< Episode 10. Future War (2) >
The moment the flag wrapped itself around my hand, I felt a powerful energy surge up from within my body. Originally, it was something Yoo Jung-hyuk of the third regression was supposed to obtain, but… well, it shouldn't matter much.
That guy was strong to begin with, anyway.
['Kim Dokja' has claimed the 'White Flag'.]
[If the owner of the White Flag does not change for the next 5 minutes, Chungmuro Station will fall under his control.]
[If the flag is taken, ownership changes and the 5-minute timer is reset.]
A timer appeared in midair.
[5:00]
Gong Pil-du's face turned deathly pale as he pointed at me.
"Take the flag! You just have to take it back within five minutes!"
The alliance members, who had come to their senses too late, charged toward me.
Oh? You think so?
Lee Hyun-sung looked at me.
"Dokja-ssi!"
"Hyun-sung-ssi!"
We called out to each other at the same time. The [Shield of Hercules] flew from my hand and snapped neatly into Lee Hyun-sung's grasp.
"Th-this is?"
"I picked up something nice. Throw away the one you were using before."
A broad, delighted grin spread across Lee Hyun-sung's face.
[Character 'Lee Hyun-sung' activates the special skill 'Area Defense'!]
Centered on the Shield of Hercules, a translucent barrier spread out, forming a small enclosure around our group.
As expected—once you get to around A-rank items, they come with some pretty useful auxiliary skills.
"W-what is this?!"
People groaned as they crashed into the barrier that had appeared out of thin air. They hammered away at it with their worn weapons, but there was no way E-rank or F-rank gear could break through the shield. In the end, the alliance members had only one place left to turn.
"Pil-du-ssi!"
"Everyone, move aside!"
Perhaps the level of [Armed Zone] had gone up quite a bit, because a small armed zone was already unfolding beneath Gong Pil-du's feet. Was he trying to localize the zone to reduce the cooldown? He was thinking a bit, at least.
Looks like I'll have to really put him through the wringer before he comes to his senses.
"Pil-du. I haven't told you to get up yet, have I?"
"Ugh?"
Gong Pil-du slammed his head into the ground with a bang, then collapsed flat again.
[According to the contract clause, 'Command Authority' is activated!]
"Keep your head pressed to the floor until I tell you to get up."
At Gong Pil-du's scream, the flustered alliance members shouted in panic.
"P-Pil-du-ssi?!"
"H-help him up! Hurry!"
They crowded around him, desperately trying to lift him, but since Gong Pil-du was such a big man, it didn't look easy.
"And… that turret is annoying too, so turn it off."
[Character 'Gong Pil-du's' 'Armed Zone Lv. 6' has been解除.]
"Y-you son of a—!"
"And shut that filthy mouth of yours. Do a vow of silence for thirty minutes."
[According to the contract clause, 'Command Authority' is activated!]
"Mmmph! Mmmph mmmph!"
With just a few words, the Gong Pil-du they had trusted was rendered completely powerless, and the building owners' alliance fell into total panic. Of course, Lee Hyun-sung, Yoo Sang-ah, and Jung Hee-won looked just as shocked. I grinned and spoke.
"Alright, it looks like everyone understands the situation now, so I think it's time we had a little talk…"
I could see people hesitantly backing away.
A rough count showed that there were twenty-nine people left.
Twenty were building owners' alliance members, and nine were me and my companions. It wasn't a large number, but if anything, that made it better. Too many people from the start would only make things harder to manage. I looked at them and said,
"Right now, you all have two choices."
It was time to divide sides.
"One is to leave Chungmuro and go to another station. The other is to stay here with me."
"W-what do you mean, all of a sudden…?"
"Just answer. Are you staying here, or are you going somewhere else? It would be better to decide before the main scenario begins. Otherwise, all of your lives will be in danger."
People's eyes began to dart about quickly. Some looked at me, some at Gong Pil-du, and others at the tunnel leading to another station. Sometimes, you can tell what someone is thinking just by where they look.
"I won't stop anyone who wants to leave. But if you choose to stay here, then all of you will have to follow my control."
"C-control…?"
"I will no longer tolerate behavior like that of the 'Building Owners' Alliance.' I also won't allow the tyranny of small groups."
Those who had been cautiously watching began to drift toward me one by one. After all the abuse they'd suffered at the hands of the building owners' alliance, they probably thought sticking with me was the better option. A good decision. A few alliance members shouted,
"So in the end, you just want to play king!"
"I won't deny it. But unlike someone else, I won't collect taxes or survival fees."
"If we join your group, will our safety be guaranteed?"
One of the men who had been part of the alliance asked. Considering how harshly they had treated the tenants, it was only natural for him to worry.
"I'll guarantee your safety from external threats to a certain extent, but I won't interfere in matters that occur within the group. Personal disputes are something you'll have to resolve yourselves."
"Th-then…"
"I'll give you one minute. Decide by then."
There was no need to wait the full minute. Everyone already wore faces that showed they had made up their minds. A few of the alliance members approached me with resolute expressions and bowed their heads. They were relatively young.
"Please take care of us from now on. We've made mistakes in the past, but we humbly ask for your generous forgiveness."
"I'll do my best. Though forgiveness isn't really something you should be asking me for."
[Some members within the group show trust toward you.]
However, a few others seemed to have decided to leave Chungmuro after all.
They tried to lift the collapsed Gong Pil-du and somehow get him moving.
Watching them, I spoke.
"Ah, leave Gong Pil-du behind. He belongs to me."
"What do you mean by that—!"
"If you've made your decision, then leave quickly."
At my cold declaration, five alliance members frowned and stepped back.
"Kang-ssi! You're really not coming with us? There's nothing good that'll come from staying under that guy!"
"Everyone, let's go already! Are you really going to live as that bastard's lackey? You've seen what kind of guy he is!"
But no more people defected.
The five men who had hurled curses glanced back this way several times with lingering regret, then headed down the tunnel toward Myeongdong. They were probably planning to settle elsewhere and become new "building owners," but unfortunately for them, that plan would fail. In the fourth scenario, such "wanderers" would become easy prey for predators.
Just then, as if five minutes had passed, a system message appeared.
[The sub-scenario has ended.]
[You have received 1,000 coins as a reward.]
[Due to the effect of the White Flag, you have become the true 'Representative' of Chungmuro Station.]
[Your current group: 24 members]
[Your reputation is still insufficient to obtain the title of 'King'.]
The title of King, huh…
Well, it would be difficult to obtain the title of 'King' with just a White Flag.
To walk a proper 'Path of the King,' the color of the flag had to be changed step by step.
Of course, the White Flag still had its own kind of 'authority.'
[Due to the effect of the White Flag, you have obtained control over the Chungmuro Group.]
[You may impose 'Punishment' on group members who oppose you.]
[Currently, 5 deserters have occurred.]
I considered showing the departing men a bit of what 'Punishment' could do, but stopped myself. Rule through fear is effective for governing people, but that kind of tyranny doesn't suit me.
"Then, I look forward to working with you."
I said this while meeting each person's eyes in turn.
Lee Hyun-sung was looking at me with eyes full of admiration, while Yoo Sang-ah and Jung Hee-won nodded. The rest of the people were cautiously watching one another, all wearing similar expressions.
They were still a ragtag group, but for a first step, this wasn't bad.
A moment later, Bihyung appeared in midair.
[Oh ho, a representative has been chosen. Then let's get into the real game!]
[The Fourth Main Scenario has been activated!]
< Main Scenario #4 — Flag Capture War >
Category: MainDifficulty: C
Clear Conditions: (Too much content; window minimized)Time Limit: 12 daysReward: 2,000 coinsFailure: ???
I pressed the clear conditions.
A long message appeared before my eyes.
[Clear Conditions]
Every station possesses a 'Flag' that can be used to occupy a 'Flag Stand.'
Only the station's 'Representative' may carry the flag.
You must defend your station's 'Flag Stand' from groups of other stations. If another group's flag is planted in your station's flag stand, the station will be taken, and the fate of the defeated group will be decided by the group that occupied the stand.
You may plant your flag in another station's 'Flag Stand.' Only the 'Representative' of each station has the authority to plant flags. If the representative dies due to armed conflict during the process, the authority of 'Representative' will be transferred to the first person who picks up the flag. If your group's flag is taken by another station's group, the fate of your group will be decided by the group that took the flag.
Within the designated period, you must 반드시 occupy the 'Flag Stand' of the designated 'Target Station.' If you fail, all members of your group will die.
The 'Target Station' your group must occupy is [Changsin Station].
Jung Hee-won seemed to think for a moment before speaking.
"…So we protect our own flag and flag stand, while planting our flag in other stations. Is that basically what it means?"
"That's how I understand it too. And the station we need to plant our flag in is Changsin Station."
Lee Hyun-sung added, and then I spoke.
"Seems like it. You all have good comprehension."
At my words, Jung Hee-won shot me a sidelong glance.
It was the look of someone thinking, You know everything already, so why pretend you don't?
Well, now that she knew I was aware of the future, I probably seemed irritating. I smiled faintly at her.
Yoo Sang-ah hugged her shoulders and said,
"So… we have to fight people again?"
After thinking for a moment, Lee Hyun-sung replied.
"It says that once we occupy the target station's flag stand, we can decide the fate of that station's group… If things go well, we might be able to clear it without casualties."
"Oh, you're right. It doesn't say that losing a station means immediate death, does it? If, when deciding their fate, we can accept the members of that station…"
"Yes. It might be possible to clear it without anyone dying."
Lee Hyun-sung answered with a smile, but watching him, I didn't feel at ease.
Sometimes, Yoo Sang-ah and Lee Hyun-sung seemed to view the world through some kind of heavenly logic.
There is no such thing as a scenario where nobody dies.
The fourth scenario would produce more casualties than any scenario before it.
As if she sensed my thoughts, Jung Hee-won frowned slightly and cut in.
"Which line is Changsin Station on? We should figure that out first."
Lee Hyun-sung checked the route map and said,
"It's on Line 6. If we move only through tunnels, there's a route where we go around toward Yaksu and use the transfer passage, but…"
"Then we'll have to split the group. How about some people stay here to defend, while others go scout that way?"
Even though I hadn't said anything, watching the group actively exchange opinions made me feel strangely satisfied.
[Due to scenario activation, the safety barrier of 'Chungmuro Station' has been解除.]
[Free movement between stations is now possible.]
While the others continued discussing, I walked toward Gong Pil-du.
"Gong Pil-du, you can talk now."
But even though the command had been lifted, Gong Pil-du only ground his teeth at me and didn't speak easily.
"I know you harbor resentment toward me. But you need to adapt too. Your days as a building owner are over."
"..."
"I know why you're so obsessed with 'land.' But take it easy. If you want to keep surviving, that is. You still have something you need to do, don't you?"
Gong Pil-du's eyes wavered. I continued.
"You'll be in charge of defending this place."
Gong Pil-du was extremely useful not only in the third scenario, but also in the fourth. As long as he guarded this place, Chungmuro would be safe—unless some lunatic on Yoo Jung-hyuk's level showed up.
"Why should I listen to the likes of you—"
"I won't force you this time. And if you follow my request, there'll be a reward to match."
"..."
"Think it over carefully. Think about the family you've been separated from, too."
At my final words, Gong Pil-du's eyes widened.
"You… how do you know…?!"
At that moment, noise came from the direction of the tunnel.
Braaang—!
Along with a blaring horn, headlights shone down the Line 4 tracks leading toward Dongdaemun History & Culture Park.
The roar of a motorcycle engine, and the acrid smell of exhaust.
Something was approaching Chungmuro.