Chapter 65
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Zero-Sum Game (3)
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What a mess. The sight of them all fighting to be the leader was utter chaos.
“Heh heh, hahaha! I can’t believe the Aria Guild thought they could enter a dungeon with such a disorganized mob.”
“That bastard… Hooo.”
Joo Seo-hye caught her breath and pulled me and Han Seong-cheol aside.
It seemed she knew what was more important than fighting with Jeong Ho-il, who was being so blatantly disrespectful.
The momentum had swung heavily in the Raon Guild's favor.
“Are you guys serious? What are you trying to do, stepping up to be the leader in this situation? Are you trying to cause a rift between us?”
“What rift? When were we ever united in the first place?”
The one who had recommended me was none other than Park Si-woo.
Since Joo Seo-hye had openly shown her dislike for Park Si-woo during the meeting, I had no reason to like her either.
“A man is meant to be a leader, is he not? My apologies to you both, but I must ask you to step aside this time.”
“Like hell. I’m not backing down either.”
“Alright. Let’s reach an agreement.”
“An agreement?”
I told Joo Seo-hye and Han Seong-cheol my idea.
The dungeon we were about to enter had a significantly increased number of monsters due to three previous failures.
Among them, the Sloughdrake was a monster with an exceptionally high reproductive rate.
In a typical Cockatrice Farm dungeon, Sloughdrakes are minor sub-monsters, not a major threat.
However, if the Sloughdrakes aren't dealt with early on, or if a dungeon run fails, they begin to reproduce at an explosive rate.
It was a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.
“What? A bet?”
Jeong Ho-il looked surprised at Joo Seo-hye’s words.
The number of Sloughdrakes in the dungeon was estimated to be between five or six hundred at the low end, and potentially up to a thousand at the high end.
‘Now I see why Park Si-woo cursed them out as "goddamn worms."’
The Sloughdrakes were monsters that had to be dealt with anyway.
My proposal was to make a bet centered on them.
“That’s right. We’ve already come to an agreement.”
“Oh, a bet involving the Sloughdrakes? Sounds interesting.”
“No matter what, I doubt we’ll lose.”
The Aria Guild hunters seemed mostly on board with the idea.
‘It seems they were hoping we'd fall apart.’
Unfortunately for them, that wasn't going to happen.
There was no reason for us to be divided if this was a team competition, not an individual one.
‘So the plan is to beat the Raon bastards, and then we'll tally up our own Sloughdrake counts amongst ourselves?’
‘Exactly.’
‘I have no objection.’
‘*Sigh*, fine. Let's do it that way.’
At Joo Seo-hye’s words, Jeong Ho-il of the Raon Guild hesitated.
He could accept or refuse; it was his call.
It was no loss to us. We didn't really need a leader anyway.
The Raon Guild, on the other hand, was in a different situation.
The Raon Guild operated with a strict hierarchy, making it crucial for them to seize the initiative to maintain morale.
Backing down here would undoubtedly be a loss of face for them.
Pride doesn't put food on the table.
But humans often make foolish choices out of pride.
The decision passed from Jeong Ho-il to their team leader, a man named Han Jong-ho.
“Fine. We accept. But it's no fun without stakes. How about we wager something?”
“You want to play a Zero-Sum Game?”
Joo Seo-hye retorted at the mention of a wager.
Hold on.
“What’s a Zero-Sum Game?”
When I quietly asked, Joo Seo-hye shot me a look that said, *You don't even know that?*
Han Seong-cheol, who was standing beside me, explained in her stead.
“It's a form of the Divine Banquet. A betting game where you wager Contribution Points. You need a god's permission to start one… That guy must be pretty chummy with his god.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Well, I don't mind.”
“I don’t mind either.”
A game for Contribution Points? That was even better.
If I had known such a game existed, I would have proposed it before he did.
“I noticed it back at the meeting, but you're certainly full of confidence.”
“Because I have reason to be.”
No other reason was needed.
With Han Seong-cheol and I both agreeing, Joo Seo-hye reluctantly accepted.
[The 'Zero-Sum Game' will now begin.]
[Host God: Lux]
- Details: The one who eliminates the most Sloughdrakes in the 'Cockatrice Farm' dungeon.
- Time Limit: 24 hours after entering the dungeon.
- Reward: The entire pool of Contribution Points.
- Participant List
[A 'Zero-Sum Game' is in progress. Would you like to participate?]
[The entry fee is 10,000P.]
['Kang Han-gyeol (Soter)' has joined the game.]
['Joo Seo-hye (Seine)' has joined the game.]
['Han Jong-ho (Lux)' and 28 others have joined the game.]
Several hunters from the Aria Guild, lacking sufficient points, had to abstain.
Unlike the Raon Guild, whose members were all but forced to obey their team leader's command, we had no authority to compel hunters who lacked the necessary Contribution Points.
“Dammit. Doesn’t this put us at a disadvantage?”
Realizing the critical issue too late, Joo Seo-hye bit her nails in frustration.
[Participation in the 'Zero-Sum Game' will close in 10 seconds.]
[The 'Zero-Sum Game' begins.]
A winner-takes-all Zero-Sum Game.
I don't know who came up with the name, but it was brilliantly fitting.
And I had no intention of sharing the Contribution Points with anyone.
That's what a Zero-Sum Game is all about, isn't it?
* * *
Early the next morning.
Hunters began to gather one by one near the dungeon located in Donghaksa Valley.
Min Seong-taek and Kang Hyun-seung waved when they saw me.
I walked over to them naturally.
“Wow, incredible. They're the real deal.”
The Raon Guild hunters were all wearing blue capes.
True to its nature, the Aria Guild didn't have a designated uniform.
I knew that some guilds had special uniforms.
I'd seen the Raon Guild's capes before, but seeing them worn by the entire group gave off a strange vibe.
“Heh. They look so cool.”
“What… the hell are you talking about?”
At Kang Hyun-seung's comment, I choked on the Chocoemon I'd bought from the convenience store in the pension's lobby.
I almost spit it out.
“Raon isn't the only guild that adopts a uniform. But the Raon Guild is a bit special.”
“Special, my ass. They just look like a bunch of teenagers with delusions of grandeur to me.”
“See the white rose on their chests? That's the symbol of the god Lux. They come in different colors, but the highest rank is, of course, the blue rose.”
This damn know-it-all!
He's not even listening to me!
I glanced over the Raon Guild hunters' capes.
Even after the explanation, I noticed that not many hunters were actually wearing roses.
Forget a blue rose; only the one they called Team Leader Han and three or four others around him wore any kind of rose at all.
“What about the guys without roses?”
“They're like aspirants. They follow other gods but wish to serve Lux.”
“You know quite a bit, huh?”
Min Seong-taek didn't seem particularly interested in the Raon Guild.
Min Seong-taek shrugged.
“The Aria Guild has all sorts of hunters.”
Among them were a fair number of Black Holdings hunters who had left the Raon Guild.
It was possible he'd heard stories about the Raon Guild from them.
I threw the empty Chocoemon carton into a nearby trash can.
Once everyone had gathered, the assault on the 'Cockatrice Farm' dungeon finally began.
* * *
[Cockatrice Farm]
Grade: A+
Terrain: Mountain
Recommended Party Size: 80
Objective: Unknown
Rewards
1) Upon clearing, all members receive [1,000 Contribution Points]
2) Monster Raid (Rewards tiered for top 10 ranks)
1st place. 45,000P / 2nd place …….
3) Minesweeper [7,000 Contribution Points]
4) Savings Account [??? Contribution Points]
…….
16) The Die is Cast. [10,000 Contribution Points]
Notes
- Clearing this dungeon will grant a 'Raid Ticket (6)'.
- A 'Zero-Sum Game' hosted by the god Lux is in progress.
I'd seen the file from the pre-raid meeting that calculated the number of possible missions, but the sheer number of rewards was still impressive.
The starting point was deep in the mountains.
It was a mountain, alright, but the problem was that more than half of it was completely devastated.
Trees were uprooted and scattered everywhere, as if someone had violently shaken the mountain.
The hunters appeared one by one.
Just as I'd expected, the hunters from the Raon and Aria Guilds each stuck to their own.
I'd seen this coming ever since they started that pathetic squabble over who would be leader.
The atmosphere was unnerving, just as you'd expect from a dungeon that had already seen three failed attempts.
One or two Sloughdrakes were coiled around each fallen tree.
Someone attacked a Sloughdrake.
It was a hunter from the Raon Guild.
“Battle formation!”
At Jeong Ho-il's command, the Raon Guild hunters moved with perfect coordination.
Hunters with shields protected their team leader, Han Jong-ho.
Their movements were closer to a military unit than a group of hunters.
As the other hunters bought him time, Han Jong-ho calmly raised his weapon.
Among the hunters who served the god Lux, there were quite a few mages.
Han Jong-ho was the only A-rank hunter on this expedition.
A large magic circle materialized behind him.
*Kwoooosh.*
A massive ray of light shot out from the center of the magic circle, carving a straight path forward.
In its wake, the nearby Sloughdrakes vanished as if they had evaporated.
‘Hmm.’
The power was decent, but it felt like overkill.
‘Just for show, I see.’
Showing off was his business, so I didn't care.
The explosion moments ago began to attract the nearby Sloughdrakes.
The hunters from the Aria Guild scowled at the rapid pace of the hunt.
The most anxious one was none other than Joo Seo-hye.
“What's the plan?”
“Figure it out yourselves. It's not like we're an army like them.”
That's just how people are.
You can do just fine sticking to your usual methods, but when you see someone else rushing ahead, you get anxious and start to doubt yourself.
Even when there's nothing wrong at all.
That's how the Raon Guild operates. We just need to do things our own way.
“That’s…”
“And with that, I'm off.”
“Wait, what?”
“Figure it out.”
Joo Seo-hye seemed determined to first join forces and knock the Raon Guild down a peg, but she was mistaken.
From the moment the Zero-Sum Game began, I had no intention of siding with anyone.
With a wave, I was the first to break away from the group.
“Hey!! Hey, you crazy bastard!!”
As expected, I could hear Joo Seo-hye's fuming voice from a distance.
What's her problem?
After going a little further, I saw Raon Guild hunters taking down Sloughdrakes.
‘More than I thought.’
There was a Sloughdrake coiled around nearly every other tree.
“But… why are you two following me?”
“Ahem.”
“I only followed because Seong-taek moved.”
Judging that I was far enough from both the Raon and Aria Guilds, I killed a nearby Sloughdrake and descended to the ground.
This was entirely my own decision.
The fact that they followed me despite that meant they wanted something.
Unexpectedly, the one who bowed his head first was none other than Min Seong-taek.
“I'll do anything if you let me come with you!”
This guy.
Why are you being so dramatic?