The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-189

Yeo-myeong looked utterly confused. His mouth hung agape like it was silently screaming, 'Why is he here?'.

He then pulled out something from his inventory.

Hummm…

He had pulled out a small statue, one that Seol also possessed.

- It’s an item that allows us to know where each other is. It’s because… I probably won’t be staying in Kongory anymore, hyung.

Seol pulled out the same statue and showed it to Yeo-myeong.

Hummm…

The two statues turned to face each other and began to vibrate more. Yeo-myeong, seeing that, gave a big smile.

“Hyung!”

“Someone… you know?”

“Y-Yeah.”

Seol glanced at the individuals around Yeo-myeong before asking him a question.

“What’s going on?” asked Seol.

"Well... it looks like I'm now entangled with some dirty bastards..."

“Do you… need help?”

Seol had recently made a commitment to look around him and help those his hands could reach.

In truth, his former self might have just brushed off Yeo-myeong and said something like, "I see. Good luck."

Even so, Seol wasn’t helping Yeo-myeong purely out of goodwill.

‘His use will come soon.’

Seol needed Yeo-myeong, someone who possessed the Haunted Hand. It was for those exact reasons Seol had kept an eye on him since their first meeting.

And now, Seol would probably require his assistance soon.

But regardless of all that, Yeo-myeong’s answer was incredible.

“I’m alright.”

“Huh?”

Seol blinked a couple times before looking at Yeo-myeong again like he couldn’t believe it.

Pleased that he had surprised Seol, Yeo-myeong let out a bright laugh before explaining his rationale.

- I didn’t become strong to save people who do nothing while they wait to be saved by others. Save yourself, Yeo-myeong.

“You taught me then. I need to save myself.”

Seol shrugged in response, causing Yeo-myeong to turn back around to the other man.

"You've gone back on our earlier arrangements. I've completed Marcelo's request. All I'm asking for is my fair payment."

“And I’m telling you, this is what Marcelo wants, alright? Why? Are you that upset that we fooled you?”

“Then I should just go figure things out with Marcelo instead.”

"Hah? And how do you plan to meet Marcelo? If you want to see him, you’ll have to get a lot closer to us, yeah?"

The foreigner then continued to mock Yeo-myeong with rude gestures, displaying such talent that even Seol began feeling upset.

“Then why don’t we get closer now?” answered Yeo-myeong.

Grab.

Yeo-myeong placed his hand on the sword at his waist. Even though it was still in its scabbard, Seol could feel its ominous energy.

‘It’s probably a sword synergistic with Yeo-myeong’s energy.’

Seol would have to see the sword directly to be sure, but it clearly wasn’t a normal sword.

"Listen up, Yeo-myeong. You've clearly misjudged Marcelo with your pathetic skills... He's not someone you, without any resolve, can go up against, got it?"

“Resolve?”

"The resolve to die. We're not playing house like on Adventures, okay? This is the adult world. But... what would you know?" said the man, poking Yeo-myeong's chest.

But in an instant…

Splaaaaatter!

“...What?”

The foreigner’s right arm flew into the sky, severed from the rest of his body.

Seol had initially remembered Yeo-myeong as a naive kid with a straightforward side to him.

"Oh..."

But now, his perception of Yeo-myeong had shifted.

Seol now regarded Yeo-myeong as a finely honed sword, so sharp that even brushing a finger against it would draw blood.

“Don’t touch me,” said Yeo-myeong, coldly.

“This bastard…! Kill him!”

The fight began with Yeo-myeong’s attack.

Since using long-range attacks in the cramped restaurant was impractical, they all began to charge at him, brandishing swords and axes.

Fwip!

Yeo-myeong kicked a table into the air.

What was typically used for dining now became an obstacle, blocking their vision on him.

Fwip!

Tack!

Tack!

As the table caught some of the throwing axes…

Shwing!

With a clear sound, Yeo-myeong unsheathed his sword and cut the table in half.

“Krgh…”

“Urgh…”

Those at the opposite side of the table were also cut down, their heads flying through the air, severed from their bodies.

“Get in there! Don’t give him space to move!”

However, Yeo-myeong wasn’t their sole opponent. The woman whispering next to him was also their foe.

Fwooosh!

“Hrgh!”

The woman kicked a table up in the air, just like Yeo-myeong, before immediately thrusting her palm onto it.

And as she did…

Baaaaam!

Craaaash!

The table spun in the air as it flew into the enemies in front of her.

“The bitch is with him! Ki–”

Snap!

A single swing of her hand was more than enough to turn an opponent’s head 180 degrees.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Kill her!”

Splatter!

Slash!

Craaaash!

The scene inside the restaurant seemed straight out of a battlefield.

Thankfully, since Seol was seated on the terrace, he wasn’t involved in the fight at all. Thus, he could leisurely observe their skills.

‘She’s pretty good too… Who is she?’

There was a good chance she already had rumors about her that Seol didn’t know because he wasn’t interested in the others.

As Seol casually observed the fight, he felt a presence approach him.

“You! You were on their side too, weren’t you?!”

A foreigner came charging at Seol with a sword in his hands. It seemed that their conversation from earlier was more than enough for the foreigners to tell they were close.

But… that was also their misfortune.

Fwip!

Something black shot out of Seol’s shadow and lunged directly at the man's neck.

Snap!

A single bite was more than enough to snap their neck.

It was Koko.

Pant pant…

Koko then returned to Seol, seeking praise, prompting Seol to silently pat Koko.

Seol turned his gaze back to see the interior of the restaurant completely destroyed.

A few foreigners seemed to be missing as well, as there was only one bloodied foreigner left with a sword in their throat.

“M-Marcelo will have problems with this. I’m sure he’s already heard of everything.”

“A shame, we lost a few of them. I should’ve been more prepared for that…”

“You two are lunatics, you hear me?! Are you planning to go to war with Marcelo? Do you know who’s…”

“Shh… Don’t waste my time.”

Slash!

A clean slash from Yeo-myeong finished him off.

- tsk tsk tsk tsk! Snowman Academy’s 1st graduate! Han Yeo-myeong!

- Han Yeo-myeong: The only reason I was able to come this far was thanks to Snowman, who silently watched over me!

- Doesn’t that just mean he did nothing? LMFAOOO

- Watch your words! We don’t need to be so blunt!

- I never expected him to change like this haha

- Snowman changed a person completely…

- A person? Just one?

- ……

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

“Haah… What should we do…”

“Haah, Yeo-myeong. You’ve ended up causing problems again.”

As the woman who seemed to be with Yeo-myeong pulled her hood back, Seol noticed she was also a foreigner.

‘She was a foreigner too?’

Her features definitely weren’t Korean, with a high nose bridge.

The two calmly walked to Seol’s table and stood before him.

Yeo-myeong was the first to speak.

“Can we sit down with you, hyung?”

Seol glanced around at the restaurant before responding.

“Yeah, have a seat. I think this is the only table intact.”

“Thank you.”

“Feel free to sit down as well,” Seol said to Yeo-myeong's companion.

“Thank you for your kindness,” said the woman. “My name is Marie. Marie Bonnaire.”

“Marie is French. Well… I guess I should say she was French?”

“I see.”

Marie, after sitting down, immediately began rebuking Yeo-myeong.

“You were too rash. We shouldn’t have messed with Marcelo.”

Hearing that, Seol asked a question instead.

“I keep hearing his name, but… is he someone famous?”

“You don’t know Marcelo?” asked Marie in response.

“Hyung has been in Nevenia the entire time.”

“Ah…”

"Marcelo Machado. He's a notorious figure from Brazil. There are rumors that he used to be part of a gang there, but... regardless, we've gotten caught up in something messy. To think we'd get involved with Marcelo of all people."

“How did you end up getting involved with him?”

“We accepted a request, only to find out that he was connected to the people who hired us. When you think about how the item I wanted was offered as the reward... it's obvious what happened, isn't it?”

“So you got scammed.”

“You didn’t have to be so blunt…”

- You were a dumbass, Yeo-myeong!

- You’re still the same!

- The same idiot!

- At least he got stronger…

Yeo-myeong continued.

“Marcelo… likely casted a net to create a connection with me.”

“A net?”

“Marcelo is weaker than me… but his group is much bigger.”

“How many?”

"I wasn't specifically referring to their members. I'm not sure if you're aware, but if you head further southwest from here, there is a massive cartel in that region. They've already seized control of the local residents and are extorting them."

“Are you telling me Marcelo is the leader of that cartel?”

"No, and it's quite complex because there are multiple interests in that region. But to simplify, he's essentially one of the cartel's leaders."

"So, fighting Marcelo is troublesome because of the potential future consequences… And if that occurs, traveling southwest as ordinary transferees would become challenging... that's the gist of it, right?"

"Exactly. The cartel is steadily expanding its influence. It's reached a point where they’re even encroaching into Adeline. Now that we've gotten entangled with Marcelo, our only options would be to head to Nevenia or a different country, but... while that unfolds, in Adeline, they'd..."

“Yeo-myeong,” said Seol.

“Y-Yes?”

“How have you been?” asked Seol, calmly.

“...Ah.”

Yeo-myeong had been so caught up in discussing the current situation that he had overlooked something so basic. He scratched his head before delving into his own experiences.

First, after being defeated by Karen, he promptly took Seol's advice and crossed the border.

Intentionally venturing as far as possible, he journeyed westward toward more dangerous Adventures.

Since he had grown immensely as a result, to the point of even shocking Seol, his decision could be seen as the correct one.

“It’s all thanks to you, hyung.”

- Ahem… You grew well.

- So this is what a positive influence can do on someone…

- He turned the restaurant into a sea of blood the fuck you mean ‘positive influence’? LOOOL

- Then we should celebrate his evilness! Snowman’s evilness!

- He turned Yeo-myeong into Skull Greymon 😭

“What would happen if we leave Marcelo alone then?” asked Seol.

“They'll eventually encroach into Nevenia… then my sister would be in danger.”

“That could be a possibility as well.”

Seol then thought for a moment before speaking once more.

“Do you need help?”

Taken aback by Seol’s offer, Yeo-myeong's eyes widened in surprise.

“If I said yes, would you?”

"Normally, I would never do something like that. It's not my business, after all. You've also become someone who doesn't require help anymore, but..."

Seol trailed off before finishing his words.

"The time is approaching."

"By 'the time', you must mean... ah!"

- Next time, I’ll be the one calling you.

“I need you alive until then,” said Seol.

“Are you saying… I can finally be useful?”

“That’s quite an awful way to say it, but… I do need your help with something, yes.”

Yeo-myeong smiled after hearing those words.

“You have no idea how uplifting it is to hear that… I understand. Let me know when you need my help.”

Stand…

Seol stood up after their conversation and left the restaurant immediately.

Since he couldn't even order a meal due to the fight, he didn't need to pay anything either.

"Food in a place that reeks of blood like this isn't exactly appetizing, so I'll catch you next time."

Yeo-myeong gave a deep bow to Seol as he left, continuing his bow until Seol could no longer be seen.

A few moments later, Marie showed up and tapped Yeo-myeong on the shoulder.

“Yeo-myeong, why are you acting like that?”

“Huh? Like what?”

“That wasn’t like you at all.”

“What are you saying?”

Marie then pointed at the chair that Seol had been sitting on.

“Why were you groveling to him? Did you do something wrong?”

“I didn’t grovel. I was just showing my respect.”

“No, it didn’t look like that at all. That was way too much. Are Koreans normally like that?”

“Hm… No, but he’s my savior.”

“Your savior? Oh! That person?”

"Yeah, the person who rescued me and my sister. The one who's cold yet warm."

"I'm not so sure about that. He seemed cold-blooded.”

“......”

“But even if he is your savior, that was too far. You’re strong, Yeo-myeong. There’s no need for you to be so scared like that.”

Yeo-myeong paused for a second before finally opening his mouth.

“Because he’s terrifying.”

“...What?”

Only then did Marie notice Yeo-myeong's condition.

His body appeared as stiff as a board, more than just tense.

“He’s a terrifying person.”

“...Is he strong?”

"Enough to scold me for trying to hide how tense I was earlier."

"Then... Do you think he can be helpful to us if we fight Marcelo?"

Yeo-myeong thought for a moment.

“Do you remember what you said earlier?” asked Yeo-myeong.

“What?”

“The part about stepping in dog shit.”

"Yeah, I remember. And then you said something like... 'I'm not the unlucky one today!' or something like that."

"Yeah, so if I'm the dog shit people feel unlucky about stepping on..."

Yeo-myeong laughed, confident in his comparison.

"Then Seol hyung would be a landmine."

“What?”

"When you step on shit, the worst-case scenario is throwing away your shoe. But step on a landmine? You'd die. That's the difference."