Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Aldran
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Returning to the Estor estate lodge and confessing that he was a Possessor was something he'd blurted out on impulse. Ha-ryeong's criticisms had hit hard and were spot on, and Yuri himself had a faint awareness of it too, even if it wasn't much.
‘Even so, calling me pathetic is a bit harsh...’
Truth be told, the pre-possession Lee Soo-hyuk—the real him, not Yuri—did have a pathetic streak. What else could you call hanging out in anonymous overseas communities free of lawsuits or doxxing threats, spamming padrip under the ID Padrip Immunity?
Of course, Lee Soo-hyuk knew he wasn't someone to brag about in polite company. But there was one thing he could say with confidence.
He never insulted anyone without reason. He only targeted those who deserved it—arrogant fools strutting around with no real achievements.
Take THOR123, for example. The guy was dead serious about the lightning mage build, called the father of lightning mages in the community, and put real effort into his guides. But his initial build was full of flaws. It focused too much on burst damage, leading to endless downtime, and the accuracy buffs weren't sufficient to compensate.
How could you not rip into someone waving that around, insisting his build was the absolute best? So he did.
At first, Thor responded politely, but after a few days, he quietly reworked the build into ver.2 and reposted it like he'd fixed it himself.
Naturally, that ver.2 was perfected thanks to Lee Soo-hyuk's insult-laced advice. Most of the later upgrades were fruits of his free guidance too.
But Thor never once mentioned Padrip Immunity in his guides or left a single thank-you comment on Padrip Immunity's posts.
In other words, the guy deserved every bit of it. Padrip Immunity only targeted scum like that.
So, you could call him a righteous padripper. A dark knight wandering the shadows to cleanse the community...
“...”
He wasn't on the same level as Ox God Head, who set himself ablaze with pure malice and rampaged without a shred of goodwill.
‘Come to think of it, Thor wasn't the father of lightning mages—he was the mother.’
Reisy was almost certainly Thor. USAUSAMI₍ᐢ.ˬ.ᐢ₎. had been a girl too, so Thor being female wasn't much of a surprise.
“What are you thinking so deeply about, Mr. Pathetic Yuri?”
She'd called him all sorts of nicknames so far, but this one stung the most.
“I'm not pathetic.”
It was also unfairly accurate. Thrust into an unknown world in someone else's body, he'd been tiptoeing around, suppressing his personality, until everything got jumbled together.
“Looks like Estor won't make it back today.”
They'd already eaten upon returning to the lodge. Ha-ryeong had bought a ton of alchemy items—explosive orbs, paralysis orbs, and the like—and explained them all in detail. They'd even skimmed the catalog from the magic booth at the expo they hadn't fully explored.
By then, it was night, and there was no sign of Estor. He'd said from the start it might be tough to return today, so don't wait up.
“What about tomorrow?”
“Well, we didn't get to properly see the expo today. We'll go again tomorrow.”
“You might run into Reisy Yuzha.”
“I haven't done anything wrong, so why avoid her?”
Wasn't Reisy the one who'd sinned? Looking back, her approach today had been incredibly clumsy. She must have been convinced Yuri was a Possessor, but she failed to corner him as planned.
-Infinite Storm of Rain and Wind!
Instead, midway through, Reisy had half-lost her composure and subjected him to an obvious interrogation. Was there a psychological reason she couldn't help it?
‘Probably because of Padrip Immunity.’
The Chaos cultists saw Padrip Immunity as an apostle of the evil god. It wasn't just them, though. Most late-game Possessors had climbed to the top of the Hall of Fame thanks to Padrip Immunity's guides and personal tips, so even non-cultist Possessors might harbor grudges or misunderstandings toward the benevolent Padrip Immunity.
Take the Akhyang branch leader who'd died there—even before becoming a cultist, he'd resented Padrip Immunity.
Yuri didn't know exactly when Reisy had possessed, but since she'd reached Tier 4 at age 20 like Elena, it had to be before then.
That's why he pegged her as Thor. Thor had topped the charts and possessed around that time too. So Reisy probably wasn't obsessed due to suspicions of Padrip Immunity being an evil apostle. Then why was Reisy—Thor—fixated on him? Why the sudden storm bullshit to confirm if Yuri was Padrip Immunity?
“...”
Could it be resentment from all the community insults? She'd done plenty to deserve them, yet held a grudge? The gall.
And by Reisy Yuzha's timeline, that was over ten years ago. Even while mastering Derusia's lightning magic she loved so much in this world and basking in Heavenly Thunder's favor, she hadn't forgotten the mockery heard through a monitor from Earth?
‘She's as insane as Ox God Head.’
He hadn't planned to dodge her tomorrow since he was innocent, but rethinking her, avoidance seemed wiser. You avoid shit not because it's scary, but because it's filthy—and Reisy was crazy filthy.
“Will you buy me a dagger tomorrow?”
“If there's a good one.”
“After bonding more today, no ordinary dagger will do for me and Mr. Yuri.”
A dagger. Yuri pondered again. Game items came to mind first. Just as the Sword Emperor's Beloved Sword Atria was the endgame for sword builds, every weapon had its ultimate item.
Padrip Immunity had never equipped so much as armor, but Yuri—Lee Soo-hyuk—hadn't only raised Padrip Immunity in the game.
Brazen, rude Thor had trashed builds with skills he'd never even tried while claiming his was superior, but Lee Soo-hyuk was different. His final settled concept was the rotten-water symbol, the Panties Unarmed Fighter, but with time to burn, he'd tried most of Seronis's skills and items.
‘Silent Blade.’
The dagger Cat Panties always used, the endgame dagger in the game. There were other greats like Human-Face Ghost Claw or Six-Headed Serpent's Tail Sting, but nothing compared.
The problem? Silent Blade was the Tang Clan's heirloom.
She hadn't shared details, but Ha-ryeong had been disowned by the Tang Clan.
Gifting her the Tang Clan's heirloom carried layers of meaning... but wanting it meant directly challenging the Tang Clan, one of the Black Dragon Society's Six Evils and the Killing Blade Sect's leaders.
Full war with the Tang Clan was a non-starter right now. Utterly unrealistic.
No matter how strong Yuri was, he was leagues below the Extreme Realm experts. He'd felt it bone-deep sparring the Fist King.
The current Tang Clan head and Killing Blade Sect leader, Dark King Tang Yu-shin, was an Extreme Realm master.
‘Ha-ryeong's father is probably the Dark King...’
He hadn't heard the full story, but her words had scripted a morning drama in his head.
Maybe Ha-ryeong was the Dark King's illegitimate child. At first, he'd brought her into the clan and raised her, but her freakish talent sparked infighting.
After all, the Dark King had legitimate heirs. In the end, for their sake, he'd expelled the bastard daughter from the clan and sect...
‘Total morning drama.’
Still, if that was the case, she had no reason to deny ‘revenge.’ Yuri couldn't grasp why she insisted it wasn't— that was harder to understand.
Whatever the circumstances or emotions, Ha-ryeong wanted her father dead.
If someday she asked Yuri's help not for revenge, but for murder...
“Don't be too upset if I can't get you one tomorrow.”
He answered like that, and soon footsteps approached. Sensing the presence, it was Estor, who'd said he might not return.
“Heart pounding.”
Ha-ryeong whispered in a hushed voice. She really felt her chest thump, her eyes sparkling. Yuri's face, conversely, stiffened slightly.
He'd steeled himself, but facing it still tightened his chest—human nature. But it couldn't be delayed. Better to reveal before they grew closer than risk discovery later and shatter everything.
He didn't want to relive that feeling from two years ago.
So Yuri reached for the door first. Internal energy pushed it smoothly open, and Estor, about to knock, grinned.
“What, were you two waiting up for me?”
“We were. But you said you might not make it back tonight?”
“The Maybeld head said I could stay the night, but I've got a room to return to. Felt awkward.”
Estor strode in, openly grumbling.
“Something annoying came up about meeting the Maybeld lady or whatever. She's a nice girl, sure, but we've set off on this eastern journey together—you and Ha-ryeong. Can't go meeting girls here.”
“Mm...”
“What's with the face? Hm, I get it. Ha-ryeong must've teased you plenty before I got here?”
“We need to have a serious talk, so grab a chair and sit.”
“Serious talk?”
“I owe you an apology.”
Yuri said with a rigidly set face. Estor blinked wide-eyed, then glanced between Yuri and Ha-ryeong.
“Hm.”
Estor's expression hardened too. He hesitated, let out a short sigh, and scratched his head.
“Yuri.”
Dragging over a nearby chair and plopping down, Estor spoke.
“Lose the money pouch? It's fine. It's my money, and the Orsia family's finances won't blink.”
“What?”
“We'll need it for the journey, but I can borrow from the Maybelds—no issue. If that's awkward, use yours and Ha-ryeong's.”
“Hey, wait.”
“Hm, actually no need to beg Maybelds. Banks'll lend plenty under my name. So don't mope.”
He'd misunderstood from the heavy mood and apology mention. Estor's response was so absurd Ha-ryeong's lip twitched, and Yuri coughed, pulling the pouch from his bosom and setting it on the table.
“Didn't lose it.”
“Then what? Spent too much? Not really apology-worthy.”
“I'm a Possessor.”
He said it straight. Smoother than expected, but his heart wasn't at ease. As Ha-ryeong said, better to confess than be exposed later.
But he feared the reaction.
“...?”
Caught off guard, Estor's eyes went huge. His half-open mouth and stare showed only confusion.
“Two years ago, when this body's original owner turned twenty, I possessed it.”
Then he recounted life as ‘Yuri.’ He skipped meeting Elena and the fallout but mentioned the Possessor's ‘talent.’
He had to. Estor's first fondness for ‘Yuri’ stemmed from feats built on that talent.
“Why tell me this now?”
Estor, listening quietly, furrowed his brow.
“No reason, right? I never suspected you. If you'd kept quiet, I'd never have imagined you were a Possessor.”
“Might get found out someday.”
Yuri feigned calm. His chest squeezed with anxiety, but he couldn't show it.
“If we'd parted in Pantheon, no need to tell you. But you're coming with us. Airship to the distant eastern continent.”
“Yeah.”
Estor's eyes still held no wariness Yuri had feared. That made his true feelings harder to read.
“So I told you. If it slips out after crossing that far...”
“Got it.”
Before Yuri could gauge more, Estor turned his head slightly. He eyed Ha-ryeong, who stood a bit away, eyes twinkling like she was watching a fire across the river.
“You already knew, Ha-ryeong?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks.”
Unexpected. Estor grinned and nodded.
“I don't know Possessor struggles, but I get it's hard to reveal. You telling me first? Appreciate it.”
“What...?”
“Sharing a tough secret means trust between us, right? Problem is, I've got no secrets...”
Estor crossed his arms, pondered, then eyed them both before speaking.
“Want to hear my embarrassing childhood mistake? Or my failed first love?”
“First love sounds intriguing.”
While Yuri faltered, Ha-ryeong jumped in.
“But Estor, I'm curious about your secrets but won't share mine. Not lack of trust—mine's deeply personal.”
“Mine too...”
“So how'd your first love fail?”
He'd psyched himself up to reveal the truth, and it veered straight to first love. Yuri blinked, then stammered.
“Th-that's it?”
“Hm? It?”
Estor tilted his head.
“Anything else?”
“I'm a Possessor, I said.”
“Heard you.”
“N-no betrayal? No anger?”
“Did I ever ask if you were?”
“No.”
“Then you didn't lie. Just didn't volunteer what I never asked.”
Estor looked at Yuri curiously instead.
“I only know Possessor Yuri, not the pre-possession one. Why be angry?”
“Coincidence—I reacted the same.”
Ha-ryeong nodded along.
“B-but isn't it worth anger? I beat you in that spar.”
“So?”
“I've trained proper martial arts just over two years, and I won—thanks to flukes, sure, but your Possessor talent...”
“Strange talk.”
Estor muttered, head tilted.
“I'm a genius too. Born to the top Orsia family in the western continent, grandson of Sword Emperor Alvator Orsia, the era's greatest swordsman.”
“...”
“Yuri. Did you choose to possess here?”
“No.”
“Pick the body?”
“No.”
“Compare us—my setup crushes yours. My life's been pure luck. Few in this world born to such a family with talent and support. Me raging at you for talent's edge? That's smearing shit on my own face.”
Estor didn't know real Yuri, like Ha-ryeong. So unlike Elena. But probably not typical.
Most natives got negative vibes just from ‘Possessor.’ Acquaintances might hate or kill; strangers would distance.
“So, the failed first love?”
Ha-ryeong pressed, but Estor coughed and dodged. Yuri could only gape like an idiot.
‘Is this guy sane?’
All that resolve to confess, and Estor acted like it was nothing.
“But you planning to go public as a Possessor now?”
“No way.”
Telling Estor was for the months ahead together—and worst case, he had means to silence him.
“Hm. Then I'll keep your secret. My lips are sealed—don't worry.”
Estor grinned, standing. Who knew his inner thoughts, but he seemed schemeless on the surface.
Trustworthy? Better emphasize a ‘promise’?
“...”
No. Yuri stayed silent. Trust was key now. He'd confessed to avoid breaking it. Better than chaining Estor's mouth with the spar bet's favor.
“Tomorrow I visit Haber Tower to pay respects. You two?”
“We're expo-bound again.”
Yuri steadied himself to reply. Instantly, Ha-ryeong sidled up and whispered.
“Estor doesn't know, but Mr. Yuri spent today in pathetic brooding, missing the expo. Curious what pathetic woes?”
“Shut it.”
Yuri urgently cut her off.