Chapter 258
Chapter 258
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 258
Chapter Title: Legends Return
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Kim Ye-ryeong washed Hyo-min and changed her clothes before gently laying her down on the bed.
Si-woo, who had been waiting anxiously, entered the room and checked on Hyo-min's condition.
Hyo-min was sleeping soundly. After being cleaned up and dressed in fresh clothes, her pale face looked somewhat better.
At first glance, she didn't seem to be suffering from any illness.
"The Poison King?"
Si-woo ground his teeth after hearing the brief explanation.
"Yeah. That's exactly what she said."
"Well, that bastard could pull something like this."
The Poison King.
He was the head of the Sacheon Tang Clan, the top authority on poisons and medicines in the tower. His poisons could accomplish anything, with various effects.
Hyo-min's condition was likely due to a poison he had concocted.
"Still, it's a relief. She just seems to be asleep."
Her pulse and mana flow were normal. Nothing seemed critically wrong.
She was simply in such a deep sleep that no stimulus could wake her.
"A relief? I want to rush over and cut that bastard's throat right now."
"You can't just cut his throat. We need the antidote."
"Of course I'd do it after getting the antidote."
"That's fine."
Si-woo nodded and examined Hyo-min's face once more.
Seeing her peacefully sleeping face and hearing her steady breathing eased his mind a bit.
"Still... we managed to reunite like this."
"It's not a perfect reunion yet."
"We got lucky."
"Yeah."
Ye-ryeong's gaze turned to the window. Far outside, she could see Soo-hyuk and Unhyang facing each other.
"...We got lucky."
What would have happened if things had gone according to the original plan?
Would they have found Hyo-min? Even if they did, could they have escaped?
No matter how skilled Ye-ryeong and Si-woo were, they couldn't take on over ten thousand Rankers and High Rankers.
Two factors had changed the situation.
The demon race starting a war at just the right time.
And Soo-hyuk miraculously returning alive.
"I wonder if they're talking things out okay."
Ye-ryeong rested her chin on her hand, watching Soo-hyuk and Unhyang through the window.
She didn't know what story lay between the two. Until now, there hadn't been a chance to chat casually about it.
But from meeting Unhyang a few times alone, she had learned one thing.
Their relationship was far from shallow.
"He'll explain it well enough on his own."
Si-woo still looked like he didn't fully trust Unhyang.
"If you can't trust her, nothing to be done about it."
"......"
Unhyang was silent for a long while.
She should have been surprised or skeptical—some reaction—but there was none.
She just stared blankly at him, as if time had stopped.
Her reaction was exactly like Ye-ryeong's at first, so Soo-hyuk waved his hand dismissively.
Why did everyone react the same way?
Was it that hard to believe, so unrealistic?
To understand them, Soo-hyuk thought backwards.
'If Kyu-seong suddenly came back to life...'
Yeah.
He probably wouldn't know how to react.
It'd be good, but is this real? Or a dream? All sorts of thoughts would flood in.
"Um..."
"Whoa—."
As Soo-hyuk tried to speak again, Unhyang's mouth opened wide.
"Whoa... Whoaaa...!"
Her clenched fists trembled. Unable to contain her excitement, she even stomped her feet.
"This is insane!"
"Pardon?"
"So I'm really Lee Soo-hyuk's manager? Epic! I was a huge fan of you, sir! Well, I still am, but..."
When excited, Unhyang tended to ramble. He knew that, but he hadn't expected it this time.
"I was in your original fan club, you know? I didn't tell you because I thought you'd feel bad, but it's still active! Now you won't feel left out!"
"...You really believe me? Just like that?"
"Why wouldn't I? Si-woo and Ye-ryeong are your friends!"
True enough. They were the most solid proof that he was Lee Soo-hyuk.
But shouldn't she at least hear the full context?
Soo-hyuk let out a hollow laugh at Unhyang's simplicity. He felt foolish for agonizing over how to explain.
"Not curious how I came back to life?"
"I am, but people coming back from the dead aren't that rare."
"Ah..."
Soo-hyuk nodded as if convinced.
From Kyu-seong to Si-woo, Ye-ryeong, and even Hyo-min.
From Unhyang's perspective, it must feel like a bunch of Blue Eyes legends—said to have all vanished except Kim Il-su—had returned at once.
One more wouldn't be that strange.
'Still feels off.'
She had been by his side since the second-floor trial.
A dead person returning was weird, but defying the tower's laws was impossible.
Even Soo-hyuk couldn't explain it.
He still didn't know how he ended up in this body.
But contrary to his worries, they all recognized him immediately.
Kyu-seong, Si-woo, Ye-ryeong—and maybe even Unhyang.
Unhyang's attitude toward him had often felt too familiar for a newbie streamer.
"There's some reason, right?"
Unhyang's gaze shifted to the cabin where Si-woo and Ye-ryeong were.
"Some secret we don't know, like faking your death."
Soo-hyuk nodded.
Strictly speaking, he hadn't faked it. He had died once and returned after twenty years.
But even if he had survived, the outcome might not have changed.
With Hyo-min captured, they couldn't move recklessly. Like Si-woo and Ye-ryeong had, they'd probably hidden and waited for a chance.
In that case, the world would still think Lee Soo-hyuk was dead.
"There was."
"Was... meaning you don't need to anymore."
Unhyang had carried Hyo-min on her back throughout the fight.
Knowing the battle was to rescue Hyo-min, she could see there were no more weaknesses.
"Yes."
A pleased smile formed on Soo-hyuk's lips.
"Now it's our turn to strike back."
A group emerged from the Guardian's Dungeon.
Dozens were exhausted and injured. Some limped, others carried the wounded.
Finally out of the dungeon and back in safety, Jin Do-ha collapsed on the spot.
"...Survivors?"
He sought those who returned alive, not the casualties.
Counting survivors was easier than the dead or injured.
"...This is it."
"Ha, hahaha."
A hollow laugh escaped him. He looked around.
His companions sprawled on the ground—High Rankers renowned in their worlds.
And they had returned in this state.
Defeated remnants.
No other words fit.
Jin Do-ha gazed at the sky. Blue with picturesque clouds. The outside world was clear and beautiful, unlike the hell inside.
"...A failure."
Failure.
As the word left his lips, the air grew heavy.
This was another attempt to conquer the Guardian. Past failures had built confidence for success this time.
But the result was this.
"So close."
Kim Il-su, injured beside him, offered comfort.
He was hurt but better off than most. Jin Do-ha shook his head at the consolation.
"No. Not close at all. A complete failure."
"The Guardian had abilities we didn't know about. Unavoidable."
"Unavoidable... Too much damage to brush off like that."
Jin Do-ha bowed his head with responsibility.
"Still, thanks. You saved my life."
"No problem."
Without Kim Il-su's help against the Guardian, death would have come multiple times. As leader, Jin Do-ha had fought at the forefront.
That was why.
They had survived to return, albeit like this. Total annihilation wouldn't have been surprising.
Bzzz—.
Kim Il-su's kit vibrated then.
No.
Since exiting the dungeon, calls had flooded his kit.
"Sorry. It's been ringing nonstop."
"I understand. Your guildmates must be eager for results."
"Thank you for understanding."
He said that, but Kim Il-su didn't think it was about the raid's outcome.
No one would call repeatedly for that. The vibrations felt urgently insistent today.
He pulled out the kit, stepping away from the group to answer.
-Guild Master!
"What's up?"
It was Pierre calling.
Odd from the start. Kim Il-su had left Blue House fully to Adolf.
Neither Vice Guild Master Lee Won-jae nor Adolf, but Pierre?
Something was wrong from the outset.
-...There was a war with the demons.
"A war?"
Kim Il-su's eyes twitched.
Skirmishes with demons happened often, but nothing warranting "war."
Definitely not ordinary.
"Their forces? How many?"
-Two Legion Commanders moved.
"Two?"
Now he understood Pierre's urgency.
Two Legion Commanders meant not retaliation or hunting—but wiping out Blue House entirely.
"Hold on somehow. Contact other guilds for support."
Kim Il-su assumed the frantic calls meant they were under attack.
But while ignorant in the dungeon, the incident had ended.
-We repelled the demons.
"Repelled? The Legion Commanders?"
Two Legion Commanders exceeded Blue House's current forces.
"What happened?"
He sensed a variable had intervened in the war that repelled them.
Objectively fortunate—the guild's strength nearly halved was averted.
But Kim Il-su felt long-buried anxiety rising.
And Pierre's urgent call revealed its source.
-...They've returned.
"They?"
His voice trembled.
He prayed the "they" Pierre meant wasn't who he thought.
-They were unmistakably...
But.
-The legends of the Blue Eyes, said to be dead.
Those who shouldn't have emerged into the world had done so.