Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Preliminary Round Mission 1 End
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"It's the same method you guys used. You don't kill them with the rope yourself—the noose just lets gravity do the work, right? And you didn't get any penalties for it. That's where I got the hint from."
"Ugh, uwaaaah!"
Villain 2, whose stats had been halved by penalties, charged at Dokgo Hyun.
"Handshake!"
Crack!
Dokgo Hyun grabbed Villain 2's hand as well.
Of course, using the explosive acceleration of [Instant Acceleration].
Krunch!!
"Aaaack!!"
"Whoops, I shook it a bit too fast and hard out of excitement, and his hand bones shattered. Hands that fragile? Tsk."
Dokgo Hyun made his excuse to the system in a tone like he was reading from a textbook.
The system didn't call it into question.
Dokgo Hyun checked Villain 2's name tag info too, but it was much the same as Villain 1's, so he moved on.
"Ugh, uuuugh."
Villain 3 finally realized.
'That guy's a monster...!'
They hadn't trapped Dokgo Hyun—they'd all been trapped with him.
"Took you long enough?"
Dokgo Hyun said it like a mind reader.
In truth, he'd spent so much time beating down delinquents that he could read most villains' intentions just from their expressions.
"You saw me crush that guy's hand and still picked a fight with me. That's on you for being idiots."
"P-Please... spare me..."
"Who said anything about killing you? You, Villain 3? Spill everything you know first."
Dokgo Hyun offered a handshake.
"P-Promise you won't shake my hand, and I'll tell you who our boss is."
"Haha. Trying to negotiate, huh?"
From Villain 3's words just now, Dokgo Hyun realized they were all in cahoots, serving the same master.
'Mother of Parasites.'
He'd already gotten the related info from shaking hands with Villains 1 and 2.
Their mindsets were astonishingly identical.
-Current Mindset: Loyalty to the 'Mother of Parasites' and tormenting the weak.
Villain 3 was no doubt the same, so no deal.
Negotiations required hidden info, but most of it was already exposed.
Yet Villain 3 sat there smirking like a fair trade was possible.
Dokgo Hyun looked down at him and laughed.
"Hahaha! Not only are you dumb, you're grinning like an idiot. Wasting brain cells. Hahaha!"
Dokgo Hyun patted Villain 3's head.
The moment Villain 3 bristled, Dokgo Hyun quickly said,
"Handshake! Handshake!"
"Hiiik?! Wait!"
Villain 3 hurriedly shoved both hands into his pants pockets.
Dokgo Hyun grabbed his head and yelled right into his ear.
"Handshake!! HANNNDDSHAKE!!!"
Dokgo Hyun applied [Instant Acceleration] to his own voice while layering [Instant Deceleration] into Villain 3's ear canal.
His roar streaked past Villain 3's eardrum at supersonic speed, but thanks to [Instant Deceleration] in the ear, Villain 3 had to endure the agony far longer.
Woooooong!!
Thud.
Villain 3 collapsed, eardrum ruptured and inner ear damaged.
Dokgo Hyun waited tensely for the system's ruling.
"Hahat. Just a loud voice doesn't count as violence? System rulings are a mess."
He'd benefited plenty from the system's leniency in this fight, yet here he was condemning its inconsistencies.
"M-Monster...!"
Lee Sam-sik, hiding in the corner, muttered while trembling.
Dokgo Hyun glanced over and put a finger to his lips.
'Don't sell my info, and I won't kill you.'
Lee Sam-sik nodded frantically, shaking.
Dokgo Hyun rinsed the blood off his hands with water, then unlocked the bathroom door.
"Huh?"
Quite a crowd had gathered.
'Oops. Got too focused on the fight and didn't notice all these people outside.'
Dokgo Hyun nodded to the expectant crowd.
They asked in surprise what happened, but he ignored them.
"Excuse me, coming through."
Back to the present.
Dokgo Hyun wandered, looking for a suitable woman.
'Shoulder-length hair. Probably surrounded by her lackeys like folding screens.'
Not hard to spot.
A woman in her early-to-mid thirties stood flanked by four underlings.
She was beautiful, but with a hint of life's hardships etched in her features.
She spotted Dokgo Hyun too and smiled faintly.
"Dokgo Hyun."
"How do you know my name?"
"Thanks to my B-Grade Body Mutation skill, [Mother of Parasites]."
She twisted a few strands of her hair.
They coiled into parasites.
"Kyurik."
Once she let go, they reverted to hair.
"I planted parasites in my underlings. They nest under the pituitary gland and hijack the optic nerve. Everything they see gets relayed straight to me."
"Impressive skill."
He replied with genuine admiration.
'Thought it was Beast Summon type, but it's Body Mutation.'
Similar results, but different mechanisms—worth remembering.
"But is it smart to reveal it like that?"
"Your turn. I shared mine, so yours?"
"A-Grade Special Manifestation skill: [Heartfelt Hot Handshake]. A shake stops the fight and lets our true feelings connect."
"That's a lie, right?"
"You'll know once you try."
Smooth.
Dokgo Hyun offered his hand.
"While we're at it, care for a shake?"
She felt a chill but forced a smile.
"Heh. Gonna crush my hand like my lackeys'?"
"Depends on the terms."
"What terms?"
"Start with an apology. You sent your goons to steal my info and even try to kill me."
"Ah, those guys..."
She sighed.
"Sorry. I did implant [Neural Parasites] in them, but it doesn't fully control their minds. They overdid the loyalty and botched it. My bad all around."
She bowed her head.
Dokgo Hyun eyed her hair.
'Hmm. Doesn't look like she'll go bald anytime soon.'
Seemed random, but it was serious—hair was the medium, so checking sustainability mattered.
"Apology accepted. But in exchange..."
Dokgo Hyun held up his right hand.
Showing it was empty.
"A normal handshake, for real."
"Why?"
"So I can see your name tag info too."
"Huh, makes sense. Fair's fair."
As she reached out, one bodyguard stepped forward.
"Sis, don't."
The one with the facial scar.
"He's dangerous."
"It's fine, Hyeop. Calm down."
She soothed her unusually devoted guard, confirmed her right hand empty, and extended it.
Clap.
They shook with normal grip strength.
'Hmm. Combat power 328.'
Dokgo Hyun stayed expressionless despite the lower-than-expected number.
"Satisfied now?"
"Don't go spilling my personal info around. I won't leak yours either."
"Don't worry. Now that we've cleared the misunderstanding with a handshake, how about teaming up going forward?"
"Could happen. But don't mistake cleared misunderstandings for built trust. Can't forget you came at me first, so trust builds slow. See ya."
Dokgo Hyun walked off briskly.
Right after Dokgo Hyun left.
Kim Min-kyung, holder of [Mother of Parasites], let out an irritated chuckle.
"Cocky little punk. Sheesh."
Her secrets were out.
One might say the handshake evened the info exchange, but it was her loss.
Dokgo Hyun had crushed her underlings without knowing her skill details.
Now that he knew her name, face, and skill mechanics?
'My skill's exposed. But I barely know his.'
Half exposed by her underlings, half by her own rambling explanation.
The first half was inevitable; the second would've turned Dokgo Hyun fully hostile if she'd clammed up.
So she'd played the magnanimous type and spilled like an info-dumper.
'No choice.'
"Sis, just let him go?"
Namgung Hyeop, her most loyal bodyguard.
His facial scar came from protecting her, pre-tutorial—so their bond ran deep.
"What if I don't?"
"Want me to take him out?"
"Crazy? System bans violence."
"So what? Kill him, then myself. End of story."
"...Cut it out. You're too valuable."
Kim Min-kyung caressed his cheek.
"You're more precious to me."
"Got it, sis. I'll protect you even harder."
Namgung Hyeop burned with resolve, picturing Dokgo Hyun's face.
A moment later.
The 1-hour mission limit expired.
The moment Dokgo Hyun and the other players checked their status windows...
Fwaah!
Lights blazed on the platform, and the supervisor appeared.
His head was a TV... no, it was a TV.
Black-suited male body from the neck down, authentic old brown cathode-ray tube above.
"Attention, everyone! I'm TV Man, your Phase 1 Preliminary Round supervisor."
Like other supervisors, he didn't look quite right.
"Total Administrator's morning announcement is coming up, so let's make this quick. First, about those who refused name tags outright and skipped Mission 1."
Murmurs.
A few had taken tags but ditched them out of suspicion.
Snap!
Zyung!
Thud!
Lasers streaked from nowhere, cleanly piercing the heads of name tag refusers.
Thump!
Thump!
They dropped dead.
"Eek?!"
"Kyaa!!"
Those nearby, splattered in blood, screamed in shock.
"You were notified this doubles as orientation. Yet no active participation? Hah!"
TV Man tsked like a jaded senior spotting noobs.
"No one here should be like that."
-Current Survivors: 601.
From just over 600, a few deaths left exactly 601.
"Next, we'll select the 'Masters' who participated most actively!"
Murmurs...
"Masters? What's that?"
"Sounds good?"
"Standing out too much ain't always good."
TV Man's CRT screen crackled, displaying three names.
Flash!
Ceiling spotlights beamed down on the three.
"You three, come up to the stage! Hurry!"