Record of a Thousand Lives

Chapter 26

The people?who?had managed to escape from the?Chimera?Dimension were transported back to the alchemist?guild?building. The fireplace?they exited?had lost its dimensional ability, and it had returned to being an ordinary brick and mortar fireplace.

“Thank you! Really, thank you!”

“We’ll never forget this! Thank you!”

Lee Kang-Hyun?and the others repeatedly bowed toward?Kang Yoon-Soo and thanked him. Kang Yoon-Soo was the one who?had?killed Ravian and taken?all of the lightning attacks, and they would all be dead by now if not for him. However, Kang Yoon-Soo was indifferent to their gratitude and?just stood there stretching his wrists and ankles.

“I think you must be tired,” Shaneth said as she massaged his legs.?Kang Yoon-Soo did?not care?to socialize, and so gave the other group no reply; thus, she had to come up with an excuse on the spot. Despite that, Lee Kang-Hyun and his team still expressed their gratitude multiple times.

Lee Kang-Hyun took out a leather pouch from his backpack and?tried to offer it to Kang Yoon-Soo as a sign of his gratitude, but Kang Yoon-Soo shook his head and refused it, saying,?“I don’t need it.”

“Really? You don’t have to decline,” Lee Kang-Hyun?said.

Lee Kang-Hyun shot a glare?at Shin Han-Yul,?who?was?moping?in the corner. He remarked,?“Han-Yul hyung, why don’t you come and say thanks to him as well?”?The other swordsmen turned their gaze toward Shin Han-Yul?as well.

Shin Han-Yul had already lost the trust and respect of his party members the moment he ordered them to abandon one of their own to the chimeras. In addition, his magic had ended up turning the tides of battle against them, and they had almost died from his interference.?Even though it was a completely unforeseen event, it was still his job to keep his cool and lead his party.

Shin?Han-Yul, who?had been quiet up until?then,?slowly?began to speak. However, what came out of his mouth was far from gratitude.?“You…?Were you aware that Ravian could absorb magic?” he?asked Kang Yoon-Soo accusingly.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo just stayed silent. Shin Han-Yul was not a fool;?he did not hesitate to accuse Kang Yoon-Soo once again.?“I’m pretty sure I heard you say, ‘You give better rewards after absorbing magic.’?You! You were aware that he could absorb magic, weren’t you? But why did you not share that information with?me, a Sorcerer?”

“Look here, Han-Yul hyung. We didn’t have any casualties?because Mr. Kang?Yoon-Soo blocked?all the attacks with his own body.”?Lee Kang-Hyun?tried to defend Kang Yoon-Soo.

However,?Shin Han-Yul only grimaced further and glared at Kang Hoon-Soo.?“Shut up. I wouldn’t have wasted that expensive magic scroll if he had shared that information with me.”?He was actually getting angry at Kang Yoon-Soo?as he continued,?“It’s strange, thinking?about it. How did you know that killing Ravian was the only way to escape from the?Chimera?Dimension? What the hell are you?”

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Kang?Yoon-Soo?slowly said, “I knew about it.”

Shin Han-Yul was delighted?to hear?his admission, and proceeded to accuse him further.?“Ha! I knew it! You put everybody in danger just so you could take all the rewards? Others could have died from your selfishness! Did you want to?play the hero?that badly?”

Kang Yoon-Soo slowly got up and walked toward Shin Han-Yul, stretching out his right hand. Shin Han-Yul tensed up, and Kang Yoon-Soo proceeded to grab his white lion mantle. The eyes of those watching widened?in surprise. Kang Yoon-Soo?had stolen?Shin Han-Yul’s mantle in a split?second. His movements were so natural that nobody had suspected what he was about to do, and it was as if he had been a thief for decades; in fact, some of the people in the room actually admired his sleight of hand.

Shin Han-Yul?exclaimed in surprise, “What are you doing? Are you trying to steal my mantle now?”

Kang Yoon-Soo shook his head and said, “I told you, I knew about it.”?He?threw the mantle into the fireplace, and the flames started to consume?it, slowly burning the garment to ash.

Shaneth was?surprised?at the sudden turn of events. Why?had?Kang Yoon-Soo suddenly done?something so strange and abrupt? He was not someone?who?would act because of his emotions. However, the others present reacted differently.

“What?”

“How can that mantle burn?so?easily?”

“The mantle of the White Lion?Guild?is made out of wyvern leather.?Shouldn’t it have full immunity against fire?”

Lee Kang-Hyun?and his?party?desperately wanted to join the White Lion?Guild, and they were fully aware of the white lion mantle?that?was a symbol of the White Lion?Guild.

Kang Yoon-Soo took the burnt mantle out of the fireplace, and pointed at the white eyes of the white lion?roaring toward?the throne. He said,?“The white lion?on?the real mantle of the White Lion?Guild?has blue eyes. This lion has white eyes. The cheap dye used?has discolored?as time passed. This mantle is a fake.”

The way people looked at Shin Han-Yul changed—especially Lee Kang-Hyun?and his party. The party members closed their?fists?as they trembled in anger.?They?had gone?along with him with the hopes of entering the White Lion?Guild, but he was a conman?

However, Shin Han-Yul retorted with an offended expression, “Don’t make me laugh! Do you have proof?”

He?was very shameless, but there was no definite proof anywhere. There were no members of the White Lion?Guild active?in the southern region, and no one could guarantee the authenticity of the mantle.

“Sheesh, I can’t believe this guy. You dare accuse me, a member of the White Lion?Guild,?without any proof? Damn it,?what a waste of my mantle,” Shin Han-Yul snapped.?However, contrary to his usual boisterous demeanor, he now seemed to be?trying to leave the alchemist?guild?building as quickly as he could.

At that moment, a booming voice?rang out through?the building. It was a charismatic voice that confidently declared, “Don’t worry! The evidence you seek has walked into the building!”

A man with a charismatic presence entered the alchemist?guild?building. He was wearing a silver-white helmet, and the white mantle he wore gave off a strong luster. Anyone could tell that his level was high.

Lee Kang-Hyun?and the others gaped as they saw the?man’s mantle.

“It’s a white lion! It’s the emblem of the white lion!”

“It’s the mantle that was handmade by the royal tailor?using?the leather of a white lion—the only one of its kind!”

They were left speechless upon seeing the man, beyond bewildered?and seemingly unable to?believe their own eyes.

Lee Kang-Hyun?asked with a trembling voice, “No way… Are you Han… Han?Se-Hyun…? The leader of the White Lion?Guild,?Han?Se-Hyun…?”

The man scratched his cheeks as he humbly replied, “Not many people recognize?me just?from my appearance… I guess you’re quite the sharp one…?”

“Waaaaa! Please give me your autograph!”?Lee Kang-Hyun?and the other men looked at?Han Se-Hyun?as if they were ready to offer their organs to him. Han Se-Hyun?laughed as he politely refused.

Shin Han-Yul, on the other hand, loudly protested, “Han Se-Hyun? The leader of the White Lion?Guild? Don’t fuck with me! Why would a man like him come to a shabby place like this?!”

Han Se-Hyun?let out a smile as he said, “Hmm… Yeah, the leader of the White Lion?Guild?couldn’t be bothered by stuff like this…”?He?appeared to be?smiling on the outside, but for some reason, his smile gave chills to the people looking at him.

“The leader of the White Lion?Guild?never leaves his headquarters at the capital, but I’ll give you two reasons why he came to this place,”?Han Se-Hyun began. He?raised his index finger as he continued, “Firstly, I heard that the information I was looking for was here?in?the?Chimera?Dimension. However, someone unfortunately beat me to it.”

He looked toward Kang Yoon-Soo as he spoke, but he shifted his gaze as he continued speaking, this time in a colder tone.?“Secondly, a man named Kang Yoon-Soo tipped me off through the alchemist?guild?that some scumbag was pretending to be one of my?guild?members. I had to cut my schedule short and flew here as soon as I could thanks to him.”

The man Kang Yoon-Soo had notified through the alchemist?guild?when he first arrived was the leader of the White Lion?Guild, Han Se-Hyun.

“Im…?Impossible! You called the leader of the White Lion?Guild?just to screw me over?!” Shin Han-Yul protested?heavily, seemingly?in?denial?as?he was scared out of his wits.?The moment Han Se-Hyun?walked toward him,?he?gnashed his teeth and pulled his shirt down. A grotesque looking black tiger that almost looked like a demon was tattooed on his collarbone. He exclaimed,?“Don’t come near me! If you’re the leader of the White Lion?Guild, then you know what this tattoo means, right? If you dare lay a finger on me, you’re declaring war on our whole?guild!”

“Hmm… I don’t have a hobby of looking at?men’s collarbones…” Han Se-Hyun?jokingly said as he let out a laugh. Suddenly, however, he?drove his finger into the tattoo.

Crack!

Shin Han-Yul let out a scream as his collarbone was shattered. Han Se-Hyun?grabbed him by his?collar?and spoke with a terrifying voice that was incomparable to his easygoing attitude just moments before.?“A declaration of war? Don’t make me laugh. Have you ever seen a lion get scared of a kitten?”

“Cough! Keuk!”?Shin Han-Yul choked as the grip on his collar tightened.

However, Han Se-Hyun?continued without an ounce of sympathy in his voice, “You were a mutt from the Black Tiger?Guild,?as expected. It seems you guys have gotten arrogant just because you became famous in the underworld. Is your leader still smuggling drugs?”

“Keuk… Cough!?I’m sorry… P…?lease?spare me! Please!” Shin Han-Yul choked out.

“I won’t dirty my hands killing a small fry like you. You aren’t worth it. Go and tell your leader... If you keep resorting to cheap tricks like making fake mantles like that one, his neck will be in danger. No, before that, are you even in a position to speak to your leader directly?” Han?Se-Hyun asked.

“I’ll relay it! I will!” Shin Han-Yul exclaimed frantically.

Han Se-Hyun?threw Shin Han-Yul away as if he were?a?mere pest. The latter squirmed as he got up and?left the alchemist?guild?building as fast as he could.

Lee Kang-Hyun?and the others let out a loud cheer.

“You were really cool!”

“My name is Kim Sang-Cheol! Please remember me!”

“My name is An Hyung-Soo! Please remember me too!”

However, Han Se-Hyun?was half-heartedly listening, as if the words were?entering?one ear and?exiting?the other. He then passed through the crowd and walked toward Kang Yoon-Soo.?He let out a smile as he asked, “What’s?your name?”

“Kang Yoon-Soo,” came the reply.

“So it was you?who?sent me the message. I’m hungry after?traveling?quite a distance. I’m planning to go grab a bite;?would you like to join me?” Han?Se-Hyun asked.

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo said curtly.

“What?” Han Se-Hyun?was flustered.?He had?never imagined that he would be rejected.

Shaneth suddenly spoke up?hurriedly.?“Please forgive his rudeness. He isn’t someone?who?would understand if you say it that way.”

Han Se-Hyun?let out a laugh when he heard her words,?saying,?“Okay then, little miss?who?seems to be as pretty as our vice leader, do you know?how?to convince that man to let me share a meal with him? Oh, and if it’s alright with you, what’s?your name?”

“My name is Shaneth Elogran, and umm…?You see…”?Shaneth proceeded to whisper something into his ear.

Han Se-Hyun?looked perplexed after hearing what she had to say,?but then he?walked toward?Kang Yoon-Soo.?He asked Kang Yoon-Soo one more time, “Let’s have a drink.”

Kang Yoon-Soo replied,?“Sounds good.”