Chapter 102

Shareholder III

-We will prepare here.

A very old version of myself said this, holding a fire axe.

The party members murmured in the corridor before the last set of stairs.

-Here? Why? The fairy said the final stage is just a bit further down.

-......

-Jae-hee, don't doubt him. The savior will guide us.

Lee Jae-hee, Uehara Shino, Jung So-hee.

Their professions were swordsman, alchemist, and zealot, respectively.

Just looking at the classes, you might think it was a doomed party. Yet, these were original members who had been with me since the 3rd run, maybe even longer.

They looked at me with their dirty, unkempt faces, having not properly washed for days.

A mess. But these were the best the "Busan Station Tutorial Dungeon" had to offer.

-......

I made eye contact with them one by one. The version of me in their memory was much more gaunt than I was now.

-Three days ago, there was a scout secretly watching us.

-A scout...?

-It must have been sent by Lee Baek. The only other survivor group that made it down here is his.

The party members flinched.

-They intentionally let us clear the monsters on our path. But to get credit for defeating the final boss, they have to kill it themselves. So, they're waiting for us to weaken ourselves in the boss fight before attacking.

-What a complete asshole.

-If we defeat the boss first, their plan is meaningless. They'll know this and are probably running here at full speed. Hide below the stairs. We'll attack them when they're tired.

-......

-I will lead.

"I will lead."

The déjà vu disappeared in an instant, like a wave briefly touching and then retreating from a beach of old, white pebbles.

Then, something squirmed beside me.

"......"

It was Oh Dok-seo.

The kid, barely tall enough to reach my collarbone, had a baseball bat slung over her shoulder, still stained with goblin blood.

"What are you doing, Dok-seo? Step back."

"No."

Oh Dok-seo chewed her gum loudly.

"I killed 14 monsters today. You? Eight. Isn't the hunter's world based on merit? I don't follow orders from anyone weaker than me."

"......"

Sometimes, something was so absurd that it made me laugh. Before my laughter could fade, footsteps thundered down the corridor.

A group of over a hundred people. Predictably, Lee Baek was at the forefront.

"You bastards. Missed me?"

The surprising thing was that Lee Baek could talk. How? His vocal cords had been shredded like a pizza.

"Uh, uh...."

The answer lay with Sim Ah-ryeon, who crouched beside him, looking dejected.

Despite being a healer, Sim Ah-ryeon was wrapped in bandages (made of cloth), with bruises on her cheeks and shoulders.

It wasn't hard to deduce the situation.

'She refused to heal and got beaten up by Lee Baek, now reduced to a slave who needs permission even to heal herself.'

It was pitiful. Poor Ah-ryeon, a potential S-rank getting bullied by an E-rank... What a waste.

Even the followers who should have been suffering from 'vocal cord pizza syndrome' were talking normally.

"That's the guy! He crippled us as soon as he saw us!"

"They took all the supplies in the waiting room!"

"Fuck, look how clean they are. Just three of them hoarding all the supplies... bastards. We're struggling and splitting food..."

"It's a fairy! There's a fairy over there!"

As the instigators stirred the crowd, someone screamed and pointed at the fairy.

Lee Baek seized the moment, stepping forward with a sly smile.

"Those bastards are with the fairy!"

With that, his voice echoed through the corridor, loud enough for over a hundred people to hear clearly.

That was his ability.

[Lion's Roar], or [Amplifier].

"They're not on our side! They're with the fairy and betrayed us! Look! They're with the fairy! Traitors! Traitors!"

Though it merely amplified his voice, in a tutorial setting where everyone was of similar level, it was quite useful.

The saying "the loudest voice wins" held true in emergencies.

While other survivors mumbled, he alone shouted into a megaphone, seizing control.

In the one-on-one duel, many people watched from a distance as the two faced off.

I nodded.

"Accept the outcome, whatever it is. Anyone who complains afterward will lose their ankles. Begin."

As soon as I finished speaking, Oh Dok-seo charged.

Lee Baek's expression turned fierce, surprised that the smaller kid would attack so fearlessly.

This bitch—his silent mouth seemed to say.

Using his superior reach, Lee Baek swung his stick. The nails in it aimed for Oh Dok-seo's head.

Kaang—!

They only aimed. His stick bounced off an invisible shield.

"......?"

Absolute Defense.

Not only human attacks but also monsters' invasions were repelled by her shield. Oh Dok-seo swung her bat.

The metal bat glowed faintly with a red aura.

For the past few days, I had personally tutored Oh Dok-seo on aura control. It was a special lecture not available anywhere else in the world.

I snapped my fingers, withdrawing the aura around Lee Baek. Sound was unmuted. My disciple should enjoy the victory.

"Die, you potato bastard!"

"Fuck...?"

Unfortunately, Lee Baek couldn't scream properly. The bat shattered his stick and hit his jaw precisely.

It was a home run.

"Ogh, ugh... uhoook..."

Lee Baek fell, clutching his jaw. White corn scattered around.

Oh Dok-seo belched long and loud, like a weight had lifted off her.

"Wow. When Jae-hee died because of him in the 3rd run, I threw the novel. Bastard. Shithead. Fucking asshole."

"Ugh..."

"Shut up, bastard."

Oh Dok-seo kicked Lee Baek, who swam on the floor. He collapsed, unconscious.

Late to react, Lee Baek's six followers charged.

"Uwaat!"

"Hey, attacking a kid all at once?"

But that broke the rules. I swiftly used my aura to slash their ankles.

"―――!"

"...! ...!"

All six fell simultaneously, their screams silenced.

Fear mingled in the survivors' eyes. Some in the back were already running.

Sim Ah-ryeon watched the seven writhing on the floor with a strange look, like a bird spotting a worm.

"...Ah-ryeon. Don’t play with them, threatening to heal or not just to feed your ego."

"Oh, yes... Huh? W-Wait. How did you know my thoughts? Could it be... mind-reading?"

I had a mind-reading skill, but rarely used it. Fun at first, it quickly lost its appeal.

But mind-reading had led to new connections.

From the 555th run, I took on a red-haired disciple, watching her approach now.

"See? Don't worry, mister."

My reader and disciple spoke fearlessly.

"I'll make sure you reach a happy ending."

"......."

"You're the original protagonist, and I'm the one who possessed a character in the novel. We have two protagonists. We can do anything together. Even if you're different from the novel's image, you're still my favorite character!"

I chuckled.

"Alright. I trust you."

"Yeah!"

Hurry, Dok-seo.

I'll always be here, waiting.

Epilogue.

"Hueeek? M-Mister! Save me! Please! Really save me! I used my skill on Lee Baek, so I don't have my shield! Hooook? It grazed me! It really grazed me! I'm going to die to the tutorial final boss! Mister! Misteeerr! Protagonist, save meee!"

"Undertaker-san, shouldn't we help Dok-seo-chan?"

"......"

I sighed.

It seemed like this chuunibyou otaku kid needed a lot more time before I could rely on her.

Footnotes:

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