Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: First Gift
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Kang Hyun-soo used the Commander Appointment skill on Sword King Jang Seok-won.
[Player Kang Hyun-soo has used the Commander Appointment skill. Will you accept?]
[Yes] [No]
Sword King Jang Seok-won hesitated for a moment.
But in the end, he chose Yes.
Whoosh!
[You have been appointed as a Battalion Commander.]
[All stats increase by 15%.]
“Oooooh!”
Sword King Jang Seok-won let out a cheer at the boosted stats.
And he looked at Kang Hyun-soo with eyes full of eager anticipation.
However.
“One of the other skills has a cooldown, so we’ll have to wait a bit.”
There was still just under 4 hours left on the cooldown.
Honestly, this was already pretty generous.
It had been a full 24 hours back when it was F-Rank.
“How long is it? A week? No, too short? It won’t take months, will it?”
Sword King Jang Seok-won seemed to think the cooldown would be quite long.
“Four hours.”
At Kang Hyun-soo’s answer.
“Only four hours.”
Sword King Jang Seok-won made a dazed expression.
“This is totally a cheat skill. A cooldown that short.”
“There’s a penalty to match it.”
The fatal drawback of consuming stats.
The limitation on the number of people.
“Well, that makes sense.”
“There should be a new skill available now.”
“Oh, right. Commander Appointment and Commander’s Blessing. Both give massive stat boosts. Huh? But the penalty…….”
Sword King Jang Seok-won looked at Kang Hyun-soo with surprised eyes.
“Just use it at your discretion once you check it.”
“Understood.”
“And there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”
Kang Hyun-soo explained the shackles that came with receiving the Commander Appointment.
“If the player who cast Commander Appointment dies, the appointed commander dies too. It’s a sort of shared fate.”
Sword King Jang Seok-won’s mouth fell open at those words.
And he shot a resentful glare at Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hoo.
But Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hoo calmly ignored Sword King Jang Seok-won’s gaze.
“Also, if I use the Battalion Dissolution skill, I can dissolve any subordinate commander anytime, anywhere.”
That meant Kang Hyun-soo could also dissolve Sword King Jang Seok-won and Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hoo at any time using his Brigade Dissolution skill.
“They’ve got us completely by the nose.”
Sword King Jang Seok-won muttered as he hung his head.
“But isn’t it still better than dying?”
Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hoo said to Sword King Jang Seok-won with a smiling face.
“Well, yeah.”
Sword King Jang Seok-won replied in a half-resigned voice.
“What future did you see when you rejected my offer?”
At Kang Hyun-soo’s question, Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hoo answered in a calm voice.
“I saw my death and Jang Seok-won’s, along with the guild’s destruction.”
“Both of you together?”
“Yes. A demon barged in, and even fighting with combined strength, the guild members were wiped out, and this guy and I both headed to the afterlife together.”
“Didn’t I come to help?”
“It seemed like a situation where you couldn’t come right away.”
“What about if you accepted?”
“Fortunately, while waiting for you to arrive, Jang Seok-won and I managed to hold off the demon.”
“Who was the enemy? A doppelganger?”
“I’m not exactly sure. But it was insanely strong. Even a player with a divine title wouldn’t stand a chance. If not for the stat boost from you, we both would’ve died before help arrived.”
‘Did the doppelgangers’ leader show up?’
Or it could’ve been another demon.
‘If I got the request for support but couldn’t make it, that means another demon appeared too.’
The Terra Kingdom fell to the doppelganger legion’s attack.
So Kang Hyun-soo didn’t know what happened to the Terra Kingdom’s future after surviving the doppelganger invasion.
“Um, liege, I heard Dark Knight has a player with a future foresight skill. Is that true?”
Sword King Jang Seok-won asked Kang Hyun-soo.
“It’s true. That’s why I came to the Terra Kingdom to prepare for the doppelganger legion’s invasion.”
“What future unfolded that made you come? Did we get caught in the doppelgangers’ schemes and cause Baedal Guild to collapse?”
At Sword King Jang Seok-won’s question.
Kang Hyun-soo shook his head after a moment’s thought.
“Terra Kingdom and Goryeo Guild collapse, but Baedal Guild does not.”
“As expected!”
Sword King Jang Seok-won smiled in satisfaction.
“But you die.”
“Me?”
Sword King Jang Seok-won scowled.
“Yeah.”
Kang Hyun-soo’s answer was firm.
“Who kills me? A demon?”
At Sword King Jang Seok-won’s question, Kang Hyun-soo glanced at Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hoo.
“You’re saying I die by that old geezer’s hand?”
“That’s how it would’ve gone if I hadn’t intervened.”
Sword King Jang Seok-won scowled at Kang Hyun-soo’s confident words.
It rubbed him the wrong way.
But.
‘It could’ve happened.’
He was aware his skills fell short of Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hoo’s.
On top of that.
‘If my liege hadn’t gotten involved in the first place, war with Baedal Guild was inevitable.’
If he didn’t know about the doppelgangers?
‘We’d have no choice but to lose.’
Still.
“I die, but Baedal Guild still beats Goryeo Guild, huh.”
Sword King Jang Seok-won took pride in the weirdest part.
“Goryeo Guild falls. So what about me? Did I die?”
“Yeah.”
“I see.”
Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hoo calmly accepted the fact that he could’ve died.
Unlike Sword King Jang Seok-won, he didn’t even ask how.
Instead.
“What about Dragon Tiger Guild then?”
He asked about Dragon Tiger Guild, one of Terra Kingdom’s three great guilds.
“They thrive.”
“What? Those warmongers thrive?”
Sword King Jang Seok-won jumped in surprise.
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Dragon Tiger Guild’s leadership are minions of the Demon King who contracted with demons.”
“Dragon Tiger Guild’s leadership are Demon King minions?”
“Is that true?”
Sword King Jang Seok-won and Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hoo asked in shock.
“Yeah. Thanks to that, while Terra Kingdom falls and other guilds crumble, they grow massively with doppelganger help—enough to be called a nation rather than a guild.”
“I knew those bastards were up to something. They never sat right with me from the start.”
“Dragon Tiger Guild’s rapid growth was suspicious, but I never imagined it was for this reason.”
“That’s just a vanished future now. Spread the doppelganger identification method far and wide. Then Terra Kingdom won’t fall.”
“Understood.”
“We’ll do that.”
“And from now on…….”
Kang Hyun-soo gave Sword King Jang Seok-won and Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hoo instructions on what to do going forward.
Since most were things that would help Baedal Guild and Goryeo Guild grow, they readily agreed.
Time passed as they talked.
[Using unique skill Replica – SS-Rank.]
[One stack is consumed.]
[Creating Replica of Skill Amplification – EX-Rank.]
[Replica skill Skill Amplification – F-Rank has been created.]
[The replica skill has 200% of the original’s capabilities.]
Kang Hyun-soo finally obtained the Skill Amplification skill.
‘That was really tough.’
His stacks had run out long ago.
He kept trying every time one recharged during the conversation and barely managed it.
And the Skill Amplification he obtained.
‘Just as expected.’
As anticipated, the F-Rank version provided 10% amplification.
‘Since it’s a replica skill, the effect doubles.’
So even as a mere F-Rank skill.
‘All skills’ power increases by 20%.’
The one downside.
‘Didn’t expect it not to be passive.’
Kang Hyun-soo had assumed it was passive.
But no.
It was active.
‘Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hoo hid it thoroughly.’
If it being active had been revealed?
He would’ve faced even more challenges.
On top of that.
‘The cooldown’s long too.’
A whopping 30 days.
At least the activation time was generous.
‘One hour’s plenty.’
And as rank increases?
‘Cooldown shortens, activation time lengthens.’
Eventually?
‘The cooldown could effectively vanish.’
Impossible with the original Skill Amplification.
‘But mine is the replica version.’
Replica skills enhance the original.
Unfortunately.
‘It can’t reduce cooldowns.’
But.
‘Activation time does get enhanced.’
Once it hits EX-Rank, cooldown drops to daily levels.
If Replica hits EX-Rank, enhancement becomes 300% instead of 200%?
‘Activation time triples too.’
Then?
‘I can use the active Skill Amplification like a constant passive.’
Of course, still far in the future.
Replica was SS-Rank.
Skill Amplification was merely F-Rank.
However.
‘Skill Amplification will amplify Skill Enhancement’s power too.’
Plus, both Skill Amplification and Skill Enhancement are replica skills.
Activate them together?
‘I can raise Replica skills’ ranks even faster.’
Though SS-Rank means it won’t grow easily.
Sometimes he was tempted to use Skill Enhancement on other skills.
But.
‘My foundation is Replica skills.’
Using Skill Enhancement on other skills after settling at SS-Rank would make him stronger faster.
However.
‘Short-term gain, long-term loss.’
Everything needed a long view.
For that.
‘First, make Replica EX-Rank.’
After discussing future plans.
Kang Hyun-soo took Song Ha-na and Earth Emperor back to Baedal Guild.
* * *
The existence of demons called doppelgangers.
Plus the method to identify them spread everywhere through Baedal Guild and Goryeo Guild.
Rumors had already spread somewhat through mid- and small-guild players.
But many were skeptical.
Beings that could transform exactly like players?
It could easily sound like urban legend fodder.
But when mega-guilds Baedal Guild and Goryeo Guild officially announced the doppelgangers’ existence and identification method, and revealed their own damage cases.
The situation changed drastically.
Terra Kingdom’s royalty, nobles, and countless guilds launched massive doppelganger hunts.
The result.
The doppelgangers’ existence was exposed to the world.
Dozens of human-doppelganger battles broke out daily.
The doppelgangers had merely infiltrated human society casually.
They hadn’t properly established themselves yet.
Once exposed.
They had no choice but to flee.
From the doppelgangers’ perspective, it was absurd.
Not only had their identities been discovered.
The identification method itself was ridiculously simple.
However, there were those panicking greatly despite not being doppelgangers.
They were Dragon Tiger Guild’s Guild Master Dragon King Lee Ji-yong and Vice Guild Master Tiger King Lee Geun-taek, one of Terra Kingdom’s three great guilds.
“Why’s the doppelganger thing out already?”
“Beats me. Things went sideways.”
“I thought doppelgangers might lack combat power but had top-tier disguise skills, but who knew they had such a ridiculous weakness.”
“Can’t hide it?”
“How do you fake your own blood?”
“Fair point.”
“So what about the plan?”
“What plan? It’s scrapped.”
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong and Tiger King Lee Geun-taek both sighed deeply.
Their plan to expand Dragon Tiger Guild using the doppelganger legion’s help had derailed from the start.
“What now?”
“Find another way.”
As Dragon King Lee Ji-yong and Tiger King Lee Geun-taek continued talking, a massive surge of mana was felt.
“What’s that?”
“An attack.”
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong and Tiger King Lee Geun-taek jumped to their feet.
At that moment.
KABOOOM!
A massive explosion rang out.
CRASH!
Part of Dragon Tiger Guild’s guild house began crumbling helplessly.