CHAPTER 54……………………………………….
“Are you saying treatment is only possible after the match is decided?”
[No. I can call in a fragment of the System that has healing skills. But it can’t heal as powerfully as a high-rank healer.]
“Then don’t just stand there—call that system fragment thing or whatever right now! Can’t you see the kid can’t even stay conscious?!”
Ryu Jisoo, who had been listening beside us, shook her fist threateningly at Kay as he floated around. Startled, Kay—who had been lying in mid-air—shot up even higher.
[Why are you taking it out on me? Fine, I’ll call one.]
Kay glanced at Shiri. Shiri nodded, signaling it was okay. Kay opened a small gate in the air and pulled out a blue teddy bear—identical to himself except for the color.
[Hello. Why have I been summoned?]
“There’s an injured person.”
The blue bear looked around, spotted Kim Jun lying on the ground, and zipped over to land beside him.
[Just bruising and a concussion. Nothing major—don’t make such a fuss!]
It spoke carelessly, as if it wasn’t someone else’s problem. And despite its loud words, the light coming from its tiny paws was pathetically weak. As a result, Kim Jun’s wounds were healing slowly.
“You really can’t call a healer? How can you not have a single high-rank healer prepared for such a big event?”
[We only follow the System’s orders. And the System did not open this quest for your sake! You should’ve expected this much.]
Kay’s tone was annoying, but not exactly wrong. And if we couldn’t stop the disasters coming, things like this would keep happening. What had once been disasters I wanted to stop just so I could live safely had become things I had to stop for everyone’s sake—no matter what.
“Jisoo, let’s step back for now.”
“Huh? But…”
“It’ll be faster to move on to the next round and win. The heal is slow, but as long as the head injury is treated first, it’ll be enough as emergency care.”
Ryu Jisoo looked confused. She’d been the most agitated since Kim Jun was chosen as the next participant—so seeing me calm her down seemed strange to her.
“Let’s finish this as quickly as possible for Jun. Some guilds brought healers. Once the finals end, he can get proper treatment immediately.”
“There’s a healer in the guild I was in. Let’s ask them to treat him.”
I was about to say I’d pay whatever it took, but Kang Gunhoo cut in at the perfect moment. True, the guild he built should have at least two skilled healers. His words reassured me.
[A good choice! And the opposing guild seems eager to continue, so let’s skip the chatter and start the next round!]
Shiri grinned so widely it looked like her stitches might pop.
[Then I’ll explain Round 2! In Round 1, the treasure chest was claimed by the New Edison Guild.]
Clapping playfully, the doll continued its explanation.
[Inside it was a gem! This gem grants the right to choose a “faction.” In Round 2, if New Edison protects this gem within the time limit, they win. If Chronos steals it, we move to Round 3. In Round 3, if Chronos protects the gem, Chronos wins; if New Edison takes it back, New Edison wins. For details, check your status window.]
[Guild War Finals — Round 2: Treasure Snatch
Time Limit: 1 hour
After entering the field, the Seeker (the one who must steal the gem) must wait 5 minutes. During this time, the gem holder may hide. However, the gem cannot be detached from the Seeker’s body.
If the Seeker steals the gem, the Seeker wins immediately.
- Knocking out the gem holder is meaningless unless the gem is recovered.
- If the gem holder knocks out the Seeker, the Seeker loses even if time remains.]
The rules were simpler than Round 1, so there was nothing to ask.
[If you’ve ever played tag, you should get it! Now, let’s pick the participants!]
The other guild seemed ready too; the process moved quickly. Just like before, a marker appeared above the chosen players’ heads. Ours was Ryu Jisoo; theirs was a woman I didn’t recognize from the game.
“I’ll win as fast as I can. I have to avenge Jun.”
Jisoo, who had been slumped in despair moments ago, suddenly ignited with purpose. It was a shame Kang Gunhoo wasn’t picked, but I trusted him—he always handled things well.
Screee—crack!
The marker above Ryu Jisoo made a nails-on-chalkboard sound and shattered.
“Huh?”
Jisoo, who had been warming up confidently, froze. Shiri and Kay started flailing their limbs in the air, clearly confused.
[What is happening…?]
[The System definitely chose two women!]
They muttered loudly to themselves, unable to hide their confusion. System fragments, despite their power, had zero ability to handle sudden irregularities.
“Did someone interfere with the System?”
Kang Gunhoo murmured quietly so only I could hear.
“Oh—wait! The marker’s reappearing.”
The vanished marker reappeared above my head. At first it flickered with static, but after a moment it stabilized.
The same thing happened on the New Edison side—the marker shifted from the first woman to Ga Giho. Whoever or whatever had interfered with the System had changed the targets for us. Good. Fine by me.
‘I don’t know what happened, but this is exactly what I wanted.’
Even if someone else had been chosen, I would’ve fought to win. But if it was Ga Giho—the one who hurt Kim Jun and then tried to injure him further—my will to win burned even brighter.
“You sure you’ll be okay?”
Kang Gunhoo shook my shoulder, thinking I was tense because I’d gone silent.
“You told me not to worry about Jun and sent him off calmly, but now you’re worried about me?”
“Normally you’d be trembling in fear. Something’s off.”
He was right. I should’ve been terrified of fighting that sadistic lunatic. But I wasn’t. Not at all. It felt strange—even to me.
‘Is this because my synchronization rate increased?’
My mana had been swirling restlessly, begging to be used. And on top of that, confidence—like that of a warrior who’d fought for ages without knowing fear—swelled inside me. My mind naturally pictured how to fight.
[B-rank item, Blade of Blue Light, is being summoned.]
I wrapped my hand around the sword’s hilt.
[The Blade of Blue Light is resonating with its wielder. Mana is being released.]
Soft blue mana rippled out from my body. I hadn’t expected such a reaction.
[“Cat Dragon” is responding to its master’s mana.]
Meeooow—!
Sensing my mana, Yaong whined from inside the cage, eager to come out.
‘Is this the evolution Baek Sohyuk was talking about?’
But since the enemy used summons, they would definitely target Yaong. He wasn’t strong—just rare.
“Yaong, stay inside for now. I’ll be right back.”
Instead of letting him out, I chose to enter the field alone.
“Come back safely.”
Kang Gunhoo’s eyes—surprisingly, unbelievably—held real worry for me.
‘I must be imagining it.’
Space distorted.
The place I appeared in looked nothing like Round 1’s abandoned wilderness. This time it resembled an ancient Greek temple lined with white pillars, though moss and vines showed it had long been forgotten.
I tried to walk further to inspect the surroundings, but after only three steps, a transparent blue wall appeared, blocking my path.
[The Seeker must remain inside the barrier for 5 minutes.]
‘So this is the barrier.’
Touching it, I found the surface felt like water—hardly any resistance. But the deeper I pushed, the more it stretched like rubber. It didn’t seem impossible to break with a sword or skill, but that would probably violate the rules.
‘No need to create trouble.’
I pulled my hand out and tapped my communicator.
Static crackled.
