Chapter 822: The Last (55)
‘So this is your plan.’
I tapped my thigh with my fingers nervously. I had thought there would be quite a bit of difficulty, but it might be more than I expected.
‘Isn’t this too difficult?’
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to look again at the Demon Summoner that I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was like a reenactment of the first meeting.
There was an arrogance that couldn’t be explained in his expression, quietly looking at Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu.
It didn’t reveal anything but his confidence in his abilities. He was that kind of human. He was a man who revealed himself, and he was the kind of man who never doubted his judgment.
He was like Jihye and me, yet different.
He never revealed his vulnerable point or any weakness. He had the arrogance that matched his abilities, and he didn’t hide it.
‘It’s a little too much to call it bluffing.’
He didn’t exaggerate, after all. He was the kind of person who hated bluffing.
He might not have hated it from the start, but he would have started loathing it after a few incidents.
Wouldn’t it be best to say that he was showing himself as he was? He was a different kind of genius from Kim Hyunsung, Cha Hee-ra, and Jung Hayan.
Jin Qing would have been the kind of man chosen not only on this continent but also on Earth.
‘Just looking at that bastard annoys me.’
The three who came into the room were wary of him.
Park Deokgu immediately raised his shield and prepared to attack, and Jung Hayan began chanting a spell, but it probably wouldn’t work. The system protected him.
This forced quest couldn’t be solved by brute force. Perhaps it would be that kind of quest.
As if she had already realized that, Han Sora quietly grabbed Jung Hayan’s hand. Park Deokgu, who was reading the atmosphere, quietly put down his shield and observed him.
-What… the hell is…
-It’s like a forced event. Magical or physical methods cannot solve it. Perhaps winning this game is the only way to solve the Laios problem. I don’t know what game it is, but…
-I-I-I saw oppa playing it…
- Well, I think I remember too… A-anyway, what are we going to do now?
—A game.
-…
-…
-…
—Literally. It’s simple. You may find it convenient to think of it that way. It may look a little more complicated than things like chess, but… Wait, have you ever heard of this?
-Well, of course, I haven’t.
There was a large board on the table. As I had seen before, it appeared to consist of dozens of chess pieces.
The difference was that the map was different, and unlike the previous one that seemed to be randomly created, the current map had the appearance of the continent.
It was like a mini version of the continent. The battlefield centered on Laios and the Republic was the same as…
‘The Republic War.’
It reminded me of the last war that would start after this event.
On top of the part of it that looked like Laios, a huge ball of magic was floating, and the pieces waiting at the place where the last battle would occur stood out.
Among them, there were pieces with the appearance of Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu.
There was even a piece in the shape of Kim Hyunsung. Soldiers, wizards, knights, assassins were all detailed as well. Each clan and guild, as well as various troops, were visible as well.
‘The Republic is also in this camp.’
I naturally realized that there was no separate quest chain.
In fact, from the first time I saw him, from the moment I saw the board on the table, I was aware of it. The special event that began there, Demon Summoner, was no different than the quest that ran through the Laios Demon Summoning Event and the War of the Republic.
Perhaps…
—Actually, I don’t even need to explain the basic rules. This is a miniature version of the war. It’s a war game in which you divide your camp into two, and two commanders will face each other. Oh, and one more thing…
-…
—The danger is real.
-What…
—Think of these little pieces as actually being alive.
-What…
—The defeated camp’s pieces that were taken out will actually lose their lives.
-T-That’s crazy…
—Of course, apart from that, the magic will fall in Laios as planned if you lose. Winning this game is the content of the event, and there is no other way to finish it. I’m speaking in my name. What I have said now is the truth without a single lie.
-Well, how can we believe in the Demon Summoner’s words…
—…
Somehow, it seemed like that its difficulty level was the highest. The risk was also great.
Frankly, it was absurd. Even if I played, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to beat it.
‘Is it really a beatable quest in the first place?’
Of course, it was. The demon summoner directly taught us himself how to finish it.
The strategy was too simple. If they won the game against Jin Qing, everything is over.
It was no different than telling them to catch the boss since there was one. The problem was that the boss we had to deal with was Kim Hyunsung.
Jin Qing was at least as desperate as Kim Hyunsung in this field.
Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and Han Sora were not commanders, nor had they ever operated large troops in the first place. Even if the command teams of the continent came, I didn’t think they’d be able to score points against him.
It wasn’t that there weren’t any talented people out there, but… he went beyond the level of competence. The first thought that came to mind was, again, cheating.
‘They could just lose on purpose.’
I meant petty tricks. To relinquish victory in the first place and play the game.
If all the pieces of the defeated camp didn’t lose their lives, they would be able to fight to protect them.
If they chose to discard Laios after the game was over to protect important pieces or the main force, wouldn’t it be possible to finish the event with minimal damage?
If they chose to lose all the pieces by resisting to the very end, it might be convenient to throw away the least amount of troops and Laios.
I was relieved that Jihye had provided a way to escape, but even that wouldn’t be easy.
He wouldn’t let things go that way.
-What… What should we do?
-I-I don’t think it’s a matter… to judge hastily. So, Jin Qing. May I ask you a few questions?
—As you wish.
-What happens to the player who loses the game?
—Nothing will happen to the player.
-What if we do not accept the game…
—There are no cases where the game does not start.
-Are there any other rules we should be aware of?
—There is not. I’m also willing to provide you with a rule book if you’re suspicious.
-Only one player can play?
—It doesn’t matter how many.
-Can we switch players during the game? No. If one of us three…
—I don’t care if other people come and shift in. However, as the event time passes, the amount of magic power floating on Laios will increase. Starting from now.
Seeing Sora collecting information about it step by step, I thought it was fortunate that she’s there.
Once the way to physically stop him was completely blocked, Jung Hayan had nothing to do, and in Park Deokgu’s case…
-This is trouble. Doesn’t this mean that as time goes by, that magic power will turn from a snowball to an avalanche? Shouldn’t we play now? I think we should…
-No… that’s…
-Well, someone has to quickly start it. Try contacting anyone… Otherwise, I don’t think it would be bad to be in charge for a while… He said we could change it in the middle of the game! For now, I think it would be good to do that!
‘Stop it with the bullsh*t, bastard.’
-Wait.
-No, there really is no other way than that. The way to stop that him… If there is no way, I will…
‘This pig bastard, really.’
—…
-Is there no chance that there’s another way?
-I-I’m looking for one.
-Since it’s already like this…
-Wait! Wait a minute. Park Deokgu!
-We don’t have time for this!
-S-Sora asked you to wait.
-Calm down. There’s still time. Er… Jung Hayan. Can you check how much time is left before the magic power expands and explodes?
-A-About an hour?
-Thank you. We still have about an hour left. There is no need for us to proceed with the game. It will be better to leave it to the field commanders of the continent. First, I think it would be good to contact manager Kim Mi-young or other people in the guild… W-would that be okay, Jung Hayan?
-I-I’ll leave it to you.
-Thank you.
‘I’m really glad Han Sora is there.’
She had been saving the continent every time, but that was the first time she saved it in this way.
Just imagining Park Deokgu coming in alone and sitting with Jin Qing was enough to make me stressed, so what more did I need to say? He had to study tactics, and he seemed to be unexpectedly talented, but putting Park Deokgu on that stage was suicidal.
They wouldn’t be able to throw all the named ones of the continent into the fire pit, let alone cheat.
Thanks to Han Sora, the initial response seemed to be going well.
When they realized that they were out of scope, they first asked him a question.
‘This was the trap.’
“No… this bastard… are you really an NPC?”
At first glance, it looked like Jihye created it. Still, after seeing him not bothering to divulge unnecessary information, I had no choice but to reconsider the possibility of him having consciousness.
If Han Sora hadn’t asked the question, they wouldn’t have known that they could change players, that the game didn’t have to start right away, and that winning or losing the game wouldn’t affect them.
I didn’t know if there was a restriction on answering the question, so perhaps… to some extent…
‘You mean you have free will, right? Then how about your memory? Do you remember anything?’
-Wait. I want to ask you one more question. Are you Jin Qing himself?
—I will not answer that.
‘This bastard.’
-Well, are you really the Demon Summoner?! I’m asking if you’re the vicious Jin Qing that made the continent tremble in fear!
—I will not answer.
-Who are you?
—It would be easier to think of me as an event monster in the dungeon.
His face was stiff, sitting calmly and speaking using a formal tone.
He seemed to be ignoring them and observing.
One thing was for sure. He was different. Maybe he decided to get a different role, so it felt like his quality was different from the ghosts in the State.
Either way, I had no choice but to speak up. Because in this case, there were no other options.
“Hyejin, let’s get ready.”
-What…
“Let’s show the power of friendship. You’re still sharp, right?”
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