The Hidden Ending Strategy of a Veteran in a Dead Game

Chapter 14: Why the Panic?

The Slums, One Pit.

“Damn, it’s cold.”

“Would it kill them to let us light a fire? What’s with all this theatrics?”

“Shut up. Don’t cause trouble and get us in hot water.”

“It’s not like I’m wrong, though. Damn it, all this hassle because of those Deep Worm bastards.”

“Hey, you! What did you just say?”

“What, you didn’t hear me? I said everyone’s suffering because of your dumbass gang!”

“You’re begging to die, aren’t you?”

The One Pit was usually the quietest and most run-down part of Aiselon’s back alleys, but not tonight.

Tensions were high as gang members with dangerous expressions shouted at each other, veins bulging in their necks.

The reason was simple.

“Shut up! The elders are talking right now.”

“Whoever just caused that ruckus, prepare for punishment.”

The leaders of each faction had gathered for a meeting.

While scuffles broke out between underlings, the intervention of the executives quickly silenced them.

Here, the words of the strong were law, and no ordinary thug could challenge the might of their superiors.

“Consider yourself lucky.”

“You’re the one who’s lucky.”

The bickering gang members reluctantly stepped back.

“More people than I expected.”

I had been observing them for over an hour now, hidden under a ragged cloak.

The stench had long since numbed my nose, and the chill had seeped into my bones, but I couldn’t leave my position. The meeting had already begun.

I needed to get inside to kill Baikal, but the number of guards protecting the venue was higher than I’d anticipated.

“This isn’t normal.”

Had I killed too many of their members? Or were the relationships between factions worse than they were in the game?

It was possible. After all, this was two years before the game’s official timeline began.

“So far, the events have been progressing as expected.”

I had worried that the events might not unfold at all, but everything had been moving along without issue.

Still, it wasn’t identical. The major story beats were intact, but the minor details were different. That made things more complicated.

“Originally, I’d go through that side.”

I glanced at the building where the meeting was taking place.

The windowless openings should’ve been my entry point in the Interference Route.

Normally, I would’ve entered through there, but now there were too many eyes.

Fighting everyone gathered here wasn’t an option either.

The regular members wouldn’t pose a problem, but—

“The executives are ranked fighters.”

They were likely only 1-star at most, but even a handful of 1-star fighters would cause problems.

“Guess I’ll have to take the other route.”

I sighed. I didn’t like it, but there was no choice.

Lingering any longer might mean Baikal dying before I got to him, and I wouldn’t get the skill I needed.

-Sliiiink.

I lowered my stance and crept away unnoticed.

The scummier an organization, the more escape routes they had prepared.

There was a secret passage connecting a nearby abandoned house to the meeting venue.

I planned to infiltrate through there.

As I moved away from the meeting location, the number of guards visibly decreased.

“Good, this part’s unchanged.”

The abandoned house was just as I remembered.

-Creak.

As I pushed the door open, a cloud of cigarette smoke billowed out.

“Hey, who the hell are you?”

“Get lost. We’re using this place.”

Inside were three rough-looking men. Were they guarding the passage?

Stretching my arms leisurely, I stepped inside.

“Sorry, I’m in a bit of a rush. Excuse me.”

“What? You think I’ll let some brat—”

-Whack!

I jabbed the closest one in the chin.

It was just a light punch, but with Herculean Strength and Explosive Pulse, the impact was devastating.

-Thud.

“Get him!”

“You little bastard!”

The other two lunged at me immediately.

One had a dagger, the other a club.

Why do these guys always bring weapons?

“You’re asking for a beating.”

Dodging the club aimed at my head, I stepped forward and delivered a body shot.

-Bam!

With a sound like an exploding drum, the man crumpled to the ground.

“That dagger looks nice.”

-Crack!

“Aaargh!”

I deflected the dagger with a blow to the wielder’s forearm, twisting his wrist until he dropped the weapon.

Naturally, I tried to grab the dagger to finish him off, but—

[Physique: Cat’s Paw whines that it can’t hold things like that.]

The dagger slipped through my fingers like a fish.

Annoyed, I clenched my fist and drove it into his stomach instead.

-Squish.

Then, I grabbed the heads of the other two and twisted, breaking their necks cleanly.

Half-heartedly subduing them would only cause problems later.

As their lifeless bodies slumped to the floor, I moved toward the secret passage.

“Hmm?”

I paused.

Something felt off. One of the men I’d just killed looked familiar.

Turning back, I examined his face.

It wasn’t my imagination—I recognized him.

A long scar ran down his forehead, and a prominent mole sat on his nose.

“This is… Baikal?”

The man I had been hunting, the leader of Deep Worm.

How had I killed him so easily?

“Was he not the boss yet?!”

This was bad.

My confusion only lasted a moment before realization struck.

“Could it be…”

This was still two years before the game’s timeline began.

It wasn’t unreasonable for Baikal to not be the boss yet.

“That’s a problem.”

Without the Diamond Parts skill, I couldn’t handle the output of Explosive Pulse. The skill wasn’t high-tier—barely E-grade.

But its ability to temporarily harden parts of the body like diamond made it invaluable.

Though it primarily boosted attack damage, its real strength lay in its defensive capabilities.

With it, I wouldn’t have to worry about my hands breaking every time I used Heavy Strike.

But now—

“It looks like I was never going to get it in the first place.”

I scratched my head in frustration.

The only way to get a guaranteed skill was by defeating a boss monster for the first time.

Otherwise, skills had to be farmed as rare drops from hunting— And the drop rates were abysmal.

It was starting to make sense why things had gone so smoothly until now.

“I’ll need to be more careful about things like this in the future.”

Walking away now would mean all my effort was for nothing, and I might not get what I wanted.

What should I do?

“No way. I’ve worked too hard for this!”

I hesitated for a moment, but retreating now would be too costly.

There were still other faction bosses left.

Getting at least one of their skills wouldn’t be a bad consolation.

Who knew if they had anything useful?

Clicking my tongue, I searched the pockets of the men I had piled in one corner.

Since my original goal had evaporated, I might as well grab whatever seemed valuable.

As expected of faction executives, they had a decent amount of cash.

Drugs? Useless—discarded.

Daggers? Couldn’t use them anyway—gone.

“Hmm?”

As I rifled through Baikal’s belongings, I found something unexpected: a book.

[Diamond Parts (E)]

Transforms parts of your body into diamond.

How dazzling!

“No way!”

I let out a roar of triumph.

This guy—this beautiful bastard—was carrying it!

To him, it was probably just a martial arts manual with advanced techniques.

To me, though, it was something entirely different—a skill book!

Since I had already mastered Explosive Pulse, I could learn it directly.

Baikal must’ve been studying it in his spare time, which worked out perfectly for me.

“Lucky break.”

Clasping my hands together, I stood up solemnly.

“Rest in peace, Baikal. Or not. Doesn’t matter.”

Without hesitation, I opened the skill book.

[You have learned Diamond Parts (E).]

-Flash!

A rush of energy coursed through me as the knowledge of how to use Diamond Parts etched itself into my mind.

-Crrk.

When I clenched my fist, my forearm transformed into solid diamond.

Out of curiosity, I struck the ground.

-Crack!

The sound that echoed was otherworldly—something that could never come from flesh and bone.

It was real.

“It’s the real deal. Diamond Parts.”

I was tempted to test it further by using Heavy Strike, but—

“Not now. Timing is everything.”

Better to save it for the foes inside.

“Might as well put this to good use against them.”

Beyond that passageway were more enemies who might drop bonus skills.

With a smirk, I passed through the damp, narrow underground tunnel.

-Step. Step.

The air was humid and reeked of human waste, forcing me to cover my nose.

This was why I hated coming here.

After trudging through the filth for some time, I heard faint voices.

“Who’s going to take responsibility for this?”

“Are you planning to start a war here?”
 

“Do you think Bayerle will just ignore this?”
 

“And you think they care about us? That’s the real arrogance.”
 

“I’ll say it again—Big Hammer has nothing to do with this.”
 

“Lak-Lak as well! Stop using us as scapegoats, Gael!”

The bosses of the factions were arguing.

Their voices were barely audible; without my enhanced senses from Mana Cultivation, I wouldn’t have heard them at all.

“Still squabbling, huh?”

Big Hammer and Lak-Lak were both insisting on their innocence, while Deep Worm’s leader, Gael, refused to believe them.

“So, Gael’s the current boss of Deep Worm.”

I didn’t know anything about him. He wasn’t a character from the game.

I crouched and crept toward the roughly patched door leading to the meeting room.

The shoddy wooden planks had gaps wide enough for me to peek through.

“Six people inside.”

Each faction boss had brought one bodyguard.

The bodyguards were all 1-star fighters, which wasn’t much of a concern.

“I need to watch out for Big Hammer’s boss and Lak-Lak’s bodyguard.”

Big Hammer’s leader, Damon, was a 2-star warrior.

Lak-Lak’s boss, Seyrin, had no rank herself, but her bodyguard was a 3-star fighter—a formidable one.

I had no idea why someone of that caliber was working here, but it didn’t matter.

After a quick calculation:

“Two 1-stars, two 2-stars, and one 3-star.”

As for Gael, the Deep Worm boss, I guessed he was around 2-star.

Alright, I had my estimate.

-Bam!

“Everyone, freeze!”

I kicked the door open and stormed inside.

-Clang! Clatter!

“Who are you?!”

“How did you get through the secret passage? State your identity!”

Weapons were drawn immediately, but I ignored them.

-Dash!

I launched myself toward the nearest bodyguard.

Before he could even extend his arm, I grabbed his collar.

“One down.”

-Slam!

I slammed him to the ground and followed up with a kick to his throat, snapping his neck.

-Whoosh!

A blade swung through the space where my waist had been a moment earlier.

It was a close call, but I dodged it in time.

Why did these guys always rely on weapons?

“Some of us can’t even use them, you know!”

“What nonsense are you—gah!”

My fist connected with his face, and the 1-star fighter crumpled, blood splattering as he was sent flying into the wall.

Dusting off my hands, I surveyed the room.

That took care of the 1-stars.

-Boom!

“Yikes. That’s intense.”

I dodged a massive hammer that smashed into the ground where I had just stood.

Big Hammer’s leader, Damon, was a hulking 2-star warrior with a thick beard and a bald head.

He towered over me, his physique matching the enormous weapon he wielded.

“I’ll take my time figuring out who you are.”

His presence was overwhelming, though not unmanageable.

“Strong, but predictable.”

As long as I had room to maneuver, I could handle him.

The reason I had eliminated the lower-ranking fighters first was to create that space.

The pressure emanating from Damon was heavy, palpable.

That was the difference a 2-star rank made.

“Intense, but manageable.”

Not as suffocating as another person I’d fought before.

“Suspicious individual. I’ll handle them. Please step back, my lady.”

“Leave him alive. We need to find out who sent him.”

Lak-Lak’s 3-star bodyguard drew his blade.

If Damon’s aura was heavy, this man’s was sharp, honed like a deadly weapon.

“Thrilling.”

His gaze was venomous, brimming with clear intent to kill.

He looked like a snake, coiled and ready to strike.

I estimated he was in his mid-40s.

If he were ten years younger, he might have been a knight serving some minor noble.

-Swish! Crack!

[Diamond Parts (E) – Active]

I caught the twin daggers lunging at my back.

“You caught them?!”

“What’s with the shock? Never seen someone catch a blade before?”

“Of course not, you maniac!”

It was Gael, Deep Worm’s leader.

His wide-eyed disbelief was almost comical.