Chapter 63: Silent Decisions and Unexpected Traps

-SOUND ONLY

The monster raid alert that had caused an uproar in Myeongho-dong finally subsided by dawn,

bringing an end to the chaos that seemed like it would never cease.

“Proceed with the personnel report for each team.”

“Team 1! Total personnel: ten! Current personnel: ten! Roll call complete!”

“Team 2! Total personnel: ten! One member absent! Current personnel: nine! Reason for absence: one injured! Roll call complete!”

“Team 3! Total personnel: twelve! Five members absent! Current personnel: seven! Reason for absence: three injured, two deceased! Roll call complete!”

“Team 4! Total personnel: fifteen! Nine members absent! Current personnel: six! Reason for absence: three injured, five deceased, one missing! Roll call complete!”

Receiving the reports from the team leaders, Security Commander Lee Myunghoon scowled fiercely.

“Missing? Who’s missing?”

“The missing member is Choi Hopil from Team 4!”

“Choi Hopil? Don’t tell me it’s that reckless idiot transferred from Team 2?”

The same guy who could’ve easily climbed the ranks and secured his position had he just avoided causing trouble.

Instead, he couldn’t control his lust, got himself into trouble, and ended up being blacklisted by the vice guild leader,

who then demoted him to the lowest rung of the security team.

Hearing Choi Hopil’s disgraceful name again, Lee Myunghoon barely suppressed his rising fury as he asked, “Where was he assigned?”

“Assigned area information has been uploaded!”

“Who the hell thought it was a good idea to assign that guy here?”

This was the same guy who had made a fool of himself by flirting with a convenience store clerk,

only to be humiliated by an awakened customer who happened to be present.

Assigning him to patrol an area that included the same convenience store was incomprehensible.

“That… that was my decision. ”

“Choi Hopil requested a closer location due to his injury not being fully healed, so I reassigned his patrol area accordingly.”

Smack!

The massive slap to the back of the Team 4 leader’s head sent him sprawling to the ground without so much as a cry.

“Is this a team of idiots? What is wrong with you people? Are you spies planted by Kim Changshik to ruin me?!”

Myeongho Guild.

Founded under the leadership of A-rank awakener Lee Myungho, the guild was meant to be a force to be reckoned with.

His son, Lee Myunghoon, who awakened following his father’s footsteps, served as the security team leader.

However, the guild’s true power lay with the Raid Team,

which was firmly aligned with the vice guild leader and recognized second-in-command, Kim Changshik.

Already struggling to secure the position of the next guild leader amidst intense internal rivalry,

Lee Myunghoon could not afford another embarrassment caused by the likes of Choi Hopil.

Determined to prevent further disgrace, Lee Myunghoon ordered a concentrated search centered around the convenience store.

– “Team 2 Leader here. We’ve found Choi Hopil. His condition is dire. You should come and see for yourself, Commander.”

The bustling main street was filled with guild members, handlers, and support personnel following the Association’s guidelines.

Not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to the guild’s shame,

Lee Myunghoon slipped into an alleyway where Team 2 had discreetly cleared the area of porters.

Guided to a spot behind a trash bin, the Team 2 leader pointed to Choi Hopil’s crumpled form.

“What happened to him? Why does he look like that?”

“His clothes are in tatters.”

“Did a monster chew him up or something? This isn’t the first time someone’s had a rough encounter out here.”

Speaking with nonchalance, Lee Myunghoon used his spear to nudge Choi Hopil’s shredded clothing aside, only to grimace.

“This is just… awful.”

Choi Hopil’s mangled body was a sight too gruesome to bear.

His injuries were so severe that it was a wonder he was still breathing. Death seemed inevitable at any moment.

Clicking his tongue, Lee Myunghoon gave a curt order.

“Inject morphine.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Grrk…!”

As the narcotic painkiller entered his system, Choi Hopil’s breathing steadied, and he began to regain consciousness.

“Choi Hopil, are you conscious?”

“C-Commander…”

“What happened to you?”

“P-please… kill me. It hurts… it hurts so much… Ughhh… Please, just kill me already.”

“Sure, I’ll make it quick for you. But before you go, don’t you think we should get revenge? Tell me who did this to you?”

“Aaaargh! Aaaaaahhh! Don’t come near me! Please, get that umbrella away from me!”

Choi Hopil suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream and started convulsing violently before collapsing, foaming at the mouth.

The Team 2 leader checked his pulse and shook his head.

“So, it’s someone with an umbrella. A human did this, not a monster. ”

“They attacked one of our guild members, right in our territory, during the chaos of the gate raid.”

” And not just anyone they targeted a member of the security team.”

Choi Hopil might have been a pathetic fool, but he was still a member of the Myeongho Guild.

He had no close comrades, was inefficient at his duties, and only advanced in rank through seniority and connections.

He was nothing more than a replaceable low-rank awakener. His death posed no real loss to the guild.

But he was still one of theirs.

“The attacker is ruthless. Are you sure you’ll be okay handling this?”

“Are monsters ever gentle? Stop talking nonsense.”

“Apologies.”

“What about those association guys outside? Who are they?”

“Association-affiliated C-rank awakener Woo Jiwoo applied for a mana stone collection service.”

“Start digging into him first.”

The streets and alleyways were littered with monster corpses evidence of a powerful presence that had swept through.

Among the awakened individuals capable of wreaking such havoc, Woo Jiwoo was the most likely suspect.

Having recently been released from association surveillance, Woo Jiwoo was now under Myeongho Guild’s scrutiny instead.

“Let me handle registering your mana stones with the association. Even if you’re suspicious about them, money is money, right?”

Woo Jiwoo insisted on taking care of the mana stone registration process.

Hae Eung-eung seemed reluctant, but Lee Haechang appreciated having the bothersome task handled for them.

It wasn’t worth refusing when they could make money with minimal effort.

“My boss must’ve lost their mind. I showed them photos of the scene, but they still want me to stay and guard the convenience store.”

“Don’t worry about the store.”

” Go ahead. I’ll guard this area and manage the mana stone collection personally this Spider-Man Woo Jiwoo guarantees it.”

Thanks to Woo Jiwoo’s goodwill, convenience store worker Joo Ahyoung was finally able to close up shop.

[Let’s move to another district for now.]

“Really? But unnie, you could hunt more monsters here. It’s not often you get to level up without dealing with guild politics or gate duties…”

[I have my reasons.]

Hae Eung-eung, who rarely voiced her opinions or showed interest in anything outside of games, seemed intent on something this time.

Reluctantly, Joo Ahyoung followed, despite her misgivings.

Lee Haechang, unwilling to part ways with the silent swordswoman he had just reunited with, naturally tagged along as well.

<Ihwa-dong> <24-hour café>

The three relocated to a café in another district.

As Joo Ahyoung unfolded her screen phone to monitor Myeongho-dong’s situation, she sighed in relief upon seeing the headlines.

“It looks like I won’t get fired. ”

“The raid alert in Myeongho-dong has been lifted, and they’re conducting a cleanup operation to eliminate any remaining monsters.”

With their immediate worries alleviated, they ordered desserts and coffee, taking the opportunity to fill their empty stomachs.

“Unnie, aren’t you going to eat?”

[I’m not really that hungry.]

“Still, you should eat something. Today, I’ll treat you to celebrate your awakening.”

“Am I also allowed to eat?”

“Sure. I’m being generous. To commemorate meeting a famous streamer, I’ll treat you.”

“Haha, it’s fine. I was just kidding. I make a lot of money, you know.”

“Just accept it. I’m not the type to treat people to meals all the time. I used to get by with convenience store leftovers.”

“If I let you treat me, doesn’t that make me the trashy one?”

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime decision! If I say I’ll treat you, just let me. I want to feel like a rich person for a moment.”

At Joo Ahyoung’s bold declaration, the atmosphere lightened, and Lee Haechang smiled, holding up the camcorder.

“Then I can’t leave you hanging either. How about trying to become an internet star?”

“Star?”

“An interview with a million-subscriber YouTuber. It’s not every day you get a chance like this.”

” Even if they offer money, they don’t just let anyone be filmed. Don’t you want to be in it?”

Joo Ahyoung’s eyes lit up at Lee Haechang’s suggestion.

“I’ll do it! I’ll definitely do it! How about you, unnie?”

Originally, there had been a separate conversation Joo Ahyoung and Hae Eung-eung were going to have about awakening and the status window,

but seeing how excited Joo Ahyoung was, Hae Eung-eung’s heart softened.

Since Joo Ahyoung was this happy, Hae Eung-eung felt like she wanted to fit in a little more too.

[For Ahyoung’s sake, maybe just a little.]

“Did both of you agree?”

“Ah, wait a second.”

Joo Ahyoung belatedly realized something and raised her hand to stop the filming.

“The interview is fine, but the video is a problem.”

“Why’s that?”

“I just got rid of the annoying historical drama costume and can finally move around freely. ”

“If the interview video shows me in that outfit again, it’ll be a problem.”

If it were a simple change of mind or a trivial concern, Lee Haechang would have no problem convincing them.

But faced with such a realistic dilemma, he had no choice but to express his frustration.

“Isn’t there any way to work around this?”

“If you film me in that outfit, all the effort I put into getting out of it will be wasted.”

” If that’s the case, then I’ll just skip the interview too.”

[If Ahyoung isn’t doing the interview, then I won’t either.]

The two women, in perfect harmony, expressed their refusal to the interview.

Lee Haechang was taken aback and quickly tried to convince them otherwise.

“I’ll remove the video! Just the sound, alright?”

Lee Haechang felt it was a bit much to put the silent swordswoman who had practically saved his life into an awkward situation just for a video interview.

He couldn’t repay kindness with ingratitude.

“You don’t have to be so formal. This is a recording, so it’ll all be edited anyway. Just answer comfortably.”

In the end, Lee Haechang managed to achieve an unexpected extra goal:

not only meeting the silent swordswoman in person but also securing the interview.

However, after excitedly sending the audio recording to the editor,

he realized his mistake when he received the editor’s reply.

Wensu: Are you crazy?

Wensu: You’re sending the audio and asking for answers in writing?

Lee Haechang: Ah.

Wensu: You’re an idiot!

You’ll get a pay cut, I swear! What am I supposed to do with this editing?
No wonder the usually vicious woman agreed to the interview so easily.

He hadn’t expected this kind of devious trap to be hidden behind the scenes.

The interview was done, and he had clearly seen the answers with his own eyes.

But in the VTube sound file, the answers didn’t appear, putting him in a tricky situation.

The Silent Swordswoman. She was just as merciless in real life as she was in the game.