Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Fraud (2)
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“I had a feeling.”
I spoke first, slowly closing the distance.
“But I never thought you’d actually be taking the solo route.”
Hwang Chan-jin didn't respond.
The thumb of the hand holding his scabbard merely shifted, ready to draw the blade at any moment.
I shifted my gaze to Hwang Chan-jin's other hand.
It was the same item I'd just acquired.
“You’re one to talk.”
As if sensing my gaze, Hwang Chan-jin spoke this time.
His voice was laced with cold fury.
He looked ready to charge at any moment, yet for some reason, he didn't.
“Why did you suddenly give up on the Ruler and come after this thing? Abruptly changing your route is inefficient.”
“I had a good idea.”
I replied with a shrug.
Hwang Chan-jin's expression didn't change much, but I noticed something was different from last time.
Wariness.
It wasn't just caution because of the Sa-in-cham-sa-geom; he seemed wary of me as a person.
I thought he'd rush to kill me on sight, but he's not that foolish, it seems.
“It seems you've already taken care of the other one.”
“That's right.”
I affirmed coolly and took out the item.
In response, Hwang Chan-jin also held out the item in his hand.
“This is what you want, isn't it?”
“You too.”
The air instantly grew tense.
To execute the plan reliably and safely, both are needed.
That was true for both me and Hwang Chan-jin.
So he wasn't giving up on the Ruler by taking the solo route.
Could it be that Hwang Chan-jin's goal is to swallow up the areas the Rulers have vacated?
I can't let that happen.
If Hwang Chan-jin gets his hands on three of the five areas, things will get complicated.
‘I can't let that happen.’
Here and now, I have to fight him and take that item.
Swoosh.
At that moment, I felt something strange.
An unusual energy emanated from Hwang Chan-jin.
The stat limit is 30.
But the power I felt from Hwang Chan-jin was equivalent to stats in the 40s or 50s.
Even if he scraped together every bonus stat available, it should be impossible to have this much mana.
I immediately used Extreme Eye.
[Unable to designate target due to an unknown cause.]
…What is this?
‘An unknown cause?’
This text doesn't exist.
When a skill fails, it always gives a clear reason why.
If the target countered it with a higher-grade skill, it would say so. If they were protected by an item, it would say that.
It never shows a message like that.
‘I don't know what he's done, but…’
I can figure it out after I take him down.
Even if he's dramatically raised his stats to 50, he's still weaker than me.
“I have no intention of fighting you right now. I have a promise to keep, and you're one of the candidates.”
Just as I was about to draw my sword, Hwang Chan-jin said that.
I tried to ignore him and attack anyway, but…
Fwoosh!
Someone suddenly appeared right next to Hwang Chan-jin, grabbed his arm, and vanished in an instant.
My sword uselessly cut through the empty air.
An incredulous laugh escaped me at the unexpected intervention of a third party.
“He has a teleporter as a companion?”
That was definitely teleportation.
A B-grade one, at the very least.
It was a mistake to assume he'd be alone, given his personality.
A player with teleportation. A truly unexpected variable.
And teleportation isn't even a common power.
Besides, among the NPCs from the original game, there's no one he could have gotten to cooperate with him at this stage.
In other words, that person was someone from the same reality as me.
So, the variable I was worried about has finally emerged.
‘I'll have to consider the possibility of Hwang Chan-jin showing up at a bad time.’
I clicked my tongue and put the item back into my inventory.
I only got the hidden reward once and obtained just one item.
One item alone will make things a bit tight on time, but…
It's fine. If I time it right, it's perfectly possible with my current strength.
His last words are bothering me, but it's not like I can figure them out now.
I shook my head and started down the mountain path.
***
“What's with all the noise?”
Yoo Seong-hoon, who had been sleeping soundly, woke up scratching his head.
Choi Yeon-soo, who was already standing right beside him, answered immediately.
“It's a coup.”
“A coup? Have they all lost their minds? Against a gold crown, not a bronze one?”
A derisive snort escaped him.
“They still haven't come to their senses. Was doubling the taxes not enough? Seeing as they can't wake up from their sweet little dream, it seems they need a stronger shock.”
“A beating is the only cure for a mad dog that bites its master.”
“Where are they?”
“Their scale is quite large. Most of them are spread throughout the area and converging here, and a detachment just infiltrated the city hall building. They should be on the second floor by now.”
“That large? Then how are we holding them off?”
“I created a response team in advance, just in case something like this happened.”
“Pfft! That's my Choi Yeon-soo! A detachment, you say? Lead me to them. They need a harsh lesson to wake them from their slumber.”
The smile on Yoo Seong-hoon's lips showed no sign of fading.
That's how pleased he was with Choi Yeon-soo's work.
But that wasn't all.
Yoo Seong-hoon had absolute confidence.
The confidence of victory, that he couldn't possibly lose under any circumstances.
Seeing the golden crown above his head in the mirror, his smile deepened.
“Yoo Seong-hoon!!”
“Well, well. If it isn't Im Byeong-hwi. So you're the one behind this?”
Im Byeong-hwi's voice rose the moment they met in the second-floor hallway.
As the one who had assisted Yoo Seong-hoon in the north, Im Byeong-hwi's resentment toward him was at its peak.
“Then I'll go hold them off outside.”
Choi Yeon-soo subtly slipped away, but no one paid him any mind.
All eyes of the rebels were fixed on Yoo Seong-hoon.
“Everyone. I'm counting on you.”
He wanted to fight, but he lacked the strength.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, Im Byeong-hwi stepped back.
In his place, Jeon Do-jin nodded and stepped forward.
“Huh, what's this? Why is Jeon Do-jin here? So this is what you were banking on?”
Yoo Seong-hoon chuckled and rolled his stiff shoulders.
Seeing him so unconcerned, Cha Eun-ha narrowed her eyes.
Even with the effects of the Ruler trait, to show no tension against an S-class player like her master was strange.
And it wasn't just Jeon Do-jin. They were here too.
Yoo Seong-hoon should know better than anyone that being so outnumbered would make it hard to win, so his composure was definitely odd.
“We'll join in too!”
“Unfortunately, that won't be possible. I'll have to be your opponent.”
Just as Cha Eun-ha drew her sword and moved to act, a third voice rang out from the opposite direction of Yoo Seong-hoon.
Im Byeong-hwi, who was at the very back, turned to check, thinking 'no way,' and froze like ice.
“Impossible… Not just Yoo Seong-hoon, but that person stayed here too…!? I confirmed the western forces were returning!”
The Ruler of the West, the mad scientist Park Seong-woo.
The one who appeared from behind was none other than him.
“Of course. The union agreed to take equal shares of the north. It would be a problem if only one of us remained.”
“Your intentions are obvious. Did you think we wouldn't prepare for that?”
Yoo Seong-hoon sneered and raised his middle finger.
Things were going wrong.
Sirens blared in Im Byeong-hwi's head, but he quickly reassessed the situation.
“S-Still, that one should be manageable! At least he won't have the effect of the Ruler trait…!”
“No. The north is currently divided into 'shared stakes.' I also receive the Ruler bonus here.”
Ping. A golden crown appeared above Park Seong-woo's head.
Proof that he was under the effect of the Ruler trait.
Two people receiving the Ruler effect.
Everyone's faces hardened gravely.
‘We're screwed.’
Im Byeong-hwi, his head bowed, trembled.
“The coup… is a failure. We can't win this in terms of strength.”
“We can't give up. We have nowhere to retreat, right?”
“B-But.”
“Everyone here is planning to fight.”
“We won't know until we try.”
Deciding to give it a shot, the five, excluding Im Byeong-hwi, entered combat.
Fwoosh!
At Jo Min-ah's gesture, five blue fireballs appeared.
Normally, with Jo Min-ah's mana reserves, creating five at once would be impossible, but the increase in proficiency through training had made it possible.
Their morale boosted by her reliable display, the party members readjusted their grips on their weapons and glared at Park Seong-woo.
“A miscalculation.”
Yoo Seong-hoon, who knew Park Seong-woo's power, scoffed.
‘They should have sent Jeon Do-jin that way.’
Jeon Do-jin was a perfect counter to Park Seong-woo.
If they had pitted Jeon Do-jin against Park Seong-woo and had the rest swarm him, it honestly would have been tough.
But with the exact opposite matchup, the outcome was as good as decided.
Yoo Seong-hoon just had to keep Jeon Do-jin occupied, and in the meantime, Park Seong-woo would annihilate the rest.
“Oh-ho. Someone who wields fire. Blue flames, no less. That's the color of the highest temperature. A color that only appears at around 25,000 degrees Celsius, so the fact that fireballs of that size exist should mean the surroundings are already melting. The fact that they aren't means the color change isn't due to temperature… How very interesting.”
As if feeling no danger at all, Park Seong-woo stroked his chin, showing intense interest.
In response, Cha Eun-ha mimed gagging.
“Ugh, a science nerd. And an explainer to boot.”
“...More importantly, he's not tense at all. Is the gap between Rulers and regular players that big?”
“No. We can do this. Min-ah, you got an A-grade power, right? Min-ah will be the ranged dealer. Min-woo, you and I will just poke at him, deflecting his attacks, then strike and pull back when we see an opening.”
As Cha Eun-ha quickly gave orders, the twins' eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“Explaining your strategy loud enough for the enemy to hear. How kind of you.”
“Says the pervert holding out a listening device!”
“Hahaha.”
Park Seong-woo laughed cheerfully and threw off his white lab coat.
At that moment, Cha Eun-ha and Jo Min-woo froze, their mouths agape.
He had just revealed why he was called the mad scientist.
Underneath the white coat were machines that looked like they came straight out of a science fiction movie.
The partially visible parts of his body, seemingly modified, looked bizarre.
Before the two could even approach, lasers shot out from various gun barrels, sealing off their movements.
“Dodge!!”
Jeong Ha-yeon screamed.
Chiiiiik!
Where they had barely dodged the laser, a long, molten scar remained.
If one of those so much as grazed them.
Jo Min-woo imagined it for a moment and flinched back in chilling fear.
“I'll open a path!”
Jo Min-ah, who had been observing the situation, stepped forward.
Fwoosh!
The blue fireballs flew toward Park Seong-woo, each taking a different trajectory.
However, Park Seong-woo, still smiling leisurely, intercepted them with his lasers, destroying all the fireballs at once.
“Die, you pervert bastard!!”
Seizing the brief moment Park Seong-woo's attention was on the fireballs, Cha Eun-ha charged in.
Lightning Speed Flash Step.
It was Cha Eun-ha's trait, allowing her to close the distance with an opponent in an instant with lightning-like speed, but the moment she entered attack range, she was repelled as if by an invisible barrier.
“Kuh!?”
“It's a reverse-gravity field. Designed to repel anything that gets too close. Amazing, isn't it? To forcibly capture undiscovered gravitons and make this possible. Once we prevent the apocalypse, science will surely advance much further.”
Park Seong-woo nodded with a bright smile.
In contrast, Cha Eun-ha's face twisted in a scowl.
‘What kind of broken character is this!?’
If you get close, you get repelled, but if you keep your distance, he unleashes a deadly barrage.
Jo Min-ah tried to attack again, but likewise, the lasers quickly intercepted her, rendering her efforts useless.
She couldn't use her fire in other ways either, as the entire building might burn down.
On top of that, in the fight between Jeon Do-jin and Yoo Seong-hoon, Jeon Do-jin wasn't able to overwhelm him.
The end of this coup was obvious. There was no hope.
Having reached that conclusion, Im Byeong-hwi squeezed his eyes shut.
“Looks like I've arrived at the perfect time.”
Just then, as if by a miracle, someone appeared.
At the sound of the voice he had been desperately waiting for, Im Byeong-hwi's head snapped around.
“S-Se-hyeon-nim…?”
“I've kept you waiting. This required some preparation.”
It was unmistakable.
Kim Se-hyeon, who had suddenly vanished, was standing there with an apologetic smile.
Why now? Why did you suddenly disappear?
He wanted to demand answers, but the overwhelming relief that a reliable ally had returned was stronger.
“Let's begin the counterattack.”