Max Talent Player - Chapter 277

“You sure are playing around,” someone said.

As usual, Hyukjin couldn’t see the face of the man who was walking towards him. This person with the unrecognizable face, this unknown existence who might not even be a human, was the Demon King.

‘What’s fascinating…’

…was that he could feel that the decapitated Jackson was still alive.

‘He’s not dead.’

This had to be the reason for the subtle sense of déjà vu and incongruity he felt whenever he saw Jackson.

‘It’s because this Jackson isn’t the real Jackson.’

Jackson was still alive. Jackson’s severed head moved on its own, turning to stare at the Demon King.

“Darn, we ended up meeting after all. Demon King.”

“Demon King? Not a bad name.”

The Demon King walked closer to Hyukjin, then ground his foot into Jackson’s head.

“Fuck off. You’re a bother.”

Jackson’s head exploded. To Hyukjin’s fascination, Jackson’s head disappeared like a cloud of smoke, then his body followed suit, as if scattered by the wind. And yet, the explorer’s voice could still be heard.

“Guess I’ll have to be more careful from now on, though I did think this was a trap set up by you. It’s just that the bait called Kim Hyukjin was too tempting.”

Hyukjin might not be able to follow what Jackson said, but he did grasp the situation.

‘The Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon really was broken by the Demon King.’

How that was done, Hyukjin didn’t know.

‘So he called Jackson and me here.’

The Demon King predicted both Jackson, an explorer, and Hyukjin, an observer, would come here and left them to investigate.

‘Why did he bother doing something so troublesome?’

The answer came to Hyukjin easily. The hint was Jackson’s greeting to the Demon King.

“Darn, we ended up meeting after all. Demon King.”

By combining those words and the situation, he could infer everything.

‘The Demon King was looking for Jackson, and Jackson had been avoiding him.’

And so, the Demon King manipulated Jackson and Hyukjin into meeting by breaking the Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon, then crashed their meeting.

‘There must be some kind of setting that makes it so he needs to jump through these troublesome hoops.’

There was no way the Demon King couldn’t find Jackson with his skills. There was definitely a restriction that forced him to do things this way. It was possible that restriction might even be the Demon King’s weakness.

‘One clue acquired.’

The Demon King grinned.

“I can see exactly what you’re thinking.”

“I could say the same thing.”

The two stared at each other, both smiling. Naturally, it was the Demon King who was more relaxed. He was strong, and Hyukjin was weak. Despite his bluff, cold sweat was running down Hyukjin’s back, induced by the pressure of facing an absolute powerhouse. And his heightened mental capacity was actually making that sensation stronger.

It was said that you could only see as much as you knew. The increase in his mental power made him feel that overwhelming aura all the more clearly. It felt as though he were being crushed by the pressure. However, his demeanor didn’t betray any of that.

The Demon King glanced at the person by Hyukjin’s side. “Do you get off from dating a woman this feeble?”

“…”

He was referring to the unconscious Ham Sohyun. Hyukjin asked, “Did you make her faint?”

“Me? Why would I do that?”

The Demon King was right. There was no need for him to lift a finger.

“That woman is just so weak that she fainted at the sight of me.” He chortled. “But well, don’t worry. She’ll recover soon. You seem to be worried about your lover, as pathetic as she is.”

“…”

The Demon King was being overly kind.

‘He’s trying something.’

The Demon King was far from foolish, and kindness suited the man even less. All this talk about having a lover and dating was meaningless. Hyukjin put his hand on Ham Sohyun’s shoulder, deciding to dance to the other’s beat.

‘Sorry about this.’

Ham Sohyun might find his touch unwelcome, but he needed to act a little.

The Demon King didn’t seem to have anticipated Hyukjin’s response. “Huh?” he sputtered, looking baffled.

It wasn’t that Hyukjin could see the Demon King’s expression with his eyes. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel it. It was a strange feeling. Hyukjin had to meet cunning with cunning, seeking an opening while navigating this conversation. Every trivial thing was a battle of wits to Kim Hyukjin.

“Can you understand the feelings of humans?”

“Probing whether I’m a human, huh.” The Demon King shrugged. “Of course I can.”

“…”

“Why? Because I’m human.”

Hyukjin didn’t instantly believe him. There was no way the Demon King was human. Maybe if he’d regressed three hundred or so times. No, that level of strength wasn’t obtainable through regression alone.

“I’m not too pleased that my girlfriend is in this state because of you.”

“You mad, bro? You can just kill me if you are, you know?”

“I’ll do that if I become strong enough one day.”

“See you in a hundred years then.”

The Demon King snickered in amusement. Still, he was a lot milder towards Hyukjin than when they first met.

‘That probably means… I’m growing as much as the Demon King wants.’

Last time, Kang Sun-il made off with the ‘Treasure of the Whalekin’. By using Hyukjin. In other words, Hyukjin was useful, even to the Demon King.

‘And as long as I’m useful, he won’t kill me.’

Hyukjin saw the Demon King’s intentions as clear as day. It was likely the Demon King specifically used words like ‘lover’ and ‘dating’ in order to aggravate Isabel. The Demon King seemed to know about her.

‘Isabel. Don’t wake up. Or if you do wake up, don’t do anything.’

The Demon King took the Treasure of the Whalekin from Hyukjin like taking candy from a baby. Granted, Hyukjin scored the Endless Sky Physique and a verbal promise from the whalekin there, but that didn’t change the fact that he was robbed blind. He could not let the same happen to Isabel. Hyukjin had the strong feeling that Isabel should not awaken here.

The Demon King smirked. “I like how quick you are on the uptake.”

“You’ve never been the friendly type.”

“Wanting to protect your bride is very admirable.”

The Demon King read Hyukjin’s thoughts, just as Hyukjin read the Demon King’s. They both recognized the other’s deception.

This time, Hyukjin said, “There are things you want. But you’re unable to get them yourself. Isn’t that why you need me?”

“I won’t deny it.”

The Demon King acknowledged it with surprising ease. He either decided it was meaningless to hide it, or felt that there was no need to.

“Though, that’s not the only reason I’m keeping you alive.”

“…”

“Watching you makes for an interesting show.” It was almost something a Guardian would say. “And it’s pretty cute to see you flailing to survive. Like a bug, you know?”

“I don’t think you’ve honored this place with your presence just to watch that bug flailing to survive.”

“Why do you think I’m here?”

“To see the face of the Great Explorer.”

“Ah. Do people call him the Great Explorer?”

Jackson would be called that in the future, but it wasn’t his title now. That was why Hyukjin threw it out there, closely watching the Demon King’s reaction. He wanted to know if the Demon King was a ‘regressor’.

‘He doesn’t seem to know the future.’

It felt different from that.

‘He’s not a regressor.’ Hyukjin ruled out that possibility. ‘If he was a regressor, it wouldn’t make sense for him to not know what Jackson looks like.’

Jackson’s face was incredibly famous. If the Demon King was a regressor with a lot of interest in Playing, there was no way he wouldn’t know how the explorer looked. This fact massively cut down the possibility of him being a regressor.

* * *

* * *

“He’s also called the Exploring Baptist,” Hyukjin supplied.

“Baptist. What a pretentious name.”

“A pretentious name?”

Hyukjin didn’t take the Demon King’s words at face value. The person in front of him wasn’t 100% an ally, only someone who was using Hyukjin when he needed something. The Demon King was only letting Hyukjin live because he was useful or interesting. That was all.

‘He’s cooperating nicely.’

The Demon King continued. “Anyway, he did a damn good job fleeing from me, and he’ll be even more careful now.”

“Were you trying to kill Jackson today?”

“I was trying to obliterate him.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s a bother.”

Jackson possessed far, far less strength as an individual than the Demon King, yet the Demon King called him a bother.

‘The Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon break… can be called the Demon King’s trap.’

And Jackson had nimbly escaped that trap, a trap that resulted in the deaths of hundreds. There was no official count yet, but at least a thousand people had lost their lives. Because of the Demon King’s trap.

But just as Hyukjin was thinking about that, the Demon King said, “When I got here, the Baptist had already stolen the Endless Sky Crystal. Ah, just FYI, don’t pretend you don’t know about it. Without the Endless Sky Crystal, there’s no way you could have used Infinite Sword Rain.”

That moment, Hyukjin felt a stabbing pain in his chest, as if a needle had shot straight into him.

“You’re right. I was given the Endless Sky Crystal by Jackson.”

“The moment the Endless Sky Crystal disappeared, this dungeon was doomed to break.”

Hyukjin sort of got the feeling the Demon King was implying it wasn’t his fault that so many people had died.

“Does the Endless Sky Crystal have something to do with the dungeon’s continued existence?”

“Without the Endless Sky Crystal, the dungeon itself will cease to exist.”

“Then what’ll happen to the Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon?”

“It’ll probably disappear before long.”

That was a major change from the past. The Sangam World Cup Stadium Dungeon supplied a great quantity of white mana crystals, which in turn allowed Sungshin to dive into the mana crystal business. But now, that dungeon was gone.

Hyukjin asked, “Do all dungeons have an Endless Sky Crystal?”

“Come to think of it, I never gave you permission to ask me questions.”

Hyukjin felt the needle that had penetrated him earlier rapidly expand, swelling into an agonizing spear.

“…Ngh!”

“You must’ve really upped your Willpower, seeing as you’re holding on.”

The Demon King’s lips opened wide. Hyukjin couldn’t see his face, but he could feel those ‘red lips’ widening.

“You’re fun to watch.”

Hyukjin could feel it.

‘I’m completely paralyzed.’

He couldn’t move. He was frozen like a fly bound tightly in a spider’s web. The Demon King tugged Hyukjin’s chin from one angle to another, scrutinizing him with an appraising eye. Hyukjin felt a sense of wrongness, like something—the Demon King’s aura?—was entering his body.

“Very good.”

Hyukjin’s body crumpled to the ground with a thud.

“Next, try looking for the [Hall of Champions].”

He heard it loud and clear. Hall of Champions. Just like with the Endless Sky, the Demon King left another hint as a parting gift before vanishing.

‘It… will be different from the Endless Sky.’

Hyukjin sprang to his feet. Once the Demon King left, he felt refreshed. His mind actually felt clearer than before, and there were no traces of that terrible, piercing pain in his chest.

‘Huh?’ He observed his body with Observer’s Eye. ‘All the tiny cracks in my 2nd heart are gone.’

He had no idea what the Demon King had just done. It felt like some formless energy had been piercing his chest, but his 2nd heart was restored to full health. From the looks of it, he had just received some sort of ‘treatment’ even better than a superior potion. The Demon King had helped him, boosting his body into top condition.

Hyukjin grinned.

‘Hall of Champions?’

The Endless Sky was a place he’d never even heard of. As a result, he went in there blind and had the Treasure of the Whalekin swiped right out of his hands.

‘This time, the cards are stacked in my favor.’

He had already confirmed that the Demon King was not a regressor. He was, at the very least, in a much more advantageous place than he was in the Endless Sky. This time, he had advance intel. Hopefully, that would let him reap a greater profit from this battle of wits than last time.

The Demon King was already gone. Hyukjin had a foggy recollection of his voice.

“Oh, before I forget. Don’t trust the Baptist too much.”

Hyukjin’s phone beeped. It was a message from Jackson.

–Don’t trust the Demon King too much.

The Demon King warned Hyukjin not to trust Jackson, and Jackson warned him not to trust the Demon King. The two of them were saying two completely different things, with Hyukjin wedged in the middle.

–Alright. But were you being chased by the Demon King, Jackson?

–Yes. Because the Demon King exists in order to kill the Baptist.

–And the Baptist needs to run from the Demon King?

–No. The Baptist needs to install the king and take down the Demon King. It’s a common cliché, isn’t it? The story of a warrior defeating the Demon King.

After that, Hyukjin’s battery ran out, and his screen went dark. He slipped his phone into his pocket. As he did so, the woman who had very briefly been his girlfriend came to.

“Are you alright? If you remember what happened just now, I apologize.”

He pretended she was his girlfriend, even though she wasn’t. He had even slightly touched her, hoping to knock the Demon King off-kilter.

“I do remember everything. But it’s okay, I’ll take it as a part of your verbal warfare.”

Ham Sohyun went quiet, falling deep into thought. Hyukjin watched her contemplate without interrupting. A long time passed.

This time, it was Ham Sohyun who gave him advice.

“Don’t trust the darkness.”

“What do you mean by darkness?”

When Ham Sohyun said darkness, there was Jackson, and there was the Demon King. Which of them was the darkness she was referring to?

“The darkness I speak of is Nightmare.”

At the same time, Hyukjin’s phone loudly went off.

His phone… that had no power.