"I don't want to use mind control. Even though I didn't place those stories myself, I couldn't stand leaving them as they were. But after seeing the names of these two stories, I felt that I couldn't just deactivate them. One is 'Seo Chaeyoon and Lee Domin,' and the other is 'Seo Chaeyoon Before the Final Gate.' First, Seo Chaeyoon is missing, and Lee Domin, the young hunter, died in the Great Dungeon, right?"
"What?"
"And as for this 'final gate,' I couldn't even begin to guess what it meant. I had almost given up, but then I met you, and the Great Dungeon appeared. I thought of it as a chance to release the skill. To remove the skill, certain conditions must be met: the skill owner, the person targeted by the skill, and a medium. That medium is in that temple."
"Wait a moment."
Yoon Seo raised his hand to stop Hwashim from continuing. Hwashim fell silent, saying that he had already finished speaking.
Kwon Jihan patted Yoon Seo on the back.
"Whoa, what's with this sudden revelation? This is more shocking than when that extra character in 'Love in Han River' turned out to be the God of Kimchi Stew."
Yoon Seo found a bit of comfort in Kwon Jihan's playful tone. He thought of wanting to hold Riceball, and just then, Riceball squeaked and scurried up, settling on Yoon Seo's lap. Yoon Seo petted Riceball with a single finger while organizing his thoughts.
The previous owner of
The stories were named 'Seo Chaeyoon and Lee Domin' and 'Seo Chaeyoon Before the Final Gate.'
He also mentioned that a medium was needed to deactivate the skill.
There was an inconsistency. The previous owner of
However, more urgently… Yoon Seo furrowed his brows.
"Are you saying I'm currently under mind control?"
"Yes."
"…"
[Using skill
[Certainty 100: Neutral 0: Doubt 0.]
Yoon Seo rubbed his throbbing temples.
The gods of protection remained silent, and the skill confirmed it as the truth. Since it was verified, there was no need for further doubt. That would be a waste of time.
"I suppose I need to find the medium. You said it's in the temple, right?"
"Yes. I didn't realize it at first, but when the fourth terrain opened, a system message appeared, saying that the medium for the 'Seo Chaeyoon and Lee Domin' story was nearby."
"Domin… Hunter Lee Domin is dead. What do you plan to do about that?"
"I don't know either. For now, I'd like to go with you to where the medium is located."
Yoon Seo was lost in thought. Kwon Jihan, who still had his large hand resting on Yoon Seo's back, spoke.
"I think I should go too. It makes me furious and annoyed to think that Hyung is under some kind of mind control. I at least want to confirm what this medium is."
Yoon Seo looked at Kwon Jihan.
If Lee Domin's name hadn't been part of the story, he wouldn't have bothered to try to break it. There was no time to take side paths when they were so busy with their strategy. However, with his friend's name in there, he had to confirm it.
What did Hughes do with
He was a kind and diligent person. He even gave up his own food to feed his comrades, going hungry for days, and used any spare moment to study Korean in preparation for when they might make it out.
Besides, Lee Domin died in the maze zone, so why was his name attached to a story in the temple zone? Hughes also died in the maze zone, so how could a story called 'Seo Chaeyoon Before the Final Gate' exist?
Yoon Seo didn't suspect Hughes. He simply couldn't. But he had to confirm it.
Yoon Seo remained silent, but Kwon Jihan could read his decision just from his expression.
Kwon Jihan, raising his voice a little as if to lighten the mood, said.
"Alright, let's get moving. Who are we going to tell, and how much? Let's figure out how we're going to get to the medium without hindering our dungeon strategy."
***
22. The Truth of That Day
They decided not to tell anyone about the story. If the word got out that Seo Chaeyoon was under mind control, it would only make everyone anxious. Only Do Deungsoo and Alec were informed that they would be away from the temple for a brief period.
The new Revengers packed up the camp in the morning and stood before the temple. Before entering, Do Deungsoo climbed onto a rock to grab everyone's attention and began delivering a speech he had practiced since before entering the Great Dungeon.
"The final terrain we are about to enter is filled with traps that can take your life with a single mistake. Monsters that lay eggs inside the human body will appear, and we won't be able to use powerful skills like
After giving them a bit of a scare, he said.
"However, the Revengers of ten years ago succeeded despite facing worse conditions than ours. They had no inventory, lacked items, and didn't even have potions. One of them, who was just nineteen at the time, recalled seeing starved corpses every morning. Can you resist that kind of despair? Would you choose an easy death over the struggle? Can you reject that temptation? Even then, they did not give up. They chose the hard path of survival, and now we stand at the threshold of the path they walked."
"…"
"What did you feel as we cleared the three terrains so far? You cannot say it was easy. Every moment was horrifying and challenging. But compared to ten years ago, we can say our progress has been easier. Not a single one of us has died, our supplies are more than sufficient, and we are filled with the will to win. All of this was made possible because 1,199 people died here ten years ago. Those who survived remembered and passed on their knowledge to us. The Revengers of the past saved humanity, and so have we. I believe none of us are unaware of this fact. Now, it's time for us to repay them. Let's unite and conquer this place without losing a single person!"
Wooaaah.
Cheers erupted as the new Revengers solidified their resolve.
"Hmph, Seokyoung seems to think they're our representatives.".
Jo Mani snorted but didn't interrupt Do Deungsoo's speech or leave the formation.
Even if it seemed clichéd and performative, such speeches were necessary at times, and now was one of those moments. As the vice guild leader of a large guild, Jo Mani knew this well.
However, Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo didn't listen to the speech. They already knew what it would contain.
The two of them chatted quietly with a small bird perched nearby.
"Hyung, I thought about it all night… You said the previous owner of
"Yes, he was the last owner."
"But he died before reaching the final gate."
"That's why it's strange."
"Hmm…"
Yoon Seo looked at Kwon Jihan.
Kwon Jihan wore an expression of deep thought.
"Hyung, look. I have
"That's right."
"Here's what's puzzling. Lee Kangjin said he copied
"…I'm not sure."
Yoon Seo had never questioned this before.
"If you can only copy one from each person, then maybe he couldn't copy Domin's because he had already copied
"Even if there's a limit, I don't think it's just two."
"What are you trying to say?"
Yoon Seo, now aware that he had been under mind control, felt like nothing could shock him anymore. He asked Kwon Jihan directly. After studying Yoon Seo's expression, Kwon Jihan responded.
"What if… it was copied?"
"..."
"What if
Yoon Seo blinked.
His first thought was, "Why bother?" No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't think of a reason for it. So he said it plainly.
"There's no reason for that. If the skill was copied, why hide it? He would've just said so."
"I don't know the reason either… but if you think logically, it doesn't make sense for someone with an incredible skill like
Kwon Jihan trailed off with a peculiar sigh, his face scrunching up.
"I'm having another strange thought."
"What now?"
"
"So what?"
"When you think of shadows, they usually take things, right…?"
"..."
"In games, movies, novels, everywhere shadows are used, it's usually not for copying but for stealing. Even the shadow skill of the 'Hunter & Skill' boss monster was basically about stealing shadows…."
"..."
Kwon Jihan's voice faded.
Yoon Seo felt like he'd been struck.
What if the skill didn't copy but actually stole skills?
Suddenly, nausea surged up inside him. For reasons he couldn't explain, a terrible feeling shot through his entire body.
"Urgh."
As Yoon Seo bent over, Kwon Jihan quickly supported him, and from a distance, the playful Riceball flew over, chirping in concern.
"Sorry, Hyung. It was just a thought."
"Ugh…"
"Oh, damn. Sorry… Riceball, go ahead and peck me. I deserve it."
Instead of pecking Kwon Jihan, Riceball transformed into a ferret and scratched his hand with its claws. Naturally, not a scratch was left behind.