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 [Chapter 219]

[The Mastermind (4)]

Going back in time.

Baek Seo-jin first became aware of Eun-ha's existence 11 years ago.

11 years ago, when Eun-ha gained the alias <Quick-witted >.

"...You say the owner of that mirror has appeared?"

An artifact that gauges the desires of others.

The Choksa Danyujomun mirror.

Someone who obtained the mirror that had been testing its owner for a long time appeared.

Baek Seo-jin was intrigued.

Is he someone I can manipulate as I wish?

Or is he someone I can't handle?

Baek Seo-jin intended to make the person who became the owner of that mirror a hero.

The timing was just right.

He planned to give that person as much credit as possible in the disaster that Armageddon would 'cause' in the future.

And thus make him a symbol of the system.

The more he thought about it, the better the scenario seemed.

"I should check it out."

Baek Seo-jin decided to take action.

First, investigate about Noh Eun-ha.

Not relying on circulating information, but directly contacting him to find out detailed information.

The problem was that he was a student attending the Academy, not appearing in the world.

He couldn't use the Slayers.

He had to devise a plan.

Then an idea came to mind.

"Let's see... Come to think of it, there should have been a schedule for the Twelve Seats to be invited to give lectures at the High Academy around this time..."

Extremely fortunately.

That year, he was scheduled to give a lecture at the Academy's cultural festival.

The plan was to approach Noh Eun-ha directly and assess him during that time.

"I never expected there to be someone who could use tactics similar to mine..."

But when he went to meet Noh Eun-ha.

Noh Eun-ha was using Ubbo.

More precisely, he was practicing it.

Baek Seo-jin, who was quietly watching Noh Eun-ha's training, couldn't help but be surprised.

To think he's pursuing a style similar to mine, how did this happen?

Did that Chang-jin guy teach him?

His own techniques were evident in the footwork and swordsmanship Noh Eun-ha was displaying.

It was the movement of an assassin.

Even if he had modified it to suit himself, there was no way he wouldn't recognize it.

Just what kind of person is he?

What is Noh Eun-ha's true identity?

Baek Seo-jin, who came to confirm his identity, instead became even more uncertain about his identity.

On the other hand, his heart was moved.

He wanted to make him his disciple.

The obsession in wielding the sword.

The killing intent seeping out here and there.

And a style similar to his own.

If only he could handle him as he wished, he wanted to make him <The Seed> right away.

Even Chang-jin is showing a completely different path from the old days.

Forgetting the mindset of an assassin and becoming soft, he can't replace my position.

Half purpose, half curiosity.

Baek Seo-jin approached Noh Eun-ha.

He tried to grasp Noh Eun-ha's character while passing on his techniques to him.

"─Eun-ha, let me ask you one thing."

"...Yes." "What is your sword for?"

That's why he asked.

What Noh Eun-ha was aiming for, and with what mindset he was wielding his sword.

If he had thoughts that Baek Seo-jin could control, he would have accepted him as <The Seed>.

But betraying Baek Seo-jin's expectations, Noh Eun-ha gave a completely different answer.

"─It's a sword to protect the Fairy."

The moment he saw Noh Eun-ha's eyes then.

Baek Seo-jin glimpsed something in Noh Eun-ha that could be called obsession.

He couldn't handle it.

It's too dangerous.

No, not only can't he handle it, but he has intentions opposite to his own.

To think he has the idea of turning everything that harms the Fairy into an enemy...

It doesn't match with me.

What kind of being is the Fairy?

The Fairy is no different from players.

The Fairy too must be controlled.

She must exist as a device to control this country.

That was Baek Seo-jin's theory.

So he absolutely did not want the Fairy's authority to strengthen.

The Fairy should reign as a symbol.

Not as a politician.

An actor should just act.

Noh Eun-ha is dangerous.

He could become an enemy.

He must be eliminated.

But Baek Seo-jin couldn't decide readily.

He's just 17 years old.

There's plenty of room to change him given time.

And he's not a threat yet.

At that time, Baek Seo-jin thought Noh Eun-ha wouldn't be a big threat to him.

Rather, he was just pleased.

A being that could become his enemy.

How welcome an existence is that?

After all the monarchs disappeared, there was no one who could be called his enemy.

Baek Seo-jin was arrogant and haughty.

So he decided to postpone dealing with Noh Eun-ha for a while.

Instead, he decided to continue monitoring him.

At the same time, he decided to try brainwashing him.

He was still young.

There was enough time to change his not fully formed self.

There was no age limit for transferring to the 3rd year of the Academy's high school division.

Baek Seo-jin decided to use the Academy system to monitor Noh Eun-ha.

To this end, he decided to plant one of his people to coincide with when Noh Eun-ha became a 3rd year student.

"You want me to go to the Academy?"

"Yes. Go and find out in detail what kind of person Noh Eun-ha is."

"Is that child so important? Then I'll have to disguise my identity and take the transfer exam."

<Madam > Bebe.

She was Baek Seo-jin's person.

Transformed into a Mine after being swept up in a distortion, she was saved by Baek Seo-jin and tried to repay her debt to him.

That was one of the reasons she transferred to the Academy.

"Still, I should reward you. Investigate the Academy library. There should be artifacts that Ik-hyeon hid in the basement of the library long ago. Take those."

"Artifacts hidden by a living myth, I wonder what kind of things are hidden. Yes, I'll do that."

So Bebe transferred to the Academy and investigated Noh Eun-ha.

But Noh Eun-ha instead tried to catch Bebe and trace her background.

To think I would be reverse-tracked.

Baek Seo-jin was flustered.

If the brainwashing magic Armageddon had placed on Bebe hadn't worked, he would have had his identity completely exposed to Noh Eun-ha.

Noh Eun-ha can't be drawn in.

Baek Seo-jin reached a conclusion.

He decided to eliminate Noh Eun-ha.

But by that time, many powerful people were positioned around Noh Eun-ha.

Sirius Group and Alice Group.

He couldn't rashly eliminate someone who was engaged to direct descendants of two groups.

There's no choice.

No matter how much Noh Eun-ha grows, there's a limit after all.

Baek Seo-jin decided to give up.

That brought about disaster.

Noh Eun-ha once again exceeded his expectations.

No, he surpassed them.

"─Farewell."

The Seoul Disaster.

It was the largest disaster since reconstruction, prepared by himself and Armageddon.

Armageddon's purpose was a stage to gain awe and be reborn as a god.

For Baek Seo-jin himself, it was a place to greatly lower the Fairy's authority.

At the same time, it was a place to catch <Iron Fortress> Moon Jun off guard and eliminate him.

"I sympathized with your intentions. We shouldn't let monarchs rule this country. But I can."

To make the Fairy a puppet.

<Iron Fortress> had to be eliminated.

He wanted the Fairy and the citizens to gather their strength and return the world to before its destruction.

Baek Seo-jin absolutely did not want that.

Why should those with power bow down, and why should I share what I have?

Such a world is wrong.

So he killed <Iron Fortress>.

By killing him, Baek Seo-jin now gained the justification and authority to control the Mana Management Organization and the Twelve Seats.

But a variable popped up.

It was Noh Eun-ha.

"<Crimson Wings>..."

As if he had prepared for this disaster.

Noh Eun-ha repelled the disaster.

And embodied a myth.

It was the unintended birth of a hero.

Baek Seo-jin couldn't help but feel danger from Noh Eun-ha's existence only then.

Power, wealth, military strength, public sentiment.

But he was someone who couldn't be easily touched, having gained everything.

Around that time, Baek Seo-jin could vaguely notice that Noh Eun-ha possessed forces similar to darkness.

If he tried to touch him, he would have to accept considerable damage himself.

"─What if that person didn't actually die but was revived as a Mine?"

Fortunately, there was a way.

Noh Eun-ha thought there was no relationship between himself and Armageddon.

Then use his misconception.

Act as if he's on Noh Eun-ha's side, and put Armageddon at the forefront.

By doing so, divert Noh Eun-ha's eyes and achieve his own goals.

But what happened afterwards?

"Haha, just what kind of person is he?"

The Mana Church's Half-soul Festival terror.

The military bombardment in the Second Uijeongbu Recapture Battle.

All the disasters plotted by Baek Seo-jin and Armageddon ended in failure.

And that's not all.

"Is there really a better Twelve Seat leader than <Index >?"

The Second Uijeongbu Recapture Battle.

Originally, Baek Seo-jin had planned to step down from the Twelve Seat leader position at this time.

He intended to give the position to <Abyss > Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong, and return to darkness himself to reign as a true behind-the-scenes power.

But Noh Eun-ha drove out <Abyss > and put <Index > in that position.

Suddenly, Baek Seo-jin lost his influence to intervene in the government.

Instead, Noh Eun-ha's influence grew.

<Cardinal > for the monarch of this country!

The voice calling Noh Eun-ha a monarch, which had been mentioned here and there after the Seoul Disaster, was gaining strength.

Moreover, he even took away Baek Seo-jin's darkness by putting forward Han Chang-jin.

Noh Eun-ha was no longer someone Baek Seo-jin could handle.

In the end, Baek Seo-jin had no choice but to curl up.

At that time, <Abyss > joined hands with Choi Jeong-hoon, a direct descendant of Galaxy Group.

He knew Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong's heart.

He must have coveted my position.

From before, Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong had tried to infringe on Baek Seo-jin's authority when given the chance.

He had no intention of ending up as just his chess piece.

Baek Seo-jin acquiesced.

If he was pushed back by him, it meant he wasn't fit to rule this country.

That's why he acquiesced to <Abyss >'s deviation to some extent.

But that caused trouble.

Noh Eun-ha caught him.

If you were going to do it, you should have done it without getting caught...

He couldn't just blame <Abyss >.

Noh Eun-ha's response was too bold.

Even Baek Seo-jin was surprised.

That's how much Noh Eun-ha considered it an opportunity to wipe out forces threatening the Fairy.

The tail must be cut off.

<Abyss > can't be given up here.

After receiving contact from Armageddon.

Baek Seo-jin moved immediately.

While getting angry at Noh Eun-ha, he looked for an opportunity to silence <Abyss >.

As soon as the opportunity came, he killed him right away.

There was no hesitation in Baek Seo-jin's actions.

Anyway, Armageddon had been showing great results in researching souls since the Mana Church's Half-soul Festival terror.

Now he could not only create clone humans, but also successfully insert the original's soul into that body.

Moreover, that body possessed much stronger power than the original body.

<Abyss > was planned to die when the opportunity arose and be reborn in a new body.

So there's no hitch in the plan.

That's how he deceived Noh Eun-ha's eyes.

<Abyss > was secretly revived.

Baek Seo-jin decided to go into hiding for an opportunity that would come someday.

Soon after, the Seven Devils' terror occurred.

This will be the turning point.

If Armageddon just wins, we can turn the tide.

But Baek Seo-jin's hopes were dashed.

Noh Eun-ha manifested a myth.

He defeated Armageddon.

Of course, Armageddon had prepared to some extent in case he lost the gamble.

He was revived as On Tae-yang.

But a being that escaped Baek Seo-jin's eyes killed him.

Armageddon was completely annihilated, and Baek Seo-jin couldn't find the being that killed him.

"Everything has failed."

<Lord > Noh Eun-ha.

Baek Seo-jin had no choice but to admit defeat seeing Eun-ha's alias openly called <Lord >.

He was cornered.

Noh Eun-ha, who had become <Lord >, would completely conquer darkness within a few years and realize that he was the mastermind.

When that time comes, it's over.

All the power he possessed would be transferred to Noh Eun-ha.

There was nowhere left to retreat.

Baek Seo-jin had to bet his life.

It's not over yet.

I'll put my life as the stake.

And so he created a situation that could dramatically overturn the current situation.

An opportunity to eliminate the people who had become the Fairy's strength along with Noh Eun-ha.

"That's how it happened, Eun-ha."

☆

At that time.

Players fighting the Basilisk in another place were also facing off against Slayers in a battle of nerves.

"<Puppeteer > Lee Dong-hyuk? That person should certainly be dead..."

<Yama > Kang Hyeon-cheol.

<Thunder God> Lee Do-jin.

The two were ambushed.

Already tired from the endless battle, they suffered wounds close to fatal.

Park Hye-rim, while treating the two, discovered <Puppeteer > Lee Dong-hyuk mixed among the Slayers.

And that's not all.

Not only infamous Slayers, but Slayers who were known to be dead were blatantly alive.

There were even Mines.

"Those two look delicious."

"Eat just one. I'll make the other one into a puppet."

The big Mine sucked his finger and drooled.

 <Puppeteer > lightly clicked his tongue.

"So what are we supposed to do? Just kill them all?"

At that moment, one Slayer spoke up.

The question echoed among the group.

The Slayers snickered.

The players bit their lips.

Both sides knew.

The balance of power was clear.

Kyaaaak!!

Moreover, the commander didn't recognize them as enemies.

Slayers and the commander.

The players had to face them to survive.

"He ordered that today's events must not leak to the world. So we can't let even one person escape unscathed."

"You have three ways to save your lives! Become our prisoners and survive, have your minds destroyed and survive, or have your memories manipulated and survive."

The Slayers' surprise attack was merely a light greeting.

The real slaughter began.

☆

At the same time.

Baek Seo-jin and Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong, who was thought to be dead, and Mastema appeared.

It wasn't the time to grasp the situation.

There was no time for that.

This is the only chance.

The situation was clear.

Baek Seo-jin had betrayed them.

The surprise was momentary.

Twelve Seat <Silent > Yu Su-jin.

She steadied her breathing and aimed at Baek Seo-jin through her scope.

Currently, he was too busy talking to Noh Eun-ha to pay attention to her presence.

In other words, it was a perfect opportunity to eliminate the enemy commander.

Right now, I'm outside their detection network.

Being in the rearmost position, I shouldn't be exposed to their detection network.

They were snickering, thinking their surprise attack had succeeded.

They've completely let their guard down.

Yu Su-jin was about to pull the trigger, seizing this opportunity.

Just then─

─Click

"..."

Something touched the back of her head.

Something cold and hard.

She could tell what it was without turning around.

A gun muzzle.

Someone had approached while concealing their presence to a degree she couldn't detect.

"This is the weakness of a sniper. You're so focused on the target that you don't pay attention to your own back."

"..."

"The way to increase the success rate of hunting is to aim for the beast hunting the prey. Don't you agree?"

She was completely caught from behind.

Yu Su-jin took her hand off the trigger.

She asked resentfully.

"Who are you?"

"Barbatos. That's the name I have as a Mine."

"A Mine?" "Who says there are only Seven Devils among Mines? In the darkness you don't know, many Mines are relying on Him."

The man said with a snicker.

Then he tapped Yu Su-jin's head with the gun muzzle.

"Game over. Take your hands off the gun. I've taken a liking to you, so I'll let you live like this."

"..."

"And after His great work is done, I'll make you part of my collection."

The man, Barbatos, sneered.

Yu Su-jin bit her lip hard.

It was a blind spot.

Even the rear had been occupied by them.