Chapter 47
Chapter 47
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Divide and Conquer
-----------------------------------------------------------------
High-level players were putting on an act, struggling to take down monsters in the 500-level hunting grounds.
‘A trap?’
The odds were high.
‘They’re using their heads.’
They had banned 500-level players from hunting after they were exposed to danger.
Then, they disguised high-level players to look like 500-level ones.
They must have figured the culprit behind the disappearance of Zhonghua Guild’s 500-level parties would approach these fake high-level players.
‘Truth is, I’ve never struck first.’
Zhonghua Guild players had always picked the fight.
Especially if the party had a high ratio of men.
Their goal was always the same: Song Hana.
Some even approached pretending to be gentlemen.
But once they learned Kang Hyun-su’s group weren’t Chinese?
Their attitudes flipped in an instant, and they went berserk.
‘From gentlemen to madmen.’
Kang Hyun-su never let those initiators live.
‘But I ignored the ones who just passed by quietly.’
If he had hunted every Zhonghua Guild player he encountered?
The damage to Zhonghua Guild would have been at least three times worse.
‘I hope they just let it slide quietly.’
Zhonghua Guild had surely sent handpicked elites.
Their 500- or 600-level parties were something Kang Hyun-su’s group could handle with their current strength.
But 700-level ones were a different story.
‘I could manage about three of them.’
Song Hana and the Beast Emperor were the problem.
No matter how freakishly strong Song Hana and the Beast Emperor were, enemies 300 levels higher would be tough for them to handle even one-on-one.
They could take on five enemies total.
But there were ten in all.
If they went all-out with every summon?
Could they tie down the remaining five?
‘If I keep using the platoon formation skill?’
They might win if things went well.
But it wasn’t a sure thing.
There was another issue.
‘The Mark of Revenge will appear.’
In a life-or-death fight, there’d be no room to capture them alive.
If they killed the enemies?
It wouldn’t be a D-Rank mark—it’d be B- or even A-Rank.
‘And if the situation turns against them, they might flee.’
The summons averaged level 500.
Only ten were level 600.
They had numbers, sure.
But the odds of perfectly blocking a 700-level player’s escape were slim.
‘Best to avoid clashing if possible.’
The problem was not knowing how those guys would react.
If they picked a fight first?
He’d have to fight, just like always.
‘A small party.’
The leader of Party 2 from Team 7 narrowed his eyes, watching Kang Hyun-su’s group.
Team 7 consisted entirely of 700-level players.
But right now, they were acting like they were barely scraping by against 500-level monsters.
For one reason only.
To catch the culprit who wiped out Zhonghua Guild’s Team 5 parties.
‘Not them.’
Too few in number, for starters.
Just three.
No way three people could wipe out two ten-man Team 5 parties.
No matter the skill gap.
It was physically impossible for three to block the escape routes of twenty scattering in all directions.
The leader of Team 7’s Party 2 ignored Kang Hyun-su’s group and moved on.
‘When the hell will the bait work?’
He desperately hoped the attackers on Team 5 would show up.
‘They’re leaving.’
They glanced at Kang Hyun-su’s group and vanished, looking uninterested.
‘Good for us, but...’
He couldn’t relax.
‘What if the culprit doesn’t show?’
Who knew what those lunatics might do.
Worst case, they could treat every player they met in the 500-level grounds as suspects and try to capture them all.
‘Time to move.’
It was time to pit Cabal Guild—made of Demon King’s minions—against the troublemaking Zhonghua Guild.
* * *
“Let’s rest today.”
Song Hana and the Beast Emperor looked puzzled at Kang Hyun-su’s words.
“Rest?”
“You serious?”
“Why?”
“Feels too early.”
“I could hunt more.”
“Same here. I’m still full of energy.”
“Uh, well.”
Kang Hyun-su was genuinely flustered.
He’d thought they’d jump for joy like before.
But no.
‘Of course. They’re training maniacs too.’
Before, he’d pushed too hard, so they’d desperately wanted a break.
Just to survive.
But not now.
“Still, let’s take today off. And absolutely don’t leave the city.”
“Something up?”
“You’re acting suspicious.”
Song Hana and the Beast Emperor eyed Kang Hyun-su suspiciously.
‘I can’t tell them.’
Kang Hyun-su planned to lead his summons in attacking Cabal Guild tonight.
Attacking Demon King’s minions was nothing to hesitate over.
But at this point, Cabal Guild wasn’t publicly known as such.
They’d hidden their tails well.
So well that even after their true nature came out later, players couldn’t believe it.
“Can’t you just trust me and do as I say without asking?”
“Fine.”
“Good. Let’s rest up today.”
Fortunately, Song Hana and the Beast Emperor accepted.
“Then rest here.”
Kang Hyun-su stepped out of the inn alone.
‘Tricky.’
Song Hana and the Beast Emperor had let it slide this time.
Thanks to the trust he’d built up.
But it was just a stopgap.
‘Once the war between Zhonghua and Cabal Guild starts tomorrow?’
They might grow suspicious of him.
Building trust is hard.
Breaking it? All too easy.
‘I need to keep secrets while maintaining trust.’
But finding a way wasn’t easy.
‘I can’t do it all alone.’
Demon King’s minions and the traitors.
The minions had to be dealt with anyway.
But the traitors? From humanity’s perspective, they were heroes who’d greatly aided the fight against the Demon King’s army.
If he made them mutually destroy each other?
It’d create a massive gap in humanity’s forces.
‘I need replacements.’
Those who hadn’t betrayed Kang Hyun-su.
Those who fought for humanity over personal gain.
‘They all died way too early.’
Song Hana and the Beast Emperor were among them.
Kang Hyun-su had altered their fates by intervening.
‘Two isn’t enough.’
He had to twist the futures of heroes who’d died pointlessly in traps due to political infighting.
No, not just twist—bring them under his command.
And earn their absolute trust.
‘Honestly, even absolute trust isn’t quite there.’
He’d already died once at the hands of those he trusted.
To prevent that.
‘I need absolute loyalty.’
He already had a way to get it.
He just lacked the authority to use it.
‘I have to reveal some things.’
Even with authority, he had no intention of revealing he was a regressor.
Not even absolute loyalty meant he could let his guard down.
Prepare for the unprepared.
Only by thoroughly hiding his regressor status could he prevent leaks.
‘I need that skill.’
A skill to gain trust from Song Hana, the Beast Emperor, and future recruits—without revealing he was a regressor.
‘Perfect timing.’
That skill was.
In Cabal Guild anyway.
* * *
Cabal Guild players were focused on hunting.
They looked no different from ordinary players.
‘But they aren’t.’
Kang Hyun-su knew Cabal Guild’s entry requirement.
‘Contract with demons.’
Refuse?
You don’t join Cabal Guild—you vanish without a trace.
‘Platoon Summon.’
Kang Hyun-su summoned his summons.
Not all of them.
Around a hundred.
All based on Zhonghua Guild players.
One more thing.
Their clothes.
The summons wore ordinary garments with no item effects.
Cheap stuff available on the market.
But.
One special detail.
Ten out of the hundred summons had a brooch shaped like a yellow dragon—the Zhonghua Guild mark—tucked away.
Not worn openly, of course.
Just hidden in their clothes.
‘Attackers wouldn’t flaunt evidence.’
The yellow dragon brooch was a seed for the future.
Right now, the clothes mattered more.
Covering them head to toe.
‘It’ll hide that they’re not human.’
The summons were ready.
‘Kill them.’
At Kang Hyun-su’s command.
Boom boom boom boom boom!
The summons erupted with explosive mana and charged the Cabal Guild players.
“What the hell?”
“Run!”
Cabal Guild players chose flight over fight.
But they had no chance.
They were merely 200-300-level players.
The summons were all made from 500-level ones.
Kablooey!
“Aaaagh!”
With the explosion, Cabal Guild players were swept away in seconds.
They’d contracted with demons, sure.
‘But they can’t reveal that power lightly.’
If their demon contracts got out, it was over.
They’d be public enemies to all Atlantis dimension players.
‘Not that it matters if they do.’
Demon contracts didn’t make you dramatically stronger.
To get that strong, you needed to sacrifice hundreds or thousands of lives.
At their level?
Even drawing demon power wouldn’t help against the summons.
Cabal Guild players died helplessly.
Without using demon power.
‘Didn’t want to? Couldn’t?’
Kang Hyun-su didn’t know.
But he had a guess.
‘Probably guild-enforced restrictions.’
For security.
‘They don’t show their tails easily.’
Even before regression, until Cabal Guild revealed itself.
‘No one suspected.’
With so many members, slip-ups should’ve spread rumors.
‘Never happened once.’
If it was a skill?
He wanted it badly—impeccably thorough.
‘Time to go.’
Kang Hyun-su activated Platoon Leader’s Vision and leaped forward.
“Aaaagh!”
“Request backup!”
Even after he left, the summons continued the massacre.
Once they finished off the Cabal Guild players there?
They moved on to hit another group hunting elsewhere.
But non-Cabal players?
Untouched.
Kang Hyun-su arrived at his target spot and stopped.
Then waited calmly.
A moment later.
‘Quick response.’
Through Platoon Leader’s Vision, he spotted incoming Cabal Guild reinforcements.
By their speed, 400-500-level players.
Around fifty.
‘Underestimating it.’
200-300-level players attacked?
400-500-level ones should handle it, they thought.
‘Kill them.’
At his command, the scattered hundred summons converged.
And pounced on Cabal Guild’s elites.
Ten level 600 summons and ninety level 500.
No match for fifty 400-500-level players.
The ten level 600 summons—made from a top player—unleashed attack skills and charged.
As expected.
Another one-sided slaughter unfolded.