Chapter 75
The Deceiver (1)
The difference between Arthur and Yoo Joonghyuk in terms of physical stats wasn't that great,
but when it came to skills and combat experience, Yoo Joonghyuk was clearly superior.
And yet…
Arthur was the one who won.
It was true that neither side had fought at full strength;
Arthur hadn't used his killing intent,
and Yoo Joonghyuk hadn't unleashed his true power either.
But despite everything—
a victory remained a victory, and a defeat remained a defeat.
After the battle ended, Yoo Joonghyuk sat down, then lay on his chest, catching his breath in silence.
His body was stiff, and pain was evident in even the slightest movement.
Arthur sat on the ground beside him, then took off his shirt without care, examining closely the dagger embedded in Yoo Joonghyuk's back.
It had pierced through the spine and shattered two vertebrae completely.
Arthur frowned slightly and said in a serious tone:
"Hey, Joonghyuk… do you have some kind of miraculous healing ability or something? Because this injury won't heal easily."
Yoo Joonghyuk let out a deep sigh…
and didn't answer.
The silence was enough for Arthur to understand the truth.
No healing ability.
No instant recovery.
Arthur had only two choices:
either give him a miraculous healing potion…
or—
"Lee Shun, come here."
Lee Shun moved immediately and sat beside them.
Arthur looked at him and asked directly:
"Can you heal him?"
"No."
The answer came harsh, short, and filled with anger.
Lee Shun didn't even give himself a moment to think.
Arthur felt that something was wrong.
"Lee Shun… what's going on? Talk to me."
But the boy remained silent, turning his face away, refusing to look at him.
'What did I do to make him this angry?'
Arthur tried to recall everything, searching his memory for any mistake…
but found nothing.
At that moment, Kim Dokja approached and whispered very quietly near his ear:
"It's because of your last words."
Arthur froze slightly.
"Last words? What are you talking about?"
"Didn't you tell him to follow my instructions from now on?
Lee Shun thought you were going to die at that moment. He tried to fight alongside you, tried to stop you… but we held him back at the last second.
He's still angry at you."
Arthur let out a slow sigh, then cursed his own stupidity inwardly.
From the beginning, he had never intended to die…
but his words had suggested otherwise.
Arthur smiled gently, then placed his hand on Lee Shun's head.
"Lee Shun… I'm sorry."
The boy's body trembled, then he finally burst out:
"Why do you do this?!
You did the same thing my brother did…
He tried to protect me, sacrificed himself, and then died!"
His voice shook, and tears streamed down his face.
"Why does everyone who gets close to me… end up getting hurt like this?"
At that moment—
Arthur didn't answer immediately.
He simply smiled softly, then took out a miraculous healing potion and placed it into Yoo Joonghyuk's mouth.
"Swallow it, and stay still for a few seconds. Everything will return to normal."
He didn't wait for a response.
He stood up quickly, lifted Lee Shun onto his shoulder, and began walking away.
He looked at Kim Dokja and nodded slightly.
Kim Dokja understood the message and smiled faintly.
Arthur walked out, carrying Lee Shun on his shoulder, moving away from everyone.
"Lee Shun… are you angry?"
"No."
"Do you want to hit me?"
"Of course not."
"Will you forgive me for what I said earlier?"
The boy hesitated for a moment, then said:
"No… but I will on one condition."
"What is it?"
{Many constellations are eavesdropping on your conversation… and smiling}
"I'll forgive you if you promise me you won't leave me…
and that you won't die before me."
Arthur stopped.
He set Lee Shun down and looked at him.
That small, gentle, sorrowful face…
green eyes reddened from crying,
lips trembling despite his attempt to stay strong.
Arthur slowly raised his pinky finger.
"Of course. I promise… none of us will die."
Lee Shun turned his face away stubbornly, muttering:
"A pinky promise? I'm not a child to do that, big brother."
Arthur removed his mask and looked at him with feigned sadness.
"Then… you won't promise me?"
His voice trembled deliberately, and his beautiful eyes seemed on the verge of tears.
Lee Shun couldn't bear it.
He quickly turned back and hooked his finger with Arthur's.
"It's a promise! Don't be sad… please."
Arthur smiled with genuine joy, then lifted him onto his shoulder again and returned to the group.
When he came back, Yoo Joonghyuk had already left.
Arthur stood in front of Kim Dokja.
"Did he tell you why he didn't kill Jung Bildeo?"
Jung Bildeo…
the owner of the largest safe zone in the area.
The bathhouse territory that Lee Shun and Lee Gilyoung had stepped on earlier belonged to him,
and from what Arthur understood, he was undoubtedly an evil man.
"He said he wants to make use of him in the future."
"And what about his men? I mean… I could kill them in my sleep."
Kim Dokja shook his head thoughtfully.
"Maybe yes, maybe no.
All of his men are inside his territory.
If the territory is activated, it could turn into a fight to the death… with heavy losses.
We need a more efficient method."
Kim Dokja sighed, deep in thought.
And suddenly—
without anyone noticing—
The dokkaebi Bihyung appeared.
{Now then… shall we begin the third day of the main scenario?}
Bihyung snapped his fingers, and red windows appeared before everyone.
{Main Scenario #3
Green Zone (Day 3)
Category: Main
Difficulty: C
Conditions:
Occupy the green zone in the station,
and survive the monsters that appear every night at midnight.
The scenario will last seven days.
Time Limit: Seven hours
Reward: 1000 coins
Failure: ???}
The third scenario had finally been revealed.
{The rules are clear, aren't they?
Occupy a green zone and remain in it.
And of course… you can seize others' zones.
By staying inside a green zone, you won't be harmed by monsters.
But if you fail to find a zone before midnight…
well—
your end is death.}
As soon as the dokkaebi finished speaking, the place exploded into chaos.
People began running like mad;
some desperately searching for a zone to claim,
others deciding to kill those inside zones to seize them by force.
Within seconds, the place turned into a layered hell—
screams, threats, blood about to spill,
and the instinct to survive devouring every mind.
Yoo Sangah's voice trembled as she approached Kim Dokja, fear clear in her eyes.
"We don't have to kill to survive… right, Dokja?"
Kim Dokja looked at her calmly, then replied:
"Not necessarily.
Split up and try to find a zone that can accommodate the whole group.
Zones vary—some fit one person, others dozens."
Then he added firmly:
"For now, everyone moves together.
Arthur and I will go alone.
If you can't find a room within twenty minutes of the scenario starting,
come back here and regroup."
One by one, the companions moved, each carrying their own tension and fear.
And after they left…
only Arthur and Kim Dokja remained.
Kim Dokja raised his phone and began reading something with intense focus.
His eyes moved rapidly, as if devouring the words.
"There are no rooms left."
The voice came from beside him.
It was Arthur.
Kim Dokja froze in place, then instinctively stepped back.
He slowly turned, only to find that Arthur's expression had completely changed.
"You… you bastard… you—"
'Damn it… did he figure everything out?'
"Arthur, calm down a little, please."
"Calm down?"
Arthur stepped closer, his voice low but tense.
"How am I supposed to calm down when you're reading a novel without telling me?"
"Arthur… I can explain—"
He cut him off immediately:
"Explain what?
You have a novel you can read even in this ruined world?
And me?
I absolutely love reading novels."
Kim Dokja sighed with difficulty, as if the air had grown heavier.
"Let's talk about this later."
{The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband wonders what you are doing}
Kim Dokja suddenly raised his head.
Then he heard the dokkaebi Bihyung whisper in his ear.
It turned out that no one could read the contents of that novel.
Not the constellations…
not even the dokkaebi themselves.
Not just the constellations—even the dokkaebi, who controlled the system, couldn't read the novel inside the notebook.
So could any human read it at all?
At that moment, Arthur suddenly turned.
"What are you doing here, Lee Jihye?"
Lee Jihye smiled faintly, as if the situation didn't concern her much.
"I just wanted to see what you're doing.
You… are the master's companions."
"Don't you have a room or something?"
"Of course I do."
She said it confidently, then added coldly:
"And anyone who dares take it…
I'll send them all to hell."
Arthur sighed quietly, as if it didn't surprise him.
Then he glanced sideways at Kim Dokja.
"Dokja… the situation is hopeless.
Our companions are cowards."
Kim Dokja's expression immediately worsened.
"What do you mean by that, Arthur?"
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