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nTranslator : Ekdud

nTL Check : KobatoChanDaiSuki

nChapter 20 – Altar (6)

nHansoo, who was smoking on the cloud snack, opened his mouth while he looked at Sangjin.

n“What do you seek for?”

nHansoo could vaguely guess.

nThat this guy had killed those guys for him instead.

nIf he had the thoughts of getting rid of him then he could’ve just pushed them in while he was busy fighting the beast.

nBut Sangjin had helped in a way that he could survive.

nBy warning him with a shout from above and acting after the beast’s movements had slowed down.

n‘Hoo’

nSangjin breathed in and out as he looked at Hansoo.

nHe had been thinking Hansoo only until now.

n‘I want to follow Hansoo’

nThis was clear.

nThis had sprung up from three things: Longing, envy and a pursuit for safety.

nBut he didn’t know what exactly would happen from now.

nBut he thought he couldn’t be with Hansoo because he was weak and because of this he thought that he just needed to become stronger.

nBut whilst he was pondering over this, Suyeol had approached him.

nWhen Sangjin saw Suyeol and his friends approach him he thought of something.

nThat this was a trap in order to bring harm to Hansoo.

nBut he followed just to see hear their story.

nIf they crossed the line he was going to beat them down.

nIt was clear that he was the strongest after Hansoo and he had created a large gap between him and the others.

nAnd so he had thought that he could become like Hansoo.

nMaybe not as much as Hansoo but he thought that he could at least beat around 10 people.

nBut this was a very big misunderstanding.

nThere only a single number between him and Hansoo in ranking but there was a gap between them that could not be caught up and smashing down a large group was something only Hansoo could do.

nHe understood the moment he got surrounded by the ten people.

nThat he could not beat them.

nBut he could not deject them here.

nThen they will definitely kill him in a manner so that Hansoo wouldn’t notice.

nFrom the way they were talking it seemed like that they were going to go hit Hansoo from the back no matter what happened.

nKill him or take him alive then kill Hansoo with him there.

nThere were only two options.

nSo he followed.

nSince he couldn’t die on that spot.

nThey had told him to try going to his friends but if he had turned around in that situation then he probably would’ve been stabbed from behind at that spot.

nSangjin thought of countless things whilst he walked.

nHow he would get out of this situation.

nThe anxiousness of possibly dying had calmed down as he walked with the ten.

nThe thought of him having become a lot stronger had been replaced with the thoughts of his lack of strength.

nThese guys were scared of Hansoo so they couldn’t act out in the front and had stayed behind him.

nWhile they were throwing empty threats at them straightforwardly.

nHe had to look good in Hansoo’s eyes but if he couldn’t even take care of these ten guys what could he do.

nHis head started spinning at a crazy rate while in was in danger.

nAnd at the same time he, who had seemed very big, started to look smaller and something became clear to him.

nVery very clear.

n‘There is no way that I can be with Hansoo by becoming strong independently.’

nThe thought of being approved after becoming strong and then following him was arrogant in itself.

nAnd the thought of being approved after leading a large group was the same.

nHe realized after calming down and judging himself objectively.

nThat no matter how hard he struggled alone or even with a bunch of scrubs, the gap between Hansoo would only become wider.

nNo, it was likely that he will become even weaker by being near weaker people.

nAnd at the same time longing, envy and admiration had disappeared and a different mindset had risen up.

nThat jealousy or longing was something that he should have only when he had the leisure to.

nThe current him was in no state to do so.

nIf he acted arrogantly just because he got a little bit stronger and get attacked by a mob then he would just get killed.

nHe had to set somebody faster than him in front of him as the goal and chase them zealously.

nWhen his thoughts had cleared up, one thing became clear.

nThat he wasn’t in the situation to question a lot of things.

nHe just had to catch up while he was still within his eyesight.

nHe will approve of me if I become strong… he had been looking at this situation in a very laid back manner.

n‘But how?’

nHe had already lost his chance.

nHe had to prove his worthiness in order to catch up to him.

nAnd at that moment he saw Suyeol and the others who were walking next to him.

n‘Aha. This is it.’

nHansoo’s existence was fear in itself but at the same time he was a very temping existence which dropped numerous artifacts and ruins along with his death.

nLike a tiger which was scary to no extent but drops a very tempting skin upon death.

nPeople who would want to send Hansoo into traps like these would probably keep coming up.

nIf they don’t die then they will bother him without giving up.

nSo he realized.

nHow he could get approved by Hansoo.

nHow he could help Hansoo.

n“Hansoo. Use me”

n“Hmm”

nHansoo showed a conspicuous color as he gazed at Sangjin.

nAnd then Sangjin bit down on his teeth inwardly.

n‘I’ve had the wrong thoughts until now’

nSince he had Hansoo were running towards the same goal, he thought that they could become acquaintances.

nBecause he was misled by useless thoughts and emotions he didn’t realize the main point and thought that he just needed to become strong.

nBut he was wrong.

nHe and Hansoo had different goals from the start.

nWhile he was looking out to survive day by day, Hansoo was running while looking at something in.

nthe distance without stopping.

nWhile they were struggling in order to survive and become stronger, he was acting with his personal rules.

nFrom dividing runes perfectly from the start to every little detail.

nHe had to keep moving but he didn’t hurry and always followed the things he had to.

nThe moment he realized this was when he didn’t kill Taesoon and his friends and just left them alive.

nThere was no such thing as being disabled here.

nIf you don’t cut off their lifeline then they could come back even higher health but even so he had left them alive and created future troubles.

nEven though it would’ve been more convenient to take their runes after killing them.

nAnd it was like that on the altar too.

nThough it would’ve been a piece of cake for Hansoo to just take the runes from them, he had given them the options.

nSangjin, who had pondered his actions for a while, realized it finally.

nThat Hansoo was ignoring the acts which would bring him instantaneous rewards because he was looking at something in the distance.

nThough it would be of benefit to becoming stronger in the moment, he knew that it would bring harm to what he wanted to accomplish.

nSangjin didn’t know if this was because of his psychic powers or because he was smart.

nBut once he figured this out, one thing became clear.

nThe way he could become useful to Hansoo.

n“I don’t know why you don’t kill people. But as I see it, it isn’t that you don’t kill them because you don’t want to kill them right?”

nEven monkeys would realize it.

nIf he could do that much then killing was a piece of cake.

nWhich meant there was another reason why Hansoo didn’t kill.

nAnd by leaving them behind, it seemed like that he just needed to not dirty his hands.

nSangjin spoke as he looked at Hansoo.

n“Use me. I will dirty my hands instead of you. But then take me with you. No, allow me to follow you”

nHansoo always acted with a clear goal.

nBut because he looked at things on the long term, it was likely that he needed to endure things that grabbed onto his ankles momentarily.

nAnd in that moment, he could do things instead of Hansoo.

nLike a cleans who cleans after Hansoo so he could focus on his own goals.

nSince he had already threw away his first chances, this was the only chance for him to be accepted by him.

n“I could only use a method that put you in danger as well because I was weak but I can make sure that there won’t be a time where I even get close to your line”

nHansoo was special.

nThere will definitely be guys who will be jealous of and envy Hansoo and block his path.

nAnd out of those people, there will be guys which Hansoo would leave alone because of this personal rules and his goals.

nHe was willing to thoroughly erase those guys.

nSo Hansoo can focus on his own goals.

nAnd for that he will become strong by following Hansoo around.

nSince he, who had followed him for a few days, had become the strongest after Hansoo.

nBy helping Hansoo to run faster, he, who is also following Hansoo, would also become faster.

nAnd if he had another small wish he wanted to find out what Hansoo’s goals were.

nBut this would be completed naturally if he stuck by Hansoo and helped him.

nHansoo, who had been listening to his story, chuckled.

n“Even if I say yes, what would you if it’s a situation where you cannot follow? For example getting pushed off forcefully”

nThen Sangjin’s expression froze.

nHe thought that he was being abandoned.

nBut his thoughts changed after seeing Hansoo who was smiling in amusement.

n‘…there must be something in the 2nd tutorial’

nHe didn’t know what but he head seen it with his psychic powers.

nThat they would forcibly be separated in the 2nd tutorial area.

nSangjin clenched his teeth.

n“Then… I will become stronger and come find you. Let’s at least go back to our old relationship.”

nHansoo laughed as he responded.

n“Go down”

n‘Dammit, is it not possible?’

nSangjin bit his teeth for a moment and then shouted loudly.

n“Kang Hansoo! Can’t a person can make a mistake once in awhile! I had to make a choose something I didn’t have a choice against because I was weak but I’m just starting! Fuck just try using me! And if I’m still useless then you can leave me behind!”

nHe wasn’t worthy enough.

nHe wasn’t enough until now and he wasn’t still enough.

nBut he gained another chance he had the confidence to do better.

n‘Fuck. Just once! Please!’

nHansoo threw down the cloud snack which he had finished smoking and then spoke whilst looking at Sangjin.

n“Don’t misunderstand things. Come here tomorrow around one. I would have killed that thing below by then”

n“Huh?”

n“And then take all the runes that are below. You killed those 10 so you should take them. Well. Let’s see each other later with smiles on our faces”

nSangjin’s expression became bright at those words.

nAnd Hansoo mumbled inwardly as he looked at that Sangjin.

n‘Hmm.. though it’s a little awkward’

nHansoo thought of what he and Eres talked about in the past.

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nHansoo nodded at those words.

nSince that was always Eres’ problem.

nAnd because of Eres, there existed cleaners.

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nNo, it was a necessity that every sovereign had even if they weren’t Eres.

nPeople who would dirty their hands instead of the sovereign.

nAnd people who would help their owner head towards their goal.

nAnd Eres looked at Hansoo as he spoke.

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n‘I was actually going to Enbi Arin but… I will see first’

nHe would need to use the cloud snack again in order to kill the Carnivorous beast.

nBut it didn’t seem like much of a loss.

nSince it seems that a lot of things changed in a small moment.

n‘It’s very cheap if it’s just some runes and cloud snacks’

nThe cloud snack was just something that worked on the normal runes anyway.

nIt didn’t work on the colorless runes so he couldn’t use it for that long.

nOf course he didn’t know how far he could trust Sangjin.

nWhen the second tutorial begins than everyone here would be forcibly separated around the second tutorial area and they would not know when they would meet again.

nHis mind might have changed by the time they meet again.

nBut investments were always something like this.

nAn investment of a few runes and eight cloud snacks in order to attain a chance of getting a decent Punisher was a very good investment.

n‘Well. If it fails then there’s nothing I can do about that’

nIf that happened he could just follow his original plans.

nHansoo, after looking at Sangjin who was going down, started to regenerate his health.

n…………………………

nKudududk

nHansoo cut off the Carnivorous beast’s life as he ruthlessly stabbed the needle into its heart.

nKuuuhhhh…

nIt let out a last cry as it fell down.

nHe had went hunting and had already experience him so he only needed to smoke six of them to kill it.

nThe carnivorous beast didn’t drop any runes as if it wasn’t designed to be killed.

nThe floor was littered with the runes of the guys who had died yesterday but Hansoo didn’t even take a glance at them as he started to walk towards a corner of the Altar.

nThe requirements of the Hidden piece was simple in some ways.

nTo kill the monster before it destroyed the Altar and jumped out.

nFor it to come out it needed to destroy the Altar but in that instant the chance of attaining the hidden piece disappears.

nWhich meant that if you wanted to kill him you needed to kill it inside the Altar where his fears got amplified.

n‘It’s seriously not something that was designed for somebody to kill’

nHansoo went into the room in the corner of the Altar that Kwang Goonju had told him jokingly in the past.

nAnd in the middle of the room there was a single artifact.

n‘It’s not a skill but…’

nHe wasn’t that disappointed, if he were to compare an artifact and a skill of the same quality then the artifact was more useful despite his trait.

nIf it was useful to a point.

n‘Let’s see what they give’

nHansoo had a bit of anticipation as he walked to the middle of the pedestal.

nAnd Hansoo’s face, which did not get shocked easily, started to tremble at a minute level.

n“…Ring of the Vampire King Nurmaha.”

nSolo ranking <9>

nThe strongest artifact which represented Kwang Goonju.

n‘Kwang Goonju this guy. I wondered where he had obtained this…’

nHansoo sighed as he saw this.

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