Chapter 134: Traitors of the Reverse Heaven Sect (1)
'Nothing ever goes smoothly.'
That was my first thought after hearing Yu-hyeon’s entire plan. There truly was not a single easy part to it.
'First, my role is clear.'
The most fundamental task was, of course, protecting Ha Eun-ha. If she were put in danger, the whole point of this would be lost.
'Since this plan was created by Yu-hyeon to protect her.'
Next, I would have to use the Suppressing Blade to provoke them. The enemy might try to insist they received the wrong information. Therefore, it was crucial to use the blade in front of the disguised Yu-hyeon to force an answer directly out of them.
'Provoking the opponent is no big deal, but…….'
The question was whether such an opening would present itself. They would likely aim for a single strike, like an assassin. Whether I could catch such a person and drag an answer out of them would certainly be the key.
'Still, I have to do it.'
Yu-hyeon would be the one handling the martial force anyway. I just needed to secure a confession and find out who was backing them from behind. Surely I could manage that much.
It was while I was fiddling with the sword at my waist with those thoughts.
"It seems we have arrived."
Yu-hyeon, who was moving at the very front, spoke up. As I peered ahead, the destination came into view, just as he said.
"…It is incredibly gloomy. It has an atmosphere that screams 'villain hideout' just by looking at it."
An atmosphere where villains would live. There was no guarantee that villains would actually live in such a place, but I had to agree with Ju Ha-yeon’s words. As we drew closer, the abandoned cathedral was the very definition of eerie.
The cathedral was scorched black in places as if there had been a fire, and a flock of crows circled above it. Every element seemed to befit a villain.
"It looks like we were the last ones."
Looking around, I could see people hiding in the bushes here and there. Since they hadn't put much effort into concealment, their numbers were clearly visible. Counting them up, we were indeed the last ones, as Yu-hyeon had stated.
At that moment, Oh Seok-jae, who was acting as the primary leader, approached us.
"You have all arrived. Mr. Yu-yeon, were there any problems on the way?"
"No. We encountered no combat and sensed no presence of others."
"Good. Then shall we move in ten minutes? I have finished speaking with all the other groups."
"No problem. Let us do that."
After a short exchange with Yu-hyeon, Oh Seok-jae returned to his position. Since he said ten minutes, we were moving in almost immediately.
'There probably aren't many enemies.'
If what Yu-hyeon said was true, only the traitors remained here. Even if we assumed there were multiple traitors, their numbers would not be vast. There was no way the entirety of the Reverse Heaven Sect consisted of traitors. Thus, I did not expect a bloody battle to break out the moment we entered.
'Though I cannot let my guard down.'
With that thought, I glanced at the others. Just like me, everyone had tension etched onto their faces. However, one person in particular caught my attention.
"Are you okay? You haven't looked great for a while."
It was Ha Eun-ha. To say her face was stiff from tension alone was a stretch; she hadn't looked well since we started. Even without her usual brightness given the nature of the mission, she looked exceptionally poor.
"No. I am just a bit nervous……."
"You have looked unwell since we left for that to be the only reason. Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I said I am fine. There is no problem."
Even her tone sounded like she was truly not okay. But what more could I say when she insisted she was fine?
'I shouldn't take my eyes off her.'
I had planned to focus on her throughout the mission anyway, but it seemed wise to be even more cautious.
It was then.
"Let us move in."
Yu-hyeon’s voice reached us, relaying the entry signal sent by Oh Seok-jae. The purge of the traitors, hidden under the pretext of a villain mission, had finally begun. I did not know how it would end, but we followed the signal and entered the abandoned cathedral.
***
'I still don't know…….'
She didn't know. That was the mindset currently held by Ha Eun-ha.
'Am I truly a useful person?'
The reason Ha Eun-ha harbored such thoughts was due to a series of recent events. From the Gate incident where she first met Yu-hyeon to the midterm exam incident not long ago. Those events were making her heart heavy with complex emotions.
'Everyone says it is fine, but…….'
Back when Ha Eun-ha first awakened her abilities as a player as a child. She had received a tremendous amount of attention. It was inevitable, as her ability was incredibly heterogeneous. How could she not receive attention when she had manifested the characteristic of 'Healing,' the only one of its kind in the world?
However, that was by no means a blessing for Ha Eun-ha.
You are more important than anyone else in the world. Understand?
Those were the words she had heard without fail from the moment she awakened her talent. In a way, they were sweet words. To be more useful and more important than anyone else. Surely that was a hundred times better than being called useless.
However, as the saying goes, too much is as bad as too little; anything in excess becomes poison.
Eun-ha. Is this the time for you to be hanging out with other kids? Do you not know how important you are?
The talent that was like no other in the world actually made her miserable. An environment where she couldn't even play with children her age, and adults who talked about her future affiliation before that distant future had even arrived. …It would have been a relief if that had been all.
Mom and Dad are going to talk to the adults for a bit. Stay right here and don't go anywhere.
The world's unique talent was enough to strip even family love away from Ha Eun-ha. To the point where even the young Ha Eun-ha could feel it. At some point, her parents stopped looking at her as a daughter and began to see her as a commodity. They were people who went out to deliberate on how high a price she could be sold for rather than spending time with her. There was not a single world that truly existed for her sake.
'…It was painful.'
So, she had made a decision. Although everyone called it a blessing, she would not love this talent that was like a curse to her. Even though it was a talent for healing others, she would never love this talent that could not heal her own heart, which was riddled with holes.
Of course, this did not mean she would stop using her talent altogether. With her inherently kind and pure nature, she could not simply stand by and watch others in pain. It was simply a decision not to seek growth like others did. She believed that if she did so, one day, others would think of her as ordinary and treat her normally.
'It was from that time…….'
She hid her true self behind a mask. Since everyone looked only at her talent and not at her as a person. Since no one looked at her, she felt no need to show her true self. Yes, she had lived that way. Even when she met friends who looked at the person 'Ha Eun-ha' for the first time rather than her talent, she did not change and kept herself hidden as much as possible. While still hating her own talent.
'But my friends were always sincere toward me.'
Many faces came to mind. Kim Su-hyeok and Ryu Jin-oh, who were the first to look at her as a person. And Ju Ha-yeon. Although not much time had passed since they met, there were also Oh Jin-eon and Do Gang-ho, who looked at her for who she was, just like the others… and finally, Choi Yu-seong. Considering the time when no one looked at her, wasn't this a truly large number?
'That is why I made a new resolution, but…….'
Crises continued without pause, and within them, her friends always moved while shouldering the burden of danger. They were not friends who would stop just because they were told to. Although she hadn't asked them directly, they all had their own goals… they certainly had something like that.
So, she retracted her previous resolution and made a new one. She wanted to protect the friends who looked at Ha Eun-ha herself rather than her talent. Unlike before, there were now people who looked at her, so she wanted to be with them.
'But…….'
Reality was not so warm. Her healing talent was a growth-type talent. However, contrary to her desire to grow, her wish was not fulfilled. The reason was simple.
'Every time I try to draw out my power, I keep remembering the past.'
It was as if her past pain and her past self were whispering to her. That the moment she drew out her power, her friends would no longer see her as a person. That they would look at her with the same eyes those people and her parents once did.
'I know they won't. I know that, but…….'
Knowing it was a different matter. What the head knows and what the heart knows are two different things. Therefore, Ha Eun-ha could not help but worry. Even if everyone said she was a useful person, was she truly a useful person if she could not manifest her talent for the sake of the friends who cared for her?
'What should I do…….'
It was a problem without an answer. That was the situation she currently faced. That worry continued to complicate Ha Eun-ha's head and heart even at this moment as they entered the abandoned cathedral.
****
BOOM!
Led by Oh Seok-jae, we entered the abandoned cathedral with a thunderous roar. Oh Seok-jae intended to shout at the villains the moment he entered, but…….
"Surrender now and your lives will be… Huh?"
No one was visible inside the cathedral. The only thing to be seen was perhaps a few rats scurrying around and squeaking.
'Just as I expected.'
If there had been a large number of villains here, it would have been more complicated. It would have meant that the majority of the Reverse Heaven Sect were traitors. I had been secretly anxious, so this was a great relief.
"Tsk… Was the information wrong? I don't see anything."
Of course, it was only a relief for me. From the perspective of Oh Seok-jae and the other players, it wasn't exactly fortunate. They were people who had come here to receive payment from Glory for a villain elimination mission. They were likely worried about whether they would even be paid properly like this.
'On the other hand, the cadets seem slightly relieved.'
Even if they had steeled their hearts, they must have been anxious. It was clear they were psychologically relieved that they might avoid real combat for now. I turned my gaze away from them and approached Yu-hyeon.
"What do you think, Player? Does it look like a wild goose chase?"
Because there were many eyes and ears, I could not treat him as I usually did. However, I needed to know if the plan Yu-hyeon had conceived was working well. So, I asked in a roundabout way that wouldn't seem strange to others, and Yu-hyeon replied after understanding my hidden meaning.
"It doesn't seem like… a total wild goose chase."
But the problem was that Yu-hyeon was acting differently than usual. The smile he had been wearing just a moment ago was gone.
'…What is it?'
If it wasn't a wild goose chase, it meant there were enemies somewhere here. For now, this was likely true. Although it was close to impossible, one could read a person's location through mana, and Yu-hyeon had the talent to sense mana that precisely.
'But there's no way that's why he looks so grim.'
He is not the type to look dark just because he has to kill a comrade he once worked with. The Yu-hyeon I had come to know over the past month was not someone who would be soft-hearted toward a traitor. That meant there was another reason…….
'If it's a reason enough to make Yu-hyeon's face stiffen…….'
There was one possibility. The possibility that a situation might occur where Ha Eun-ha, who was present here, could be in danger.
'There's no other plausible reason besides that……?'
It was then.
RUMBLE!
The abandoned cathedral suddenly began to shake violently.
"W-what's happening all of a sudden!"
"Cadets, move to the side of the players! Everyone, maintain your positions!!!"
The players and cadets were thrown into a panic by the sudden occurrence. Everyone maintained their positions with expressions that showed they had no idea what was going on.
However…….
"…Seriously?"
Not everyone was ignorant. I knew. I knew what this premonitory symptom meant and what it signified. And if I was not mistaken about what this symptom implied.
"…Damn it."
The situation was becoming truly tangled.
It was heading toward the worst-case scenario—one that hadn't even existed among the situations I had hypothesized in my head.
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