Chapter 385: Sandcastle (1)

Whoosh!

The heaven and the earth became filled with terrible heat. A great fire had swept past the place, leaving nothing but the remnants of what had been a bug.

"Ugh, it's hot."

Gong Ju-Ha cried and collected the flames. She then hurriedly retrieved a bottle of cold water from her Inventory.

Whooosh!

As she cooled down, the message she had always wanted to see finally popped up.

[Calculating Player Gong Ju-Ha's score.]

[Clear time: 2 years, 3 months, 3 days, 5 hours, 12 seconds.]

[Number of normal cockroaches killed: 82,751.]

[Number of special cockroaches killed: 813.]

...

[Your overall grade is 'A'.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

...

[All stats have increased by 9.]

[Congratulations, you have cleared the Seo Jun-Ho difficulty level.]

[You cannot enter the Seo Jun-Ho difficulty level again.]

"I won't come back even if you beg me!"

Gong Ju-Ha lifted her clenched fists.

"I'm awaaaaake!"

Excited by the fact, she rolled up and danced like a pill bug. When she realized what she was doing, she became a bit embarrassed before laughing for the first time in a long time. She had spent two years and three months clearing the Seo Jun-Ho difficulty of Another World. It was nothing compared to how much time Seo Jun-Ho had spent.

'Mr. Jun-Ho, are you really human?'

How the hell did he spend seventeen years here? Gong Ju-Ha thought about how she would write him a long letter saying that he was amazing when she got back.

'Well, and maybe... we can eat together?'

He couldn't say no. If he refused again, she would burn his hair off.

'Two years and three months. Perhaps I cleared it this fast because the difficulty level significantly dropped according to my level.'

The Erebo she had faced before emitted an energy several times stronger energy than the Erebo had killed just now.

"It's a little sad to think that."

She could have done better. However, when she thought about how she would finally leave Another World, she became filled with complex emotions. Still, if someone were to ask her if she wanted to try it again, she would slap their face instead of giving a reply.

Flash!

'Ugh, it's too bright.'

She could feel herself moving with the intense light. When she lifted her long eyelashes once again, she saw an elevator door in front of her.

[You have arrived on the 1st Floor. The door is opening.]

'Ice tea! Patbingsu! Watermelon punch!'[1]

Gong Ju-Ha, who ran out of the door excitedly, tilted her head.

'What's up with the crowd?'

Was there a rumor that she was about to come back down to Earth? That couldn't be. As she snooped near the crowded checkpoint for no reason, a security guard approached her.

"We will help you with the inspection over here."

"Oh, yes."

Gong Ju-Ha straightened her back, opened her eyes wide, and looked at the security guard. People would usually recognize her and let her pass whenever she did that.

"Sigh..." However, the employee sighed deeply and reached out his hand.

"Excuse me, you have to give me your Player's license to start the inspection."

"Uh, oh... Here."

Gong Ju-Ha hurriedly searched her Inventory and held out her license with both hands. Embarrassment oozed out of her wrinkled shoulders and reddened face.

"Now, raise your hands and walk this way slowly. Huh? Hold on, stop." The employee found something and lifted his Vita with a serious look on his face. "This is a B-13 checkpoint! I repeat. This is a B-13 checkpoint. A suspicious person has been found. Requesting support, over."

"I-I'm suspicious? I'm not a suspicious girl at all!"

Gong Ju-Ha protested, aggrieved. However, the security guard took out his weapon and widened his distance from her.

"I warn you, if you move, I'll attack you."

Gong Ju-Ha had always been a good listener. She waited with a tearful face and stood stiff as ice, and a group of people soon came running.

"What's going on?"

"Ah, senior. She's a little weird."

The security guard handed the license over to his senior.

"Wait. Isn't she Gong Ju-Ha-nim?"

"I'm a member of her fan club."

"What mistake did our princess commit that she has to raise her hands?"

Gong Ju-Ha was the team leader of Goblin's second team. She was a High Ranker among the High Rankers, and she was one of the world's most popular stars since her debut.

However, the security guard, who seemed new here, shouted boldly, "I think she's an imposter! The license says she's 161 cm tall, but when she passed through the checkpoint, she was only 156.8 cm tall—"

"Stop, stop! Stop right there."

The senior tapped the new employee on the shoulder and spoke heavily. Afterward, everyone's face became solemn. The senior employee slowly approached Gong Ju-Ha and returned the license with a bitter smile.

"You can just go. It's okay. We're rooting for you. Cheer up."

'What's okay? What are you rooting for? What do you mean, cheer up?'

'I'm not cheering up at all...'

Gong Ju-Ha, who looked like a martyr who had just lost her country, staggered away. She found a bench outside and calmed her frightened heart by watching the passing clouds. Then, she retrieved her Vita and posted a question in the Community forums.

[Guys, why is the security so strict on the artificial island where the dimensional elevator is located?]

In the blink of an eye, her post received a lot of comments.

- It's all because of Seo Jun Ho.

- Yeah, security was tightened after that 'incident'.

- Come to think of it, it has already been a month since that 'incident'.

Gong Ju-Ha tilted her head.

'What incident are they talking about?'

She wriggled her fingers as she looked through the comments.

- Excuse me, what is that incident? I don't really know.

- If you don't know, you have to research.

- You just need to open the search box and look through the posts from a month ago. That's it.

- Why do you have no idea? Perhaps you just got out of prison?

- Don't look down on prisons. You can hear news of the outside world from prisons these days.

- How do you know that?

"Damn, I have fingers, too."

They could have just told her directly instead of being so annoying. She grumbled through the articles of the past month.

'Huh?'

Gong Ju-Ha's face grew stiff as she read through the articles. She jumped up from her seat and was about to call someone.

"Ju-Ha-nim?"

Two Players with the Korean Player Association badge on their chests approached her.

"What is it? I'm busy right now."

"The Association President is looking for you. Could you spare a moment?"

"..." Gong Ju-Ha thought for a moment before nodding away. "Lead the way."

***

Arriving at the association building with the teleporter, Gong Ju-Ha entered the elevator. From the windows of the elevator, she could see a crowd gathered in front of the building.

"Who are they?"

"The protesters. They're made up of the bereaved families of the Players who died on the 5th floor."

They firmly believed that Seo Jun-Ho had killed their relatives. They had already been protesting for a month, but there was nothing they could do.

"Come this way, please."

The teleporter led her to a floor she had never visited before. It was a conference room that should have been off-limits to outsiders. Upon entering, Gong Ju-Ha's eyelids trembled ever so slightly.

'These people...'

She knew every single one of them. In fact, she knew some of them too well.

"Please sit over there."

Gong Ju-Ha sat down with a puzzled expression and asked, "Master, what happened?"

"I'll tell you the details later," Shin Sung-Hyun muttered.

"I think everyone is here." The President of the Korean Player Association, Shim Deok-Gu, standing at the head of the table looked around and spoke, "Well, then. Let's begin the briefing for the Specter rescue operation."

Gong Ju-Ha's eyes widened.

***

Aside from Shim Deok-Gu, who was rubbing his nose, most of the Players left after the meeting.

"Are you okay?" asked Arthur while extending a can of coffee toward Shim Deok-Gu. Shim Deok-Gu's workload was unimaginably brutal over the past thirty days.

"Thank you. Honestly, I'm not okay, but I have to be."

After all, the guy who wasn't really fine was definitely alone right now.

Shim Deok-Gu turned his head and asked, "What do you think of the plan?"

"Hmm."

After a moment of silence, Skaya spoke, "The outline is not bad, but it has a few prerequisites to be successful."

"What are those?"

"The person who told you about Jun-Ho's survival and location. Are you sure you can count on him?"

Rahmadat, Gilberto Green, and Arthur turned to Shim Deok-Gu. Shim Deok-Gu nodded upon receiving their gazes.

"You can trust him," he said.

"Then why are you hiding his identity?" Gilberto asked.

If he was really trustworthy, why was Shim Deok-Gu hiding his identity from them?

"There's another complicated reason for that... You'll find out more about it later."

"Hmm. We trust you, but we don't won't blindly trust your source. We don't even know his name," said Rahmadat.

Shim Deok-Gu smiled self-deprecatingly at Rahmadat's words. He checked the time on his Vita and looked out the window.

'Is it soon?'

He remembered a man who was likely now across the sea in Japan.

***

Aomori, Japan.

In the forest of a rugged mountainous area, there was a household of swordsmen boasting hundreds of years of history.

"My lord, the lady is here."

"..."

Tenmei Yugo slowly opened his eyes upon hearing the servant.

"Send her in."

Tenmei Mio came through the open door. Tenmei Yugo frowned upon seeing her.

"I believe I told you to follow the house's rules whenever you're here."

Following the spirit of their ancestors, it was the family's rule to wear only traditional Japanese clothes at home. However, Mio was wearing a combat outfit only Players would wear.

"I'm leaving as soon as I'm done listening."

"I told you that whenever you're in Rome, you will have to obey the laws of Rome."

"Oh! I will when I go to Rome."

"You've really learned how to speak nonsense after so many years of not seeing you." Tenmei Yugo clicked his tongue. "I heard what happened on the 4th Floor. You fought Ryo in a duel and took over command?"

"Yes, I couldn't kill everyone there, after all."

"It seems that you really know how to use the house's rules." Tenmei Yugo sneered and said bluntly, "I'll have you do just one thing. It's something on the 2nd Floor."

"I'm busy."

"What?" Unable to bear it, Tenmei Yugo's eyebrows twitched. "Will it kill you to listen to my words calmly?! Take after your older brothers!"

"Do you really think that I don't know why you're giving me that order?"

He certainly did it on purpose. He didn't want her to go up to the 5th Floor.

Whooo.

Tenmei Yugo sighed. "He's a criminal. Why are you protecting him?"

"Jun-Ho would never do something like what they are saying because he hates crime."

"So everyone on the 5th Floor is lying?"

"Yes."

"I'm going crazy."

On one hand, Tenmei Yugo found it ridiculous, but on the other hand, he felt envious. If Mio had given him that kind of trust, he wouldn't have had to settle as one of the Big 6.

'She has definitely changed. She doesn't listen anymore, even if I yell.'

Back then, Mio always cried and listened whenever he was harsh toward her. Now that she had grown up, though, she wouldn't listen anymore.

As such, Tenmei Yugo decided to change his strategy.

"Ibuki will definitely love how you've changed."

"..." Mio bit her lips.

"He would always be restless whenever we quarreled. If he were alive, we wouldn't have to fight—"

"Stop." Mio sprang up from her seat. "Don't call me for something like this again."

"It's His Majesty the Emperor's request. If you refuse, the family's position will be shaken. Ibuki wouldn't want that to happen."

"..."

"I will soon pass away. To pass on an unwavering castle to your inadequate brothers, I have to establish the family's prestige. That is why I am asking you to do this."

Tenmei Yugo looked up at Mio pitifully.

Mio's face gradually distorted as she looked at him. Tenmei Yugo had become old. Her scary and self-righteous father had become old after twenty-seven years.

'I'm the fool for being hopeful.'

What did she even expect? Could a father and daughter's conversation for the first time in twenty-seven years be like this? Mio felt as if there was a hole in her heart. Eventually, she muttered indifferently.

"This is the last time."

"Thank you, thank you so much."

"Be healthy."

Tenmei Yugo smiled softly at Mio as she ran out. Mio had always been a child who was soft and weak against affection. Perhaps she would never turn down any of his requests until he died.

***

Depressed, Mio crouched down by the pond and looked at the carp swimming in the pond. She was about to forget him, but he came to her mind once again—Tenmei Ibuki—the youngest of the family's three sons. He was Mio's cute younger brother who had always followed her everywhere.

'...'

He was the kindest child in the family who would have grown up great if it weren't for the mistake of that day. The reason why she had always accepted her family's tyrannical requests was Mio's form of atonement for him.

"Ibuki..." She cried silently with her head down.

A man was looking at her from a distance, and a servant spoke to interrupt him.

"Is something wrong? My lord is waiting inside."

- ...

The man shook his head and walked down the hallway. He eventually arrived in the room where Mio had been just a while ago.

"Honestly, I'm a little surprised." Tennmei Yugo said, "I didn't think you'd come to me."

- We have to clear up the misunderstanding.

- We're in an alliance, right?

- (^^)

Mr. Shoot cheekily put up a bright emoticon.

1. Patbingsu is shaved ice with red beans and condensed milk. ☜