The interior of the White Lion Clan’s headquarters was as clean and impressive as its exterior, and their administrative wing extended to the left of the building.

“So, do you live in this large mansion?” Shaneth asked.

“That’s right, but only the senior members who have managed to rack up a lot of contribution points get to live here,” Chris replied proudly.

The door of the last carriage opened and a few White Lion Clan members dragged the unconscious Yu Si-Do out. Yu Si-Do, whose body was bound up by the brightly shining shackles, was dragged toward an unknown location in the mansion.

Some of the White Lion Clan members gossiped.

“They say that’s an artifact our vice-captain personally brought from the temple.”

“That’s right; they say she gave up on numerous divine blessings just to get that.”

Kang Yoon-Soo and his party entered the mansion, and Amanda kindly showed them the rooms they would be staying in.

“The party will start later at 11pm. Come to the 5th floor if you want to have a drink,” Amanda said before she left.

The party members all went into their own rooms, changing into comfortable clothes and resting.

***

They then left their rooms at 11pm.

“Where’s Iris?” Henrick asked.

“She’s fast asleep so I didn’t wake her up,” Shaneth replied. As she walked down the corridor, however, she asked with a worried expression, “Isn’t it normal etiquette to dress up if you’re going to a party?”

“What does it matter? It’s not like we have debonair suits to change into or something.” Henrick grimaced.

However, what greeted them on the 5th floor was something entirely unexpected.

“…?”

There were no flashy lights or chandeliers, nor were there any musicians or bands playing any music. All of the White Lion Clan members wore casual clothes, sitting on sofas and tables. Some were even lying on sofas, and all of the booze they drank was beer, without any extravagant appetizers. They either laughed and joked or played cards with each other as they drank.

“…was I mistaken about what a party actually was?” Shaneth asked, stunned by the sight.

“Aren’t parties where stuck-up nobles act all elegant and dance around while sipping expensive wines?” Henrick added, just as surprised as Shaneth.

Kang Yoon-Soo nonchalantly answered, “It’s because they’re all Travelers.”

Come to think of it, all of them had devices on their wrists. Shaneth and Henrick could not help but feel culture shocked and left out, as the elegant socializing atmosphere they had expected was not there at all.

Chris waved his hands excitedly from afar, exclaiming, “Oh! Kang Yoon-Soo! Over here!”

Kang Yoon-Soo turned around and looked at the dumbfounded Shaneth and Henrick, saying, “This party has no etiquette or any mandatory manners. Just roam around comfortably and drink.” He went on and joined Chris’ table after advising the two.

Henrick looked around the room before grabbing a mug of black beer and sat down in the first free spot he could find. Shaneth, having been left alone, awkwardly looked around before walking to a different location.

“Is this the man our captain praised so highly?” a Western woman asked, her eyes filled with curiosity as she stared at Kang Yoon-Soo. She had flowing blonde hair, blue eyes, and a beautiful figure, and her cleavage was slightly visible due to her light outfit.

“Ah, this is Margarita. She’s from Vladivostok, Russia,” Chris introduced the blonde woman.

“Nice to meet you,” Margarita said, extending her hand and looking at Kang Yoon-Soo with a seductive gaze.

Kang Yoon-Soo lightly shook her hand and replied, “Kang Yoon-Soo.”

Apart from Chris and Margarita, Amanda and Pashu were present as well.

Kang Yoon-Soo grabbed a bottle of beer and skillfully opened the bottle cap. They all bumped their bottles and drank the cold, refreshing beer.

“Fwah! How long has it been since we had beer?” Chris exclaimed as he licked the beer foam off his lips.

Pashu thought for a moment before answering, “Exactly twenty and a half days.”

“Ew… Are you trying to show off that you were a model student?” Chris retorted mockingly with a grimace.

“Or maybe you’re just stupid,” Pashu countered with his own insult.

“Do you want to die?” Chris responded threateningly.

Chris and Pashu ended up bickering with each other, but the scene oddly made it look as if they were actual siblings. The warm evening air entered the room through the terrace.

“But when did you get the chance to meet with the captain?” Chris asked.

Amanda seemed interested and joined in on the conversation. saying, “Right, our captain does not maintain personal relationships for a long period of time if there’s no benefit in it, even though he is a nice person. This is the first time I’ve seen our captain acting so friendly and warm to someone else.”

“We met at Hiledan,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Hmm? You met at quite the remote place,” Amanda said, showing more interest.

“Just talk casually. That’s more comfortable for both of us,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Ah! Can I do that?” Amanda replied, clapping and smiling.

Pashu seemed to be upset about something and asked, “Why are you acting all cute?”

“When did I?!” Amanda protested, her face turning bright red.

It seemed they were starting to get drunk from the beer.

Chris let out a sigh and said, “Damn it… I’d give anything just to have a video call with my youngest… I wonder if that kid’s skipping school?”

“Video call? That’s a stretch. I wouldn’t wish for anything more than to just be able to video call with my family,” Amanda said, visibly seeming depressed.

Contrary to the other two, Margarita smirked and said, “If you turn on a laptop, you must play World of Rockcraft!”

“Ah! World of Rockcraft! I couldn’t ask for anything more than to run a raid while eating a slice of pepperoni pizza!” Chris despaired at the thought.

Amanda suddenly asked, “Why? Reality has turned into a game. You can also run a raid over here.”

“Hey! This and that are two entirely different things! This place is just hell!” Chris retorted, gulping down his beer in frustration.

Margarita playfully ate a cherry as she stared at Kang Yoon-Soo, asking, “What about you, Mr. Kang Yoon-Soo? What were you like back in our world?”

Kang Yoon-Soo, who had been quietly drinking his beer, replied, “I was a member of society.”

“Huh? What does that mean?” Margarita asked.

“I don’t remember,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“What…?” Margarita tilted her head in confusion.

Kang Yoon-Soo added in a low voice, “I don’t remember much about the real world…”

The only things Kang Yoon-Soo remembered about the real world was that he had parents, he was an only child, and he had not gone to college. A long time had passed since, and he had forgotten if he had friends or what his dreams for the future had been. Those things were no longer important to him.

‘If it were really important, it would’ve stayed in my memories.’

“What do you mean you don’t remember?” Margarita’s brows creased.

Chris stopped her from asking any further, saying, “Don’t be nosy. Whatever he did back, in reality, is none of our business. You’re being rude.”

Suddenly, the catchy sounds of a harmonica rang throughout the room. Han Se-Hyun was playing the harmonica while relaxing on a sofa.

“This song is Happy Day!”

“It’s been a while since I heard this!”

Happy Day was a hit song by the singer Quirell. It was a song that had ranked 1st on the Billboard charts, and it had over two billion views on Youtube. It was a song that people from all over the world could enjoy together. However, the only two Continentals at the party did not have a clue what was going on, and they could not enjoy the party at all.

Henrick came over and sat beside Shaneth, asking, “What are they talking about right now?”

Shaneth glared at Margarita and Amanda who were sitting together with Kang Yoon-Soo, then asked gloomily, “Why are you asking me that?”

“Yeah, why am I asking you that?” Henrick replied.

“Ahjussi, you’re drunk, aren’t you?” Shaneth said.

“Me? No, I’m not. By the way, why won’t you call me oppa?!” Henrick protested.

Shaneth sighed. ‘Notebook’, ‘World of Rockcraft’, those were words she would never get to understand; she felt severely alienated. She felt there was a great distance between her and Kang Yoon-Soo, who was seated around the other Travelers.

‘Why am I being like this? I’m acting like a child,’ she suddenly thought.

Margarita, on the other hand, looked at Shaneth and asked Kang Yoon-Soo, “Usually, Travelers hang out among themselves. Why do you hang out with the Continentals?”

“Yeah, I was curious about that too,” Amanda chimed in. She added, “The Continentals are just NPCs if you think about it. Why don’t you just join our clan? We would have more things in common, and we would grow stronger faster as we all try to return home.”

NPCs. They were people who lived in another world, often considered to be nothing more than extras. That was how most Travelers thought of the Continentals, and the members of the White Tiger Clan were no exception.

Kang Yoon-Soo put down his bottle for the first time and seemed about to say something to the two when suddenly…

“Now, listen up, everyone!” Han Se-Hyun stood up and called for people’s attention. He continued, “Our ambush was successful today. The key members of the Black Tiger Clan were all killed by our hands, but you might have noticed. Things went too smoothly. That’s right; there’s no way someone like Yu Si-Do would be done in so easily.”

All of the clan members were confused by their captain’s sudden statement, but Han Se-Hyun continued, “The success of our raid against the Black Tiger Clan today wasn’t my work alone, and the credit doesn’t belong to me. That credit goes to Kang Yoon-Soo. It was all thanks to the information this man gave us.”

All eyes in the room focused on Kang Yoon-Soo as Han Se-Hyun pointed him out and continued, “The location of their headquarters, the route to sneak in, and the best time to raid them. All of that information was provided by him, and without Kang Yoon-Soo, this operation isn’t something we would even have been able to attempt at all.”

A round of applause rang out through the room. Han Se-Hyun smiled as he looked at Kang Yoon-Soo and continued, “In recognition of his contributions today, I plan to recruit Kang Yoon-Soo as an executive of our White Lion Clan. I hope he’ll work and live together with us from now on.”

Shaneth flinched, trembling and looking at Kang Yoon-Soo with a nervous gaze. She was worried that he might accept Han Se-Hyun’s offer.

“He’ll start as an executive from the get-go?” a clan member asked, surprised.

Han Se-Hyun calmly nodded and said, “From my point of view, he’s someone worth that much, and he has the contributions to back it up. Is there anyone who’s against this?”

There were a few who seemed to be displeased about it, but none of them dared to raise their hand. It was the decision of the leader of their clan; who would dare go against it?

However, there was one person. A man quietly raised his hand and nonchalantly said, “I refuse.”

Silence filled the room.

Chris urgently whispered to Kang Yoon-Soo, “Hey, Kang Yoon-Soo. You might not be aware of it, but this is a really amazing offer. If you want to make it to the executive level, the amount of contribution you have to raise is equivalent to completing forty raids. Plus, there are a lot of benefits to being an executive of the White Lion Clan. This is an amazing privilege!”

“I said I refuse,” Kang Yoon-Soo reiterated.

Han Se-Hyun smiled bitterly and said, “Alright, there’s no way we can force someone to become a part of our clan. However, I want to ask the reason for your refusal. Why do you dislike the idea of working with me? If we Travelers work together, your knowledge will definitely become a big help for all of us.”

Kang Yoon-Soo glanced at Henrick and Shaneth before answering in a low voice, “It’s because I already have my own companions.”

Shaneth balled her hands into fists and gripped them tightly. Henrick raised a glass of wine to his lips, but his eyes were very much focused.

“Why do I hang out with them?” Kang Yoon-Soo began. He then poured a drink into his glass and said, “They’re my reason for being alive.”

***

Dusk fell, and Kang Yoon-Soo noticed that the clan members’ gazes toward him were unwelcoming. However, he did not care what they thought of him at all.

Some of the clan members were sprawled out on the floor, while others had made it to their own rooms and gone to sleep. Henrick was wasted on the floor; Shaneth seemed to have had a bit too much to drink herself, as she could not even prop herself up.

Kang Yoon-Soo walked toward Shaneth, whose face was red from the alcohol. The drunk woman brought her lips close to his ears and whispered, “Kang Yoon-Soo… Kang Yoon-Soo… I’m really relieved… Please stay with us… Don’t leave me… Stay with me, and let’s stay together just like this.”

Kang Yoon-Soo picked up both of them and brought them to their respective rooms. He gently placed Shaneth on her bed, laying her to sleep, but casually threw Henrick onto the floor.

He then went out into the corridor, quietly walking toward a set of stairs that led to the basement and heading downstairs.

“What business do you have here?” a clan member who was standing guard asked, with hostility in his gaze.

“Pass out,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“What?” the guard asked, confused.

“That’s what you have to do now,” Kang Yoon-Soo said as he pulled out his sword and smacked the guard in the head with its hilt. The guard perfectly carried out his job of collapsing and passing out.

A steel door secured with multiple locks was at the end of the basement corridor. Kang Yoon-Soo pulled out a pin set from his pocket and started to pick the locks.

Creak… Creak… Tadadadak… Click!

The locks opened with a few skillful movements of his hands; Kang Yoon-Soo managed to open the last lock within minutes and pushed open the door.

Creak…

A man was present on the other side of a thick window, still bound up by bright shackles. His exposed back revealed a tattoo of a large black tiger that seemed to squirm and move.

“Yu Si-Do,” Kang Yoon-Soo called out.

“…I’m sleeping. Why are you calling me?” Yu Si-Do replied with a voice that seemed to prove that he had just woken up from his sleep.

“I’ll release you now,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Crazy bastard,” Yu Si-Do replied curtly.

“In return, you have to follow me to the royal palace,” Kang Yoon-Soo continued.

“Why would you go there on this hot night?” Yu Si-Do complained.

Kang Yoon-Soo had two objectives. The first was to meet the alchemist who had created Iris and find out the secret behind the White Shadow. And the second was…

“Tonight, we’ll assassinate the emperor.”