“He must be somewhere in this timeline,” I said.
“...”
“I'm talking about our Hyun-Sung,” I added.
I could feel him here, even though I could not pinpoint his exact location.
The lights flickered, and the rookies were staring at it as if it were some amazing spectacle.
Sun Hee‑Young, Lee Chang‑Ryeol, and Ha Yeon‑Soo were the same. Sure, blinking lights were bound to catch anyone’s attention, but the way they were staring at it so intently was almost embarrassing.
Of course, my expression remained unchanging. Naturally, the glow began to fade away. I hurried over to the mirror in the room to check my eye, and I noticed that the color had faintly changed.
‘Ah...’
Unlike the previous golden hue, it had taken on a dull shade, and it now looked more like copper, yet the flickering told me that he was either here or was in the same space as us.
‘What the hell is this guy doing here?’
His goal was probably similar to mine. After all, the hexagram's purpose was to serve as a bridge connecting the first life and the second life. As Benigoa had mentioned, this continent wasn’t created solely by the God of Sacrifice and Revival.
More accurately, it was recognized as a continent shaped by the narrative of the God of Sunset and the God of Sacrifice and Revival, which made it highly likely that he was doing something similar. Of course...
‘He could be acting with a completely different goal in mind.’
Stabilizing the continent of the second life didn't necessarily mean he was bound by predictable logic. He was moving with the hexagram gate villains now, so having another goal in mind wouldn’t be surprising at all.
‘Whether it’s that doctor or his assistant, I don’t know what kind of ideas they planted in Kim Hyun-Sung... Damn it.’
The only thing certain was that those villains were manipulating him.
In addition...
‘...He’s somewhere around here.’
“...”
“...”
While I was tapping my thigh, Commander Jin turned to me.
“So... where is he? And can you tell when he arrived here?” he asked.
‘This guy... is so eager to get out of here.’
“I don’t know. The connection isn’t that clear to begin with. You can tell just by looking at my eye. It’s full of noise. It's like there’s some interference. All I can say for sure is that we’re in the same timeline.
"For the same reason, it’s hard to tell when Hyun-Sung got here. He could have arrived here while we were stuck in that subspace, or he could’ve been here even earlier,” I answered.
“But I distinctly remember you saying you couldn’t sense him before,” he pointed out.
“He might’ve just been too far away. Or...” I trailed off.
“Or what?” he asked.
“...He could’ve been inside a subspace as well,” I continued.
“That’s...”
“It just occurred to me. There isn't any rule saying only you can do that, is there? The enemy can do the same thing. If Hyun-Sung was waiting inside a subspace, completely cut off from the outside, it wouldn’t be that strange,” I said.
“Then you’re saying the guild master is in the enemy's hands?” he asked.
The odds aren’t high, and not something I’d jump to, but it’s not something I can dismiss outright either.
“Either way, this time, we have to get it right,” I said.
“...”
“...”
“Finding Kim Hyun-Sung on the continent,” I added.
“...”
“The hexagram gates have their own different purposes. This gate seems tied to the Continental War... so it’s possible Hyun-Sung’s involved, but the chance is low. There’s no guarantee that only one incident will happen at a time.
"Events are unfolding simultaneously across multiple locations, and there isn’t just a single turning point. With the war and its many internal and external factors, there are plenty of people and circumstances to consider,” I explained.
‘Just like in the last gate, where the protagonist wasn’t Count Kim Hyun-Sung.’
“Since the entire continent is at war, let’s survey the overall situation and narrow down the key candidates,” I suggested.
“Understood.”
“Mr. Chang‑Ryeol, you can continue tracking the Brigade as before—”
‘No, no. That’s too cruel. He just came back after four years; there’s no way I can send him out alone again. Absolutely not. Let’s treat him kindly this time.’
“Cancel that. Miss Yeon‑Soo will handle the Brigade,” I said.
“Understood.”
“Commander Jin, you’ll be the control tower,” I instructed.
“Don’t be absurd,” Commander Jin said.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“I’m going to the field, too,” he said.
‘He doesn’t want to just sit around and get caught off guard.’
“Then, I’ll assign that to you, Miss Hee-Young,” I told her.
“Okay, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,” Sun Hee-Young said.
‘It won’t be difficult for her.’
It was nothing complicated. It was just gathering and passing along information. All the big and small operations would be handled from there, so she was more than trustworthy. Besides, we weren't starting from zero.
I hadn’t said anything yet, but there was no way Lee Chang‑Ryeol had done nothing for the past four years. Four years wasn't a short time by any means. His specialty was combat and assassination, so he was not as skilled in espionage as Ha Yeon‑Soo from the Black Swan Guild, but he wasn’t exactly inexperienced either.
If he were just a mindless fighter, I wouldn’t trust him this much.
‘This guy’s smart.’
He was good at reading the situation, sure, but more importantly, he knew how to think and act on his own. If Belier were in his shoes, I wouldn’t expect much. Just staying alive would be her limit. She would have spent a year or so in a daze, struggling to find a way back, or perhaps she would blend into this world.
I was not trying to put her down; I was just talking about the reality of things.
There was a reason I called them "rookies."
Unlike them, our Chang‑Ryeol was different.
‘He didn’t give up on the mission.’
He made his own decisions and acted on them instantly. He was sharp, efficient, and unwasteful.
It wasn’t one year, not two, not three, but four full years. Our Chang‑Ryeol was quiet at times, almost invisible, and he would occasionally fail as an assassin, but he was top‑tier, A‑Rank, no, S‑Rank.
Perhaps things would be better if Lee Chang‑Ryeol were the regressor. I could say with absolute confidence that he knew I would come back here. He wouldn’t be flailing desperately to reunite with the party; he’d be calmly preparing for me, anticipating everything.
For him, those four years were painful, but for us, it worked out better than expected, and it didn't even look like he suffered much. He had never been one to show his emotions, so perhaps even four years of hardship couldn't faze him at all.
I had to admit that it was a devilish idea, but if Chang‑Ryeol were in the first life from the very beginning, he wouldn’t have had to struggle like this. I couldn't gauge how many years were left before the Outer Gods War, but even if we just account for the war as insurance...
‘No, that’s impossible.’
I almost wanted to ask him to do it, but seeing the loyalty in his eyes despite losing four years of his life, I couldn't bring myself to speak.
‘Damn it, it should’ve been Chang‑Ryeol instead of that useless Rafael party.’
Commander Jin glanced sneakily at Chang‑Ryeol, as if asking if he had anything more to say. He was silently questioning whether Chang-Ryeol had been an idiot for the past four years.
‘Damn it, Chang‑Ryeol’s going to get hurt.’
Of course, I wanted to ask him directly about what he had been doing over the past four years and whether he had achieved anything or not. I wanted to cut straight to the point and demand answers, but even I had a sense of decency.
How could I ask that of someone who had just returned from such a grueling ordeal? I wanted to be an angel rather than the devil.
Sure enough, the psychopath incapable of reading the feelings of other people spoke up first, saying, “You’ve been here for four years. You must have a lot to tell. Surely you didn’t just sit around waiting for us all that time.”
“Wait... Commander, what are you—”
“Unbelievable. Weren’t you curious too?” he asked.
“Even so, there are limits. How can you...” I trailed off, eventually falling silent.
“...”
“Are you okay, Mr. Chang-Ryeol?” I asked.
“You needn’t worry, sir. These are things I should report,” Chang-Ryeol reassured me.
“Mr. Chang‑Ryeol...” I mumbled.
“...”
“...”
“I’m not sure if this will satisfy you, sir, but...” he trailed off.
“Who cares about that? I’m just grateful you made it here safely, Mr Chang‑Ryeol,” I said.
“First, I have two intelligence guilds under my command. They’re not particularly large, but...” he trailed off.
‘Hot damn!’
“The combined manpower is about two hundred. They’re structured as small groups, so it’s easy to cut off loose ends, and only three key members know my face. Basic orders are delivered by letter, so you should find them easy to utilize, sir,” he explained.
‘Chang‑Ryeol!’
“In addition, I have four trained assassins, but their levels aren’t particularly high,” he added.
‘Wait, four?!’
“But I don’t think they’re as capable as you might expect. I did my best to train them, but they’re still not very good at hiding their presence. They’re not quite ready for high-priority assassination missions,” he added.
‘Well, of course they’re not, but it’s better than nothing.’
Chang‑Ryeol’s standards were just really high. Still, he called them "trained assassins," so I could at least expect that they covered the basics.
It seemed like he picked up war orphans or something and trained them to become assassins. Having two intelligence guilds under his command was impressive enough.
What about the fact that their combined manpower was two hundred? Sure, the lowest-ranking members weren't anything special, but given the war happening across the continent, he had achieved something great.
“I’ve also prepared several identities in anticipation of your return. Since I can’t predict exactly where you’ll operate, I’ve prepared identities for each nation. By default, they’re for mercenary work, but if you wish, I can arrange higher-ranking positions as well,” he added.
‘He’s just so thorough. He’s just made for the first life.’
“What do you think, Mr. Chang‑Ryeol? Which area would be more advantageous?” I asked.
“If I may suggest, I’d suggest starting in the Republic. From what I’ve gathered, the Brigade is currently aligned with the Empire...” he answered.
‘He’s already tracking their positions?’
“Any other reasons?” I asked.
Chang‑Ryeol pulled out a large map. Naturally, it gave a full overview of the situation. He had probably prepared this in advance after linking up with Sun Hee‑Young’s team, expecting my return.
Since the battlefield was constantly shifting, there would be slight inaccuracies, but nothing outside manageable limits. He had color-coded the map—the Republic was in red, the Empire was in blue, the Union of Kingdoms was in green, and the Federation was in yellow.
At a glance, it looked like the Republic had the upper hand. Areas of fierce fighting, well-maintained frontlines, and the fact that the Republic had pushed almost to this castle clearly showed that they were driving the war in their favor.
It was a war that had been going on for nearly four years now, and the Empire was on the defensive. What was puzzling were the red waves...
‘He’s feeling emotional.’
The idea felt almost laughable, but it was far from the way Commander Jin would analyze things.
‘How did it get this bad?’
While pondering that, Lee Chang‑Ryeol spoke again, saying, “There are rumors that the Republic’s soldiers have gone insane.”