Episode 222
“Hmm.”
Hanbit fell into thought for a moment as he listened to Haemu’s story.
An alliance between the hardliners and the moderates.
The necessity went without saying, but the conditions for LLLL required more information.
“Ranked 6th, that’s a different caliber, yet I set the conditions for joining?”
“The Seongche faction declared you their main enemy, didn’t they? Naturally, the rankers’ interest is bound to rise. Of course, I don’t know what happened among those top-tier players.”
Haemu added that he, too, had almost no information.
A top-ranked player who had been shrouded in mystery until now.
It was even difficult to guess the nature of a single-digit ranked player.
“Is there no possibility that they are from the Seongche faction?”
Ryu Seong-ryong, listening to the conversation, harbored doubts.
Given the ambiguous boundaries between the factions, it was necessary to remain vigilant at all times.
“Of course I can’t be certain. But LLLL… Ugh, even the pronunciation is hard. Anyway, that person showed great interest in the Black Dragon. They also expressed strong suspicion regarding the rallying of the Holy Body Faction. It’s a strange turn of events if you don’t know the Goddess, isn’t it?”
“Rallying… I see.”
Ryu Seong-ryong slowly nodded.
Haemu had mentioned hearing stories about the Goddess and the Other World from the Black Dragon.
On the other hand, to an ordinary person, the movement of the factions was bound to appear sudden. After all,
the existence of the Holy Kingdom’s players was unknown at the time.
'…Did they reach 6th place solely through ability?'
Hanbit was surprised by a slightly different aspect.
The number of people with experience in the Goddess and the Other World had increased rapidly recently.
In particular, the Holy Body Faction rankers distributed at the top were highly likely to be on the side of the Goddess of Turmoil.
To rise to 6th place by demonstrating pure gaming ability amidst such beings was honestly impressive.
Looking at the ranking list again, Hanbit asked a question.
“2nd place Kangcheol and 8th place Nightmare weren’t from the Holy Body Faction either; do you have any information about them?”
“I’m not sure about Nightmare, but I do have a bit of a connection with Gangcheol. Since the topic came up, shall we go over that?”
Haemu took out his smartphone and placed it on the table.
An image that appeared to be a role-playing screenshot was displayed on the screen.
“What is this? Odin?”
Two men stood side by side against a backdrop of a forest.
The one on the left was clearly Odin, but the face on the right was unfamiliar.
“This man is Gangcheol. He is also Odin’s mentor.”
“…Ah.”
Along with those words, the conversation from the Snow Drake subjugation flashed through his mind.
Odin had definitely mentioned his mentor before.
He certainly hadn’t known he was ranked 2nd, though.
“You said he was an acquaintance, right?”
“We used to work together. Although now he’s gone to the Adult Faction with Odin.”
“…Did he go?”
“That’s why we need the Alliance more. Because eight people in the top 10 have become part of the Adult Faction.”
Gangcheol, who was clearly a Hardliner on the ranking screen.
And yet, he had moved to the Adult Faction.
I don't know if it was a decision made by his agency, but the fact that the No. 2 ranked person was making a move was ominous.
Had Odin also followed his master there to join them?
“Is there a possibility that Kangcheol is someone with experience in another world?”
“I tried to recall our past conversations, but I didn’t see any particular signs. He’s such a blunt person, so he might have just kept it inside. Of course, Kangcheol and the Seongche faction are completely opposite in vibe.”
Haemu added that he was simply someone who took the game seriously.
I had a rough idea of his personality, but no matter how I thought about it, it seemed strange for a decision made by the No. 2 ranked person.
“One thing. There is a story I heard from the Goddess.”
Just then, Ryu Seong-ryong spoke up.
“The Goddess’s story?”
“Yes.”
Nodding, he lowered his gaze for a moment.
Then, as if retracing his memories, he continued speaking.
“There was a man who was in deep despair for a long time after failing to save the world. With his heart and body of steel broken, he wailed to be sent back to the world for over a full day. However, since his soul was already shattered, he had to be returned to Earth. That was the story.”
“Are you saying that is Kangcheol?”
“I think the possibility is very high. He seemed similar to the personality I heard about from Haemu.”
Ryu Seong-ryong looked at the seat beside him.
At that, Haemu, who had been listening with his arms crossed, wore a troubled expression.
“He is a man with an unnecessarily strong sense of responsibility, but if what you say is true, it’s even stranger. Someone who was on the side of the Goddess of Silence suddenly switching to the side of the Goddess of Turmoil? That Kangcheol, who seems like he wouldn’t even utter the word ‘betrayal’?”
“It is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason right now. However, considering Odin’s actions, something strange is visible.”
Ryu Seong-ryong touched the smartphone screen and examined the memo.
After scrolling for a moment, he continued his explanation.
“On the morning the update began, he suddenly withdrew from his guild, Galaxy. Considering Odin’s usual personality, he wouldn’t have made such an irresponsible decision.”
“Well, that’s true. Honestly, I was surprised too, but if it was to help his mentor, Kangcheol, it’s not entirely incomprehensible. He’s the kind of guy who believes in repaying favors.”
“That’s right. That ‘favor’ is what matters. What is Kangcheol planning to do after moving to the Seongche Faction? Doesn’t it seem a bit strange to say it’s simply to increase the chances of clearing the content?”
Odin stepping down as the leader of the Galaxy guild and joining the Seongche Faction.
To those who knew Odin’s usual self, it was quite a shock.
Although it hadn’t been publicly announced, it was only a matter of time before it made headlines.
“Well, that’s not a question that can be resolved here.”
Hanbit, having listened to the conversation, reached a conclusion.
What mattered now was the action they would take.
Broadly speaking, the key was how violently the entire Seongche Faction would mobilize.
“Come to think of it, you two are part of the investigation team, aren’t you?”
“Yes. It’s been about a few months.”
“I am part of the investigation team, too. Though progress has been extremely slow since then.”
Both of them, members of the top advance party, had already secured the status of investigators. This was
a significant gap compared to the players who were stuck in Episode 8.
It was a formidable achievement, especially for Haemu, who had no experience in the other world.
“What is your ranking?”
“I am 612th.”
“I am 758th.”
Both were excellent rankers within the top 1,000. While
the top 10 are currently receiving the most attention, they were highly skilled individuals when viewed in the overall picture.
“I need to get stronger quickly. It will be difficult to deal with the higher-ranked players if they attack.”
“Given your growth rate, I think it will happen in no time, Black Dragon. Isn’t the Forbidden Zone the place where you can fully demonstrate your experience and knowledge? The rewards are also excellent, far superior to those within the Kingdom, so you will soon be on equal footing with them.”
“That is true.”
As Ryu Seong-ryong said, elements for a leap in power existed throughout the Forbidden Zone.
It was only natural that the situation would become incomparably more dangerous than before.
“It’s better for us if you get stronger. There are many humans within Astra who have defected to the Adult Faction. Grace is having a headache over it.”
Even Astra, which had carefully selected and assembled the advance party, was not immune to the chaotic shift in power.
Grace, wanting to cure her younger sibling who had gone mad, must have been burning with anxiety.
“I won’t stall for time either. I intend to get to where we were in the past as quickly as possible.”
The existing plan changed completely upon entering the Cube of Hell.
The Lost World Tree Branch obtained there.
The invitation to the Investigation Team headquarters that followed from that achievement was a development they had never anticipated.
Hanbit intended to seize this opportunity to gain as much advantage as possible.
“Ah, come to think of it.”
Just then, Ryu Seong-ryong spoke up as if something had just occurred to him.
“You received a reward from Inspector Ibella, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I was quite surprised because she is someone I’ve barely seen even in this other world.”
Ibella, the Investigation Team’s strongest mage.
It was chaotic at the time, but looking back, it was a fascinating situation.
In particular, the words she had whispered lingered in my mind.
“Ivela said she was on my side; do you have any idea what that might be? It’s hard to call it a joke, considering she was actually transported to a location similar to the group.”
“She is likely on the Black Dragon’s side. After all, I entered the Cube thanks to her help.”
“…What?”
The remark thrown out so abruptly was shocking.
I had thought she would have used a different method, but to think Ivela’s help was involved.
The flow of events was simply too bizarre.
“What exactly happened?”
“Ivela explained that she belongs to a different category than NPCs. Her interest in the Black Dragon is absolute.”
“……?” Even
after hearing the explanation, the situation was difficult to understand.
It seemed necessary to meet face-to-face to get an answer.
“Ultimately, we’ll have to see how things unfold. I might end the broadcast depending on the situation, so I will share whatever I find out. And this is a different question…”
Hanbit relayed the story of Chairman Kenji and Momo to Ryu Seong-ryong.
It was out of the hope that perhaps he might know something.
“We have also investigated the case of Mr. Kenji’s family. We received a request for cooperation from the Japanese Association. Of course, I also personally looked into the case of Ms. Grace’s younger sibling, which is a similar situation.”
Ryu Seong-ryong briefly explained the events of the past.
Despite searching for the cause and solution from various angles, no results were found.
It was limited to mere speculation that it was the work of the Goddess of Turmoil. After all
, if it were the Goddess of Silence, she would not have left such aftereffects.
“I wanted to help as well, but despite a long investigation, I couldn’t obtain any significant information. Then, the death of Adventurer A occurred.”
Ryu Seong-ryong focused on the recent incident.
Ordinarily, one would have tried to find a medical cause, but he was different.
“The coordinates for Sector 8-35, where Adventurer A last visited, were provided by our center as part of a deal. And now, that sector is completely inaccessible due to the control of the Holy Body Faction.” “
…Are you saying the Player was involved in Adventurer A’s death? I heard there were no signs of external intrusion.”
“There is a possibility that the Player used the Goddess’s power. We might find out more if we go to Sector 8-35 ourselves, though.”
It was difficult to easily dismiss that opinion, which placed weight on murder. In
a way, it was only natural given the crazy situation where the word ‘Goddess’ had to be brought up every time.
“But why did he die? Given his personality, did he get hit while charging headfirst? Or did he curse at the Goddess?”
“…That is a possibility, too.”
Haemu’s casually tossed-out opinion also made sense.
Ryu Seong-ryong also nodded and spoke.
“In any case, the important thing is the power left behind by the Goddess of Turmoil. If the influence exerted on the player also affects their physical body in reality, wouldn’t that be the solution to the problem?”
“To know the true nature of that power, you would have to be a top-ranked player.”
“I think so too. Perhaps we might have to climb to single digits.”
“Reaching single digits is a long way off. Black Dragon, are you sure you’ll be okay?”
A single-digit rank seemed daunting in the current situation.
Reaching that level was by no means easy, especially with 8 out of 10 people belonging to the Adult Faction.
However, for Hanbit, that was just one step in the process.
“It’s fine. I’ll join the Alliance anyway. Should I contact that person directly?”
“Ah, I’ll pass the message on for now.”
With that conversation, the three of them rose from their seats.
Hanbit’s quest waiting time was slowly approaching.
“Let’s keep in touch frequently. Oh, and could I ask you to investigate a player named Alice?”
“It is already in progress. I will let you know immediately if I discover anything.”
The Center had started its investigation early after checking the Black Dragon’s broadcast.
Impressed by their competence, Hanbit offered his greetings once again.
“Thank you. Then, I will see you again.”
