ALL NOVEL Chapter 238
Chapter 238. Chaos (3)
“There’s something over there.”
“Yeah?”
“Everyone, follow me.”
The moment Yoo Ji-han caught the Thread of Truth, he began to move along it.
His party had no doubts about his actions and followed closely behind.
Whenever Yoo Ji-han led the way, there was always a special reason for it.
One could say it was a trust in their leader.
“Chilla?”
The whiskers of Chilla, running on all fours, shook.
“Something is moving over there! Chik!”
“It’s running away.”
The Thread of Truth that Yoo Ji-han was watching wasn’t still; it was shaking rapidly.
It was evidence that something at the end of the thread was on the move.
Most likely, sensing something amiss and trying to escape.
‘Not a chance.’
Yoo Ji-han increased his speed to catch up to the opponent’s movements.
Fortunately, he had confirmed all the terrain of District 5 during the day.
With a map etched in his mind, Yoo Ji-han knew every inch of the landscape.
He leapt over the low walls, breaking away from the flat road.
“Ji-han!”
“Chik! I’m coming too!”
“No, you all stay on the path.”
Yoo Ji-han jumped over the low houses, chasing after the Thread of Truth.
The opponent seemed to be moving erratically, perhaps trying to shake off the pursuers.
It was clear that this individual was accustomed to confounding enemies and had done this more than once.
‘I get the gist.’
But Yoo Ji-han chased him effortlessly, like glancing at the answer sheets for a test.
Hidden within the seemingly irregular movements was a repeated pattern.
Predicting the opponent’s route, Yoo Ji-han moved ahead.
“Gah!”
—Uheeheehee!
Then, just as the opponent appeared in front of him as expected,
Yoo Ji-han reached out to capture the one wrapped in a tattered cloth.
Flap!
The opponent, desperately shaking off the cloth, turned out to be a very small human.
With a startled expression, he immediately threw something he was holding.
—Ji-han! Watch out!
Thwump!
Yoo Ji-han instantly struck the flying object with his sword.
The identity of the split object was a bug the size of a palm.
The wriggling bug on the ground was also entangled with the Thread of Truth.
‘What the…’
It appeared to be a phenomenon that manipulated chaos.
Yoo Ji-han suddenly recalled the scene of humans in Ajesia controlling monsters.
“Damn it!”
Bangbangbang!
Min Yu-ri’s Magic Arrow struck the ground right in front of the fleeing opponent.
Surprised by the deliberately grazing attack, the man dropped to the ground.
Yoo Ji-han spoke to him, as he had lost all avenues of escape.
“What exactly are you doing?”
*
“Is this the guy?”
After going to repel chaos, Yoo Ji-han found the one controlling it and returned to the king.
The king welcomed them warmly late at night and looked at the bound man with curiosity.
“Release him.”
Swoosh.
Min Yu-ri untied the man from the magical ropes binding him.
Now free before the king, the criminal couldn’t lift his head from the ground.
“You’re a dwarf.”
The identity of the troublemaking criminal was a dwarf.
More precisely, he was a hybrid of Kabuum’s humans and dwarves.
He had inherited the excellent physique of a barbarian from Kabuum, but his height was that of a dwarf—very small indeed.
“I will ask. The series of disturbances that occurred recently, was it all caused by you?”
“…”
As the man remained silent, the king narrowed his eyes.
“I did not permit your silence.”
“I-it’s true that I did it.”
“Why did you do it?”
“…They were scum who deserved to die.”
“What?”
“They were all guys who bullied me!”
The man shouted, filled with rage.
Immediately, the mage next to the king drew his weapon to kill him, but
the King of Kabuum stepped forward directly and spoke.
“Do you think that’s an excuse?”
“…”
“Take him away.”
The captured man was forcibly dragged out of the king’s audience chamber.
Kim Si-hu had watched him, who had not resisted even a bit since his capture.
Once back on the throne, the King of Kabuum spoke to Yoo Ji-han’s party.
“Good work.”
“What will happen to that guy?”
“He’ll probably suffer enough to beg for death.”
Kabuum was harsher than Leron when it came to penalizing crimes.
In the eyes of the king, he would end up in a situation where he couldn’t live or die.
“He claims he can manipulate chaos…”
Yoo Ji-han expressed his doubts about the abilities of the captured man.
Controlling monsters, almost like a unique skill of Ajesia.
Such techniques were also spread in Kallem.
“Chaos was created artificially by someone.”
“That’s right.”
The chaos appeared as various monsters combined.
They were not naturally occurring but were life forms intentionally spread by someone.
——The ones who taught me this were people from an uncivilized continent like yours.
The captured man claimed he learned how to create and control chaos from those who came from an uncivilized continent.
In other words, beings from another dimension had approached him.
‘Has someone intentionally spread chaos in Kallem?’
Actions of humans from a dimension different from Earth spreading chaos in Kallem.
While there was little possibility, it could have been the heroes who ran away during the recent camping trip.
“There have been humans who crossed over from other dimensions to Kallem in the last few months.”
“How do you know that?”
“It’s a detection magic developed by this mage. It can capture the moment a portal opens.”
“You’re quite talented.”
“That’s right. I’m impressive.”
The royal mage shrugged his shoulders.
The ‘portal’ they referred to was the boundary of dimensions.
In that case, the mage had approached dimensional magic all on his own without anyone’s help.
‘Maybe I could find a way to return to Earth?’
Quickly mulling it over, Kim Si-hu said.
“Senior!”
“Se-senior?”
“I would like to seek your guidance later!”
“To me?”
“To the great senior, please teach this lacking mage!”
“Ahem! If you’re asking so earnestly…”
The King of Kabuum displayed joy at just a word of flattery from Kim Si-hu.
Seeing that, Yoo Ji-han understood why they had been so easily deceived by the Russians a year ago.
“What will happen to the promised things?”
“Those associated with the Yogo Guild will now receive the highest treatment in Kabuum. Additionally, I will provide items not permitted to other guilds.”
“Hmm.”
The King of Kabuum announced generously, as if to compensate for his previous rudeness.
Now that Yoo Ji-han was getting what he wanted, he nodded.
“Unfortunately, it seems the one named Yoon Do-ha is not within Kabuum.”
“Is that so…”
Despite dispatching skilled personnel to investigate Kabuum, Yoon Do-ha was not discovered.
If even the king couldn’t find him, it was certain he was at least not within Kabuum.
‘The only ones left are Leron and Maz.’
Ivory regarding possible locations where Yoon Do-ha might be, was leading Team 2 to Maz, while Leron was with Park Jae-kyung, investigating through the Yogo Guild and information guild.
They could return to Leron together with Team 3, and they would just have to wait for news from Park Jae-kyung regarding Maz.
“Ah, please keep the promise with the Yogo Guild, even if we disappear.”
“Hmm, a significant remark…”
The King of Kabuum stared at Yoo Ji-han with a profound gaze.
It was a look that pierced through the opponent’s intentions.
“You seem to be planning to leave Kallem?”
“It’s no longer our world. I won’t stay for long.”
“…You are indeed different from those guys.”
The King of Kabuum sighed.
The Earthlings, who had hoped for everything until the very end a year ago.
Those guys were completely different from Yoo Ji-han and his party in every aspect, from their pure abilities to the intentions behind visiting Kallem.
It was remarkable how different humans crossing over from the same dimension could be.
“Is your reason to be with the Yogo Guild for money?”
“Money is one reason, sure.”
“If you want, I would give you money so you wouldn’t need to rely on the guild.”
“…?”
The King of Kabuum readily offered them money.
This made Yoo Ji-han furrow his brow in confusion.
“Why are you going to such lengths for us?”
“Just my whim.”
The same whims that led him to imprison Team 3, who were innocent merely for not being from Kallem.
Moreover, the King of Kabuum wished to extend fair compensation to Yoo Ji-han’s party, who had faced direct assaults from the warriors of Kabuum.
“If there’s anything else you desire, just let me know.”
“Herbs!”
“Huh?”
“Please give me all the herbs that exist in Kabuum.”
Min Yu-ri raised her hand eagerly, requesting the herbs of Kabuum.
She was aiming to gather everything that might help in treating the Magic Discoloration Syndrome.
“I permit it. Also, I will teach you the combinations of herbs that come down from Kabuum.”
“Thank you!”
“I want to eat delicious food.”
“I’ll have the royal chef prepare a lavish banquet tomorrow.”
“Chik! I’m looking forward to it!”
The King of Kabuum readily accepted even Mi-a’s meal request.
At that moment, Kim Si-hu spoke up.
“You promised to give us money if we wanted.”
“Of course.”
“I’d like to use that money for the races living in Kabuum.”
“What?”
The King of Kabuum’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected response.
“While crossing the district, I noticed the places where the mixed races reside.”
“And?”
“There are so many things they lack compared to other places.”
The mixed races residing in Kabuum were mostly living in places akin to shabby shantytowns.
Poor hygiene was a given, and they couldn’t even dream of the four meals deemed essential in Kabuum.
Being treated this way merely because of their race was unfair, Kim Si-hu thought.
“How unexpected. I never thought you’d consider such things.”
“I’m a mixed breed myself.”
Kim Si-hu took off his hat, revealing his hair and ears.
The King of Kabuum, recognizing the signs of an elf in him, looked momentarily surprised.
“It seems you have a unique magic… Elf lineage, huh?”
“The hybrid dwarf we brought today was also bullied due to his race. If there were no discrimination in society, he could have been a strength instead of a nuisance in Kabuum.”
“That might be true. But no society exists without discrimination.”
“Not even for someone as absolute as you in Kabuum?”
“…Are you provoking me now?”
“I’m just asking a question.”
“You’re making things quite awkward.”
The King of Kabuum rested his chin in his hand.
Even the absolute ruler of a faction couldn’t guarantee the disappearance of pervasive discrimination in society.
After all, he’d never felt the need to do so.
The mixed races were entities he usually didn’t concern himself with.
“If that was too difficult of a request…”
“No. If I make a promise, I must keep it. I’ll pay attention to the mixed races as you wish.”
The King of Kabuum vowed to improve the treatment of the mixed races.
This was the first moment he showed interest in the mixed races as the ruler of Kabuum.
Moreover, it was also a pivotal moment that would change the future of the mixed races living in Kabuum.
*
“The contact with Kabuum’s test subject has been cut off.”
The man who had pressed his palm to his ear lowered his hand.
In the basement illuminated by a single small light,
leaning against the hard wall, he clicked his tongue.
“The king must have sent someone personally.”
“What kind of guy…!”
“From the voice that was last heard, there was a guy named Yoo Ji-han.”
A name so different from the naming conventions of Kallem.
The one who reacted to that name was a few people standing a bit apart from the conversation.
“Yoo Ji-han?”
“Are those guys in Kabuum?”
“What? Do you know him?”
“If you have any idea, share it.”
Hearing that they seemed to know the person, questions flooded in from all sides.
Those who glanced at each other’s faces answered with serious expressions.
“I know him.”
“He’s the human who crossed over from Earth with us not long ago.”