Chapter 45: Signs (4)
TL: Hanguk
Out of the ten or so people lying collapsed, four were armed with firearms, while the rest were armed with spears, swords, and other weapons.
To anyone watching, it would appear that they had tried to attack Willia while I was away, only to end up being defeated in turn. Because of this, I had to stare intently at the man I had captured.
“You’ve got an interesting way of recruiting, don’t you?”
At my question, the man, who had introduced himself as a Seongnam police officer, started sweating profusely.
“N-no, I’m not even sure what’s going on here…”
“Still trying to deny it?”
Just then, one of the young men who had been lying on the ground managed to lift his upper body with difficulty and spoke up as if to support him.
“That woman attacked us first…”
“Right? H-ha ha. See? I told you it was all an accident.”
The officer bound before me tried to emphasize that it was an accident, but I just let out a hollow laugh.
“What does it matter who attacked first? A bunch of people, fully armed, came rushing toward my companion. Your intent is obvious. And on top of that, four of you are carrying guns, just like you.”
“T-that’s…”
When I glared at him as if asking if he was joking, he nervously shifted his eyes around.
Thanks to this encounter, I sighed, once again reminded of the lesson that, after the Great Catastrophe, I couldn’t trust people so easily.
“Honestly, you’d be better off dead.”
This man had aimed a gun at me.
How many people among those they call “players” would actually be able to block that gunshot?
Whether out of fear or for some other reason, the fact remains that they had tried to kill me after being caught stalking us.
And they had even prepared backup forces for an ambush.
No matter how much they tried to explain, it was useless.
“It’s all because of that bastard!”
And as I raised my fist, he shouted desperately, almost in a frenzy.
“A murderer who escaped from prison took control of the survival zone! We had no choice but to do this to save the citizens from him!”
“So you attacked others because you had no choice?”
“T-that’s because that bastard is too strong! And the faction that follows him is too large!”
“So, in other words, you’re saying it was all a choice for the greater good?”
“Yes!”
He was telling quite an interesting story.
A criminal, imprisoned for murder, had taken over the survival zone?
Just how powerful must he be for something like that to be possible?
If he had followers, were they likely fellow inmates?
“Keep talking.”
As I showed interest, he excitedly babbled on.
To summarize it briefly:
The Seongnam survival camp was being run independently by cooperation between the city hall and the local police, separate from the government.
But one day, a criminal who had escaped from Anyang Prison snuck into the survival camp, pretending to be a citizen, taking advantage of a lapse in security. He then formed a hunting team and rapidly expanded his influence.
Eventually, they ended up driving out the managers of the Seongnam survival camp, and in the process, the mayor and police chief lost their lives.
“Something doesn’t add up.”
“What?”
But after listening to the story, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion.
It was strange because, when I heard that a criminal had taken over the Seongnam survival camp, I initially thought of a group of heinous criminals. But apparently, that wasn’t the case.
“If you leave aside that one criminal, doesn’t it just mean that the existing powers were ousted by the citizens?”
When I expressed my doubt, he hastily explained.
“That bastard is just incredibly good at inciting people…”
“He’s the enemy, yet you let him talk all he wants. In the end, you’re just a bunch of murderous robbers, aren’t you? Why bother distinguishing between criminals and non-criminals now?”
I shifted my gaze.
My eyes landed on the people sprawled on the ground.
"I'll spare just one person who tells the truth honestly."
“W-what?”
Then, as if I had no more use for him, I flung the captured police officer to the ground.
Though I had talked with him at length, that didn’t mean we’d gotten friendly.
I had only listened because I found his story interesting.
In other words, their fate had already been decided from the start.
At my words, they began glancing around at each other, and soon they all started talking, spilling every bit of information they had to save themselves.
Among the details they shared, the figure who came up most prominently was the criminal said to have taken over Seongnam.
“Choi Do-gyeom? The one I know…”
“Yes, that’s him!”
And the name I heard was Choi Do-gyeom.
He was a notorious criminal I was familiar with.
Ten years ago, he was a figure who divided public opinion online and had a significant following despite being a criminal.
It might seem strange for a criminal to have followers, but surprisingly, it’s a common occurrence. Haven’t there been cases where fan clubs were formed after attractive criminals had their faces shown on the news?
‘But Choi Do-gyeom gained followers because his motives for murder resonated with many people.’
When Choi Do-gyeom was a freshman in high school, he killed four middle school students.
And he did it right in front of those students' parents.
If you only heard that part of the story, he’d sound like a textbook psychopath. But if you know the background, the impression shifts slightly.
The reason? Those four middle school students had killed Choi Do-gyeom’s parents and younger sibling.
And they did it by driving under the influence, without a license.
However, because the four middle schoolers were protected under juvenile law, they received no legal punishment, and their parents reportedly told Choi Do-gyeom, who had become an orphan overnight:
‘The law is the way it is, so what can you do? These are kids with bright futures ahead of them, so you should understand.’
So Choi Do-gyeom planned his revenge and killed those students in front of their parents.
‘I’m still a minor, so the maximum sentence is twenty years. Even if I get out, I’ll still be in my thirties. I’ll live well without any guilt. Frustrated? What can you do? That’s how the law is.’
And with those words, mirroring what the juvenile delinquents’ parents had told him, Choi Do-gyeom went to prison.
As a result, it became a highly controversial case at the time.
Public opinion was split in half, sparking heated debates everywhere.
‘And that person is now acting as a leader in the Seongnam survival camp?’
I found it fascinating.
It was surprising to see how some people’s lives turned out.
In a way, the Great Catastrophe had given him a second chance.
“How many people have you killed so far like this?”
“About twenty…”
“Yeah, sure. Enough with the lies. How many people are in your faction?”
“A-about 300 people.”
"Who are your leaders?"
“City councilor Kim Man-baek and Captain Jang Won-gi from the 6th Mobile Police Unit of Gyeonggi Southern Police.”
“And where are you hiding?”
"...Why do you ask that?"
“Just answer the question.”
"At N Company's headquarters building."
I nodded and then asked a question to everyone there.
“Does anyone here know anything about or have any information regarding an NPC blacksmith?”
“…”
I asked on the off chance, but as expected, none of them knew anything.
Well, that’s about the level I’d expect from them.
At that moment, Willia approached me from the side, and I spoke to her.
“I’ll handle it.”
“No, let’s do it together.”
I wanted to keep Willia’s hands clean, but she shook her head firmly.
She said that we should bear the burden of all this together.
“H-hold on, wouldn’t you consider joining us? I’m sure it would be a huge benefit to you…”
“Your tongue is too loose.”
“B-but you said you’d let me live…”
“You believed that?”
And as for what happened next?
Do I even need to say it?
It was the fate of highway robbers.
Letting them live would only result in innocent people getting hurt or killed later on, wouldn’t it?
With that settled, I swiftly set off to raid their base.
***
A short while later, I arrived at the base the highway robbers had told me about.
-Tatatang!
-Kutangang!
-Kkiak!
But something seemed off; there was chaos inside.
“It seems like they’re fighting someone.”
“Indeed.”
I thought there might be others like me here, so I headed toward the area where the fight was happening. Soon, I saw around thirty people and another group of about ten exchanging gunfire.
Then, suddenly,
“Fall back!”
“Yes!”
At someone’s shout, the smaller group retreated.
And then five men and women, armed with melee weapons, stepped forward.
They boldly charged at the thirty armed with guns.
“You damned monsters!”
The five-member party closed the distance on their enemies with a shield skill, using their swords to take their opponents' lives.
“Mi-yeon!”
“Got it! Grease!”
“Argh! The floor!”
The sight of the five-person party fighting as if they were one single body was impressive enough to elicit admiration.
Among them, the most eye-catching was a man armed with a gladius one-handed sword and rectangular shield like a Roman soldier.
Though he lacked fancy techniques, his excellent situational awareness allowed him to protect his teammates while steadily cutting down enemies, effectively raising the overall combat power of the team as the core of their group hunting.
I looked up to check their information.
[Choi Do-gyeom / Level: 29]
[Oh Mi-yeon / Level: 29]
[Jo Dong-hyuk / Level: 28]
[Kim Han-gyeol / Level: 28]
[Kim Eung-soo / Level: 28]
The moment I saw their information, my eyes widened.
I had wondered who was cleaning up the trash before I arrived, only to find that the notorious criminal Choi Do-gyeom, the leader of the Seongnam camp, was here.
It seemed that the two factions, who were rumored to have a bad relationship, had finally erupted into all-out war.
‘But the level of Choi Do-gyeom’s party is pretty high, and their equipment and skills look solid too.’
They didn’t fall short even compared to Kim Hyun-soo’s hunting team, which was the largest party in Suwon.
In fact, while Kim Hyun-soo’s team had some level disparity among members, these guys were all at similar levels, which made me think that in an elite-on-elite battle, this group might actually be stronger.
‘Of course, they’re no match for Willia and me at level 46.’
In the end, the fight concluded with their victory.
Just five of them managed to defeat a group of around thirty people armed with guns.
“Let’s keep going.”
“Okay.”
At Choi Do-gyeom’s command, a female member clapped her hands.
Immediately, around ten gunmen who had been hiding to avoid stray bullets came out and followed behind them.
After watching Choi Do-gyeom and his group move on, Willia and I found ourselves deliberating, with Woof-woof panting between us.
“If we just go back, it seems like they’ll handle the cleanup on their own.”
“Right?”
I was planning to raid some villains after a long time, but who knew there would be someone ahead of us.
But leaving now felt like a waste.
Wouldn’t it just feel like a pointless use of time?
I pondered for a moment.
Then, before long, I reached a conclusion.
“Forget about the others. Let’s just break through, take out their leader, and leave.”
Willia nodded in agreement without any objections, and I lifted her up in a princess carry.
“Baek-ho nim?”
“Woof-woof, follow closely.”
-Awoo!
Holding Willia, I activated the Stepping Stone skill to create platforms in midair and dashed through the air.
Our destination was the rooftop.
Going down from above would mean less defense, and we could catch the enemies off guard.
The Stepping Stone skill lasts for about 5 seconds, so with proper timing, multiple people can use it at once.
Woof-woof followed right behind me, stepping confidently on each platform I created.
“I have the Leap skill too, you know?”
“But it’s more efficient for me to use it alone and save our mana, right?”
Willia nodded, understanding my point.
'Hehe.'
***
Just as I had predicted, the rooftop was poorly guarded, as everyone was focused on intruders coming up from below. No one noticed me, Willia, and Woof-woof descending coming from below.
This was the result.
“Kuk!”
“Kugh!”
[Kim Man-baek / Level: 3]
[Jang Won-gi / Level: 5]
A clean sweep of the heads of the villains.
“Every time I see this, I can’t help but notice: the bosses of these villains usually have low levels.”
“It’s probably because they’re more political leaders than fighters.”
Having easily taken out the heads of the villains, we looted items and coins from their corpses and carefully collected all the treasures hidden in their vault.
Among the spoils, there was one item that seemed surprisingly valuable given the level of the enemies, and that was this:
[Supporter’s Gloves / Grade: Special]
- Very thin and elastic half gloves made by combining Arachne's thread and mithril thread.
- Increases the effect of buff-type skills by 50%.
- Magic Power +3
I didn’t know how they had obtained it, but the item felt as if it had been prepared just for us.
Naturally, the Supporter’s Gloves became Willia’s share, while I obtained a hefty 100,000 coins from those guys.
“What’s with all these coins?”
It was an amount that made me understand why these guys were driven out of the Seongnam camp.
In addition, I collected several pieces of top-grade equipment that would make good gifts for the youth corps members back on Gauido Island.
'As expected, raiding villains is quite profitable?'
Having achieved our objective, we started heading back to the rooftop with light steps.
-Whoosh!
-Bang!
A sword, imbued with a blade aura, suddenly came aiming for my abdomen.
But I easily dodged the almost surprise attack and countered by kicking the assailant backward.
"Kuk!"
“Oppa!”
When I looked closely at the attacker, I put on a slightly troubled expression.
The reason? The attackers turned out to be Choi Do-gyeom’s party, who had apparently come here with the same goal as us.
Choi Do-gyeom had managed to block my kick with his shield, but he couldn’t withstand my strength and was knocked back.
As Willia and Woof-woof exited the room, we found ourselves in an unexpected standoff between our party and Choi Do-gyeom’s.
“W-why would someone like you side with trash like Kim Man-baek?!”
It was only one brief exchange, but Choi Do-gyeom had already gauged my level and was shouting in confusion.
He seemed to have mistaken me for an ally of the fallen men inside the room.
Well, the timing did make it look that way.
From his perspective, it must have seemed like we had stepped in to stop him.
“You’re not going to tell me you didn’t know about Kim Man-baek’s atrocities, right? Kidnapping people, stealing their items, and killing them brutally…”
Seeing Choi Do-gyeom’s face turn red with anger, I felt an impulse to ask him something.
“And you’re clean?”
Having spent over ten years in prison, Choi Do-gyeom had a presence that made him seem like he was in his mid-thirties, even though he was only 27.
At my question, he swallowed hard.
Then he fell silent.
It was one of his female party members, the one who mainly used magic-type skills, who jumped in to defend him.
“Oppa is different! Don’t lump him together with scum like you!”
I had kind of provoked it, but it was annoying to be treated like this.
And she wasn’t the only one; the rest of his party members reacted just as fiercely.
More than half of their responses were curses, and I almost wanted to strike back with a Swift Thrust but held back.
‘He seems to be well-respected.’
Though he himself still seemed trapped by his past.
Watching their anger, I fell into thought.
Sure, Choi Do-gyeom had struck first, but it was due to a misunderstanding. Besides, he had aimed for my abdomen rather than my head or neck, areas that would be fatal on the first hit.
An abdominal wound could be easily healed with an intermediate healing potion, meaning he had left room for caution.
I could just clear up the misunderstanding and walk away…
But maybe it was my twisted nature?
‘I’m honestly curious about the pure combat strength of a top-tier party, other than mine.’
So I drew my sword and spoke.
“Just last 10 seconds. If you can, I’ll withdraw quietly.”
At my words, their expressions hardened.
“Bless.”
Willia cast Bless on me, increasing my stats by 30% thanks to her Supporter’s Gloves.
"What are you waiting for? Shoot!"
One of the women in Choi Do-gyeom’s party ordered the gunmen behind them to open fire.
“No, don’t shoot.”
“Oppa?”
But Choi Do-gyeom stopped them.
Had he sensed something unusual from me?
With a serious expression, he took a combat stance and asked me.
“You’re asking us to hold out for just 10 seconds?”
“Yes.”
Seeing his composed attitude, I also switched to a more respectful tone.
Then I used Leap to accelerate explosively and charged at them.
"Hup!"
-Boom!
Startled by my near-teleportation speed, Choi Do-gyeom hurriedly raised his shield.
But instead, I thrust my sword directly into his sturdy shield.
The sword struck precisely at the center of the shield, sending Choi Do-gyeom helplessly airborne, forcing him backward.
“Grease!”
One of the female party members used a skill to make the ground slippery in an attempt to support Choi Do-gyeom.
But I simply activated my Stepping Stone skill, stepping in midair as I swung my sword.
'Swift Thrust.'
A streak of blue light shot out from the tip of my sword, grazing the cheeks, hair, and shoulders of all five members who were standing in a line.
I could have taken off their heads simultaneously, but this was my way of showing restraint.
Realizing this, they swallowed nervously and scattered, but that was just an invitation for me to take them down one by one.
“Gah!”
“Aaah!”
One clean strike per person.
They tumbled onto the ground one by one.
Choi Do-gyeom managed to hold out a bit longer, but…
'Mighty Slash.'
“Urgh!”
With one powerful chopping strike like swinging an axe, his shield got stuck in the ground, and he was blown backward from the impact.
“Hmm…”
I looked at the groaning group, a complicated expression on my face.
The difference in strength was more significant than I’d anticipated.
From a third-person perspective, they’d seemed incredibly strong, but…
Choi Do-gyeom and his party looked at me with stunned expressions, as if they couldn’t believe what had just happened.
-Click!
“D-don’t shoot!”
The gunmen, thinking their comrades were in danger, aimed their weapons at me, but once again, Choi Do-gyeom stopped them.
This time, however, his intervention felt different from before.
He seemed genuinely desperate, as if he believed angering me would be a fatal mistake.
“You’re… not an enemy, right?”
He and his team must have realized how much I’d held back.
I asked Willia to tend to their injuries, and soon enough, the party members who’d been groaning began to stand up again.
"I'm sorry. Actually, I came here to capture Kim Man-baek and Jang Won-gi, just like you. Their bodies are in the back room; you can go check.”
“T-then why…?”
From the look on his face, he seemed to be asking why we’d fought in the first place. I cleared my throat to gloss over the question.
Saying that I’d “just been curious about the combat strength of a top-tier party” would have sounded too dismissive.
Choi Do-gyeom quickly gathered his composure and got to his feet, still rubbing his arm as if it was numb from the impact of my Mighty Slash.
“I’m just relieved that someone like you isn’t our enemy.”
His expression suggested he felt he’d narrowly escaped death, and seeing that, I felt a slight pang of guilt.
‘Better make a quick exit.’
With that thought, I decided to pick up his shield as a gesture of goodwill, since he had dropped it in the fight.
[Chris’s Square Shield / Grade: Premium / +1]
When I noticed the '+1' attached to his shield, I flinched in surprise.
I hadn’t expected to come across something like this here.
A clue about enhancement.
*****
TL Note: I am busy this week, so there will be no additional chapters for this novel.
*****
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