EP.318 Yggdrasil (3-27)
Min Hayeon and Han Bom, proving just how diligently they'd always lived their lives, were up at the crack of dawn as the morning sun rose, already stretching and loosening up.
In stark contrast, I showed them exactly how lazy I usually was by stubbornly refusing to get out of bed.
But in that moment, it wasn't Min Hayeon or Han Bom who finally roused me—it was Armonia.
[Su-ho, I have something important to tell you.]
What?
The moment I woke up, Armonia hit me with this ominous opener, like she had some grave announcement.
Rubbing my eyes, I muttered back through our link.
What's up?
[How about bringing Min Hayeon and Han Bom under our affiliation?]
...?
It took me a second to even process what she meant.
I get the affiliation part, but how exactly?
People already affiliated with NTL Corporation existed. Depending on their talent's value, you could use Enel to bring them on board.
But I'd always left that stuff to Armonia, so I had no clue how it actually worked.
[Simple. Just get their consent.]
Huh? No contract or anything?
[Based on the laws of the universe, a verbal agreement is enough.]
....
Don't make it sound so sketchy...
Come to think of it, I did a verbal agreement too. Gotta ask to see the paperwork later.
After getting the full rundown from Armonia, I asked Min Hayeon and Han Bom to pause the channel stream for a bit.
They gave me puzzled looks but complied right away, turning to me expectantly.
I dove right in.
"By the way, you two know I've been to other worlds, right?"
"Uh... yeah?"
"Yes."
I'd spilled the details to Min Hayeon over drinks ages ago, and given Han Bom the gist too.
Laying that groundwork was my way of preparing them for any curveballs.
"Here, take these."
"Huh?"
I handed them what looked like blank employee IDs—names, photos, positions all empty.
"If you agree to join up, it'll fill in automatically."
"But why this?"
"Like I said before, I got dragged here from another world by force. Who knows what could happen to you two? Figured it might come in handy someday."
"Ah..."
Getting yanked into another world solo was about as risky as it got.
I explained it as a safety net from the world I'd been to, just in case.
And that sealed the deal—they bought it instantly.
"Not like it's anything weird."
"Doesn't seem like something you'd force on us, old man. I'm in."
The moment they agreed, the IDs lit up with their names, photos, and positions.
"Whoa... cool."
"Wow~!"
They stared at them wide-eyed, like kids seeing magic for the first time.
As I watched, Armonia chimed in.
[It's done. Now, even if you're in another world, you can check on their actions.]
Nice!
[Note that transmission from other worlds takes time, so no real-time monitoring.]
That's plenty.
If the time dilation was 100x different, nothing major would happen while I was away, but knowing their status occasionally was merit enough.
And just like that, oblivious to what NTL Corporation even was, Min Hayeon and Han Bom were officially on our roster—grinning at their new IDs.
"Alright, let's talk regression."
"..."
Min Hayeon and Han Bom exchanged glances at my words, then nodded quietly.
Han Yeoreum was a regressor.
No doubt about it.
And the trigger for regression? Her death.
But here's where Min Hayeon and Han Bom got confused.
"Last time I regressed, so why her this time?"
"Yeah... why the switch?"
Made no sense to them.
Of course not—I'd forcibly stopped their personal timelines and triggered it manually.
They started brainstorming.
"Maybe the person most connected to Han Yeoreum gets swept up?"
"But that'd be my sister, right? No reason for me..."
"Nah, after that mess in the waiting village with her, maybe our bond's frayed."
"Maybe...? Still feels off."
They bounced theories back and forth, trying to crack why they got dragged into the regression.
Eventually, they hit on a solid hunch.
"Wait... what if being near Su-ho affects it?"
"Ah! That could be it!"
The premise was off, but from their view, it tracked—I'd been glued to them every time it happened, right at the trigger moment.
Rational enough.
"Old man, you got some kinda power like that?"
"No way... Regression's insane enough as is."
"Hmph..."
In the end, they wrapped up with a handful of hypotheses, no clear answers.
We let it drop and eyed Han Yeoreum, still sprawled in the distant cave.
"Let's head back to the original village first."
Min Hayeon and Han Bom nodded in agreement.
The party's original plan was to move to another village.
But me, Min Hayeon, Han Bom, and Han Yeoreum had been dumped in this remote forest.
Would've been great to hit another village, but the guide compass only pointed to places we'd already visited.
No dice.
"Let's roll out."
So me, Min Hayeon, and Han Bom bundled Han Yeoreum into a sack like a sack of rice, tied her up, and dragged her along.
Here we go.
[The paralysis poison's about to wear off. Shall I deploy Beatrice?]
Nah. Don't.
[...?]
Armonia seemed puzzled, but I clarified.
This time, we're waking her up.
***
Shhhk! Shhhk!
As we dragged the sack with Han Yeoreum inside, Min Hayeon started grumbling irritably.
"Ugh... this sucks."
"Haa... haa... Sorry, sis."
"No, why're you sorry?"
And every time that irritated tone hit, something inside the sack shuddered with humiliation.
Fuck... fuck...!
Min Hayeon's words stabbed like daggers into Han Yeoreum.
Worse, being hauled around like worthless trash kept cranking up her shame.
Just a bit longer and it'll wear off! Once the poison's gone, fuck!
She was desperately praying for the toxin to fade when—
"Hnggh... hngh! Kkh-eung!"
She tried to yell, but only a pathetic moan escaped instead.
Min Hayeon and Han Bom gasped in surprise, whispering frantically.
"Huh!? What? She's waking up?"
"Wh-what... why now...?"
And with their flustered voices, the chat exploded.
Han Yeoreum caught glimpses of the chat, veins bulging on her forehead as she mumbled incoherently.
"Zz... zzgyeheorigeth..."
Indistinct garble, but the channel instantly decoded it—and the mockery ramped up.
The channel had zero expectations left for Han Yeoreum.
No empathy for her plight—just pure enjoyment of the spectacle.
I'll kill you all! I'll remember every one of you and kill you!
She writhed in the sack, prompting Min Hayeon and Han Bom to approach and untie it.
But the second they opened it, they recoiled in horror.
"Eek! The smell!"
"Kyaa! Gross!"
It took quite a while before Han Yeoreum could finally crawl out.
..
..
Not long after her moan, she regained normal movement.
But even mobile, problems lingered.
"Haa... go wash up somewhere first."
"I tried to hold my breath... urk..."
Not just Min Hayeon and Han Bom—even I avoided getting close.
"God, my nose is rotting..."
"Kkh..."
I treated her like a homeless bum or plague victim sprawled on the street.
Fucking bastard...
The instant her body obeyed, Han Yeoreum's mind filled with murderous thoughts toward me.
But it took about ten minutes to fully recover, and by then, her head had cooled enough to calm down.
First things first... gotta get that gem back from that fucker!
Despite the humiliation of being treated like a beggar, she bit her tongue.
She knew the situation better than anyone—especially that godawful stench from her own body, one she'd never get used to.
Fuck! Need to wash first...
As she headed for a stream—
"Here, catch."
"Hup!"
Thud.
I tossed a bottle from afar; she fumbled it, but it landed in the dirt without breaking.
"That's cleanser. Too lazy to deal with you otherwise—use it."
"Su-ho, you okay?"
"Old man, doesn't that use a ton of mana?"
Min Hayeon and Han Bom fretted more over my mana than her ragged state.
Fuck! Wasting mana on this and treating me like shit...
She wanted to snap back but knew her place—sprayed the cleanser and scrubbed.
Cursing inwardly, but damn, it worked.
Fuu... refreshing.
Hate was hate; clean was clean.
One spray felt like an hour in the baths.
But that refreshment fueled her rage proportionally.
...Fucking alchemy.
For the first time, she felt crushing inferiority.
One had a joke of a job like Novice; the other wielded alchemy, archery, even magic.
Peak unfairness.
Like swallowing every ounce of inadequacy she'd inflicted on guys her whole life.
Only after she'd scrubbed off the filth did Min Hayeon and Han Bom approach.
"Phew... yeah, now you're tolerable."
"Thought my brain was gonna rot earlier."
"Kkuh!"
She endured their humiliating barbs somehow.
But not mine.
"You know how many monsters your stink drew? We were suffering."
"You fucking—!"
"Hey! Han Yeoreum!"
"Ugh! Wh-what?"
Min Hayeon blocked her charge at me, yelling.
"Is that how you talk to the guy who helped you?!"
"Helped? That guy? Don't make me laugh!"
"Haa... you really have no clue what a mess you were."
Min Hayeon scolded her, recapping everything.
Han Yeoreum knew it all already—but my "help" wasn't salvation.
It was hell.
Fuck... gotta play nice till I get the gem. Just till then... fuck!
She grumbled internally but said,
"A-alright... alright already."
"Good. Let's move!"
Situation sorted, the four of us headed back toward the village.
..
..
Time passed; soon it was evening, sun dipping low.
We claimed a safe zone and prepped dinner.
First...
But food was irrelevant to Han Yeoreum.
While Min Hayeon and Han Bom bustled with meal prep, she sidled up to me.
"Hey, come here. Got something to say."
"Piss off. Nothing to say."
"Fuck..."
I didn't even glance her way; she itched to stab me, but safety zone rules and her own fragility stopped her.
She dialed it back, pleading softly.
"C'mon... it's quick. Just talk."
"How much?"
"...? How much what?"
"Gotta charge for chatting with you."
"Fuck..."
Not rage—just sheer absurdity.
She clutched her spinning head, muttering.
"Dude... really?"
"Considering what I've put up with, I should charge just for sharing air."
"Fuuuuck..."
Grind!
This pathetic self, begging for his ear—it crushed her.
But she couldn't stall forever.
"Look... I got no points right now. Just talk..."
"Fine. Tab it. 1,000 points per 10 minutes, cheap."
"Ha... ha... ha..."
I told Min Hayeon and Han Bom the deal amid her hollow laugh.
They ignored her, fussing over me instead.
I reassured them, then followed her a bit away—far enough they wouldn't hear.
She started in.
"Hey... you got that gem from wiping the Red Summoners, right?"
"Huh? Gem? What's that?"
"Don't play dumb. I saw and heard everything while paralyzed."
"..."
I finally reacted.
Good. Threaten with what I said to Hayeon and Bom last night behind her back—she'll hand it over.
Smooth sailing, she thought—until my response.
"So?"
"What? S-so? I tell Hayeon and Bom what you said last night?"
"Go ahead."
"...Crazy bitch."
My utter confidence made her feel like the guilty one.
She was the sinner; I was the judge.
"Just give me the gem. Do that, and I won't tell them. Hell, later—"
"Oh ho..."
Finally, the reaction she wanted.
Can't loot inventory on death anyway. Butter him up till then...
As she schemed to stroke my ego—
"What'll you do for it?"
"Ugh... I'll pay tons of points later! Contract even? A million! Deal?"
"Just a million?"
"Fuck!"
Blank check time.
Million, two, ten—whatever. Regression wipes it! Just get the gem...
She blank-checked wildly to appease me.
"All my points—everything I can give! You know my drop luck? All my loot too!"
"Oh? For real?"
"Well?"
Hook, line, sinker.
Yes! Ask away!
She prayed inwardly—then my words froze her face solid.
"Don't need points or items. Need a bitch to boss around. Wanna be my errand boy again?"
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