Chapter 321

Chapter 321. Massacre Under the Guise of Justice (1)

Arriving in an entirely white space, I moved hastily.

“How far can I go with the collected divinity?”

《System Message》

Three solutions proposed by player Kang Hyunwoo can be implemented, up to the operation of the 6th selection and the target program.

“What about the security of the Holes?”

It’s problematic enough that 20% of Holes explode acutely upon occurrence, but the bigger issue is the high-rank monsters crossing over from the low-rank Holes, which don’t allow even a moment to prepare.

Of course, as of now, it’s merely a possibility.

‘But the circumstantial evidence is rather clear, and we even have witnesses to back it up.’

Therefore, I wanted to prepare while I could, before the issue caused any real damage.

《System Message》

The efficiency of the divinity being deployed is not good.

However, the system showed a skeptical reaction toward the countermeasures I proposed.

《System Message》

There’s a high likelihood that this function will be nullified if additional authority is used by the Karklein side.

It meant that noteworthy results might not be achieved compared to using divinity.

In that case, it’s right for me to take a step back.

I couldn’t just waste precious divinity to stick to my stubbornness.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, there were countless other issues facing Earth.

From the most basic lack of power to the conflicts among players of different nationalities and the petty politics within the associations.

Then there were the discrimination between the Biharin and Earthlings, the crimes committed by Biharin who couldn’t adapt to Earth’s culture, and the increased crime rate stimulated by the war.

Numerous problems arose across the society as a whole.

None of them could be overlooked, but there was a clear priority.

At the top, or rather the number one priority, was an issue.

‘These damned traitors.’

I was planning to cleanly and thoroughly remove them this time around.

After all, one of the main culprits that eventually led Biharin down the path of destruction was internal division.

‘I can’t let that happen again on Earth.’

I intended to engrain in them that betrayal only ends in death.

So, to resolve matters more surely, I decided to harness the system’s power.

If the traitor is a player, there’s a definitive method to deal with it.

‘Conduct a search.’

Though, by default, the system couldn’t observe Earth comprehensively because of the ongoing game operations.

But it was possible to verify records that matched specific conditions by investing divinity.

In practice, a certain ratio of divinity was regularly injected each week to update the Bounty Hunter list.

Creating a new category wouldn’t be too difficult with that capability.

After all, the system is a god that has been with the origin of Earth.

If a decisive conclusion could be reached more easily and reliably, there was no issue with investing divinity.

“Then let’s proceed with at least those two.”

《System Message》

Understood. Should we maintain the Alpha ratio for the 6th selection as it is?

“The total is too few for that. Even now, the alphas are busy between different fronts. If we double it, how much will the number of selections decrease?”

《System Message》

According to theoretical calculations, it will reduce to 20 million. Shall we proceed?

“This is such a greedy divinity consumer. It’s a slightly regrettable number, but… let’s proceed.”

《System Message》

Understood. I will follow the intentions of player Kang Hyunwoo.

「6th player selection will proceed. (20,000,000/20,000,000)」

「Patch for the new program’s operation will commence.」

「Searching will start.」

「Progress rate 0.01%」

…….

As soon as the system’s response ended, update content promptly started to pop up on the message window.

While I reviewed the content, I brought up a question that had been dwelling in a corner of my mind for a while.

“How about on the Bihar? The 7 Great Gods, have there been any noteworthy reports?”

《System Message》

It remains quiet. There’s no indication of crossing over through the Holes.

Since I can only see the material realm of Bihar, I have no way of knowing what’s occurring beyond that scope.

“Did Karlos intervene……? Tch, unsettlingly. It would have been better if he acted rashly.”

《System Message》

I think so too. Based on past experience, if excluding a few special cases, your views align with mine quite often, player Kang Hyunwoo, and…

I dismissed the system’s message window without even finishing reading it by simply waving my hand.

I had no interest whatsoever in whether the system felt any camaraderie with me.

There was no reason to waste time reading messages full of irrelevant content.

Hence, I told the system, ignoring its side commentary,

“Let’s end here for today. Send me back.”

Although for some reason, the system seemed to linger as if regretting it.

Before long, I managed to leave the white space and return home.

I briefly patted the welcoming Rice Cake before noticing the numbers displayed in my field of vision.

「Progress rate 1.08%」

Confirming the number occupying my peripheral vision, I began to retrieve and put on my gear.

Two successive assaults, starting with the first one-week-long nightmare, followed by a second assault lasting over a month.

‘So far, it has been handled better than anticipated.’

While the death toll was beyond estimation and the property damage wasn’t negligible, in terms of the overall outcome, it was arguably a victory.

‘We’ve managed to protect over 80% of key areas and most will gradually resume their functions as repairs are completed.’

This momentum must continue forward.

To do so, we can’t allow ourselves to be played by the enemy’s tricks.

‘As the first step, I’ll root out the traitors like Fabian.’

Following Fabian’s failure to assassinate Alpha, he moved to resolve it, leaving behind many traces.

This reduced the area that the system needed to search through, saving us divinity.

‘If we target the players first, the civilian traitors connected with them will be exposed too.’

Of course, for that, we’d require assistance from intelligence agencies like NIS or CIA from various countries.

The framework of the plan was mostly established, now was the time to act.

‘Let’s make a declaration of war.’

It was time for a human hunt after a long while.

* * *

The war, which had started in the blazing summer, was now advancing toward winter, carried by the autumn wind.

One day, after passing through a tumultuous season, the early winter rain began to pour.

I pushed away the falling rain with water attribute mana and looked down from above.

Vroom-!

In the distance, a sports car speeding through the rainy road caught my eye.

It was the car carrying today’s target, the reason I had come to this place.

‘Codename Asura.’

Currently, one of the eight Platinum rank holders from Korea.

And he was someone I was sure was a traitor.

For a while, I maintained my mana and observed the sports car Asura was in, racing on the ground.

The sky was dim with dusk.

A snaking mountain path.

And a lone vehicle driving through the drizzling rain.

‘Feels like the intro to a horror movie I watched when I was young.’

As I waited with idle thoughts, the vehicle came closer.

Then, I manifested a lightning spear.

Sensing the movement of mana, Asura tried to stop the vehicle suddenly.

But by then, the lightning spear had already shot through the air.

Since it was merely meant as a greeting, I did not put much power into it.

Screeeech-!

Of course, that didn’t mean the vehicle could avoid it simply because I didn’t use my full effort.

The sports car, precisely pierced through the bumper section, skidded loudly on the rain-soaked road.

Then boom!

It crashed into the guardrail, unable to maintain balance on the curve.

Before the vehicle completely fell down the slope, a man emerged from it, staring directly at me.

“Well, who do we have here? It’s the impressive K!”

The rainwater obscured visibility, and the noise was quite significant.

But his lip movements, as well as his voice, were clear and discernible.

A Platinum rank body was sensitive enough to hold conversations over tens of meters.

Thus, there was no need for me and the guy to put on a ridiculous display by shouting our voices.

“I shouldn’t need to explain why I’m here in laborious detail.”

Being calm, I merely stated, as I charged at him.

“Let’s get started then.”

The battle began the moment my feet touched the ground as I descended vertically towards the earth.

Crackle-!

On the rain-soaked asphalt road and ground, a lightning prison was aggressively erupting.

Asura, who avoided it by soaring with air steps, was swept by the lightning storm.

Despite being a Platinum rank, he managed to extricate himself from the lightning storm suffering only minor injuries.

Simultaneously, an unfamiliar power surged.

It was a magic I was familiar with, a whirlwind spear came flying towards me.

Unfortunately, it was a move that should not have been attempted.

“Cough!”

With a single gesture, I easily dispelled the magic.

Failing to harness the mana into himself, Asura sustained internal injuries, coughing up blood.

By then, I had already closed in on him, thrusting my spear.

“You bastard!”

His greatsword came crashing down, threatening to cleave my head in two.

Even during the assault, he had the sense to bring his weapon, which was commendable.

Though that didn’t mean he would win against me.

Lightning, thin as thread, entangled Asura’s body.

“Argh!”

The acrid smell of burning skin assailed my senses, regardless of the pouring rain.

Despite the searing pain of his burning flesh, Asura did not let go of his sword.

Consequently, my spear and his greatsword collided, boom-!

Momentarily, the raindrops around us were repelled by the intense shockwave centered on me and him.

As the shock dissipated, the raindrops resumed their descent.

By then, Asura and I had already determined the battle’s outcome.

“Idiot.”

I entwined lightning threads around Asura’s greatsword, effectively taking the weapon from him.

To undo this, one would need at least the same grade of attribute mana.

Or else have a superior mastery over mana than I do.

But Asura matched neither criterion.

Hence, having nearly lost his weapon, which had protected him on the battlefield, he met his end with a spear through his abdomen.

“Ugh, cough…!”

I extracted the spear from between his eyebrows, and the battle concluded.

In the rain, I shook off the blood that stained me.

‘It was far easier than expected.’

I was aware that I had deviated from the typical growth path allowed to players.

Yet, in this battle, I hadn’t used divinity.

Even so, I captured a fellow Platinum rank far too easily.

I expected a skill gap but not to this extent.

Perhaps the biggest reason is that even Platinum-ranked players couldn’t fully dominate mana.

There was an immense disparity starting from the magic casting time to mana utilization and its finesse.

‘There’s a substantial difference between genuine and imitated.’

Though there’s a general increase in the quality and quantity of players,

It’s hard to expect players to single-handedly match strong adversaries like Horfe or Gretman.

‘That doesn’t mean I can stand idle.’

If there are individuals that can be elevated, it should be pursued even if it requires rigorous measures.

‘If necessary, drag them by the collar.’

Upon returning, I’d discuss drafting sparring programs with Horfe and Rashar.

At the very least, it would raise the skill level of Platinum-rank players affiliated with the guild.

‘I should also talk to Shamel, who’s responsible for training newcomers.’

For the 6th selection of players joining the Palao Guild, I planned to push them appropriately from the basics.

Having added a new task to my list, I called for those who were waiting.

“Guildmaster.”

Accompanying me to the site where I hunted Asura were members of the guild’s filming crew.

Some of them were players, but civilians were also present.

To be specific, most of the filming crew that accompanied were civilians, with players acting as their protectors in case of emergencies.

“Ugh…!”

As a result, quite a few people were retching at the sight of the corpse.

Understanding the shock they might have experienced, I wasn’t inclined to treat them like children by waiting.

“Get the filming equipment set up. We’re doing it live.”

Thus, I apathetically informed them of the task they needed to perform.