Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Confrontation, and Things Fall Apart
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I got permission from Kang Sung-jun and brushed off my party members' attempts to dissuade me as I arrived at the prison where Joo Seung-hwan was locked up.
"Ah... Are you Lee Yun-seong?"
"Yes. That's me."
"Please follow me. I'll guide you."
"Thank you then."
Not long after the guard led the way, we reached the cell where Joo Seung-hwan was confined.
The bastard spotted me and started screaming and thrashing about.
"You...! You fucking maggot bastard! Because of you...!"
Clang! Clang!
He looked like he'd lost his mind the moment he saw me. Well, with his punishment already decided, it couldn't have been easy to keep his sanity in that prison cell.
I wanted to talk to Joo Seung-hwan alone, so I asked the guard.
"Would it be okay if I spoke with him privately?"
"Yes... It's possible, but... are you sure? As you can see, he's in quite a state..."
The guard was probably worried that Joo Seung-hwan might harm me. But it was unnecessary concern.
As far as I knew, the guy was wearing restraints that suppressed his physical abilities and sealed his mana.
"Yes, it's fine."
"Understood. Just come up when you're done. If you don't come out within 30 minutes, we'll come down."
"Yes, thank you."
Once the guard left, I spoke to him.
"Long time no see."
"Long time no see? Long time no see?! You little chick fucker I wanna rip apart!"
Bam!
He couldn't contain his rage and started punching the bars.
Indeed, his title didn't lie. A perfect fit for anger management issues.
"I don't get it... Why are you so mad?"
"What?!"
"Anyone would think I schemed to get you locked up unjustly."
"You fucker...!"
Exactly. I can't stand guys like him. Of course, back on Earth, I wasn't exactly a saint either—I'd done my share of dirty and bad things.
But... at least when the consequences of your own actions come knocking, shouldn't you have the resolve to face them?
If you're gonna pull a knife on someone, you ought to be prepared to get stabbed yourself.
"Don't you find it strange? I was the one you threatened, the one you beat up, the one you nearly killed. So what's your reason for being pissed?"
"......"
"Shouldn't I be the one angry at you?"
"Shut the fuck up!"
"That's why even your clan abandoned you, and your clan master ditched you too. You brain-dead fuck."
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Clang! Clang!
"Me? My arm exploding? I'm over it. I got it treated anyway."
Only then did he notice my left arm was perfectly fine, and his eyes widened in shock.
"Wha... How...?!"
"Your clan master turned out to be a decent guy, unlike you. He even called in a priest of time to heal me... Honestly, I never expected compensation this good."
"...What?"
"You dumb fuck. In the end, I lost nothing... while you got fucked over and abandoned. Right?"
"You... motherfucker..!"
"World's a funny place, huh? You're a big-shot executive from a top clan looking like that, while I'm a fresh newbie who's doing just fine."
"......."
"Y'know, thinking about it, I actually owe you some thanks. Thanks to you, I scored all sorts of sweet rewards. Heh... Thanks, dumb fuck."
"Hah... hahahahaha! Uhahahaha!"
Repeated blows from my words finally broke him, and he started laughing maniacally.
"Kuhuhu... I'll kill you... no matter what. You dog bastard... Someday I'll tear you to shreds and feed you to the monsters...!"
"You know what I always say back on Earth? Plans and thoughts are just delusions until you actually act on them. Dumb fuck."
"Hehehe... You little fledgling punk doesn't know his place...!"
"Anyway, what I was gonna say earlier... I'm fine with my arm getting blown off. As long as I'm alive, I can get past it."
"......."
"But... there's one thing I absolutely can't forgive..."
Yeah, I'd braced myself for the possibility of losing an arm in that situation. If something you've prepared for happens, you can endure the pain to some extent.
But...
"Because of you... I almost lost Seo Yu-ju."
"...What?"
"You tried to kill Seo Yu-ju when she came to rescue me, right?"
"...."
"The moment I found out, I decided. I had to crush this bastard no matter what it took."
"You fucker... You think you can take me on?!"
"Lucky for me, you self-destructed without me lifting a finger... But part of me is disappointed. I wanted to orchestrate your downfall myself."
"If you hadn't stabbed yourself with that dagger... for whatever reason! You...!"
"Ah, that's the mystery, huh?"
"......"
"Want me to tell you?"
"What... So it is! What trick did you pull, you dog bastard?!"
Bam!
"Spit it out! Why the hell did you do that back then? You dog bastard...! Answer me!"
"Ah... That was..."
"......."
"No reason. I just resisted to survive, and that's how it happened."
Bam!
"Don't give me that bullshit!"
He seemed convinced I'd pulled some scheme. Makes sense—no one would believe someone suddenly self-harming for no reason in that situation. So no one bought his excuse.
I don't know if this world has recording devices like on Earth, but better safe than sorry.
Of course, even if everyone found out I'd intentionally stabbed myself, it wouldn't be a big deal... but still.
In life, it's always better to be cautious. There's that old saying about tapping the stone bridge before crossing, for good reason.
I'd decided to meet him because I was curious what emotions I'd feel seeing him in front of me.
'...Pointless. I'll just deal with him later since he's still alive.'
No particular thoughts came to mind. Just that since he was getting exiled, I'd handle him later.
'Loose ends need tying up.'
I left the prison behind, ignoring his screams.
In the end, after much deliberation, our party decided to join Eternity Clan, one of the top three clans. We'd seriously considered operating as an independent party without joining one, but the members seemed really uneasy about it, so Seo Yu-ju must have decided on a clan for that reason.
The conditions were slightly worse than Incarnation Clan's, but everyone, including me, got good terms.
I figured it was largely because Yu-hyeon's value had skyrocketed after his performance demonstration.
The Eternity Clan master was a blonde woman who grinned from ear to ear when we accepted the recruitment.
The problem was An Tae-woo.
Before we signed with Eternity Clan, An Tae-woo had assumed we weren't joining one and quietly contracted with another mid-tier clan on his own.
That's why he was making a scene with Seo Yu-ju right now.
"How...! How can you join Eternity Clan without me?!"
"Tae-woo..."
"This can't be...! Leaving me out and joining Eternity Clan?!"
"...."
"Does this make us comrades?!"
Hyun-jin tried to calm the agitated An Tae-woo from the side.
"T-Tae-woo hyung... calm down first...!"
"Let go! You're fine with this! You're joining Eternity Clan!"
"Hyung..."
Seo Yu-ju, who'd been listening to An Tae-woo, finally spoke up.
"Tae-woo. I'm sorry... but there's nothing we can do."
"What do you mean nothing we can do?!"
"...You joined another clan without telling us."
"That was because you all seemed like you weren't joining one!"
"...Isn't that the weird part? You don't follow us if we don't join a clan, but you only want to tag along if it's a good one... That's strange."
"...!"
This was why no one was defending An Tae-woo. He'd prepared his own escape route assuming we wouldn't join a clan, and now that we were going to Eternity Clan, he was throwing a fit—it was obvious why.
"Do you even see us as comrades? This... This is just using us."
"...."
"...I'm sorry about this, but there's nothing I can do. If you'd at least consulted us, but making this decision on your own... I can't help you."
"Incarnation..."
"...Yes?"
"We were all set to join Incarnation Clan together, but it fell through because of Lee Yun-seong! That's why I had no choice!"
'Damn... He shouldn't have said that...'
It wasn't that I was offended. I was genuinely worried for An Tae-woo saying something like that seriously. The others wouldn't stay quiet after hearing it.
"We were originally supposed to all join Incarnation Clan! With no talent, I had no choice but to secure my own path!"
Seo Yu-ju spoke to An Tae-woo in a cold voice.
"...Enough. Shut up."
As the others bristled and were about to snap at him, everyone froze at Seo Yu-ju's icy tone.
"...An Tae-woo. That wasn't because of Yun-seong. It was Incarnation Clan. Watch your words."
An Tae-woo froze briefly at her cold voice but pressed on, determined to say his piece.
"This attitude! Always...! Always ignoring me and only caring about Lee Yun-seong!"
"...Huh?"
"I worked hard too! I cleared dungeons with you all, and despite no talent, I tried harder than anyone—even that guy Lee Yun-seong!"
'...Hmm...'
I acknowledge An Tae-woo put in effort. I'd seen him training hard to overcome his lack of talent.
But... one thing I've learned in life: no matter how hard you try, downplaying others for comparison is self-sabotage.
Saying you worked hard, you did this much, you suffered that much—it's just seeking recognition, a natural human emotion, nothing shameful.
But the moment you compare it to someone else, saying you tried harder than them, it turns from a proud desire for acknowledgment into petty jealousy and showing off.
His comrades aren't idiots enough to miss that.
"Why pour all your attention on that guy! Not just you, Seo Yu-ju—everyone! Am I invisible?! I tried way harder than him! How...!"
Kang I-seo cut off An Tae-woo with a venomous tone.
"Fuck, mister. What'd you say? You tried way harder than Lee Yun-seong? Why drag him down? What makes you so great?"
"You shut up...!"
"I get that you tried. But... did Lee Yun-seong not? Why compare? Fuck, the more I hear, the more ridiculous it gets..."
"You have talent, so you wouldn't understand!"
"Oh, yeah? Then does Lee Yun-seong have talent?"
"......"
"You know how many times that guy broke during three months of lectures? And his arm got wrecked this time...! You think you're the only one suffering? Stop whining, asshole!"
Seo Yu-ju, unable to hold back any longer, continued after Kang I-seo finished.
"An Tae-woo, you're mistaken about one thing. Do you really think Joo Seung-hwan only planned to threaten Yun-seong?"
"...What?"
"You got lucky. You were probably next after Yun-seong."
"...That didn't happen."
"...Hah. Fine. I don't wanna talk anymore. We shared life and death, so I won't curse you. Let's just go our separate ways?"
An Tae-woo couldn't hide his anger at no one taking his side.
"You all... do well on your own. Hah... Seo Yu-ju, I was the idiot for trusting and following you... Fuck..."
Bam—
The moment An Tae-woo stormed out of the lodging, everyone let loose.
"Hah... fuck, who is he to say that? That crazy... If I'd known he was like that... Sigh..."
"...Noona. Tae-woo hyung probably doesn't mean it. He just said it in the heat of the moment..."
Even Yu-rim and Yu-hyeon couldn't hold back.
"Hah... He never even bothered to see how hard Yun-seong oppa worked...!"
"Hyung! Don't mind what he said! We don't think that way."
I ruffled Yu-rim and Yu-hyeon's hair as I replied.
"Yeah, thanks."
Seo Yu-ju let out a sigh and addressed us.
"Sigh... Anyway... nothing we can do about An Tae-woo. Tomorrow's the graduation ceremony, so everyone get some rest."
"...Yu-ju. Thanks for handling that."
"No. Yun-seong, you had it worse."
Honestly, I never had strong positive feelings toward An Tae-woo. But there was some camaraderie from sharing life-and-death battles.
'Is that why... Damn... Doesn't feel good.'
I couldn't help feeling bitter, wondering if things had to end up like this for both him and me.