Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Hidden Things, Things to Hide (2)
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“Alright, head over there first. Min-ah, you can sense where I’m talking about, right?”
I pointed to one side.
Jo Min-ah nodded as if it were no trouble.
Jeong Ha-yeon asked with a puzzled expression.
“You want us to go first? Is there something you still need to do?”
“It won’t take long.”
Because some pests were about to swarm.
To lure them out easily, I needed to be alone for a moment.
As the twins nodded without suspicion and prepared to move, Jeong Ha-yeon didn’t press further and followed them.
I glanced around briefly before slipping into an alley that seemed unfrequented.
‘I wonder how useful this will be.’
The leather pouch containing all the tokens felt quite heavy.
This wasn’t enough.
I needed far, far more.
Enough to fill several more pouches like this one.
‘More importantly…’
I returned the pouch to my inventory and expanded my senses.
I could feel presences.
Not just people passing by, but those targeting me, following at a set distance.
‘Just as I thought.’
I figured they’d take the bait if I was alone, but they moved quickly, as if they had been targeting me from the start.
Five in total.
They couldn’t even properly conceal their presence, and their footsteps were clumsy.
They weren’t even awakened Players, just ordinary people.
“He stopped. Isn’t this our chance?”
“Hold on. He’s a Player. We have to be careful. If we don’t finish him in one go, he’ll counterattack, and we’ll be the ones to die.”
“In the end, they’re still human. They can’t just shrug off a bullet.”
“You don’t think he noticed us, do you?”
“If he noticed, he would’ve run. He can’t attack first, after all.”
“R-Right?”
I could hear every word of their whispering.
They were trying to keep their voices down, but to me, it was as if they were talking right next to me.
There was a ringleader, and the others seemed to be either looking for scraps or were part of his usual crew.
“Look there. He’s suddenly moving his fingers in mid-air.”
“Oh, I know about that. He’s probably operating the system or whatever, like in a VR game.”
“So he’s completely distracted right now?”
“Hey, this is our chance. Let’s do it.”
“Okay. Going.”
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
The bullet’s trajectory was aimed precisely at my forehead, suggesting the shooter had some experience.
However, the bullet crumbled into nothing just before reaching me.
“Huh!?”
“What! Didn’t it just hit him?”
“I-It looked like the bullet just disappeared…!”
“I was wondering what gave you the confidence to attack.”
“Hiek!?”
They were panicking among themselves when I suddenly appeared nearby, causing them to stumble and fall in shock.
Most of them didn't even have weapons.
Only the ringleader was holding a pistol.
“D-Die!!”
The gun barrel shoved in my face spat fire.
Fired from only a few steps away, it surely would have hit this time.
The man’s face, confident as he pulled the trigger, flashed before me.
But that confidence was short-lived.
Swoosh.
Just like the first time, the bullet was consumed by darkness and vanished.
“N-No way. H-How can a person be perfectly fine after being shot…?”
“N-No. He wasn't hit in the first place! The bullet just disappeared!”
“I told you! He’s a Player! Guns aren’t a cure-all!!”
They were no match for me.
Realizing that the weapon they had trusted was utterly useless, their faces, stained with fear, tried to create distance.
But they didn’t get far before stopping.
They must have sensed the dark presence that had risen behind them.
“Hieeek!”
“W-What is this thing!”
Seeing Alpha, they froze in terror, unable to move forward or back, and collapsed on the spot.
Part of it was an intentional display to create fear, but the effect was more potent than I expected.
‘Where did they get the gun?’
It was possible they had stumbled upon it by chance.
After all, hadn’t that been the case with the family back at the Dongdaemun shelter?
“You attacked first, which means I won’t receive any penalty for killing you. I assume you’re aware of that.”
As I took a step forward, their bodies trembled violently, their teeth chattering.
Whether Player or ordinary person, a bullet is a bullet.
That much was true, but there was a fundamental difference.
The ability to avoid being hit.
An A-rank Player could deflect bullets with their reflexes and a weapon; there was no way I’d get hit.
“N-No way…?”
One of the men, who had been trembling for a while, suddenly widened his eyes.
“I-I think I’ve heard of him…! Kim Se-hyeon! The Player all the guilds were desperate to recruit!”
“Kim Se-hyeon? The one who cleared the gate that was spewing the virus!?”
“D-Dammit, of all the people to pick a fight with, we chose a monster like him!?”
The faces of the men surrounding me were instantly washed over with terror.
They had messed with the wrong person.
Of all people, they had targeted the one they should have avoided most.
But they wanted to live.
Such thoughts were surely swimming through their minds.
In that situation, as if on cue, someone desperately shouted.
“It was his idea! We were just forced to follow along!”
“Th-That’s right! This was all his plan!”
Once one person pointed the finger, the others quickly joined in.
The ringleader holding the gun turned pale.
“You traitorous bastards! You were all for it, thinking you’d get a piece of the pie, and now you’re blaming me!”
“When did I ever! You said you’d take care of everything and we should just watch!”
It was a laughable sight.
To think they would abandon a comrade they had lived and breathed with until yesterday without a moment’s hesitation, just because their own life was on the line.
‘Then again, that’s probably why they were so easily swayed by the succubus.’
Clang!
I slammed my sword into the ground, and the clamor instantly ceased.
“You’re all the same. Don’t make this any more disgusting.”
Hic.
Someone, unable to bear the extreme tension, hiccuped.
The succubus’s words and the changes they brought.
These men, who acted on superficial information without grasping the full picture, had no idea what consequences awaited them.
‘There will be more people like this from now on.’
Alpha asked with his eyes what I wanted to do, and I gave a slight shake of my head.
They had attacked first, so I would face no penalty for retaliating.
They knew this, which was why they were trembling, awaiting my judgment.
But doing that wouldn't get me what I wanted.
I pretended to think for a moment, then chose to let them go.
“Go.”
“Y-Yes?”
“I said go. Before I change my mind.”
With a nod of my head, they screamed and scrambled away, flailing their arms and legs.
I watched their retreating backs for a while with my arms crossed.
[The ‘Angel of Benevolence’ praises your good choice.]
[You have been sponsored 600 coins.]
[The ‘Devil Who Mocks the Heavens’ is curious about your intentions.]
Killing the ringleader would gain me nothing.
In fact, this way was better, as I could reliably gain the Angel’s favor and earn coins.
Besides.
Wriggle.
I had confirmed the black dot, like a writhing speck, on their necks.
It was a shard of darkness I had planted to know their location at all times.
‘It’s settled in nicely.’
Among the ordinary people, those who desired power would eventually form a large organization.
It wouldn’t be a major issue if it were just them, but the problem was that other powerful factions would get involved.
For that reason, I needed to secure an advantage in information beforehand.
And if what I sensed earlier wasn't a phantom, he was definitely there.
‘This was why I lured them out, anyway.’
Once the organization is formed, he would undoubtedly seize power.
It was like deliberately releasing a cub to catch the whole pack.
Plus, once word of this incident spread, no one would dare to mess with me.
Killing two birds with one stone.
[The ‘Devil Who Mocks the Heavens’ smiles with satisfaction at your cunning.]
It seemed there was no one else around.
I immediately summoned the devil.
“Besial.”
[Now what.]
“Open the Demon’s Shop.”
[…Why are you asking me to do that?]
“You think I subordinated you for no reason? Stop talking and open it. It’s a waste of coins to open it myself.”
I had subordinated a devil, albeit a low-ranking one.
The difficulty of that act came with various rewards.
I could open the Demon’s Shop without consuming coins, and the penalties for purchasing items from it were significantly reduced.
I hadn’t needed it until now, so I hadn’t opened it, but this time was different.
It wasn't all good things, as the succubus incident showed, but ultimately, it all depended on how I used it.
‘There’s no way that item isn’t there.’
I scanned through the Demon’s Shop that Besial had grudgingly opened.
Sure enough, after scrolling down a bit, I found it right away.
[Niflheim’s Veil (A)]
When used, creates a veil within a certain range that greatly increases fire resistance.
The veil follows the user.
Mana is continuously consumed during use.
The children had gained fire-related powers, but their fire resistance wasn’t high.
It was better than having no power in that area.
But only just.
Since some of the gates that absolutely had to be cleared were inside Red Zones, this item was necessary to proceed smoothly.
“Reduce the penalty for using the shop. You can lower it by 90%, right?”
[Reduce it that much!? That’s basically like getting the item for free!]
“Good.”
I couldn’t do this too often, anyway.
Overusing it could cause Besial to lose his demonic status, and I myself might face some kind of penalty.
Still, using it occasionally when needed was fine.
[Then pay me for my trouble.]
“…Are you insane?”
[You know my title! ‘One Who Covets Treasure’! Normally, I’d never work without pay like this!]
Besial started rolling around in mid-air, lying on his back.
The sight of him throwing a tantrum like a child gave me a throbbing headache.
“Think carefully. If I start paying you a wage, I can work you to the absolute limit.”
<…>
“What’s it going to be?”
[A human who exploits a devil…]
Besial, sniffling, manipulated something in the air.
He should have just done it from the start.
I smirked and started moving in the direction the kids had gone.
***
Boom!
A Lizardman, engulfed in flames, was sent flying and left a large crack in the wall.
Its tongue lolled out as it collapsed, clearly dead on impact.
Next to it were numerous other Lizardmen, reduced to piles of black ash.
[Character Information]
Name: Jo Min-ah
Gender: Female (15)
Strength: 20 | Stamina: 40 | Agility: 25 | Mana: 40(+12)
Unique Ability: Witch of Blue Flames (S)
Traits: Overcoming Fear (C), Intelligence (B), Soul Flame (B), Mana Control (A), Flame Resonance (S)
Skills: Detection (B), Solar Beam (A)
[Character Information]
Name: Jo Min-woo
Gender: Male (15)
Strength: 40(+9) | Stamina: 25(+3) | Agility: 40(+6) | Mana: 10
Unique Ability: Fire Eater (S)
Traits: Fighting Spirit (C), Martial Frame (A), Mana Circulation (B), Fire Spirit (B), Flame Body (B), Flame Resonance (S)
Skills: Aura (C)
‘They’ve grown well.’
After entering the gate, I didn’t have much to do.
The twins had boldly stepped forward, so I had intended to see what they were capable of, but they exceeded my expectations, taking down monsters with superb coordination.
Jo Min-woo fought with his limbs wreathed in flames, while Jo Min-ah controlled fire from behind him like a magical bombardment.
Glimpses of the figures I knew from the original story were already visible, and for a moment, the corner of my mouth twitched.
“When did they get so…?”
Jeong Ha-yeon shook the blood from her sword, her voice filled with amazement.
She had fought alongside Jo Min-ah during the Dark Moon shelter raid, so she had a rough idea of her abilities, but this was likely the first time she had seen Jo Min-woo fight.
Flame Resonance.
That trait was the reason their skills were more outstanding than I had anticipated.
It was the very trait that had made the twins one of the strongest duos in the original story.
I had thought they wouldn't acquire it until at least after the second disaster, but the twins’ growth was more dazzling than I had expected.
Their stats not rising steeply was unavoidable.
At their level, the daily fee to use my ability on them would likely exceed 1,000 coins.
“Is it because they’ve been training with you all this time, Se-hyeon-ssi?”
“The children worked hard, too.”
No matter how well a teacher teaches, it’s meaningless if the student doesn’t follow through.
In the end, effort and growth are up to the individual.
In that regard, the twins were excellent students.
Rumble!
Activating a hidden device, a wall disappeared, revealing a new passage.
The twins, fascinated, entered first again, and I followed leisurely after Jeong Ha-yeon had also gone inside.
‘Their stats can be raised from now on.’
Clearing the hidden dungeon.
This chapter was designed so that focusing solely on that would shower us with coins.
I let out a soft laugh.