Chapter 311.

“… . ”

“… . ”

Rachel and Jin Sahyuk sat in the reception room of the royal palace in shock . The pool table and the cue sticks that they never got to use were in front of them .

The game had ended instantly .

At this point, neither of them could remember how many points they were playing for . They didn’t even want to think about how the game unfolded .

Kim Hajin, the man responsible for this mess, instructed Rachel to ‘give Jin Sahyuk skillbooks’ and Jin Sahyuk to ‘listen to Rachel’ . He then left the royal palace without looking back .

Everything felt futile .

“…This game shouldn’t be that easy,” Jin Sahyuk muttered and put a cue stick down on the table .

Hit too hard, the ball breaks . Hit too weak, the ball loses its course . Using magic power was also prohibited .

Pool was a difficult game for superhumans who had beyond average strength .

Tak—!

She posed properly and hit the cue ball . The ball hit the first target, bounced against the wall and then hit the second .

“I’m in a good condition today . Can’t believe the game ended before I even got to play . Oi, you…?”

Jin Sahyuk casually turned her gaze to the side, only to be startled by Rachel .

The princess looked as if her soul had escaped her body .

“…Are you crying?”

“…Eh? N-No . ”

Kim Hajin didn’t know this, but as the three-time winner of Crevon’s Pool Tournament, Rachel took pride in this game . With delicate and elaborate techniques stemming from her experience in dealing with spirits, Rachel has long been the reigning queen of billiards .

“It… doesn’t matter anymore . Please, follow me . ”

Still in shock, Rachel beckoned to Jin Sahyuk . She planned to show Jin Sahyuk the skill books as she had been instructed to do by Kim Hajin .

“…Sure . ”

Jin Sahyuk followed Rachel willingly .

Rachel walked ahead and asked, “Special and Basic Skills, right?”

“Yeah . Something that will be useful in real life . Got anything good?”

“There should be . This is the royal palace, after all . ”

The two of them walked down the hallway and arrived at the library accessible only to the members of the royal family and their close associates .

“Come in . ”

“…Ooh . ”

The library was big and the ceilings were high . Jin Sahyuk looked around in amazement . Every single one of the carefully carved bookshelves was a masterpiece .

Of course, they were nothing compared to Plerion .

“Why don’t you look around and see if anything catches your eye?” Rachel said .

Jin Sahyuk did as she was told . She walked slowly, her eyes skimming over the books . Skillbooks, history books, magic books, educational books, etc . The library had everything .

Jin Sahyuk spent some time looking over the books and studying various skills . In the past, she had thought some of them were useless, but now they all seemed interesting .

“Excuse me, Shin Jahyuk-ssi . ”

Suddenly, Rachel called Jin Sahyuk .

“Mm?”

Jin Sahyuk asked back, her gaze still fixed on the book .

“Um… . ” Rachel hesitated .

Finding it strange, Jin Sahyuk raised her head and looked at Rachel . 10 seconds passed by .

Finally, Rachel asked with a small sigh, “What kind of relationship do you have with Hajin-ssi?”

“…Hm? Uh… nothing, I guess . ”

But Jin Sahyuk already knew Kim Hajin’s secret .

She also learned about ‘Synchronization’ from Bell .

And, she knew how Kim Hajin would change once she managed to increase his Synchronization rate .

And so— with a meaningful smile, she added, “…For now . ”

**

[16F — Genkelope’s Vessel]

I returned to the Genkelope’s Vessel . The vessel was again roaming above the ‘Genkelope Zone’ on the 16th floor . It seemed that the mission to recapture the Zone was still in progress .

“Welcome back, Ship Commander . ”

Horner came out of the Commander’s Office where he had been observing the land below to greet me . I welcomed Horner with a smile .

“Good to see you . And my guest?”

“She’s waiting for you in the VIP lounge . ”

Today was the day I would deliver the [Ceremonial Descent Robe] to Medea, my last guest in the Tower of Wish .

“Okay, thanks . ”

I headed for the VIP lounge, surrounded by warm welcomes from the crew .

I held a beautifully decorated gift box in one hand and opened the door with the other .

Medea was waiting for me inside, as expected .

“You’re finally here . ”

Medea looked at me with a surly expression . It was a natural response, as I was well past the deadline .

I gave a small smile and held out the gift box in my hand .

“I put a lot of effort into making it . ”

“Well, even considering that you’re way too late… . ”

Medea stomped up to me . Her face glimmered with joy and desire that she failed to hide .

“Give it . ”

But there was one more thing I had to ask Medea before giving her this robe .

“Are you planning on descending soon, then?”

“…Probably?”

Medea nodded nonchalantly with her arms crossed .

“And you haven’t forgotten about our promise, right?”

“…Promise?”

I took out the copy of [Heynckes’s Dagger] .

“Oh~ that?”

Medea and I made an oath over this dagger to never betray humanity and to help humans out at all costs . I couldn’t risk having Medea run away like the former Nine Star Oh Jaejin .

“Of course I haven’t . ”

Medea nodded with a smile .

That was all I needed to hear .

Medea, the great sorceress who had been mentioned several times in Greek mythology .

“I don’t want to see the world that I’m going to live in fall apart either . ”

I was sure that a person of such caliber would be of great help to this world .

**

After I delivered the robe to Medea, I left the Tower of Wish . Spartan informed me that Yi Yeonjun was still in France, and my next destination was determined .

With Spartan, I flew to Paris, France .

More precisely, my destination was the Champ de Mars where the Eiffel Tower, the iconic landmark of Paris, stood . I planned on observing Yi Yeonjun from there .

…However .

[★ Hosting the 3rd preliminary round of the Gate of Glory Qualification Tournament ★]

[Welcome to Paris . ]

[The Paris branch of Essence of the Strait welcomes you!]

[Heroes, please join us at the Eiffel Tower!]

[We love you Kim Suho ♥]

[Hero discount… . ]

“…What’s going on?”

Paris was clearly in the middle of a celebration . Though it was late at night the city was brightly lit, parades and carnivals everywhere . From the big banners written in Korean, I could tell Paris was excited to be the host of the 3rd preliminary round of the Gate of Glory Qualification Tournament .

“Is it really worth getting this excited about?”

Even considering the fact that the Qualification Tournament was drawing global attention, it still felt excessive . It was as if Paris had been chosen to host the World Cup .

Anyways .

I began searching for Yi Yeonjun under the bright lights .

“…Where is he?”

However, no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t spot Yi Yeonjun and was left with no choice but to rely on Spartan’s vision again .

Yi Yeonjun was not above but underground .

“What the . ”

The man next to Yi Yeonjun looked familiar . No, it was more than just familiar— I knew who this man was .

Switching sides on a whim, he was notoriously fickle, but just like Team Rocket, he never accomplished anything .

“Team Rocket, I mean, Lancaster?”

Dumbfounded, I listened in on their conversation .

—…I offer you ‘England’ .

As expected, Lancaster was scheming against England again .

He sure was persistent .

—I have top secret information about the British national security with me as well as other confidential documents . With this, you can turn England into a second Pandemonium . The class-1 security codes can neutralize the entire British system and disable all shields .

Yi Yeonjun stared at Lancaster in silence .

Thinking he spotted greed in Yi Yeonjun’s nonchalant expression, Lancaster offered a proposal .

—…There’s only one thing I want . Please destroy the British royal family .

Top secret information about the British national security that Lancaster claimed to know… I wasn’t sure what they were, but right now my top priority was Yi Yeonjun .

I took out my smartwatch and opened Violet Times .

==[Violet Times]==

[Investigator Yoo Jinhyuk has completed your request . ]

[Here is the flash drive containing information about Yi Yeonjun’s past . ]

[Please pay the complete amount within two weeks . ]

===============

A small portal appeared above the smartwatch .

I put my hand inside the portal and pulled out the flash drive Yoo Jinhyuk sent me .

…It was then .

“What’re ya doing here?”

A familiar voice struck my eardrums with crushing weight . Startled, I looked up .

“…You scared me . ”

There, Cheok Jungeyong was looking down at me .

With a smirk, he put his hand on my shoulder .

“It’s been a while . ”

“…You’re right . But why are you here, Cheok Jungyeong?”

“Me? They’re hosting the 3rd preliminary round or something here, that’s what I’m here for . ”

“Alone?”

“Yup . Fun things should be done alone . ”

“Mm . ”

I nodded and turned my attention to the flash drive and Yoo Jinhyuk’s message .

[Yoo Jinhyuk: I’ve put together the most crucial pieces of information regarding Yi Yeonjun’s past . I even included a flash drive containing all the information as a gesture of goodwill for the VIP customer . ]

[Directions: Infuse your magic power into the flash drive and insert it in a virtual reality capsule or a virtual reality helmet . ]

[I recommend a ‘whole body capsule’ in place of a ‘helmet’ for a more engaging experience . ]

===

[Yoo Jinhyuk’s flash drive]

—A flash drive containing the extracted past .

===

“…Mmm . ”

‘So something like this was possible, after all . ’

The reason Yoo Jinhyuk delivered his research in the format of a flash drive was that he wanted his customers to experience the same things as himself .

“Oi, what’s that? Looks sort of fun . ”

Suddenly, Cheok Jungeyong shoved his head in towards me .

“Nothing . It’s just… . ”

I was about to change the subject when, suddenly, an idea crossed my mind .

No one said this flash drive was strictly for one person . I knew more than two people could play the same game or watch the same video at the same time using the ‘party’ option in a whole body capsule .

“…Cheok Jungyeong?”

“Hm? What?”

“Do you know Yi Yeonjun?”

Cheok Jungyeong gave a small frown .

“No, not really . All I know about him is that he was the former leader of the Chameleon Troupe and also Boss’s savior . ”

Cheok Jungyeong was honest .

I looked down at the flash drive in silence .

Cheok Jungyeong had no prior relationship with Yi Yeonjun . What’s more, he even seemed disgruntled by the former leader’s presence .

Well, then… .

“Cheok Jungyeong, follow me . ”

“Eh? Why?”

“This,” I put up the flash drive and suggested, “You said this looked fun . So let’s look at it together . ”

“…Hmm . ”

Cheok Jungyeong folded his arms, pretending to be uninterested, but soon broke into a smile and came close to me .

“Where can we look at it?”

“Right over there . ”

I pointed at [Capsule de Mars], the largest capsule cafe and one of the most famous tourist attractions in France .

“Capsule? So that thing runs by a capsule?”

“That’s right . Let’s go . ”

“I’ve never used a capsule before . ”

I headed to the capsule cafe with Cheok Jungyeong who still looked confused .

“Welcome~”

I paid the cafe owner in won and borrowed two capsules . An extra-large-sized capsule for Cheok Jungyeong and a medium-sized capsule for me .

As soon as I was online, I sent Cheok Jungyeong a friend request .

“Cheok Jungyeong, are you ready?”

—Uh… wait… this is so damn complicated… . Ah, there . I accepted your friend request and party invitation . Am I all set?

“Yeah . Give me a moment . I’m putting in the flash drive now . ”

I infused my magic power—Stigma—into the flash drive .

“Here we go,” I said and plugged the flash drive into the capsule .

…It was then .

Chwaaaa—

“What the… . ”

A cluster of light formed inside the capsule .

The mysterious light shot out of the capsule and enveloped my entire body .

**

Meanwhile, Kim Suho and Chae Nayun were busy playing games in the capsule cafe . Their excuse was to relieve stress and relax before the 3rd preliminary round began .

But the real reason they came here was purely because of Chae Nayun .

There was no way that Chae Nayun, an avid gamer, could pass up an opportunity to visit [Capsule de Mars], the world-famous capsule cafe .

“Uhahaha . Kim Suho, you sucker! You’re terrible at games . I can’t even keep track of how many times you lost!”

Inside the virtual world, Chae Nayun teased Kim Suho, who had just lost to her . Kim Suho scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment .

—…Ah . This is kinda hard .

“Who’s up next?”

The game they were playing right now was called ‘Gladiator of the Century’ .

Chae Nayun won not only against Kim Suho but also against Shin Jonghak and Yun Seung-Ah . She wasn’t ranked no . 1 for nothing .

—Nayun, can’t we just play something else?

Yi Jiyoon suggested, completely worn out from the duel .

—Good idea . We should play something else . I’m getting tired of this .

Shin Jonghak agreed .

“Something else?”

Deep in thought, Chae Nayun turned her gaze to her friend list . Currently online were Kim Suho, Shin Jonghak, Yun Seung-Ah, Yi Jiyoon, and… Yoo Yeonha?

[Yoo Yeonha — Playing at ‘Capsule de Mars’, Paris]

“What the . Yoo Yeonha is here?”

—Yoo Yeonha? The Yoo Yeonha?

Yun Seung-Ah’s hologram widened her eyes .

“Yeah . It says right here that she’s playing at Capsule de Mars . She must be here in Paris . Unni, can we include Yeonha and play GTA 3 on 3?”

—Sure, anything but Gladiator of the Century .

Kim Suho and others nodded in agreement .

“Okay, then . ”

Chae Nayun invited Yoo Yeonha to her party .

Though Yoo Yeonha was a bit hesitant, she accepted the invitation . Immediately five holograms, not including Chae Nayun, appeared in the common area .

“Hey, Yeonha . ”

—Hey . So you were here, after all, Nayun .

Yoo Yeonha looked at Chae Nayun with her arms crossed .

“Of course I am . But why are you here?”

—I came to Paris as a member of the Association… and I have some documents to go over regarding the capsules .

Yoo Yeonha smiled bitterly and showed Chae Nayun the stack of documents . Chae Nayun felt sick at the mere sight of it .

“Damn . Put that thing down and let’s play a game . ”

—Sorry, I’m busy .

“Hey, this is your chance to rest . There’s more to life than just work! You don’t have to take care of that right this moment . ”

Yun Seung-Ah, Kim Suho, and Shin Jonghak added to Chae Nayun .

—Why don’t you rest a bit, Chief Officer? I’m a guild-leader and even I’m slacking off . You’re making me feel guilty .

—Exactly . Take a break .

—They’re right, Yeonha . Play just one game .

—…What did you say?

Yoo Yeonha glared at Shin Jonghak disapprovingly, but soon heaved a sigh and nodded .

—Fine . I’ll play just one game . I need to talk to Jonghak anyways .

“Yay! Okay, wait a sec . ”

As soon as her friend gave in, Chae Nayun pulled up their next game, ‘Grand Theft Auto XS’ .

“Let’s go . ”

[Asking party members to join… . ]

[All members have entered . ]

[Accessing ‘Grand Theft Auto XS’ . ]

The game was about to start, when suddenly—

Chwaaaa… .

A giant ray of light swallowed them whole .

Surprised by the radiance, Chae Nayun closed her eyes . And when she opened them again… .

“…?”

Chae Nayun, Yun Seung-Ah, Yoo Yeonha, Yi Jiyoon, Kim Suho, Shin Jonghak .

The six players were standing above an unfamiliar ground .

“Wow… Nayun, what’s the name of this game? It feels so real . Ah, my eyes still hurt,” Yi Jiyoon remarked .

Kim Suho and Yoo Yeonha also turned to Chae Nayun and waited for her answer .

“…”

But Chae Nayun couldn’t say anything .

Having played [Grand Theft Auto XS] for an astounding 200 hours, Chae Nayun was currently very confused .

“…Where are we?”

This was definitely not what [Grand Theft Auto XS] looked like .

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