Chapter 18
Chapter 18
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Authority of Flames (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“So persistent...!”
“He's exhausted too! Press the attack!”
It was an unfamiliar sight.
In ‘End of Apocalypse’, Han Hyeok-jun was always met by a single, protagonist-like character.
But now?
Several people who knew what was coming had all gathered here at once.
A development like this had never happened before.
However.
“What are you doing! The fact that you're here means you know how to get past Chapter 3!”
I watched the man urging me to fight and kept my mouth shut.
Let's say they all ganged up and killed Han Hyeok-jun.
But what then?
‘Authority of Flames’ is a unique trait.
Only one person could obtain it.
It was impossible for multiple people to acquire it at the same time.
In that case, only one thing would happen next.
A competition over who would take the trait.
The people here would surely try to kill each other.
This guy was no different.
He was waiting for the others to exhaust themselves.
I recalled the looks in the players' eyes when I first arrived.
It was blatant wariness.
The uncomfortable caution that comes with the appearance of a new competitor.
“...That's right. It's what must be done to get past Chapter 3.”
A faint smile crept onto my face.
Considering what was to come, there was only one course of action for me to take.
These people didn't know.
That even the endless repetition was part of the game's story.
As someone who had repeated this game hundreds of times, I could say with certainty.
This game was structured so that you had to see every ending to reach the true ending.
I chose to help Han Hyeok-jun.
“Gah!”
A player, caught by the surprise attack, tumbled to the floor.
The fierce battle came to a halt, and all eyes turned to me.
“Why... why me... Keuk.”
He glared at me in disbelief for a moment before staggering and collapsing face down.
A solid hit. He wouldn't be getting up properly for a while.
It would have been better if he'd been knocked out, but I wasn't used to controlling my strength yet.
“Hey! What the hell are you doing!”
“Don't you know we have to kill him!?”
The tension spiked sharply.
There's a huge difference between fighting one person and fighting two.
A guy who was on the verge of collapsing had been saved by a third party's intervention, complicating things.
“Ha, haha. Unbelievable. Are you trying to thin out the competition ahead of time? Even though Han Hyeok-jun himself is still standing?”
“I know. That's why I'm doing this.”
My racing heart seemed to calm a little as I met the dumbfounded gaze of Han Hyeok-jun.
As I closed the distance, he flinched and reached for his sword, but then hesitated and lowered it slightly.
“...Who are you?”
“Your ally.”
I couldn't get on Han Hyeok-jun's bad side.
The moment our relationship soured, I wouldn't be able to progress past a certain chapter.
Like the twins, he was an indispensable existence for reaching the ending.
That was Han Hyeok-jun.
This trait had to be obtained by Han Hyeok-jun.
“You crazy bastard...! You're going to let Han Hyeok-jun get that trait!? Do you have any idea what that means!?”
“I do.”
“Then why...!”
“I know more than you.”
With a clear ring, the Four Tiger Sword revealed itself.
Authority of Flames is an S-rank trait.
Acquiring it would be a significant power boost, but for the sake of the future, I had to know when to give things up.
Because this game was designed to be impossible to clear if you tried to monopolize everything and become strong on your own.
That's not all.
‘The number of traits one can acquire is limited.’
A strategic retreat to obtain something better later.
It was better to strengthen my overall forces by letting someone who would eventually be my ally gain a good trait.
“Bullshit.”
The man who had been hanging back scoffed and stepped forward.
“I'm the one who used to post guides for this game on a strategy site. I know more than most people. If someone knows more than me, there's only one person it could be.”
It was laughable.
Anyone who'd made it past the midway point would know full well you shouldn't kill Han Hyeok-jun, yet this guy who didn't even know that was so confident?
“The streamer, Strategy King. If you've played the game, you must have at least heard the name.”
Of course I had.
That was me.
But before I could say so, the man continued.
“But there's no way you're the Strategy King. He's already formed a massive organization and is making moves!”
What?
I narrowed my eyes and stared at him.
His eyes weren't those of a liar or a bluffer.
Which meant he truly believed it.
How absurd.
The real one was standing right here, so who the hell was running around impersonating me and causing trouble?
“How do you know that?”
“Why would I have any reason to tell you?”
It was a sly grin, as if telling me to screw myself.
I hadn't grown my party to the point where it could be called a 'faction' yet. I was just busy laying the groundwork.
To have created a faction in such a short time meant they must have started the moment the world changed.
‘Could it be...?’
My thoughts shifted.
As I thought, there was no need for me to reveal that this world was once a game.
Someone else was already spreading the word.
In that case, I just had to make use of it.
For now, it was enough to know that someone was out there impersonating the Strategy King.
They hadn't come to the stadium from the same direction as me.
They must have obtained their information through a different route.
I wondered which one it was.
“Do you have enough stamina?”
“...Enough to take them all down, at least.”
“Then that's settled.”
I kicked off the ground and shot forward first.
The player I was facing gritted his teeth and tried to block my attack, but the overwhelming difference in our stats was impossible to overcome.
“Uwaaagh!”
The players gathered here had stats around 6, for the most part.
In contrast, my current strength and agility were both 28.
There was no way I could lose.
“H-How is he so strong!?”
“Block him! If we all attack together, even someone that strong can't do anything!”
They couldn't win one-on-one.
As soon as they realized that, they opted for a war of attrition.
Just like they did with Han Hyeok-jun, they planned to use their numerical advantage to wear down my stamina.
It was the best decision they could make, but it was a shame.
“Ugh!?”
I struck the solar plexus of a player whose posture had crumbled after barely blocking a projectile.
An empty glass bottle rolled away next to his collapsing body.
[The effects of the Stamina Potion will last for 30 minutes.]
Because my stamina wouldn't run out until I had taken down everyone here.
Besides, a war of attrition with only three people?
You need at least four or five for that.
“I see now that you're not an enemy!”
Han Hyeok-jun, who had been catching his breath while watching the situation, joined the fight.
And with that, the tables completely turned.
“Y-You bastards...! Gak!”
Once I took down the self-proclaimed 'game guide' who had given up and tried to flee, the room fell silent, as if there had never been a fight at all.
Sheathing my sword, I turned around, and my eyes met Han Hyeok-jun's, who happened to be looking my way.
Neither of us spoke.
Only after a thousand words were exchanged through our gazes did Han Hyeok-jun move first.
The back of the room. Where the white light was leaking from.
Han Hyeok-jun was engulfed in pure white flames.
The moment he acquired the trait, 'Authority of Flames'.
“Kuh...”
“Are you okay?”
I supported Han Hyeok-jun as he staggered, about to collapse, as if the release of tension had brought on a wave of exhaustion.
“...Why did you help me?”
“I didn't like the situation. That's all.”
“I'm sure you also knew what was here.”
I shrugged as Han Hyeok-jun shook off my hand, as if to say he was fine now.
His gaze was uncomfortable, unable to grasp my intentions, but his expression soon changed.
“What's your name?”
“Kim Se-hyeon.”
“Kim Se-hyeon...”
Han Hyeok-jun mulled over my name a few times, then bowed his head deeply.
“I express my sincere gratitude for your help. I'd like to repay this debt immediately, but...”
Han Hyeok-jun's gaze shifted to the bodies around us.
He glared coldly at the players who had attacked him to get the Authority of Flames, then let out a deep sigh.
“I have a lot to do right now, so I must get going. I will repay this debt someday.”
Just as he was about to leave, Han Hyeok-jun paused and said.
“...Stay alive until then. Don't die.”
Han Hyeok-jun's figure vanished, swallowed by the darkness.
To think he'd say that without even turning his head. Such a show-off.
I carefully took out a button-shaped object from my pocket.
The location tracker I'd purchased from the Blessing Shop.
Closing my eyes and concentrating, I could vaguely sense Han Hyeok-jun's location.
‘It attached perfectly.’
I had stuck it to the inside of his collar when I helped him up.
It was hard to notice and wouldn't fall off from a simple impact, so I could consider the plan a success.
Han Hyeok-jun would probably find out about me a little later.
And by then, it would be the exact moment I needed him.
“So Han Hyeok-jun took it in the end... Cough!”
One of the unconscious men woke up and glared at me with dark eyes.
Despite it being difficult for him to speak, he suddenly burst into laughter.
“Kh, kh-kh. You crazy son of a bitch... It's all over because of you. No one can survive now. Everyone gathered at the stadium... they're all going to die.”
“That's just what you think.”
The twins are at the stadium too.
There's no way I'd do something that would get them killed when I need to keep them alive and travel with them.
Above all else.
I didn't have the slightest desire to die either.
“Besides, could you guys have really killed Han Hyeok-jun in the first place?”
“What do you mean...”
“Your hand.”
I gestured with my chin, and he looked down at his own hand, which was trembling like a leaf.
He hastily grabbed it with his other arm to still it, but it wouldn't stop shaking easily.
“Th-this is just an aftereffect of being knocked out...!”
“You know your own body best.”
I scoffed, and he bit his lip and lowered his head.
That's how it was.
They weren't people accustomed to killing.
They had no experience with it.
Even if reason screamed in a corner of their minds that it was the right thing to do, the line one must not cross as a human being, or perhaps an indescribable sense of guilt, would grip their minds like a vice.
These people.
And me, too.
‘On top of that, you'd have to bear the heavy penalty of losing the angels' support.’
Unless you had a justification solid enough to convince the angels, it was best to avoid killing if possible.
It would happen someday.
It would happen eventually, but...
I didn't want to step into that world just yet.
“Earlier, you said the only one who knows more than you is the Strategy King.”
His body flinched violently.
I continued, watching him avoid my gaze.
“Strategy sites or whatever, some people just play the game diligently on their own.”
The other two, who had since woken up, watched me warily and held their tongues.
Those two looked like they could be persuaded to follow my lead if I handled them right.
“I know a way to get past this without killing Han Hyeok-jun. That's why I stopped you. There's no need to eliminate a valuable asset, right? It's better to have as many strong allies as possible. Even if you want to monopolize everything, there's a limit to what you can gain. In that case, it's better to share with trustworthy allies and make them stronger.”
There was no answer.
Still, it was a positive silence.
“...I don't believe you.”
However, not everyone agreed with me.
“It's stupid to stick around when you know you're just going to die. I'm leaving so I don't get caught up in this.”
He shot to his feet, standing ramrod straight as he voiced his opinion.
‘I know this game better than anyone.’
He couldn't shake that arrogance and conceit.
“Oh? Then go. I won't stop you.”
“...”
He shot me a glare, then stormed out, his face a mask of humiliation.
Unable to overcome his indignation, he chose a different path even though he knew which was the better option.
Even without closing my eyes, I could see his future clearly.
I turned my attention away from him and said to the remaining two with a smile.
“Well then, shall we continue scouting? This area is crawling with monsters.”
Crawling was an understatement.
Because of the story for the next chapter.
I let out a quiet, scornful laugh at the foolishness of the man who chose to wander this place alone, leaving the group, despite surely knowing that.