Chapter 97
Rip!
I boldly tore open the second envelope.
[Opening ‘Theme 2 Information (S-grade).’]
My heart thumped.
With excitement, I pulled out the pitch-black sheet.
It had a similar amount of text to the Theme 1 information sheet.
But…
[This region’s information cannot be fully accessed yet.]
[Only partial information is revealed.]
It wasn’t as kind as I’d hoped.
The old man clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk, the creator of this dungeon is just as twisted as you are. Selling something for 10,000 points while hiding half the content?”
“Right.”
I frowned too.
Several parts were replaced with cryptic symbols.
#1. When Theme 2 begins, team formation will take place.
There will be three teams. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place participants from the previous theme each select their team members.
Each team can have up to 10 members.
Meaning, once the maximum number is reached, anyone not picked is eliminated.
#2. The chosen members must work together to find the ‘National Treasure’ hidden within a massive castle.
The team that finds it first wins. Those who fail are eliminated.
#3. □□ will appear ■■■ □□□ ■ □□ after □□.
□□’s □□ form is ‘□□ ■■□,’ and □□□ must use various ‘□□’ ■□ to □■ □□□.
PS. Each ‘□□’ triggers a ‘□□ □□□.’
#4. □□ is □□■.
□가□ can □■□ from a distance and □□□ the ■■□□ if needed.
□□, they can ‘□□’ and ‘□□’ □□□.
#5. This ■■□□ □□ □□□ □.
하나, □□□ □■□□ is □□ as ‘□■ □□□.’
둘, □□■■■□ hides ■■□ in □□.
(T/N: Yep! It’s written like that in the raw. It’s not a translation error or something. )
The first two points were fine.
But the rest was a dizzying mess to look at.
– “Heartless bastards. How is anyone supposed to understand this? And now that I look at it… I’m getting angry. These fools dare hide things from my disciple?”
The old man barked irritably.
Whether he was angry for my sake or just frustrated at being unable to read the content, I wasn’t sure.
“Still, the important parts are intact. And I think I understand why they hid it.”
– “Hmm? You think you understand that?”
“Yes, look here.”
I pointed to the #4 and #5 segments.
The old man widened his eyes.
– “What about it?”
“You always call me a genius or say I’m not a genius… but Elder, I think you might be about on my level.”
– “Ha! What brat are you calling a fool? Fine, hand it over.”
He leaned in close.
Since he couldn’t physically touch the sheet, he brought his face closer instead.
I held it up so he could see better.
“Hmm. Hmm…? What are you seeing? It’s just gibberish.”
“Compare it with the Theme 1 sheet.”
I slid the two sheets side by side.
#4. Special privileges exist.
Participants may find the judges observing them from afar.
Upon finding them, participants may use the shop early.
#5. There are two ways to obtain this information sheet.
One, purchase it with Trial Points from a judge you found.
Two, find the sheets the judges have hidden throughout the area.
I said:
“See? The letter count and spacing are identical. It’s the same content.”
– “Huh?”
The old man blinked.
– “Oh! It really is. Look at you!”
He stared at me with amazement.
Then suddenly burst out:
– “Aha! You brat, of course. You’ve finally begun to complete it!”
“…Complete what?”
– “The Supreme Azure Mind Method, you fool! The art that can make even a mediocre man greater than a genius. Hahaha! My disciple becoming a genius—how delightful!”
“……”
I gave him a side-eye.
He was clearly embarrassed that I’d spotted something he missed.
Honestly…
This wasn’t genius.
Just paying attention.
Anyway.
What I discovered was simple:
The #4 and #5 sections of Theme 1 and Theme 2 were identical.
“They probably scattered the Theme 2 sheets around too. And to prevent people from gaining an advantage by finding only Theme 2’s sheets, they obscured the overlapping info.”
– “Hmm, well… that does make sense. Though why they’d go that far is beyond me.”
“In any case.”
I looked back at the sheet.
Other than point #3, everything else could be inferred.
I organized the keywords slowly.
“Theme 2 involves teamwork. The top performers of Theme 1 pick their team members…”
– “You absolutely need to hit top 3. Well, for you, first place is guaranteed.”
The old man nodded proudly.
“The teams need to work together to find a National Treasure. This is… impressive.”
The moment I saw the hints for Theme 2…
I understood Delilah’s intent.
– “What’s so impressive? The teamwork?”
“No, not that.”
– “Then?”
“If you look closely… anyone who rampaged selfishly and lost favor in Theme 1 is being punished in Theme 2.”
– “……”
Theme 2 required cooperation.
Survival alone wasn’t enough—participants had to be chosen by others.
What did that imply?
“Delilah is saying that character is a virtue of the strong. That those with rotten personalities won’t pass her trials.”
Also, anyone unchosen was eliminated.
Which meant not only filtering out rotten personalities…
But also filtering out freeloaders who survived by luck alone.
– “Ku-ku-ku, this is delightful. Truly delightful.”
The old man laughed like a child.
– “How wonderful, this place! So much better than the world I lived in!”
He leaned in.
– “So. What will you do?”
“Hm, that requires some thought.”
– “Tsk, such a shame the summoning time is nearly over. Lately these ten-minute summons feel far too short. It’s already been ten minutes. Bah!”
“I’ll summon you again, Elder.”
The old man vanished with a soft swoosh.
Silence returned.
I closed my eyes.
It was still night.
Dawn was far away.
I needed to decide.
How to use this information.
And how I’d move from this point on.
—
The next morning.
“Olena, James, Capu.”
I called the group with a serious expression.
“Yes? You called?”
“Mhm, did he?”
“Another expedition today? I hope we find something this time.”
The three foreigners, hair matted and skin dry from a week of camping, approached lazily.
But after a week together, we were at least familiar with one another.
I held out the Theme 1 sheet.
“Take a look.”
I had decided to share this information.
‘Since Theme 2 requires cooperation anyway.’
They might be competitors now…
But drawing lines too sharply could hurt me later.
Of course, I wasn’t sharing everything.
Only Theme 1’s information.
“What’s this?”
“What? Let me see.”
The three huddled around the sheet.
Then their eyes widened.
“…What is this?”
“Toxin Mist? Judges? Shops? Poison bonus?”
They stared at me, bewildered.
“My skeletons picked it up during a night scouting run.”
I didn’t say I bought it.
A harmless lie.
If they knew I’d been lying all along, they’d only distrust me.
“How did you get something like this? If it’s true, this is huge.”
“In a month, poison fog will fill the central region? And we have to survive it?”
“……”
Olena shook her head.
James stared at me in disbelief.
Capu closed his eyes in thought.
I spoke calmly.
“Toxin Mist will threaten all of us.”
“……”
“There’s no instruction to kill it. It explicitly states we must evade it to survive.”
Capu nodded.
“If it emerges from the central region, we must distance ourselves as much as possible to pass.”
“We should move right now, then.”
James chimed in.
“If it’s intelligent, it’ll go for the nearest prey. Distance is safety. This trial rewards those who secure information early.”
“I agree.”
I nodded.
“But.”
“……”
“I will not run.”
“What?”
Olena blinked rapidly.
“You’ll stay here?”
“No. Toxin Mist is labeled as a creature. That means it’s not a natural disaster, but a living organism.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“Yes. I plan to head to the center.”
“You’re serious?”
“Why? What for?”
“Hun, reconsider.”
They all tried to stop me.
But my decision was final.
The reason I shared the info was simple:
I would head to the center—so they needed to get far away.
Then survive and help me in Theme 2.
“You all should run as far as possible. Of course, if you choose to follow, I’ll respect that. It’s your choice.”
“……”
“But I recommend you put as much distance between us as you can.”
“Still… leaving you alone…”
Olena hesitated, but I shook my head.
“I have some poison resistance. And confidence.”
“…Is that so?”
A brief silence.
Then James spoke first.
“Alright, I’m leaving immediately. You know how it is—let people act on their own choices.”
“I also choose distance over going toward the center.”
Capu agreed.
“Good. Capu, let’s move quickly.”
As they hurried to pack, Olena looked at me.
Asking if I’d really be okay.
I smiled.
“We’ll meet again alive.”
Three weeks remained until the appearance of the Toxin Mist.
Separated from my group, I became alone again after a week.
—
Weekend.
A pub located underground in Gangnam District.
“Wahahaha! I bet that brat is doing great.”
Five hunters gathered in the VIP room.
Each radiated an immense presence.
They were the Five Stars of Seoul.
The rising Rankers who dominated the capital.
“Ke-ke, what’s he doing now? Theme 1? Theme 2?”
Jang Daewoong slammed his beer down, while the Archer shook his head.
“Berserker, time flows differently in that place. No one knows what he’s doing. If anyone knows, it’d be Delilah.”
“True, true. Aah, those were fun times. Remember?”
“Fun? What was fun?”
Munch, munch.
White Boar grumbled as he devoured mountains of food.
“Did you forget how much we suffered during Theme 1?”
“Right! Weren’t we almost killed because of you, Berserker?”
Lee Seonah smiled as she added on, and Jang Daewoong laughed heartily.
“Haha! What man runs away in front of a monster!”
“……”
The Archer sighed.
Jang Daewoong—during the Toxin Mist incident, he insisted he would take it down himself, and the four of them had to knock him out and drag him away.
Had they been a bit slower…
There would be no Rankers here today.
Only funeral rites.
“For the love of… can the madman please reflect on himself?”
“Kahaha, anyway, I look forward to my little brother. I bet he’ll accomplish what I couldn’t. Unlike you cowards, he won’t run!”
“…You crazy idiot.”
Nearby, Ki Soyul widened her eyes while sipping her beer.
“Huh?!”
“Please stop saying creepy things like that. Words have power.”
“Yeah! The King is smart. He won’t do something insane like the Berserker.”
Lee Seonah laughed in agreement.
“We’ll see.”
Jang Daewoong smirked meaningfully.
And thought:
‘Donghoon is just as crazy as I am.’
A madman recognizes a madman.
That was the Berserker’s belief.