Level Up Machine

Chapter 38 The Power of the Black Cube (1)

“Haaaaa…”

On their way back to the guild house, Chae-rin was groaning with her hands pressed against her forehead.
This was because, right after she asked Yeong-sik a suggestive question, Yu-na had rushed over and hit her hard on the back of her head.

“It’s too much, Yu-na unni…”

“What’s too much is your head.”

Yu-na responded sharply to Chae-rin, who had a tearful expression. Her words made Chae-rin flinch.

“Haha.”

Yeong-sik laughed lightly as he watched them. Just then, Gil-soo approached him, with Ara glaring at Gil-soo with a menacing look from behind.

Gil-soo cleared his throat, stealing glances at Ara.

“Ahem.”

Even as he cleared his throat, he couldn’t help but glance at Ara. She was staring at him with a stern expression. Yeong-sik, tilting his head in confusion, turned his attention to him.

“What’s the matter?”

“Ahem. Well, don’t misunderstand. I’m asking purely out of curiosity.”

Avoiding Yeong-sik’s gaze, Gil-soo forced an awkward smile. Yeong-sik, puzzled by his strange behavior, looked at him with a bewildered expression. Gil-soo then slightly clenched his fist and asked Yeong-sik.

“Do you, um, really have it?”

Yeong-sik was so taken aback by Gil-soo’s question that he stared at him with a bewildered expression. Gil-soo kept avoiding his gaze and continued to clear his throat.

Letting out a deep sigh, Yeong-sik answered him.

“Yes, I have it. And although I have no idea how it’s structured, I do feel sexual desire and it does, indeed, grow.”

Yeong-sik’s body had too many features to be simply described as a “machine.” Though less than others, he could feel fatigue, had stamina, and could consume food and drink.

Sexual desire was one of those “human-like” elements in him. While he had no memory of ever having done it, he was certain that it did grow.

“Ah, I see.”

For some reason, Gil-soo nodded repeatedly with a bright expression at Yeong-sik’s words. He laughed heartily and turned to look at Ara.

“That’s a relief, isn’t it, Ara? Your worries are now…”

“Kyaaaaaa! Wh-what are you saying, mister?!”

Ara, who had listened to Gil-soo’s words, turned pale and rushed at him, choking his neck violently while screaming. Gil-soo twisted in pain with a tormented expression.

Yeong-sik watched them with a perplexed smile, unsure of what to say.

* * *

Upon returning to the guild house, Yeong-sik and his party explained the recent events and Yeong-sik’s true identity to Tiria and the other guild members.

At first, Yoo Jin and Tiria naturally did not believe his words, but when Yeong-sik showed his right arm as evidence, they had no choice but to believe him.

“Then, Yeong-sik, are you not from Earth?”

Tiria asked, looking at Yeong-sik with an expression that showed how hard it was for her to believe. Yeong-sik shook his head in response to her question.

“I’m not sure about that either. It’s not like I don’t have any knowledge about Earth.”

Yeong-sik replied with a puzzled expression. As he said, if he were an entirely different being, the fact that he had knowledge of Earth wouldn’t make any sense.

“Then, maybe you’re a machine life form created on Earth?”

“…There’s no way that could be.”

At Yu-na’s suggestion, Yoo Jin sighed and spoke up. Creating a machine like Yeong-sik with Earth’s current technology? It was an utterly absurd idea.

Perhaps in thousands of years into the future, but at this moment, creating a machine life form as human-like as Yeong-sik was impossible.

“No! What if it’s NASA? Couldn’t they do it?!”

Chae-rin, who had been listening quietly, raised one hand and her eyes sparkled. Yoo Jin sighed again, as if Chae-rin’s words were giving him a headache.

“Just keep your mouth shut, kid.”

“Ugh?! I’m not a kid!”

Chae-rin shouted, infuriated by Yoo Jin’s pointed remark. Tiria stepped in to stop the escalating tension between them.

“Calm down. That’s not what’s important right now.”

Tiria spoke with a dark expression. Her words made Bae Han-seong nod solemnly.

“Yes. You’re right. That’s not what’s important right now.”

This time, they had been attacked by the Light Shield Guild, a massive guild that ranked among the top ten in the eastern continent. Although Yeong-sik had helped them escape a dire situation, the problem had not been completely resolved yet.

“Guild Master, this is an opportunity. If we attack the Light Shield Guild now, with their guild master and core forces all dead, we can gain a lot.”

At his words, Tiria’s expression darkened. She spoke cautiously.

“But if we do that…”

“They already know about us. There’s no point in hiding any longer.”

Bae Han-seong spoke in a firm voice. His words made Tiria’s expression grow even darker.

She recalled the current situation of the Salvator Guild, their wanted status throughout the Elnot Kingdom.

“I thought it was too early, but… I think it’s time to execute the plan.”

At his words, the expressions of the Salvator Guild members, excluding Yeong-sik’s group, turned serious. Even Chae-rin, who always had a bright smile, had a dark expression.

“…Are you serious?”

Yu-na asked Han-seong with sharp eyes. Han-seong nodded.

“Yes, I am. This is something we must do… for Tiria.”

He spoke in a voice that sounded like he was squeezing the words out. Yeong-sik, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, opened his mouth.

“Can you tell me what this plan is?”

Yeong-sik asked with a deeply serious expression. Han-seong nodded heavily at his words.

Han-seong had seen what Yeong-sik could do, how absurdly strong his power was. Of course, he had heard that Yeong-sik couldn’t use that power freely now, but just knowing he had such potential made him more valuable than any ranker.

Therefore, there was no need to hesitate in revealing their plan.

“We intend to fight against the Elnote Kingdom.”

At his words, Yeong-sik and his party’s expressions hardened. It was an audacious statement that should not have come from a guild with barely ten members.

In a low voice, Yeong-sik asked him,

“You plan to fight against an entire kingdom? With just your current numbers?”

“We have plans regarding our numbers. However, it won’t be easy.”

“…What’s the reason?”

Yeong-sik asked sharply, his eyes gleaming. Bae Han-seong glanced nervously at Tiria, who was looking this way with an uneasy expression, and then he spoke.

“It’s to save the Guild Master’s… family.”

“As I mentioned earlier, the Elnote Kingdom is currently holding Tiria’s family hostage and using them to threaten her.”

At Bae Han-seong’s words, Tiria bit her lip with a dark expression.

“Our guild will fight the Elnote Kingdom and rescue the hostages.”

Then Han-seong continued,

“We will grow into a guild stronger than we were in the past, so that no one will ever dare to look down on us again!”

_Boom!_

Bae Han-seong stomped his foot forcefully as he shouted. His eyes burned with intense anger, like a volcano ready to erupt.

Hearing his shout, Yeong-sik felt a chill down his spine and a thrilling sensation shaking his entire body. He didn’t know much about the past of the Salvator Guild. He had only heard stories of how powerful they had once been and how miserably they had fallen.

Despite this, Yeong-sik’s heart pounded wildly at the fervor conveyed in Bae Han-seong’s words.

‘Was I always like this?’

Yeong-sik recalled when he met Cheon Tae-hwang. Back then, he had felt a peculiar sense of defeat watching him spread his wings of talent with support that the Salvator Guild could not even imagine now.

Surpassing him, and daring to aspire to surpass the power of the top three guilds, was a desire that boiled within him. It felt almost like an instinct. No, it was as if he had always thought he ‘should’ do this.

‘Why…?’

Yeong-sik pondered, touching his forehead. The question of why lingered like sediment in his heart.

Yeong-sik was not a greedy person. His only desires were to regain his memories and to have the power for a stable life.

He had never thought of becoming a ruler of the continent or of creating a powerful force that no one could ignore.

But now, through Bae Han-seong’s words, he realized that his lost memories, his instincts beyond those memories, were screaming at him to build a power so strong that no one could challenge it.

“Tiria…”

Tiria looked at Han-seong with pity in her eyes. Ignoring her, Han-seong turned to Yeong-sik and spoke.

“To achieve that, we need your strength, Yeong-sik.”

“…The power I showed you earlier is not something I can control at will.”

Yeong-sik replied in a low voice to Han-seong’s words. The power of Forced Liberation was astonishing. It was strong enough to completely destroy a large guild like the Light Shield Guild.

However, it was a power Yeong-sik couldn’t control, and its price was too fatal. If he kept using Forced Liberation in every crisis, the only thing awaiting him was terrible destruction.

“But I will do my best for this plan.”

Yeong-sik replied, looking into Han-seong’s eyes, which were burning with anger.

Their gazes intertwined in midair.

“Because I am now a member of the Salvator Guild.”

Yeong-sik said with a sly smile. At his words, Han-seong nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Guild Master, the final decision is now up to you.”

Han-seong spoke in a firm voice, looking at her. The guild members’ gazes focused on Tiria.

She closed her eyes. Within her, emotions of anxiety, anticipation, joy, and sorrow were tangled in a complex knot.

“Understood.”

After contemplating for a while, Tiria slowly opened her eyes.

She spoke with a determined look.

“Let’s rise again, using this opportunity.”

Her words caused a peculiar heat to rise within the guild house.

Han-seong nodded with a broad smile.

“The rewards we can obtain from the Light Shield Guild will be substantial. Especially their Guild Master, Han Cheol-ho. He is famous for collecting all sorts of items.”

Han-seong said, pushing up his round glasses. At his words, Yeong-sik tilted his head and asked,

“He collects all sorts of items?”

“Yes. He’s known for collecting everything from rare items to monster skins, and precious jewels.”

At his words, Yeong-sik nodded in understanding. Indeed, if they could obtain all the items Han Cheol-ho had collected, it would certainly help revive their guild.

“But doesn’t that guy also collect worthless things? I heard he’s amassed a ton of useless items like Black Cubes.”

Yu-na said in a passing tone.

Hearing her words, Yeong-sik’s eyes sparkled.

The corners of his mouth twisted into a smile.

Black Cubes.

Those items were so worthless that they were paradoxically hard to come by.

Now, he had a chance to get his hands on them.