Chapter 256: To China (2)

Chapter 256: To China (2)

It was an unbelievable piece of information, but given all they had seen until now, everyone in the room knew this must be true. Tension filled the room.

Gi-Gyu asked, Are you sure about this?

Go Hyung-Chul frowned at him and replied, I discovered it while looking for clues about Adam Project. So, yes, Im sure.

I dont know the exact details, but Im absolutely certain Leviathan is being cloned. I havent seen it in person, but there are creatures in China exuding the same aura as Leviathan.

...

Youve seen them too, havent you? asked Go Hyung-Chul.

Go Hyung-Chul wasnt present during the last battle, but he had seen TVHs broadcast.

Gi-Gyu thought darkly, The two Belphegors.

Everyone had thought Belphegor was dead, but it had reappeared in Eden with a doppelganger. Therefore, no one in the room doubted Go Hyung-Chuls finding.

Go Hyung-Chul continued, They wont be the same as the original since they are just replicas. But

His face turned more serious as he muttered, Im sure they are powerful. To find out more about them, you either have to go out there yourself or at least send a few strong enough to simultaneously take on several hell kings.

But who was powerful enough for that other than Gi-Gyu? Well, there were a few options, but they werent feasible.

Gi-Gyu knew he would have to go himself to learn more about the situation.

So they are the byproducts of Project Adam? Gi-Gyu asked hesitantly.

Leviathans clone and Belphegors clone. Only something like that mysterious project could have such powerful byproducts.

Go Hyung-Chul replied, Were you not listening? I said I discovered their existence while searching for Project Adam.

Pupil, Soo-Jung said, Ha Song-Su has most likely fully recovered.

...

This might have something to do with Ha Song-Su.

Gi-Gyu nodded and looked at Soo-Jung.

A while back, when Gi-Gyu had told Soo-Jung about what happened to him, she had replied, Sure. Whatever. It was a baffling reaction, but how she treated him hadnt changed.

Gi-Gyu decided not to worry about it because now wasnt the time to be distracted. He said, Looks like Ill have to visit China to learn whats going on because we cant simply ignore the cloning of ruler-level creatures. Based on how Belphegor looked, we can assume they havent perfected their process, but we dont know how things will progress in the future. So, this problem is too dangerous for other players to handle.

The hell kings were powerful beings, so it was unbelievable that someone could clone them. Something was very wrong.

It was as if

Isnt this similar to what God and Gaia did? Gi-Gyu thought.

Lou muttered, This sucks. I cant believe Ill have to see Leviathan again.

Gi-Gyu wondered what had happened between Lou and Leviathan in the past.

I cant find much about this in Lous data. He didnt know if there was a specific incident that made Lou resent Leviathan. All in all, Gi-Gyu couldnt find anything about it in Lous data, as if it was intentionally destroyed.

Now, then Gi-Gyu turned toward Tao Chen slowly. It was time to head to China.

This time, he would be accompanied by Tao Chen.

***

Tao Chen spoke, I guess the time has finally come.

Gi-Gyu had previously announced that he would capture Ha Song-Su. And Tao Chen had decided to work with him mostly because of this. Since a battle like that needed much preparation, Tao Chen had been waiting patiently. And finally, Gi-Gyu decided it was time to go after Ha Song-Su.

We will go to China together. There, you can do what you have to do, Tao Chen.

Gi-Gyu was referring to the coup Tao Chen had planned. A demon had stolen the Chinese presidents body, so they had to bring him down for Chinas future. They had to replace him hell for leather because of how things were progressing in China.

Tao Chen was still in contact with his colleagues. He explained, They tell me more and more people are going missing. And recently, after that footage of Eden was released, the governments oppression of the public and the players apparently worsened. Things arent okay in China. Im glad its finally time.

Tao Chen looked worried, indicating how stressed he was.

Old Man Hwangs explanation made sense. At a glance, it looked like the enemy had bet everything on this expedition, but Gi-Gyu quickly realized this wasnt the case. It was more like the expedition was a test to try out their products.

Even Leviathan from this battle Old Man Hwang added cautiously, It might not be the one from before.

Hmm Gi-Gyu had expected this, so he didnt react much. There was nothing he could do about this issue. This would have to wait until after Gi-Gyu found out more about it in China.

Until he returned, Old Man Hwang, Hwang Chae-Il, and Hart would have to continue their research.

Grandmaster. Hart had been quiet until now, but he finally opened his mouth. May I use these corpses with your permission?

All three of them?

Yes. They will perish if we just leave them like this, so

You want to experiment on them, dont you? asked Gi-Gyu.

Hart nodded his bony head.

All right. Gi-Gyu gave his permission. It would be a huge bonus if he could get anything out of it. He knew cloning them like Andras had would be difficult, but if they could even derive a secondary use

Youre free to do whatever you wish with the corpses.

I am forever grateful, Grandmaster.

Now, there was one last thing to do.

Gi-Gyu announced, Lets go to Sephiroth now.

The three creatures nodded. They had already discussed the changes in Eden, and it was time to explore them.

***

The top floor of the Sephiroth Tree was a separate space, which Hwang Chae-Il used as his control tower. In the middle of this tree was a new structure.

Just like the name you gave, I made it look like a tree, Old Man Hwang explained.

Gi-Gyu made this request a long time ago.

Old Man Hwang continued, Min-Su helped me too. I would say that its a handsome product.

Gi-Gyu nodded and patted the tree. As Old Man Hwang had stated, the Sephiroth Tree was a fantastic structure. It was a simple piece of wood, but its roots looked alive, and the branches were straight and strong. Even though it didnt hold any power, Gi-Gyu could feel an inexplicable strength from it. It was as if it was connected to Eden.

I love it. Gi-Gyu caressed the tree. He was happy with the result, and it wasnt just him who liked this tree.

-I like it too!

Brunheart took her physical form, sat on the tree, and exclaimed, I love it!

Brunheart looked happy, and everyone watched her proudly.

Brun, Gi-Gyu called out to her.

With a bright smile, Brunheart announced as her one-piece dress rustled, Then Ill begin now!

Brunheart gradually turned into dust, and the Sephiroth Tree began absorbing the particles.

Now, Brunheart was undoubtedly a part of Eden.

Gi-Gyu said to her, Congratulations on becoming Edens master, Brunheart.

Of course, this didnt change the fact that Gi-Gyu was the real master of Eden.

***

Have you finished your preparation? asked Gi-Gyu.

What is there to prepare? I just needed a few more sparring matches to fine-tune my skills, Tao Chen replied calmly.

It had only been a few days, but it seemed Tao Chen had become even stronger. It was no wonder he was a well-known high ranker. Gi-Gyu felt Tao Chen was better suited for training fields than real hunts.

Then Gi-Gyus face brightened a little as he suggested, Shall we head out?

They didnt have to sneak into the Tower for their trips anymore. This time, they would travel to China openly.