NOVEL WEB Chapter 28: Star, The Golden Key (3)
After Chang-Sun left, Choi Bu-Yong collapsed into his chair again.
Plop!
It was as if a storm had swept the forge; Bu-Yong could not pull himself together for a long time even after Chang-Sun left. He muttered in confusion, “What the hell is with that guy…”
Still, he was sure about one thing. The connection that had just been formed brought a new change to his life, which was previously filled with depression, uncertainty, frustration, and despair. He was unsure whether the change was a chance to start a new life or a happy episode that did not mean much, but he was sure that a new phase of his life had begun.
Woof! Pant, pant, pant.
As if he had read his owner’s thoughts, Wilson let out a light and pleasant bark. With a faint smile, Bu-Yong stroked the dog’s head and said, “Yeah, I’m not sure what happened, but now that things have turned out this way, let’s do this right.”
The blueprints for Chang-Sun’s requested weapons were already being drawn inside Bu-Yong’s mind. When he held the hammer in his hand, it felt like new.
The new Ou Yezi was about to be born.
* * *
“They haven’t found…” his subordinate timidly reported.
“Why can’t you do your jobs properly?!” Seung-Won yelled at the top of his lungs.
For the first time after a long time, he had gotten off work early, hoping to spend quality time with his family at home. However, he had suddenly received an emergency call telling him to return to the Clan headquarters, and the news that met him there was like a bolt from the blue.
The Clan had tried to close ‘Bestla’s Tomb’ over the past five years, but failed. However, it had suddenly undergone Closure. On top of that, all the people who were in the Dungeon at the time had gone missing, including Lee Jae-Seong.
In other words, [Peter’s Key], which the Clan had tried so hard to obtain, had been stolen!
“Find him by any means necessary! By any means! Kill the guy or make a new key! Get [Peter’s Key], one way or another!” Seung-Won screamed.
While Seung-Won yelled, his subordinates had to hide their necks like turtles and tiptoe around him. They felt as if he would cut off their heads if they said the man in a Hahoe mask who seemed to be the primary suspect had escaped the Bonghwasan Mountain region.
However, Seung-Won’s anger was understandable; he would be fired even before his subordinates if he did nothing. He pulled his hair in frustration, thinking, ‘They’ll never let this go! Shit, shit!’
If only the Highoff Clan had been involved with the incident, he could have just taken full responsibility by resigning. Despite everything, Seung-Won was a founding member of the Highoff Clan, so many executives of the Clan adored him.
The problem was that even though the Highoff Clan legally owned the Bonghwasan Gate, it had a ‘real owner’. The gate was truly owned by the White Tiger Clan, one of the greatest Clans in Korea.
Those who were ignorant would say all of the Ten Clans were the same, but most people knew of the true power gap between the Highoff Clan and the White Tiger Clan. Even if there were dozens of forces on par with the Highoff Clan, they would never be able to win against the White Tiger Clan; that Clan was considered among the best not only in Korea, but also in the whole world. Their ‘Council of Elders’ was like a congregation of great devils that the Council could not easily interfere with.
That was why the Highoff Clan had been working as the White Tiger Clan’s hound for a long time. Due to the White Tiger Clan’s protection, the Highoff Clan had been able to evade the law despite all the crimes they committed. That was the role they had taken in managing ‘Bestla’s Tomb.’ In order to obtain [Peter’s Key], they had needed to offer human sacrifices, which meant the White Tiger Clan needed to hide their connection to the Dungeon. That was why it had been placed under the Highoff Clan’s management.
In truth, Department Head Seung-Won did not know what [Peter’s Key] was for. He did not even know whether the key was really related to Saint Peter the way most people would assume, or somehow related to Bestla the ancient giant, who was presumed to be the tomb’s owner. That was because the White Tiger Clan had not shared any information with him.
On top of that, Jae-Seong, who had been managing the Dungeon the entire time, never learned that the White Tiger Clan had contracted the Highoff Clan. That was how confidential the connection between the White Tiger Clan and the Highoff Clan was. And yet, that same‘Bestla’s Tomb’ had just been closed?
Seung-Won was certain that if the White Tiger Clan found out about it, they would not only kill Seung-Won, but also any executives who were close to him, which meant the Highoff Clan would be completely finished in the end.
‘If that bastard Seo Jeong-Gwon finds out about this, he’ll also kill my family…! I can’t let that happen, so I have to find him somehow,’ Seung-Won thought nervously. However, he soon came to the conclusion that nothing would be resolved if he just sat around and waited for his subordinates’ reports.
There was one silver lining, however; the rest of the night was long. The White Tiger Clan would only hear about it the next morning when everybody went to work, which meant Seung-Won had to sort things out before then.
“Fine, I’ll go to Bonghwasan Mountain right now. Get my car ready! Come on!” Seung-Won yelled.
* * *
Unfortunately, Seung-Won did not realize that the White Tiger Clan was not as sloppy as he expected. The White Tiger Clan had never believed in their hound, as a hound could always run away or bite its owner’s neck if things went wrong. Thus, they had kept a tight ‘leash’ in reserve without the hound’s knowledge. The incident in ‘Bestla’s Tomb’ had already been reported to them by the spies they planted in the Highoff Clan in advance.
Jeong-Gwon frowned when he heard the report from a subordinate. He was the person in charge of a secret plan that was only known to very few people in the White Tiger Clan, named ‘Project Peter’.
“What?” Jeong-Gwon exclaimed angrily.
Ziinnngg―!
Living up to his title as the leader of Raid Team 2, the White Tiger Clan’s pride and joy, the air around Jeong-Gwon froze almost instantly whenever he got angry. The subordinate who had quietly whispered his report to Jeong-Gwon turned pale.
Just then…
Rip!
…The sound of tearing paper filled the room, making Jeong-Gwon’s killing intent dissipate as if it had never been there in the first place. That was when Jeong-Gwon finally came to his senses, looking in the direction where the sound had come from.
Woo Yeong-Geun of the Sword of Ohsung Clan shot Jeong-Gwon a harsh glare. Standing behind him was So Yu-Ha, Chang-Sun’s mother; her face was pale. Jeong-Gwon saw Cha Ye-Eun soothing Yu-Ha, telling her that everything was alright.
“What is the matter with you, Team Leader Seo? How could you use [Tiger Kill] when there is a civilian present?!” Yeong-Geun snapped angrily. It was understandable, because a Player—no, a high ranker’s energy could be lethal to civilians.
Clicking his tongue, Jeong-Gwon realized that he had become too sensitive due to the incident at ‘Bestla’s Tomb’, causing him to make an absurd mistake. However, he was too proud to deliver an apology, and he quietly stood up from his seat.
Yeong-Geun’s gaze turned sharp, as if he were silently asking what Jeong-Gwon was thinking.
Although Jeong-Gwon strongly wanted to punch Yeong-Geun in the face, not liking his shamelessness, he did nothing in the end. Yeong-Geun was also a talented Player, which meant Jeong-Gwon would risk losing an arm by going up against him.
Instead of apologizing, Jeong-Gwon turned to his subordinates who were on standby and shouted in irritation, “It’s too late, and it seems this Lee Chang-Sun guy won’t return today. Let’s go back.”
In truth, his intent was to find out what had happened in ‘Bestla’s Tomb’; however, they made up an excuse, as they just happened to have a valid reason to leave Chang-Sun’s home. They had been waiting for Chang-Sun there for over five hours, which meant they had followed their superiors’ orders well enough.
Yeong-Geun wanted to strike the back of Jeong-Gwon’s head, but he could not start a fight in Chang-Sun’s home. Thus, he took his hand off the hilt of his sword and turned to Chang-Sun’s mother, asking, “Are you alright?”
Although Yu-Ha looked quite surprised, she maintained her composure. She stood up straight and replied with a solemn look, “Yes, I am fine. I have heard that the Awakened lived in a different world… but only now do I realize how true that is. My youngest son is a lot like him, right?”
While Jeong-Gwon, Yeong-Geun, and Ye-Eun waited for Chang-Sun, Yu-Ha had heard what had happened to her youngest son over the past few days. She had been heartbroken to find out that Chang-Sun had entered the world of Players, which she knew to be hellish. However, she had soon asked in detail whether Chang-Sun could adapt to the world of Players after regaining her composure.
There was a saying that every mother in the world was great; Ye-Eun had understood that on some level due to the fact that her parents doted on her, but even she was surprised to see just how much that applied to Chang-Sun’s mother.
“Although he may look cold on the exterior, he is a tenderhearted boy. I really hope he will not get hurt anymore… but that would be difficult,” Yu-Ha said with a light sigh.
Yeong-Geun and Ye-Eun could tell that Yu-Ha was subtly rejecting their offers, implying that she could not encourage her youngest son to go to dangerous places as his mother. In the end, the two and Jin Seok-Tae had to leave Chang-Sun’s home in a hurry, as if they had been kicked out.
* * *
“…Team Leader Seo made things more complicated,” Yeong-Geun said tiredly as he massaged the bridge of his nose in the elevator. He had personally gone to Chang-Sun's home because his lovely niece had insisted on recruiting Chang-Sun using any means necessary… However, he felt as if he had gotten on the wrong side of Chang-Sun by inadvertently visiting at the same time as Jeong-Gwon.
“I cannot just go back without even meeting him… What is your plan, Agents Cha and Jin?” Yeong-Geun asked politely.
Despite the pleasantries, it would be hard to say that the Clans and the Council were on good terms. However, the Sword of Ohsung Clan had a decent relationship with the Council. The Ohsung Group, their Clan’s parent company, made it their main contribution to society to be the largest charitable donor for the Korean branch of the Council.
Apart from that, Yeong-Geun also lived up to his reputation as the ‘finest gentleman’ in the family of the Ohsung Group’s president, and had been very kind to Ye-Eun and Seok-Tae.
“If you are planning to stay, I can ask my secretary to bring coffee for the two of you, too,” Yeong-Geun offered gently.
“Then I would like a hot cup of caramel macchiato… Argh!” Seok-Tae began to reply brightly, but he had to stop speaking when Ye-Eun elbowed him in the waist. He was Level 41, but Ye-Eun was Level 62 and a high ranker. That meant even an elbowing from Ye-Eun could potentially break some of Seok-Tae’s ribs.
Even though Seok-Tae had been hit by such a deadly weapon, Ye-Eun did not even give her junior partner a glance before calmly shaking her head. She said, “No, it’s okay. We have another schedule, so we’ll have to meet Mr. Lee Chang-Sun another time. I appreciate your gesture, though.”
“Huh? Senior Partner, we’re going to get off work after… Gah!” Seok-Tae yelped. He had to stop babbling because Ye-Eun had stomped powerfully on his foot.
Yeong-Geun merely nodded quietly with a faint smile. However, his expression was like an impenetrable mask, leaving Ye-Eun unable to tell what was going on in his mind. He bowed and said, “I see you are too busy, so I will see you next time.”
“Yes, take care. Seok-Tae, follow me,” Ye-Eun said, glaring at Seok-Tae.
Ding.
As soon as the elevator arrived on the first floor and its doors opened, Ye-Eun dragged Seok-Tae by the nape and left the lobby. Seok-Tae wanted to ask why Ye-Eun was doing that, but he said nothing when he saw Ye-Eun’s stiff expression, realizing that something must have happened.
Ziiinnng!
Just as Seok-Tae thought that, he realized that his phone had been ringing fiercely in his back pocket, and he had not noticed it until then. When he checked the message on it, his expression also froze.
<Emergency.>
<Code: Red.>
<Bonghwasan Mountain in Jungnang-gu, Seoul. Coincidentally found victims who were kidnapped to be human sacrifices. They are currently under the district police station’s protection. Although they are staying in the station, the local police requested an immediate dispatch of an agent for their protection…>
‘Human sacrifice’ and ‘sacrificial offering’ were the two phrases that the Council hated more than anything in the world; the message continuously repeated those very same phrases. When the two agents saw it, they realized Lee Chang-Sun was no longer their priority.
* * *
While he headed back home in a taxi, Chang-Sun stroked the fire poker—no, the old bronze sword.
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ grumbles, asking why he brought the old sword.]
It had to have been handled roughly for a long time, as there were many blackened spots and scratches along the blade.
‘There’s no way any sword that could be used as the Divine Fire Furnace’s fire poker would be ordinary.’
From the moment he first picked up the sword, Chang-Sun had already realized its true power. It was comparable to [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth]—no, it could even be more powerful. The sacred weapon in his hand was the legendary [Yuchang Sword].