CHAPTER 116…………………………………
“How do you know that, Hyung?”
So far, no guild had entered the 5th floor. It was no different from other countries, and so, unless someone had precognitive abilities, it was logically impossible to identify what kind of being the “King of Planarient” on the 5th floor was.
“I can’t tell you the reason. But if you trust what I say, I’ll tell you everything I know.”
I hadn’t fulfilled a single basic condition for persuasion, but I thought my guild members would believe me.
‘Kang Kwonhoo thinks I can see the future, so there’s no need to persuade him.’
I glanced at Kang Kwonhoo; his eyes were slightly wider than usual.
‘Was he surprised because I spoke first?’
Seeing me so desperate to hide things might have seemed strange from his perspective.
“I trust you, Hyung!”
The first to break the subtle silence was Kim Jun.
“Woojin said it, so we should believe him. He’s not the type to do bad things or lie.”
Next, Ryu Jisoo agreed. Baek Sohyeok looked like he was going crazy trying to figure out how I knew the future, but eventually, he nodded too.
“Alright. Let’s base our plan on the information you provide, but also prepare a Plan B in case things go wrong.”
Baek Sohyeok clarified his point and looked at me.
“Deciding on Plan B isn’t because we don’t trust you; it’s just to prepare for potential risks.”
I was tense, wondering what he would say, but he seemed concerned I might be hurt. Honestly, it was unusual for him to believe even uncertain information.
“Don’t worry. I don’t think that way.”
Well, if it had been the original Baek Woojin, he might have retorted sarcastically.
“I’ll keep it brief.”
I summarized the king’s traits, abilities, and weaknesses as concisely as possible—omitting only the details about Phase 2.
I opened the status window. The trait “Limitless Regeneration” stood out more than usual.
The “Attack Reflection” that the King of Planarient would use in Phase 2 would fall entirely on me.
‘Activate well when needed.’
I hoped the trait Azazel left behind would prove useful.
“Then let’s go with this general plan.”
Kang Kwonhoo, who had been just listening, presented a strategy that fit my information perfectly. There was little room for objection, so Baek Sohyeok had no choice but to nod.
“Let’s adjust contribution ratios to about 6.5 to 3.5. The 3.5 side will make the final attack. I think the Chaos side should take the 3.5 portion—does that work?”
“Is there a reason?”
I nodded at Kang Kwonhoo’s question.
“I can’t tell you this time either.”
It was presumptuous, but I had no choice but to nod.
“Then we’ll go with Woojin’s call this time. After all, he’s given us information.”
“Alright.”
It was convenient to use “there’s no time” as an excuse.
Not long after the discussion ended, the Dohwawon and Chaos guild members arrived.
“Thank you for your effort. Sorry for making you work back-to-back.”
Baek Sohyeok bowed to his guild members.
“No, Guild Leader!”
“We’re getting great rewards and high main quest contribution, so it’s good for us.”
The guild members, however, waved their hands and protested. Normally, guilds followed the personality of their leader, but compared to Baek Sohyeok’s formality, the members were gentle and sociable.
‘By the marks on their clothes, about forty from Dohwawon have gathered.’
Seeing that no one was out of place also suggested the atmosphere was very good. Perhaps the contrast with Jupiter made it stand out even more.
“Thank you for inviting us.”
In contrast, most of the Chaos guild members wore black clothes like shadows and were eager to show loyalty. Especially the guild leader I saw last time in the car approached even more submissively, as if to prove the rumors were false.
“There’s no need to thank me. Isn’t this mutual aid?”
Kang Kwonhoo spoke smoothly, even though he had effectively used his guild members.
‘Most key guild members were brought in from those suffering in legal gray zones, so loyalty is natural.’
What Kang Kwonhoo did wasn’t exactly altruistic; it was closer to gathering capable people willing to cross the line for his own sake.
“Are we going straight into the attack?”
“Woojin will receive healing from the healer, recover mana from the buffer, and once the briefing is done, we’ll enter immediately.”
Unlike Baek Sohyeok’s guild, who knew me well, the Chaos guild members looked at me with a “Who’s Baek Woojin?” expression. Seeing me gesture, Kang Kwonhoo’s expression immediately shifted to understanding.
‘They know my face because they saw me with Baek Sohyeok.’
At least they knew the face even if not the name—fortunate enough.
“I’ll heal you.”
“Thank you.”
While being healed, the Dohwawon and Chaos guild members listened to the explanation. Even after cooperating in battle once, their hatred for each other hadn’t changed.
‘Emotions don’t change overnight.’
If the Dohwawon members lacked trust in Baek Sohyeok, or the Chaos members lacked loyalty to Kang Kwonhoo, complaints would have erupted.
‘Some may dislike it inside but hide it.’
As long as this went smoothly, forced collaboration wouldn’t become a major problem.
“You injured your leg too.”
While I was focused on the others, the healer checked me thoroughly. Listening half-heartedly to Kang Kwonhoo and Baek Sohyeok’s conversation, I muttered “yes” without much attention, and her hands got sharper.
“Ugh!”
She pressed on my wound, making me flinch and gasp. Her intent was clear when I looked down at her fierce expression.
“Focus while I treat your body. These aren’t disposable people—why are you using yourselves recklessly?”
It made me realize it was impolite to be distracted while receiving treatment.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore it.”
“I wasn’t looking for an apology. Your body is your asset; use it carefully.”
The healer’s tone softened. She must have been frustrated from treating so many injured people.
“Thank you. I’ll try my best.”
It felt rough to lie.
“All visible areas are done.”
The healer lightly tapped my back and waved for the buffer.
“Jiguin! Recover this person’s mana too.”
“Yes, sis!”
The buffer was cheerful and asked many questions while healing me. I answered as best I could.
“So, what’s your relationship with our Guild Leader—or, I mean, Kwonhoo-nim! Anyway, with Kwonhoo-nim? I want to fight at the front with you too.”
But the boy was so talkative and fidgety that by the time his mana filled, I was exhausted.
‘And calling him Kwonhoo-nim… Kang Kwonhoo would probably laugh and dislike it.’
Of course, I had no intention of pointing that out. He probably wouldn’t listen anyway.
“We’re just comrades. When he’s older, Kang Kwonhoo will actively participate in combat. He has rare skills, after all.”
The buffer was a rare ability, even rarer than the healer’s, so once his skill level increased and he got used to combat, he would fight alongside us.
“Really? Really? By the way, Hyung, you’re amazing too, right? That’s why you hang out with Kwonhoo-nim.”
Being forced to ride a plane with me gave me goosebumps.
“That should be enough. Thank you.”
“Huh? It’s not full yet.”
Waiting for it to fill completely would have made my ears scream first.
“The meeting is almost over on their side. They’ve heard the rough details, but they need to hear the final summary.”
Thanks to Baek Sohyeok saying, “I’ll summarize at the end,” I managed to escape the boy. He clearly wanted to talk more, but I quickly turned away to avoid being held back.
‘He looks older than Jun.’
Compared to that boy, Jun was quite composed.
The 5th floor was eerily quiet, unlike before. Instead, a magnificent door, perhaps ten times taller than the average human, stood alone.
“I’ll open the door.”
Kang Kwonhoo opened it, and a gust of cold air rushed out from the gradually widening crack. Some shivered at the sudden drop in temperature.
“Just as Woojin said.”
Inside was a gigantic cocoon that nearly filled the room. Those who had doubted my information gasped.
“The king is inside that cocoon?”
The threads of the cocoon seemed made of pure malice. A vivid sense of foreboding filled the room.
