Chapter 82
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Spy (6)
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Right now, Yun Yeon and I were heading to the place where Shin Joo-tae and Kim Jong-won were being held. The reason was obvious—for interrogation.
A clan member standing guard spotted Yun Yeon and approached her.
"Master, what brings you here..."
"Obviously, for interrogation. Nothing out of the ordinary, right?"
"Yes. All clear. Please go ahead."
As we moved into the basement detention area, we saw the two of them slumped there, bound and restrained.
'They look like hell.'
They were barely clinging to life. The damage Yun Yeon had inflicted on them must have been severe—they were practically half-dead. The priest had apparently given them basic treatment, but just enough to keep them from dying.
Perhaps sensing our presence, Shin Joo-tae looked up with a hazy expression and spoke.
"...Yun Yeon."
"Ha, now you're calling me by name?"
"Kuh... What, you want me to go back to calling you Clan Master like before?"
Yun Yeon let out a scoffing laugh in response.
"Fair enough... That would be ridiculous too."
"Master...! Please spare me! It was all Shin Joo-tae—he made me do it!"
'Whoa...'
What touching camaraderie. Selling out his superior without a second thought—it was impressive enough to earn even my admiration.
Shin Joo-tae himself stared at the guy in utter disbelief.
"I was blackmailed into cooperating! Please...!"
"You dog bastard, shut your mouth!"
"Fuck off! You shut up, you prick!"
Watching them bicker among themselves was quite the spectacle.
'What a pair of idiots.'
"Quiet down. Did I say you could argue with each other?"
At Yun Yeon's icy command, the two clamped their mouths shut.
"You two... don't seem to grasp your situation. You're continent-wide wanted criminals right now."
"...Wanted criminals or whatever, what does it matter? We're dead anyway, aren't we?"
"And knowing that, you still played spy?"
"...If you're gonna kill us, just do it quick."
Yun Yeon grimaced at Shin Joo-tae's attitude and spoke up.
"You must be mistaken. You think we're just going to let you die easy?"
Their faces went pale. Considering how outlaws were treated on this continent, expecting a painless death was nonsense.
"Master! P-Please... It really was all Shin Joo-tae's idea...! R-Right! Information! I'll tell you everything I know!"
"...Kim Jong-won, do I look like an idiot to you? And we're going to get the information out of you anyway. How long do you think you can hold out under interrogation? I guarantee you'll be spilling even the stuff we don't ask for before three days are up."
Average players had tough enough bodies that they wouldn't die from ordinary torture. That meant they felt the full pain but their bodies wouldn't give out easily.
And with priests in this world, you might not even get the mercy of dying from the agony unless you were really unlucky.
"W-We... We've been together all this time... S-Surely there's some bond... H-How can you..."
"Unbelievable. Forgot how you planned to screw me over? What, you were gonna humiliate me in every way possible, right?"
"That was... this crazy bastard's twisted fantasy alone!"
'Damn... This guy's impressive in his own way.'
If there was a Survival Instinct stat, this guy's would have shot past 100 and pierced the heavens.
Shin Joo-tae seemed to have given up on survival, but his lackey hadn't. If I were in his shoes, I'd be thrashing around trying to live too, but seeing it firsthand was pretty pathetic.
"Yeah? Everyone was supposedly so excited they couldn't sleep? Or are my ears busted?"
Yun Yeon wasn't just mad about the betrayal—she was furious about their group plan to humiliate her.
Shin Joo-tae, who had been quietly listening to the exchange between Yun Yeon and Kim Jong-won, finally spoke up.
"...Yun Yeon, if you hadn't done that, none of this would've happened."
"Now you're dropping the formalities altogether. Ha... Whatever. What the hell are you talking about? What did I do?"
"...You rejected me."
'What the hell is this now?'
"...Shin Joo-tae. Don't tell me... all this because of that...?"
There seemed to be some backstory I didn't know about.
"Just that? Look at you. That's all I am to you! Why did you reject me? If you hadn't, I... I never would've gone this far!"
'This idiot... Did he confess and get rejected, and that's why he's doing all this?'
From the context, it looked like he'd confessed his feelings to Yun Yeon in the past and been turned down.
"What was I lacking?! I tried so hard! Why?! Yun Yeon, you didn't even give me a reason—you just brushed it off like a joke!"
I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity. Yun Yeon had to be even more floored. Glancing at her, she looked stunned, like she never imagined something this stupid could be the reason.
"Shin Joo-tae, are you insane? You did all this because a woman turned you down?"
"I... I tried so damn hard! Just that? You call it just that?!"
His eyes were manic—genuinely frightening.
This went beyond liking or loving someone. It was straight-up obsession.
'He's completely lost it.'
"This is all your fault... You brought this on yourself!"
"...Enough. Don't make me any angrier."
Shin Joo-tae had lost all reason, screaming even as Yun Yeon spoke in a voice cold as ice.
"You're mad?! If anyone's mad, it's...!"
Thud!
"Aaaagh!"
Crack!
"Uwaaaaaah! Stop...!"
Snap!
"Kuaaaaaagh—!"
'Oof...'
It hurt just watching. She was holding back enough not to kill him, but for Yun Yeon, she was going overboard.
Seeing her, always so composed, this worked up was a first—no explanation needed.
Even his lackey was trembling beside him. Worried Shin Joo-tae might actually die if this kept up, I cautiously spoke to Yun Yeon.
'Damn... She's scary...'
"...Yeon-noona, calm down."
At my words, she snapped out of it, released her grip on Shin Joo-tae, and steadied her breathing.
"Hoo..."
"...You okay?"
"...No need to worry. I just lost my cool for a moment. More importantly, you saw something unsightly."
"...I get it."
Frankly, staying calm after learning they'd betrayed her for such a moronic reason would make you a saint.
'But... this is a problem. We still have questions.'
As I debated calling a priest to heal Shin Joo-tae, a groan came from him.
"Kuh..."
'Damn, he took that and is still conscious?'
"F-Fucking... What are you two... to each other... guh..."
"What?"
"...Why's this bastard... cough... calling you noona? Kuh..."
'This guy's really deranged.'
"...You're actually crazy, aren't you?"
"Answer... the question..."
"Ha... I told you to drop the formalities first. Curiosity satisfied? Now it's my turn to ask. You contact the Outlaw Clan through this crystal ball, right?"
As she spoke, Yun Yeon pulled out a crystal orb. Her adjutant had found it while searching Shin Joo-tae's room.
"......Yeah."
"How do you contact them?"
"Pour in mana... and say the code."
They apparently used a code among themselves for contact. Makes sense—no way it'd be that unsecured.
"What's the code?"
"...I could tell you, but it won't matter."
"What do you mean?"
"...Spies have to check in regularly first."
"...Explain in detail."
"...Yesterday was check-in day. I got caught and couldn't report, so they've probably noticed something's off and cut the line."
'Shit... That's a problem.'
I'd planned to use him to contact the Outlaw Clan and dig for more info, but this made it impossible. Talk about bad luck.
'Of all days, yesterday... These bastards are paranoid as hell.'
Yun Yeon's face twisted too.
"Ha... Fine, I get it. We'll verify the facts ourselves, so just write down the code."
"Heh... Wasted effort... Whatever."
Smack!
"Gahk!"
"Hey, watch your attitude. Unless you want to beg for death."
Not liking his tone, Yun Yeon grabbed his hair, shook him, and warned him.
"Kuh..."
"Name your group and list all the members you know. And there aren't any more spies in the clan, right?"
"...No more in Myth Clan."
"...Your answer sounds off. Like you're saying there are in other clans?"
"I don't know everything... But from what I know, there are a few in Madan Clan and Brotherhood Clan. Of course, there are spies I don't know about too."
'Fuck, what a mess.'
Madan Clan was one of the current top three clans. If he was telling the truth, the Outlaws had spies in two of the three big clans, including Myth Clan. Brotherhood Clan wasn't top-tier but was a solid mid-sized powerhouse.
"...Do you know the spy roster?"
"Somewhat. Advice: if you're gonna catch them, do it fast. They've probably realized something's wrong with me, so anyone on the list I know will vanish soon."
'He's right. This is a race against time.'
They'd sensed something, but we still had time. Contacting each other took effort, so if we moved quick, we could nab them.
Yun Yeon seemed to think the same and immediately called for the guard.
"Guard!"
Infusing her voice with mana, she shouted, and soon the guard came rushing in.
"Master, what is it?"
"Get Park Seo-hwa here as fast as possible. Right now!"
"Yes, sir!"
As the guard left, Yun Yeon spoke again.
"Shin Joo-tae, write down the spy list. You know what happens if it's fake, right? Better be honest."
"...I'm not dumb enough to lie."
"Good. Now tell me about your group."
"...One thing before I do."
"What?"
"The info I'm about to give is extremely valuable. If it's true, at least let me go easy..."
"...Deal. After we verify it's true."
"...The criminal group I'm with is called the Execution Sanctuary. I don't know the leader's name. For real. Don't know the face, the name, not even the gender."
"..You..."
"Damn... I get the suspicion, but it's true. Out of the seven executives, only two know who the leader is. I'm the last one who joined, so I don't know much."
Seven executives was new info, but we already knew he didn't know the leader's identity.
"...Then tell me about the other executives."
"I'm the only one active as a spy... The others aren't. And I only know two for sure. You'll recognize the names—they're infamous outlaws."