< Episode 17. SSS-Class Talent (1) >
I frowned at Yoo Joonghyuk's words.
Move east immediately?
I saved him, and now he's giving me orders?
Before I could reply, irritation rising, Yoo Joonghyuk continued.
—The 'Disaster of Questions' is waking up.
…What?
Perhaps frustrated by how slow I was to understand, Yoo Joonghyuk frowned as he spoke.
—Someone is awakening the disasters.
A short while later, Han Sooyoung and I were heading toward Gangdong District, leaving Lycaon behind, still immersed in his enlightenment.
And at tremendous speed.
"Is it really okay to just leave that wolf behind?"
"The Imuntar tribe can sense the owner of the Tiger Talisman. Once he wakes up, he'll come find us on his own. More importantly—"
I glanced sideways at Han Sooyoung running beside me.
"Can't you carry him instead? You could just use your avatar."
"No way."
With a look of utter disgust, Han Sooyoung instantly pulled ahead of me.
"Didn't you just say Yoo Joonghyuk might not be such a bad guy?"
"That's that, and this is this. Could you carry the guy who slit your throat?"
When you put it that way, I couldn't really argue.
Yoo Joonghyuk contacted me through [Midday Tryst].
—You can leave me. I don't need help.
—Don't put on airs. I might really dump you and go.
Since I was carrying him, I couldn't see his expression.
—When will you be able to move on your own?
—Two days.
—Once you recover, you're going to kill me, right?
I asked half-jokingly, but the bastard didn't reply, which only made me uneasy.
I deliberately slowed my pace.
—If you're going to be like that, I can't help you. How am I supposed to trust and help someone who wants to kill me? Make an [Existence Oath]. Swear you won't kill me until this round ends, and I'll help you.
—I can't do that.
What a cheap bastard.
—Then at least swear you won't harm me until the fifth scenario ends. If you can't even do that, I really can't help you.
After a moment of deliberation, Yoo Joonghyuk replied.
—I swear.
Unexpectedly, Yoo Joonghyuk agreed without much resistance.
An Existence Oath. A restriction one places upon oneself.
A cold, flame-like aura rose from Yoo Joonghyuk's body and burrowed toward his heart. If he were to break the oath, that blue flame would burn his heart away. Just as I was starting to feel relieved, Yoo Joonghyuk spoke again.
—I won't kill you. But…
—But?
—I'll hit you once.
—What?
I froze for a moment. He's talking about hitting me, at a time like this?
—Is this about what happened two days ago?
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't answer again.
I knew it. It would've been strange if Yoo Joonghyuk let it go so easily.
—…Just one hit. But take it easy, got it?
Yeah. If taking one hit could mend my relationship with Yoo Joonghyuk, maybe that wasn't such a bad deal.
At least now, I wouldn't be killed in a single blow by him.
Not long after, we crossed Cheongdam Bridge and entered Gwangjin District.
I could feel the surrounding ecosystem gradually changing.
Between the foul-smelling streets, unfamiliar plants were sprouting, and the stench of rotting corpses was being replaced by the reek of monster excrement.
I could see massive plant stalks rising from the ground, coiling around nearby high-rise buildings.
[Grade-7 Plant Species, 'Yanaspreta', is wary of you.]
As Han Sooyoung reached for her weapon, I spoke.
"Don't move rashly. As long as we don't attack first, we'll be fine."
"…Aren't things like that supposed to suddenly lash out with tentacle attacks?"
"That's only in comics. They're docile. Just be careful not to step on their roots."
From atop a building, the head of a sunflower-like plant rolled its eye, tracking our movements. It looked frightening, but in truth, it was a gentle monster. Still, that didn't mean the situation was optimistic.
Plant-type monsters were originally creatures that only crossed over after the [Great Hall] had fully opened.
"Looks like Chronos's terraforming has begun."
Terraforming.
The fifth scenario was, at its core, a clash between worlds.
Humanity fighting against invading otherworlds.
Just as Seoul was being eroded by Chronos, China was likely being eroded by the 'Third Murim Realm,' and Japan by the 'Hundred Demon Realm .'
Han Sooyoung, who was scouting the area with her avatar, said,
"It's nothing but monster nests everywhere. Damn it."
"If the disasters are waking up, the terraforming would speed up too."
"Just who the hell is awakening the disasters?"
"Someone like you, probably. You woke up the Fire Dragon race too, remember?"
Han Sooyoung puckered her lips.
"…That one was kind of worth it, wasn't it?"
"Back then, the mid-grade dokkaebi placed a penalty on the Fire Dragon race. And it was worth doing. Don't talk trash just because you weren't the one who killed it."
"Won't there be a penalty this time too? If we defeat a weakened disaster, wouldn't that actually benefit us?"
"The 'Disaster of Questions' is different. Penalties are meaningless against it. And it's questionable whether the dokkaebi would even impose one."
We moved quickly, avoiding the monster colonies. All over the streets, packs of mole-crickets and grolls were tearing apart corpses.
Judging by the traces of destroyed monsters, Yoo Joonghyuk must have forced his way through this route to reach me.
Covering this much distance in that condition… Yoo Joonghyuk really was something else.
I spoke to Yoo Joonghyuk.
—There's something I'm curious about.
—...
—Why did you come looking for me? Honestly, in that state, I thought you'd just kill yourself right away.
—Suicide? Don't be ridiculous.
If this guy had seen his own future in the 8th regression, he wouldn't be saying something like that.
But the voice that followed caught me off guard.
—If I were the type to give up that easily, I wouldn't have started this journey in the first place.
For the first time in a long while, the feelings I'd had when I first read Ways of Survival came back to me. Maybe Han Sooyoung was right. The "Yoo Joonghyuk" I'd always believed I knew was someone who gave up easily, killed people easily—a Yoo Joonghyuk whose mind had been worn down by endlessly repeated tragedies.
But the Yoo Joonghyuk of the 3rd regression wasn't like that yet.
Maybe I didn't actually know the Yoo Joonghyuk of the 3rd regression very well at all.
[Your understanding of the character 'Yoo Joonghyuk' has increased.]
After a brief pause, Yoo Joonghyuk spoke again.
—You were the only one who came to mind right away. Someone capable of destroying the 'Absolute Throne'—I thought you might be of some help.
—You're not going to complain about me breaking the throne?
—I don't want to argue about things that are already in the past. And honestly, it made me uncomfortable too. You destroyed it to exclude the 'Outer God,' didn't you?
—…You knew?
I was honestly surprised. I'd never spoken this openly with Yoo Joonghyuk before.
Cool aside—was this guy always this sharp?
Yoo Joonghyuk continued.
—To be honest, I didn't think it was a bad method. The problem came after that. When you destroyed the throne, all the guides scattered, and collecting the meteorites became difficult. That's also why the terraforming of Gwangjin and Gangdong accelerated. The Wanderers are using the power of the meteorites.
—What are you talking about? Just using meteorites wouldn't speed up terraforming.
—One of the Ten Evils has obtained a 'Disaster Meteorite.'
The Ten Evils. My heart sank at those words.
I'd expected it—but hearing it confirmed was another matter entirely.
—Don't tell me it's Dokhee Lee Seolhwa?
—...So you already knew.
—She's the only one who can use Thousand Spirit Poison.
But there was something I couldn't understand.
—Then why were you poisoned? If you knew your opponent was Dokhee, you wouldn't have confronted her head-on.
—I tried to persuade her.
—Persuade her? You?
At that moment, a scene came to me belatedly as Yoo Joonghyuk spoke.
—I thought I could make her an ally.
An ally…
Now I remembered.
Dokhee Lee Seolhwa had been Yoo Joonghyuk's companion in the 2nd regression.
Being one of the Ten Evils didn't always mean becoming a villain.
Just as Armament Star Lord Gong Pildu had changed in this regression, Lee Seolhwa only became one of the Ten Evils in the 1st regression and a few others. In every other regression, Dokhee Lee Seolhwa was one of the very few companions Yoo Joonghyuk could rely on.
—That was unlike you.
—I admit it. It was pathetic.
—...
—She wasn't the Lee Seolhwa I remembered. I know that. Still, for just a moment, I wanted to believe. I wanted to believe that the woman from my memories was still alive—and that we could walk together again in this regression too.
The loneliness that unconsciously seeped into his words made my mouth open before I realized it.
In the 2nd regression, Lee Seolhwa had been Yoo Joonghyuk's lover, if only briefly.
—I understand.
Yoo Joonghyuk fell silent for a moment.
—You speak as if you've regressed yourself.
—You don't have to regress to understand some things.
I knew I shouldn't use the word "understand" so lightly.
Still, I wanted to say it anyway.
He was someone no one had ever understood, and someone no one ever would.So I thought that at least one person saying those words to him would be all right.
[Character 'Yoo Joonghyuk' is deeply shaken.]
[Character 'Yoo Joonghyuk' receives faint comfort.]
—Strange. You're clearly not a regressor, yet… it feels like you truly understand this emotion. Is that also part of a prophet's ability?
When I didn't answer, Yoo Joonghyuk continued.
—That said, I still don't view you favorably. You're a despicable bastard who kidnapped my younger sister.
—Kidnapped? I didn't kidnap her. I was protecting her. You must have confirmed it with [Lie Detection], so why do you keep—
"Kim Dokja."
At Han Sooyoung's tense voice, we stopped walking. The road leading from Cheonho Bridge into Gangdong came into view. From the radiant [Great Hall] floating in midair, something was crossing over sporadically toward Gangdong District.
Damn it. Already?
As we entered Gangdong in earnest, the density of unfamiliar grass covering the ground increased. Gloomy trees stood in formation, growing between buildings, and small monster species leapt about on their branches.
Gangdong had already become half an otherworld.
Han Sooyoung bit her lip and asked,
"Isn't this too late? What if the 'Disaster' has already awakened?"
"It hasn't yet. If it had, the scenario would have already descended."
After walking a bit further, we spotted several markings scattered across the ground.
They looked like graffiti, but in truth, they were territorial markers.
A warning not to come any closer.
From here on, this was unmistakably Dokhee's territory. Like other Wanderers, she had settled in Gangdong and begun expanding her domain.
Things were progressing faster than I had expected.
Han Sooyoung said,
"If it's a group this well-defended, it won't be easy to raid… Do you have a plan?"
I didn't.
To begin with, we weren't here to start an all-out war.
"All we need is the meteorite. We steal that and leave. I'll buy time—so you handle the meteorite."
But it wouldn't be as easy as it sounded.
If we had an ally like the 'King of Wanderers,' it might be different.
Yoo Joonghyuk cut in.
—There's no need to rush. Even if the Disaster begins, the 'Disaster of Questions' is one that can be suppressed early.
Early suppression.
Truly an arrogant statement—something only Yoo Joonghyuk could say.
—Early suppression? And who's going to do that? You? In your half-crippled state?
—Obviously you will. Weren't you planning to anyway?
—Why me?
—Because you must have already awakened the guide and learned [Path of the Wind].
The irritation in his voice suggested he was angry that the [Path of the Wind]—which he himself was supposed to learn—had been taken.
I grinned and replied.
—I didn't learn it.
—...Why? Not enough time?
If only that were the case.
—No. I just didn't have the talent.
From Yoo Joonghyuk's silence, I could feel deep contempt.
—If that was the case, you shouldn't have from the beginning—
"There are people."
At Han Sooyoung's words, I drew [Unbreakable Faith]. If there were people inside the territory of the Ten Evils, then they were obviously minions of the Ten Evils.
I handed the Yoo Joonghyuk I'd been carrying over to Han Sooyoung's avatar.
"…I'm only carrying him for a moment, so bring him back quickly. Got it?"
The murmur of voices drew closer. But something felt off. When a single group moves, it usually doesn't make this much noise.
Then, a clear female voice rang out from ahead.
"Everyone, run toward Cheonho Bridge!"
They weren't Dokhee's group.
They didn't seem to be a power player like the 'King of Wanderers,' but someone was helping survivors escape Gangdong while resisting Dokhee's group.
Unarmed survivors, panting as they ran, spotted us.
"M-Move! Please!"
The moment the words left his mouth, an arrow flew.
With a sharp whistling sound, the man who had spoken to me was struck and collapsed. His back rapidly discolored, turning pitch black.
Poison.
"Kill those bastards!"
Dokhee's group.
Dozens of group members, men and women alike, fired arrows into the air all at once.
Chwaaaak!
As we tried to retreat behind a building, a web-like wall of threads spread across the air.
Like dozens of nets fired simultaneously, the arrows tangled in the threads and went no further.
Han Sooyoung's eyes widened.
"…What kind of skill is that?"
The threads were also fired toward Dokhee's group chasing from behind.
They were like steel cables. At their sharpness, the legs of those who tripped were severed midair.
"Gyaaah!"
All the threads connected to a single woman.
She wore a tight black combat suit that revealed her figure and flew freely through the air. Two knives extended from her fingertips, riding along magical threads in dazzling motion.
She controlled the length of the threads at will, sweeping away Dokhee's group in an instant.
Her movements showed not a shred of hesitation.
Beyond refined—beautiful.
Her overall stats and skills were far beyond what could be displayed by someone with an ordinary sponsor.
[This individual's information cannot be accessed through the 'Character List'.]
[This individual is not registered in the 'Character List'.]
A woman even the [Character List] couldn't identify.
Han Sooyoung muttered,
"Hey… that woman—"
She didn't need to say the rest.
Because she was someone I knew.
"…Yoo Sangah?"
The Yoo Sangah I met again after two days was no longer the Yoo Sangah I knew.