Before dealing with those trying to kill him, Taesan grabbed Jung-geun and Hwi-yeon by the scruff of their necks.
“Huh?”
Jung-geun’s startled body flew through the air.
“Waaah!”
They were forcibly landed on the roof of a building. Taesan then brought Lee Tae-yeon and Kang Jun-hyeok up in the same manner. Dragged along, Kang Jun-hyeok stared blankly at Taesan.
‘How is he so fast?’
He himself had surpassed human limits to some extent, yet he hadn't been able to see the process of Taesan grabbing him and moving to the rooftop at all.
“You’ll be in the way, so wait here.”
As Taesan prepared to go back down, Jung-geun hastily grabbed him.
“Just a moment. A number that large could be dangerous. The minimum damage is…”
While speaking, Jung-geun noticed something strange.
“Huh?”
Taesan hadn't taken any damage from the rebar at all. Taesan drew his sword.
“W-wait.”
Kim Hwi-yeon spoke in a trembling voice. Her wavering eyes were fixed on Taesan.
“I know how you feel,” Taesan said calmly.
“But there’s no need to protect them.”
Taesan returned to the ground. The people surrounding him flinched.
“What are you just staring at!”
Choi Jung-hyuk shouted coarsely.
“Kill him!”
The people who had arrived at the City Hall were in a state of unexpected boredom. With no particular Quest starting, they had no choice but to wait.
“I’m bored…”
“Does the internet not work?”
Just as they were trying to alleviate their boredom somehow, a commotion erupted outside. The sound of hundreds of people gathering and talking could be heard.
“Are they giving a speech or something?”
Just in time, the bored people gathered together. They saw a group of hundreds filled with killing intent, and a single man surrounded by them.
“Oh?”
“Are they fighting?”
They whispered cautiously among themselves. Some of them recognized Choi Jung-hyuk’s face.
“What’s that bastard up to again?”
With voices mixed with bewilderment, people began to gather more and more. At the thousands of gazes fixed upon him, Choi Jung-hyuk twisted the corner of his mouth.
‘This is actually better.’
No matter how strong the opponent was, there was no way he could lose against this many people. He would use this as an opportunity to switch to a reign of terror. He would show them that anyone who dared to defy him would be trampled by hundreds of people, making everyone follow his words.
That was his plan. Taesan could read that thought on Choi Jung-hyuk's face. He wasn't wrong.
If it were Lee Tae-yeon or Kang Jun-hyeok, they would have had a very hard time against such numbers. They might have even lost.
‘But not me.’
Taesan raised his sword. Choi Jung-hyuk shouted.
“Kill him!”
“Waaaaah!”
He calmly watched the people rushing toward him with a roar. The Ghost let out a dry laugh.
[Are they really trying to attack you at that pathetic speed?]
They were far too slow. Moving at the speed of ordinary humans, they looked as if they were standing still. When they were almost upon him, Taesan moved his hand.
For a moment, his hand disappeared, and when it reappeared, it was accompanied by numerous System Windows.
“Keoheok!”
“Aack!”
[50 Damage dealt to Do Min-jun.]
[36 Damage dealt to Lee Seo-jun.]
[54 Damage dealt to Seo Do-yoon.]
[33 Damage dealt to Lee Si-woo.]
“W-what?”
Everyone was shocked by the astounding damage. For the Easy Mode players who hadn't even reached double-digit stats, it was an otherworldly figure. Taesan indifferently moved his sword again.
Everyone nearby was cut down and fell.
“Ah…”
Not even a few seconds had passed, yet many lives were lost. Without being able to react at all. Stammering, Choi Jung-hyuk shouted.
“Murderer!”
Those who were shaken by the sudden deaths also shouted along.
“Murderer!”
“Massacrer!”
Faced with the condemnation of hundreds, Taesan indifferently raised his sword.
“So?”
Killing someone.
His emotions had become too buried to feel pain over such an act. To him, who had witnessed the fall of humanity and the deaths of everyone he knew, a person’s death held little meaning. Moreover, these hundreds were Choi Jung-hyuk’s lackeys, who had killed people quite often themselves.
There was no reason to show mercy. Taesan kicked off the ground. For a moment, the people saw his figure vanish.
When he reappeared, it was behind them.
Shhhk!
With a great deal of damage, people fell without even being able to scream. Toward Taesan, who was looking at them nonchalantly, the people charged with a scream-like roar. Taesan didn’t dodge their attacks.
He simply cut and stabbed those who attacked him. A spear struck Taesan’s chest. The face of the one who thrust it brightened.
[Kang Taesan’s Block has been activated.]
[0 Damage dealt to Kang Taesan.]
“Keok, keoheok.”
Taesan swung his sword and cut him down. Numerous spears and blades touched Taesan, but no damage was dealt at all. Watching this, Choi Jung-hyuk let out a curse.
“It should be at least 1! Why isn’t it working!”
No matter how high the Defense Power, minimum damage exists. If hundreds of people landed just one hit each, it would amount to hundreds of damage, which could certainly be a threat. But Taesan had the Block skill, which nullified any damage below a certain threshold.
There was no way for them to damage Taesan.
Crack.
Again, dozens of people fell. The Ghost let out a sigh.
[Is this all they’ve got? This is frustrating as hell.]
“Aren’t you already dead?”
With a light reply, Taesan kicked off the ground again.
“I-I can’t see…”
Kaaang!
With a deafening roar, the ground shattered. The onlookers, witnessing a power that created a crater, doubted their eyes. Taesan began to kill those nearby one by one.
He grabbed the neck of a man with a smug face. The man’s face turned white.
“W-wait!”
Taesan didn’t listen and snapped his neck. He was the one who had been chattering annoyingly like an advisor next to Choi Jung-hyuk and had killed hundreds of people. There was no reason to let him live.
“This is a nightmare!”
Choi Jung-hyuk wailed in denial. Hundreds of people were being swept away by a single person. And not through guerrilla warfare, but in a pure contest of strength.
His movements couldn’t be tracked, and his attacks couldn’t be stopped. Their own attacks were completely blocked.
“Shoot arrows! Throw nets! Use potions!”
At the desperate shouts, they tried to follow, but it was meaningless. Arrows bounced off harmlessly, and nets tore like spiderwebs. Even if they used potions and tried to block his path, he just broke through with sheer force.
The expressions of those who had been watching in awe gradually hardened. They faltered, putting distance between them, their faces etched with fear. If they were like that, it was needless to say how those participating in the battle felt.
Taesan flicked his sword clean.
“Want more?”
Sometime during the fight, half of them had died. In just a few minutes, hundreds had perished.
“U-uwaaaaaah!”
They fled with screams. As if that was the trigger, people scrambled away, disappearing into the crowd. He didn't bother to chase them.
They were just pawns, swaying like mayflies. Chasing them down to kill them would be a waste of time. He walked up to the blankly sitting Choi Jung-hyuk and grabbed his head.
“The dream is over.”
“…This is absurd.”
Everything he had built up until now had been shattered by a single person.
“Why, why does someone like you exist!”
A cry filled with despair rang out. Taesan replied to Choi Jung-hyuk’s hate-filled glare.
“You said that before, too.”
“What?”
“And you died just like this. Farewell.”
Choi Jung-hyuk’s body collapsed. For the man who had ruled Easy Mode for a brief time, it was an incredibly pathetic death. It hadn't been this simple in Easy Mode.
Back then, he had been an ordinary Player, and Choi Jung-hyuk had been the ruler of Easy Mode. He had to evade them, use guerrilla tactics, descend into the Labyrinth to grow stronger, and only after months of battle could he achieve victory. But now, the difference in stats was so vast that he could finish it in one go.
Taesan nonchalantly withdrew his hand and looked around. Those who met his gaze flinched. He watched them desperately avert their eyes for a moment, then went back up to the rooftop.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah, yes. Yes…”
Lee Tae-yeon replied dazedly. Kim Hwi-yeon bit her lip.
“You…”
Her eyes, which had seen the corpses, were shaking uncontrollably. For her, it must be impossible to accept people killing each other. Since Hard Mode was so difficult, the atmosphere was one of mutual support, so this would be even more shocking.
But she had to get used to it.
“Things like this will happen often from now on. You can’t move forward if you get caught up in one or two deaths.”
Lee Tae-yeon and Kang Jun-hyeok were still in a daze. It seemed they needed some time before they could have a proper conversation.
“Rest for now.”
Taesan looked down at the people. The gazes directed at him were those looking at a murderer.
“This will be a bit of a headache.”
In a wide park, Taesan stood alone by a tree. Jung-geun approached him.
“You look lonely.”
“It’s comfortable for me.”
Taesan answered indifferently.
“No one comes asking me to teach them things. I prefer it this way. What about you, are you okay?”
“Well, you saved my life, hyung-nim. I shouldn’t be swayed by such things.”
Jung-geun nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't just words; he truly didn't seem to care.
“Besides, I have a rough idea of what kind of people they were.”
“What about Lee Tae-yeon and Kang Jun-hyeok?”
“They’re resting now. They said they’d come find me soon.”
“Tell them to take their time.”
Lee Tae-yeon was particularly soft-hearted. Seeing so many corpses might have mentally exhausted her.
“Hyung-nim.”
Jung-geun asked with a worried expression.
“Are you okay?”
“What do you think?”
Taesan asked back. Jung-geun shook his head as if it was a pointless question.
“You’re fine. I think my mind would have been quite shaken… Is it because you’re in Alone Mode?”
“That has nothing to do with it.”
He was fine because he had accumulated experience, but he couldn't tell him that. Jung-geun, who was looking at him with curiosity, soon opened his mouth with a stiff expression.
“…Hyung-nim. But things might get a little difficult. Right now, Hwi-yeon nu-nim and the others are talking about you…”
“I don’t need it.”
Taesan nonchalantly cut Jung-geun off. The words of ordinary people. They couldn't stir any emotion in Taesan.
“And soon, they won’t be able to chatter anymore.”
It was about time for the Special Quest to begin.
“We can’t just stand by!”
A middle-aged man slammed his hand on the desk roughly. He had a firm impression and a face that looked quite stubborn.
“That man must be punished!”
Hwi-yeon pressed her forehead. She let out a deep sigh.
‘Did I make a mistake calling them?’
Hundreds of people had died. Not by monsters, but by a fellow human. In the midst of the chaos, Hwi-yeon had tried to manage the situation somehow.
She needed people to discuss with, so she had called over those who were lawmakers or representatives of civic groups, but now Hwi-yeon deeply regretted that choice.
“He killed people.”
A woman with a stern impression spoke. Before Earth was like this, she was the representative of a civic group and was respected by quite a lot of people.
“He must be punished by the law.”
“That’s right. No matter the situation, there are things that must be protected for humans to remain human.”
“Him?”
Hwi-yeon let out a bitter laugh filled with ridicule.
“You’re saying we should punish him, the one who can face hundreds of Players alone, someone that even I can’t handle. Is that what you mean?”
“We must. Even if the monsters are scary, order must be established.”
At the words spoken as if it were a matter of course, Hwi-yeon felt a wave of dizziness. She tried to persuade them somehow and continued speaking.
“First, the one who started the fight was Choi Jung-hyuk. That man. He took an Alone Mode Player as a hostage.”
The fact that people died was shocking, but in essence, Taesan had done nothing wrong. He was attacked and simply retaliated. It was an incredibly natural thing to do in the current situation, unlike in the past.
But the lawmaker firmly shook his head.
“Still, what he did was a private sanction. An overreaction. He must be punished.”
Private sanction.
He utters those words in a situation where there is no public entity. Hwi-yeon couldn’t hold back a hollow laugh. The representative of the civic group said in a calm tone.
“You said you’re a university student, right? Then it’s understandable you might not know. We can’t let the world become a place where such a hot-headed brat runs wild just because he has power. Our world was maintained because we suppressed such people with the law.”
“…That world has collapsed now, though.”
“That’s what we need to rebuild. Are you planning to live like beasts like this?”
At the words spoken as if soothing a child, Hwi-yeon became irritated. The people she was talking to were lawmakers, representatives of civic groups, and so on. They were people with many followers.
Naturally, even after entering the Labyrinth, they had many followers, and under their protection and help, they hadn't even entered the Labyrinth, instead just consuming the food brought by others, the so-called cuckoo chicks. Perhaps that was why they were so ignorant of the current state of affairs. The monsters were strong.
No matter how hard they fought, they could never return to the world of the past. And yet, they brought up Earth’s laws, saying that Taesan, who was practically their hope, must be punished. If he were to be punished, who would do it?
If Taesan got angry and attacked them, who would stop him? Who could handle the power of an absolute being? They had no such thoughts.
They just wanted to regain the power they once had. At the desire visible in their eyes, Hwi-yeon closed her eyes.
‘Is this how Mr. Taesan saw me?’
Thinking it was a wonder he hadn't struck her down, she opened her mouth. It was the moment she was about to try and persuade them somehow.
[Special Quest Begins] [The First Wave will begin.]
A Quest Window appeared before them. Leveling up through battle