Chapter 190
Chapter 190. To the Edge of the Earth (3)
Around the time Yoo Ji-han’s party was moving through Haenam.
Ha Seong-tae stared at the monitor with bloodshot eyes.
“Ah, my eyes hurt.”
Rubbing his eyes with his hand, he applied a drop of eye drops to each eye from the bottle sitting on his desk.
Due to his job, which required long hours in front of the monitor, he often suffered from dry eyes.
Once his eye area felt moist from the eye drops, he fixed his gaze back on the monitor.
His attention was glued to the hero community bulletin board updating in real-time.
Currently, communication with the expeditionary force that had gone down to the region was cut off, so vivid information was being posted by citizens who had fled to the metropolitan area.
“Happy Time and Zhuge started engaging monsters in Goheung, and Red Hole has also lost contact with the rear guard.”
While it seemed a bit slow for field information to make it to the internet, it was much faster to acquire info via social media like this compared to checking news flashes written by reporters.
“The Yoo Ji-han party still hasn’t reported in.”
What worried Ha Seong-tae the most was the filming contract with the Sweet Fun’s Yoo Ji-han party.
They weren’t affiliated with a large guild, but followed Dice’s expedition, making it tough to gather news about them.
Thus, he couldn’t help but keep his eyes glued to the monitor, hoping to glean even the smallest tidbit.
“Sigh, was suggesting filming a bad idea…?”
He wondered if the filming would be a hindrance to Yoo Ji-han’s party in such a critical situation.
Feeling an inexplicable guilt towards them, he worried they might be distracted during their battle because of the filming.
Unable to overcome his anxiety, Ha Seong-tae bit his thumb nail.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Only the sound of his nails being chewed echoed in the quiet room.
After biting through all the white-grown thumb nails and making the edges rough with bite marks, he finally managed to stop himself.
Then it happened.
“Oh!”
A post mentioning the Dice Guild appeared on the hero community.
Hastily clicking on the post with his mouse, he was greeted with astonishing information from the author, who referred to themselves as a Rank 2 Hero of Dice.
“Ji-han is leading the expeditionary force on behalf of Red Hole’s Jung Gi-jun?!”
Red Hole’s vice guild master, Jung Gi-jun, had personally designated Yoo Ji-han as the expedition leader.
With many agreeing, he had become a co-leader alongside Park Jae-kyung.
To top it off, the hero who posted this had taken the rescued citizens to the metropolitan area where communication was possible and didn’t hold back on praising Yoo Ji-han.
[……He lured the mobs coming at us solo and saw through the illusion magic, guiding the expeditionary force on the right path.]
[No exaggeration, the Spirit Master Yoo Ji-han was outstanding. It’s the first time I’ve praised a hero I have no acquaintance with like this. He’s truly a friend with remarkable bravery.]
[I never understood why the vice guild master kept outsiders by his side, but now it’s starting to make sense…]
The post, detailing vivid experiences from an on-site hero, quickly received a significant number of upvotes, registering as the day’s popular post.
Every time Ha Seong-tae refreshed the page, the comments increased by at least five.
Most comments mentioned Yoo Ji-han’s party.
Some wondered if their achievements were real, while others scolded them not to spread false information in such a critical situation.
With countless reactions flowing, Ha Seong-tae felt his heart racing.
‘If everything written here is true… it’s amazing!’
He had thought that Yoo Ji-han’s party would contribute somewhat in this situation, but he never expected them to achieve this much.
If a hero with no prior acquaintance was writing such praises, what exactly had happened on the actual field?
‘I want to see it for myself!’
Regretting his earlier suggestion to film Yoo Ji-han’s party, Ha Seong-tae found himself incredibly curious about the recordings on their cameras.
Ding ding! Ding ding!
While keeping an eye on the post’s comment reactions, a call came in on Ha Seong-tae’s mobile phone resting on the desk.
“Spam calls, even at a time like this.”
It was a spam call that came in around the same time each day.
Looking at the time, he realized it was about that time for the call.
He checked his phone with a nonchalant face.
“…Huh?”
Seeing Yoo Ji-han’s name as the sender, he doubted his own eyes.
Quickly hitting the call button, he placed the phone to his ear.
—Seong-tae.
“Gah! Ji-han?!”
It was truly Yoo Ji-han’s voice.
Ha Seong-tae spoke with a trembling voice.
“What happened? Didn’t you lose communication?”
—It seems like communication is reaching here.
“Oh my! You’re okay, right?”
—I’m fine. No injuries.
“Phew, that’s a relief…”
Just as Ha Seong-tae sighed in relief.
Yoo Ji-han spoke in a serious tone.
—But I have an urgent request.
“For me? Just tell me anything.”
—We’ve already uploaded our footage to the server using the remote upload feature of the camera you provided.
“Really?”
—Yes. I’d like you to edit the video in advance.
The suggestion was to edit the footage ahead of time and release it once the situation calmed down.
After the expedition, many heroes would release their recordings, but if he published nicely edited footage quicker than anyone else, it could draw considerable attention.
Receiving such a plan from Yoo Ji-han, Ha Seong-tae excitedly sniffled.
“That’s a great idea!”
—Right?
“I’ll start working on it as soon as we hang up.”
—Please release it without needing our confirmation once the video is ready.
“Really?”
—After we leave this spot, we’ll lose communication again. I’ll trust your skills, Seong-tae.
“If that’s the case, I’ll plan to make it a series of at least two films…”
Briefly communicating the video planning process and wrapping up the call.
Ha Seong-tae manipulated the mouse to check the videos Yoo Ji-han’s party had uploaded.
“Here it is.”
All the video files shot on-site were indeed uploaded to the server.
A moment later, Ha Seong-tae shot up from his seat and dashed to the refrigerator.
Inside were high-caffeine coffee and various energy drinks.
He grabbed a handful and poured them onto the computer desk.
“Let’s go!”
Tonight.
He vowed he wouldn’t sleep for even a moment.
*
‘The rest can be left to Seong-tae.’
After finishing his call with Ha Seong-tae, Yoo Ji-han dialed Yang Ji-cheol from the Hero Department.
—Wahhh! Ji-han!!
As soon as the call connected, Yang Ji-cheol was in a panic.
Yoo Ji-han held the phone away from his ear for a moment.
“We’re in Haenam now, moving alongside Kim Hyun-tae’s party.”
—I heard through the Haenam County Office hotline. How did you end up there?
“It would take a while to explain everything, but we ended up here chasing people from another world. What’s the situation in other regions?”
—It seems the rear guard has started engaging in various areas… but I don’t know how the fighting is progressing.
For a while, the Hero Department had been focused on rooting out spies within the organization, while also managing refugees arriving from each region in cooperation with other governmental departments, pouring efforts into assisting the communication-cut expeditionary forces.
They partnered with various experts and corporations to restore the damaged communication network, but it was still challenging.
For now, they were gathering on-site information by sending heroes directly to the regions.
“If we’re lucky, we might be able to deal with them here.”
—I want to say don’t overdo it, but… there’s no helping it right now. I’ll wait for good news.
“Yes.”
Pointing out their ranks to hold Yoo Ji-han back was difficult, as he had already gone too far.
Yang Ji-cheol simply wished for the success of Yoo Ji-han’s party.
Ending the call, Yoo Ji-han glanced around.
Many were still holding onto their mobile phones.
“I will definitely defeat the people from another world! Citizens, please cheer us on!”
Kim Hyun-tae, speaking on a phone with a journalist, declared his aspirations in a bold voice.
Yoo Ji-han tuned out his voice while checking the time.
Since they had stayed here for quite some time, it was now nearly time to depart.
“Kim Hyun-tae, how much longer?”
“Just wait.”
His tone suggested it would only take a moment.
However, even 20 minutes later, they were still seated.
Click!
After handing his phone to the cameraman, Kim Hyun-tae struck a cool pose.
He clicked his picture and uploaded it to social media.
“Ooh! Maiyu gave my photo a like.”
“That singer Maiyu?”
“Wait, I’m a fan of hers!”
A lot of attention was focused on this local expedition.
Every photo uploaded was met with applause and overwhelming interest.
When a notable figure jumps into the scene and posts a picture, it can’t help but draw attention.
‘But it should be to a reasonable extent.’
Due to Kim Hyun-tae’s self-promotion, their stay took longer than anticipated.
The rest of the group finished their business, yet their departure was delayed because of him.
Seeing Kim Hyun-tae take another photo in a new pose, Yoo Ji-han approached him.
“When are we departing?”
“Just one more phone interview.”
“Didn’t you do that earlier?”
“This is a different newspaper’s interview.”
With the mention of another interview, Yoo Ji-han shook his head.
“Let’s wrap it up and get moving. We’ve been waiting a long time.”
“Tsk! Yoo Ji-han, don’t rush unnecessarily.”
“You’re the one wasting time. We can do interviews after the expedition’s done.”
“That can’t compare in value to the interview we’re currently conducting.”
Even Lee Mi-a, who had been silently watching them, finally spoke up.
“I think it’s better for us to move.”
“Mi-a! Are you siding with him just because he’s your friend?”
“Not at all.”
“Since the call came in, just five more minutes.”
Having received a call from the reporter, Kim Hyun-tae was conducting another interview, forcing Yoo Ji-han to step back.
Beside them, Hwang Joon-ho and Lim Si-yeon were browsing the web on their phones.
They already knew they couldn’t stop Kim Hyun-tae.
‘Why does he look so pathetic today?’
It wasn’t a time to be messing around, yet Kim Hyun-tae was showing such leisure.
How did I even make him the party leader for seven years?
Being an outsider from Keroes, Yoo Ji-han felt regretful towards his former self.
‘I’m sorry.’
Lee Mi-a looked at Yoo Ji-han with an exceptionally apologetic face.
Seeing the expression, Yoo Ji-han nodded lightly.
Turning back to his party members, he said, “We absolutely must depart in five minutes.”
“What about Kim Hyun-tae’s party?”
“We’ll ignore them and at least go ourselves.”
“Got it.”
Yoo Ji-han was determined to leave even if it meant leaving Kim Hyun-tae’s party behind.
But around four minutes later…
Boom!
A tremendous noise reverberated through the ground, stopping everyone in their tracks.
Yoo Ji-han’s hand naturally moved toward the sword at his waist.
“Darling? Is that you?!”
“…?!”
“Ah! I knew you were alive!”
The high-pitched voice that echoed from the sky was Jerry’s.
Riding on a gigantic bat, she looked down at Yoo Ji-han with gleaming eyes.
“Darling, I can’t hold back any longer…!”
“What?”
“Come with me. You know there’s no refusing, right?”
Smack!
Jerry stretched her palm, which she had raised to her lips, towards Yoo Ji-han.
“That woman is really persistent.”
“Seriously.”
Amidst her bizarre affection, Min Yu-ri and Kim Si-hu frowned.
But Kim Hyun-tae, recognizing the threatening expression on Jerry’s face pointing towards Yoo Ji-han, said, “Yoo Ji-han! You’re truly a traitor!”
“……”
What on earth is she talking about?
