Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: ACT 4. Authority of Flames (5)
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On the way, we found another convenience store, so after securing more food, we returned to the stadium.
The place had an unsettling atmosphere even before we left.
Sure enough, the moment we stepped inside, the air was thick with tension.
“They're nothing but a dictatorship hiding behind plausible excuses and military force!”
On a platform, a man was giving a speech.
“What era do you think this is? All people are equal, yet they're dividing us into classes and discriminating in the distribution of food!”
“I believe I said this yesterday! The class system is to assign people where they're best suited, and those who perform important tasks are given privileges accordingly!”
“So, are you saying the work these people do isn't important?”
The people standing watch. The people using their skills to maintain the machinery. The people caring for the sick…
They weren't even players.
Even the lowest-ranked players, like E-class, are far more useful than ordinary people, which meant the treatment of these non-players was the absolute worst.
However, the work they actually did was anything but.
The man who had retorted wasn't ignorant of this, and he swallowed a groan.
“They say there's no such thing as a noble or lowly profession. Everyone here is working hard at their assigned tasks. And yet, you classify them as the lowest class and discriminate against them simply because they haven't awakened! What's more, the preserved food in the storage is so well hidden we can't even see it, so of course, we're going to be suspicious!”
“Hear, hear!”
“Stop the discrimination!”
“Reveal the truth!”
With every word he spoke, the atmosphere grew more charged.
The crowd's voices grew more agitated, their faces flushed with excitement.
Jo Min-ah's expression soured.
“That man, he's played his cards well.”
“Played his cards well?”
“Leaving him be is dangerous, but if we try to handle it and make one wrong move, the backlash will be severe.”
“Can't we just shut him down?”
“…That's the wrong way to go about it.”
Seemingly not quite understanding, Lee Seong-chan scratched the back of his head.
Jo Min-woo was also just blinking blankly.
…If there were an intelligence stat, I would've told them to raise it a few points.
In the end, I took over the explanation from Jo Min-ah.
“If we quickly suppress that man, things might quiet down for now, but it will spread the perception that we're truly ruling by force.”
“If we show them an overwhelming difference in power so they can't rebel…”
“Then it becomes a reign of terror. It would only lend more credibility to that man's words. The situation would just keep getting worse.”
Making an enemy of someone who's good with words is tough.
Without using any force, they can turn enemies into allies and sow division from within.
The saying that words can be scarier than a sword, depending on how they're used, isn't just an empty phrase.
“Then what are we supposed to do…!”
Lee Seong-chan burst out in frustration.
With no one offering a clear opinion, a heavy silence pressed down on them.
Considering survival was the top priority, any discord should be resolved quickly.
Kim Ji-hyeon and Lee Seon-yul were nowhere to be seen, likely still out on external reconnaissance.
Hmm. This could get a little annoying.
“And that's not all.”
The man's eyes turned toward us, who had just returned to the stadium.
“They're the same. Didn't they procure additional food from outside, only to hide it away for their own use!”
The eyes of the angry crowd turned to us.
Their glares pressed us, demanding an immediate answer as to whether his words were true.
“W-what did you say!?”
“What grounds do you have for saying such a thing…!”
“If that's not the case, you can prove it. Go on, take the food in those bags to the communal storage.”
This time, all eyes fell on me.
Not the crowd's, but the pleading gazes of my party members.
They had acted on my orders. And those orders shouldn't have been wrong.
The problem was that man.
The influence of a new character who didn't appear in the original game.
How did he know we were hiding food?
His voice held too much conviction for it to be a simple guess.
[Activating skill, 'Extreme Eye'.]
[Character Information]
Name: Choi Nam-hoon
Gender: Male (32)
Strength: 1 Stamina: 1 Agility: 1 Magic: 0
Unique Ability: Wide-Area Telepathy (E)
Trait: Glib Tongue (D)
Skill: X-ray Vision (E)
Choi Nam-hoon was one of the people stirring up trouble last night.
It seems he awakened yesterday.
Of all things, he just had to awaken with abilities specialized for this kind of thing.
Tsk, I clicked my tongue.
“Of course, this food is meant to be shared. That's the mission of our external reconnaissance team.”
Choi Nam-hoon smiled broadly.
A relaxed smile that said he knew we'd respond that way.
As if in response, I smiled back.
“I apologize if it looked like we were hiding it. There was no more room in our bags, so we simply put some in our clothes. To be misunderstood for that, I must say it's frankly unpleasant for us who risked our lives to bring this food back.”
“My apologies. It was a sensitive matter for me as well, so I trust you'll understand.”
Choi Nam-hoon kept his smiling gaze fixed on me.
A silent pressure, asking why I wasn't doing what should come next.
But I feigned ignorance, letting my gaze drift past him.
In the end, Choi Nam-hoon was the first to speak.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and give me the food.”
“Why?”
“Why…? Isn't it obvious? Our entire conversation just now was in that context.”
“I'm asking why *you* are trying to manage the food.”
Choi Nam-hoon's slitted eyes opened slightly.
Before he could say anything, I beat him to it.
“The person managing and coordinating this place right now is Kim Ji-hyeon-nim. Since food is a critical issue, it's something to be reported to her, for her to decide upon. It's not for you to order us around. More importantly, we've just returned from reconnaissance, so we have many other things to report on that front as well. It seems you're subtly trying to seize authority, but surely you're not thinking of doing something as foolish as starting internal strife—which would obviously lead to self-destruction—in a situation where we all need to help each other overcome this crisis, are you?”
I fired off the words like a machine gun before he could even object, leaving him unable to find an opening to interject, his lips twitching.
For Choi Nam-hoon, who had to appear as if he was merely fighting for their rights, he couldn't say anything more now that I had framed it this way.
“Therefore, until then, we won't touch any of this either. It's a communal asset, after all.”
As I added that last remark with a smile, the onlookers began to show signs of understanding, murmuring things like, “Well, if that's the case…”
If he tried to argue further when everyone else was convinced, it would only breed suspicion.
There was no way Choi Nam-hoon didn't know that.
And sure enough.
Choi Nam-hoon clenched his fists in frustration, but then, as if nothing had happened, he put on a bright smile.
“I understand. The reconnaissance team must be exhausted, so please get some rest.”
That's more like it.
I gave a slight smirk at Choi Nam-hoon's retreating back before turning my gaze to my party.
“Wow, hyung, that was amazing. So cool.”
“Hah, for a second there, I was worried about what would happen.”
The party members, who had been watching the exchange with bated breath, let out their remarks.
Hmm. With characters who weren't in the original game making their influence known, I, too, had to be quick on my feet.
Fortunately, this was something I had anticipated, so I was able to handle it immediately, but I knew more variables would appear in the future.
I'd have to start thinking of countermeasures for a wider range of situations.
“You can put the bags down. Carrying them around will just drain your stamina.”
“Ah, right…”
At my words, the party members took off their bags with a shallow sigh.
I stared down at the bags on the floor.
Choi Nam-hoon had used X-ray Vision to check what was in our bags.
He must have seen some of the food hidden deep in the bags or inside our clothes and thought, ‘Aha!’ then decided to use it to his advantage.
But I have an ‘Inventory’.
No matter how good his X-ray Vision was, it couldn't see into the subspace of an inventory. Not unless it was a much higher-grade skill.
‘Even if he knew about the game, he would never imagine I have an inventory at this point.’
An inventory wasn't something just anyone could get.
It was an item that could only be obtained by paying a considerable amount of coins at the shop.
Since raising stats was a necessity, most people couldn't afford an inventory until the mid-game, generally speaking.
I checked the various preserved foods lined up in my inventory, then closed it.
“As expected, in a world like this, there's always one of *those* people.”
Go Yeong-jun muttered under his breath.
He had the same cold, sunken eyes as when he spoke about Park Tae-min.
He silently turned his head to watch the twins, who were nibbling on bread.
It was the food given to the reconnaissance team as a reward for their hard work.
…Should I give it to them now?
It would take too long for the twins to acquire that power naturally.
I had been working to hasten that process, but the problem was whether the two, who hadn't even developed properly yet, could handle it.
No. I shouldn't rush.
Rushing things could just make the situation worse.
“What are you going to do?”
One of the remaining players who had followed me asked cautiously.
I knew what he was referring to, but I played dumb.
“About what?”
“I mean about what's next. The stadium attack. We didn't get the Authority of Flames, so we'll have to endure it with our weak forces. Do we even have a chance…?”
“I've already thought about that. I'll have to discuss it during my report anyway, so for now, you all just have to trust me and wait.”
The two looked at each other, then nodded.
They had no choice but to keep trusting me.
And I had a plan that would clearly show them their choice was not a mistake.
***
Sometime later.
Even after key figures who had gone outside, like Lee Seon-yul and Kim Ji-hyeon, returned, the situation didn't improve.
A cold war.
That was the perfect description for the situation.
“…”
Even E-class players with no combat abilities were assigned to watch duty.
Naturally, there were also unawakened people standing watch, so the guards were more focused on glaring at each other than doing their jobs.
Something that should never have happened was occurring, all because of one man's incitement.
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I approached Kim Ji-hyeon, who was clearly troubled.
“Ah, Se-hyeon-nim.”
Lee Seon-yul, who also had dark circles under his eyes, greeted me with at least a hint of welcome.
For a moment, I thought about how much trouble they were going through, even if it was under orders from above.
“Based on our investigation, I'm afraid I have some bad news to report.”
At my words, Lee Seon-yul's eyebrows twitched.
Bad news.
There was probably nothing he wanted to hear less.
“Bad news, you say…?”
“After analyzing the movement patterns of the demonic beasts, I believe a large-scale attack on this location is imminent.”
“…!”
My voice hadn't been quiet, and I could hear sharp intakes of breath from those nearby.
Some even chattered their teeth, as if their terror had been reawakened.
Lee Seon-yul let out a low groan.
“Are you certain about that?”
This time, it was Kim Ji-hyeon.
“I'm certain. Whether it's to block some of our escape routes, the bridges are already unusable.”