Chapter 507

               

A situation where either choice led to hell.
After much deliberation, Jinhyuk opened his mouth.
“Let me ask one thing first.”
“Anything.”
“If I accept your offer, what happens to everyone else?”

Would they also be saved?
Could they continue their lives without trembling in fear of annihilation?
“Assuming they clear the next floor within 90 days, they can go on living.”

In the end, it meant that only Jinhyuk could escape the Tower’s constraints.
Everyone else would have to keep climbing in a world where Jinhyuk no longer existed.
“But don’t worry too much. I mean, how many people really care how many ants die while walking down the street? Besides, with infinite dimensions out there, there’ll be plenty of new people to meet, right?”

Jinhyuk stared Coffindance directly in the face.
“Now, it’s time to decide. Though, the right choice is practically obvious.”

Confidence mingled with mischief.
The pentagram in his pupils glowed faintly.
“Sorry, but I don’t feel like living alone on that big old Ark. One round of lonely relic life was enough.”
“That’s… disappointing.”

All traces of amusement vanished from Coffindance’s face.
Refusal meant destruction.
To set an example, he was ready to kill all the hostages.

[Frozen Air……]
Bzzzt!
Ice shards exploded in every direction.
Cracks began forming in the ice that sealed Andrea.

But at that very moment—
“Quit the pathetic threats. When opinions differ, let’s just handle it our usual way.”
“Our way… don’t tell me, you want to do a mission?”

A mission.
A sort of contract between viewer and BJ.
A loaded viewer assigns a cheeky or difficult challenge, and depending on the outcome, gives support or a penalty.

Among BJs, few hadn’t laughed or cried over such missions.
It was the essence of broadcasting, soaked in every kind of emotion.
“Hahahaha, you’re kidding me. Are you actually suggesting a mission showdown with me right now?”
“Good old times, right? And besides, it’s in your favor. You guys were voyeurs watching me 24/7.”

Not figuratively—literally.
He’d streamed for 720 hours once.
They even said they’d cover his living expenses if he streamed himself sleeping in front of a camcorder for a month.
And the perverted genius behind that idea was none other than Coffindance.

“You really do know me well. So. What’s the game and what’s at stake?”
“Isn’t it obvious? If I lose, I’ll obediently join your side. If I win, you back off for now.”
“Hmm. So all I have to do is quietly disappear? Nothing else?”
“Yeah. Low risk, high return, right?”
“…….”

Coffindance stroked his chin with a finger.
If the expected value on the scale had been mediocre, he’d have ignored it.
But a nostalgic bait like this, mixed with old memories, was just too tempting to resist.

There was no way he’d pass this up.
At least, not Coffindance.
This wasn’t just a game.
It was a chance to gamble for real in reality.
“Ha… Why is it so hard for me to say no to our Jinhyuk?”
“So, you accept?”
“But I choose the mission type. No objections?”
“Sure. Do whatever you want.”

At Jinhyuk’s reply, Coffindance pondered for a moment.
If it was a mission he could enjoy and still avoid losing… there was only one answer.
“Let’s play freeze tag.”

Victory required touching the opponent.
However, if one used a skill to freeze their body before that, they wouldn’t be eliminated.
Given Coffindance’s mastery of advanced glacial shaping abilities, he held an overwhelming advantage in this mission.
Before it even began, his win rate was practically over 90%.

Yet—
“Sounds good.”
Jinhyuk accepted the proposal without hesitation.
“Straightforward. I like it. For that courage, I’ll even let you go first.”

Coffindance flicked his finger.
At the same time—

Boom!
Jinhyuk charged forward.

The key to ‘freeze tag’ was catching the opponent off-guard with speed.
Especially if he struck at an unpredictable moment, he could overcome the hierarchical edge of ice-type abilities.

And—
‘I need variation upon variation.’

When going for a kill, the best chance was always in the beginning, when the opponent was relaxed.

Fwoosh!
Dark red magma flared in Jinhyuk’s hand.
He feinted back.
Then to the left.

In less than three seconds, he mixed in four fake-outs.
It was impossible to tell what was real and what wasn’t.
Four Jinhyuks seemed to simultaneously unleash fire magic.

[Unique Ability ‘Cascadia Slav’ activates!]
“……!”

[Frozen Air] immediately triggered, spewing massive steam.
Both the firepower and timing were perfect.
Not a single flaw.

Kwakwakwakwang!
Waves of dark crimson flame swept across the ground.

However—
Even with all his mana poured in, he couldn’t break the ice wall created by Frozen Air.
Only the surface melted slightly.
The ice barrier remained intact.

“Whistle. That was spicy. When’d you learn that trick?”

Coffindance emerged through the smoke.
…He actually reacted to that.

He’d already sensed these viewers weren’t ordinary since Sleeper Owl’s time, but this far surpassed expectations.
He was a monster.

If only he could use ‘Napoleon’s Coronation’…
At this level, a one-on-one fight simply wasn’t viable.

“My turn now?”

Coffindance raised a finger upward.

[Frozen Air – ‘Ice Snow Tree’ blossoms!]

A white tree sprouted from the frost particles.

[Movement speed decreased by 3%!]
[Movement speed decreased by 5%!]
[Movement speed is……]

The status window kept stacking.
As the frost clung to him, his entire body grew increasingly rigid.

Now, dodging a hand touch became exponentially harder.
“Let’s have some fun.”

Coffindance’s body melted into the snowstorm.

Kwaaaang!
Jinhyuk reflexively used [Glacial Sculpting] to freeze himself.
Coffindance’s finger burrowed halfway into the ice.

That was dangerously close.
Just a few centimeters deeper and the game would’ve ended right there.

But there was no time to breathe—another attack followed immediately.

Kwaaaang!
The spot where Jinhyuk had stood exploded.
Barely escaping the frozen ground, he soared high into the air.
If close-range wasn’t an option, he’d attack from a distance instead.

‘I’ll take it slow and approach carefully.’

Jinhyuk activated both [Daylight] and [Crimson Mana Bullet] simultaneously.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

“Haa… haa… haaa.”
Alice’s chest rose and fell irregularly.
Her disrupted mana and shaking pupils—
She looked like she’d crumble at the slightest touch.

‘Good. That should be enough prep for here…’

Benetty’s gaze turned to the side.
A barrier had been cast over this entire area from the beginning.

[Multiple Hypnosis] and [Illusion Art]—
These were the specialties of the Original Sin of Envy.

Vwooooom!
Mana connected with mana.
As six small hexagrams linked together, a grand magic circle formed with six main circles as its base.

[10-Star Barrier ‘Dreamlike Fantasyland’ activates!]

A hallucinatory barrier of 10-star level.
Chilly mist instantly enveloped the surroundings.
And amid the blurred vision came a sweet aroma that tickled the nose.

“What… is this?”

Chun Yoosung looked around with his sword drawn.
With his aura perception disrupted, it was hard to tell friend from foe.

And then—

Kakakang!
From the mist came the sharp clash of blades—and the sight of Jinhyuk.
To be precise, it was Jinhyuk and Wolyoung, exchanging a wild flurry of strikes.

Vwoooom…
…Kakakakakang!
Blade met blade.

Their swordplay was so breathtaking it seemed choreographed.
A kind of sword dance Jinhyuk had never shown before.
As if he’d finally found a worthy opponent.
He was fighting Wolyoung with all his might.

“You bastard…”

Chun Yoosung’s lips twisted.
The satisfied smile on Jinhyuk’s face—
The sweat trailing down his cheek, the blade marks all over him—
He didn’t like any of it.

He knew it was a fake.
He’d watched Jinhyuk fight Alice with his own eyes.
But why did the boundaries between fake and real start to blur, muddled by the sweet aroma?

‘I’ve trained too. Enough that I’m no longer lacking to face you. No, I’ve become strong enough to surpass you!’

Chun Yoosung instinctively reached for Ryuha.

Vwooooom!
Dark energy writhed as if desperate to be unleashed.

[Emotion: Jealousy is rapidly intensifying.]

‘I should be the one standing there.’

His eyes turned green.

‘Not Wolyoung or anyone else.’

Kwaang!
Chun Yoosung charged forward.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

At the same time.
Teresa had also fallen into Benetty’s [Dreamlike Fantasyland].

‘What is this…?’

A languid sensation took over her body.
Her sense of smell, in particular, was completely numbed.

And then—

A familiar voice whispered into her ear.

—How long… are you going to live only for the happiness of others?

The voice of her other self that only emerged when she fell into corruption.
But unlike before, the depth of the voice was unbearably heavy.

“You’re saying I only cared about others’ happiness?”

—Didn’t you? No matter what happened to you, you only worried about Alice, Chun Yoosung, Andrea, and everyone else. You pushed yourself aside. Even though you knew what you really wanted, you kept suppressing it.

“No. I… I…”

Teresa shook her head as if to deny it.
But the already-formed shadow took hold of her cheek and whispered again.
Red pupils narrowed into vertical slits.

—Look. Over there. Everyone’s happy except you.

At those words, Teresa’s gaze shifted forward.
There was Jinhyuk.
And Alice, holding Jinhyuk’s hand.

Their faces looked like the happiest people in the world.
And there she stood—just watching, doing nothing.

—Why are you the only one who has to lose everything?

She didn’t want to just stand by anymore.
She didn’t want to be a side character.
She wanted to be the protagonist and enjoy the happy part of the story.

‘Yeah…’

Why shouldn’t I?
I couldn’t live like this forever. No—I didn’t want to.

Teresa’s pupils turned red like the shadow.

Bzzzt!
And the [Dreamlike Fantasyland] shattered.

[Dimensions are linking together.]

The illusionary Jinhyuk disappeared—
and in his place appeared the real Jinhyuk.

“Kang Jinhyuk!”
“Jinhyuk!”

Chun Yoosung and Teresa ran toward Jinhyuk at the same time.