The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Chapter 230

Inside Seol, things were constantly changing.

The void.

Seol’s summons were all gathered here while Ur diligently worked to uncover it.

“The human who made this definitely left their mark in history,” said Ur.

“Is it really that incredible?” Jamad asked.

“It’s taking me this long to decipher it, is it not?”

Karen then butted in on their conversation.

“Then… when do you think you’ll be finished?”

"I'm almost done," responded Ur. "However, deciphering it doesn't necessarily mean we can leave."

"Because we can't afford to act recklessly until the space stabilizes. If we make a mistake, what he was trying to achieve could be only half as effective."

“We can’t have that!” shouted Karen.

“Yeah, it would be troublesome,” said Ur. “That’s why I want all of you to listen carefully. I have good news and bad news.”

"Just hearing that already pisses me off," said Karen. "Start with the good news."

Ur took a second to look at Jamad, Karen, Karuna, and even Koko before continuing.

"I've learned the reason why this place was created.”

“Really?”

“Seriously?”

Pant pant…

"Yes, I should've known the moment I saw him smile like that... The black pill he swallowed wasn’t ordinary at all."

“I thought we already knew that, though? Isn’t it why we’re going through a hard time right now?”

"I'm not sure if we can call being trapped like this a 'hard time,' considering what we will gain from now on."

“What we will… gain?”

Everyone immediately honed in on Ur’s words. He then chuckled before continuing.

“This space isn’t safe. We aren’t the only ones here.”

“Aren’t… the only ones?”

“Are they enemies?”

“You could say that, yes,” said Ur. “But we don’t need to worry too much. Despite it being an unstable space, they were separated into a stable area.”

"Separated into a stable area? So, do we just ignore them?"

Jamad thought to himself while rubbing his chin before coming to a realization.

“Don’t tell me… it’s…”

“Yes, there are two things we can speculate. First, it could be a prison to keep dangerous beings locked up, or… it could be a breeding ground that cultivates them.”

“A breeding ground, huh… that does seem possible.”

"What do you mean by breeding ground? Are you saying someone is trying to raise monsters in there?"

“I am. And the person who made that black pill is likely the person behind it.”

“Then tell me… Why did they make this space?”

Ur nodded along before responding.

“It seems to be a training ground of some kind.”

“Training… ground?”

“Yes, an artificial place to endlessly train.”

“Then the breeding ground… are those supposed to be our opponents?”

“They are. It’s just a hypothesis for now, but I consider it to be extremely likely.”

“That’s insane…What kind of maniac… would trap their summons for this?”

"It's not that bad, though, is it?"

“What?”

"I was already frustrated from having to hide in his shadows so much. It wouldn’t be bad to move my body around every once in a while."

Karen tilted her head in confusion before shouting, "Ah! You're right!"

"It’s more of a dream for you guys than for me," said Ur. "Imagine a place where you can fight an endless horde of artificial enemies, uninterrupted, to reach Awakening. It's enough to make anyone shout with joy. In fact, if the person who created this is still alive, I’d want to meet them."

“Why are you excluding yourself, though?”

"Because all of you have grown immensely since your death, reaching entirely new levels. This was partly due to your surroundings, yes, but also, as much as I hate to admit it, because of him outside."

“I guess… you’re right?”

“He is.”

Ur then took turns looking at Karen, Karuna, and Jamad, one by one.

“However, it isn’t always good to grow quickly. There could be issues later due to an imbalance.”

“An… imbalance?”

“Simply, a lack of experience. How many times have all of you fought after Awakening?”

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“Well…”

It was practically none.

As Ur said, they severely lacked battle experience after reaching Transcendent-rank.

“To grow, you need an opponent to fiercely battle against. Just as swords are strengthened by being pounded with a hammer, none of you will achieve proper growth without experience.”

“Ah! So this is where we can fill up that missing experience, right?”

“Precisely. The human who created this space perfectly understood that principle.”

A space specifically prepared for gaining real-battle experience.

It was a place where Seol's summons, who struggled to find worthy opponents due to how strong they were, could truly continue to grow.

The void was an artificial training ground.

“But now… it’s time to deliver the bad news too.”

“What is it?”

“Just now, all of our powers have returned. In other words… we couldn't find the exit.”

Karuna quickly responded to Ur, as if he had been eagerly waiting for this moment.

“...That isn’t necessarily true.”

“What?”

“My powers didn’t fully return.”

“Then… some of it must have slipped through, right?”

“My side must have been the answer,” Karuna said confidently.

Ur scowled, troubled by Karuna’s response. “No, in this case, we’d say that everything was wrong.”

“Why?”

“Because we couldn’t send our powers through. It seems that projecting our powers wasn’t enough to create an exit. I estimate it will take longer for us to reunite with Seol.”

Karen sighed after hearing that.

“Haah… even longer?”

“That’s troublesome,” sighed Jamad, also annoyed.

However, during that time, Karuna had been deep in thought, and after reaching a decision, he slowly spoke up.

“...I will go myself.”

“What?”

“What did you just say?”

“We can’t delay this any longer,” said Karuna, addressing everyone. “We don’t know what’s happening outside, someone has to go now.”

“......”

“I will go… to Master.”

* * *

[Your Rest location has changed to Yocheon.]

[You have moved to a different location. The Travel Luck Dice is rolling.]

[Travel Luck Dice has rolled a 3.]

[You are decently lucky.]

[The Adventures you undertake near Yocheon now will proceed normally.]

[The Adventures you undertake near Yocheon now will have normal difficulty.]

[The Adventures you select near Yocheon now have a low chance of forcibly changing to a Sudden Adventure.]

[Your luck is decent enough to take on the Adventures nearby.]

Seol, Seol Hong, and Cheon Ju arrived at Yocheon just in time. Despite changing locations, Seol’s points did not appear on the leaderboards at all.

This was likely due to an item he had purchased from the Madness Shop before aiding Princess Riona in her escape.

Seol, exhausted from the commotion that occurs each time he changes his location, purchased something to conceal his Adventure Points.

“Hm… So this is Yocheon…” said Seol Hong.

“Is this your first time here?” asked Seol.

“I-Is it not your first time here?”

Seol faintly smiled in response.

Seol Hong, interpreting his smile as agreement, pouted for a moment before quickly pointing at something in the distance.

“There! It’s over there.”

Cheon Ju quickly followed after them, carrying Seol Hong’s clothes and other necessities wrapped in a large cloth pouch. Despite Seol's offer to store them himself, she insisted on carrying them, eventually forcing her way to the point that even Seol gave up.

“Lady Seol Hong…” said Cheon Ju gently. “Please try not to do anything too eye-catching, especially since we are far from home.”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

Cheon Ju carefully looked around, casting glances from the corners of her eyes.

“Yocheon is a dangerous city. It is filled with people obsessed with fighting and gambling.”

Seol awkwardly scratched his nose.

She wasn’t wrong at all.

“Urm… So you essentially want us to come and go quietly, right?”

“I’m just saying there’s nothing wrong with being cautious.”

“Alright! We’ll be careful.”

Cheon Ju then gave Seol a meaningful look, to which he responded with a nod.

The nod was Seol's way of signaling to Cheon Ju that she could relax a bit. Seeing it, she felt slightly more relieved.

Though their journey to Yocheon was short, it was more than enough time for Cheon Ju to realize that Seol was someone she could depend on.

Regardless, with that, they arrived at the location where the archivists had directed them.

Creaaaaak…

After Seol opened the door and ensured nothing was unusual, he allowed Seol Hong to follow behind him. Cheon Ju quickly joined them, balancing a large parcel on her head.

“Would you look who it is!”

A man and a woman were seated on the first floor of the tavern, facing each other, but their eyes quickly turned to them as Seol and the others entered.

Behind them stood two men who appeared to be Dragon’s Stones.

“Is that you, Seol Hong? Don’t tell me you came here as well.”

“Elder Brother… Bae Yu?”

“It’s been a while, huh?”

“What? Elder Sister So Ryo as well…?”

In appearance, the man resembled a fox, while the woman resembled a cat. And judging by Seol Hong’s reactions, the two of them were definitely Dragon’s Flowers.

Seol Hong awkwardly stumbled over to their table before sitting down.

“I heard you passed the first trial, Seol Hong. And not just passed—you got the highest possible points?”

“I was just lucky…” responded Seol Hong.

“Of course you were,” laughed Bae Yu. “How else would you still be in the Dragon War?”

He continued to hurl one insult after another.

Despite this, Seol merely observed Seol Hong’s reaction without intervening. These were the kind of insults that could easily make a child like her cry or lash out in anger.

However, Seol Hong just smiled.

“I know, right? I’m surprised as well,” said Seol Hong. “But I didn’t hear anything about you, Elder Brother Bae Yu…”

“Ahem…” stammered Bae Yu. “You don’t need to worry about that. I did just fine.”

“Seol Hong,” interrupted So Ryo. “Elder Brother Bae Yu apparently barely passed, receiving only 5 points.”

So Ryo, perhaps thinking that it would be more fun to take Seol Hong’s side, began mocking Bae Yu.

Seol Hong quickly made a worried look.

“Oh no… You must be so worried…”

“I’ll kil—”

Seol quietly observed as Bae Yu tried to stand up in anger.

However, as everything was still under Seol’s control, he decided to remain passive for now.

But just as Bae Yu attempted to stand, an archivist's voice rang out.

“We will now explain the Dragon War’s next trial.”

It didn’t seem to be the archivist assigned to Seol Hong, their voice was slightly lighter than the ones assigned to her.

Slam!

Bae Yu slammed the cup he had been drinking from onto the table and arrogantly said, “Go ahead.”

Without hesitation, the archivist began explaining the next trial.

“Bring the Warrior’s Heart…”

Everyone’s expressions quickly darkened.

“Back into Khan’s embrace.”

“...Is that it?”

“That is the only explanation we will give regarding this trial.”

“Why is the explanation so… half-assed?”

“All of these trials were personally decided by Chancellor Bang Hyu himself.”

“...Then I guess I can’t say anything about that.”

"The time limit will be one month. You must achieve something significant enough for us to consider within that time.”

The three Dragon’s Flowers all paused for a second, taking a sip of their tea.

“A month, huh…”

“It’s a lot of time.”

The archivist then fell silent. It seemed that the trial had already begun.

Creak…

Bae Yu quickly got up, kicking his chair aside in the process.

He was ranked highest in the succession order among the Dragon’s Flowers here, though he was still considered middle of the pack at best.

“Are you leaving already?”

“What’s the point? It’s obvious what the joint effort between the three of us would be like,” Bae Yu answered.

"...You're still the same arrogant person as always, Elder Brother Bae Yu. I'm sure your plan is just to borrow money from your clan again, isn't it?" mocked So Ryo.

“You should get your head straight, So Ryo,” warned Bae Yu. “Seol Hong is the weakest competitor in the Dragon War. Whether in terms of background or personal ability, the person judged to be the lowest is the one right beside you.”

Seol Hong laughed bitterly.

After all, he wasn’t wrong.

“Well, you’re not wrong about that.”

So Ryo did not deny it either.

She had been debating whether to join forces with Seol Hong or not.

However, as Bae Yu said, there was nothing good to come from working together with Seol Hong. In fact, it could even be a disadvantage during the evaluation.

“And you, Seol Hong,” said Bae Yu.

“Yes, Elder Brother?”

He glared at Seol before slowly opening his mouth.

“I don’t know where you found that worthless rock, but… the Dragon War isn’t a place for someone like you to meddle. Listen well, in the end, you will be at the bottom of the Dragon Palace.”

“...Thank you for your advice, Elder Brother.”

"Hmph! Let’s go already! I don’t have time to waste on such useless people."

Bae Yu quickly left with his Dragon’s Stone.

“I bet he’s going to be an ass for the rest of his life, Seol Hong,” said So Ryo.

“...Yes.”

Seol Hong knew that So Ryo was no different from Bae Yu.

Despite their mothers also being concubines, they hailed from influential clans.

The two of them started from an entirely different position than Seol Hong.

And despite that being their only difference, the two often looked down on Seol Hong.

“Seol Hong, what do you plan to do?”

"...It's definitely an issue I'll need to think a lot about," Seol Hong responded carefully.

So Ryo gave a sly look with her eyes.

“What do you think about working for me?”

“Working for you…?”

It was an unexpected offer.

“I can’t tell you the specifics yet, but… I have a connection to Yocheon’s leader. I have a plan, you see? In the end, even Elder Brother Bae Yu will have no choice but to give up and come begging to me. I’ll give you a special opportunity first, what do you think?”

“......”

“Currently, the arena’s master is a man named Gwak Seong. You won’t be able to win him over through ordinary means. So don’t waste your effort and join my...”

Seol’s expression stiffened after hearing the name.

‘Gwak… Seong?’

Gwak Seong was a name familiar to Seol.

The moment he heard Gwak Seong’s name, he immediately recalled his personality and had a general outline of how things would progress from this point on.

“What do you think?” asked So Ryo.

“I…”

Seol Hong had always been on her own.

Like someone who had been cold for a long time, even the slightest warmth was more than enough to comfort her.

Despite knowing that So Ryo's offer wasn't out of goodwill, and that her words were meant to entice her, Seol Hong found herself thinking it over again and again.

In the end, she turned her gaze to Seol.

After meeting her eyes, Seol shook his head.

That was plenty enough for Seol Hong to make a decision.

“Though I may be lacking… I will try overcoming this trial on my own.”

“What? H-Hold on…”

“Well then…”

“You’ll regret this, Seol Hong!” shouted So Ryo. “How the hell is someone with nothing like you going to do anything on their own?!”

Seol Hong bit her lips after hearing that.

In the end, she was no different from Bae Yu.

She then took her time slowly exiting the tavern, with Cheon Ju quickly following behind her, carrying her wrapped cloth.

Cheon Ju had been worried that Seol Hong would cry upon hearing that, but she didn’t shed a tear. In fact, she wasn’t even sad. Instead, she began by asking Seol a question.

“So, why did you tell me to refuse So Ryo’s offer?”

Seol Hong intentionally did not say 'Elder Sister'.

It was her small, petty way of getting revenge.

As if he had just recalled something, Seol thought for a moment before responding to her.

"As long as Gwak Seong is the arena's master, there is only one way we'll be able to gain control of it."

“...What? But So Ryo and Bae Yu are…”

The two seemed to have devised entirely different plans. In Seol Hong’s eyes, there was more than just one method available.

Despite that, Seol nodded assuredly.

“This trial was designed to make cooperation impossible. If they make the wrong decision…”

Whether it was Bae Yu, So Ryo, or both of them…

“Gwak Seong will kill them.”