Chapter 29

Episode 7 – Landlord (3)

Yoo Jonghyuk was looking at everyone except for Lee Hyunsung. The three remaining people were standing together and I couldn’t figure out exactly who Yoo Jonghyuk was looking at.

「...How is this possible? 」

Who was he looking at? I wanted to ask but I was afraid that my skill would be exposed. Yoo Jonghyuk still didn’t know that I knew him.

However, I guessed that he might’ve seen the information of Jung Heewon. Jung Heewon saw Yoo Jonghyuk’s gaze and confronted him.

“What are you looking at?”

「······.」

Good job, Jung Heewon.

「 Kill... 」

“Yoo Jonghyuk.” I quickly opened my mouth. “I was wondering about one thing.”

He turned to look at me. His eyes were questioning.

“Why are you leaving Gong Pildu alone?”

“If you are a prophet, you should know.”

“I don’t know everything.”

To be exact, I didn’t remember everything.

[The character ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’ has used the ‘Lie Detection’ skill.

[The character Yoo Jonghyuk has confirmed that your words are true.]

He was thorough.

“...Indeed, I see. A prophet whose level of ‘future sight’ is low.”

Think what you want.

Yoo Jonghyuk continued speaking.

“I need Gong Pildu alive.”

“Is it because of a future scenario?”

Yoo Jonghyuk didn’t answer. It was like he was trying to gauge the information I knew.

“I know that you need Gong Pildu for future scenarios. But you only need Gong Pildu. You don’t need the entire group that follows him.”

「······.」

“Isn’t it your style to remove what you don’t need? Why are you just leaving them?”

「...How annoying. 」

What?

“I have a lot to do.” Yoo Jonghyuk stared at me quietly and said, “You will never understand.”

“Wait! That isn’t the problem. If you don’t move now, most of the humans in Chungmuro will...!”

Yoo Jonghyuk’s eyes were cold.

“It doesn’t matter.”

I wasn’t a humanist. I didn’t believe that everyone in this world was worth living. The thing that was making me angry right now was Yoo Jonghyuk.

“Yoo Jonghyuk. Can I hit you?”

“If you have confidence.”

I angrily formed a fist as I heard a message.

[The character Yoo Jonghyuk has used ‘Strong Self-Defense Lv. 5’.]

I dropped my fist. Cowardly bastard.

“Are you finished?”

“...”

“Let’s go.”

Lee Jihye flinched at Yoo Jonghyuk’s call. Lee Jihye, who belated followed Yoo Jonghyuk, looked at me with confused eyes.

[The constellation ‘Bald General of Justice’ is impressed by your chivalrous spirit.]

[100 coins have been sponsored.]

Of course, it was completely misleading.

* * *

[There are 1 hour and 30 minutes before the third scenario is activated.]

There wasn’t much time left and my mind was complicated.

[The constellation ‘Bald General of Justice’ is angry that people’s lives must be risked.]

[The constellation ‘Bald General of Justice’ wants an uprising.]

Samyeongdang spoke loudly in my head but I couldn’t think of a good way. The third scenario lasted exactly one week.

Maybe Yoo Jonghyuk was planning to gain some other advantage during the duration of the third scenario.

Of course, I couldn’t let it go. I couldn’t let it go...

[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is wondering what you are thinking.]

“That jerk Yoo Jonghyuk.”

[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is satisfied.]

[100 coins have been sponsored.]

In fact, the problem in front of me wasn’t Yoo Jonghyuk but Gong Pildu. In order to break through the third scenario, Gong Pildu’s help was absolutely necessary. But if I couldn’t get his help...

Suddenly, Jung Heewon looked up and smiled.

“Who is it?”

“...Huh?”

“You know, that person. The one you were talking to Yoo Jonghyuk about.”

I immediately explained about Gong Pildu. Jung Heewon was unconscious so she hadn’t been able to see Gong Pildu. I didn’t mean to change the subject. Jung Heewon immediately reacted.

“...What are these scum? Taking the public facilities and making people pay to use them?”

“The scum are upstairs.”

“I’ll go and throw them out.

Jung Heewon picked up the ground rat blade. That reminded me, I should change their weapons. There was a lot to be done.

“It is absurd.”

“We can win if we join forces. Don’t you remember Gumho Station?”

Jung Heewon’s expression was confident.

It was natural. Jung Heewon had the Judgment Time skill as a trump card. She had good senses and was quick to adapt, so she would’ve already figured out her attribute and skills.

“Don’t dawdle! Let’s go and kill them!”

As long as her opponents were ‘wicket’, her Judgment Time boasted the highest power.

[The character ‘Jung Heewon’ has activated the exclusive skill ‘Judgment Time.’]

[The constellations of the Absolute Good system are silent at Jung Heewon’s request.

[The skill has been cancelled.]

Jung Heewon’s face filled with confusion.

“No, this...what? Is it broken?”

Jung Heewon tried to activate the skill again. However, the skill wasn’t triggered.

“No...why isn’t it activated? Aren’t they obviously wicked?”

I laughed at Jung Heewon’s question.

“That is what we humans think.”

“...What are you talking about?”

“The constellations might be different. There is no guarantee that the good and evil they know is like what we know.”

“Ah...”

“Justice is always decided by the majority.”

Right now, the majority of constellations have decided that they are ‘good.’ Humans no longer had the right to decide on justice. Humans were just the puppets of their sponsors.

“That...”

I looked at the party members.

Everyone didn’t say anything but they thought in a similar way to Jung Heewon. Lee Hyunsung wiped the iron shield that was scratched by the magic bullets, while Yoo Sangah and Lee Gilyoung sat next to each other on the ground, looking at cockroaches.

This sense of despair, I could understand.

They thought they understood after getting rid of the gang at Gumho Station. However, there was an incomparable monster just three stations away.

It was time to start the torture of hope.

“That doesn’t mean there is no way.”

“Huh?”

“It might be difficult but there is a way to defeat them.”

They simultaneously looked at me. Lee Hyunsung asked.

“...Do you really have a way?”

“What is it?”

I looked around and lowered my voice.

“Get Gong Pildu out of the Armed Zone.”

“What is the Armed Zone?”

“His stigma. It is optimized to defend an area.”

Armed Zone. The reason why it was difficult to go against Gong Pildu was this stigma. It was a fraudulent ability that could build ‘turrets’ in an area.

Right now, it was just Armed Zone. Once the stigma evolved in the future, it would become ‘Armed Fortress’ and a siege needed to be prepared to catch him.

But Gong Pildu had an obvious weakness.

“His Armed Zone will be released as soon as he leaves his designated area. His mini-turrets will also become useless. Usually, there are many restrictions on such a wide defense skill.”

At the same time, Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon looked at me with admiration.

“Ah...I see.”

“You figured this out after seeing it once? Is this Dokja-ssi’s attribute?”

The same thing was repeated but I saw that the people had adapted to me to some extent. Yoo Sangah asked.

“But how will you make him move?”

“We have to think about that for now.”

“Ah, I hate thinking.” Jung Heewon complained.

Then everyone was silent for a while. It was Lee Hyunsung who gave his idea first.

“Attack when he goes to the bathroom...”

“Didn’t you see the things next to the bench?”

Gong Pildu never moved out of his Armed Zone. His bench had everything he needed. There was a sleeping bag, blanket, food, basic with water to eat and sleep and even a place to piss. Of course, the tenants provided him with them.

“Crazy. He is a complete shut in. No, is he not moving because he is hiding something good on the land?”

“It is the biggest ‘room’ in Chungmuro.”

“...Room?”

That reminds me, Jung Heewon still didn’t know about the rooms. But there was no need for me to explain.

[There is 1 hour before the third scenario is activated.]

She would son find out.

“We also need to find a room.”

The moment our party got up, the people around us flinched.

“D-D-Don’t come closer!”

In particularly, the man with a knife who was protecting a single person room on the No. 3 line platform showed high vigilance. However, other people rushed towards him before we could approach.

“Get out, your fucker!”

They attacked indiscriminately. As soon as the man was pushed out, the mark of the green zone changed. The owner had changed.

[Green Zone 1/1-> Green Zone 0/1].

The people were engaging in a bloody fight over the room. Someone was stabbed in the thigh while someone had their nose broken.

Jung Heewon frowned.

“Shouldn’t we stop that?”

“Even if we intervene, the result will be the same. In the end, somebody will die.”

“Why does someone have to die?”

“It isn’t possible to avoid in this scenario.”

I had just finished speaking while Bihyung emerged in the air.

[Now no, shall we start the third day of the main scenario? New faces have arrived today so won’t it be fun? Hahaha!]

Bihyung glanced my way.

There were three dokkaebis in charge of the Chungmuro scenario. It seemed that Bihyung was temporarily the representative. It was a natural consequence of being the smallest of the three channels.

Then the third scenario arrived in front of us.

+

[Main Scenario #3 – Green Zone (Day 3)

Category: Main

Difficulty: C

Clear Conditions: Occupy the ‘green zone’ in the station and survive the monsters that emerge every night at midnight. This scenario will last 7 days.

Duration: 8 hours.

Compensation: 1,000 coins

Failure: ―

+

Lee Hyunsung’s eyes widened.

“T-This...!”

[It is simple. Occupy the green zone before other people. Of course, you can take away the green zone of others. By the way, you should hurry. If you don’t have a green zone after the scenario starts, you will have a terrible experience. Haha, then everyone should try it!]

People’s expressions hardened as they heard Bihyung’s words. In the meantime, the screams of the people continued.

Peok!Peok!Peok!

“Die! Die!”

“I-I’m not doing this because I have a grudge! I must survive...”

Maybe this was what everyone realized. The struggle in front of us was no longer a story. Yoo Sangah asked in a trembling voice.

“Surely we don’t have to fight like these people?”

“We don’t need to fight. Just find a room that can accommodate a large number of people.”

“The size of the green zones vary by type. It ranged from fitting only one person to fitting 70 people like Gong Pildu’s area.

“Of course, if there are any rooms left.”

Jung Heewon opened her mouth at my words.

“Dokja-ssi is really talented at making people uneasy... then let’s move right away. Maybe there are some rooms left.”

“It might be faster to split up. Divide the team. Hyunsung-ssi will move with Sangah-ssi, while Heewon-ssi should take Gilyoung.”

“Dokja-ssi?”

“I’m fine on my own.”

I didn’t have to say anything else. Everyone trusted me. Lee Gilyoung spoke first.

“Hyung, that...what if we can’t find one?”

“If we can’t find a room 20 minutes before the scenario starts, we will gather here again.”

“I understand. Then I’m going.”

The team scattered in an orderly fashion. Jung Heewon and Lee Gilyoung went to B2 while Yoo Sangah and Lee Hyunsung went to B3. I watched my companions leave before turning on the smartphone. As soon as I opened Ways of Survival, a sentence immediately popped up.

「 There were no rooms left in Chungmuro. 」

This fact was written clearly. It was likely that they wouldn’t be able to find any rooms.

Then they could only choose one way. In order to survive, kill someone else and take their room. But could Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon do it?

Not everyone here was ‘wicked.’ There were some who exploited others, like Gong Pildu. But in fact, most of them bared their teeth in order to protect themselves.

Could Yoo Sangah and Lee Gilyoung bare their teeth to people like that? I would know the answer very soon.