Chapter 132. Variable? (2)
“Are you serious?”
Despite Shimun’s subdued question, “Do you want to hear? Then sit down.”
Rin couldn’t help but reserve playersh her usual peculiar smile.
“…”
About ten seconds passed.
“Phew.”
Watching her like that, Shimun let out a short breath and took a seat.
If it were in his past life, he wouldn’t have believed this fox-like woman’s words in the first place.
‘But considering my current relationship with Rin, she has no reason to lie to me like this.’
She was a woman who had already thoroughly investigated herself. She must know how sensitive of a matter it is for her, having suffered the terrible catastrophe of being rendered powerless by the incident ten years ago.
Therefore, there was no reason for her to bring up such a story just to attract attention.
‘But what if it’s true….’
Powerless. Perhaps because it was an incident that had completely changed his life. Shimun felt his heart flutter after a long time. Rin, who was closely observing Shimun, seemed to deepen her eyes and the corners of her mouth even further.
“Your flushed appearance is quite pleasing to the eye. I even want to see a face more flushed with excitement,”
“Shall we just stand up?”
“Hoho! I’m just kidding. Just kidding.”
With Kim Shimun’s instant serious reaction, Rin gave a playful wink. But given the unusual situation, Kim Shimun only let out another short sigh and did not get up. Rin studied him a bit longer before speaking just as his patience was about to run out.
“As you know, I’ve been continuously investigating your background, Shimun.”
“I don’t think that’s something you should proudly declare.”
“So what? Between us?”
“What do you mean by ‘between us’? Sigh… So, what is it?”
Closing his eyes and swallowing his frustration, maybe because he was regaining his composure, joy never left Rin’s sparkling eyes.
“Before that, let me ask you. Kim Shimun, how much do you know about the incident ten years ago?”
Kim Shimun propped his chin and pondered for a moment. Then, he replied.
“The terrorist attack targeting the upper class by awakened individuals, where they used Arena’s poisons and items without restraint, further solidifying Desperado’s infamy.”
He answered without a hint of hesitation.
“Exactly, right? Desperado. Those unpredictable lunatics will do anything if the conditions are right. Really… anything.”
Rin murmured with a peculiar tone at the end. However, Shimun could tell.
‘Killing intent?’
Her peculiar tone contained a faint but definite sense of hatred and killing intent.
‘It seems she had some conflict with Desperado.’
It was unexpected. The Rin he knew was someone who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals. In some ways, she was similar to his uncle Kim Muyeol.
Thus, it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had ties with a villainous organization like Desperado. Instead, she was at odds with them?
Though curious, Shimun didn’t pry further. The reason was simple.
‘It has nothing to do with me.’
Whatever bad blood she had with Desperado was completely irrelevant to Kim Shimun. His relationship with Rin was strictly business.
‘And she really isn’t someone I want to get entangled with.’
At that moment, “Oh my~. Your eyes look oddly displeased?”
A nasally voice chimed in. Kim Shimun knew well that Rin’s lasciviousness increased when she was either scheming or annoyed.
“It’s a misunderstanding. By the way, why are you bringing up the incident from ten years ago?”
He quickly changed the subject.
“Hooh~.”
Despite knowing this, Rin just let out a prolonged nasal sound and raised one eyebrow. Instead of prying further, she answered.
“To be honest, I was extremely curious about how you developed your cure, Shimun-nim. The profits from the quantities distributed on our end are… really absurd.”
Kim Shimun nodded silently at her words.
‘Of course, as the owner of the black market, she would be curious.’
The black market operates on the notion that money can buy anything. True to its slogan,
Arena’s disease cure, which always sold out despite its high price, was certainly tempting. Naturally, she would want to have her own production line in addition to their transactions.
“I understand. So?”
“Retracing your past led me to the incident ten years ago. And I discovered something quite interesting.”
Whether it was genuinely amusing to her or not, Rin’s white teeth reserve playershed as she smiled. Her appearance was so photogenic that even Kim Shimun, who was accustomed to beauty, felt his heart race momentarily.
“That incident… wasn’t just a simple terrorist attack by some deranged villains.”
However, the content of her words wasn’t as pleasant.
—
『Commentator Song, the day has finally come!』
『Yes. I couldn’t even sleep properly waiting just for today.』
Guk-A, Korea’s largest Arena broadcasting channel. There was a heated excitement in the air. Naturally.
『Haha! I feel the same way. Isn’t today the final game determining Korea’s advancement to the main round?』
With Korea almost certain to be eliminated in the preliminary matches. Isn’t today the last chance to save Korea, the final game of the Platinum-rank special match?
“Isn’t it just us who feel that way? I think many viewers would have been eagerly waiting for today as well.”
“Indeed. Just by looking at the viewers’ reactions, it seems so.”
National Arena Matches. Whenever broadcasting Arena matches equivalent to that, Guk-A always kept the chat window open. This was not only the case for Korea but also for other countries’ Arena broadcasting stations.
Most international matches could not turn on the players’ personal broadcasts.
-I couldn’t even sleep properly.
-Kim Shimun, you brought me back to my younger days. I support you!
– I hope our team wins, but personally, I think this game will be tough.
-Our opponent is Germany,
-It’s the day of the game, and the chat is hilarious. Did you expect to win against Palestine?
-Many traitors here.
-Exactly. Who would have known that 8 players could defeat 30 players?
Could it be because it’s accessible through various media?
The current chat window of Guk-A was overflowing with an immense amount of chat without a blink of an eye.
“Wow! The chat reactions seem exceptionally heated today compared to yesterday?”
“It looks several times more than yesterday. Perhaps it’s because of the victory from yesterday.”
As the commentator Song Jaekyung mentioned. There were many more chats today compared to the special match against Palestine yesterday.
“I understand. We didn’t even expect to win against Palestine, did we?”
『That’s right. Even though it’s Kim Shimun, having 30 people against 8 was considered unreasonable at the time due to public opinion.』
8 against 30.
After the sudden mass expulsion of national representatives, public opinion regarding the Special Tournament was not favorable at all. As if Song Jaekyung didn’t want to reminisce about those times, he shuddered slightly.
“It’s still vivid. When the Palestine side added the option to limit the scope of activities.”
“Ah! I can’t forget the shock of that time.”
MC Choi Kangyup sighed in agreement with Song Jaekyung’s words. It wasn’t just a simple reaction for the broadcast, it was a genuine reaction.
“But we witnessed a miracle, didn’t we? Can’t we expect that miracle again this time?”
“Exactly. No matter how strong Germany may be, just think about Kim Shimun’s performance yesterday. Oh, the coaches of both teams are entering!”
Song Jaekyung’s commentary suddenly changed drastically. On the screen, two middle-aged men appeared. Just like in the previous Palestine match, they stood facing each other in front of the altar in the center of the room.
Then.
“We will select the region and event for the Special Tournament.”
A system window appeared above the altar like a hologram.
After a few seconds of waiting.
[The region for the Special Tournament has been chosen.]
[The region is ‘Abandoned Railway’.]
[The event is ‘Transportation Warfare’.]
New system windows popped up.
[Abandoned Railway…]
[Transportation Warfare?]
As soon as the two coaches confirmed the region and event.
[Selecting the role in the Transportation Warfare.]
Swoosh.
A sound similar to the effect of a special random box echoed along with a series of text. Moments later.
[The selection complete.]
[Korea has been chosen for defense.]
[Germany has been chosen for offense.]
After the roles in the Transportation Warfare were assigned and completed.
[I will use the option to add an additional participant.]
As if the German coach had been waiting. He casually took out the option to add an additional participant from his pocket and threw it towards where the system window was displayed.
Swoosh.
The option to add an additional participant disappeared as if melting away.
[I will use the option to add an additional participant.]
[The maximum number of players for the German team has increased.]
[Oh, adding an additional participant!]
Coach Jang Yoonseok’s mouth fell open in surprise.
* * *
[Um… Song-ssi, did I hear it wrong? It seems like the German side just chose to add an additional participant…]
[I’m bewildered as well… but you heard it correctly. It’s clearly stated as ‘add an additional participant’ on the system window.]
[Haha… Who would they add by choosing such an option?]
The two presenters of the national event showed a bewildered expression.
The viewers watching this were equally perplexed.
-Adding an additional participant? Are they out of their minds?
-Even if it’s 8 against 30, we have Kim Shimun here, so why worry?
-What a shock. Kim Shimun is unleashed, we should just be thankful and bow down.”What are you saying? Germany is one of the lower-tier countries? You can’t just choose that option without any thought.”
[Yeah, isn’t there some sharp trick to it?]
[Is that supposed to be impressive enough to give Kim Shimun a run for his money? Just adding one more reserve player?]
[Why add a reserve player when Palestine’s 30-man squad was swept away by just one individual, and it’s not even a diamond?]
The chat window was in chaos. With a lot of viewers, everyone had their own thoughts, but there were some common points. One being the question of why the number of participants had been increased if targeting Kim Shimun was already a challenge.
Then.
“The National Team Special Match begins.”
“The location is ‘Abandoned Railway,’ and the event is ‘Transportation War.'”
Despite the lack of any other notable sniper attacks, the special match began smoothly.
“….”
Kim Shimun’s stern face didn’t seem to relax easily. Was that why?
“Um… Kim Shimun-ssi, are you okay?”
“If you’re worried about the additional participants, don’t be. I can find out who they are.”
“That’s right. I have the A-rank stealth trait. Since the map is underground, I can find out enough!”
The Korean players, including Lee Sangmin, confidently put forward their words. It wasn’t just to ease Kim Shimun’s dark expression.
“Thanks to the victory in the last match, everyone received S-rank equipment loans from their guilds.”
“On top of that, even with rushed preparations, we’ve completed training for a 7-person tailored formation. We’ll at least give it our best shot!”
The players who received significant support from their respective guilds due to the victory against Palestine. Moreover, they had trained formations tailored for a small number of participants.
Of course, bridging the skill gap with top teams and the difference in the number of participants of 30 wouldn’t be easy. But the morale of the national team, having tasted victory once, was much higher than during the previous match against Palestine.
Kim Shimun nodded with a faint smile towards the team.
“We’re backed up well. Please take care of this match as well.”
However, Kim Shimun’s inner thoughts remained heavy. It wasn’t because of the sudden strategy of the German team choosing to add reserve players.
The issue of adding reserve players had been revealed just yesterday. Rin had informed everyone during dinner. She even mentioned who would be participating. The problem was.
‘The Continental….’
It was the truth behind the incident Rin had discovered ten years ago.
‘Yeah. I understand they were involved with the Continental Initiative. Even though they are those kinds of people, they have been supporting Desperado since that time.’
Desperado, the world’s largest villain organization. One of the factions that turned a blind eye to their activities was the Continental Initiative, isn’t it?
So when Rin mentioned the connection between the Continental Initiative and the incident ten years ago for the first time, Kim Shimun wasn’t surprised.
But it wasn’t the same for the person involved.
‘Chairman Lee Suncheol….’
Lee Suncheol. The chairman of the Holy Trinity Group, a figure who encompassed the top echelons of South Korea’s business world. Since the terrorism ten years ago had targeted South Korea’s upper class, he was also a victim of that attack.
But the fact that he was involved in that incident at the time?
Moreover.
‘Even Aunt Lee Yeonghee collapsed due to the aftermath of that terrorist attack….’
Why could Holy Trinity dominate South Korea even after appearing in Galaxy Arena?
Because of the effects of the terrorism, Lee Yeonghee, the founder of the present Holy Trinity, suffered a severe setback, didn’t she?
Not only her.
‘Si Hyeok, Lee Yujeong, if it weren’t for me back then….’
The daughter of the founder and the only granddaughter of Chairman Lee Suncheol, Lee Yujeong. And even his younger brother, Kim Shihyuk. If it hadn’t been himself back then, his two siblings would not have escaped unscathed from that terror either.
At the very least, they would have suffered from Arena Disease or similar disabilities. The artifacts from the Arena Mountain that the thugs detonated, along with the toxins, were nothing short of biochemical weapons.
“Wait a minute. Come to think of it… Only my aunt and I contracted Arena Disease during that incident, right?”
The opportunity of Awakening did not discriminate between commoners and the wealthy. There were quite a few upper-class Awakened individuals who were hit by the terror at the time.
Yet among them, only his aunt and himself were afflicted with Arena Disease. And it was only with severe conditions like magical impotence and circuit reversal. Back then, Shimun just thought they were unlucky.
“There’s something fishy.”
Having identified those involved, his thoughts changed. Thus deepened the sense of guilt in his psyche.
『A transport target has been generated.』
『Transport the target safely to the destination or eliminate all other players.』
The system window alerts him. Taking a light breath, Kim Shimun adjusts his collar.
“Let’s focus on the special mission for now.”
Since he had identified the people involved anyway. Yet he didn’t know exactly how they were implicated.
Clack.
Kim Shimun unholsters the Paracelsus cylinder on his left arm. Next.
Thud.
Three black, viscous shadows merge around the mineral cart created on the old tracks. Soon after, the air shatters like glass.
Crackle.
Growl!
Hell Hounds and Dark Grizzlies poured out, forming a pack.
“Oh!”
“They’re out!”
Despite their fierce appearances. The faces of the team representatives lit up with joy. Having seen how reliable these fierce monsters can be.
Thud.
Kim Shimun smiles as he pets the Hell Hound rubbing against his waist. As if it were the finest velvet. The pitch-black, soft fur tickles his hand.
“If we also had Fel Bats, that would be great, but flying-type monsters aren’t ideal in these underground conditions.”
Sighing with regret, Kim Shimun pats the Hell Hound’s head again before moving on.
『Zion Baal lets out a displeased groan ‘Umm…’.』
Suddenly, Baal’s made an unexpected comment.
Whooom.
An immense pressure crushes down on Kim Shimun’s entire body. It wasn’t only Kim Shimun who experienced this phenomenon.
Creak, screech!
The summoned creatures all shriek in unison. Then. Snap.
“Cough!”
Simultaneously with the sound of something breaking, blood gushed from Kim Shimun’s mouth. Kim Shimun was not exactly surprised by the sudden bleeding. Or rather, he couldn’t.
Because.
“Kim Shimun!”
“T-the monsters…!”
The monsters that had just been summoned were evaporating in real-time.