Chapter 82: Tomb of the Wind Warrior (6)

[The 'Ruler of the Plains' burns with hostility towards you.]

[The 'Ruler of the Plains' detests you.]

[The 'Ruler of the Plains' has reached the limit of their patience.]

In the past, when I hunted the Thin Hobgoblin, the Ruler of the Plains sent me a message saying that he disliked me.

'I can't be respected and chosen by every Guardian.'

I was producing content that would suit the tastes of the majority of Guardians, but I was well aware that I couldn't cater to the small portion of Guardians who had unique tastes.

'They must have been focusing on me ever since I killed the Thin Hobgoblin.'

The Ruler of the Plains could be considered a Guardian who had a greater fondness for monsters than for Players. There was an extremely famous incident in the past where the Ruler of the Plains caused trouble to Yoohyun.

'I'll discard the Ruler of the Plains here.'

The Whispering Devil already knew that the Ruler of the Plains would direct their gaze of hatred towards me. That was why he sent me the 'High Orc's Spell Scroll' as a secret reward. I saw in my mind's eye how things would play out.

The Whispering Devil, the Ruler of the Plains, and me. What kind of scenario would occur with all three of us involved in one place?

'That'll be fun.'

I wasn't scared. Within five years, the Ruler of the Plains would disappear. I didn't know what kind of mechanism was behind the appearance and disappearance of Guardians, but it was known that no Players had heard notices from the Ruler of the Plains in five years' time.

'Alright, come at me, then.'

Right now, they wouldn't be able to try anything to get revenge. I made a legal Play. It was just that the Ruler of the Plains didn't like that Play.

'They won't be able to do anything right now, at least because the other Guardians might notice.'

But one day, they would move against me. For sure.

'Aiming for my weakness.'

A sudden attack was scary, but one I already knew about wasn't. It could be blocked. Just then, Sunhwa shouted.

"Oppa!"

Holding something in her right hand, Sunhwa smiled brightly.

"I found it!"

A crystal glowing with a purple light was in her hand.

'She's smiling really brightly.'

It wasn't just my rose-tinted glasses as her brother kicking in—it really was a 1000k watt smile, and it wasn't just her trying to look pretty or cute.

State: Full of Enthusiasm / Addicted to Fried Chicken / Excited / Happy

I felt Sunhwa's true feelings through Eye of Perception. She was extremely happy and thrilled that she found the crystal, though that 'addicted to fried chicken' part in the middle was a little funny.

Sunhwa called out from afar, "I found it! I did well, right?"

She was covered in dirt from head to toe, like she seriously gave it her all. Even her face was smudged with something that looked like mud.

Sung-gu said jokingly, "Damn, I was trying to find it, but I lost to a frickin' middle schooler. How humiliating."

It wasn't a normal crystal. It wasn't a crystal that would clear the gate when destroyed, but an information crystal that held some kind of info.

[Crystal Holding the Secret Within the Tomb of the Wind Warrior]

There is a special secret hidden within this crystal. When destroyed, you will acquire information related to the 'course of the Wind Warrior's life'.

Yoohyun got the crystal from Sunhwa.

"I'll destroy it, hyungnim!"

When it was in Sunhwa's palm, it looked pretty big, but the crystal looked like a kid's toy in Yoohyun's massive hand.

"Here I go!"

Yoohyun started exerting his muscles. The veins in his right arm stood out. As his blood vessels expanded, Yoohyun's face turned beet red.

"Haah… haah…!" Breathing hard, Yoohyun turned to me. "Hyungnim, this thing isn't budging at all?"

I came closer to inspect the crystal.

"Hm," I hummed, thinking. Apparently, it wasn't a crystal you could just break. Pure physical force wouldn't do it.

"Sunghyun, you give it a try."

"...Alright."

The teen nodded. He hadn't spoken up, but it seemed like he had already picked up some kind of hint. As he put the crystal in his palm while we all watched to see what he would do, I could tell one thing.

'His movements are super natural.'

He acted almost like a person who knew exactly what he had to do to this crystal. It wasn't like he had knowledge from the future or anything. This was just his talent playing a role.

'Knowing what to do simply by looking…'

It was like a mechanic who automatically knew how to work a machine even without a manual, like being able to play a game without reading the instructions. As soon as Sunghyun saw the crystal, he figured out what he had to do.

[Observing with 'Observer's Eye'.]

I saw mana swirling within Sunghyun's body.

'It's fascinating to see every time.'

It felt very different from seeing with my physical eyes. I couldn't quite put it in words, but an energy shining with blue light went through Sunghyun's heart and out his palm and back in, over and over again. The energy seemed to be alive—it moved almost like it had its own will.

'I guess this is how the mana moves when we use skills.'

I could only observe the tip of the iceberg right now. After all, my 'Observer's Eye' proficiency was only 1 at the moment.

'The more my proficiency increases, the more I should be able to observe.'

I already couldn't wait for that moment. I didn't know how long it would take, but in any case, I was full of anticipation for the future. My life was already miles apart from the past, when I lived without a future, without hope, just trudging on with my eyes fixed on the present. I could succeed now. I could forge my own future. That's what I believed.

'The mana inside the Clear Crystal… is being transferred to Sunghyun's body.'

It was only possible to trace the flow with Observer's Eye. An energy resembling purple smoke went into Sunghyun's palm and was absorbed into his body.

'He probably got some quest or something.'

I guessed he got something related to the 'Secret of the Wind Warrior', but I didn't pry. There was no pressing need to find out right now.

[The Clear Crystal has been destroyed.]

[The Flash Gate 'Tomb of the Wind Warrior' has been cleared.]

The gate itself was cleared, but we didn't get any additional rewards.

[The rewards that can be obtained within the 'Tomb of the Wind Warrior' have already reached their maximum limit.]

[The reward for clearing the Flash Gate will not be given.]

I wasn't too sorry to hear that. I'd already received a way bigger harvest than I had expected.

'150k Coins total, High Orc Spell Scroll, U-Plex Dungeon First Entry Rights, and Great Orc Warrior's Gloves.'

They were all fantastic. But there was a prize better than all others.

'I've fully determined how the Observer class will grow.'

I had the pros and cons of the Observer class nearly down pat, and figured out what the Nameless Observer wanted from me a little more concretely. That gave me a direction for my future Playing.

'That's the biggest gain.'

And plus,

'I've also acquired Sunghyun's full trust.'

We earned a great party member. Though there were strong indications that he wouldn't get along with Sung-gu, when these two worked together, their power would be equal to ten magicians put together.

[Teleporting from the Flash Gate 'Tomb of the Wind Warrior' to the Flash Gate 'Hill of Blowing Wind'.]

[The key, the 'Final Wind', is necessary.]

A hologram appeared before our eyes.

[ _ _ _ _ _ _ ]

And underneath it appeared a keyboard of arrows.

[→←↑↓↔ ]

Apparently, we were supposed to type in the correct combination.

"Boss Hyukjin. What is this? I've got no clue."

[If you cannot find the key, one of the Players will die.]

[You have 1 minute.]

Everyone's expressions darkened. My heart became heavy as well.

'This is…'

I had a feeling. But I couldn't be 100% sure.

[Remaining time: 40 seconds]

I spoke quickly. "I think I know what this is."

35 seconds left.

"But I can't be 100% sure. I remember the wind shape that blowed when we left the Hill of Blowing Wind. The arrows match the number of blank spaces."

25 seconds left.

"If you guys agree, I'll try putting it in."

15 seconds left. There wasn't much time, and I was the only one who had a clue.

"Okay, I'm in full agreement."

"Oppa, me too."

"Dammit, me too."

"I agree."

5 seconds left.

'The wind that blew when I blew out the candle.'

I remembered a refreshing wind blowing then as if to celebrate the clear we had just achieved.

[↑↓↔ ]

That image was vivid in my brain. I hadn't particularly tried to remember the arrows, but I could recall them in such clarity that I wondered if my memory had always been this good.

I put them in exactly as I remembered them.

[↑↓↔ ]

[You have successfully found the key.]

[Teleporting to the 'Hill of Blowing Wind'.]

[The flow of time has been distorted.]

[Entering the 'Hill of Blowing Wind'.]

We came back.

'The flow of time was distorted.'

That had to mean that while we were clearing the 'Tomb of the Wind Warrior', the time within the 'Hill of Blowing Wind' was frozen. When we found ourselves back on the hill, the other Players didn't realize our absence at all.

'So this moment… is when I discovered the candle on Sunghyun's back.'

I heard a voice.

"What nonsense are you tryna say?"

It was the voice of the Brown Bear Kim Taechun. He was glaring at me. He'd seen me on the 1st Floor and had apparently pegged me as 'prey', since he was a self-proclaimed predator.

I retorted back, "What?"

Scowling to show his displeasure at my casual tone, Taechun rolled his right shoulder, producing cracking noises.

"That's weird. I thought there was something on the kid's back. Anyway, I dare you to try something weird. I'll cut off your head."

Yoohyun stepped forward. "Oi. You sure have a lot of crap to say."

"..."

"You asking for another beating?"

Taechun tucked his tail between his legs, muttering, "It's not like I messed with you, jeez."

Mumbling to himself was all the resistance he could muster.

'Tsk tsk.'

He was still a famous Player in his own right, so it was a little pathetic to see him so cowed by a single beating. If he acted like this, he would also lose the Courageous Lion King's backing.

'Guess he'll disappear before long.'

He would either die within a dungeon or gate, or be killed by some Player. In any case, it was unlikely he would leave his name in history's annals.

'Originally, Kim Taechun never got beaten by Yoohyun or Yeonseo.'

Once again, the past changed a little because of my Playing. However, I didn't regret it. I did what I should, and thanks to that, many Players survived.

[The Flash Gate 'Hill of Blowing Wind' has been cleared.]

[Leaving the gate.]

I had earned so much from this place. It was no exaggeration to say I was walking a path paved with gold, one that couldn't even compare to the past. My mood soared.

Someone shouted, "We're back!"

At least in this moment, everyone was a friend and an ally. A few people even embraced each other and ran around in joy. Yoohyun and Sung-gu stood next to me.

"Hyungnim. Shouldn't we be acting like that, too?"

"Damn, yeah. We should also hug it out and cheer, let our bromance shine…" The words died in Sung-gu's throat. He and Yoohyun took a cautious step back.

"Wait, hyungnim. I wasn't saying I'd really hug you."

"Goddamn, so scary. You could destroy the world with that gaze."

Yeonseo snickered. "Iyaa, anyway, we got a safe clear again. And the rewards are also uh-may-zing. Like I thought, it's most fun to Play with the boss. Right, Sunhwa?"

Sunhwa nodded. "It's super reassuring when oppa is there. And it also feels super efficient."

"Yeah, your oppa is the best."

I just feigned deafness. Jo Sunghyun was looking around in silence.

'I'm sure he got something related to the Clear Crystal earlier. He's probably thinking about whether he should share that or not.'

Without Observer's Eye, I wouldn't have known, either.

'With his personality… it will take a little time.'

He was calm and cool-headed. He would take his time thinking about it subjectively. And if he decided in the end that I was worthy of his trust, he would come and consult me for advice.

'There's a very high chance he'll do that.'

Personally, I thought there was a 99% chance he would come to me.

'Let's give him a little time.'

____