Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Preliminary Round Phase 1 Final Mission (2)
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Jang Eunseok asked the Spirit of Direction.
The Spirit of Direction replied as if it were someone else's business.
"How about we move first? That sound from earlier was pretty loud, wasn't it?"
Jang Eunseok was used to the spirit's tone, so he asked again.
"Fine. Tell me the safest 'direction'."
"That's a vague question. What does 'safe' mean to you? Getting away from the players? Or finding the exit quickly?"
"Hmm..."
"Even in the latter case, don't you need two keys to escape anyway? So you'd have to find and kill players quickly, right? In that case, finding a player first could actually be the safest option for you."
"Damn. You're right."
Jang Eunseok acknowledged it.
"Talking to you really clears my head."
"If you're going to ask, stick to questions related to directions~"
"Don't worry. I've boosted my mana plenty."
Jang Eunseok's mana was a whopping 89 points.
He'd extorted coins from his underlings under the pretext of being their leader.
His team grumbled but followed his lead, convinced that raising mana would strengthen the Spirit of Direction—and only then could they find a "direction where everyone survives."
"Alright. First, tell me the exit's location."
"That's simple."
The Spirit of Direction whispered into Jang Eunseok's ear.
"The exit is to the northeast, about 20 meters in a straight line. Pass three forks, and you'll get there fastest."
"Just 20 meters? Great."
Jang Eunseok dismissed the summon, gripped the Rod of Shock, and moved cautiously.
The walls were thin; he could be detected easily.
Step... step...
After walking a short way, Jang Eunseok encountered another player.
"Heh heh. Was that loud boom just now from you?"
It was Musaenghwa.
"Eek!"
Jang Eunseok aimed the Rod of Shock.
Musaenghwa chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
"This monk has no desire to fight. You can lower your weapon."
"H-how can I trust that!"
"Heavens. How should I prove it?"
Musaenghwa pondered briefly, then opened his inventory window.
"Wh-what are you doing!"
"Just taking out my artifact to give to you. Heave-ho."
The artifact Musaenghwa pulled out was a hammer—too big for one hand, awkward for two.
"Heave-ho."
He set it on the ground and kicked it toward Jang Eunseok.
Roll...
Light for a hammer, it slid across the floor and stopped at Jang Eunseok's feet.
"That's this monk's artifact. Do you understand now that I have no intent to fight?"
"Uh..."
Jang Eunseok kept his eyes on Musaenghwa as he cautiously touched the hammer.
'This is real.'
He hadn't been tricked with a fake hammer claiming it was an artifact; it truly was one.
Jang Eunseok left it alone and asked.
"What's your skill?"
"This monk's skill is [Birthless Mind]."
"Is that so?"
Jang Eunseok activated his skill.
Fwoosh!
The Spirit of Direction appeared.
"Spirit of Direction! Use the special ability [Distance from Truth]! Find out how far the opponent's statement is from the truth!"
"That's a special ability—it costs a lot of mana?"
"I know!"
Special abilities, advanced techniques, derivatives, and so on.
Different terms, but they all meant evolutions of the skill's original power.
With [Distance from Truth], he could gauge how close or far a statement was from reality.
Woooong...!
A halo of light gathered around the Spirit of Direction, then it answered.
"The opponent's words are very close to the truth."
"...!"
Never once since acquiring [Distance from Truth] had it returned "very close to the truth."
Most were "very close to lies," and the more normal ones were merely "midpoint between truth and lies."
"Heh heh. Will you believe this monk now?"
"Believe or not, explain what that skill does."
"Very well. [Birthless Mind] is a heteromanifestation skill that causes complete annihilation upon death."
"Annihilation? Of whom?"
"This monk myself."
"...That's a skill?"
'Doesn't everyone vanish completely when they die?' Jang Eunseok thought.
"A death so pristine, as if I never existed—would you believe that?"
"...Hard to buy."
Jang Eunseok questioned the Spirit of Direction again.
The spirit answered immediately.
"Somewhat close to the truth."
"...Heh."
Jang Eunseok felt a bit relieved.
The opponent's skill was clearly distant from combat utility.
"So?"
"Hm?"
"So what's your point!"
"I'd appreciate if you'd humor this monk in conversation for about five minutes. It might seem like monkish wordplay from some pretender... but it's important."
"Important? More important than snatching keys?"
"The matter of how we'll survive from here on."
Jang Eunseok was dumbfounded.
Right here, two of four had to die.
Why discuss "from here on" now?
"Remember? This is Preliminary Round Phase 1. Clearing it leads to Phase 2."
"Y-yeah. That's why I risked staying for the final mission."
Safety-seeker Jang Eunseok had stayed for the special reward.
The "???" reward was undoubtedly huge.
'And I actually got the Rod of Shock.'
Having an artifact made a world of difference.
If he survived this, he'd have a strong edge going forward.
But Musaenghwa saw through him and spoke sternly.
"Don't be so short-sighted. Understand?"
"I don't get it, but just get to the point."
"First, take this."
Clink!
Musaenghwa tossed half a key at Jang Eunseok's feet.
"Huh?!"
"Now, if you make a key and escape, what then?"
"Rest up for Phase 2."
"I said don't be short-sighted. After that—when you reach the end of this death game—what then?"
"Ah...? An 'end'?"
"..."
Musaenghwa didn't hide his pitying look, as if Jang Eunseok wasn't worth further talk.
"No good. This one's hopeless."
"What?"
"It means a punk like you won't reach the 'end.' Damn. No value in stealing your skill or body."
Dropping the monk act, Musaenghwa gnawed his nails.
"Was there an error in His prophecy? Among those remaining for Preliminary Round Phase 1's final mission, there should be a 'hero of humanity.' If not this fool, then Dokgo Hyun?"
Musaenghwa muttered to himself, and Jang Eunseok steadied his resolve.
'No idea what nonsense, but it's my chance. Kill him now.'
He already had the key; no need to kill, but better safe.
'With the Rod of Shock.'
He could fire shockwaves at range, but swinging it up close hit harder.
That instant.
"Planning to kill me?"
Musaenghwa asked coldly.
"...Yeah."
"Try it. But before you do, why not ask your spirit?"
Musaenghwa taunted.
'Kill him now!!'
"Raaagh!!!"
His shout echoed through the maze.
Thud!!
Rrrrip!
Bam-bam!!
As Jang Eunseok pulverized Musaenghwa's head, his own grip tore open.
Unfamiliar with max-output wielding of this artifact type, he'd slipped.
Still, worth it.
The Rod of Shock burst Musaenghwa's head in one blow.
Strictly speaking, though, Musaenghwa didn't die.
'Kekeke! Thanks!'
'What?!'
Musaenghwa's voice echoed in Jang Eunseok's mind.
"Wh-what is this...!"
Jang Eunseok's limbs wouldn't respond properly.
It felt like control was slowly slipping to another.
Musaenghwa's voice filled his head.
'The ultimate of my [Birthless Mind]: [Mind Possession].'
Musaenghwa spoke in cold, cruel tones.
'I didn't lie about the basic effect. But the ultimate's entirely different. Kekeke.'
With time left before takeover, he toyed with his prey, explaining.
'Activation condition for my ultimate: converse with someone who knows your name.'
'What...!'
'If killed after meeting that, my soul clings to another player and absorbs them via [Mind Possession]. Kekeke.'
'No!'
'The monkish prattle bought time to boost success odds. Heh heh! And my real goal was possessing the hero.'
'Hero?'
'Such a thing exists. You're not it.'
'Damn it! Better suicide than let you take my body!!'
Jang Eunseok tried smashing the Rod of Shock into his own head.
But his body merely staggered like a drunk—disobeying.
'N-no.'
'Yes!'
'Heh heh.'
Thus, what was once Musaenghwa fully claimed Jang Eunseok's body.
'From now on, I'm the new Jang Eunseok.'
Musaenghwa—no, Jang Eunseok—stretched grandly.
'Heh heh heh. This isn't even my first body snatch.'
Indeed.
Even the Buddhist monk persona of Musaenghwa was a body stolen during the tutorial.
'The ultimate [Mind Possession] can be used twice a day.'
Now, find presumed hero Dokgo Hyun or Kang Serim and possess the superior one.
'Gunshots earlier—one must be dead. The survivor is the prophesied hero.'
Jang Eunseok stretched hugely.
'All will unfold as He prophesied!'
About two minutes earlier.
"Raaagh!!!"
Jang Eunseok's shout came from not far away.
Dokgo Hyun startled at the sound.
'This maze really messes with distance sense.'
It sounded quite close.
The moment he judged to head away from it.
"Ah."
"Oh."
He bumped into Kang Serim around the corner.
Neither held a weapon.
Too close to fight comfortably, too awkward to turn and flee.
"Phew..."
"We judged the same event oppositely, huh?"
Kang Serim smiled as she asked.
As she said, Dokgo Hyun had chosen to flee the shout, while she'd charged toward it.
And they met at a fork.
"What do you say? Team up with me?"
"What kind of team-up?"
"Join forces, kill the other two. Then we both escape."
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