Chapter 262
Song Junghye sat at her desk, her eyes closed. She shot to her feet, grabbed the glass on her desk, and hurled it.
The glass shattered into a million pieces on the wall.
No one else was in the room. She huffed to herself, Kim Hyukjin, that son of a bitch.
Ten years had already passed since she reached maturity and resolved to shove her brother aside and inherit Sungshin. Before the world completely changed, she thought of herself as the sole successor of Sungshin.
But ever since this Kim Hyukjin guy popped up out of nowhere, things were slowly changing.
Even Oppa is steadily changing.
The variable nad Kim Hyukjin was galling enough, but to make matters worse, even her older brother was different.
He used to always concede to .
Junghye was well aware that she was her brothers weakness.
In truth, that was sothing Junghye didnt like. She believed that if Kiyeol was the successor of Sungshin, if he was her older brother, he shouldnt do thatSungshin should co first before familial affection. She thought her brother was far too weak. That he had to change. That was what she thought, but when he actually did change, she found it a little irritating.
The way Grandpa looks at Kim Hyukjin is special, too.
Junghye wasnt sure, but she had a suspicion there was so kind of secret deal going on between her grandfather and Kim Hyukjin. A secret deal related to her grandfathers ability.
What do I do?
There was no point in putting an assassin on him, and she couldnt use Sungshins power to crush him. Both her grandfather and older brother would stand in her way.
I need to nip him in the bud before he gets any bigger.
If he could not beco an ally, then it was better to stamp him out, and very thoroughly. That was Song Junghyes way of doing things.
I cant do it through legal ans.
So she had to find another thod. It was hard to find a solution in Korea, so she turned her gaze overseas.
Several days later, Song Junghye had a eting with the Chinese billionaire who was stripped of his power as a Player and chased out of the auction Michelle recently hosted, Xu Xin.
I know the reason why you lost all your power as a Player, said Song Junghye. Its because of a certain Player.
Do you know who that person is, Miss Song?
Xu Xins eyes were full of venom. He could not, for the life of him, rember who that bastard was, even though there had been many witnesses.
Even Michelle said she didnt know who that person was. Xu Xin rembered he was an attendant of Song Kiyeol, the guildmaster of Taeguk Shield. But Song Kiyeol said he expelled that attendant. That was all Xu Xin knew.
Theres sothing about that bastard, or Taeguk Shield. Its like our mories were fiddled with, or that we were caught in a mass illusion, because no one rembers him, spat Xu Xin.
He had to find the culprit behind this outrage. Song Junghye took a sip of tea, noting the venomous glint in Xu Xins eyes. She then slowly continued speaking.
He has a special ability called Cognitive Dissonance. It is a type of ntal manipulation ability.
How do you know that?
Because hes closely related to Taeguk Shield.
As I thought.
Xu Xin had thought that person was in close contact with Taeguk Shield. He guessed the bastard wasnt an attendant, and his guess was right.
He huffed in a rage. I will smash his knees, and later, Michelles knees as well, and make them both kneel before .
Yes, of course. I would like to help you in that endeavor, Mr. Xu Xin.
Why do you want to help ?
Because I want to defeat Taeguk Shield. And personally speaking, I truly loathe that bastard.
A deal was established between the two. Xu Xin asked, Does his class happen to be thief?
Hes not a thief, but there is no doubt he has a thief ability.
Song Junghye didnt know about Darongi, but she knew Kim Hyukjin had a thief ability.
I lost an important quest item called the Compass, you see.
As I thought, it was him. That bastard had stolen his precious, precious money. Xu Xin once again ground his teeth. I swear, Ill dunk him alive in a vat of salt.
I would love nothing more. I think we are in agreent. In that case, how should we proceed? I intend on giving you my full support, Mr. Xu Xin.
Song Junghyes eyes darkened.
The best way would be to kill Kim Hyukjin inside a dungeon or a gate.
Murder. It was fine, especially if the target was Kim Hyukjin. He wasnt a person, but an enemy to be eliminated.
If you are willing to lend
your strength, Miss Song, I will commit a large number of Chinese Players to the cause.
Then I will make it so you can Play in Koreayou can forge an alliance with Blood and Iron Lion. I dont think itll be very difficult. Also, I will determine Kim Hyukjins current location and share it with you live.
The Chinese billionaire, Xu Xin, and the guildmaster of Blood and Iron Lion, Song Junghye. The two put their heads together and sched. Xu Xins hunting instincts writhed.
Let us hunt the bastard, then.
One day later, Song Junghye determined Kim Hyukjins location. She headed towards the Tutorial Building in the luxury black sedan her older brother had gifted her.
Kim Hyukjin concealed himself afterwards, but he was seen going inside the Tutorial Building and hadnt been seen coming back out.
The Tutorial Building. Thats where he is.
Xu Xin and Song Junghye thought that would be where Kim Hyukjin would breathe his last breath.
* * *
* * *
Hyukjin left the Endless Sky.
[Entering the Tutorial Building 2nd Floor.]
Players usually didnt co to the 2nd floor of the Tutorial Building. Nowadays, the only visitors to the floor were recently-awakened beginner Players popping in for a quick look. After all, this place wasnt fully activated yet.
But when Hyukjin entered, he saw quite a number of Players here.
I cant tell what theyre saying.
They were Chinese.
Mm. Im not entirely sure, but theyre certainly not my friends.
They werent attacking just yet, but there was sothing odd about this situation.
I get the sense theyve locked down the escalator going from the 1st to the 2nd floor.
Considering the factors, it was most likely a sche cooked up by Song Junghye. When that thought occurred to him, he was actually relieved.
If theyre Chinese Players, I guess theyre Xu Xins subordinates.
Xu Xin was the only Chinese person who really hated him.
Song Junghye revealed my identity.
If so, everything would make sense.
Lets just see what theyre gonna do.
After being around celestial monsters like the whalekin in the Endless Sky, these Players almost looked like a joke.
Just then, he got a whisper.
Hello. We t earlier, do you rember?
Hyukjins Eye of Perception captured the location of the whisperer. So distance away, near the wall at a corner, was a stealthed Player.
A whisper?
Whispers werent things just anyone could use. You either needed a whisper item or a whisper skill. Most Players who could send whispers were explorers.
He heard a notice.
[A gift from an anonymous sender has arrived.]
[Whisper Marble has arrived.]
He used it imdiately, then whispered back.
Yes, I do.
She was Kang Somyi, the explorer who had seen through his Cognitive Dissonance and had a summary of Curious Explorer.
If I rember correctly, your na is Kang Somyi.
You even rembered my na, thats unexpected. Anyway, are you in danger right now?
Im not sure. I think soone who dislikes
has set up a trap for .
But weirdly enough, they were only expressing their hostility towards him and not moving.
Are you the type to have a lot of enemies?
Not a lot, but a few.
Who do you suspect is behind this?
Song Junghye.
Hyukjin watched Kang Somyis reaction. If she was on Song Junghyes side, there would be so change in her emotions, and Eye of Perception would capture that. However, he picked up no real reaction from her.
Kang Somyi asked:
Is there any way I can help?
Why do you want to help ?
I really didnt an to, but I think I was the one who unintentionally sold out your info.
Kang Somyi was the only Player who saw Hyukjin going up to the 2nd floor. A Blood and Iron Lion guild mber had gone up to her and asked, Have you seen this person? We are urgently looking for him. We will give you ample compensation, and Kang Somyi told them that she had seen him going up to the 2nd floor.
Thats all I said, but they gave
$5,000 for it.
Upon thinking about it, she realized it was odd. They might not be at the level of Taeguk Shield, Blood and Iron Lion was still a major guild. Why were they looking for a single person? Instead of making her happy, the $5,000 made her suspicious.
And then, a bunch of Chinese Players rushed in and started sealing off the escalator going up to the 2nd floor.
I see.
I think youre in this predicant because of , so I want to help in so way.
Theres not really much you can do. I think theres no avoiding a fight here, and you dont seem to be a combat Player.
Kang Somyi didnt deny it.
Youre right. Im an explorer. Ive been observing those guys the whole ti. I think I know what theyre trying to do.
Hyukjin grew a little interested in Kang Somyi.
What do you think that is?
I think theyre trying to generate sothing.
Generate?
Before you ca here, they planted mana crystals here and there. Using a special thod.
Hyukjin scanned the area with Observers Eye. He didnt see any mana crystals.
Theyve been consud.
There were an infinite number of uses for mana crystals. They could be used to set up a barrier to hunt him, or activate a magic circle with a similar effect.
Since theyre Chinese Players
Hyukjin smirked. He got the gist of it now.
Miss Kang. Do you sincerely want to help ?
Yes. Im kinda wallowing in guilt right now.
Then please leave and go to Guildmaster Song Kiyeol. Tell him whats going on here, and ask him to bring reporters with him, if possible.
Is that all?
You can get out of here, right?
Yes. I got up here unseen, so I should be able to get down unnoticed as well.
Kang Somyi was a far more competent explorer than he thought. It was no exaggeration to say she was top tier at this point in ti.
Makes sense. She was able to see through my Cognitive Dissonance.
This explorer appeared to have far higher latent potential than what was previously known.
Alright. Ill do that, then. Im off.
Kang Somyi disappeared, and Hyukjin turned his gaze to the crowd with a shrug.
Can anyone speak Korean here?
He really needed to keep a few Translation Marbles on him. Once he reached level 40, he would be able to buy them from the Item Shop, so he would ask Senia to give him a few.
He got a response in Chinese, but he couldnt understand it. Hyukjin continued speaking. They couldnt understand what he was saying, but he was talking to the Guardians.
Traces of mana crystals that have been planted around the room.
He was sure the Guardians were curious about this situation. The Guardians watching in Senias channel didnt know what Kang Somyi had just told him.
Hyukjin explained, Judging by the way the Chinese Players are positioned, the core must be that magician wearing the red robe.
He checked the magicians na.
Na: Lau Ding Xue
He was a magician Hyukjin knewhis na was quite famous in China, and his reputation went beyond just a little fa.
A lieutenant of the Demon King Army.
Right after eting the Demon King in the Endless Sky, Hyukjin ran into a lieutenant of the Demon King Army here.
Summary: Trap Magician who Relishes Human Flesh
Hyukjin already knew what kind of ability Lau Ding Xue possessed. He told the Guardians.
He laid a circle in advance and waited for my arrival. Im absolutely sure hes set up a trap. Whats important is what kind of trap it is.
Hyukjin took a step forward. The Chinese Players glared at him, all of them holding their individual weapons.
I think hes created a special field here and is trying to suck
in.
If it was Lau Ding Xue
Is he soone who can open gates?
Hyukjin smiled.
For example a gate like Mana Hell.
That ability was one he already knew.
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