〈 Chapter 222 〉 Fifth Trial (4)
* * *
At a nearby coffee shop.
I ultimately decided to have more conversation with that young man.
There were just too many things on my mind.
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 no talent at all and was considering quitting swordsmanship. Then I stumbled upon Mr. Sung Yoo-rang’s Allen Pleuk.”
The earlier bashful demeanor was nowhere to be seen; his eyes now burned with passion.
“It was so cool. No matter how afraid he was, he still went for it. It felt so awesome to see a boy’s manga-like determination to challenge the seemingly impossible and win.”
Of course, he wouldn’t know that I was Allen Pleuk.
But hearing those words directly made me undeniably embarrassed.
Oblivious to my feelings, he continued.
“So, I decided to give it one more shot. Honestly, hope seemed distant, but I thought I’d at least participate in the next tournament before I quit…”
Now I understood.
How he found the courage to stand up because of me.
He had gained the bravery to attempt his 101st try past the hundredth.
I felt oddly proud.
“That’s great to hear. Glad I could help.”
However, there was still one lingering question.
“Then how did you learn Allen’s swordsmanship?”
The graphics of Hundred Braves were rather shoddy.
The effects for most swordsmanship styles were hardly distinguishable.
Especially since Allen’s swordsmanship wasn’t flashy with flames or light, it should seem pretty mundane.
“Allen’s swordsmanship? Oh, you mean my swordsmanship.”
No, that’s my swordsmanship.
I almost pointed that out, but I had to accept that it was now considered his swordsmanship.
“Look closely here.”
He presented me with a video.
It featured a character with crude graphics wielding a sword.
“Here’s this…”
The next video showed me swinging a sword.
“See the difference?”
Honestly, I couldn’t tell.
The graphics were far too simplistic to distinguish any differences.
Yet he found a distinction.
“If you look closely, Allen extends his foot a few pixels more.”
He seemed to have meticulously analyzed that simple graphic.
But even so, I thought it would still be impossible for anyone to replicate my swordsmanship with just that.
Typically, if one were just average in talent.
‘This guy is just a genius.’
Even if he felt he had no talent, he actually did possess some.
It was just that his potential was nearly buried under frustration.
Well, at this point…
‘Just do your own swordsmanship.’
After all, this is Earth.
And beyond that… trials await.
So, even if a genius from Earth stole my swordsmanship, it wouldn’t stir much emotion.
‘In fact…’
It feels good.
Because, thanks to me, a talented knight was able to stand again.
That realization somehow felt refreshing.
Until now, the only ones who kept my path from feeling lonely were my companions.
But it felt like that list had grown.
I realized that there were others interested in my journey on Earth who were being influenced by it.
‘Originally, the only one like that was Sung Yoo-rang…’
Things began to change a bit as Sung Yoo-rang started streaming.
Just the views on my videos posted on the site had already surpassed five million.
‘Is that a good thing?’
Honestly, I felt a bit embarrassed.
Even though the love I shared with Elsie, Sara, and Gwen wasn’t broadcasted in the game… it still felt embarrassing that so many people were watching my journey.
But still…
‘At least I feel good now.’
At least for now, after hearing the story of the knight.
*
Miss Mint Lemon decided to drive me home again.
I was really glad she came with me.
For some reason, I felt more tired today.
‘By the way…’
What should I do from now on?
I mustn’t forget that this place is intertwined with trials.
From now on, I need to reconsider the trials.
‘But I still don’t know the purpose of the trials.’
Just as I was lost in thought.
Miss Mint Lemon spoke up.
“You seem to be in a good mood?”
Mood… Certainly, separate from my worries, I did feel good.
Nothing made me happier than knowing I had helped someone.
But I couldn’t exactly say that out loud.
“Yeah, the Allen Pleuk I nurtured helped.”
“That’s right. And I bet it’s not just that young man who benefited from Allen’s help.”
“Of course, right?”
That must be the case.
But…
I turned my gaze to the scenery passing outside the window.
The sun had already set, and it had turned into night.
The view of Seoul was filled with the lights from cars and buildings.
And the scene it created was stunningly beautiful.
‘What a beautiful city.’
And that scenery made my heart swell.
‘Perhaps…’
That kind of help might eventually lose all meaning.
If I couldn’t stop the High Priest.
Because of my judgment, this Seoul might vanish.
Because I killed the 72nd Demon King and persuaded the Water Sage.
This Seoul, no, this Earth might disappear.
Of course, I wasn’t unaware of it.
While I didn’t know during the 72nd Demon King’s time, I was already aware when it came to persuading the Water Sage.
I made my choice knowing all of that and considering it.
But seeing it all unfold before my eyes felt different.
Even if the Earth I was viewing right now was a fake Earth within this trial, it still had yet to differ from the real one.
Imagining that everything in front of me might crumble right now…
Thud.
The car jolted as it went over a speed bump.
At that moment, Miss Mint Lemon suddenly spoke to me.
“Do you know?”
“Yes?”
“I also received a lot of help from Allen.”
Is it my imagination?
The atmosphere felt strangely off.
“I actually didn’t want to be a streamer at all.”
I think she’d said something similar before.
She mentioned never thinking she’d become a streamer.
But she had never said she didn’t want to.
“You didn’t want to? Then why…”
“My company made me do it. I was dismissed from my former department for what I felt were unjust reasons, and if I wanted to keep working, I was told to be a streamer.”
A company?
“So, I might have felt a sense of kinship with Ershiarah. Both of us living under unjust circumstances and forced to act against our will. That’s likely why I helped her escape from the Leim Kingdom.”
At that moment, a conviction surged within me.
“Wait, you…”
“Seeing her saved brought me a moment of happiness too. Even if I wasn’t saved myself.”
This was dangerous.
My instincts as Allen were screaming at me.
However, due to the resemblance of her eyes to Elsie’s, I missed my chance to resist.
“I’m sorry, Yuran.”
As she pressed a button, a partition came down between us.
Then gas started leaking out through the vents.
‘Damn it.’
That cancels my belief.
There’s no way the security in the middle of Seoul could be trusted.
And I should have suspected Mint Lemon’s true identity earlier.
After all, I already knew she was the official streamer of the suspicious Hundred Braves.
Moreover…
‘All the timings up until now were odd.’
The moments I received her texts strangely coincided with the times I sent emails to the operations team.
And the suspicious presence I’d felt was also right before she arrived.
Plus, above all… I hadn’t sensed that troubling presence when I was with her.
‘I’ve been played.’
There was no room left for excuses; I had been perfectly deceived.
Eventually, I reached my limit of holding my breath, and I inhaled slightly.
In that moment, a memory flashed through my mind.
“No, sometimes when I see you, it feels like I’m looking at the Hundred Braves as a real world rather than a game.” “When I see the protagonist of such a game, I hope that world were real.”
This wasn’t my memory.
It must be Sung Yoo-rang’s memory.
Before I could even think about why it suddenly came to mind, I lost consciousness.
*
Ugh.
My head felt like it was about to burst.
‘Damn it.’
The gas that had been billowing out.
And Mint Lemon beyond the window.
I still remembered what happened before I lost consciousness.
Just…
‘Where am I?’
I opened my eyes.
Before me was a strange wall.
‘This is…’
It was a small room.
A bright light bulb hanging from the ceiling made it feel like an interrogation room.
And in that room, I was the only one sitting.
Thud.
I tried to move my arms, but they were restrained by the armrests.
“Ha…”
A hollow laugh escaped.
‘Hey, Albert, God of Chains.’
What on earth could their intentions be?
What trial is this that they’re showing me?
‘It was too smooth-sailing, after all.’
I thought perhaps I might pass through this like with the fourth trial.
But eventually, I was blindsided.
‘So trials really are still trials.’
To be kidnapped and imprisoned in the middle of Seoul.
How utterly brutal.
Moreover, the biggest problem is… I still don’t understand the identity of this trial.
‘Hey, can’t you at least give me a hint?’
At that moment, I heard the sound of a door opening behind me.
‘Who is it?’
A man entered the room.
He was dressed in a white coat like a doctor or researcher and wore a rough black mask over his face.
“Nice to meet you.”
The man greeted me.
I returned the greeting.
“Nice to meet you. I don’t know who you are, but.”
Then he picked up a clipboard from his waist, scribbled something on it, and said.
“Your calm demeanor… As expected. Should I call you Allen Pleuk for now?”
Hearing that, I realized who he was.
If he knew I was Allen Pleuk, his identity was limited.
“Are you with the operators of Hundred Braves?”
He nodded.
“I suppose that could be the case.”
In that respect, I could at least consider it good news.
After all, meeting the operators was what I had wanted.
“So, why did you abduct me here?”
“Well, let’s correct that a bit. It was you who wanted to meet us first.”
“…”
That was true.
If that’s the reason they abducted me, I had no rebuttal.
No, wait.
“Did you really have to use this method?”
“Yes, it was the only way to bring you here without being detected.”
Well, that wasn’t completely unreasonable.
I still didn’t like it, but now I had to ask the most important question.
That was also the reason I wanted to meet them in the first place.
“That’s all well and good, but what exactly are you? How do you know about that world and how are you servicing Hundred Braves?”
I needed to figure out their identities.
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