Episode 23: Vanquisher (1)
At the top floor of a mysterious skyscraper, where the sky felt closer than the ground—
Inside an opulent room, four women sat around a round table. Their distinctively colored hair illuminated the space, each hue emphasizing their individuality and commanding the room’s atmosphere. Their beauty was beyond compare, each of them possessing features worthy of being called unparalleled.
“So,”
The first to speak was a woman with long, sky-blue hair cascading down her back.
“Did it go well?”
She crossed her legs elegantly, folding her arms as she scanned the other women.
The one who responded had black hair braided over one shoulder. She casually lifted her wrist and glanced at the obsidian bracelet she was wearing.
As the blinking light on the bracelet flickered off, Ha Sion’s lips curved into a satisfied smile.
“It just ended. Perfectly.”
“That’s a relief. This will change the way we fight.”
The sky-blue-haired woman nodded. She held immense respect for him, but if a better method arose, she had no hesitation in choosing it.
“Of course. Who do you think calibrated it?”
A woman with short hair, exuding a faint but unmistakable aura of holiness, finally spoke.
Her fingertips had been absentmindedly stroking a cross resting on the table in front of her. It was far more than a mere ornament—its presence was undeniable.
As if demanding attention, she continued to run her fingers over it.
“Are you showing off?”
The sky-blue-haired woman asked with a smile. The short-haired woman subtly nodded.
“Obviously.”
She chuckled lightly and pushed the cross slightly forward with her fingertips, revealing the pride she couldn’t conceal.
“Haein issued an official certificate under my name through the church. It clearly states ‘Owner.’”
Lifting the cross, she let its subtly glowing surface catch the light as she spoke.
“As a result, those old geezers in the church couldn’t say a word. They just nodded in silence.”
Despite her boastful words, her fingers carefully traced the contours of the cross, as if handling a precious treasure.
“Seriously… you didn’t have to go that far….”
Her voice trailed off, her expression gradually filling with a sense of reverence.
“Can you shut up for a second?”
A sharp voice suddenly cut through the room.
A woman with black hair tied back and crimson eyes shining coldly spoke in an icy tone.
“Can we talk about something productive? How’s the holy water supply contract coming along?”
The short-haired woman slowly shifted her gaze toward her.
“That’s still an issue. That area’s full of old-timers, so negotiations are tricky.”
She tilted her head slightly as she placed the cross back onto the table.
“But we’re close.”
“Good.”
The black-haired woman gave a short nod.
“But that guy—he immediately started buying up stocks the moment Kang Yuseong died.”
Yu Hana muttered in quiet admiration, her eyes reflecting pure astonishment and delight.
“Well, it’s Haein we’re talking about.”
Kang Arin responded, her voice carrying unwavering trust in him.
“We killed Kang Yuseong and pinned everything on the demons.”
She let out a short laugh before continuing.
“Now the stock prices are rising, Haein has less trouble on his hands, and we’re making money. Isn’t that great?”
The other women silently nodded in agreement, satisfied expressions settling on their faces.
“That’s why.”
Kang Arin lightly tapped the table with her fingertip as she spoke.
“If there’s anything you remember, spill it all.”
Her voice was soft but firm, resonating through the room.
“No matter what we do, we know we can never fully repay our debt.”
A brief sentence, yet the weight of her words settled heavily in the air.
Silence descended upon the room.
***
“Wow, again?”
[‘Glory’ signs an exclusive supply contract for holy water with Arcadia.]
Lately, the interaction between these two groups has been quite frequent.
Kang Yooseong dying early was truly a godsend. It seemed like his death had triggered a snowball effect.
Thanks to that, an enormous snowball was rolling into my account today as well. Watching the numbers rise sharply brought a natural smile to my face.
“Not bad.”
Lately, good things have been happening one after another.
Today is Friday. Just one more day to get through, and then it’s the weekend, so my steps felt light.
Of course, that didn’t mean I’d be resting over the weekend… But maybe because I was a student again, even my mindset seemed to have reverted to my student days.
‘I have to retrieve the Camellia Sword… negotiate funding with the order…’
Aside from that, I had plenty of other tasks to take care of. The list of hidden opportunities I had compiled was piled up like a mountain—it wouldn’t be enough to collect even one per week.
On top of that, it was about time to hand over a suitable martial art to Sung Siwoo…
But that bastard still hadn’t made up his mind.
Last time, he even refused to join a team, stubbornly making all the wrong choices.
If he insisted on sticking with the sword…
‘Maybe I should beat him up some more.’
Well, I’d deal with that when the time came.
Right now, I was walking toward Cheonmugwan, where my class was held.
Despite the name “Cheonmugwan” (Heavenly Martial Hall), it was actually just a lecture hall for theoretical classes.
And today, a professional hero had been specially invited to give a lecture.
I was quite looking forward to it since I had yet to see a true first-rate hero in person.
The time was exactly 9:00 AM.
And being on time for class was the most basic duty of a student, wasn’t it?
- Creak
I opened the back door of the lecture hall.
- Slam!
And then I closed it again.
“What the hell?”
Why was that guy here?
For a second, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.
Carefully, I cracked the door open again and peeked inside.
Even though I had made a loud noise while closing the door, all the students’ eyes remained fixed on the hero standing at the podium.
A man with slicked-back hair, wearing sunglasses even indoors.
The special guest lecturer was someone I knew all too well.
Our eyes met.
Even though he wore sunglasses, I could feel his gaze lock onto me.
Then, with a grin that exposed his gums, he smirked.
He was the same man who had previously requested an analysis of Sung Siwoo.
Park Gwangchul.
***
The professor in charge of the lecture pointed at him and spoke.
“He took time out of his busy schedule to be here today. Please give him a warm round of applause.”
- Clap, clap, clap, clap!
The lecture hall erupted into thunderous applause.
“Hello, I’m Park Gwangchul.”
As he slightly lifted his sunglasses, he greeted the class.
At his simple introduction, cheers erupted from both male and female students alike.
It made sense. He wasn’t just a hero—he was a star beloved by the public.
Smiling, he continued,
“My affiliation… You all know it, right? Vanquisher.”
As soon as he finished speaking, another wave of applause and cheers filled the room.
Watching the scene unfold, I let out a small sigh and took my seat.
Then, I sent a message to Sion.
[Jung Haein]: Sion, Park Gwangchul is here.
And in less than five seconds, a reply arrived.
[Sion]: Huh? Where?
[Jung Haein]: Right in front of me.
[Sion]: ?? Why is Uncle Gwangchul there?
Damn, my thoughts exactly.
[Jung Haein]: I don’t know either. It’s some kind of special guest lecture…
[Sion]: Ah, I think I heard something about that from Grandpa? He was asking around like, “Who wants to go~? Who doesn’t~?”
So the one who ended up coming was him.
[Jung Haein]: Ever since I walked in, he’s been staring at only me. What do I do?
[Sion]: Wow… that sucks. Good luck…
I lowered my head and focused on my desk.
Blending in was my top priority.
But contrary to my worries, he proceeded with the lecture surprisingly diligently.
He even mentioned recently established theories, keeping the class engaged.
Objectively speaking, his lecture was fascinating. Even I was getting drawn into it.
“Oh, it’s already this late? Shall we take a ten-minute break?”
Park Gwangchul checked his watch and spoke.
Usually, when an instructor announces a break, students rush out of the lecture hall.
But today, not a single person moved.
At that moment, a female student shyly raised her hand.
“Can I ask you a question, sir?”
“Of course,” Park Gwangchul replied heartily.
“It’s not related to the lesson…”
“Oh, that’s fine.”
“Then… how can someone join Vanquisher?”
Technically, she was the one who asked, but in a way, she was carrying the burden for everyone.
That question was undoubtedly on every student’s mind.
Even Sung Siwoo, sitting in the front row, was eagerly awaiting his response, eyes gleaming.
The team led by that old man, Vanquisher, was one of the world’s top teams.
But as befitting their reputation, they were notoriously difficult to get into.
Joining Vanquisher was practically a stamp of approval, a testament to being a top-tier hero.
Unfortunately, in the original game, there was almost no opportunity to interact with them.
‘They got wiped out early in the original story.’
Vanquisher was ambushed by demons in the early chapters and annihilated.
They were nothing more than a narrative device to mark the beginning of tragedy.
— The greatest hero team was completely destroyed.
That single line of text was all it took to describe their demise.
They existed solely to emphasize the overwhelming power of the enemy and the sheer hopelessness of the situation.
But now…
‘Things are different this time.’
I took a slow breath.
That event hadn’t happened yet.
And this time, I could stop it.
I had the knowledge and the plan to do so.
If I could prevent their deaths, they would surely become a powerful force in the future.
But to be honest, that wasn’t the only reason.
At some point, they had stopped being just characters in a story I wrote.
Vanquisher, once reduced to a single line of text, had now become a part of my life.
For Sion’s sake.
No, that’s not it.
For my own sake.
I wasn’t going to let them die.
Not this time.