Turning

Chapter 728

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Chapter 728

Indeed. For the first time, the woman blinked and showed a reaction. A hint of emotion flickered in her distinctly southern, dark eyes.

"Who told you that?" she asked, her accent harsher than that of Aton.

Yuder, realizing he had successfully engaged her in their imperial tongue, smirked slightly. "Your leader, who suffered a beating at my hands before you did," he replied.

"...Sir Aton?" she questioned in disbelief.

"Exactly."

"That's impossible."

"Why? You also lost to me without laying a hand on me."

Yuder, gripping the merchant's collar tighter, leaned in, his eyes as dark as the night sky. The woman's eyes trembled as if uncomfortable under his gaze.

"What does it mean to create a land of the black moon by the repercussions of imbalance? What do your Wolf’s Eyes want, and what outcome does this crack bring?" Yuder demanded.

The woman remained silent, lips tightly sealed. Yuder considered interrogating another merchant when Yergin, his companion, suddenly made a curious noise, having discovered something.

"Yuder, sorry to interrupt, but can you look at this? I found something odd among the belongings we took from her."

Yuder released the merchant, turning to see what Yergin had found - an old cloth pouch with a small, palm-sized box inside. Opening it, Yuder found another pouch filled with white powder, which gave off a musty, rotten smell. Yuder immediately recognized it as the counterfeit drug they had swapped in the West.

‘Why carry around spoiled drugs?’ he wondered, pocketing the pouch. As he was about to close the box, Yuder's eyes flickered in recognition, ‘…The shape of the inside of the box looks somewhat familiar.’

"The powder's identity is unclear, but it reeked terribly once the box was opened. Could this be their weapon?" Yergin speculated.

Yuder, pondering whether to disappoint his comrade with the truth that it was merely rotten illegal drugs, ultimately shook his head.

‘Hold on,’ he thought, intrigued by the comment that the box emitted no smell when closed. He opened and closed it repeatedly.

‘This is no ordinary box,’ Yuder realized, his expression changing. He began shaking the small box next to his ear, prompting Yergin to ask quizzically, "What are you doing? Is this some new training method?"

"No," Yuder replied, still shaking the box. Though he wondered what she thought of him, discovering the secret of this box was largely thanks to her. Yuder opened the box again and briefly expressed his thanks.

"Thanks to you, I found it."

"What did you find?"

"The hidden compartment in the box."

"The hidden... what?"

Yuder, instead of explaining, fiddled with the inside of the open box with his fingers. It seemed plain to the eye, but when touched, a catch was revealed.

It was the key to a new space, secretly hidden beneath the box's bottom.

Yuder had seen such a secret double-bottomed box before when he was pretending to be Kishiar's lover in Tainu. He had received a lapis lazuli cigarette case of the exact same structure as a gift while surveilling suspicious individuals under the guise of buying rare goods from the crowded streets.

Despite initially refusing such a box, thinking it unnecessary, Yuder had stored a flower folded from candy paper, given by Kishiar, in its secret compartment, hidden in the depths of his wardrobe. It seemed the only appropriate place to keep it safe and out of sight.

Had he not had the experience of opening and closing the box a few times before, he might not have discovered its secret compartment. Fortunately, despite differences in form and material, the opening mechanism was similar.

Yuder twisted the part he felt with his fingertips forcefully. The bottom opened, revealing the hidden space and its contents. Yergin applauded in admiration.

“Wow! That's amazing. As expected of Baron Aile.”

Though Yuder had no significant rapport with Yergin in the previous life, he could clearly sense that she was a highly competent member of the excessively bloated Cavalry. He sent her a frown, suggesting she keep it down, and carefully picked up the hidden object.

"No, don’t you dare!"

The southern merchant, having seen what Yuder was doing from inside the pit, thrashed about, growling. Of course, no one here was really going to stop because of such words.

"How did you know that was hidden there?"

"If a box is sealed well enough to contain a rotting smell, it's likely more expensive than it appears. It's odd to store only rotten powder in such a box. Plus, when I shook it, I heard something rattling."

"Hey, I hadn't thought of that. I'll learn from this."

Yuder, letting her words go in one ear and out the other, examined the object he had picked up closely in midair.

'A jewel? No, a magic stone?'

It was an opaque black stone. It looked like a raw gemstone, but faintly emitted a weak magic energy, suggesting it might be a magic stone.

Small in size, but definitely worthy of further investigation.

'I should send this to Kishiar.'

Just as Yuder was about to put it back in the box, a loud shout came from the pit.

"You fools above the desert will never understand what this is!"

"..."

"The more you meddle, the more the balance will be disturbed beyond repair. You've lost."

That was as much as Yuder could understand. The woman, muttering in a mix of southern language, took a deep breath and then shouted in pure southern tongue.

"Inia! Kta Inia!"

After the shout, there was a gruesome sound from inside the woman's mouth.

"Oh? What...!"

Startled, Yergin dove into the pit, but soon reemerged, her face a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"My God. She's killed herself! What kind of people are these, to take their lives so easily..."

"Yuder...!"

"Yuder!"

Then, calls for Yuder began simultaneously from all around. They were from the Cavalry members, each guarding a southern merchant.

"Come quickly! This guy's about to kill himself...!"

"Why, why is this happening? Suddenly acting crazy...!"

Yuder regretted not having gagged them earlier, gathering his strength in haste. He tried to enhance and use the powers of earth and wind, but could not prevent the deaths of the remaining southern merchants.

In an instant, four corpses lay before Yuder. He, pale-faced, searched the bodies for possessions and weapons in place of the other stunned members. Each had the same item as the first woman who died – a secretive box, and a similar stone was found beneath the hidden compartment of these boxes.

There were no other items to identify them, and all their weapons were ordinary.

'What were these people planning to do with these?'

While Yuder was lost in thought, the remaining members nearly subdued all of Star of Nagran’s members. They all thought the situation would resolve without any harm to allies or damage to surrounding buildings.

Unaware of the merchants' deaths, they were concluding the battle amidst their mixed emotions.

"...Yuder!"

Hearing a faint call, Yuder reflexively raised his head while pondering over the corpses.

'Kishiar?'

Almost immediately after, something fell from the sky, crushing the four corpses completely. It landed so close that it would have hit him had he not lifted his head in time.

The impact shook the ground, startling everyone into screaming. Yuder, rolling backward, instinctively wrapped himself in the power of wind to offset the shock and quickly got up to look ahead.

"What, look at that!"

"A monster...! It's a monster!"

A ghastly form, slowly rising above the crushed corpses, loomed ominously. Its thin, fragile-looking legs and disproportionately swollen body, topped with oddly sturdy wings, made for a grotesque sight.

It was a monster, as large as a carriage.

As it raised its head and its hollow eye sockets began to move, identical forms started falling from the sky in succession.

Thud, thud. Thud…

In this unimaginable, nightmarish scene, even the seasoned Cavalry members were flustered, staring blankly at the sky.

"Uh... uh..."

"..."

Yuder, watching the monsters rain down like a downpour, quickly drew his sword. Though he didn't understand the situation, his instinct as a seasoned monster fighter who had faced death countless times kicked in.

At the same time, a familiar scent rapidly enveloped him.

Kishiar, having somehow run there in no time, stared at the monsters with unsmiling eyes, sword in hand, and asked,

"...Did anything like this happen in the previous game?"

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[BL] Cloudless Sky

Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.

"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."

In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.

"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."

And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.

"For now, until then, let's sleep..."

As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.

'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'

[BL] Bermuda

Leonardo Blaine, the true war hero of the Raina Logia Empire and the commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, is dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders during the final battle that could have led the Empire to victory in the territorial war. People criticize and point fingers at him, and after being released on parole from prison, he disappears without a trace.

Three years later, his name has been forgotten by the world. The Council has been persistently pursuing him, but he has proven difficult to capture. Frustrated by this, Hugo Agrizendro, the commander of the Council's army, decides to personally apprehend him.

"Since when have you been watching me?"

Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for some time now. However, Leonardo's answer was something that even Hugo had not anticipated.

"From the very beginning."

[BL] The Mist (Same author as Turning)

In the autumn of his 18th year, after winning the high school kendo championship finals, an unexpected accident occurred.

Due to that incident, Kang Mu-heon lost one of his legs, his closest friend, and his promising future. He closed off his heart and shut himself away alone.

A few years later, the world's first real virtual reality game <THE MIST> was announced, where even those with physical disabilities could play in healthy bodies.

By chance, Kang Mu-heon encountered it and began a new life as the mage Kapros, facing unexpected meetings, reunions, and days of change....

***

"Why was someone like you born into this world to make me so miserable? Do you understand when I say it like this?! You were born with talent for the sword, a bright personality, everything - you must have been laughing at me always lagging behind! Did you even know how pathetic I felt because of your stupid hypocrisy? A genius? What does any of that matter!"

Seung-jo's cries stabbed at his heart, wailing as if he were crying even though he wasn't, but there was no time to think further. He quickly clutched my stomach, got up, and ran towards him.

He looked surprised for a moment, but he was desperate.

Just as the car was about to reach us, he shoved Seung-jo hard. Right after Seung-jo fell and rolled away with wide, startled eyes—

Screech!

Bang! With an impact that felt like his whole body was being shattered, he flew through the air.

And in that brief yet long moment of floating in space, he remembered his reflection in Seung-jo's eyes for the last time.......

***

[ Then in THE MIST, may you become the master of infinite possibilities. ]

Whoosh!

When his vision returned after everything went white, he was standing in the middle of a bustling town. Amidst the clamor, countless people were busily going about their business here and there.

He looked down at himself, standing dazed and wearing clothes of unknown origin. When he touched the sleeve, he felt the texture of fabric as real as reality. His hair felt the same, and even when he touched the wall of a nearby house, he could clearly feel the solid, cold surface.

Is this... VT?

It seemed like a joke. It truly felt as if he had come to another world and was touching everything.

As he stood there unable to think due to the shock, he suddenly remembered the biggest reason he had decided to play this game, and snapped back to attention. His two legs were still as they had been when he first stood.

'Can I really walk?'

He first stepped out with his left foot, then very slowly put strength into his heavy right foot. It felt like cold sweat was running down his spine.

And then,

He lifted it,

Moved it,

And took another step to touch the ground again.

So easily. As if there had never been any problem with this leg from the beginning.

"Ah..."

At that moment, something that was neither joy nor emotion shot up his spine. Suddenly feeling a lump in his throat, he lowered his head and leaned against the wall. His right foot, bearing his weight, was doing its job perfectly.

"..."

Holding back the tightness in his throat, he took another step.

It didn't hurt. It wasn't heavy. His leg was no longer a useless piece of wood that ached.

Damn it, to be able to walk so easily like this.

To be able to run so easily like this.

He had wished even in his dreams for the day to come when he could walk and run like this again.

And so he walked again, kept walking, slowly getting faster, until finally he started running like a madman through the entire town.

***

"Kap. ...There seems to be a misunderstanding. That's not what I meant."

Just as he was thinking he should throw a punch, Yu-wan sighed with a troubled look and said.

A misunderstanding? How could it be a misunderstanding when he said with his own mouth that he didn't think of me as a friend?

"I didn't expect to receive such a question suddenly, so my explanation was probably too brief. Let me rephrase."

Yu-wan reached out his hand, his face completely changed from before - intense yet resolute - as he stared at him. As he didn't reject the hand suddenly approaching his face and kept his gaze fixed, his cool large hand touched his cheek completely.

A shiver ran down his spine at that moment.

"I'm sorry to say this to you, but I don't see you only as a friend. ...This is the complete answer."

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[BL] Cloudless Sky

Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.

"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."

In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.

"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."

And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.

"For now, until then, let's sleep..."

As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.

'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'

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