NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 64
“Are you kidding me?”
Gu Jin-ha exclaimed in disbelief, and Kwang-hwi nodded in response.
“I understand. But I can’t tell you.”
As Woo Taek barely managed to calm the exploding Hong Yu-ri, Gu Jin-ha took a deep breath and asked Kwang-hwi again.
“Is it true that you held hands with the wayward son of the Plateau?”
“Strictly speaking, it was my father and I. The others are innocent.”
Father. In other words, that’s Chang-seon’s name. It’s true that he collaborated with the wayward sons for a ‘reason that cannot be spoken.’ But the important thing is that very reason—the reason he had no choice but to cooperate.
“Are you really so boldly saying that’s now a betrayal?”
“That’s exactly why I’m trying to fix things.”
Seeing the calmness in his answer made Gu Jin-ha’s anger rise. He wanted to shoot back a reply, but the situation wasn’t good.
“First, let’s clear this up. This place is one of the strongholds of the wayward sons. And if you drink that incomplete product of the counterfeit elixir, it’ll turn you into that blob of a chimera—so far, is there anything wrong?”
“Spot on.”
“And you cooperated with the wayward sons for reasons that cannot be spoken. You were secretly dealing with them to fix that…?”
“Absolutely correct.”
“…Do you really think this makes sense?”
“What’s not to make sense?”
Unable to hold back any longer, Gu Jin-ha slammed the table down. The shattered pieces of the table reflected his emotions.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Hey! Gu Jin-ha!”
“Your Plateau is the spiritual pillar of this country, no, humanity! The time when Chang-seon gathered the Seven Heroes will forever be etched in history!”
“…….”
“Are you telling me that you turned your back on humanity? That you joined those scum?”
Unlike his usual self, Gu Jin-ha was passionate, and Hong Yu-ri frowned at him. But she felt the same. Who could believe that none other than Chang-seon teamed up with the traitors? Kwang-hwi said nothing. A suffocating silence settled in, and after a long time of suppressing his anger, Gu Jin-ha muttered with a defeated voice.
“…You guys shouldn’t have done this.”
Assumptions and certainties are different—he thought it could be true, but upon confessing, he felt deflated. It had already been 50 years since the dungeon and monsters had appeared. Monsters existed even before Gu Jin-ha was born. While it now seems obvious, thinking back on society before monsters appeared.
When considering the impact it had on society back then.
Who could believe that during that chaotic time, a hero who led humanity connected with traitors?
“…….”
Kwang-hwi remained silent until the end. Only a deep shadow cast over his expression. Yet, even so, Kwang-hwi did not reveal that reason. As if saying it couldn’t be done and shouldn’t be done.
“…Alright then. I don’t know how great that reason is, but can I assume that the Plateau and the wayward sons are now on different paths?”
“Indeed.”
“You knew well what kind of chaos they were stirring yet still joined hands with them, huh?”
Gu Jin-ha’s sarcasm made Kwang-hwi speechless. A long silence followed. Gu Jin-ha took a breath to steady his mind.
“Is there a way out of this island?”
They must’ve realized how far they came by now. Plus, they had no idea how many blobs were out there. Kwang-hwi nodded slightly.
“There are two ways. One is the bridge from Deokjeokdo to Soyado. I secretly hid a boat in Soyado for emergencies, so if you can cross that bridge, you should be fine. But…”
“I doubt the bridge is still standing.”
Woo Taek returned after confirming that their boat was destroyed. Surely, they wouldn’t leave a bridge open to another island.
“Honestly, if it were just me, I wouldn’t care.”
Kwang-hwi took out a scroll from his possession. A teleport scroll. A rare treasure that’s hard to come by even in the Square, but it wouldn’t be surprising for Kwang-hwi to have the genuine article.
“The shortest distance from Deokjeokdo to Soyado is less than 1 km.”
“…….”
“But… there, you.”
At Kwang-hwi’s sudden call, Woo Taek looked puzzled.
“Are you talking about me?”
“I’ll tell you where the hidden boat is, so you go bring it back.”
Woo Taek subtly glanced at Gu Jin-ha.
“Why don’t you go instead?”
Kwang-hwi shook his head.
“Can you trust me?”
“…….”
They both knew the answer: they couldn’t trust each other. If they did, they wouldn’t have come this far. Soon, Kwang-hwi calmly nodded.
“Right. I feel the same. I’m worried you guys might get hurt while I’m away.”
Who’s worrying about whom in this situation? In disbelief, Hong Yu-ri looked up at the ceiling, mumbling silently. Though she didn’t say it out loud, it was a mix of something that began with “C” and ended with “K.”
“First, let’s hear it out. You said there were two methods, so there should be one more.”
“Getting rid of the wayward sons with your help.”
“…….”
“Then we can go back to the mainland without worry.”
Technically, that made sense. But…
“…Do you need our help? The fact that you even came here implies you had confidence in that, right?”
“Yeah. But from what I gather, it wasn’t this bad. There shouldn’t have been this many incomplete products here originally.”
“…….”
Gu Jin-ha bit his lip. It seemed someone had brought more incomplete products recently. And that ‘someone’ pointed fingers at him.
‘So that’s why you were away.’
Though it was hard to see due to the fire, the original purpose of the hidden hideout was likely to create elixirs.
“Those blobs won’t die easily with regular attacks. I can’t guarantee how many there are either.”
The rest nodded. With regular attacks—a Class A hunter at best wouldn’t guarantee taking down even one. The reason being, they weren’t strong but purely tenacious.
“So we have to deal with the Silent Mouth first.”
“Silent Mouth?”
“He’s one of the wayward son’s executives. This place, Deokjeokdo, is ruled by the Silent Mouth.”
“What in the world are the wayward sons? How can an organization of this scale remain veiled?”
“…Well, I don’t know.”
His eyes and expression showed no tremor. But instinctively, Gu Jin-ha sensed the lie. No, it’s better to say that he didn’t share everything he knew. He sighed deeply.
“Once I return, I’ll lodge a complaint at the clan level.”
“Feel free. Nothing will change, though.”
At that, the two exchanged sharp glances. No one would avert their gaze, prompting Gu Jin-ha to exhale a long breath. For now, it was crucial to cooperate.
“…Let’s do both. Woo Taek. You secure the boat first and join us later. We’ll handle the Silent Mouth meanwhile.”
Woo Taek nodded, and Kwang-hwi handed him the teleport scroll, pointing to the map.
“Here. There’s a boat docked at Ttebulri Beach. Use that to make it to Bajireum Beach.”
Though it would take about 3~4 km of rowing from Ttebulri Beach to Bajireum Beach, Woo Taek could manage that in 30 minutes.
“After you secure the boat, come to North-ri.”
“Is the Silent Mouth there?”
“Maybe. But he’s not an idiot; he wouldn’t just wait around.”
“There could be traps, or he might have already fled.”
“Exactly. But.”
Kwang-hwi exchanged glances with Gu Jin-ha and Hong Yu-ri.
“I’m here, and there are you guys too. What could possibly go wrong?”
At that, the team leader pondered. Normally, he wouldn’t have thought twice. But recalling Agail from earlier left him with a lingering unease.
‘I can’t let my guard down.’
He wasn’t part of the wayward sons, but the successor from the Square was an allied group. Thinking back on all that had happened, one could argue they were more dangerous than the hidden corners of the world.
‘An incomplete product of the counterfeit elixir, huh.’
The legendary alchemical extreme. The elixir.
Kwang-hwi hadn’t definitively stated it, but he wasn’t a fool enough to ignore this much. The wayward sons’ goal was likely to create the elixir. Whether it existed or if they could make it—all of it was a question. But the effectiveness was the first mystery.
‘Could it be that the Plateau needed the elixir?’
Is that why they cooperated with the wayward sons? …It was lacking clues to deduce more than that. He could speculate, but it would just become baseless conjecture. His thoughts were muddled. While sorting through it, he suddenly remembered a vital question still lingered.
“Kwang-hwi. One last question.”
“Speak.”
“Why on earth did you give the information about Alpha to us?”
“Hmm.”
“This is something we need to clarify. What is Alpha exactly? Why, and how is it pursuing the wayward sons?”
At that question, Kwang-hwi shook his head.
“I don’t know either.”
Just as Gu Jin-ha was about to press him, Kwang-hwi mumbled as if he wanted him to hear.
“But… if something’s off, shouldn’t you ask someone suspected of being off?”
Someone suspected of being off. After a moment of contemplation, Gu Jin-ha chuckled. There was indeed someone who appeared where Alpha showed up, someone who shouldn’t be there.
“To what extent does this connect?”
“I don’t know…”
Kwang-hwi merely gazed into the distance instead of answering.
***
“Hello? Who is this~?”
In a daze from a sudden early morning call, Euna answered the phone half-asleep.
[Euna! Get to the clan right now!]
Her sleep immediately faded at the urgent voice. Confirming the contact on her screen belonged to a clan member, Euna replied.
“What’s going on?”
[No time! You were in Songpa, right? Then head straight to the Academy and join up.]
“…The Academy?”
As she asked in a puzzled tone, the caller spoke quickly before ending the call abruptly.
[You’ll understand the situation when you get there. Hurry!]
Still in disbelief, Euna dressed up and prepared to head to the Academy, only to notice her sister standing vacantly on the balcony.
“Euna, what are you doing there?”
“Unnie.”
Her sister was staring outside, seemingly spellbound. Her trembling hands clutched the railing. Frowning, Euna approached, and her sister raised her hand to point far off.
“What is that…?”
And soon, Euna too widened her eyes and dropped her jaw at the unbelievable sight.
***
It didn’t take long to reach North-ri. The blobs’ intelligence was poor, and they just dragged along. If they wanted to hide, they could easily do so.
Taking advantage of the night, the trio reached North-ri and could see the blobs wandering the streets.
“There are more than I expected.”
How did so many of these monsters infest this small island? Even if it was hellish, ordinary hunters wouldn’t dare face such monsters.
Gu Jin-ha, surveying the surroundings, asked in a low voice.
“Can we sneak in?”
“Not sure… it won’t be easy.”
“What about just cleaning them up?”
“You’ll run out of arrows or magic before that.”
At first glance, Kwang-hwi had only about seven arrows left in his quiver. They thought about why he hadn’t brought more, but the sheer number of imperfect products of the counterfeit elixir was something he hadn’t foreseen.
“Ascunde.”
As soon as Hong Yu-ri’s words fell, a transparent barrier enveloped the three of them.
“What are you hesitating for? There’s a mage right next to you.”
At that, both men chuckled. Thanks to that, getting to the location Kwang-hwi mentioned wasn’t difficult. Upon reaching the door, they deliberated for a moment before sidling around. Nodding to each other, Gu Jin-ha cut the window frame and snuck inside. A feat possible only for hunters. Entering silently, they exchanged glances.
Three presences detected by magic detection. At once, they all held up two fingers.
“…….”
Holding their breath, Gu Jin-ha dashed to the left immediately after opening the door. Without needing confirmation, he pierced through a heart, causing the remaining two to gasp in horror.
“tăcere.”
“――?!”
Before any sound could erupt, Hong Yu-ri’s magic sealed their mouths. The next moment, arrows pierced through their ankles and skewered their feet and the ground, preventing them from even uttering a scream. The entire process took a mere 2 seconds.
“…Are these the Silent Mouths?”
“No way. Just small fry. If the Silent Mouth was here, it wouldn’t have been this easy.”
As about ten minutes passed, Gu Jin-ha and Kwang-hwi confirmed their information matched and decisively struck through their necks.
“An assault on the Academy? They’ve really lost their minds. Do they even realize who’s there?”
The Academy was akin to a hunter training ground responsible for the nation’s future. Each student was a potential hunter, and naturally, professors were stationed at the Academy. Including mages from the Square, it meant top-tier clan hunters were teachers. Even the headmaster was Mun-no, a member of the Seven Heroes. The Academy itself bore strength surpassing that of most representative clans. Even if Agail, who had died, returned alive, it wouldn’t be easy for them. The mere thought of an assault on such a place drew a laugh from Gu Jin-ha.
“You can’t really think that way.”
“……?”
“You’ve dealt with those wayward sons, and you say that? They wouldn’t have dared attempt it if they weren’t confident.”
“You’re saying they could actually assault the Academy? Right in the middle of Seoul?”
“Why do you think it’s impossible? Look around.”
At once, Gu Jin-ha and Hong Yu-ri’s expressions shifted. What were those blobs lying around Deokjeokdo? [Collateral products of the incomplete elixir]—though making them wasn’t easy, was there any guarantee there would be no facilities for elixir research, like the hidden corners? Who could assert that there weren’t more incomplete products around?
“What if these guys appeared right in the heart of Seoul? Let alone inside the Academy?”
“Are you for real?”
“Does it really seem that difficult? Anyone will do. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the wayward sons; anyone could make those monsters by just having them drink it. An assault on the Academy—do you really think that’s hard?”
“Looks like we ignored the island. If we don’t return quickly…”
“It’s already too late.”
Hong Yu-ri’s lament was met with horrifyingly massive blobs surging in.
“These bastards were bait from the start.”
Beyond the window, someone wearing a faceless mask began to chant spells.
***
Before the dawn had even arrived, it slowly grew larger. A huge red blob swelled. That horrifying thing was steadily expanding.
‘Insane.’
There were only six within detectible distance. Three of them were right inside the Academy complex. Not to mention, one couldn’t guarantee that this was all there were. In terms of the entire Seoul, who knows what kind of chaos might be unfolding?
‘How did it come to this?’
This situation spiraled out of control. She had just come to visit a protagonist from a novel, only to find herself confronting an absurd incident.
‘…History has changed.’
The future had shifted. That’s the only way she could process this.
‘Where did it start going wrong?’
Koo Sang-seop, Gu Ma-jun, Lee Baek-seom. They had cut down the underlings of the wayward sons and smashed the hidden corners. She thought it was a more than satisfactory outcome. But could that be the reason?
‘Did they push too hard?’
Had the night of the grand war impacted anything major? Or was it because of the counterfeit elixir? Had that sparked this whole event?
‘Damn it.’
She thought it was a disaster that would never happen. She thought by averting the sewer disaster, it would all be fine. But it was a miscalculation.
[Lv.10 Condition: Prevent the Witch’s Disaster]
Originally, the disaster was supposed to occur years from now but had been expedited, and in a completely different form at that—an assault on the Academy.
“Kkyururuk!”
As if to bring her to her senses, the Fairy Dragon rubbed its tail against her nose.
“…Right. That’s how it should be.”
She had been complacent. Even if the sewer disaster didn’t happen, it wouldn’t have been hard for them to abduct just one person. There’s no way it was only a 0.02% chance. If they genuinely managed to prevent the witch’s disaster, many more karmic debts should’ve been established.
‘It’s not over yet.’
The system said to block the disaster. In other words, it meant it wasn’t over yet.
‘This time for sure.’
She would prevent the witch’s disaster and stop Baek So-yul from becoming the witch.
***
“Did it really have to come to this?”
“…….”
“What on earth could you achieve this way? Just quietly fade away. I won’t pursue you.”
Then, the old man let out a deep sigh filled with emotion.
“You’ve gone crazy.”
“Maybe so.”
“What has become of you?”
The old man, lamenting, knew that no matter what he said, nothing would change and finally lifted his spear.
“Come. At the very least, I’ll send you off.”