Report
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
------------------
Chapter 27
Baekya continued hunting on the 23rd floor.
"Can I come again today?"
"Of course! Let's go together tomorrow and the day after too!"
The synergy between the 'Praetorian Guard's Articulated Ring' and Law of Light was superb.
With just a single use of Law of Light through the ring, countless ants were sliced and diced, their severed parts turning white and scattering.
He also earned a decent side income by selling the useless artifacts that dropped occasionally.
"Soldier Ant's Armor Set, Acid Sprayer, Praetorian's Gauntlet, Compound Eye Glasses, Drone Ant's Wing Glider... Shall we sell them all?"
"Yes, please. The commission is 30%, right?"
"How could I possibly take that from you, Senior?"
"Take it. Taking care of these things properly prevents friction in relationships."
"You said the same thing back then. Well, since I'm making money for free, I'll buy you a meal. Let's go eat meat tonight!"
"Sounds good! Oh, except for the Drone Ant's Wing Glider. I might use that myself."
"This one?"
'Flight' was a rare ability, whether through artifacts or skills.
【Drone Ant's Wing Glider (Rare)】
【A glider made from the wings of a drone ant that gracefully fell after its mating flight. Guarantees short flights and long glides. Hoping for a different fate than its past life, which existed solely for a single flight.】
Although it was Rare grade, it was worthy of being carefully stored in the Ring of Gap he received from Lee Eunwoo.
'I've secured some decent artifacts, and most importantly, the hunting efficiency is really good. Maybe I can even remove the minus from my rank here?'
Baekya headed towards the Gate at the center of the floor with Ryu Haneul, thinking about the hunting efficiency and artifacts.
He was particularly focused on the 'Praetorian Guard's Articulated Ring.'
'I didn't know I could use Law of Light like this.'
Law of Light was a cheat skill in itself, so unlike most skills, there wasn't much room to explore different applications.
But now, having fallen to the bottom and needing to hide his identity and conserve mana, it was crucial to use Law of Light in a way that didn't look like Law of Light.
'I need to explore its full potential. Focusing it into a beam like I did just now was effective, and combining it with regular flames might also yield interesting results.'
As Baekya continued these thoughts...
'I wonder what Senior is thinking about right now. Is it revenge against Cheong Siyeol? Or maybe something else entirely?'
Ryu Haneul stared intently at Baekya's face with his amethyst-like purple eyes.
He always loved Baekya's gaze, the way it seemed to look beyond the present.
To the 'Heavenly Demon,' who had to destroy the existing heavens and create new ones, Baekya always showed him new horizons.
Two weeks passed, with the two of them visiting the 23rd floor every day.
One day, Baekya asked—
"Isn't it a bit too much for us to be sticking together like this? Doesn't the guild say anything?"
Ryu Haneul nodded with the utmost seriousness.
"Yes."
Baekya, thinking he should at least humor him with a pretense of belief, replied—
"...Alright."
Of course, Ryu Haneul wasn't lying.
There had been such rumors circulating within the Sun-Moon Divine Sect recently.
"Did you hear? The Pyromancer who's always with the Deputy Sect Leader closed a Gate all by himself."
"There's even talk that he's a Reawakened."
"They say he's B-Rank. But there's no way the Deputy Sect Leader would be so attached to a mere B-Rank, right?"
"I heard that Pyromancer also has martial arts-related titles. We have plenty of physical types in our guild, but ranged ones are rare."
"A Pyromancer in a martial arts guild? Does he have a skill like Blazing Yang Energy?"
"Well, the Deputy Sect Leader must know what he's doing."
"He's truly an amazing person."
"I agree. At his age, too."
Within the guild, praise for Ryu Haneul, who recognized a rare talent, was circulating.
And while the Deputy Sect Leader's reputation was soaring within the Sun-Moon Divine Sect...
The opposite was happening at Ilha and Wolha's house.
"Senior, let's go!"
"Alright."
Every morning, a pristine white Rolls-Royce Phantom would stop in front of their prefabricated house.
Wolha, studying for the civil service exam, would watch the scene from the window.
'He's here again today. Doesn't he have work to do?'
The Heavenly Demon, with his halo of overlapping purple circles and squares, would pull his brother towards him with genuine delight, evident to anyone.
And Ilha would naturally put his arm around Haneul's shoulder.
Wolha couldn't understand why he felt an emptiness in his chest.
He couldn't even name this feeling.
Was it shitty?
Unlike his childhood friends, he wasn't the type to generalize all negative emotions with that one word.
Was he feeling left out?
If his brother, who used to be like a child let loose in a marketplace, had become close to the Deputy Sect Leader of a massive guild, he should be jumping for joy.
He couldn't even understand why they would come all the way to pick up his lacking brother like this.
But still...
'Why do I feel so uneasy?'
The emptiness wouldn't go away.
And the one receiving all those emotions...
'Heavenly Demon' Ryu Haneul clearly recognized the feelings swirling in those dark eyes watching from the window.
"Senior, please get in."
He let Baekya in first, then glanced back at the house window.
The way he quickly turned his delicate face away as if nothing had happened was pathetic.
'A fake, acting like he's the real brother, huh?'
Ryu Haneul suppressed the rising murderous intent.
His Senior, Baekya, attracted devoted followers wherever he went.
'Cheong Siyeol was hard enough to handle, I can't have more competition here.'
He couldn't help but wish to remain the sole junior, even though it was one of his amazing Senior's abilities to gather followers.
'Should I just kill him?'
Ryu Haneul pondered for a moment, then got in the car and closed the door.
Matters concerning his Senior should be handled with his Senior.
"Senior, how long are you planning to stay in that house?"
"Why?"
"It's inconvenient, isn't it? It's cramped, it's on the outskirts of Seoul, and there are no amenities nearby. Why don't you move into the Sun-Moon Divine Sect dormitory, Senior? We recently relocated, and it's very spacious and nice. You'll have your own room, and it's closer to the cram schools than where you are now."
"Should I?"
"Besides, it's not good for you to stay there, Senior."
"I've thought about that. There's only one way in and out of that place."
"Yes. You can't even escape by car if something happens."
At that moment, someone else had a similar thought to Ryu Haneul.
* * *
"Guild Master, as you instructed, we've finished stockpiling consumables. We can now effectively deal with even spirit-type enemies."
"Good work. I never want to be caught off guard and thrown in front of ghosts like last time."
In the guild master's office of the Iron Blood Legion Guild.
Lee Eunwoo received the report from his secretary in his 60th-floor office, which resembled the command center of a battleship.
The blue and black diamond-shaped halo floating above his head cast a cold light on his deep-set eyes.
"Also, try contacting foreign Enchanter Awakened who want to seek asylum. You know, those labeled as dissidents by China. People from Xinjiang would be good too. In the long run, we need to focus on upgrading our equipment itself."
"Understood."
"Anything else I need to know?"
"The agents assigned to track Ilha have requested additional concealment equipment."
At those words, Lee Eunwoo's well-shaped eyebrows twitched.
"...Understood."
His emotions didn't show on his face.
He was a rational man who wouldn't let himself be ruled by emotions.
But his secretary, from her long experience, could tell that he needed some time alone to think.
"I'll come back later."
The secretary left the room.
Lee Eunwoo let out a deep sigh in front of the 16-split monitor.
Images of Baekya's house, Ryu Haneul's sedan parked in front of the Tower, and Baekya and Ryu Haneul getting out of the car were displayed on each monitor.
Lee Eunwoo watched the Sun-Moon Divine Sect Hunters greeting Baekya.
He reached for his Awakened-only cigar.
'He's gaining notoriety far too fast. Is he even thinking? Despite my attempts to keep him under the radar, he's attracting too much attention. Does he want to get caught by the hardliner Regressors and get himself killed?'
He took a couple of puffs and organized his thoughts.
There was no chance Ryu Haneul had given away any useful information about the other Regressors.
Even before the regression, he had only participated in Tower climbs.
'I know he's arrogant because he's never had a rival, but even considering that, he's too unguarded. Maybe... he's figured out that I'm watching his back. It's possible he's deduced that there might be one or two Regressors who find him useful.'
Reaching that conclusion, his turbulent emotions slowly subsided.
'I have no intention of being used, but maintaining a loose connection isn't bad. The timing to cut ties is in my hands anyway. The moment the domestic Hunter forces are strong enough that his absence won't cause any problems for Tower raids or national defense, I'll blow his head off.'
Just then, the door opened.
Click.
"Guild Master."
Lee Eunwoo turned around, feeling more puzzled than annoyed.
Secretary Kim was always perfect in these matters...
"We received a call from Director Lee of the Awakened Support Agency."
She held out her smartphone with a troubled expression.
Lee Eunwoo took it, feeling like he wanted to shoot the phone with a gun.
"Director Lee?"
"It's been a while, Guild Master Lee."
An unpleasant voice came through the phone.
He always felt sick to his stomach listening to that slimy tone.
"Get to the point."
"Well, it seems you're looking for someone. If there's anyone you'd like to keep an eye on, we could offer our 'assistance.'"
"!"
But with his superhuman rationality, Lee Eunwoo understood the implication.
'That son of a bitch!'
It meant the Awakened Support Agency was on his tail.
'We've been discovered.'
Beep.
He immediately ended the call and instructed Secretary Kim.
"Car, no, prepare the helicopter."
"Yes?"
"I said, prepare the helicopter. We're going to Baek—No, Ilha."
"G-Guild Master!"
Lee Eunwoo's sculpted face contorted as he gripped his gun.
'Damn it.'
Director Lee Baejeong of the Awakened Support Agency.
A skilled Formation Master, he was an even more extreme hardliner than Cheong Siyeol.
He was the Regressor who insisted on killing Baekya 'immediately.'
'I don't understand why he thinks we need to shed so much blood to climb the Tower. Has he forgotten how efficient Law of Light was?'
Lee Eunwoo completely agreed that Baekya had to die.
But not today.
* * *
Today, Ryu Haneul had guild business, so I took a taxi home.
"I'm home... Huh?"
But when I returned, the house was filled with Awakened agents in black suits.
There were even a couple of Rankers mixed in.
"H-Hyung."
Wolha was visibly flustered, sweating profusely.
I quickly typed a pre-set message on my smartphone and sent it somewhere, then placed it on the nearby table with an exaggerated gesture.
"Oh, are you Mr. Hong Ilha?"
A smooth voice came from among the black suits.
Two bulky figures parted to the sides, and a man stepped forward.
"I'm Lee Baejeong, Director of the Management Bureau at the Awakened Support Agency, under the Gate Management Department."
He wasn't very tall, but he had good proportions due to his slender build and small face.
A plain, white, ring-shaped halo floated above his head.
His narrow eyes curved like crescent moons, and his thin lips held an enigmatic smile.
His medium-length hair, a mix of yellow and mint green, didn't quite suit his position as a director, but it created a strange synergy with his well-tailored black suit.
I knew this face.
He was the one who had relentlessly pursued me for a month, shadowing my every move as I sought refuge in panic rooms across the country.
We weren't exactly on friendly terms, so I had tried to kill him a few times.
Each time, Cheong Si-yeol had intervened, and I failed. It was a failure that still gnawed at me.
"Pleased to meet you."
Swish.
He offered me his hand for a handshake.
My Constellation's voice shouted in my head.
【"Run away now, or incinerate him on the spot."】
Thinking of using Law of Light, I clasped his hand.
He looked at me with eyes that were a mix of yellow and green.
His gaze was like a cat toying with a mouse.
I wasn't sure if I could kill everyone here.
But I was confident I could kill this guy.
Just as I was about to channel mana into the Praetorian Guard's Articulated Ring...
"I'll get straight to the point, even though it's sudden."
He smiled, his expression almost bewitchingly gentle.
"Would you be interested in working for the Awakened Support Agency?"
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
