Chapter 105

Episode 6: Mafia Game / Chapter 105: Someone (5)

TL: emptycube / ED: Obelisk

The most insane person among the Berserkers, the most Berserker-like Berserker, was, without a doubt, Chu Youngjin.

He was different from Choi Hyuk. Choi Hyuk was someone who looked towards the future instead of the past. To him, his past was despair and his future was rage. This was why he hadn’t fallen for the monster of night’s trick when it masqueraded as his mother. His rage began by wholly accepting his past.

However, Chu Youngjin was different. He was completely possessed by his past. He was someone who always wanted to reject the present and return to the past. That was why his heart was easily smitten by the doppelganger queen sent by the monster of night.

Around 20 experts from the minor clans surrounded Chu Youngjin, and the doppelganger queen hid behind him. Although he wanted to simply smash them apart, a guilty conscience remained in the corner of his heart.

‘Am I in the wrong?’

While Chu Youngjin was thinking about this, the doppelganger queen made its move. It was currently immature and its conscious had yet to awaken. It wasn’t even aware it was a doppelganger queen. Its heart and thoughts were the same as Chu Youngjin’s lover, Lee Hyejin. As it had yet to awaken, it was truly good.  However, its personality had been appropriately tuned by the monster of night.

“Huh?”

Chu Youngjin felt a soft hand grab his shoulder. He felt that thing’s… no, ‘her’ head resting on him. She didn’t say anything, however, like Naro’s telepathy, he clearly felt her sadness and will.

I’m scared.

Everyone hates me.

Is there something wrong with me?

Did I do something wrong?

Did I… did I turn into something I’m not?

Will I hurt you if I change?

Then kill me.

I don’t want to hurt anyone.

In its imitative state, the doppelganger queen sincerely wished this without any ulterior motives. Its thoughts, which was identical to Lee Hyejin’s, squeezed at Chu Youngjin’s heart.

Thump.

The memories he had never forgotten, yet had turned mirthless like black and white, were restored of their colors at once. Each cell awoke and shouted its joy.

After spending a few days together with the doppelganger queen, Chu Youngjin’s mind had already become infected. The doppelganger queen’s ‘sincerity’, which stealthily encroached in his mind, was a device that provoked ‘brainwashing’.

No, instead of brainwashing, it was more like a madness-ridden tenacity.

Chu Youngjin’s mind turned strange. He was certain.

‘If it’s a doppelganger queen, then there’s no way it’ll act like this.’

His remaining suspicion disappeared. Chu Youngjin began to see the clan experts blocking his path as Choi Junsung, the man who had killed Lee Hyejin. His eyes reddened.

“Berserker, Explosive Blood.”

Chu Youngjin activated both his innate skill, Berserker, and his karma trait, Explosive Blood.

Ruuuumble!

Thunder roared over the ground. A humid, fierce wind, hinting at a typhoon, blew at the same time.

“Hmmp! {Toughness}!”

Kim Honghyun gripped his axe. Karma rolled with him as the center.

Rumble!

It was unknown as to when he had unsheathed it, but Chu Youngjin’s sword struck down at Kim Honghyun’s head, and Kim Honghyun swung his double-bladed axe at his sword. Rather than the sound of a sword and axe colliding, a thunderous roar sounded out.

At the same time, Kim Honghyun’s twin brother, Kim Saehyun, unsheathed a flexible sword^{1} from his waist.

“{Sharpness}!”

His flexible sword shot out like a spring and lunged at Chu Youngjin’s thigh like a snake. Chu Youngjin, who was confronting Kim Honghyun’s weapon, didn’t avoid it. Instead, he changed his direction and shot towards Kim Saehyun. The flexible sword glanced off Chu Youngjin’s thigh. Although blood spurted out, the wound quickly closed.

‘Chu Youngjin’s Protection’ aimed at Kim Saehyun.

Rumble!

Another thunderous roar sounded out.

Kim Saehyun’s sword coiled like a spring as it deflected Chu Youngjin’s sword. Although he was violently forced back, he wasn’t greatly wounded.

“Attack him!”

As soon as the three began to tangle together as they fought, the surrounding experts simultaneous rushed towards Chu Youngjin. However-

Rumble! Bang!

As soon as a thunderous sound erupted, their necks were either cut or sliced in two. If they were lucky, they were able to retreat with a fatal wound. However, even if they were successful in wounding Chu Youngjin, the wounds would close immediately.

“Mo… monster…”

Aside from Kim Honghyun and Kim Saehyun, no one was able to endure a single strike from Chu Youngjin. They couldn’t wrap their heads around it.

“How?”

Although Kim Honghyun and Kim Saehyun acknowledged that he was strong, they didn’t expect him to be this strong. Yet, when he revealed his strength, only the two of them could face him.

——————–

{Chu Youngjin}

Power: 200 (4★)   Speed: 202 (+150) (4★)  Control: 0 (3★)

Endurance: 100 (3★)  Stamina: 217 (+210) (4★)  Recovery: 53 (+47) (4★)

{Kim Honghyun}

Power: 107 (+95)  (4★)   Speed: 0 (4★)  Control: 372 (3★)

Endurance: 310 (+100) (4★)  Stamina: 100 (+95) (4★)  Recovery: 2 (2★)

{Kim Saehyun}

Power: 153 (3★)   Speed: 321 (+110) (4★)  Control: 137 (+85) (4★)

Endurance: 50 (3★)  Stamina: 110 (+95) (4★)  Recovery: 117 (3★)

——————–

It was hard to predict the outcome of the fight by merely looking at their stats. Although Chu Youngjin’s stats were at an international level, they couldn’t be called ‘absolute’. He lagged behind sovereigns such as Overseer Jessie or Overseer Richard. There was nothing more to say about Kim Honghyun and Kim Saehyun. Although they were top-notch, when looking at it from a global perspective, there were many experts at their level.

But, they had something special.

‘Innate skills’. A skill awakened by those born with special fates. As only the minority possessed these skills, the majority were still unaware of them. Not only that but unlike Richard or Choi Hyuk’s innate skills, theirs were specialized for combat. Their actual fighting abilities went beyond their stats.

For example, even though Chu Youngjin’s Recovery stat was 53 (+47) (4★), with the addition of his innate skill, Berserker (which sharply increases one’s Power, Speed, and Recovery), Explosive Blood (which increases Power, Speed, Endurance, Stamina, and Recovery), and ‘Chu Youngjin’s Protection’ (Combat Endurance Ability +100 (Stamina, Endurance, and Recovery)), his Recovery reached the late 4-star level.

Most wounds would close immediately.

Rumble!

Like a war god from myths, Chu Youngjin charged without fear of being wounded.

“Explosive Heart!”

The karma trait Explosive Heart was added to that. It was a trait that could support his chronic weakness, his Control.

Under the influence of Explosive Heart, Chu Youngjin’s explosive power was concentrated on a single point. His sword struck out like a comet. It was a strike most opponents couldn’t even perceive.

“Kuaaap! Fortitude! Reflex!”

Wooong!

Yet, Kim Honghyun blocked it.

“Keeup…!”

Although he was pushed back a few steps, he received his strike. Even though both his Power and Speed were more than a level lower than Choi Hyuk’s, he also possessed an innate skill. He had blocked Chu Youngjin’s attack with his karma trait {Reflex}, which assisted his reflexes, and with his innate skill {Toughness} and his karma trait {Fortitude}, both of which greatly increased his Endurance and Power.

Chu Youngjin’s next strike was blocked by Kim Saehyun’s precise counterattack. His innate skill {Sharpness} allowed him to attack exquisitely, stopping Chu Youngjin’s attack while also wounding him.

They exchanged approximately 10 attacks in an instant.

Chu Youngjin attempted to split Kim Honghyun’s head, yet Kim Honghyun blocked it with his double-bladed ax. He used the rebound from the clash to turn around, swinging at Chu Youngjin. Chu Youngjin reflected his attack and attempted to take Kim Honghyun’s leg. Kim Saehyun joined in and aimed for Chu Youngjin’s wrist. Chu Youngjin lowered his body, received the strike with his shoulder, and wielded his sword again. Kim Honghyun blocked his attack with the head of his double-bladed ax.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Explosive sounds boomed and blood spurted at every step. Even though his body had been sliced and turned into a bloody mess, Chu Youngjin pressed on against Kim Honghyun and Kim Saehyun.

The experts, who couldn’t even think of joining in and ended up becoming spectators, couldn’t help but open their mouths.

“It looks like it’ll be a long fight…”

He was mistaken.

‘Chu Youngjin’s Protection’ became the decisive difference. It distributed its Combat Endurance Ability +100 (Stamina, Endurance, and Recovery) depending on the situation. When Chu Youngjin was wounded, the sword would shine and pour all 100 points into Recovery, closing his wound immediately. When he was about to attack, the 100 points, which had been poured into Recovery, would pour into Stamina and Endurance. His tough Stamina and solid body supported his Power and Speed, maximizing their effects.

Even as a weapon, there was a huge difference in performance.

When Chu Youngjin wielded his karma-sword ‘Protection’, he could, in fact, be called the strongest on Earth aside from Choi Hyuk.

Kirik!

Along with a terrifying sound, Kim Honghyun’s axe shattered.

“Dodge!”

Kim Saehyun’s flexible sword coiled into a spring as he blocked Chu Youngjin’s path.

Kirik!

Although he stopped Chu Youngjin’s charge, Kim Saehyun’s sword shattered like glass.

Like a blizzard, the shattered metallic pieces were violently swept up with the wind.

Chu Youngjin’s eyes had turned completely red.

“Kill…”

He had lost all sense of reasoning. The pain from {Berserker} and {Explosive Blood} combined with the doppelganger queen’s brainwashing. Everyone looked like Lee Hyejin’s killer in his eyes.

“Ru… Run!”:

The experts, who had been watching the situation, picked up Kim Honghyun and Kim Saehyun and retreated from the battlefield.

“… I’m going to kill you!”

Chu Youngjin attempted to follow and kill them. Just then, the doppelganger queen, who was a bit behind him, made its move. Still sincere, it shed tears as it held Chu Youngjin.

Don’t. Kill me instead. Don’t do it.

“Uh…? Lee Hyejin…?”

Chu Youngjin, who had been gathering his strength to chase them, stopped in his tracks. He blinked.

“Yeah. You’re right. Saving you comes first.”

Chu Youngjin held its hand. Even though there was no way he could hold its hand as it didn’t have a physical body, but as Chu Youngjin was already thoroughly out of his mind, he mistakenly thought he held its hand.

“Let’s run.”

Chu Youngjin held its hand and escaped. He headed towards Yeouido. It was the closest place with a portal to Dragonic.

**

At the same time, Choi Hyuk and Naro were spending their time busily.

“Aaaah. It’s impossible. Impossible.”

Naro wrapped its arms around its head and buried its head between its knees. However, Choi Hyuk didn’t let it go.

“I’m tired too. That’s why we should finish it quickly.”

“Can’t we take it easy? I mean, how can you tell me to compile information about space routes, the history of the war, and information about various skills in this short period of time? No matter how great of an amazing artificial intelligence I am, this is impossible.”

“We can’t. We don’t have time. We might be duped multiple times while we’re still stuck on Earth like now.”

“But Earth is already in a fuss about the doppelganger queen problem, why do we have to do this now?”

“I supplied Baek Seoin with enough memory to resolve that problem. That should be enough.”

“Aahh, I’m tired. Tired!”

Naro stood upright and simulated choking itself to death. Still, Choi Hyuk didn’t let it slide.

“You have to do it even if you’re tired. We need to advance to space as soon as possible.”

The cause of this incident were the resources for dimensional travel given as a reward. They were the necessary fuel and parts that would allow Naro, who had been stuck on Earth until now, to attempt dimensional travel.

“There’s no future if we keep getting dragged around. We need someone within the core of the alliance who can be our eyes and ears.”

They were only permitted to travel within the Laniakea Supercluster through the military gate system. However, with the rewarded resources, Naro’s spaceship could attempt dimensional travel, and they could even travel beyond that. Choi Hyuk had no thoughts on pushing this back. What he needed now was a scout who could work at the core of the alliance.

“If we consider the future, the doppelganger queen isn’t what’s important. You said it yourself. That you can sufficiently handle that.”

Choi Hyuk put the doppelganger queen, which was a hot issue at the moment, aside and told Naro to download all the information it could about the alliance. He himself was learning about the alliance and analyzing the information about their various commonly used fighting techniques.

The flood of information made even Naro, who was the ultimate artificial intelligence left behind by the narolings, feel pressured. Naro was suffering while Choi Hyuk urged it.

Just then, Naro, who had been in pain, abruptly raised its head.

“Ah! The warriors of the minor clans are fighting against Director Chu Youngjin!”

Even though Naro’s voice was filled with urgency, it also clearly contained its expectations of finally being able to rest.

“What? What are you saying?”

“Please wait. I only handled this data. The one who directly communicated with people was Director Baek Seoin so he should know more about it than me. I’ll connect you now.”

Baek Seoin’s face appeared on the screen. He had an urgent expression.

“Leader!”

“What’s wrong?”

“The minor clans claim Youngjin is the doppelganger queen’s host and are chasing him down.”

“Chu Youngjin’s the host?”

“It seems like it. He completely lost his rationality. In fact, he’s headed towards the gate^{2} to Dragonic. There are Berserkers who have locked down the gate so there shouldn’t be a problem, but if we want to reduce our losses, I think it’s best if you personally stop him.”

Baek Seoin’s voice sounded urgent. It definitely would be troublesome if Chu Youngjin crossed over to Dragonic. However, there was something else that got on Choi Hyuk’s nerves.

“But why are the minor clans, and not the Berserkers, chasing Youngjin?”

“The clans are very dissatisfied with the Berserkers these days. It seems like they were trying to capture Youngjin themselves and gain the right to speak. The situation isn’t good. They say Chu Youngjin has already been greatly wounded… Leader. Although it’ll be tough, we can’t just gloss over this. Even if it’s Chu Youngjin, we need to punish him to set an example.”

“Punish Chu Youngjin?”

“Yes. Since you are an overseer who has to take care of tens of millions of people. If you just gloss over this incident, dissatisfaction will surge explosively. We need to provide generous compensation to the victims as well.”

Baek Seoin reminded Choi Hyuk with the same words he scolded Lee Jinhee with.

But Choi Hyuk was different from Lee Jinhee. There was a definite difference between Choi Hyuk and Baek Seoin’s judgment of the situation.

“So what’s the current situation? The minor clans are blocking Chu Youngjin? Is that something we requested?”

“That’s not it. This wasn’t a report given by them but rather a situation we figured out by ourselves. Although the minor clans are blocking Chu Youngjin, he is about to break free from them. I already gave the order for the Berserkers blocking the gate to intervene right away. It will be a headache if the minor clans take any more losses! Leader, please hurry. Director Lee Jinhee left already, but it’ll be difficult to stop his charge without suffering any losses.”

Baek Seoin sounded urgent. Choi Hyuk momentarily became lost in thought. Then he shook his head.

“No, don’t get them to intervene. The Berserkers will continue to concentrate on locking down the gate. Just stop Chu Youngjin from going through the gate if he tries to. Don’t help the minor clans. We don’t need to compensate them for their losses either.”

“Pardon?”

Baek Seoin’s expression became blank at the unexpected reply.

Choi Hyuk was firm.

“Why are the minor clans acting and making the problem bigger? If they are suspicious of Chu Youngjin, then they should report him to the Berserkers, why are they personally making a move? Like now, even if Chu Youngjin attempts to cross through the gate, why are they moving by themselves instead of reporting him to the Berserkers, who can stop him? If they are going to act without knowing their place, then they have to pay the appropriate price.”

Choi Hyuk had been silent about the conflicts up until now. However, it seemed he was disgusted by the minor clans.

Baek Seoin became more urgent. By his judgment, they had to embrace them right now.

“That’s how deep the misunderstandings between the Berserkers and the minor clans are. It is currently time to stitch things up. We can’t always be a small group of elites. Don’t we have to become an army of tens of millions of people?!”

Baek Seoin’s plan was to unite the strength of the earthlings and cultivate a powerful force. He believed that, beyond the Berserkers suppressing them with their power, they needed the political power to merge countless forces and rule over them. It reflected his unbiased, fair personality.

However, Choi Hyuk’s judgment was different.

He called Baek Seoin in a low voice.

“Baek hyung.”

Hearing the weight carried in his voice, Baek Seoin quickly looked at Choi Hyuk’s eyes. They were chilly. Baek Seoin felt his spine shiver. Then he realized once again.

‘Ah… Right. Our leader isn’t right in the head.’

Choi Hyuk said,

“That’s a method Richard is good at, but we are Berserkers.”

Each of Choi Hyuk’s words stabbed into Baek Seoin’s heart. Choi Hyuk, who lacked administration and political skills, left Baek Seoin to govern most matters. However, it eventually fell onto Choi Hyuk, who was an overseer, to make the decisive judgment and decide their ultimate aim.

And Choi Hyuk’s aim wasn’t justice, only revenge.

“I don’t need tens of millions of people who are going to make their own judgments. I only need crazy warriors who can raise their swords at death. What’s the point if we are large in number? You know how strong our enemies are. When we fight them, how many of the tens of millions will be able to wield their swords?”

“…”

Baek Seoin was silent.

“I can’t leave Chu Youngjin, who has been deceived by a monster, alone. Even still, I have no thoughts of embracing the minor clans either. They do not have the right to judge the Berserkers. No, they don’t have the skill to. If they want the same rights as the Berserkers, then tell them to raise their strength. Or join the Berserkers. If they moved to personally capture Chu Youngjin, then they need to try by themselves.”

Choi Hyuk stood up. After stretching, he said on his way out,

“Tell them to try to stop Chu Youngjin. Though, I think Chu Youngjin will eventually come to me.”

Choi Hyuk left like that.

His policy was clear. ‘Discrimination’. He had no thoughts on giving the minor clans rights. He had no thoughts on acknowledging them. If they found it unfair, they would have to obtain it themselves.

Although Choi Hyuk didn’t plan on leaving Chu Youngjin, who had been deceived by a monster, alone, he also had no thoughts on acknowledging the minor clans either.

Both of them would pay the price.

“It’s better this way,”

He mumbled as he jumped down from Naro’s spaceship.

As he fell to the surface, he saw Chu Youngjin, who was trying to charge through the minor clans like a furious lion.

^{1} Possibly similar to the ‘urumi’.

^{2} Not sure why the author called the portal a gate.