Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Jump Game (3)
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TV Man had openly declared Lee Hyun-jun—the man who had just committed murder—as the "strongest" player here.
Whispers...!
"The... the strongest?"
"Isn't the supervisor supposed to be neutral? Can they even say that?!"
"Has anyone shaken hands with that guy? What's his combat power like?"
Regardless of the murmurs, Lee Hyun-jun furrowed his brow.
"Unnecessary nonsense..."
"Haha! He's one of the rare survivors of Hell difficulty tutorial in all of H District, so I wanted everyone to remember him!"
In fact, many eyes turned toward Lee Hyun-jun.
Lee Hyun-jun looked annoyed by the attention but didn't avoid it.
With an irritated glare, he met each gaze one by one.
Even just 0.1 seconds of eye contact was enough to make the timid ones quickly look away.
But.
"......"
There were a few players whose eyes lingered with Lee Hyun-jun's for over a second.
Kim Min-kyung, her cherished bodyguard Namgung Hyeop, or Kang Oh-su, who had gone up on stage as a "master."
And there was exactly one player whose gaze held with Lee Hyun-jun's for over three seconds.
Glance...
It was Dokgo Hyun.
'He's strong...!'
The moment Dokgo Hyun thought that.
Whoosh...
A long, slender gust of wind arose.
This was a stuffy gym with barely any air circulation, yet the wind swept from Lee Hyun-jun straight to Dokgo Hyun.
"......"
Lee Hyun-jun withdrew his gaze and fixed it on the ceiling vent as he addressed everyone.
"Your breathing is too loud. Stop panting. From the moment we became players, our stamina surpasses that of ordinary people. Even non-players wouldn't collapse from exhaustion after just 100 jumps. Calm down and think clearly."
Lee Hyun-jun spoke coldly but stated plain facts.
Of course, some grumbled anyway.
"Damn it, I invested all my coins into mana!"
"I put mine into speed..."
Lee Hyun-jun glared at those whining about not raising their stamina stat.
The complainers shut their mouths in fear.
"......If your stamina is lacking, circulate your mana through your body."
He seemed to just stand there, with no visible changes.
But even while standing still, Lee Hyun-jun moved more efficiently than anyone.
Circulating mana throughout the body.
Lee Hyun-jun scanned the room again with disdain.
"Is there no one here who has mastered the [Mana Circulation Method]?"
No one reacted.
'Circulating mana through the body is called the [Mana Circulation Method]?'
Dokgo Hyun knew because he had experienced it a few times.
"It's almost the same technique as when using skills, but no one knows? Body mutation types can learn it easiest, but other skill awakeners can do it too."
Lee Hyun-jun spoke as if granting a mercy.
"[Mana Circulation Method]? What's that?"
"Damn. Circulate mana through the body? Does that even make sense?"
"I... I think I can kinda do it..."
Instead, the players' breathing grew even rougher.
Lee Hyun-jun said irritably.
"No one knows? Teaching more would be pointless then. It's personal anyway."
His attitude turned icy.
The players' level was simply too low in his eyes.
"If you lack stamina and can't circulate mana, then use your skills. Creative applications might help. If even that's too hard? Go to a corner and die on your own."
Lee Hyun-jun finished speaking.
"Heh heh. Quite the lesson."
TV Man said.
"Alright, 30 seconds left in break time! Get ready, everyone!"
And with that, the break was nearly over.
But sharp ones like Dokgo Hyun realized Lee Hyun-jun had just shared crucial info and were already practicing it.
'It works...'
Dokgo Hyun mastered circulating mana through his body to boost physical efficiency.
The method was simple: during skill activation prep, instead of channeling mana into the skill, circulate it through every part of the body.
It took time to get used to and was hard to maintain constantly, but done right, it allowed far more efficient, less tiring activity.
"So that's it."
"Nice. Got the trick."
"Hell difficulty clear... it must be real."
Not just Dokgo Hyun—a few others quickly grasped it too.
Only then did Lee Hyun-jun look at the [Mana Circulation Method] users as if they were actual people.
Beep!!
"One!!"
Beep!!
"Two!!"
Thus, the second round of Jump Game began, with fatigue doubled.
Survivors would likely boil down to four types.
Those who raised stamina beforehand.
Those who learned [Mana Circulation Method].
Those with helpful skills for the situation.
Those who saved healing potions.
Beep!!
"Ninety-nine!!"
Beep!!
"......!!"
Silent leaps and landings.
Success, at last.
"Ooh! Congratulations! You all did it!"
The second round of Jump Game, starting with 576, ended with 480.
"Huff! Huff!"
"My stamina's fully recovered, but why am I still so out of breath?"
This was either from unconsciously overusing [Mana Circulation Method] to survive,
or psychological habit, still gasping despite recovery.
But most players, stamina restored, prepared for the next mission.
"And this is only Mission 2..."
Unlike the despairing players, TV Man seemed impressed.
"480 survivors! Impressive! Alright, as promised—no next mission yet. Instead, one question right!"
TV Man picked someone casually.
"You there! The redhead in the corner!"
"Me?"
A red-haired woman with a slightly dazed expression.
She looked a bit tired but wasn't heaving heavily.
'Kang Seo-rim.'
A young woman with a unique name.
"Hmm, what should I ask..."
She looked around.
"Hey! Ask about the missions! How many total and when they end!"
A middle-aged man shouted.
Flash!
Thud!
A laser pierced the man.
Thump!
TV Man clicked his tongue as the body fell.
"Question rights are exclusive. Interfering after I designate the asker means instant execution."
The gym fell silent.
Even Kang Seo-rim shut her mouth.
"No question? You die too."
"Mm, then I'll ask. First..."
Unlike her hesitant look, Kang Seo-rim smiled brightly.
"I want to know all the stat window info, including skills, for everyone here. But only tell me—don't share with others. Hehe."
"Ho ho. Good question. Here's your answer! Look at my face!"
Flash!
Light shot from TV Man's face, sucked straight into Kang Seo-rim's eyes without touching anyone else.
"Ah... Aaaah... Ah...!"
Kang Seo-rim groaned with wide eyes, then
thump!
dropped to her knees.
"Hoo... I see. An S-rank skill holder indeed... Even has this skill..."
Kang Seo-rim muttered.
"Hey! What did you just do?!"
"Yeah, exactly!"
"You should've gotten prelim info!"
The crowd raged.
Kang Seo-rim smiled awkwardly.
"But I decide what to ask, right?"
The question right was solely hers, as the supervisor confirmed.
Still, others vented fury without logic.
"Still! Have some common sense!"
"Next penalty, dump it on her!"
"Right!"
Kang Seo-rim's awkward smile didn't change a millimeter, but her voice chilled.
"Fine, to be fair, I'll reveal my name and abilities to everyone here."
Flash!
She raised her right hand high, and a weapon appeared.
'That...!'
Tutorial Hard difficulty players like Dokgo Hyun recognized the submachine gun design.
Snipers had hidden and used them in shooter missions.
'Slightly different though.'
Fully detachable from the body, with a drum magazine instead.
"B-rank Tool Creation skill: [Infinite Drum Submachine Gun]."
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!
She fired straight at the ceiling.
Bullets hit vents and lights, sparks flying.
"Argh?!"
"Get down!!"
The angry ones dove in terror; others backed away.
"Hehe. No worries. I won't kill players without supervisor permission. Right, Supervisor?"
"Quite right."
The moment TV Man spoke,
Thud!
A massive hundred-watt gym light crashed down.
Splat!
It fell on the head of one who'd raged at Kang Seo-rim.
Thump!
Clang!
Gym sports lights weigh 4-8kg each—fatal even to players.
The shocked crowd gaped silently.
"Oh my."
Kang Seo-rim fiddled with her red hair, feigning surprise.
"I felt bad hogging skill info, so I demonstrated mine fairly, but my bullets hit the light mount by accident..."
She claimed no intent, but it was obvious.
"Haha. Pretty funny. Creative indirect kill—I'll let it slide."
TV Man said, and Kang Seo-rim grinned.
"Now, all your stat window info is in my head. I don't know full skill details, just names—but coins buy trades~"
Trying to force it out was risky.
Her skill was powerful.
"That slim girl is insanely strong."
"[Infinite Drum Submachine Gun]?"
"Isn't that broken?"
"B-But nonstop firing melts the barrel, right?"
"Even so, burst fire or cooling the barrel means near-endless shooting..."
Some quickly deduced her skill's nature, close to the truth.
"I-If that crazy bitch sprays everywhere, we're done for!"
The open, crowded gym made dodging hard.
"Calm down. No killing without supervisor say-so."
"Which means if the supervisor allows violence..."
Murmurs rose...
TV Man chuckled.
"Fun times. Question time over! Time for Mission 3. But first, choices for you. Prepare your hearts."
Players tensed, awaiting options.
"Three choices! Each: Easy, Normal, Hard! Pick!"
A. Trial of Fresh Air.
B. Trial of Close Contact.
C. Trial of Obedience.
All three sounded bizarre; titles gave no clues.
Buzz buzz...!
"Damn. Tell us which is Easy, Normal, Hard."
"Guess randomly?"
Players exchanged opinions with those nearby.