Chapter 64: Scarier Than Falling Behind
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 64: Scarier Than Falling Behind
[Ding! You have obtained 240 Reward Coins.]
[Kill Bonus! An additional 50 coins have been awarded.]
[You have reached the Final 5 for three consecutive rounds. An additional 30 coins have been awarded.]
[You have placed 1st for two consecutive rounds. An additional 30 coins have been awarded.]
[You have achieved the feat of slaying an Epic Monster. An additional 30 coins have been awarded.]
'380 coins, huh...'
As Seo-un calculated his new total and considered which items to buy, Gi-chan shouted, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.
"Three hundred coins?!"
"Huh? Is that all they gave you?"
At the words "is that all," Gi-chan looked at Seo-un with a dumbfounded expression.
"H-Hyung, how many did you get?"
"Eighty more than you."
"Gasp!"
Watching Gi-chan’s jaw drop so far it looked like it might dislocate, Seo-un nodded as he re-examined the reward breakdown.
"Ah, my reward for reaching the Final 5 three times in a row and the reward for 1st place twice in a row is 60 coins. Then the remaining 20-coin difference... must be from the kill bonuses."
"Ah... so there are rewards like that too..."
"When I placed in the Final 2 twice in a row, it was 15 coins. It seems the reward doubles every time the streak increases."
Gi-chan looked up, doing the math in his head for a moment, and then recoiled in shock.
"Th-then, if you get 1st place in the next round too... the streak reward alone will be 120 coins?"
"Probably."
"That’s insane!"
Gi-chan looked like he wanted to scream that the system was a scam. Seo-un smiled and said, "Dummy. Look at the probability. In a survival game with 100, 200, 400, or even more participants, do you think it's easy to consistently place 1st or in the Top 5? If you calculate the odds, the reward is actually quite stingy."
Logically, that made sense. The problem was that emotionally, it didn't sit right at all.
"They say the rich only get richer. There’s a reason the wealthy stay wealthy."
Since this was a game where you only earned a measly 5 coins if you survived without making it into the reward ranks, Seo-un understood why Gi-chan felt that way. He didn't press the point.
"Let's just pick our items."
[Summoning Item List.]
Martial Arts Manuals:
* Plucking and Nourishing Art (30 Coins)
* Gale Step (50 Coins)
* Blood Bone Claw (80 Coins)
* Killing Demon Sword Art (30 Coins)
* Formal Spear Art (30 Coins)
* Bone Crushing Fist (20 Coins)
* True Sand Kick Technique (25 Coins)
* Gyosa Sword Art (15 Coins)
* Fragmented Secret Manual (60 Coins)
* Hwajung Sword Technique (20 Coins)
* Gyeonghwa Movement Technique (10 Coins)
* Guyu Spear Art (30 Coins)
Magic Books:
* Flame Burst (65 Coins)
* Earth Wave (10 Coins)
* Flame Bird (55 Coins)
* Pray Guard (15 Coins)
* Air Barrier (10 Coins)
* Earth Strike (30 Coins)
* Earth Wall (23 Coins)
* Fire Wall (30 Coins)
* Electric Impact (25 Coins)
Skill Books:
* Eye of the Forest (10 Coins)
* Sense of the Forest (15 Coins)
* Kaier's Barrier (20 Coins)
* Kaier's Echo (30 Coins)
* Kaier Earth (35 Coins)
* Spirit of Kasan (13 Coins)
* Mimicry (25 Coins)
Accessories:
* Ring of Protection (30 Coins)
* Ring of Torga (45 Coins)
* Toka's Ring (60 Coins)
* Askro's Necklace (1 Coin)
Misc:
* Tongue of Dokabu (5 Coins)
* Elm Bow (3 Coins)
* Black Kaier's Bow (5 Coins)
Reinforced Black Kaier's Bow (5 Coins)
* Mana Jewelry (1 Coin)
* Area Teleport Scroll (5 Coins)
* Extreme Spirit Pill (20 Coins)
* Death Strike Faction's Paralysis Poison (1 Coin)
* Death Strike Faction's Paralysis Antidote (1 Coin)
Craig's Sword Manual (30 Coins)
* Askro's Necklace (1 Coin)
* Desert Stone (1 Coin)
* Broken Obsidian Breastplate (1 Coin)
* Sky Enhancement Stone (100 Coins)
* Staff of the Abyss (100 Coins)
* Soul Crystal x10 (1 Coin)
* Purification Crystal (1 Coin)
* Kutrapa's Sword Manual (100 Coins)
* Kutrapa's Treasure Map (3 Coins)
* Kutrapa's Secret Ledger (100 Coins)
* Air Board (30 Coins)
* Throwing Dagger (1 Coin)
* Subspace Quiver (15 Coins)
* Mana Explosion Scroll x3 (5 Coins)
* Shield Scroll (5 Coins)
* Artisan's Dagger (10 Coins)
* Cloak of Stealth (70 Coins)
* Jeokgong Pill (90 Coins)
* 4th Circle Stone (50 Coins)
* Obsidian Sword (30 Coins)
* Plasma Orb (10 Coins)
* Beef Jerky (1 Coin)
Looking at the list, Gi-chan muttered, "They say you spend as much as you earn... 100 coins for a single staff. I need to save up coins for later, but..."
Seeing him reaching for the items, Seo-un quickly spoke up.
"Don't pick yet!"
"Eh?"
"Just look for now. We still have the draw left."
"Ah!"
At that moment, a notification sounded as if it had been waiting for the cue.
[Tiririring! A draw ticket has been granted to the Final 5.]
[Player, you may spin three times.]
Seeing the roulette wheel appear, Gi-chan began to get excited.
"If I just pull that staff, I save 100 coins in an instant! This is totally broken!"
"It's broken, alright. A broken scam that makes you feel like garbage when you end up with something like Beef Jerky."
With that one sentence, Gi-chan’s excitement cooled instantly.
"Ah..."
"For your information, I pulled Askro's Necklace twice before."
"Wh-why are you being so scary?"
"Spin carefully. Want to go first?"
"Whew. Haa. Whew."
Nodding and taking a deep breath, Gi-chan carefully spun the wheel.
[Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... Ding! You have obtained a Sky Enhancement Stone. Congratulations.]
"Whoa! Jackpot!!!"
At Gi-chan’s luck, Seo-un’s eyebrow twitched.
'And here I was, getting a 1-coin necklace on my first try.'
It wasn't that he specifically wanted Gi-chan to fail. He wanted him to get one or two good items. He just hoped that, at least for the first spin, Gi-chan would feel the same sense of futility he had experienced.
'Is it just me, or does he look even more handsome now?'
Seo-un narrowed his eyes as he watched Gi-chan rejoice with the enhancement stone in his hand.
[Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... Ding! You have obtained a Desert Stone. Congratulations.]
"Pfft!"
A joyful laugh escaped Seo-un's lips involuntarily. Was it just his imagination, or was seeing Gi-chan’s devastated face as the 1-coin Desert Stone dropped before him strangely satisfying?
"Hey, you got it for free."
"Sigh. Yes... but this subject still has one more chance left."
Watching Gi-chan steel himself while quoting a famous movie line, Seo-un suppressed a smirk as the wheel spun vigorously once more.
[Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... Ding! You have obtained the Magic Book: Flame Burst. Congratulations.]
"Oooooh!"
Seo-un’s lips curled up as he watched Gi-chan pick up the magic book with delight.
"Congratulations. You just earned 166 coins for free. Not bad."
"Hyung! This is a total jackpot, right?"
"Of course it is. It's not like coins grow on trees."
"I knew getting 1st place was the way to go."
Patting the beaming Gi-chan on the shoulder, Seo-un stepped up to the wheel and gave it a powerful spin.
[Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... Ding! You have obtained Askro's Necklace...]
"Aaaagh!!!"
A scream erupted naturally. Askro's Necklace for the third time. Gi-chan barely managed to stop Seo-un from throwing a punch infused with internal energy at the roulette wheel.
"Hyung! You still have t-two more tries left..."
"Whew."
Calming his nerves and glaring at the wheel, he spun it again.
[Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... Ding! You have obtained the Staff of the Abyss. Congratulations.]
"Huh?"
"Whoa!! Jackpot!!"
Seo-un and Gi-chan’s reactions were subtly different. It was certainly a jackpot since it was a 100-coin item. The problem was that Seo-un was only a 4th Circle Mage.
"Hyung... that..."
Gi-chan’s eyes sparkled as he stared at the golden staff that appeared before Seo-un. Just as Seo-un was about to give the staff to Gi-chan with a bitter smile, surprising words came out of Gi-chan’s mouth.
"How about you sell it to me for 80 coins?"
"Huh? Can you trade coins?"
"In Quads, I believe you can exchange coins between teammates in the reward waiting room."
After speaking, Gi-chan moved his hands in the air, and a notification sounded.
[Ding! Teammate Kang Gi-chan has shared 80 coins with you.]
"Oh! So there was a feature like this."
Finishing his sentence, Seo-un tossed the staff to Gi-chan, who bowed deeply in gratitude.
"Thank you! Hyung-nim!"
"Whatever. It's not like I could use it anyway."
Turning his gaze back to the wheel, he took his final spin.
[Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... Ding! You have obtained a Fragmented Secret Manual. Congratulations.]
"This is vague. Is this a sign to collect these things?"
"Hyung, you also made a profit of about 160 coins. I wonder if the total coin value of items you can get is fixed?"
"No way."
Despite saying that, Seo-un also stared at the disappearing wheel with a complicated expression.
"Now all that's left is to pick the items."
He currently had 509 coins. Between the rewards from this round, the coins from selling the staff to Gi-chan, and the coins left over from last time, his balance had grown more than expected.
"The problem is I couldn't find many particularly good items."
After deliberating over the list, Seo-un’s hand began to select items.
[You have selected Gale Step, Blood Bone Claw, Toka's Ring, Sky Enhancement Stone, Kaier Earth, Kaier's Barrier, Broken Obsidian Breastplate, Soul Crystal (10), Purification Crystal, Extreme Spirit Pill, Mana Jewelry, Reinforced Black Kaier's Bow, and Desert Stone. A total of 374 coins have been used. The remaining coins will be accumulated. Would you like to finish item selection?]
He left 135 coins behind, but there were no other items worth picking. He had already chosen all the items Gi-chan suggested would be worth money.
"Are you done too?"
"Yes. Shall we finish now?"
"Yeah. The moment we leave here..."
As his voice trailed off, Gi-chan flashed a murderous smile.
"I know."
The moment both of them pressed the 'O' button, instead of their vision changing, a notification rang out.
[Congratulations on your promotion to Regular Player. From now on, you may select and participate in Match Games.]
[The Regular Player Friend List feature is now active. You may now freely send friend requests. You can communicate freely with players from different worlds.]
[The Regular Player Fixed Quad feature is now active. You can increase your fixed team members up to 20.]
[As a promotion reward, the grade of your Subspace Ring will be increased.]
As soon as the notifications ended, their vision began to brighten.
[Good work. Good luck in your next game. Obtained items can be retrieved from your Subspace.]
The moment the final notification sounded, the real world came into view. Jong-cheon and Chilsang rushed toward them, spewing vitriol.
"You son of a bitch—!"
"I'm going to kill you! You bastard!"
As Seo-un, who had been rushing toward them, suddenly backed away, the three of them flinched at a strange sense of dissonance.
"Before you start cursing, shouldn't you check something first?"
As Seo-un finished speaking, two secret manuals appeared in his hands. As the two manuals crumbled into dust and vanished with the wind, Jong-cheon, Chilsang, and Dal-jin gulped. Gi-chan was also in the process of turning a golden staff and a magic book into dust.
"Let me ask you a question. Who should be the one cursing right now? Is it us, who successfully survived and promoted to Regular Players? Or is it you lot, who failed and are finished?"
Jong-cheon’s group exchanged glances and then turned to run. But they didn't make it more than a few steps.
Thud!
Boom!
Instantly evading Jong-cheon’s flying sword, Seo-un buried a fist into his chest. Then, blurring his form, he blocked the path of Chilsang, who was holding a thick shield. Gi-chan, moving much faster than before, blocked Dal-jin and shattered his golem with magic.
"Th-this is reality! It's not Cloyd! If you kill someone, the price—"
Riiiiiip!
Before the terrified Chilsang could finish his sentence, Seo-un’s hand twisted in an eerie direction and tore through Chilsang’s shield. As the shield was violently shredded with a sickening screech, the shocked Chilsang collapsed where he stood.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Dal-jin’s scream, as he was electrocuted by the lightning pouring from the golden staff, echoed through the night sky, making the atmosphere even heavier.
"No!!! Please!!!!!"
Dal-jin begged in agony as Gi-chan’s lightning began to burn away the Circle rings engraved on his heart, but Gi-chan didn't even blink as he incinerated them. Dal-jin’s convulsing body went still, and white foam began to bubble from his mouth.
Crack!
The moment Seo-un lightly stepped on the leg of Chilsang—who had turned pale watching the scene—his sturdy shin snapped.
"Aaargh!"
Passing by the man rolling on the ground clutching his leg, Seo-un approached Jong-cheon, who lay collapsed, clutching his chest.
"Y-you don't have to do this."
"I'm doing it because there are bastards like you who do things they don't have to do."
Vroooom!
One of Jong-cheon’s swords that had been lying on the ground flew toward Seo-un’s neck, but the sword, caught between his two fingers, let out a mournful cry.
Snap!
With a flick of his fingers, the tip of the sword snapped off and fell to the ground.
"You know, when I came back after my first game, I didn't choose a mental method. All the internal energy I built up in Cloyd scattered, and when I realized that after returning to Earth, I suddenly felt so hollow I cried."
At those words, Jong-cheon’s face turned ghostly white.
"D-don't. Please..."
Thwack!
Before he could finish, Seo-un’s toe shattered Jong-cheon’s Dantian.
"Aaah..."
The sensation of his internal power scattering overwhelmed Jong-cheon more than the pain of his Dantian breaking. Seo-un watched with emotionless eyes as one man lay unconscious from a powerful electric shock to the heart and another wept uncontrollably as his Dantian dissolved. Then, he approached Chilsang again.
The man, clutching his leg and screaming, tried desperately to crawl away from the approaching Seo-un.
"Since your abilities are skill-based tanking, I'm leaving them alone simply because I have no way to get rid of them. Don't misunderstand. I thought about crushing every bone in your body and severing your spine, but you'd probably just heal that kind of trauma with a scroll anyway. I'll make you one promise. If anything happens to my parents, I will hunt down the families of all three of you. If my parents are in a car accident and suffer even a minor scratch, I will return it ten-thousand-fold to your families. If my parents slip on the street in winter and get hurt, I promise I will break every bone in your families' bodies. Think carefully."
Chilsang nodded frantically, his eyes filled with terror.
"Then, it would be best for you if you never see my face again."
Leaving the warning at that, he walked with Gi-chan toward the horribly wrecked Hayabusa.
"Wow... it's really smashed up. Will it even start?"
Vrooooom!
As if denying its ruined appearance, the uprighted Hayabusa let out a powerful engine roar.
"But where's the license plate?"
"I took it off just in case. I didn't want to deal with the hassle if we were tracked."
"Good job."
Seo-un hopped on behind Gi-chan, and the Hayabusa, carrying the two of them, vanished from the gruesome scene with a roar of its exhaust.
Chilsang, still clutching his shin, pulled a phone with a cracked screen from his pocket and made a call.
"C-call an ambulance... It's an emergency. Don't track them! Don't follow them, and don't even try to follow them! Stop talking nonsense and just call the ambulance, you bastard!!"
He had failed just before becoming a Regular Player. That rage was truly immense, but he had never imagined there could be a situation worse than that.
Losing one's power.
To the one whose main strength was martial arts, Seo-un took the Dantian; to the mage, he took the Circle rings. Chilsang himself had gotten off with just a broken bone, but the bright futures of the other two were now over.
"How did it... come to this..."