Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Preliminary Round Phase 1 Final Mission (1)
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Dokgo Hyun felt a spark of curiosity.
He wondered what kind of lunatic was blocking his path.
After a short wait, his opponent peeked out from behind the Stone Golem's back, only his head emerging.
The guy's face looked utterly timid for someone boldly guarding the entrance.
It was clear as day that he already regretted his decision.
"Y-you... you have an artifact, don't you?"
"And?"
"Hand it over!"
"What if I don't?"
"Then you can't enter the Chamber of Choice! That means mission failure—and death!"
"......"
Sure enough, with the Stone Golem blocking the entrance, getting inside would be tough.
"I see."
Dokgo Hyun nodded as if convinced.
Thud.
He dropped the Venom Knife at the guy's feet.
"Here. Take it."
"Heh, hehehe. In that case, I won't hold back!"
The moment he bent down to pick up the Venom Knife...
[Object Rewind]
Rewinds target object to previous position
Whoosh!
The knife on the floor shot back up toward Dokgo Hyun's hand.
Splat!
The blade plunged into the guy's throat.
"Guh...! H-how?!"
Even as blood poured from his mouth, the guy harbored doubts.
"I-i-in the Chamber of Choice, violence is forbidden...!"
"I'm outside the Chamber of Choice right now?"
"Ah...?"
"You're the one blocking me from entering. Get it now?"
"Ah...!"
Thud.
"Whoops. I just used a skill to retrieve my dropped weapon, but it got precariously wedged between the weapon and my hand on its own and died. What a tragedy."
Dokgo Hyun offered the explanation half-heartedly.
The TV Girl nodded as if it were a hassle.
The Stone Golem vanished, and Dokgo Hyun pocketed the Venom Knife before entering the Chamber of Choice.
Click.
Naturally, he chose B.
Twenty minutes passed.
In that time, Dokgo Hyun gazed at the gym, which now carried a strangely desolate air.
'There were hundreds here before... now just a handful remain.'
Lost in oddly sentimental thoughts, he opened his status window.
And with the 1,400 coins he'd amassed so far, he decided to boost his stats first.
Once his stats were upgraded, the last player finished their choice in the Chamber of Choice.
Pop!
A box appeared before Dokgo Hyun.
He opened it to check.
Light burst forth, and a system message filled his vision.
Pop!
An exchange ticket appeared.
"......Hmm."
Dokgo Hyun glanced back to see everyone else had received proper artifacts.
The TV Girl spoke to the exasperated Dokgo Hyun.
"Artifacts are extremely powerful, unlike mini-items, so players are limited to one per person. However!"
She pointed at Dokgo Hyun.
"With an Artifact Slot Expansion Ticket, you can use one more artifact."
"Excuse me, this is an exchange ticket, not a direct expansion ticket."
"That's precisely because possessing two artifacts is that powerful."
"Sheesh."
The restrictions made it clear this was a valuable privilege.
'Disappointing, but no point complaining.'
During the tutorial, Dokgo Hyun had killed a goblin for a skill.
Then used [3-Minute Regression] to kill another, earning an artifact that time.
'I get the gist. Since I already have one, they gave the next best thing: an exchange ticket for a slot expansion.'
It would've been nicer to get the expansion ticket outright, but the administration apparently deemed it a balance threat.
'Two artifacts would make someone overpowered.'
Dokgo Hyun accepted it, having gleaned the administration's standards.
'This ticket isn't immediately useful, but oh well.'
"Truly courageous souls—exactly four remain. Congratulations."
Four players left in total.
Ranked by combat prowess:
- Dokgo Hyun: The de facto strongest with [Time Distortion].
- Kang Serim: Red-haired female player with [Infinite Magazine SMG]. Famous as a dangerous figure wielding simple, overwhelming power.
- Musanhwa: Player in monk robes, former leader of Group 25, sporting a Buddhist aesthetic.
- Jang Eunseok: Bespectacled young man, former leader of Group 30. Unassuming compared to others but proven as a group leader.
"Shall I give you time to introduce yourselves?"
The TV Girl said, but the four stayed silent.
She gestured insistently, and Dokgo Hyun spoke first.
"I'm Dokgo Hyun, former leader of Group 41. Nice to meet you."
Not knowing what mission awaited, the pleasantry felt awkward.
"I am Musanhwa of the Small Vehicle. Not a real ordained monk, but I pursue my own path of enlightenment. I've watched Player Dokgo Hyun with great admiration."
Musanhwa pressed his palms together toward Dokgo Hyun.
"I'm Kang Serim. You all know: the crazy bitch who shoots guns. That's me."
The redhead smirked.
Then added, looking at Dokgo Hyun.
"Not quite top three crazy yet. Nice to meet you."
Finally, Jang Eunseok's turn.
He was a young man with an ordinary face.
"I'm Jang Eunseok, leader of Group 30. Confident in brainy plays, but honestly bad at fighting. Hope for a cooperation mission. Nice to meet you."
With greetings done, the TV Girl stepped forward again.
"Good. Now, opening the mission window."
Mission 10: Maze Escape Game
Objective: Escape the maze installed in this gym according to the rules.
The only escape point is the exit.
To open the exit, you need a key, but players are given only a 'Half Key' each.
Combine two 'Half Keys' to form a proper key.
Note: Keys are one-time use and cannot be reused.
Killing an opposing player allows you to steal their key.
However, if they already hold a completed key, you cannot steal additional keys.
📍 Bonus on Success: 2,000 Coins. 5 Healing Potions and 5 Mana Potions each.
💀 Penalty on Failure: Death.
⏰ Time Limit: 45 minutes.
💡 Hint: Find the stage! The exit is nearby. But locating the stage won't be easy.
The players scrutinized the mission window, especially the hint.
"Begin!"
Clank! Clank!
Suddenly, thin, tall metal panels descended from the ceiling.
Boom!
Boom!!
The panels slammed down between the players.
They fused into walls, bending and connecting geometrically to form a maze.
Clank! Clank!
The metal walls were smooth-surfaced and towered up to the gym ceiling.
"Whoa."
They didn't block sound, so Kang Serim's voice echoed clearly from beyond the wall.
Dokgo Hyun examined the half-key now in his hand.
'Need to get another half-key.'
He judged pinpointing the exit's location was priority one.
'The hint said to find the stage.'
There had to be a reason for that.
'The stage... over there.'
Dokgo Hyun scanned the ceiling.
The walls were too high to climb, but the ceiling was open.
'Kang Serim destroyed that large light over there.'
The damaged light's position on the ceiling gave him rough coordinates.
Like the North Star guiding his way.
'If my memory serves, the stage is opposite the lights.'
The gym was vast but held only a few hundred, so heading one way while watching the ceiling would lead to the exit soon enough.
'Alright. Let's move.'
Dokgo Hyun took a step.
'Walls are thin, so footsteps will echo. Stay quiet.'
The moment he cautiously took a few steps...
Rat-tat-tat-tat!!
Creeeeak...!!
Kang Serim was unleashing her SMG in all directions.
The gunfire against the metal maze was deafening.
'Close. Just one wall away.'
Dokgo Hyun could pinpoint her location.
"Hiiing, won't break."
Kang Serim's complaint sounded like she was right beside him.
Tap-tap!
She fingered the dents in the wall from her shots—Dokgo Hyun even sensed that.
'She's right in front of me?'
Dokgo Hyun was stunned.
'Perfect chance.'
He decided to test his new skill.
'[Psychometry].'
Dokgo Hyun placed his hand on the wall and activated it.
Flash!
'Ooh! I can see it?!'
Kang Serim's image beyond the wall—her disappointed expression—appeared in his mind like a photo.
'Thin walls let me read memories from the other side...!'
Dokgo Hyun discovered a two-birds-one-stone solution.
'Combine the left-hand rule with [Psychometry].'
The left-hand rule: keep your left hand on the wall and follow it to escape a maze.
Not foolproof for special mazes, but most efficient without clues.
'Use the left-hand rule, touch walls to navigate, and trigger [Psychometry] occasionally to check Kang Serim's position.'
Every time she vented on the wall, the intense experience lingered.
Dokgo Hyun could distort time to read it.
That was when it happened.
Clang!!
A metallic bell-like ring echoed from somewhere.
Thud!!
A shockwave struck Kang Serim.
"Uh... huh?!"
Kang Serim panicked, confused by the unseen attack.
Her bewilderment transmitted straight to Dokgo Hyun.
"Kyaaak! What the hell! I don't know what hit me, but it hurts!"
Rat-tat-tat!!
She sprayed her SMG everywhere and fled somewhere.
'Huh.'
Dokgo Hyun, hand still on the wall, pondered.
'There was a metallic ring. Something hitting the metal wall with a shockwave? Or an artifact?'
'Tch. Sniper shot missed.'
Jang Eunseok clicked his tongue inwardly as he removed his artifact from the wall.
The metal rod in his hand was the 'Rod of Impact.'
Swing it or press the button to unleash a shockwave.
Releasing its power against the thin metal wall transmitted the shockwave through.
That caused the metallic ring.
'Direction was perfect...'
Jang Eunseok's skill was the C-grade familiar summon [Spirit of Direction Summon].
It summoned information familiars; name a target, and it revealed the exact direction.
A tiny, winged fairy-like spirit with zero combat power, but accurate answers to proper questions.
He'd just done so.
'Gunfire from Kang Serim. Is she beyond this wall?'
'Yes.'
'Kang Serim's head position?'
'Here. Right beyond the wall.'
'If I fire a shockwave there with the artifact, can I crush Kang Serim's skull beyond the wall?'
'You'd have to try.'
The spirit gave precise direction and distance.
Kang Serim didn't know, but she was sandwiched: Jang Eunseok to her left beyond one wall, Dokgo Hyun to her right beyond another.
Anyway, Jang Eunseok attempted a 'sniper' shot through the wall with the shockwave.
Result: failure.
It delivered a heavy blow to her head but didn't kill her.
"What now?"