Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: ACT.17 The Nonexistent Strategy (7)
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If I had been waiting in full readiness, they would have done nothing more and returned to prepare more thoroughly.
But by making them believe their surprise attack was a success, they would get excited and proceed with the next phase of their plan.
All without realizing they had fallen deeper into the spider's web.
"Found them."
Before long, I was able to spot two individuals moving at high speed, carrying the same thing.
Unmistakably, they wore the crescent moon emblem on their shoulders—members of the Dark Moon Guild.
The moment I confirmed it, I created a spear of darkness and threw it with all my might.
*KABOOM!!*
As the black spear landed in front of them, the two came to a halt.
"Tsk. I didn't think we'd be caught so soon."
The annoyance was written all over his face.
But it soon twisted into a sneer.
"But what's this? You chased us all by yourself?"
"He's not even the guild master. That's some serious confidence."
They snickered amongst themselves, their tension clearly easing at the sight of a single opponent.
In that time, I used Extreme Eye to check their information.
Ji Hwi-seong, an A-rank player. And Lee Chan-ho, an S-rank player.
Aside from the master, Kwon Seong-shin, Lee Chan-ho was the only S-rank player in the Dark Moon Guild.
In other words, this was not a casual response from the Dark Moon Guild.
"I was already pissed that our main force got wiped out, but getting ignored like this really gets on my nerves."
Lee Chan-ho’s eyes flashed as he drew his weapons.
A gun and a sword.
Lee Chan-ho was known for his physical enhancement ability, skillfully wielding both weapons to excel at both close-quarters and long-range combat.
"Judging by the power and accuracy of that last attack, you seem to be at least A-rank... Is that it? Are you one of those types who can't handle how strong I am?"
Judging the power and accuracy to be A-rank.
It seemed he hadn't the slightest clue that I had intentionally missed, and that even if it had hit, I had controlled it to avoid serious injury.
"We'll see about that."
I slowly began to draw out my mana.
I would use the Army of Darkness to hold off the A-rank, while I dealt with Lee Chan-ho.
The moment I had that thought.
"Se-hyeon-ssi...?"
An unexpected person appeared from behind.
I was also taken aback and asked back.
"Jeong Ha-yeon-ssi? What are you doing here...?"
No, I think I know.
Jeong Ha-yeon possessed such a strong sense of justice that her goal was to become a fair and impartial judge.
There was no way someone like her would stand by and watch a terrorist act that endangered so many innocent people.
"It's dangerous here. You should go back."
"No. It's alright. I've been training consistently since we parted ways."
Jeong Ha-yeon looked full of confidence.
I had trained her, so her growth would be faster than other players, but she wasn't yet strong enough to fight those two.
Did she have something she was counting on?
As if oblivious to my thoughts, Jeong Ha-yeon glared at Lee Chan-ho and said.
"We've found a treatment for the original virus to some extent. If we can just secure a little more time, we'll find a cure for this unidentified virus soon enough."
"Pfft. You think you can cure it? Seriously?"
Cutting Jeong Ha-yeon off, Lee Chan-ho burst into laughter.
"The virus we spread this time is a heavily modified version of the original. You couldn't even properly treat the old one, and you think you can handle this one? Ah, and just in case, drop any naive thoughts about solving this by clearing that gate. It's practically a separate virus now, so that won't fix anything. Just like how the old medicine doesn't work on a mutated virus."
"That's..."
Satisfied with her reaction, Lee Chan-ho's smile widened.
I, too, was listening silently to what he had to say.
There was no reason to interrupt him when he was spilling information on his own.
"Do you want the cure?"
"Does it even exist?"
"We're the ones who made it, so I suppose it probably does."
"...Why do you sound so uncertain?"
"Well, to be honest, the Master created this virus all by himself. I think he said there was a cure, but..."
Lee Chan-ho scratched his cheek, then his lips curled into a long smile.
"There's no way you'll ever get it."
Ji Hwi-seong subtly moved his hand.
The instant I saw it, I quickly raised my sword to defend.
*CLANG!*
Though I couldn't see anything, I felt something strike my sword with great force.
Tsk. This ability really is a pain to deal with.
"Se-hyeon-ssi!"
"I'm fine. As long as I can tell when the attack is coming, it's not that hard to block."
'Psychic Air.'
An ability that compressed air to strike enemies from a distance.
Naturally, being air, it was invisible, forcing the opponent to rely solely on instinct to dodge or block, making it a difficult power to face.
You could get a feel for it after a few exchanges, but you'd usually be battered and bruised by then.
It was also fortunate that the A-rank Ji Hwi-seong had it, and not the S-rank Lee Chan-ho.
If it were an S-rank, even I would have had a hard time dealing with it.
'Using Extreme Eye would make it clearly visible, but...'
I couldn't maintain Extreme Eye indefinitely.
But I was worried.
With Jeong Ha-yeon's stats as I remembered them, even facing Ji Hwi-seong would be a struggle.
Should I just knock her out and remove her from the equation?
As I thought that and checked Jeong Ha-yeon's information, my eyes widened.
What the. When did she...?
"You don't have to struggle to find a cure. We'll hand it out ourselves later."
"What do you mean by that?"
"We'll keep spreading the virus, and when the situation gets dire enough, we'll just show up. We have the cure! How do you think people will react then? They'll have to side with us if they don't want to die. They'll try to get the cure no matter the cost. Ah, but even if you guys get it, you'll already be corpses, so it'll be meaningless. Hahaha!"
The way he licked his lips was like a snake.
However, right now, it was more fitting to see Lee Chan-ho not as the predator, but as the prey.
I glanced over at Jeong Ha-yeon.
I had no idea when she had obtained it, but if she had *that*, things would be much easier.
"I'll take the one on the left. I'll leave the one on the right to you, Jeong Ha-yeon-ssi. Can you do it?"
"I will."
Not "I can do it," but "I will."
A satisfactory answer.
"You're intentionally spreading a virus? When people should be working together to overcome this crisis, you're using it to oppress others? Is that something a human being would do?"
Jeong Ha-yeon slowly drew her sword.
As if resonating with her emotions, the sword itself seemed to vibrate with fury.
"You all must be judged."
A golden flame enveloped Jeong Ha-yeon for a moment before vanishing.
The S-rank unique ability, 'Blade of Conviction that Destroys Evil.'
It was none other than the power of the Holy Judge.
I wondered why it had disappeared, but it had moved to Jeong Ha-yeon.
[Character, Jeong Ha-yeon, uses the unique effect 'Judgment'.]
Zadkiel.
His name itself means 'Righteousness of God.'
One of the supreme angels who judges the sinful.
That was the true identity of the Holy Judge.
"Violation of Article 17 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Violation of Article 255 of the Criminal Code."
[A verdict is delivered.]
[Verdict: Evil (惡)]
[Targets judged as Evil will have all their traits and skills reduced by 1 rank and will receive increased damage from those not classified as Evil.]
'Debuffer.'
Among supporters who assist their allies, she was of the highest class, possessing a trait with the effect of 'weakening the enemy.'
Jeong Ha-yeon had awakened as such a debuffer.
And she wasn't just a simple debuffer.
She was a dealer-type debuffer who could also act as a damage dealer herself.
She was a top-tier talent that other major guilds would do anything to recruit if they knew.
It was painfully regrettable that Jeong Ha-yeon had left me to join the Hongryeon Guild.
"My, my power...!?"
Ji Hwi-seong exclaimed in shock, staring at his hands.
All his skill ranks had suddenly dropped by one level.
He, more than anyone, would be able to feel that change.
Moreover, a debuff that lowered an opponent's skill ranks was unique.
It existed only in the 'Judgment' effect, a sub-skill of the unique ability Jeong Ha-yeon possessed, 'Blade of Conviction that Destroys Evil.'
"What did you do to me!?"
"Power doesn't exist for people like you."
My feelings were complicated.
Originally, Jeong Ha-yeon would have remained in my party, and I would have guided her to use that power for my sake.
But now, she had left me and joined another group.
The Holy Judge only shares its power with those who are good and just.
I had only acted the part; I was not such a person.
I was not qualified to have it.
Nor did I want it.
Therefore, I needed someone who could obtain this excellent trait in my stead and use it for me.
That person was Jeong Ha-yeon.
By acting as if I were righteous, I drew the Holy Judge's interest and made it watch me, which inevitably brought those who accompanied me into its view as well.
In the end, the Holy Judge came to reside in Jeong Ha-yeon, just as I had planned.
But Jeong Ha-yeon herself had left my side.
"Even if you use such tricks, a trick is just a trick!"
Ji Hwi-seong glared and swung his hand.
An invisible attack aimed for Jeong Ha-yeon.
Jeong Ha-yeon, maintaining her focus, swung her sword, but she failed to deflect the compressed air by a slight margin.
*Whoosh!*
However, the compressed air from 'Psychic Air' wavered mid-swing and vanished without a trace.
It was because the jet-black spikes I created had blocked it instead.
In fact, Jeong Ha-yeon hadn't swung her sword to deflect it at all.
*Poof!*
Jeong Ha-yeon's sword thrust forward sharply.
Caught by surprise, Ji Hwi-seong compressed the air to form a shield, barely managing to block it, but due to the hasty defense, he couldn't properly reduce the damage.
'That's a move you can't make unless you believe I'll support you.'
I narrowed my eyes.
She had left me, yet she trusted me enough to unhesitatingly leave her back open.
I couldn't quite figure out Jeong Ha-yeon's exact state of mind.
"Wh-what are these guys...! They're not just some randoms!"
"You can't escape."
When 'Judgment' is used, the caster's movement speed is greatly amplified when moving towards a target judged as Evil.
Closing the distance in that short moment, Jeong Ha-yeon swung her sword, and unable to block it properly, Ji Hwi-seong clutched the bleeding wound.
"That stupid bastard...! Getting pushed back by nobodies like them?"
"You should worry about yourself."
Jet-black spikes shot up from the ground.
Lee Chan-ho merely frowned slightly before swinging his sword, effortlessly destroying all the spikes.
"Don't lump me in with that half-wit."
Calling a fellow executive from the same guild a half-wit.
As expected of an unofficial guild with no sense of camaraderie when things get tough.
"I am the Vice Master of the Dark Moon Guild. The second-in-command, an S-rank player."
[Character Information]
Name: Lee Chan-ho
Gender: Male (31)
Strength: 67(+3) Stamina: 64(+3) Agility: 66(+3) Mana: 60
Unique Ability: Sword in the Left Hand, Gun in the Right (S)
Traits: Gun Kata (S), Trained Body (A), Capture (A), Swift Aim (B), Balance (S)
Skill: Massacre (S)
Jeong Ha-yeon's 'Judgment' cannot be used on multiple targets at once.
Because of that, Lee Chan-ho still maintained his S-rank status.
His stats and traits were, without a doubt, among the best of any enemy I had faced so far.
But that posed no problem at all.
"So?"
I met his sharp, murderous intent head-on.
I even smiled with余裕.
*KWAAA!*
I released my mana, and like a wave, it consumed his aura.
Lee Chan-ho's face contorted.
"From where I'm standing, you're both the same."