Chapter 296
Chapter 296
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 296
Chapter Title: The Fourth Night (15)
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Game continues.
Until the "Hidden Game" ended, the "Fourth Night" would not fade away.
Now that neither the Demon King of Karmic Flames nor the dealer Aheta could intervene any longer.
This game was now purely in the hands of the "participants."
"Han Shin, is that you?"
Lee Hyuk-soo glared at Han Shin as he spoke.
In truth, he didn't even need to ask. The answer was obvious.
Who had hired Han Min-oh as a mercenary.
'Incarnations really aren't worth associating with.'
The prophet's words held no falsehood.
From beginning to end, the lot of incarnations were twisted beyond measure.
The very fact that he could casually push his own little brother into the jaws of death proved Han Shin was someone he could never stand alongside.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb. I know you hired your brother Han Min-oh as a mercenary."
"I picked the participant number at random for the hire, and it turned out to be my brother?"
"...You crazy bastard."
"In the end, both survived, didn't they? Normally, the entire mercenary team would have died from time-out."
As Han Shin said, the result had been judged a "draw."
Everyone had survived even after the ten minutes passed and the mercenaries should have lost.
Because the dealer, Aheta, had died.
An outcome no one could have predicted.
The sudden appearance of an enormous "dragon" had created a situation where no one could see even an inch ahead.
"Or are you upset that the accumulated rewards got canceled?"
Lee Hyuk-soo's expression hardened further at Han Shin's mocking words.
Though it had ended in a draw with both sides surviving, that was all.
The accumulated coin rewards had been revoked.
They only kept stacking with continued victories.
"Think carefully, Lee Hyuk-soo. Aheta is dead, but there's a far more 'unpredictable and ominous bastard' still alive. You haven't forgotten that the one who got Aheta into the game and hired that dragon is none other than this 'Death Commander,' have you?"
It was a warning not to get fixated solely on Han Min-oh but to look at the bigger picture.
The greatest variable in this "Fourth Night" wasn't the suddenly appearing Aheta or the surviving Han Shin.
It was the man who had upended the entire board.
Participant Number 499,519!
The one who had bankrupted the dealers from start to finish, twisting the game into something unnatural.
If 499,519 truly had ties to the "Death Commander," he was an enemy that absolutely had to be eliminated.
"There's plenty to think about. Like what that guy really wants. At most, I'm just indulging in 'personal deviation'—I have no intention of becoming a 'scourge to humanity.' Quite the opposite. I intend to save humanity."
"An incarnation preaching humanity's salvation is the most meaningless thing there is."
"So, what have I done? Killed anyone? Caused massive chaos?"
Han Shin no longer bothered hiding that he was an incarnation.
But he wasn't wrong.
Han Shin hadn't yet harmed humanity in any way.
Were they simply prejudging him negatively because he was an incarnation?
"I've saved countless people. You might not know it, but I've killed off every last 'half-demon' that would have become a scourge in the future. And that's not all—"
Han Shin laughed.
As if he'd regained his composure.
"I can identify who the incarnations are. And the incarnations..."
Thud!
Han Shin stomped his foot.
At the same moment.
"...Gah!"
"Urghhh!"
Several people clutched their heads and began writhing on the ground.
"You can't escape me. Those are the incarnations. If you're curious, use a tool to detect incarnations and check."
"Sounds like you're saying you can control the incarnations."
"No, I don't control them. I'm planning to hunt the incarnations instead."
It was a claim that no one could possibly oppose him.
A hero who would clearly bring positive change to humanity, not harm.
Would they kill him just for being a mere "incarnation"?
"Lee Hyuk-soo. Join hands with me. That guy's dangerous. Far more than someone like me."
Han Shin could feel it.
It was growing clearer with time.
Participant Number 499,519.
If they didn't kill him here, he'd become a massive obstacle later.
And he couldn't get a read on him.
Not with Insight, Demon Eye, or even Commander's Eye.
No mana flow, total amount, patterns—nothing visible.
There was only one explanation for this.
An overwhelmingly higher level compared to himself.
When an immeasurable gap existed, no form of "observation" worked.
"..."
Lee Hyuk-soo silently stared at Number 499,519.
He couldn't read him either.
Who he was, what his goal was.
Putting Aheta in the game, hiring the dragon as a mercenary—it couldn't all be coincidence.
He was certain, having seen the previous games.
'It's all calculated.'
That man had a clear target.
Not mere victory.
Consider what lay at the end of bankrupting the casino dealers.
The answer was simple.
'He's aiming for the Demon King of Karmic Flames.'
The participants?
The demon dealers running the game?
To hell with them.
That man's goal was the ruler of the night itself: the Demon King of Karmic Flames.
And he'd commanded a dragon and killed Aheta.
So he wasn't the Death Commander either.
If he were, why kill his own master, Aheta?
Yet Aheta had mistaken that man for the Death Commander...
Nothing added up.
Impossible to predict.
Yet he felt the man charging toward a single, unwavering purpose.
Lee Hyuk-soo had felt this sensation a few times before.
From someone else.
'...For some reason, it feels like the prophet...'
A powerful hunch.
Because the prophet's actions resembled this man's in many ways.
A creator of paths no one could predict.
A being who never even considered following the beaten path from the start.
A true "creator."
Step, step.
Lee Hyuk-soo slowly walked forward and stood before Number 499,519.
His eyes blazing, he declared.
"Hire me. I'm going to kill Han Shin right now."
The game had begun.
Before he knew it, Han Shin was on the battlefield.
"...Demon King of Karmic Flames, you're just as 'useless' as Aheta."
He said it outright.
The Demon King of Karmic Flames was still repairing the torn barrier and his own entrails.
All his plans from one to ten had gone awry.
Where had it gone wrong?
He'd thought he'd fare better than Aheta, but contracting with that fool had been a mistake.
At this rate, he couldn't achieve his goal.
Everything—entering the hidden treasure vault, acquiring "Baal's Shoes," and proceeding to the next phase—was on the verge of collapsing.
Letting out a sigh, Han Shin raised his sword.
Just then, presences approached from afar in numbers.
Leading the pack was, without a doubt.
"Lee Hyuk-soo."
Humanity's savior, the Messiah Lee Hyuk-soo.
Whatever. It didn't matter.
He couldn't lose.
Having devoured all the half-demons, Han Shin's power could take on ten Lee Hyuk-soos.
Lee Hyuk-soo charging straight at him was even convenient.
The real problem was elsewhere.
"...The other nine are all 'healers.'"
This was more interesting than expected.
A composition entirely focused on one man: Lee Hyuk-soo.
Blessings poured down, wounds healed, enhancements solely for him.
Reckless, but far more efficient than mixing in mediocrities.
As long as Lee Hyuk-soo could face him.
Grin!
"Let's see how much stronger you've gotten."
If they couldn't join forces, he'd have to kill him.
What a shame.
He'd thought they could make great partners.
Han Shin gripped his sword and assumed a stance.
Though he'd been humiliatingly defeated by the "Archmage" last time.
Thanks to that, he'd gained realization.
"Wish—"
If magic moving for itself was "Wish."
Then a similar power must be "Wish" too, no?
After devouring countless half-demons and the Fairy Queen, Han Shin had unlocked a completely different form of "Wish."
Namely.
Thud!
Rumble rumble rumble!
The ground trembled.
-Kekeke!
-Doomsday!
-Wanna kill 'em all!
-Wanna eat!
-Tasty entrails!
Suddenly, countless "evil spirits" appeared above Han Shin.
These evil spirits were no different from magic that moved solely for Han Shin.
The difference from ordinary "Wish"?
They unerringly killed whatever Han Shin wanted dead.
Not in protection, but in pure aggression.
Like an "extreme curse" no ordinary human could endure.
But.
Whoosh!
A flash erupted.
A massive light burst around Lee Hyuk-soo.
-Aaaah!
-It's divine power!
-Scary!
-Run!
The evil spirits hastily retreated.
Lee Hyuk-soo couldn't help but frown.
This power, no matter how he thought about it.
"...You've got a Saintess?"
It was the sacred power wielded by a Saintess.
And that wasn't the end.
Bwoom!
An angel blew a trumpet from the sky.
A goddess appeared, bestowing blessings upon Lee Hyuk-soo.
Trees sprouted thickly as spirits emerged, marching alongside him.
Beast-shaped souls paved the way ahead.
Only then did he realize.
These weren't ordinary healers.
He'd sensed holy power, but not to this extent.
With Han Shin right before him, Lee Hyuk-soo—enhanced in every way—thought.
'It's not just incarnations contracted with creators.'
Those who lent power to this world weren't only creators.
There were ancient existences.
Or mighty beings who fought against evil.
However, the mercenaries hired by 499,519 outshone the five Lee Hyuk-soo had hired by far.
And among them, two stood out exceptionally.
'Who the hell are that man and woman?'
Yu Jin-seo and Aurum, was it?
The two, possessing inhuman beauty, began blessing him.
Yu Jin-seo invoked the power of gods, while Aurum summoned spirits to reinforce him.
Now, he felt he could cleave the heavens themselves.
Krunch!
He swung the Greatsword of the Lion King.
Sword energy surged, slamming the ground and slicing the air toward Han Shin.
Han Shin's face twisted like a ferocious demon.
"...Lee Hyuk-soo, no matter how you struggle, you can't defeat me."