Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Preliminary Round Phase 1 Final Mission (4)
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Dokgo Hyun dodged with [Instant Acceleration].
Thwack!!
He landed a counterpunch.
"Gah! Argh!"
Jang Eunseok's jaw shattered, and he dropped the Shock Rod from the sheer impact.
"I don't know what your deal is, but it seems like you want to die by my hand on purpose. So I won't kill you. Instead, I'll beat you until you spill the truth."
"Urk... Heh... Hehehehe!"
Jang Eunseok laughed through the pain.
"It's you. It was you all along."
"What?"
"The hero from the prophecy...!"
"What's this prophecy? And what do you mean by 'hero'?"
"The final four players. One of them... at least one of the candidates...!"
"What?"
"The being who can go beyond the Gate... It was you...!"
"Gate?"
The word "Gate" rang a bell the moment he heard it.
'I definitely heard it during the tutorial, right after clearing the rock-paper-scissors bonus mission.'
Back then, the dealer-like supervisor who oversaw the bonus mission had looked at the victorious Dokgo Hyun and said,
'Heh. Someone like you... might actually reach the Gate.'
He'd asked what that meant, but the dealer said she couldn't say more.
Dokgo Hyun had forgotten all about it afterward...
"What's this Gate?"
"For... forbidden...?"
"Yeah."
"Clo...se...by..."
He whispered in a fading voice.
It screamed suspicious.
But Dokgo Hyun had confidence he could dodge with [Time Stop] or [Instant Acceleration], so he approached.
Whoosh!
As expected, the guy swung the Shock Rod while lying down.
Dokgo Hyun easily evaded with [Instant Acceleration].
"Man, you're pissing me off. I'm curious, but I'm done playing nice."
He'd dragged it out without killing the suspicious bastard, but now he wondered if that was exactly what the guy wanted.
Stab!!
Dokgo Hyun killed Jang Eunseok with the Venom Knife.
"Gurk! Heh... heh, success...!"
"Huh?!"
Dokgo Hyun panicked.
He sensed Jang Eunseok activating something that felt eerily similar to when he himself triggered his ultimate skill.
Time until Dokgo Hyun's body is taken: 1min 59sec...
Time until Dokgo Hyun's body is taken: 1min 58sec...
Time until Dokgo Hyun's body is taken: 1min 57sec...
"What?!"
By the time Dokgo Hyun reacted in shock, Jang Eunseok's body was already dead.
Instead, Jang Eunseok's soul clung to Dokgo Hyun and spoke directly into his mind.
'Kyahaha! You fell for it! This is my skill's ultimate!'
"Hmm."
Dokgo Hyun's limbs trembled.
"An ultimate, huh. What did I just get hit with?"
'The ultimate of [Mind Without Birth]: [Mind Possession]!!'
Jang Eunseok shouted triumphantly into Dokgo Hyun's mind.
Dokgo Hyun staggered as he asked,
"You're not the real Jang Eunseok."
'Heh! Figured it out, huh.'
"What's your real identity?"
'You knew me as Musengwha.'
"Musengwha? The player with the monk gimmick...!"
'Heh. I discarded my real name back in the tutorial. Now, I'm just one of the Great Prophet's many servants.'
"What's this Prophet?"
'Kekeke. 'Prophet' is as straightforward as it gets.'
"Fine. Someone who prophesies. What did this Prophet foresee?"
'Huhu. Many things. So very many...'
"Hm. So he foresaw everything about this preliminary round too?"
'...The preliminaries weren't 100% foreseen. Prophecies aren't absolute—there are beings they don't work well on. We call them Irregulars for convenience.'
"Ah, crazies like Lee Hyun-jun?"
'Truth be told, you're probably one too.'
"Is that why you targeted me?"
'Not just because you're suspected as an Irregular, but because you're likely the hero from the prophecy.'
"What's this hero? Do I take it literally?"
'Kekeke. No need to interpret. Because I'll take your body and become the new hero!!'
It was a voice dripping with ecstasy.
'Now I'll go beyond the Gate with the Prophet!!!'
"Hm."
Asking more wouldn't get him anywhere.
Time was running out anyway.
Time until Dokgo Hyun's body is taken: 40sec...
Time until Dokgo Hyun's body is taken: 39sec...
Time until Dokgo Hyun's body is taken: 38sec...
"Truth is, I had a rough idea you were up to something. I let it happen anyway."
'What?'
"So you'd spill info like a fool."
'Don't make me laugh. I lured you into killing me.'
"Sure, whatever. Point is, I knew killing you would trigger your ultimate."
'Kahaha! Analyzing the trigger condition now—what good does that do?!'
"You've been calling me 'hero' this whole time, right? A real hero never gives up till the end."
'What?'
"Like this. [Venom Mode]."
Dokgo Hyun gripped the Venom Knife with his trembling hand.
Stab!!
He plunged it straight into his own heart.
"Cough."
'Wh-what are you doing! Aaaagh!!'
"Heh. [4-Minute Regression]..."
Dokgo Hyun died, and time rewound.
Dokgo Hyun returned to 4 minutes ago.
This was the moment when Jang Eunseok was pretending to gather his thoughts, blatantly acting suspicious to stall for time.
'If I talk and then kill him, his ultimate triggers. Then in 2 minutes, he'll take my body.'
With that understanding, Dokgo Hyun activated his skill.
'[Time Stop].'
It was a 3-second stop skill, but in [Hyper Mode], he could extend it to over 6 seconds.
6 seconds was plenty to kill Jang Eunseok, but that would still trigger the ultimate and lose his body.
'Not sure if killing in stopped time triggers it, but no need to risk it. Safer way.'
The key was not killing him directly with his own hands.
'Time for a little prank.'
Dokgo Hyun activated [Instant Acceleration], tampered with a Healing Potion, and barely released [Time Stop] in time.
Accomplishing that in 6 seconds was borderline miraculous.
Dokgo Hyun spoke first, acting like nothing happened.
"By the way."
He followed the same route up to the midpoint.
"Hm?"
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Why? Do I look hurt?"
"There's blood on your palm. From the fight?"
"Hm."
Jang Eunseok checked his palm.
Like before the regression, he looked at the wound as if it were unfamiliar, feeling no pain.
Dokgo Hyun thought,
'Good. Now for the divergence!'
Rustle rustle.
Dokgo Hyun opened his Inventory Window and pulled out a Healing Potion.
"Here, take this."
Whoosh!
He tossed it over.
Jang Eunseok caught it and smirked.
"Appreciate it, but it's not worth wasting a precious potion on."
"Your palm looks like it hurts bad."
"Does it? Hm."
In truth, Jang Eunseok felt no pain.
"By the way."
"Hm?"
"That wound's from fighting the Musengwha player, right?"
"Hm? Yeah, something like that."
Saying it felt odd to Jang Eunseok.
Just moments ago, he had been the original Musengwha.
"Musengwha player must've been tough."
"Hm."
It was a prickly topic.
Talking about Musengwha's death might make Dokgo Hyun suspicious.
'Sharp guy.'
"I'm pretty resistant to pain, so this doesn't hurt much. But since you're being kind, I'll drink it."
Better to heal quickly and deflect suspicion.
Jang Eunseok inspected the potion cap.
'No tampering marks.'
He paused.
But he didn't drink right away.
Dokgo Hyun's pure kindness was too good to be true in a death game.
That bred doubt.
"Not drinking?"
"If it's genuine, I'd be overthinking. Mind if I verify?"
"Verify?"
"[Spirit of Direction] summon."
Fwoosh!
Jang Eunseok's old skill, [Spirit of Direction], appeared.
"...!"
Dokgo Hyun was surprised.
'Using the stolen body's skills too.'
The [Spirit of Direction] eyed Jang Eunseok irritably.
From its perspective, this Jang Eunseok was the intruder who'd deceived and stolen the original body.
But it didn't say it outright.
Jang Eunseok asked,
"[Spirit of Direction]! Is this Healing Potion normal? No poisons or impurities, just pure healing, right?"
He asked suspiciously about the innocent-looking potion.
The [Spirit of Direction] measured the truth for a moment.
"Very close to the truth!"
Then it despawned itself.
"Impressive ability."
Dokgo Hyun said admiringly.
"Heh. Sorry for doubting. Down the hatch."
Reassured, Jang Eunseok drank the Healing Potion.
Gulp gulp...
"Tastes good. Just a normal potio—"
Jang Eunseok's words cut off.
The taste changed.
Right in the middle of drinking.
"Hahaha!"
Dokgo Hyun laughed heartily.
A pure, innocent laugh like a mischievous kid who'd pulled off a prank.
"Wh-what did you do."
"Ask your spirit."
"S-[Spirit of Direction]!"
Jang Eunseok asked with lips turning faintly green.
"Wh-what's happening!"
"Looks poisoned. Probably from that Healing Potion you just drank?"
The [Spirit of Direction] replied snarkily.
Jang Eunseok was aghast.
"Th-the potion I drank... had poison?"
"Very close to the truth!"
"What?! You said it was normal before drinking!!"
"It was normal before drinking. But the moment you started, it suddenly changed. No idea beyond that."
"N-No way!"
Thud!
Jang Eunseok's knees buckled.
"Poison in a Healing Potion must dilute it. You'll die for sure, but it'll take a while."
"H-how... how did you do it!"
Dokgo Hyun answered in his mind.
'I laced that potion with poison from the Venom Knife beforehand.'
Yes.
Right after regressing, when [Hyper Mode] kicked in and he used [Time Stop].
He'd opened the Healing Potion and infused it with the Venom Knife's [Venom Mode] poison.
Then rewound only the potion bottle's time with [Object Restoration] to make it perfect.
That's what he gave Jang Eunseok.
And right after Jang Eunseok drank, he released the [Object Restoration].
Maintaining and releasing [Object Restoration] was tricky, but [Hyper Mode]'s double power made it easy.
'So when he checked with the spirit, [Object Restoration] was active—no poison. Released it the instant he drank, poison reactivated.'
Ignorant of this, Jang Eunseok writhed in denial.
"I-impossible... This can't...!"
"Simply put: I poisoned it, but you verified it yourself and drank it. Suicide."
Dokgo Hyun said refreshingly.
'Direct kill with my hands triggers possession. So options: A. Beat without killing. Easy with [Hyper Mode]. B. Make him kill himself.'
He'd considered A, but risk of overkill and cleaner to erase him fully—he forced B.
"Well, die slowly then. Bye."
Dokgo Hyun headed up to the stage without looking back.
He ignored the sound of Jang Eunseok collapsing behind him.
'The exit... here it is.'
Sure enough, atop the stage was an exit to the back.
Click.