Chapter 204: Emerging Variables (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 204: Emerging Variables (1)
Thwack!
The sword, imbued with Aura, pierced through the Life Force Vessel and embedded itself on the other side.
Red energy began to bubble and pour out from between the shattered glass shards.
"Aaaaargh!"
With a high-pitched, metallic shriek, Bayorodum thrashed in agony.
Perhaps because he had lived for countless eons, his attachment to life was extraordinarily strong. Now that his death was imminent, he showed his pathetic side without any filter.
"S-spare me. I don't want to die like this. I don't want to die such a meaningless death!"
He begged, reaching out a hand.
Bayorodum squirmed at Jinhyuk's feet.
But it was only for a brief moment.
Now that the medium binding the Lich's soul was gone, the outcome was already set in stone.
"Ugh..."
Where he dissolved into a puff of smoke, only a single black robe remained.
[The 14th-floor boss monster, 'Bayorodum', has been destroyed!]
[Rewards will be distributed differentially based on contribution.]
[Player who dealt 90% of the damage: Kang Jinhyuk]
[Player who dealt the final blow: Baek Seol-rin]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have...]
[You have acquired the special item, 'Archmage's Robe'.]
[Your amazing achievement will be registered in the 'Hall of Fame' for the entirety of tomorrow.]
And.
Beyond the countless system windows...
...appeared the face of a woman, distorted with bewilderment.
It was Baek Seol-rin.
"T-this isn't how it was supposed to go..."
Baek Seol-rin stammered.
A sneak attack from the flank.
Since her opponent's health and mana were both completely depleted, she had not doubted for a second that this attack would succeed.
But to think he would use his ally... no, the Life Force Vessel as a shield.
It was an act unimaginable for a member of the Orthodox Sect.
However, Jinhyuk was equally taken aback.
Baek Seol-rin's presence here meant she had gotten past Cheon Yu-seong and Wolyeong.
In other words...
They couldn't stop her...
The two of them had failed.
He didn't think they were dead, as they were the type to survive even if thrown into hell, but he couldn't help but feel a bit worried.
I wanted to fulfill the copying conditions next time if possible, but I have no choice.
Since things had turned out this way, he had to fight, even if it meant pushing himself.
Jinhyuk pulled 'Fang' out of his subspace inventory.
But then.
"..."
After a moment of hesitation, Baek Seol-rin turned around without any lingering attachment.
"You're not going to fight?"
"Regrettably, anything more would be a gamble. Neither you nor I are in any condition to fight to the death."
Come to think of it, Baek Seol-rin's body wasn't in good shape either.
Her clothes were torn, and red blood seeped through the gaps.
She, too, must have paid a heavy price to break through Cheon Yu-seong and Wolyeong's perimeter and reach this place.
That explained why she was the only one who made it, while the other Murim people couldn't.
"Besides, we will meet again in the middle floors soon enough. Since you are backed by the Empire, I will settle today's score then."
Baek Seol-rin gave a polite bow.
And with that, she vanished into the thicket.
Right on cue.
Step.
Teresa appeared from the opposite side, her cheeks puffed out in annoyance.
Judging by her expression, she hadn't gotten a satisfying conclusion either.
"Did you lose them?"
"Ugh! That walking corpse babbled some nonsense about having no reason to fight now that the Lich is dead, and that there's no honor in a meaningless battle, and then just ran away. Seriously, sigh... If I wasn't wearing this heavy armor, I would've chased him down and taken his head."
Thud!
Teresa slammed her greatsword, which was as tall as she was, into the ground.
...Jinhyuk thought he should treat her well from now on.
He also found himself wishing for the return of the gentle and sweet Teresa of the past.
"It's about time for me to go. I'll break it gently to Softie. See you next time."
Teresa whispered into Jinhyuk's ear in a sultry, coquettish voice, completely different from a moment ago.
Goosebumps erupted all over his body.
But by the time Jinhyuk could formulate a reply, that dense, seductive aura had already completely vanished.
"Ah... Huh?"
Her face flushing red, Teresa gasped.
Her original personality had returned.
Judging by her expression, she didn't seem completely devoid of memories from her dark persona.
This is going to be a headache in its own way.
There was a lot to say, and cleaning up after this Outbreak would take a considerable amount of time, but...
In any case, with this...
...the battle had finally come to an end.
* * *
A hectic week flew by after the Outbreak.
Several major changes had occurred because of this incident, the biggest of which was the disappearance of Wolyeong, who had been holding off the Murim people alongside Cheon Yu-seong.
The guy who had always stuck to him like a shadow had simply vanished.
And without a single word.
Jinhyuk searched high and low for him for a week, but with all contact completely cut off from the Black Wind Society, including Yang Ho-myung, there was no way to find him.
Secondly, although the undead monsters that had swept across Europe were significantly weakened after Bayorodum's destruction...
...several small and medium-sized factions, centered around mid-tier monsters, stubbornly persisted and continued to plague the players.
Lastly, because of this incident, the 'Hall of Fame' had practically gone into overdrive.
It was only natural, considering they had stopped a catastrophe that had caused unimaginable damage.
Furthermore, once it was revealed that Jinhyuk was the one behind it, the entire world's attention focused on South Korea.
-David cROWn: What is up with Korea? How do they have such an insane ranker?
-poker J: Large guilds couldn't even breach the Normandy coast with their entire raid teams, but this guy penetrated straight to the heart of it and took down the boss in one go.
-Live Trend: I only saw the edited clips, but this is seriously unreal. Is it because they're a gaming powerhouse with so many veterans? Korea really seems to have a ton of talent.
-Brown May: It's true that Koreans are strong, but that player Kang Jinhyuk is on a whole different level even among them. Even the rankers of the Dangun Guild, one of the top 7 guilds, couldn't even catch a glimpse of central Europe.
-Pour-or-Dip? No, Just Eat: Ah, so this is the legendary 'Kimchi Power'.
-Jumo, a Bowl of Patriotism: Do you know Gangnam Style? How about a nice, hot bowl of gukbap?
-Sae Yeong Eon Hwan: Our Jinhyuk is indeed built different. He's just built different from birth.
-Eagle Owl: Agreed. I've been watching him since his small-time streamer days, and I knew BJ Jinhyuk would blow up like this. Of course, he's so popular now that he probably won't even remember me.
Jinhyuk sipped his coffee as he scrolled down the comments.
He saw some familiar nicknames, as well as one that bothered him slightly.
"Still, they've restored a lot in just a week. The more I see humans, the more amazing they are, I tell you."
Alice, wearing a matching black lace dress and hat, looked around in wonder.
The speed at which the city was being rebuilt by construction-type players was beyond imagination.
People were already walking the streets and going about their daily lives as usual.
The bustling streets seemed to have healed the wounds of the Outbreak, if only a little.
"Wow. So this is the world where players live. Everything is truly big and beautiful."
Beside her was Andrea, who had put a lot of effort into looking as much like an ordinary person as possible.
Watching the two of them squealing with excitement made a deep-seated irritation rise within Jinhyuk.
"I told you two to train inside. Why did you come out here?"
"W-we trained hard too! But don't you know that if a rubber band is pulled too tight, it snaps? A proper rest is just taking one step back to take two steps forward."
"Unni is right. I've really gotten a lot stronger!"
Oh, brother.
They had been hanging out together for a bit, and now they were completely in sync.
At this rate, they wouldn't even look out of place if they claimed to be real sisters.
"I've raised tiger cubs, indeed. Fine, do whatever you want. Whatever you want."
While Jinhyuk clicked his tongue, the eyes of the two girls were completely glued to the various dishes on the table.
Germany's famous craft beer, thickly sliced sausages, french fries, and even Schweinshaxe, the German-style pork knuckle.
A feast perfect for washing away the fatigue accumulated from their fierce battles was laid out before them.
Rumble!
Alice's eyes sparkled, her stomach rumbling with hunger.
"Can't we eat yet? I feel like a bite of this meat and a glass of beer would wash away all my stress."
"Just wait a bit. There are still people on their way."
Yu Yeon-hwa and Lee Tae-min had returned to Korea early due to matters back home, but Teresa and Cheon Yu-seong were scheduled to arrive here soon.
5:30 PM.
Since the appointed time had slightly passed...
...it was about time for them to show up...
Just as he thought that.
"Jinhyuk! We're here!"
"..."
Teresa and Cheon Yu-seong emerged from the alleyway.
Seeing them both changed into casual clothes was quite a fresh sight.
Teresa was on TV a lot, so that was expected, but Cheon Yu-seong, who always wore gear suited for combat...
...looked incredibly unfamiliar in a casual hoodie and jeans.
It suited him well, but it felt like looking at a completely different person.
By the way, he's still completely sulking.
Ever since his defeat by Baek Seol-rin, Cheon Yu-seong hadn't answered a single question.
What had happened there at the time...
...and why Wolyeong had disappeared right after the battle.
This time, Jinhyuk absolutely had to get those answers.
* * *
The afterparty began in earnest.
While everyone else laughed and enjoyed themselves, Cheon Yu-seong silently emptied his glass without even touching the food.
He was truly a guy who acted as if he carried the weight of the entire world on his shoulders.
"Hey! Hey! I might be treated like this now, but back in my day, the entire Tower trembled at the mere flick of my finger!"
A thoroughly tipsy Alice began reminiscing about her glory days.
As the others were distracted by Alice's grand speech, Jinhyuk casually brought up the topic.
"It's been a while now, so isn't it about time you told me? What happened with the Murim side?"
"..."
"Wolyeong is gone. Yeon-hwa and Tae-min lost consciousness while fighting the Murim guys, so they couldn't tell me even if they wanted to. I know your pride was hurt because you lost to Baek Seol-rin, but if even you keep your mouth shut because of that..."
"I didn't hold my tongue because of my pride."
Cheon Yu-seong spoke for the first time.
"Then why are you acting like this?"
"While I was cutting down the Murim rabble and facing Baek Seol-rin, another Murim figure intervened."
A single sentence.
But the weight of those words was by no means light.
"...Who intervened?"
"A monstrously powerful old man. I don't know any details beyond his appearance... but he asked me this."
Cheon Yu-seong chewed on the bitter memory.
"'Are you the one impersonating my disciple?'"
"...!"
Jinhyuk's pupils dilated in shock.
Could it be...
Now he finally understood why Wolyeong had disappeared.
He also understood why Cheon Yu-seong had been so despondent.
The Heavenly Demon Cult.
They had finally ended their secluded meditation.
He had expected it to happen eventually, but the problem was the timing.
This is way faster than I anticipated...
With the emergence of a new variable, Jinhyuk licked his parched lips.
Perhaps... a series of highly troublesome events was about to unfold.
But right then.
Bzzzz!
The phone tucked inside his pocket vibrated.
The caller was Han Sang-jin.
He was the president of the Korean Awakeners Association.
Normally, Jinhyuk would have ignored it, claiming to be busy...
...but when a player-exclusive 'Level 1 Security Code' was set, it was a different story.