Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Leader's Legacy
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"......"
Everyone fell silent after hearing Hae-jin's story.
It was only natural to react that way.
Anyone would find it hard to believe after hearing Hae-jin's tale.
That their leader could regress, and they had been assembled into a party by that very regressed leader?
And that during the process, the leader had vanished, leaving Hae-jin to inherit everything from him—meaning they no longer had a second chance?
Everything Hae-jin had shared hit hard, but the most shocking part was that there were no more chances left.
Silence settled over them after the full story.
Raffaello da Vinci was the one who broke it.
He raised his hand and called out to Hae-jin.
"Hyung-nim."
"Yeah?"
"So from now on, I just have to do whatever you say, right?"
Raffaello, unconcerned with the rest, simply asked if he could follow Hae-jin's orders.
Hae-jin nodded to him.
"Yeah, pretty much."
Just do as I say.
There was no denying that.
Because the former leader, Joo-hyuk, had already passed on the most efficient route, optimized through countless regressions based on his party members.
They were all highly capable, so they could exceed what he'd been told.
But even just sticking to it would give Hae-jin confidence in their success.
Lee Sang spoke up as he listened to the exchange.
"You're right, Mr. Raffaello. I just have to do as I'm told too, yeah?"
"Of course."
With Lee Sang declaring he'd follow Hae-jin just like Raffaello, Na-ye and Anna had only one thing left to say.
Anna was quickest on the draw.
"I trust you too, Hae-jin."
"I... I do too!"
Kwon Na-ye jumped in late, echoing Anna's trust in Hae-jin.
As she did, a pang of regret hit Kwon Na-ye.
'I should've spoken up sooner.'
She was already bummed about lagging in the hidden trial scores this time around, and now even voicing her faith in Hae-jin came after Anna.
Of course, Hae-jin couldn't care less about that.
If anything, he felt relieved.
He'd planned to reveal it only when the zones merged, at the earliest.
But spilling it far ahead of schedule—and having everyone affirm their trust—how could he not feel good?
Having unburdened himself early from what he'd have to carry alone, relief was inevitable.
To him, the order in which they professed their trust was irrelevant.
What mattered more to Hae-jin was that revealing this meant no need to pile on more lies to the group.
Anyway, with their relationship clarified, Hae-jin spoke up.
"For now, we've got plenty of time before the next Trials' Arena, so rest up a bit. I'll share info on the fifth Trials' Arena right before we head in."
""Yes sir!""
Hae-jin told the party he'd share the fifth Trials' Arena details later, then escorted Anna back to her place.
He could do it in one Shadow Blink.
No sooner had they Shadow Blinked away than Anna called out to Hae-jin.
"Hae-jin."
"Yes."
"Is it a secret that I added the Holy Knight job?"
Hae-jin had half-expected Anna to ask about this.
Back at her place earlier, she'd shown a flicker of confusion during their talk.
It stemmed from her feelings about Hae-jin giving her the "Archbishop's Cleric Robes."
He'd said he'd explain the fifth Trials' Arena in detail later, but when handing over the "Archbishop's Cleric Robes," he'd hinted at it.
The fifth Trials' Arena wasn't a section you tackled with other players.
Rewards were zone-based, but it was a system where solo climbs of the "Tower of Trials" determined survival and rewards.
"Hmm, not exactly a secret."
"Then doesn't that seem off? Wouldn't I actually be the most stable for the next Trials' Arena—more than the others? I've got healing as a Priest, plus close-combat as a Holy Knight."
"You're right."
"But why'd you say I'd be in the most danger?"
From Anna's perspective, she was indeed the most stable for the fifth Trials' Arena.
But Hae-jin explained why he'd framed her as the riskiest and why he'd secured the "Archbishop's Cleric Robes" for her.
"The reason's simple. In the fifth Trials' Arena, you need to rely solely on Priest skills as much as possible. Sure, if things get dire, use Holy Knight abilities. But ideally, climb the Tower of Trials with just Priest powers."
"Climb using only Priest abilities?"
"Yes. Think of the Tower of Trials in the fifth arena as a section that amplifies your player abilities. For those who survive, that is."
"Ah! So you added the Holy Knight job for me, but since Priest potential needs to grow more, I should assume no Holy Knight skills for the next arena?"
"Exactly. That's why I crafted and gave you the 'Archbishop's Cleric Robes.'"
"......"
Anna fell silent upon hearing why Hae-jin had given her the "Archbishop's Cleric Robes."
She had no choice.
Hae-jin, who knew better than anyone how advantageous she'd be in the next arena, had equipped her specially—skipping the others.
So Anna had wondered if he harbored some personal feelings for her.
But no.
Hae-jin had geared her up purely so she could climb solo with Priest abilities in the fifth Trials' Arena.
After her silence, Anna spoke.
"So I have to stick to Priest abilities in the next arena?"
"As I said, if it's a life-or-death pinch, pull out Holy Knight skills. But I recommend soloing with Priest powers if possible."
"Well, if you say so, Hae-jin... No, 'Leader' from now on, right?"
"Call me whatever's comfy."
"No. Just as you showed respect to the former leader, we should too. I'll call you 'Leader' from here on."
"Fine. And keep up Damian's training steadily. Even sticking to Priest skills, the physical conditioning from Damian won't hurt."
"Don't worry about that. I do it every day."
"Got it. I'll pick you up when we gather for the party meeting later."
"Okay."
With that, Hae-jin Shadow Blinked back to his place.
Watching him vanish via Shadow Blink, Anna let her disappointment show.
"It was just for max efficiency in clearing the Trials' Arena to the end..."
Because deep down, she'd hoped his care came from feelings for her.
"Ah, Hae-jin! No, Leader!"
Kwon Na-ye called out as Hae-jin returned home after dropping Anna off.
Hae-jin, fresh from the drop-off, looked at her.
"Hm? You haven't gone home yet?"
He'd assumed Lee Sang and Kwon Na-ye would head out once he left to escort Anna.
But both were still at his place.
At Hae-jin's question, Kwon Na-ye raised her hand first.
"I had something to ask Leader."
"What is it?"
"I wondered if there's a special reason you're telling us about the fifth Trials' Arena later."
"Nah, nothing like that. We just finished the fourth, so I figured you need rest before the next one. I'll share it closer to go-time. We can link up anytime now anyway."
"So you could tell us now...?"
If there was no need to wait, Kwon Na-ye pressed for the fifth Trials' Arena info right away.
But Hae-jin had no interest in such inefficiency.
"I already sent Anna off. I'll wait till she's here too. We all hear it together."
"Ah, okay..."
With Hae-jin putting it that way, Kwon Na-ye couldn't push further.
But her face clearly showed regret.
Seeing it, Hae-jin thought:
'Why? Hearing it now means they might forget by then.'
That's why he'd planned to brief them just before entering the fifth.
Tipping them off a full month early wouldn't change much anyway.
In reality, all players could do was watch out for player crimes.
Or catch player criminals to ease public fears of players.
That reminder sparked another thought in Hae-jin.
'Come to think of it, time to get "that" rolling.'
The "that" Hae-jin recalled.
The "Villain Crime Task Force."
Villains.
Soon, players would use their awakened powers for crimes in the real world.
No—crimes had already happened ages ago, and their exposure was imminent.
The world would label such criminals "Villains."
Like foes opposing heroes in comics or movies.
Of course, not everyone with power misused it for evil.
There were defenders against them too.
Namely, the "Villain Crime Task Force."
In hero-worship heavy places like America, they might call them "Heroes."
But Korean sensibilities didn't jive with "Heroes," so such units formed under that name.
Recalling it, Hae-jin sorted his immediate tasks.
'First up, meet CEO Kim Min-su.'
CEO Kim Min-su.
Head of Chocolate Entertainment, where Hae-jin had invested before the latest Trials' Arena.
Before heading in, Hae-jin had made one proposal.
Swap or terminate contracts for affiliated celebs Han Jin-seo, Kim Ki-su, and Baek Chang-su with other agency talents.
Since they'd all get dragged into the fourth Trials' Arena and die.
But CEO Kim Min-su hadn't trusted Hae-jin's word.
Simple reason.
Some random guy shows up, names stable 20s-30s celebs, says they're all dying soon—swap 'em or cut contracts? How to buy that blindly?
So CEO Kim Min-su tested Hae-jin's tip with the lowest-risk gamble he could.
Max out contracts with the three, then insure against their deaths for full payout.
Hae-jin had considered talking him out of it.
Thanks to Joo-hyuk's words.
『It's a bit wasteful. That's a card you save for a real high-value celeb's death.』