Chapter 76
Chapter 76
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: ACT.15 The Return of the Kings (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[Press Conference Held 9 Days After Disaster's Outbreak... Government's Shocking Statement.]
-Is it true that monsters have appeared before!?
-Yes, that is correct. People known as 'players' have been secretly responsible for eliminating these monsters, away from the public eye. The government has spared no support for these players and has taken great care to avoid causing any public confusion. This recent incident is deeply regrettable.
"So they're finally making it official," Jo Min-woo said, popping a snack into his mouth.
"They have to. After they appeared in front of so many people, trying to hide it would only backfire."
"Don't they, like, manipulate people's memories in the movies? Is that not possible?"
"There's no way they could manipulate the memories of the entire population. Besides, it doesn't seem like this is only happening in our country."
At Choi Yeon-soo's explanation, the twins nodded and turned their attention back to the news.
The day after we defeated the disaster.
The guilds, which had been missing in action, all reappeared at once, exterminating the monsters at major strategic points. They swiftly recaptured essential facilities like power plants and communication networks, allowing life to return to a semblance of normalcy.
Only a semblance, though.
Gates were still appearing, and only the major hubs had been cleared. In smaller cities, you could still be attacked by a monster at any time.
"The guilds have a good reputation. I guess it's because they're volunteering."
"It only looks like they're doing it for free. They're doing it because there's something in it for them."
The camera captured players with various abilities restoring collapsed buildings, healing the injured, and caring for the mentally traumatized.
Their intentions were obvious, but to the people on the receiving end, it was nothing but a blessing.
Now that they were out in the open, they were trying to solidify their positions.
There must have been significant political discussions behind the scenes.
I watched the twins sitting side-by-side on the sofa and downed the liquid in my glass in one go.
Aside from Choi Yeon-soo, who was bound by a contract, those two were the only ones who completely trusted and followed me.
I remembered Jeong Ha-yeon's face as she left this place, saying she would be going her own way from now on.
‘It’s not that I dislike you, Se-hyeon-ssi, or that I don't like it here. It's just... I think there's a place out there that's a better fit for me.’
Bitter.
The liquid going down my throat didn't feel smooth; it felt like it was stabbing its way down.
The fact that Jeong Ha-yeon had been with us since the apartment didn't matter much to me.
She was a kind of mixed blessing.
She wasn't trustworthy enough to be fully accepted into my party, nor was she overflowing with talent.
But she wasn't completely without talent either, and she had her moments.
Most importantly, she was one of the most likely candidates to become the proxy for the 'Judge of Consecration'.
At this rate, all my efforts to attract the Judge of Consecration's attention would be for nothing.
I tapped my fingers on the table, thinking of someone else.
...I couldn't think of anyone suitable to be the Judge of Consecration's proxy.
It wasn't that there was no one, but they were all people who would never be completely on my side.
"Tsk."
Looks like I'll have to give up for now.
The Judge of Consecration's proxy wasn't essential. It was just something that would make many things more convenient, so I wanted one if possible.
It wouldn't be a major setback if I didn't have one.
['Pranks Gone Too Far'. False Gate Reports on the Rise...]
[A Look into the Remaining Danger Zones, the 'Red Zones'.]
After watching the rest of the news for a moment, I stood up.
"Let's go. Time to get today's work done."
"Should I do the same as yesterday?"
"Please do."
Choi Yeon-soo remained at home while the twins trailed behind me.
Even though communications were restored, they still couldn't contact their parents. The gloom that had settled on their faces had lifted somewhat, at least.
It was a sad thing to say, but it was safe to assume the twins' parents were already dead.
That's how it was in the original story.
Remembering how the two had become cold-hearted after being orphaned with no one to rely on, I felt a strange emotion, seeing how different they were now.
"Are we going to patrol the area and clear gates like yesterday?"
"We have to. It'll be like this for a while."
Originally, gates didn't appear in safe zones.
That's how safe zones could exist in the first place, but after overcoming the Disaster of Verdure, the story changed.
Gates now appeared indiscriminately, both inside and outside the safe zones.
They were small-scale and appeared in clusters, so the number of monsters wasn't high, but the fact that casualties could occur at any moment was a headache.
Residential areas were no longer guaranteed to be safe.
Because of this, players like us formed parties to patrol and close gates on sight, acting as a sort of neighborhood watch.
"It's still surprising, thinking about it. I thought the guilds would just take over and occupy everything like in a novel."
"A fantasy novel?"
"I started reading them last year. They're fun."
True, at their age, it's easy to get hooked on those things.
I remember enjoying them back in the day, too.
What Min-woo said was a high possibility.
However, the five existing major guilds didn't resort to such methods at all.
"This way, players are more motivated to patrol diligently on their own."
A performance-based system isn't bad.
But nothing motivates people more than letting the one who finds and solves the problem take all the rewards.
I think it was Seong Woo-hyeon, the master of the Jamryong Guild, who suggested it.
I briefly pictured his face.
You should always be most wary of those who are always smiling.
A fearsome enemy, but a reliable ally.
There was no chance of him becoming an enemy, so I could rest easy on that front.
If anything, he'd be desperate to get me on his side.
"Let's check this area today. Min-ah, what do you think?"
"Hmm... Ah, I sense one over there."
Jo Min-ah pondered for just a second before pointing unhesitatingly in one direction.
Right on the mark again, without any error.
I felt a sense of pride.
It had been like this all along.
I would first use Extreme Eye to locate where a gate had appeared, then go near that spot and have Jo Min-ah use her detection to find it.
At first, there was a slight margin of error, but after several repetitions, her precision had improved considerably.
Guooooo...
As we approached the gate, a strange cry echoed, and giant caterpillars revealed themselves.
They were only E-rank, but the toxic liquid they spat from their mouths when they sensed danger was a threat.
They were practically among the top-tier of E-rank monsters.
"Want to try handling this one just the two of you? Min-ah, focus on support. This is to build Min-woo's experience."
"Yes!"
Having hunted them several times already, the twins expertly controlled their distance.
The caterpillars, sensing their hostility, quickly raised their heads and began to threaten them, but Min-woo's face was relaxed.
Even with six of them, as long as he had Jo Min-ah's support, Jo Min-woo was in no danger.
The real problem was that.
I shifted my gaze to the gate visible behind the caterpillars.
A greenish energy was constantly flowing out of the gate.
I could see the ground exposed to it decaying.
The gate was small, so not much was coming out, but even from this distance, an ordinary person would feel nauseous and immediately flee.
Starting from Chapter 8, which hadn't begun yet, the story would be connected to this, so it was about time I started planning in more detail.
*Crack!*
"Hyung! It's done!"
With Jo Min-woo's sword plunging into the center of a caterpillar's head, all the nearby monsters were wiped out.
Despite having practically butchered six caterpillars by himself, his clothes were clean.
Thanks to Jo Min-ah's Flame Armor, the caterpillar's bodily fluids evaporated before they could even touch him.
"Good job."
I smiled and ruffled Jo Min-woo's hair. He let out a short yelp but grinned happily.
Jo Min-woo's growth was one thing, but it was important to get their teamwork in sync beforehand.
I planned to awaken Min-woo's power before we took on the second disaster.
We needed to move diligently.
Because I knew all too well that this relative peace was only temporary.
I must not forget.
In this game, anything that looks like hope is just a little bit of sweetness to make you feel an even deeper bitterness later.
"We got two this time."
"Ugh. That's it?"
Seeing the two tickets in Jo Min-ah's hand, Jo Min-woo pouted.
This was the reason players patrolled and subjugated monsters on their own.
They were a kind of exchange ticket that could be sold at the shop for 100 coins each.
Most players were just happy that their coin income had increased, but whenever I saw such reactions, I couldn't help but click my tongue.
How many people would predict that a sudden increase in the coin supply meant the difficulty would soon skyrocket?
With somber eyes, I carefully examined the spot where the gate had been.
This time, too, no Dimension Stone appeared.
'So they don't appear from normal gates, huh.'
It had only happened twice so far, but both times, they were found only in gates that had become more difficult than in the original game.
It was right to assume that Dimension Stones raised the difficulty of a gate.
That led to the next problem.
Who was placing Dimension Stones in the gates, and for what purpose?
'...The ones that come to mind are them.'
It was a bit suspicious that a group that was supposed to surface much later was already active, but they were certainly the most likely suspects.
Though I couldn't tell which one of them it was.
Of course, this could be wrong, too.
Since it was an item I'd never seen before, there was nothing I could definitively deduce.
"We just have to clear more gates. Let's move to the next one. Min-ah."
"Okay. Just a moment...?"
Jo Min-ah, who had been nodding and about to use her detection, flinched and her face hardened.
"Uh, Oppa."
"Yeah. I feel it too."
I sensed several players approaching us.
But I could clearly feel hostility from them.
I had a good idea why they were approaching.
It wouldn't be hard to slip away, but a good idea came to mind, so I decided to wait quietly.
"Hey, you guys."
Barely ten seconds passed.
A group of about ten men, led by a burly man holding a large, two-bladed axe befitting his size, blocked our path.
"This is our territory. What do you think you're doing hunting monsters here?"
"What?"
Jo Min-woo looked at me with an incredulous expression.
So that's their game.
How cliché.
But that very cliché was, in a way, a welcome sight.
"Since when were there territories?"
"Ha, look at this guy. Playing dumb now, are we? That won't fly. You can't be like that."
He slammed his axe on the ground threateningly.
*Thud!*
With a loud boom, the concrete cracked slightly as the axe embedded itself, and gasps erupted from the surrounding men.
How absurd.
He basically just threw away his weapon.
Did he even realize he had just created the perfect situation for an opponent who wanted to kill him?
[Using the skill, 'Extreme Eye'.]
I quickly scanned only his information.
His stats and traits were far inferior to even Yang Gyu-hyeok, who had been lording over Dongdaemun.
He was no match for me, and Jo Min-ah wouldn't even need to step in.
If anything, he might be a good match for Jo Min-woo.
Should I use this opportunity to give him some experience fighting other players?
"Huh?"
As I was caressing the hilt of my sword, mulling over how to handle the situation, someone standing behind the man with his arms crossed saw my face and suddenly turned deathly pale.
"H-Hieeek! What's he doing here!?"
"What's with you?"
"L-Leader, let's retreat. We can't touch that guy! Absolutely not!!"
"What kind of bullshit is that? Snap out of it!"
As the man's face contorted in anger, the frightened man cowered and glanced nervously at me.
Wondering what was going on, I narrowed my eyes and searched my memory, and the answer came quickly.
'Ah.'
I think I saw a face like that among Yang Gyu-hyeok's men who ran away.
I didn't know where Cheon Nam-gi had gone, nor did I care since it wasn't important.
But meeting him here like this was, in many ways, a pleasant surprise.
"L-Leader! I'm serious! I'll explain everything later, so for now, just...!!"
"Why are you trying so hard to avoid me? Aren't you happy to see me after so long?"
"Hieeeeeek!"
I had offered a rather bright smile, but all I got in return was a scream.