Chapter 229: Catastrophe
Chapter 229: Catastrophe
Son Bunrye, a ninth-year User and the spiritual pillar of the Golden Lion Clan, had been murdered in the Eastern Mountains. Commonly known as the Matriarch, she had been mutilated so horribly that her body was difficult to look at. No clear traces remained either where the body was found or at the presumed battle site. In other words, the killer was highly skilled at tracking and had deliberately erased the evidence.
News of the Matriarch's death spread rapidly throughout the Northern Continent. The incident reignited the turmoil in the Northern Continent, which had only just begun to calm down after the failure of the Steel Mountains expedition. Over nine years, the Matriarch's influence on the Hall Plain, and especially the Northern Continent, had been nothing short of legendary. For such a legend to die a sudden, mysterious death—it would have been stranger if things had remained quiet.
Following Do Youngrok's declaration of war, which I'd heard in the Academy instructors' meeting room, the Golden Lion Clan moved with incredible speed. Shortly after the incident, they issued an official statement on the Matriarch's death and requested extensive cooperation from the representative clans of each city to uncover the truth.
Their justification was flawless. This was not the death of some obscure User, but of the Matriarch herself. Her name carried enormous weight, and Users throughout the Northern Continent wanted the mystery of her death uncovered.
I was able to learn these details thanks to Ko Yeonju. She had decided to stay at the User Academy for the time being after returning from the Eastern Mountains. And the updates she provided on the situation outside the Academy were quite interesting. In particular, I heard that the debate over the Matriarch's death was heating up with each passing day.
The Northern Continent’s attention was now fixed on one question: “Who killed the Matriarch, and why?” Strangely, even before the truth had been uncovered, the discussion was already drifting toward the conclusion that the culprit came from within the Northern Continent.
Some claimed that Vagabonds were responsible, but the theory gained little traction. Most Vagabonds had fled toward the Western Continent after the recent Vagabond Extermination Plan, and sightings within the Northern Continent had become exceedingly rare. The idea surfaced briefly, then quickly disappeared.
Just as opinion began settling on the crime being an internal affair, the Golden Lion Clan’s allied clans issued sweeping statements. They declared that they would spare no support in uncovering the truth and would accept every request for cooperation, earning the sympathy of ordinary Users.
With the representative clans of the northern and western cities having stated their positions, all that remained were the announcements from the southern and eastern cities. Since the intense conflict between the clans that had participated in the expedition and those that hadn't was a well-known fact, all Users were on edge, waiting for their statements.
And so, a few days after the other clans, the non-participating clans released their statement. However, their statement was remarkably brief compared to those of the allied clans. The core of their announcement was just one thing: “We agree to uncover the truth of the Matriarch's death.”
It could be interpreted as accepting the Golden Lion Clan’s request for cooperation, but given the conflict between the two sides, the wording was decidedly ambiguous.
In any case, while it was impossible to know how things would unfold, for now, it seemed everything was going according to Do Youngrok's plan.
The Golden Lion Clan’s next move was swift enough to reaffirm that it had once held hegemony over the Northern Continent. It summoned key figures from every representative clan that had endorsed its statement to Barbara. Notably, attendance was limited to Clan Lords or Senior Executives responsible for diplomacy, with all other personnel restricted as much as possible.
As major figures from each clan gathered in Barbara at the Golden Lion Clan’s request, the attention of ordinary Users naturally shifted toward the central city.
And so, with all eyes on them, the meeting of the representative clans that governed the Northern Continent began.
*
“These sons of bitches!”
Bang!
Kim Deokpil roared and slammed the table with all his strength. The tabletop shattered beneath his fist, sending splinters raining down. It was undeniably rude, yet no one tried to stop him. Everyone gathered there was showing the same anger.
So when they said they agreed, they meant exactly that—and nothing more.
I sank into thought with a bitter smile. The three meetings held over the past five days could only be called one-sided.
To cut to the chase, the non-participating clans wanted to dispatch another investigation team to the Eastern Mountains. It was the only place where they could find clues about the culprit. Their representative, Jo Seongho, suggested that both factions join forces this time to form a large-scale investigation team and meticulously search the entire Eastern Mountain range.
However, the Golden Lion Clan flatly rejected Jo Seongho's proposal. They claimed they had already conducted a thorough investigation and that doing it again would be a waste of manpower and time. The non-participating clans didn't back down easily, but they were ultimately silenced by Do Youngrok's single remark: “I'll be convinced when you bring me a User with better tracking skills than the Shadow Queen.”
To be fair, Do Youngrok was not entirely wrong, so the discussion had remained tolerable up to that point. But when it became the Golden Lion Clan’s turn to speak, their next proposal stunned everyone.
Their next proposal was an internal audit of every clan. Any clan subjected to it would have to reveal the entirety of its internal information to the Golden Lion Clan without reservation.
Naturally, all the non-participating clans vehemently protested. But the Golden Lion Clan refused to change its stance. In fact, they took an even harder line, and their allied clans chimed in, criticizing the protesting clans by saying, “If you have nothing to hide, you should agree to the audit.”
Even from my perspective, the Golden Lion's demand for a direct internal audit seemed to have crossed a line—no, it had gone way too far. After all, the very act of being audited could be considered deeply humiliating.
But the Golden Lion Clan didn’t stop there. They delivered another shock by announcing that they would use 〈Crystal of Truth〉 on any clan member deemed suspicious during the audit. And that still wasn’t the end.
To make matters worse, they added that their supply of 〈Crystal of Truth〉 was insufficient and that each clan would be required to provide the missing items. This provoked collective fury among the non-participating clans. By then, the demand had gone far beyond mere humiliation.
After Do Youngrok's shocking declaration, harsh shouts were exchanged for some time. The Goryeo Clan and the other non-participating clans then offered a compromise: they would conduct their own internal audits.
Just agreeing to an audit was already a significant concession, but the Golden Lion Clan's attitude remained unchanged. They emphasized that the Golden Lion Clan was the victim in this case and dismissed the offer, arguing that the culprit clan could hardly be expected to conduct a transparent audit of itself.
After that, the talks devolved into pointless bickering. The meetings continued for three rounds, but it was hard to say they achieved anything significant; they only served to reaffirm the conflict and animosity between the two sides.
With neither side able to narrow the gap over the internal audits, the talks ended in catastrophe. The instructors who remained at the Academy afterward were left in an especially awkward position.
“Those crazy bastards. They're just going to ignore us and force it through!”
“It's not that they're going to force it through; they've already started. I heard they began auditing the representative clans of the northern and western cities, who agreed to it, right after the second meeting ended.”
Kim Deokpil seethed, unable to hide his rage, while Na Seung-hye corrected him in a cool voice.
“Hah. An internal audit? As if those bastards would ever be fair. I can just see them, eyes blazing, tearing everything apart. It's obvious they'll latch onto any little pretext to attack us. What kind of madman would agree to that?”
“That's not the issue right now. Regardless of our internal circumstances, we've effectively rejected the Golden Lion's request for cooperation, and public opinion is turning against us.”
As they said, public opinion throughout the Hall Plain was turning against the non-participating clans. Their refusal of the audit was not the only reason; some people were openly saying that the audit itself was clearly excessive.
After the second meeting, however, the Golden Lion Clan began directly auditing the northern and western clans that had agreed, and those clans cooperated willingly. At the same time, the reasons the Matriarch had left after the call to arms and what she had said about the Academy began spreading quietly. The developments interlocked almost as if the story had been coordinated in advance.
Well, it's obvious who's spreading those rumors.
The conflict between the clans over the User Academy. The Matriarch’s departure for the Eastern Mountains to heal the Golden Lion Clan Lord. Her body later being found in those same mountains. The growing assumption that the crime had been committed by someone inside the Northern Continent. And the non-participating clans’ refusal of the internal audit.
As all these currents began to converge, the narrative, which had only vaguely pointed to an inside job, suddenly shifted to blame a single target.
“We can't just stand by and do nothing.”
“…”
At that moment, Seo Jinwoo, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. The other Users, who had been letting out frustrated sighs, immediately looked up at him.
“Since everyone here is in a similar situation, I'll just share my personal thoughts.”
Seo Jinwoo's usual gentle expression was gone, replaced by a hard, stern look as he began to speak.
“I do not believe Do Youngrok is acting out of genuine grief and anger over the Matriarch’s death, or from a sincere desire to uncover the truth.”
“My thoughts exactly. Wasn't he the one who was at odds with the Matriarch back in the day and later led the charge to oust her? At least, that's what I heard.”
Heo Yuri, picking up the information from somewhere, immediately voiced her agreement. Hearing their exchange, everyone else nodded with grave expressions.
“They have the justification of uncovering the truth behind the Matriarch’s death, but they are acting far more aggressively than necessary. They have crossed the line. Frankly, I have begun to doubt their real intentions.”
“Are you suggesting they deliberately killed the Matriarch to create this situation?”
“You're getting ahead of yourself. I didn't say that. No one knows for sure. However, I think I have a good idea why they're acting this way. Their movements have been too swift and calculated to simply be a reaction. It's as if they planned this among themselves before the meetings even started.”
“No way.”
“Yes. Let's be blunt. To me, this looks like nothing more than a desperate struggle to reclaim the prestige and initiative they lost in the Steel Mountains expedition.”
A power struggle, then. He's seen right through it.
At Seo Jinwoo's direct words, everyone fell silent. It was something they had all been thinking but had left unsaid, and hearing it spoken aloud seemed to make it resonate.
An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment. As if his throat was dry with frustration, Seo Jinwoo gulped down a glass of cold water. He then looked around at everyone in the meeting room and spoke again. I couldn't be sure if it was my imagination, but a faint, unreadable smile played on his lips.
Seo Jinwoo suddenly rose. Sung Hyunmin, Na Seung-hye, and the other members of the eastern clans stood with him. Every face radiated cold hostility. As the people under the most direct suspicion, their nerves were probably stretched taut.
“As you said, public opinion is against us, and it will likely stay that way for a while. However, we have no intention of meekly handing over the initiative.”
“Are you saying you're going to officially enter the power struggle?”
“Well, you'll see soon enough if you watch. But from the very beginning, when our eastern clans answered the call to arms, we came with many things in mind. We were even prepared to make a firm enemy of certain people. We set that resolve aside for a time thanks to the Matriarch's mediation, but now that things have come to this, I see no need to hold back any longer.”
“They were the ones who started this mud-slinging dogfight in the first place. I never imagined the Matriarch's death would lead to this, but… when someone throws down a gauntlet, it's only human nature to pick it up, isn't it?”
“I agree. We can't just let them rob us blind.”
A thrill ran down my spine when I saw their faces. Sung Hyunmin and Na Seung-hye wore subtle expressions as they answered Seo Jinwoo, suggesting that they had anticipated a day like this and prepared something substantial for it.
It seems they have an ace up their sleeve. The Golden Lion Clan has played a card, so now it's their turn to play one of their own. Then again, these people are second to none when it comes to a good old-fashioned mudfight.
Presently, they walked calmly toward the door, only to stop again in front of the table where the southern clans were seated. Seo Jinwoo looked down at the representative of the Blue Wolf Clan and spoke.
“Let's end today's discussion here. We'll be taking our leave now. It seems we're going to be quite busy starting tomorrow—no, starting today.”
“Busy, you say? I'll be looking forward to it.”
“Are you only going to look forward to it?”
Na Seung-hye quickly interjected. The instructor representing the Blue Wolf Clan paused to think, then spoke in a quiet voice.
“A certain saying comes to mind: ‘When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold’, was it?”
“Heh. I'm glad you understand.”
Seo Jinwoo bared his teeth in a grin at the southern clans’ affirmative response. At his words, the eyes of the southern instructors began to gleam as well.
The moment I witnessed that scene, I had the strong feeling that this was the signal flare, heralding the start of an all-out dogfight between the two factions.