Chapter 326
Sungyoon’s party had been in the small confines of the fighter jets all day when they had found Kevin . They had to execute the spectacular and extraordinary action of immediately jumping out of these planes to fight .
Of course, they had no reason to get in the fighter jets again after the fight was over .
In fact, they were given a generous reward after defeating the threat called Kevil .
They received a private plane as one of the rewards .
“Are you impressed?”
When Sungyoon kept swiveling his head to look at his surroundings, Tim started to cackle .
“I’ve never flown in a private plane . Though, I’ve flown a couple of times in a private helicopter . ”
“When you factor in short-distance travel and the ease of taking off and landing, it's better to use a helicopter . In terms of long-distance travel, it's much easier and convenient to take a private plane . Why don’t you take this opportunity to buy a private plane for yourself?”
“I don’t know . I don’t feel the need to purchase one . ”
Sungyoon stroked his chin . He sounded very skeptical and averse to the suggestion . In the past, he had made a lot of money through his business, but he had only been the president of a small company . Even though he had been wealthy, he hadn't been wealthy enough to purchase a private plane .
As a high rank Connector, Sungyoon made unbelievable sums of money . This didn’t mean he was comfortable using that amount of money .
However, Tim knew the magical word that would sway Sungyoon’s decision .
“Shinhae will like it . ”
A conflicted look immediately appeared on Sungyoon's face .
“It's good for a child to experience traveling overseas . For overseas travel, a private plane provides much convenience . Even if one travels first class, one would feel uncomfortable traveling to a country halfway around the world . ”
Sungyoon’s expression changed a little bit more . The idea was starting to catch his fancy .
“She can comfortably sleep during the trip . The best example is those two women sleeping over there . ”
The private plane they were in had a sleeping area, where Grace and Emily were in dreamland right now . They were Connectors, not magicians . They couldn’t overcome the mental exhaustion from the battle . Or maybe Tim and Sungyoon were the unusual ones who were resilient against such exhaustion .
“Do you have a private plane, Mr . Tim?”
“I don’t right now . However, we frequently traveled on my mother’s private plane when we were young . We sold it when my mother passed away . However, I’m starting to think about purchasing one . I have the money now, and I’m thinking about starting a family . ”
‘Now that I think about it, he has a girlfriend . ’
In fact, Sungyoon remembered that Tim had multiple girlfriends .
Sungyoon drank his beer as he once again looked around the plane . The sight was a contrast with that in a normal plane, which was packed like sardines with people .
A thick carpet lay on the floor, and the seating area had several tables and chairs .
The plane also had a large TV and other amenities .
‘I guess this is better than flying in a plane packed with people . ’
Of course, these purchases had to happen after Earth was safe .
“I’ll think about it after we resolve everything . ”
“That’s probably for the best . I don’t plan on purchasing one right now . We aren’t in a situation where we can galavant around the world on a personal plane for pleasure . ”
Naturally, the next topic they discussed was the battle they had just fought .
“Is something bothering you? You seem distracted since the fight with Kevil?”
“You can tell?”
“It's minute, but I can tell for sure . ”
“You have a sharp sense of figuring out people . ”
“Not really . As you know, Emily scolds me for not being quick on the uptake . However, it isn’t as if we're just acquaintances . We’ve known each other for long, and we’ve experienced too much with each other . Wouldn’t you say we braved it all through thick and thin?”
“You aren’t wrong . ”
Sungyoon and Tim broke out in laughter at the same time .
“I’m worried about Kevil’s last words . ”
“That?”
Tim had heard it thanks to the advance hearing that came with being a Connector .
“Wasn’t Kevil just throwing out nonsense as a last-ditch effort?”
“I would love it if that’s true . . . ”
“You worry too much, Mr . Sungyoon . ”
Tim stopped Sungyoon, who was about to start another session of worrying .
“Even if Kevil did tell the truth, we have no way of finding out what it was referring to . ”
“That is true, but…”
“Mr . Sungyoon, you have to learn how to lean on others a bit more . You already warned Sir Russell and Mr . Bruce . Moreover, the Mayor has probably received a report about it by now . I don’t want to offend you by saying this, but a truckload of people smarter than you are working on this problem . I’m not saying you should forget about it, but there is no need for you to take this on by yourself . ”
“You think so?”
“Of course . Mr . Sungyoon, you did the heavy lifting . You have accomplished a lot for our cause . ”
Sungyoon looked at his Gems for a moment .
“You've received a short vacation . You should think about how to spend that time with Shinhae and President . I think that’ll be a more productive venture . ”
“You're right . Thank you, Mr . Tim . ”
“It was nothing . ”
He was able to help Sungyoon, the person he admired . It made Tim puff up in pride .
“However, I do rely on people . I rely a lot on you, Mr . Tim, and Ms . Emily and Ms . Grace . ”
“I’m glad to hear that . ”
Tim lifted his beer as he thought about the past that seemed so distant but was only a couple of years ago .
He had sat in front of Sungyoon like this, and they had shared alcohol . It was the meeting that had launched their partnership .
“When I think about it, we were very fortunate in asking you to join our party . ”
“Are you talking about our first meeting?”
Sungyoon also thought about that day and smirked .
“If I’m being honest, I resented the both of you . ”
“We did bring the Bigfoot to you . ”
It might be an exaggeration to say this, but now, the Bigfoot was a monster that each of them could defeat with a finger . However, back then, they had to put their lives on the line to fight it .
“Still, you never made the choice for me . Both of you put your lives on the line to stall the monster so that I could make the choice . It's a big reason I joined your party . I didn’t know about your skill levels, but I determined I could trust the two of you . ”
“Ha ha ha! I made the call! It seems I made a really wise decision!”
“Of course, Ms . Emily promised that she would give me a higher rank Gem if I joined the fight . It also had a big influence on my decision . ”
That Gem was a Blue rank Gem . Now, Sungyoon wouldn’t use it even if someone gave it to him for free . It was a bottom rank Gem, but at the time, Sungyoon had to fight with his life to acquire it .
“Didn’t you receive a shield from Emily, Mr . Sungyoon?”
“That's correct . At the time, I was starting to reach the ceiling of my Gems . I hade been desperate to acquire a shield, which would raise my defense . ”
“That one broke, right?”
“Yes . ”
“How did it break again?”
“I’m not sure . I’ve broken more than one or two shields . . . ”
Sungyoon sighed as he spoke .
“When I think about it in that context, we’ve walked down a treacherous road . We experienced countless battles where we broke our shields . ”
“You're well known in our community for being very unlucky . ”
Tim cackled and teased Sungyoon .
However, his words also meant that Sungyoon had walked down the road of a hero . He had acquired information, power, and personal connections through many tribulations . He had walked down an arduous road that had allowed him to fight the enemies of humanity . At the very least, Tim viewed it that way .
“We really have changed a lot whether it's you or me . ”
“Yes . We really have . ”
The two of them were overcome with emotion for a brief moment .
“Do you plan on changing a bit more?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Tim pointed backward with his thumb, toward the bed where Emily and Grace were sleeping .
Sungyoon’s face became stiff .
“I’m not saying you should immediately change how you interact with them . However, you should at least think it over . You do realize having a wife isn’t an excuse for a Connector?”
Sungyoon nodded .
“I don’t care if it takes a long time . However, the two of them won’t easily change their minds when it comes to the matter of their hearts . Also, I would like to point out we're getting close to the big fight . ”
“I understand what you're trying to say . ”
The wounds Sungyoon had received from Jaeho and Miyun had healed a lot . He now had to force himself to think about his relationships . He had to choose an option: accept them, turn them down, or play ignorant forever .
“Ah! You shouldn’t confess right before the final battle . ”
“Don’t people die after confessing right before the final battle? I don’t want to tempt fate like that . ”
Tim had spoken his words in a joking manner, so Sungyoon answered in the same way .
After the two men stared at each other, they laughed out loud .
“Mmm . What’s going on? Are you two having a fun conversation?”
Their laughter woke up Grace . She let out a yawn as she approached the two men .
Emily followed suit as she walked while rubbing her sleepy eyes .
The two of them sat in the empty seats, then the drinking party continued . It was no longer a hushed conversation between two men . It had turned into a raucous drinking party .
The normally-quiet Sungyoon did his best to participate in the festivities .
They continued the drinking party until the plane landed in Korea .
***
Koo-koo-koong!
The ground shook in such a loud manner that it felt as if the floor and the ceiling would cave in . However, rocks and dust didn’t fall since this was the incredibly sturdy Great labyrinth .
“Hey! What the hell is this!”
Jinsoo, who had been lying down as he yawned from drowsiness, jumped up in surprise .
On the other hand, Hyunwoo continued to calmly sit nearby . He monitored the situation with his eyes narrowed .
However, someone else reacted in the most intense manner .
Bul-duhk!
It was Udocus . He was still dressed in a dreary robe as he kept mumbling to come up with a plan . Even Jinsoo didn’t like getting near him .
Udocus got up at lightning speed .
“This is . . . ”
The quake had originated from the center of the Great Labyrinth . It had emanated from beyond the large door .
Udocus quickly walked toward the door . If he weren’t a monster, he would've fallen over several times . He quickly moved forward, and one could feel the urgency in his movements .
“N . . . no way! Master! Is that really true!”
Udocus, who had placed his hands on the door, sounded like he was about to vomit blood . His shout resembled a wail .
Jinsoo discreetly sidled up next to Hyunwoo .
“Did he eat something wrong? Why is he acting like that?”
“How should I know?”
Since the two of them didn’t know why Udocus was acting that way, they looked on with fascination and disgust .
Udocus’s histrionics didn’t end there . He screamed, stomped his feet, yelled profanities, and in the end, resorted to wailing .
Hyunwoo and Jinsoo became dumbfounded by what they saw .
“Do you think we lined up on the wrong side?”
“Mmm . ”
In the end, Jinsoo had to wonder .
Kwahng!
Hyunwoo and Jinsoo jumped in surprise when they heard the loud sound .
Udocus had punched the wall . They wondered what nonsense Udocus would pull next as they looked on with half-fear and half-anticipation .
However, Udocus’s insane actions had the effect of calming him down . He no longer acted oddly .
“Tsk! That’s too bad . ”
Jinsoo sounded a bit disappointed since he couldn't see what he had expected to occur .
Sssk .
Udocus's body rose as if he were a ghost . When he turned around, his red eyes flashed .
“D . . . do you mind if I ask what has happened?”
Jinsoo carefully asked . His outward behavior indicated that he was afraid .
Of course, Jinsoo wasn’t truly feeling fear . He was disgusted at seeing a mad dog .
Udocus spoke in a heavy tone .
“Kevil's dead . ”