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Chapter 361: Between Good Karma and Bad Karma (2)
Screeeech!
A deafening sound of something piercing the air reverberated through the walls and into the room.
The promotion grounds, which had looked so tiny beneath their feet moments ago, were rapidly expanding in size.
This meant only one thing: their altitude was dropping fast.
-D-Do you really intend to go down there?
Aldo twisted his head tightly as if begging for reconsideration.
Instead of replying, Yeongwoo stared intently at the map of the promotion grounds displayed in the waiting room.
As before, the map showed 50 numbered markers scattered across it.
Their landing positions could still be adjusted, and the markers shifted in real-time.
Among them, the most erratic activity was centered in the mid-west region, where Team 023 was heading.
There were currently 11 teams descending toward this area.
Of those, six teams kept moving their markers into the central area of the mid-west before retreating back to the outskirts in hesitation.
‘So those guys are still undecided.’
They were likely caught off guard by the unexpectedly high number of teams converging in the mid-west.
They seemed to be debating whether to stay in the outskirts and observe the situation or trust their combat prowess and land directly in the central zone.
‘Cowards.’
Not that Yeongwoo couldn’t understand their hesitation.
If all 11 teams landed in the mid-west, it would result in a chaotic melee involving 55 people.
No matter how skilled someone was, there was always a chance they could get overwhelmed and killed by dozens of attacks.
Moreover, the risk of losing a teammate in battle would increase significantly.
-...Shouldn’t we reconsider our landing spot?
Taru, who had been studying the markers alongside Yeongwoo, cautiously voiced his opinion.
Yeongwoo wrinkled his nose, watching the six hesitant teams finally opt for the outskirts of the mid-west.
“What do you think will happen if we stick to our current landing spot?”
-...Huh? Well...
Taru scrunched up the rocky features of his face, deep in thought.
Eventually, he gave an answer.
-A lot of teams… and they’ll probably be hostile?
“Fuck.”
Was this what happened when you never did anything bad in your life?
“If you don’t understand bad people, how can you predict their moves?”
Sighing in frustration, Yeongwoo pointed at the central area of the mid-west on the map.
“See this? Those five teams that haven’t budged an inch.”
Teams 023, 046, 037, 011, and 002.
“If we leave them alone, they’ll rise to the top of the rankings.”
Aldo, gripping the bench tightly, hesitantly raised his hand.
“Yes, Prince. Go ahead.”
- I… What is the reason for growing to the top?
“......”
Yeongwoo felt his energy drain for a moment.
But he couldn’t be annoyed.
After all, the three of them had amassed enough good karma to offset 170 million units of bad karma—a feat that was practically a universal miracle.
“Listen closely, Your Highness. And you too, Owl and Golem.”
Yeongwoo shifted his finger, pointing to the six teams that had retreated to the outskirts.
“These guys made the safe and logical choice. They backed out because there were too many teams converging in the mid-west. Their plan is probably to observe the central fight and decide their next move.”
Aldo and the other two teammates widened their eyes in understanding and nodded.
-Oh…
-That makes sense.
-Indeed.
“And these guys here?”
Yeongwoo’s finger moved back to the five teams in the mid-west’s central zone.
-Well… they must like fighting.
-Maybe they’re just evil?
“No!”
Yeongwoo yelled, causing Aldo to sweat nervously, and Amana to clack their beak in agitation.
“They’re not just evil. They’re insanely strong! They’re confident they can survive even in a fight involving dozens of people. That’s why they’re staying there.”
-Gasp.
-Is that even possible?
-A melee with dozens of people?
Yeongwoo ignored Taru’s less-than-bright remarks.
“What did Vito say earlier? The rankings inside the promotion grounds are determined by points, right?”
-Yes.
-That’s right.
-Correct.
“And our goal is to be first place. So how do we achieve that?”
Yeongwoo didn’t expect an answer, so he continued.
“We need to eliminate anyone who can score high enough to threaten our position. Only then can we maintain our lead comfortably.”
-Gasp…
-Eliminate them before they even start scoring?
-But they haven’t even earned points yet…
At that moment, Amana clacked their beak and raised a hand.
-Wait, if those people in the central zone are so strong and evil, what about us?
“What about us?”
-Well, I mean… are you that strong?
Yeongwoo’s face twisted into a scowl as he drew an imaginary blade to Amana’s neck.
“You think my 200 million units of bad karma are just for show? How do you think I racked up a score like that?”
-Ah… I see…
Amana nodded hesitantly, pulling back slightly.
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By then, Vito’s voice echoed through the room.
— Approximately 10 seconds until the waiting room reaches the promotion grounds.
“Whew.”
Taking a deep breath, Yeongwoo prepared himself.
Even though he had confidently declared his intentions to everyone, he wasn’t a seer who could predict the future, and whether he could actually survive in the Midwestern stronghold remained uncertain.
The only thing he had to go on was the fragment of a future where he would marry the Princess of the Sun...
‘A predetermined priority future means there's at least a small chance it could be wrong. I can't make overly reckless moves because of it.’
Even so, giving up on the Midwest landing was not an option.
As he had said earlier, in this kind of game, it was crucial to eliminate top-ranked contenders early on before they had the chance to grow.
‘There might be extra resources or ways to enhance abilities within the promotion zone. Letting strong teams grow unchecked until the later stages could mean facing foes too powerful for me to handle alone.’
At least as far as 023 Team was concerned, this game was practically a four-on-two competition.
Yeongwoo had to drag around three burdens while maneuvering through the promotion zone.
That’s why he determined that the best time to establish a combat advantage was right at the start.
‘Fighting aliens one against many? Sure, it’s my first time, but it’s the same for them too.’
Everyone here was a rookie planetary representative.
But when it came to a record of villainy...
‘I am the top villain of the promotion games!’
As Yeongwoo silently shouted this to himself, the waiting room finally landed in the promotion zone.
KWA-AAAAANG!
With an earth-shaking roar, the waiting room trembled violently, and Yeongwoo barely kept himself from falling as he surveyed his surroundings.
"Seriously, is this a landing or a crash?"
The previously transparent floor of the waiting room now reflected an ashen rocky ground.
The Midwest promotion zone was a bleak, rocky terrain.
Then, suddenly—
Clank!
With the familiar sound of locking mechanisms disengaging, all four walls of the waiting room toppled outward.
―The waiting room is now open. Best of luck.
With those parting words, the guide, Vito, disappeared.
Immediately, the 023 Team could see another waiting room opening right next to theirs.
-Huh?!
-What the—!
-Right next door?!
While the three other team members were panicking, Yeongwoo was already leaping into the other waiting room, wielding Bastard and Aratubank.
-Y-Yeongwoo?
Aldo was stunned, watching Yeongwoo move as if he had anticipated this from the start.
Without looking back, Yeongwoo shouted:
“Other teams will swarm here soon to claim the finishing blows! If you don’t want to die like dogs, get ready to fight!”
Then he dodged the wall just unfolded toward the ground and sent Bastard flying into the opposing waiting room.
WHRRRRRT!
At that moment, a member of the opposing team, who was about to rush out, was struck down by Bastard and collapsed.
-Gah!
The fallen opponent was a lizardman marked with the number "011" above his head.
‘So, this is 011 Team.’
Somewhere nearby, 046, 037, and 002 Teams must be waiting as well.
-Who the hell is that guy?!
-It’s 023 Team!
-Kill him now!
Of course, there were still three members remaining in the 011 waiting room.
A hulking toad clad in heavy armor, a white-furred beastman with mechanical goggles, and an iron golem charging at Yeongwoo.
“What the hell is this?”
THUNK!
Yeongwoo smashed the iron golem’s head with Aratubank, then extended his free hand to retrieve Bastard.
WHOOOSH!
For a moment, everyone froze, their mouths agape.
Object Telekinesis.
At the level of rookie planetary representatives, such a skill was quite impressive.
‘These guys are all weaklings.’
Compared to Earth, where he had fought hordes of naked lunatics and even his mother, who returned as a dragon, the average level of this promotion zone didn’t seem particularly high.
Two of the opponents, confident in their combat prowess, had been taken out in a single blow each.
SWISH!
Golden Trail protecting Yeongwoo’s rear shifted to his flank, attempting to assassinate the hulking toad within the opposing waiting room.
However, the remaining two of 011 Team weren’t pushovers.
“Not so fast!”
CLANG!
The toad used his thick steel arm guards to deflect the golden arc with ease.
“Oh?”
Yeongwoo, standing atop the iron golem’s corpse, let out a small sound of admiration as the toad clashed his two fists together, growling:
-We already weeded out the weaklings on our side. Let’s see how the real contenders fight.
“So, you two are the villains of 011 Team, huh?”
Yeongwoo smirked nonchalantly at his opponent’s remark.
Then, the white-furred beastman adjusted the mechanical goggles on his face and froze.
-Th-this…!
His expression hardened as he reported to the toad.
-Count! That guy’s Karma Index has an extra digit!
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