◈ Episode 540. For You

AAU Korea Branch.

“This is going to be a shitty situation. Hehe.”

The branch manager.

The corner of Park Minjae’s mouth curled up.

Sung Hyunjoon, the youngest of the group, ate his first bite.

He shut his mouth quietly.

‘It’s tiring when you get caught doing that.’

Park Minjae spat out a series of hollow laughs like a man who had lost his mind.

But no one thought he was actually crazy.

The situation was bad enough.

“Huh.”

Yoon sighed and took off his glasses.

“This emergency update makes sense.

“What? What do you mean, Senior?”

The Arcana Continent was overrun by demons long ago.

And it was a reality that was on the verge of being overrun.

A civil war that would surely cause another conflict in such a situation?

For that reason alone.

It was sure to be criticized on a global scale.

And it was YUSRA General Manager Lee Hoyeol.

“The most widespread religion on the Arcana Continent, but that’s the story of the Arcana Continent. In the real world, who would choose to side with the Goddess Church? Are you crazy enough to make such a choice?”

It was blunt, but he wasn’t wrong.

Europe, Guyver’s homeland.

Even the EU had drawn a line in the sand with Guyver’s Bohemian Guild.

But.

“The Goddess Church and Guyver had a point.”

Things changed with the emergency update.

“You cut off contact as if you were waiting for this? Hehehe.”

Park Minjae muttered to himself.

The EU branch has turned around.

Of course, I wouldn’t say they’ve completely turned around yet.

At least I could say that they were looking at the liver.

In that sense, it was a relief.

Sung patted his chest.

“……Senior, I never thought I’d be thankful for Brexit.”

“Brexit? What’s with the UK all of a sudden?”

“No, just think of it as Branch Manager Baker stabbing us in the back……! I think even that good man can change his face when the national interest is at stake, so there’s not a single person in the world who can be trusted……!”

Yoon Soogyeom laughed bloodily.

“Don’t make a big deal out of something that didn’t happen.”

Of course, his insides were burning.

‘It was all just a bunch of bullshit.’

The reason the Goddess Church and Guyver had rebelled was simple.

A Goddess of the Arcana Continent whose existence was unknown.

Furthermore, the goddess’s revelations were of unknown authenticity.

‘But…….’

The system message, which never lies, announced. The Pantheon, the home of the gods, has been reopened, and as a testament to their faith, players who serve the gods have had their stats greatly increased.

As if that weren’t enough.

‘The goddess herself has appeared through a saintess.’

Yoon Soogyeom suddenly spoke up.

“Hyunjoon, do you have a religion?”

“Religion all of a sudden? I have one, but I don’t really believe in it.”

Sung Hyunjoon was forced to choose religion by his family.

In response, Yoon Soogyeom adjusted his glasses.

He made eye contact with Sung.

“So, do you believe that the god you believe in exists?”

“That’s……. if I believed in it, wouldn’t I believe in it more ‘properly’?”

Why, there’s a word for unbelief hell…….

Sung muttered.

He suddenly realized the intent of the question.

“No way, is that what they’re causing all this commotion?!”

“I think so.”

“Holy shit, ……!”

A system message that doesn’t lie.

The message said that Gods exists.

What it meant was simple.

“The Goddess Church, Guyver, and the Clerics are trying to prove their faith in the face of their god, who is clearly alive, omnipotent, and real.”

“Hahaha…….”

Sung spat out an involuntary chuckle.

Thanks to him, Park Minjae, who had been laughing incessantly.

His feelings were obvious.

“Then what should we do, senior?”

Over the years, there have been many forces that have tried to keep Yusra General Manager Lee Hoyeol in check. From the Japanese government to Liu Zunqun’s Heavenly Unity, and most recently, Lox.

But how did they all end up?

They didn’t stand a chance against Lee Hoyeol.

The only difference between them was their shuffling feet.

Sung Hyunjoon watched the whole process.

But.

He was shaken.

“If it was just Guyver, the Goddess Church, and the players associated with him, it would have been a different story. ……. I’m sure everyone would have been surprised at first.”

Even if the Goddess Church was the return of a real saintess. Considering what Yusra General Manager Lee Hoyeol has shown so far, it’s not the least bit concerning.

But there was a twist.

The God of the Arcana Continent.

A huge variable that even they couldn’t guess.

“Even the goddess herself is fighting, isn’t that too much to ask?”

What did the general manager do so wrong…….

It was a moment when Sung Hyun-oon was trying to cut the minutes.

“Yeah, it’s too much, right?”

“……?”

“You’re such an asshole, that asshole.”

Park Minjae, not Yoon Soogyeom, replied.

At first, I wondered if our branch manager had really lost his temper.

His voice sounded more lighthearted than serious.

After a moment of doubt, Park Minjae jumped to his feet.

“I’ve asked myself hundreds of times, thousands of times, what kind of an asshole is he? What an asshole. Sometimes I feel like a good guy, sometimes I feel like a bad guy, and sometimes I feel like a weird guy.”

“…….”

Silence.

The meaning of the silence was simple.

I thought it was Park’s self-reflection.

But the “asshole” here was not Park Minjae, not himself.

“But with this urgent update, I’m convinced.”

“……?”

“That asshole, Raymon Sean.”

That’s right.

The former Cosmo mad dog still hasn’t let go of the target he once bit.

Park smiled as if he’d finally solved a long, long homework assignment.

“You all remember, right? The first balance patch after the Cataclysm.”

The first balance patch.

It was the event that erased the existence of all demon kings except for the high-ranking demon kings the Ten Thrones. Park Minjae’s words made me realize his intentions.

“Are you saying that it’s possible that Raymon Sean was involved this time as well?”

“Not just possible, but certain.”

“Still, don’t you think it’s too soon to be certain? It’s an emergency update, and hasn’t it been established that emergency updates are beyond Raymon’s control?”

“Exactly. What if he simply opened a door, not actively intervened?”

“If it’s a door……?”

“Of course it’s the gate to the Pantheon.”

“……!!!”

Then the sequence of events made sense.

“Guyver, the Goddess Church, and the Pantheon. Add Raymon Sean to the mix.”

So there was no reason to worry.

“The will of the gods, whatever. They’re nothing but enemies of humanity now that they’ve joined forces with Raymon Sean, the cause of the cataclysm. The gods of the Arcana Continent are just as complicit with Raymon Sean, that asshole. Is it blasphemy to say so?”

Park Minjae’s words had no second thoughts.

It had to be.

The Crystal Hall of the Magic Tower.

General Manager Lee Hoyeol’s words still ring in his ears.

-“I’m going to hell sooner or later.”

Park Minjae clenched his fists tightly.

Yeah, that’s what I believe.

It’s not just ‘God’.

It’s ‘you’, Lee Hoyeol.

I don’t want to disappoint you.

Soon, Park Minjae moved away.

With just one last word.

“If you’re going to blaspheme the gods, shouldn’t you do it properly?”

Park Minjae straightened his clothes.

“They’re the first to speak of the ‘infinitely deep darkness,’ so why should we stand idly by? We should expose the nakedness of the self-proclaimed gods!”

*

Dalgdak.

The pieces of the Sixth Sight Brooch click together.

‘I’m rather proud of myself.’

Compare that to when I shamelessly ripped the first piece from the Magic Tower. Since we have our own form of the Sixth Sight Brooch, doesn’t that mean we’ve grown as well, Grandfell?

seug.

Of course, we’ve still got the habit of tidying up our clothes from time to time.

Before I could see the effect of that…….

I thought of Diend once more.

‘There’s definitely something about the Sixth Sight Brooch.

The location of the Sixth Sight Brooch?

I already had information about it in my head.

The past, when I was busy scrambling.

Thanks to the frugality of Lee Hoyeol, I, who never wasted anything.

[Map to All Things]

[Rating: Epic]

[Restriction : None]

[Effect : You can know the location of something hidden somewhere, hidden by someone, lost by someone, hidden somewhere. You can also teleport to the location of something once.

However, all effects are immediately lost when the teleportation effect is triggered].

[Description: A magic tool with endless possibilities depending on how you use it].

Triggers a teleportation effect.

The Map to All Things had evaporated and was no longer in my hand, but I had used the effect to pinpoint the location of the remaining Sixth Sight Brooch. Based on that specific location, I had asked Diend to retrieve the Sixth Sight Brooch.

‘There was no harvest at all.’

Diend said, with a hint of exasperation.

-“My apologies, my lord! I found the place you described, but only a faint trace of the black magic remained. Feel free to punish me as much as you wish for my ugliness……!”

……Let’s skip the burdensome apology that followed.

‘The important thing is that the brooch was moved.’

Either by someone.

Whether it moved on its own.

No one knows exactly why, but it’s been moved so far that the greatest Diend can’t find it. Would it make sense to say that it fled all over the Arcana continent?

‘That was too much.’

It was a six-sight brooch that I wore every time I trimmed my clothes.

How could I not have thought of fitting the rest of the pieces together, especially after I ascended to the Tenth Throne and gained access to a greater level of magic, scattering magic across the Arcana continent?

‘I just didn’t detect it.’

Well, if it was in Hell, it makes sense.

Anyway, I feel like my long and fruitless efforts have been rewarded.

I tore my gaze away from the Six Sight Brooch, vaguely shaped like a star.

“Aaah, poor Grandfell…….”

You’re not done yet, are you, that emotional line?

Embarrassingly.

I can’t have you all looking at me wistfully as I wear the brooch, people.

‘I have nothing but my mouth, but I’m going to wear it anyway…….’

But give and take.

I parted my lips, not forgetting the formality.

“I will not forget your favor.”

The wraiths twitched their heads.

“It is rightfully yours.”

If only it were like it used to be.

I might have been happy to have gotten it. But hadn’t I, after all, tracked down the Sixth Sight Brooch and realized that it was no ordinary item?

So I asked.

“I’ll ask.”

“I will answer all of them.”

“Why have you hidden the brooch from me?”

“……!!!”

In a spontaneous Grandfell manner.

‘Dude, if anyone hears this, they’ll think it’s really yours.’

I recalled the sources of the brooch fragments I had in my possession: one was an Imperial tribute to Magic Tower, and the other was tightly hidden in the Rift of the London Dungeon [City of Gloomy Rain].

‘I suppose they were hidden in hell, just like that.’

But.

You ask that like it’s an interrogation, man.

I was stunned by Grandfell’s tone.

The wraiths spoke up.

“Thats……. because we didn’t want the young lord to find it.”

……?

What, that answer.

You really did hide it?!

‘……for real, not just an illusion?’

It wasn’t the mood that made me feel like I was running away again whenever I got too close? I’d suspected it ever since the Empire gifted it to the Magic Tower, and the carving alone was extraordinary.

What secret is hidden in this brooch?

I, Lee Hoyeol.

I smell something unusual.

I wanted to probe further.

“I see.”

Oh, you’re so generous at times like this, aren’t you?

This time, Grandfell’s way of speaking is clear……!

Grandfell dismissed the conversation with a nod.

Indeed, the wraiths are thrilled by your pretense.

‘Not in the mood for questions.’

Forget it, what’s the point of bemoaning your lot?

‘You must have packed your things. Let’s move on to the next gate.’

I looked at Lorenzik, Elsidor, and Kinver.

They stopped walking at my gesture.

I quickly grabbed the doorknob.

‘Hell Village, what’s next?’

The quest promised a grand welcome for honored guests, from small villages to royal palaces, so I was expecting a field a little bigger than Hell Village.

It was a head-scratching moment.

“Please be safe, my young lord…….”

I wonder what he’s waiting for, what he’s so worried about.

My anxiety was welling up, but I didn’t show it.

I glared back and opened the door.

[You’ve found the second gate of Hell].

.

And I soon realized the will of the wraiths.

[You have entered Gate 2 of Hell, ‘Nightmare Outpost’].

Horrifying.

The two gatekeepers are intimidating to look at.

They emit murderous energy toward me and my companions.

[The gaze of the Guardian of Hell sweeps over your sins].

‘Not monsters.’

I wonder if there are rules to this game.

They didn’t have levels or spawn prompts.

Just a bland warning.

[※Warning: You are not dead].

If they turn out to be hostile.

I don’t think we’ll be able to do much about it.

But who is our Grandfell?

Ttogag.

……Truly, I wish I could reverse this step.

But I have no choice but to move forward.

Soon, the gazes of the two evil spirits looked at me.

And my doubts only grew stronger.

……Sreung.

The two gatekeepers opened the way.

Seeing me.

Or, more accurately, my Sixth Sight Brooch.

[The Guardian of Hell grants you entry, living one].

A brooch that makes even the transcendent rules of Hell bend.

What the hell……?

There’s a story behind the brooch.

‘Be honest this time, Grandfell.’

This one.

You knew it was no ordinary item from the start.

You knew that, didn’t you?

“Yes.”

Grandfell says slowly at my prodding.

“I knew all along.”

……You, you just keep getting more and more shameless, don’t you?!