Chapter 348

Chapter 348. News of Victory (4)

How many minutes had I spent staring intently at the numbers etched into the sky?

User, who had disappeared by jumping off the building’s rooftop, returned with a smartphone.

“Thank you.”

I expressed my gratitude briefly and immediately made an international call.

The recipient’s number was Yeonwoo.

‘He’s not picking up.’

It seemed he was studying, as the call wasn’t getting through.

So I called Jinwoo next, and this time, after a few beeps, the call was connected.

「Hello……?」

“It’s me.”

「…… Hyung? Is it really you? Are you on Earth? Did you come back?」

“Yeah, I returned safely, so don’t worry. Right now, I’m…….”

Not knowing the exact location, I glanced at User for answers.

“Tanta… Ah, egypt. It’s Tanta, a city north of the capital, Cairo….”

I nodded as a gesture of thanks and continued speaking.

“He says it’s Egypt.”

「Egypt……?」

「What, you’re in Egypt? You’ve been all around the world, haven’t you?」

Yang Taeho’s voice came through the smartphone as well.

“Are you with Taeho hyung?”

「Ah, yes. Sister-in-law invited us to have dinner together.」

Even though I had asked the Seo father and son, along with Yang Taeho’s family, to take care of the twins, I couldn’t help but worry.

It seemed they were doing well, thankfully.

‘No signs of weariness or gloom in their voices.’

Breathing a sigh of relief, I asked what had been on my mind earlier.

“What about Yeonwoo?”

If he were with Jinwoo, I would have heard his excitable voice upon learning the news of my return.

Since it was quiet, it seemed he wasn’t beside him.

「She should be at home. She said she wasn’t hungry, so I came up alone. Hyung… When are you coming back? To Seoul.」

“In about two hours. Three hours at the latest.”

By then, the support forces dispatched by the Egypt branch of the association would have arrived.

I wouldn’t need to stay in the city unnecessarily.

With a definitive time mentioned, Jinwoo’s voice noticeably brightened.

「Really?」

“Yeah, so don’t worry and go have dinner. Pass the phone to Taeho hyung.”

「Okay, okay! Got it!」

Soon, Yang Taeho took over the call.

「Are you alright? No injuries?」

“Yes, hyung. Thank you for looking after the kids.”

「It’s alright, we enjoyed having more company. But it took longer than expected. Was there any trouble?」

Though there were individuals connected to me by divinity, no one doubted my survival.

Everyone was worried because of the extended delay.

‘Though I left without a promise to return, it did take quite a while.’

The reason was remarkably simple.

“The guy split his body and fled, so there was no helping it.”

「Wha—? He split himself?」

I affirmed Yang Taeho’s questioning and briefly explained the situation.

In the past, I had encountered Karklein several times.

He frequently attempted to whisk away enemies.

But those were only one-sided interactions.

It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say we hadn’t directly confronted each other before.

‘So, I didn’t have any information about his appearance or characteristics.’

I hadn’t expected him to split his body into five pieces and flee to different spaces when cornered.

Therefore, I had to chase him through various places.

Fortunately, the battles with him weren’t too fierce.

‘Since he was incompetent in combat.’

Given my authority capable of countering corrupted divinity, no real danger existed.

Dealing with Karklein felt more like menial labor.

All I had to do was tear, burn, and crush his form that had swelled by devouring various dimensional lives.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t gain any valuable combat experience against a formidable opponent.

But, since he was already lacking in intelligence, I decided to brush off the regret.

「You’ve really had it tough.」

“But it’s over, so that’s fortunate.”

「You’re right. It’s good you’re safe. But, you said you’re in Egypt? Is there any issue there?」

Despite returning to Earth, the delay in my return seemed concerning to him.

Yang Taeho expressed his willingness to come immediately with Ahel if help was needed.

But I shook my head.

“There’s some aftermath of the battle, and the players stationed in the city took some hits. I’m staying just in case, but it’s nothing major. After wrapping things up here, I’ll stop by the guild as well.”

I intended to check the matters occurred during my absence.

Before leaving, I instructed the guild’s administrative team to prepare a report.

All I needed to do was review it when I arrived.

I planned to thoroughly review everything before returning home, as I probably wouldn’t be focused enough if I brought it home.

“There’s nothing to worry about, so please continue your meal.”

「Alright, we’ll see you later then.」

“Yes.”

After ending the call with Yang Taeho, I immediately contacted Lily.

Lily dispatched support troops to Tanta in an hour, and I was finally able to return to Seoul.

* * *

‘It’s more than I expected.’

I clicked my tongue inwardly at the numbers displayed in the Hole, visible from the Seoul sky.

While Karklein was fleeing, he continued drilling idiotically, which inevitably increased the numbers to some extent.

Considering the numbers I saw in the mission window a few years ago were in the thousand range, it had increased significantly.

Objectively, it couldn’t be deemed a favorable situation.

‘But at least it won’t increase from now on.’

Once those are all closed, the persistent monsters can also be eradicated from Earth.

‘I will eliminate the remaining irregulars and the potential threats, the gods of Biharin, by then.’

That was the best I could do at this point.

It was also what only I could do.

Fortunately, during the chase of Karklein, I stumbled upon a few hints.

Though I lacked the ability to pursue them immediately.

‘I should handle urgent matters first and replenish some divinity.’

I consumed more divinity than anticipated while hunting Karklein.

Although I absorbed some, the depletion exceeded the absorption, making it necessary to have a rest period for recharging.

After completing a series of overhauls, I could set out once more.

Until then, I needed to focus on matters that could be resolved on Earth.

Upon reaching the guild, I received numerous reports from the guild members.

Since I had already reached out in advance, there wasn’t any wait time necessary.

‘Firstly, Sniper is captured and imprisoned.’

Several countries had virtually entered a state of anarchy.

Their administrative systems had collapsed, rendering them dysfunctional.

On top of that, various infrastructures had crumbled, causing mass casualties.

Moreover, two countries were still under the presence of unaddressed legions. These were Romania and Mexico.

‘So, two in total…….’

Rashar was stationed in Romania, while Lily commanded in the Mexican frontlines.

Due to their ability to use my authority, they were specifically tasked with handling the legion commanders.

‘Initially, there was a suggestion that Kim Yul should go to Mexico due to Lily’s position.’

However, association presidents from the Asian continent strongly opposed it.

‘Already sending an unknown golden lightning user to Europe, they worried about sending the remaining one across the sea.’

Thus, they strongly argued that the title of association president could not be an exemption from wartime conscription.

Thanks to that, Kim Yul remained in Korea to guard against unforeseen situations, and Lily personally went to the frontlines.

‘She would have gone on her own, even without all that pressure.’

The Lily I knew wouldn’t shirk her duties by using her social position as an excuse.

The ever-neutral Ethan shivered at the thought of her inflexibility, so that wasn’t possible for her.

‘It’s been six weeks since Romania, and two weeks for Mexico, since the fronts have become stagnant.’

Quietly tracing the sequence of events and timing, I began tapping my finger on the table.

Even though two of my apostles were on the front, the respective regions weren’t being particularly cleansed.

In both areas, they were merely focused on preventing the enemy’s ground from expanding.

The current forces judged that the damage they would have to sustain to drive the enemies out and restore their territory would be too great.

It was probably because of the alarming number of Holes opening across different regions.

‘It could only lead to a conclusion of preserving forces by avoiding proactive clashes.’

After thoroughly reviewing the precise distribution of forces in the concerned region and the scale of the enemy forces, I checked the damage situation.

Refugees who lost their homes fled to neighboring countries.

As the number of those who became unproductive increased, issues related to relief supplies also emerged.

‘Signs of a food crisis are appearing.’

Although various corporations and international organizations were providing support, it wouldn’t last long, considering malnourished patients had already begun to emerge.

Besides that, several groups also saw additional defectors.

Players with the Traits of the Phinelpennia Order were deployed to investigate them, swiftly weeding out the related individuals at an incredible pace.

Though the results were favorable, the number of defectors revealed in the process was more than expected.

Consequently, distrust had spread throughout society in general.

‘The guild’s state isn’t perfect either.’

Rumors of my death had caused internal discipline to slacken, and a staggering 12% of members defected.

Moreover, the guild’s relationships built on profit connections had also started to wobble.

‘Embezzling at the spirit stone mines…….’

After carefully scrutinizing everything, it seemed there would be numerous matters demanding my attention for a while.

‘Winning a war truly is not an easy task.’

Swallowing a sigh, I called the public relations team.

“I need to hold a press conference. Please coordinate with Squad Leader Yang Jochul and schedule it on the earliest possible date.”

“Understood, guild Leader.”

It was an agreement already established through communication with Lily.

‘To explain the numbers floating in the sky, I should disclose some information related to the Holes.’

Since she was on the frontlines, managing it on my end was the only choice.

Moreover, I needed to move around externally for a while to demonstrate my presence.

A formal press conference simultaneously served both purposes.

Thus, there was no reason to avoid it.

‘That’s all I can accomplish for now.’

Although Sniper issue bothered me, I didn’t intend to intervene.

Primarily, I had given Holy Water to him to ensure I didn’t get involved directly in this matter.

Given my strong influence over players, there’s a trend where others follow if I take a stance to refrain from touching civilians.

If it became known that I secretly ordered assassinations of civilians, I can’t imagine the fallout.

‘People would start thinking, if even he does this, why can’t I?’

Even if the victims were defectors, it was clear that the distinction that should exist between civilians and players would blur.

Therefore, despite the complexity, I needed to shake it off.

Recovering my breath, I rose from my seat and spoke.

“Gilenios.”

“Ah, finally!”

The creature, lazily sprawled on the office sofa, sprang up.

“Let’s go quickly!”

And then he drew a line in the air with his hand.

Following his gesture, the space in front of me tore apart.

Observing his authority again, I couldn’t deny the peculiarity of my feelings.

We essentially secured power originally held by our enemies.

‘I need to think about how to utilize this in reverse.’

Having secured new considerations, I didn’t hesitate to step into the rift opened by Gilenios.

The moment I took just a single step, I could feel the slightly chilly air of an early spring night.

I was atop an apartment building.

Finally feeling the reality of returning home, I was about to head to the stairs when I paused.

“Your heart is beating so fast. Do you like me that much?”

“I do like you, but right now I’m a bit more scared.”

Their voices, familiar to me, halted my steps.

“Scared? Of what? Why?”

“They said Hyunwoo hyung has returned!”

I turned my head toward the direction where the voices originated.

“I did wish for his quick return, but now that he’s back, I’m so scared.”

At the edge of the apartment rooftop, two human figures stood.

“The moment Hyung catches me, I’ll be executed instantly!”

“It’s a bit much……though our brother is a bit stuffy, he’s not that bad?”

As I approached, I revealed the aura I had been subconsciously concealing.

“Who’s there……!”

Kim Yul, detecting my presence, turned toward my direction.

“Why? Did someone come up here?”

Immediately, the shadow clinging closely to him also squirmed slightly, turning toward my location.

“Huh? Hyung?”

It was Yeonwoo.

Damned System

TL’s Corner:

Yul got caught. Death penalty it is!