Side Story (6)
[How did it go?]
[Well... There's a problem.]
[A problem? What could possibly go wrong?]
Through the phone speaker, Jin Yuhua's voice echoed with a question.
The man glanced sideways at Seong Jihan.
Was he checking to see if he knew Chinese?
However...
- What are they saying?
- She’s asking what could possibly go wrong.- Oh, real-time translation in the chat, lol.
- Let's only post the translations so Seong Jihan can follow along.
In the BattleTube chat window, their conversation was already being translated in real-time.
[She should be living alone with her uncle, right? Explain exactly what's wrong.]
[Well...]
The assassin hesitated and glanced over.
Seong Jihan slowly began to speak.
"If there's no valid reason, she won't come. Tell her that the Sword King's subordinates were here."
"The Sword King's...?"
Why would the Sword King suddenly send subordinates, who had long abandoned Yoon Seah?
He wondered if Jin Yuhua would believe such a tale.
"Yes. Tell her they've just discovered 'Late Bloomer' in Japan; she'll catch on."
When Seong Jihan mentioned 'Late Bloomer'...
[They've discovered that...?]
Her tone grew serious.
"Otherwise, why would they suddenly care for Yoon Seah, whom they left alone to fend for herself?"
It was more convincing than her gambling-addict uncle suddenly awakening and defeating assassins.
After the man carefully relayed Seong Jihan's words, Jin Yuhua responded.
[What exactly do they want?]
"He wants to speak directly with the person in charge. Depending on the terms, he's willing to make concessions."
[Concessions, huh... Fine. I'll come myself.]
Click.
The call ended, and about two hours later...
Knock. Knock, knock.
There was a knock at the front door.
[I'm here.]
Jin Yuhua's voice came from outside.
When Seong Jihan extended his hand toward the door...
Creak...
The front door opened on its own.
Through the opening, a large-bodied Asian man stepped in first.
"Tsk."
Clicking his tongue at the sight of the men subdued by Seong Jihan, he said:
"Inventory."
He opened his inventory and pulled out a massive shield and club.
"Defensive Stance."
Whirring...!
Gray energy emanated from the shield, forming a gigantic barrier.
'Not a bad defensive skill.'
The barrier temporarily pushed back the dispersed blue aura that Seong Jihan had spread.
Of course, even with a Blue stat of just 1, if he concentrated his power, he could shred that shield to pieces.
Still, the fact that it pushed back at all proved it was a decent skill.
And then...
- Wait... Isn't that Lee Hansoo?
- What's he doing there? He's a second-string national player for Korea.
In response to the gray barrier forming from the Defensive Stance, viewers recognized the man's identity.
- Why else? He emigrated to China, that's why, lol.
- Oh, did he?
- Yeah, it says so on the IF wiki.
- Wow, the country’s really going downhill? Everyone's fleeing, lol.
As Korea plunged deeper into chaos with dungeon portals appearing everywhere, players began to leave en masse.
Lee Hansoo's case was just another promising talent slipping away.
[Preparations complete.]
He bowed his head at a perfect 90-degree angle in his Defensive Stance.
'How pitiful.'
Even though Jin Yuhua hadn't fully blossomed yet...
If it were a time when her Gift, 'Late Bloomer,' had fully matured under China's intensive nurturing, perhaps.
But now, she was merely the daughter of a high-ranking Triad official.
Seeing a player talented enough to be on the national team bowing so deeply to her...
While Seong Jihan watched this unfold...
Tap. Tap.
Behind the sturdy gray barrier, Jin Yuhua appeared.
[Indeed, very reassuring. Thank you.]
She patted Lee Hansoo on the back, appreciating him.
[He can speak Japanese as well, right?]
[Yes!]
[Please interpret for me. Ask him what conditions he desires.]
Confidently, Lee Hansoo faced Seong Jihan and began to speak.
[Are you a subordinate of the Sword King? The young lady wishes to know what terms you seek.]
His fluent Japanese flowed just as smoothly as his Chinese.
Impressed by his near-professional interpreting skills, the viewers expressed their admiration.
- Wow, he speaks Japanese well too? lol
- Fluent in Korean, Chinese, and Japanese...
- He's really studied languages extensively.
- Maybe he prepared thoroughly to emigrate.
In these desperate times, with Korea in decline and dungeon portals appearing everywhere, players were preparing to move abroad.
Lee Hansoo must have mastered foreign languages to move to China or Japan.
'Quite the foresight.'
But even so...
Seong Jihan smirked and raised his index finger.
Then...
Crackle...
A blue spark briefly flickered.
"......?"
Flash!
A blue lightning bolt shot out from his fingertip in an instant.
Startled, Lee Hansoo hurriedly raised his shield.
But...
Sizzle...
The blue lightning pierced the barrier and began to disintegrate the shield.
"What the...!"
Before he could utter another word...
Sizzle...
He was erased from existence.
[Huh... Huh...?]
Jin Yuhua could only blink in disbelief.
Lee Hansoo, a promising defensive warrior and second-string national player for Korea.
Though Korea was declining, his abilities were valuable enough to rival China's talents.
When she came here, she thought bringing him was overkill—a knife used to kill a chicken.
She never imagined she'd be in danger.
[This can't be happening...]
The man who had been her reliable shield vanished without a trace from a single blue lightning strike.
No.
Even if the Sword King himself appeared, he wouldn't be able to erase someone in one blow.
Was she dreaming?
Jin Yuhua couldn't accept the reality before her.
- As expected, even Lee Hansoo gets erased in a single hit.
- He's a second-string national player; it's to be expected, lol.
- Right? He reset the entire world; erasing one player is nothing...
While the viewers saw this as natural.
No matter how excellent Lee Hansoo was, he was nothing compared to Seong Jihan.
Even with a Blue stat of just 1, focusing his power allowed him to erase opponents effortlessly.
And then...
Sizzle...
As Seong Jihan spread his energy once more.
"Ah...!"
"Ugh...!"
The assassins he had spared to lure out Jin Yuhua were engulfed in blue mist and vanished completely.
Seeing people being erased one after another, fear filled Jin Yuhua's eyes.
"Come here."
When Seong Jihan beckoned with his finger.
Whoosh...!
Her body floated and gently landed before him.
And then...
[You... Are you... Yoon Seah's uncle? I heard you were addicted to gambling...]
Recognizing Seong Jihan's face up close, she stared up at him in shock.
Yoon Seah's only remaining relative, her uncle rumored to be a gambling addict.
Who could have imagined that he would suddenly awaken overnight with the power to erase a national player in one blow?
[This doesn't make sense...]
Her body trembled with fear.
'Her reactions are incredibly lifelike.'
Seong Jihan observed Jin Yuhua's response.
Even the people who invaded earlier; they all behaved like real, living beings.
'So, the only difference from the original world is that the alien races aren't implemented.'
The alien races from BattleNet that appeared as shadows.
Other than that, this world was no different from reality.
In fact, considering the sensations he could feel here that he couldn't in the real world.
One could say this place felt even more alive.
Seong Jihan suddenly had a question comparing the original world to this one.
'Hmm... Do these people also see alien races as shadows?'
The alien races appeared as shadows to him.
He wondered if people here saw them similarly.
'I should test this out.'
Swoosh.
He showed his phone screen to the collapsed Jin Yuhua.
Displayed was a match between humanity's representative team and alien races.
[A... A Space League match?]
Jin Yuhua looked at Seong Jihan with bewildered eyes.
After erasing three people, why was he suddenly showing her a Space League match?
But her confusion was short-lived.
[Wh-What is this? Why do the elves... look like that...]
Her pupils began to lose focus.
And then...
[...]
Thud!
She collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
- ???
- What just happened? Why did she shut down?
- Did Seong Jihan do something?
- No, I think he just showed her the match...
Seeing her lose consciousness as soon as she saw the phone screen, the viewers were baffled.
Swoosh.
Seong Jihan moved his finger, lifting the fallen Jin Yuhua.
'She's still breathing. Now then...'
Crackle!
He applied a slight electric stimulus to part of her body to wake her.
"......"
But she only twitched slightly, showing no signs of regaining consciousness.
As if her soul had completely left her body.
'Her consciousness has completely disappeared.'
All he did was show her the alien races.
And she suddenly lost it.
- So, just by watching the match, they lose consciousness?
- If we can play in this world, all we need is a phone, lol.
- But don't they watch Space League matches outside? Wouldn't society collapse?
- Well, since this is a created world, some bugs are understandable...
"Guess I'll have to look into this later... For now, let's proceed."
Snap!
When Seong Jihan snapped his fingers.
Sizzle...!
Jin Yuhua was enveloped in blue energy and vanished, just like the men earlier.
And immediately...
[You have cleared the Survival Mission.]
A mission clear message appeared before him.
The system had instructed him to survive for a week.
But with 'Jin Yuhua,' the root cause threatening him and Yoon Seah, gone, the mission seemed to have cleared early.
'I let her go too easily.'
He felt that he had tormented her subordinates more than the mastermind herself.
Regretting giving her such an easy end, at that moment...
[The competitor for the Gift 'Late Bloomer' has died. Yoon Seah's vessel is now complete.]
Another system message appeared.
['Eternity' is fully absorbed by Yoon Seah.]
[Cracks begin to form in the shell of Eternity...]
'Cracks are forming?'
Alarmed, Seong Jihan quickly entered the room.
Crack.
Craaaack...
Green light began to shatter.
"Uh... Ugh."
He heard Yoon Seah's groan.
Seong Jihan hurried to her bedside.
Shiver...
Her eyelids fluttered.
She slowly opened her eyes.
"...Uncle?"
Seeing Seong Jihan, she spoke softly.
But soon...
"No... Who are you?"
She glared at him with a sharp voice.
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