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Chapter 86: Star, The Phantom (3)

“I did hear they had arrived…”

“Their energy is certainly intense.”

“The newbies are standing behind them, right?”

“What? They’re newbies…? Impossible! They look better than most veterans from small and medium Clans.”

“Haven’t you heard? Although they’re overshadowed by the Tyrant, the White Tiger Clan’s trainees this year are insanely good, so people have been talking about them a lot.”

“Whoa…!”

As people looked at the White Tiger Clan’s Players, they murmured with envy. Having five Raid Teams was already splendid, but the new trainees were also a force to be reckoned with, making people think it would be difficult for other Clans to take away the White Tiger Clan’s title of ‘Best Clan in Korea’.

‘Urgh, I’m so nervous,’ Shin Geum-Gyu thought, unwittingly clenching his teeth, perhaps because of all the attention on him. He was used to staying in quiet places where people paid him little heed, which meant all the attention left him unsettled.

‘How in the world can Eun-Seo stay so calm?!’?Geum-Gyu thought enviously as he watched his twin sister, Shin Eun-Seo, walking forward confidently with her chin held high.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ yells angrily, instructing you to walk with a straight back, as you are his magic disciple!]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ says he is going to smack you in the back of your head with his tail if you do not hold your shoulders back!]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ pressures you to open your eyes wide and not remain timid!]

…

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ pounds the ground with his tail, wanting you to walk more confidently!]

…

‘Arrrgh…’?Geum-Gyu groaned, as the deity’s angry messages distressed him most of all.

Due to Chang-Sun’s considerate gesture, Geum-Gyu had accepted the deity’s quest. However, over the past five days, he had needed to rack his brains non-stop to finish the homework given by the deity; he was busy learning the [Uroboros\' Structural Formula], which Chang-Sun had told him about.

To be honest, the lesson was so difficult that Geum-Gyu had wondered multiple times if he would be able to properly learn it. However, his desperation, rooted in his wish to not miss the opportunity provided by Chang-Sun, kept him from giving up.

Eventually, Geum-Gyu successfully obtained the results he wanted so desperately, and that outcome was naturally sweet.

[Guardian: World-Encircling Serpent]

The ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ had not only accepted Geum-Gyu as his disciple, but also given him the rather high position of ‘Novice Priest’.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ grumbles that he cannot figure out how such a timid man as you could be good at black magic.]

J?rmungandr was dumbstruck to see Geum-Gyu’s condition. In truth, he had seen talent in Geum-Gyu, but that talent was not innate, making him worry that Geum-Gyu would not necessarily be able to get used to the [Uroboros\' Structural Formula].

Black magic was the study of bringing the irrational and unknown into reality, breaking the bounds of ordinary magic; that meant most of its spells were very belligerent and destructive. Sometimes, practitioners broke human laws while using black magic, and thus black wizards were often ostracized. The characteristics of black magic were completely unlike Geum-Gyu’s faint-hearted nature.

In contrast to J?rmungandr’s expectations, however, Geum-Gyu had deciphered and understood the [Uroboros\' Structural Formula] as soon as he saw it, even though he had complained about having a headache. He had even looked as comfortable with learning the formula as if he were putting on his own clothes, which meant he had great talent.

Geum-Gyu was unaware of it, but the genius scholars who followed J?rmungandr normally needed at least half a year to understand it. …Considering that fact, the way he had instantly comprehended the [Uroboros\' Structural Formula] was ridiculous.

That was why J?rmungandr was incredibly frustrated. He had discovered a talent who was worthy of consideration as his apostle, despite not quite being as good as Chang-Sun, but that talent was just too faint-hearted.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ warns you that he will eat you up, starting from your head, if you do not pull yourself together!]

“I-I’m sorry!” Geum-Gyu shouted.

It seemed J?rmungandr would need to spend a long time to toughen up his pigeon-hearted disciple.

* * *

Geum-Gyu was not the only one who was nervous; most of the trainees were the same. They had been relatively safe in the training institute, as the instructors had been deployed everywhere, but from now on, they could not ask for such protection, making their mouths dry up and their hands sweat.

Most of them had already heard the stories of the infamous Highoff Clan. Those demonic beings treated murder like a game. The fact that they were about to go and fight against such demonic beings made them incredibly tense.

“Why are you so nervous? Are you worried about facing demonic beings?” Chang-Sun asked as he saw Baek Gyeo-Ul, who was also frozen in place.

Chang-Sun and Gyeo-Ul were far away from the other trainees, walking with the group that followed Executive Director Oh. Chang-Sun found himself smiling dumbfoundedly when he saw Gyeo-Ul walking like a robot. Over the past five days, Chang-Sun had trained Gyeo-Ul in order for him to get used to actual combat, but it seemed Gyeo-Ul was still overwhelmed by the fact that he was about to enter a real battle.

“No, that’s not the reason,” Gyeo-Ul said, calmly shaking his head, despite Chang-Sun’s expectations.

“Then?” Chang-Sun asked, tilting his head.

“I’m worried about disgracing you by making a mistake,” Gyeo-Ul quietly said.

Chang-Sun’s eyes widened upon hearing the unexpected answer, and he soon chuckled. In truth, Gyeo-Ul was supposed to be standing next to the other trainees just like Geum-Gyu and Eun-Seo. However, Chang-Sun had made a request to Executive Director Oh to allow him to be there.

“Please let me stay together with the guy who came here with me,” Chang-Sun said.?

Executive Director Oh had readily granted Chang-Sun’s request as a show of support. It seemed he had no trouble placing Gyeo-Ul next to Chang-Sun, as he had seen Gyeo-Ul’s training institute score. Thanks to Executive Director Oh, Gyeo-Ul had also joined the Future Strategy Department.

“I appreciate the thought, but don’t be too nervous. Nervousness sharpens your senses, but too much of it can dull your rational judgment,” Chang-Sun advised him.

“…Yes, hyung-nim,” Gyeo-Ul said, nodding in agreement. However, he still found himself unable to loosen up. It seemed he needed more time to relax completely.

‘Anyway, there are quite a few people,’ Chang-Sun thought, squinting as he scanned his surroundings.

The White Tiger Clan had sent three teams of Players, created by recruiting fifty Players from each of the Raid Teams—Team 1, Team 2, and Team 4. There were almost four hundred people, counting the Future Strategy Department Players and the trainees.

Other Clans had sent dozens up to hundreds of Players. In particular, the Sword of Ohsung Clan had left only essential personnel in their office and sent all their forces to the Dungeon. There were over two thousand Players in the area, including the Council agents. It was no exaggeration to say almost all of Korea’s major Players had gathered in the Dungeon.

Of course, only a few famous figures, such as Sword Sky Tiger Munseong, had joined the expedition; still, it was no everyday sight to see such a force assembling to hunt demonic beings.

‘The media has broadcasted a lot about the?Highoff?remnants, and there will be many people going after the [Everlasting Ice Crystal],’?Chang-Sun thought.

The public had raised many questions about what the other Clans had done while the Highoff Clan committed so many sins, which meant the Clans had to pay close attention to the issue. On top of that, many people were greedy like Choi Hyeong-Gil, hoping for the possibility of obtaining the crystal to come true. In fact, Executive Director Oh had pulled Chang-Sun aside and given him a certain instruction.

“Our Clan will work in two ways. The Raid Teams and trainees will be responsible for taking care of the?Highoff?small fries and assassinating the executives. Meanwhile, the Future Strategy Department is going to search the Highoff Clan’s hideout. Bring everything that looks valuable from there.”?

The ‘valuables’ list included not only the [Everlasting Ice Crystal], but also any evidence that could possibly link the White Tiger Clan to the Highoff Clan. While the Raid Teams ran around in the light, the Future Strategy Department would move quietly in the shadows. The White Tiger Clan’s maxim had struck again.

‘This is for the best. I was wondering how to approach the Highoff Clan leader without getting detected by Executive Director Oh, but I don’t have to now,’?Chang-Sun thought with a shrug.

The Future Strategy Department Players could move as they pleased, which meant nothing could interfere with Chang-Sun.

‘What’s going on?’?Chang-Sun thought, belatedly noticing a man shooting him a death glare.

The man was Future Strategy Department Head Shim Geon-Ho, Executive Director Oh’s loyal servant. He growled, “Get your act together and do well on this mission. If you disgrace me and Executive Director Oh, I’ll teach you a lesson.”

‘Here we go again,’?

Chang-Sun thought.

It didn’t matter whether he was in Arcadia or Earth; people who wanted to mark their territory existed everywhere, unable to stand outsiders. The more ‘elitism’ a group had, the more exclusive it was. Unlike the other Raid Teams, which had wanted Chang-Sun as their team member, the Future Strategy Department members had blatantly revealed their displeasure when they first heard the announcement that Chang-Sun was joining their department.

They had simply been unable to object because the announcement came from Executive Director Oh himself, but they were still displeased with Chang-Sun. Most of them were veteran Players who had worked in the White Tiger Clan for at least ten years. They had joined the Future Strategy Department with great difficulty by making significant contributions to the Clan; thus, to them, Chang-Sun and Gyeo-Ul looked like people who had easily joined the department using the media spotlight they had received.

As if he were speaking for the department members, Department Head Geon-Ho also looked displeased with Chang-Sun. At that moment, Gyeo-Ul got angry and was about to step forward, but Chang-Sun held out a hand and stopped him.

“Department Head, will the rookies understand your order?”

“He’s right. Asking the greenhorns who didn’t even properly finish the initiation to do well… That’s a tall order.”

“Don’t scare them too much. They might piss their pants.”

“You’re right. Mwahahahaha!”

The Future Strategy Department members tried to create a hostile atmosphere to discourage Chang-Sun and Gyeo-Ul, but they acted so overtly childish they merely made Chang-Sun laugh quietly.

“You’re laughing? You must have lost your mind, rookie. Can’t you read the air?” one of the Players spat as he stepped forward and tightly grabbed Chang-Sun’s collar. Many people turned to look at them, but he did not seem to care.

Geon-Ho merely stayed still and watched, crossing his arms with no intention of interfering. Along with other Clan Players, the White Tiger Clan Raid Team members reacted the same way—no, more than that, they watched the Future Strategy Department’s internal dispute with deep interest. It looked as if the Player’s plan was to embarrass Chang-Sun in front of the crowd.

Remaining expressionless, Chang-Sun looked down at the Player’s hand and saw his nametag, which read ‘Future Strategy Department Gang Woo-Chan’. Chang-Sun demanded, “Get your hands off me.”

“Or what? What are you going… Arghhhh!” Woo-Chan had to stop speaking, screaming in pain as his hand, which had been holding onto Chang-Sun’s collar, was twisted into a wrist lock.

Crack!

The other members had not expected Chang-Sun to twist Woo-Chan’s arm in front of the crowd, and their eyes widened in shock. Geon-Ho had to uncross his arms, as the situation was turning serious.

“You bastard…!” Woo-Chan roared in anger at being abruptly attacked, as all he had tried to do was discourage Chang-Sun, the first new member to join in a long time.

However, he was unable to back down because too many people were watching now. Only the strong survived among Players, which meant one loss could lead to the end of their career. Thus, Woo-Chan clenched his uninjured hand and threw a punch.

“Gang Woo-Chan!” Geon-Ho hurriedly called out after noticing how Woo-Chan had infused mana into the punch, but Woo-Chan had long since snapped.

Paah!

However, the punch flew through empty air; Chang-Sun, who had been standing still just moments before, had suddenly disappeared.

“W-What…?” Woo-Chan stuttered, perplexed.

“Behind you!” one of his colleagues shouted.

Woo-Chan belatedly turned to look behind him. However, Chang-Sun had already gotten in position and reached out a hand. At that moment, Woo-Chan saw a giant tiger fiercely charging toward him.

[The State ‘Fierce Tiger’ has been applied.]

[The Additional Skill ‘Fierce Tiger Unleashed’ has been activated, raging against the opponent!]

Boom!