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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 36
0.
After exiting the capsule, Seonghyun and his sister, Yoo Mina, headed to the tax office.
Not because of tax issues, but to register as a sole proprietor.
These days, thanks to Eternal World, the number of people registering as sole proprietors as gamers had increased.
Seonghyun was one of them.
Since he would be receiving a large signing bonus and annual salary from the Rapid Guild.
It was common practice to register as a sole proprietor before receiving the signing bonus.
Otherwise, he would have to pay a hefty amount of taxes.
With the surge in gamers and the mushrooming of guilds, registering as a sole proprietor didn't take long.
"Hmm."
Seonghyun looked at his business registration certificate with a strange feeling.
He never imagined he would be running a business.
It was a career path he had never envisioned, but what did it matter?
The era of making money through games had arrived.
And his talent, no, his abilities were recognized in that game world.
It would be a loss to let them go to waste.
Seonghyun carefully placed the business registration certificate in an envelope.
He also put the business bank account issued by the bank in the same envelope.
Unlike Seonghyun, who was calmly organized,
His sister, Yoo Mina, was busy making calls.
At home, she was a bit of a scatterbrain, but in times like these, she was reliable.
"Okay, I understand."
Yoo Mina ended the call curtly.
Curious, Seonghyun looked at Yoo Mina.
Who was she talking to?
It didn't take long for Seonghyun to find out.
Ding!
His smartphone rang with a notification sound.
He reflexively checked his phone.
It was a notification that a deposit had been made to the account he had just opened.
And.
[XX Bank Business Account - 2,000,000,000 won deposited.]
He already knew, but his jaw dropped at the amount.
Even Seonghyun couldn't maintain his composure at this moment.
His eyes trembled, and his mouth gaped open.
How many people received 2 billion won at the age of 22?
This was just the signing bonus, but they said there would be additional incentives.
He even had an annual salary of 500 million won left.
They said they would give him incentives if his level and evaluation went up.
Not only that, but they would also give him 10% of the raid viewership ticket royalties.
'I-Is it okay for me to receive this much?'
He was surprised when he saw the contract, but
He was thrilled to see this amount actually deposited.
"Hehe! Don't be too nervous. Just keep doing what you've been doing."
"Yeah, I know, but it just doesn't feel real right now."
"Uhehehe. To think you're only realizing your sister's greatness now. Uhehehe."
Seeing his sister, Yoo Mina, laughing like a goofball, Seonghyun was able to calm down.
This was the world's 9th-ranked player?
No, she said she would be raising her rank soon, so should he consider her 8th?
Anyway, seeing his sister like that eased his tension a bit.
It seemed like he could just keep doing what he had been doing.
Seonghyun's goal in the game was to follow the footsteps of Helena and Hindel, so
He just had to follow that path.
As Seonghyun felt a bit relieved,
His sister, Yoo Mina, looked at him and asked,
"Since we're out, should we grab a bite to eat before going back? Mom's out today anyway."
"Hmm. Yeah, let's do that."
He wanted to go back and play the game right away, but he had to eat.
He had skipped breakfast and was quite hungry.
As Seonghyun and Yoo Mina were looking for a restaurant,
They decided to go to a famous restaurant nearby.
Since Seonghyun liked Western food more than Yoo Mina,
That's what they chose.
As Seonghyun and Yoo Mina entered the restaurant,
"Oh? Yoo Seonghyun?"
"Huh?"
One of the employees recognized him.
Seonghyun briefly searched his memory and quickly remembered.
"Ah, Soojung?"
"Wow, it's been a while. I last saw you before you went to the military. You're discharged!?"
"Yeah, well."
Unlike Seonghyun, who responded calmly, employee Lee Soojung greeted him enthusiastically.
Then, she suddenly noticed Yoo Mina next to Seonghyun.
Seeing Yoo Mina, who looked elegant and haughty instead of her usual goofy self, Lee Soojung gulped.
Even Seonghyun himself was quite handsome, but seeing his older sister, Yoo Mina, she seemed intimidated and momentarily lost her words.
Seonghyun wondered what was wrong when she suddenly stopped talking.
"Wh-Who... are you?"
Lee Soojung asked cautiously.
She seemed to have misunderstood something.
But Seonghyun, unlike himself, made a rather distorted expression.
He knew it was a situation that could lead to misunderstandings, but his instinctive genes made even Seonghyun, who was always calm and collected, contort his face.
"My sister."
"Ah! Ah! I-I see. Ah, hello, Unnie, I'm Lee Soojung, I go to the same university as Seonghyun. I-I'll come to take your order soon!!"
"Ah, thank you."
"Ugh."
Seeing his goofy sister speak so calmly, Seonghyun frowned and shook his head.
It was like a true certification of their sibling relationship.
As Lee Soojung said, Seonghyun and Yoo Mina went to a comfortable seat and sat down.
"Oh, she's quite beautiful, isn't she? This Unnie approves."
"What are you talking about?"
"Huh? Is there something going on between you two???"
"... You haven't dated before, have you?"
At Seonghyun's words, Yoo Mina's eyes widened, and she let out a gasp.
Her own brother was stabbing her where it hurt.
She had let her guard down.
"...Why are you rubbing salt in my wounds?"
"It's obvious just by looking."
"No, anyone can see that girl is interested in you."
"What? No. She's just a classmate. Maybe it's because it's been a while since we've seen each other."
"...?"
Yoo Mina, with an expression that said even she could tell despite her lack of dating experience, looked at Lee Soojung, who was still smiling at Seonghyun and signaling that she would be with them shortly.
Even if she were falling from a skyscraper hotel in Jamsil, she could tell that was a sign of affection.
But for her foolish brother to say it wasn't...
It was absurd.
At Seonghyun's nonchalant reaction, Yoo Mina shook her head, deciding not to worry about it.
Dating was his own business.
As they were waiting, they ordered their food.
A service dish, almost on par with the main course, came out even though they hadn't ordered it.
"This is a service! Enjoy it, Unnie!!"
"Ah, thank you."
"...Even after this?"
"What?"
"Oh, forget it."
Seonghyun looked at Yoo Mina curiously at her reaction.
Most of his female classmates in college were like that.
There was no way Seonghyun would know it was a sign of affection.
They finished their meal leisurely and returned home without any incidents.
Well, there was one incident.
[S University XX Classmate Lee Soojung - Seonghyun! We decided to get together with everyone this weekend, you'll come too, right? Everyone will be happy if you come!]
He received an unexpected text message.
1.
Sekan Village, one of the second villages.
It wasn't a particularly distinctive village, other than the somber atmosphere following the loss of their elder, former Village Head Gwen.
Like other second villages, it had many dungeons due to the semi-forced nature of party play, but that was the same for other second villages.
Even though it wasn't particularly unique, it was a village with quite a few NPCs and a considerable number of users gathered.
At the entrance of Sekan Village,
The guards momentarily doubted their eyes.
Caw! Caw!
"Huh, there are a lot of crows today."
"You're telling me. Were there always crows around here?"
Unlike other days, countless crows began to gather one by one at the village entrance, as if they were flocking from all directions.
They only thought it was strange.
They didn't think it was anything special.
They were just crows, after all.
But as their numbers gradually increased, forming a flock of tens, hundreds, thousands,
The guards realized something was wrong.
Crows gathered, and dark clouds began to form.
An eerie aura filled the sky, and an ominous feeling grew stronger.
The guards trembled with unease.
"S-Should we inform the village?"
"B-Because of crows?"
But because it was just crows, they were stuck in a dilemma.
Just then, a large crow flew in from afar.
The flock of thousands of crows began to swarm towards the single large one.
Caw! Caw!
The crows gathered, swirling like darkness or shadows, and gradually formed a shape.
As more and more crows gathered, their numbers thickening, thousands of them created a smooth, mirror-like surface.
However, it was a giant mirror, stained with darkness, reflecting nothing.
The guards finally realized something was wrong and tried to ring the bell.
But they couldn't even move a finger.
"W-What is this?!"
"T-This is unbelievable!"
Unable to even swallow their saliva, the guards stared at the black mirror with fear in their eyes.
Suddenly, ripples appeared on the black mirror.
Like a drop of water falling on a calm lake, the ripples spread across the mirror.
And then, as if it were only natural, three figures stepped out of the mirror.
The black mirror disappeared after spitting out the three people, and the ominous dark clouds cleared as if they had never been there, revealing a clear sky.
As the sun illuminated everything,
The guards could finally see the attire of the three people.
The tall man standing in the middle was wearing a mask, or perhaps a helmet, that resembled a crow.
He was wearing a mask that hid his identity.
The man to his right was so pale that he could be mistaken for a corpse.
The stitches all over his body were so grotesque that he truly looked like a corpse.
Finally, the woman to the left of the man with the crow-like mask.
Her eyes were like bottomless pits, devoid of any focus or light, her expression betraying no emotion as she clutched a doll of a young girl.
Gulp-
The guards gulped at the sight of them.
None of them looked ordinary.
And then they noticed the emblem on the robes they were wearing.
A black crown on a black robe.
There was only one entity in the world who could use that emblem.
"O-Over Palace!!"
"It's an envoy from Over Palace!!"
Clang! Thud!
Over Palace, the mage tower of all Black Mages.
Their envoy had arrived in Sekan Village.
Seeing the guards' fearful commotion, the man with the crow mask stepped forward.
He approached the guards and spoke in a gentle voice,
"Do not be afraid. We mean no harm to the village."
His assertive voice was softer than any other, but
Why?
Perhaps due to the power behind his words, the two guards couldn't help but nod.
Instead of this, should they inform the village head immediately?
Seeing the guards lost in thought, the man shook his head.
"We will do what we came to do. You do what you must. We have no need for grand welcomes or celebrations."
With those words, the three vanished as if they were a mirage, leaving behind ripples of black.
The two guards, feeling as if they had just woken from a nightmare, gulped and their hands trembled.
An envoy from Over Palace had visited their village.
"U-Unbelievable."
"I-Indeed. Over Palace came here... There must be something special about this village."
The guards picked up their dropped weapons and returned to their posts, guarding the village entrance.
Just as the man in the crow mask had said,
The three, standing on a distant rooftop, watched the guards before turning their gaze away.
The guards were never their concern in the first place.
They came here for one reason only.
"This is the village where His presence was last felt. He must have stopped here after Perthville."
"Uhihihi, ah! It feels so strong! I can feel it! His power is so strong in this village!"
"..."
At the crow-masked man's words, the corpse-like man laughed grotesquely, bending backward, and the woman holding the doll, although she didn't say anything, hugged the doll tighter.
Her reaction was unusual, but the man and the other man didn't mind.
It was understandable.
The man then said to the other two,
"Spread out and find Him."
"Uhihihi! Very well! Very well!"
"..."
The corpse-like man was overjoyed, and the doll woman, though she didn't answer, slowly nodded.
As soon as they received the order, the two disappeared as if scattering into the air.
The man in the crow mask, gazing down at the village, snapped his fingers.
Countless crows appeared and began to spread in all directions.
How much time had passed?
The man, connected to all the crows, searched every corner of the village.
He shared the vision of one of the crows.
A young man, muttering with an indifferent expression as he made eye contact with the crow.
- This is no ordinary crow.
Seeing the young man mutter nonchalantly, the man said,
"Found Him."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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