< Episode 10. Future War (3) >
…It hasn't even been that long since the scenario started, and already?
I tried to recall the original story, but I didn't remember the invasion beginning this early. That meant a new variable had appeared. Soon, the headlights in the darkness went out, and murmured voices could be heard.
"Ah, so Chungmuro's finally been breached."
"Tsk, took them long enough just to clear a scenario like that."
"Hey, keep it down. They'll hear you. And don't you know that scenarios differ from station to station?"
At my signal, my companions stood up, weapons in hand.
In battle, what matters most is securing position first.
I stepped out front, followed by Lee Hyun-sung and Jung Hee-won, with Yoo Sang-ah bringing up the rear. Lee Gil-young was still asleep, so I left him be.
After a few seconds, four men and women emerged from the darkness, walking toward us. I spoke.
"Stop right there."
"Huh? Oh my, my."
Seeing the blade I had leveled at him, the man flinched and stopped in place. The white gleam of a motorcycle came into view. I heard the sound of weapons being drawn in the darkness, but the man's voice was faster.
"Wait a moment. Let's all calm down. This is terrifying—I can't even talk properly."
"Put your weapons down and approach slowly."
The man obediently placed his weapon on the ground, raised both hands, and walked toward us. Under the light, his face didn't look bad at all—pleasant enough. His narrow eyes curved gently into a smile.
"There's no need to be so wary. We didn't come here to fight."
"Then why did you come?"
"Let me introduce myself first. I'm Kang Il-hoon, the vice-representative of the 'Dongdaemun Group.'"
Kang Il-hoon? No one immediately came to mind.
And the vice-representative of Dongdaemun, at that… Something about this was starting to feel off.
[Activating exclusive skill, 'Character List.']
Since the skill activated, he was definitely a character from the novel.
Name: Kang Il-hoon
Age: 31
Supporting Star: Silver-Tongued Chatterer
Exclusive Trait: Rumor Specialist (Normal)
Exclusive Skills:
[Weapon Refinement Lv.2], [Eloquence Lv.3], [Spreading Rumors Lv.1]
Stigma: [Stirring Up Trouble Lv.1]
Overall Stats:
[Endurance Lv.12], [Strength Lv.13], [Agility Lv.13], [Magic Power Lv.10]
Overall Evaluation:
Unfortunately, he met the wrong Supporting Star and failed to fully awaken his potential, but he possesses decent stats suitable for use as a regular soldier. He spreads rumors indiscriminately, regardless of truth or falsehood—caution is advised.
A rumor specialist, huh…
So it was already time for guys like this to start running around.
Kang Il-hoon looked at me with a hint of nervousness.
"And you would be…?"
"Kim Dokja."
"Ah, Kim Dokja…?"
At the sound of my name, a flicker of puzzlement crossed Kang Il-hoon's face.
But it lasted only a moment.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kim Dokja. Judging by the flag you're carrying, you must be the station's representative?"
"That's right."
He examined my appearance closely, then swept his gaze over my companions, likely assessing our strength. He had a sharp eye—but unfortunately for him, he'd picked the wrong opponent.
"If you're done looking, let's get to the point."
"Haha. My apologies. We're concerned about our safety as well, you see."
Kang Il-hoon continued calmly.
"As I said, we didn't come to fight. How should I put it… We came to offer a 'good proposal.'"
I examined the appearance of Kang Il-hoon's group.
None of them appeared to be carrying a flag.
"And how am I supposed to believe that?"
"Well, if you've checked the rules, you should know. If we'd come to fight, we would've come with our representative. Only a station's representative can use a 'flag stand,' after all."
That was true. Definitely true—but still.
"So what's your proposal?"
"We're here to propose an alliance."
At the word alliance, murmurs spread through the Chungmuro group.
Kang Il-hoon spoke lightly.
"Ah, Chungmuro Station was just opened, so you probably don't know yet. Actually, the 'Fourth Scenario' has already been in progress for two days."
"…Two days?"
Yoo Sang-ah murmured reflexively. Kang Il-hoon nodded.
"Yes. The third scenario differs slightly in content and duration from station to station… Were you unaware?"
"Ah…"
We had just finished the third scenario—there was no way we could've known something like that. Even in the original story, Chungmuro joins the scenarios later than other stations.
In other words, we were starting at a disadvantage in terms of information.
From that perspective, Kang Il-hoon's alliance proposal was a perfectly timed temptation.
We needed information. They needed our strength.
The real question was what kind of scheme they were hiding.
"That's not an easy proposal to accept. There's no way to know whether you have ulterior motives."
"Hm, you're absolutely right, Mr. Dokja. If I suddenly propose an alliance, of course you wouldn't trust me. So it might be better if we reveal our hand first. To be blunt—'Chungmuro Station' is not our target station."
"And how am I supposed to believe that?"
"You may believe it or not. But think carefully. If Chungmuro were our target, we would've brought our entire main force. Honestly, the moment right after a station opens is when its 'flag stand' is most vulnerable."
That argument wasn't entirely unconvincing.
"And what if our target station is 'Dongdaemun'?"
"Haha, there's no need to worry about that. We already know which station is targeting ours. We didn't come looking for you for no reason."
"That does make sense. Since our target stations are different, you're suggesting we help each other clear the scenario… is that it?"
"Exactly. In times like this, wouldn't it be better to cooperate and survive together?"
Kang Il-hoon nodded with a smile. While I remained silent, Yoo Sang-ah spoke up.
"Um, there's something I'm curious about."
Kang Il-hoon smiled at her.
"Yes? What is it, pretty lady?"
"Why did you come to Chungmuro? If you're from Dongdaemun, you could've formed alliances with other stations as well."
It was an unexpectedly sharp question.
Kang Il-hoon actually looked a little flustered.
"Ah, that's… as I mentioned, Chungmuro Station was opened just now. What I mean is… um, other stations have already formed alliance networks. But we thought Chungmuro wouldn't have one yet, so… haha. Just in case, I'll ask—have you already formed an alliance with another station?"
Hmm…
"No, we haven't."
At my words, Kang Il-hoon showed a look of genuine relief.
"Then please form an alliance with our Dongdaemun group. I promise you won't regret it. Above all, we possess a 'sure-win solution' for this scenario."
"A sure-win solution?"
"Yes. To be honest, our group knows the hidden secret of this scenario."
Kang Il-hoon smiled softly and drove the final nail in.
"If you agree to the alliance with us, we'll tell you the details."
A short while later, I had Yoo Sang-ah, Lee Hyun-sung, and Jung Hee-won sit together to exchange opinions. Yoo Sang-ah spoke first.
"What should we do? Should we form an alliance with them for now?"
"I'm against it. I don't trust those people. …I've got a really bad feeling about them."
As Jung Hee-won spoke, Lee Hyun-sung immediately countered.
"But if they really know information about this 'scenario,' it might not be a bad idea to at least stay on good terms with them. I agree with Hee-won that they aren't trustworthy, but…"
Finally, everyone looked at me.
I shrugged.
"Then, for now…"
After reaching a decision, we called over Kang Il-hoon and the Dongdaemun group, who were sightseeing around Chungmuro Station.
"We've decided to meet your representative first and then make our decision."
"Ah, is that so?"
"Where is your representative?"
"He's in Dongdaemun. If it's all right with you, I can guide you there…"
"Let's do that."
We boarded the bikes they had ridden in on, sitting on the back seats. The people I took with me were Lee Hyun-sung, Yoo Sang-ah, and Jung Hee-won. I deliberately left Lee Gil-young behind with Gong Pil-du. He had expended a lot of mental strength due to [Multi-Species Communication] and still hadn't woken up. Of course, I didn't forget to give the order to protect Lee Gil-young.
"Then, we're departing."
With a vrooming engine sound, the bikes began to move.
About twenty seconds passed before I opened my mouth.
"By the way, Mr. Kang Il-hoon."
"Yes?"
"Did those people say anything else about Chungmuro?"
"Pardon? What do you mean by—"
"For example, that there'd be an incredibly scary man named 'Yoo Jung-hyuk' there…"
"Haha, I'm not quite sure what you're talking ab—"
At my signal, our group jumped off the backs of the bikes almost simultaneously.
"Ms. Yoo Sang-ah!"
The [Thread Binding] Yoo Sang-ah fired out wrapped around the spokes of all four bikes at once. Their tangled paths caused the bikes to collide with a deafening roar.
KWA-AANG!
"Aaaagh!"
The Dongdaemun group members who had been riding ahead screamed as they were thrown off.
Fortunately, our party was safely suspended in midair, clinging to threads Yoo Sang-ah had attached to the ceiling—like seatbelts, you could say. Her feats were so acrobatic you could believe her sponsor was Spider-Man.
Covered in dust and rolling across the ground, Kang Il-hoon shouted,
"W-What is the meaning of this?!"
"What do you mean? That's what I want to ask."
I spoke while looking toward the front of the tunnel.
"If you were going to ambush us, you should've raised your stealth level a bit more."
Honestly, even someone without [Absolute Sense] like me could notice it.
Realizing something had gone wrong, Kang Il-hoon yelled,
"Attack!"
Almost simultaneously, the hidden figures lurking around the tunnel burst out.
I knew it. They were after my flag after all.
[Character 'Jung Hee-won' has activated her exclusive skill, 'Time of Judgment.'][Constellations of the Absolute Good alignment approve the use of this skill.]['Time of Judgment' has been activated.]
"Huh? I thought it wouldn't work… Guess they do whatever they want?"
Jung Hee-won grinned, sounding genuinely surprised.
"Finding bad guys is such a pain."
With a chilling voice, Jung Hee-won charged forward. Her sword roamed freely through the dark tunnel. The only thing visible was the crimson glow of [Ghost Slayer] in her eyes. In the darkness, blood-red sword light surged and mercilessly slaughtered people.
"W-What the hell is that?!"
"That crazy bitch—aaaargh!"
Slash! Shrrrk!
There must have been at least ten of them, but Jung Hee-won didn't give an inch, cutting them down one by one. It was a clear demonstration of how much her stats had risen after clearing the 'Hidden Dungeon.'
I also unfolded [Baekcheong Sword Energy] and easily subdued Kang Il-hoon.
After all, this was a body that had been fighting Yoo Jung-hyuk just hours ago—there was no way taking down a small fry like him would be difficult.
"Dokja-ssi, Chungmuro is—!"
At Lee Hyun-sung's shout, I turned around and saw chaos erupting back at Chungmuro. Those bastards must have launched an attack the moment we left. After having Yoo Sang-ah bind Kang Il-hoon, I immediately ran back toward Chungmuro.
A full-blown melee was already underway on the platform.
But I decided to observe the situation for a moment.
There was something I needed to confirm first.
"What the hell are these guys?!"
Dozens of group members charging in from the Myeongdong side were swinging their weapons wildly at the people of Chungmuro. Looking closely, the weapons they carried felt strangely familiar.
"T-That's the weapon Mr. Kim was using!"
It seemed the 'Building Owner Alliance' that had headed toward Myeongdong had already been taken out by these guys. Well, to people like them, wanderers who lost their groups were nothing more than living piles of coins.
Among the rushing enemies, the most noticeable one was a guy wearing a red flag tied around his head like a bandana.
"Subdue them later! Once we plant the flag, it's over!"
I see. That guy is the 'representative.'