Witch.
Ahn Hyun hesitated for a moment.
“Well… if I tell you, you’ll just get mad.”
“I’ve never been mad at you. I’ve only followed the proper procedures for discipline. Besides, telling me now won’t change anything, will it?”
”…”
“Think of it as mere curiosity. Just tell me.”
Ahn Hyun seemed to find this reasonable, as his Adam’s apple bobbed with a gulp. After a long pause, he finally spoke, looking a bit downcast.
“I didn’t like hearing people badmouth you.”
“Not me, but the clan… right?”
“Back then… there were all those negative records about the Dragon’s Sleeping Mountain.”
“The slanderous records? I told you not to worry about those.”
“I couldn’t help it. Even if they were just baseless accusations, some users talked about them as if they were true. It happened right in front of me, too. So…”
“So, you couldn’t hold back against such obvious provocations and ended up causing trouble.”
Ahn Hyun couldn’t continue and hung his head low. I fell into silent contemplation.
In truth, Ahn Hyun probably doesn’t fully understand how that incident unfolded. For instance, while he called it a provocation, it was likely a planned one.
In other words, the Koran Alliance had targeted Ahn Hyun from the start.
It was then that Ahn Hyun spoke up again, his voice small.
“I just… wanted to stand by your side, as close as possible.”
”…?”
“Like I said before, but also… I wanted to show you. Not just always chasing after your back, but at least once… at least once…”
”…”
“I didn’t forget your words, nor did I completely ignore them. I thought it would be okay to just dip my toes in at the beginning…”
“There’s always a reason why you’re told not to go somewhere.”
I clicked my tongue and looked at Ahn Hyun. I understood his intentions now. It wasn’t out of malice; he acted for the mercenary’s sake. He probably feels a bit wronged and has things he wants to say.
But that doesn’t excuse Ahn Hyun’s recklessness. I have no intention of covering it up.
There are two ways for Ahn Hyun to return as a mercenary: either he changes his attitude or achieves something significant. But achieving something significant here is practically impossible, so the first option is the only real choice.
And I don’t think Ahn Hyun has changed enough to come back yet.
I sighed involuntarily. It’s fortunate that everything has been resolved and is moving in a positive direction now; otherwise, I might have been furious.
Well, I am a bit angry, but… as I mentioned, Ahn Hyun has already been punished. With that thought, I tossed the bag I had brought with me.
Clang!
A dull metallic sound echoed from the bag. Ahn Hyun flinched and looked up at me with a puzzled expression.
“It’s your equipment. You’ll need it if you’re going to the User Academy.”
“What? The User Academy?”
“Yes. Instructors can bring one user to assist them. Anyway, Ha Yeon will explain the details.”
“Then…”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I was going to choose another clan member, but Ha Yeon and An Sol insisted, so I picked you. The equipment will be taken back as soon as the User Academy ends, which means you’ll have to come back here afterward.”
“My sister and… my brother…”
Ahn Hyun still looked dazed, as if he couldn’t quite grasp what was happening. But Ha Yeon would explain everything, and it was time for me to get going. Today was the day we were leaving for the ancient magical city of Magia, and the clan members were probably waiting for me.
I stood up calmly.
“Hyung! Are you leaving?”
“Not Hyung, but Clan Lord. And I’ll be gone for about four weeks, so keep that in mind. Not that you need to know.”
Ahn Hyun reached out as if to stop me but quickly withdrew his hand.
I turned away immediately. Just before opening the door, I glanced back at the table.
Ahn Hyun had stood up and was looking at me with an indescribable expression. Even so, he was slowly caressing the bag with both hands.
I spoke quietly.
“Employee Ahn Hyun.”
“Yes… yes!”
“This time… do well.”
”…What?”
He asked in confusion, and for the first time, I spoke with earnestness.
“Do well. The User Academy is really important this time. So, just this once, I don’t expect anything else. Just do exactly as Ha Yeon says. You’re just an assistant, an assistant. No matter what you see, hear, or experience, don’t cause any trouble. Just stay quiet and come out quietly. Do you understand?”
“Ah… yes, yes!”
Is “yes” the only word he can say?
But then again, I thought, maybe that’s all he can say from his perspective. I chuckled lightly.
“Anyway, that’s all.”
With those final words, I pushed open the tavern door and stepped outside.
The early morning air was cold yet refreshing.
It was Atlanta.
I could see Atlanta.
It was several times larger than Barbara. Its pristine, dazzling outskirts looked like they were draped in the white cloth of angels.
Yes. What I was seeing was undoubtedly Atlanta.
Suddenly, my heart started pounding. Excitement welled up from deep within, and I felt an unexpected surge of happiness.
Even though this was my second time attempting to conquer it, once inside Atlanta, Terra was within reach. Just a little more effort, and I could go home. I wanted to share this joy with someone, even if just for a moment.
I quickly looked around for Hyung, Han So-young, or anyone.
And then I saw a man’s face. It was a face I had never seen before.
Why was this stranger beside me? And why did he look so grim?
As if reading my thoughts, the man slowly raised his hand and pointed somewhere. Without looking at me, his gaze was fixed in that direction. His pointing and his gaze aligned. Feeling as if I were in a trance, I slowly turned my eyes to where he pointed.
That’s when it happened.
A laughter that seemed to tear at my eardrums echoed around me. At the same time, an indescribable feeling began to creep over my entire body.
It felt as if the space was forcibly twisting, as if the world was distorting.
Yes. This feeling… it was just like when the Archduke of Hell appeared during the Atlanta reclamation…
Wait, what?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind, and I looked up blankly.
There, in the sky, I saw a woman soaring high.
Don’t be ridiculous! Now you want to stop? That’s what I told you before! But what did you do?
You pretended not to know. You ignored me! I begged you to stop, to save me, to help me…!
You abandoned me and even killed me. You heartless murderers!
But it’s okay. Because soon, I’ll be a murderer too~.
So, it’s unfair to die alone, right? Some of you will be sacrifices with me, and the rest will die with the summoned monsters!
───. ───. ───. ───. ───. ───. ───. ───. ───. ───. ───. ───.
Each time her voice echoed in the air, it shook my mind, leaving me unable to gather my thoughts.
And when I finally came to my senses, the world had already turned red. From the ground, ominous crimson flames were rising, and the sky was stained with blood.
In an instant, the sky and earth had turned a foreboding shade of red.
And at that moment.
As the woman spread her arms wide and laughed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sky and earth began to split apart.
“Oppa? Oppa!”
I felt someone shaking me. Reflexively, I opened my eyes to see a dark space and someone’s face. Having just woken up, I couldn’t see clearly. I could only make out a vague shape.
“Oppa! Suhyun oppa! Are you okay? Huh?”
I shook my head vigorously, signaling for quiet. For some reason, my head was ringing, and my breathing was rough. My back was damp, likely from cold sweat.
After a moment of closing my eyes and steadying my breath, I felt a bit more stable. When I opened my eyes again, I saw Hanbyul’s face against the backdrop of a beautiful night sky. She looked like she was about to cry, her expression full of worry.
I sprang up from my sleeping bag. Kim Hanbyul spoke in a voice full of concern.
“Oh my… look at all this sweat… Oppa. What happened? I heard strange noises while on watch and came over…”
”…It’s nothing. Just a weird dream.”
“A dream… a nightmare? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It was just a dream. Though it did leave a bad taste.”
To be honest, it wasn’t just a simple dream. When I thought about it, the dream I had just experienced was more like a vivid recollection based on my first encounter. A kind of flashback, if you will.
The recapture of Atlanta, the witch’s curse, and the appearance of the Grand Duke of Hell.
I wasn’t sure why I suddenly dreamed of that time, but it left me feeling utterly miserable. My insides churned as if they were about to explode.
“First, let’s get rid of this sweat… The air is chilly at dawn, and you’ll catch a cold if you stay like this.”
“No, no. I’m really fine. Could you just bring me a bottle of water?”
Hanbyeol quickly got up and fetched a bottle of water. I moved closer to the campfire and took a long drink. As the cool water flowed down my throat, I felt the turmoil in my chest gradually subside.
Only after finishing the entire bottle did I let out a deep breath, feeling like I could finally breathe again.
Now, the surroundings began to come into focus. I took a slow, relieved look around.
We were currently at the Mountain of Delirium, planning to pass through the Canyon of Illusions tomorrow and enter the ancient magical city of Magia.
It had taken exactly four weeks to get here.
The Inn of Beginnings had been active for quite some time, and the fledglings were in their third week of training. By the time we returned, they would be entering their fourth week.
Despite the influx of fledglings that had captured everyone’s attention, I remained calm. I was receiving regular updates from Hayeon every other day, and the academy’s initial focus was strictly on training. (Any instructor caught promoting, directly or indirectly, would be immediately dismissed.)
“Hold on a second, oppa…”
Suddenly, I felt a gentle touch on my neck and cheek. Glancing over, I saw Hanbyeol, her face full of concentration, carefully wiping the sweat from my skin.
“Why, what’s up?”
“Just a moment… Let me clean you up…”
Feeling a bit embarrassed to meet her eyes, I looked around once more and then cast my gaze forward. And then, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Across from us was Ansol. It seemed she had been keeping watch with Hanbyeol but had dozed off, her head drooping. Hanbyeol, realizing why I was laughing, stifled her own giggles beside me.
I watched Ansol quietly. Observing her, I couldn’t help but think how much she resembled her brother, even in the way she nodded off. Just as I was about to click my tongue—
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Ansol lifted her head.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Luck 102 activated! The Saintess’s Prophecy has been triggered!
See you next time…
Haha, it’s finally the 500th chapter. Although it’s not a complete 500 if you count the announcements, it still feels quite special. Back when I was a reader, I found it fascinating to see works with over 500 chapters. I used to wonder how they wrote so much and if I could ever read it all. I never imagined I’d be the one writing 500 chapters myself. :)
I considered planning something special for this milestone, but I decided it was better to just continue the story as it is. If there’s anything special, it’s the flashback in the middle. It’s about time to start revealing the settings I’ve been saving up, right? :D