Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Return to the Castle
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I returned to the castle.
As soon as I crossed through the door, I was at the top floor of the castle.
Kim Jeongjae was glaring at me.
"Business finished?"
"Yeah."
"You've gotten stronger."
I slowly nodded and said to him,
"The game's over, so why don't you head out?"
"......Insolent."
"You're one to talk."
I didn't like the guy.
Soon enough, he'd be hailed as a hero and become the players' hope.
But I knew the truth about him.
The ugly deeds hidden behind his heroic mask.
Kim Jeongjae gripped and released the hilt of his sword repeatedly, then slapped the dragon's back with his palm.
Thwack! Thwack!
"Kim Cheonjae. Remember that name."
"......"
The dragon glanced at me before flying off toward the north side of the city.
The place with the 'Gate of Ruin' that led to the next round.
The first Gate of Ruin where the clues to the virus began.
"......That unlucky bastard."
Kim Jeongjae vanished from sight.
I headed down the stairs.
All the soldiers from other countries, excluding the Korean military, had warped outside the city.
No one blocked my path as I descended. Even the remaining Japanese players might've made a last desperate charge, but the place was just empty.
"......"
Step. Step. Step. Step.
As I kept going down, I spotted a staircase blocked by a collapsed ceiling.
The spot where Jeongwoo had said he'd hold off Gun Kichi and Hanzo.
"So that's how they blocked it."
I kicked the debris hard with my foot, breaking through the blocked path.
Boom!
It crumbled in an instant.
As the dust settled, I saw Ma Jeongwoo still locked in battle with Gun Kichi.
A master of swordsmanship.
Gun Kichi of the Three Hundred Beheader fame.
As expected, he wasn't ordinary—he'd taken out all the skeleton soldiers I'd sent and was holding his own against Jeongwoo. If they'd fought on equal footing, Jeongwoo should've won.
But Jeongwoo's stamina must've been drained from his earlier fight with Wang Cheonma.
I could see him breathing heavily.
"Kim Cheonjae!"
"Yeah."
"Oh.... You saved us."
I grinned.
"I'll take over now, so take a break."
"Hoo—yeah. This guy's tougher than he looks."
"Good work."
Jeongwoo fell back.
Gun Kichi wiped the blood trickling from his lips with the back of his hand and asked me,
"Where's Hanzo?"
"No idea."
I really didn't know.
He'd vanished in a puff of smoke.
"That guy...."
I walked toward Gun Kichi without any defensive stance.
Step. Step. Step. Step.
As I entered his range, his blade flashed. Just like with Mukai. He clearly hadn't drawn his sword, yet a strike hit my abdomen.
Crack!
The blade scraped against my armor.
In the blink of an eye, the blade was at my solar plexus.
"......So that's it."
"What?"
"That Mukai guy used the same technique as you."
"......"
"Illusion magic. The illusion moves first, and the real body follows three seconds later, right?"
Gun Kichi sheathed his sword and slowly backed away.
"You're sharp with skills."
"Not just sharp."
"......What?"
I spread my arms wide, showing off where his attack had landed.
Right now, with stat sharing and item buffs, my total defense stat exceeded 100.
His strength couldn't even scratch it.
"How's that? Your attacks don't work on me at all."
"......"
Gun Kichi's eyes flashed gold for a moment.
He'd activated the swordsman's trait skill 'Swiftness.'
The one that consumed both health and mana, usable only in emergencies.
Aiming for vitals?
Gun Kichi stepped like a boxer. Afterimages trailed his movements. He was just walking, yet it looked like he had five feet.
Aura poured from his body, spreading like mist through the room.
I was curious what he'd show me next.
"......Kim Cheonjae. Next time we meet, I'll take your head."
"What?"
He leaped toward the window.
All five afterimages moved at once—I couldn't tell which was real.
I threw a kick to block him, but the one I hit dissolved into smoke.
Crash!
Gun Kichi had escaped.
"You son of a bitch!"
Ma Jeongwoo clutched his stomach, laughing.
"Kuhahaha. Hey! Kim Cheonjae, how do you catch a guy who uses Swiftness to run?"
"Ha.... Damn. Thought he'd charge, but he bailed."
"Guess he didn't wanna die."
"......Well, we'll meet again soon enough."
I grabbed Jeongwoo's hand and pulled him to his feet. As we headed down the stairs, I saw Lee Okhun and Lee Okhan collapsed.
They'd decided the fight simultaneously—flames pierced Lee Okhun's heart, and an ice shard was embedded in Lee Okhan's forehead.
'A draw between brothers, huh.'
For no reason, I smacked each of their heads once before heading down.
I considered using Revive again, but decided against it since I didn't need the ability.
Too bad about the population they occupied.
Step. Step. Step. Step.
When I reached the lower floor, there was Chakan i, who'd taken down Mukai and Noda.
She was leisurely gazing out the window, smoking a cigarette.
"Oh—. All done?"
"......Yeah. You really finished them all by yourself?"
"By yourself? Nah. One was taken out by your friend."
"My friend?"
Chakan i pointed out the window.
Bloody Michael Beach was getting treated by Yoo Sora.
"......Michael?"
"Yeah, that dark-skinned guy's aim was no joke. By the way, that armor.... It's cool, huh?"
She doesn't remember this armor?
I thought she'd have figured it out by now.
"......You got the game clear message, right?"
"Yeah. Mission's done, so time to collect my Jenny?"
I waved my hand.
"I'll give it to you downstairs."
"Aah—sure. No rush."
"Okay."
If this were a PC game, she'd be demanding it right away, but she was chill. Feeling secure now?
Well—
Not bad.
"Jeongwoo."
"Yeah."
"......I'm hungry."
* * * * *
As I exited the castle, the Korean alliance players gave me a hero's welcome.
-Kim Cheonjae forever!
-He's our savior! This man's our savior!
-You really brought us freedom.... Thank you, Kim Cheonjae!
Once the celebration ended, Kim Juncheol approached me.
"Kim Cheonjae."
"Major."
"Good work."
"No big deal. The Goblin Unit worked hard too."
[The Goblin Unit's morale increases due to player 'Kim Cheonjae''s encouragement.]
Kim Juncheol sent soldiers to various spots in the 'Conqueror's Tomb' and asked me,
"We'll head back to base now."
[System Message]
[Select the number of soldiers to deploy to the Conqueror's Tomb.]
[Goblin Unit capacity: 500]
-100
-200
-400
I chose the smallest number, 100.
No need to station a lot of troops where I wasn't.
[100 selected.]
The designated soldiers spread out across the city at high speed.
Kim Juncheol saluted me.
"I'll take my leave."
"Good work."
"See you next time."
"......Yeah."
[Fourth Round Cleared]
[All missions in the 'Conqueror's Tomb' are now complete as of this moment.]
[Please proceed to the next city.]
* * * * *
With the game cleared, a blazing sun shone down on the Conqueror's Tomb.
The fog-shrouded canyon floor came into view.
I led my beast legion down into the canyon to hunt monsters.
Goblins, trolls, ogres.
Basic monsters, but their EXP was superior to regular animals.
A single day of hunting got the whole group to level 50.
"Alright, that's enough."
I canceled all summons and called the hunted trolls to my side.
[Summon List]
-ⓁPark Gyuhwan (Soldier) 1/1: Idle
-Daeho (Beast) 1/1: Idle
-Z Virus Troll (Mid-tier) 48/48: Idle
There were multiple monster types, but I kept only the trolls.
Yoo Sora tilted her head, not understanding.
"Cheonjae-ssi, why only revive the trolls?"
"What's the trolls' special ability?"
"Uh.... High regeneration?"
"Right, self-regeneration. They're the only ones that can heal themselves."
"Ah...."
"After the fifth round, we'll have to return to the 'Ruined Village.'"
Yoo Sora licked her upper lip.
"Didn't we clear the event there?"
"......That's the Land of Ruin for you. You go far away, but you always circle back to the start."
Yoo Sora nodded.
Whether she got it or was just pretending, I didn't continue.
Showing is easier than explaining.
Once prepared, we headed north along the road from the castle.
A massive iron gate loomed ahead, leading to the next round.
It was enormous—big enough for giants to pass through.
I stood before it and asked Kim Ria,
"You really not coming?"
Kim Ria smiled brightly.
"I'll stay here. Most of the others are staying too."
"Hmm. Going to the next round would level you up faster than staying."
"......I want to help the Koreans who come here next."
"Why? You don't even know them."
"......What if my family or friends come? I'll wait for them."
Honestly, it shocked me a bit.
I'd never even considered my family or relatives might show up here.
Not that it mattered to me, with no family anyway.
'Friends, huh....'
Kim Ria smiled brightly and continued.
"Cheonjae-ssi."
"Yeah."
"Can we escape this game?"
I scratched my head awkwardly.
I couldn't answer that either.
"......Sorry, I can't say for sure. If I knew, I'd have gotten out first."
"......I see."
"But this much is certain. Keep moving forward without stopping, and new things will appear. The way out you mentioned? Same deal."
"Move forward.... Sorry, but I'll stay here."
With her refusal, I stopped inviting her to join our group.
Pity. She'd have great growth potential, but oh well.
After bidding farewell to the Korean alliance, I pushed open the door to the next round.
[The power of the 'Opener' activates.]
Creeeeak—
The building-tall iron gate swung open effortlessly.
Blinding light poured out.
I raised my hand to shield my eyes.
[System Message]
[The door to the Fifth Round has opened.]
The door to a place I absolutely didn't want to go.
Even in the game, most players hated the fifth round.
Because your closest ally.
Could become your enemy.
"Ri Keruna, you stay here and train more."
Ri Keruna and his subordinates saluted me.
-Got it!
I asked Jo Younggi, who was standing nearby blankly.
"......Chakan i. Or should I say Jo Younggi-ssi. You coming?"
Chakan i straightened her clean shirt collar and shrugged.
"Of course. That's where the elf helm I've been waiting for is."
"......Then how about joining our group just for this round?"
Kim Yeonhui waved her hands.
"No way! Younggi oppa already joined our group."
"Huh?"
"All the people I was with died. So I'm traveling with Younggi oppa now."
"......Alright. You two stick together then."
Jo Younggi added,
"I'll travel with this kid."
"Okay. Then for this round too.... We won't interfere with each other, got it?"
"......Understood."
I led everyone into the entrance to the fifth round.
[Welcome to the Hill Where Stars Fall.]
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