Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: ACT.20 Ruined World (1)
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“You saw something?”
I’d only thrown out a feeler, and he took the bait immediately.
He must have been too exhausted to think straight.
After glaring at me for a while, Hwang Chan-jin finally scowled and admitted it.
“Right. I was watching the Strategy King's walkthrough stream. He was pretty far ahead, so I was curious and watching it on 3x speed when the world suddenly changed.”
“…3x speed? Can you even see anything properly?”
“You can. If you’re good.”
At 3x speed, he couldn't have seen the details.
During the Four Tiger Sword incident, he must have only seen that I ‘attacked’ and not whether I actually killed him or not.
I didn't expect him to admit watching the Strategy King's stream so easily, but it was good for me.
“You seem to be the same type.”
“Something like that.”
I answered vaguely and moved on.
Recalling my first impression of Hwang Chan-jin, I didn't think it was a good idea to reveal that I was the Strategy King.
‘Just because he watched my stream doesn't mean he's an ally who won't betray me.’
When I reached the 00th ending, no one was watching my stream.
The only one who knows the Strategy King reached the ending is me.
‘If I reveal my identity, people trying to leech off me to survive will flock to my side.’
In other words, baggage.
Or they might even try to eliminate me for their own gain.
Even if it's revealed that I'm the Strategy King, to them, I'm just 'someone who's progressed further,' not someone who found the path to the happy ending.
I wanted to avoid such troublesome matters.
“I have a question.”
After pondering something for another moment, Hwang Chan-jin asked.
“Even though you've seen the walkthrough videos, why do you focus on gathering people and making them stronger? The Strategy King mostly played solo. You need overwhelming strength to be able to do anything. I've been acting according to that. And I've been able to get stronger quickly. But you're different. Your approach is the complete opposite. Why is that?”
So he could talk this much.
I stretched my stiff muscles and asked in return.
“There are many good traits. But the number of traits one person can have is limited. So, what should I do when I want to use a power I don't have?”
The solution to a problem isn't always fixed to just one method.
If there's a 100% solution, a 120% solution that surpasses it must exist somewhere.
It's just hard to find.
“It's simple. I have my party members acquire those traits.”
No matter how strong one person becomes, they can't get 500% or 1000% stronger.
The system is designed with limits.
So, instead of trying to get everything good for myself, I give what's needed to those who truly believe in and follow me.
One person at 300 versus several comrades at 200.
Even by simple calculation, the latter has the advantage.
‘And among those options, aiming for both is the best.’
I acquire things that can make me as strong as possible, and then there are things that are good but don't suit me, or things that are a bit much for me to have but a waste to give away.
If I distribute them that way, there's no better outcome.
It's like in a single-player RPG where you give the main character the best gear and the party members get the rest.
“…So they're your trait storage warehouse?”
“Warehouse? Let's call it proper distribution.”
“You're no saint, either.”
“How many people can be called saints?”
I shrugged.
There's a chance Hwang Chan-jin could use this to break the relationship between me and my party, but I didn't think he would.
Above all, between my words and Hwang Chan-jin's…
…it's obvious who the twins would believe more.
And Choi Yeon-soo is bound by a contract, so she has no choice but to follow me, no matter how untrustworthy she thinks I am.
“You've finally done it, Kim Se-hyeon-nim.”
The guild masters approached, seeming to have roughly finished collecting the bodies.
A mix of emotions was present, but it seemed their joy at the incident being resolved was greater.
“Watching the two of you perfectly synchronize to dodge and counter that fiend's attacks was absolutely thrilling.”
“Those were incredible reflexes. It was as if you knew what was coming and dodged in advance.”
Choi Dae-han laughed heartily.
Lee Min-hwa, her face a whirlwind of a thousand emotions, finally managed to speak.
“Your presence here must mean things with the Geumeumdal Guild have been settled.”
“The guild master, Kwon Seong-shin, is dead, and the remnants have been dealt with.”
“…What about Choi Seo-hee?”
Just as I expected.
I deliberately paused before answering.
“She's dead. She betrayed me at the very end. Seeing her exploit a loophole in the contract, I decided she couldn't be left alive.”
“Is that so.”
Lee Min-hwa gently closed her eyes and said no more.
The enemy she had pursued for years was killed by someone else's hand.
It probably didn't feel very good.
However, Lee Min-hwa's expression shifted quickly.
“I understand. We can discuss that matter further when we return. By the way, the power you just used seemed to be flame-based. Am I correct?”
Her gaze had already changed.
Black Flame is, after all, a type of flame.
Now that she knew I could wield flames, she would be even more eager to draw me into her guild.
Seeing her immediately set aside a personal grudge to prioritize her guild's interests, I thought she was truly fit to be the master of a major guild.
I avoided Lee Min-hwa's gaze and changed the subject.
“Now that I think about it, I don't see Jeon Do-jin-nim. An S-rank's power would have been a great help.”
“Jeon Do-jin-nim went to Busan for another matter. Things are quite serious over there as well…”
So the omens have already begun there too.
The plot really doesn't give you a moment's rest.
The game… no. The original game didn't have features like save and load either.
One mistake and you start over from the beginning.
Either way, it was still damn difficult.
[At least in a game, you have the merit of being able to start over as many times as you fail. Here, if you die, it's over. The end.]
The devil snorted, as if he'd been eavesdropping.
He's right.
Just one chance.
As the initial system message stated, I must reach the ending with this one chance.
‘It's about to get a whole lot harder.’
The time has come.
The period of power inflation, when people are largely freed from the burden of the 'usage fee'.
The starting line for incidents that aren't just Seoul's problem, but will erupt on a global scale, beyond the Korean peninsula.
Therefore, I must be prepared to accept certain risks if there's something to be gained.
[I see. So you are the human He spoke of.]
The venomous voice sent a wave of tension through the air.
In the blink of an eye, many raised their weapons and aimed at the same spot.
“It's still alive…!”
[Of course. I was one who could not die even when I wished for it.]
With most of its body destroyed, the King of Disease somehow managed to speak.
But it could only speak.
With no movable body parts left, it was impossible for it to do anything directly.
Except for one thing: the ‘final pattern’.
[Let us adorn the grand finale.]
*Pssssst.*
Right before us, space began to warp.
The same phenomenon seen when a gate appears.
If you assume it's a regular gate and prepare for another monster to appear, you'll be caught completely off guard.
All things in the universe move toward equilibrium.
If something comes over to this side, something must go over to the other.
This pattern exploits that principle.
[I shall send you to a world that has already ended. Witness the future of this place with your own two eyes.]
*KWAAAAAAH!*
A massive gust of wind pulled everything nearby toward it.
Among the gathered people, Seong Woo-hyeon, who was relatively close, lost his balance and tilted toward the gate.
Just before his body was swallowed by the gate.
I shot forward, grabbed his clothes, and yanked him back.
Seong Woo-hyeon was able to escape, but the recoil sent me lurching toward the gate.
“Se-hyeon-nim!!”
Seong Woo-hyeon, horrified, tried to pull me back, but he missed by a hair's breadth.
No, I had no intention of grabbing his arm.
[The 'Angel of Benevolence' is startled.]
[You have received a donation of 800 coins.]
“Kim Se-hyeon! What are you doing!!!”
Hwang Chan-jin shouted, seeing me already halfway consumed by the gate.
Hwang Chan-jin's reaction was natural.
He knew what happened if you were caught in this pattern.
Anyone who knew would do anything to avoid it.
“If you go over there, you'll never come back! You'll lose everything just for a donation!”
“I'll be back.”
The one who knows that best is none other than me.
Causing trouble without a plan isn't the Strategy King's way.
“Until then, you handle things. Just like I handled the Ruler. You can do at least that much, right?”
I knew what would be happening on Earth when I returned.
Knowing that, I had to become even stronger.
I glanced inside the gate.
Beyond the shimmering space, a fragment of another world was visible.
A separate dimension, different from Earth.
Just as the King of Disease said, a world already on the verge of ruin.
The answer I seek is over there.
“Se-hyeon-nim!!”
“Kim Se-hyeon!”
The figures of people trying to rescue me from the gate appeared for a moment, then vanished in an instant.
Something blurred past my eyes.
My stomach churned, and a searing pain, as if my blood was boiling cold, ran through my body.
Damn it. I'd only heard about dimensional pressure, but experiencing it firsthand is horrible.
The thought that I would have to endure similar pain on the way back almost made me vomit, so I forced myself to get a grip.
Then, in an instant, the scenery changed completely.
I slowly got up and looked around.
Realizing it was the other world I remembered, a mix of thoughts came out in a single sigh.
“That King of Disease bastard probably never imagined I got caught on purpose.”
One thing that bothered me was its line when using that pattern.
Normally, it would be something like, ‘If I'm going to die, I'm taking you with me.’
‘The one He spoke of…?’
It was clearly aimed at me.
Does this mean someone told the King of Disease about me in advance?
And if even the King of Disease refers to this being as ‘He’…
‘At least a Disaster-class being, or something even greater, is aware of me.’
A chill ran down my spine.
This isn't like a demon king sending appropriate opponents against the hero.
If things go wrong, an enemy that's supposed to appear in a much later chapter could show up early.
[W-wait a minute! This is another world, not Earth!? What are you thinking, coming here without a plan!?]
'One Who Covets Treasure' appeared in a panic.
But only for a moment.
Like a video call with a bad connection, its form flickered and didn't appear clearly.
[Here… if… return… can't…]
Not just its form, but its words also broke up until nothing could be heard at all.
[Chara^@Inf%&?]
Name: Kim@$%)*
……
The status window is full of errors too.
It was to be expected, considering how the system works.
The system only functions on Earth. It's a power that manifested on Earth.
While I still possess my powers, they aren't being displayed correctly.
I closed the status window and looked ahead.
What I presumed was once a village was completely destroyed, with black smoke rising from the ruins.
The first time I came here was when I got caught by accident due to a control mistake.
There had been some foreshadowing, but the sudden shift from Earth to another world was both funny and absurd. But that feeling didn't last long.
It didn't take long to realize 'there was no way back'.
‘Strictly speaking, it wasn't that there was no way.’
There was a method, but I couldn't use it.
After that, I got caught on purpose several times to look for clues, but I couldn't find anything special.
Just once.
I managed to return by chance and learned of the ‘advantages of returning’.
‘This time is different.’
I let out a small laugh and slowly walked toward the village.
‘What I need to get here, what I need to do, and how to get back. For the first time, I have everything I need.’