Chapter 184
Chapter 184
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 184
Chapter Title: The Knights' Last Stand
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Thus, half a year dragged on endlessly outside while the core dungeon remained sealed shut.
Before long, winter had arrived with biting cold winds, and the Mokpo frontline was now focusing its efforts on internal defenses after completing every possible preparation.
The frontline city continued to operate smoothly without major issues, designed from the start to account for Yoo Seongwon and the knights' absence.
“Ugh… We survived. It's finally all done.”
“Excellent work. Your efficiency keeps improving. Well done, Ayoung.”
“It wouldn't have been possible without you, Yoo Cheong. I'm truly glad you stayed here.”
Time had passed, and anxiety could have gripped the frontline city and Iron Fortress, but Yoo Cheong's presence dispelled all those fears.
As long as he was there, it meant Yoo Seongwon inside the dungeon was still alive, allowing everyone to focus on practical matters with peace of mind. They smoothly repelled provocations, scavenger assaults, and corporate incursions alike.
“But still, what kind of battle is going on inside the dungeon to take this long? We know he's safe since you're alive, Yoo Cheong, but…”
“If the core dungeon were easy, there'd be no problem to begin with. Records show some have taken years, so you must brace for that. In any case, with Merublin the mage and me here, His Majesty's safety is all but guaranteed, so it's far better than nothing.”
“That's true. Others have no news of those who entered, but we at least know he's safe thanks to you. Of course, we'll find out when the core dungeon reopens…”
In the frontline city and Iron Fortress, Yoo Seongwon's existence had become absolute. Without him, the gathered people would have descended into chaos and panic—scheming alliances with outsiders, betrayals for self-preservation, and more—requiring endless effort just to control.
“And our internals are chaotic enough as it is. Haah… Why do they love forming factions so much?”
“Gathering and organizing for personal gain is only natural. Controlling it is the king's duty, after all.”
“I'm not the king, though?”
“His Majesty named you successor, so aren't you walking the path of a queen? Your Majesty?”
“Eek! Goosebumps. Queen this, queen that—no, first I want to level up and take the S-rank promotion exam. Ugh! I could do it with just one or two dungeons, but things here are way busier…”
Fusing people scraped together from everywhere was no easy task.
There were Japanese with different languages and cultures, facility kids lacking proper social education, and ordinary folk flooding in now that the frontline city was Korea's safest spot. With such a mismatched crowd, big and small incidents never ceased.
“Haah… Especially controlling inflow at the train station—the personnel quality varies so wildly, that's the biggest issue. Makes me appreciate the Heavenly Sword Army soldiers even more.”
“They're elite troops who've spent their lives with the War Emperor, so of course they're leagues above greenhorns with just one or two years under their belts.”
“So internal problems keep piling up… Ughhh!”
“The CCTV system's well-built, so we're catching most of it, right?”
“Even that's a house of cards. I wish that uncle would hurry back. And if—if it really fails, then… Haah…”
It was the last thing she wanted to imagine, but with so much time passed, anxiety had swelled.
If the core dungeon raid failed and Yoo Seongwon vanished, along with Yoo Cheong, the frontline city and Iron Fortress's security would flicker like a candle in the wind, impossible to stabilize.
The rootless would rally around successor Shin Ayoung to solidify the system, but those who'd entered the city might scheme for control.
“Haah… Hurry back already. You have to take responsibility for what you've done, uncle.”
With the knights and Heavenly Sword Army gone, the burden on her was crushing, so Shin Ayoung gazed at Yoo Seongwon's photo on her desk, praying for his swift return.
***
Core Dungeon, 'Constellation 66 Thousand Demons.'
“That takes care of the last Heavenly Sword Army soldier. Heh, now it's just the knights and that 'dragon' left?”
“Damn it!”
Before Yoo Seongwon now stood only six knights and Eldraen, all upright, while every Heavenly Sword Army soldier lay downed.
For months, he'd shifted game styles—deploying healing-capable Seom-myeol, bolstering with knights to sweep foes—but the Constellation 66 Thousand Demons' incarnation countered by suddenly deploying heavy forces, matching him turn for turn.
“Anyway, that ends my turn. Your turn.”
“My turn… My turn… Whew… Hold on a sec.”
Over half a year confined here, eating, sleeping, and playing only this tabletop game had ravaged Yoo Seongwon's mind—his face gaunt, hair half-white.
Still more ordinary mortal than awakened, he'd wracked his brains to save his 'knights,' heart pounding with every die roll, agonizing if he could clear this dungeon or not. Body and soul had worn thin.
“Gulp gulp, haa! My turn… Okay, my turn. Right… Haaa~”
His mind was at its limit.
Trapped here so long, his psyche frayed relentlessly. The Constellation 66 Thousand Demons' taunts grated endlessly, defeat loomed on the battlefield board, and with his reserve Heavenly Sword Army pieces gone, darkness closed in.
*Part of me wants to abandon this pointless fight. But…*
Looking at his 'knights' and Eldraen, he couldn't.
Krokbane, Akaron, Gaulf, Seom-myeol, Jinseok, Junghan, Eldraen… Giving up meant their end.
He absolutely couldn't quit.
For their 'honor and chivalry' etched in the stars' records across countless battlefields, he couldn't surrender himself.
“Dice… First… Seom-myeol's Hymn of Recovery. But as a combat type, she takes a -4 penalty… Dice… 4, so 0 recovery. Then Eldraen tries healing magic. Dragon bonus, so… Dice 8. Good, success. Full party recovers 12. Whew… whew…”
“Hmm, you're holding out impressively. What's driving you to cling to such a futile fight?”
“Honor… and chivalry…”
“Unexpected. A mundane, pragmatic soul like you preaching such rigid, outdated ideals?”
“I'm… just a nobody. But they're different. Radiant… legends inscribed in the stars' records… 'hopes' that must shine forever in human hearts… I can't taint that.”
The old Yoo Seongwon would have shrugged it off—not his business, not his stuff. But these 'knights' were different.
They preached justice, honor, chivalry, giving him headaches, yet always lived it, respecting his near-ordinary heart.
Thus, betraying their honor was something his 'conscience' forbade. He'd rest easy only protecting them, even in death.
“That's why the fight drags on.”
“…To die in peace, I have no choice… My life… is fleeting anyway…”
With half-lidded, exhausted eyes but unyielding will, Yoo Seongwon kept rolling dice, pondering skills, playing on.
But it wouldn't last.
Only six knights and the dragon remained before him; the Constellation 66 Thousand Demons' pieces swarmed endlessly, spirit numbers undiminished.
“Dice 8… Damage lands, and… and… th…”
Thud.
Yoo Seongwon slammed his head on the table and passed out.
No restrictions on sleep or rest, but the stress and pressure were immense.
In this barren wasteland under storm clouds, meals tasted like ash; sleep brought anxiety, nightmares routine.
Thus, he'd play this 'war' to exhaustion, collapse asleep, wake, repeat.
“Zzz… Zzz…”
“You're tougher than expected. Thought a jack-of-all-trades like you would fold quick.”
Few endured this space and absurd game so long.
Most heroes or hunters rejected the irrationality outright—charging to slay his incarnate form, despairing to suicide, starving before game end, or surrendering early.
“Wonder if you'll last till the end.”
Gazing like at an amusing toy, the Constellation 66 Thousand Demons pondered pressures while awaiting his awakening.
Soon after, weary Yoo Seongwon stirred, and the game resumed.
In his dazed, fatigued haze at the limit, the first knight sacrifice he dreaded emerged.
“Dice 10, critical. Damage doubled to 12. And… that valiant dragonkin knight is finally down.”
“…Ah… Aaaah…”
Crack!
At the Constellation 66 Thousand Demons' words, Krokbane's piece shattered.
Life at zero, it crumbled to dust and scattered away.
In that instant, Yoo Seongwon felt his heart ripped out for the first time.
Krokbane—fierce-looking but steadfast, always guarding his back, never yielding on any frontline.
The moment he'd steeled for arrived, but tears wouldn't stop.
“…Sob… Uuugh! Uuuugh!”
“A warrior who reached this far, yet losing a comrade for the first time? Lucky bastard.”
“Instead… I should've been the one to die… They're stronger than me, the ones who led me… Like this… Like this…”
“I see. But our 'war' isn't over, and neither is my attack. Worry about your remaining friends.”
The dice rolled again.
As promised, the 'war' continued; more grief awaited.
The knights dwindled to five, Eldraen soon to share Krokbane's fate.
And it came swifter than thought.
Losing soldiers was mere scratches on a building; Krokbane's loss toppled a pillar. The tide turned irreversibly.
“…That squares the square-faced friend off.”
“Akaron…”
In a real war, retreat would be mandatory at such collapse, but this tabletop battlefield allowed none.
With one action per piece per turn, each loss hit harder.
Half a day after Krokbane fell, every piece crumbled to dust, vanishing traceless.
“Ah… Ah…”
“Game over. So, was this the end befitting the honor and chivalry you sought?”
“I never thought… I'd win from the start… In this dungeon's rules… I fought my best… So they went honorably. Now what… happens to me?”
Defeat as planned.
Core dungeons weren't for just anyone. Absurd laws and twisted rules rendered preparations futile.
Facing near-infinite wraiths in mortal flesh—was victory ever possible? Yoo Seongwon regretted entering due to Olympus's schemes.
Having given his all steadfastly, he closed his eyes, meekly awaiting the Constellation 66 Thousand Demons' incarnate's judgment.