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Join the ServerMeanwhile, Yisaein pulled out the wet wipes she had brought and cleaned her face, hands, and every visible spot. She shook the dirt and twigs out of her hair, tied it back neatly, and quickly looked presentable.
That was when Dokyeom finally spoke. Yisaein had just finished putting the wipes back into her inventory.
“From now on, what I say is just speculation, so don’t take it as absolute truth. It’s just my personal opinion, and it could be wrong.”
In the original story, this gate was introduced as a place that could not be ‘cleared’ through conventional methods.
Was it really because Ellen had no methods to clear this gate? No. He was smarter than Dokyeom and would have tried every approach.
Sometimes he killed the ‘Authority,’ or killed ‘Eomdongi’s mother,’ or even killed everyone inside the gate, and tried using tricks, deception, and sowing discord to produce various results. Yet he was always driven out, which means none of those results could change the ‘Authority’s’ mind.
Why? Because the ‘Authority’ itself wished to live here forever.
“Probably the only way to leave here is whether we can persuade the ‘Authority’ or not. So we have to convince the ‘Authority’ to leave this gate.”
The only key to clearing the gate was to make the ‘Authority’ leave of its own accord. To do that, they first had to make it understand that it had to let go of its attachment to this place.
They had to show it something more valuable than the current Eomdongi and persuade it. But was there really such a thing? To the ‘Authority,’ Eomdongi was its entire world.
“Wait a minute, Han Dokyeom. So you’re saying we have to persuade that tiger bastard? They love each other to death, do you think they’ll listen to us?”
“Uh… rather than that, isn’t persuasion… impossible? If we’re not eaten on sight, that would be lucky…”
Both Yisaein and Baek Jiwun frowned and quietly looked outside the door. That was where Eomdongi was likely to be.
Persuasion wouldn’t be easy, but after thinking all night, he had narrowed it down to the most likely answer. The problem was whether others would accept it.
“There is one method.”
“You’re about to say something weird again, aren’t you… No, I need to be able to trust you, hyung.”
Maybe it was because Baek Jiwun’s expression was full of doubt, but the others who had been silent also had suspicious looks.
[The demon ‘Orias’ of the ‘Lemegeton’ clears its throat and advises you not to do anything unnecessary.]
Dokyeom quietly stared at the words floating in the air.
Last night, it wasn’t just Agon and Beom Yeonhu who returned. Orias had also come back after a long absence and returned to Dokyeom’s side. It seemed unable to send many messages, probably still under the watchful eyes of the ‘Administrators,’ but it was steadily emitting its presence.
‘He must have visited Taeseongyeon.’
Taeseongyeon was likely having his own struggles there. If what Dokyeom saw in his dream was true, it might be even worse. That was why Dokyeom had no intention of cutting corners to get out.
Ju Uiryeong would throw everything he had to obtain this ‘Authority.’ The benefits of this ‘Authority’ were not simple. The remaining ‘Authority of Pride’ and ‘Authority of Sloth.’
Among them, the location of the ‘Authority of Sloth’ was known only to Cheongi, the ‘Authority of Greed.’ Apart from the information coming from his mouth, no one could pinpoint the location of the ‘Authority of Sloth.’
Even if not, Ju Uiryeong had already missed too many opportunities, and he would surely try to make up for it with this matter.
Therefore, he would use all kinds of dirty tricks to obtain the ‘Authority,’ and during that process, Dokyeom might have to step back. To obtain the ‘Authority of Pride’ that Taeseongyeon wanted, it was necessary to obtain the ‘Authority of Greed,’ but it didn’t have to be Dokyeom. As long as someone within sight possessed it.
If you add the ‘Authority of Lust’ that Taeseongyeon promised to deliver to Dokyeom, it seemed inappropriate for Dokyeom to manage any more ‘Authorities.’ It was beyond his capacity.
Therefore, this ‘Authority’ might end up in Ju Uiryeong’s hands depending on the situation. But a temporary ‘parasitism’ would be welcome.
The story Dokyeom was about to tell was also a plan that included all of that. His lips, which had been trembling, soon opened.
***
For two days, he shivered outside, fighting against the cold. It wasn’t as cold as the snowy mountain, but his body, accustomed to Seoul’s sweltering heat, trembled in this unfamiliar chill and complained in pain.
“Why hasn’t Jihyun contacted me…”
Ju Uiryeong blew on his cold hands and stared at the thatched house visible through the branches. He had crouched on the cliff for two nights, shivering. Whenever smoke rose from the chimney, he thought of Han Dokyeom warming himself inside and gritted his teeth.
After two days of hiding and observing, Han Dokyeom rarely came out of the house. Except for occasional trips to the kitchen or to wash, he never left the room.
The others came out often to help Eomdongi, chopping wood, sweeping the yard, doing chores, but only Han Dokyeom stayed in his room like a dead man, hiding his presence.
“…He definitely said he was sick.”
What was wrong with him? When they entered the gate, there was no sign of it. He recalled Dokyeom’s neat appearance, but still couldn’t find anything that looked sick. He had said it was a life-threatening condition… Maybe he had been attacked by a monster on the way here?
His thoughts were cut short as someone opened the door of the thatched house he was watching. He immediately lowered himself and focused his gaze.
It was a man with a bear-like build, Eomdongi. He stepped down from the wooden floor, put on his shoes, and immediately crossed the yard. He picked up the ax placed near the entrance and began chopping wood in front of the shed where firewood was stored.
Thwack!
Soon, others came out of the thatched house. It was Beom Yeonhu and Baek Jiwun.
Perhaps concerned about Eomdongi working alone, they stepped in to help. Beom Yeonhu joined in chopping wood, while Baek Jiwun moved around the yard, sweeping snow, lighting the stove, and going back and forth between the shed and the kitchen.
‘Look at them, living the good life, huh.’
Unlike the Uhwa Guild, all of their party was already gathered in one place. Even though it was unclear when they would act, the whereabouts of Geon Ita and Kang Taesan were still unknown.
Even if Kang Taesan was an exception, the possibility of Geon Ita moving alone couldn’t be ruled out. Geon Ita, who was quite cooperative at first, had become distant and indifferent at some point.
Ju Uiryeong guessed that it started from their first meeting with Han Dokyeom. Before that, except for very bad days, Geon Ita had never pushed him away or acted on his own.
But now, he seemed to be distancing himself from Ju Uiryeong in order to turn his back.
‘If I had known this would happen, I would have sought out the Media Guild.’
Ju Uiryeong clicked his tongue in regret. Then he heard footsteps from behind. Startled, he quickly turned around and met the gaze of Lee Jihyun, who was approaching, brushing snow off her body. The moment he saw her, his racing heart calmed down. He hurriedly approached and asked about the progress of the task he had assigned her.
“Jihyun, how did it go? Did you complete what I asked? What about the location? Did you find it?”
Lee Jihyun handed him a piece of paper she had kept in her bosom. He quickly unfolded it and saw coordinates written on it. Ju Uiryeong’s face lit up.
“How about the village?”
“I had two people ask in front of others, but they didn’t budge? They’re all cowards.”
Lee Jihyun clicked her tongue with a displeased expression and then subtly jerked her chin backward. There, an animal with blood around its mouth stood unnaturally. Its eyes were rolled back white, and its skin sagged, looking grotesque as if held together by threads.
That creature was the tiger that had fallen off the cliff and died when she reunited with him. Its zombie-like behavior was due to her ability,
Whatever it was, she could use this skill only on a target she had touched, and she could control that target freely. But there were restrictions; she had to use it carefully, and while using it, she became defenseless and vulnerable.
She could hold an S-class Hunter for only 20 seconds. For a Hunter of the same grade, 10 minutes. And for beings below her grade, there was no time limit.
Ju Uiryeong had given her two tasks: one was to go down to the village and use that tiger to bite people and attract attention; the other was to find out the location of the ‘Authority.’
Like the talent he had personally recruited and selected, she had accomplished all of his requests and returned.
“Maybe if we have one more bite, the people won’t stay still any longer. It would be good to go down to the village again around tonight or tomorrow morning. It would be even better if we bite a nobleman’s son.”
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read I Was Summoned As a Vampire By The Magician! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : I Was Summoned As a Vampire By The Magician
