Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: ACT.30 Progressor (1)
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“Such a bluff…!”
Jacob fired rapidly.
Too fast for a sniper rifle, but too slow for an automatic rifle.
A DMR, then.
The rate of fire could be covered by his agility stat, so he must have chosen a weapon with high bullet velocity and destructive power.
[Activating the skill, ‘Extreme Eye’.]
Even so, it’s meaningless if I can ‘see’ the bullet's trajectory and react.
*Shwing!*
With minimal movement, I sliced through every bullet.
No matter how much his attack power increased by 800%, it wouldn't be very effective if the base attack power was low.
‘But…’
The fact that Jacob wasn't in the original story wasn't the problem.
The important thing was Jacob’s strangely high confidence.
There were surely strong people in other countries.
There was no way he'd claim to be able to annihilate all the Korean players by himself with just that.
In other words.
‘He has some kind of organization backing him.’
A slight smile crept onto my lips.
He'd shown up on his own two feet.
Since I needed to get as much information as possible, it was better to pretend to be pushed back.
*Clang!!*
I blocked it with the flat of my blade instead of cutting it.
I even let my strength give way, allowing myself to be pushed back a little.
Realizing his attacks were effective, a look of composure returned to Jacob’s face.
“That’s more like it! There’s no way you could block this Pioneer’s Rifle so easily!”
Good thing he's simple-minded.
He saw me easily slice his bullets in half, yet he didn't suspect a thing when I suddenly switched to defense.
I was grateful for his simplicity.
It was hard to believe Pentagon Eagle had changed, with only the guild name remaining the same, especially since I'd met Harrington in the other world.
The guild master was still the same as in the game.
Jacob was only operating as a member of Pentagon Eagle on the surface.
That was my conclusion.
‘And it’s probably not just Pentagon Eagle.’
I recalled the other factions that had worked closely with Paradise.
Among them, the one on the same level as Pentagon Eagle would be China’s Bonghwang.
No wonder the timing of the factions connecting seemed way too fast; it was because those who had played the original game were moving quickly.
“Bonghwang won’t just stand by, will they?”
“Who cares? Those guys can’t even get here. Normally, it’s incredibly difficult to travel to another country at this point. You know that, right? We just got a little lucky.”
The war of nerves continued even as we spoke.
Like a rhythm, gunshots punctuated every pause in his speech, and I defended against them.
I could have jumped into a real fight right away, but I didn't.
Conversations implicitly contain a lot of information.
If he was willing to talk, I just had to guide the conversation to get the information I wanted.
"It's a shame about those Paradise guys. I expected them not to be much help, but I never thought they'd be this powerless. It would've been different if they had one or two progressors on their side."
So Paradise doesn't have any progressors.
Well, if they did, they wouldn't have been so helpless at the Seoul base.
In the first place, a progressor would never join Paradise. They would know better than to join a group that gets wiped out before the mid-game.
Though, it's possible they might join just to snatch some benefits and then leave.
‘Is he a treasure goblin?’
For a moment, Jacob looked just like one.
Showing up out of nowhere and giving away valuable information for free—he was practically a charity angel.
This is why you don't entrust a chatterbox with a solo mission.
As soon as he thinks he's won, he starts rambling as if it's okay to say anything to a dead man.
"From now on, this Stigma mine will be monopolized by Pentagon Eagle. Bonghwang? Let them come. A swarm of Asian monkeys is hardly scary. Paradise? They're not even worth mentioning, they can barely maintain their faction anymore."
Multiple targeting marks appeared from the Pioneer’s Rifle.
The marks slowly moved over my body, settling on what could be called my vital points.
‘This is.’
“We can just restore the collapsed mine, after all.”
*Bang!*
The moment Jacob grinned and pulled the trigger, several bullets tore through the air simultaneously.
In Westerns, you often see duel scenes where two people stand back-to-back, then turn and shoot at the sound of a bell.
Accuracy, speed—many factors are important in a duel, but what can supplement accuracy is ‘rapid fire.’
Firing multiple shots in an instant to increase the chances of taking down the opponent.
The skill Jacob just used was undoubtedly that.
It was absurd that he was using a skill meant for a pistol with a rifle, but skills obtained through the system were like that.
“Ah, oops. Was I talking too much? Well, it’s fine. It doesn’t matter what a dead man knows.”
He must have thought I couldn't block the attack, as he even lowered his aim and prepared to leave.
Confidence was naturally ingrained in his posture.
Knowing all sorts of information, he could beat most opponents.
Perhaps it was only natural. He must have eliminated many rivals that way.
“…Thanks for the information.”
The Black Moon Divine Sword glowed with a dark light.
The seven bullets that had been rushing toward my vital points were deflected at once, and the clear sound of metal striking metal echoed around us.
“Let me tell you something too. That mine is done for.”
It was quiet, as if the gunshot had never rung out.
It was the kind of place where magical beasts would swarm, but perhaps because the disaster had scorched the area, I couldn't sense any approaching.
"I thought you'd be exhausted after defeating the disaster… Did you recover while you were in hell?"
Surprised by how easily I handled it, Jacob scratched his cheek.
So he knew I'd been to hell.
Jacob hadn't done this on a whim.
He had assessed the situation with 'White Eagle's Eye' and initiated his attack when he thought I was at my most vulnerable.
That Hwang Chan-jin. He left without even noticing this guy was nearby.
I'll make sure to repay this debt.
“So what if it collapsed? We can just restore it.”
“…”
He doesn't know the situation inside, does he?
Well, White Eagle's Eye doesn't have the ability to detect mana.
He couldn't have known the state of the Stigma.
It wasn't completely gone, but it wasn't as valuable as before.
"No matter how badly it collapsed, times have changed. We can just get people with earth-related abilities to dig it out. It's not a difficult task, and even if it costs a bit, it's valuable enough to turn a profit, right?"
“You're free to think what you want. I've said my piece.”
I could let Pentagon Eagle restore the mine and then ensure they couldn't get the Stigma, making them suffer a loss, but I changed my mind.
*Bang!*
Another gunshot.
This time, I deflected a shot aimed right between my eyes.
From aiming to firing, his speed had become abnormally fast compared to before.
However, I didn't find it particularly difficult to block.
‘I can see it.’
Not an ordinary gunshot, but a bullet infused with mana.
Thanks to that, it had powerful attack power and a velocity faster than most sniper rifles, but Extreme Eye showed me its trajectory, and my agility stat, approaching 100, made it easy to dodge.
"Oh. You're pretty good at blocking."
Jacob clapped his hands in admiration.
Since I was remaining silent, he seemed to think I couldn't counterattack, his face brimming with confidence.
Taking him down would be no problem.
But not yet.
‘A little more.’
I'll get as much information out of him as I can.
"Koreans are different, after all. Something's different. There was almost no one in America who could block this so easily. Should I change the plan?"
“Plan?”
“To destroy Korea.”
He said something so chilling with a smile on his face.
Jacob let out a short chuckle.
“It's obvious, isn't it? Think about it for a second. The game's setting was the entire Earth, but the main storyline centered on Korea and Koreans. So, all the major incidents happened in Korea. If we destroy it beforehand, those things might not happen, right?”
“…Are you a moron?”
A deep sigh escaped me.
I grabbed my forehead and muttered.
“A statement that makes me question if you've really played the original game. That thing on your shoulders must be just for decoration.”
“What, did I strike a nerve? Sacrifices are necessary for the greater good. Don't you think it's a good thing if the risk of ruin is reduced by the disappearance of one small country? You must have made choices like that a lot while playing the game.”
Not hesitating to make small sacrifices to achieve a goal.
I don't deny that I've made such choices many times.
Instead, I answered with my feelings of pity fully on display.
“You, how many chapters have you cleared?”
“More than you think.”
“Judging by the bullshit you're spouting, I'd say around chapter 20.”
“…”
Jacob was speechless.
I knew it.
There's no way he'd say something so stupid otherwise.
This confirmed it.
Those who've only played the game halfway are just a hindrance. It's better to exclude most of them.
As if his anger boiled over, Jacob shouted in a fierce voice.
“Then how far have *you* gotten?”
“To the end.”
“What?”
Hearing my answer, Jacob burst out laughing.
“Even the Strategy King couldn't clear the game, and you're saying you finished it? If you're going to lie, at least make it believable!”
He seemed to find it genuinely funny, tears even welling up in his eyes.
I, too, felt a slight smile form on my lips.
I'd answered that way because there was one thing I was curious about, and I got my answer right away.
He knows the name ‘Strategy King’, but he doesn’t know it’s me.
In other words, until now, no one knew that ‘Kim Se-hyeon = Strategy King’.
Let's operate under the assumption that they are two separate individuals.
Acting that way from the beginning had paid off.
I felt bad for Jun Bo-ra, but I planned to keep using her like this.
She must have considered this possibility when she started impersonating me.
“According to the rumors about the Strategy King, he must be growing at an insane rate by now. I heard he played a major role during the Disaster of Verdure, right? As far as I know, he's one of only two people in the world to have progressed past chapter 45, so that makes sense. If a nobody like you is this strong, I can't even imagine how powerful the Strategy King must be!”
‘Only two?’
Not the only one.
That means there’s one other person who played close to the game’s ending.
‘Who is it?’
I never really followed news about foreign streamers, so I have little information.
It was a little regrettable that I'd been so engrossed in strategy guides that I missed things.
“I knew it was the right call to target someone active on the front lines.”
Jacob's eyes shone with greed.
His gaze was fixed on my waist.
Did he recognize the value of the Black Moon Divine Sword so quickly?
“Was a sword like that among Korea's hidden pieces?”
“Who knows. Maybe it was one that wasn't well-known, or maybe it's a new addition.”
“That could be it.”
He agrees with that?
The very early chapters were almost completely uncovered by people who studied and dug into the original game.
It was safe to say there were no ‘unknown’ hidden pieces.
In other words, the part Jacob just affirmed was the ‘new hidden pieces have been added’ part.
Meaningful information is pouring out.
‘Is he an idiot, or does he just think this much information doesn't matter…?’
It was probably the latter.
An idiot wouldn't know how to use information even if they had it.
And without knowing how to use it, they couldn't grow quickly.
Judging by Jacob’s state, he was definitely not an idiot.
“Are you going to kill the Strategy King too?”
“If it comes to that?”
Jacob grinned slyly.
He's insane. To talk so easily about killing the only person who knows how to save the world from ruin.
“You can't do it.”
“Yes, I can. You moron.”
*Bang!*
A much louder gunshot echoed through the area.
Like an eagle snatching its prey, the bullet flew in a ‘curve’.