Chapter 1408: Side Story 17
Chapter 1408 - Side Story 17
For the first time in a long while, the conference room became noisy again.
“No, no. Player Minhyuk and Philos’ side have been quiet recently. Now, they’re…”
“What the hell are they…? Well, of course, I know that they are the chairmen and presidents, but…”
Did all of the chairmen and presidents reveal everything that they did in the past to the media? Of course not. They probably only knew about 10% of their past. Regardless, even if they revealed everything, would the young people of today be aware of them?
President Kang Taehoon was different. He was among the wealthy and powerful, one of the five richest men in the world, and was close to several political figures. He had drunk alcohol with them and knew what kind of people they were. He supported his forehead in resignation.
“There have always been cases of outstanding players who came to play together. Take, for example, the rankers who had played Versal, a game that was released before Athenae.”
However, players who had played Versal were not on that level.
“Usually, those who could achieve the first of their class would appear once every month in a novice village, but…?” They were wondering how there were quite a lot of monsters who appeared in one single village.
Kang Taehoon slowly explained it to them.
“A Korean War veteran?”
“Wait, what? The leader of the greatest gang among all of the organized gangs in Pyongyang?”
“An Olympic gold medalist…?”
“A member of the National Assembly…? Ah! I remember that assembly member. He’s the one who made thirty-two vows and pledges…”
“Wait, what are they talking about? What was that about a traitor?”
The others called the chairman, who used to jaywalk, a traitor.
“Ah, yes. There’s something like that.” Kang Taehoon pressed his temples.
Meanwhile, the viewers were all left flustered at the appearance of the Goblin King.
[Wow. I have never seen this before…]
[This is the first time that something like this has happened in a Goblin Defense Battle…]
“Of course, this is their first time seeing it. No one expected that someone would commit genocide here.”
For it to be called a massacre, several conditions had to be met. One of the conditions required at least three players to kill at least thirty goblins. Another condition was the declaration of the goblin’s retreat. They also had to kill more than 5% of the goblins once they started to flee. Not only that, they also had to have little to no damage to their group and their allies. Only by fulfilling these conditions would it be considered a massacre.
“What happens if they managed that?”
“In the beginner zones, players cannot level up. However, they can build up their stats. To be honest, there’s only one in a hundred people who can actually manage to stack up stats in these zones.”
The problem was that the group of old men had already raised their stats to ten at this point.
“If they successfully hunt the Goblin King, all of the players who contributed to the hunt will receive two extra stat points. Taking into consideration the rewards that they will get in general for hunting it, then…”
Even if their level remained at Level 1, their starting line would be much closer to the goal than the others.
“Aren’t they just old men?” Department Head Kim Dae-Il smiled wryly.
“That’s why it’s a problem. Do you know what the greatest weapon these retired chairmen and presidents have in their hands?”
“What? What is it?”
“Money. They have nowhere to spend their money.”
“...”
Department Head Kim Dae-Il finally realized the seriousness of the matter. From talent to money, they had it all.
‘And they’re also a group…?’
He could not bring himself to imagine what kind of Athenae these old men would create.
“And to be honest…”
Everyone turned to look at President Kang Taehoon.
“If they kill the Goblin King in an overwhelming manner, then the rewards that they will receive will be even better.”
The biggest problem was…
“Alas, we don’t know what kind of reward that will be.”
***
“Keuhaaaaack!!!”
The Goblin King’s roar echoed in the battlefield.
[The Abnormal Status: Terror has been activated.]
“Ugh… ughhhhh…”
“Wh-what the hell…?”
“My body feels strange…!”
Novice players had never been inflicted with debuffs or abnormal statuses. So, this was very new to them. And for these people who had always lived a very normal life, what scenario would be chilling and terrifying?
The Goblin King charged straight toward the chairmen and presidents. It even ignored the goblins in its path and just charged straight through.
“Hoho. It’s quite fast?!”
“That guy’s really fast!”
Regardless of how high the chairmen and presidents’ stats were, their level was still at Level 1. The gap between a Level 1 player and a Level 23 monster was like the difference between heaven and earth.
“Hu… hohohoho! Come! My blood is boiling just like the time when I met a lynx face to face!”
Pyongyang’s Kim Du-Han stepped out and charged forward.
“That punk, he’s pretending again. Saying he met something or someone before.”
“Anyway, it’s just mindless bragging.”
[A mission has been triggered.]
[Mission! Overwhelm the Goblin King.]
[You have to achieve 80% of overwhelm rate.]
Pyongyang’s Kim Du-Han and the Goblin King charged toward each other.
“Do you know how many times I have avoided the swords of the Japanese officers with these fists?!”
He twisted his body, lightly avoiding the blow that was aiming for his face. Then, with a swift punch to the Goblin King’s flanks…
Thud!
In the solar plexus.
Bang!
Then in the face.
Boom!
“Hoho! You’re so sturdy and firm!”
Pyongyang’s Kim Du-Han was indeed a skilled veteran. However, the Goblin King’s HP and defensive power were too high to the point that his punches did not really pack that much of a blow.
Swoosh!
Then, a cut appeared on Pyongyang’s Kim Du-Han’s arm.
“Kghhk. This hurts more than the cut that I received from Ito Hirobumi’s blade.”
“Hey! You punk! That guy was already dead even before you were born!”
At that moment, a blade swung toward Pyongyang’s Kim Du-Han’s neck.
“Heok!”
Clack!
A gun was fired at the same time.
Clang!
The bullet hit the Goblin King in his solar plexus. Regardless of the bullet’s momentum, it failed to pierce through his skin. In the end, it just landed neatly on the Goblin King’s protruding belly. The damage was insufficient to penetrate through its skin.
“Woah. What a monster, huh? Let’s try this. Hey! Flaming Arrow!”
“I already fired a shot!”
Swoosh!
Flaming Arrow’s bow shot toward the exact point where Godly Marksman’s bullet landed earlier.
Ping!
Flaming Arrow’s arrows fell to the ground. The only thing that his shots left were scratches. As for Godly Marksman? He fired his gun once again.
Bang!
A bullet was fired. Alas, just like before, it fell helplessly on the ground.
Ting!
The arrow was shot.
Clack! Clang!
Fwoosh!
Arrows and bullets flew from their weapons at regular intervals. The Goblin King, who was being hit twice per second, could only scream.
“Keuheeeeeeck!”
The Goblin King struggled to evade. Nevertheless, no matter what it did, the arrows and bullets targeted one spot and one spot alone.
[G… Grandpa!]
[Oh shit! I almost peed…!]
Thud!
Finally, a bullet pierced through the Goblin King’s chest.
Fwoosh!
[Overwhelm Rate: 97%!]
Despite the blood that spurted out of its chest, the Goblin King remained standing. In fact, the injury only agitated it more. It roared in anger.
[Goblin King’s Final Roar.]
[For five seconds, the Goblin King’s movement speed will increase by 20% while its defensive power will increase by 50%.]
“Keuhaaaaaaaaack!”
The Goblin King leapt forward as if it wanted to take down whoever or whatever it got its hands on before it died.
“Oh! Watch out!”
Pyongyang’s Kim Du-Han was flustered. Unfortunately, the individuals in the most compromising situation were Godly Marksman and Flaming Arrow. After all, they were the ones with the lowest HP and defensive power.
The other chairmen and presidents rushed forward to try and stop the Goblin King, but it was not easy. It had already gone crazy.
“Heoooooook! Grandma! I’m coming to meet you!”
Godly Marksman, Park Tae-Soo, saw someone grab one of the rusty swords on the ground and swung it at his neck. He closed his eyes, and the vision of his beloved grandmother appeared before him.
“You puuuuunk!”
One of the chairmen and presidents grabbed the man who swung the sword by the neck and threw him from afar.
“This traitor bastard! Stop acting so reckless!”
“Hey! You traitor!”
“That guy! I told you this is already a disease!”
“Anyway, that punk is really a traitor!”
The chairman who was called a traitor, the very same chairman who used to jaywalk…
“That punk betrayed the country and became a Japanese officer, right?”
“That’s right. He got cursed and spat on a lot~”
“Ah! Back then, I also used to curse at him.”
Nonetheless, there was a plot twist. The person who they thought was a traitor suddenly planted a bomb in the police station where he was working one day and blew up the entire place.
“From what I recall, a lot of the Japanese executives had gathered in that place at that time, right?”
“Ah. Then, did he live in disgrace and shame for four years just to get that one shot?”
He had endured the curses and criticism of his fellow countrymen and fought a battle alone.
“That’s right. However! That does not change the fact that he does not use the pedestrian lane when crossing the street!”
The traitor pulled out a bomb and planted it just like he did back then when he blew up the Japanese police station. How did he get a bomb? When the format shifted from a defensive battle to a complete subjugation, the chairmen and presidents, who had made significant contributions, were given the privilege to choose one item each. And the traitor? Of course, he decided on a bomb.
“Long live Korean independence!”
“Keuhaaaaaack!”
The traitor stuffed the bomb in the mouth of the roaring Goblin King and jumped to the side.
“Hak! Hak! Hak!” The Goblin King coughed, trying to spit out the bomb. Alas, it was all too late. The bomb exploded and took its head along with it.
BANG!
The explosion also shattered and destroyed the Goblin King’s entire body.
[You have killed the Goblin King.]
[The players who ranked from 1st to 5th in the Goblin King’s Hunt’s contribution list will receive a +2 increase in all five of their basic stats.]
[You have gained one million gold.]
“Wow…”
“Woah…”
Both the novice players and the NPC soldiers were staring slack-jawed at the scene. Of course, the soldiers were all disappointed. They had been celebrating at the thought of the pension that Chairman 8 promised. Now, it was all gone.
“UWAAAAAAAAH!”
Loud cheers erupted in the battlefield. Standing at the center of it all, the chairmen and presidents laughed loudly.
‘We’re still young and energetic!’
‘I, Park Tae-Soo, am not dead yet!’
‘I think it’s great that we tried to play this game called Athenae.’
‘Ah. So this is what they meant when they talked about attention seeking.’
The chairmen and presidents were all pleased. Then…
[You have achieved an overwhelmingly high overwhelm rate. You will receive the corresponding rewards.]
[As a reward, you can receive the recognition from the Beyond the Heavens’ Emperor, Beyond the Heavens’ Duke, or any Count-level individual.]
***
The viewers watching the live broadcast were like ants on a frying pan.
[Wow. Those grandpas have been hiding their powers, huh… shake, shake]
[I think they’re the greatest Senior Group in the world. Lolololol.]
[It’s really freaking cool. I’m looking forward to what they will do in the future.]
The viewers were anticipating the growth that these monstrous super rookies would show them from then on.
[But why isn’t it over yet?]
[Shouldn’t the novices be warped to a typical village once things are over?]
At that moment…
[Denz Village is a small village located in the Beyond the Heavens Empire.]
[Someone from the Beyond the Heavens Empire will congratulate and honor the heroes who have made significant contributions to the village. They are looking forward to their future.]
The viewers were shocked.
‘Someone from the Beyond the Heavens Empire?’
If that were the case, then it would be someone at least at the Count-level, or maybe someone at the level of a Duke? Regardless, it would be strange to receive the honor and congratulations of someone from that level or higher. After all, they were just novices.
[I think they deserve it…?]
But when they saw the man who appeared with a flash of bright light, everyone was frozen solid.
“It’s E… Emperor Minhyuk!”
“Your Majesty Minhyuuuuuuk!”
“AAAAH! It’s the Supreme!”
“Heok! It’s Minhyuk!”
A commotion broke out on the battlefield. Of course, a commotion had also broken out among the viewers.
[The Supreme personally came?]
[Is this how much they covet these talents?]
[OMG…?]
Meanwhile, a notification rang for all of the soldiers and players present.
[Please worship the Beyond the Heavens’ Emperor.]
The power of the AI, a force they could not resist, began to coerce them into submission. Minhyuk, who had approved the AI’s control, sat down on a chair and looked at the new heroes who joined the Beyond the Heavens Empire. He looked at them calmly and gently.
Strangely, the chairmen and presidents were not being controlled by AI. The chairmen and presidents just blinked at Minhyuk. Then, as if on cue, the AI’s level of control increased.
“These punks! Can’t you see?! You have to bow down in front of His Majesty Minhyuk!”
“These arrogant bastards!”
The AI’s control this time was only applied to players. They weren’t applied to NPCs. So, the soldiers were able to move and raise their voices at the group of old men. But the chairmen and presidents? They remained standing still.
[Aaaaah… This is the problem with the elderly…]
[They just don’t understand the reason why they have to bow. Well, it’s understandable. To these old men, why does it matter? Even if he’s the emperor, there’s no way that they will be swayed, no?]
[Ah. But it’s a big deal if Minhyuk gets upset!]
Then, Park Tae-Soo said, “This rascal! You have no manners!”
“...?”
The soldiers were dumbfounded. Why? Because they could see veins popping all over the necks of the old chairmen and presidents!
Chairman 1 shouted, spit flying out of his mouth, “What did your father teach you?!”
[No. Why did they suddenly drag Minhyuk’s father here…?]
Chairman 4 stared at him incredulously. “You punk! I saw you and held you even before you got hair down there! Where are your manners?!”
“What’s with you, huh? You’re too young to be rude to us! Where have you seen a young man sit in front of their grandfathers without any proper greeting, huh?!”
Pyongyang’s Kim Du-Han walked briskly and said, “Where are your manners, huh? You little brat!”
Thwack!
Then, he slapped Minhyuk on the back of his head.
[The AI does not understand the situation.]
[The AI has fallen into confusion.]
[The AI is trying to figure out the current situation.]
[The AI has determined the current situation. Minhyuk, the Master of the Western Continents and the Emperor of the Beyond the Heavens Empire, has been slapped on the back of the head by a Level 1 player.]
[Conclusion: Cannot be dealt with.]
The standards of AI was supposed to be streamlined and top of the line. Despite being so exceptional, this AI still could not come up with a solution to deal with the current situation.
“Do you want me to hit you again?! So, what if you’re the emperor in this game, huh?! How dare you sit in front of us, your grandfathers~? You can’t even offer us the chair?!”
In the end…
[The AI’s control has been terminated.]
“Grandpas! It’s not my fault! I didn’t do that!”
“Shut up! You brat! You have no manners!”
[OMG…?]
[Minhyuk is grovelling…?]
[He did not even do that when he fought with Helenia…]
[He does not even talk like that even if he’s with Athenae.]
“Give me my reward, you punk!”
“The Emperor’s Praise, come on!”
“The Emperor’s Blessings too!”
“The Master of the Western Continent’s Praise too!”
Minhyuk even gave everything that they asked for.
“Put your hands out, you punk!”
“Hiiing…”
“Look up!”
“Yes…!”
“Oh? Huh? Come down!”
On this day, Minhyuk got scolded fiercely.