Chapter 314
Chapter 314
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 314
Chapter Title: Disappeared Siblings
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A short while after Soo-hyuk and Ye-ryeong left.
Gillot glanced around cautiously before asking,
"Why didn't you take the commission fee?"
Arancia didn't seem particularly upset, even though it meant forgoing millions of points. After the two departed, she was calmly filing her bright red nails as usual.
She held up her glossy, well-manicured nails to the light and asked back,
"Why? Regretting it?"
"No, it's not that..."
Wouldn't that mean my cut comes out of it too?
Gillot swallowed the words that had nearly spilled out. Being smart was one thing; having the guts was another.
But Arancia seemed to read his mind, flashing a playful smile.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you get your full commission."
Only then did Gillot's expression soften a bit. He denied it, but it had been about the commission after all.
His sharp mind had led him into these shady alleys for a clear reason: he needed points too.
"Gillot."
"Y-Yes?"
"Did that guy earlier really seem like Lee Soo-hyuk to you?"
Gillot had been mulling it over the whole time.
Lee Soo-hyuk without a mask. This man being the real Lee Soo-hyuk.
Neither the streamer Lee Soo-hyuk nor the real one had ever publicly shown their face without a mask.
"Honestly... I'm not sure."
Gillot's answer was vague.
"Not just 'I don't know,' but 'not sure'?"
"The timing of the streamer Lee Soo-hyuk's debut, his growth background, and all the other external factors. It's hard to believe he's the real one."
"So he isn't?"
"Two things bother me about that."
"What?"
"Kim Ye-ryeong wouldn't sell out her dead friend's name for profit."
Arancia's lips curved up. Gillot had a good eye for people.
The Kim Ye-ryeong she knew wouldn't trade on a deceased friend's name for personal gain.
"Plus, the two of them subtly deferred to that Lee Soo-hyuk."
"Right. I felt that too."
Arancia gestured for him to continue.
Emboldened by the motion, Gillot pressed on.
"Above all... this Hydra raid was basically half-conquered by Lee Soo-hyuk."
"That surprised me too."
Hydra-related intel was prime even on the dark web.
The vanished Guardian had reappeared, and the long-missing Blue Eyes had taken it down.
It shook the Tower to its core. A grand mage had shone, but on-site rankers testified someone acted first.
Lee Soo-hyuk.
"Players with that level of skill are rare even among high rankers. Reaching it in under a year? But if Lee Soo-hyuk fell to the lower floors for some reason, it fits."
"That doesn't even make sense from the start."
"That's why everyone assumes it's not him. But Guild Leader, does anything else add up?"
"No. Nothing does."
Since the streamer Lee Soo-hyuk returned, had any of his actions made sense? Every move was outrageous.
"Everything defies logic, but flipping just that one illogical piece makes it all fit. I think this version has more credibility."
Arancia smiled at Gillot's take.
She'd only known him briefly, but she liked him.
"Same thought as me."
"Glad to hear it."
"Anyway, that's why I skipped the fee."
She licked her lips, her eyes gleaming with greed sharper than anything Gillot had ever seen.
"You're smart, but no businessman."
"Pardon?"
"Listen up. This is an investment. One that'll return a hundredfold someday."
"Investing where?"
"Didn't we just see it?"
Lee Soo-hyuk and Kim Ye-ryeong.
Them, and the resurgent Blue Eyes rankers.
"In their era."
Arancia's bet was on the world they'd shape.
After meeting Arancia, Soo-hyuk met Clementine at a cafe near the city.
The moment they sat, he cut to the chase.
"We're starting now."
Clementine's eyes quaked at his words.
The passion in them was unmasked. She tried playing it cool, but he could tell how long she'd waited for this.
"They're still at it."
"I... figured as much."
Clementine had anticipated it.
An unresolved incident. Time wouldn't suddenly prick their consciences mid-operation.
"I wanted to tell you before we begin. You've waited long enough."
"Not just here to stamp your presence one last time?"
Clementine grinned, waggling the ring on her finger—the divine item promised upon success.
"That too."
"Come claim it, please."
"Hope it fits. Divine items auto-adjust sizes, right?"
His casual vibe drew a hearty laugh from her.
But her mirth faded quickly.
Straightening her expression, she clasped her hands prayerfully.
"I have a favor to ask."
"Go ahead."
"Save the children..."
He'd expected it.
Soo-hyuk glanced past her at the little blonde girl. She'd lingered as that alley urchin for far too long.
Maybe this commission wasn't revenge for Clementine.
What she truly wanted might be no more kids suffering like her.
"Yes."
He accepted without conditions.
"I will."
In Villadville's back alleys.
Orphans gathered, pooling scavenged food.
"Ta-da!"
The eldest, Lara, pulled a fist-sized hunk of meat from her baggy skirt pocket.
"Wow!"
"Meat!"
On the filthy ground lay their haul: half-eaten bread, potatoes, trimmed fruit peels, picked-clean bones.
Lara's meat made their eyes bulge.
"Sis, how'd you get this?"
"You're the best!"
Despite the spread, eyes locked on the meat.
The rest barely qualified as food.
Trash-bin scraps: stale, crumbly bread; moldy, rain-soaked potatoes.
Most was like that. Uneatable, but Lara and her siblings survived on it.
No wonder the meat drew stares.
"Share it among yourselves."
"What about you, sis?"
"I ate plenty earlier. Ahh, so full."
"Lara sis rocks!"
Her acting was stiff. She'd faked it before, but it never felt natural.
Not reluctance to share, not hoping they'd notice her effort. She just didn't know fullness.
Grrrrowl...
Her stomach rumbled; she clutched it hastily.
Too late—the siblings were already divvying the meager meat amiably, none getting full.
"I'll nap over there. So sleepy from being stuffed."
Fearing another growl, Lara ducked into the tent.
Long hunger should've numbed her, but no. She'd never felt full, yet knew it'd be bliss.
Fetching the meat, selfish urges had tempted her repeatedly.
'Wish I'd snagged bigger...'
Then maybe she'd join them.
Lara clutched her empty gut inside the tent awhile.
Her first childhood lesson: endure hunger with sleep. It dulled the edge.
She squeezed her eyes shut, willing sleep.
She dozed. Half-awake, sunset filtered in.
"Yawn..."
Rubbing eyes, hunger surged.
Tomorrow, something—anything. Or dumpster-dive late.
"How long they eating?"
Minutes, she thought. But dusk fell; no siblings.
Foraging more for her?
"I said no begging late!"
Stretching, she stepped out slowly.
But...
"...?"
The tent area was empty.
"Guys!"
Lara rushed into the street crowd.
Her grubby clamor drew glares. She grabbed passersby.
"Seen my siblings? This tall..."
"Get lost!"
They recoiled from her filth.
More pleas, more rebuffs. No curses was lucky.
She ran everywhere. Nothing. Back to wait—no show.
Anxiety swelled with time. Night deepened sleepless.
Sleep beats hunger? No. Tonight, anxiety topped hunger. Too harsh a lesson for young Lara.
Waiting bled into dawn. Sunrise sans siblings: she wailed.
World's saddest sobs. Tears poured. No food, no water all day.
Then, a shadow fell on the tent.
Swish—
The awaited rustle.
Not siblings'. One shadow, taller.
Knowing better, hope stirred; she looked up. The flap parted; a head peered in.
"Why are you crying?"
Black hair, kind face. Man.
Soo-hyuk, finding Lara alone sobbing in the cold alley tent, said,
"Someone's gone missing."