Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Offer
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Si-woo brought Lee Si-woo's party to the detention center.
He wanted to clear Lee Si-woo's party of their charges, but with Luctator confirmed to possess the Arang Club master's Eagle Suit, and due to the club's strong protests, they had agreed to quarantine them in the detention center for the time being.
"So? What should I call you now? Hyung? Or another alias?"
Even after seven years, Si-woo seemed to remember his meeting and conversation with Lee Si-woo in vivid detail.
To Si-woo's playful question, which was like teasing a long-lost best friend, Lee Si-woo replied in a flat voice.
"Call me Hyung."
"Hmm... really? Still think I'm the younger one, huh? You must be older than you look."
Luctator, who had partially retracted the helmet of his Eagle Suit, spoke.
"Address this one as 'Elder.' Kiddo."
Si-woo said with a beaming smile.
"Well now, it's been a while, Elder. Have you been well?"
"Indeed. From our perspective, it's only been a few days, but it's good to see you looking well."
Hearing that only a few days had passed since they'd met his younger self, Si-woo gave a bitter smile.
"Only a few days... Just as you said long ago, Hyung, it seems Intruders can freely intervene and access our world's timeline."
Listening silently to Si-woo's bitter words, Lee Si-woo asked back.
"Have you spoken with any other Intruders besides us?"
"Yes. Well, quite a few. Though they were very different from you, Hyung. How should I put it... To be honest..."
Si-woo trailed off before continuing with a faint sigh.
"There was a time I thought they were the hope that would save our world. But they weren't. They were just... no different. The gear they used was different, but the way they thought and acted was the same as us. No, in some ways, they were even worse. They called us NPCs, looked down on us, and were all too eager to use us."
"That's to be expected. From our perspective, you're no different from natives discovered in an unknown world. You should know by now, shouldn't you? Just how cruel and greedy people can become toward strangers with whom they have no connection?"
"Yes. I've learned more than enough, to an excessive degree. Well, whatever. Let's drop this boring talk and get to the point. You said you guys can intervene in our timeline, right? Then... can you also change our past and future?"
Lee Si-woo shook his head.
"No, we can't change it. There's a limit to the timeline we can intervene in."
"A limit to the timeline? In what way?"
"We can't access any period outside the specific timeframe permitted by this world's laws. So we can't go further into the past, nor further into the future. That's why we know neither the beginning nor the end of this world."
A rumor circulating among the users was that there were up to seven chapters, and one had to clear all seven to see the ending.
But so far, no one had seen the ending.
That was only natural.
Because to clear Chapter 7, one had to open the Secret Chapter system.
Si-woo was disappointed, but he asked with a face that hadn't yet given up hope.
"Then... what was the last version of our world that you saw, Hyung? Did we... did we overcome this?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know? Why?"
"To be precise, I've never seen it. To go to a different timeline, we need to meet certain criteria, and since I haven't met those criteria, this is the last timeline I can come to."
"Ah..."
At Si-woo's disappointed sigh, Lee Si-woo asked back.
"Why ask something like that? So you can hold onto hope if the future I know is positive, and embrace despair if it's negative?"
"...A guy can be curious. You sure have a cynical way of putting things."
"It's fine to be curious. But don't be disappointed. For all you know, there's no guarantee that what I say is the truth and not a lie. Even the facts I know could have been fabricated. So just do what you can right now. Don't worry about useless things, whether it's the past or the future."
Lee Si-woo was only trying to rein Si-woo in, worried that the system, which was already malfunctioning due to errors, might become even more distorted. But from Si-woo's perspective, it seemed to be quite impressive advice.
As if Lee Si-woo's words had cleared his cluttered mind, Si-woo spoke with an awkward smile.
"Well, that was a bit of a preachy lecture... but I guess some of it hit home."
As a cringey atmosphere began to bubble up, Lee Si-woo, looking repulsed, spoke firmly.
"Enough of that. Tell me about the White Giants outside the walls. What are they?"
"Hmm, you've never seen the giants before, Hyung?"
"I only just arrived in this time period."
"For seven years... the demon began to release the results of its research one by one, and each time, our world was gradually encroached upon by those white monsters. And today, the provincial cities have been destroyed by the white monsters, and now even the walled city of the capital region, the knights' main area of activity, has come under threat."
"Seven years ago, you said you would help people, that you would share the knowledge you had. But looking at things now... it seems it wasn't very effective."
Si-woo muttered with an expression mixed with powerlessness and exhaustion.
"Not many adults were willing to listen to the absurd ramblings of a naive kid. Well, it wasn't a complete failure. I made some good connections along the way and managed to get this far. You know what? I'm actually quite respected here. The city mayor has taken a liking to me."
Having said that, Si-woo continued, his face as bright as someone seeing a blue sky after a long night.
"I've finally met someone in power who trusts and supports me. So this time, I'm sure I can bring about change. Yes, so that what happened two years ago—the day we failed to prevent the destruction of the provincial cities—will... never happen again."
For some reason, Lee Si-woo was certain that the destruction of the provincial cities Si-woo mentioned from two years ago was Chapter 3.
He got the impression that it was one of the most significant events in Si-woo's past, and given the nature of this virtual world, it was unlikely that such a backstory wouldn't be featured as a chapter.
From this, he could deduce that although the chapter itself was lost, Si-woo, the protagonist and axis of this world, had experienced the process.
Was that why?
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Lee Si-woo.
'Looking back on the chapters I've cleared, my intervention may have changed the process, but the outcome remained the same. In Chapter 1, Si-woo was captured by the Ancestor Demon, and in Chapter 2, I only managed to ensure my own survival, failing to save the city. And what about Chapter 3? Regardless of my intervention, the provincial cities were ultimately destroyed.'
What did the Ancestor Demon want to show Lee Si-woo by creating this virtual world?
Furthermore, what was the purpose of the Ancestor Demon of this world in attacking the Faceless City?
As Lee Si-woo stood silently lost in all sorts of thoughts, Si-woo spoke.
"Arang, one of the Intruder clubs, is targeting you and your companions... Don't worry. I'll speak to the city mayor and try to mediate."
Lee Si-woo shook his head and said firmly.
"No, I'll handle it myself. Just arrange a meeting."
"...Are you sure? Things could get ugly if it goes wrong."
"Receiving your help once is enough. I'm not a child; I need to take care of my own problems."
Pleased by Lee Si-woo's bold attitude, Si-woo grinned and said.
"Alright. You can handle it yourself. I'll see you later, then. Oh, and I heard someone from the Knight Order is coming today, so you should be careful. They're hostile towards Intruders, so if you act rashly, you could be in for a world of hurt."
The Knight Order.
He had heard of them a few times through rumors, but he had never seen the core military power of the Faceless City in person.
But hearing that they were hostile to Intruders, it seemed that as servants of the Faceless, they didn't take kindly to the unforeseen variable that was the users.
"Thanks. I'll be careful."
* * *
Instead of taking a bus, Adrian commandeered a motorcycle belonging to a member of a high-ranking club and arrived at the walled city.
The roar of the motorcycle's engine drew the attention of the White Giants, who glanced at Adrian, but they quickly looked away as if they had seen something they shouldn't have.
Taking their behavior for granted, as if he were a non-existent being, Adrian approached one of the White Giants.
*Krrk?*
The White Giant was annoyed by the small, red ant-like human approaching it, but it couldn't look directly at Adrian or touch him.
The moment it saw him, a voice thundered in its mind, commanding it to obey.
*Krrrrrr.*
Adrian placed his hand on the thigh of the White Giant, which could only growl like a leashed dog.
At his touch, the White Giant's legs seemed to give out, and it knelt, bowing its head.
Having obtained the information he needed through contact with the White Giant, Adrian muttered.
"So another version of me does exist. Or perhaps, after I was deleted, another me was created."
With this, Adrian fully accepted that he had been nothing more than one of this world's NPCs.
Through his connection with the White Giant, he had learned that even though his Chapter 2 existence had disappeared upon merging with Adrian's soul, another version of himself existed in Chapter 4.
"Then, in the end, Lee Si-woo must hold the key to this world. Lee Si-woo... Lee Si-woo... are you the same kid I knew? Or..."
Adrian trailed off, removing his hand from the White Giant and standing up.
Then, he left the place without a word.
In fact, he had originally intended to enter Chapter 4.
He thought that was the only way to meet the real Lee Si-woo he was looking for, not an NPC.
However, his mind had changed after coincidentally seeing a woman in the base city yesterday.
He truly hadn't known.
That he would meet Ha-yun in this world.
'No need to overthink it. I just have to wait. If I stay near Ha-yun... I will meet Lee Si-woo. I'm certain of it.'
Postponing the exciting reunion for a later day, Adrian left Chapter 4.
* * *
Kay, the master of the Arang Club, was forced into a private meeting with Lee Si-woo due to the city mayor's recommendation for mediation.
Perhaps because of that, he was furious and threw a tantrum.
"Forget mediation or whatever. Give me back my suit. Oh, and while you're at it, handing over your necks would be the icing on the cake."
Lee Si-woo spoke in a soft, calm tone.
"Aren't you curious?"
"About what?"
"How we were able to take an item from your inventory."
"..."
Kay clamped his mouth shut and glared at Lee Si-woo.
As he said, Kay was curious how Luctator had managed to take the Eagle Suit from his inventory.
That's why he had initially considered capturing him alive.
However, Luctator had crossed a line.
He had stolen his Eagle Suit in front of all the club members and beaten down dozens of them, damaging his reputation.
This was not a case where he could spare a life just because a talent was coveted.
"I am curious. But save it. Right now, I'm more interested in your necks than your tricks."
Lee Si-woo said with a relaxed demeanor and a languid voice.
"We each possess a special ability. The one who gave you trouble has the ability to take items from an inventory. As for me... as long as someone isn't dead, I have the ability to fully restore them once a day."
"...What? Fully restore?"
"To put it simply, I'm what you would call a healer in a game. That's me. So, what do you say? How about we make peace and you accept us as club members?"
Originally, Lee Si-woo wasn't the type to compromise with a hostile faction, especially a trivial club like Arang.
But he had unintentionally skipped Chapter 3 and arrived in Chapter 4.
As a result, his current combat power was severely lacking.
In other words, whether he wanted to or not, he needed the backing of a suitable faction to survive.
And a faction like Arang was perfect for being used once and then discarded.
"Master. No matter how competent you are, there will surely come a moment in an unexpected battle when you suffer a life-threatening injury. And at that time, my full restoration ability will be of great help."
Lee Si-woo's lips twisted into a smirk as he continued.
"So, let's work together. As far as I know, my companion didn't take the lives of any Arang club members... Considering that, isn't there still room for us to join forces?"
Kay's eyes wavered.
And the moment he noticed that flicker in his eyes, Lee Si-woo was certain.
That Kay would be absolutely unable to refuse his offer.