Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: ACT. 11 The Hoax (3)
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The signal for the counterattack was fired.
It all started with Choi Yeon-soo.
“All troops, turn back!”
The moment Choi Yeon-soo, the commander, shouted the order, those who had been pretending to suppress the rebellion dropped their masks in unison and turned.
“Huh? Wh-what!?”
“Why are you attacking allies… Kugh!”
A betrayal from an ally behind you is far more terrifying than an enemy in front.
Yoo Seong-hoon's forces began to crumble in an instant, and I too sprang into action.
“Hyung!”
“Oppa!”
The twins' cheerful greeting.
“Where have you been?! Why are you only showing up now!?”
Cha Eun-ha, who sounded annoyed but was inwardly relieved and happy.
Jeong Ha-yeon, giving a weary smile.
“Sorry. It was part of the plan.”
Receiving the gazes of my party, which were a mix of relief and anger, I felt a little guilty.
To deceive the enemy, first deceive your allies.
It's a basic tenet of warfare.
The fewer people who know the truth, the better.
“I knew it. You had something planned, Oppa.”
Jo Min-ah smiled faintly, as if in relief.
I gave a bitter smile and turned my gaze to Yoo Seong-hoon.
Yoo Seong-hoon's face was a mixture of a hollow laugh and a sneer.
“Ha, this is absurd. The guy who ran away is back now? You plan to fight another Ruler without even the Ruler's bonus? Are you insane?”
“I'm doing it because it's possible.”
“What nonsense are you spouting… Huk!?”
The sword I swung as a threat grazed Yoo Seong-hoon's neck by a few millimeters.
Yoo Seong-hoon's face instantly turned pale as he flinched and stumbled backward.
“Wh-what. How can you be that fast…”
“I told you. It's possible.”
I grinned and increased my speed even more.
Yoo Seong-hoon hurriedly tried to parry my attacks with his sword, but he could barely block them by a hair's breadth.
Still, the only reason he could block at all was because he was the Ruler of the Gold Crown.
No, if he hadn't taken the North and been strengthened as a Ruler, he probably wouldn't have been able to block them at all.
Even so, the difference was clear.
Clang!
This time, I put my full force into a direct frontal assault.
Yoo Seong-hoon managed to block my kick by crossing his arms, but he couldn't negate the force of the blow and was sent flying through the window.
“Jeon Do-jin-nim. Please take care of Park Seong-woo. With your power, you should be able to handle him easily. Please send the others outside to help the people.”
“Understood.”
Jeon Do-jin smiled faintly and immediately turned, moving toward Cha Eun-ha and the twins.
Park Seong-woo had his own defenses against electrical attacks, but they weren't enough.
Jeon Do-jin's power was S-rank.
Even at the same rank, it's normal to struggle due to elemental disadvantages. Being a lower rank, he stood no chance.
“Wh-what in the world is…!?”
Following Yoo Seong-hoon, I leaped out the window and saw him with his face contorted in anger.
Thanks to his maxed-out stamina stat, the fall from the second floor didn't seem to do any damage.
“Kim Se-hyeon-nim is back!”
“Let's drive out the tyrant!”
[The Judge of Consecration is excited.]
[The Devil Who Mocks the Heavens watches with great interest.]
Maybe it was because he didn't like the situation itself.
Or maybe he didn't like the sight of them, who couldn't even meet his eyes before, now acting so triumphant.
Yoo Seong-hoon screamed, his voice thick with irritation.
“Kim Se-hyeon abandoned you and ran away! You all know that!”
“…Th-that's true.”
“Didn't he just come back because he saw an opportunity with the coup…?”
His words had an effect; the people flinched and began to murmur.
Seeing this, Yoo Seong-hoon's lips curled into a smirk as he shouted again.
“He's no different from me! He abandoned you once!”
“That is not true. Everything was for your sake.”
However, Choi Yeon-soo appeared and cut Yoo Seong-hoon off.
“It was their trap. They held your lives hostage, threatening to kill everyone, not just suppress them, if Kim Se-hyeon-nim didn't voluntarily give up his position as Ruler. He had no other choice.”
“Wh-what did you say?”
Yoo Seong-hoon was dumbfounded, then his face turned beet red, veins popping on his neck.
“When did I ever say that!? I never did!”
“Look at his despicable display! It wasn't enough for him to spread false rumors that Kim Se-hyeon-nim abandoned us, now he denies his own disgraceful actions!”
No matter how much Yoo Seong-hoon tried to deny it, Choi Yeon-soo stayed one step ahead.
How to move people's hearts.
Choi Yeon-soo knew all too well.
“You must not forget. Yoo Seong-hoon is a man who has already 'completely' abandoned you once! But what about Kim Se-hyeon-nim? He came back! In our moment of greatest need! For us!!”
Yoo Seong-hoon's eyes, bloodshot with rage and a sense of betrayal, were fixed on Choi Yeon-soo.
It was already too late to turn the situation around.
The people's reactions showed it.
The morale of the rebels soared to the heavens, while Yoo Seong-hoon's forces, their morale plummeting, became passive in their response.
*Were we the bad guys?*
The moment that thought crossed their minds, their will to fight was broken.
“Choi Yeon-soo…! You son of a bitch, are you betraying me!?”
“Betray? You should choose your words more carefully.”
Choi Yeon-soo's lips curled slightly, as if pitying him.
“I was never on your side to begin with.”
Watching this, I was busy suppressing the laughter that threatened to burst out of me.
*Wow, he's a great actor.*
*He didn't seem like this just a while ago.*
“Kim Se-hyeoooooon!!!”
Yoo Seong-hoon, having spotted me, screamed my name violently.
He looked completely unhinged.
With a little editing, it could almost look like he was crying out the name of a departed lover.
“If it weren't for you, if only you weren't here…!!”
Dodging the emotionally charged attacks, I glanced to one side.
In a place where people wouldn't easily notice, the devil was watching everything.
[Fools, absolute fools. Kyahaha!]
They should be joining forces to survive, but instead, they're busy fighting each other.
The reason monsters weren't appearing, even though it would create even more chaos,
was because the devil was controlling them, just as it had with the fishmen.
People can bicker amongst themselves, but they unite quickly when a common enemy appears.
The devil didn't want to see that happen.
As soon as this is over, the monsters that have been quietly growing stronger will attack.
*'That's why I have to end this chapter in the way that benefits me most.'*
“Ugh, what!?”
I immediately pressed Yoo Seong-hoon even more relentlessly, berating him with my words.
“You shameless bastard! Did you want to be king so badly that you'd resort to such dirty tricks? I came back because I couldn't bear to watch your vile acts any longer!”
“What bullshit is this, you son of a b—!!”
“Denying it to the very end…!”
Yoo Seong-hoon's face was so red it looked like it was about to explode.
Seeing this, the morale of those who had joined the rebellion surged even higher.
It was maddening enough to be blamed for something he didn't do, but the people around him believed it without a shred of doubt.
Was that all?
[You have received a donation of 300 Coins.]
[You have received a donation of 200 Coins.]
To the angels, I must look like a hero fighting against tyranny, so the donations were rolling in.
The angels are just living ATMs.
I remembered a viewer saying that once and let out a chuckle.
“How… how can you have this much power without even collecting taxes! This makes no sense!”
Grinding his teeth in desperation, Yoo Seong-hoon finally began to use his abilities in earnest.
Come to think of it, Yoo Seong-hoon wasn't a character from the game either.
I need to know what kind of power he has to avoid any openings.
[Using skill, 'Extreme Eye'.]
[Character Information]
Name: Yoo Seong-hoon
Gender: Male (29)
Strength: 30(+20) Stamina: 30(+20) Agility: 30(+20) Mana: 30(+22)
Unique Ability: Entangling Hallucination (B)
Traits: Firewall Bypass (C), Rich Imagination (B), Mind Parasite (B)
Skills: Delirium (B), Hallucinatory Smoke Screen (C)
It seems his abilities are primarily illusion-based.
Seeing this, a long smile spread across my face.
In truth, illusion-type abilities are a headache and incredibly annoying to fight against.
Their main use is to invade the target's mind, create hallucinations, and render them unable to fight properly.
[You are affected by 'Entangling Hallucination'.]
[Nullified by the unique effect, 'Watcher Beyond the Screen'.]
It was a power that had no effect on me whatsoever.
“Keok!!”
Yoo Seong-hoon, with a long gash across his chest, staggered backward.
Bright red blood spread through his clothes.
His eyes, clouded with pain, seemed to ask, 'How?'
“Your powers don't work on me at all.”
Just as Jeon Do-jin could easily handle Park Seong-woo, I could easily handle Yoo Seong-hoon.
Yoo Seong-hoon desperately used his ability again, but it was pointless no matter how many times he tried.
“Damn it, damn it…!”
Because his unique ability was so convenient, Yoo Seong-hoon had no actual combat skills.
In other words, his combat prowess was lacking.
He wasn't weak.
If his abilities worked properly, his build could overcome even significant stat differences.
The problem was that he became completely powerless when they didn't.
“Dammit!!”
Yoo Seong-hoon swung his arm, and something like powder instantly turned into smoke.
It then spread out like a smoke screen, instantly covering the area.
If 'Hallucinatory Smoke Screen' was used at B-rank, its radius was probably about 10 meters.
It was named so because anyone who entered the smoke screen would start seeing illusions.
He should know that illusions are useless against me.
There should be no reason for him to use that skill.
*'Is he trying to block my vision?'*
Not a chance.
Because it's not just illusions that don't work on me.
[Using skill, 'Extreme Eye'.]
I can see clearly inside the smoke screen.
As if it wasn't there at all, I could see Yoo Seong-hoon moving hurriedly within the smoke.
Is he planning to get behind me for a surprise attack?
“Die…!”
“I can see everything.”
Slam!
Just as Yoo Seong-hoon was about to attack, I grabbed him and slammed him onto the ground.
Yoo Seong-hoon let out a choked gasp and, with a face contorted in pain, spat out his words.
“H-how? It was a perfect surprise attack!?”
“It's only a surprise attack if the opponent doesn't see it coming. If they do, it's not a surprise.”
I raised my sword to finish Yoo Seong-hoon off.
Just as I was about to swing my sword at the wide-eyed, terrified Yoo Seong-hoon,
something flew rapidly toward my head.
Twang!
Whatever it was, blocked by my sword, vibrated for a moment before falling to the ground.
Following that, a volley of arrows aimed at my vital points flew in, forcing me to move away. I checked the arrow stuck in the ground.
An all-black arrow, from the tip to the shaft.
It was the same type of arrow used by Kim Tae-woo, the Ruler of the South in the original game.
Seeing it, I frowned slightly.
*What? I thought the Ruler of the South had changed.*
“Kim Tae-woo, Ruler of the South. A bit late, but I'm here.”
Sure enough, as the smoke cleared, a figure was revealed.
He looked exactly as I remembered the Ruler of the South.
*'Did he retake his position as Ruler in that time?'*
It's not impossible.
Even if he was a character from the game, he was still a living person.
If someone had tricked him and taken his position, it was entirely possible for Kim Tae-woo to drive that person out and take it back.
“You're late, you bastard!! And that last shot almost hit me!”
“I could have killed you first. Watch your mouth, Yoo Seong-hoon.”
As Kim Tae-woo replied, aiming his bow, Yoo Seong-hoon's face twisted in anger and he spat out a curse.
“My arrows are imbued with a powerful curse. Even though you blocked it, your weapon should be unusable now.”
An ominous energy flowed from the arrow on the ground, staining the surrounding earth black.
A long-range attack with a bow. And a method that inflicts a curse even if blocked.
That was the source of the power that made Kim Tae-woo the Ruler of the South.
I glanced at my sword and saw something black rising from the spot where I blocked the arrow.
Kim Tae-woo gestured with his chin as if to say 'See?', but I just scoffed.
Shaaa…
The curse disappeared.
To be precise, it was purified, vanishing without a trace.
Kim Tae-woo narrowed his eyes.
“…How?”
“The Sa-in-cham-sa-geom has an absolute advantage against all things impure. A mere curse like that won't work.”
There are many items you can get early on besides the Sa-in-cham-sa-geom.
And yet, there's a reason I rated it so highly.
It has so many uses.
Crackle.
A golden aura emerged from the Sa-in-cham-sa-geom and quietly enveloped me.
The cursed energy trying to cling to me failed to penetrate the aura and was repelled, causing Kim Tae-woo's face to stiffen.