Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World – Chapter 64

Author: rolypoly

“There was movement with the representative’s ball?”

It was Ha Cheongwon who threw the question.

“Yes! Now, everyone, please take out your balls. Come on, quickly now. That’s right. Yes, yes. Good. Take them out in order. Now, there’s one person over there who hasn’t taken out their ball yet, isn’t there?”

Following her voice, all eyes turned to a single spot. At the end stood Jeong Mu-eum, who fumbled awkwardly through his pockets.

The ball he had drawn was very small, about a third the size of a ping-pong ball. So keeping it in his pocket was hardly an issue. In the first place, there was no need to hide it if it wasn’t the representative’s ball.

As soon as he confirmed his pockets were empty, Mueum thought.

‘…They shouldn’t have known I was the representative.’

The Gate had opened as soon as the game began. There was no time to identify the representative; it was a situation of pure chaos due to the Red Gate. In the midst of all that, the ball disappeared?

“…Yes. The ball’s gone.”

“Whaaat? Whyyy?”

Yoo Jian dashed over and rummaged through Jeong Mueum’s pockets.

They were empty. Totally empty! Ugh. Letting out a groan, Yoo Jian asked.

“Did you maybe lose the ball inside the gate? There wasn’t any chance to take the ball during the game. Staff member, losing the ball isn’t the same as losing the game for a representative, is it?”

“Yes, that’s correct!”

“Then it seems I must have lost it inside the gate.”

At Mueum’s words, the staff shook her head firmly.

“No! According to the results sheet I received, there is a winning team! That means the ball must have fully transferred to another team. According to the results, the person holding the ball of the representative, Jeong Mueum… is Cheongwon… Ha Cheongwon.”

Huh?

Everyone was shocked by the absurd answer. They would have sooner believed it was Yoo Hwa-shin. But what? Ha Cheongwon?

Moreover,

Ha Cheongwon was also surprised. He adjusted his crooked glasses.

“Me?”

“Oh my, you didn’t know? Let’s see, the location is… Ah! Please check the inside pocket of Ha Cheongwon’s jacket carefully.”

Following her instructions, a ball was pulled from Ha Cheongwon’s navy jacket pocket. His team’s color was red, so the ball should have been red.

“…So it is.”

What came out of the pocket was a blue ball. A black crown. It was undoubtedly the opposing team’s ball. But Ha Cheongwon had no memory of taking such a ball.

“Since Ha Cheongwon, the representative of the Red Ball Team, possessed two balls, the victory goes to the Red Ball Team. Congratulations! Everyone! Rewards related to the game will be sent via official notice later.”

She gave a light salute. Immediately after saying “Great work,” she picked up the drone that had fallen to the ground and left the area. Yoou Jian peppered her with countless questions as she walked away, but she only left behind the words, “Check it through the broadcast~!”

“Wow, it’s a relief we were on the same team as Yoo Hwashin.”

“What do you mean?”

Jin, standing beside Hwashin, whispered softly. Hwashin ignored it, watching Yoo Jian stomp her feet in frustration.

Jin ignored the reaction.

“Was leaving Ha Cheong-won outside the gate on purpose also part of that? Impressive. Haha. I thought you were just skilled, but I didn’t realize you were this clever. Really, do you not intend to join our Third Unit? My younger sibling is quiet, but I’m loud, so we’d work well together.”

“Hahaha, I’m fine regarding that. Regardless of chemistry, I want to stay in SH Unit 1.”

“That’s a shame. I won’t give up, though. Still, amazing! Hwashin’s abilities are truly versatile. Seems you have a lot of auxiliary skills. For A-rank and above, data access for skill verification is restricted, so it’s a pity.”

“Me too.”

I wanted to know about that sibling’s ability too.

“Ah! This is so annoying! Who? When? Mueum, you don’t remember? Cha Jaeha, what were you doing while the kid’s ball was being stolen?”

“I closed the gate.”

“…Right. No, well done! You did well! …See, you’re better than me. I didn’t do anything outside. But seriously, when???”

Yoo Jian tore at her hair. Hwashin, holding her arms, smiled gently.

‘I’m going to be killed by Ji-an once the broadcast airs.’

It had been a long time since he feared his mounting karma.

***

The SH Unit Workshop. The Great Clash of S-Class Heroes. Love Found in a Mini-Game? The Appearance of a Red Gate.

Videos with all sorts of provocative titles circulated the internet. A 30-minute special scheduled right after the 8 o’clock news. The raw footage, which had barely undergone editing, gained insane popularity.

Memes and short clips dominated social media and various media outlets. Of course, the highlights went to the three heroes who cleared the Red Gate dungeon.

The fact that the four of them were exceptionally good-looking sealed the deal.

Ah, sorry for the self-praise.

But facts were facts.

———–

ㄴSummary: 1. Red Gates are a newly emerged type of Gate. Dungeons exist inside new Gates, and the Gate only closes once the dimension is cleared. The danger level of Red Gates is judged to be A~S class, but since there have only been two occurrences domestically, it remains an unknown variable.

SH1 Unit was the first in the country to clear the Red Gate.

Jeong Mueum is cute. Is Cha Jaeha a god? Yoo Hwashin has somehow become an old man. Jin is a handsome domestic hero who mostly operates abroad.

ㄴThanks for the summary bbbb

ㄴ Why is Yoo Hwashin being treated like this ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Grandpa ㅠㅠ He’s a fellow hero, treat him better… he’s handsome…

ㄴI heard he turned white-haired because he overexerted himself using his ability… no teasing bb

ㄴㅋㅋㅋ What’s the point of having heroes ㅋㅋㅋㅋ They can’t even figure out the identity of that Red Gate, just everyone die

ㄴWhat are you doing in your room;;;

ㄴInstead of wasting time insulting heroes who do their jobs well, go out and get a part-time job.

————–

White-haired old man. Should he really dye his hair? In his original world, no one cared about this much hair color.

“Jian, I’m going to dye my hair—”

“Traitor.”

Right next to Hwashin, who was perched on a chair scrolling down, Yoo Jian glared at him with sharp eyes.

“It was that kind of game back then.”

“Still! A fellow SH1 unit member committing betrayal?”

“We were on different sides then, so let it slide. You attacked me right away too.”

“…Ugh. That’s true, though.”

As soon as the broadcast ended, SH1 Unit’s group chat exploded with Yoo Jian’s curses. Occasionally, Jeong Mueum chimed in.

[When did the ball move? We captured that exact scene with the drone’s miniature camera! Man, we were so shocked the moment we confirmed it. It was… right before entering the Gate, Hwashin snatched the ball from Mueum and handed it to Ha Cheongwon!]

This was because the culprit who stole the ball was revealed to be Yoo Hwashin.

He had delivered Jeong Mueum’s ball to Ha Cheongwon, and Ha Cheongwon, the representative, was safely outside. Even if Ha Cheongwon’s own ball was taken, since he held Jeong Mueum’s ball, it would be at least a draw.

“How did Hwashin know Mueum was the representative?”

“There’s a method to everything.”

Hwashin knew Jeong Mueum was the representative from the moment he saw Cha Jaeha’s team strategy.

The fact that only one person was deliberately positioned far away was itself a hint.

Of course, until then, it was just a guess.

The decisive factor was.

Word Command.

The command, ‘Representative, raise your hand,’ would have worked because Hwashin had completed the phrase. But no one raised their hand.

That meant, at least, the representative was not in that place.

Of all the heroes gathered there, the only one absent was Jeong Mueum.

Simple logic.

“I thought you had given up on the game, Hyung.”

Mueum grumbled, staring at his phone. Suho, who had been watching the bickering for a while, clenched both fists and spoke.

“Playing games and… it’s really fun. L-life here. Can I d-do it too?”

Lee Suho asked, eyes sparkling.

“Pii-!”

Pii, clinging to Hwashin’s shoulder, answered for him. Pii, what do you even know? Hwa-shin tapped Pii’s nose.

Jeong Mueum, Yoo Jian, and Hwashin gathered at the Association office again. Cha Jaeha, as SH1 Unit representative, went to report gate-related matters to the higher-ups. At the same time, they had work to do today.

“Don’t ask the traitor anything, Suho. Why don’t you follow us to Ihyeong Unnie’s place instead? She said she’s ready.”

Yoo Jian checked her phone and stood up.

Today was the day to measure Lee Suho’s rank. Now that they’d made a forged ID, they wanted to check if the abilities he used inside the Gate were still the same. However, they weren’t headed for the measurement room.

“But is this a good decision? San Ihyeong-ssi specializes in appraising byproducts or items…. Hmm, appraising a monster… no, a being from another dimension is a bit…”

“He failed in the measurement room anyway.”

That was true.

Lee Suho had completely failed the measurement in the measurement room. The scan itself wouldn’t even initiate. Like a human who didn’t exist in this world.

“So I’m saying let’s get an appraisal from Unnie first. Monster ranks aren’t measured in the measurement room either. Ah, not that I’m saying you’re a monster—”

“It’s fine.”

Lee Suho smiled brightly, the scent of saffron almost emanating from his cheerful expression.

“I’m just happy to be with you all.”

Yoo Jian’s eyebrows twitched. Deep lines formed between her brows. Really!

“…Th-this kind child! Who bullied him! Who!”

“N-noona. I can’t… breathe.”

***

– Aren’t you coming, Hyung?

– Ah, I still have reports left. Just let me know the result later~

After sending only Mueum and Jian to San Ihyeong, Hwashin went elsewhere. Pii danced excitedly on his shoulder.

From now on, should I take Pii into the gate? Left alone, he seems lonely.

Walking down the corridor, Hwashin unfolded the crumpled paper in his pocket.

He had prepared for almost a week to find the one who gave him this paper.

It hadn’t been easy. Using the subtle magic embedded in the paper, he barely traced a single thread.

He continued weaving the thread. The limited magic prevented him from drawing more than 30cm of thread, but it was enough.

“Now, Pii.”

Hwashin tied the thread lightly around Pii’s neck.

“Can you find the rift connected to this?”

He brushed Pii’s fur in the direction he wanted him to go.

“Pii!”

Pii ran off somewhere along the hallway.

Hwa-shin was certain upon seeing the writing on this paper. The bastard who wrote this is watching him. Through a ‘rift’ that is always open somewhere.

Otherwise, there was no reason to write this on a note.

The first note read, [Yoo Hwashin is alive].

The second note he just discovered read:

[Yoo Hwashin, why is that guy acting like that even after going all the way there. Sigh, how frustrating.]

It was written thus.

Unlike the first, the ink on the second wasn’t even dry yet. The wet ink meant it hadn’t been written very long ago. It even had two lines scratched through it. Clearly, they had tried to revise it and then just tossed it anywhere.

The phrasing almost seemed to speak directly to him, yet it wasn’t properly managed. Subtly irritating.

He felt like he had seen someone with this kind of vibe somewhere before.

Pii ran along the corridor, leaving the Association building. Soon, he arrived at the training center and stopped in front of a wall. The stark white wall separated the training area from the inner waiting room.

“Pii-Pii!”

Standing like a human, Ppi-ppi pointed to the bottom of the wall with a small paw.

There’s not even an ant hole, let alone a rift?

Hwashin untied the thread from Pii’s neck.

「Show me the direction your master is in.」

The end of the thread naturally directed itself to the wall Pii indicated. A very small hole was at the base.

“This?”

Pii nodded vigorously. That’s it, yes.

Hwashin unfolded the note again. In the corner, it recorded what had driven him to resolve to find the note’s owner:

[Can this guy really stop the destruction?]

With something like that written, wouldn’t it be stupid not to find them?

Unfortunately, I’m not a stupid Archmage.