Though he might have been a 1st Floor player, he was still quite skilled. So YuWon had purchased a pretty durable rope from the Shop for this occasion.
âNghâŠâ
WoonCheon lowered his head as he grunted. He guessed that it must have been a pretty expensive rope because no matter how much mana he used to power up, it did not give.
Watching WoonCheon, YuWon raised his hand.
Smackâ!
âUgh!â
âDonât look away. I know exactly what youâre thinking.â
âW-Why are you doing this to me?â
âBecause youâre Mu WoonCheon.â
âYou got the wrong person. I s-swear.â
âThen why did you try to run earlier?â
âThatâs because you had such a scary look in your eyes, I thought things might turn out like thisâŠâ
WoonCheon trailed off as he lowered his head. He had a pure, innocent face, and he looked as if he was about to cry from being falsely accused.
With a confused look on his face, Hargaan looked back and forth between the tied-up WoonCheon and YuWon.
âHold up.â
Hargaan called YuWon to come to the back. Once YuWon had gotten close enough to him, he whispered a question.
âYou sure this is the guy you were looking for?â
âIâm certain.â
âHow can you be so sure? He really could have run because he was spooked.â
âRunning away just because you heard a name? Doesnât that seem odd to you?â
âBut saying that heâs the King of the Jackals just from that isâŠâ
âThis.â
YuWon picked up and waved the small dagger that was sticking up from the floor. It was the weapon WoonCheon had thrown at YuWon.
âDoes this look like a normal knife?â
âWhat is it then?â
âLook closely at the floor.â
ââŠ?â
Hargaan checked the place the dagger had been. At first, he didnât think anything was odd, but upon closer inspection, he found something strange.
âItâs meltedâŠâ
Hargaan originally thought that the knife had gotten impaled in the floor, but that was wrong. When the knife fell, it melted the marble until it looked like it had been impaled in it.
And now that he thought about it, unless it was some real master-grade sword, itâd be weird for a knife to be impaled in marble so deeply just by falling on it.
âThis is a pretty potent poison. Itâs something that players on the upper floors would use, not a 1st Floor player.â
A lethal poison from the upper floors. It was a substance that was illegal to use on fellow players. Not only did it require permission from the bureau to possess, it was also incredibly hard to obtain it.
âDo you really think the owner of a general store would own something like this? Always hidden in his sleeves, no less?â
There were definitely a few oddities. That meantâŠ
âWhere did the information leak from?â a random voice said.
Actually, it was WoonCheonâs voice, but his voice had become scratchier, and his manner of speech sounded much more foreign.
And it wasnât just his voiceâŠ
Kk-crackâ
WoonCheonâs face slowly started morphing. On the kind-looking young manâs face, wrinkles started appearing, and his eyes started looking much hazier. It was as if he had suddenly aged.
â⊠So you were right.â
Hargaan now fully believed YuWon. This guy was Mu WoonCheon, the King of the Jackals.
âHow did you discover my identity? And more importantly, how did you learn my name?â
âI wonder. How did I find out?â
YuWon smiled back in response to WoonCheonâs question, mockingly responding to his question with a question.This made WoonCheon grind his teeth and glare at YuWon.
âYou apparently have no fear. Do you not know whoâs backing meâŠ?â
WoonCheonâs eyes turned to Hargaan, and he was shocked.
âThat hair and eye colorâŠâ
Golden yellow hair and eyes. It was an uncommon appearance.
âHargaan?â
He knew Hargaanâs name. It wasnât all that strange that he knew. Hargaan was the son of Zeus, and he was a rookie that made quite a name for himself during this Tutorial. However, that wasnât the only reason why he knew who Hargaan wasâŠ
Tapâ
YuWon lightly hit Hargaanâs side from an angle that WoonCheon couldnât see. Hargaan tried to gauge YuWonâs action, and then he remembered what he had told him before coming in here.
âMake sure you respond properly.â
âRespondâŠâ Hargaan wondered, âIs this what YuWon meant?â
Hargaan raised his hand up high. And in a second, electricity started gathering in his hand.
Spark, vzzzztâ!
An electric attack, which radiated intense heat, formed in Hargaanâs hand.
After witnessing that, WoonCheon started mumbling, â⊠So itâs true.â There was rage in WoonCheonâs voice. âDid Olympus betray us?â
âWhat?â Hargaan was surprised by the unexpected question.
âSaying you were betrayed. Thatâs kind of harsh.â YuWon responded as if his feelings were actually hurt.
Hargaan turned his head and stared at YuWon. Meanwhile, YuWon walked towards WoonCheon in order to hide the look on Hargaanâs face.
âWe simply have a favor we want to ask.â
âA favor?â
âYouâre currently following Agamemnonâs orders, right?â
âThatâs right. So?â
WoonCheonâs answer made Hargaanâs expression turn sour.
Agamemnon. Hargaan wondered why that bastard had a connection to Jackals.
The confusion was hard for Hargaan to shake off. But before he could snap out of it, YuWon continued on.
âFor a little while now, the Ruler of the Skies seems to have an interest in the matters of the 1st Floor.â
âThe Ruler of the Skies⊠does?â
âYeah. And right on cue, his son has just finished the Tutorial.â
WoonCheon, who had a bitter face from thinking he was betrayed, now looked like he was filled with hope and expectations.
âHow much longer do you plan on acting as Agamemnonâs dog here on the 1st Floor? He doesnât even serve one of the âBig Three,â but a greenhorn that just became a High Ranker.â
âW-Well, thatâsâŠâ
âIf all this goes well, the Ruler of the Skies will start personally looking after you Jackals. And if you continue to do well, you guys might even obtain an important role in Olympus.â
âAn important roleâŠ?â
WoonCheon looked sold. The Ruler of the Skies had taken an interest in him. It was a far bigger deal than receiving orders from just Agamenon, one of Aresâs lackeys.
The Ruler of the Skies. The King of Olympus. Zeus.
Being in his good graces would mean that he would have nothing to fear in this Tower. WoonCheon nodded his head, having forged his resolve.
âWhat⊠is the favor, sir?â
WoonCheon started speaking more humbly. It was as if he fully trusted YuWonâs words, which was inevitable. Heâd been following Olympusâs orders up till now, and after seeing Hargaanâs electric attack, there was no way he wouldnât believe YuWon.
âHow many Jackals are there?â
âThereâs about a thousand of them.â
âGather them all by tomorrow night. Hereâs the location.â
YuWon took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and tossed it to him.
âHave them all there by midnight.â
âMidnightâŠâ
âDonât let Agamemnon or any of the guys on Aresâs side know. You can do that, right?â
WoonCheon nodded his head aggressively.
Takâ
YuWon tapped WoonCheonâs shoulder before turning around.
Hargaan and YuWon promptly left the store together, and Hargaan started growling at YuWon, âYou sure are good at name-dropping someone elseâs father.â
He turned his head and saw that Hargaan was genuinely pissed. It was honestly a wonder how he managed to hold his anger back.
âExplain yourself, and donât leave a single detail out.â
His voice sounded like a growling beast.
Spark, sparkâ
Because of how furious he was, a bit of electricity flowed out of Hargaanâs body. If he actually exploded in anger, this whole area would probably be blown to smithereens.
YuWon fully turned around and looked Hargaan directly in the eyes. He could tell that Hargaan was angry, but he wasnât the target of his anger.
âHe did a good job holding it back.â
YuWon knew that it was probably hard for him to hold back after Olympus was mentioned. He was a more patient guy than YuWon had first assumed.
âItâs as you heard.â
âYouâre telling me that Olympus is working together with the Jackals? You honestly expect me to believe that?â
âAnd what if you donât believe it?â
âThereâs no way. He must just be selling out Olympusâs name. Olympus isââ
âHargaan.â
YuWon stopped Hargaan.
âI donât know what kind of place you think Olympus is, but you need to take off your rose-tinted glassesâŠâ
Stepâ
YuWon turned around and started walking away.
â⊠And take a look at the true face of Olympus.â
ââŠâ
And like that, Hargaan was alone. He felt dazed.
ââ· Just thinking about how much more work I have now because of those bastards makes me want to go pull out Zeusâs beard right now.â
The relationship between Olympus and the Tutorialâs Administrator had soured. He had asked YuWon, but he avoided giving him an answer.
âDid Olympus betray us?â
He remembered how the King of the Jackals mentioned Olympusâs betrayal. It was something he would never have said if they didnât have some sort of connection to begin with.
Hargaanâs head ached, and he thought back to something YuWon had said.
âThe Olympus you know is probably a place thatâs righteous and uses its power to maintain order inside the Tower.â
That should be correct. Olympus was a guild that used its power to maintain order inside the Tower. He was taught that he should not stand by misdeeds and judge others that committed them.
YetâŠ
âIf you want to know everyoneâs true colors, you should slowly uncover it yourself. You wouldnât believe me even if I told you.â
Everything that had happened so far and the stories he had heard about Olympus, they came together like puzzle pieces, forming a picture. And that picture was not the Olympus that Hargaan knew.
What that wasâŠ
ââTrue colors,â he saidâŠâ
⊠Just might be the true Olympus.
Hargaan stood in place for a long time, dazed. His faith had been shaken.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator â NumbaWon
Proofreader â BringTheRayn
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://discord.gg/MaRegMFhRb
* * *
Time passed, and two days later, as the light from the ceiling faded, night set in.
Hargaan came to the promised location, looking for YuWon. He hadnât been able to reach him, so he was worried YuWon might not show up, but he was standing right at the outskirts of the central city, waiting for Hargaan.
âIf you were any later, I was going to leave without you.â
Hargaan had arrived with one minute to spare before the set time. He had cut it a little short, but he did show up in the end.
âHave you finished thinking it through?â
âI was born and raised in Olympus.â Hargaan started going on a tangent. âOlympus was my home and family. And my father was my hero.â
Of course thatâd be the case. Hargaan had spent his entire life growing up in Olympus, and itâd been less than a month since he was selected by the Tower to climb it.
âI donât have a lot of memories with my mother. I actually canât even really remember her face, but I remember her voice and something she told me.â
âAnd whatâs that?â
ââMy son, donât forget the pride of OlympusâŠââ
Hargaan trailed off, but from what he said, YuWon could tell what Olympus meant to him.
To Hargaan, Olympus was more than just a guild. Olympus was pride in itself.
âI took my time thinking it through,â Hargaan said, closing his eyes. âIf this was the right thing to do. Or if Iâd be betraying Olympus.â
All the thoughts heâd had over the past day rushed through Hargaanâs mind. His own creed and Olympus battled on a balance, and in the end, the scale tipped towards one side.
âAnd your conclusion is?â
Hargaan reopened his eyes after hearing YuWonâs question.
âWhether you are right or wrong, the Jackals need to be exterminated since they are the parasites of the 1st Floor.â
YuWon smiled faintly as Hargaan continued talking.
âAnd if thatâs an embarrassing secret of OlympusâŠâ
Hargaanâs eyes no longer looked shaken.
âIâll cut them out with my own hands.â
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