Chapter 101: All or Nothing

“Wow!”

“Yes!”

“Kim Jinsung won! Kim Jinsung won!”

“Ah, I’m ruined….Damn it, my house….”

“It ended with one second left! It’s gotta be the most legendary match ever!”

The cheers of over 100,000 spectators erupted, instantly engulfing the Jamsil Colosseum Arena. The crowd roared louder than ever before.

The VIP section wasn’t any different.

“Nice! Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!”

Park Jinwoong, fist clenched, cheered in delight.

‘Ah! I’m so glad…!’

Hong Hyeonjin, her hands clasped over her face, let out a relieved sigh. She had been more invested in Kim Jinsung’s victory than she’d realized.

Even Bin Nasir gave a standing ovation. It was the first time he’d stood up during the entire third preliminary round.

In the midst of the universal celebration, two individuals were visibly distressed.

Jang Seungwook and Baek Jun.

‘Uh oh… This wasn’t part of the plan…’

Jang Seungwook, his face full of dismay, looked at Baek Jun with pleading eyes, silently asking, ‘What do we do now?’.

“……”

Baek Jun was frozen, his face devoid of its usual smile, as hard as stone. He knew the camera was focused on him, but he couldn’t force a smile onto his face.

It was the first time Baek Jun had failed to maintain his composure like this in a public setting.

“…Baek, you don’t look too happy.”

Oh Byeong-guk, noticing his expression, commented, followed by Kang Gyeong-gwon.

“He has a good reason for that. One of his biggest cash cows is dead, and the other is in that state.”

Hearing this, Oh Byeong-guk turned his gaze towards the arena.

He saw Kim Jinsung, still in his berserk state, swaying unsteadily in place.

“Hm. It seems like he’s truly lost his sanity.”

“…Ah, that’s what they call ‘berserk,’ right?”

Kang Gyeong-gwon spoke, checking a message on his smartphone. One of his K3 Clan staff had sent him a report on Kim Jinsung’s current condition.

“A staff member says it’s the same state Kang Minhyuk had during the first preliminary round.”

“Kang Minhyuk, you mean…Kang Chan’s son?”

“Yes, the guy who couldn’t live without cigarettes.”

“Ah… I see. Now I understand. Right, Kang Chan had the same thing….”

Oh Byeong-guk reminisced about his time with Kang Chan.

Finally, the match result was announced through the arena speakers.

[The winner of the final match of the preliminaries is! Kim! Jin ….]

“Raaaaaargh!!”

At that moment,

Kim Jinsung, who had been swaying unsteadily, suddenly roared and charged towards the audience.

He began striking the barrier protecting the crowd.

**Boom! Boom! Wham!**

With each blow, the barrier rippled noticeably.

“Kyaaah!”

“Waaaah!”

The spectators, terrified, screamed and scattered.

Instinctively, Baek Jun barked orders into his headset.

“Activate the suppression system! Now!”

As soon as he gave the command, the magic stones installed throughout the arena fired blue beams at Kim Jinsung.

The light engulfed him, layering over his body – two, three, four layers…

Soon, enshrouded in dozens of layers of blue light, Kim Jinsung’s movement slowed dramatically.

Seeing him move slower than an average person, Baek Jun gave his next order.

“Subdue him. Shackle him. Approach with extreme caution.”

Dozens of Hunter Bureau agents rushed into the arena, surrounding Kim Jinsung.

A powerfully built man, clad in a general’s uniform, approached him from behind and struck the back of his neck with all his might.

**Thwack!**

Kim Jinsung collapsed on the spot.

The surrounding agents swarmed him, shackling his limbs. Baek Jun let out a sigh of relief.

‘Whew…at least subduing him was easy since he was berserk.’

If he had been in his right mind, he wouldn’t have been so easily captured by the suppression system.

They might have had to risk their lives, including Jang Seungwook and himself, to stop him.

‘But this isn’t how it was supposed to end…’

He looked at the audience, a conflicted expression on his face.

The arena, once brimming with excitement, was now buzzing with murmurs, like onlookers at an accident scene, after Kim Jinsung’s sudden outburst.

Their gaze followed Kim Jinsung as he was carried away by the Hunter Bureau agents.

* * *

The battle between Kim Jinsung and Shin Woong, lauded as the most legendary dream match in Colosseum history, continued to be a major topic of conversation worldwide.

The viewers’ reactions were diverse.

– Kim Jinsung is insanely strong! He’s already at a level where he could thrive in the New Continent. Won’t the finals be completely unbalanced now?

– But since the finals are held on an island near the New Continent, maybe there needs to be at least one strong contender like Kim Jinsung?

– I wonder what he’ll do after the survival ends. Which clan will he join? Will he start his own? Or will he head straight for the New Continent?

– Kim Jinsung’s berserk state after the match was terrifying…. Hopefully he recovers before the finals…?

– What was Shin Woong’s ability? And did Kim Jinsung absorb it again?

Most discussions revolved around Kim Jinsung, the victor. The only interest in Shin Woong was focused on his mysterious ability.

“……”

However, one individual earnestly analyzed Shin Woong’s ability, more so than anyone else.

It was Yong Hangil, the master of the Daehan Clan.

[Haaaargh!!]

He watched the replay of Shin Woong repeatedly using his ability, his shout echoing through the monitor. He kept rewinding and replaying that specific scene.

After intently studying the footage with a serious expression, he turned to the young man standing beside him, asking,

“Has anyone figured out Shin Woong’s ability?”

“Not as far as I know, sir.”

The young man responded.

Yong Hangil stood up, declaring,

“I need to go back to Korea. Prepare for immediate departure.”

“Yes, sir”

The young man picked up his phone and began contacting their staff.

Yong Hangil, in the meantime, was already out the door and striding down the hallway.

As he walked briskly, he thought to himself,

‘It seems I’ll have much to discuss with Baek Jun regarding this season.’

The purpose of his sudden trip to Korea was, in fact, to meet Baek Jun.

* * *

Kim Jinsung regained consciousness two days after the match.

He had thankfully returned to his right mind. Recovering his stamina had automatically lifted him out of his berserk state.

After being discharged from the hospital, he returned to his suite, room 2901.

He immediately turned on the computer and played the video footage of his final moments in the match.

[Raaaaaargh!!]

He watched himself charge towards the audience, roaring ferociously, and shook his head.

‘I don’t remember any of it.’

He was also struck by the serious implication of his actions.

‘I really have to be careful from now on. It’s too risky if this happens again.’

He was incredibly lucky this time. If Shin Woong had had any strength left, he could have easily defeated him while he was berserk.

Just like how he himself had effortlessly handled a berserk Kang Minhyuk in the first preliminary round.

‘But there’s no way Shin Woong had any strength left.’

He brought up the notification of the ability he had acquired from Shin Woong.

—

▷ All or Nothing: Recovers from status ailments and increases physical abilities by consuming the user’s lifespan. Requires a rest period after use.

– Repeated use within a short time can overload the body, potentially resulting in permanent impairment of some bodily functions.

▷ Mutual Destruction: Detonates by consuming all remaining HP and MP. Inflicts damage proportional to the user’s stats to all living beings within a large radius.

– After use, HP drops to 1, MP is fixed at 0 for 5 minutes, and all stats are reduced to 1/10 for 10 minutes.

—

‘The skill Shin Woong used at the end was definitely ‘Mutual Destruction.’

The description alone explained why Shin Woong was killed in one blow by a berserk Kim Jinsung. It was impossible for Shin Woong, whose stats were reduced to 1/10 and HP at 1, to withstand the attack of Kim Jinsung, whose stats were doubled due to berserk.

‘But, ‘All or Nothing’…? This trait is incredibly dangerous.’

He was surprised that an ability using lifespan as fuel even existed.

It also explained everything he had seen during the fight.

He now understood how Shin Woong had become progressively stronger with a single ability and why he looked so unwell after using it, with bloodshot eyes and bleeding.

‘His state at the end was due to overload caused by repeatedly using the ability.’

He reread the description of the ‘All or Nothing’ trait and shook his head, dismissing the notification.

‘I should only use this as a last resort.’

It was an incredibly dangerous ability. It had made Shin Woong incredibly strong, but there was no way to tell how much of his lifespan he had sacrificed.

(TLN: next stop imortality)

He swore to himself that he would only use it in life-or-death situations.

‘Once you start using something like that, you won’t be able to stop.’

It might be difficult at first, but he felt that as one got used to using it repeatedly, they might eventually become desensitized to the inherent danger.

**Ding dong.**

‘…Huh?’

Hearing the doorbell, he walked towards the intercom to check who it was.

But there was no need.

Baek Jun was already opening the door and entering the room.

“How are you feeling? Any after-effects from the berserk state?”

Baek Jun asked, greeting him with a warm smile.

Kim Jinsung nodded.

“I’m fine.”

“That’s good to hear. I have something to discuss with you. Could we talk someplace a bit more private?”

Baek Jun asked.

* * *

They were escorted by heavily armed Hunter Bureau agents to room 3001.

It was the same room where he had met Yong Hangil a week ago.

“The reason I called you here…”

Baek Jun, seated with a cup of coffee before him, looked at Kim Jinsung, who had a glass of water, and began.

“I have a question about Shin Woong. You remember how he kept getting stronger during the match, right?”

“Yes.”

“Many people were shocked by that, me included. The South Korean Hunter Bureau was especially stunned. Do you know who Minister Tak Namgyu is?”

“Yes.”

The minister of the Hunter Bureau and a former top-ranked hunter. Of course, he knew who he was.

“He contacted me after the preliminaries ended. He implored me to investigate Shin Woong’s ability, saying he wanted to replicate it at all costs, even if they had to dissect his body.”

“……”

“You were the first person who came to mind when I heard that. From what I’ve seen, I thought you might have absorbed his ability again.”

“……”

“Be honest with me.”

Baek Jun asked, lowering his voice slightly.

“Did you absorb Shin Woong’s ability?”

—