Chapter 278
Chapter 278
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 279
Chapter Title: Return from the Virtual World
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Right after Lee Seo-jun, Choi Seo-yoon, and Kim Sun-woo disappeared, in the Choi family warehouse.
With the pure white light of the 'Virtual World Creation Device,' as the three people vanished, Choi Jae-hyung panicked greatly.
It wasn't a big issue that Kim Sun-woo and Lee Seo-jun had entered, but his own daughter, Choi Seo-yoon, had gone in with them.
"Ah, the young lady..."
And Shin Hye-won, the daughter of Kwak Mu-jin who had been standing beside him, was also flustered.
She hadn't expected her to follow them in without a word.
Choi Jae-hyung stared blankly at the orb before stepping forward with a hardened face and extending his hand.
He intended to follow them inside to find his daughter.
"G-Guild master!"
Shin Hye-won cried out in surprise.
Right then.
Pure white light burst from the orb once more.
Wooooong!
Flash!
At the same time, someone leaped out from within it. Shin Hye-won looked at that face with a shocked expression.
"...Who, who are you?"
"Is, is this reality?"
"...Mr. Russen?"
Russen.
He was the enigmatic scholar who had come before, saying he wanted to check her late husband Kwak Mu-jin's memories.
His face had aged considerably since then, but traces of the past remained, making him instantly recognizable.
Following that, the light flashed again.
People who had been trapped in the virtual world began emerging one by one.
And then.
The light flashed once more, and Choi Seo-yoon came out.
"Seo-yoon!"
"Young lady!"
As Choi Seo-yoon appeared, Choi Jae-hyung shouted loudly. But even his joyful cry was short-lived.
Choi Jae-hyung's face turned beet red with anger.
"Choi Seo-yoon..."
"D-Dad."
Upon returning to reality, Choi Seo-yoon spotted her father's furious expression and backed away in panic.
He was strict even on normal days, but the look he had now was more terrifying than ever.
"Are you out of your mind?! Why did you follow them into that dangerous place!"
"W-Well... it's like my body moved on its own... or like I felt I'd regret it later..."
"What nonsense are you...!"
Right then, the light flashed again, and this time Lee Seo-jun appeared.
"Sunbae!"
Spotting Lee Seo-jun emerge, Choi Seo-yoon called out to him, seeking an escape from the situation.
Lee Seo-jun looked around blankly before murmuring quietly.
"I'm back..."
At that moment, Russen approached and spoke.
"Phew. You made it out too? The flow of time is tangled up complicatedly, but it seems everyone emerges at around the same moment."
"Yeah, looks like it."
According to Shin Hye-won, Jin Cheon-woo had exited at the same time as he entered in the past.
Of course, with the virtual world's time being so convoluted, they might emerge at different times, but fortunately, it seemed similar this time.
"...By the way, when's the last one coming out?"
Kim Sun-woo still hadn't appeared.
Lee Seo-jun turned to look at the orb behind him and spoke.
"He should be out soon, right?"
And so, everyone waited silently for about 30 seconds.
As the orb showed no reaction, worried voices began to emerge.
"Why isn't he coming out?"
"...Yeah. Did the time flow change?"
Choi Seo-yoon, looking anxious, spoke up.
"...Something didn't happen to sunbae, did it? Or should I go back in?"
"Choi Seo-yoon."
Choi Jae-hyung glared piercingly at Choi Seo-yoon.
Right then.
Wooooong!
Light burst from the orb once more. At the same time, everyone's gazes turned to it.
Flash!
Amid intense light, a sweat-drenched man revealed himself.
"Huff... huff..."
But the man was panting heavily, as if being chased by something.
From his fingertips to the trembling of his body, he looked just like someone who had escaped the brink of death.
The man looked around before collapsing straight onto the floor.
"...Sunbae?"
It was Kim Sun-woo.
At Choi Seo-yoon's call, Kim Sun-woo raised his head and spoke.
"...Yeah, looks like everyone made it out fine."
"Sunbae, are you okay? Did something happen?"
Choi Seo-yoon approached Kim Sun-woo with a worried face.
Choi Jae-hyung, watching from behind, felt a momentary bewilderment at this new side of his daughter he'd never seen before.
Kim Sun-woo shook his head.
"...Nah, nothing happened."
But no one believed his words.
Drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, he clearly looked like someone who had gone through something dangerous.
That meant Kim Sun-woo was hiding something.
"...Kim Sun-woo."
Then Lee Seo-jun called out to him.
Kim Sun-woo turned his gaze to Lee Seo-jun and spoke.
"Sorry. Let's talk later. My head's not in the right place right now."
"...Yeah, sure."
Lee Seo-jun had something he wanted to say, but seeing Kim Sun-woo's state, he decided to postpone it.
Late at night, guided by Choi Seo-yoon and Choi Jae-hyung, I entered a guest room in the Choi family estate.
Step, step. With listless footsteps, I walked around the room before sitting on the edge of the bed.
"..."
A sigh escaped me from the exhaustion.
Just minutes ago, I'd nearly lost my life.
The sudden peace felt unfamiliar, but I quickly cleared my mind and looked around the room.
The room was slightly smaller than the dorms at the Magic Academy.
It had a dining table, chairs, bed, and even a private bathroom—everything one could need.
Snacks like fruit and cookies were prepared too.
For a mere guest room, it was as luxurious as a hotel.
"..."
I flopped onto the bed face-first.
Closing my eyes and feeling the soft sensation, a sense of calm washed over my body and mind.
"...Man, that was really close."
I recalled what had happened in the virtual world.
Even thinking back now, it was dizzying.
That giant rabbit that appeared at the end.
If Mystery had sent me back to reality even a little later, I might have actually died.
Thank goodness it wasn't reality.
As I thought to myself, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
What if Mystery, in that final moment, pretended to send me back to reality but actually swapped it for another world that felt just like reality...?
...Chills ran down my spine.
"...Nah, no way?"
I hurriedly checked 'Blessing of Unreality' and my status window.
Scanning it tensely from top to bottom, my stats were intact, and the blessing hadn't activated.
Which meant this place was reality, for sure.
"This could be useful for distinguishing reality."
A sly smile formed at this unexpected additional use.
If virtual worlds keep evolving like this, there might come a time when it's impossible to tell real from fake.
Just like that movie from my old world where someone couldn't distinguish dreams from reality...
That was when it happened.
—...So that's what happened to my husband.
A voice came from the open window.
A familiar voice—Shin Hye-won, Kwak Mu-jin's wife.
I got up from the bed and looked down at the first-floor garden through the window.
Lee Seo-jun and Shin Hye-won were sitting on a bench, talking.
—...Yes, Mr. Kwak Mu-jin asked me to pass on his apologies. And since Mystery has entered a 'sleep' state, entering the virtual world is impossible now.
—This has become my husband's keepsake, then.
Shin Hye-won murmured while touching the orb in her hand, the 'Virtual World Creation Device.'
—Take this orb, Seo-jun.
—...Me?
—Yes. Even if it's lost its power now, it might help you someday... Please accept it.
Shin Hye-won said with a smile.
Lee Seo-jun pondered for a moment before nodding.
Afterward, Shin Hye-won left.
Lee Seo-jun stared blankly at the orb before turning his gaze toward me.
"What are you doing there?"
The guy really has sharp senses. He noticed my gaze from that distance.
"Heard voices from outside."
"Yeah? You feeling okay now?"
"Not bad."
Lee Seo-jun chuckled at my words.
"Then come out for a quick chat."
I nodded and jumped down from the window.
Thud.
I landed on the ground so lightly my footsteps were barely audible.
At that moment.
"Whoa, you scared me!"
A startled voice came from behind.
I turned around in surprise too.
A man with a fierce face was staring at me in shock, coffee spilled all over his shirt.
It was the man I'd seen at the Choi family main gate.
...His name was Park Hwi-jin, I think?
"Ah, shoot. Sorry about that."
Feeling unnecessarily apologetic, I approached, and Park Hwi-jin cleared his throat and shook his head.
"Ahem. No problem. Just don't jump from there next time."
"Ah, got it."
Then Park Hwi-jin glanced around cautiously before whispering to me.
"...By the way, did something happen today?"
Something?
Plenty had happened, sure.
"The guild master was furious.
The young lady's been getting an earful since earlier."
"Ah."
I could picture the situation in my head.
I remembered in the original story that Choi Seo-yoon got chewed out big time that day too.
Though I felt a bit sorry for her, she kind of deserved it.
From her dad's perspective, his heart must have dropped.
"Hmm... Probably nothing major."
"Is that so? Then..."
Park Hwi-jin, lost in thought, approached me and whispered softly.
"...What's your relationship with the young lady?"
"Huh?"
I stared at him for a moment, and he waved his hands frantically.
"Ah, no. I overheard a bit while she was getting scolded earlier, and your name kept coming up."
"...My name?"
"No, argh. My mouth again."
Park Hwi-jin tapped his lips with his palm.
"I'm swamped with work, so I'll head out."
Leaving behind a trail of questions, Park Hwi-jin disappeared somewhere.
I blinked as I watched his retreating figure before walking back to Lee Seo-jun.
"What if someone was right below?"
Lee Seo-jun said with a laugh.
"Yeah, didn't expect that."
I shrugged, and Lee Seo-jun chuckled again.
"But what was that whisper about just now?"
"Nothing much."
I sat down next to Lee Seo-jun as I said that.
Lee Seo-jun gazed blankly at the night sky before speaking to me.
"Did something happen in the virtual world after we left, by any chance?"
Lee Seo-jun cut straight to the chase.
Probably because of the slight time lag and seeing me panting.
It was natural he'd be curious.
"Nothing big. Just toured the virtual world a bit."
"...What?"
Lee Seo-jun looked at me like I'd said something absurd.
"We might need to visit the border while investigating immortality later. So I asked Mystery for a region tour in advance."
I thought it was a decent excuse, but apparently not for Lee Seo-jun.
He was staring at me with a dumbfounded expression.
"We could've all stayed together, so why'd you stay alone?"
"Ah, well. It just hit me after sending you out."
Lee Seo-jun shut his mouth for a bit before sighing deeply. Then, as if giving up, he nodded.
"...So what was with the panting? Something did happen, right?"
"I visited the southern region on Mystery's tour, and ran into a monster."
"Monster?"
"Yeah, there was one bigger than a disaster-grade beast. Weird, huh?"
I mixed some truth with lies. That way, it'd seem less suspicious.
And Lee Seo-jun took the bait.
"...Bigger than a disaster-grade beast?"
Deep interest laced his voice.
The guy's surprisingly simple-minded, which is nice.
"Yeah, nearly died and couldn't come back."
"Whoa... That was close."
Then, to change the subject, I glanced at the orb in Lee Seo-jun's hand—the 'Virtual World Creation Device.'
"Can I see that for a sec?"
"This? Sure. Here."
Lee Seo-jun handed me the orb.
Taking it, I activated Outsider's Benefit to inspect it.
［Orb of the Slumbering Mystery (Relic)］
Description: An orb with Mystery's power sealed within. Unsealing it will restore Mystery's power.
Mystery's description had completely changed.
It felt similar to the 'Broken Nation' I got in England last year.
The difference was that the broken one had lost its power because Mystery was damaged, while this one had Mystery sealing its own power voluntarily.
"Hey. Mystery."
Just in case, I called out to Mystery.
"Hey, hey. You asleep?"
No response even after tapping the orb.
Same with infusing mana.
It really seemed completely asleep.
"Hmm."
We started off as bitter enemies, but we'd grown a bit attached over those two days.
Kinda disappointing.
It was fun to mess with, in a subtle way.
"It's totally asleep. No reaction at all."
"We did promise it wouldn't use its power with us anymore."
"True, but..."
I stared at the orb before turning to Lee Seo-jun.
"Mind if I take this?"
At my question, Lee Seo-jun tilted his head.
"This? Sure, no problem. What for, though?"
"Got something I wanna experiment with personally."
Getting a Mystery this obedient again won't be easy.
There's still plenty I can squeeze out of the guy.