NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30
Before leaving, I used necromancy to imperfectly extract Johan’s memories and realized several things.
First, surprisingly enough, Johan’s words contained no lies.
“Are you really a member of the Styx?”
“W-well, it seems that way.”
Even going through the memories, it turned out he was quite a promising candidate. And we had just buried someone like that right in the dungeon.
“What do we do now?”
“Technically, it’s self-defense, isn’t it?”
“That’s true, but….”
The problem was that there was no way to prove it.
The second fact I discovered: the upper echelons of Styx didn’t actually intend to harm us.
In other words, this whole mess was entirely Johan’s personal play.
“Damn it. This is a mess. From their perspective, this is like a bolt from the blue.”
A promising member of the guild, sent out for recruitment and merely as a means of pressure, had gone missing?
This was definitely something that Styx would be alarmed about.
“Honestly, it’s all Johan’s mess, but….”
Would a mega-guild like Styx even care about that?
I didn’t think so.
They would start to suspect us, who were involved in some way, and consider us a thorn in their side.
It could escalate into disputes between individuals or organizations, or even become a national issue.
‘…It feels a bit early for that.’
If it were the old me, I wouldn’t have cared about such flies buzzing around. But now, it was different. My level was still far below my peak, and it was frustrating.
At that moment, Song Ha Yeon awkwardly chimed in.
“Uh, let’s just keep quiet about it?”
“…….”
“Since we’re each B rank and at the lower end of C rank, if we act like we don’t know anything, they shouldn’t be able to do much, right?”
That was certainly true.
Logically, it made no sense for Johan, who was on the brink of A rank promotion, to have something happen to him.
Even if Styx raised suspicions, they likely wouldn’t be fully convinced.
“Let’s just pretend nothing happened. Styx might move, but they won’t act on uncertain suspicions immediately.”
“What if friction arises eventually?”
“At least we just need to buy time until our Master gets stronger, right?”
I was convinced by that.
After all, the fight happened inside the dungeon; there was no real evidence.
“…What if we were caught on some CCTV or something?”
Due to my lack of power, the memory extraction wasn’t perfect. Therefore, I couldn’t know Johan’s exact movements.
“Oh, come on. Unless he’s an idiot, there’s no way he would have been caught on camera that blatantly. He would’ve been cautious once he got close.”
It felt a bit unsettling, but really there was no other option.
We agreed to pretend we knew nothing if any issues related to Johan arose.
Thus, we exited the dungeon, leaving behind the remnants of the boss we had defeated about thirty minutes ago, only to be greeted by an unfamiliar staff member.
“Ah, you cleared it?”
“W-what happened to the person who was originally here…?”
I thought he might have had a mishap like Johan, but surprisingly there didn’t seem to be a serious mood.
“The senior was feeling dizzy, probably from overworking, so I came in to cover for him.”
“Oh, I see….”
Song Ha Yeon subtly turned her head and made eye contact with me.
It seemed Johan didn’t handle things thoughtlessly after all.
We nodded at each other and finished the exit procedures, heading home.
“Got it? Today, we act like nothing happened.”
“…….”
In that moment, a significant secret had formed between us.
#
After that, surprisingly, there were no major incidents for a while.
【B rank hunter from the large UK guild Styx goes missing after entering Korea.】
【Last seen near the airport, all efforts put into investigation.】
For a brief moment, such articles circulated, but surprisingly, neither Song Ha Yeon nor I received any communications from various agencies.
‘Could it be that there simply wasn’t anything to tie us to this, or is there some backstory?’
Other guilds might not know, but Styx, which sent Johan to Korea, was definitely aware of our existence.
Therefore, whether the lack of action from them was a good or bad sign was still uncertain.
However, it didn’t really matter. I still had my trust in some things.
‘…Seems like there’s some animosity with Helena.’
When I extracted Johan’s memory, I discovered a little about Styx’s relationship with Helena. That made me worry less now.
I planned to resolve it within my capabilities, but if things went south, I would think about asking Helena for help.
Clank.
Clank, clank.
Boom!
【You have been defeated!】
“Ugh.”
After the C5 Rank Dungeon strategy, I had been holed up at home for quite some time without going on any dungeon runs.
At first, it was because I needed to recover physically.
Since I had used the Book of Death with insufficient power, I had been suffering from muscle pain and other symptoms for days.
But that wasn’t the case anymore.
To be honest, I had hit a kind of burnout.
‘My level just isn’t going up fast enough…’
It was the same in games, but reality was even worse. Just reaching level 20 made growth feel alarmingly slow.
‘Finally at level 19.’
Even after clearing the C5 Rank Dungeon with a partner, my level stagnated at 19.
Honestly, I couldn’t help but sigh. At this rate, how long would it take to level up enough to regain all my strength?
‘Should I be moving on from small dungeons soon?’
However, getting permission for dungeons of medium size and larger as a duo party was as hard as reaching for the stars. I would have to join a proper strategy team or guild to step into that territory.
That was far too painful for me right now.
‘…It’s tiring. I don’t want to go out.’
Lately, I had talked to people too much. Though the side effects had decreased compared to before, there was still significant mental exhaustion.
For now, I needed a break in many ways.
Boom!
【Victory!】
Boom!
【You have been defeated!】
How many days had I been absorbed in gaming like this? Suddenly, I stumbled upon a shocking fact.
【Grandmaster: 642P】
‘The score hasn’t changed at all…’
Logically, it didn’t make sense. My level had risen considerably, and thus my physicality should have improved too.
If my score went up, it shouldn’t go down.
Yet, despite that, my score remained unchanged.
It was merely maintaining the status quo.
What on earth could that mean?
‘Is this the limit of my brain power?’
I couldn’t comprehend it at all. But there was no other explanation.
I kept playing the game as if to deny reality.
Bang!
【Victory!】
Boom!
【You have been defeated!】
Boom!
【You have been defeated!】
【Grandmaster: 632P】
“That… can’t be….”
I fell into despair.
#
Baek Se Ha had recently been troubled.
‘Could everything my brother said actually be true?’
Several days ago, she had received a shocking phone call from a senior figure in the Association.
“New record?”
[Yes, that’s correct. When compared to the current S ranks during their rookie days, you clearly hold an advantage.]
Seoinjae, who was known to be the right-hand man of the association president, cautiously relayed more opinions from the association.
[Considering such aspects, it seems that…]
That was certainly a reasonable statement. But the biggest question remained unresolved.
‘Even if that’s true, wouldn’t it make things even stranger?’
The tall Baek Eun Ha had turned into a small girl. And due to various mental disorders, including social anxiety, she still hadn’t managed to communicate properly.
If Baek Eun Ha were indeed the powerful necromancer of another realm, what possible reason could there be for her to have ended up in such a state?
[W-well, that part is honestly a mystery for us too. That’s why we’d like to confirm…]
“…I understand what you’re saying.”
That was why Baek Se Ha had been in deep contemplation for the past couple of days.
‘If it’s true, then I feel so sorry for her…’
Had she inadvertently ignored Baek Eun Ha, who had earnestly confessed her situation, treating her like a mere patient all this time?
After much consideration, Baek Se Ha made a resolution. She had no choice but to have a serious conversation with her.
Staying silent would change nothing.
Thud.
Thud.
Click!
“Brother. I have something to talk about….”
“Uh.”
Baek Se Ha, who had walked in without knocking, was greeted by the sight of her brother sitting on the floor, hands raised, and staring intently at a sketchbook.
Scattered around were already torn pages, and various shapes that looked like they were drawn by a child were crudely etched here and there.
“Uh…”
“T-this is… uh, it’s for brain training….”
“…Ah, sorry for interrupting.”
Click!
The scene felt oddly fitting, and I nearly let out a laugh. Baek Se Ha quickly closed the door as she pondered deeply.
‘That’s the Lord of Death…?’
No matter how much she thought about it, it couldn’t be true.