Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: What Can Be Stopped (1)
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[Kim Se-hyeon.]
Besial quietly revealed himself.
"What is it?"
[That guy, Hwang Chan-jin. I bet he's thinking it would be better to kill Min Ji-ah.]
"No way."
...But it wasn't an entirely baseless claim, so I couldn't easily deny it.
Hwang Chan-jin's behavior so far could be summarized in two points.
Distrust of people. Ruthlessness.
He doesn't easily grow attached to anyone other than his sister, and if he deems it efficient, he has no qualms about sacrificing or killing someone.
In other words, Besial's suggestion that he might try to kill Min Ji-ah was not at all unlikely.
After all, if Min Ji-ah were dead, the 'Guide of Madness' would never appear.
"Hwang Chan-jin. You're not thinking anything strange, are you?"
"...Let me make one thing clear. If my sister's life is ever in danger, I will prioritize her safety above all else."
With that, Hwang Chan-jin walked over to Hwang Yu-jin.
His hardened expression softened the moment he saw his sister.
Seeing that, I could guess what Hwang Chan-jin had been thinking earlier.
"Besial."
[Yes?]
"I don't think what you mentioned will happen."
I wondered if Hwang Chan-jin's conflicted expression wasn't because he saw a resemblance.
He might have considered what Besial said.
However, I had a strange certainty that Hwang Chan-jin wouldn't go through with it.
"Hyung! Rate me! Don't you think I could've held my own in a strength contest with that guy earlier?"
"You idiot. How could you compete in strength with someone that big?"
"Hey, I'm telling you, appearances aren't everything anymore! My strength stat is high!"
The twins approached me, bickering.
I wondered if this is what it felt like to have younger siblings.
"Huh?"
"Oppa?"
I gently patted both of their heads.
I made a promise to myself when the world changed like this.
Not to cross certain lines.
Rescuing the twins early could be seen as part of that.
To ensure that the sisters, Min Dan-ah and Min Ji-ah, who always met a tragic end in the game, could walk a happy path this time.
'L-Team.'
I have to deal with them.
And beyond that, the moderator's organization itself.
"Hyung?"
"Hm?"
"Ah, no. It's just that your eyes looked scary for a moment."
Jo Min-woo averted his gaze.
It seemed my thoughts had momentarily shown on my face.
I forced a smile.
"I guess I'm just tired."
"Then you should rest today. You've been pushing yourself too hard lately, Oppa, haven't you?"
"That's right. Hyung, you haven't been able to rest properly."
"...Yeah. Maybe I'll rest a bit today."
Kang Dae-ho was captured.
Although some remnants of Paradise escaped, their influence would be minimal anyway.
For now, I needed to regroup and organize the new information I'd gathered.
"You've worked hard, Kim Se-hyeon-nim."
Seong Woo-hyeon also looked quite exhausted.
It wasn't just the two of us; the other two Masters who fought L-Team were the same.
It was tough, yes, but the anxiety and worry from facing such strong enemies must have been overwhelming.
"On a happier note, we've received word that Choi Dae-han-nim has captured the 'Guide of Destruction' alive."
"That's a relief, at least."
"Yes. It's a relief, indeed."
Seong Woo-hyeon smiled bitterly.
With the capture of the Guide of Destruction, all three of Paradise's top leaders, the three Guides, were finished.
With this, Paradise could be considered completely annihilated.
'One faction down.'
There were some variables, but in the end, we had won the war against Paradise.
Now, I just have to prepare for the next chapter and L-Team.
Still, perhaps because a major issue was resolved, people's faces looked much more relaxed.
Fatigue washed over me like a wave.
I'd been moving nonstop without a break, and once I acknowledged it, the exhaustion became unbearable.
"Our guild building is nearby. If you don't want to travel far, how about sleeping in one of our guest rooms?"
Just then, Lee Min-hwa made an attractive offer, which I accepted immediately.
A guest room in a major guild's building would be as good as any luxury hotel.
"Dive!"
Jo Min-woo, the first to open the door, ran and threw himself onto the bed.
More than half of his body sank into it.
That alone showed how good the mattress was.
"Whoa! It's super fluffy!"
"You're kicking up dust."
"Hyung, it's common sense to dive onto the bed when you get to a hotel!"
...Is that really common sense?
"Right, right."
I was too tired to even argue, so I lay down on the bed right away.
The twins, each having claimed a bed, were already fast asleep.
'These kids.'
I let out a small chuckle.
After turning off the lights, I closed my eyes too.
The moment I decided to sleep, I sensed someone approaching.
I instinctively activated my mana.
Short strides. The footsteps were too light for an adult man.
A child, or a woman.
The mana source was too small to be Lee Min-hwa or Jeong Ha-yeon.
"Um, are you still awake by any chance?"
A cautious knock was followed by an unexpected voice.
'Hwang Yu-jin?'
She should have gone to a bedroom in the opposite direction with Hwang Chan-jin.
I tried to think of a reason why Hwang Yu-jin would seek me out, but nothing came to mind.
I shook my head and got out of bed.
"What can I do for you?"
"Thank goodness. I was worried you might be asleep."
Hwang Yu-jin smiled gently and bowed her head.
"I don't think I properly thanked you for saving me yet. Thank you so much."
Unlike someone else, she was truly polite.
Come to think of it, their personalities were quite different.
I carefully closed the door and stepped outside.
"...You don't seem to have come here just to say that."
With a peculiar expression, Hwang Yu-jin moved first.
*Clunk.*
"Here."
Hwang Yu-jin got a canned drink from a vending machine and handed it to me.
"My brother doesn't trust people. I suppose his environment, including me, made him that way."
She looked like she was about to open the can, but instead, she held it with both hands, fidgeting with her fingers.
I sat on a chair a short distance from Hwang Yu-jin.
"I think you've felt it too, Se-hyeon-ssi."
"...I can't deny that."
I recalled my first meeting with Hwang Chan-jin.
The circumstances were such that he could easily assume I was 'someone who had played the game'.
But a normal person would try to cooperate, not try to kill you outright like Hwang Chan-jin did.
That's how much Hwang Chan-jin distrusted people.
"It's my fault my brother became like that, so I can't say anything. 'You have to be tough. You can't trust other people.' That's how he's lived for years, trying to cure me."
"..."
"Still, I think we can change him, little by little."
*Click*, the can opened.
Hwang Yu-jin seemed to hesitate for a moment before taking a gulp.
"Phew. Do you know you're having a big influence on him, Se-hyeon-ssi?"
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
I silently finished the drink in my can.
Hwang Yu-jin stood up, threw away the can, and came over to me.
"Please take good care of my brother."
She gave a gentle smile and left.
I watched her retreating back for a moment before muttering quietly.
"She said so. Mr. Sis-con."
"Who are you calling a sis-con?"
An annoyed voice immediately retorted from the darkness.
Hwang Yu-jin didn't seem to have noticed, but Hwang Chan-jin had been eavesdropping on our entire conversation.
"Following your sister around and eavesdropping on her conversations with other people is what a sis-con does. What else would you call it?"
"It's a brother's natural concern. I can't stand to see her getting involved with some weirdo."
I hope he's not talking about me when he says 'weirdo'.
I fell silent for a moment before changing the subject.
"She's a good sister."
"..."
"What do you think?"
Hwang Chan-jin's presence faded.
He still has a habit of saying what he wants and then disappearing.
I flipped my middle finger in the direction he disappeared and returned to my room.
***
"..."
When I opened my eyes, it was morning.
I went to bed around 9 PM, so I'd slept for nearly twelve hours.
I must have been really tired.
I let out a dry laugh and got out of bed.
Sometime while I was asleep, the clear conditions for the main quest must have been met, as a few system messages, including the quest completion notification, filled my vision.
The kids... seemed to be up already. They weren't in their beds.
'Anyway.'
It's noisy outside.
I wondered if something had happened this morning.
Pushing aside a strange, bad feeling, I went outside.
"What's going on?"
Familiar faces were gathered in the lobby of the Hongryeon Guild building.
Like me, they seemed to have been drawn out by the commotion, and I could see the grim expressions on their faces.
"Ah, Oppa."
Jo Min-ah's face brightened for a moment before returning to its previous state.
I silently followed Jo Min-ah's gaze.
"Dan-ah is gone! I'm sure she went to sleep with me, but overnight she just vanished...!"
Min Ji-ah was acting like she was half-mad.
She was grabbing everyone who passed by, asking if they'd seen her sister, her face pale as if she were being chased by something.
Min Dan-ah had disappeared.
This was definitely not good news.
*Swoosh.*
The automatic doors opened, and Choi Yeon-soo entered with a troubled look.
Jo Min-woo was beside her.
Min Ji-ah ran to Choi Yeon-soo as soon as she saw her, but when Choi Yeon-soo answered with a shake of her head, the hand gripping her arm trembled and fell limp.
Soon, Choi Yeon-soo noticed me and walked over.
"Looks like you're up, Leader."
"How did you get here?"
"The kids called and asked for help."
"...They called you instead of me?"
"They said you looked tired and didn't want to wake you."
[The 'Angel of Benevolence' gives a gentle smile.]
Jo Min-woo looked proud of himself.
I gave a wry smile.
"So what's the situation?"
"It's just as Min Ji-ah has been saying. They went to sleep together, but when she woke up this morning, she was gone. That seems to be all there is to it, so there are no clues."
"Couldn't she have just stepped out for a bit? Are you sure she's disappeared?"
"She's not answering her calls. Said she tried more than ten times. I formed a team with this kid here and searched outside, but it's clear Min Dan-ah is nowhere near here."
"Inside the residence?"
"Checked that already."
Min Dan-ah wasn't skilled enough to wander outside the residence on her own yet.
More importantly, she would be well aware of that herself.
'Is this an unforeseen side effect of having an active communication network?'
If there were no way to contact her at all, they wouldn't be this anxious. But when communication is supposed to be working and there's no answer, one's thoughts naturally turn to the worst-case scenario.
And the chances of that being the case are high.
The possibility of her having just stepped out and run into some ill-natured players is extremely low.
Most of the 'low-quality' players have already been dealt with.
Above all, this is the Hongryeon Guild's building.
Would anyone be bold enough to try something like that around here?
Naturally, breaking into the building would be difficult too.
Which means the possibility of a kidnapping was virtually nonexistent.
"What about teleportation?"
"Teleportation?"
"An enemy with teleportation abilities could have popped in and snatched her, right?"
At Jo Min-woo's words, Min Ji-ah's face grew even paler.
"That's not it. No teleportation was detected."
"How can you sense something like that while you're sleeping?"
"There's no reason I couldn't. It's natural to always be vigilant of your surroundings, even while sleeping."
Hwang Chan-jin, who had appeared out of nowhere, scoffed.
I nodded in agreement.
"That's right. It wasn't teleportation. Teleportation destabilizes the surrounding mana, so you'd notice it right away."
"I-Is that so?"
Naturally, the possibility of teleportation was ruled out.
Jo Min-woo, who had suggested it, scratched his head and stepped back, while Min Ji-ah asked pleadingly.
"Th-Then what on earth happened to my sister...!"
"...Based on the circumstances, it's most likely that she left on her own."
"Wh-Why?! Dan-ah has no reason to betray us! There's no motive for it!"
"This isn't about betrayal."
Min Ji-ah was right.
It was a stretch to think Min Dan-ah would suddenly betray us and leave to join L-Team.
Even if you considered that she wanted to avenge her sister somehow, Paradise was already destroyed.
With its leader captured, there was nothing left to avenge.
How could she get revenge when the target of her revenge was gone?
I voiced the one hypothesis that had come to mind.
"Mind control."
It wasn't that Extreme Eye didn't work on the entire L-Team.
The only one with 'Mysticism' was Roberto.
I had already confirmed the main characteristics of the other members.
"There was a player among them who possessed that power."