Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: ACT.25 Proof of Qualification (1)
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“…I only overheard it, but…”
Park Dae-jun muttered, his eyes unfocused.
“…there's a spy planted by China within the five major guilds…”
*The Taegeuk Guild.*
I already knew about this.
Of course, I was pretty shocked when I first learned of it.
They were called one of Korea's five major guilds, but it turned out they were puppets for China!
It meant they had been brazenly attending the most crucial and confidential meetings of the five major guilds, leaking all sorts of information to the Chinese side.
Thanks to that, I remember struggling in the playthrough where I first discovered it, because the Chinese guilds were always one step ahead.
*But now, since I've been subtly excluding them from meetings, the information they have must be limited.*
I'd hastily called meetings two or three times, only at times I wanted, when the Taegeuk Guild's master was absent.
Even when he did participate, he wasn't very talkative, so his presence was minimal.
No, to be precise.
His faint presence was his ability.
Except for when he and Kim Hyo-jong clashed due to their conflicting personalities.
*Seon Woo-jin.*
I still remember him clearly.
His power wasn't so much strong as it was extremely difficult to deal with.
It was a fearsome ability that allowed him to erase his presence, making you wonder, 'Was he even here?' before launching a surprise attack.
When his power reached its peak, he could even erase himself from everyone's memories.
If I had been a real character in the game instead of a player, I never would have been able to catch him.
"During the process of annihilating Seoul's players, the Taegeuk Guild was ordered to backstab them discreetly… They said the Taegeuk Guild would deliberately station its members there, so they should be taken care of."
Paradise's goal was to bring down all five major guilds, but the Taegeuk Guild, whose master and executives were Chinese puppets, must have been the easiest to handle.
The plan was to eliminate the players belonging to the Taegeuk Guild first, then after the guild collapsed, the spies, including Seon Woo-jin, would secretly return to China.
Paradise and Taegeuk had already agreed to this.
There's a reason why 60 of the 77 victims were from the Taegeuk Guild.
The succubus's condition was just a good excuse.
It was only a matter of time; if this hadn't been resolved, hundreds of victims might have emerged.
*The Taegeuk Guild's master and executives are pretending to focus on the mission, spending most of their time outside the residential area, thereby turning a blind eye to their own players being attacked.*
They'll probably only find out what's really happening inside the residential area after some time has passed.
This was actually a good thing.
When they return and find all of Paradise's agents captured, and their own identities exposed, they'll quickly show their true colors.
Then the other four guilds will furiously try to catch them, and the Taegeuk Guild will eventually be dealt with.
The problem is that we'll suffer losses in the process.
It would only benefit the other hostile forces eagerly eyeing Korea.
The priority is to prevent that from happening.
"I wonder if he even realizes I let him escape all the way here on purpose."
I muttered, looking at the dazed Park Dae-jun who had lost focus.
I could have caught him the moment he hid in the shadows.
But I didn't.
Because I knew Park Dae-jun would leak this information.
If this information were to spread rampantly, it would only lead to the worst-case scenario of weakening Korea's forces.
*I thought the Chinese side might have undergone some major changes too.*
Fortunately, this part is just as I knew it from the game.
There must be people on the Chinese side who have played 'End of Apocalypse', so I was certainly worried there might be some changes.
Knowing future information is a huge advantage, a weapon.
I thought there would surely be guys who would use that knowledge to secure a spot in a major guild and act ahead of the curve.
"What preparations is the Bonghwang Guild making?"
"I... haven't heard... anything about that."
"Hmm."
If I had gotten more varied and detailed information, I could have been certain.
It seems I'll have to leave open the possibility of variables and slightly modify my existing plan.
*It's better that things are the same, though.*
The involvement of China's 'Bonghwang' Guild could actually be turned into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Breaking through the 70-stat barrier.
I managed to cover that with the elixir from Yurgan, but the problem is that breaking through once isn't the end of it.
After breaking 70 comes 80, and after 80 comes 90.
Is that all?
Breaking through stats isn't a one-size-fits-all deal; it has to be done for each stat individually, requiring a lot of breakthrough materials.
Using them was a way to lower that barrier all at once.
*But even more important than that.*
I recalled what Choi Nam-hun said right before he died.
The Stigma Mine.
It's not that I don't know what that means.
Why was it mentioned now?
That's what's important.
"One last thing. Tell me about the Stigma Mine. Why does Paradise have it?"
Paradise possessing a Stigma Mine at this point in time never happened in any playthrough.
In other words, this too is a development different from what I knew in the game.
I need to get information quickly to respond smoothly.
"...It was discovered... by chance."
Park Dae-jun said no more.
Meaning that was truly all he knew.
I had no choice but to change the question.
"Where is the Stigma Mine?"
"Gyeryongsan Mountain…"
Again, he couldn't continue.
So he only knows it's on Gyeryongsan, but not its exact location on the mountain.
Then again, even if he knew where on the mountain it was, it would be hard to describe in words.
Just knowing it's on Gyeryongsan is a big help.
*I can just go to Gyeryongsan and use Extreme Eye to find the exact location.*
Park Dae-jun's eyes went slack, and he collapsed limply to the floor.
It was shock from blood loss.
I watched his unblinking form for a moment before moving the darkness.
His body, swallowed by the darkness, slowly vanished until not even a trace remained.
"Se-hyeon-nim. What happened?"
When I returned to the bounty hunters' hideout, those who were waiting immediately spoke to me.
I glanced at the captured B-rank players from Paradise.
The other two A-ranks besides Park Dae-jun had been killed by Alpha, so the B-ranks' information wouldn't have been enough to uncover what I'd learned.
I recited my prepared script.
"He must have decided he couldn't shake me, so he self-destructed. I managed to dodge it, but it was quite dangerous."
"Self-destructed?"
"He had a bomb strapped to his body."
Seong Woo-hyeon let out a short sigh.
"To go that far… It seems they were determined to wreck this place, even if it cost them their lives."
*As if.*
Those bastards don't have that kind of conviction.
The very idea of becoming the rulers of the world by killing regular players and managing gates at a certain level shows that they value themselves above all else.
They're the type to casually throw away their subordinates' lives but cherish their own to a sickening degree.
"So, can we consider this matter settled?"
Jeong Ha-yeon, who had been waiting quietly, asked gently.
"For now, I think so. We've captured all of Paradise's players, and the bounty hunters who resisted fiercely are dead."
"Our losses are negligible. Once word spread that Choi Nam-hun and the other key figures were all dead or captured, many lost the will to fight and surrendered," Lee Min-hwa quickly added.
In truth, this organization wouldn't have gathered in such large numbers without Choi Nam-hun.
To think his eloquence alone could change the situation so drastically.
It makes me realize once again what a powerful weapon words can be.
"Then these people…"
Jeong Ha-yeon's gaze turned to the remaining people.
Those who had been incited by Choi Nam-hun, but were now left in limbo after his death.
Facing my party and the guild masters—essentially the top forces in Korea right now—they stood like statues, unable to even open their mouths.
I can't kill them. They're all going to be valuable guests.
I said with a slight smirk.
"For now, let's gather all the captives in one place and then we'll figure it out."
***
The captured former civilians were tied with ropes and forced to kneel in the center of City Hall Plaza.
Their numbers far surpassed the number of players who had been sacrificed.
Looking at it again, the exchange rate of one B- or C-rank player for ten E-rank players was seriously skewed.
The death of a single A-rank player was even more so.
With a few second-generation players having newly become S-rank, A-rank might not seem like a big deal, but as a proportion of the total player population, it's very low.
Being an S-rank player isn't just about having an S-rank unique ability.
Naturally, the atmosphere was grim.
It grew even grimmer when the other guilds, who had been tasked with catching the monsters crossing the residential area's border, returned and heard about the situation.
Choi Dae-han stroked his beard for a long time without a word, while Kim Hyo-jong's emotions were written all over his face.
"W-wait! If we don't clear the mission soon, we'll be forcibly ejected into the Red Zone! Can't we just clear the mission?!"
"Hah, you pieces of trash…"
*CRASH!*
Kim Hyo-jong stabbed his sword into the ground nearby, and the person who had bravely spoken up immediately flinched.
But that was only for a moment.
Others also began to desperately defend themselves.
"I-it's not our fault!"
"Choi Nam-hun tricked us! He said we'd die if we didn't do this!"
"It's not a crime to struggle to survive, is it?!"
These were the same excuses Jeong Ha-yeon had already refuted, but not everyone had heard her rebuttal.
Jeong Ha-yeon, who was standing with her arms crossed, frowned.
The twins didn't look pleased either.
Jo Min-ah remained silent, while Jo Min-woo, with his arms crossed, tapped the ground with his toe.
"It's Choi Nam-hun's fault!"
"If that bastard hadn't incited us…!"
"No, wait a minute. Isn't there someone else who caused all this?"
The crowd, which had been noisily slinging arrows of blame, abruptly fell silent.
Then, as if on cue, they all shouted in unison.
"The devil!"
"It's the devil's fault!"
"That damned devil set it up to make us fight each other, didn't she?!"
As if they had finally found the answer.
With faces like master detectives who had cracked the case, they proclaimed their innocence.
"…They're not wrong."
Choi Yeon-soo muttered quietly.
In any case, it's true that the succubus was the one who caused it.
That much is a fact.
"How can they be so vile? Blaming others to lessen their own guilt."
As if she were utterly fed up, Jeong Ha-yeon let out a deep sigh.
Jo Min-ah nodded as if in agreement.
How many people have never blamed others? But those two somehow seem like they've genuinely never done it.
[Hmph, what interesting things you're saying.]
The succubus appeared, tearing through space.
The people who had been cursing the devil to their hearts' content jumped in surprise and shut their mouths.
[I merely told you such a method existed. I may have instigated it, but you were the ones who acted. Who are you to blame after making your own choice?]
The succubus snorted, resting her chin on her hand.
Was it because he was provoked by her completely nonchalant tone?
One person raised his voice.
"You cowardly devil! How many steel plates did you lay on that shameless face of yours! If you hadn't added that condition, we…"
[Don't make excuses. In the end, you made the choice yourselves.]
A cold glare pierced him, and the man who was speaking fell silent.
Seeing this, the succubus suddenly giggled, covering her mouth with her hand and flashing a seductive smile.
[But that's why I like you. Humans who are faithful to their desires. Creatures like you make for good nourishment in hell.]
"You… you devil…!"
[That's right. I am a devil. The kind of devil you normally wouldn't even be able to have a conversation with.]
The succubus snapped her fingers.
At that, a red aura enveloped the bodies of all who had been protesting.
Their confusion was brief, as their faces began to turn pale.
Because they knew best what it was.
"W-why is this…?"
Karma.
The penalty that would normally be incurred for preemptively attacking a civilian had suddenly been activated with a single snap of the succubus's fingers.
The corners of the succubus's mouth stretched upwards to an inhuman degree.
Literally like the image of a 'devil'.
[Now, you're the prey. If you want to survive again, you'd better run for your lives, hmm?]