Episode 1: New World / Chapter 12: Throne Game (3)

TL: Myoni

Edited: Myoni, Yoni

{Choi Hyuk}

*Human

*Karma Points

Power: 54 (+5)   Speed: 58 (+5)  Control: 69

Endurance: 52  Stamina: 83  Recovery: 73 (+10)

*Free Karma Points: 8  *Retribution: 44

{Hwang Mangi}

*Human

*Karma Points

Power: 73 (+10)   Speed: 43 (+8)  Control: 33

Endurance: 42 (+10)  Stamina: 33 Recovery: 39 (+5)

*Free Karma Points: 0  *Retribution: 28

Hwang Mangi was strong. He had a Power stat of 73. Choi Hyuk’s Power stat was 54, so if you only looked at their Power, he was stronger than Choi Hyuk. The 10 free karma points he received once he became a king and the 14 points he earned through hidden rules and killing kings were all put into his Power stat and even his E rank iron mace increased his Power by 10. As he was in the top 3 along with Choi Hyuk and Choi Junsung, his other stats were outstanding as well.

So it was fine as long as Choi Hyuk didn’t meet Hwang Mangi’s iron mace head on.

Whoosh!

Bang!!

Hwang Mangi’s iron mace mercilessly smashed the gym floor. The cement exploded as he smashed it with his 73 Power.

However, Choi Hyuk looked at him with a pathetic expression.

Hwang Mangi’s movements wasted too much energy because his Control was less than half of his Power. The karma that was contracting and increasing in his body was too rough. To the point where he couldn’t control it.

An obvious blind spot after his full swing. Choi Hyuk pierced that opening.

“Uhuhuk!”

Still, it seemed that the gym teacher had good reflexes as he quickly reacted.

Cling!

The sword that had just slightly pierced Hwang Mangi’s armor slipped off. Hwang Mangi backed away with a pale face. His overflowing confidence went into hiding after a single exchange. Choi Hyuk’s high-speed footsteps were like that of a ghost’s. Most of the strong weren’t strong because they played fair but strong because they were still alive. Hwang Mangi who believed himself to be strong realized too late that he shouldn’t have had a direct fight with Choi Hyuk.

“Everyone block that bastard!”

Most of Hwang Mangi’s followers were teachers. Teachers Choi Hyuk was familiar with blocked his path and wielded their weapons.

Choi Hyuk showed no mercy to those who tried to kill him. A bloodbath occurred.

Hwang Mangi brought his royal bodyguards to target another king in the meantime.

“I have to quickly end this game.”

This was Hwang Mangi’s conclusion. That he had to get rid off all the easy kings instead of Choi Hyuk. So that he could be in the last 5.

Bang!

Whenever he swung his iron mace, three or four exhausted students would be smashed apart. However, there was no way he would be able to endlessly swing his iron mace with a Stamina stat that was a bit more half his Power. At some point, Hwang Mangi became completely exhausted as he was busy running away with his royal bodyguards. One minute felt like an hour.

**

The moment Choi Hyuk charged at Hwang Mangi, the other king’s fates were sealed.

Jung Minji ordered.

“Get up. Get them.”

Currently, Kim Piljoong’s group wasn’t absorbed. If others didn’t follow Choi Hyuk and increase their strength by absorbing other groups, they would be left behind.

Even the third year Queen Bee Lee Hyunah urged her group.

“If you rest cuz you’re tired, you’re dead.”

Choi Junsung was a bit more desperate. He was already heading towards the group next to him.

“Kill!”

The reason was the same as Hwang Mangi’s.

‘Fuck… I’m next if the gym teach dies. I have to quickly kill the rest and end the game.’

With different reasons, they started the final struggle. As an intense battle began while everyone’s stamina was at their bottom, the number of deaths began to pile up one after the other.

Everyone aimed to devour each other.

Slice!

The Assassin King Lee Hyunah was definitely fast and it seemed like she was getting used to a skill as her attacks were even becoming more stealthy. And that shined in this intense battle. While Choi Hyuk was chasing after Hwang Mangi, she had cut off two king’s heads. However, her stamina was also the problem.

“Pant. Pant.”

The moment she had grabbed her knees as sweat dripped down her body.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

A hatchet flew towards her. She tried to move once she heard the sound but her legs wouldn’t react.

Thud!

“Ackk!”

The girl’s followers surrounded her as she collapsed after getting hit in the shoulder.

“Lightning Strike!”

Flash!

A white lightning seemed to have passed as three people were sliced through their waists.

“Hooo… hooo… I feel like I’m gonna die. Sorry, nuna^{1}.”

The one who appeared was Choi Junsung. Though he was friendly with Lee Hyunah, he unhesitatingly stabbed the back of her neck.

“I have enough problems of my own.”

Even Lee Hyunah who distinguished herself in the Bonus Game died in vain.

No one knew where Choi Junsung picked up an E rank hatchet from but his aim was incredible. After the encounter with Choi Hyuk, Choi Junsung hurriedly cleaned out the kings near him and picked up quite a few E rank items. He decided that if he survived this game he would need an item that would help keep Choi Hyuk at bay.

And Chu Youngjin’s girlfriend, Lee Hyejin, was unluckily tangled in. She was the only dropout who didn’t get rid of her ITEM mark.

“Are you okay?”

Chu Youngjin was protecting Lee Hyejin from the intensified confusion. The Crazy Knight King Jung Minji didn’t like his actions but overlooked it for now.

Lee Hyejin and Chu Youngjin were childhood friends. They grew up together like siblings under their parents who were friends with each other. The girl didn’t think of the boy beyond a friend and the boy had a one-sided love for that girl for a long time until they were finally together. A familiar tale that wasn’t very common in real life.

So to Chu Youngjin, it could be said that Lee Hyejin was his other half. In reality, if he were to remove all the memories including her, there wouldn’t be many left. In every moment of happiness and sadness, in glory and despair, she was with him.

Chu Youngjin gazed at the trembling Lee Hyejin and Lee Hyejin met Chu Youngjin’s gaze and nodded. In her eyes, Chu Youngjin could see a mixture of nervousness and warm trust.

She was always easily scared since she was young. It was the same when Chu Youngjin fell down a flight of stairs when he was seven. The one who was bleeding was Chu Youngjin but the one who fainted from the shock was Lee Hyejin. How shocked Chu Youngjin was when she suddenly fainted, how many times he teased her about it later, how she would sulk saying that she was scared of remembering the blood afterwards and how much effort he put in to calm her down…

To that girl, this situation was too brutal. Chu Youngjin found it too sad.

Just then.

Whoosh.

A hatchet flew and split Lee Hyejin’s head.

“Huh?”

Drip drip.

Red blood splattered onto Chu Youngjin’s uniform. Soon after, the blood flowing from Lee Hyejin’s head covered Chu Youngjin’s hands and soon soaked her shoulders.

“Huh?”

The moment when the light in her warm eyes that had met Chu Youngjin’s gaze moments before disappeared… became an everlasting nightmare for Chu Youngjin.

Swish.

A golden hammer appeared. As if something shoved him, he was pushed a few steps away and his hand was no longer on her shoulders.

Slam!

Blood splattered everywhere.

When the hammer disappeared, Lee Hyejin was no longer there but a red longsword was floating in her place.

“Ah… Ahhh…”

Chu Youngjin became absentminded.

“Last item!”

Shouted Choi Junsung. He was rushing as fast as he could to grab the longsword.

Chu Youngjin unconsciously chased the sword that was his girlfriend. The hairs on his body stood on end and his eyes became bloodshot.

{Innate Skill ‘Berserker’ awakened!}

A system message popped up but he didn’t care.

“Euahhhhhhhhh!”

Chu Youngjin shot towards Choi Junsung at the speed of light. However, Choi Junsung smiled as he held the longsword. Choi Junsung cruelly received the weapon.

“Lightning Stike!”

Chu Youngjin who had awakened the Raging Warrior was fast but he was overwhelmed with agitation and Choi Junsung’s {Lightning Strike} was fast enough to pierce that opening.

That was the moment Jung Minji appeared.

“Protect!”

The Protect skill built in her E rank shield, the ‘Shield of Protection’, activated. A grey barrier surrounded Chu Youngjin’s body.

Clang!

Choi Junsung’s {Lightning Strike} shattered the barrier but due to the barrier’s curvature, his sword slipped and wobbled. The red blade cut into Chu Youngjin’s shoulder but it wasn’t a fatal blow. However, it was Chu Youngjin who was the most surprising. Even as his shoulder was sliced into, he didn’t slow his speed. He ignored the sword stuck in his shoulder and shot forwards with even more strength. His sword embedded itself into Choi Junsung’s neck.

“Co…cough.”

Choi Junsung turned into ash. He died meaninglessly.

During that time, Choi Hyuk chased the escaping Hwang Mangi and eventually killed him. He killed him even quicker because he looked like he would beg for his life. And when he turned his head, he saw Choi Junsung die.

Chu Youngjin ripped out the girl, the red sword that embedded herself into his shoulder. He hugged the sword tightly and broke down sobbing.

Choi Hyuk silently watched the scene.

“…Is this the end?”

The Throne Game was coming to an end.

It took around 30 minutes to eliminate 26 out of the 43 kings but it only took 5 minutes to eliminate 13 out of the remaining 17. There were only 4 kings remaining. The Crazy Knight King Jung Minji, the Heckler King Kim Hyunbaek, the Slave King Song Simin and the King without Subjects, Choi Hyuk.

In reality, before Choi Junsung’s death, with the death of Hwang Mangi, there were 5 kings remaining. Choi Junsung was stabbed to death because of his pointless greed.

The distinguished kings struggled against each other and in fact, the more normal ones survived.

The announcement in the middle of the gym changed.

——————–

{Break Time}

1. From now on, the kings and their followers can move according to their free will.
2. You cannot leave the school until nightfall.

——————–

The long brutal fight had finally ended. Out of the 797 survivors of the Bonus Game, 483 remained.

^{1} nuna – what a younger male calls an older female