Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Michael Awakens
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[Player ‘Jo Youngki’s’ soul departs from his body.]
[His soul wanders the living world in search of a new vessel.]
[Jo Youngki’s soul vanishes in the sixth round.]
Thud.
Jo Youngki collapsed flat on his face.
I looked down at him for a moment, offering a silent prayer.
“You knew, didn’t you.”
That I was a high-level player.
I’d half-expected it.
From the way his attitude toward me had shifted to friendly.
And yet, he’d played dumb right up to the end.
‘Manly of him.’
Everyone gathered around Jo Youngki. Their faces were all shocked.
Not so much out of worry for him, but more like, *Why’d this guy drop?*
Jeongwoo asked me.
“Was Jo Youngki chosen?”
“……Yeah.”
“Then why pretend otherwise?”
“No idea.”
Kim Yeonhee looked flustered as she tried to prop Jo Youngki up.
“Hey, mister! What’s wrong? Mister, mister! Mister!!”
No response.
Of course he couldn’t answer.
Even though she knew everything, Kim Yeonhee kept shaking him.
“Get up! Stop messing around! Mister Youngki! We promised to head back to the elf village together after the seventh round. We were gonna build a guild there together!”
Had they?
I had no clue. I figured he’d just stick with me to see the game’s end, but he’d planned to return to the elf village. Had he decided this place was better than reality?
‘Sigh….’
Suddenly, a barrier formed around Jo Youngki’s body, shoving us all back.
Kim Yeonhee rolled like a ball right up to where I stood. She drew a dagger from her waist and slashed at the barrier.
Clang! Clang!
“You fucking bastard! Don’t take Youngki mister away!!!”
It was pointless resistance. The blade couldn’t even scratch the barrier. No one here could break through, no matter who tried.
There was no way for a player to pierce a barrier the system had created for the story.
“No!!!”
[‘Michael’s’ soul enters Jo Youngki’s body.]
Michael’s body inside the Titan floated up into the air.
‘……It’s starting.’
Michael, one of the great archangels and symbol of valor—we all knelt before her noble form.
“Beautiful” didn’t even begin to describe her.
Michael radiated golden light as she merged with Jo Youngki.
No, it wasn’t exactly merging. She was just using his flesh.
The exterior was Jo Youngki, but Michael dwelt within.
Michael flexed the body this way and that, then approached me.
“Was it you who freed me?”
“……Yes.”
Michael placed her palm on my head.
“Thank you. A gift.”
Golden light flowed from her body.
It swirled like the black aura I wielded.
[Kim Cheonjae’s group has learned Golden Aura usage.]
[The heavenly Golden Aura forms an invisible shield around the player, blocking enemy attacks.]
I gazed at the golden aura emanating from my body and replied to her.
“Thank you.”
“……No problem.”
A thug like Jo Youngki emitting that aura—it carried an immense pressure.
Even more than Michael’s true form.
Michael soared into the sky, surveyed Mechania, then shook her head.
She looked displeased, and everyone here knew why.
Time to set up the pretext for moving to the next round.
After checking everything, Michael descended to the ground.
“Did you handle the demons here?”
“Yes.”
“Alone?”
“No, with the people of this place.”
I pointed at the tower with my index finger.
“The people of this place….”
“Is there a problem?”
“……The demons have retreated, but their energy lingers here.”
“What do you mean, their energy lingers?”
I asked even though I knew.
To test if her answer might differ from what I knew. The story’s flow had shifted, so Michael’s actions might change too.
Michael gazed at me with deep eyes.
“It means they could return.”
Her expression seemed to say, *Why ask when you know?*
“I see.”
“To protect this city, we must eliminate the root cause.”
“……”
“You all—I don’t know what brought you here, but you seem skilled against demons. Will you join me in pursuing them?”
[Archangel Michael proposes to Kim Cheonjae’s group.]
[YES / NO]
Of course, I had to choose YES.
To advance to the next round, we needed Michael’s power to open the gate to hell.
Before answering her, I invited Kim Yeonhee to the group.
Not with words—just a gesture, then via the system.
[Player ‘Kim Yeonhee’ joins Kim Cheonjae’s group.]
Kim Yeonhee glanced at Michael and me, then accepted the group invite.
Now we were ready for the seventh round. If Jo Youngki had joined too, we might’ve matched the power of the transcendent group I’d formed in the past.
Regrettable.
But unavoidable.
She was the only one left.
“YES. We’ll follow you.”
[Archangel Michael bestows a blessing upon your group.]
[Demon Resistance +50%]
-All damage from demons is halved.
[From this moment, skills restricted in the sixth round can now be used.]
[Each class’s unique skills are now available. Offensive skills deal bonus damage to ‘Demon’-type monsters.]
* * * * *
Michael extended her hand, splitting the earth as a golden sword burst forth.
She—no, he—slashed the air with the golden sword, tearing space to reveal another dimension.
“Is everyone ready?”
I pulled our group members close behind me and answered.
“Yes.”
“This space will remain open for the next ten days. Then it closes.”
“……Ten days?”
“Yes.”
Ten days.
More than double the time I’d spent in the seventh round back in my PC gaming days.
Events there usually wrapped in two to five days.
“……Understood.”
Black energy leaked from the gate Michael had opened. Completely different from my dark energy. Veteran players would know, but monster auras were sharp and jagged. Nothing like my wave-like aura.
Roaring demons were visible inside the gate.
Imps, a bit stronger than goblins, and beholders with ogre-level power and even larger builds. Fitting guardians of hell’s entrance, their grotesque forms stood out.
On normal difficulty, they’d be easy prey.
But they looked more dangerous than expected.
Michael stood before the demons thrashing to enter our world and spoke.
“Do you feel it? The demons’ power.”
“Yes.”
“Strong ones swarm inside, so stay cautious. Even if we get separated, don’t worry—just push forward.”
“Got it.”
Michael cloaked Jo Youngki’s body in golden light and entered the gate.
After he left, I gathered the group and said.
“It’s the same gate, but landing spots might differ…. You all know what I mean, right?”
They murmured quiet affirmations. Tension was thick.
We’d reached the seventh round, known as the game’s toughest hell.
Yoo Sora showed me the ‘Book of the Lion’ and asked.
“Should I hold onto this? I’m worried I’ll lose it.”
“If it could be lost easily, the system wouldn’t have given it. If it happens, it’s meant to be—so just carry it.”
“……Okay.”
“Sora, once inside the gate, move as I instructed.”
“Yep!”
Jeongwoo clapped my shoulder and headed in first.
“See you at the cathedral.”
“Yeah. If you arrive first, you know where to wait, right?”
“Obviously. You be careful too.”
“……No need to worry about me.”
“Oh yeah?”
Jeongwoo grinned as he stepped into the gate where demons were visible.
Once he entered, the view inside vanished.
The gate doesn’t show the next round’s contents to players.
Since starting points diverge anyway.
Next, Michael went in.
His ever-cheerful face eased my tension.
Then Yoo Sora.
Having trained under me, she looked brimming with confidence.
“Cheonjae, if I reach the cathedral first, I just find Michael, right?”
“Yes. If it seems dangerous, wait nearby. Other early players should be waiting inside the cathedral.”
“Got it.”
Yoo Sora entered.
Finally, Kim Yeonhee hesitated before the gate. She wouldn’t back out now, but I didn’t know why, so I asked.
“Why not go in? I can’t enter last until you do.”
“……I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“Those guys visible in there.”
I shrugged.
“With your skills, you’ll be fine. Don’t worry and go.”
“What if I die?”
“You won’t if you don’t get careless. You saw Sora go in alone?”
“Still scared.”
Scared now, of all times.
“……”
“We can actually leave this game, right?”
I nodded.
“Of course.”
My answer shifted from tentative to certain.
Having seen Uncle Jeongwoo’s message, I could say it confidently now.
Kim Yeonhee stomped the ground hard with her toe, embarrassed, then headed for the gate.
She tossed out casually.
“Kim Cheonjae…. Youngki mister is really dead, right?”
“Yeah.”
“……If we kill that Michael guy again, will he come back?”
“No idea.”
I pushed Kim Yeonhee’s back.
“Enough chit-chat. Hurry in. The later you go, the longer others wait.”
“……”
Kim Yeonhee glared at me resentfully for a few seconds, then entered the gate.
After sending everyone off, I pulled a cigarette from my pocket and lit it.
Suck, exhale-.
Then I used the attribute book I’d gotten as this round’s reward.
[Player ‘Kim Cheonjae’ acquires Attribute (Steel) ability.]
[‘Necromancer’s Steel Attribute’ changes Skeleton Warrior attribute to Steel.]
“……Damn, that’s sick.”
Steel skeletons, huh.
Suck, exhale-.
The cigarette tip glowed as white smoke billowed from my mouth.
I glanced around to ensure no one was nearby, then muttered quietly.
“‘Aidos.’ Until I return, eliminate any intruders in Mechania. Demons, humans— all of them.”
[‘Aidos’ relays Kim Cheonjae’s command.]
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