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.
âIâll close the door if youâre in the room, Si-woo.â
âOkay.â
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 couldnât believe it even though she saw it with her own eyes.
âIâm pretty good with mana, so I canât believe I had no clueâŠâ
âItâs a little special.â
In fact, Jung Si-woo didnât know that the hiding ability provided by the key to the resting place would be outstanding. Usually, Lee Seo-hee wouldâve explored it, but given the situation, she moved on, saying, âI see.â.
But there was something she couldnât let go of.
âThenâŠwhat are those kids?â
âOh, Iâm Yong Se-ha!â
Lee Seo-hee asked while looking at Soo Ah-rin and Yong Se-ha, who crawled out of Jung Si-wooâs 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.
âMy name is Soo Ah-rin. Iâve been keeping myself like this for a reason, and Iâm not a kid.â
âIf youâre Soo Ah-rin, Iâm sure itâs from the Soaring Tempest Guild that recently retiredâŠah, your voice!â
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 couldnât help but be angry.
âYou have a fiancĂ©! But whyâŠ!â
âNo, youâre just talking nonsense!â
She lied to her so casually that she was Jung Si-wooâs 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.
âAh-rin and Se-ha both retired, but theyâre definitely alive, not ghosts. I canât explain the details but understand.â
ââŠIs that related to you being a player, Si-woo?â
It was a very sharp point. He didnât have to hide it, so Jung Si-woo nodded and showed his tail.
âIâm not a normal player; I canât go to the Sky Castle. Iâm a player who can only play on the ground. So Iâm just half a player.â
âI see, soâŠâ
He didnât tell her how to become an underground player or that the Ant Caves existed. Lee Seo-hee also didnât try to dig deep. More accurately, she had no energy to dig deeper.
âAnyway, these guys are helping me right now. Rather, letâs get back to this case and talk about it.â
âOh, yeah.â
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.
âBut I didnât know they could turn humans into monsters. Iâve been watching them without telling you so that I can find out more about themâŠâ
More precisely, Lee Seo-hee, who had been blind, was already wary of being swayed by Godâs will. After the chaos, Lee Seo-hee was able to understand his concern fully.
âI see. You were already suspicious of them. As expected, I was stupid. Itâs so easy to believe in a God that has ties with monsters. I almost put you in dangerâŠâ
âNo, thatâs how big the enemyâs power and mana are. As I said before, donât blame yourself. It was their own fault that they were possessed by the power of God, and I wasnât hurt at all. Rather, I think itâs a good thing that I was able to help you.â
âHuhâŠâ
Tears filled Lee Seo-heeâs eyes when she heard that, but she didnât 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 wasnât 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.
âThank you, Si-woo.â
âDonât mention it.â
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.
âI still like you. I liked you this whole time.â
âI expected that.â
âMaybe even more than before.â
âI didnât know that.â
âUntil I called you, all I wanted to do was make you a player and get together again. And we could work together sometimesâŠbut.â
Her face showed a firm will.
âI think Iâm going to have to stand-alone now. I think I should walk this path alone.â
âYou look tired.â
âItâs because Iâm tired. I donât want to give you a hard timeâŠit was messy from the beginning anyway.â
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 didnât ask. It was because he couldnât accept her confession anyway. She could read his feelings to some extent from his expression. Lee Seo-hee continued with a bitter smile.
âThereâs a room used by another guild member. Take a rest here today, and I will take you back to Korea tomorrow.â
âNo, itâs okay. Even though I donât have wings, I have a means of transportation. So you donât have to overdo yourself.â
He was sorry to leave Lee Seo-hee, who had gone through a lot. But being here wouldâve only been more painful for her. It was rude of him since she had already decided to stand alone.
âIâm sorry I canât be with you, Seo-hee.â
âOkay.â
When Jung Si-woo gently wiped away the remaining tears around Lee Seo-heeâs eyes, she nodded silently. Soo Ah-rin realized the power of time and thought whether she should be glad to hear Lee Seo-heeâs calm resignation.
âThen Iâll be on my way. Take a rest.â
ââŠSi-woo.â
âHuh?â
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.
âI said I wouldnât lean on you, butâŠâ
âA little bit is fine.â
âSo, Iâm going to lean a little bit.â
Lee Seo-hee had a faint smile on her lips.
âIf I retire, will you help me then?â
âYes.â
Jung Si-woo answered sincerely.
âIf you let me know when and where youâre going to go into the dungeon, Iâll start calculating it.â
âWhatâs that?â
Lee Seo-hee laughed out loud, but Jung Si-woo repeated it more seriously. Lee Seo-hee nodded softly.
âOkay, weâre going. Take care.â
âYes, Si-woo. Stay healthy, too.â
Lee Seo-hee knew Jung Si-woo well. When he said heâs going once, he doesnât look back and leaves. But even though she knew it, she couldnât 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 couldnât lean on. His shoulders were more reliable than before.
âOppa, I want to ask you one question.â
âHuh?â
As Jung Si-woo was walking in the hallway of the hotel, Soo Ah-rin, an attractive young woman who hadnât been able to date because of her lack of encounters, turned to him.
âHow the hell did you first meet her?â
âOh, wellâŠâ
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-rinâs question, which contained a little jealousy, envy, resentment, anger, and remorse.
âWe were schoolmates during college. I met her for the first time at the
Newbie Learning Center.â
âThatâs too ordinary!â
âItâs rather unusual. Donât you know the word CCC? Campus Couple XâŠâ
âYong Se-ha, be quiet.â
âOkay.â
At this rate, she couldnât explain that she lacked encounters with different men. Jung Si-woo wasnât 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.
âLetâs go beat that God up a little more.â
âWhat are you gonna do if the God really jumps out.â
âThen Iâll be beaten.â
He said that, but he didnât think that he would meet them directly. If he did, he wouldâve died when he did his former quest. If it were so easy for the gods to show up, they wouldnât 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 outbreakâŠ
âOriginally, 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 donât worry too much.â
âAnd then what if god really comes?!â
âDonât worry. In case of such a situation, there is a scenario in which we somehow defeat the final boss and end everything.â
âYouâre too easygoing! Why donât you use your head when youâre smart!â
âBut even Lee Seo-hee, who was smart when she was a college studentâŠoops, Iâm not saying you have a problem, Hyeong-nim!â
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.
âI canât see any lizard people.â
âTheyâre called the Lizardmen. of reptiles living in forests, ice fields, and waterfront, but Iâve never seen a blue-scale Lizardmen. Maybe itâs because they were turned from humansâŠâ
âThat makes sense that youâve never encountered a sign of God. Thereâs no rule that only Lizardmen can serve God.â
He soon arrived where the temple had been. There wasnât 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.
âIs there anyone else?â
âNo, nobody around.â
âOkay.â
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]
âHa.â
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 dungeonâs 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 afterâŠ
[Access to the World Eiriha.]
He logged into another world.
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