REAPER SCANS
Five-Time Regressor Walks the King’s Path
[Translator – Anwen]
[Proofreader – Valirius]
Chapter 34
“As you know, whenever Preeminent Fury appears, a country falls. The people who die do not come back. However, Preeminent Fury hasn’t appeared in the last few decades. It’s as if she simply decided to stop. Do you think it’s wise to send you to face her in this situation? Let’s say you can win, but what about the aftermath? Who will take responsibility for it?”
They weren’t going to give me the location even if I could beat Preeminent Fury.
Ju Yeon-Hwa was prioritizing an unstable peace.
She was trying to shoo away anyone who tried to break that peace.
Because that was her way of protecting this world.
‘Threatening… No, there’s no way it’ll work.’
Even if she lost her life, Ju Yeon-Hwa would never reveal anything related to Preeminent Fury.
I could see how unyielding she was.
When I looked around, the rest of them also had similar resolve in their eyes.
‘Scaredy-cats.’
But to call them that…They were just doing their best to protect their world.
They didn’t want Preeminent Fury to wreak havoc again when Ho Baek-San had given his entire life to preventing that.
‘At this rate, words won’t work.’
It was clear they would stop me from reaching Preeminent Fury.
In the end, I walked out of the meeting room without obtaining anything.
* * *
I ran my hand through my hair as I walked out of the building.
“Why are you following me?”
I turned back to stare at Magician.
“Cause we’re acquaintances trying to get the same information. Might as well join forces and do it together!”
“I can clear it by myself.”
“Hoho, are you sure?”
Should I just stab him?
I scowled at his provocation.
“I believe, just like me, you also don’t have a way to meet Preeminent Fury.”
“True. It’s likely I don’t. I’m sure I’ve fallen out of the Jujak head’s favor after today’s meet-and-greet! Although it’s the same for Mr. Ha Chun-Sung, right?”
I didn’t think it was a story one could tell with a big smile.
When he noticed that I was watching with a frown, his smile grew bigger
“For me, I have companions.”
“Companions?”
“Yes, my companions are working hard to build up their skills. If it’s them, they will surely achieve enough to reach Preeminent Fury sooner or later!”
He’s counting on them, was what he was saying.
Sword Queen, Lord, Apsara.
I mean, Apsara was already an A-rank Phantom Hunter.
“How ‘bout it? Would you like to join us?”
I stared into his sparkling eyes.
I realized now why Magician had risen up to Girin’s successor and pretended to know me.
“You bastard.”
This guy knew from the start.
He was using Lee Ju-Hee, who was from the same family, to leak information that people were looking for someone to become Ho Baek-San’s successor. Then, after making me come all the way up here, he’d created a hurried meeting with Ju Yeon-Hwa to instill a sense of wariness against me.
Ju Yeon-Hwa was a person full of doubt.
Even after I showed my qualifications, she’d never tell me the information.
To induce me to cooperate with them, Magician had planned the scenario.
I got chills and goosebumps.
The two bleary eyes on his smiling face, expressed why he was a high ranker.
“…You fool. Why did you do such a thing? If I clear this Floor, it’s an automatic clear for you. That should be common sense to someone like you, having been in Crown Road until now.”
“Mr. Ha Chung-Sung.”
He withdrew his smile faced with my anger-filled shouts.
“Sword Queen talked about you for months. She said that she should definitely be on the same side as you. Talking about how you may be stronger than Emperor.”
Magician took a step closer to me.
“That’s why I did what I did. You don’t trust us, and it’s the same for me. There’s no guarantee that you won’t switch sides and stand with Yashin.”
“Are you trying to repeat what happened in the previous regression?! Don’t you know that you’re trying to repeat what Yashin did? Betray and blow the entire regression down the drain after causing chaos amongst the regressors!”
“It’s because of that previous episode. We have to be more careful because we have experienced a regression which caused distrust to bloom between us. I think it’ll be difficult to clear this regression. The Floors have changed along with the Constellations, and compared to before, the pace we’ve been clearing Floors is much slower. At this rate, it’ll be difficult to reach Floor 100.”
Magician stared right into my eyes.
“If so, then for the sake of the next regression, we must prevent the possibility of another Yashin incident happening. We have to filter out risk factors that are wielding strong power however they please. If you won’t stand on our side, who knows if the day will come that you point your sword at us. I simply don’t wish for more people like Yashin to appear.”
“…Does the rest of your group think the same?”
“No, this was my personal judgment. I believe if it’s my companions, they will surely clear Crown Road one day. That’s why I cannot just leave someone like you alone. You, who might one day bring harm to those companions.”
“I’m not going to become someone like Yashin.”
“You can prove what you just said by helping us. There’s no reason for me to interfere if you are my teammate.”
And Magician wore a light smile again.
He was telling me to join them in order to gain their trust.
That look on his face made my hand reach for the Heavenly Star Sword.
By keeping this guy alive, I bet he’ll continue to bother me in the future.
There was no reason to leave useless sprouts behind.
But the problem was…
The moment I kill him here, Yashin won’t be my only enemy. The rest of the regressors will also turn hostile.
Magician had built a lot of trust among the regressors.
Enemies in all directions.
I don’t trust anyone anymore.
I pressed the hilt of the Heavenly Star Sword.
[Ha Chun-Sung!]
[To say it’s payment for giving me one hint. In many ways, you are one amazing man.]
[Ha Chun-Sung, there’s a reason you stayed here, right? If so, why don’t you join us?]
[How can you be so sure?]
I remembered the clingy Sword Queen.
I remembered the woman, who was still naive even after going through Crown Road three times. She would point her sword at me in anger over her companion’s death.
I had zero intention of grabbing hands with her now.
However, I didn’t want to be in a situation where I was against Sword Queen.
The problems with Yashin and Ha Il-Sung alone were difficult enough, I didn’t want to be held back by other participants.
[That soft personality of yours is the problem.]
Ha Il-Sung’s sneering voice rang in my head.
So what?
What was wrong with a soft personality?
That was who I was. If I were to throw what I had in me away, how could clearing Crown Road be of any significance?
I stopped thinking of cutting him.
But I still felt crappy, so I gave a good kick to his stomach.
Magician flew back a few feet and rolled on the ground a few times for good measure. He laid on the ground while coughing.
“Magician, this is the only time I’ll overlook your audacity.”
“Hoho, you definitely cannot be a person like Yashin.”
I clicked my tongue at Magician’s over-the-cloud attitude and smiling face even after being kicked.
Was it also a kind of a test just now?
To test if I would wield my sword against him. If I didn’t, he would deem me as a better human being than Yashin at least.
I wanted to beat him up one more time, but I told myself it was a waste of energy.
“Come to think of it, what floor are you on, Mr. Ha Chun-Sung?”
“I’m not gonna tell.”
“You must be on Floor 27, but isn’t it strange? Preeminent Fury is definitely a boss monster and defeating it should complete the scenario. However, don’t you think it’s a Floor too early? Even if you clear Floor 27 by hunting Preeminent Fury, how would you clear Floor 28?”
That was what I thought as well.
I had a feeling the main goal of this Floor was not to hunt down Preeminent Fury, but something else.
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – Anwen]
[Proofreader – Valirius]
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* * *
I glared at the smiling Magician, then turned around and walked away.
Magician waved at my retreating back.
“You’re welcome to come any time! We will be waiting for you with open arms!”
I ignored him.
It couldn’t be helped now that the situation turned into this.
The only way left was to return to Ho Baek-San, tell him to break whatever rule and reveal Preeminent Fury’s location.
At that moment, someone took hold of my clothing.
I whipped my head around thinking it was Magician, but it was a teary-eyed Sung-Ah.
“My dad’s in critical condition.”
Things couldn’t get any worse.
* * *
When I rushed back to the Baek-Ho family home with Sung-Ah, one of the Baek-Ho vassals hurriedly guided us.
I went down to the basement with Sung-Ah, where I first met Ho Baek-San. The smell of death was overpowering.
I knew that Ho Baek-San was dying.
However, neither I nor Sung-Ah expected his condition to worsen so rapidly.
“Dad!”
Hearing Sung-Ah’s cry as she burst into tears, beyond the transparent wall between us, Ho Baek-San faintly opened his eyes.
Due to the contagious disease, Ho Baek-San was dying alone in a restricted area.
“You… You were overdoing it.”
Ho Baek-San couldn’t even smile at my words.
His eyes questioned if I’d gotten the approval, but when I shook my head, he let out a deep sigh.
Up until now, he was using his aura to block the disease from spreading further into his body.
But now, his aura was depleted to the point that he could no longer hold back the disease.
I came close to the glass wall.
“Ho Baek-San. Headquarters was against me going to Preeminent Fury, but you know, right? Where Preeminent Fury is? Tell me.”
He would soon die.
My eyes could see that his aura was fading.
Hearing the urgency in my voice, Ho Baek-San raised his trembling hand only for it to drop a second later.
“Ho Baek-San! Wake up! Ho Baek-San!”
Bang.
I punched the transparent glass and bit my lip.
As long as Ju Yeon-Hwa, the central figure of the meeting, decided not to tell me then the rest also wouldn’t.
If so, the only person left who could tell me Preeminent Fury’s location was Ho Baek-San.
“Dad!”
Sung-Ah’s voice grew louder while Ho Baek-San’s breathing grew quieter.
Ho Baek-San had died.
He, who sacrificed his entire life chasing Preeminent Fury, couldn’t even hold his daughter’s hand when he closed his eyes for the last time.
His life ended inside a glass box.
Was he fated to die here? Like this?
Why were the stories created by Constellations always like this?
The insides of my mouth tasted bitter. I walked outside, leaving behind a crying Sung-Ah.
I looked up at the sky, the moon shining brightly alongside the stars, and brushed my hair back while feeling irritated.
Now that Ho Baek-San died and Ju Yeon-Hwa was wary of me, I had no way of finding out where Preeminent Fury had disappeared to.
All I could do now was to live life as a Phantom Hunter until Ju Yeon-Hwa and the others lowered their guard, but that might take forever.
Due to Magician’s actions, the situation became unnecessarily complicated.
‘I should have beaten him more.’
I was sure he didn’t expect this to happen, but it didn’t matter. It had happened. I should’ve just wasted my energy beating him up.
“Nya~.”
As I was pondering what to do next, I heard a cat.
____
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