chapter 196
196 – Encounter (1)
“Okay, Seojun. Our Sephiroth Clan will also cooperate.”
Not long after, I received a call from Jeong Se-yeon.
As expected, she also hoped to join us in conquering the top.
Considering her usually meticulous and flawless personality, it might have been a bit puzzling, but it seemed like she placed great significance on the cooperation between the three representative clans.
And since there was someone who had the ability to predict the future with a near 100% accuracy, there was a high possibility that he would think it was worth a try.
We will have to discuss in the future how much power Jeong Se-yeon will invest, but with this, all of the representative clans of South Korea, including Ilseong Group, Heuksanhoe, Seongssi Sega, and Sephiroth, have gathered together.
What can I say? It was truly unprecedented for four clans representing South Korea to work together to conquer the tower.
Throughout the future and the past, you know.
‘Anyway, this is where everyone gathers.’
Lee Ji-hyun, Choi Seo-yoon, Kang Hwa-ryeon, Ryu Ye-rin, Jeong Se-yeon… … .
Even if you look at them individually, their power is tremendous.
That’s because if you’re an S-rank ability user, you should be treated as a tactical weapon or an asymmetrical force.
And Jihyun is a strong player ranked within the top 20 in the world.
She’s said to be in the top 20, but honestly, I dare say her skills are comparable to ‘single rankers’ like Charlotte or Camelot.
A fully armed Jihyun would be able to fight Charlotte one-on-one.
‘If you have the skills to be a single ranker, the outcome is often determined by the circumstances of the day.’
Except for the 1st and 2nd place, which are known as the greatest, the rankings among single rankers don’t really mean much.
Of course, Charlotte’s abilities are superior to most matchups, but she does have her weaknesses, so if you calmly attack, you should be able to defeat her.
… … Charlotte must also be aware of our weaknesses.
As I know Edelin well, Edelin knows me well too.
This means that it is virtually impossible to gain an advantage in information warfare.
‘Anyway, I’m glad that I can get full support from the four major clans. The talent pool is really solid.’
As they are the best clans in Korea, they are full of elite high rankers, so just looking at them makes you feel secure.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen dozens of A-rank to A+-rank abilities gathered together.
They are not just random students, but excellent students who have been following an elite course since they were young and have completed a rigorous curriculum.
If we were to pick out the so-called real high rankers, they would be Lee Sol, Cha So-yeon, Seong Da-hyun, Ha Eun-byeol, Park Gyu-seong, etc.
All these people were connected to them, so we were able to recruit them without much difficulty.
These are people who are evaluated as having the potential to reach S-rank in the future.
These are the people with abilities closest to S-rank.
However, it is bound to be inferior when compared to the Seongcheon Church.
No, to be honest, it’s far behind.
Our military power is comparable to that of a nation, but compared to the Sungcheon Church, which has a global reach, it is like throwing an egg at a rock.
Because being the world’s greatest religious group can exert influence greater than that of a single country.
The number of ability users belonging to the Seongcheon Church is incalculable, and among them, there are hundreds of ability users with rank A or higher.
Also, there are so many named values, such as executor, knight commander, archbishop, priestess, etc.
Even just the three closest people to Edelin are enough to cause trouble, the fact that they are supported by the main forces of the Sungcheon Church makes it hopeless in many ways.
Simply put, a head-on confrontation is no different from suicide.
But is this a blessing in disguise?
Because of Edeline’s forced coup, there are quite a few people who do not like her.
No matter how much they use the Pope as a puppet, they can’t fool the eyes of the real ones. They even secretly purged potential threats while fooling others. Everyone must have accumulated a lot of fear and hatred toward Edelin, whether they knew it or not.
Unlike the general believers who only look at Edelin’s appearance, the executives of the Sungcheon Church would know Edelin’s true appearance.
‘Thanks to that, I was able to make contact with some people.’
I haven’t only been traveling around the world these past few months, targeting hidden pieces.
I tried to secretly contact people who had a strong antipathy towards Edelin.
As a result, I was able to make contact with the resistance forces led by Louise Valentine, one of the executors, and I was able to see a very positive response… … but to be honest, I don’t have high expectations.
I’m sorry to say this, but this is just bait.
Also, it doesn’t seem like it’s great enough to catch Edelin off guard.
The Edelin I know is not the type to trust her allies.
He must have noticed from the beginning that Louise was dissatisfied. He openly took the priestess of Origin whom Louise had been serving hostage.
‘If it causes even a little bit of confusion, it wouldn’t be so bad.’
There is a gap so large that it cannot be bridged unless we do this.
No, even if we do this, it will never be enough.
Because there are some goals that can’t be solved with just one or two moves.
‘Actually, if you think about it from Edelin’s perspective, it would be much easier to attack me directly rather than wasting time like this.’
The most effective strategy in a situation where the power gap is overwhelming is to push with numbers.
Because in most situations, duel tactics are quite effective.
To begin with, the quality of the troops was superior to that of the Seongcheon Sect, right?
If she just pushes ahead, Edelin will be able to get what she wants.
Of course, I have no intention of just giving in, so I will resist strongly.
As a result, there will be quite a bit of damage to the Seongcheon Church, but is Edelin kind enough to care about that?
I don’t think so.
‘There are many effective strategies for Edelin. For example, she could kidnap one of the children and threaten them. But she’s quiet. She’s not the type of person who values fair play.’
You’re saying that after wiping out my memory once, you tried to brainwash me?
‘I had a hunch, but is that really why…?’
While I was thinking deeply.
Cracks began to appear in the air.
A slender human arm jutted out from beyond the cracks that shattered into pieces like broken glass.
Soon, a girl with long, braided, light green hair slowly stretches out her legs.
Eyes that are blank and sleepy somewhere.
But there is a hint of murderous intent and hostility.
Her left eye is tightly shut and covered with a metaphysical pattern, but you can tell that she is no ordinary girl because she is glaring at you with only one pupil.
That’s because that little girl is Charlotte Lesbian.
“……hi?”
“Ah, hello?”
At that moment, a woman suddenly appeared from beyond the crack with Charlotte.
A mysterious woman with her hair flowing down to her thighs, smiling brightly while placing a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder.
This is Laurent de David.
“What are you two doing here without any contact?”
I answered with a blank expression and quietly used my telepathic powers to inform the members of the clan of Charlotte and Laurent’s appearance.
Considering that not only Charlotte but also Laurent, a specialist in interpersonal combat, came with them, they had to prepare for any eventuality.
If it were just Charlotte, it would be possible to do something, but Laurent, whose abilities have not yet been revealed, would be quite difficult.
Well, I kind of expected it.
“Whoa, whoa, calm down. I didn’t come here to fight. I’ll be there soon, soon.”
“……joy.”
Laurent waved his hands and opened his mouth calmly, as if he were visiting a friend’s house, and Charlotte snorted as if she was dissatisfied with something.
Then Laurent kicked and laughed and slapped Charlotte on the back.
“Oh, what’s wrong? Are you fussing because you want to have a fight with Charlotte? Come to think of it, you were the one who caused trouble last time, right? If you look at it this way, Charlotte is secretly more of a troublemaker. Don’t you think so?”
“… … No, that’s not true.”
“Hey, don’t be so annoying.”
“Put your hands away, it hurts.”
Charlotte frowned and slapped Laurent’s hand away.
“So what’s going on?”
“… … Tsk.”
Charlotte clicked her tongue once, took a letter out of her bosom, and threw it at me.
“Another letter?”
Is this an extension of the invitation I gave you last time?
“Didn’t we agree to meet after conquering all but the top floor? As far as I know, there are still a few more floors left.”
“I’ll be busy by then. It’d be better if we met here instead.”
“okay?”
“Anyway, Edelin hopes to meet in a week… … .”
“… … .”
“The number of people and location are written in the letter… …
“wait for a sec.”
I glanced at the letter while keeping a wary eye on them, then quickly cut off Charlotte’s words.
“Let’s decide the location here.”
“……what?”
“Even if you call it an invitation, it’s just a request to meet up and talk, so I can decide the location, right?”
“… … .”
Charlotte looked at me with a discontented face but said nothing.
I guess he was expecting me to nitpick.
“I’ll tell you the location in two days.”
“By what means?”
“There’s a phone, a phone. I know Edelin’s number. Edelin probably knows my number too.”
Let’s be civilized and call each other.
Don’t come here suddenly like this.
“If you’re done with your business, then you should go now. We’re not close enough to talk face to face for a long time, right?”
“……you.”
Charlotte glared at me with a growl in her voice.
“… … I hate you.”
“Oh, really? Me too.”
“… … I don’t know why Edeline treats you so special.”
“Isn’t that love? Love?”
“… … You get out of here.”
“This is too much.”
Laurent shrugs his shoulders with a sullen face.
“… … If I put my mind to it, I could easily defeat you and take you to Edelin.”
“Why don’t you try it if you can? Oh, right. I lost an eyeball doing that back in the day, right?”
“… … Many of our children died too. Because of you.”
“So what, you want revenge or something?”
Suddenly, Charlotte let out a deep sigh.
“Don’t think that Edelin will love you forever… … Do you understand… … ?”
“You damn it! Nice meeting you!”
A woman’s voice strong enough to drown out Charlotte’s own voice struck her ear.
“Teacher, are you okay?!”
“Wow! That b*tch really came looking for me. To get laid.”
It was Hwaryeon and Yerin.
Before I knew it, the door was open and he was coming in.
Of all people, the two most emotional and violent people came to see me.
“Then we are off.”
“Hey, hey! Aren’t you standing there? Where are you trying to get me out… …!”
“Hold on a second, Hwaryeon!”
Hwaryeon ran towards me like an animal, her face reddening.
I guess it really shocked me that Charlotte got her all ripped off a few months ago.
But Charlotte made a face of laughter and soon disappeared through the crack with Laurent.
Poor Hwa-ryeon’s fist flew through the air.
Kuuung!
It seemed like he had adjusted his strength quite a bit, but the room was a complete mess.
Because it is not sturdy enough to withstand the wind pressure of Hwaryeon.
All sorts of documents flew into the air, desks were overturned, and bookshelves were knocked over.
The wall was half cracked and the light fixture was shattered.
I just watched the tragedy calmly.
“That b*tch is back again.”
“Hwaryeon-ah.”
“It really annoys me.”
“Reinforcement Training.”
“Oh, why!”
She was so angry that she thought someone might think she was the daughter of a gangster.
“What are you doing now?”
“ah.”
When I asked calmly, Hwa-ryeon finally came to her senses and blinked her eyes before glancing around the room.
The room was a mess.
“What… … I can’t help it, right? Who else is there besides Lesbian? Th, th… … .”
“Laurent?”
“Oh, right, Laurent. Those b*tches came in with us.”
“I told you to stop. So why are you doing this on your own?”
“Hey, you’re talking a little strangely. You were the one who called me with your telepathy in the first place. It could be dangerous, so come here.”
“I told you to come. But who would ignore my words and act like this?”
“under.”
Hwaryeon laughed with her arms crossed.
“Look at this guy. Isn’t he funny? Hey. Han Seo-jun, listen carefully. Why should I listen to you? Of course, I’m sorry for making a mess of your room, but you shouldn’t speak like that. Don’t speak to me like it’s an order.”
“… … Kneel down.”
“what?”
“Kneel down.”
For a moment, Hwa-ryeon’s body tilted and her knees touched the ground.
As I knelt down with a thud, Hwa-ryeon looked at me with a look of bewilderment.
What the heck, kid? Have you really forgotten?
“You. Don’t you remember? We had slave bread, slave bread. The one who loses becomes the slave.”
“… … !”
“You even wrote a contract for a forced order. Seriously. Because of that, I can issue a forced order once a day. Have you forgotten?”
“Ah, what, what!”
Hwaryeon’s face becomes filled with bewilderment and confusion.
I guess you really forgot.
Well, I’ve been busy doing various things these past few months.
It wouldn’t be strange if you forgot.
“Isn’t that funny… … Huh?!”
Before Hwaryeon could fully use her physical strengthening ability, she quickly ran over and placed a hand on his shoulder. Then, she used her absorption ability with all her might.
Because there’s no benefit to be gained by letting Hwa-ryeon cause a fuss for no reason.
It needed to be neutralized quickly.
“… …Teacher? Sister Hwaryeon? What, what is this? What is slave bread?”
“Yerin.”
“Oh, yes, teacher.”
“I’ll explain everything later, so can you leave now?”
“You want me to go out?”
“Yeah. Make sure to close the door.”
“But.”
Yerin glanced down at Hwaryeon.
Hwaryeon was struggling with almost all of her strength absorbed.
“What are you trying to do… … .”
“Just a quick chat? It might take some time, so tell them we’re not eating dinner together.”
“… … .”
Yerin looked back and forth between me and Hwaryeon with somewhat complicated eyes, then nodded.
“Okay, teacher… … .”
“Okay, thank you, Yerin.”
“But. You’re not trying to do anything weird, are you?”
“You too. There’s no way I would do that.”
I really want to have a conversation, a conversation.
“Hwaryeon, you’ve never been a person who listens to what you say. Even before you returned, and even now. There have been a few times when you acted emotionally and got into big trouble. I tried to fix it sometime, but I’ve been so busy lately that I’ve completely forgotten to correct you.”
“… … ! Hey, you! What are you trying to do… … !”
“I just wanted to continue the conversation we had at your house’s training ground.”
I glanced at Yerin again.
“So, Yerin, can you leave quickly so we can have a serious conversation?”
“Oh, yes, I understand, teacher… … .”
Yerin walked out of the room with heavy steps, her shoulders hunched. What should I say? She seemed a little heartbroken. Well, let’s talk about Yerin later and focus on her for now.
“Hwaryeon-ah. By the way, why don’t you just cancel the forced obedience contract? If you want, you can do it secretly.”
“Fuck! Who am I supposed to show this to! If you want to cancel the contract, you have to show this tattooed on your lower abdomen!”
“No, that’s not it. Aren’t you secretly hoping for this kind of situation?”
“What, what?!”
“Well… … you’re a fucking pervert, right? Right?”
“Hey, this kid! Let’s take a look… … Ugh?!”
“Don’t swear. It’s scary.”
When Hwaryeon’s shoulder is pressed, she frowns slightly.
“We don’t have much time, so let’s finish quickly.”
“You… … Just wait and see. I won’t leave you alone… …!”
“You know what I mean? Let’s have a go. Oh, right. I haven’t won a single game since I regained my memories. Our Hwa-ryeon is much weaker than I thought. Well, she won even when she lost her memories. Aren’t you the weakest among us?”
“~~~!”
He’s throwing a tantrum, saying he really can’t stand it.
Well, even so, all my energy is sucked out so I can’t move.
‘Anyway, this kid also has a really difficult personality.’
Should I call it personality or disposition?
Even though he says things like that, you can tell that he secretly likes her.
Is this it? Your mouth says no, but your body is honest?
Well, enough joking.
‘There’s still a week left until I meet Edelin. You’ll be busy.’
I looked up into the empty space and thought quietly.
Now, there really isn’t much time left.