Chapter 22: Star, Home (7)

“Come in.”

So Yu-Ha allowed Cha Ye-Eun and Jin Seok-Tae to enter her home after introducing herself as Chang-Sun’s mother.

‘She’s beautiful,’ Ye-Eun thought in silent admiration.

That was Ye-Eun’s first impression of Yu-Ha, owing to the older woman’s elegant beauty. In truth, she had heard that Chang-Sun was more famous for his looks than his talent in his years as a professional gamer; it was said that he had inherited his looks from his mother, who had once been an actress. During her investigation of Chang-Sun’s family, Ye-Eun had seen many photos of Yu-Ha, but now she only felt that they had not done the woman justice.

However, one thing continued to bother Ye-Eun. Whenever she revealed her identity as a Council agent, people usually became incredibly shocked, wondering if they had done something wrong; in contrast, Yu-Ha looked calm. Despite the woman’s air of composure, however, Ye-Eun knew Yu-Ha only looked calm after seeing her faintly trembling fingers. Regardless, Yu-Ha spoke as if she had expected Ye-Eun and Seok-Tae’s visit.

‘Did somebody else from the Council come here?’ Ye-Eun thought, feeling that something was wrong.

When she entered Chang-Sun’s home, she discovered the reason for that uneasy feeling. She could not spare a moment to admire the beautiful open view of the Hangang River from the living room.

“You guys are such slowpokes. I would expect nothing less from the Council’s agents. This is why civil servants are always criticized. Haha!”

“Still, you’re earlier than I thought. Long time no see, Agent Ye-Eun.”

Ye-Eun knew the two people sitting on the living room sofa. As a Council agent, she was often forced to cross paths with them. She clenched her teeth as she thought ‘What the…? When did they…?’

They were executives from the top five Clans in Korea.

Seo Jeong-Gwon, also known as ‘Smilodon’—the leader of the White Tiger Clan’s Attack Team 2.

Woo Yeong-Geun, also known as ‘Black Shamshir’—the Personnel Director of the Sword of Ohsung Clan.

Ye-Eun’s expression turned grim, as she had not expected to run into the two. Although she had known that secrets pertaining to Chang-Sun would be leaked to major Clans, she had not expected them to find out in less than a day after the Dungeon Closure took place.

‘I was too complacent,’ Ye-Eun thought, admitting her mistake.

Seeing as even the Council had classified information about Chang-Sun as top secret, the major Clans would have thought no less of him. In fact, they had even more reasons to react quickly, as they were private companies.

‘What should we do, Ye-Eun?’ Seok-Tae silently screamed in Ye-Eun’s direction, feeling completely baffled.

Seeing how things had turned out, Ye-Eun felt that she had to take the bull by the horns. There was one silver lining, at least; as Chang-Sun was not home, the Clan representatives had not met him, which meant she still had a chance.

“I didn’t think you two would get here before me,” Ye-Eun said calmly.

“I thought someone might snatch him away if I didn’t come first. You know, I think Clans are crazy nowadays when I look at rookies’ signing bonuses. On top of that, a team leader and a director from a major Clan are both here to recruit this rookie… How is this even possible?” Jeong-Kwon from the White Tiger Clan answered first, sounding annoyed.

“Ohsung has been keeping an eye on the Jamsil Gate incident. Well, I could carry him on my shoulders if he is indeed a super rookie,” Yeong-Geun from the Sword of Ohsung Clan answered next, sounding more polite.

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Perhaps because they belonged to the two major Clans that had the most intense rivalry in Korea, Jeong-Gwon and Yeong-Geun were completely different, from attitude and behavior right down to tone of voice.

Jeong-Gwon appeared wild and unrestrained, like a lion set loose in the street. His large mane of hair and robust physique gave him a threatening aura. The White Tiger Clan was known to have the strongest attack teams in Korea, and the Clan’s Attack Team 1 was under the Clan leader’s direct supervision; thus, it was no exaggeration to say that Jeong-Gwon, the Attack Team 2 leader, was the ‘pride’ of the White Tiger Clan.

Yeong-Geun, in contrast to Jeong-Gwon, carried himself like an elegant gentleman. The Sword of Ohsung Clan had started as a subsidiary of the Ohsung group, which had led the Korean economy for a long time, and they had successfully become a major Clan in a mere five years. As the Personnel Director of such a Clan, Yeong-Geun was a very powerful man. In fact, the surname ‘Woo’ was the surname of the Ohsung group’s president.

In short, Jeong-Gwon and Yeong-Geun were not the sort who would normally go door-to-door to recruit rookies. Why would such people show up when it had been less than a day since the incident? It could mean only one thing.

‘Both clans are too eager to recruit Chang-Sun. He’s a super rookie, but is he worth all this?’ Ye-Eun thought, her gaze turning sharp. ‘Chang-Sun must have some other secrets that we haven’t noticed.’

Ye-Eun did not know what those secrets were; however, she instinctively felt that whatever they were, they would make Chang-Sun’s value inestimable.

The White Tiger Clan and the Sword of Ohsung Clan clearly intended to try to recruit Chang-Sun no matter what. Apart from the practical benefits, it had become a matter of the two Clans’ pride. Nevertheless, Chang-Sun was one person, which meant one Clan would be unable to have him. What would happen afterward?

‘They’ll interfere to make sure the other Clan can’t have Chang-Sun either,’ Ye-Eun thought.

She knew that the pompous Jeong-Gwon and the sophisticated Yeong-Geun both became the same sort of monster within a Dungeon. If they failed to recruit Chang-Sun, they would turn into monsters again.

Fortunately, Ye-Eun was a Class 3 agent, which meant her rank was on par with the other two. As she was just as talented a Player as they were, she had no reason to feel inferior to them. Thus, Ye-Eun, Jeong-Gwon, and Yeong-Geun entered a fierce staring contest.

“It is not much, but help yourselves,” Yu-Ha said, sounding tired as she set a plate of fruits down in front of the representatives. “All four of you said you were here to recruit my Chang-Sun, yes?”

“As you may already know, the White Tiger Clan is…” Jeong-Gwon quickly began first.

“The Sword of Ohsung is more than willing to provide systematic education for Mr. Chang-Sun, so he can become the best Player in Korea…!” Yeong-Geun interrupted.

“The Council…!” Ye-Eun tried her best to say something good about the Council.

“I understand what the three organizations are offering, but it is my youngest son’s decision, not mine. So, I do not think I should be the one to hear about it. However, I would like to ask about something else regarding my son, even though I may not be a good enough mother,” Yu-Ha said.

She spoke so calmly and elegantly that everyone in the living room was able to hear her small, quiet voice. More surprising was the fact that she had interrupted three of the best professional Players in Korea and managed to gain control of the conversation.

“You mentioned that my son was in the Jamsil Dungeon over the past fifteen days… Can I hear more about that?” Yu-Ha cautiously asked.

At that moment, Ye-Eun realized that Yu-Ha and the rest of Chang-Sun’s family had previously had no idea where Chang-Sun had been. It seemed the representatives had made a big mistake.

* * *

Before leaving the Choi-Lee Forge, Chang-Sun asked for a full account of what had happened from Bu-Yong.

“There’s only one reason why the Highoff Clan recruited Senior Brother—no, that bastard Jin Dae-Hwan,” Choi Bu-Yong explained.

“What’s that?” Chang-Sun replied, crossing his arms.

“They’re trying to open a tomb,” Bu-Yong said, crumpling the paper cup in his hand.

“A tomb?” Chang-Sun repeated, biting the end of his paper cup.

“I don’t know what tomb it is, but everyone knows that the Highoff Clan has been desperately trying to clear a certain Tomb Dungeon for a long time,” Bu-Yong replied. Trying to hold in his fury as much as possible, he continued, “Dae-Hwan was hired to open the final room inside the tomb. From what I’ve heard, it seems the room is sealed with a lock. I think it requires a Hidden Piece, but it looks as if the Clan couldn’t find it… That’s why they scouted him.”

Chang-Sun finally understood the situation.

Because of the sheer number of mechanisms inside Tomb Dungeons, they were the trickiest ones to clear. Such mechanisms were installed to stop tomb raiders, as a ‘tomb’ was intended to make sure the deceased could rest in peace.

If one of the Ten Clans was trying to complete a Dungeon, it had to be very large. Thus, an ordinary key would be insufficient to open up the final room of such a Dungeon. That had to be why they were trying to create a special key by recruiting a specialist.

‘What Dungeon is it…? Such a Dungeon must have fine burial goods in it,’ Chang-Sun thought as he told Bu-Yong to just wait for him to return.

After that, Chang-Sun headed to the Dungeon Bu-Yong had told him about.

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ likes your righteousness, nodding in satisfaction.]

[A bonus reward has been granted.]

[Acquired the Skill ‘Unbending Spirit’!]

[Unbending Spirit]

The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ has given this gift to you, one who can no longer tolerate injustice and seeks to rectify it. It specializes in protecting you from mental debuffs.

“One with an unbending spirit will never yield under any circumstances.”

· Type: Blessing. Protection.

· Effect: Immunity to mental debuffs. Maintain an iron will.

Chang-Sun unexpectedly received a gift from Minerva. He thought with a shrug ‘She must have misunderstood.’

Minerva had been acting friendly ever since Chang-Sun had saved people from Mephistopheles, considering him to be a person who hated evil and championed good. On top of that, Chang-Sun was about to help Bu-Yong which problems, which was likely why she had given him a bonus reward…

Chang-Sun had no reason to clear up the misunderstanding, so he simply opted to let her keep believing that. Besides, the [Unbending Spirit] blessing she had given him was not bad. It was actually quite powerful.

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Chang-Sun’s only weakness at the moment was that he was vulnerable to curses that could affect his mind. Although his willpower was so strong that he had even acquired his own divine class once, he had lost his powers, which meant he would be weak if he came across a powerful figure. However, [Unbending Spirit] would help to resolve most of his concerns. Unless he went up against an apostle, nobody would be able to break through [Unbending Spirit].

‘Still, it would have been better if she gave me [Insightful Eye] or [Goddess Sword],’ Chang-Sun thought, clicking his tongue in disappointment. Those were the Authorities that had enabled Minerva to become a warring deity. ‘Well, the first time’s always the hardest. It gets easier the second time, so I just have to proceed step by step.’

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ is happy because she feels as if she is about to see an interesting fight.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ is looking forward to seeing how creatively you are going to handle this new battle.]

With Pabilsag and Jörmungandr showing their support, Chang-Sun arrived at Bonghwasan Mountain[1], located in Jungnang-gu. The mountain was very small, making it more like a hill. The citizens who lived nearby usually used it as a walking path, but Chang-Sun could not see any people, perhaps because it was late in the evening.

‘It’s… 8:40 P.M. I’m late,’ Chang-Sun thought bitterly. He had initially planned to head home as early as possible, but it seemed that would no longer be an option.

After leaving a message to avoid making his mother worry, Chang-Sun shoved his phone into his back pocket.

‘First, I have to hide my identity,’ Chang-Sun thought as he pulled out a unique mask from his inventory. Although the wooden Hahoe mask[2] was nearly pitch-black, it had a faint brown hue. The mask had been randomly hanging on the Choi-Lee Forge’s wall, and he had simply taken it.

[Smiling Hahoe Mask]

A Hahoe mask carved from rosewood, which has become very sturdy through special processing.

The mask is smiling, but it somehow looks sad.

· Type: Mask. Defensive equipment.

· Defense: 50~70

· Effect: Prevent Recognition. Clear Vision.

Its Defense was quite low, considering that an Ou Yezi had made it, but its abilities were quite good. [Prevent Recognition] blurred other people’s senses, which would give Chang-Sun an advantage in ambushing them. Meanwhile, [Clear Vision] would allow him to see in the dark. Those abilities alone would be very useful in the upcoming battles.

Click―

[Equipped the ‘Smiling Hahoe Mask’!]

After covering his face with a mask that bore a sad smile and drawing [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] with one hand, Chang-Sun began to move.

Pah―!

Chang-Sun climbed the mountain as quickly as lightning. It was not difficult to locate the Dungeon, as there was only one crowded area on the mountain. No one other than the Highoff Clan would be on the mountain so late at night.

“Who’s there?!” a Highoff Clan Player yelled.

Just like the Highoff Clan’s Players, Chang-Sun did not bother to hide. Rather than risking getting caught while trying to sneak around with great difficulty, it would be easier to finish his opponents off on the spot.

[Equipped the ‘Ice Kite Feather Daggers’!]

As he ran, Chang-Sun took out four feathers, holding them between his fingers. At first glance, they just looked like ordinary feathers; however, they were full of Ice Toxin. The feathers had been reinforced with bone fragments to make them sturdier, so Chang-Sun could use them directly in combat.

[The Skill ‘Blood Toxin’ has been activated!]

[The daggers have been smeared with Ice Toxin.]

[The Ice Toxin in the ‘Ice Kite Feather Daggers’ has been strengthened.]

That was not all, however. When Chang-Sun smeared the feathers with his blood, they stiffened as if they had been frozen.

‘I didn’t know I was going to use these in combat so soon.’

Swoosh―!

Chang-Sun threw one of the feathers in his left hand.

Stab―!

“Argh!”

The moment a Player noticed Chang-Sun, he was hit in the forehead by one of the feathers and fell backward, letting out a scream.

“Ch-Chae-Yoon? It’s an ambush!”

“Enemy! Get the intruder!”

“Where are you?! Show yourself!”

After moving their unconscious colleague to a safe place, the Highoff Clan’s Players ran in Chang-Sun’s direction. Exactly as they demanded, Chang-Sun appeared from the shadows.

Stab, stab, stab―!

Chang-Sun threw the feathers through the air, accurately aiming for the Players’ throats and the centers of their foreheads.

“Argh! W-What is this?!”

“I-Ice?”

“This isn’t melting! What the…?!”

The Players were completely baffled by the message ‘Poisoned with Ice Toxin’ that repeatedly popped up before their eyes. They desperately tried to detoxify themselves by drinking antidotes, but the only message they received was ‘The antidote is ineffective.’ They were forced to suffer horribly, as Chang-Sun's attacks caused their bodies and mana flow to freeze on the spot.

Chang-Sun broke through the crowd of Players and swiftly reached the Dungeon’s entrance.

“Stop hiiiiim!” one of the Players desperately yelled.

The Highoff Clan had never expected someone to barge into a Dungeon that was under their management, so they had not assigned many Players near the entrance.

Booom!

Rumble―!

In the end, they were forced to allow Chang-Sun to enter, as their pathetic defenses were instantly overcome.

1. This is an actual mountain in Korea. ☜

2. These are masks used in a traditional Korean ritual dance, originating from the Hahoe Folk Village. ☜

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