Chapter 135

[Translator - Hestia]

[Proofreader - Kaya]

Chapter 135: A Short Rest

"You're not staying to watch the all-out battle?"

"It’s not like I’ll be participating myself. Watching isn’t exactly my hobby."

"Ughh. I was really planning to show off this time!"

"With that body?"

"I don’t have any aftereffects!"

Jang Miseon exaggeratedly raised her arms in the air—only to immediately let out a sharp yelp.

Though she appeared fine thanks to the relentless divine spells cast by priest-type Hunters, the reality was different.

The internal damage had accumulated, and every movement of her muscles sent jolts of pain through her nervous system.

【Don't overdo it. You need proper rest for your muscles to heal.】

"If you’re going to say that, then you should’ve let me go, Master."

【A match must be approached with a cold heart.】

"Hmph. Whatever. Still, you could at least stick around and watch for a bit."

Yoojin shook his head.

‘There was no time to leisurely observe the battle. In just three days, 'Bloody Valentine' will begin. That was when the all-out battle between the two guilds would take place. If possible, I’d like to mobilize Phoenix and Dawn as well.’

The vision [Memento] had shown him—

Their current forces alone wouldn’t be enough to completely prevent damage.

At least a thousand demons.

Some were even airborne. Even if they secured the coastline, the battlefield would inevitably expand.

'If those bastards manage to offer a sacrifice, their rank will rise, making things even worse.'

The goal was to completely annihilate the enemy while minimizing the damage to Sokcho.

He’d take help from anyone—even a cat’s paw if he had to.

But 'Bloody Valentine' was akin to an unpredictable natural disaster, making it difficult to come up with a convincing excuse to involve others.

'I should at least leave room for the possibility.'

It took about an hour by car from the old Unification Observatory to Sokcho.

If Phoenix and Dawn caught wind of the catastrophe unfolding there and decided to join the battlefield—

They could significantly reduce the casualties.

"Fafnir, how long does she need to rest?"

【I’d recommend she sit out the all-out battle. Resting is also a way to grow stronger.】

"There you have it."

"Ugh. Did you two plan this just to make me rest?"

“Who knows?”

Yoojin hadn’t coordinated with Fafnir on this, but for some reason, the dragon was firmly backing his stance.

"At least say goodbye to the GuildMaster before you leave."

"What do you take me for? Did you really think I’d just leave without saying a word?"

"Isn’t that exactly the kind of person you’ve always been?"

"....."

Yoojin fell silent.

‘…So that’s how little trust she has in me.’

Yoojin clicked his tongue at the (somewhat) accurate assessment.

'Phoenix Guild is one thing, but Dawn Guild is a bit of a headache.'

〔Is there something that concerns you?〕

'Their Guild Master is an ambitious man. After watching the mock battle, I doubt he has a favorable impression of me.'

In his previous life, after the fall of the Arhan Guild, Dawn had risen to claim the top spot among domestic guilds.

That was partly because Kim Youngsoo had failed to reach the 8th Rank.

Unlike Phoenix Guild, which prioritized an elite few, Dawn Guild had consumed the power vacuum left by Arhan, expanding into an enormous force.

〔So you’re saying he might try to keep you in check.〕

'I did kind of turn his son into a punching bag.'

〔Son?〕

'Shin Yoosung is Dawn GuildMaster’s son.'

〔I see. So my contractor does have a shred of conscience left after all.〕

'Do I look like some irredeemable bastard to you?'

First Jang Miseon, now even his patron deity was questioning his morals.

‘Annoying.’

Yoojin felt a twinge of guilt, but considering he had just been called out by both a celestial being and a mere mortal, there was no way to brush it off without a response.

"I’ll reach out myself. Keep an eye on your phone."

"Hmm. I’ll give that a 5."

"What? Why are you suddenly giving me a score?"

"Your pickup line was way too obvious."

"Half marks out of ten isn’t bad."

"It’s out of a hundred."

"....."

It had been a long time since Yoojin was left speechless.

After that, he bid farewell to the two guild masters preparing for the all-out battle.

"You should stay a little longer before leaving."

"I’ve been pushing myself a lot lately. I’m planning to take a short break."

"Understood. I hope we meet again soon."

Kim Youngsoo let him go without any resistance.

‘Hah. ‘See you soon,’ huh? It’d be great if that ‘soon’ happened to be on Blood Valentine.’

"Representative Cheon, I was impressed by the mock battle."

"Glad to hear that."

"I heard Hunter Jang Miseon was indebted to you."

"Well, I suppose that’s true?"

"I’d like my son to receive some guidance from you as well."

‘Huh? Was this really the same Guild Master Shin Hyeongsik?’

Yoojin had expected him to be seething with anger over the humiliating defeat in the mock battle.

Instead, he was calmly bringing up Shin Yoosung.

"I don’t see why not."

"Haha. Then I’ll leave it in your hands."

Though his voice was composed, there was a slight tremor at the end.

He hadn't fully shaken off his frustration, after all.

Even so—

This reaction was entirely different from what Yoojin had expected, and he had to make an effort not to let his surprise show.

⋯⋯⋯

"Oppa, all those undead you brought along, and you didn’t even get to use them in the end."

"They’ll have their uses eventually."

"Are we heading straight back?"

"Come on, it’s Gangwon Province. What else would we do? Sightseeing, of course."

"Wait… Oppa, are you saying… We’re taking a break?"

Kang Minyoung stomped excitedly.

‘They have been busy lately, sure. But to get this excited over the mere mention of ‘sightseeing’?‘

Yoojin felt a pang of guilt but continued nonchalantly with his planned statement.

"Jang Miseon said she’d treat us to Abai Sundae."

"Oh. OHHHHHH!!!"

"But there’s still training left. Let’s just relax while we wait."

"SUNDAEEEE!!!!!! REST!!!!!!!"

"IS THIS FOR REAL?!!!"

Kang Minyoung and Lee Seongmin erupted in excited shrieks.

Next to them, Kang Minho looked embarrassed by their reaction but couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from twitching into a smile.

〔How pitiful. They celebrate without a clue as to what awaits them in two days.〕

Kronos clicked his tongue.

For once, Yoojin couldn’t bring himself to respond with his usual cheek.

＊ ＊ ＊

Sokcho.

To the east, the city was bordered by a beautiful coastline, while the towering 'Seoraksan'—one of Korea’s most breathtaking mountain ranges—stood proudly beside the urban center.

A bustling tourist city, constantly visited by countless travelers.

The Little Runts team couldn’t hide their excitement.

"I didn’t get to properly look around during our school trip. Oppa, is this your first time here?"

"Yeah."

For Yoojin, an orphan with no family, that was nothing more than a distant luxury.

The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Kang Minyeong lowered her head slightly.

"Oh… um. Sorry."

"Forget it. It doesn’t bother me."

As he spoke, Yoojin absentmindedly fiddled with the pocket watch tucked inside his pocket.

The only trace left behind by parents he had never even seen.

'Who exactly were my parents to have left behind a holy relic?'

[Kronos’ Pocket Watch].

At first glance, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary timepiece.

Not in terms of its design, but its perceived value.

Even the system granted to Hunters couldn’t fully uncover the true power hidden within it.

Only by meeting specific conditions could one witness the relic’s real nature.

'If this weren’t the only trace of my parents, I would’ve sold it off long ago.'

Before his regression—

And even after turning back time—

He had carried [Kronos’ Pocket Watch] for years before he was lucky enough to recognize it as a holy relic.

'…I wonder.'

Even in his past life, even after resetting time, Yoojin had never once been curious about the parents who had left behind [Kronos’ Pocket Watch].

So why was it suddenly on his mind now?

'Focus on what’s in front of you.'

He shook his head slightly, brushing the thoughts aside.

"Hyung, do you have anything planned for today?"

"If you follow me around, you’ll just end up exhausted. Go have fun on your own today."

"Then don’t get jealous later, yeah?"

‘At least try to hold back that grin, Lee Seongmin. You’re as easy to read as a children’s book.’

Yoojin thought.

"Are you going to Seoraksan?"

"We’ve done enough hiking near the border. We’re heading to the beach."

‘Hmm.’

Seeing Kang Minho speak so cheerfully made Yoojin feel just a twinge of guilt.

After sending the Little Runts team off, he headed toward a storage facility by the shore, accompanied by the vehicles carrying his undead.

Beep— Beep—

“Alright, alright.”

“A little more… keep coming.”

Massive trailers reversed in succession, lining up in front of the warehouse.

As soon as the locked doors were pulled open, a chilling aura unique to mid-tier undead seeped out, filling the space with an eerie atmosphere.

“No matter how many times I see this, I just can’t get used to it…”

One of the drivers muttered, rubbing the goosebumps on his arm.

After unloading hundreds of mid-sized undead, the truck drivers wasted no time leaving, not even sparing a glance back as they hurried out of the warehouse.

The sound of their engines faded into the distance.

In the silence of the warehouse, a phone suddenly vibrated, its sharp buzz cutting through the stillness.

-Have you arrived safely?

“Thanks to you keeping an eye out, yeah. The warehouse fits the conditions perfectly.”

-Hoho. Finding a place that met all your criteria wasn’t easy, you know.

“Consider it a debt.”

-If we’re talking debts, I owe you far more than this, Mr. Cheon. Just think of it as a small service.

‘A service, huh.’

That was probably the last word he’d associate with ‘her’, yet she used it so casually.

-Still, I must say, this is unexpected.

“What is?”

-You, taking a vacation. It just doesn’t suit you at all.”

Coincidentally, she seemed to be thinking the same thing as Yoojin.

Though from a different perspective.

Yoojin let out a sigh, almost a scoff.

“I’m human too. Sometimes, I need a break.”

-Oh, did you know? You always make that little sound when something makes you uneasy.

“…I do?”

-Hohoho. I was just taking a wild guess, but looks like I hit the mark. Good to know.”

‘Tch. I’ve let my guard down.‘

Normally, he was careful to keep his emotions in check around ‘her’, yet he’d gotten too comfortable.

“I’m hanging up.”

-Oh, one last thing. Any more vacation plans coming up?

“No idea. Haven’t thought about it.”

-Well, if you do, give me a heads-up, will you?

“…Why?”

-It’d be a shame if only your little hatchlings got to tag along.”

“Alright, I’m really hanging up now.”

Click.

Ending the call, Yoojin turned his gaze toward the wide-open warehouse doors.

‘… What exactly are you scheming?’

〔It’s not a scheme. She’s ‘interested’ in you!〕

‘Ah, cut the nonsense.’

That woman was someone rumored to have ice in her veins instead of blood.

It was obviously business.

‘Interest? Yeah, right.’

〔Hmmm… how peculiar. Yet, to me, it seems quite obvious.〕

'Keep that terrible intuition to yourself.'

〔In any case, you've finished preparing for the day of destiny.〕

'It’s not over yet.'

The mid-tier undead he’d brought under the guise of the mock battle numbered 350.

‘I can still raise about a hundred more.’

〔Then you'll need more minions to command. Any suitable monsters nearby?〕

'We’ll have to go a bit further south. That’s why I sent the hatchling team away.'

〔So the vacation excuse was for this.〕

'Unless it’s Necropolis, setting up takes time.'

This was different from the spider hunt or the Rakshasa Guild's ambush.

There was no advantage of the Necropolis.

The battlefield was wide open, giving the enemy better visibility and superior mobility.

All he knew was the exact date and time of the attack.

He couldn’t summon the undead in advance, meaning he’d only be able to start countermeasures ‘after’ the ambush began.

'It’s too much of a disadvantage.'

〔For someone saying that, you sure look like you're enjoying yourself.〕

'When have I ever fought from a favorable position?'

〔And yet, you always win.〕

'I have one advantage no one else does.'

Future knowledge.

Thanks to the miracle of regression, he was ahead of everyone when it came to information.

He couldn’t predict every variable caused by the butterfly effect, but...

As long as he retraced cause and effect carefully, identifying key turning points wasn’t a problem.

'This incident was bound to happen regardless of my regression.'

He had even used [Memento] to review the events from back then.

There was no real disadvantage.

If things were truly impossible to handle, he would have either withdrawn or created another excuse to drag in external forces.

〔You really are thorough.〕

Kronos swallowed his admiration at Yoojin’s unwavering confidence.

[Translator - Hestia

[Proofreader - Kaya]