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Chapter 167: The Three Great Despairs (1)

Chapter 167: The Three Great Despairs (1)

“Thanks? What do you mean by that?”

Moyong Su asked, clearly unable to comprehend the situation.

Indeed, it would be hard to understand.

He was the one who managed to grab a fortune that could overturn all the despair he had encountered until now.

And he was the one who made it possible to leave through the gate.

Of course he’d feel uneasy, given that everything had gone according to plan yet here we were, unshaken.

Jinhyuk shrugged his shoulders.

Nearly all the business in the labyrinth was dealt with, so he thought he ought to explain things kindly, at least this last part—but the short version, not the long one.

“Let me give you a hint: think about the theme of this labyrinth.”

“The labyrinth’s… theme?”

Moyong Su chewed over Jinhyuk’s words, looking puzzled.

Then something clicked for him.

The guardians protecting the valley of the ancient kings.

The various traps punishing grave robbers…

That’s right.

This labyrinth was all about protecting the serene rest of the noble kings.

“No way!”

“The fourth horn doesn’t bring luck, but rather…”

is pretty much to thoroughly punish the tenacious intruders who survived the three despairs.

I’m not sure where you heard those stories about this place while you were holed up being tortured.

But it was all misinformation.

“There’s no gold for grave robbers here.”

With those words…

…the atmosphere shifted abruptly.

[The Fourth Luck (Despair), Instant Retribution (因果應報)]

Those who disturb the peace of this place.

Their penalty will be washed away with the blood of their own homeland.

The fourth one means that all the despair encountered so far will be forcibly moved to the homeland of the one who sounded the horn.

That’s the last punishment for those who invaded the tomb.

“You’ve only read about it in texts, so you don’t really know. Documents from the Tower of Trials are often tampered with, especially ones about labyrinths designed for protection like this.”

“You… how do you know such things?”

How does he know?

Because he’s experienced it all himself, that’s how.

In the past, it wasn’t much of a concern since players had folded.

But the three great despairs would be summoned back to their original place after a week, so it wasn’t a big problem for those who played later, either.

Of course.

That was when it was all just a game.

[The gate has been activated.]

[An outbreak has occurred in Beijing, China.]

[The Three Great Calamities will manifest!]

[A ‘mark’ has been engraved on the players of the Zhonghua Guild.]

[Targets with a ‘mark’ will become the focus of the Three Great Calamities, and if more than 50% of the players in the Zhonghua Guild die, the entire country of China will become the target.]

Red status boxes appeared in rapid succession.

“This, this is…”

Liao Wei’s eyes widened in shock.

Monsters that they had never dared to fight were appearing in the Zhonghua Guild.

It was an event as unpredictable as a natural disaster.

Moyong Su was equally flustered.

He thought he had understood everything about the despair-summoning horn through ancient texts.

What on earth was this?

The contradiction between the information he knew and reality made his head feel like it was about to burst.

“It seems like you’ve only glanced at what was written somewhere, but there are many mistakes in the information listed in the Tower of Trials.”

A failure among failures.

That’s why, now and then, such information in the Tower fooled people, just like it had now.

“You dare suggest the documents in the Martial Alliance’s archives are falsified? Do you even realize what nonsense you’re spouting with that tongue?”

Moyong Su was livid.

Wow, he’s as fresh as live fish straight from the water.

If you told the Moyong family here that they were the weakest amongst the five great families, he’d probably drop dead from high blood pressure.

“It’s none of my concern how well-informed Martial Alliance is. What’s urgent now is how to stop the Three Great Despairs, isn’t it?”

For the moment, the marked players from the Zhonghua Guild would be the target.

But if more than 50% of the entire guild dies, the citizens themselves become targets.

Now it’s not about protecting the guild’s image or whatever. It’s about fighting for the fate of all of China.

Yet…

“…Stop spouting nonsense. How on earth are we supposed to protect China against those creatures?”

Moyong Su drew the line, seemingly believing there was no value in even considering it.

Of course.

I expected that kind of response, but so bluntly?

Like a lizard shedding a useless tail, there’s not even a hint of hesitation.

“Do you think the same?”

Jinhyuk’s gaze shifted to Liao Wei.

It’s one thing for Moyong Su to be indifferent, as it wasn’t an incident in the martial world, but Liao Wei’s home ground is turning into complete chaos.

To protect the guild, he would have to enter the labyrinth.

After a moment of pondering, Liao Wei slowly opened his mouth.

“Being marked means… I also become a target if I go through the gate, correct?”

“Yes, you would be seen as a tasty morsel to them.”

“Then I too will not go.”

“You would abandon your comrades so easily?”

“You wouldn’t understand… or perhaps you would. Only the strong and useful may climb the tower. I’ve learned the same from Master Nangong Tian.”

The idea that anything can be discarded for survival.

Well, they thought nothing of attacking peaceful elven villages for their own benefit.

Perhaps it is realistic to behave in such a manner.

The leaders of the Zhonghua Guild, including Nangong Tian, were already in the process of being assimilated into a part of the martial world.

With a broader world of endless possibilities at their fingertips, they wouldn’t want to risk losing everything trying to hold onto a reality that resembled a cesspit.

I understand that.

But…

To speak so callously of it…

…felt nauseatingly vile.

“As I thought, it’s impossible to befriend you lot.”

Trash varies in levels, but this is food waste level.

No, it might be time to even reconsider the food waste’s point of view.

“Don’t be hypocritical. In the end, we’re all bystanders, aren’t we?”

Liao Wei’s lips curled subtly.

“I’m different from you. At the very least, I don’t abandon my own people.”

Jinhyuk quietly shook his head.

At that, Moyong Su questioned him once more.

“You’re not planning to enter the gate, are you?”

“Puppies wagging their tails have no need to concern themselves with such matters, do they? You lot will now only care about the power struggles in the middle tiers, regardless of whether other people live or die.”

So, please, leave.

The gate created by Kyeongjong doesn’t last very long.

It’s short of time, and I won’t be backstabbing creatures nimble enough to scurry away like cockroaches, so you can walk away reassured.

“Futile heroism? How amusing.”

With a final sneer, Moyong Su turned away.

“We will return to the martial world as we are. It wasn’t planned for us to abandon the Zhonghua Guild so soon, but there’s nothing that can be done now. The main forces of the guild have been evacuated, haven’t they?”

“Yes. As you instructed, they were all sent to the ‘Training Ground’ before arriving here. But are we really leaving them be?”

“It doesn’t matter what we do. They can’t do anything.”

I admit we were wrong about the effect of the horn.

But we were not mistaken about the strength of the Three Great Despairs.

Moyong Su was certain because he had fought them himself.

No matter how extraordinary the player may be, they couldn’t change the inevitable outcome.

‘Whatever his intentions for helping China are, I can’t say, but thanks to him, we can now get rid of a major headache without lifting a finger.’

That was enough.

There’s no need to prolong the conversation or to probe each other’s intentions.

The fools who enter the gate will soon all be cold corpses.

That’s how Moyong Su and Liao Wei disappeared from the tomb.

＊＊＊

[Gate Duration: 0h:1m:13s]

The status window flashed even faster.

Seeing the gate flicker, it seemed that almost no time was left.

“Are you really going to fight those monsters? It seems like there will be more losses than gains?”

Alice had approached and added to the conversation.

To anyone, it looked like a reckless fight, of course, it didn’t make sense.

Of course.

It’s not because of some grand reason to help poor civilians.

And it’s certainly not to save the Zhonghua Guild.

‘It’s all being recorded, right?’

Jinhyuk briefly checked the ‘Broadcast System’s recording function.

Normally, you couldn’t turn on broadcasting or record during a masquerade, but thanks to the martial world’s forceful intervention in the system, an opportunity arose.

Like a bug, so to speak.

So, the fools enthusiastically dug their own graves.

If these conversations were made public, everyone in the world would see the Zhonghua Guild for what it really is…

There was no need for a lengthy explanation.

Plus, there were benefits to doing this, not just screwing over Zhonghua and the martial world.

If he could hunt the Three Great Despairs, he could hog all the significant experience and items they dropped.

‘Gaining notoriety and leveling up at the same time. Oh, the forces that value these reasons will be ecstatic. The accolades will all fall to me.’

The stage was set; it was impossible not to take this path.

Jinhyuk clapped his hands.

It was time to select those who would enter the gate.

“One spot is taken by China, leaving two. Obviously, one is mine.”

Only one spot remained.

Jinhyuk’s eyes sparkled expectantly.

Despite the clear expectation, no one stepped forward.

“Tsk, tsk.”

Cheon Yu-Sung clicked his tongue as if to say, expect what’s expected.

“Hmph, hmm.”

Alice whistled, feigning indifference.

“…”

Even Teresa hesitated.

I mean, shouldn’t the saint, of all people, voluntarily step forward?

Isn’t she the European hero who halted the Amsterdam outbreak?

Wait, now that I think about it…

Could it be?

Feeling an intense sense of unease, Jinhyuk paused.

‘Something’s off.’

Teresa had always embodied the pinnacle of altruism.

No matter how dire the situation.

Even if the opposition consisted of foes they had just battled.

Her compassion was supposed to be unwavering.

Yet at a time like this, she remained silent?

That didn’t make sense.

As suspicion turned into certainty, there was only one way to find the truth.

[Lv9 ‘Eyes of Gluttony’ begin to perceive the target!]

Quickly, Jinhyuk gathered mana into his eyes.

And at that moment.

All questions were immediately resolved.

‘Ho-ho.’

Jinhyuk let out a quiet exclamation of surprise.

Things just got interesting.

An unexpected and quite entertaining variable had emerged.