Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: ACT.31 The Chessboard in Hand (1)
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Things were moving at a hectic pace.
Rumors were subtly spreading that Paradise, along with other unofficial guilds and foreign guilds, might declare war on the Korean guilds.
‘The informants of the major guilds aren't just sitting around, after all.’
Even though the Disaster of Solitude had complicated the chapter and twisted parts of the story, for now, things were proceeding without much deviation from the original plot.
It was still early, though.
Originally, there was supposed to be one more event between defeating Ignis and the outbreak of the war, but it seemed to have been skipped entirely.
But you never knew. Maybe, like with the Disaster of Verdure, several chapters would merge and occur all at once.
“I've laid all the groundwork.”
Hwang Chan-jin reported this abruptly as soon as we met.
He was standing right next to his younger sister, Hwang Yoo-jin, who could now walk perfectly fine.
“Ah, hello.”
“Yes, hello.”
Our eyes met, and she blushed awkwardly as she greeted me, so I returned the greeting.
Since we'd met, I took the opportunity to check her information with Extreme Eye again.
[Character Information]
Name: Hwang Yoo-jin
Gender: Female (24)
Strength: 5 / Stamina: 10 / Agility: 10 / Mana: 23
Unique Ability: Baptizer of Miracles (A)
Trait: Legs Shrouded in Wind (D)
Skills: Detection (C), Prayer (C)
...What kind of growth rate is this?
She might be a rare supporter type, but it looked like Hwang Chan-jin was investing a ton in her.
On top of that, 'Legs Shrouded in Wind' was a trait that supporter-class players, with their relatively low combat power, should acquire if possible to increase their survivability.
Seeing that she even had Detection, it seemed he was focusing more on Hwang Yoo-jin's survival than her supporting abilities.
Anyway, Hwang Chan-jin's glare, which had been fixed on me for a while, was intimidating.
“What.”
“I'll kill you.”
He wants to kill me just for saying hello.
What a harsh world.
“Are you planning to level her up by taking her with you?”
“That's the plan for now.”
“Makes sense. Since she's a supporter, the rewards will stack up on their own as long as she provides support.”
With Hwang Chan-jin's strength, fighting while protecting his sister would be no problem at all.
No, if anything were to happen to Hwang Yoo-jin, it would be the enemy who should be worried.
They'd have to endure the full force of an enraged Hwang Chan-jin's attacks.
“...What is it now.”
“Don't get any funny ideas.”
“I wasn't.”
His personality really changes when it comes to his sister.
I shook my head and changed the subject.
“You said you've laid the groundwork, right? You remember the order?”
“What do you take me for? Taegeuk, Paradise, the main Bonghwang force. And within a margin of error, Pentagon Eagle.”
“The Order probably won't get involved, and then there are the unofficial guilds.”
“Unlike the original story, Paradise is already cornered, so they might make a move there. Got it. I'll make my move in advance. What are you going to do?”
“Me? I'm...”
I thought of two things I absolutely had to do.
One of them couldn't be done right away, so I naturally moved on to the other.
“I need to start by causing some internal division on their side.”
“You mean Bonghwang and Taegeuk. What method will you use? Knowing your personality, I doubt it'll be anything drastic.”
“I have a plan.”
“...Fine. I'll leave that side to you. Don't mess it up, Kim Se-hyeon.”
Hwang Chan-jin left, and Hwang Yoo-jin bowed her head slightly in farewell before following him.
The siblings have completely opposite personalities.
I scratched my head and picked up my phone.
“Choi Seo-hee. Come to the location I'm about to give you, right now.”
***
An 'elixir', a material needed for stat breakthroughs, is a general term for consumable items that increase stats when taken.
The most common form is a potion, but they can also come as pills.
For instance, the Soshindan I was about to acquire.
The sea breeze must have been chilly, as Choi Seo-hee was shivering.
“You're saying we can get that Soshindan thing if we wait here?”
“I'm sure of it.”
Originally, to get the Soshindan, you had to win the martial arts tournament hosted by the Bonghwang Guild sometime later.
That was only possible because monsters would become scarce around that time.
Of course, there was no way they'd hold a tournament now, so obtaining it through the regular route was out of the question.
So, I had to use another method.
I leisurely gazed beyond the horizon.
“Ugh, it's cold. If I'd known we'd be waiting here at dawn, I would've brought a coat. Don't you have the sense to give a heads-up, Leader?”
“...Here, you can wear this for now.”
She seemed like she would keep grumbling, so I took a coat out of my inventory and handed it to her.
Choi Seo-hee quickly put on the coat as if asking, "You had this the whole time?"
A coat bearing the Taegeuk Guild's mark.
It was the one issued to Taegeuk Guild members.
Being common, it wasn't hard to obtain.
“Since you're wearing that now, you should put on your disguise too. We don't know exactly when they'll arrive.”
At my words, Choi Seo-hee used Polymorph.
Her entire body, including her face, transformed into that of a man in his late 30s.
“How is it? Anything look weird?”
“That's good enough.”
A port where the world had changed and ships no longer came and went.
From a spot with a full view of the port, I stared intently in one direction with Extreme Eye activated.
About ten minutes passed like that.
‘They're here.’
Seeing what I'd been waiting for approach, I shot up from my seat.
A small but swift boat.
It was almost completely unscathed, despite having crossed the West Sea, which should be teeming with sea monsters.
Looking closely, I could see that the entire outer hull of the boat was shimmering with a strange red light.
They had coated the boat with a liquid obtained by crushing the flowers of a Red Crystal Herb.
‘Strangely, it has an absolute effect only on sea monsters.’
The reason was unknown. What could I say when that's how it was set up in the original game?
It could only be harvested in specific dungeons found within gates, making it quite valuable.
So naturally, it meant that the item being brought into Korea with such measures was also incredibly valuable.
I gave a nod, and Choi Seo-hee immediately approached them.
She was wearing a small communication device in her ear.
I had briefed her beforehand, but unexpected situations could always arise.
It was better for me to watch from a distance and give her instructions.
-We arrived safely. Not a single monster attack, for real.
-Honestly, I can't believe it either. To think they wouldn't even come near us just because we applied that stuff. Do they think we're one of them?
-Who cares. Let's move this as planned and head back before its effect wears off.
The two men's entire conversation came through Choi Seo-hee's communication device.
I had already used an item to activate translation, so there was no problem even though they were speaking Chinese.
It worked on otherworldy languages, so what was a language from Earth?
“Go now.”
At my command, Choi Seo-hee revealed herself and slowly walked toward them.
Both were around A-rank.
Considering the value of the item they were transporting, they seemed under-guarded, but with mainland China also in chaos, it was understandable that they couldn't easily dispatch S-rank personnel.
“Was someone supposed to come out from over there?”
“I thought they would be waiting... Wait. Someone's there.”
Sensing Choi Seo-hee's presence, they instantly adopted a combat stance.
Two A-rankers. To be honest, killing them and taking the item would be a piece of cake.
But I needed to use them a bit more, so I had to let them live.
That's why I was using such a cumbersome method.
Following my instructions, Choi Seo-hee revealed herself with a broad smile.
They were about to swing their weapons reflexively, but they stopped their attack as soon as they saw Choi Seo-hee with her arms raised in a gesture of surrender.
“Password.”
Since they were all using translation items, the conversation should be smooth.
It was still before dawn, so it was hard to make them out from a distance, but under the streetlight, I could see them clearly.
‘It's the Jakkol Brothers, all right.’
The liaisons in charge of exchanges between the Bonghwang and Taegeuk Guilds.
They weren't actual brothers, but I used to call them that because they happened to look alike.
“A single supreme bird soars through the vast sky.”
When Choi Seo-hee recited the line I'd given her, the Jakkol Brothers' expressions changed.
“Embracing the harmony of yin and yang, it strolls above the clouds. Confirmed. It's been a while, Kim Baek-hwan.”
“We've been busy with one thing or another over here too.”
“I heard the stories. A series of powerful monsters appeared. You guys must be having a tough time.”
Choi Seo-hee gave a bitter smile.
Seeing the Jakkol Brothers show almost no suspicion, Choi Seo-hee's Polymorph could be called perfect.
The real Kim Baek-hwan should still be on his way here.
I needed to finish the transaction quickly, send the two of them back, and then move on to the next phase of the plan.
However, the Jakkol Brothers were a suspicious pair.
“By the way, Kim Baek-hwan, do you remember what we talked about last time?”
He naturally asked a question that no one but the real person would know the answer to.
What if I tried to bluff, but the very act of 'talking about something' was the bluff?
It seemed like a simple question, but it was just as difficult to answer 'if you weren't the real person.'
“Retort by asking if he brought the money for the drinks he should've paid for last time.”
Of course, I knew all of their personal histories that could be exploited, so it wasn't a problem.
“More importantly, did *you* bring the money for the drinks you should've paid for last time?”
The Jakkol Brother's eyes widened slightly, then he smirked.
“My apologies. This is the item.”
The one who seemed to be the older of the Jakkol Brothers held out a small box.
A small lacquered paulownia wood box with gold decorations on each corner.
It looked just as I remembered.
“I can check the contents, right?”
“Of course. Trust is important, no matter how long we've been business partners.”
After getting his consent, Choi Seo-hee carefully opened the box.
She had only opened it a crack, but a pure golden light streamed out from within.
I also focused mana into my eyes to check the contents.
In the very center of the box was a fist-sized sphere.
That wasn't the item that was supposed to be in here.
‘Hah.’
The moment I saw it, I was so dumbfounded that I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Look at these guys.
I thought they weren't testing her, but they'd set a trap while pretending not to.
“Choi Seo-hee. That's a fake. Just tell them it's different from the photo you received.”
I gave the brief instruction, and Choi Seo-hee acted immediately.
“This is different from the photo I received.”
“That's right. It's not the real one. My apologies. That was our little test.”
He chuckled and pointed to the bottom of the box.
Examining the bottom of the box, I saw an indentation that looked like it could be pressed.
*Clunk!*
When Choi Seo-hee applied a little pressure to the indentation, the bottom of the box opened, revealing something new.
It looked like a mochi rice cake, but I could tell at a glance that the mana it contained was immense.
There's no doubt.
‘Soshindan.’
A pill of which only one is made per year, created by mixing not only all sorts of expensive medicinal ingredients like agarwood and musk, but also mana extracted from Stigmas.
If not intercepted like this, it was an A-rank elixir that could only be obtained after Chapter 20.
When I confirmed it was the real thing, Choi Seo-hee nodded.
“Looks like this is it.”
“Right. It'd be trouble if we got caught lingering, so we'll head back right away. Tell Seon Woo-jin we said hello.”
The Jakkol Brothers, their suspicions completely dispelled, immediately boarded their boat and left the port.
I knew the Soshindan was in this box, but I'd never intercepted it midway like this before.
Because in the original game, doing something like this was impossible.
So this is how it was hidden.
The fake, disguised as a Soshindan, contained a faint amount of mana, but its contents were completely different.
‘If someone ate this thinking it was the Soshindan, they'd be a goner.’
A potent poison created by combining various toxins to maximize its lethality.
If eaten, one's internal organs would melt, and they would die writhing in excruciating pain.
Even with Diamond Body, it was only effective against external threats.
Since I wasn't immune to all poisons, I'd be helpless if poison entered my body.
It made me realize just how thorough they were.
They would have attacked the moment she chose the fake, but in the off chance the Jakkol Brothers were defeated...
...they had arranged it so the 'fake recipient' who took the fake would ingest the deadly poison.
-Leader, should I move on to phase two?
“Yes. The real Kim Baek-hwan will be here soon.”
Choi Seo-hee used Polymorph again.
She took on the appearance of the older of the two Jakkol Brothers we just met.
The Jakkol Brothers always traveled in a pair, so he was bound to ask where the other one was.
Still, there was no problem.
I watched the person approaching from a short distance away and smiled.
The person Choi Seo-hee was impersonating, and the person from the Taegeuk Guild who was originally supposed to transport this Soshindan.
And at the same time.
He was the one who would become the 'Trojan Horse'.