Chapter 182
Chapter 182
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: The Board Game War
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[You have entered the 'Core Dungeon.']
"...Huh? My power?"
At the same time, the status window popped up in front of him again, and his strength returned.
The surrounding scenery had changed as well. The soul-like dark clouds that had been floating in the sky earlier had all descended, surrounding him and the incarnation of the Constellation 66 Thousand Demons at a distance of about 100 meters.
Anyway, with his power back, Yoo Seongwon tried to equip his armor again and pull out a weapon from his inventory, but strangely, nothing came to hand.
"Huh? Where'd it go? This can't not be here..."
"No tools of 'war' exist in this dungeon anymore."
"...Didn't you just say we were going to war?"
"Of course we are. Now, have a seat."
Snap!
With a flick of his finger made of sword and bullet, the barren ground rose up, creating a table and chairs of earth between the incarnation of the Constellation 66 Thousand Demons and Yoo Seongwon.
The table was enormous, and on it was drawn a checkered field divided into squares.
As Yoo Seongwon sat in the chair, stone chess pieces appeared before him. But upon closer inspection, they looked familiar.
"Th-this is Krokbane? Gaulf? Our guys... what the hell is this...?"
"We'll wage war here. Just like this."
Rattle rattle rattle!
On his side, his six knights posed atop their mounts, along with the dragon Eldraen and even the Heavenly Sword Army soldiers. In contrast, before the Constellation 66 Thousand Demons, the dark spirit entities from the surroundings gathered one by one, transforming into chess pieces as well.
Yoo Seongwon, still wearing a bewildered expression, looked over the table and the knight-like chess pieces before asking the incarnation of the Constellation 66 Thousand Demons.
"What are you planning to do with this?"
"What else? 'War.' This is the way war is waged in this 'Core Dungeon' steeped in peace and harmony. The rules are very simple. We fight a 'war' on this field, and the side whose 'chess pieces' all fall or forfeits loses. By the way, all those spirit entities are my 'chess pieces.'"
"...Does that even make sense...?"
"Didn't you come to my dungeon staking everything? And you already knew that, didn't you?"
Right. He had anticipated there would be some unreasonable fight inside the Core Dungeon from the start.
But he hadn't expected it to be this blatantly unfair, and a sense of fear crept in.
As he eyed the chess pieces of his knights and soldiers before him and the opponent's massive pile, cold sweat began to bead on Yoo Seongwon's forehead, and several ten-sided dice were placed in front of him.
"Dice?"
"Then let me explain the rules of this 'war.' It's simple. You deploy your pieces, I deploy mine, and we fight the 'war.' Each piece's abilities will reflect exactly as they appear in 'Awakening' and 'Star's Record' for this 'war,' so no need to worry."
"Then what are these dice for?"
"They're the one and only 'weapon' that works in this 'war.' The most important thing. All attacks, defenses, everything that determines if pieces on the field topple opponents is decided by them. Of course, your knights are so exceptional that even low rolls will have high chances of successful defense or attack. Ooh~ Look at this. This knight called Gaulf wields sword and shield, so anything 2 or above on the die counts as a successful defense. He's outstanding. High stamina too."
On a ten-sided die, 2 or above meant everything except 1 succeeds—a 90% defense rate—which was absurd in reality.
Conversely, it meant a powerless, ability-less human could succeed in attacking a knight of Gaulf's caliber with a mere 10% chance.
In a real fight, Gaulf could dodge every attack out of a hundred or thousand attempts!
'What the hell do I do...?'
"There's no time limit on this 'war.' Rest whenever you want, eat, sleep as much as you like. Your lifespan is the 'time limit,' though. But you absolutely can't run from the game. That counts as defeat, and you'll become a resident here too."
"...Hoo!"
Taking a deep breath, Yoo Seongwon nodded as if he had no choice.
He was experiencing the Core Dungeon's unfairness firsthand. No way to retreat, and giving up meant the end of everything, so he steeled himself and placed Krokbane's piece—mounted on the massive basilisk—on the field.
A status window appeared before him with its stats.
[Dragon-Human Knight Krokbane]
Str:128(SS+) Dex:32(A+) Vit:128(SS+) Mag:45(C-)
Armament: Great Axe of Demon-Breaking
+2 to die roll against undead or spirits
[Held Skills]
Dragon-Human's Herculean Strength - +3 to die roll on next attack
Dragon's Roar - Instills fear in enemies within 15-square radius centered on self, -2 to attack die rolls for 5 turns (Cooldown: 10 turns)
Basilisk Charge - Attacks all enemies in straight-line travel distance. However, must attack with -1 to die roll.
Feral Regeneration - Roll die once per turn to recover that much stamina
'As expected, our Krokbane is powerful... but in the end, it's all down to this...'
Yoo Seongwon stared anxiously at the stone die in his hand.
Right. No matter how powerful the knights, if he was the one controlling them, there were bound to be limits.
His hand trembled, cold sweat flowing.
'What... what do I do? How can I win? All these surrounding souls are pieces... how do I take them all down?'
"Is that the end of your first deployment?"
"Ah, no... wait a sec, let me think..."
"No restrictions, but keep time in mind. You don't plan to stay here for a thousand years, do you?"
Hearing that made his head spin, and he thought of the people outside.
This wasn't something to scoff at just because it wasn't weapons clashing directly.
The burden and pressure of having to make every decision alone, in a fight where surrender was absolutely forbidden.
"I'm ready to accept your surrender anytime. Keep that in mind and start."
"...Hoo... hoo... hoo..."
Breathing was hard, cold sweat unrelenting.
For Yoo Seongwon, a completely ordinary human with nothing special except 'Awakening,' fighting alone without any support was terrifying enough, but the weight on his shoulders was immense.
Not just the knights he'd fought with all this time, but the people he'd gathered outside—they all bore down heavily on his heart.
"First, let's decide turn order. Deployment can come after. I rolled a 7."
"Haa... haa... I... hoo... 4..."
"Good. I go first. Say when you're ready. The game can start anytime."
"Hoo... gulp gulp."
Unable to endure, Yoo Seongwon pulled a water bottle from his inventory and chugged it.
He'd never experienced a gambling table like this. His only gambles were lottery tickets or random boxes in mobile games.
Fighting with a weapon in hand seemed more comfortable.
'...What do I do? Can I even win this?'
Surrender meant the end, so he absolutely couldn't.
But even a quick calculation showed the odds.
Attack and defense success or failure decided by ten-sided dice. Even with independent trials, Krokbane would take damage and wear down against that innumerable horde.
He had 'Feral Regeneration,' but overwhelming odds loomed large.
"What will you do?"
"Hoo~ Can I ask one more thing?"
"Gladly."
"What happens to dead pieces?"
"They die, obviously. It's 'war,' isn't it?"
Thud...!
His already heavy burden doubled.
At least the knights were from the Star's Record, but if he'd brought someone else, their life would hang on his hands—unthinkable.
Still, losing the knights here wasn't acceptable.
Over a year of memories with them. They were like family now.
'...I can't let them die like this. My knights... dying because of my decisions and this damn die...'
"Just say when to start. Or forfeiting is fine too."
"...I'll never forfeit."
"Do as you like."
Whether Yoo Seongwon agonized or not, time favored the Constellation 66 Thousand Demons.
The difference between an immortal constellation and a human who wouldn't live a century.
Plus, his food and water were finite. Common sense dictated starting ASAP to clear even a bit sooner, but could he beat that horde?
'...At least I prepared for my absence beforehand. Good call.'
Thinking he'd done well there, Yoo Seongwon gripped the die to move.
It was a fight he had to do, amid the pressure and burden.
Thus began the unimaginable 'war' on the table in the Core Dungeon.
***
Jeonnam Mokpo Frontline.
As soon as Yoo Seongwon's party entered and the Core Dungeon closed, changes occurred outside too.
The spirits that had swarmed for battle halted en masse and began retreating to their dungeons on their own.
This anomaly safely secured the frontline, but tension among the people didn't end.
"...Wonder how it'll go?"
"W-who knows? That Yoo Seongwon guy's skilled, so maybe he'll clear it?"
"His descent from the sky was epic..."
"Hey, you there! Stay alert. Those monsters could move again any second! Plant one more mine! Build one more obstacle! That's how you get leave time!"
"Yes, sir!"
Soldiers and hunters set aside hopes of Core Dungeon clearance, digging and rushing defensive fortifications.
Unlike their routine, an emergency meeting convened at military headquarters and the Hunter Association.
The Constellation 66 Thousand Demons' great general had come to Korea, but as a constellation originally based in Japan, it posed a major issue.