On Thursday, I t Seo Yui during lunch break.
“The helpers are nearly all secured. Only one person remains.”
“Mm…”
Today, Seo Yui looked half-asleep, her eyes half-closed in a lazy, carefree manner.
“I’d like to ask you to provide with a few pieces of information. Over the next week, I need to know when the arena will be open, the layout of Valhall’s building, the number of children imprisoned, and the levels and abilities of the Hunters Valhall has hired.”
“Hold on a mont.”
Seo Yui imdiately pulled out paper and a chanical pencil. Then, she quickly jotted down everything I had just asked for.
“You’ve already investigated all this.”
“Ever since I was captured, I’ve thought about escaping every single day.”
Just as she said, the details she gave about Valhall’s structure, the Hunters’ levels, and their abilities were remarkably thorough.
“The levels and abilities are guesses, based on overheard conversations. I could be wrong. And there might be hidden passageways I don’t know about.”
“I understand.”
Even though I already knew this information from the ga, I asked her anyway to avoid raising suspicion about how I knew.
“Hmm. Sunday would be the best day for the operation. Weekends draw larger crowds.”
“Is the number of spectators important?”
“Yes. The more there are, the easier it is to create chaos.”
“I see… Then when should we tell the children about the plan?”
“Don’t tell them.”
“What?”
Seo Yui’s half-shut eyes widened.
“What do you an?”
“Keep the plan to yourself until the very last mont.”
“Why? Wouldn’t it be easier if we had their cooperation in advance?”
“The reason is simple. There’s no guarantee that every child wants to escape.”
“!”
Seo Yui froze, then bit her lip.
The children captured by Valhall were orphans, or those with no place to return to. After spending months, even years, in the arena, what happened to them?
There would certainly be kids like Seo Yui, desperate to escape from the hell where it was kill or be killed.
But on the other hand, there would also be those who had co to accept Valhall as their ho. These were usually the survivors who had lasted long enough to raise their levels. With survival chances higher and privileges to enjoy, they would have little desire to return to the outside world, where they’d once again be penniless drifters.
And so of them would be eyeing Seo Yui, the current champion, dreaming of overthrowing her to seize power in that small world.
Such people had no reason not to betray her to Valhall if they learned of her plan.
“You’re right…” Seo Yui murmured, her expression showing she already suspected as much.
“But are you telling , then, to abandon those who don’t agree to escape?”
“Think carefully, Seo Yui.” I gave her a grave look, “You can’t force a slave who refuses to remove their chains.”
“But they weren’t always used to those chains.”
“And what if their resistance ruins the escape, causing those who do want freedom to be caught again?”
“…”
“If you can’t save everyone, then you must choose the path that saves the most. On the day of the operation, tell them only once things are already underway. Say this: If you want freedom, follow . If you want to stay, then stay. But if you try to stop us, I will kill you. Do this, and you’ll save the greatest number possible.”
“…Alright.”
I wasn’t being pessimistic.
In the ga, making the wrong choice here always led to the worst outco. The plan would fail, Valhall would simply relocate and continue, and Seo Yui would drop out of the academy—making her forever impossible to recruit as an ally.
“Then tomorrow, I’ll et you again to explain the full plan.”
I pocketed the sheet of Valhall’s details.
After parting ways with Seo Yui, I headed toward the academy parking lot.
I looked around to check for anyone nearby.
‘Good. Now.’
Once I was sure no one was around, I slipped a prewritten note under the windshield of a parked car.
‘That should be enough to get the last helper moving.’
“So, you’re saying this kid invoked Chen Kai’s na to et Seo Yui, then tossed out twenty million won in tips before leaving?”
Valhall’s owner, Lei Xin, spoke while watching the footage on his tablet.
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
Bao, the scarred man with an eyepatch and Valhall’s head of security, wiped sweat from his brow.
On a whim, Lei Xin had said, “It’s been a while since I did sothing befitting an owner. Bring a week’s worth of recordings.”
Sure enough, they discovered soone handing money to the doorn and entering. Since Bao had been in charge that day, Lei Xin summoned him imdiately.
“Interesting fellow. There’s no Chen Kai among Valhall’s mbers, you know.”
“!!”
Bao’s eyes widened.
Though Valhall claid not to ask mbers for their identities, Lei Xin had tracked them all the sa.
The supposed secrecy was a lie from the start.
Anticipating trouble, Lei Xin had installed hidden caras and recorders, gathering details on mbers through voice analysis, bathroom glimpses, and countless other clues.
“There’s no shortage of evidence. Still… twenty million as a tip, hm?”
Lei Xin’s gaze lingered on the bundles of cash stacked on his desk, the very ones Bao had handed over as soon as he was called in.
“Bao. Is it true he’s taken a liking to Seo Yui?”
“According to her, yes. He even asked if they could et outside.”
“Good. Next ti he cos, don’t let him et Seo Yui directly. But allow him to send ssages. Let him stew in frustration. Then have Seo Yui suggest she’d love to et him outside, but she’s drowning in debt. He’ll leap at the chance to pay it off. Once we’ve milked him dry, we’ll strip off his mask and bleed his parents as well.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Good. Now go.”
Bao bowed and left the office.
“Phew…”
He felt relieved he’d handed the money to Lei Xin right away.
The caras had recorded him accepting cash from Seo Yui. If he’d pocketed it, Lei Xin might have suspected him. Perhaps even tossed him into the sa pit where they dumped the dead.
A shiver ran down his spine.
‘But still… throwing away twenty million on soone he hasn’t even seen face-to-face? Just what kind of family is that bastard from?’
Jealousy gnawed at Bao.
“So you’re saying only the two of us should keep leveling!?”
iling shouted at , her face twisted with anger.
“Are you sure Valhall isn’t just an excuse, and you’re sneaking around doing sothing shady?”
“iling!” Lumina hurriedly tried to calm her down, looking flustered, “Everyone has their role.”
I looked up at the LED sign at the bus stop. My bus was still three stops away.
“You two need to keep leveling up. That’s the only way to maximize the chances of success.”
“Then why don’t you level too, instead of wandering around?” iling shot back.
“Because my level doesn’t matter much when it cos to crushing Valhall.”
I t her glare head-on.
“I fully intend to destroy them, but I won’t risk either of you getting hurt or killed. That’s why, if you don’t reach the levels I’ve set, you won’t be part of the operation. It’s too dangerous.”
“Ugh…”
iling ground her teeth.
“Please. If this goes well, we’ll all be able to take on the Bag Toter Mine again together.”
“Argh, fine! We’ll do what you say! But the sa goes for you!”
She jabbed her finger at my chest.
“If you get hurt or die because of this, I’ll never forgive you!”
That last part nearly made retort that death made forgiveness aningless, but I swallowed it.
“I… I agree with iling.”
Lumina spoke timidly.
“Helping people is right, but I don’t want to see you hurt, Yein.”
“Don’t worry.” I smiled at the two of them, “That’s exactly why I’m doing all this running around—to prevent that from happening.”
Just then, my bus pulled up.
“Alright, I’ll see you later. And like I said before, don’t go near the third floor.”
“We won’t!”
iling snapped back instantly.
Ten minutes later, I arrived at my destination—Eleanor’s workshop.
“You gathered everything I asked for?”
“Mm-hm.”
Eleanor opened her inventory, a box-shaped interface.
Inside were four artisan Skill Slots—not the standard issue from Gwangcheon Academy, but custom ones crafted from Crystal.
“I also included the Skill Gems and materials you asked for. Check inside.”
“That was fast.”
“All I did was place the order.”
“Still, thanks to you, preparations will be much smoother.”
“If you need anything else, just say so.”
“In that case, could you maybe get your sister to stop glaring at like she wants dead?”
“You low-down…!” Iris bared her teeth.
“Big Sister!”
“Ugh…”
At Eleanor’s sharp scolding, Iris lowered her gaze to the floor.
“Ladies, would you co this way for a mont?”
I addressed the two won standing behind Iris.
One had dreadlocks, the other short golden-blonde hair.
They were the sa won who had seized outside the workshop last ti and bundled into their car.
“Wait! Don’t give orders to my attendants without permission!”
Iris shouted as the two won started walking toward .
I ignored her and spoke to the attendants.
“I’ve secured Valhall’s layout and Hunter information. From now on, we’ll start forming the detailed plan.”
“Wow. You sure you’re not a spy instead of just a student?”
The dreadlocked woman grinned as she asked.
“That’s only because I have soone on the inside.”
At that mont, Iris stomped over, shoving herself between her attendants.
“Then I’ll take part in making this plan too! A plan ford by multiple opinions is safer than one made by a single person. I don’t want to risk anything by blindly following your word.”
Her logic was sound, yet sohow it grated on .
It was the sa in the ga.
Iris was the most capable of all companions—so much so that I always recruited her whenever I played through the Crystal Academy scenario.
But I’d never grown fond of her.
On difficulties below Hard, revival was possible, so sotis I’d even deliberately let monsters kill her just to avoid the annoyance.
“Well? Didn’t you say we’d be making a plan?”
“…Right.”
I spread out the papers Seo Yui had given on the table.
“Valhall is underground. Guests enter through a prefabricated building’s entrance, then go down these stairs, through this corridor. At the end is a bar, then the spectator stands. From there, the entire arena is visible.”
I pointed to the lower part of the drawing.
“And here, the deepest area, is where the children are kept. It’s laid out like a prison—long corridors with cells on each side.”
Seo Yui’s notes indicated that one Hunter was always patrolling there.
“There are two exits.”
The blonde with the bob haircut muttered as she studied the diagram.
“One is the staff door connected to the bar. The other leads into the arena itself.”
I tapped the staircase with my finger.
“To escape, we’ll need to use the staff door. But the door linking the stairwell to the children’s cells can’t be opened without a keycard.”
I rembered the eyepatch man swiping his card to open it when I was there.
“So we’ll have to take down at least one Hunter to grab a card, or we can’t free the kids,” said the dreadlocked woman.
“Or we could just smash through the wall,” Iris suggested, pointing to the door.
“That would cause chaos before everything’s ready. The goal of this operation isn’t just to free the children. We also need to capture the owner, Lei Xin, and the audience, and bring Valhall into the public eye. Otherwise, Crystal Academy gains nothing.”
“Hm. Fair point.”
“So we’ll divide into three teams.”
I explained the roles and team mbers I’d already worked out.
“That girl Lumina really has that kind of ability?” the dreadlocked one asked, eyes widening.
“Yes. It’s real. No Skill or item can match Lumina’s Invisibility.”
Her ability was indispensable for this mission.
“All the tools will be prepared on my side. Your job is just to focus on battle readiness.”
“Good. Ha! I’m already getting excited. This’ll be fun.”
The dreadlocked woman grinned eagerly.
“Rachel. This isn’t a joyride.”
The blonde—Sally—narrowed her eyes at her.
“Of course I know that. But how can I not be excited? Being a spy was my childhood dream, you know.”
“Try focusing on your actual job instead. Don’t forget Iris is coming with us.”
“Oh, right. My bad. Sorry, Iris.”
“No apology needed. I’m the one who asked you two to take on this mission. I’m grateful you accepted so readily.”
As the three of them talked, I folded up Seo Yui’s notes and slipped them back into my pocket.
Ti flew by. Friday, Saturday, and finally Sunday—the day of the operation—arrived.
At 5:30 p.m., we all gathered at Eleanor’s workshop.
Myself, Lumina, and iling.
Eleanor and Iris, with her attendants Rachel and Sally.
All of us except Eleanor would be heading into Valhall.
“So why is the daughter of Forward Magic Engineering’s president here?”
Iris asked sharply, arms crossed.
“I have nothing to do with Forward anymore.”
iling glared back, also folding her arms.
“And why should I believe that?”
“I’ll vouch for her.” I stepped to iling’s side, “She’s cut ties with her father. That’s why she receives no support from him.”
Eleanor and Iris both widened their eyes, staring at iling.
“Shut up! Don’t say unnecessary things!!”
iling snapped at , her eyes blazing.
I ignored her outburst and continued.
“Having her in this mission won’t cause leaks or disruptions. If it had, I would have excluded her from the start. iling is on our side.”
“Then if she ruins things, you’ll take responsibility?” Iris pressed.
“Of course.”
I answered firmly.
“…”
iling stared at in silence, then turned her head away with a huff.
“…Fine. Then I’ll speak no further on the matter.”
Iris finally uncrossed her arms.
“Now, let’s talk about our next moves.”
I signaled to her attendants.
“We’ll drive near the site in Iris’s car. From there, everyone but will use these.”
I placed bottles filled with clear liquid on the table. Lined up, they nearly covered the whole surface.
“That’s a lot.” Rachel looked surprised.
“Better too many than too few. Valhall has CCTV set up around the area—designed to detect suspicious cars or police approaching. Here. Everyone except Lumina, take so.”
Each person divided the bottles evenly and tucked them into their inventories.
“And this.”
I laid out five sets of clothing and masks.
“Masks must stay on at all tis. We can’t risk being identified. Also, Lumina and iling, take these.”
I handed over custom Skill Slots and green Skill Gems.
“These slots hold one more gem than the academy-issue ones. And these green gems contain the Skill ‘Phasing.’ It lets you move while invulnerable, though you can’t attack during it. The duration is short, and the cooldown is very long. Use it only when absolutely necessary.”
Lumina and iling nodded, carefully storing them away.
“And finally…”
I gave Lumina a bottle filled with a moss-green potion.
“It’ll be tough, but I’m counting on you.”
“Mm…”
Lumina accepted it nervously.
“Here, these too.”
Eleanor handed out wireless earpieces.
“Comms. The frequency’s already set.”
We each took one.
“Then let’s move out.”
I glanced at the two attendants.
“Alright. Mission start!”
“Haah…”
As Rachel shouted in excitent, Sally let out a weary sigh.
(End of Chapter)
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