Chapter 152 – LV.Thirteen Priest Seo Yun – [Four]

Both Gaeulbi and Han Siwoo seemed busy mingling with their old friends. Seo Yun left them to chat with their friends for a while.

Only after several dozen minutes, when mealtime arrived, did the two finally break free from their old friends. Seo Yun approached and asked.

“How does it feel to see your old friends after so long?”

To that, Gaeulbi gave an unexpected answer.

“Just so-so.”

“Just so-so?”

Seo Yun saw that Gaeulbi definitely didn’t have an excited expression. That chimpanzee muttered with a gloomy face, as she had been doing almost all the time lately.

“Should I say we can’t communicate anymore… or that our common ground has changed…?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I didn’t realize it when I was here, but this is such a comfortable village, right? When I asked the kids how they’d been while I was gone, they said they were so stressed and frustrated they could die. They whined about how, since the world ended, they can’t take the college entrance exam or go to university, and they don’t understand why the village elders force them to study at the Jigine family’s place… It felt almost unpleasant, like talking with privileged kids who don’t even realize how blessed they are. I even felt a bit of self-loathing, wondering if I was that carefree a few years ago too…

I wanted to snap at them several times that if they faced skeletons shooting guns or giant gorillas while holding a crossbow, they’d never complain about not wanting to study again, but you know I’m the sociable type, right? I didn’t want to ruin their mood for no reason, so I kept my mouth shut and thought I’d die of frustration.”

Well, Gaeulbi had also experienced all sorts of hardships since leaving this village. It was understandable that she received the complaint of “I don’t want to study” with the mindset of an African child soldier.

“But still, isn’t it at least a little nice to see familiar faces after so long?”

“Well… I guess I am a little glad. We were pretty close, after all…”

“Then do you want to stay here for a while? From what you said yesterday, it seemed like you wanted to take a break from hunting, Eulbi.”

Gaeulbi immediately rejected Seo Yun’s suggestion.

“No. It’s fine.”

“Why? Hanging out with old friends might make you feel a bit better.”

Seo Yun swallowed the words she thought to herself: then maybe the depression that had set in since that day would improve a little.

Gaeulbi muttered.

“I wonder? I don’t think so…”

“Why?”

When Seo Yun asked, Gaeulbi looked at both her and Han Siwoo’s faces simultaneously and answered.

“We were close in our own way, but still, they were just friends. Not family… Our relationship is much lighter compared to you two!”

At this moment, Seo Yun was conflicted. Should she feel touched that this girl considered her so special, or should she feel pity, thinking that after being abandoned by her only family and suffering shock, she’s now clinging to a pseudo-family relationship?

In Han Siwoo’s case, it seemed to be the former. Looking at Han Siwoo, who bowed his head deeply as if embarrassed, Seo Yun clicked her tongue inwardly. She turned her head toward him.

“What about you, Han Siwoo? Aren’t you glad to see your old friends?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure about glad, but I was surrounded by the kids and got asked a ton of questions.”

“What kind of questions?”

“Like, is Leveling Up easy, I heard you’re Level 12, isn’t that fucking amazing… stuff like that? They were amazed that I’m an active Player.”

Shortly after, the village teenagers swarmed over, having finished their meal. This time, they showed interest not only in Gaeulbi and Han Siwoo but also in Seo Yun.

“They say you’re Level 13? That you’re not just the highest-level Priest in your village but on the entire Korean Peninsula, is that true?”

Seo Yun coolly nodded as if it were no big deal.

“That’s right. Why?”

“They say that’s really amazing. Can you show us some Magic?”

In Seo Yun’s eyes, the boys and girls’ eyes shone with curiosity. Seo Yun looked at them, then gazed up at the sky and asked.

“It looks like it’s going to rain like this, are you guys farming?”

“No? Why…”

Instead of answering, Seo Yun slowly drew her Flaming Sword. The moment it left the scabbard, the blade burst into fierce flames. Amid everyone’s “Oh!” of admiration, Seo Yun softly chanted a Spell.

“—I shall change the heavens.”

And the moment Seo Yun swung the sword she held high, the boys and girls who had been looking up at the blade gasped. Following the trajectory of the sword swing, the dark clouds covering the sky split in two, revealing a sky that, though still ashen, was by today’s standards clear and sunny. It was the effect of the Minor Weather Manipulation Spell she had learned upon reaching Level 13.

Seo Yun lowered her head. She saw the wide-eyed boys and girls and, satisfied, muttered humbly.

“Did you see? The scene of the Greatest Sword Under Heaven cleaving even the sky…”

No sooner had she finished her line than the boys and girls began clapping like seals. Amid the boys’ excited exclamations of “That was fucking awesome!” and “What was that just now?”, Seo Yun calmly crossed her arms.

“She’s really getting worse…”

Han Siwoo looked at her as if exasperated, but Seo Yun paid no mind. She was only satisfied seeing Gaeulbi burst out with a “Kick!” of laughter and the continued enthusiastic reactions of the village teenagers.

Even after being told what Seo Yun had just done, the boys and girls still seemed genuinely impressed.

“Wow, you’re really a god. Changing the weather… With an ability like that, wouldn’t it be incredibly valuable even if the world returned to normal?”

“It’s a Spell that would put all the weather bureau employees out of work, of course it’d be valuable.”

“Even just that Sacred Flame Spell could spin turbines for infinite power…”

The boys and girls didn’t seem to be making a fuss just to please her; they appeared sincerely amazed. Seo Yun truly felt her mood improving at their almost pure reactions.

Why? Because she was receiving plenty of praise? That was part of it, but she hadn’t seen teenagers like these in a long time.

Seeing them was even moving, compared to the boys from the neighboring village whose demeanor was as fierce as North Korean Refugees, or the teenagers from Happy Village who talked about killing captured soldiers or whatnot. To think there were still kids like these left in this world.

‘That empathy-deficient chimpanzee, because she’s been suffering and wandering around, her mind and body are worn out, so she didn’t like how these kids here seemed so carefree, and it seems she was even boiling with anger… But for someone like me, who has abundant empathy and was originally an adult to begin with, the impression is different.’

Seo Yun continued thinking. Those immature, childish appearances couldn’t look more pleasing to her.That is precisely the original appearance and attitude that teenagers should have. Yes, kids are supposed to be that immature and foolish.

Some might criticize the Troll who has been looking after them, saying that with the world in this state, he raised the kids like hothouse flowers and then dropped the ball, but in Seo Yun’s view, he did a really good job.

“That’s right. Once the meteorite stops interfering and only ashes remain in that sky, the world might even become a better place to live than before. We even have all sorts of magic tricks now.”

At Seo Yun’s words, a girl asked.

“Do you really think it will be like that?”

“Of course.”

Seo Yun was happily continuing the conversation.

The school door suddenly swung open, and the Mage Troll’s avatar body came trudging in.

The boys and girls still seemed uncomfortable with his presence, falling silent, as the Troll spoke to Seo Yun.

“Just now, I sent homunculi through the dimensional gate. I relayed the invasion plan by Pygma Mule that you mentioned.”

“Good job. Did everyone understand the urgency of the situation?”

“There was no need, to tell them.”

Seo Yun raised one eyebrow.

“Why? Did they think it was a scam and not listen to the warning?”

“Not that. They already, all knew.”

“They already all knew? But there’s no Prophet Angel over there…”

“Because a skeleton legion, has already invaded their region.”

Seo Yun’s eyes widened.

“What did you say?”

Then the Troll explained.

“According to what I just checked, all sorts of undead have descended upon various regions. Gangwon-do, Seoul, Busan… Some undead crossed over the North Korean region, and some, since they don’t need to breathe, seem to have walked straight across the seabed to reach this land.”

Seo Yun asked with a stiff expression.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No. For now, I will, handle it.”

The Troll shook his head and gestured. Then, a group of robots poured out from the wide-open school gate.

No, not robots, but golems made of steel. Those iron machines moved on caterpillar tracks, looking like light tank robots. Probably mass-produced by the Epic Level Mage Troll’s main body before leaving this world to protect this village…

The steel golems, with cannons even mounted on their backs, rumbled and rolled away with a clattering sound. They stuffed their huge bodies into the dimensional gates installed here and there around this village.

“Are you planning to dispatch them as support troops to various places?”

“Yes. Likewise, I will help them in my own way, so you hurry back and, inform Happy Village of the situation.”

The village teenagers seemed dumbfounded, looking between her and the Troll, but there was no more time to mingle with them. Seo Yun immediately nodded, then loaded Han Siwoo and Gaeulbi into the car.

The truck sped off.

Seo Yun thought while driving.

Undead have already reached the Korean Peninsula? How? There’s still over a month left until the date the Prophet Angel mentioned…

‘Well, he said Happy Village would be invaded 67 days later, but he never said when the Korean Peninsula would be invaded.’

Anyway, that Prophet Angel seems to explain enough, but he really doesn’t say the truly important things. What a real fucking bastard.

As soon as Seo Yun arrived at Happy Village, she ran to Oh Haengun.

“Chief!”

She relayed the news heard from the Troll’s village, and Oh Haengun, with a serious expression, said this, of all things.

“Yes, I need to mention that at the upcoming village meeting too.”

From those brief words, Seo Yun felt a terrible unease. ‘That too’?

“It seems like an incredibly serious matter to me. Is there another similarly serious matter?”

“There is.”

“What is it?”

Then Oh Haengun explained.

“Actually, this is about France… Why, last time we went to the French village beyond the dimensional gate, they were also fighting undead, right?”

“That’s right. Skeletons were firing tons of arrows, and skeleton mages were even throwing fireballs around.”

“Yeah, enough troops to turn a village into a wasteland. But it seems that wasn’t the enemy’s main force… It was probably just the vanguard of the undead. To identify if there’s a survivor group in that direction if the sent troops don’t return and are annihilated…”

“Those were just the vanguard?”

“Yes. Also, hundreds of undead are approaching that French village, and this time, they seem like proper troops. The undead trying to invade this time aren’t holding bows and spears like last time, but are bringing guns and field artillery, and there are even more monstrous bastards mixed in with them.”

Seo Yun cursed internally. Fucking bastard modern weapons, really useless like a fucking meteorite when you need them… Suppressing the urge to sigh, she asked.

“So, did those French people ask us for help?”

“Yes. Specifically, their Lord, William, requested support.”

“To fight together again?”

“Not that, but to help the villagers cross over to this land. It seems like the village will be swept away by the undead if things continue, and if the people just try to flee on foot, they’ll clearly be caught? But there happens to be a dimensional gate there leading to this relatively safe land. They asked for help with the entire village crossing over here and settling nearby…”

Only then could Seo Yun understand why Oh Haengun had such a serious expression.

Help those French village people cross over to this land?

Oh Haengbok had tried that before. The result? It was disastrous. There were even deaths among people they knew.

‘Kim Ak…’

That French village was also a place that existed in the setting of the Immortal Kingdom’s rulebook. The meteorite did not tolerate the villagers leaving, causing the location that existed in the game to become completely empty without a single NPC.

According to the guess presented by the Mage Troll’s avatar body, the meteorite’s power has greatly diminished, so would it simply let the French village people leave this time?

It was unknown. It was difficult to jump to conclusions. After all, multiple lives were at stake.

Seo Yun asked.

“So what will you do? Will you accept the support request?”

Oh Haengun answered with a face that clearly wanted to quit being Chief right then and there.

“I don’t know. I have to be responsible for the villagers’ lives, so I’d like to comfortably refuse for peace of mind. But I also wonder if that’s really okay…””Indeed, last time the Sun Ship itself came out to help. And this time, it’s William, a Sun Ship Paladin, making the request, so it’s hard to refuse.”

“Right, it’s not just an ethical issue, there’s that aspect too. We’ll somehow decide at this meeting. I know you’ve been incredibly busy lately, Seo Yun, but please still attend the meeting, okay?”

As Seo Yun nodded, Oh Haengun staggered into the tent.

Seo Yun watched his retreating figure. That Mage wasn’t very old, and as a high-Level Player, his HP was high. So even though his body should be better than ordinary people’s, he looked terribly exhausted, his back completely hunched over.