Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: ACT.12 Those Who Intertwine (1)
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“I heard you’re called the Prophet.”
Jun Bo-ra, the Prophet.
According to the information Lee Seon-yul had given me, that was the name she went by.
I scoffed inwardly, though.
Future Sight was a real trait.
It was S-rank from the start, and the higher its proficiency, the further and more clearly you could see into the future.
It could even reach EX-rank later on.
Its only drawback was that it was incredibly difficult to obtain, but considering its power, that was only natural.
But that couldn’t be it.
“That’s right. Just as you said, I can see the future to some extent. You know of it, right? Future Sight?”
Jun Bo-ra pointed to her eyes.
I stared at Jun Bo-ra silently for a few seconds.
Scratching her cheek and avoiding my gaze, Jun Bo-ra finally surrendered.
“Ahaha. I figured you might have noticed. I mean, someone as good as you couldn't possibly be ignorant about the game. That's right. I don't actually have an ability like seeing the future. I just know the game's story and what's going to happen.”
Just as I expected.
The Ruler of the East had just proven, with her own words, that she was a player who had progressed quite far in the game.
It was suspicious how easily she was revealing information about herself, but I decided to watch quietly for now.
“I was given the name ‘Prophet,’ but there’s another title I prefer.”
Jun Bo-ra said, raising her index finger as if telling me to remember it well.
“And that is?”
“Strategy King!”
A proud expression, complete with a little cough.
I managed to keep my expression from hardening and listened to what Jun Bo-ra had to say next.
“You've heard of the streamer, Strategy King, right?”
“…A few times.”
I nodded.
How could I not have heard of it? It’s what they call me.
“He's an amazing guy. A nickname he got for relentlessly tackling notoriously difficult games, clearing them in no time, and creating strategy guides. The story goes that he didn't have that ID at first, but people called him that so often he eventually changed it.”
“…”
It felt incredibly strange, hearing her describe the Strategy King like that while claiming to be him.
“That’s me.”
“Don't you feel embarrassed praising yourself like that?”
“What's the big deal? It's the truth. Actually, this is something I only tell people who really know the original game well, and you've more than earned the right to know. Besides, seeing how your methods are so similar to mine, you must have been a devoted viewer.”
There was someone impersonating the Strategy King.
The first time I learned of it was from the mouth of the player who tried to kill Han Hyeok-jun when I was saving him.
So, that guy who said he posted strategies on the site must have been someone this woman acknowledged.
‘Knowing only that you should kill Han Hyeok-jun to get his trait doesn't mean you know that much.’
Her standards seemed much lower than I thought.
So how much did Jun Bo-ra know?
How much did she know to be so openly impersonating the Strategy King and spreading that information?
“The super-popular streamer, Strategy King, was actually a woman! That's enough to make anyone's popularity explode. Don't you think?”
It was true. I'd maintained a mysterious persona, never showing my face on camera and even using a voice modulator.
I had leaked almost no personal information about myself.
So a lie like that would be hard to expose.
In fact, people would probably be more inclined to *want* to believe it was true.
More importantly, before any suspicion could build, Jun Bo-ra had already established credibility by "predicting" the future, and people naturally tend to believe in the hope that a strong central figure provides.
‘Jun Bo-ra.’
The surname ‘Jun’ is rare.
Thinking back on other streamers I knew, none had that name. Not even something similar.
At the same time, I recalled the ID of the viewer I had spoken with last.
‘jun0501.’
It’s common for people to include their name or surname in their ID.
If jun0501 was one of those cases, then it was possible Jun Bo-ra was that person.
Was that viewer really impersonating me?
The more I thought about it, the more unsettling it felt.
Something was strange.
If Jun Bo-ra really was jun0501, then she should have suspected me—the one following the 'Streamer Strategy King's' methods almost exactly—of being the real one.
But Jun Bo-ra was treating me simply as 'someone who watched the Strategy King's streams for a long time,' not even considering the possibility that I was the real deal.
“Ah.”
It was true I hadn’t uploaded any videos recently.
No one who didn't watch the live stream would know about my most recent early-game plays.
Because my approach had changed drastically.
jun0501 had only dropped in for a moment during the Chapter 49 stream.
But to dismiss it entirely felt wrong; there were too many parts that lined up perfectly.
…Something, somewhere, was tangled.
I felt something sharp at my throat, and a severe thirst washed over me.
“If you're the Strategy King, you're the one who's progressed the furthest in ‘End of Apocalypse.’ If that's true, you'll be a great help.”
“I knew it. I had a feeling you'd be friendly right away.”
I am the real Strategy King.
It was obvious that Jun Bo-ra was an impostor.
But what would happen if I revealed that I was the real one here?
The jun0501 I remember would probably side with me immediately, but…
‘The opposite could also be true.’
A viewer wasn't necessarily on my side.
They might even try to eliminate me to monopolize everything.
And what if Jun Bo-ra wasn't jun0501?
If the connection between Jun Bo-ra and jun0501 was just a coincidence, and they were separate people…
…given the benefits she was reaping by impersonating the Strategy King, it probably wouldn't end well.
I concluded that there was no need to reveal I was the real Strategy King.
Besides, someone who watched my streams enough or played the game enough to impersonate me would be somewhat helpful.
‘I'll use her as much as I can.’
For now, I decided to play the part of a devoted viewer of the Strategy King.
“Come to think of it, you didn't do much this chapter. Isn't that different from the original strategy?”
I changed the subject naturally.
Jun Bo-ra shrugged and replied.
“My starting point in the game was different from the one in the guide, so most of the original strategies were useless. I used what I could and changed a lot to fit the situation. Plus…”
Jun Bo-ra's gaze drifted into the empty air.
She was tracking something that wasn't here.
“Can't let the devil play us for fools, right? I figured if I just stayed put, you'd take care of everything.”
“You knew about me before this?”
“What are you talking about? You're the one who sent people.”
Lee Seon-yul's party, I assumed.
It seemed they successfully made contact with Jun Bo-ra.
“There should have been a grace period for the fight.”
“Oh, that?”
Jun Bo-ra chuckled and answered as if it were nothing.
“I did fight. I cleared out all the minor rulers in the area.”
“So the only rulers left are you and me. What do you plan to do now?”
“What's to plan? If things go according to the flow, *that* happens right after this, doesn't it?”
“I suppose so.”
Jun Bo-ra's lips curled into a grin.
It was a confident smile, as if she had already prepared for it.
“But before that. The story for Chapter 5 isn't over yet. It'll only end when one of us surrenders.”
“Are you suggesting we settle this between the two of us?”
“No, no, of course not. What good would come from us fighting? We're supposed to be partners working together for the happy ending. Here, hold out your palm.”
After saying that, she picked up a small stone from the ground.
I watched silently, wondering what she was doing, when the stone in her palm suddenly appeared in mine.
“This is…”
“Teleportation. My main trait. We're going to use this to go to Cheongnyangni Station now.”
No wonder she arrived in the north so suddenly. If she had Teleportation as a trait, it made perfect sense.
…No, wait.
A thought flashed through my mind, and my eyes widened as I glared at Jun Bo-ra.
The Teleportation trait isn't common.
It's not easy to obtain even if you try, and at this stage, you could count the number of 'NPCs' with the Teleportation trait in the entire country on one hand.
And yet, I'd already encountered two people with it.
The one who disappeared with Hwang Chan-jin.
What if Jun Bo-ra was working with Hwang Chan-jin?
“What are you doing? Things won't progress until you take over the east. Hurry up and hold out your hand. So we can teleport.”
Jun Bo-ra was still acting friendly, her face full of smiles.
I stared down at the hand extended toward me.
Was this a sturdy lifeline, or a rotten trap meant to drag me into the abyss?
I had to judge carefully.
Whether Jun Bo-ra was someone I could trust or not.
“…Alright.”
I decided to trust my gut.
What I felt from Jun Bo-ra wasn't hostility, but goodwill.
She could be someone who can perfectly hide her true intentions, but I had to take over the east anyway.
Even if she had a trap waiting, I had the power to break through it.
I nodded and extended my hand.
“Alright. Let's go!”
Jun Bo-ra grabbed my arm.
My vision blurred a few times, and in an instant, we were at Cheongnyangni Station.
The unfamiliar sensation of teleportation made me feel nauseous, but it was bearable.
“Let's begin, shall we? You know what you have to do, right?”
[The 'Ruler of the East,' Jun Bo-ra, cedes her authority.]
Jun Bo-ra grinned at me.
Ceding authority only meant she was no longer a ruler; her coins wouldn't be confiscated.
That was only natural. She might give up her ruler status for a common goal, but she wouldn't hand over her coins.
Besides, if things continued like this, then probably…
[A new ruler has been elected.]
[Ruler of the East – Kim Se-hyeon]
‘Just as I thought.’
“I already gave the order. So you could become the Ruler of the East.”
“You're handing it over so easily. Frankly, it's suspicious.”
“I wasn't going to collect any either, but my growth was feeling too slow, so I was collecting just 100 coins. If I didn't collect anything, I'd be the only one losing out, and I couldn't have that, right? Still, people would prefer to pay no taxes at all. And since the goal is to clear the chapter, I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to pass the headache and the work on to you.”
Jun Bo-ra said playfully, then used Teleportation again to return to the Seoul City Hall area.
In that time, the crown had turned iridescent.
The stage of a Conqueror, higher than a Ruler.
It was proof that the entirety of Seoul was my domain.
“This is all fine, but why the top of a building?”
“You're the king. You have to look down upon all your subjects.”
[Main Quest has been cleared.]
[As a reward, the Ruler trait and the Crown's effects are enhanced to their maximum.]
[Player 'Kim Se-hyeon' has become the Conqueror of Seoul.]
“Se-hyeon-ssi!”
“Oppa!”
My companions, recognizing me immediately with the iridescent crown, waved their hands.
System-wise, Chapter 5 was over, but it wasn't truly finished.
I took a light breath and made the same declaration as before.
[Tax Rate has been changed.]
[Tax: 0 Coins]
The cheers of the people roared.
Cuffed with power-suppressing restraints, Yoo Seong-hoon and the other two could only stare blankly at the scene.
This was the beginning.
From now on, we must fight to survive again.
Against the disasters. And the devil.
As I thought of the future to come, a sense of frustration made me furrow my brow. Just then, Jun Bo-ra casually asked a question.
“Oh, right. I have a question for you, too.”
“What is it?”
“By any chance, are you jun0501?”
The sound died.
After thinking for a long time in the frozen silence, I barely managed to open my mouth.
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Really? If not, then never mind.”
Jun Bo-ra coolly dropped the question and began to leisurely observe her surroundings.
What was that? Was there a reason for Jun Bo-ra to ask if I was jun0501?
“The person with that ID was the one who watched until the very end of the last stream. So I was just wondering.”
“…”
The problem was how she even knew that jun0501 was watching the stream at the end.
How much scheming was going on behind that smiling face?
The moment I was about to ask Jun Bo-ra something…
…the true mastermind of this fifth chapter finally appeared.
[How boring.]