Chapter 56

3 I picked up Suyeong’s lopped-off head. “I knew it. This is just another avatar. Is Suyeong Han your real name?” “That’s right.” I thought so. Suyeong was the First Disciple. Damn plagiarist. I wondered where he was hiding… “Wh-who is that?” People were screaming at us. There were cries of betrayal and insurrection. I guided Sangah and Gilyeong to a corner of the mysterious cave. Of course, I did it while holding Suyeong’s head in one hand. “Looks like I was correct. You’re the one who leaked the Revelation. Isn’t that right?” “To be precise, I leaked your plagiarized novel.” “My Revelation isn’t plagiarized!” “It is. You took all the setups of the original novel.” “Don’t compare my masterpiece to that garbage!” “So you’re not denying that you read the original novel, hm?” Suyeong ground his teeth hard and glared at me. “What are you doing?! Kill him!” “The h-head is talking!” Suyeong frowned. People were stunned by what was going on, but they weren’t doing anything. Soon, they wouldn’t have time to pay attention to us. I smiled at Suyeong and said: “The cliché you mentioned is about to begin.” As if on cue, a bright flash burst out from the depths of the cave. Something resembling a ring of light flew past some of the men, and a thin line of blood appeared on their bodies. “What…?” Splurt! Their bodies split apart with sprays of blood. People behind them screamed as they were drenched in blood. “Shit, it’s him!” A wave of magic power shimmered from the depths of the cave. A stifling presence was approaching. “Lift.” It was an androgynous voice. I spotted an enormous palanquin. Someone’s shadow was moving inside it. I shouted instantly: “Sangah! Gilyeong! Step back!” A voice came from the palanquin. “Charge.” The palanquin mowed people over like a tank. Three colored rings of light mercilessly swept across the battlefield. Dozens were killed at once. Severed heads with their faces still locked in an expression of disbelief, limbless bodies writhing in pain…the vanguard group was being decimated. “Argh…!” Terrified people from different groups retreated. Everyone was rendered speechless by this display of power and violence. Deadly silence fell over the cavern. The Tyrant King threw open the curtain and walked out of the palanquin. “How pathetic. The kings who came before me…” He was holding the Three-Wheeled Ring, an item for casting concentrated magic power. It was a hidden item to be found in northern Seoul, but he wasn’t supposed to have it. I guess it’s true that he has some Oracles working for him. [Exclusive skill “Character Profile” has been activated!] <Character Profile> Name: Yonghu Jeong Age: 33 Sponsoring Constellation: Great King Heoncheon Hongdo Gyungmun Wimu Exclusive Attributes: Circus Performer (Rare), Tyrant King (Heroic) Exclusive Skills: [Grappling Proficiency Lv.5], [Sky Steps Lv.3], [Weapon Proficiency Lv.5] Stigma: [Palanquin Tank Lv.5], [Mask Dance Lv.5], [Tyranny Lv.4] Total Stats: [Stamina Lv.30], [Strength Lv.28], [Agility Lv.28], [Magic Power Lv.34(+2)] Summary: The worst tyrant in Korean history has joined forces with a resentful everyman. Until the day he met his sponsoring constellation, he was just another cog in the machine, full of anger toward society. He will take full advantage of this opportunity and his newfound power. *A “Starter Pack” is currently in effect. *A “Growth Pack” is currently in effect. *A “New Scenario Pack” is currently in effect. I definitely understood after seeing his profile. With all those packs, no wonder he was so strong. His sponsoring constellation liked to push the limits of plausibility. And the telltale aura shimmering around his body. The Tyrant King’s sponsoring constellation was increasing the sync with his incarnation to the max. I wasn’t sure when it started, but several goblins, including Bihyeong, were in midair, glaring at Yonghu. I bet those goblins were watching him, ready to request a plausibility review the moment he stepped over the line. “The insolent descendants of this land remember me not as a king but a fallen prince.” Great King Heoncheon Hongdo Gyungmun Wimu, the Tyrant King’s sponsoring constellation, was speaking. “The reason I have come here is simple. I am going to punish the historians and set the record straight.” This constellation was the worst tyrant in the history of Korea, and he wasn’t recorded as a king. “I am Yeonsangun, Yi Yung!” The Tyrant King was confusing his sponsoring constellation and himself. An incredible amount of magic power exploded out of him and the bodies of those near him were torn open. The Three-Wheeled Ring, fueled by magic power over level 30, would be dangerous even for me if I got hit by it. “Stand your ground!” “Everyone, fight back!” But the alliance was no pushover, either. Even if I didn’t count the other kings, the Maitreya King and the Earth Dragon King were among the Seven Kings of Seoul, just like the Tyrant King. As the kings rallied against the Tyrant King, the flow of the battle began to even out. All the kings were increasing the sync with their constellations. And it wasn’t just the incarnations, but also the historical-grade constellations that were desperate. “Aren’t you gonna join the fight?” I asked Suyeong’s head in my hand. He chuckled. “You’re laughing? You seem awfully relaxed.” “…Cocky bastard. I bet you’re thinking it’s all going according to your plan.” “……?” “Once the kings wear themselves out fighting each other, you’ll swoop in and get the Four Tigers sword. Right?” That was a close guess. “But that won’t happen. Leaking the Revelation was a cute trick, I admit, but I started preparing for today long before you did.” “What’re you rambling on about?” “I’m saying the cliché wins in the end.” The voice of the mid-level goblin was coming from midair. Fu-fu, all of you are fighting very well. The historical-grade constellations are really giving it their all, huh? As well you should. You want to be promoted to fable-grade, right? The battleground got quiet at once because of the goblin’s sarcastic tone. Then I have good news for you. The second qualification will be revealed now. <King’s Qualification> 1. Only the brave shall sit upon the Throne. The Absolute Throne will not accept a weak king. You must be a king with a black flag in order to participate in the scenario. 2. For those who dream of the Throne, ambition is a virtue. Only a limited number of kings may vie for the Absolute Throne. You must eliminate other kings around you for the right to compete. The mid-level goblin wore a creepy smile. Oh, for your reference, the number of kings who can compete for the Absolute Throne is limited to five. And the total number of kings remaining is… Let’s see. [The Number of Remaining Kings: 14] People were greatly agitated. “F-fourteen? There are that many?” “Are there more kings outside this dungeon?” For your reference, the total number of kings inside this hidden dungeon is twelve. I was a little bit surprised, too. Who knew there were twelve in this dungeon? Well, this mysterious cave couldn’t be the only place in the dungeon with kings in it. “Who is it? Who’s the king hiding their identity?” The Tyrant King was laughing at the panicking people. “Ha-ha-ha! Fools turning on each other, what a laughable sight!” “This isn’t the time to be fighting among ourselves! Focus on the Tyrant King!” With that, people began to calm down a little. “Over here! This guy is a king!” yelled Suyeong’s head. “I’ve seen it! He has a flag!” “What?” Damn it. I quickly stepped on Suyeong’s head and crushed it. People stared at me. At that moment, they had decided which of the remaining kings to eliminate first. “If we kill him…” But I had a bad feeling about this. It was too shallow to be the plagiarist’s strategy. Wait, could it be? …Interesting. That’s what he was going for? There was a group of shadowy figures silently darting behind the people while they were focused on me. Each of them was a close confidant of one of the kings gathered here. Shhk! Pshk! “Ugh…!” Daggers slid in between the ribs or cut the throats of the unsuspecting kings. [The number of remaining kings has decreased.] [The Number of Kings Remaining: 12] The Coward King and Brawler King, who had been exhausted from the battle, were killed. And the Maitreya King and the Earth Dragon King sustained serious injuries from the ambush. Even the Tyrant King had been stabbed in his side and thigh by three of his slaves coming at him from behind. “Damn peasants…!” That was when I realized who the insurgents were. Some of them were caught and promptly cut down, but no blood came out of their bodies. As the betrayed kings fell, their star jewels dropped to the ground and were quickly snatched by deft hands that darted out of the crowd. “The jewel! My jewel!” The hidden avatars transferred all the jewels to one person. “I told you the cliché wins in the end.” A girl with a pretty face jumped into the air and stood in front of the wall with a smirk on her face. Is that…the plagiarist’s true identity? The seven star jewels were shining in her hand. [The Fake King, Suyeong Han, has acquired all seven star jewels!] [A new item has been summoned with the sacrifice of the seven star jewels.] [The Fake King Suyeong Han has summoned the Four Tigers Evil Slayer.] In the end, the Four Tigers Evil Slayer had gone to the hands of the plagiarist. The Fake King… It was a fitting attribute. “Dokja, what should we do?” “We should be okay for now.” Sangah looked bewildered by my nonchalant tone. “Are you sure? You said that sword was powerful, didn’t you?” She was right. Being an S+-grade item, it was indeed good. But by that logic, the Tyrant King’s Three-Wheeled Ring was an S-grade item as well. In other words, those two items weren’t that far apart in terms of sheer power. “Ha-ha-ha-ha! Die! Die!” A bright flash of magic power surged out from the Four Tigers Evil Slayer, but people didn’t die quickly. It looked like their bodies should have exploded upon contact with the gleaming sword, but they somehow held on. That was because Suyeong’s magic power was diminished from using too many avatars while the three kings were still in good condition. “Wh-what? Why is this sword so weak?” yelled Suyeong in a panic. “Kill her! And take the sword!” “Grrr! Back off! I said, back off!” I didn’t know why, but I had a feeling this would happen. Suyeong was pushed back toward my companions and me. “Now, that’s one way to break away from a cliché. Should’ve done more of this in your writing, too.” “Shaddup!” “Need help?” “I don’t need your help!” Suyeong savagely swung her sword again, but she was getting pushed even more. I want to tell this idiot that the Four Tigers Evil Slayer was famous not because it was powerful, but because its original owner was powerful. “I’ll kill you all now!” The Tyrant King regained his confidence and resumed his attacks. Other kings began fighting amidst the chaos. At some point, there was no friend or foe, and the battleground was sheer madness. Anyway, it should be about time he appeared… Is he lost or something? It’s a little far, but he should’ve had plenty of time. [The Number of Kings Remaining: 11] The numbers on the board floating in the air changed at that moment. [The Number of Kings Remaining: 10] Ah, just in time. [The Number of Kings Remaining: 9] He’s here. “Wh-what?” “The number of kings is suddenly decreasing.” People looked around in a panic. The number of kings was decreasing for no apparent reason. [The Number of Kings Remaining: 8] When the number became a single digit, the kings’ fear peaked. “There’s someone here only going after kings!” However, one person seemed amused by the situation. It was the Tyrant King. “Ha-ha-ha! Who cares? You die, too!” As the Three-Wheeled Ring was about to be fired, the ceiling of the mysterious cave collapsed right on top of him. An incredible storm of magic power fell on the Tyrant King, who screamed in pain. A mana storm powerful enough to crush every living creature into dust overwhelmed the body of the Tyrant King. “Ahh… Argh… Ahhhh!” Then… [The Number of Kings Remaining: 7] …the only thing left in front of everyone was a cruel number. People fell to the ground, trembling from the obscenity of it all. “Wh-what is happening?” Someone had just crushed the frightening Tyrant King like a bug. Slowly, as the dust settled, a man’s figure was revealed. Everyone, including the dead kings and surviving kings, were at a loss for words. They simply stared at him. Suyeong’s legs were shaking as she stepped back in fear. “It can’t be… No way in hell…!” I suddenly remembered what her avatar with the ponytail had said: The most powerful king in Seoul was the Tyrant King. As I thought back then, she was wrong about that. Among the Seven Kings of Seoul, I had met five, including Donghoon Han, who hadn’t become a king because of the Oracles. The Reclusive King of Shadows, Donghoon Han. The King of Beauty, Jiwon Min. The Maitreya King, Sanggyeong Cha. The Earth Dragon King, Taeseong Gu. And the Tyrant King, Yonghu Jeong. Counting the Neutral King, who hadn’t appeared yet, there was one more king left. Who was the last one? The answer was simple. And I met him before any of the other kings. His furious voice echoed inside the entire cavern. “Dokja Kim…” I waved at him with a smile. He took strode toward me. There was a black flag on his back. “You’re dead…” Of the Seven Kings of Seoul, the strongest was, without a doubt, the Supreme King Junghyeok Yu.