Episode 20
#20
“Can that person really succeed?”
Five survivors were gathered in the living room of a house.
They were the ones who had been rescued by Hancheol during the Third Trial.
“Ha… Honestly, I think it’s impossible.”
“Why did he have to make such a reckless promise back then…?”
Their expressions had darkened bitterly.
They knew he was strong, but no matter how strong he was, they thought it was impossible to eliminate all the demonic beasts in the streets of Ulsan within ten days.
Wasn’t that proven by the fact that even after a day had passed, there hadn’t been any big changes nearby?
Honestly, it was a situation where he could only be seen as having given up.
“Inhan, what are you thinking about?”
While everyone in the group was sitting around drinking, Gang Inhan, who had now become the group’s leader, sat with his head lowered blankly, lost in thought.
Gang Inhan thought about something for a moment, then opened his mouth toward the group.
“Guys, let’s help him.”
“What?”
“No, what are you talking about?”
At Gang Inhan’s words, everyone in the group made dumbfounded expressions.
Gang Inhan spoke to the group.
“He’s our benefactor who saved us.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Would it even be possible if we helped?”
“Right, and even if we wanted to help, we’d have to know where he is first.”
“We have to look. Let’s start by going to that rest area. He seemed to be on friendly terms with the people there.”
At those words, everyone in the group began to sigh.
They were longtime friends of Gang Inhan.
Because they knew that once Gang Inhan made a decision, he couldn’t be stopped.
“Hey, you know it’s realistically impossible too.”
“We still have to help. We survived thanks to him.”
“Tsk.”
At that, the group had no excuses that came to mind.
The group thought for a moment, then sighed and opened their mouths one by one as they looked at Gang Inhan.
“Fine, I got it, I got it. Let’s go to the rest area for now. But seriously, how is this damn shop more expensive than the food sold at the rest area?”
“Right?”
“Yeah, even if he dies, we should repay the favor first. Before we start losing sleep over it.”
The group grumbled as they rose from their seats.
Everyone was complaining, but the atmosphere was one of complete agreement with Gang Inhan’s opinion.
It was then.
Kukukukukung!! Hoooooong!!
“Wh-what!?”
“What’s that sound!?”
Suddenly, loud noises were heard from outside.
The sound of countless things shaking the earth was heard, and the death throes of demonic beasts spread in all directions from the sky.
The group rushed toward the balcony with bewildered faces.
And they couldn’t help but make blank expressions at the sight unfolding before them.
“Wow… Crazy.”
“What is all that?”
In the sky, hundreds of winged robots leisurely soared, devastating the flying demonic beasts.
On the ground, hundreds of humanoid robots were tearing apart and slaughtering the demonic beasts.
The sight, like a single legion, was so majestic that it was overwhelming.
After all, the tables had turned on those demonic beasts that had once torn apart and slaughtered humans.
“““….”””
At that sight, everyone in the group couldn’t help but lose their words.
After a moment, one of the group opened his mouth.
“Th-those are all robots, right?”
“I-I guess?”
After the silence came admiration.
Just then, one of the group, I Suhyeon, opened her mouth.
“Hey, hey. Look over there.”
Everyone in the group turned their gazes toward where she was pointing.
A man standing at the forefront of the robots filling the ground.
It was a face they knew all too well.
Naturally, it was the benefactor who had saved them during the Third Trial.
“Wow… Crazy. So there was a reason he made that promise.”
“Right?”
Anyone who possessed that many robots wouldn’t think it was impossible.
Then Gang Inhan opened his mouth toward the group with a serious face.
“Guys, let’s go help too. We’ve received his grace, so we should be of help.”
This time, none of the group voiced any opposition.
Everyone in the group drew weapons from their inventories and headed outside to help their benefactor.
* * *
“Noah, how many demonic beasts remain in Seongnam-dong?”
[1,450 remain.]
“Do you have their locations?”
[Yes.]
As seen before, within the reconnaissance function, Noah’s eyes were omniscient.
Within the reconnaissance function, it could grasp the locations of demonic beasts, including people, at once.
Moreover, the current reconnaissance function had grown far wider than before.
Upon reaching level 30, the range of the reconnaissance function had been enhanced to within a 1,000km radius.
Thanks to that, he could grasp the locations of hiding demonic beasts at once.
I commanded Noah.
“Yes, command the robots to eliminate every single one without missing even one.”
[Understood.]
There were so many robots that I couldn’t command them one by one.
The current number of robots was 300 Alt units, 100 Eria units, and 50 Meradon units, purchased by spending a total of 12,500,000 points.
It was a huge expenditure, but it was fine.
Because the produced robots were earning more points than the points spent.
I checked my current points.
[18,358,450 points]
More than 18 million points had been gathered.
I immediately purchased the same number of robots and commanded Noah.
“Send them to Jung-gu as soon as the robots are manufactured.”
[Yes, understood.]
I left it at that and resumed hunting demonic beasts.
It was then.
“Haap!!”
“Die! You bastards!”
At some point, survivors who had been hiding in apartments and various places drew their weapons and came out to hunt the surrounding demonic beasts.
At first there were only a few, but their numbers gradually began to increase.
I even saw familiar faces.
“Mr. Hancheol!”
“Mister! We came to help!”
It was I Sina and I Hayun, whom I had expected to be at the cafe.
“Mr. Gim Hancheol. We came to help you.”
“Let’s combine our strength and clean up those monsters.”
“We thought it would be hard alone, so we came too.”
And they were the ones I had rescued at the Constellation’s request during the Third Trial.
They were unexpected reinforcements, but right now, I was only glad to see them.
Their strength might be insignificant compared to the robots, but they were people who had come out to help me.
I opened my mouth toward the survivors who were helping me take down the demonic beasts.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, just leave it to us.”
“Now, let’s go! To clean up all those monster bastards. Let’s reclaim Ulsan!”
“““Waaaah!!”””
With one survivor’s words, cheers echoed through the streets.
I stood at the forefront leading them and began cleaning up the surrounding demonic beasts.
The eyes of the survivors who had come out to help me were filled with determination.
* * *
Meanwhile, on the balcony of an apartment, Han Inhan watched the scenery of the ruined world with his hands clasped leisurely behind his back.
He gazed at the scenery for a moment, then quietly opened his mouth.
“Strange, isn’t it? That things aren’t flowing according to the future I know?”
With those words, Han Inhan turned around and looked at the survivors sitting on the living room sofa.
There were five of them, and cold sweat was dripping from their faces—drop, drop.
Han Inhan spoke to them.
“Is it true that you really know the future, Mr. Gim Minhan?”
“Yes, haven’t I already proven that?”
“The first trial, and the second, and the third—you were all right about those. But why is the last trial wrong?”
Han Inhan glared at them and opened his mouth.
At Han Inhan’s expression, the survivor called Gim Minhan opened his mouth with a troubled face.
“Didn’t we tell you in advance? That there would be other survivors like us who know the future.”
“Perhaps those bastards did something to change the future.”
“Ha… Yes, let’s say that’s true. Then do you think that bastard who is now king also knows the future?”
“We don’t know for sure. Honestly, we couldn’t grasp the situation happening in Ulsan during this period. We only knew that you would become king.”
In fact, they were confused too.
Because the setting in the game had ultimately been the Seonghwajeon of Seoul.
They had no way of knowing whether something like this was happening in Ulsan during this period.
“Of course, we know the future that unfolds after you become king.”
“Tsk.”
Han Inhan clicked his tongue in displeasure and furrowed his brow.
In the end, it meant the prophets who knew the future were useless right now.
To relieve Han Inhan’s mood, Gim Minhan opened his mouth.
“You don’t need to worry too much. It’s a foregone conclusion that you will become king.”
“That’s right. Honestly, who could possibly clean up all the demonic beasts in the streets within ten days?”
Perhaps the future hadn’t actually changed, and this was originally what had been happening in Ulsan.
If that was the case, it wasn’t a bad situation for them either.
After all, that meant the story remained unchanged and Han Inhan would become king.
“Hmm….”
At those words, Han Inhan thought.
If what they said was true, he would naturally become king.
In the first place, the promise Gim Hancheol made was impossible.
Then was it really flowing according to the future they spoke of?
At that thought, Han Inhan felt relieved, and the corners of his mouth strangely rose.
It was then.
Kung! Kung! Kung! Kung!
Countless loud noises came from outside.
Their eyes widened instantly.
Han Inhan and the prophets immediately came out to the balcony and assessed the situation.
There.
“Die! You monster bastards!”
“Haap!!”
“Everyone! Let’s push a little harder!”
There were countless people holding weapons.
Hooooong!! Shhk—.
Winged robots soaring through the sky.
Kung!! Jjeojeojeok!! Kukung!!
Countless robots filling the ground were slaughtering demonic beasts.
And at their forefront was a man with a familiar face.
Gim Hancheol.
He was leading people and what appeared to be robots, cleaning up the demonic beasts in the streets.
They couldn’t help but lose their words for a moment.
Grind.
The next moment, Han Inhan ground his teeth.
He glared at the prophets standing right next to him and opened his mouth.
“Did you perhaps know about this situation too?”
“U-uh?”
“How is this….”
At his question, they stammered, nothing but flustered.
Han Inhan’s irritation surged instantly.
The situation he had thought absurd was beginning to become reality.
But the next moment.
“Over there! Look over there!”
A survivor who had been hunting demonic beasts urgently pointed somewhere and shouted.
There, two gigantic monsters overwhelming the surrounding buildings were running toward the robots with booming steps.
On one hand, the appearance of that demonic beast was like hope to the prophets.
They explained about that demonic beast to Han Inhan in a brighter tone.
“Ah! It’s a Grade 6 demonic beast, a Gigantrono!”
“What? Gigan-what?”
“It’s called a Gigantrono, a demonic beast that survivors during this period can never take down.”
“Moreover, one of them has more legs and is bigger than a normal Gigantrono. It is definitely an Irregular Monster.”
“Do you think they can take down that demonic beast with that number of people?”
“Ah, well, it might be possible, but since it’s a boss-grade demonic beast, the damage on their side won’t be insignificant either.”
“And I don’t think there are only one or two such demonic beasts.”
They spoke with confidence.
It was a demonic beast that required at least five survivors with Strength stats exceeding 50 to hunt one.
At this point in time, there were no survivors with stats exceeding 50, and even if they hunted it, the damage on Gim Hancheol’s side wouldn’t be light. Moreover, since he was hunting all the demonic beasts in the area, there wouldn’t be just one or two such demonic beasts.
The result of Gim Hancheol’s promise would clearly end in failure.
But the next moment.
Kung! Kung! Kung!
Gim Hancheol, standing at the forefront, ran alone toward the Gigantronos with booming steps.
The situation that unfolded the next moment was shocking.
Kwaaaaaang!
Khwaaaaang!
It was just two strikes.
Once per beast, explosive sounds of unimaginable force burst out from those two strikes.
Hoooooong!!
The shockwave from his punch swept over the survivors.
When the storm of debris passed and the thickly spreading dust slowly disappeared.
The survivors could see.
That a huge hole had been pierced through the Gigantronos’ bodies.
Kung! Kung!
The moment their bodies slowly tilted to the side and crashed—boom!—to the ground.
““““Waaaah!!!!””””
Cheers from the survivors toward Gim Hancheol echoed through the surroundings.
However, there were those who stiffened in contrast to the survivors’ atmosphere.
“….”
“….”
Han Inhan and the prophets couldn’t help but freeze at what had occurred.