Chapter 25: Preparation
"Then please send the materials over. I'll contact you as soon as the cure is ready."
"Yes, please go inside!"
Park Jin-wook bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle by the door. From a distance, he resembled a mobster attending to a young master of some organization.
As the office door closed behind him, Si-moon turned around.
"Aren't you coming in?"
It was his younger brother Kim Si-hyuk, who had remained silent until now.
"Hyung, I don’t understand."
"What? That I can create a cure for Magic Petrification Syndrome?"
"That too, but why suddenly... are you investigating people? Are you looking into what happened ten years ago? Ugh!"
Si-hyuk’s head jerked back with an uneasy expression. To be precise, he had intentionally jerked it back himself.
Because.
"H-hyung?"
"Quit the act, brat."
His saint-like hyung had flicked his forehead. To a Ranker, the motion was so slow it might as well have been a yawn, but Si-hyuk didn’t even consider dodging his brother’s hand.
Well, it was also a small indulgence that brought back childhood nostalgia.
Whether aware of his brother’s feelings or not,
"I told you, it was an accident."
Si-moon chuckled as he watched his brother clutch his forehead.
"An accident..."
"Yeah, an accident! The suspects were notorious awakened criminals, weren’t they? We just got bitten by some lunatics. More importantly—"
Suddenly serious, Si-moon patted his brother’s shoulder.
"It’s all in the past now."
"Hyung..."
"So Si-hyuk, and Yu-jeong too—I wish you’d both stop dwelling on it. It’s not something we want to remember."
Even as he spoke,
‘Honestly, it’s ridiculous that I’m the one saying this.’
Si-moon mocked himself inwardly. Before his regression, hadn’t he still been cutting off contact with his siblings at this point?
It had been the same when he met Yu-jeong. Perhaps in some tiny corner of his heart,
He might have unknowingly resented his siblings. Especially during his younger years like these.
But.
‘Not anymore.’
He had cleared the air when speaking with Si-hyuk from his previous life. No—he had already corrected his mindset long before that. The decade of isolation had been more than enough time to reflect on his past self.
"Stop clinging to the past and look forward."
"Not to sound rude... but I never imagined you’d say something like this."
"Yeah. Surprising, right?"
To change the future, one shouldn’t remain shackled to the past.
Wasn’t he himself the prime example of success, having recovered from Mana Disability and now walking a different path?
Therefore.
"Shake off the past and move forward. Your future’s bright, isn’t it?"
This brilliant younger brother needed to advance. Especially since he’d become Earth’s hope.
"You know national power hinges on the number of Rankers, right? Expectations for you are high."
"...Didn’t know you were such a patriot."
"Brat. I’m not. I’m just worried about losing my Affiliation."
"Affiliation?"
"It’s in the status window."
"Ah."
Si-hyuk nodded slightly before tilting his head.
"But does Affiliation even matter? As far as I know, it’s the only useless entry in the status window."
Si-moon blinked at the question. Having lived as a stateless refugee, he knew exactly how crucial Affiliation was.
[Category lost. Deactivating.]
Along with that damned system message,
Penalties would lock him out of achievement stores and other functions, ultimately leading to the most fatal outcome for a player: stagnation.
But.
‘No one understands its importance yet.’
Since this wasn’t the regular Arena, there was no risk of losing Affiliation.
Rolling his eyes naturally, Si-moon continued,
"I’ve obtained some information about Affiliation."
"Information?"
Si-hyuk’s head tilted further, curiosity brimming.
"Earlier, when you checked Senior’s transaction history too... Do you have a good informant?"
To any passerby, he looked the picture of innocence and integrity.
"Strange. If you have such a source, why bother entrusting tasks to Senior?"
One of the brat’s eyebrows arched sharply, suspicion clear.
‘Brat. Still sharp as ever.’
Contrary to his pure appearance,
This exceptional brother had always been perceptive.
But.
"Sigh. I wasn’t going to tell even you, but..."
Having long recognized his brother’s exceptionalism since childhood,
Si-moon retrieved his pre-prepared answer without hesitation.
"Consider this hyung’s generosity. Inventory."
What appeared in his hand was—
"A mineral? Why this?"
"Stop yapping and check the info."
After inspecting the information window,
"Hyung! This is—!"
Si-hyuk’s eyes widened.
"Right. An entry item. Got lucky."
"Unbelievable! I’ve only seen entry items a handful of times! Wait. Getting this means..."
"Yeah. I’ve recovered from Mana Disability. Finished my rank placements recently."
"Ah."
The Ranker—practically inhuman—collapsed weakly to the floor. While shocking to outsiders,
This reaction was entirely natural for Si-hyuk.
‘Hyung’s Mana Disability... is cured?’
The Arena illness caused by him and Lee Yu-jeong.
The same Mana Disability that had stolen a future with a Mana stat of 10.
The guilt of ruining the future of the only person he’d relied on since childhood was beyond description.
Yet that illness was cured?
As if reading his mind,
"Tsk. Making me repeat myself, brat."
Si-moon pulled his brother up with a bitter smile, casually dusting off his clothes.
"Didn’t I say to let go of the past?"
"B-but hyung!"
"What? Grown enough to talk back?"
Si-hyuk’s mouth snapped shut. His eyes, brimming with unasked questions, glared intensely.
Si-moon ignored them.
"Anyway, the info about Affiliation came from obtaining this entry item. Remember that."
Perhaps sensing his brother’s reluctance to discuss the past further,
Si-hyuk dropped the subject of Mana Disability.
"I see... So you learned this through the entry item?"
"Yeah. Notice the X-grade rating? Obviously unusual."
"True. I’ve never seen X-grade before."
Considering entry items were typically obtained through quests,
It wasn’t strange for Si-moon to have gained Affiliation-related knowledge.
‘Brat. Trusting me so easily.’
Though slightly guilt-ridden by his brother’s lack of suspicion,
Si-moon stored the [Doria’s Mithril Ore] entry item into his inventory.
"Details will have to wait until entry, but losing Affiliation brings no benefits."
"Definitely... If it’s linked to entry items, that makes sense. Special Arenas always give good intel."
"Right. Seems Affiliation will matter later, so keep it in mind. You’re a Ranker."
"Got it. Thanks for the info."
Not that it mattered much.
The established Affiliation couldn’t be changed anyway.
"Anyway, I need to prepare for the Arena. Contact me if needed."
"Okay. Ah! Hyung."
As Si-moon lazily waved goodbye,
Si-hyuk cautiously grabbed his sleeve.
"Since you’ve finished placements... If you’re entering Special Arenas too..."
"Mention power-leveling again and you’re dead. Don’t you know it stunts growth?"
Startled, Si-hyuk hesitantly added,
"...No, I meant giving you gear. You’re a magic type, right? Early-game magic gear is hard to get."
"Alchemist, to be precise. But I don’t need it."
Not because alchemists were unaffected by gear.
He could confidently say he benefited from gear more than anyone—hadn’t he wielded mythical-tier weapons?
Simply put—
‘It’s better to have no items right now.’
His matchmaking MMR was already absurd.
With better gear, he dreaded to imagine what opponents he’d face.
For now, staying unequipped was preferable—with the bonus of luring enemies into complacency.
"Classic hyung. Fine."
"Don’t ‘classic’ me. I’m leaving. Keep in touch."
"Okay. Be careful."
As Si-hyuk nodded regretfully,
Si-moon paused mid-turn.
"Wait. Si-hyuk."
"What?"
"How do you dispose of material items from the Arena?"
"Materials? I dump them at the Agora or trash them. They’re not useful."
Exactly.
‘Rankers don’t care about common materials.’
Though decent materials might drop for a Ranker,
Unless it was high-value like mithril, they held little interest.
To Rankers, material items were mere junk.
Grinning, Si-moon declared,
"Si-hyuk, on second thought, there is something you can give me."
Creak.
The door closed.
The refreshingly handsome young man trudged in and flopped onto the sofa.
"What, you’re still here?"
"Why would I go? It’s my rare day off."
"Y’know, you could at least try to be half as capable as your hyung."
"Impossible. I’ll never match him."
"You little shit."
"I mean it..."
Park Jin-wook shook his head at his junior’s disgustingly sincere muttering.
"So, what now?"
"About what?"
"Your precious hyung. You gonna power-level him?"
The Kim Si-hyuk Park knew would never stoop to power-leveling.
But seeing how he’d treated Kim Si-moon earlier, even that seemed possible.
"He declined."
"Declined? Phrasing’s odd."
"Literally. Hyung said no to power-leveling."
Park Jin-wook’s eyes bulged as he pulled out a fresh cigarette.
Wasn’t this absurd?
"Seriously? He refused your power-leveling?"
This was a Ranker’s offer.
Though it involved tedious prep work and penalties,
For a newbie fresh out of placements, refusing was unthinkable.
"He said power-leveling hampers proper growth."
"Eh? Pfft—HAHAHA!"
Park Jin-wook burst into roaring laughter, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Ha! The more I see, the more I like him. A placements rookie knowing that?"
"Our hyung’s always been exceptional. Since we were kids."
"True. The way he handled me earlier wasn’t normal."
When had anyone ever toyed with the Night Hunter like that?
Undoubtedly,
Today marked Park Jin-wook’s most emotionally turbulent day since contracting Magic Petrification Syndrome.
‘Blood runs thick, I guess.’
He lit his cigarette with a wry smile.
"What about gear support? Declined that too?"
"Yes. He said alchemists don’t need it. Asked for materials instead."
"Materials... Smart. Alchemists are notoriously gear-independent."
He didn’t ask why such a sensible person chose alchemy.
‘Someone like him has his reasons.’
This low-level had dared play hardball with a Diamond-rank assassin, even mentioning a nonexistent cure for Magic Petrification.
‘He’s full of surprises.’
His Diamond-ranked assassin instincts buzzed—something about Kim Si-moon intrigued him.
"Guess I’ll expedite the request for our esteemed client awaiting his cure."
"Speaking of which..."
Si-hyuk lifted his head from the sofa.
"That woman—Ko Mal-sook, was it?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Investigate her thoroughly."
"I never half-ass jobs—wait. You want this separate from your hyung’s request?"
"Yes. Everything—background, history, player traits if she’s one."
"You little... Didn’t take you for the type to steal your hyung’s wom—"
"Senior, I’m well-rested from skipping Arena today."
Si-hyuk’s fist clenched, veins bulging, as his serene smile remained. Even a Diamond-rank assassin gulped.
"Ahem! Just kidding! Why investigate separately?"
Si-hyuk glared before sighing at the ceiling.
"Hyung’s hiding something."
"Hiding? The cure’s a scam?"
"No, not that... There’s something else I don’t know."
"Then why dig? He clearly doesn’t want to talk."
"True, but..."
Si-hyuk’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"It feels like ten years ago."
"Similar feeling?"
"Yeah. That ‘Don’t worry, just stay hidden’ vibe."
At Si-hyuk’s quiet murmur,
Park Jin-wook silently smoked. He knew how terrifying this junior became whenever the decade-old incident was mentioned.
White smoke drifted past Si-hyuk’s upward gaze. Normally, he’d complain about the smoke, but—
"I hate it now."
Si-hyuk inhaled deeply instead.
"Being protected from behind someone’s shadow.”
