Thanks? What do you mean by that?

Moyong Su asked, clearly unable to comprehend the situation.

Indeed, it would be hard to understand.

He was the one who managed to grab a fortune that could overturn all the despair he had encountered until now.

And he was the one who made it possible to leave through the gate.

Of course hed feel uneasy, given that everything had gone according to plan yet here we were, unshaken.

Jinhyuk shrugged his shoulders.

Nearly all the business in the labyrinth was dealt with, so he thought he ought to explain things kindly, at least this last partbut the short version, not the long one.

Let me give you a hint: think about the theme of this labyrinth.

The labyrinths theme?

Moyong Su chewed over Jinhyuks words, looking puzzled.

Then something clicked for him.

The guardians protecting the valley of the ancient kings.

The various traps punishing grave robbers

Thats right.

This labyrinth was all about protecting the serene rest of the noble kings.

No way!

The fourth horn doesnt bring luck, but rather

is pretty much to thoroughly punish the tenacious intruders who survived the three despairs.

Im not sure where you heard those stories about this place while you were holed up being tortured.

But it was all misinformation.

Theres no gold for grave robbers here.

With those words

the atmosphere shifted abruptly.

[The Fourth Luck (Despair), Instant Retribution ()]

Those who disturb the peace of this place.

Their penalty will be washed away with the blood of their own homeland.

The fourth one means that all the despair encountered so far will be forcibly moved to the homeland of the one who sounded the horn.

Thats the last punishment for those who invaded the tomb.

Youve only read about it in texts, so you dont really know. Documents from the Tower of Trials are often tampered with, especially ones about labyrinths designed for protection like this.

You how do you know such things?

How does he know?

Because hes experienced it all himself, thats how.

In the past, it wasnt much of a concern since players had folded.

But the three great despairs would be summoned back to their original place after a week, so it wasnt a big problem for those who played later, either.

Of course.

That was when it was all just a game.

[The gate has been activated.]

[An outbreak has occurred in Beijing, China.]

[The Three Great Calamities will manifest!]

[A mark has been engraved on the players of the Zhonghua Guild.]

[Targets with a mark will become the focus of the Three Great Calamities, and if more than 50% of the players in the Zhonghua Guild die, the entire country of China will become the target.]

Red status boxes appeared in rapid succession.

This, this is

Liao Weis eyes widened in shock.

Monsters that they had never dared to fight were appearing in the Zhonghua Guild.

It was an event as unpredictable as a natural disaster.

Moyong Su was equally flustered.

He thought he had understood everything about the despair-summoning horn through ancient texts.

What on earth was this?

The contradiction between the information he knew and reality made his head feel like it was about to burst.

It seems like youve only glanced at what was written somewhere, but there are many mistakes in the information listed in the Tower of Trials.

A failure among failures.

Thats why, now and then, such information in the Tower fooled people, just like it had now.

You dare suggest the documents in the Martial Alliances archives are falsified? Do you even realize what nonsense youre spouting with that tongue?

Moyong Su was livid.

Wow, hes as fresh as live fish straight from the water.

If you told the Moyong family here that they were the weakest amongst the five great families, hed probably drop dead from high blood pressure.

Its none of my concern how well-informed Martial Alliance is. Whats urgent now is how to stop the Three Great Despairs, isnt it?

For the moment, the marked players from the Zhonghua Guild would be the target.

But if more than 50% of the entire guild dies, the citizens themselves become targets.

Now its not about protecting the guilds image or whatever. Its about fighting for the fate of all of China.

Yet

Stop spouting nonsense. How on earth are we supposed to protect China against those creatures?

Moyong Su drew the line, seemingly believing there was no value in even considering it.

Of course.

I expected that kind of response, but so bluntly?

Like a lizard shedding a useless tail, theres not even a hint of hesitation.

Do you think the same?

Jinhyuks gaze shifted to Liao Wei.

Its one thing for Moyong Su to be indifferent, as it wasnt an incident in the martial world, but Liao Weis home ground is turning into complete chaos.

To protect the guild, he would have to enter the labyrinth.

After a moment of pondering, Liao Wei slowly opened his mouth.

Being marked means I also become a target if I go through the gate, correct?

Yes, you would be seen as a tasty morsel to them.

Then I too will not go.

You would abandon your comrades so easily?

You wouldnt understand or perhaps you would. Only the strong and useful may climb the tower. Ive learned the same from Master Nangong Tian.

The idea that anything can be discarded for survival.

Well, they thought nothing of attacking peaceful elven villages for their own benefit.

Perhaps it is realistic to behave in such a manner.

The leaders of the Zhonghua Guild, including Nangong Tian, were already in the process of being assimilated into a part of the martial world.

With a broader world of endless possibilities at their fingertips, they wouldnt want to risk losing everything trying to hold onto a reality that resembled a cesspit.

I understand that.

But

To speak so callously of it

felt nauseatingly vile.

As I thought, its impossible to befriend you lot.

Trash varies in levels, but this is food waste level.

No, it might be time to even reconsider the food wastes point of view.

Dont be hypocritical. In the end, were all bystanders, arent we?

Liao Weis lips curled subtly.

Im different from you. At the very least, I dont abandon my own people.

Jinhyuk quietly shook his head.

At that, Moyong Su questioned him once more.

Youre not planning to enter the gate, are you?

Puppies wagging their tails have no need to concern themselves with such matters, do they? You lot will now only care about the power struggles in the middle tiers, regardless of whether other people live or die.

So, please, leave.

The gate created by Kyeongjong doesnt last very long.

Its short of time, and I wont be backstabbing creatures nimble enough to scurry away like cockroaches, so you can walk away reassured.

Futile heroism? How amusing.

With a final sneer, Moyong Su turned away.

We will return to the martial world as we are. It wasnt planned for us to abandon the Zhonghua Guild so soon, but theres nothing that can be done now. The main forces of the guild have been evacuated, havent they?

Yes. As you instructed, they were all sent to the Training Ground before arriving here. But are we really leaving them be?

It doesnt matter what we do. They cant do anything.

I admit we were wrong about the effect of the horn.

But we were not mistaken about the strength of the Three Great Despairs.

Moyong Su was certain because he had fought them himself.

No matter how extraordinary the player may be, they couldnt change the inevitable outcome.

Whatever his intentions for helping China are, I cant say, but thanks to him, we can now get rid of a major headache without lifting a finger.

That was enough.

Theres no need to prolong the conversation or to probe each others intentions.

The fools who enter the gate will soon all be cold corpses.

Thats how Moyong Su and Liao Wei disappeared from the tomb.

[Gate Duration: 0h:1m:13s]

The status window flashed even faster.

Seeing the gate flicker, it seemed that almost no time was left.

Are you really going to fight those monsters? It seems like there will be more losses than gains?

Alice had approached and added to the conversation.

To anyone, it looked like a reckless fight, of course, it didnt make sense.

Of course.

Its not because of some grand reason to help poor civilians.

And its certainly not to save the Zhonghua Guild.

Its all being recorded, right?

Jinhyuk briefly checked the Broadcast Systems recording function.

Normally, you couldnt turn on broadcasting or record during a masquerade, but thanks to the martial worlds forceful intervention in the system, an opportunity arose.

Like a bug, so to speak.

So, the fools enthusiastically dug their own graves.

If these conversations were made public, everyone in the world would see the Zhonghua Guild for what it really is

There was no need for a lengthy explanation.

Plus, there were benefits to doing this, not just screwing over Zhonghua and the martial world.

If he could hunt the Three Great Despairs, he could hog all the significant experience and items they dropped.

Gaining notoriety and leveling up at the same time. Oh, the forces that value these reasons will be ecstatic. The accolades will all fall to me.

The stage was set; it was impossible not to take this path.

Jinhyuk clapped his hands.

It was time to select those who would enter the gate.

One spot is taken by China, leaving two. Obviously, one is mine.

Only one spot remained.

Jinhyuks eyes sparkled expectantly.

Despite the clear expectation, no one stepped forward.

Tsk, tsk.

Cheon Yu-Sung clicked his tongue as if to say, expect whats expected.

Hmph, hmm.

Alice whistled, feigning indifference.

Even Teresa hesitated.

I mean, shouldnt the saint, of all people, voluntarily step forward?

Isnt she the European hero who halted the Amsterdam outbreak?

Wait, now that I think about it

Could it be?

Feeling an intense sense of unease, Jinhyuk paused.

Somethings off.

Teresa had always embodied the pinnacle of altruism.

No matter how dire the situation.

Even if the opposition consisted of foes they had just battled.

Her compassion was supposed to be unwavering.

Yet at a time like this, she remained silent?

That didnt make sense.

As suspicion turned into certainty, there was only one way to find the truth.

[Lv9 Eyes of Gluttony begin to perceive the target!]

Quickly, Jinhyuk gathered mana into his eyes.

And at that moment.

All questions were immediately resolved.

Ho-ho.

Jinhyuk let out a quiet exclamation of surprise.

Things just got interesting.

An unexpected and quite entertaining variable had emerged.