Chapter 138: A Meaningful Conclusion
Chapter 138: A Meaningful Conclusion
Surprisingly, Yoojung's face was calm. Her tone was casual, as if it were nothing special.
But I could tell it was a fabricated expression and voice. Her eyes were quietly burning with an unreadable desire. A blood-soaked heart. If Ahn Hyun and Ahn Sol were this surprised, Yoojung couldn't possibly be emotionless. She was just burying it deep inside.
Yoojung looked at my face, smiled faintly, and spoke.
“When do you think she got the Secret Class? While she was with us? Or after she joined the Golden Lion Clan?”
“From what I've gathered, she awakened it before entering the User Academy. It's not certain, though. Only she would know the details.”
As Ko Yeonju casually tossed out that extra bit of information, Yoojung scoffed. I looked at Ko Yeonju and shook my head. Sometimes, I really think she has a twisted sense of humor.
“I see. I was wondering what gave her the confidence to go to the Golden Lion Clan, but she had an ace up her sleeve all along. I never would have guessed. That sly bitch.”
“Yeah. Still, we've been together since the Rite of Passage. It feels a little disappointing.”
Ahn Hyun chimed in, agreeing with Yoojung. Judging by the sharp edge in his tone, he was clearly jealous. I didn't know why he was being so greedy when he had a Rare Class himself, but I felt the need to defend Kim Hanbyul. There was always a chance we might recruit her later. If their perception of her solidified like this, it would be incredibly difficult to bring her in.
“Don't be so hard on her. If you look at the situation back then objectively, Kim Hanbyul's choice was understandable. It was an offer from the Golden Lion Clan, which was already at the top, versus us, who were starting from the bottom. I'm disappointed too, but stop finding fault with her.”
“Oppa. Are you taking her side right now?”
“I'm not taking sides. I'm saying we need to respect her personal choice. There's no need to be so emotional about it. What's important right now is us.”
“Hmph…”
I soothed them in a calm, quiet voice. Yoojung tilted her head with a languid expression, then gave a faint sniffle and nodded. Then, when I heard Ahn Sol say from the side, “If you say so, Orabeoni…,” a corner of my heart grew uneasy. I never thought even Ahn Sol would say something like that. Why on earth were they all so unwilling to see Kim Hanbyul in a good light?
To be honest, I also felt a bit betrayed at the time—when I realized she had obtained a Secret Class, and when she didn't follow me. But as time passed and I thought it over, I realized there was no reason to blame her. Kim Hanbyul had made a rational choice for herself based on the circumstances. There was no reason for her to reject the clan’s offer and follow me.
That was the rational, objective view. But the others were still stuck on the emotional side of things. In the end, it was something that only time could solve, just as it had for me. Once they matured a little and came to understand the Hall Plain better. Hoping their feelings toward her would soften in the future, I decided to change the subject.
“Anyway, a storm of blood is about to sweep through the Hall Plain, centered on the western city of Halo. A large-scale battle between Users and Vagabonds will break out. While it’s unlikely to affect Mule, a small city in the far north, the atmosphere will be quite tense for a while. Therefore, we will be exploring outside the city for the time being. It wouldn't be wise to get caught up in that.”
“I see. With the Warp Gate active, it's hard to say it's completely safe. Still, a large-scale battle will likely take quite some time. May I ask where you've planned for our next destination?”
I nodded at Hayeon’s timely question and answered immediately.
“Our next destination is the Cave of Screams. After studying the library's records, I've concluded there's a high probability that it actually exists. The route is to head out from Mule's north gate to the plains, then go straight east. This expedition will likely take quite some time. The distance is no joke.”
Just getting to the Cave of Screams was expected to take about ten days. Even if conquering the cave itself didn't take long, the round trip would take at least three weeks. It had been nearly two months since we arrived in Mule, so my plan was to leave before the first week of our third month. My calculation was that by the time we returned, the plan to exterminate the Vagabonds would be over.
At the mention of a three-week round trip, everyone's expression shifted subtly. I worried they might be reluctant, given how much longer it was than our previous dungeon explorations. But to my surprise, they all showed signs of thrilled anticipation.
Perhaps they had grown restless during the relatively long maintenance period. Then again, now that they had all improved to some extent, they were probably eager to test their skills. Their reaction put me at ease, and I continued calmly.
“With that in mind, I want everyone to wrap up their current tasks within three days. We don't know how the situation might change. You could say the western city is already in a state of war. It would be best to prepare swiftly so we can leave as early as tomorrow if needed.”
Just then, Ko Yeonju raised her hand and spoke with a languid expression. I couldn't help but be amazed by her subtlety. Had no one else noticed?
“User Kim Soohyun. I have a question.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“You said it’s a three-week round trip. It’s a bit much to call it an expedition, but in terms of duration, it’s similar to a small-scale one. From what you’re saying, you’re operating under the assumption that we will definitely find the cave. What will you do if, by some chance, we don't find it?”
Hayeon and Shin Sangyong looked like they agreed with her. Her point was certainly valid. Of course, I was able to find dungeons every time thanks to my knowledge of the future and my Third Eye, but that was something other Users couldn't even dream of.
However, the others were all looking at her with question marks floating above their heads. Having acted with me for so long, they didn't seem to think finding a dungeon was particularly difficult. In any case, if I just said, “I know the exact location of the dungeon, so just trust me and follow,” it would lack credibility. I decided to phrase it more diplomatically.
“User Ko Yeonju has a point, but our caravan's primary objective is to get out of the city and avoid the Golden Lion Clan's movements. I'd rather not get swept up in the atmosphere. Of course, that doesn't mean we're giving up on the Cave of Screams. I did my research with the intention of killing two birds with one stone, and we discovered the Ancient Alchemist Vivian’s Dungeon and the Ruined Laboratory in a similar fashion. And the Cave of Screams has a much higher probability of existing than those previous two dungeons.”
“Hmm. A primary objective, you say. Setting that aside, are you just asking us to trust you?”
“Yes. And…”
I paused and looked at Ahn Sol. She was fiddling with her hands. I chuckled at her innocent appearance and continued in a smooth voice.
“We have a lucky charm for that 'just in case' scenario.”
“Huh? A lucky charm?”
“Eh?”
Ko Yeonju asked, raising an eyebrow slightly, while Ahn Sol, who had been fiddling with her hands, snapped her head up at the words “lucky charm.” I let out a faint smile as I watched Ahn Sol tilt her head with wide, curious eyes. At the same time, the other members of the group also began to look at Ahn Sol with subtle expressions. Since they had benefited greatly from her help in discovering the Ruined Laboratory, it seemed everyone had certain expectations.
As the Users' gazes gathered on her, Ahn Sol pouted, and Ko Yeonju narrowed her eyes with an unreadable expression.
“Hmph. I wash my hands of it. If this fails, I'm definitely collecting all the inn's profits and maintenance fees from you, so you'd better know what you're doing.”
“Of course. Any other questions?”
“Yes. One more.”
Just how many questions does she have? As the thought crossed my mind, I saw a slight smile play on Ko Yeonju's lips. At that moment, I felt Hayeon's gaze and turned to see her giving me a wry smile. It seemed she and I were the only ones in the group who had noticed.
I nodded my head, giving her permission to ask. Ko Yeonju slowly rose from her seat.
“Why am I here?”
…
…….
……….
“Huh?” came five overlapping voices.
At Ko Yeonju's words, every User except for Hayeon and me stared with wide eyes, their mouths slowly falling open one by one. Ko Yeonju, who had said she was preparing breakfast, had somehow slipped into our midst, joining the conversation and even asking questions. She had inserted herself so skillfully that it seemed Hayeon and I were the only ones who had noticed.
“Hoho. Well then, I'll go get breakfast.”
Leaving the stammering group behind, Ko Yeonju swayed gracefully toward the kitchen.
*
It was the night before our expedition. After declaring the end of our preparations three days ago, I had also been wrapping things up. It was less about handling external affairs and more about tidying up things within the clan. I checked on each member one by one, preventing any potential problems or conflicts before they could start. It was far better to let things blow up now and resolve them, rather than have them explode after we'd left the city.
And in doing so, I discovered a new conflict. The one between Ko Yeonju and Ahn Sol. No, “conflict” felt a bit too strong a word; it was more subtle than that.
It was something I'd only recently realized, but Ahn Sol had a tendency to avoid Ko Yeonju. She seemed to go to extreme lengths to avoid being alone with her. She was relatively calm if Hayeon was nearby, but the moment Ko Yeonju approached, she would invariably find a reason to leave. I had left things to Hayeon and hadn't paid much attention, and on the surface, it didn't seem like a major issue. But leaving things as they were felt unsettling.
I'd tried asking Ahn Sol about it a few times, but she would just blush, shake her head vigorously, and refuse to answer, only repeating that it was nothing and not to worry. It seemed less like she was avoiding her out of dislike and more for some other reason. I wanted to resolve it if possible, but since she was refusing to talk, I decided to just watch for now.
Meanwhile, Yoojung had decided to continue her training under Ko Yeonju right up until the day before the expedition. I advised her to rest her body today since we were leaving tomorrow, but at Yoojung's strong insistence, she said she would train until the very end.
Ko Yeonju had readily accepted her request, adding with a smile that since it was the day before we left, she would go a little easy on her. Since Yoojung herself was so determined, and I knew how much she had grown, I didn't have much to say, especially with Ko Yeonju's assurance. Tomorrow's expedition was important, but with Ko Yeonju and me around, it was unlikely anything dangerous would happen. In the end, I allowed Yoojung's request.
However, I couldn't quite trust Ko Yeonju's bold declaration, so I was waiting in a corner on the first floor for Yoojung to emerge. If I waited on the first floor, Ahn Sol would eventually come down to heal Yoojung, which would give me a natural chance to talk to her. I could also check on Yoojung's condition at the same time.
After waiting for a while in the dark lobby, I heard the sound of Ahn Sol trudging down the stairs. She glanced around cautiously with an anxious expression, then perched lightly on the edge of a table across from the kitchen. She didn't seem to have noticed me in the corner.
A little more time passed before the kitchen door was flung open. The User who appeared was Ko Yeonju.
She was carrying Yoojung over her shoulder, and from the looks of it, she had fainted again. I had no idea how this counted as “going easy,” but I sighed inwardly. I had expected it to be the same as always, so I had a high-quality healing potion ready. I felt for the potion in my pocket and watched the two of them quietly.
Ko Yeonju looked at Ahn Sol with a languid expression. She unceremoniously dropped Yoojung next to Ahn Sol and spoke in a soft tone.
“Ah, there you are, sweetie. It's so late. Did you come to heal this little brat again today?”
“Y-Yes…”
As Ahn Sol nodded with a thoroughly intimidated look, Ko Yeonju covered her lips and smiled gently.
“Hoho. I'm not going to eat you, so don't be like that. And I went easy on her today, so she doesn't need healing. She'll have no trouble waking up tomorrow. Just toss her on her bed in her room.”
“Yes… Then I'll take her now.”
“Oh my. It's so disappointing if you try to leave already. Here, come here for a moment. Unni was sorry about that time. I was so surprised, you see. But I understand everything.”
Ko Yeonju gave a captivating smile as she moved closer to Ahn Sol. I couldn't for the life of me understand what had happened between them to make Ko Yeonju act like this.
And then, Ahn Sol screamed and ran away.
“……”
Ko Yeonju stared blankly at Ahn Sol as she scrambled up the stairs. I sighed and slowly revealed myself from the corner. Her reaction was even more intense than I had expected.
“We'll talk about what happened later.”
I hoisted the unconscious Yoojung onto my back and spoke to Ko Yeonju, who was turning to look at me blankly. She just shrugged, her expression one of someone who's been wrongly accused.