Chapter 186
Chapter 186
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: New Players
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“New… player?”
Park Dong-uk said, as if he couldn’t comprehend.
“Yes.”
A new player.
“You will be the first one, Mr. Park Dong-uk.”
It was something Go Yohan had pondered for a long time.
The players Go Yohan had encountered until now.
Those blessed by the goddess were utterly incomplete and inefficient.
‘The goddess’s blessing can’t be like this.’
They didn’t even wield mana properly, simply surrendering themselves to it.
With even a slight interference or a demon’s curse, they lost all their power.
He had no confidence that such people, who became powerless in an instant, could survive a war against demons.
‘Why would the goddess bestow such an imperfect blessing?’
Those were the days he harbored such doubts but never voiced them.
And finally, he had found the answer.
‘This too is a trial and a test from the goddess.’
And at the same time.
‘Other beings have interfered with the goddess’s blessing.’
At first, he thought it was just demons, but now he knew better.
—The Pantheon.
Another breed of evil masquerading as gods.
Watching them toy with blessings at will had confirmed it for him.
And the final piece fell into place.
‘World Tree, Yusehwa.’
A being who had reached divine status like the goddess, capable of granting and managing blessings for countless people.
‘Park Dong-uk.’
A new direction, not as a player, but as a human.
“A new era will dawn.”
If it had been anyone but Go Yohan speaking, it might have sounded like the naive musing of an immature young man.
“A new era…”
But when Go Yohan said it, it was different.
“The era of knights.”
Knights.
“The era of the tower.”
The tower.
“And…”
Go Yohan’s eyes seemed to shine brighter than ever.
“The era of divinity.”
So that one day, when the goddess fully revealed herself to this world, it could bear her up.
Some people equated these phenomena with games because of the players’ existence.
By their logic, it could be seen as a new season or a massive update.
But the vision Go Yohan and the apostles had drawn was entirely different.
South Korea.
This land imbued with Go Yohan’s will.
“It will become a completely new game.”
Because it would be a new game, unlike anything before.
Gulp.
Park Dong-uk couldn’t fully grasp Go Yohan’s words.
But the light in those eyes was so profound and intense that it instilled absolute certainty.
“Then I…”
“Soon, countless people will flock to the Magic Tower.”
As if reading Park Dong-uk’s thoughts, Go Yohan cut him off and continued.
“Select those among them worthy of becoming knights.”
How?
Such an important task, to me?
That was what swirled in Park Dong-uk’s mind, the words he wanted to blurt out.
But he held back.
He didn’t want to shatter the trust and faith Go Yohan had placed in him.
“Your eyes will make it possible.”
It was then.
Crack.
The sound of one of Yusehwa’s bodies breaking rang out.
“……”
Yusehwa’s face stiffened abruptly.
“Really…”
Then Yusehwa’s voice came.
“The next fruit was already decided, but did I not meet your standards?”
Go Yohan was already gone from beside Yusehwa, who muttered to herself.
That sound just now had been a new fruit falling from the branch.
Which meant another being had awakened.
“Cap…tain…”
Someone called out to Go Yohan as they tore through the fruit’s shell and emerged.
*
*
*
Kang In, Park Do-young, Choi Chang-su, Shin Sl-hye.
The founding members of the church had gathered in one place.
On one side, Go Minji and Go Woojin of the Divines.
On another, Yu Baek and Kim Cheon-seok of the Sanctuary Alliance.
And Samuel and Richard of Goldian.
Ten people in total.
“……”
They stood with faces taut with tension.
The place they stood was one of the Magic Tower’s key facilities, not yet open to the public.
Hummm.
A special space riddled with all manner of spells.
“…It’s been a while.”
“…Have you been well?”
“…Everyone. How… can you… speak… so….”
“Stop talking.”
The founding church members, meeting again after so long, conversed, but it was awkward.
Somehow stifled, they sweated just to utter a single word.
Whumm!
Because of the effects from the magic acting on the space itself.
Gravity several times normal, mana density far beyond standard limits, and more.
Whummm!
With countless spells not even activated yet, it would be a lie to say they weren’t tense.
Even they, who had trained in the source of mana itself for so long as church founders, were like this.
“Ugh. This… damn…”
Go Minji collapsed mid-sentence, while Go Woojin was already on the floor, eyes closed, doing his best.
The Sanctuary Alliance was in a similar state.
They were more accustomed to handling mana than the Divines.
“It huuuurts so muuuch.”
“…Save… your words… brother….”
For them, with their limited mana and talent, it was a huge strain.
The surprise was Goldian’s side.
“…Richard, how are you….”
“Master?”
“Fine….”
Samuel, who had lost consciousness while still standing.
In contrast, Richard.
“Master! Master!”
Was speaking perfectly fine.
Richard shook the fallen Samuel.
It was then.
Step.
At the small footsteps, everyone’s gazes shifted in an instant.
What they awaited was obviously Go Yohan.
“……?”
But the one who appeared was a stranger.
“Who?”
Someone who seemed more suited to claiming a spot in a towering stock exchange building than here.
“Uh… nice to meet you.”
He, on the other hand, looked rather awkward.
“I… heard the gist of it, but I’m Park Dong-uk.”
It was Park Dong-uk.
“……!”
At his appearance, everyone except Park Dong-uk widened their eyes.
It was obvious at a glance.
‘He’s not affected by the magic?’
‘No. Look at his trembling shoulders. The magic is working on him too.’
‘Then?’
Exchanging glances, they quickly reached a conclusion.
‘His mana control is superior.’
He possessed far better mana utilization than they did.
Even though they had trained under Go Yohan and the apostles for so long.
“…….”
The fact that this sudden newcomer was better than them.
And what such a being might mean to Go Yohan.
‘Another apostle?’
All sorts of thoughts flashed through their minds.
But.
Swish.
Park Dong-uk stood not in front of the gathered group, but to the side.
Meaning he was in the same boat as the rest.
And then.
Ripple.
The space swirled like a vortex, and Go Yohan appeared alongside Yusehwa.
“You’re all here.”
A total of eleven people.
And an empty seat already designated.
These were.
“I’ll start with a simple explanation.”
The knight candidates.
*
*
*
Go Yohan.
He didn’t even exchange greetings.
“Existing players have too many flaws.”
He dove straight into the main topic, yet no one raised a question.
“Random selection, unprepared individuals, forcing those unsuited into the fray.”
And.
Nod.
They empathized with his words.
“Hunting monsters and growing stronger. Ideal in theory, but…”
All players shared one commonality.
Hunt monsters, level up, and grow stronger.
However.
“Base stats and growth stats differ. Skills vary greatly per player, and classes are more assigned than chosen.”
At first, they hadn’t even questioned it.
Because.
‘It’s the gods’ choice.’
If it was the goddess’s will, silently accepting it was right.
But if that system wasn’t purely the goddess’s intent, it changed everything.
“There are many other irrational elements. Experiments show that higher levels demand different experience requirements.”
Irrelevant for novice players.
Killing one orc to level up to 10 is the same for all.
But at level 100, 200.
The higher the level.
‘Ten thousand orcs versus nine thousand.’
A gap of nearly a thousand orcs in experience.
The disparity widened the higher you climbed, and the solidified rankings were proof.
A gap in talent, an uncrossable wall.
‘Natural, of course.’
The weak are weeded out; an unavoidable reality.
He had no intention of denying it, but for Go Yohan, who truly sought the goddess’s will, it was different.
‘The goddess wants to give everyone a fair chance.’
That’s why she granted even a nobody like him the qualification to be her knight.
“All of it.”
All the absurdities and irrationalities.
“I intend to overhaul.”
To remake it anew.
“……!”
The listeners’ eyes widened in shock.
To them, Go Yohan was more than a living legend.
No, at least for those in this room.
‘The Great One.’
‘Even the North Korean refugees recognize him properly.’
‘Our leader.’
They revered Go Yohan as an object of faith.
A man who didn’t pair with the word impossible, the one to guide light through ruin.
Yet.
“Is that… possible…?”
Even crushed by the magic, Samuel spoke in astonishment.
“The system….”
The player system.
To tamper with it and remake it? Possible?
“It is.”
Go Yohan affirmed.
“And there’s something even more important.”
Something taken for granted in Travania.
Something players blessed by the goddess should naturally possess.
“Players lack any sense of responsibility or duty toward the power they’re given.”
They saw the given power merely as their own ability.
“Over sixty percent of players don’t participate in battles against demons. I won’t tolerate that any longer.”
Thus.
“I plan to create new players—knights.”
He would forge knights for the battlefield.
