The events that followed were easily inferred without hearing them. Those who claid to have co from the central stronghold of the Star of Nagran were likely bewildered and panicked, having their identities and intentions thoroughly exposed before they could even infiltrate the Cavalry.
"The Star of Nagran, even if belonging to the sa group, mbers from different strongholds barely know each other. With internal strife brewing beneath the surface and the Cavalry's recruitnt of new mbers causing upheaval, coordination in such a situation was unlikely."
It was Yuder who had anticipated the likelihood of their downfall due to internal conflicts, based on mories from his previous life. And it was Kishiar who had spread the news of the massive second batch recruitnt of mbers without conditions, and had planned to weaken the Sage’s and Nahan’s group by leaking the list of the Cavalry's collaborators.
Now, these predictions and plans were coming to fruition, benefiting them as expected.
Yuder looked at the faces of his colleagues and the forr Awakener mbers of the Star of Nagran, who were smiling despite being embarrassed.
He had already guessed from the west that the sage would start acting seriously from his stronghold in the south. The original plan was to weed out the applicants in the south before leaving and clean up the surroundings.
But he hadn't anticipated that things would be resolved in this manner before he even made his move. It felt quite novel to him, especially the thod used for selection being a ruse. Even Yuder, had he been here, would not have thought of such a tactic.
The ruse conducted by the southern branch mbers and the successful applicants of the Star of Nagran was, in fact, quite simple.
First, the successful applicants loitered near the Awakeners from the central stronghold, dropping conversations that hinted they were from the sa Star of Nagran. Then, the mbers acted as if the situation in the Cavalry was dire, sneakily leaking fake information desirable to any spy, and pretending to share serious inside information with the applicants.
To the central stronghold's Awakeners, it seed as if these applicants were on the sa mission as themselves and had already infiltrated the Cavalry, gathering sufficient information – a perfect misdirection.
In their eagerness, these individuals approached the applicants first, unwittingly revealing their own identities and intentions. The Cavalry mbers successfully identified all of them without shedding a drop of blood.
‘If it were , I would have just used my powers on all the applicants to quickly reveal their true colors. Even the Cavalry of my previous life would have done the sa.’
However, the fact that the present mbers chose a different thod, a ruse, was probably because they had a similar experience in the west and discovered that it could be surprisingly effective.
Who had given them that experience? It was none other than Kishiar La Orr standing before them.
The fact that the sa person can make entirely different choices depending on their experiences and what they learn had been observed several tis by Yuder while watching the Cavalry mbers, but it had never struck him as clearly as it did today.
"Anyway, yes. It was a splendid thod to uncover the enemies' identities, but before we could capture them, sothing unexpected happened. In fact, that's the real cause of what's happening right now."
As Yuder regained his composure, Kishiar smiled and began to speak. His gaze swept over the confused enemies and the suspicious figures caught in between, their whole bodies concealed.
"All the spies we thought we had identified were accounted for, except for a southern Awakener witnessed by the successful applicants. You must have heard by now who that is, right?"
"Are you referring to the person who was the temporary leader of the southern stronghold?"
Was her na Sera? Yuder mulled over the unfamiliar na.
"Yes. Surprisingly, at the ti the spies were active, she did not target this branch but aid elsewhere. Can you guess where?"
Yuder's mind raced.
If the children, including Jack, were not mistaken, then she must have co here with a purpose. It wouldn't have been strange for soone entrusted with a critical mission of overseeing the stronghold in the sage's absence not to co to this branch, especially if she wasn't aiming to infiltrate the Cavalry. If infiltration wasn't the goal, it would have been logical for her to assist or guide the central stronghold's Awakeners who were unfamiliar with the south.
But instead, she targeted sowhere else at the sa ti?
Then why, for what reason, and where did she aim?
There was only one other plausible answer.
'She was said to have ford close ties with the Southern rchants. And those behind the recent death of the second prince of Herne were precisely them. Considering their objective wasn’t just to overturn Herne but also to fra and harm the Cavalry...'
The conclusion that the 'others targeting the Cavalry' Aton had ntioned after being knocked out by Yuder were the Sage and the Star of Nagran.
Reversing this line of thought, the situation appeared in a new light.
What would the Southern rchants have thought if they had early access to the sage’s plans in the South through their cooperative relationship with Sera? Naturally, they would have devised a way to inflict the maximum damage on the Cavalry, adding the Sage's plans to their own sches.
'Once entangled in a cooperative relationship, it can intertwine two or three tis more.'
The word 'cooperation' implies mutual support. If the Southern rchants had helped Sera and the Southern stronghold, then it ant that Sera would have also assisted the Southern rchants when they requested help.
The scenario of the Southern rchants proposing to help Sera and the Southern Stronghold again, cunningly interjecting themselves into this plan, easily ford in Yuder’s mind. The stronghold was already at great risk due to internal conflicts, so refusing their help would have been more surprising.
It was uncertain how much the Sage knew about the Southern rchants, but ultimately, it seed clear that Sera had moved with them.
The Southern rchants must have known how the Star of Nagran would move and even how the Second Prince of Herne would die. The next target for them could only be one thing.
'The people who left the Cavalry branch for a while to investigate the death of the Second Prince of Herne they had killed.'
More precisely... the center of the Cavalry, Commander Kishiar La Orr.
He was an Awakener, but his exact abilities remained unclear, and many doubted and questioned even his possession of the Divine Sword. Known to be physically frail, not very bright, foolish, and fond of frivolities, there couldn’t be an easier yet impactful target.
Moreover, Kishiar had sent even his deputy Nathan Zuckerman ahead sowhere after concluding the investigation of the Second Prince of Herne’s body and had boarded a carriage with only Yuder.
Yuder's reputation had indeed soared after resolving the incident in the west, but it hadn't reached the level of his previous life where his re existence inspired fear. He was still a novice, not even a year into revealing his na to the world, and he had not directly confronted the Southern rchants during his ti in the west. If they considered him rely an inexperienced youth to contend with, it wouldn’t have been strange for them to feel confident, especially with the additional strength of Sera and others from the Southern stronghold on their side.
And in fact, even Yuder had secretly disembarked from the carriage midway.
Kishiar had been alone on his return to the branch.
The mont Yuder realized this, a chill similar to a shiver ran through his entire body. His eyes deepened, and a dark, ominous voice flowed from his parched lips.
“Don’t tell , they even targeted the carriage carrying the Commander?”
Although he phrased it as a possibility, his conviction was almost certain.
And as if confirming Yuder’s thought, Kishiar slowly nodded.
“That’s correct.”
A deep, silent sigh escaped. A mix of incredulity and anger bubbled up from deep within.
Knowing Kishiar’s true abilities, he was aware that Kishiar would not fall victim to a sudden attack. What infuriated him was the fact that he himself had not been there.
Yuder, trying his best to calm his emotions, asked,
“…Does the blood on your clothes also stem from that incident?”
"It would seem so," ca the nonchalant reply.
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[BL] Cloudless Sky
Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenonon Managent 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 ga that's already ssed up? ...Anyway, the next round will co, so this ti, I'm just going to play it recklessly."
In fact, his true identity is soone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each ti. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he beca 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 cos 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 mont, a gradual change occurs in his heart.
'I thought this was a ssed-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 na 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 ?"
Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for so ti now. However, Leonardo's answer was sothing that even Hugo had not anticipated.
"From the very beginning."
[BL] The Mist (Sa 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 ga 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 etings, reunions, and days of change....
***
"Why was soone like you born into this world to make 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 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 ti to think further. He quickly clutched my stomach, got up, and ran towards him.
He looked surprised for a mont, 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 mont of floating in space, he rembered his reflection in Seung-jo's eyes for the last ti.......
***
[ Then in THE MIST, may you beco 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 sa, and even when he touched the wall of a nearby house, he could clearly feel the solid, cold surface.
Is this... VT?
It seed like a joke. It truly felt as if he had co to another world and was touching everything.
As he stood there unable to think due to the shock, he suddenly rembered the biggest reason he had decided to play this ga, 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 mont, sothing 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 co 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 ant."
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 as a friend?
"I didn't expect to receive such a question suddenly, so my explanation was probably too brief. Let 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 mont.
"I'm sorry to say this to you, but I don't see you only as a friend. ...This is the complete answer."
Check out the new project 2:
[BL] Cloudless Sky
Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenonon Managent 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 ga that's already ssed up? ...Anyway, the next round will co, so this ti, I'm just going to play it recklessly."
In fact, his true identity is soone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each ti. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he beca 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 cos 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 mont, a gradual change occurs in his heart.
'I thought this was a ssed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'
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