Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: ACT.8 ???(EX) (1)
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“Huh…?”
Perhaps it was because of the unexpected blow.
Yang Gyu-hyeok, despite his nosebleed, couldn't wipe the dumbfounded look off his face.
All sorts of questions must have been running through his mind.
Why did I get hit by a guy like that? Why couldn't I react?
To Yang Gyu-hyeok, everyone except Kim Ji-hyeon was likely written off as 'guys who got lucky and survived.'
The credit for clearing out the goblins at Sinseol-dong Station had gone to Kim Ji-hyeon and Lee Seon-yul's efforts.
I was the one who'd made sure the report to Cheon Nam-gi said as much, so it was only natural.
Therefore, it was easy to guess what Yang Gyu-hyeok was thinking.
He had let his guard down.
*If I just focus a little, I'm confident I can beat a guy like that without taking a single hit.*
Sure enough, Yang Gyu-hyeok's eyes gradually sharpened.
“Hoh. I see. I did get the feeling you were the leader of that group. So you have the skills to back it up, is that it? But you just missed a huge opportunity. If that had been a real sword just now, it would've been a golden chance. Then again, if you'd tried to draw and swing your sword, I would have reacted.”
Yang Gyu-hyeok grinned smugly and knocked his fists together.
He thinks he could react to me drawing and swinging a real sword?
With the buff from his Ruler trait, his stats would be around 40, so I could see why he'd think he was superior to others.
I swallowed a laugh.
Such incredible confidence.
If Yang Gyu-hyeok had a skill like Extreme Eye to check an opponent's stats, he would have prostrated himself on the spot.
“I see. That's a shame.”
I rolled my neck from side to side, my sword still sheathed.
I can't kill him quickly.
Not until everyone has left the Dongdaemun base.
So that I can get everything I want.
“If you miss your chance, you deserve a damn good beating!!”
Yang Gyu-hyeok charged.
*Fwoosh!*
A fist carrying menacing power flew right past my ear.
But it didn't connect.
Following that, his fists cut through the air several more times with harsh whooshes.
It was pure martial arts, without even a trace of mana in his attacks.
It might be threatening enough for other players, but I was rather disappointed.
To have a Mana stat of 25 and not be able to utilize it at all.
“You're good at dodging!”
I subtly shifted my position, taking in the sight of people moving in one direction.
Yang Gyu-hyeok, his vision narrowed by rage, didn't even notice.
Perhaps he didn't think people would be reckless enough to venture outside the base.
If he had any competent subordinates, they would have stopped the people, but Cheon Nam-gi was already moving Yang Gyu-hyeok's men in a completely different direction.
A pathetic dictator who'd lost all his forces and was left all alone.
“How...”
We were locked in a tense battle, neither of us giving an inch.
I parried all of Yang Gyu-hyeok's punches as if brushing them aside, launching counterattacks in between.
“How is this happening...!”
Disbelief filled Yang Gyu-hyeok's eyes.
Gritting his teeth to the point of exhaustion, Yang Gyu-hyeok was trying to kill me with everything he had.
And yet, I was handling him without much difficulty.
“How! How can you fight on even terms with me!!”
Finally, Yang Gyu-hyeok roared and twisted his shoulders wide.
Even terms?
What a joke.
To think he actually felt like this was an even fight.
*Shuk!*
His emotional turmoil made his movements too large.
I didn't miss the opening. I smoothly evaded his attack and drove my elbow into his chest.
“Keuk!”
Struck by the blow, Yang Gyu-hyeok staggered back.
He stepped in a puddle, soaking his shoes, but he probably didn't even notice.
He'd managed to guard and reduce the damage.
Strength, Agility, Stamina.
Those three were all maxed out to their stat limits, complemented by fitting traits and skills.
He wouldn't go down easily from something like this.
“Just... how...!”
Yang Gyu-hyeok glared, unable to comprehend.
Did he really think a guy who holed himself up in Dongdaemun and lived off taxes could earn more than me, who constantly crossed the line between life and death, maximizing quest rewards, sponsorships, and settlements?
It might have been possible if Dongdaemun had been a bit larger.
But Dongdaemun's scale had its limits for getting stronger through taxes alone.
“You probably thought you were lucky your opponent was me, and not Jeon Do-jin or Kim Ji-hyeon.”
*Thwack!*
I swung my scabbard lightly.
With a dull thud, Yang Gyu-hyeok dropped to one knee.
“Kuaaargh...!”
“If you want to defeat an enemy, you should have properly analyzed their strength first.”
“You... bastard...!”
Yang Gyu-hyeok, now like a wild beast, screamed and charged again.
I must have shattered his kneecap. The fact that he could still do that while enduring the pain was impressive.
I subtly shifted to a defensive stance and surveyed my surroundings.
It should be about time.
Not yet?
“Die! Just die! I'll tear your corpse to shreds and feed it to the monsters... Huh!?”
Yang Gyu-hyeok, who had been swinging his fists wildly, suddenly slowed down.
That wasn't all.
The power in each of his punches plummeted, and they no longer made that menacing whooshing sound.
He couldn't even control them properly; the tips of his fists wavered.
“What's happening all of a sudden...!?”
Frowning, Yang Gyu-hyeok's jaw dropped.
“My, my crown!”
When the Ruler trait activates, the image of a crown appears above the user's head.
Conversely, its disappearance meant...
...that he was no longer a Ruler.
“The Ruler trait has a condition that the size of your group must be above a certain number.”
Yang Gyu-hyeok's body froze as if stiffening, his focus shifting only to me.
“If you fail to meet even that minimum requirement, the trait naturally disappears.”
Deathly pale, Yang Gyu-hyeok frantically looked around, trembling.
It seemed he'd only just now noticed that there was no one around.
“Just a moment ago, everyone was here...!”
“The people must have left, feeling that Dongdaemun was no longer safe.”
“This is the only safe place around here! Where could be safer than...!”
“Is it?”
*Kra-koom*, thunder rumbled.
“Does it matter if that's true?”
The corners of Yang Gyu-hyeok's mouth slowly turned down.
He slowly opened his trembling lips, as if in disbelief.
He barely managed to utter a single sentence.
“Did you... did you lead the people to escape?”
I let out a laugh instead of answering.
Moving the people was easy.
The ceaseless downpour. The gloomy sky that made one feel the world was hurtling toward its end.
To this, I added spreading a ghost story about the 'unidentified fish-like monster in the basement' that my party and I had witnessed.
And if Cha Eun-ha and Jeon Do-jin, the ones most trusted and followed by the people here, took the lead in spreading it...
It was a piece of cake.
After fanning the flames as if staging a coup d'état, I shifted the direction of the instigation toward escape.
Dongdaemun was doomed to fall soon anyway.
*So, let's vent all our pent-up anger one last time and then run.*
That kind of agitation worked well, and ultimately, the plan to 'make the Ruler trait disappear from Yang Gyu-hyeok' succeeded.
“You, you bastard! You bastard...!!!”
“It must have been nice growing strong so quickly by collecting taxes.”
“Keoheok!”
I was already going easy on him, but now, it was a complete mismatch.
The difference was like a bodybuilder facing a three-year-old child.
That wasn't all.
Yang Gyu-hyeok was probably losing his mind over the system messages that kept popping up.
“Did you know?”
[Conditions have been met.]
[A coup d'état will now commence.]
[If the coup d'état succeeds, you will lose everything.]
“When a king is overthrown by a coup d'état, all of his assets are usually confiscated.”
If the rebellion succeeds, the king's fall is endless.
He'd be lucky to escape with his life, but even if he survived, only a miserable existence would remain.
The Ruler trait is the same.
'Just as you can gain great benefits easily, you also have a lot to lose.'
A Ruler has the great advantage of taxes.
And, it has an equally fatal disadvantage.
If you are defeated by a non-Ruler and your Ruler trait disappears, 150% of everything you've earned through taxes will be confiscated.
Failure means losing practically everything.
That pressure was what was crushing Yang Gyu-hyeok.
“Uwaaaaaaah!!”
Yang Gyu-hyeok swung his fists like a madman, but none of it was threatening.
On the other hand, what about me?
I had nothing to lose.
In fact, I stood to gain an immense amount after this fight.
'If the coup succeeds, a certain percentage of the confiscated assets comes to me.'
Where a king is gone, a new king rises.
It's one of the few ways to pull in a massive amount of coins at once.
“Heok, heok, heok...!”
“Looks like you're tired now.”
“This can't be happening. It can't be...!”
Grinding his teeth, Yang Gyu-hyeok's expression suddenly changed as if he'd remembered something.
“Kh, kh-kh. In the end, you're only human. You won't be able to dodge this.”
What Yang Gyu-hyeok pulled out was a pistol.
Having likely fired it many times before, he aimed the muzzle at my heart without the slightest hesitation.
Until now, Yang Gyu-hyeok probably had no reason to use a gun.
Everyone he faced was someone he could beat with just a few punches.
“I'm about to turn that annoying mug of yours into a bloody mess...!”
Yang Gyu-hyeok pulled the trigger.
The moment that unpleasantly smug grin on his lips reached its peak.
His expression, contrary to his expectations, began to stiffen.
“Wha- what? My hand won't move...”
“Did you really think you could do something with a gun, Yang Gyu-hyeok?”
The moment Yang Gyu-hyeok pulled out the gun, I drew up the darkness and bound him.
Thinking he pulled the trigger was just his delusion.
After all, there hadn't even been the sound of a gunshot.
He couldn't even perform the simple act of pulling the trigger without my permission.
“You, you hypocrite...”
Yang Gyu-hyeok could do nothing but tremble.
Helplessly watching me approach without any means to break the restraints, cursing was the best he could do.
“In the end, you're just the same! Isn't the reason you're doing this to become the Ruler?! You'll end up like this too. Once you get a taste of power and wealth, you'll change, just like me!”
I chuckled and walked toward Yang Gyu-hyeok.
That won't happen.
Because I intend to get rid of the Ruler trait completely.
“Don't make excuses. This is who you've always been.”
*If you want to know a person's true character, give them power.*
That saying wasn't wrong in the slightest.
“D-Don't come any closer.”
“That's not for you to decide.”
“I said don't come any closer!!!”
With a *thwack*, Yang Gyu-hyeok's body went flying.
I'd hit him with my scabbard, so while it wouldn't kill him, his brain would be so rattled he'd have trouble staying conscious.
“Hh, hnghh. Huuaaah...”
“Yang Gyu-hyeok.”
Writhing in pain, Yang Gyu-hyeok stopped his whimpering at the sound of my voice and trembled.
Has he even lost the will to fight?
“Do you still not realize you've been dancing in the palm of my hand from the very beginning?”
When we first arrived at Dongdaemun.
If I had wanted to fight back then, I could have just fought and suppressed them.
With Kim Ji-hyeon and Lee Seon-yul on our side, there was no way we were outmatched.
But I didn't.
'Yang Gyu-hyeok was a variable, but even variables can be used.'
If I had, it would have been impossible to acquire coins by exploiting the Ruler trait like this.
This method yields more coins than if I became the Ruler myself.
So I deliberately took my time.
I guided them to a main quest I knew to prevent the story from derailing, annihilated the goblins we had to deal with anyway, and obtained the trait I was after.
In the meantime, Yang Gyu-hyeok, having met the conditions to obtain the Ruler trait, achieved rapid growth by collecting taxes from the survivors, just as I predicted.
All without knowing that the more he gained, the more he stood to lose.
As the resentment toward Yang Gyu-hyeok grew, the favorability ratings of Jeon Do-jin, Cha Eun-ha, and the other survivors would have increased significantly. Could there be a better way?
“Y-You calculated all of that and acted accordingly...?”
Yang Gyu-hyeok's jaw dropped in disbelief.
“Why not?”
I am, after all, the streamer 'Strategy King' who played this game hundreds of times and finally cleared it.
And now, in a position where I must clear it perfectly once more.
I must use everything I possibly can.
“Y-You lunatic. You're completely insane.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
I gave a short laugh and landed another blow.
With a grunt, Yang Gyu-hyeok pitched forward and couldn't get back up easily.
[The coup d'état has succeeded.]
[Assets will be seized from the character, 'Yang Gyu-hyeok'.]
