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Memorize Chapter 211
🕑 Added 2025-07-26 07:39:20 +0000 UTCThe first week of the Player Academy, which I’d thought was going relatively smoothly, had subtle creaks that foreshadowed the discord of the second week. After the clash between Na Seung-Hye of the Dalbam Clan and Jo Eun-Yung of the Goryeo Clan, the tensions that had been simmering beneath the surface began to boil over once again.
Upon receiving the report of the incident, Park Hyun-Woo displayed superhuman patience once more. From what I heard, he politely requested Na Seung-Hye to stick to the original teaching approach.
However, Na Seung-Hye flatly rejected Park Hyun-Woo’s request. She insisted that, as the instructor assigned for the remaining nine weeks, the teaching method was her prerogative. While her argument wasn’t technically wrong, it was clearly a legalistic excuse to anyone paying attention.
Despite the disapproval of the Golden Lion Clan and its allied clans, Na Seung-Hye pushed forward with her stance. Of course, she didn’t do so purely out of stubbornness. On the surface, it looked like the Golden Lion Clan had mediated the conflict between Dalbam and Goryeo, but beneath the surface, countless clans were likely engaged in a power struggle.
As a result, the new players had to retake the magic theory training, and the rift that had barely been patched up began to widen once more.
It was still early, but signs of conflict were gradually emerging. The most obvious was the uncooperative attitude toward instructor duties. Friendly clans collaborated well, but others consistently adopted a passive stance. Requests for support were frequently rejected, and eventually, some stopped offering support altogether.
At this point, even Park Hyun-Woo, who had endured with extreme patience, finally gave up. The Golden Lion Clan’s lukewarm stance fueled growing dissatisfaction among the clans that had been relatively cooperative. He likely judged that forcing shared training would lead to another major incident.
This put me in a rather awkward position. As a neutral Free Mercenary Clan, I couldn’t expect to be left alone. Both sides began sending me so-called “love calls.” I found myself deep in thought. Aligning with one side would inevitably upset the other.
The best approach would be to play both sides, but I quickly shook my head. My clan’s potential was high, but we didn’t yet have solid recognition. Attempting to hedge my bets clumsily in this situation would likely make both sides view me unfavorably.
In the end, I had no choice but to pick a side. After much deliberation, I decided to align with the non-participating clans. Weighing the options, joining them seemed more advantageous for my future moves.
Of course, I didn’t make it blatantly obvious. Having received some consideration from the Golden Lion Clan, I felt obligated to at least do the bare minimum. I accepted support requests through Kim Han-Byeol as usual. However, outside of that, I mostly mingled with the non-participating clans in private settings. In a way, it was about keeping my options open, but it was the best approach for me at the time.
While navigating the academy’s internal politics, I didn’t forget my core purpose. The inexplicable unease I’d felt from the new players’ expressions during the clash between Na Seung-Hye and Jo Eun-Yung lingered in my mind. At the center of it was Park Hwan-Hee.
When I first saw him in the plaza, I thought he was just an interesting guy, but now I felt he was worth closely examining. I couldn’t shake the feeling that one of the many undercurrents flowing through the academy was tied to him. So, I decided to keep a close eye on him for the time being.
During the second week, my observations of Park Hwan-Hee were both strange and unremarkable. On the surface, there was nothing wrong with his behavior. He was well-mannered, polite, and ranked among the top performers among the new players.
The training, control, and residential instructors all praised Park Hwan-Hee. Some clans were already fiercely competing to recruit him, which speaks volumes about his reputation.
However, one thing bothered me: the other new players followed him to an excessive degree. At times, he almost seemed like a control instructor himself. I’d heard he’d performed impressively during the rite of passage, and his innate charisma ability could explain it to some extent.
But I had already checked his player information with my Third Eye. Because of that, I couldn’t take his outward behavior at face value.
Despite my efforts to investigate after the incident, I didn’t uncover much during the second week. The information I gathered was superficial at best. With over two months left until the academy’s completion, there was still time, but I couldn’t help feeling increasingly frustrated as the days passed.
While grappling with this frustration, I received an unexpected visitor. Well, “unexpected” isn’t quite right—I had made plans to meet her beforehand, but I’d forgotten about it amid the academy’s hectic pace.
The message came through Han-Byeol the day before the visit. The appointment was with none other than the Shadow Queen, Go Yeon-Joo, who was coming to see me. She also mentioned bringing an additional person and requested an extra entry pass.
The moment I heard this, I came up with a plan to break through the stifling situation.
*
Today marks the end of the Player Academy’s second week. Starting tomorrow, we’ll enter the third week.
The current training intensity was significantly lower compared to my time. It had increased slightly from the first week, but it was a superficial rise. The infamous grueling training of the North Continent was nowhere to be found, no matter how hard you looked.
For example, there used to be a special weekend training session where players would spar with weapons. I personally rated that training highly, but this week, they scrapped it entirely and filled the time with rest.
As an instructor, I didn’t mind the break, but I couldn’t shake a bitter feeling. Even during the summons, I had thought the North Continent was on the verge of functioning properly, but now it felt like it was slowly sinking into a quagmire.
I let out a sigh and left the instructors’ dorm. Kim Han-Byeol was nowhere to be seen. She had the day off too, but she hadn’t shown up since morning, likely busy with something until lunch.
As I exited the main building and headed toward the front gate, I spotted two players approaching from a distance. The moment I saw them, I doubted my eyes.
As I’d been told, Go Yeon-Joo didn’t come alone. She had someone with her, and upon closer inspection, I confirmed it was An-Sol, just as I’d heard yesterday. The key detail was that An-Sol was holding Go Yeon-Joo’s hand tightly, swinging it back and forth with a lively, beaming expression.
“Oppa!”
An-Sol must have spotted me approaching from the opposite direction because she spread her arms wide and ran toward me with quick, bouncing steps, throwing herself into my embrace. I hugged her back, feeling a surge of warmth, and instinctively patted her back.
“Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff.”
But her next action startled me, and I pulled her away. An-Sol looked up at me with dissatisfied eyes. I poked her puffed-up cheeks once and set her down on the ground. She immediately clung to me again.
“Oppa, I missed you!”
“…Yeah, me too.”
“Hehe.”
As I let out a deep sigh, Go Yeon-Joo, who had closed the distance, alternated her gaze between me and An-Sol with a languid smile. Her face was filled with contentment, like a proud parent watching a child reunite with their father after a long time.
“I greet the Mercenary Clan Lord,” She said.
“With that face, your words don’t carry any weight.”
“Oh, caught me, did you? Hoho. I missed you, Su-Hyeon.”
“Yeah, me too… Wait, Sol, hold on. Stop rubbing against me like that! Hey, hey! Where are you…!”
“Ughh, ughhh.”
Barely managing to peel off An-Sol, who was rubbing her head against me two or three times a second with astonishing speed, I finally spoke.
“I was a bit surprised when I got your visit notice last night. Honestly, with all the academy business, I’d completely forgotten.”
“Oh, that’s fine. I have a rough idea of what’s going on. It’s a complete mess…”
Go Yeon-Joo nodded a couple of times as she spoke, then paused and closed her mouth. She glanced around with a serious look before continuing in a noticeably quieter voice.
“Su-Hyeon, is there a good private place we could go? It’s too open here.”
“Oh, right. I know a good spot, so let’s head there. By the way, it’s surprising that the existing players haven’t swarmed you. The Shadow Queen visiting the academy, no less.”
“Oh, that? I gave them a heads-up in advance.”
“A heads-up?”
Go Yeon-Joo approached me and gently linked her arm with mine. Then, she raised her left hand. When I glanced in that direction, I saw a large basket covered with a cloth. Blinking in confusion, she winked at me with a soft smile.
“I made a homemade lunch. You must’ve been struggling with food that doesn’t suit your taste. Missed my cooking, didn’t you?”
“Huh? Uh, no, not really…”
“Oh, the heads-up wasn’t a big deal. I just told them I’m spending some quality time with you, so if anyone interrupts for a trivial reason, they’re dead.”
“…Let’s go.”
I quickly stopped what I was about to say and led Go Yeon-Joo forward. Seeing us start to walk, An-Sol swiftly slipped between us with agile movements. Go Yeon-Joo willingly made space, taking An-Sol’s left hand, while An-Sol grabbed my left hand with her right.
“Wow! A picnic! A picnic! Yay!”
An-Sol, tightly holding both our hands, swung them energetically while singing. I had specifically asked for her to be pushed hard, and she used to be intimidated by Go Yeon-Joo. Yet, in just two weeks, her attitude had done a complete 180. It was incomprehensible by normal reasoning. Tilting my head, I asked Go Yeon-Joo.
“Why’s she so excited today?”
“Hoho, the weather’s really nice, isn’t it?”
“What happened in the meantime?”
“Hohohoho. I’m hungry! Come on, let’s go. Where’s this place?”
“…”
*
Until we reached the place I’d dubbed the ‘Easter Egg,’ Go Yeon-Joo persistently avoided my gaze and didn’t answer my questions. My curiosity kept growing, but I decided to set aside my personal interest for now. I’d find out everything eventually, and besides, when I left Babara, I’d asked her to train An-Sol rigorously but with some carrots mixed in. I trusted Go Yeon-Joo had handled it well in her own way, so I took a bite of the bread she handed me.
While eating the food Go Yeon-Joo had personally prepared, I listened to updates about the clan members over the past two weeks.
“The clan members are all doing well. Some get chewed out by me daily, while others live as carefree as ever.”
“The one getting chewed out is An-Hyun, right? I asked you to whip him into shape. By the way, who’s living carefree?”
Instead of answering, she pointed forward.
“Wow! Over there! Over there!”
“…Her condition seems to have gotten worse.”
An-Sol was toddling around, eagerly chasing something. As I watched her in disbelief, a low voice brushed my ear.
“No, it’s not necessarily like that.”
“What do you mean?”
When I turned, I saw Go Yeon-Joo’s face, no longer languid but with a determined look in her eyes. She stared sharply at An-Sol and continued.
“Su-Hyeon, remember when I once called that girl a lunatic?”
“Yeah… because of that incident.”
As I nodded hesitantly, Go Yeon-Joo shifted her gaze from An-Sol to me. After staring at me intently for a moment, she spoke in a clear voice.
“I take it back.”
