Episode 15 – A Kingless World (5)

The frightened people looked at Han Sooyoung at the same time.

Han Sooyoung squatted down and spat out.

“Are you all idiots? Wake up. Think properly if you want to live. You don’t know when you will meet other bad people yet you want to cut down the number of people who can be colleagues?”

“T-That…”

“In this world, the underdogs have to be united. You want to fight over a few garbage items instead of combining forces?”

The people suddenly came to their senses and reddened.

The intermediate dokkaebi probably didn’t know that among the people he scattered, one of them was a web novelist.

“Don’t you have the necessary weapons and supplies? Can’t you survive? Don’t you know that the selfish ones are the first to fall? Do you think you can get stronger just by picking up a few more trash items?”

The complexions of the survivors darkened. Their bloodthirstiness slowly subsided.

“If you can’t become strong enough so that no one can touch you, make trusted colleagues. Isn’t that common sense?”

It was natural for a plagiarist to say such things.

In fact, her words were effective. People started to look awkwardly at one another. If someone opened their mouths at this moment, the people could unite. A few words caused their survival rate to rise sharply.

I stared at Han Sooyoung and opened my mouth. “But for you to say this…”

“Do you understand. Everyone should act correctly!” Han Sooyoung said quickly before turning and running away. Her stamina was low so she couldn’t run far. “Pant, pant! Why are you chasing me?”

“You even plagiarized the words of the novel?”

「 “If you can’t become strong enough so that no one can touch you, make trusted colleagues.” 」

This was the advice that Yoo Jonghyuk gave to survivors in Ways of Survival. Han Sooyoung shouted, “How is it plagiarism? These lines are from my novel!”

“Then why are you running away?”

“…No reason! Why are you chasing me?”

She refused to admit that she plagiarized to the end. I grabbed her collar.

“I saved you so you should pay back the value.”

“What value?”

I laughed at Han Sooyoung’s nervous expression.

“If you have a spare battery, take it out. You must need it for your novel text.”

Han Sooyoung’s expression distorted.

***

I hadn’t intended to take Han Sooyoung with me at first.

To be honest, Han Sooyoung was a bad person considering what she had don so far. However, her ‘avatar’ ability was quite useful and I had a few things to figure out. Most of all, she would be useful to clear the current sub scenario…

“I don’t have a spare battery. I lost everything in Gwanghwamun.”

“Then give me your novel.”

“No. Pay for it if you want to read it.”

“How am I supposed to pay when all the platforms are gone?”

I took her smartphone away from her. The upset Han Sooyoung clung to my shoulders and reached out an arm.

“What? Give it to me!”

The text version was on her desktop. She was relaxed.

[SSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor]

Let’s see…

I nervously clicked on the app file. I wondered if her text version would be invisible to everyone else like mine.

However, that wasn’t the case. A page in the middle of the book appeared, like I had been reading the novel.

「 …Yoo Joonhyun quietly opened his status window. He wanted to check the Sage’s Eyes that he just received.

+

[Character Information]

Name: Yoo Joonhyun

Age: 27 years old.

Star Contract: ???

Private Attribute: Regressor (3rd turn) (Myth), Pro Gamer (Rare)

Exclusive Skills: Sage’s Eyes Lv. 1, Hand to Hand Combat Lv. 1, Weapons Training Lv. 1, Mental Barrier Lv. 1, Lie Detection Lv. 4… (Omitted)…

Stigma: [Regression Lv. 3]

Overall Stats: Physique Lv. 24, Strength Lv. 24, Agility Lv. 25, Magic Power Lv. 23.

+

Yoo Joonhyun laughed as he confirmed his status window.

“Huhu, I finally got Sage’s Eyes. I am lucky this regression.” 」

I read up to there and looked at the frozen Han Sooyoung.

“Don’t you have a conscience?”

“…What?”

“Didn’t you copy the personal information from Ways of Survival? As a writer, shouldn’t you change the composition?”

Han Sooyoung hesitated for a moment before muttering, “Ways of Survival is a sponsor and mine is a star contract. It is completely different. And there is no comprehensive evaluation in my novel!”

“…Even so. Isn’t the name of the protagonist too much? It is like Joonhyun was a typo. Shouldn’t you change it more? The author of Ways of Survival would cry if he saw this.”

Han Sooyoung’s face turned red and she screamed, “It is just… no, so what? What are you curious about?”

“How many chapters of the original did you read?”

“99…hey! Can’t you give that back to me?”

She read up to chapter 99?

What would the author think if he knew that the person who read Ways of Survival the most after me was a plagiarist?

Well, he was the one pleased by the views raised during the plagiarism controversy so he might say, “Thank you for reading up to chapter 99. You are a true reader.”

I sighed and asked, “Chapter 99, then do you know the location of the meteorite in the fifth scenario?

Didn’t it appear in your novel?”

“There is no such thing as a meteorite in my novel!” It was surprising. I thought she would’ve copied this as well. “I have a sealing stone!”

As expected.

“Then I am going to get the sealing stone, so be prepared.”

“You are going to get the meteorite?”

“Let’s unify the terms. Anyway, you know that I saved you?”

“I didn’t ask you…”

The meteorite containing the fire dragon was found by Han Sooyoung. I almost died because of this woman. That reminded me, I put the carcass of the fire dragon on the Exchange. Had it been sold yet?

I ignored Han Sooyoung for a bit and called out to Bihyung.

‘Bihyung.’

There was no answer.

The existing scenarios completely disappeared in an unexpected way. Perhaps the dokkaebis of the Seoul Dome were in a meeting right now.

They might be saying something like, “This edition is ruined anyway so sell a lot of coin products…”

The next moment, the ‘Exchange’ window and ‘Dokkaebi Bag’ window opened at the same time.

This brat, he didn’t have time to send a message?

[Many constellations are dissatisfied with the sudden advertisements.]

Furthermore, he didn’t forget to play the advertisements. I opened up the sales history on the Exchange first.

[The item ‘Fire Dragon’s Scales’ has been sold for 8,000 coins.]

[The item ‘Fire Dragon’s Bones’ has been sold for 5,000 coins.]

Unexpectedly, there was someone who bought these expensive items.

The items that weren’t meant for sale were also sold.

[The item ‘Fire Dragon’s Bones’ has been sold for 22,222 coins.]

…The items that I had stored on the Exchange were sold. Someone must be desperate for the fire dragon’s bones. If I knew this, I would’ve set the price as 99,999.

The incarnations that possessed such power at present were Anna Croft, Ranveer Khan of India and China’s Feihu… in any case, that person was ignorant.

I opened the Dokkaebi Bag and bought some items that I needed. Then Han Sooyoung spoke to me in a timely manner.

“Why do you want me to go with you? You can go alone.”

“It is like what you just said. The most important thing for survival is to obtain reliable colleagues.”

Han Sooyoung looked at me suspiciously.

“Hrmm…”

I pulled out an item I just bought.

“Now, swear here.”

[The item Temporary Pledge has been used.]

+

[Temporary Pledge]

1. Kim Dokja (Gab) will sign a contract with Han Sooyoung (Eul) until the sub scenario currently in progress is over.

2. Kim Dokja (Gap) and Han Sooyoung (Eul) will not harm each other until the sub scenario currently in progress is over.

3. During the contract period, Kim Dokja (Gap) and Han Sooyoung (Eul) will sleep alternately in prepared for the ‘sleeping penalty.’

·····.

6. During the contract period, the guidelines for the party will prevail over Kim Dokja’s (Gap) opinions.

7. During the contract period, Han Sooyoung (Eul) will cooperate with Kim Dokja (Gap) to clear the scenarios. She will follow Kim Dokja’s orders as long as her life isn’t in danger.

8. During the contract period, Kim Dokja (Gap) will protect Han Sooyoung (Eul).

9. This contract will expire at the end of the sub scenario. The body will be destroyed if the contract is violated.

+

Temporary Pledge. It didn’t have the effect of a sponsor contract but it was effective for short-term contracts.

Han Sooyoung looked at me with surprised eyes.

“Do you think I will sign this?”

“Then don’t.”

“…Why should I sign it? I have never done it before.”

“Good. The first experience is important.”

Han Sooyoung gritted her teeth. Even so, I knew she would accept. There was no other choice for a person with exhausted magic power. It was suicide to wander alone in Seocho-gu and she needed someone to protect her for a bit.

“…Okay. I accept. But I have one condition.”

“What is it?”

“We will share information with each other. How about it? I have a lot to ask you. You should answer honestly. I have Lie Detection.”

She already got something that I couldn’t obtain?

[The character ‘Han Sooyoung’ has used ‘Lie Detection Lv. 1’.]

…It was real.

Han Sooyoung got to the point. “What is your attribute?”

“I don’t know.”

[The character Han Sooyoung has confirmed that your words are true.]

Han Sooyoung made a stupid expression and raised a hand to her temple.

“…Is this broken?”

“No, it is normal. Then ask me the next question quickly. I will only answer three. For your reference, you have already used one.”

“No, what do you mean that you don’t know your attribute?”

“I really don’t know. Now, what is the next question?”

Han Sooyoung’s eyes narrowed and she reluctantly continued to ask questions. “Why did you give up the Absolute Throne?”

I figured that this question would emerge.

“My plan was ruined because of you. If it wasn’t for you… do you know how hard I prepared those apostles only for them to be eliminated? If I was sitting on the throne, I would’ve been prepared for the next scenario by now…”

“If you sat on the throne, Seoul would’ve perished.”

[The character Han Sooyoung has confirmed that your words are true.]

Han Sooyoung frowned. “Why does the skill keep breaking?”

“It isn’t broken. We would’ve been ruined if anyone, not just you or me, sat on the throne.”

[The character Han Sooyoung has confirmed that your words are true.]

Han Sooyoung’s eyes widened.

“How do you know? Where did you get off? Why do you know this when I don’t?”

“I’m not someone who got off.”

[The character Han Sooyoung has confirmed that your words are true.]

Han Sooyoung was extremely shocked and managed to squeeze out a question after a moment.

“You…how far did you read in Ways of Survival?”

“Your three questions are over.”

“This is the most important question!” Han Sooyoung’s chin trembled. “No way… right? You… there can’t be such a crazy guy… yes, it is unlikely…”

Da da da da!

Then something that sounded like horse hooves were hard in the distance.

I told the muttering Han Sooyoung to be silent and we quickly fled to the rear of a nearby building. Something was approaching.

It was in the form of a human…? I used Character List on the people rushing towards me in the cloud of dust.

[The information of this person can’t be read in ‘Character List.’]

[This person isn’t registered in ‘Character List.’]

Looking closely, I could see that all the people running had fur sprouting from their whole body.

Their faces were human but their bodies were monster-like and twice as big as a human. They seemed like bipedal wolves.

Looking closely, one monster in the lead was holding a man by the neck. It was the biggest of the monsters.

Grrr…. “Where is he?”

“T-This area! The coin farm…”

There was a sound and the man’s head was blown away. He was one of the wanderers who had been in front of Mino Soft. The monsters rushed eagerly and started eating the man’s body.

I think I knew what these monsters were.

Han Sooyoung realized something and muttered, “…The outside species?”

Wanderers had their own ways of survival. There were those who still existed as humans and made coin farms, while others gave up on being human and walked the path of a new species.

The outside species had limits but because they gave up on their humanity, they could grow faster than others in the beginning to mid part of the story.

Maybe these guys were the werewolves…

“…They gained the power of the meteorite.”

Right now, it was only the fifth scenario. At the current time, the only way people could evolve into werewolves was by using the power of the meteorite. The wanderers had already got their hands on the meteorite that fell in Seochu-gu.

Han Sooyoung opened her mouth. “I know him. That bastard, he is someone who stopped reading.”

“…How do you know?”

“I can see it. It is the privilege as the last person who got off the novel.”

“Privilege?”

“I can read the information and attributes of those who stopped reading.” She spoke in a slightly boasting tone.

Speaking of which, I remembered a story that I heard from Jung Minseob.

Shortly after the scenarios began, the First Apostle came to them. This would be explained if Han Sooyoung had the ability to find those who stopped reading. Then she used her Avatar ability to appear before them.

Han Sooyoung kept speaking.

“That’s why I doubted your identity. A guy who can’t be read by my skill…”

Han Sooyoung stared at me before looking back at the outside species.

“At that time, there were a few people who refused my offer. That wanderer was one of them. I thought it wasn’t a big deal since most of them would die early…”

“Who is that guy?”

“He is Song Minwoo.”

Song Minwoo? It definitely wasn’t the name of a character. Yet I had heard the name somewhere…

[The 6th grade outside species ‘Werewolf Song Minwoo’ is searching the surroundings.]

I could see the face of the person in the distance. Ah…perhaps.

A recent memory came to mind. It was the dream I had a few hours ago. I remembered my days in high school and the gangsters who bullied me. Many years had passed but his facial expression seemed to fit. No matter how much time passed, I couldn’t forget that name on the name badge.

Song Minwoo… it must be him. But that bastard was someone ‘who got off?’ That gangster read a novel?

“Where did he get off?”

“That guy… he was a bit strange. He is a bit different from the usual readers.”

“What is it?”

Han Sooyoung worried for a moment before saying,

“In my eyes, he… got off at chapter 173.”

At this moment, Song Minwoo sniffed and he turned his head this way. His yellow eyes seemed to be saying, ‘I found you.’

He fell to the ground on all fours and started rushing to this side.