Chapter 78
At the same time.
The guild masters gathered offline wore grim expressions.
They had already made a plan at their previous meeting with the Head Mod, and it was simple.
First, they would hold the Hunters accountable through dialogue.
But if the Hunters attacked first or some unavoidable circumstance arose during negotiations, they would join forces and attack.
But the situation had changed.
The Head Mod, who was supposed to carry out the plan and serve as its focal point, had vanished without a trace.
But they couldn't just post about it. Those people were probably watching the Gallery too.
That was why the guild masters could only fret and agonize.
“...Let's attack first. If we attack and beat the crap out of them, something will come of it!”
Baek Kang-san of Ares shouted as he slammed his greatsword into the ground.
“...We don't know what's happening inside yet. And they've even posted that they'll accept people...”
Yoon Seo-jin of Mythos shook her head.
“But the circumstances clearly point to them! If not them, then who—”
“An attack without justification won't win any support... We'd only be making the situation worse for no reason...”
“Damn it...”
Just as the two sighed.
“Could the Head Mod... have betrayed us?”
Kim Mu-jin of White Night muttered as he stubbed out his cigarette.
“The Head Mod knows justice!! Justice!!! She could never do that!!!”
At that moment, Park Dari of Gaboong widened his eyes and shouted, but.
“How many people still have justice in them after the apocalypse...”
Mu-jin replied with a hollow smile.
“And how many can uphold it?”
“Right here!”
“...To be perfectly honest, didn't we suggest talking to them because we wanted their infrastructure, and didn't someone also suggest attacking them?”
No one could directly refute Mu-jin's words. He wasn't wrong.
“...Are we supposed to just wait like this...?”
“We have to... do something...”
At that moment, silence descended upon the tent.
“Um...”
Someone cautiously entered the tent.
She was Lee Si-yeon, the youngest member of the Mythos Guild.
With her appearance, the atmosphere in the space changed.
“Has the inventor of the vaccine and general manager of the medicine vending machine chain arrived?”
“O savior chosen by System-nim...”
“The Saint has arrived!!”
At the successive barrage of burdensome titles, Si-yeon waved her hands and replied.
“W-Wait, nooo! That's not me!!!! I'm not like that!!”
“What brings you here...”
“...I have something to say.”
Si-yeon swallowed nervously and looked straight at the guild masters.
“I think we need to warn ordinary people to be careful now. There are abductions happening...”
“A-Abductions?”
“Yes, definitely, and...”
Si-yeon trailed off for a moment. She checked her one-on-one chat with Jobless Troublemaker.
- [Healer Union] : Jobless Troublemaker... will this really go according to plan...?
- [Jobless Troublemaker] : Hmm, what do you think? Can you do it?
- [Healer Union] : I... I'm not good at things like that ㅠㅠ
- [Healer Union] : But... I'll try!!! Because I trust you!!!
- [Healer Union] : More than anything... I agree with what you think!!
- [Jobless Troublemaker] : Good luck!!!!
“Phew...”
She soon continued.
“Everyone, get ready.”
“Get ready for what...?”
A brief silence followed.
What Si-yeon said next was enough to shock everyone.
“An all-out war.”
*****
Meanwhile, Shop Wiki had entered the Green Zone.
Park Gi-tae.
“Once everyone has entered, we'll assign you places to stay.”
“We'll introduce the facilities once everyone is inside."
The Hunters were letting people enter the city one by one with innocent expressions.
Park Gi-tae watched the scene for a moment, then looked around before approaching one of them.
“Oh, do you need to use the restroom?”
“I used to be a Hunter stationed in another region too.”
“Huh...? What do you mean...?”
“I sympathize with your ideology too. I'd like to join you, but….”
“Uh... I have no idea what you're talking about.”
Then Gi-tae pulled the glass bottle from inside his clothes and showed it to him.
Inside were mosquitoes.
Bzzzz-! Whirr-!
“This contains all the mosquitoes that drank the blood of Red Zone mutants.”
“What are you doing? A-a terrorist attack...!!”
“You won't be able to do that. I have all these little ones under my control.”
“What...?”
The guide Hunter couldn't hide his flustered expression.
“Ah. I haven't introduced myself.”
Gi-tae spoke to the Hunter with an innocent expression.
“My ability is Insect Tamer.”
“I-Insect Tamer...”
“Does that... explain things?”
Then the guide Hunters gathered around him one by one.
Crackle-!
After manipulating their radios and conferring briefly, the Hunters finished their transmission and spoke to Gi-tae.
“...What do you want, Insect Tamer?”
Gi-tae replied with an utterly composed expression.
“I want to meet your superiors. I need to meet the person with authority to give orders and talk.”
“That's impossible. For security reasons—”
“Ah, don't misunderstand. It's purely to prove my ability.”
A brief silence.
“I'm sure they'll recognize my value.”
Gi-tae made him trust him even more.
“...Let's go talk to them first.”
The guide Hunter eventually nodded.
*****
Thus, Gi-tae began moving under the Hunters' guidance.
“For security reasons, we'll cover your eyes and ears.”
“I don't mind. Though it'll be pointless.”
“What does that mean?”
“I share all my senses with these little ones. Not only the ones in the bottle, but all the ones within my area of authority.”
“That—”
“...Do you really think you've exterminated every insect in this small city? Every last one?”
Gi-tae's words carried a significant implication.
“...Sigh. Then just follow me.”
The guide Hunter shook his head and led him onward.
- [Shop Wiki] : Ugh... I'm so nervous I'm going insane...!!!!
- [Shop Wiki] : I...!! I can't do this anymore...!!!
- [Jobless Troublemaker] : You're doing great!!
- [Jobless Troublemaker] : Are you okay? Honestly, that's what I'm most worried about ㅠㅠㅠ
- [Shop Wiki] : They haven't caught me... And Jobless Troublemaker, your prediction was right!
- [Shop Wiki] : I don't know what their plan is, but they don't seem to be touching the people who've entered for now.
- [Shop Wiki] : They're probably waiting for the people who entered to post proof on the Gallery.
- [Shop Wiki] : I think that's also why they kidnapped the Head Mod, who has control authority over the Gallery, first.
- [Shop Wiki] : They have fewer available forces than I expected... If we can just get inside... I think we can do this...!
- [Shop Wiki] : This place... is incredible, though... I understand why the S-bros wanted so badly to come in...!
- [Jobless Troublemaker] : Okay, okay. Just find out what happened to the Head Mod...!
- [Shop Wiki] : Damn it...! I told you I can't do things like this...!
After finishing his conversation with Jobless Troublemaker, Park Gi-tae.
He spoke to the guide Hunter with a calm expression.
“So, is the Head Mod all right? Where is she?”
“...I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Huh... Didn't I tell you that I share my senses with these little ones?”
“...Damn it, you high-level Awakeners don't understand how we feel... We don't have that kind of authority! We just do what we're told...!!”
The guide Hunter lowered his head as though he had been wronged.
“Phew...”
He checked the radio's power once more and spoke.
“She was injured, but her life isn't in danger... She's in Building A's basement. Team 2, our elite team, went, so no matter how strong the Head Mod is—”
“I knew that. I just said it to tease you. You've got a cute side.”
“...Let's move.”
Thus, Gi-tae was taken by elevator to the top floor of the penthouse.
At the door, the guide Hunter left Gi-tae with a warning.
“...Are you really going in? I can't guarantee your safety.”
“No need. I'm already safe. Relax a little.”
“...Go in.”
The penthouse's ebony door opened.
At that moment.
The atmosphere in the space changed completely.
The sight of the three Hunters came with a pressure that swept over him and crushed his entire body.
An old man sat on the sofa in the middle of the room.
Beside him sat a red-haired woman with her legs crossed.
[Hunter – Park Yu-jin]
[Ranking – 10th]
And leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window was a pompadoured man whose eyes gleamed with a vivid red light.
As Gi-tae walked toward them, he spotted a bottle of top-shelf whiskey on the table and said,
“Macallan... I know it's rude, but I can't possibly resist this.”
He casually picked it up and drank straight from the bottle.
Gulp.
“Krrr...”
After Gi-tae wiped his mouth, the pompadoured man spoke coldly.
“Rather expensive for a last drink before you die.”
“Hello, everyone.”
“I've already heard about you. The Insect Tamer.”
“Ah, good. That saves us some exposition.”
Gi-tae smiled and addressed Ha Do-jin.
“I've come to propose a business deal. I want to team up with you—”
“Shut up. You can create Red Zone mutants?”
“...That's right. It's perfect for causing incidents among the people below, periodically creating fear and diverting their attention.”
Gi-tae lifted the glass bottle and showed it to them.
“So it's not a lie. Is that the blood of a Shadow Walker inside...?”
“That's right. A strong man recognizes it, as expected.”
“Good. An ordinary person is coming here now. Prove it before my eyes. Then we'll talk.”
“Of course, that's what I intend to do. However—”
Gi-tae slapped the half-empty bottle down on the table and said,
“Before that, I need to hear your ideology and plan. Don't I need to decide whether to join you?”
“What...?”
“I didn't step forward during Patch 2 either. I think that alone says enough about my personality. But I want to see whether you have the same kind of disposition.”
“What do we have to lose?”
At the same time.
Bzzzzzzzz.
Ha Do-jin's eyes glowed red-hot.
“We lack nothing. We can simply kill you here.”
“Oh, you're impatient. Then go ahead.”
“What...?”
But Gi-tae did not back down at all.
Instead, an inexplicable madness began to rise in his eyes.
“My entire body is already made up of a swarm of insects that have sucked mutant blood...!”
At the same time, silence filled the room.
“...Nonsense.”
“Imagine it. The thousands—no, tens of thousands—of little ones that will burst from my body the instant you kill me!! Ah! Wouldn't it be a breathtaking sight...!”
Gi-tae paused mid-sentence and tenderly raised the glass bottle in his hand.
“Isn't that right, Sebastian? Elizabeth? Don't you want to see it too? That magnificent sight.”
Bzzzz-! Whirr-!
“That's what they say. So go ahead and try. It'll be a good experience.”
“Prove it first.”
“The plan first.”
“Prove it first.”
“I don't usually repeat myself, but...”
A tense atmosphere began to swirl between the two.
The person who broke the tension was the red-haired woman sitting on the left, Park Yu-jin.
“You fucking piece of shit!!! Are you playing word games with us?!!!”
The moment she angrily approached Gi-tae.
“Heh heh, that's enough.”
The old man sitting in the middle spoke.
“He certainly is useful. At least we can tell him about our ideology.”
“As expected, the elder is willing to talk.”
The old man continued without hesitation.
“...Our goal is the perfect reconstruction of humanity. That requires time.”
“Time?”
“Yes. My ability turns the time of a designated space back into the past. We intend to expand it and return the entire world to the time before its destruction.”
“Oh-ho. So that's how this infrastructure...”
The old man's gaze brushed past the glass bottle Gi-tae was holding.
“Until now, we maintained this place by making contracts with those bastards at the supplier and taking the lifespans of the people they sent us.”
“Something went wrong, I take it.”
At his words, the old man rotated his wineglass as though it were nothing important.
“We decided to take care of our own supply directly, without being tied to the supplier.”
“Oh.”
“As you know, this place's appearance was already complete. So we made them come in of their own accord.”
Ha Do-jin supported him from beside him with an expressionless face.
“Public opinion went our way as intended, and the biggest variable, the Head Mod, has already been secured. Without a focal point, they won't be able to unite.”
“How clever.”
“The other moderators weren't worth worrying about. Speedrun is out in the Red Zone of her own accord. Above all, we succeeded perfectly in avoiding the System's notice.”
“You avoided the System?”
“The System doesn't intervene unless it judges someone to be evil.”
The old man continued with a faint smile.
“How could inviting pitiful people here to live be an evil deed?”
“Krrr.”
“They have no prospects anyway. Better that they become fuel for humanity's reconstruction. What a noble sacrifice.”
“Hmm. A rational choice for the greater good indeed.”
Gi-tae nodded in agreement.
“Then is the barrier secure? Would it be all right if I caused some confusion outside?”
“Do you take my barrier for fucking nothing?”
The red-haired woman, Park Yu-jin, who had been listening quietly, slammed the table and interrupted.
“It won't even be scratched unless multiple Red Zone mutants come charging in. Everything in the area I designated is safe. Just do your job.”
“...Is this enough? Will you join us?”
Watching that, Gi-tae began to smile.
“Then... it would be a disaster if the barrier disappeared and survivors came pouring in all at once, wouldn't it?”
“What? Are you screwing with me, you bastard?!”
Park Yu-jin sprang to her feet.
“You...?”
At that moment, doubt appeared in Ha Do-jin's eyes as well.
“Ah, it seems there's quite a lot you don't know.”
“What are you—”
“You should have kidnapped the other moderators properly too. At least one more besides me. This sort of thing couldn't have been planned without that person.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Let me introduce myself again. My nickname is Shop Wiki.”
Gi-tae slightly raised the glass bottle in his hand and then said,
“I successfully recorded and transmitted your entire plan.”
“Shop Wiki...?”
“What did you say???”
Without hesitation, he smashed the bottle against the floor.
Crash-!!
The bottle shattered, and the mosquitoes that flew out scattered throughout the penthouse.
“...You crazy bastard.”
“So you're asking for a fight...!”
Just as Jeong Myeong-hak, Ha Do-jin, and Park Yu-jin reflexively pulled back.
“Don't worry. My ability isn't anything like an insect tamer's.”
“...!”
“But the mosquitoes in that bottle are real.”
After saying that, Gi-tae hurriedly threw himself at the enormous floor-to-ceiling window behind him.
Crash-!!
As the glass shattered and Gi-tae fell through the air outside the penthouse dozens of floors above the ground.
“N-Now!!! Speedruuuun!!!!! Uaaaaaaah!!!!!”
One person reacted to his cry.
Far away.
Through the gap in the barrier and security gate temporarily opened to receive people.
A small dot hidden among the hundreds of people in the procession flashed.
“All riiiight!!!!!”
The small dot began running, tearing through the air as though exploding.
Boom-!!
Soon, the form of a woman shot vertically upward and began running up the building's outer wall, defying gravity.
“Uaaaaaaah!!!!!”
Just as Gi-tae, who had fallen dozens of floors, was halfway down.
Pop-!
She appeared and caught him perfectly.
“Waaaaaaah!!! Kiyaaaah!!!”
“Nice catch!!!!”
It was Cha Do-hee.
“What did I tell youuuuu! I said I could catch you!!!!! I told you to trust meeeee!!”
“Aaaagh! Aagh, please save me!!”
Beyond the shattered floor-to-ceiling window.
The Hunters on the top floor stared blankly down at this utterly ridiculous sight.
“W-Why is Speedrun here...?”
“Wasn't she in the Red Zone...??”
“She's... that fast...??”
Her physical ability and speed were several times beyond what they had expected.
Do-hee looked up at their dumbfounded faces, grinned, and shouted,
“All right!!! It's time for a counterattack!!!!”
“Slow down! Sloooow down!!!!”
Three people watched the two of them.
“This is bad... This is bad...”
“It's okay... If we close the barrier now and keep them from getting out...!!”
“Besides, the people still outside don't know. We can capture and kill them again. They're still under our control...”
After reassuring Jeong Myeong-hak, Ha Do-jin began zapping the mosquitoes scattered throughout the room.
Bzzzz-!
At that moment, a thought flashed through Ha Do-jin's mind.
‘...Wait... You should have kidnapped the other moderators properly too...?’
Those were Shop Wiki's words.
The Head Mod, who possessed a hexagonal ability and served as the focal point for gathering people, had been kidnapped.
Speedrun, the greatest variable and a source of overwhelming force, was in the center of the Red Zone, so they thought she couldn't get here quickly.
And then there was Shop Wiki, who had just infiltrated the place.
Then what about the other two?
‘That shut-in NEET and the rag who says we should improve the Healer Union's treatment...?’
Weren't they merely surplus forces who had gotten lucky and wormed their way into moderator positions?
Sensing that something had gone wrong, Ha Do-jin hurriedly opened the Gallery.
“Fuck...”
His expression twisted when he saw the post at the very top.
Title : [Jobless Troublemaker] Exposing the truth about the Green Zone...
(Roughly, video of their plan. MP4)
(Roughly, proof of the Head Mod's abduction. JPG)
(Roughly, proof of Speedrun's abduction and the children's abduction. JPG)
I knew it... Our Hunter bros were people like this...
They say old habits die hard... They're just masters of betrayal...
Jinhyeok bro was a Hunter too... Are all Hunters like this ㅠㅠ My heart aches ㅠㅠ
I just thought you all needed to know, so I'm sharing this ㅠㅠㅠ
??!!!!
ㄴ ??!!!
ㄴ Huh?
ㄴ What...??
No, what the fuck are these crazy bastards...?
ㄴ They invited us to use us as sacrifices...?
They kidnapped the Head Mod...?
ㄴ No wonder!!! The Head Mod kept disappearing!!!!!
ㄴ What the actual fuck are these crazy bastards...!!!!!
ㄴ Aren't they psychopaths...???
Along with the Gallery's public opinion rapidly turning on a dime.
“No way...”
As if he knew that someone was watching this post, the following began filling the screen.
“You... fucking bastard...”
One comment.
[Jobless Troublemaker] Got careless, didn't you? Got careless, didn't you? Got careless, didn't you?
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] Sigh... How did I not realize he was Shop Wiki?
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] Sigh... How did I not realize he was Shop Wiki
[Jobless Troublemaker] I should've checked one more time ㅠ
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] I should've checked one more time ㅠ
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] I should've checked one more time ㅠ
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] I should've checked one more time ㅠ
[Jobless Troublemaker] He spilled the whole plan... He spilled the whole plan...
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] He spilled the whole plan... He spilled the whole plan...
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] He spilled the whole plan... He spilled the whole plan...
[Jobless Troublemaker] I moved so carefully to avoid the typical villain cliché... The world is unfair... ㅠ
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] I moved so carefully to avoid the typical villain cliché... The world is unfair... ㅠ
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] I moved so carefully to avoid the typical villain cliché... The world is unfair... ㅠ
[Jobless Troublemaker] Ah... If only I'd been a little smarter... If only I'd paid more attention ㅠㅠ
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] Ah... If only I'd been a little smarter... If only I'd paid more attention ㅠㅠ
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] Ah... If only I'd been a little smarter... If only I'd paid more attention ㅠㅠ
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] Ah... If only I'd been a little smarter... If only I'd paid more attention ㅠㅠ
ㄴ [Ha Do-jin, Same Difference] Shut up, you fucking bastard...
[Jobless Troublemaker] Gasp; gasp; gasp; gasp; gasp;
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] Do-jin bro, are you breaking out in goosebumps?
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] Or is it just a sign? Are you screwed?
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] Are you Ha Do-jin because you've been screwed over so badly?ㅋㅋ
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] I should've gone on Show Me the Moneyㅋㅋ
“...Fuuuck.”
“Damn it.”
“You fucking insane basstaaaard!!!!!!!”
Only then did the three realize the true meaning of Shop Wiki's words.
The other person they had failed to account for.
The user who had planned and directed this entire scheme from behind the scenes.
That was.
The unexpected and disruptive Jobless Troublemaker.
“You fucking piece of shiiiiit!!!!”
******
No, those bastards are fucking insane.
ㄴ ㄹㅇ Are they psychopaths...?
ㄴ They're fucking insane... seriously.
Are we supposed to just sit here and watch this?
ㄴ People are already inside...
ㄴ Aren't we supposed to save them all???
ㄴ Seriously.
They say the Head Mod's captured too, for fuck's sake.
ㄴ What the actual fuck are these crazy bastards!!!!
ㄴ You fucking insane Hunters!!!!!!!
Thus, the Gallery's public opinion began reversing in an instant.
“Kyaa!!! This is it!!!!!”
I shouted while watching it.
At the same time, I was getting my own entertainment out of it too.
[Ha Do-jin, Same Difference] Fuck... I'll kill Jobless Troublemaker...
ㄴ [Ha Do-jin, Same Difference] I'll find where you are and tear you in half.
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] You couldn't find me because you didn't know where I was, huh?
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] You couldn't find me because you didn't know where I was, huh?
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] You couldn't find me because you didn't know where I was, huh?
[Jobless Troublemaker] Ha... I should've looked for you ㅠ
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] Ha... I should've looked for you ㅠ
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] Ha... I should've looked for you ㅠ
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] Ha... I should've looked for you ㅠ
[Ha Do-jin, Same Difference] You fucking bastard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] And even if I told you, you couldn't come here lol
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] And even if I told you, you couldn't come here lol
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] And even if I told you, you couldn't come here lol
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] And even if I told you, you couldn't come here lol
ㄴ [Ha Do-jin, Same Difference] You fucking bitch, I'll kill you!!! I'll kill you!!!!!!!!
Watching the Hunter's comments as he began revealing his true colors, I couldn't hold back my laughter.
“Heh, this is fun.”
This is it. This is the taste of really stirring things up.
“Keh-heh-heh-heh, yeeeees!!!!”
- [Speedrun] : Thanks to Shop Wiki, I found the Head Mod's location, so I'm going to rescue her.
- [Shop Wiki] : I don't agree! Slowly, slowly pleeease!!!
Great, the rescue succeeded too.
“Poor things.”
But what are they going to do now?
“It's only just begun...?”
What are they going to do if they're already pissed off?
It's not that I want to brag, but there isn't just one or two pieces of information they don't know.
“Is this what they mean by a frog in a well?”
Of course, there were countless pieces of information they didn't know.
I decided to reveal them bit by bit.
First, they thought that because they had captured the Head Mod, the focal point who would gather the guilds, everyone wouldn't be able to assemble.
They were wrong.
There was one more person who could unite the people outside.
A user who might find it much easier to persuade people than the Head Mod.
Of course, they didn't know that at all. More accurately, they couldn't have known.
“Because I'm not the only one hiding my identity.”
So I opened a one-on-one chat and conveyed what needed to be said.
- [Jobless Troublemaker] : Si-yeon, it's time...!!!!
- [Healer Union] : Do you want an all-out war!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She was the incarnation of a miracle. Lee Si-yeon.
And I was.
“Now... shall we enjoy this?”
someone who had caused that miracle before and could cause it again.