Max Talent Player

The Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon was one that Kim Hyukjin had been planning on clearing. He should have had a month of leeway, but the schedule had been yanked forward.

For the first time in a while, he took out his notes from his Inventory.

–February 28, 2019. ‘Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon’ opens.

The date was January 24, 2019, over one month before the original start time.

–March 28, 2019. Wings and Taeguk Shield work together to clear the Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon.

The Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon was quite an important dungeon in the country. It spawned 2002 ‘Red Devils’, and clearing the dungeon yielded a random, but fairly high number of white mana crystals. As a result, the dungeon was the springboard that allowed Korea to leap into the mana crystal business, and a pillar of the new culture trade.

Hyukjin also recalled a paragraph from Jackson’s notes.

–The 2002 Red Devils spawned by the ‘Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon’ cannot be hunted. At least not by Players in the beginner period.

For starters, physical attacks didn’t work on them. They could only be damaged by an attack that was both magic and used holy power. In other words, only holy magic from priest-class Players.

–As such, Korea employed a defensive strategy.

Thankfully, the Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon was time-limited.

–The southwestern spot is comparatively the safest place.

–I call it the safe spot. If you set up an array in the safe spot and simply get rid of the crows that attract the Red Devils, you can hold out fairly easily for thirty minutes.

Hyukjin already knew about that ‘safe spot’. A place that wasn’t technically a safe zone, but seemed like one. A place Players found after countless clear attempts.

‘Put another way… this is a dungeon that is impossible to clear without that spot.’

Endure thirty minutes in that spot, and the Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon would be cleared. That was why Hyukjin had recruited the assistance of Wings and archer Players in advance. Excellent archers were needed to hunt the crows—the “messengers”—and defensive-oriented Players like the Wings Guild were required to block the Red Devils that occasionally stumbled into the safe spot.

–A clear in the true sense of the word was achieved in the master period, but the clearer chose not to share their method. Not only because their method is exceedingly dangerous even for master period Players, but also because the preceding strategy is far more efficient.

In other words, a true clear wasn’t necessary. This was a dungeon where simply holding out was the best strategy.

And a break had occurred in such a dungeon.

In the worst case scenario, 2002 Red Devils would break loose. Players of the current period could not hunt them. The same went for Kim Hyukjin.

“Oppa. What should we do?” said Kim Sunhwa.

“I’m thinking.”

“Don’t we need to go if there’s a dungeon break?”

“The energy I’m sensing is too dangerous.”

In truth, that was bogus. He couldn’t feel any ‘energy’. They were a good ten minutes away by car. He might be able to sense something if a Red Devil were to come this way, but he couldn’t feel anything yet.

Hyukjin got a call from Song Kiyeol.

–A dungeon break has occurred.

–Yes. I’m watching the breaking news as well.

–We’ve determined that small monsters that look like Goblins are currently running out.

–About how many of them?

–Several dozen at the least.

–Is it possible to see what they’re called?

–Yes. Their names are red. They’re called Red Devils.

Hyukjin let out a low exclamation.

–Do you know these monsters?

–I do.

–Is there a way to defeat them, by any chance?

–No.

–Then how should we proceed?

Hyukjin lapsed into silence. It wasn’t hard for Song Kiyeol to figure out the reason behind Hyukjin’s silence.

–I suppose that means they’re overwhelmingly powerful.

So powerful that even the amazing Kim Hyukjin was unable to jump to action. In addition, Song Kiyeol was well aware that Kim Hyukjin had no obligation whatsoever. No one could force him.

–Are you planning on staying out of this one?

–I’m considering what to do.

In other words, he wouldn’t be taking action yet.

–Understood. We will give our best shot at fighting them in our own way.

–It will probably be impossible.

With that, their conversation came to an end. Hyukjin immediately called Jo Sunghyun to his house.

* * *

* * *

Ding, dong—

The bell rang. It hadn’t taken long for the future Typhoon, now a member of the Giantgod Guild, to arrive at Hyukjin’s home. The majority of Giantgod’s members were living in the DMC Riverview Xi.

Jo Sunghyun asked, “Hyung, when are we setting off?”

“We’re staying on standby.”

“Even though there’s been a dungeon break?”

That was why Hyukjin had intentionally called Sunghyun to his house.

“If I hadn’t called you here, where would you be?”

The wind magician would have long since been deployed to the Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon. It was because Hyukjin had called him first that Jo Sunghyun was here.

“I’ll cut straight to the point.”

How would Jo Sunghyun take this?

“Don’t get involved in this dungeon break.”

Jo Sunghyun’s lips pursed into a line. He had full faith in Kim Hyukjin’s judgment, but he found the order hard to accept.

“Please tell me why.”

“It’s way too dangerous.”

“We’ve already done a lot of way too dangerous Plays.”

“This is different. It’s even more dangerous. We can’t kill Red Devils at our level.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Wait for them to naturally disappear.”

They would disappear after destroying as many ‘humans’ and ‘products of civilization’ as they wanted. Just like with most dungeon breaks.

“I hear an incredible amount of damage is being caused already. Those monsters, they’re cutting open people’s bellies with their claws and digging in.”

Red Devils were small. Other than being completely red, having two horns on their heads, and extremely sharp claws, they were so similar in appearance to Goblins that they could even be called a Goblin variant.

“I know.”

“We need to go out and stop them.”

“Why?”

“Because we have the strength.”

Hyukjin knew Sunghyun would say something like that. It was perfectly in line with Hyukjin’s image of the young man. He respected Sunghyun’s opinion. Everyone had their own values.

“We may have the strength, but if we go, we’ll die for sure.”

“...”

“There are times when we can’t do something even when we want to, and times when we have to do something even when we don’t want to.”

“To me, it’s cowardly to run away without using the strength you have.”

“If that strength falls far too short of resolving the situation, it’s reckless bravado. In front of the Red Devils, be it you, me, regular Players or people, we’re all weak.”

Jo Sunghyun fell into thought. After one minute, he began to speak again.

“Is that why you’re telling me not to go, Hyung?”

“The choice is yours.”

Hyukjin had told him everything there was to tell. He had given Sunghyun the facts. Now, it was time to appeal to Sunghyun’s emotions. If Jo Sunghyun went, he would die. He was no match for the Red Devils right now. Convincing Sunghyun required approaching the matter in a Jo Sunghyun-esque way.

“But think about this: Is sacrificing your future to help the people now truly a just thing?”

“...”

“In the future, when you’re stronger, you’ll have opportunities to save more people. Think long and hard about whether you are discarding those opportunities with your current choice.”

“...”

Knocking Sunghyun unconscious and locking him up might be a passable short-term fix. But Hyukjin didn’t consider that a proper solution. In the end, people were bound to do what they wanted.

Chewing his lip, Jo Sunghyun fell into contemplation again. After a long time, he spoke.

“I don’t know.”

The original Sunghyun would have left right away. He would have waded through fire and flames to fight the Red Devils.

“Of course I need to go. That’s the non-cowardly route. But…” There was even a little anger on Sunghyun’s face. “After what you said, I keep hesitating.”

If anyone else had said it, he wouldn’t have even listened. He might have even gotten mad at them, calling them out for such cowardly words. How was hiding like a scared rabbit the best way? But he was talking to Kim Hyukjin, and Kim Hyukjin’s words had weight. At least to Jo Sunghyun.

Another long moment passed.

“I’ll… wait here.”

“Good call, Sunghyun.”

Sunghyun didn’t give up.

“I’ll try to think of a way.”

* * *

The Red Devils caused hundreds of casualties.

They were all people who had gone on picnics around the World Cup Stadium, pedestrians passing by the area, people who’d been shopping in the hypermarket nearby. The losses were rapidly shooting up.

The damage radiated outwards from the Sangam World Cup Stadium, the focal point. An evacuation order was put out, and many Players were killed and eaten by the Red Devils. The Players got a shared quest called ‘Hunt a Red Devil!’, but not a single person managed to clear it.

In the midst of the chaos, the people came to realize a certain fact.

“The Red Devils… aren’t coming to the area around our apartment.”

“I heard it’s because of the Guardian Tower.”

No Red Devils appeared in the DMC Riverview Xi neighborhood. Witnesses even claimed a Red Devil in pursuit of its target turned and left after colliding against an invisible wall near the DMC Riverview Xi.

“The Guardian Tower really has that kind of power?”

The land protected by the Guardian Tower was safe from the Red Devils. That revelation triggered an outburst of breaking news and speculative articles.

–The DMC Riverview Xi, Isolated from Hell

–The Guardian Tower’s Barrier Blocks Red Devils

Driven by the realization that the DMC Riverview Xi was a safe zone, the masses swarmed towards it, a development that occurred in less than two days.

In the middle of all that, Kim Hyukjin got a call from Jackson.

–Are you not going to take action this time?

Perhaps because of Kim Hyukjin’s influence, even Taeguk Shield was taking a defensive stance. They were already attracting public criticism. The military mobilized helicopters and were doing their best to hunt the Red Devils, but modern weapons didn’t work.

–Yes. I’m staying out of this one.

–Why?

–Because there are no means to hunt a Red Devil.

–I see.

–But why’d you bother calling?

–Darn, you noticed?

Ding dong–

The bell rang. Behind the door was the Great Explorer Jackson. Hyukjin opened the door.

Originally, Jackson was an incredibly good-looking man. But his formerly shiny golden locks were frayed, and he was extremely dirty. His face was a jungle of uncut beard, and a foul stench emanated from him, as if he’d gone dumpster diving.

“You’re looking worse for wear.”

“Yes. I cleared a difficult dungeon, and then getting here was no walk in the park.”

“...”

Basically, this Great Explorer had dodged the Red Devils to come all this way.

“Anyway, I came here to give you this.”

Jackson took out an item, which Hyukjin took.

“What is this?”

He couldn’t check the item—even the name showed up as a ‘?’. Jackson clasped Hyukjin’s hand.

“Let me give you my buff real quick. You can think of it as an explorer’s blessing.”

A cool sensation enveloped Hyukjin’s body. The blue energy flashed, and a blue ring formed above Hyukjin’s head.

[‘Great Baptist’s Blessing’ is taking effect.]

That allowed Hyukjin to check the item. The ‘?’ item description slowly became visible. The item’s name was ‘Endless Sky Crystal’.