Chapter 85
The Harsh World (2)
'It doesn't matter…
Even if I stay with Kim Dokja and his companions, my presence will bring them nothing but ruin.
The team will fall apart because of me sooner or later.
Yoo Sangah and Lee Hyunsung… they are kind people, too pure for a world like this.
Kim Dokja might understand my actions, and he might realize where this darkness comes from,
but if those kind people remain as they are,
there will be only one ending: death. Nothing more, nothing less.'
Arthur let out a deep sigh, then walked away from Chungmuro Station without looking back.
He climbed to the rooftop.
The air was polluted, heavy with the scent of toxins and ruin,
but Arthur felt nothing.
The Joker Mask granted him immunity that made even this poisoned world incapable of harming him.
He stood for a moment, gazing at the shattered city.
Homes, companies, streets…
everything once called "life" had descended into hell within mere days.
'Since when have I been wandering alone in this miserable world?'
The question passed through his mind without an answer.
After walking for half a day, Arthur found what he had been looking for.
From the moment he left Kim Dokja's group,
his own sub-scenario had appeared before him.
---
{Sub Scenario
Life or Death
The conditions are clear:
You are now without a group.
You have two choices:
Either join a group,
or seize the flag of another group.
Time Limit: 1 day
Compensation: 2000 coins
Failure: Death}
---
|New Mission
Successfully complete the sub-scenario.
Success: 5000 points
Failure: Death|
---
Arthur smiled calmly as he looked at the blue and red windows before him.
"It seems my system is trying to push me to gather points and develop myself further…
Good. That suits me."
He moved without hesitation and entered an underground station.
He advanced silently and lightly.
Ahead, a group of men appeared.
Around twenty of them, their leader sitting on a chair in the center of the station,
a dark red flag fluttering above his head.
The station looked worn down,
as if a violent battle had taken place there just moments ago.
In the middle, a large tent had been set up,
two men guarding its entrance,
before one of them stepped inside.
'Strange…
This is the first time I've seen a group with no women at all.'
Before he could finish the thought,
a scream tore through the place.
A woman's scream…
filled with suppressed pain and fear.
A man stepped out of the tent immediately after,
a twisted smile of satisfaction and pleasure on his face.
At that moment,
Arthur's eyes turned into burning ice.
He understood everything.
He gripped his sword and stepped forward slowly.
The men quickly noticed him and raised their weapons.
"Who are you? Identify yourself!"
"Why did you come here?"
The flag bearer stepped forward, standing before his men.
A small, confident smile rested on his face.
"You don't have a group, do you? Don't worry.
Do you want to join us?"
Arthur smiled calmly behind his mask.
"Yes… are there any conditions?"
The leader clapped his hands and laughed.
"Very simple.
You donate a thousand coins,
bring us some beautiful girls,
and hand over any weapon you have."
Arthur stepped forward steadily,
handed over his black gleaming sword,
shook his hand,
and transferred a thousand coins.
The leader admired the sword.
"Now… all you have to do is bring the girls."
Arthur smiled again.
But this time, his smile was cold.
"Is that your final decision?
You won't change it?"
The leader frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
"I gave you my sword and my coins.
Now tell me…
will you continue down this path?
Or will you change it?"
The men burst into laughter.
"Who do you think you are? You talk like you're the king of the world or something!"
Arthur sighed…
then began to laugh.
A loud laugh, devoid of any joy.
"Me?
I am not the king of the world…
I am the Demon of the Sky, Arthur Narin."
At that very moment,
his dagger moved.
A single precise strike—
it lodged into the leader's heart.
The man fell dead,
and the flag separated with its pole in the air.
Arthur bent down
and grasped the flag.
At that moment,
authority transferred to him.
All of the former leader's followers became his followers.
The expressions on the men's faces changed.
Fear, shock, helplessness.
Arthur didn't care.
He never wanted a group to begin with.
---
{Decide the group's fate}
---
The decision was now his.
Any order he gave would be executed.
Any disobedience… would be met with absolute punishment.
Arthur smiled calmly,
then walked toward the tent.
Deep inside, he knew what he would find,
but he did not expect this level of filth.
He opened the tent.
And froze.
For the first time in his life…
Arthur Narin froze.
What was inside was filthier than words could ever describe.
Several women, completely naked, beaten, utterly violated…
but what shattered Arthur's mind were the children.
Young girls, in the prime of their youth, treated like nothing more than tools to be used.
---
{Constellations of absolute evil smile at your expression}
{The constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire is filled with anger and contempt}
{The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Shackles anticipates an entertaining end for these scum}
{The constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon watches you with great anticipation}
---
Arthur's body trembled violently.
The rage inside him exploded to the point that he could no longer control his madness.
His features changed completely beneath the mask.
He was no longer human.
The Joker Mask began to crack under the pressure of his terrifying aura.
His power erupted,
his aura pressing down on the men,
slamming them into the ground like broken dolls.
His hair fluttered wildly,
blue veins bulging along the hand gripping his sword.
Arthur slowly turned,
looking at the "pigs" before him.
From the intensity of his rage, his destructive aura surged forward, compressing even the air itself.
Space distorted around him, everything bending under the weight of that monstrous force.
Arthur cast a cold, merciless gaze at everyone,
then slowly raised his sword.
The blade became wrapped in a dense dark aura,
a pulsing black power like hatred given form.
Arthur swung his sword in a calm… almost gentle motion,
and in the next instant, released that overwhelming energy.
There was no deafening explosion.
No prolonged screams.
Within mere seconds…
the entire station vanished,
and everyone within it disappeared,
as if they had never existed.
No one survived.
Except Arthur…
and those inside the tent.
Silence fell over everything.
A deadly, painful silence.
Arthur wished the silence had never come. He wished the battle had continued. He wished the chaos had never stopped.
For in that silence…
Arthur had to make a decision.
The rage slowly began to fade,
his mind calmed, and the weight on his burning heart lessened.
He drove his sword into the ground beside him,
then removed the Joker Mask, which had cracked and partially broken under the pressure of his aura.
With trembling steps and a pounding heart,
he entered the tent.
The eyes inside were stunned.
The women were frozen in place,
unable to comprehend that this person…
was the one who had saved them.
Arthur approached quietly,
knelt down to their level,
and gently opened some of their eyes.
"Don't be afraid…"
he said in a low, steady voice,
"I'm here to save you."
A calm smile appeared on his face,
a smile devoid of any threat.
And when the women looked at his face in that moment,
that calm, pure, almost angelic face…
a strange sense of reassurance spread through the place,
a peace they had not known for a long time.
One of the young girls slowly raised her head,
her eyes empty… broken.
"Please… kill me."
Arthur's expression changed instantly.
He froze.
He couldn't respond.
Then other voices followed,
quiet… resigned.
"Kill us all…"
"We can't live anymore."
Arthur closed his eyes.
He felt a sharp pain pierce his chest,
as if his heart was being crushed slowly.
"Those who want to survive…"
he said in a hesitant voice,
"there is a kind group… good people who will help you—"
His voice was cut off.
An older woman stepped forward,
her eyes steady, devoid of hope.
"Thank you, savior…"
she said with deadly calm,
"but we cannot live in this disgusting world anymore."
She bowed slightly.
"This is our final request… kill us."
Arthur felt as if a cold blade had been driven into his heart.
---
{The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Shackles watches you}
{The constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire watches you}
{The constellation Secretive Plotter observes in silence}
{The constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon stares with anticipation}
{The constellations… await your judgment}
---
For the first time in his life…
Arthur felt that the sword in his hand was the heaviest thing in existence.
Heavier than defeat.
Heavier than death.
Heavier even than fighting Cthulhu itself.
If he were given the choice now between fulfilling the will of these women or returning to fight Cthulhu again—
even with a chance at absolute victory—
Arthur would choose to fight Cthulhu.
He felt weak.
Helpless.
Defeated in a way that had no cure.
Time passed, though he did not know how long.
A deadly silence spread across the entire world.
No constellation notifications came. No mission appeared. No human voice… nothing at all.
Then…
Arthur walked out of the tent.
His sword was covered in fresh blood.
He raised his head toward the sky,
but all life had vanished from his eyes.
He let out a deep breath.
His expression told of a bitter internal struggle,
an unbelievable battle… against himself.
At that moment,
a red window appeared before his eyes.
---
{Hidden Scenario: Path of the King}
Category: Hidden
Difficulty: A
Conditions:
Occupy 10 stations within the time limit.
Time Limit: 10 days
Reward: King Attribute
Failure: Death}
---
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