The 31st Piece Turns the Tables

Chapter 133

A disheveled woman sipped from a bottle of alcohol in the early morning.

“Unni… did you drink all night again? It’s almost time for your next Adventure. You should be taking care of your body right now…”

"Haha, looking after my body? Yeah, that's important. But, you know, Inyeong… it's not like only the fittest, buffest folks come back from Adventures, right? So, taking care of my body... is it really necessary?"

“You’re drunk right now,” Choi Inyeong turned around, “Ahjussi, you should go back now too.”

Inyeong then faced the disheveled woman once more, “Unni! You need to sober up.”

The inebriated woman happened to be a crucial member of Audenin's guild alliance, Son Juyeon.

Seeing the usually composed and alert woman in such a state was tough.

“Just a bit more…”

“What? I can’t hear you.”

She had a mournful look in her eyes.

“Is it okay… if I just wait a bit more?”

“...Unni, Changsik oppa is dead. So… Can’t you stop this now?”

“You… Argh!”

Shatter!

Juyeon hurled a delicate glass cup at the wall, shattering it into pieces.

“Hrgh… Hah… Changsik isn’t dead. He’s not dead!”

"I know... you tried to stop him from going, but he went anyway. And... that means it's over."

There was a reason why the atmosphere had been so somber when deciding on the individuals for the labyrinth expedition.

While friction between the guilds played a role, the primary concern was that Changsik was essentially their leader. Everyone was worried about his absence and the potential consequences if he didn't return.

This was especially the case for Juyeon.

Which, in turn, became the reason why she looked for other people to undertake the labyrinth.

It was a plan that failed brilliantly with the appearance of Seol, though.

Inyeong was someone privy to Juyeon and Changsik’s private relationship.

In reality, Changsik was a popular figure in Audenin. His commendable character and self-assured demeanor attracted a considerable following.

With a somber look, Inyeong slowly approached Juyeon and began picking up the glass shards near her feet.

“He… has been killed by the labyrinth.”

“Fucking…”

“Hey… Watch your language! You’re doing it again.”

“God… fucking damn it… Why did that idiot have to go there…”

“Unni.”

“He should’ve just been satisfied with what the alliance was giving him. Why… why did he choose to go?!”

Inyeong grabbed Juyeon’s hands.

“You know better than anyone that Changsik oppa wasn’t someone who’d do that, unni.”

“Asshole. Dumbass.”

“But that dumbass brought all of us together, didn’t he?”

“...Sure, at first.”

The first thing that disappeared after being transferred into The World of Eternity was trust.

Mutual trust, promises, faith in party members, etc.

Since everyone was grappling with survival, it didn't matter to them who was pushed down in their pursuit to live.

However, Changsik was different.

He wasn’t like them.

And it was for that reason people began following Changsik, leading to the formation of the alliance.

However, without him, the alliance was now just a boring group driven solely by self-interest and unsavory motives.

The alliance without Changsik… was lonely.

“The longest an Adventure has ever taken was three months.”

“...Three months?”

“Yes, and it’s been four since Changsik oppa entered the labyrinth.”

Four months… since entering the labyrinth…

There was no room for hope.

Once again, the labyrinth had killed its intruder.

“That’s why… to prepare for what’ll happen next…”

Suddenly, there was a loud noise.

“Juyeoooooooon!”

“...Huh?”

“Juyeon! I heard Juyeon was here! Haah… Haah… Juyeooooon!”

A man’s voice rang throughout the store that Juyeon was at. It was a familiar voice, so Juyeon assumed he was one of her guild members.

And… her assumptions were correctt.

“Why are you here? Juyeon unni drank all night and…”

“Haah… Haah… So you were here… Hold on, just let me catch my breath and… Fuu…”

The man was covered in sweat, indicating that he had hurried over here.

What was so urgent that he ran here? Exhausted and inebriated, Juyeon buried her head in her arms.

But then… a chill ran down her spine.

“Are… Are you…”

The man laughed.

“Haah… Yeah.”

Juyeon got up and attempted to leave the store to run to him but got tripped up by her own feet and stumbled.

“Unni!”

“It’s you, right? It’s you?!” shouted Juyeon, getting back up as if nothing had happened.

The man nodded back.

“I’m back.”

The wait had come to an end.

* * *

“I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you!”

Juyeon tightened her grip around Changsik’s neck.

“Krgh… Krrg… S-Someone… I can’t… breathe…”

“What the hell happened?! What happened in there?”

“I’ll… explain everything so… l-let me breathe!”

Inyeong wrapped her arms around Juyeon’s waist and pulled her off Changsik.

“Unni, stop… This is why I told you to stop drinking.”

“Let me go! That asshole… You…’

“Fuu… I can finally breathe now.”

Changsik laughed while touching his neck.

He then looked around, judging the situation. There were onlookers all around them.

“The labyrinth? Really, the labyrinth?”

“I thought they went there four months ago?”

“Didn’t they all die? I thought you said it was hopeless?”

“I don’t know either, I just got here.”

With the crowd growing, Changsik began to believe that every transferee in Audenin had gathered here.

Juyeon, after calming down, asked,

“But why… are you alone?”

“......”

“The others…”

Changsik limped over to where the guild members had gathered. He then gave a deep bow.

“I apologize. Heungsu, Jaeho, and Taegyu… all died in the labyrinth.”

“......”

“It is all my fault for being weak, they…”

Thud…

“No… Jaeho… Jaeho died?”

“You’re lying to us, right? Are they really all dead?”

“What about Private then? Is Private still alive?”

“Did that bastard leave behind everyone else to survive on his own, huh?!”

They did not know. They did not know what happened in the labyrinth.

For their respective reasons, they were seeking a target to vent their anger.

Clench…

Changsik clenched his teeth, seething angrily as though the crowd had personally insulted him. Despite his fury, he made an effort to calm down before responding to them.

“We shouldn’t be talking about this here. Why don’t we talk about it at the lighthouse?”

Changsik and the other guild members distanced themselves from the crowd and headed to the lighthouse.

After arriving, Changsik sat down at the conference table. Juyeon, who noticed Changsik’s limp, called for a healer in the guild to look after it as they talked.

“It’s fine. It should return to normal once he gets some rest.”

“Thank you.”

“Urgh… you smell like alcohol.”

“Have you been drinking since morning, Juyeon?”

“Nope, since last night.”

“......”

The leaders of the alliance all smirked and laughed over it.

They were all waiting for Changsik to speak.

“We…”

Changsik then continued, sharing the details of what happened.

His detailed story was so gruesome that it made the listeners cringe and draw away.

“So you’re saying that in the end… it was a fight with oneself.”

“And that was where people failed… which was also why Jaeho attacked Taegyu and…”

“Oh no…”

Some of the more sensitive people began to tear up.

“Then… What happened to the people who had their souls taken away?”

“Yeah, don’t tell me they’ll forever…”

“That’s…”

Changsik continued, telling them about what happened during the Final Penance.

He told them about how powerful the final boss was… and how powerful Private was to face it.

“That’s impossible!”

“You weren’t able to help him at all, Changsik?”

Eventually, it flowed to how Private defeated the final boss and the rewards they gained from it.

Thud!

Changsik placed a treasure chest on the table.

Everyone could instinctually tell that it was the treasure from the labyrinth.

Click…

“Ha… Haha…”

“These equipment…”

There were dozens of extraordinary equipment, ancient coins, and even gems.

But… they weren’t enough.

“The rewards that I selected… were these.”

Considering that three guild members lost their lives and had their souls trapped in the labyrinth, these rewards seemed far too inadequate.

“What about Private? Did he get something else on his own?”

“Where is he now?”

“I told him to return to the room I prepared for him so he doesn’t get caught up in troublesome matters like this.”

One of the leaders shot up.

“You’re lying! I doubt that’s the case. I bet you sent him ahead of time so that we can’t claim a right to his rewards.”

“That’s right! And if you look at it, the only reason he could get those rewards in the first place was…”

Changsik had a disheartened look on his face.

The only person who caught it, though, was Juyeon.

“...What did Private choose for his rewards?”

“Why are you asking something so obvious?! He’s obviously trying to monopolize his treasures…”

Changsik shook his head.

“He freed the souls.”

“......”

“He chose to free all of the souls trapped in the labyrinth. Even though he knew it wouldn’t be an adequate reward for all that he went through.”

“......”

“N-No way…”

Changsik closed his eyes for a second.

“It was thanks to his goodwill… the party members whose souls were trapped by the reaper were freed.”

“Are you seriously telling us to believe that right no—”

Changsik glared.

“Do not insult him further if you value your life. He isn’t someone who should be treated like that. If he puts in even the slightest of effort, he could silence everyone here.”

“......”

“Well, that’s my story. Feel free to take a portion of the treasures as payment for me using the token. I’m just… tired now.”

The room was silent.

Though everyone was happy that survivors had returned, a heavy silence hung in the air due to the price they paid, the lives of their comrades. They were also speechless from Private’s incredible actions.

And then… a woman, who had been quietly sitting in the corner, spoke up.

“By the way… did everyone look at the newly updated rankings?”

“Ah, now that I think about it…”

“I haven’t checked it yet.”

A man who harbored jealousy over Changsik's relationship with Juyeon voiced his thoughts.

"By the way, Changsik, did you know I've surpassed you now?"

“Really…?”

The man glanced at Juyeon after taunting Changsik.

“Well, points aren’t absolute at representing one’s strength, but…”

“N-No way!”

“...Huh?”

“The points! Everyone, check the points!”

“What is it?”

“What’s going on?”

Everyone’s eyes headed to the rankings.

Their eyes froze on the ‘Private’s who were listed 1st and 2nd.

“Changsik surpassed 2 million points?”

“The labyrinth gave more than a million points?”

“M-More importantly… look at the 1st place…”

“Oh my god…”

There was only one person in Audenin who could surpass Changsik’s 2 million points.

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

[Your information is set to Private.]

[You have 5,482,500 Points.]

[You have surpassed 5,000,000 Adventure Points.]

[You have earned the Inaugural Achievement 'The Front Lines'.]

[You have earned the Inaugural Title 'Vanguard'.]

[Adventure Points Leaderboard

1. Private (5,482,500)

2. Private (2,211,710)

3. WithWords (1,502,120)

4. SpoonMurderer (1,372,420)

5. WhoAteAllTheMangoes (1,240,130)]

After entering his room, Seol changed out of his torn clothing and into his comfortable clothes.

He was exhausted after spending so long in the labyrinth. It had reached the point where even checking his titles was a pain.

[[Inaugural Title: Vanguard]

Related Achievement: The Front Lines (Adventure: N/A)

Bonus Effect: It now costs one less to upgrade a skill that you've already unlocked on the skill tree.]

‘Now that I think about it, I’ve gathered quite a lot of skill points now…’

- Woah… It’s such a nice effect, but Snowman’s just so nonchalant about it.

- 😑 <- Snowman right now.

- He looks like he’s thinking about what to eat for lunch LOL

- Is he really someone who just came out of the labyrinth? Hahaha

- Inaugural Titles don’t mean shit to him now!

- Snowman’s snowballing right now…

- The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer! He’s just sweeping through all of these achievements and getting stronger!

- But it’s fun to watch him. Very exciting!

- 😊 I hope you read my dono~

Seol was confident that Changsik would organize everything for him and provide the details later.

‘For now… I just want to rest.’

Seol was exhausted after the ordeals he went through in the labyrinth. He laid down on a long, comfortable chair, ready to sleep. However, as he was about to close his eyes…

Knock, knock.

Someone interrupted his rest.

‘Is it the alliance?’

Seol had considered it a possibility. They might’ve had some questions for Seol about the labyrinth.

“Who is it?”

“...Is it possible to have a talk?”

“A talk?”

It was clear the person behind the door wasn’t a member of the alliance.

“Urgh…”

Seol slowly got up and walked toward the door.

“You’ll have to tell me why you’re here if you want me to open the door.”

“...meli.”

“Huh?”

“My name is Chameli, I am a Black Pilgrim.”

“A… Black Pilgrim?”

They were the organization that Boseok, the person Seol fought to enter the labyrinth, belonged to.

Were they here to settle the debts of what happened four months ago?

Creak…

Seol opened the door and looked at the person.

They weren’t particularly tall.

And judging by how the clothes rested on their body… they were a woman.

The Black Pilgrim had a hood over her head, and behind her were more Black Pilgrims.

“I came here because there is something to discuss with you, brother,” said Chameli.

“Why haven’t you left Audenin yet?”

“Because we had to wait.”

“Wait for what? Don’t tell me…”

“You are correct.”

Chameli awkwardly laughed.

“We were waiting for you.”