WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 67: Episode 14 - Master of the Throne (3)
Upon entering the dungeon, the objective wasn’t to obtain the Four Yin Demonic Decapitator. Both Sangah and Gilyeong immediately understood what this meant.
"You mean we’re going to capture the flags, right?"
"So, from now on, it’s fine to kill them all?"
Each of them meant something different, of course.
Sangah looked down at Gilyeong in surprise. Interestingly, Gilyeong looked up at her with disappointment.
"Hyung, leave the cleanup to me."
This kid… He had already realized that I didn’t take lives myself.
[The exclusive skill Character Profile has been activated.]
[This character is not registered in the Character Profile.]
[Information about this character is currently being collected.]
I still couldn’t see any information about Lee Gilyeong.
As I turned my head, I met Sangah’s concerned gaze. She looked back and forth between me and Gilyeong, then finally lowered her head. I spoke toward Gilyeong.
"Gilyeong."
I knew what Sangah was worried about. Gilyeong wasn’t even old enough to be a middle schooler. Yet, she probably knew, even if vaguely. The ethics we knew held no value in ensuring this child’s survival. I sighed lightly and added,
"This isn’t a game. Be careful."
"Yes, I know. Don’t worry."
As I listened to Gilyeong’s confident voice, I hid the flag I had carried on my back inside my clothes. Up until now, the flag had been good bait to lure in the trashy kings, but from now on, it would carry the scent of blood, drawing in predators. Exposing myself as a king on a battlefield where I was hunting kings wouldn’t be a good idea.
The voice of an mid-grade dokkaebi echoed from above.
[Heheh, everyone is doing well. With so many of you completing the hidden scenario, there’s hardly any meaning left in calling it ‘hidden’, is there?]
Shameless. Sometimes I wondered how they could keep up this kind of trickery.
[Some have already met the conditions for the ‘first qualification’. Indeed, this is what makes it exciting.]
It seemed a king had already claimed the ‘Black Flag’. It was probably one of the Seven Kings of Seoul.
[Soon, the conditions for the ‘second qualification’ will also be revealed, so stay tuned, everyone.]
I turned to my allies and said,
"Let’s hurry. The dokkaebi's ‘soon’ tends to be longer than expected."
I placed the ancient coins one by one into the indentations at the entrance of the lobby.
[You must spend 10 ancient coins to enter the hidden dungeon.]
[Would you like to enter the hidden area Field of the Big Dipper?]
The flag I currently possessed was the ‘Purple Flag’.
All the kings possessing flags of the same purple rank would have gathered in the Field of the Big Dipper.
In other words, all my prey was now in one place.
[You have entered the Field of the Big Dipper.]
My vision rippled, and the scenery of the lobby changed. The pristine white lobby transformed into a spacious waiting room. At the far end of the waiting room stood seven doors.
"Ugh…."
Sangah let out a short groan and took a step back. A corpse lay sprawled in front of her. The bodies of group members who had engaged in factional warfare. Gilyeong looked at the corpse with a blank expression. So many bodies piled up in mounds, like graves, that walking through unhindered was impossible. It looked like a bloody storm had swept through.
I started to feel strange. If I hadn’t spread the hidden artifact’s information, perhaps these people wouldn’t have died. So, did that mean they died because of me?
"There are people over there."
In the middle of the waiting room, a bonfire was burning, fueled by corpses.
Faces of survivors, murmuring to one another, became visible. It wasn’t clear if they were remnants or observing a ceasefire, but they weren’t fighting. I glanced at my party as I spoke.
"Be careful."
The crowd quietly stood up. In the approaching gazes of the people, there was a glint of greed.
"Newcomers, huh? Who’s your king?"
As someone spoke to draw attention, others sneakily surrounded us from behind, tightening the encirclement.
"Is it you? Or the woman next to you? It can’t be the kid…."
[Multiple constellations find the petty interference annoying.]
[A few constellations wish for you to begin taking action in earnest.]
I planned on doing just that.
"Hey, why aren’t you answering… Ahh!"
The white aura from Unbreakable Faith sliced through the air. Its fierce trajectory severed the man’s limbs. The man next to him shouted in alarm.
"Damn it! Just kill them!"
As if waiting for the signal, they drew daggers from their cloaks. But it was already too late.
"W-why is he so fast…!"
There weren’t many people with an agility level starting in the 300s at this stage. Considering that movement skills weren’t yet highly leveled, apart from the Seven Kings of Seoul, few humans could keep up with my movements.
Screech!
The Blade of Faith slashed in a sweeping arc, slicing through the legs of five or six men who had been watching for an opening. Then, I severed the hands holding weapons, pierced through the wrists wielding hidden daggers.
"Aaaagh!"
Limbs flew unnaturally through the air. As the ones writhing in pain fell, I quietly applied pressure to their pressure points.
[The exclusive skill Pressure Point Lv.1 has been activated.]
Cutting off limbs and targeting pressure points was undeniably brutal, but here, it was necessary.
The blue daggers concealed within their clothes.
These daggers were coated with deadly poison from the ‘Donguibogam Dungeon,’ a five-person dungeon. Had I hesitated, we would have been the ones in danger.
With the group quickly subdued, Gilyeong stepped forward on his own without waiting for instruction.
Thud! Thud!
In Gilyeong’s hands, the breaths of the fallen flickered out one by one. His movements, indifferent and mechanical, snuffed them out like he was killing worthless insects. Just as I was about to intervene, Yu Sangah stepped forward.
"Stop! Let me handle it, Gilyeong."
"I can do it, though?"
"Still, I’ll do it."
Sangah’s tone was unusually firm. Gilyeong glanced at me, dissatisfied. With her back to me, Sangah gripped her sword and pressed it to the ground. The intermittent sound of flesh tearing echoed. Sangah took the remaining lives with movements even more efficient than Gilyeong’s.
A slight tremble ran through Sangah’s fingertips as she finished, but it soon faded.
"…It’s going to be like this from now on, isn’t it?"
"Yes, it will."
"I’ll take care of things involving Gilyeong from now on."
"Are you sure you can handle it?"
"No problem."
Sangah’s tone was unusually resolute. Her voice tried to sound detached.
"But I can do it better…"
Sangah placed a hand on Gilyeong’s head, who grumbled in protest. This wouldn’t be the last of such ordeals. There would be times they felt like breaking down or wanted to give up.
But they had to overcome it.
The Seven Kings of Seoul we would soon face had better stats and more powerful skills than most of us. Even if they didn’t display hostility, there would be situations where striking first was the only way to survive.
In silence, we collected the items from the fallen group.
[You have obtained 2,300 coins.]
[You have obtained the item Donguibogam - Miscellaneous Diseases Volume (Upper).]
As expected, they had cleared a five-person dungeon. The [Donguibogam] collected in such dungeons came in eight volumes, each with unique uses. Since many from five-person dungeons had gathered, obtaining other volumes wouldn’t be difficult.
Unfortunately, none of the people we killed turned out to be ‘kings’.
Clap, clap, clap.
Just then, the sound of applause echoed. One of the men who had been watching from across the bonfire stepped forward with a broad smile. Despite the slaughter that had just taken place, he seemed utterly unbothered.
I finished collecting the items and warned him indifferently.
"What do you want?"
The man took a cautious step back, raising both hands to show he meant no harm.
"Whoa, relax. I’m not here to fight."
I scrutinized his appearance closely.
A large spear strapped to his back. His firm biceps and chest muscles were barely concealed beneath his clothing… and a long ponytail tied behind him.
"Impressive skills you’ve got there. Taking down the Chungjeong-ro group without any combat passives… those guys had some capable members, even if they lost their king."
Lost their king? So that’s why they’d been so reckless. The man seemed to understand what I was thinking, as he shrugged and continued.
"But you’re a bit late. Most of the important ‘kings’ have already entered the dungeon. They’re probably tearing each other apart as we speak. Though, the winner is pretty much set at this point… The last king who passed through here left quite an impression."
"Who was it?"
"Ever heard of the Tyrant King?"
The man continued.
"Currently, he’s the strongest king in the northern part of Seoul. Those in the know are already talking about it. They’re certain he’ll take the ‘Absolute Throne’."
I understood why people thought that way after seeing the Tyrant King in person. His strength was indeed among the highest of the Seven Kings of Seoul. But calling him the master of the throne was laughable. While strong, he wasn’t the strongest of the Seven Kings. The man seemed to sense my skepticism as he spoke again.
"But here’s what I think, the Tyrant King is strong, but he’ll never be the one to sit on the Absolute Throne."
"And why’s that?"
"I’ve seen it myself. He may be powerful in sheer force, but he doesn’t know how to lead people. A king should be able to understand the hearts of his people."
Understand the hearts of the people?
"My king is someone who can do that. That’s why so many incarnations follow him. I’m certain he’ll claim the Absolute Throne."
I looked in the direction the man’s gaze pointed. The Field of the Big Dipper had seven entrances in total.
Most likely, this man’s king had chosen one of those paths.
"So, what’s your point? Are you suggesting I join him?"
"Haha, that would be great, but I know you’re not one to follow orders easily. I’m simply making an offer. How about teaming up with us?"
Finally, I understood why this man had been stationed here in the waiting area.
In short, he was a recruiter.
"And why should I?"
"The Tyrant King is strong. Though I’m loyal to my king, I have to admit we can’t win against the Tyrant King alone."
Despite his loyalty, he was surprisingly realistic. It was this type of person who was likely a ‘true’ loyalist.
"Think about it. What do you think would happen if that uncontrollable brute ended up with a legendary sword? Not to mention if he took the Absolute Throne and gained control over all the kings of Seoul? Surely you agree that such a thing must be prevented at all costs?"
My memory stirred faintly. Although it wasn’t in the third round, I remembered a similar ‘Anti-Tyrant Alliance’ forming in TWSA.
It was likely because the future had changed.
"You make a good point."
"That’s why I’m suggesting this. Our group is planning to take down the Tyrant King soon. We’ve already talked to a few other kings. I don’t know which group you belong to, but joining now wouldn’t be a bad idea for you. You’d only have to show up and take a share."
Indeed, he was right. The problem was that the price for that share might be higher than he implied… My silence seemed to give him pause, and he spoke up again.
"If you’re still unsure, you could meet my king first and then decide. He should be returning to the waiting room soon… Oh, and speak of the devil, here he is."
As he said this, one of the seven doors opened, and a group emerged from within the Field of the Big Dipper.
"Your Majesty…!"
Those lingering near the door with the recruiter immediately knelt down. At the center of the group approaching us was a man headed in our direction. His head was shaved clean, and he wore an eyepatch over one eye.
In his hand, he held a brown Buddhist staff…
Hold on. Could that man be…?
Footnotes:
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