Chapter 154
Chapter 154
He gave a friendly greeting towards Sungyoon’s party, but his attitude did a 180 when confronting the irate man . He looked at the man with piercing eyes .
“Well? If you have any complaints, why don’t you say it to me?”
The man never expected a big fish like Charlie Russell to come out here . For a brief moment, he shut his mouth . His eyes swam back and forth . It seemed the man was very shocked by Russell’s appearance .
He had been unconscious by the time Russell had intervened, so he had no idea that Charlie Russell was involved in all of this .
However, Sungyoon didn’t think this man would back off, because Charlie Russell had shown up .
If he was that sensible, he wouldn’t have thrown a tantrum in front of a nation’s embassy .
As expected, the man didn’t disappoint Sungyoon’s expectation .
“What the hell! Are you trying to browbeat me using your power!”
“No, no . I would never do that . Do you really think you are worth my attention? You are nothing . ”
Russell looked as if he was really surprised . He exaggerated his emotions like an actor . Sungyoon was a bystander, yet even he thought Russell was being a bit cheeky .
“You should quickly state your business . As you can see, I have guests to entertain . ”
Russell spoke as he gestured towards Sungyoon’s party . It was clear that Russell was mocking the man, so his face turned redder .
“Many people died thanks to the commission handed by your government! Moreover, that holier than thou Princess Grace ran away! She left other Connectors behind! We haven’t heard a single word of apology! How is this right!”
At that moment, Russell let out a big laugh . However, there was no joy in his laughter . It was like hearing a lion roar on the other side of the jungle .
This was the first time Sungyoon realized laughter could sound so menacing .
“Our government offered our condolences to the other governments involved . We also gave out plenty of compensation as a gesture of thanks . ”
“I almost died, and you think that puny amount is enough!”
“As expected, you are causing all this ruckus, because you want more . Maggots all think alike . ”
Russell ran his hand through his hair as he let out a sigh .
His eyes flashed .
He had spent the past few decades killing only monsters, so there was a savageness to his spirit . It was beyond description . It was enough to shut the mouth of the man, who had been jabbering away .
“Did you say your name is Woo Sungyoon?”
“Yes . ”
When Russell suddenly called out to him, Sungyoon answered immediately . Even Sungyoon was feeling the pressure from Russell’s aura . This was why he faltered a little bit as he spoke .
“You also signed up to rescue Grace, and you fell into danger . What is your opinion on all of this?”
Sungyoon thought for a brief moment to organize his thoughts .
“The possibility of danger is something everyone, who goes into the labyrinths, are prepared for . Moreover, nobody coerced us to take up this commission . It was voluntary . The British government put up Jewel rank Gems as rewards . There might be people who joined for altruistic reasons, but most chose to come there for the reward . They all made their own choices, and I believe in personal responsibility . ”
Russell clapped his hands once .
“Koo . What a great line . What a refreshing point of view . ”
Russell looked very happy as he pointed his thumb towards Sungyoon, then he looked at the other man again .
“That’s his opinion . What is your opinion?”
“D . . don’t give me that bullshit! Those bastards left us!”
“Yes, yes . I heard about that already . That is why I have some words I have to say to you too . ”
Russell walked forward to step in front of the man . The man hesitatingly moved backwards, but in the end, he gritted his teeth as he stood his ground . He glared at Russell .
“You are the ones that brought the monsters towards Grace . Grace and Sungyoon’s party suggested fighting the monsters together, yet you ran away . You didn’t even believe his words at all . In that situation, how are they supposed to save all of you?”
Russell moved his face closer to the man’s face .
“It is true that our government sent out the commission, but you accepted the burden of risk in coming to the labyrinth . Did you think you were coming to a picnic? Did you plan on getting the reward and doing nothing? I hope not . No rational and decent human would do that, right? Connectors are always aware of the possibility death, so I hope you aren’t stupid enough to complain about that . Right?”
The man’s face turned blue with fear .
“Moreover, we compensated everyone that died or was injured . The compensation for injury or death wasn’t part of the commission, yet we gave it anyways . We also expressed our thanks and our condolences to everyone that participated . It doesn’t matter how they died . They came there to risk their lives for the princess, so we did what was right . We didn’t act like some ungrateful dogs like you . Above all else . . . ”
Until now, his face had hardened a little bit, but there was a relative calmness to his expression . However, Russell’s expression crumpled, and he looked like an evil spirit .
“You dare call Grace a bitch? I heard you said ‘Fuck you’ to her too . You dare speak such vulgar words to her? I’ll keep you alive while I rip off your four limbs . I’ll throw your limbs into the waters of the Thames!”
Russell was cracking his knuckles as if he was ready to do it right now .
“It is forbidden for Connectors to fight within Armstrong . . . ”
“That’s only true for fights using Devices and Gems . They are more lenient when it comes to fist fights . If we are talking about hand to hand combat, you won’t be at a disadvantage . Right?”
“...... . ”
The man couldn’t say anything . He kept opening and shutting his mouth like a goldfish . He was completely intimidated by Russell’s fighting spirit, and he wanted to slink into the floor .
“Get out of here . If you have a problem, you can sue us through Armstrong . Do as you like . ”
Russell turned his back on the man, and he walked towards Sungyoon’s party .
The man looked at Russell with fear and resentment in his eyes for a brief moment . Then he ran into the streets .
“Jeez . I showed you something unsightly . ”
Russell approached them with cheeky expression on his face . However, Russell had been very scary when he had browbeat that man . Emily, who was already hiding behind Sungyoon, withdrew further . Tim’s face had stiffened .
“It seems I scared you too much . I’m really not a scary person . ”
Russell raised both his hands as if he was trying to pacify a child . He laughed in an easygoing manner .
“Are there a lot of people like him?”
Sungyoon was staring at the location where the man had run away .
“No . Thankfully, most of the injured parties were understanding of the situation, and they were satisfied with the compensation . Only a few childish Connectors like him made a fuss . ”
It wasn’t a particularly good topic to talk about, so Russell spoke a bit in an exaggerated tone as he changed the topic .
“Well, let’s head in . We have to give you guys your rewards, and I want to have a conversation with you guys . Grace is already waiting inside . ”
Russell took the lead, and the front gate, which had been firmly shut, opened .
Sungyoon’s party followed Russell into the embassy .
They entered the building, and they walked down a corridor until they reached a certain room .
It looked to be a sitting room with red carpet . There was a table and sofas within, and a familiar blonde woman was sitting there .
“Ah . You are here . ”
Grace stood up when she was them, and she gave her greetings .
“It seems you are feeling better now . ”
“Yes . I’m feeling much better . ”
Grace let out a small smile at Sungyoon’s words .
Her body and mind had gone through great hardship . However, her tough attitude stopped her from folding under adversity .
She had lamented for her loss . She had shaken from fear . She had shed her tears . She hadn’t completely returned to her old self, but she was as close as she was going to get .
After she greeted the Ross siblings, she gestured for Sungyoon’s party to sit on the sofa .
Sungyoon and the Ross siblings sat on the same sofa . Grace and Russell sat together on the other side of them .
An employee brought them black tea, and Grace was the first to speak .
“First, I would like to say this once again . Thank you very much for saving me . ”
“I also want to say thank you again . Thank you for saving Grace . ”
The princess, who was beloved by the people of England, and the strongest Connector of England both bowed their heads towards Sungyoon’s party . There was incredible weight behind their gesture .
“It is fine . We did it expecting a reward . ”
Sungyoon spoke as the representative of their party, and he spoke in a humble manner .
“In my case, I was just paying back an old debt . ”
“Hmm? Debt?”
Sungyoon told Russell about his previous encounter with Grace .
“I see . That happened . ”
Russell, who sat next to Grace, patted her on the back .
“You did something good . Do good for others and it comes back to you .
No doubt about it . ”
He laughed in a magnanimous manner . In terms of his gestures and tone of voice, he sounded like a grandpa complimenting his granddaughter . They looked similar in age, so there was something off about the scene .
Sungyoon, Tim and Emily looked on with an odd expression on their faces . Even Tim and Emily, who had grown up in a Connector family, found this to be odd .
“Still, we have to thank you . I was so surprised when I heard she was missing . ”
Russell’s eyes turned soft as he looked at Grace . One could tell that they had a very close relationship .
“Well, let’s talk about the rewards . ”
It seemed the small talk had lasted too long . Russell finally brought up the topic of the rewards .
“You will receive the predetermined payout for participating in the rescue, and there will be additional money on top of it . However, you are probably more interested in these, right?”
He got up from the sofa, and he opened a small drawer . He returned with a small pouch in hand .
“These are your rewards . ”
When he flipped the pouch, small Gems rolled out .
Sungyoon and the Ross siblings focused their gazes on them . The light falling from above reflected a platinum light . Their eyes widened when they saw this .
‘Platinum Gems . ’
When the rewards were said to be a Jewel rank Gem, they had expected it to be the lowest rank Silver Gems . This was why Sungyoon was very surprised by what he saw .
“Are you surprised?”
Russell looked like a child, who had successfully pulled off a prank . He grinned .
“If I’m being honest, I am . I expected to receive a Silver rank Gem . ”
“The government wanted to give you guys Silver rank Gems . ”
They had saved the princess, who was beloved by the citizens of Britain . In some ways, the government might been seen as being a bit cheap . However, Jewel rank Gems were something that couldn’t be bought with money . Silver rank Gems were enough of a compensation in that context .
Moreover, most of the Connectors went into the rescue mission thinking they would be receiving a Silver rank Gem .
“Sir Russell went the extra mile . ”
Grace spoke .
“You rescued our Grace . Of course, we should give this much . Do not feel too overwhelmed by it . It isn’t as if I provided the reward out of my pocket . I just raised the ranks of the Gems . ”
‘He just raised their ranks . . . ’
This was true of the Rainbow rank Gems, but the difference between each rank became very stark amongst the Jewel rank Gems .
‘Is this what it is to be on the same level as Mr Hyunwoo?’
Sungyoon thought about Hyunwoo, who had given him a Gold rank Gem as if it was nothing .
“Don’t hold back . Take it . ”
Sungyoon’s party was having trouble taking the Gems, but they started picking it up one by one at Russell’s insistence .
“...I’ll take it with thanks . ”
Sungyoon was the first one to pick up his Gem . Afterwards, Tim and Emily carefully picked up their Gems too . They were pressing down on it, but it was clear that they were overjoyed by this development .
Sungyoon looked at his Gem . It was letting out a platinum light, and it was shaped like an X . It was an armor Gem .
“Here . You should take this too . ”
The pouch didn’t contain only Gems . Russell took out something . It was a Device .
“There is no point in giving a Gem if you don’t have the Device that can support it . ”
His eyes crinkled in a playful manner .
Sungyoon grabbed the new Device placed in front of him . It was a thin bracelet .
It had a thin band and the Gems could be slotted in like ornaments . There were a total of four slots .
‘There are two Platinum slots and two Gold slots . ’
The Gold slots were for a weapon Gem and a special ability Gem . The two Platinum slots were Omni slots .
‘He purposefully prepared this for me . ’
Sungyoon had to borrow a Device to be able to use his Gold Gems . He had given it back to the British government afterwards . When he saw the entirety of the rewards, he realized that Russell and Grace had personally prepared these gifts for them .
‘This is a bit too much . ’
Of course, the Device capable of slotting high rank Gems were expensive . Sungyoon had two Gold Gems, yet he didn’t have the Device to use them . This was why he was very well aware of the value of such a Device .
Even if he tried to return it, Russell wouldn’t take it back .
“In truth, this is way too much . Even if I try to return it, I know you won’t take it back . Do you perhaps want something from us?”
“Huh? Will you grant my request if I ask?”
‘It seems he does want something from us . ’
He looked delighted by Sungyoon’s words . It seemed the gesture wasn’t done completely out of altruism .
However, it seemed Russell’s request wasn’t for himself .
“Sir Russell!”
“Don’t be like that, Grace . I just want to place a small foundation for my precious girl . That is all . ”
Russell smirked as he let Grace’s complaints roll off of him . She sulked as she looked at him, but Russell didn’t even blink an eye .
‘It seems the one with the request is Ms . Taylor?’
Sungyoon turned to look at Grace .
Was the request a difficult one? Or was she upset that Russell preemptively made it hard for them to turn down her request?
Grace hesitated for a moment . She was having a hard time talking .
However, she soon hardened her resolve, and she spoke clearly towards Sungyoon .
“May I enter into your party?”
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