Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Act 7. Eliminating Variables (7)
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*Tri-ling.*
A faint mechanical chime sounded, and the red light turned green.
It seemed the key card Cheon Nam-gi had given me worked perfectly.
I focused more mana into my eyes, which were already using Extreme Eye, and scanned the area.
Aside from one person at the far end of the floor, there was no one else.
The presence I detected on the 7th floor, just above, had to be Yang Gyu-hyeok.
I pictured his face crumpling in fury when he woke up and discovered Jeon Do-jin had escaped, and a faint smile touched my lips.
‘Padlocks.’
It was just as Cheon Nam-gi had said.
Steel bars with padlocks blocked the corridor at intervals. Reaching the end, where Jeon Do-jin was likely held, would require many keys.
It would have been convenient to have a 'master key' or some item with absolute power over such things.
But for me, with the Lord of Darkness trait, this was no trouble at all.
*Srrk.*
The padlock, enveloped in darkness, dissolved as if melted away.
The unobstructed gate opened without a metallic creak.
‘Looks like it doubles as a warehouse.’
Various items were scattered all over the place.
One room was even filled entirely with items.
Come to think of it, I guess taxes could be paid with items instead of coins.
I couldn't expect anything high-performance, of course, but it might be worth rummaging through on my way out.
"...Who's there?"
A few minutes after I started moving forward.
When I reached the end of the corridor, there was a room with no door.
A single figure with a grimy appearance was sitting with his back against the wall.
It was Jeon Do-jin, Cha Eun-ha's master and the man who should have been the ruler of Dongdaemun.
"Are you able to leave?"
"I wondered who this untimely visitor was, but it's an honored guest."
As Jeon Do-jin tried to stand, clanking chains pulled him back.
So they're fixed to the wall.
Jeon Do-jin wore an awkward expression.
"Haha. As you can see, I can't use my hands, so it's a bit hard to move on my own."
"I'll take care of it."
I used the darkness I'd summoned to sever the cuffs.
Jeon Do-jin's eyes widened, and he chuckled, remarking that it was an interesting ability.
"But there's still a problem with escaping so recklessly. It's not that I was captured so helplessly because I had no other options..."
"If you're worried about your disciple, Cha Eun-ha, she's already under our protection."
"Hmm? You know that much? That little spitfire would have insisted on coming along to rescue me."
She did.
I'd managed to stop her by convincing her that to complete the plan of rescuing Jeon Do-jin and taking down Yang Gyu-hyeok, we needed her help in other areas.
In fact, that part of the operation should be about halfway done by now.
No. It might even be finished already.
After all, Cha Eun-ha was friendly with the people here and well-connected.
"By the way, when you say 'we,' I take it you have companions."
"It's too risky to do something like this alone."
"So you're planning to oust Yang Gyu-hyeok?"
"Wasn't that your plan once you escaped?"
"Well, yes. Hahaha. You're a straightforward one. That's right. He needs to be driven out. If I had known what kind of person he was from the start, I never would have taken him in. Thinking about how the people here have suffered for days because of my mistake makes me realize how rusty I've gotten since I retired."
As Jeon Do-jin spoke with a self-deprecating laugh, a chilling killing intent flickered in his eyes.
Jeon Do-jin. If an S-rank player like him got serious, Yang Gyu-hyeok's gang wouldn't stand a chance, even if they all attacked at once.
He'd only remained passive because of the power-sealing cuffs and his concern for Cha Eun-ha.
But that couldn't happen.
It would be problematic if Jeon Do-jin helped with this.
"Jeon Do-jin-nim. I'd like you to leave that matter to me."
"This is Dongdaemun's affair. It's something I must resolve."
"No. There's something else I need you to do, Jeon Do-jin-nim."
"Something else?"
"I'll explain when we get back."
After saying that, I entered the room I had noticed earlier.
Items were strewn about in a complete mess.
Behind me, Jeon Do-jin clicked his tongue. "Even my Eun-ha isn't this messy."
[Activating skill, 'Extreme Eye'.]
Still, it wasn't a difficult task for me, since I could identify them instantly.
I quickly began scanning the item names, looking for anything useful.
I didn't plan on spending much time. It was unlikely there'd be any great items anyway.
Soon, I pulled a horn from the pile of items.
"What's that?"
"It looks useful, so I'm taking it."
Jeon Do-jin simply nodded without saying anything else.
There was no need to stop by Cheon Nam-gi's place.
As long as he genuinely wanted a coup, he would keep a close watch on Im Gyeong-jun on his own.
Im Gyeong-jun wouldn't try anything strange either.
From the moment Jeon Do-jin escaped, Yang Gyu-hyeok had no chance of winning. He had to know that much.
"There's a secret passage. Let's go this way."
"Oh? A secret passage? This building had one of those? How did you know about it?"
"I found it by chance."
As we left through the passage I'd used to enter, Jeon Do-jin had the same reaction as Cha Eun-ha, wondering how such a hole could exist.
He added that it was perfect for petty thieves to come and go.
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Master!!"
When we returned to our base, Cha Eun-ha immediately threw herself into Jeon Do-jin's arms.
Jeon Do-jin smiled benevolently and placed a hand on her head.
"I'm sorry, because of me, because of me, Master...!"
"No. It was my own complacency, being unable to easily deal with thugs like them."
Cha Eun-ha's eyes welled up, but she didn't shed any tears.
She seemed to be forcing them back.
Seeing her character change so drastically only in front of her master was always a fresh sight.
Jeon Do-jin bowed his head and expressed his gratitude in formal speech.
"It seems my disciple has caused you trouble. I apologize. And... thank you."
Jeon Do-jin looked at each of us slowly, as if memorizing our faces.
Then, at some point, the faint smile on his lips vanished in an instant.
It was because his eyes met Kim Ji-hyeon's.
"...You are."
"Let me say this first. These people are not members of the Jamryong Guild."
Kim Ji-hyeon cut in preemptively.
They had no connection to the Jamryong Guild.
With just that, the tension on Jeon Do-jin's face gradually eased.
"I see. I understand. Regardless, it is a fact that you helped us, so I am deeply grateful."
"..."
Kim Ji-hyeon gave a slight nod and stepped back.
It was a sign that she would no longer participate in the conversation and would only listen.
"...Is there bad blood between them?"
"I don't think so."
Jo Min-woo asked cautiously, glancing between the two.
What Kim Ji-hyeon emphasized was that we were not the Jamryong Guild.
It wasn't a problem between Jeon Do-jin and Kim Ji-hyeon, but between Jeon Do-jin and the Jamryong Guild.
As long as that fact was denied, there was no reason for friction between Jeon Do-jin and us.
I'd known it, but Kim Ji-hyeon didn't use any formal speech with Jeon Do-jin, who was considerably older.
"Shall we continue our discussion?"
To clear the slightly awkward atmosphere, I clapped my hands and spoke up.
"By tomorrow morning, news of your escape will have reached Yang Gyu-hyeok, Jeon Do-jin-nim. That's when it begins."
"We just need to act as you instructed yesterday, Se-hyeon-ssi?"
"Yes."
I nodded and turned my gaze to Cha Eun-ha.
She gave a thumbs-up and grinned, raising the corners of her mouth.
A sign that she had perfectly handled the task I'd given her.
That was enough.
The people might still be half in doubt, but they would gradually come to believe, if only because of the circumstances around them.
"Get plenty of rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day."
As I gave one final briefing on everyone's roles, the rain still showed no signs of stopping.
It wouldn't stop in the future, either.
It would pour down as if a hole had opened in the sky.
...Until this place was completely buried.
***
I felt like I'd only just closed my eyes, but morning came quickly.
And as expected, Yang Gyu-hyeok's group, their faces contorted in anger, were frantically going from house to house, searching for Jeon Do-jin.
"You sons of bitches! Where did you hide Jeon Do-jin?!"
"I-I don't know! I really don't know!!"
"And you fuckers, you couldn't even watch one guy properly and let him escape? What? You were definitely guarding the main gate?! Did he fly up into the sky or disappear into the ground?! Talk some damn sense!"
Yang Gyu-hyeok, in particular, seemed to have lost all reason.
The endless stream of curses pouring from his mouth proved it.
The frightened people came out of their houses, trembling and watching the gang's every move.
Essentially, all the survivors within Dongdaemun must have gathered.
"Let's begin."
The time was ripe.
At my signal, my companions scattered in all directions and began their role as agitators.
"Don't make me laugh! We're sick of your tyranny!"
"You evil dictator! Your reign is over!"
The people Cha Eun-ha had busily recruited yesterday joined in.
Jeon Do-jin was a player who had been active in Dongdaemun from the beginning. On the very first day of the incident, he had prioritized the people's safety and defended the base, earning their deep trust.
Could such people have no complaints about Yang Gyu-hyeok, who had cowardly driven out Jeon Do-jin and now sat on the throne, exploiting them?
In addition, while Cha Eun-ha was a spitfire, there was no one in this shopping district who didn't know her.
Recruiting people was bound to be easy.
"These bastards...!"
As the gathered crowd instantly transformed into something like a rebel force, Yang Gyu-hyeok's face flushed red.
Jeon Do-jin is already... good. It seems he's moving as instructed.
"Yang Gyu-hyeok. You are no longer the ruler of this place."
I pushed through the crowd and walked forward.
Recognizing my face, a vein popped on Yang Gyu-hyeok's forehead.
"So it was you. It was you. You're the cause of this. Ha, ridiculous. I was sitting on a cushion of thorns, and now I've actually been pricked."
"Seems to hurt quite a bit, doesn't it?"
"Hurt? Don't be absurd. Right now, I can even beat Jeon Do-jin."
Beat Jeon Do-jin?
Ignorance is a terrifying thing.
To think he could beat Jeon Do-jin—one of only eight official S-rank players in the country from the first generation—with specs like his.
"I don't think so."
"I can."
They say that when anger passes a certain point, you start to laugh instead.
Yang Gyu-hyeok let out a chilling laugh and declared.
"Because I am the ruler of Dongdaemun."
[Character Information]
Name: Yang Gyu-hyeok
Gender: Male (35)
Strength: 30(+2) Stamina: 30(+2) Agility: 30(+1) Mana: 25
Unique Ability: Dual-Faced Martial Artist (C)
Traits: Strengthened Body (C), Hitman (C), Leadership (D), Tyrant (C), Ruler
Skills: Suppression (C), Explosive Force (D)
The trait 'Ruler'.
A trait acquired when one leads a group of a certain size within a Safety Zone.
Its defining feature is that it has no rank.
'...That's the conventional explanation.'
The truth is, it's a scheme by the 'One Who Covets Treasure'.
Taxes.
With the Ruler trait, one can collect daily taxes from the people residing in the base under their control.
Just as the devil did.
They already had to pay a usage fee, and now taxes on top of that.
A structure where the weak players can't grow, and only the haves become stronger.
This was why Yang Gyu-hyeok was able to get stronger so rapidly.
Not only his stats, but the ranks of his overall skills had also risen.
It was fortunate he hadn't grown even stronger, having only recently become a Ruler.
Furthermore, upon becoming a Ruler, one must offer a portion of the taxes to the devil.
In other words, the devil granted power to the Ruler in exchange for extorting more coins from the players.
From the devil's perspective, it was like making a fortune without lifting a finger. What could be more delightful?
"The same goes for you. If you're in Dongdaemun, pay your taxes."
[Character 'Yang Gyu-hyeok' activates the trait, 'Ruler'.]
A bronze crown appeared above Yang Gyu-hyeok's head.
The crown was a sort of mark, indicating he was a Ruler.
But it wasn't gold, nor was it silver.
Meaning that while he was a Ruler, the scale of his rule was small.
'Taxes can't be collected on the first day someone joins a group. That's why I didn't have to pay yesterday.'
But now, things were different.
Normally, there would be a set time for collecting taxes, but ultimately, it was up to the Ruler.
If the Ruler decided to collect taxes, you had no choice but to pay.
This much was as I expected.
[Due to the effect of the trait, 'Ruler', you pay 300 coins in taxes.]
"Hahahaha! What a great trait! Just how many coins do I rake in a day with this!"
Rulers were also equipped with a mechanism to prevent their power from being easily usurped.
A fraudulent mechanism that increased all stats when fighting within their own base.
'It seems it's not showing up on the status window yet because we haven't started fighting.'
Even a bronze crown boosted stats by 10, so it went without saying for higher tiers.
It really is a broken system.
There was a compulsion to fight at the forefront when the base was in danger, but even that ultimately turned into coins through settlement.
"Realize for yourself how foolish it is to fight me in Dongdaemun, Kim Se-hyeon!"
Stats raised to the chapter limit, armed with C-rank traits and skills.
An ordinary second-generation player, and not even a Ruler.
There was no way they could win a fight in their opponent's territory.
If they were ordinary.
Yes. That's if things were ordinary.
"The one who needs to realize their foolishness..."
I lifted my sword, still in its scabbard, and swung it lightly.
*Thwack!* With the sound, blood burst from Yang Gyu-hyeok's nose, and he screamed.
"...is you, not me."