Chapter 57 – The Secret Video Recording (Part 3)

Editor: Cherish

— Okay… — Still baffled, Kang Yu handed over the SD card.

'The videotape must contain some kind of secret.'

No matter what, he couldn't imagine that Young-ju's target would be a simple video like that.

Taking the SD card into her hands, she hesitated for a moment, but then continued:

— Since it turned out like this, you can watch it with us, Kang Yu. After all, it concerns you, too.

'I've already looked at it.'

This video was definitely of some value, but Kang Yu was stuck in bewilderment.

— Hwa Yeon, where is your man?

— He's dead… — said the girl with a heavy voice as she returned to them, walking through the scattered bodies.

Approaching Kang Yu, she quietly asked:

— What happened before we found you?

— I have no idea either. — Kang Yu heaved a sigh and told them what had happened in the alley, from the moment the dying man gave him the memory card to the moment the girls showed up.

— They appeared as soon as you picked up the card?

— Yes.

— So you got involved by accident… — Hwa Yeon clutched her head like she had a migraine.

— I'm also curious. Tell me, what exactly is going on here?

— Let's watch the video first, and I'll explain everything.

Young-ju hurriedly inserted the memory card into her phone and started the video.

— Oh, by the way. About the vi… — But Kang Yu's warning came too late. The sound of moans filled the air.

— What the… — The red haired girl muttered and her face turned the color of her hair.

Hwa Yeon leaned in and eyed the video carefully.

— It's a fake video. To see the real video hidden behind it, you have to run it through a decoder.

— Why did he use that video as a fake video?! — Young-ju shouted, flustered.

Hwa Yeon answered with a serious expression:

— What's wrong with that? The head office advised him to use an adult video as a disguise. Kang Dong Hong only did what he was taught.

— Okay, wait a minute. I mean…

Young-ju quickly turned her eyes to Kang Yu.

— You… you watched it.

— Yes, I did.

— So why didn't you say anything?!

— Because you said 'hand it over now and we'll find out…'

— What were we supposed to find out from this?! — The girl screamed at him with tomato-colored cheeks.

Kang Yu laughed, now realizing it was a fake video.

— That's why I was wondering what we were going to find out from that video.

— Ah… ahh!

She was shaking with shame.

But she couldn't retaliate. She was the one who rushed to take the memory card from him.

— So what's going on? Why was there a hunt for that SD card?

— Oh… — Young-ju took a deep breath and explained the situation.

Thanks to her detailed story, Kang Yu's questions were answered one by one.

— So, today you were going to meet with your employee who broke into Hell's School to gather information?

— Yes. When we received the first SOS signal, we searched all over the district, but we couldn't find him. After that, we got the last signal coming from here.

— Um… So this map contains information about the Devil's Teachers.

Kang Yu finally began to understand the reason why he was being targeted, and why Hwa Yeon asked him to give them the 'important video.'

'That's why there were so few Hwaran people around the Gate today.' There was a good chance that the first squad was sent to the man's supposed location as armed reinforcements.

— That's right. I really wasn't trying to look for porn! You know that, right?!

— I got it. Are you that worried about it?

Probably because the girl was embarrassed, but she was holding onto Kang Yu's head while yelling at him.

At that moment, Echidna walked over and said:

— Don't grab Kang Yu. — She pulled the guy's shirt towards her and squinted at Young-ju with a look of disbelief.

— That child…

— She's the one I mentioned earlier.

— Oh, the dragon? — Young-ju was surprised to see Echidna.

She didn't look like a dragon in any way; she looked more like a beautiful doll.

— Are you sure it's a tamed creature? You're not doing anything…weird with her, right?

— You really have me mixed up with garbage, don't you?

— Ah… well, I guess I can't say that about you. — Young-ju nodded her head when she realized her mistake. — You're a different type of garbage. —

— Did you just praise me or insult me? — Kang Yu stared at her in confusion.

Echidna, who was watching them this whole time, went to Young-ju:

— Take it back.

— Oh…

— Kang Yu isn't garbage, he's an important person to me.

— It's…

— If you don't apologize, I won't forgive you. — Magi started to appear around her.

Young-ju, seeing the doll-like girl look so angry, scratched the back of her head, feeling sheepish.

— Okay, I take it back.

— Then that's fine… — Echidna calmed down and buried her head in Kang Yu's shirt.

Rubbing her cheek against him, the guy gently stroked her head.

When Young-ju saw the pair's behavior, she laughed.

— How did you make her do that?

— It's because dragons value honor and loyalty.

— Don't talk nonsense. — The guild leader's cheeks flushed red and she turned away.

(Editor's Note: I think she's embarrassed because Kang Yu is implying the dragon has a better sense of respect than Young-ju. FYI, the original text just says "she" without specifying which girl says this line and blushes, but it doesn't make as much sense for Echidna to dismiss Kang Yu's words.)

Hwa Yeon returned to the place where Young Ju and Kang Yu were, now finished dealing with the aftermaths of the fight.

— First of all, we need to get to the main office. It's the only place capable of decrypting the video.

— Okay. Kang Yu, you're going too, right?

— Well, if that's the case, then we should go. — Kang Yu shrugged his shoulders and followed Baek Hwa Yeon.

***

***

They arrived at the headquarters of Hwaran, not far from the scene.

Unlike the 'perfect' Players' Control Department, Hwaran's office was decorated with taste, but no frills.

— Commander, you're here!

As soon as Baek Hwa Yeon crossed the threshold of the building, Players wearing their trademark clothes appeared from everywhere to greet her.

Hwa Yeon nodded firmly and said:

— Kang Dong Hong has died in the line of duty. I'll contact his family. Prepare a reward for his service.

— Ah…

— He is a hero of our country. Make any unworthy information about him disappear.

— Got it!

Hwa Yeon looked around and continued:

— Where is Commander Jang Hyun Jae now?

— He's currently in Japan studying the Level SS Gate.

— Huh…

Jang Hyun Jae.

Her mentor and the person responsible for the first squad.

He was such a strong and powerful man that there was not a single soul in Korea who did not know his name.

'If only the commander were here…' Baek Hwa Yeon took a deep breath.

She thought to herself, if only he was here right now, Kang Dong Hong would never have died.

— We're going to the lab. Get the decoder ready.

— Yes!

Baek Hwa Yeon headed to the lab with her guests.

After decrypting the video on the SD card, they moved their eyes to the black screen.

The first thing they saw was the image of someone unknown wearing a red mask of the devil.

'The red mask of the devil.' Kang Yu's eyes glinted with interest as he watched the video.

He suddenly remembered what Cho Dok Hyun had said to him recently.

'Did he find information about this service?' Kang Yu continued to watch the video carefully.

— Cardinal, if I may speak. — The video showed another person kneeling in front of the masked man in the dark room. His whole face was tattooed with geometric patterns.

He bowed his head at the masked cardinal's feet as a token of respect, and spoke in a trembling voice:

— We are almost finished preparing for the draft.

— How long do we have to wait?

— Four weeks… if we speed it up, we can make it in three.

— Three weeks… — The masked man nodded his head at this. — Faster than I thought. Are you getting enough support? —

— Yes, I am. Maybe because they're Big Guild Players, but most trained victims had special abilities above Class B.

— That's great… Ha-ha-ha. There's not much time left before my wish will be fulfilled. This is incomparable with our first steps. But it's still a long way from our goal.

— But if we successfully complete the last case, we'll get even more support…

— That's enough. — The masked cardinal interrupted him in a low tone.

Even through the mask, you could sense a terrifying expression.

— Be careful with your words until we have completed all the preparations for our calling.

— Yes! — The man worshipping him at his feet responded politely.

That was the end of the videotape.

A heavy silence hung in the room.

Hwa Yeon and Young-ju kept looking at the blank screen with serious faces.

— Hmm… — Kang Yu, too, frowned, digesting the information from the short video.

'Cardinal, Vocation and Big Guild' were the three key points of the video.

The first one. Considering the red mask person was called 'Cardinal,' it could be assumed there was someone with an even more powerful position.

Two. They are preparing to summon someone or something to Earth.

Three. There's a large guild supporting them.

— At this point, we have only one option. We have to check all the major guilds.

— Huh? — Hwa Yeon was surprised to hear what Kang Yu muttered. — What makes you think that? —

— First of all, once they find out about the spy, they'll be even more secretive with hiding information about their summon. At this point, we won't be able to find the Devil's Teachers themselves. Which means there's nothing we can do but find their sponsor.

— Oh… — She exclaimed, impressed by his analysis given the short amount of time he had to think about it. — Do you work in this industry? —

A strategist or an analyst. If a person doesn't belong to one of these specialties, it'd be quite difficult to understand the situation so quickly and propose a plan of action.

— No, it's just… he's like that on his own. — Young-ju made eye contact with him.

Ever since they met, they'd only had short conversations, but they'd already grown familiar with each other.

— What do you suggest we do? — Young-ju, acknowledging his abilities, asked for his advice.

— Well, there's only one thing we can do now, — Kang Yu said, and continued in a calm tone: — 'Hanul', 'Red Rose,' 'Onnuri,' 'Mir,' and 'Sanalae.' Young-ju, one of the guilds, excluding yours, must be linked to the Devil's Teachers.

— I know. But there's no way to find out exactly which one is connected to them.

The large guilds were so strong that even the government didn't dare to bother them.

It wasn't easy even for the government to do research on them.

— There is one way…

— Which one?

— That one. — Kang Yu smiled.