Chapter 157
Chapter 157
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: ACT.28 Disaster of Solitude (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“How did you two get here?”
“Isn't it obvious? We followed you.”
Hwang Chan-jin said, pulling out something small.
A location tracker.
The moment I saw it, I was dumbfounded.
“When did you stick that on me?”
“A while ago. Did you really not notice at all?”
“Ugh.”
“Looks like you're the one who got caught this time.”
Han Hyeok-jun chuckled, peeling the tracker off my clothes and crushing it.
When did he even put it there?
Maybe because so much had been happening, I'd failed to notice something so trivial.
Still, it was a relief.
Their arrival made things easier.
“More importantly! What in the world happened! Do you know all the residences are in an uproar!?”
Jun Bo-ra asked urgently.
In this situation, there was only one reason the residences would be in an uproar.
“The rampaging monsters are attacking like crazy! This is it, isn't it! The phenomenon that happens when a Disaster appears!!”
“There should have been plenty of time until the next Disaster. What happened, Kim Se-hyeon?”
Their eyes naturally turned toward the collapsed mine.
It was only natural, as the Disaster's power could be faintly felt even from here.
“I'll explain after we sort things out. Are there more enemies?”
“No, there are no more. Everyone who was outside went in.”
“...I thought there were a lot of them, but you're saying they all went into the mine?”
Normally, not every single person would rush in just to catch an intruder.
They'd need guards to keep the stigma mine a secret, and they'd still have to transport the mined stigma, intruder or not.
“They fled into the mine after I blew away everyone blocking the entrance. A loud noise came from inside shortly after, so I've been guarding the entrance to keep them from coming out.”
Hwang Chan-jin said this with a perfectly straight face.
So, the reason it was hard to escape because of all the enemies was because of Hwang Chan-jin.
“You knew my location, didn't you? So you must have known we were about to be buried inside the mine. Why did you just watch? Wouldn't it have been better to help clear a path from the outside?”
“You managed to get out on your own in the end, didn't you?”
He wore an expression that said, "What's the problem?"
His shamelessness left both me and Han Hyeok-jun speechless.
Jun Bo-ra, standing beside us, quickly distanced herself, saying, “I said we should break through.”
“I don't think you're such an idiot that you can't escape a crisis like that. I figured you'd make it out eventually, so I was doing my job. Things would get complicated if they escaped and brought Paradise's main force. And more importantly… you know about stigma.”
Hwang Chan-jin's eyes flickered toward me.
He wasn't wrong, so I decided not to say any more on the subject.
Saying that meant Hwang Chan-jin could also read stigma.
Hwang Chan-jin was probably disappointed that the mine had collapsed.
“Don't tell me you 'obtained' it?”
“Of course not. I 'consumed' it. Though someone else ended up with a D-rank skill because they obtained one before I could say anything.”
“Hasty actions always bring trouble.”
Unaware that we were talking about him, Han Hyeok-jun didn't seem to care.
He's not the most perceptive person, but I practically spelled it out for him. In a way, that's impressive.
What I did was a one-time acquisition method that stems from destroying a stigma.
Who would think to destroy something so precious?
At a time when the method for interpreting stigma patterns hadn't even been discovered, it was only natural that no one knew.
‘It's a bit of a waste, though.’
If I'd sold it to someone with earth-related powers, I could have gotten a high price.
But as Han Hyeok-jun said, I used it to save my life, so it wasn't a loss.
“Anyway, Kim Se-hyeon. What happened inside?”
“Yeah. Explain it now. Why can we feel the power of a Disaster coming from over there?”
As if there was nothing more to say on that topic, the two of them pressed me.
Speaking of which, since it was buried so deep, that thing must have...
‘No way.’
It was a ridiculous thought.
If it could be defeated that easily, it wouldn't be called a Disaster.
It was undoubtedly unharmed.
“The Disaster of Solitude appeared.”
“...Is that true?”
“No way. The Disaster of Solitude? For real? You're not mistaken?”
“I'm sure. I even got a system message saying the Disaster of Solitude had appeared.”
Their reactions were much the same.
Their expressions turned grave, and they fell into deep thought.
Han Hyeok-jun muttered as he looked at the collapsed mine.
“It must be stronger than the Disaster of Verdure that appeared last time, right?”
“That goes without saying. The Disaster of Verdure is only classified as a Disaster; its actual difficulty isn't Disaster-level.”
It wasn't the complete Disaster of Verdure, but a juvenile that had just recently grown from a seed.
On top of that, there were many ways to weaken it, and it had a clear weakness: 'fire.'
But the Disaster of Solitude is different.
It's a true 'Disaster.'
A being above S-rank. A Disaster-level threat so powerful that most monsters can't even compare.
It's a being capable of single-handedly destroying an entire nation with power to spare.
“Kim Se-hyeon. This is no ordinary matter. We can't handle this on our own.”
“I know. That's why I made a hasty escape. I just came to mess with Paradise's plans; who knew things would turn out like this?”
“What was the Disaster of Solitude's condition? Was there anything different about it?”
“No. It looked the same. I didn't notice anything different.”
“Then we can assume the original strategy is still viable.”
“Right. Except we lack the power to execute that strategy, which makes it meaningless. Besides, its summoning location is different this time, so we can't use the most crucial part of the original strategy anyway.”
“...This is really twisted. It's going to be tough.”
While the three of us were talking, Han Hyeok-jun, who had been listening quietly, suddenly interjected.
“But, didn't you two used to have a bad relationship?”
“It's not good.”
“It's not good.”
When we both gave the same answer simultaneously, Han Hyeok-jun's expression grew even more peculiar.
Jun Bo-ra also had a 'What's with these two?' look on her face.
Hwang Chan-jin owed me, but that was a separate issue from us being on good terms.
I could say our relationship had improved, but it still wasn't what I'd call 'good.'
“...What?”
“This guy tried to kill you last time. I still don't trust him.”
Han Hyeok-jun stepped between me and Hwang Chan-jin.
I was the one who deliberately paired them up during the Disaster of Verdure so they could get a little closer.
Have these two made no progress at all?
Hwang Chan-jin scowled at Han Hyeok-jun.
“Jun Bo-ra. What's your relationship with him that you're traveling together?”
“We have the same goal, so we help each other when needed. That's all.”
“...”
Looks like Jun Bo-ra was suddenly in a tight spot.
She'd formed a cooperative relationship to get to know Han Hyeok-jun, but her other partner, Hwang Chan-jin, didn't get along with him.
Stuck in the middle. What a pain.
I sighed inwardly and changed the subject.
“Hwang Chan-jin. What about your sister? How did you come here?”
“She's with the twins, so there's no need to worry.”
“The twins? Why with them?”
“When I said I was going to get you, they said they understood and would protect her.”
How shameless.
Even more so because it wasn't entirely untrue.
“...He has a sister?”
“Apparently. His personality changes. I've never seen him make an expression like that.”
“That's so weird.”
Jun Bo-ra made a disgusted face.
I recalled the information I'd briefly seen about Hwang Yu-jin.
A supporter.
Not some mediocre dealer or tanker, but that rare supporter class.
One with great potential, at that.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't interested.
‘It might be better to build a relationship with the twins.’
A time might come when I can get Hwang Yu-jin's help through the twins.
And Hwang Chan-jin was probably thinking the same thing.
I smirked at Hwang Chan-jin, and he raised a corner of his mouth slightly.
Just as I could get help from Hwang Yu-jin, Hwang Chan-jin could get help from the twins.
He probably didn't have many ways to get close to the twins, so he's using this opportunity.
‘That aside.’
I still didn't feel any sign.
It should have appeared by now.
‘Why hasn't the succubus appeared?’
[They're probably busy holding a meeting on their end.]
“With the angels?”
[Well, probably... Wait. How do you know about that!? Most people wouldn't even conceive of angels and demons holding a meeting!]
Ignoring the astonished Besial, I looked back toward the mine.
The Disaster was quieter than I expected.
Are the players from Paradise struggling against it?
The chances of that were low.
The trackers' average combat power was pathetic for facing a Disaster, and besides, fighting the Disaster of Solitude with a large group is like shooting yourself in the foot.
They might have been wiped out when the mine collapsed.
“I don't think we'll come up with any brilliant ideas by just standing here. How about we go back and come up with a plan?”
Han Hyeok-jun's timely and sensible suggestion made me decide to do just that.
The obvious method was Jun Bo-ra's teleport, but...
“From now on, no more free rides. Pay up. 200 coins per person.”
Because of Jun Bo-ra's bold declaration, we just ran.
***
“A Disaster...”
Seong Woo-hyeon groaned after hearing the whole story.
“I heard that when the Disaster of Verdure appeared last time, the monsters went wild. Will it be the same this time?”
“Most likely.”
Lee Min-hwa's face also clouded over.
I wasn't certain because the situation was so unprecedented; anything could happen.
The Disaster of Solitude normally brings a legion with it, but this time, only the Disaster itself appeared.
We might only have to face the Disaster alone.
It was just a possibility, of course, so I couldn't be sure.
“It could be the work of the Order. Their actions are often unpredictable. Didn't they artificially create a gate last time?”
“That's right. I've heard their influence is spreading at a terrifying rate. There might even be quite a few second-generation players who've joined them. Sweet-talking people is a specialty of cults, after all.”
Han Hyeok-jun, still wanting nothing to do with the Jamryong Guild, told us to call him when we were done and left for the time being.
I knew what had happened between Han Hyeok-jun and the Jamryong Guild, but he needed to learn to cooperate when necessary.
Then again, a grudge like that doesn't just disappear overnight.
“This is a headache. It seems there's a lot of trouble in Busan, too.”
Lee Min-hwa placed a hand on her forehead.
Busan... that's where Jeon Do-jin and Cha Eun-ha went.
I heard from them once before.
“The drug cartel case, I assume.”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“I heard about it from Jeon Do-jin-nim last time.”
Cha Eun-ha was the one who contacted me, but Jeon Do-jin must have told her to pass on the information.
Saying it this way avoided any misunderstanding.
“Have they caught them?”
“Not yet. It seems they've only just identified them. Something about them coming to Korea from a group called the 'Pentagon Eagle'?”
Seeing as they found out the name, they must have quickly narrowed down the search using the method I told them about.
Agents dispatched from the Pentagon Eagle, which served as a bridgehead between the US mainland and Korea.
But they shouldn't have been causing a commotion at this point in time.
Was this the effect of Jeon Do-jin going to Busan as a member of Hongryeon?
It never happened in the original story, so it was a definite possibility.
They were drug traffickers, so there were plenty of reasons for a conflict to break out.
In the game, there was no confrontational dynamic that would have caused such a disturbance, so it might not have happened at all.
‘Conversely, this is also an opportunity to eliminate Paradise.’
Jeon Do-jin is one of the strongest players in our country.
With him holding the line, the Pentagon Eagle wouldn't dare send reinforcements carelessly.
On top of that, Paradise must have realized something was wrong with the mine by now.
A picture of how I should handle things was slowly forming in my mind.
The unexpected variable known as the Disaster of Solitude.
First, I have to deal with that thing.