Chapter 477: On Second Thought, One Bushel Isn’t Enough. I Think I’ll Take Ten
Chapter 477: On Second Thought, One Bushel Isn’t Enough. I Think I’ll Take Ten
A long silence fell. Lee Hyoeul's initially playful face was gone. After watching the video, her expression had been grim the entire time.
After a while, Lee Hyoeul, her eyes narrowed, finally spoke.
“Do you really have to take it this far? Will you only be satisfied once you see blood?”
“Didn't anyone teach you what happens when you get caught scheming?”
“Kim Soohyun!”
“Haha. Calm down, Guardian of the Northern Continent… No, wait.”
I waved my hand a few times to tell her to calm down, then clasped my hands together and leaned forward slightly. I continued speaking in that posture.
“Hey. User Lee Hyoeul.”
“What.”
“Do you have any idea what we went through in the Sleeping Dragon Mountains? What we had to endure?”
“That's…”
“‘The Mercenary Clan has completed the conquest of the Sleeping Dragon Mountains.’ You think that's all there is to it? You don't even consider the process? Do you think we just went, ‘Oh, look, ruins!’, rushed in, beat up a few monsters, and came out?”
“…”
Lee Hyoeul fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words. It was understandable. She probably had no way of knowing the details, but she must have heard about the notoriety of the Sleeping Dragon Mountains.
“…Was it that hard?”
“It was beyond hard. We faced death countless times because of the monsters that appeared without rest. And that's not all. You know of the Aegis, right? Hangyul had his soul ripped out and was on the verge of death before he barely managed to get his body back. He's recuperating now. The priest said there's a high chance of aftereffects—like developing a mental disorder.”
“A-a mental disorder?”
“Yes.”
Secret and Rare Class Users are classified as important resources due to their scarcity. She must have heard his name at least once or twice. I nodded and continued.
“There's more. In one area, the rescue team was nearly wiped out by a field effect. And Ahn Hyun, who we managed to save after all that, his body was like a mummy. He was a breath away from dying. If it weren't for Ahn Sol, he would have died right there on the spot.”
“…”
“We overcame all of those trials to return to the city. So don't even think about trying to smooth this over like you did before. When I first saw that video, I had to barely restrain myself from slaughtering every last one of them before coming here.”
“No, I get what you're saying, but…”
Just as Lee Hyoeul was about to carefully continue, I couldn't hold back the irritation welling up inside me and burst out in anger.
“But, but, but! Enough with the damn ‘buts’! You clearly don't get it at all! If you did, you wouldn't be saying that!”
“You scared me! Hey! Look at the reality of the situation! Does the Coran Alliance look like a pushover to you? No! Why did you even come here if you weren't going to listen to me in the first place?”
“Then should I just leave? This Alliance you're talking about, and its subordinate clans… should I gather the entire Workshop Alliance and have a real go at it? Ah, I bet there are quite a few clans in the East who would respond to our call, too. If we take the lead, that is.”
“You really…!”
Lee Hyoeul, about to say something, glanced at me and shut her mouth again. I could hear her ragged breathing; she was clearly trying to calm herself down. I, too, took out a cigarette as a way to cool my own heated emotions. With her panting as background music, I quietly lit it.
After a short while, I flicked the ash from the half-smoked cigarette and spoke.
“You're right. I didn't come here to talk. I came here to give you a notice.”
“…A notice?”
“Yes. A notice. Like I said, Mercenary is going to see this through to the end. But we're only aiming to crush the Alliance, not to mess with its subordinate clans… I'll give you one last chance.”
“One last chance?”
I couldn't tell if she was dumbfounded or just dazed. Lee Hyoeul had been repeating my words like a parrot. In any case, I finished my cigarette and nodded.
“Right. I called it a notice, but it's also a choice. Once I'm done with everything I have planned, I'll be satisfied and back off at that point. In other words, I'm willing to accept a reasonable mediation. But if there is no mediation… I'll interpret that as you not caring.”
“…Haaaah.”
When our eyes finally met, Lee Hyoeul let out a deep sigh, as if realizing there was no other way. She slumped into her chair as if collapsing and spoke in a dazed voice.
“This is going to be a real problem…”
“A problem?”
“…The Steel Mountains. The Northern Continent needs to start preparing for its conquest. We failed once before, so we have to succeed this time, no matter what. Even if it means pouring in all of the North's strength.”
“What does that have to do with this?”
At that, Lee Hyoeul lowered her gaze from the empty air and continued in a low voice.
“How could it not? In terms of User numbers alone, the Coran Alliance is a valuable part of our forces. If the Alliance gets shattered because of you, what about that vacuum? Who's going to fill it? Huh?”
Only after hearing this was I finally able to smile a little. At first, I couldn't understand her reaction. She wasn't a Guardian anymore, yet she was giving off a strong impression of siding with the Alliance.
But she wasn't siding with them; it was because of the Steel Mountains. In other words, if it weren't for the Steel Mountains, she wouldn't have opposed me this strongly.
Feeling a bit calmer, I began to speak in a soothing tone.
“Since it's come to this, let's try to look on the bright side. No, wait. As you said, if the Northern Continent is going to pour all its strength into conquering the Steel Mountains, wouldn't it be better to support me? I don't think the current South is very likely to follow the East's lead. It's more likely to cause discord, if anything.”
“…”
“Don't worry. If you do as I ask, I'll keep this between Mercenary and the Alliance. And honestly, let's be real. This crystal ball… what do you think would happen if I showed it to the Goryeo Clan? They'd jump at the chance, wouldn't they? It's a win-win for everyone.”
“…You have a point.”
Her voice was still sullen, but she didn't offer any more empty arguments. Thinking she'd understood enough, I slowly rose to my feet. Now that I'd finished talking with the Central Administration, there was nothing left for me to do here and nothing holding me back. All that remained was to wait.
A moment later, I walked right up to Lee Hyoeul and tapped the crystal ball on her desk.
“I'm leaving now. And I'll leave this here… How about in three days? Have them release it then. Don't release it right away.”
I said that because I needed that much time to put my plans into motion.
Lee Hyoeul didn't answer. She just shrugged once and slowly nodded, looking completely drained. After confirming her response, I turned with a satisfied feeling and walked to the door.
Just then.
“Kim Soohyun.”
Just as I reached the door and was about to open it, a low voice suddenly drifted from behind me. I turned my head halfway to look at her.
Lee Hyoeul, who had been staring at me blankly, finally spoke with a fed-up expression.
“You… are a real son of a bitch.”
“And you're quite the bitch yourself.”
I replied with a grin. Without delay, I opened the door and stepped into the building's hallway. As the door clicked shut behind me, I quietly sank into thought.
With this, I had secured my justification. Although I had the video recording, just as Hyoeul said, there was no way the Coran Alliance would just sit back and take it.
But things would be different if the Central Administration got involved. As the most influential organization in the Northern Continent, Users would find their word more credible, no matter how much of a media campaign the Alliance ran.
In that case, only one thing remained.
Setting the stage.
Looking at the current situation, the Alliance was clearly at fault, but considering the overall media narrative, Mercenary wasn't in a particularly advantageous position either. The reason was simple. What Lee Hyoeul said about us being the hottest clan right now wasn't an empty compliment. And because we were doing so well, there were countless factions who were jealous and resentful for no reason. It was a good thing we had some power of our own; otherwise, we would have already been subjected to all sorts of pressure.
In any case, I had put up the shield of the Central Administration, but I felt that wasn't enough. I needed a situation that was more favorable to us. In this incident, Mercenary had to be the absolute victim, and the Alliance had to be seen as not just criminals, but complete and utter bastards.
And then, after enduring and enduring, Mercenary—who, in anyone's eyes, had tried to resolve things amicably—finally explodes, unable to take it anymore. If I could make events flow that way, from that point on, everything would proceed smoothly.
I roughly organized my thoughts and lifted my gaze. I had already descended all the stairs and was now facing the first floor.
“Are you finished with your visit?”
“Yes. I had a good time.”
“Confirming the departure of the Mercenary Lord. Thank you.”
“Take care.”
After completing the exit procedure and stepping outside, I saw an endlessly stretching blue sky. I admired the cloudless expanse for a moment before quickly walking out of the entrance. I found a secluded spot and took out a round orb from my pocket. It was a communication crystal.
As soon as I imbued it with magic power, Jo Seungwoo's face appeared on the surface with a faint static. He must have been on standby ever since I left this morning.
(I've been waiting, Clan Lord.)
“Yes. I just finished our discussion. I got what I wanted, so now all that's left is to execute the plan.”
(Congratulations, Clan Lord.)
“Congratulations for what? We're not even close to being done; we're just now about to make actual contact. Anyway, that aside, are all the preparations complete?”
Jo Seungwoo paused in thought for a moment before shaking his head slightly.
(We are currently searching for the Resident named Helena Lu Ayens. Ah, but they said they've already picked up her trail, so she should be brought in by tonight at the latest. Shadow Queen-nim, that is.)
“Is that so? If Ko Yeonju says so, then it must be true. What about Park Taejin?”
(We just need to send a herald. I will arrange a meeting for tomorrow and go myself.)
“Users Lim Hanna and Seon Yuun?”
(I've already spoken with them. They are ready to go at any time.)
“I see… Then lastly, what about that guy?”
(That guy? Ah. I've already taken care of it. I relayed the message you gave me exactly. You should be able to meet him there at dawn, along with Shadow Queen-nim.)
“Good. Understood. Then I'll spend some time here and head to Coran at night. I've heard the Night Street there is quite something. I'm rather looking forward to it.”
I was pleased by his fluid, unhesitating answers and gave a faint smile. Jo Seungwoo, who was also grinning, suddenly spoke with a sparkle in his eyes.
(This really reminds me of some kind of 007 operation. Hahaha. Clan Lord, do we have an operation name?)
“Ho. It seems you've adapted quite a bit. To think you'd say something like that.”
(My apologies. If I've offended you, I won't do it again.)
“…Pfft.”
Seeing Jo Seungwoo's expression turn serious in an instant, I let out an involuntary chuckle. If he meant that as a joke, it was a success. It was a little funny.
I stifled a laugh for a moment. Then, with a soft sigh, I looked up at the sky for no particular reason.
“Hah. Let's see. An operation name…”
Then, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind. I looked back down at the crystal ball. I smiled softly and continued.
“Clown's Play. I like it. We'll call the operation 'Clown's Play'.”
*
The small southern city of Coran.
The Southern Conquest Clan.
“Stay in line!”
“You need to bring proof, proof! Your User Academy or Clan Registration certificate! We will not tolerate any User trying to get free equipment without being an acquaintance!”
The Southern Conquest Clan was in the middle of a busy period. On one side was a mountain of equipment with Users bustling in front of it. On another, it was crowded with Users returning equipment or trying to get some for free by pretending to be acquaintances.
And on yet another side, a man and a woman were quietly watching the scene. They were Shin Hyuk, the Southern Conquest Clan Lord, and Woo Seolhee, the Clan Lord of Artemis.
Shin Hyuk's face was expressionless. No, to be precise, while he appeared impassive, a dark shadow unknowingly lingered around his eyes. His brow was furrowed ever so slightly, and his eyes were filled with suspicion. It was the face of someone who was very displeased with something.
After watching the scene for a while, Shin Hyuk spoke in a low voice.
“…It's strange.”
“Hm? What's strange, darling?”
Woo Seolhee asked, casually linking her arm with his. But when Shin Hyuk pushed her arm away with a slightly annoyed tone, she smacked her lips and asked again.
“What's so strange? Everything's going well, isn't it? Just as promised, Mercenary announced what they agreed to with us, handed over the equipment, and officially gave up on Halo. All that's left is to handle Park Taejin at the meeting in three days, right?”
“No, that's not it.”
“So what's strange? Everything is going so smoothly.”
“That's what's strange. For a crisis that came out of nowhere, the situation has resolved itself too well. It's going too smoothly… It's definitely suspicious.”
That was right. Shin Hyuk was feeling an unidentifiable suspicion about the current situation. This stemmed from his characteristically cautious nature, a kind of intuition that had played a significant role in elevating him to the position of second-in-command within the Alliance.
So far, this feeling had never been wrong. It was a problem when things didn't work out, but it was also suspicious when things worked out too well.
In fact, it had been strange from the moment he first heard the details from Woo Seolhee. He hadn't even brought it up, but they mentioned Halo first? And they scratched his itch so perfectly?
If Kim Soohyun had just made empty promises, that would be one thing. But he had actually kept his word. This behavior made him feel as if Kim Soohyun knew his situation within the Alliance inside and out. Thinking this, Shin Hyuk felt his suspicion grow even stronger.
“Hyuk, don't overthink it. If you're that worried, should I have some of our people tail him?”
“Absolutely not. Now that Ko Yeonju is back, it's useless. We're more likely to be the ones getting tracked.”
“Heeh. Is that woman really that amazing? The rumors call her the Shadow Whore, or the Queen of Harlots…”
“Woo Seolhee, shut your mouth. More than a few Users have died for saying things like that to her face.”
“Tch. Then what do you want to do? It's already happened. We can't back out now.”
“That's why I told you to shut up. I said I'm thinking.”
His tone was so serious that Woo Seolhee immediately fell silent.
Shin Hyuk closed his eyes. He slowly stroked his chin, lost in thought. A storm of complex thoughts raged in his mind. With his tendency to look before he leaped, he couldn't go into the meeting without confirming something concrete.
After a long time, Shin Hyuk's eyes flashed open. At the same time, his tightly sealed lips finally parted slightly.
“That guy. I think we need to keep an eye on him.”
“That guy?”
“You know. The one Mercenary planted in our ranks.”
“Ah… Park Hwanhee?”
Just as Woo Seolhee nodded in understanding, a strange light flashed in Shin Hyuk's eyes, if only for a moment.
Shin Hyuk nodded back and spoke quietly, his voice chilling.
“Yes. If we can't watch Kim Soohyun, then we'll watch him. There's no other way. This is the best we can do. So from now on, report his every move to me. No, do it right now!”