Chapter 33
What Seo Yeonhee desired was murder.
Any grand cause was nothing but mere rhetoric.
It wasn’t that she was killing Yekaterina for the sake of Korea’s player system; rather, she was using the player system as a reason to k*ll Yekaterina.
“…It’s not that I’m going to stand between you and her, but that I’m going to make sure she can’t even attempt to harm you.”
Someone had to stop her.
Even if it meant standing in her way, someone had to stop her.
For her own sake.
<...Why are you going so far for her?>
“She’s… my comrade.”
The short words carried a long thought and heavy emotions.
A feeling so intense that it couldn’t be missed.
<...>
After a moment of silence, Yekaterina asked.
“…Huh?”
“You are…”
Mason, who was about to say something, swallowed his words.
“A rich noona?”
Mason said it jokingly, and Yekaterina fell silent for a moment.
<...I see.>
If silence had emotions, this silence would have been tinged with sadness.
But only for a moment.
She regained her usual calmness and composure.
“Can I use Seo Yeonhee?”
“Will you send healers too?”
“Thank you.”
Yekaterina spoke calmly.
“What is it?”
“Who is it?”
Mason pondered for a moment.
“…!”
He grinned.
๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑
When Seo Yeonhee arrived at the Holy Knights’ headquarters, Mason was already packing his belongings.
“Mason… ssi?”
“Oh, you’re here?”
Mason greeted her brightly.
However, unlike Mason, Seo Yeonhee’s expression was dark.
“I came with an offer for you…”
“A little too late.”
“A little… too late.”
Masika still had a raid team, even if it was halved. In contrast, Seo Yeonhee was alone. A shunned and isolated figure.
She must have gone through a lot to come up with an”acceptable offer”for Mason.
Even if she couldn’t gather all 39 members, she had to secure at least a few.
Especially, she had to find healers who were outside of Yekaterina’s control.
She had so little, and there was so much to do.
“I have an offer for you.”
“What did you give Yekaterina?”
“Join my raid team.”
“What did you give Yekaterina?”
“Together with Deroa.”
“What did you give Yekaterina?”
Mason made a bitter face.
It was the last thing he wanted to say, but she wanted to hear it. Even though she already half-knew…
“I promised her I wouldn’t let you k*ll her.”
“Just mediating like last time?”
“No.”
Mason said calmly.
“I’m going to be on Yekaterina’s side. I’m going to stop you from even trying to k*ll her.”
“Why!”
Seo Yeonhee shrieked.
That sharpness wasn’t the usual dagger-like calmness she showed. It was a dangerous torrent of emotion, like shards of broken glass.
It was a side of her Mason had never seen before, and the one he least wanted to see.
“Who are you to stop my revenge, Mason?”
“Your comrade.”
“If you’re my comrade, you should help me!”
“Knowing that it will ruin you?”
Mason looked at Seo Yeonhee.
“What will be left at the end of your revenge?”
“You live for revenge against the monsters too, Mason!”
“At the end of my revenge, there will be people. What will be left at the end of yours?”
“I will.”
“You exist now. You are here.”
Mason said in a calm voice.
Seo Yeonhee gritted her teeth, but only for a moment.
With admirable mental strength, she regained her composure.
“Let’s stop this. I don’t want to endlessly engage in this wordplay.”
“Are you leaving me?”
“No, I will join your raid team, Mason.”
Mason’s face brightened.
However, she hadn’t given up on revenge.
Quite the opposite.
“People’s nature is bound to change, and if you, Mason, lose someone you shouldn’t lose… your mind may change.”
She had decided that changing Mason’s mind was easier than taking revenge without him.
“I’ve lost someone I shouldn’t have lost too.”
“That must have been a disaster. Like a typhoon, like an earthquake. Because the target of your hatred wasn’t human, you can be objective about revenge, Mason.”
Seo Yeonhee looked at Mason.
“Because you… have never hated a person, Mason.”
“…!”
To the startled Mason, she said quietly, with an impassive face.
“I will wait. By your side, Mason, until you understand hatred and revenge. I will be waiting right beside you, Mason.”
Mason felt a chill.
He realized that Seo Yeonhee’s will, her spirit that would bend but never break, was completely stained with murderous intent and malice.
“Do you think… I will become like that?”
“Yes. Someday, you will become like me.”
Seo Yeonhee went outside quietly, like a ghost.
With words that Mason would never forget.
“Because I was once like you…”
“Whew…”
Mason sat down on the bed with a tired expression.
Then the phone rang.
It was Masika.
“Both Seo Yeonhee and Deroa… are likely to join.”
“Yes, and there’s one more gift.”
Mason said in a calm voice.
“Andrei.”
Masika’s gasp of surprise traveled through the phone.
“Yes.”
Mason made a wry face.
“I’m… kind of popular with women.”
Looking at the door through which Seo Yeonhee had exited.
๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑
A new wave is coming!
“…This is a bit much.”
Player-related news was reporting the same content under different headlines.
It was the news that the strongest team in Korea, centered around Mason, was being formed.
Even though Mason wasn’t particularly cynical, he thought that this title was a bit much.
“You can say that again.”
Sung Kijun said, lighting a cigarette.
“We’re not exactly a wave.”
“Indeed.”
Sung Kijun said with a wry smile.
“Shouldn’t we be called duckweed, if anything?”
“Why would the Holy Knights be duckweed? We’re lotuses.”
“…Your words are even more cringeworthy than the article title.”
“…That bad?”
“Yes, that bad.”
Sung Kijun chuckled.
Mason had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
Even that wasn’t full, and the duffel bag was loose.
Because all he had was a few pieces of big-sized clothing.
“What’s with the bag?”
Sung Kijun said, tapping the loose duffel bag.
“Anyone would think we’re making you work without paying you.”
“The Holy Knights’ low wages are infamous.”
“Hmph…”
Sung Kijun chuckled.
“Come work part-time when you have some free time. We always have vacancies…”
“I’ll think about it if I have time. By the way…”
Mason said, looking at Sung Kijun’s cigarette.
“Leader, quit smoking. If you want to live long.”
“If you want to live long, you should change jobs rather than quit smoking…”
Mason smiled bitterly.
A luxury foreign car was waiting in front of the Holy Knights’ entrance.
The one who opened the door from inside was Masika.
Mason turned around and said.
“I’m leaving.”
“Alright.”
A short greeting without even looking at each other.
That was enough.
For men with the same enemy, that was enough for a farewell.
Thump.
When Mason put his weight on the car, the foreign car tilted to one side.
“…Hmm?”
As Mason made an awkward expression, Masika said.
“Shall we change cars?”
“That would be nice.”
“Do you have a preferred vehicle?”
“The car Seo Yeonhee drives.”
“A Humvee? I’ll place an order.”
“Thanks.”
Mason threw his duffel bag to the side. Then Masika glanced at the duffel bag.
“Why?”
Mason followed her gaze to where a symbol was attached.
A shield engraved with a golden cross.
It was the symbol of the Holy Knights.
He must have attached it while patting the duffel bag.
“…Hmph.”
Mason smiled wryly.
๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑
The raid office of the Under Dark Legion was located in the heart of Gwangju’s downtown.
They were using an entire stylish business building by themselves.
Masika, who got off in the basement parking lot, guided Mason as they went up in a transparent elevator.
“The basement floor is the engineer floor where we maintain multi-purpose equipment, including the camp vehicle.”
“You have a camp vehicle on your own?”
“Yes, and many other things.”
Mason looked around with curious eyes.
“What on earth is that?”
“It’s a player-use towed artillery ‘Halberd’. You could call it the player version of a self-propelled howitzer.”
“For players to use?”
“Yes. It’s still in trial operation, but it’s likely to be officially adopted.”
Although players were the main actors in raids, it wasn’t just players who participated.
Modern weapons weren’t weak at all. They were just inefficient. It wasn’t uncommon to provide artillery or air support for the enhanced infantry, the players.
But what if even that bombardment could be replaced by players’ beams?
Even those who were flawed for field operations would have no problem operating such equipment.
Slowly but surely, science was finding answers.
“We, the Under Dark Legion, receive a lot of proposals for testing ranged equipment.”
“I hope it works out.”
Mason looked around.
On the floor below, there was a modernized forge. It must be where they crafted player equipment.
That wasn’t all. Facilities for producing and experimenting with various consumables and supplies that players might need were lined up.
This place was not just a raid team building, but also a maintenance depot, a factory, and a player-related research laboratory.
“Not bad…”
Mason nodded.
He could already see a few areas where his advice could be helpful…
If the basement facilities were factories full of machines, the first floor above ground was like a museum where an exhibition was being held.
The achievements of the Under Dark Legion raid team and their trophies were displayed along with data.
It must have been intended to leave a deep impression on visitors, especially business partners.
Each floor had a purpose, and there were facilities for that purpose.
The raid team’s main conference room was on the top floor.
Many people were already seated there.
Some with anxious expressions, some with displeased expressions, and some with angry faces…
