Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Scatter and Gather Game (2)
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TV Man verified whether that man's words were true.
Borrowing the power of the Management Bureau, he quickly analyzed the man's past history and current sexual orientation.
"It's a lie."
The man's sexual identity was that of a typical straight male.
"If your claim had been true, I would have acknowledged it, but stubborn denial like that doesn't fly. You're out!!"
Boom!!
The exploded figure vanished completely, without even leaving a corpse behind.
The dust and scorch marks drifted toward the ventilator.
"Let's move to an slightly emptier spot."
Dokgo Hyun said to the remaining two.
"Huh? TV Man hasn't given instructions yet."
"Everyone's too clustered right now. We need to keep a 30cm gap between us."
As the Scatter and Gather Game progressed, the missions would likely involve gradually increasing group sizes.
In other words, if players stayed too close together at the center of the gym, it might become impossible to maintain the 30cm spacing at some point.
So, they needed to secure at least that minimum distance in advance.
Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!
"Four people regardless of gender! But the total age must be 120 or less! Use any means necessary within 30 seconds—scatter and gather!"
Missions continued in that vein.
Occasionally, conditions like "use any means necessary" allowed the use of skills or violence.
Thwack!
Thud!
Every time the bell rang, the headcount steadily dwindled.
The Scatter and Gather itself was easy, fitting Easy Mode difficulty, but the missions came with bizarre conditions.
Things like "Gather regardless of numbers, but ensure the total estimated combat power exceeds 300!" or "Gather in groups of five, using any means, while keeping voices and footsteps at 10 decibels or below!"
As a result, rejects started appearing.
"Hey! You guys ditching just me?!"
"Damn it! Let me in too!"
"If you don't let me in, we're all dead!!"
The rejects hurled themselves at groups that were already full.
This caused the groups to exceed the required numbers, triggering mission failures for everyone involved.
Boom boom!!
Even Dokgo Hyun's group occasionally faced rushes from rejects from other groups.
"You guys get to be just four?!"
"Let us in too!"
Each time, Dokgo Hyun responded coldly.
"Normally I'd explain with words, but we're short on time, so I'll explain with my fists."
Thwack thwack!
Dokgo Hyun mercilessly pummeled those charging in with a "let's all die together" mindset and hurled them far away.
"Whoa."
"He's insanely strong."
"Good thing he's on our side..."
Whenever forming groups, Dokgo Hyun clearly asserted "command authority" over newcomers.
He wasn't threatening them or anything.
"The situation is urgent, so the one with the highest combat power—me—will take command."
He infused his voice with mana using the [Mana Circulation Method].
Dokgo Hyun had far higher mana than the others, plus his natural charisma, so despite age differences, everyone followed his lead.
Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling...!
In this way, the overall numbers steadily decreased.
Group sizes gradually increased, reaching nine members currently.
Before they knew it, the tenth round arrived.
"Alright, now the final tenth round! It's the last one, so it's super important! Within 20 minutes, gather in groups of ten however you like!"
The final one gave plenty of time.
"Hmm, what should we do."
"We've got nine already."
"We just need one more..."
The problem was that other groups also had nine, making it hard to snag just one extra person.
Dokgo Hyun made a bold call.
"We'll disband our current group."
He instructed the other eight (excluding himself) to quickly run to nearby groups.
"Before they notice! Hurry!"
"Yes, got it!"
Whoosh!
The members of Dokgo Hyun's group scattered and were welcomed elsewhere.
"Oh! Come on in!"
"We're saved! Ten secured!"
"I see. Instead of hovering at nine and waiting, disbanding and jumping to others might be better."
Dokgo Hyun also dashed toward a group that had caught his eye.
They looked like nine, but strictly speaking, they were just a trio who had survived the game so far.
The leader of the trio eyed Dokgo Hyun with a gloomy gaze.
"...Who might you be? Ah, you're that master from the stage?"
"That's right."
Having been on stage together by TV Man's order, they remembered each other and exchanged wry smiles.
"What's the reason for your visit?"
"Your clone skill looked fascinating. You're Player Kang Osu, right?"
There was one male and one female player, plus seven hooded young men standing there.
The seven young men looked exactly identical.
'If I were forming a group, I'd want to team up with these guys.'
Dokgo Hyun had observed others closely and noted the tendency for people from the same tutorial zone to stick together.
Of course, he also confirmed that grouping up didn't guarantee good relations—but this group seemed exceptionally tight-knit.
"All [Clone Technique] skills, right?"
"Similar, but different. Precisely, it's [Clone Beast Summon]."
Clone-type skills were usually transfer manifestation or body mutation, but Kang Osu's was beast summon.
He summoned multiple "clone beasts" that could change appearance.
Using the special ability [Multiple Clone Beast Summon], he created several of his own clones.
"Mind if I join your group?"
Kang Osu stared at Dokgo Hyun silently.
"You sure? Once you join, we'll probably have to stick together through the next mission."
"That's exactly what I thought, which is why I'm here."
The reason the final ten-person gather gave ample time...
'Groups of ten might have to tackle the next mission together.'
TV Man hadn't said it explicitly, but considering the emphasis on forming "groups," declaring the final group decision important, and the generous time—it was highly plausible.
"Hmm."
Kang Osu appraised Dokgo Hyun before glancing at his flanking players.
They were a middle-aged man and a young woman, exchanging looks.
"What do you two think?"
"Heh hem, doesn't matter to me!"
He had a loud, clear voice but seemed mild-mannered.
"I don't mind either..."
The young woman spoke softly and seemed passive.
Kang Osu gave a wry smile.
"As you can see, we're from the same tutorial zone. Without me, we're a bit passive types. Oh, we're older, so speak casually?"
"Of course. Make yourselves comfortable."
"Good, call me hyung then. We look close in age. Anyway, to the point—what's your reason for wanting into our group?"
"Small numbers."
"Is that a merit?"
"Honestly, it's fifty-fifty."
"Explain."
"First, I think hyung's [Clone Beast Summon] skill and how you use it are incredible. Endless potential too."
"Heh heh. Thanks for the praise. Second reason?"
"Second, future missions will definitely push betrayal, infighting, or unfair majority votes. More people means more headaches just from that."
One reason Dokgo Hyun preferred solo play.
Handling everything alone was tough, but mismatched teamwork or mutual suspicion among allies was even more exhausting.
"So, I want into a small group that seems tight-knit and competent. That's it."
"Heh heh heh..."
"Why the laugh?"
"You... you're not really afraid of betrayal itself. You hate the situation where the game forces you to agonize and suspect over whether to betray or not, right?"
"Hm..."
Thinking about it, that was spot on.
Dokgo Hyun could detect and coldly crush betrayals from most groups.
With [3-Minute Regression] as insurance, even more so.
In short, it wasn't betrayal he feared—it was being manipulated into that dilemma by the Management Bureau.
"Good. I like that. Everything checks out, but one condition."
"What?"
"Your skill—is it transfer manifestation type?"
"Yes."
"Perfect. No overlap. You're in."
Kang Osu prioritized group members with non-overlapping skill types.
He didn't pick allies thoughtlessly.
"Now we've got body mutation, tool creation, beast summon, and transfer manifestation... a perfect four-member combo party."
Slide.
Kang Osu extended his hand to Dokgo Hyun.
"Nice to team up, Dokgo Hyun."
"Likewise. Looking forward to it, Kang Osu hyung."
"Haha, no need for 'hyung-nim.' Just hyung."
Grip!
The two shook hands.
If nameplates had remained, they could've checked combat powers.
But they could gauge each other's strength without them.
Kang Osu thought:
'This guy's insanely strong.'
Kang Osu could crudely use [Mana Circulation Method] too, so he sensed the opponent's level upon contact.
'Pure combat power alone might approach the combined strength of me, Eunjoo, and Choi Hanpoong.'
Dokgo Hyun also offered handshakes to the other two.
"Looking forward to working with you. I'm Dokgo Hyun."
"How old are you...?"
The woman hesitantly asked.
"High school senior, so 19 in Korean age."
"Ah... you're young."
She murmured, grasping his hand.
"I'm Eunjoo. Nice to meet you."
Next, the middle-aged man extended his hand.
"Name's Choi Hanpoong."
Dokgo Hyun shook with Eunjoo and Choi Hanpoong.
They all seemed decent personalities.
'Similar vibes—nice. And their combat powers are solid.'
"We've exchanged names and shakes—what if we lay out our skills too? Mine's basically already out anyway."
Kang Osu suggested, but Eunjoo and Choi Hanpoong hesitated.
Dokgo Hyun chuckled inwardly.
'Natural to hesitate.'
Even revealing name, age, and combat power—exposing skills was highly risky.
After brief deliberation and agreement, they decided to learn skills later.
They familiarized themselves with names and settled honorifics.
'Eunjoo noona, Choi Hanpoong ajusshi, Kang Osu hyung.'
That's how Dokgo Hyun would address them.
The three would call him Dokgo Hyun or Student Dokgo Hyun.
Only Baek Seonghui and Dokgo Cheol could call him "Hyun-ie"—Dokgo Hyun had decided that.
At that moment, the mission time limit expired.
"Time's up!! Everyone else is out!!!"
TV Man shouted.
"Ahh!"
"Wait a sec!"
"We're in the middle of drafting a better group...!"
Even groups that had filled ten were screaming—mid-negotiation for optimal lineups.
But TV Man showed no mercy.
Boom thwack!!
Boom!!
All exploded, leaving no corpses.
"Heh heh heh. Things got pretty interesting. 404 people."
Forty groups of ten, and one group of four.
'Our group stands out.'
TV Man took note of Dokgo Hyun's four-person group.
He addressed Kang Osu.
"Using summon clones that share your power to pad numbers—clever. I approve!"
It passed without issue.
"One mission down, so as promised, one question. You there! Bald-headed ajusshi!"
TV Man pointed at a bald man wearing monk-like robes.
"Heh heh, thank you for granting this humble monk a question. I am Musaeng Hwa."
The player—real monk or cosplay?—spoke.
"My question. Others may not care much, but this monk is greatly concerned about the 'location' of this place."
"Ho ho. A fine question."
"My thanks. Please explain precisely where we are and what this place is for."