Shocking Returns and the Strongest Revealed
The return of those people was nothing short of shocking. People who had been declared dead coming back alive and unscathed? It was a miracle for the ages, the kind that wouldn't be out of place in legend.
But not everyone could laugh it off.
"Y-you... how?!"
Kang Min-cheol pointed at Cha Eun-joo with a face twisted in horror, his finger trembling at the tip.
Cha Eun-joo looked down at him, grinning ear to ear like it was the funniest thing she'd seen all day.
"The government coalition tried to assassinate me, but our guild master saved my ass! Thanks to her, I'm good as new!"
She slapped a hand on her hip and puffed out her chest smugly. But the cheerful tone couldn't mask the bombshell she'd just dropped.
The government coalition players erupted in murmurs at the sudden explosion.
"Tried to assassinate her?"
"The coalition targeted Cha Eun-joo..?"
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Guild master? Kang Min-cheol? Wait... that's not his guild."
Kang Min-cheol's expression soured further. Flame Guild's master, Chae Hwa-yeon, glanced nervously between him and Cha Eun-joo.
Kang Min-cheol narrowed his eyes. Above Cha Eun-joo's head floated an unfamiliar guild name.
Kang Min-cheol forced a smile, trying to look as benevolent as possible. Losing his cool here could ruin everything.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. We're just glad you're back. We can discuss the details later—"
"Cut the bullshit."
But then he saw the next man's face, and his expression froze again. A massive sniper rifle in his hands.
Former Crescent Moon Guild member.
Someone pointed at the Titan and shouted.
"Wait... Kim Jin-woo? The guy caught in the evaporation incident!"
"Wasn't he dead?!"
"And what does 'tried to kill' even mean?"
A few more stepped out from behind Kim Jin-woo. The government coalition guild members recognized them one by one and gasped in unison: Sniper Villain, Yoo Tae-han, Lee Ye-rin, and more. All players reported missing in the evaporation events. A total of 37. And above every one of their heads...
37 Survivors Returned
Sniper Villain • Yoo Tae-han • Lee Ye-rin • And More
"Th-they're... alive..?"
"Ye-rin!"
Some widened their eyes in shock. Others spread their arms wide, beaming like they'd reunited with old friends.
Choi Ah-rin felt the same mix of joy and bewilderment, covering her mouth and mumbling blankly.
"What... the hell is this..?"
The unnatural disappearances from the government coalition. She'd been sure it was someone's doing. And now they were back. But only a few.
Who the hell orchestrated all this?
She glanced sideways. Shock was plain on Kang Min-cheol, Chae Hwa-yeon, and Lee Cheol-woong's faces. It didn't look like a coalition plot either. Something hadn't gone according to plan.
Choi Ah-rin had assumed it was a coalition self-staging. But... it wasn't? Then a third force she didn't know about? Here in Seoul?
Her eyes suddenly locked onto the [Eterna] above Cha Eun-joo's head.
Fuck.
Kang Min-cheol bit his lip, cursing inwardly. Normally, he'd be thrilled. His missing guildmates back safe. But every single returnee was anti-government. Not a single pro-government face in sight.
...Someone's pulling strings. No doubt.
He snuck a glance at Choi Ah-rin.
She's not behind this? Her doing?
Choi Ah-rin, eyes wide like a startled rabbit, hands over her mouth. Yoo Ji-hoon's reaction next to her was no different. It didn't match what evaporation victims' allies should show.
Then who the hell...?
A chill ran down his spine. Goosebumps prickled his skin. Kang Min-cheol shuddered involuntarily.
......Like pawns on a giant chessboard, toyed with by some transcendent being.
Toward the dazed Kang Min-cheol, Kim Jin-woo atop the Titan bellowed triumphantly.
"Surprised? We're back from the dead."
"...What the hell happened?"
"What happened? Your government coalition tried to wipe out us anti-government folks!"
His voice echoed through the empty downtown, amplified by the silence.
"Your guild masters knew all about it, right?"
The crowd murmured louder.
"What the fuck does that mean?!"
"So the pro-government side was purging the opposition?"
"Lee Cheol-woong, what's going on?"
"H-Hwa-yeon...? You didn't have anything to do with this, right?"
Pressure from allies mounted.
Ah, so that's it. Kang Min-cheol pieced it together.
The enemy was among us from the start. Anti-government forces in the coalition teamed up with Silver Tree and Prosperity Alliance!
While we purged antis, they purged pros.
......At least, that's how Kang Min-cheol saw it.
Clear hostility radiated from his former comrades atop the Titan. No choice now. Momentum hadn't fully shifted yet. Go on the offensive. Pin it all on them!
"Missing for over a month and that's your story...? Now I get it. The evaporations were your doing."
"Huh? You love booze so much your brain's pickled too?"
Kim Jin-woo sneered, but Kang Min-cheol pressed on.
"Don't get suckered, everyone. They teamed up with anti-government scum to attack us."
Fierce red aura flared around him again. Confused players glanced between sides.
"But think about it—Cha Eun-joo's crew attacking us makes no sense."
"You gonna buy their sudden bullshit hook, line, and sinker?"
"No evidence anyway. How do we know they didn't stage it?"
Time for a focal point. Kang Min-cheol unleashed his intimidating aura.
"Everyone, battle stations! They're in Choi Ah-rin's pocket!"
He knew it was a desperate gambit. But no better excuse came to mind. His brain lagged behind the chaos. Everyone else was confused too. Exploit the blurred vision.
A few hesitated, then followed his lead, raising their auras. More joined. Thousands of massive mana auras surged, threatening to engulf Gwanghwamun Square.
Then, the player nicknamed Sniper Villain stepped forward and bellowed.
"You know what? I was in a subjugation squad of 7—including me—and 6 tried to kill me! You figure out what that means!"
A few auras flickered out. Subjugation squads were assigned by coalition higher-ups. Meaning they were involved in anti-government purges.
Lee Ye-rin stepped up too.
"Same here. Four tried to off me, but I barely got rescued."
More Eterna members testified. Tensions skyrocketed.
"What? Who's telling the truth?"
"But they could be in cahoots with Choi Ah-rin."
"Fuck... I don't know anymore."
Debate boiled over without end. Even Kang Min-cheol struggled to speak up. As a direct party, his credibility tanked.
Then, a booming voice from a coalition member shifted the tide.
"Hold up. How'd you survive killing all those players? One extra guild master doesn't flip that many."
Brief silence.
"Huh? Yeah, that doesn't add up."
"One said he survived ten players earlier?"
"Even with backup, one person? No way."
The sharp point pierced the doubt. After some thought, suspicion arrows turned back to Eterna and the antis.
"If everyone else died except them... it was planned."
"Outside help makes it possible."
"Silver Tree and Prosperity, then?"
The storm of rage reignited. Kang Min-cheol sighed inwardly in relief.
Lady Luck's still on my side.
Then Cha Eun-joo, who'd been watching quietly, stepped up with a bright grin.
"Why's it impossible? Our guild master's the strongest, no matter what anyone says!"
Hand on hip, shoulders back, oozing confidence.
Someone challenged her.
"Then bring out the guild master. Problem solved."
"If she's that amazing, show her off!"
A smirk crept across Kang Min-cheol's lips. Yeah, reveal the identity. Of the guild master who supposedly overwhelmed a dozen S-ranks. But she wouldn't exist.
World #1 Techno Master, Cha Eun-joo. A player overwhelmingly stronger than her? Kang Min-cheol had never heard of one.
But as if shattering his thoughts, Cha Eun-joo called out brightly.
"Exactly! That's why I brought her!"
......Brought her?!
Kang Min-cheol jerked his head up in shock. No way.
"Say hi. It's our guild master!"
Cha Eun-joo pointed straight up at the sky.
Everyone looked up at the overcast clouds.
......Dark and gloomy.
"Are you kidding—"
As someone started to snap, a low rumble.
Rumble!
"......!"
Ominous blood-red thunderclouds flashed. No ordinary weather. Clouds swirled like a typhoon, the blood-tinged sky pulsing like a living thing. The vortex's heart deepened to crimson.
"Wh-what the...?"
Kang Min-cheol broke into cold sweat. Overwhelming presence rippled from the clouds. An unprecedented aura crushed him like an aluminum can.
Blood-red lightning struck again.
CRACK-BOOM!
The bolt slammed the square's center with immense force. Shockwave shattered everything nearby. Stone tiles exploded into shards. Barricades crumpled and flew. Sculptures disintegrated. Dust billowed like smoke.
From within, a girl's silhouette rose, hair whipping in the wind.
No... no way. It can't be. Impossible.
Kang Min-cheol's eyes bulged.
The crowd's silent uproar filled the area. As if mocking them...
"......Hi?"
A cold, emotionless voice pierced their ears.
Whoooosh—
Vast energy swirled around the girl, instantly blowing away the dust. Blood-red eyes like fresh gore. Silver-white hair fluttering in the stale wind, tips stained crimson like blood.
A colossal pressure crushed the area.
"......Heard of me?"
The world's strongest being cast off her veil, revealing her form.