Storm Warrior - Chapter 346



Only Krnovel

#346, cheering rather than booing

After a brief educational session with Richard, he went to pick up Ivy, then hurriedly appeared to pick up Kwon Ha-seon, who was still moving from the unit.

It was quite a hectic time for me as I was being chased around like crazy, but seeing the happy faces calmed my mind down a little.

No, I was touched.

Because I noticed Ham Seong-ah and Cheongsong’s professors and instructors running down the slope as if they had been waiting on one side of the mountain ridge.

Not only Ha Jeong-hyeok and Yoo Ho-young, but also Chae Seung-yeon and Raiko, who we never thought would be there, were seen.

‘If you bring everything, who will teach the class? Hey!’

In particular, Raikou’s appearance is stinging.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten, but it seems that Gayoung had released the brainwashing at some point.

Tetris Istoria was a byproduct of old Echion, but Gayoung could not have been unaware of that fact.

Kang Seon-ho’s silhouette was also visible on another mountaintop.

Since my memory of myself (and one arm) was still not complete, I didn’t expect it to come.

Shh.

‘I have no choice but to calm down.’

There are plenty of shoulders to lean on.

There are many lives to be responsible for.

I have to stay calm.

“Changsoo. Bring them all out.”

Waaaa …

The sight of the cheering crowd was also quite an amazing sight to me.

I’ve occasionally heard about something similar to a fandom through screens, but I’ve never actually encountered one like this.

If you think about it, it was the first time since the great disaster that I appeared in front of the public without going through a screen.

Han Seong-jun! Han Seong-jun!

‘… Even so, I didn’t expect the reaction to be like this.’

Bringing the time forward was an inevitable choice, but when I actually opened the lid, things seemed to be going more smoothly.

First of all, since people were friendly to me and had shown themselves in person, it was much easier to control them, and since the players were still an extremely small percentage, they were not in a position to show off.

‘… It seems like the shock was greater than I thought.’

The players who were looking through Goo Chang-soo’s eyes right now were unable to escape the dissonance between my name and the red title that appeared above my head.

Moreover, it wasn’t just my identity that confused them.

Because they were the players who knew better than anyone else the line that stretched out behind me like wings.

It would also not have been easy to understand the sight of the main characters of Roco 33, who were known to be absolutely ‘good’, standing together with the Demon Lord.

“I just heard from an employee at the entrance… It seems that regular hunters and non-hunters know it as the ‘Han Seong-jun Business Fair’.”

Inaeun’s voice was heard from behind.

As expected from someone who specializes in money-making human power, she seemed to be constantly reporting on her surroundings through the earpiece.

“Ah… If you take away the fact that the subject of the invitation is a player, then it could be seen that way.”

Officially, I am an ‘unemployed’ person, so it would not have been unreasonable for someone who did not know the circumstances to think of it as an opportunity, since I wrote something that seemed to imply that I would support your dreams and hopes.

Anyway, even if you were tricked by a fake invitation, it means you only came to see me.

If that’s true, wouldn’t it be right to respond?

I waved at the crowd.

Waaaa …

The crowd’s cheers grew louder, as if gasoline had been poured on fire.

Even ordinary people standing far outside the entrance, unable to move, joined in the excitement.

Even after witnessing firsthand the suffering caused by overexposure to magical power, they still had no intention of going back, and there was a certain madness to them.

My leisurely acceptance of the madness brought confusion to the players’ faces.

The perpetrators of this situation, who are probably watching or hearing about this scene somewhere right now, are probably experiencing even more confusion.

There was no need to give them time to come to their senses.

I spoke with magic in my voice (at a volume that could be heard from several kilometers away).

“First, I would like to thank the citizens who came here to see me.”

Although it was a cliche greeting, the cheers of the crowd grew louder as the sound shook the heavens and earth.

However, I immediately made a gesture for them to be quiet, and as promised, they kept their mouths shut.

“… But I’m sorry, it wasn’t you that I invited.”

There was an immediate stir, but he ignored it and continued speaking.

“In fact, today’s event was prepared to help travelers from other worlds, as I mentioned on a broadcast a while ago.”

“Then what is the invitation that came to me?”

A person in the crowd asked in a loud voice.

“It’s a fake invitation. They still don’t trust me, so they mobilized you. The public doesn’t know it, but some of those travelers have been on terror watch lists around the world, so they may have been suspicious of the intention behind my invitation.”

People were left wondering what the significance of their mobilization was, in addition to the fact that the event they had thought they had been invited to turned out to be a manipulation.

The players were even more agitated than before, probably because they didn’t know I would reveal everything so openly.

However, since they had already been mentioned, they were conscious of their surroundings and tried not to show it.

“Are you saying that they mobilized us so that they could use us as a shield to hide behind?”

“That’s right. They were worried that this place might be a plot to wipe them out, so they tried to blend in with you all.”

The crowd, now realizing that they had been used in a dirty plan, jeered at the ‘cowardly travelers’.

Woof woof woof─!

It may seem like a small noise, but the jeers of thousands of superhumans can be quite overwhelming for their target.

Because each and every one of them was a group that could put energy into their sound.

I paused for a moment, then shook my head and said.

“I do not want to boo them. They are stranded in a strange world. Fear can cause caution and make people defensive. So I would like to ask you to cheer them on. Be a witness to this. I pledge before you that I will not harm them in any way and that I will help them return or settle.”

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous cheers and applause erupted.

Then the crowd started chanting my name again.

Han Sung-jun! Han Sung-jun! Han Sung-jun!

It’s a really embarrassing and cringey situation, but it’s going according to plan.

“Where does that portal lead?”

Even during the reign of King Yeonho, someone naturally raised questions. However, I pretended not to hear them because a clumsy answer could be poisonous.

“Make room for them. Sit on the left and right sides of the stage, and give them a big round of applause every time the travelers show their courage.”

At the touch of my hand, which split the center, thousands of people split in half and moved left and right.

At that moment, there were people left in the middle of the space that had been created, and needless to say, they were players.

There were also some who were left behind by accident,

There were some who stood tall,

There were also some who tried to hide by burying themselves among the regular hunters.

Of course, they also knew of Gu Chang-soo’s existence, so they quickly glanced over and turned around.

The problem is that the total number of people combined is still less than a thousand.

As expected, Gayoung expressed her concern.

– I think we shook hands. There are more people who didn’t come. They are the kind of people who wouldn’t suffer any loss if they just found out that Tarantor was Han Seong-jun and left.

“Well, that’s true.”

-No matter how much I think about it, there is no reason for the player to respond to such provocation. It doesn’t matter to them whether Hyung makes a pact or puts his parents on the line. It just makes me look more uncomfortable… .

In fact, players heading here from afar might have stopped walking when they heard my voice.

Those who continued walking without any hesitation also stopped for a moment at the sight of Han Seong-jun and Tarantor’s disharmony the moment they saw me.

『So, from now on is important. Anyway, how much time do we have? As much as possible.』

-30 minutes.

“Okay. Then, after 25 minutes, we’ll start the rest. How many do you want to take on? ”

-3 Summary.

“Fuck, 7 to 3 is too much.”

-four.

So, while he’s opening his remaining 3 portals, I have to open 2 portals 3 times, to get 6.

Even while I was talking to Gayoung, people kept crowding in.

Now, even if I roughly calculate it, I can feel that it is over ten thousand.

Since thoughts and judgments are different, there were those who stopped at the entrance and looked around, while there were those who joined the group of players without hesitation.

Clap clap clap clap!

Likewise, the public could not be unified, so there were still those who jeered and cursed, but the majority applauded the dimensional travelers who revealed themselves according to my words.

In any case, at the current rate, it seems impossible to gather all the remaining players in the remaining 20 minutes.

That’s why we need a demagogue or a wind catcher.

“Come out now.”

At my signal, Richard suddenly appeared.

It was right at the front of the crowd of players, right in the open space right in front of me, so it really stood out.

“Ouch! It’s a butcher!”

“Butcher? Oh! Since when?”

“Wow, f*ck. A top ranker is a top ranker. What you’re wearing right now is an invisibility cloak.”

The presence of the top ranker was certainly strong.

It was to the point where the players who had been secretly intimidated felt their spirits lifted by Richard’s appearance.

The group, which had been scattered irregularly, formed a large group and gathered together as if Richard were their leader.

Richard looked at me and said.

It was a voice that contained exactly the level of magical power that I had been able to muster.

“You have to be confident that you can give something better than the system.”

“The standard for what is better will vary from person to person. That’s why we need to talk. What do you want?”

“I neither want to settle down nor return. I only want to live a life of hard work and the rewards that come with it. I just enjoy the life that the system has finally given me. … And do you have anything to give me?”

I thought they ultimately had only two options: settle or return.

But just like extreme sports enthusiasts who risk their lives for the thrill of it, there are also those who want to enjoy the present without compromising stability.

There will still be more people who want to settle down or return, but what’s important now is not what choice I make or what answer I give, but how they can trust me.

“If you want, I will help you continue to be with the system. But the current system is a system with a set end date. You may not understand what I am saying, but there is no April 15th of the year 36.”

The conversation we’re having now is a rehash of what we talked about earlier.

Richard understood what I meant even then.

And if you’re a player, you’ll all understand.

In fact, the in-game time didn’t pass until that day.

“But the system will lie, because there will be no more fools following the power that will soon disappear.

“You know the reason. And the solution.”

“This is the place to show you.”

There was no need to throw the answer right in front of their eyes or into the ears of those who had not yet arrived.

All it took was someone who could speak up and someone who could believe it coolly.

“Then what should I do?”

Richard asked,

I pointed to the only portal left.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“… … .”

Richard strode past the stage without hesitation and disappeared through the portal.

Several players, seemingly unaccompanied, followed him through the portal, perhaps relying on Richard mentally.

That’s what crowd psychology is.

I become tempted by the choices of those who are better than me,

Then, the moment it becomes the majority choice, it becomes something that follows like inertia.

Even some of the regular hunters who had split left and right started walking towards the portal without realizing it.

“Sorry, but from here on out, this portal is not available to the general public as it is a solution for tourists.”

Of course, they were controlled by the guards guarding the perimeter of the portal.

I checked my watch and then looked around the room leisurely and said.

“Unfortunately, we can’t give everyone a chance. There was an unexpected variable, and now we only have 20 minutes left.”

As soon as I finished speaking, more than half of the remaining players rushed towards the portal.

Perhaps, somewhere far away, those who had stopped walking will now be moving their feet busily.

Gurrrrrr!

Then suddenly lightning began to flash in the clear sky.

Sigh.

‘… Looks like he’s starting to interfere. Is he starting to feel the pinch?’