Level 1 Player (MT Novel) - Chapter 53

Chapter 53 – Water Snake I Error

“And the skill is really good.”

[Psychometry (Heroic)

Active ability: allows you to read information from objects within one month, view it as holograms with sound, does not allow you to read information from magical objects.

When I first saw this skill, I thought it was very expensive, but viewing the past gave me a huge advantage. If I didn’t have this skill, it would have been over before it had even started. But anyway, I was able to put Lee Han Gu down. However, while acquiring this skill, I had no idea that my first victim would be the Minister of the Players’ Association himself. “Psychometry” helped me a lot in this, I was able to learn all of his background, in fact, why I ultimately decided to “bury” him.

“I think this skill will come in handy in the future.”

Of course, this “Psychometry” will not save my ass on the battlefield, but in today’s world, where information can be the most dangerous weapon, easily.

Suddenly the phone rang. It was Shin Yoon Ah.

– Hello.

– Can we meet? Right away.

– Yes, of course, anytime!

– Then tell me the address where you are now and I’ll come over.

– Wait a minute.

I looked out the window and found a coffee shop near the motel where I was staying. I couldn’t meet my “boss” right in my room.

– Yeah, let’s meet at Cafe Smol, which is near Sando Station.

– Okay, I’ll be on my way. I’ll be there in half an hour.

– Okay, I’ll be there in half an hour.

After I finished talking, I quickly changed my clothes and went outside.

Half an hour later, Shin Young Ah and I were already sitting in a coffee shop.

– I’ll get straight to the point. Was the scandal involving Minister Lee Han Goo your doing, Hyun Seong?

– Why do you think so?

– Because you’re the only one who can pull it off.

My confrontation with the Minister was well-publicized among officials and representatives of the Gamblers’ Association. You could say I won that “battle. But the result of my actions was that Minister Lee Han Gu only “tarnished” his reputation and nothing more. Nevertheless, Lee Han Gu said he would formally apologize to me. He can step on his rake twice, can’t he? Unless he’s stupid.

The officials thought that after the minister’s apology it should be over. But they couldn’t have imagined that after that “apology” the minister’s entire background would come out. Moreover, Lee Han-gu wasn’t the only one who was hurt. The other members of parliament and representatives of the major guilds were not immune to the trouble, as the authorities were certain that the person who had disclosed the information was definitely a Gambler. And the person most suspected was a player named Choi Hyun Seong, which is me.

Even though they couldn’t find any direct evidence, they were smart enough to draw such conclusions.

– The government is nothing but a bunch of sissies!

Gamblers are the backbone and support of society, the protectors of the state. But in addition to all this, they are dangerous, because their power is superior to modern weapons. At times the skills of the Players are beyond comprehension and seem to be something magical. Yes, many in power recognize the danger of the Players, but the Players themselves, in turn, do not use their skills as a deterrent. Yes, and a Player who commits a crime will be punished.

– You’ve made yourself suspicious, so be careful.

– What if I really am involved in this case? What then?

– You could be arrested for home invasion and theft.

– Players are tried under special, stricter laws, aren’t they?

– If something like that happens, you have to rely on public opinion.

– That would be great, but I’m not a criminal. I don’t think we need to worry about that.

Shin Yoon Ah only smiled crookedly in response. The girl is sure that I’m the one who pulled off this case, ruining the minister’s reputation.

– In any case, be careful. A lot of people don’t want the power to be concentrated in the hands of the Players. And this leaked information was a wake-up call for everyone.

If you start digging into this case, the quagmire will get so sucked in that it will be impossible to get out of it. In fact, that was the reason the authorities decided to keep me under surveillance. Not because of the power I possessed, but because of the classified information made public.

I don’t know how I managed to find something on Minister Lee Han-gu, but spreading it would make a lot of noise. If the government makes the slightest mistake, it will immediately embarrass itself. I’m sure of it, because how many politicians aren’t really involved in dirty dealings?

– Suspicion can make you a lot of enemies. So be on the lookout. I think it would be better to lay low for a while.

* * *

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– What? I’m flattered by your concern, but this whole situation has no meaning to me. I didn’t even think I could be under suspicion.

– Think it over. You should avoid unnecessary attention.

After that we switched to mundane topics. We discussed a little bit about the events and moments that happened during the second cataclysm. In fact, Shin Yoon Ah wanted to ask me about many things, having a great desire to overthrow Lee Han Gu as minister, which was difficult to do because of the lack of substantial evidence. But here I was, and with me the reputation of the incumbent minister was shaken. Curious, isn’t it? Especially the fact that I managed to dig up something on him without any contacts in the government or the Players Association. Shin Yoon Ah wanted to ask about many things, but held back her curiosity, trying not to complicate my situation.

***
South Korea was quick enough to deal with the aftermath of the second cataclysm. Some countries were just beginning to recover, and some were even mired in chaos.

Suddenly the air was shaken by shells. The artillery continued to attack the target. But… there was not a scratch on the monster. The rangers had failed. The aerial bombardment operation also failed. Neither the army nor the Players could cope with a monster whose body was covered in scales as black as pitch black. Someone even suggested the use of nuclear weapons, but the idea was quickly dismissed, because a powerful explosion and radiation could destroy the entire country. The many thousands of civilians who had not yet managed to escape the city were shaken by fear and terror.

The players again prepared their weapons. The army was not far behind and reloaded their equipment as well. There was a loud sound and the breath of the water snake, destroying everything in its path, came down in a wave upon everyone. The players, unable to resist, melted like sugar cubes. All of the army’s equipment and weapons melted as well, and shells exploded. The wings of airplanes melted, and those, like a pile of rocks, rolled down. In the blink of an eye, the serpent’s acid breath killed everyone who fought against the monster. Once, and the elite Players and their army were gone.

The government didn’t know what to do, so it hurriedly turned to flee. It was urgent to mobilize all the Players and the remnants of the army outside the capital in other cities.

But after destroying the Players and the army, the serpent didn’t stop there. He continued to destroy the entire city with his acid breath. The authorities, who did not have time to escape, also melted down, even in the bomb shelters, as the gaseous acid breath penetrated every crevice. The country’s leadership fell, given no chance of escape.

The serpent roared, celebrating victory. And the city that once bore the name Pyongyang was now wiped off the face of the earth.

***
– А?

Suddenly our conversation was interrupted by Shin Yun Ah’s bursting pager.

– I think I have to go,” the girl said as she got up from her seat.

Before Shin Yoon Ah knew the information, my pager started giving active life signs.

– I’ll come with you.

– That’s not a bad idea.

So I headed with Shin Yoon Ah to the headquarters of the Players Association.

– What’s going on here anyway?

– I’ll try to contact headquarters,” Shin Yoon Ah said and dialed some number.

At the same time, I was staring at my smartphone and surfing the Internet for information. As soon as I opened the browser, I immediately understood the reason for our call. Once I looked at the headlines of the articles, everything fell into place.

“Pyongyang is gone!”

“North Korea’s power has fallen!”

“How likely is it that a monster, with unconfirmed levels, will appear in the South?”

“Will South Korea be able to cope with the oncoming threat?”

I kept reading one article after another. There were no explanations in the articles themselves. The whole point was contained in the headlines.

“Things are worse than I thought…”

I knew that some countries with low military power and low-level players have a hard time dealing with the emergence of new spatial gates. If that happens, another, stronger country comes to the rescue, in which case the rights to exploit the gate are shared between the countries involved in the confrontation.

There have been cases where the dungeons of weaker states have been owned by other states. But North Korea was not a weak country. Yes, the country’s economy was not in the best shape, but in terms of military power the North was among the world’s top 20. In addition, the country had awakened a sufficient number of Players.

North Korea invested well in high-level Players, but despite its best efforts, its capital fell overnight. No one could stop the gates that suddenly appeared in Pyongyang.

“Could it be a monster of legendary level?”

If such a monster appeared from another level gate, then the level of the dungeon itself would be at least as heroic. So we can conclude that this monster is either heroic level or higher. Perhaps the authorities of the various countries have no idea that monsters higher than heroic level can exist in the world. But I knew that for sure. Partly because of my skills.

“If this monster is really a legendary level, it’s already becoming a big problem.

If it is, I might have to resort to nuclear weapons.

***
A state of emergency has been declared in South Korea. Despite the good outcome of the second cataclysm and the stabilization of the situation, Pyongyang is wiped out. The government of the South is on edge. Sure, snakes are snakes, but it is hard to believe that North Korea has lost its leaders. China and Russia have also been in turmoil – the countries have strengthened their borders by stationing armies there. At this time, China and Russia were not particularly worried about the situation, since they could not fully cope with the gates that had opened on their territories. In addition, as a result of the second cataclysm, Russia and China have suffered great losses, the damage was enormous. Particularly due to the fact that the territories of these states are vast and the number of gates opened there is much more than in South Korea. And the more gates, the more monsters. It is precisely because Russia and China have so far been unable to deal with their domestic problems that they have been unable to provide support for solving problems abroad. If the enemy infiltrated their countries, they would have no choice but to send the Players and the army to fight the intruder by separating them.

Now three nations were watching the kite’s movements: South Korea, China, and Russia.