Memorize Chapter 219

‘A secret. So something happened recently.’

I cheered inwardly but put on a serious expression to match his. Nodding once slowly, I watched as Park Hyun-Woo licked his lips nervously. What could be making him so tense and hesitant?

“Well… I’ll trust you and speak. It’s been almost two months now. Do you remember when the clans were summoned for the assembly?”

“Of course.”

“Then you must remember the godmother.”

“I only met her once, but I remember her clearly.”

The godmother. Son Bun-Rye, a Year 9 player. A legendary figure who laid the foundation for the Golden Lion and led the clan to its golden age.

Her ability to control a room full of big shots, regardless of her personal strength, was quite a sight, so of course I remembered her. I hadn’t expected her to come up, so I leaned in to hear what he’d say next.

“I see. Then I’ll get straight to what happened after. At the time, the godmother left immediately after the assembly concluded. It was to find a cure for our clan lord, who was gravely injured during the Iron Mountain expedition.”

“Oh, still no improvement in his condition?”

“Yes. We barely saved his life… Anyway, the godmother only said she was heading to the eastern mountains. She didn’t share any specific destination.”

‘He doesn’t want to talk much about the clan lord’s condition.’

I tried probing subtly, but Park Hyun-Woo sidestepped, mentioning only what was already public knowledge. Clasping his hands together, he continued.

“It seems she went to find a specific healing potion… To be honest, ever since the Inn of Beginnings portal opened, we haven’t heard from her even once. Not in seven whole weeks.”

“Did she say when she’d return?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“Then it doesn’t seem too strange. Finding a potion could take longer than expected, couldn’t it?”

“…”

“If you’re worried, why not send a tracking team with skilled players?”

“We’ve already done that.”

Park Hyun-Woo replied in a somber tone, pulling out a cigarette. With a glance asking for permission, I took out one of my own in response. Lighting them with a mana stone, we both exhaled gray smoke in unison.

“…There are complicated internal matters. Aside from the clan members—no, aside from the executives and a few members—most don’t know about this. So it’s hard to go into detail.”

“I understand.”

“Thank you. Regardless of those matters, the godmother needs to return soon. Both externally and internally, it’s critical. You haven’t been in Hall Plain long, Mercenary Lord, so there’s much you might not know. Right now, the Northern Continent is in chaos. Utterly chaotic…”

There wasn’t a trace of pretense in Park Hyun-Woo’s expression. It almost sounded like he was venting. He spoke with raw sincerity, looking like he might collapse any moment, barely holding it together. I stared at him quietly, taking a long drag from my cigarette.

“As I mentioned, we sent a tracking team long ago. We couldn’t just wait for contact. To be blunt, even our best tracker couldn’t find her.”

“Were her traces erased?”

“To be precise, we found traces up until she entered the eastern city. After that, we couldn’t find anything, no matter how hard we looked. She’s always been elusive, but… she’s not the type to deliberately erase her tracks.”

“So it sounds like… someone intentionally erased them.”

“That’s highly likely. Since she used a warp gate, it’s possible someone planned this. The tracking team has arbitrarily entered the eastern mountains, but all we get are reports that they can’t find any trace of her.”

‘It’s definitely suspicious. But for a player of her caliber, is it really worth worrying… Wait.’

I suddenly recalled checking her information as she left the meeting room. Back then, she was carrying deep internal wounds. Compared to her legendary days, she was significantly weakened.

Park Hyun-Woo let out a deep sigh, flicking his cigarette as if he’d finished his explanation. The remaining embers danced in the air before slowly dissolving. After staring blankly into space for a moment, he spoke again in the same serious tone as before.

“It’s embarrassing to admit, but if our internal efforts aren’t enough, we need to borrow external help.”

“So that’s why you asked about Go Yeon-Joo’s visit schedule.”

“Yes, exactly. To be blunt, we desperately need her abilities. The tracking skills of the Shadow Queen, a top-tier player, are unmatched. I’m certain she could find something our clan missed.”

“…”

“I’m asking you too, Mercenary Lord. Even if we don’t succeed, if you could help us just this once, the Golden Lion will never forget this favor.”

Seeing Park Hyun-Woo bow respectfully with his request, I sank into thought. A whirlwind of ideas flooded my mind, quickly taking over. As I weighed them against the ongoing clan matters, I felt a piercing gaze. Looking up, I met Park Hyun-Woo’s eyes—exhausted but burning with intensity.

Meeting his gaze head-on, I spoke calmly.

“That might be a bit difficult.”

*

On my way back after the discussion with Park Hyun-Woo, I reflected. I’d accepted the invitation hoping to glean even a small piece of information, but I ended up hearing something massive.

‘His face when I refused was quite a sight.’

Park Hyun-Woo’s expression had been one of shock at my polite refusal. But saying “it might be difficult” wasn’t a complete rejection. I quickly calmed him by mentioning that Go Yeon-Joo would visit around the end of the eighth week.

I could reject the request and proceed with my original plan.

Or I could accept and make the Golden Lion owe me a favor.

Both options had their pros and cons, but I ultimately deferred the decision to Go Yeon-Joo. Rather than making a call myself, I figured she, who was handling the clan’s plans, could make a better judgment. Besides, given how much we’d benefited from them, outright refusing felt a bit off, so passing the decision to her seemed the best approach.

The sun was setting. Crossing the quiet academy courtyard, I could smell the warm evening air.

A sudden thought struck me.

‘How much did I know about the present back in my first life?’

Strictly speaking, not much. Back then, I was just a Year 0 player, barely managing to look after myself. The future had definitely been altered—that was certain. Normally, by now, the Western Continent’s uprising and the fall of the western cities should’ve happened, but there wasn’t even a hint of it. Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something unseen was still alive, stirring.

Whether it would correct the altered course or veer in another direction was something I couldn’t yet predict. In that moment, the air, which had felt warm just seconds ago, suddenly turned oppressively unpleasant.

With a sigh, I quickened my pace toward the dorms.

*

The eighth week of the Player Academy began. The total duration was typically 13 to 14 weeks, meaning we were now just past the halfway mark.

The training intensity had been gradually increasing since the first week. However, compared to my time, the eighth week’s training felt about as intense as the first week. Still, most of the new players were adapting well, having learned a lot, and not a single one had expressed a desire to drop out. But…

‘Once you start getting suspicious, everything looks suspicious.’

On the surface, the academy seemed fine. With other clans participating in the training, you’d expect at least a few to be skeptical, but they were all too busy praising Park Hwan-Hee. All they seemed to know was that he was popular among the new players.

Ironically, this only raised Park Hwan-Hee’s value. Many believed that recruiting him would make it easier to scout the talented players close to him. Of course, I suspected a clan was backing him, but his social maneuvering was undeniably impressive.

After checking the approval tablet Han-Byeol gave me this morning, I headed to the classroom where the training was scheduled. The morning session was already done, and the afternoon was set for physical group training.

As I approached the central training field, I saw a group of new players huddled together in the distance. Pausing for a moment, I observed their formation. At a glance, they seemed scattered, chatting excitedly. But when I enhanced my vision with mana, I noticed something odd.

I quickly moved toward it.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah. Uh? Oh! Hello…!”

Baek Hangeol, slouched in a corner, jolted upright when I tapped his shoulder. His voice lacked energy, and his face was shadowed with gloom. As he tried to stand, I said, “There’s still some time before training, so it’s fine,” and gently pushed him back down before sitting beside him. He seemed genuinely happy I was there, his eyes almost brimming with tears.

“Is something bothering you? Why are you sulking here alone?”

“Well…”

He looked a bit hurt by my words, turning his head with a glum expression. Following his gaze, I saw an interesting sight.

A group of players surrounded Park Hwan-Hee, among them Cha Yuna, glaring at him. But her look wasn’t one of disapproval—it was more like a coy glance. They were laughing and chatting, clearly enjoying themselves. Compared to how she used to stick to Baek Hangeol, it was an unusual scene.

Baek Hangeol stared at them with a wistful expression before his shoulders slumped in dejection.

“Did you fight with your girlfriend?”

“…”

“Did you break up?”

No answer. Instead, he slowly nodded, then shook his head, his face full of sorrow. His lips trembled, looking ready to burst into tears. I gently patted his head, moistening my lips before speaking.

“If you didn’t break up, that’s good news. Can you tell me why you fought? I may not look it, but I like to think I’m pretty good with relationship advice.”

“R-Really?”

“Of course. Back in the day, I—”

“Kim~ Su~ Hyeon!”

Just as Baek Hangeol’s eyes lit up with hope, a sharp voice cut through. It sounded like Yeon Hye-Rim, the training instructor. I ruffled his hair vigorously and stood up.

“Looks like the instructor’s here. I don’t know what’s going on, but cheer up. If it’s tough, you can come to my quarters.”

“C-Can I really?”

“Of course. Like I said, I handle lifestyle duties too, not just supervision. Listening to new players’ concerns is part of my job.”

My earlier smooth-talking was starting to dry up, and I didn’t think I could keep up the act much longer. With one last firm statement, I turned to Yeon Hye-Rim.

As always, she looked at me with her usual aloof expression, but the way she waved enthusiastically was oddly incongruous.