might be okay…?”
“…”
“No, it won’t work. First, your face stands out too much.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“But you still have to do things right. What about wearing a mask?
Although that would look a little suspicious…”
‘Don’t even think about it! Jihye! Are you crazy?’
“That, I refuse to acknowledge.”
“Well. You don’t have to cause useless cautiousness. You’re not going to
enter the rare-grade, right? Heroic-grade?”
“Yes.”
“Then magic is also rejected. They’ll notice everything. Oh! Wait. It

doesn’t mean there’s no way. Wait here. I’ll be back soon.”
She nodded as if she just had the brightest idea, and then she went
away. She had that certain expression wherein she looked like she came
running out of the bath and shouted Eureka.
After all, she always had sharp means around problems.
I didn’t expect much, but after a while, I couldn’t help but be shocked
because of what Lee Jihye had brought.
“Is this okay?”
“What? Where did these guys come from?”
“When Hyejin brought the unicorn, she hid and brought them. It’s ine,
right?”
“I-I think it will be okay, but this is…”
“You said that the effect lasts a few days anyway. I think it will be just
right. Go with this.”
“It won’t be bad.”
***
“Cheol-woo oppa?”
“…”
“Cheol-woo oppa!”
“Oh, Minji.”
“So? Is there anyone useful?”
“No. I don’t think so… I can’t ind anyone. I knew it would be dif icult to
ind a backline at Lindel, but it’s really hard to ind one since they’ll feel
like they’re starting from scratch. The good ones I found already had a
party… In fact, our front line isn’t that strong either. The wizards we
want won’t be satis ied with it. If I knew it would be like this, I would
have brought more wizards into the clan even if it was unreasonable.”
“That’s easy to say, but hard to commit to. If they don’t grow after you
bring them in for no reason, it’ll just be a waste for all parties involved.
Having many wizards can also be a problem… Someone like Jung Hayan
from the Blue Guild could pop out. I would be really nice to that
person…”
“Jung Hayan is a very unusual case. Even a wizard who is active in a

medium-sized guild would not be enough. That’s why the wizard pool is
small.”
“Instead…”
“Huh?”
“How about applying to the Demon’s Spire since we’re in a stalemate

anyway? I heard that it gives many supplies, and if we enter a raid,
won’t it be easier to organize a party than now? If you get acquainted
with the wizards who entered the same raid, you can sneak a
suggestion to join the clan… Isn’t it the Magic Kingdom, after all? They
have good wizards…”
“That’s not allowed.”
“Ah…”
“It’s still dangerous. It’s not a place we can just barge into with our
level.”
“I don’t know… I heard that the Tree Next Door Clan is also heading to
the Demon’s Spire…”
“It’s a dungeon that should be at least heroic-grade or higher in terms

of rating. We have many people who have just entered the heroic-grade,
so it’s hard for us. Of course, it doesn’t mean that there is no possibility
at all, but I don’t think there’s a need to move in a hurry. It won’t be too
late, even after gaining experience at the Crack Museum.”
I was arguing against the idea, but in fact, it wasn’t that I didn’t think
about going to the Magic Kingdom.
Unlike the Crack Museum, where people had to organize their own
parties, the Demon’s Spire, which required a relatively large number of
people, was a lot friendlier towards people like us. Considering that I
had some connections and that the supply support won’t be small, the
rewards could be greater.
Of course, that was only true if I ended with some supplies left, but it
was still worth considering in many ways. However…
‘Not yet.’
All the clan’s squads could only do heroic-grade.
There was a high probability that a dangerous accident would occur if

we went beyond the intermediate level.
The reason the clan could continue running was because we were
careful. Although the world had changed, the act of unreasonably trying
to gain an advantage always triggered accidents.
“I thought you would say that.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“No. Even Daegun said that you would de initely oppose it. I just
thought I should try to convince you anyway. I wasn’t even expecting
anything.”
“Daegun, too?”
“Yes. Who would say you’ve not been friends since childhood? You two
really it each other. Sometimes, I feel really jealous.”
“Hahaha.”
“Don’t laugh. I’m not kidding. There really are clan members who feel
alienated because the Clan Master and the Vice Clan Master are too
close.”
“I’m sorry to have made them feel that way… should I apologize to the
clan members? By the way, where is Daegun now?”
“He was looking for a party at the bar. I don’t know if the wizards, who
have been drinking since morning, will be helpful in the expedition, but
we’ve been in such a hurry. It’s time to leave soon… Ugh. There really
aren’t many people. Why does this happen at such timing? Those
demonic of icials… I want to catch them and put them all into irewood.
And even…”
“It can’t be helped. In fact, it doesn’t look as bad as people might think.”
“What?”
“Even if heroic-grade dungeons are continuously released, there’s no

guarantee that we will either bid or ind that dungeon. In a little while,
the tutorial dungeon will open… This time, the whole continent is
united, so they said they would run an education center. Maybe many
large guilds will be paying attention to dungeon auctions. They have to
raise beginners who will join the guild. In that sense, with the funds our
clan has… It means that winning a heroic-grade dungeon is close to
impossible. And I can’t rely on luck.”
“Well…”
“Although the pool is a little narrow… Still, it’s great that we can still go
to a dungeon. If the dungeon is directly managed by the Goddess, it
would surely be friendly to foreigners. Also, it was announced that large
guilds would be supporting small and medium-sized clans. We have to
see this as an opportunity no matter what.”
“If we don’t get nervous, someone will de initely come while we’re
waiting. There will be one or two people who would be thinking the
same thing as us.”
“After three hours, if no one comes up…”
“Then, it would be better to leave. There will be a wizard who’d fallen

behind in front of the museum.”
“I wish there would be.”
It was just a simple wish.
Finding a wizard seeking a party in front of a dungeon was nearly

impossible, no matter how I thought about it. However, I didn’t want to
just stand still.
As a new opportunity came, I had to move desperately.
It was only natural that I wanted to wait a little stronger.
“We’re looking for a wizard who wants to join our party. We’re a clan
with a strong frontline and priests. The destination is the Crack
Museum heroic-grade dungeon. We are looking for people who will
happily hunt with us in a family-like atmosphere. You only have to share
some part of your stats and your class. If you are interested, we will do
our best to accommodate you. If you come, we will leave right away. We
are the Friendship Clan!”
“We’re looking for a wizard to hunt with, and is kindhearted! Our Clan
Master oppa really likes people! Please come join us!”
I could see Kook Minji speaking right next to me.
However, our voices couldn’t be heard since all the parties that illed
the square were shouting as well. I raised the sign I was holding a little
higher, but it didn’t seem that easy to ind a party member.
It was then…
In the distance, we could see someone with a staff approaching.
‘Uh?’
She had a face that could be said to be overall beautiful.
Her torn eyes, pure white skin, and blood-red lips stood out.
Her entire body was covered with a robe, and her gait looked strangely
awkward. I wasn’t sure if her foot was injured, but she certainly had a
staggering posture.
What stood out more than her posture was her face.
‘How can someone have that kind of look…?’
Sexy was an understatement. Was she a succubus? Her torn eyes were
enough to awaken anyone’s lust.
It would be more appropriate to say that she looked erotic.
People didn’t usually say that when evaluating a person’s appearance,

but that was the most accurate description of her.
I had met many people so far, but that was my irst time looking at
someone like her. I didn’t even need to mention that just looking at her
made me feel like I was blushing.
Staring blankly at her for a moment, I watched the woman with a

foreign charm stand in front of me as she parted her dangerous lips.
“I am… a wizard, but a different kind of wizard. If it’s okay, can I join the
party? I heard that you were leaving for the Crack Museum.”
Her voice made my lower body tense beyond my control.
“I guess I have to introduce myself irst. Nice to meet you, Friendship

Clan. I’m Lee Kiyeon, the Summoner Wizard.”
CHAPTER 434
RE: LIFE IN THAT WORLD
‘This is so uncomfortable… ’
I had accepted Lee Jihye’s suggestion because I thought it would be

okay, but it proved to be too excruciating.
The look I wore was indeed unbearable, despite not wearing a skirt.
Even waking felt awkward because I felt like my skeletal system had
changed.
Although I was familiar with gazes settling upon me, it was essentially
different from the gazes I received as Lee Kiyoung. These ones bothered
me more.
Even those who were drunk in broad daylight gave me onceovers.
As long as they didn’t see me like a slut it didn’t matter that much, but it
was still undeniable that it felt unpleasant.
‘Men… ’
They were all the same, myself included.
When I looked to the side, I saw my re lection on the window. I couldn’t

say that I looked beautiful, but I indeed had an attractive face.
‘Okay… I’m satis ied with this, at least.’

It was enough to arouse interest.
I had a face that wouldn’t get rejected for a party job offer.
In fact, when looking for a party, one’s look played an important role as
well. It was for the same reason that companies had come to value the
appearance of the interviewee.
If one were a well-known adventurer, they could get out of that

restriction, but expeditions made people picky. Not only did they spend
a few days with someone they had never seen before, but they also had
to trust others, even in situations where they wouldn’t be able to see
one step ahead.
Impressions were just as important if one were to assume that all kinds
of problems could occur. People didn’t want to go on expeditions with
someone who looked like a scammer or a murderer.
In that aspect, Lee Kiyeon was enough to it into the cut line.
Nodding as I walked, I noticed the people entering the square.
‘Who should I pick…?’
It was also important to test the waters. Since I had never gone through
that kind of trouble, it was easy to admit that I felt lost.
‘It won’t be easy to ind a job… ’
Of course, I quickly realized how wrong I was.
“We’re looking for frontline combatants to go hunting together!”
“We’re looking for an archer to go on an expedition to the nearby Goblin

Village! We prefer those who have a good sense of direction. We’ll leave
as soon as you join!”
There weren’t only parties looking for members.
“My class is a rare-grade assassin. If you let me join, I can go anywhere.

I have a lot of experience, and my damage output is pretty good. I’m
different from other bandits. Please let me join! I don’t even need
someone to heal! I’ll just bandage it up!”
“I’m a heroic-grade hunter! I will chase anyone you want me to! I’m
looking for a party to join! Please!”
Even the number of individuals seeking a party couldn’t be ignored. No,

to be precise, there were more individuals than there were groups.
Most of them were thieves who constantly screamed to promote

themselves.
‘Looking at them, they’ve turned out to be low-class people. However, I

already knew that.’
They were those located at the bottom of the pyramid. Priests, wizards,
and usable tanks were all ranked at the top.
In particular, there was only a small pool of wizards.
The Blue Guild never had to worry about getting wizards, so I was a
little puzzled at irst, but giving it a little thought, I knew that I could
easily explain the phenomenon.
If the world were a game, it wouldn’t happen.
Unlike in games where magic could be used at the push of a button, that
world’s magic was clearly treated as a scholarly subject.
The title of wizard could only be obtained through desperate efforts

apart from simply being smart. Even rare-grade wizards were
considered precious in the continent.
Most of the wizards who had reached heroic-grade were members of
large guilds or were treated as high-level personnel that were allowed
to travel around various sites.
Some were like government of icials stuck as researchers, while a few

wizards had never gone on a hunt because they feared the outdoors.
Of course, even such people had no problem making a living.
Given the circumstances, it was obvious how a skilled wizard would be

treated. As the number of thieves and assassins increased, the gap in
their status and those classi ied as high-ranking occupations became
larger.
Of course, that was in the wild. It was completely different from the
ecosystem of large guilds that already had good wizards in their ranks.
Perhaps half of the gazes directed at me contained that reasoning.
I was holding a wizardly staff, after all.
“Hey, wizard, if you are above heroic-grade, how about the demon’s…”
“Sorry. I’m not at that level yet.”
“How about going out to the ield?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Let’s hunt rare-grade raid monsters…”
“I’m sorry. Raid monsters are a little…”
“If you have time, we can have a cup of tea somewhere quiet.”
“I’m Lee Kiyeon, the summoning wizard.”

“…”
‘What’s up with this motherfucker?’
“Excuse me? Can you hear me?”
“Oh! I’m sorry. S-so…”
“I’m Lee Kiyeon, the summoning wizard.”
“Right! Yes. It’s nice to meet you, Lee Kiyeon.”
‘Gosh, a clumsy one?’
Watching him becoming lustered proved to be quite entertaining.
He shouldn’t be looking like a beginner if he was really a heroic-grade. I

got anxious because of his behavior. I thought that maybe I had
approached the wrong group, but the abilities seen with my Mind’s
Eyes didn’t lie.
I watched Lee Cheol-woo look at me after coughing, almost as if he was

clearing up his mind.
“I’m sorry. I was…”
“No. No. I can understand. More importantly… Can I join your party?”
“Before that… Can you please explain what kind of job the summoning
wizard is?”
‘He’s not clumsy, after all.’
“Oh. I got ahead of myself. Of course. I don’t know how to explain it at

best, but…”
“…”
“Think of it as being in the middle of a summoner and a wizard. It’ll be

easier to understand that way. I can use common-grade magic, but
doing more than that is a bit dif icult. If I overdo it, even rare-grade
magic is possible. Although my specialty is summoning magic, it’s
impossible to keep a summoned around for a long time. It’s quick, but
it’s still possible to strike with it.”
“Hmm…”
“Is it a little vague?”
“No. It’s not. However, it’s an issue that requires the consent of the
party members… Of course, I must thank you for approaching our party,
but since you’re not an ordinary wizard…”
‘Ha… fuck… No to special job discrimination, you punk. ‘
“It’s a heroic-grade class, and it hasn’t been long since I changed classes.
My stats also it heroic-grade.”
“I see.”
‘This is why regular parties are annoying.’
Looking at his disposition and quirks, he seemed to have his

personality in a rut.
It looked like he was wondering about it, even though I didn’t think it
was a big deal.
Of course, as a party leader, it was not that I didn’t understand his

sentiments, but having to wait was annoying. The people in the square
gradually decreased while he was wasting my time.
‘Are you going to accept me or not?’
I wanted to turn back after telling him to screw off, but I had no other
choice. I realized what kind of treatment people with special classes
often got.
Even if I went to a different party, I probably would be in the same

situation.
‘Since I am neither a wizard nor a summoner, I look too widespread.’
It was indeed a vague class if I were to think about it.
“Oh, can’t I join? I think I have to go today… Ha. What should I do.”
“Of course, it’s possible.”
I had inally gotten some good news.
However, the voice came from behind me.
When I turned my head naturally, I saw a warrior wearing a shield and

blunt weapon.
‘Kim Daegun?’
He was a typical frontline warrior with high durability and stamina. Just
before I could greet him, Lee Cheol-woo greeted him irst. They then
started to have a conversation without me.
“Daegun.”
“There is also a saying that the system doesn’t lie. It’s a heroic-grade
class, and she’s saying she’s matched the stats too. Why are you still
wondering about her? It’s better to go out there and do something than
to stay here. You can listen to the details as you head to the destination.
If you don’t like her, you can just reward her.”
“Yes. I probably won’t be disappointed. I’m sure of it.”
“If so…”
Success was right before my eyes. When I nodded with a satisfactory

expression, Kook Minji’s face next to him became noticeably
unpleasant.
The lines she voiced out after that was surprising.
“I vote against it.”
‘Gosh, what’s up with her now?’
“I understand what you guys are thinking, but I am a little… I don’t feel
good about this.”
It was truly hard to make a living in Lindel.
‘You’re a woman too, dammit. Can we live with some cooperation?’

CHAPTER 435
“Can’t… we?”
“What is it, Minji?”
‘Right. What is it? Did do I do anything wrong? Why can’t I just go

hunting? Huh? Can’t I go out to the dungeon?’
“Just by looking at her, I can tell she doesn’t have that much experience.
Am I right?”
‘What bullshit are you talking about? Who else has as much experience
as I do?’
My experiences were a little different from other people’s, though.
“She doesn’t have muscles in her legs and her arms. Her hands are too
ine, and her nails don’t have one scratch… No matter how I look at her,
her body doesn’t seem like it has gone on many expeditions. I don’t
know where you are putting your personal supplies, but… That bag is a
Chanelia Hermes, right? Luxury brand. It looks pretty, but it’s not
practical.”
‘What bullshit are you talking about? This is a gift from our Hyunsung,
bitch. It’s an in inite bag. It’s not trash! It’s a bag you can’t buy in your
entire lifetime.’
“Who carries a luxury bag like that when going to an expedition? It’s
only good to look at, but its utility is horrible. You’re not going to the
dungeon to lirt around, are you? You should have prepared the
minimum. Even if you’re a wizard, you should have your own personal
supplies. We can help with things like tents and camps, but it’s only
proper to have the basics ready before requesting to join a party, Lee
Kiyeon. Cheol-woo and Daegun aren’t just random nobodies. You even
put on full makeup… I don’t know if you want to look good for someone,
but that seems a bit off for me. Who goes on an expedition wearing
makeup? Will you wake up in the dungeon and put makeup in there,
too?”
‘What’s up with her? She’s going really crazy. What are you doing? Why
are you so angry?’
She sounded right, though. However, I couldn’t just say that and nod.
“I-I’m not wearing makeup. Not even a bit.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“What?”
“I didn’t come after putting on makeup. If you look closely, you’ll

understand.”
“Then those lips and skin… That mascara on your eyelashes…”
“Take a closer look.”
And about the in inite bag…

‘I shouldn’t tell them about it.’
“I’m sorry about the bag. It’s been a long time since I last left the lab.
This bag is the only one I had. Before I left the lab, I disposed of
everything that seemed useless. I had no idea that this would happen…
a-and there are some circumstances that I cannot talk about.”
“Even so…”
“I don’t have much experience in expeditions, but I’ll work hard. No, if
you trust me, I’ll do my best. At the very least, I won’t be a nuisance.
Please.”
“How are you so sure?”
Even Light Kiyoung had a bit of muscle. However, Lee Kiyeon was truly
thin.
It was irrational in many ways to say that I had cleared not only heroic-
grade dungeons, but also legendary-grade dungeons with that body.
Even if I told her, she wouldn’t even believe it anyway.
It was better to create a story enough to make them agree with my

request.
“Two or three rare-grade dungeons? I’ve been out on the ield more
than that.”
“Lies. I don’t think such a body…”
‘This girl! are you interrogating me?’
“If you don’t believe me, then I have nothing left to say, but… it’s true.
Although it happened some time ago.”
It felt like she was really doing an interrogation.
When it came to that point, one side would usually give up to some
degree. I couldn’t igure out why the hell she was attacking me that
much.
If she was doing that from the start, it was no different than telling me
not to join.
She was ruining the atmosphere even before leaving. Who would want
to proceed with the expedition with a party like that?
Had both sides not been desperate, we would have already gotten angry
and pulling each other’s hair.
‘Okay, fuck. I’ll try to understand.’
If I were her, I wouldn’t want to accept myself as a party member either.
Lindel’s ants were living more iercely than I thought. Thinking that this
was a life-threatening problem, I nodded.
To be honest…
‘It’s my mistake.’
There was a useless misunderstanding in the makeup part, but it was a

mistake to go on an expedition without a backpack.
‘You lived without knowing too much. You grew up too cherished.
Kiyeon, this girl.’
I hadn’t worn any bag since after the irst expedition.
Initially, all the basic tools I needed were in Chanelia Hermes. Other
than that, Park Deokgu carried the bags, and the guild staff organized
the items.
It meant that I couldn’t even remember my newbie days anymore.

Besides, my newbie days and their newbie days wouldn’t be the same.
They had been thrown out with nothing, and in my case, I had started
with a high salary.
Even if I was a veteran with quite a few years of experience under my

belt, it was not surprising that I couldn’t understand their customs.
‘Ha… Did I make a mistake? I guess I did.’
I couldn’t make any more excuses.
I had no choice but to entrust Kiyeon to them.
Even at that moment, I wanted to join a different party, but the job
market was already closing down. I looked at Kook Minji with a sad
expression, but her expression remained cold.
‘This one is irm.’
She wasn’t giving up. I guess this meant that I had to target someone
else.
I stared at Lee Cheol-woo quietly. As soon as I shot my gaze, he came to

my rescue.
‘This one was friendly from the start. Niiiiiice. Cheers, our Kiyeon!’
“Don’t push her so hard, Minji. I’m sorry, Lee Kiyeon. I will apologize on
her behalf.”
“What?”
“She’s nice, but sometimes she tends to lose her cool. I’m a little puzzled
that you didn’t bring the basic supplies, but… I believe there must be
some circumstances at stake.”
‘Whew. That’s it.’
“Then…”
“I think it would be okay if you come with us. Daegun, what do you
think?”
“I was in favor of it from the beginning. Minji, don’t go pouting like that.
I understand what you’re worried about, but… We’ve got nothing else
to lose. If you think about how easy the expedition will become because
we have a wizard, we should be thankful.
“Yes, but…”
“You have to apologize irst.”
The two men started to look at the spoiled girl with silent eyes. In the
end, it was her that raised her white lag.
“I’m sorry. I was being rude.”
“No. It’s okay. I know my circumstances can become quite a source of

misunderstandings, so I understand. We won’t be together for long, but
I look forward to working with you.”
“We really appreciate it, Kiyeon. What are you doing, Cheol-woo? Give
her the temporary party contract.”
“You have a contract, too?”
“It’s the formal procedure.”

‘There seems to be all sorts of things.’
When I looked at the contract issued by the priest after carefully pulling
it out, several provisions came into my eyes.
It was not complicated, and it was also very concise.
It was truly a formal contract. It was about the provisions for escape or
troll behaviors, compensation, and distribution.
Perhaps it didn’t have a great legal effect.
Nobody could tell what would happen in a dungeon unless they turned
the Goddess’s Mirror completely on for 24 hours.
It seemed to me that it was simply meant to instill alertness.
It was a little messy, but I succeeded in getting a party anyway. At that

point, I began to ask about their personal information and details.
“It’s not only the fours of us, right?”
“Yes. We have three more colleagues.”
That seemed like the right number.
“Maybe they are preparing to leave from the accommodation.”
“I see. Where is the clan house? Western region?”
“It’s… embarrassing, but there’s still no place we can call a clan house. I
thought that buying equipment was more important…”
“Ah…”
“This is embarrassing.”
“No. That was a great choice. You’re trying to improve a little more.
There aren’t many people who invest in equipment in the beginning.
You’ve judged well. So that’s why your equipment is shining like that.
Isn’t that robe also heroic-grade? The quality looks really good…”
“No. It is a rare-grade.”
“I guess it looked like that because the user carried it well.”
“B-B-B-By the way, how long has Kiyeon been here?”
“Not long. Has it been two years now? It will be three years soon. Cheol-
woo and Daegun…”
“We’ve been here for four years.”
‘It’s not that long. Not bad.’
Entering heroic-grade in their fourth year meant their growth proved to

be extremely fast.
On average, it took about six or seven years to get those stats.
Their clan didn’t seem to be the type to act based on impulse. I thought
of them as people who had a clear vision and were climbing up from the
bottom. I couldn’t help but admit that I had chosen the right party to
join in.
I didn’t usually think of it, but I felt like I could see them along the top
after a little more time.
I quickly realized that it would be wise to memorize their faces.
Since we decided to go on an expedition together, it was only proper.
I watched two of the members laugh at the basic sweet-talk I gave them.
I still didn’t know why Kook Minji was so dissatis ied, but it seemed
that she had made up her mind.
“We’ll lend you some basic supplies.”
“Will that be okay?”
“Yes. Our clan is generous. It won’t be a problem to prepare another

bag.”
“Thank you for doing that. I feel like I’m already indebted to you. I’m so
sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’re a team.”
“You’re so cool… You’re so reliable. I feel relieved.”
Buttering them up would never be a bad move. As I put on a pleasing

smile, I saw him slightly smiling.
That was the moment I knew my sweet talks that melted even Pope
Basel had paid off.
Moving a little quicker, I saw their accommodations. It seemed like they

lived with their luggage there as if it was true that there was no clan
house yet.
After Lee Cheol-woo went inside, asking me to wait, I watched three

women taking the vacant seats.
‘One archer, one swordswoman, and one ighter.’
I didn’t know if it was just my imagination, but they didn’t seem to like
me that much for some reason.
I greeted them with a smile with my unique friendliness, but they only
formally nodded, and there was no other reaction. Only when Kim
Daegun introduced me did I really feel like they were saying hello.
“Let’s introduce you. This is Kiyeon. She will go on the expedition with
us. She’s a summoner, and she’s reached the heroic-grade in her third
year.”
“Special class?”
‘Why are you surveying me?’
“I’m looking forward to working with you, Kiyeon.”
“Yes. Me too.”
“Reaching heroic-grade in your third year is amazing.”
“I just got lucky…”
Everyone seemed to have the same expression as Kook Minji.
They looked as if they were looking down on me. Contempt rather than
looking down was more accurate.
‘What do newbies know? I’ll show you later, girls, what it’s like to be
semi-mythical.’
I knew that, the moment they would see it, I could already envision
them changing their opinion of me. However, it didn’t take long for that
pledge to collapse. It was a mistake to ignore the potential of those who
came up from the bottom.
‘Fuck… Couldn’t we just go in a carriage? Why are we walking? Why are

we walking when there is a carriage? Do you have no money to pay for
that?’
“Ugh. Sigh…”
‘It’s heavy. Fuck. It’s fucking heavy. I don’t think I can carry this… my
shoulder… I think I’m going to die. Deokgu, fuck, please take my
luggage. Where are you, Deokgu? I miss you, Park Deokgu!’
“Sigh. Sigh. Ugh.”
Inevitably, a groan started to pop out.
Even when I tried to stop it, it still came out.
‘Why aren’t we taking a break? Please, let’s take a break. Let’s drink
water and eat food, bastards.’
“Sigh.”
‘My waist. My shoulder! Lee Kiyeon will die, you bastards!’
“Sigh, ah… ah!!”
“Do you need help?”
The contemptuous gazes of the female clan members were more

evident than ever now.
CHAPTER 436
“Ah. Sigh.”
“…”
“Sigh. Sigh. Ugh.”
“…”
“Siiiigh.”
“…”
‘Ha… ’
The sounds coming from Lee Kiyeon made even me blush upon hearing
them.
I tried to say a word because it was so ridiculous, but after hearing

Cheol-woo’s warning to act politely, I couldn’t easily say something.
Due to that, I had to swallow the curses that were ighting to low out of
my lips.
‘What an eyesore. Is she crazy? She’s doing that on purpose, right?’
She was blatant enough to make me 100% sure.

It was true that I didn’t like her when I irst saw her. What I was
thinking was just as expected.
I was certain of this right after seeing her with full makeup on and a
luxury bag in her possession. She had even reasoned out that she wasn’t
wearing makeup.
‘She de initely is.’
She should be.
‘How dare you lie to my face?’
I didn’t know how she looked in men’s eyes, but she couldn’t fool
women.
She seemed to value looking good for the opposite sex more than
actually preparing for the expedition. I would actually prefer it if she
was that kind of person.
I would have been able to stand it if she simply acted like a fox or did
something naughty.
I knew very well what type of person she was.
It was not common, but I found more women of that kind in Lindel than
I thought I would.
‘Cheap-like bitch. Ugh, she really is cheap.’
There was no need to describe her further.
‘Did you really reach heroic-grade in your third year? Does that make
sense? Do you think you’re Blue Guild Jung Hayan’s successor? Why is
she not receiving offers when she has such a talent?’
She probably didn’t do anything stupid enough to cheat her stats, so it
was clear that she had gotten into heroic-grade, at least.
The question, however, was how she entered the heroic-grade.
Her legs and hands had no signs of battle. Her scar-less body told me
very well how she had lived thus far. She didn’t even have the most
basic knowledge.
It looked as if it was the irst time she saw a temporary party contract.
She didn’t even know what wizards should do.
‘It must be a problem because you’ve never fought.’
At that point, the answer was obvious.
She only had one reason why a woman with no talent or connection
could receive that much push.
‘She has a sponsor. And it looks like the sponsor is a large guild
executive.’
I was 100 percent sure at this point.
Not only was she provided with various conveniences in life in

exchange for her body, but he must have taken her on small and
medium-sized expeditions and fed her with experience to gain her
current abilities.
If I thought of it that way, all the questionable actions she exhibited

could be explained.
‘The summoning wizard, my ass.’
Although she had chosen wizard as her primary job, she couldn’t adapt
because of her lack of intelligence. Her af inity with pets was poor as
well, causing her to feel lost.
Her experience was boosted, so she had to change her class, and she
couldn’t make the right choice in the system in the end.
Although the name sounded good, I could bet that there would be very
few skills unique to the class.
‘It’s too obvious.’
I even rationalized the reason why she came so far.
‘She must have been abandoned.’
She must’ve eventually gotten abandoned by her sponsor and was

driven to the streets.
I didn’t know exactly what happened between the sponsor and that
woman, but it was despicable to see her trying to carry a luxury bag.
It was quite funny that she chose to go on an expedition instead of

entering the entertainment district. From the beginning, she wasn’t
interested in the expeditions at all.
What she was interested in was getting a good guy in order to settle
down.
She must be trying to get either Cheol-woo or Daegun. Observing her

attitude, I couldn’t help but feel like that was the case.
“Do you need help?”
Dummy.
“Sigh. Huh. Yes? Yes? Can I ask for your help? I feel like I’m being too
much of a nuisance…”
“I was worried about this march because you didn’t seem used to it. You
can give your luggage to me. You don’t have to refuse. It’s natural for the
party members to help each other.”
“But… I’m really sorry…”
“It’s okay, Kiyeon.”
“No, you really don’t have to do this, Cheol-woo. I feel like I’m
shameless…”
‘You say ‘you don’t have to do this,’ but you’re smiling?’
“It’s better to do this than to have you pass out in the middle of the
attack. Kiyeon, please take care of your physical strength.”
“If you say so… Thank you, Cheol-woo. I will take this favor gratefully.”
“And… you don’t have to be sorry. Everyone knows that wizards

struggle physically.”
“Yes. Thank you so much for your consideration.”
In the end, it was Cheol-woo and Daegun who carried the bags.
Meanwhile, Lee Kiyeon stretched as if she was relieved.
Watching her hold onto her Chanelia Hermes tightly was really
irritating. It was as if something was boiling inside me.
Perhaps it was not just me who felt that way. The three people living
together in the guild were no different.
“That woman…”
“Have you seen her before, Minji?”

“No. At least I don’t think I’ve seen her near our dorms… but, well, isn’t
it obvious just looking at her?”
“Yes. It’s obvious. Gosh… People just can’t seem to change. Isn’t she
embarrassed? She seems to think that the strength she gained is her
own. She’s someone who doesn’t even know the basics…”
“I know, right? I don’t know why she came with us all of a sudden and
do that shit. Maybe she was thrown away by her sponsor.”
“Isn’t she trying to get a suitable man to act like a madam? These days,
they do that a lot to clear up their history. Although I don’t know where
the rumors started, the stock price of Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun
from the Friendship Clan is also rising these days. Honestly, they are
pretty good. One is a frontline warrior, and the other is a priest. They
are people who didn’t join a large guild not because they couldn’t, but
because they didn’t want to. Their future is promising, and she was like
a gold digger on the prowl. It was better if she didn’t come. She smiles
gently and says something like, ‘you’re so cool and reliable.’ while
innocent Cheol-woo just laughs at it. He’s just too nice. I haven’t been
able to fully understand what kind of person would fall for such a
woman, but seeing Cheol-woo makes me slowly understand it.”
“You sound as if you hate her. Have you talked to him about it?”
“Yes. I told them before leaving… They said she doesn’t look like that
type of person. I was even scolded not to be rude to her.”
“Gosh. Unbelievable. It’s so obvious. You just have to look at her, and
you’ll immediately see that she’s a gold digger, yet they don’t think she
looks cheap? Among the people working at night, those who look like
that are widely spread. Listen to her deliberate moaning. You can see
her intentions clearly. Does she think that still works these days… so
vulgar…”
“Do you know what’s even funnier?”

“What?”
“If this expedition goes well, I think she’s thinking about getting
accepted as a member of the clan. It makes no sense. Really. Just
thinking about living face-to-face with someone like that makes me
want to hurl.”
“Gosh. Really? That can’t happen. Hey.”
“I know. It doesn’t really make sense.”
“How about you go and talk to her?”
“You can just go blackmail her. The choice is yours, but it wouldn’t be
bad to give her a warning. If that woman was sponsored and it was by a
big one, she would be scared to proceed with the expedition. She would
tremble…”
“That’s true. Well, but what if the expedition is canceled because of

that? Cheol-woo is really looking forward to this expedition…”
“I don’t think I can keep tolerating her. Because of people like her, other
women are insulted. If you’re going on an expedition, you have to act as
an adventurer, you know, instead of becoming a burden. Women are not
subject to protection in this continent, right? Look at people like Cha
Heera. Instead of having her as a role model, some people use their
femininity to exploit others. That’s a problem.”
“I know, right? It’s annoying.”
We heard a voice speak while we were quietly talking about her.
“We will take a break here.”

“Already?”
“Yes. Just a short one. I’m a bit tired. I’m sorry. Sorry, Daegun.”
“No. I was just about to take a break too. It seems like it’s too much to
set up a camp, so let’s just ind a place and have a meal. If there’s
anything like a snack, we could…”
‘Really… you’re too nice.’
Everyone knew that the reason why they were taking a break wasn’t
because of Cheol-woo.
It was probably in consideration of Lee Kiyeon.
The way he claimed to be tired to help her just showed that he was
indeed an innocently good man. As I quietly looked at Cheol-woo, I saw
him getting water and handing it to the woman.
‘You’re a real fool.’
The way Lee Kiyeon took the water as she smiled at him caught my
eyes.
She even seemed to have rubbed her hand with his when she took it
from him.
When I saw Cheol-woo’s very red face, I thought it was almost certain.
‘Ha!’
The next look of her was a spectacle.
“Oh my God…”
“Are you okay?”

Why did that cup of water spill on her chest?
“It seems like I keep showing my clumsy side. Actually, I was a little
tired last night… I’m not like this usually… I’m really sorry.”
Hah. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was tired every night.
“If you have something like a handkerchief, could you lend it to me for a
second?”
“Yes… Oh, okay.”
“I’ll wash this and return it when I have time. Is it okay to wipe off my
sweat too?”
“Yes, yes, it’s ine.”
‘Ha.’
It felt like ire was spewing out of my eyes.
“Wait a minute…”
“Yes.”
“I’ll go over there, unnie.”
“Okay. Control yourself.”
I wasn’t trying to threaten her or anything of the sort, but I couldn’t

stand it without saying a word.
As I walked toward the place where the party members and Lee Kibitch
was, I could see her looking at me with a wide smile.
“Minji, how can I help you?”

“I want to ask you something.”
“Sure, if I have the answer…”
“Who was it?”
“The Black Swan? Blue? Red Mercenary? Or is it from the other side? I
thought it was a large guild… It’s above medium in size, at least, right?
Do they still do that? There are a lot of trashy guys here.”
“You know everything. You don’t have to pretend like you didn’t
understand.”
“So what are you saying…”
“Who was your sponsor?”
That felt good.

CHAPTER 437
“The Black Swan? Blue? Red Mercenary? Or is it the other side? I

thought it was from a large guild unconditionally. It’s larger than
medium-size, right?”
“You know everything. You don’t have to pretend like you don’t
understand.”
“So what are you saying…?”
“Who was your sponsor?”
It was so absurd.
Naturally, Cha Hee-ra’s name, the leader of the Red Mercenary, came to
mind instantly. It was true that Lee Kiyoung grew by being sponsored
by Cha Heera.
But, not Lee Kiyeon.
‘Was there anything weird about me?’

Naturally, I had to wonder why she was suddenly talking about
sponsorship. I couldn’t remember doing anything that would make
others suspicious.
At least during that expedition, I was very cautious about not being
caught as Lee Kiyoung, and I never even brought up anything about
large guilds.
I was acting carefully to avoid them inding a connection between the

Blue, Red Mercenary, Black Swan, and me.
‘Is it because I left my bag with him? Am I being interrogated right now
because I took advantage of others? No, fuck, I couldn’t do anything
back then! I felt like I was dying!’
If I could, I would’ve endured it.
However, I really thought my shoulders would fall out. That kind of

manual labor wasn’t necessary for the high-grade body of Kiyeon.
If my speculations were true, I had to applaud Lindel’s commoners once

again.
‘If you don’t like outsiders, you should go with someone you know…
why are you throwing bullshit at me after taking me in…? It seems the
dungeon culture around here is extremely toxic. Are you moss or what?’
I heard that sometimes, that kind of problem popped up.
According to that information, after accepting someone into the party

due to member insuf iciency, they just ended up forgetting about that
person.
The non-manner play was a tactic where acquaintances united and

disregarded one person during the entire expedition. The distribution
itself was designed to be advantageous to them as well.
Although that wasn’t illegal under the State’s law, it was an act that was
rejected by the public.
Thinking that the woman before me might be of that kind, my head

started to hurt.
‘No. The boys are too cooperative to say that… ’
It was then that I thought I didn’t know much about the world.
Although she didn’t directly mention it, it might have looked like a
wizard sponsored by a large guild went out on an expedition as a joke.
When the contract irst popped out, I showed a puzzled expression, and
above all, reaching heroic-grade in the third year was dif icult to
achieve unless it was done with a sponsor.
If the talented wizard didn’t receive an offer from a large guild or

medium clan, the answer would be obvious.
‘There’s must be a sponsor.’
Honestly, the question itself was not pleasing.
Lee Kiyeon wasn’t sponsored by a large guild and had to join the party.
Lee Kiyeon was simply struggling to make a living.
How should I make my excuses?
As I was organizing my thoughts for a while, a voice came from the

front again.
“Ha. Look at you, pretending not to know. Why do you pretend to be so

naive? It’s already obvious. It’s all written on your face, Kiyeon.”
‘Let me try to gather some info irst.’

“I don’t really know… What you’re talking about. Why are you talking
about sponsorship all of a sudden?”
“Sponsorship? Right. I guess that’s also a sponsorship. It’s sponsorship

you received in exchange for selling your body. That’s the real
sponsorship, isn’t it?”
‘What bullshit is this again?’
“No, what the hell are you talking…?”
“I’m also a bitch that knows about things. I also struggled on the streets
of Lindel. After four years in, I know how this place works and how you
got your heroic-grade in the third year. How can you wear such luxury
goods when you have nothing? Why don’t you have common knowledge
about basic expeditions? Above all else, your behavior is too obvious.
They say that old habits don’t die, but to think you want to do it that
way even in this expedition?
‘What’s up with her? I did what? What did I do?’
“I think I know what you’re thinking. If you’re struggling to ind a new

life from now on, don’t live that way anymore. Is it fun to live as a
people-pleaser as you shake your ass gently? You must be ashamed of
yourself.”
“…”
“Don’t try to charm these innocent guys. You must’ve heard that the
Friendship Clan is promising, right? That’s your intention, right? It
would be really creepy if that’s the reason why you approached us.”
‘What bullshit are you talking about, bitch. Friendship Clan, Love Clan,
or whatever, I haven’t heard of it. Your thoughts are even creepier.’
“Because of people like you, real adventurers like us are being insulted.
Is it Cheol-woo, or is it Daegun? Put away the thoughts of getting them
and clearing your identity. Someone like Cheol-woo might not be
interested in your dirty body anyway, but… I’m telling you all this
because it’s uncomfortable for me to see it. You shouldn’t be doing this
during the expedition. Hey, Kiyeon. This is a warning.”
“A warning?”
“Yes. Warning. Since it’s already like this, we will move together until
the end of the expedition, but this will be a warning for you to do
anything that stands out. If you’ve decided to clear your identity, show
it with your skills. Don’t let the atmosphere blur as you moan, pushing
your chest out. Or I’ll mobilize all of my contacts and bury you
completely in this area. Do you understand?”
‘What, mobilize all your personal connections?’
“You’re not even pretty… it’s always the ones who have an ambiguous
look.”
“…”
‘But I’m still prettier than you. You look like a pumpkin… ’
“Let’s not focus on useless things, but focus on strategy. And remove
your makeup.”
“I didn’t put…”
“For god’s sake!”
“…”
“…”
For god’s sake! What should I do with her?
It would have been a little less unfair if I had actually done something
bad.
I didn’t even allure them or shake my hips. It was hard to understand

the bullshit she was spouting out.
My clothes were fairly modest, and although I was carrying Chanelia

Hermes, my equipment level was just average.
‘I’m extremely modest!’
I had the classic look of a conservative wife and the queen of modesty.
However, even though I put in such effort, the public’s evaluation was
cold. It would be strange not to be lustered.
However, saying anything to the injustice, Kook Minji spat out one more
line and began to disappear from my view.
“Don’t live like a prostitute.”
She walked away triumphantly as if she said a famous line…
‘Aren’t your clothes worse than mine?’
At least I covered my whole body with a robe. That woman was a thief
and was wearing tights that stick against her body.
I didn’t know why the hell it had a deep neckline, but I could see so
much of her cleavage.
I still couldn’t imagine that there would be dumbasses that thought that
body exposure would be a defense. In simple terms, all of her curves
were revealed.
I didn’t know who she was calling a prostitute, but no matter who saw
us, the modest one was Lee Kiyeon, and the one who used her body
carelessly was Kook Minji.
Looking at the mirror for no reason, once again, my whole face was
re lected by it.
No matter how I looked at it, this was one modest face.
What was wrong with her?
‘Jealousy? Or was she trying to look strong?’
I didn’t know the reason, but naturally, I thought about whether to exact
justice. The situation would be cleared up quickly.
After revealing that I was Lee Kiyoung, I would just immediately hit her
head continuously.
Small clans, such as Friendship Clans, could be completely erased from

the continent if I wanted to. It wasn’t only that.
It might be a little bit too much of a consequence for a mistake, but I

could label them as the demon’s henchmen.
The problem was that I couldn’t undo the spell myself in the current
situation.
Of course, believing it or not was their freedom, but considering the

possibility that I could get caught up in other rumors for nothing, I
thought that it might be too much to do something there.
‘I don’t feel like it.’
Actually, this was a little annoying.

Not much time had passed since I left for an expedition after getting a
party, and if I were to ruin things so quickly, I’d feel a little better, but I
would have to get a new party and go through the same process again.
If I shouted that I was the country’s Honorary Cardinal, I would be glad

if I wasn’t treated like a crazy bitch.
‘Nothing will happen.’
If I were in my Light Kiyoung form, I wouldn’t hold back against her. All
the same, I had to control myself.
‘You should stay quiet until the end of this job, Kiyeon.’
After checking what I had, I could deliver punishment slowly.
Since there was something that I wanted from that party, once I got it,
everything would work out naturally. As I grabbed the strings of reason
and moved forward, I could see the party members waiting for me.
The four gloating women stood out more than the men looking at me
with silly faces.
Kook Minji must’ve told the saga to the rest of the scum.
‘She’s all excited because she got a blow in.’
Her expression made it obvious.
‘Okay, keep laughing. Smile a lot. It won’t last long, bitches.’
Not only was Lee Kiyeon quiet and pure, but she would still be
considered shy even when going back to the Joseon Dynasty. I didn’t
know why they considered such a woman as a bitch, but what
happened earlier seemed like a pleasant thing for them.
Their facial expressions changed a little after Lee Cheol-woo, and Kim
Daegun approached me.
“Can we leave?”
“Ah. I guess I made you wait. I’m sorry, Cheol-woo.”
“You didn’t. We were just getting up from our seats.”
“Thank you for your consideration in many ways.”
“It’s only natural.”
“You just have to come with us comfortably, Kiyeon. The atmosphere

itself would have been uncomfortable to you since we are all
acquainted here… It is only proper for us to be as considerate as
possible. Isn’t that right, Cheol-woo?”
“Right. You are right.”
“If you need help, you can speak to us without burden. If you have
trouble walking, you can climb up on my back and go. Haha. It’s a joke.”
“The clan atmosphere is nice.”
“If you don’t have a place you belong to, you could sign up… this is also
a joke.”
“Daegun, you’re being silly…”
When I thought about it, it could be said that the atmosphere that had
been formed was warm.
While talking to the two men, I saw the females’ faces becoming more
and more rotten. I felt like I could inally understand why they attacked
me.
‘Aha… ’
It’s so obvious that it’s hard to notice.
‘Whew. Are you really jealous?’
It was clear that they were jealous because of those two men, who were
the clan’s center, coming to lick my feet.
My modest charm made me a queen bee even if I didn’t make a move.
‘The queen bee herself!’
They must’ve thought that I had stolen the men.
As if she was extremely bothered about Cheol-woo, Kook Minji’s face

was especially a spectacle. She had the same expression as Jung Hayan.
The other women were no different.
Their delighted faces had already disappeared. It would be okay to

assume that their bluish faces were getting worse. I couldn’t help but
think of what I had to do.
But I thought I’d retreat for the day. As soon as I took a step back,
expressions of relief stood out.
‘I’m not interested in dicks either, bitches. How about we get along well,
hmm?’
Keeping a certain distance for smooth progress was only proper for me
to do.
However, those crazy guys approached me all day long as if they had
gone nuts, trying to indulge in small talk.
It kept happening from that point on until the moment we arrived at
Crack Land.
‘What. Fuck. What’s wrong with these bastards? Why are you so clingy?’
CHAPTER 438
WELCOME TO CRACK LAND
(1)
‘Ha, these bastards’ dispositions and characteristics are extremely

average.’
In the end, I had decided to choose the most ordinary group of all. This
was because I knew they were the ones who would be the least affected
by my special characteristic.
The same went for the female members.
They didn’t have a perfect personality like Kim Hyunsung or Elena of

the past, but at least they weren’t people who sported a distorted
disposition. Still, they were the types who refused to let me engage in
serious conversation with them.
The rest, however, seemed to do their best to talk to me every chance

they got. They even seemed to be trying to gain my favor as well.
I understood their motives quite well because I was also a man. Not
only did they act as if they would give me everything they had, but it
also seemed to me like they were willing to even lick the spaces
between my toes.
They were completely far from my type, but I couldn’t help but realize
that Lee Kiyeon was far more attractive than I thought. Due to that, the
four female members of the Friendship Clan were glaring even harder
at me. I wanted to push them away too, but nothing ever worked.
I was receiving kindness beyond what a party member actually
deserved.
They hadn’t done anything nonsensical, as if they didn’t have the guts,
but I couldn’t help but feel like they were becoming more and more
annoying.
‘At least we arrived.’
I had a hard time enduring the men’s desperate actions and the
women’s contemptuous gazes, but in the end, I succeeded in coming
there without any further troubles.
‘I guess I will do a massage with a potion later. Fuck… My legs are

hurting like hell.’
Although I didn’t achieve anything great, I considered the march itself

to be a challenge. I couldn’t remember walking that much, except
during the tutorial dungeon.
At the time, I didn’t notice it because I was moving desperately, but now
that I always had a full belly and a roof over my head, it already felt
ridiculous having to traverse such a distance manually.
However, I wasn’t annoyed when I inally arrived.
‘She did better than I thought.’
Contrary to Lee Jihye’s statement about the subpar quality due to lack
of time, the quality seemed really high. The roads had been properly
paved, and while there were many places under construction, some
places already resembled what looked like a proper shopping mall.
The size of the construction was almost certainly as big as a major city.
That wasn’t enough, considering humans from all over the continent
would be visiting.
‘It’ll de initely be better after a week or so.’
This proved to be my irst impression of Crack Land.
“We’re here.”
“I think there are more people than I thought. Haha.”
“It’s de initely more than we expected.”
“Absolutely. I don’t know if we’ll be able to get in today.”
“We probably will. I heard that it could support a large number of

people in the irst place. I think it would be better to register irst. Even
if it’s a little later than intended, won’t we be able to go in tomorrow?”
‘We’re a little late.’
Overall, however, I didn’t think it was all that bad.
Anyway, the party had to recover from the march, and I had to look
around the place a little more. I needed to know exactly how things
were going.
‘It’s quite good so far.’
“It would be better to ind accommodation irst. We can’t just keep

moving around in this state.”
“Yes.”
Naturally, the Clan Master nodded and moved on.

While we walked, I saw many kinds of adventurers. High-ranking ones
stood out, as if they had known about it before others.
The races were also diverse. Since there were also black and white
people, it seemed that some of them had come to the place while lying
on a griffon.
The place where the party had gone to was a big bar. It was also a
lodging business.
As soon as I went inside, I heard people greeting us from all over the
place.
“Welcome to the Crack Inn, Adventurers! By any chance, are you new to
our inn?”
‘The service here is pretty good.’
“Yes. We just arrived. Do you have any room left?”
“Yes. Of course, dear adventurers! Currently, there are only 20 rooms

left for each room type! There are four types of rooms serviced by our
inn, consisting of Common, Rare, Heroic, and Legendary grades. If you
look at the catalog, you’ll ind a detailed explanation about each type, so
please refer to it. The Common-grade is one gold per day, the Rare-
grade is ive gold, the Heroic-grade is twenty gold, and the Legendary-
grade is ifty gold. This is per person and does not include service
charges.”
‘Wow… ’
The rooms here cost 100,000 won, 500,000 won, 2 million won, 5
million won a day, and the service cost wasn’t even included!
‘Jihye, fuck, you call yourself human? What’s up with these prices,
fuck… are you serious? If you’re going to exploit them, do it moderately.’
However, I couldn’t help but smile all the same.
The price was like a kid’s joke for me, but it was de initely a burden for
adventurers who had just begun to grow.
As expected, the expressions of the Friendship Clan members turned

sour in no time. I could see them thinking that they might end up
spending more money than they would be making.
The Clan Master began to think about it, and the Vice Clan Master
turned over the catalog.
“Clan Master, isn’t it too expensive?”
“But we have no choice…”
Naturally, I also opened the catalog silently. When I saw the legendary-
grade room, I nodded.
‘Phew. It looks better than my room.’
It was no different from being a grand palace.
The things that came as free items were no joke, either. A priest who
could chant the fatigue recovery spell was on standby for 24 hours.
Not only was the ‘Made by Lee Kiyoung’ potion provided as a standard,
but the meals that were served were of the same high quality as a high-
end restaurant’s dishes.
In addition to providing various conveniences for long-term customers,

there was also a training hall that could only be used by customers who
availed the Legendary-grade room.
It was de initely possible to live here without suffering through any

problems.
‘I want to live here… ’
The Heroic-grade room wasn’t that bad, either. It felt like looking at my
room from the past.
Overall, it looked luxurious, and the quality of free stuff was lower than
that of a Legendary-grade room, but it could be fully accounted for.
Of course, the story was a little different from the rare-grade. It felt
more like a studio.
Everything a person needed was there, but honestly, I wouldn’t be able

to sleep comfortably if I slept in such a place.
The Common grade for me was…
‘It’s like a pigpen.’
“We should get the Common-grade, right?”
“Yes. Here… For the Common-grade…”
It was enough to make me, unknowingly, talk to myself.
“Nonsense. How do you sleep in such a place…? Ugh.”
Their gazes focused on me instantly. Everyone was now glaring at me.
I could feel the women members looking at me in contempt. I realized I

made a mistake, but there was no shame in making that statement.
‘Stop looking. It came out without my knowledge. And honestly, you

don’t like sleeping here too. Fuck… The bathroom is also shared. Can
you imagine how dirty it will be?’
Being honest was not a sin.

I didn’t know if my face wasn’t looking good, but they went silent at my
sudden word. In the end, it was the big guy who opened his mouth irst.
“I think we can afford a better room for at least a day. Cheol-woo, we

have enough budget. It’s not that we don’t have the money.”
“We don’t have much left since we got new equipment. We do have the
money we’ve saved for the clan house, but… That’s money we really
shouldn’t touch, so maybe…”
“I don’t think it would be bad to take a comfortable rest for a day.”
“But…”
“Tomorrow, we will enter the dungeon, but until then, I think it is

important to take a good rest. I think that a Common-grade room would
rather ruin our condition. Wasn’t it you who said we should always be
at our peak before an expedition? Let’s spend it with no worries at least
once. In the end, it doesn’t matter for you and me, but our female clan
members…”
“I’m ine.”
“Me too.”
“We slept a lot in the streets, anyway.”
‘I’m not okay, bitches. Don’t pretend to be nice.’
“…”
My expression had become gloomy at once.
“Isn’t Kiyeon not feeling well too?”

“No. It’s not that. Just my legs… don’t mind me. I’ll be ine after I get
enough sleep.”
“Look, Cheol-woo. We won’t get a decent sleep in that room. I’ll really
feel that I rested if we stay at least at the Rare-grade…”
‘Good job, big guy.’
“After we complete the dungeon attack, we’ll be getting a lot of pro its
anyway. Just let it slip this time. Let’s spend a little more just this once
with the thought of regaining it back. It’s embarrassing to keep this
scuf le going like this.”
“The possibility of failure…”
“I’ll work hard. Please, Cheol-woo.”
“If you say it like that… it would be better to do that.”
‘Right. That’s right.’
We availed the Rare-grade room. I wasn’t entirely satis ied, but I smiled
pleasantly.
“We will take a Rare-grade room.”
“It’s an excellent choice, adventurer. For those of you who have visited a
Rare-grade room to attack the dungeon, we are offering a rare-grade
health potion made by the Blue Guild as an opening promotion.”
“I-I see. Thank you.”
‘It’s the bottom line of garbage. I won’t have it even if it’s for free.’
However, I could see the faces of the Friendship Clan people

brightening up. Getting 500,000 won per night and giving a low-grade
garbage potion. It was a typical Seller-People’s description.
The staff were just giving these in order to please the people.
I wasn’t sure if she knew what I was thinking or not, but the
receptionist once again started preparing to exploit the adventurers
with a friendly expression. Every single one of them would be a merit
system. What was going to happen next would be important.
“You’re adventurers who will attack the museum, right?”
“Yes.”
“Which one…”
“We have just arrived and haven’t applied yet. If an application is

needed, we will do it right now and come back.”
“No, adventurers! You don’t have to. Our Crack Inn can help with that
part. What grade would you like the dungeon to be?”
‘It’s adventurer-friendly. I like this.’
“A heroic-grade.”
“A heroic-grade dungeon will be a total of 500 gold. But you can use it
for 300 gold as an opening promotion!”
“Okay.”
“I have registered a total of six people. Departure seems to be possible

only tomorrow afternoon. Just follow our guide immediately after
checking out. And if you need expedition insurance…”
“What is expedition insurance?”

“It’s a failsafe plan in case your expedition fails. Our precious
adventurers only have one life. Skilled people belonging to Crack Land
are prepared for special situations such as expedition failures 24 hours
a day. The insurance also includes a high priest to increase the survival
rate. High-ranking people can help with hunting sometimes. The price
is the same as the accommodation. They are divided into Common,
Rare, Heroic, and Legendary.”
“…”
“…”
“For those with insuf icient funds…”
“…”
“We also provide loan services.”
‘Wow… Lee Jihye, aren’t you being too trashy?! That doesn’t mean I
don’t love this!’
In the last line, even I had to reply.
“Loan services?”
At this, a demonic explanation ensued.

CHAPTER 439
(2)
A loan? What kind of loan was this?
The glowing eyes of the innkeeper reminded me of Lee Jihye.
‘And you call yourself human, Jihye? You’re really not.’
I had many ideas, but I had never thought about a loan system. It was a
secret weapon that could maximize the pro its of Crack Land.
‘You’re really vicious. Lee Jihye, there’s de initely a reason why you’ve
been such a shitty person the irst round, too.’
I, too, often felt like I was trash. Of course, it was only on occasions, but I
had been troubled by the sudden sense of shame.
Looking at Lee Jihye’s work, it felt like all of my worries had promptly
been resolved.
No matter how great Lee Kiyoung was, he was still a ire ly in front of a
nuclear power plant, and a children’s pool in front of an invading
tsunami whenever he was faced with that woman.
I couldn’t help but applaud at Lee Jihye’s viciousness. She was indeed
trying to make all the adventurers in Crack Land indebted.
I could de initely see the picture. Adventurers who came there and
spent money would de initely end up entering the dungeon in a dazed
state.
Unexpected spending was bound to accumulate, and eventually, they

would use up more money than they originally planned for. If the attack
was successful after entering the dungeon, people could recover the
things that had been blown up, but if it went wrong just once, their
account balance would automatically stay at a negative.
There was no way those people could easily leave Crack Land.
There was nothing more miserable than an expedition that put the
adventures into a de icit. That in itself would serve as a catalyst for the
adventurers to challenge themselves with a swollen dream. It could also
be the reason why they’d enter the dungeon again after careful analysis
and research.
They would be forced to spend money to prepare for the dungeon raid
once again.
They would need to pay for accommodation fees, supplies, equipment,

dungeon entry fees, insurance fees, meals, etc. It was clear that even if
good results were achieved the second time around, it would be
dif icult to compensate for what they had already expended.
‘Ha… ’
In the end, there was nothing that could be done except to be sucked
into the pit of hell Lee Jihye had dug up.
Before leaving Crack Land, they had would already be in debt.
Even if they earned for a lifetime, they would only be able to pay the
interest while they wandered around the continent’s hunting grounds.
Some might think that this was a bit heartbreaking, but this was still the
reality.
Although they would lose everything, the experience would make them
stronger and put them in a position to live better.
It meant that they would re lect on themselves in the past and be active
all day long.
There was no such thing as an injection that didn’t hurt. The big picture
would make Elune trash, and Benignore shed tears of emotion.
‘Whew… ’
Even while I was lost in my thoughts, the inn employee still looked at
our party like a hawk looking for its next prey.
‘Right. It’s understandable.’
Anything that the inn employee sold to us would be an achievement for

her. No one could endure the eyes that tempted consumption.
“There are also loans…”
“Crack Land is prepared with the adventurers’ convenience in mind. It

is our motto at Crack Land to put our customer’s comfort irst.”
‘Look at her lying without even stuttering.’
“There are a lot of inconveniences for adventures, but we can combat it

with many different kinds of services that would allow the adventurers
to focus only on their expeditions. Some of those services are the
expedition insurance and loan deals.”
“We don’t want the loan… How exactly does the expedition insurance
work?”
“It works exactly as I said earlier. In fact, in the case of expedition
insurance, common adventurers often avoid it, but… statistically
speaking, considering that the dungeon survival rate of a heroic-grade
party isn’t high, it’s recommended to be availed. In the case of an
accident, no one would be compensating for it. Of course, in the case of
an experienced adventurer, they would already be completely familiar
with the procedure in the case of failure. However, if it’s a recently
created party, or if you’re working together for the irst time, it’s better
to go in after employing the expedition insurance. The Blue Guild, the
Black Swan Guild, and the Red Mercenary Guild also emphasize the
importance of expedition insurance in many ways.”
“Hmm… a recently created party…”
“Yes. There are many cases like that. In addition to accidents that occur
during hunting, we also help in mediation to make sure the adventurers
won’t have to worry about con licts or distribution issues with party
members.”
‘Don’t get hooked, you morons.’
However, I felt like they were already caught.
“I think… it would be better to consider it. Isn’t that right, oppa? It

would be ine if only the old members are coming, but we have an
outsider this time. We haven’t yet con irmed if we’ll be able to work
together properly…”
‘Don’t look at me, bitches.’
Of course, the inn’s receptionist swooped in at this opportunity.
“Oh! This wizard must be a new party member. You must be anxious. Of
course, I’m not looking down on our beautiful wizard. However, there
aren’t many cases where a newly created party can move as one unit
immediately. With a few dozen golds per person, preventing accidents
in advance is certainly considered a merit option. Of course, the choice
is up to you.”
“Hmm. That’s…”
“No, Daegun. I think it would be better to try it. We don’t know what
kind of accident can happen, as she said. We would like the common-
grade insurance.”
“Excellent. Please read the contract carefully and sign on the indicated
parts. Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes”
“Did you know that the Dungeon of the Crack Museum is randomly
conducted in all manners, unlike other dungeons?”
“What does that…?”
“Three kinds of boss monsters and three kinds of reward items will all
come out randomly, sir. Some people return from hunting without
dif iculty, but many people suffer from encountering an unexpected
monster. For example, many people encounter poisonous monsters or
monsters that use curses. Did you bring an antidote or items for
curses?”
“N-No.”
“You don’t have to worry too much, our dear adventurers. Prepared for
such a case, our Crack Land sells special-monster-response packages.
These are the 11 types of potions created by Lee Kiyoung, the Alchemist
of Light, included in the package. The price is also very reasonable.”
‘Knock it off, you guys. You’re all demons.’

“Of course, we also sell the lower version of the package, but I
personally recommend all 11 kinds of potions. Unlike low-level potions
with an expiration date, the potions made by the Alchemist of Light Lee
Kiyoung do not expire, even after a long time. In the case of the
temperature maintenance potion that maintains body temperature, it is
very effective because there is no need to prepare separate measures
against cold or heat dissipation. It’s perfect for ire and ice monsters!
The prices are also much lower than those sold on the market.”
“That looks ine.”
“I think we’re spending way more money than we irst planned…”
“No, think about it carefully, Cheol-woo. It’s good to have this one. Even
if we don’t use it for this expedition, we can continue to use it
afterward. It would be nice to have at least one package.”
“Think about it and decide. It is a product that can be purchased

directly from the Blue Guild.”
“Wouldn’t we need this? You aren’t very con ident in detoxifying spells
either. If a heroic-grade poisonous monster suddenly pops out…”
“That’s true…”
“There’s no rush. Think about it thoroughly.”
The way the inn employee was smiling was spectacular.
‘Who is this?’
I was naturally curious about her.
‘Why was such a capable person in a place like this?’

Such a capable person should be treated properly. Like a professional
infomercial host, she had a voice that aroused the desire to purchase,
and her presentation was close to perfection.
Listening to her explain things was pleasing to hear, making it harder

for anyone to resist.
Even I wanted to buy my own products.
“If you buy it on-site, we will give you a set of 3 high-quality health
potions as a gift.”
“We will buy it.”
“Excellent choice, sir.”
It hadn’t been long since we entered the Crack Land. In a few hours, the
amount of money our party had spent was already unimaginable.
‘Wow, she’s really ripping them off.’
As I looked around, other parties were also caught by the employees.
The way the party members were all holding the special-monster-
response packages delighted my eyes. Even rare-grade parties were
holding the packages like precious treasures.
‘However, a rare-grade party wouldn’t be able to afford that.’
There was a 100% probability that they had availed a loan.
It was possible due to a loan. I was sure of it.
Considering that my potion was made to counter heroic-grade or

higher monsters, it was like trying to buy a sledgehammer while trying
to crack a walnut.
Additionally, the parties were also being ripped off in other ways.
There was a guy who was looking at the list of equipment that Yoo
Ahyoung made.
‘That’s also a loan.’
There were also people purchasing useless consumption items. I wasn’t

sure if they were there for a rest, or simply to go shopping.
‘I really like this so far.’
The fact that the quality of convenience was high was the part I really
wanted to praise. All the systems were organically connected, removing
the need to go to multiple places.
As soon as a person entered the inn, they could apply for dungeon entry
and ind out about expedition insurance, and they could even borrow
money or purchase weapons.
That meant they didn’t have to bother about going around and could
focus on the expedition itself.
Of course, there were shopping malls for those who wanted to explore
the place, but anyone could do everything there without having to go
out. I hadn’t looked at the back of the catalog, but the book listed all the
Crack Land services.
It had the strength to control the entire operation of Crack Land with
only one command tower.
‘Convenience.’
Of course, there might be some side effects such as price- ixing or

lowballers, but…
If I asked if it could protect the continent, it was indeed a very trivial
matter.
‘Can you see it, Metel Manager? How so many people love your
museum.’
Max’s mother, who was in heaven, must be smiling.
The part that was a little problematic was whether it was ripping
people off too much.
I did think that people could be uncomfortable with a little explicit

salesmanship. However, that thought soon dissipated.
I nodded unknowingly at the scene at the restaurant.
“Phew. You mean you came in this morning and got this?! A legendary-
grade item! The Queen of Truth’s necklace! Crack Museum! It’s very
generous!”
It was Pak Sergei, the foreigner from Russia.
“You guys go in quickly, too! This is too generous!”
‘Why are you here?’
Next to him were Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri.
‘Don’t go acting around without my knowledge.’
“The Crack Museum! It all looks so generous?”
Somehow, the strong voice made me feel like I was a bene iciary of the
Crack Museum, too.
CHAPTER 440
(3)
“You don’t look so good, Kiyeon…”
“No. It’s nothing.”
Usually, adventurers were supposed to spend the rest of their time

socializing after inding a party. Beyond simple meetings, there were
cases of drinking parties and unity competitions in big expeditions.
It could be considered as evidence that the chemistry and closeness of

party members were important.
Of course, some groups didn’t allow getting close to each other in

private, but at least the foreigners from Korea who lived in Lindel
enjoyed those events.
As for me, I just wanted to rest.
However, the members of the party I joined seemed to think they

needed that kind of time.
With the whole innkeeper matter done, we unpacked our luggage and
started drinking rum, paired with a big dinner at a bar located under
the Crack Inn.
I didn’t like the food that they had ordered, but since I inally could
enjoy a civilian’s life after such a long time, I at least enjoyed the calm
atmosphere.
I mean, until I saw Pak Sergei and Argirmo, who had seemingly
appeared out of nowhere.
“Phew. You mean you came in this morning and got this?! It’s a
legendary-grade item! The Queen of Truth’s necklace! The Crack
Museum is very generous! Everyone, come quickly! You’ll lose money if
you don’t go! This is a blessing from the Goddess Benignore!”
‘This moron… ’
“Thank you, Crack Museum! It’s not just this! There are also a lot of
advanced catalysts! I can sleep in a legendary-room tonight!”
Although they looked like white people on the outside, they certainly
looked like Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo in my Mind’s Eyes.
At the same time, the way Yetni Kova was acting like a Russian proved
to be entertaining.
‘And you said you don’t like acting… ’
Honestly, Kim Ye-ri didn’t look like a kid. Her skills could already be
nominated for Best Actress.
Pak Sergei bent over his body and waved his necklace as he spoke. I
wasn’t sure if he knew I was watching them or not.
“Everyone’s drinks are on me tonight!!”
“Stop, you bastard. Don’t do that.’
I had to believe that he would pay with his money.
‘What are you going to do if you get caught…?’

Of course, there was no possibility of that ever happening. None of the
people who came to that place could ever detect that kind of magic.
The large tavern wasn’t of bad quality, but the lower classes of society
frequented it.
Even a legendary-grade individual wouldn’t easily detect it, and it was

improbable for them to come to such a bar in the irst place.
‘All of them are in a private room or drinking in a place with premium

goods.’
If I had come with Lee Kiyoung’s body, not Lee Kiyeon, I wouldn’t have
set foot in such a place either, unless if it was to encourage our workers.
Perhaps he saw me glancing at the other side over and over again, but
the big man in front of me had begun to talk to me.
“Do you know them?”
“No. I just thought they’re noisy… It’s my irst time seeing them.”
“People like them are everywhere. It’s better if you just ignore them. I
recently heard rumors that new people are emerging from the Republic
side… It’s probably them. That big one, Pak Sergei… even though he is a
muscle- illed man, he’s classi ied as a wizard. The magical properties he
uses are uniquely called physical properties.”
‘Where did you hear such information that even I didn’t know? Their
community is pretty active… and, you stupid bastard. Physical property
magic doesn’t exist in this world.’
“The warrior next to him is Argirmo. They call him Berserker. They say
that once he tastes blood, he doesn’t stop until the other side collapses.
Thousands fell by his weapon…”
‘He’s a priest… although he’s a combat priest… he can’t even taste
blood.’
“And that woman is the Clan Master Yetni Kova. She’s their leader. She is
said to have an unusual class called dancer. I heard that she has an
attribute that captivates both men and women with her fatal dance.”
‘Fatal temptation skill, my ass… Ye-ri, don’t put your wishes into acting.
So shameless, even though you’re just a kid… Hyunsung will weep at
the guild of ice. Don’t do those kinds of setups. Please don’t.’
I had to pick at several things there. Usually, for that kind of acting, the
details to be put in were important.
I couldn’t help but think that the acting group had already lost its soul
because director Light Kiyoung was missing. However, there were also
parts that I wanted to praise.
‘That kind of thing is ine… ’
Letting everyone know that you got a good item was de initely
something to avoid, but if the purpose was to promote the Crack
Museum, then it was a whole different story.
In fact, the most reassuring part was that he was in good health.
Although I already heard from Lee Jihye and knew that Park Deokgu
had completely recovered, he looked healthier than usual when I
actually saw him face to face. He looked like he didn’t even get hurt
from the beginning.
‘Pig bastard… ’
I couldn’t help but appreciate the fact that he looked the same as ever.
I was worried that they might ind me, but they didn’t seem to be
interested elsewhere. They were focusing on something completely
different.
‘If that’s the case, I don’t have to worry.’
It was currently more important to focus on the conversations

happening near them rather than the conversations far from them.
That was their purpose in the irst place.
“Yetni Kova, Pak Sergei… it seems they’ll go up one more step. I can’t see
what item it is, but I’m jealous that it’s a legendary item. On the other
hand, I’m also happy because there’s a chance for us to get something
like that. It seems that the probability of that happening isn’t as bad as I
thought.”
“I don’t know. We’ll only know once we go, but… that’s why there is a lot
of content prepared at the Crack Museum, oppa. He’s not the only one I
saw. Quite a few people were bragging about items here and there.
Honestly, I was a little worried because I thought we had invested too
much gold… I wish that such items would come out to our clan…”
“We have to make it happen, Minji. As you said, we spent more money
than I thought. Only when heroic-grade items at the minimum come out
will we be able to recover from our expenses. They said there were a
total of three chances, so our odds are good enough. And if we fail, we
can think of it as a great learning experience…”
“I think buying the potions was a good choice. I wanted to use the
potion that the Alchemist of Light sells. Of course, it would be better if
nothing happens during our raids so we won’t have to use them
immediately.”
“I was right. Buying that package is a long-term advantage. We’re not

going to stop our adventurer life after this expedition, right? Since we
can continue using it, it’s de initely a pro it for us. By the way, Kiyeon,
does the food here… suit your taste?”
“…”
Honestly, it didn’t suit my taste. The awkward smile seemed to be an

unspoken answer.
I could see them embarrassed.
The stupid guys who became almost like my servants were agitated,
and the female members were, once again, staring at me with contempt.
‘Ah, I made a mistake again.’
I had done something I’d be hated for.
“No. No. It’s delicious. I’m just not feeling well. We should celebrate, so
shall we make a toast?”
“That sounds good.”
“Cheers to the expedition to the Crack Museum!”
“Cheers!”
“Cheers for a successful expedition!!”
When we clinked the glasses together, I glanced towards Kook Minji,

but her atmosphere was still cold.
I guess she really hated my guts. I had no choice but to realize again
that being too modest had inevitably resulted in antagonism.
‘Well, it’s your loss.’

Even after my efforts, if she built a wall, I couldn’t do anything about it.
Naturally, I emptied my glass without any regrets.
“Whew…”
The refreshing sensation of drinking after a long time made me make a

pleasant sound unknowingly.
‘Everything is bad, but this one is quite good.’
I didn’t know who made it, but this particular dish was really delicious.
The sauce on the outside was especially excellent.
I wanted to eat it all at once, but it was impossible.
“Hmm… mhmm.”
I irst caught the sauce that was about to fall off.
After that, I chomped down on it. When it was ready to some extent, I
took a big bite.
“This is really good. Hmm.”
The two men were blushing. The four women looked at me with
contempt again.
That was when I saw a group approaching our way. They were four men
with large builds.
‘What do you want?’
Naturally, I had to be bothered by their stare.
Although I had a hunch that a scene from old martial arts novels was
about to pop out, I couldn’t even imagine that it would come true.
“How about having a drink with us? What’s your name, lady?”
“Play with us instead of playing with such poor guys.”
“What’s your name? I think it’s my irst time seeing you. Are you from
Lindel?”
What happened to those guys who always couldn’t get out of the same
pattern?
These two guys, who were completely ignoring the guys from our party,
didn’t seem nice.
Meanwhile, the big guy from our side, Daegun, started to frown with the
situation turning sour.
“What?”
‘Don’t act so full of bravado, Daegun. I think he’s stronger than you… ’
It wasn’t possible to judge all ights with the status window, but I could
still see that the drunken dogs in front of us were more powerful than
our party.
If a ight began, it would be a tie in terms of numerical superiority, but

honestly, there was no reason to ight. I refused to cause a fuss.
Lee Cheol-woo, who was next to me, was trying to mediate between
them as much as possible as if he thought the same way, but it was
simply impossible.
“Let’s not do this here. Let’s go outside and talk.”
“Cheol-woo, talking won’t work with them. There will always be trashy
people like them in this society.”
“No. What did we do to be called trash? Is it such a sin to ask her to play
with us?”
“If my party member is offended, it’s a sin. Isn’t it wrong for you to talk
to someone for no speci ic reason? I don’t want us to touch each other.”
“We’ve spoken to that lady out of pity, but I guess she’s reacted too
sensitively.”
“What?”
“How will she stay still when it’s obvious that she’ll have a hard time
with guys like you?”
“These motherfuckers, what?”
“Daegun! Stop!”
“You want to try me? Then try me.”
“Come outside, motherfucker!”
This was indeed a volatile situation. The atmosphere was rapidly

getting more serious.
Rare-grade parties were getting out of the way, and the people’s
attention was focused on the sudden turmoil.
‘Ha… I’m really tired.’
I was naturally annoyed by the trouble I was in. I wouldn’t have to get
caught up in it if I was Light Kiyoung.
Still, I had to think that I had to solve the situation somehow before the
guard arrived.
‘I need to appease and send them back, then put a separate complaint
later.’
I was just about to open my mouth when I heard someone speak.
“Physical magic.”
“Huh?”
“Backdrop.”
I could see the bully in the middle being thrown to the loor.
‘Park Deokgu, you moron!’
An unexpected hero had appeared.
“Why don’t we all just enjoy our drinks?”

CHAPTER 441
(4)
‘It’s not physical magic. He just grabbed and turned him over… ’
I found this all ridiculous. However, I also personally thought that the
name wasn’t all that bad.
The one who received the physical magic ‘backdrop’ was already on the
verge of crossing the Rainbow Bridge, all because of Park Deokgu.
‘Watching him now, he’s pretty strong.’
I already knew that Park Deokgu was much stronger than the irst
round. However, when I looked up at him from below, I was able to
realize once again how strong he really was.
Those sacri icial lambs looked like such small insects in front of him,
but they were actually powerful adventurers who had risen to the
heroic-grade.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that they had been above Park Deokgu
during the irst round.
My jaw unknowingly dropped when he threw those people on the

ground with one cast.
I also realized how well-positioned Blue was.

Park Deokgu’s position in the Blue, which was illed with monsters, was
a meat shield.
He could be useful enough in party play, but he was weak enough to be

called a superpower in interpersonal battles.
He was far behind compared to other rivals, including Cho Hyejin, who
had gotten a unicorn and became a monster, and Kim Ye-ri, who had
immeasurable talent, but…
His ridiculous endurance stats it perfectly to become a civilian killer.
Park Deokgu, no, Pak Sergei, was a man that was easily strong against
the weak.
“There are always people like this.”
Meanwhile, my party members were all watching with their mouths

wide open.
At that point, I thought it was time for the bullies to run away, but the
guys with higher speci ications didn’t remain still.
“Who are you?”
“Physical magic. Iron skin.”
“Ahhhhhhhhh! My hand!”
“Physical magic. Iron Strong Arm.”
‘This bastard!’
With the majesty of his “physical magic,” which also seemed capable of
de lecting magic, the bullies were getting embarrassed, one by one.
Eventually, one of them tried to pull the sword from his waist.
He wanted to swing it, but the party members next to Pak Sergei didn’t
let him do that.
In the end, he wasn’t able to pull it out.
Why?
The Berserker was now crazy for blood. In less than a second, Argirmo
was holding the handle of his weapon.
“I’m warning you. If you pull it out… you’ll die.”
‘Don’t get carried away… ’
He looked like an idiot, but the expression of being cool it him

perfectly.
“These shitty asses! Who do you think we are?!”
Again, a loud voice had boomed out.
It was then that the Clan Master Yetni Kova appeared.
“Dance of fascination.”
I didn’t know what kind of fascinating dance that was, but the way she
twirled around was elegant.
“Everyone! If you don’t want to be fascinated, you better look away.”
The inish was just a normal kick.
I was worried that she would end up breaking his neck, but watching
his body heave, I con irmed that he was alive… for now.
Knowing the effects of the dance of fascination, all the adventurers
there turned their heads. Still, knowing that the enchantment and the
temptation were all bullshit, I was able to see irsthand that the
ordinary kick hit him exactly on his temples.
Although she was making the sexiest pose as possible, the appearance
of Kim Ye-ri, seen through Mind’s Eyes, was ridiculous, and it made me
laugh.
‘Ye-ri… what do you want to be when you grow up…? This uncle is
crying.’
It seemed that she indeed harbored a secret fantasy of becoming a

Femme Fatale.
With their efforts, the place was reorganized easily.
The bar became quiet since the trash was cleaned up before the Crack
Inn guards could even come. Everyone looked surprised.
They must have already known that those trash bullies had a certain
level of ability since they were at the level where they could roughly
estimate how strong their opponents were.
It was only natural to look like that, as they had con irmed the three
newly emerged people in the Republic with their own eyes.
Some of the strongest were watching Pak Sergei.
They probably thought it was likely to meet that day or the day after.
‘It’s fun to see how things work here like this.’
It was especially impressive that small clans united with each other and
split or ight iercely.
I could see some people who looked like scouts whispering or blocking
their conversations with magic. They clearly didn’t want their words to
leak out.
They were surely talking about the new people of the Republic.
I didn’t know which direction Yetni Kova, who had become the center of
the storm, would lead the clan in the future, but honestly, it was not
something I cared about.
Rather than that, we had to solve the situation irst. Pak Sergei opened
his mouth just in time.
“Hey, I’m sorry for unexpectedly causing a fuss.”
“It’s ine. Thanks for your help.”
“It’s nothing. I’m worried that I intervened needlessly…”
“You didn’t. I wanted to avoid such friction as much as possible…”
“Aha! You are about to go on an expedition.”
“That’s true. We don’t know what will happen if we get caught in an

accident like this before an expedition. If you ever get hurt, it’s ruined.
It could affect, perhaps, the next day’s schedule. I was worried whether
I really disturbed, but that’s fortunate. So, where are you from?”
‘Why does this bastard keep talking to us?’
It would be better if he just quietly returned to his seat as soon as

possible, but instead, he kept talking.
I already knew that Park Deokgu liked to chat, but I didn’t expect him to
talk to a party he met for the irst time. The Friendship Clan also didn’t
seem to think badly about his personality.
Eventually, the Clan Master opened his mouth.
“From Lindel. I guess you are the Republic’s… No, no, how about joining
us for a while, what do you think? I’d like to pay you with a meal.”
‘This kid is smart.’
Lee Cheol-woo, Master of Friendship Clan. He was reasonable in his

own way. No, it was more appropriate to say that he wasn’t one to miss
opportunities.
It was true that the Friendship Clan was a clan that could be classi ied
as a heroic-grade, but in their case, they were more like a newbie that
had just come up. The new people of the Republic, including Yetni Kova,
had appeared to be in a clan with a legendary-grade at hand, and it
wouldn’t be bad because of the networking.
‘He probably wants to hear information about the Crack Museum.’
Of course, this wasn’t a good situation for me.
However, I was anxious that they would grow suspicious of me.
Luckily enough, Yetni Kova and others didn’t care much about me.
“Ah… you don’t have to.”
“Since you said everyone’s drinks were on you, I’d like to serve you
some snacks.”
“Ah… well, if you talk like that, I can’t say no.”

“Thank you.”
“First, introductions. I’m Pak Sergei. This is Argirmo. And, this is our
Clan Master, Yetni Kova.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“…”
Ahn Ki-mo nodded brie ly, and Kim Ye-ri nodded without responding.
It might seem a little embarrassing, but Lee Cheol-woo continued to

talk after nodding.
“I’m the Clan Master Lee Cheolwoo of the Friendship Clan from Lindel.”
“Hmm…”
“This is our clan’s Vice Clan Master Kim Daegun. This is the assassin
Kook Minji. And here…”
The eyes of the guy who was introducing the party members stayed on
me at some point.
He didn’t know how to introduce me. At this point, it was probably

better for me to introduce myself.
“I am Lee Kiyeon, who joined the Friendship Clan Party on this

expedition.”
“…”
“…”
In an instant, their eyes focused on me.

In particular, the gaze of Park Deokgu, who was staring at me, was quite
suspicious.
Ahn Ki-mo was also intently looking at my face.
It didn’t matter if I got caught, but Park Deokgu’s voice echoed when I
thought that it would be nice if they pretended not to know.
“Have we seen each other before?”
“What?”
“Oh, it seems I’ve seen you somewhere… Hmm. I’ve de initely seen
you…”
“You… must have mistaken me. I’ve never been outside Lindel.”
“Sniff, sniff.”
‘What? What’s he doing?’
“You smell familiar… Have we really never seen each other?”
‘Are you a dog?’
His actions made the atmosphere quite strange. At this, the Friendship
Clan members had begun to grow weary of him.
However, realizing that his actions were a mistake, he quietly picked up

the sausage in front of him and began to eat it.
Of course, he still kept glancing at me. He continued doing so while the

rest asked various questions for information about the Crack Museum.
‘This bastard is strangely fast to notice my disguise.’

Fortunately, there hadn’t been an incident in which the Gangwon-do
love doctor tried to pull a trick on me, but this de initely wasn’t a
pleasant situation.
“So… What’s the Crack Museum like?”
“It will probably be okay. We got a rare-grade sword. One heroic-grade

armor came out, but I honestly thought that even if it were this much, it
would’ve been already worth it. But a legendary-grade necklace…
Honestly, I’m not saying I couldn’t even imagine.”
“If it’s okay, can you tell me about the dif iculty level?”
“Oh, come to think of it, you must have applied for heroic-grade. Am I
right?”
“Yes. That’s right. We’re still in the beginning, but I thought this was the
best place to gain experience.”
“The dif iculty level won’t be too hard. It was a little insuf icient for us.
In fact, we also wanted to enter the legendary-grade, but… we don’t
have the level to go to the legendary grade… Still, we will probably be
able to enter next time. I will be able to become stronger based on this
item I got today.”
His role was de initely a decoy.
The way he said he could get stronger while shaking the necklace
without context was proof of that. Perhaps he had received a mission
from Lee Jihye to show off the legendary items.
Although it was just a show-off, the Friendship Clan members looked

envious. The fact that a legendary necklace appeared in a heroic-grade
dungeon…
‘It’s ridiculous.’
They had already heard about it through publicity, but they had actually
con irmed it with their own eyes.
I had a semi-mythical-grade item a while ago, and I was fed up with the
name ‘legendary-grade,’ but legendary-grades were by no means
negligible.
There were not so many legendary-grade items in the Blue Guild.
People like Ahn Ki-mo and Sun Hee-young weren’t legendary item
holders.
It was a supreme treasure that was too valuable to have a proper

monetary value; it was a cheat that could help anyone become a
powerful individual, just by equipping it.
It wasn’t just those on Earth who were enthusiastic about lottos.
“There are probably thousands of items in the Crack Museum. I don’t

know why it keeps them, but one thing I can be sure of is that the
quantity of items is ixed.”
“Ah…”
“Want to know what it means to have a limited number? The owners of

legendary-grade items stored in the Crack Museum are the ones that
had gone irst and took them. Of course, the odds are low, but it’s
gambling that’s well worth it. Usually, adventurers get stuck in front of a
heroic-grade wall where they feel like they can no longer grow. These
items are helpful in those situations.”
“I see.”
“There is an opportunity for ordinary adventurers like us to step up.

That alone makes the Crack Museum worth it.”
‘This is convincing. You bastard, you’re so good at talking.’
“And… all the expenses paid here are military funds for the future.”
“What?”
“Everything we consume now… in fact, they are funds to ight for the
continent.”
“Ah…”
“You have probably heard of it – the threat that’s looming on the

horizon.”
“I’ve certainly heard of it, but that…”
“It’s not rumor or bullshit. The thing that threatens the continent
exists.”
Park Deokgu said this with a heavy voice that didn’t seem to have a
single hint of falsehood. He also had an expression that looked like he
was carrying a very big burden.
At this, I suddenly remembered that Park Deokgu was practically

someone who had been given three lifetimes to go through.
‘How many times has it been for this pig bastard?’

CHAPTER 442
MODEST IMAGE
“That’s…”
“Yes. This is what our hyung– no– the Blue Vice Guild Master and
Honorary Cardinal of the State, Lee Kiyoung, has said. There is indeed a
threat looming over the horizon.”
“…”
“Ignorant guys like us didn’t know. I also don’t know what’s going on in
this place where peace has come after the war… Given the current
situation of the continent, that’s not necessarily an absurd lie. Some
quests were jammed out of nowhere, and the dungeons began to
restrict us from entering. The State and the Republic, the United
Kingdom, and even the Interracial Union are uniting for a common
goal.”
“That…”
“Let’s not force ourselves to create an atmosphere in our attempts to

calm the chaotic continent. Let’s not pressure ourselves with the
sudden news, either. Many large guilds and nations are already training
to prepare against these threats. Because of that, lots of con idential
conversations are already being held. More information will probably
be released as more time passes, right?”
“Are the demonic dungeons’ rise the aftereffect of the Demon

Summoner Jin Qing’s capture?”
“I think we can put it that way. That being said, the current status is that
our clan, who had been dormant so far, also appeared this time because
we couldn’t ignore the continent’s crisis. It’s our home anyway. We
should try to save it much as we can.”
“It feels like I’ve heard a very serious story. I feel ashamed. Our clan
only thought about making a living to survive…”
“Well, that’s what everyone does, don’t they? That just makes Honorary
Cardinal Lee Kiyoung even more amazing. He doesn’t care about
himself.”
“You seem to know him well.”
“Yes, I do. That isn’t everything, even. Crack Land is also in the business
of losing money. Rumors say that he is starting this with a debt to the
Republic… How tight would it be to collect military funds there? Think
about it.”
“Hmm…”
“Imagine if the friendship Clan Master is in the position of the Blue

Guild, Black Swan, Red Mercenary, or another large guild. Would you
open the Crack Museum to civilians?”
“That’s…”
“Some would have made that choice, but I can assure you that not most
will. If you can get items from it with only the parties that belong to
several large guilds right now, why would you lend the dungeon illed
with honey? Which madman would give others a chance to become
stronger on the continent? I mean, it’s pretty obvious as to why he did
that. He thought that the balanced growth of the continent is the top
priority. Our Honorary Cardinal must have thought so!”
“Balanced growth…”
“That’s right! This is balanced growth. Experiences and items that can
be obtained in dungeons. In any case, this is a business that the
dungeon where the of icials would be at a de icit. That’s why we are
here. What can we do? We can become stronger and provide help to the
threat that will arise later. That’s why our clan came to the Crack
Museum. That’s probably why everyone did. Am I right, everyone?!”
“You’re good at talking, Pak Sergei! Although you’re a Republican,

you’re saying great things!”
“Of course, I do! Absolutely! Come here and get a drink!”
“That’s right! You are absolutely right!”
The guy’s voice made the entire bar buzz again as he asked for their
opinions.
Most adventurers nodded at Pak Sergei’s remarks. There were even

parties that applauded and cheered at his words.
He seemed to be exhibiting drunken behaviors with a red face, but

people like him usually ended up helping a lot in such a place. I was
worried that this would break my reputation, but I had soon become
con ident that that would never happen.
‘This pig bastard really… ’
‘Are you really not a regressor?’
I thought about it without even realizing it. I had joked about it, but
somehow, I also felt suspicious of what happened. The power of that
pig, which proved to be insanely useful when it wasn’t needed, was
indeed outstanding.
Of course, he usually trolled about things, but he always came through

for me without fail during the moments when I really needed him.
That role was also included having to advertise the Crack Museum, and
it didn’t seem like that was the end.
I didn’t know what Lee Jihye ordered him to do, but I felt like he was
doing more than the minimum.
After about 40 minutes of socializing, he began to address the party. It

had given off the hint to wrap up the conversation.
“Ahem. I’ve stayed for too long. It would be better for me to go.”
His manner of farewell was a bit too unpredictable, but I couldn’t say I
was surprised. He knew that our party was going on an expedition
tomorrow, so this must be out of consideration.
He understood that it would be hard for the Friendship clan to end the
conversation.
‘Look at his kindness… ’
It was what made people respect him. There was gratitude in Lee
Cheol-woo’s eyes, as if realizing the favor he did.
“We have to prepare for tomorrow too… Thank you so much for your
good words today and for your help, Pak Sergei.”
“Adventurers should help each other, after all.”
It was quite a heartwarming scene.
“Let’s go, Kiyeon.”
“Yes. Cheol-woo.”
Seniors and juniors greeted each other and bid their farewells.
Personally, it was a bit of an uncomfortable meeting, but at least it was
helpful for the Friendship Clan. Not only did they get a lot of
information, but they were also able to get the right thoughts and
mindsets.
‘Right. Absolutely. Opportunities like this are uncommon.’
I also waved at them, joining the group in saying goodbye. Pak Sergei
looked at me with a strange expression before nodding.
“I’ll see you again later.”
It felt like I had passed the crisis safely. However, I quickly realized that
it was just a personal wish.
Knock, knock-
Soon, I heard someone knocking on my door.
When I opened the door, I saw Ahn Ki-mo and Park Deokgu shaking a
illed bottle.
In particular, Park Deokgu was looking at me with a dog-like

expression.
“Come in.”
He had a big smile.
“Long time no see, hyung-nim.”
It did feel like it had been a long time.
***
“Why didn’t Ye-ri come?”

“She didn’t come because of the fascination dance. She’s probably
morti ied of it by now. Anyway, why is your room so small? Can you
move to a bigger place?”
“No. This is enough. It’s uncomfortable, but… it would be funny to

change rooms now. I’ve already unpacked all my luggage here.”
“Well, okay then. By the way… according to what you said, are you here
as Lee Kiyeon for inspection or something?”
Hmm. Yeah. Actually, I was just trying to do a simple disguise, but I

think it’s hard to remain incognito with that. This body isn’t as
uncomfortable as I thought it would be.”
“Somehow, you have a face that feels familiar. No, the face is subtly
different, but the smell is similar.”
“What smell?”
“Well, your smell. The faint smell of medicine, as well as the smell of a
mixture of this and that…”
“You noticed me only with that?”
“There is actually something else! The bag! Seeing that bag you carry
every day, I thought of you immediately. And the name is too similar!
Honestly, I didn’t know at all at irst, but when I thought it might be you,
everything just strangely itted perfectly! You can fool a ghost, but you
can’t fool Park Deokgu’s eyes!”
“…”
“Can I call you nuna from now on?”
“Nuna, my ass. Just call me as usual. Ahn Ki-mo, make yourself

comfortable. It’s been a long time since we drank together.”
“Thank you, Vice Guild Master. By the way, I was really surprised. I
didn’t even imagine that you would turn out to be so beautiful. If you
hadn’t really given a hint with your bag, we wouldn’t even realize it was
you.”
“I will take that as a compliment. How’s the guild?”
“It’s the same. Since this project takes a lot of work, we’re extremely
busy maintaining and repairing it. There are more things to do than I
expected. The same goes for the Guild Master. He’s still very busy. Oh! I
haven’t contacted the Guild Master yet. Should I call him here? Or even
Hayan…”
“No. You don’t have to do that. They’re busy, and I don’t want to bother
them. I hope you keep this matter between you two, and Ye-ri.”
‘Never let Jung Hayan know… ’
“I thought so. I already told Ye-ri that in advance.”
‘Thank you, Ki-mo.’
“My lips are sealed. Trust me.”
‘I don’t believe you. Bastard.’
He took an oath as he pounded his chest, but I was scared that he would
run in and report it to Jung Hayan.
Of course, I could tell that Park Deokgu wasn’t a tattletale, but it was
also undeniable that he was extremely talkative when he was around
Jung Hayan.
I had no choice but to change the topic in a hurry before it could be

further discussed.
“But why did you pick up that kind of disguise? Physical Wizard… and
what’s up with the blood-mad Berserker, Ki-mo?”
“Ahem. I’m feeling ashamed. It’s a role I’ve always wanted to play… Still,
I am comforting myself by saying that it seems a little better than the
dance of fascination.”
“Certainly, that… was a little too much. Ye-ri, that little kid is so
shameless. I will have to conduct a sex education class at the Blue Guild
soon.”
Ahn Ki-mo, who had taken this as a joke, spat the drink out.
The overall atmosphere turned out to be pretty good, the three of us

sitting in a small room and chit-chatting. It certainly felt like it had been
a long time since I had spent time like that.
In particular, I couldn’t even remember when I had a drink with Park

Deokgu. The way he kept talking nonstop was enough to make me
bored, but not that time since we talked about various things.
“Is your wound okay?”
“Well, since my body is healthy and strong, then I’m ine. More
importantly, are you okay? I heard that even a Templar had come…”
“I’m physically ine. I was a little tired, but it seemed to be because of

that…”
We asked each other’s regards.
“Vice Guild Master, when will you inish this?”
“I’m just going to go in and out of the dungeon. It won’t take long.”
“Hmm… I see. For some reason, it’s too bad to end this meeting like this.
What do you think about having another drink with us after you’re
done with all your work?”
“I’m de initely up for it.”
“Sure.”
We continued talking about useless things.
I, too, didn’t want to end the good time after a long time. As I looked
outside, I realized that it was already dawn.
After realizing that I would sleep only for a few hours now, I was
stunned for a second, but I could still sleep for about four to ive hours.
‘I can take the fatigue recovery potion.’
Ahn Ki-mo started to open his mouth when he noticed I was sleepy. He
seemed to have realized now that it was better to leave.
“Let’s go, Deokgu. He is going to the dungeon tomorrow, and it seems

that we have taken much time off the Vice Guild Master.”
“Ahem. Ah, it’s too bad to end this like this… hyung-nim, let’s just stay
for another hour.”
“We can do this after I come back. I also want to be with you, but I’m so
tired I can’t stand it.”
“Then, it can’t be helped, but…”
“Get out, you bastard. Let me sleep.”
When I pushed him away, he reluctantly stood up.

“Then, Vice Guild Master, see you soon.”
“Well, call me if you need anything. I will come running.”
“Okay.”
As I was about to open the door and see them off, I heard a voice.
“Ah.”
As I turned my head naturally, I saw a woman from the Friendship Clan.
I didn’t know why she was out at a time like that, but I could see her
looking at Argirmo and me with a shocked look.
As soon as she checked out Pak Sergei popping out of the room, deep
disgust began to permeate her face. It was as if she was looking at an
insect, or like she was looking at human trash that couldn’t be cleaned
up.
The moment I realized the misunderstanding, I swallowed hard.
“…”
“…”
“You seem to be misunderstanding something…”
The crazy bitch who had joined them had now dragged two men into a
room a day before the expedition.
That was the moment when my image was solidi ied from Light Kiyeon
to Bitch Kiyeon.
I saw her closing the door in a hurry as if she saw something she
shouldn’t have.
‘My modest image is over, fuck.’
I heard the sound of the modest behavior that I had built up so far
collapsing from a single mistake.
CHAPTER 443
CRACK MUSEUM
REMODELING
[You have entered the unrated dungeon Crack Museum.]
[No population limit had been detected.]
[Unrated forced quest is activated.]
[Quest: Museum Tour (0/1)]
Honestly, that was all my hard work down the drain.
‘Fuck… pig bastard. You ran away without ixing this situation at all.’
Actually, I didn’t have the time to worry about him. As soon as I got up
in the morning, I had to run wildly into the museum.
The contemptuous gazes of the four women were enough to make me

feel daunted.
I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding from yesterday, but I

couldn’t even do that. It was because I felt them consciously avoiding
me as if they saw me like a dirty insect.
I didn’t know if Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun had heard the news,
but when I saw them approaching casually, it felt like they either didn’t
believe it or they didn’t hear about it.
They might have also thought it didn’t really matter, but from my
perspective, it felt like they didn’t know about it yet.
The more they treated me kindly, the more contemptuous their gazes
became. I wanted to start things in a good mood, but I didn’t think it
would go so smoothly.
‘That’s not what happened… I’m Light Kiyeon, not Bitch Kiyeon… ’
I kept muttering this inside, but it felt like an empty echo. In that sense,
entering the museum was a good breakthrough. Everyone belonging to
the party had been distracted by the new environment.
It was a familiar status window and a familiar background. However, it

felt subtly different.
That was only natural. The Crack Museum, an unrated dungeon, had
been reborn as a new place in such a way that it had become
completely familiar to commoners.
One of the irst things I noticed was that it inally had a truly museum-
like appearance, unlike before when it had looked dull.
The second was that the population limit had been removed. It felt like
there were more than hundreds of parties gathered in the large space.
Considering our party started in another room, I thought more people

were in the museum. It was also true that I thought we would start the
battle immediately.
However, Max, who felt proud of the Crack Museum, didn’t stick to that
format. Since it was his hobby to show off how great the collection
inside was, the battle only began after that display.
It was just as I heard from Pak Sergei and Argirmo.

The parties without prior information about it looked startled, but most
seemed familiar as if they knew it. Rumors had already been spread
about the inside of the large cave.
Lee Cheol-woo spoke to me as soon as I started to appreciate the sight.
“This is amazing. It’s de initely… really great.”
“Yes. I feel that way too. Honestly, I didn’t think I would see such a
sight.”
‘I did put in a lot of effort.’
Items and monsters were all displayed in the stylish exhibition hall. In a
place where people gathered, the exhibition was decorated so
exquisitely that it could be called the main attraction.
The four members, including Kook Minji, were also busy exploring the
museum feverously.
For a moment, it seemed that yesterday’s events had all been forgotten.
It was then that the eyes of all the party members who were observing
the museum focused on one place.
-Welcome to the Crack Museum, adventurers. I’m Max, the dungeon

manager.
The voice came from somewhere not far away. As I turned my head
naturally, I inally saw my son after a long time.
[Checking the information of the dungeon manager Max.]
[The legendary-grade attribute, the Mind’s Eyes, is reading the dungeon

manager’s hologram.]
[Manager Max’s hologram]
[It is an agglomerate of magic power created by manager Max. Since it

is a virtual image without a substance, the status window and
information window can’t be checked. Limited access to information in
the museum.]
‘This is also the same.’
This was but a dummy, but it was still nice to see him.
I remembered him crying with Tol To-ri, not wanting me to leave. He

looked so stern, so in a way, it felt very cute.
-I see that many adventurers came to visit us today as well. Here are a
few things you should be aware of, along with some precautions before
your museum exploration begins. The exploration you so desire takes
place after a tour of the museum with this general knowledge. After
viewing the exhibits, you will be scattered per party to experience the
museum yourself, so please be aware of losing party members whilst
looking around.
-Ah! As a reference, I will tell you in advance, but you will get a penalty
if you touch the exhibition hall carelessly. For some items, we are taking
tough measures such as exit measures, so please be careful.
“Yes.”
What a good host. Although he was a museum manager, he looked like

the perfect guide.
Unlike the former Max, who was forced to pretend to be stern, he had a
little cuteness with him.
-Before giving a full explanation, we need to ind out about our

museum’s history, right? The Crack Museum is an even older place than
you can imagine. It is a place created by the Crack Guardians to seal the
crack and to remember it. For a long, innumerable time, the Crack
Guardians have locked themselves in this place and focused solely on
sealing it. All items or creatures managed by the Crack Museum have
come through the crack. Of course, some things had come in since then,
items made by the museum and chimeras, but the Crack Museum’s
basic characteristics were this.
“It’s uncanny.”
-The Crack Guardians have dedicated their all to sealing the crack.
However, they have always worried about the balance or invisible
threats ever since. That’s why they said that we should always be alert
about cracks and why they created this museum. That’s also why most
of the rewards of exploring the museum are made up of weapons called
treasures.
Everyone was looking around, amazed. They probably couldn’t help but
look like that.
Most of the people who lived on the continent wouldn’t even know
what a crack was. The fact that the Crack Guardians protected the
continent far longer than I could count without releasing anything into
the world was quite a feat.
To them, everything here would be amazing.
Of course, since I had come there more than once, I, a level 4 manager
of the Crack Museum, knew about it all. I wasn’t that surprised.
However, when a new structure appeared, my jaw naturally dropped

open.
-Could you look to your left for a moment? Museum explorers, I’m a bit
embarrassed, but I want you all to meet my mother and father, who
gave me my existence.
‘Why am I there?’
Metel the Crack Guardian and I were close to each other, crossing our
arms together. And even…
‘Why is the Guardian Metel pregnant?’
My jaw dropped.
“Isn’t that the Honorary Cardinal?”
“It must be someone who looks like him. He said that that happened at
a time longer than they could count… The out it and style are
completely different.”
“Is it?”
“He said it was a Crack Guardian. He must be a person who resembles

him.”
-Although they don’t exist now.
‘Do not kill me at your leisure, son.’
-They are alive in my heart.
-Guardian Metel, my mother and father did their best to develop and
manage the Crack Museum. If it weren’t for them, the Crack Museum
and I wouldn’t exist. Of course, even the current continent would’ve
ceased to exist.
I felt so disconcerted that I couldn’t help but laugh.
In particular, the pregnant Guardian Metel was the best. The statue in
my shape began to move slowly and then began to stroke her belly. He
even kissed it.
Bringing his ears to the belly made him look extremely devoted to
Metel.
‘It’s a golem.’
The way those sculptures exchanged lovely eyes with each other made
me feel like there was real affection between them.
‘Max… who told you to make something like this. Who… asked for a soul
wedding… Max! Dad is a person too! A person!’
Even if I had never touched her hand, I had somehow made Metel
pregnant.
All I ever did was look at her face once.
If Jung Hayan were looking at that, she would chant a spell out of the
blue to destroy the statue.
Although I felt disconcerted, I also felt somehow bitter. It was because I

could understand why my son made it.
‘I’ll have to hug him after this is over.’
I pledged to have some more father and son time with him.
Looking at Max’s dummy, he looked embarrassed due to his blush. I

thought he would be actually ashamed too.
‘I’m sorry that I’ve been a horrible father… ’
-Well, shall we move on? The items next to you are legendary-grade
items. There is a lot of time, so please take a look slowly. Once again, for
caution’s sake, all items on display are protected by the system. Please
be mindful of your own actions so as not to engage in dishonest
behavior.
“Wow.”
“Look at this. This… Cheol-woo!”
“Kiyeon, come here. There are staffs like this too.”
“Oh, yes.”
‘I’ve already seen everything, Cheol-woo. So, deal with the guys talking
to you.’
“It is a legendary-grade staff. It really has a legendary-grade item. It’s

also listed in the museum catalog.”
-Legendary-grade items have a very low probability of being looted in

heroic-grade dungeons and a low probability in legendary-grade
dungeons. Heroic-grade items can be looted with a low probability in
rare-grade dungeons and with normal probability in dungeons of the
same grade. Additionally, there are also mass-produced heroic-grade
items sold on the market, so please keep that in mind.
“Look at this! It’s a mythic-grade hammer. Daegun, isn’t this something

that can’t be priced?”
“Kiyeon, take a look at these robes here. It’s an item that appears in
Heroic-grade dif iculty, but it seems to have a pretty good chance of
dropping.”
‘The same goes for you. Kim Daegun, you bastard.’
-These are legendary-grade monsters. We also have three mythic-grade

creatures, but please understand that except for the mythic-grade
monster you are seeing, it is dif icult to ind the two species as they
currently require extreme attention.
‘It’s been a while since I saw this one too… ’

Even though I saw it before, I couldn’t get used to it.
It was a monster with green skin sitting in a chair made of weapons. It

had huge horns, a huge tail, and seven weapons loating around.
It was exactly the way I saw it last time.
The humans surrounding it were all swallowing hard. They must be

thinking the same thing I did when I irst saw it.
‘How do we beat that…?’
It was an overwhelming existence. This was a monster that ordinary

human common sense couldn’t seem to understand.
That monster wasn’t even genuine, but a well-made counterfeit.
Max smiled as if he had got in a better mood when he saw them

murmuring.
-You probably can’t deal with mythic-grade creatures. Ahem. There was
a little accident last time… Originally, mythic-grade should also be
included in your expedition, but um… thank you for your
understanding.
With the authority of the museum’s level 4 manager, I had completely

sealed them. Those kinds of creatures shouldn’t appear in the world.
Come to think of it, when I came last time, I couldn’t see that green
monster with my Mind’s Eyes.
‘Didn’t it say it didn’t have the level to do that? I think it will work now…
’
My Mind’s Eyes had grown, and my class had already been rated as a
semi-mythic.
In some ways, we were on similar levels.
As I was trying to activate my Mind’s Eyes, there was a pain in my

shoulder.
Even my body was pushed forward. As I turned my head re lexively, I

could see Kook Minji’s gang. Far from apologetic, they pretended not to
notice how they had just pushed me and chattered with each other.
‘Don’t let my personality come out… bitches.’
Little by little, I was about to cut off my patience.

CHAPTER 444
THE FIRST TO CRY WILL
SURVIVE (1)
To think that they would go so far as to bully me…
Perhaps the event last night turned out to be the decisive factor for
them. It had ruined my entire image, after all.
Honestly, even I would have taken the same action. From their
perspective, the expedition would be a big event that could determine
the clan’s future direction.
Instead of having a good rest and saving energy, the new member had
come to seduce two bigshots. Such an act would undoubtedly deserve
criticism.
If they had made such an issue a little bigger, it would be enough for me
to be expelled from the party immediately, and even become material
for public discussion of other groups. I wouldn’t have anything to
defend myself with.
If I had been a Friendship Clan member, I would have been ired, or had
received an appropriate penalty.
It seemed that there had been some misunderstanding, but even

considering that wouldn’t be enough to label me as clueless.
‘Fuck… ’
However, it was unexpected that they would reveal hostility in such an
outright manner. Even the expressions on their faces mocked me. I
didn’t know what they were planning, but they seemed happy with the
thought of screwing me up.
Honestly, I didn’t like that face. I wasn’t used to being messed with.
“Pff.”
“Pfff.”
“Kukuku.”
My ears rang with their obnoxiously mocking laughter.
“Phew.”
I didn’t want to play along with their joke, but my annoyance was now
rapidly rising.
‘These bitches… ’
As I looked ahead, I could see the people already chatting away from a
distance. In the meantime, Max continued to give details about the
museum.
He couldn’t even imagine that his father would be getting a blow in the
shoulder there.
‘It’s enough for everyone to notice… ’
Perhaps, if he slowly looked at the members one by one, he would be

able to notice that I was Lee Kiyoung.
Considering that he had discovered that Kim Hyunsung was unusual

and that I had special eyes, I thought he would indeed notice. However,
as he was trying to take care of a huge number of people at once, he had
no time to actually take a look.
Anyone could see that the situation was hectic, so it was

understandable as a whole.
‘He seems a little bit excited too… ’
He looked thrilled since he had said all he wanted to say, and the
museum explorers were responding well. There was even someone
taking notes of what Max said as if he was studying. There was also a
guy who was sketching the monsters and items in the museum’s
exhibits.
They probably intended to acquire as much information as they could

about this place, seeing as they would come back more times in the
future.
Of course, there weren’t only people who were studying like them.
A fairly high percentage of individuals leaned forward from place to

place, acting as if they were really in a museum.
No dungeon revealed the rewards in advance. Depending on the

dungeon’s naming and rank, we could only predict what kind of items
would come out, but there was no place to display them openly, like the
Crack Museum.
It was natural for adventurers who were interested in the rewards to

look around excitingly.
“Look over there.”
“It would be hard to get something like this…”

“It’s if it’s a continent-style weapon, but I want to try it out. I’m also
curious about what it has as special abilities…”
“I don’t think we could sell it… Let’s see if there’s anything else we can
aim for.”
Everyone had a serious look on their faces.
Max smiled heartily. The museum had instantly boomed. The reaction
of the visitors inspired him. The way his voice became even more
cheerful and determined during the speech was interesting to watch.
In short, this was our usual Max.
“Are the items displayed all that can be looted?”
-Of course, the items here are not all that you can ind. Our Crack
Museum continues to collect items that can be said to have high
historical value. For example, relic-grade items spread across the
continent. Most of the things worth preserving are kept in the museum.
Of course, such items are also included in the reward list. There are
probably things you’d be surprised to ind.
“I see…”
-There’s no need to worry. Items specially made by our museum also

covers the issue of item insuf iciency. Do you have any other questions?
“What about the exact probability…?”
-It’s dif icult to give you a de inite answer. Those are the things that the
Crack Guardians have designated themselves… However, I can tell you
that everything is done randomly, and we will be giving you additional
opportunities if you wish. Oh! It’s about time to start exploring the
museum. I wish I could stay all day with all of you, but if we wait a little
more, the people who will come in will be put on hold… All explorers
present must move in accordance with the Golem’s orders. Please be
careful not to lose or mix party members. If you don’t follow the orders,
you might be forced to leave.
“Kiyeon, this way.”
“Yes, Cheol-woo.”
“Let’s move as quickly as we can.”
“Don’t block the way! The legendary-grade dungeon parties will go

irst.”
As if the comment about being forced to leave left a lasting impression,

the people moved quickly.
They wouldn’t want to be kicked out since it was an expensive dungeon.
I would never get used to witnessing the adventurers stand in an

orderly manner under the guidance of the magic golem. The party
members looking around the exhibition hall had now gathered together
and were guided to their seats.
Of course, our party was no exception.
Kim Daegun, who was looking at the warrior items from a distance, and
the four female members, who seemed to have something planned, also
approached Lee Cheol-woo.
“Minji, have you already organized the list of items?”
“Yes. I checked all the things I thought were useful, but not all since we
didn’t have time. But it doesn’t seem like it would cause any signi icant
result. The items displayed in the main exhibition hall probably can’t be
easily looted. The same goes for monsters. I was worried about what to
do if a legendary-grade monster or a mythic-grade monster appeared,
but it looks like there’s no probability of that happening, or if there is, it
would be slim.
“Okay. Good work.”
“No, no, it’s only my job.”
“It looks like we should wait for now. According to what I heard
yesterday, we might have some spare time. It would be better to
prepare for battle from now on. We should prepare some light snacks
as well. Before entering, check your equipment in advance. Even though
we’ve already checked everything in the morning.”
“There may be people who haven’t checked because they didn’t have
time. I think it’s good to have such free time like this. Right, Kiyeon?”
Since she looked at me while she said that, it sounded like she was
attacking me. No, since she had called my name in the irst place, I was
certain that she was indeed trying to hit me.
‘I didn’t have time indeed.’
However, I was curious about her intention to say it while we were

waiting for our turn to enter the museum in earnest.
‘Fuck… perhaps… ’
Kim Daegun and Lee Cheol-woo still didn’t feel anything strange.
However, when I saw the four people holding back their laughter as
much as possible, I already knew what they were thinking.
‘Satan is an angel compared to you guys… you’re all trying to kick me

out.’
I was sure they planned to push me out right before entering.

‘Don’t you need a wizard?’
To be precise, they might have thought that, at this point, they didn’t
need me. From their point of view, Light Kiyeon was nothing but a
freeloader.
Hearing the story from Pak Sergei yesterday, they might have decided
that the attack was possible with six people, or at least trusted the
adventure insurance. There was that or they might have found another
wizard, but my conclusion was that they thought they would be able to
adapt even if things went south.
This all felt so ridiculous to me. It was because I could see what their
intention was for testing me out.
‘So, they want me to suffer.’
That was the reason why the female members didn’t talk to Lee Cheol-
woo and Kim Daegun about it. They would’ve wanted to screw me up in
a more decisive moment.
If they were professionals at it, that was de initely something they

would’ve at least considered. This was no big deal, but obviously, it
didn’t feel very pleasant.
‘Are you even humans?’
Good adventurers shouldn’t be treated the way they were treating me.
Once again, Kook Minji opened her mouth when I was about to speak.
“But boys… aren’t you smelling rotten seafood?”
“I think something smells rotten. It’s like a strange ishy smell… It

smells a little bit worse than that, actually. It’s like a rotten squid…
ugh… It’s really dirty and disgusting. Am I the only one who can smell
it?”
“I can smell it, too.”
“Me too.”
“Bleargh. Ugh…”
“…”
Kim Daegun and Lee Cheol-woo seemed worried that they had eaten
something wrong, but they would soon ind out what that was all about.
“Boys.”
“What’s going on? Just say it.”
“I don’t know. You’d better ask her. I think the strange smell comes from
that one.”
“What?”
“Minji, watch your tongue. How many times do I have to tell you not to
speak that way?!”
“I’m not saying that for no reason, Cheol-woo. I have a basis for my
claims. She is neither an adventurer nor anything valuable in the irst
place. She’s a gold digger trying to get a free ride in life. Does she really
need to enter with us? No. We wasted time in getting her. It would be
much more helpful to have her kicked out…”
“Minji!”
“From the beginning, Lee Kiyeon wasn’t taking this expedition seriously.
Her only purpose is to somehow lirt with you guys to clear her identity.
It would only be harder for us if we enter the dungeon with a person
who’s selling their body and soul.”
“Apologize right now.”
“No. I don’t want to apologize. Ask her about what happened yesterday.”
“What?”
“Because Mijeong saw her at dawn yesterday.”
“What in the world did she see?”
“Pak Sergei and Argirmo. They came out of that woman’s room.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. I saw it with my own eyes, Cheol-woo, Daegun. I even made eye
contact with her.”
“…”
“…”
“Er, I mean, that’s a misunderstanding…”
“What would members of the opposite sex be doing during the night?
Were you even aware that we were on the verge of an expedition,
Kiyeon? Or maybe it just didn’t matter? You’re really healthy, I guess.
When we were marching, you didn’t stop whining, yet you suddenly had
the strength to play with two men. How much did they pay you? How
much did you get for doing that? No, how did you get a secret
rendezvous in the irst place? Is there a community of body sellers? I
also tried to tolerate you as much as I could. The atmosphere was good,
and I didn’t want to spoil it like this, but that was too much. I’m saying it
because I can’t stand it anymore. Dungeons like this are for
adventurers, not for people like you.”
“Listen…”
“What would you like to do? Would you like to go out yourself, or
should I drag you out myself?”
‘Fuck.’
Naturally, I took a look around.
The irst step was to igure out what the public’s opinion was like.
I irst checked the two men who would be my strength.
However, Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun both harbored strange faces.
I didn’t know about Kook Minji, but it seemed that the woman called
Mijeong wasn’t someone who lied.
They looked at me as if they were waiting for an explanation.
Twenty-seven years of political life. I didn’t even imagine I’d be put in a

corner politically in a place like that.
Of course, there was a way out.
However, before I could even organize my thoughts, my eyes were

already prepared to execute my plan.
I did it almost unconsciously.
“Sniff. Sniff.”
I heard a different type of cry coming from me.

‘The one who cries irst will survive for sure… ’
Within half a second, the crocodile tears began to pour.
“Sniff…”
CHAPTER 445
THE FIRST TO CRY WILL
SURVIVE (2)
That wasn’t the only option.
However, before I could even begin to formulate a judgment, the liquid

coming out of my eyes told me that this would be the closest answer. I
couldn’t make another choice by then.
As thick crocodile tears poured down, I looked at the agitated faces of

Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun. They looked as if they were confused
about what to do.
“I mean…”
“Ha…”
I also noticed the darkening faces of the four female members.
They looked as if they were asking what the hell I was doing. They had
obviously didn’t expect me to do this – the irst to cry is always the one
who survives, wasn’t it?
They seemed to be reading the atmosphere and maintaining their

ground.
‘If you’re not sure, don’t bet on your victory, bitches.’
I was sure that this wasn’t what they had been picturing.
They would have thought that everything would go smoothly after such
a big humiliation. After receiving the support of Lee Cheol-woo and Kim
Daegun, she would’ve suggested of icially kicking me out from the
party, and if that weren’t possible, she might have come out somewhat
stubborn.
It was about time I made all of their plans collapse in one blow.
My cry, which sounded so sorrowful, illed the quiet hall.
‘It even sounds sad to my own ears.’
“Sniff.”
Of course, what they chose to go for was a hard line of policy as

expected.
A sharp voice echoed again.
“Wow, really… unbelievable. What makes you think you deserve to cry?”
“Sniff…”
“Do you think anything will change? It’s really ridiculous.”
“Isn’t she a completely crazy bitch? That one.”
“I really… phew.”
However, there was no way their tactics would work.
Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun were already under the in luence of my
skill.
The way they were blocking me from them, stronger than the Berlin
Wall and Castle Rock’s Wall, felt like I could troll any way I wanted, and
they would still protect me until the end.
Even though public opinion was already moving in favor of me, I was
still grateful that she also chose to harshly shout at me.
At that moment, I realized that the tactic to disguise myself as a victim

thoroughly was much more effective using the body of Light Kiyeon,
rather than the body of Light Kiyoung.
“What do you think you guys are doing?”
“We’ve already told you. She’s not the kind of person you think she is. It
was weird from the beginning. She applied for a party without bringing
anything. Are you telling me to go to the dungeon with a woman like
that? It’s dangerous as it is. She won’t be any help.”
“How many times have I not told you not to mess around, Minji?”
“But I’m not. I’m doing this because I think it’ll help the party. You are
just being fooled.”
“Kiyeon, are you okay? Calm down…”
“Sniiff.”
I listened to them talking loudly as I ensured that my tears wouldn’t

stop pouring.
Lee Cheol-woo comforted me as Kim Daegun confronted the rest of the

party. The old proverb that said whoever cried irst never lost had once
again stuck itself into my heart.
“Wow, this is really absurd. Really.”
“Are you really going to go down this path?”

“Kook Minji.”
“It’s not our fault! You’ve heard the story before, right?”
“You must have misunderstood something. Kiyeon is not that kind of

person.”
‘How can you say I’m not that kind of person if you don’t know me,
Cheol-woo? Still, thank you. I won’t forget this. But you can’t trust
people too easily.’
“Misunderstanding, my ass. Mijeong has con irmed it with her own

eyes. Hey, Kiyeon. Am I wrong? Didn’t you run into her this morning?”
That was where my words would matter.
Of course, this was a little far-fetched, but the appropriate excuses were
already prepared.
“I-I just received an offer… sniff… to join the clan. I was also surprised…
what you’re thinking… sniff… didn’t happen. It didn’t…”
‘It wasn’t me that was obscene, but the dirty thoughts in your head.’
“A clan recruitment offer at dawn? Who would believe such an excuse…”
‘You’re asking who? Your boys would.’
“He said we would leave early in the morning… sniff!”
“Can you please speak in a way we can understand?”
“Sorry. Sniff. I-I’m sorry.”
“No. It’s not something you should be sorry for.”

“Sorry. I’m… sorry…”
I was actually developing a sore throat. Nobody who witnessed the

scene could say that I was acting.
It was unfair that the sounds of me crying were blocking every word I
said.
Of course, I knew I also looked silly. It must’ve felt frustrating how I

couldn’t speak properly because I couldn’t control my feelings.
Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun were busy trying to appease Light
Kiyeon, as if something really did go wrong.
“You don’t have to tell me.”
“How can you believe her? Do you really think they came to make a
recruitment offer at dawn? Why weren’t the Clan Master with them if
they’re recruiting new clan members? You can’t expect us to believe
that, right? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?”
“I’m sorry. Sniff. I… I was wrong.”
“It’s not Kiyeon’s fault. You don’t have to apologize.”
“No… I was wrong…”
‘I deserve justice.’
‘This is Light Kiyeon!’
“So, you’re playing as a victim to the end? To the end?!”
“I’m sor…”
Lee Cheol-woo’s arms held onto me as if I couldn’t stand it anymore.
The innocent guy seemed startled for a moment, but he started patting
my shoulder as if he wasn’t an idiot.
‘If you can’t even do that, you’re an idiot.’
I hadn’t seen his face, but it was probably very red by now. Of course, I
didn’t intend to end it there. I had prepared the mocking laughter for a
better blow.
This was because the more agitated they were, the more advantageous
my position became.
I naturally turned my head slightly while being held in Lee Cheolwoo’s

arms.
My eyes met exactly with Kook Minji’s eyes.
I didn’t know if it was good luck or bad luck, but the other three women
were talking to Kim Daegun at the time.
I kept making the crying sound, but I began to smile. Perhaps, to Kook
Minji’s eyes, I would look like a vulpine woman.
At this point, her face was shaking.
I felt like I wanted to compliment her because she was holding up her
anger well. Since she had been evaluated as a moving taunt totem, it
was a little surprising.
Even many demon of icials could never hold back their anger against
my mocking laughter.
However, it only lasted for a moment.

As I started to act cute with my head on Lee Cheol-woo’s wide chest, a
thunder-like voice resonated throughout the hall.
“You vulpine woman! Stay away from him!”
“…”
“…”
“Watch your tongue. Kook Minji!”
“This fucking slut bitch! Didn’t you see it? She just laughed at me. Fuck!
She laughed at me!”
“Kook Minji!”
“You!!”
‘You look too ugly, Minji.’
She came running at me. Anyone could see she was out of her mind.
Although Lee Cheol-woo blocked to protect me, he couldn’t stop the

agile thief with the body of a weak priest.
Eventually, she hit me on my arm.
She just wanted to push me out, but I didn’t want just that.
It had been a long time since I last showed off my Hollywood-worthy

acting. I fell to the ground, and Lee Cheol-woo stood out as he hurriedly
helped me.
Kook Minji, with a bold face, was stunned as if she just realized the
mistake that she made.
The expressions of the other three women also didn’t look that good. In
any case, she touched my body, and in the end, I had gotten hurt.
Even if I did something wrong, in the end, they were the ones to blame.
The perpetrator and the victim were obvious at that point. it was not
unreasonable that my human Berlin Walls were agitated.
“I-I’m sorry…”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
There was great anger in his voice.
“O-Oppa…”
“The expedition is not over yet… you really have to come out in this
way?!”
“No…”
“Are you aware of how you look right now? Knock it off, Kook Minji.
Knock it off! Why the hell are you doing this? It’s just for a while… and
you can’t even stand that? I didn’t know you were like this.”
‘That was an excellent line. Whew. Were you always like this, Cheol-
woo?! I can recruit you as an actor! That drama line was awesome!’
“Oppa, listen, that woman…”
“I don’t want to hear it. Minji, I don’t even want to see your face right
now.”
“O-Oppa.”
Minji’s eyes began to tear up, and pity bloomed in my heart for her. She
looked as if her parents had betrayed her, which meant that Minji
probably saw Lee Cheol-woo as someone important.
However, Cheol-woo replied to her coldly, anyway.
“Apologize.”
“Uh…?”
“Apologize to Kiyeon right now.”
“But…”
“Don’t disappoint me even more, Minji. I’m being as nice as possible

right now. Apologize.”
This was no different than telling her to let go of her pride.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy, but Kook Minji slowly began to approach

me in the end.
I was worried about her throwing a dagger at me, but seeing her head
bowing with her mouth closed, it dawned on me that she wasn’t that
crazy.
This had happened because she could not stand a moment’s anger.
“I… I’m sorry. Gruunt.”
“…”
“I-I’m sorry. Gruuunt. I… was wrong.”

‘Right. Knowing that you’re wrong is enough, Minji. Don’t mess with me
recklessly. This is social life. You shouldn’t cry last but rather cry irst.
The irst cry always has an absolute advantage.’
In fact, I really wanted to push her into a corner a little bit more.
However, if Kook Minji did that much, I should also show some softness.
It wouldn’t make sense to make her even angrier. We had to go on
expeditions afterward. If the misunderstanding deepens, we can’t trust
each other’s backs going forward.
“No… I am more… sorry. I think I made you misunderstand because…

I’m not good enough.”
At that point, the little war had ended.
The other three women also bowed their heads.
“I think I misunderstood something. I’m sorry, Ms. Kiyeon.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. It’s okay. It’s really okay, so you don’t have to lower your head like
that. It’s partly because I didn’t behave properly.”
‘You’ve become too nice, Kiyeon.’
Had it been my usual self, I would have completely destroyed those

rude bitches. I deserved a sincere apology and a thank-you just for
ending things so lightly.
“She also has a heart of gold.”
The small murmuring voice of Kim Daegun entered my ear.

He was correct, no matter how I was to think about it.
CHAPTER 446
FRIENDSHIP CLAN’S
FRIENDSHIP-BREAKING
SOUND (1)
‘Will we be able to do well in this state?’
Lee Cheol-woo’s face best expressed our situation.
No matter how I thought about it, it was almost irrational to do

something at that moment.
The atmosphere as a whole had already darkened. It was only natural

since the party members had just gone through a great con lict.
Although blindfolded apologies were exchanged and we were forced to

create a warm atmosphere, just a few words didn’t mean that the past’s
baggage would disappear.
Although it had improved a lot from before, Kook Minji’s face still
wasn’t very friendly.
I had no choice but to be patient. With this, I felt as if I had to stay quiet
for the rest of the expedition’s duration.
She wasn’t picking a ight, but her face itself was hostile enough. If I
were the Clan Master of the Friendship Clan, I would de initely have left
the party behind.
It was unreasonable to continue the expedition and think it would end
smoothly in the current situation. However, giving up apparently wasn’t
one of the Friendship Clan’s options.
When I considered the cost of entering the heroic-grade dungeon, the

rare-grade room price, insurance cost, and other miscellaneous
expenses, it became even more unviable.
To retreat meant they’d be drowning in debt.
‘I think my head is starting to hurt… ’
For the sake of safety, we had to rearrange the party once more.
It was an option that everyone knew, but the clan wasn’t strong enough
to bear such a heavy loss. I couldn’t help but wonder if I made too much
of a mess.
I was lucky that I had insurance.
If I didn’t even have insurance, I would have gotten out of the dungeon
if the risk of heavy losses became too high. Nothing was more precious
than life, after all.
Kook Minji and her group caused the situation, but I naturally felt sorry
since I was partly responsible for it too. In this case, I had to speak up.
“Do not worry too much. I’ll try harder.”
“No, it’s ine, Kiyeon. Please don’t overdo it. Just follow the instructions
carefully. If there’s any problem, we will take care of it.”
‘This guy is… ’
His eyes didn’t expect anything big.

I understood why he had such a face, but I felt disappointed for some
reason.
‘Okay. Think as you please, because I will take care of everything

anyway.’
The people around me were all monsters, but I wasn’t that weak either.
At least, I could be a match against a heroic-grade.
No, I could be a little more competent.
The Dragon Alchemist’s ability to create wings and tails using Dialugia’s
catalyst was a bit dif icult to use in there. However, the ability of the
unique heroic-grade Living Alchemy Summoner, which was my
previous class, still proved to be in good shape.
It wasn’t bad to have con idence in my abilities, considering that, unlike

before, I had abundant legendary catalysts in my bag.
Light Kiyeon wasn’t feeble. No, she even deserved to be called the
supreme ruler.
As I agreed with myself, Kim Daegun was busy trying to keep the party
members distracted.
‘Right. You have to do that.’
While calling Kook Minji separately and talking to her, he started taking
care of the other three women’s mentalities.
Although the effect seemed to be insigni icant, it was better than

ignoring it.
Kook Minji and the four members’ expressions certainly loosened up to

some extent, and it seemed their patience grew stronger as well. It
should be enough to last until the end of the expedition.
Two women in Kook Minji’s gang no longer seemed to like the party
anymore, but since they had invested, they would still work hard until it
had inished.
This was just my theory, but it felt like the Friendship Clan’s progress
wouldn’t be bright after the expedition.
Kook Minji, who admired Lee Cheol-woo, was likely to remain in the
clan, but I wasn’t certain about the rest. Because of today’s incident, I
wondered if the friendship of the Friendship Clan would be disbanded
after the expedition.
Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun, whom I saw as the clan centers, also
felt the atmosphere, I was sure they would criticize themselves as well.
How would the expedition end?
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the fate of the clan was at stake.
That was why the faces of the main members were illed with deep
ierceness.
-Friendship Clan party will enter in 1 minute.
“Everyone, stand up. Although we just got out of a bad situation, I hope
you don’t think about it anymore once we enter, Minji.”
“I will try, oppa. And I’m sorry once again.”
“No. I should be the one saying that. I’m sorry, Minji.”
-Please enter the heroic-grade museum battle room. All monsters will
appear three times, and there is a high probability that a named
monster of heroic-grade will appear. Rewards will also be given three
times, and the probability is random. Please take note that the battle
will begin as soon as you spin the wheel on the right side of the battle
room.
‘The spinning wheel is still the same.’
“What a unique system.”
“Right… it looks like a kid’s joke, but the danger is real. Is everyone
ready…?”
“I’m ready.”
“Me too, oppa.”
“Yeah.”
“Then, I’ll start right away.”
[The wheel is spinning.]
Everyone watched at the spinning wheel nervously.
If a tricky monster were to come out, there would be problems in later

battles, so everyone hoped for an easy one to come out.
Everyone was probably waiting for a rare-grade monster to come out.

That was the most pro itable outcome for them.
Of course, things weren’t that easy.
[The lower-level named monster of heroic-grade, the spirit of the fallen

tree, Ambrosia, has been selected.]
It was not all that bad, though.
If it was a monster from the tree element, it was easy to deal with.
Undeads that pushed priests to the limit or poisonous monsters were
far more dif icult to deal with in the irst place.
It was a hundred times better than a ire attribute that would drain our
stamina if we got close.
There might be a reason why the ire attribute artifact was the most
uncommon, but it wasn’t that hard.
“Not bad.”
“Yeah. It seems that we got a good one to start with. First, prepare for
battle. Let’s start with iguring out the pattern. Daegun, please.”
“Okay.”
“Please refrain from using magic or other attacks until he attracts the
monster’s attention completely. Kiyeon, I will give you a separate
signal.”
“Yes. Please do.”
“Prepare for battle. Go.”
With a clanking sound, the rotten tree bastard revealed itself.
Lee Cheol-woo, a priest, gave all kinds of buffs to Kim Daegun, who
immediately charged ahead. Meanwhile, Kook Minji focused on Kim
Daegun’s movements as she had to be prepared for any unexpected
developments.
They were not as bad as I had thought.

Their abilities were enough for me to appreciate, and it was hard to ind
any laws. However, that was my mistake.
‘What… what are they doing now?”
It was quite a sight to watch him bravely rushing in and grappling with
the big monster.
Kim Daegun, who ran in with a con ident expression, was having a one-
on-one battle against it.
I understood that he wanted to show the world his bravery, but we

weren’t in a solo hunt.
It was so clumsy that it was impossible not to compare him with Park
Deokgu, who at least provided space for other party members to enter.
‘I guess Deokgu is really talented after all.’
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to agree with Park Deokgu’s potential

talent. In fact, Lee Cheol-woo was the same.
He was qualitatively different from Sun Hee-young, who could be

considered as the Head Priest of the Blue.
A lot of idiots thought that a priest simply healed and gave buffs, but
actually, a priest was a class where the user’s qualities were extremely
important.
Depending on how much divine power they had, it was also important
to properly time casting spells. What was even more ridiculous was that
those two weren’t even the worst.
Kook Minji jumped around meaninglessly, distracting the tanker.
The ranger ired arrows needlessly.

I didn’t even know what the hell the woman who was given the role of a
sub-tank and melee damage dealer was doing.
If I had to compare her position in the Blue, although it was very similar
to Cho Hyejin’s position, it seemed like she didn’t really understand
what she was supposed to do.
The worst was the woman with a sword. She was the one who was
playing Kim Hyunsung’s role.
‘She is complete trash. Is… she even a person?’
Comparing them to our party was a bit unfair in the irst place.
I was even sorry about daring to mention them, looking at their

personal abilities. However, they didn’t act like that even when Blue
was at heroic-grade.
They had low individual specs, sure, but their teamwork was something
I could admire.
‘They just don’t know how to hunt.’
They didn’t seem to have a mentor.
The way they started was different from our party, in which the lovely
returner had trained us rigorously since the days we were newbies.
I didn’t know if they knew what I was thinking. Their pride began to
appear on their smiles.
“It’s a good start.”
Lee Cheol-woo’s face seemed to say, ‘This is the Friendship Clan.’ Kook
Minji grinned mockingly despite not actually doing anything useful.
They were entertaining to watch, at least.
I could see the great pride they had in their abilities.
“I think we can really start with the damage now!”
‘What were you doing so far… bastards? ‘
“Kiyeon, please do the casting right away.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to overdo it. Save your magic power and be as ef icient
as possible… we can take care of it.”
‘How can you be so sure?’
“Noted.”
This was both annoying and boring.
I tried not to do too much, but I thought I had to make them realize the
power of a semi-mythic.
As soon as I reached for the in inite bag, I got the catalyst that I thought
I would never use in my life.
[Fire Giant’s Re ined Magic Powder (Legendary)]
It was too expensive to be used only to defeat a heroic-grade monster.
It didn’t make sense to use legendary-grade catalysts in a heroic-grade

dungeon in the irst place. Of course, that wasn’t the case for Light
Kiyeon, who had more than enough money.
As I snapped my inger, a big ist of ire started to fall from the air.
“Daegun, wait.”
“Okay.”
Perhaps he wasn’t that slow, but it was noticeable that he moved

quickly when the magic fell.
When I licked my inger once again, a large hand protruded from the
loor and grabbed the monster.
‘Why isn’t this bastard dying?’
Even though I had used a legendary-grade catalyst, my chronic problem

of having weak attack power wasn’t solved.
It was de initely hard to say that it had been ef icient.
Dialugia’s catalyst would have been a little better, but I was currently
only using unique heroic-grade alchemy magic.
Of course, it didn’t mean that it did no damage at all.
It was a shame that the monster wasn’t exterminated immediately, but

anyone could see that the fallen tree’s spirit was taking damage. When I
licked my inger, a big ist fell again.
As soon as I licked my inger again, the monster’s upper body burst

into lames.
It looked quite mismatched when the big guy punched the relatively
small tree spirit.
The fallen tree’s spirit screamed in pain, but the ire giant didn’t stop.
Craashh!
Baaaannnggg!!
Craaackkkkk!
Baaaannnngggg!!!
Craaaashhhh!
Baaaaaannnnnnggggg!!!
The total price of the catalyst I used so far proved to be astronomical.
However, all of the Friendship Clan members who weren’t aware of

such facts had their mouths wide open.
“It doesn’t… make sense…”
‘It does!’
CHAPTER 447
FRIENDSHIP CLAN’S
FRIENDSHIP-BREAKING
SOUND (2)
Not only did the fallen tree become a complete mess, but there was no
part of him left unscathed in the end.
As if to show that he had been beaten properly by the ire element, his
whole body was scorched. He couldn’t even maintain his proper shape.
Since he had been beaten for a long time by an overwhelming mass, he

could no longer keep his actual form. Rather, he was pretty lucky to
receive only that much damage.
Personally, however, I was a bit bitter.
The result itself deserved to be acknowledged, but my absolute lack of

damage hurt.
Regardless of my sentiments, it wasn’t unreasonable for them to be

surprised.
It was clear that Lee Cheol-woo, Kim Daegun, Kook Minji, and the rest
of the party weren’t expecting much from me. They thought it would be
ine enough to have me just do my role, but they were so surprised that
their jaws ultimately dropped upon seeing my performance.
The four members tried to read each other’s faces.

To that extent, Light Kiyeon’s achievements were great. It was like I
caught the heroic-grade monster with a few magic shots.
Perhaps, in their eyes, I probably looked like Jung Hayan, a genius

wizard.
At least, looking at the gazes they had on me, it seemed that it would be
okay to think so.
Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun were rubbing their eyes, and the Kook
Minji and her gals turned pale.
‘Now you trust me, right? Huh?’
It was clear that they were trying to solve the puzzle of why Pak Sergei
and Argirmo came to me and made the offer, even though they knew it
was rude.
They might have doubted me before, but now the puzzle pieces it very
easily.
Why?
The answer was too obvious.
‘They offered recruitment because I’m skilled, bitches. That’s how far
apart our leagues are. I’m in an entirely different dimension. You
misunderstood because you have never gotten that kind of recruitment
proposal.’
Even after the battle was completely over, everyone remained silent for
about a minute.
At this point, I wondered what kind of attitude I had to maintain. That

was because there were too many things I wanted to say.
However, I quickly realized that I didn’t have to decide what to do.
I could hear the voices pouring out before I could even say anything.
“You’re amazing… er, you’re really amazing.”
“How did you do that, Kiyeon?”
“Yes? Just as usual… isn’t it something that any wizard can do?”
“No. I’m telling you, average wizards won’t be able to produce that kind
of irepower. Your casting speed is fast, and the power of your magic is
too high to say it belongs in the heroic-grade.”
‘That’s obvious. I used a legendary-grade catalyst, so you can’t compare

it to the heroic-grade.’
‘Okay. What are you sorry about?’
“No. There is no need to be so sorry.”
“We seem to have misunderstood…”
“I have received a lot of such misunderstandings. I’m used to it. You

really don’t have to worry about it.”
“I’m really sorry, unnie. I said some stupid crap.”
‘When did I become your unnie?’
“No, it can happen.”
‘The speed at which these girls changed their attitude isn’t a joke.’
“Please talk comfortably. Can I call you Kiyeon unnie?”
‘Amazing. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to do that because it’s too

shameful.’
“You didn’t seem to have high magic power, but you’re really amazing!”
Even Kook Minji, who I thought wouldn’t be doing this, was now
buttering me up a bit.
‘Ability is something great in the end.’
Honestly, what I was doing at that moment was just amusing myself. It
wasn’t a bad feeling to receive such recognition.
I felt like I could see why the old novels’ dragons ran around pretending
to be human for so many days. It was hard to explain, but there was a
sense of pleasure that tickled my whole body.
‘Right. Since I’m already doing this, I’ll give you some bonus.’
“Oh! And while hunting earlier… there was something that bothered me
a bit, can I tell you?”
“Yes. You can tell me, Kiyeon.”
“Um… I’ve actually been in the Red Mercenary Named Monster

Response Team before I came here. It’s up to you if you want to accept
it, but I keep seeing things that stand out.”
“You mean the Red Mercenary?”
“Yes. It was only for a while.”

“Is that true? Huh. You can go ahead and tell me.”
“I want you to listen without getting offended.”
“Why would I?”
“First, Daegun tends to be a little self-centered. Of course, he has the

burden of facing the monster face-to-face on his shoulders, but it would
be better if he trusted the priest in the team and gave a wider space.
Since there is even a sub-tank.”
I could see the guy blushing.
I wondered if I shouldn’t have said that, but these were all constructive
comments, after all.
That time, I addressed the sub-tanker included in the Kook Minji squad.
“Also, you know that the role of the sub-tank in the party doesn’t end
when the main tank falls back, in which case you’ll have to enter, right? I
don’t know if you two have trouble communicating, but it feels like
there is no swap process. The main tank at the front can also be a little
more relaxed if the sub-tanker gives the main tank a little more trust.”
“Ah… okay.”
“The two of you have to play your role so that the close-up damage
dealer can also have a wider array of actions. Also, there aren’t many
party members who wish for the assassin class, Minji. It’s good to keep
moving, but your movements distract us… it would be better to provide
long-distance support in general. You know how to handle crossbows,
right? If the monster’s attention has gotten a little lighter, it wouldn’t be
bad to ight as melee, but that doesn’t happen.”
‘You’re not even close to Kim Ye-ri, so you shouldn’t move like that.’
“The most uncertain position is the close-up damage dealer in the
party… no matter how low your endurance stats or stamina stats, I
wonder if you’re spreading yourself too much. I understand if you are
concerned about getting injured, but it can’t be helped if you are in the
assassin class. When an attack comes, you must either avoid it or lift
your dagger with the belief that the tanks will block it. It may sound a
little cruel, but you have to be prepared to be seriously injured. The
same goes for the long-distance damage. You know that iring arrows
until the monster’s attention is totally taken puts a lot of stress on
tanks, right?”
“Yes.”
“Also, it seems that Cheol-woo is wasting his divine power. In the case of
the monster that just came out, Daegun would have survived even
without the buff. After the irst buff, it would be better to focus on the
team’s close-up damage dealer. Please consider the timing of your
healing spell. Casting must be done right before the big attack falls. That
way, the divine spell can take effect right after it hits.”
“I see.”
“Everyone’s ability seems to be good, but it feels like you’re not in

sync… If you understand the positions of the party members, the
results will be much better.”
I was worried about whether I was too direct. However, I didn’t see any
hostility in their eyes.
The power that I showed them before certainly helped in making them
take my criticisms properly. In fact, Goddess Kiyeon’s speech must have
played a huge role.
I said something about the main tank and about the priest, then pointed
out something about the sub-tank, mentioning the close-up damage
dealer by the end. In that way, the responsibility was transferred to
each other.
If only an individual were pointed out, they would just end up feeling
bad, but if I pointed out that there was a problem in the group as a
whole, the results might be slightly different.
‘It’s great. Very good. You’re too nice, Kiyeon.’
It was enough to make me ponder whether or not I had provided too

many services for a party that I would only stay in brie ly. As expected, I
could see them nodding and conceding.
What was a little sudden was that the party members in that place were
showing anxious expressions. It was as if they were trying to create a
good impression in the eyes of a large guild’s scout.
‘Okay. I like that attitude. That enthusiasm is important. Your qualities

aren’t bad. You can get enough offers.’
Blue wouldn’t recruit them.
However, if they were lucky, a large guild might recruit their party.
“Let’s take the reward irst… and then, would you like to make the next
named move as I said? I will be prepared for a sudden situation.”
“Thank you, Kiyeon. It seems like we’re only getting help.”
“No. I’m glad I can help you like this. Well, let’s start with the
compensation wheel.”
“Oh. Yes.”

[Rare-grade item Warrior’s Horn was selected.]
“Ugh. It’s a rare-grade item…”
“Don’t be too disappointed, Daegun, because there are still two more
opportunities left.”
“Okay. We can’t help it anyway. Then, would you like, Minji, to spin the
next monster?”
“Okay. Oppa.”
[Heroic-grade lower-ranked monster Hell Gatekeeper Kasarak has been

selected.]
‘Well. This is okay too.’
“We will prepare for battle right away.”
Everyone was nodding. Of course, there was a grim expression on their

faces.
It started just like before.
Lee Cheol-woo’s buff poured onto Kim Daegun, and Kim Daegun
entered the monster’s range, and the battle begins.
‘It’ll be better than before, right?’
It was natural to think that.

Unlike before, when there was no foundation at all, the minimum
foundation had been built. However, it also seemed to be just my
illusion.
“Swap! Swap!!”
“You can’t get too close, close-up damage dealer!”
“Daegun! You have to turn your head!!”
“Why aren’t there any buffs coming! Buff”
‘Fuck. This is a mess.’
“Minji! The arrows! Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! Stop the damage! Stop the
damage!!”
I was wrong.
The positions weren’t perfectly de ined.
Even if you said it was ive minutes before the end of the game, there
was nothing to say.
If they’d fought like before, they could have caught it even if it took
time, but what they were showing now was enough to say that they
were on the verge of annihilation.
The sub-tank and main-tank swap processes were bizarre. They

couldn’t even execute it properly.
As if she took my word that she should be prepared to be seriously

injured, the close-up damage dealer was getting too close and turning
the attack into a mess.
Whether Kook Minji wasn’t familiar with a crossbow, she gave the
monster a gift of berserk by hitting the crossbow in Kasarak’s left
eyeball, and I didn’t know what the long-distance damage dealer was
doing at that moment.
Lee Cheol-woo was better, but he gave the buff to the close-up damage
dealer sooner than necessary.
Kim Daegun, who was struggling with tanking due to the berserk gift,
wasn’t seen to.
‘What are they doing? Really.’
If it continued like that, there was a high probability of them crossing

the Jordan River. No, I was certain that they would.
In the end, I was forced to take action.
The situation was dealt with when a ire giant climbed up and hit the
Hell Gatekeeper Kasarak’s head. With this, the party could inally take a
deep breath.
I was worried that they would turn that ugly attack into my
responsibility, but they wouldn’t do that if they had a conscience.
To say that it was my fault wasn’t right, but…
What they chose to do was worse than that.
“Cheol-woo, I trusted you, but no buff came.”
They were now blaming each other.
I could hear the Friendship Clan’s friendship beginning to break.

‘That’s not it, bastards. That wasn’t my intention. I wasn’t trying to ruin
your relationships.’
CHAPTER 448
FRIENDSHIP CLAN’S
FRIENDSHIP-BREAKING
SOUND (3)
“Cheol-woo, I trusted you, but no buff came.”
Although it was a trivial line, all problems had begun to start with that
small mistake.
Many already knew this, if they were an adventurer from Korea, they
would’ve already known the meaning of those words.
In fact, I knew he didn’t mean what he had said. He just said it out of
frustration.
It became dif icult to judge whether or not it was possible to evade

responsibility when I saw him muttering like a grunt. The reason
behind his regretful remark was certainly clear to me.
‘He must feel embarrassed.’
He had just been talking to excuse his poor performance.
Even at that moment, Kim Daegun, who was blushing, seemed to think
that the way he presented himself was unbecoming of him.
Thinking about his disgraceful behavior, I couldn’t help but blush,

considering the fact that he couldn’t even face the monster moving
clumsily. This was not a heroic-grade warrior’s behavior.
It was worse than the trolling Park Deokgu from the irst round did in
the dungeon.
I didn’t even have to think about how ashamed he, who had been
making a living through his sword for years, would be. He would want
to sink through the loor.
As he glanced at me even after he inished talking, it seemed that it

partly was because he wanted to look good in front of me.
‘It’s not his fault, huh? These kinds of guys are usually the ones who
harbor the fault.’
Lee Cheol-woo also seemed confused. He was obviously not expecting

this, either.
“I’m sorry. I decided to invest a little more in the close-up damage

assassin… Kiyeon also said that…”
Lee Cheol-woo’s gaze turned to where the assassin was located.
He said he was sorry, but his skill in avoiding responsibility was as good
as a politician.
“Eun-hye got too close to the monster. It became dif icult to get its
attention.”
“I just did… as Kiyeon unnie said. I moved, risking my life. I was

prepared to be seriously injured. Wording it like that makes me feel
bad.”
“You have to do all that while looking at the situation. It’s not just
getting close, right?”
“No, the problems came when an arrow pierced Kasarak’s eye. It got
twisted from there.”
‘It was twisted from the beginning. Bastards. ‘
However, some of them seemed to agree with that opinion.
In fact, if I had to pick the best scene, the attack that ravaged the
monster deserved to be in the best three.
Kook Minji was in the lead to be blamed.
It was quite interesting to watch the responsibility for the poor battle
results be passed around as if it were a bomb. Kook Minji also lexibly
escaped the situation after realizing she was about to be labeled the
weakest link.
“The arrow hit him because the rotation speed made it move. I couldn’t
help it.”
In that case, Kim Daegun and the sub-tank had become the primary
focus of the conversation.
They couldn’t deny the existence of a problem in the rotation.
Any one of them could’ve been labeled as the troll in that ight, and it
wouldn’t feel doubtful.
They passed the blame around, making me feel like I was watching the
Crack Museum’s spinning wheel.
“You can’t say that, Minji. Ha… it’s so burdensome swapping without a
backup…”
So far, everyone’s attitude had been lukewarm and very passive.

Of course, they had to be. From the irst time I saw them, they seemed
to have a pretty good relationship with one another to the point where
they couldn’t openly criticize the members.
An answer could be formulated just by looking at Lee Cheol-woo, who

just laughed at the four members’ inger-pointing, including Kook Minji,
several times.
Of course, it didn’t mean that no friction had been created from this
event. Perhaps I was the catalyst for this, after all. I had created a crack
in their relationship.
In the hearts of the female party members, there was a lot of

disappointment towards male party members.
Even at that moment, the faces of those looking at Lee Cheol-woo

seemed to be looking for trouble. Lee Cheol-woo’s admirer, Kook Minji,
remained favorable towards him, but the others were clearly
dissatis ied.
The problem was that they weren’t the only people who were
dissatis ied with the Clan Master.
There was no way he wouldn’t notice the subtle emotions in Kim

Daegun’s eyes, looking at his best friend.
‘This bastard is jealous.’
It was obvious envy.
He wasn’t revealing his inner self like Jung Hayan looking at Cha Hee-ra,
but he certainly had jealousy in his gaze. Perhaps I was the cause of that
as well.
The irst reason was from when I acted cute in Lee Cheol-woo’s arms.
The second reason was that I had put more devotion to the Clan Master.
‘Did I talk in a way that made it sound like he was doing well during the
brie ing?’
I didn’t remember it well, but I remembered saying things carefully to

prevent the Clan Master from losing face.
If I had walked over him in front of the clan members, his authority
could get damaged.
Perhaps this had stimulated Kim Daegun.
He looked as if he didn’t like the fact that Lee Cheol-woo was

considered a more competent and capable man than him. Additionally,
his embarrassment must’ve doubled due to the scene he made and the
scene of him screwing up as a tank.
In such a case, those who had a position akin to a supporter were

de initely advantageous.
The attention of everyone wasn’t as focused on them when in battle.
Regardless, it was safe to assume that the cause of the current con lict
was male jealousy.
For the Friendship Clan members, whose voices became louder and
louder, the action I had to take was simple.
I had to end the ight and save Kim Daegun’s spirit, who thought he had
been defeated.
“Then why?! Are you telling me you didn’t even know the monster went
into a frenzy? This is not your irst ight.”
“I already told you that I had to focus on other things. I know what you
mean, but it seems a little vague to say that it’s entirely my fault.”
“Right. You always do that.”
I had to intervene at that moment. “No. No. Everyone did well. I think I
gave criticisms and suggestions that were too hard from the get-go.
Different parties have different ways of hunting, but I think I said too
casually. I think it would be better to do it your way.”
‘You damn hopeless morons. The future of the continent is dark. What
should I do with you?’
“No. Kiyeon. We’ve always known what you said. Our skill level is
de initely insuf icient.”
“It’s not. It had a smooth low during our irst battle. It seems that the
confusion was only aggravated because of me. Fighting as a group isn’t
something you can master within a couple of days. You don’t have to be
so stressed, Daegun.”
“…”
“We already know that Daegun is a talented warrior. We can see how
much experience you have just by looking at your breathing and how
you distance yourself against monsters.”
‘And now you’re grinning from ear to ear, you bastard. There were only
two things worth seeing in your performance.”
“I’m just embarrassed… for showing such a disgraceful behavior.”
“No. You showed us everything you could show as a tank. It’s not your
fault, so don’t blame yourself. It isn’t easy for other tanks to be able to
stand up against a named monster in a frenzied state for a long
duration without any buffs.”
I inished this with a refreshing smile.

Only then did he visibly calm down a bit. “Kiyeon is right. If I had a buff,
I would have been able to deal with him better.”
‘Why did you have to say that now, you asshole?’
Naturally, I looked at Lee Cheol-woo momentarily due to what Kim

Daegun resentfully said.
I felt his eyebrows wriggling, which was out-of-character for such a

quiet guy as himself. It was clear that he was getting agitated. His face
was slowly reddening.
“As I said, that wasn’t possible, Daegun.”
“I didn’t say anything else. I just said it was regrettable… I was talking
to myself, so you don’t have to feel bothered, Cheol-woo.”
“How can I not be bothered? I also have to manage the divine power. If
you didn’t charge so ignorantly in the irst place…”
“What? Doesn’t that mean that your lack of divine power was due to me
running to protect the party members?”
“Ha… That’s not what I meant.”
“That’s not what you mean, my ass. That’s the only meaning your words
have.”
‘Stop. You bastards. ‘
At that rate, Lee Cheol-woo was likely to be forced to take the blame.
Even his best friend turned his back on him, and he was generally
disliked due to the stance he took during the prior predicament where I
was involved.
It was just as expected. All the females but Kook Minji had now started
to criticize him one by one.
They weren’t openly dissing. Rather, they were executing proper, subtle
maneuvers. I thought they had an edge in that kind of ight, considering
the speed at which they switched sides wasn’t a joke, but the way they
were biting at him reminded me of a pack of wolves on a hunt.
At that rate, they would be reaching a conclusion in less than ten

minutes.
‘I have to stop it.’
In fact, it didn’t matter what happened, but I still couldn’t help but feel a
sense of responsibility. The situation became worse because of my
goodwill, after all.
I pulled them away from each other’s throats. I could at least sprinkle
some antiseptic on the sore wound, right?
“Everyone did a good job. It’s not really anyone’s fault. You don’t have to
become heated up. I’m so sorry for this. I guess I shouldn’t have done
that… Everyone, loosen up. Adventurers go through this often.”
‘Yes, it’s not really anyone’s fault. All of you are the problem.’
“…”
“…”
“We should continue with the expedition, right?”
“Yes. We do.”
“Okay. Let’s do that.”

“Come to think of it. We haven’t even checked the compensation.”
The party was already suffering from a big wound.
‘There is still room for a reversal.’
If an item above the heroic-grade came out, it could still lighten up the
party members’ mood.
They looked like their hearts were pounding as if they had huge
expectations for the contents of a treasure chest.
“It would be better to do that.”
“It would be better to continue, boys.”
“Okay…”
“We got a rare-grade before this. I think it would be okay if we get a

heroic-grade. No, it has to be a heroic-grade. It’s uncertain if the second
monster can be used as a catalyst…”
“Ugh. It must be limited.”
“We’ll see once we spin it. Let’s begin.”
“Then I will spin it.”
“Benignore, please…”
I could see the women praying. The museum had an unexpected effect
that increased the divinity of Benignore.
‘I think this is going to work.’

Although not intended, I thought the museum would greatly help the
gods, including Benignore.
Anyway, after a short prayer meeting, the woman boldly spun the
wheel.
‘Let’s go!’
“Purple! Purple!!”
“Heroic-grade! Heroic! Or legendary!”
“Please! Please!”
“Heroic-grade! Come out, heroic-grade!”
“Please…”
‘Let’s go! With the power of Benignore!’
Tinkle!
[Common-grade item, the manuscript of ‘The Love of a Genius

Swordsman and an Alchemist’ (Uncut version: rated R) was selected.]
“…”
“Huh?”
“…”
Kim Daegun cursed and threw down his shield.
“Fuck!”
This expedition was obviously over.

CHAPTER 449
OUR HYUNSUNG (1)
I didn’t mean this in any igurative way whatsoever. The expedition was
really over.
Of course, we didn’t abandon our last chance. Sure, we all felt upset, but
we still had to maximize our pro its. Besides, there was still hope that a
legendary-grade item might come out next time.
However, the results were miserable. We had gained yet another rare-
grade item.
It was a very shabby result compared to the horrors they faced due to
the last named monster hunt. This had obviously been a huge loss.
The adventure, in which they risked almost all of their fortune, ended
miserably with two rare-grade items and a manuscript.
In short, this expedition left nothing on the party but a scar. There was
no need to mention that the atmosphere sucked.
I wasn’t expecting this at all. Whether the Friendship Clan’s members

were out of luck, or whether the museum’s reality was too terrible, we
were yet to igure out, but at least the hardships they faced were real.
‘Looking at it from the perspective of a businessman, it was pro itable,

but… ’
It was hard to look at the expressions on their face.

Although it wasn’t enough for everyone to come together to resolve the
crisis, the previous minor quarrels were still pushing them back to a
situation that was akin to the Cold War era.
‘Friendship Clan slumps.’
I wondered if they still had the strength to continue running the clan.
Even I couldn’t guarantee that it would remain stable.
Seeing how all the female members but Kook Minji had terrible
expressions, they seemed to have made up their minds. They looked
like they were looking for the right timing to cut ties, as if they hadn’t
forgotten the maxim, ‘A slump means to cut ties.’
The innocent Lee Cheol-woo seemed not to notice it yet, but I could
already smell the end of the party. Even a blind man would know that
the end of the Friendship Clan was coming soon.
‘This is their end.’
I was certain of this fact.
The Friendship Clan would be done for within a week. No, it might
disband at that very moment.
“…”
“…”
‘I should cut ties with them quickly too.’
Although I felt a little sense of responsibility, it disappeared with a

shake of my head.
It was because I thought that I had done all that I had to do. Although
there had been some small accidents, I could con idently say that my
contribution exceeded 70% in the process of dealing with the named
monsters.
“Er… what are you going to do now, boys?” Kook Minji broke the silence.
“I don’t know. First, I have to go to the dorm and think about it. We still
have money to stay for a few days. It would be better to dispose of the
items here. We either get a loan and come back here, or we ind another
route. Although we suffered a lot of damage… We can’t just stand still
like this.”
‘Don’t get a loan.’
“Something must’ve gone wrong. I don’t know why there is such a book
in the museum in the irst place…”
“You heard it. They also have items from the continent that they think
are worth holding. If it is a manuscript from a best-seller, so they would
have determined that it was worth exhibiting in the museum. I can’t
understand it either, but the price will be fairly good. I don’t know how
much we can get if we sell it to collectors, but… we have to try to sell
where we can get the best price. Damn.”
“It’ll be dif icult.”
‘It’s not easy to place such an item in an auction.’
It might be sold at a slightly higher price if someone wanted it for sure,

but that all just naı̈ve hope. No matter how much it would be, it would
certainly be insuf icient to make up for the party’s loss.
Considering that auction fees were enormous, there might not be much
they could actually get.
‘Okay, I will handle the fee.’

“I can handle that much.”
“What?”
“I have some connections with the auction house. If you leave it to me, I
will sell it and send you the payment. You can write a separate transfer
contract. Since the fee is too high… if I talk to them, they will
understand.”
“No. No. There’s no need to write a separate contract. If you have

connections, I think it’s better to ask them. More importantly, what are
you… going to do now?”
‘What do you mean? I have to go do my job.’
This was the right time to cut off ties with them now.
“I do not know…”
“First, let’s go have a meal. Although it was a failed expedition, I still

have a few things I want to say…”
‘I hope it’s not a recruitment offer, you bastard. How can you think of
holding me in this situation? You have no shame. You can’t do that.’
Just as I was about to express my rejection, the three women took the
timing irst.
“Oppa, we have something to tell you.”
“Huh?”
“We really don’t want to say it right now, but… it seems that we’re done
here.”
“What? What is it all of a sudden?”

“We’ve been thinking about it for some time, but I think right now is the
best timing to tell you. I think it’s better for us to go our separate ways
at this point. We don’t have any reason for it, but… there wasn’t really
any contract term, anyway. “
“Don’t you think this is too sudden?”
Kim Daegun, who could be said to be one of the clan’s central igures,
also felt surprised.
He tried to keep calm, but his face told me he was certainly having a
hard time doing that.
The clan was at a crossroads between survival and disbandment, and

three members suddenly left the six-member Clan. It wasn’t
unreasonable to have such an expression.
However, there was no way to criticize their actions.
Internal affairs were also the responsibility of the Clan Master and the
Vice Clan Master. They neglected that responsibility when they became
crazy at the sudden arrival of a vulpine woman.
“We don’t have to get a payment. It will be hard for you in many ways.
However, we’ll take a rare-grade item. Is that okay?”
“That doesn’t matter, but no, I mean. How about talking a little more? If
you leave without any precautions like this… I don’t think it’ll look good
for you either. I think it would be good to think about it after you decide
what you’ll do irst.”
“No. We understand you, but I don’t think we’re compatible with the
Friendship Clan. We felt that in today’s hunting. Also, the overall
atmosphere isn’t the same as before. We have nothing to say except
we’re really sorry.”
“Girls, how can you do this out of nowhere?”
“Minji, you should think about whether this is really a community

worth working on. Anyway, we’ll go irst. If we cross paths again, don’t
ignore us, boys. We can meet occasionally and do something like
hunting. Minji, we must keep in touch… Kiyeon unnie, we will also keep
in touch with you.”
It was all quick and cruel.
The women of the former Friendship Clan disappeared without saying

another word. I felt shameful again, since I felt like I was the one who
put a dagger into the heart of the Friendship Clan.
Kim Daegun and Lee Cheol-woo looked desolate.
Of course, Light Kiyeon wasn’t the owner of a personality that could

think about their situation.
I had to cut ties with them quickly. It hurt my pride that the kids stole
the irst move.
“I’m sorry. I have work to do, too.”
“What?”
“Um… the expedition was fun, Cheol-woo, Daegun. Minji and I had a
little misunderstanding, but I still enjoyed it.”
“How can you…”
“I don’t think this is where I’m supposed to be. In fact, I feel

uncomfortable about belonging somewhere… I’m sorry.”
“Kiyeon, let’s talk for a second.”

‘Don’t be clingy.’
“No.”
“Kiyeon, how can you…”
‘What, man. We weren’t that close for you to be saying that.’
“Kiyeon, if you were uncomfortable with our clan’s expedition, I will

formally apologize. I hope you think about it again.”
“…”
“Please, even if it’s for my sake.”
‘Why the hell would your sake matter?’
Cheol-woo’s sake never mattered.
“In fact, I shouldn’t be saying this, but in the next expedition, if possible,
I hope we can move together as a clan. Of course, we know we are not
good enough, but I hope you think about this positively.”
“That’s a bit… I want to go with you too, but… I really have something to
do.”
“Why don’t we go to the dorms and have a meal together? We received a

lot of help from you this time, and we would at least like to say thank
you.”
I bet, the moment I went to the dorms and had a meal with them, I
would be caught in a swamp that I wouldn’t be able to escape from. I
was sure they’d try to hold onto me somehow.
If they gained the resource called Light Kiyeon, they would gain
enormous pro its that would cover all the damages.
They had already con irmed with their own eyes how powerful I was,
after all.
“Y-Yes, unnie… let’s go together. I’m sorry about what happened before.”
Even Kook Minji had started to say weird things.
The thief’s psychology of recruiting someone who deserved to belong

to a large guild made me clear my throat.
“Kiyeon.”
‘Enough, you bastard.’
It was quite a sight to see him holding my hand. His face looked very
serious for some reason.
“Er… Did I do something wrong?”
“No. It’s nothing like that.”
“I don’t know if I’m mistaken, but I thought Kiyeon and I were sharing
the same feelings in the dungeon…”
‘What feelings?’
There was always that one person that was confused about a girl’s
actions.
I was only nice to them for a while, but they stuck to me as if we were
exchanging great feelings.
The innocent-looking guy spat out strange lines with a beet-red face,
but such means could barely shake the impregnable heart of Light
Kiyeon.
Rather, it made me feel even more annoyed. It was rather creepy to see
a man suddenly looking at me with a serious face.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is making me

uncomfortable. Can you please let go of my hand?”
“Kiyeon.”
“Let go of that hand, Cheol-woo.”
Even the big guy had come into the mess. Love and war ran rampant in
the middle of the city, after all.
Kim Daegun, that bastard, also suddenly appeared and stood between
Lee Cheol-woo and me. It was hard to see him confront Lee Cheol-woo.
He probably felt like a knight defending the princess by grabbing my
other hand.
I felt even more embarrassed due to the gazes that were now focusing
on us.
“Would you both let go of me?”
“Kiyeon, please think about it one more time… I want to talk to you.”
At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind right before I tried
to use a rather tough measure to escape.
“Please, let her go.”
The moment I looked back naturally, I saw someone who was of a

different level from these ugly people. In fact, he looked like a Greek
God in comparison to them.
He had a sword sheathed against its waist.

The armament was modest, but the symbol embedded in his chest
revealed the identity of the person who suddenly appeared. I couldn’t
continue with further description of his appearance since it would
make me look pitiful.
‘What the hell, you bastard. Why are you so handsome?’
The Blue Guild Master.
The lovely returner.
It was Kim Hyunsung.
“I’ll warn you one last time. Let go of her.”

CHAPTER 450
OUR HYUNSUNG (2)
“Blue Guild Master?”
“Uh…”
The two men standing beside me looked dumbfounded.
He didn’t say anything else, but he seemed to be asking why I was there.
I had the same question.
I couldn’t even imagine meeting that guy while he was walking in the
middle of the city alone.
‘Whew. You righteous bastard.’
There was a high probability that he couldn’t put up with seeing two
strong young men harassing a woman. After all, it happened in front of
him.
“I’ll introduce myself irst, Blue Guild Master. But this is not what the
Blue Guild Master thinks. There seems to be some misunderstanding.
We are the Friendship Clan of Lindel…”
“Isn’t the woman not liking it? I don’t know what’s going on, but I think
you’d better stop here.”
“Kiyeon. Say something…”
He was looking for help, but the timing of cutting ties had already passed
a long time ago.
When my wrist was free, I hurriedly moved to the place where Kim
Hyunsung was.
I looked like trash, but I thought I had inally got rid of them.
“Thank you for your help, Blue Guild Master.”
I switched sides as if it had all been planned.
“Kiyeon!”
“Cheol-woo, the expedition was fun, but I think that’s it. I hope you can
think of how rude what you just did was. I will ensure that the obtained
item will be sent immediately upon disposal. I think it would be better
for me to contact you after you’ve cooled off.”
“Then…”
“I hope to meet you with a smile the next time we meet.”
As I inished speaking, I saw their faces turning pale.
Lee Cheol-woo, who was about to cry, looked a little pitiful, but my
business with them was over.
I checked everything that could be checked, and overall, I was able to

igure out the level of the adventurers and what kind of life they were
living. There was no reason to go with them anymore.
Cutting ties had always been a grim endeavor.
Lee Cheol-woo, who glanced at me, soon realized that Kim Hyunsung
was quietly looking at him and politely bowed his head.
“…I’m sorry, Kiyeon. I didn’t mean to hurt you… As you said, it would be
nice to cool our heads a bit before meeting again. I really enjoyed this
expedition together, and I hope we can meet again. I will wait at the
dorms we stayed yesterday, so you can send the auction money there.
Then…”
“Yes. Goodbye. I will not send you off.”
He looked like he had just lost a country.
Kim Daegun, who was at a loss for words, also bowed to me and
followed Lee Cheol-woo. Kook Minji did the same.
After the very brief amusement, I looked at Kim Hyunsung, but he didn’t
seem to be looking at me.
‘He didn’t notice?’
Although there were options to hurriedly leave or reveal that I was Lee
Kiyoung, meeting like that also wasn’t bad.
I wondered what Kim Hyunsung was thinking about recently and where
and what the hell he was doing. I also thought about the possibility of
being caught in the middle, but…
‘He’s really slow, isn’t he?’
It was unlikely that he would notice my disguise unless I openly gave a

hint. Even at that moment, he wasn’t suspicious of me. It was the exact
opposite of Park Deokgu.
Hyunsung looked at me without ulterior motive, nodded, and started

going his own path.
‘What. You’re already going?’
Absurdly enough, it was me who felt the urgency to call out to him.
“Blue Guild Master!”
Fortunately, he looked back.
“Yes?”
“Thank you for just now. It was getting a little dif icult.”
“I just did what I had to do.”
“Excuse me!”
“Yes.”
“I would like to treat you with a tea as a thank you… Are you free?”
“You don’t have to.”
‘This damn slow bastard!’
I thought I could inally understand why the female group surrounding

him made shitty faces every day. He was beyond slow.
Park Yeon-joo, Cho Hyejin, Charlotte, and Kim Ye-ri were going to suffer
forever.
I could roughly predict how hard they were suffering. I could guarantee
that he wouldn’t notice, even if I gave hints with my whole body.
There was no reason to hold onto him. As I smiled at him, he began to

look at my face in earnest.
‘What?’
“You look similar.”

“It’s nothing. Come to think of it, it seems like this is also fate, so let’s
have a little tea, no, a meal.”
My heart sank at that moment. I couldn’t help but be elated by his voice.
‘He knows we’re similar. My heart almost fell.’
My strange resemblance with Light Kiyoung must’ve earned his favor.
Usually, Kim Hyunsung wasn’t someone who would initiate having a

meal or tea with others.
On the contrary, if it was a stranger, he avoided or became wary of them.
After so long, his shields eased up a lot, but he wasn’t like that at all
when he just popped out of the tutorial.
The reality was that he didn’t even attend meals. I was bound to rejoice a
little due to his growth. He had become slightly more amiable.
If he was coming up with such a suggestion simply because someone

resembled Light Kiyoung, it meant he still had enough liking for me.
That put aside some of my worries.
“Yes. Let’s do that. I’m more than grateful to have dinner with the Blue
Guild Master.”
“…”
I could see his face slightly blush. I wanted to make fun of him for some
reason.
“Is this a date request?”

“N-No. It’s nothing like that. Such a thing…”
He obviously looked hesitant.
It was a little fun because it felt like usual.
However, this lasted only for a second. He calmed his breathing and
looked at me quietly.
“I’m not usually like this. I’m not the type to suggest having meals with
others or ask for time, but…”
“Yes?”
“I think I want to do that today.”
‘Hyunsung, aren’t you a player?’
It wasn’t that big deal of a line. However, it was easy enough for a
handsome guy like him to prick women’s hearts.
If it weren’t me who was in front of him, I could almost certainly have

joined Kim Hyunsung’s harem.
“What a coincidence. The same goes for me.”
“That’s really a coincidence. Then, let’s get going.”
“By the way… Did you come alone?”
“The other guild members…”
“They are still working. I’ve only come out to get some fresh air.”
“You must have been frustrated.”
“Yes?”
“That’s usually the reason. When you’re feeling frustrated while

working, you come out to get some air, right? That was what I meant.
Looking at the expression on your face, you seem to be really frustrated
about something… Did I hit the nail right on the head? Huhu.”
“There… might be something making me frustrated. You must be used to

reading faces.”
“Not really. However, it seems that the Blue Guild Master is the type to
show his emotion on his sleeves…”
“You mean me?”
“Yes. At a glance, you seem to be expressionless, but I think I understand

in a way for some reason.”
“This is the irst time I have ever heard of such a thing.”
“Really? It’s a little surprising. It seems to me that you’ve heard it a lot

from people around you…”
“Haha.”
I could see him smiling warmly, and I was also certain that he had
started walking much faster.
However, as I watched him slowing down to keep the same pace I had, I
realized that he wasn’t even that boring.
Manners were well established in him, considering he was damn slow.

Perhaps it was what women who liked him felt.
‘Hyunsung, fuck. Aren’t you too cool? Knock it off, or else I will fall for
you. Bastard. ‘
I also liked that the conversation was going smoother than I thought. He
seemed to have improved on his socialization skills as well.
It was like a sudden blind date, but there was no sense of

incompatibility. As I felt like I was having a normal conversation, I was
able to speak without having to calculate anything.
Maybe that’s the same with him.
Even after entering the restaurant, he acted differently. It wasn’t like him
to pull out the chair for others.
“Please, sit down.”
“These manners are burdensome… I guess you are familiar to be with

women.”
“No. It’s not like that. I’m not.”
“You don’t have to hide it. It would be even weirder if someone like the
Blue Guild Master didn’t have women around him. If not, can I take this
as a sign that you want to look good in front of me?”
“Um.”
“I’m joking, I’m joking. I know that you’re not that type of person.”
“How?”
“You’re famous. Oh! Can I order some wine too?”
“Yes. Of course. I invited you to have a meal, after all.”

“Then I won’t hold myself back.”
“Yes.”
I wanted to eat expensive food anyway. All I had eaten lately were things
that were hard to say that was good except for those sausages.
‘The atmosphere is good.’
From there on, how I planned the direction of the conversation was
important.
It would matter how he thought of me. I had to make myself likable

enough to get him to open up to me.
Our lovely returner’s mouth wasn’t talkative enough to tell those to a

woman he’d seen for the irst time. Rather, considering that it was the
opposite, there was a high possibility that he was already drawing a line
between us.
‘Should I openly seduce him?’
That one was dismissed.
It was unlikely that a guy who daily enjoyed the harem life with
numerous beauties would react.
It might be advantageous to keep some distance. There were some cases

where one could say things that they couldn’t say to the person closest
to them, but they could to the ones that had maintained some sense of
distance.
Considering the likelihood of that happening, that was possible.
First, I would have to talk about my worries. Then, I’d listen to his
worries.
It would be best to take that route.
I wanted to get to the main point out immediately, but I didn’t want to
make him wary by moving so straightforwardly right from the
beginning.
The irst step was to enjoy the atmosphere in moderation. The second
was to test the waters.
“Were you at the museum?”
“Yes. It was a really nice place. Most of all, I like the Adventurer
Insurance. It helps people avoid the worst possible scenario. Of course, I
know there will always be risks, but everyone has combat anxiety.”
At this, I started with the most common topic. “In fact, I have seen you
from a distance before. I thought you were handsome back then too.
You’re really tall. You hear that a lot, right?”
“I don’t hear it much. I do hear it occasionally.”
“Ah, I see.”
I didn’t forget to make some light jokes.
We talked for hours without knowing how much time had passed.
I was worried that he would be bored, but there was no sign of that.
Rather, seeing that he was blushing, he looked immersed in the
atmosphere.
As the distance between the chairs gradually became closer, the

vigilance of his mind seemed to be breaking down.
The problem was…

‘Isn’t this too fucking close?’
I thought I needed to adjust the distance between us a little.

CHAPTER 451
OUR HYUNSUNG (3)
‘I should adjust the distance between us.’
Getting any closer had to be avoided.
Lee Kiyeon’s objective wasn’t to have a strong relationship with Kim

Hyunsung. Rather, it was the opposite.
I had no intention of playing with ire overnight. This was just a one-
time thing.
I only aimed for a simple relationship where we would meet by chance,

accidentally had deep conversations, then went on each other’s ways
without regrets.
If we got too close, I might need to keep in touch with him regularly.
Naturally, I leaned back.
I didn’t know if this was a good thing, but Kim Hyunsung didn’t take my
signal as a sign that I wanted to distance myself from him.
He thought I was just moving over.
He wasn’t the kind to react to those actions in the irst place, but as this
was an important occasion, I had to be cautious about my movements.
‘I guess it’s a good thing.’

Of course, the conversation continued.
It went back and forth between light talk and a bit of personal talk.
What was a little surprising was that Kim Hyunsung had begun to talk
about himself little by little.
At best, everything he said was all that everyone knew. However, it was
important that I was making him talk.
“I see. I feel like I’m seeing you in a new light. I guess being in the
position of a Guild Master representing Lindel isn’t all about
convenience.”
“Yes. There are a lot of politically intertwined stories. It’s not a position
where I can just do as I please. I need to think about the Vatican’s side,
and I need to consider the surrounding cities’ position. I said it like I
was good at it, but in fact, I’m all thumbs when it comes to this…”
“But the Blue Guild is doing well, right? You’re doing good, not only
with the military force. but with the political issues, too…”
“That’s because of my close friend.”
It wasn’t long after that the lovely returner mentioned me.
“Close friend… Oh, the Honorary Cardinal.”
“Yes.”
‘Whew. Hyunsung mentioned me as a friend… I’m going to cry.

Hyunsung, you know how much I cherish you.’
“So, you seem to have a close relationship, just like the rumors said.”
“I don’t know. At least I feel that way. It hasn’t even been long since
we’ve known each other… it’s a bit weird. Sometimes I wonder if it
would feel like this if I had a brother. At irst, I didn’t think of him that
way… he has such a strange charm.”
‘Hyunsung, I know how you feel. I feel the same way.’
“The Honorary Cardinal is probably thinking the same way. I don’t

know much about you two, but I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“People talk about us?”
“Uh-huh. Everyone already knows how loyal the Honorary Cardinal is to

the Blue Guild Master. Actually, the word loyalty doesn’t even seem to
it…”
“Haha. Yes. It would be far from something like loyalty. Rather, it is a

little embarrassing. Loyalty…”
“It would be easier to call its friendship. Yes. Friendship. Actually, I’m a
little bit envious.”
“Why?”
“You found such a valuable relationship here.”
“Oh…”
“It’s not easy to ind someone you can trust. At any time, you can be
backstabbed… It’s not easy to trust people with no worries.”
“I understand.”
“…”
I wasn’t sure, but the timing, I thought, was just right.

He was already drunk, and the atmosphere was heightened enough. If I
dragged more time now, there was a possibility that he would become
fuzzy, so I had to make up my mind.
I could feel Kim Hyunsung’s gaze at me as I slowly talked with emotion.
“In fact…”
“Yes?”
“I also had such a person. A person like the Honorary Cardinal to the
Blue Guild Master. A person who felt like a real sister.”
“That means…”
“Yes. She’s not here now. There was an accident, and eventually, she
died. And it was all because of me.”
“Oh?”
“It’s a common story. I didn’t trust her.”
“Ah…”
“She believed in me. And I didn’t.”
“…”
“…”
“I don’t know why I’m talking about this with someone I’ve met for the
irst time.”
I knew it was more effective to bring up the story with teary eyes.
As I glanced at Kim Hyunsung’s face, I noticed that he had gotten
embarrassed. It seemed like he didn’t think that the conversation would
suddenly become a human documentary.
However, in his perspective, he must’ve felt like this was now the right
time to comfort me.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“I shouldn’t have told you that. A crying woman is not attractive…”
“No. That’s not it. Rather, it’s more…”
“You have a unique taste.”
“Ahem. I don’t get it.”
“I’m sorry. Your reaction is so cute that I keep joking around

unknowingly. Well… anyway, that’s it. It’s not all that great. It’s
something that commonly happens across the continent. A lot of time
has already passed, and I have overcome it to some extent… You don’t
have to comfort me with that face, Hyunsung.”
“Okay.”
“Then, should we have another drink?”
“Once again, I’m really sorry.”
“Will you keep making me depressed? Let’s toast quickly. Clink. Uh…
This wine is strong.”
I could see him laughing slightly and drinking it.
However, his smile wasn’t natural. I felt like he was thinking of

something different.
‘Did it work?’
Just looking at his face, I thought it worked.
I felt worried at irst because it was a bit outright, but it seemed he

didn’t think there would be any other meaning.
I felt a little happy, but in other ways, I also felt bitter. This meant that
Kim Hyunsung had felt a bit suspicious of me.
‘Hyunsung, fuck. It really hurts. What did I do for you to become

suspicious of me? I’m not the masked trash. I don’t have any skeletons
in my cupboard.’
However, I had to take in this fact humbly.
There were several problematic scenes in the process of desperately

trying to protect the continent. Perhaps, from Kim Hyunsung’s point of
view, even if he didn’t want to, there must’ve been some things that
were bothering him.
Considering that, I could understand his reasonable doubts.
Didn’t he say we were brothers? Brothers usually grew up ighting.
Naturally, I slowly spoke up once more.
Since I had already told my story, it was time to listen to his story. Of
course, I had to do it carefully. I had to approach the situation
cautiously.
“You’re wearing that face again.”
“What?”
“You’re wearing a frustrated expression. Do you want to get some air?”

“You really are used to reading other people’s faces.”
“I told you it’s just on your face. It seems I shouldn’t have told you
that…”
“No. It’s not that. I just had something to think about. It’s about trust.”
“Do you mean the Honorary Cardinal?”
Kim Hyunsung sent a bitter smile. Perhaps it meant something positive.
“Is there something wrong?”
“No. There is nothing wrong with him. Rather, the problem lies with
me.”
“What?”
“It’s a matter of my humanity.”
“It’s not frustration. It’s only a sense of shame.”
“Yes. If I have to express it, I think that word would suit me better. It’s a
sense of shame.”
“If you don’t mind, can I hear what it’s about?”
“…”
“I don’t know if this will help, but…”
‘Ha… is he backing out?’
When I was about to get a bit disappointed, he began to continue

talking again.
“The suspicion never leaves my mind.”
“What?”
“Just like what I said, the suspicion never leaves my mind. It’s not that
other people have a problem. Really… it’s just a personal matter.”
“Ah…”
“It hurts me not being able to repay his trust. I know it’s not true, but I
still kept creating useless thoughts in my mind, and eventually, I came
to the point where I couldn’t face him properly anymore. I don’t know
when or how this happened, but my humanity was ruined. I shouldn’t
do this…”
‘This stupid bastard. Hyunsung… Why are you being so nice?’
I felt anxious, but I also felt happy because I had now discovered what
kind of state he was in.
I didn’t know how the hell it happened, but Kim Hyunsung de initely
doubted me. The problem was that he was taking it as if it was his fault.
Perhaps because he had been backstabbed in the irst round, Hyunsung

was convinced that he had PTSD, which meant he couldn’t face people
properly. It seemed he was also very distressed.
I could inally see why he had been avoiding me despite him saying we
were like brothers.
‘It’s understandable since he’s been betrayed so many times… I

understand, Hyunsung.’
In fact, not all the faults belonged to Kim Hyunsung.

Some events or circumstances could be reasonably suspected. He
simply didn’t connect the pieces one by one. Instead, he only stored
them in his mind, so he unconsciously hid the puzzle.
He refrained from having any thoughts whenever something happened.
It meant that even when I didn’t do anything, he would take a step irst
then restrain himself.
‘Kiyoung is not that kind of person. I can’t doubt him.’
He was in a situation where the negative energy in his heart kept

insisting to doubt the innocent me.
“Every time I catch myself thinking like this, I feel that my humanity… is
getting worn out.”
“It’s not.”
“…”
“I don’t know exactly what kind of situation you are in, but I feel that
you’re not a person with worn-out humanity. I’m not saying this to
comfort you. Hyunsung is a good person. It’s been only a few hours, but
I truly feel that way. “
“…”
“I’m right.”
“I guess I’m drunk too. I don’t usually talk about this.”
“It’s because I spoke about it irst. I don’t know if this will help, but… as
a senior who had a similar experience, I would say…”
“Yes.”
“It would be better to talk to him about it.”
“Ah…”
“Honestly, talk about everything you have kept to yourself until now. It
will de initely help. It’s not good to keep procrastinating. You said he
was like a brother.”
“Yes.”
“If Honorary Cardinal feels the same, he will be able to understand you.”
“Ah…”
‘Right, you bastard. We have to get it off of each other’s chests.’
I saw him quietly nodding.
“Shall we have another drink?”
“Yes.”
‘This wasn’t bad overall.’
I had acted naturally enough.
It felt a bit heartbreaking to backstab him in such a way, but it felt like
an inevitable choice since it was only to get rid of the negative energy
inside the lovely returner.
Naturally, I felt good about the result since it was better than I thought.
I vowed to be careful, but it had been a while since I had a drink with
him, and I ended up drinking a little too much. At this point, I felt like I
was getting a little tipsy.
As if I looked drunk even to Kim Hyunsung’s eyes, he began to worry.
“You look very drunk.”
“No. Ugh.”
“I think it’s better to get going. I will take you to your dorm.”
“It’s okay. I’m not that weak enough for you to worry. Let’s drink a little
more.”
“No. I think I’ll feel better if I take you to your dorm now.”
‘Do not take me there, asshole.’
This atmosphere was de initely getting weird.

CHAPTER 452
OUR HYUNSUNG (4)
“No. I think I’ll feel better if I take you back to your dorm now.”
‘Shit.’
Upon hearing this, my gaze naturally fell onto him. Of course, there
were no other emotions visible on his handsome face.
I had begun to get worried about him having strange thoughts, but I
didn’t have to worry.
He must be thinking about whether I’d be caught up in anything that

might happen on my way back. It was unreasonable to think the
herbivorous man that had been certi ied by the unicorn would think
about anything else.
I also thought about whether it was okay to accept his goodwill, but it
seemed too beautiful to inish our meeting like that.
‘No. This bastard is also a man.’
It wouldn’t be weird if anything had happened.
It was something I just realized, but the atmosphere had become quite
strange compared to before.
A man and a woman met by chance, showcased unusual behavior, got

drunk, and even felt strange bonds with each other.
If it were a normal relationship between a man and a woman, it
wouldn’t be strange for them to rush to the Crack Motel right away. Of
course, we had no intentions of doing just that.
‘How long do I have left?’
What was more problematic was that the magic effect placed by the
fairy was about to end.
Although there were differences depending on the magician and the

target, the fairy’s prank duration was only limited to three days.
Considering that this was already the third day, I had to be careful not
to get found out.
The moment I was caught, the seeds of doubt in Kim Hyunsung would
grow rapidly.
‘The effect should last a little longer.’
Light Kiyoung had weak magic resistance. However, since I couldn’t

guarantee anything, I shouldn’t waste any more time.
“It’s really okay.”
I had to keep my mind upright, but I sounded tipsier than I had initially
imagined.
No matter how I listened to it, it still sounded like the voice of a woman
who was completely smashed. Kim Hyunsung looked worried again.
As I glanced to the side, I could see a lot of empty bottles. I didn’t know
when I drank all of that.
Honestly speaking, however, I knew it was not strange for me to easily

get so drunk. I had just come back from an expedition, after all.
I didn’t put much effort into it, but my whole body was feeling tired
because I had moved my body too much for nearly three days. In such a
situation, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for me to feel like I would fall the
moment I stood up since I had drunk more than usual.
His face was already overwhelmed with worry. It was as if he knew how
bad my condition was even though he was slow.
As I faced an unexpected crisis, I pushed my bag further into the robe

and looked at him once more.
“I think it’s better to get going. Where’s your dorm…?”
“I’m not staying in any dorm. I just ran into Hyunsung before looking
for one… There are probably many rooms at the Crack Inn, so it’s better
to go there.”
“If you haven’t got one yet…”
“Yes?”
“Why don’t you come to the Blue Guild branch? I don’t know if you’ll
like it, but it’s probably more comfortable than a room at the Crack Inn.”
‘Don’t be so absurdly kind, you bastard.’
“No. That’s a bit… I’ve already bothered you in many ways, so I can’t do
that anymore. I also got a good meal like this, please don’t make me feel
too embarrassed, Hyunsung.”
“No.”
“This is a little too much.”
“It’s okay.”
“I’m really okay, too.”
‘Why is this bastard so irm?’
The anxiety that had once disappeared began to rise again. I wanted to
run away immediately, but I found that I couldn’t.
No, in the irst place…
‘Even if I say no… Will he stay still?’
Probably, even if it meant following me, he’d try to make sure I got in
the Crack Inn.
He was simply that kind of person.
It would be better to ask him to take me there quickly. It was risky, but
it felt like it was the most plausible of all the options I had.
I stood up without saying anything, and yet I almost collapsed in an

instant. My head was spinning, but I managed to keep the balance by
holding onto the table.
I managed to react on time because I saw him linching momentarily.
“I think you’ve had too much. Really.”
“If… that’s the case, please, just take me somewhere close to the Inn.”
‘Don’t laugh, Hyunsung. I will get too attached.’
“Okay.”
It was already dark when I walked slowly out of the restaurant. Stars
embroidering the sky were enough to make people exclaim in delight.
I was a little lustered due to the situation, which had now created a
romantic atmosphere, but I slowly kept walking.
“It looks like there are a lot of stars today.”
“There really are. Sigh…”
“Are you okay?”
“Except for being a little dizzy, there’s nothing wrong with me. I’m so
sorry. It seems like I’ll be bothering you until the end.”
“You really don’t have to worry about it. You can think of it as a return
for relieving my frustrated feelings…”
“What did I do? I just said things that anyone could say. Even if you
asked the people around you, everyone would have said the same thing.
It wasn’t a great help, but it’s a little embarrassing to tout it like that.”
“…”
I kept a slightly coy look on my face. Thanks to the lights on the street,
his face seemed red.
‘It’s too hard to walk… I went way over the top. Fuck… Kiyeon, why did
you do that? Why did you have fun losing your mind?’
Of course, this was a mistake I wouldn’t usually make.
I had drunk without thinking due to the feeling of having fun with my
little brother after a long time.
Since it was hard to even walk, it was right to accept Kim Hyunsung’s
suggestion.
I was walking as quickly as possible, but the scenery didn’t change. I
could even feel myself staggering.
No matter how good Crack Land’s security was, it wasn’t appropriate

for a woman to go around alone at night like that. This was still a place
full of monsters that could cut the throat of an adventurer with a single
swing.
That case became even more evident when I thought about the fact that
many people were met with trouble while walking alone.
I could understand Kim Hyunsung’s perspective on this.
While walking and talking slowly, worries appeared on Kim Hyunsung’s

face. However, he couldn’t igure out how to act.
It was clear that he wasn’t able to decide whether to lend his shoulder
or carry me. He must be wondering if it would make me uncomfortable
if he touched me.
‘He’s too naive.’
I understood that he kept his distance to be careful of unintended

physical contact, but that was just being an idiot.
If I were a real woman, I would have been annoyed by his kindness.
‘Hold hands con idently! Put your hand around her shoulder! Sneakily!
You have to do it, man!’
Of course, I wasn’t hoping for that.
Rather, I thought it was fortunate that he didn’t make unnecessary

physical contact, but I still couldn’t help but think that his behavior was
pathetic.
He was keeping a proper distance, but his steps were in line with mine.
Although he seemed to be prepared if ever I fell, it also made him look
like he had no dating experience, but rather just had great manners.
With the situation like that, our pace was becoming even slower.
It would take a while, even though we’re heading towards the Crack
Inn.
That was when my body sent an abnormal signal.
‘Why is it so hot?’
I couldn’t igure out why, but it felt like my body suddenly became hot.
My breathing became rougher, and my weary body was becoming even

more fatigued. No wonder I was getting lustered by the sudden
abnormal phenomenon.
Although I didn’t show it, I started having cold sweat.
‘Magic.’
The magic cast on me might be slowly dissipating. No, it felt like it was
going to disappear in a little while. I was certain of it.
Little by little, I could feel the magic power in my body burning. It

wasn’t the magic power I had.
It was the magic power from an external source. The moment I lowered
my guard, it began to spill out.
‘Shit.’
My breathing became even rougher without knowing it.

Although I had been walking with con idence, nothing had changed.
The Crack Inn was still far away, and Kim Hyunsung was looking after
me like an escort.
He glanced towards me when the harsh breathing came out without my

knowledge, but his kindness wasn’t welcomed at all.
“Sigh…”
“Are you okay?”
I couldn’t afford to answer. I had to focus my mind on holding onto the

magic power that was about to leave my body.
If the magic were to be released here, everything would really be over

for me.
I wasn’t sure if Kim Hyunsung knew what I was thinking or not, but he
refused to yield.
‘Go away quickly, Hyunsung.’
“I think this is enough. From here on… ugh. I can go alone.”
“What? But…”
“We already passed through the dark alley and… it’s a big road now…”
I sounded like I wanted to pee. Even when I listened to myself, it didn’t

sound good.
“There isn’t much left to go, so I want to take you all the way there. It’s
dangerous during nights like this. Even if it’s a big road…”
“It’s really okay…”

‘Wrong. This bastard doesn’t want to listen.’
He certainly could be single-minded sometimes. I swallowed hard due

to his stubbornness.
As I kept holding on to the magic power that was about to low out like
a fountain, I was quickly becoming more and more exhausted.
I was talking, walking, maintaining magic, and feeling dizzy, all at the
same time. To top it all off, more tasks were being added slowly.
If I lost focus, I was certain everything would low down like a dyke
with a hole.
‘Kim Hyunsung… you fucking… ’
It was then that a bad idea came up.
Although it might be a pretty big swing, that was the most obvious way
to immediately get rid of him.
It would de initely work. Considering Kim Hyunsung’s personality, I

was certain of it.
I had dozens of thoughts.
However, before I could even organize my thoughts, words popped out

of my lips.
I began to tell a story that would drive out our innocent Hyunsung.
“I can really go alone, Hyunsung. Really. I understand what you are

worried about, but I’m starting to feel uncomfortable.”
“But…”
“If I told you this much… I seem to have clearly expressed my
intentions… please go back.”
“I will go with you a little more.”
“No, it’s really okay.”
I slightly showed that I was getting annoyed, but as expected, he was

slow to notice. I scuf led with him, but he didn’t give much of a thought
about it.
As I slightly stumbled as if to fall, I could see him grabbing my shoulder

like a gesture of a butter ly rushing toward the spider’s web.
The eyes of the innocent returner were looking at me with relief.
However, it didn’t take long for those eyes to turn into embarrassment.
Why?
He would have seen a very uncomfortable Bitch Kiyeon’s face with his
own eyes.
“I’m sorr…”
Before he could apologize, I cut him and opened my mouth

immediately.
“I’m… not that kind of woman, Blue Guild Master.”
‘I’m sorry, Hyunsung… ’
“What?”
‘I’m really sorry… ’

“As I said, I’m not that kind of woman. Haven’t you been too explicit
compared to when we were having dinner?”
The remorse in my conscience began to awaken after a long time of

unresponsiveness. Kim Hyunsung looked at me as if he didn’t know
what in the world was going on.
It felt like my heart was being torn.
CHAPTER 453
OUR HYUNSUNG (5)
I felt heartbroken, thinking that I had hurt the lovely returner’s feelings.
If he asked what kind of situation we were in at the moment, my

remorse would go away, but the innocent bastard was currently
thinking about what he did wrong.
Whether or not he knew that the situation itself was a bit forced, I could
see something similar to guilt on one side of his face.
‘It’s pretty understandable.’
In fact, there was plenty of room for misunderstandings to occur.
Even though I repeatedly refused his offer of taking me back to the

dorm, he kept clinging to me, so rather than looking like a knight
guarding the princess, he just looked like a horny delinquent.
If it were a woman who had gone through all sorts of things, she
would’ve just let him do that, but from the standpoint of the cautious
Light Kiyeon, it was not unreasonable for her to judge that he was
harboring some evil intentions. This was even more so when I
considered that we even had physical contact at the end.
‘He grasped and held my shoulder. Didn’t he even touch my belly? This
wily bastard… ’
Of course, our Hyunsung would’ve only done such actions to save me

from falling, but since he touched her whole virgin body, he should take
responsibility for it.
I had to stand my ground more irmly.
When I thought about it, a guy who had advanced magic power
management knowledge could’ve held me without having to use his
hand. I didn’t know if he had forgotten about it for a moment, but it was
an unexpected mistake in a sudden situation.
He was probably aware of his mistake, too.
Of course, in spite of all those circumstances, his modest acceptance of

my words made me lament.
‘He still couldn’t wake up even though he was backstabbed in the irst
round. This bastard.’
I even thought it was fortunate that he met me irst. If a gold digger-like

woman had stuck to him, it was natural to think that a big accident
could happen.
There was nothing more terrible than an article with a title like ‘the
Blue Guild Master’s alleged molestation crime’ running around at
Lindel.
Of course, I had no intention of letting such an article go out. No, I

couldn’t imagine he would be in that situation with other bitches in the
irst place.
However…
‘Think of it as learning social studies, Hyunsung.’
We didn’t know what could happen in life. I couldn’t be certain that it

absolutely wouldn’t happen. Pain was but a blessing for the youth.
‘Yes. Pain is a blessing for the youth.’
I was sure he’d face a similar situation a few times in his life anyway.
It was better to experience pain that Light Kiyoung had arranged for
him to grow than to go through a lot of pain later on.
‘I’m going easy on you.’
I nodded unconsciously at the rationalization. At that time, Kim

Hyunsung seemed to be thinking about what to say.
“…”
‘I have to talk irst.’
“Even though I clearly expressed my intention to refuse, you kept

insisting, so I can only think that you’re treating me as a cheap woman.”
“There seems to be some misunderstanding. I…”
“I’ll admit that the atmosphere was good today, Blue Guild Master. I had
fun… and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have that feeling. But not
like this. I’m sorry if I’ve given you any room for misunderstanding. I
never meant to. I am very grateful that you saved me and served me
with a good meal, but if this were the price, it would have been better
not to have helped me.”
“It’s not that.”
The atmosphere had now become colder.
“If you need a woman to spend the night with, ind one elsewhere.”
“No.”
“I guess you usually do it this way? They say no one in the world is
trustworthy… Were you planning to do this from the beginning?”
“No. Absolutely not, so…”
Naturally, I began to show off that I felt offended.
Hyunsung seemed puzzled about how to ix the situation. He probably

felt like he had to explain somehow that this was a misunderstanding,
but he was forced to keep silent while my words rushed in like wild ire.
He must have been thinking about whether he was rude or not. Of

course, he wasn’t.
It was irrational to overreact the way I did to his action after he

proposed to take me home.
The physical contact was to prevent me from falling, and the

persistence of staying by my side was to protect me from danger.
In fact, rather than calling Kim Hyunsung a rude person, it was more
appropriate to view Bitch Kiyeon as a sensitive person.
No, she was more like a crazy bitch.
However, Hyunsung looked like he had still been caught in the act.
Of course, what could be said to be the number one contributor to his

reaction was my extreme acting ability. Not only did I bite my lips
tightly, but I also had a few tears in my eyes.
Along with the expression of disappointment, I showed complex

emotions engulfed in shame.
Did I have the look of a female protagonist who was betrayed by

someone she believed in?
I couldn’t check my current expression with a mirror, but just by
looking at Kim Hyunsung’s face, I was certain that my acting skills were
good enough.
I didn’t even need to drag it too long. In truth, prolonging this would
only put me at a disadvantage. It was better for me to hit and run.
“If I knew you were like this…”
“T-This is a misunderstanding. It wasn’t really intended in that way. I’m

sorry if you’re already hurt, but… I hope you can believe me.”
“Are you really sure that you didn’t have anything else in mind?”
“…”
“…”
“Huh?”
“…”
‘You can’t stop there, you bastard. Even if you had, moron, you have to
pretend you hadn’t.’
“I won’t deny that I was a bit interested.”
‘Hyunsung, you’re also a man, after all.’
It seemed like it was an interest the size of an ant’s nail, but he wasn’t
lying. Even the way he lowered his head told the truth.
“I’m sorry. I sincerely apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”
‘No. Make some excuses. You shouldn’t be apologizing right away,

Hyunsung. If you apologize in this situation, you will lose… ’
The sincere apology made me feel even guiltier. After all, it took two to
tango.
The other side needed to be moderately agitated or making excuses for

me to keep arguing back. Even though it was unfair, he still chose a
sincere apology instead of a petty excuse.
If I went a little further from there, the odd one would be Light Kiyeon.
In the end, I also had to give up one step. I didn’t even have time to play
around like that in the irst place.
“Sigh…”
“…”
“I got it. So, please raise your head.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. Looking at you, it feels like I also misunderstood you. It seems that
I had a shameful thought… even though you’re not like that. But… I
hope you go back today.”
“…”
“I’m indeed a little drunk, but I’m not a three-year-old child. I’m
undoubtedly a heroic-grade adventurer, and… how many times have I
told you that I can go back to the dorm alone? I understand you’re
worried, but I hope you know that too much kindness can be
misleading. No, honestly, I’m still upset. Whatever your intentions were,
I might ind it insulting enough for me to accept them. I believe you
know what I mean by that.”
“Of course, I know.”

“We had a good start. I want to inish it well. I am saying that I want us
to leave a good impression on each other.”
“Yes.”
“I’d like to call it a day. I’m sorry.”
“No. Rather, I’m even sorrier. I apologize again.”
‘I’m telling you not to apologize… ’
“Okay.”
‘I was being so careful. Fuck.’
I felt proud of myself for a moment, and thinking that I had solved a
dif icult mission, I nodded.
Kim Hyunsung had also become fully aware that stubbornness could be
irrational. Although I was worried about whether he was following me
or not, I knew that he wouldn’t do anything of the sort since he
admitted that he made a mistake.
Perhaps looking from a distance was all he could do.
All that remained for me was to go back to the Crack Inn. My head was
spinning, but I started to walk as quickly as possible.
There was no more time to delay.
Of course, I did my best to avoid falling or stumbling.
The moment I showed that I wasn’t ine even for a bit, he might come
out and meddle with my affairs again.
My body and mind were already at their limits. The moment I loosened
my guard, it felt like the effect would disappear like a popped bubble.
I bit my lips tightly. Every step I took was full of tension.
It felt like I was striding ahead, but I was worried about how I was
looking from behind. As I went down the big stairs on the big road
quickly, I worried that I would fall.
‘Fuuuck… I think I’m doomed… ’
My body stumbled momentarily.
I was able to hold onto the railing and miraculously endure the ugly
appearance, but absurdly enough, one of my shoes had come off.
‘I’m not even Cinderella, fuck!’
“Kiyeon! Your shoes…”
I heard the voice calling me from behind, but I was sure I shouldn’t
react to it.
‘He’s still watching. This stalker bastard. Please go home!’
There was too little time to go back.
At that moment, I had no choice but to hope that he wouldn’t do

anything useless like passing me the shoes. I didn’t know if this was
unfortunate or fortunate, but it seemed like he was not thinking about
doing that.
Although I felt something in the back, I moved quickly without looking

back.
‘Please… ’
The Crack Inn, which felt so far away, was now getting closer.
It felt like I was soon going to lose my focus, so I hurried up as much as

possible.
‘Please!’
I opened the door.
“Good night. Welcome to the Crack Inn!”
“Legendary-grade. Room. Quickly, please.”
“Ah… Yes.”
“I don’t need change.”
After throwing a bunch of gold coins, I went straight up.
“Check-in…”
“I will go up right now.”
“Certainly.”
“Room number?”
“I’ll guide…”
“I don’t need it. Just please say it q-quickly.”
“O-Okay.”
‘If he’s sane, he won’t follow me to the inn.’
However, I couldn’t relax until I actually entered the room.

I couldn’t really igure out what happened. It felt like my head was
becoming blank, and I also felt like I wanted to pee.
After I said I didn’t need a guide, I immediately entered the room, and
before long, I was able to reach the safe space with a bang.
“Safe…”
That was when all the magic power in my body was drained.
As I turned my head and checked the mirror, a familiar man was

re lected right in front of me.
In fact, the appearance of Light Kiyeon also didn’t look bad, but I
certainly liked my true appearance more.
I sighed deeply.
My bare feet bothered me, but I started to smile, thinking I had

accomplished my mission brilliantly.
‘Everything has been perfect.’
It would’ve been a more perfect expedition if Kim Hyunsung didn’t

make the fuss about inding the shoe owner.
CHAPTER 454
RESULTS AND EVALUATION (1)
This little game was inally over.
I wanted to sleep right away, but I knew I couldn’t do that. There were
many things to deal with and to think about.
However, I irst had to burn the evidence. I thought it would be better to

make it look like Lee Kiyeon moved to another continent than make it
look like there hadn’t been any Lee Kiyeon from the beginning.
Acting swiftly, all the items that had been used were discarded.
I decided that the situation was over to some extent after contacting
Lee Jihye for administrative processing. Tomorrow at dawn, the woman
named Lee Kiyeon would probably be treated as a being in the far-off
United Kingdom.
‘Is there even a need to do this?’
I thought of something like that, but at this point, it was better to be

careful. It was not like I was going to lose money if I did things a little
more meticulously.
‘Furthermore… ’
It didn’t matter if Kim Hyunsung threw away the shoes that Bitch-erella
had left behind, but I couldn’t imagine witnessing such a scene.
Since he confessed that he was a bit interested, it was better to think
that he would be more likely to come in the morning. Of course, he
would realize by then that he was too late after hearing the news that I
had left.
I wondered if it would be better to leave a letter, but it would be more

helpful to help him cut ties with Light Kiyeon rather than to give him
false hope.
‘You should leave it as a good memory. Yes. Absolutely.’
If he clung to me too persistently, it would feel like it would not be bad

to deal with it like she died in a dungeon. Regardless, I thought it would
be nice to erase the event from my memory.
It was because there were too many things to catch up to for me than to
dwell in the past.
Since the fairy magic that confused Jung Hayan’s detection magic had
been released, she probably already felt where I was.
Since it was late, she must be in her dreamland already, but she’d come
right over when the morning came. I thought it was a reasonable choice
to get up a little early and go straight to the Blue Guild branch.
“I should just sort things out a bit and go to bed quickly. Ugh…”
Organizing matters after inishing big jobs seemed to have become one
of my habits.
Since I wasn’t intelligent, I had to do it once in a while before deciding

on a course of action.
‘First… ’
The Crack Museum.

‘It wasn’t bad.’
It was de initely a composition that had helped the adventurers’

growth.
The response was better than I thought, and I quickly felt that the
system itself was well established.
The price was just right, too. It felt a bit expensive, but it made it up for
that through various service inclusions.
If I were to rate it, it would be about 4 out of 5 stars.
There was no need to remove or add anything to it. Depending on the

drop rate or rising complaints, various contents and services must be
released, but it was still enough to ill the Goddess’s vacant seats
urgently.
The problem was on the other side.
I was worried about the Friendship Clan.
To be precise, I could say that I was worried about the adventurers

currently struggling in Lindel.
In fact, I had to check their status, but the Friendship Clan, as they said,
was one of the in luential clans that had just started making a name. A
sigh escaped past me at this.
Of course, the Friendship Clan wasn’t connected to the Blue Guild in any
way, but if I thought that we had to ight together in the future, it would
be natural for me to worry.
‘Their level is too low. No, it’s not even a level issue.’
As I recalled the unsightly behaviors they displayed, my anxiety started
to grow more and more.
The Crack Museum could ill in the grades and specs, but I was
con ident that it wouldn’t work in other areas.
While thinking about the irst round’s situation, an answer dawned on

me, one that answered why I was seriously thinking about such an
issue.
I didn’t know exactly how the irst round was going, but if my
predictions were correct, it was likely in a warring period at that
moment. Regardless of whether it was a war between nations or
between foreigners and continent people, it would have resulted in
endless ighting.
It was clear that Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun of the Friendship Clan
would be in the middle of the battle ield. Even if they didn’t try to
accumulate experience, I was con ident that they would have
accumulated it along the way.
Not only would they have to ight all day, but they would have had to
stand up from the death of a colleague.
If I thought about it in simple terms, of course, the second round was

better than the irst round.
At least, I had reduced my useless losses and gathered up my strength.
However, if I thought about it from a slightly different perspective, it

was also hard to say that the current situation was excellent.
The irst round environment reduced the number of people who could
ight, but it also gave a big hand in weeding out the weak. I bet the
people who survived various incidents and fought until the end with
Kim Hyunsung were experienced enough to be called veterans.
What about the adventurers of the present day?
They showed pathetic behavior in ighting heroic-grade named

monsters. Considering that our lovely returner failed in the irst round
even with such warriors, we couldn’t succeed with guys like the
Friendship Clan members, even if we had lots of troops.
“This is a problem…”
It would be strange not to take it seriously.
It was necessary to ind out when and where the threat would erupt but
considering Kim Hyunsung’s reaction; it was dif icult to say that it
would erupt soon.
He didn’t look that busy.
The problem was that there were no events prepared until then. There
was no con lict and no war. No quarrels and no growth.
With events such as the Crack Museum or the Demon Dungeons, they
could match the specs, but not the mental aspect.
There would be no one like a chosen warrior coming out of the crisis
and no one like a hero awakening from the death of his companions.
Why?
Everything was peaceful.
Turbulence created heroes and made armies stronger. It sounded like

bullshit, but that was an undeniable fact. I felt like I had to create a
con lict since none existed.
‘Should I wear a mask?’

I thought about such nonsense, but even an arti icial con lict would be
good for the current continent. It meant that it needed to face a little
more crisis. The question was how to spread the crisis.
‘Should I release the mythic-grade monsters from the museum?’
That was dismissed.
It was undeniable that if the tentacle-like Ancient God or the one with
horns on the head were released, it would be impossible to ix the
crisis.
‘Should I start a war?’
That was worth thinking about.
It didn’t feel right to tear open a recently closed wound. However, that
option was also rejected.
There was no guideline on which ones to use as a sacri ice, and adding
salt to the wound should be avoided.
The continent had just become one. It was impossible to blow away the
patients healed with my own hands to spread a con lict.
Or…
‘Is it hard to get Belial?’
He was a demon, and I felt like he would cooperate for some reason.
However, remembering that he backstabbed me, my doubts began to

grow. In the end, my head began to hurt.
I couldn’t come up with a particularly good idea even while lying down
on the bed. No, it wasn’t something I could decide on my own in the
irst place.
“I need Hyunsung.”
I naturally thought that establishing communication with Kim

Hyunsung was urgent.
I had to ind out exactly how things were going, what he thought about
the current situation, and his reasoning if he thought it was okay. I also
had to know if there were any directions for improvement.
At the moment, he seemed to be focusing on developing his own power,

but he must have a plan. I felt like I wanted to spend the rest of my life
only trusting Kim Hyunsung, but there was no way I could trust a guy
who didn’t have good guts in that aspect.
“Believing too much isn’t good.”
An answer came to me when I thought about the actions Kim Hyunsung

had shown so far.
Rather, I was worried that he might think everything was perfect and
simply nodded. It would be better if he were to stay anxious.
Regardless, that could also be called a problem. My information was

limited. The best thing in the current situation was to reveal that Kim
Hyunsung was a returner, but I could understand why that couldn’t
happen since I knew how dif icult it was to make such a choice.
Even his doubts about me didn’t disappear. It was better if he opened

up irst.
‘If only he confessed… ’
If only he could confess that he was a returner, and I could hear ahead
of time what would happen in the future…
There was no need to mention how easy things would be in such a
reality.
‘It’s like a dream. Fuck… ’
Hope for the future was like a vague story. It felt like it wouldn’t matter
if I irst revealed that I had the Mind’s Eyes, but no matter how I
thought about it, it was irrational at that point.
Somehow, I had to get information out of the conversation with Kim

Hyunsung.
‘We will talk soon, anyway.’
I had Yuno Kasugano, and I felt that it would be better to decide the
direction based on the future information.
In a situation where there was no answer, I wandered around the room

for no reason, took a brief shower with hot water, and then laid my
body in bed again.
I felt like I only closed my eyes for a moment, but it was already
morning when I opened them.
‘Fuck… I must have overdone it.’
I had terrible pains all over my body, as if I had been moving too hard
recently.
I felt fundamentally tired, but I was glad I didn’t have a hangover. It was
still early in the morning. It seemed to me that I dreamed about Jung
Hayan being with me after a while, but I couldn’t remember it properly.
What I was a little embarrassed about was that the content was pretty
erotic.
Despite not being frustrated, that dream seemed to be a side effect of
returning to the man’s body after a long time.
“Achoo! Ugh…”
It felt like I even had a cold mood. I looked at the side, and the window
was open. I didn’t remember things well, but after opening it for a while
yesterday, I seemed to have fallen asleep without closing it.
“It was too complacent. Fuck… what would you do if an assassin came
in…? Lee Kiyoung, you stupid bastard.”
Of course, there was no problem since nothing had happened.
After lightly wiping my face, I drank a cup of tea and looked out the
window.
I felt like I was slowly rejuvenating as I basked in the pouring sunlight.

My mind became a little calmer when I felt relaxed.
As I was spacing out for a moment, I suddenly remembered the dream I

had last night, and I had to blush.
‘That’s because I came clean today. C-Clean.’
The blurry memories of yesterday’s dream had begun to grow more

vivid in my mind. Was this an effect of the fairy’s magic? I found it
strange.
That was when I heard a knock on the door and a voice outside.
“O-Oppa…”
“Is it Hayan?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Are you here alone?”
“Yes.”
As I slowly opened the door, I inally saw Jung Hayan after such a long
time.
I was a little reluctant when I saw her chuckling as if she was in a good
mood, but I couldn’t help but smile at her while she ran towards me and
hugged me.
What was a little different from usual was that I kept feeling as if
something was strange.
I bet it was an emotion I couldn’t feel until that moment.
‘Why… does she look so sexy?’
No, this wasn’t just any emotion. I felt like I had been tamed by
something. I couldn’t understand it with my head, but my body was
now intensely reacting to Jung Hayan.
‘This has never happened before… ’

CHAPTER 455
RESULTS AND EVALUATION (2)
Objectively, Jung Hayan was attractive enough.
I didn’t dare compare her with Hee-ra, of course, who has been
classi ied as the best dignity, had a suf iciently voluminous body, and
her small body size and big eyes were certainly cute.
I wasn’t sure if magic power affected her appearance, but she was
de initely prettier than when I irst met her.
Compared to her former days, when she was a little numb, she had
become more interested in her appearance, and her skin recently
became whiter, and her lips became even pinker to the extent that it
was worth appearing in animations.
I thought she was attractive enough, putting it all together, but I felt like
I was still looking at a cute little sister to the end.
It wasn’t enough to have such a reaction.
Of course, as I was a man, it was undeniable that my heart sometimes

beat for Jung Hayan, who was always throwing herself at me.
‘Come on… ’
I didn’t know how to explain it, but this was de initely different from
usual.
The faint smell of sweat and skin kept stimulating my olfactory system
as if she ran excitedly that morning.
I shook my head to clear it, feeling as if I had drunk a stimulant. It was

hard to say that the situation was pleasurable since my body kept
linching despite nothing being wrong with it.
Not only did my heart keep beating violently, but my breathing had
strangely become rough.
It was only natural to feel familiar with Jung Hayan’s body holding me
tight, but this time in particular felt more familiar than usual.
I couldn’t help but pull my body back due to the physical reaction that
came up.
Jung Hayan didn’t let me do that, however, since this was the irst time
we saw each other in such a long time.
I was curious about her intentions behind sticking to my body like a

leech while also trying to get as close to my lower body as possible.
Seeing her grinning from ear to ear, it seemed that she realized that I
was conscious of her.
Her eccentric behavior itself was also a problem. Her chest tightly came
in close contact, and her lower body pushed forward against me as
much as it could.
Jung Hayan’s temptation, which was so awkward that I wouldn’t even

be able to laugh if I was in my normal mindset, felt stimulating enough
to evoke the illusion that she might’ve become a succubus. It even felt
like she had cast some magic on me.
‘She probably didn’t chant a fascination magic after going crazy, right?’
The likelihood was low.

If it had been fascination magic, it would have been impossible for me
to think. Considering that Jung Hayan had a little mastery over alchemy,
I suspected that she had sprinkled on some kind of aphrodisiac.
However, there was no way I wouldn’t be able to recognize that kind of
item.
I began to suspect my emotions as the side effect of fairy magic. As I felt

that something wasn’t right, I had no choice but to push Jung Hayan
away. She had a slightly disappointed face for a moment.
Gently putting my lips on her forehead and patting her back, she started
smiling widely again.
‘I like her because she’s simple.’
“How have you been?”
“Good! I’ve been doing well. We’ve made a lot of adjustments here and
there. I kept moving with S-Sora. The last few days have been really too
busy… I didn’t have time to do anything else. There was more work to
be done with magic than I thought. Even all of the construction was
done with magic, too…”
“Han Sora?”
“Yes. Sora.”
‘It must have been painful for her.’
She was a Blue newbie who was still traumatized by Jung Hayan.
It felt highly embarrassing to call her a newbie at that moment since

she had already grown, but I personally thought she would be drawing
a hopeful future for that line of work.
Since a branch of the Blue Guild had been created in the Crack Land, she
must have great hope of wanting to move out there.
‘Of course, she would’ve worked harder than anyone else… ’
It hurt me that I couldn’t listen to her wishes.
‘I have to raise her salary.’
She might not be interested in such things, but I wanted her to realize
that I cared for her.
Of course, she would like to avoid the favors I gave as much as possible,
but I couldn’t help but spare her, considering that Han Sora was the
only black wizard resource on the continent.
Not only did she do a great job in the war against the Republic, but I
thought that perhaps there could be some room to use her for the
continental peace plan I was thinking about.
However, it was also undeniable that I was a little nervous.
In a situation where Kim Hyunsung was in the middle of a

misunderstanding, her existence was no different from a bomb. No,
actually, that was the same for Jung Hayan, who was currently sticking
right next to me.
Although she was a trustworthy ally, I certainly had to acknowledge

that she knew too much.
If Jung Hayan opened her mouth unknowingly, Light Kiyoung’s happy

life would end.
Of course, she wasn’t going to do anything that would damage me, but I
had no choice but to treat her as special as I didn’t know where she
would bounce to due to her nature.
It was not unreasonable for me to feel that I should be kinder.
I originally treated her with a smile, but I started opening my mouth

with a smile like I was dying from her cuteness. I could feel that just
looking at my smiling face put her in a better mood.
“It must have been hard for you. You couldn’t even rest…”
“I-it was a little hard. Still, it’s something I have to do.”
‘Whew. I’m so proud of her. I’m so happy to hear Hayan said it that even
tears are coming out… ’
“Still… weren’t you lonely?”
“A-A little? In fact, I was very lonely.”
“Then… shall we go after having breakfast together? Let’s take a look

around here too. I haven’t gotten around a lot, but still…”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course, I like that!”
I had to go back a little, but I thought it would be okay to enjoy a date

rather than running straight to work right away.
Come to think of it, wasn’t Jung Hayan being very patient?
She recently almost exploded once with marriage problems, but she
hadn’t caused any problems other than that.
She didn’t put me in an awkward position by crying or making a fuss

about being separated for a few days.
It seemed that the education I applied to her so far was inally paying
off, but above all else, the fact that she was being patient was amazing. I
wanted to applaud her for being able to endure that much even though
she wasn’t getting a special reward.
Therefore, it was not hard for me to take some time off with her.
After packing up, I immediately went outside with Jung Hayan. I

linched again because of her posture, with arms folded and pushing
her chest as close as possible, but there was no problem.
With the gazes focused on us since we were classi ied as celebrities,

Jung Hayan straightened her body as she walked through the streets as
if to show off.
It looked like she was marking her territory.
I listened to her chattering without rest during the unexpected date.
“I made that, that, and that one, too.”
“Really?”
“T-That one too. I also made the bridge over there. Sora helped, but I did
it almost alone!”
She boasted of her feats the same way fathers muttered that they had
made the Han River Bridge.
“S-So… At that time, people just came, and I was a little surprised, but it
was okay. Some people talked to me, but I didn’t answer them. I didn’t
even make eye contact with other men.”
“You don’t have to do that…”
She even argued about how much of a modern-day virtuous woman she
was. It basically wasn’t an important conversation, but it did help
restore my tired mind.
It would be most appropriate to say that it felt like walking with a dog.
‘The weather is good too.’
Overall, we had a peaceful atmosphere.
I wasn’t the only one enjoying the peace.
There were also smiles on other people’s faces, and there were people
who were spending time together in their own ways.
There were people who had come to the terrace to eat, chat around the
fountain, and shop at general stores and weapon stores were also quite
noticeable.
It was enough for me to approve of the atmosphere, but I felt

uncomfortable because of yesterday’s thoughts. This was even more so
because I thought that the people I saw at that time were the people
who were supposed to risk their lives.
It was hard to say that there were particularly impressive people even if
I looked around with my Mind’s Eyes. The State, the Republic, and the
interracial union were in a slightly better condition.
It looked as if the gentiles who were taking a neutral position or the

United Kingdom who didn’t even participate in the last war came out on
a picnic.
They looked like that even though it had been announced that there
was a threat. Still, the peaceful atmosphere itself was not all that bad.
“It’s too peaceful…” I accidentally said it out loud.
“What?”
“Ah… It’s nothing. I was just talking to myself.”

“D-Do you have any concerns?”
“It’s not enough to be labeled as a concern… I’ll tell you later when my
thoughts are organized. Let’s go back to the guild house. Did you also
make the branch?”
“…”
“Hayan?”
“Yes? Ah… yes. I only made the framework. A-All the interior was done
by manager Kim Mi-young. The furniture was also custom-made by
Lindel and brought… Ah! The irst loor of the guildhall is used as a
shopping street. To the potion shop and Ahyoung’s blacksmith, it’s a
guildhall used by party members from the second loor and is bigger
than the one in Lindel. The training center is big, the alchemy workshop
is big, and the room is big.”
“It’s understandable. Lindel’s building has been there for a long time. If
you simply put it in width, this side is also wider… I guess a lot of other
clans will also come in.”
“Some of the in luential clans are already considering buying land. The
Black Swan and the Red Mercenary members are already in.”
“They’re smart.”
After having a few useless conversations, the familiar emblems started

to stand out as I continued walking the street.
At that moment, I realized that I had arrived at the branch of the Blue
Guild that Jung Hayan was talking about. It was de initely gigantic – it
was much bigger and more sophisticated than the Blue Guild house.
Arms made by Yoo Ahyoung were on display in the shopping street on

the irst loor, and the adventurers around me had already gathered in
the potion shop next to it.
It looked like people would have to go through another entrance to

enter the guild house.
As I slowly turned my head toward the entrance, I saw someone with a

familiar face.
“Ah, Hyejin.”
“If you’d told us you were coming, I would have gone to meet you… Did
you just arrive today?”
“Yes. I looked around for a while. By the way…”
The one waiting for me in front of the large building was Kim
Hyunsung’s deputy and my only friend.
She seemed anxious as she wandered around in front of the large

building with a ponytail, which was unusual.
“Is anything going on?”
“No. Not exactly.”
“But why are you outside…?”
“I’m waiting for the Guild Master.”
“Hyunsung?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t go out together?”

“That… I haven’t heard of it in detail, but he said he’s looking for
someone… He said he would be going alone.”
‘I was right.’
Of course, I knew where he would have gone.
I didn’t even have to try to know. The answer was obvious.
For some reason, Cho Hyejin’s face, so full of anxiety, was entertaining
to me. I couldn’t stop myself from coughing when she continued.
“Um, Vice Guild Master. I’m sorry for being so sudden, but…”
“Yes?”
“By any chance… did you know?”
“What?”
“The Guild Master seems to be in a r-relationship.”

CHAPTER 456
CHO HYEJIN’S INSTRUCTION
MANUAL (1)
“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
“O-O-Oppa, are you okay?”
“Cough!”
“O-Oppa.”
“Cough! Cough!”
Due to Cho Hyejin’s words, my saliva had down the wrong pipe. My
chest started hurting due to the constant coughing.
I had no choice but to stop Jung Hayan from calling a priest by urgently
raising my hand since she was anxious if there was anything wrong
with my health.
“I’m ine. It just went down the wrong pipe. Ahem! Hmm! Ahem!”
“Should I bring some w-w-water?”
“No. I’m going to go in anyway, well…”
“You’re really okay, right?”

“Yes. It’s not enough to worry about. It really just went down the wrong
pipe.”
“S-Still…”
“I’m ine, don’t worry.”
After coughing for a long time, I still couldn’t igure out the exact
situation.
‘What is that nonsense now?’
It was clear that Cho Hyejin was mistaking something.
She must have imagined what she wanted based on the trivial
circumstances. It was no wonder my heart luttered. Her misconception
of this was too ridiculous.
I wanted to brush it aside, saying that was nonsense, but Cho Hyejin’s
desolated face remained.
Meanwhile, she kept pacing around outside. I had a rough idea of how
things were going.
Kim Hyunsung would have said he was going to the Crack Inn alone,
and Cho Hyejin, who felt anxiety rising inside, would’ve paced around
in front of the guild with her anxious mind.
Waiting for him in the room would have been impossible because of her
personality.
‘If you’re so anxious, then go follow him. Or you should have insisted on
going with him. This stupid woman.’
Of course, Kim Hyunsung would notice her following, but it was better
than doing nothing and being anxious.
Kim Hyunsung was frustrating to watch, and she was no different. I
could see why there was no progress between the two of them.
I scolded her in my mind for being a stupid woman before talking

carefully. I had to hear what happened.
“First, let’s go inside.”
“What?”
“Some people may have weird thoughts, and pacing around here won’t
change anything. I want to listen to the story inside.”
“That means… even you haven’t heard about it?”
“Yes. This is the irst time I’m going to hear this. Honestly, I don’t know
what you’re talking about… is it that certain information? As far as I
know, the one Hyunsung is meeting… is Yeon-joo from the Black Swan. I
can’t really say that they’re dating.”
“I-I don’t know… Actually, I’m not sure, but Deokgu…”
“Yes?”
“Said that it’s almost certain…”
“What?”
‘What did Park Deokgu say now?’
I now felt a little worried. He was a guy who helped in weird situations
but also trolled in weird ways. That time seemed to be the latter.
Unsurprisingly, a loud voice began to come from behind.
“Huh? Is that Hyung-nim?”

“…”
“Hyung-nim!”
The old saying about speaking of the devil and he shall appear wasn’t
wrong.
As I turned my head to locate the voice source, I saw the giant Park
Deokgu. It hadn’t been that long since I last saw that pig, and I wasn’t
happy to see him either. Rather, I started to worry about the situation
more and more.
That was because I was curious what he had heard to make him go
around saying to change the status of Kim Hyunsung to ‘in a
relationship.’
‘That pig, really… ’
For some reason, his joyful and uplifting face started to make the
anxiety rise in my heart. The anxiety didn’t go away even when he
hugged me tightly.
“It’s been a while… It’s so nice to see you. Anyway, brother, did you hear
the news?”
“What?”
“Oh, you mean the fact that hyung-ssi enjoyed a late-night date with a
young woman? It was last night!”
He said it like that, but he must’ve read too much into it and spread
useless rumors.
“There are only a few witnesses since it was really late at night, but I’m
certain. I was startled too. Honestly, I thought hyung-ssi wasn’t
interested in women. I guess he is still a man after all.”
“Explain it slowly. What exactly do you mean?”
“Ahem. Oh, have you not heard of it yet? You would hear it later anyway,
but I’ll tell you in advance, so listen well. I don’t know what’s going on,
but hyung-ssi created a very intimate atmosphere with a beautiful
woman at a restaurant nearby. They drank wine while staying close to
each other, and with that alone, we can say that it’s true. I think it’s a bit
strange considering his personality. Think about it. Is he the kind to
clink glasses of wine and to make out with another woman late at
night?”
It wasn’t an intimate atmosphere. We didn’t make out, either.
“They say it’s always the quiet ones, but who would have known that he
would be involved in a scandal irst? This is just a feeling, but… I think
that she’s no ordinary woman too. I don’t know what kind of vulpine
woman she is, but her experience must not be ordinary. On the one
hand, I’m a little worried about him. I even thought about him being
fooled by some gold digger.”
‘She’s me, you pig bastard.’
It seemed that he hadn’t even noticed that Cho Hyejin’s face next to him
was becoming darker and darker. It was certainly worth saying that he
was a genius of agitation, considering how determined he was to say
what he wanted to say.
If I let him keep talking like that, it felt like the rumor would reach a
point where the young woman would be carrying the Blue Guild
Master’s child in her belly in less than a few months.
Since I was paying attention to Kim Hyunsung and others, I hadn’t

calculated that the pig before me would be interested in these kinds of
baits. His face was even lushed with excitement.
Fortunately, it seemed that he hadn’t investigated the woman, but if
Park Deokgu decided to dig into it, the identity would be revealed soon.
“As expected…”
“It’s still too early to con irm it, Hyejin. Maybe it’s someone he met for
business. Since it’s the early days of the Cra

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REGRESSOR INSTRUCTION

[ Himbo | Dirty Trash Alley | Active

(Compilation of traitorAIZEN's epubs)

One day, I was summoned to this world.

[Start the tutorial.]

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

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

It was a completely different shape than any building on Earth. It was

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

My last memory was of eating with my sister.

‘What happened? What the hell… ’

If I recall, it was like this.

I got an unfamiliar Kakaotalk message on my phone.1

-Do you want to join the game?-

That was it.

That was the only thing I could remember.

My legs were trembling. I couldn’t comprehend the situation.

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

It was no wonder that I couldn’t understand it.

What stood out was the atmosphere here.

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

“Hey, where are we?”

“Don’t ask me. I don’t know.”

“Hey! Is anyone there? Hey!”

People started talking.

‘It’s not a dream.’

It wasn’t a dream, and I wasn’t alone.

It seemed ridiculously smooth.

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

[Players are invited to this world. We sent an invitation to the player,

“My god! What a hero!”

“Quit messing around in there and come out, you bastards!”

“Is there a hidden camera? I’ll sue. This is a complaint!”

I suddenly sobered up.

Because in this weird atmosphere, I heard the word “survival”.

“Don’t mess with me! Christ!”

“Please let me out of here. I’m begging you.”

I heard a number of voices, but that damn woman’s explanation kept

That wasn’t all.

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

The presence of a wide variety of weapons that would be used in the

‘These are the real deal.’

A sense of reality began to set in.

It was just like a fantasy novel.

I began to focus on the sound of that voice.

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

“What the hell is this…”

For now, I didn’t say “status window”.

I felt like I should proceed carefully in situations where I didn’t know

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

“Status window? Huh? What’s this?”

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

[The status window shows your current condition. Depending on how

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

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

I opened my mouth right away.

[Name: Lee Ki-young]

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

[Disposition: Careful strategist]

I wasn’t used to seeing the sudden loating screen.

When I quietly opened my mouth, feeling like I was in a game, I heard a

In fact, I couldn’t concentrate on the last part.

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

The words “Heroic grade” were shining in purple.