The atmosphere in the safe zone was tense to say the least.
Everyone turned their heads one by one and faced my direction. They were looking at me as if I was a rare species of monkey the zoo just recently discovered.
Was it because I was carrying this box with me? Or was it because of my first appearance in the same zone?
In any case, the fact that I have taken the spotlight did not change.
"Jakga, are you sure this is a good idea?"
"I've already told you before we got here."
"I know. But still..."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Despite my reassuring words, Angelica still looked concerned.
It was understandable. What I was able to do was very risky. In fact, I won't be surprised if I was immediately attacked. But everything should be fine if I just follow the script.
Thud—
As I reached the centre of the safe zone, I dropped the heavy box on the floor.
As expected, the first person to greet me was Minhyuk. He approached from the crowd with that same stupid grin on his face.
"Hey Jakga, have you been well? Where have you been all this time?"
Look at this bastard. He was acting as if we were buddies despite sending assassins to kill me. Maybe if the world wasn't destroyed, he would be a great actor.
"You already know. I had a few things to do."
"You mean gathering cores?"
"What else did you think I was talking about?"
"That's true, my apologies. So what do you got there?"
Minhyuk looked at the large box I just dropped on the floor.
"Nothing special. Just some cores."
"Cores? I don't see any cores."
"Wait, give me a moment."
I pulled out my inventory pouch and flipped it over.
Pooour—
Plip, plop, plop—
"…!"
"This bastard!"
Countless marbles poured out from the inventory pouch as if it was candy. They were the cores I obtained from the plague spider's hideout.
In such a situation, the people opened their eyes wide in shock before being filled with greed.
"Are those cores?"
"Isn't that alot?"
"There's gotta be at least a thousand in there."
Just as predicted, it didn't take long before the people began to move.
"You are Jakga-ssi, right?"
"Please hand me a few cores."
The people rushed towards from all directions like a pack of hyenas. If I gave everyone the cores I had, many people will pass the scenario. But that was not why I was here.
[The constellation 'Chaos Architect' snorts.]
"You all want cores, right?"
The people nodded their heads. They were visible desperate. In the first place, it was impossible to pass the scenario by just hunting monsters.
As a result, the people were lacking cores to move to the next scenario. This was no greater opportunity than this.
"I will give them to you. I already have enough cores so I don't need them."
"Then I will..."
"However, it's not for free."
The noisy people became silent as soon they heard my words. They looked puzzled as if they did not understand.
"I will make a deal with you. I will sell you the cores for a fair price."
"S-Sell?"
"What...?"
"Uh, do we have to pay with money?"
I smiled and raised my index finger.
"Not money. You have to pay 100 coins for each core."
The people began to think. 100 coins for one core. It was pretty reasonable. And considering how cores weren't sold in the market, I was their only option.
"Are you really selling cores right now? If you really wanted to help this people then why not distribute it evenly?" Minhyuk asked
I laughed at his question and replied.
"Is there anything free in this world? Didn't you say so yourself, Minhyuk?"
Minhyuk's expression stiffened. He wasn't expecting his own words to be used against him.
"What if we don't have money."
A random person from the crowd asked. It was a sudden yet expected question.
"That's simple. You're all aware of the shop, right? You can sell any of your valuables and get coins in exchange."
"Sell items?"
"Wait, you can do that?"
The people who were despairing a moment ago began murmuring among themselves.
The Shop was commonly used by the Constellations and Walkers to buys items that caught their eyes. But there was also a function that allowed them to sell items they no longer need for a considerable price.
In fact, most of the items and skills in the Shop belonged to the Constellations and Walkers participating in the Nightmare Trial. With the reveal of the Shop, the walkers here might be able to obtain salvation.
However,
"Hold on... something is not right."
It was starting. The people began to find the situation suspicious.
"How did he obtain all those cores?"
"It should be impossible, right?"
"Did he kill other people to get them?"
"Yes, that's right!"
Suddenly the atmosphere of the safe zone changed. The people became not-so-friendly and looked at me with hostility.
If someone suddenly appeared with a large amount of cores that were rare to find, it was natural the people will look at me with suspicion.
"Wait just a minute everyone! It's a misunderstanding."
"Jakga is not that kind of person."
Angelica and Jong-ho tried to calm the crowd but the people refused to listen to reason. Minhyuk spoke to hit the final nail.
"Is that so? Then explain how he got all those cores."
"Um, that..."
Angelica and Jongho could not answer. Even if they said we obtained the cores from a monster's hideout, there was no way the people who had already lost their reason would believe such a story.
Minhyuk wore a confident smile and pointed at the people in the safe zone.
"Look at the amount of people you could save by just handing out a few cores. But here you are, trying to sell cores you obtained by killing. Did you honestly really expect us to pay for your cores?"
"What if I didn't get these cores by killing?"
"That's a blatant lie! Did you think anyone will believe that bullshit? It's like dressing a penguin in a cat costume and calling it a cat."
I nodded my head in understanding. Indeed, nobody will believe anything I say now. That's why a new actor needs to take my place.
"What a joke."
Someone sneered at Minhyuk, causing him to turn his head with a frown. He only found Lee Gyeong looking at him.
"You have no right to be pointing fingers, you bastard."
"Gyeong, what the fuck are you saying?"
"Something I should have said a long time ago."
Gyeong faced the crowd and spoke out with a voice loud for everyone to hear.
"I know what all of you must be thinking but Kim Jakga is not that type of person. If he really was a killer, then I would have already been dead. Besides, do you really think this situation is because of this man?"
Lee Gyeong pointed her fingers at Minhyuk. "Wrong. It's because of that bastard over there."
"Gyeong... What..."
"Shut up."
Lee Gyeong faced the crowd and spoke again.
"You guys are despairing because you lack cores. But do you really know the main reason why that is the case? It's because of him."
"Hey! Have you gone crazy? There's no way this..."
"Minhyuk, how many cores do you have now?"
"I gathered around 45 cores. Why?"
"What about the rest of you?"
There was hesitation at first but the people began to answer one by one.
"I have around 20."
"I have 15."
"Wait, you guys are getting cores?"
Everyone gave out different answers but they all had one thing in common. None of the people had more than 20 cores.
"Would you look at that? Why are your cores so low?"
"..."
"Why are there so few people here? Why are only 90 people in the safe zone? What happened to everyone else?"
"T-They went out to gather cores and the m-monsters..."
"What about the people that exited the safe zone before the scenario. Did the monsters get them as well?"
"I-Isn't that what happened..."
"You damn Imbeciles! Do you think only monsters can kill people? Then why hasn't the mainframe bastards died yet."
The people closed their mouths and opened their eyes wide.
"Why did they have more cores than you? Why are they stronger than you? More importantly, why did they always come back alive? Do you think it's because they were lucky or a coincidence?"
[The constellation 'Architect of Destruction' is watching the scene with a smile.]
"Don't tell me..."
Everyone turned their heads towards Minhyuk. The atmosphere was suddenly turned against him.
"Minhyuk.... Please, tell me this is not true."
"Did you really kill those people?"
"Shut up, you... can't you see I'm being framed..."
Minhyuk tried to explain himself but the angry people weren't listening. It was here I decided to drive in the wedge.
"Minhyuk, didn't you say you had to do anything to survive in this world?"
As if the final string binding the people snapped, they screamed and rushed towards the mainframe group.
"Minhyuk, you bastard!"
"Son of bitches!"
"Shit! WHAT ARE YOU ALL STANDING FOR?! KILL THEM!!!"
Minhyuk stepped back and his henchmen moved infront of him as if following a programming.
In the next moment, the place became noisy. It was a situation where two groups were crashing.
Slash! Puok!
The survivors were vicious with their attacks but they were slowly getting overwhelmed by the mainframe group members.
It was an expected outcome. The people from the mainframe group possessed high fighting power due to all the coins they obtained through human sacrifice.
Thankfully, there was a way around this.
Puok! Puookkk!!
The members from the mainframe group that got torn by the Iron-cutting sword spat out a scream and crumbled on the floor, straining it with fresh blood.
"S-Spare me..."
The ones that did not die, begged for forgiveness. They were the same people that sacrificed others to gain others. I killed them without mercy.
"Stop him!"
Kim Minhyuk shouted.
It was useless. No matter how he shouted or how he tried to force his lackeys to act using the slave mark, the power of the brand was limited.
In the end, the mainframe group members that tried to stop me got cut down one by one. Blood spurted everywhere.
This was a result of something I had prepared beforehand.
[The cursed players has been slain.]
[Due to the Stigma, their remaining life force will be absorbed!]
"What?"
Minhyuk looked shocked.
The magic power that should have flowed into Minhyuk was, instead, being absorbed by me. To be exact, it was channeling directly into the blood-marked tattoo on my shoulder, flooding my veins with an intense, dark energy.
It was unmistakably demonic energy. A power that only beings from the depths of hell could wield.
Since this energy was flowing through my body, it was evident I had become the second host of the Demon Seal.
[The constellation '### ### ###' is extremely curious about how you were able to steal their magic!]
Claang!
Minhyuk somehow managed to block the swing of the Iron-cutting sword with his weapon, though the difference in our strength was unmistakable.
His grip trembled, and he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to speak:
"You bastard... How?"
His eyes blazed with resentment, but I didn't bother answering his question. Instead, a sharp and mocking smirk curled on my lips.
"Did you honestly think we're still back in high school, where you held all the power? Back when you could hide behind your family name and throw your weight around without consequence?"
A flood of memories hit me—painful memories I'd buried so deep they'd almost been forgotten. The times I'd been treated like dirt, his punching bag, and a dog meant to bear his anger.
There was even that one time...
[Exclusive skill, Black Box, is strengthening.]
But those days were over. The tables had turned, and now, I was the one standing at the top of the food chain.
"And after all these years, you're still the same pathetic daddy's boy. Where is your daddy to save you now, I wonder?"
"You bastard...!"
His eyes shifted, taking on the feral, desperate glint of a cornered animal willing to do anything to survive.
He retreated, trying to run away. His attempt was at a cute level. I raised the silver magic gun and shot both of his ankles.
Puok! Puok!
"Kuaaaak!"
Minhyuk lost his footing and crumbled on the floor, wriggling around in pain. With both of his ankles pierced, he won't be able to run away.
"They should be done with those guys."
It turned out I wasn't the only one in the spotlight. Jung Yunhee took center stage, cutting down anyone who crossed her path, while Lee Jongho, Angelica, and Lee Gyeong defended their posts, and held their own against the unfolding chaos.
Jung Yunhee. She contained a personality or another self that enjoyed killing. Eyes, throat and heart. She was rather brutal in her approach.
In any case, she took care of all those I left behind while I dealt with the main leader. I slowly approached Minhyuk who was still wriggling on the floor like an ant.
"Dear Constellation, please help me! Help your apostle! You won't allow me to die, right?"
Minhyuk desperately called out to the constellation that had given him power.
It was then....
[The constellation '### ### ###' looks at their pathetic subordinate in disgust.]
[The constellation '### ### ###' had collected back their Stigma from the foolish incarnation.]
Minhyuk looked pale as if he had seen a ghost.
He was a fool. He was nothing but a clown for the constellations. He was a toy that could easily be replaced once it has served its purpose.
Maybe it was time to put him out of his misery.
I raised the silver magic gun, aiming the muzzle squarely at Kim Minhyuk's forehead, and pulled the trigger.
There was no even time for a goodbye or forgiveness.
Peok!
The gunshot echoed as his head erupted, a cascade of blood splattering across the ground.
There was no hesitation, no guilt, no sorrow. Not even satisfaction. Only a deep, unexplainable indifference and emptiness.
Ding!
As expected, a message surfaced in the endless void:
[You have killed the player, 'Kim Minhyuk'.]