Storm Warrior - Chapter 323



Only Noblemtl

#323, A Confession That Cannot Be Excused

“Kang Seon-ho!”

“Seonho…!”

The fact that Gayoung’s special ability had blossomed to the level of a ‘fixed portal’ that connects two points was no less surprising than the return of a friend who was thought to be dead.

Choi Beom-gyun ran and hugged Kang Seon-ho, and Park Tae-kwang followed him.

Kwon Ha-seon looked back at me, surprised and happy.

Perhaps it was the eyes that said fortunately.

Seo Beom-jin and the others seemed unaware of the circumstances between me and Kang Seon-ho, but they looked very surprised at the sight of their old friend who had lost his left arm.

I was surprised too.

Even though I already knew from Yushin that the guy was alive, I never imagined that I would see him here.

Kang Seon-ho made eye contact with me and gave a faint smile to the friends surrounding him.

“… … .”

There was no emotion in the guy’s eyes.

There was no hatred, no regret, no discomfort.

The guys who were on the same floor as me at the tower that day noticed Kang Seon-ho and I looking at each other, and they looked back at us with nervous faces.

At that time, Gayoung stood next to Kang Seonho and said.

“I… I don’t know why, but Seonho hyung doesn’t remember Seongjun hyung. Not even what happened at the top. But I brought him here because I thought I had to let him know that he’s safe.”

‘… In that chaos, Ekion was the one who was most likely to take care of the favor.’

At the end of her sentence, Gayoung looked at me and conveyed telepathy.

– I was able to reduce the gap by having my preferred brother meet his mother and younger sibling, but my memories are still incomplete.

Kang Seon-ho, who hated his father as the enemy of his family, did not remember me, and Kang Seon-ho, who supported his family after they became healthy, did not hate his father.

So now, the story is that he is the former Kang Seon-ho, but the story is that his memories did not change even after confirming his family’s safety, whether it was because his revenge was over or because of the aftereffects of his injuries.

Anyway, I had nothing to say since he still didn’t know me.

I never resented Kang Seon-ho in the first place.

“… Even if you don’t remember, you probably heard the story. I’m glad you’re safe… I’m sorry.”

“Right now, I just don’t know what’s going on… I’m sorry. If I were crazy… I wouldn’t have anything to say even if my limbs were cut off.”

Confusion flashed across Kang Seon-ho’s eyes, which had previously shown no emotion.

I apologized for pushing the guy to the brink of death,

Kang Seon-ho’s apology was to the son of his enemy.

The tension among the colleagues nearby eased as the conversation went on.

But no one opened their mouth.

A warm yet heavy, heavy yet slightly awkward atmosphere.

Because it was an apology for the murder and killing that had already been carried out.

During that time, Gayoung continued speaking through telepathy.

-Oh… Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t know about the things related to Seonho. It happened after I met him and before I met Ekion.

Anyway, the fact that Gayoung brought Kang Seonho meant that he met Ekion who came out of the tower.

『So…, did you persuade Echion?』

-Um… No?

“I guess you didn’t really have the will to persuade me. Okay. I’ll take care of the Ekion thing.”

-No, no. At least Echion has already taken his revenge, right? What he needs now is not persuasion, but… Brother’s forgiveness, right?

ah….

That’s true.

At least the spirit of Echion I met in this life has achieved his revenge.

But now my hatred was solely directed at Marduk, and I had no anger left to share with the likes of Echion, let alone forgive him.

Isn’t Kang Seon-ho’s revenge ultimately a product of Ekion’s resentment?

It may be a leap, but it is possible that Kang Seon-ho’s life, which was unfortunate to begin with, was due to Echion’s intervention.

Again, Echion’s grudge began with the tragedy of the Balaur clan brought about by Marduk.

When there was no further response from me, Gayoung smiled and said to her classmates.

“But no one pays attention to me. It’s been a while, Hasun noona.”

“Who are you? The Yeong-i I know didn’t tremble like you.”

“This is what happens when you live abroad alone.”

“So you’re saying that you studied so hard that you never contacted me?”

Kwon Ha-seon put Ga-young in a headlock and scratched her head with his fist.

“Ahh!”

It is a fact that no one knows that Gayoung is the owner of Kai Auction.

There could not have been no investigation into the son of the current president, but the identity of the guy known to the public was simply that of an international student attending college in the United States.

‘… Now that I think about it, I guess you knew Cha Yu-ra.’

Because JSO was an early investor in Project Lab, which became the predecessor of Kai Auction.

It seemed that Mrs. Cha did not leak or publicize it.

“pass!”

As Choi Beom-gyun made a motion to receive a basketball, Kwon Ha-seon pushed Ga-young towards him.

Choi Beom-gyun also expressed his joy by holding Ga-young’s head.

“Hey, you seem a bit tall. Wasn’t you supposed to be around my shoulders?”

“Hey, that’s not it. Beomgyun hyung isn’t that tall either. If he was as tall as his shoulders, he wouldn’t have been able to get in… Ugh!”

“You’re talking back to me because I ate a hamburger?”

Gayoung mingled with her peers and had a playful reunion.

A moment that brings back old memories and makes you smile… .

But I couldn’t laugh comfortably.

Because the Gayoung of today is not the Gayoung of the past.

The great soul that has inherited memories of eons – rejoicing in a fleeting, insignificant reunion must be an act.

Even if Cha Yu-ra, who didn’t know the circumstances, contacted me because she thought she could be of help, I can’t say that her intentions for appearing here today were pure.

It’s something I can’t believe.

“… … .”

Their giggling reunion soon ended with awkward laughter and nodding to check the mood of those around them.

This is because ‘adults’ like Cha Jeong-seok, Ma Dong-wook, Park Dae-geun, and Heo Jeong-kwon were also present, and Seo Beom-jin and his group, who had come here for reasons they couldn’t laugh together with, continued to give off a heavy vibe.

Even the adults and the guys who couldn’t laugh were waiting only for me.

I immediately shouted in the direction of the academy.

“Everyone is waiting, so come quickly. Let’s start talking.”

Although I didn’t call, the person I was waiting for had arrived.

Kwon Ha-seon, Park Dae-geun, and Seo Beom-jin all turned to look at the main gate before I could urge them.

But the last guest who had already hit the ground fell from above.

widely!

Ham Sung-ah landed next to me with her characteristically slouched appearance, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her flight jacket.

“Tch! There aren’t any guys I like. Some guys are bringing in scoundrels to the sacred academy, and some guys who used to be professors are ordering their working teachers around.”

Ham Seong-ah first glared at Seo Beom-jin, then turned her head to me.

“I didn’t ask you to come out.”

Of course, Ham Seong-ah was the one who made the decision to make this place the meeting place.

These members are gathered in front of the academy. How can I ignore them and ignore them?

“Shouldn’t we make sure that the news doesn’t spread that old school friends got into a fight in front of their alma mater after a long time?”

Clearly, there was a reason behind her joke.

Originally, I didn’t know that Park Dae-geun or Ma Dong-wook would be there, so I needed a mediator just in case.

It wouldn’t help if Kwon Ha-seon came forward, and it would be poisonous to restrain the excited guy with my own hands.

When I finally decided that everyone had gathered, I immediately channeled my magical power to block off a certain area from the surroundings.

“…!”

“… … .”

Some flinched at the sight of the barrier that precisely filtered out and pushed away Seo Beom-jin’s subordinates who were mixed in this direction and that direction, and obscured not only sound but also sight.

The perimeter of the portrait guards, including Kim Hae-na, was just visible, and it was virtually impossible for the people there to eavesdrop on the conversation at a distance that they couldn’t detect, but it was also a performance to let them know that what I was about to say contained a secret that absolutely could not be leaked out.

For example, the death of a father.

Some people have already told me the truth, while others are still hesitant.

But my father would continue to be known to be alive and well, so the ‘admission’ that came out of my mouth was a secret that had to be kept.

That’s why I limited the scope of telling the truth without any exaggeration.

The problem is that Cha Yu-ra called in people who weren’t on the schedule.

But if you look around, there doesn’t seem to be anyone you can’t open up to.

No, just one person… It was Lee Na-eun, but regardless of right or wrong, she was also a victim who lost her grandfather, so she would have nothing to say even if she stood next to Seo Beom-jin.

“Lost Korea 2033… . It was in a game with that name that I first got to know you guys.”

I expected that there would be some empty laughter or sighs as I spoke.

Fortunately, the guys who should be angry at such nonsense already know this fact.

“It was another Earth before the Age of the Portrait, and it was my previous life.”

When I started talking, I kept my gaze on Inaeun.

But even she didn’t show any cynicism.

He glances at Cha Yu-ra and nods his head slightly.

It means that I heard some information about it beforehand.

A story I haven’t told Cha Yu-ra yet.

There was no way Seo Beom-jin, who didn’t know that all of these people would come, would have said anything.

I naturally looked at Gu Chang-soo.

The guy nodded, but confidently met my gaze.

Sigh.

‘I guess he must have figured out the intention of the place today and did it.’

The player community probably would have revealed it too, because it was a story no one could believe.

Whether they accepted it as a community of crazy people who couldn’t tell the difference between games and reality, or felt like the world was secretly filming them, each person must have been struggling in their own way for nearly two weeks.

Find my story,

Search for father as a keyword,

You may have even included your name.

And finally. It may be hard to believe, but I may have come to the conclusion that this is a story that cannot be laughed off.

No matter where their thoughts are, it’s much easier for me to continue the conversation.

The day I became aware of Kim Seong-jun’s life.

That is, I explained everything I have learned from the moment I felt possessed by Han Seong-jun to today in the easiest way possible.

I talked about the incident that started it all, and the many lives and human wear and tear my father had endured, and then I went back to myself and told them about the two-year jump and the cataclysmic change that opened up all the chapters.

“… many things have already changed, but what has not changed is that in two years, everything will be gone.”

He didn’t end the conversation by saying that we should join forces or that he should help me.

Even though I told the truth today, I don’t know when the moment will come when the other person will truly believe it.

After a moment of silence, Park Dae-geun glanced at Cha Jeong-seok and Ma Dong-wook and then opened his mouth.

“… No matter how hard I try to understand it, it’s just too cartoonish. So we’re actually virtual humans living in a game, and we have to get rid of the transcendent being called Marduk in order to avoid being deleted? Am I understanding it correctly?”

“No. Of course it’s real. It’s not a virtual thing, it’s a real person. The game is just… I don’t know for sure, but it must have been arranged by someone. The purpose is to convey what happened.”

Cha Jeong-seok nodded and listened to what I said.

“If something happened… if it happened repeatedly, it would be right to assume that someone experienced something and made it into a game. In that case, we should be interested in the being that distributed it in another world.”

“Oh… I guess you could think of it that way.”

Not only Cha Jeong-seok and Park Dae-geun, but also others were talking about what they understood with the people next to them.

There may have been a lot of questions piling up during the long conversation, but they are not ready to ask them right away.

Above all, because I, the one being asked the question, was facing Seo Beom-jin.

In fact, most of the people present knew that there was someone else who could finish this story.

Even in the midst of all the commotion, everyone’s eyes were on me and Seo Beom-jin.

“I’ve heard the story of your rich family… Hansang… No, I don’t really understand why your father would treat humans worse than insects. He doesn’t care either. There was only one thing we had to hear. Well, we already have the answer, but let’s check again.”

I know that’s no excuse.

No matter what kind of time my father had, it could not be a reason to hurt others.

Even if they were people who would die tomorrow, others had no right to take away their today.

“… … .”

I admit it time and time again, you are a villain.

That villain is just a father to me.

“Even before you entered Cheongsong, even on the day we came to you at EES and asked for your help, you knew. What the f*ck are you going to do! Even at the moment you were yelling at us, you knew that my father, Jaehyun’s father! Kwon Ha-sun’s father! President Hong! was going to die by your father’s hand.”

Seo Beom-jin, who had finished speaking as if cursing, asked calmly.

“…that’s right?”

“…okay.”

Peeing!

As soon as I answered, Seo Beom-jin drew his sword.

‘… So this is what happens in the end.’

That was the important thing.

This is the result of my betrayal. My father’s grudge is over.

The guys were angry not because I didn’t tell them, warn them, stop them, or actively help them, but because I was the one who did nothing.

I deceived them from the beginning,

That means the guys thought of me as a friend during that time.

“!”

“Huh!”

Phew!

When the surprised audience just opened their eyes wide.

Kwon Ha-seon raised his spirits as he had warned,

“Tch!”

Ham Seong-ah clicked her tongue and kicked the ground.

It would have been best for someone to stop him, but the moment he realized Seo Beom-jin’s feelings, he didn’t want to let anyone interfere.

I tried to close the barrier that had been blocking the space to separate Seo Beom-jin and me.

“Why did you leave out the most important thing?”

At that moment, Gayoung’s voice came from behind me.

“I can save them all. I’m trying to save them all! Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“…!”

No, some words were transmitted telepathically, and some sounds were heard audibly.

For a moment, goosebumps ran through my head and thunder rumbled in my head.

I never thought I could save them all.

Therefore, Gayoung did not represent me.

The problem was the attitude of the guy who said that as if it were possible.

Gurrrrrr!

Suddenly, a blast of air from the sky was detected, accompanied by a loud noise.

Seo Beom-jin, who had already flinched at Ga-young’s words, hurriedly stepped back, and a black crack-like thing appeared where he had been standing.

And then a dark blue figure appeared between me and Seo Beom-jin.