Ch.669Chapter 25. Let it Unfold (19)

The next day.

About 100 S-class fighters were eliminated in the first preliminary match that continued until dawn.

People mocked these 100 contestants, saying they would be immediately crushed under the feet of “Armored Taejo,” known as the “S-class detector,” in a one-on-one fight. Nevertheless, they had shown a decent performance against S-class opponents.

They fought well, but lost.

Among the surviving S-class fighters, some would have been eliminated if they had faced Taejo, but some say:

Luck is also a skill.

And whether they advanced that way, or passed the first preliminary round through somewhat underhanded methods.

Even if they were randomly matched against opponents in an unfavorable 3:3 battle, that was simply fate determined by the heavens.

For example, if my opponent happened to be a well-known S-class hero who was also a collaborator with the Syndicate, like the “Saint of Orleans.”

Or if the heroes forming a team with me happened to be two men.

“Kihihit, hey, kiddo. Don’t they teach ethics in elementary schools in America?”

Like the German gunslinger [Jotenberg] with hair dyed bright yellow but with black roots showing—a foreigner with black roots.

“When in Korea, you should follow Korean laws. Don’t you know this is the land of Eastern courtesy? This is why Westerners… tsk tsk.”

Like the Chinese martial artist [Li Shidu], who was born in Korea and studied at Sejong Academy, but followed his mother’s nationality to China and now wears a cheongsam martial arts uniform.

“Hey. Are you listening? American ladies, give me your numbers. I have something to talk about with you ladies.”

“The identity of the Riders—if they are who I think they are, a conversation is necessary. I owe them a debt. If possible, I’d like to speak with them.”

Both of them are trying to somehow get in touch with the four Riders, the executives.

To put it nicely, they could say they’re just trying to meet them as social butterflies.

“Why are you so quiet? Huh? Whether you like it or not, we’re a ‘team.’ Do you think I’m a troller?”

“For the sake of our country’s victory, defeating opponents and advancing is correct… but sometimes, holding someone back can also be a strategy.”

“So give me the numbers.”

“Though I find this man’s way of speaking unpleasant, if you’re going to give them to someone, give them to me instead.”

To put it bluntly, these guys are perverts seeking “pleasure without responsibility.”

How could I possibly give them the executives’ contact information?

In the first place.

‘If I had met them as Goblin, these villain bastards would have been Zenrosed immediately.’

Neither Jotenberg nor Li Shidu are heroes.

One is a real villain who committed crimes in Korea and fled to Germany for asylum, and the other carries a Chinese hero’s business card, but the back is stained with civilians’ blood—a henchman of the Party.

Both of them, if there was evidence, if there was justification, would deserve not just having their cradles broken but their heads smashed if they had committed more serious crimes.

“…….”

There’s no reason to exchange words with such people.

“Ha, so the king is all high and mighty. Is that it? How annoying.”

“…Don’t think you can maintain your silence forever. Eventually, when the second round of preliminaries begins, you’ll have to talk to us whether you like it or not.”

The two left me sitting there in continued silence.

There were 3 minutes left of preparation time, and their starting zones were different from mine.

[Ahem. We will now begin the second round of preliminaries. The first match of round 2 will startㅡㅡㅡnow!!]

The announcer’s voice echoed loudly throughout the virtual Dongtan area, and the time appeared on the smartwatch on my wrist.

The match time is 30 minutes.

Within that time, you must either make all opposing ability users surrender or steal the mana bands attached to their wrists to end the match.

“Hmm.”

The wristband made of mana gold serves only as a marker and doesn’t contain mana itself.

If there is any trace of mana, it’s just the minimum required for position tracking so the drones floating in the sky can film more easily.

In other words, ability users here must face the enemy team using only their abilities and mana.

But.

-Oh! Team A!! Is it every man for himself?! They’re not joining forces but guarding their own zones!!

I can hear what sounds like the announcer’s exclamation.

Not actually hearing it, just feeling like that’s what’s happening.

-In contrast, Team B!! They’ve gathered around the Saint of Orleans for a strategy meeting! It looks like they’re discussing who to target first!! This could lead to a 3:1 individual takedown!!

And as he said, though the teams are 3:3, this isn’t a team match.

It’s 3:1:1:1.

While they’re willing to band together, I’ve refused to join forces on our side.

‘There is a loser’s bracket, though.’

Like all survival audition programs, the World Cup preliminaries have a loser’s bracket.

Specifically, if there aren’t enough preliminary qualifiers for the confirmed “top 64” main tournament, a battle royale-style loser’s bracket exists for the remaining main tournament spots.

-What do you mean a loser’s bracket in the World Cup! Why include something like that?!

-Because it’s fun!!

The original purpose is probably to rescue those who are eliminated due to bad team luck like in this match, but honestly, if I don’t end up there, I’d just watch with popcorn to see who gets the chicken dinner for the main tournament.

And there might be cases where you meet the opponent who eliminated you in the second round again, or meet a trolling teammate in the main tournament.

-Shouldn’t the bracket system filter that out?

-Isn’t that guaranteed epic fun? Eliminating the teammate who dropped me with my own hands. And then I advance to the main tournament and go even higher.

In terms of a multi-player ranked game, it’s like meeting a former trolling teammate as an enemy and taking them down.

Conversely…

“If I trip up and eliminate America’s S+ class hero Doblin, one of the championship favorites, in the preliminaries, that would be quite an achievement in its own way.”

From the perspective of a country employing villains, there’s no more efficient deal than that.

‘Even if I can’t advance, going all out to eliminate the opponent is a common occurrence.’

Isn’t that the charm of the World Cup?

When a team confirmed for elimination faces a team in second place with whom they have bad blood, with 10 minutes left, and miraculous news comes from another stadium.

-If you win, those guys are eliminated!

-…Just this once, Korea!

Cases where the opposing team tries to win at all costs to prevent the other team from advancing to the main tournament happen in reality too.

If only this were such a wholesome, good-triumphs-over-evil story, but unfortunately, these villains seem determined to trip me up.

‘It’s a chance to see Dongtan before redevelopment.’

CRASH!!

The 10-story apartments in Dongtan all collapse at once.

A huge hole opens in the middle, and the sight of apartments collapsing with only their structural frames remaining would make one dizzy if people had been inside.

The one destroying Dongtan Public Apartments is neither the government that won the redevelopment project nor the construction company that started the new town construction.

“Kuk, what a shame! You dodged my attack!”

The gunslinger Jotenberg starting a battle from afar against three heroes.

“Take this, [Jeanne], [Heidegger], and [Amber Heart]!!”

Toward the team showing surprisingly organic movements despite claiming to be working together for the first time, led by the virgin saint, gunslinger Jotenberg fired his twin pistols left and right.

Bang bang bang bang.

The magical bullets fired from his twin pistols embed themselves in buildings everywhere.

If they were just bullets it would be one thing, but since each one is an explosive magical bullet, the opposing team worked hard to deflect them with their weapons.

“Hey!! Don’t you know destroying buildings gives both sides penalties?! It increases the chance of meeting Koreans in the main tournament!!”

“Not my problem!”

“Oh, you’re insane!!”

The reason for Jeanne’s outburst appears in real-time on my smartwatch.

[Apartment destruction, -100 points.]

[Commercial building destruction, -50 points.]

[Civilian injury, -500 points.]

“-50000 points or whatever, if I win against you guys, that’s all that matters!! Right, jjamjjamyeon?!”

“That nickname is offensive, but what you say is correct.”

Li Shidu, who had been watching from afar, dropped from the sky onto a building rooftop.

“We need to win first.”

Crack!

His tremendous strike, splitting the building in half by stomping his leg downward, was certainly threatening, but it didn’t reach the opposing team at all.

[Building destruction, -100 points.]

[Civilian death, -10000 points.]

“Even killing civilians who couldn’t evacuate.”

I muttered to myself, loud enough to be heard.

“Hahaha! They’re ‘fake’ anyway, what does it matter?!”

“In a real situation, I would have obviously rescued the civilians. Such points are meaningless.”

They would matter.

In the main tournament, those with lower scores are matched against those with higher scores, so if scores are destroyed like this, there’s a high chance of meeting those who preserved their scores as much as possible.

In other words.

“At this rate, I’ll end up facing a Rider or the Lord of Radiant Wings in the top 64.”

They don’t care what happens to themselves; they just want to screw me over too.

Manipulating the bracket is impossible.

That’s in heaven’s domain, not something I can control.

However.

There are plenty of ways to win against these trollers and the three heroes trying to defeat me.

“Watching you nibble away at apartments and buildings, I can’t stand how boring this is.”

I aimed an invisible goblin club toward the sky.

“Let me show you. The class of the land of the morning calm.”

I hope the filming drones evacuate quickly.

“Remember the rule. If you flee outside the city, that is, outside the arena, it’s ‘out-of-bounds elimination,’ right?”

“What…?”

“If you don’t run, you’ll all die.”

With the most mischievous expression I could muster toward the drone filming me, I opened my mouth toward the sky.

“I, Doblin, earnestly wish.”

Goblin club, material creation.

“To rewrite this city from scratch.”

Above the city, I created an ‘object.’

An object imbued with the will of illusion.

“I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”

Its name is.

“After destruction, there is rebirth.”

Urban redevelopment.

“Nuclear launch detected.”

On Dongtan area.

A nuclear bomb fell.