Chapter 857: The Last (90)
Chapter 857: The Last (90)
“I can’t forgive you. Fuck. It doesn’t matter from which perspective I look at it. I can’t forgive you, mean bastard.”
He had to pay for his actions. Though, to be honest, my personal feelings were a bit mixed.
It was necessary either way, right? The one thing he shouldn’t do was leave me behind.
Did it make sense to give up on Lee Kiyoung when both the continent and I were at stake?
I’d dedicated my life to helping him. If he went away like that, how would that make me look? I had raised him so carefully, and he just went running without looking back? This was why there was no point in treating others well.
I knew that Kim Hyunsung was suffering a lot mentally, but I had no sympathy for him right now.
‘I have to tame him as early as possible.’
We wouldn’t just be together for a few decades. As we would have to live together for hundreds, thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of years, I thought this kind of preemptive suppression was necessary.
It wasn’t that much work, considering it was just one extra show.
And it was necessary. It didn’t make a difference if another story to the script was supposed to go on anyway.
It had consumed more divinity than I’d expected, though. Even now, it was still consuming it…
The scene didn’t have to be provocative to be successful, but it was better to hit the jackpot than barely pass the break-even point.
If he regretted it in the deepest part of his heart, he would never repeat this mistake again.
‘The Song Villain can do that much.’
Belial would also be getting ready.
I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to do his job properly, but it probably wouldn’t be a big deal. His mental state probably had already worn down to an unimaginable point, so he shouldn’t be able to make normal judgments.
Since he relied on the demon’s voice, he would act like the Republican organization if I managed him well.
He also had a downgraded version of my eyes, so there was room for some resistance against Hyunsung. I didn’t think his head would fly off like beans roasted by lightning that easily.
‘And I’m here too.’
If Song Sookyung wasn’t enough, I could help.
Perhaps soon, the cast would gather on stage. I felt I wanted to prepare before that if possible, leaving me no choice but to talk to Cho Hyejin.
I was really out of time.
From the moment the main event in the North was nullified, we had been derailed.
We’d departed from the normal dungeon attack method that the system had kindly guided us through.
I was a little nervous, but it was fine.
‘It’s not just one thing, anyway.’
All dungeons were like that. Although the scale was large, this one was no different.
Just as the curse of the Cursed Shrine had been resolved through alchemy or when the Crack Museum was cleared in a pure, clever way, there would be other strategies for this dungeon as well.
In fact, it was simpler than the ones that came before since it had a clear purpose.
‘The point isn’t that we just need to resurrect him.’
Rather than sending an entire army to solve what was going on in the North…
“I can go down.”
‘When I go down, I have to hit Kim Hyunsung first.’
The condition for clearing the dungeon was Lee Kiyoung’s resurrection, after all.
If I could go down, the mythic-grade dungeon, the Continent Where the Son of Light was Sacrificed, would be freed from its dungeonization.
Now that everything out there was back to normal, there was no need for another adventure.
The minor problem was that it was still difficult to find a clue about my resurrection.
‘That’s why it exists.’
And that was why it was important to find Lee Jihye. Contacting her should be our top priority.
“Hyejin.”
-Vice Guild Master.
“Did you find anything?”
-Yes. As you said, there was a clue. Of course, I’m not sure if this is a trap or not… but for now, I’m going with Alps.
“Good. I knew it.”
-How did you know it?
“Do I need a reason? Did you think there would be no rewards if we cleared the main event? You can think of it as her installing the railroad tracks.”
-You mean Jihye?
“Yes.”
I still couldn’t confirm whether she had the same thoughts as me or was thinking differently.
However, the situation was obvious. If I cleared the main event, I could reach the clue.
The system that maintained the dungeon was fair. This was how it was normally supposed to be attacked: the offensive was a process of running on a fixed rail until the end or until it derailed halfway through.
“Of course, there will be no traps since, if I’m right, this is an event that Jihye made for me. The rewards we’re going to gain aren’t a lie either. This isn’t the first time you’ll be trying to attack a dungeon. Rather, you’ve been to more places than I have.”
-…
“I understand you’re worried about its size or the specificity of the situation, but you can think of it as no different from the rest of its kind. Anyway, how far did you go?”
-Alps?
-Ah. Yes. I think we will arrive soon.
“Don’t tell-”
-I didn’t tell anyone.
“Good.”
-What about you? I heard that an anomaly has appeared in the North. The communication channel with the Guild Master has also been cut off. Anytime you need support…
“No. You don’t have to worry about it. Let’s see… it seems that you’ll get there… in about two hours.”
-Two hours?
“Can you get there in an hour?”
-Alps?
-Yes, Cho Hyejin. This is where the coordinates are pointing. Whitey also says it’s this way.
‘As long as nothing happens on the way…’
There was a possibility that the reward gained from being the Plaguelord at the main event might not be her location.
Since I didn’t know what the rewards were, I had no choice but to rely on luck.
No, not luck. She would know. She’d probably noticed that things had gotten complicated right now…
The only reason she wasn’t coming out was that she was pissed off. She’d probably noticed that I was still alive.
I’d descended twice already, so there was no way she didn’t know. Even if she weren’t at the place with rewards, she would definitely be waiting.
This was the main event for that. Of course, there was a will to get revenge, but I was sure she would keep all possibilities open if it really were her behind this.
The train might be heading somewhere else, but if it was Lee Jihye, there was a chance that she had changed the railroad tracks.
As I turned my gaze, I saw Alps and Cho Hyejin entering.
After Whitey smelled the scarf one more time, he started moving. Cho Hyejin was basically maintaining a combat-ready posture, probably because of the atmosphere.
-There are traces of someone having been here, Cho Hyejin.
-…
-They covered it well, but Whitey says someone was just here.
I saw them following the canine, who started running frantically through the dungeon-like structure. I couldn’t see any traces of anyone living there or any monsters, but they kept running around.
After a short while, they finally got to the small cave.
-There’s… nothing?
-Is this a trap?
That was when she said it.
-Prepare for battle, Alps.
-Ah… Yes… Okay! Whitey!
A few people started rushing into the cave.
Cho Hyejin raised her spear, and Alps took a stance with her back to her.
The masked personnel raised their weapons and fired at Cho Hyejin. However, she deflected them away as if she had anticipated them and then calmly threw her spear.
Before it could reach the mask of the unidentified person, it was blocked by divide protection with a booom!
Although she was in a situation where she could get flustered, Cho Hyejin quietly talked to Alps.
-I see a priest.
-Yeah… Yeah!
-First…
-I’ll go. Whitey!
-Damn! A high-ranking priest…
I tried to explain, but two people with similar body types frantically changed positions and pressured Cho Hyejin, sometimes even shooting arrows or magic.
But right now, the thing bothering her the most was the divine magic coming from an unknown place.
She probably thought of them as powerful and high-leveled.
Their buffs, the timing to chant protection magic, and even their recovery ability was at a level that couldn’t come from a simple high-ranked priest.
They not only shot sacred magic to keep their enemies in check but was also commanding the small-scale battle.
Hyejin looked anxious. She was probably worried about Alps, who had gone to subdue the priest.
- If you don’t get out of the way, I’ll kill you.
She stretched out her spear and whispered, and though the fighting men flinched…
-Who are you guys?
-We are…
-The ones who break the moon.
-The Moon Brea…
One of them, who was talking bullsh*t, was hit by a spear and rolled over with a boom.
His mask bounced off, revealing his identity, and causing his colleague to shout.
-Oh!
It was as expected.
‘The brigade twins.’
“It’s Hee-young.”
-What?
“The person who commanded and took care of them was Hee-young. Where could they have found a high-ranking priest like that in the continent in the first place? Of course it’s Sun Hee-young. Look. Aren’t you familiar with all types of divine magic patterns and spells?”
-Hee-young?
A voice came from the darkness.
-Yes. Long time no see, Hyejin.
-…
- Please drop your weapon first.
-…
-P… Please let go of me! Let… Let go of…
It was strange to see a swordsman being subdued by a priest.
Sun Hee-young emerged with a dagger pointed at Alps’ neck.
Whitey, who didn’t know anything, was wagging his tail next to her.
He’d probably noticed that she wasn’t hostile, but still, he shouldn’t wag his tail while his owner was being held captive. He shouldn’t be too friendly.
Next to them, Yuno Kasugano also appeared quietly, giving a bow.
I’d thought they would have changed a lot, but they hadn’t. Both were without masks…
The difference was that they were wearing cloaks that covered their bodies.
Sun Hee-young looked a bit malicious, but she didn’t seem to have any intention of stabbing Alps.
Oh, Yuno Kasugano again…
‘She’s very emaciated.’
I thought it was probably a result of using too many skills. It was hard to predict how many times she had seen the future since I‘d died.
‘That’s only natural.’
-How have you been? I… I’ve been looking for you, Hee-young. All the other guild members miss you too. I… I… no, but where is Jihye… and what does moon breakers mean…
-You don’t have to worry about that. They just said what they wanted. Sometimes they say weird stuff. More importantly… drop your…
-No, you don’t have to. You can come inside, Hyejin. Lee Kiyoung, that mean bastard, must be doing well…
A familiar voice then came from afar.
Yuno Kasugano nodded quietly, chanting a spell, and a small space appeared between the walls as if it had always been there.
It was obvious who was inside.
The little one quietly took off her mask and opened her mouth.
-Did you come here to… give my scarf back?