ALL NOVEL Chapter 240
Chapter 240. Good News (2)
‘Did it succeed?!’
Has the technology for communicating across dimensions finally been completed?
With two phones placed on the table, Yoo Ji-han waited for the speaker to emit a proper sound instead of static.
—Hello…….
—Hello? Ji-han? Mr. Watanabe?
About three minutes later, a voice came through the dimension phone’s speaker.
—Ah, it seems this isn’t working again.
—It looks like the amount of Drimium used was too small…….
—No, compared to the testing phase, the amount is more than sufficient.
—But……
The sound coming through was mixed with crackling noise and conversations from different individuals.
It seemed that those who developed the dimension phone had gathered in one place.
“Can you hear me?”
—Huh? Did I just hear something?
“This is Yoo Ji-han.”
—Did, did it work?!
—Is it a success?
—Woooah!!!
After a brief exchange, there was a commotion coming from the other end of the phone.
Finally, the possibility of communication across dimensions had been opened up.
Yang Ji-cheol, at the center of the chaos, spoke with an excited voice.
—Mr. Ji-han! Everyone there is safe, right?!
“I suppose.”
—Huh?
“There are no dead or injured, but there are people who suddenly went missing right after arriving in Kallem.”
—What do you mean……!
To the startled Yang Ji-cheol, Yoo Ji-han relayed the list of the missing heroes.
As he heard the names of the heroes, Yang Ji-cheol confirmed their affiliations.
Since their identities had been verified by the Hero Department, he had all their personal details.
—Please hold on for a moment. I’ll find out right away!
Yang Ji-cheol kept the dimension phone connected while dialing his mobile phone.
The guilds predominantly based overseas were the targets of his calls.
‘Is that Spanish?’
Through the dimension phone, Yang Ji-cheol’s voice was heard speaking a foreign language.
At first, he seemed to be having a calm conversation.
But soon, he raised his voice, filled with emotion.
It was clear he was yelling at the person on the other end of the line.
After five minutes, Yang Ji-cheol sighed and said.
—The person in charge said they don’t know.
“Excuse me?”
—They said that before heading to Kallem, those heroes were highly skilled and trustworthy…….
Yang Ji-cheol gritted his teeth in frustration.
The Hero Department had recruited heroes of various nationalities to ensure fairness in their expedition to the other world.
He thought they had thoroughly vetted everyone.
However, there seemed to be those who inflated their credentials or used false information to connect with the Hero Department.
—The expedition to the other world is a significant plan agreed upon between nations. Even if it escalates into a diplomatic issue, I will not let this matter slide!
“I’ll leave that problem to you. We have our own matters to worry about.”
—Please let me know the current status.
“After arriving in Kallem, I happened to forge a connection with the owner of a guild and am working with him.”
“Ah, hello! I’m Alo, the leader of the Yogo Guild!”
The awkward Alo introduced himself to Yang Ji-cheol.
He didn’t catch all the details of the conversation, but he understood that they were talking to someone from their hometown.
“Investigations in Kabuum are complete, and we are currently exploring the remaining regions of Leron and Maz.”
—If what Ji-han says is true……. The pace of the search is faster than expected.
“Luck was on our side. By the way, how are the people who went to another dimension?”
—They haven’t been connected yet. This is the first success.
The only successful communication through the dimension phone so far was with Kallem.
They still hadn’t contacted the others who had gone to different worlds.
—More importantly, do you know how worried I’ve been about everyone?!
Excited by the successful contact, Yang Ji-cheol rambled on, mentioning each of the heroes’ names as if to verify.
In the inn, it resembled a classroom where everyone was eagerly responding.
*
—I’ll contact you again once the phone stabilization work is done.
As soon as it became known that communication with Earth was possible,
Yoo Ji-han felt the buoyant atmosphere from the heroes around him.
Arriving in another world had harbored some unspoken anxiety, but just one contact with Earth was enough to relieve it significantly.
“I wish we could do video calls too.”
“Well, at least audio is working, so we should be grateful.”
Yoo Ji-han comforted Min Yu-ri, who seemed a bit disappointed, as he sipped warm tea.
Just then, someone wearing a mask entered through the inn door.
“Is Lee Mi-a here?”
“……!”
It was a local from Kallem searching for Lee Mi-a.
Yoo Ji-han recognized that he was from the Information Guild.
The client’s name was registered as Lee Mi-a.
“Did you find her?”
“Not completely, but we’ve found a lead.”
“What kind of lead?”
“It’s all written here. I’ll come back when I have further news.”
The staff member from the Information Guild handed over a few sheets of paper and quickly left.
Lee Mi-a scanned the paper with keen eyes.
“What does it say?”
“They reported seeing a person in unique clothing in Maz. Apparently, the appearance resembles that of Yoon Do-ha that we sent.”
Information had surfaced that someone who might be Yoon Do-ha had been spotted in Maz.
Lee Mi-a placed the drawing on the table.
“Straight back hair, about 180 cm tall. A slightly arrogant-looking face and peculiar shoes.”
“Isn’t that a Nileki sneaker?”
“They said the last shoes were from the same brand.”
According to what Park Jae-kyung told her,
The Dice Guild had collaborated with the Nileki shoe brand to embed the brand’s logo into shoes made as artifacts.
And even the drawing provided by the Information Guild showed a faintly depicted small decoration on the shoe.
It was too coincidental to be just a chance occurrence.
“Are we also heading to Maz then?”
“For now, let’s wait for Team 2.”
In Maz was Park Jae-kyung.
If Yoon Do-ha was nearby, there was no one better than her to recognize him.
“We should coordinate with the Yogo Guild and investigate Leron until then.”
“Got it.”
*
Yoo Ji-han focused on accompanying the Yogo Guild while searching for Yoon Do-ha together with his party in Leron.
He assisted the staff in carrying items and
At times, investigated streets that were less frequented by people’s gazes.
“Those guys are starting to show up often.”
“They say the guild they’re handling has expanded significantly.”
“Ugh, they’re too cocky, huh? We’re going to have to discipline them soon.”
“Hey, hey! Haven’t you heard the rumors?”
“What rumors?”
“They say you should never touch them.”
As the rumors from Kabuum spread to Leron.
Recently, other guilds or mercenary groups were seen gradually avoiding the Yogo Guild.
The belief had firmly established itself that provoking the Yogo Guild would lead to ruin.
“They’re even mercenaries that the King of Kabuum is interested in!”
They had met with the King of Kabuum directly.
And they were the first group of outsiders to participate in the blood ritual.
Their influence was too great for mere mercenaries.
Thanks to this, the nobility of Leron began seeking them out due to the rumors.
“I, Majier, would like to recruit you.”
“How much would you pay me to join?”
“I’ll give you five times, no, ten times what you’re currently getting.”
“Let’s enjoy glory together in Leron!”
Those in power, tempting heroes with offers exceeding what the Yogo Guild provided.
Numerous attempts were made to attract prominent talents.
For the Yogo Guild that had hired them before, it would normally be uncomfortable.
But those with greater power approached without regard for the guild’s sentiments.
“Thank you for the offer, but I must decline.”
“Y-you’re turning down such a sum?”
“Yes.”
However, Yoo Ji-han declined all offers politely on behalf of his party without a hint of hesitation or indecision.
Those shocked by such a straightforward refusal reacted uniformly.
“What on earth is the reason?!”
“We have an ongoing commission we’re fulfilling.”
“Wow……. That’s some loyalty there.”
The superficial reason for the refusal was that the Pig’s Soup Mercenary Corps prioritized their commission with the Yogo Guild.
But the real reason was that they couldn’t be tied to one place for too long.
‘After all, we’re going to leave sooner or later.’
Most places extending recruitment offers desired long-term contracts, but those who planned to leave couldn’t comply with that.
Moreover, the offer of a large sum didn’t seem particularly appealing.
Having fairly distributed the gains from Kabuum evenly with the Yogo Guild, it was rare for them to be short on funds.
“Are you drinking again?”
“Ugh! This wine tastes good!”
Watanabe, with a bottle of liquor in his mouth since the early afternoon,
To Yoo Ji-han, who was staying at the same inn, he now resembled a cheerful uncle rather than a Rank 1 Hero.
“Damn, is it already empty?”
“Eep! You really enjoy that bad wine, huh?”
“Ha ha! A chinchilla like you wouldn’t know the taste of good wine.”
“Eep? Are you looking down on me right now?”
“I am!”
“Eep, eep eep!”
Chilla, shaking his tail and arms in anger at being teased.
Watanabe, who had been laughing at him, said,
“So, how about Team 2?”
“Not yet.”
There was still no news from Maz.
Yoo Ji-han had contacted the Hero Department several times through the dimension phone,
But he had yet to exchange messages with Park Jae-kyung.
“Park Jae-kyung isn’t the type to be this quiet.”
There were still a few days left until their scheduled meeting.
However, the problem was that she was too quiet.
‘They say no news is good news, but…….’
The silence regarding Team 2 and Park Jae-kyung could hardly be considered good news.
Collecting his thoughts, Yoo Ji-han stood up from his seat.
“I guess I’ll have to go to Maz myself.”
“I’m coming along this time.”
*
In a large room where a pale middle-aged man lay asleep on the bed.
Alo opened the cap of the bottle he was holding.
Immediately, the entire room filled with the scent of herbs pouring from the bottle.
“This is the seventh attempt, right?”
“Yes.”
Alo carefully scooped some of the healing potion from the bottle and placed it into his father’s mouth.
Min Yu-ri was nearby, observing the situation.
The healing potion made from herbs Alo had gathered in Kabuum was an effort to save his father, afflicted by Magic Discoloration Syndrome.
It was already the seventh try, gradually changing the potion’s formula with each attempt.
“His complexion is definitely better than before.”
“Yes! There’s definitely some effectiveness!”
The quality herbs from Kabuum were instrumental in restoring the body condition of a patient lost in endless slumber.
Aside from how much weight he had lost to the point of sunken cheeks, he was almost indistinguishable from when he was awake.
Min Yu-ri thought of returning to Korea with a pile of herbs for her brother’s hospital when the time came.
“But he’s still not waking up.”
The effects of the herbs that restored vital energy were undeniable.
But despite seeking advice from expert herbalists in Kabuum and trying various mixtures,
The patient remained unconscious.
“Isn’t this just not enough?”
Alo displayed a very bitter expression in front of his only family member.
Min Yu-ri, knowing better than anyone what he must be feeling, remained silently closed-lipped.
As Alo tidied up the empty bottles, he muttered to himself.
“If only I’d listened to that wizard back then…….”
“A wizard, you say?”
“Oh… A wizard came to me a while back after hearing news about my father.”
This wizard had claimed he could awaken the head of the Yogo Guild from slumber if he was given the guild’s revenue for the next year.
It seemed like a ridiculous condition, and he had refused outright.
But now, Alo thought back to that wizard.
“Who was that wizard?”
“Desa. The former royal wizard of Leron.”
“Must have been quite a well-known wizard.”
“They say he was a master of puppetry 15 years ago. The puppets he controlled moved as if they were alive and could even fight against Leron’s knights without losing at all.”
“……Puppetry?”
For some reason, this magic left an unsettling feeling.