Chapter 229

In a macro sense, Yoo Jinho's plan was quite similar to Woo Jinchul's goals.

'If Woo Jinchul wants to create an association and unite hunters, I will do so with money.'

A mock training project using virtual reality was something that any hunter would enjoy.

This was especially inevitable if he was the head of a large guild with the largest number of hunters.

"CEO Yu. "Can our guild also participate in that project?"

"I want to participate too. If there is a limit to the number of people in the beta test, I want to try it first. "I'll hand over as much data as I want."

Starting with Hyeonmu-gang, other S-class hunters also showed strong curiosity and interest.

In fact, there was no place for S-class hunters to train to their heart's content.

The entire area would be devastated if they were training and showed off their strength with all their might.

In short, it is a natural disaster-level nuisance.

Liu Zhigang, who was wandering around China and spraying sword energy everywhere he wanted, was not listening to the sounds of a crazy old man.

The S-class hunters, who knew that reality better than anyone else, had no choice but to accept the demands put forward by CEO Yoo Jinho willingly.

"North Korea? "I will support you as much as I can."

"They say it's okay to go through hardships when you're young, but what's the point if an old man stops you? "Have a nice trip."

"I agree too. "He's a newbie who's stronger than Grandpa Ma Dong-wook, so he'll take care of it."

"No, so when are you going to answer my question? "What happened in India?"

S-class hunters actively gathered around Suho, showing their friendliness.

"Thank you all."

Although Lim Tae-gyu was a little annoying, Suho got the unanimous approval of the five S-class hunters thanks to Yoo Jinho.

However, like Association President Woo Jinchul, Yoo Jinho's goal in completing the virtual training program was not because he wanted other hunters to help Sung Jinwoo or Sung Suho's battles.

Quite the opposite.

'It is to give a taste of the true horror that humanity will face later.'

Jinho Yoo had a bitter look in his eyes as he looked at the S-class hunters who had lost all their memories of the past era.

Two years ago, when Woo Jinchul first brought up this plan, Yoo Jinho joined hands with Woo Jincheol even though he had no memory of the past era.

However, from the moment all his memories came back thanks to Suho, Jinho Yoo accelerated the Nahon Rep project with the company's efforts.

The direction of the plan has become much clearer than at first.

'It's true that it's a drill, but it's actually closer to an evacuation drill.'

-No matter what you imagine, we have prepared more than that.

They could not yet imagine what the true meaning of his words was.

So, you can look forward to it.

The difficulty level of the game you create must be extremely high.

'Because it has implemented an overwhelming level of difficulty that even an S-class hunter can never handle.'

So, may you despair and be frustrated endlessly in front of him.

May they fully realize their helplessness and struggle as best as they can just to survive.

In order to issue such a strong warning to all mankind, Yoo Jinho had blatantly implemented a survival quest in the game in which players were busy running away helplessly within the time limit.

'... ... This is the best preparation I can do. Brother Jinwoo.'

It was Yoo Jinho who especially missed Sung Jinwoo today.

He had a bitter expression on his face, recalling memories from a previous era that not all of those gathered here could remember.

Especially when the battle with the Dragon Emperor is just around the corner.

This is the interview where Sung Jinwoo gave a strong warning to the world.

-Please move as far away from the gate as possible. I hope you run away even a little further away.

Run away!

That one word that Sung Jinwoo left was enough to move the whole world.

At the warning that a number of demonic beasts would pour in that would be difficult for humanity to handle, frightened people tried their best to get away from the gate.

The road quickly became clogged with cars, and horns blared in every street, hurting the ears.

However, the greater the movement, the greater the force opposing the movement.

Not everyone trusted Jinwoo's words.

-Tell me not to talk like shit!

-Hunter Sung Jinwoo! No matter how much you scare people with bullshit, you won't be able to hog all the gates. Because I'm not even scared of mosquito nose hairs!

'... ... 'Ignorance is brave.'

Yes.

Humanity was ignorant.

People who don't know much to begin with don't even know what and how much they don't know.

That's why they acted recklessly out of ignorance.

Numerous hunters and countries ignored Sung Jinwoo's warning and instead showed their courage by saying that they would fight the Dragon Emperor's legions directly.

Their desperate screams, despair, and futile deaths followed.

Jinho Yoo remembered all those despairing scenes clearly.

'... ... So this time, I will let you experience it in advance. What true fear is.'

How helpless humanity is against alien invaders.

And when the reality of that fear really came upon humanity.

'... ... I hope everyone runs away without saying a word this time.'

I absolutely trust the words of Sung Jinwoo and Sung Suho and hope to run away desperately this time.

This was the true goal of the 'Project: Level Up Alone' that Woo Jinchul and himself planned.

'... ... Of course, the best scenario is that that day never comes. Then this game can remain simply a fun game until the end.'

Yoo Jinho, unaware of his true feelings, smiled brightly at the S-class hunters who wanted to participate in the closed beta test of the solo-level game.

He also gave Hyun Moo-gang, who had an earnest expression on his face, a chance.

"CEO Hyun Moo-gang. "If so, would you like to participate in the beta test yourself?"

"yes? Are you really allowing our guild?"

Hyeonmu-gang's expression suddenly brightened.

But Yoo Jinho has a long back end.

I have no ill feelings towards Hyun Moo-gang personally, but the price for putting Suho in danger due to poor management of his subordinates is by no means cheap.

"yes. If you wish, I will give CEO Hyun Moo-gang a chance to experience it first. In any case, data from S-class hunters is also needed for the completeness of the game."

"thank you! Representative Yu!"

Again, ignorance is bravery.

I can assure you that now Hyeonmu-gang will experience extreme difficulty and taste despair before anyone else.

However, in the end, Beru was no better than Yoo Jinho.

[Keeeeek! Please don't think this is the end! Couldn't I offer up the additional runestone for the summons you mentioned earlier?]

"... ... !"

Hyun Moo-gang was startled and took a step back when he saw a black shadow suddenly revealing its face in front of him and issuing an angry command.

'Unbelievable?! 'I can't believe you don't feel any sign of me until I'm right in front of you!'

Despite its ferocious appearance, it was a cute summoned beast, but I couldn't help but feel goosebumps instinctively.

Be that as it may, Beru grabbed Hyeonmu-gang by the collar with an even more menacing expression and threatened him.

[There are only two of them, but know how great an honor it is to be able to provide even a little help to our small lord!]

"I'll give it to you... ... No, someone please help me with this summon... ... ."

Hyeonmu-gang, who was grabbed by the collar by Suho's small and precious summon, was in a panic, not knowing what to do.

Given the current situation, it was very difficult to shake off this small hand.

Then a savior appeared.

Seo Jiwoo is an S-class hunter from the Blue Dragon Guild.

As soon as the important conversation was over, Seo Jiwoo, who had shown interest in Beru since his first appearance, pointed to Beru and spoke to Suho.

"Hunter Sung Suho. I was curious earlier, but you are also a reawakener like me? Is that summoned animal from before reawakening? So now you have reawakened to the combat world? What are the new skills? "What changes have occurred?"

Although she had been holding back from before, Seo Jiwoo had a lot of questions she wanted to ask from the moment she first saw Suho.

"Haha. Sorry for my many questions. "Actually, I was so happy when I found out that this new recruit was a reawakener."

Suho, who was suddenly bombarded with questions from Seo Jiwoo, answered by gently tearing off Beru, who was threatening Hyun Moo-gang, with one hand.

"No. "I was already curious."

[Keeeeek... ... !]

"I'm glad! So, shall we have a conversation with people in the same situation? Actually, it is, right? They say that reawakened people often appear, but in reality, most of the time it is due to an error in the magic power meter. However, this is the first time I have seen a case like you or me where someone suddenly became stronger in S-class. "If there is this much difference, there is no chance of a measurement error."

"... ... ."

Once Seo Jiwoo got the chance, she spoke non-stop.

However, from Suho's perspective, he was sincere when he said he was curious.

'In my case, I made an excuse to say I was a reawakener because of the level-up system, but how did this person actually become a reawakener?'

Seo Jiwoo is even a special case who reawakened and even looked younger.

In many ways, Seo Jiwoo was amazing even from Suho's perspective.

As if Seo Jiwoo had sensed Suho's thoughts, he started by asking the most important and curious questions rather than trivial questions.

"Oh, right! So can you answer this first? Do you also have any memories of the moment of reawakening?"

"A moment of reawakening?"

"huh. "It's a really important issue to me."

When Suho asked again, Seo Jiwoo's eyes, which had been talking excitedly, suddenly became serious.

And, recalling the moment of reawakening he had experienced, he spoke carefully.

"Perhaps you, Sung Suho... ... "Are you someone who woke up from ptosis like me?"

"... ... "Is it ptosis?"

"Is it called ptosis?!"

One word Seo Jiwoo uttered caused a more violent reaction from Yoo Jinho, who was next to him, than from Suho.

Yoo Jinho defeated the other S-class hunters he was dealing with and immediately joined in the conversation between Seo Jiwoo and Suho.

"Hunter Seo Jiwoo! Is that true? "You're the one who woke up from Magic Sleeping Sickness?"

Looking at Yoo Jinho's serious expression, Suho thought of a phenomenon called 'wing's sleep syndrome' that has started to occur all over the world these days.

'Magic Sleeping Sickness'

This condition nicknamed the final sleep, was a social phenomenon in which people who could not adapt to the mana mixed in the air as the number of gates opened throughout the Earth increased and suddenly fell asleep, unable to wake up for days or months, forever.

It was relatively recently that academia named it 'Magic Sleeping Sickness'.

Until then, the number of people suffering from Magic Sleeping Sickness was so small that it was difficult to establish statistics on the fact that it was a phenomenon related to horsepower.

But these days, the number has been increasing.

The medical community, sensing the seriousness of this, belatedly developed a life support device using magic stones and

was barely able to keep them alive until they woke up.

Suho, who was well aware of that fact, noticed something strange in Seo Jiwoo's words and asked.

"You said you woke up from ptosis and reawakened? As far as I know, somnolence is a phenomenon that only occurs in people who are constitutionally maladapted to mana, but Hunter Seo Jiwoo... ... ."

"That's right. I had a case of ptosis while I was already active as a hunter. "Looking at your reaction, it seems like Sung Suho is a different case from me."

Seo Jiwoo looked a little glum in response to Suho's reaction.

There was a good reason for that.

"It's not just me. Even though all of my colleagues who were 'there' with me that day had mana adaptability, they fell into ptosis. "I'm the only one who woke up."

"Where is this place?"

"Double dungeon."

... ... !

At Seo Jiwoo's words, Suho and Yoo Jinho's expressions suddenly changed.

Even Beru, who was sneaking out to threaten Hyeon Moo-gang again, had an expression on his face.

At this moment, these three were each thinking of different things.

'If it's a double dungeon, is it really a void gate?'

'There can't be another legacy of the designer?'

A moment of mixed emotions.

Beru could assure you.

The double dungeon that Seo Jiwoo entered with his colleagues would not be the double dungeon that Sung Jinwoo entered in the past, the Cartenon Temple.

So what on earth happened to the hunters who went inside and got hypersomnia?

Jinho Yoo was equally confused.

'Just like in the past, the number of people suffering from ptosis is increasing even now. But even then, I think the only people who woke up on their own were Jinwoo's mother and my father... ... .'

On behalf of Yoo Jinho, who did not know the specific reason, Suho asked Seo Jiwoo an essential question.

"How did you wake up from ptosis?"

"Uhm. I gave the same answer to the medical staff back then, but the truth is, I don't know. "The only answer was that I woke up by chance."

"You have no idea why?"

"Okay. That's why I wanted to ask you instead. "I thought that if you went through the same thing as me, you might know how to wake up my still-sleeping colleagues."

The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.

Seeing Seo Jiwoo lowering her head with a bitter expression, Suho thought deeply and asked again.

"Then, did you have any dreams while you were sleeping?"

"... ... dream?"

"yes. In my case, the trigger for reawakening was a 'dream.'"

Suho answered by condensing his experience into one word.

It wasn't entirely wrong.

It was as if I had accepted the current level-up system in a dream I had because of my father during my adolescence.

"It's a dream... ... "Yes, I had a dream."

Seo Jiwoo's expression became quite serious at Suho's question.

A distant memory came to mind that I had seen while I was suffering from insomnia and fell into an endless sleep.

"... ... "The black sea."

"The sea?"

"huh. The endless black sea. There was no land anywhere, and I was floating aimlessly in a huge ocean with only water. All I could do there was float around like a corpse."

Seo Jiwoo covered her body with both hands as if even recalling the memory of that moment gave her goosebumps.

"Then I managed to grab something and clung on desperately."

And as soon as those words are over.

[The King of Dragons and the Monarch of Destruction, slowly raised the corners of his mouth.]

"At that time, what I was clinging to was a huge... ... "It was a tree."

At that moment, Suho realized what Yongje was trying to say.

"... ... World Tree."