Chapter 485: The Downfall Of The Coran Union.
Chapter 485: The Downfall Of The Coran Union.
After the Coran Union’s official statement, the situation seemed to de-escalate slightly. Not only did Park Taejin form an investigation team and depart that very day, but some factions also began to argue that everyone should wait for the exact truth to be revealed. Users who found this reasonable helped form a public consensus for self-restraint, and as a result, the hornet’s nest that was the Northern Continent seemed to calm down a little.
But who could have known? Who could have known that this period of calm would last less than two weeks?
A week passed after Park Taejin’s departure, and then another. It was then that a new incident struck the Northern Continent.
When they first set out, the union’s investigation team had been composed of a fair number of members. However, the team, which everyone thought was well on its way to the Sleeping Dragon Mountains, suddenly returned with only a handful of survivors. What’s more, some of them were half-dead.
At first, the Users were bewildered. But the moment the survivors revealed that, far from uncovering the truth, they had been attacked by the Southern Conquest and Artemis Clans from within their own union, the Northern Continent was once again in an uproar.
As the union was sucked back into a vortex of chaos, the Central Administration moved swiftly. Judging that the union no longer had the ability to resolve the incident, they announced their official intervention and dispatched their own investigation team. Of course, this team wasn't heading to the Sleeping Dragon Mountains; their purpose was to uncover the truth behind this new attack.
And when another two weeks had passed, the Central Investigation Team returned with an announcement that plunged the Northern Continent into a state of profound shock.
—…It has been determined that this attack was carried out under the leadership of the Southern Conquest. …The Central Administration investigated this incident focusing on two key questions. First, why was the union’s investigation team camping in front of some ruins? Second, why did the Southern Conquest Clan attack an investigation team from their own union? …After summoning and interrogating Park Hwanhee of the Su Clan and the three or four other survivors, we were able to uncover a startling fact. According to a declaration of conscience from one User, the investigation team’s objective was never to find the truth, but to excavate the ruins. …Based on this testimony, we surmise that the Southern Conquest Clan’s attack was likely the result of escalating conflicts surrounding the recent Mercenary incident….
*
The southern city of Coran.
The union’s meeting hall was dark and filled with a solemn air. But there was one thing different from before: the number of people filling the room was drastically smaller. Where sixteen people had once stood, now only three remained.
It was inevitable. Park Taejin was missing as a result of the mysterious attack, and Baek Du-san was confirmed dead. Shin Hyuk was in prison, while Sagong Un-hyun and Gu Hyeon-gyu had declared their withdrawal from the union. In other words, only three members were left.
Seo Jihwan, the lord of the Merchants’ Guild Clan, wore a grave expression, while Min Baekhwa, the lord of the Baekhwa Clan, had a sorrowful look on her face. They both looked as if they were wondering how things had gotten so out of hand.
Amidst it all, Min Baekhwa occasionally showed a flicker of worry. The reason was that one of her cherished clan members had abruptly vanished not long ago. After her affair with Shin Hyuk and the fact that she was the User who had commissioned Mercenary were revealed, Song Heeseon had cut off all contact and disappeared.
Meanwhile, Woo Seolhee, the lord of the Artemis Clan, was on pins and needles. She trembled uncontrollably, constantly biting her nails. This was because although the Southern Conquest Clan had led the attack, a significant number of Artemis Clan members had also been involved. As such, she was in a position where she couldn't avoid explaining why they had attacked, but in truth, Woo Seolhee’s position was a bit ambiguous. No, perhaps it was more accurate to say she had turned a blind eye.
Shin Hyuk’s loyal followers had secretly approached her, shown her evidence, and urged her to join them, but Woo Seolhee, thinking the chances of success were low, had declined. In a way, she had made a wise decision. However, she had anticipated that they would try to recruit some of her clan members and had failed to control them, so she couldn't claim to be entirely blameless. But if she admitted that here, everything would truly be over, so she was adamantly sticking to her story that she knew nothing at all.
A heavy silence still hung in the meeting hall.
“…Seolhee-ah.”
Suddenly, Seo Jihwan softly broke the silence. His face was filled with gloom, and his voice was endlessly subdued. Woo Seolhee, who had moved on from her nails to chewing on her fingers, flinched in surprise and turned her head.
“…Do you really not know anything? Why those kids attacked Taejin. Why they were at some random ruins instead of heading to the Sleeping Dragon Mountains.”
“I-I don’t know. I told you I don’t know. I really, really don’t know. I was just quietly laying low, and they went and did it on their own… I don’t know! I said I don’t know!”
In reality, she knew half and was ignorant of the other half, but Woo Seolhee focused on the latter. She truly had no idea why Park Taejin had suddenly gone to the ruins. A look of genuine injustice appeared on her face, and Seo Jihwan could only nod his head with a deep sigh.
“Huuu… We haven’t even resolved the Mercenary incident, so why does this keep happening? No, before that, don’t we need to know something to even begin to explain ourselves? But we have no idea what’s going on…”
An unconcealable frustration was evident in Seo Jihwan’s voice. His tone implored the others to say something, anything. But there was no way they could. One of them knew nothing and had nothing to say, and the other would end up in the same boat as Shin Hyuk the moment she opened her mouth.
In the end, Seo Jihwan let out another sigh, and silence descended upon the meeting hall once more.
And so, a little time passed.
Tap-tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap-tap!
Tap-tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap-tap!
Suddenly, the sound of someone rushing down the hallway could be heard. No, it wasn't the sound of one person running. It sounded like several people were running at once, and the sound was so urgent that the three in the meeting hall instinctively turned their heads toward the door.
Bang!
“We have a huge problem!”
The door was thrown open violently as a dozen people swarmed inside. Seo Jihwan unknowingly frowned. The situation was already spiraling out of control, and now something else had happened.
“What is it now?!”
“Th-That is…! Mercenary has declared war on the union!”
But the moment the words “declaration of war” were spoken, Seo Jihwan’s expression hardened. It was as if he was thinking, So, it’s finally come. He wasn't the only one. Min Baekhwa and Woo Seolhee’s faces turned deathly pale, their mouths hanging open in shock.
Seo Jihwan slowly closed his eyes.
“…Explain in more detail.”
“I-It’s just as I said. They emphasized that the union’s investigation team went to the ruins instead of the Sleeping Dragon Mountains. And with the final words that they had waited long enough and endured long enough, they formally declared war on the Coran Union!”
“…What about the Central Administration? Have they said anything?”
“I-I don’t know. A-Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now! What are we supposed to do? Huh?”
The quiet meeting hall instantly became chaotic. Seo Jihwan kept his eyes closed, chewing on his lip, while the Users who had rushed in all started talking at once, demanding a response.
It was then.
“Everyone, be quiet!”
Thump! A sharp voice rang out along with the sound of a hand slamming on the table. The Users reflexively shut their mouths and turned their heads. Their gazes fell upon Woo Seolhee, who was standing there, breathing heavily.
“A declaration of war? Fuck it, let them! I can’t take this anymore!”
“Seolhee-ah, calm down!” Seo Jihwan shouted, his voice uncharacteristically loud. Woo Seolhee’s hair was already a mess, and blood was trickling from her lips and fingertips. He figured that she had been pushed to her absolute limit recently and was not in a normal state of mind.
But Woo Seolhee’s eyes widened in fury as she yelled back.
“Calm down? You’re telling me to calm down?! It’s already hard enough as it is, how much longer do we have to put up with this? This is all because of what Park Taejin and Shin Hyuk did! It’s something that happened because of their stupid dogfight! What did we do that was so wrong?!”
“Woo Seolhee!”
“Fuck, what?! They declared war on us first! Isn’t that a good thing? Huh? In the end, this is a world ruled by Player Status and power, isn’t it? Mercenary? At most, they have around fifty members! Even in our current state, if we gather everyone we have left, we’ll have at least a few hundred! Let’s just use this chance to stomp them so they can never mess with us again!”
“You really…! Hah…”
Perhaps feeling that it was impossible to reason with her, Seo Jihwan shook his head and pressed a hand to his forehead. Woo Seolhee glared at him with blazing eyes, then whipped her head around and shouted.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to gather the troops? They declared war, didn’t they? Then we have to respond!”
Her icy command fell, but the Users hesitated, only looking at each other. They hadn't expected that they would actually go to war. Sensing their hesitation, Woo Seolhee’s face contorted in anger.
Tap-tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap-tap!
Again, the sound of running echoed from the hallway. Was it because they sensed the ominous feeling carried in that sound? A flicker of confusion crossed Woo Seolhee’s eyes just as she was about to explode in anger. A moment later, a User entered and shouted in a panting voice.
“Th-There’s big trouble! The Haemil Clan has also declared war on the union! They say they’re participating in this war as part of their Offensive-Defensive Alliance!”
Following Mercenary’s declaration of war, the Haemil Clan had followed suit.
Tap-tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap-tap!
But before they even had time to be shocked, the sound of running echoed down the hall again. And as expected, another User burst in and shouted without even catching his breath.
“Th-The Istantel Low Clan has also declared war! They’re joining this war as part of their Offensive-Defensive Alliance with Mercenary…!”
Mercenary and Haemil had declared war. And on top of that, Istantel Low had declared war as well.
For a brief moment, a profound silence fell over the meeting hall. It was a strange quietness, different from ordinary silence, where not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
“Ah…! Th-This…!”
Woo Seolhee, who had been about to say something, suddenly let out a single cry and sank to the floor. No, it was more than just sinking. Her eyes had grown impossibly wide, and her mouth was agape. Then, she finally collapsed, slumping limply to the ground. Countless eyes were drawn to the floor. Occasionally, choked, gasping sounds escaped her lips.
Seo Jihwan quietly rose to his feet.
“…I’m going to the Central Administration. I will request mediation.”
He opened the eyes he had kept tightly shut and spoke in a grief-stricken voice.
*
“I apologize, Mercenary Lord. I should have come to apologize sooner, but with one thing after another…”
“Hmph.”
“I have no excuses. I am truly sorry. I can only hope for the Mercenary Clan’s leniency.”
“Leniency…”
Tapping the ash from my lit cigarette, I repeated the word “leniency.”
Before me, Seo Jihwan was kneeling on the floor, his head bowed low. Behind him, three other Users were kneeling in the same manner, their heads also bowed. Min Baekhwa, Woo Seolhee, and… Park Hwanhee, who was wrapped in bandages from head to toe as if to advertise the fact that he was injured. (Honestly, I wondered if that was really necessary, given the existence of healing spells.)
As I remained silent, Park Hwanhee suddenly lifted his head slightly and met my eyes. Then, he offered a faint smile. I gave him a stern look, a clear sign not to smile, and he flinched before lowering his head again.
The reason they were here was because of the declaration of war I had announced yesterday. As expected, Shin Hyuk had attacked Park Taejin, who had been giddy with the prospect of excavating the ruins, and the few Users I had allowed to survive had revealed the truth. Of course, not the real truth, but the truth I had engineered.
There was no need to even consider the justification or the Users’ reactions anymore. The final line of my declaration—‘We have waited long enough, and we have endured long enough’—perfectly reflected the current situation. Just when a consensus for self-restraint had formed, the union had magnificently stabbed everyone in the back.
The Users’ fury was immense. To what extent? To the point that after the declarations of war, far from calling for mediation, they were sending fervent cheers for us to just go ahead and crush the union.
To be honest, I was secretly hoping someone in the union would snap and retaliate. But it seemed they weren't all complete idiots; the moment we declared war, they had rushed to the Central Administration to request mediation.
‘Hey! Kim Soohyun! You’re not really planning on going to war, are you?’
‘Why not? If they respond, we’ll have to.’
‘They won’t! They won’t respond!’
‘Oh? How do you know that?’
‘The union submitted a request for mediation! You definitely said you’d let us intervene in the end, right? So let’s just end this now, okay? Please!’
‘Tsk. What a shame.’
I chuckled for a moment as I recalled my conversation with Lee Hyoeul last night. It was pretty funny how she’d called me in a panic, completely freaking out.
Of course, I hadn't completely withdrawn the declaration of war. It was more accurate to say it was temporarily on hold. Since I had made a promise, I accepted the Central Administration’s mediation, but naturally, there was a process to it. In other words, the mediation would only be established once the Coran Union fulfilled the conditions set by Mercenary.
When I looked forward again, I realized my mistake. The four people who had come to apologize and negotiate were still bowing their heads. It must be hard enough to kneel, but how much harder must it be to keep their heads bowed for so long?
“Ah, my apologies. I was lost in thought for a moment. Anyway, please raise your heads. It’s a bit uncomfortable. Hahaha.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, the four of them slowly lifted their faces. I glanced around once before speaking in a slightly playful tone.
“I didn’t expect the four of you to come together like this. I can understand Southern Conquest and Serengeti, but… Su and Artemis, is it alright for you to be together like this?”
This was a jab at the recent incident where Shin Hyuk had attacked Park Taejin. Although Southern Conquest had taken the lead, an examination of the casualties revealed that a certain number of Artemis Clan members had been mixed in.
At that, Woo Seolhee’s face turned so white it was pitiful to see. She shook her head frantically and pleaded with an expression of utter misery.
“N-No, Mercenary Lord. I don’t know anything. I really don’t. I have nothing to do with this incident. Please, believe me.”
“Is that so? Then what was your intention when you came to see me about your clan’s performance back then?”
Perhaps because I’d hit a nerve, Woo Seolhee immediately fell silent. Her Adam’s apple bobbed ceaselessly as she stuttered like an idiot.
“Th-That was…”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I think I know without having to hear it, so let’s get to the main point.”
Continuing the conversation seemed like a waste of time, so I cut her off and said we should get down to business. In any case, Woo Seolhee’s fate was already sealed. I planned to turn a blind eye to the three clans that had been bystanders, but I intended to deal with every single User who was directly involved, without exception. By Mercenary’s standards, of course.
“Actually, Mercenary’s conditions have already been delivered to the Central Administration. I heard they’ve passed them on to the union, so I’m not sure why you’ve gone to the trouble of coming here today.”
“Yes. We certainly heard them. However, those conditions are too great a burden for the union to bear at present, so we came to see if you might be willing to ease them a little.”
The User who answered my question was Seo Jihwan, who was at the very front. It seemed that with Park Taejin and Shin Hyuk gone, he was now leading what was left of the union. Come to think of it, I remembered hearing his name a few times in the first playthrough, so I gave a slight nod.
“Ease them, you say? That’s not the right expression for a situation like this. However, if the first condition is too difficult to bear, there is simply another condition. How about it? Would you like to hear it?”
“…I’m listening.”
At his reply, I smiled quietly and opened my mouth.
“The other condition is the dissolution of the Southern Free Alliance. In other words, you are to withdraw from Coran.”