Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: The All Master Who Returned to Bronze 65
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Choi Shin-hyeok gripped the ticket and appeared in a familiar place.
"Is this the waiting room? It's been a while."
The waiting room he'd visited since the Placement Exam and the Integrated Silver League.
It was as desolate as ever.
A vast empty space.
Filled only with nothingness.
In that emptiness, the players from various countries who'd been waiting for Shin-hyeok all turned their gazes toward him the moment he arrived.
"Is that guy Choi Shin-hyeok?"
"Young. Way too young. Well, it's only been two months since he became a player, so that's to be expected."
"Damn, what was I even doing at that age?"
"You were getting your ass beat by me and crying about it."
"You son of a bitch!!! That was before my trait even awakened—"
"So what? We haven't scrapped since then, so you're the ultimate loser. You're trash."
"......Grrraaah!!!"
They didn't hesitate to chatter openly about Shin-hyeok.
Listening to the whispers of the world's top Gold players discussing him, Shin-hyeok felt a fresh wave of emotion.
'Before the regression, these were people I wasn't even allowed to look up at. Now here they are, envious, jealous, spiteful. Hmm, is this why people regress?'
He smirked at his private joke for a moment.
"Long time no see."
"Ellis Veronia."
"I've spent the last month honing my skills, grinding my teeth in determination... but somehow, you've pulled even further ahead."
"Talent gap."
"...Ha! I'm not the type to hear that from just anyone. But coming from you, I can't even argue. Guess it's just true."
America's Ellis Veronia had approached without a sound.
Despite her classic blonde hair and blue eyes marking her as a typical white American woman, she was a bona fide warrior who wielded the Blood Berserker class better than anyone.
She could feel the chasm between herself and Shin-hyeok growing even wider.
'What kind of presence is this...? Even face-to-face with the Demon Emperor, it wasn't this intense. Makes sense? A Gold player outshining the pinnacle Diamond Demon Emperor. But considering what he's shown... it doesn't feel off.'
Demon Emperor.
Ellis clicked her tongue inwardly at Shin-hyeok's aura, evoking the supreme being among the Emperors, Sovereigns, Three Emperors, and Five Kings, then glanced around.
"A lot of them, huh?"
"Yeah."
"They're all staring just at you. Me included."
"Thought the same when I walked in."
"...Not scared? There are 100 people here. Ninety-nine without you. And those ninety-nine are gunning solely for you."
Ellis stared at Shin-hyeok in disbelief—he showed not a flicker of fear or fluster at the idea of ninety-nine of the world's best Golds targeting him—but he remained utterly composed.
'Ninety-nine. Intimidating number. But they're Golds in the end. I've been swarmed by dozens of Diamonds, tanked joint assaults from Challengers galore. Before I died, even from the New Humanity Empire's so-called transcendent Challengers. Scared now by mere ninety-nine Golds? Dimension League scrubs at that—not even Integrated League.'
It was a matter of experience.
The sheer weight of ninety-nine was formidable, sure.
But Shin-hyeok had waded through far bloodier battlefields.
Especially since the Integrated League offered no death immunity—Dimension League players, spared true death, were just pampered beasts blind to the wild.
Thus, he calmly scanned the ninety-nine Gold players.
Flinch!
The faint-hearted Golds averted their eyes from his imperial gaze looking down on them; the prideful ones glared back fiercely but couldn't quell their trembling bodies.
From among them, one player strode boldly toward Shin-hyeok.
"Bronze punk. Been well?"
"......Who're you?"
"Hong Dengping!"
"Ah, the half-assed scrub who can't even smelt his own gear right. Taiwanese, right?"
"You bastard! China! China!"
Hong Dengping.
A promising star from China, someone he'd crossed paths with once in the Integrated Silver League.
Of course Shin-hyeok knew him.
He just had zero reason to play nice, so it was purely a jab.
Hong Dengping took the bait perfectly, his face flushing beet red as he snarled.
"This time, I'll settle the score from the Integrated Silver League. For today, we pumped up the number of Chinese players in the Integrated Gold League with national backing. You'd better brace yourself."
"National budget to train players just to nab me? Talk about loaded..."
Shin-hyeok let out a hollow chuckle at Hong Dengping's declaration.
It was absurd that they'd cultivate national assets purely to catch him—yet China's casual execution of such lunacy was downright enviable.
'Well, one slip-up and I'll strip 'em clean. Hmm, won't give 'em the chance.'
Pondering ways to plunder their talents and resources, but only briefly.
The message windows popped up before everyone's eyes.
At the announcement signaling the start, the players—who'd been laughing, chatting, or eyeing each other warily just seconds ago—froze solid.
Soon to be hurled into the arena.
As they swallowed dryly amid the tension...
"......What?"
"Rule revision?! There's never been anything like this—not once!"
"What the hell kind of curveball is this?!"
"Hold on. 'Abnormal strength in one player'...?"
"Only one fits the bill..."
"Choi Shin-hyeok. You again?"
The players couldn't mask their shock at the sudden messages.
Over more than a decade, the Integrated Gold League's rules had never once been altered.
And at the epicenter of this abrupt upheaval? Shin-hyeok, once more.
Drawing every eye again, Shin-hyeok ignored them entirely, zeroing in on the window before him.
'A system shift. Already? Guess my growth's that excessive. I didn't see this until Diamond in the past—now in Gold. Things are on track.'
These system changes were familiar from before the regression.
After his Late Bloomer trait manifested.
Shin-hyeok's power surged at a monstrous pace, and upon reaching Diamond, he utterly crushed every peer in his tier.
To properly gauge him, the Dimension Arena made adjustments.
He hadn't anticipated seeing it this early—surprised, but inwardly pleased.
Whether Shin-hyeok approved or not, the Dimension Arena presented one more window before him.
"Hmm."
A query on agreeing to the rule changes.
The other players erupted in protest.
"Why only ask that guy?!"
"Give us a vote too!"
"Commie bastards!"
"Hey, tone down the hate speech—there are actual reds here."
"So what, you commie prick."
"Gaaah! You punk! Sickle and hammer not scare you?!"
Uproar sparked over pointless nonsense, but the system never sought anyone else's input.
'Rule changes aren't pure downside. Rewards are several times richer. Riskier moments, sure.'
This pivotal instant hinged solely on Shin-hyeok's will.
He sank into thought.
He'd weathered rule changes before the regression—knew they brought peril but massive payoffs.
Pure high risk, high return.
Failure, though, meant devastating losses for him.
Past arrogance had led him to accept once, suffering dearly.
Thus, he needed to meticulously gauge his current strength against the revised risks.
Right then.
"Scared?"
"......?"
"If you're not afraid, accept it, Choi Shin-hyeok. Changes or not, we're smashing you flat."
"......"
Hong Dengping shoved through the crowd with a taunt.
A pathetically desperate provocation.
Low enough to make a stray dog snicker.
Shin-hyeok was dumbfounded at first, then curved his lips into a smile.
"Scared one's you. Accept, and the system bridges our gap—your giant-killing wet dream. Intent's too transparent to bite, Hong Dengping."
"You bastard, so you knew—"
"Barking dogs don't bite. Your yapping broadcasts your terror plain as day. Fine, I'll humor you. Puppy steels itself to topple a tiger once—tiger's gotta play."
"...!!!"
Vicious contempt.
Realizing even the earlier snub was a feint, Hong Dengping's face burned scarlet.
Ignoring the man seething with rage and bloodlust, Shin-hyeok nodded.
"I accept the rule changes."
With Shin-hyeok's assent, the system dismissed all other opinions and blasted the announcement across the entire waiting room.
[1. Player Choi Shin-hyeok's all stats will be restricted by 30%.]
[1-1. Includes stats from equipment, traits, and skills.]
[2. All other 99 players' stats will be boosted by 30%.]
[2-2. Includes stats from equipment, traits, and skills.]
[3. If Player Choi Shin-hyeok wins, rewards enhanced via play achievements.]
[4. If Player Choi Shin-hyeok wins, other players ranked by death order.]
[5. If other players win, survivors gain Trait: Giant Killing, Title: Giant Killer.]
[6. If other players win, ranked by death order.]
[7. If Player Choi Shin-hyeok loses, ranked dead last regardless of death order.]
[8. If Player Choi Shin-hyeok loses, select equipment awarded as compensation.]
[9. If Player Choi Shin-hyeok loses, stats plummet sharply.]
[10. If Player Choi Shin-hyeok loses, banned from Dimension Arena play for one month.]
[Good luck.]
"......"
"......"
Once the rule revision announcement concluded.
A suffocating silence blanketed the waiting room.
"Mi...chin... This isn't a revision—it's a total overhaul!"
"Choi Shin-hyeok nerf patch hits like a truck."
"Wait, slashing him this hard means the gap between him and us is that massive?"
"Eh, whatever. We're favored now."
"Yo, check those trait and title effects? Insane."
"Ugh, I want his gear more. Some of it'll drop as rewards."
"What's top of your list?"
"Bow for me."
"Holy sword."
"Magic spear."
"Hell, anything—he'd be doing me a favor."
"Same. Hey, me too."
A laundry list of penalties tantamount to a straight-up "Choi Shin-hyeok sniper patch."
The other players, excluding Shin-hyeok, were already celebrating like they'd won.
His debuffs were that brutal; their prospective rewards that juicy.
Shin-hyeok calmly met the gazes treating him like a golden goblin, but only for a moment.
The system's curt voice echoed, heralding the game's launch.
Demon King Subjugation Battle begins.
"What?"
"W-wait, that game name sounds bad."
"Explanation first—"
Flash!
Along with a game title they'd never seen before.
The system, naturally, offered zero explanation to the panicking players before slamming them straight into the match.
Not expecting the rule shift to overhaul the game itself, players floundered, barely taking stock of their surroundings.
Amid the chaos, a few caught sight of it.
'......Smirking?'
'......We're screwed.'
'Demon King. Fits that bastard perfectly.'
Shin-hyeok, enveloped in radiant light as he transferred to the game, lips curled in a grin as he eyed them.
A handful intuited something had gone terribly wrong, cold sweat beading—even as the Integrated Gold League commenced.
Official game name: Demon King Subjugation Battle.
1 versus 99.
A brutally lopsided setup.
But just who it brutalized? A game worth watching.