Episode 10. Future War (5)
After leaving the theater, I took Lee Hyunsung and Yoo Sangah straight to Myeongdong Station. Dongmyo Station was important too, but there was something we needed to deal with first.
Since we'd killed the leader of Myeongdong and taken their flag, we had to hurry and occupy the now-empty station.
Lee Hyunsung spoke with concern.
"Will it be all right with just this many people?"
"We're not going there to fight. We're going there to decide their fate. If we leave them alone, they'll die soon enough."
A 'wanderer' who had lost their group would, unless they were exceptionally lucky, become prey for another group—just like what had happened to the allied members who'd left Chungmuro Station.
But the moment we arrived at Myeongdong Station, we were greeted by an unexpected sight.
The people of Myeongdong Station had already been dealt with—by someone else.
And it had been utterly brutal.
Men in special assault uniforms who had been loitering near the [Flag Stand] of Myeongdong Station spotted me.
They flinched in shock and immediately fled toward Hoehyeon. As expected, since they had bikes, it didn't look like they'd be easy to chase.
It was as if they had known I was coming.
There were too many strange things going on.
Lee Hyunsung asked,
"Who are those people? What happened here?"
"I don't know either."
"Something even you don't know, Dokja…."
Lee Hyunsung swallowed, clearly tense.
At least one thing was fortunate—the [Flag Stand] at Myeongdong Station was empty.
[There is currently no group occupying 'Myeongdong Station.']
[Would you like to occupy this station?]
I planted the flag I'd been carrying on my back into the Flag Stand, then pulled it back out.
In its place, a flag identical in shape to mine appeared.
[You have occupied 'Myeongdong Station.']
[Once a station has been taken, it cannot be seized unless your 'Main Base' is taken or your flag is stolen.]
[Current occupied stations: Chungmuro (Main Base), Myeongdong]
[The merit score of the 'Red Flag' has increased.]
The red color of the flag deepened further.
[By occupying a new station, your influence has expanded.]
[A Hidden Scenario has arrived!]
['The King's Path' has begun!]
Category: Hidden
Difficulty: A
Clear Condition: Occupy at least 10 stations within the given time.
Time Limit: 10 days
Reward: Awakening of the 'King' trait
Failure: If you fail to occupy at least one station per day, you and all members of your group will die.
At last, a horrifying hidden scenario had arrived.
Once this quest had begun, there was no turning back.
The fate of a 'king' was always one of two things.
Become king—or die.
[A new 'King' candidate has begun walking their path!]
From now on, the true battle for flags begins.
After returning to Chungmuro, I gathered everyone and told them about the hidden scenario I'd received. Jung Heewon looked intrigued, Lee Hyunsung looked troubled, and Yoo Sangah, as always, looked worried.
"It sounds like an extremely difficult scenario… Dokja, will you be all right?"
"I'll be fine."
Angel or fool… Even in a situation like this, instead of envying me for getting a hidden scenario, she was genuinely worried.
Lee Hyunsung spoke.
"Still, I think it's fortunate that you're the King candidate, Dokja."
"Thank you."
"Then should we start calling you 'Your Majesty' from now on?"
I waved my hands at Lee Hyunsung's serious question.
"I don't want that."
"Oh dear, Your Majesty. If the contents of the hidden scenario are accurate, shouldn't we be heading out to occupy another station right away? For the sake of your loyal subjects' lives, at least."
Jung Heewon said mockingly.
I nodded.
"First, we need to find out who those people who attacked us were. We'll head straight to Dongmyoap Station, so Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung, could you come with me?"
At my words, Yoo Sangah raised her hand slightly.
"Then I'll…."
"Yoo Sangah, please stay here."
"Ah… I see… that would be… better…."
Hearing the dejection in Yoo Sangah's voice, I realized my mistake.
She was probably thinking about her usefulness.
She didn't have Jung Heewon's offensive power, nor Lee Hyunsung's endurance. And she didn't have a single overwhelming attack like Gilyoung's, either.
"Yoo Sangah."
"...Yes?"
All the 'specs' she'd had were now useless in this new world. But she was too kind to envy others. Instead, her inferiority complex was probably festering quietly inside her.
"Yoo Sangah, not everyone can be good at the same things."
"Yes, I know."
Yoo Sangah smiled weakly.
I spoke carefully, trying not to sound like I was lecturing her.
"Do you remember what I said on the subway? Dokja has Dokja's life, and Sangah has—"
"Sangah's life. Yes, I remember. I even wrote it down in my phone's memo app."
But why did she suddenly look so proud…?
Anyway, she was impossible to dislike. I continued.
"Yoo Sangah, there are things you need to do here. We can't just leave Gilyoung unconscious like that. We need someone to keep an eye on Gong Pildu in case he tries something, and someone to take charge of the anxious group members."
Yoo Sangah's eyes wavered.
"On top of that, we need to keep the Hoehyeon faction in check. They could launch a surprise attack while we're gone. Gong Pildu is here, but depending on the situation, your [Thread Binding] might be necessary."
"I-I can really do that kind of role well…?"
Before Yoo Sangah could spiral into self-doubt again, I cut in.
"Everyone, in that sense… I was thinking of giving Yoo Sangah a position. What do you all think?"
After a moment of thought, Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon nodded.
"That's fine. If it's Yoo Sangah, we can trust her."
"Your Majesty… if that is what you desire… then so be it…"
I glared at Jung Heewon for a moment.
So this is amusing to you, huh?
[Using the Representative's Unique Authority.]
[Chungmuro Station's representative 'Kim Dokja' has transferred part of his authority to group member 'Yoo Sangah.']
[Group member 'Yoo Sangah' has become the 'Deputy Representative' of Chungmuro Station.]
[From now on, group member 'Yoo Sangah' may issue 'Punishment' to group members in place of the representative.]
Yoo Sangah stared at me with wide, stunned eyes and stammered, looking frightened.
"M-me… me taking a position like this…"
"I'm entrusting it to you because it's you, Yoo Sangah."
I meant that sincerely. As I said before, not everyone can do the same things well. And the Yoo Sangah I remembered was definitely suited for this role.
After all, she wasn't just anyone—she'd once been the top talent in the HR department.
"Ah… I'll do my best."
Yoo Sangah, who had lowered her head, slowly lifted it again.
There was a faint glimmer of tears at the corners of her eyes.
We immediately headed toward the tunnel leading to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station.
Dongmyoap Station was three stops away. We decided to move while carrying the unconscious Kang Ilhoon. Honestly, bringing him along was a burden, but we needed him to identify their faces.
As I glanced back at the receding Chungmuro Station, I heard Yoo Sangah's voice.
"Everyone, please gather for a moment!"
As expected, Yoo Sangah was the type who worked even harder where no one could see. It sounded like she'd already finished organizing the personnel—voices murmured as people received instructions. Setting up sentries, assigning responsibilities to each area.
Of course, since many of them were landlords, there would surely be some stubborn old men who wouldn't listen to her…
[Chungmuro Station Deputy Representative 'Yoo Sangah' has used 'Punishment.']
A faint groan from someone reached my ears.
…She'll be fine, right? Yeah. She'll be fine.
Seeing my expression, Jung Heewon spoke.
"You did well. Yoo Sangah looked a bit down, actually."
"I didn't make the decision just to spare her feelings. I simply believed that the Yoo Sangah I know would do an excellent job."
"Oh? Is that so? Then give me a position later too. Something that suits me."
"How about 'executioner'?"
"…Never mind."
Jung Heewon grumbled and turned her head away.
She'd been joking around nonstop—serves her right.
"But what about that punk on the rooftop? Is it really okay to just leave him?"
"Oh, Yoo Joonghyuk?"
"That sounds about right."
"He'll probably be fine."
"You talk like you know him really well. What kind of relationship do you have?"
"That's…"
I thought for a moment, then asked,
"Heewon, do you have any siblings?"
"…? Yes. Why?"
"Younger brother or sister?"
"A younger brother."
"How old?"
"He's in his first year of middle school."
"What's it like, having a sibling?"
"It's annoying. He's a pain, always talking back… I've even had to go to school in Mom's place because he caused trouble…"
Jung Heewon went on ranting about her brother for quite a while, before her words slowly tapered off. As she stared into empty space, I asked,
"But you're still worried about him, right?"
"Well… yeah. He's family, after all."
"I'm the same."
"Dokja, you had a sibling too?"
"No. I'm talking about Yoo Joonghyuk."
"Ah…"
Jung Heewon nodded as if she understood, then looked at me.
"So which is it? Do you like him or hate him?"
"I hate him. I got into a lot of fights with people because of that guy."
Back when Ways of Survival had just begun serialization, I wasn't its only reader. Up until the first ten episodes, quite a few people followed out of curiosity. Even by episode fifty, there were still twelve readers left.
Back then, I wasn't much better than Kim Namwoon either…
I wonder if the guys I used to fight with in the comments section are doing well now.
It's possible that the guy we're heading to capture right now is one of them.
"You two seem to have gotten pretty close."
At Lee Hyunsung's comment, I suddenly realized I'd been walking a bit too close to Jung Heewon.
Jung Heewon smirked and asked,
"What is it, mister soldier? Jealous?"
"Hm. Not exactly…"
Come to think of it, wasn't Lee Hyunsung's background something like boys' middle school, boys' high school, engineering college, then the army? Remembering that setting now, I felt kind of bad for him.
"I just said that because it looks like we've arrived at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station."
Indeed, the entrance to the station platform was coming into view in the distance.
We tensed up and hugged the tunnel wall, carefully scouting ahead, in case enemy forces were lying in wait.
But our concern proved unnecessary. Jung Heewon said,
"That's strange. Not even a single sentry."
With the [Flag Capture Battle] underway, the absence of sentries meant only one thing—the station had already been taken by another group.
Confirming there was no sign of life, we headed straight for Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station's [Flag Stand].
[This station is already being occupied by 'Dongmyoap Station.']
[If you wish to take this station, seize the flag of 'Dongmyoap Station' or occupy its Flag Stand first.]
As expected.
That was when the body of the unconscious Kang Ilhoon suddenly twitched.
At first, I thought he was having another seizure, but something felt off. When I loosened the thread that had been gagging his mouth, Kang Ilhoon shouted,
"N-no… no…!"
"…What's with you all of a sudden?"
"D-Dongdaemun… Dongdaemun Station is…!"
Drool streamed from Kang Ilhoon's trembling lips as he stuttered.
With a sudden sense of foreboding, I absentmindedly placed a hand on his shoulder.
And then—
[Character 'Kang Ilhoon' is currently in the 'Wanderer' state.]
Up until just a moment ago, Kang Ilhoon had clearly belonged to 'Dongdaemun,' but his affiliation had changed.
Jung Heewon asked,
"What's going on?"
"It looks like Dongdaemun Station has been captured."
"…What?"
Suddenly, everything made sense.
So that's how it was.
The ones who leaked the information had planned this from the very beginning.
"…It was a double trap."
The ones who provoked the Myeongdong group and the Dongdaemun group into attacking Chungmuro had known from the start that they would die at Chungmuro. While their forces were tied up, those bastards had intended to seize Myeongdong and Dongdaemun. The unidentified men in tactical suits we encountered at Myeongdong were probably among them.
But… how did they know we would win?
They couldn't have known about my existence.
In the original third regression, the one who became the representative of Chungmuro Station was…
…Ah, I see now. You bastards.
Was that what you were aiming for?
Now it was certain.
The ones who devised this plan—the so-called —were without a doubt…
That was when Lee Hyunsung reacted.
"People are coming."
Indeed, a group of people was approaching from the tunnel leading to Dongdaemun.
Even at a glance, they were heavily armed.
Items that looked to be at least average C-rank or higher. It wouldn't be easy to assemble equipment of that level so early on through ordinary achievement rewards alone… they were a formidable force.
The man who spoke first was the one standing at the center of the group.
He had a slender build, and his arms and neck were adorned with all kinds of items.
"Oh? Kang Ilhoon? My, you've brought along a lot of unnecessary trinkets."
Kang Ilhoon, who had been trembling violently, foamed at the mouth and fainted on the spot.
If that's the case, then could it be that guy?
[Activating the exclusive skill, 'Character List'!]
And then, moments later, an unexpected message appeared.
[This character's information cannot be viewed through 'Character List.']
[This character is not registered in the 'Character List.']
Well, well?
The man's gaze settled on us.
"Care to introduce yourselves? Or else…"
At his words, the group drew their weapons all at once.
I stepped forward and answered,
"We're from Chungmuro."
"Chungmuro?"
At that moment, pajijik—sparks crackled in the air.
[Someone is using 'Trait Appraisal' on you.]
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' blocks 'Trait Appraisal.']
As if struck by a mental shock, the man staggered briefly.
After hesitating for a moment, he asked me with a flustered expression,
"…Pardon me, but may I ask your name?"
I glanced once at Jung Heewon, then once at Lee Hyunsung.
Then, grinning faintly, I opened my mouth toward the man—
in the coldest, heaviest voice I knew.
"I am Yoo Joonghyuk."