Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: ACT.36 Twisted Justice (2)
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“You’re alive!”
Jo Min-woo smiled brightly and tried to approach Go Yeong-jun, but Jeong Ha-yeon blocked his path.
Jeong Ha-yeon was glaring at Go Yeong-jun, her eyes hard and intimidating.
“It’s been a while, Nuna.”
“…What did you just do? Why did you kill those people?”
“Was something wrong with that?”
Go Yeong-jun replied with a twisted smile.
“They were completely tied up. They were subdued. There was no need to kill them.”
“Why is that such a big deal?”
“Go Yeong-jun.”
“Is it so wrong to kill people who deserve to die?”
Jeong Ha-yeon strode up to Go Yeong-jun.
*Slap!*
The sound was so sharp it hurt just to hear it.
Go Yeong-jun's head whipped to the side, the motion so violent that the startled twins moved to stop Jeong Ha-yeon.
Go Yeong-jun's eyes remained devoid of emotion.
Instead, he looked at Jeong Ha-yeon as if he felt no pain and spoke coldly.
“Let's call it even. If it were anyone else, their wrist would have been severed before they even touched me.”
“How can you say something like that…”
“Ha-yeon-ssi. This isn't the time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves. Go Yeong-jun, you stop too.”
Fearing this would escalate into a real fight, I quickly intervened.
Jeong Ha-yeon slowly lowered the arm she had raised again.
Go Yeong-jun then turned his head away from her.
Perhaps it was because Go Yeong-jun had changed so much.
Unlike before, the twins couldn't bring themselves to approach him.
“Can you explain what happened all this time?”
“…Didn't you hear it from that person who abandoned her people and ran away alone?”
“I…!”
At Go Yeong-jun's sharp gaze, Jun Bo-ra bit her lip, stopping herself from saying more.
In the end, Jun Bo-ra had fled, and it was true that without a leader, things had descended into chaos.
No excuse could change that fact.
“Not that. Your story. You're completely different from what I heard about you not long ago.”
Instead of answering, Go Yeong-jun stared silently at Jun Bo-ra.
His emotionless eyes were sunken and deep, unlike those of a middle school student.
“I don't know how you have the nerve to come back. Do you know what happened after you disappeared? Do you have any idea how many people were sacrificed?”
“Yeong-jun, you don't have to say it like that. Nuna almost died too.”
“That person was the ruler of the faction that controlled this place. She failed to protect those she was supposed to. She ran away, leaving all the responsibility to the people here.”
“It's not Jun Bo-ra unni's fault. You know she was under mind control…”
“So she's not at fault because she was mind-controlled? Don't make me laugh. Because of those bastards, Lee Seon-yul hyung and Su-ji died. What do you think I felt when I was separated in the chaos and saw the moment they died?”
Overwhelmed by Go Yeong-jun's presence, no one present could speak.
Meanwhile, I was checking Go Yeong-jun's status.
[Character Information]
Name: Go Yeong-jun
Gender: Male (15)
Strength: 41(+4) Stamina: 35(+4) Agility: 42(+4) Mana: 21(+4)
Unique Ability: One Who Lost the Light (B)
Traits: Cold-blooded (A), Swordsmanship (B), Corruption (S), Killing Intent (A), Avenger (B)
Skills: Killing Intent Emission (C)
He'd grown quite well for someone who received no support.
Among them, the one that stood out by far was the S-rank Trait.
Corruption.
‘Corruption is the name the Tainted by Darkness Trait evolves into when it reaches S-rank.’
Tainted by Darkness cannot be upgraded with coins.
Only when the player's own heart is stained by darkness.
Since it was a Trait that reacted only to that, the fact it had reached S-rank and changed to Corruption was an indicator of how much Go Yeong-jun's spirit had been worn down.
“Those two…?”
Jo Min-ah's eyes trembled slightly.
Jeong Su-ji would have some effect on the twins, but the bigger problem was Lee Seon-yul.
I couldn't imagine what would happen to Kim Ji-hyeon when she heard this news.
She might already have some idea, since she couldn't contact him.
Though they bickered, he was her most cherished subordinate. It was obvious she would go on a rampage after hearing he'd died.
I had to finish this before that happened.
“Do you know where the ringleader is?”
If she was continuously using suggestion to incite people, she must be showing herself.
That was the way to catch Ada.
“I was planning on settling things anyway… Follow me.”
Go Yeong-jun moved familiarly through the alleys.
He weaved through the paths so expertly that even Jun Bo-ra was surprised such backways existed. When they arrived, a procession that looked like a protest was underway.
“Drive out the fake!”
“The impostor must step down!”
“Let's unite under the real Strategy King!”
The chants weren't much different from what the people in the alley had been saying.
They would just be shouting slogans one moment, but the instant an opposing faction appeared, they would immediately resort to violence.
“You're the ones being deceived and incited by the fake!”
“You traitors!”
“There's a follower of the fake Strategy King!”
“Get them!”
They swarmed those who were still on Jun Bo-ra's side, fighting back, and beat them collectively.
Mental-type powers tend to be more effective on those with relatively lower ranks.
As such, their individual strength was low, but when they pushed with sheer numbers, there was no way to withstand them.
On top of that, if they retaliated carelessly, they would draw the ire of the angels.
‘They called it a civil war, but…’
The scales were already heavily tipped.
The numbers were a problem, but so was the restriction of not being able to attack carelessly.
It was a foregone conclusion that Jun Bo-ra's supporters would be pushed back.
Jun Bo-ra tightly gripped the edge of her robe.
“…Sorry. I can't just stand by and watch.”
After biting her lip for a long moment, Jun Bo-ra vanished with a whoosh.
She had used Teleport to go rescue the people.
“Ugh!?”
Those Jun Bo-ra touched were teleported several meters into the air and then fell.
It wasn't enough to cause injury, but it would shock them enough to immobilize them for a short while.
“Teleport? N-no way…”
“Jun Bo-ra-nim! You're safe!”
“Sorry. Am I too late?”
“Not at all! We believed you would return!”
Jun Bo-ra smiled apologetically and stood in front of the people, shielding them.
That idiot.
What does she think she's doing, revealing herself in this situation?
‘It's not that I can't understand how she feels, but…’
It was too emotional a decision.
She chose to walk the harder path.
I sighed softly, drew my sword, and subdued an attacker aiming for Jun Bo-ra's blind spot in a single move.
“At least give a heads-up before you move.”
“…Sorry.”
Still, it made a good impression on Jeong Ha-yeon and the twins.
Go Yeong-jun seemed to share my thoughts, frowning for a moment before his expression returned to its usual blankness.
*So he was planning to kill them all anyway.*
The thoughts of those who have awakened the 'Corruption' Trait are easy to read.
“It's the fake!”
“The fake has appeared!”
“Get her!”
The people who had been packing the street closed in, forming a tight, inescapable encirclement.
Subduing this many people without seriously injuring them.
It wasn't difficult, but it was bound to be nerve-wracking.
“I heard the fake Strategy King appeared, so I came to see…”
Just then, someone appeared with great pomp.
A familiar face, the mastermind behind all of this.
“I see a familiar face, too.”
Ada looked down at me with a triumphant expression.
Sitting on a chair held up by people, she looked every bit a queen, but the foundation beneath her was not a sturdy cornerstone, but a sandcastle that could collapse at any moment.
“It's her. The one who caused all this.”
Go Yeong-jun glared at Ada with a sharp gaze.
Dwayne's confession, and now Go Yeong-jun's testimony.
It was harder to believe Ada wasn't the culprit.
“So you've shown yourself. Did you like this item that much?”
I grinned and took out the item.
The Torturer's 18 Tools.
The memory of suffering from tools number 1 and 2 must have been vivid, as Ada shivered for a moment.
“W-who would… Hmph. This time is different. You're the ones who should read the situation. You know, right? If you harm these people, the angels won't look kindly on you.”
Putting on a tough act.
For a moment, her original voice even slipped out.
But Ada knew the key point perfectly.
That's why she'd orchestrated things around it.
Jun Bo-ra immediately retorted.
“The angels won't look kindly on you either for manipulating people with mental powers. Stop the incitement now.”
“Do you really think it's incitement? There's plenty of evidence that you're a fake.”
Ada covered her mouth with her hand and sneered.
“You haven't done anything spectacular; you've mostly played a supporting role. And your strength? From what I've heard, you're not even S-rank, just around A-rank. There's no way the Strategy King would still be stuck at A-rank, right? But I'm different. I reached S-rank a looong time ago, I know a lot of information, and I've performed many great feats to match.”
“The Strategy King is Korean.”
“That can be covered with suggestion. Right now, it sounds like I'm speaking fluent Korean, doesn't it? The real reason doesn't matter; for suggestion, only the result that 'I am fluent in Korean' is important.”
Jun Bo-ra clenched her fists.
So tightly that her nails dug into her skin, turning it white.
The whole situation was absurd.
Jun Bo-ra was, in fact, an impostor.
Meanwhile, L-Team was cornering her by calling her a fake to sow discord, all while believing the genuine evidence they presented was merely circumstantial.
“So-called Strategy King-ssi.”
Perhaps she thought she had her cornered.
Ada leaned forward to meet Jun Bo-ra's eyes.
“I'll give you a chance. Won't you join us?”
Ada offered, smiling brightly.
So that was her goal.
I let out a hollow laugh internally.
While outwardly claiming to get rid of the Strategy King, she was too tempting a prize for them to give up easily.
“Ah, right. It goes without saying, but if you join us, we'll give you plenty of support. You have that much potential and room for growth, after all. A large amount of coins. And good items, including the hidden pieces we've collected from all over the world. We'll give you whatever you want.”
Jun Bo-ra's eyes wavered.
Conditions the 'real' Strategy King wouldn't have even blinked at.
But Jun Bo-ra was different.
She wasn't the real Strategy King, nor did she know that many strategies.
She had only decided to imitate the Strategy King, to support me and Hwang Chan-jin—who might be the real one—from the rear.
Jun Bo-ra had gained too little for all she had done.
Jun Bo-ra barely managed to part her trembling lips.
“I…”
“She refuses.”
But before she could finish, I stepped in front of her.
“She is our precious comrade. After causing all this internal strife, making a mess of her faction, and even trying to kill her, you're now trying to win her over? Doesn't that seem a little unnatural?”
“I wasn't asking you.”
“I can make it so you can't ask at all.”
The instantly drawn Black Moon Divine Sword emitted a cold, metallic glint.
Ada flinched, her expression changing, before forcing a smile.
“I know you're incredibly strong. But you can't ignore this, can you?”
Ada snapped her fingers.
At that, people who had been hiding in the surrounding buildings appeared and leaped towards me without a moment's hesitation.
If I dodged and these people got hurt, the angels would recognize it as my fault.
This is why, aside from their sponsorship, angels are nothing but a nuisance.
‘Even if I were to give up their sponsorship.’
The real problem lay elsewhere.
If I killed everyone blocking my way, it might be easy for now, but it would make things incredibly difficult in the 'Disaster of Defying Heaven' that would appear right after.
Ada knew this, which was why she was using this method.
“You're good at playing dirty.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Seeing that I couldn't move easily, Ada gave a small, triumphant laugh and moved elsewhere.
I have no choice.
I clicked my tongue and used Army of Darkness.
“You won't get…”
“Like I'd let you get away!”
The moment I was about to use a rougher method, even at the cost of some favorability with the angels, Go Yeong-jun moved like a thunderbolt.
*Shhhlick!*
A spray of blood erupted.
With an attack that showed no mercy, all who rushed forward quickly lost their lives.
“No matter what punishment I receive, I will kill you! I'll follow you to the ends of hell and kill you! Even if you die and die again until only your soul remains, I will extinguish that soul!”
At Go Yeong-jun's roar, the others hesitated, unable to rush forward easily.
These were people whose minds were controlled, who moved without regard for their own safety.
A killing intent so strong it could make even them hesitate.
And madness.
Terrified by the sight, even the twins looked frightened.
It was enough to make even me pause for a moment, so there was nothing more to be said.
“Go Yeong-jun! Stop!”
Unable to watch any longer, Jeong Ha-yeon tried to grab Go Yeong-jun's shoulder.
But instead, Go Yeong-jun's sword was pressed against Jeong Ha-yeon's neck.
“Shut up, you hypocrite.”
The words were so filled with killing intent they sent shivers down my spine.
The blood coating the sword aimed at Jeong Ha-yeon trickled down to Go Yeong-jun's hand and dripped to the ground.
“In the end, Su-ji was killed by these bastards. That fact doesn't change.”