Chapter 190
Chapter 190
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 190
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Invitation
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The masters of the three major clubs were gathered in one place.
Strangely, it was not a master but a black-haired young man seated at the head of the table, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
Rios, the master of the Dawn club, spoke to the young man.
“We would be honored if you would allow Dawn to participate in the inspection process.”
The black-haired young man replied in a soft voice.
“Inspecting the refugees entering the capital is a task of great responsibility. For an outsider, not even one of our own, to request participation in such an important mission... it's a rather perplexing request.”
“I know I'm making an unreasonable request. That is why I only intend to participate at the south gate.”
“The south gate area... Ah, that's where the outsiders are coming from. Hmm... Is there some sort of problem over there?”
“Yes. I can't say for certain, but there's a high probability that an unmanageable terrorist will come from that direction.”
The young man tilted his head and asked.
“A terrorist?”
Maria, the master of Labyrinth and the sole woman among them, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
“You said the Faceless Order has not yet obtained the vaccine, correct?”
The young man nodded and crossed his legs.
“Yes. We have not yet developed a cure for the virus that is rampant in the provincial cities.”
“That terrorist used information about possessing the vaccine formula to throw Labyrinth into chaos, luring out and attacking one of our executives. Thanks to him, we lost many of our knight-class members and an executive with the skills of a commander.”
At the news that knight-class elites and a commander-level executive had died, a flicker of interest crossed the young man's eyes.
“You can't mean he killed that many elites all by himself?”
Rios added in a chilling voice.
“Yes. Not only is he strong, but his methods are vicious beyond compare. It's impossible to even fathom what would happen if someone like that were to enter the capital.”
“Is that so...?”
The young man trailed off, lost in thought for a moment, then shrugged and continued.
“Very well. As they say, it's better to be safe than sorry. I will deploy Dawn's members to the south gate. However, it will be on the condition that you, Master Rios, go there as well.”
Understanding the young man's implication that if the event was so important, the club's master should handle it personally, Rios gave a slight bow and replied.
“Thank you for your understanding, Lord Si-woo.”
The young man, Lee Si-woo, smiled brightly and rose from his seat.
“I hope that gratitude is sincere. As you masters know, these are chaotic times. Involving outsiders in the inspection process at a time like this is quite a burden for me as well. So please, be careful to avoid any unpleasant incidents.”
With those words, Lee Si-woo left the meeting room. Owin, the master of Black Night, scraped the table with his dark, grimy fingernails.
An unpleasant sound, like a saw scraping against a wooden plank.
However, neither Rios nor Maria voiced any complaints, remaining silent.
Then, Owin scraped the table again with an irritated gesture.
Slamming his palm on the table, now marked with long scratches, Owin stood up and spoke.
“This talk about a vaccine. I hadn't heard anything about it.”
As Owin's blunt gaze fell upon her, Maria discreetly turned her head and muttered.
“Because there was no need to tell you.”
Owin's pale, sickly face twitched.
Twisting his purple lips, Owin watched Maria and said.
“Interesting.”
With that one word, Owin also left the room. Maria, her expression finally relaxing as if she could breathe again, spoke.
“Damn it, I don't know if this is the right thing to do. Chapter 6 is already on the verge of collapse, and now we're having infighting amongst ourselves... I wonder if we're all going to get screwed because of this.”
Rios replied in a soothing tone, as if to tell her not to worry.
“Black Night was always our enemy.”
“Still, shouldn't we have joined forces for now?”
“It's better to draw the line now than to be stabbed in the back later.”
“...I suppose you might be right.”
“More importantly, this confirms it. The Lee Si-woo of the Secret Chapter and the Lee Si-woo of the Original Chapter are completely different people.”
“That's right. Looking back at the information we've confirmed so far, the Secret Chapter's Lee Si-woo has the vaccine formula and became hostile to the Faceless in Chapter 6. But the Original Chapter's Lee Si-woo is different. He's the Commander of the Saintess's Guard, under the Faceless, and knows nothing about the vaccine.”
“If this world was indeed created by a figure from the past based on their history, then one of them must be a fake.”
“And with a high probability, this Original Chapter... is the fake one.”
Rios sighed and leaned back in his chair.
“Something always felt strange. We've been searching for a way to clear the Original Chapter, but it's been impossible.”
“Of course it was. The Original Chapter is already... as good as finished.”
There was one reason why the three major clubs had been stuck in Chapter 7 for so long without being able to clear it.
The chapter infinitely resets from the 'wedding' onwards.
Much like a game loading the last save point after the ending credits, the chapter returns to day one after the Saintess and Lee Si-woo's wedding. How could anyone possibly clear it?
In the end, they had no choice but to endure the tiring and frustrating resets, remaining in Chapter 7 for decades.
“But that's all over now. Once Chapter 6 is destroyed... the Secret Chapter will open in this world, too.”
“Everything will fall into chaos. That's why we need to eliminate as many variables as possible before that happens. Which brings me to my point... I'd like Labyrinth to get involved with the food for all the refugees coming from the south gate.”
“The food...? Wait, you... surely not...”
Rios spoke in a voice as chilling as the wind whistling through a dark alley.
“As I've already said, Luktator, the Empire's Strongest, is with Crown Lee Si-woo. The probability of us being overwhelmed is high. Therefore, it would be more prudent to use underhanded tactics rather than a direct confrontation.”
“...Are you insane? You're from Dawn. A method like this... isn't it too dirty for Dawn to use? This is more like...”
“Yes. It's closer to Black Night's methods. But we have no choice. Having encountered them in the base city, I know. When dealing with them... you absolutely cannot be picky about your means. Do you understand? If we let our guard down, we'll be the ones who get devoured. So, we must cast aside all shame and use every dirty trick in the book.”
Rios's eyes flashed with a murderous glint as he continued.
“The dirtier the trick, the easier it will be to catch them.”
* * *
“Hah, so you want to send them on their way and have us go separately?”
As soon as they arrived in Baharin, the capital and the stage for Chapter 7, with the survivors in the armored bus, Lee Si-woo's words made Luktator look puzzled. Plenitas, standing beside him, chimed in.
“Isn't that a bit too irresponsible? Since we went to the trouble of saving them, we should see it through to the end...”
Lee Si-woo shot back in a cold voice.
“We are not their babysitters.”
Startled by Lee Si-woo's sharp tone, Plenitas replied in a meek, trailing voice.
“No, but still... If we send them away like this, what will they do...?”
“What will they do? They'll have to survive on their own. Ms. Plenitas, we are neither saints nor philanthropists. We administered the vaccine and saved their lives in the base city. That's where our responsibility ends.”
“That may be true, but...”
Still uneasy about abandoning them, Plenitas fidgeted. Beside her, Luktator crossed his arms and asked in a knowing tone.
“It's not that you can't be bothered to look after them after all the effort of saving them. What's the real reason? You must have a reason for this. Spit it out.”
Prodded by Luktator, Lee Si-woo let out a faint sigh and spoke.
“Rios has undoubtedly made a move. If we go through the normal channels, we might have to take on a significant risk. And rather than take that risk, I'd prefer to take a slightly more troublesome detour.”
“Rios? Hmm, that makes sense. But I heard the outsiders don't have much influence in the capital.”
“That's just a rumor. No matter how many times this chapter resets, they've been holed up here for decades. It's impossible for them not to have some know-how or underlying strength. They've definitely set something up.”
“Mmm...”
Still bothered by the thought of leaving a thousand people behind, Plenitas tried to say more, but Lee Si-woo's firm words silenced her.
“If you're that worried about them, Ms. Plenitas, you can stay behind and take care of them. Of course, that would mean our journey together ends here.”
Plenitas looked crestfallen, but she didn't say she would stay behind to look after them.
She knew.
At a time when the Secret Chapter was about to open, separating from Lee Si-woo could be fatal.
In the end, even her goodwill and meddling were dictated by her own circumstances and self-interest.
Luktator glanced sympathetically at Plenitas's slumped shoulders and asked.
“Alright, if that's what you've decided, so be it. We were only able to save them in the first place because you brought the vaccine.”
Of course, it was a disaster that wouldn't have happened if Lee Si-woo hadn't spread the virus in the first place. Luktator had subtly figured out that Lee Si-woo was behind it, but he didn't bother to mention it.
After all, Luktator also felt he had done his best just by bringing them this far.
“So? How do you plan on getting past that checkpoint? There doesn't seem to be a secret area like that Testament you found last time.”
“Sometimes, the simplest method is the most effective. We'll break through with force.”
“...With force?”
“Yes. Now that we have Rank 7 suits, we should be able to easily get past those small fry and enter.”
Just then, Ha-yun, who was next to Lee Si-woo, nudged him in the side with her elbow.
“Si-woo. Wait a second. This child here... is a little strange.”
Since when had he been there?
A boy wearing a faceless mask had appeared without a sound and was staring intently at Ha-yun from nearby.
A mask with no eyes, no mouth, and no nose.
Because of that, it was impossible to tell who he was looking at, but somehow, Ha-yun knew.
That the boy held a profound interest in her.
“How peculiar. Very peculiar indeed.”
Lee Si-woo flinched in surprise at the voice that echoed from behind the mask.
It wasn't just familiar; it was nearly identical to the voice of someone he knew.
‘This voice...? It can't be. Impossible. How is he here?’
The uninvited guest, a spitting image of the boy butler from Barathrum, spoke in a voice tinged with a faint amusement.
“Truly fascinating. I came to see why there were two Saintesses in this city... and I found something even stranger.”
The masked boy approached Lee Si-woo, examining him from every angle like a scholar studying a subject, and continued.
“At a glance, you're unmistakably Lee Si-woo, but a closer look reveals you're not. You. You're mixed with something else.”
Recognizing the boy's identity, Lee Si-woo swallowed nervously.
In fact, in a way, it was to be expected.
If he was the one called the god of this world and the master of this capital, he would have inevitably noticed my presence the moment I arrived in the city.
‘The Faceless...!’
The masked boy, the Faceless, said in a gentle voice.
“I'm starting to take an interest in you. Follow me. It seems we need to have... a very deep conversation.”