Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Similar People
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The existing group members gathered in the conference room.
Jang Ho-seop, Lee Yu-na and her father, and Bom noona.
These five were the executives leading Samira.
"We successfully cleared the gate with Kang Hye-sun."
"Kang Hye-sun?"
I was about to explain everything that had happened from the start.
But before I could dive into the main story, Yu-na unexpectedly spoke up.
Yu-na usually just listened.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"You used to call her Swordmaster Kang Hye-sun..."
"Hye-sun said calling her that felt too stiff."
Yu-na's emotions shifted abruptly.
But that wasn't important right now, so I continued with the explanation.
"The gate itself wasn't difficult. The biggest hassle was wandering through those pathless mountains..."
This gate had been on the easy side.
Anyone could have cleared it, even without me.
But there were a lot of variables.
"Looks like we were right. We can't predict anything about the time aspect."
I wrapped up the details about the gate quickly.
Jang Ho-seop summarized the key points from this gate.
"And I talked to Kang Hye-sun about recruiting her."
"Yeah."
The reason I'd gathered everyone and delayed work and start times was to discuss Kang Hye-sun and her faction.
I honestly shared everything that had happened with her inside the gate.
"It seemed like she was totally on board..."
"No way, bro. You mean it actually worked?"
"Yeah."
"Crazy... For real? That woman? You're kidding, right?"
Jang Ho-seop asked frantically, almost convulsing.
I stared at him in disbelief.
"Ah, I don't mean you're lying or anything, bro... Swordmaster Kang is like an ice queen. I really admire you. How did you manage it inside the gate..."
Under my gaze, Jang Ho-seop changed the subject.
"You're no pretty boy or anything... Anyway, so what happened?"
"She looked worn out. But in the end, she turned me down."
This time, the others were surprised too.
And I could feel Yu-na's irritation turning into outright anger.
"When Hye-sun saw the village on fire in those remote mountains, she asked me what I was living for."
I also shared the most memorable parts of our conversation.
Yu-na immediately raised her voice.
"What a grand apostle of justice we have here."
Yu-na really didn't like Kang Hye-sun.
Next, Jang Ho-seop chimed in.
"Isn't that just full-belly talk? Would anyone say that when they're about to die? She's no Spinoza..."
Both of them were harshly critical of Kang Hye-sun.
Maybe because I'd led with the fact that she'd rejected my offer.
"But with your personality, bro, you just let that slide?"
"Yeah."
"Don't tell me you actually fell for her..."
"Nothing like that."
I tried to stick to the facts, leaving out my personal impressions.
"Kang Hye-sun means it. Her fundamental skill is called Sword that Slays Evil."
"Whoa... That's an intense name."
"Anyway, I went into the village too. If she died, absorbing her faction might not go smoothly."
I also told them about killing the two men, climbing Red Claw Peak, and the questions Kang Hye-sun had asked me.
Kim Soo-jung, who had been quiet until now, nodded.
"She's clever. Quick on her feet..."
"You think so?"
"Yes. She might seem naive, but I feel like Swordmaster Kang hasn't let go of her thoughts about the future."
I shared Soo-jung auntie's opinion.
Through her questions, she'd judged that joining Samira might mean losing the people and beliefs she'd protected.
"So I tried other approaches, but..."
"Yeah."
"Kang Hye-sun ended up making me an offer instead. How about we be friends?"
"Friends?"
The emotions Kang Hye-sun had shown me were still vivid.
She liked me.
"She described herself as someone who wavers."
Kang Hye-sun said she couldn't just overlook injustice happening right in front of her.
At the same time, she admitted that side of her didn't mesh with reality.
"She said she's working on changing that."
"Finding a compromise between ideals and reality... Something like that?"
"I don't know. And she asked me to help her."
Yu-na snorted derisively.
Questioning why she'd ask me of all people for help.
"In return, she'd be a defensive wall guarding Samira's south side."
"Ah... Dealing like that..."
Samira was expanding its territory.
And Yongsan Station, where Kang Hye-sun's faction was based, was outside Samira's influence.
"We've talked about needing outposts eventually."
"Yeah, we have."
"That's what she brought up. Allies, alliance... That kind of thing."
But it didn't end there.
"And as payment for the help, she'd offer tribute."
"Tribute...?"
"Yeah. She'd give us what we want, so we invest in them."
Instead of being absorbed, she'd chosen clear submission.
"She's got a pragmatic side."
Jang Ho-seop revised his assessment of her.
"Pushing aside the village women and running straight to you... Feels like she's walking a tightrope?"
Kang Hye-sun had made me ponder what was more rational and efficient.
Forcefully absorb them into Samira.
Or use her as she suggested to stabilize Samira's southern front.
"I'm leaning toward accepting her proposal."
"Not a bad idea. We can demand mana stones as tribute."
Soo-jung auntie nodded.
Saying Kang Hye-sun had pinpointed our itch.
"One more thing."
Kang Hye-sun had driven the nail home into my wavering thoughts.
"She's sending her older sister to Samira."
"Her sister? You mean... the doctor?"
"Yeah."
"Isn't she your biological sister?"
"Yes, biological."
"Sending her own sister as a hostage..."
My companions all stared at me with blank expressions.
"And there's more calculation behind it."
"Like what..."
"If she sends her here, even if something happens back home, her sister will be safe."
Jang Ho-seop let out a gasp of admiration.
"Whoa, no way. She thought that far ahead?"
"I think so. And she probably figured her sister would live more comfortably here."
So Kang Hye-sun hadn't just blindly asked for help.
She'd made an offer that benefited me.
"I'll go pick up Kang I-seon this afternoon."
"Yeah... You've already decided, huh?"
"Yes. Decided. The help we'll provide is gate-traversal gear. Prepare the spares we set aside. Ho-seop, come with me and check out their gate."
I couldn't shake the strange feeling about Kang Hye-sun.
But I ended the meeting without mentioning it to the group.
While they prepared, I got up to wash and rest.
Soo-jung auntie would handle the details.
"Noona. Come upstairs with me."
"Ah, sure! The gate must have worn you out."
Bom noona smiled brightly at me.
She seemed oblivious even after hearing about Kang Hye-sun.
"U-uncle."
"Yeah?"
But Yu-na blocked my path.
She was acting unusually bold today.
"If you're free..."
Yu-na hesitated.
I wanted a quick nap, but it seemed important, so I waited.
"Want to do it with me once?"
"Do what?"
"Fight. Spar with me."
What?
A challenge?
Bom noona dragged Yu-na to the corner in horror.
"Oh my. Bro, looks like Yu-na's pissed."
"Yeah."
Yu-na's boldness felt refreshing.
Before I knew it, I was imagining sparring with her.
It seemed like it would be fun.
We headed home.
I showered and lay down on the bed.
"Yu-na meant sparring. You know that, right?"
"Yeah."
"Sigh... That's not what I meant to say. Calling someone out when they're tired and oblivious..."
Bom noona sat beside me and applied a face mask to my face.
Making excuses on Yu-na's behalf that there were no bad intentions.
I silently patted noona's thigh.
"Hee hee. Ow."
Bom noona shifted above my head and spread her legs.
I lay with my head pillowed on one of her thighs.
Morning air wafted in through the slightly open window.
Bom noona stroked my hair.
A warm, cozy scent filled the air.
"Noona."
"Yeah."
"You okay?"
I asked with my eyes closed.
Noona knew it was about Kang Hye-sun.
"Yeah. I told you I'm fine."
I have strong possessive instincts.
I know others do too, especially toward loved ones.
"Why?"
So I was genuinely curious.
Bom noona had been the first to tell me it was okay to meet other women.
"No matter how many women you meet, I'm still the first, right?"
Bom noona said with a smile.
Her hand stroking my head was tender.
"I see."
"Yeah. And I get to see you being this cute."
Bom noona oddly called me cute a lot.
Did she still see me as a middle schooler?
"That Kang Hye-sun."
"Yeah."
"Her way of speaking was a bit unique."
Confirming noona wasn't upset, I started the story.
I hadn't shared this with the others.
"Why?"
"She told me the world isn't something you live in alone."
"Ah... That."
"Yeah. Something my mom used to say a lot."
Kang Hye-sun had said that while asking for my help.
It might be easy to take from others now, but humans can't live alone in the end.
"So I told her, just protect the people I need."
"Yeah. And then?"
"She agreed my words made sense too... But she said if I do favors, they'll come back eventually. If you look at the world really broadly."
Even while asking for help, she was confident.
"The merits I build will pass to my children and the people around me."
"So help her?"
"Yeah. She said when I have the spare capacity, help her for my own sake."
Kang Hye-sun's way of speaking reminded me of my mom.
Just like how my mom always explained what would ultimately benefit me.
"So I'm going to watch her."
"Huh?"
"See how well she lives."
My mother had taught me how to navigate the world.
Kang Hye-sun spoke of what to live for.
"She says every time she wavers, she thinks about what she's living for. She has standards."
"I see."
The emotions Kang Hye-sun showed.
The words she'd said.
"It all felt like mom. She's like my mom."
Like how mom showed me the way, maybe watching her would give me answers.
As I spoke, I lifted my head briefly and glared at the master bedroom door.
I felt Go Mi-hye's presence outside.
She was cleaning and soon left.
"Hyun-ah... In my opinion."
"Yeah."
"She seems more like you than your mom."
"Huh?"
Bom noona said something unexpected.
"Even if everyone else says no, you go your own way if you think it's right."
"Hmm... Maybe?"
"That's really hard for me."
But that didn't seem to match what Kang Hye-sun had said.
I just nodded.
"That's why I'm always on your side."
"Yeah. Just keep being on my side, noona."
Bom noona peeled off the mask from my face.
Then she took off her top.
I couldn't see noona's face anymore.
'But that affection...'
There was one more unresolved question.
Why Kang Hye-sun felt such deep fondness for me.
"It's the sixth lunar month, but mornings are already hot."
"I like noona's body because it's cool."
Bom noona's breasts touched my face.
Every time she leaned down, a pleasant breathlessness came over me.
Just like when mom hugged me tight after scolding me.
Random thoughts faded away.
Before parting, our last conversation with Kang Hye-sun came to mind.
I'd told her it must be disappointing not to get any byproducts from this gate.
'No gains? I got you, Yi Hyun.'
Kang Hye-sun had whispered in my ear on tiptoes.
Even then, I felt no displeasure toward her.
Sleep came crashing down.
After a short nap in the morning.
In the afternoon, I led Samira members to Yongsan Station.
Soo-jung auntie had prepared thoroughly.
Saying we needed to show our might through numbers.
So we mobilized more than half of the fully armed External Operations Division.
"Ho ho ho ho. You did the right thing coming here! This is great."
The leadership of Kang Hye-sun's faction accepted the treaty with Samira as humiliating.
That's how they felt.
But Kang I-seon, who followed us, was different.
She looked around her new home and laughed cheerfully.
"Is this for real? I can bathe whenever I want?"
"Yes. It's the new bathhouse. You'll be using it with me, Yu-na, Seol-hee, and Bom."
Kang I-seon kept marveling at Soo-jung auntie's guidance.
Even knowing she was a hostage, she seemed thrilled.
"I can't believe it. How did you manage this construction... Oh, what should I do?"
"What's your current level?"
"Level 10. I'm on the low side."
"Then you need to level up more..."
Soo-jung auntie glanced at me.
I nodded.
Seong Seol-hee and Kang I-seon.
These two needed to reach level 20 no matter what.
"Ah, Mr. Yi Hyun. Isn't the gate limit today 2 people?"
"Yes. I'll go with Seol-hee."
Until now, we'd only entered gates in the mornings.
From now on, I'd enter as many as possible, adjusting only to my condition, regardless of time.
There were several reasons.
The biggest was the system message I'd received.
[Your level will no longer increase.]
I got it after clearing the gate with Kang Hye-sun.
Even with full experience, I hadn't reached level 40.
A level cap had hit me too.
A direct restriction, unlike others.
Jang Ho-seop used all sorts of terms for it.
Reawakening, breakthrough, job change, enlightenment, etc.
He said he didn't know what was needed, but it was all speculation.
Instinctively, I felt circling more gates would help.
And that reaching level 40 would change many things.
"Then Kang I-seon is free today."
"Bath first, then..."
"Ah, but you must attend Cultivation Hour first. Bath after."
Kang I-seon looked disappointed at Soo-jung auntie's words.
At the same time, she asked curiously.
"Cultivation Hour? What's that?"
"It's the gathering I host every evening. Many find peace of mind and renew their will to live through it."
Kang I-seon was led away by Soo-jung auntie.
I parted from them to prepare for the gate.