Turning
chapter-721

The events that followed were easily inferred without hearing them. Those who claimed to have come from the central stronghold of the Star of Nagran were likely bewildered and panicked, having their identities and intentions thoroughly exposed before they could even infiltrate the Cavalry.

"The Star of Nagran, even if belonging to the same group, members from different strongholds barely know each other. With internal strife brewing beneath the surface and the Cavalry's recruitment of new members causing upheaval, coordination in such a situation was unlikely."

It was Yuder who had anticipated the likelihood of their downfall due to internal conflicts, based on memories from his previous life. And it was Kishiar who had spread the news of the massive second batch recruitment of members without conditions, and had planned to weaken the Sage’s and Nahan’s group by leaking the list of the Cavalry's collaborators.

Now, these predictions and plans were coming to fruition, benefiting them as expected.

Yuder looked at the faces of his colleagues and the former Awakener members of the Star of Nagran, who were smiling despite being embarrassed.

He had already guessed from the west that the sage would start acting seriously from his stronghold in the south. The original plan was to weed out the applicants in the south before leaving and clean up the surroundings.

But he hadn't anticipated that things would be resolved in this manner before he even made his move. It felt quite novel to him, especially the method used for selection being a ruse. Even Yuder, had he been here, would not have thought of such a tactic.

The ruse conducted by the southern branch members and the successful applicants of the Star of Nagran was, in fact, quite simple.

First, the successful applicants loitered near the Awakeners from the central stronghold, dropping conversations that hinted they were from the same Star of Nagran. Then, the members acted as if the situation in the Cavalry was dire, sneakily leaking fake information desirable to any spy, and pretending to share serious inside information with the applicants.

To the central stronghold's Awakeners, it seemed as if these applicants were on the same mission as themselves and had already infiltrated the Cavalry, gathering sufficient information – a perfect misdirection.

In their eagerness, these individuals approached the applicants first, unwittingly revealing their own identities and intentions. The Cavalry members successfully identified all of them without shedding a drop of blood.

‘If it were me, I would have just used my powers on all the applicants to quickly reveal their true colors. Even the Cavalry of my previous life would have done the same.’

However, the fact that the present members chose a different method, a ruse, was probably because they had a similar experience in the west and discovered that it could be surprisingly effective.

Who had given them that experience? It was none other than Kishiar La Orr standing before them.

The fact that the same person can make entirely different choices depending on their experiences and what they learn had been observed several times by Yuder while watching the Cavalry members, but it had never struck him as clearly as it did today.

"Anyway, yes. It was a splendid method to uncover the enemies' identities, but before we could capture them, something unexpected happened. In fact, that's the real cause of what's happening right now."

As Yuder regained his composure, Kishiar smiled and began to speak. His gaze swept over the confused enemies and the suspicious figures caught in between, their whole bodies concealed.

"All the spies we thought we had identified were accounted for, except for a southern Awakener witnessed by the successful applicants. You must have heard by now who that is, right?"

"Are you referring to the person who was the temporary leader of the southern stronghold?"

Was her name Sera? Yuder mulled over the unfamiliar name.

"Yes. Surprisingly, at the time the spies were active, she did not target this branch but aimed elsewhere. Can you guess where?"

Yuder's mind raced.

If the children, including Jack, were not mistaken, then she must have come here with a purpose. It wouldn't have been strange for someone entrusted with a critical mission of overseeing the stronghold in the sage's absence not to come to this branch, especially if she wasn't aiming to infiltrate the Cavalry. If infiltration wasn't the goal, it would have been logical for her to assist or guide the central stronghold's Awakeners who were unfamiliar with the south.

But instead, she targeted somewhere else at the same time?

Then why, for what reason, and where did she aim?

There was only one other plausible answer.

'She was said to have formed close ties with the Southern merchants. And those behind the recent death of the second prince of Herne were precisely them. Considering their objective wasn’t just to overturn Herne but also to frame and harm the Cavalry...'

The conclusion that the 'others targeting the Cavalry' Aton had mentioned after being knocked out by Yuder were the Sage and the Star of Nagran.

Reversing this line of thought, the situation appeared in a new light.

What would the Southern merchants have thought if they had early access to the sage’s plans in the South through their cooperative relationship with Sera? Naturally, they would have devised a way to inflict the maximum damage on the Cavalry, adding the Sage's plans to their own schemes.

'Once entangled in a cooperative relationship, it can intertwine two or three times more.'

The word 'cooperation' implies mutual support. If the Southern merchants had helped Sera and the Southern stronghold, then it meant that Sera would have also assisted the Southern merchants when they requested help.

The scenario of the Southern merchants proposing to help Sera and the Southern Stronghold again, cunningly interjecting themselves into this plan, easily formed in Yuder’s mind. The stronghold was already at great risk due to internal conflicts, so refusing their help would have been more surprising.

It was uncertain how much the Sage knew about the Southern merchants, but ultimately, it seemed clear that Sera had moved with them.

The Southern merchants must have known how the Star of Nagran would move and even how the Second Prince of Herne would die. The next target for them could only be one thing.

'The people who left the Cavalry branch for a while to investigate the death of the Second Prince of Herne they had killed.'

More precisely... the center of the Cavalry, Commander Kishiar La Orr.

He was an Awakener, but his exact abilities remained unclear, and many doubted and questioned even his possession of the Divine Sword. Known to be physically frail, not very bright, foolish, and fond of frivolities, there couldn’t be an easier yet impactful target.

Moreover, Kishiar had sent even his deputy Nathan Zuckerman ahead somewhere after concluding the investigation of the Second Prince of Herne’s body and had boarded a carriage with only Yuder.

Yuder's reputation had indeed soared after resolving the incident in the west, but it hadn't reached the level of his previous life where his mere existence inspired fear. He was still a novice, not even a year into revealing his name to the world, and he had not directly confronted the Southern merchants during his time in the west. If they considered him merely an inexperienced youth to contend with, it wouldn’t have been strange for them to feel confident, especially with the additional strength of Sera and others from the Southern stronghold on their side.

And in fact, even Yuder had secretly disembarked from the carriage midway.

Kishiar had been alone on his return to the branch.

The moment Yuder realized this, a chill similar to a shiver ran through his entire body. His eyes deepened, and a dark, ominous voice flowed from his parched lips.

“Don’t tell me, they even targeted the carriage carrying the Commander?”

Although he phrased it as a possibility, his conviction was almost certain.

And as if confirming Yuder’s thought, Kishiar slowly nodded.

“That’s correct.”

A deep, silent sigh escaped. A mix of incredulity and anger bubbled up from deep within.

Knowing Kishiar’s true abilities, he was aware that Kishiar would not fall victim to a sudden attack. What infuriated him was the fact that he himself had not been there.

Yuder, trying his best to calm his emotions, asked,

“…Does the blood on your clothes also stem from that incident?”

"It would seem so," came the nonchalant reply.

[BL] Cloudless Sky

Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.

"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."

In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.

"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."

And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.

"For now, until then, let's sleep..."

As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.

'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'

[BL] Bermuda

Leonardo Blaine, the true war hero of the Raina Logia Empire and the commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, is dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders during the final battle that could have led the Empire to victory in the territorial war. People criticize and point fingers at him, and after being released on parole from prison, he disappears without a trace.

Three years later, his name has been forgotten by the world. The Council has been persistently pursuing him, but he has proven difficult to capture. Frustrated by this, Hugo Agrizendro, the commander of the Council's army, decides to personally apprehend him.

"Since when have you been watching me?"

Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for some time now. However, Leonardo's answer was something that even Hugo had not anticipated.

"From the very beginning."

[BL] The Mist (Same author as Turning)

In the autumn of his 18th year, after winning the high school kendo championship finals, an unexpected accident occurred.

Due to that incident, Kang Mu-heon lost one of his legs, his closest friend, and his promising future. He closed off his heart and shut himself away alone.

A few years later, the world's first real virtual reality game <THE MIST> was announced, where even those with physical disabilities could play in healthy bodies.

By chance, Kang Mu-heon encountered it and began a new life as the mage Kapros, facing unexpected meetings, reunions, and days of change....

***

"Why was someone like you born into this world to make me so miserable? Do you understand when I say it like this?! You were born with talent for the sword, a bright personality, everything - you must have been laughing at me always lagging behind! Did you even know how pathetic I felt because of your stupid hypocrisy? A genius? What does any of that matter!"

Seung-jo's cries stabbed at his heart, wailing as if he were crying even though he wasn't, but there was no time to think further. He quickly clutched my stomach, got up, and ran towards him.

He looked surprised for a moment, but he was desperate.

Just as the car was about to reach us, he shoved Seung-jo hard. Right after Seung-jo fell and rolled away with wide, startled eyes—

Screech!

Bang! With an impact that felt like his whole body was being shattered, he flew through the air.

And in that brief yet long moment of floating in space, he remembered his reflection in Seung-jo's eyes for the last time.......

***

[ Then in THE MIST, may you become the master of infinite possibilities. ]

Whoosh!

When his vision returned after everything went white, he was standing in the middle of a bustling town. Amidst the clamor, countless people were busily going about their business here and there.

He looked down at himself, standing dazed and wearing clothes of unknown origin. When he touched the sleeve, he felt the texture of fabric as real as reality. His hair felt the same, and even when he touched the wall of a nearby house, he could clearly feel the solid, cold surface.

Is this... VT?

It seemed like a joke. It truly felt as if he had come to another world and was touching everything.

As he stood there unable to think due to the shock, he suddenly remembered the biggest reason he had decided to play this game, and snapped back to attention. His two legs were still as they had been when he first stood.

'Can I really walk?'

He first stepped out with his left foot, then very slowly put strength into his heavy right foot. It felt like cold sweat was running down his spine.

And then,

He lifted it,

Moved it,

And took another step to touch the ground again.

So easily. As if there had never been any problem with this leg from the beginning.

"Ah..."

At that moment, something that was neither joy nor emotion shot up his spine. Suddenly feeling a lump in his throat, he lowered his head and leaned against the wall. His right foot, bearing his weight, was doing its job perfectly.

"..."

Holding back the tightness in his throat, he took another step.

It didn't hurt. It wasn't heavy. His leg was no longer a useless piece of wood that ached.

Damn it, to be able to walk so easily like this.

To be able to run so easily like this.

He had wished even in his dreams for the day to come when he could walk and run like this again.

And so he walked again, kept walking, slowly getting faster, until finally he started running like a madman through the entire town.

***

"Kap. ...There seems to be a misunderstanding. That's not what I meant."

Just as he was thinking he should throw a punch, Yu-wan sighed with a troubled look and said.

A misunderstanding? How could it be a misunderstanding when he said with his own mouth that he didn't think of me as a friend?

"I didn't expect to receive such a question suddenly, so my explanation was probably too brief. Let me rephrase."

Yu-wan reached out his hand, his face completely changed from before - intense yet resolute - as he stared at him. As he didn't reject the hand suddenly approaching his face and kept his gaze fixed, his cool large hand touched his cheek completely.

A shiver ran down his spine at that moment.

"I'm sorry to say this to you, but I don't see you only as a friend. ...This is the complete answer."

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