Chapter 18 – Companion I

Chapter 18 – Companion I

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 18 – Companion I

1

Let’s talk about the guild leader of Three Thousand Worlds.

“There’s a fierceness in your eyes.”

“...”

“Talking about you? The almost sole survivor from Busan Station. You’re known for asking people strange questions all the time.”

My first encounter with Tang Seorin was during the fourth turn.

Unfortunately, at that time, I hadn’t yet mastered [Complete Memory Ability]. I didn’t acquire that ability until the fifth turn.

So, there might be some discrepancies in my recollection of my first meeting with Tang Seorin. Well, I’d rather not admit it, but there’s bound to be some error.

It’s been over a thousand years since that past, hasn’t it?

“What’s your name?”

“...Doctor Jang. That’s my alias.”

“You’re a curious one, going around asking people questions. Not bad. The depth of a person depends on how many corpses they’ve buried in their own heart.”

Perhaps Tang Seorin said, “There’s a fierceness in your eyes,” or maybe “There’s a gun in your eyes.” She might have addressed me as “you” instead of “you.”

It could have been raining that day or it might not have been. I thought I heard the sound of water, but it might have just been the sound of my own heartbeat.

Nevertheless, I can vividly recall the atmosphere of that moment, as clear as the outline of the air.

Because for humans to live, they not only need to breathe the oxygen swirling around them right now, but also the air of the past that has already flowed away.

“How about it? Won’t you join our guild?”

“What’s the guild’s name?”

“Three Thousand Worlds. We’ll shorten it to Three Thousand. My personal ambition is to recruit three thousand Awakeneds someday. Doctor Jang, help me. I need your strength to subdue the Ten Clans.”

The human who was somewhat involved in my breathing process raised the corner of her mouth and extended her hand.

At that time, I had neither the reason nor the luxury to refuse to shake that hand.

“Oh, by the way, whoever joins our guild has to wear a pointed hat regardless of location.”

“...A pointed hat?”

“Yeah. You know the hat that witches wear in fairy tales? That’s our guild symbol. And you have to carry a broomstick with you. Haven’t had lunch yet? I know a great place, I’ll take you there to celebrate your membership.”

“I’ll withdraw my application for membership.”

I couldn’t withdraw.

Later, it was best to switch the broomstick for a staff-sword.

Tang Seorin was cunning, stubborn, and had a taste for local delicacies. People called her the witch of the train station, the founder of the Juga Yeongchang, and the solitary gourmet.

...Come to think of it, the last nickname seemed like one I had given her alone.

Of course, there were other titles I used more frequently.

What could I possibly hide?

At one point, she was my guild leader.

2

Looking back now, it might seem like a joke from the past, but in the very early stages of my reincarnated life – that is, before the 10th turn – there was a boss monster that blocked Korean Awakeneds like a wall of lament.

“Wait. What’s that?”

“Oh, oh... It’s coming this way!”

The Ten Clans.

According to the strange classification system established by a wiki group called the Library Society, it was a city-level danger. Its identifying name was ‘Crawling Baby Cthulhu.’

“Crazy! Why is it so fast?”

“Cthulhu! It’s Cthulhu!”

“What the fuck is that......Alert! Sound the alert first, you bastards!”

There were various opinions on how the Ten Clans came to be called that.

The most plausible theory was that they were called the Ten Clans because they resembled dozens or hundreds of tentacles, wriggling like arms where legs should be.

But personally, I support the story that ‘f**king di*ks’ somehow got mispronounced and stuck as ‘shrimp d*cks.’

That’s how much the first boss monster, the Ten Clans, brought us despair.

“We need to defeat it to reclaim the area south of the Han River and push the front lines that have been split into two into a ceasefire line.”

Tang Seorin didn’t despair.

More accurately, she rallied the despairing Awakeneds and was then appointed as the leader of the guild union.

It could be called the Anti-Ten Clans Union.

The difference from the Anti-Dong Zhuo Union that appears in the Records of the Three Kingdoms is that unlike the original element, Tang Seorin was an extremely capable leader.

“Doctor Jang. You will lead the elite members of other guilds on the front lines and block the movements of the Ten Clans for as long as possible.”

“Understood.”

After learning of Old Scho’s existence, he led the fighters, but before that, I had the unfortunate duty of holding the front lines. It was a moment that hinted at how pathetic the level of the Awakeneds was at the time.

Oh, by the way, during my time as a member of Three Thousand Worlds, I naturally used honorifics when addressing Tang Seorin.

“Yesterday, my deputy died, so I’m a bit behind... Let me hold on for a few minutes, alright?”

“Please hold on for at least 30 minutes. I’ll build up a grand spell to back up the squad.”

“Got it.”

I nodded.

“Sounds easy.”

It wasn’t easy.

-There! There!

The Ten Clans roared.

Exactly 2 minutes into the battle, another hole was punched in my head by the Ten Clans’ tentacles. What could I do? If a highway was laid in the middle of my brain, there was no way to avoid a graceful death.

I lasted for a dragon’s age of 2 minutes. Other Awakeneds had their heads harvested in the blink of an eye. If autumn farmers had witnessed it, they would have admired the skill of reaping crops. I managed to hold on until the end with Tang Seorin.

End of the 4th turn.

Start of the 5th turn.

“Doctor Jang. You will lead the elite members of other guilds on the front lines and block the movements of the Ten Clans for as long as possible.”

“Different. Operation.”

“?”

“You died a long time ago. Here.”

In the KTX dining car, which was also used as the guild reception area, a map of South Korea was spread out on the table.

Tap. Scho pointed with his finger at one particular spot.

The line from Seoul to Gwacheon. It was a place where we tried to mess with the Ten Clans in the fourth turn but got messed up instead.

“But I didn’t die there.”

Swoosh.

Scho’s finger pointed downwards. His index finger stopped precisely at the Nakdong River.

“Five years. A huge difference.”

Scho’s gray gaze was fixed on me.

Maybe. No way?

My heart raced. We stared at each other for a while across the table. And we realized that our heartbeats were flowing at the same pace.

The old man’s mouth slowly opened.

“Return?”

Even if I was a complete novice, I couldn’t misunderstand the intent behind that question.

I silently drew a number on the table with my finger.

6.

The old man’s expression finally relaxed as he chuckled. It was a number that had repeated throughout his life.

Perhaps to accommodate my inability to understand English, Scho’s sentences were not long. The old German swordsman knew how to convey strong emotions in short phrases.

“My friend.”

With Scho joining, the situation on the battlefield changed drastically.

If you were to randomly pick the most powerful among all Awakeneds in history, it wasn’t always Scho.

But now, with over a thousand turns passed, it was clear that Scho’s potential was off the charts.

“Are you sure we should put this person on the front lines?”

“Yes, Guild Master. I’m sure.”

“Hmm. Just looking at appearances, it’s hard to trust so much. If the Vice Guild Master is sure, well... Still, we should probably test their skills, right?”

“Of course.”

50 minutes later.

“Right away, we’ll make this person a key asset for this operation.”

Again, Tang Seorin was a capable leader.

Even amid the chaos of the Three Thousand Worlds Guild, with Awakeneds being sent out, she didn’t seem to care at all. She even got an interpreter and stationed them next to Scho.

“Interpreter, could you ask how he feels about the cone hat?”

After conversing with Scho for a while, the interpreter’s expression darkened.

“I’m really sorry, but this person isn’t interested in joining the guild. They prefer to be alone.”

“Really? That’s a shame. But didn’t he just mention something about a cone earlier? Did I mishear?”

“Oh, he might have been joking about something, but I couldn’t understand. Sorry. Haha.”

“That could be it. Vice Guild Master, isn’t there a famous sundae soup place nearby? Maybe Germans like soup too?”

“As long as there’s no turnips, they probably eat everything well, don’t you think?”

I observed as the interpreter faintly laughed beside me.

He was a wise human.

Back then, I didn’t know German, so I just let it go, but Scho’s actual statement was, ‘What the hell kind of bullshit is that? I mean, that Harry Potter knockoff hat you guys wear? If you keep it up, you’ll end up raising an owl. ‘Alohomora’, you moron! Even my dog at home does not use that shit.”’

For the record, I agree with that opinion as well.

The fact that I didn’t join the Three Thousand Worlds Guild from the 7th turn and started wandering separately with Scho was largely due to that damn cone of hers. That fashion... no, not even fashion. There was no one besides Tang Seorin who could pull off Witch cosplay.

Of course, it was natural.

Tang Seorin wasn’t just doing Witch cosplay, she was a true sorceress who claimed to be a Witch and a multi-talented Awakened.

“Doctor, Swordsman. Hold on for 25 minutes... no, make it 30 minutes, no matter what.”

South of the Han River. The cursed land where countless civilians vanished without a trace.

There, Scho, myself, Three Thousand Worlds Guild Master Tang Seorin, and a total of fifteen hundred Awakeneds gathered, including military units and civilian supporters. If you counted the military units and civilian supporters, there were even more.

We stood on the frontline, where almost all available forces in Korea had gathered for battle.

-Here we go!

The now familiar roar echoed out.

From a distance, the massive form of the Ten Clans emerged. The horizon shook. Ruined buildings couldn’t withstand its thrashing and collapsed like dominoes.

“Can we hold on for 25 minutes?”

“It’s difficult.”

As the representative of the strike force, I spoke.

The difference from previous turns was that now I could add a word to this statement.

“But it’s doable.”

Tang Seorin nodded.

“After it’s over, let’s go find our favorite restaurant. Oh, by the way, what’s the signature dish of Seoul? Something more local.”

“Well, there’s nothing particularly famous.”

“Is that so?”

Hm, Tang Seorin murmured as she looked at the horizon.

Human-like tentacles wriggled endlessly.

“Looks like it’s going to be squid sashimi from now on.”

“Oh, squid soup isn’t bad.”

“Yeah. Arrange the troops. Today, we’re reclaiming Seoul.”

Battle commences.

[Proofreader – Gun]