Chapter 814: The Last (47)

-Did you hear? The dungeon can only be cleared by resurrecting oppa, S-Sora. That way, we can clear the sky!

-Wow! That's… fortunate!

-A-A world without him is meaningless and deserves to be broken. The system must have judged it like that too. That's why it turned the continent into a dungeon.

'When did you…'

-T-That's why it must have given us a choice. I think everyone will cooperate. Of course, I don't think stupid fools will be able to do anything, but… still, their lives are at stake. It would be funny if everyone dies.

-Ah…

-You won't die, so you don't have to worry.

-Yeah… Thank you. More importantly… Are you okay now?

-Huh?

-Your magic power.

- I-It doesn't matter. I can recover it in no time at all. You'll gain this ability soon.

Jung Hayan quietly closed the book and looked out the window.

-I-I-It's pretty.

Sora, who had been looking at the scenery outside the window, quietly nodded.

A feast of lights and explosions was constantly falling amid the night.

The monsters and undead knocking on Lindel's gates roared and screamed continuously, but Jung Hayan remained undaunted.

Han Sora was looking at her mixed respect and fear. Watching her maintaining high-level magic that she couldn't understand while reading books was too much for her to comprehend.

-They are praying at the magic tower, right?

-Yes… They should be praying now. Oh! Come to think of it. They said there would be a meeting soon. Should I tell them that you're too busy keeping your spell up?

-Who's coming?

-Guild Master and Park Deokgu.

-T-Then let's go.

-Okay. I'll get ready.

-Oh! Wait a minute, Sora. Wait. A big one showed up…

I saw a massive lightning strike from the sky, smiting down a large monster. Witnessing that, I thought that she wasn't kidding about being the goddess of magic.

-R-Right on him. Then let's go.

-Sure.

'Maybe everyone will do the same.'

Of course, not all guilds and groups would attend. Whenever the environment changed, the direction of action would be forced to change along with it.

Currently, every organization was in a state of emergency due to the recent events that transpired.

In particular, the Blue Guild was deeply connected to the situation to the point that it could be described as the nucleus of the incident.

However, I couldn't help but feel anxious that the meeting would proceed a little differently.

'Fuck…'

I was worried about what Kim Hyunsung would think.

There was no way he wouldn't realize why there were two options to attack the dungeon. He had to be aware of the link between the resurrection of the saint of light and the end of all life.

'He looks to be hiding it forcibly, which only makes me even more worried.'

Basically, the continent the Son of Light had sacrificed himself for had a dungeon created for him. It was unlikely, but if I thought that the end of all life was the mark of the third timeline's beginning, things would inevitably become more serious.

He couldn't just keep asking to see the sunset and to get rid of the darkness.

With the sword I gave him, he became keen to protect the continent, but I was afraid that he would take the first option if he felt like there was really no hope.

Even if there were no evidence that the end of all life would start the third timeline, Kim Hyunsung wasn't above taking that choice in the worst situation.

That would mean Brigade Hyunsung, who appeared only in my dream, would be born.

'I can't say it. I can't.'

Before things could go wrong, Kim Hyunsung himself wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

The moment our regressor, who was already suffering from so much mental pain and pressure, destroyed humanity with his own hands, I could guarantee that he wouldn't be able to bear it, even if the third round really began.

'No, this isn't the right time to think about that.'

First, he didn't seem to be thinking very seriously about this situation.

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that he didn't care that much?

In fact, it wasn't just him. I had a strong feeling that Jung Hayan, and maybe even Park Deokgu, seemed to think that all guild members were better off.

-Hayan! Sit here. I saw what's happening outside. Is it okay to continue with the spell? It's providing huge help to the defending soldiers… Oh, they asked me to tell you they're grateful.

-And about the… m-magic god…

-I was promoting it. I heard that they would definitely go to the temple in the basement of the magic tower.

Park Deokgu told the story with blood all over his body, seemingly just coming off the battlefield. He looked delighted to see Jung Hayan after so long. No, maybe he was also happy with this event in a different way.

-I feel like I can see some hope. Dungeons were originally designed to be cleared. If hyung-nim's resurrection is a condition for clearing the dungeon, there must be a way to save him. What Hyunsung, Hayan, and our guild were doing wasn't meaningless. It means that hyung-nim can definitely return.

-I also think… it's better this way. They've been sending out official letters ever since this happened, asking if they can examine uncle Lee Kiyoung's body so they can find a way to resurrect him.

-…

-I don't know what rights the people who haven't been interested in us have to try to get into our business. It's annoying. It was just yesterday that they looked at us like crazy people, saying that Hyunsung oppa must move on and overcome his death. They blabbered about such things… In the end, look at them. Look at how shameless they act when their comfort is at stake.

-Haha… Ha. I understand your feelings, but… you don't have to hate them too much. It's all because they are scared.

-Uncle Ahn Ki-mo, you're too soft. When they need power, they come after Hayan unnie and Hyunsung oppa for help. When they don't need it, they just ignore us and become negligent. No matter how I think about it, it turned out for the best because an environment that requires power has come.

-Ugh… you don't have to say it like that…

-Uncle Deokgu also agrees with me.

'I should really educate that one too.'

I fully understood what Kim Ye-ri was saying and thinking, but I couldn't erase the thought of that kiddo being too twisted.

It wasn't that she was wrong, but I couldn't say it was healthy. Yoo Ahyoung, who was quietly reading the atmosphere, also spoke up.

-Actually… I agree with Kim Ye-ri. There are many rude people around. There are many individuals who say it's the Guild Master's duty to protect others, that it's definitely something he has to do.

-That's what a hero is.

-But Chang-ryul.

-I don't like it either, but…

-…

When the atmosphere got a little heavier, Hwang Jeong-yeon laughed.

-The atmosphere is a little tense. Of course, I know the external situation is bad, but we have to smile even more at times like this. As Deokgu said, the power to maintain the dungeon is tantamount to recognizing that Vice Guild Master can live. It's good to have an opinion, but it's not good for the mission to let our personal feelings get involved… you all know that, right?

-…

-Regarding the direction the guild will move in the future, manager Kim Mi-young, Guild Master, and Hyejin are putting their heads together for it. Why don't we wait while having a good conversation?

Except for Alps, who was careful since she was the youngest, everyone else talked about multiple things.

-Come to think of it, has anyone heard of Elena after this happened?

-It seemed like she was looking for a place for the elves to stay in. She must be having a hard time.

Jung Hayan didn't actively participate in the conversation, but she didn't seem to hate the guild's atmosphere, which had become bustling for the first time in so long.

She talked with Han Sora and said that she would bring the elves directly to Lindel.

Kim Hyunsung, Cho Hyejin, and manager Kim Mi-young appeared after some time.

Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin sat down, and manager Kim Mi-young immediately prepared for the briefing. Jung Hayan glancing at my empty seat bothered me.

Of course, the seat was still vacant. If someone filled that seat or removed it, I would have been pretty disappointed. Before long, in a slightly heavy atmosphere, manager Kim Mi-young finally spoke.

-As you might expect, the top priority of the Blue Guild is to target the mythic-grade dungeon, the Continent Where the Son of Light was Sacrificed. No mission is to be prioritized over the objectives relating to that.

-…

-Until information on accurate dungeon strategy has been gathered, we should focus on defending the continent.

-You mean fighting the monster waves?

-Not just that. I'm talking about all risk factors. The State, narrower than that, Lindel, and narrower than that, the Blue Guild… we will protect all of them.

-What exactly are you talking about?

-There's a high chance of war.

-…

-Other cities and other countries are likely to have similar thoughts to our guild.

-So…

-We believe that famine will occur across the continent in less than a few months. In some small towns with poor circulation, their stocks will run out in less than a month, and the situation will be no different in large cities. Starting with the Union, which had been restored not too long ago, there will be chaos all over the continent. The Blue Guild also wants to prepare for any possible situation.

-…

-Aren't the famine issues… under the control of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee?

-The State will not agree with the policies promoted by that organization. Not only can they not trust the system they run, but there's also the idea that they must respond to all possible variables in the future. The alliance with the neutral country Laos will remain the same, but Oscar informally defined… the Federation, the Kingdom Union, and the Republic… as potential adversaries.

-…

-There's probably little chance of a large-scale war actually happening, but the Blue Guild is trying to prepare for the worst and act accordingly. We want to conserve and grow our power and join forces with the Blue Guild's eternal allies, the Black Swan and the Red Mercenary.

-Red Mercenary… The Mercenary Queen…

Perhaps Park Deokgu would be able to find the answer to the question he posed.

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!

The whole city rang due to a thunderous sound. Reflexively, the people sitting in the conference room immediately went on the lookout, but they seemingly realized that the enemy wasn't the one who caused it.

I could see a red beast, soaked with blood, running wild on the outskirts of the wall.

It seemed that it didn't care about the magic that Hayan maintained. It was beautiful in the sense that it was a warrior who endured, broke, bit, and engaged in a fierce battle.

The red beast, which made people feel respect rather than fear, and joy rather than sorrow, finally rose amid the corpses of enemies that she had ravaged.

With a roar, it spoke.

-…

-…

-Now I feel like I'm sobering up.