Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Manifesto (1) Berserker
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In Korea, is there anyone who wouldn't freak out upon hearing that title?
└ Whoa.
└ What's going on right now?
└ Did I just hear that reporter say 'Berserker'?
└ For real?
└ Berserker, why's the mad dog showing up here??
└ Didn't that limited edition No. 2 from Demir drop for the Berserker? Maybe they got chummy because of that?
└ Yeah, he even lawyered for Oseong Group last time, right? Just smashed the whole building;;
The camera was pointed straight ahead, so the reporter's situation wasn't visible.
That's why viewers could only speculate and argue among themselves.
At that moment.
The reporter was breaking out in a cold sweat.
"H-How did the Berserker end up here?"
He had met many big shots during his long career as a reporter.
But his opponent was a world ranking 20th heavyweight.
A completely different league from anyone he'd met before.
And who was the Berserker, anyway?
The psycho who'd smash anyone—big corporations or rankers alike—if they didn't sit right with him.
"Hahaha."
The musclehead laughed.
"What, is this a place I can't be?"
"N-No, it's not that."
"Well, I wouldn't say anything as a third party filming that battle scene......"
"Y-Yes."
"But did you get permission from my little bro to film? There's such a thing as portrait rights, you know?"
A pointed remark.
In truth, the reporter had nothing to say even if he had ten mouths.
"Th-That is......"
It was while the flustered reporter was stammering.
Thud!
A slender woman's figure dropped from the sky.
"Whew, Berserker. You're as fast as ever. I hurried because you said you'd run here...... and you're already here."
Ranking 509, leader of the Black Sword Trove.
Yi Seon-ah.
The sleek dark sword at her waist was her trademark.
And also.
"Whoa, everyone's gathered again? Long time no see."
Ranking 828, White Pig Yu Sang-don appeared, his beer belly jiggling.
"Hmm, actually, I've been here watching since earlier."
Swish.
As if conjuring something from nothing.
From empty space, Ranking 379 materialized right there.
Even Dark Emperor Gi So-yul.
"Huh? Gi So-yul, you were already here?"
Yu Sang-don's eyes went wide.
"Dark Emperor...... I thought you were busy since you didn't reply, but you were here."
"Hahaha, you're like a total tag-along."
The rankers looked at her with baffled expressions.
In fact, the only reason these people had come all the way to this forest to find Joo Dong-hoon was one.
To discuss the Dungeon Maker.
But Gi So-yul hadn't been in the group chat.
Which meant......
She'd been here from the start.
"Don't stare like that. Watching the training is my right, something I arranged with Dong-hoon......"
Gi So-yul slightly averted her eyes from the rankers.
"......"
The reporter squeezed his eyes shut.
'Crazy, what the hell is all this.'
Berserker, Black Sword, White Pig, and even Dark Emperor?
His heart was pounding...... No.
It was beyond that.
It felt like his heart had already raced so fast it had burst.
└ ???
└ So, what's happening?
└ This is frustrating.
└ Where'd that 'right to know' reporter go?
└ Yeah, so what if it's the Berserker! Spill it already!
It wasn't unreasonable for the viewers to be frustrated.
The screen only showed the chaotic clearing.
All the voices were coming from off-screen.
Thud!
Then.
The nearby Kim reporter twitched and bumped the camera stand while cowering.
'Huh?'
The Kim reporter freaked out.
He'd just been holding his pee and staying perfectly still.
Clunk, thud! Thud! Roll!
The unbalanced camera started rolling toward the ridgeline.
"......"
All the rankers' gazes turned to the camera.
The camera's angle perfectly framed the rankers.
Thud!
Finally, it stopped, capturing them all cleanly.
As if some broadcast god had intervened, perfectly flipped.
└ ???
└ What is this scene?
└ ㄷㄷㄷ It's really the Berserker?
└ ?? Black Sword and Dark Emperor too?? White Pig as well?
└ Wait, isn't that Seoul's Five Stars?
└ Where even is this? Some secret hideout?
└ Hey, not fake news, it's real......
└ ㄷㄷ This is a real scoop today?
The viewers erupted in chaos.
"......"
And the rankers silently staring at the camera.
"Huh? Hold on, that thing."
Soon, White Pig furrowed his brow.
"No way it's live broadcast, not just recording, right?"
Crack!
At that instant, the camera shattered.
Because Yu Sang-don walked up and stomped it.
"Broadcast?"
Jang Dae-woong tilted his head.
"You can do live broadcasts with those tiny cameras these days?"
"Wow, Berserker. For your age, you're such a total old fogey...... Amazing, the world's changed ages ago and you're talking like some grandpa......"
"Hmm, I thought it was just video recording and didn't mind, but if it's a broadcast, that could be a problem."
Yi Seon-ah stepped forward too.
At the same time, she fixed the reporter with an icy glare.
"You've got some guts. Broadcasting a hunter's training session without permission."
"I wasn't gonna say this much, but no wonder they call reporters scum."
Yu Sang-don chimed in.
Flinch. The reporter trembled.
Four rankers—practically a national-level force—staring him down......
"......"
An immense pressure converged.
Cold eyes, emotionless eyes, murderous eyes.
'Ah.'
The reporter's legs went weak.
Was this how it felt to stand before the King of Hell?
"Everyone, it's fine."
That was when someone else appeared.
The reporter's gaze slowly turned.
Who was it?
Ah, that person.
The owner of those insane skeletons.
Joo Dong-hoon, none other.
"In fact, I already knew who was coming...... No way I wouldn't. You were so loud about it. I just let it slide because Tayo and Eldrin were fighting so seriously."
"......"
The reporter's heart thumped wildly.
Right, the only way to escape this unscathed.
Beg forgiveness from the broadcast's owner, Joo Dong-hoon.
No, have him grant it.
The live stream was already off, viewers booted.
Forums would be buzzing about this.
It had probably spread everywhere via SNS too.
"S-Sorry! Demir Workshop Lord!"
The reporter quickly bowed at a perfect right angle.
"We weren't trying to...... We were hiking and suddenly heard this massive noise...... My scoop instinct kicked in and before I knew it......"
"Ah, it's fine, I said. Reporter?"
Joo Dong-hoon smiled gently.
And patted the reporter's shoulder reassuringly.
"It's really okay. So, hurry and head down. I'd be scared too in your shoes."
"R-Really?"
"Yes, yes. You did good, actually. Oh, right, did the battle scene come out nice?"
"......?"
The reporter was dumbfounded.
At least it seemed forgiven, which was a relief.
"You were wrong to film without permission, but in exchange, try to write nice articles from now on. Please, you got it?"
"O-Of course!"
The reporter shouted without thinking.
He still couldn't process the situation fully.
But one thing was clear.
Joo Dong-hoon.
The guy was nicer than expected.
He knew it, honestly.
Who wouldn't?
How much rankers and high-grade hunters hated exposing their power.
'I gotta write only good stuff about him from now on......'
A veteran of the scene, he inwardly assessed Joo Dong-hoon.
Maker of S-rank weapons.
A 'Necromancer' commanding utterly absurd skeletons.
Chummy with rankers.
And even those rankers seemed to listen to him......
'Definitely gotta suck up.'
People like that, you don't mess with.
Mess with them and you won't die a natural death.
"W-Well, I'll be going then!"
The reporter and Kim reporter hurried down the mountain.
At the fastest speed of their lives.
* * *
The serene clearing.
"Hmm, little bro. You sure it's okay?"
After sending off the two reporters, Jang Dae-woong suddenly asked me.
"The training footage is all over the place? They even nabbed some clip or whatever...... Your power's exposed nationwide."
"Yeah, whatever. It's fine."
I shrugged.
"I was planning to reveal it eventually anyway."
"Is that so?"
In crude terms, it was a show of force.
A declaration to the world: [I'm this strong, so don't mess with me from now on.]
That's how this world worked.
If you looked weak, the flies swarmed even more.
Because you seemed easy.
Even that new Oseong Workshop punk had done just that.
"In short, it's like the Berserker vibe. You showed people a few mad dog moments, and now no one touches you. Nobody pokes a rabid dog, right?"
"......"
Jang Dae-woong stared at me blankly.
"This isn't an insult, is it?"
"Nah, no way. If it was bad, I wouldn't have tagged along."
I laughed, and soon Jang Dae-woong bellowed too.
"Kahaha, right? You're my little bro. You're right. Most people are weak to the strong and strong to the weak by nature. I've really felt that lately."
"Anyone would wilt in front of the Berserker, no?"
Yi Seon-ah smirked as she cut in.
"Anyway, as I said earlier, as of yesterday, King has risen to A-rank hunter. He's truly met the challenge conditions for Dungeon Maker, as promised."
"King?"
Jang Dae-woong tilted his head.
Yi Seon-ah answered.
"You didn't know? His title changed to Skeleton King ages ago."
"Huh. King, huh......? Fitting title for my little bro."
I broke out in a sweat.
God.
[King this] and [King that]......
No matter how many times I heard it, the title felt awkward.
It had that vibe of something I'd never get used to in my lifetime.
Anyway.
The reason they'd gathered here at my place was obvious.
"Dungeon Maker...... in about three days, right?"
"Right. Three days."
Yu Sang-don nodded.
"You ready?"
"Of course."
I recalled their past proposal.
- World Ranking 5th, Dungeon Maker Delilah opens a trial dungeon every half-year.
There are two conditions to participate in the trial dungeon.
First, be at least A-rank hunter.
Second, bring recommendation letters from five rankers.
And the ones gathered for those five recommendations were Seoul's Five Stars.
- We don't know the dungeon's contents. They change every time, we hear. But one thing's certain...... Clear all the trials given in that dungeon, and you'll land inside the three-digit rankings at least.
- Three years ago, what are now called Seoul's Five Stars cleared the trials and entered the ranker ranks. In the three-digits. Of course, time passed and our individual rankings climbed since.
I didn't know what kind of being Delilah was.
I'd just agreed because she offered a path to becoming a ranker.
"......Really."
I asked.
"If I go this time, can I really become a ranker? Guaranteed?"
My lifelong dream.
Was about to unfold right before my eyes.
"Yes, guaranteed."
Gi So-yul stepped forward.
"But like White Pig said, you really need to steel yourself."
"......"
"What, Black Sword seems convinced you'll enter ranker ranks for sure after this dungeon......"
She looked at me worriedly.
"Delilah's an oddball. Some of her trials can't be solved with strength alone......"
"Hold it right there!"
Yu Sang-don barked.
"Forgot? Leaking info on the trials we faced......"
"Right, incurs a penalty."
Gi So-yul nodded in acknowledgment and stepped back.
"......"
What?
What the hell was Delilah?
Just a ranker, right?
How could she impose conditions like that?
As I made a puzzled face.
"Little bro."
Jang Dae-woong grinned.
"Wanna hear a fun story?"
"A fun story?"
"Yeah, something you don't know...... No, something ordinary folks would never know in their lifetime. About rankers. Top-tier ones, even."
"......"
Gulp!
I swallowed without realizing.
Hell yeah, I'd love that.
I nodded slowly.
"Yup!"