Chapter 106: Don’t Touch Our Oppa
Chapter 106: Don’t Touch Our Oppa
Even the Crystal of Truth could not evade my Third Eye. After briefly scanning the item's internal structure, I gave a slight nod. Having analyzed how it made its judgments, I could already devise a way to overcome this predicament. I immediately placed my hand on the Crystal of Truth.
Seeing my action, all my party members looked surprised. Yoojung-ah, in particular, looked like she was about to cry, her face contorting before she bit down hard on her lip. I looked back at her and the others and spoke in a calm voice.
“I know full well how you feel about me, Yoojung-ah.”
“…Oppa.”
“Don’t cry, Yoojung-ah.”
At my warm voice, Yoojung-ah nodded once and raised a hand to wipe her eyes.
“If you all trust me, then I trust you too. It's true that I've been hiding things, but I had my reasons. And anyway… I was planning on telling you everything soon.”
I deliberately emphasized the words “telling you.” The moment I finished, a flicker of relief crossed all their faces. After reassuring them, I turned my gaze and continued.
“User Jung Hayeon. If this is truly the best way, then I will pour my magic into it without a moment's hesitation.”
“…Very well.”
“However, I have my own circumstances to consider.”
I paused for a moment, then stared at her with a cold expression. Jung Hayeon met my gaze calmly, but her eyes were trembling slightly. Right now, we both knew. We both understood the meaning behind her bringing out this item, and why I had accepted it.
After a brief silence, I continued in a chilly voice.
“I am doing this despite those circumstances. And I have placed my hand on this crystal in front of my companions. I understand your doubts, User Jung Hayeon. But personally, I don't think it needed to come to this. I want you to understand just how I feel, being forced to do this.”
“…I'll keep that in mind.”
“And I have a condition of my own.”
“The right to refuse to answer?”
I shook my head at her question.
“The reason I've placed my hand on the Crystal of Truth is not to satisfy personal curiosity, but to resolve the doubts my companions have held. Therefore, I ask that you refrain from overly intrusive questions or those born of personal curiosity.”
I began to lay the groundwork. A sharp woman like her would surely understand my meaning. To put it bluntly, if either of us didn't like it, we could have just ignored the other. But I had a favorable impression of her, so I allowed her to corner me like this. And she felt the same way about me. We both knew we were interested in each other. That's why Jung Hayeon brought out the Crystal of Truth. All of this was only possible because I chose to turn a blind eye.
However, by adding that condition, I drew a line. Judging by the abilities I'd shown so far, I was clearly superior to her. As such, to put it a bit crudely, I was warning her, “Don't mess with me anymore.” She responded to my warning immediately.
“You're telling me not to cross into private matters. I will bear that in mind.”
After confirming her slight nod, I poured my magic into it.
Wooooong….
As I poured magic into the Crystal of Truth, it began to emit a bluish light and a faint vibration. Soon, the bluish light rose into the air and slowly seeped into my body. Inside the crystal orb, a small, pale flame flickered to life.
If I told the truth, the crystal would show no change, but if my words contained even the slightest lie, the pale flame would darken in proportion to the falsehood. Thinking, This is where it begins, I swallowed hard.
The method to overcome the Crystal of Truth was not simple. Its basic setting was to judge the truth on its own, but there was one frightening aspect to it: the words spoken must not contain a shred of falsehood, and they must be spoken with sincerity. Therefore, I had to tell the truth, but I also needed to carefully control my wording to be ambiguous. Ironically, however, that very fact worked in my favor.
Jung Hayeon shook her head as if to clear it, then, after confirming the Crystal of Truth was active, her fine lips parted.
“State your name.”
“Kim Soohyun.”
“Your year?”
“0-year.”
“Are you a User, the same as us?”
“I am.”
The questions and answers came in rapid succession. But this was merely a warm-up, a preliminary skirmish. Simple questions before the real ones began. After her three questions, Jung Hayeon carefully examined the crystal orb. The color of the flame within remained unchanged.
She nodded slightly before resuming her questions in a calm voice.
“User Kim Soohyun, you are hiding things from us. First, I want to know why you hid them.”
“After entering the Hall Plain, I judged it was better to hide my strength for the time being.”
“Why?”
“I didn't want to attract attention. If the power I was hiding had been revealed back when I was just a new User, groups would have emerged who viewed me with hostility.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“I wanted to build up my strength first. I didn't want to get caught up in troublesome affairs right from the start.”
Jung Hayeon nodded as if she understood to some extent. Back then, Kim Hanbyul had also obtained a Secret Class for certain reasons, but the clan had kept it quiet to protect her. It wasn't exactly the same, but I had hidden my power for similar reasons. At that time, I was truly wary of unnecessary early attention hindering my future progress.
“Alright. Then can you tell us what it is you're hiding?”
“…I can. However, what I am about to tell you constitutes my Player Status.”
I paused for a moment. After taking a breath to compose myself, I spoke.
“In exchange for revealing my information, User Jung Hayeon and Shin Sangyong will have to pay a corresponding price. Of course, the others and Vivian are excluded.”
“Fine. I accept. Provided that the information is judged to be true, and that it is valuable enough.”
“S-Same here.”
Jung Hayeon nodded without a hint of hesitation. Hearing both of their confirmations, I finally relaxed. It's unlikely, but if by some chance they break their promise….
I composed myself and revealed one of my secrets in a dry voice.
“Then I will tell you. First, I, User Kim Soohyun, possess a Secret Class as my profession.”
“Ah…!”
A Secret Class. The impact of those words was immense. All of my companions stared at me with startled faces, and I could see Jung Hayeon's throat move as she swallowed, just slightly. I thought she might have expected it, but it seems she's surprised after all. Ignoring the murmurs around me, I quickly waited for the next question.
“H-How, no, could you tell us what kind of class it is?”
“It is a combat-type class. And if you ask a question out of personal curiosity one more time, I will remove my hand from this Crystal of Truth.”
At my firm words, Jung Hayeon's expression faltered, and she gave a bitter smile. But the murmuring didn't die down. I wanted to smoke a cigarette, but I didn't have any, so I could only wait.
After some time passed and the commotion finally subsided, Jung Hayeon quickly checked the crystal orb. Seeing that the color hadn't changed at all, she let out a sigh.
“It's certain that everything you've said so far has been the truth. And having a Secret Class fits perfectly with your previous answers. I'm convinced… but.”
Having regained her composure, Jung Hayeon's eyes gleamed as she continued.
“Even so, you are still just a Year 0 User. A Year 0 User defeating a high-ranking Demonkin? That's impossible. I demand an explanation for this.”
“Just a moment.”
Just as I was about to answer, Vivian raised her hand. She looked around with a blank expression, then pointed at me and spoke.
“There's something we need to clear up about that part.”
“Then say it quickly.”
Urged on by Jung Hayeon, Vivian turned her head toward me.
“When we went to scout the third floor earlier, we found something interesting. Shin Sangyong and I found traces of a magic barrier meant for high-ranking Demonkins. A powerful one, strong enough to still be active.”
“I didn't see it, and I couldn't feel any trace of a barrier when I was there,” Jung Hayeon retorted.
Vivian and Shin Sangyong answered one after the other.
“That's possible. It was a barrier that activated whenever the demon tried to escape the laboratory. It triggered right when the ceiling was pierced by the creature's final spell.”
“I was there as well,” Shin Sangyong added. “And I also agree with my master's words. A high-ranking Demonkin is powerful, but it said itself that it was an incomplete summon. Furthermore, with the added suppressive force of the barrier, it could hardly be considered a complete high-ranking Demonkin.”
As they defended me, Jung Hayeon tilted her head with an expressionless face. And I was barely holding back a wide grin, thinking, What a stroke of luck! My companions were helping me. Honestly, I never felt like I was losing, but the situation was now turning so favorable it would be strange for me to be on the defensive.
I have to seize this opportunity. With that thought, I calmly raised my left hand. And slowly, I drew upon the magic of Eternal Flame. As the same clear flame that had faced Belphegor bloomed, everyone's eyes focused on my hand.
“This is….”
I gave them a moment to appreciate the Eternal Flame before I spoke.
“You saw it briefly on the third floor today. This power is not a simple flame ability. You can consider it a power separate from my Secret Class. And let me say this in advance: this power was not obtained through any illicit means. It is a power I acquired through a legitimate process, one that even the angels are aware of.”
It wasn't a lie. Even the angels couldn't carelessly question my Tanay-rank, so there was no way a mere Crystal of Truth, bound by its settings, could judge my privilege to be false.
And now came the crucial moment.
Jung Hayeon seemed too preoccupied with what was in front of her to think it through, but once my words were judged as truth, a huge contradiction would appear in my actions up to this point. If she were to bring up the matter of User Jung Jiyeon now, with my hand on the Crystal of Truth, I would have no choice but to admit my guilt. In that case, there were two things I had to do now.
The Crystal of Truth's duration was not infinite. In fact, it was rather short. Therefore, I needed a stepping stone to justify what happened in the ancient alchemist's dungeon. I recalled how I had faked a magic power backflow in front of the others in the Pitch-Black Forest. And they believed I had forced my way into the dungeon in that state.
But that was ultimately a lie, an act. I needed to stall for as long as possible so that she would ask that question only after the crystal's duration ended. To do that, I had to present a bait that would make her drool. And the bait I chose was Eternal Flame.
“Can that flame's power be the basis for a strength that doesn't match your current year, User Kim Soohyun?”
“My Secret Class is certainly powerful, but I value this power even more, so yes, it can serve as sufficient grounds. This is no ordinary fire; it's a flame that holds immense power. As you saw today, its might is great enough to incinerate a demon's magic—even I cannot carelessly gauge its full extent.”
I saw Jung Hayeon glance at the crystal orb as I explained. Having judged it to be the truth, she immediately asked her next question.
“I see. I'm curious how you obtained such a mighty power… but since you said you went through a legitimate process, it's not my place to argue. Understood. But you did say that even the angels are aware of it, correct?”
“Yes.”
“A Secret Class is one thing, but the other power you possess, User Kim Soohyun, is far too immense. Of course, there can be exceptions that defy my expectations, but I understand that angels fundamentally treat all Users equally.”
They don't.
“So, did the angels say nothing about you using that power? Or are they completely unrelated?”
Seeing Jung Hayeon take the bait I'd laid, I smiled inwardly in triumph.
“They are related. However….”
I intentionally trailed off. When I, who had been speaking without hesitation until now, suddenly stopped, a curious expression immediately appeared on Jung Hayeon's face. Confirming her expression, I could relax for the time being.
She was certainly quite smart and clever. It was admirable how she poked and prodded from various angles to get the answers she wanted, but the unfortunate part for her was that her opponent was me. Well, the situation was bound to turn out this way from the start, but in any case, she had now been drawn into my pace without even realizing it.
Say what you will, in the end, she was still just a Year 2 User. There was still an unbridgeable gap between her and me, who had rolled around in the dark underbelly of the Hall Plain for ten years.
The questions and answers between us were slowly shifting in the direction I desired.