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nApril 4th - Portal Station

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nRachel arrived in Korea through the international portal. Evandel accompanied her as well.

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nRachel was dressed in an ordinary business suit, but Evandel was wearing her magician’s hat and cane. Her fashion clearly screamed, “I’m a magician!”

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nPerhaps because of this, everyone’s gazes fell on them the moment they left the VIP pathway. Civilians who recognized Rachel began to take pictures on their smartwatches.

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nBut before they could take more than one or two photos, Essence of the Strait’s guards showed up. They quickly guided Rachel and Evandel to their limousine.

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n“We hope you have a safe trip.”

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n“Thank you.”

n

nRachel got on the limousine after receiving a warm greeting from the guards. To her surprise, there was someone waiting for her inside.

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nWhen Rachel met this person’s eyes, she flinched.

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nIf anything, she expected Yoo Yeonha to come meet her. However, the person in question was Chae Nayun.

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n“Yo.”

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nChae Nayun spoke with a grin. Rachel nodded without saying much, but Evandel trembled as soon as she saw Chae Nayun.

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nShe was practically having a seizure.

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n“Fufu, Evandel, you look cute today too.”

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nChae Nayun’s smirk terrified Evandel.

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n“Anyways, hurry on in. There’s something important I need to tell you.”

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nHearing this, Rachel glanced at Evandel and saw her hesitating. Then, Chae Nayun reached forward and pulled on Evandel’s small wrist.

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n“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything bad.”

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n“Huaaang!”

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nEvandel’s resistance didn’t work on Chae Nayun. Binding Evandel with her supernatural strength, Chae Nayun spoke to Rachel.

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n“You got the invitation letter to the party, right?”

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nRachel nodded her head.

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n“Don’t bring Evandel.”

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n“…?”

n

nRachel tilted her head. The reason she had brought Evandel to Korea wasn’t just to visit Essence of the Strait but also to make her attract international investors. After all, Evandel needed an astronomical level of financial resources to further advance her already incredible spirit beast magic.

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n“We decided to invest in Evandel’s stronghold and research costs, so don’t worry about that.”

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nChae Nayun spoke as if she knew what Rachel was worried about.

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nBut at that moment, Chae Nayun suddenly pointed at Rachel’s feet.

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n“Wait, what’s up with that bird? Where did it come from?”

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nRachel’s gaze followed Chae Nayun’s and landed on her feet. A bird was sleeping soundly like a coiled-up snake.

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n‘He followed me all the way here?’ Rachel smiled faintly and answered.

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n“This is Spartan.”

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n“…Oh, this is Spartan?”

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n“Mhm.”

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n“Where did you find him? He looks like an eagle.”

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n“I’m not sure, but I’m also curious. So is Evandel.”

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n“…?”

n

nRachel stared at Spartan with a gentle gaze. Looking at him, she felt a mysterious warmth welling up from her heart. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t hate it. In fact, this feeling made her feel cozy and comfortable, almost like finding a precious item that had been lost.

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n“…What are you talking about?”

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nChae Nayun furrowed her brows as she looked back and forth between Spartan and Rachel. However, Rachel didn’t say anything more.

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nEvandel picked Spartan up and held him in her embrace.

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n“Spartan, be careful of this Unni….”

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n“What’d you say? He has nothing to worry about. You want me to hug you more?”

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n“Ah, n-no!”

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n**

n

nI settled down in the Swiss Alps. The scenery I’ve only seen in the movies was more beautiful than I imagined. I could barely take my eyes off the sight.

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nThe mountain range revealed nature clearer than anywhere else in the world. I had been calling this place home for the past three weeks, looking up at the blue sky, the green fields, and the white snowy mountains.

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nI made a little cabin for myself here with the help of Aether. Although it wasn’t easy, Aether made it spacious enough for one person to live comfortably.

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nI began my journey of wandering around the Alps using this cabin at the end of a cliff as my home base. I found herbs to record in my body, and once every day, I manifested a medicinal pill and stored it in a pill bottle.

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nAs I spent more and more time like this, the number of people finding my cabin increased. Most of them were tourists, hikers, martial artists, or explorers.

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nAt first, they only looked at the cabin from afar. But after about a month, one courageous group finally knocked on my cabin door.

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nI opened the door and greeted them. They had been injured while climbing the mountain. One person had been bitten by a poisonous snake, necrosis now progressing in his leg. Another person had his shoulder bone crushed.

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nWhile talking to them, I introduced myself as a ‘pharmacist’. They asked for help, and I gave them pills to treat their injuries.

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nThe next day, they left the cabin, now fully recovered.

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nAfter that, rumors of a ‘Cliff’s End Pharmacist’ spread.

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nBut there weren’t many visitors. As getting here was quite dangerous in itself… many of them probably gave up in the middle of the journey.

n

n“…You’ll get better with this.”

n

nHowever, a small child came to visit me today. This child who had the dream of becoming a Hero told me that his younger sister was ill. When I asked what her symptoms were, he said it was osteosarcoma, a type of cancer that produces immature bones.

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nI gave him a pill that could eliminate the cancer cells. This pill was named Cloud’s Touch. When consumed, the magic power within the pill would race through one’s veins and eliminate all cancer cells.

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n“Thank you so much!”

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nThe child said thank you in crude Korean and left.

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nHe had also given me a dagger as payment for the pill. Apparently, it was a treasure passed down in his family. I put it in my storage without checking to see its authenticity.

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nFor the record, I had gathered about a billion won as payment for all the pills I produced. Although I never asked for compensation, a strange rumor spread that ‘the Cliff’s End Pharmacist took the patient’s precious object as payment.’

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nThe occasional patients who came to visit me were often rich. Naturally, their precious objects were incredibly expensive.

n

n“Huu….”

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nIn any case, I was alone once again. With a sigh, I looked out the window.

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nThe Alps scenery was as beautiful as always. However, I was slowly getting used to this beauty.

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nEventually, a year would go by, then two, then three…

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nWhat would I be doing then?

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nWhat would be I seeking in life?

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nSuddenly feeling frustrated, I turned on my smartwatch. After checking out ordinary community forums, I access Violet Banquet. With so much time on my hand, surfing the Internet became my blissful routine.

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nDo you think it’s possible for someone to infiltrate the VIP party?

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nIt would be easier to just buy a slot with money….

n

nViolet Banquet was filled with posts regarding the VIP party Yoo Yeonha was hosting. People trying to create fake invitation letters, people trying to buy invitation letters, people guessing how much it would cost just to be a guest invited by the invitees, etc….

n

n“…Ehew.”

n

nLooking at this made me even more frustrated. If I could attend this party… if they saw my face… would they be able to remember me?

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n…As of now, it was only false hope.

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nI wouldn’t be able to say a word in front of them, and they wouldn’t be able to remember me either.

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nWhat I had to do was clear.

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nI had to ‘forget’, just like them.

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nTok, tok—

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n“Hm?”

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nI shot up hearing the knocking noise. Having more than one visitor a day was unusual.

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nI opened the door. Under the sky that was getting dark, five men wearing suits were standing there. I immediately became alert, but when I saw one person’s face, I became dazed.

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nHe was familiar to me.

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nHe didn’t know me, but I knew him.

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n“Hello.”

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n

n“….”

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nWhile I stood in a daze, he bowed respectfully.

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n“My name is Jin Sechan. We’re from Essential Pharmacy. Would you happen to be the Cliff’s End Pharmacist?”

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n**

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nApril 15th - Yoo Family’s mansion

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n“Haa….”

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nYoo Yeonha took a deep breath in front of the main room door. Her heart was pounding loudly.

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nPast this door was her father. What could he be thinking about? Was he afraid too? Or had he accepted his fate and was resenting his daughter?

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nYoo Yeonha clenched her teeth and slowly opened the door after a knock.

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n“….”

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nFrom the slowly widening gap, she saw Yoo Jinwoong’s back. He seemed to be organizing documents.

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nFeeling Yoo Yeonha’s presence, Yoo Jinwoong turned around and smiled bitterly.

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n“Aigo, you’re here.”

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nYoo Jinwoong treated her as he always did.

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nHowever, Yoo Yeonha couldn’t smile. How could she? After all, the time for their farewell was approaching.

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n“….”

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n“…It’s fine, Yeonha.”

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nWhen Yoo Yeonha kept staring at him, Yoo Jinwoong spoke first. He smiled mischievously like a teen boy.

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n“Even if I’m incarcerated, you’ll still have your mother. She’s more proud of you right now than she is of me. I’m sure you won’t even notice a troublemaker like me disappearing.”

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nYoo Yeonha had yet to tell her mother about her plan. It was better that fewer people knew about her plan.

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n“…Are you okay, Father?”

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nYoo Yeonha asked carefully.

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nYoo Jinwoong lightly smiled and nodded, as if she shouldn’t even ask such a question.

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n“Of course. In fact, I’m happy I have the chance to do this.”

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n“….”

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nYoo Yeonha didn’t answer. As Yoo Jinwoong’s daughter, she knew what his dreams were - becoming a Master-rank Hero, being respected by everyone in the world, and becoming an idol for children with the dream of becoming a Hero.

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nBut after today, his dreams would be thoroughly crushed. His name would be disgraced for eternity.

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n“…Yeonha.”

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nSeeing that Yoo Yeonha’s complexion wasn’t getting better, Yoo Jinwoong put on a more serious face. Then, he spoke calmly.

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n“I’ve been living with regrets my whole life. About the Kwang-Oh Incident and everything else I’ve done. But there was one time when I did what my conscience told me to do.”

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nYoo Jinwoong slowly closed his eyes as if he was recalling something from the distant past.

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n“Because of you, I saved a child. Right. The one who saved him wasn’t me… but you. So I will listen to you this time too. The conscience that holds me true to myself… is you, Yeonha.”

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nYoo Yeonha shut her mouth. She felt like tears were welling up, but she held them back.

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nIf she cried, it would be disastrous.

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nShe couldn’t mix personal feelings with business.

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nAs such, she began to think about something else.

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nThe ‘child’ Yoo Jinwoong mentioned.

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nWho was this ‘child’?

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nYoo Yeonha asked with a tearful voice.

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n“…That child. Do you think he’s still alive?”

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n“Probably. He’s the same age as you, Yeonha. I’m sure he’s living a wonderful life.”

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nYoo Jinwoong walked toward her with a suitcase in his hand.

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nYoo Yeonha watched him in a daze.

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n“So Yeonha, don’t give up. And don’t be sad.”

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nNext, Yoo Jinwoong placed his hand on Yoo Yeonha’s head.

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nFeeling his big, warm hand, Yoo Yeonha dropped her head. She didn’t want him to find out that she was crying.

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nPerhaps Yoo Jinwoong thought the same thing. He patted his daughter a couple of times, then left with the words “Thank you—”

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nLeft alone, Yoo Yeonha stood still for a while.

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nAll sorts of thoughts swirled inside her head.

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nHowever, she knew she didn’t have time to ponder leisurely.

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n“Oi, the party’s starting soon~”

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nJain’s clear voice awakened Yoo Yeonha.

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nYoo Yeonha wiped away the tears pooling around her eyes and turned around. Jain, who was disguised as Yoo Jinwoong, was staring at her.

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n“I have to greet people like this, then leave a bit later, right~?”

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nYoo Yeonha nodded before going back out to the hallway and looking out the window. Limousines carrying the world’s elites were arriving one by one.

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n“…Yes.”

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n“Ok~ Huhum. Kuhuhum. Huhum… Yeonha, is my voice okay?”

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nJain changed her voice with a few coughs. She sounded just like Yoo Jinwoong.

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nYoo Yeonha fought hard to fend off the goosebumps rising on her back.

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n“You sound just like him.”

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nSaying this, she checked her outfit one final time. Her dress, bridgette, ring, hair, makeup…. Everything was perfect.

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nShe was perfect as the host of the party.

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n“I’m ready. What about you guys?”

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n“We’re ready too. Khalifa will come back after dropping your father off~”

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n“Perfect.”

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nYoo Yeonha let out a deep sigh.

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nFinally, the time to put an end to this had come.

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nNow that humanity had come out victorious in the Great Devil War, this was the time for them to change forever. The first step would be to settle the past era’s corruption….

n

n—Master, Yi Yukho and Kim Sukho are coming. It seems they will participate in the party. However, it looks like Yoo Jangwon will stay in his mansion.

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nHassan-i Sabbah’s Mental Transmission rang out.

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nYoo Yeonha wasn’t surprised as she had expected Yoo Jangwon wouldn’t come.

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n“That’s fine.”

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nJin Seyeon said she would make sure everyone received lawful punishment for their sins. That, of course, included Yoo Jangwon.

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nBut that was impossible. On the surface, there was no evidence of any wrongdoing for Yoo Jangwon. Something metaphysical like ‘justice’ couldn’t apply to him.

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nAs such, they had prepared a different method of punishing them.

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n“The Chameleon Troupe will be giving him a visit.”

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nA thoroughly physical concept - violence.

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nIn about three hours, he would meet one of the most horrific members of the Troupe - Cheok Jungyeong.

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nOf course, dozens of High-rank Heroes would be guarding his home, but it was unlikely that any of them would pose a problem to Cheok Jungyeong.

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n“Now then.”

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nYoo Yeonha clapped her hands together. With this as the signal, the members of the Chameleon Troupe appeared one by one.

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nLooking at them, Yoo Yeonha smiled.

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n“Let’s start the party.”

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