Debuff Master-Chapter 1045

Chapter 1045
“
Erm...
so what you’re saying is...”
Tae-Sung couldn’t bring himself to give an immediate response to Yong Seol-Hwa’s sudden confession. He had never encountered someone approaching him this seriously before, nor had he ever received a confession.
‘
Seol-Hwa must’ve thought about this a lot,’
he thought. Based on what she said alone, Tae-Sung could feel the emotional struggle she had gone through, and it only made it harder for him to respond.
“...”
“...”
And so, an awkward silence fell between them...
Yong Seol-Hwa did not push Tae-Sung for an answer. Instead, she simply waited quietly, giving him the time he needed to make up his mind and come to a decision.
‘
I shouldn’t rush him,’
she thought.
She knew how to handle Tae-Sung.
How?
It was all because she was Yong Tae-Pung’s daughter.
She understood better than anyone that the life of a pro gamer left little room for anything outside of gaming.
Games, games, and more games.
It was a life where at least twelve hours of their day were consumed solely by gaming.
When Yong Seol-Hwa was young, she had seen her father bury himself in his career to the point that he neglected their family. However, she had never resented him for it.
She knew very well that despite being so busy that he could barely sit down for a proper meal, Yong Tae-Pung had still done everything he could to spend precious moments with his family.
And in recent years, his schedule had eased a lot, and he made sure to make up for the time lost and fully embraced his role as a father.
‘
I’ll wait until he’s ready,’
she thought. Thus, Yong Seol-Hwa could rein in her desperate heart and give Tae-Sung the time he needed to think.
And that choice proved to be the right one...
‘
Seol-Hwa liked me all this time... I’m really grateful. Someone like me, with no good qualities... It’s more than I deserve,’
Tae-Sung thought. His mind was a tangled mess right now, but he truly felt grateful. ‘
She’s so beautiful and kind...’
In Tae-Sung's eyes, Yong Seol-Hwa was beyond charming. Not only that, her background was impeccable, as she was the daughter of the legendary pro gamer Yong Tae-Pung.
As for her looks, she was stunning beyond dispute. Her beauty easily rivaled, if not surpassed, that of most top-tier celebrities. In fact, she received offers from major entertainment agencies to transition from gaming to showbiz almost daily.
But beyond her looks, she had a sweet, gentle personality without any bad traits.
However, the one thing that stood out to Tae-Sung the most was—
“I can confidently say that... I will be the perfect girlfriend for you.”
Yong Seol-Hwa understood the life of a pro gamer better than anyone else. Not only did she understand it, she embraced it as well.
That fact slowly moved Tae-Sung’s heart...
‘
Finding someone like her who understands me is almost impossible.’
How often could one find someone who truly understood them in this vast world?
The chances of meeting a person like that were incredibly rare. As proof of it, countless people would date, fight, make up, break up, and then meet someone new—all for the search for that one
right
person.
Tae-Sung realized that he was incredibly lucky. This was like a miracle that had just fallen onto his lap, as being in a relationship with someone like Yong Seol-Hwa was close to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Seol-Hwa.”
At last, Tae-Sung broke the silence.
“Yes, oppa?” Yong Seol-Hwa replied in a calm, steady voice.
Badump! Badump! Badump!
Even as her heart pounded wildly, she answered him with as much composure as she could muster.
“When... did you start liking me?” Tae-Sung asked.
“From the moment we met,” Yong Seol-Hwa replied.
“R-Really?”
“Yes. I’ve liked you ever since we met, and I still do.”
“
Whoa...
”
“I've thought about it a lot. I've been agonizing over it.”
“I see...” Tae-Sung muttered. Then, he responded, “Seol-Hwa.”
“Yes, oppa?”
“Thank you for liking me so much and for understanding me.”
“That’s the easiest thing in the world for me.”
“
Ah...
”
Tae-Sung understood perfectly what she meant by those words.
“Seol-Hwa.”
“Yes, oppa.”
“Then, the two of us...”
Badump! Badump! Badump!
Sensing what was about to come next, Yong Seol-Hwa’s heart began pounding even harder as if it could explode at any second.
***
While Tae-Sung was sharing an important moment with Yong Seol-Hwa in the real world, something monumental was happening on the Nurburg Continent...
“Finally...”
Cheon Woo-Jin stood before an enormous sphere with a heart full of emotion. The sphere was roughly the size of the Jamsil Sports Complex and was far from an ordinary ball.
The sphere was none other than the Eye of Behemoth, which was once installed directly beneath the headquarters of the old Guardians. It was a surveillance device crafted from the eye of the ancient beast, Behemoth—a creature that once gazed into the deepest depths of the world.
And now, the Eye of Behemoth was preparing to soar high into the skies, with Cheon Woo-Jin and the new members of the Guardians watching it.
“Three, two, one—launching the Watcher’s Eye!”
At the operator’s signal, an officer pulled the lever...
Shwoooong!
The Eye of Behemoth shot up into the sky, piercing through the clouds and vanishing from sight.
But it did not stop there...
The Eye of Behemoth broke past the planet’s atmosphere and soared into outer space.
It was an artificial satellite orbiting the continent, which served as the stage for the game, BNW.
Just then, a notification popped up in front of Cheon Woo-Jin’s eyes.
[Alert: Echelon System Online!]
[Alert: From now on, the artificial satellite, Eye of Behemoth, will scout the Nurburg Continent according to your will!]
Launching the Eye of Behemoth into orbit to observe for anomalies across the Middle Realm was the very core of Cheon Woo-Jin’s vision for the new Guardians.
In the past, reconnaissance had been painfully slow when the Eye of Behemoth was mounted on the flying headquarters of the Guardians. The base had to fly across every corner of the continent, scanning each region manually.
But now, things were different...
The detection range of the Eye of Behemoth was vastly greater than before, as it had become a satellite, so the speed of reconnaissance had increased exponentially. Cheon Woo-Jin could now instantly scan whatever place he wished to scan.
‘
Good. It’s perfect.’
Cheon Woo-Jin smiled at the birth of the new Guardians.
He had successfully rebuilt the organization that Immortal Alchemist Acheron had destroyed.
***.
“So, you’re telling me that you don’t know where the ritual is going to take place?” Oscar asked.
— That is correct.
Ragdoll IV responded from beyond the magical communication device.
Now a loyal puppet of Siegfried, Ragdoll IV had ed intelligence that the Holy Alliance’s next move was to open a small Celestial Gate. However, the problem was that no one knew where that gate would be opened, as the location was strictly confidential to maintain security.
But there was one thing they were sure of, and it was the fact that the one presiding over the ritual was none other than the King of Corinth, which meant that the ritual would take place somewhere within the Corinth Kingdom.
That was the only concrete piece of information they had at the moment...
“Is there no way to dig deeper?”
— None, I’m afraid. The rituals to open the Celestial Gate require an enormous amount of offerings.
“Offerings...?”
— Human sacrifice is essential to open the Celestial Gate.
“Human sacrifice, huh...”
Oscar was completely repulsed by the ways of the Holy Alliance, the Illuminati, and the Celestial Realm.
Who could have imagined that such beings would resort to human sacrifices?
At this point, she was beginning to wonder if the angels were even angels at all.
“Alright, understood. If anything unusual comes up, immediately,” Oscar said.
— Yes, Your Excellency.
Ragdoll IV concluded his and ended the call...
“Director Ninetail,” Oscar summoned the director of intelligence to discuss the .
“Have you called for me?”
“We have received intel that the Holy Alliance plans to open a Celestial Gate somewhere within the Corinth Kingdom. Focus our intelligence agents on Corinth.”
“Understood,” Ninetail replied without a complaint.
She had been interested in the Marchioni Empire’s classified documents, but now, it was no longer the case.
Why?
It was all because she had personally witnessed the atrocities committed by the Holy Alliance. She knew all too well that the entire Middle Realm would be doomed if they let this situation spiral out of control.
“I’ll make sure you get real-time updates.”
“Thank you, Director Ninetail.”
“Please, no need to mention it.”
With those words, Ninetail immediately set out to gather intel in the Corinth Kingdom.
***
“Should we... try dating?” Tae-Sung asked, struggling to get those words out.
“O-Oppa...?” Yong Seol-Hwa muttered.
Her heart swelled with joy after finally hearing the words that she had been longing to hear from Tae-Sung. Just then, she froze in place. She honestly had no idea what to do now that he had actually said those words.
“Seol-Hwa.”
“Yes, oppa?”
“Let’s start dating.”
“...!”
“I like you, too.”
Yong Seol-Hwa's sincerity had moved Tae-Sung so deeply that he came to that conclusion. He realized that somewhere along the way, he had come to like her as well.
Thus, he accepted her feelings and decided to give dating her a try.
“R-Really? Are you sure?” she asked in shock. She truly believed that her feelings were one-sided, but never in her wildest dreams did she think that she would hear him say that he liked her back.
“I started liking you just now. I could feel the sincerity in your words, and I think my heart responded to your sincerity.”
“
Ah...
”
“We still don’t know each other that well. But let’s take our time and get to know each other,” he said. Then, he asked, “What do you think?”
“I... would love that,” she replied, her face turned bright red. Then, she rejoiced inwardly, ‘
I-I did it! He accepted my feelings!’
She had been so certain that he would reject her, as he was too obsessed with the game. Instead, he happily said that they ought to date, so Yong Seol-Hwa was happy beyond words.
And just like that, Tae-Sung and Yong Seol-Hwa were no longer just close friends...
Today marked the first day of their life as a couple. Her feelings and brave decision had come together to create a miracle, melting Han Tae-Sung's stone heart.
“Let’s have a beautiful relationship together, oppa,” Yong Seol-Hwa said, gently placing her hand on top of his.
“I’ve never dated before, but... I’ll do my best. Let’s make good memories together,” he replied with a nod.
“Thank you for saying that, oppa.”
“Seol-Hwa...”
“Oppa...”
They gazed into each other’s eyes as if sparks were flying in their eyes. Naturally, their faces drew closer and closer, without uttering a single word. It was as if everything around them had disappeared, as they were focused only on each other.
Then, slowly and gently, the distance between them grew closer until it finally disappeared. Their hands intertwined, clasped together tightly, as if afraid that someone would come and pull them apart.
At that very moment, they took their very first step forward as a couple.