Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: ACT 4. Authority of Flames (4)
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“Ah, that reminds me, there's something I need to do. Could you scout the area for a bit? It won't take long.”
“Understood.”
“Give me a signal when you're out.”
They must have decided to trust me completely. The remaining two followed my orders without a word of protest.
They weren't like the twins or Han Hyeok-jun, people I could trust with my back.
However, it wasn't in my nature to abandon those who trusted and followed me.
I watched carefully with Extreme Eye as the two moved away from the building, then loosened up my body.
It was time for the next step.
I slowly made my way forward.
To the place where the Authority of Flames had been.
Even though Han Hyeok-jun had already taken the Authority of Flames, the area was still filled with white flames, and the heat burned my lungs.
I swallowed hard.
Now, I had to go inside.
*Damn it.*
I'd steeled myself for this, but the thought of going in there still sent a jolt of fear through me.
*I don't have to get the trait, but I need that power.*
I gritted my teeth.
I couldn't back down now.
I'd come this far. There was no turning back.
I downed a fire resistance potion and tightly gripped the fist-sized stone I'd bought from the Devil's Shop.
*Fwoosh!*
Hot air rushed into my lungs in an instant.
If I hadn't drunk the potion, I would have died the moment I stepped in.
I had to endure.
[The 'Stone of Purity' is absorbing the remnants of the White Flame.]
A searing heat, as if I'd fallen into a fiery hell, tried to incinerate my entire body.
For a few seconds, the pain felt like an eternity.
*Sshhh.*
The flames that had been raging around me vanished.
Only when the once-cool stone in my hand felt scorching hot did I know it was over.
*...It's done.*
I put away the stone, which seemed to be burning white, turned around, and finally left.
All preparations were complete.
All that was left was to do everything I could before that time came.
***
*As I thought...*
Looking around from the highest point with Extreme Eye, I could see things were moving faster than I'd expected.
*The monsters' movements are too fast.*
Was it always like this?
I'd have to have gotten a skill like Extreme Eye this early on to know.
Originally, there was no way to obtain a power with such an effect at this stage.
I was sick of knowing that the monsters moved in specific patterns, but seeing it with my own eyes instead of just imagining it made the strange points stand out clearly.
They were perfectly coordinated.
Systematic movements, as if receiving orders from someone.
The problem was that this someone, the mastermind, wouldn't be revealed even by the time we left the stadium.
At least, that's how it should have been.
[An unknown power is resisting 'Extreme Eye'.]
“...”
The moment I turned my gaze toward the Han River, that message appeared like a warning.
The Han River?
The darkest place is under the candlestick. Was it hiding in a place like that?
An S-rank or higher monster that would hide in the Han River...
It's that one. Leviathan.
Even so, there was no way it would make a direct appearance this early.
“Leader! It's about time!”
Hearing the call from below, I shook my head.
I'd done more than enough of my original objective—scouting and searching—and I'd also achieved all my other goals.
There was no reason to spend any more time here.
I climbed down the half-destroyed transmission tower and saw the two skillfully keeping watch on their surroundings.
One was from Chapter 4. The other, Chapter 6.
They wouldn't be much help once a little more time passed, but for now, they were better than nothing.
I wonder how the others are doing.
They must have run into a few monsters while heading in that direction.
“...!”
Faintly, I heard something like a shout in the distance.
It was getting closer.
I narrowed my eyes and looked in that direction, seeing three people running for their lives.
“Aaaaaahhh!!”
They were screaming their heads off as they fled.
Right behind them were six pursuing Death Bites.
That kind of screaming would attract other monsters in the area, but it was fine.
From what I'd seen earlier, there were no more Death Bites nearby.
Besides, Lee Seong-chan's scream was an act.
From between the trees on either side, a short distance away, the twins were waiting for the right moment to take down the Death Bites.
“Aaaah! Aaaaaahhh!!”
...Is that really an act?
“Now!”
As Min-woo gave the signal and ambushed the Death Bites from the side, Min-ah also launched an attack from the opposite side.
*Boom!*
A blue, baseball-sized orb shot from her palm, struck a Death Bite's flank, and exploded.
She did that twice more before seeming to tire and switching to a defensive stance, but Min-woo and Lee Seong-chan had no trouble cleaning up the remaining Death Bites.
*Oh.*
I was genuinely impressed and stroked my chin.
It was impressive that Min-woo had already gotten used to hunting monsters, but even more so was Min-ah.
What Min-ah had just done was create a mana bullet, the most basic form of magical attack.
I knew she had a talent for mana.
But I never expected she'd already be able to wield it for an attack on her own.
Did this happen in the original story?
“Ah, hyung!”
“Se-hyeon-ssi!”
Spotting me, they grinned brightly and waved. I returned their greeting with a small smile.
As if he still had energy to spare after all that running, Min-woo rushed over.
“How was it on your end?”
“A few monsters showed up, but it was fine. No survivors, though.”
“Ah.”
“Huh? Why?”
“...It's nothing.”
A bitter smile formed on my face.
I'd forgotten that the official excuse was to search for survivors.
Since I hadn't looked for any survivors at all.
“Oppa, but the other person...”
“He didn't like our methods and left to go it alone.”
“What?”
“...But I've never lost anything by following Se-hyeon-ssi's advice.”
It seems Lee Seong-chan's trust in me has grown quite a bit.
Not bad.
“Then let's conclude the reconnaissance with no survivors found. By any chance, did you notice anything else unusual?”
Jo Min-ah raised her hand.
I nodded, and she stammered, as if uncertain.
“Um... this might just be my feeling, but...”
“It's fine, go ahead.”
“I got the feeling that... the monsters were moving somewhere.”
She figured that out, too.
Well, Min-ah did have a Detection skill.
Signs of a mass monster migration at this time.
There's only one reason for that.
*The end of Chapter 2, and the beginning of Chapter 3.*
It's also amazing that she figured it out from just one scouting mission.
Jo Min-ah, the 'Witch of Blue Flames'.
She was known for her wide field of vision and sharp insight, to the point people said it was like she was looking down on the battlefield from the sky.
She's been a cut above the rest from the very beginning, I see.
In contrast, Min-woo, who didn't seem to have noticed anything, spoke bluntly.
“They're living creatures too. They've gotta move around to find food and survive.”
“That's not what I mean! Ah, no. Maybe it is... Ugh...”
“What are you talking about?”
“You were too busy trembling in fear whenever you saw a monster!”
“Wh-who was trembling!? Didn't you see how bravely I fought them just now!?”
“You were like that at first.”
“So were you!”
Watching the two of them bicker, I saw an overlap with their future, adult selves.
Those two will bicker forever.
While always protecting each other's backs.
[Ch.2 – Survival]
The small iron cage will not be safe forever. Nevertheless, you must survive.
Reward: 1200 Coins
The title and content of the main quest are still the same as in the original game.
It means that even though I've taken different actions here and there, they haven't significantly affected the main storyline.
It has to be this way. If it changed completely, it would be difficult to deal with.
“Min-ah. Where did it seem like they were moving?”
“Um... over there.”
Jo Min-ah carefully pointed in a direction.
Not toward the World Cup Stadium, but toward the Han River, where I had been looking.
Min-ah had seen it clearly.
The two who had decided to stay with me reacted calmly, perhaps because they already knew.
“The Han River...? Are the monsters thirsty too?”
“That's not it.”
I opened my phone's gallery and zoomed in on the map I'd taken a picture of before we left.
“Their objective is probably this.”
I pointed to a spot.
Five pairs of eyes followed the tip of my finger.
“Seongsan Bridge...”
Jo Min-ah muttered under her breath.
“So, they're going there to occupy it?”
“That's possible. But it might not be.”
“If not...”
“They might destroy the bridge.”
Lee Seong-chan, who had been listening quietly, turned pale.
One only had to look at the river to understand how devastating a destroyed bridge would be.
C-rank monster, the Sawshark.
Getting pierced by those creatures, which had sharp, saw-like mouths like marlins, meant instant death.
Without a bridge, the only way to cross the river is to swim.
But the moment you started swimming, you'd be pierced through and become fish food.
“B-but there are other bridges over the Han River, right?”
“The situation won't be much different there.”
Above all, the other bridges were too far away.
The closest was Yanghwa Bridge, but there was a high chance it had already collapsed.
“This is a big find. Let's go back and report.”
We completed the scouting mission safely without a single casualty and even got results.
And yet, no one's expression was bright.
“On the way back, we'll take a slight detour to secure food and supplies.”
“Good idea. I saw a lot of convenience stores and marts nearby that still had supplies...”
“Yes. And make sure to keep some of what we get this time for yourselves. Hide it well, and be careful not to reveal it to anyone.”
“Huh?”
“A time will come when the difference between having personal emergency rations and not will become clear.”
Supplies are not infinite.
Eventually, they will run out, and scarcity easily leads to conflict between people.
This is easy to understand if you've seen disaster movies, like zombie flicks.
“And most importantly, we're not the only group of survivors.”
“You mean people from other places might come looking for supplies.”
“Other groups will be gradually expanding their search areas, so it's highly likely.”
Since the monsters are all moving toward the bridge, they're relatively scarce around here.
So even weaker groups will start to creep out.
In the end, a confrontation over food is inevitable.
I glanced over, watching the others neatly pack their bags.
“Looks like we've cleared this place out. Let's move on to the next...”
The moment I opened the door and stepped outside, I shut my mouth.
Speak of the devil.
“P-people?”
Lee Seong-chan blurted out.
A woman and a young girl who appeared to be mother and daughter.
The one who looked like the mother was holding a wooden plank, trembling.
Not a player.
“Why are they so scared...?”
“We're all carrying knives. It's only natural they'd be scared.”
The little girl, however, didn't seem very frightened.
Instead, her eyes were glued to the bread in my hand.
“Want some?”
The girl nodded vigorously.
I held the bread out to the child, and she reached for it.
Her mother, startled, tried to stop her as if I were a danger, but the child quickly snatched the bread from my hand.
“Enjoy.”
“Yes!”
I smiled gently to reassure them.
The mother glanced back and forth between the bread and me several times, then bowed her head and quickly left.
[The Angel of Benevolence smiles brightly and nods.]
[You have been sponsored 500 Coins.]
[The Judge of Consecration tilts their head, puzzled.]
[The Devil Who Mocks the Heavens jeers, ‘Typical pigeons.’]
It was safe to assume that performing a good deed guaranteed a sponsorship from the good-aligned beings.
I could understand why the Devil Who Mocks the Heavens would jeer, but that's just how angels were.
“...Why are you all looking at me like that?”
Feeling their burdensome stares, I looked and saw my companions gazing at me with admiration.
“I knew it was a good idea to follow you, oppa.”
“What's this all of a sudden?”
“Th-that's right. He may seem cold, but he has a warm heart. Like when he went back to save the students who couldn't escape the school.”
“...I don't do things without a reason.”
“Aw, hyung. Don't be shy.”
“...”
I pressed my lips together.
I stared blankly in the direction the mother and daughter had disappeared before looking away.
“Let's head back.”
Once we returned to the stadium, things were about to get busy.