The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Chapter 19

It seemed like the arrows were shot from quite a distance away. Most of the arrows landed on objects, not people.

Wh-what is going on?!

I asked you whats going on, Aden!

Sungho! Hey, Jin Sungho!

Two Predator Guild members were shot by arrows.

Unfortunately for one of them, the arrow pierced through their neck.

Ffffsssss

The only sound Sungho was able to make was the sound of air weakly escaping his body. It didnt take long for him to close his eyes for the last time.

And like that, he died.

Uaaaaaargh! Hes dead! He died!

Aden! What are we supposed to do now?!

Even though the group had committed murder before, they acted like scared little children in front of impending death.

Seol focused on observing Adens facial expressions.

Aden was seething in rage.

And suddenly, he shouted. It seemed he had reached a decision.

Theres a canyon nearby! If we lose our pursuers there then return to the Great Silent Forest, they wont be able to find us! Hurry up and steer the wagons!

B-But! Its not that simple

Shut up! Did you forget that I hired you?

Aden forced his hand on the party. It was almost like he had become a new person.

Seol knew that Aden was making the wrong decision.

When merchants were normally faced with this situation, they often used the wagons as a line of defense to respond to their attackers.

This meant that this was either Adens first job as a merchant or he was too dumb to act appropriately.

Regardless of whatever it was, the situation was dire.

This time, Aden shouted at Sang-gyus group, How long are you going to cry over a fucking corpse?! Get in the wagon!

What? Wh-what did you just say

Slide.

Aden slid a dagger next to Jincheols neck.

He was so quick that Jincheol couldnt react in time.

Gasp

Do as I say if you dont want to die. Playtime ends here.

Jincheols eyes grew wide as he could do nothing more than slowly nod.

Sang-gyus group left behind Sungho, who was already dead, and helped the other injured party member into the wagon.

Seol also followed them into the wagon.

Fuck Fuck What the hell is going on?

Wasnt this supposed to be an easy Adventure?! Why do we have to be in this situation?!

Death comes for everyone and fear is just its messenger.

Sang-gyus group was overcome by fear. The most they could do was just look around for help.

It hurts it hurts it hurts so bad

Kyungmo!

The other member of Sang-gyus group was lying down in the back of the wagon with an arrow in his chest.

He would continuously groan until he would slowly grow weaker and weaker.

A-Am I going to die like thi

Thud.

Sang-gyus party was now down to two.

Neigh!

In surprise, the horses started galloping faster.

Ffft.

Fwoosh!

Hiek

Arrows pierced through the cloth exterior of the wagon.

It was so chaotic that they couldnt pull themselves together.

However, Seol was able to maintain his cool.

Well get caught near the end of the canyon.

Both Seols first and second characters faced off against their pursuers there.

Because Seol knew that they would safely reach the end of the canyon he wasnt scared like Sang-gyus party was.

Sang-gyu saw Seols calmness and started yelling at him.

You were acting like this was an easy Adventure but that wasnt the case at all!

...What?

Damn it How are we supposed to get out of here, huh?

Jincheol growled toward Seol.

Hey, were going to work together as a party until we get out of here, got it?

This was obvious in a normal party but since they werent amicable with each other, it had to be stated.

Jincheol was asking Seol to follow his orders.

It was obvious in Jincheols eyes since there were two of them and one of him.

Jincheol also thought that even if their initial plan of killing him was revealed, it would be difficult for even Seol to make it out safely on his own.

But Seols response only confused them.

Why should I?

- Huh? Were you talking to me?

- His expression is hilarious LMFAO

- These guys are obviously murderers LOL Why would we work together~

- You guys fell for the secretly strong MC trope EZ

Sang-gyus eyes turned red as he pulled out a scimitar from his waist.

Slide.

Are you dumb or something? Do my words sound like a joke?

Huh Why is my body urgh

Both Sang-gyu and Jincheol were losing control of their own bodies. It felt like their bodies were stiffening up like concrete.

Clatter.

Even the scimitar that Sang-gyu held fell to the ground.

Wh-why is my fucking body

Mine too!

Their bodies were stiff below their head but they could still control their mouths.

You guys are quite slow, huh? said Seol.

What? You bastard! You! You did this, didnt you?!

Let us go! I dont know what you did but Ill kill you!

You shouldnt have carelessly eaten the food that a stranger gave you.

Sang-gyu and Jincheol quickly realized what Seol meant.

There was something done to the alcohol they drank earlier.

Damn it Fuck! You plotted this with Aden, didn't you?

No, theres no way that would be the case Aden! What the hell is that bastard Aden?!

Fffft!

After them!

Rumble Rumble!

They could hear their pursuers chasing after them.

Before they realized it, they had already escaped the canyons.

Seol fixed his clothes and readied himself.

Hum

As Seol gathered black energy in his hand, a massive figure appeared inside the wagon.

Fsssss

I-Its

A troll! Its a troll! Wait, hes

They knew it as well.

What Seol had just summoned was Jamad, the Chief of the Rock Molar Tribe. They only caught a distant glimpse of him in their previous Adventure but they could tell that it was him.

How could they have forgotten the fear they felt from Jamad?

Sang-gyu started murmuring to himself in disbelief.

He defeated Jamad?

Jamad looked difficult for their party to take down together.

Obviously, Seol defeated Jamad by himself and not in a party but Sang-gyu had no way of knowing that.

Jamad then spoke to Seol.

...This isnt a good situation.

It might look like that, but lets observe for now.

Hmph Alright, I will protect you.

When the two noticed that Seol was about to escape the wagon, they started calling for him.

H-Hey! Take us! Take us with you too!!

Where are you going, you If you leave like this, the Predator Guild wont leave you alone!

Like I said before, why should I? answered Seol without even looking back.

Sang-gyus party wasnt going to help him at all, they were just going to hold him back from doing whatever he wanted to do.

It was clear that the two knew what their fate would be if they were left here.

Theyre coming.

Suddenly, people holding ropes and obstructions appeared in the path the wagon was going. Those men had the same geometric tattoos that Aden had.

Hold on tight! shouted Aden. As he shouted, the wagon started to curve and tilt.

Now that they were surrounded, the other wagons couldnt proceed anymore and were stuck.

H-Huh?

No!

And as Sang-gyu and Jincheol were screaming, Seol had already disappeared.

* * *

Before the wagons hit the ropes and obstacles, Seol successfully escaped from the pursuers with Jamads protection.

It hurt a bit when he rolled off the wagon but he wasnt that injured.

Some of the pursuers had split off from the group to chase after Seol but all of them fell to Jamads hands.

And now, Seol was observing the others.

Are you just going to watch?

Yeah. Ill only waste my energy if I fight now.

Well, suit yourself.

Aden gathered his forces from the wrecks of the broken wagon and prepared to face his pursuers.

Damn it How did they know that we would be here? Hey, its time to fight.

Aden didnt lie about one thing, there really were other guards protecting the wagons.

A group of guards more powerful than Sang-gyus group.

Theres around twenty pursuers. Survive on your own.

Damn it you didnt say anything about this!

Woosh Woosh

Someone approached while spinning their scimitar.

They also had geometric tattoos on their face like Aden.

Aden or should I say Kujo. Did you think youd be able to escape from us?

How the hell would someone thats running away know that, idiot?

Hahaha your tongues as prideful as always. You shouldve used that tongue for Borgo instead.

I didnt like the way I was treated, so I was trying to catch a big fish What do you think about partnering up with me? Ill treat you better than Borgo does.

Can you protect me from Borgos chase?

Do you think thats possible?

Haha, then just die easily. You have the map and the translated copy, right?

Of course! I have it on me right now. Why dont you come try and take it if you can!

Alright, then let me say goodbye now. The map will be returning to its original owner.

Bullshit! If someone heard that, theyd think Borgo found it himself. Im the one who found it, you bastard!

Claaaang!

Adenno, Kujos group looked much weaker than Borgos advance party.

And during that time

Seol was checking the details of the changed Adventure contents.

[Adventure 3-1. Moving Wagon.

The wagon line headed to Nobira has been ambushed. It seems there were circumstances that you werent aware of. Survive the ambush.

Objective: Survive the ambush and escape your pursuers

Remaining Time [N/A]]

Seol already knew that this situation would happen. He also knew that this Adventure would constantly change.

This Adventure was much more complicated than what you would first expect.

There was a widely known ruin hunter named Borgo (the name might change but the person and the role were the same) who was active near Nobira.

Kujo, one of Borgos subordinates who was dissatisfied with him, while exploring a ruin, discovered a map to a different ruin, and secretly took the map in an attempt to translate it.

Borgo realized this and chased Kujo, but by that time, Kujo had already escaped to Kongory. So then, Borgos group had no other choice but to stay near the Great Silent Forest and wait in ambush for him.

In the translated copy that Kujo had, it said that in order to open the entrance to the ruins you would need five living sacrifices.

This meant that Sang-gyus group and I werent here to guard the wagons. We were here as sacrifices.

That was the reason why Aden drugged the alcohol.

It was so that we would be forced to become his sacrifices without being able to retaliate.

Clang!

Claaaang!

Seol quietly watched the two groups fight.

It was something that Seol had already seen before.

He also already knew the results of it.

As some time passed, the results of the battle were becoming clearer.

Krgh Urgh

Hahaha Keep going if you want to die.

Borgos going to kill me if I back off anyway.

Thats true. Then just die here.

It was funny, but no one from either group was going to survive their fight. And just as Seol predicted, the scenario that he drew was playing out.

Well, the sacrifices are going to survive though.

Seols first character, Snowman, was able to heal himself using mana and ran away from the situation. That was how he was able to clear it.

And I chose a different option with my 2nd character.

Seol waited for their fight to finish before approaching the

Gasp Gasp Is it you, Borgo?

Kujo was gasping for air after losing both of his eyes. His body was covered in dried-up blood. It was clear that he was going to die from losing too much blood.

Wait, this smell Its you, Snowman. Save me.

Youre already dead.

Hahahaha Youre right. How the hell would I be able to survive when Ive lost this much blood Look here, do you want me to tell you a funny story?

Seol could see options before him again.

[[Adens real name was Kujo. It seems that he wants to tell you an interesting story as hes about to die. How do you respond?]

1. Story? What story?

2. I dont need it.

3. Who were those guys that were chasing us?

4. What is the meaning behind those tattoos?

5. [Required: Intimidation] Tell me everything.

]

I dont need it.

Ha! Hahaha! Then let me at least tell you this. Soon, a huge monster that doesnt even look human is going to arrive. When that happens, youre going to die anywa Hello?

Rummage. Rummage.

Seol was rummaging through the gasping Kujos body. He forcibly pulled out anything he could get his hands on.

[You have acquired a 'Map to a Certain Ruins'.]

[You have acquired a 'Translated Copy of the Ruins'.]

Seol looked through the map and confirmed the translated copy.

Both were equally important when it came to ruins.

Damn it

Seol scowled.

If this is the translated copy then I might as well use it as a fire starter.

It was similar to what Seol already knew, but some lines were translated completely differently.

So, either his memory or the translated copy was wrong. And Seol, obviously, chose to trust his memories.

Krgh Hahahahaha!

Kujo laughed maniacally as Seol went through his belongings.

He was trying to curse Seol as if he was a prophet.

Yeah, I bet you want the treasures in the ruins too. But, that ruin has already caught Borgos eyes.

So?

After acquiring the map, Seol saw new options.

[[You have located the ruins after looking at the map. Its near the Great Silent Forest. What do you do?]

1. Return the map to Kujo and look for a way to save him.

2. Remain here and wait for Borgo.

3. Return the map then escape to Nobira.

4. Head to the Great Silent Forest.

]

It was obvious which option Seol was going to choose.

Kujo was leaving his final words for Seol before he died.

You too will end up succumbing to your desires. Just like me.

Seol then responded to Kujos corpse.

No, I am the master of my own desires.