Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Future Foresight (2)
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Uncertainty.
That was the greatest drawback of the Future Foresight skill.
The target was uncertain as well.
It could show your own future, or it could show the future of some unrelated stranger.
In the worst case, you might see a shopkeeper selling goods.
Or the king of a nation making a pivotal decision on state affairs.
The future revealed by Future Foresight might unfold tomorrow, or it might not happen for a hundred years.
*It's like a skill that's both a blessing and a curse.*
Yet, because of that faint hope and the possibility of glimpsing something important, it was a skill no one could easily give up.
Especially from the perspective of a nation or guild, rather than an individual.
Wars, earthquakes, droughts, pandemics, monster waves, and so on.
If you could foresee problems that would shake the entire Atlantis in advance?
If you were lucky enough to learn the date or time?
The gains would be beyond imagination.
*It's like the lottery.*
To be more precise, not the Korean lottery, but America's Mega Millions.
And not just any Mega Millions, but one with a jackpot swollen enough to sustain an entire nation.
*Well, that's only if the skill holder is telling the pure truth.*
Only the player who activates the skill can see the future.
Which means...
If the player using the skill lies?
You'd have no choice but to believe and follow it.
*Of course, no sane person would report a false future.*
If they did?
They could end up as a living totem, endlessly spouting future prophecies in a state where they neither live nor die fully.
*And that actually happened.*
After the Cabal Guild was exposed as minions of the Demon King.
The owner of the Future Foresight skill, Thomas, truly became a living future-telling totem.
Though, to be fair, he never foresaw any information helpful to allies afterward.
*There were even rumors that the Cabal Guild became the Demon King's minions because of him.*
The rumor went that Thomas had seen a future where the Demon King's army triumphed, leading the Cabal Guild to side with them.
*It was nonsense spread by the Demon King's minions.*
Thomas had never seen a future where the Demon King's army won.
In the first place, the Cabal Guild had decided to serve the Demon King before Thomas even joined.
*But right now, no one knows the full truth about the Future Foresight skill.*
Even the Cabal Guild probably doesn't.
Thomas hadn't been in the Atlantis dimension for a full year yet.
And he'd only foreseen the future once.
*That one time was a pretty useful prophecy, though.*
That's why the Cabal Guild treated Thomas, a low-level player with no notable combat ability, like a treasure.
*Or maybe they thought the skill would become more accurate as its rank rose.*
But all that happened was the cooldown shortened.
Seeing a desired future was still impossible.
However.
*That's information no one else knows.*
Only Kang Hyun-soo knew it.
In truth, as a regressor, Kang Hyun-soo had no need for a skill like Future Foresight.
He already knew every future.
Yet, the Future Foresight skill would help convince people like Song Ha-na and the Fist Emperor, and dispel doubts about Kang Hyun-soo's future actions.
*Should I give it a try anyway?*
He knew the odds of seeing a helpful future were slim.
He'd acquired it primarily as a tool to persuade and convince Song Ha-na, the Fist Emperor, and those he planned to recruit later.
Still, he couldn't help feeling a sliver of hope.
*Future Foresight.*
Kang Hyun-soo activated the skill.
Whoosh!
In that instant, his vision shifted.
A fierce battlefield.
The owner of the vision led a vast army into battle against the Demon King's forces.
*My future.*
The army consisted of summoned beasts.
*Lucky.*
It didn't seem like a pointless vision.
Song Ha-na and the Fist Emperor appeared in his view.
The two wielded overwhelming power, fighting under Kang Hyun-soo's command.
*They've surpassed their pre-regression prowess.*
They displayed such might that titles like Slayer God and War God would suit them better than Slayer Emperor and Fist Emperor.
Beyond them, in the distance, he spotted other players who followed him.
The moment he tried to identify them.
Whoosh!
Kang Hyun-soo's vision returned to reality.
*Too short.*
Just 2 seconds?
One more second, and he could have seen who the others were. Regret lingered.
But a system message appeared, rewarding that regret.
[Replica Skill: Future Foresight – F-Rank has grown to E-Rank.]
It had risen a rank after just one use.
*How much did the cooldown shorten?*
- Cooldown: 360 days
*Only 5 days?*
At this rate, even with rank-ups, he'd get maybe one use per year.
*Whatever, it doesn't matter.*
Kang Hyun-soo had no need to rely on Future Foresight anyway.
*It was just good luck.*
His own future.
And in it, the vastly empowered Song Ha-na and Fist Emperor still by his side.
Kang Hyun-soo was satisfied with that.
At least he hadn't seen a farmer tending crops or a merchant hawking wares.
*Now, what skill did this guy drop?*
Kang Hyun-soo approached the spot where Thomas had vanished, a pleased smile on his face, and picked up the remaining skillbook.
*Huh?*
His expression hardened as he checked it.
[Acquire Future Foresight – E-Rank?]
"Hahaha!"
It was so absurd he let out a hollow laugh.
The chance of a deceased player leaving their unique skill as a skillbook was astronomically low.
Yet here it was, right before Kang Hyun-soo's eyes.
*Acquire.*
[Acquired Future Foresight – E-Rank.]
The Replica Skill Future Foresight was still on cooldown.
But the one from the skillbook could be used immediately.
*No reason to hold off.*
Kang Hyun-soo activated Future Foresight.
Whoosh!
His vision shifted amid a burst of light.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A hammer-wielding hand struck a glowing red lump of metal.
*Not my future.*
His view was fixed on the red-hot metal.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
*A blacksmith?*
Whoosh!
Kang Hyun-soo's vision returned to reality.
*A bit longer.*
Not quite 3 seconds, but definitely more than 2.
*The higher the rank, the longer the foresight duration.*
A faint smile curved Kang Hyun-soo's lips.
It wasn't just the cooldown shortening.
*The new E-Rank didn't rise, huh?*
The F-Rank Future Foresight had grown to E-Rank after one use.
But the E-Rank showed no change.
*More than satisfactory.*
Now he could use Future Foresight twice simultaneously.
That effectively doubled his odds of seeing a helpful future.
*Time to head out.*
By now, the Zhonghua Guild and Cabal Guild were likely clashing head-on.
He needed to hurry if he wanted the spoils he desired.
* * *
The elites of the Zhonghua Guild and Cabal Guild faced off directly.
"How dare you attack our Zhonghua Guild! Do you think you'll get away with this?"
At the shout of Zhonghua Guild's vice master Jin Gu-pyeong, Cabal Guild's master Jamie's face twisted savagely.
Hitting them from behind and then spouting this false justification?
The Cabal Guild's long-prepared summoning ritual had been delayed by the Zhonghua Guild's ambush.
From Jamie's perspective, it was enough to make his blood boil.
"Nonsense! You're the ones who ambushed our Cabal Guild members! Do you think you'll get away with it?"
Jamie’s retort enraged Jin Gu-pyeong.
*Building a justification? With the guild master away, they think our Zhonghua Guild is easy pickings?*
They'd picked a fight while the guild master was absent, leaving vice master Jin Gu-pyeong in charge.
It was proof they saw him as a joke.
For a more certain victory, they should have waited for the Zhonghua Guild's main force—currently on a large expedition—to return before striking the Cabal Guild.
Jin Gu-pyeong had sent a messenger alerting the expeditionary force.
But he had no intention of waiting for the guild master to return.
*My career would be over then.*
On top of that, he'd bear the disgrace of cowering before riffraff like the Cabal Guild.
Currently, Zhonghua Guild had only 11 players in the 700-level range left.
The enemy was estimated to have 21 such players in total.
A clear disadvantage.
Yet Jin Gu-pyeong had no doubt of victory.
*The quality of our rankers is superior.*
Zhonghua Guild had nine rankers total.
Four were away on the expedition, but five remained.
Especially three of them.
Named players, rankers among rankers.
Cabal Guild had five rankers.
Only two were Named players.
*If we wipe out one 700-level party early, we'll dominate every aspect.*
Zhonghua Guild had around 1,000 players in the 300-400 level range.
Cabal Guild had about the same, just over 1,000.
But.
*The scale of our affiliates is on another level.*
Jin Gu-pyeong had issued a full mobilization to guilds under Zhonghua Guild's influence.
The result?
Over 5,000 300-400 level players now under Zhonghua Guild's banner.
A fivefold difference in total forces.
Their ranker numbers were equal, but.
Zhonghua had one more Named player.
In Jin Gu-pyeong's mind, this battle was.
*One we can't lose even if we tried.*
Swoosh!
Jin Gu-pyeong drew the spear from his back.
"All units, full assault!"
With a mighty shout, he charged first.
"Waaaaah!"
At the same moment, over 5,000 Zhonghua Guild players surged toward the slightly over 1,000 Cabal Guild players.
* * *
*Quite the spectacle.*
A massive clash involving nearly 7,000 players.
To an ordinary player, it would be a jaw-dropping sight.
But to Kang Hyun-soo, who had experienced wars with tens or hundreds of millions?
It was merely somewhat entertaining.
*Zhonghua Guild is at a disadvantage.*
On the surface, Zhonghua held the edge.
Scouts from other guilds would be shocked at their ability to muster this force despite their elites, including the guild master, being away on expedition.
*But the real shock is something else.*
The Cabal Guild's hidden strength.
*They have over ten ranker-level players, right?*
And those weren't ordinary humans.
*Players undergoing demonization via the Descent Ritual.*
The Descent Ritual gradually transformed human players' bodies into those of demons.
Demonizing players grew stronger over time, even without leveling.
But power came at a price.
Once fully demonized, they lost bodily control to the descended demon.
In the future, the number of fully demonized players would exceed 100.
*So I have to cull them early.*
He'd planned to do it around a year from now.
But Zhonghua Guild's hunting ground monopoly forced his hand sooner.
*You brought this on yourselves.*
If war had broken out in a year?
Zhonghua's losses would have been far lighter.
Kang Hyun-soo would have stepped in to eliminate the demonizing players himself.
But his current power wasn't up to it.
So the demonizing players.
*Zhonghua Guild will have to handle them.*
It'd cost them dearly.
But they wouldn't lose.
*Since I'll provide timely aid.*
Though the help he could offer now was far less than what he could in a year.
If that proved insufficient and Zhonghua suffered catastrophic losses threatening its survival?
*Reap what you sow.*
It would be Zhonghua Guild's fault for forcing the war a year early.