Say You Want to Live (1)
World Boss.
If you translated it literally, it sounded like the big boss of the entire world. But that wasn’t how the term was used at all.
It was pure game terminology.
A boss monster that ruled over the “world”—in this case, the entire server.
Its territory was the whole server. It could appear anywhere inside it, and by extension, it could threaten anyone, anywhere within those boundaries.
Right now, that meant it was a direct threat to the entire KR server.
You could safely call it an enemy of South Korea.
“Are you the World Boss?”
So when Sagosul asked the question before fighting the orc, the viewers interpreted it like this.
Sagosul had been searching for the World Boss—the enemy of South Korea. His late arrival wasn’t because he was slow. He had been out looking for the monster to stop the country from being destroyed.
In other words, he was this nation’s hero.
That belief spread like wildfire through the live news chat.
Of course, Junil hadn’t been looking for the World Boss to kill it. He had been looking for it to keep it alive. That was exactly why he swung his sword the moment he confirmed it wasn’t the real deal.
“Then die.”
Shwoooosh!
Blue mana sliced forward in an instant.
One strike, one kill.
He had planned to end it immediately to conserve stamina again. But—
“!”
Clang!
Kerak reacted and knocked the blade aside.
Huh?
Crackle…!
Junil stared at his Mana Blade. Tiny sparks of mana were flickering across it.
Warning! Legacy Overload!
Your body level cannot withstand the Legacy!
Shit.
A level-up was now absolutely necessary.
This orc was clearly on a different level from the previous two.
“Heh heh heh! You really are quite strong, Sagosul.”
Level thirty. In the current Chapter 2, nothing should be stronger than this thing.
Just how broken is this balance?
Junil didn’t even consider that his own bad luck might have caused the orc to awaken. He simply chalked it up to terrible game design.
Time to change tactics.
His next attack carried a completely different intent. Faster. Multiple strikes.
Sagosul unleashed over a dozen slashes in the blink of an eye.
Clang-clang-clang!
To the untrained eye, the flashy barrage looked far more impressive than the first strike. But Junil knew better.
No…
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Between the blue sparks that looked like welding flames, he sensed the truth. He was slowly being pushed back.
The awakened Kerak was blocking every strike with godlike reaction speed. And that speed was only increasing.
The orcs’ Rage state.
Damn it.
The more orcs fought, the more their bodies adapted to combat and the stronger they became. It was the complete opposite of humans. The longer the fight dragged on, the worse it was for the human side.
“Grrrr! This is fun, Sagosul!”
Kerak laughed and stomped the ground hard.
Boom—
The earth surged upward, knocking both Junil and Hae-il backward.
“…!”
Kang Hae-il lost his balance and rolled. Junil used the wind spirit’s help to leap lightly and land softly elsewhere.
“Graaaaaah!”
Kerak didn’t miss the opening. His axe flew in with terrifying force.
Boooom—
Junil deflected it, but his feet still hadn’t touched the ground.
Oh no.
His body was blasted backward through the air and slammed into a distant building wall.
Crash!
A worried murmur rose from the spectators scattered across the area.
“W-what do we do? Even Sagosul can’t handle it?”
“This can’t be happening.”
“That orc is way too strong…”
“Where’s that F-rank teammate from earlier? Can’t we throw him in to buy time?”
“Why is Kang Hae-il just standing there? Can’t he jump in?”
Boom—
Kerak kicked off the ground again. He had already lost interest in Hae-il. He charged straight toward the building where Junil was embedded and swung his axe.
“Dieeeeee!”
Crackle-crackle-crackle…!
Red magi wrapped around the axe as monstrous energy surged.
Sigh… damn it. Nearly cracked my mask.
Junil adjusted his mask and slammed his empty hand into the ground.
Mana Punch
Bang!
The ground exploded upward just like Kerak’s earlier attack, temporarily blocking the orc’s vision. It should have stopped the charge too, but—
Bang!
Kerak smashed straight through the asphalt with his bare body, completely unfazed.
This insane brute.
The magi riding his axe obliterated the entire first floor of the building where Junil had been embedded.
Kwaaaaaaaa—
Every window shattered. Pillars bent. The whole building began to tilt.
The scene was broadcast live on every channel.
Both the citizens at the scene and the viewers were trembling in fear. The goblins’ adorable attacks from before were on an entirely different dimension from this.
Sagosul, buried in the first floor and hit with a finishing blow, looked dead. Kang Hae-il appeared completely powerless.
“Kuhahahahaha! See? You’re only human! Humans! You will never surpass this great orc—”
Kerak, certain of his victory, roared with laughter.
—Tap.
Junil’s foot landed squarely on the bridge of the orc’s nose.
“Sigh. That was close.”
A quiet chuckle escaped from behind the mask.
Kerak’s eyes blazed with fury.
“You… you damn rat!”
Boom!
Magi exploded from his entire body as both axes whipped around in a frenzy.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The axe strikes rained down on Junil like a storm, yet all that could be heard was the sound of empty air.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh!
Strategy completely revised.
The offensive-focused Junil had switched to pure evasion. He danced through the axe strikes that were nearly impossible to track with the eye, using light footwork like he was performing a waltz.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
I need to create an opening for him.
He bought time. Dragging out a fight against an orc was normally a terrible idea, but—
There’s two of us.
During the exchange, an opening finally appeared for Kang Hae-il.
Sagosul’s eyes met Hae-il’s. Hae-il didn’t miss the chance.
“Over here too!”
Fwoooooosh!
His flame-infused fist drove into the orc’s side.
Huh?
Kerak instantly read the ambush and swung an axe toward Hae-il.
Damn.
Hae-il hadn’t predicted the axe at all. He had simply thrown everything into his own attack.
The angle’s terrible.
Junil had no choice but to step in.
Claaaaang!
A numbing shockwave ran through his entire body. He had blocked it awkwardly and his stance was off.
Damn it… you stupid golden boy.
Thanks to Junil blocking the axe, Hae-il’s fist slammed properly into the orc’s side.
As expected, when it came to raw power, Hae-il was superior.
Booooom!
Compressed flames erupted. The orc’s body bent at the waist.
Now.
In that split second, Junil saw it. The orc’s neck was completely exposed.
This is enough.
Mana Blade
Crackle—
Junil twisted his upper body powerfully and drew the blade of mana.
The blue slash landed perfectly and carved straight through.
Slaaaaaash!
A horizontal line of red blood sprayed out as the orc’s head flew off.
Thud.
Junil and Hae-il’s eyes met for a brief moment.
“…”
An awkward atmosphere hung between them. They had accidentally pulled off perfect teamwork.
Uh… that wasn’t supposed to happen.
Tch.
They both turned their heads away at the same time.
Ba-bam!
A message flashed in Junil’s vision as he turned away.
Oh.
Two levels at once. A miracle for an F-rank.
But that wasn’t all.
Oh!?
Ba-bam!
Whoa!?
Junil was so happy he actually covered his mouth with both hands in an embarrassing display. He couldn’t help it. To him, experience points were more precious than gold.
This is insane.
How long had it been since he last felt the thrill of leveling up?
That was when it happened.
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
A massive cheer erupted.
What? Are they celebrating my level-up?
Junil looked around, surprised by the sudden roar. The citizens watching from distant rooftops and buildings were screaming in joy. Even the countless reporters and journalists who had risked their lives to get closer for photos joined in.
They all sent thunderous cheers and applause.
“Sagosul! Sagosul! Sagosul!”
“Kang Hae-il! Kang Hae-il! Kang Hae-il!”
The citizens chanted. The reporters frantically broadcast the scene.
“The three Kerak orcs that threatened Gangnam Station have all been defeated by essentially a single Awakened. How? You might be wondering. If we say ‘4th Line Goblin Slayer’… does that answer the question? The mysterious figure who always wears that distinctive mask and delivers those theatrical lines…”
Every major news outlet began reporting on him. The explosive interest in the hero who returned from the 4th Line incident swept through both Constellations and citizens alike.
Current Constellation Viewers: 1,631
The number of Constellations was still low and their reactions slower than the citizens’, so the count wasn’t skyrocketing. Still—
More and more Constellations were arriving specifically to see him as Sagosul, not as the porter Moon Junil. It made sense. Once the viewer count approached the two-thousands, most of the new arrivals were casual watchers who didn’t know the full story.
“Excuse me! Sagosul! Could we get a quick interview?”
“Sagosul! I’m reporter Gu Seol-su from CBN! Could you tell us your potential rank!?”
The moment the situation was resolved, the reporters swarmed.
This time, far more of them rushed toward Sagosul than Kang Hae-il.
“Sagosul! It’s me, reporter Do Juhye! You remember me, right!? Huh? Ah, damn it… Sagosul oppa!!”
“We’re from Mujin Media! Could you tell us how much your outfit costs today!?”
“You’ve become the citizens’ hero once again! How do you feel right now!?”
* * *
From a distance, Hae-il watched Sagosul surrounded by the swarm of reporters.
He mulled over their words.
Citizens’ hero.
This time, even Kang Hae-il had no choice but to accept it.
I can’t deny it.
If not for Sagosul, this entire area might have been reduced to rubble.
Just who was he?
Is he really just a hero?
Was what happened that day really an accident?
All sorts of thoughts crossed Hae-il’s mind. The fact that the man had spared his life, the article about him saving children, and the sight before him now…
「This is a temporary alliance.」
He was the kind of person who would extend a hand for the greater good.
What the hell are you?
Crunch.
Hae-il didn’t want to admit it. Great loss always demanded a great reason. He couldn’t accept that his father had simply been used up for no reason, that he had simply died in an accident. Or worse—that his father might have been someone who tried to interfere with a hero.
He could never accept that.
In his heart, his father would always be an eternal hero. He could never forget the image of his father carrying a child out of the flames.
At that moment, a reporter shoved a microphone toward him.
“Kang Hae-il. What is your relationship with Sagosul?”
It seemed today’s spotlight belonged entirely to Sagosul. They were even asking about their relationship.
“It’s complicated.”
With that blunt answer, he walked past the reporter and left the scene.
He didn’t want to stay here any longer.
“…Huh?”
The reporter stood there, dumbfounded.
“What do you mean by complicated!? Are you his half-brother or something!?”
Hae-il ignored him and kept walking. Behind him, the voices of the reporters swarming Sagosul echoed.
“Sagosul! Could you strike a pose for us?!”
Click~!
Sagosul happily struck a heroic pose.
“Wooooow~”
Countless camera flashes exploded like fireworks.
Click! Click!
Leaving all of it behind, Hae-il quietly left the scene.
By the way… just how far did Junil run off to?