< Episode 10. Future War (4) >
"Clear a path—just up to the flag pole!"
Judging by the direction he charged in from, he seemed to be the representative of the Myeongdong Group.
It looked like they had already coordinated closely with the Dongdaemun side.
[The Myeongdong representative 'Kim Hyun-tae' activates the additional effect of the 'Red Flag'!]
He'd already changed the color of his flag.
And to red, no less.
In truth, the core of the [Flag Capture War] lay in the color of the flag.
Starting from white, then red, navy, brown, purple, and finally black.
Each time the flag's color changes, it provides progressively better additional effects.
[The Myeongdong Group receives the buff effect of the 'Red Flag'!]
[Attack power and defense each increase by 5%!]
The fact that their flag was already red meant they had either occupied at least one station or killed another station's representative and stolen their flag.
Even at a glance, their combat power looked fairly respectable.
But still…
To think they'd target Chungmuro with just that much—don't be ridiculous.
[Character 'Gong Pil-du' activates the stigma 'Armed Zone Lv.6'!]
[Character 'Gong Pil-du' activates 'Private Property Lv.6'!]
Gong Pil-du moved before it was too late.
"You insignificant trash…!"
If he had shown even a hint of hesitation, I was ready to use my 'Command Authority,' but thankfully it wasn't necessary.
At this rate, it would be fine to entrust Chungmuro's defense to Gong Pil-du.
Eight mini-turrets opened fire simultaneously at the Myeongdong Group charging toward the flag pole.
"W-What is this?!"
"Aaaaargh!"
Dudududududu!
Flesh exploded through the air.
As expected—Gong Pil-du really was broken.
"Grrk! Everyone, group up!"
The Myeongdong Group belatedly formed a dense formation, but it was nowhere near enough to withstand the shells of an Armed Zone that had broken past Level 6. Letting him clear the emergency defense scenario on his own had clearly been the right call.
Bang! Kraaang! Kwaaang!
How many rounds had been fired?
The Myeongdong Group members, struck head-on by enhanced magic shells, were instantly riddled with holes and collapsed.
Gong Pil-du is terrifying as an enemy—but as an ally, he's this reassuring.
"T-This wasn't in the information!"
"Retreat!"
But there was nowhere for them to run.
"Where do you think you're going?"
[The special option of 'Unbreakable Conviction' activates.]
[The Ether attribute is converted to 'Flames.']
Shraaaash!
Flaming ether surged from my blade, forming a wall of fire along their escape route. As the panicked enemies hesitated, Gong Pil-du's gunfire resumed.
Dududududu!
"B-Break through! Hurry—kugh!"
Struck directly by a magic shell, the flag unraveled from above the Myeongdong representative's head.
Gong Pil-du's eyes sparkled when he spotted the fallen flag.
Honestly, that guy…
"Want to get stepped on again?"
Gong Pil-du, who had been rushing over, froze like a statue.
"Damn it…"
I sprinted along the tracks in a single burst and picked up the fallen Myeongdong representative's flag. The despair drained the focus from his eyes.
[You have acquired the 'Myeongdong Group's' flag.]
[Your 'White Flag' absorbs the accumulated merits of the 'Red Flag.']
[Your 'White Flag' evolves into a 'Red Flag.']
I felt a far stronger power surging within my body.
[You have taken one step closer to the 'Path of the King.']
Flags beyond red enhance not only the representative's stats, but also those of nearby group members.
Aside from overall stat boosts or S-rank-and-above items, this 'flag' is one of the very few ways to increase base combat power. That's why groups end up targeting stations other than their designated 'target station.'
Other 'King Candidates' would already have entered full-scale wars of their own, all to change the color of their flags.
Because in this world, the stronger you become, the more you get to enjoy.
[The remaining members of the 'Myeongdong Group' await your judgment.]
I grabbed one of the fallen Myeongdong Group members and asked,
"Why did you target Chungmuro?"
Something had felt off ever since I first heard Kang Il-hoon's words.
Even if they had learned that Chungmuro had been opened, charging in as if they had been waiting for it defied common sense.
The strange gazes watching our group—and that odd expression he made when he realized I was the representative…
These guys knew from the start that there was something at this station.
Pressing my blade to the man's neck, I asked again,
"Talk. Who gave you information about 'Chungmuro'?"
The most likely answer was, of course, the .
Those men I'd met in the Theater Dungeon—people who possessed 'hidden information' unknown to others.
Just in case, I thoroughly searched the text of Ways of Survival, but as expected, the name 'Prophets' had never appeared.
So then, who were they?
There were two hypotheses.
One was that, due to some unknown variable, a new prophet—other than Anna Croft—had appeared.
And the second…
That besides me, there was another 'Reader'.
Honestly, I thought the latter was far more likely. The 'Prophet' trait doesn't awaken that easily. And there was also the plural name to consider…
Well, whatever the case, I could just find out from here on.
I looked at Gong Pil-du and said,
"But still… didn't you go a bit overboard?"
"What mercy should I show to idiots who charged in blindly?"
Gong Pil-du snapped irritably.
Unfortunately, the members of the Myeongdong Group had taken far too many bullets and were in no condition to answer anything. The moment I tried to ask them a question, they all ended up vomiting blood and dying.
In the end, there was only one person left to question.
I looked down at Kang Il-hoon, whom Lee Hyun-sung had slung over his shoulder and brought back. Bound tightly by [Thread Binding], his eyes darted around in anxiety.
Yoo Sang-ah asked,
"Do you think everything was planned from the beginning?"
"Most likely. As soon as the station opened, two groups joined forces and attacked. That means there was a prior agreement."
"To approach us with such kind-looking faces, and then…"
Yoo Sang-ah's expression darkened.
"Are you disappointed? That you couldn't form an alliance?"
"…A little."
"Don't trust people too easily. Things won't keep working out as simply as you hope, Sang-ah."
"I know. Still… I wanted to believe. I made it this far because I trusted people."
Looking at me, Yoo Sang-ah said,
"Hey, how long are you two going to keep chatting? Let's hurry up and squeeze some information out of him."
Jung Hee-won cut in sharply.
She was right—this wasn't the time for life advice.
I loosened the threads that were gagging Kang Il-hoon's mouth.
Kang Il-hoon tried to maintain his composure.
"…So, what are you going to do with me now?"
"That depends on how useful the information you spill is."
"And who decides what's 'useful'? You?"
He had more backbone than I expected, talking back even in this situation. In that case, there was only one option left.
Jung Hee-won said,
"He's already been labeled a 'villain' by the Constellations. Want to try some torture?"
"Why bother with torture? If he won't talk, we can just kill him."
"What?"
Without hesitation, I drew my sword. Kang Il-hoon trembled as he looked up at me.
"I'll count to three. If you don't open your mouth by then, you die. No takebacks."
I deliberately activated [Baekcheong Sword Aura] and drove the blade deep into the ground.
"One."
Krrrrrk!
The ground was torn apart by the power of [Baekcheong Sword Aura], and the blade began creeping toward his neck. Shards of stone flew up and struck his face.
"Two."
The heat from the blade, now right in front of him, began to warm his skin.
A little more, and the ether blade would slice through his eyeball.
"Three—"
"Dongmyo-ap!"
I broke into a grin.
Torture? That wasn't necessary.
Panting, Kang Il-hoon shouted,
"Th-there are people in Dongmyo-ap who gave information about Chungmuro."
Dongmyo-ap… who was there again?
"Who are they?"
"They— they call themselves the
But something was wrong with him. His eyes slowly rolled back, and before long he stuck out his tongue like a corpse. A bad feeling flashed through my mind.
Don't tell me—was he under [Suggestion]?
"Yoo Sang-ah, gag him with threads!"
Just before his jaw snapped shut, the threads Yoo Sang-ah summoned sealed his mouth. A chill ran down my spine. To think they'd gone as far as using [Suggestion] to control information… they were far more meticulous than I'd expected.
At the same time, though, I felt that things might turn out easier than anticipated.
[Suggestion] is a skill that can only be cast face-to-face.
Looking down at Kang Il-hoon, I muttered,
"You're a lucky guy."
At the very least, with him, I could definitely identify one of them.
Before setting out in earnest, I made one last stop at the theater rooftop.
"He still not awake?"
Perhaps she hadn't expected me, because Lee Ji-hye flinched slightly. Yoo Jung-hyuk was still unconscious, lying with his head on Lee Ji-hye's lap.
The bastard—living the good life for a protagonist.
Even I, the Reader, was exhausted to death right now.
"How's downstairs?"
"Don't worry about it. Get some rest."
"…Do you think our master will be okay now?"
"He'll be fine. Might have a bit of trauma left, though."
"…Trauma?"
"That guy's weaker mentally than he looks. He should feel better after a good rest, so hang in there a bit longer."
"You talk like you know him really well."
"I know him better than anyone in the world."
I replied half-heartedly and pulled a notepad from my pocket, scribbling some words with a pen. Once the page was filled, I folded it neatly and handed it to Lee Ji-hye.
"Don't read it yourself. Give it to Yoo Jung-hyuk when he wakes up, got it?"
"…Got it."
I said that, but I knew it was obvious that Lee Ji-hye would peek.
I'd left only words that Yoo Jung-hyuk would understand, so even if Ji-hye tried, her simple mind wouldn't make sense of it.
Still… I wonder if the information on this note would appear as ■■■ to the Constellations.
[Constellation, 'Prisoner of the Long Orphan' dislikes ■.]
I see.
As I turned to leave, Lee Ji-hye spoke up.
"But… can I ask just one thing?"
"What?"
"Well, earlier this morning… with our master and you…"
Somehow, I already had a feeling about what she was going to say.
Damn it, on top of Jung Hee-won, Ji-hye had heard it too?
I really was an idiot. I'd been thinking only about the Constellations and hadn't considered the humans nearby listening in. Yoo Jung-hyuk would probably laugh at me for being dumb.
What excuse should I make?
"Well, you see… the two of them, you know."
"What?"
I decided to play dumb for now.
Ji-hye's expression grew even more serious.
"I mean, earlier you—you said that thing."
"So what?"
"Snap out of it, idiot! You promised not to get lost in feelings like that!"
She mimicked my voice as she shouted.
Hearing my own words coming out of someone else's mouth made me burn with embarrassment.
"Your determination… the first time, when… you did that! Have you already forgotten it?"
"…?"
Something felt off. She'd almost perfectly filtered what she heard.
"Why did I even follow you! Why are you alone? We're together!"
"Wait a second."
"I'm always by your side! Don't lose hope! Think of our child!"
"You never said anything like that…"
"Why did I come all this way because of you…!"
I stared at Lee Ji-hye in disbelief.
…How the hell did she interpret it like that?
"See? That's it, right? You and… our master, so…"
I sighed.
"Think whatever you want, kid."
"…I knew it. Don't worry, I'll make sure this love letter gets delivered!"
I shrugged and turned away.
From behind me, Ji-hye's rambling echoed loudly.
"Wait! But how did we even have the kid?"
"Ask Yoo Jung-hyuk."
Yeah. I'm leaving everything to Yoo Jung-hyuk.
The next moment, indirect messages exploded inside my head.
[Many Constellations are shocked by the true identity of the filter.]
[Constellation, 'Prisoner of the Long Orphan,' respects your taste.]
[Constellation, 'Demonic Flame Executor,' likes your camaraderie.]
[Constellation, 'Secretive Strategist,' finds it ridiculous.]
[You have received 600 coins in support.]
…Damn it, more idiots, as usual.
Anyway, with that, I'd conveyed everything Yoo Jung-hyuk needed to know.
I hurried down from the theater.
While Yoo Jung-hyuk took on the role of Sleeping Prince, there wasn't enough time for him to gain what he needed—so I had to take it for him.