Chapter 235
Chapter 235
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 235
Chapter Title: A Hero for the Little Things (5)
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“……”
A deathly silence.
The candidates, their faces paler than the freshly fallen snow on the plains, stared with trembling eyes at the Blue Knight.
More precisely, they stared at the shattered remains of the black necklace scattered at the Blue Knight’s feet.
“The necklace…”
“He broke… it?”
The necklace wasn't just a safety measure to protect the civilians.
The collar, fastened securely around the beast’s neck, had also been a psychological safety net for the candidates participating in the tournament.
It was a sign, a reminder that this was not a real battle but a tournament to select the Seven Stars.
That was why, even when facing ferocious beasts, they could participate with the feeling that it was, to some extent, a game.
But.
“Ah, uh.”
Not anymore.
From the moment the Blue Knight shattered the black collar on its own neck.
This was no longer a ‘game’.
“You… you crazy.”
Fear spread like poison.
The candidates who met the crimson gaze of the Blue Knight took a step back, their legs trembling pathetically.
A monster that had overwhelmed Jason Hardy and Orlando Vale, two of the top contenders, without a single scratch.
Could they possibly face that monster with only the people present here?
A monster that was now free from the restraint of its collar?
“S-Save… me!”
“Aaaahhhh!”
It didn't take long to make a decision.
The candidates, their faces ashen, turned and fled.
“……”
For some reason, the Blue Knight didn't pursue the fleeing candidates, instead staring blankly at something far in the distance.
Thanks to the Blue Knight’s stillness, the candidates were able to successfully increase the distance without a single one falling behind.
“Huff, huff! Th-These goddamn council bastards! How the hell did they manage their beasts?!”
Nam Gung-hwi abandoned his usual refined speech and spat out a curse.
As if his terrified shout had been heard.
[E-Emergency broadcast!]
An urgent voice flowed from the silver bracelet on his wrist.
It was Olivia, the one who had explained the tournament rules.
[For reasons unknown, all collars controlling the beasts have ceased to function!]
Was this really the same Olivia they had seen before?
Her tone, once so stiff and professional it seemed devoid of emotion, was now filled with urgency and terror.
[As of this moment, the Seven Stars Council will be temporarily suspended! All candidates, please return immediately!]
“…What?”
Oh-jin’s expression hardened at the sound of Olivia’s voice coming from the bracelet.
‘Return?’
In that case.
What would happen to the civilians hiding in the Safety Zone?
“W-Wait, what about the civilians?”
It seemed another candidate had the same thought as Oh-jin, as they questioned the bracelet accusingly.
Unexpectedly, the candidate who shot back the question was none other than Nam Gung-hwi.
“Shouldn’t we at least rescue the civilians in the Safety Zone?!”
It seemed that even he, a man who looked like he would sell out his own parents to become one of the Seven Stars, had a sliver of conscience left.
After a brief silence, Olivia’s slightly subdued voice came through the bracelet.
[The Safety Zone is protected by a barrier.]
Bullshit.
Oh-jin scowled, narrowing his eyes at the silver bracelet.
Even if there was a protective barrier, it was nothing more than a temporary measure.
If the ‘Blue Knight’ were to go to the Safety Zone.
‘The barrier would be shattered in a single blow.’
And the civilians hiding inside would all be slaughtered before they could even think of escaping.
[Furthermore, all civilians participating in the Council have signed an agreement to prioritize the Council’s decisions in an emergency.]
Right.
They had even prepared waivers in advance for a situation like this.
If the civilians participating in the tournament died, the Council would face criticism, but they wouldn't bear any legal responsibility.
“But…”
As Nam Gung-hwi’s voice trailed off, trembling.
-CRASH! ROOOOAR!
A deafening noise erupted.
It wasn't coming from nearby.
The sound originated from the silver bracelet.
It was coming from ‘outside the dungeon’, where Olivia was.
[M-Monsters are now warping over here!]
The faint sounds of screams and monstrous roars could be heard.
[Quickly! All candidates, exit the dungeon and protect the hotel!]
Olivia shouted in a desperate voice.
“……”
“……”
The candidates glanced at each other.
Nam Gung-hwi, who had been arguing with Olivia, bit his lip, his face a mask of conflict.
[If you do not come out, your candidacy will be permanently revoked!]
Olivia yelled at the conflicted candidates.
[Did you not all see how many sponsors gathered to watch this tournament! I will take full responsibility for the civilians in the Safety Zone, so hurry! Get out here now!]
There was no more polite persuasion.
Olivia shrieked, her voice cracking as if she were having a hysterical fit.
“Ugh…”
“L-Let’s go! There are people outside, too!”
“The Council said they’d take full responsibility!”
The other candidates urged the hesitating Nam Gung-hwi.
After a moment of continued deliberation, Nam Gung-hwi finally nodded and raised his fan.
“Wind! Make a path!”
It was in the exact opposite direction of the Safety Zone.
A path made of wind formed, leading toward the warp device that exited the dungeon.
“Hurry! We don’t have time!”
Nam Gung-hwi and the other candidates quickly moved along the wind path, heading out of the dungeon.
All but one.
Oh-jin.
“Ha.”
A dry laugh escaped Oh-jin’s lips.
He recalled the people gathered like a cloud around the warp device.
The banquet hall had been packed with everyone from famous foreign politicians to celebrities and journalists.
It wasn't hard to imagine the chaos that would ensue if monsters started rampaging there.
“So right now…”
As the one in charge of this Seven Stars Council, she must be frantic.
If even one of the famous figures who gathered to watch the tournament was harmed due to the Council’s mistake, they would have to endure immense criticism.
‘They want us to abandon the people inside for the people outside.’
In a way, it was a logical decision.
Powerless, unknown civilians who signed waivers absolving the Council of responsibility versus the famous figures who paid hefty sponsorship fees to witness the birth of the Seven Stars in person.
There was no need to deliberate over which lives were more ‘valuable’.
“……”
Contrary to what the textbooks say, the value of a human life is not equal.
Not once.
Has it ever been equal.
-Didn’t your parents say anything?
-I don’t have any.
-…….
-I was told my mom and dad went on a long trip a lo~ng time ago, leaving me behind!
The life of an orphan girl from a children's home was not worth protecting.
Wasn't that right?
If you had to throw away one of two bundles—one filled with trash and the other with precious jewels—you would naturally discard the one with trash.
Outside, there were countless lives so valuable they couldn't even be compared to hers.
If he quickly went outside and defeated the rampaging monsters, he would be hailed as a hero amidst the praise of the influential figures.
Perhaps that could even be his ticket to becoming one of the ‘Seven Stars’.
He could seize a fame and power that no one could ignore, and he would also be able to go to the Spring of the Milky Way and absorb the Dragon Vein.
But.
But.
But.
If he did that.
“Ha, haha.”
Oh-jin covered his face with his hand, his shoulders shaking.
He knew.
He had realized it since he was a child, a time he couldn't even remember.
There are no heroes for the little things.
You cannot be called a hero for protecting the little things.
The world wasn't a comic book or a novel.
You wouldn't be treated as a hero just for picking up trash on the street.
“Tell them to shove it.”
He was no hero.
He wasn't the hope of humanity, nor was he the Star of Rebellion destined to change the world's fate.
He was nothing but a con man who knew how to spew lies.
However.
-For real, mister?! You promised me!
He remembered the image of Io, smiling as brightly as a spring flower as she held out her pinky finger.
Promises meant nothing to a con man like him, but.
“I suppose it’s fine to be whimsical once in a while.”
Oh-jin let out a smirk and turned around.
He headed in the opposite direction from where Nam Gung-hwi and the other candidates had run.
‘Toad Constellation Stigma.’
The power of the Toad Stigma amplified his leg strength.
*Crackle, crackle!*
Fierce blue lightning blazed to life, gathering around his legs.
*BOOM!*
He kicked off the ground with enough force to shatter the glacier and sprinted forward.
The cold wind sliced sharply against his cheek.
“Kieeeek!”
“Grrr! Kereuk!”
Monsters that had been hiding in the snowfields rushed at him as he passed.
Their collars were gone.
“I don’t have time for you bastards.”
*Thwang!*
He fired a wire shooter at a towering glacier and vaulted over the monsters.
His body soared.
In the distance, he could see the cliff wall that had collapsed from Nam Gung-hwi’s attack.
‘Lightning Step.’
*Fzzt!*
He kicked off the air, leaping toward the Safety Zone.
The bitingly cold wind that had been whipping at him vanished, replaced by a warm breeze that felt like spring caressing his cheek.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
“H-Help me!”
He heard screams.
Among them, a familiar voice was mixed in.
“E-Everyone, get ready to run! The barrier is about to break!”
He saw a horde of monsters clinging to the green, glowing protective barrier.
“Karrrrk! Kirik!”
“Kuuuoooo!”
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
The monsters roared, slamming their fists violently against the barrier.
Their eyes gleamed, seemingly excited at the thought of tearing into the prey before them.
“Charge.”
Soaring high in the air, he held his spear upside down.
A furious blue lightning gathered at the tip of the spear.
“Charge, Charge, Charge, Charge.”
Once wasn't enough.
Twice, three times, four times.
A total of five charges of lightning were condensed at the spear's tip.
“I-It’s over. W-We’re all going to die!”
“Calm down! You’re an adult!”
“How can you expect me to be calm in this situation?!”
“J-Just hold on a little longer! Someone will come to help!”
Io shouted at the people who had fallen into chaos.
“Who? Who’s coming to help us?! You heard the broadcast, too!”
The silver bracelets on their wrists were a slightly different model from the ones the candidates wore.
“Look at the people gathered here! Orphans, homeless, debtors! We’re all just a bunch of losers living at rock bottom!”
The people flinched.
“Nobody gives a damn if we die!”
“That’s…”
Io’s voice trailed off.
She clenched her small fists and lowered her head.
She knew it all too well.
No one was coming to help them.
A hero for the little things was something that existed only in fairy tales—
“Discharge.”
*RUUUUMBLE!*
A thunderbolt struck from the clear sky.
The condensed blue lightning exploded, sweeping through the monsters like an unleashed beast.
“…Ah.”
Io’s small mouth fell open as she turned her head.
Amidst the torrent of blue lightning, she saw a young man standing tall, a black spear in his hand.
“Mis…ter?”
Oh-jin raised his pinky finger toward Io, who was on the other side of the cracked barrier.
“Promise kept.”
This time.
He hadn’t lied.