abcnovels
Chapter 97
Chapter 97
Chapter 97: A Madman Recognizes a Madman
—Riiip!
I boldly ripped open the second envelope.
[Opening the ‘Theme 2 Information’ (S-rank).]
—Thump thump.
Along with a flutter of excitement, I pulled out a black sheet of paper from the envelope. The amount of text written was similar to the Theme 1 information ticket. However…
[This is a region where information cannot yet be confirmed.]
[Only partial information is revealed.]
The content wasn’t as complete as I had hoped.
The old man clicked his tongue. “Tsk, tsk. The one who made this dungeon must be just as twisted as you are. Selling this for 10,000 points without showing it all?”
“I know, right?”
I furrowed my brow as well because hieroglyphic symbols obscured some of the information.
#1 and #2 were straightforward. The parts below, however, were a dizzying mess.
#1. Once Theme 2 begins, team selection starts.
– There will be a total of three teams. The first, second, and third ranks from the previous theme will each select their team members.
– Each team can have up to 10 members.
– This means that if the maximum number is reached, the remaining unselected participants will be eliminated.
#2. The selected team members must work together to find the ‘National Treasure’ hidden within a giant castle.
– The team that finds the National Treasure first wins, while the teams that fail will be eliminated.
#3. ?? appears ??? after ??? ???.
The ?? of ??? is ?????? as ?? ???, and ??? ?? various ??? of ?? to ??? ?? ???.
PS. Each ?? ?????? ?? ???.
4. There is a ?? ??? feature.
Participants ?? ??? the ??? ??? ??? from a ???stance.
If found, the participant ??? ????? the ????? early.
#5. There are two ???? ?? ??? ? ???? ??? ???? ??:
– Purchase it with ????? through ???? ?? ??? ??.
– Find the ???? ?? ??? hidden ???? ??? ??? the area.
“Good grief, what a heartless bunch. How are we supposed to make sense of this? Thinking about it makes me furious. How dare they trick my disciple like this?” the old man snapped irritably.
Whether he was angry on my behalf or just curious about the content wasn’t clear, but either way…
“Well, at least the critical parts are intact. I think I understand why they’re doing this too.”
“Huh? You understand this gibberish?”
“Yes, look here.” I pointed to #4 and #5 on the black sheet.
The old man’s eyes widened. “What’s there to see?”
“Hmph, you always tease me about not being a genius. It seems like you’re on the same level as me, Elder.”
“What nonsense! Let me see that, you rascal.”
—Swish!
The old man leaned his face toward the paper. Since he couldn’t physically interact with it, that was his only option.
I smiled and held if out for easier viewing.
“Hm, hm…? What is this? It’s just a bunch of strange symbols.”
“Compare it with the Theme 1 information.” I slid the two sheets side by side.
#4. There is a special perk.
– Participants can locate the judges who are observing them from a distance.
– If found, the participant can access the shop early.
#5. There are two ways to obtain this information:
– Purchase it with trial points through a discovered judge.
– Find the information tickets hidden by the judges across the area.
I explained, “See? The spacing and text count for #4 and #5 are identical to the Theme 1 ticket. If you look closely, it’s the same content.”
“Oh?” The old man blinked. “Ah, you’re right! Well, look at you!” He gazed at me with amazement. Then he exclaimed, “Aha! As expected! You’re gradually becoming complete, aren’t you?”
“Uh… What?”
“I’m talking about my Grand Technique of the Celestial Artisan! A technique that elevates even mediocre individuals above genius. Hahaha, my disciple is becoming a genius. How admirable.”
“…” I glanced at the grinning old man with a sideways look.
It seemed he felt embarrassed that I noticed something he hadn’t. Honestly… This wasn’t about genius; it was just about attention to detail.
Anyway, what I discovered was simple. #4 and #5 on the Theme 1 Information and the Theme 2 Information were identical!
“Perhaps the judges scattered Theme 2 tickets around as well. That’s why they hid the overlapping information in #4 and #5, to prevent anyone from gaining an advantage by finding only the Theme 2 ticket.”
“Well, that makes sense, I suppose. Though I don’t get why they’d go to such lengths.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I looked back at the paper.
Now, except for the content of #3, everything was decipherable.
I carefully summarized the keywords. “Hmm, Theme 2 revolves around teamwork. Participants with high ranks in Theme 1 will choose team members…”
“Then you’ll definitely have to rank in the top three. Well, I’d say the first place is a given for you.” The old man nodded contentedly.
“Team members will work together to find something called a National Treasure. This is… quite something.”
The moment I read the hints for Theme 2, I immediately grasped the intention of the dungeon creator, Delilah.
“What’s so impressive? Teamwork?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then?”
“If you look closely… those who killed others and acted selfishly in Theme 1 are bound to be at a disadvantage in Theme 2.”
“…”
Theme 2 demanded cooperation, which required participants to unite to clear it. So what did that imply?
“Delilah is sending a message. That morality is also a virtue of the strong, so those with poor morals will fail her trials.”
Moreover, it was stated that unselected participants would be eliminated. This not only filtered out those with bad character but also weeded out incompetent individuals who survived through sheer luck.
“…Heh, this is amusing. Very amusing.” The old man chuckled like a child. “This place is wonderful. So much more thrilling than the world I lived in! How do you plan to proceed?”
“Hmm, I’ll need to think about it.”
“Tsk, it’s a pity I can’t keep watching this. These summoning sessions feel so short lately. Already ten minutes have passed!”
“I’ll call you again, Elder.”
With a swish, the old man disappeared, leaving silence in its wake.
I closed my eyes. It was still night. There was plenty of time before dawn. I had to make decisions on what to do with this information and how to proceed from here on.
The next morning…
“Olena, James, and Capu,” I called out to my party with a serious expression.
“Yes, did you call?”
“Ngh, you called us?”
“Hmm, another expedition today? Hopefully, we’ll gain something this time.”
My companions, with tangled hair and rough skin from a week of camping, shuffled toward me. Having spent a week together, we had grown somewhat accustomed to one another.
I showed them the Theme 1 Information I purchased yesterday. “Will you take a look at this?”
That was right. I decided to share the information with them.
Theme 2 is all about cooperation anyway.
Although we might have been competitors now, drawing too firm a line might harm me later. However, I wasn’t planning to reveal everything—only the information about Theme 1.
“Hoon, what’s this?”
“What is it?”
The three foreigners crowded around and examined the sheet. Their eyes widened in no time.
“…What is this?”
“Poison mist? Judges? Shop? Poison bonus?”
They looked at me with confused expressions.
“While scouting last night, my subordinates found it.”
I didn’t mention buying it from the shop. It was a little white lie. Revealing that I’d been lying to them might only create resentment.
“…How did you get this? If it’s true, this is huge.”
“It says the poison mist will spread in the central area in a month. And we’re supposed to survive it?”
“…”
Olena shook her head.
James looked shocked as he stared at me.
Capu seemed lost in thought with his eyes closed.
“The poison mist will likely be a significant threat to all of us.”
“…”
“The information doesn’t say anything about neutralizing the poison mist. It only says we must avoid it and survive.”
Capu nodded at my words. “If it emerges in the central area, then we should move as far away from the center as possible to ensure our survival from now on.”
“Then shouldn’t we start moving immediately?” James chimed in after glancing at Capu. “Judging from this, the poison mist would start with the closest prey if it has intelligence. The further away we are, the better. Ah, so this trial favors those with early access to information.”
“I agree.” I nodded. “But.”
“…”
“I won’t run away.”
“What?” Olena blinked in surprise.
“So you’re staying here?”
“No. The poison mist is described as a monster. This means it’s likely a creature that can be defeated rather than a natural disaster.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“Yes, I’m heading to the center.”
“R-Really?”
“What? But why?”
“Hoon, I’d suggest you reconsider.”
The party tried to dissuade me, but my decision was already made.
There was only one reason for revealing this information: to tell them to stay as far away from the center as possible and to survive so they could assist me in the next theme.
“Please survive by escaping as far as you can. Of course, if you choose to follow me, I’ll respect that decision. The choice is yours.”
“…”
“Still, I strongly recommend staying far away…”
“Mhm, how can we just leave you behind, Hoon…?” Olena hesitated, but I shook my head.
“Actually, I have some resistance to poison. I’m also confident in myself.”
“…Really?”
There was a brief silence.
James was the first to speak up. “Fine. I’ll leave this place as soon as I can. You know, you should let people act according to their choices in this kind of situation.”
“…I also think moving away from the center is the better option,” Capu agreed with James.
“Alright. Capu, let’s get moving.”
As they hastily prepared, Olena looked me in the eyes as if asking if I was truly okay.
I smiled and nodded. “Let’s survive and meet again.”
Approximately three weeks remained until the appearance of the poison mist. Once separated from my companions, I could finally be alone again for the first time in a week.
* * *
On the weekend, in a pub located underground in the Gangnam District, five hunters gathered in a VIP room.
“Gahaha. I’m sure that kid is doing well right now.”
Each emanated an aura of undeniable strength. They were none other than the Five Stars of Seoul—the emerging rankers who ruled Seoul, South Korea.
“Heh, I wonder what he’s up to now? Theme 1? Theme 2?”
When Jang Daewoong slammed his beer down, the Fine Bow shook his head. “Berserker. The flow of time in that place is different from reality. No one knows what he’s doing now. If anyone does, it’s Delilah.”
“True, true. Man, that was fun back then. Do you all remember? Haha.”
“Fun? What fun?”
—Chomp, chomp.
The White Swine grumbled as he devoured food nearby. “Do you not remember how much we suffered during Theme 1?”
“Right! We almost died because of Berserker, didn’t we?” Lee Sunah responded with a sly grin, prompting Jang Daewoong to laugh even louder.
“Haha! How can a man flee in the face of a monster?”
“…”
Fine Bow let out a shallow sigh.
At the time of the poison mist’s release, Jang Daewoong charged in, claiming he would deal with it himself, and the four others had to knock him out to escape. Had they been slightly slower, they might all have been six feet under instead of in this room.
“Madman, for goodness’ sake… Learn to restrain yourself.”
“Kahaha. Regardless, I’m excited about my little brother. Maybe he’ll finish what I couldn’t, unlike you cowards who ran away.”
“…You lunatic.” At that moment, Gi Soyul glared at him, sipping beer nearby.
“Hm?”
“Please stop saying such eerie things. Your words might come true.”
“Exactly! Skeleton King is a smart man! There’s no way he’d do something as crazy as Berserker,” Lee Sunah joined in with a laugh.
“Who knows?” Jang Daewoong smirked meaningfully.
He thought to himself, The kid’s just as crazy as I am.
A madman recognizes a madman—such was the Berserker’s belief.