Chapter 68 : Chapter 68

Chapter 68 - Encounter (2)

“Is there any meaning to this...?”

It was a comment that came out feebly from an exhausted Meirin around the 100th attempt.

It was tinged with a sense of listlessness that made the entire group, who had been sweating profusely in front of the simulation set that Kim Gyu-sik had prepared, turn to look at her.

“That man, I know he's unpredictable and amazing. But to order something so ridiculous like this, what on earth...?”

At those words, the group looked at each other.

To be honest, it was true.

The very act of demanding a Climber to fight without mana was logically nonsensical.

In the first place, the only person in the entire world who could force an opponent to fight without mana was Seo Hye-in, and that person was an ally to begin with.

Considering that training was created to prepare for real combat, it was no exaggeration to call it an absurd setting.

The strangeness was further intensified when considering that even Yoo Ho-jun, a complete non-combatant, was participating in the training.

It was only natural for Meirin to vent such doubts.

However.

“It's what Mr. Kim Gyu-sik said, so we have to listen, right?”

“It's Mr. Kim Gyu-sik, so what can you do...”

“...”

What in the world was this baseless trust?

Meirin looked around with a look of incomprehension, but everyone else remained steadfast.

Even Yoo Ho-jun, who was clearly having the hardest time, was repeating the training without any questions.

“Well, nothing he's done so far has been wrong.”

Even he had a similar reaction.

“Ms. Meirin might not know, but that guy is someone who watches the people around him incredibly meticulously. He takes good care of them too. If he thought we really couldn't do this, he wouldn't have ordered it in the first place.”

The problem was that he never showed it on the outside.

Yoo Ho-jun added with a bitter smile.

He watched the people around him meticulously and took good care of them. It certainly felt that way.

From their very first meeting, hadn't he avoided all the actions she would dislike and only chosen the actions she would like?

It was so well done that it even felt bizarre. How could a person he had never met before do that much?

“...So sometimes it's scary. He doesn't ask for anything in return. I can't understand the meaning at all.”

That's why she had doubts about this strange training.

What on earth was the meaning behind this? What was that man seeing all by himself?

“I don't think so.”

“Pardon?”

“That guy, in the first place, he never does anything if he thinks he'll lose out or if it's useless. He's the type to divide the world's affairs into a dichotomy.”

Yoo Ho-jun said that and wiped his sweat-drenched forehead.

“Things that are profitable and things that are not. He must have saved you because it was beneficial to him. It probably doesn't have any great meaning.”

“...”

So.

Because he calculated it and it was a profitable venture, he stormed into the guild that boasted the largest power in China, turned everything upside down, and left?

What kind of person was he?

“The key isn't that, but that Ms. Meirin was ‘important’ to him. Isn't that right?”

Oh.

It turned out like that?

Hearing it like that, it felt kind of...

...embarrassing.

And as she thought that and dawdled, the gazes from her surroundings somehow felt sharp.

Because the women around her were all staring at her with a somewhat prickly look.

At this, Meirin's expression quickly turned tearful.

“Why is everyone being like this...?”

“Hmph.”

“Tch.”

“...”

A tense silence followed for a moment. It felt like everyone had a lot to say but was holding back.

“...This is why I told him not to shove them all into one place.”

Yoo Ho-jun, who muttered that, cleared his throat and tried to wrap up the conversation.

“Anyway. There's almost nothing he's done that was wrong. And nothing has ended with a bad result. Everyone will admit this.”

The people around him all nodded their heads.

“So, even if it looks completely useless or crazy on the surface, you just have to accept it as it is. He has his own thoughts for doing it.”

Ah, so that's how it was.

Meirin finally understood and nodded her head.

***

“...What were you thinking, doing that?”

“I did it without any thought.”

“...”

Lee Si-yeong started to glare at me while fiddling with the tip of her staff.

It was a look that was calculating just how many bundles of magic it would take to kill this good-for-nothing bastard.

‘No, it's true though.’

At least, the act of a punch flying out without breathing as soon as I saw the guy named Gale Gilius was an action that all seasoned Conqueror players would encourage.

Conqueror was a game where countless branches were established and results varied wildly depending on the player's actions, but for Gale, it was the established theory to beat him up first and think later.

Among the events that opened after hitting this guy, there wasn't a single one that I couldn't use from my position.

Especially if I used the events that opened here well, I would be able to start the Second Ordeal with an overwhelming advantage.

‘Given the stage characteristics there...’

Because in addition to individual skills, the capabilities of the ‘guild’ as a whole were particularly important.

It wasn't for nothing that I was making the guys who were probably rolling around in the guild house suffer right now.

“...You know that fighting between Climbers inside the Tower is a serious rule violation, right? If you mess up, you could be expelled. Shouldn't you be praying you don't get caught by the Association staff?”

That was true.

You could tell from the fact that even that punk Im Jae-hwan, who had acted like a hooligan toward me before, hadn't resorted to physical violence.

Although squabbles could occur between Climbers inside the Tower, if it was one-sided violence that wasn't a duel conducted under observation, it would be punished under the supervision of the Association.

And if it came to ‘expulsion’ as a Climber... all rights as a Climber, including the authority to enter the Tower, would be revoked. It would also be impossible to acquire the license again.

However.

“Praying not to get caught by the Association staff?”

I chuckled and responded.

“On the contrary, I should be praying to get caught by them.”

“...What?”

Lee Si-yeong replied in bewilderment, but I was serious.

From the moment I bashed Gale Gilius, that was the best possible situation to come for the player.

It was for that reason that I had brought Lee Si-yeong, a cheat key who made things go well just by being nearby, to bear witness.

So.

It wouldn't be strange for a big smile to form on my lips as soon as I saw the black portal ‘exclusive to the Association’ opening before my eyes.

***

As I've said before, within the world of Conqueror, the difference between Eastern and Western guilds was truly absolute.

The difference was so overwhelming in all fields that the Western side might find it absurd to be grouped together as the same ‘guild’.

And that fact was clearly revealed even within the Climber Association.

While Renegade was insignificant as an independent guild, it had connections to the Hunting Alliance and even Kim Kang-in, yet it lay low quietly, whereas the Valhalla Guild, which was only a lower-tier guild by Western standards, was causing a ruckus in the interrogation room.

“That bastard just threw a punch at me out of nowhere! Arrest him quickly! No! Arresting isn't enough! Just kill him!”

“...Please calm down. First, please give us a detailed explanation of the situation.”

Even though he was causing such a scene, the fact that they couldn't forcefully suppress him just because he was ‘from the West’ and were responding according to the manual was enough to make even me feel stressed.

In contrast, we had calmly written a statement and handed it over to the Association.

Although we were the ones who had been severely violent, thanks to our attitude, it felt like they were more favorable to us.

“So. How are you going to handle the aftermath?”

Lee Si-yeong said from the side, rubbing her temples.

By the way, this was a little unexpected.

“What is?”

“By now, I thought you'd be freaking out too, asking what on earth I was thinking. You don't seem very anxious?”

“Ah, that?”

Lee Si-yeong gave a small smile and rested her chin on the table.

“I've never had things go to a real extreme in the past. No matter what happened, my life was always spared.”

That would be right. If one possessed those stats, it would be at a level where a way out would spontaneously appear even if the sky fell.

I had used her advantageously before with the Jewel of Ruin.

Probably, I would be able to use her very well this time too.

“...But looking at your expression, I'm suddenly starting to feel anxious when I didn't before. You're plotting something again, aren't you?”

Hmm.

She was unnecessarily sharp.

Well, wasn't it obvious?

I was in a state where I had a cheat key next to me that made all random encounters resolve in the best possible way.

I had to use her to the fullest extent possible.

“...No. You bastard. Learn how to hit the brakes.”

“What's that.”

“I'm telling you to stop increasing my workload!”

“How do I do that.”

“...”

While Lee Si-yeong looked back and forth between her staff and me, I diligently worked the abacus in my head again.

If Gale was causing such an unreasonable ruckus, the Association must have contacted the Valhalla Guild to somehow advance the situation.

And by now, someone to handle the situation should have arrived.

Normally, this would also be random, but the best option also existed.

So, for example.

“You stupid bastard, you can't even handle one thing properly?”

If a voice that was slightly better than Gale's but still felt completely devoid of intelligence began to be heard.

That was a pretty good sign.

All hail Lee Si-yeong.

“B-Big Bro Riman. But...”

“Shut it. Where are those bastards now?”

And I heard the sound of footsteps stomping this way.

Brushing off even the earnest dissuasion of the Association staff who said he shouldn't enter recklessly, the door to the room where Lee Si-yeong and I were was flung open.

Compared to Gale, who was just a pig, Riman was the type of pig with a bit more muscle.

Though they were both greasy.

“Hey. You Oriental monkey bastards. Are you the ones who picked a fight with my little brother?”

“...”

A devastating remark from the very first meeting! Lee Si-yeong and Kim Gyu-sik were stunned!

“Why... are the Climbers from that side all like that...”

Lee Si-yeong muttered in a voice that sounded like she had aged 5 years in an instant.

Well, I more or less agreed.

Even in the game, the Climbers from the West were mostly personality-wise bankrupt, with very few exceptions.

In that respect.

This was why encountering them inside the ‘Association’ like this was the best follow-up situation.

If they went around eating their own flesh like that in an institution with public trust and authority, we would have the justification to push back.

“It seems like you're the one picking a fight right now. We are currently cooperating faithfully with the investigation process requested by the Association. Please do not obstruct the execution of public duties and first-”

“Ah. Is that so?”

Gale, who cut me off as I was explaining in a calm voice, drew the greatsword he was carrying on his back.

“Nobody cares if one or two monkey bastards die. You just die right here.”

It was a precise and fast movement, unbelievable for his appearance.

In the first place, this guy's setting was a B-grade Climber. That meant he was on the same level as Kim Jae-han, who often appeared in the media in Korea.

Subsequently, the greatsword that flew at a terrifying speed came flying straight to where I was.

‘Truly crazy bastards.’

Seeing him launch an attack out of the blue just because his mood was soured, I could tell his level.

Moreover, the fact that he was confidently committing such an act inside the Association meant that he was confident he could clean up the mess.

“...Ha.”

It was truly fortunate that Riman, the next most stupid and hot-tempered person in the Valhalla Guild after Gale, came to this place.

Because.

The moment he thought so and did this.

Things were rolling exactly as I wished.

[ Netherworld's Grasp ]

At the same time as the greatsword flew towards me, my hand burst into blue flames.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.