Episode 64.
Lee Seo-hee and her guild members were staying at a hotel in Otaru. Of course, there was no one left there. Except for those who turned into monsters in front of their eyes, the number of lizards that were wandering near the barrier matched the number of remaining people. So eventually, all of the guild members except Lee Seo-hee turned into lizards.
“I’ll close the door if you’re in the room, Si-woo.”
“Okay.”
When Lee Seo-hee returned to her room at the hotel with Jung Si-woo and closed the door, then, Jung Si-woo put in the key and revealed the resting place. Lee Seo-hee couldn’t believe it even though she saw it with her own eyes.
“I’m pretty good with mana, so I can’t believe I had no clue…”
“It’s a little special.”
In fact, Jung Si-woo didn’t know that the hiding ability provided by the key to the resting place would be outstanding. Usually, Lee Seo-hee would’ve explored it, but given the situation, she moved on, saying, “I see.”.
But there was something she couldn’t let go of.
“Then…what are those kids?”
“Oh, I’m Yong Se-ha!”
Lee Seo-hee asked while looking at Soo Ah-rin and Yong Se-ha, who crawled out of Jung Si-woo’s arms. Although Yong Se-ha bowed his head and stated his name, Soo Ah-rin answered in a haughty manner, putting her hair neatly and shaking it off.
“My name is Soo Ah-rin. I’ve been keeping myself like this for a reason, and I’m not a kid.”
“If you’re Soo Ah-rin, I’m sure it’s from the Soaring Tempest Guild that recently retired…ah, your voice!”
Lee Seo-hee was more surprised that she was the one who answered her phone call than the fact that she was a player who retired alive. Despite the situation, Lee Seo-hee couldn’t help but be angry.
“You have a fiancé! But why…!”
“No, you’re just talking nonsense!”
She lied to her so casually that she was Jung Si-woo’s girlfriend! Jung Si-woo tilted his head, wondering why these girls were fighting all of a sudden, leaving Soo Ah-rin damaged and Lee Seo-hee trembling.
“Ah-rin and Se-ha both retired, but they’re definitely alive, not ghosts. I can’t explain the details but understand.”
“…Is that related to you being a player, Si-woo?”
It was a very sharp point. He didn’t have to hide it, so Jung Si-woo nodded and showed his tail.
“I’m not a normal player; I can’t go to the Sky Castle. I’m a player who can only play on the ground. So I’m just half a player.”
“I see, so…”
He didn’t tell her how to become an underground player or that the Ant Caves existed. Lee Seo-hee also didn’t try to dig deep. More accurately, she had no energy to dig deeper.
“Anyway, these guys are helping me right now. Rather, let’s get back to this case and talk about it.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Jung Si-woo explained as simply as possible. He said he started full-fledged activities in time for monsters to appear on Earth and that he also found signs related to God, along with evidence that they were using monsters not long ago. Perhaps the Gods were controlling this series of events when monsters appeared on Earth.
“But I didn’t know they could turn humans into monsters. I’ve been watching them without telling you so that I can find out more about them…”
More precisely, Lee Seo-hee, who had been blind, was already wary of being swayed by God’s will. After the chaos, Lee Seo-hee was able to understand his concern fully.
“I see. You were already suspicious of them. As expected, I was stupid. It’s so easy to believe in a God that has ties with monsters. I almost put you in danger…”
“No, that’s how big the enemy’s power and mana are. As I said before, don’t blame yourself. It was their own fault that they were possessed by the power of God, and I wasn’t hurt at all. Rather, I think it’s a good thing that I was able to help you.”
“Huh…”
Tears filled Lee Seo-hee’s eyes when she heard that, but she didn’t cry. She would feel better if she cried. However, if she did so, her mistakes and emotions would start flowing away with the tears. If she leaned on Jung Si-woo, she would feel at ease. But in doing so, she would collapse without a hitch. That wasn’t what Lee Seo-hee wanted. It was also rude to her dead guild members. A few minutes later, she barely raised her head. Tears were still lingering in her eyes.
“Thank you, Si-woo.”
“Don’t mention it.”
The man and woman smiled face to face. Everything changed, but only their smiles remained the same. They were still shining brightly. Lee Seo-hee opened her mouth after that pause.
“I still like you. I liked you this whole time.”
“I expected that.”
“Maybe even more than before.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Until I called you, all I wanted to do was make you a player and get together again. And we could work together sometimes…but.”
Her face showed a firm will.
“I think I’m going to have to stand-alone now. I think I should walk this path alone.”
“You look tired.”
“It’s because I’m tired. I don’t want to give you a hard time…it was messy from the beginning anyway.”
Lee Seo-hee glanced at Soo Ah-rin and smiled bitterly, and Soo Ah-rin flinched away reflexively. Jung Si-woo tilted his head, not knowing what she was talking about, but he didn’t ask. It was because he couldn’t accept her confession anyway. She could read his feelings to some extent from his expression. Lee Seo-hee continued with a bitter smile.
“There’s a room used by another guild member. Take a rest here today, and I will take you back to Korea tomorrow.”
“No, it’s okay. Even though I don’t have wings, I have a means of transportation. So you don’t have to overdo yourself.”
He was sorry to leave Lee Seo-hee, who had gone through a lot. But being here would’ve only been more painful for her. It was rude of him since she had already decided to stand alone.
“I’m sorry I can’t be with you, Seo-hee.”
“Okay.”
When Jung Si-woo gently wiped away the remaining tears around Lee Seo-hee’s eyes, she nodded silently. Soo Ah-rin realized the power of time and thought whether she should be glad to hear Lee Seo-hee’s calm resignation.
“Then I’ll be on my way. Take a rest.”
“…Si-woo.”
“Huh?”
Lee Seo-hee suddenly spoke while looking at the back of Jung Si-woo with Soo Ah-rin and Yong Se-ha on his shoulders as they were about to leave the hotel.
“I said I wouldn’t lean on you, but…”
“A little bit is fine.”
“So, I’m going to lean a little bit.”
Lee Seo-hee had a faint smile on her lips.
“If I retire, will you help me then?”
“Yes.”
Jung Si-woo answered sincerely.
“If you let me know when and where you’re going to go into the dungeon, I’ll start calculating it.”
“What’s that?”
Lee Seo-hee laughed out loud, but Jung Si-woo repeated it more seriously. Lee Seo-hee nodded softly.
“Okay, we’re going. Take care.”
“Yes, Si-woo. Stay healthy, too.”
Lee Seo-hee knew Jung Si-woo well. When he said he’s going once, he doesn’t look back and leaves. But even though she knew it, she couldn’t take her eyes off his back until the moment Jung Si-woo left the room and walked into the elevator. She just looked at his shoulders that she couldn’t lean on. His shoulders were more reliable than before.
“Oppa, I want to ask you one question.”
“Huh?”
As Jung Si-woo was walking in the hallway of the hotel, Soo Ah-rin, an attractive young woman who hadn’t been able to date because of her lack of encounters, turned to him.
“How the hell did you first meet her?”
“Oh, well…”
The bond between the two was never ordinary. What kind of fateful encounter did those two have even after everything was over? Jung Si-woo replied heartily to Soo Ah-rin’s question, which contained a little jealousy, envy, resentment, anger, and remorse.
“We were schoolmates during college. I met her for the first time at the
Newbie Learning Center.”
“That’s too ordinary!”
“It’s rather unusual. Don’t you know the word CCC? Campus Couple X…”
“Yong Se-ha, be quiet.”
“Okay.”
At this rate, she couldn’t explain that she lacked encounters with different men. Jung Si-woo wasn’t interested in her youth at all, but Soo Ah-rin was rolling her feet. They re-activated the resting place in the elevator. It was time for Jung Si-woo to put an end to the situation on behalf of Lee Seo-hee.
“Let’s go beat that God up a little more.”
“What are you gonna do if the God really jumps out.”
“Then I’ll be beaten.”
He said that, but he didn’t think that he would meet them directly. If he did, he would’ve died when he did his former quest. If it were so easy for the gods to show up, they wouldn’t have to control monsters or turn humans into monsters, but they would just come directly to Earth. Of course, at the end of the passage, it was clear that there would be a world or part of it that was deeply connected to the God that caused this outbreak…
“Originally, Gods and the devil are stupid people who raise the main character by sending out weak men because they can end the game in one turn. But don’t worry too much.”
“And then what if god really comes?!”
“Don’t worry. In case of such a situation, there is a scenario in which we somehow defeat the final boss and end everything.”
“You’re too easygoing! Why don’t you use your head when you’re smart!”
“But even Lee Seo-hee, who was smart when she was a college student…oops, I’m not saying you have a problem, Hyeong-nim!”
Jung Si-woo responded kindly to Soo Ah-rin and Yong Se-ha, who were chatting as if they were bored because they were alienated. They quickly left the downtown Otaru and climbed Mount Tengu. There were still large numbers of Goblins and monsters on the mountain, and the players were busy hunting them.
“I can’t see any lizard people.”
“They’re called the Lizardmen. of reptiles living in forests, ice fields, and waterfront, but I’ve never seen a blue-scale Lizardmen. Maybe it’s because they were turned from humans…”
“That makes sense that you’ve never encountered a sign of God. There’s no rule that only Lizardmen can serve God.”
He soon arrived where the temple had been. There wasn’t a grain of divine energy left because he had completely crushed the temple and the site with a sledgehammer, but the explorer on his arm was still responsive.
“Is there anyone else?”
“No, nobody around.”
“Okay.”
Jung Si-woo took out the explorer. The area was automatically enlarged, and there was a close-up of the passageways and traces. As soon as he was exactly in that location, he naturally realized what he had to do.
[Way to the World Eiriha: Risk is a little high]
“Ha.”
Jung Si-woo grinned and pulled out his tail. Perhaps it was for this moment that he had formed it. Although it has been quite a while since the dungeon’s entrance was open, the handling of his tail had become very natural with constant practice. He picked it up and poked it where the gate was. Right after…
[Access to the World Eiriha.]
He logged into another world.
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