Memorize Chapter 258

'As expected. She’s already been consumed. Nothing’s changed, then.'

The woman’s faint smile faded, though the corners of her mouth remained upturned in a clear smirk. Having checked her information with my Third Eye, the myriad thoughts I’d held since climbing the stairs began to coalesce into a single possibility.

Kwon So-Ra tilted her head, studying me, her small lips parting to speak again. But I cut her off first.

“‘Welcome’ sounds like you’re offering hospitality.”

“Yes! My master instructed me to escort you politely,” She replied.

“For ‘politely,’ you’ve set up quite the amusing trap. I’m not impressed.”

“Oh? And who was it that broke through the barrier and intruded?” She retorted smoothly, shrugging and clicking her tongue. Raising her index and middle fingers, she continued with a resigned tone.

“Well, since you’re displeased, the barrier’s been lifted, I hear. Anyway, here’s the deal. My master is slightly curious about you—the handsome guy at the front.”

“…”

“You have two choices. First: follow me quietly and accept my master’s invitation. Second:”

She paused, clapping her hands twice and smiling faintly. Just as she appeared, dozens of figures began emerging from the surroundings, their gray, lifeless eyes matching hers.

Satisfied, she scanned them before continuing confidently.

“You resist pointlessly, get thoroughly beaten, and are dragged away unconscious. So, what’ll it be?”

“Third option: I kill you all and your so-called master.”

“Oh~? Option two, then? Tsk, you’re too full of yourself. I’ll give you one chance to reconsider. Choose the first, and we’ll treat you as guests. But the second? For men, it’s limb amputation. For women, rape comes as a bonus!”

“Crazy bitch. Everyone, prepare for combat.”

Finding no value in further talk, I drew the Sun-Moon Divine Sword. Its gleaming blade caught the sunlight, and I sensed the clan members behind me readying their weapons. Kwon So-Ra’s face briefly twisted into genuine sadness before she sighed, shook her hand dismissively, and grinned again.

“If you insist on drinking the bitter cup, so be it. Time to get roughed up. Kids~?”

“…”

“Beat them all! Don’t kill them, though. Keep them alive so you can have some fun later, right?”

At her command, several figures began chanting in unison. This wasn’t like our past battles. We’d typically relied on defensive tactics, assuming no ranged enemies. But these were players like us.

About forty in number, mostly melee fighters, but with archers and mages among them. Still…

“Go Yeon-Joo.”

“Got it~,” Her languid voice replied.

As she spoke, dark shadows rose from the ground beneath the chanting and aiming players. The shadows lightly grazed their necks, and blood sprayed from eleven throats simultaneously.

Thud, thud.

Kwon So-Ra’s smug smile vanished, her eyes widening in shock. At that moment, Kim Han-Byeol stepped forward, aiming right. She’d been preparing a spell since we entered.

“───. ───. ───. Radiant Dawn’s Embrace.”

A gem floated up, blazing brightly. As it shattered, a wave of radiant light engulfed a group of enemies—the same large-scale spell used against the Rhinocerion.

“Arghhh!”

“Kyaaa!”

Kim Han-Byeol’s expression was cold yet serene. Though their minds were altered, their pain was real, and those caught in her spell writhed, screaming horribly. As the light wave passed, they collapsed, their bodies red-hot.

In just two moves, we’d taken out nearly twenty enemies—almost half their force. With Go Yeon-Joo targeting their ranged fighters, our advantage was even greater.

“F-Fuck,” Kwon So-Ra swore, her face twisting as she grasped the gravity of the situation.

She stumbled back, then fell on her ass, lips trembling in panic. Enemies remained, but I ignored them, tapping my sword and advancing.

“N-No way… Fuck! Stay back!”

“Three choices. First: die by my sword. Second: die by my comrades—Yun-Jung’s been grinding her teeth since you mentioned rape. Third: kill yourself.”

“H-Help! What are you doing? Take him out!”

“Don’t bother struggling.”

Her stats were mediocre, but she seemed to have authority over these players—or vagrants. At her command, the remaining twenty charged me, but my clan members didn’t stand idle.

Even with a 40-to-7 disadvantage, the power gap was immense. As Go Yeon-Joo noted, a few players on our level would’ve made this tough, but these were average at best.

“Urk!”

“Gah!”

Dark shadows flickered again, and screams echoed as Go Yeon-Joo restrained nearly twenty with her stealth. Frustrated from playing keeper, she unleashed the full might of Top 10 Shadow Queen.

“Su-Hyeon, kill them all? Or how should we handle this?” She asked.

“Leave a few. An-Hyun and Yun-Jung need something to do.”

“Oops, my bad. Hehe.”

“Let’s keep it balanced, alright? Use some tact.”

Exchanging light banter with Go Yeon-Joo, I closed the distance to Kwon So-Ra. The closer I got, the more she looked at me like I was a monster.

“Eek!”

About five steps away, she scrambled up, screaming, and bolted in the opposite direction. But—

“Bind!”

“Agh!”

Thud, crash.

Her escape was short-lived. An-Sol, prepared in advance, cast a spell. A white light struck Kwon So-Ra’s back, freezing her body. She tumbled, rolling across the ground. Thanks to An-Sol’s timely binding, I leisurely grabbed her long hair and yanked her up.

“Eek!”

“Here’s the thing. I’ve got a question.”

Her hair bunched up like uprooted weeds. I wasn’t going to kill her yet. I had a hunch about who her “master” was, but I needed to know where he was waiting. No need to wander this vast city aimlessly—better to get answers first, then deal with her.

“Master! H-Help me!”

“Hey, I said I have a question. Stop babbling and open your eyes.”

“Help! Master! Save me!”

“On second thought, I’d like to accept your master’s invitation. So, how about telling me where he’s waiting?”

Slap!

Her earlier bravado was gone. Seeing her tremble with her eyes tightly shut irritated me. Even after lightly striking her cheek with my sword, she refused to open them, only repeating pleas for her master. Deciding to end it, I raised my sword to strike—when—

Hum!

A strange sound rang in my ears as the air quivered. It wasn’t unfamiliar—a distortion like space itself was warping, something I’d heard before. Pausing my strike, I turned toward the sound. About two meters above the ground, the air began splitting apart.

'Portal magic? Or spatial teleportation?'

“Oh! Master! Master’s here!” Kwon So-Ra exclaimed, overjoyed.

“Master?”

The split widened, forming a circular hole. Her excitement suggested her master had come himself, saving me the trouble. Without hesitation, I pressed the sword against her throat. With a gurgling “Kek!” she spat blood mixed with foam.

Clutching her neck, she stared in disbelief. Tossing her to the ground, I fixed my gaze on the portal.

“Go Yeon-Joo, are the ones you caught still alive?”

“Yes, a few.”

“Kill them now.”

“Got it—”

“Not so fast.”

A hand and foot emerged from the circular portal. The hand brought the thumb and middle finger together, snapping lightly with a gentle voice.

Snap!

“Oh?” Go Yeon-Joo gasped.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

As the fingers snapped, something bizarre happened. The shadows binding the players began to vanish, erased like pencil marks. It wasn’t just her shadows—all shadows on the ground disappeared with an eerie sound, silently and completely. Even Go Yeon-Joo, unprepared for this, frowned and drew her dagger, taking a stance.

“Sora, sorry I’m late… Oh, already dead? So impatient. Tsk tsk.”

A figure emerged fully from the portal—an elderly-looking man. Clicking his tongue at Kwon So-Ra, who lay clutching her throat, he addressed his freed subordinates.

“You lot aren’t their match. Fall back.”

'So this is her master? Then…'

It felt a bit early, but the moment had come. I studied his face closely.

Tall but gaunt, his long hair and beard—reaching his navel—were nearly white. Wrinkles lined his eyes, yet his gentle voice matched his demeanor, giving the impression of a kindly grandfather. Even now, he spoke with a soft smile.

Noticing my stare, he glanced at me and spoke.

“You killed her, didn’t you?”

“And if I did?”

“Cheeky brat. That’s no way to talk to an elder. Couldn’t you have waited? She was one I rather liked.”

“Oh, sure. But she mentioned amputating men’s limbs and raping women as a ‘bonus.’ Not exactly hospitable.”

“Enough, you punk. Twisting words with mock politeness—who’s that supposed to impress?”

As we spoke, I felt an odd sense of déjà vu. Despite over half his forces lying dead, he showed no regret, only irritation. Scratching his head, he sighed deeply.

“Ugh. Sora said that? I never told her to. Just to escort you politely… Tsk, her original personality must’ve crept through. Another failure. If she really said that, I’m sorry. Must’ve been unpleasant.”

Muttering to himself like Vivienne often did, he offered a half-hearted apology without looking at me.

The atmosphere grew strange, a relaxed tension settling between us. It was the ease of someone utterly confident in their power, unshaken by any situation—a demeanor only those who’ve survived countless battlefields could wield. I took a deep breath, steadying myself.

The freed players slunk behind the old man, while my clan reformed their formation, eyeing the front warily. A brief silence fell. The old man shook his head, lost in thought, then smacked his lips and turned back to me.

“So, you’re… what do they call it? Players?”

“…Hm.”

“Hm? Answer me, you rude player. Anyway, I did invite you—well, specifically you. Things got a bit messy, but let’s move past it. How about sheathing that sword and chatting in my castle?”

His voice remained soft and warm, though the proposal was laughable. Having faced similar offers from intelligent monsters before, I wasn’t fazed. Instead of replying, I raised the Sun-Moon Divine Sword, activating my Third Eye.

“....”

As a flood of information appeared, my eyes narrowed instinctively.