Chapter 180

‘What the hell is this girl?’

I just thought she was probably some top-tier player and opened it all up.

‘Why would a player of this level?’

Of course, with Eternity’s stock practically skyrocketing, it’s not strange for a player of that caliber to apply to join.

But the problem is the woman’s status window.

If it were just strong military power, that would be one thing, but the state of her job and traits is suspicious.

‘…It feels similar to when I first saw Charis.’

She acted like an innocent priest who didn’t know the ways of the world, but after seeing her status window, it all seems like an act.

“Hmm… Did you say your name was Woo Seo-heun?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“First of all, thank you for applying to join Eternity. Is there a particular reason you chose our clan?”

The woman named Woo Seo-heun answered with a shy face.

“Hehe, well… It’s a clan that’s recently gained a lot of fame, and it’s so cool that people who’ve just passed their first year are already making such a splash!”

Seo Yoo-ju seemed flustered, probably not expecting such a reason.

I was also flustered, but for a different reason.

‘Just for that reason?’

Honestly, just from her words, she seems like a typical cheerful woman.

“The Golden Spear Master! And the person next to you is Lee Yun-seong, who solved various problems in the Neutral Country, right?”

“…Do you know me?”

“Of course. At this point, there’s no one who doesn’t know Seo Yoo-ju and Lee Yun-seong of Eternity.”

“Haha…”

“I’m personally a fan of Lee Yun-seong! Hehe…”

As Woo Seo-heun looked at him with sparkling eyes, Seo Yoo-ju focused her gaze.

“Ahem, ahem… Yes, I understand your reason. How long have you been in Eras…”

“Ah, I’ve just passed my third year!”

‘Three years isn’t that long.’

Usually, up to two years is considered a rookie, and those who’ve been in Eras for a long time are past 5-6 years.

For a third-year, her stats are incredibly high.

A player somewhere between the top tier and the upper tier.

“Hmm… Third year… If you don’t mind, could you give me a rough idea of your job and main stats?”

“My job is a High Priest, and my main stats are in the mid-80s. But I’ve never been told I’m lacking as a priest… Hehe…”

‘She didn’t reveal her other job. And she downplayed her stats.’

At the very least, downplaying her abilities suggests she has some ulterior motive.

‘Usually, when applying to a clan, people inflate their abilities, but hiding them like this is rare.’

To compare it to Earth, it’s like downplaying your resume during a job interview at a big company.

If Woo Seo-heun had honestly revealed her job and abilities, I would have thought she genuinely wanted to join Eternity.

‘We need to investigate her background.’

In any case, she’s not an ordinary player.

“A High Priest with main stats in the mid-80s is a very good spec. In fact, if you wanted, you could join one of the top three clans…”

As Seo Yoo-ju said, even with her downplayed stats, she could join the top three clans.

‘Especially since priests are rare.’

Even for close-range classes, mid-80s main stats are a solid spec.

Priests are even more so.

“I just felt more drawn to Eternity than the top three clans. Actually, Eternity’s saga has been quite a hot topic lately. ‘The clan that rose from the ashes like a miracle!’ It’s been featured in the news several times, right?”

Seo Yoo-ju seemed pleased with Woo Seo-heun’s words. Naturally, she’d feel good about her clan being praised.

Especially since Seo Yoo-ju has a thirst for talent, she seemed to like Woo Seo-heun.

With only Yoo Hyun as the clan’s priest, things had been quite unstable.

As I expected, Seo Yoo-ju’s response was positive.

“Alright, Woo Seo-heun. We’ll need to go through some verification procedures, but if what you’ve said is true, Eternity has no reason to reject you.”

From Seo Yoo-ju’s perspective, there’s no reason to reject her.

“Wow, thank you! I’ll do my best!”

Woo Seo-heun seemed genuinely happy, jumping around.

‘…….’

I didn’t particularly object. If I had said no, Seo Yoo-ju would have followed my lead, but I didn’t.

If Woo Seo-heun had some ulterior motive for joining Eternity, I thought it was necessary to find out.

And so, the woman named Woo Seo-heun joined Eternity.

******

“Ruska, do you know a woman named Woo Seo-heun?”

“Woo Seo-heun?”

Without a doubt, the person with the most information around me is Ruska.

I needed to ask her about Woo Seo-heun, as she has a lot of information from the first round.

“Yeah. She just joined Eternity. Do some background checks on her.”

Considering Seo Yoo-ju didn’t react much to Woo Seo-heun, it’s clear she doesn’t know her.

If Woo Seo-heun had any connection to Seo Yoo-ju in the first round, Seo Yoo-ju would have recognized her.

‘Ruska might know.’

Unlike Seo Yoo-ju, who only operated in the light, Ruska was someone who worked with me in the shadows.

“Hmm… Do you have any other information? I can’t remember the names of everyone I’ve met or know, Master.”

‘Other information…’

“She has two jobs. Normally, she’s a High Priest, but she also has a job called Abyssal Priest.”

“….Ah.”

“What? Does that ring a bell?”

“…I think I know who she is.”

“What kind of woman is she?”

“There’s only one woman in Eras who switches jobs like that. She’s probably one of the executive members of the Execution Society.”

“…What?”

“I didn’t realize it when I first heard her name from you, but hearing her job reminded me.”

“Are you sure? An executive member of the Execution Society?”

“I’m sure. Woo Seo-heun, the Abyssal Priest. She’s the only player with a priest-class job who also has offensive abilities, Master.”



‘…Why did they join Eternity? To plant a spy?’

If that’s the case, I wonder what their purpose was in planting a spy.

‘…Is it because of me?’

Given that they had previously tried to capture me and failed, it’s a natural assumption.

‘I don’t get it. Revenge is something you do when there’s a benefit, but why go this far?’

Let’s say they succeed in taking revenge on me.

Even then, there’s not much for them to gain.

Frankly, my name is pretty well-known now, but my surface-level influence is almost nonexistent.

Of course, beneath the surface, I’m the shadow power behind Eternity, the master of the Mardan Clan, and the owner of the Acacia Clan.

‘The Execution Society might not know about Eternity, but they probably don’t know about my connection with Ha Yu-ri or the Acacia Clan, right?’

At this point, I really want to see the face of the Execution Society’s leader.

I have no idea what they’re thinking.

‘And why would they use someone like me as a spy?’

“…I get it for now. I just don’t understand what the Execution Society is scheming.”

“Master, maybe I should join Eternity too…”

“No.”

When I flatly refused Ruska’s suggestion, her face scrunched up as she questioned me.

“Why not? If something happens to you, I…”

“Don’t worry. I’m not stupid enough to fall for their tricks when I already know what they’re up to.”

I have no intention of letting them stab me in the back.

“…Master, the reason I’m saying this is because the Execution Society’s recent movements have been strange.”

“…Strange movements?”

“They’ve started investigating the Acacia Clan. And there’s something else… a while ago, you asked me to look into something.”

A while ago, after receiving a message from Riki, I had asked Ruska to investigate the murder of Jo Yeon-joo.

Of course, it wasn’t that important, so I just told her to look into it if she had time.

“I remember hearing that Jo Yeon-joo was killed by two people, and as you said, one of them was almost certainly Gwi Chang.”

“Who was the other one?”

“It’s not certain, but there’s a good chance it was one of the Execution Society’s executives.”

Hearing her words, my mind couldn’t help but get tangled.

‘They’ve suddenly become more active… are they plotting something?’

Until now, aside from planting spies in the three major clans, the Execution Society has never directly intervened.

If Ruska’s report is accurate, they suddenly sent a spy to Eternity and killed Jo Yeon-joo.

“…Why did they kill Jo Yeon-joo? Did the Execution Society have a reason to kill her?”

“Sorry, Master, I don’t know that much.”

It seems Ruska’s information only goes this far.

‘Well, this much is enough.’

I don’t feel too negative about it since I caught onto their schemes right away.

I don’t think it’s that bad of a situation.

‘…No, in fact, I might even be able to use this.’

I hadn’t been able to tell Yoo Ju about the Devourer of Worlds.

Given that I need to awaken her as a Transcendent Being, it’s only natural that I’m in a tough spot.

‘Crisis makes people stronger.’

For Yoo Ju, a crisis is directly related to my safety.

If I handle this situation well, I might be able to make Yoo Ju stronger.

‘Back during the Cocoon of Birth, Yoo Ju grew stronger when I was in danger.’

…It’s a trashy method, but using myself as a hostage to make Yoo Ju stronger is the most effective way.

‘I need to think hard. I need to script this properly.’

Maybe this is a good opportunity to not only strengthen Yoo Ju but others as well.

‘I’m torn. Should I approach them first, or just wait and see?’

Approaching them first wouldn’t necessarily raise suspicion, but you never know.

‘I’m also concerned about how Yoo Ju and Wi Ho-yeon might see this…’

…It’s a possibility, but there’s a chance they might misunderstand.

While I was pondering, Ruska spoke to me.

“Master.”

“Yeah?”

“…I have a request. Please prioritize your own safety. And…”

“What, what is it?”

She suddenly leaned in close, startling me.

“…Master, did you sleep with Yoo Ju?”

‘What the…’

I’m amazed at how the women around me can tell just by looking at my face.

“I guess you did. No need to make that face. I expected it would happen eventually.”

“…What?”

“That woman isn’t the type to sit still. I figured she’d eventually make a move on you.”

After saying that, Ruska suddenly pushed me over.

“Ugh! What are you doing? Ruska…?”

She climbed on top of me and spoke.

“…But that doesn’t mean I’m not annoyed.”

“What?”

“…Why aren’t you touching me? Didn’t you say you’d reward me?”

“What… reward?”

“…Am I not attractive? No, your body is clearly reacting.”

I trembled involuntarily. It was because I could see the heat in Ruska’s eyes.

“I can’t take it anymore. If you’re not going to reward me, I’ll take it myself.”

“Ugh…!”