Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Act 9: Land Without a Master (1)
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It was a little surprising that the Judge of Consecration was still watching me.
Did that mean they were still considering it?
"Hmm."
I stroked my chin, humming softly, before letting out a small chuckle.
No way.
I knew.
I knew the Judge of Consecration would never fully sponsor me.
I know what I'm going to do, so how could they not?
Since I can't have it anyway, I'd rather it go to someone close to me who can use that power for my benefit.
"There is one person..."
A certain face came to mind.
It was a bit ambiguous, to be honest.
While it was true that person trusted me for now, they weren't what you'd call 'unconditionally on my side'.
I was also holding off on deciding whether to include them in my party.
If I did, they would be a great help in the future.
But bringing them along also brought to mind quite a few potential conflicts with me.
Was there ever such a double-edged sword?
After much thought, I came to the same conclusion again.
I'd have to wait and see. For now.
*Roooar!*
The rain had stopped, but the river's current was too strong to cross unaided.
The bridge had already collapsed and was gone.
In the river, the piranha-like monsters I'd seen at the Dongdaemun base were snapping their teeth, searching for prey.
At a glance, it looked extremely dangerous to cross, but I paid it no mind and simply leaped over the river.
[The 'Guide of the Sky Road' expresses disappointment at being a step too late.]
The Guide of the Sky Road?
What's that thief doing here?
[The 'Guide of the Sky Road' puts on a hurt expression, saying you're being harsh from the get-go.]
Hurt? What hurt?
There's no way a guy who excels at being slick and playing dumb would be hurt by something like that.
...Ah, right. They also had the role of guiding the lost.
I let out a disbelieving laugh.
I've never been lost.
And I never will be.
More importantly, their disappointment meant they hadn't come purely to help me.
I soon turned my attention from the message and examined the detailed information for 'Playable Character'.
[Skill Cooldown: 7 days]
[Character, 'Jeon Do-jin', has already been used and cannot be selected again for 30 days.]
For such a good skill, the drawback was significant.
Usable once every 7 days, and a chosen character is unavailable for a month.
It was a shame, but I didn't dwell on it.
From beginning to end.
The plan I had in mind was formulated without relying on that unique ability.
Although it was a very different ability from the one I originally intended to get, the benefits I gained from it far outweighed what I had initially sought.
You could say things have gotten easier.
'Though it seems the variables have increased just as much.'
Walking along the path, I found a spot with an unusual number of footprints.
Traces of many people having passed through remained.
The mud was helpful in times like this.
Seeing how they were scattered messily only in this spot, it seemed they had waited for me before setting off again.
'My efforts haven't been in vain.'
A wry smile formed on my lips as I naturally pictured the few who must have insisted on waiting for me.
By now, there must be a change in the party's mindset.
This incident will make them more tenacious, so it should be helpful.
I moved my feet, which felt a little lighter.
Was it because of the rain?
The plants that had already turned the area into a forest seemed to have grown even more lush.
***
The Seoul City Hall area was a green hell.
Trees and their roots covered the area. Giant vines.
The most fatal part was how they burrowed into or wrapped around buildings, compromising their structural integrity.
You'd wake up after a night's sleep to find plants had overgrown the building, trapping you inside.
You'd go to the trouble of building walls or barricades, only for them to become unusable.
Such occurrences were commonplace in the current Seoul City Hall area.
*Fwoosh!*
A burst of flame incinerated the giant vines encircling the building.
Those who had been trapped inside, unable to get out, bowed their heads repeatedly, moved as if they had been saved.
"Th-thank you! Thank you!"
"You're our saviors!"
"It's nothing. We just did what needed to be done."
Jo Min-ah shook her head with a faint smile.
It was a smile, but one that made the onlooker feel sad.
Seeing that strange smile, the people mistakenly thought, 'She must be thinking about how much we've suffered,' and expressed their gratitude once more.
In Jo Min-ah's hand, the Seed of White Flame given by Kim Se-hyeon was clenched tightly.
How many people had she saved using this already?
After finishing one task, Jo Min-ah blankly raised her head.
She was acting, but her heart wasn't in it.
"Jo Min-ah."
A hand landed on her shoulder.
It was Jo Min-woo.
"You're in bad shape right now. You know that? You keep spacing out. You're pale. You look like you could collapse at any moment."
"I'm fine. I'm managing. If it gets too hard, I'll rest."
Jo Min-ah smiled as if nothing was wrong and started moving again.
It was always like this.
Jo Min-woo knew very well that she couldn't possibly be fine.
But if he talked to her, she'd pretend to be okay again. Pretend nothing was wrong.
Yet, if he just watched, she looked as fragile and anxious as a glass bottle about to shatter.
"Ah, seriously! I don't know anymore! Do whatever you want!"
Finally, Jo Min-woo irritably scratched his head and turned his back.
Of course, he was only saying that.
He kept glancing back.
'This is driving me crazy.'
Jo Min-woo's insides were churning with anxiety.
Se-hyeon's last words.
He knew the reason was that those words had taken root in Min-ah, leaving her with great anxiety, but that meant the problem wouldn't be solved until Se-hyeon returned.
I'm her older brother. I'm supposed to protect her.
Why can't I do anything?
'Hyung, when are you coming back?'
Jo Min-woo let out a heavy sigh and turned back, running to Jo Min-ah.
Soon, the two of them began helping people together.
"...That girl, isn't she in a dangerous state?"
Cha Eun-ha muttered.
"That's what atonement is like."
Kim Ji-hyeon replied as if in response.
"Kim Se-hyeon, who willingly sacrifices himself to save others. And herself, who wants to help him but can't. The guilt of having to run away, leaving him behind again, and the self-loathing of being powerless. Those must be the driving forces behind Jo Min-ah."
Kim Ji-hyeon's gaze shifted between Jo Min-ah and Jo Min-woo.
"Especially since those twins experienced something very similar to this before."
The two were still only in middle school.
They must have been so mentally shocked that the life in their eyes had faded, making them look dark.
"I can't just leave them be."
In the end, Cha Eun-ha was the first to move toward the twins.
The white stone in Jo Min-ah's left hand was also on her mind, but it wasn't important enough to ask about right now.
"Hey, kids."
At Cha Eun-ha's words, the twins turned around at the same time.
The moment her eyes met Jo Min-ah's unfocused ones, Cha Eun-ha knew what she had to say.
"I was the last one to see him when I brought the child back safely, right? He told me then. He said he wouldn't do anything dangerous and would definitely come back in one piece. He even promised. He's not the type to break a promise, is he? Let's trust him and wait."
"Mm. Our Eun-ha is right."
"Master?"
"I haven't known him for long, but I could tell he's no ordinary man. He is strong. There is nothing in this area that can match him. So you need not worry so much. Hahaha!"
Jeon Do-jin, who had approached at some point and agreed with Cha Eun-ha, laughed heartily.
It wasn't a laughing matter at all.
But perhaps Jeon Do-jin's hearty laughter changed the atmosphere, as a small smile graced Jo Min-ah's lips.
"He is taking a long time, though."
A short distance away, Jeong Ha-yeon, who had been helping others, muttered as she dusted herself off.
"Something might have really happened. Wouldn't it be better to form a separate unit and send them now?"
"I heard that when he escaped the apartment, he killed all the monsters to prevent them from following."
Kim Ji-hyeon answered Jeong Ha-yeon's words with another question.
After blinking for a moment, Jeong Ha-yeon nodded.
"Yes, that's right... Ah, don't tell me this time, too?"
"It's a possibility."
Then he'd be able to acquire a large number of coins during the settlement.
Swallowing the rest of her thought, Kim Ji-hyeon turned her head in the direction they had come from.
Kim Se-hyeon's actions so far had been consistent.
Clearing the Death Bites at the apartment, handling the stadium attack alone, and this time, staying behind to deal with the monsters.
Kim Ji-hyeon had already noticed.
Kim Se-hyeon acted like he was sacrificing himself, but his real goal was to rake in coins.
But she didn't say anything.
To survive. To become stronger, that was the right choice.
In fact, you could call him competent.
A talent who knew exactly what needed to be done, how to plan for it, and possessed the power to execute that plan.
A truly major rookie.
Perhaps even the term 'major rookie' wasn't enough.
Kim Ji-hyeon had been in this game for a long time, but she had never seen a player like Kim Se-hyeon.
'You'll come back this time, too.'
Kim Ji-hyeon was certain.
And at the same time, she was suspicious.
A major rookie doesn't just appear out of nowhere.
There must be some foundation for it.
'Kim Se-hyeon. What are you, really?'
Jo Min-ah caught her breath for a moment, watching the others.
The image of Kim Se-hyeon handing her the Seed of White Flame with a determined face flickered in her eyes.
He looked like a heat haze, ready to vanish at any moment.
Jo Min-ah shook her head vigorously, trying to dispel her anxiety.
'...There must be a reason he entrusted this to me.'
Jo Min-ah cupped the Seed of White Flame with both hands.
'It's hot. Just when I think I can bear it, it gets hotter.'
White heat seeped through the gaps between her fingers.
Her skin turned red and swelled from the heat, but Jo Min-ah had no intention of letting go.
'Still...'
"This is what hyung gave you, right?"
Suddenly, a shadow fell over her.
"Min-woo?"
"I saw it earlier, but it's still amazing. Fire keeps coming out of the stone."
Jo Min-woo leaned in to stare at the stone and fell silent for a while.
"...This is just my thought. We're the weakest ones here. Hyung probably wanted to help us get stronger."
"Yeah. And this is it."
"I'm a little annoyed he only gave it to you, but hyung must have had his reasons."
Jo Min-woo grinned and placed his hand over Jo Min-ah's.
"Then we have to live up to his expectations."
*Fwoosh!*
A flame flared up for a moment before vanishing.
Jo Min-ah carefully opened her hands.
The fist-sized stone was gone, and in its place, white powder fell to the ground.
The Seed of White Flame had fulfilled its purpose and vanished.
Perhaps the powder was carried by the wind into his nose, as Jo Min-woo couldn't help but sneeze.
"This feels strange..."
Jo Min-ah looked at her hands, one after the other.
Focusing on the thought of summoning flames, she stretched out her hand. A blue flame emerged from her palm and swirled around her.
Jo Min-woo let out a gasp of admiration and tried to do the same.
"I've got nothing."
"It seems it only settled in me."
"Tch. I thought maybe I'd get some power this way, too. Guess shortcuts don't work."
"What? Was that your plan?"
"Of course it was. I want to get stronger too."
And there was one person watching them from a distance.
The man smiled faintly and slowly approached them.
"Well done."
"Whoa!?"
Startled by the sudden voice, Jo Min-woo stumbled backward.
Then, the moment he saw who it was, he stammered, at a loss for words.
Sensing something was off, Jo Min-ah also fixed her gaze in the same direction.
Then, she covered her mouth with her hands.
She couldn't speak for a long moment, and then tears welled up in her eyes.
Jo Min-ah finally managed to choke out a single phrase.
"Se-hyeon... oppa...!"