The Player Who Stands Above All

Chapter 189

Raven looked at herself in the mirror, wearing the robe she had worn before.

Why was it?

It had only been a week since she had spent her days immersed in magic research in the shadows of a gangster organization, wearing a robe.

But her reflection in the mirror, wearing the robe, felt both familiar and strange, like a past self in an old photograph.

"Is it because I've been hanging out with oppa too much lately?"

Raven muttered that and, without realizing it, her lips curled up slightly.

Although her blurry eyes and dark circles, as if a dark cloud had cast a shadow, were still there, something that could be called emotion was slowly blooming on Raven's face, which had been so lifeless that it was suspected to be a mask.

After meeting Lee Shin, Raven had experienced a complete change in her world, like a baby bird that had just hatched from its egg.

In that changed world, every moment was new, amazing, happy, and enjoyable for Raven.

It was fun not only when she was looking at things or people while walking down the street or shopping at a department store, but even when she was doing work related to the Hell Cult at Lee Shin's request.

Gathering and investigating data on the Hell Cult through the internet, standing in front of the leader in disguise and acting as an apostle of God, leaving behind a book with the method of creating an LV. 5 dungeon and then guiding their movements.

Each and every one was a series of events that she couldn't even have imagined when she was locked in the warehouse.

'Have I become a little like oppa's personality?'

When she thought about it calmly, it was hard to think of this change in herself as a good change, but Raven liked her current self.

They helped each other with their work, relied on each other, and gradually became similar.

Because it felt like she was gradually approaching the image of a family she had always thought of.

"Ah, I shouldn't be like this."

Raven gently touched her face with both hands, lowered the corners of her mouth in the mirror that had gone up, and then took a light deep breath to calm her mind.

Because from now on, she had to move as her past self, according to Lee Shin's plan.

After checking her condition and judging that there was no problem, Raven placed a red crystal ball on the table and then blew mana into it.

Woong-

At that, the crystal ball flickered a few times, and then two videos appeared in the air.

In each screen, a man with long, deep blue hair like the deep sea, tied into one, and a burly man with ocher-colored hair grown messy like a lion's mane appeared.

-I came in because I was curious why you suddenly contacted me… but I don't know why a dirty mongrel is suddenly doing such an impudent thing. Thanks to you, my mood has been ruined.

The man, who was reminiscent of a sea serpent from the deep sea, muttered in a voice full of contempt.

-To think that the day would come when I would think the same as that vile snake bastard, this feels bad. It's like I've become as petty as that guy.

The man, who exuded a wildness as rough as a wild bear, received his words arrogantly.

-A mutt has a lot to say.

-Only as much as a grass snake.

The two growled at each other for a moment, as if they didn't like each other, and then looked at Raven, who had created this situation, with questioning eyes.

-Your family definitely said they would withdraw from this mission, so what on earth are you thinking, doing something like this? Or is it that a mongrel can't even sit still and wait properly?

Raven quietly faced the blatant contempt and disregard sent by the two's eyes.

Contempt and disregard.

The eyes that had always followed her, tormented her, and made her shrink.

Whenever she met those gazes, she would always feel a sense of shrinking, but strangely, now she didn't feel any of the suffocating tightness in her chest.

She knew the reason.

Because even though it was only one person, for the first time, someone else was firmly supporting her from behind.

Raven, after barely managing to suppress a chuckle, looked at the two and said.

"Shut up. Gaudi Leviathan and Jahangil Behemoth."

Raven, looking at the two's foolish expressions directed at her, chuckled without realizing it.

It seemed that receiving Lee Shin's memories had had an effect.

But she liked this change in herself.

Because it felt as if the stuffiness in her heart was slowly being released, and she felt a refreshing feeling as if she were facing the wind for the first time.

-Haha, the mongrel has gone mad.

-Have you lost your mind?

At the unexpected remark, they forgot to get angry and just stared at Raven with their mouths agape.

But gradually, as time passed, their reason, which had gone out, returned.

Gaudi Leviathan let out a hollow laugh, looking at Raven with a dumbfounded expression, but his gaze was as cold as if he would tear her to shreds at any moment.

Jahangil Behemoth let out his boiling anger as it was and glared at Raven fiercely.

"The reason I've gathered you is to share the information I've learned."

-Hah, what. Are you trying to look good to us in case you have to crawl on the floor?

"No."

Raven retorted Gaudi's cold voice indifferently.

"I'm just telling you because if you run wild without knowing anything, it could cause damage to this side as well."

At Raven's words, their eyelids narrowed.

At first, they felt anger at Raven's attitude, but the more they talked, the more the sense of unease grew rather than anger.

-Hey, mongrel. What do you mean by causing damage?

"Literally."

At Gaudi's sarcastic words, Raven said indifferently.

"It means don't move because it will interfere with me carrying out the temple's mission."

-…Are you thinking of breaking the contract between the families?

Jahangil said threateningly, grinding his teeth at Raven's unexpected rebellious appearance.

"Yes, that's right."

Raven answered lightly, as if to tease Jahangil.

In fact, Raven was enjoying herself a little as she met the two's narrowed eyes.

Raven liked Earth, which was full of happy memories, and hated Carnia, which was full of lonely memories.

She hated all the beings of Carnia who were trying to destroy Earth.

That's why, seeing them angry, she felt a refreshing feeling as if the lumps in her chest were disappearing.

"In the first place, I have no reason to keep the contract."

-Hah, interesting. It's not the first time I've seen a fool who's crazy to die, but a guy like you is a first. Do you even know what you're trying to do right now? It's an act that will completely ruin the deal.

"Of course."

Because that was the goal in the first place.

Whether by her own will or by others, Raven had come to this place as a representative of the Ziz family, and the Ziz family had gained enormous benefits from the other two families in exchange for giving up this mission.

As it was a deal for a mission with the merit of a direct order from the divine child at stake, this deal was an important one that the three families could not ignore.

In that situation, Raven suddenly breaks the deal and declares her participation in the mission?

The three families were so at odds with each other that even their servants would have a power struggle when they met, so it was obvious what would happen between the three families due to Raven's actions.

The three families would start to tear each other apart, and among them, the Ziz family would suffer the most damage.

"But…"

Raven looked at Gaudi and said in a voice filled with sincerity that she had been suppressing, not acting.

"I have no reason to care about them."

She had waited quietly without even rebelling, unable to shake off a single lingering attachment, but in the end, to them, she was just a tool to be used and thrown away.

So she felt that she had to give them a big blow to feel refreshed.

-Are you planning on holding out on Earth until the world is absorbed? But even so, when the world is absorbed, the ducal family will come to get you. And you will be tortured by them until you die.

"I'll achieve merit and enter the temple. If I belong to the temple, even a ducal family can't touch me easily."

Although she had no intention of doing so, she couldn't just stand still, so Raven said as if she had her own thoughts.

At Raven's excuse, Jahangil's eyes became even fiercer.

-You underestimate the nobles too much.

"Because you're just the temple's dogs. And even if I die, it doesn't matter."

Raven muttered with eyes that were sunken deeper than usual.

"If I can give the Ziz family a big blow, that's what I want."

The two, who felt the sincerity in Raven's words, felt their heads become complicated.

'Hah, I definitely thought it would be okay because she was a doll-like girl with no self-assertion, but I shouldn't have trusted the bird-brains.'

'Damn it, that beast bastard is annoying enough, do I have to be wary of the bird too?'

As they closed their mouths coldly, Raven said in a low voice.

"Let's stop the small talk and get to the main point."

-The main point… the one you said at first, that you would share information so we don't cause trouble and harm you?

"That's right."

Raven, satisfied that she didn't have to explain again, continued the words she had stopped.

-Hmph, it seems you've become arrogant just because you received the same mission. Don't put a lowly thing like you on the same level as me.

Although he didn't want to admit it, Jahangil's words were correct.

Unlike Raven, they had been called geniuses since they were young and had grown up receiving all the support from their families.

So to shut their mouths, she had to present the cold wall of reality.

"It seems you're misunderstanding something, but that's what I should be saying. I've already collected enough magic stones to create an LV. 5 dungeon. And I'm smoothly gathering information about Gaia's hero."

-What did you say?

-Is that true?

At Raven's words, Gaudi's and Jahangil's expressions stiffened.

At that, Raven nodded her head without any hesitation.

It was true that she could create an LV. 5 dungeon just by using the magic stones rolling around in Lee Shin's house, and since Lee Shin already had information about Gaia's hero, it was actually the truth.

"You guys must have also received basic information before coming to Earth, so you know that it's not an environment where you can't use your power freely, right?"

-…

-…

The two looked at Raven with complicated expressions, silent.

"Move cautiously, gathering information by catching and dealing with the guys in the back alleys with the power you have. This is a warning."

Raven shot at them in a cold voice filled with the resentment she had been holding back.

"A warning not to annoy me by running wild, spitting out information, and dying."

Raven ended her words with that and then turned off the video signal as if her business was over.

But the two could not leave easily and were lost in thought.

-An unexpected variable.

-Tsk, I don't want to admit it, but I have no choice but to admit it.

And soon, the two looked at each other and expressed their honest feelings.

It was true that Raven was below the two.

But her skills were not so low that she could be completely ignored.

Because she was also a skilled person who had reached LV. 5.

On top of that, there was one more thing that the two thought was threatening.

The fact that Raven was a mage.

The reason the two's families had accepted a humiliating deal and tried to exclude the Ziz family from the mission was because the Ziz family could be the most active in a mission like this.

While the two's families had mainly trained in martial arts and aura, the Ziz family had mainly trained in magic.

It wasn't that martial arts and aura were inferior to magic, but in a mission like this, magic, which had endless applications, was bound to be advantageous.

-Hey, what do you think about what that mongrel just said?

-I don't think it's true.

Jahangil said, grinding his teeth.

-But the problem is that even if only half of it is true, she's still far ahead of us.

-Is that so?

The two's expressions became serious.

The two had accepted this mission to solidify their position as the next head of the family.

But to fail the mission and return to the family, defeated by a mongrel from the Ziz family?

They would fall to a position where they would have to worry about how not to be kicked out of the family, not how to become the next head of the family.

-Tsk, I guess there's no choice.

-Hah, how annoying.

That's why the priority was clear.

The two looked at each other's faces, realized they had the same thought, and opened their mouths.

-Strategic cooperation until we kill the mongrel.

-I agree. Let's make killing that one our top priority.

Of course, they didn't think of this alliance as solid.

But their judgment was that it was much better than nothing.

-Still, it's a problem. There's no way to deal with her.

-Huh? Why is there no way?

At Jahangil's words, Gaudi smiled, his lips splitting wide like a snake's.

-That one gave us more than enough clues.

(End of Chapter)