The Forest of Illusion
Yoon Sang-hyuk stared quietly at the man sitting in the chair, drinking tea.
He looked barely twenty.
For a man, his features were fine-boned, and his skin was very pale. Perhaps because of that pallor, his lips looked unusually red.
The man’s name was Park Ho-sung.
He was the son Park Tae-hoo, chairman of the Yuseong Group, had entrusted to him with a request to make something of him. He had remained silent the entire way back to the Masked Castle, as if he simply did not talk much.
“You’re a player?”
“Yes.”
“How many years?”
“Eighteen.”
That meant he had survived in Eternal World for quite a long time. Set aside whether he had leveled up or cleared the game; he might have simply lived among the natives in a city.
Still, Yoon Sang-hyuk had no trouble guessing that Park Ho-sung’s level was fairly high.
“Your level?”
“187.”
At 187, he was nothing to sneeze at, though calling him a ranker would still be a stretch. Among players below that tier, he sat right at the top.
“I don’t know a Korean player at that level. Do you go by another name?”
“No.”
Whether deliberately or not, Park Ho-sung kept answering Yoon Sang-hyuk in nothing but clipped little phrases.
Yoon Sang-hyuk could see why Park Tae-hoo had left his son in his care.
- He’s the only son I have. When Ho-sung suddenly disappeared, it felt like the sky had fallen in on me. But I learned the truth behind his disappearance. Before he ever went to that other world, he had problems with his personality. He didn’t get along with people. So it may be an odd thing to ask, but I hoped that when he went to that other world, he would come back with that fixed. Instead, Ho-sung returned exactly as he had been before. No, if anything, he was worse.
Yoon Sang-hyuk looked at Park Ho-sung as he drank his tea.
- Ho-sung has to take over the Yuseong Group. As you know, a personality like his is poison to a leader who has to guide an organization. I tried every method I could think of to fix him, but nothing worked. For reasons I don’t understand, I feel like you, Lord, might be able to correct his personality. You’re welcome to beat him senseless if you have to, so please, do something about it.
“Where did you mainly operate?”
“I worked in the Demon Kingdom of Mezinia.”
“Which guild were you with?”
“I’ve never joined a player-made guild. I was attached to the Flame Magic Tower instead.”
The Flame Magic Tower was an institution made up of the natives of Eternal World. Among the players, those who chose the mage class would often enter a magic tower early on and learn magic there.
But from what Park Ho-sung said, it seemed he had remained with the Flame Magic Tower until the very end, right up until he returned to reality.
“How did you level up?”
For the Enchant School, repeated work making artifacts could earn experience, but most of the magic taught by the Flame Magic Tower was offensive magic.
“I took on requests from nobles together with the tower mages.”
“You never thought about getting along with other players? Even if the natives are practically human, they still aren’t players.”
“Honestly, the natives are better than players.”
Even if no two people were the same, Park Ho-sung was strange beyond reason.
“For now, I’ve accepted your father’s request, so I can’t send you right back. You’ll need to show at least some effort. You’ll be working with the Masked Mercenary Group for the time being.”
“Yes, understood.”
“There’s one thing you need to keep in mind. What happens inside the Masked Castle, and what you experience while with the Masked Mercenary Group, is never to be told to anyone else. Not even to your father.”
“Understood.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk raised a hand.
“Baekjeong.”
“Yes, Lord.”
“He’s a new member. Teach him the rules of the Masked Mercenary Group. Issue him equipment as well.”
“Understood. However...”
Baekjeong glanced at Yoon Sang-hyuk, as if trying to read his mood before speaking.
“What is it? Is there a problem?”
“What should we do about the Castle of Chaos?”
Everyone except the people of the Masked Castle was unaware that the Masked Mercenary Group was hunting in the Castle of Chaos. Jey had only guessed at it; she did not know the truth for certain.
“Take him with you.”
“Is that all right?”
“You just heard me. He said he’d keep the secret.”
“But...”
Yoon Sang-hyuk cut him off with a lift of his hand.
“If he hadn’t agreed, I’d understand, but once he has, we might as well trust him.”
“Understood.”
Baekjeong said to Park Ho-sung, “Follow me.”
The two of them left the reception room, and Marianne entered.
“My Lord, there are people here to see you.”
“Bring them in.”
Marianne bowed elegantly and stepped out. Then the ones who entered were Anton Pavlov, Luo Shaoyi, and Christina Robianco.
“We greet you, Lord.”
While Luo Shaoyi and Christina Robianco only bowed their heads slightly, Anton Pavlov gave a deep, respectful bow from the waist.
“Why did you call us here?”
Before anyone even offered her a seat, Christina Robianco dropped into a chair and snapped at him.
“If you have a problem with me calling you, you can go back right now. No, you could have simply not come at all.”
“Hmph! And what excuse would you have used to make people miserable? I’ve already had enough experience with a man like you in that other world.”
“Since you’re here anyway, can’t we at least talk without snarling at each other? You do realize you’re the only one making a scene, right?”
“The only one? The oth—”
Christina Robianco trailed off, narrowed her eyes, and looked at the other two.
“Was something going on that I don’t know about?”
The two of them said nothing in reply and instead looked at Yoon Sang-hyuk. Just as she seemed about to snap back in irritation, Yoon Sang-hyuk spoke.
“Anton.”
“Yes, Lord.”
“I’m returning the weapons of the elites who took part in the assault on Demon King’s Castle. Yours too, of course.”
Thunk. Thunk.
Christina Robianco sprang to her feet in shock, and the chair behind her rolled several times before slamming into the wall.
“W-what did you just say?”
“I wasn’t talking to you. Can’t you sit still for once? Make a scene again and you’ll be thrown out.”
Christina Robianco bit down hard on her lip and dragged the chair back before sitting down again.
“Once a month, I want you to clear the Steel Mountains.”
“Understood.”
“Coordinate the schedule with the Absolute Guild and the Dragon Slayer Guild. The Red Knight will still be difficult for now, so for the moment, it would be best to focus on the Black Knights. Thirty percent of the income goes as tax.”
Anton Pavlov lowered his head.
“Needless to say, make sure your guild members keep their mouths shut.”
“Yes, Lord.”
“Luo Shaoyi.”
“I’m listening.”
Luo Shaoyi stared straight at Yoon Sang-hyuk. It was probably because of what he had just said to Anton Pavlov.
“Same for you. The Nine Dragons Association gets its weapons back as well. Clear the Steel Mountains. The conditions are the same as for the Death God Guild.”
“Can I ask one question?”
“Of course.”
“Why are you treating us so well? Back then too... and now as well. Honestly, there’s no reason for you to be this generous.”
“A fickle nature isn’t something only women have. Men are the same. If you don’t like it, say so now. I’ll have to look for another guild.”
“There’s no reason for me to dislike it!”
Luo Shaoyi shouted, sounding genuinely worked up.
“Fine. Think carefully about why I’m giving the weapons back.”
“I’ve got a rough idea.”
“Good. I expected as much from you.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk’s gaze shifted to Christina Robianco.
“I have one favor to ask.”
“I’ll do it. Hm? A favor? I thought you were just returning our weapons.”
Christina Robianco’s expression sharpened.
“If you do me this favor, I’ll return them.”
“Why do I have to do you a favor just to get them back?”
“Isn’t that up to the person returning them?”
“That’s true, but...”
“Don’t misunderstand. The Death God Guild and the Nine Dragons Association paid a price for theirs too.”
“Hmph! What do you want?”
“I’d like you to set up a barrier.”
“A barrier?”
Christina Robianco looked at Yoon Sang-hyuk in confusion. Then she frowned deeply and said in an irritated voice, “Do you think a barrier is something you can just throw up because you feel like it? If you’re going to cast a barrier, you need...”
“Materials? I’ll supply everything.”
“Well, then. But why a barrier all of a sudden? The Masked Castle doesn’t need something like that, does it? You’re not asking me to put one over the construction site outside, are you? Even I couldn’t cover an area that large.”
“It’s somewhere else. Much smaller in scale.”
Among all the players dragged into Eternal World, Christina Robianco had been the best at magic. She had reached the highest level without distinction between offensive magic, healing magic, and enchantment magic.
The same was true for barrier magic.
In Eternal World, when the Red Magic Tower Guild fought a war against a hostile guild, Christina Robianco once won through the barrier she raised without a single swing of a sword. It was a famous story.
“What kind of barrier do you want?”
“A barrier that keeps intruders out. A phantasm barrier should be enough.”
“Where do you want to set it up? I’ll go there right now.”
“Not right this moment. I’ll tell you when it’s ready.”
“You’re still returning the weapons first, right?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk nodded.
“Listen carefully, all three of you. Think hard about what it means for me to return those weapons. I’m not giving them back so some particular individual or group can profit from them. And in the future, I’d appreciate it if none of you were tempted into doing something pointless by some slick-talking bastard.”
As if each of them had something to hide, the three of them looked away.
“I have a question.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk looked at Christina Robianco.
“Do you know a place called the Forest of Illusion?”
“The Forest of Illusion?”
He knew it well.
Among all the players, there was only one person who knew about the Forest of Illusion for certain, and that was Yoon Sang-hyuk.
“Why do you ask about it?”
“Why else? A hunting ground called the Forest of Illusion has appeared in Italy, and no matter how I think about it, I’ve never heard of a hunting ground with that name.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.
“The Forest of Illusion...”
The three of them focused on him. After a moment, Yoon Sang-hyuk thought back to the Forest of Illusion he had once experienced and muttered softly, “It’s a very dangerous place.”