Chapter 142: The Final Battle. (With Jecheon Daeseong.)
– Noise! Clang!
Seo-woon picked up the two items that had fallen under the vending machine and curled the corners of his lips upward.
[Area Editing Authority. The user can adjust the area as desired. *Minimum range: 1 kilometer radius. *Maximum range: 120 kilometers radius.]
Seo-woon's lips curled as he confirmed the Area Editing Authority.
"Judging by the priest's expression, everything seems to be going according to plan."
Having spent so much time together, Jin-ryong could now tell what Seo-woon was thinking just by looking at his expression.
Seo-woon nodded and replied. "Yes. That's enough. You need to contact the Martial Arts Alliance."
"How should I deliver the message?"
Lips curling at the question, Seo-woon began to explain what he needed to convey. After he finished, he looked at LiLing-wei.
"Can you deliver the same message to your grandfather in Saryeon?"
"Probably. If we use Jeon Seo-eung, it shouldn't be difficult."
"Then now… Let's fully begin the preparations."
"Preparations?"
As his teammates stared at him in surprise, Seo-woon poured out the scrolls he'd collected from his sub-dimension. Scrolls were one of the items he'd never missed while looting thousands of boxes. The healing scrolls had already been distributed to everyone, and the scrolls he'd poured out were spell scrolls.
"That many…" Ryle's eyes widened in surprise.
"This amount could easily destroy a castle like this."
Seeing the over 300 spell scrolls, Juriel said in a trembling voice.
"A bit insufficient, but it should be enough."
Despite saying that over 300 scrolls wasn't enough, he and his teammates crossed to the plain beneath the mountain. It was a gently sloping terrain covered in irritating grasses and vines.
After surveying the area, Seo-woon drew a long spear from his sub-dimension and thrust it into the ground.
"Divide this into four directions—east, west, south, and north—with a one-kilometer radius centered on it. Place the spell scrolls focusing on the setup type, and carefully calculate the range so they overlap with the instant-type scrolls."
Finishing his instructions, Seo-woon distributed the spell scrolls to each team member.
"If we make mistakes, we'll be caught in the middle too." Ki-chan said nervously, but Seo-woon replied reassuringly. He'd done this kind of dangerous work many times before, so he felt confident now.
"Don't worry. We have a plan. Just remember to bury the setup scrolls starting from the middle."
He smiled as he spoke, and all the team members nodded as they began placing the spell scrolls. Seo-woon also carefully buried the scrolls. After burying all the scrolls, the team members marked them so only they could see them.
After the scrolls were buried, Seo-woon took another item from under the vending machine and checked its information.
[Epic Beast Summon Ticket. List of epic monsters that can be summoned.*Heaven Demon. (Epic monsters in the current game) *Sealed Demon Lord. *General Makcheon of Asura. *Jechun Daeseong's Clone…]
Seowoon's eyes lit up as he looked through the list of countless epic monsters. He curled the corners of his lips in joy at having found the monster he was looking for and pulled out Jechun Daeseong's soul stone from his sub-dimension.
Jeon Dae-sung, who emerged after swallowing the Seonma-gi, looked around, one eye blood red.
"What's this? I can't see another me."
Seeing the monster's uneasiness showing on his face, Seo-woon smiled and began.
"We'll meet soon. Before that, I have a question."
"Speak."
The monster lying on the ground scratched its ear and answered lightheartedly.
"When you meet your clone, will you be able to persuade it to cooperate willingly?"
Jeon Dae-sung raised the corners of his lips and looked at Seo-woon.
"Are you planning on using him?"
"If he's Jeon Daesung's clone, it shouldn't be too difficult."
After saying this with a smile, he suddenly straightened up and replied.
"I can't guarantee anything. I can convince him to cooperate with you, but I can't convince him to do your job for you. If you think he's the same as me, you're wrong. Even if he's older, he's a completely different person."
Despite Jeon Daeseong's vague words, Seo-woon nodded.
"I've seen the concept of splitting personalities and giving them different traits many times before. Even if it doesn't help me, I should be able to reach the top with this."
After confirming with Jeon Daeseong, Seo-woon used the item as if all preparations were complete.
– Beep! Do you want to use the Domain Judge Editing power?
– Beep! Select the Domain Judge's location on the map.
He enlarged the map and adjusted the exact location of the window where he was standing, then the next notification sounded.
– Beep! Adjust the Domain Judge's size.
He set the size to the minimum, and the final notification sounded.
– Beep! Set duration. Minimum 5 days.
The area judge had assumed it would take at least a week since it covered the entire Gangbuk Palju, but was a little surprised to hear that only 5 days would be enough. However, Seo-woon set the duration to one week. He figured that those who hunt players and protect people in this world needed at least that much time to communicate with each other.
– Because of player Jin Seo-woon, the area will start moving from today. Attention, participating players.
Seo-woon's face fell at the unexpected announcement.
"How childish."
It was like a notification implying that they would inform the other players since they couldn't pressure him with the game rules. But Seowoon didn't really care. There were only 3,312 players left. He had to eliminate them all to finish the game.
"Once the battle begins, there won't be time to detect and attack the enemy."
***
The actions of the Martial Arts Alliance and Saryun, who were defending the major cities of Gangbuk Palju and sending punitive squads to pursue players throughout Palju, began to change. They joined forces with the warriors defending each castle and began blocking the roads leading to Paeroksa.
At the same time, a room was added to Gangbuk Palju. No one knew who posted the announcements and when, but their content was so shocking that rumors spread quickly.
– I'll be waiting at the foot of Paeroksan. If you have the guts, come and fight with me. Jin Seo-woon.
In the current martial arts world, no one would dare to provoke the Heavenly Demon. Even Jang Do-cheon, known as the 'Chosen One,' no one could provoke the Heavenly Demon, the leader of Ilwol Shin-gyo and master of the Ten Thousand Horses. Everyone knew that the only reason the martial arts world was able to divide into factions and coexist peacefully was because Ilwol Shin-gyo had no interest in the martial arts world.
"Jin Seo-woon. You're an interesting man."
Hearing the rumor, the Heavenly Demon turned his head and walked away smiling. He was about to turn to Shin-gyo when he heard that the domain judge had begun taking action against the player he captured yesterday, but now his face was filled with excitement once again.
***
"So, should we leave the people who entered the plains beneath Mount Paerak alone?"
In response to Myeongju's question, the warrior following him with his Wanlixiang nodded.
"According to the messenger, yes. They'll fight a great battle in the plains, and this game will be over. He warned us not to interfere with the fighting inside, because if we do, there's no guarantee of survival."
"Hmm, if Long-ah says so, it must be true."
Mangju also nodded at Jang Do-cheon's words.
"I understand. We'll keep an eye on the small villages along the Paeroksan road and move forward. Tell them to be on their guard until this is all over."
Mangju looked at where the man had disappeared, then turned.
"Elder, if what Jin-ryong said is true, this matter will be resolved soon."
"Well, we'll have to wait and see if it's the end or the beginning. There will be much bloodshed afterward. How will we bear the burden? Your shoulders will be heavy."
Mangju understood the meaning behind Jang Do-cheon's words. Regardless of their political affiliations, there were many warriors involved in this incident who massacred innocent civilians. To prevent the same thing from happening again, it was impossible to simply turn a blind eye and release them, even if it meant turning them all into enemies.
Already, over twenty factions had been confirmed by two people. There were many who didn't even dare to recognize Jang Do-cheon, the so-called leader and chosen one, and who, on the contrary, shed the blood of innocent civilians. Among them, the sect of twenty-one places had been confirmed. The two of them were the pillars that supported the alliance like the pillars of a famous family.
"Don't worry. I will seal it all with my own name. I will take all the blame and retire from my leadership position."
Jang Do-cheon sighed at his words.
"It was a difficult decision. You are in your prime."
"Hahaha, prime? I'm already 80 years old. I've held the position of clan leader for eighteen years, which is more than enough. Besides, I can't hold on to this position with hands stained with the blood of the righteous. It could lead to the division of the clan. I have no choice but to take all the blame and retire."
Jang Do-cheon nodded at his words filled with determination.
"There are things you can only see after you empty yourself. I respect your difficult decision."
"Thank you. I've learned a lot from this incident. There's no guarantee that none of the children in our sect will fall into such a sin. I will pay more attention to keeping the family in order.
Also... It might be interesting to reinforce the teachings I received from you there. I might even meet you again there."
"Heh heh. That would be interesting."
The two men, who had been talking for a while, disappeared with the wind.
***
"Have all the children of Hansudae obtained authority?"
"Yes. According to the message from Myeong, all those players will be gathered in one place. What should we do now?"
"If all the Hansudae children have obtained their powers, then that's fine. They'll handle the rest themselves. Tell them to return to Byeongjeongseong, keeping an eye on the small villages they can't reach."
"Yes. Oh, and the lord… He said he was far away."
"Sang-ah?"
"Yes. I heard he went to look for Byeong-gong…"
"Hmm. Well, with that kid's personality, 30 years is a long time to wait. Leave him alone. He'll come back when the time is right."
***
The players gathered near Paeroksan had no time to rest. Every day, the number of players in the area began to decrease dramatically, and as they moved to get inside the circle, they found no time to rest. The further away from Paeroksan, the greater the impact. Of course, the players hidden near Paeroksan could observe the situation a little more clearly.
Six days passed quickly. As midnight approached, the players who had seen the last shrinking space began to fight and move. Players poured from all directions into the final area, which was within a half-kilometer radius.
Seo-woon smiled, watching the battle of wits from afar. Small-scale skirmishes were breaking out everywhere, a fierce battle of wits between those who wanted to enter the circle first and those who stayed behind, slowly forming a circle, illuminating the dark night.
"Keep draining your strength like this."
2,091 survivors remained. It was time to begin the final battle.
"Everyone, follow the plan. Don't get excited!"
After warning everyone once more, Seo-woon took out the Epic Beast Summon Ticket from his sub-dimension.
"Ding! Do you want to summon the monster? The summoned monster will show no mercy to the user.
Despite the warning, Seo-woon reached for the O key.
"Kvaaaah!"
With a flash of lightning in the night sky, moonlit clouds began to swirl around Seo-woon's head. At the same moment, Jecheon Daeseong revealed himself. Although he looked exactly the same as the monkey he knew, the arrogant expression on his face as he looked down at Seo-woon was completely different from the one that had given him the Hwaganggeumjeong.
"As if another person… No, as if a monkey."
The monster, which was looking down at Seo-woon, reached out with one hand, and red flames appeared in its palm.
"How dare you call me? I'll destroy you without a trace."
"You better do it."
Seeing Seo-woon's mocking expression, the man charged at him as if he had no intention of continuing. As the man charged at him with incredible speed, another Jecheon Daeseong appeared in front of him. The bright red flames that seemed to burn Seowoon's entire body disappeared in an instant.
Feeling a burning sensation throughout his entire body, Seo-woon breathed a sigh of relief and assumed a calm expression as he looked at the arrogant man before him.
"Why are you with humans? Did they take your eyes, or did you give them to them?"
"Don't take it so seriously. It was just an agreement."
"An agreement?"
"We lent them to you in exchange for temporarily uniting our divided selves."
"How could you think that a simple person could unite us? How foolish. We've suffered so much loss because of your frivolous nature."
At those words, a copy of the same face, wearing a deceptive expression, cast a playful look.
"We had so much fun thanks to you. If it weren't for this person, we would never have met in the same place again. Those guys wouldn't let us. But if we use the rules they set, it's possible. Just like now."
At those words, the arrogance clone glanced at the joy clone for a moment. The monster's gaze, as if gazing at a passing scene without any trace of emotion, caused a small ripple.
"Creatures... Are you going to deceive them?"
"That's my nature."
"I like that."
"But you have to do something for me in return."
The monster's brows furrowed at those words.
"You're not going to ask me to clean up after that human, are you?"
Seeing the monster's humiliated expression, Ki Man's clone raised both hands and smiled.
"It's a deal. There has to be something for both of us."
"If it's for lending you Hwagyeonggeum, the reward is more than enough. I have no intention of giving anything more to a human like you."
Seeing Ki Man's clone's shameful expression, Seo-woon broke out in a cold sweat and forced a calm expression before speaking.
"More than enough? It's hardly enough!"
At his words, the man's face contorted into a grim expression. Seo-woon's heart began to pound as he felt a heavy aura tingle through his skin. Still, Seo-woon didn't give up.
"A face of Hwaganggeumjeong and the value of a full Jeonjeon Daeseong. Which is heavier?"
At his words, Ki-man's clone smiled, and O-man's clone relaxed his wrinkled expression. Looking at the man who was staring at him, he continued speaking.
"What we're offering in this deal is the full Jeoncheon Daeseong, Son Goku. All you're giving us is a side of Hwaganggeumjeong. If Jeoncheon Daeseong's value is that insignificant, then do whatever you want. It's your call. You should decide."
The embodiment of arrogance immediately countered his words with clever and masterful skill.
"What do you want?"
"Simple. Soon, the players gathered there will pour in. Then..."
"There will be a huge explosion."
Seeing the man interrupt him, Seo-woon smiled and nodded.
"Correct. At that moment, transform into me and fight the players while hiding your power inside."
"I can kill them all."
"No. You must conceal your power as much as possible. If you do, a powerful creature that will dwarf those players will emerge. Kill that creature."
The monster nodded at Seo-woon's words.
"Is that all?"
The monster asked as if to ask if he was happy with the deal, and Seo-woon replied with a smile.
"I told you. You decide your own worth."
Hearing this, the monster frowned for a moment, then transformed into Seo-woon's identical form.
"We'll discuss the price later."
With that, the man returned to the battlefield.
"You are truly a brave man. If the summoned clone had been driven by rage instead of arrogance, your head would have been cut off before you could even open your mouth."
"If it had been, I wouldn't have said anything in the first place."
Seowoon's words made the man smile even more.
"We have so much in common."
With that, the man disappeared.
"Half of the remaining Senma are gone."
Seo-woon, who had been watching the battle, transformed into a large, blond man. Seo-woon, clad in black dragon-scale armor and wielding a massive two-handed sword, looked back. In the distance, a field collapse was rapidly approaching. As the speed of the field collapse increased, the players who had been fighting and watching each other's movements began to rush inward to form a circle. Almost all the players had entered the circle.
"It's about to explode!"
Following Seo-woon's briefing, the team members hiding in a deep trench just outside the circle dug deeper and built up barriers to prepare for the explosion. Seo-woon threw himself into a separate trench he had dug.
– Kwaang!
When the conjured spell scroll someone had activated exploded in a flash, the players paid little attention. However, as the explosions grew in a chain reaction, all the players' faces turned pale with fear. Players who tried to escape between the approaching field and the blast range were engulfed in an intense light.
– Kvaaaahhhh ...
Seo-woon appeared in a place where almost no players were left standing. Seeing him fighting with flames raised with both hands, a few players cautiously backed away from him, while others rushed towards him and attacked him mercilessly. There were also many scattered around, barely breathing and groaning in pain.
A man smiling maniacally from afar, watching the commotion, muttered to himself.
"Still the same. You enjoy luring people in and blowing them up."
Leaving his words hanging in the air, the man dove toward Seo-woon. His body flew from the center of Paeraksan Mountain, splitting the air and landing directly on Seo-woon's head.
Kwaang!
The Heavenly Demon's maniacal smile turned into a ruthless expression, about to crush Seo-woon's head with a single blow. Wiping the smile from his face, he frowned and glared angrily at Seo-woon, who had blocked his attack.
"What did you do?"
Until just before the attack, this man hadn't been anything special, but the moment his attack hit, his aura completely changed. Not only was he being overwhelmed by his magic, but he was also being pushed back by a terrifying aura that made Seo-woon's eyebrows furrow involuntarily.
"...I don't care. Die."
When Seo-woon finished speaking, the flames in his hands began to change color. Faced with flames that had seemed ordinary but now turned blue, then white, and then dark red, the person thought this was what hell flames would look like if there were such a thing as hell.
– Kvaahhh!
Despite being quite far away, the intense heat could be felt, and the Heavenly Demon opened his palms to manipulate the natural energy. His instincts told him that if he didn't gather all his strength, his life would end there.
– Kvakakakak!
Seowoon blocked the side with flames as high as a wall, and the natural energy the Heavenly Demon created collided with the wall of flames and disappeared.
"For someone like you… Not bad."
In fact, Seo-woon barely stopped the words "for someone like you" from coming out of his mouth and instead said, "For someone like you," before charging at the Heavenly Demon.
– Kieeeeeeeee!
The Heavenly Demon's suddenly projected essence spirit was instantly split in half by the flame sword, and the essence spirit vanished with a nasty screech. Rather than vanishing, it would be more accurate to say that the Heavenly Demon held him back. For the first time in his life, the Heavenly Demon took a step back from an enemy attack that nearly destroyed his essence spirit, his precious vessel.
As Seo-woon chased him, natural energy surged from all directions and surrounded him. As if disturbed, he blew out the flames in his hands, and the natural energy surrounding him dissipated and vanished. The crimson flames that gushed from his hands surrounded the retreating Heavenly Demon, forming a dome-shaped structure, causing the natural energy filling the area to vanish.
"No matter how hard you try, you're still human."
"Who are you? You're not Jin Seo-woon."
"You're about to die, yet you still have so many questions. Even if you're an immortal, you can never defeat me. Just know this and go."
In the intense heat that seemed to burn everything, the Heavenly Demon managed to pull out a scroll and tear it.
If it weren't for him, even the most skilled martial artist would have melted the moment they were trapped inside the dome.
Seo-woon's expression turned sour as he saw the Heavenly Demon disappear the moment he tore the scroll. Closing his eyes, he spread his senses all over the world and began searching for the Heavenly Demon's presence. Finally, Seo-woon, who had followed that presence, disappeared from the battlefield. He was stopped in front of the river that separated the eight provinces of Gangbuk and the twelve provinces of Gangseo.
– Bang!
Bound by the cloak, he had no right to leave the restricted map.
"Damn! I couldn't even fulfill your wish to kill a simple person… I lost all my dignity."
With a sullen expression, he looked in the direction of the Heavenly Demon in the distance and gritted his teeth. The brief clash between Jeon Daeseong, who had transformed into Seo-woon, and the Heavenly Demon was immense.
Many nearby players were swept away by the Heavenly Demon's natural energy, and some even lost their will to fight after seeing Jeon Daeseong's flames.
The crimson flames, seemingly capable of burning not only flesh but also soul, were shocking enough to see and feel. In fact, the flames he wielded were truly hellish flames.
The fact that he was summoning flames of fear that could burn even the souls of those whose karma could not be extinguished was something almost no one knew.
For a moment, the battlefield, where the Heavenly Demon and Seo-woon had vanished, fell silent. The silence was broken by a surge of intense mana.
"Since he's here, I'll finish the game!"
Crow, who had escaped the Heavenly Demon in the past, summoned a meteor using the last stone of supreme magic power in his hand and shouted with confidence. He had no doubt that no one could survive within the meteor's radius, which was barely a kilometer.
"Everyone! Don't stop gathering items and hunting!"
Meanwhile, Seo-woon ordered his teammates, who were stealthily moving around as he collected items and killed enemies according to plan, to remain calm and continue playing according to plan.
"Come back here, stupid monkey!"
Seo-woon, who was fighting the enemies half-heartedly while looking worried, looked up at the sky and saw a meteor falling in the distance with a red glow. Just as he was about to curse Jeon Cheon-daeseong, he sensed something and turned his head. Jeon Cheon-daeseong appeared with his own face, but instead of his usual arrogant expression, he looked embarrassed. As soon as he recognized that face, the five players surrounding Seo-woon, who was in knight form, retreated.
"What happened?"
"That guy was lucky. It was as if he was born with good fortune and protected by the heavens."
Seo-woon winced, seeing the monkey come up with a plausible excuse for his failure.
"If there's anything else you want me to do, just say so."
"First, deal with whatever's falling from the sky, then kill everyone on this battlefield except for my teammate wearing the invisibility cloak. Leave only one person alive."
When Seo-woon didn't say anything, Jeon Dae-sung moved quickly. His voice was like a command, which was extremely unnerving, but something was holding him back, so he couldn't argue. If he did, he would inevitably be blamed for failing to kill a single person, so he had no choice but to obey silently.
– Shu-ha! Kva-kva-kva!
The falling meteor exploded in the sky, turning into hundreds of thousands of fire fragments that lit up the night sky and then disappeared. Crow, who had summoned the meteor, was shocked. His eyes widened in surprise, and at that moment, Jeon Dae-sung, who appeared before him in the form of Seo-woon, began to burn all the players except himself.
"Kraaaah!"
Instead of the crimson flames that had confronted the Heavenly Demon, these were bright red flames, but no player dared to resist them. Just as Seo-woon said, all the players were killed, and Jeon Dae-sung approached Seo-woon.
"Is that enough?"
"Yes. And... I hope that guy can't use magic."
As if it weren't such a difficult thing, Jeon Daeseong shot a small fireball with his index finger, and it entered Crow's chest, burning only his heart before disappearing.
"Guh!"
Namsa-gwang, who had instantly taken away his eyes and ears, looked at Seo-woon and nodded. Only then did Seo-woon return to his original form.
"Hah. It would be perfect if we killed the Heavenly Demon."
Hearing his words, Jeon Daeseong, who had returned to his original form, looked up at the sky.
"Oh, the energy here is flowing in a unique way."
Ignoring Jeon Daeseong's words, Seo-woon looked at him and began.
"More importantly, where is your soul stone? I need to get it."
After looking up at the sky for a moment, Jeon Dae-sung once again raised a red flame and began to burn his own body.
"You better keep your end of the deal."
"You couldn't even keep your end of the deal properly."
Ignoring Seo-woon's last words, he was engulfed in flames and soon disappeared with them, leaving behind only the spirit stone and the red flames in the glass bottle.
"Ugh! Let's finish collecting items quickly!"
Leaving behind Crow, who had lost his heart circle, his eyes, and his ears, rolling on the ground, the team members continued collecting the blue coins and items from the boxes.