Chapter 45

Chapter 20. Two Hearts (3)

There were a total of five knives embedded in my heart. Three of them belonged to the bastards called the lords, one to the lover I had loved, and the last one to the guy I had believed was a friend.

* * *

In fact, Yeonwoo didn't think that he should eliminate the Arangdan just because he was moved by emotion.

The thoughts of Khan and Doyle took up the largest portion of his mind.

However, Yeonwoo also thought that this could be an opportunity to weaken the Qinghua Island's forces to some extent.

'Qinghua Island has built human farms several times. What's the reason for doing so?'

In reality, human farms were very inefficient facilities.

If the goal was simply to take away the artifacts and emblems that players possessed, consistent plundering would have been enough.

So why go through the trouble of operating difficult-to-manage farms everywhere?

And why continue to do so even after being wiped out once by Artia?

'There must be something.'

Yeonwoo thought there must be a reason.

And that reason was...

'Something that must never be revealed to the outside. Something that could be a huge weakness for them.'

And if he could find out what it was and, with a bit of luck, get his hands on it...

Yeonwoo curled the corners of his mouth.

'It would become a weapon to shake Qinghua Island.'

The eighth clan that had shaken Artia and injured his younger sister.

Especially Qinghua Island, where one of the guys who had stabbed his younger sister in the heart was.

Although it was earlier than expected...

He was about to start a war with one of them.

Then...

His task was already set.

Prepare thoroughly before starting the fight.

'The strength of the Arangdan can't be measured immediately. However, based on the Scavenger organization that Artia faced, it's likely to be high.'

Artia had to face death multiple times to eliminate the Scavenger organization.

The Scavenger organization was tenacious, strong, and numerous.

The Arangdan would likely be even larger, if not the same size.

Moreover...

'Qinghua Island sends one to five players to manage the Arangdan.'

And they're not just any players.

Qinghua Island sends players who are considered to have decent skills.

The level of their skills was the biggest issue.

'Charging in recklessly is a foolish act. I need to leverage my advantages. What advantages do I have?'

Yeonwoo's mind raced.

'They don't know exactly how skilled I am. They can estimate my location, but if I hide my tracks, they can't pinpoint it. And...'

The Arangdan has a fixed target and doesn't know that their identity has been exposed.

There's an advantage in being able to launch a surprise attack when the enemy is off guard, even if it's just once.

Additionally, Yeonwoo was fast.

His movement speed, thanks to the Swift Step, was among the best in the tutorial, and his stealth was unparalleled.

His ability to accurately pinpoint the enemy's location was also clear.

And most importantly...

Yeonwoo had new weapons at his disposal.

The Adamantine Body and the Magic Circuit.

With just these two, his skills were already far beyond the average in the tutorial.

He could confidently say that he wouldn't fall behind the strength of Team Artia, who had excelled in the tutorial.

However, he couldn't afford to be complacent.

'In the end, it's just hit and run, right?'

It was a method Yeonwoo often used when he was in Africa.

When attacking the enemy's position, repeatedly using hit-and-run tactics to steadily weaken the enemy, and then delivering a decisive blow when a weakness is exposed to annihilate them.

Yeonwoo's mind began to race.

'And the time I have left is...'

[88:25:48_63]

'About four days and a little less than a day.'

Rescuing Khan and Doyle might be possible, but doing so would leave him vulnerable to interference from the Arangdan during the remaining time.

'If I'm going to fight, I need to finish it completely. I need to ensure that Qinghua Island doesn't know I was involved. No survivors.'

This was war.

And in war, you had to root out the enemy to ensure safety.

Moreover, Yeonwoo still harbored the ambition to top the tutorial.

He had to annihilate the Arangdan in just over three days and pass through the remaining sectors.

Yeonwoo began to organize his thoughts.

A rough plan began to form.

'I need to keep them off balance, relentlessly attacking and retreating. When they're weakened, I need to strike decisively and wipe them out. The Arangdan base, the leadership, everything.'

His eyes glinted coldly.

'I'll do all of this in one day. Just one day.'

* * *

That night.

Yeonwoo finished all his preparations and said his final goodbye to Galilead.

Galilead looked at Yeonwoo intently and asked in a serious tone.

"Are you going to war?"

There was no need to hide it.

Yeonwoo nodded.

"How did you know?"

"I was once a warrior who fought for my race. I was also a fool who thought fighting was everything. But from you..."

Galilead raised one corner of his mouth and continued.

"I smell something similar."

His smile deepened.

"And your eyes, your attitude, your state of preparation, all of it is that of someone about to go to war. You've had this look since the first time you came to me. Like a warrior ready to fight the world itself."

Yeonwoo remained silent.

"But now it's deeper. If I couldn't see that, I'd have to gouge out my eyes."

Galilead narrowed his eyes.

"Can I help?"

If Galilead were to join, things would go very smoothly.

He was already considered to be on par with a Ranker. He might even be able to annihilate the Arangdan alone.

But...

"I'm fine."

Yeonwoo shook his head.

Galilead's eyes sparkled with interest.

"Why not?"

"This is my war."

Rescuing Khan and Doyle wasn't the only goal.

Shaking Qinghua Island, one of the enemies who had hurt his younger sister, was the main objective.

Could he entrust such a task to someone else?

Yeonwoo could never do that.

The war had to be fought by his own hands.

It was a vow he had made to himself before passing through the gate.

"It will be difficult."

"Is anything ever easy?"

"True. That's true."

Galilead nodded in understanding.

One's own fight had to be fought by oneself.

"Then I wish you luck."

Yeonwoo nodded, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and made sure his greatsword was securely fastened to his belt before leaving the cave.

The moment the war began.

* * *

"Where is he?"

Build asked, and his subordinate bowed his head.

"We still can't find him. E-Sector is in such a mess..."

"That guy always causes trouble wherever he goes."

Build had to suppress his boiling anger.

After an unexpected monster rush swept through.

The Arangdan was almost completely decimated, losing nearly 70% of its members.

The first team, who were supposed to become important rookies for Qinghua Island, were no longer contactable, and the Scavenger network that had been painstakingly built after the battle with Artia was completely severed.

Other Arangdan members were swept away, and the local cells set up throughout the tutorial had vanished.

Except for the hidden base in F-Sector and the things inside the tutorial, the Arangdan was essentially in ruins.

Years of effort by Build had been wiped out.

And...

This was also a death sentence for Build.

'Somehow, I must rebuild the Arangdan... before the island notices.'

Build had to suppress his racing heart.

Originally, Build planned to rise to the leadership of Qinghua Island based on his achievements with the Arangdan.

He had even heard that the vacant positions of the Lianhua Pavilion and the Heavenly Martial Hall would be filled, and he was the most mentioned candidate.

And the person he served had sternly instructed him to complete 'it.'

Completing it would allow him to rise to the upper ranks.

It would be like setting up one of the five martial deities who governed Qinghua Island with his own hands.

But the situation had deteriorated to this point.

Unlike what Build hoped, he only had about three days left.

Rebuilding the Arangdan in that time was impossible.

Naturally, the island would find out when the tutorial ended, and Build would face punishment for poor management.

Then, there was only one way to escape this crisis.

To complete 'it.'

'Is it possible?'

Build moistened his dry lips with his tongue several times.

Completing it was not an easy task.

Otherwise, after years of massive investment in the Scavenger network and human farms, they would have been more than 60% complete.

Completing the remaining 40% in just three days?

It would be a miracle if it didn't go wrong or break down.

But Build had some confidence, despite the pressure.

'The reason it hasn't been completed so far is not only because the process is difficult, but also because the players and monsters used as materials were subpar.'

Build's eyes sank deeply.

'If I push all the top players into it now...'

He hadn't done so before because most top players had backing from other clans.

The process of creating 'it' had to be kept secret from the island.

So far, he had only used those who wouldn't cause trouble.

But now, Build couldn't afford to be picky.

The first person who came to mind as a sacrifice was Cain, who was clearly involved in the current situation.

He wanted to drink his blood.

"Based on his movement, I can only guess that he might have entered F-Sector by now."

"Then search F-Sector thoroughly and bring him to me. Hurry!"

The subordinate wanted to say how impossible it was to find one person in such a vast sector.

But seeing the fiery eyes of Build, he couldn't say a word.

If he said it couldn't be done, his head would be on the line.

"Yes, sir."

The subordinate bowed and left.

Build clenched his teeth and stood up.

"First, I need to push all the remaining materials into it."

Build headed towards the human farm inside the base.

The images of the Blood Sword and the Fox Tail, which he had recently placed there, came to mind.