Chapter 292
Chapter 292
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 292
Chapter Title: The Fourth Night (11)
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The game's progression had changed.
If everything up until now had been just a teaser, then this was finally the emergence of the true "hidden game."
It was utterly ruthless and heinous, but at the same time... it was visible.
'Hidden piece. A mechanism hidden by the creator, one they were certain no participant could ever achieve.'
This was precisely the device concealed by the Demon King of the Final Act.
In ordinary creator Abysses, such things were tightly hidden away, but its blatant appearance was probably due to "Han Shin."
'The Demon King of the Final Act wants Han Shin to achieve the hidden piece.'
The reason was obvious enough.
To obtain "Baal's Shoes" from the hidden secret vault.
Thanks to the security Aheta had set up—security even he himself couldn't easily breach—it was impossible to acquire unless one was a "challenger."
'He must have planned to use the demihumans.'
He'd intended to sow chaos among the humans and use the demihumans to give Han Shin the advantage, but that plan had gone up in smoke.
In other words...
'I have a chance too.'
The contingency prepared for Han Shin.
The possibility of reaching the hidden piece.
However, the problem remained the "progression method."
Who would've thought that Lee Hyuk-soo, in third place, would become the "combat target"?
"What happens if Lee Hyuk-soo dies here?"
"Yeah. If we have to fight based on rankings..."
The crowd's confusion was only natural.
Aheta, who had been quietly listening, finally answered.
"If he dies, he dies. Then second place fights, and if second place dies in combat too, first place automatically wins."
"...So it's a game that's overwhelmingly in first place's favor?"
A small commotion broke out.
Then everyone turned to look at Park Chan-woo.
The top employer in points.
He was the one racking up wins with the fewest coins.
At this point, even Han Shin couldn't help but doubt it.
'No way he has an observation skill better than my Divine Eye.'
The Divine Eye was the ultimate observation skill.
It could analyze opponents with near-divine precision.
Thanks to constant upgrades, he could now glimpse an enemy's status window just from a photo.
He hired mercenaries just strong enough to beat the combat targets—at the cheapest prices.
Over seven rounds, he'd used only 340 coins, yet the rewards he could claim exceeded 6,000.
Just about 5% of the rewards.
But that "Death Marshal" or whatever he was had used only half that—170 coins.
Did that even make sense?
Even if it did, there was no such thing as cheap yet powerful mercenaries.
Unless they'd pre-arranged it somehow.
By the script, first place should've been Han Shin.
But the emergence of a variable had pushed him to second.
'Only three games left.'
The game ran for ten rounds total.
In round 8, Lee Hyuk-soo; round 9, himself; and round 10, the current first place would be the "combat targets."
After round 10, the final winner would be decided, along with massive "personal points."
'I'll shove Lee Hyuk-soo aside here for sure.'
...Even though the initial plan had gone awry, it wasn't completely over.
Just kill Lee Hyuk-soo, survive the next game, and take down first place.
Simple, right?
'Mercenaries can't kill me anyway.'
Mercenaries were just people, after all.
Earthlings.
All of them incomparably weaker than him.
Unless the Archmage showed up again—and that would expose his identity to the world.
No one but the Archmage could beat him.
Not even if ten or a hundred ganged up.
He'd been strong before, but after slaughtering all the demihumans and devouring their cores, he had no equals now.
...Just kill Lee Hyuk-soo and that first-place guy.
Of course, it wouldn't be easy.
Especially since there were plenty here who saw Lee Hyuk-soo as "humanity's savior" and followed him.
He needed to bring in someone powerful who hated him—or someone even Lee Hyuk-soo couldn't handle.
'...There's one.'
Though hidden, Han Shin knew everything worth knowing.
He knew his own brother "Han Min-oh" trailed Lee Hyuk-soo everywhere.
Master and disciple, huh.
What a ridiculous pairing.
'Useless little brother, you've become Lee Hyuk-soo's Achilles' heel.'
His brother, Han Min-oh, was weak.
Useless to the group, useless to him.
Who would've thought the brother who'd hidden from him in fear would prove useful here?
No one knew who the combat target was anyway.
They'd only get a participant number—no one would imagine it was Lee Hyuk-soo.
Han Shin's eyes gleamed.
'Only one of you two can survive. Lee Hyuk-soo. Yourself, or the disciple and the humanity you're protecting?'
Lee Hyuk-soo could choose to save himself.
It would just prove he was a hypocrite.
Han Shin was certain.
There were no purely righteous beings in this world.
As expected, he was irredeemable.
Han Shin.
Even using his own little brother...
Park Chan-woo inwardly clicked his tongue, deep in thought.
One option was to proceed through the rounds in order and become the final winner.
But...
So far, he'd been steering the game toward bankrupting the "dealer."
And that was the right answer too.
'How can I drag Aheta into this?'
At a glance, it seemed like bigger "rewards" would bankrupt the dealer, but that system was entirely separate from Aheta's.
What Park Chan-woo wanted was "Aheta's death" and the "bankruptcy of the Demon King of the Final Act."
Playing the game normally might cause some minor chaos, but it couldn't deliver a fatal blow.
He needed a breakthrough.
Before round 8 ended.
'Combat time is 10 minutes. If time runs out, the mercenaries lose.'
No draws.
No stalling.
Hire mercenaries, fight ends in max 15 minutes.
Could he create a variable in that time?
'...Wait.'
Something caught his attention.
There was a rule permeating this hidden game.
A host was needed to progress the game.
Kill the host Aheta, and the game would obviously stop.
But killing Aheta normally was tough.
Tough, but...
There had to be a way.
He needed to find what set Aheta apart from previous dealers.
'All the dealers either participated directly in the game or used their own authority.'
They all influenced the game directly or indirectly.
What about Aheta?
How did he influence this "hidden game"?
He wasn't participating directly or dominating with his authority.
"Why aren't you hiring anyone?"
Aheta asked Park Chan-woo.
The time to hire mercenaries was almost up.
If he didn't hire, it would end in "defeat" too.
With that, Park Chan-woo quietly approached Aheta.
He thought of himself as the "Death Marshal."
Probably—
'Aheta's not right in the head.'
If he were sane, he wouldn't have mistaken him.
His mind was broken, his body crumbling.
He wasn't in a normal state.
Soon, he reached a conclusion.
'What if Aheta is a demihuman?'
Half human, half demon?
Couldn't he be both a participant and a dealer?
Entirely possible.
The Demon King of the Final Act had been experimenting with demihumans.
He knew about demon possession too.
Turning Aheta into a demihuman was well within his capabilities.
Park Chan-woo quickly scanned the list.
Checking all 500,000 participants was impossible, of course.
He had one specific number in mind.
'Number 1 is missing.'
...The entry for number 1 was blank.
Normally, you'd assume they were dead.
But what if it was deliberately hidden?
Organizing his thoughts, Park Chan-woo spoke up.
"I'd like to hire Aheta."
"I'm the dealer. Can't be hired."
"Aren't you also a participant? Number 1."
"...".
Aheta fell silent.
At that moment.
"...As expected of my loyal subordinate. Yes, I am both participant and dealer. So what?"
Aheta confirmed it.
Park Chan-woo spoke quickly.
"I'd like to hire Aheta."
"Me?"
"For certain victory."
"...It costs 1,000 coins to hire me."
"I'll pay."
1,000 coins to hire once.
An absurd amount, but he'd already earned far more.
After he paid the 1,000 coins.
Shwooo!
Aheta headed to the battlefield.
"I'll make sure to sever Lee Hyuk-soo's life for you?"
Han Shin smirked.
It might look that way.
But what I really want is something else.
'After 10 minutes, the mercenaries lose.'
Loss means death.
If Lee Hyuk-soo holds out for 10 minutes, he wins.
Aheta was the type to value his life above all, so he might even "negotiate" before then.
'Lee Hyuk-soo can't hold out 10 minutes.'
Still, Aheta was the former "Master of the Moon."
Lee Hyuk-soo alone couldn't last even a minute.
But...
'Now I can hire three more.'
Park Chan-woo smiled inwardly.
There was no rule against mercenaries fighting each other, right?
Of course, even four more hires wouldn't beat Aheta.
'Time to play my trump card.'
It felt like he couldn't breathe.
The terrifying mana emanating from afar.
"Aheta..."
No mistaking it.
No way he'd seen wrong.
This wild, immense mana was definitely Aheta's.
He didn't know why a dealer was participating directly, but...
'Damn.'
Could he win?
No, just survive 10 minutes.
But even 10 minutes was a problem.
Han Min-oh would die too.
Dilemma.
Kill or be killed.
'If that's how it is, better if I die...'
Better.
Lee Hyuk-soo looked at his sword.
The cleanest death was by his own hand.
Or resist Aheta to the end.
Rumble rumble rumble!
That was when it happened.
Suddenly, the entire battlefield began shaking violently.
Lee Hyuk-soo looked up.
And at the same time.
"...!!!"
He saw it.
Something enormously huge.
...A dragon with two massive black wings.