CHAPTER 108…………………………………
The movement was instantaneous.
Kwa— KWAKWAANG.
Maybe because it wasn’t ordinary teleportation magic, the “ride” was violently unstable. Even after arriving, I was practically thrown out into midair, and if I hadn’t used a proper landing technique, I would’ve been injured.
“Ugh…”
Groaning from the dizziness, I clutched my knee and staggered upright.
“Hello. We meet again.”
At the voice above my head, I looked up.
“…You again?”
The one who had kidnapped me was Seo Go-gyeol. Wondering where he had brought me, I slowly scanned my surroundings—and the place was familiar.
To be exact, I’d never been here myself, but it was recognizable enough to guess immediately.
This is inside Planarient Castle. Don’t tell me… the fourth floor?
I didn’t know why I’d been abducted, or why he’d chosen this place, so I needed time to gather information first.
My mouth was painfully dry.
“Why… why are you doing this? If you think you’ll gain something by kidnapping me, stop. I don’t have anything.”
I forced myself to look as pitiful and weak as possible, hoping Seo Go-gyeol would think I was completely terrified.
In a place like this, it’s better to look harmless than to act tough. If he lets his guard down, he might slip up—and it’ll be easier to find an opening to escape.
I quickly gauged how much mana I had recovered. Not fully, but enough that I wouldn’t be powerless if I needed to run.
Still, I had to conserve it for the right moment.
“I’ll start by apologizing for using such a crude method.”
Seo Go-gyeol spoke so politely it was like splashing cold water over my racing thoughts.
Then, as he stepped closer, he even brushed the dust off my clothes like an old acquaintance.
Of all times, I had to be in casual wear…
Dragged here without warning, I hadn’t been able to prepare my combat gear. Just that alone made me feel exposed, like I was standing naked before an enemy.
At least I hadn’t been kidnapped in pajamas, since I’d been wearing normal clothes at Kang Kwon-hoo’s house.
“T-Then… could you let me go?”
Pretending to lower my gaze, I studied the Jupiter guild members surrounding me.
Most stared at me indifferently, and a few seemed so uninterested they continued focusing on their own tasks.
Is this a guild built purely on business relationships?
Even for that, it felt unusually dry. There was barely any conversation between members, and they showed no interest in anyone outside themselves.
Usually, even if people met through work, running a few dungeons together made them naturally closer.
“I went through the trouble of bringing you here. I can’t just send you back.”
Seo Go-gyeol didn’t even glance at the others.
Normally, coworkers exchanged looks or subtle signals—but there was none of that here.
“I’m not someone useful for a raid. P-Please… tell me why you brought me.”
Still acting frightened, I carefully organized what I’d learned.
One thing was clear: this guild was abnormal. Almost… distorted.
“You don’t have to be so modest.”
Seo Go-gyeol gently brushed my hair back.
The touch of someone whose true nature I didn’t understand sent chills crawling up my arms and spreading through my entire body.
“I’m not being modest—ugh!”
In an instant, that gentle touch turned brutal.
He grabbed my hair and yanked it back, forcing my neck to arch painfully.
I could’ve fought free, but I endured it, to show I had no intention of resisting.
“You’re capable. I know that better than anyone. There aren’t many people who can ruin my noble, grand plan this thoroughly.”
A noble, grand plan? What the hell…
Seo Go-gyeol’s identity might be far more significant than I’d assumed.
Of course… he could just be someone who talks big.
Tears gathered from the pain, and I forced them out even more, trying to look pathetic.
“I’ve never done anything like that. You must be mistaken.”
“After interfering every single time, you still pretend you didn’t? Ah… or were you not even aware this time?”
Was the person who “interfered every time” actually the real Baek Woo-jin?
That wasn’t mentioned in the game’s story…
Was there some hidden setting I didn’t know? Had Baek Woo-jin done something evil because of it?
No… but Seo Go-gyeol didn’t even exist in the original story. None of this adds up.
With every ominous word, the knowledge I relied on shattered into pieces.
At this point, I even wondered if he was deliberately mixing lies in just to confuse me.
“…Are you going to kill me?”
“Come on. If I wanted that, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble. I could’ve staged an ‘accident’ and been done with it.”
“I called you here because I want this quest finished quickly. I thought if we sped things up, everyone would follow… but people seem far less urgent than I expected.”
A cold scent emanated from him, stinging my nose.
“I wonder whose fault that is? Everyone’s gotten complacent. I admit this was a bit extreme, but… I wanted to talk with you properly, Woo-jin.”
The malice and hatred he’d only hinted at before now spilled out openly.
He wasn’t hiding it anymore.
This is really bad.
Seo Go-gyeol hated me, and I had no idea why.
And he either possessed the ability to forcibly summon me here using a magic circle—or had someone in his guild who could.
That wasn’t a normal skill.
And considering the barrier that appeared with him…
It was even stranger.
Where have people like this been hiding until now?
Just like me, Seo Go-gyeol was clearly an outsider in this world.
Just as I was trying to change the game’s story…
He was trying to change something too.
Then it makes sense he thinks I’m “interfering.” We must be aiming for different outcomes.
The biggest “interference” I could think of was pulling the protagonist, Baek So-hyeok, onto my side.
Not enough to call it “every time,” but it’s the first thing that comes to mind.
I needed to test that suspicion carefully.
“Locking me up won’t make the quest go faster. It’ll only slow things down while everyone tries to figure out what happened.”
“Well… shall we see?”
From Seo Go-gyeol’s fingertip, a floating screen appeared.
On it were Kang Kwon-hoo and Baek So-hyeok standing side by side.
This time, I wasn’t acting—my eyes nearly popped out in shock.
“How…? When did you attach that?”
I recognized the method instantly.
It was a tracking-video item, rendered invisible and planted.
The item rooted itself in dull areas, like a fingernail, and could extend its stem like elastic.
That allowed the tiny camera at the end to record from any angle the user wanted.
“When we met earlier, I slipped it onto Baek So-hyeok.”
He’d barely approached us—just exchanged greetings and a few words.
Yet he’d attached it so precisely that everyone there had been fooled.
Without knowing his abilities, I couldn’t even imagine how he’d done it.
“Now then… let’s watch how this plays out.”
“The heroic rescue effort should be entertaining. Ah. I’ll tie your hands.”
Seo Go-gyeol pulled a rope from his inventory and bound my wrists so tightly it hurt.
A faint glow suggested it was no ordinary rope—most likely something that suppressed mana.
“Ugh…”
“Sit nicely.”
He forced me down onto my knees on the stone floor.
His smiling face was filled with cruelty.
[We’re definitely inside Planarient Castle. Teleportation is impossible inside, so the only way is to enter directly.]
Kang Kwon-hoo spoke to someone beside him.
[Who the hell is the bastard who took Woo-jin hyung? I’ll kill them all.]
I assumed it was one of his subordinates…
But the voice that answered was Kim Jun’s.
I could understand Kang Kwon-hoo not being alone.
But I never imagined he’d call Kim Jun.
“Why…?”
“Oh, I suppose that needs explanation.”
“I told him that if he didn’t come with the other Chronos guild members, I’d pluck out your right eye.”
“And if he involved outsiders, I’d kill you.”
“He wouldn’t care about losing an eye… but he doesn’t know I don’t actually intend to kill you.”
I stared at the screen, my mind blank, as if I’d been struck in the head with a tray.
They had figured out the rough location…
But they couldn’t move inside.
So that magic circle earlier wasn’t teleportation… it was closer to summoning? Summoning a human… that was impossible in the game.
I was worried about them, but I couldn’t let anxiety swallow me.
I forced myself to keep thinking.
“Since they haven’t even entered yet, there’s not much to watch.”
“I’m bored… shall we play a game?”
Seo Go-gyeol didn’t seem interested in giving me even a moment of breathing room.
