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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 115: Showdown (3)
Mr. Kim was an optimist.
Even when he was dismissed after being caught in company politics despite rising to an important position in a small business, he considered himself lucky to have found a security guard job.
Even when restructuring began and he lost contact with his only daughter, he did not lose hope.
[The recipient cannot receive gifts.]
No matter how many messages or gifts he sent, the response remained the same.
‘She must be alive. My daughter is sharp and capable.’
That belief had kept him going, waiting for this very day—
The day when all the survivors across the country would gather.
But—
"Mr. Kim! What about your daughter? Did you find her?"
"……."
No matter how hard he searched among the survivors, his daughter was nowhere to be found.
No one had even seen her.
"Hey! Why are you drinking so much?!"
And so, for the first time in years, he drowned himself in alcohol.
Because this wasn’t something a single drink could wash away.
‘Sigh…’
The drunkenness hit him hard.
Alcohol is a remedy when one is happy, but when one is sad, there is no poison more lethal.
‘What now…?’
The only reason he had fought to survive was to see his daughter again.
But now, they were saying she was gone.
Mr. Kim no longer had the strength to go on.
In a world where nothing precious remained for him,
There was no longer any greed or attachment to life.
Then why should he live instead of the young ones with bright futures ahead?
That thought weighed heavily on his mind.
And so—
‘Let’s end this.’
He staggered away from the noisy group of young survivors, slipping out unnoticed.
He thought about throwing himself into the lake beneath the cliff.
But as he approached the sheer drop,
He hesitated.
His steps grew heavier,
As if weighted down by guilt, regret, and unfulfilled duties.
Because—
‘I haven’t repaid my debts.’
At MS Tower, at Seoul Station, at Namsan Tower, and at Noksapyeong Station, he had survived thanks to the young man, Eunho’s, cleverness.
Even though he was just a useless old man with nothing but a battered shield, that young man had treated him with respect, calling him "Mister" time and time again.
‘If I die here…’
Then all of that young man’s kindness would have been wasted.
If he was going to die, he should have done so before someone went through the trouble of saving him.
Now that things had come to this,
Even if his life was worthless, it was no longer just his own.
Alright.
In that case…
‘I’ll live.’
He would survive,
At least for the sake of that young man.
He would repay the debt for the countless times his life had been saved.
He could do it.
Fortunately, whatever this system was, it had at least given him a strong body.
And when everything was finally over…
As that thought reached its conclusion, it was as if the fog clouding his mind had lifted.
And so—
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa!
Sharp projectiles shot out in all directions.
"Summon!"
Without anyone telling him, he instinctively raised his shield.
Ta-at!
He rushed forward.
To protect the children hiding somewhere, the kind-hearted young men,
And someone else’s precious sons and daughters.
At that moment—
[Data collection for skill activation is complete.]
A strange voice rang out, followed by—
Paaah!
A thin barrier spread outward from his shield.
"W-what is this?!"
[Congratulations!]
[Through years of experience in defense, a sturdy body forged through countless battles, and a guardian’s heart engraved into your very soul, a unique skill has been created!]
[Unique ability Guardian (Lv.1) has been unlocked!]
* * *
"A unique skill?!"
The security guard shouted, his eyes wide in shock.
So it was him—the owner of the shield.
‘I thought it was Hanul.’
Since Yura had called out his name while rushing forward.
But in any case, what mattered now was—
"Pull the rope!"
"A-ah… Yes!"
As I pushed through the startled crowd, I shouted.
Immediately, Jaehyuk and Park Gongchan rushed forward to assist.
"Just pull! We’ve won!"
"Got it! Hyung!"
Ssssss—!
Spinning my arms rapidly, I pulled the rope.
It was like tugging on a loose bedsheet—there was no resistance.
I looked up at the enemy side, wary of any last tricks.
‘Are they planning something…?’
"The rope… it’s gone!"
"It’s too late. We’ve lost."
‘Guess not.’
They had already given up the fight.
I searched for any hidden doppelgangers in case they tried to ambush us, but even they seemed overwhelmed by the chaos of the falling crowd.
‘Earlier, they disappeared the moment they got crushed under people.’
As my hands moved swiftly, my mind raced to analyze the situation.
Shwik! Shwik! Shwik! Shwik! Shwik…
The remaining doppelgangers vanished like smoke.
At the same time, the original revealed himself.
"Whoa… that guy looks like he’s ready to kill someone just with his eyes."
The real one raised a rough hand to wipe his mouth.
His sharp, piercing eyes were locked onto a single target.
"Uh… Eunho! That guy…"
"…Yes. He’s only looking at me."
Like a butcher staring at a cow before slaughter.
As I faced that gaze, standing firm without looking away—
Piiiiiiiiik!
A sharp whistle cut through the field.
[The central marker has crossed the victory line.]
[The match is over!]
"Hah…."
We won.
They used everything—shadow clones, shurikens, every trick in the book.
But in the end, the victor of this Korea-Japan match is—
[ROK Zone, Victory!]
Us.
"It's… it's over!"
"Wow… I can't believe we won like this."
"Shit, I've never seen such a large-scale tug-of-war in my life."
80% of my feelings were joy that it was over.
The remaining 10% was sheer disbelief at how easily we won.
"Why did the ground suddenly rise like that?"
"I don't know. Wasn't it that guy? He disappeared and reappeared all of a sudden."
"Whoa… the power gap is insane. No wonder he's ranked number one."
And the last 10%?
That was the admiration of those sneaking glances at me.
Hmm.
Sure, I did disappear and reappear.
But the real game-changers were Yura’s stealth ability and Yeon Bora’s terraforming skill working together.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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"Mr. Eunho! Everyone seems to be misunderstanding… is that okay?"
Jieun frowned slightly as she asked, concerned that the overwhelming attention on me might turn into a liability.
"Eh? Oppa, is this bad for you? Should I tell them it was me?"
Yeon Bora smirked playfully as she approached.
But—
"This is better."
"Huh?"
"You're weak. If word spreads and you become a target, it'll be dangerous."
"!!"
She paused for a moment, then grinned mischievously.
"Oppa, are you worried about me?"
As the match just proved, her terraforming skill had endless potential.
She focused entirely on leveling up that ability, neglecting physical endurance.
Her skill level was insanely high, but until she increased her stamina to at least an average human level, she needed to be cautious.
'A powerhouse with the fragility of a glass cannon.'
As I nodded in thought, Lee Yeji walked over, clapping slowly with a look of exasperation.
"Bora, right? The guys throwing shurikens in a tug-of-war were insane, but you flipping the ground over was on another level."
"Oh, that? Oppa told me to do it. Pretty clever, right?"
"Figures. That kind of meticulous and ruthless strategy screamed Eunho’s handiwork."
"Thank you for the compliment, but it was a highly useful ability."
As we exchanged casual banter, the other team looked like they were at a funeral.
"Saito! Are you alright?"
Saito.
So that was the name of their leader.
"Korea was too strong! I never expected them to turn the ground against us."
"It's fine! We just have to win the remaining matches."
That tone—so kind and reassuring.
Even in a clearly hopeless situation, he comforted them by focusing on the next opportunity.
"Their atmosphere seems surprisingly good, doesn’t it?"
Yeon Bora murmured as she observed the friendly interactions in the Japanese team.
But—
"It’s just for show."
"Huh?"
"They’re exchanging words, but they’re all walking away immediately. And…"
It felt like their expressions changed the moment they turned around.
At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but when dozens of them did it, it was obvious.
"And what? Hm?"
"Nothing. Never mind."
Anyway.
[Round 1 Victory!]
[A mission reward of 1 point has been granted.]
[All participating employees have received 5 training points.]
The match was over.
Now, it was time for winners and losers to part ways.
[Round 2 will begin at 9:30 AM.]
"Ten minutes left."
"Where are those guys going?"
"They're probably determining their ranks among the losing teams."
"Ah…"
Jieun trailed off, looking grim.
She must have been thinking about the corpses from this morning.
Understandable.
Anyone would.
But for now—
[Safe zones for each region have been created.]
[Move immediately!]
"…Let's go."
We had our own tasks to complete.
* * *
"Is that it?"
We arrived at a vast stadium.
A space so massive that multiple baseball stadiums could fit inside with room to spare.
"I expected it from the map, but seeing it in person, it’s even bigger."
"Yeah. We’re almost there, but… it feels pretty empty."
"Well… the number of people has dropped a lot."
"Seems like it. More than half are gone."
At the opening ceremony, there were 50 zones and 100,000 people.
This morning, after the four zones wiped out by Silver Blades, 46 zones remained.
Now, with half of them eliminated—
‘Only 23 zones left. Less than 50,000 people.’
The global population had fallen below 50,000.
Talk about a “global village.”
"You made it!"
"Korea! You survived, huh?"
"Did they win using their abilities?"
"Who were their opponents again? Japan?"
The surviving foreigners threw out comments here and there.
More caution than welcome.
Our survival was expected, but their reactions were more wary than anything else.
"They all seem wary of us, Sis!"
"Yeah, I feel it too. Do they see us as a powerhouse?"
"They're probably cautious of you, hyung. You were recruited as the new employee representative!"
Jaehyuk’s reasoning wasn’t wrong.
With tens of thousands of eyes on me and murmurs all around, I could practically feel their gazes burning into my skin.
"That guy…"
"His ability…"
"I saw him using a sword…"
If they were so curious, they could just ask.
Not that I’d tell them anything.
"Shit, should I just step forward and tell them to fuck off? Or do they need a verbal smackdown to shut up—"
"Enough."
I calmed the foul-mouthed one before he could escalate things.
"Why are you so damn nice?!"
"No, I mean, the broadcast is still on."
"…Ah, sorry."
[……We have an announcement for all participants.]
Silence.
A crowd of 50,000 instantly fell quiet, their ears pricked up.
With their lives on the line, the level of attention was intense.
[The second-round mission will be held simultaneously across all 23 zones that won the first round…]
Gulp.
[It is a cavalry battle!]
"A cavalry battle? What's that?"
"You mean, like, fighting on horseback?"
Fighting on horseback.
That was the literal interpretation.
But considering this mission followed the tug-of-war event, it was probably more like…
"Uh… Isn't it where three people carry one person on their shoulders like a horse?"
"Oh! Like the ones kids do in sports festivals?"
[In the cavalry battle, each zone’s representative will be the 'rider,' while three selected participants will serve as the 'horse' carrying them.]
"Our team’s rider is Eunho."
Just as Jieun said.
It was the same for the other zones—their representatives would be the riders.
"So it's a four-person team?"
"Looks like it. Have you ever done a cavalry battle before?"
"Yes! I did it in school and even a few times in the army. What about you, noona?"
"Hmm… I’ve never done it before."
[Every rider must wear the 'Medal of Victory' around their neck. If they lose their medal or touch the ground, they are immediately eliminated.]
[At the end of the round, the number of medals held will be multiplied by 10 to determine the training points awarded. Additionally, a 10% participation bonus will be given to those who take part in the match.]
The Medal of Victory.
And a participation bonus.
[Employees who participated have been awarded 5 training points.]
The previous tug-of-war mission also gave training points only to employees who participated.
A small incentive that could only be earned by taking part in the event.
To make it into the top 100 full-time employees, being selected as a competitor was advantageous.
'Of course, that only matters if the team wins.'
If the team lost, there would be no participation bonus or anything else.
[The match will end when 12 zones are eliminated. Non-participants cannot interfere, so please be mindful of this rule.]
[Each zone’s representative must select three people to carry the rider!]
Beep!
As soon as the broadcast ended, a blue screen appeared with three empty slots.
「05:00」
A blinking timer was displayed above it.
Three people to carry the rider.
Three empty slots.
And a five-minute countdown.
They had to make their selections and write down the names of their teammates within five minutes.
'Three people, huh…'
Faced with this sudden decision, I furrowed my brows—only to notice shadows creeping toward me.
"…How about me?"
"Hyung! I'm always ready!"
"Damn, this guy again? Aren't you sick of him? What about me?"
Only three could be chosen.
Hmm.
'How do I pick?'
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
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