Chapter 10 : Speculation
Chapter 10: Speculation
Now the number of remaining enemies was merely three.
It was clear that the battle would soon end.
That’s why Kang Soyul decided to converse more with the viewers. After all, she needed the knowledge of those well-versed in ‘Reverse Planet.’
The information she had researched on her own couldn’t properly explain Baek Woohyun’s strength.
“Does anyone know what supernatural ability he’s using?”
-He was using a supernatural ability??
-Looking at how the scythe moves, seems like wind type
-ㄴㄴ probably not. If it was wind it’d be more obvious. Same with telekinesis
-Then how is that thing moving;
‘CurrentDiamondTier’ donated ‘1000 won’!
[I saw earlier his eye color changed before fighting, does anyone know about that??]
-Don’t?know
-Check how the eye color changed ㄱㄷ
-Looking at the fighting, it’s definitely not elemental ㅇㅇ
-Was there a first Core Element with physical ability increase this high?
However, Kang Soyul’s expectations were off from the start.
Even the viewers who had been acting like incredible experts on ‘Reverse Planet’ could only pour out speculation about Baek Woohyun’s supernatural ability, unable to provide a definite answer.
Of course, this couldn’t be entirely blamed on the viewers.
No matter how well one knew ‘Reverse Planet,’ it was natural not to remember all hundreds of first Core Elements.
Unless one’s hobby was staring at the supernatural ability build window all day long, determined to create their own build.
Moreover, Baek Woohyun’s [Perfect Being] was such a niche element.
Still, perhaps it was because there were many people.
Even among the confused viewers, someone with proper knowledge emerged.
‘AspiringBuilder’ donated ‘1000 won’!
[The only Core Element where eye color changes and physical abilities increase is [Perfect Being]]
“[Perfect Being]? Wait, what was that?”
-Ah, come on, even so [Perfect Being] is too much
-That’s a garbage-tier element
-ㅇㅇ can’t even use it for entertainment
-What is that you fucking nerds!!
Kang Soyul immediately manipulated the system to bring up the supernatural ability build window. It was to check the information about [Perfect Being] mentioned in the donation.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a difficult task. If the supernatural ability build had expanded further it might be different, but for now she just needed to find one among a few hundred.
There was even a separate search window—though Kang Soyul didn’t use it, which turned the viewers’ stomachs inside out.
“Where is it… Found it!”
[Core Element – “Perfect Being”]
[First Effect: Cannot use supernatural ability skills]
[Second Effect: Physical abilities greatly increase. Increases additionally according to level]
[Third Effect: Supernatural ability resistance greatly increases. Increases additionally according to level]
“-Huh?”
-???
-The knight is using this?
-Seriously stop bullshittingㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-ㄹㅇ no way he’d use this trash. Makes no sense
Kang Soyul’s eyes widened as she read the description of [Perfect Being]. The viewers sharing her screen felt the same way.
Well, who wouldn’t? When the very first effect firmly states you cannot use supernatural ability skills, one couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.
If you showed someone the person currently rampaging with absurd combat power right before their eyes, and said “This person can’t use supernatural ability skills at all,” you’d be laughed at.
Kang Soyul seemed to share the same sentiment, tilting her head and saying:
“No way- that makes no sense. Earlier that chain scythe? Anyway, what about when he went all swish swoosh swish with that?”
–Swish swoosh swish you fucking idiot!
-If he didn’t use a supernatural ability, did his ancestors move the chain scythe for himㅋㅋ
-But seriously this is the only one;;
-I’m looking too but… hmm…
‘AspiringBuilder’ donated ‘1000 won’!
[I don’t know about the chain scythe either;; But I think he chose it because it’s no-assist so it’s actually better to just raise physical abilities]
“Oh? Is that so?”
Kang Soyul made a plausible expression.
In fact, when she had faced Etinel, she had been defeated without being able to demonstrate her original physical abilities.
Because she was distracted using her supernatural ability, she who had been confident in her physicality couldn’t display her true skills and got demolished.
No-assist supernatural abilities were that difficult to handle. Until one got used to them—even setting aside whether one could get used to them—they were shackles that only got in the way.
In that case, completely abandoning supernatural abilities and investing everything into physical abilities would also be a strategy of its own.
‘Adapting to increased physical abilities is another problem though…’
At least it would be easier than using supernatural abilities with a third sense, wouldn’t it?
If it was simply physical ability enhancement, situations where one failed to use a supernatural ability in the middle of fighting an enemy, or the supernatural ability being used got canceled, wouldn’t occur.
-That does sound plausible
-Completely abandoning supernatural abilities and going all-in on physical enhancement… seems like a pretty fresh build
-Can’t you just not do no-assist?
-Ahem, no-assist is called ‘pride’
“Could he be a veteran gamer who fights without supernatural abilities? That… what was it. Was it ‘Colosseum’? I heard experts there find it more comfortable to just fight by hitting and getting hit.”
-Colosseum veteran? King possibility
-That place is a den of true masters so makes sense
-But at that level he’d be name-tier so no way he’s unknown
-Could be a different game
“Or maybe ‘Infinity Time’ or the ‘Blood’ series. Those games also progress with only the player’s physical abilities without assistance.”
While Kang Soyul and the viewers were speculating about the hidden master’s origins, Baek Woohyun was approaching the last surviving guard.
The guard threw down his rifle that needed reloading and drew a pistol from the holster at his waist, but it wasn’t particularly meaningful resistance.
There was no way he could hit the monster with a pistol when he couldn’t hit it with a rifle, and even if he did hit, it would be meaninglessly blocked by the particle barrier.
Soon a short scream rang out, and the corridor that had been noisy with gunfire and shouts became quiet once again.
“Phew…”
Baek Woohyun, standing alone among blood and corpses as always, exhaled long. As if trying to expel something boiling hot inside his body.
Then, as he tried to rummage through his chest, he realized he wasn’t in that other world.
Which meant he didn’t have the drug disguised as a cigarette either.
That fact naturally reminded him that this world was a virtual reality game, not reality, and dealt the decisive blow to his mentality that had been shaken by meeting Kang Soyul.
The rationality that had been sinking deeply, tightly bound by murderous intent and madness, awakened.
‘This is-‘
“……”
Baek Woohyun looked around at the specters surrounding him with dully clouded eyes.
He could still feel their resentment and desires vividly, as if he could grasp them. Along with that, he recalled memories of being swayed by those unquenchable cravings until just moments ago.
If he hadn’t met Kang Soyul, he would have killed revenge targets according to their will all day long—probably until the safety device in the connection device stopped him.
That would have been a quite unpleasant experience.
In any case, the research facility was also an existence he detested, and they were hostile in-game as well, so even though eliminating them was essential for story progression…
‘…Whether it’s voluntary or involuntary is an important issue.’
Baek Woohyun quietly looked down at his blood-stained hands.
‘In that other world, I was never once swayed by them, so why?’
The answer to the question came quickly.
The only difference between Baek Woohyun in that other world and Baek Woohyun in this world was supernatural abilities.
A pure white hand without any particular scars entered his vision. Not a hand distorted from enduring all sorts of experiments, but an ordinary college student’s hand.
The answer had been there from the beginning.
‘Indeed, is that why.’
While suffering from PTSD yet remaining unbroken, merely scattering death among enemies—that Transcendent was Test Subject No. 62 through and through, not the ordinary college student ‘Baek Woohyun.’
Having gone through Project: Transcendence and obtained transcendent power while rolling through all sorts of battlefields, he had left it all in that other world, so he couldn’t help but be swayed by mere specters.
Like the saying that a healthy body houses a healthy mind, the mind receives more influence from the body than one thinks, and the mind dwelling in a college student’s body had become that weak.
However, now that he had objectively grasped his problem, he could consider that this wouldn’t happen anymore.
At least situations like just now, where he went mad disregarding everything else, wouldn’t occur.
As he calmly organized his thoughts and clenched his fist tightly.
“Ah! It’s dangerous!”
Bang bang bang!
“Keurk!”
Along with Kang Soyul’s sudden cry, gunfire rang out.
A brief scream as well.
Turning his gaze, Baek Woohyun could see one guard collapsed in a different position than before.
The guard was holding a reloaded rifle, and apparently had barely survived and tried to ambush him but was stopped.
Kang Soyul, who hadn’t shown proper performance throughout the entire battle but finally accomplished something at the last moment, approached him with a triumphant expression.
“I was helpful after all, right?”
-Shameless self-promotionㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-How about bus passengers quietly ride the bus?
-What if you make the driver snap
-As if; over something this small;;
“……”
Baek Woohyun looked at Kang Soyul with narrowed eyes.
Viewers typed chats like ‘looks like he’s angry’ or ‘I knew this would happen ㅉㅉ’, ‘hurry up and smash her head in’, but he wasn’t particularly angry.
It was just that, for some reason, the Kang Soyul before his eyes overlapped with the image of one of the connections he had met while in that other world.
Was it because Kang Soyul was wearing the exact same outfit the test subjects wore?
Or was it because her overall atmosphere resembled the girl who was like a younger sister?
“Ah, well, of course!”
Baek Woohyun’s gaze swimming through the past seemed to be received quite differently by Kang Soyul.
She flinched and trembled, quickly adding:
“I know the bus driver did everything! Yes! I just slightly added a spoon on top!”
-She got scared the bus driver might have snapped
-Ugh, shouldn’t have shown off in the first place
-Want to mooch that badly huh
-Immediately shriveling up is hilarious lololol
“…No.”
Baek Woohyun wore a faint smile.
Even the action of being triumphant by herself then belatedly reading his mood reminded him of that past connection.
He recalled the girl who had made the bleak laboratory even slightly brighter and spoke in a much softer tone:
“Definitely, you were helpful.”
“…Huh? Really…?”
-Why is his voice so sweet
-With privacy protection mode the voice should be modulated but something’s something
-He said she was helpful but she’s asking again… hmm…
-That shows she has a strong desire for recognition~
Kang Soyul, dumbfounded by Baek Woohyun’s unexpected answer, inadvertently asked again.
Honestly, even though she herself had said things like being helpful or not, she very well knew that all she had done was shoot twice in total.
The rest of the time she had just been admiring or speculating about Baek Woohyun’s supernatural ability with the viewers.
So she couldn’t help but be flustered by the words that she was helpful.
Of course, the help Baek Woohyun mentioned was slightly different from the help she had thought of.
Strictly speaking, it was closer to gratitude for allowing him to come to his senses rather than help in battle.
“Yes. Really.”
-Kya
-Look at how kind the bus driver isㅠㅠ
-He even magnanimously embraces kill-stealers, truly godly
-Why is chat like this;
-That person is from Godban……
-This girl is really strict about stuff like that so if you mess up it’s instant ban, be careful
“Ah- I see! Yes! Ahaha! I’m glad I was helpful!”
Kang Soyul floundered, unable to find words.
She had thought he would quietly watch like before then ignore and leave, so she hadn’t expected him to return such a proper answer, causing her fluster.
But it was only for a moment. Quickly regaining her composure, she strode up to Baek Woohyun.
Getting an answer back meant there was room for conversation, and wasn’t that what she had so desperately wanted since earlier?
She sparkled her eyes and rapidly poured out words:
“Then would it be okay if we proceed with the tutorial mission together? I’ll do my best not to get in the way!”
A display of will that she would absolutely not let this opportunity slip away!
Now that Baek Woohyun had come to his senses, blatantly ignoring her like before wouldn’t happen anymore, but Kang Soyul didn’t know that fact.
Hearing her words, Baek Woohyun nodded. It wasn’t a particularly difficult request. It was something he had to do anyway, one more person being beside him was nothing.
Couldn’t he at least do that much for someone who reminded him of an old connection?
“Thank you!”
Thus, Baek Woohyun and Kang Soyul began moving together to proceed with the tutorial mission.
“……”
“……”
An awkward silence hung between the two people moving their steps. The atmosphere was much more rigid than when she had followed along on her own.
When he was blatantly ignoring her, Kang Soyul had chattered away with the mindset of ‘let’s see how far he’ll ignore me!’, but now that the other party gave room for conversation, she inadvertently shrank back.
After all, there’s a huge difference between the act of talking to a wall and the act of talking to a person.
-Say something please;
-You were chattering well earlier but why now……
-Like getting quiet at a blind date lololol
-Ah PTSD is coming fuck
-It’s cold, a dagger flies and stabs into my heart
‘DrawingStarlight’ donated ‘1,000 won’!
[Might as well chatter alone like before lol]