n

n

n“…So, you want revenge?”

n“No, I have no hard feelings towards you. Even if it wasn’t you, I would’ve died sooner or later.”

n“…”

nGiwon continued talking.

n“I like controlling people.”

n“…What?”

nDohyuk was surprised by the sudden topic change and frowned.

n“Oh, I’m sorry. I mean, not controlling as in like, mind control or anything.”

nDohyuk reached into his pocket for the first weapon.

n“That is for example…”

n“Digest.”

nAnd with that – Dohyuk was healed. He then jumped out and kicked Giwon multiple times, throwing him back.

n“Ugh!”

nBut Dohyuk did not finish him off.

n“…”

nThese attacks weren’t supposed to hit. He had attacked with the assumption that the opponent was capable of dodging. The opponent who had enough experience, knowledge, and power to dodge, did not dodge them.

n“It’s… amazing. You have no memory and still… you achieved this much.”

n“What do you want?” Dohyuk asked. Giwon answered, “My obedience. That is what I will offer to you.”

n“…Why?”

n“Because I do not like how things are done here. And I think that’s the way to stay longer on the strong side.”

nGiwon, with his vital joints all beaten up, did not even think of getting up.

n“Did you come here on purpose? For the Tyrant?”

nDohyuk did not respond, but Giwon considered it as a yes.

n“Before I die… ‘your side’ thought I was the advisor to the Tyrant. But I wasn’t. Jung Ilgyu is not the type of man who trusts others, let alone appoint someone to be his advisor.”

nThe only thing that existed in this place was the strong and the weak.

n“I was just… different than most here.”

n“…”

nBefore Giwon could speak, Dohyuk spoke first.

n“You tried to persuade them and failed.”

n“…!”

nGiwon opened his eyes in shock.

n“How did you find out? No one really knows…”

n“Does it matter?”

n“…Right.”

nIn the previous life, Giwon was the only one who knew.

n“Our chance of winning was little to none. Most of your group was weak, but they were well-trained and followed orders. We were not going to win if we dragged on.”

nDohyuk did not know, but this was a compliment towards his past life.

n“That’s why I had to speak up, even if it meant risking my life.”

nHe didn’t offer to surrender. They weren’t ready to start a full-scale war either. Giwon, instead, offered to scout for any possible weaknesses until then.

nIlgyu understood what he meant perfectly and rewarded him. He was given a chance to ‘compete’ against Ilgyu for his seat. In reality, it was just punishment.

n“The fight itself was fair…’

nThere was no chance of winning. Even if Giwon was at the 3rd rank in the south, he wasn’t even close to defeating Ilgyu. And with that loss, Giwon was taken away with everything he had. His skin that had circle engravings were ripped out to be given a new rank of One Circle. He was then placed on the frontlines. It was the Tyrant’s ‘mercy’ to give Giwon a second chance to prove himself.

nAnd then he died. In the second life, however, the Tyrant did not forget about him.

n“He said he couldn’t believe how coward like me reached that place.”

n‘Prove that you are not the outcome of some pure luck.’

nAnd with that, the Tyrant went to Giwon and took a few items and skills that he had gotten in the previous life.

n“But I think he just wanted it for himself.”

nAnyway, Giwon had fallen. He was just robbed of his chances.

n“I got the Three Circle. But the power difference grows even larger as time goes on. I’m not saying I have no chances, but it will be taken away from me again. That is certain.”

nThe Tyrant still had his eye on him.

n“My motive is simple.”

nEven Dohyuk understood. This man, Yoo Giwon, was a beast. Dohyuk felt the sense of bloodthirst from him too. But just like he said, the way he preferred to obtain power was not like others.

n“I want to be in the part of the system that you created in the previous life. The one that will start now.”

n“…I don’t think I said that was the goal. And I’m always surrounded by enemies.”

n“And you did ‘this much’ alone.”

nGiwon glanced around at the burned forest and the dead Three Circles.

n“Just consider me as your dog. Just like you said.”

nGiwon waited for Dohyuk’s action. It was a gamble. Giwon did not know if it would succeed, but everything in the world was about taking chances. The coin had been tossed and he was waiting to see which side it would land on.

n“…”

nYet he couldn’t react. Dohyuk didn’t take either side.

n“They’re dead!!”

nTwo of the Three Circles had been killed. The only one alive was the One Circle.

n“It was an ambush. I’m sorry.”

nGiwon apologized with his injured body.

n“Where are the Two Circles? Take their bodies and return home.”

n“…”

nGiwon gave the order, but people did not move. When Three Circles died like this, what followed was not mourning. Those at the next rank, or the Two Circles, would start fighting against themselves to take the remaining equipment and land for themselves. Yet the bodies had nothing on them, and the culprit was obvious.

n“You did not hear what I said?”

n“We did. But…”

nThey looked at Giwon suspiciously but Giwon did not look at them.

n“If you keep scouting on your own, you shall do it too. But my group will retreat. I think we have found enough.”

nIt was as he said. There was a bloodied man on his back. It was the culprit that had ambushed them and killed Kangmin and Byungil. Even if they couldn’t believe Giwon’s words, the man was certainly involved in some way.

n“Hey, we’re leaving. Get ready.”

n“Yes, sir!”

nBut there was no conflict. Even if he was being watched by the Tyrant, he was, after all, Yoo Giwon, once a powerful figure in their organization.

n“Sir…”

n“What.”

n“I will take him instead.”

nHis man offered to do so, but Giwon looked at them coldly.

n“Can you handle him?”

n“Huh..?”

n“This man killed two Three Circles and even injured me in an ambush. I beat him up, but he’s still alive. If he wakes up, can you hold him down?”

n“Uh- th-that’s…”

n“Then shut it and keep walking. Don’t talk nonsense, and stop annoying me.”

nAnd with that, no one dared to talk to Giwon. He was famous for not exposing his emotions and he just warned them that he was annoyed. It was not like him and that made him scarier.

n“You talk too different to others,” Dohyuk commented. His open eyes didn’t show any signs of fatigue or pain. Even if the people looked closely, the blood on Dohyuk was just a disguise. In addition, no one looked closely since Giwon had assured them.

n“I thought I had made the wrong decision.”

n“…I had no choice. They won’t believe me if I don’t do this.”

nThe answer Dohyuk gave to Giwon was this.

n-I trust you. But I can’t wait.

nGiwon couldn’t become Dohyuk’s ‘dog’ at the moment. If he agreed, Giwon was going to return to his region and try to prepare for the upcoming co-op. But Dohyuk shook his head.

n‘I need my dogs now, or else I can only ask for something else.’

nAnd this was the result. Dohyuk told Giwon to carry him on his back.

n‘If you really want to follow me…’

nThen he would have to take him to the place he wanted to go to. That was his requirement.

n‘Why…’ Giwon thought as he walked. Did he make the wrong decision? As far as he knew, Dohyuk was THE man who could stand up against the Tyrant. Dohyuk was a man with reason, or the exact opposite of the Tyrant. What he was doing now was reckless and far from reasonable.

n“You want to be taken to the region of the God of Lava.”

n“Yeah.”

nIf he didn’t want to do that, Dohyuk told him to take him to his own region and prepare to have everything in his region be wiped away. Giwon couldn’t understand what it meant, but…

n“Then I will take you to my place.”

n“…I don’t mind. Is there a reason for that?”

n“Yes.”

nThere had to be a reason.

n“The region has a system that allows the processing of those minerals and ores. And…”

nIf that place was the ‘beach’, that meant there was one more thing.

n“You can create a ship.”

nOf course, it was a long and hard process which required the help of the God of Lava’s Divine Power, and you would never know when the ship would be finished.

n“However, the Tyrant goes there every single day to check on the progress.”

n“…”

nDohyuk thought for a second and asked, “Invasion? Is he going to Seoul? Or any other place across the sea?”

n“…I guess so. But…”

nGiwon hesitated and spoke.

n“I’m guessing it’s about the girl. He knows it will take a long time for the ship to be built, but he still visits in hopes of setting sail to go find the woman he loves.”

n“…What woman?”

nDohyuk was surprised.

n“In the previous life, he saw a woman. He saw her only once, but it was enough for him to fall madly in love with her. He tried hard to get her as his own, but he couldn’t.”

n“Because she wasn’t around?”

n“Yeah, it was because she was the Swordmaster.”

nSwordmaster – the title rang a bell.

n“Phenomenal…”

nOne of the Phenomenal Nine, or the people that were as strong as Dohyuk himself. He did not think about it much, but they too would be living this world without any memories.

nIf they were still alive, that is.

n“Not many know this. I don’t think the ‘North’ knows it at all. It was the reason why the Tyrant decided to go attack you.”

n“…Wait.”

nDohyuk stopped him. “Did I miss something there?”

nThey were just talking about Tyrant falling in love with one of the Phenomenal Nine. But why did his name pop up?

n“Oh, no. You haven’t,” Giwon answered. The Tyrant did not get the woman.

n“It was jealousy.”

nDohyuk did.

n