The Player Who Stands Above All

Chapter 284

Lee Shin said as he sat on the boat, watching the river flow leisurely.

"Do we really have to go this slow?"

At Lee Shin's words, Free, who was steering the boat, slightly bowed his head.

"I'm sorry, but this is a part we cannot compromise on. We can't risk revealing the location of our headquarters by moving only through teleportation."

It wasn't a reason that was completely incomprehensible, so Lee Shin closed his mouth after letting out a deep sigh.

Still, he decided to take comfort in the fact that they weren't teleporting around here and there like Free's subordinates.

"It won't be a very long distance from now on, but to keep you from being bored on the way, I'll give you a simple introduction to our organization."

Free said so and extended the hand that wasn't holding the oar toward Lee Shin and Cheon Yuhwa, spreading two fingers.

It wasn't a bad offer, so Lee Shin and Cheon Yuhwa silently accepted his offer by looking at him.

"Our resistance is one organization, but it is basically composed of two factions. One is called the Revolutionary Faction, and the other is the Reconstruction Faction."

"Seeing as you have factions, your organization must be quite old."

Free nodded at Lee Shin's words and said.

"That's right. As far as I know, it is said to be an organization with a history of about 500 years."

Cheon Yuhwa let out a hollow laugh at the unexpected period of 500 years.

'At that point, it's not just a simple rebel organization, but another head created in the shadows.'

For Cheon Yuhwa, it was good news.

The fact that the organization she had to make her own from now on had power meant that her plans could be shortened tremendously.

It was also a good thing for Lee Shin.

Because if Cheon Yuhwa did well, he could leech off of it and take what he wanted.

"The Revolutionary Faction is a faction created with the people who were originally in this other world as its core. It's a faction with people who survived the tyranny of the church and the nobles and dream of revenge against them as its core."

Free continued with a kind, smiling face, as if he were a teacher.

"The Reconstruction Faction is a faction created with people who fell into our world from other worlds as its core. They also wish for the downfall of the church and the nobles, but what they want is a little different."

"What the Reconstruction Faction wants is to bring down the church and fill the empty space with things from their own world, to recreate their own world in this world."

Having finished his words, Free pointed at one of the boats next to them and said.

"For your information, Mr. Jark was from the Revolutionary Faction. He said he didn't like the current reality where the dragon race, which has superior power in all aspects, is persecuted, and that he would change it."

"His dream is too big for his skills."

Lee Shin's impression of Free's words was simple.

At Lee Shin's words, Free looked at him with an ambiguous smile.

"Mr. Jark is considered a considerable powerhouse in our organization. He's someone who can easily wipe out about 10 ordinary holy knights, but to think you subdued such a person with that injured body... I was impressed."

Lee Shin ignored Free's words, finding it too much trouble to answer.

It wasn't that Lee Shin disliked being praised, but as he kept being praised like this at all times, he felt more annoyed than pleased.

In another sense, he was a tiring guy to talk to.

'Hey, you ask.'

Therefore, Lee Shin decided to have Cheon Yuhwa take the lead in the conversation instead of himself.

'What are you suddenly asking me to ask?'

'Don't be annoying. If you heard the story just now, you should know that something is strange.'

At Lee Shin's telepathic message, Cheon Yuhwa looked at him with a sense of injustice.

'You should do these things. And now I'm completely out of sight, so if I do as you say, I'll be the one who stands out this time.'

'I'm not planning on stepping up much anyway, so dealing with those guys will be your job. If I do it, that guy will probably bother me again, so you do it for me while you're at it.'

Cheon Yuhwa hesitated at Lee Shin's words and then said.

'I won't attack the Ziz family until you say so. That's enough, right?'

Since he had succeeded in breaking a part of the wall in front of him this time and needed some time to organize his thoughts, this seemed fine.

'...Alright. But if you go back on your word later, you won't see a good end.'

Cheon Yuhwa also nodded at Lee Shin's words.

She was already thinking of telling Lee Shin to at least say something before he went on a rampage, so it was convenient for her that he suggested it first.

Having thus coordinated their opinions with Lee Shin, Cheon Yuhwa looked at Free and asked.

"Would it be alright if I asked you one thing?"

"Hmm? Yes, please ask anything. I'll answer as long as it's a question I can answer."

"Then I'll ask comfortably."

Cheon Yuhwa looked straight at Free and asked.

"How on earth have you guys been able to hold out until now?"

"...Yes?"

Free's face turned blank, as if he hadn't expected Cheon Yuhwa to say something like this out of the blue.

Cheon Yuhwa ignored Free's reaction and continued what she was about to say.

"Well, it's like this. If you've held out for 500 years against the church, which literally has the world in the palm of its hand, you must have a certain amount of power."

Cheon Yuhwa, who had said that, pointed at the boat where the unconscious Jark was and said.

"But if it's an organization that praises a guy of that level as strong, no matter how good their information or resources are, I don't think they could have held out for the long time of 500 years."

This was also the reason why Lee Shin and Cheon Yuhwa were surprised when Free mentioned the 500 years.

Cheon Yuhwa looked straight at Free and asked.

"I'm curious about how the organization called the resistance was able to hold out for 500 years, and what power you have."

Having finished her words, Cheon Yuhwa quietly closed her mouth.

"Well, it's not something I should say as the one who asked, but you don't have to force yourself to answer. I just asked because I was genuinely curious."

"...That's surprising. I didn't expect you to deduce that much from my words."

Free looked at Cheon Yuhwa with widened eyes, as if to say that it wasn't a lie.

At that, Lee Shin felt the uncomfortable attention that had been on him shift to Cheon Yuhwa and smiled inwardly.

"But I'm sorry, I don't think I can answer that question."

"Is it a secret, as expected?"

Free shook his head at Cheon Yuhwa's words.

"No, it is a secret, but it's not that big of a secret. It's a fact that only executives above a certain rank know, but... you all will probably find out as soon as you join the organization."

Free said as he steered the boat they were on into a cave near the river.

"Is it for internal use only?"

"Hmm, yes, that seems to be the most accurate way to put it."

Free, who had cut off his words, stopped the boat and put something into the wall.

At that, a hidden passage was revealed, and the flow of the river changed anew.

'Why do these secret society guys like this kind of thing? Is there a manual or something?'

It was when he was blankly looking at the ceiling of the cave with such thoughts.

"Huh?"

Lee Shin reflexively sat up at the strange sensation that ran up his spine.

"What's wrong all of a sudden?"

"No..."

Lee Shin hesitated for a moment, wondering how to answer, and then said.

"No, I just feel something strange."

"What?"

Cheon Yuhwa looked at Lee Shin as if to ask what he meant, and Free looked at him with a strange face.

"You're amazing. To feel that."

At Free's words, Lee Shin glared at him with eyes demanding an explanation.

"Mr. Smile probably felt the power we were talking about a moment ago."

"...You can't tell us, can you?"

Free answered Cheon Yuhwa's question with a faint smile.

At that, Cheon Yuhwa clicked her tongue quietly inwardly and changed the target of her question.

'Hey, you. Tell me in as much detail as possible what you're feeling.'

At Cheon Yuhwa's words that came into his head, Lee Shin thought about how to express it and then said.

'Should I say it feels like falling at full speed from the air into a place where a huge tiger lives? Or should I say it feels like walking into the mouth of a monster on my own two feet.'

At Lee Shin's words, Cheon Yuhwa clicked her tongue quietly.

Just as Lee Shin was excellent at reading other people's killing intent, he was also excellent at reading potential dangers.

Although he himself was using it for the purpose of jumping into danger, Cheon Yuhwa had no intention of doing so.

'You remember what I did when I used my Armament and defeated that guy called the Sword of the Earth, right?'

'Huh? Of course I remember.'

At Lee Shin's telepathic message, Cheon Yuhwa asked in a low voice.

'Three times the power I showed then, and three times the power you're feeling now, which one do you think would be more dangerous?'

This time, it was a problem that didn't require much thought, so Lee Shin answered quickly.

'Not three times, but even if it were ten times, this side seems more dangerous.'

At Lee Shin's words, Cheon Yuhwa put a hand on her forehead as if she had a headache.

And while the two were pondering so, the boat that had been continuously moving along the river finally stopped.

"Alright, we've arrived."

Free got off the boat first and said to Lee Shin, Cheon Yuhwa, and the others at the same time.

"For now, please rest comfortably here and wait. And when we call, we ask that you come out one by one."

"Why are you suddenly telling us to wait here?"

"Ah, it's nothing much."

Free said with a smile at Bodra's words.

"There will be a simple check to see if you are spies sent from the church to our side."

"What happens if we don't pass?"

Perhaps because of his habit of always imagining the worst, Eun Yeonwoo asked so without realizing it.

At that, Free looked at him as if asking why he was asking such an obvious thing and said.

"We are currently at war with the church. We are not on such good terms as to have a tea party together."

Brightly-

"Well, you won't die or anything."

To Eun Yeonwoo, those words sounded like they would have an experience where it would be better to die.