Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Betrayal (3)
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‘What is this?'
Kang Hyun-su tilted his head as he stared at Baron Taliman.
'It feels like he's weaker than before.'
Having fought him directly, Kang Hyun-su knew better than anyone just how powerful a demon the Baron Taliman was.
Of course.
'He's still plenty strong right now.'
The amount of demonic energy he emanated, the power of his skills, and so on.
'He's definitely weakened.'
It could just be that his stamina and mana hadn't recovered yet.
Unlike Kang Hyun-su, who had arrived comfortably via a spatial transfer gate after the battle and gotten some rest in advance.
Baron Taliman had flown here straight after the fight without a moment's respite.
But even so.
'The power of his skills themselves has dropped.'
And not just that.
'His movements are a bit sluggish too.'
This didn't feel like mere stamina depletion.
It was as if his primary stats—strength, agility, demonic energy—had fallen.
'Let me check.'
Kang Hyun-su opened his system window and reviewed the updated logs.
[You have eliminated a demon and permanently absorbed its demonic energy.]
[The Goddess's Tear (EX-Rank) has purified the permanently absorbed demonic energy and converted it into the special stat: Divinity.]
[Your Divinity stat has increased.]
...Omitted...
'Ten popped up.'
Before coming here, Kang Hyun-su had used his summons to take down nine top-grade doppelgangers.
So naturally, there should have been nine messages.
'But one extra appeared.'
And what Kang Hyun-su had done at that time?
'All I did was eliminate Baron Tyliman's clone.'
Which meant.
'The clone itself was recognized as a full demon.'
The clone that Baron Taliman had created wasn't just some temporary construct from a skill or mana expenditure.
It was, quite literally.
'A clone made by expending his own flesh and demonic energy.'
That explained why the main body—Baron Taliman—was so weakened.
'He must have been in a real hurry.'
How desperate must he have been to flee at the cost of a permanent loss of power?
'Coming to the Atlantis dimension was a total loss for him.'
From Baron Tyliman's perspective, he'd come for a promotion, only to run into Kang Hyun-su.
'Far from promoting, he's basically been demoted.'
No wonder his teeth would grind in rage.
And the culprits behind it all—Yongho Guild.
'They killed his subordinates and stabbed him in the back.'
His fury was sky-high, and rightfully so.
'This ought to be a good show.'
If Baron Taliman had been at full strength?
Yongho Guild's chances of winning would have been far too low.
'Practically zero.'
But thanks to the permanent drain on his power.
'It turned into a somewhat winnable fight.'
Well, "winnable" just meant their odds went from 0% to about 10%.
'That's plenty.'
If Yongho Guild could wear down Baron Tyliman's strength as much as possible?
'It'd make cleanup easy for me.'
Kang Hyun-su leisurely watched the battle between Baron Taliman and Yongho Guild.
Kwaaaang!
Puuuung!
Aura blasts and all sorts of attack skills flew wildly.
"Aaaak!"
"Spare me!"
-Kyaaaak!
-For Lord Dragon King!
Yongho Guild players and dragonkin monsters died in droves.
Then.
-Kroooar!
Yongho Guild's vice guild master, Tiger King Lee Geun-taek, who had been fighting fiercely at the front lines.
Couldn't withstand Baron Tyliman's attack and lost his right arm.
"When the hell are reinforcements arriving?!"
As the tide turned against them, the increasingly frantic Dragon King Lee Ji-yong berated Doppelganger No. 1, disguised as executive Park Ji-hoon.
"I got word they left a bit ago! They should be almost here by now!"
"You said that a while back too!"
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's face twisted like a demon's in rage.
"They'll be here any minute! Just hold on a little longer!"
"Eek!"
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong glared at Doppelganger No. 1—disguised as executive Park Ji-hoon—as if he might kill him on the spot.
'Can't blame him.'
Even Kang Hyun-su could sympathize with Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's frustration.
'It pissed me off too, back then.'
You're starving, so you order jajangmyeon.
It doesn't come.
You call the Chinese place.
'They say it's already on the way.'
You say okay and wait.
But the jajangmyeon never arrives.
Call again.
'Almost there, any minute now,' they say.
But it doesn't come.
Any Korean.
'Can fully understand Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's frustration.'
While Dragon King Lee Ji-yong desperately awaited reinforcements.
"Aaaak!"
"Kuhuk!"
Yongho Guild players were pushed to the brink of total annihilation.
Tiger King Lee Geun-taek was on the verge of death.
The dragonkin monsters summoned by Dragon King Lee Ji-yong had been wiped out.
He wanted to summon more, but he lacked the mana.
"Park Ji-hoon!"
Fuming with rage, Dragon King Lee Ji-yong turned toward Doppelganger No. 1, disguised as executive Park Ji-hoon.
"When are those damn reinforcements..."
He was about to explode in fury.
But.
"Park Ji-hoon! Park Ji-hoon! Where the hell did you go?!"
No matter how hard he looked, the executive Park Ji-hoon—Doppelganger No. 1 who had been right there moments ago—was nowhere to be seen.
"Cough!"
Meanwhile.
Yongho Guild players were completely wiped out.
Kwajik!
Tiger King Lee Geun-taek's neck snapped, and he breathed his last.
"Geun-taek!"
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong and Tiger King Lee Geun-taek had been the closest of friends, even before their guild master and vice roles.
To Dragon King Lee Ji-yong, he was the one person he could truly trust and rely on without reservation.
"Eeeeek!"
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong glared at Baron Taliman, the one who had ended Tiger King Lee Geun-taek's life.
"Hmph! This is the fate of traitors. Why'd you even betray us? Didn't you know betrayal leads to a pathetic end like this?"
Baron Tyliman's words left Dragon King Lee Ji-yong speechless.
Park Ji-hoon.
A comrade from the tutorial days.
A founding member and key contributor to Yongho Guild.
Park Ji-hoon was Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's right-hand man.
Not once had things gone wrong by following his advice.
Without Park Ji-hoon?
Yongho Guild wouldn't exist.
That's why he believed this crisis too could be overcome by heeding Park Ji-hoon's words.
But.
'Ji-hoon betrayed me?'
Reinforcements that never came. Park Ji-hoon who vanished.
'Why?'
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong couldn't comprehend Park Ji-hoon's betrayal.
As Yongho Guild's guild master, Dragon King Lee Ji-yong and executive Park Ji-hoon were bound by a shared fate, practically one body.
That's why he trusted him.
He was someone who would never betray.
He had followed Park Ji-hoon's words without question.
Yet.
'How did it end like this?'
It felt like being duped by a con artist.
But something was off.
'What does he gain from Yongho Guild collapsing like this?'
A con artist needs some profit from the scam.
But even if Yongho Guild fell, Park Ji-hoon gained nothing.
If anything, only losses.
'Might he be trying to take over Yongho Guild by eliminating me and the leadership?'
Impossible.
He was an executive, sure.
But as a player, Park Ji-hoon's skills weren't exceptional.
Not a named player, not a ranker.
Plus, within Yongho Guild, more people disliked him than liked him.
Plenty resented him for climbing ranks by flattering the guild master despite lacking strength.
In a world ruled by might where the strong devoured the weak, strategists and advisors faced inevitable scorn.
They earned true respect only.
By proving their personal strength in such roles.
The bare minimum for that: ranker player status.
Park Ji-hoon didn't qualify.
'Not even close.'
If the trustworthy Dragon King Lee Ji-yong fell or died?
He'd be like a puppet with cut strings—kicked out of Yongho Guild.
Or if he stayed, treated like yesterday's leftovers.
So it made no sense.
"Park Ji-hoon!"
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong screamed until his throat bled.
But Park Ji-hoon didn't appear.
Kwajik!
Baron Tyliman's sword, unleashing a fierce assault.
Sliced halfway through Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's neck, who had been clinging to life with his dragonman transformation skill.
"Kuhk!"
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong sensed death.
"You're tough as hell. Defensive power comparable to a true demon dragon clan member. But it doesn't matter."
Seogeok!
Baron Tyliman's sword swung again, cleanly severing Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's head.
'Why did you...'
Even in death, Dragon King Lee Ji-yong couldn't understand Park Ji-hoon's betrayal.
"Hah! Hah! Hah!"
Having eliminated Dragon King Lee Ji-yong too, Baron Taliman spat out ragged breaths.
The battle made him truly feel the loss—twenty percent of his demonic energy source gone, leaving him weakened.
Even accounting for not fully recovering stamina and mana from his fight with the Dark Knight.
'Taking this long to sweep these small fry.'
Still, it wasn't without gains.
He had killed numerous powerhouses.
And absorbed their mana.
'Keep up the slaughter steadily, and I can recover the loss—and grow even stronger.'
But first.
He needed to uncover why Dragon King Lee Ji-yong had betrayed him.
Baron Taliman absorbed Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's memories.
And.
'What?'
A greater doubt arose.
'This guy was just used.'
He disliked me, sure.
But no intent to betray.
The reason Dragon King Lee Ji-yong betrayed him.
'Park Ji-hoon.'
That human's scheme.
Clap clap clap!
At that moment, vigorous applause rang out.
"Wiping out Yongho Guild single-handedly. Impressive."
A familiar voice reached Baron Tyliman's ears.
"Dark Knight!"
The owner of that familiar voice was the Dark Knight, who had fought him on equal footing.
And beside him.
"Park Ji-hoon."
The culprit who had orchestrated Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's betrayal stood there.
"It was all your doing!"
Baron Taliman growled in fury.
"Correct."
"Kuh!"
Baron Taliman ground his teeth.
He wanted to rip them apart right then.
But the situation favored them.
"You'll regret this."
With those words, Baron Taliman transformed into a raptor's form and soared into the sky.
"Legion Summon."
Then the Dark Knight uttered a single phrase.
Shaaaa!
Immense mana surged.
Whoosh!
A massive demon dragon's forepaw, covered in pitch-black scales, shot toward Baron Taliman.
"Damn it!"
Dodging was impossible.
Puk!
He barely blocked the attack.
But as payment, Baron Taliman crashed powerless into the ground.
"What the—?"
Baron Taliman looked up at the sky in horrified shock.
There.
"Baron Karas?"
The demon dragon Karas, said to be dead.
Had seized the skies alongside flight-capable dragonkin monsters.
"Legion Assembly."
Once more, the Dark Knight spoke curtly.
In that instant.
Shaaaa!
A storm of immense mana raged.
And Yongho Guild players—including Dragon King Lee Ji-yong and Tiger King Lee Geun-taek—along with Baron Tyliman's former subordinates, the doppelgangers.
Were resurrected.
"Eeeee!"
Baron Tyliman's face twisted in disbelief at the impossible sight before his eyes.
"Guess you couldn't call for backup from the demon realm."
Thanks to Yongho Guild wiping out the doppelgangers before Baron Taliman arrived.
"Now just you left to kill."
Scarce had the Dark Knight's words ended.
Krooooar!
Demon dragon Karas roared and charged at Baron Taliman.
And that wasn't all.
Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
Pajijijik!
Hwaruruk!
The resurrected Yongho Guild players—including Dragon King Lee Ji-yong and Tiger King Lee Geun-taek—unleashed a barrage of attack skills on Baron Taliman.
But for Baron Taliman, the most outrageous part was.
His own kin, loyal subordinates.
Familiars who could never betray him—the doppelgangers.
Charging at him with murderous intent.