Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
41. Outside the borders (10)
“You were bestowed with an order from ‘Them’ again, eh?”
Nabiryeong, who was walking down a long corridor, stopped in her tracks.
It was a man she almost hasn’t seen since the Seongmo Island’s incident.
Before the man received an order related to the sacrifices from ‘Them’.
However, the acquiring of the sacrifices ended in failure, instead the Ung tribe members, who forgot their manners and respect towards ‘Them’, were arranged to become sacrifices.
Many people, who failed to fulfill ‘Their’ orders were punished, but the man, who was merely involved in the preparation phase for the acquiring of the sacrifices, seemed to be left unscathed.
‘You should have been thankful that you avoided ‘Their’ fury, but what is that look?’
As if the man couldn’t contain his anger at the thought that he couldn’t make a contribution and smashed the furniture, his superpower wave was violent, and his sleeves were torn.
Even while thinking how extremely pathetic he looked, Nabiryeong smiled prettily and spoke:
“Indeed, an undeserving Minor Creature like me was given the glory of carrying out an order.”
“…”
Claaang!
The man’s heavy fist smashed into the wall, causing a loud sound.
But there was no way that the man could destroy this building, where ‘Their’ power was spread out everywhere.
Seeing the wall without a single crack made the man look even more pathetic, but Nabiryeong didn’t show it.
‘Even though you have such a scary power, you can’t skillfully utilize it, so it’s just junk, huh?’
Even though she felt very sorry for the man because of his overflowing patheticness, Nabiryeong decided to soothe him.
“It’s all thanks to you, the Divine Creature, for teaching me so many things.”
Nabiryeong quietly wrapped both of her hands around the man’s fist, which hit the wall.
As if the man still couldn’t let go of his anger, his fist was trembling.
But when Nabiryeong tenderly played with his hand, the tremors soon subsided.
“I’m sorry for acting presumptuously. I know well that Divine Creatures like you are strong unlike me, the Minor Creature. But I hope you will value your body.”
The man stared at Nabiryeong with a piercing gaze.
Nabiryeong pretended not to feel that gaze and only repeatedly stroked the man’s hand.
“When listening to ‘Their’ words…”
The man couldn’t continue his words.
Nabiryeong quietly walked into the arms of the man, who’s end of the sentence blurred, and leaned against his shoulder.
About the time when the man completely calmed down, Nabiryeong softly said:
“When I finish talking with ‘Them’, can I come to meet you?”
She felt the man nod once.
While burying her face in his arms, the corners of Nabiryeong’s mouth rose high and she smiled.
‘When he was furious, he always wanted to be alone and pulled persona non grata[1] on me. It’s different now. It took a long time because he is more wary than he looks.’
From the outsider perspective, it looked like Nabiryeong was hanging onto the man, but it was the man, who without realizing was instinctively leaning on Nabiryeong.
Nabiryeong swallowed a laugh that was about to burst out at the man’s change in attitude.
In the expression of false regret, Nabiryeong leaned harder against his shoulder for a while, acting like a child, and then stepped back.
“Then see you later.”
“…”
Accepting a silent response, Nabiryeong headed towards the place where ‘They’ resided.
She abruptly halted in her steps and looked back at the man, who was looking at her, and then walked for a long time.
Nabiryeong stopped in front of an enormous door.
“Are You awake? I came at Your call.”
When Nabiryeong called out like this, the tightly shut door opened.
Creaaak…
Beyond the door, the impenetrable darkness shrouded the interior.
It was a sight like the entrance to the pit of hell, but Nabiryeong stepped into it without hesitation.
Pat!
The moment the door shut behind Nabiryeong, she summoned a butterfly.
The butterfly born from superpower at Nabiryong’s fingertips, flapped its wings and flew forward.
While stepping on the butterfly’s scales scattered on the dark floor, she lightly followed the butterfly.
When the flapping of the butterfly’s wings gradually slowed down, its movements stopped, and it turned into powder, Nabiryeong bowed respectively.
“You called? Please command me anything.”
Nabiryeong’s soft voice spread out in the darkness.
Then from the darkness, where nothing could be seen, a reply full of languidity[2] was heard.
“Let’s hear your report.”
Nabiryeong lowered her body even more and started her report.
“From the many orders that You gave me, I prioritized and carried out the last order. I placed a butterfly engraved with the formation[3] in the location You spoke about.”
“The eyes of godly maidens won’t catch it?”
“Please rest assured. Opportunely, the flowers brimming with vitality bloomed in that designated location. There are many butterflies, whose movements are heavier than my butterfly’s with Your formation engraved on it.”
The person, who heard Nabiryeong’s report, asked again.
“The order I gave you before?”
“It’s progressing favorably. The target’s ego is much weaker when compared to the target I caught a year ago.”
“You wasted a year. Hurry up.”
“As You command.”
After that Nabiryeong gave several more reports.
When she lastly gave goodbyes and withdrew.
“I somehow don’t like Nabiryeong.”
“I don’t like her smile for no particular reason.”
“But I like how she works hard, is useful and knows her place.”
“I like that she doesn’t speak to us thoughtlessly and doesn’t look at us funnily.”
The sound of breathing died out, and the twins, who sat at their side, babbled brightly.
They didn’t respond to the twins’ complaints, and flipped the pages of the book they were holding with long fingers.
“By the way, a new name appeared in the meantime? Why don’t You deal with them straight away?”
The movement of long fingers flipping the pages stopped.
Seeing the signs that they would give a reply, the twin youths looked up at the man[4] with expectant gazes.
They soon heard a reply filled with drowsiness.
“There is no need for me to erase every name here.”
“Yes? Why?”
“Don’t the owners of every name that comes up here have to die or fall into deep sleep?”
When the twin youths couldn’t understand, the man added one more word.
“Because sometimes, there exist people who want to erase the names for other reasons, unrelated to my intentions.”
***
The Newspaper Club’s children fell into chaos in the dust cloud.
It seemed that Mun Saeron, and 2nd and 3rd years put the superpower wave around their vital points straight away, but the 1st year students, who were inexperienced in the superpower wave control, were greatly shaken.
Bang-bang-bang! Baaang!
The explosion sounds hit my ears again.
At the same time, the superpower wave spouted sporadically, poured towards the barrier made by Hwang Jiho.
Kiiiiing….!
Cracks spread out on the golden barrier, which clashed with the superpower wave currents.
Though it was made in hurry, it cracked the barrier made personally by the Ho tribe’s head?
If Hwang Jiho didn’t make a barrier, someone might have been seriously injured.
“It’s stronger than expected, eh?”
When Hwang Jiho squeezed out mana as if wanting to increase the output.
At some point, Seodol stood in front of the cracked barrier.
“I went to such a distant place for vacation after such a long time, but that’s so annoying. What kind of fucker are you?”
There was no feeling of crisis at all in Seodol’s voice.
The suddenly thrown informal words instead of sense of crisis were brimming with not hidden annoyance.
Seodol held a rat-colored bead as he said:
“Then I’ll be back.”
Hwang Jiho, who saw Seodol waving his empty hand and telling us goodbye, frowned.
“You, no way…”
Passssst…
When the rat-colored bead touched the barrier, its shinning golden color changed and it crumbled.
Hwang Jiho clicked his tongue, and immediately built a new barrier, but Seodol seized the opportunity and leapt outside the barrier, disappearing in the dust cloud.
“Teacher Jegal Jaegeol-nim! I guess that person is finished! He ran towards the side, where the superpower pressure is the strongest!”
The Newspaper Club’s president, who activated the Insight category skill and examined the surrounding, shouted, startled by Seodol’s crazy action.
“Just pretend you didn’t see that guy. Jiho, I’ll help you.”
“Ah, president senior! There is a kid who fainted over here!”
“Uh? Uh… Hey, are you okay? Is anyone injured? Take out your weapon item cards!”
Jegal Jaegeol and Mun Saeron, who knew Seodol’s identity, changed the subject.
As if our president was more worried about his juniors than about the lunatic he saw for the first time today, he let it go.
On the other side, which wasn’t clearly visible, the sound of explosions rang out like before.
‘What the hell happened?’
As the manpower on this side was full and overflowing, it didn’t seem like there would be a problem, but I decided to prepare for an incident.
⟨Skill ‘Use of Everything’ activated.⟩
I materialized the SR rank item ‘Rod Containing Light Left By Prophet’ and activated a skill in addition to look around.
⟨Skill ‘Brilliant Gaze’ activated.⟩
Because it was still a day, the output was lower than during the night, but I saw the surrounding clearly.
Hwang Jiho, who was stably maintaining a golden barrier.
Jegal Jaegeol, who stretched out a hand filled with superpower wave towards the barrier and wrote ‘protection’ in clean, square hangul.
Mun Saeron and club president, who were comforting the agitated Newspaper Club’s members, while holding a weapon item card.
Looking at their appearance, my worries eased.
‘It doesn’t look like a great danger.’
If needed, I planned to put up with revealing my power, activating the Gwangrim and materializing the Nine Iron Teeth Rake instead of rod.
I released the Brilliant Gaze skill and put back the Nine Iron Teeth Rake card into the item window.
Clang! Bang! Kiiiiing….!
After Seodol leapt outside the barrier, the high-density superpower waves clashed several times.
But thanks to Hwang Jiho solidifying the barrier and Jegal Jaegeol frequently strengthening it with the kotodama skill, I almost couldn’t feel the danger.
After a few minutes passed, the explosions that rang out closely to us, gradually distanced themselves.
“You worked hard. Like chairman-nim, you’re skilled in Barrier Art, huh?”
Jegal Jaegeol praised Hwang Jiho.
Even if Jegal Jaegeol was alone, he would protect all students in the end, but the first wave was so fast and abrupt, it was difficult for anyone but Hwang Jiho to block it.
‘If not for Hwang Jiho, someone might have been hurt in the first wave.’
As he protected my Playable Character and club members, I also didn’t spare a praise.
“Well done.”
“That was nothing.”
Hwang Jiho withdrew the barrier with a triumphant expression.
After the barrier disappeared, the scene swept in the superpower wave explosions became much more visible.
‘It’s fine here, but the situation isn’t over yet.’
We, who were in the vicinity of the main entrance, were fine, but it seemed the situation still wasn’t over inside the Player Training Center, because the sirens located around it were still all ringing.
I saw Chinese Players from the Training Center, who took refuge in the office close to the entrance, making calls or running inside the Training Center.
“It seems that someone went into a runaway inside the Player Training Center, huh?”
Jegal Jaegeol, who checked that all Newspaper Club’s members are safe one after another, looked at the door to the Player Training Center, as he spoke:
“Runaway? Heuk. Isn’t it perhaps that guy? The one from the last year ‘Qionglai Mountains Avalanche’…”
Mun Saeron spoke with a shocked face.
I also knew about the Qionglai Mountains Avalanche case.
A rough Qionglai Mountains Range located in the northern Sichuan, in the distant past was called Shu Kingdom’s Shield.
A year ago, a runaway so enormous occurred there that it was possible to observe it with the public satellite.
According to what the China Public Security officially revealed, it was a ‘natural disaster’, but no one in the whole world believed it.
Even now, all kinds of rumors spread around, starting with the speculation that it was a lie by the Public Security to hide the existence of the Player, who possessed such enormous potential power.
“…. What should we do? Should we go back to the hotel?”
The Newspaper Club’s president spoke with a worried expression, but Mun Saeron’s eyes were sparkling.
It was a look saying that the moment she got permission to enter, she wanted to immediately go inside to gather information.
Jegal Jaegeol, who had the role of a guide, seemed to be deeply worried.
Considering his thoughts, he would naturally immediately run in and help in the rescue action, but as the guide, he couldn’t leave the terrified Newspaper Club members alone.
When Jegal Jaegeol and the Newspaper Club’s members were sharing their opinions.
Swish!
Hearing the sound of cut air and looking back, there was Seodol there.
“I’m back, sir.”
Seodol was smiling widely as if something good had happened.
Hwang Jiho frowned deeply, but spoke as Seodol wasn’t bothered.
“What did you do?”
Seodol held out something, showing it only to me and Hwang Jiho.
“This… is a gift.”
What Seodol held out was a team mark of the Pro-Player with traces of burning here and there.
It wasn’t in a good state, but it wasn’t to the degree that it couldn’t be recognized to which team this symbol belonged to.
What Seodol held out was the symbol of one of the world’s top 10 teams, ‘Pledge of Three Knights’.
*~*~*
[1] persona non grata — in raws a Chinese based idiom is used, but it has the same meaning of not being welcomed.
[2] languidity — could mean either boredom or being very tired.
[3] formation — translated as ‘outpost’ before, but after thinking and some conversations, I’ll translate it as formation/array, and just leave a note when the time comes.
[4] man — hm… Do you think it would be more of a mess if I used ‘They/them’ when characters speak about Dark Mastermind, and use ‘he/him’ in the scenes with long fingers? Considering that Dark Mastermind appears male here… (Damn it, I really lack information here =-= That’s why people prefer to translate already finished novels?)
Translator’s note: Seodol is furious that his date…. Open stalking… uhhh His appreciation walk with his two favorite people was interrupted. It won’t end well.
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