〈 Chapter 222 〉 The Fifth Trial (4)
*
At a nearby coffee shop.
I ultimately decided to have a deeper conversation with the young man.
There were just too many things bothering me.
First of all…
“What do you mean by being able to stand up again?”
The young man replied.
“Just what it sounds like. Honestly, I thought I had zero talent and was considering quitting swordsmanship altogether. Then… I happened to learn about Allen Pleuk from Mr. Sung Yoo-rang.”
Gone was the shy demeanor from earlier; now his eyes were ablaze with passion.
“It was impressive. No matter how scared he was, he went for it anyway. He challenged the impossible and won, just like a shounen manga, and I found it incredibly cool.”
Of course, he had no idea that I was Allen Pleuk.
But hearing that right to my face was undeniably embarrassing.
Unaware of my feelings, he continued.
“So I decided to give it one more shot. Honestly, it didn’t seem like there was any hope, but I thought that even if I quit swordsmanship, I wanted to give it one more try at the next tournament before I did.”
Now I understood.
That’s why he felt he could rise again thanks to me.
He found the courage to attempt for the 101st time, beyond the 100th.
I felt a sense of pride.
“I’m glad. It’s nice to help.”
However, there was still one remaining question.
“So how did you learn Allen’s swordsmanship?”
The graphics in Hundred Braves were rather shabby.
The effects of various sword techniques barely differed from one another.
Especially since Allen’s swordsmanship, which didn’t unleash flames or light, was bound to be incredibly ordinary.
“Allen’s swordsmanship? Oh, you mean my swordsmanship.”
No, that’s my swordsmanship!
I almost pointed that out, but I couldn’t help but accept that it was considered his swordsmanship.
“Watch closely.”
He showed me a video.
It featured a character with poor graphics swinging a sword.
“This one…”
The next video was me swinging a sword.
“Can you see the difference?”
Honestly, I couldn’t really tell.
The graphics were too simple to see much of a difference.
But he found a contrast in it.
“If you look here, Allen extends his foot a few pixels further as he approaches, and…”
It seemed he was trying hard to analyze the simplistic graphics.
Even so, I thought that alone couldn’t allow someone with average talent to mimic my swordsmanship.
If they were an ordinary talent, that is.
‘This guy is just a genius.’
Though he felt talentless, he indeed had his own skill.
It was just that his potential nearly got buried under his frustration.
Well, at this point…
‘Just do your own swordsmanship.’
This place was Earth, after all.
Moreover, trials were ahead.
So what if a genius from Earth had stolen my swordsmanship?
I felt a bit good about it.
A talented swordsman could rise again thanks to me.
That realization hit me anew.
Up until now, it was my companions who’ve kept me from feeling lonely on the path I walked.
But now, it felt like there were even more of them.
I learned that there were people in Earth watching over my journey and being influenced by it.
‘It used to be only Sung Yoo-rang like that, but…’
Things began to change a bit after Sung Yoo-rang started streaming.
Even my videos posted online had surpassed 5 million views.
‘Is it a good thing?’
Honestly, it felt a bit embarrassing.
Though the love I shared with Elsie, Sara, and Gwen wasn’t broadcasted in the game… it’s still a bit mortifying that so many people are watching my journey.
Still…
‘For now, I feel good.’
At least I felt that way after hearing the young swordsman’s story.
*
Miss Mint Lemon decided to drive me back home.
I was glad she came with me.
I felt especially tired today for some reason.
‘By the way…’
What should I do now?
I shouldn’t forget that we’re still in a trial.
From now on, I guess I need to think about the trials again.
‘But I still don’t even know the purpose of the trial.’
While I was pondering this…
Miss Mint Lemon spoke up.
“You look happy.”
Happy? True, my current feelings were separate from my worries, and I indeed felt good.
Nothing made me happier than knowing I had helped someone.
But I probably couldn’t just say that outright.
“Yes, because the Allen Pleuk I raised has been helpful.”
“That’s right. And I bet that young man isn’t the only one who benefitted from Allen’s help.”
“Seems likely, doesn’t it?”
Most likely.
But…
I turned my gaze to the scenery passing by outside the car window.
The sun had already set, casting the night.
Seoul’s landscape was filled with the lights from cars and buildings.
And that created a stunning view.
‘What a beautiful city.’
That scenery made my heart ache.
‘Maybe…’
All that help might ultimately become meaningless.
If I failed to stop the High Priest.
My judgment would lead to the disappearance of this Seoul.
Because I killed the 72nd Demon King and persuaded the Water Sage.
This Seoul—no, this Earth, might vanish.
Of course, I wasn’t unaware of this.
I knew when I persuaded the Water Sage that it might lead to something like this.
I had made the decision knowing and considering everything.
But seeing it with my own eyes was different.
Even though this Earth I was seeing now was a fake Earth within the trials, its resemblance to the actual Earth had yet to differ.
If I thought everything before my eyes could crumble at any moment…
Thud.
The car jolted as it passed over a speed bump.
At that moment, Miss Mint Lemon suddenly spoke.
“Do you know?”
“Yes?”
“I’ve also received a lot of help from Allen.”
Was it just me, or did the atmosphere feel a bit strange?
“I actually didn’t want to become a streamer.”
I think she had mentioned something similar before.
She said she never thought she’d become a streamer.
But she never said she didn’t want to.
“You didn’t want to? Then why…”
“I was told to by the company. I got kicked out of the department I was originally working in without any reason that made sense, and they told me I could keep working only if I became a streamer.”
The company?
“So, I might have felt a sense of kinship with Ershiarah. We both ended up living lives playing roles we didn’t want for unjust reasons. I probably rescued her from Leim Kingdom for that reason too.”
In that moment, I felt a certainty.
“Wait, you…”
“I felt a brief happiness seeing her being saved. Although, I haven’t been saved myself.”
This is dangerous.
My instincts as Allen warned me.
But her eyes, resembling Elsie’s, made me miss my timing to resist.
“I’m sorry, Yuran.”
As she pressed a button, a partition descended between us.
And gas poured out through the ventilation.
‘Damn.’
This is canceled.
The thought that security in the middle of Seoul is reliable was canceled.
And I should have suspected Miss Mint Lemon’s true identity earlier.
After all, I knew she was the suspicious official streamer for Hundred Braves.
Moreover…
‘The timing of everything has been weird.’
The moments her texts arrived strangely coincided with when I sent my emails to the operators.
And the suspicious presence I felt was right before she arrived.
Plus, I hadn’t felt any suspicious presence when I was with her.
‘I fell for it.’
I was completely caught off guard without even a chance to make excuses.
Eventually, I reached my limit of holding my breath, and I took a small breath in.
In that moment, some memory flashed through my mind.
“No, sometimes when I see Yuran, it feels like you’re looking at Hundred Braves as if it’s a real world.” “Watching the protagonist of such a game makes me wish that world were real.”
This wasn’t my memory.
It must have been Sung Yoo-rang’s memory.
Before I could even think about why this suddenly resurfaced, I lost consciousness.
*
Ugh…
My head felt like it was splitting.
‘Damn.’
The gas streaming out in a haze.
And Miss Mint Lemon beyond the glass.
I retained memories from before I lost consciousness.
But…
‘Where am I?’
I opened my eyes.
Only to see unfamiliar walls.
‘This is…’
A small room.
It felt like an interrogation room with only a bright light hanging from the ceiling.
In that room, I was the only one sitting.
Thud.
I tried to move my arms, but they were bound by armrests and wouldn’t budge.
“Hah…”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
‘Hey, Albert, God of Chains.’
What could their purpose be?
What trial would have me experience something like this?
‘I knew it was too smooth.’
Maybe I thought I could smoothly get through this trial just like the fourth one.
But in the end, I got blindsided.
‘Isn’t a trial just a trial, after all?’
Getting kidnapped and confined in the middle of Seoul.
It was a cruel joke.
What’s worse is… I still have no clue about this trial’s identity.
‘Hey, can’t you at least give me a hint?’
Just then, I heard a sound from behind.
‘Who is it?’
A man entered the room.
He wore a white coat like a doctor or researcher and had a rough black mask over his face.
“Nice to meet you.”
The man offered a greeting.
I responded with a greeting of my own.
“Nice to meet you, though I don’t know who you are.”
Then the man pulled out a clipboard from his waist, scribbling something on it as he spoke.
“This relaxed demeanor… as expected. Should I address you as Allen Pleuk for now?”
Upon hearing that, his identity became certain.
There were only a limited number of people who knew I was Allen Pleuk.
“Are you part of the Operators of Hundred Braves?”
He nodded.
“You could say that.”
That was somewhat good news.
Eventually meeting with the operators was what I wanted.
“So, why did you kidnap me here?”
“Let me correct you. It was you who wanted to meet us first.”
“…”
That was true.
If they had kidnapped me for that reason, I couldn’t argue with them.
No, wait.
“Did you really have to do it this way?”
“Yes, there was no other way to bring you here without anyone noticing.”
Well, I couldn’t fully dismiss that.
I still didn’t like it, but now I had to ask the most important question.
It was also the reason I sought them out in the first place.
“Putting that aside, who are you exactly? How do you know about that world and manage to service Hundred Braves?”
I needed to uncover their true identity.
*
