Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Seoul Alliance
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That day.
The day the Sniper Abyss appeared, engulfing the company and everything around it in darkness.
Kim Byung-han felt murderous intent from every single person who had shown up for work.
From the employees he'd just been trading trivial jokes with moments ago, to the team leaders he usually got along well with.
Without exception, they all tried to kill Kim Byung-han.
If the "Prophet" hadn't appeared...
Kim Byung-han would have died that day.
A narrow escape from death.
Having miraculously clung to life, Kim Byung-han changed.
'In this world, the only one I can trust is myself.'
There wasn't a single soul worth trusting.
Not even the "Creator" he had contracted with had his back.
—So the being you contracted with pinned all the blame on you.
Just as the Prophet had said.
The "Ring of the Dead's Oath," stolen from Game Master Andariel, had suddenly been handed to him by the "Creator of the Invisible Hand" he'd contracted with.
It was a setup.
The Creator had sniped him out of nowhere, tricking him into getting sniped himself!
And he'd treasured it like some priceless artifact. The shame burned his cheeks.
So he decided to harden his heart.
He wouldn't trust anyone anymore.
'From now on, power is truth. I need to level up.'
The moment he made up his mind, Kim Byung-han sprang into action.
He dove back and forth through Abysses, raising his level, and claimed sparkling high-grade gear and even a pet.
Companions?
They were all just backstabbers waiting to happen.
Even if they partied up, to Kim Byung-han, they were nothing but expendables.
When danger struck, he looked out for himself first.
And that's how he survived to reach the Tower of Pride.
'Level 15.'
There was nothing left to fear.
No human was stronger than him anymore.
If a situation like the Sniper Abyss happened again, he was confident he could smash the heads of everyone gunning for him.
Of course, the Prophet was the exception.
'The Prophet isn't human—he's a god.'
How could anyone call a being who turned a Death Knight to dust in one blow and summoned a Creator in the flesh a mere human?
The awe-inspiring "magic" the Prophet wielded was nothing short of a miracle.
It blanketed the entire Abyss in thorns, saving Kim Byung-han.
And that was just the beginning.
He was certain the Prophet was the one who had raised hero Lee Hyuk-soo.
'I nearly died, but I gained something from it.'
The Prophet hadn't healed him, but he had granted him life.
Thanks to that, Kim Byung-han had time for some deep reflection on living.
That was the decisive reason he no longer feared the Abyss.
"Um... excuse me, are you Team Leader Kim Byung-han?"
It was while Kim Byung-han was heading toward the Tower of Pride.
He turned at the familiar voice.
"...Lee Min-soo?"
"Y-yes, it really is you, Team Leader!"
Lee Min-soo grinned at him with a grubby face.
The loyal subordinate who had followed him.
—I don't want to stay here a second longer!
The very first one to try killing him when the Abyss hit.
Kim Byung-han's favorite underling.
The guy who taught him firsthand that no one was trustworthy.
"Whoa, Team Leader! Is that your pet you're riding? You're amazing as always!"
"......"
"Um... if it's not too much to ask, could I tag along with you?"
"......"
"This seems to be outside the Tower of Pride's zone. You never know when an Abyss might hit. People keep vanishing suddenly. P-please, for old times' sake..."
Lee Min-soo dropped to his knees.
Right now, Kim Byung-han was traveling with the Seoul Alliance toward the Tower of Pride.
The Seoul Alliance was one of Korea's largest alliances, treating the level 15 Kim Byung-han like an honored guest.
"Mr. Kim Byung-han, do you know him?"
One of the alliance members up ahead asked him.
And then...
"...No, never seen him before."
Kim Byung-han shook his head immediately.
He wanted to crush him, but he wasn't the old Kim Byung-han anymore.
Letting emotions rule was for the weak.
Lee Min-soo wasn't even worth killing.
Leave him be, and he'd vanish on his own.
Kim Byung-han turned and resumed heading for the Tower of Pride.
"Team Leader! Team Leader Kim Byung-han!!"
Ignoring Lee Min-soo's shouts from behind.
About five minutes later.
'Hm?'
Amid the massive crowd, one man stood out sharply.
Mingled in the throng, yet incompatible like water and oil.
Kim Byung-han smiled and shouted.
"Park Chan-woo! You're still alive?"
"......?"
"Man, I gotta hand it to you. You've got nine lives or something."
Kim Byung-han hopped down from his pet and approached Park Chan-woo.
Back when the Sniper Abyss activated.
'The only one who didn't attack me.'
Park Chan-woo was the sole person who hadn't gone after Kim Byung-han.
Even when everyone from the company swarmed him in a frenzy of madness, Park Chan-woo just watched from afar without twitching.
And he was the only one who hadn't pursued him to kill.
That was why.
Unlike Lee Min-soo, Kim Byung-han was genuinely glad to see Park Chan-woo.
'This guy's no ordinary pushover.'
At first, he'd thought the guy had lost his mind.
Pulling stunts like using him as a shield to draw the Fallen Ghost's attention the instant the Abyss opened at the lake park.
But no.
Now he got it.
Park Chan-woo had simply taken calm control of the situation.
Even during the sniper attack on Kim Byung-han, he'd been looking elsewhere, thinking other thoughts.
The ability to astonishingly stay composed in danger and seek solutions.
This world was full of idiots, but at least Park Chan-woo wasn't one of them.
He was clearly different.
"Quit staring like that, punk. I quit the company too. World's gone mad—what good's a job? You were the smart one."
Kim Byung-han rubbed his nose bridge under Park Chan-woo's odd gaze.
They'd never been close, but now Kim Byung-han realized that kind of distance was better.
At least Park Chan-woo had never tried to kill him.
The guy just didn't care about others.
Park Chan-woo shrugged.
"Looks like you're doing pretty well."
"Been grinding Abysses non-stop since quitting. Not sure if that's 'well' or not... So what are you doing here?"
"Waiting."
"For what? The line? Forget it, come with us."
Tap, tap.
Kim Byung-han patted Park Chan-woo's shoulder like they were old pals.
The apartment rep jumped in.
"Uh, excuse me. Could we tag along too? We're pretty tight with Chan-woo here."
"Oh yeah?"
Kim Byung-han glanced at Park Chan-woo.
A silent question: is that true?
Park Chan-woo nodded.
Neighbors from the same building—in times like these, that counted for something.
'Better than going solo and drawing eyes.'
He didn't want too much attention.
His goal was to slip quietly into the Tower of Pride.
"How many?"
"About fifty."
"Hold up. Hey!"
Kim Byung-han raised his hand, and one of the watching Seoul Alliance members approached.
"You called?"
"Can these folks come with?"
"Friends of yours, Mr. Kim Byung-han?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"No problem then. Join us!"
It was all about recruiting high-level Awakened.
This was nothing special for them.
Soon, the fifty-odd people merged into the Seoul Alliance ranks.
Wherever they went, paths opened up.
Like the Red Sea parting—no one dared block the Seoul Alliance.
"Whoa, this is incredible."
"All thanks to 505's young man."
"Thank you. Really, thank you."
The apartment folks expressed their gratitude to Park Chan-woo.
Park Chan-woo ignored them, eyes fixed on the Tower of Pride.
A tower piercing the heavens, its peak lost to sight.
The closer he got, the more a strange thrill stirred in his chest.
'Overall gear quality is solid. Wasn't like this before.'
And the nearer the tower, the better everyone's equipment looked.
Far superior to the past.
After the dungeon Abysses, every citizen of Korea had gotten a Gold Box. It was only natural.
Everything had leveled up across the board.
'Still haven't broken the level cap, huh.'
Meanwhile, Kim Byung-han snuck glances at Park Chan-woo from beside him.
Standing in line meant he hadn't hit level 11 yet.
A bit disappointing, but all things considered, Kim Byung-han was the exceptional one.
No one he knew had leveled this fast in so short a time.
'In the end, levels are everything.'
Kim Byung-han smiled faintly.
In the world ahead, levels would be everything.
Everything from the Abyss revolved around "levels."
Look right there.
Even entry to the Tower of Pride was split by level.
Low level? You couldn't do jack.
The gap would only widen over time.
How fast you sprinted at the start was key.
In that sense, Kim Byung-han was already soaring.
Park Chan-woo, meanwhile, was crawling at ground level.
'Abysses are still a mental game for now. Park Chan-woo's mentality is no ordinary human's. Worth keeping around.'
Still, Park Chan-woo had his merits.
His mental fortitude was worlds apart from the average joe.
Most Abysses still hinged on mental resilience.
Not fearing, not panicking—that was crucial.
Park Chan-woo had crossed that line long ago.
But further in the future, levels would rule.
"We've arrived."
"Oh, right up close already."
Kim Byung-han chuckled at the alliance member's words.
Following the Seoul Alliance had brought them right beside the Tower of Pride before he knew it.
This showed just how much pull they had.
"Mr. Kim Byung-han, the Alliance Leader is waiting."
"This guy's coming too."
Kim Byung-han pointed at Park Chan-woo.
The alliance member stiffened.
"...Pardon me, but have you broken the level cap?"
Meaning only those who had broken the level cap could meet the Alliance Leader.
Park Chan-woo pondered.
He had broken the cap, but his level was -89.
Partying up wouldn't work.
Tap, tap.
Then Kim Byung-han patted his shoulder and spoke.
"Don't worry. I'll vouch for him. And he'll break the cap soon enough."
"Must be quite the expert then. But..."
"Then we're done here?"
"N-no, please wait a moment."
The alliance member ducked into a tent near the tower.
Meanwhile, Kim Byung-han eyed Park Chan-woo with a sly glint.
'How do I look now? Pretty impressive, right?'
It was about setting the hierarchy.
Me on top, you below.
But he'd still look out for him.
"The Alliance Leader says both of you can come in."
The alliance member soon returned.
Tap, tap.
"Relax, kid. I already cleared it with the Seoul Alliance. Just stick with me."
Kim Byung-han suddenly acting buddy-buddy.
Park Chan-woo was inwardly dumbfounded.
'Must be pretty lonely.'
Made sense after all that betrayal. He was starving for company.
And Park Chan-woo was curious too.
The Seoul Alliance wielded massive influence in Korea's future.
They shot up like a comet, swallowing Seoul overnight.
But info on them was surprisingly scarce.
Who was the inaugural Alliance Leader?
He had some guesses, but almost nothing was known about the first leader.
The man never revealed his identity.
You couldn't meet him unless you were one of the chosen.
So this meeting held meaning even for Park Chan-woo.
Soon enough, Park Chan-woo and Kim Byung-han followed the alliance member into the tent.
"They're here!"
"...Where is he?"
Kim Byung-han tilted his head.
No sign of the Alliance Leader inside.
Moments later, the tent flap closed.
Shhh.
"Nice to meet you."
"...!!!"
Someone appeared behind them like a ghost.
Kim Byung-han, sensing no presence, jumped back in shock.
Park Chan-woo turned at the same time.
...And saw the man.
The man smiled warmly at Park Chan-woo and the sweating Kim Byung-han.
"I'm Im Chang-yeol, Leader of the Seoul Alliance."
...Im Chang-yeol?
'Overlord Im Chang-yeol?'
The kingpin who ruled the underworld.
Not a level 99, but a monstrous figure even they hesitated to touch.
He'd stood opposite Han Shin, only to meet his end at Han Shin's hands—a tragic figure!
Who would've thought Overlord Im Chang-yeol was the first Leader of the Seoul Alliance.