Five Time Regressor Walks the King’s Path - Chapter 33
Chapter 33
“Thus, the story of the Preeminent Fury and myself ends.”
“You’re saying that it’s not over yet?”
“I don’t know about that. After that, I focused on raising my daughter. That kid is just as talented as I was. The problem is, I was a Phantom Hunter all my life, while Sung-Ah seems to already be sick of being a Phantom Hunter.”
Ho Baek-San noticed this, so that must be the reason he proposed the idea. For his daughter’s happiness.
He wanted his daughter to be the guardian of mankind, but on the other hand, he didn’t wish for her to walk the same path as him.
“Now, what kind of ending are you going to show me? Although I’m not sure if I will live to see it.”
“Dunno.”
“What a simple answer.”
He smiled lightly.
“The bottom line is, Ha Chun-Sung, will you join our Baek-Ho family? When the four great families agree to it, we’ll share the location of Preeminent Fury.”
“Okay. If you tell me where Preeminent Fury is, I’ll join.”
[Congratulations. You are the 12th to clear Floor 26.]
[The ‘Proprietor of Floor 25’, ‘Cruelty-Stained Greeting’, rewards you appropriately.]
Messages from the Constellation appeared with a ping.
The key to clearing this Floor was joining the eight families before going after Preeminent Fury?
[The ‘Proprietor of Floor 25’, ‘Cruelty-Stained Greeting’, begins to explain.]
[Floor 27 Scenario Quest, how splendid! You belong to one of the four great families. Congratulations! Now, as a member of the eight families, let’s aim to become the best Phantom Hunter. Overthrow Preeminent Fury!]
Reading all that, I folded my arms and got lost in thought.
One question I had was: ‘Would hunting Preeminent Fury alone clear the Floor?’
‘The Constellations always create multiple crossroads.’
There was always more than one key that could clear the Floor.
A Constellation’s baptism was also granted when one pioneered a new path.
That was why Constellations always had a different path available.
‘Ha Il-Sung is strong. Among the Constellation’s baptisms, there are a few that are useless, but they’re still better than nothing.’
Since I was pushed out by Ha Il-Sung and became a latecomer, I had to take everything I could.
“The heads of the other families wish to meet with you. I only said that I’d choose whether or not to agree to that after seeing you.”
What a bother.
Well, from their perspective, they need to be meticulous for anything related to Preeminent Fury, since the world is on the line.
Because he was an Apostle, Ho Baek-San handled things well. But from another’s point of view, this was a matter of life and death.
“The person waiting outside will guide you. I didn’t tell you this before, but be careful of Ju Yeon-Hwa. That woman has a nasty side.”
With that, Ho Baek-San dragged his tired body and sat back down on the bed.
With an expression as if he was waiting for death.
I watched him for only a moment before turning back the way I came in. Suddenly, a man and I were face to face.
He gave me a light greeting, and then drove me to the meeting area in a black van he’d prepared.
It took about an hour to reach our destination.
When I got out of the van, it was parked in front of a thirty-story building with black walls. Before this encounter, I had put on a suit.
First impressions were important.
If they didn’t acknowledge me like Ho Baek-San did, then I couldn’t know where Preeminent Fury’s location was.
So it was important to keep formalities.
Thanks to living life as the youngest son of a chaebol family, being formal wasn’t difficult for me.
Sung-Ah entered the building with me, also wearing a suit. A bodyguard then came to guide us after a short greeting.
We used the VIP elevator and I looked at the neon sign outside, reflected in the window. I thought it’d been a while since I felt like this.
‘I can’t believe how long it’s been. It’s sure been a rough life.’
Just as I was about to let out a dry chuckle, the elevator stopped on floor thirty.
We left the elevator and walked down a corridor. Soon, we arrived at the door to the meeting room.
Two women who appeared to be employees greeted us and opened the door. Inside was a long desk and the room held an atmosphere typical of a meeting room.
Sitting at the desk were people dressed in formal attire who seemed to be Phantom Hunters.
I entered, and among those gathered was Lee-Han, who Sung-Ah went to sit next to.
As if he already knew the truth, Lee-Han tried hard to smile at Sung-Ah’s chattering. I turned to face the front.
Seems like all the major figures of the Phantom Hunters had gathered.
But one person caught my eye. Someone I knew, and I couldn’t help but scowl.
“Magician?”
“Hoho, I didn’t expect to see you here, Mr. Ha Chun-Sung!”
When I gave them a questioning look, Magician returned a bright smile.
“How are you here?”
“Similar to you, actually. I’m the heir of the prestigious Girin1 family!”
The Girin successor.
I recall hearing Lee Ju-Hee was from the Girin family.
Was this guy on the same route as me?
“Does Apsara know?”
“Though it was after Mr. Ha Chun-Sung became the Baek-Ho heir.”
I don’t know what he did, but I nodded briefly at Magician’s words.
Magician was a veteran regressor. He must have his own ways, so it wasn’t strange to see him come this far.
“Haha, that’s funny. The guys who’ve recently filled the successor positions know each other. Isn’t that a bit strange?”
Someone cut in between our conversation.
Turning my head, I saw a middle-aged man with blue hair who was staring at me with a disapproving look.
“The head of the Cheongryong family.”
Magician whispered to me and I nodded.
He was also from one of the four great families, like the Baek-Ho family I joined.
And he was like a gateway I had to pass through to find out Preeminent Fury’s location.
“Don’t you think it’s time for the new to replace the old?”
“I think you’re getting full of yourself because Ho Baek-San acknowledged you.”
Aura flowed from the Cheongryong head’s abrupt response.
Amidst the aura that burned blue, the eyes of the Cheongryong head flashed.
“You better watch your mouth. Just because you’ve secured the successor position.”
Their hostility went through the roof.
Words don’t work on guys like this.
“Well, shall we have a go then? If you lose, you’ll agree to tell me the location of Preeminent Fury.”
Being forceful has its uses.
In a fight, the first to strike wins. Seeing the face of the Cheongryong head turn red, as if he was going to rush at me any second, I was building up my aura.
“Both you, that’s enough.”
A voice sliced through the tense atmosphere.
A woman, seated in the very center, spoke. She had red hair and was quietly watching the situation.
Red hair, and similarly red, long eastern-style clothing.
The woman was the Jujak head, and the woman Ho Baek-San told me to be wary of.
“Name?”
“It’s Ha Chun-Sung.”
“Nice to meet you. My name is Ju Yeon-Hwa. I am the head of the Jujak family.”
She spoke as if a grandmother was telling a story to a child. She lightly laughed and pointed to the table.
“I wish to talk, so first, if you’ll take your seat.”
Seems like there’s someone I could have a conversation with.
When I sat in the open seat next to Sung-Ah, Ju Yeon-Hwa opened her mouth again.
“Now, I would like everyone to calm down. Firstly, who objects to letting Ha Chun-Sung know the location of Preeminent Fury?”
A few hands rose up, their eyes holding distrust toward me.
Preeminent Fury was this world’s greatest danger. They had no intention of hastily giving away such important information.
“Then shall we listen to the reasons from the opposing side?”
The Cheongryong head was the first to open his mouth.
“I’ve heard from Lee Ju-Hee that you’ve become a half Phantom. Along with the fact that there’s no possibility of you becoming a Degenerate God. However, do you have any proof that you’re not siding with the Phantoms?”
So this arm was the problem?
When Ju Yeon-Hwa turned her gaze to me, asking if I had an answer, I replied without a change in my expression.
“If I was on the same side as the Phantoms, why would I come this far just to find out the location of Preeminent Fury?”
They went silent.
“And, if I were on their side, then everyone here… would be dead.”
And I provoked them.
Although a few faces scrunched up, some of them looked like they liked my spirit. Must be because I came in strong.
It was like they were saying I had to have that level of spirit to succeed Ho Baek-San. Though, the Cheongryong head made a fuss.
“Above all, Lee Ju-Hee is from the Girin family, the same family where that man who recognized you is from. The fact that you cannot become a Degenerate God may just be a lie.”
“I know Lee Ju-Hee well. Don’t worry about that.”
Ju Yeon-Hwa covered for Lee Ju-Hee instead of the people from the Girin family.
When the Cheongryong head turned to Magician, the guy only smiled brightly.
“Do you think we lack talented individuals to trust people with no track record?”
A new guy butted in.
“Do you know the weakness of those who focus on performance? They can’t acknowledge new things even if they die. Because they’re afraid that their performance will be overturned by that new thing.”
As soon as one person challenged me, I immediately countered.
He went mute right away and as I gained momentum, I continued to speak while looking into the eyes of everyone present.
“I’ll say it again. Fight me if you’ve got a problem. I’ll fight you as much as you want. But if you lose to me, then accept it. Accept that a new star has risen. I will get rid of Preeminent Fury, who you all only depended on Ho Baek-San to hold back.”
“You bastard!”
With those two final words, the Cheongryong head stood up.
He was a dual wielder. But before he had the chance to do anything, I grabbed him by the head and smashed him into the floor face first.
“Keuk?!”
Given his skill, he didn’t faint from just that. However, he couldn’t escape from my power.
The people in the meeting room could only watch with widened eyes and stiffened faces.
Though the Cheongryong head may speak without a filter, he was quite strong in areas related to combat.
So, for that man to be overpowered with a single blow, they were quite taken aback.
“Isn’t it difficult for even you guys to deal with Preeminent Fury? That’s why you haven’t dealt with her even until this day. Admit it, and hand over the information about their location.”
At that moment, I released my aura.
The aura spread and took control of the surrounding area. A few couldn’t even breathe and could only twitch.
What I needed in times like this was overwhelming oppression.
I had to show them how strong I was, that I could crush any opponent.
When I retracted my aura…
Thump. Bang.
Several people fell down from their chairs and rolled onto the floor.
They were pale and gasping for air. They were too fearful to even look at my face.
I looked straight at Ju Yeon-Hwa, the pillar of the meeting room.
“Guide me there.”
Ju Yeon-Hwa smiled calmly at my few words.
“Preeminent Fury isn’t currently active. If things continue as they have, she may never return. With that being said, is there any reason for us to send you?”
“So you’re going to leave a time bomb alone, just like that? When you don’t even know when it’ll explode?”
“Sometimes it is better to leave a dormant bomb alone. We are proof of that, are we not?”
Ju Yeon-Hwa’s eyes shone.
Those eyes were telling me to refute it if I could.
I realized that I had forgotten one fact.
These people were not like Ho Baek-San, an Apostle who knew everything. To them, it was more important to preserve this unstable and unreliable peace.
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