[Rolling the World’s Milestone.]
The die stopped rolling after a while. With an alarm sound, a message popped up in the air, and Chi-Woo’s stomach dropped. The face of the die was…
[Result: ★★]
[Inherent Ability [Blessed] Luck consumed. (82 -> 80)]
[The World’s flow rushes faster toward the definite future.]
[Fail. An event unfolds.]
Thanks to the witch, Chi-Woo had restored the amount of Blessed Luck he had during the incident at the Salem Academy. Thus, instead of 69, he had 80 now; that wasn’t the important part at all, however.
[After successfully capturing one of the top figures of the Abyss, the Whore of Babylon, the Demon Empire coincidentally learns of the witch’s past and secret.]
Chi-Woo stared at the messages in a daze.
[With a high-level demon’s long-lasting obsession as the starting point, the demons begin to look into other possibilities with this sudden discovery. The Demon Empire begins their countdown before implementing their grand scheme.]
—Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?
When Chi-Woo regained his senses, his heart was pounding, and his forehead was dripping in cold sweat. He failed. He didn’t even get 3, but 2 stars. It was only fortunate that he didn’t get 1 star. He had sped up the World flow to a future where despair was confirmed. Nothing happened immediately, but that made it even scarier since it was clear that a terrible event would arise in the near future.
—Chi-Woo! Hey, hey!
Philip shouted in surprise as Chi-Woo abruptly shot to his feet. Chi-Woo untied the ropes binding his hands and packed his bag. Philip asked in astonishment.
—What? Are you leaving? Right now?
‘Shit. Shit.’ But Chi-Woo simply continued what he was doing as his hands trembled. The moment he got the message, Chi-Woo became sure that everything would turn to waste if he just stayed in this place. His sense of foreboding never turned out wrong, and Chi-Woo reprimanded himself for causing all this to happen. He needed to clean up after the mess he had brought about.
—Are you really, really going to go?
Philip asked, not knowing what Chi-Woo was feeling.
—How are you going to take care of the aftermath?
Chi-Woo finished packing and stopped for a moment before getting up. After a moment of hesitation, he walked out of the cave and stood in front of the boulder, glaring at it with a viselike grip around his club. To remove it, he needed to know when to pull back and cut his swing off to maximize the energy transferred into his attack. He understood it in his head, but struggled to put it into action. Chi-Woo already knew what he lacked: he needed more mana, and he needed to make up for this shortfall somehow.
‘Why did Chi-Hyun tell me to pour my mana into the club and maintain the flow in it too?’ Chi-Woo wondered. It was then he got a clue. The key was to make his swing as quickly as possible and pull back as soon as his energy collided with the boulder. The boulder was bumpy, and when the club touched its surface, the two wouldn’t meet perfectly in unison; there was a very slight gap, and there must be points where the energy wasn’t being transmitted properly. Chi-Woo needed to solve this problem to transmit the most energy with a single strike.
‘How?’ The answer was to not only minimize time, but the surface area that he struck.
Wiing! His mana flowed stronger than before and gathered at the end point of the club.
—Oh…
Philip’s eyes widened in interest and focused on the club. Nothing had changed on the outside, but that only proved that Chi-Woo was doing the right thing. Instead of lashing out with a burst of uncontrollable energy, Chi-Woo was compressing mana into a single point without spilling anything. At last, Chi-Woo finished gathering energy and gradually raised his club. As if gravity had been reversed, his hair and clothes danced up, and stone pieces and dirt rose from the ground as he moved. Then, Chi-Woo made a down-swing with all his might.
—Now!
As soon as his club touched the boulder, Chi-Woo pulled back. It was a perfect, clean blow. Boom! A heavy thud followed a beat later.
—Uhhh—?
After not budging an inch, the boulder leaned sideways and tilted. Like a drunk person, it wobbled. Bam! But it fell back and landed on its original spot.
—Ah!
Philip groaned because it had been so close. Although the boulder wasn’t crushed to pieces, it could’ve almost rolled over. But in the end, Chi-Woo failed, and the boulder was in the same state as before. The progress he’d made was significant, though.
—It really was so close.
Chi-Woo heaved roughly. In his concentration, he had exerted an enormous amount of power in that short period of time.
—It would’ve been really cool if you cracked it right after making up your mind…but I suppose that’s too difficult?
Philip sighed, and Chi-Woo smiled bitterly. He would’ve been just like a comic book hero then.
—What are you going to do now?
“Going out.” Chi-Woo had already made his decision. This was simply his last attempt before leaving. It was true that Chi-Woo still felt conflicted about the promise he made with his brother, but he didn’t have much time on his hands right now. He needed to act fast. After shouldering his bag, Chi-Woo took Bun and walked down the mountain without turning back even once. He was finally descending after a long period of training.
* * *
There was a saying that one must take great caution the more urgent they were. Although Chi-Woo was running out of time, he didn’t forget to follow the necessary procedure, such as telling Noel Freya—his brother’s aide—of his departure. Besides, he needed supplies for his long travel, and Noel managed all the supplies in the capital. He could leave in secret, of course, but Chi-Woo thought this was the least he could do for the trust his brother had put in him.
Thus, when Chi-Woo returned to the capital, he searched for Noel. On her way to sleep after another busy day, Noel was stunned to see Chi-Woo.
“Y-y-y-young master!? What brings you here!?” Noel was shocked, but she soon calmed down and sat in front of her desk. Chi-Woo explained the reason for his visit.
“…Young master.” Noel returned to her usual polite and business-like manner. “First of all, I want to thank you for coming to me instead of going on your own, but…as you probably already expected, you can’t go, sir.”
“…”
“You can’t even go to the yongmaek fortress. Are you seriously saying that you are going past the border, sir? Especially a territory where the Abyss and Sernitas reside?”
“…Yes.”
“How would Lord Choi Chi-Hyun react if he heard you?”
Chi-Woo closed his mouth, unable to come up with a response. Noel jerked her chin like she had expected it. “See. Just imagine it, sir. I also want to do the same, but I am holding myself back because it’s you, young master.” It sounded like she might have cracked Chi-Woo’s skull because of the foolishness he was displaying if he were anybody else, and her body trembled like she was repressing her anger.
“Lord Choi Chi-Hyun’s wishes are also mine, and he asked me to take care of you. Thus, I can only disagree with your plan, sir.”
“But can’t you give me some leeway?”
“No, I can’t,” Noel immediately said. “If you really wish to go, make sure you get permission from him instead of trying to convince me.”
“…”
“Of course, there’s no way that will happen, but even if he gives you permission, I will still be against it for your sake, young master.” Noel turned away like she had no intention to hear another word from him. Chi-Woo remained calm. He already knew there was no way Noel would easily give him her permission.
“Where is my brother?”
“Who knows? Wouldn’t he still be negotiating with the Cassiubia League? Since they’re talking about co-managing the territory, I don’t think the matter will conclude anytime soon. And considering the distance, I don’t think he will be able to receive your messages, either. If you are so urgent, why don’t you go look for him in person?”
“That will take too much time.”
“Then it can’t be helped.”
“Ms. Noel,” Chi-Woo looked at Noel with a disgruntled expression, who simply shrugged. Noel seemed completely firm about this matter. “Human lives are on the line here.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Ms. Noel!”
Noel remained calm despite Chi-Woo raising his voice. “Even if 10,000 people are to die in front of me, I’m sure I won’t blink an eye if it guarantees young master’s safety. I will be fine no matter what kind of resentment and curses are aimed at me.”
“Ha.” It was hopeless. Noel had no intention of understanding his point, and Chi-Woo knew it was meaningless for him to talk further. The two stared at each other without saying anything.
“But what if…” Chi-Woo broke the uncomfortable silence. “I still have to go?”
“If you really must, then you must.”
Chi-Woo’s eyes widened. This was completely unexpected.
“How would I be able to stop you, young master? I haven’t even made a contract with a god yet.”
“Then…”
“But.” Noel took a dagger off her shelf and threw it on the table in clear view. “You will have to go over my dead body.”
“…What?”
“You can go if you want to see me dead.”
“Excuse me?”
“There’s no other way, is there? I will need to repent for the sin of not following my Lord’s commands with my death.” Chi-Woo furrowed his brows. But Noel continued carelessly, “Anyways, young master, you’re saying that you must go no matter what I say, right?”
Chi-Woo nodded.
“All right. Then I’ll die.” Noel took the dagger with both hands and stabbed it at her neck—with not even a moment of hesitation.
—Fuck!
Philip screamed.
—Stop her! Quickly!
Chi-Woo jumped to action, but stopped when Bun flung out and snatched the dagger away before he could. Blood streamed down Noel’s fair neck. The tip of the dagger gleamed with red.
—This woman…
Philip murmured to himself as if he couldn’t believe what just happened.
—She really…was going to stab…her own neck…
Noel wasn’t bluffing; she really was willing to sacrifice her life. She continued, “You can’t stop me. Even if you tie me up, I can easily die by holding in my breath.”
Noel was crazy. The extent her loyalty to his brother reached was insane. Chi-Woo had thought he could convince her somehow if he made his point persistently, like what he had done with Laguel, but Noel was a much greater hurdle to overcome than he had expected.
‘…I guess I have no choice.’ He hadn’t wanted to do this, but he had to. Chi-Woo closed his eyes and reached into his memory, breathing deeply as he recalled his drama club time back in high school. Chi-Woo replied, “…I understand. I won’t go.”
“You’ve made the right decision.” Noel finally smiled. “Even if something happens, Lord Chi-Hyun will be able to resolve it, so please don’t worry too much. If you focus on your training—”
“Yeah, that’ll probably be the case.” Chi-Woo cut her off. “As you say, I can just stay holed up in the mountain and train, since my brother will do everything.” He stared straight at Noel and continued, “Even though I don’t know what will happen to my brother, who’s always on the front lines and taking all the risks by himself. Isn’t that right?”
Noel blinked; the words were sharp enough to pierce her skin—no, through her bones. Noel replied, “Young master, that’s not what I meant.”
“Yes, you’re right. Whether the Sernitas target humanity next, whether the Demon Empire comes to invade us, or even if they team up and come after us…”
“No—”
“Let’s just believe in Chi-Hyun. Our legendary hero will solve all our problems. Isn’t that right?” Chi-Woo suddenly pulled a straight face. “But do you really think that’s the case?” He looked at her with eyes more solemn than she’d ever seen on him. He asked her again, “Do you really think so?”
Noel became speechless as Chi-Woo continued, “Do you know what I found the most ridiculous since I came to Liber?”
Noel couldn’t answer.
“It’s the heroes. The behavior of heroes. From the second to the eighth recruits! All of them!” Chi-Woo’s voice gradually rose. “Whenever something happens, they immediately go to Chi-Hyun. It’s always legend this and legend that. Whenever they start to get a little nervous, they go looking for my brother like a child who lost their mother!”
“Young master.” Noel cleared her voice. “I’m not sure why you’re suddenly saying all this, but I understand what you mean. I also partly agree with you, but you have to consider the circumstances.”
“Circumstances?”
“You have to consider the special circumstances surrounding Liber. Not long ago, even the growth system—”
“But hasn’t the growth system now been established?” Chi-Woo shouted. “Even though it’s not complete, we even have a god! But nothing changed!”
Noel became speechless again because everything he said was true. Chi-Woo huffed for a while and said, “…Do you know why I want to go?” He continued with a weaker voice, “It’s because of him. I’m leaving for his sake.” After a pause, he softly spoke, “There are over 3,000 heroes on Liber, and most of them are all dependent on him.”
“…”
“In the first place, why did so many people come to this world? Actually, more people will come here as the ninth and tenth recruits. Why are they all coming here?”
Noel couldn’t easily dismiss Chi-Woo’s words as senseless because it was no other than Chi-Hyun himself who had requested for additional recruits to be sent. Noel was flustered. “…Y-Young master, but Lord Chi-Hyun is—”
“My brother!”
Noel was taken aback as Chi-Woo shouted at the top of his lungs again. “He might be a great hero and a legend to others, but…” Chi-Woo gritted his teeth to show his anger. “But to me, he’s my family, my only older brother!” He took a step closer to Noel. “While my only brother is facing all kinds of danger and risking his life, are you telling me to just watch him as his younger brother!?” He furiously pointed at her with his index finger and shouted as emotionally as he could.
Overwhelmed, Noel stared at him with a dumbfounded face. After steadying his breath for a while, Chi-Woo sharply glared at her. “You’re the same as everyone.”
“What?”
“You’re no different. I’d like to ask you, are you really my brother’s subordinate?”
This was basically heresy to Noel, but Chi-Woo continued, “While your lord is exposed to the harsh wind and rain outside, how can you sit still here and claim to be loyal to him?”
Noel widened her eyes at his accusation. “Young master!”
Screech! Noel roughly pushed back her chair and rose from her seat. “How can you say that…!”
“Ah, of course, it’s my personal opinion. It just seems that way from my point of view.” Chi-Woo used Noel’s argument against her. “If you really cared about my brother, you wouldn’t do this. If I were you—” He stared straight into her eyes and wielded words like the sharpest blade. “I would at least not be leaning on this chair and proudly sitting still.”
Noel gaped.
“And I would at least not stop someone who wants to help him, powerless I may be.”
Noel was so conflicted that she dropped her head. She needed to retort and reiterate her opposition, but she couldn’t think of any words.
Chi-Woo thought Noel wouldn’t listen to anything he said because the basis for her attitude was her undying loyalty to Chi-Hyun. Thus, Chi-Woo decided to convince her by taking a shot at her loyalty and questioning her actions. Lo and behold, Noel was wavering. It was true that Chi-Hyun had cultivated and maintained the central region, and he had prevented multiple crises by himself. She had been worried several times that Chi-Hyun might be handling too much at once. But most of all, Noel recalled how Chi-Hyun had reacted when he found out that someone had revived a god and established the growth system.
[According to you, he found a god and restored their power, and he even activated a growth system. What do you think I felt when I heard that?]
[Since he resolved many of my concerns, I’ll gladly give him my fame and title as a legendary hero if that’s what he wants, as long as he keeps up the good work.]
She clearly remembered how happy Chi-Hyun was, which was a very rare sight from him. Moreover, she couldn’t shake off what Chi-Woo had said—how he couldn’t see his brother suffer as his family, and how if she were truly loyal to him, she wouldn’t try to stop him. The conflicting thoughts of whether she should listen to her lord unconditionally or do what was truly right out of loyalty clashed inside her mind.
Blood was thicker than water. If anyone else had said what Chi-Woo just said to her, she wouldn’t have even blinked, but it was hard to do the same with Chi-Woo, Chi-Hyun’s younger brother. While Noel stayed still with her head down, Chi-Woo snuck a glance at Steam Bun. It quietly approached him and took out a water bottle. Chi-Woo put a few drops in his eyes for the final climax.
“Ms. Noel.” After Steam Bun had secretly put away the water bottle, Chi-Woo said, “I’ve told you this before…but my brother can’t save Liber alone.” He spoke with a deep but slightly hoarse voice. “Even if my brother takes the lead with us supporting him from behind, we might still fail to save this world.” Chi-Woo emphasized how he was trying to help his brother and did not want to trouble him. “Please try to understand why the Celestial Realm had sent additional recruits, and why the prophecy assigns a mission to each recruitment.”
“…”
“Just once. Please put yourself in my shoes…” Chi-Woo softly explained and trailed off suddenly. Noel, who had been listening in a daze, finally looked up. She was shocked to see Chi-Woo’s eyes filled with tears.
“…If on the small chance that something bad happens to my brother…I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”
“Ah…”
“I’ll suffer from guilt, go mad, and kill myself by biting my tongue.” He tightly shut his eyes. “…Please, I beg you.” Chi-Woo bowed until his head was almost the same level as his waist at a 90-degree angle. He had never shown such deference before. Noel’s lips trembled. She had to turn down his request, but she couldn’t bear to when she noticed a tear trickle down his cheek.
“Young…master.” Noel smacked her lips for a while and in the end, lowered her arms without being able to say anything.
* * *
The next day, Chi-Woo got ready to leave as soon as he woke up, having had a good night's sleep at his home. The result of his hard work yesterday? Success! Chi-Woo’s tears were able to melt even the iron lady, Noel’s, heart. He had managed to move her with his acting. However, his departure was not fully set in stone yet. Noel had taken a step back, but she still set two conditions. First, he had to form a team.
[You’re not going alone, right?]
[Then you should gather your team members. Of course, it must be a perfect team Lord Chi-Hyun and I will have nothing to say more about.]
Upon hearing Noel’s condition, Chi-Woo went outside as soon as the day broke. His first destination had already been decided. Chi-Woo moved towards the Ru sibling’s house, intending to also ask for the whereabouts of the three heroes involved in this case.
When he knocked on the door, Ru Hiana answered. “Who…ah? Senior?” Ru Hiana made a fuss as soon as she saw Chi-Woo. “You’ve come down?”
“Yes. Is Ru Amuh here?”
“Yes, he’s here, but…”
Chi-Woo was glad that Ru Amuh hadn’t left yet. He went inside, only to find himself in an unexpected situation.
“Teacher?”
“What? Whaaaaat? What happened?”
Ru Amuh and the man who had come to the cave for help were all here; it seemed they were having an important meeting. Moreover, even though this was definitely Ru Amuh and Ru Hiana’s house, there was a person sitting at the head of the table as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“What is it?” The woman with platinum blond hair sat with her arms and legs crossed, looking at him with confident and prideful eyes like a queen. “Who is he?”