Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Shadows in the Bunker
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“......So, you got everything I said?”
Li Kerana said as he set down his beer mug.
“Leave it to me. We’ll handle the remnants of those guys ourselves.”
“Until the time of opportunity comes, your role is to make sure all the users get as strong as possible.”
“......Then I’ll stay here and build up the gang a bit more, and send the rest of the men to other villages to avoid any clashes.”
“Good. I like how you catch on quick.”
We’d reached the twelfth round now, so the remaining games were just a matter of time.
Unlike the ‘Land of Ruin’ I’d played before, this place had clear time limits dividing everything up.
Three days total from the end of the eleventh round to the start of the next.
Normally, between rounds, players hunted in fields to grow their characters and get stronger.
But here, that time was way too short.
Back when I went from the eleventh to the twelfth round, I’d spent a full year clearing dungeons to power up.
“......Hoo.”
Li Kerana looked worried when he heard my sigh.
“You don’t trust me?”
“No, it’s not that. I think you’ll handle your role just fine, but I’m not sure if I can pull mine off.”
“......Boss.”
“What?”
“You’ve done great so far—why doubt yourself now? You’re the guy who left all those other players in the dust who started ahead of you, so why...”
Jeongwoo cut into the conversation as he sliced his steak.
“Kerana.”
“Yes.”
“Cheonjae’s seen the end of this game, that’s why.”
“......?”
“It’s not like you can just clear the system’s missions and beat the end.”
“If we fail, we can just try again, right?”
“......That’s impossible. One shot only. You know what happened before we got here—the server shutdown?”
“Yes.”
“That day, everyone died, and he was left alone. We don’t know what he went through.”
Li Kerana tilted his head.
“What was it?”
Jeongwoo glanced at me and clamped his mouth shut tight, like he’d zipped it closed and thrown away the key.
With no answer, Li Kerana asked again.
“Boss, what was it?”
“......Ask Cheonjae.”
“Boss Cheonjae, how does this game end?”
I leaned back in my chair and stared at Li Kerana. Wasn’t sure if I should tell him. If I did now, he’d feel the despair too.
Jeongwoo smacked my back hard and grinned.
“Just tell him. He’s coming with us to the end anyway.”
True enough. No point hiding it from someone who’d stick with us all the way.
If he despaired knowing what I knew, that was his fate.
And the story here was different from back then. Li Kerana knew that too, so it’d be easy to explain.
“......Basically, Lucifer and I fought.”
“And? Did you win?”
“I won, but I lost.”
“......Huh? What does that mean...”
“We both died. And that was it.”
Not wrong.
Lucifer had self-destructed in his final moments to take me out.
“Heh heh... So what happened after you both died?”
“Game over. Just an end screen saying the world was destroyed.”
Li Kerana’s face darkened as he listened. Made sense—if things played out like before, everyone perished.
We all finished our meal in silence.
As I picked up my last bite, Li Kerana spoke cautiously.
“Boss Cheonjae, does that mean this world ends up destroyed too?”
“......No.”
His face lit up.
“R-Really?”
“It’s different this time. And I’m not dumb enough to repeat the same mistake.”
“Oh... So you’re saying we can beat Lucifer this time?”
“If you support me right.”
“......Leave it to me—I’ll give it everything I’ve got. Salute!”
We finished lunch in high spirits after his salute. Now, with time left until the next round, there was just one thing to wrap up.
Negotiations with Kim Juncheol.
The fight for humanity’s survival was about to begin, so it was his turn to move.
* * * * *
[Ruins of the Village Bunker]
Kim Juncheol and Dr. Oh sat at a square table, deep in conversation. Their voices rose heatedly, like they were arguing. Kim Juncheol couldn’t hold back his anger anymore and shoved his knife toward the doctor’s throat.
Dr. Oh leaned his neck even closer to the blade and jabbed a finger at Kim Juncheol.
“The X Virus is humanity’s hope!”
“I told you to make a vaccine for the Z Virus, not create a new virus!”
“The vaccine’s too late. What percentage of humanity do you think is infected with the Z Virus right now?”
“......”
“We don’t know everything, but there are probably asymptomatic carriers too. The virus will keep spreading through them.”
Kim Juncheol frowned, his expression uneasy.
“So you’re making a new virus?”
“......Major Kim Juncheol. If we go on like this, the remnants of humanity have no hope left. Better to infect everyone with the X Virus and stop the Z Virus from spreading any further.”
“Z Virus or X Virus—doesn’t matter! They both turn living beings into monsters the same way!”
Kim Juncheol swung his knife wide and slammed it into the desk.
Boom!
As his rage flared, Dr. Oh waved his hands frantically, looking scared.
“C-Calm down and hear me out. Unlike the Z Virus, the X Virus naturally dies out after a while.”
“Naturally dies out?”
Kim Juncheol tilted his head.
“That’s right. If you help me with my plan, we can make both the Z and X viruses vanish. Replace Z with X, and let X self-destruct? The answer’s already in your head.”
“......”
“Think about it. If no cure keeps coming, we’ll lose people one by one to Z until we’re wiped out. You planning to wait that long?”
“I understand where you’re coming from, Doctor. But do you realize how many people would have to sacrifice for that?”
Dr. Oh softened his gaze and looked down as he replied.
“At this point, there’s no way to get results without sacrifices. You know it too—the monsters have swallowed the whole world, countless numbers of them.”
“......”
“They might all hate me now. But once the Z Virus is gone, they’ll understand my intentions.”
Dr. Oh shook his head and left the room after wrapping up. Kim Juncheol didn’t try to stop him anymore.
Seemed like he’d decided their views were too far apart for more talk to help.
After seeing Dr. Oh off, Kim Juncheol pulled a book from the shelf.
A photo of No Hyoman slipped out. Faded colors showed it was old.
In the picture, a young Kim Juncheol and No Hyoman smiled brightly, surrounded by other soldiers grinning happily.
Looked like a training photo—a memory from their joyful youth.
“......Hyoman.”
Kim Juncheol pocketed the photo with a resolute expression, like he’d made a vow.
Then he picked up a vial of purple liquid from his desk.
“......Hoo.”
* * * * *
Kim Yeonhee grinned ear to ear as she said to me.
“Kim Cheonjae!”
“......Why are you so excited?”
“Michael says he’ll give Jo Yeonggi’s body back soon!”
“Really? When?”
“In two days, so right when we hit the twelfth round?”
So that’s how it ends up.
Giving back Jo Yeonggi’s body for the twelfth round meant slapping conditions on us in exchange.
The human extinction plan wasn’t just what the demons wanted.
“Kim Yeonhee, you need to head to the fifth round with Sora.”
“Why the elf village?”
“Tell the elves and dwarves I’m requesting their help.”
“......Huh? Request their help?”
“Yeah. Say we need as many soldiers as possible—they’ll prepare on their own.”
Kim Yeonhee shrugged with a puzzled look.
“I’ll do it if you say so, but you think they’ll agree to that?”
“Definitely. If they ask when, tell them in half a month.”
“......Got it.”
“Go now. Sora, while Kim Yeonhee works the elves at Elf Helm, head to the Conqueror’s Tomb and find Kim Ria waiting for the fourth round.”
Yoo Sora beamed and shouted, “Kim Ria!”
“She’s there?”
“Probably. Tell her to bring all the Korean players waiting for the fourth round back to the ruined village.”
“Just tell them to return?”
“Yeah, say we’re right before the final round. The other players will get it.”
“......Understood.”
After sending them off, I took Michael and Jeongwoo to Kim Juncheol’s bunker.
Once we had the commander to lead all the forces, preparations would be complete.
Soldiers greeted us tensely at the bunker entrance.
-Salute! On duty! All clear!
I nodded to them.
“Is Major Kim Juncheol inside?”
“Yes!”
“Tell him Kim Cheonjae’s here.”
“Got it!”
One soldier returned to the guard post and picked up the radio.
It didn’t take long for them to open the entrance.
Smooth, like they’d been ready.
[System Message]
[Welcome to Kim Juncheol’s Bunker.]
‘......Huh?’
Was there always a message like this?
I’d barely stepped one foot inside when the air shifted, like entering a monster-filled dungeon.
Step. Step. Step. Step.
The deeper in I went, the colder the air wrapped around me. No idea why, but a rotten stench hung in the air.
I stopped and said to Jeongwoo.
“......Ma Jeongwoo.”
“I get it without you saying.”
“Why’s it like this here...”
“Who knows. Maybe Kim Juncheol got hit?”
“......Michael. You head back and guard the entrance.”
“The entrance?”
“Yeah. Go to the guard post and let one of every three soldiers in. Then call in the troops waiting elsewhere to gather here.”
“......Okay. Got it.”
Michael headed out of the bunker.
Jeongwoo and I checked each other’s status, then pushed deeper.
The foul smell thickened. Familiar, but bad. By the time we reached the bunker’s end, we could guess what lay beyond the wall.
Something big had gone wrong with Kim Juncheol.
“Going in.”
“......Cheonjae.”
“What?”
“If it’s the situation I think it is, can I kill him?”
I shook my head.
“......No. If it’s what we’re expecting, we’ll have to find another way.”