Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: ACT.23 Things Hidden, Things That Must Be Hidden (5)
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“Kughhh...!”
A suppressed groan came from behind me.
It was Shin Hae-yoo, straining to break free from the restraints of darkness.
“It's useless. You can't break them with your strength.”
Even if he did, the Army of Darkness was still intact.
He'd only waste his stamina for nothing.
“…”
No, something was strange.
A peculiar feeling, as if he were a different person from the Shin Hae-yoo I'd fought earlier.
Crrrack. Creak.
The more he strained, the tighter the darkness constricted.
Despite the bindings being designed to inflict more pain the more one struggled, Shin Hae-yoo was trying to shake them off, his eyes bloodshot with effort.
At a glance, it seemed like a reckless act, but.
“Kuaargh!!”
Snap!
Shin Hae-yoo finally managed to snap the restraints of my darkness with sheer force and stood up.
‘To think he broke it with brute strength.’
I hadn't restrained him with my full power.
And though Shin Hae-yoo had summoned lightning and squeezed out every last bit of his strength, it was still surprising that he'd succeeded despite the significant stat difference.
And the reason for it was probably that.
‘Berserk?’
The traits Shin Hae-yoo was exhibiting matched those of someone in a berserk state.
Bloodshot eyes. Veins bulging as if they would burst. Teeth bared like a beast.
When I checked his information, Shin Hae-yoo didn't have a Berserk skill.
In other words, he had entered a berserk state through means other than his abilities.
‘Ah, is it that?’
Something faintly crossed my mind.
If you follow the strategy guide, its appearance is so rare that I had forgotten about it.
Sojeokhwan.
Shin Hae-yoo must have been holding it in his mouth and swallowed it when the situation turned sour.
“Sang-yoon-nim, I will hold them off!”
Of course, even after taking it, he had used every ounce of his strength just to break the restraints, so he could barely stand.
Alpha and the other soldiers were glaring, ready to cut him down if he made another move.
To act like that even in this situation... you could call it incredible loyalty.
‘Or perhaps...’
...he has another card up his sleeve, one worth going to such lengths for.
Crackle!
Shin Hae-yoo coughed up blood but still mustered his strength and launched an attack.
It was practically a suicidal move.
Shin Hae-yoo, who could already defeat a mid-tier S-rank, became even stronger in his berserk state, felling the regular soldiers in one or two blows, but Alpha was there.
And that was precisely what Shin Hae-yoo was aiming for.
His strategy was to draw the attention of Alpha and all the soldiers to himself, buying time for Lee Sang-yoon to use his trump card.
“Since it has come to this...!”
Crunch.
Lee Sang-yoon quickly bit down on something in his mouth.
A small, bead-like red pill.
As expected, it was a Sojeokhwan.
He must have been holding it in his mouth.
“I didn't want to use this, but you brought this upon yourself!”
“You'd be better off not eating that.”
“Nonsense!”
I said it out of a sliver of concern, but Lee Sang-yoon just snorted and swallowed the crushed Sojeokhwan without a moment's hesitation.
‘Tsk.’
I clicked my tongue and backed away from Lee Sang-yoon.
I needed to keep him alive to extract information.
After taking a Sojeokhwan and going berserk, it's difficult to remain sane even after the berserk state wears off.
“Shin Hae-yoo...”
Lee Sang-yoon slowly rose, clenching his teeth.
Lee Sang-yoon's eyes glowed red.
It was a phenomenon that occurred after consuming a Sojeokhwan.
“Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.”
“I'm still ali— Kugh!”
“...Anyone watching would think we're the villains.”
“Shut up!”
Lee Sang-yoon roared, exuding a menacing killing intent.
He's entering the berserk state quickly.
I'd heard some people have a constitution that reacts well to it; he seemed to be one of them.
“Taking this allows one to temporarily surpass their original power. Your triumphant streak ends here!”
Lee Sang-yoon had every reason to be confident.
Sojeokhwan was less of an elixir and more like a buff potion.
[Strength: 51(+7) Stamina: 50(+7) Agility: 52(+7) Mana: 55(+7)]
Indeed, all of Lee Sang-yoon's stats had increased by 7.
However.
The fact remained that his stats were still overwhelmingly inferior to mine.
Clang!
“Die, Kim Se-hyeon!!”
Moving with significantly increased speed, Lee Sang-yoon attacked, swinging his sword wildly.
Though it was an ordinary straight sword, it whistled through the air with the heavy sound of a greatsword.
And in between his attacks, he used 'Petrifying Evil Eye.'
Attacking just by looking was a cheat-like ability, but...
Clang!
None of Lee Sang-yoon's attacks landed.
Instead, when their swords clashed, it was Lee Sang-yoon who was sent flying back.
“How...?!”
Lee Sang-yoon trembled in disbelief before charging in again.
No matter how many times he tried, the result was the same.
Thwack!
“Keoheok!”
Struck in the back by the pommel of my sword, Lee Sang-yoon was driven into the ground.
Perhaps because of his increased stamina, he wasn't dead, but he could only twitch his limbs, unable to get back up easily.
“Why... even after taking the Sojeokhwan...”
“Because it's not a panacea.”
“That can't be... I was told... taking this would allow me to defeat anyone...!”
Lee Sang-yoon trembled, trying to get up, but soon clutched his neck and began showing strange symptoms.
“Kuk, ugh. Gack... Grrgle...”
His eyes rolled back, his veins bulged, and red foam frothed at his mouth.
Watching him, I clicked my tongue softly.
['Angel of Benevolence' turns away from the gruesome sight.]
“That's why I told you not to take it.”
Sojeokhwan has a fatal drawback.
While it temporarily boosts stats significantly, after a certain amount of time, it causes excruciating pain that makes it impossible to even move.
Even its creators classified it as a failure, yet he downed it without a second thought.
I wonder if he knew and took it anyway, or if he was never told.
[Lord. This one has also been subdued.]
Shin Hae-yoo was also convulsing, showing the same reaction.
One informant is enough, but having a hostage wouldn't hurt.
I crouched down near Lee Sang-yoon.
“If what you said is true, then members of Paradise have already infiltrated the residential area. Who are they? How many have slipped in?”
“...As if I'd tell you.”
“I suppose not.”
I wasn't really expecting an answer.
I gave a faint smile and immediately used a skill.
[Using skill, 'Eyes of Bewitchment'.]
Lee Sang-yoon's eyes glazed over.
I already knew that members of Paradise had infiltrated Seoul.
But since the game became reality, so many things had changed from what I knew.
The more accurate the information, the clearer my path becomes, so I intended to extract as much as I could.
“I'll ask again. How many members of Paradise have infiltrated Seoul?”
“Roughly... ten combatants... and dozens of agitators and schemers...”
“Sang-yoon-nim...! Why are you giving him information... Kugh!”
[You have not been granted permission to speak to the Lord.]
As Shin Hae-yoo, trembling, lifted his head to shout, Alpha immediately grabbed his hair and slammed his face into the ground.
Efficient as always.
‘The fact that these guys have Sojeokhwan must mean it's that, again.’
Sojeokhwan isn't produced domestically.
Only in China. At a single location.
And among them, the only place that can produce Sojeokhwan is China's 'Bonghwang' Guild.
In the original game, Bonghwang and Paradise were allies.
Let's confirm that first.
“Is it true you've joined hands with the Bonghwang Guild? Since when?”
“That... Keoheok! Cough, cough.”
The area around him was spattered with the blood Lee Sang-yoon had coughed up.
Though it must have been difficult to speak, Lee Sang-yoon, still bewitched, answered slowly.
“A few months ago... while searching for the power to crush the other guilds, we made contact with the Chinese side...”
The color was draining from Lee Sang-yoon's face.
If left like this, he would die soon.
That was the backlash from taking Sojeokhwan.
There was no reason to save him, so I quickly moved on to the next question.
“Is it only Bonghwang?”
“That's... no...”
That was Lee Sang-yoon's limit.
Lee Sang-yoon's head slumped lifelessly, his eyes no longer moving.
“It would be a mistake to think it's only China.”
However, the answer came from another source.
Shin Hae-yoo, his head still held by Alpha, was glaring at me with wide eyes.
Alpha tried to press him down harder, but I raised a hand to stop him.
“It's only natural for those with similar goals to cooperate. So let me ask you this. Why are you so insistent on closing all the gates and ending this incident? Especially you, Kim Se-hyeon. If you just managed them moderately, the world would naturally become one where the powerful are absolute. With all that power you possess, why are you trying to return to the old world?”
After saying his piece, Shin Hae-yoo spewed a mouthful of blood, and the strength completely left his body.
He was dead.
He said what he wanted to say and then closed his ears to everything else.
Looking at Shin Hae-yoo's cooling corpse, I spoke softly.
“...You people have no idea what burdens I carry.”
I thoroughly searched Lee Sang-yoon's clothes.
Sojeokhwan isn't that rare.
If an executive was carrying them, he should have more than one.
After rummaging for a while, a small case clattered out from an inner pocket.
Confirming there were a few more Sojeokhwan pills inside, I carefully pocketed it.
“The world you desire will never come to pass.”
['Seat of the Blindfolded Scales' nods, agreeing with your words.]
['Cunning Hypocrite' gives a meaningful smile.]
The principle behind 'Paradise's' actions is simple.
Maintain the gates at a moderate level—not too dangerous, not too safe—to hold onto power and accumulate wealth.
They act this way because they don't understand that it's impossible.
I recalled the other world I had briefly visited.
A world driven to the brink of ruin by an otherworldly army hundreds of thousands strong.
Thinking you can simply 'manage' the gates will quickly lead to the same fate.
‘I can't let that happen.’
I moved the darkness.
Shin Hae-yoo, and Lee Sang-yoon.
As if they had never been there, all traces, including the bloodstains, vanished cleanly.
‘It's certain that China has started to intervene.’
The problem is what Shin Hae-yoo said.
That it's not just China.
My question was whether they were cooperating with other guilds in China besides Bonghwang, but I ended up learning something much bigger.
“Tsk.”
This is not welcome news.
In the process of dealing with Paradise, conflicts will naturally arise with their allies in China and elsewhere, which could escalate into an international war.
Their talk of weakening the five major guilds was part of that plan.
‘I have to think about Pentagon Eagle, too.’
Honestly, taking on two countries at once is a bit much.
Above all, I'm not yet strong enough to overturn everything on my own.
I need to get stronger.
Before I lose too much.
My hand touched the case of Sojeokhwan in my pocket.
An item that grants a considerable power boost for a short time.
…Will a situation arise where I'm forced to use even this?
“…”
I closed my eyes and thought calmly for a few seconds.
I shook my head and took my hand away.
I saw what happens when you take Sojeokhwan, the final moments of Lee Sang-yoon and Shin Hae-yoo.
Even though I know a way to offset the side effects, it's not worth the cost.
Relying on things like this is a slippery slope.
And I knew from hundreds of previous playthroughs that the end of that slope is ruin.
“Alpha. Are there any more enemies in the vicinity?”
[None, Lord.]
After confirming Alpha's report, I began to move like an arrow.
Besides abnormal methods, the most immediate way to get stronger is with Black Steel.
Crafting equipment isn't something that can be done in a day or two, but there must be a reason Old Master Im said what he did.
‘He did say to come back in three days, but...’
The 'Lame Blacksmith God' of all beings took an interest; there's no way he wouldn't have bestowed some kind of blessing.
I was certain the creation of the new sword was nearly complete.
Black Steel was one of the top three metals in the original game, which featured multiple dimensions.
I wonder what kind of performance a sword made from it will have.
It was something to look forward to.