Chapter 195
Chapter 195
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: Episode 65. Important Matter
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“...”
Clone 2.
The 15-year-old young Yoo Ji-tae was gazing off into the distance.
This was the isolated dungeon Southward Great Forest.
An isolated dungeon referred to one that was half-sealed, with no possibility of monsters flowing back out through a rift.
For that reason, the Southward Great Forest had no assigned rank.
However, if it had been ranked, this massive, deep, and utterly enormous super-giant forest would have been rated SS+.
This was on par with the highest-ranked dungeon discovered in the world up to that point.
The Southward Great Forest took a form similar to a gigantic tower flipped upside down and plunged into the ground. Each floor was covered in forests with bizarre environments. The lowest floor was roughly around the 300th underground level.
Over the past two months.
This young Yoo Ji-tae had wandered and roamed through a forest nearly the size of the entire Asian continent.
Even with the mental map provided directly from Yoo Ji-tae.
He had slain nearly thousands of monsters. And every day, he had taken wrong turns dozens of times, backtracking constantly.
Finally, now. Underground 290th floor.
He had arrived at the Witch's Forest.
'Have you arrived?'
The will from Clone 1 echoed in his mind.
“Ah, yes. I've arrived.”
Clone 2 hurriedly bowed at a right angle from the waist, speaking to his senior, even though he couldn't see him.
“So, this is the incredibly great mage, huh?”
He said it while gazing at the enormous tulip in the distance, so massive it defied perspective.
That was the witch's residence.
'Yeah.'
Yoo Ji-tae was a regressor.
Once, he had been a superhuman swordsman. Once, a military commander. At some point, a chimera engineer. But across his many regressions, he had barely any time spent learning magic.
He had no talent for it.
'The only human capable of interfering with the directional coordinates of rifts themselves.'
“What an extraordinary person...”
'That's because that woman was once Earth's ruler.'
Ruler (君臨者)
The one being permitted by the Providence World, blessed by Providence itself.
In the demon world, the Archduke of the Demon Realm held that position.
On Earth, the witch had once been that existence.
'You haven't forgotten the information shown by the Monarch, right?'
“Yes, of course.”
Greedy and hard to read.
Secluded, but surprisingly lonely and in need of someone to talk to.
And...
“...Um, could I ask something?”
'No. Can't do it. It's my turn to meet people now.'
“Ah, yes. Good luck.”
Clone 2 bowed to the empty air.
Right after the mental communication cut off, Clone 2 moved.
As he descended through the dense forest, a strange smell brushed his nose. A scent similar to rotting corpses. Clone 2 realized it was wafting up from the low area below a cliff.
He arrived at the cliff and cautiously peered over the edge.
“...”
There lay things that had once been human, now resembling mummies.
Each one shriveled and twisted, as if squeezed dry by something. There were dozens of them, and upon closer inspection, they were all men.
Recalling the memories sent by Yoo Ji-tae, it was inevitable to feel a bit scared.
The uneasy feeling doubled.
“Um, Senior.”
Clone 2 searched for Clone 1. But there was no response.
“Senior. This is serious for me right now.”
Still no answer.
Of course, he couldn't dare call out to Yoo Ji-tae himself.
Normally, that is.
“Senior. This is too scary. If you don't answer, I'll message the Monarch.”
'You wanna die?'
“Sorry... Could I ask just one thing?”
A sigh echoed in his mind.
“What does 'offer your body' mean?”
'What?'
“In the memories I accessed, something, something... tremendous...”
'There will be a bedchamber inside the residence.'
“Ah, yes.”
'Do not enter there.'
“Ahh. Got it.”
'And avoid all forms of physical contact with the witch.'
“Yes? Ah, yes.”
That was all he said.
180cm tall. Broad shoulders and a muscular build. Ironically, for a 15-year-old who had matured faster than most physically, in 'that' regard, he was behind others.
Having only received the necessary information sequentially, the most deemed unnecessary 'that' information had not been transmitted.
What exactly happens in a bedchamber with physical contact?
In the memories transmitted by Yoo Ji-tae, strange noises and odd movements flashed by.
“Hoo...”
He let out a sigh. Steeled his resolve.
Clone 2 stepped between the tulip petals, into the 'building.'
Then, the flower's petals naturally spread open in all directions. The interior of the massive palace created in sub-space unfolded before Clone 2.
The long corridor that followed was tall and vast but empty. With no one amid the ornate decorations and architecture, the atmosphere felt off.
Soon, the space before Clone 2 split open with a whoosh—, revealing four guardians of the house. Gray full-body armor. Among living armors, massive warriors brimming with demonic energy.
The 'Death Knights'' eyes glowed red.
“I've come to see the witch, Valentine.”
“We've been expecting you. You may enter.”
Clone 2 set aside his unease and pushed open the massive golden door between the Death Knights.
There, in a place like a fully bloomed flower. A woman sat.
His gaze first landed on breasts so large it made him question if she was human, but realizing it was rude, he lifted his eyes.
A red dress engraved with golden ornaments. Eyes drooping decadently.
The entire space was filled with a sticky, filthy smell. Like the heavy musk of beasts in heat. Disgusted, Clone 2 had to manage his expression.
The next moment, a voice like jade beads rolling flowed out.
“Welcome.”
Clone 2 looked at her.
The mage who had held the world No. 1 ranking since the New Origin. Former No. 1. And once the master of the Alliance.
The witch, Verrie Valentine, spoke in a sultry voice.
“Baby.”
Antonio Jefferson was living in hell.
It began with the disappearance of his precious younger brother, the shadow human On Seung-oh.
After his brother vanished, Jefferson had taken personal leave to search for him. Time that should have been spent enjoying hobbies, but he had long abandoned such things.
Yet he couldn't find him. He had to hire more search personnel. His younger sister, whom he had known for a long time.
A Third Numbering World ranker and veteran tracker, he was certain she could find at least traces of On Seung-oh.
At the same time, the Alliance moved.
Separately from Jefferson, they assembled a search team for On Seung-oh. The Alliance side was more aggressive. The captain of the covert mobile unit to which On Seung-oh belonged, 'Abyss Human' Artvache, rode out in the Level 3 artifact 'Search Armored Unit' WOTA-13 (complete stealth search armored unit). And began steadily tracking On Seung-oh's traces.
And those two had disappeared just this morning.
“...”
The younger brother he had known for so long, who truly cared for him.
His younger sister who had cried at the home party during her engagement ceremony last week.
And now, key Alliance personnel and equipment gone in an instant.
As the Alliance's Chief Secretary.
As the older brother of a long-time comrade and younger sister.
Jefferson truly despaired.
The problem was that the Alliance still didn't realize he was at the root of this incident.
He wanted to report it now, but he had no information on the opponent. Reporting wouldn't advance the case at all.
As the man who had burned through a full pack of cigarettes in his seat pressed his hand to his forehead.
Thud—
A paper airplane flew in and hit his knee.
He unfolded it. City name. Cafe name. Time written.
A message from 'that guy.'
He was a late-blooming bachelor living with family. Returning home, his mother was sobbing while hugging his younger sister's photo. Asking where she had gone so suddenly.
Jefferson ignored his mother, dismissed the maid, and entered the dressing room himself to take out a suit and put it on.
The suit he had bought when first joining the Alliance.
And tying on the suicide artifact tie.
The ugly old superhuman who beat people on weekends and reveled in alcohol vanished there.
The man looked in the mirror.
The man in the mirror, tightening his knot, was a soldier who had risen to Chief Secretary of the Alliance through his own merits.
Antonio Jefferson.
There were two reasons the Monarch desired this pathetic retired soldier.
This man, who had spent his life as a watchdog under the Alliance President's shadow, surprisingly possessed genius-level mercenary skills.
Looking back at past regressions. In the upcoming Second Great War, Jefferson had prepared people in key positions, leading local battles against monsters and demonkin to victory.
Among them, killing a disaster-grade demonkin with just seven rankers was a feat worthy of praise. Normally, even dozens of rankers had a high failure rate against one disaster-grade.
It happened in every regression. It was remembered as a shocking event in Yoo Ji-tae's memories. In the most recent 6th regression, it went down in history under this operation name.
Operation Name Blue Sunday
So when Clone 1 met Antonio Jefferson, he couldn't hide his disappointment. He was pathetic. Ugly. Could this immature old man really become a genius in mercenary tactics with time?
But.
“I am Antonio Jefferson. Chief Secretary to the Alliance President.”
The man he met at the cafe was somehow different.
His gaze calmly settled. His even more subdued voice carried a sense of resolve.
“For you to cause this much trouble and still call me here, there must be a reason.”
His words led the negotiation naturally. His voice held the power to dominate the flow.
“Speak. What's your purpose?”
“From your attitude, it seems you still haven't grasped the situation.”
“No. I've grasped it perfectly. No issue with my attitude.”
“Do you know what kind of place this is?”
“No idea. But worst case, the guillotine. I came prepared to die. I've already killed myself. Threatening my life won't make it any chip on this table.”
A spirit unhesitating in his position and situation was evident.
So Clone 1 slightly revised his evaluation.
“I don't know what's gotten into you old-generation seniors, but it's not money or manpower you need. If anything, my position. What political help do you require?”
“Hey.”
But that positive thought ended there.
In an instant, an indescribable pressure emanated from Clone 1's entire body.
“Don't get cocky.”
His eyes widened.
A weight he had never felt even before the Alliance President. Or before the Alliance's final suicide squad vice-captain 'BM', or the god-like superhuman 'Oscar Blanc'. An unprecedented heaviness began pressing down on Jefferson's body.
His breath catching, the man started gasping.
Like being thrown into 100 meters of ocean depth.
Yet the man glared at Clone 1 with a straight posture.
“To cut to the chase. Within a few years, massive rifts will appear worldwide. At least hundreds. Simultaneous. Extremely dangerous. Estimated at least three SSS+ dungeons.”
“...!”
“I intend to stop it.”
SSS+.
In history, a dungeon of that scale had burst open exactly once.
People called that event the 'Great War (World War)'.
Doubting if this was nonsense, suspicion and bewilderment half-filled the man's face. Clone 1 continued without minding.
“A massive, filthy horde of mana is heading toward Earth. Already traces in our dimension. More superhumans will start observing it gradually.”
“...”
“But by then, it'll be too late. The Alliance military has grown complacent post-war. Time to reform the system.”
“...So?”
“I can possess and control human bodies. I possess the forbidden possession skill. But I won't kill and take yours here. Two bodies. Need two heads for efficiency, right? If you and I become 'friends'. We can continue with the details.”
The next moment, a new emotion rose on his face.
It was displeasure.
“Even knowing it's such a desperate time. Any explanation for killing three ranker-level superhumans?”
Interesting—it was the soldier's view of force loss, not personal grief for lost family.
Clone 1 sneered and nodded his chin.
Turning his head, the man's eyes widened.
At the table right next to them. On Seung-oh, whom he thought dead; his younger sister; Artvache—all were looking at him.
The man before him had perfectly masked their presences with delicate mana control.
How? Pre-arranged?
Watching his younger sister wave with a smile, his mind went ice cold.
“...”
The older brother averted his gaze from his sibling.
Then pressed his forehead, slowly opening his mouth.
“There must be a reason you sought 'me' separately, not the Alliance... Do you have a leader?”
“Why curious about that.”
“I'm curious about what he's planning. That big picture. Arrange a meeting...”
Yoo Ji-tae had already instructed: if Jefferson seeks me, bring him.
And this was to be the starting point of a very important plan. To overturn the Alliance. Cut rotten roots. Prune leaves draining water and sunlight. A massive, crucial plan.
So Clone 1 transmitted his intent to the main body.
'Monarch. Jefferson requests an audience. Is the timing okay?'
—No. Busy.
But an unexpected reply came.
To say busy before such an important matter. What could he be doing?
—Need to make a room for Winter.
Clone 1 was convinced.
That was indeed a slightly more important task.
“Not right now... I'll set a separate time. Meet then.”