Chapter 234
Chapter 234
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 234
Chapter Title: Lingering Doubts
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After that, Soo-hyuk underwent an inspection for transformation arts alongside Adolf.
There were no special tests. They simply checked if his face had been altered physically or if any skills involving mana had intervened.
Once all the inspections were complete, Adolf apologized to Soo-hyuk.
"Sorry for suspecting you. But as you know, this is my job."
"I understand."
"I'll see you tomorrow."
They shook hands with smiles, and Adolf turned away. Soo-hyuk watched Adolf's retreating figure, recalling the expression he'd shown at the very end.
"......Still not fully convinced, huh."
The face Adolf had worn while smiling amiably had held an unmistakable lingering unease at the last moment.
Sometimes, intuition screams even when all the evidence doesn't add up. This was exactly that case.
And such a situation was welcome for Soo-hyuk.
'He can't completely shake off his suspicions.'
If Si-woo and Ye-ryeong were really here, Ye-ryeong would hide herself in some way no matter what.
There was no way for him to find the two first. But that didn't mean he couldn't help them.
By becoming Ye-ryeong himself.
'Nothing breeds suspicion like a perfect disguise.'
Adolf likely knew of Ye-ryeong's existence.
So he would also know that it was hard to expose her transformation arts with his own skills.
The suspicion that hadn't fully dissipated until the end was precisely because of that.
The doubt that maybe Jeong Chan-young wasn't Jeong Chan-young, but Kim Ye-ryeong.
Soo-hyuk needed to keep that alive.
'That way, those guys can move more freely.'
By drawing Adolf's attention to himself.
That would confuse them. With eyes focused this way, they'd be thrown into disarray.
And the more they investigated, the deeper into the maze the truth would sink.
After all, Jeong Chan-young was a fictional person who hadn't existed from the start. A phantom dropped straight from the sky.
'Alright, then......'
He shoved his hand deep into his pocket and began strolling through the city.
"Let's make myself even more suspicious."
Soo-hyuk intended to act in truly suspicious ways.
Where could Hyo-min be?
From now on, he'd search slowly, inch by inch.
The sun had set, and night had deepened.
Baek Jo-min hurried over at Adolf's summons.
Following Adolf's orders to keep a close eye on Jeong Chan-young, Baek Jo-min reported.
"What is he doing?"
"Just wandering around."
"Just? Where?"
"He's sightseeing all over the city. Buying snacks here and there, talking to people."
Baek Jo-min added,
"It was a bit odd, but nothing particularly suspicious."
"Again."
"Yes?"
"You're attaching your own judgment again."
"......I'm sorry."
"Just do as you're told. Only as you're told."
His tone was gentle, but Baek Jo-min could tell Adolf wasn't in a good mood.
Slumping into his chair, Adolf furrowed his brow.
'Wandering the city?'
He might think it was just a stroll, but once suspicion took root, everything felt off.
'What is he looking for?'
That was the only way to see it. What reason would there be to roam the city this late?
And if he was searching for something, there was only one possibility.
'No one but Lee Hyo-min.'
His brows knitted deeper with the thought.
'Is that guy really Ye-ryeong after all? Did we get fooled?'
When he first got the report, it had only irked him that his subordinate had jumped to conclusions.
But then, it started when their eyes met across the auditorium—Jeong Chan-young standing there.
'He definitely knows me.'
He had looked straight at him. Their eyes met once, and he immediately looked away, but Adolf hadn't missed that instant.
Of course, knowing him wasn't strange. If he was interested in Blue Zone, he'd have heard of the high ranker named Adolf.
But his instincts wouldn't let him dismiss it so easily.
It screamed that they had met before.
And if he really was Kim Ye-ryeong...
'It'd be hard for us to uncover his identity.'
Adolf remembered clearly.
The legends known as Blue Eyes.
Adolf had worked closely with one of them for a long time. From the moment Kim Il-su founded Blue Zone, Adolf had stayed by his side.
And that wasn't all.
Blue Zone and Blue Eyes, being allies, often interacted. In great wars, in dungeon raids. The two guilds moved hand in hand.
Huang Gyu-seong, Choi Su-hun, Kim Ye-ryeong, Kim Si-woo, Lee Hyo-min, Kim Min-jae, An Ji-young...
And even Lee Soo-hyuk.
The legends gathered in Blue Eyes were all extraordinary.
If they had survived to this day, 20 years later?
It was impossible to even guess how strong they might have become.
"Keep a close watch."
"Understood."
"Get out."
At Adolf's gesture, Baek Jo-min hurriedly left the room. In the candle-lit room, Adolf gazed out the window.
"If they're coming, they'll target the gap when I'm away."
And right now, Kim Il-su wasn't here.
'If that guy really is Kim Ye-ryeong...'
The street was visible outside the window.
And far off.
Jeong Chan-young, weaving through the crowd for some reason.
'I need to keep him in sight somehow.'
Because the most frightening thing about Kim Ye-ryeong was when she was out of view.
Today, Soo-hyuk had three tasks.
First was finding Hyo-min.
If she was somewhere in this city, locating her was top priority.
Unfortunately, the first goal yielded no results. He hadn't expected much anyway.
He hadn't thought he'd find her this way. She was probably hidden much deeper, in a harder-to-reach place.
And the second goal.
'......A lot.'
Drawing a blueprint for the battle a few days away.
"Dropped again?"
"Yeah. Completely blocked. Under investigation."
"Exam fees down the drain. The guild points they sponsored are gone too, right?"
"That's why—there's this dungeon I scouted, wanna join..."
"Beer here! Two!"
"Coming!"
He met many people throughout the city.
Even now, after sunset, people were out. Mostly drinking on the streets.
At a glance, it seemed like any normal city.
But to Soo-hyuk's eyes, it didn't look normal at all.
'......No frontal assault.'
No need for complicated calculations.
He didn't know Si-woo and Ye-ryeong's current levels, but breaking through head-on was impossible.
Nearly ten thousand rankers. Over half gone, but still more than twenty high rankers.
Storming a place like this directly was out of the question.
And the final third.
'......Not here yet?'
In case Si-woo or Ye-ryeong were somewhere around.
But the ones he sought were nowhere to be seen.
Instead.
'Only useless tails.'
Soo-hyuk's gaze flicked left and right.
Between alleyways. He could sense several presences tailing him since earlier.
'Surveillance.'
Quite a few. It seemed he'd successfully earned Adolf's suspicion.
Not certainty, but suspicion.
He was right on that fine line.
Swoosh-.
Soo-hyuk turned into an alley.
The next day.
Players gathered at the appointed place for Blue Zone's exam.
A vast open field on the city's outskirts. Among the nearly thousand players assembled, Adolf spotted Jeong Chan-young.
"Lost contact?"
Adolf's face twisted at Baek Jo-min's report.
"Yes."
"Since when?"
"From midnight yesterday. There should have been a report..."
Adolf glared at Baek Jo-min, who trailed off awkwardly. Under the look that demanded he report properly, Baek Jo-min continued.
"They're all missing."
"......I see."
Adolf's gaze shifted back to Jeong Chan-young, preparing for the exam.
He didn't know if the guy had done it. But he was the most likely suspect.
But it was strange.
'What the hell is he planning?'
If he was Ye-ryeong, he'd easily notice the tails on him.
Adolf had predicted two actions from her.
First, pretend not to notice.
Second, slip away from surveillance.
The first to avoid suspicion, the second to more actively search for Lee Hyo-min.
But what had happened didn't fit either.
It was closer to openly inviting suspicion.
'No intention of hiding?'
He couldn't figure it out.
He wanted to grab him right now and interrogate him.
But he couldn't.
Not just Blue Zone rankers were here.
"What do we do?"
"What do we do? Start it."
He needed to see him fight first. That might give some clue.
He wouldn't use skills openly, but still, there might be hints.
"Understood."
Baek Jo-min nodded and withdrew.
Soon, the exam began.
"As announced, the first test is simple sparring. No killing blows. Excessive force will result in disqualification, so take care."
After the exam proctor's declaration, several players' names were called.
Some were well-known rankers, a few even high rankers. All here to become executives in the giant guild Blue Zone.
Several spars played out.
"Jeong Chan-young, Dormann."
Finally, Jeong Chan-young's turn.
Thud-.
Two men stepped onto the circular stage.
His opponent was a ranker even Adolf had heard of. One who'd been a ranker for over five years, quite seasoned.
A tough matchup for Jeong Chan-young, who had just become a ranker.
'Let's see.'
The two faced each other.
'How he fights.'
Adolf's eyes narrowed. He focused every nerve, determined not to miss a moment.
"Begin!"
Whoosh-.
Dormann created distance first.
His weapon was a bow. Dormann drew the string of his massive greatbow, larger than himself, aiming skyward.
Shwaaa-!
The arrow shot into the sky split apart, raining down. A powerful skill covering the entire sparring field range.
Before the arrows finished falling, Dormann nocked the next.
Dodging was impossible. Especially in a fight on a fixed stage like the sparring arena.
Adolf's eyes gleamed at the potent skill.
'So how will he handle this......'
Clang-.
In that instant, a fan-like sword blade shielded Jeong Chan-young's body.
The blade tip moved awkwardly with a screech. Then, kicking off the ground, Jeong Chan-young closed the distance.
It was crude, but Adolf recognized the skill Jeong Chan-young was using.
No.
It wasn't even worthy of being called a skill in the first place.
"......Martial arts?"