A week later, the wave would begin. The faces of the people hardened as they started preparing for it, looking tense and serious.
The first step in their preparation was to establish connections with other groups.
In the case of India, since they hadn’t properly communicated with them, it was essential to first talk to the groups from North Asia. Fortunately, unlike India, they readily accepted the proposal.
A few hard mode players, including Kim Hwi-yeon, met with Kang Taesan and several players from North Asia.
“I am the leader of this group and an Erelon mode player from Russia. Viktor Stanichin. Just call me Viktor.”
“I’m Kim Hwi-yeon. I’m a hard mode player.”
“Hard mode?”
Viktor tilted his head slightly in confusion.
“I thought there were quite a few Erelon mode players among you. Why are you the leader?”
“It’s not that I want to be the leader.”
Taesan replied calmly, and Viktor turned his gaze to him.
“...Are you the one that Oliver spoke about?”
“Oliver? You mean Oliver Khan?”
“We were friends long before this world became what it is now. We shared many conversations, most of which were about you.”
Viktor quietly looked at Taesan and spoke.
“We are willing to cooperate with you. To be precise, we will move according to your will. In this situation, it is better to act under one clear leader than to have multiple leaders.”
Kim Hwi-yeon’s eyes widened.
“Is that true?”
“It doesn’t matter, as our numbers are not great. Compared to you, we are pitifully small.”
North Asia originally had a sparse population. Even with Russia included, they had barely as many as Japan. Viktor spoke calmly.
“The larger group consumes the smaller group. That’s only natural.”
“Thank you.”
Kim Hwi-yeon sighed in relief.
Seeing the Indian players reject them made her think that the Russians might be similar, but fortunately, the talks were going well.
“However, there is one condition.”
“A condition...?”
“I want to test Kang Taesan. The one Oliver Khan spoke of as the strongest player on Earth.”
Taesan gazed at him blankly. Viktor sent a distrustful look toward Taesan.
“...You’re the one he mentioned, right?”
“Oliver said that the monster named Amelia was so strong that we couldn’t defeat it even if all the players from America joined forces.”
Viktor was not convinced by that claim.
“If you’re that strong, how come you’re only able to survive to this extent?”
“That’s because...”
Kim Hwi-yeon struggled to find the words. Even if she explained that it was due to the overwhelming monsters, it wouldn’t be taken seriously.
Visit freewёbnoνel.com for the best novel reading experience.
Viktor spoke with intensity.
“We came here with all our strength. We defeated monsters, and we arrived here without relying on anyone. We survived as humans.”
His voice was filled with deep pride.
Kim Hwi-yeon couldn’t understand that.
“...How can you have such pride?”
“What?”
“How can you still afford to have that kind of pride?”
They had no room for such pride.
In the face of terrible despair, they had been too busy just surviving, and without relying on Taesan, they would all have gone insane.
“What do you mean by that?”
“...Never mind.”
Kim Hwi-yeon kept quiet and looked at Taesan. He nodded.
“It doesn’t matter. What will you do?”
“Come with me.”
Viktor stood up.
Following him, they arrived where numerous players were waiting.
“All those here are hard mode players. Among them, about three thousand are at the top tier. You just have to endure their attacks for an hour.”
Viktor explained, as if justifying the request.
“Don’t think it’s too much. Ultimately, we must entrust our lives to you. I want to see your full strength firsthand.”
“That’s not enough.”
Taesan murmured as he shook his arms.
“Can we start?”
Viktor, surprised by the lack of hesitation, responded.
“Don’t you need any preparation time?”
“Why would I need that? We only have a week left. Let’s finish this quickly, so let’s get started.”
“...”
For a moment, Viktor's mind raced with the thought of whether this was truly happening.
‘...No.’
But he quickly dismissed the thought. He himself had descended to the 35th floor of the Erelon mode, and even defeating a hundred hard mode players would be a challenge.
Let alone the three thousand hard mode players present here. No matter how strong Taesan was, he could not defeat them all.
“Then.”
[The group duel has been established.]
Viktor gripped his weapon with a tense expression. Given the scale of the fight, there were plenty of spectators. Players from Southeast Asia and North Asia watched with bated breath.
[Duel Start.]
Viktor leaped. The other hard mode players all charged at Taesan.
In an instant, Taesan’s form vanished.
“What?”
Viktor’s eyes widened, and at the same time, his body flew through the air.
It wasn’t just him. Dozens of hard mode players charging in were all flying away.
“What the...”
“Let’s finish this quickly.”
Taesan kicked the ground.
At first, the spectators gasped in awe, but as time passed, they fell silent.
Within less than ten minutes, all three thousand hard mode players were knocked out.
Afterward, Viktor said nothing about Taesan.
---
* * *
“They are different from us. I told you, right?”
“Indeed.”
Kim Hwi-yeon lowered her head with a bitter expression at Taesan’s words.
Korea was in a state where Goshin’s power was concentrated significantly.
And as such, the people from other regions were quite relaxed.
They had the leisure to not abandon the pride and accomplishments they had built.
Even though they were all facing Goshin's invasion on the same planet, their situations were entirely different.
Players from other regions who believed they could survive by working together could not understand those who followed Taesan.
Seeing them worship and rely on Taesan, they thought them weak and foolish.
“You can curse me. In a way, it’s my fault.”
“No. It was bound to happen at some point. Thanks to you, we experienced it in advance, so it’s actually a blessing. But... India is likely rejecting us for the same reason, right?”
“That’s likely.”
In the case of Russia, their numbers were very small. Their leader was close to Oliver, and they had already heard stories about him. Thus, some coordination was possible.
But India was different.
Their numbers were not insignificant compared to them. They had no reason to come in at a disadvantage like Russia.
And unlike Viktor, they had probably only received information about Taesan through the community.
Kim Hwi-yeon now understood why the Indian leader had shown such an attitude.
“What will you do?”
“...Still, we are all survivors. If we leave it like this, it will be dangerous.”
The upcoming wave would be unlike any they had faced before. Kim Hwi-yeon clenched her fist.
“I have to find a way to talk to them.”
“Do your best.”
Kim Hwi-yeon kept her promise.
She began to gather information by observing the Indian players, who had maintained a considerable distance.
As a result, she was able to learn a few things.
First, their leader. Harlan appeared to have a weak influence.
He was busy moving about here and there, but the people showed no sign of following his lead. Rather, they listened more attentively to the words of several players dressed lavishly.
Yet, they didn’t seem stronger than Harlan.
In order to figure out the reason, Kim Hwi-yeon focused on observing them, discovering another fact.
“What? Are they still believing in religion?”
“It looks like it’s Hinduism.”
There were quite a few of them. The majority of the players they observed seemed to still believe in Hinduism. It was something she couldn’t comprehend at all.
Ultimately, Kim Hwi-yeon made a decision after much deliberation. She would approach them directly.
She, along with Kim Jung-geun and a few hard mode players, approached them.
“Everyone! I am the leader of Korea, Kim Hwi-yeon!”
In front of their encampment, she shouted desperately.
“The wave will start soon! It will be very different from what you’ve experienced! We need to come together and prepare!”
But no one listened.
A few glanced her way, but that was the extent of their reaction. It was as if they were disregarding her entirely, treating her like she didn’t exist.
It felt as though engaging with them would bring down severe punishment.
Just as Kim Hwi-yeon was about to give up and try again.
“How noisy.”
A person emerged from among the crowd.
He was dressed in a remarkably extravagant manner. Adorned with luxury that was out of place in the current situation, he looked like a nouveau riche with a necklace made of jewels.
“...Who are you?”
“I am a Brahmin.”
The caste system of India sprang to Kim Hwi-yeon’s mind. The highest caste was the Brahmins.
The man before her held considerable influence.
Kim Hwi-yeon resolved to persuade him.
“I understand that you have been victorious thus far. But this time, it is different. With us...”
“Get lost.”
He interrupted her.
Clicking his tongue, he gave her a look full of disdain.
“You, who are weak, cowardly,
and untrustworthy, I won’t talk with you.”
“...What?”
“Worshipping a human as if he is a deity. How shameful. Do you dare to speak to us?”
His expression dripped with limitless contempt and scorn.
Kim Hwi-yeon’s face hardened.
“You are weak, so you only look to someone to help you. I won’t let you work with such weaklings. Leave.”
“...You!”
The face of the hard mode player behind her flushed red.
It was an insult to their lives and struggles. They could not overlook such mockery.
But Kim Hwi-yeon raised her hand to block him.
She asked with a firm face.
“Clearly, you don’t have any intention of talking to us. Where is Harlan?”
“...Harlan, you mean.”
The man frowned.
“I asked him to bring some information, yet it seems he only brought useless chatter. This is why the lowly ones can’t be trusted.”
Harlan claimed to be their leader.
But now, the man’s attitude showed no respect or esteem toward him.
“He is our leader. I can’t let you speak with him. I won’t allow it. Go back.”
“What do you mean?”
Kim Hwi-yeon found it absurd. If that was the case, then what was the purpose of coming to meet them alone?
Before she could press the issue, the man turned away as if there was nothing more to say.
“If the wave starts, you who are unable to survive without relying on anyone will perish. I have no interest in speaking with the dead. If you survive, I may listen to you a little.”
“Ha.”
Kim Hwi-yeon let out a hollow laugh.
---
* * *
Kim Hwi-yeon returned empty-handed.
She was not the only one to attempt conversation. Other hard mode players, as well as Lee Tae-yeon and Kang Jun-hyuk, had also tried to engage with them.
But each time, the same lavishly dressed individuals claiming to be Brahmins appeared to block their conversations.
They mocked them and spouted all manner of contemptuous remarks. What began as an attempt to endure their taunts had slowly begun to build anger in the others.
“Can’t you do something, brother?”
“There’s no need for that.”
Taesan said indifferently.
He had no intention of consuming his mental strength over something that would eventually resolve itself with time.
As feelings began to accumulate between them, Kim Hwi-yeon bit her lip. She couldn’t bear to abandon those who had survived. While she thought of ways to resolve the situation, Kim Jung-geun entered her tent.
“Oh. Jung-geun. What’s up?”
“There’s someone who wants to see you, noona.”
“...Huh?”
Kim Hwi-yeon’s eyes widened.
It was Harlan, the leader of India. He entered her tent with a gloomy face.
“How did you get here? They were preventing anyone from meeting us...”
“Despite appearances, I am the strongest here in India. I can manage to avoid them for a moment.”
Harlan sighed as he spoke.
Realizing that, Kim Hwi-yeon asked, “So you think differently from them?”
Harlan nodded.
“Can you call Taesan over? And any other Erelon mode players as well.”