Chapter 211
Chapter 211
Chapter 211: It's Not Just About Strength (4)
Translation: godtl
TWC Channel.
The broadcasting hub responsible for covering the Guild War being held in Russia was in utter chaos.
[Ah! Jonathan! What in the world is happening?!]
[I—I don't know either.]
It was understandable.
[In all my years as a commentator, I've never seen anything like this. Michael, you've been in this business just as long, haven't you?]
[That's right! The screen suddenly turned completely dark green, and after that—nothing! I've never seen anything like it!]
The Guild War between Yggdrasil Guild and Tsar Guild in the Platinum division.
The broadcast screen showed nothing but an impenetrable dark green, obscuring any trace of the battle.
[Could there be an issue with the Galaxy Arena? If so, the most pressing concern is whether all participants are safe!]
[Given that Nikolai and the other guild members were already eliminated by Go Mal-suk and Kim Si-mun's summons, it seems they're unharmed.]
True to its reputation as the world's premier arena broadcasting channel, the production team swiftly switched the feed from the green screen to Tsar Guild's waiting room at Jonathan's cue.
There—
"What the hell is going on?!"
"What's the higher-ups saying?"
"Don't tell me even the guild has no answers?"
"Damn it!"
The Tsar Guild members, eliminated early, were captured on screen either checking their phones or shouting in frustration as they moved about restlessly.
Most of them wore combat gear, their agitation palpable.
Among them, one figure stood out—perhaps because he was the most physically imposing in the guild.
"Argh! Why isn't my brother picking up his damn phone?!"
BANG!
Nikolai Ivanov slammed his fist on the table, his face twisted with anxiety as he clutched his phone.
Even Michael, watching the screen, couldn't hide his frustration, though he maintained his professional smile.
[Oh dear! It seems even Tsar Guild is still in the dark about the situation.]
A testament to the composure of a world-class arena caster.
[That appears to be the case. And if Tsar Guild doesn't know, then the Russian organizers probably don't have a clear grasp of the situation either.]
Commentator Jonathan, too, kept his expression steady as he assessed the situation.
Then—
FZZT!
Static flickered across the partitioned green screen of the Guild War broadcast.
[Ah! Something's changing! The screen is starting to glitch!]
The moment Michael finished speaking—
Ssshh—
Like water washing over a surface, the green screen rippled away, revealing the scene inside.
A towering platinum obelisk stood imposingly.
[Oh! Kim Si-mun and Go Mal-suk of Yggdrasil are standing firm beside that tower from earlier!]
[Thank goodness. It seems the issue was only on our end—the Guild War must have proceeded normally.]
Si-mun appeared, standing close to Mal-suk.
[Meanwhile, there's no sign of any Tsar Guild members!]
[At this point, it seems Yggdrasil's victory is all but confirmed!]
As if signaling Jonathan's words—
[The victorious guild of the Platinum Division Guild War is Yggdrasil Guild.]
[The Platinum Division Guild War has concluded.]
A message announcing the guild's victory appeared.
[So was the screen obscured by a skill? If so, what kind of skill could interfere with the broadcast feed...?]
Before Jonathan could finish his speculation—
[Due to an emergency, the Guild War is temporarily suspended.]
[The representative of the organizing committee is requested to respond immediately.]
An ominous message floated across the screen.
The Guild War's dedicated access pod—a capsule large enough to comfortably fit two people—opened with a hiss.
Then—
"Hah."
A handsome man stepped out.
Si-mun exhaled a short sigh and stretched his limbs, cracking his joints.
Next to him.
"What the hell just...?"
Go Mal-suk sat up with a bewildered expression.
Then.
"Hey. What the hell are you?"
She stared at Si-mun with that same confused face.
"Huh? What?"
Si-mun deliberately feigned ignorance, tilting his head.
"I'm talking about whatever the fuck just happened there!"
Uncharacteristically, Mal-suk fired off questions like rapid gunfire.
"Why did an Ancient Dragon show up here? What's all this about a Dragon Emperor and some honored guest from beyond? And why was that bitch telling them to come or not come?"
It wasn't unreasonable to be confused.
Just the appearance of an Ancient Dragon alone was shocking enough.
Then there were Etra's cryptic words and the sudden emergence of that terrifying being called Aracrea.
Any normal person would naturally have questions.
Si-mun silently observed Mal-suk like this.
His first thought was none other than:
'Should I tell Mal-suk everything?'
From the threat of Dragon Fear,
to the Void's corruption from that formidable Apostle of the Void.
Since he'd deliberately kept her close to protect her from potential dangers,
Mal-suk had already vaguely overheard about his connections to the Dragonkin and "that side."
Telling her outright wouldn't be a problem, but...
'I don't want to drag Mal-suk into this while she's still only Platinum...'
He didn't want to make her face such powerful enemies as the Dragonkin so soon.
At the same time...
'But even in her past life, Mal-suk wasn't completely free from conflicts with the Dragonkin...'
Using the excuse of "past lives,"
he found himself wanting to share things he couldn't even bring himself to tell his younger siblings, using the current situation as justification.
The moment he realized this—
"Ah..."
A short sigh—
or perhaps something closer to a groan—escaped Si-mun's lips.
With dazed eyes,
but a mind that had grown clearer, he looked at Mal-suk.
'I... was lonely.'
The miracle of regression.
That it wasn't simply a blessing—
he'd known that since the day he vowed to change this life.
A colossal enemy like the Dragonkin, that enormous unidentifiable eyeball he'd seen at the end, and even Earth's destruction...
For someone who'd been just a Level 1 Player,
these were problems on a scale far too large to handle alone.
That's why...
'More than just comrades to fight alongside, I needed someone I could share these burdens with.'
Someone to at least talk to.
When his thoughts reached that point—
"Pfft."
Si-mun let out a hollow laugh.
When you suddenly become aware of your own hidden feelings,
it's only natural to feel absurd and inexplicably empty.
And then—
"Hey. Kim Si-mun."
As if she'd read his mind—
rustle
Uncharacteristically, Mal-suk timidly grabbed the hem of his sleeve.
"Um... you don't have to tell me if it's hard to explain."
Her face was just as complicated as his as she continued,
"It's just... an Ancient Dragon and all that shit suddenly showed up, some crazy dangerous bastard, so... you know..."
Like someone scratching an itch,
she frowned slightly and twisted her body awkwardly.
Seeing her like this, Si-mun pinpointed exactly what she wanted to say:
"Are you... worried about me?"
"Y-yeah! Fuck, that's it!"
Mal-suk nodded vigorously.
"That's why I asked! If it's uncomfortable, just treat it like bullshit and don't overthink it, okay?"
Did she realize?
That her face looked even more troubled than his as she said this.
"Really now..."
Shaking his head, Si-mun let out another soft laugh.
But this time, it wasn't hollow.
"Alright. Mal-suk. I'll tell you."
It was a genuine laugh that escaped him.
'Right. Even if it's not a regression. It's probably best to lay out the current relationship between me, the Dragonkin, and the Continent Guild.'
After all, since she'd be coming with him anyway—
Wasn't it only a matter of time before they clashed and found out?
Moreover.
'If I clear things up with Mal-suk first, it'll be easier to explain things to Si-hyeok and Yu-jeong later.'
You know how it is, right?
There are things you can say more easily to a friend who's closer than family than to actual family.
As Si-mun smiled brightly—
"......."
Go Mal-suk's sharp eyes softened slightly.
Perhaps because her heart had lightened a little.
"Actually—"
Just as Si-mun, oblivious to Mal-suk's change, was about to start his explanation—
BANG!
"Oppa! Mal-suk!"
"Are you both alright?!"
The door to the room shattered as Lee Yu-jeong and Park Jin-uk burst in with urgent expressions.
Before Si-mun could even respond—
"Emergency medics! Over here!"
"Prioritize first aid!"
"Get the healers in first!"
A crowd, presumably from the organizers, swarmed into the room in a chaotic rush.
Once the commotion had settled.
The expressions of Si-mun and his companions, now back in the waiting room, were grim.
"So."
The reason was none other than—
"After the screen turned green, all members of the Tsar Guild were declared dead, is that correct?"
The Tsar Guild.
Before the Ancient Dragon Etra had intervened—
The news that every single one of them, who had been fighting alongside them in the Guild War, had died.
"Yes. We couldn't confirm it earlier since no bodies were recovered... but just now, the Galaxy Arena officially declared them deceased."
The man introduced as the representative of this Guild War's organizers—
Vasily sighed, running a hand through his neatly combed blond hair.
"Given that, we assumed the participants from Simdrasil might also be in danger, so we hastily assembled an emergency rescue team."
"I see."
All dead, huh?
Si-mun propped his chin on one hand, recalling the moment Etra had first unfurled that green domain.
'What a shame. A bastard like you would've made excellent fuel.'
Etra's gaze at the time had unmistakably—
'Flickered toward that bubbling green mass in the center.'
Thinking back on it now—
'That seething mass must've been the Tsar Guild's promising talents, converted into energy.'
Most likely used as fuel to sustain that green space.
As that realization settled in—
"Tsk..."
A hollow laugh escaped Si-mun unbidden.
It really hit him then—how close death had been.
"That being said..."
Vasily, who had been glancing at Si-mun, cautiously continued.
"If it's alright with you... might I ask what happened there? How exactly did the Tsar Guild members die?"
"Ah..."
Si-mun scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Sorry, but that's not something I can answer."
A polite but firm refusal.
Yet Vasily didn't raise his voice or press further.
The reason was simple.
"I see. You must've received word from the Galaxy Arena as well."
The Galaxy Arena.
As soon as the Guild War ended, they had sent a message to the Russian organizers:
[Disclosure of events that occurred during the Guild War is prohibited.]
With a wry smile, Si-mun nodded.
"Yeah. They sent a message requesting strict discretion."
Of course, with the backing of God-King Rank Constellations and as the primary victim in this incident—
Si-mun could've easily ignored the request if he wanted to.
"Requesting discretion... Now that's a very Galaxy Arena-style warning."
But to Vasily and the organizers, unaware of that fact—
Even though his life had been in danger.
He appeared as nothing more than a pitiful man who had even been threatened.
"Very well. I won't inquire further about the details of that guild war."
Vasily scribbled his pen across the documents he'd brought.
Soon, it seemed all the paperwork was completed.
"Phew. They say misfortunes never come singly. First Representative Sergei and Mr. Ivan are assassinated, and now this..."
Heaving a deep sigh, he pulled a cigarette from his pocket and placed it between his lips.
"Wait. What did you just say?"
Si-mun's face hardened as he repeated the question to Vasily.
Vasily blinked for a moment.
Then—
"Ah, you must not have heard the news since you just arrived."
Nodding with a small sigh, Vasily spoke.
"Representative Sergei of the Russian Federation and Ivan Ivanov, the ranker from the Tsar Guild who was escorting him, along with several top-tier players, were all found dead."
"What?!"
Si-mun was startled.
And for good reason.
'The Russian representative and rankers, along with top players from their strongest guild, were assassinated in Russia?'
It made no sense.
Moreover—
'Ivan Ivanov is currently Russia's top ranker, a high-ranker at that!'
Though he had died in his past life along with Russia's downfall,
that had happened years after the official Arena began.
At present, Ivan Ivanov should be Russia's strongest player.
'Assassinated?'
But Si-mun's confusion didn't last long.
There was an obvious suspect behind this.
'It must be the Continent Guild trying to cover up this incident.'
As far as Si-mun knew, the only faction on Earth connected to the Dragonkin was the Continent Guild.
'No doubt they schemed through Russian Representative Sergei, and when things went wrong, they tried to erase the evidence.'
Yet one thing didn't add up.
'Even if it's the Continent Guild, assassinating Ivan Ivanov so silently should be impossible.'
And wasn't it said that even the Tsar Guild's top players were assassinated?
'Not even Jong-ri Chu himself could pull this off. So how...?'
Si-mun's furrowed brows suddenly relaxed.
'That's it! Defina! It must be that dragon's doing!'
From the very beginning, dragons were beings that—
once they reached the level of a Celestial Dragon—
no player on Earth could hope to defeat.
Naturally, even Russia's top ranker and elite players wouldn't stand a chance against a dragon.
If that assumption held,
then the Continent Guild suddenly betraying the Tsar Guild made sense.
'No matter how ruthless the Continent Guild is, they always treated the Tsar Guild as allies until the end.'
Wasn't Nikolai Ivanov and the Russian players proof of that in his past life?
Unlike his younger brother Kim Si-hyeok, a high-ranker who was also a fellow refugee,
Nikolai and the Tsar Guild players had always received preferential treatment from the Continent Guild.
'For them to assassinate Russia's key figures without hesitation... This couldn't be Jong-ri Chu's doing. It must be Defina acting on her own...'
Tap. Tap.
Si-mun slowly drummed his fingers against his chin—a habit he fell into when deep in thought.
His companions, familiar with this mannerism, watched him quietly.
"Uh... Mr. Si-mun?"
Vasily and the organizers, unaware of this, called out to him with puzzled expressions.
Then—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shattered the waiting room door.
"Kim Si-mun! Miss F*ck! Get out here right now!!"
A muscular man emerged through the wreckage—
Nikolai Ivanov, gripping his beloved massive mace.
"Why are you two unharmed?! Why are my brother and guild members the only ones dead?!"
His furious roar echoed like a berserker's.
His bloodshot eyes glared at them.
As Si-mun met his gaze—
'Wait. This could work—'
A glint flashed in his eyes.