Chapter 121 (2/2)

Hearing the sudden question, Seol Jihu pondered before saying, “Mm…. A cold, level-hearted leader who does everything that needs to be done?”

“Why do you think that?”

Seol Jihu didn't answer right away, but he had a reason for this a.s.sessment.

Back in the rescue mission, Kazuki had found his younger sister after all sorts of hards.h.i.+ps. However, he had cut her down without a shred of hesitation. This blade-like coldness left a powerful impression on Seol Jihu, who was shaken quite a lot at the time.

“Just like how each individual differs, leaders have their own styles.”

“Right.”

“You tried to lead people with words, but that wasn't the method that fit you.”

“In my eyes, you're not the 'eloquent orator' type or the 'cunning strategist' type. No, you're more the instinctive type.”

He wore a calm expression, and his voice carried strength behind his words.

“You should find a style that suits your nature. You know, wear the clothes that fit you.”

After saying this, Kazuki got up. The portal had been fully opened, and people were entering it one by one.

“Nature…?”

“Yep. Do you remember? When you shoved your spear at my neck on Huge Stone Rocky Mountain.”

“That was—”

“In my eyes—” Kazuki twisted his body halfway and glanced back at the youth, “That state of madness you showed me is closer to your true self.” He smirked and then walked towards the portal.

'A style that suits my nature?' Seol Jihu looked at his Status Window and made a troubled expression.

'A chaotic leader is a bit…' He smacked his lips before standing up with his spear.

Just as he was about to follow Kazuki—

'Huh?'

His chaotic mind suddenly became relaxed like a tranquil lake. It felt like the worries filling his head had all been washed away. It was a mystifying feeling. He had only exchanged a few words, but his body and mind had become more stable.

Seol Jihu came to realize something then.

'So this is why 'short-tempered' doesn't go away.'

One should never expect to get full with the first bite, and one needed more than pearls to make a necklace.

Dylan and Kazuki couldn't have been well-respected leaders from the start. As Seol Jihu was only 26 years old, expecting to be on the same level as them would be too greedy.

'Right.'

Seol Jihu wasn't a full-fledged leader yet. He had only taken his first step. He had many things to experience and many things to learn. Today's failure would only be one of the countless failures of the future.

When he thought about things this way, not only did he stop feeling so complicated, but even courage welled up inside him.

'In Stage 2….'

He didn't expect to be perfect. But he could try to do better by using the experience he gained from Stage 1's failure.

Seol Jihu tightened his grip around his Ice Spear. Then, he confidently stepped towards the portal.

His heart began to pound once again.

The white light blocking his vision slowly dissipated. Seol Jihu checked his surroundings the moment he opened his eyes.

Thankfully, he wasn't separated from his teammates like in Stage 1. He could see both Chohong and Hugo. This was surely good news, but he could also see over a hundred others.

'165… no, 166.' After remembering the bloodied man who walked up at the end, Seol Jihu slowly walked forward. He was about to sneak up to Chohong and poke her side when he felt someone tug at the hem of his clothes.

Glancing back, he saw Maria pulling on him.

“Stay still.”

“Huh?”

“The atmosphere is weird,” Maria whispered.

Seol Jihu looked around the area once again. Indeed, something seemed off. He couldn't quite put it into words, but the air felt strangely heavy.

Even Chohong's eyes were gleaming with a cold light. It was the same with Hugo. Their usual cheerful appearances were nowhere to be seen, and they were staring blankly into the air with the eyes of a hunter searching for prey.

Plus, they weren't the only ones like this. Everybody he saw seemed to be seriously infuriated, adding to the area's hostile atmosphere.

It didn't take long for him to realize something must have happened during Stage 1.

'Wait!'

He remembered that he started to feel bad after Stage 1 ended. If he didn't vent his pent-up frustration by talking with Kazuki, he wouldn't have been any different than the people here.

'This place….'

When he activated his Nine Eyes and looked around the area, he couldn't hide his shock.

He was in a meadow, an open field where green gra.s.s gently swayed from a light breeze. All of the remaining 166 partic.i.p.ants had been thrown into this vast plain.

Of course, the gra.s.s wasn't the only thing here. At a spot close to where they were teleported, there were two large holes about 2 meters in diameter. They were about 10 meters away from each other, and a rectangular stone stele was standing between them.

And above this stone stele was a familiar object — a giant hourgla.s.s.

'What is that?'

People, who likewise finished surveying the area, either approached the stone stele or watched it attentively. It was then…

DING—!

An intense pain struck Seol Jihu's head, similar to when he went through Synchronization. m.u.f.fled groans rang out from the surroundings, but the strange phenomenon only lasted a moment.

Seol Jihu was pressing his temples when he realized that information he didn't have before was etched in his brain, and his eyes widened.

'Information was… planted in my brain?'

Clearly, previously unknown information had been forced into everyone's brains. But as Seol Jihu had experienced something similar before, he wasn't too taken aback.

He closed his eyes and focused on the new information.

[1. The Plaza of Sacrifice (Left)]

Activation Condition: At least 6 people must enter.

Difficulty: Static

—Exit blocked once entered.

—Exit automatically opened once all enemies eliminated or no challengers remain.

[2. The Plaza of the Dissonant Wish (Right)]

Activation Condition: The Activation of the Plaza of Sacrifice

—Activated every time the Plaza of Sacrifice is activated. At most 6 people can enter.

—Can acquire the Dissonant Wish

—Stepping on the red portal on top of the altar with transport the challenger to Stage 3 or Paradise. Leaving through the exit will return them to Stage 2.

[3. Miscellaneous]

—10 people can enter Stage 3.

—Successfully defeating the Plaza of Sacrifice 20 times will permanently activate the Plaza of the Dissonant Wish and disable the entree limit (All can enter).

After reading all the information available, Seol Jihu muttered out, 'G.o.d d.a.m.n it.'

There were several conditions to worry about, but the general nuance of the stage seemed to lie on getting to the Plaza of the Dissonant Wish. The question, of course, was 'how'.

Frankly speaking, it was clear what these dirty conditions were trying to say.

Tang! Suddenly, a harsh cras.h.i.+ng sound rang out.

The information was not finished. There was one condition left in the Miscellaneous section.

[If the Plaza of Sacrifice is not activated before the hourgla.s.s's sand completely trickles down, a huge group of monsters will appear in the field.]

Seol Jihu opened his eyes. He began to see sand falling from the overturned hourgla.s.s.

Everyone's faces contorted viciously as they stared at the stone stele.

A deadly silence ensued.

Sssss-!

While only the sound of sand trickling down rang out….

“S-Shouldn't we hurry inside?”

A voice from somewhere made everyone stare at each other. The Timing Game had begun the moment the sand began to fall.