Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: The Informant's Secret
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Suddenly, Park Jong-pal, who had stayed behind, said he had something to tell him.
Seeing Hae-jin's puzzled expression, Park Jong-pal opened his mouth.
"That's..."
After hearing what Park Jong-pal had to say, Hae-jin frowned.
"Yes, it was ambiguous when I checked after the eleventh Trial's Arena ended..."
"But after the twelfth Trial's Arena concluded, I verified it, and what you just described was correct, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Hmm, I see."
Hae-jin rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger.
He had a pensive look on his face.
Park Jong-pal asked Hae-jin,
"What will you do?"
"Well, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. Still, it's a bit ambiguous. Selling information for money..."
Selling information for money.
That was what Park Jong-pal had told Hae-jin after the Vilbum Vanguard members had left.
Specifically, one of the Vilbum Vanguard members had sold information they'd heard from Hae-jin for cash.
In truth, Hae-jin hadn't been sharing Trial's Arena information with the Vilbum Vanguard members for long.
Not long at all.
At most, it had been the eleventh Trial's Arena and the twelfth one that had just ended.
Just twice.
That was how many times Hae-jin had given them unique Trial's Arena intel.
Yet in that short time, Park Jong-pal had obtained information.
That the eleventh Trial's Arena intel had leaked.
But even then, he couldn't be certain.
It was ambiguous whether it had truly been sold for money, and since it had only happened once, it was hard to pinpoint which member had sold it to another player for cash.
So Park Jong-pal had looked into the route, and between the end of the twelfth Trial's Arena and this meeting, he'd conducted his investigation.
However, after investigating, Park Jong-pal had identified the culprit.
He just hadn't named them yet since Hae-jin hadn't asked who it was.
After some thought, Hae-jin spoke up.
"I'm not planning to punish them specifically for it."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Then should we just let it slide quietly?"
Park Jong-pal had hoped Hae-jin might want to drop it quietly since he wasn't inclined to punish the person he'd reported.
In response to Park Jong-pal's question, Hae-jin said,
"But I am curious."
"Hm? Curious?"
"Yes, I'm wondering why they did it. Of course, no one hates money, so what's wrong with making some? Still, I'd like to have a talk with them."
"I see."
"Yes."
When Hae-jin expressed curiosity about who it was, Park Jong-pal suddenly turned his head.
Right now, Park Jong-pal was still there with Song Seung-hun and Jung Soo-jung, the subordinates he'd brought from the start. He turned toward Song Seung-hun.
Turning to Song Seung-hun, Park Jong-pal spoke.
"That's what he says, Seung-hun."
Park Jong-pal was telling Song Seung-hun to explain why he'd sold Hae-jin's information.
It was obvious even to someone oblivious.
The Vilbum Vanguard member Park Jong-pal had just mentioned was Song Seung-hun.
Hae-jin looked at Song Seung-hun as well.
"Hm? Mr. Seung-hun, you're the one?"
"Yes."
As soon as Park Jong-pal confirmed it was Song Seung-hun, the man himself quickly dropped to his knees.
"I'm sorry, Leader."
"No need to apologize like that... Anyway, it's surprising."
"Yes?"
"Mr. Seung-hun, you didn't join the Vilbum Vanguard after being a villain. Weren't you originally working for the government? So it's unexpected that someone like you would sell the info I gave you out of need for money."
That was what Hae-jin wanted to say.
If it had been one of the former villains, he might have thought, 'Well, they're ex-criminals, so they might do something like that for money.'
But since it was Song Seung-hun, contrary to Hae-jin's expectations, he was a bit shocked.
Song Seung-hun, still on his knees and apologizing to Hae-jin, cautiously began to explain.
"It's just..."
Song Seung-hun was caring for his elderly grandmother alone, and she had cancer.
Doctors often advised that for older patients, once cancer is detected, it was better to let it be rather than operate.
Cancer cells spread quickly in the young, but in the elderly, cell regeneration is slower, so leaving it untreated could actually allow them to live longer than undergoing surgery.
But from a family's perspective, that wasn't an option.
If it could be cured, a family would want to cure it.
Especially in Song Seung-hun's case, his grandmother had raised him single-handedly.
So for him, he would do anything to cure his mother's cancer.
There was an overseas player who was a healer, and that healer had advertised that they could cure cancer.
Hae-jin tilted his head.
"Really? They can cure cancer?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, that's strange."
Now it was Hae-jin's turn to tilt his head.
Seeing Hae-jin's reaction, Song Seung-hun wondered why.
"Yes?"
Song Seung-hun looked confused, while Hae-jin spoke with an expression of disbelief.
"No healer-type player capable of that exists yet."
As far as Hae-jin knew, no healer-type player could treat cancer yet.
It would take at least clearing the fifteenth Trial's Arena to reach that level.
Even Anna, who would later be called the Saintess, couldn't do it.
Excluding Anna, who would be called the Saintess...
'Damian has divine powers, but that's much later...'
So at this point, as far as Hae-jin knew, no one could cure cancer.
Except for himself, who had inherited everything from Joo-hyuk.
But hearing Hae-jin's words, Song Seung-hun couldn't deny it outright and cautiously pushed back.
"But there are multiple testimonies..."
There were various testimonies that a player had cured cancer.
Hae-jin pointed at his own face with his index finger in response to Song Seung-hun.
"Can I see that too?"
"Ah, hold on!"
Song Seung-hun pulled out his smartphone.
He was probably going to show articles related to the player who could cure his grandmother's cancer.
Soon, Song Seung-hun showed Hae-jin an SNS account on his phone.
There was a figure wearing a plague doctor mask, like the doctors who wandered medieval Europe during the Black Death.
Seeing it, Hae-jin chuckled.
A player cosplaying as a plague doctor.
Hae-jin knew exactly who it was.
"Garfield, huh."
"Eh? Yes, that's right."
Song Seung-hun's eyes widened when Hae-jin guessed the name just from the outfit.
It made sense.
The Hae-jin that Song Seung-hun knew didn't seem particularly interested in other players, aside from the Vilbum Vanguard members.
So he was surprised that Hae-jin recognized Garfield immediately.
Seeing that expression, Hae-jin delivered news that would disappoint Song Seung-hun.
"Plague Doctor Garfield—he's not a healer-type player."
"Yes?"
Song Seung-hun looked utterly baffled.
He had no choice.
Song Seung-hun had pinned all his hopes for curing his grandmother's cancer on Garfield.
But now Garfield wasn't a healer-type player.
The articles he'd seen and Garfield's SNS posts claimed he was a healer-type player who had cured multiple patients.
'But he's not a healer-type?'
To the flustered Song Seung-hun, Hae-jin explained.
"He's not a doctor—he's a pharmacist."
"A pharmacist?"
Song Seung-hun was taken aback to hear Garfield was a pharmacist-type player, not a healer.
Still, a sense of relief washed over him.
'Right, even if not a healer, a pharmacist might have a medicine that cures cancer?'
For Song Seung-hun, what mattered was treating his grandmother's cancer.
Healer or pharmacist, it didn't matter as long as it could be cured.
But even that hope was thoroughly shattered by Hae-jin.
"Yes, and not a treatment-type pharmacist."
"Not a treatment-type pharmacist?"
The last remaining hope, Garfield.
Song Seung-hun had clung to him like a lifeline.
Even if a pharmacist, as long as it cured his mother's cancer, he didn't care.
But Hae-jin said he wasn't even a treatment-type pharmacist.
So Garfield couldn't treat his mother's cancer either?
Reading Song Seung-hun's thoughts, Hae-jin explained about Garfield.
"He's a pharmacist-type player specialized in poisons. He probably 'cured' the cancer by messing around with poisons."
"Then Garfield can't cure my mother's cancer, Leader?"
"Correct."
"Damn..."
Song Seung-hun had believed his mother's cancer could be treated.
He had even committed an act that put him in the same category as criminals.
Selling Hae-jin's information to wealthy players.
Yet even the money from that wouldn't save his mother.
His hope crumbled.
And that crumbled hope turned to tears, flowing from Song Seung-hun's eyes.
"How... Then what about my mother..."
Song Seung-hun sobbed.
Over the fact that he couldn't save his mother.
The doctors had said from the start that surgery was impossible due to her age.
So he'd pinned all hope on Garfield.
Now that it was gone, tears streamed uncontrollably.
Because he thought he couldn't save his mother.
It was then.
Hae-jin called out to Song Seung-hun.
"Mr. Seung-hun."
"Ugh..."
Song Seung-hun couldn't even respond to Hae-jin's call.
He just wept with overflowing grief.
Thinking he had to let his mother go.
Seeing this, Hae-jin scratched his cheek with his index finger.
Seeing him so devastated he couldn't even answer made Hae-jin feel a pang of pity.
Still, it didn't make him sad.
Having experienced far worse hell in the Trial's Arena?
No.
Because he could cure her himself.
Hae-jin called Song Seung-hun again. Or rather, he said something that would force a reaction.
"Mr. Seung-hun, I can cure your mother."
"Yes?!"
Song Seung-hun, who had been sobbing wildly, looked at Hae-jin.
He hadn't responded to the previous call, but the moment Hae-jin said he could cure his mother, he reacted instantly.
It was a natural response.
For Song Seung-hun, whose last shred of hope had been yanked away in his desperate state, Hae-jin suddenly offering a lifeline again—how could he not look up?
To the shocked Song Seung-hun staring at him, Hae-jin spoke.
Words that would make him seem like a god.
"I can cure your mother's cancer."