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—…Chi-Hyun.

After a long pause, Chi-Woo cautiously opened his mouth again.

—Do I really have to throw this?

“What?”

—I don’t…really want to throw this right now.

“What do you mean?” Chi-Woo’s face scrunched up strangely.

—I don’t know. How should I say it? If I throw this right now…I think something very bad is going to happen. It feels as if we would lose even the smallest opportunity we have…ah, even I don’t know what I’m saying.

Chi-Woo looked frustrated because even he didn’t know what he was feeling, while Chi-Hyun looked solemn. Chi-Hyun also got a foreboding feeling when Chi-Woo said, ‘we would lose even the smallest opportunity we have’. What if their current period of peace was the calm before the storm? And what if Chi-Woo’s die-rolling would bring about the storm much earlier than it would have? Then they would be throwing away their chance to reverse the situation and make preparations beforehand.

They weren’t fretting over nothing. If Chi-Woo rolled the number ‘1’ in a one out of seven chance, that could really happen. The World’s Milestone was a godly item that was more than capable of causing such a change. The only reason they were worrying about such a possibility was because of Chi-Woo’s intuition, but that was even more worrisome. After all, Chi-Woo’s intuition had been right one hundred percent so far.

—I will throw it if you want me to, but…don’t blame me if you get a result you don’t want.

“No, don’t do it,” Chi-Hyun quickly said. “If you really felt that way, don’t ever throw the die and forget what I just told you.” Then Chi-Hyun warned Chi-Woo not to roll the die many times before he finally hung up.

It was only then Chi-Hyun realized that his whole body had broken out in cold sweat. It felt as if he had stepped into a trap and barely managed to pull his feet out. Chi-Hyun closed his eyes. He didn’t even want to think what would’ve happened if his brother hadn’t grabbed the die. He had acted uncharacteristically and did something he never would’ve done in a normal situation. It was because he was feeling anxious in the stagnant situation, and his own intuition dulled.

It was different from the time Chi-Woo went to the future through the World’s Milestone. At that time, Chi-Hyun had been able to read the general situation and had the capability to take matters into his own hands even if a bad situation arose.

‘Is it not going to be like last time?’ Chi-Hyun sighed and opened his eyes again. But with this, it became clear now. It seemed like he couldn’t return to Shalyh yet. He needed to find out what was going on; even the most trivial information would prove to be useful. Of course, he couldn’t simply resume what he had been doing, or he would find nothing.

‘It seems like I would have to take a risk…’ Chi-Hyun thought. He would prefer not to do things that way, but he knew the more he risked, the greater the returns.

***

After his conversation with his brother, Chi-Woo was caught in a state of confusion and uneasiness. Chi-Woo had gone to meet Chi-Hyun as soon as he returned to Shalyh from his rescue mission. He wanted to talk to his brother about the strange feeling he got on his mission, but couldn’t because his brother was temporarily absent. But coincidentally, it seemed his brother had the same thoughts as him.

‘Chi-Hyun is different from me,’ Chi-Woo thought. If Chi-Woo relied on his intuition, his brother used the senses he had honed through countless experiences that one couldn’t even dare to imagine. Thus, Chi-Woo felt all the more anxious after seeing his always reliable brother act so hesitant. But soon, Chi-Woo hardened his resolve. Before, he would’ve struggled alone and helplessly agonized over what to do, but after meeting Samigina, he was able to face his internal self, and his mindset changed.

‘I need to do the things I can do right now.’ He couldn’t sit still. He needed to foster their power. Now, he needed to decide whether he should strengthen himself foremost, or help the rest of the group become stronger.

‘Come to think of it…’ Before his brother hung up, he had told Chi-Woo something out of the blue. He asked Chi-Woo to find Yeriel and pass on a message. Chi-Woo didn’t know what had been going on with her after coming back from the Hala Forest expedition. But even though he didn’t know the reasons behind it, it wasn’t a difficult request to fulfill, and Chi-Woo sent a message to Emmanuel. The two were close friends, and since Yeriel was a guest of Emmanuel’s guild, Chi-Woo thought he could ask Emmanuel about Yeriel’s whereabouts.

Then, after sending a message explaining that he needed to ask him something, Chi-Woo let out a deep sigh. For now, while he waited for a reply—

“…” Chi-Woo blinked hard. What? Why was Emmanuel kneeling and bowing in front of him right now? He wasn’t there a second ago?

“Did you call for me, sir?”

“…Mr. Emmanuel?”

“Yes, give me your order, sir.”

“When did you come?”

“I arrived here exactly 5.75 seconds ago.”

“What’s with the 0.75 seconds?”

“It was about 6 seconds ago, but I thought that made me sound a bit too late…” Emmanuel hung his head as if he was very apologetic about this matter, and Chi-Woo was speechless. This wasn’t a matter he could just laugh about. How did Emmanuel appear within seconds of his call?

“You’re not planning to assassinate me or anything, right?” Chi-Woo asked. Chi-Woo thought there was no good explanation other than that Emmanuel had been lingering around him for a chance to assassinate him.

“How could you ask such a question! It’s a misunderstanding. I was just passing the square when, by coincidence, I received your message. I immediately ran here using Lightning Fire.”

It was even more suspicious how Emmanuel explained in such detail instantly, but Chi-Woo decided to get to his point first.

“You mean Yeriel? That’s not a very difficult matter. I will bring her to you immediately, sir,” Emmanuel said. Chi-Woo wondered if it was all right to treat Yeriel as if she was some kind of object to carry over, but Emmanuel was already contacting her. And as soon as his call was answered, he said, “Run over here immediately. Right now,” and hung up.

Chi-Woo was shocked. Emmanuel didn’t even tell her where to go. As expected, Emmanuel’s device rang again.

“I told you to come here this instant! What are you calling me again for…!” Emmanuel heaved.

—Fuck off, you shit.

Beep. And the call was cut off instantly. Emmanuel looked shocked by the response he got, but soon became enraged and tried calling Yeriel again. Yet it appeared that his call was no longer getting through to her.

“…I will go look for her,” Chi-Woo finally got up and said. Emmanuel looked greatly taken aback as he turned around.

“N-No, sir. How could you…! Please give me some more time!”

“No, I think it will be faster for me to go see her.”

“Give me one more chance, sir. I will bring her over here even if I have to use Lightning Fire.”

“This isn’t such a grave matter. And why would you use that kind of ability on an innocent person?” Then Chi-Woo explained that he wanted to go on a walk anyway and pushed Emmanuel’s back lightly.

Soon, Chi-Woo arrived at Eustitia’s headquarters, and Emmanuel guided him to the basement. They knocked on a door with a sign that said, ‘Don’t Enter❤️’.

“Yeriel! Yeriel! Come out already!”

“Seriously, Emmanuel, how rude can you be? Why are you suddenly calling me like this?” Yeriel opened the door roughly and staggered out. “I know your parents are both alive and well, but the more you act like this, I can’t help but think you are some parentless bastard child who received no proper upbringing or education…” Yeriel yawned widely and stopped when she noticed Chi-Woo standing behind Emmanuel.

Yeriel’s appearance was quite astonishing. Her pink hair was all greasy, while her face was blotchy and dirty behind her glasses like she hadn’t washed it for at least a week. Yeriel looked at Chi-Woo and looked back at Emmanuel. Then, after looking at Chi-Woo again, she said, “Umph! Just give me 7.26 seconds!”

Bang! Yeriel dashed back into her room and closed the door. There was a great ruckus following that and weird shouting such as, “Urrck blergh!” And exactly 7.27 seconds later, Chi-Woo heard a bright voice call out, “Come in!”

When Chi-Woo came inside, he saw Yeriel’s pink bob smoothly brushed and her face glowing.

“I was 0.01 second slower than the time I promised you. My head was a mess because I didn’t expect Sir Chi-Woo at all. But I’m sure you gentlemen can just look over this lady’s small mistake. Ho ho.” Yeriel giggled while covering her mouth with her hands. And seeing her, Chi-Woo thought he now knew why Emmanuel acted so bizarrely from time to time.

“So, for what reason did a member of the Choi family visit my humble self?” Yeriel asked while elegantly tilting a wine glass to her lips under the lamp lights.

“That’s some bullshit you are pulling,” Emmanuel calmly expressed his opinions. It was understandable. Yeriel was acting all graceful now while they were in a messy studio filled with a wide array of things. Chi-Woo agreed with Emmanuel inside his heart but revealed the reason for his visit first.

“My brother told me to pass on his message to you.”

“Umph!” Yeriel spat out the wine she was drinking and raised her head again. Then she said, “Please spare me.”

“He didn’t tell you to die.”

“I’m sorry then.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Can I not hear it?”

“No, you can’t.” Then Chi-Woo quickly told her what his brother said before Yeriel could cover both her ears.

“Hm…that’s unexpected,” Yeriel said in surprise. “I thought he was going to tell me I was useless so I should go and tap dance naked in front of the demon lord or something…but he just wants me to grow stronger faster? That must mean he wants Mariaju\'s power…but why? Is there going to be a large-scale war soon?”

Anyone could tell someone to progress faster, but it was different when the legend specifically pointed out Yeriel Lily Dula Mariaju to hasten her growth. Even among the Celestial Lights, the Mariaju family was treated like a special case. This was because the way the Mariaju family went about saving the world was a bit—no, very different from the ‘normal’ way. When people imagined a hero saving a world, they usually imagined a person going through all sorts of difficulties and piercing a demon lord’s heart in the end. Yet that wasn’t the case for the Mariaju.

Yeriel came from a planet called Clair, which was a very rare case where both science and magic developed. Mariaju was originally a group that relied solely on science, but as time passed, they recognized the potential of magic and used it to open a new horizon. And thanks to that, the Mariajus were able to raise their planet to its peak and raise their family to the Celestial Realm. This was the reason why they were also called the Magic Engineering family.

And the Mariaju family displayed unusual accomplishments from the beginning when they came up to the Celestial Realm. For example, they would go to a world with all sorts of back-ups and immediately head to the enemy’s campsite and simultaneously drop tens of thousands of bombs there. There was a famous tale of them completely blowing up a demon lord along with his castle in just half a day. Standbys or those affected by them often thought they played their games very cheaply.

On the other hand, the higher-ranking members of the Celestial Realm thought highly of the Mariajus’ innovation and efficiency, which allowed them to be one of the twelve Celestial Lights. The problem was that a lot of their tactics relied on bringing backups. They were almost invincible if they could bring the items they made from their planet, Clair. And even if they couldn’t, they could establish a studio or workshop on a new planet and create items there. However, there were limits to this as they needed an environment with at least the minimum support.

Even a Mariaju wouldn’t be able to do anything if they were thrown to the prehistoric ages butt naked. Of course, Liber wasn’t at that level, but it was close to it. In some ways, it was worse than some primitive civilizations.

“I also want to progress, but to harness my original powers, I need to develop a higher-quality skill. It’s impossible with just a gold rank.” Yeriel licked her lips, “And that’s not all. Look around me.” She stretched her arms wide and said, “It would be delusional of me to think I can make anything here. What can I possibly do in such a pitiful environment?”

Chi-Woo thought the place did look too crude to be called a workshop. It looked more like a storage room instead.

“And I actually worked hard on this.” Yeriel sighed deeply and shook her head. “Anyways, it’s difficult in this instance. Given the condition, things won’t change much even if I gain a better environment and better skills. There’s a limit to how much I can do alone. I need the help of a master artisan…”

“If you are looking for artisans, isn’t there the buhguhbu tribe?” Chi-Woo asked, and Yeriel frowned.

“I went to them to borrow their workshop, but they didn’t give me the slightest attention.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know. Those who pride themselves as master artisans are usually like that. So, I felt dirty and got out after returning the favor with a spit.” Yeriel really was Apoline’s friend considering her temper. Chi-Woo contemplated deeply. To summarize, there were three problems that Yeriel highlighted as hampering her progress: lack of suitable skills, poor environment, and the skilled natives’ low willingness to cooperate. Though he couldn’t make promises, Chi-Woo thought he could probably help her solve all three of these problems.

“Then…” Chi-Woo asked, “If I solve all the problems you mentioned just now, could you meet my brother’s expectations?”

“I’d say so, but…” Yeriel’s eyes rolled around, “Why? Is someone going to solve them for me?”

“I think I can help you with that.”

“Ha! I can’t believe it!” Yeriel snorted. These weren’t problems that one person could fix. Did he take her as a fool? Just on the topic of her skills alone, she would need to at least rise by three ranks and pass each promotion test to unlock a skill that she was looking for. It was impossible.

“Who utters such nonsense? This isn’t the first time I’m experiencing something like this. Only those who want to get tied with the Mariaju’s name somehow blabber about what they can do…ah,” Yeriel stopped herself midway. Though there had been countless people who had approached her with ulterior motives, her current addressee was someone from the Choi family. This was a family that didn’t really need to get on the Mariaju’s good side.

Yeriel blinked fast and racked her head hard. “Well, then there’s no need for me to say more.” She clutched both hands and threw herself at Chi-Woo.

“I will be in your hand. The day you do all that, I will be yours. I can just sever my ties with Apoline then,” Yeriel chirped while burying her face into Chi-Woo’s arms. It was astonishing how fast her attitude changed.

“Remove your dirty head,” Emmanuel grabbed her hair and growled.

“Oh my, are you getting jealous? How cute,” Yeriel said.

“You’re tainting Teacher.”

“Let me go. I told you to let go!”

The two were bickering when Chi-Woo’s device suddenly rang. It was a message from Eval. For some reason, he had been contacting him more than usual these days.

“I’m sorry. I need to take this call.”

“Yes, sir! Take your time!” Yeriel waved her hands with a bright smile even as her hair was getting pulled. Chi-Woo went outside and accepted the call.

“Mr. Eval Sevaru?”

—Boss, are you outside right now? I thought you were in your room not long ago.

“Yes, something came up.”

—Ah well, it’s just that…

“The buhguhbus came?” Chi-Woo asked after hearing from Eval that the buhguhbus had sent a person to Seven Stars.

—Yes, Old Man Mangil personally visited. It looks like he came after hearing that you solved the Kobalos’ problem…

“…I understand. Since it’s difficult for me to go there right now, please tell him that I will visit him soon.” Chi-Woo then stopped the call and stood in his spot rather than moving immediately. It was because he had a weird sense of déjà vu. When was it? It was like the time he met Kabal after saving Balal and went on a rescue mission to save the eighth recruits.

Right after Chi-Woo heard about the buhguhbus from Yeriel, a person from the buhguhbu tribe came. Everything was happening smoothly by coincidence. Though this matter could be menial, Chi-Woo couldn’t dismiss it as nothing. Like how the events at that time led up to the Demon Empire’s invasion of Shalyh, the events at this time could be leading to something else.