Chapter 128 – LV.Six Rogue Kim Jihyeok – [Three]

“Don’t be like that, Unni. You’re making the people here uncomfortable.”

At Seo Rayeon’s words, Seo Yun frowned.

“The people here?”

“My people here. They all seem very troubled because they don’t know how to treat you right now?”

Seo Yun glanced around and indeed, the people from the neighboring village inside the tent were fidgeting uneasily.

They wore expressions of distress, unsure whether they should silence the girl who was daring to act rudely to their ‘Angel’, yet also unable to tell if that was acceptable since she clearly resembled their Angel and seemed to be a blood relative.

“Um, that person is…?”

To a man’s question, Seo Rayeon answered.

“My older sister.”

“Ah, I see…”

“You could also say she’s my mother, in the sense that she gave birth to me. So, consider this Unni’s words as my own.”

As Seo Yun, who had suddenly gained a younger sister/daughter, was taken aback, Seo Rayeon grinned.

“And you, Unni, if you have anything you want them to do, you can order them to do anything. What’s mine is yours, Unni. It’s fine to think of everyone here as your slaves.”

“Slaves? What kind of crazy talk is that.”

“Slaves, of course. I give them fire and food, don’t I? The people who came here to hunt are my battle slaves, the people who stayed in the village are my pet slaves…”

If she had followed that with a giggle, it might have been taken as a joke, but Kim Rayeon did not. Seo Rayeon, spouting insane words, merely wore a thin smile.

Seo Yun stared, thinking what kind of crazy bitch is this, and then suddenly asked.

“So why did you bring Kim Jihyeok? Did you seduce him?”

Then, Seo Rayeon made an aggrieved expression.

“No. Absolutely not. Why would I seduce him?”

“Then?”

Before Seo Rayeon answered, she sent everyone in the tent out. Only after four people remained in this place did Seo Rayeon explain.

“That idiot Kim Jihyeok came to me. How it happened was…”

According to Seo Rayeon, Kim Jihyeok had come to find her one day without warning. He had pestered her like this as she was smoothly taking control of the neighboring village.

“Rayeon-ah, can’t you not stay here and live in Happy Village instead?”

“What are you talking about.”

“Mister Kim Ak’s grave is in Happy Village, right? If you want to pray in front of it every day, you should be in Happy Village, shouldn’t you?”

“Hmm, why should I pray at that Mister’s grave every day?”

“You originally lived in Happy Village—”

“You’re talking about when I was Kim Rayeon, I see. But my core memories are different from back then, you know? The one who felt guilty and responsible for that Mister’s death was Kim Rayeon. Not Seo Rayeon.”

As Seo Rayeon said this and waved her hand dismissively, Kim Jihyeok did not back down easily.

“Then… I’ll stay here too.”

“Why would you?”

“The Commander here, Kim Jongil, was killed by our Chief, right? So they probably hold a grudge against Happy Village, and the Players here might try to harm you since you’re from Happy Village… I’ll protect you from behind. If there’s a Rogue with Invisibility who can monitor everyone, they’ll all be scared. I saw it in Pimase.”

“He must have liked you when you were Kim Rayeon. Well, you two probably went to pray at Mister Kim Ak’s grave together and all that, right?”

At Seo Yun’s words, Seo Rayeon shook her head.

“Probably not me from back then, but he liked you, Unni.”

Seo Yun frowned.

“Me?”

“Yeah. Based on my memories of you, Unni, he liked you. But he probably didn’t have the guts to confess, and since he only did things that would make you dislike him, he probably thought confessing was hopeless anyway, so he settled for me instead of you.

It’s pathetic for me to say this, but I’m a knock-off of you, Unni, right? So he probably latched onto me thinking I’m easier than the real thing. I tried to send him back, but he wouldn’t leave, so I just left him be and it ended up like this… If you want, Unni, I’ll send him right back to Happy Village.”

Seo Yun didn’t know how to react to that. Should she show displeasure at the speculation that the guy she cared for like a son had feelings for her? Or…

Anyway, this topic was unwelcome, so she changed the subject.

“But you said you don’t feel responsible for Mister Kim Ak’s death anymore?”

“Right. That was Kim Rayeon’s business, not Seo Rayeon’s.”

Seo Yun thought for a moment and then asked.

“Then, you don’t want to become a Goddess anymore either?”

Seo Rayeon raised one eyebrow.

“Don’t want to become a Goddess? Why are you asking that now?”

“When you were Kim Rayeon, you asked if you could send Mister Kim Ak to Heaven if you became an Angel, remember?”

Seo Rayeon’s eyes widened.

“Kim Rayeon said that?”

“She did.”

“Did she… Now that I hear it, that does sound familiar.”

“So I answered that if you became a Goddess, not an Angel, you could probably send him. After that, Mister Kim Ak’s death seemed to become your motivation to become a Goddess, right? I was wondering if your thoughts have changed now.”

To Seo Yun’s question, Seo Rayeon answered with a peculiar expression.

“Well, of course my thoughts have changed? Let me say again, it has nothing to do with me. So, to answer your first question… I don’t particularly want to become a Goddess.”

“What about the promise you made with the Troll to become a Goddess?”

“That was also a promise Kim Rayeon made, not one I made. So it should be ignored. Is there any reason to go through all sorts of hardships to become a Goddess? If you have the Level to Ascend to godhood, you can live happily being treated like a Goddess in the Mortal Realm, so why bother…”

As Seo Rayeon listed all sorts of reasons not to become a Goddess, Seo Yun thought.

She really has no desire to become a Goddess?

Seo Yun looked at Seo Rayeon’s appearance, so distinctly changed from her own. Having grown to the point of being unrecognizable, with prominent feminine features, she was closer to the image of a Goddess than anyone else.

It wasn’t simply because she was beautiful or exuded a noble aura.

‘Right now, Seo Rayeon resembles the appearance of the Goddess of Beauty I saw in the Dungeon that day…’

As Seo Yun observed intently, Seo Rayeon smiled again.

“Do you have something to say?”

And Seo Yun mentioned something that had just occurred to her.

“After the hunt, can you hide Siwoo and Eulbi in your village for a little while?”

There was no need to explain about needing to send them somewhere separately for a month or two to avoid the Troll’s notice.

Seo Rayeon’s apparent fondness for her seemed genuine, after all. Seo Rayeon didn’t ask for any reason at all and replied with a gentle smile.”Of course. Why would you ask? You can think of it as Unni’s village too.”

The hunting expedition from Happy Village ended more quickly than expected.

After the hunt continued for several days and the monsters in the surrounding area were roughly cleared out, Oh Haengbok immediately decided to return.

“Everyone must have earned a lot of Experience Points! Jae-yun, you even leveled up? Great! Don’t forget, this is all thanks to Seo Yun and those kids who rushed over as soon as they saw the situation and informed us… Everyone worked hard. Let’s head back now!”

The Players from the neighboring village stayed behind, wanting to hunt more. Two of Seo Yun’s teammates were left with them.

“Seo Yun, see you later!”

And Seo Yun herself accompanied the Happy Village Players. The Sacred Flame and Hearth Sanctuary Spells had likely all dissipated while she was unconscious, so she needed to recreate them.

After returning to Happy Village with everyone, Oh Haengbok did not rest.

He gathered the key figures of Happy Village and held a meeting.

“As you know, we ended the expedition earlier than before and returned? There’s a reason for that. A few days ago, Seo Yun gave me some information… Seo Yun? You explain it.”

Then Seo Yun stood up and began to speak.

“It’s something I saw or heard in Gangwon-do.”

When she explained what had happened with the Dawn Corps—namely, the high-ranking officers of the Dawn Corps becoming Vampires and most of the Dawn Corps soldiers coming under the command of the Centaurs—the faces of everyone present grew serious.

Oh Haengbok also muttered with a stern expression.

“You can tell just by looking that the situation isn’t good, right? Something troublesome is about to happen. Maybe those Centaur bastards will invade again…”

The Centaurs, who had occupied not only China but also the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. Several years ago, they invaded on a large scale and carried out indiscriminate slaughter, further reducing the already greatly diminished population of the Korean Peninsula. The existence of those Half-Human Half-Beasts remained a nightmare among the people of Happy Village.

At the end of the meeting, it was decided to immediately increase the number of security personnel, even if just for now.

That afternoon, Seo Yun was also participating in the night watch for the first time in a while, trying to earn a few more Contribution Points.

The necklace Seo Yun had with the Soul Detection Spell cast on it vibrated faintly.

However, looking around, she couldn’t see anything. Seo Yun immediately activated Soul Sight and was startled.

An eyeball with bat wings was floating in the air.

A Mage’s Familiar. That thing she saw when she was taken by the Dawn Corps.

It was currently under an Invisibility Spell.

Seo Yun immediately shot and destroyed it with the Crossbow she was holding, then ran to Oh Haengbok.

“It seems the Centaurs have scouted us?”

“Yes, perhaps.”

As soon as he heard the report, Oh Haengbok’s eyes widened and he immediately took action.

‘Woooooooooooooooo…’ He blew the Horn Trumpet long to gather the village Players, then gave instructions in a loud voice.

“Wake up all the villagers and send them to the underground parking lot!”

Even though he had roughly heard the situation explanation, one Player objected.

“Aren’t you overreacting? Waking up all the sleeping people…”

Thus, it seemed the characteristic impulsive rage of an Orc Vampire had not completely disappeared.

“Shut up and do it—!”

Everyone nearby flinched at the infrasound that erupted from his mouth with protruding fangs. Oh Haengbok snorted heavily and said.

“If there’s any blame, I’ll take it. Don’t you know it’s normal to sound an air raid siren even if just one reconnaissance drone passes by? If you don’t want to see anyone get picked off, do as you’re told!”

In the end, everyone did as they were told. And Seo Yun, instead of going around waking people up, began applying Buffs as a Priest.

Minor Buffs like the Armor Spell, and even the Non-Magical Weapon Immunity Spell, were cast on various people. There was a limit to the Spell Usage Count, so she couldn’t cast it on many people, but it would still help save a few lives for now.

“Huh?”

And then a Cannon Roar sounded, and an Artillery Shell slammed into a tent just as Seo Yun had finished casting all her Spells.

Artillery Shells fell one after another.

She stared blankly with dazed eyes at the thunderous roars echoing from beyond, the flames shooting up in the middle of the village, and the fragments sweeping in all directions.

The Cannon Roar did not cease. So, amidst the noise where someone’s voice could barely be heard, Oh Haengun shouted as if screaming.

“Players who don’t have Non-Magical Weapon Immunity cast on them and think their own Level is low, get into the underground parking lot! Everyone else, get down just in case!”

The bombardment stopped dozens of minutes later.

Seo Yun cautiously climbed the Fortress Wall and looked into the distance. Then her eyes widened wide.

Around Happy Village, outside the Fortress Wall, small suns for Farming were floating. Brilliant light sources that made the area around the wall visible even in the pitch-dark night.

What that sunlight illuminated were hundreds of Skeletons holding rifles, soldiers lined up with them, and Centaurs watching over those soldiers from the very back like poison inspectors.

One of the Centaurs stepped forward.

As if using Magic, he shouted in a voice that could be heard by all. A soldier holding a megaphone translated his words and announced them to this side.

“Can you hear? Orc Warrior! We remember the defeat from last time! We have come to repay the humiliation of that time, so do not hide and come out to face us in battle!”