A World Without a King (9)

"How about the firepower of our regular Constellations? I earned 214,000 coins in one go?"

............

Han Sooyoung showed no reaction whatsoever to my words. She simply stood there with her mouth hanging wide open, drool dripping down her chin, wearing the most vacant expression imaginable.

I tilted my head slightly at the sight of her and muttered to myself.

"...What's wrong with her?"

"I know, I know. But this is just everyday life for us, right?"

Our channel's regular Constellations must have known full well that I was baiting them on purpose, and yet they still offered up their coins to me— ahem! Sponsored me, that is.

All for a single hit of dopamine. It wasn't something I should say about our dear regulars, but they really were a bunch of dopamine-addled lunatics.

Well, thanks to them I made coins, so I'm happy either way.

Still, it left me a little unsatisfied.

I turned my gaze to check my current coin holdings.

"Tsk... so close. If I'd just gathered a little more, I would've been the first person in the Seoul Dome to hit a million coins."

"......W-What?!"

Hearing my muttering, Han Sooyoung suddenly snapped back to her senses and shouted with both eyes wide open.

"Oh, you're finally back with us?"

"I-Is that really what you're worried about right now?! How much did you just say you've got?!"

"Just a little short of a million. Haah... I'm still so poor."

I gazed at my coin total and put on a sorrowful expression, then wiped the corner of my eye with a fingertip. All for the sake of teasing Han Sooyoung.

"Have you lost your mind?! Are you making fun of me right now?! You're calling me a beggar, aren't you!!"

And just like that, our Sooyoung took the bait on my completely obvious fishing line.

She reacted with the frantic thrashing of a fresh fish that had just been reeled in by an angler.

Han Sooyoung's face flushed red as she glared at me with cat-like eyes, throwing a tantrum so cute that I couldn't help but snicker.

"Y-You're laughing? Do you seriously want to die?!"

"Is our Sooyoung short on cash? Want some allowance?"

"Forget it, get lost!"

"That so?"

I had genuinely been about to hand over 10,000 coins as pocket money, but Han Sooyoung—unaware of that—whipped her head away and began grumbling under her breath.

When I listened carefully, she was cursing me out. Things like how rich people never understand the hearts of the poor.

I left her to it and turned toward Shin Yooseung, who was still clinging to the hem of my pants, and held out my index finger.

"Oppa?"

"Does our Yooseung know how coin transfers work?"

"Yes, I know."

"Then Oppa's going to give our Yooseung a little allowance."

"I-I'm fine, really..."

"Don't be polite. Come on, hurry up."

Shin Yooseung refused several times, but after I kept urging her, she hesitantly held out her own index finger toward me.

The moment she received 10,000 coins as allowance from me, Shin Yooseung's eyes went wide with shock, and she hurriedly spoke up.

"O-Oppa! 10,000 coins is way too much...!"

"It's fine. I've got plenty of money."

"B-But still..."

Shin Yooseung looked up at me with those big, restless eyes, fidgeting anxiously. In response, I gently patted her head.

"...Thank you, Oppa."

Her silky hair brushed against my fingers. After receiving my head pats, the kid hung her head low and whispered a quiet thanks.

Of course, I hadn't just given Shin Yooseung coins for nothing. This was an investment under the name of allowance—and at the same time, an apology for the disaster this child would soon face.

Because of me, Shin Yooseung had joined Kim Dokja's party much earlier than she was supposed to. Originally, she would have been discovered by Kim Dokja, Han Sooyoung, and Yoo Sangah only a few days before they took down the Disaster of Floods.

But thanks to me, she would soon encounter—and endure—the Disaster of Questions. The coins were so she could raise her stats even a little in preparation for the catastrophe that was coming for her.

I gazed at Shin Yooseung, who was still enjoying my head pats, and sank into thought.

...I've gathered enough coins. What's left is learning the 'Path of the Wind' from Lycaon, and...

Waiting out the cooldown on 'Shop User', which was currently restricted due to the update.

Still 56 hours left, huh.

The timing was truly awkward. My original plan had been to learn the Path of the Wind from Lycaon, then buy the 'Growth Package I', 'Growth Package II', and 'New Scenario Commemorative Package' from the Dokkaebi Bag so I could raise every skill level as high as possible before facing the Disaster of Questions.

But that plan is half-blocked now.

I needed to revise things a little. To adjust my plan, I started calculating the remaining time until I would face the Disaster of Questions.

Finding the 'Guide Meteorite' that Lycaon carried would take less than an hour. Incubation of the meteorite: 10 hours. The two days Kim Dokja would spend struggling to learn the Path of the Wind: 48 hours.

Up to that point, roughly 59 to a maximum of 61 hours would pass.

Next would come the encounter with the poisoned Yoo Joonghyuk and the blackened Yoo Sangah. Then the disposal of Poisonous Doctor Lee Seolhwa—no, Antinous—and the early revival of the Disaster of Questions.

Even giving that stretch the most generous estimate, it would take a minimum of 6 hours to a maximum of 7 before we ran into the Disaster of Questions.

So even if I took every single stretch at its absolute maximum, the total came to 68 hours.

...At this rate, the Growth Packages and Commemorative Package aren't going to give me much efficiency.

Even if I bought the packages the moment the update ended, I would only have about 12 hours of skill-training time left. A mere 12 hours was nowhere near enough to raise every skill level.

In that case, the most efficient method for me right now is to learn the Path of the Wind from Lycaon as quickly as possible, then spend the remaining time intensively leveling Path of the Wind, Flame of Destruction, and Enchant.

The only skills I could currently call main damage dealers were Flame of Destruction and Enchant. Just those two.

Everything else was purely support.

Tsk... if only Shooting had been a more useful skill.

My exclusive skill 'Shooting', which I had been using since the second main scenario.

I had bought it back then to cover my lacking overall stats and boost the firepower of firearms, but by now it had completely lost its status.

No—it was still plenty effective against other Incarnations, but against boss-tier enemies like the Disaster of Questions, it was useless.

From the disasters that are about to appear and the named-level enemies I'll face in the future, guns just aren't going to cut it...

It really felt like the time had come to let go of guns for good.

If I wanted to keep using them, I would have to do what those guys under the King of the Prophets had done—overlay mana onto arrows—and start reinforcing bullets with mana for extra destructive power.

Just like the mana shells fired from Gong Pildu's turrets.

I was turning over my already insufficient brainpower to prepare for the future when a massive boom echoed from outside the alley.

KWA-AAAANG!!

Startled by the roar, I shifted my gaze outside the alley and saw Kim Dokja frozen in place with her fist extended.

Kim Dokja had overcome her trauma and beaten Song Minwoo into the ground.

...I got too lost in thought.

That was my flaw. Once a worry started, it spiraled into endless overthinking. Even when I tried to fix it, it never really went away. A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

I shook my head hard to clear out the clutter and spoke to Han Sooyoung and Shin Yooseung.

"Looks like it's over. Let's go."

The three of us walked toward Kim Dokja. She sensed our presence, turned her head, and looked at us.

"Congrats on overcoming your trauma, Dokja."

"Yeah. Thanks."

Kim Dokja and I looked at each other and smiled. I was smiling because she had overcome her trauma; she was probably smiling out of gratitude that I had gotten angry on her behalf.

The four of us then walked over to Song Minwoo, who had been sent flying far away by Kim Dokja's punch.

Han Sooyoung muttered with a look of pure horror at the wretched state Song Minwoo was in as he lay sprawled on the ground.

"What a terrifying bitch.... You and Park Jinwoo are a matching set, beating werewolves to death with your bare hands. Have you two transcended humanity already?"

"Transcended? Over something this small? And that guy's not dead yet."

After saying that, Kim Dokja looked up at empty air and her expression suddenly shifted in surprise. She had probably just received a stigma from the Constellation that had issued the bounty scenario.

That was when Han Sooyoung asked us,

"Hey, we're not killing this thing?"

"Huh?"

"This thing right here."

Song Minwoo was now being treated like an object by Han Sooyoung. A truly pitiful sight.

By the way, that Demon King bastard still hasn't left. Must have nothing better to do.

While I was spacing out looking at Andras's messages, Kim Dokja pondered Han Sooyoung's question for a moment before speaking.

"Let's just go."

"What? For real?!"

Han Sooyoung and the Constellations alike reacted with surprise and doubt at Kim Dokja's decision.

"You're seriously not killing him? That bastard's got a decent pile of coins on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him."

"Yeah."

Hearing that, Han Sooyoung's face lit up like she had just hit the jackpot.

"Then can I kill him?"

"Do whatever you want. But you'll regret it."

"Regret?"

When Han Sooyoung looked at her with a questioning expression, Kim Dokja simply shrugged and started walking in the direction the other werewolves under Song Minwoo had fled.

Han Sooyoung made a face that said she couldn't understand Kim Dokja at all, then turned her head toward me.

"You don't need this guy's coins, right? I'm taking the last hit."

"I actually do want his coins..."

"You just made 200,000 coins earlier! And you're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still being greedy?! This one's mine!!"

"Then why even ask me... Fine, you can have it all."

The moment I said I wanted the coins, Han Sooyoung glared at me with the bristling wariness of a cat whose tail had just puffed up. I raised both hands in surrender and gave up on Song Minwoo's coins.

Well, I hadn't really planned on taking them anyway.

"Heh heh~ Then shall I kill him?"

Apparently in a good mood now, Han Sooyoung smiled as she stared down at Song Minwoo lying on the ground.

Shunk!

Then she drove her knife straight into Song Minwoo's heart.

And that was her mistake.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

"Huh? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Why am I getting so many notifications?"

After stabbing Song Minwoo through the heart, Han Sooyoung checked the flood of messages with a puzzled look—then her face went completely white.

"Aaaagh! What the hell is this?!"

The moment she confirmed the messages, Han Sooyoung let out a huge scream and landed hard on her butt.

Han Sooyoung just stared blankly at the messages floating in front of her eyes, completely dazed.

"Oh~ Final hitter, Miss Han Sooyoung? Congrats—you made coins and got put on a Demon King's wanted list? I'm so jealous! Here, let's take a commemorative photo!"

Click!

I watched from the side, snickering, and pulled out a camera to snap a shot of Han Sooyoung's face.

But she gave no reaction at all. She was clearly denying reality inside her head.

I waved a hand in front of the face of the girl currently rejecting reality.

"Hey~ Miss Sooyoung? Denying reality won't change a thing, you know?"

"Shut up... Just leave me alone at times like this..."

"Aww, I can't do that. Besides, I still need to rip a skill out of this guy. Up we go!"

I grabbed Han Sooyoung by the side and hauled her up onto her feet.

"Uwaagh?! W-Where the hell are you grabbing right now, you pervert bastard?!"

When I suddenly seized her by the side and stood her up, Han Sooyoung's face went red as she exploded at me.

"...Well, I couldn't exactly stick my hands under your arms to lift you, could I? I might end up grabbing your chest by accident."

Truthfully, I had wanted to lift her by the armpits. But I was 100% certain a slap would come flying if I did, so I gave up on that idea.

"Just grab my hand or arm and pull me up! You pervert!!"

Han Sooyoung flushed crimson as she yelled at me. She had a point. I could have just taken her hand or arm to help her up.

But, but...

"If not now, when else am I ever going to get to touch your side?!"

"You are seriously rotten to the core?! Don't say that like you're proud of it!!"

Still. When else was I ever going to get a legal opportunity to touch the side of a short, well-proportioned, cute girl who also had hilarious reactions?

I had done nothing wrong. I was completely in the right.

"Your Honor! I have committed no crime! I merely grabbed the side of the beautiful girl in front of me and helped her to her feet!"

"That's exactly why you shouldn't shout it out loud so proudly!"

And right then, I heard the sound of someone running toward me from the side, so I turned my head—only to see a foot flying straight at me.

"...Bwaugh?!"

Thud!

The kick landed squarely in my side, and I went tumbling across the ground.

As I rolled, I checked who had kicked me. The person who had just booted me was...

Kim Dokja.

She looked down at me with ice-cold eyes and said flatly,

"...Pervert bastard."

Then Kim Dokja grabbed the arms of Shin Yooseung and Han Sooyoung—who were staring at me in shock after watching me get kicked—and started dragging them away.

Watching the three of them grow steadily more distant, I opened my mouth with a hollow expression.

".........I'm completely fucked, aren't I?"

At the Constellations' ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠messages, I let out a small sigh and approached Song Minwoo's corpse.

Song Minwoo was a 6th-grade non-human species.

Even at 6th grade, there was usually at least one useful skill, so I needed to extract it quickly and catch up to Kim Dokja.

"Extraction, Song Minwoo."

Ding!

".........This bastard's skills are only this?"

I looked down at Song Minwoo's corpse sprawled messily on the ground and let out a hollow smile.

I genuinely could not understand what kind of confidence this Song Minwoo bastard had been swaggering around with.

A guy with zero actual attack skills—nothing but empty intimidation and a couple of movement-related skills—what the hell kind of guts did he have to act so cocky...

"Haaaah..."

I shook my head side to side and decided to look on the bright side.

I examined Song Minwoo's skills carefully. First, Predatory Threat was a hard pass. Acceleration, on the other hand, was both higher grade and higher level than the Agile Footwork I currently used. If I got it, there would be plenty of ways to put it to use.

Lastly, Memory Enhancement.

............

Did I really need this skill? I already roughly remembered everything up through the real Revolutionary arc, and I didn't know the story beyond that anyway, so I didn't feel any particular need for it.

"So that just leaves Acceleration, huh..."

With only one real option left, I picked Acceleration with a half-hearted expression.

Thankfully, I managed to extract it cleanly on the second try.

"Then for the byproducts..."

Having successfully extracted a skill from Song Minwoo's corpse, I was about to move on to byproduct extraction, but—

.................

Song Minwoo had originally been human. Even if he had turned into a non-human species, the thought of extracting byproducts from a former human made me feel somehow reluctant.

If I extract byproducts from him, do I get human bones, hide, and meat? Or werewolf hide and meat?

Even I had no desire to craft something out of human byproducts, sell them on the exchange, or eat any of it.

Having made up my mind, I skipped the byproduct extraction, turned my body, and started running to catch up with the three people who were already walking far ahead.