Chapter 34: Capture the Flag (3)

Chapter 34: Capture the Flag (3)

I didn’t expect something like this to happen so soon into the 6th trial.

「 ‘Betrayer’ achievement unlocked. 」

“...”

I wondered what that challenger was thinking just now.

Was he just a madman? Or was this all calculated?

Whatever it was, a normal person definitely wouldn’t have swung a sword through the portal.

He definitely had the intention of killing someone.

“Damn it.”

I didn’t let my guard down.

Teammates couldn’t be trusted, and there were a lot of challengers equipped with psychological resistance.

The problem wasn’t that I let my guard down.

‘He really just took a stab in the dark hoping someone would die.’

There was no way anyone could assume that something like that could happen from an empty portal.

If it was anyone else, their heads would already be rolling on the floor by now.

The only reason mine is still attached is because of my overwhelming stats.

“...Why do I feel like this happens to me pretty often?”

I scowled at the corpse losing warmth at my feet.

The challenger from the other world, my teammates from the 4th trial...

Why does it seem like I’m always getting the short end of the stick?

I’m already down a teammate for the rest of the trial.

‘Worst case scenario already.’

Any team with all teammates present would already have a leg up on me.

‘I should just scope out the other teams.’

And when I turned my head with this realization—

I couldn’t believe the sight in front of my eyes.

“Heehaaaha! It’s an achievement! My strength really went up!”

“Damn it, no one mentioned it being on water!”

“P-please... S-save me. A p-potion...”

Screams of agony came from every direction as blood splattered everywhere.

Excitement, rage, surprise, despair, desire, regret, etc...

Various emotions echoed throughout an endless ocean in one simultaneous harmony.

‘...I guess I don’t have it that bad.’

It looked like others had it far worse than I did.

Like if hell existed, this might be it.

“Everyone’s lost their minds...”

They weren’t even looking at the trial’s objective before jumping at each other for the achievements.

Each murder was being carried out in its own unique and special way.

They’d lost sight of the most important thing.

‘Conquering one of the four tiles.’

It looked like they were fighting with a goal in mind.

There were a couple of people huddling somewhere but—

“Damn it! Your stats go down if you fall in the water, be careful!”

“Th-the tile is moving too much... I can’t balance myself!”

“Waaaait! S-save me! I-I can’t get up...!”

It didn’t look like they were faring any better either.

‘Your stats go down when you fall in the water and the tile shifts every time you move.’

I gathered information while watching some of the other contestants move around.

Staying faithful to its origins, the Tower of Trials was full of dangers.

Of course...

‘Hey, this is easier than I thought.’

It wasn’t enough to impede my movements.

Shaa, shaa!

All you had to do was stay away from the water, and the shifting tiles didn’t really bother me.

If you took my stats into account, there was no way I could just lose my balance.

Even the 5th trial was easier than this.

Tap, tap, tap.

The shifting movements of the tiles only made it easier to move in a rhythm.

Even while I was riding the waves, most challengers still couldn’t take their first steps.

‘If I reach the tile like this, will the trial just end?’

Tap.

One of the men who got nearby lounged at me with a spear.

The pursuing challengers took his lead to attack with their respective weapons.

“Damn it! If I’m gonna die either way! Heart Solidarity!”

「 Due to the innate ability ‘Heart Solidarity’ player ‘Kim Jinhyun’ and ‘Han Sungyeun’s pain will now be shared. 」

Koong....!

It felt like a heavy piece of copper fell on my heart and a message popped up.

Sharing pain?

‘Is it another mana-based innate ability?’

Maybe it was because I didn’t have any mana resistance skills but...

There was nothing I could do against these types of attacks.

I could dodge or block it if it was a physical attack or something...

‘I’ll have to look into mana resistance stills later.’

Even while my mind was focused on these topics, my body moved on its own.

I grabbed the incoming spear with my left hand and jumped up to decapitate the attacker.

Slash...!

「 ‘One Punch Man’ achievement unlocked. 」

「 ‘Contempt for the Weak (F)’ skill generated. 」

A message telling me something appeared, but I had no time to check it.

‘Three left now.’

I couldn’t be relieved with enemies still in front of me.

I quickly stepped off the red tile and stepped to an adjacent one.

Thankfully, one of the messages that showed up when I stepped on the red tile was this.

「 Your progress will not stop as long as another team doesn’t step into the tile. 」

My progress would continue as long as someone else didn’t step on it.

That meant I could move around freely without having to worry about the conquering progress.

The longer they were alive, the more likely they were to try something.

‘I’ll take care of them now while I still can.’

「 Activating the skill ‘Contempt for the Weak’. 」

「 All five of the enemy’s main stats are lower than yours. 」

「 Enemies are more easily threatened by you and your strength goes up by 1. 」

The skill that I had just received activated and added more energy to my steps.

The new skill was interesting, but I almost laughed out loud at the message I just saw.

‘Not a single one of their stats are higher huh...’

That meant they stood no chance against me, other than possible irregularities.

“What the fuck... How is he so strong...!”

“Holy sh...”

“Fuck, stop him from moving! Aren’t you a magician! Put up a shield!”

“Shut the fuck up, you think magic is omnipotent! How am I supposed to put up a shield on these tiles?!”

Tap, tap, tap.

Maybe it was because of the new skill, but the challengers were in a state of panic.

I almost let out a sigh at how pathetic the challengers were.

‘If it was me, I would have tried using the water beneath us or moved on to a different tile.’

I might have struggled a bit with the reduced stats but...

They were the ones being held down by the water.

It was pathetic.

‘Well, whatever.’

This wasn’t where I was supposed to be anyway.

I would have been on the higher floors with all of the other high rankers but...

I was just a little delayed from returning to Earth.

If I wanted a bit more excitement...

‘I have to climb higher.’

Where the stronger challengers were, where the harder trials were.

I’d never get stronger dealing with these assholes.

If the tower rewarded its contestants fairly...

There was no way that this massacre would get me anything worthwhile.

I had to get back to the front lines.

And in order to do that...

“I’ll have to end these small fries.”

I’ve had enough of this trial now.

Translator’s notes – Or ask me for clarification on our channel in discord!

MC is in a bronze game as a challenger wondering why the teams are turning against each othe