Chapter 65

As Jester and the Elder Council hastily prepared to leave the mansion, a man appeared near Iberia’s East Gate in a flash of white light.

“Ugh… I just can’t get used to this, no matter how many times it happens.”

The man’s name was Im Seo-yoon. As a player who used the combo card ‘Kalkas’s Weapon Master’, he was, true to its name, an expert in weapon usage. Perhaps because he had just rested, his clothes were somewhat disheveled, but after quickly surveying his surroundings and confirming it wasn’t a dangerous area, he immediately took out his cabinet from his inventory and began to gear up for battle. After equipping his favorite carbon crossbow and arrows, and attaching a hunting knife near his shoulder, he finally opened his phone to check the quest.

Defend the City from the Forces of Darkness.

Objective: The mighty Dark Army is marching to attack the walled city of Iberia. Stop their invasion. (Time remaining until invasion: 54 hours 11 minutes)

[This quest involves a large number of participants simultaneously.]

“Large number?”

Seo-yoon read the quest information, nodding along, until he was startled by the last line. It was natural that the more people participating, the higher the quest’s difficulty. Given that fact, it was easy to guess that this quest would be more challenging than any mission he had ever experienced.

“Oh dear…”

Seo-yoon scratched his chin with a troubled expression, looking at his phone for a moment, then decided to step out of the alley to see who had arrived. As he exited the somewhat dark alley, he immediately saw many people.

And indeed…

There were a lot of people. There were many people from this world, whom he had seen while traveling for quests, but there were also crowds of people dressed in clothes one would only see on Earth. Roughly twenty people at a glance. This was more people than Seo-yoon had encountered in all his previous missions combined.

“This is… what on earth…”

At this point, even Seo-yoon, who always wore a smiling expression, couldn’t help but look serious. Just then, someone called his name.

“Ah! Seo-yoon! It is Seo-yoon, isn’t it?”

Im Seo-yoon realized the voice sounded familiar and turned his head towards its source. A short-haired woman in a white blouse, cotton pants, and a denim jacket came into view. Even in the dim light, her beauty seemed to radiate, and Im Seo-yoon immediately recalled her name.

“Ah… Se-ah. How have you been?”

Jin Se-ah gave a wry smile and replied, “Not so great.”

“Huh? Is something wrong…?”

“Hmph… Don’t even ask. I finally decided to elegantly slice a steak, and then I was summoned.”

“Haha, how unfortunate.”

Se-ah shrugged at Seo-yoon’s words. “It’s not entirely unfortunate. I just think of it as saving money. Though the restaurant staff will probably be racking their brains over the mysterious woman who suddenly vanished from their restroom.”

“Haha…”

After a brief, light conversation, Jin Se-ah looked at the scattered players with a tense expression. “This quest… it won’t be easy, will it?”

Im Seo-yoon silently nodded.

“Hmph… Just when I thought I was getting used to things…”

As Jin Se-ah sighed wearily with a somewhat tired expression, a peculiar figure suddenly appeared among the people. Long, flowing black hair that reached her waist. And a white dress reminiscent of a traditional Korean burial shroud. The moment Im Seo-yoon and Jin Se-ah saw her, they instantly knew who she was.

“…”

Im Seo-yoon and Jin Se-ah instinctively turned their heads away from her, but Seo Yu-mi appeared like a ghost and quietly spoke from behind them.

“H-hello…”

The moment they heard her whispering voice, Im Seo-yoon and Jin Se-ah felt a shiver run down their spines.

“Hahaha… H-hello.”

Realizing he had unconsciously turned away, Im Seo-yoon quickly turned his head and greeted her, but at that very moment, his gaze met her eyes, which were smiling faintly from behind her black hair, and cold sweat trickled down his back.

“Have you been… well, Yu-mi?”

“Yes. Se-ah, you’ve been well too, right?”

“Uh… yes… more or less…”

With Seo Yu-mi’s appearance, the relatively pleasant atmosphere around Seo-yoon and Se-ah rapidly chilled. As they wondered how to salvage the mood, a shout suddenly came from across the main road.

“Those affiliated with the Union, please gather in the city center! Union members, if you’re here, please come to the city center!”

Hearing that, Seo Yu-mi tilted her head. “The Union?”

Sensing an opportunity, Im Seo-yoon quickly replied, “Ah, that’s the guild created by the congressman’s son. I think its official name was something like the ‘Republic of Korea Returnee’s Union’. Didn’t you receive a contact about it?”

Hearing that, Jin Se-ah slapped her hand as if remembering, and replied, “Oh, I did. Actually, I was debating whether to join or not.”

“Indeed, the conditions are quite good.”

Seo Yu-mi tilted her head, listening to them, and said, “I… haven’t heard of it.”

“…”

In that instant, Im Seo-yoon and Jin Se-ah simultaneously pictured the same scene in their minds: people running away after seeing Yu-mi, with her long, flowing black hair, giggling eerily while sharpening a kitchen knife.

“Ahem…” Im Seo-yoon cleared his throat and said to the two women, “Well, Seo Yu-mi will probably be contacted soon. They’re going to explain that special law or whatever it is.”

Only then did Seo Yu-mi nod. “Ah… I know about that. The special law.”

Im Seo-yoon continued, watching the people slowly moving towards the city center. “Honestly… because of these damned quests, economic and social activities are almost impossible, aren’t they? Well, my family is reasonably well-off, so it’s a bit better for me, but for others, just getting by is a huge problem.”

“…”

As the two women nodded silently, Im Seo-yoon spoke again. “In such a situation, when they create a ‘guild’ under the pretext of state support, people can’t help but be tempted.”

Jin Se-ah, who had been listening quietly, then asked Im Seo-yoon, “Seo-yoon, it seems you don’t like this ‘Union’ guild much.”

“No. To be honest, I really don’t like it.”

“Why?”

“On the surface, it seems to support players whose normal lives have become impossible, but in reality, it’s virtually the same as shackling the superhumans who have newly emerged under the name of ‘players’.”

“Ah…”

Seo Yu-mi looked blank, wondering what he meant, but Jin Se-ah’s expression darkened upon hearing Seo-yoon’s words. To be frank, her family wasn’t particularly wealthy either.

“Hmph… This is serious. I do have some money saved up, but I can’t just keep eating into it forever.”

Seo-yoon gave a wry smile at her words. “At least our country is better off. In places like China, they just forcefully dragged all the players away, I hear.”

“Good heavens…”

Seo-yoon paused, looked around briefly, then spoke again. “By the way… Mr. Park Jun-sang isn’t here.”

“Mr. Park Jun-sang? Ah, that man?”

Jin Se-ah looked around as if just remembering, then tilted her head. “You’re right. He’s really not here. Surely nothing has happened to him…”

The atmosphere instantly grew cold. Hearing her words, they were reminded of the fact that they were constantly facing death. Jin Se-ah also realized her thoughtless comment belatedly and quickly apologized to them. “I-I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking…”

Im Seo-yoon shook his head and said, “No. Well… it’s not wrong.” Then he grinned and continued, “Besides… I don’t think Jun-sang would die from anything ordinary.”

Hearing that, Jin Se-ah laughed awkwardly and agreed. “Indeed, he is quite good.”

Just then, Seo Yu-mi, who had been quietly listening beside them, raised her hand and spoke. “I… I’ve seen him once.”

Im Seo-yoon looked at her with interest. “Oh, really?”

“Yes.”

“Was he doing well?”

Seo Yu-mi replied with a gloomy expression, “Well… I couldn’t even properly talk to him.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“He suddenly just ran off. I tried to follow him… but the quest ended so quickly, before I could do anything… So I didn’t even get to see ‘Jjong-ie’ properly.”

“…”

Im Seo-yoon and Jin Se-ah once again pictured a scene: Seo Yu-mi, with her black hair flowing and wearing a white dress reminiscent of a burial shroud, pulling out a kitchen knife and chasing after Jun-sang.

The atmosphere turned chilly again for a moment, and Im Seo-yoon lightly cleared his throat before speaking to the two women. “Ahem, it seems others are gathering over there too, let’s go.”

“Okay.”

The three quietly walked towards the city’s central plaza. Just then, Jester, representing the city, was leading the members of the Elder Council out.

“As expected…”

Jester saw the people gathered in the plaza and easily recognized them as people from the same place as Jun-sang. Not only their attire but also their appearance was strikingly similar at first glance. Jester nodded, quickly surveyed the players, then slowly opened his mouth.

“Who is your representative?”

The players looked at each other. Although they had formed an organization called the “Union,” they had never gathered like this before, so it was hard to immediately recognize who was who. Then, a sturdy middle-aged man suddenly spoke to a younger-looking man standing next to him.

“It seems it’s time for the Guild Master to step forward.”

The “young master” himself, Kim Seong-jin, gave a wry smile and shook his head. “If a rookie like me steps up, it’d be fortunate if I’m not ignored.”

“But…”

“Don’t worry about my father’s words. In a large-scale full-frontal battle like this, Major Kwon’s knowledge will be of great help.”

At Seong-jin’s words, Major Kwon nodded. “Understood.” He then stepped forward towards Jester and spoke. “I am Major Kwon Hyeong-sik from the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command. Who are you?”

Jester’s eyebrow twitched momentarily. The Republic of Korea? So they weren’t from the same country called Silla as Jun-sang? If they belonged to different countries, and he didn’t understand their power dynamics, speaking carelessly could cause problems. Having processed his thoughts, Jester nodded and introduced himself.

“I am responsible for the Brea family, which is based in Iberia. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine.”

Jester felt a sense of reassurance just looking at Major Kwon Hyeong-sik, who had a distinctly strong, masculine presence. Jester immediately got to the point. “May I ask why you have visited this humble place?”

Major Kwon Hyeong-sik briefly turned his head to look at Kim Seong-jin. And when Kim Seong-jin nodded, only then did he speak about the quest they had been given.

“It may be hard to believe, but this city will be attacked by a large-scale enemy in approximately fifty hours. We have been summoned here to stop it.”

To be honest, neither Major Kwon Hyeong-sik, who spoke, nor the players who listened, expected such a story to be accepted immediately. But to their surprise, as Major Kwon Hyeong-sik finished speaking, the members of the Elder Council immediately brightened and nodded.

“Ah! So it was true! What a relief. Indeed, God has not abandoned Iberia!”

“Huh?”

Major Kwon Hyeong-sik, who had expected, at best, suspicion or hostility, couldn’t help but be momentarily bewildered by this incomprehensible reaction. The other players were equally perplexed; some even wondered if this was some kind of trap. Jester felt their wary gazes but pretended not to notice and spoke again.

“Excuse me, but could you tell me how many of you there are?”

Major Kwon Hyeong-sik looked troubled. “Well, we’ve only just been summoned ourselves, so we haven’t been able to ascertain the exact number.”

“Ah, I see. Well then, since night is falling, we will provide accommodation. How does that sound?”

“That would be greatly appreciated.”

Jester thought for a moment, then recalled the Administrator’s residence and the mansion where his family stayed. Since the Administrator had fled in the face of the enemy, he was now effectively a traitor, which provided sufficient justification to requisition the mansion.

“Then I will guide you. You there, go ahead and secure the Administrator’s mansion. And you, go check how much of the furnishings remain.”

“Understood.”

Jester sent people to quickly prepare the lodging and personally guided Major Kwon Hyeong-sik, saying, “Honestly… just a moment ago, I was truly at a loss, but I cannot express how relieved I am that you all have come.”

“Ah, yes. No problem at all.”

“Hmph… Thinking about how my heart sank when I heard an enemy of ten thousand was coming, I’m still sweating cold. Hahaha…”

“…”

In that instant, not only Major Kwon Hyeong-sik but also the players following him, all the color drained from their faces.

Ten thousand!

Only then did the players realize. These people were desperate, grasping at straws. And, at this very moment, they had become those straws. But they also did not know that the vanguard of ten thousand was already being utterly shattered by someone’s hand.