The person at the end of Hyukjin's finger, Mark, tilted his head.
"Me?"
"You."
"Do you know me?"
"Yes. You're Mark, an archer."
"How is it that you know me?"
"I'm friends with Pietro."
Pietro was sure to have approached Mark with a request to cooperate already. At the very least, Michelle had to know Pietro. Sure enough, Michelle jumped in.
"Very well. Let's say you're friends with Pietro. But why do you want Mark? It can't be that you're…"
Her eyes narrowed. She almost asked if he was gay, but resisted.
Hyukjin said quickly, "I'm in need of an archer. To clear a dungeon."
"An archer?" Understanding seemed to dawn on Michelle. "As it is, Pietro made a request to us. He asked for Mark."
"I think you know what I'm talking about, then. I would like to Play with Mark."
"I refused Pietro then, and I'll refuse you now."
Hyukjin knew she would refuse. In the past, Mark hadn't gone into the Wingless Angel Statue Gate.
"Open your trade window for me real quick."
Michelle activated her trade window and nearly let out a gasp.
The Mighty Elbow.
A legendary bow. Its attack power was a staggering 55-68. She had never seen a long-ranged weapon of this level.
Cat-Shaped Bottle.
This one was a [?] item that was won by Xu Xin for $1.5 million in the auction just now.
Sacred Water Drop.
It, too, was a [?] item. One that was won by Xu Xin for $1 million.
'Kim Hyukjin really did steal them!'
What 'are you accusing a random person of being a thief'? Remembering his guiltless face as he spouted such nonsense nearly made her lose it.
'How did he do it?'
But that wasn't important right now.
"Really, Ms. Michelle. It's a pity something so unsavory happened in a place under your management."
"Do you have any right to say that?"
This was a critical blow to Michelle as well. A theft happened unnoticed in her place of business, and she couldn't inflict any punishment whatsoever on the thief? What's more, she was talking to that very thief right now with a trade window open between them.
'How can he be so brazen when he's the thief?'
The thief being so bold and shameless left Michelle at a loss for words.
Kim Hyukjin whispered to her, "Your security is too weak, stop there."
The quick-witted Players of the Michelle Division took a few steps back. Michelle's voice also became very quiet.
"Was that a threat just now?"
'Honor' was a very important value to a sovereign. If this got out, it could deal a huge blow to Michelle.
"No, I want to give these to you. So we can reach a deal."
Hyukjin pressed the 'Accept Trade' button. Now, the two of them just had to press the 'OK' button, and the items would be hers. Michelle could read his intent.
'You want me to get on the same boat as you, is that it?'
The recklessness of this thief in turning the host into an accomplice was truly something else. And yet, it occurred to her that this recklessness was Kim Hyukjin's greatest weapon, and he was all too good at wielding it.
Michelle asked just to make sure.
"Mark. If you could get a legendary bow, would you take on any risk, no matter how dangerous?"
"A legendary bow?"
"A bow with an attack power of 55-68, +5 Agility, and a special skill called Double Shot."
Mark responded at once. "Of course. Of course I would take on any risk for a bow like that."
"Even if it's the place Pietro wanted to clear?"
"Of course. I've never even seen a legendary bow, and it even has bonus Agility stats and a special skill. I would jump into the fires of hell if I could get my hands on that."
Mark's eyes were shining. He was truly tempted by the term 'legendary'. Hyukjin grinned. It seemed the deal was done.
"I'd like to make an additional trade." He proposed the same thing he had asked Hyun Junghwa. "I would also like to request Mark's assistance in Korea's Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon and Singapore's Gardens by the Bay Dungeon. Though, well, you're free to refuse."
"Will you go into those places as well?"
"Yes. We would go in together."
"Then we'll consider it."
"However, I will have first pick on everything coming from those places. This is a request from someone who is being stripped of all his power as a Player and getting chased out of the States. Surely you can entertain such a small request?"
"The way you say it, someone might really believe you."
In any case, a temporary contract was established.
"Let's trade after we look into those places a little more."
"Then can I head out?"
"I think it'll look better to haul you out on a stretcher."
"That's true."
Michelle spoke quickly. "What about breaking your leg for real? I'll be sure to take responsibility for healing you later."
"No thanks."
"But wouldn't it be best to be thorough? I think this is the right call for a seeker of perfection like yourself."
"…"
"The auction hall is crawling with top Rankers. Are you sure you can fool their eyes?"
"It is the surefire way, but…"
Hyukjin was silent for a moment. When he thought about it, she was right.
Top Rankers. Fooling their eyes wasn't necessarily impossible, but doing things the sure way was best, and one or two broken parts could be quickly repaired by a healer.
Michelle smiled warmly.
"How about it? One leg, one arm. Let's just break those, shall we?"
"…"
In the end, Hyukjin nodded. It was minor, but she got him this time.
"Please be gentle."
* * *
Translator – Lei
Proofreader – Ash
* * *
The public was told that the Korean assailant 'lost all power as a Player'. He was also carried out with a broken arm and leg, a display all the top Rankers had witnessed.
Song Kiyeol didn't make much of a complaint.
"The Taeguk Shield guildmaster isn't doing anything?"
"Guess that means he tacitly agrees with Michelle's judgment."
"Michelle will probably give them huge compensation behind the scenes. To Xu Xin and Taeguk Shield."
They were also fairly clear on how this world worked.
"It's basically a show. To parade Michelle's strength and authority."
If it wasn't, there was no need to carry out that debilitated attendant on a stretcher when one spell from a healer would fix him up right as rain. Everyone knew that, and everyone understood Michelle's intent. And no one found it strange.
"What'll happen to Xu Xin?"
"Bet it'll be different from the attendant. It's Xu Xin, after all."
Everyone thought Xu Xin would get a slap on the wrist and be released. But it wasn't as they expected. Michelle came up to the stage, briefly pausing the auction, and spoke through a microphone.
"Before entering this hall, everyone signed a contract."
And thus began Michelle's long speech. To summarize it, her point was, 'Everyone here signed an agreement accepting punishment if you cause a disturbance at this event, right?'
"That's why I completely deprived the Taeguk Shield attendant of his power."
It wasn't just a few broken limbs. This was a kind of warning. A warning that she had a way to artificially deprive a Player of their miraculous power. Michelle was announcing to the top Rankers that she had such a means at her disposal.
"I broke his arm and leg to set an example and sent him back to Korea. He will never be able to return to Playing in his lifetime."
Michelle gave a small nod to Song Kiyeol.
"I wish to thank the Guildmaster of Taeguk Shield for his cooperation. Thank you. You gave up your subordinate for the sake of impartiality, and I was impressed by your dedication to upholding justice."
No one here believed those words entirely, but they were just spoken for appearances anyway. Michelle herself didn't put much significance into them. She just said them because she had to.
"Also, regarding Mr. Xu Xin, who initiated this incident…"
Michelle took a breath. It wasn't like this was easy for her, either. Xu Xin was a giant. But she had to set an example, so Michelle made a decision.
"He will be treated the same way as the Taeguk Shield attendant. As he has already suffered severe injury to his shoulders and abdomen, I deemed further physical punishment unnecessary. Mr. Xu Xin is currently unconscious."
The Taeguk Shield attendant was deprived of his Player rights and two of his limbs were broken. Similarly, Xu Xin had his Player rights taken away, meaning he was 'stripped of his power as a Player'.
The Rankers gathered in the hall murmured amongst themselves.
"She did that to Xu Xin?"
"The attendant is one thing, but Xu Xin?"
"Wowzo. Michelle's got guts."
"It means she's confident she can deal with the aftermath."
"But still, it's Xu Xin."
After checking the crowd's reaction, Michelle continued. "Now then, we will continue the auction."
* * *
Thomas went to Michelle's room. He looked a little angry.
"What are you thinking?"
He wasn't able to confront her in an official setting, but this was her private quarters. Thomas was Michelle's closest friend and deputy. He didn't hide his feelings.
Michelle took a seat on the sofa.
"Is this about Xu Xin?"
"Yeah. You should have stopped at the Taeguk Shield attendant."
The Taeguk Shield attendant was just that—an attendant. There wouldn't be much backlash even if he was killed. After all, an attendant was just an attendant. But Xu Xin was different. Dealing with the aftermath would be difficult.
Michelle responded calmly, seemingly unaware of Thomas' feelings.
"But then it wouldn't be fair."
"If you wanted it to be fair, you should have let the attendant off."
"If I did that, our prestige would drop to rock bottom. As the sponsor, I needed to be impartial."
"But still! It's Xu Xin we're talking about, Xu Xin!"
Michelle chuckled. She went back to what Thomas had said earlier. "You said I should have let the attendant off, right?"
Puzzled by the sudden tangent, Thomas faltered. Michelle immediately continued.
"That's what I did."
"What do you mean?"
Thomas had been managing the auction, so he didn't know about the 'secret deal' between Michelle, the Michelle Division, and Kim Hyukjin. Michelle had everyone swear to absolute secrecy.
"The attendant is fine. The only one who got messed up is Xu Xin."
"…"
After a moment of silence, Thomas checked if he had heard her right.
"What did you just say? The attendant is what?"
"That man's name is Kim Hyukjin."
"His name isn't important!"
"Anyway, Kim Hyukjin's perfectly fine. He suffered no repercussions whatsoever."
Thomas was silent again.
'The flow of the conversation is really weird.'
It was different from how they usually talked. Michelle was being strangely evasive.
'There's something between them.'
Thomas was able to realize from Michelle's words that there was unmistakably some kind of deal between them. Kim Hyukjin getting hauled away on a stretcher was another type of 'show'.
He took a deep breath. He trusted Michelle. She wouldn't do something like this without thinking it through.
"Why? Why did you go easy on him and not Xu Xin? Why did you announce things the way you did?"
"You think I went easy on him?"
"What does that mean?"
"We're not the ones who went easy on Kim Hyukjin."
Thomas doubted his ears. But Michelle didn't look like she was joking.
"What are you saying? You did go easy on Kim Hyukjin."
"It's Kim Hyukjin who went easy on us."
The room was quiet for a while.
"Are you being serious?"
"I am."
Silence stretched between them again. Michelle gave a light chuckle and continued. "A long time from now, you'll come to know what I mean."
"If you let Kim Hyukjin off and not Xu Xin, won't that make things escalate?"
"Not at all."
"How can you be so sure?"
"He has the Cognitive Dissonance ability. And don't you remember how I intentionally talked for a really long time earlier?"
Michelle typically went straight to the point. She preferred being concise and not talking in circles. But this time, she was very verbose, a point Thomas had found unusual.
"I used a consumable item I got from Kim Hyukjin during the speech."
"What's that?"
"Trickery."
They heard a notice.
[The 'Herdsman of Las Vegas' is curious.]
[The 'Whispering Devil' is gleeful.]
[The 'Night of Shooting Stars' is curious about your deal.]
Whispering Devil, Night of Shooting Stars. Both were Guardians she had never heard of before. But seeing as her Intermediate Administrator was making a huge fuss, it was highly likely they were named Guardians.
Michelle recalled Hyukjin's face.
'If it were Kim Hyukjin…'
What would he do in this situation? She had learned from watching him. His acting, his way of producing content, were lessons Michelle drew from now.
'He would have waited a little here.'
Thomas asked again, "What kind of item was it?"
"Trickery."
"Eh?" Thomas had never heard of it before. "What's that?"
Trickery. Michelle thought back to how she had used it and how she had linked it with her own abilities.
She had learned from Kim Hyukjin.
This wasn't an explanation for Thomas' benefit, but for the new Guardians who had entered her channel, the Whispering Devil and the Night of Shooting Stars.
____It's an item that can influence the mind when tricking others and concealing the truth," explained Michelle.
"A mind effect item? Those exist?"
Michelle intentionally paused for a beat, thinking that was what Kim Hyukjin would have done.
"I had no idea either, but guess so. That's what he gave me."
"How strong is it? Strong enough to mentally control someone?"
"Not quite that strong. It just helps a little." Michelle said, "You definitely saw Kim Hyukjin's face earlier, right?"
"I did."
"But do you remember what he looked like?"
"…"
Thomas instantly stiffened. He tried recalling the man's face, but was unable to.
'Is this… the ability Guildmaster Song Kiyeol explained to me?'
It was called Cognitive Dissonance.
'I really can't remember him.'
It felt like he was trying to peer through hazy white fog.
"That's Kim Hyukjin's power. He's come this far while thoroughly cloaking himself. A person like that confidently stepped forward into the spotlight. It must be a reflection of his confidence in being able to pull the wool over the eyes of all the top Rankers."
"Michelle. Do you think that, too?"
"Yeah. If I'm right, none of the Rankers remember Kim Hyukjin."
Cognitive Dissonance. And Trickery.
"I also used [Sovereign's Speech]."
Sovereign's Speech was Michelle's sovereign-exclusive skill to arouse a strange sense of trust towards the speaker in the listener. It also had a buff effect in battle, but when used outside of battle, it just had the effect of instilling trust.
All three abilities had come together to create the current situation. Michelle was certain of it.
"Not a single person who was there will remember Kim Hyukjin. We may have made an enemy of Xu Xin, but we gained an ally named Kim Hyukjin. A trade-off I think is fully worth the investment."
Thomas nodded after a long period of thought. "We've turned Xu Xin into an enemy, but raised your prestige. That's fine, for now."
He decided to respect Michelle's decision. He added one more thing.
"If everything you say is true… just what kind of person is this Kim Hyukjin guy you hold in such high regard?"
* * *
Translator – Lei
Proofreader – Ash
* * *
Song Jinchul became triumphant.
"I think there's no doubt I'm the winner of this bet, Hyung."
"We'll have to wait and see."
Song Kiyeol had spent $4.5 million to buy three items. Their bet was based on return rate, so despite Xu Xin's constant interference putting a wrench in his plans, Song Kiyeol hadn't lost yet.
"Well, who cares about the bet? That bastard Kim Hyukjin's a cripple now."
Jinchul chortled with glee. He seemed to be in a very good mood.
'Haa.'
Kiyeol was left wondering when he should set his crooked brother straight and make a decent person out of him. Kiyeol was letting his brother be at Kim Hyukjin's behest, but thinking about the youngest member of the Song family made the coming days feel dark.
"Hyung. I can go out to play, right?"
"Yeah. Take the guards."
"Okay!"
Jinchul went out in excitement, only to pop back in shortly afterwards.
"Right, Hyung. Kim Hyukjin. Now that he's all powerless, I'm gonna stomp him, 'kay?"
"…"
Kiyeol didn't respond. His pitiful little brother seemed to really think Kim Hyukjin had been declawed. How naive.
'Hyukjin told me to let him be, so…'
He didn't bother correcting Jinchul's misunderstanding.
"I'm going for real this time! I'll be back!"
Left alone in the room, Song Kiyeol thought back to the contents of the precognitive notes that had disappeared.
–The true seer shall be bound.
Was the true seer truly Kim Hyukjin? Looking back, that seemed right. His knowledge of the future was more accurate than any other oracle. He handled every situation like he knew exactly what would happen and Played as if there was nothing he didn't know.
–In his bindings, shall he lose all power.
He was indeed bound. Handcuffs had been put over his wrists. And the 'lose all power' part was correct as well.
'It was announced… that he lost all his power.'
Michelle had announced that, and the Rankers believed it. It was likely none of those people even knew the name 'Kim Hyukjin'. They would probably just remember that 'an unfortunate incident occured to the Taeguk Shield attendant'.
–The ignorant masses shall be tricked by the devil's voice.
The ignorant masses probably referred to the Players who were there. Then what was the 'devil's voice'? It gave a chilling impression.
'The devil's voice.'
If the devil here was Kim Hyukjin, then was the true seer a devil? Song Kiyeol, who didn't know about the Whispering Devil, couldn't reach the correct conclusion.
'I have no idea.'
In any case, the incident was a definite confirmation of Ham Sohyun's precognitive ability. So what could the last note, the one that had appeared after all the other letters had disappeared, possibly mean?
–The Sovereign of Incantations will head skyward.
Song Kiyeol's night of pensive thinking stretched on. He suddenly became curious.
'I wonder what kind of items Guildmaster Kim sto—I mean, secured?'
* * *
Kim Hyukjin lounged in the plane he was getting "chased out" in. For the sake of giving Michelle face, he chose to take a troublesome plane ride instead of going back by teleport gate.
In exchange, he rode First Class. It was extremely comfortable. His first ever First Class experience made him feel like a bed had been moved onto the plane.
A flight attendant approached him and asked with a friendly smile, "Which wine would you like, sir?"
"…"
Hyukjin didn't answer. No, he couldn't answer.
"No wine, thank you."
"Very well. If there is anything you require, please tell us at any time. We will serve you with the greatest care."
He didn't have the time to chat with the flight attendant—a new notice had come in.
[The growth requirements of the special ability Cognitive Dissonance have been met.]
He used Cognitive Dissonance in combination with the tool called Michelle to trick countless Rankers. Their cognitive abilities were skewed, and the distortion was perpetuated in countless members of the public via articles produced by the media. That was the requirement the ability needed in order to grow.
[The special ability Cognitive Dissonance will be assimilated into the innate ability Eye of Perception.]
[The innate ability Eye of Perception is enhanced by absorbing the Cognitive Dissonance ability.]
[The current proficiency of Eye of Perception is '2'.]
[An additional trait has been added to Eye of Perception.]
6. Traits:
Distinguish between Awakened and Unawakened
Read Status Windows
Sense danger
Resistance towards illusory attacks or apparition magic
Activation of Cognitive Dissonance at will and Cognitive Dissonance Dispel
He could freely wield Cognitive Dissonance while using Eye of Perception. In addition—
'Cognitive Dissonance Dispel?'
If someone else used Cognitive Dissonance, he could now see through it.
'Makes sense. I can't be the only person who can use Cognitive Dissonance.'
He believed a time would come for this ability to shine. Hyukjin just didn't know that time would be directly after he got off the plane.
At the arrivals gate, he was surprised to find his two sisters, Kim Ahyoung and Kim Sunhwa, waiting for him.
'Huh?'
The ability he had gained inside the plane, Cognitive Dissonance Dispel, automatically activated.
[Confirming the presence of the Cognitive Dissonance authority.]
[Eye of Perception dispels the Cognitive Dissonance authority.]
The person who had Cognitive Dissonance active, and had always had it active without a single soul realizing… was none other than his enthusiastically waving little sister Sunhwa.
* * *
In front of the arrivals gate, Kim Hyukjin sensed the Cognitive Dissonance surrounding Kim Sunhwa and pretended to not notice it.
"How'd you know I was coming?" he asked.
"Guildmaster Song contacted us, saying you would be coming by plane."
"Did he?"
Sunhwa was one thing. He turned and looked at the person standing next to her. Ahyoung's face reddened.
"I only came because Sunhwa kept begging me to."
"But I didn't say anything."
"Anyway, it's not that I came to greet you or anything."
"Got it, but thanks for coming over anyway."
Sunhwa beamed. She tugged the hem of Hyukjin's clothes.
"Let's go. Mr. Driver is waiting outside."
"Alright."
Hyukjin left the airport with his sisters. Waiting outside was the chauffeur Song Kiyeol had assigned him.
"Noona and Sunhwa, get in the back."
Sunhwa and Ahyoung got into the rear of the 4-seater luxury sedan, and Hyukjin got into the passenger seat.
"Setting off now," said the driver.
The car with three family members in it began heading to the DMC Riverview Xi. Hyukjin glanced stealthily at Sunhwa via the rearview mirror.
'Since when?'
Since when had Sunhwa's Cognitive Dissonance been active?
'And what?'
What perception was being distorted?
'The fact that my Eye of Perception and Observer's Eye didn't catch it at all means it's just that high in grade.'
It was only due to Eye of Perception being strengthened by its fusion with Cognitive Dissonance that he was able to see it. Before that, he hadn't noticed at all.
'It's not her own ability.'
Sunhwa wasn't doing it.
'Which means…'
That left one option.
'Her Streamer?'
That moment, a shiver ran down Hyukjin's spine.
'Come to think of it… who is Sunhwa's Streamer?'
Everyone in Giantgod had Intermediate Administrators they had signed exclusive contracts with. But Sunhwa's Intermediate Administrator hadn't shown themselves even once.
'None of us found that odd.'
Not a single one of them had ever asked who Sunhwa's Intermediate Administrator was.
'What's Sunhwa's class again?'
She was a genius tank. That was what everyone in Giantgod thought. But what exactly was her class' actual name?
'I don't know what Sunhwa's class is.'
He had checked Sunhwa multiple times with Eye of Perception. But he couldn't remember her class name. And that was because the phenomenon of 'cognitive distortion' was in effect.
"I always get sleepy in the car," Sunhwa yawned, slumping over and using Ahyoung's knee as a pillow. Ahyoung stared out the window as if she didn't care about Sunhwa.
"Sleepy."
Sunhwa quickly fell asleep. After gently brushing away the hair that had fallen over Sunhwa's face, Ahyoung returned to staring out the window.
"I'm sleepy too," Hyukjin said, closing his eyes. He wasn't actually sleepy.
'What could it be?'
He thought hard, and before he knew it, the car reached the underground parking lot.
"We've arrived."
"Thank you."
The three Kims got out of the car. The now-awake Sunhwa energetically set off at a dash. She made a beeline for the door connected to their house, saying she wanted to be the one to punch in the code.
"Me! Me! Me! I wanna put in the password!"
She punched in the numbers, squinting with concentration. Hyukjin stared right at Sunhwa's back.
"Darn! Wrong password. I messed up."
Sunhwa put in the password again. As Hyukjin watched her back, he opened his mouth.
"But you know…"
"What?"
Sunhwa looked back. Hyukjin stared at her.
"Who are you?"
"Huh?"
Hyukjin had once asked Sunhwa the same question.
–Who are you?
At that question, Sunhwa's body had twisted unnaturally, producing a strange cry. Hyukjin remembered that time again.
–I'll ask again. Who are you?
When he asked again, Sunhwa had only shrieked, incapable of responding.
'I thought it was just a side effect of descent.'
At that time, Hyukjin had drawn on Jackson's theory.
–There are times when temporary symptoms similar to possession show up due to a Guardian's descent. It has only been observed a few times on a global scale, and is said to disappear naturally on its own with time.
Which was why he thought it was a temporary side effect of descent.
'No.'
It didn't seem like that was just a side effect.
____Sunhwa tilted her head.
"Huh? Oppa? What's wrong?"
"Are you Sunhwa right now?"
She beamed. "Of course!"
Kim Ahyoung scowled, staring at Hyukjin. She stopped herself from asking what he was going on about. He didn't look like he was joking. Ahyoung held her silence, knowing her little brother wasn't the kind of person to spout nonsense.
"I do know the current you is Sunhwa."
"Come on, Oppa. What are you saying? Let's go eat chicken, chicken!"
Sunhwa clutched the hem of Hyukjin's clothes. He only looked at her in silence, unmoving. After a long stare, he opened his mouth.
"Are you a casper?"
That moment, Sunhwa's body flinched, and the surroundings began to freeze over. The parking lot ground and the opening car doors froze where they were. Ice crystals formed here and there.
And that moment, a Pause took effect. The world turned black and white.
'Pause?'
It was an expensive authority, and not one that wasn't casually used.
Sunhwa said, "Do you know me?"
"I do. You're an Intermediate Streamer. A casper."
They were an astral body Intermediate Streamer. No one knew what they looked like, since they were astral beings that had no form.
'An Intermediate Administrator who streams by possessing a Player.'
That was why this kind of Intermediate Administrator was commonly called a 'casper'. They weren't common, but there were definitely caspers out there.
'But if it's one that can produce this level of Cognitive Dissonance…'
It was likely the most infamous variant of casper, a top level evil spirit casper. Mankind called such Intermediate Administrators 'devil caspers' or 'devil Intermediate Administrators'.
"So you know. Interesting. You saw through my Cognitive Dissonance?"
"Some way or another."
"My my." Sunhwa put on a surprised face. "Did something happen in the US server?"
"…"
"I never imagined a beginner period Player would be able to see through my Cognitive Dissonance."
The expression and gestures were all subtly different from Sunhwa.
"I've been watching from the side, but you're really amazing. To the point that not being able to nab the exclusive contract with you is my eternal regret. How can a beginner period Player be like this?"
Sunhwa glanced behind herself.
"Senia. You're really lucky."
There was no response to his words. From this, Hyukjin realized yet another fact—the current Pause did not include other Intermediate Administrators, meaning Senia could watch.
"In any case, not much will change just because you found me out. You can carry on with your Playing, and Sunhwa can carry on with hers. Okay?"
Those words sounded right on a superficial level. He nodded, but on the inside, he was thinking something else.
'I'll move with the assumption that he's a devil Intermediate Administrator.'
Caspers weren't all bad. But there was a reason why some of them were called 'devils'.
'Evil astrals that ultimately want to steal the Player's body and participate in Playing.'
After such astrals stole the Players' bodies, they did whatever they pleased. It wasn't their body anyway, so they went all out extracting exciting content the Guardians would go wild for.
'That was how the Corpse Sorcerer Barteli died.'
Hyukjin had seen him in the auction hall.
'And…'
Another of Korea's 8 Heroes—
'The Enforcer of Commandments, Ban Kimyung.'
Barteli and Ban Kimyung had their bodies stolen by devil Intermediate Administrators and met early deaths. It was unsubstantiated, but there was also a rumor going around that the Astrologist Itachi also perished at the hands of a devil Intermediate Administrator.
'I'm not strong enough to oppose this casper right now.'
Caspers would only start attempting to steal Player bodies when they were in the 'master' period, which meant Players had to be at least that strong to satisfy caspers.
'Even if I can't do anything now…'
He would be able to later. Hyukjin was sure of that. He thought back to how Sunhwa had so bravely protected him with her body in the Tutorial Field.
In the blink of an eye, the girl returned to her usual self. She looked exactly the same, but her aura was ever so slightly different. The current Sunhwa was the "real" Sunhwa.
As he looked at her, Hyukjin thought, 'This time, I'll protect you.'
He would make sure no damn casper stole her body. At least he knew about it now. He could prepare for the events of the future in advance.
"Me finding out about you is unrelated to my Playing."
"Kim Hyukjin, I just knew you'd say that. You have a commendable attitude for Playing. Though it does make you look cold-blooded and emotionless."
Sunhwa snickered. Hyukjin concealed his thoughts completely.
"This child is a tank. All she needs to do is to fulfill her role as a tank."
"That's right. She's quite a genius in some aspects. A desirable Player."
A desirable Player. Hyukjin heard that as 'a desirable body'.
'I will protect you… no matter what.'
* * *
Translator – Lei
Proofreader – Ash
* * *
After returning home, Hyukjin chuckled upon finding a Yellow Charm hidden under his desk. Apparently, his sister was still making them.
'She really can't hide her tsundere side.'
He sat at the desk and called someone.
–Mr. Kim Hyukjin?
Hyukjin was planning on getting Senia to translate if necessary, but as expected of a competent info merchant, Pietro had a Translation Marble.
Hyukjin said, "Yes. There's something you want to ask me, right?"
The person who called was actually Hyukjin—he had business to discuss. He wanted to ask about the Dewinged Angel Statue Gate, but he didn't bring it up himself. Instead of being the one to take the bait, he lured the other party into biting. Sure enough, Pietro jumped at the lure.
–I heard something big happened in the LA Auction House.
–The rumors have spread that fast?
–I am an information merchant who deals in information, after all.
–Will it also become known around the world?
–Most likely not, I think.
The auction itself was held in secret, with only top Rankers and world-famous wealthy individuals taking part. It wasn't publicized.
–But Rankers have heard of it through the grapevine.
–I suppose people think my limbs were broken and I was completely deprived of my strength as a Player?
–Unfortunately, I have heard that, yes. Your name isn't known, just that it was a Taeguk Shield attendant.
A Taeguk Shield attendant participating in such an auction was a little strange, but everyone said the same thing, so Pietro could only believe it. However, the unnaturalness of the situation didn't escape Pietro.
'Everything about it is odd,' thought Pedro on the other side of the line.
The man in question was supposed to be a Taeguk Shield attendant, but no one remembered his face. Even his name wasn't known. On top of that, his existence was overshadowed by Xu Xin being deprived of his Player rights, so no one paid any heed to the 'attendant'. He became someone who no one paid attention to.
As if someone had intentionally made it that way.
'I have… a gut feeling.'
It was strange. There was a secret to be uncovered.
–If I may ask… are you in good health?
–I'm in extremely good condition. Of course, my abilities as a Player are entirely intact.
Pietro let out an unconscious cry of surprise.
'Then that means Michelle and Kim Hyukjin worked together to trick the other Rankers.'
The situation played out in Pietro's head. He pieced it all together from a single clue.
'They used an ability capable of fooling the others, and the two made a deal in secret. And in time, the Rankers will forget the attendant ever existed.'
Pietro didn't know what deal the two made, but even so, he was forced to renew his assessment of Kim Hyukjin.
'Michelle, the person who really did destroy Xu Xin's ability to Play, conceded to Kim Hyukjin.'
What did that mean?
'It must be because Kim Hyukjin is far more dangerous than Xu Xin.'
The sovereign Michelle judged that it was better to have Hyukjin as an ally, even at the cost of making an enemy of Xu Xin. Pietro was quick on the uptake.
–Looks like I need to keep this a secret. After all, that attendant who was destroyed by Michelle and the current Mr. Kim Hyukjin are completely different people. I don't know the old Kim Hyukjin. Nice to meet you, Mr. Kim Hyukjin.
Hyukjin grinned. Pietro was quick to understand. Hyukjin had given him some personal information. Since give and take was standard between information merchants, it was now time for Hyukjin to ask a question.
–You're still gathering raiders for the Dewinged Angel Statue Gate, correct?
–Yes.
Pietro answered without hiding it. He had gotten information, so it was only right for him to offer information of equivalent value.
–May I also participate?
–You?
–Yes. I've developed an interest in the gate.
–I would welcome a skilled Player such as yourself anytime. But there's a small problem.
–What kind of problem?
–I think I will be able to open the Dewinged Angel Statue Gate soon, but entry is restricted to 'Players with archery-related classes' or 'Players who have absorbed a Tome of the Divine Bow Physique'. Or people with the key, like me.
Pietro originally thought Hyukjin was an archer. But it turned out that he was just a 'sovereign who was good with the bow'. In any case, it meant his class was sovereign.
–In that case, it shouldn't be much of a problem.
–Aren't you a sovereign, Mr. Kim Hyukjin?
–I am.
Pietro thought for a moment.
–Can it be… that you have absorbed a Tome of the Divine Bow Physique?
–No.
Not yet, but he planned on doing it soon.
–Then how do you plan on entering?
–I think that's for me to figure out. May I bring a few people with me?
–How many?
–Two.
–May I ask who they are?
–Mark from the Michelle Division. And Korea's Hyun Junghwa.
The deal Hyukjin and Hyun Junghwa made was for her participation in the Gardens by the Bay Dungeon and the Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon. Even so, Hyukjin was certain she would agree to join the Dewinged Angel Statue Gate raid with him. If she didn't, he could make it so she would. That was Hyukjin's strength.
The line went silent.
–What's wrong? Are they not okay?
–N-No, not at all. The Dewinged Angel Statue Gate raid will take place in one week.
Pietro hung up.
'Hoo.'
He took a deep breath, leaning all the way back in his chair like a limp ragdoll.
"Kim Hyukjin. Just what… the hell is he?'
On his desk was a list of archers who had refused him. First on the list was Hyun Junghwa, and second was Mark. Both had refused his proposal.
'How did he convince them to join?'
Pietro began to suspect Hyukjin had some kind of powerful card that could tempt an archer. He wanted to know what that was. That knowledge would give him a lot of sway with archers moving forward.
'What could it be?'
He had no idea.
'I want to know.'
On the other side of the world, Kim Hyukjin made another call directly after hanging up with Pietro.
–Ms. Hyun Junghwa. Let's do a raid together. It's a new gate.
They had no prior arrangement, and he had nothing in particular to offer her. He simply planned on convincing her now.
–Very well. I'm looking forward to learning from you.
Convincing her was very easy.
Two days passed.
Having returned from the auction, Song Kiyeol went personally to Kim Hyukjin's house. To Hyukjin's amusement, the spoiled brat Song Jinchul was with him.
A spirited voice came from the other side of the door.
"Oi. Open up."
Hyukjin opened the door to find a helpless-looking Song Kiyeol and a confident-looking Song Jinchul.
____
In all actuality, Song Kiyeol was unable to render a good performance at the auction. Xu Xin's active interference made it so he only managed to score 3 items with a total of $4.5 million spent.
–You will earn at least $7 million even with what you've already purchased.
That was what Kim Hyukjin had told him. But what Hyukjin meant by $7 million was a little different from what Song Kiyeol thought.
'Not $7 million total…'
But $7 million each. And the buyer had come just yesterday. A person who introduced himself as an American investor showed up out of nowhere and asked to buy each item for $7 million, almost like it was scripted. It just happened, and Kiyeol was left feeling somewhat bamboozled.
'To think they were worth $7 million each.'
It seemed he had underestimated Kim Hyukjin's audacity. He was definitely not from a chaebol family, yet his thoughts were on a scale that utterly shocked a chaebol scion.
In any case, Kiyeol bought the items for $4.5 million and sold them for $21 million, raking in a $16.5 million profit in just 20 hours for a tidy earnings rate of $825k per hour.
Even his baby brother Song Jinchul had no choice but to acknowledge Kiyeol's overwhelming win. Jinchul lost the bet, but he was happy that Kim Hyukjin was now powerless. Despite allegedly coming to "apologize", he was clearly in high spirits.
Hyukjin raised a finger.
"Take one hit."
The older brother Song Kiyeol squeezed his eyes shut.
'It's time.'
What was to come had come. Hyukjin's index finger flicked Jinchul's forehead. He didn't even put much force in it, but Jinchul fell over with a shriek of pain and flailed on the ground.
"Ow ow owwww!"
Without even glancing at his little brother, Kiyeol scolded, "Don't be so dramatic." Then, he said to Kim Hyukjin, "You can hit him a little more."
"Well, my pet will do that for me."
The squirrel on Hyukjin's shoulder scrambled down and kicked the kid on the ground. It didn't look all that painful.
Hyukjin still saw it.
[A factor in a major variable.]
It meant this kid had created some kind of 'major variable'. He would probably find out what that was when his Eye of Perception or Observer's Eye proficiency increased.
"I told you not to cross the line," Hyukjin said.
"N-Ngh…!"
"Want another hit? Didn't you come here to apologize?"
When he raised his index finger again, Song Jinchul scrambled to get on his knees.
"I-I was wrong!"
He looked well and truly frightened. Upon realizing his own disgraceful state, Jinchul's face reddened.
'Just what the hell is going on?' He panicked. 'I thought he lost all his strength as a Player!'
And yet, Kim Hyukjin overpowered him with a single finger. And what was with that overwhelming aura? He hadn't felt so small even when he was crushed by fear due to Mettle before.
'I've definitely grown a lot since then!'
But it didn't matter.
'Just how!'
Song Jinchul lacked Pietro's insight and simply sat there in confusion. Song Kiyeol hauled him to his feet.
"Apologize properly."
"Come in for now. It's cold outside."
At Hyukjin's invitation, the two brothers entered the home. Hyukjin took a seat on the living room sofa. The center of Jinchul's forehead was swelling to the size of a small ping pong ball.
"What, wasn't able to defeat your hyung with your Discernment ability?"
"…"
Jinchul's body quivered.
"Did Hyung tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"That I have Discernment."
"You never told me that," interjected Kiyeol.
"…"
Jinchul's face reddened. "Then how does he know?"
"I don't know that either."
"Some guy took a peek at your little brother's ability and you're not mad?"
As expected of an 8th grader, he wasn't able to conceal his emotions.
Summary: Self-Proclaimed Chosen One who has Taken a Huge Blow to his Pride
His pride was as bruised as a fallen peach. Still, a promise was a promise.
Song Kiyeol urged, "Not going to apologize?"
"But…"
"Save the buts. If you're not going to apologize, I can't take responsibility for what'll happen next."
A little time passed. Jinchul brought his head down low.
"…ize."
"What did you say?"
"…logize."
The first part of "I apologize" was mumbled too quickly. Kiyeol coaxed him. "Say it properly."
"…I apologize."
Hyukjin shrugged. In the end, this willful brat lowered his head and said sorry.
"I don't usually accept empty apologies."
"…"
"But I'll let it go for today."
Jinchul was a 'factor in a major variable'. Until Hyukjin knew what that was, it was probably best to leave him as he was.
"So? Did you come here just to apologize?" asked Hyukjin.
"Ah, not just that…"
Song Kiyeol took out an item from his Inventory. Hyukjin recognized it.
The Ink Bow.
It couldn't quite be called an incredible artifact, but it was a black bow widely used through the intermediate period. Though it was a little on the heavy side, archers who had invested in their Strength could easily use it. Its damage and consecutive firing speed were fairly high.
In the past, the Master Pedro once said this about the Ink Bow:
–The Ink Bow appears to have a hidden secret. I am working to uncover that secret, but I haven't been successful yet.
In the end, he was unable to figure it out.
'In any case, it's a rare item in the current period.'
Hyukjin took it.
'Hm?'
The bow responded to his touch. From observing it with Observer's Eye, it seemed the bow was reacting to some kind of strength Hyukjin possessed.
'This feeling is…' With some concentration, he figured it out. 'I think it's responding to my fire ki.'
He didn't know exactly. How the Ink Bow was related to fire ki would take a little more investigation.
"It's a good item."
"Yes. I procured it with difficulty from the US."
"Thank you. It's a good gift."
Just then, Hyukjin's mother came back from visiting a friend. Lee Soohyun walked into the room.
"Goodness, who do we have here? Are you friends of Hyukjin?"
Soohyun didn't recognize the very famous Taeguk Shield guildmaster despite his many appearances on TV.
"H-Hello."
Song Kiyeol looked towards Kim Hyukjin, seemingly asking, 'Can I pretend to be your friend?' with his eyes. Hyukjin gave a brisk nod.
"Oh dear, just look at how harebrained I am. I'll at least cut you some fruit. Sit, sit. Hyukjin, you should've offered your guests something!"
Laughing merrily, Soohyun ran off to the kitchen. Her son who didn't have many friends had finally brought one home, an event that made her feel very happy.
"The more friends you have, the better. Here, here. Eat up."
She handed Song Kiyeol a fork with a slice of apple on it. He took it politely with an awkward smile.
"Ah. Thank you for the food, ma'am."
"I never thought our Hyukjin would bring friends home one day. What a rare occurrence. But how come I feel like I've seen you somewhere?"
Song Kiyeol was pretty good at acting. He didn't quite understand why he had to act, but he did so anyway, fearing that breaking the news that he was a business partner and not a friend would disappoint Hyukjin's mom, which would in turn earn Hyukjin's ire.
"It must be because I have a somewhat common face." He even threw in some flattery. "I see that Hyukjin is handsome because he takes after you."
Soohyun laughed with an, "Oh please, our son isn't that handsome!" But she didn't seem that displeased. On the contrary, she was very excited. A smile floated to Hyukjin's lips as he watched his happy mother. If he were to point out the best thing since returning to the past, it would be that he had his family with him, people who would rejoice with him and be sad with him over the smallest things.
"How did you get to know Hyukjin? I don't think I've ever seen you."
Song Kiyeol was quick on his feet. "We met over mutual friends and ended up becoming friends, haha! Hahaha!"
"Goodness, so that's how it is. Please get along with Hyukjin. He looks normal, but he doesn't have many friends and doesn't have a girlfriend. It's quite troubling."
"I will do my best to cherish our friendship, ma'am."
Song Kiyeol forked a slice of apple and offered it to Lee Soohyun in a show of deep courtesy.
"Please have a piece as well, ma'am. Next time, I will come bearing a gift."
The guildmaster of Korea's number 1 guild became extremely humble before Lee Soohyun. He almost looked like a new hire wagging his tail at his boss at an after-work party.
Hyukjin ate an apple slice.
'This is a good feeling.'
Song Kiyeol had earned a few points in Hyukjin's book today. And looking at Hyukjin's easy smile, Song Kiyeol was sure of one thing.
'This… is more effective than the Ink Bow.'
It seemed he would have to treat Mama Hyukjin well. The third gen chaebol Song Kiyeol realized exactly who he needed to flatter.
* * *
Translator – Lei
Proofreader – Ash
* * *
On the ride back home, Jinchul bit his lips.
"Why were you buttering up that auntie so much, Hyung?"
"Watch what you say."
"You're a chosen one, Hyung. So why are you acting like a eunuch to that commoner auntie?"
Jinchul's pride was once again painfully stubbed today.
"Song Jinchul. This is my last warning."
"…"
Kiyeol would have liked his baby brother to at least realize why Michelle went so far as to lie to side with Guildmaster Kim Hyukjin. But unfortunately, his baby brother couldn't understand his feelings at all. Put simply, he was too dumb.
"Think hard on why Michelle acted the way she did and why I'm acting the way I am."
"…"
"Did you hear me?"
"…I heard you," Jinchul said in a small voice. His big brother usually didn't get mad. Jinchul knew that very well. His brother was currently on the verge of getting very angry, so he shut his mouth.
'Dammit.'
Ever since this Kim Hyukjin bastard showed up, nothing seemed to go right. Grandpa also seemed to be fixated on Kim Hyukjin. There had to be some kind of reason why even his grandfather was paying so much attention to Kim Hyukjin, but the 8th grader Song Jinchul was unable to deduce that much.
'He even saw that I have Discernment.'
Kim Hyukjin did indeed have 'special eyes'.
'Which makes this bet a scam.'
That bastard went into the bet with eyes like that. Jinchul wanted to complain to his brother, but he was unable to. He did apologize to Kim Hyukjin, but it wasn't sincere.
'One day, I'll crush him no matter what.'
He resolved to do so in his heart, unaware that Kim Hyukjin had read him like an open book.
"He'll definitely act up one day. Don't you think, Kim Darong?"
Hyukjin was now in the habit of calling Darongi 'Kim Darong' as well. Darongi was putting out [♪♪] notes as he nibbled an acorn on top of Hyukjin's shoulder.
"I bet his pride got real beat up today, and that he'll get punished by his brother. And that brother of his will wag his tail at Mom again. How angry do you think that'll make him? It'll drive him nuts, right?"
[♪♪]
"A spoiled brat should grow up like a spoiled brat."
He wanted to know what that factor in a major variable was. The strange sensation of the world distorting all around the unaffected Song Jinchul was still vivid in his mind.
[♪♪]
"He'll be itching to crush me."
An elementary school kid brandishing a plastic knife wasn't at all threatening. That was exactly how Hyukjin saw Song Jinchul—a weak opponent he could play with, but had no reason to seriously fight. So he decided to keep watching, watching to see just how that 'factor in a major variable' would grow.
Some time passed.
Knock knock.
"Oppa, I'm here." Having just returned from a short trip out of the house with Ahyoung, Sunhwa chirped, "Let's go!"
"Alright."
Hyukjin got up. There was some preparation to do before he went into the Dewinged Angel Statue Gate.
____
Sunhwa was very happy.
"It's fun to go shopping with you!"
"Is it?"
"Didn't you also ask me to come with you because it's fun to go shopping with me?"
Hyukjin just chuckled.
'I brought you because you're strong and have good stamina.'
He kept those words to himself. It was true he was bringing Sunhwa along because of her strength and stamina, but he didn't want to shatter her fantasy. Being 14 must be a happy time. It had been too long since he was 14, so he didn't remember how it was.
"Take this for now."
"What is this?"
"Infinite Pouch."
"Ah! That thing you stole from that baddie named Xu Xin?"
It wasn't just the Infinite Pouch.
The Bucket Scrap.
The Old Book – 'Elegy'.
The Stuttgar Bottle.
And more.
He had fished a total of nine items from Xu Xin's Inventory, each and every one worth several hundred thousand dollars. The cheapest of them, the Bucket Scrap, was worth about $300k (by future standards, of course).
The most important thing was the Fountain Pen of Freedom, the item where only the destroyer of the Gray-Ringed Clear Crystal could activate the description. But it didn't seem like that was the only required condition.
[The 1st condition has been fulfilled.]
[Another condition must be fulfilled.]
[The other condition can be gained through the quest 'War Between Sky and Ground'.]
The item was wrapped in several layers of security. The amusing thing was that Hyukjin already knew about the 'War Between Sky and Ground'.
Pietro had once said this:
–The 'War Between Sky and Ground' is a quest closely linked to the 'Dewinged Angel Statue'. In the War Between Sky and Ground, we—the 'Kin of the Ground'—expected to be victorious. Up until 'that' betrayed us at the very last moment.
That was the tragedy where half of the Ranker-level archers were wiped out. Even though it had happened overseas, Hyukjin knew of it in relative detail.
'The War Between Sky and Ground scenario will soon begin.'
And it would happen in Italy. Hyukjin passed the Infinite Pouch to Sunhwa.
"We're going to buy a lot of stuff and put it in here. Take it."
"It's kinda heavy."
"Yeah."
They would fill it to the brim with provisions and blunt weapons, to the point that it would be very uncomfortable to lug around if you didn't have Sunhwa's level of physical prowess and stamina.
"Since it's an Infinite Pouch, can you put infinite stuff in there?"
"It should fit a ton of stuff."
Sunhwa caught on. "Are you bringing me along to be your packhorse?"
Despite being the same age as Song Jinchul, she was very perceptive. Sunhwa pouted her lips a little.
"Tch. Here I was, being happy for nothing."
"Well sorta. It's not the only reason. We'll also go around the mall a bit."
He wanted to do some preparation for clearing the Dewinged Angel Statue Gate. Sunhwa's mouth opened wide.
"Whoa. We're going to the mall?" Sunhwa got worked up at the mention of the mall. "I thought the mall is somewhere only the super duper rich people go to!"
Of course that wasn't true, but apparently, the mall was that kind of place for Sunhwa, who had once been so poor she couldn't even eat a single tonkatsu.
"I'm rich."
"Yeah, but it doesn't really feel real."
He grinned. When it came down to it, Sunhwa also had the ability to easily become very rich. But it seemed Sunhwa wasn't cognizant of that, nor did she seek wealth.
'I will… be careful with the casper,' Hyukjin thought while looking at his innocent sister.
He would bide his time, growing a little stronger. He wouldn't let the happiness he had gained from returning to the past slip through his fingers. It might sound a little high-flown to say this, but he wanted to protect her the way she was now. Because she was family to him now.
'In order to protect my joys, I need power.'
Hyukjin moved forward.
"Let's go."
But Sunhwa halted behind him.
"Oppa. Something's in the Infinite Pouch! No wonder it was so heavy!"
"What's in there?"
A smile exploded onto Sunhwa's face. "It's money! Wow! There's so much money!"
Her smile grew bigger, stretching from ear to ear.
"I'm rich now!" She giggled uncontrollably. "How much is all this?!"
That day, Sunhwa became a very happy millionaire.
"I'm RICH~!"
* * *
Translator – Lei
Proofreader – Ash
* * *
One week passed after that.
The archers Pietro had recruited were waiting in the square in front of a famous tourist attraction of Italy, the Castel Sant'Angelo.
"The gate is opening here, right?"
"Yeah."
"Who's gonna be the party leader?"
"Pietro, but only temporarily. Once the clear really gets going, we'll pick a new one by voting."
"That's unusual."
"It is, yeah."
Normally, the party leader was chosen before going in. A commander and leader was necessary for clear efficiency. In that respect, Pietro's decision was a little illogical.
"There must be some sort of reason behind it."
"Oh. Look over there."
Someone pointed into the sky.
"Is it a monster?"
"Everyone prepare for battle!"
Something appeared in the sky—a large monster with the body of a lion and the face of an eagle. At the same time, the sculptures on the stone bridge connected to the Castel Sant'Angelo began to move, grating along the stone.
[The main quest of the 'Ash-Covered Castle of Angels', the 'War Between Sky and Ground', has begun.]
Like the Tutorial Field, the area was isolated from its surroundings. Hyukjin looked up into the sky.
'It's the same as the past.'
The same scenario had come up in the past, but this time, there was the variable called 'Kim Hyukjin'. Pietro also looked skyward.
'Kim Hyukjin was right.'
It would be more precise to say that Ham Sohyun, Korea's Precognitive Dreamer, was right.
'Ham Sohyun's precognitive ability, and Kim Hyukjin's situational judgment…'
How bright would they really shine?
'And…'
Would it really go as Kim Hyukjin intended? Pietro decided to see for himself. If things went as Kim Hyukjin said they would, he could become a leader no one here would oppose.
Just yesterday, Kim Hyukjin had told him, "I will be the party leader."
"There may be intense pushback."
"I know. I'm too unknown." Kim Hyukjin said firmly, "If things go as I say once the War Between Sky and Ground begins, I will become the party leader."
"Why do you want to be the party leader?"
Didn't Kim Hyukjin normally dislike exposing himself?
"Hard to say."
He responded like this:
"I suppose I just don't want to see people die in the same party as me."
And thus, came this moment. For now, Kim Hyukjin was 'half' right. Ham Sohyun's precognitive ability was precise. Pietro shivered.
'That Precognitive Dreamer… is terrifying.'
Pietro was shocked that there was someone in Taeguk Shield capable of such a precise precognitive dream. He was once again reminded of the might of Korea's representative guild, Taeguk Shield.
[The main quest of the 'Ash-Covered Castle of Angels', the 'War Between Sky and Ground', has begun.]
Pietro didn't get a precognitive note or anything. He was only told what Ham Sohyun said via Kim Hyukjin. Pietro stared at the Korean man.
'Even before this quest was triggered, he knew the location, as well as the name and the approximate details.'
Almost all of them had been correct. Just what kind of person was this Ham Sohyun? Just what kind of monsters were swarming in Korea?
'I need… to study Korea more.'
An Irregular of unimaginable proportions called Kim Hyukjin was in Korea, something Michelle acknowledged as well. She took Kim Hyukjin's side, going as far as to scam other Rankers to do so. Kim Hyukjin was already overwhelming, yet there was even a monster like Ham Sohyun. It was enough to make Pietro reassess Korea altogether.
'I heard the average level of Players there isn't all that outstanding, but…'
That was just the average level. It was a whole nother story when it came to the top Players. The top Players would end up leading the world anyway. In that regard, Korea had terrifyingly high potential.
'Looks like… I'll need to visit Korea in person.'
* * *
One day before.
After arriving in Italy, Hyukjin called Song Kiyeol.
–May I sell Miss Ham Sohyun's name a little?
–Miss Ham Sohyun?
–I know the rough details about the Dewinged Angel Statue Gate. Thanks to my special eyes.
To be honest, it was because he was a regressor.
–But I don't have a convincing justification for my knowledge.
–Understood.
Song Kiyeol gave his permission. In fact, there was nothing to deliberate. This was an opportunity for Ham Sohyun. The archers Pietro had gathered from all over the world were cream of the crop in the archer class. They were all people with significant influence in one part of society, whether big or small. Spreading Ham Sohyun's name among them was a good opportunity.
Song Kiyeol made a proposal.
–For it to make most sense, I think it would be best to say you are a guild member of Taeguk Shield.
Hyukjin grinned. Apparently, Song Kiyeol wanted to use this chance to publicly state that an archer named 'Kim Hyukjin' was a part of Taeguk Shield.
–That's a good idea.
Hyukjin didn't have much to lose from the proposal. Thus, the deal between the two was established. Ham Sohyun, of course, gave her enthusiastic consent.
And one day later, at the point during which Kim Hyukjin was participating in the 'War Between Sky and Ground', Ham Sohyun sought out her guildmaster.
"Guildmaster Song."
"Yes?"
"Would it be at all possible for me to meet that person?"
"You mean Kim Hyukjin?"
"Yes."
"How come?"
After a moment of thought, Ham Sohyun said, "I have a lot of precognitive dreams. But the scenes are only clear when I have dreams related to him, and I can also write an extremely concrete precognitive note."
"…"
"That's why I'm curious. Just who is he, to make me have such a powerful precognitive dream?"
"Is there some reason why you have powerful precognitive dreams about him?"
Playing could not be explained by science. Oftentimes, some things could only be explained by the Player's sense of how it was, just like now. Ham Sohyun explained the reason she had come up with.
"The future is continually changed by many factors. Almost like a living creature."
"Right."
Even the tiniest variable could greatly change the future. Song Kiyeol was well aware of that, too.
"If a precognitive dream has a clear future…"
"Then it must mean there aren't many variables," Song Kiyeol finished.
"Yes," said Ham Sohyun. "A future with markedly fewer variables. A future that seldom changes. That is what I see."
"You're saying that's how it is when you have a dream related to Kim Hyukjin, correct?"
"Yes. I think we can interpret this as Guildmaster Kim Hyukjin being a factor of such powerful immutability that he isn't shaken by minor variables." Ham Sohyun's expression became a little more serious. "And the really important thing is…"
Ham Sohyun was lying in the VIP hospital room that had been set up in the Taeguk Shield HQ, paralyzed and almost completely incapable of moving her body. She briefly closed her eyes.
"As you know, Guildmaster Song, Precognitive Dream is a terribly ambiguous ability, so it's often not possible to know who you're dreaming about."
Even for strong precognitive dreams that resulted in a precognitive note, the notes were often discarded because the dreamer didn't know whose future it was.
Song Kiyeol understood what Ham Sohyun was saying.
"Do you mean that if it's a dream related to Guildmaster Kim, you can clearly discern that it's about him?"
Ham Sohyun gave a nod. That was the limit of her mobility. The movement was small, but that was the greatest agreement she could physically express.
"That person… is special. Truly."
She wanted to meet him at least once. Maybe if she met him, she would be able to see something else.
"Please let me meet him."
* * *
Meanwhile, Kim Hyukjin began participating in the War Between Sky and Ground.
'Let's get started, shall we?'
His goal wasn't just to kill the enemies.
'I will lead these guys.'
An opportunity to command world-level Rankers like this was rare. It was a fairly good situation for an Observer like himself. Hyukjin ran through the plan in his head.
'Okay.'
Just as he had always done.
'I will set the stage.'
He looked up at the monsters in the sky. The supporting actors were descending.
____
The monsters that appeared in the sky had lion bodies and eagle heads.
"It's as Miss Ham Sohyun said."
Monsters would descend from the sky, and they would be winged creatures with the bodies of a four-legged beast. That was exactly what was happening now. Of course, this "prophecy" was cobbled together by Kim Hyukjin based on his memory of the past.
"Yes. But let's save the amazement for later. The Players are shaken up."
There were roughly thirty Players here, most of them archers. Some knew Hyukjin, and some didn't.
Most of the people who survived this would become top Rankers. And half would die… if the raid went as it had in Hyukjin's past. Pietro took a step forward.
"The quest's name is the War Between Sky and Earth."
Monsters were descending from the sky, and the sculptures were moving on the ground. The eyes of the sculptures on the stone bridge glowed purple.
Pietro continued speaking. "We don't know how to clear this quest. We lack an outstanding sovereign, and we don't have an explorer, either."
Of course, there were sovereigns here. One was Kim Hyukjin, and the other was Schultz, a dual-class Player from Germany whose main class was archer and subclass was sovereign.
"However, we have a prophecy from Taeguk Shield foreseeing this situation. Based on that information, we need to take the sculptures' side in this war. I believe this information to be considerably reliable. I think it would be best to progress by hunting the monsters in the sky."
This was coming from the information merchant Pietro. His words had sway. The archers peered up into the sky.
____
Gryphon LVL 36
____
Flying creatures were tricky foes, but the monsters weren't so strong that they couldn't be defeated. Pietro quickly continued.
"Because a new quest was triggered even before the gate opened, we didn't have a chance to assign a party leader who will represent and lead us."
There needed to be a party leader to take the reins anyway. Hyukjin knew who the original party leader was—the German Player, Schultz.
In the past, Pietro said this:
–Schultz was an outstanding Player. If he had survived that place, he may have developed into a Player who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Michelle and Salvatore.
Schultz was supposed to die here. He took responsibility for his decisions and bravely perished while silently helping the other Players escape. Everyone who survived the gate expressed their admiration for Schultz.
'A person who takes responsibility for his decisions.'
That was what Hyukjin knew about Schultz.
"As the person with the most information, I will temporarily assume party lead," said Pietro. "I think we should pick the party leader once this quest is over."
There was no time to say more. The Gryphons circling in the sky were ready to plunge and were spewing bloodthirst towards the 'earth'.
"According to my information, we belong to the 'earth'. We need to fight the enemies that belong to the 'sky'. At least in this field."
The archers agreed with him. They believed Pietro was naturally the most informed person here and decided to follow his instructions.
Everyone took out their bows. The arms of the sculptures on the bridge moved. Stones made of mana formed on their palms, and then, they hurled the stones like they were catapults.
Whumpf–!
The stones hurtled into the sky. One of the Gryphons was struck by the barrage.
Kwak!
The Gryphon squawked with rage and plunged downwards.
"Fire!"
The archers fired in unison. No one used flashy skills or powerful attacks—they all used basic attacks.
Hyukjin liked what he saw.
'They're definitely Ranker quality.'
They intentionally used compact and easy attacks so as to not interfere with each others' trajectories. Even with just basic attacks, the Players would have no problem blocking a single assailant.
Normally, that is.
'If that monster wasn't a Gryphon.'
But Gryphons were monsters with a special barrier that blocked normal attacks. Only attacks imbued with mana could deal damage to them.
'The Players will quickly realize that.'
If they couldn't even figure that out, they weren't Ranker material.
'I know they'll quickly catch on, but…'
Even so, Hyukjin intended on taking action here, with the goal of assuming party leadership for this raid. Schultz was an admirable Player, but in the end, the raid was defeated under his leadership, with nearly half of the Players killed.
'That might not change… even if I lead.'
But he was still fairly confident. Hyukjin was armed with knowledge of the future and was stronger than the others. Half of the Players may have died in the past, but that also meant half had survived even without Hyukjin's presence.
'This time… a regressor is here.'
That alone meant they would be able to pull off a far better clear than in the past.
'Most importantly, I have the [Angel Statue's Wings].'
In his Inventory was the item he had gotten by clearing the Wind Temple with Hyun Junghwa, an item he was certain would play a key role in this gate.
'I will save who I can save and get everything I can get.'
That was why he was here.
[Using the special skill Flash Step.]
Thanks to the Grudge Inmyeonjo, he already had experience facing a flying monster. It was a lot easier this time. Hyukjin rushed forward with Flash Step, landing on the Gryphon's neck and plunging his sword directly in the Gryphon's skull.
Splurt!
His transcendent sword went in like a hot knife through butter. The Gryphon crashed onto the ground, briefly thrashing before dying with a body full of arrows.
In this gathering of archers, Hyukjin purposely showed a shocking technique like Flash Step and killed a Gryphon using a sword.
'I'm sure that got their attention.'
Hyukjin didn't have any fame to his name. If he wanted these people to obey and follow him, his only choice was to prove his skill. So for starters, he drew their attention.
And then, he gave the signal.
"Junghwa. Mark." Hyun Junghwa and Mark were standing behind him. "Cover me."
"Okay."
"Understood."
* * *
Translator – Lei
Proofreader – Ash
* * *
Now that Hyukjin had their eyes, he needed to begin the real work. He had to produce a scene impressive enough to garner the heartfelt acknowledgement of top Rankers in the archer class.
'I've produced plenty of scenes for the Guardians.'
Producing scenes for Players was even easier. Hyukjin pulled out the Ink Bow.
Hyukjin knew Ahn Seohye's altered incantation, the incantation uttered not to protect and revive, but to destroy and eliminate. They were the words Seohye had unconsciously manifested in the past.
The incantation uttered by a Barrier Magician resolved to martyr.
She subtly changed the 'Incantation of Salvation' conceived by Hyukjin, deploying her Nemesis Doom Barrier with all her soul and might in order to kill the Fire Giants.
'It's the perfect incantation for the current situation.'
Hyukjin kicked off his production—one made for Rankers and not for Guardians—with that incantation. His eyes turned crimson red.
On the other side of the world, at the DMC Riverview Xi, the Guardian Tower Ahn Seohye standing in the middle of the crosswalk was struck with a strange feeling. She suddenly recalled fighting the Fire Giants. All she could do was think or murmur to herself.
'One who trusts even without seeing shall die even in life.'
Thinking back on it, it was different from the incantation Hyukjin had uttered. His incantation had ended with 'live even in death'.
'What came after that?'
She didn't remember the exact lines that followed.
'Why did I suddenly remember this?'
An elementary school kid crossing the road looked up at Ahn Seohye.
"Mom. Look over there."
"Why?"
"Over there. The red eye is shaking a bunch!"
Seohye was deep in recollection and didn't hear the kid.
'I think it was lacerating something something after that.'
The incantation Seohye couldn't remember reappeared in the world through Hyukjin's lips.
"Thus shall I sublimate thy lacerating suffering into eternal peace."
He uttered the final lines that Seohye had spoken with tears of blood running down her cheeks.
[You who has killing intent.]
[I command thee. Return to thy eternal slumber.]
With that, the complete opposite of the Incantation of Salvation was completed.
[You have partially succeeded in uttering the Will Incantation.]
At the same time, red mana began to ripple from Hyukjin's body. Junghwa and Mark stood next to him and provided cover. He had told them in advance that this would happen.
Mark fired his bow into the sky while covering Kim Hyukjin.
'What is he doing?'
He saw red mana rippling out of Hyukjin's body, but he didn't know what the man was preparing. The terrible bloodthirst he felt from that red mana made him shiver. Just standing next to Hyukjin made the hairs on his body stand on end.
'But… that's not all.'
Mark had the feeling that intense bloodthirst was fused with something else. This was just his gut feeling, a deduction born entirely out of a Player's intangible intuition.
'I think… this is fire energy.'
Mark wasn't the only one who felt it. Junghwa felt the same thing. She felt the same kind of mana she sensed from fire attribute Players.
The person in question, Kim Hyukjin, felt it as well.
He had the feeling he had taken one step closer to the secret that had remained hidden in the Ink Bow all this time.
'The Ink Bow is responding to a power I possess.'
The Ink Bow in Hyukjin's hands began to change.
____
Hyukjin heard a notice.
[Confirming the presence of pure flame energy within the body.]
Athenae's energy was mixed into the bloodthirst he had amplified with Will Incantation. On top of that—
[Confirming the presence of a physique imprinted with the 'Tome of the Divine Bow Physique'.]
Before coming here, Hyukjin used the Tome of the Divine Bow Physique, the item directly sponsored by the Night of Shooting Stars. With it, Hyukjin imbued a special attribute in his body called the 'Divine Bow Physique'.
[Perceiving powerful flame energy imprinted within the Divine Bow Physique.]
Hyukjin knew what this was.
In the past, he was briefly given the 'Blackfire Bow' by the Night of Shooting Stars to use. It appeared that his Divine Bow Physique remembered the blackfire that had billowed from that bow.
Will Incantation.
Pure flame energy.
Divine Bow Physique.
The Blackfire Bow's mana wavelength, engraved in his body.
These four factors came together, and—
[Analyzing the mana wavelength with Observer's Eye.]
He oversaw and contemplated it all with Observer's Eye.
'Is this how you do it?'
[Overlaying the Divine Bow Physique's mana on the Ink Bow.]
Hyukjin did everything by instinct.
[Generating a temporary Blackfire Bow.]
[The Blackfire Bow's base item is the Ink Bow.]
A new item was generated with the Ink Bow as a base—a Blackfire Bow temporarily given shape through the power of the Divine Bow Physique.
'Using a standard item as a base… to create a new item.'
It was a completely new concept that hadn't existed in the past. And yet, he had just started pulling it off by instinct. A Guardian who normally didn't interrupt Plays sent a message.
[The 'Night of Shooting Stars' is very satisfied.]
Guardians avoided sending messages like this in the middle of a Play. It was pretty much a tacit rule between Guardians. The reason humanity came up with to explain why was that other Guardians disliked such messages because they disrupted the flow.
In any case, Hyukjin remembered the Blackfire Bow's item description word for word.
[Blackfire Bow]
Of the types of flames, there is redfire, which is consumed by bluefire, which is in turn consumed by blackfire. The Blackfire Bow bears the authority of blackfire. It can only be wielded by someone who has the highest grade of affinity for the fire attribute in addition to an innate talent for the archer class.
*The Blackfire Bow will decide for itself whether someone is qualified to wield it.
The bow was activated using mana. But the one he had now felt even more comfortable in his hand than the one from before.
'Because of Athenae's flames.'
After absorbing Athenae's flames, his fire affinity was higher than when he first used the Blackfire Bow, and his talent for the archer class had also been boosted.
Dark flames blazed on the Ink Bow in Hyukjin's hand. He drew the bowstring.
'It eats up a lot of mana.'
He wouldn't be able to manifest the bow for long. It put too much burden on the body.
'There's my target.'
Hyukjin aimed at a Gryphon surrounded by dozens of other Gryphons.
'I'll aim for the forehead.'
All of this happened in a matter of seconds. From the Will Incantation to firing, everything took less than three seconds. An arrow enveloped in blackfire went whistling off.
Mark's eyes widened.
'That's an arrow?'
It seemed more like a light beam than an arrow.
'Magic?'
And it was imbued with powerful mana.
'How did he put that much mana in it?'
The result was shocking. The arrow found its mark on the Gryphon's forehead and killed it on the spot. Black flames enveloped the beast, instantly disintegrating it. Those flames then burst out, spreading from target to target. A single wisp of flame was more than enough to kill.
Pietro witnessed it, too.
'The flames… are swallowing the Gryphons.'
With a single arrow.
'He hunted seventeen Gryphons. With a single shot.'
It was true that Mark and Hyun Junghwa had covered him, allowing him to prepare a big attack. But even so, this was an unreal feat. Regardless of requiring cover, this single blow was far too strong.
'And his main class is sovereign.'
Hyukjin fired yet another arrow, hunting another thirteen Gryphons with it. He killed three Gryphons instantly with one arrow, and the other ten were burned to death by the black flames that spread from the arrow.
Goosebumps rose all over Pietro's body.
'He's this strong and he's not world famous?'
From an information merchant's perspective, that was even more terrifying. This man was thoroughly concealing his true self.
'I need to make sure people keep their mouths shut.'
Pietro didn't forget his duty. He had already agreed to this situation with Kim Hyukjin.
'Was this why he was so confident?'
Of course he would be, when he was armed with such a powerful ability.
'It wouldn't be strange at all if he were elected party leader.'
Everyone here would agree to that. Everything went as Kim Hyukjin had devised. Before long, all of the Gryphons were killed, resulting in a notice.
[The main quest of the 'Ash-Covered Castle of Angels', the 'War Between Sky and Ground', has resulted in Ground's victory.]
[Break time will be granted to the 'Kin of the Ground'.]
[Rewards will be granted to the 'Kin of the Ground'.]
The sculptures that had been pelting the Gryphons snapped back to their original places, and the briefly isolated field was once again connected to the outside world.
Pietro stepped forward.
"I'm sure everyone saw it."
After all, Kim Hyukjin had produced this situation. All that was left now was to elect him as the party leader. However, Kim Hyukjin suddenly interrupted him.
* * *
Translator – Lei
Proofreader – Ash
* * *
"I overexerted myself by drawing on my lifeforce. I think I need a little rest as a result."
Hyukjin fell forward and was caught by Junghwa. Pietro faltered, failing to comprehend.
'Eh?'
This wasn't in the script.
'Wasn't he supposed to become the party leader here?'
That was what they had agreed on.
'What's going on?'
But as expected of an info merchant, Pietro caught on quickly. Kim Hyukjin was acting, using a fairly reasonable excuse like 'I overexerted myself by drawing on my lifeforce'.
As Junghwa propped him up, Hyukjin let his head slump down as if he lacked the strength to lift it. But as he bowed his head, he was smiling.
'This is good.'
Notices rang in Hyukjin's ears.
[A non-archer has been chosen as the MVP in the 'War Between Sky and Ground'.]
[Non-archers will be permitted to enter the 'Ash-Covered Castle of Angels'.]
Only Hyukjin heard the words.
"Pietro. I have something to discuss with you."
Thirty minutes of 'regrouping time' were granted by the System. Slumping on the ground like a limp ragdoll, Hyukjin called Pietro.
When Pietro sat down next to him, Hyukjin said very quietly, "Please call Salvatore, I mean Chiellini."
The War God Salvatore was already a famous sovereign in Italy. It would become very easy to direct the archers.
"But Chiellini is a sovereign."
"It's now possible for non-archers to enter as well. If you have the key, go ahead and check it."
Pietro hurriedly checked his Inventory.
[Gold Key – Dewinged Angel Statue]
An item that opens the gate into the field 'Dewinged Angel Statue'.
'The description changed!'
Originally, there was a condition saying 'Only archer Players can enter'. But that was gone now.
"You're right."
"I don't think there's any Player better for a group battle than Chiellini. He's probably nearby."
"Chiellini is? Why?"
"He told me he wanted to go into this gate."
"He told you that?"
"Yes. So I told him he should try to come in if he can, and he said he would stay nearby."
Pietro didn't ask why Chiellini wanted to participate. After witnessing Kim Hyukjin's prowess for himself, Pietro could fully understand how Chiellini felt.
"And if Chiellini comes in, Vela will probably come in as well."
"Will that… really happen?"
"Yes, it will."
Pietro just stared at Hyukjin for a moment before asking, "How many Players of your level are there in Korea?"
"Find that out on your own."
"…Understood."
Pietro was sure of it.
'He intentionally stationed Chiellini in this area.'
Pietro didn't know what kind of deal the two made, but he suspected Hyukjin had planned this in advance. He was half right. It was true that Chiellini (Salvatore) himself wanted to participate, but Kim Hyukjin also asked him to stay near the Castel Sant'Angelo.
And that was because of the Astrologist Itachi's prophecy.
A meeting occurs before the cornerstone of an ash-covered temple.
If they meet as enemies, so shall a conflagration of hell commence.
If they meet as friends, so shall the hymn of heaven ring.
As always, precognitive notes were vague and ambiguous. Back then, Hyukjin thought the prophecy was referring to the temple in Pompeii. But upon further thought, he had the feeling it wasn't.
This quest had stated it outright: standing before them was the 'Ash-Covered Castle of Angels'.
If that 'meeting' was a meeting with Salvatore, and what he thought back then was correct—
A meeting occurs before the cornerstone of an ash-covered temple.
If they meet as friends, so shall the hymn of heaven ring.
—then the hymn of heaven would ring. Heaven literally referred to the 'above the sky', and it also matched the War Between Sky and Ground main quest.
Vela came running over.
"Hyukjin! Take me! Take me too!"
Next to him was Salvatore. Two reliable reinforcements had come. The archers cheered upon recognizing Vela and Salvatore.
Schultz, the person who was supposed to have become party leader before Hyukjin jumped in, naturally did not oppose when Hyukjin proposed—with pleasure—to have Salvatore assume the party leader position. Salvatore accepted.
The Italian sovereign said quietly, "Do you intend on setting me up as a front?"
"Yes."
"Which means you're using me."
"Am I not allowed to?"
"It's not that you're not allowed to…" Salvatore trailed off, rendered speechless by how easily Hyukjin had admitted it. "I'll be your front, but… please give me your full assistance."
"Got it."
"…I will use this opportunity to learn a lot from you. Hyukjin."
Salvatore felt more at ease than usual.
'This feels great.'
Knowing someone better than him was supporting him made the responsibility feel lighter than usual. Also, he would be able to learn a great deal from Kim Hyukjin again, something he was happy about.
Thirty minutes passed.
[The 'regrouping time' granted by the System has ended.]
Pietro took out the Gold Key.
'I can activate the gate by finding the place where this key reacts.'
He had already found that spot in advance. It was across the bridge near the Castel Sant'Angelo.
[Generating the 'Ash-Covered Castle of Angels'.]
That moment, the entire field changed. Just like with the Tutorial Field, the world turned red.
[A crack has formed in the 'Ash-Covered Castle of Angels'.]
[The field will cease to be if the 'Ash-Covered Castle of Angels' collapses.]
[In order to stop the crack in the 'Ash-Covered Castle of Angels' from spreading, the entrance to the 'Dewinged Angel Statue' must be opened.]
[The quest 'Clear the Dewinged Angel Statue Gate!' has been generated.]
Pietro had come all this way for this quest.
"I will now activate the key," he said.
He activated the Gold Key.
[The entrance to the 'Dewinged Angel Statue' is opening.]
____