Chapter 141
Chapter 141
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: ACT.25 Proof of Qualification (2)
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Gulp.
Someone swallowed hard.
They were new players, unremarkable enough that any existing player could easily subdue them.
2,000 coins per person, just for catching them.
They were like gold nuggets lying on the ground. Who wouldn't be tempted?
“U-uaaaah!!”
“I-I don’t want to die!!!”
Realizing their predicament, they began to scream and flee.
The players tried to catch them, but it was impossible to grab every single person who was running for their life.
The sight made me click my tongue.
*‘They’d be better off just getting caught.’*
The penalty from Karma wasn't just a simple bounty.
Monster aggro.
Those with active Karma were so easily targeted that even monsters from a fair distance away would be drawn to them. Evading people didn't guarantee safety.
No, it was arguably even more dangerous.
At least when people killed each other, it was usually a quick death.
“Kuaaaaargh!!”
“Aaaaargh!”
Monsters, on the other hand, saw humans as ‘prey’.
The agony of being eaten alive.
They couldn't know, having never experienced it, but one could imagine the torment without having to go through it.
Unlike the people standing still with grim faces, the Succubus, who had been listening to the screams of the fleeing with an ecstatic expression, gave a deep smile.
[Hmm~ I suddenly have a lot of extra power. What should I do?]
The Succubus placed a finger on her lips, tilted her head, and shifted her gaze toward the non-players.
Then, as if a good idea had struck her, she clapped her hands.
[Ah, perhaps I should give a gift to the nice non-players over there.]
A pure white light enveloped the people who had stayed put.
A light so pure it was hard to believe it came from a demon.
By the time the light faded, they realized what had changed about them and were horrified.
“I-I just became a player?”
“Just like that...?!”
Some were happy, while others expressed mixed feelings.
Still, the overall sentiment was joy at becoming players, gaining the power to at least protect themselves in a world like this.
They were glad to have become players, the foundation of that power.
*‘Look at this.’*
At first glance, it seemed like an act of goodwill, but this was a grand way of screwing over the former non-players.
They now had to complete missions with no foundation whatsoever.
And in a situation where so many players were already progressing through missions, they couldn't even go to low-rank gates.
In reality, their lives hadn't been saved; they had just been put on a timer.
I narrowed my eyes at the Succubus, who gave a sly smile and snapped her fingers again.
[Now that things have gotten interesting enough, shall we jump straight to the climax?]
[Mission progress is being updated.]
[Regardless of the status of the current mission, the 10th mission will now commence.]
The entire process of hunting numerous monsters and clearing several gates was skipped, bringing us to the final objective.
I had been on the 9th mission, so I had essentially skipped one.
It was a shame to miss out on the reward I would have gotten for clearing that mission.
*‘There shouldn’t have been any reason to skip the mission.’*
I studied the Succubus’s profile.
That sly smile, impossible to read.
They say the best way to hide your true intentions is to just keep smiling.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Still, it was fine.
I’d be able to earn a ton of coins from now on.
[MISSION 10]
Collect 50 Tokens.
The condition had changed so abruptly it felt completely out of the blue.
Among the people whose eyes were darting around, unable to fully grasp the mission's content.
I was the only one with a wide grin on my face.
“T-Tokens?”
“What are those?”
“Isn't it this? The thing that sometimes drops when you kill monsters.”
“That’s it! That’s right!”
“Dammit, I threw them all away because they were useless junk, and now we have to collect them!?”
The existing players were also screaming in response to the sudden situation, but the real problem lay elsewhere.
It was the former non-players, who had suddenly awakened as players due to the Succubus’s whim.
“W-what is all this...?”
“They want us to collect these ‘Tokens’ when we don’t even know how to use our powers?”
They seemed to be in a state of panic, the situation changing too quickly for them to process.
They didn't know what Tokens were or how to obtain them.
Let alone how to properly use the power they had just acquired.
Unlike a normal awakening, they had been blessed with combat-oriented traits from the start, but what good was that?
It was like giving a baby a state-of-the-art device with a complex operating manual.
Grrrrr...
Groooan...
People flinched, their eyes darting about nervously.
Despite being inside the residential area, the cries of many monsters could be heard not far off.
It was easy to figure out why.
The Succubus was wearing a meaningful smile.
[As vicious as ever.]
Besial muttered, peeking his head out.
The Succubus, who had somehow noticed, glared at Besial.
[No need to go far. There are plenty nearby, so you should be able to collect the Tokens quickly, right?]
“As if it’s that simple...”
[The rules are simple. Just collect 50 Tokens within the time limit. A system message will ask if you want to provide proof. Just say yes. See? Easy, right?]
After saying that, the Succubus vanished into a subspace with a smiling-eyed grin.
At the same time, large numbers appeared in mid-air.
[02:59:43]
[02:59:42]
[02:59:41]
The numbers were counting down.
No one was ignorant of what it meant.
A mere three-hour time limit.
Within that time, they had to collect 50 Tokens to pass the final mission and survive.
“H-how are we supposed to collect them all in time!?”
Those who were screaming in despair.
The existing players who were short on Tokens quickly prepared to hunt monsters.
Jeong Ha-yeon urgently grabbed Lee Do-hyeon’s arm.
“Senior. Did you tell people about that method?”
“No, not yet...”
Lee Do-hyeon glanced at me.
He must have been waiting because I told him there was a specific time to explain it.
I gave a faint smile and nodded.
At that, Lee Do-hyeon’s face brightened, and he hurried to the center of the square.
“Everyone! There is a way! Please listen to me!”
With all eyes on him, Lee Do-hyeon began to explain.
That there was a way to survive even if you failed the mission and were kicked out into the Red Zone.
Immediately upon being exiled to the Red Zone, you could use a Token to activate a personal Safety Zone, then find a gate with a transparent circle to create a temporary Safety Zone.
This would allow one to completely escape the dangers of the Red Zone.
The people who heard Lee Do-hyeon's explanation gasped in admiration.
Non-players were barely affected by the system.
Since they didn't participate in missions, they had no need to collect Tokens.
But the situation had changed.
Thanks to the Succubus’s final gambit, all the remaining non-players had been turned into players, making the method Lee Do-hyeon discovered relevant.
“How did you find that out? I thought you weren't a player originally.”
“Someone who identified themselves as an archangel gave me several hints through the system. I figured this out myself based on those clues.”
The system doesn't lie.
If the archangel called themselves an archangel, then it was the truth.
Beings who could only communicate with humans through the system would incur a massive penalty the moment they told a lie through it.
In an atmosphere where most were accepting and believing Lee Do-hyeon’s words, someone threw out a sharp question.
“But don’t you still need Tokens in the end?”
“That’s right. That’s why we need the players who have some to spare to help out a little.”
Even the players who had progressed relatively far in the missions avoided eye contact, looking troubled.
They didn't have enough Tokens either.
It was only natural.
Unless you were like me and cleared hidden dungeons along the way, you wouldn't even have 40 Tokens, let alone 50, even after completing all nine missions.
The mission was designed to be difficult to clear without ever conquering a single hidden dungeon.
“Jo Min-ah, Jo Min-woo. How many do you two have?”
“I have 52.”
“I have exactly 50. What should we do, Hyung? We need 50 to clear the mission, so it’s hard to just offer help.”
“What about you, Ha-yeon-ssi?”
“I have 55. Excluding my own share... I have 5 to spare.”
These were the three who had earned a decent number of Tokens while clearing the hidden dungeon with me.
If we had split them evenly, they would have had over 100 each, but since I had monopolized most of the kills inside the hidden dungeon by unleashing my Army of Darkness, they had just enough.
It had to be this way.
If the three of them had too many and tried to donate, it would have led to a very unpleasant situation.
Not for me, but for them.
“Then don’t donate for now. Hide the fact that you have extras. You too, twins.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Think about it. There are many people in need, but the supply is small. What do you think will happen?”
At first, people would look at those who step up to donate with admiration.
But those who didn't receive a donation would express their resentment and anger.
Who would the arrows of blame be aimed at?
It was obvious.
*Why didn't you donate more? You must have more, give us more.*
They would end up blaming them, shouting, and cornering Jeong Ha-yeon and the twins.
Eventually, they would even fight to take the Tokens from each other.
It was a disgusting sight I had seen dozens of times even in the game.
“Ah...”
The twins seemed to understand what I was trying to say. They shut their mouths tightly and lowered their heads.
Jeong Ha-yeon’s lips parted as if she wanted to say something.
But in the end, no words came out.
“I wouldn’t recommend that method.”
I slipped through the crowd and approached Lee Do-hyeon.
Lee Do-hyeon stared at me with an expression that said, *What are you talking about?*
Seong Woo-hyeon and the other guild masters, who had been agreeing with Lee Do-hyeon, sharpened their gazes and pricked up their ears.
“Because the method you’ve discovered has a fatal flaw, Lee Do-hyeon-ssi.”
[The ‘Angel of Benevolence’ widens his eyes.]
[The ‘Devil Who Mocks the Heavens’ raises the corner of his mouth slightly.]
“...Kim Se-hyeon-ssi?”
Lee Do-hyeon was visibly flustered.
I had told him it was the right time to release the information, only to deny it now. From his perspective, it was a natural reaction.
But when did I ever say that information was the solution?
I never said anything of the sort.
“Lee Do-hyeon-ssi. How many Tokens does it take to activate a temporary Safety Zone?”
“Activation... is 10.”
A much smaller amount than the 50 needed to clear the mission.
Even if public opinion leaned towards helping, it was unrealistic to support each person with 50 Tokens.
But 10 was an amount that might just be manageable.
That's what they were likely thinking, but there was much more to consider.
“You’ll need Tokens to activate a personal Safety Zone the moment you’re exiled to the Red Zone, and that doesn’t last forever either. It’s also uncertain how long it will take to reach a location with a ‘transparent circle’ to activate a temporary Safety Zone. In reality, you’ll need far more than that.”
“Ah...”
“That’s not all. The temporary Safety Zone isn’t infinite either. How much does it cost to maintain that one?”
Lee Do-hyeon bit his lip.
It wasn't anger directed at me.
It was likely anger at himself for being too complacent, for thinking too optimistically and failing to consider the crucial details.
Lee Do-hyeon finally managed to speak, his voice thick with suppressed emotion as he answered.
“...An additional three are consumed per hour.”