Chapter 237
Seonghyun looked over.
Yoo Mina, seeing Seonghyun like that, asked,
"Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Suddenly, Seonghyun’s eyes changed.
Seeing this, his older sister Yoo Mina looked at him curiously.
He's not usually like this.
What’s going on?
With that exact expression, Yoo Mina looked at Seonghyun again.
Seonghyun then asked his sister,
"You said you're ranked 9th among single rankers, right?"
"Almost 8th. Hehehe."
Yoo Mina beamed proudly as her younger brother asked about her rank.
Though she had been treated like a simpleton until now, Yoo Mina was definitely a single ranker.
Among 2 billion users worldwide, being a single-digit ranker is not easy.
Seonghyun suddenly realized how impressive his sister was.
At the same time,
A stage where such single rankers could fight was being created?
Of course, an overwhelming number of viewers would be drawn.
Moreover,
“This is going to be huge.”
Seonghyun was quite interested.
How strong would the single rankers of Eternal World be?
Just like Yoo Mina.
They generally don’t broadcast much, right?
Would they perhaps appear in this event?
That expectation grew inside him.
While Seonghyun was thinking this, Yoo Mina tilted her head, wondering why he hadn’t answered after asking.
What’s wrong?
"Why are you like that?"
Unable to hold back, Yoo Mina asked again.
Seonghyun quickly regained composure and replied,
"Oh, it seems a new event is going to be held."
"An event? For level 200 range?"
"No, for all level ranges."
"??????"
What kind of event was that?
Yoo Mina tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand.
Seonghyun told her about Apophis.
"This time, Over Palace said they will awaken the legendary being called Apophis and turn it into a festival for the users."
"...What...?"
Blinking in disbelief, Yoo Mina asked again.
Seonghyun continued,
"They said it’s going to be something users of all level ranges can enjoy."
"Is that for real?"
"Yeah, I heard it firsthand."
"Wow... I already knew Over Palace was amazing, but this is incredible."
Yoo Mina’s expression grew intensely serious as she purely admired the event.
In the midst of this, she seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, calculating carefully.
Seonghyun nodded as if agreeing that her reaction was justified.
Such large-scale events had only happened once before, during the first anniversary event.
So it was no wonder they were surprised.
It was said that during the first anniversary event, the rankers didn’t really benefit, so they didn’t participate much.
But this time was different.
World Boss Apophis.
Players of all levels would have different roles in conquering Apophis.
Though Seonghyun wasn’t sure how Karina knew so much, he trusted what she told him.
It was said to be the process of sealing the legendary Apophis.
So that was likely the raid method.
He also recalled,
“Everyone was told to prepare for PvP.”
The fact that everyone was attacking the same Apophis implied competition as well.
There could be battles breaking out among players.
After Seonghyun explained this to Yoo Mina, she nervously scratched her lip and said,
“Ah, this is tricky... There’s a lot to gain, but also risks.”
“Really?”
That was quite surprising.
He thought an event like this involving Apophis would only have benefits, but there were downsides too.
Maybe that’s what made single rankers different.
Yoo Mina explained as if to confirm his thought.
“Yeah, single rankers compete against time, so they need to hunt more monsters. If this kind of event doesn’t give experience, it’s a huge loss. It’s different if they hand out almighty-rank skills, though.”
“Hmm.”
Seonghyun hadn’t heard that far yet, so he couldn’t respond.
Thinking that through, single rankers might not really gain much in this event.
But,
“If a world boss actually appears, I think it’s worth participating.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, boss raids can’t lack experience rewards. Especially if it’s a world boss which hasn’t existed before. That said, first, second, and third place definitely won’t join.”
Seonghyun tilted his head at that remark.
Why wouldn’t those people join?
He thought that if there were experience rewards, it would be better to join together.
Yoo Mina explained quickly.
“They’re all in the same guild and stick together. Rather than joining the world boss raid, they’d rather hunt by themselves. They probably won’t participate. The fourth place is struggling to catch them, so who knows, but I think fifth place through to me will almost definitely join if experience is given.”
“Oh, then...”
“Yeah, I bet they’ll try to dominate early on by killing each other.”
Just as Seonghyun expected, it seemed the event would unfold that way.
Yoo Mina smiled slightly looking at Seonghyun.
"I'll show you that I'll win."
His sister spoke confidently.
She always said things like that and hadn't she always brought home victories from sword competitions?
Seeing her like that, Seonghyun replied,
"I'll look forward to it."
Not to be outdone by her,
He too thought he should work hard.
3.
Right after the Hero Council ended.
The Sword Saint's expression showed no signs of softening as he boarded the magic airship returning to his kingdom, the Rieskan Kingdom.
When had he ever been so thoroughly humiliated?
It was so long ago he couldn't even remember.
To think he would suffer this from a fellow hero.
Though he was grinding his teeth,
There was nothing he could do about it.
He heard that two heroes had pledged loyalty to Black Star.
Spirit Saint and Mana Saint.
If Black Star needed to be dealt with, it would require five heroes to match Black Star alone, and two more would be needed to face the remaining two.
In other words, everyone except Black Star's faction would need to rise up together.
But how could that be possible?
"It's impossible."
Black Star's true power didn't come from himself alone.
It was essentially derived from the mighty Over Palace.
Ever since the battle between Hero Hindel and the Overlord weakened everyone's power except Over Palace, this situation had continued.
Though he had struggled desperately to break free from this situation,
The gap only widened further.
The Sword Saint felt this deeply during this Hero Council.
Until now, he had believed that Over Palace could be dealt with if only Black Star was handled.
This time too, the hero was in their grasp.
He thought it might be possible.
But at this rate, other methods might be necessary.
The moment the Sword Saint thought this,
Vrrrrr.
A faint vibration sounded from the necklace the Sword Saint wore.
Feeling it, the Sword Saint grimaced even more and muttered,
"...What is it now."
At those words, a faint vibration came from his sword,
And a voice was heard.
[I trust you have realized enough from this incident.]
"......"
Words that cut to the bone.
It was exactly right.
The Sword Saint had no choice but to acknowledge it.
"Yes, you're right."
[Are you now ready to listen to what I have to say?]
At those words, the Sword Saint thought for a moment,
Then nodded his head.
"Good. I accept your proposal."
[It's late, but wise of you. Very well. Since we have not taken in the otherworlders on our side, we'll command this operation.]
"…So this was the reason?"
The one on the other side, hearing the Sword Saint’s cryptic words, chuckled softly.
[It's only natural to prepare for everything. And didn't I repeatedly say that to bring down Black Star, you ultimately have to deal with their successor?]
"You believe you can catch him within that ironclad security?"
[Yes, Apophis is the perfect opportunity to extract him from that fortress. That's why I thought you were out of your mind when you opposed it.]
"……."
The Sword Saint could not say anything but had to concede.
This person with whom he now spoke was dangerous.
Dangerous enough to swallow him whole if he erred.
Yet, he could acknowledge the resentment and grudges held against Black Star.
If they were facing the same enemy,
He was willing to collaborate.
"…Leave it to me."
[Good. Prepare Hero Hindel’s belongings. So that my otherworlder disciple can defeat him.]
"I will prepare them."
The Sword Saint nodded in response, and the other side murmured approvingly.
[Then I will take care of the successor you mentioned inside Apophis. Afterwards, you know what to do, right?]
"Yes, I trust you."
The conversation ended like that, and the communication was cut off shortly after.
Recalling the words, the Sword Saint clenched his teeth.
To hand over the belongings that Hindel once used…
It pained him deeply, but he had no choice.
After all, his side had initiated the negotiation.
He never thought it would end in failure.
Given who the other side was.
However, just to be safe,
He turned to his subordinate and asked,
"What about the hero?"
"He is kept in the royal capital."
"…I will go find him."
He had to brainwash the remaining hero somehow.
Just in case.
This time too, the hero would become their puppet.
The Sword Saint had no doubt about this.
4.
After finishing dinner,
Seonghyun usually spent time researching data about Eternal World.
Playing the game late into the night wasn’t good for his patterns.
But tonight was different.
For the first time in a while, preparing to go out in the evening, he stepped into the entrance.
As if on cue, his sister, Yoo Mina, dressed simply, was standing there.
“If you’re later than me, who’s going to scold you?”
“...You just ate so fast, nuna.”
“Heeheehee, anyway, let’s go.”
As the two said that and were about to leave,
Mother Lee Nagyeong called out from a distance,
“Be careful out there~”
“Okay, okay.”
“We’ll be back soon.”
They were no longer children,
So that was all the seeing-off words they exchanged.
The two responded lightly and went outside.
Why were they going out like this?
To meet Ahn Yoojin.
They had vaguely mentioned it was urgent,
And Ahn Yoojin said she could talk a bit tonight,
So they agreed.
Though both wondered if it was really necessary,
They thought it wouldn’t hurt to agree,
And ended up deciding to meet at a local cafe.
Since it was near home, it didn’t take long to get there.
When they arrived at the agreed cafe,
“Oh? There she is!”
Yoo Mina was the first to recognize her.
Seonghyun also looked around.
Although it had been a while, Ahn Yoojin’s impression was just as he remembered—alone, sipping coffee.
As they approached,
Ahn Yoojin smiled brightly at Seonghyun and said,
“Oh! Our lucky charm!”
“W-What?! Y-Yujin nuna?!”
“To know the info in advance like this! You’re on a different level from your sister!”
“What did I do?!”
Yoo Mina and Seonghyun shouted back at Ahn Yoojin, but she praised them and gently ruffled their heads.
Of course, being short, she could only just tap their heads by standing on her tiptoes.
Seeing that, Seonghyun looked a little bewildered.
Ahn Yoojin then looked at them and said,
“It’s finally time for the backup team to shine!!!”
Upon hearing that, Seonghyun and Yoo Mina listened blankly and then glanced at each other.