AV怡红院一区二区三区

Chapter 221

Could it be because of Dawn?

If Baek-Yeon had seen the recent events in Denmark, then it made sense why she would suspect him of being a Watcher. Organizing his thoughts, Se-Hoon refocused and responded with a shake of his head to Baek-Yeon, who was staring in his direction with closed eyes.

“No, I’m not.”

“Then why did you take that strange arm from the Marionette Factory\'s workshop? And why did you return to the dead researcher’s house?”

As he had guessed, Baek-Yeon knew everything about what had happened in Denmark. So, Se-Hoon just answered honestly, leaving out only a few details.

“To use them.”

“Use them?”

“To explain from the beginning, I have a friend named Luize Valente...”

Se-Hoon went on to carefully explain everything needed, starting from how he met Luize, and Baek-Yeon listened quietly without interruption.

Then, upon hearing everything, Baek-Yeon crossed her legs and smirked.

“It was all to help that kid playing with the ring, huh?”

“Pardon?”

“Well... ah. Ludwig must have blocked my vision. He’s such a sensitive guy, really.”

While watching Baek-Yeon grumble, Se-Hoon quickly figured out what she meant.

Has she been keeping an eye on Luize?

However, he couldn’t sense anything. It had been this way before regressing too; Baek-Yeon’s farsight had always been a mystery to him.

Noticing his curiosity, Baek-Yeon chuckled.

“You don’t believe me, do you.”

“No, it’s not that...”

“If you don’t, why don’t you try sending her a text? I’m curious how she’ll respond too.”

Although reluctant, Se-Hoon still pulled out his phone and sent a message to Luize.

Se-Hoon: Stop playing with it so much. You\'ll wear it out.

A read receipt soon appeared, and shortly after, Luize called him.

—Hey! Are you spying on me or something?

“I just guessed. Sorry. I’ll call you later.”

—What? What do you mea—

Quickly hanging up, Se-Hoon glanced at Baek-Yeon, who had been watching with a smile.

“I guess you were right.”

He already knew she wasn’t lying, but confirming it personally still felt uncanny.

There’s not a single trace of mana. Is she looking through something invisible, like the Whitespace?

Wanting to figure it out, Se-Hoon sharpened his senses.

Meanwhile, Baek-Yeon was thinking about something. And after wrapping up her thoughts, she spoke up again. “Having listened to your story, it sounded like you knew about Watchers even before you met Luize... but you’re not planning to explain that, are you?”

“No, that involves more of a personal reason.”

“Personal, huh...”

Questioning his words, Baek-Yeon slightly tilted her head and stared at Se-Hoon.

“You’re still worried about privacy even now?”

For most, defying the will of a Perfect One was tantamount to suicide, but Se-Hoon didn’t even flinch.

“I just don’t want to share it with someone I don’t trust.”

Baek-Yeon’s eyes immediately narrowed at those words. Then, she crossed her arms and questioned, “You don’t trust me?”

“That’s right.”

“Why not?”

“Well, this is only our first meeting. Isn’t it strange to trust you enough to share my secrets already?”

An unexpectedly simple answer. Caught off guard, Baek-Yeon stared at him blankly. Then, her lips began uncontrollably twitching, and she lifted her white fedora to cover her face.

“Heh... Pfft...”

But despite her efforts, laughter still slipped through and her shoulders shook faintly. It was only a while later that Baek-Yeon finally removed her fedora from her face, acting as if nothing had happened.

“Phew... Fine. You do have a point there. Even though I consider you my disciple, I haven’t taught you anything yet.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“I am still curious, though, but I guess that doesn’t really matter. If a problem arises because of your secrets, I can just deal with you then.”

A chill went down the back of Se-Hoon’s neck. Baek-Yeon had brushed it off so casually.

She’s talking about taking my head off with her arrows like it’s nothing...

Just like how she eliminated the S-rank hero who led the European coup incident, Baek-Yeon wouldn’t hesitate if she perceived a threat. And he was now on the radar of the world’s strongest sniper. It was unsettling, but Se-Hoon could quickly shake it off.

As long as I don’t cause trouble, I’ll be fine.

Though her standards were unclear, if he moved carefully based on his experiences, there shouldn’t be any issues.

“May I ask you something, too?”

“Go ahead.”

“When did you first learn about Watchers?”

While it wasn’t surprising that Baek-Yeon, someone with the ability to see across the world, would know about them, he wanted to know when she had started noticing them. Such information would help Se-Hoon understand Baek-Yeon\'s values.

“Hmm...”

Thinking about whether to respond, Baek-Yeon finally chose to say, “Before becoming a Perfect One. That’s all I’ll say for now.”

“So, they’ve been around longer than I thought.”

The Towers of Heroes and the Abyss of Demons had appeared fifty-four years ago, and Baek-Yeon had become a Perfect One thirty years ago. In other words, Watchers had been around since the early days of the war with the Demon Forces.

So, she’s known about them since then but hasn’t taken any action? Se-Hoon realized.

A possible reason was that Baek-Yeon had simply been keeping an eye on them in secret, but Se-Hoon, someone who had seen the future, knew that wasn’t the case. For some reason, Baek-Yeon had never taken action against Watchers even when they publicly revealed themselves before the regression.

Knowing that fact, Se-Hoon had to change his assessment of the Perfect One before him.

I need to be more cautious.

At that moment, Baek-Yeon flicked the brim of her fedora with her index finger and lifted it.

“Well, that’s enough talk for now. Let’s hear about the plan you need my help with. You’re not going to keep that a secret, are you?”

With a sly smile, Baek-Yeon looked toward Se-Hoon again, and Se-Hoon promptly began explaining his plan without holding back.

“Before the end of this summer vacation, I plan to kill the Dream Demon and destroy the Pleasure District.”

“...That’s quite a hefty task for a summer project.”

Though there was surprise in Baek-Yeon’s response, there was also nonchalance, as if she had already known.

But unfazed, Se-Hoon just continued, “I’ve nearly finished the preparations, and Wurgen will handle the elimination of the Dream Demon. But since our opponent is infamous even among the Ten Evils, I believe we need to be more thorough in our planning.”

“So, you want me as backup.”

“Exactly.”

The plan was that Wurgen would face the Dream Demon head-on, and Baek-Yeon would prevent her from potentially escaping while cutting off any reinforcements. That was the best strategy Se-Hoon could come up with given the situation.

Unfortunately, after a moment of consideration, Baek-Yeon slowly raised two fingers and refused.

“There are two reasons I can’t help you.”

Folding her middle finger, she calmly explained the first, “Firstly, there have been unsettling movements within the Six Great Demon Realms recently. For some unknown reason, the Black Sea keeps advancing north and the Forest of Repetition is continuously shrinking, even at this moment. Additionally, the Garden of Emptiness has changed its orbit, and the City of Nightmares is transforming as well.”

“Hmm...”

“This is the first time we’ve seen such simultaneous changes occur, so I can’t take my eyes off them just yet.”

Since even Baek-Yeon couldn’t see inside the Six Great Demon Realms, she needed to be extra cautious.

Frowning at the reveal, Se-Hoon mind became complicated.

I don’t remember such disturbances happening around this time.... I guess the butterfly effect is spreading further.

Since even just one of those was a serious matter, Se-Hoon refrained from saying anything else.

And when she saw that Se-Hoon didn’t respond, Baek-Yeon folded her index finger.

“Secondly, to be blunt, I can’t trust your plan.”

“...You think I’ll fail?”

“Exactly.”

Nodding firmly, Baek-Yeon focused on Se-Hoon.

“No matter how perfect you think your plan is, I can’t afford to believe in it blindly. Especially not during times as chaotic as now.”

“Tell me, can you guarantee that everything will go smoothly and that nothing will happen in the Six Great Demon Realms while your plan is in motion?”

Se-Hoon fell into deep thought. Besides revealing his regression and somehow proving it, there was no solid proof he could offer. And even then, there was no guarantee that she would believe him. In fact, it could lead to much bigger problems that would make the situation worse.

So, with no options, Se-Hoon sighed and replied, “No, I don’t think I can.”

“Right. In the end, all you’re doing is claiming that the chances of success are high. That’s not enough for me to help you.”

Completely rejected, Se-Hoon frowned involuntarily.

Should I ask the Pilgrim instead? But if Ludwig didn’t recommend him, there must be a reason...

With this option closed, Se-Hoon began trying to figure out how to fill the gap in his forces, but then, he heard Baek-Yeon’s voice again.

“However...” Her voice slow and drawn out, Baek-Yeon added, “...I can at least teach you something.”

“What?”

“Follow me.”

Standing up, Baek-Yeon walked out of the pavilion. And, while he was still confused, Se-Hoon quickly followed her to the edge of a cliff overlooking the Celestial Lake.

“Stand here,” Baek-Yeon instructed, pointing to a spot beside her on the precipice.

Obeying, Se-Hoon stood next to her, and then Baek-Yeon extended her hand into the air.

Swish-

A pure white longbow then appeared out of nowhere, looking like it had been created from the air. At the sight, Se-Hoon’s eyes widened in surprise.

“This is...”

“This is the White Night Bow. Take it.”

Catching the White Night Bow that Baek-Yeon threw at him, Se-Hoon examined it curiously.

Is this... another form of her power?

The bow felt tangible yet strangely hollow. More importantly, though, when he tried to bring up its information message, nothing appeared. And in that case, it meant it was similar to the Soul Weapons created from the Demonic Blood Art, which made his interest in it grow.

“Stop looking and shoot it. I’ll teach you how to use it.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Following Baek-Yeon’s instructions, Se-Hoon slowly drew the bowstring, taking his stance. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Woong!

As he pulled back the bowstring, a blue arrow materialized naturally. It was formed by combining the ambient mana around it with his mana, and it seemed to be quite powerful.

“Widen your stance a bit and lower your arm.”

Tapping Se-Hoon’s body here and there, Baek-Yeon corrected his posture before stepping back.

“Good. When you’re ready, fire at the Celestial Lake.”

Though he still didn’t understand the purpose of the sudden lesson, Se-Hoon cleared his mind regardless and looked down at the lake below.

It shouldn’t be as simple as just shooting... right?

Steadying his stance, Se-Hoon drew the bowstring back further and gazed at the colorful waters of the Celestial Lake.

When shooting, the fundamental goal was hitting the target. And what truly mattered was what effect that shot would have after.

What I need to aim for now... is Ha Baek-Yeon’s trust.

This one arrow had to earn a Perfect One’s trust. But how could he achieve that? Unable to find a solution, Se-Hoon’s thoughts kept repeating.

“You’re quite the thinker, aren’t you?”

Suddenly calling out to him, Baek-Yeon, who had been watching from behind, tapped the corner of her eyes, which had been closed for a while.

“Close them. It’ll help.”

Taking her advice, Se-Hoon closed his eyes and a faint light immediately shone through his eyelids. With the target now out of sight, Se-Hoon began focusing entirely on how to achieve his goal.

Should I make the shot more powerful?

Would demonstrating his strength be enough to gain her trust? Se-Hoon immediately dismissed the idea. Though the standards for earning her trust were still unclear, if strength alone were enough, she wouldn’t have hesitated to help him.

Then... He shifted his thoughts to the essence of marksmanship.

Set a target, then hit it. But beyond that...

What else did he need? Pondering the question, Se-Hoon recalled the sniper attack in Germany.

The timing.

No matter how much power one possessed, failing to seize the right opportunity would lead to defeat, just like with Hraesvelgr, who had failed to snipe him.

Struck by the realization, Se-Hoon began feeling a strange force surging from the White Night Bow in his hands.

Woong-

And then, amidst the faint light, the bow shone brightly and the blue arrow nocked on the string began to turn pure white. However, Se-Hoon stayed calm and carefully reflected on his thoughts.

I had the order wrong.

The essence of marksmanship was actually setting the target and then seizing the opportunity to achieve it. Only then would one be able to gauge the appropriate force required to hit the target.

It was an approach that differed significantly from standard marksmanship, but Se-Hoon knew it was right. After all, this was a test of how well he could handle the mysterious power of a Perfect One.

Creak!

Stretching the bowstring further, the arrow gleamed even brighter.

This was his one chance. And having successfully seized that opportunity, Se-Hoon opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on the Celestial Lake.

Thwang-

A single white arrow flew from the bowstring.

***

“Um... sir, why don’t we head inside instead of sitting out here...?”

“Just leave me be.”

Dismissively waving away Seon-Woo’s words from the step he sat on, Kwang-Soo rested his chin on his hand and scowled. From how he was making constant glances toward the summit, it looked like he was waiting for a chance to go up.

And that made Seon-Woo feel a headache coming on.

If he goes up there and interferes with their meeting...

At best, he’d get reprimanded with a scolding, but there was also the possibility that Baek-Yeon would punish him by raining down sniper fire on him for three days and nights like she had before.

Resolving himself to prevent Kwang-Soo from ascending no matter what, Seon-Woo tensed and kept a close watch on him. But then, he suddenly felt a gaze sweep over him, as though a giant was looking down.

Reacting instinctively, he activated his unique skill, Enhanced Vision, and blue ripples appeared in his eyes, expanding his vision to reach the summit.

But Seon-Woo wasn’t the only one who reacted.

Thump-

Kwang-Soo swiftly kicked off the ground and rushed toward the peak.

“Wait...!”

From the looks of it, Kwang-Soo had timed his move precisely with Seon-Woo’s attention dividing due to his enhanced vision. Realizing the gap Kwang-Soo had exploited, Seon-Woo hurriedly gave chase.

Huh?

To his surprise, Kwang-Soo had stopped at the top of the stairs and hadn’t moved further. Curious as to why, Seon-Woo joined him.

And what he then saw was a pure white arrow shooting from Se-Hoon’s bow toward the crater below.

BOOOOM-!!

A deafening explosion, like a volcanic eruption, tore through the air.

The waters of the Celestial Lake shot hundreds of meters into the sky.