("Emergency Defense Battle (3)"):
Because of his role in the scenario, Gong Pildu couldn't be killed. But at the same time, they couldn't just have him walk out of his territory either.
In dilemmas like this, it's often more helpful to focus on the premise of the dilemma itself.
If the problem is that he's inside his own "private property," then the solution is simple—destroy that property altogether.
"Ugh... G-get me out of here..."
"You son of a—!"
But to execute this method, overwhelming force was required. A single, massive blow to shatter a vast "private territory." That was the reason for accelerating Lee Hyunsung's evolution.
"Uuurgh..."
As they fell to the third basement level, people trapped under collapsed flooring groaned.
The operation was a success.
The "Green Zones" were gone, and the landlords had lost their "rooms." In the midst of the dust, Gong Pildu's enraged face glared in this direction. Just as he was about to speak, Bi Hyeong's voice rang in my ear.
[What the hell are you doing?! Aaaagh!]
'Be quiet.'
[You lunatic! The goblins at Chungmuro are going wild because of you!]
With all the constellation messages buzzing through my mind, I was on the verge of a headache.
[Constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Goah' likes your rampage.]
[Constellation 'Bald Volunteer Commander' likes your revolution.]
[Constellation 'Black Flame Dragon of the Abyss' likes destruction and chaos.]
[You have received 300 coins.]
"G-get that bastard!"
"Kill him!"
One by one, the members of the coalition began shouting at us.
I started running to the lower platform with Lee Hyunsung.
[Exclusive skill, 'Character List' is activating!]
Name: Lee Hyunsung
Trait: One Who Reclaimed Justice (Rare)
Stigmata: [Mountain-Splitting Strike Lv.1], [Mountain-Pushing Force Lv.2]
Exclusive Skills: [Gunblade Technique Lv.2], [Camouflage Lv.2], [Patience Lv.1], [Sense of Justice Lv.2], [Weapon Tempering Lv.3]
Lee Hyunsung's evolution was a success. Technically, this was just the first step, but the fact that he could now use "Mountain-Splitting Strike" significantly boosted the party's power.
"Hyunsung, how many more times can you use it?"
"...At most, one or two times."
Hyunsung was gasping heavily, clearly exhausted.
Understandably so—skills like "Mountain-Splitting Strike" devoured stamina and mana, functioning as a kind of ultimate move. In terms of raw physical power, few body-enhancing skills could match it.
I saw our companions running toward us from various parts of the underground station. I turned to Yoo Sangah, who was leading the group.
"Any places you didn't destroy?"
"We broke them all!"
"I didn't know the 'rooms' would collapse like that. We just kept pounding the floor together and then—boom."
Jung Heewon added from behind.
Yoo Sangah, Jung Heewon, and Lee Gilyoung had each handled smaller "Green Zones." Aside from Gong Pildu's zone, most of them had fewer than three members. Some mid-sized ones had been left to someone else.
[Hey! Are you ignoring me?! What are you going to do now?!]
Meanwhile, Bi Hyeong was still ranting via "Goblin Communications."
'Why so worried?'
[Did you forget? My 'channel' isn't the only one in Chungmuro. You know what kind of shitstorm this'll cause, right?]
Of course I knew. The constellations from the channel hosting Gong Pildu were probably losing it right now.
'Whose channel is Gong Pildu under?'
[…It's that Biryu bastard. Channel BIR-3642.]
'Biryu? The goblin who replaced you recently?'
[Yeah, that jerk.]
'What kind of subscribers does that channel have?'
[It's mainly those from the "Seekers of Play" group.]
A goblin focused on "Seeker of Play," huh? That explains why the last broadcast was so extreme. Good. That means the viewers are probably even more hyped than I expected. They'll have eaten up all the tension and drama.
When we got to the transfer staircase for Line 4, a familiar face appeared. Jang Do was waving his sword in the air nonchalantly.
"All done?"
"Yeah. Easy."
Lee Jihye had handled the Green Zones with 5–8 members. The more difficult ones Jung Heewon couldn't take alone were given to her. As expected of Yoo Joonghyuk's disciple—no, the embodiment of a "holy hero." With this, there were no Green Zones left in Chungmuro.
"But what now? Those bastards are gonna charge at us any second. Oh—here they come."
Lee Jihye smirked as she glanced behind me.
"Just so you know, I'm not helping this time."
"Didn't ask you to."
Jung Heewon rolled her eyes at Jihye as she backed off.
"What's with her?"
Come to think of it, Jung Heewon didn't know Lee Jihye. But there was no time to explain.
[Hah... You're screwed now, man.]
Along with Bi Hyeong's voice, a system message appeared.
[A Bounty Scenario has occurred!]
Category: Sub
Difficulty: C
Clear Condition: Constellations of channel #BIR-3642 have requested the assassination of a specific individual. Eliminate "Kim Dokja" at Chungmuro Station.
Time Limit: 10 minutes
Reward: 2000 coins
Failure Penalty: None
I knew this would happen.
Things are getting very interesting.
Now, every incarnation in the station would come to Platform 3 to hunt me. Jung Heewon, standing beside me, asked:
"Do we get 2,000 coins for killing you?"
"Why? You thinking of killing me?"
"Please. Maybe if it were 200,000."
Does she even realize how much 200,000 coins is worth?
"Dokja, get behind me."
Lee Hyunsung stepped forward. Jung Heewon stood next to him, while Yoo Sangah and Lee Gilyoung moved to either side of me, forming a defensive wall. As if I were the center of a protective formation. Jung Heewon smiled.
"Guess I can finally repay the favor."
"We'll hold them off as best we can."
Hostile faces were gathering around us. Not just the furious coalition landlords, but also the bounty-hungry tenants. As Lee Gilyoung gripped his weapon tightly, I spoke.
"No need to be tense."
I lightly tapped his shoulder and glanced toward the railway.
"They're not supposed to be fighting us."
What round was it again? I once read a scene like this. I didn't have time to confirm the round, but I remembered that Yoo Joonghyuk, maddened by repeated regressions, destroyed all the Green Zones at Chungmuro as soon as he arrived.
Just like now.
[All 'Green Zones' within the station have been destroyed. The main scenario system is going berserk.]
[Difficulty will be automatically adjusted based on remaining scenario time.]
[Scenario has been updated!]
Category: Main
Difficulty: B-
Clear Condition: Due to the destruction of all "Green Zones," all monsters scheduled to appear in the coming days will now emerge at once. Survive against the flood of monsters for the remaining duration.
Duration: 8 hours
Reward: 1,000 coins
Failure Penalty: —
Originally, three days were left in the scenario.
Once a "Green Zone" scenario goes berserk, all the monsters planned to appear over the remaining period spawn simultaneously. In simple terms—
[The Emergency Defense Battle begins now!]
It's a tower defense game now.
"W-what the hell?!"
People who were closing in on me stopped and screamed. From beyond the screen doors, monster cries echoed. Like angry waves, they came surging in.
"Shit! What are those things?!"
Platform 3 turned into a war zone. Faces turned pale as monsters flooded in. People quickly forgot about the bounty scenario.
GRRAARGH!
Several Grolds rushed in, mauling a few coalition members. Chaos erupted as people screamed and scattered.
This is our only chance.
I shouted to the group:
"Run to the transfer passage!"
Together, we bolted up the transfer stairs.
As we neared the top, blocked escape routes caused panic among the crowd.
"Move! Hurry!"
"You wanna die?!"
I kicked a few who were trailing us and drew my sword. Startled by the blade wrapped in Baekcheonganggi, the others backed off.
"You still don't get the situation, do you?"
"W-what?!"
"Even if you escape upstairs—you won't survive."
Faces turned to despair. The "rooms" were gone. Chungmuro had no safe zones left from the monsters.
"What do you want us to do?!"
"What else? Fight."
"Get lost, you freak! This is all your fault! If you hadn't destroyed our rooms...!"
I activated "Blade of Conviction" and drove it into the transfer stairs.
CRAAACK!
"Waaagh!"
The stairs collapsed with a roar, and people fell with it. Brutal, but necessary.
"Shit! Find another staircase! Now!"
Too bad. It won't work out as they hope.
I caught sight of Lee Hyunsung running far ahead. With the other transfer stair already destroyed earlier, only one route remained. Soon, another crash echoed from the opposite side.
"Fuck! Aaargh!"
The screams of people trapped on Line 3's platform echoed throughout the station. At some point, Lee Ji-hye, her expression hardened, had come up next to me and spoke.
"Mister. This isn't what you told me before, is it? If we just leave things as they are, everyone will…"
"I know."
I replied while looking down at the chaos unfolding below.
If we leave things alone like this, they'll all die.
And the monsters will use the bodies of the dead as stepping stones to climb up to this floor.
That's not the outcome I want.
[Exclusive Skill, 'Bookmark' has been activated.]
['Character Bookmark' is now active.]
[Available bookmark slots: 3]
[Loading list of characters available for bookmarking.]
Delusional Demon Kim Nam-woon (Understanding: 35)
Steel Sword Master Lee Hyun-sung (Understanding: 65)
Agitator Chun In-ho (Understanding: 20)
Activate bookmark number 3.
[Bookmark number 3 has been activated.]
[Due to the low level of the bookmark skill, activation time is shortened.]
[Activation time: 5 minutes]
[Due to low understanding of the character, only a portion of the character's skills are available.]
[「Agitation Lv.2」 has been activated.]
Suddenly, I felt my tongue squirming as if it had a will of its own. So this is what it feels like to be Chun In-ho.
I looked down at the floor below. Amid the pandemonium, I spotted the back of a middle-aged man standing dazedly.
"Hey, Gong Pil-du. How long are you going to stand there like an idiot?"
At my voice, Gong Pil-du glared up at me.
"You bastard…!"
"If you want to live, you better move. If you move, everyone else can survive too."
The power of 「Agitation」 seeped into the ears of those paralyzed by fear.
"P-Pil-du!"
"Pil-du, please save us!"
Gong Pil-du's expression slowly twisted. I was quite pleased. This must've been how Chun In-ho at Geumho Station felt.
"The third scenario isn't as hard as you think. If everyone gives up their 'rooms' and participates in the defense, we can handle the number of monsters coming."
What I said was only half true. If Chungmuro had united and fought from the beginning, there would've been far fewer casualties.
In the end, the biggest trap in this scenario