Chapter 607
While Unknown was appealing to the world through his broadcast, Jinhyuk was also enjoying a small hobby of his own.
[Recording broadcast begins.]
“Ta-da! Hey there, Viewtuber friends! Today’s episode of the bizarre food mukbang with Jinhyuk brings you a fun experiment! And joining us as guests are our green-skinned monster friends!”
Jinhyuk beamed brightly and waved to the camera.
“It feels a bit wrong to stream in such a post-apocalyptic atmosphere, but please understand. If I don’t upload a video for over a month in the Tower of Trials, the channel gets permanently banned.”
“Kuaaaagh!”
“K-kill me!”
The Immortal Orcs screamed until their throats bled.
The pain was unbearable—so intense it felt like their throats and esophagus were burning away.
“Hmm.”
Jinhyuk added several ingredients into a boiling pot.
A generous helping of wasabi, mint chocolate, and fish sauce.
Pooof!
Purple smoke rose as skull-shaped bubbles formed atop the mysterious liquid.
Then came five cockroaches freshly caught from the road and several large beetles. Their flailing limbs suggested they’d dance in the mouth when eaten.
That should do.
Jinhyuk scooped a ladle full of the liquid.
Now then, let’s see.
Who would be the lucky one to eat first?
Since orcs were known for their hearty appetites, he’d make sure they were thoroughly fed.
Jinhyuk slowly walked before them, ladle in hand.
All of them trembled from head to toe, praying they wouldn’t be chosen.
But no matter how desperately one struggled, someone always had to be the sacrifice.
“Mmmph… mmph! Gugh! Cough—gkkk… grr… gulp!”
In the end, one unfortunate orc foamed at the mouth, forced to taste Jinhyuk’s “cooking.”
He kept eating until the pot was empty.
Gulp, gulp!
The sticky, gooey mixture slid down his throat.
Next, Jinhyuk sprinkled salt—grocery store salt—on the orc’s wounds.
“Uwaaaagh!”
Flash!
Stars burst in his eyes.
As the salt seeped into the wounds, the excruciating pain pierced straight into his brain.
The orc’s body convulsed wildly as if strapped to an electric chair.
“Still not talking? Hm? Even now?”
There had to be a mechanism set up somewhere to trigger the activation of the Covenant.
Finding that was top priority.
“For high-tier orcs, you’ve got some backbone. Not that it matters—your struggle just looks cute to me. But… tell me, holy maiden, aren’t you supposed to be a saint? Is it fine to torture like that?”
Alice glanced at Teresa, who was busily stabbing orcs with her cross.
Teresa wiped the blood off the cross and smiled brightly.
“It’s fine because it’s to save people.”
Even for a true saint, the blood-drenched sight was enough to make one’s skin crawl.
“Forget it. Let’s just not talk about it.”
“We should move quickly once we get the intel. The apocalypse progressed too fast while we were trapped inside the barrier.”
Chun Yoosung looked anxiously at the empty city.
He could never have imagined the once-bustling Pangyo area would end up like this.
Then suddenly—
[Player ‘Unknown’ uses Advanced Loudspeaker!]
Pop! Pop! Pop!
With loud fireworks, a golden status window appeared in the air.
Player: Unknown.
The fact that he had the leisure to do this meant the fake was living comfortably even amidst the apocalypse.
‘Yeah. I wanted to see you too.’
Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.
To reach the operators—and the one ruling above them—he had no choice but to dance on the stage they’d prepared.
The others stopped their interrogation and lifted their heads.
[A Bounty Event is activated!]
[Player Kang Jinhyuk is currently at “Pangyo Station”!]
[Eliminate Kang Jinhyuk to obtain two SS-rank sacred relics, twenty supreme magic crystals, and experience points worth 2.8 billion!]
[Additionally, all items possessed by Kang Jinhyuk will be awarded to the killer.]
[The same level of bounty applies to his party members as well.]
An absurd reward.
Even those who had no interest before would now become killers.
And with the justification of “saving humanity,” who could refuse such a chance?
“Honestly, fighting straightforward bosses was way more fun… dealing with some schemer who loves politics and manipulation is just unpleasant.”
Still, it wasn’t all loss.
His opponent, too, was still a player.
And any quest activated through special player items always demanded a cost.
Even if that player had been handpicked by the administrators, the rule still applied.
Ding!
As if confirming his thoughts, another window appeared.
[Due to the unbalanced situation, Player Kang Jinhyuk may select one item from the Coin Exchange corresponding to their trade grade.]
To face monsters, operators, and players all at once—
That went against the very purpose of the Tower of Trials.
Its difficulty was brutal, yes, but it never demanded the impossible.
“I’ll postpone the selection.”
[Selection time limit: 3H : 0M : 0S.]
Three hours.
He’d settle this before then.
Jinhyuk smiled at the orcs.
Up until now, this had been a hunt disguised as a fun broadcast—something to entertain the viewers.
[Broadcast has been adjusted to ‘19+ content.’]
But now it was time to strip away the humor and fight to win—a show for adults only.
“Heeeek?”
“Ssssk!”
The orcs’ faces turned deathly pale.
—
One hour later.
In front of the Seoul Arts Center, countless players had gathered shoulder to shoulder.
Unknown’s broadcast had announced Jinhyuk’s imminent arrival there, along with the bounty event.
Even the Republic of Korea Army’s 30th Mechanized Infantry Division and UDT Special Forces were stationed near the Seocho Interchange.
Meanwhile, major Korean guilds like Dangun and Balhae had mobilized all their top rankers and taken positions near the Arts Center.
“Damn it. What the hell is this…? We’re already busy climbing the Tower, and now we have to fight each other?”
Lee Changhee of the Dangun Guild pulled out a bottle from his coat and drank deeply.
Then he passed it to his comrades.
Over shared drinks, everyone finally voiced the thoughts they’d been holding in.
“……Even if this ends well, they say it’ll take years just to clean up the monsters that broke out.”
“And that’s only if the fake dies within six hours. A-ranks we can manage somehow, but once S-rank Outbreaks start… it’s over.”
The nightmare of Europe’s S-rank Lich, Beirodum, wiping out a raid team still lingered.
Soon, creatures like that could start appearing en masse.
“Still… are we sure about Unknown’s side? Even if the Association President said he saw proof, something feels off.”
“The Prophet from the neighboring country just called again ten minutes ago. Told us to reconsider.”
Takeshi of Japan’s Samurai Guild.
A famous ranker with the ability to see the future had continuously claimed Jinhyuk’s innocence.
As a result, Japan remained the only nation worldwide openly supporting Jinhyuk and the Veteran Corporation instead of Unknown. (T/N: This is a first, usually it’s Japan who is always the antagonist. I’m surprised Japan is siding with our MC)
The mood turned heavy.
No one could be certain of the truth.
Then—
“Stop overthinking. Just focus on how to kill him. You all know we don’t have many options.”
A group of brown-skinned foreign players approached.
It was Deshmukh, an Indian ranker.
With his muscular build, short hair, and a massive axe slung over his shoulder, he was a daunting figure.
‘Gandhara.’
The chosen of the gods had erased their fallen past and risen again.
Rumor had it they boosted their stats severalfold through immense divine relics straight out of myth.
And since Han Sangjin treated the divine rankers as VIPs, even the Dangun Guild couldn’t easily dismiss them.
“If you trust Unknown too much, we might be the ones betrayed. What if he’s just buying time for the Covenant?”
“You needn’t worry about that. The accused will show himself here to clear his name. Besides…”
Deshmukh’s lips curled upward.
“What we need most right now is the information Unknown has. We’ll pretend to follow along—and when the time’s right, kill them both.”
“……”
Lee Changhee fell silent.
Not a word of that was wrong.
“In that case, at the very least, Player Kang Jinhyuk’s custody should be—”
Before he could finish his sentence—
Wuuuung!
A flash erupted from the side.
Kraaaaaang!
A blinding, searing light struck everyone’s eyes.
“Aaagh!”
“Gaaaah! M-my eyes!”
“I can’t see!!”
Screams erupted everywhere.
But then, a collective shout drowned out the chaos.
“He’s here! Kang Jinhyuk!”
The one man who could end this catastrophe had appeared.
Rankers from every nation surged toward the source of the sound like a swarm.
⁕⁕⁕
“My, my… talk about a crowd.”
Jinhyuk scratched his head.
It was rare even within the Tower to see so many top rankers from around the world gathered in one place.
And among them, the most troublesome—
were, of course, the leeches from India.
“So you’re not planning to surrender quietly?”
The leader of the Gandhara Guild, Kumar, stood at the front.
“And you? Not planning to step aside? Kill Unknown, and this mess ends cleanly.”
“That’s not happening. Judging from the evidence so far, you’re far more likely to be the fake.”
Sring!
Kumar drew his grotesque curved sword.
It was clear the fight couldn’t be avoided.
Not that Jinhyuk ever planned to avoid it.
“After everything I did to save people… this is my reward? At this point, maybe the Covenant happening wouldn’t be so bad.”
Humans, black-haired beasts who forgot kindness once full, now turned their blades toward him.
The disgust rose up his throat.
His gaze turned cold.
“Block me, and I’ll cut you down. Looks like time’s running out for all of us.”
“If you think it’ll be like Nirasha, you’re gravely mistaken. For that humiliation, I’ve—”
Kraaaang!
A long sword sliced toward Kumar’s neck before he could finish.
But just before it struck, Deshmukh and Antia crossed their weapons from both sides, blocking the attack.
“You really came in to kill.”
“What terrifying power.”
Kukukukuku!
The clash of blades released an explosion of mana.
There were twenty-seven hours left until the Covenant fully manifested.
And thus—
“Don’t let your guard down. That man is the greatest monster alive.”
The battle for humanity’s survival had begun.