Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Chapter 25: Preparations
Translation: godtl
"Then please send the ingredients to me. I'll contact you as soon as the cure is complete."
"Yes, take care!"
Park Jin-uk bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle as he saw them off at the door.
From a distance, the scene resembled a gangster escorting some young master of an organization.
As the office door closed behind him, Si-mun turned to look back.
"Aren't you coming in?"
It was his younger brother Kim Si-hyeok, who had remained silent the entire time.
"Hyung, I don't understand."
"What? That I can make a Mana Sclerosis cure?"
"That too, but... why suddenly... are you looking for people? Are you investigating what happened ten years ago too, hyu—?!"
Si-hyeok's head jerked abruptly as he spoke with an uneasy expression.
To be precise, it was more accurate to say it was deliberately jerked.
Because.
"H-Hyung?!"
"Brat, stop exaggerating."
His godlike older brother had just flicked his forehead.
To someone of his Ranker status, the movement was so slow it nearly made him yawn.
Yet Kim Si-hyeok couldn't even dream of dodging his brother's hand.
Well, it was also a small indulgence, reminiscing about childhood nostalgia.
Whether he understood his younger brother's feelings or not—
"I told you, that incident was an accident."
Si-mun let out a soft chuckle as he watched his brother clutching his forehead.
"An accident..."
"Yeah, an accident! The suspects were notorious awakened criminals, weren't they? We just got bitten by some lunatics. More importantly—"
Si-mun's expression grew serious as he patted his brother's shoulder.
"It's all in the past now."
"Hyung..."
"So Si-hyeok, you and Yu-jeong too—I wish you'd stop thinking about it. It's not something you'd want to remember, right?"
Though even as he said this—
'Honestly, it's funny that I'm the one saying this.'
Si-mun inwardly mocked himself.
Before his regression, wasn't he the one who had cut off contact with his siblings during this time?
When he'd met Yu-jeong back then, it had been the same.
Perhaps in some tiny corner of his heart—
Had there been some unconscious resentment toward his siblings too?
Especially during these younger years, all the more so.
But.
'Not anymore.'
He'd already cleared the air about that incident when he spoke with Si-hyeok from his past life.
No.
He'd already straightened out his thoughts long before that.
The decade-plus of severed ties had been more than enough time for self-reflection.
"Stop dwelling on the past and look forward."
"Not to sound rude, but... I never imagined you'd say something like this, hyung."
"Yeah. I surprise myself, man."
To change the future ahead, one shouldn't remain shackled to the past.
Wasn't he himself the prime example—having recovered from Mana Disability and now walking a different path?
So.
"Brush off the past and look ahead. Your future's bright, isn't it?"
This exceptional younger brother of his needed to move forward.
Especially since he was destined to become Earth's hope.
"You know how national power is determined by the number of Rankers each country has, right? There are high expectations for you."
"...I didn't know you were such a patriot, hyung."
"Brat. I'm not. I'm just worried about losing my Affiliation."
"Affiliation?"
"It's in your Status Window."
"Ah."
Si-hyeok gave a small nod of acknowledgment.
Then he tilted his head in confusion.
"But does Affiliation even mean anything? From what I know, it's the only useless category in the Status Window."
At Si-hyeok's question, Si-mun blinked momentarily.
Having lived as a stateless refugee after losing his Affiliation, Si-mun knew exactly how important it was.
[This category will be deactivated due to its deletion.]
Along with that damned system message—
He'd suffered penalties across various functions, including the Achievement Store.
Ultimately, it leads to the most fatal consequence for a player—a stagnation in growth.
However.
'At this point, they don't realize the importance of affiliation.'
Since it wasn't a regular Arena, there was no chance of losing one's affiliation in the first place.
Si-mun naturally rolled his eyes and continued speaking.
"I've come across some information about affiliations."
"Information?"
At that, Si-hyeok tilted his head with an even more curious expression.
"Come to think of it, you also checked the senior's transaction records earlier. Do you have some really good informant or something?"
To a passerby, he would have looked the very picture of innocence and integrity, a perfect fit for those words. But—
"That's weird. If you had such a good informant, wouldn't there be no need to entrust the request to the senior in the first place?"
The slight raise of his younger brother's eyebrow carried unmistakable suspicion.
'This little brat. As sharp as ever, huh.'
Contrary to that innocent appearance.
This damn younger brother of his had always been quick-witted since childhood.
However.
"Sigh. I wasn't going to tell even you this, but..."
Si-mun, who had long since seen through his brother's extraordinary nature, pulled out the answer he had prepared in advance without the slightest hesitation.
"Consider this your hyung doing you a favor. Inventory."
What appeared in Si-mun's hand was none other than—
"An ore? What's this for?"
"Stop yapping and just check the info."
Had he opened the information window?
"H-Hyung! This!"
Kim Si-hyeok's eyes widened.
"Yeah. It's an entry item. Got lucky with this one."
"No way! I've only gotten my hands on a few entry items myself! Wait. If you got this, then...!"
"Yeah, my Mana Disability's been cured. Finished my rank placement not long ago."
"Ah."
The Ranker Kim Si-hyeok—already beyond human—slumped weakly to the ground.
To an outsider, it would have been a baffling sight.
But for Kim Si-hyeok, it was the most natural reaction.
'Hyung's Mana Disability... was cured?'
The Arena Disease he and Lee Yu-jeong had caused him to contract.
And not just any disability—one that had stolen away a future brimming with a Mana stat of 10.
The guilt of having ruined the future of the only person he had ever relied on since childhood was something he couldn't even begin to put into words.
And now, that illness was gone?
As if understanding Si-hyeok's feelings—
"Tch. Brat, making me repeat myself."
Si-mun smiled bitterly as he pulled his brother back up.
Casually, he brushed off his brother's clothes.
"Didn't I tell you? Stop worrying about the past."
"B-But, hyung!"
"Oh? Grown a lot, have we? Even talking back to your hyung now."
At that, Si-hyeok's mouth clamped shut.
His eyes, glistening slightly, were filled to the brim with unspoken questions.
Si-mun lightly ignored them and continued.
"Anyway, the info about affiliations—I learned it while getting this entry item. Keep that in mind."
Perhaps sensing his brother's reluctance to dwell on the past, Si-hyeok didn't bring up the Mana Disability again.
"I see... So you found out while getting this entry item?"
"Yeah. You can see it's an X-Rank, right? Never seen that grade before. Looks suspicious as hell, doesn't it?"
"True. I've never seen an X-Rank either."
Considering that entry items were usually obtained through 'quests,' it wasn't strange that Si-mun had learned about the affiliation category in the process.
'This brat. He's taking it at face value again.'
Si-mun felt a slight pang of guilt at his brother's complete lack of suspicion—but only for a moment.
He stored the entry item, [Doria's Mithril Ore], back into his inventory.
"I guess we'll only know the details once we enter, but I heard losing your affiliation definitely isn't a good thing."
"Definitely... If it's related to an entry item, that makes sense. Special Arenas always give valuable information."
"Yeah. From what I saw, affiliations seem important later on, so he meant we should pay attention in advance. You're a Ranker, after all."
"Got it. Thanks for the info."
Well, truth be told, there wasn't much to pay attention to.
It was already common knowledge.
No matter what you do, once your affiliation is set, it never changes.
"Anyway, I need to prepare for the Arena, so I'll get going now. Contact me if you need anything."
"Okay. Ah! Hyung."
Si-mun waved lazily as he turned to leave.
Kim Si-hyeok, who had stopped him, spoke cautiously.
"Now that the placements are done, since you're entering Special Arenas too, hyung..."
"If you're about to suggest power-leveling, you're dead. Don't you know getting boosted ruins proper growth?"
Startled, Kim Si-hyeok carefully continued,
"...No, I was just thinking of giving you some items. Aren't you a Magic Class? Magic Class equipment is hard to get early on."
"I specifically said I'm an Alchemist. But I don't really need anything."
Not because Alchemists aren't heavily affected by equipment.
He could confidently say he benefited from gear more than anyone.
Wasn't he handling a Mythic-grade weapon, after all?
Only.
'It's better not to have items for now.'
His matchmaking MMR was already nonsensical as it was.
If his equipment improved on top of that, he couldn't imagine what kind of matches he'd get.
For now, it was better for Si-mun to go without gear.
Inducing opponents to underestimate him was just a bonus.
"That's so like you. Alright."
"What do you mean 'like me'? Anyway, I'm off. Keep in touch."
"Yeah. Be careful."
Si-hyeok nodded with a reluctant expression.
As Si-mun turned to leave, he suddenly stopped.
"Wait. Si-hyeok."
"Yeah?"
"What do you do with the material items you get from the Arena?"
"Material items? I leave them until I go to Agora, then sell them all. Or just discard them. I don't really need them."
As expected.
'Rankers at his level don't bother much with material items unless they're for direct cash trades.'
Being a Ranker, he probably got decent quality material drops, but...
Unless it was high-value stuff like mithril, he wouldn't pay much attention to disposing of them.
For someone at Ranker level, material items were practically just junk.
Si-mun grinned and said,
"Si-hyeok, now that I think about it, there is something you can give me."
Creak.
The door closes.
The refreshingly handsome young man who had trudged in plopped down on the sofa.
"What, you didn't go?"
"Why would I? It's my rare day off."
"You know... Couldn't you at least try to be half as good as your hyung?"
"Impossible. I could never be like hyung."
"You little shit."
"I mean it..."
Park Jin-uk shook his head at the disgusting sight of his junior muttering so sincerely.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
"About what?"
"Your precious hyung. Are you going to power-level him or something?"
The Kim Si-hyeok Park Jin-uk knew would never do something like power-leveling, but...
'He seemed really special to him.'
Judging by how his junior had treated Kim Si-mun earlier, it didn't seem like he'd refuse something as trivial as power-leveling.
"He won't accept it."
"He won't accept it? That's a weird way to put it."
"I mean it literally. Hyung said he doesn't take power-leveling."
Park Jin-uk's eyes widened as he pulled out a fresh cigarette.
Isn't that right?
"Seriously? He's refusing power-leveling from you?"
It's power-leveling offered by none other than a Ranker.
Of course, there would be complicated preparations and all sorts of penalties involved.
But for a newbie who just finished their initial placement, it would be an offer too good to refuse.
"He said he refused because power-leveling would stunt his proper growth."
"Eh? Keh, kehahahahat!"
Park Jin-uk suddenly burst into loud laughter.
He threw his head back, laughing heartily for a while, then wiped away the tears that had welled up in the corners of his eyes.
"Hah! The more I see, the more I like this guy. How does someone who just finished their placement even know stuff like that?"
"Our hyung has always been exceptional. He's been like that since he was young."
"Well, judging by how he sized me up earlier, he's definitely not an ordinary person."
Had there ever been someone who toyed with the Night Hunter, one of the most formidable figures in the world, like this?
He could say with certainty—
Today was the first time since contracting Mana Sclerosis that Park Jin-uk's emotions had fluctuated this wildly.
Looks like blood will tell, no matter how different they seem on the surface.
Park Jin-uk smirked bitterly as he lit another cigarette.
"What about equipment support? Did he refuse that too?"
"Yes. He said an alchemist doesn't need it. Instead, he asked for crafting materials."
"Crafting materials... Smart. Alchemists are notoriously picky about gear anyway."
He didn't voice the question—Why would someone so wise choose to be an alchemist, of all things?
Someone like him must have his reasons.
This was the same man who, despite being low-leveled, had the audacity to play mind games with a Diamond.
Not to mention, he even brought up a cure for Mana Sclerosis—something that didn't exist anywhere in the world.
I've got high expectations for him in more ways than one.
A hunch?
The razor-sharp instincts of a Diamond-ranked Assassin Class kept signaling it.
That Kim Si-mun... There was something about him.
Park Jin-uk grinned faintly, savoring the rare sense of anticipation.
"Well then, I should hurry up and handle the request for my precious client who's going to provide my cure."
"Ah, speaking of which—"
Just then.
Kim Si-hyeok, who had been sprawled on the sofa, lifted his head.
"That woman—her name was Go Mal-suk, right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I need you to investigate her thoroughly."
"I don't half-ass jobs once I take them— Wait. Don't tell me you're asking for this separately from your brother's request?"
"Yes. Everything—her personal details, past, and if she's a Player, even her related traits."
"Damn, kid, didn't take you for the type. You into stealing your brother's wom—"
"Senior, I didn't run the Arena today, so I'm feeling really energetic, you know?"
Despite his refreshing smile, Kim Si-hyeok's fist clenched tightly.
The prominent veins bulging on the back of his hand made even the Diamond-ranked assassin gulp.
"Ahem! J-just kidding! Anyway, why do you need a separate investigation?"
Kim Si-hyeok glared at Park Jin-uk, who quickly tried to change the subject, before sighing softly and looking up at the ceiling.
"I think hyung is hiding something."
"Hiding? Don't tell me—that cure was a lie?"
"No, not that. Just... I feel like there's more I don't know."
"Then why dig into it? If he doesn't want to tell you, that's his choice."
"Well, yeah, but..."
Kim Si-hyeok's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the ceiling.
"It feels similar to back then—ten years ago."
"Similar?"
"Yeah. The same feeling as when he said, 'Don't worry about anything. Just stay hidden and quiet over there.'"
Kim Si-hyeok murmured lowly.
Park Jin-uk knew all too well how terrifying this junior became whenever that incident from ten years ago was mentioned.
So he silently smoked his cigarette.
White smoke drifted past Kim Si-hyeok's vision as he stared at the ceiling.
Normally, he would've snapped at Park Jin-uk to stop blowing smoke his way.
But not today.
"I don't want it anymore."
Instead, Kim Si-hyeok inhaled the smoke deep into his lungs.
"Just staying hidden behind someone else's protection."