NOVPUBSeong Hyeongwoo had decided to use his death and body, but he could not leave behind powerful abilities.
The stronger the ability, the higher the chance of it being discovered.
If he had used abilities like recording all the conversations around his body, there would have been tremendous progress in gathering information, but that was impossible.
Seong Hyeongwoo had considered this point and found a way to leave information in a precarious manner.
"Did he change the properties of his skin and hair to absorb the information about the places he stayed, the traces?"
"Quite a primitive and inefficient ability. Given the consumed energy and time, the amount of information gained is minimal, which is why no one uses this method. It likely went unnoticed."
Qinglong and Yeong Jegun immediately figured out what kind of ability Seong Hyeongwoo had used and admired it.
Seeing the two dragons speak like that, it seemed Seong Hyeongwoo had chosen his ability with great caution.
Hwang Jiho asked Seong Guk-eon.
"Can we tell where this body stayed at different times?"
"I guess we'll find out if we try. After grandfather passed away, he used his ability, so there’s a high chance the information was lost."
When Seong Hyeongwoo implanted information into the AI, there had been data loss.
While the principle and process were slightly different from using abilities on the body, it was not strange that information loss occurred in the body after death.
‘He must have known his body would be used, but he found a way to gather information. I hope the loss wasn’t too great...’
The information left on the body held Seong Hyeongwoo’s deep intentions, and the information itself was incredibly useful.
If we succeeded in fully reading the information, we could pinpoint the enemy's hideout, their movement routes, and the location of the garden.
If we knew the time as well, we could reveal the accomplices.
Tracking those who had been in those places at those times would provide answers.
“I’ll help minimize the loss. If you need help, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“I’ll help too.”
Hwang Jiho and Qinglong also felt the importance of it and added their support.
Seong Guk-eon didn’t refuse their help.
"Can you assign someone skilled in information analysis? My grandfather would rest easier knowing that."
Though Seong Hyeongwoo had firmly refused resurrection, it didn’t seem like his soul was peacefully resting, forgetting the world.
Having left behind such precious clues, it seemed like he was waiting and trusting someone to find them.
If it were me, I would never rest in peace.
In Flamago, no one had found those clues by the end.
Moreover, just before dying, Seong Guk-eon and his confidant Jeon Muyeong had been affected by Seong Hyeongwoo's abilities.
It was the Windlord and Usha who had killed them in Flamago, but they too had been attacked by Seong Hyeongwoo’s abilities.
‘But now Seong Hyeongwoo’s abilities won’t attack anyone. All the clues he left have been discovered.’
I hoped this would bring peace to his soul.
If I had the chance to speak with the Guardian of the Cycle of Reincarnation, perhaps I could ask about Seong Hyeongwoo.
At least if I could find out if he passed through the Cycle of Reincarnation and if he was still lingering there, it would be good.
If it were Seong Hyeongwoo, I thought he would have quickly passed through the Cycle of Reincarnation, turning his back on lingering attachments to erase the possibility of resurrection.
“I’ll assign Jeokho to assist. He’s the right person to hide Seong Hyeongwoo’s body and analyze the information.”
“Understood. I will report as soon as the information is analyzed.”
It seemed like Jeokho would be in charge of handling Seong Hyeongwoo’s body.
Within the noble clan, Jeokho handled information gathering, and as a shadow, he could easily hide the body without it being discovered, making him the perfect choice.
I felt relieved knowing that Jeokho would be with Seong Guk-eon for the time being.
‘There will be many dangers while Seong Guk-eon lives with one eye. But with Jeokho around, those risks will be greatly reduced. I’m glad.’
I felt that I could leave Seong Guk-eon and Seong Hyeongwoo’s matters in Jeokho’s hands.
Hwang Jiho immediately moved on to the next topic.
“Cheon Dong-ha has sent a report summarizing everything he observed around Tan Nae-jung. Let’s check it.”
Hwang Jiho handed over the holographic report.
The report was impressively organized and neatly arranged.
The request I made to Cheon Dong-ha to examine the area around Tan Nae-jung had been vague, but he had accurately grasped what to observe and compiled it into the report.
Cheon Dong-ha had carefully examined the situation right before and after the transfer involving Maeng Hyo-don, using his ability, ‘The Eye that Holds Heaven and Earth.’
‘The strange flow of the energy just before the transfer, the energy that was sucked into the Youth Player Preparation Center, the transfer that occurred in the Korean restaurant where Maeng Hyo-don and his teacher were, and the strange movements of those who were involved afterward...’
Reading the report, I felt like I had seen the chaotic situation around Tan Nae-jung firsthand.
Cheon Dong-ha had also compiled a list of the main culprits, accomplices, and those suspected of being involved.
From the group that had tried to attack after absorbing and neutralizing the energy of the noble clan, to the individuals who had used strange devices at the Youth Player Preparation Center, and even the staff who had fled the Korean restaurant—it was all there.
“I’ve already reviewed this report beforehand. I also sent it directly to Hong Gyu-bin. The Regulation Enforcement Division will take care of the players that can be processed according to the Player Association’s regulations.”
“The trash that can’t be processed by the association’s regulations is included as well.”
“Those will be handled on our side. Since I plan to make a big deal with Hwang Rok, I need to prepare materials on our side as well.”
I felt an eerie sensation during the conversation between Hwang Jiho and Jeokho.
Hwang Rok, the leader of the Green Clan, appeared to be a kind and smart individual, but the potions he created were anything but kind.
“Are you talking about Hwang Rok, the one from the Green Clan? He’s been too busy to take orders lately, but it seems like he’s doing good business with the noble clan.”
“It’s true that Hwang Rok is busy. Didn’t you almost fall victim to his energy poison? The antidote he made isn’t perfect, so there’s still room for research.”
Had the dragon clan also dealt with Hwang Rok?
Well, since he was competent, it wouldn’t be surprising if the dragon clan also placed orders with him.
It was easy to imagine the dragon clan frantically making potions for their descendants’ health.
“Even so, I can’t neglect the benefactor of the noble clan, so we’re handling the trade carefully.”
“I see. If it’s for the benefactor of the dragon clan, we’ll support it in any way. If the materials for the trade are lacking, feel free to let us know.”
“We’ll manage the trade without your help.”
The conversation between Hwang Jiho and Qinglong hinted at a very ominous future, but I chose not to dwell on it.
There was no point in fearing a future that involved elements beyond my control.
Instead of agonizing over a dreadful future, it would be more helpful to focus on preparing an escape route.
“Let’s look at the last page of the report. Cheon Dong-ha personally added a note. Although there’s no clear evidence, he wanted it checked.”
It was odd that Cheon Dong-ha had added a note without clear evidence.
But seeing that he had written it, it seemed like he believed it was important.
The last page contained information about the Youth Player Preparation Center.
‘The Youth Player Preparation Center was a bit different from the Energy Center where many students from Eungwang High, like Yoo Sang-hee, Do Won-woo, Oh Hye-ji, and Joo Soo-hyuk, attended.’
In this world, there were energy centers that supported those who awakened abilities in their childhood.
The Energy Centers were run with support from the Player Association and various energy research institutes, targeting preschoolers and elementary school students.
Once they became familiar with controlling their powers without interfering with daily life, they would receive a completion certificate and leave the center.
However, there were those who still struggled with controlling their powers even as middle school students, and those who awakened their powers during middle school.
The Youth Player Preparation Center was for those individuals.
‘Attending the center isn’t mandatory. Many students enrolled at Eungwang High without ever attending a center.’
As I thought about the information related to the center, a bad feeling began to grow.
Listening to Hwang Jiho, that feeling slowly solidified into something tangible.
“I heard that the TC Research Institute has supported the center around Tan Nae-jung. It wasn’t just TC Research Institute, but I can’t be sure, yet there’s a chance that TC is involved with this strange energy phenomenon.”
Cheon Dong-ha, having many connections with the TC Group, likely knew a lot from what he had heard and seen.
He must have pieced together clues from random overheard words, memos, schedules, and concluded that there might be a connection.
Although there was no concrete evidence, it seemed almost certain that TC was involved.
“Joo Soo-hyuk immediately reported some information through the ‘Hwang Jiho’ device. This was also related to the same center. It was information that Maeng Hyo-don’s middle school teacher discovered.”
Maeng Hyo-don’s middle school teacher had suspected something regarding the strange phenomenon the Tan Nae-jung student had experienced.
So they had bought an energy measurement kit and run experiments, coming to a hypothesis.
‘After visiting the center, the energy levels dropped drastically? Maeng Hyo-don didn’t attend the center, and there were so few players from Tan Nae-jung...’
It felt like chess pieces were moving chaotically in my mind.
The students who had attended the center near Tan Nae-jung.
The involvement of the TC Research Institute.
The situation of those who had attended the energy centers.
Combining all of this, I reached a conclusion.
“TC Research Institute isn’t just researching how to steal energy.”
“Did you figure something out? Tell me.”
It wasn’t that I had figured everything out, but when I linked my thoughts together, the pieces fit.
I answered Hwang Jiho’s question.
“TC Research Institute has previously accelerated the awakening of players who hadn’t fully awakened their abilities.”
Qinglong and Yeong Jegun immediately understood what I was referring to.
The player I was talking about was Yoo Sang-hoon.
Even before fully awakening his abilities, Yoo Sang-hoon had absorbed shockwaves from around him, influenced by Gwangrim, nearly dying in the process.
Yoo Sang-hee had asked for TC Research Institute’s help to save him, and Yoo Sang-hoon had survived by fully awakening his powers.
To pay the price for that, Yoo Sang-hee had been forced to cooperate with the experiments.
“And they might have also researched how to accelerate other people’s abilities using the accumulated energy.”
It might not be enough to say they just accelerated abilities.
I organized my thoughts and said again.
“The enemy didn’t just steal energy; they must have figured out how to gather it and use it. Just like how they used the energy of fate, they might have prepared to use the energy of countless others.”
It didn’t seem like the mastermind had only targeted the center near Tan Nae-jung.
Those born with abilities made up 20% of the population.
And only 15% could maintain their abilities until the age of 17.
The mastermind might have been targeting the lost 5% of energy.
