Chapter 1584: A New Normal (39) |
“A man claiming to be from Murim… has been discovered inside the Tutorial Dungeon,” the messenger said.
I unconsciously straightened up when I heard the messenger's report. I stared blankly at the unexpected visitor. Troops sent from the Republic's central government were pushing through the protesters without discrimination, so this news felt even more out of place.
I assumed he would just deliver a report on the situation and leave, but hearing the word "Murim" come out of nowhere caught me off guard. Naturally, Commander Jin also looked completely dumbfounded.
From the perspective of someone who desperately wanted to send me back home, it was nothing short of a bolt from the blue. I could see his expression twisting as he looked at me sitting upright.
"Wh-What exactly does that mean?" I asked.
"Wait. Once you're back home, I’ll investigate the details, and I'll send you a letter myself. There's a very high chance he's just some lunatic. People like that show up from time to time. So for today—"
"No, how am I supposed to go home after hearing that? You also know it, right? Recently…" I said, interrupting him.
"Since this happened in the Republic's Tutorial Dungeon, it isn't something you need to involve yourself in. So go back—"
"Why do you think it has nothing to do with me? The Democratic Country and the Republic are practically bound by fate now! You and I are bound by fate, too, Commander!" I interrupted him again.
"No. I can't," I said.
"Damn it! I said, get out!" he shouted.
"No, I told you I can't leave! How can I leave after hearing that news?!" I shouted back.
"Get out! Lee Ki-Young! Get out! Leave! Just go back already!" he yelled out.
'W-Why is this bastard so worked up?'
"Get out right now! This is enough!" he exclaimed.
"No, seriously, I can't leave! Not until I see it with my own eyes! You know that too, Commander!" I shouted.
'Isn't it damn obvious that I can't leave?'
If Benigoa hadn't casually blurted out that nonsense before, I would’ve laughed it off as someone roleplaying even harder than the Holy Sword Hero. Upon hearing Benigoa's words, however, I couldn't simply dismiss those words as the ramblings of a madman.
Hadn't she once gone on and on about some Heavenly Demon and Immortals before aggressively pushing for the idea of conquering some neighboring dimension?
Commander Jin probably heard plenty of Benigoa's not-so-nonsensical nonsense as well. He knew that the dimension Benigoa kept talking about conquering, the one inhabited by people called Murim Warriors who used supernatural martial arts and often fought among themselves, actually existed.
The idea of that dimension's existence seemed to bother him, but…
'The timing... is a little suspicious, isn't it?'
Right before the peace treaty with the Republic, I encountered the Hypnosis Guy, and just as I was trying to track down Lukifer's lackeys, something like this happened.
Of course, it could be a coincidence, but after living long enough, I learned that true coincidences rarely happen in this world. Naturally, I wondered whether there was some kind of connection.
Since those bastards had opened the hexagram gate and paved the way for the first life, it wouldn't be strange if a gate connected to another dimension existed within the Republic's Tutorial Dungeon. In other words... this wasn't just the Republic's problem.
'It's a problem for the entire continent...'
The fact that the messenger had delivered the news despite my presence suggested that someone even higher up than Commander Jin had tentatively decided to cooperate with the Democratic Country, or perhaps the Continental Protection Management Committee.
Sure enough, I heard a voice I felt like I hadn't heard in a very long time.
"Investigate the matter in cooperation with the Democratic Country. It’s the Chancellor's decision, Commander."
"..."
"..."
"It's been a long time, Saint of Sacrifice and Revival."
The person standing there was a woman dressed in a qipao. The whip coiled around her waist was undoubtedly her legendary weapon, Urd, the Whip That Punished the Goddess.
'I-iI's Xiaolin.'
The one with the unique habit, A Strangling Romantist, the youngest of the Republic's Five Tiger Generals, and one of the superhumans representing the continent. I met her once before at Castle Rock's black market. She looked more mature than before, and of course, she had gotten even stronger as well.
Of course, she was still nowhere near Jung Ha-Yan or Kim Hyun-Sung standing beside me, but it seemed that she hadn't neglected herself.
In truth, she wasn't exactly a resource I desperately needed at this point, but there was something undeniably alpha about her that made me want to get closer to her. Naturally, I had no intention of greeting her warmly with Jung Ha-Yan present.
Anyone could see that Jung Ha-Yan was staring directly at Xiaolin, and Xiaolin herself seemed somewhat burdened by the attention. She clearly recognized that the young mage standing before her was no longer the fledgling she once knew, but someone who had grown into a powerhouse capable of swallowing her whole.
She also seemed to realize that the black mage beside her was far from ordinary. If I had to guess, Han Sora was probably at least capable of matching her.
'Maybe she'd be at a slight disadvantage because they aren't really compatible.'
Even so, Xiaolin's unique aura gave me an urge to buy her a drink. If I had to describe it, she was similar to Hee-Ra noona—confident and composed. She had the unmistakable aura of someone born to be a predator.
Of course, if Hee-Ra noona was like a winged tiger, Xiaolin was closer to a wolf, but a wolf was still a predator.
Even while standing before three people who could snap her neck with a mere gesture, she subtly conveyed that her own fangs were still sharp. Naturally, after taking a deep breath, I said, "It's been a while."
She calmly replied, "Things seem to have changed a bit since then... but seeing you again brings back memories. Archmage, and... Sunset Swordsman... have you both been well?"
"..."
Jung Ha-Yan responded to the greeting with nothing more than a glare.
"Yes, it has been a long time," Kim Hyun-Sung replied, accepting her greeting with a nod. Although he clearly remained wary of her, knowing her personality, he seemed to be constantly reminding himself that she wasn't an enemy right now. If anything, Commander Jin appeared to dislike her even more than Kim Hyun-Sung did.
"..."
"..."
"What are you doing here?" asked Jin Cheong.
'He went straight to speaking informally. At this point, he's completely dropped the act, hasn't he? Our dear Commander.'
"What do you mean? You requested reinforcements from the central government. Normally, this wouldn't be my responsibility, but the Chancellor personally selected me. She didn't say it outright, but I think she's been paying close attention to this peace treaty.
"Maybe this is her way of showing how much importance she places on the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival. I was even given orders to prioritize your safety above all else. The ice user almost came with me, too..." she reported.
"..."
"Besides, someone has to clean up this mess, right? From what I've seen, there are a few Blue Guild members among the anti-treaty protesters. There are also people from organizations nobody can identify. Considering the size of the crowd, this is the point where proper control becomes necessary," she continued.
"..."
"I'd love to sit down and enjoy the mapo tofu you prepared, but I don't have the time right now. Ah! Of course, one of the biggest reasons I came here personally was to make sure everyone properly understands what the messenger has just reported," she added.
"What do you mean by that?" Commander Jin asked.
'Why do these two seem like they can't stand each other?'
"Exactly what I said. To help you understand it fully. I've met them myself. Two of them," Xiaolin answered.
"..."
"..."
"This isn't some nonsense being spouted by a bunch of lunatics, despite what you think, Commander. I guarantee they're different from the people who came from Earth. Their clothing, their behavior, their way of thinking, and even the level of power they possess. It was genuinely fascinating,” she said.
“...”
“I'm talking about martial arts. Internal energy seems to function differently from mana. The way they use it is different from us, and the methods they apply are different as well. Even the way they utilize weapons differs. Honestly, I think they could clear a Tutorial Dungeon with their eyes closed," she continued.
"They couldn't have been here for very long, yet you seem to know quite a lot about them," Commander Jin said.
"One of them... I killed personally," she said.
"..."
"..."
"Don't look at me like that. I didn't have a choice. He was completely insane. When the Tutorial Dungeon began, he slaughtered most of the people who were there. Apparently, he was notorious even in his own world for using an absorption art or something. Let's see... I think his title was Demon Lord Star Swallower? Maybe Bloodsucker? Demon of Absorption? Anyway... he wasn't exactly willing to cooperate," she explained.
"..."
"I tried my best to bring him under control, but in the end, that lunatic killed thirty-four Republic rookies taking care of the people who escaped the Tutorial Dungeon. That's why I had to be summoned in a hurry. I was having a wonderful time with my boyfriends, too... What a way to ruin the mood," she added.
'Those boyfriends probably thanked that Star-whatever guy.'
Kim Hyun-Sung and Commander Jin both looked genuinely shocked. Naturally, it wasn't because Xiaolin had casually mentioned her private life. The important part was that Xiaolin had killed the Star-whatever.
'Which means she couldn't subdue him...'
She couldn't capture him alive. Someone unwilling to submit and with unknown powers from an unknown world would be an irresistible test subject for people like us.
There would have been all kinds of interesting experiments to conduct and countless pieces of information to extract. Obviously, they were far more valuable alive than dead.
'And she's not stupid enough not to know that...'
She had to have tried her best to capture him alive. The fact that things hadn't gone according to plan meant only one thing. Anyone could see it.
'The guy was stronger than she had expected.'
For a different reason, I could understand why the Chancellor had ordered them to cooperate with the Continental Protection Management Committee and the Democratic Country.
From the continent's perspective, Earthlings with no power appearing from Tutorial Dungeons wasn't much of a problem, but if monsters capable of killing people with a mere wave of their hand started appearing in the Tutorial Dungeons, the tutorial would become a disaster.
If people like the so-called Demon Lord Star Swallower were to drop in by the dozens every quarter, keeping them under control would become impossible. If such incidents occurred across the entire continent at once, the situation could threaten the collapse of existing governments and institutions.
The Chancellor had probably been preparing for the worst-case scenario. Of course, she could have concealed their existence and used the opportunity to strengthen the Republic's power instead.
However, an era of peace was finally starting to take shape, so she likely had no desire to take such a dangerous gamble. Who could say for sure whether there wasn't a swordsman stronger than Kim Hyun-Sung in that dimension?
And what if that bastard was suddenly summoned here one day? What if he happened to be a complete monster and decided to turn this continent upside down? No amount of preparation would ever be enough.
Commander Jin seemed to have realized that the situation was taking a strange turn as well. Folding his arms, he muttered, "Is the other one still alive?"
"Yes. Maybe because that guy died by my hand, but he was surprisingly cooperative. He even gave me a fist-and-palm salute and thanked me for killing that Star-whatever guy. He even asked for my honored name and title.
"I think he'll behave, as he seemed to understand the situation he was in, and his character didn't seem bad at all, which makes sense. I looked into him a little, and it turns out he's a Daoist," she revealed.
"A Daoist?"
Xiaolin tapped her cheek thoughtfully before continuing, "Where did he say he was from again?"
"..."
"Ah! That's right. He said he came from the Mount Hua Sect in Shaanxi Province," she said.
