Chapter 183

Inside the rattling carriage, there were five of us, including me.

First, there was me and my escort, Wi Ho-yeon.

Then, there were Hyeon-jin and Ho-won, the uncle.

Lastly, Woo Seo-heun.

There was a specific reason for gathering this group.

Ho-won, the uncle, is great as a tank, and more importantly, there’s not much to talk about with Woo Seo-heun.

Wi Ho-yeon, of course, wouldn’t have much to say to Woo Seo-heun either.

As for Hyeon-jin, I brought him along because I wanted to closely observe his condition after what happened last time.

‘And it’s also good for annoying Woo Seo-heun.’

In other words, the only people Woo Seo-heun can really hold a conversation with in this group are me and Hyeon-jin.

Whether Woo Seo-heun is hitting on me or not, in this environment, she has no choice but to talk to me.

In the awkward atmosphere, Hyeon-jin was the first to speak to Woo Seo-heun.

“Uh, Seo-heun noona. You don’t need to be so nervous. The dungeon is said to be an easy one, and everyone here is nice!”

‘Hyeon-jin, she’s more experienced than you. Do you really think she’d be nervous about a dungeon trip like this?’

“Ahaha… Thanks.”

Woo Seo-heun gave a vague reply to Hyeon-jin and then turned to me.

“Yoon Seong-nim, I was really surprised. You suddenly suggested we go to the dungeon…”

“Haha, sorry if I caused any trouble. It was kind of a surprise plan, so it was a bit rushed.”

‘Of course. I couldn’t give her time.’

If I had told her about the dungeon trip in advance, who knows what she might have planned.

Since I practically announced it and we left immediately, she probably didn’t even have time to contact the Execution Society.

The reason for the dungeon trip was to see Woo Seo-heun’s abilities. Of course, from her perspective, she’d only use her abilities as a regular priest…

‘But it’s not going to go the way you want.’

I have plenty of tools at my disposal. For example, there’s Ruska and the Acacia Clan, and Ha Yu-ri and the Mardan Clan.

Woo Seo-heun will have no choice but to reveal her abilities in front of us today. Because I’ll make sure of it.

‘First, I’ll start by tarnishing Woo Seo-heun’s reputation.’

At the very least, I need to plant a bit of wariness in the clan members.

It’s not strange to hide one’s job and abilities to some extent. There’s no rule that says you have to reveal all your information to the clan.

But Woo Seo-heun has been hiding too much.

‘She’s been acting like a benevolent priest, but suddenly her job turns out to be some grotesque one?’

Of course, the other clan members would naturally be puzzled.

It might be too much to start a witch hunt over just a job, but at least some suspicion will arise.

“Since Woo Seo-heun seems to have adapted somewhat to Eternity, I thought it would be good to plan a dungeon raid together.”

“Ah… I see. Thank you.”

‘Thanks, huh? She’s probably cursing me inside.’

Being a spy or an infiltrator is a very difficult and stressful role.

There’s nothing more annoying than unexpected things happening when you’re in that position.

“Hyung, by the way, what kind of dungeon are we heading to? I heard it’s an easy one…”

“Don’t worry. It’s a very simple dungeon.”

The dungeon’s level isn’t high. Honestly, you could think of it as just a casual outing.

“I’m worried. I wonder if I can do well as a priest… What if a dangerous monster appears…”

‘Look at her acting. A three-year veteran worrying about what?’

She glanced at me and acted, probably trying to trigger some protective instinct.

I was impressed by how she kept up the charm even in this situation.

‘It’s not like she has a professional mindset or anything.’

“Seo-heun noona, don’t worry! If anything dangerous happens, I’ll protect you!”

‘Who’s protecting who? She’s way stronger than you, dude.’

From Woo Seo-heun’s perspective, she probably found that statement ridiculous. To her, everyone except Wi Ho-yeon probably seems like small fry.

Since she was targeting me but Hyeon-jin responded instead, Woo Seo-heun’s face twisted for a brief moment.

“…You’re reliable. Thanks, Hyeon-jin.”

“Aw, it’s nothing. Just trust me!”

Hyeon-jin’s expression softened at the word “reliable,” and he was grinning happily.

Normally, I would’ve signaled Hyeon-jin to be quiet, but surprisingly, it didn’t seem bad to let him talk to Woo Seo-heun like this.

‘It must be pretty annoying for Woo Seo-heun.’

Her interest is in me.

Clearly, Woo Seo-heun is using her charm on me, but since Hyeon-jin, who’s not the target, is responding, she must be going crazy.

‘Must be pretty frustrating, huh?’

Woo Seo-heun tried to talk to me a few times, but I skillfully steered the conversation so that Hyeon-jin and Woo Seo-heun would talk.

Hyeon-jin, thinking I was pushing him forward, looked at me with a touched expression.

‘That’s not it, kid.’

Clunk!

…When the carriage stopped, it seemed we had arrived at our destination.

******

“Hup!”

Swish—

Thud!

‘Not bad.’

It’s clear that everyone has grown a lot compared to before.

The proof is that Wi Ho-yeon didn’t even need to step in, and Hyeon-jin and Ho-won, the uncle, were handling things smoothly.

If you exclude the occasional magic I cast, it’s almost like the two of them are soloing the dungeon.

Of course, they weren’t completely unscathed, so Woo Seo-heun was healing them as a priest.

“Noona, thank you! Thanks to you, I’m all better now.”

“Yeah, that’s good.”

“If Seo-heun noona hadn’t been here, it would’ve been a disaster. The injuries would’ve piled up, and it would’ve been tough.”

‘You’re being too obvious. And if Woo Seo-heun hadn’t come, we would’ve brought Yoo Hyun, you brat.’

This is practically a declaration of interest in her.

“Yeah, thanks for saying that.”

I caught the moment Woo Seo-heun’s eyebrow twitched.

‘Well, that’s that…’

“Ho-yeon-ssi, how about it?”

“Huh?”

“Hyeon-jin. Hyeon-jin also uses a sword like you, right?”

“Ah… That’s what you meant. Hmm…”

Hyeon-jin was holding a sword…





I was curious about Wi Ho-yeon’s opinion on how skilled he was.

After all, Hyeon-jin and Wi Ho-yeon are both swordsmen, and Wi Ho-yeon is in the position of a senior.

“…It’s safe to say he’s improved a lot. At least, his growth rate is faster than the average player’s.”

“I see.”

“……”

“Ms. Ho-yeon, didn’t you have something more to say?”

“Ah… well…”

She seemed hesitant to speak.

“You can be honest. At this distance, Hyeon-jin won’t hear, and I have no intention of spreading what you say.”

I didn’t expect only positive comments.

Wi Ho-yeon is undeniably a top-tier swordsman, and while Hyeon-jin’s growth rate is faster than average, it probably doesn’t meet her standards.

“…To be blunt, that’s all there is to it. Of course, it’s better than average. There are plenty of first-year players in Eras who are worse than Hyeon-jin.”

“……”

“But given the direction Eternity is heading, Hyeon-jin will eventually hit a wall. His level… to be honest, is upper-mid tier for a first-year. Of course, he’s working hard and has definitely improved compared to before…”

“I get the gist.”

I somewhat understood what Wi Ho-yeon was saying.

Eras is an incredibly cruel continent.

There’s a saying that talent is useless without effort, but here, talent is an absolutely essential factor.

Since it’s only the first year, the gap in military power isn’t too wide yet, but as time goes on, the difference between the talented and the untalented will grow.

For example, compare Kang I-seo and Hyeon-jin.

Even now, Kang I-seo is superior in both achievements and skill, but the difference isn’t glaringly obvious.

‘But as time goes on, the gap will widen.’

The other clan members will be fine. They’re not the type to harshly judge Hyeon-jin if his skills fall short.

But Hyeon-jin himself will struggle, constantly comparing himself to those around him.

‘Honestly, in Eternity, the ones lagging behind in military power are me, Hyeon-jin, and Yoo Rim.’

Though I’ve somewhat overcome my military power issues due to mutation devouring.

Of course, compared to other clan members, it’s still a drop in the bucket.

‘It’s Hyeon-jin and Yoo Rim who are the problem.’

Just look at how Yoo Rim almost died during the Swamp of Oblivion expedition.

‘The solution is either to pull them out of combat roles like Yoo Ju tried with me, or to make them stronger.’

For Yoo Rim, there’s no clear solution yet. But for Hyeon-jin, there’s at least an alternative.

‘Having a good teacher versus no teacher is like the difference between heaven and earth.’

And coincidentally, I had the best teacher any swordsman could dream of right beside me.

“Ms. Ho-yeon, may I make a personal request?”

“Of course, Lee Yun-seong. Whatever you command, I will follow.”

‘Command? What…’

Hyeon-jin is important to me, but I had no intention of forcing Wi Ho-yeon.

“…It’s not a command, but a request. One that might even feel bothersome to you.”

At my words, Wi Ho-yeon smiled slightly and spoke.

“Lee Yun-seong. Whether it’s bothersome or not doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that it’s what you want.”

“……”

“I’m fine with it, so please tell me. Anything is fine.”

“…I’m sorry to ask, but could you teach Hyeon-jin whenever you have time?”

Even among clan members, asking for training out of the blue is usually quite rude.

Just as on Earth, where craftsmen or chefs don’t share important techniques or recipes with just anyone, it’s the same here.

Top-tier players could easily open a dojo after retirement and live comfortably.

If Wi Ho-yeon opened a dojo, there would be countless players willing to pay for her teachings.

‘If the Sword Monarch opened a dojo, it would fill up instantly.’

And it’s not even me asking for myself, but for Hyeon-jin.

From Wi Ho-yeon’s perspective, it could easily be seen as presumptuous.

But there was no hint of displeasure or discomfort in her response.

“Of course. Then I’ll teach Hyeon-jin during my training sessions. It should be fun. Teaching martial arts to someone is a joyful thing.”

“…Thank you.”

As Wi Ho-yeon said, it’s natural that she finds joy in teaching martial arts.

But aside from that, it was clear she was deliberately speaking that way to avoid burdening me.

“On the contrary, I’m just happy to be able to help you, Lee Yun-seong. Anything I have, I’m overjoyed to be able to use it for your benefit.”

Her words made me feel oddly embarrassed.

‘It’s amazing how she can say such things so effortlessly.’

“Ahem, ahem… Ms. Ho-yeon, is there anything you want from me?”

Since Wi Ho-yeon granted my request, I honestly wanted to offer her something in return.

“…Then, I’d like you to demand more from me.”

“Haha…”

It seems what Wi Ho-yeon meant by “demand” was exactly what I thought.

I quickly redirected my thoughts.

‘…Where was the promised point again?’

The time for Woo Seo-heun’s abilities to be revealed was approaching.