Episode 17 – SSS Grade Talent (1)

I frowned at Yoo Jonghyuk’s words.

Move to the east right now? I saved his life and now he was giving me an order?

I was a bit annoyed but Yoo Jonghyuk spoke before I could say anything.

–The Disaster of Questions is waking up.

…What?

I was frustrated because I couldn’t understand what he was saying and Yoo Jonghyuk frowned.

–Someone is waking the disaster up.

***

After a while, Han Sooyoung and I left Lycaon who was still receiving enlightenment and headed for Gangdong-gu.

It was at a tremendous pace.

“Can we just leave that wolf?”

“The Imyuntar can feel the master of the medallion. He will come find us when he wakes up. Rather…” I looked at Han Sooyoung running beside me and said, “Can’t you carry him? You can use your avatar.”

“I don’t want to.” The disgusted Han Sooyoung quickly moved away from me.

“Didn’t you say earlier that Yoo Jonghyuk might not be a bad guy?”

“That is that and this is this. Isn’t he the one who cut my head off?”

I couldn’t say anything to refute her words. Yoo Jonghyuk spoke through Midday Tryst.

–You can leave me. I don’t need help.

–Don’t be so prideful. I really will abandon you.

I couldn’t see Yoo Jonghyuk’s face because he was being carried on my back.

–When will you be able to move by yourself?

–In two days.

–Will you kill me when you recover?

I asked half-jokingly but this bastard didn’t give an answer. I deliberately reduced the pace at which I was moving.

–Then I can’t help you. How can I believe a guy who is trying to kill me? I will help you if you swear an Oath of Existence. Swear not to kill me until the end of this regression.

–I can’t do that.

Lousy bastard.

–Then swear you won’t hurt me until the fifth scenario is over. If you can’t do that, I really won’t help you.

Yoo Jonghyuk thought for a moment before replying.

–I swear.

Surprisingly, Yoo Jonghyuk agreed to the oath. The Oath of Existence. It was a constraint on the person who swore it.

A cold flame emerged from Yoo Jonghyuk’s body and dug into his heart. If he broke the oath, this blue flames will burn his heart. I felt a bit relieved but then Yoo Jonghyuk continued.

–I won’t kill you. But…

–But?

–I will hit you once.

–What?

I was dazed for a moment. He was going to hit me?

–Is this because of two days ago?

Yoo Jonghyuk didn’t answer again. I thought it was strange that Yoo Jonghyuk agreed to the oath so easily.

-…It is one hit. I’ll do it gently. Understood?

Yes, it might not be bad if one hit could restore my relationship with Yoo Jonghyuk. In my current state, I wouldn’t die from one of Yoo Jonghyuk’s blows.

Shortly after that, we crossed Cheongdam Bridge and entered Gwangjin-gu.

I felt the surrounding ecology change little by little. Grass was growing on the streets and instead of rotting bodies, the smell of monster feces filled the area.

The trunk of a huge plant emerged from the ground and wrapped around the surrounding high-rise buildings.

[The 7th grade plant species ‘Yanaspleta’ is on the lookout.]

I spoke to Han Sooyoung who was pulling out a weapon. “Don’t act so rashly. It is fine as long as we don’t attack first.”

“…Don’t these type of monsters suddenly attack with tentacles?”

“That is just in the manhwas. They are gentle. Just be careful not to step on the roots.”

At the top of the building, the head of the plant that resembled a sunflower followed after us with its eyes. It seemed scary but it was actually a good monster. This didn’t mean that the situation was optimistic.

The plant species originally came after the Great Hall was fully opened.

“The terraforming has started.”

Terraforming.

The fifth scenario was world versus world. Humanity fought against the worlds that were coming.

Just like Seoul was suffering from the erosion of Chronos, China would be facing the ‘3rd Murim World’ while Japan would be facing the ‘White Demon World.’

Han Sooyoung scouted around with avatars and said.

“It is a monster colony. Damn.”

“The terraforming will be even faster if the disasters awaken.”

“What type of person is waking up the disaster?”

“A person like you. You woke up the fire dragon.”

Han Sooyoung bit her lips.

“…Didn’t you tidy it up?”

“At that time, the intermediate dokkaebi placed a penalty on the fire dragon. And what if I didn’t kill it? Don’t tell me that you would catch it?”

“There was a penalty? Then didn’t it benefit us to catch a weakened disaster?”

“The Disaster of Questions has no penalty. It is questionable if the dokkaebi would even place a penalty on it.”

We moved quickly to avoid the monster’s colony. In the streets, the ground rats and grolls were eating corpses.

Looking at the traces of the destroyed monsters, Yoo Jonghyuk seemed to have come through this path. Yoo Jonghyuk was great to walk so far in this physical condition.

I spoke to Yoo Jonghyuk.

–I have a question.

–……

-Why come to me? I honestly thought you would commit suicide.

–Suicide? How ridiculous.

If he had seen his future in the 8th turn, he wouldn’t be able to say this. I was a bit confused by his next words.

–If I was going to give up so easily, I wouldn’t have started this journey.

It really felt like the first time I read Ways of Survival. I thought that maybe Han Sooyoung was right. The Yoo Jonghyuk I believed I knew was the Yoo Jonghyuk who easily gave up, easily killed people and repeatedly caused numerous tragedies.

However, the Yoo Jonghyuk of the third round wasn’t yet like that. Maybe I didn’t know the Yoo Jonghyuk of the third round.

[Your understanding of the character ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’ is increasing.]

In the meantime, Yoo Jonghyuk said.

–I thought of you right away. I thought you would be a bit of help since you are the one who smashed the Absolute Throne.

–You aren’t going to say anything about me breaking the throne?

–I don’t want to talk about what already happened. In addition, I thought about it. You must’ve done it to rule out the ‘god of the other world.’

-…You know?

I was honestly frightened because I had never really spoken to Yoo Jonghyuk before.

Putting aside his coolness, this bastard had such a great mind?

Yoo Jonghyuk kept speaking.

–Honestly, I think it isn’t a bad way. The problem is what happens next. After you crushed the throne, the guides were scattered and there was a setback in collecting the meteorite. This is why the terraforming of Gwangjin-gu and Gangdong-gu is so fast. The wanderers are using the power of the meteorites.

–What do you mean? Terraforming won’t accelerate simply by using the meteorites.

–One of the 10 Evils has taken possession of a ‘disaster meteorite.’

The 10 Evils. My heart instantly sank. I had expected it but actually hearing it was a different matter.

–Is it the Poisoner?

-…You know.

–She is the only one who uses Thousand Spirits Poison.

But there was still a part that I didn’t understand.

–Then why are you poisoned? If you knew that the opponent was the Poisoner, shouldn’t you have avoided facing her from the front?

–I was trying to convince her.

–Convince? You?

Then a scene belatedly popped up. Yoo Jonghyuk said.

–I wanted to make her a companion.

Companion… I see. I remembered now. Poisoner Lee Seolhwa was Yoo Jonghyuk’s companion in the second round.

The 10 Evils weren’t always opponents.

Just like Armed Fortress Master Gong Pildu changed in this round, Lee Seolhwa was transformed into a companion in several rounds, including the first regression. In all other regressions so far, Poisoner Lee Seolhwa was one of the few companions that Yoo Jonghyuk could rely on.

–You did something that isn’t like you.

–I admit it. I was pathetic.

–……

–She isn’t the person I remember. I knew it. Still, I wanted to believe for a moment that the woman in my memories was still alive.  I wanted to be with her again.

I couldn’t help opening my mouth at the loneliness that he had buried deeply.

In his second life, Lee Seolhwa didn’t last long but she was Yoo Jonghyuk’s lover.

–I understand.

Yoo Jonghyuk was silent for a moment.

–You are talking as if you have regressed before.

–I don’t need to regress to understand.

I knew that I shouldn’t speak about understanding. Still, I wanted to say it. Since he wouldn’t receive understanding from anyone in the future, I thought I could say this.

[The character ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’ is deeply shaken.]

[The character ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’ has received a faint consolation.]

–Strange. You obviously aren’t a regressor… But I feel like you really understand these emotions. Is this also the power of a prophet?

I didn’t answer, making Yoo Jonghyuk continue speaking.

–Of course, you aren’t a good person. You are the unscrupulous person who kidnapped my sister.

–When did I kidnap her? I just protected her. You must’ve understood with Lie Detection…

“Kim Dokja.”

We stopped talking at Han Sooyoung’s tense voice. The road from Cheonho Bridge to Gangdong was visible. The Great Hall emitted a bright light and something fell towards Gangdong-gu.

Dammit, it was already happening.

We fully entered Gangdong-gu and the density of the strange grasses covering the ground increased. Dirty trees grew between buildings and there were small beasts running on the trees.

Gangdong-gu was already half of another world.

Han Sooyoung bit her lips and asked, “Are we too late? What if the disaster has already awakened?”

“It hasn’t happened yet. Then we would’ve received the scenario.”

We took a few more steps and saw several markings on the ground. It looked like graffiti but it was actually a territorial display.

It was a warning that no one should enter.

From here on, it was the area of the Poisoner. Like the other wanderers, she settled in Gangdong-gu and started to expand her base.

The progress was faster than I expected.

Han Sooyoung said, “If this group is well guarded, it won’t be easy to attack… Have you thought of something?”

No. I didn’t intend to wage an all-out war in the first place.

“We only need the meteorite. We can just steal it. I will buy time while you take the meteorite.”

However, it wouldn’t be so easy. The story might be different if I had an assistant like the Wanderer King.

Yoo Jonghyuk interrupted.

–There is no need to rush. Even if the disaster begins, the Disaster of Questions is a disaster that can be suppressed at an early stage.

An early suppression. Indeed, it was possible for Yoo Jonghyuk.

–Early suppression? Who will do that? Are you a half god?

–Of course it should be you. Weren’t you thinking about it anyway?

–Why do you think that?

–You have already woken up the guide and received the Way of the Wind.

Based on his tone, he was slightly anger that I had taken the Way of the Wind that he was supposed to learn. I said with a smile.

-I didn’t learn it.

-…Why? There wasn’t enough time?

I’m actually glad.

–No, I don’t have talent.

I could feel Yoo Jonghyuk’s deep contempt in his silence.

–You, from the beginning…

“There are people.”

The moment I heard Han Sooyoung’s words, I raised Unbroken Faith. It was the territory of one of the 10 Evils so the peple would naturally belong to their group.

I entrusted Yoo Jonghyuk to Han Sooyoung’s avatar.

“…I will be gone for a while so take him. Do you understand?”

The people were getting closer. But something felt strange. Usually it wasn’t so loud when a single group moved. Then the clear voice of a woman was heard in front of us.

“Everybody run towards Cheonho Bridge!”

It wasn’t the Poisoner’s group.

They weren’t as powerful was the Wanderer King’s group but some people who survived the Poisoner’s Group were escaping from Gangdong-gu. The unarmed survivors gasped for air when they found us.

“O-Out of the way! Hurry!”

Terrible arrows came flying towards them. The man who spoke to me fell down after being hit by an arrow. The man’s back quickly became discoloured and blackened. It was poison.

“Get those scum!”

The Poisoner’s group. Dozens of men and women simultaneously fired arrows.

The moment we tried to avoid it by moving behind a building, threads of silk spread out in the air.

Dozens of webs were arranged at once, causing the arrows to become tangled in the thread and not go any further. Han Sooyoung’s eyes widened.

“…What the hell is that technique?”

In fact, it was fired from behind the Poisoner’s group. The thread was like steel wire. The sharpness of the thread caused the legs of people to fly through the air.

“Kuaaak!”

All the threads were connected to one woman. The woman wearing a tight black battle suit flew through the air. Two knives stretched out from the fingers of the woman brilliantly riding the thread of magic.

The woman freely manipulated the length of the thread and she swept away the Poisoner’s group in an instant.

There wasn’t any hesitation in her hand. The movements were beyond beautiful. The combination of stats and skills showed that she didn’t have an ordinary sponsor.

[The information of this person can’t be read in ‘Character List.’]

[This person isn’t registered in ‘Character List.’]

She wasn’t even on the Character List.

Han Sooyoung muttered. “Hey, that woman…”

I knew without her saying anything. It was because this woman was someone I knew.

“…Yoo Sangah-ssi?”

I hadn’t met her in two days yet she was completely different from the girl I knew.

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