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Seo Gyu-Cheol

Meanwhile, Seo Gyu-Cheol was approaching the crowd from far away. I whispered to the devil’s sword in my hand in a way that would not be heard by anyone around me, “You,” It did not answer me immediately, “Are you ignoring me?”

This had been the case ever since it signed an unfair contract in favor of me. Since the hope of brainwashing me or enticing me has wholly disappeared, it didn’t waste its energy on me. It was probably planning to wait silently for the day when my life would be over.

‘It’s okay to wait, but I never allowed you to ignore what I say.’

I said with strength added to my voice, “Did you forget about the contract already? Why don’t we go home and light the furnace again today?”

‘········Yes, yes. Did you call me? Mister master,’ it said in a sarcastic tone.

I quickly ordered a few things in a low voice, “Okay? We start right away when I give you the signal.”

It couldn’t disobey my instructions no matter what its attitude might be. The moment I finished speaking, Seo Gyu-Cheol stopped.

“We finally meet.”

After deliberately arguing and running away from his office, this was the first time we’d faced each other like this. He spoke in a voice that was as repressed as a man who hadn’t crapped in days, in contrast to the flames blazing in his eyes, “Let’s go somewhere quiet and talk.”

The tone had changed slightly from a few months ago, and I felt a strange sense of distance.

I nodded my head, “Let’s.”

I looked at Nate and Hibiki. It was an expected situation, so they knew how to act and merely nodded.

Seo Gyu-Cheol took a scroll out of his arms. I read the Mana pattern in advance.

‘Of all days, he prepared it for today. No, it would be appropriate to assume that he had it in his possession for any moment like this to come.’

He was about to tear it up when Kim Kyung-Rok shouted, “Hey, you bastards! Can’t you hear me? I said to explain, what the hell is ….”

Seo Gyu-Cheol said in a cold voice, “What you are complaining about, the Management will handle. Shut up before I pull your tongue out.”

“W-what, what? We’ve been letting him be, and that bastard’s crossing the line now!”

Kim Kyung-Rok, who was insulted at the gathering of the four major guilds, reddened with anger. Ignoring him, Seo Gyu-Cheol turned to face the Celestial Dragon Guild members.

“I’m going to talk to my son for a while now that the break is over. No.1 Team Leader, I’ll leave it to you to finish and aftercare.”

“Ah…. Yes!”

Team Leader Yoon Ho-Min nodded with a puzzled expression. Seo Gyu-Cheol tore the scroll without hesitation.

[Wide Range Teleport!]

I relaxed my resistance and left myself to the light that surrounded me.

‘Yeah, there’s too many eyes here.’

When it came to avoiding the place, our opinions agreed. After a while, we were in the middle of the woods. It was apparent that he had entered the coordinates beforehand. I thought he would talk right away, but unexpectedly, Seo Gyu-Cheol kept his mouth shut and only stared at me.

But then…

‘Yes, that was the gaze.’

I could tell by the experience of dealing with my companions, Park Chang-Hee and Han-Seol, that the pupil distorts with a strange glow when intense emotions are shown.

I opened my mouth first and spoke in a deliberate calm tone, “I saw it on TV.”

“You looked for me anxiously.”

I pointed out his irrational behavior and excessive emotions shown in the process. Would Seo Gyu-Cheol be aware of himself?

“It wasn’t like you, father, to turn the media around like you usually do.”

Did he know he was involved in a curse-induced madness? The original Seo Jin-Wook objectively recognized his condition, but Han-Seol and Park Chang-Hee were encroached entirely and did not notice it. What about Seo Gyu-Cheol?

“That’s funny,” He said in a low voice.

“Father?”

“Other guys can fool me, but you can’t,” his fierce eyes flashed. He says in a scratchy voice, “You, what the hell are you?”

A sharp and cold wind blew in the distance between the two of us. I brood over the meaning of what he said. To be honest, it was a surprise. Did this mean that parents could notice? With the affection and instinct by blood?

‘However, looking at Seo Gyu-Cheol’s usual attitude, I couldn’t find the least amount of fatherly love.’

I denied it for now.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You want me to say it again? I asked what the hell you are. Where did you come from, and why are you taking over my son’s body!”

I clicked my tongue inside. He spoke in a confident tone that suggested he knew I was not the original one.

“The reason why you were in such a hurry to find me was because of that misunderstanding?”

“It cannot be a misunderstanding. What the hell are you, with what right do you have… can you do this to the one I’ve been raising so dearly for the last few decades….”

I tried to form a bleak smile. Raised him dearly? From the memories of him or as I experienced in person, he had never cared about Seo Jin-Wook that much.

“···Have you just snatched up the precious seed that has been raised so dearly; it was about to bloom!”

What?

*

My face stiffened at an instant, ‘About to bloom… Seed!’ It was a ubiquitous word. There was nothing strange about those who talk about seeds. However, considering the name and description of the skills that several guild personnel was exposed to, it was an entirely different story.

[Seed of Mercadius (Rank: SSS, Semi-active)]

Skill effect: Interfering with the host’s mind amplifies the most intense desires and emotions and induces thoughts. After its growth, the seed that completely encroaches on the host will bloom, and what will become depends on the intentions of the caster and the characteristics of the host.

Restrictions: The stronger the host’s mental strength and resistance, the slower the seed’s incubation speed, and the risk of the “voice” of the seed being exposed to the host.

‘The probability that Seo Gyu-Cheol would choose those two words without knowing the existence of the skill… What is the probability for such a coincidence?!’

The assumption that Seo Gyu-Cheol was related to the curse was one of the scenarios I had in my head. When my seed destroyed the seeds of Han-Seol and Park Chang-Hee, the memories of the lives of the two people that coagulated there flowed into me.

Since then, I have searched through piles of absorbed memories whenever I have time to explore the common triggers for their madness. Including the original Seo Jin-Wook’s memory in the control group. I hadn’t found the critical scene yet, but I had found some strangeness in an unexpected part.

‘Seo Gyu-Cheol, what the hell is this guy?’

As shown in the memories of the three people, his words and actions were always beyond comprehension. First, Seo Gyu-Cheol, from the original Seo Jin-Wook perspective, was considered emotionless, as he often drove Seo Jin-Wook to the extreme. To start with, shouting at him to overcome a mental illness by will, he repeated the same behavior when he knows that his condition was deteriorating.

Suppose he really wanted to raise his son as the next great leader of the guild and wanted to present him as a poster boy for Celestial Dragon’s honor. In that case, he could have at least pretended to be an exemplary father, but he acted as if he were trying to be the worst father.

Seo Gyu-Cheol, who Han-Seol saw, was also strange. She indeed joined the guild for the original Seo Jin-Wook in the first place, but Seo Gyu-Cheol acquiesced in knowing that she was spending too much private time with his son. When the power of Han-Seol was firmly established in the guild, he left it clear that his son, who he was pushing to be the next Guild Master, was mentally dependent on Han-Seol instead of him.

Seo Gyu-Cheol, reflected in Park Chang-hee’s eyes, was just a stupid man. He kept making Park Chang-Hee and Seo Jin-Wook, who were bitter against each other, together. That’s how he constantly let conflict arise between the two.

Calling Seo Jin-Wook to the meeting, which he did not have to participate in, he also allowed them to go together in the first dungeon after Awakening. It was also Seo Gyu-Cheol who told Park Chang-Hee about Seo Jin-Wook’s training plans in advance.

And in common, Seo Gyu-Cheol… too frequently invited the three, Seo Jin-Wook, Han-Seol, Park Chang-Hee, to his office. Of course, there was a reason behind it. They were each Seo Gyu-Cheol’s son, Assistant Guild Master, and the Exploration Team 2 Leader. Looking back, however, Seo Gyu-Cheol was following the regular interval to gather them. As if…. He was taking time to observe their conditions.

*

I spoke as I glared at him, “[Mercadius’ Seed], did you ever know about it?” I held on to the sword handle.

Seo Gyu-Cheol said with a flash glaring from his eyes, “You mean the seed? Of course! I’m a gardener. A faithful gardener who observes and cultivates the seeds he planted himself… Pledged to harvest a selected crop someday when it blooms to make an offering to him!”

The words contained one truth that could not be ignored. I clenched my teeth, feeling a surge of anger. The way I spoke changed drastically, unbeknownst to me, “Him? And a gardener?”

Seo Gyu-Cheol’s unique skill was not related to brainwashing. It meant he was not the primary source of the curse, but he was connected to an alien.

“Not only did you let the curse be planted, but you also observed that it was eroding properly? Even if you knew I was going crazy because of a curse?”

“What curses! This is baptism!” His eyes had already been tainted with deep madness, “A holy baptism to prepare the offering to be made perfect!”

For what?

“Is that a humane thing to do? To sacrifice your child for whatever the purpose is?”

“The decision to sacrifice one’s children is the noblest sacrifice and the pinnacle of the holy offering! Don’t you know it’s a sacred act that appears in almost all religious scriptures and myths!”

This wouldn’t be solved by talking. I raised my sword.

“You cut in the middle, and everything went wrong. The day your consciousness came back after fainting, I felt a sense of change. That you have finally stopped resisting, given up, and you have begun to accept the will of the seed as your own. Just like Han-Seol and Park Chang-Hee did! But it wasn’t like that. The content has changed!”

Who was he talking about? What was he was trying to get in return for sacrificing his guild members, including his son, and what was the way to offer them?

All these questions… It could be answered by reading his memory.

“You… Are out of the seed’s control! If the seed had manipulated you, you wouldn’t have run away from the gardener on purpose! From now on, I’ll fix everything again!”

Seo Gyu-Cheol took out his sword, and I rushed towards him with several layers of energy wrapped around the sword.

Cling! Clang!

A high-speed battle ensued. Seo Gyu-Cheol’s sword hadn’t lost its sharpness, and he moved instinctively.

But then….

[Artha’s Sword Dance!]

The purple sword energy I poured out clashed with his sword, and instead of scattering directly into the air, it seeped into the blade. The sword energy agglomerated and began to resonate in a particular form.

Clang!

“Keup!”

Seo Gyu-Cheol’s sword broke into pieces before my eyes. His face, as he lost his weapon, turned dark, realizing the disaster. But soon, it was replaced with a look of determination.

Weing!

There was a storm of red Mana around him. His unique skill had been activated.

[Etherification 3333 (Rank: SS)!]

Seo Gyu-Cheol’s whole body, his clothes, and artifacts all seeped into the air, leaving only an instant light shade. This was not just transparency. It was a unique skill that temporarily deviated a limited area around one’s body from the material world.

‘If he runs away like that, it will be the end!’

I deliberately rolled my eyes, missing his image.

‘Even if he deviates from the dimension, it is because of the Mana connected to the material world ···.’

I kept acting. In the ether state, it was possible to pass through objects without being resisted by material, depending on his will. If he seeped into the ground and ran away, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with his speed, and even if I use [Penetration], he’d eventually be out of my sight.

But then….

‘He’s rushing towards me!’

Seo Gyu-Cheol flew to me in the ether state. He didn’t give up on capturing me.

‘He can run away in that condition, but he can’t fight. Since he now lost his weapon, he’ll find a replacement!’

I leave him to come to me. Closing in the ether state, he…

Paht! In an instant, part of his hand was returned to this reality, and he aimed for my wrist with his Mana-wrapped hands.

I responded late to the attack. But the angle of the sword narrowly missed the target, and his attack hit my bone.

Swish!

The sword that fell out of my hand flew into the sky. Seo Gyu-Cheol etherized his body again as if he could not miss it and then kicked and flew in the air. Only the hand returned to reality and held the handle of the devil’s sword. It was a plan of hitting two birds with one stone to disarm me and rearm himself. But this was also what I was aiming for.

I shouted, “Now!”

At that moment…

“Arghhhhh!” Seo Gyu-Cheol fell to the floor. His veins were protruding on his forehead as his body returned to this realm.

“K…. gaaaaaaaaah!”

He rolled on the ground in agony, yet he still held the sword firmly, refusing to let it go. I knew the meaning of that phenomenon.

[Whisper of the Sword!]

As soon as he reached the devil’s sword’s handle, the cognition in it triggered the skill of A-Rank brainwashing. Instead of urging them to agree to the contract as before, it would be smashing his mind with violent telepathy and injecting suggestions repeatedly.

‘It’s similar to Han-Seol’s reaction when exposed to the [Dominating Touch]!’

It seemed that if exposed to another brainwashing as one is in a brainwashed state, an extreme rejection took place. Even if it didn’t last long, it was enough to create this window of opportunity.

“Snake 3!”

I got my hands on the artifact that the snake vomited. One of the SS-Class items that I requested from Ministry Spirit today!

[Dain-Snu Family Slavemaster’s Whip (Rank: SS)]

Item description: The whip of the slave master managed the gladiator slave units owned by the Dain-Snu family. To prevent slaves from striking back with sword energy, an additional function absorbs and consumes the opponent’s Mana. Unfortunately, the absorbed Mana disappears and cannot be stored separately.

As soon as the glossy whip swung, it stretched out and wrapped around Seo Gyu-Cheol’s body.

“Keupp!” The effect of the whip activated as soon as I squeezed him. Weeeing!

The whip began to suck up Seo Gyu-Cheol’s Mana, preventing him from escaping by etherizing himself.

‘Things got easier as the deal with the spirit turned out as I expected!’

I could see the Mana from Seo Gyu-Cheol’s core permeating to the whip. As from the item description, the absorbed blue light soon faded and scattered since the artifact could only evaporate the Mana and neutralize the opponent.

At that moment, I completely removed Mana from Seo Gyu-Cheol’s core.

‘… It’s my first time to see this happening while someone is alive.’

“Gaaah!”

Seo Gyu-Cheol, whose body was tightly bound, and floored, revealed his teeth. I saw his core. Inside the heart, there was not a single Mana left, but there was familiar red energy.

‘It’s the seed!’

I couldn’t guarantee how the results would turn out from then on.

‘Han-Seol and Park Chang-Hee had their seeds destroyed after the host had died.’

But Seo Gyu-Cheol was still alive. What would happen to the host if my seed attacked and killed it? Would it live or die? I decided to experiment with it.