Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Testament
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Lee Si-woo aimed the scanner at the girl munching on a chocolate bar beside him.
[Luktator] ★★★★★★★★★
Race: Human
Talents: Martial Arts, Master, Apex Body, Unarmed Specialization, Bulletproof, Youthful Form (Stamina Penalty), Ocular Power, Master, ??.
Lee Si-woo clicked his tongue as he reviewed Luktator’s stats.
‘Just as you’d expect from a 9-Star; every single one of her Talents is spectacular. And bulletproof? You’re telling me this old master can deflect bullets? Hah… what a monster. But what’s with the question marks? Is it not unlocked yet, or can this scanner just not identify it?’
Having devoured the chocolate bar in an instant, Luktator licked her fingers with a look of regret and spoke.
“Have you any more? I never used to have much of an appetite, but this young body keeps craving sugar.”
“…Here, I have more. Please, take as many as you’d like.”
When Lee Si-woo took all the chocolate bars from his bag and handed them over, Luktator beamed and began stuffing them into her pockets.
Her heart now full from the chocolate bars, Luktator clapped her hands as if a lightbulb had appeared over her head.
“Ah, before I forget, there is something I must tell you. I caused a bit of trouble.”
“Trouble?”
“There was a scuffle in that tutorial area, or whatever it’s called. Tsk, since I’ve been turned into this young body, a few ruffians thought they could look down on me. So I disciplined them a little.”
“Disciplined them…?”
“I broke their arms and legs. Heh heh, I don’t know for sure, but they’ll likely be recovering for a few months. Ah, but those fellows… what was it they said? They claimed to belong to some sort of club.”
“Hmm, do you happen to know the name of the club?”
“They said it was Arang.”
Lee Si-woo, who had been lost in thought with his arms crossed, spoke after a moment.
“I think it would be best if we don’t enter the city.”
“Hm? Why is that?”
“I checked the security procedures, and it seems they use scanners to check stats. At this rate, you and I will draw far too much attention. It would restrict our movements later on.”
“Hrmmm…”
Luktator let out a disappointed hum, seemingly wanting to wash up and sleep in a soft bed, prompting Si-woo to ask for her understanding once more.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask you to bear with it for a little while. Plenitas?”
At Si-woo’s call, Plenitas, who had been sitting awkwardly nearby and spacing out, snapped her head up like a student caught dozing by a teacher.
“Yes? Ah, yes. Go on.”
“Let’s split up here.”
At the words ‘split up,’ Plenitas’s eyes widened.
“What? N-No, what do you mean…?”
Seeing her eyes well up like an abandoned puppy’s, Lee Si-woo gave a wry smile.
“I don’t mean we should part ways for good, just that we should act separately for a while. As you know, Plenitas, the Lord and I are of an excessively high star rating. I’m sure it would cause an uproar if we entered the city as we are. That would be undesirable for both of us.”
Luktator mumbled while nibbling on a chocolate bar.
“Hm? Not really. It makes no difference to me. If someone picks a fight, I’ll just beat them down. If they want to brawl, I’ll just snap their necks…”
Lee Si-woo ruthlessly cut off Luktator’s nonchalant remark and continued.
“So, Plenitas, you should go into the city and join a club. Hmm, if possible… Sprinter would be a good choice.”
“Uh… I think I understand what you’re getting at. You want me to become an informant and keep an eye on things.”
“Yes. Exactly.”
“Then what about you, Mr. Nameless? What are you going to do? You’re not planning on staying here, are you?”
Hearing Plenitas, Luktator picked at her ear and muttered.
“Nameless? Goodness, this sly fellow is trying to work a pretty lady without even telling her his real name. Tsk, tsk, for someone who looks so decent, he has a nasty streak.”
“My Lord. It’s not like that, so please don’t jump to conclusions.”
“Who said anything? Ahem, well, it was a good move nonetheless. I was just about to tell you to use an alias anyway.”
After leaving a cryptic comment only she could understand, Luktator quickly became obsessed with her chocolate bar again. Lee Si-woo clicked his tongue softly and spoke to Plenitas.
“In any case, Plenitas, don’t worry. I’m not doing this without a plan. The Lord and I have a place to go.”
Lee Si-woo took a green key from his pocket.
The green key, looted after killing the white lion, had started emitting a faint green radar as soon as Si-woo neared the base city, guiding him somewhere.
“I intend to follow the light this key is emitting.”
“…Won’t it be dangerous?”
“I’ll be fine with the Lord. She’s more capable than she looks.”
Luktator spoke with a sullen expression.
“More than I look? I may have become cute and lovely, but I am still myself.”
As she arrogantly tilted her chin up, Luktator, in the form of a 10-year-old girl, looked more adorable than haughty.
With a faint sigh, Lee Si-woo took the communicator he had gotten from Cretus out of his bag and handed it to Plenitas.
“So please, keep this communicator safe. I’ll contact you when I have the time. And if circumstances allow, I’d like you to join Sprinter and find out what the club members think about the disappearances and about me.”
“…Will I have to wait long for you to contact me?”
To Plenitas’s question, filled with a sense of longing, Lee Si-woo shrugged.
“Right now, I can’t give you a definite answer. I’ll contact you as soon as I find another way into the base city.”
With those words, Lee Si-woo and Luktator departed, leaving Plenitas to gaze at their retreating backs with a lingering look in her eyes.
***
After finally completing the tutorial through many twists and turns, a man in a black hat approached Ha-yun as she entered the base city.
“You don’t know anything, and you have nowhere to go. Feeling lost?”
“…Who are you?”
“Me? This is who I am.”
The man in the black hat pulled a business card from his pocket and offered it to her.
The card only had a name and a club affiliation written on it.
“Kim Seo… jin?”
When the man took off his black hat, white hair that looked like fallen snow and dark eyes came into Ha-yun’s view.
“Yep, that’s right. Kim Seo-jin of the Dawn Club. A pretty famous name in these parts.”
Ha-yun stared at Kim Seo-jin in disbelief.
Kim Seo-jin.
How could she ever forget that name and face?
The man she loved.
He was not only Lee Si-woo’s aide but also her own secretary.
“Kim Seo-jin. You… you don’t know me?”
Kim Seo-jin tilted his head at Ha-yun’s reaction, as if she knew him.
“Huh? What are you talking about? This is the first time I’ve seen you.”
“…That can’t be right. I know you. You were Si-woo’s aide. And you handled my secretarial duties as well. For a very… a very long time…”
Just then, a strange sense of dissonance washed over Ha-yun.
Kim Seo-jin had definitely been her secretary and Lee Si-woo’s aide.
But she couldn’t remember.
When exactly had he joined her and Si-woo? How had they even met?
Meanwhile, Kim Seo-jin retorted with a baffled look, as if wondering what was wrong with her.
“What are you on about? I’m a native of this world. Unlike you people who come and go from the outside using some weird method called logging in, I was born here and have lived here my whole life. So how could an outsider like you know me?”
“…I know you. How could I forget? Your face. Your voice. All of it… I’ve seen it for so long.”
Kim Seo-jin scoffed as if he found the whole thing ridiculous, then shook his head.
“Tsk, I heard you were a 5-Star talent and thought I’d try to scout you, but you’re just a crazy woman. Forget it. I give up. Well, if you were just acting crazy to get rid of me, I’ll give you credit. Your little trick worked.”
Ha-yun instinctively reached out to stop Kim Seo-jin as he turned to leave, but then she stopped her hand.
For some reason, she felt a compulsion that she shouldn’t let him go, but she decided to calmly assess the situation first.
‘I don’t know anything about this person. It’s dangerous to follow him just because he looks like Kim Seo-jin and has the same name. I need to be more careful. Right, for now… I’ll investigate this place called Dawn.’
Was it a coincidence?
Kim Seo-jin glanced back over his shoulder.
His eyes seemed to ask, *Why aren’t you stopping me?*
But Ha-yun turned her back instead and was the first to walk away.
Realizing she knew nothing, it seemed she intended to gather information first.
Kim Seo-jin watched her retreating figure with a look of regret and licked his lips.
***
Finding the walk along the concrete barrier that surrounded the city like a fortress wall to be tedious, Luktator began spewing random bits of information she had picked up from various people.
“Have you heard of the natives?”
“Natives? Hmm, are you saying there were people living in this world besides those of us who logged in from the outside?”
“Hah, you’re a sharp one. That’s right. The term ‘native’ refers to those who lived in the world of trials before we arrived. I’ve heard some call them NPCs.”
“People who originally lived in this world… Interesting. I’d like to meet one.”
“Shall I tell you something even more interesting? They are all obsessed with a certain name.”
“A certain name…?”
“Lee Si-woo. They are said to be searching for someone named Lee Si-woo. Isn’t that amusing? They are looking for you. Yes, all the NPCs. That is why I did not throw a tantrum when you said we would not enter the city. That city… there are one too many suspicious things about it to enter recklessly.”
Natives.
In other words, NPCs were looking for him. Hearing this, Lee Si-woo’s expression hardened slightly.
“Do you know why they are looking for me?”
“How would I know that? That is for a clever boy like you to find out on your own.”
Lee Si-woo smacked his lips at Luktator’s irresponsible reply.
“That’s true, but…”
“Still, there’s no harm in being cautious, so always be wary of strangers. We do not know if the natives are searching for you out of goodwill or malice.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
As their conversation ended, so did the guiding light that had been emanating from the green key.
Surveying the spot where the light’s guidance had stopped, Lee Si-woo’s eyes lit up.
There was a keyhole at the bottom of the towering concrete wall.
‘Do I insert the key here?’
When Lee Si-woo inserted the green key into the hole and turned it, the concrete wall split open with a creak, revealing a secret door.
Next to the secret door was a biometric authentication system, installed for the purpose of scanning a palm print.
After briefly hesitating on whether to authenticate himself, Lee Si-woo sighed and placed his palm on the system.
With a mechanical whirring sound, a system message window popped up before his eyes.
[Authentication Confirmed]
[Survivor Talent Confirmed]
[Welcome, Survivor. Welcome to Testament.]
When the secret door opened, a square room decorated entirely with glass came into view.
It seemed to be some kind of elevator. Seeing the number buttons from B1 to B3, Luktator spoke to Lee Si-woo.
“Hmm, this place looks suspicious no matter how you look at it… but you’ll go in, won’t you?”
“What is there to hesitate about, having come this far? Besides, I have you by my side, my Lord. No matter how dangerous it is, I’ll at least survive.”
“Hmph, do not worry. As long as I am here, no threat will be able to touch a single hair on your head.”
Lee Si-woo boarded the elevator with Luktator and pressed the B1 button, and the doors closed.
The moment the elevator doors shut, the parted concrete walls slid back together, returning to their original state.
As if it would not permit the entry of any being other than Lee Si-woo.