Memorize Chapter 225

Guided by the Black Lion members, I arrived at the academy’s instructor meeting room. The players escorting me stopped at the door and carefully opened it. As I stepped inside, I saw the left side of the table about one-third filled with instructors from eastern clans.

“Oh, the Mercenary Lord has arrived.”

The murmurs filling the room quieted, and several gazes turned toward me. Sung Hyun-Min, who had been talking seriously with Seo Jin-Woo, stood up and greeted me. As I took the seat he gestured to, I heard his long sigh.

“I was in the middle of mental training when I got called here. It’s a bit unsettling.”

“Yeah… same here.”

“Any idea what this is about?”

“Hoo…”

Instead of answering, he let out another sigh. He didn’t seem clueless, but his troubled expression suggested he was reluctant to speak. Seeing Sung Hyun-Min, usually so composed, this rattled was rare, hinting that something major had happened.

I steeled myself. From my talks with Park Hyun-Woo, my meeting with Go Yeon-Joo, and now Sung Hyun-Min’s reaction, I could roughly piece things together. For now, I decided to push aside complex thoughts and focus on the meeting.

As I sat quietly, players who hadn’t been present when I arrived began trickling in. Most of those arriving behind me were from southern clans, their faces uniformly etched with displeasure.

Finally, Kim Duk-Pil stomped in, cursing loudly, completing the gathering of instructors from non-participating clans. I calmly observed their demeanor.

The southern clan instructors were openly grumbling. In contrast, some eastern clan instructors wore grave expressions. The southeastern clans’ reactions were subtly mixed.

“Goddamn, so annoying. I was finally getting a break with no training, and now this shit?”

“Things were just starting to quiet down, and now they pull this crap. Acting like they own the place.”

Yeon Hye-Rim snapped irritably, and Kim Duk-Pil chimed in with his gruff voice. As more joined in, it confirmed that the clan tensions hadn’t eased—they’d only deepened.

As complaints about Golden Lion’s summons grew louder, I sensed dozens of players approaching from outside. Everyone in the room, no slouches themselves, stopped talking and fixed their eyes on the door. And then—

Bang!

The door flew open with a sound like it might break. As Sung Hyun-Min’s face hardened, a man with streaks of white in his hair stepped inside. He scanned us arrogantly and spoke in a growling voice.

“Hmph. Looks like everyone who’s supposed to be here is here.”

“…”

No one responded. But the moment he spoke, sharp auras began rising from the left side. Unfazed, the man strode through the room and plopped down heavily in the head seat, making a loud thud.

“What are you waiting for? Come in. Oh, Shadow Queen, you too. Place it in the center so everyone can see.”

At his gesture toward the door, the players waiting outside began filing in. Leading the group were Golden Lion members, followed by instructors from western and northern clans. In the middle was Go Yeon-Joo, holding a long, wide wooden box and something wrapped in luxurious cloth.

The room filled with the sound of footsteps as so many entered at once. Taking advantage of the moment, I activated my Third Eye on the man in the head seat.

(Player Status)

1. Name: Do Young-Rok (Year 7)

2. Class: Normal Mage Master

3. Nation: Babara

4. Clan: Golden Lion

5. True Name · Nationality: Irredeemable Filth · South Korea

6. Sex: Male (56)

7. Height · Weight: 184.8 cm · 88.3 kg

8. Alignment: Low - Down · Stain

[Strength 47] [Resistance 54] [Agility 69] [Vitality 63] [Magic 93(+3)] [Luck 75]

‘Ah, Do Young-Rok. Now I remember.’

I’d been a bit uncertain, but the player info jogged my memory. After staring at the floating data for a moment, I turned my attention back to Go Yeon-Joo.

She didn’t seem injured, which was a relief. But her face was expressionless. Following Do Young-Rok’s instructions, she placed the two items in the center of the table, then slowly turned her head. When our eyes met, she came over and sat beside me, gently resting her head on my shoulder. The strong scent of her suggested she’d been through a lot over the past two weeks. I shifted my shoulder to let her lean more comfortably.

Soon, the central, western, and northern clan players who had entered took their seats at the right side of the table. The non-expedition clans sat on the left, the expedition clans on the right, creating a stark contrast.

“Most of you probably know me, but for those who don’t, I’ll introduce myself briefly. Given the setting, I’ll keep it formal. I’m Do Young-Rok, an executive of the Golden Lion Clan, currently acting as Clan Lord.”

“…”

“I’m sure you’re all wondering why we’ve suddenly called you away from your hard work at the academy.”

“There must be a good reason, right, player Do Young-Rok?”

The power struggle had already begun the moment Do Young-Rok barged through the door and arrogantly took the head seat. No, the fact that someone from Golden Lion spoke in such a tone was tantamount to picking a fight.

As Do Young-Rok adopted his high-handed attitude, Yeon Hye-Rim, already irritated, shot back sarcastically. He smirked mockingly at her before speaking in a low voice.

“Of course. There’s a damn good reason.”

“Player Do Young-Rok, how about calming down a bit?” Seo Jin-Woo interjected.

“Hah, calm down?”

“Your attitude feels like you’re talking down to us, and it’s frankly unpleasant. I acknowledge your achievements and status, but there are people here who stand on equal footing with you.”

“Hmph.”

Following Yeon Hye-Rim, Seo Jin-Woo expressed his displeasure. You’d think even Golden Lion would flinch when two of the Top 10 call them out, but Do Young-Rok only radiated hostility. As Seo Jin-Woo’s expression hardened, Do Young-Rok stood abruptly and strode to the center of the room. Without a word, he pulled back the neatly folded cloth on the table.

The moment the object beneath was revealed, a chilling silence fell over the left side of the table.

“Do you know what this is?”

“That’s… the godmother’s… No way.”

Under the cloth lay a tattered, faded robe and a staff, broken into several pieces, that the godmother always carried. Someone stammered in disbelief, and Do Young-Rok pointed to the wooden box, continuing.

“What do you think is in this box?”

“…”

“I’ll tell you why we’re here. Yesterday, the investigation team sent to the eastern mountains confirmed the godmother’s death.”

“What? That’s unbelievable! What kind of bullshit—”

“Kim Duk-Pil, come see for yourself then. No, I’ll open it for you. Look closely, all of you.”

With trembling hands, Do Young-Rok carefully opened the long wooden box. I felt Go Yeon-Joo’s breathing, as she leaned against my shoulder, grow rough. As the box opened and its contents were revealed, gasps erupted from the right side of the table.

“This… This can’t be!”

“Ah…!”

“Ugh…”

The godmother’s body was far from intact. Even with only parts remaining, it was gruesome beyond words, utterly horrific. After observing their reactions, Do Young-Rok closed the box and wrapped it again. Handling it as if it were a sacred relic, he spoke in a voice thick with rage.

“You expect me to calm down? With the godmother’s body right in front of me, you tell me to calm down?”

Seo Jin-Woo bit his lip, his face darkening under Do Young-Rok’s aggressive tone, but he responded in a heavy voice.

“I deeply regret the godmother’s death. I understand your feelings, but I still think you should settle down.”

“Settle? You sound awfully calm. Almost like you knew beforehand.”

“We got word through communication a step ahead.”

“Oh? I don’t recall ordering the investigation team to blab everywhere. How’d you find out?”

“The investigation team came to a city we manage after confirming the godmother’s death. Our Han Clan provided them lodging, and that’s how we learned. I’m sorry if it was spread carelessly, but I don’t appreciate baseless accusations.”

Seo Jin-Woo’s explanation was supplemented by Sung Hyun-Min. Do Young-Rok stared at him with narrowed eyes before muttering, “Quite the silver tongue,” and returned to his seat, clutching the items.

Back at the head seat, he let out a long sigh and buried his face in his hands. To anyone watching, he seemed genuinely grieving and enraged over the godmother’s sudden death. But an uneasy feeling crept over me.

‘Didn’t I hear that Do Young-Rok and the godmother were on terrible terms back in her active days? And wasn’t he the one who led the charge to oust her?’

Recalling my first life, something felt off. I noticed a few others subtly grimacing, likely sharing similar thoughts.

Do Young-Rok took a couple of deep breaths and spoke in a slightly softer tone.

“Fine. I apologize for talking down to you. That wasn’t my intent, so I hope you understand.”

“I understand. It’s the godmother, after all. But do we know the cause of death? Any traces?”

“No idea. The first investigation team found nothing. Fortunately, the Mercenary Lord showed us favor, and with the Shadow Queen’s help, we recovered the godmother’s body. But that’s it. Further tracking was impossible. Who the hell did this, and why…”

So that’s why he softened his tone—he mentioned me and Go Yeon-Joo. I instinctively sensed we were cleared as suspects. I didn’t take it at face value, but it sounded like he was signaling he wouldn’t touch the Mercenary Clan.

Just then, as everyone eyed each other warily, a sharp voice rang out from the table of allied clans.

“Maybe it was someone with a grudge against the godmother?”

“A grudge? What do you mean?”

“Well, maybe some organized act by those who didn’t welcome her return…”

“What did you say?”

A female player from the SSUN Clan trailed off with a coy twist of her hair, and Heo Yuri immediately bristled. The first part was obvious enough for anyone to consider. That meant her real point was in the latter statement.

“Are you targeting us with that comment?”

“Oh? Why would you say that? Did I say you did it?”

Sung Hyun-Min quickly signaled Heo Yuri to calm down. She shut her mouth but didn’t stop glaring forward.

A tense silence hung over the room. Breaking it, Do Young-Rok spoke first.

“Come to think of it, I heard the godmother was planning to oversee the player academy upon her return.”

“Player Do Young-Rok!”

“I heard from Park Hyun-Woo in detail about how the academy’s been run.”

Seo Jin-Woo, who had been holding back, roared at Do Young-Rok’s words. But Do Young-Rok didn’t stop. With a cold expression, he scanned the left table and continued.

“Frankly, it sounds like a mess. But I held back. I told them to hold back. You can criticize Golden Lion harshly and wield influence in the academy—we let that slide. After all, as some clans pointed out, we failed the Iron Mountain expedition and caused trouble for the North Continent, so we had no room to talk. I stayed quiet to take time for reflection.”

Do Young-Rok cleverly jabbed at their sore spots, silencing Seo Jin-Woo and the non-expedition clans. He brought it up here to seize control, signaling his true intentions were coming.

“But there’s a line. I’ll be blunt: the godmother’s body wasn’t normal. Still, she entered the eastern mountains with an incomplete body to treat the Clan Lord.”

“Her body wasn’t normal?”

“Yes. But she’s dead now, and with her, the hope of treating the Clan Lord is gone. We’ve also lost the clan’s spiritual pillar. How should the Golden Lion respond to this clear act of hostility?”

“Find the culprit and deliver a fitting punishment.”

A female player from SSUN Clan answered promptly. The room filled with murmurs. As the noise slowly died down, Do Young-Rok continued.

“Then I hope every clan here will help catch the godmother’s killer. If you’re truly innocent, I assume you wouldn’t refuse.”

“…I agree with identifying the culprit and catching them. But that process requires thorough investigation, and we should avoid words that cause misunderstandings. For instance, let’s not use ‘innocent’ yet. The culprit hasn’t been identified.”

“Heh. Can I take that as a willingness to cooperate?”

“Some instructors here don’t have decision-making authority. At the very least, we need time to report this to our clans and gather opinions.”

Do Young-Rok nodded at Seo Jin-Woo’s logical response.

“Fine. I’ll expect a positive answer. For the record, all clans under Golden Lion have agreed to cooperate, so keep that in mind. Park Hyun-Woo! I’m heading back to the clan house. Handle the rest.”

“Yes, sir.”

Having said his piece, Do Young-Rok stood, clutching the godmother’s remains, and staggered across the room. Just as he reached the door, he straightened and paused.

“I let the academy slide, but I won’t tolerate this. No, I refuse to tolerate it. Golden Lion will thoroughly investigate the godmother’s death and spare no time or effort to uncover the mastermind. And when we do—”

He half-turned, his voice dripping with menace as he enunciated each word.

“We’ll make damn sure they know Golden Lion’s fangs haven’t rusted.”

As he opened the door and left, a chilling atmosphere settled over the left table. His words were nothing less than a declaration of war, a warning to the non-expedition clans.