Episode 39.

“How about you?”

Marina Bissett asked. Upon receiving no reaction, she continued.

“Why don’t you take out your wings? It’s not that I’d like to comment on it, but it’s just amazing to see you catch up to my speed without using them.”

A player’s wings gave them the ability to fly, and once it grew stronger, it gave a buff effect that increased the body’s strength and speed just by pulling them out. Because of this, Marina Bissett could easily run through the mountains with her wings spread out. Of course, she could be flying in the air, but she didn’t want to risk revealing herself to the monsters that were currently flooding Mt. Seoraksan.

“I don’t think I will.”

Jung Si-woo was able to catch up with her using his speed alone. The sprinting skill he had mastered in a short period and his distinct physical capabilities differing from other players made this feat possible.

“Are you…are you not a player?”

“Then what else do I look like?”

Jung Si-woo retorted, refusing to answer her question directly.

“A monster? I think that only a monster would be able to combine Magic Shot and Battle Sprint like that.”

“Well, if you think so…”

“Tsk…”

Marina Bissett looked annoyed, but she didn’t investigate further. After cleaning up Mt. Seoraksan, Jung Si-woo would head back to the Ant Cave dungeon to continue his mission. He wanted to get stronger faster, for had he been stronger than her, he wouldn’t have to worry about concealing his identity. As of now, he was still not powerful enough to be inconsiderate of what others would think of him.

‘If I’m discovered as an underground player, I would garner unwanted attention. I want the power to make others bend to my will.’

Fortunately, Jung Si-woo didn’t have to worry right now, as it seemed that Marina Bissett was a bit naïve about the situation. However, if it had been another top player, this kind of relationship would never have existed. He would’ve had to give up on checking the abnormalities of Mt. Seoraksan and just head back to his resting place.

“Especially if you’re with a person who knows Kim Ha-ryong. Of course, you’ll be 100% bothered!”

His supporter interjected.

“But, hey! If I get caught up in a strange scenario, don’t stop for me, okay?”

Jung Si-woo nodded and promised that he wouldn’t; then, they continued on their quest.

“I can see them in the back.”

Jung Si-woo and Marina Bissett didn’t spend long chatting and sharing details as they soon caught up with the two monsters who had fled from the previous battlefield. They heard the monsters talking ahead.

[We can’t catch them unless they come out.]

[Let’s hurry. You’ll be delighted by the arrival of the express offering.]

[We work hard for the light of our world.]

“These guys are quite skillful, aren’t they? They’re carefully laying down tracks and hinting at their enemy’s identity.”

“I don’t know why you admire that part.”

As they ran along the mounds, rocks, and trees, Jung Si-woo continued to estimate their destination. It was Daecheongbong Peak, the highest peak in Mt. Seoraksan. It was the place where the helicopter trying to record the monsters was shot down. Upon seeing it, Yong Se-ha began to mutter faintly.

“My father used to bring me here…”

“Shhhh.”

Yong Se-ha’s monologue was quickly interrupted when they arrived at an open place outside of the forest. Monsters were flocking in every direction they could see, not only on Daecheongbong Peak but also on the hills and the rocks below. Even though they were still hundreds of meters away, they could sense the refined life and mana emanating from the monsters, and it was enough to give them goosebumps.

[Kao-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!]

[Now there isn’t much left! You guys, kill more! More! More!]

They had encountered a lot of monsters while hiking the mountain. There were gigantic goblins, fearsome orcs, a pack of wolves with black fur and thorns, and even giant monkeys with long arms. These monsters gathered, regardless of their types, and their tally was easily in the tens of thousands.

“What are those?”

Marina Bissett nervously laughed at the wide range of monsters she had never seen before. She had faced thousands of monsters alone, but not like these. Of course, they hadn’t eradicated these monsters, for their aim was to avoid them. The number of monsters appearing in the real world had substantially increased, making them countless. These monsters could’ve spread around the Seoraksan Mountains and even beyond. This situation wasn’t child’s play anymore.

“We have to tell the Korean government. These monsters cannot be prevented by the power of Korean players alone. The republic has to choose between gathering players from all over the world or detonating a whole mountain.”

Thinking these monsters would pervade the whole land was terrifying for them. Marina Bissett took out her phone right away and started recording, her hands trembling as she did. Even the strongest mercenary around the world had been engulfed in horror at the sight of the echelons of enemies. To Marina’s surprise, Jung Si-woo shrugged at her suggestion.

“Before that, there is one thing worth trying.”

“What is it?”

Jung Si-woo scanned the monsters to find the boss. The monsters were numerous, but most of them were weaklings that couldn’t exceed level 100. He just needed to look at the center, where the strongest among them could be located. Finally, he succeeded in removing all other candidates, leaving only one.

[Blood and mana, lack of soul! My compatriots! That is just as much as yours!]

A humanoid monster wearing a lion’s mask stood on top of Daecheongbong Peak. He seemed to be the boss because all other powerful monsters circled around him as if protecting him. Most importantly, the mana that this creature emanated was way beyond all the others. Jung Si-woo remembered the strongest enemy he had encountered so far, the Armored Orc Commander, yet this one certainly seemed much stronger.

“We should kill him.”

Jung Si-woo firmly suggested as he pointed to the boss monster.

“Will killing him do the trick? The boss appears to be in control of the other monsters. If we kill him, the others might run wild.”

The two warriors didn’t dare to talk about whether they could kill him or not. Even if it was just the two of them, they were convinced it was possible by working together.

“All the other monsters in Sanha-dong disappeared after killing the boss.”

“Ah! I remember that. It was a big event. So, you were the first hunter?”

“Don’t say it like that. It’s weird.”

“Huh.”

Marina Bissett laughed with satisfaction. Right now, she knew about the first hunter that the whole world desperately searched for. She realized she didn’t know anything about him until now, but she was proud to have been told a secret. However, there was something she wanted to convey to Jung Si-woo.

“But…I also caught another boss monster somewhere. However, nothing changed back then. Perhaps you were just lucky? Maybe the initial action is important.”

Jung Si-woo nodded at her words. If that were so, once the dungeon was released on the ground, the monsters would be reborn in a similar manner as to how they were reborn in dungeons, regardless of how many times players would kill them. The case was different for Jung Si-woo, who cleared the monsters and went into the Ant Cave dungeons and effortlessly destroyed them. He also already explored the Seoraksan area and found that several dungeons were liberated. What remained now were only traces of the dungeon, yet it was impossible to enter the Ant Cave dungeon anymore. If Marina’s logic were true, it was likely that the work wouldn’t be finished even if the boss were defeated.

“Nevertheless…”

The thought that he had to kill the boss dominated his mind, and he couldn’t let it go. He initially didn’t know where it was coming from, but the impulse was too strong to ignore.

“I just want to kill him, so let’s do this and kill him.”

“Wait…look.”

Marina Bissett raised her hand, and it was only then that Jung Si-woo realized that strange things were happening. His jaw dropped to the floor.

“Why are these guys hurting themselves?”

“Uh… I don’t know.”

The monsters on the circle’s outer ring began to pick up their blades and stab their necks. Hundreds of monsters died in an instant, and immediately afterward, hundreds more. Seeing their suicide attempts, Jung Si-woo couldn’t help but think of sacrificial offering, the phrase they kept repeating.

[The time is now! I can’t hesitate anymore! Who is your God?]

[Oh, our God…]

[You guys are defeated. Your origins have been lost! So, answer me, who is your God?]

[Our God!]

The monsters continued to harm themselves, talking about things they couldn’t grasp. A river of blood began flowing down the hills, covering the stones and grass. Not only that, their mana, their very life force, was released and filled the whole area. In front of the truly eerie scene, Marina Bissett couldn’t help but get tongue-tied.

“These fucking fanatics…!”

“Fanatic?”

“All monsters believe in a God. They believe in annoying and ludicrous Gods. This must be their ritual of the offering. I have seen it a few times before, but this one’s too big of a sacrifice.”

“God…?”

“You don’t believe in it, do you?”

It seemed that Marina Bisset saw Jung Si-woo with high regard, for she assumed that he understood what she was talking about. Realizing that she was wrong, she immediately felt sympathy towards him. Soo Ah-rin, distasteful of the situation, bit her lips quietly. Marina Bissett seemed to have not noticed her uneasiness nor her existence.

“Their God is trying to influence them. It was said that such a God existed only in Sky Castle, but now it’s here on the ground.”

“Do you believe in the God they believe in?”

“Well, don’t you? I believe there’s a God. The thunder god’s rifle I gave you recently was proof of it.”

At that moment, lightning flashed in Jung Si-woo’s mind. Why did he not think of it before when it was so obvious? The weapon he received was the rifle of a thunder god, a weapon that contained the gods’ power. No wonder its power was sealed because it would only be given directly by a god.

“Of course, believing in the existence of a god and following it is a separate thing. I don’t like the spirits of gods. I don’t like it at all.”

“But you still accepted the rifle.”

“That’s why I wanted to hand it over to you. Anyway, I fooled you.”

Jung Si-woo found Marina’s complaining to be quite cute. As he listened to her, she gazed at the monsters with visible confusion in her eyes.

“People and monsters perform a lot of strange things in the name of their God, but this one’s the most serious act I’ve seen. Back in the Sky Castle, there have been small disputes over religion, but not to an extent like this one.”

“Well, it’s common in human history. Religion devours religion.”

“…Yes. Let’s go get the boss.”

Her eyes were twitching as if she wasn’t sure of her own judgment, but she did not hesitate to pull out her pistols.

“If we wait for the Korean government to come, I don’t think the outcome will be good. Right now, I want to kill that lion-masked monster. What do you think?”

“Well, I don’t know what to say, but…I feel like I’m ready to run wild now.”

Marina smiled as she responded.

“Okay, then let’s get started.”

At that moment, the strongest duo appeared in front of the world. However, they only decided to work together because of mutual reasons.