Chapter 25
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Submission
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To lighten the mood, my gaze shifted to the shimmering boss loot cradled in Yuriel's arms.
"Let's take a look. There has to be some reward for all that hard work."
I'd deliberately taken the riskiest path, the hardest one.
If the rewards turned out to be trash, I'd be pretty pissed.
"H-Here... Master."
Yuriel carefully set down the items, her unease barely hidden.
Six items in total.
The first to catch my eye was a skill card glowing with a red hue.
[Counterattack Blade (Rare)]
Activates if you evade an enemy's attack at the moment of impact.
Grants 150% damage bonus and a guaranteed critical hit on your next strike.
"Ho ho."
The corner of my mouth curled up.
Perfect for my style of dealing damage.
Not tanking hits like a meat shield, but using speed to dodge by a hair's breadth and landing a counter.
It should pair perfectly with the [Senses (Unique)] stat I'd just acquired.
This one's mine.
Next was a small key-shaped card gleaming gold.
[Golden Key (Unique, One-time use)]
A master key that can unlock anything sealed shut.
Forces open locked doors, chests, or entrances to hidden 'secret routes'.
A utility card like Leader's Qualification?
No info on it at all.
But it looks just like those universal keys you see in games.
Unique grade means it's not for casual use. I'll save it for when it really matters.
I carefully tucked the key card deep into my bag.
The third was a silver circlet inset with a blue gem.
[Silver Circlet of the Tracker (Rare)]
Greatly increases field of vision when worn and raises the chance to spot enemy weak points.
Archer gear, plain as day.
I picked up the circlet and tossed it to Yuriel.
"Here. It's yours."
"Wha—?!"
Yuriel fumbled to catch it.
She was already grateful for the Unique skill and Rare bow, and now more gear on top—she looked like she didn't know what to do with herself.
"M-Master... I've already received so much..."
"Shut up and equip it. It boosts accuracy, so no more screw-ups."
"Th-Thank you! I'll use it only for Master!"
Yuriel slipped the circlet onto her head with trembling hands.
The blue gem against her silver hair gave off a mystical aura.
At this point, she looked less like a slave and more like forest nobility.
"Whoa! You look so pretty!"
Malang's eyes sparkled as she rushed over.
"Like a total fairy! Wait, aren't you one? Anyway, it suits you perfectly!"
Malang bounced around, grabbing Yuriel's hand in excitement.
The well-endowed girl treating the slender elf like a cute little sister was pretty comical.
"Um, please... stop..."
Yuriel glanced nervously at me, looking overwhelmed, but I ignored it and checked the remaining items.
[Concentrated Minor Potion x3]
Recovers health over 3x faster than standard minor potions.
Potions? Shoved them in the bag.
The rest junk?
"Huh?"
I jolted checking the next item.
[Ether Core (Soulless)]
A gem densely packed with abyssal magic power.
Emits a steady stream of low-density energy without ever depleting.
Currently in Soulless state.
This is...
A blue gem glowing coldly in my palm.
What? Why's a Soulless item dropping from a boss?
If memory serves, [Soulless] was a privilege only on loot from slain players.
But this was from a monster—a boss drop, no less.
Designed from the start to be exportable outside.
They really want us taking dungeon stuff out?
Questions bubbled up.
Why was the system pushing dungeon items into the outside world?
Especially one with such a grandiose description: never depletes.
What the hell do you even use this for?
I'm no scientist; I couldn't gauge its exact value.
But one gut feeling stood out.
Looks pretty damn expensive.
Infinite energy, right?
Dunno the applications, but it's definitely rare as hell on Earth.
Someone's bound to go nuts for this rock and open their wallet wide.
"Whatever the reason, if it makes money."
System motives could wait.
I slotted the Ether Core neatly into my Soul Vault.
And the final item.
[Bell of Soul Pacification]
Blocks ethereal shrieks and forces spirits to materialize.
There it is.
Essential for clearing Stage 1-2.
This drops 100% even from low-difficulty boss summons.
You need it to kill the Banshee Queen stage boss—otherwise, the screams burst your eardrums.
"Alright, loot sorted. Everyone gear up. Time to move."
With checks done, I shot to my feet.
Yuriel was caressing her new circlet like a treasure, while Park Yumin hovered around chattering away.
But one person was different.
Lee Seo-ah.
"......"
She stared silently at the ground.
Her grip on the shield had turned her knuckles white.
Three hundred million won. Life-on-the-line tanking.
Yet she'd gotten zero worthwhile loot. No wonder she was pissed.
She seemed completely out of sync with the group.
A clear distance from the other two.
Then our eyes met by chance.
She spoke first.
"Um, Han Yujin."
Her voice trembled, but she forced strength into it.
"Can we talk for a sec?"
"We'll talk while moving. No time."
"No. It has to be now."
Lee Seo-ah stepped in front of me.
Her eyes mixed doubt, distrust, and a strange hostility.
"You... what the hell are you?"
"What kind of random bullshit is this?"
"I know everything. Hidden boss summons, weak points, loot drops."
She took a step closer.
"It was the same in the tutorial. A newbie finds secret walls, knows boss patterns inside out. That's not 'played some games' level."
"All that info's on the forums if you dig."
I replied dismissively.
"Liar!"
Lee Seo-ah shouted.
Her voice echoed low across the clearing.
Even Park Yumin and Yuriel jumped and looked over.
"I was a probationary member of The Shelter. Top clan domestically for Abyss survivors! Even they didn't have that high-level info. Not in the guides pieced together from dozens dying. How does some solo player like you know it all?"
Her eyes were wet.
Almost pitifully wronged.
She'd nearly died despite dropping 300 mil, while the guy in front of her tore through this hell like a stroll.
And she was still empty-handed, while mystery slave elf got all the good stuff. Enough to make anyone's head spin.
"Please... just tell me. How do you know all this? I want to survive on my own strength too!"
Desperate.
But I had nothing to say back.
So what did she expect from me?
I cut off her next words cold.
"Enough. It's exhausting to listen."
"...Pardon?"
"Wherever I got my info, what's that got to do with you? Why should I indulge your demands?"
I stepped toward her.
She flinched back under the overwhelming pressure.
"Feeling hard done by? Spent 300 mil and still got nothing? Then leave the party."
"Wh-what?"
"If you don't like it, quit now. And that 300 mil you gave me? Say the word if you want it back. I'll return it right now."
"...!"
Lee Seo-ah was speechless.
"Did I break my promise? You're alive and well. So why all the complaints? Now that you're safe, you want a piece of my pie?"
"No... I just..."
"Begging me to save you one minute, now you want my bowl too?"
Our gazes locked.
Her face peaked in anxiety.
"Y-you don't really mean leave... right?"
"Did I complain? You started this."
Lee Seo-ah shook her head frantically.
Her defiance crumbled in an instant.
The initial desperation was gone, replaced by a stray dog's pleading face, begging not to be abandoned.
"S-sorry. I wasn't trying to pick a fight... I was just... scared..."
She bowed her head low.
Miserable.
To survive, she had to swallow every scrap of pride she'd built up.
I clicked my tongue, looking down at her.
You started it. I never meant to force you to grovel like this.
"Lee Seo-ah."
I called her name softly.
"If you don't trust me, how can I trust you with my back?"
"......"
"Spend that energy doubting on holding your shield right. If you want even scraps."
I patted her shoulder and walked past.
Sounds harsh, but this is my way.
Tying them with solid fear and gain beats half-assed comfort any day.
"Alright, everyone. Last one. Let's go kill it."
Three sets of footsteps hurried after me belatedly.
Each carrying their own thoughts, stepping with their own weights and rhythms.
Tch. This overly sharp Senses is a problem too.
Same time.
In a distant dimension, under a red moon in an alien world.
Hailon holy ground.
The sky was rust-red like corroded iron, the earth a forest of grotesquely twisted bone spires.
Atop the grandest bone altar, two shadows gazed into a crystal basin pooled with blood.
"...It's out."
The silence broke from the massive warrior.
Galkan, captain of the brutal tattooed Hailon inquisitors.
He narrowed his brow as a tiny ember in the basin flickered out pathetically.
Across from him, an old man in gray robes stroked his chin beard with withered fingers.
Balgo, one of the Hailon high priests.
"In the end, our worst fears came true."
The old man's voice was dry. Calculated, not mournful.
"That child... the weakest apprentice, but she showed real promise."
Galkan clenched his fist.
Crack. His thick knuckles echoed across the silent altar.
"I should have gone, High Priest. Screw the restrictions—my body could've broken through and snapped that bastard's neck."
"Foolish talk."
Balgo cut him off sharply.
He thumped his staff on the ground, pointing at the boiling blood in the basin.
"You know the rules of that place, called the Tower of Trials. The First Trial is a sanctuary for unproven greenhorns only."
The old man's eyes darkened deeply.
"If someone like you, who's passed the trials and earned qualification, forced entry? The tower's system would've shredded your soul first. That's why we sent an untainted apprentice."
The system's absolute constraints.
An unbreakable law even for Hailon powerhouses.
"So we just let that arrogant prick roam free? Covered in our kin's blood, strutting like that?!"
Balgo shook his head at Galkan's rage.
"No rush. Prey is best when fattened up."
Balgo tapped the basin's edge with bony fingers. Tok, tok.
"He'll come up eventually."
"...?"
A sinister smile crept across the old man's lips.
"If he survives, he'll reach that place. And there? No restrictions—we warriors, even you, can enter freely."
Galkan's heavy breaths finally eased.
"So we wait till then."
"Exactly. Until he walks into his grave on his own two feet."
Balgo swirled the basin, conjuring a hazy afterimage.
It showed not just Han Yujin, but the silver-haired elf at his side.
"And... don't forget. That wench is as vital as his life."
"Understood."
Balgo's gaze lingered on the silver-haired elf beside Han Yujin.
Eyes full of contempt.
"Her master Rakun dead, yet she shamelessly clings to a new one to keep breathing. A mere Sogran insulting the Hailon blood oath? Shameless doesn't cover it."
Galkan's lips twisted cruelly.
"She'll get a vicious punishment."
"She will. Absolutely."
Galkan grinned, as if struck by a fun idea, his thick voice proposing:
"When we execute her, best bring Karon along."
"Her blood brother?"
"Yes. Nothing executes a traitor like family."