Chapter 36

I asked Kang Seong-jun for permission and, ignoring the protests of my party members, arrived at the prison where Joo Seung-hwan was imprisoned.

“Ah… Are you Lee Yun-seong?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Please follow me. I’ll guide you.”

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

Not long after the guard guided me, I arrived at the place where Joo Seung-hwan was locked up.

The guy seemed to have noticed me and started screaming and going berserk.

“You…! You damn bug! Because of you…!”

*Clang! Clang!*

He seemed to have lost his mind upon seeing me. Well, with his fate already decided, it must have been hard for him to keep his sanity in prison.

I wanted to talk to Joo Seung-hwan alone, so I asked the guard.

“Can I have a private conversation with him?”

“Yes… it’s possible, but… are you sure? As you can see, he’s in this state…”

The guard seemed worried that Joo Seung-hwan might harm me. But that’s an unnecessary concern.

As far as I know, he’s wearing restraints that weaken his physical abilities and seal his magical power.

“Yes, it’s fine.”

“Understood. When you’re done, just come back up. If you don’t come out within 30 minutes, I’ll come down.”

“Okay, thank you.”

After the guard left, I spoke to the guy.

“Long time no see.”

“Long time no see?… Long time no see?! You damn chick! I’ll tear you apart!”

*Bang!*

It seemed like he couldn’t control his anger as he started punching the iron bars.

Indeed, titles don’t lie. He truly fits the description of someone with anger management issues.

“I don’t get it… Why are you so angry?”

“What?!”

“Anyone would think I schemed to have you wrongfully imprisoned.”

“You bastard…!”

It’s true. I hate these kinds of people. Of course, back on Earth, I wasn’t exactly a saint either.

But… at the very least, if the consequences of your actions come back to you, shouldn’t you be prepared to face them?

If you plan to stab someone with a knife, you should also be prepared to get stabbed yourself.

“Don’t you think it’s strange? I’m the one who was threatened by you, beaten by you, almost killed by you. So why are you the one who’s angry?”

“……”

“Shouldn’t I be the one who’s angry?”

“Shut up!”

“That’s why you were abandoned by your clan and even by your Clan Master. You pathetic fool.”

“Ahhhhh!”

*Clang! Clang!*

“I’m fine with my arm being blown off. I got it treated anyway.”

He seemed shocked when he noticed that my left arm was perfectly intact.

“Huh… How…?!”

“Your Clan Master, unlike you, is a decent person. He even called a Time Priest to heal me… Honestly, I didn’t expect to be compensated this much.”

“… What?”

“You idiot. Well, in the end, I didn’t lose anything… but you’re the one who’s been abandoned like trash. Right?”

“You… bastard!”

“The world is really strange, isn’t it? You, a high-ranking member of a large clan, ended up like this, while I, a newcomer to the continent, am doing just fine.”

“…….”

“Thinking about it, I should actually thank you. Thanks to you, I got all sorts of compensation. Heh… Thanks, you idiot.”

“Hah… Hahahahaha! Ahahaha!”

He seemed to have lost his mind after my repeated taunts.

“Kehehe… I’ll kill you. You bastard… I’ll tear you to pieces and feed you to the monsters…!”

“You know what? Back on Earth, I used to say this a lot… Plans and thoughts are just delusions until you actually act on them. You idiot.”

“Hehehe… You little chick, you don’t know your place…!”

“Well, I was about to say earlier… I’m fine with my arm being like that. As long as I’m alive, I can move on.”

“…….”

“But… there’s something I can’t forgive…”

Yeah, I had prepared myself for the possibility of losing an arm in that situation. If something I had prepared for happened, I could endure the pain to some extent.

But…

“Because of you… I almost lost Yoo Ju.”

“… What?”

“You tried to kill Yoo Ju when she came to save me, didn’t you?”

“…..”

“When I found out, I made up my mind. No matter what it takes, I have to take you down.”

“You bastard… You dare to take me down?!”

“I don’t even need to do it myself. You’ve already self-destructed, which is fortunate… but on the other hand, it’s also a bit disappointing. I wanted to personally design your downfall.”

“If only you hadn’t stabbed yourself with that dagger! You…!”

“Ah, that’s the question, isn’t it?”

“……”

“Want me to tell you?”

“What… So you did use some trick! You bastard!”

*Bang!*

“Tell me the truth! Why did you do that back then? You bastard…! Answer me!”

“Ah… That was…”

“…….”

“No reason. I just resisted to survive, and that’s how it turned out.”

*Bang!*

“Stop lying!”

He probably believed I had used some trick. Well, it doesn’t make sense to suddenly self-harm for no reason in that situation. So no one would believe his explanation.

I don’t know if this world has something like a recording device like Earth, but it’s better to be careful.

Of course, even if everyone finds out that I stabbed myself on purpose, it wouldn’t be a big deal… but just in case.

In life, it’s never bad to be cautious. There’s a saying, “Even a stone bridge should be tapped before crossing,” for a reason.

I decided to meet him because I was curious about what emotions I would feel when facing him.

‘… It’s pointless. I’ll deal with him later.’

I didn’t have many thoughts. I just thought that since he was exiled, I’d have to deal with him later.

‘I need to eliminate any future threats.’

I left the prison, leaving him screaming behind me.

******

In the end, after much deliberation, our party decided to join one of the three major clans, the Eternity Clan. We considered staying as an independent party, but since the party members seemed very anxious, Yoo Ju probably decided to join the clan.

The conditions were slightly worse than the Hwashin Clan, but we all got good terms, including me.

I think it was largely due to Yoo Hyun’s value skyrocketing after the demonstration.

The Eternity Clan Master was a blonde woman, and when we accepted the recruitment, she was so happy that her smile reached her ears.

The only problem was Ahn Tae-woo.

Before we signed the contract with the Eternity Clan, Ahn Tae-woo thought we wouldn’t join a clan, so he silently signed with another mid-sized clan.



He was under the influence of medicine.

The reason Ahn Tae-woo was doing this to Yoo Ju here right now was because of that.

“How…! How can you join the Eternity Clan without me?!”

“Tae-woo…”

“This can’t be…! How can you leave me out and join the Eternity Clan?!”

“…..”

“Can we really call ourselves comrades after this?!”

Hyeon-jin tried to calm down the excited Ahn Tae-woo from the side.

“T-Tae-woo hyung… Please calm down first…!”

“Let go of me! You must be feeling good! Since you decided to join the Eternity Clan!”

“Hyung…”

Yoo Ju, who had been listening to Ahn Tae-woo, finally spoke.

“Tae-woo. I’m sorry, but… there’s nothing we can do.”

“What do you mean there’s nothing you can do?!”

“…. You were the one who joined another clan without saying anything to us.”

“That’s because you didn’t want to join the clan!”

“…. Then isn’t it you who’s being strange? If we don’t join the clan, you won’t follow us, but if we join a good clan, you’ll follow… That’s weird.”

“…..!”

This was why no one was defending Ahn Tae-woo. He had prepared a way out for himself in case we didn’t join the clan, and now that he heard everyone was joining the Eternity Clan, he’s acting like this. It’s obvious why.

“Do you really think of us as comrades? This… is just using us.”

“…..”

“…. I regret this situation, but there’s nothing we can do. If you had discussed it with us, it might have been different, but since you made this decision without consulting us, there’s nothing I can do for you.”

“Hwashin…”

“… Yes?”

“We were all supposed to join the Hwashin Clan together, but because of Lee Yun-seong, it all went down the drain! That’s why I had no choice!”

‘Sigh… He shouldn’t be saying things like that…’

It’s not that I’m in a bad mood. I’m genuinely worried about Ahn Tae-woo saying that. Because the others won’t stay quiet after hearing that.

“Originally, we were all supposed to join the Hwashin Clan! As someone without talent, I had no choice but to find a way to survive!”

Yoo Ju spoke to Ahn Tae-woo in a cold voice.

“…. Stop it, shut up.”

Just as the others were about to snap at Ahn Tae-woo, Yoo Ju’s icy voice made everyone pause.

“… Ahn Tae-woo. It’s not because of Yoon Seong, but because of the Hwashin Clan. Speak properly.”

Ahn Tae-woo froze for a moment at Yoo Ju’s cold voice, but then continued speaking, thinking he had to say what he needed to say.

“It’s because of this attitude! Always…! Always! You have no interest in me, and only care about Lee Yun-seong!”

“…. Huh?”

“I worked hard too! I cleared dungeons with everyone, and even though I have no talent, I worked harder than anyone! Even more than that guy Lee Yun-seong!”

‘… Hmm…’

I acknowledge that Ahn Tae-woo worked hard. I saw how he trained diligently to overcome his lack of talent.

But… If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that comparing yourself to others while belittling them is a self-destructive move.

Simply saying that you worked hard, that you put in this much effort, that you suffered this much, is a desire to be acknowledged by others. It’s a feeling everyone has, and it’s not something to be ashamed of.

But the moment you compare yourself to someone else and say you worked harder than them, that desire for acknowledgment turns into petty jealousy and a need to show off.

The people around you aren’t stupid enough to not notice that.

“Why do you only care about that guy! Not just Yoo Ju, but everyone is the same! Am I invisible to you?! I worked much harder than that guy! How…!”

Kang I-seo cut off Ahn Tae-woo and spoke sharply.

“Fuck, old man. What did you say? You worked much harder than Lee Yun-seong? Why are you putting him down? What makes you so great?”

“You shut up…!”

“I get that you worked hard. But… did Lee Yun-seong not work hard? Why are you comparing? Fuck, listening to this is making me mad…”

“You have talent, so you wouldn’t understand!”

“Ah, really? So Lee Yun-seong has talent?”

“……”

“Do you know how much that bastard Lee Yun-seong got wrecked during training for 3 months? Even now, his arm is messed up…! Are you the only one who’s suffering? Stop whining, you bastard!”

Yoo Ju, unable to hold back any longer, started speaking after Kang I-seo finished.

“Ahn Tae-woo, you… are misunderstanding something. Do you really think Joo Seung-hwan was only planning to threaten Yoon Seong?”

“… What?”

“You were lucky. After Yoon Seong, it would have been your turn.”

“…. That’s something that didn’t happen.”

“…. Ha. Whatever. I don’t want to argue anymore. But since we’ve been through life and death together, I’ll hold back on the insults. Let’s just go our separate ways, okay?”

Ahn Tae-woo seemed unable to hide his anger that no one was taking his side.

“Everyone… do well on your own. Huh… Yoo Ju. I was an idiot for trusting and following you… Fuck…”

Bang –

As soon as Ahn Tae-woo left the dorm, everyone started talking.

“Ha… Fuck, who’s going to say something? That crazy… I should have known he was like that… Sigh…”

“… Noona. Tae-woo hyung probably didn’t mean it. He just… said it in the heat of the moment…”

Yoo Rim and Yoo Hyun, unable to hold back, also spoke up.

“Ha… Without even trying to understand how hard Yoon Seong oppa worked…!”

“Hyung! Don’t pay attention to what that guy said! We don’t think that way.”

I messed up Yoo Rim and Yoo Hyun’s hair as I answered.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Yoo Ju let out a sigh and spoke to us.

“Phew… Anyway… There’s nothing we can do about Ahn Tae-woo, and tomorrow is the graduation ceremony, so everyone get some rest.”

“…. Yoo Ju. You’ve worked hard.”

“No. Yoon Seong, you’re the one who worked hard.”

Honestly, I didn’t have good feelings towards Ahn Tae-woo. But still, there was a sense of camaraderie as comrades who had been through life and death together.

‘Is that why… Sigh… I don’t feel good.’

It was inevitable that I felt bitter, thinking that it didn’t have to end like this for both me and Ahn Tae-woo.