Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: ACT. 24 Hunters (1)
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The moment I returned to the residential area after stopping by Dongmyo Station, my nerves were on edge.
A faint scent of blood pricked my nose.
It wasn't thick, but rather, widely scattered.
It meant that murders had occurred in multiple locations.
As if they had been waiting, the twins and Jeong Ha-yeon spotted me and approached.
“Hyung!”
“Oppa, are you okay!?”
Jo Min-ah grabbed my arm and asked worriedly.
I gave a faint smile and ruffled her hair.
“Of course, I’m fine. Thank you too, Jeong Ha-yeon-ssi.”
“...More importantly, I heard from Min-ah. That there were some very dangerous-looking people. Were they unofficial players, like with the Geumeumdal?”
So she knew that term.
It seemed she had heard about it from Jun Bo-ra or Han Hyeok-jun during the last incident.
Or maybe the Hongryeon Guild had given her a heads-up.
I nodded.
“I captured them and made them confess. It seems their comrades have already infiltrated Seoul.”
“…”
Jeong Ha-yeon bit her lip.
“Se-hyeon-ssi. I was just about to ask you about the unsettling atmosphere I’ve been feeling. Would you like to come with me?”
Jeong Ha-yeon looked away.
Toward the place where the guild masters were gathered.
“There have been a significant number of victims.”
Seong Woo-hyeon said, pressing his hand to his forehead with a weary expression.
“By victims, you mean…”
“Players. A total of 76. The lower the rank, the more victims there are, and while there are fewer at higher ranks… there was even a case where an A-rank player was taken down.”
“Were they killed by civilians trying to awaken?”
“Wait a minute. Is that even possible? No matter how many of them attack, can a player be defeated that easily? Even with traps, I can’t understand how civilians could kill an A-rank player.”
“That’s what makes it complicated. The culprits aren’t just civilians.”
Seong Woo-hyeon pinched the bridge of his nose.
A civilian could die and come back to life and still not beat an A-rank player. Not even if dozens of them ganged up.
There was only one way.
With the help of another player.
“Bounty hunters.”
“…That’s right.”
“Bounty hunters?”
“You’ve probably seen the bounties that are placed on players as a penalty for attacking civilians first. In other words, they provoke a player into attacking civilians, get a bounty placed on them, then a player working with the civilians brings the target player to the brink of death and lets a civilian deliver the final blow. It’s a win-win for both sides. The bounty goes to the one who killed the player, but they must have a deal to hand over the coins.”
“That’s…”
Jeong Ha-yeon uttered, completely floored, then covered her mouth with her hand.
Seong Woo-hyeon, Lee Min-hwa, and the other masters.
Their eyes grew heavy as they stood in silence with their arms crossed.
The guild masters must have felt an even greater sense of shock and betrayal.
After all their efforts to protect people, even at their own expense, the very people they tried to save were now preying on them.
The twins, at a loss for words, stuck close to my side.
“They’re moving in an organized fashion. They’re showing an incredible level of coordination, to the point that it feels strangely unnatural.”
“Se-hyeon-ssi.”
Jeong Ha-yeon called out to me immediately.
I was about to speak anyway, so I opened my mouth.
“I have something to tell you about that.”
“Something to tell us?”
“I’ve detected the movements of other unofficial players.”
The guild masters’ expressions changed in unison.
“…Are you referring to an unofficial guild?”
“No, it’s a bit different.”
Geumeumdal wasn’t the only unofficial guild in existence.
However, they shouldn't be showing up for a while.
Rumors of Geumeumdal’s annihilation would have spread through the grapevine, making them lie low.
“They call themselves ‘Paradise’.”
“…”
A heavy silence descended.
A moment later, Lee Min-hwa sighed.
“Paradise…”
“I was wondering why those bastards were being so quiet. Damn it.”
Kim Hyo-jong irritably scratched the back of his head.
What was happening in Seoul right now might be connected to ‘Paradise’.
That thought alone must have made their heads spin.
“Currently, both players and civilians are showing a wide range of behaviors here.”
Seong Woo-hyeon continued, his voice low.
“It’s especially severe on the players’ side. Some have deemed the residential area too dangerous and don’t return at all, only doing missions outside. Others, whose friends were killed by civilians, are now indiscriminately killing civilians out of revenge. And then there are those who have joined forces with civilian groups to hunt players for bounties.”
“Everyone’s doing their own thing, I see.”
“…Everyone has a different idea of what’s best for them.”
“Though it’s hard to defend any of them.”
Even those who only do missions outside are ultimately causing the Red Zone to expand, threatening the survival of others.
Even if that’s an indirect problem, the other two are direct issues.
Those burning with revenge and slaughtering civilians are escalating the conflict, and the bounty hunters, by lending their power to help civilians kill players, are creating a cycle of vengeance.
In other words, a chain reaction of these events has led to the current situation.
In just ten hours.
“Thanks to that, the fear among the civilians who aren’t doing anything is only growing. We’re doing our best to protect them, but in the end, the missions are the problem…”
“We have to find a solution somehow in the remaining 14 hours.”
“What about that idea from before? The one about us taking civilians with us to do missions.”
“I believe I told you that was realistically impossible, Choi Dae-han-nim. We don’t have enough personnel who agree with that method to cover all the civilians, and we don’t have enough time to proceed with only those who remain. Even if we had started right away.”
“Right. Ugh.”
Choi Dae-han scratched his head and backed down.
Jo Min-woo, not quite understanding, tilted his head and asked.
“They’d refuse a guild master’s request?”
“We can’t force them.”
Seong Woo-hyeon gave a bitter smile.
“People tend to look out for their own safety first. Only then do they start to look at what’s around them.”
“That’s true. When you don’t even know what’s going to happen to you, you’d be reluctant to help others, right? Can’t really blame them. It’s a matter of life and death.”
Kim Hyo-jong said nonchalantly, his hands clasped behind his head.
Jeong Ha-yeon looked like she wanted to say something, but after pursing her lips, she kept them sealed.
“The conclusion is the same. We need to find a new way.”
Lee Min-hwa summarized succinctly.
After a brief silence, she added one last sentence with a determined look in her eyes.
“…Before the other civilians also resort to extreme measures.”
***
“By the way, Hyung. What’s that?”
Jo Min-woo’s interest was drawn to something on my hip.
Not on my left, where I usually kept my Sa-in Sword, but on my right.
It was a sleek sword, entirely black.
“I got myself a new sword.”
“Didn’t you say the one you were using was good?”
“It is. But it’s not good enough to use forever, and I need to be prepared for any eventuality. It’s good to have a spare weapon.”
Jo Min-woo nodded, examining the sword from various angles as if it were a novelty.
Although he also had a sword, he had stopped using it since awakening his unique ability.
It was a natural development, as it was difficult for him to channel his flames into anything other than his own body.
But that didn't mean his interest in swords had disappeared.
“Wow, this looks really good.”
“Did you buy it from the shop?”
I simply smiled in response to the question of where I got it.
It was an item that anyone, even someone without a keen eye, could immediately recognize as a masterwork sword.
My choice had not been wrong.
As expected, Old Master Im had created an incredible item, and the ‘Lame Blacksmith God’ had blessed him, greatly enhancing his crafting performance.
He had even shown immense interest in the finished product.
“So? What’s going to happen with the missions now?”
Choi Yeon-soo crossed her arms, a troubled look on her face.
“The leader is already on stage 9. What’s the way for me to survive without clearing the missions?”
“You’ll find out soon.”
It was about time.
He should be showing up any moment now.
“Sunbae!”
While we were talking, Jeong Ha-yeon spotted someone and waved.
There was only one person she called Sunbae.
“Huh? Ha-yeon?”
Lee Do-hyeon, who was passing by a short distance away, widened his eyes and then approached with a pleased smile.
Exactly ten hours after he first appeared.
I knew he would be passing this way, which was why I had deliberately moved over here to talk.
“Long time no see! I haven’t seen you much since the break started. Oh, and the people with you are…”
“This is my party. Ah, and this is the one who’s practically our party leader. Kim Se-hyeon-ssi.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Lee Do-hyeon-ssi.”
“Ah, it’s nice to meet you too. Kim Se-hyeon-ssi… huh? Kim Se-hyeon?”
Lee Do-hyeon, who was shaking my hand, tilted his head and then pulled his hand back in surprise.
“K-K-K-Kim Se-hyeon!? The famous Kim Se-hyeon!? The one who’s said to be on par with the five great guild masters!? For real!?”
…When did that rumor start?
Was it because I was seen talking with the guild masters so often?
It seemed Lee Sang-yoon and the other key figures in Paradise were too slow with their information gathering.
Lee Do-hyeon’s gaze shifted to the twins, and he let out a sound of admiration.
He was the type of person whose expressions showed everything on his face.
“A party led by someone like that must be full of extraordinary people… so these kids must be quite powerful too. Ha-yeon, how did you end up in a party like this? Will you be okay trying to keep up with everyone else?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Ha-yeon-ssi is plenty strong.”
“What?”
He looked surprised that I had publicly acknowledged it.
When the twins also chimed in with their agreement, Lee Do-hyeon blinked before offering a gentle smile.
“It seems Ha-yeon has met some good people.”
“…That’s right. They’re good people.”
Jeong Ha-yeon gave an ambiguous smile.
Lee Do-hyeon didn’t seem to notice anything strange.
On the contrary, his expression suddenly turned urgent, and he made to leave.
“Oh, right, I don’t have time for this! I need to tell the guild masters quickly…!”
“Have you found a way?”
Right after the succubus had complicated things.
Lee Do-hyeon was the one who had declared that there must be a peaceful solution and that he would find it.
If it was something he had to report to the guild masters, that could be the only thing.
A broad smile spread across Lee Do-hyeon’s face.
“So you remembered. Yes. I’ve found it.”
“I-Is that really true!?”
“What is it?”
Lee Do-hyeon hesitated for a moment, then decided he should tell us anyway and opened his mouth.
“First, you need to know about the change in the covenant.”
“A change in the covenant?”
“The part about only the top 50% surviving has been removed. As long as you clear all the missions, anyone can live.”
“…Isn’t that pretty meaningless? Just the stage 8 mission requires fully clearing a B-rank gate. A B-rank gate normally recommends a party of ten including at least five B-ranks. And for a full clear, you’d need more than double that. The outlook for how many current players can even clear all the missions is not good.”
Choi Yeon-soo, who had been listening quietly, pointed out the flaw.
Lee Do-hyeon nodded, apparently already aware of that.
“The fastest way is for players and civilians to form a party, and the players carry them.”
“That already came up in the meeting. But it was deemed impossible due to time and personnel issues…”
“Right. And even that would only work a few times. As the gate ranks get higher, it becomes impossible to clear them while guaranteeing the civilians’ safety.”
That was obvious.
To fight while protecting civilians inside a gate teeming with monsters that could attack from anywhere at any time, one would need to be at least two ranks higher than the gate itself.
The moment a mission to clear an A-rank gate appeared, the available manpower would essentially disappear.
It seemed he had studied enough to know all these details.
Even though he wasn’t a player himself and would have had a hard time finding out.
Lee Do-hyeon’s eyes sparkled.
“So I tried a completely different approach. What if there was a way to survive even if you were forced into the Red Zone?”