Chapter 288

Chapter 288

In the darkness, one person shone brightly amid the crowd.

‘I had no idea a man could be this handsome,’ Muenne thought. She wondered if this was what made someone a star. Among the throngs of people, this figure stood out prominently.

Muenne seemed enchanted as she pulled on the reins of her Wyvern. “Let’s go down.”

As they descended, she realized, ‘This place is in utter chaos too!’

She needed to stay here and restore order. Although the situation near the south gate was much more serious, she decided to disregard it. The Wyvern hovered about three meters above the ground, a feat only the most skilled Wyvern riders could achieve.

“Everyone, stop moving!” Her voice echoed across the entire grand square.

People who recognized her gasped. “It’s Muenne!”

“Muenne?”

She was one of the Seven Paladins of the Helen Empire. Nicknamed the Radiant Lance, she caused a stir among the crowd.

“I am going to take control of the situation from now.” Drawing her shining lance, she slowly descended, a true display of the grandeur befitting one of Helen Empire’s Seven Paladins. Dressed in shining silver armor and with her long red hair tied back, she was indifferent to the attention on her. She was always the center of attention wherever she went.

“My name is Mue...” She felt something unusual.

‘Huh...?’

It was typical for everyone to hang on to her every word. Here too, everyone was initially focused on her.

“She is one of the Seven Paladins?”

“Yeah, she is the captain of the guard here.”

“Why would a Paladin be just a captain?”

“I heard that she was demoted after assaulting a superior.”

“Aha! That’s cool. So, where’s Chul-Soo?”

However, interest in Muenne quickly faded. The majority of those gathered here were fans of Chul-Soo. With Chul-Soo here, the prestige of the Seven Paladins of the Helen Empire meant nothing. Even if the Pope or the Emperor had appeared here, the situation would have been the same. People would have asked, ‘So what? Is that guy more handsome than Chul-Soo?’

“Over there! Chul-Soo is moving that way!”

“Move! Get out of my way!”

“Why is this lady in my way? Go away!”

The influx of Chul-Soo Landers turned the grand square into a veritable cauldron of chaos. Even Chul-Soo found the situation somewhat bewildering.

‘It’s not that I feel bad, but...’ Chul-Soo realized a bit of strategizing was necessary. ‘I cannot have my Chul-Soo Landers getting hurt.’

Chul-Soo raised his voice slightly. “Everyone, please calm—”

‘Wait... I think saying chill out seems more effective than calm down.’

Normally, speaking informally could upset people, but Chul-Soo Landers preferred it, a fact that Chul-Soo had learned from experience.

“Chill out, guys!”

Just a few words from him, and shrieks erupted from all around. Some even fainted, exclaiming they were dying.

“You guys will get hurt if this continues. Keep order. Don’t push each other.”

Amazingly, order was restored. Just by standing still without pushing each other, the crowd helped subside the chaos.

Guard Captain Muenne looked at Jin-Hyeok with a dumbfounded expression. His towering height made it easy for her to see his face. She was astonished. “Is it even possible to be that good-looking?”

Jin-Hyeok’s surreal appearance baffled Muenne more than his ability to restore order with just a few words.

***

Muenne pushed through the crowd to stand in front of Jin-Hyeok.

‘Ah, I’m so nervous.’ She had never felt this nervous in front of someone before. She was far more nervous than she had been when she had dueled with the Great Mages of the Mazique Empire. Yet, she did not show her nervousness outwardly.

“I am the captain of the guard in Muren, Muenne.”

“Ah, I see.”

Corporation Alpha Male chuckled upon seeing Jin-Hyeok. “I bet this is a first for you.”

Depending on the environment and location, one’s abilities could vary. According to Corporation Alpha Male’s research, Chul-Soo had never experienced a large-scale fighting arena like this.

‘Can you maintain your composure in this situation, with tens of thousands of people watching you?’ Corporation Alpha Male thought.

Those without experience could not possibly perform to their best here. Corporation Alpha Male was confident in his victory. ‘My Level has surpassed 300.’

It was all thanks to a potion Lady Harkoen had given to him. With such a significant gap in Levels, skill differences were irrelevant.

“I will take this opportunity to show you that there is always someone who is more powerf—”

Corporation Alpha Male intended to issue a cool warning, but only the warning itself ended up being cool.

Thwack!

Miri struck Corporation Alpha Male’s head before he could finish.

‘Argh!’ Corporation Alpha Male could not believe what just happened. Despite being over Level 300, he found it hard to follow Jin-Hyeok’s movements. His attacks were consistently blocked by Absolute Barrier.

[You have activated the Mystery ?Broadcaster’s Nemes—]

Corporation Alpha Male did not even get a chance to properly use his Mystery. Jin-Hyeok approached quickly and swung Miri, making that impossible.

[The Mystery has been canceled.]

Corporation Alpha Male was disoriented. All he could do was frantically move his limbs to block or dodge Jin-Hyeok’s attacks.

‘W-Why is he so fast?’ The difference in skills between them was too significant to be masked by any editing. ‘It... it can’t be!’’

Eventually, Corporation Alpha Male collapsed to the ground. The duel had lasted just four minutes. It was a complete defeat for Corporation Alpha Male. He felt as though he had been fighting a massive wall, similar to battling a top-tier combatant Player like Muenne, who had offered to mediate the duel.

“Chul-Soo must have been hiding his strength...”

Jin-Hyeok stood over the fallen Corporation Alpha Male. Somehow, this made Corporation Alpha Male feel at ease. He had surpassed Level 300 with Harkoen’s potion, but the gap in skills between him and Chul-Soo was still vast.

‘There is an insurmountable wall of skill between Chul-Soo and me.’

Feeling the presence of that massive wall actually brought him relief. He no longer had any will to resist.

“Kill me,” Corporation Alpha Male said.

“What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you track me all the way from Earth? Hiring experts in tracking and all that.”

“I only hired one Ruler.”

“Right, one Ruler.” Corporation Alpha Male did not believe Jin-Hyeok.

‘Sure. I know you said that publicly only for the sake of your livestream and dramatic effect.’

Corporation Alpha Male was sure that, off-camera, Chul-Soo hired someone of a higher rank, like Lessefim.

‘Maintaining your concept even now... You truly are a professional Streamer. Perhaps dying at Chul-Soo’s hands is not such a shameful thing after all.’

Corporation Alpha Male was ready to accept his death calmly. The number of live viewers participating in his livestream was unprecedented. This was enough for him. He had set the title of his livestream to The End. This would make for a fitting finale.

“Just kill me.”

“Kill you?’ Jin-Hyeok frowned. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am.” Corporation Alpha Male was slightly puzzled. He could not understand why Chul-Soo was upset.

“Get up, Corporation Alpha Male.”

Corporation Alpha Male scoffed. ‘Is he going to help me get up and beat me down again? He is truly a cruel man.’

It seemed like Chul-Soo’s concept was aimed at providing primal entertainment.

“Just kill me. I want my last moment to be... honorable.”

Jin-Hyeok spoke with a serious expression. “You are using your life as an excuse to ignore what’s truly important.”

His expression was not just serious, but almost solemn.