00391 Epilogue 2/4: Red Fang Meets Again —————————————- ——————————–=
As soon as I left the warp gate, a familiar sight of the city caught my eye.
“We’ve arrived at Barbara.”
At Ko Yeon-ju’s words, which followed immediately, I nodded my head once. And then I raised my head and looked up at the sky.
It was afternoon. It was also late afternoon.
Perhaps because we left after taking a quick nap after lunch, the sun had set to the west and dusk was gradually getting ready to come down.
“Su-hyun. Should I just go back now? “Anyway, the meeting was delayed again, so you can come back tomorrow morning.”
“Hmm.”
I was lost in thought for a moment because of the reasonable words.
Three days have already passed since the battle ended.
The Seomun unit, which was hit hardest in this battle, was left out of the battlefield clearing and was given three days of rest in the name of maintenance. And on the fourth day, we decided to gather at Barbara and have a meeting.
Today was the fourth day.
However, the meeting, which was originally supposed to be held this morning, was postponed to the afternoon due to battlefield clearance. So, I left again on time, but just as I reached the warp gate, I received a call that the meeting had been postponed to tomorrow morning.
Although there was a good excuse for clearing the battlefield, in the end it was said that preparations were not yet complete.
Anyway, I could have rested until at least today, but I chose to come to Barbara without turning back.
Due to the small number of people in the clan, maintenance did not take a long time, and we were able to get plenty of rest.
But more than anything, I was curious. I repeat, the war is not over. I was curious about the post-war process, I was curious about what happened to the Golden Lion, I was curious about whether there were any famous users who died in this war, and I was also curious about the extent of the damage from the battle.
The reason was that there was nothing special to do.
Anyway, most of these are facts that we will learn at tomorrow’s meeting, but it’s not a bad thing to know one step ahead.
“Su-hyun? “What would you do?”
I stood at the warp gate, looked around, and finally made up my mind. Rather than wasting time like this, I thought it would be better to at least take a quick look at what came out.
“Go Yeon-ju, you can go back.”
“… … .”
“I will stay at Barbara today. And we’ll go back after the meeting tomorrow.”
“… Hehehe. “I really can’t stop you.”
What is the meaning of that sigh?
The answer was immediately apparent.
Eventually, as I left the warp gate, I could feel a presence following me.
‘I really don’t mind going back… .’
In fact, I refused to be accompanied by all other clan members, so I didn’t mind being alone in Barbara. This is because all I need is to intervene in organizing the battlefield and participate in meetings.
However, it seems that Go Yeon-ju’s thoughts are not like that.
“Suhyeon~. “Let’s go together~.”
Soon, I felt people carefully crossing my arms, and I felt a little awkward.
We walked along the street in a friendly manner, despite the atmosphere of the street, and I carefully looked at the surrounding streets as we walked.
I heard from time to time that users who originally lived in western cities were also brought to Barbara. Maybe that’s why, even though it was already night, the city streets were noisy and crowded.
While I was walking down the street like that, Go Yeon-ju suddenly spoke to me.
“Su-hyun. How about going to the control room first? “If it were there, there would have been some statistics.”
“That’s a good idea too. After looking around the city… . “I plan to go once before night falls.”
After nodding once or twice, Go Yeonju quietly uncrossed her arms.
“is it so. “Then go and see me later at the central square.”
“yes? What about Go Yeon-ju?”
“You said you were staying at Barbara’s today. “I can’t sleep outside, so I have to find a room to stay in for the day.”
I scratched my head as I heard a drowsy voice. In fact, it was just a meaningless remark, but Go Yeonju seems to have taken it quite seriously.
But now that I’ve arrived in the city, I thought it wouldn’t be that bad. Rather than thinking about the warp gate that will be crowded tomorrow morning, it would really be a good idea to spend a day here and participate right away.
“is it so. I’ll be looking around. “Let’s meet later at the central square.”
“yes. By the way. “What if I don’t have a room?”
“Don’t be too burdened. Because it was just something I said. “If there are no rooms available, you can go back to Monica.”
“Ho Ho. Just kidding, kidding. What are you looking at me for? It’s funny that my business card is equivalent to one room at an inn. Anyway, I’ll come back quickly.”
Go Yeon-ju answered bitterly and quickly left. As I watched her back slowly moving away, I fell into deep thought.
After taking a look around, it would be better to follow Go Yeon-ju’s instructions and go to the control room.
‘Then I guess I’ll have to go through the square.’
Thinking that there was a high possibility that the Golden Lion Clan House was the control room, I turned to the square.
It was only when I was left alone like that that I began to see the panoramic view of the city.
Barbara, which once enjoyed great prosperity as a major city in the northern continent, was now in such a state of devastation that its appearance was no longer visible.
However, assuming that it was occupied without blood, the situation was better than expected. Of course, it was ‘better than I expected’, but it had the appearance of a city of its own, except for the western wall, which was completely collapsed.
‘Because they probably needed a place to stay, too.’
Finally, upon seeing the sight I saw, I entered the square again with my eyes fixed on the front.
In a large empty lot, about 30 users were sitting here and there in a quiet atmosphere.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Even though there were more than twenty people, they were not saying anything. Should I say that everyone seems to have no power?
In fact, it wasn’t just the square that was like this. Every place I’ve been to so far has had a similar atmosphere. Of course, there were priests running around busily from time to time, but the majority of people had lost motivation like the users in front of them.
‘Looking at it this way… . ‘I can’t tell who lost.’
I lost my appetite for a moment, but then thought back to the first round and shook my head. At that time, the battle was truly a defeat, and the situation was twice as serious as it is now. At the time, I was in my 0th year so I couldn’t really know, but I remember the atmosphere was much more serious than it is now.
Anyway, it’s much better than then. As always, time will heal. And it was none of my business anymore… .
So, I walked briskly, thinking I would just pass by the square.
plod along. plod along.
The sound of footsteps echoing through the quiet square seems to be annoying.
Among the users sitting around the broken fountain, several raised their heads and looked at me. I also glanced at them and was about to pass by.
“uh.”
“uh.”
The moment I made eye contact with a man, I stopped walking without realizing it.
It was the same for that man as well. For a moment, Lee Chae passed by his blank, dead eyes. The lifeless expression on his face felt awkward, but at the same time, I looked closely at the man’s face because it seemed familiar to me.
Although his face was thin, his appearance was clearly male. His long hair reached his waist, and his body was slim.
A thought crossed my mind at that moment.
“right… .”
“Kim Soohyun?”
I almost spit out his name for a moment, but I could barely hold it in.
‘ah. Does it matter?’
But soon I thought it didn’t matter. Anyway, we graduated from the same user academy.
It was like that. The man in front of me was Woo Jung-min, who I met once during the rite of passage and was the clan lord of the first ‘Red Fang’ clan. I never thought I’d meet him here… .
“User Jeongmin Woo.”
When I called his name, the man definitely responded. I turned around to pass by the square and walked closer to Woo Jeong-min.
Then, as if he came to his senses a little when he saw me approaching, Woo Jung-min also slowly got up.
Soon, we exchanged a light handshake as a courtesy.
“A long time. User Kim Soo-hyun.”
“It’s been a while.”
For the first time in a while, Woo Jeong-min’s voice sounded very hoarse. He looked at my face and blinked. Then he scanned my whole body and tilted his head.
“It looks good.”
“I participated in the West Gate unit. “This is the road I came into now after maintenance at Monica.”
“West Gate unit?”
Woo Jeong-min tilted his head once, then said, “Ah.” nodded his head.
“that’s right. yes. Mercenary Clan… . I heard a rumor. “It must have been difficult for the West Gate unit.”
“It’s a little better now. But you… .”
“me… ?”
At that moment, Woo Jung-min’s eyes looked downward and a look of sadness appeared on his face.
When I saw that, I could sense that something bad had happened to Woo Jung-min. This is because I sensed a slight tremor occurring in the hands that were still holding each other, as well as in the face.
“Did you participate in this war too?”
Woo Jung-min nodded without answering.
“Year 0 would not have been mandatory participation. “I see you volunteered.”
Then Woo Jung-min let out a deep sigh and finally opened his tightly shut mouth.
“well. Should I say I participated? . Well, I did it. “I was living in Halo.”
At that moment, I was able to understand the situation a little bit. Woo Jeong-min did not participate in the eastern part, but was attacked while in the western part.
The hands that were holding each other fell. As if it was blocking his view, Woo Jeong-min removed his bangs and spoke in a trembling voice.
“You’re blind. shit. “I should have run away quickly.”
“escape? ah. no way… .”
“Hehe.”
I closed my mouth for a moment. Then Woo Jung-min smiled blankly and said.
“okay. I came into Barbara two days ago. He has been held captive ever since Halo fell. To those guys.”
Jeongmin Woo’s words resonated loudly in the quiet square. I could see a few people crouching here and there, so it looked like they were in a similar situation.
“… “It must have been very difficult.”
“it’s hard? It wasn’t that difficult. It was hell itself. It was so painful that I wanted to die. “They are devils, devils.”
“… … .”
“They were nothing more or less than livestock. He never dreamed he would be treated like that when he was alive. As time passed, the colleagues I had been with one by one could not endure it and left. Do you know what happened? In the end, Hye-su went crazy and Seung-hyeon committed suicide.”
Woo Jung-min was now muttering as if he was talking to himself. The way he spoke with empty eyes looked like he was about to break apart at any moment.
Suddenly, I had a question about the person I was with. A user who will become one of the 10 lecturers in the future. The name… .
“Besides you two, what happened to your other colleagues? I remember there was one more person… .”
“Every day was truly hell. It will never end… . who?”
“… Mr. Seon Yuun?”
“ah. Yuun… .”
Woo Jung-min repeated the name as if he was still talking to himself. However, seeing as he doesn’t answer right away and keeps his mouth shut, it looks like he’s thinking about something in his head.
Some time passed after that.
Just when I was wondering if I was dead, my tightly closed lips slowly parted. Then, Woo Jeong-min raised his head for a moment and stared at me.
“Kim Soohyun.”
“?”
“Do you have a moment?”
I looked for a moment, then nodded.
*
The place Woo Jung-min guided us to was a spacious white building. Seeing priests walking around in front of the door and moaning coming from all over, it seemed like it was some kind of relief center.
Once inside, I saw that my prediction was correct. The interior was quite spacious, and there seemed to be a lot of hastily built seats. There were small beds and cloths placed here and there on the floor, and several users were lying on them, showing various reactions.
One peculiar thing about them is that you don’t see many people who are seriously injured. Still, it was a hectic atmosphere.
I lowered my gaze. Right in front of her was a woman who seemed to have lost her mind, with a white cloth wrapped around her body, and her man who was taking care of her. The symbol engraved on his chest showed that he was a user who participated in the war.
The wizard who was chanting a spell in front of the woman soon opened his mouth to the priest who was waiting next to him.
“I guess… . “I think she’s pregnant too.”
“Tsk. Send it over there.”
“All right.”
Then, as I saw a man walking to one side while supporting a limp woman, I was able to get a rough idea of what kind of place this place was.
“This way.”
Eventually, I started walking as Woo Jung-min led me.
I wonder if I walked carefully, passing about 30 people so as not to step on anything. Soon, where he stopped, a man with a familiar face was sleeping, breathing evenly. It was Seon Yu-un.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Yooni is okay. Since he is a very mentally strong guy… . “How did you survive even after something like that happened?”
“You mean something like that?”
In response to the question, Woo Jeong-min seemed to be worried for a moment. But he soon smiled self-deprecatingly and spoke in a gloomy voice.
“Even if the tramps are like that… . “Among the Western Continent, there are quite a few who enjoy sodomy.”
“that… .”
“Anyway, I’m glad I’m alive. “Baddeuk!”
“… … .”
“Let’s go. “I just fell asleep a little while ago.”
Woo Jung-min, who gritted his teeth to a clearly audible degree, soon led my hand again.
The next place we arrived was, as expected, a woman wearing a cloth all over her body. As expected, the fact that her face is familiar to her means that she is probably Won Hye-soo.
“lol. Hehehe.”
The woman was awake. And I stared at her closely.
His eyes were wide open, his mouth was wide open, and drool was flowing out. In addition, the occasional bursts of foolish laughter showed that the situation was not normal.
‘Was it a rite of passage?’
– shut up! Hyeyeon! Oh, lie! Do not lie! There’s no way he’s dead! It’s a lie, right? yes? huh?
– okay. I’m crazy. I’d rather go crazy. So let go of this. Stop saying no!
“Hi-Hi. Hehehe.”
‘They said they wanted to go crazy…’ . It’s really crazy.’
Just as she was clicking her tongue, Woo Jung-min calmly bent down and wiped Won Hye-su’s mouth. Straightening up again, he opened his mouth darkly.
“They said I was pregnant.”
“… … .”
“Since you can’t ask me, I want you to decide whether you want to have an abortion or let it go. Pfft. “What should I answer here?”
“It must be embarrassing.”
I answered clearly while examining their condition with my third eye.
‘Seon Yuun definitely has strong mental power. But this person, Won Hye-soo… .’
In Seon Yu-un’s case, there was a possibility of revival, but Won Hye-soo was literally in a state of madness. You can find the answer just by looking at your tendencies. Her condition was so serious that it would not be surprising at all if she took her own life right now.
“Can it get better?”
“… … .”
“It will get better, right?”
“well… .”
I answered truthfully. Because it would be better to face reality rather than give false hope.
This was a mental wound, not a physical wound. Moreover, since the wound was so massive that he lost his senses, a cure could be seen as being far off.
Suddenly, I felt sorry for Woo Jeong-min. Honestly, I don’t know much about how they grew in the beginning. However, seeing as they later became famous as the ‘Red Fang’ clan, I could only guess that this was another rite of passage.
“Hi. Hee hee. Huh. swimming… .”
A moment of silence passed. Woo Jung-min, who had been looking down at Won Hye-soo for a while, slowly turned his head and looked at me.
“So, what are you doing here? “I heard a rumor that a clan was created.”
“I have a meeting tomorrow.”
“meeting?”
“yes.”
“You’re participating there?”
I nodded quietly.
‘I guess I just heard a rumor that it was made.’
After a while, I heard a faint laugh next to me.
“Huh. I went to the same user academy. “My situation is miserable.”
“… I just got lucky. “Anyway, what do you plan to do next?”
“I don’t know… . now… . “What should I do?”
I finally took my eyes off Won Hye-soo and looked at Woo Jeong-min. His gaze, staring faintly at her, was so dry that the sharpness of her first encounter was nowhere to be found.
I was lost in thought for a moment, then reflexively spoke.
“I have my clan house in Monica.”
The moment those words came out, Woo Jung-min’s laughter suddenly stopped. He looked down at the floor for a moment and then slowly raised his head to face me.
“Do you sympathize?”
“That’s up to you. User Jeongmin Woo.”
“?”
“Will I receive sympathy, reconsider, or ignore? “The choice is yours alone.”
As if he had nothing to say, Woo Jeong-min suddenly looked speechless.
But soon, as if he understood the meaning of the words, he quietly closed his eyes.
“It’s up to me…” .”
This was a situation I had never thought of, so it was like an adventure. A gamble that will be a huge hit if successful. Woo Jung-min and Seon Yu-woon would definitely be useful cards.
“It’s up to me…” .”
Afterwards, Woo Jung-min muttered to himself for a while, and then suddenly opened his eyes. Then he spoke in a low tone.
“If the… . So, if you go… .”
“yes.”
“… “Can I take Hye-su with me?”
“welcome.”
I answered right away. And I laughed to myself at the thought that there was some possibility.
‘Then I guess I’ll have to leave now.’
It must have been a burden to stay too long, so I decided to leave. If I continued to stay here, Woo Jung-min, who has strong pride, would feel uncomfortable, and I needed to be given time to think for myself. And Go Yeon-ju might be waiting for me at the square right now.
So, I lightly tapped his shoulder and winked.
“Then I’ll just leave.”
“ah. “Are you going?”
“yes. I have to go now. Anyway, cheer up.”
“Are you going?” said Woo Jeong-min, nodding his head.
Accordingly, I immediately turned around and looked towards the entrance of the building. I was just about to start walking.
Thing!
‘huh?’
It was a rather intense gaze.
From quite close by, I felt someone’s eyes staring at me.
“… … .”
When I caught sight of them and turned my head, I saw a woman sitting on a cloth across from three people in the direction of the entrance.
And at that moment, I felt strength coming into my eyes.
Big eyes. Innocent and good-natured impression. Light brown hair with a light brown tint… . No, it’s not light anymore. Whatever happened, the hair that used to go past her shoulders has been cut short near her neck.
‘Being here… .’
The woman’s eyes were as dead as rotten vegetables. However, the moment I turned my head and met her gaze, I could see her empty eyes slowly regaining their light brown color.
I checked the user information floating in the air and opened my mouth once more.
Speak louder than before so that the woman can hear you.
“User Jeongmin Woo. “I have one thing to tell you.”
“I haven’t gone yet… . huh?”
“I’m sure one of my clan members has been sleeping in Barbara by now. I plan to stay there tonight, so if anything happens, look for me at a nearby inn. “We will do our best to help you.”
“… thanks.”
After checking his eyes, which had begun to shake subtly, I continued speaking softly.
“Even if… . Even if it’s the middle of the night.”
—————————= Review of the work ——————– ——-=
sorry. I finished the first draft this morning, but I fell asleep without being able to finish it. First of all, I brought an ultrabook and quickly finished writing and uploading it during lecture time. Since the lecture is at 2 o’clock, I think I should go right away.
Have a nice day, all readers!
fantasy,
