Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Proof of Qualification (5)
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‘I think I’m starting to understand.’
Hwang Chan-jin was dead set on “that reward,” and he had just bought tokens for one person.
As I furrowed my brow, wondering how the two could be connected, Jo Min-woo approached me, his eyes sparkling, and asked.
“Hyung. Is this why you told us to gather the tokens in advance?”
“Not exactly. I just figured the beasts wouldn't suddenly start dropping tokens only in this chapter for no reason.”
Jo Min-woo looked impressed, then began to gaze at me with respect.
Jo Min-ah was the same.
Being idolized like this isn't really what I want.
When someone feels awe for another, they naturally create a certain distance.
There shouldn't be a wall like that between me and the twins.
“I'm starting to think you have a knack for business.”
“You’re one to talk.”
Choi Yeon-soo shrugged, feigning ignorance.
It was like lecturing an expert.
After all, Choi Yeon-soo was so talented at business, she was practically a “con artist.”
Even her disguises alone could be specialized for that purpose.
‘Is it almost settled?’
I watched Jeong Ha-yeon console a dejected Lee Do-hyeon.
Lee Do-hyeon.
The reason I went to the trouble of faking his death to keep him alive.
That matter was not yet resolved.
‘Well, it'll work itself out.’
It's not like my nagging will make it happen any faster.
Once Lee Do-hyeon gets his emotions in check, he'll come talk to me on his own.
I turned my attention from Lee Do-hyeon and checked the tokens in my leather pouch.
Half of the tokens had already been sold.
***
The tokens sold out in an instant.
I had, of course, already set aside my own share of 50 tokens before I started selling, so that wasn't an issue.
With nothing left to do for the remaining time, people gathered in small groups and began to talk.
Their main topic of conversation was their worries about the future.
When would they be able to return to their normal lives? What would happen from now on?
‘Are they still worrying about that?’
They've awakened as players, yet if they can't face reality and quickly decide on a course of action, they'll either revert to being ordinary people or die.
Just as this chapter demanded they prove their right to live.
Even after this chapter ends, those who lack the qualifications will be weeded out and die.
‘…It would be best if as many people as possible survived and grew stronger, but…’
I can't just appear anywhere on Earth and solve every problem.
This isn't something one person can do alone.
The words Kim Ji-hyeon once said kept echoing in my mind.
‘This is the kind of world it is. If someone with power gets the wrong idea, things will only get messier.’
I can't save everyone.
Those who must be eliminated, must be eliminated.
The sun had almost completely disappeared beyond the horizon, and people gathered around a huge bonfire, like a campfire, lit in the middle of the square.
The crackling of the burning firewood brought a strange sense of comfort.
“Looks like there's a fair number of them over there.”
“Alright, five of you head that way. You guys take the area that requested support earlier. I'll go over there.”
Because the succubus had summoned beasts within the residential area, the guild players were moving to clean up the inside even after completing the mission.
The same went for those who had spent a lot of coins buying tokens.
Quite a few people were forming parties, even with strangers, to hunt beasts and earn even a little more compensation.
The twins and Jeong Ha-yeon, who had been with me, didn't seem to feel the need, as they had already earned plenty of coins.
“It's so warm…”
“Lately, whenever I see fire, I get the urge to eat it.”
“Don't eat it. You can't eat this one.”
I stared blankly at the bonfire.
Flying insects that passed too close were incinerated.
Their charred bodies burned to black, leaving not even dust behind.
From the next chapter, the damage from the Red Zone will be intensified, making it impossible to traverse its territory by reducing the damage through various methods like before.
One wrong move, and you'd end up just like them.
‘Time.’
Through Bonghwang and Pentagon Eagle, I confirmed that others who had played ‘End of Apocalypse’ were active in various regions around the world.
Everything is happening fast.
With various factions all moving quickly, I have to move even faster to get the upper hand.
I have to shorten the time.
I gently closed my eyes and reviewed the current situation.
‘I guess I have to take that route after all.’
“Justice without power is just an empty ideal.”
Jeong Ha-yeon suddenly spoke.
Wondering what she meant, I looked at her and saw she had a contemplative expression.
“At first, I thought that was wrong. Because we lived in a world with laws. Everyone is equal before the law, or at least they should be. That's why I went to law school. But looking at many legal precedents, that wasn't always the case, was it? In the end, those with power, in one way or another, often slipped through the grasp of the law. Still, I denied it back then. I told myself it was because those judges and prosecutors weren't morally upright people.”
I listened quietly to what Jeong Ha-yeon was saying.
Why she had suddenly brought this up.
I had a feeling I knew why.
“…But now that the world has become like this, I know for sure. Those words were right.”
“…”
“That to uphold justice, you need the power to back it up.”
For a moment, Jeong Ha-yeon's eyes shone with a golden light.
I remained silent.
‘Blade of Conviction that Destroys Evil.’
The path for someone with that unique ability is broadly divided into two.
The path of the reformer, who embodies absolute good, seeking to make opponents submit and ultimately repent rather than killing them.
And the other.
‘The destruction of evil.’
The path of the judge, who kills all those deemed evil, the targets of ‘Judgment.’
From the looks of it, Jeong Ha-yeon was about to walk the latter path.
I couldn't say for certain whether that was good or bad.
The advantage was that even if I was focused on other things, she would proactively and diligently take care of the enemy's grunts, making things easier for me.
‘But if a time comes when I have to make a choice that strongly conflicts with Jeong Ha-yeon's convictions.’
She would try to stop me, even if it meant mutual destruction.
That was the disadvantage of her taking the path of the judge.
A time will come when I'll have to make such a choice.
When that happens, what should I do?
I took a deep breath and organized my thoughts.
Just then, the person I had been waiting for approached me.
“Kim Se-hyeon-ssi.”
It was Lee Do-hyeon.
Trying not to show that I'd been waiting, I controlled my expression and simply turned my head.
“…Thank you.”
“Thank you? I haven't done anything for you to be thankful for, Lee Do-hyeon-ssi.”
“No. If you hadn't pointed out the problems, Se-hyeon-ssi, I would have spread false information, and many people would have been harmed.”
Lee Do-hyeon's eyebrows drooped into a sorrowful expression.
“And if that had happened… I probably would never have been able to forgive myself.”
[The ‘Wise Guide’ is grateful to you, saying they would have committed a great sin if not for you.]
[You have been sponsored 5000 coins.]
I fought to keep the corners of my mouth from twitching.
The large sum of coins was one thing, but this would also influence the reward Gabriel would give me.
With this, Lee Do-hyeon's role could be considered complete.
‘The Paradise situation is also resolved.’
If Lee Do-hyeon had died and failed to deliver that information, Paradise would have called for reinforcements and started a major battle.
Since a significant number of Paradise's main elite forces would be deployed, successfully suppressing them would, in turn, greatly weaken Paradise's overall strength.
That would give me an advantage in the future war against Paradise.
Conversely, if Lee Do-hyeon is alive, Paradise would judge that their incitement wouldn't work and retreat immediately.
Chapter 11 itself becomes easier, but the future war against Paradise becomes tougher.
Weakening Paradise's forces while simultaneously earning the favor of the archangel who supports Lee Do-hyeon, thereby gaining the upper hand in negotiations with Gabriel.
That was the full story behind why I kept Lee Do-hyeon alive while faking his death.
“Not at all. Those drawbacks just happened to come to mind. If I had realized sooner, you wouldn't have been offended, Lee Do-hyeon-ssi. I apologize. I didn't have the luxury to think things through because of the fight with the bounty hunters…”
“Don't say that! I wasn't offended at all.”
Lee Do-hyeon waved his hands dismissively and gave an awkward smile.
“Someone who gets offended when their mistakes or misunderstandings are pointed out to their face isn't a very well-developed person. A truly virtuous person is one who can immediately admit their faults and try to change. And Senior, you're that kind of person.”
Jeong Ha-yeon gave a faint smile.
Lee Do-hyeon scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed.
A person who doesn't get offended by direct criticism but instead accepts it and is willing to change.
Just as Jeong Ha-yeon said, such people are admirable.
Even more so because so few people are capable of it.
[Alright, time's up.]
The succubus appeared and announced the end of the time limit.
The timer had already reached zero.
Since everyone had already completed their proof, they didn't seem particularly moved.
Except for the few who had taken loans from me.
[Of all the people here, you're the only one who hasn't paid.]
The succubus said, her eyes shifting to me.
I had sold the tokens after properly setting aside my share of 50.
Therefore, I could have cleared the mission whenever I wanted.
But I didn't.
“Se-hyeon-ssi? You haven't done it yet?”
I remained lost in thought, not answering Jeong Ha-yeon's question.
‘What should I do?’
I toyed with one of the exactly 50 tokens I had left.
To take ‘that route,’ I have to fail the mission.
Because the reward Hwang Chan-jin is truly after is something I need as well.
If I pay honestly and move on to the next chapter, a gap will form between me and Hwang Chan-jin, who must have already received the first-place reward for this chapter.
Hwang Chan-jin had already finished all his missions while I was wiping out the bounty hunter group.
“Oppa?”
“Hyung.”
“…”
Darkness flowed down my arm to my fingertips.
Just as I was about to envelop the token in my hand and make it disappear.
“H-Help me! Please! I'm one token short!!”
Someone came running up, breathless, and shouted.
[Hmm. I wonder if there's anyone who can help.]
“P-Please! Anyone! I'll reward you! 500! No, I'll buy it for 1000 coins! Just one token…!”
A desperate cry, so wretched it was almost a wail.
The time limit being up meant that no matter how many beasts you killed, they wouldn't drop tokens anymore.
I remember him.
He was one of those who left immediately to gather tokens.
He looked around frantically, then spotted me and ran over.
“I saw you selling tokens earlier! I-If by any chance you have any left, please, give it to me…!”
“No.”
“What?”
“Our leader sold everything except his own share of 50. That means there's nothing left to sell to you.”
“N-No…”
At Choi Yeon-soo's cold refusal, the man's knees buckled, and he literally collapsed.
A deathly pale face and pupils that wouldn't stop trembling.
The people around him looked on with pity but averted their gazes.
They couldn't help him even if they wanted to.
Jeong Ha-yeon and the twins had also gotten rid of their extra tokens long ago.
[What an idiot. The people here have already paid, so they don't have any tokens. You're barking up the wrong tree.]
The succubus snickered, mocking the man.
As if laughing at his despair.
“…”
I stared at the succubus for a moment, then a grin spread across my face.
How convenient that she'd create such a plausible excuse for me.
*Ting.*
A token I flicked with my finger flew through the air and landed in front of the man.
The man slowly raised his head and looked at me.
I gave a small nod.
“I'll sell it to you. You can pay me later.”
“Th-Thank you! Thank you!!”
The man hastily picked up the token and immediately used it for his ‘proof.’
That left me with 49 tokens.
The twins grabbed my sleeve, horrified.
“O-Oppa!? Why…!”
“Hyung! You had exactly 50 left! If you give that to him, then you…!”
“It's fine.”
[The ‘Angel of Benevolence’ is deeply moved by your sacrifice!]
[You have been sponsored 2500 coins.]
[The ‘Devil Who Mocks the Heavens’ is curious about your plan.]
The succubus narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
She probably knew full well that I wouldn't do something like this out of pure goodwill.
[…What are you planning?]
“I can't just turn a blind eye to someone in trouble, can I?”
I shrugged, and the succubus didn't reply.
The twins were stamping their feet anxiously, and Lee Do-hyeon was staring at me blankly, his mouth agape.
The guild masters watching from a short distance away were the same.
“…”
Jeong Ha-yeon's gaze was strangely similar to the succubus's.
I did my best to ignore them and spoke to the succubus.
“Well, I've failed to prove my qualification. You should hurry up and proceed with the protocol.”