Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: ACT 3. The Faceless Competitor (3)
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[It was an ordinary creature. It only fulfilled its duty in a strengthened state, responding to the will to protect this dungeon. But you took all their lives simply because they attacked you, even though you could have easily subdued them.]
“It's only natural not to spare an enemy who attacked me!”
[Tsk, tsk. Those with power must know how to use it righteously. One must know what to cut and what not to. There is nothing more dangerous than giving power to an unrighteous person. You are not qualified.]
To expect such a mindset in an environment where I'm desperate just to survive is idealistic.
But, to get the Sa-in-geom, I have to.
Even if it's just an act.
The one in charge here isn't me or Hwang Chan-jin, but the Sa-in-geom.
[On the other hand, you... Oh. You haven't killed anyone.]
“That bastard just didn't have the strength to do so!”
[Do you think I cannot see through that much? Foolish. Truly foolish.]
Hwang Chan-jin had already gotten to his feet.
He didn't seem fully recovered, looking strained, but it was clearly a transcendent healing ability.
'Instant Regeneration.'
Did he use his skill to recover quickly because he thought I would take the Sa-in-geom?
Still, it's too late.
What matters is 'how the Sa-in-geom felt,' not what the actual intention was.
[This one has sufficient power. Yet, he chose not to kill anyone. He is different from you.]
His wide eyes shot towards me.
The wound on my neck throbbed with a chilling pain.
It felt as if the unsheathed sword was at my throat again.
Just as Hwang Chan-jin said, I did nothing but follow from a distance, but what can I do if the Sa-in-geom felt otherwise?
“I shouldn't have let you follow me...!”
A cold chill emanated.
The ground beneath Hwang Chan-jin's feet froze white, and the air grew cold enough to see my breath.
Just as expected of an S-rank Glacier trait.
His Mana stat isn't high yet, so it's not enough to immobilize me, but the cold inevitably slows my movements a little.
*Swoosh!*
The sword flew in, tracing a blue arc.
If I let go to move while in the middle of contracting with the Sa-in-geom, the contract would fail, and I would lose it forever.
If he had aimed for my right hand, I would have had no choice but to give up the Sa-in-geom, but the trajectory was aimed at my chest.
Hwang Chan-jin had missed his last chance.
*Shing!*
The sword narrowly missed my body.
He seemed surprised for a moment when I easily dodged the attack, but Hwang Chan-jin immediately followed up with his next.
Given my position, this time it was a diagonal slash from my right shoulder.
[I acknowledge you as my contractor.]
The Sa-in-geom pulled itself from the altar and slid into my hand.
Feeling the sword's touch, the corners of my mouth lifted into a long smile.
Success.
*Clang!*
A clear metallic sound rang out.
Hwang Chan-jin, glaring at me as if to devour me, and me, who had blocked his attack by a hair's breadth.
Our gazes crossed in mid-air.
Two had arrived. But only one passed the test.
The owner of the Sa-in-geom was decided from the start.
[You have achieved the 'First Relic Acquired' accomplishment.]
[You have been awarded 1000 Coins.]
[You have achieved the 'First A-Rank Relic Acquired' accomplishment.]
[You have been awarded 1000 Coins.]
[The aura of the Sa-in-geom envelops your body.]
[Your physical abilities are amplified.]
[All stats increase by 5.]
My body felt noticeably lighter.
An increase of 5 to all stats.
Just how valuable this is will shine through later in the game.
Especially because it's one of the few ways to cover one of the reasons 'End of Apocalypse' was criticized as a terrible game.
Stat caps.
Each chapter has a stat cap.
In Chapter 1, for example, no matter how many coins you earn, you can't invest in any stat beyond 10.
Despite that, if you want to increase your stats, there are only two ways.
Acquire a trait that increases stats, or obtain an item.
The Sa-in-geom fell into the latter category.
“Did your physical abilities increase because of the Sa-in-geom...?!”
When I didn't lose ground in the contest of strength, Hwang Chan-jin parried my sword and took two steps back.
Was Hwang Chan-jin's Strength stat 10?
He seems to be mistaken, thinking my stats surpassed his because I obtained the Sa-in-geom.
[Character Information]
Name: Kim Se-hyeon
Gender: Male (26)
Strength: 10(+8) Stamina: 10(+8) Agility: 10(+8) Mana: 3(+8)
Innate Ability: ???(EX)
Traits: One Who Started from the End (S), Accustomed to Battle (D)
Skills: Extreme Eye (S)
Even excluding the 5 points gained from the Sa-in-geom, my stats are still higher than his.
But there was no way for Hwang Chan-jin to know that.
*Kwachang!*
The ice shield shattered.
Through the scattering ice fragments, Hwang Chan-jin's sword lunged.
*Kaang!*
I broke Hwang Chan-jin's stance by flicking my sword upwards.
I rushed at the grimacing Hwang Chan-jin and landed a kick, sending him stumbling back with a short groan.
I wasn't unscathed either.
In that brief moment, he had used his ability to freeze my foot.
Not bad.
That's definitely talent.
A case where he started with it because of innate talent, not a randomly acquired trait.
Watching Hwang Chan-jin glare at me, full of hostility, I stomped hard on the ground with my right foot.
With a sound like shattering glass, every last bit of ice vanished.
Since his base Mana stat is low, even an S-rank trait wasn't that threatening.
'What should I do?'
Our relationship is already ruined.
It would have been great if I could have brought him to my side, but with Hwang Chan-jin's personality, it was bound to end up like this.
If I leave him be, he'll surely grow to be one of the top players.
And if he then stands in my way, he'll definitely be a nuisance.
The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
...Should I kill him here, even if it means giving up the angel's sponsorship?
“End of Apocalypse.”
Hwang Chan-jin's voice broke my train of thought.
As our eyes met, Hwang Chan-jin stared at me with a meaningful look.
“Do you... know about that game?”
Know about it?
I scoffed internally.
How could I not?
I'm the only one who ever cleared that game.
There was no reason to leak such information, so I answered feigning ignorance.
“I don't know why you're talking about a game in a situation like this.”
“...”
Hwang Chan-jin was silent.
Countless calculations must be running through his head.
I too finished my calculations and readjusted my grip on the sword.
[The unworthy one shall leave.]
It was at that moment.
Hwang Chan-jin's body was engulfed in light and then suddenly vanished.
Stunned, I turned back to where the altar was, and the smug voice spoke again.
[I did not give you that sword to cut down people.]
“...I know.”
A strange sense of relief and displeasure washed over me simultaneously.
A nagging feeling, like knowing you have a disease but failing to treat it in time.
And yet, relief that I could continue to receive the sponsorship.
The situation had ended in the most ambiguous way possible.
I collapsed into a sitting position, leaning my back against the altar.
The voice grumbled not to lean against the sacred altar, but I didn't hear it.
'The number of people I don't know is increasing.'
Even at this very moment, in other regions, in other places, things I don't know are happening.
The result of adding real people, individuals whose existence I wasn't even aware of.
There are far too many variables.
This world didn't revolve around a single protagonist like a game.
That's a problem.
Even if I try to move forward using the answers I know, if the places my hand can't reach are full of wrong answers...
Can I reach the one and only true ending?
'No.'
I rested my chin on my hand and tapped my cheek. *Tap, tap.*
There's only one thing to do.
Make the world revolve around the protagonist.
To do that, I needed to increase my influence.
I closed my eyes for a moment and recalled the upcoming storylines.
Eliminating variables, expanding influence.
The time to achieve both was not far off.
I pushed myself to my feet.
I grabbed the scabbard that lay inside the altar and returned to the pit I had fallen into.
It was about time to head back.
[10 minutes remaining.]
[Failure to return to the quest area promptly will result in a penalty.]
As I took out the third potion, I realized I only had two left out of the many I'd started with.
To think I'd use so many in less than half a day since acquiring them.
But there's no point in saving them.
In fact, it's better to use what you get right away.
I downed the potion in one gulp and tossed the empty bottle nearby.
The Potion of Leaping tasted like sour lemons.
After walking for some time, I arrived at Jeungsan Station to find no one there.
The time I'd spent getting the Sa-in-geom was roughly two or three hours.
They wouldn't have had the luxury of waiting with so many survivors just for me.
And that was better for me, too.
In that amount of time, they should have reached the Seoul World Cup Stadium without any problems.
Just as Lee Seon-yul said, it's the safest place around here since many players have gathered there. As long as they made it, their lives aren't in danger.
At least, for the time being.
Now, if I can just get to the stadium, Chapter 1 will end successfully.
'As for Chapter 2...'
I shook my head, clearing the thought away.
The path was quiet.
As if gathering strength for a bigger explosion.
***
“Se-hyeon-ssi!”
“Se-hyeon hyung!”
When I arrived at the World Cup Stadium around sunset, a few people greeted me.
Lee Seong-chan wiped his chest in relief, while Lee Seon-yul and Kim Ji-hyeon also looked relieved.
In particular, the twins I had saved from the Ghost Shadow's barrier rushed over to me.
Jo Min-woo and Jo Min-ah. Fraternal twins of different genders.
The twins burst into tears.
Jo Min-woo was trying to act like an adult, forcing his tears back.
“Because of me... I thought you died because of me... *hic*.”
“I didn't die. Look. I'm alive and well, right?”
I patted the twins' heads to reassure them.
It seemed things had gone perfectly well on this end.
'The timing was good.'
The appearance of the Death Worm was unexpected.
In reality, at the current stage, the Death Worm is an enemy that can't be beaten no matter what.
An opponent with that great of a power gap.
So it's true that it was a dangerous situation.
But in the end, I easily earned their trust like this, so it was a gain for me.
“My heart sank when I heard the story from those kids. To think you'd return safely... I'm so, so glad.”
“Looks like you thought I wouldn't make it back?”
“N-no, that's not it. I believed you could do it, Se-hyeon-ssi!”
I let out a small laugh at Lee Seong-chan's flustered reaction.
There was something I wanted to ask, but first, I had to enjoy the reunion.
“Um, but that sword...?”
“I got it by chance. I lost my original weapon fighting that giant worm, so I got lucky.”
“Wow. A blessing in disguise. It looks amazing.”
Lee Seong-chan's eyes sparkled.
As expected, the Sa-in-geom stands out.
I was wondering if I should wrap it in leather when I suddenly realized someone was missing and looked around.
She would be helpful in Chapter 2.
Don't tell me something happened to her while protecting someone again?
“If you're looking for Jeong Ha-yeon, she's over there.”
Kim Ji-hyeon pointed to a spot with her chin.
Next to the lying Jeong Ha-yeon, I could also see the other two who were with the twins.
Thankfully, no one had been left behind.
As I quietly watched them, Lee Seon-yul explained.
“Perhaps because of her injuries, she developed a fever and collapsed. We treated her, but since we can't provide proper medical care, we can only watch over her for now.”
Can't provide proper medical care?
That's a lie.
Even the least effective potion healed broken ribs in an instant. How could it not treat that?
They must have judged that investing that much in Jeong Ha-yeon wasn't worth it.
Noticing that I didn't seem convinced, Kim Ji-hyeon immediately changed the subject.
“Well, how about we talk about something a little more productive?”
“Productive, like...?”
“About the things you've done, Se-hyeon-ssi.”
“Don't interrupt your superior when she's talking.”
When Kim Ji-hyeon irritably jabbed her elbow into his side, Lee Seon-yul immediately shut his mouth.
Lee Seon-yul has it rough.
“Honestly, I was surprised. To hear that you were the one who had the students gather all the food from the marts and convenience stores.”
Kim Ji-hyeon uncrossed one arm and began fiddling with her bangs.
She didn't continue for a long while, then, as if about to share a secret.
She spoke very cautiously.
“Kim Se-hyeon, is this really your first time?”