Chapter 109

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 109: The Domain of Talent (6)

A thunderbolt out of a clear sky—no, it was a falling Go stone.

A massive Go stone, approximately two meters in diameter.

“G-get out of the way!”

“Kyaaaaah!”

In the distance, the screams of those who failed to escape echoed.

Perhaps because they had crowded together to watch the stage, they were trapped—unable to flee, crashing into one another in panic.

“M-my leg…! Aaaaahhh!”

“Kyaaaah! Somebody help! Please!”

A woman clutched her crushed leg, sobbing in agony.

At that sight, Sola instinctively started to rush forward.

Swoooosh!

Another Go stone loomed, blocking the sky.

“Another one?!”

“This is insane! What the hell is this?!”

Cries of panic and confusion erupted from all around.

Thud—!

“W-what is going on?!”

Jieun frantically looked around and asked.

No one knew exactly what was happening, but one thing was certain.

“They called it a match…”

[The 'Match' of Go Master 'Wei' has been activated!]

This had to be the ability of that little kid on the stage.

Even his massive index and middle fingers, when examined closely, were smooth and wrinkle-free—like those of a child.

‘An ability that brings a Go board into reality…’

And magnifies it over a hundred times in scale.

If that was the case, then this was an unprecedentedly powerful ability.

“This is crazy! What kind of talent show is this?!”

“My thoughts exactly!”

“Fuck it! What’s the host doing? Why isn’t he stopping this?!”

The foul-mouthed man cursed into the air.

Perhaps hearing that, the once-calm host finally opened her mouth.

[Hmmm—]

Was he finally going to intervene?

Thinking that, they looked up at the host floating in the air.

[What a unique performance—?]

[Is he trying to show us a blood-soaked battlefield—?]

“That crazy bastard, what the hell is she saying?!”

Instead of stopping it, the host merely tilted her high ponytail and marveled.

[So, CN District intends to wipe out all the other survivors!]

[Hmm— Well, that would certainly secure them first place—]

[Would this be what they call ‘killing two birds with one stone’?]

Chills.

A shiver ran down their spines.

First, at the ten-year-old child’s move.

And again, at the host’s utterly indifferent response.

[Ah, is this against the rules?]

[No, it’s not!]

[Because I said anything goes as long as it’s done on stage—!]

The host had said it.

As long as it was done on stage, anything was allowed.

But—

[The theme is completely up to you!]

[What a truly special performance—!]

…No one had realized.

That within that “freedom,” there was an option to “kill all the others.”

Bang—!

A gunshot rang out, sharp enough to tear through the ears.

Turning their heads immediately, they saw Jieun’s side profile.

She was holding a firearm—longer than a pistol, shorter than a rifle—with an intensely focused expression.

But no matter how skilled Jieun was, breaking those massive stones with bullets seemed impossible…

Just as that thought crossed their mind—

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—!

Jieun fired a series of golden bullets at the center of the Go stone.

As if drawing a vertical line by connecting dots.

And into the gap she created, she launched a floating dagger, striking downward.

Crack! Crackle—!

The massive black stone split cleanly in half.

“Hraaaaahhh—!”

Jaehyuk, too, let out a ridiculous battle cry as he repeatedly smashed his mace into the stone.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Crackle—!

The dozens of iron studs embedded in his mace dug into the stone.

Soon, cracks formed, and the stone crumbled under its own weight.

Brute force, but undeniably effective.

However—

“This is insane! How long is this going to keep coming?!”

“Ugh, my joints…!”

“I-I’ll try to heal us!”

The stones were coming down faster than they could destroy them.

No matter how many they shattered, more fell without pause.

“What's ahead?! Move forward quickly!”

“I-it’s hopeless! We’re trapped!”

To make matters worse, the screams of those who had tried to escape echoed from all directions, proving that no one could leave until this ‘Match’ was over.

「04:20」

Four minutes remaining.

They could endure it, but…

‘We can’t just keep running.’

People would get exhausted.

And more importantly, they didn’t know the full extent of Wei’s abilities yet.

After draining them with these massive Go stones, who knew what he would do next?

If that was the case—

“We need to take down the source.”

“!!”

“H-hyung! By the source, you mean…?”

Jaehyuk’s face went pale as he glanced between them and the stage.

“The main body… But there are so many guards… It’s too dangerous!”

Jieun shouted, her face drained of color.

“I should just…”

She hesitated, furrowing her brows.

She wanted to say, ‘I’ll shoot him.’

But there was something holding her back.

Shooting a ten-year-old child.

‘Jieun won’t be able to do it.’

So—

“No. If you do that, we don’t know what kind of counterattack will come. It’s too risky.”

“Then…?”

“I’ll go.”

I said it calmly.

At that, Jieun, whose face was already pale, turned as white as a sheet of paper and stammered.

"…I-It’s just as dangerous for you too, Eunho. It’ll take quite a while just to reach the stage, and if you get attacked on the way…!"

The distance from where the group was gathered to the stage was nearly 500 meters.

Not too far, but getting through the crowd, which was busy watching the stage, wouldn’t be easy.

Moreover, with the chaos caused by the continuously falling Go stones, the situation was even more hectic.

But—

"That’s true if I go there myself."

"Huh?! If you don’t go there yourself, then how…?"

There is a way.

An extraordinary guided weapon.

▣ Restored Brahmastra

-An arrow said to have been used by an ancient god.

It relentlessly pursues the designated target and attacks.

"Summon."

A wisp of smoke coiled around his palm.

The mystical smoke spun as if seeking its rightful place, then stretched out to form a long shaft and a sharp tip.

An artifact so astonishing that merely bringing it out left everyone in shock.

Was it the right move to reveal this now?

Wei had already laid bare his abilities.

That was proof of how seriously he was taking this contest.

But—

【Activate 'Restored Brahmastra'?】

【Warning: Continuous use in a short period may decrease durability.】

'Durability decreases?’

A divine weapon that relentlessly tracks down and strikes its target.

Its overwhelming power seemed to come with limitations.

I needed to figure out what counted as "continuous use in a short period," but—

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud—!

"Kyaaaaah!"

"Save me! Aaaah!"

There was no time for hesitation.

The screams and cries of pain coming from all around weighed heavier on my conscience than any doubts I had.

"Stop! I surrender! We lost, so just stop! Please!"

Then, a thought flashed through my mind.

A Go player.

A match.

The Go stones lining up like a black barricade.

'If this were a real game of Go…'

Clack!

There might be a way.

'A way to win without using my abilities!'

I ran forward immediately.

"E-Eunho?! Where are you going?!"

Not toward the stage.

But toward the already-placed black Go stones.

And then, I climbed on top.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

[Wait, the ROK zone representative, Lee Eunho! What is he thinking?!]

"Hey, kid! Why are you climbing up there?!"

"Mister! What are you doing?! Get down immediately!"

[Oh no, is he planning to throw his life away?!]

'Of course not.'

Climbing onto the Go stone, which was over two meters in diameter, wasn’t too difficult.

Unlike ordinary Go stones, its surface was flat, making it easy to balance.

Was it because it was a Chinese-style stone?

Lucky.

And finally, when I stood firmly atop the black stone—

"Hyuuuung!!"

Swoooosh—

A hand that had just placed a black stone and was about to withdraw—

Paused!

The index and middle fingers trembled in midair, hesitant and lost.

[Oh—? The player, Wei, has stopped!]

Even the hand seemed deep in thought.

And then—

Swoooosh—

The fingers withdrew, neither striking him nor retrieving the already-placed Go stone.

'As I thought…'

"W-What? He just left?!"

"Did he not see him?"

The crowd’s attention locked onto me.

Then, now—

"Summon."

Instead of a guided missile, I pulled out a torch.

【Activate 'Beacon Fire’?】

【Choose between Beacon Flame or Beacon Smoke.】

Huff!

As I inhaled—

Vmmmm—!

The murmuring of the crowd, filled with fear and confusion, began to quiet down.

Not because they had all agreed to be silent.

But because of the torch’s authority—

Its power to quell noise like a wisp of smoke.

"This is a game of Go!"

O shouted.

[The influence of the beacon fire enhances the message’s transmission!]

"W-What?!"

"That guy… He’s been carefully placing the stones! There must be invisible lines!"

If this truly was a game of Go, then the board must have guiding lines.

That would explain why the stones were lining up like a black barricade.

The key point was—

"Find the spaces between the stones!"

If there were lines to place the stones, there must also be spaces between them.

"What?!"

"That makes sense…!"

The people started to waver.

And then—

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Go player's hand moved faster.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of stones being placed was like the gavel of a judge, confirming my words.

"If you can’t get through, climb onto the stones! Hurry!"

I shouted with even greater certainty.

"What? Is this real?"

"What if they just pick up the stones and throw them at us?!"

Some were still skeptical.

"But they just ignored me and moved on. Once placed, the stones cannot be moved. Just like in real Go."

"!!"

"T-That’s true!"

"That actually… makes sense!"

Those who knew me understood quickly.

"Over here! Step into the gaps!"

"Hey, pull me up!"

Crawling, clinging, and pulling up through the gap, I hid and climbed onto the black stone.

As if boarding Noah’s Ark.

Then—

Boom—!

A single stone was placed on the empty ground.

Boom—!

Another stone was placed.

"It... it stopped!"

The lost fingers returned to their original positions.

[Ah! Unbelievable!]

[Participant Lee Eunho has found a way out!]

[Is this going to end so anticlimactically—?]

Despite the host’s dramatic reaction and the visibly shocked expressions of the surrounding guards, there was no movement.

But—

'I'm not surprised.'

Rather—

'It was calculated.'

The remaining time.

The future course of events.

The ultimate outcome of this grand match.

Thus—

[CN Zone, what should we do?]

They realized.

Any further moves were meaningless.

If the calm retreat of the young player signified a meticulously calculated loss—

If it was a declaration of, ‘This time, I’ll step back’—was that just delusion?

A tense silence lingered for a moment.

Boom—!

Two black stones were placed on the empty board.

At the same time, side by side.

Then, a system message rang out.

[Go player Wei, resigns by forfeit!]

[The match has ended.]

Forfeit.

A declaration of surrender without counting the score.

[A forfeit… huh?!]

At that moment, the host’s flustered voice burst out.

It wasn’t because of the sudden end of the match, nor the resignation.

[No, no, hold on a second!]

[This is the CN Zone stage! Not the ROK Zone!]

"What the hell is that crazy guy doing again?!"

[Oh my god! He's watching the CN Zone stage... and sponsoring the ROK Zone?!]

[Applause erupts for Lee Eunho’s strategic decision-making!]

“Crazy… no, cancel, cancel!”

“He's sponsoring us?! Insane!”

A last-minute exclamation, thrown out in resignation.

[ROK Zone… receives an additional 1,000 points! Bringing the total to 58,000 points!]

An unexpected reward.

I tried to keep my abilities hidden, using tricks to avoid attention.

Yet, I gained an unintended advantage.

"It's over, right?!"

"It's done...!"

As cheers erupted from above, beside, and beneath the black stones—

Rattle!

“Huh?”

A faint vibration rose from beneath my feet.

Rattle! Rattle! Click! Rattle!

“Huh? Wha—?!”

The stones that held the people began to shake violently, like a ship caught in a storm.

'Wait a minute! Don't tell me...!'

Now that the match was over—

The only place left for the remaining stones on the board to go was...

"Jump down!!"

"Wha-what?!"

"Right now!!"

Taaah—!

I threw myself toward the ground.

At the same time, I shouted at the top of my lungs, so that everyone could hear.

"Huh?! Huh?!"

"Jump!"

Then, people, clueless but following my words, began descending.

Holding onto one another, pulling, supporting each other as they returned to solid ground—

"!!"

Whoosh!

The stones on the board suddenly shot up.

Like cannonballs being fired.

Like hundreds of geysers erupting at once.

Like shattered glass being pieced back together in reverse.

Thud— Boom! Roll—

Some who failed to jump in time were sent tumbling, crashing into others, groaning under the weight of falling stones.

Flinch.

On stage, my eyes met the young child’s.

'What kind of kid…?'

A face so devoid of emotion, it was hard to believe it belonged to a child.

Yet, in that fleeting moment, a glimmer of something flashed in their gaze—marking the finale.

[Time’s up!]

[The talent show has ended—!]

The performance came to a close.

[Drumroll!]

[Everyone's curious, right—?]

[Then, let’s announce the final winning zone!]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]