Korahn, a small city in the southern part of the Northern Continent.
The dominant clan overseeing Korahn is the Southern Free Alliance.
An alliance is formed when two or more clans join forces.
The Southern Free Alliance is a massive coalition, forged by the union of eight clans.
There’s Su, Nanbal, Serengeti, and Artemis—clans specializing in combat.
The Association of Merchants and Baekhwa manage trade and commerce.
Garissani and Ikki handle intelligence and espionage.
Power, wealth, and information—these three pillars blend perfectly, making the Alliance’s influence nothing short of absolute.
Their strength has grown so vast that it’s no exaggeration to say the small city can barely contain them.
Yet today, despite the grand facade of the Alliance’s headquarters, an unusual tension hung heavy in the air.
“Failure, huh.”
A long exhale escaped the lips of the man seated at the head of the large round table in the conference room.
It was a bit ironic to assign a “head seat” at a round table meant to symbolize equality, but with eight clans gathered, a strict hierarchy was unavoidable.
Currently, the top-ranking member of the Alliance was Park Tae-jin, Lord of the Su clan, seated at the northern position. He was also a Secret Class user.
“We sent thirty of our own. Eighty more were handpicked and hired from the night streets… and yet, it failed?”
Park Tae-jin shook the cigarette tucked between his index and middle fingers, stifling a chuckle.
“Not only did the target—the ‘Brain Emperor’—escape the ambush, but our elite forces were wiped out completely. Only one survived from the night streets. And this is the result? Heh heh.”
“I told you not to do this! What the hell is this? We lost so many troops and got humiliated on top of it!”
A woman seated second to the left from the northern seat snapped sharply.
It was Woo Seol-hee, Artemis clan’s Lord and a Rare Class user.
Given that her clan had contributed the most personnel to the raid—and suffered the worst defeat—her frustration was understandable.
But Park Tae-jin just kept chuckling.
“Come on, where’s the shame in it? We must have prepared to cut loose if things went south, right?”
“What did you say?”
“Don’t get mad. I’m just saying…”
“Do you really find this situation so funny?”
A harsh voice cut through the room, slicing the tension between Park Tae-jin and Woo Seol-hee.
Park Tae-jin raised his eyes and saw a man across the table, smoking a cigarette and staring back.
The laughter died instantly.
“Why, Shin Hyuk?”
Shin Hyuk.
Lord of the Nanbal clan, rivaling Su in power, and ranked just below Park Tae-jin in the Alliance hierarchy.
Simply put, he was Park Tae-jin’s competitor.
After a long stare, Shin Hyuk smirked faintly.
“Just saying, I find it funny too.”
He pulled the cigarette from his mouth and began shaking it carelessly, mimicking Park Tae-jin’s earlier gesture.
“Who was it… Im Hanna? Anyway, your whole ‘confession to Monica’s flower and getting rejected’ incident was just as hilarious.”
His words dripped with sarcasm, openly mocking.
Park Tae-jin’s eyes gleamed coldly.
“Alright, alright. What’s with this? We have bigger problems. Let’s not get sidetracked.”
Just as the tension threatened to explode, a middle-aged man quickly intervened.
Seo Ji-hwan, Lord of the Association of Merchants.
A financial powerhouse controlling Korahn’s funds and a founding member of the Alliance.
As Park Tae-jin and Shin Hyuk quieted down, he sighed deeply, stroking his dark beard.
“The situation’s complicated… Our covert assassination squad was wiped out within two days of deployment. The sole survivor said the Hamil clan probably doesn’t even know they were targeted.”
“I heard that too. So someone must have known our plan and sabotaged it in advance.”
Woo Seol-hee snapped irritably, glaring sharply at Park Tae-jin.
“Could there be a traitor among us, someone who wanted this to fail?”
“That woman? How dare she speak so recklessly!”
Bang!
The round table shook from the force of the slam.
Baek Doo-san, the massive Lord of the Serengeti clan sitting opposite, glared fiercely and stood up.
“What? ‘That woman’? ‘That girl’? You done talking?”
Woo Seol-hee didn’t back down either.
She drew a dagger from her waist, readying herself.
Seo Ji-hwan pressed his forehead and shook his head.
“The culprit supposedly used shadows.”
The moment the word “shadow” was spoken, the room fell silent.
Park Tae-jin gestured toward Baek Doo-san, while Shin Hyuk motioned to Woo Seol-hee.
The two pairs exchanged wary glances and cautiously sat back down.
Breaking the awkward silence, Park Tae-jin spoke first.
“If it’s shadows, there’s no one else it could be. The Queen of Shadows, Ko Yeon-ju.”
“I agree.”
“But why would the Queen of Shadows do this? Isn’t she from the Mercenary clan? What reason would she have to oppose us…?”
“I didn’t know either, but the target—the Hamil Lord—is apparently the older brother of the Mercenary Lord.”
Park Tae-jin let out a low whistle, surprised even to himself.
He hadn’t realized they were blood relatives.
It was rare for siblings to be summoned to the Whole Plane at different times, let alone both be involved in this.
“Still, the Mercenaries definitely interfered without permission.”
Woo Seol-hee muttered, clearly displeased.
“That’s not so clear. After checking, the two clans are currently allied.”
Seo Ji-hwan said calmly, and Woo Seol-hee fell silent, having no retort.
Truthfully, since they had acted underhandedly from the start, arguing over justification was pointless.
After a long pause, Seo Ji-hwan looked around decisively.
“To be honest, I think we should drop this matter here.”
“Drop it… just like that?”
“Can’t be helped. We’ve already failed. We’re not in a position to officially protest… Besides, I think the Queen of Shadows was sending a warning.”
“A warning?”
Park Tae-jin asked, and Seo Ji-hwan nodded.
“Think about it. Only one of our men returned. And they didn’t even hide the use of shadows. Why do you think that is?”
Park Tae-jin clenched his teeth.
No, it wasn’t just that.
No one here was naive enough to miss the implication.
How much time passed before Park Tae-jin finally spoke again?
“You’re right. It’s best to drop it here and consider the Halo issue from a different angle.”
He agreed calmly.
Though he spoke gently, it was essentially a call to wipe the slate clean.
In truth, it revealed his true feelings about why they had planned the raid in the first place.
Because Hamil was the strongest rival clan fully backed by the East in the upcoming Halo representative selection.
Seo Ji-hwan patted his ample belly with relief.
“Good! Smart choice. Now that the Queen of Shadows has stepped forward…”
Then—
“Wait. Are we really just going to let this go?”
Seven pairs of eyes snapped toward the voice.
“…Any objections?”
Park Tae-jin asked, and Shin Hyuk let out a bitter laugh.
“Are you kidding? Just leave the Mercenaries alone? Of course we have to get revenge.”
He popped a cigarette back into his mouth and sank into his chair.
“Seriously… what’s with you all? What’s there to be afraid of? The Mercenary clan’s barely a year old, right?”
“…”
“We’ve been around for nine years. Almost ten years in Korahn. And now you’re saying our proud Alliance is going to back down just because of a newborn clan?”
“…”
His voice dripped with the pride of the Alliance.
Park Tae-jin didn’t deny it either.
“Fine. Then you tell us. What do you want to do?”
“If the Queen of Shadows moved, it means the Mercenary Lord—her brother—gave the order.”
“I know. So?”
“Do I need to say more? They threw the first punch. It’s only natural we return the favor.”
Shin Hyuk looked around the table, seeking agreement.
“Hmm… I don’t know, Hyuk. Do we really need to provoke the Mercenaries?”
“No way. Doo-san, think about it. The Mercenaries are no joke. They’ve made a name for themselves in battle, and there’s talk of them becoming a representative clan. Better to deal with them now, while they’re still small. Could be easier than taking on Hamil.”
His point was to shift their target and strike the Mercenary clan first.
Baek Doo-san, who had been hesitant, fell silent.
“I get the sentiment, but the Queen of Shadows is holding strong. Plus, we’re weakened after this failure…”
“Enough with the Queen of Shadows already! What’s so scary about her? Anyway, I can handle that problem.”
Seo Ji-hwan tried to soothe the tension, but Shin Hyuk scoffed and pulled something from his coat.
It was a small crystal orb.
“What’s this?”
He shook it playfully and set it on the table for all to see.
“A communication orb. More precisely, it’s directly linked to Salmun.”
The mention of Salmun stirred murmurs throughout the room.
Since Salmun’s main operations were in Korahn’s night streets, their connection was natural.
But having a direct communication orb was truly astonishing.
Even Park Tae-jin, usually indifferent, couldn’t hide his surprise.
Basking in the flood of gazes from all around, Shin Hyuk continued with a voice brimming with confidence.
“Not to mention their skill, we don’t have to worry about our overall strength at all, right? Sure, it’ll cost a bit… but still.”
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
No one dared to speak out.
Because Shin Hyuk’s claim sounded genuinely plausible.
Salmun.
The deadliest, most powerful, and most feared assassin clan on the Northern Continent.
Their cruelty and savagery were undeniably terrifying.
As Shin Hyuk said, if we hire an outside force like them, there’s no need to worry about weakening our own strength.
Their skill? It’s almost painful to even mention.
Though they’ve parted ways now, weren’t they the very group that raised the infamous Shadow Queen?
And back in the first round—something only Kim Soo-hyun knows—how desperate must things have been for even the Murder Brigade, the elite among vagrants, to avoid crossing Salmun?
“Well… do you really think Salmun will move for us? I’ve tried contacting them a few times, but they don’t work for money alone,” Seo Ji-hwan clicked his tongue, clearly uneasy.
But Shin Hyuk shook his index finger from side to side.
“They will. They have a grudge against Ko Yeon-ju.”
“I know they split up, but hasn’t it been years already?”
“There’s more.”
“Hm? What else?”
“Ah… this is something I only found out by chance, so it’s hard to say openly. The person involved wouldn’t like it. But anyway, what do you think?”
There wasn’t much time spent in thought.
Seo Ji-hwan, who had been idly tapping the round table, suddenly straightened up.
“Alright. If Salmun is willing to move, it’s worth a shot.”
Finally, the elder’s approval was granted.
Now, all that remained was…
“And you?”
Shin Hyuk’s eyes, full of bravado, locked onto the front.
Park Tae-jin, who had been deep in thought, glanced up briefly.
Then, clasping his hands and resting his chin on them, he nodded slowly.
“There’s no reason not to.”
A gentle smile spread across his face.
“Let’s do it.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
So, what happened with the Salmun and Koran alliance afterward…? ^^;
P.S. I’ve seen some comments here and there about unlocking the hidden story in Memorize Visual Novel, so I’ll share the info here in the afterword. Now, onto the walkthrough!
Seraph’s choice – Option 2: “Well…”
Ansol’s choice – Option 2: “Don’t give the chocolate bar.”
Woo Jung-min and Sun Yoo-woon’s choice – Option 1: “Give it to Sun Yoo-woon.”
If you pick these, the hidden story will unlock, saying you’ve met the conditions.
The hidden story is fun, so please enjoy it to the fullest!
seta1ef / LOL, I laughed for a while after reading this. An Hyun again… haha.
creacture / That’s a great point. I’m an engineering major myself. (?)
Shatien / This incident is way less serious than the Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range!
Velos / Because Ko Yeon-ju, like Kim Soo-hyun, has regained her human emotions. :)
kurosx13 / Honestly, I’m worried. This story is too brutal and unpleasant. ㅜ.ㅠ
Kanulas / That’s the right answer!
Shatien, Count of Sogong-dong / Thanks for the coupon. I’ll work harder starting February.
darktree / Well, I actually understand their comments. The side story was light and humorous, which is true, and readers who preferred the darker tone might have been disappointed. I’m truly sorry for not meeting your expectations.