From Today, I'm a Player

Chapter 126: Set

Despite the obvious knowledge that he had no odds of winning this battle, Lee Jun-Kyeong still drew his spear. There were times when one would have to face another in battle, whether one had a chance to win or not.

‘When one shows their truth.’

This was the moment.

Lee Jun-Kyeong had expressed his intentions to the Hunter before him by drawing his spear. His intention to figure out who was behind Set, regardless of what happened next.

‘His relationship with Asgard was simply a partnership.’

While it was shocking that someone as strong as Set would sell the Nile’s information to Asgard, it was still something that was possible enough, as it meant that he wasn’t being controlled by Asgard.

However, the identity of the being Lee Jun-Kyeong had to discern right now was different.

This was a being who treated someone with the strength of Set as a subordinate, and Set was someone with enough strength to be the head of a secret organization.

“How nice,” said Set as the corner of his mouth rolled up.

A ferocious energy began to emit from his body and scimitar.

It was like the aura of a savage beast.

“By the way, did you know?” the Hunter said, slowly getting ready to swing his scimitar.

Lee Jun-Kyeong just watched him approach, having decided.

‘I’ll just endure it.’

He gathered all of his strength and focused on defense, barely listening to the voice that drifted over.

Set continued, “The red gems weren’t acquired by accident.”

Boom!

“...!”

It was almost like a black veil suddenly enveloped him. Lee Jun-Kyeong knew what was coming. It was the shadow of Set.

Before he knew it, the Hunter had appeared right next to him.

Clang!

A belated ring of steel clashing rang out.

‘I blocked it.’

A single move.

Lee Jun-Kyeong had blocked Set’s blow, which was something he hadn’t even been able to see.

‘Damn it.’

At this moment, he was grateful for all of the practice matches he had before. If it weren’t for all the spars he had conducted while he was in England, no matter how strong he would have become, he wouldn’t have been able to block that attack just now.

“As expected, my eyes haven’t been deceived. You really are quite impressive,” Set said as he stepped back.

Lee Jun-Kyeong wondered if it was in acknowledgment of someone who had defended against his attack.

Set lowered his sword and looked over at Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“The red gems weren’t acquired by accident.”

He said the same thing over again, even though Lee Jun-Kyeong hadn’t asked about it.

“That person personally gave it to me.”

Finally, he spoke about that person.

‘That person?’

It had been a long time since Lee Jun-Kyeong had heard someone be referred to in that manner.

The last time was when Choi Yeong-Seong and Jeong In-Chang had been referring to Odin. However, it was evident that the being who Set now referred to was someone else.

“I asked you earlier, didn’t I?” Set suddenly said.

“...”

"What did you think I would like to do if I were to become king?"

He continued to ask Lee Jun-Kyeong his questions, "Can I hear your answer now?"

Set finished there, seemingly waiting for Lee Jun-Kyeong to answer.

“You would…”

His trivial questions confused Lee Jun-Kyeong.

The appearance he had shown him.

The appearance he maintained for the public.

The appearance he held for his notoriety, completely different from the others.

Because of those conflicting images, Lee Jun-Kyeong was confused. He hadn’t thought that the Hunter simply just wanted power.

However, at this moment, he had finally been able to decide his answer.

“It was all fake.”

“Fake?” Set responded, his gaze showing his bemusement.

“How pathetic of me to think that you were even the tiniest bit similar to him, even for a moment.”

Set became curious instead of angry after hearing that.

“The reason you want to obtain control of the Nile…the thing you want to do after becoming King…”

Regardless of whether Set was curious or not, Lee Jun-Kyeong continued.

At this moment, his head was like a clear well.

“It’s just because you simply want to be a king.”

What did he want to do as a king?

Why did he want to be a king?

The facades that he showed?

It was all useless.

Set had given away his intentions from the very beginning.

‘What do you think I would want to do after I become king?’

He was going to become the king. He was basically asking what he would do after he had already obtained that position, holding domain over all.

“Or, in other words, you mean to become a dictator.”

“Ke…”

Set’s mouth began to twitch.

“KEHAHAHA!”

His burst of laughter seemed to tear through the tense atmosphere.

Set looked back over at Lee Jun-Kyeong with sunken eyes, and slowly, his mouth opened.

"That's correct."

***

“That person…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong hadn’t expected to hear that reference again. He repeated it to himself over and over again.

Last night, Set simply returned after exchanging a single blow with his scimitar. Lee Jun-Kyeong still couldn’t tell exactly what the Hunter wanted from him.

‘Does Asgard know that there is someone behind Set?’

He wondered if Asgard, who exchanged information with the Hunter, had known about the entity behind him. If, by chance, this was a secret that Asgard wasn't supposed to know, then there wasn’t any reason for him to just expose that secret on his own.

If that wasn’t the case, though…

‘Does he just assume that I wouldn’t talk about this with Asgard anyway?’

Lee Jun-Kyeong was stumped.

Set.

He really was someone who gave him an incredible amount of trouble.

“That person…”

As Lee Jun-Kyeong repeated it once again, Jeong In-Chang woke up, rubbing his eyes as if to chase away sleep.

“Did you not sleep?”

“Snort.”

At the sound of the Hunter waking, Fenrir also raised his head for a moment and fell asleep again.

None of them knew what had happened yesterday.

“The time has already…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong had fretted over this issue for a long time, so he guessed it was already morning already. When he checked the time, he chuckled bitterly.

“I think you should be able to sleep a little longer.”

They really were an exhausted party. Even for the Hunters, fatigue was a matter of mental strength.

It was best to relieve fatigue that accumulated from continuous movement whenever one had the chance to rest.

Jeong In-Chang moved to turn around under the blanket once again.

“By the way…” he said, stopping momentarily.

“About Set.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong looked over at Jeong In-Chang, wondering why that name had suddenly come out from the Hunter’s mouth.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot, but…”

“...”

“There is something off about him,” Jeong In-Chang said as he looked back at Lee Jun-Kyeong. “I don’t think he’s a good person.”

“Why is that?” Lee Jun-Kyeong asked.

Jeong In-Chang continued with an incomprehensible smile, “What should I say…it’s just a feeling…?”

Lee Jun-Kyeong laughed a little. To think it would simply be a feeling.

“Isn’t there something strange about him?”

“...”

“It feels like the actions he kept showing us are like some sort of tightly executed performance or a facade rather than his original appearance. He keeps…”

“He keeps getting involved with us. Whenever we saw something or were about to act, he would come forward,” Lee Jun-Kyeong finished for Jeong In-Chang.

“Yes.”

Knock, knock, knock.

There was an aura standing outside the door.

Lee Jun-Kyeong made a gesture to tell Jeong In-Chang to go back to sleep as he opened the door and went outside.

Baldur stood there with a stony expression.

"What have you done?"

As the Hunter spat out his words, he suddenly began to pressure Lee Jun-Kyeong with the surrounding mana.

Although Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t have Merlin’s Necklace or any other items on him, Lee Jun-Kyeong briefly smirked at the pressure of the solidified mana around him.

“Was there something that happened yesterday?” Baldur spat once again.

He was different from his usual self, speaking out in a fit of indisputable anger and embarrassment.

"What are you talking about?" Lee Jun-Kyeong asked innocently.

Baldur’s face distorted further.

"I don't know how much you already knew, but Set was the informant of Asgard."

“…”

"Moreover, this morning, Set suddenly said he would cut off his intelligence sharing with Asgard."

“….”

“The only reason he would suddenly act like this would have been the Underdog. You.”

Baldur glared at Lee Jun-Kyeong, his bloodlust almost palpable.

"What the hell have you done?" he snarled.

Lee Jun-Kyeong easily shook off the bloodlust, however, and Baldur’s eyes trembled in shock for a moment.

Lee Jun-Kyeong responded to him nonchalantly, “As for what I’ve done…”

Before anyone knew it, the bloodlust that Baldur was spewing out had suddenly disappeared, almost as if it had been washed away.

“I’m about to start it right now,” Lee Jun-Kyeong declared.

Set.

He would go to war against him.

***

Whether it was the sudden pressure of mana he had shown earlier, or just the glimpses of ability he had let out from time to time, it was easy to tell that Baldur wasn’t just any ordinary Hero. He was someone of even more incredible power and a greatly respected Great Hero-Grade Hunter.

Still, against his wishes, Lee Jun-Kyeong had begun to act.

Set had announced that he would cut ties with Asgard.

'It must be related to me.’

He didn’t know what Set had been thinking when he made that decision. Even after having learned about?that person that Set had been speaking about, there were still many parts he didn’t understand.

Still, all Lee Jun-Kyeong would have to do is make the next move to elicit Set’s response even if he couldn’t understand the Hunter’s actions.

"It’s nice to meet you,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said, holding someone's hand. “They call me the Underdog of Asgard. We’ve met before.”

He was talking to Bastet, the Hero he had met earlier with Inebu.

Lee Jun-Kyeong shook hands with her.

Many things had changed from that meeting. They weren’t at a secret restaurant again, and she wasn’t alone.

This place.

“Welcome to the Nile.”

It was the Nile.

He had entered the headquarters of the Nile for the first time while in Egypt.

It was within a great pyramid.

The pyramids, having been fortified by the construction and power of the Nile, were the home of the secret organization in Egypt.

Lee Jun-Kyeong had finally entered their home base.

“Odin has asked me to take better care of you,” Baldur informed Lee Jun-Kyeong.

Although he did this begrudgingly, Lee Jun-Kyeong had used Odin to force Baldur’s cooperation. Thinking that he should begin to contact the organization, the Nile, and not just one of their factions, Lee Jun-Kyeong had begun to make his move.

As he entered the Nile, Bastet led the way in front of him. Behind them was a line of Heroes.

This wasn’t just a visit by the Underdog.

Asgard.

In fact, this was a visit of Asgard and a meeting between the two organizations.

“My name is Baldur.”

“My name is Jeong In-Chang.”

“They call me Won-Hwa.

Lee Jun-Kyeong and his party greeted the welcoming congregation. Once their introductions had ended, Bastet began to lead the way.

She said politely, "Come this way, please.”

The pyramids were like a fortress and a labyrinth—a labyrinth that couldn’t be escaped from without a map.

Under her guidance, Lee Jun-Kyeong and his party traveled through the pyramid.

Although they weren’t shown any places of significance as they were from a different organization, the places they could see blatantly exuded the power of the Nile.

There were an incredible number of Hunters, a vast array of items, multitudes of traces of…

‘Research.’

The Nile seemed to be obsessed with research.

Not only were they continuously studying monsters, dissecting them to find ways to use their strength, but even beyond that, they also seemed to be studying the origins of the secrets to a Hunter’s growth.

‘If, by chance, they found out my secret ability…’

Lee Jun-Kyeong believed that he could even become the target of their research as well.

“Ah.”

Bastet suddenly halted from up ahead, and seeing that, Lee Jun-Kyeong and his party stopped in return.

“Lord Set,” Bastet called out to the man who stopped the party with a firm expression.

Set gave a slight nod of acknowledgment and began to walk away. It was an encounter completely in contrast to the intensity of their prior meetings.

Because of that.

‘Something is wrong.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong felt as though there had to have been some sort of trick. He made a move to try to elicit a response from the Hunter, and while Set did in fact, react to his actions, it still wasn’t enough just yet.

“Lady Bastet.”

As Set disappeared, Lee Jun-Kyeong called out to Bastet, who was leading the group.

"What's the matter?” Bastet asked with a stony expression, still uncomfortable after meeting Set.

However, Lee Jun-Kyeong’s response only served to make her expression even stonier.

“Where is Lord Horus?”

Silence rang out through the space where they stood.

“...”

Baldur stood in silence as if he had already had some sort of explanation from Lee Jun-Kyeong.

Lee Jun-Kyeong opened his mouth to explain to the bewildered Bastet, “I will attempt to cure Lord Horus.”

An awkward silence continued to reign.

"What do you…"

"Lady Bastet."

Another voice called out to Bastet, and the source of the voice stood the Leader of Egypt’s warguard.

“Inebu…”

There stood Inebu, and by his side, Numel.

“What the hell are you…”

Not knowing what was going on, Bastet frowned unpleasantly.

They were in the midst of a visit from Asgard, but for some reason, the Underdog suddenly mentioned Lord Horus.

Then, at that moment.

Thud!

There was a ringing sound from the floor.

Inebu had dropped down to his knees, prostrating before Bastet.

“As the Leader of the Warguard of Egypt and a deputy who had been favored by Lord Horus, I beg of you.”

His desperate voice rang through the hall.

"Please allow the Underdog to cure Lord Horus….”

His desperate and sincere voice rumbled in Bastet's ears.

1. Set has asked the same question every time that he spoke to Lee Jun-Kyeong. However, the translation of the sentence has slightly shifted each time, eventually resulting in an “after I become king” and not “if I become King”. This is because the sentence is ambiguous about how it needs to be understood, as it can both mean after something has already happened or after something may happen.