Chapter 144: Phantom Menace Arc 052 : Quest Title changed
Jin-Woo. Unbothered. "Can someone flip my cards already? I'm bored."
Then, rising from his seat he turned and began walking toward the back corner—toward Morgan.
Morgan form shimmered, veiled illusion peeling away like silk as she dispelled her cloak of mana. With her now visible, Elena Daru immediately lit up, springing forward with the giddy energy of a child reunited with her hero.
"Whaaaaat was that?!" she shouted, jumping up and down as she flailed at Jin-Woo's sleeve. "It's like something I've never seen before! Do you own it?! Can I go inside it?! Can I fly it?! Please please pleaaase?!"
Meanwhile, the dealer cleared his throat—his voice shaking slightly as he stepped up to the table with wide eyes.
"U-Uh… announcement to all present…" he began. "The outlander's hand—before any stakes were even raised—was Idiot's Array. Total of five. The rarest possible hand. The winner… is the outlander."
Lady Valarian's voice cut through it. Resigned. "All of this," she said slowly, turning toward Jin-Woo, "you planned it from the start, didn't you? The game with Jabba's aide, Bib Fortuna. The show for the Black Sun's council member . All the way to Ziro collapsing right here. You… you planned this entire thing."
Jin-Woo paused. His shadow suddenly stretched—long and heavy across the floor, deepening unnaturally even in the steady light of the freighter. A pressure weighed on the room again. The kind of weight that come presence. And with a smile far too calm, far too knowing, he said: "…Then let me ask you all a question. Since when… were you under the impression that I am a gambler… ?"
His gaze shifted—piercing through the haze toward a tattered figure slumped near the wall.
Bib Fortuna, half-hidden beneath a black, fraying cloak, trying his best to vanish.
Then to the side—where the Falleen Black Sun council member stood stiff and wary, his composure cracking behind narrowed eyes.
Jin-Woo's tone hardened as he spoke again.
"Your stakes. His stakes. That slug's." He gestured vaguely toward the unconscious Ziro. "Deliver them. One hour. The less time, the better."
Bib Fortuna hesitated… then removed his cloak with trembling hands.
"But… outlander," he began, voice dry and stretched, "moving one hundred rancor calves across the desert… it's not easy. Not safe. It might take a week to get them here—"
Then the Falleen stepped forward, trying to maintain some edge of defiance—though the front of his pants was visibly soaked from the earlier moment of terror.
"The Black Sun," he said coldly, "has ties with the Republic. We are an ally. You think because you've shown off one massive ship and scared some gamblers you can order us around? .Moving Gorog beasts in one hour? Are you mad? If even one of them breaks free, Mos Espa will be wiped off the map!"
Jin-Woo finally looked up. Eyes sharp.
Voice dry and unamused. "Deliver everything… on time. And Tatooine stays intact. That's your deal."
Then his eyes fixed on the Falleen .
"As for you and your little alliance," he said flatly, "I must've missed the part where that's my problem."
His tone darkened.. "If you're thinking of declaring war against me… you'd better hope the Rakatan Empire rises from the grave to help you. Even with the Republic at your side… it'd still be called an extinction event."
Then—Jin-Woo turned his head,
"Now off you go, minor characters," he said. "The Phantom Menace era already has enough script—because of all of you."
A ripple of confusion passed through the room. Bib Fortuna blinked. The Falleen councilman opened his mouth, then closed it again. Even Lady Valarian tilted her head slightly in bafflement.
But none of them questioned it. Somehow, deep down, they all understood. Their part was over.
Bib Fortuna gathered what remained of his dignity and swept his tattered cloak back over his shoulders, bowing stiffly as he exited the Lucky Despot. Two of his aides moved in behind him, dragging the unconscious, slobbering form of Ziro the Hutt across the floor, leaving a damp trail of fear-sweat and shame.
The Falleen council member didn't utter a single word. He simply turned, rigid and pale, . Every step he took was A man walking away with his life intact.
Lady Valarian remained for just a moment longer. She approached Jin-Woo's table, pulled a small holo-projector from her sleeve, and placed it down in front of him.
"This is the ownership log of the Lucky Despot," she said. Her voice was cool, rehearsed.
"Holo-rights. Authority codes. It's yours now."
She didn't wait .She turned and walked out, aides trailing her. But just before stepping through the threshold, she stopped. Glancing over her shoulder—eyes narrow, sharp—she sent Jin-Woo a silent glare. This isn't over.
At last, only four remained in the wide, empty chamber.
Jin-Woo, silent and composed.
Morgan, still veiled beneath the shimmer of her transfiguration mana.
Talon, arms crossed, gaze sharp, smirking as usual.
And Elena Daru, who stepped forward slowly, her expression reverent.She bowed her head deeply, hands clenched before her chest. "…Thank you for saving my sister, outlander. And… for giving her a name. Talon—a beautiful name," she said quietly. "Also… I want to give you a name."
Talon immediately nudged her with an elbow, flashing her sister a lopsided grin. "Idiot. He already has one. It's Jin-Woo. Or just call him 'Master'—easier that way."
Elena blinked, flustered. "Oh—oh! Sorry about that!"
She turned her eyes up to Jin-Woo again, offering a shy, warm smile. "Thank you, Jin-Woo."
Jin-Woo gave only a slow nod in response.
Then, without warning, the space behind him shimmered.
A burst of compressed light unfurled silently in the corner of the room. Slipspace tore open , and from the distortion emerged a obsidian-colored Sentinel Drone—its rotating core aglow, shaped with geometrical . T.
Morgan moved beside Jin-Woo and took her seat gracefully, her eyes focused only on him.
"My husband," she murmured, , "I thought you were going to unveil the Star Forge—not the Mantle's Approach. That's a bit much, isn't it?"
She glanced toward the ceiling, where the massive shadow of the dreadnought still loomed high over Tatooine.
"This galaxy is probably going to slip into a catatonic state seeing a Forerunner ship like that. It's far too… foreign."
Jin-Woo didn't look at her. He simply exhaled slowly, watching the shadows stretch and slither beneath the table like living ink.
"The Daughter said she's aware of the Forerunners. That's why I brought this ship, not the Forge. I want to force the Son to show up—here, on the surface of Tatooine , rather on the airspace like he did before . I can't chase him in space. If I do, the Father will just shield him—drag him back into Mortis. Worst-case scenario, the Daughter too… especially if she's at Anakin's hovel, trying to comfort him. They'll both vanish."
He leaned back in his seat, one leg crossing over the other, tone sharpening with an edge.
"But if nothing happens… then a hidden condition will activate. One tied to me alone."
The Sentinel Drone's central eye pulsed once. A hum of compressed data echoed as Offensive Bias spoke through the implant at Jin-Woo's shoulder.
"I heard that too, Supreme Executor," the AI stated coldly.
"It is not surprising. The Mortis Gods and the Forerunners—both trace their origins beyond one hundred thousand years. Question: permission to capture one of the Mortis entities beside The Daugther ."
Jin-Woo's expression didn't change. His reply came sharp.
"No. Don't even try."
He tilted his head slightly, voice cooling.
"The Mortis Gods aren't like the Forerunners. Their power is tied to the Force . . A living embodiment of balance, darkness, and light."
He tapped the table once, slow and deliberate.
"Forerunners rely on tech. Strip that away, and they bleed like any other advanced species. But the Mortis Trio? You can't use the same tactics on them, Bias ."
Offensive Bias fell silent. Then, without further comment, the Sentinel Drone's eye dimmed as the AI executed Jin-Woo's next command.
Above Tatooine, the atmosphere shimmered—space warped, twisted. The Mantle's Approach began to shift. Slipspace cracked open like a wound in the stars, and with perfect precision, the towering 371-kilometer dreadnought slipped into the rift. Its presence vanished from the skies within moments, rerouted to Zeta Halo by Jin-Woo's order.
Morgan watched the sky clear with a teasing smirk, resting her chin against her knuckles as she leaned closer to him.
"Question being asked, Supreme Executor…" she said playfully, eyes dancing. "Can we just drop another Flood cluster with a Gravemind on the Mortis gods? Same as what you did to Abeloth?"
Jin-Woo let out a low breath, . His fingers tap on the table before answering. "That worked on Abeloth because she was focused on escaping her prison," he said plainly. "The gateway was already closing above Coruscant. She was distracted She didn't expect a continent-sized Flood cluster to arrive in slipspace… and smash directly into her face. That was very good timing."
Morgan chuckled softly, but Jin-Woo's tone sharpened.
"But the Mortis Gods?" He shook his head. ". They've likely observed everything since Abeloth fell. They know how I move now. That trick won't work twice—not on gods who learn."
Jin-Woo's hand reached over without warning, and he gently pinched Morgan's cheek, a rare smirk tugging at his lips. "Also, stop copying Offensive Bias. It's very disturbing. You're not an AI, Morgan. Don't talk like one. You're the Queen of England's Lostbelt. The Monarch of Transfiguration. Not some synthetic voice box running off predictive logic."
Morgan blinked once, then burst into a laugh, leaning into the pinch just slightly as if inviting more.
"Sorry, sorry," she said in a singsong tone, grinning up at him. "I'm a good girl. And a Queen. My apologies, my husband~."
Jin-Woo gave Morgan's cheek one final squeeze before letting go, his expression still relaxed—but then his eyes flicked to the side.
A shimmer of light.The system window blinked into view.
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[Hidden Quest Completed — Quest Title changed from (Rob the House Clean) to (The Forerunner Return)]
Quest Title: The Forerunner Return
Status: Completed
Description:
You have successfully rescued Elena Daru—though not in the expected way. The original objective was simple: win a gamble, like Jotaro bluffing against D'Arby.
But you escalated it far beyond expectations. You didn't just make Ziro the Hutt pass out at the table—you unleashed hysteria across the galaxy.
You revealed that the Star Wars galaxy was never truly alone. At least on Tatooine.
No one will ever forget the sight of a 371-kilometer ship materializing above the desert planet, blotting out the twin suns and silencing even the Hutts.
You've claimed Jabba's marker.
You've marked yourself into galactic history.
And now… the Black Sun and the Hutt Cartel know one thing: You cannot be touched.
[Hidden Rewards Unlocked]
Title: Pay Your Dues
Those who owe you will feel an overwhelming instinct to repay their debt—be it luck, credit, or soul. Betraying you is like tearing off a piece of their own fate. Most won't even dare.
Skill: Golden Collector
Whenever you engage in card games, gambling, or acts of chance, wealth and fortune will supernaturally find their way to you. Even ancient relics or powers from distant galaxies may spontaneously appear in your path.
Item: Lesser Ark – Installation 00 (Incomplete)
A fragmentary version of a Forerunner Ark. Though incomplete, its scale, technology, and hidden power can shake entire sectors. It is yours to repair… or weaponize.
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Jin-Woo smiled. An ark of my own, huh… Soon.