Chapter 386
The Wave would begin in a week. People’s expressions hardened. They began preparing for the Wave with tense faces.
The first thing they had to do for that was to engage with other groups.
In India’s case, they refused to talk properly, so the priority was to speak with the Northern Asian group. Fortunately, unlike India, they readily accepted the proposal.
Kim Hwiyeon, a few Hard mode players, Kang Taesan, and several players from Northern Asia gathered together.
“I’m the leader of this group and a Solo mode player from Russia. I’m Viktor Stanichin. Just call me Viktor.”
“I’m Kim Hwiyeon. I’m a Hard mode player.”
“Hard mode?”
Viktor tilted his head slightly.
“I heard there are quite a few Solo mode players in your group. Why are you the leader?”
“I have no intention of becoming the leader.”
Taesan spoke calmly. Viktor turned his gaze to Taesan.
“…You’re the one Oliver talked about, aren’t you?”
“Oliver? Do you mean Oliver Khan?”
“I’ve been friends with him since before the world became like this. We’ve talked a lot… and most of it was about you.”
Viktor quietly looked at Taesan and spoke.
“We’re willing to cooperate with you. To be precise, we’re willing to move according to your intentions. In a situation like this, it’s better to follow the lead of one person rather than have multiple leaders.”
Kim Hwiyeon’s eyes widened.
“Is that true?”
“Our numbers aren’t large anyway. Compared to you, we’re pitifully small.”
There were not many people living in Northern Asia to begin with. Even though Russia was included, the total population was only similar to Japan. Viktor spoke calmly.
“The larger group swallows the smaller one. It’s only natural.”
“Thank you.”
Kim Hwiyeon let out a sigh of relief.
After seeing how the Indian players rejected them, she thought Russia would be the same. Fortunately, they were able to communicate.
“But there’s one condition.”
“A condition…?”
“Kang Taesan. The one Oliver Khan said was the strongest player on Earth. I’ll test you.”
Taesan quietly stared at him. Viktor looked at Taesan with suspicion.
“Oliver isn’t one to lie… but honestly, it’s hard to believe.”
Oliver had said it. That Amelia was a monster. That even if they all attacked her together, they wouldn’t be able to win.
And that Taesan was strong enough to defeat such an Amelia without her being able to do anything.
He even said that not even all the players in the United States combined could defeat him.
Viktor couldn’t believe that.
“If he’s that strong, why are there so few survivors?”
“That’s…”
Kim Hwiyeon found it difficult to answer. Even if she said it was because such a powerful monster had appeared, it didn’t seem like Viktor was in the mood to listen.
Viktor spoke with conviction.
“We made it here with our own strength. We defeated monsters and arrived here without relying on anyone. We survived as humans.”
There was deep pride in his voice.
That was something Kim Hwiyeon couldn’t understand.
“…How can you survive with such pride?”
“What?”
“How do you still have the luxury to feel that way?”
They didn’t have the room for pride.
They had barely survived in terrifying despair. If it weren’t for Taesan, they would have all gone insane.
“What do you mean?”
“…Never mind.”
Kim Hwiyeon shut her mouth and looked at Taesan. Taesan nodded.
“Doesn’t matter. So how do you want to do this?”
“Come this way.”
Viktor stood up.
The place he led them to was filled with numerous players.
“Everyone here is a Hard mode player. Among them, these three thousand are the top-tier ones. You just have to endure our attacks for one hour.”
Viktor spoke as if making an excuse.
“Don’t think it’s too excessive. After all, we’ll be entrusting our lives to you. We want to see your full strength firsthand.”
“That won’t be enough.”
Taesan muttered as he swung his arm.
“Can I start?”
His bold attitude caught Viktor off guard.
“You don’t need time to prepare?”
“Why would I need that? There’s only a week left. I’ll finish this quickly, so let’s just begin.”
Viktor’s mind was momentarily shaken by the sheer confidence.
‘…No.’
But Viktor quickly dismissed the thought. He too had reached the 35th floor in Solo mode, but even he couldn’t handle a hundred Hard mode players.
Let alone now, with three thousand Hard mode players present. No matter how strong Taesan was, it should be impossible to defeat them all.
“Then.”
[A group duel has been established.]
Viktor gripped his weapon with a tense face. Since it was such a major battle, there were many spectators. Players from Southeast and Northern Asia watched with bated breath.
[Duel begins.]
Viktor leapt forward. Other Hard mode players rushed at Taesan all at once.
In that instant, Taesan vanished.
“Huh?”
Viktor’s eyes widened, and his body was flung into the air.
And he wasn’t the only one. Dozens of charging Hard mode players were also flying through the air.
“What is this…?”
“Let’s finish this quickly.”
Taesan stomped the ground.
At first, the spectators gasped in awe, but as time passed, they fell silent.
In less than ten minutes, all three thousand Hard mode players were defeated.
After that, Viktor never brought up Taesan again.
—
“They’re different from us. I told you, didn’t I?”
“Yeah…”
At Taesan’s words, Kim Hwiyeon lowered her head with a bitter expression.
South Korea was currently where the Old Gods’s power was most concentrated.
And that much showed just how relaxed the people from other regions were.
They still had the luxury of holding on to their pride and what they had built up.
Even though they were being invaded by the Old Gods on the same Earth, their circumstances were entirely different.
Players from other regions, who still believed they could win if they joined forces and fought, couldn’t understand those who followed Taesan.
They probably thought those who revered and relied on Taesan were weak and foolish.
“You can blame me. In a way, this is my fault.”
“No. It was bound to happen eventually. Thanks to Mr. Taesan, we experienced it ahead of time, so in a way, it’s fortunate. But… India is probably rejecting us for the same reason, right?”
“Most likely.”
Russia’s numbers were extremely small. And because their leader was close to Oliver, they had heard about him in advance. It allowed for some coordination.
But India was different.
Their numbers weren’t small compared to theirs. Unlike Russia, they had no reason to yield.
And unlike Viktor, their knowledge of Taesan probably came solely from the community.
Now, Kim Hwiyeon finally understood why the leader from India had acted that way.
“What will you do?”
“…Even so, we’re all survivors. If we leave things like this, it’ll be dangerous.”
The upcoming Wave was unlike anything before. Kim Hwiyeon clenched her fists.
“I’ll try to talk to them somehow.”
“Do your best.”
Kim Hwiyeon kept her word.
She began by observing the Indian players who had set up their quarters far away, gathering information.
As a result, she discovered a few things.
First, their leader. Hassan’s influence seemed significantly weak.
Although he moved about diligently, people didn’t seem to follow his words. Instead, they seemed to listen more to a few players dressed in flamboyant clothes.
But those people didn’t appear stronger than Hassan.
Focusing her observations on them to figure out why, Kim Hwiyeon discovered something else.
“What the… They still follow religion?”
“Looks like Hinduism?”
And it wasn’t just one or two. The majority of the players they observed still appeared to believe in Hinduism. It was something she couldn’t begin to understand.
In the end, Kim Hwiyeon made a decision after much thought. She would go and meet them herself.
With Geum Jung-geun and a few Hard mode players, she approached them.
“Everyone! I’m Kim Hwiyeon, leader of Korea!”
She shouted desperately in front of their quarters.
“The Wave will begin soon! It will be very different from what you’ve experienced! We must prepare together!”
But no one listened.
A few glanced their way, but that was it. They didn’t react further. It was as if they were being completely ignored.
They behaved as though they would be punished just for engaging.
Just as Kim Hwiyeon was about to shout again without giving up—
“Such a disturbance.”
A man appeared from among the people.
He was extravagantly adorned. Wearing luxury brands and necklaces made of jewels, he looked like a nouveau riche—completely inappropriate for the situation.
“…Who are you?”
“I am a Brahmin.”
Kim Hwiyeon immediately thought of India’s caste system. The highest class was the Brahmin.
The man before her held influence.
Kim Hwiyeon resolved to persuade him.
“I know you’ve been victorious so far. But things are different now. If we—”
“Get lost.”
The man cut her off.
He clicked his tongue and looked at her with contempt.
“We don’t converse with the weak, cowardly, and faithless like you.”
“…What?”
“Humans worshipping another human. You shameless fools. And you think you’re worthy to speak to us?”
The expression on his face was filled with pure scorn and derision.
Kim Hwiyeon’s face stiffened.
“You’re weak, always waiting for someone to help you. We have no intention of being with such pitiful beings. Get lost.”
“…You!”
The Hard mode player behind Kim Hwiyeon flushed red.
It was an insult to their lives and their struggle. It couldn’t be ignored.
But Kim Hwiyeon raised her arm to stop him.
With a hardened face, she asked,
“It seems we can’t have a conversation. Where is Hassan?”
“…Hassan. That guy.”
The man scowled.
“I told him to bring back information, but it looks like he came back with worthless chatter. This is why lowborns can’t be trusted.”
Hassan claimed to be their leader.
But there was no respect or regard for him in the man’s tone.
“He is our leader. He will not be allowed to speak with the likes of you. I won’t permit it. Leave.”
“What is this…”
Kim Hwiyeon was speechless. Then what was the point of Hassan coming to see them alone?
She wanted to question him, but the man turned away as if there was nothing more to say.
“When the Wave starts, you people who can’t survive without relying on others will all be annihilated anyway. I have no intention of speaking with ghosts. If you survive, I might consider listening—just a little.”
“Hah.”
Kim Hwiyeon let out a hollow laugh.
—
Kim Hwiyeon returned without any results.
She wasn’t the only one who had tried to talk. Other Hard mode players, Lee Taeyeon, and Kang Jun-hyuk also tried speaking with them.
But each time, men dressed in flashy clothing claiming to be Brahmins appeared and blocked the conversation.
They mocked, scorned, and sneered with every word. Even those who tried to endure it at first were starting to get angry.
“Hyung, could you step in just once?”
“There’s no need.”
Taesan spoke indifferently.
He had no intention of wasting his energy on something that would resolve itself with time.
Thus, the tension between both sides began to grow.
“What should we do…”
Kim Hwiyeon bit her lip.
She wasn’t shameless enough to abandon people numbering in the hundreds of millions.
While she was racking her brain for a solution—
Geum Jung-geun entered her tent.
“Hey. Jung-geun, what is it?”
“Someone’s here to see you, noona.”
“…Hello.”
“Ah.”
Kim Hwiyeon’s eyes widened.
India’s leader—Hassan—entered the tent with a gloomy face.
“How did you come here? We tried to meet, but your people wouldn’t allow it…”
“I may not look it, but I’m the strongest in India. I can avoid their eyes for a bit.”
Hassan spoke with a sigh.
That answer made Kim Hwiyeon realize something.
“You think differently from them.”
Hassan nodded.
“Could you please call Mr. Taesan? And the other Solo mode players as well.”
