Episode 290
[Does anyone think that Korean guy can beat the assailant?]
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Bang!
Next.
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-Hahahaha! Coming at me with a gun? I'll face you as axe-wielding Yon!
└(Picture of viking Yon about to swing down his axe) This can't even beat a gun.
└└What do you mean it can't beat a gun? It's an excellent discipline-injector.
[Let's be honest. Not even the pros in China, even South Korea's current champion was taken down. What are the odds Ka-el won't be caught?]
-There is a chance. He'll be prepared. He knows about the assailant.
└But since they vanished, he might let his guard down, and most importantly...
"Most importantly, a disguise?! I never imagined it could be a hero capable of disguise. Look at this footage of how Baek Do-yul was taken out!"
A-rin played the replay.
One hour before Day 6 began.
A break.
Baek Do-yul could be seen returning from a hunt late in Day 5.
A hero who, despite being human, had risen to the apex predator of the Great Forest.
Even after completing a hunting quest that took about two and a half hours, he was almost at full stamina.
He truly was worthy of being the reigning champion.
But.
The moment he passed the guard NPC at the entrance to the lawless city of Forest.
The NPC's flesh rotted and sloughed away, and a hooded assailant with the same green glow in its eyes from the Otherworld burst out and attacked Baek Do-yul with a hook.
"There's no sign that they're the assailant! Right?"
"Yes. None at all. ...Meow."
Kapil, now on a 3-minute cooldown, said.
For reference, he was in a state where, whenever the cooldown was up, he had to add 'meow' at the end of his sentences.
It was a frustrating and unjust state, but what could he do?
He made the bet.
Looks like he has to live like this until the Chronicle is over. Hopeless.
Viewers curse him out, calling it supply without demand.
As if anyone wants to do this.
After saying 'meow' just now, a 3-minute timer started.
During this cooldown, Kapil talks as much as he can.
"So Ka-el will definitely fall victim to a surprise attack this time! And if he's ambushed, he's practically dead!"
"Ho-oh."
The Penguin sensed that. The scent of a bet.
"Are we certain they're indistinguishable?" A-rin asked.
"Yes. Absolutely. No matter how many times I check the replay, that was just a regular soldier."
"I see."
"If you don't know, you're bound to get caught."
"Then, a bet?"
Kapil shook his head vigorously.
-lolololololol
-Crazy bastard lololololol
-I think it'd be great if A-rin unnie did the meow!
-I want the Penguin to!
-The Penguin is...
-Kapil's desperate struggle lololololol
"Who are you doing it with? Oh my, I'm not going to."
"Of course not with A-rin-nim, but with me."
"Alright, Penguin-nim. The terms of the bet: if I win, this penalty is removed."
"Good. Then if I win, we reduce the penalty to 10 seconds."
"..."
That's a bit...
Kapil's expression also rotted and sloughed away.
-lolololololololol
-Kapil lolololol wants to curse but Penguin's a muscle man like Yon so he can't say anything
-So this is why men need to work out
-Planning some personality harassment?
-Host does personality harassment just fine without working out though
-Host is a natural-born powerhouse even without bulking up, so it's fine. He broke a punching machine last time.
-How the hell does he do that?
-Just urban legends no matter how deep you dig...
"Call!"
Naturally, the bet was about who would win Day 6's ambush.
***
American broadcasts were discussing this too.
In more detail.
"The bodies those assailants enter start rotting when they attack, which is quite terrifying. Must be a new hero?"
"Most likely," Sara answered.
"Will that participant really head for Ka-el on Day 6?"
"This Chronicle has prominent pro players. If this is the mastermind selected by the operations team of such a Chronicle, their skill would be tremendous. And such a mastermind deliberately—"
"Deliberately?"
"Said they'd go to Ka-el when the only people watching are us."
"You're saying there's no chance it's a bluff?"
"Yes. Why fool us, the viewers? The participants can't even communicate with the viewers anyway."
"Then we really might see a Ka-el showdown."
"Yes."
"Who do you think will win?"
"First, we need to discuss that disguise ability."
"What is it?"
"Back in the PC era, there was a hero in-game that disguised itself like that."
"Ah, you mean that Chameleon Mage?"
"Yes. They could turn into a minion, any object on the map, even jungle monsters."
"So?"
"Even if you know, you can't avoid it. That was actually the case."
"Why?"
"It's the realm of instinct. The thought that it might be a disguise is in the realm of reason. And reason is always one step behind."
"Ah, so you're saying those 'oh shoot' moments keep happening."
"Exactly. But here, they don't even have that information. They have no choice but to fall for it."
"Yes."
"And the most important thing is that their HP and defense is raised."
"Ah, really!"
"Attack power too. I'm not sure about skill mechanics, but it seems like their stats are up overall. And there was also a scene that looked like they stole more power when they killed Baek Do-yul."
"Ah..."
"It seems like they grow stronger the more they hunt. And the disguise ability is perfect for hunting. It's been designed this way."
If they were meant to face fifty people alone.
If there were no other masterminds.
They'd have to give them this level of ability.
So that through successful hunts, they could gain the power to fight one against many.
"Then I want to ask. Why specifically catch Ka-el on Day 6? Wouldn't they get stronger as time passes?"
They had accurately deduced Climax's abilities.
"I think I know," Sara said, seeming to also understand the assailant's psychology.
"What is it?"
"Pride."
"Ah! If they caught him after getting stronger, it would be meaningless! As of now, Ka-el is a clear-cut powerhouse! Or a coveted prey!"
Even so, their abilities should have risen significantly, but could they survive even a surprise attack?
Sara was skeptical.
"The rampaging Ka-el will finally be stopped. I mean, how can he possibly avoid an ambush?"
***
Day 6.
Seo-jun came back in after resting for a full hour.
But he didn't pay too much attention to rest itself.
His judgment was that, unless he took on a role like that assailant, there would be almost no situation where he'd be forced to overexert himself.
Of course, he'd considered other methods.
'If I prepare another capsule and switch between them, I could extend my time a little, but...'
Fundamentally, his brain would be under load, so if the situation wasn't resolved, he'd still have to rest.
The extra time gained from a new capsule would definitely be minimal.
'If I'm going to log out twice and come back, I might as well just leave it to the AI.'
Since that kind of situation would almost never happen, it didn't matter much.
Right now, Seo-jun was relaxed.
For one, there had been a wrinkle on Day 5.
Another ingredient had gotten blocked again.
'Did that participant say they had collected only one ingredient?'
That meant the quest would end soon.
And as news that Seo-jun had raided the Shingeom spread, those who had been gathering ingredients to hand them all over gave up and extracted the stored materials, presenting them themselves.
'Because now there's a risk of getting raided by me, and ganging up to beat me has become difficult.'
This meant Seo-jun was guaranteed first place.
So much so that he could comfortably take a few days off.
Yon and Rachel had entered the Otherworld.
'An assailant, huh.'
Seo-jun knew.
After Tae-san died on Day 4, one of the mercenaries in the Otherworld had gone missing when they went back in.
And on Day 5, a new one was added.
Did they die?
Did they go rest?
Do they rotate normally?
He knew all those things—the surroundings, the people—because he checked them every moment.
That assailant killed them.
'Why did they kill them?'
There had to be a reason.
Because they'd get in the way when leaving the Otherworld?
No.
If so, they would've had to kill all of them.
At least four mercenaries were holding out right in front of the entrance.
And even if you came from the Otherworld to here, four were still holding out.
'Hmm.'
Possession?
If the assailant was a participant.
And if they held that special position called the mastermind.
'It wouldn't make sense if the Otherworld was quiet on Day 5.'
Of course, there might be other things they had to do that he didn't know about, but the Chaos World was truly desolate.
There was nothing to do; it was just filled with monsters and strange plants.
'Suspicious.'
For some reason, Seo-jun had a feeling that assailant had come outside.
But if they were in Pangaea, and it was quiet now, that meant they'd gone to a city other than The Train, and there was no way to find them.
'Shall I consult the Prophecy Book?'
Or could he get some clue if he spoke persuasively with Cresit?
Seo-jun headed toward Cresit.
To the workshop.
To meet the NPC known as the greatest scientist, deep inside, and try talking to them once more.
But as he walked the path from the Central Plaza to the workshop.
'Huh?'
Seo-jun felt a sense of dissonance from an NPC in the distance.
'Are they following me?'
Normally, NPCs move freely except for those who have to be stationed in specific locations.
'Still, it bothers me.'
Pretending not to notice anything at all, Seo-jun changed course and began moving wherever his feet took him.
Even Seo-jun didn't memorize every single NPC.
He had paid careful attention to the mercenaries guarding the entrance, so he knew them. But as incredible as he was, he couldn't—and didn't—monitor every NPC in The Train.
So he was checking.
If it turned out to be nothing, he'd have just sent his sword flying.
After that, he kept changing directions, until he had moved out to the outskirts of The Train. Seo-jun let out a sigh and retraced his path.
'Hmm.'
The NPC didn't follow.
It simply hadn't followed him from the start, like it was just going its own way, and it stopped at some point.
But something kept bothering him.
The NPC had stopped at a position Seo-jun would have to pass on his way to Cresit's workshop.
As if it was determined to check there if he were to go back.
'Feels less like I'm being followed and more like I'm being watched.'
Ambiguous.
The gait, the rhythm, was the same as other NPCs.
The odds were higher that it was just a coincidence.
But Seo-jun had a personality that demanded certainty before moving on.
Seo-jun went back to the spot where the NPC had stopped. The NPC was loitering around there.
In an NPC-like way.
If that was acting, it was truly incredible.
'Controlling your body to that extent goes beyond the level of a master actor.'
The NPC started walking. It was heading in the opposite direction from Seo-jun.
Seo-jun quickened his pace, overtook the NPC, and ducked into a side alley.
Acting as if he had urgent business and was taking a shortcut.
And he used the crime permit item.
Yes, a permit. It was a fine item Seo-jun had purchased with a fortune.
The NPC passed the alley at the same speed as before.
And then.
As it passed the alley, the NPC's pupils subtly moved.
To scan the alley where Seo-jun was.
'As I thought.'
Seo-jun's eyes curved again.
It was a satisfied smile.
***
A little earlier.
'Is there nothing to do?'
Climax thought that as he followed Seo-jun.
Judging by his actions, he was a total layabout.
He'd clearly thrown achievement points to the dogs.
Climax had finished his hunt on Day 5, returned to The Train, and immediately prepared his disguise.
First, he observed an NPC, killed it, and acted.
After finishing his preparations, he entered Day 6 and was just waiting for the right timing.
'Yeah, it's way better if he acts like a layabout like that.'
Because then he could kill him within the city when no one else was around.
Seo-jun approached his vicinity again.
He had no thoughts then.
Intending to move away and observe again, he relocated.
But Seo-jun suddenly overtook him, heading somewhere in a hurry.
As he planned out the movement path, he slightly shifted his eyes.
In that instant, chills broke out all over his body.
Their eyes met.
A masked stranger aiming a sword at him.
The short sentence the Ark uttered in this situation combined with the events that followed to become the greatest renowned line piercing through the entire Chronicle.
[???: Now, who's the mastermind here?]