CH 153

Ji-Cheok let his Qi flow through his eyes. He turned off the headlights, but the moon was still bright, so he could see the road through the darkness with his enhanced vision.

‘It’s so weird. How could there be a road in this demonic realm?’

“That’s because the strike team periodically enters this demonic realm. The dungeon inside is still not cleared, so the monster keeps coming out occasionally. This is something that is not often covered in the media,” Ji-Han said.

‘Are you reading my mind? Or is this also part of his foresight skills?!’

«…He is a very dangerous person.»

‘I know right? There are so many things that I don’t know about this guy. So many that I get goosebumps down my back.’

“I think you should hide your reactions a little better, Mr. Um. From the movement of your muscles, it is possible to ascertain your thoughts to a certain extent. In the future, that alone might make the difference between survival and death for you.”

‘What kind of hell has this man been through?’

It didn’t make sense to Ji-Cheok. As he drove through the darkness, the eerie air, and the grotesque cries of monsters, he couldn’t stop himself from asking…

“So I guess Director Jung Ji-Han has fore—”

“We are here. Let’s talk over there,” Ji-Han cut him off abruptly.

The demonic realm was gone and they were somewhere completely different. In front of him, there was a building that looked very odd, even to Ji-Cheok, who had seen a lot of oddities. It was as if the entire building was twisted.

The four-story building had a mural depicting two entangled snakes and a wing pattern. It was beyond exotic. It felt like it was from another dimension.

“Usually, ordinary people would go crazy just by looking at the building, but you have a strong mind,” Ji-Han said.

“...What is this place?”

‘Bringing people to a place like this… This guy is insane.’

«It sort of feels like he is testing you, Master.»

If this had been in the past, he would have just thought that Ji-Han was taking good care of him because he was a famous rookie, and since Ji-Han invested so many resources into him, he would have thought that Ji-Han was testing him. But now, it was a little different. He took a good look at this bizarre building. The surrounding trees were taller than the building, so it probably was almost impossible to observe it from the sky.

“This is the [Temple of Ερμής] Currently, this place is abandoned and apostatized by its followers, so [Ερμής] cannot interfere.”

‘Ερμής? Sounds kinda like Hermes to me[1].’

Ji-Han got off from behind him. Ji-Cheok also unsummoned Mono Bike G and stood next to him.

“Let’s go in.”

Ji-Han entered first.

The inside of the temple was so dark that Ji-Cheok couldn’t see anything even with his Qi-enhanced vision. However, since he had come this far, he didn’t want to go back. He followed his boss inside.

A stone statue of a winged serpent could be seen even in the dark. Ji-Cheok could see a faint light coming out of its eyes. One of the eyes emitted white light, while the other glowed with black light. The two eyes appeared contradictory almost at a conceptual level.

«It doesn’t look like a building made by humans, Master.»

‘I think so too.’

There were no modern technologies in this world that could allow humans to build something like this.

It was very dark inside the temple. It felt like being submerged in the depths of the sea. 

The sound of Ji-Han’s footsteps was the only thing that allowed Ji-Cheok to figure out the direction. The man in front of him walked without looking back once. Even in this darkness, it was as if he did not need his vision in the slightest.

‘Is this also the power of his foresight skills?’

After a while, Ji-Cheok could see a space where light was shining. In the light, Ji-Han stood still and waited for him. When he approached, Ji-Han went back into the darkness and came back with two chairs.

The light emanated from the ceiling and illuminated only the part where he was standing, like a spotlight.

“Where is this?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“Please sit down.”

Ji-Han sat first and remained quiet. It seemed that he would never open his mouth unless Ji-Cheok sat on the chair.

‘There’s nothing I can do.’

As he sat down, he started to speak.

“This place is safe from the eyes of the Gods because of some special rituals and magic. The Gods can normally see us whenever they want to, but this place is different.”

‘Wow, he’s starting with something this serious? I wonder what’s going on.’

Ji-Han looked like he knew what Ji-Cheok was thinking.

“I was here anyway because I had some work that needed to be done here… But your problem seemed more important, so I brought you here first.”

“So… This is a secret place, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then why did you show it to me?”

“Because I know I can trust you, Mr. Um.”

He said it without any facial expression. Seeing him talking without any expression in this eerie place gave Ji-Cheok a creepy feeling.

“I brought you here because I have noticed some signs recently. I’m assuming you have learned something important lately. Am I correct?”

‘This man is definitely a ghost.’

«This concludes that he does have foresight skills.»

‘I think so too, Cheok-Liang. I don’t know exactly what kind of ability he has, but it’s certain that he can see the future. There is no other explanation as to how he’s guessing everything correctly.’

“Ah, you’re right. I guess I can’t hide anything from your foresight skills.”

“...Foresight skills… Okay, so what did you find out?”

“How much do you know about the world after the [Tutorial] ends?”

He hated being dragged around, so he answered Ji-Han’s question with another question.

“...”

Ji-Han went silent for about three seconds—three seconds that seemed like an eternity. Then, he proceeded to answer Ji-Cheok’s question.

“First, I need to correct you. I am not a prophet.”

‘Then how does he know about the future?”

“Oh, is that so? I want to believe you, Director, but there are simply too many incidents that need to be explained.”

Ji-Han was lost in his thoughts.

“First of all, I had no idea that a place like this even existed. I know you’re filthy rich, but I also know you can’t learn about a place like this just by spending money.”

‘A place that hides from the eyes of the Gods? We know very little about the Gods in the first place. What am I supposed to think when he finds and prepares for this kind of place all by himself?’

Ji-Han closed his eyes. His hair covered his pale face. His expression was still difficult to discern. In the end, he answered.

“I didn’t lie. I have limited knowledge of the future, but not because of any foresight skills.”

‘What do you think, Cheok-Liang? Do you think he’s telling the truth?’

«There is no movement of muscle or mana at all. I do not know if he is telling the truth or not, Master.»

Ji-Han did not just have a poker face, he was one human-sized poker face. It was clear that he was a well-practiced liar, and it was also clear that no normal skills could differentiate between truth and lie in his case.

‘Is this the same youngest son of a chaebol family who used to indulge in alcohol and women all day just a few years ago?’

It was so ridiculous that Ji-Cheok started to laugh.

“I know you are skeptical and you have many questions. The Jung Ji-Han from a few years ago and the one you see in front of you may look like completely different people. But I want you to trust me,” Ji-Han said.

“How am I supposed to trust you just because you say so? Wait a second…”

‘Come to think of it. There is one good skill that can be used in this case. [Minor Intuition]. Can this man’s words be trusted? Yes or no?’

Surprisingly, he felt a strong sense of trust.

‘Is this for real? Wow… I didn’t expect that.’

«I am surprised also, Master. If your skill isn’t wrong, this suspicious man is telling the truth.»

“Okay, I’ll believe you. I think I can believe you.”

Ji-Han looked at him in silence.

“Good. I am glad. So let’s start the real conversation. What is the important thing you wanted to ask me about?”

‘Wow, he’s asking that now? I guess we moved on from the trust issue topic.’

“It’s the thing that I told you about earlier. The world after the [Tutorial] ends. You already know that the world is about to end, right? I’ve received information about the end of the world way before this… But recently, I had a rather unpleasant experience concerning the extinction of mankind,” Ji-Cheok said.

“Come to think of it, you went to the Namsan Tower dungeon, right? Did you meet [Despair] there?”

‘How the hell does this bastard know about that? He just told me he’s not a prophet.’

«It may be possible if there is a God who watches over him and informs him.»

‘Even if you make a contract with a God, isn’t it difficult to have that kind of intimate conversation?’

«Yes, but…» 

After pondering on Ji-Han’s uncanny intuition, Ji-Cheok took a deep breath.

‘Let’s calm down…’

“Yes. I’m surprised you know that,” Ji-Cheok said.

“So I guessed correctly. I only knew that [Despair] made the dungeon there.”

“A guess?”

“Yes. Inferences can be made if there is enough evidence. It is just annoying to check if the hypothesis is correct.”

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

‘Annoying?’

For some reason, that word irritated Ji-Cheok. He wondered if that word had something to do with why Ji-Han had become this way. He couldn’t tell. However, for some reason, his intuition told him that the conversation they were having right now would determine their future relationship.

“So… The Gods make that dungeon?” Ji-Cheok asked.

That’s right. Some special dungeons are created by the Gods themselves. Or they sponsor humans and have them build dungeons in their stead. But most dungeons are created naturally.”

“...I see. How do you know all of this?”

‘Was this also a deal with his God?’

But Ji-Han’s next answer was very unexpected.

“Because I’ve seen it firsthand.”

‘You what now?’

When Ji-Cheok asked what the experience had been like, Ji-Han became silent again.

“...”

“I am sorry. I want to tell you everything, but there are restrictions on me too”

«It looks like he signed a contract with a God.»

‘Yeah, I think so.’

“So you had something to tell me because of the encounter with [Despair]. Can I ask what it is?” Ji-Han asked.

“If you already know everything, do you really need to ask questions?”

Ji-Cheok deliberately tried to get under his skin, but Ji-Han didn’t seem to care at all.

“As I said before, there are restrictions on what I can say. I don’t know everything about the future, so please tell me first.”

Ji-Han stopped for a moment, then continued to talk.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect Mr. Um to trust me this much. This much trust is enough. I am always grateful. I am being sincere.”

Surprisingly, [Minor Intuition] told Ji-Cheok that Ji-Han was being truthful this time as well.

‘This is giving me a headache.’

“I am here to ask you what must be done to prevent the end of the world. I came here because I wanted to discuss the end of the Tutorial. It’s a matter directly concerning the survival of humanity,” Ji-Cheok said.

‘I have to do something if I don’t want THAT to become reality.’

Ji-Cheok knew that he had to save the world by joining forces with this suspicious Jung Ji-Han. Now was not the time to think about the means and methods. Of course, although Ji-Cheok had come to the conclusion that he could trust this man, thanks to his [Minor Intuition], there were still parts that he was skeptical about.

“So you have finally reached this point. It’s faster than expected,” Ji-Han said.

He looked at his watch. It looked like an ordinary wristwatch to Ji-Cheok's eyes, but maybe Ji-Han saw something different.

“Well, it’s rather characteristic of you to be… uncharacteristic. It never goes the way I expect with you, Mr. Um.”

“So what is your answer?”

1. Ji-Han pronounced it properly in Greek, then Ji-Cheok said it in his head and figured out what it was in Korean. ☜