Chapter 173: An Unexpected Encounter (2)
Chapter 173: An Unexpected Encounter (2)
“Hello! By any chance, is a Year 0 User named Kim Soohyun here?”
The moment I turned my head toward the voice and saw who it was, my entire body froze. I almost blurted out, “What the hell are you doing here…?” but I managed to hold it back by clamping my mouth shut. But my mind, once dazed, didn't recover easily. The shock was so great that it was difficult to maintain my usual cool-headed reason.
“If you're looking for Kim Soohyun, that's him right here. And who might you be?”
“Ah~! So you are here~! What a relief. Ah. My name is Yoo Hyuna, a Year 3 User and the new Lord of the Beech Tree Clan, which has just been appointed as the representative clan of the small city of Mule. It's a pleasure to meet you! And the man next to me is Cha Seunghyun, the User I trust and rely on the most.”
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Cha Seunghyun, a Year 3 User.”
As Vivian pointed me out, Yoo Hyuna sighed in relief, placing a hand on her chest. The man standing next to her, who had a friendly face, greeted us in a clear voice. Only then was I able to snap out of it. I wanted to grab Vivian’s still-pointing finger and snap it in one go, but given the situation, I quickly composed myself and turned my gaze to Yoo Hyuna.
She looked like a pure, innocent girl, with delicate, light-brown hair and large, blinking eyes. Her face was so kind that it stirred an impulse to pull her into a tight hug and comfort her. My Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, but with the help of Mind’s Eye (Stillness), I kept my composure. It seemed she possessed the Unique Ability, Charisma.
Soon, she said, “I’d like to come inside and talk for a moment. May I?” Before I could even answer, she strode right in.
I could only stare blankly at her smiling, radiant face.
*
Holy Queen Yoo Hyuna. Martial God Cha Seunghyun. Both were famous Users from my memories. No, more than famous—they could be considered to have left a major mark on the history of the Hall Plain. Of course, that was something that would happen much later, but Yoo Hyuna was a major figure who would eventually grow to become the leader of one of the top three factions on a continent fractured into many parts.
She was blessed with good people and commanded many talented Users. Among them were Cha Seunghyun, called the Martial God, the only one who could stand against the Peerless Under Heaven—the User with 101 Strength; the Madwoman, Ban Dahee; and the User with 101 Magic Power. Recruiting the User with 101 Magic Power would happen a bit later, and since only Cha Seunghyun was here, it seemed she hadn't brought the Madwoman Ban Dahee with her.
To get straight to the point, the two Users in front of me ultimately failed to see the end of the Hall Plain. Although they were active for a relatively long time, I remember them all dying miserable deaths. The Martial God Cha Seunghyun got into a conflict with another allied force and was killed in a siege. The Holy Queen Yoo Hyuna, blinded by vengeance, set out on a punitive expedition, only to fall for the allied forces' scheme and suffer a crushing defeat. I heard she met a truly wretched end. I recall hearing that after being captured, she couldn't endure the continuous gang rapes and committed suicide.
At the time, their faction had been at the height of its power, using the User with 101 Magic Power to constantly pressure us. I remember finding it strange when they suddenly retreated after a string of victories. Han Soyoung, who quickly grasped the situation, immediately formed a temporary alliance with that allied force, and together, we were able to completely wipe out Yoo Hyuna's forces, which were nothing but an empty shell by then.
That was the gist of what I remembered about the Holy Queen Yoo Hyuna.
If I were to personally evaluate the User named Yoo Hyuna, I could define her in a single word: “Moron.” To put it simply, it's easiest to think of her as the final, evolved form of Liu Bei from Romance of the Three Kingdoms—beyond just an upgraded version. A Clan Lord who was foolishly kind, swayed by sentiment, and who, rather than seizing opportunities, would kick them away and only end up helping others. From the perspective of a comrade or a subordinate, she was an infuriating person to deal with.
Though it was my personal standard, it was hard to see her as someone with the capacity to lead a large faction. User Yoo Hyuna was someone who couldn't do anything without her talented subordinates. It was so bad that looking at her and her subordinates' journey before they established their faction was pitiful enough to bring tears to my eyes. Day after day, they were pushed around here, used there. I think it was a miracle she even managed to stay alive through all of it.
The one good thing she had going for her was that she was blessed with good people. If it weren't for the star-studded lineup of Users who gathered under her, she never would have been able to build a faction.
For now, I decided to completely shelve the thought of why Yoo Hyuna was in Mule. What was important right now wasn't that, but the fact that I had to avoid getting entangled with this walking disaster in front of me at all costs. She had a talent for attracting disaster that surpassed even Kindaichi and Conan, and what's more, she would walk right into it, so I absolutely had to avoid her. For all I know, with Yoo Hyuna here, the Vagabonds might collectively lose their minds and attack Mule.
“What are you thinking so hard about? Ooh. Thank you.”
Yoo Hyuna, who had been speaking to me with a bright smile, bowed her head as Ko Yeonju brought her some tea. Cha Seunghyun stood at attention behind her, while my companions, including the kids, were gathered in a circle around the table. As she took a sip of tea with a blissful expression and Cha Seunghyun voiced his admiration, I discreetly activated Third Eye. I figured I should at least check their basic Player Status information.
Player Status
1. Name: Yoo Hyuna (Year 3 User) 2. Class: Swordswoman (Normal, Swordswoman, Expert) 3. Nation: Barbara 4. Clan: Beech Tree 5. True Name · Nationality: Tread a Thorny Path · Republic of Korea 6. Sex: Female (23) 7. Height · Weight: 168.8cm · 46.2kg 8. Alignment: Lawful · Pure
[Strength 71] [Durability 75] [Agility 73] [Stamina 78] [Magic Power 80] [Luck 99]
Stat Comparison
1. Kim Soohyun: 544 / 600~
[Strength 96(+2)] [Durability 92] [Agility 98] [Stamina 72] [Magic Power 96] [Luck 90(+2)]
(You have 12 remaining stat points.)
2. Yoo Hyuna: 476 / 600~
[Strength 71] [Durability 75] [Agility 73] [Stamina 78] [Magic Power 80] [Luck 99]
(No remaining stat points.)
This is why I say Luck is an unpredictable stat. I didn't need to look at anything else, but her Luck stat alone caught my eye. However, considering what she went through in the first playthrough, it was bound to raise questions. I have no idea what on earth she's been through for her True Name to turn out like that, but the thought briefly crossed my mind that perhaps her high Luck would allow her to navigate the thorny path that lay ahead. Of course, that was only from a relative perspective.
“Hehe. It’s embarrassing if you stare at me like that.”
As I gazed at her, Yoo Hyuna’s face turned red, and she looked away shyly. I inwardly repeated the character for ‘patience’ and slowly opened my mouth.
“Not at all. My caravan and I only arrived in the city yesterday, so there's still a lot we don't know. It seems like a lot has happened. I'm just a little surprised that someone claiming to be the city's representative clan suddenly showed up.”
My words had a bit of a bite to them, but she seemed quite pleased with the phrase ‘representative clan.’ Yoo Hyuna, who had been grinning foolishly, bowed her head to me once more. As she bowed, her ample chest also shifted downward with the weight, but I quickly averted my eyes as her clear voice continued.
“Then allow me to introduce myself formally again. Two weeks ago, I officially took over as the representative clan of Mule. I heard from the Residents of the temple that the people who discovered two ruins were here. As the one in charge of Mule's representative clan, I'm grateful, and I also have some things I'd like to ask, so I took the liberty of visiting you unannounced.”
Listening to her speak in stiff, clipped sentences, as if reading from a textbook, I sighed inwardly. She was practically screaming, “I rehearsed what I was going to say before I came here.”
For some reason, my chest had felt tight for a while now, making it hard to breathe. I wanted to get out of this place and relieve this suffocating feeling. I took a quiet, deep breath and replied in a voice feigning composure.
“We were just lucky. In that case, I assume you've seen the expedition report we submitted to the temple….”
“Yes! I was so surprised. The expedition report User Kim Soohyun submitted was of such high quality that even Seunghyeon here was amazed. Thanks to you, the investigation should be much easier. Thank you so much.”
The way she tacked on “thank you” or “I’m grateful” to the end of every sentence was getting on my nerves. Still, hearing that the investigation was complete, I could finally breathe a sigh of relie—. No, wait a minute. She said it should be easier?
“No. Hold on. It’s been three weeks since….”
“By the way. There’s something I’d like to ask you, User Kim Soohyun, though it may be presumptuous.”
The moment Yoo Hyuna changed the subject, just as I was about to bring up the issue with the investigation, I had the sudden urge to slap her across the face. If my companions and Cha Seunghyun weren't around, I might have actually done it. Oblivious to my inner thoughts, she continued speaking with a beaming smile.
“User Kim Soohyun, what are your current thoughts on the small city of Mule?”
“……”
Her sudden, nonsensical rambling left me dumbfounded, and I glanced around the room. I then slapped my forehead with a thud. If you want to have a conversation, you need to have at least a shred of consistency, even if you set logic aside. But she seemed to have thrown all of that out the window, and the random things she kept blurting out were starting to confuse me.
“I don't have any particular thoughts. I'm just a Year 0 User who got lucky and discovered a few ruins. It may be a small city, but since you've come as the representative clan, wouldn't it be better to seek the opinions of your own comrades or subordinates?”
“Of course, that's true. But, and it's embarrassing to say this, Mule, and we, are in a very difficult situation right now.”
“……”
“Because of the Golden Lion Clan's expedition to the Steel Mountains, Mule, which is just a pioneer city, isn't able to develop. Of course, I'm not blaming the Golden Lion members. They trusted me, someone who is only a Year 3 User, and entrusted me with this important role. I'm also upset that I couldn't participate in the expedition, but since they trusted me, I plan to do my best until they return. But we don't know when that will be, and considering the current circumstances, Mule's situation is dire. Most of the skilled Users have joined the expedition, and the remaining ones aren't willing to come to Mule yet. They're waiting for news in Barbara or the southern cities. As you said, I do have a small force of my own, but I feel that it's far from enough to lead a small city.”
Then why did you take the job? And it's not that they trusted you with it. From my perspective, it looks like they just tossed it to you to manage temporarily because it would be easy to take back later. As I was refuting her words one by one in my head, I looked up with a start.
Come to think of it, Yoo Hyuna had been the representative clan of Mule before. But it wasn't now; it was after the civil war that broke out after defeating the Vagabonds who had occupied Barbara. And around that time, just before the second civil war began, I remember her losing Mule, which had somewhat grown past its pioneer city stage, to another clan. The period was so short it was embarrassing to even call her the city's representative clan, and I hadn't been interested, so I probably didn't remember it right away. It was a bit hazy, but at least I understood why I had been confused. The future hadn't changed; it had just been moved up, in a slightly different form.
“I knew you’d understand and sympathize with me!”
Yoo Hyuna’s suddenly energetic voice snapped me back to reality. It seemed that when I looked up with a startled expression, she assumed I was sympathizing with her. I had no idea what she was trying to say, beating around the bush in such a haphazard way, but in any case, nothing had changed in my mind.
“I’m sorry to bring up such difficult topics all of a sudden. But that’s just how desperate our situation is right now. But if we can just hold out until the Steel Mountains expedition is over, I’m sure better days will come. I believe so.”
“Ah, yes. You must be going through a lot. By the way, about the investigation you mentioned earlier….”
“User Kim Soohyun.”
Which would cut better, the Sun and Moon Divine Sword or the Formless Sword? I felt a surge of irritation as she cut me off again. But what was even more infuriating was that the User in front of me was still smiling brightly. She probably had no idea what she was doing wrong, or how her words might be perceived by the other person.
Since it had come to this, I decided to just listen quietly for now. Didn't Liu Bei have to visit Zhuge Liang three times before he finally dragged the reluctant strategist away by bursting into tears? This type of person won't listen to anything you say midway through, so I figured it would be better for my sanity to just hear her out and then reject her flatly.
“Mhm~.”
After thinking for a moment, she seemed to make up her mind and looked at me with eyes full of longing. A sudden sense of foreboding washed over me. And then, the words that came from her pretty lips reached my ears, and my ominous premonition became reality.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to borrow the strength of you and your caravan members for this investigation.”
“What did you say?”
“Ah, of course, I know this is sudden. But please hear me out. It’s not a bad offer. If you’re interested….”
“……?”
Yoo Hyuna then smiled gently, tilted her head slightly, and slowly looked over the companions standing behind me. Then, in a confident voice, she continued.
“How about all of you join the Beech Tree Clan, the representative clan of Mule?”
The moment her words ended in a question, I opened my mouth without a shred of hesitation.