MMB Chapter 72 : Chapter 72
Chapter 72 : Chapter 72
Chapter : 72
Kwon U-ram, who witnessed my appearance from a distance, opened his mouth and only managed to close it after a long while.
“What, is that possible?”
It was a comment made after witnessing me, who was not of a slender build, crossing the cloud ladder solely with the strength of my upper body while embracing Jang Ha-na with both legs.
Heo Nam-jun, who was keeping watch from another direction, also let out a hollow laugh.
“Heh, haha. It's no joke. No wonder Yoon Ji-ho couldn't handle him.”
Since I was carrying Jang Ha-na, my weight must have increased nearly twice as much as usual.
Nevertheless, I was moving forward without the slightest disarray, picking up the iron bars one by one.
It was reminiscent of a scene where a large male primate swam through the upper air of the jungle with a baby monkey attached to its body.
Choi Ga-eul gulped and muttered in a voice full of pressure.
“Look at those muscles. Is it thanks to his ability? Or pure physical strength?”
The blood vessels in my forearms swelled up, and each of my back muscles came alive and moved.
A sense of balance that did not lose center even on the slightly tilted cloud ladder.
A squeaking sound came from every iron bar I reached out and hung onto, but it could not disturb my concentration.
“A little more…… just a little more…….”
With sweaty palms, the team members cheered for the safe return of Jang Ha-na and me.
Before I knew it, the end of the cloud ladder was approaching.
The finish goal to escape from the abyss below my feet was right before my eyes.
48 meters, 49 meters, 50…… me…… ters!
I stretched out my legs toward the iron bar fixed between the pillars of the cloud ladder.
Jang Ha-na, who had been hanging onto my legs, carefully stepped onto the iron bar, threw her body, landed on the ground beyond the bar, and rolled once.
Subsequently, I also used the rebound to lightly jump over the iron bar and land on the ground.
I faltered for a moment because the floor was tilted, but that was all.
I reached out my hand to Jang Ha-na, who was sitting on the floor and panting.
“Good work, Ha-na-ssi.”
Jang Ha-na's hand moved toward mine.
For a moment, the gold ring worn on her left ring finger sparkled as it caught the light.
Jang Ha-na stood up while grabbing my hand, then laughed cheerfully while hitting my shoulder several times in succession.
“Wahaha! Wow~ I had an amazing experience thanks to you. I heard you were a great resourceful person, but experiencing it directly, it really hits home.”
“Since you have overflowing stamina, your tension doesn't die down. Even though it was right after you almost died.”
“They say positive thoughts come from a healthy body. Still, I should deactivate my ability. Because I need to pace myself.”
If Jang Ha-na maintained her ability for a whole hour, she had to rest for an hour, which was the same amount of time.
Since the maintenance time and rest time were proportional, if the maintenance time was kept short, the time required for rest would also be short accordingly.
While Jang Ha-na was deactivating her ability, the team members who were keeping watch gathered at the starting point of the cloud ladder.
From a distance, Park So-yul waved her arm and shouted for me to come quickly.
“Ju-seong-ssi! A gem came out!”
Jang Ha-na and I moved to check the result of the mission's success.
Because the game site was tilted and a slope was created, I had to step my feet carefully throughout the movement.
The angle of the slope was roughly around 30 degrees.
It was a level of tilt that could barely be called steep.
Just as it is easier to get hurt when going down than when climbing up a mountain, I went down the slope by making the most of the grip of my shoe soles.
When we returned the 50-meter distance and arrived at the starting point of the cloud ladder, Park So-yul welcomed us and pointed to the standing sign.
“Look here. As soon as the two of you succeeded in the mission, the front of the electronic board opened up.”
The front of the electronic board, which had been installed for the purpose of notifying the time limit, was flipped open like a lid.
A fake diamond was inside the empty space of the electronic board.
On the top of the fake diamond, the number ‘70 million’ was printed.
I picked up the fake diamond.
“Let's go back to the collection box and deposit it. If we put the gem in, we'll be able to check how much the other side has deposited.”
The way back to the collection box was an uphill path.
Thanks to that, I had to hike all of a sudden after coming to play a game.
During the move, excited voices were exchanged among the team members regarding the happening that occurred at the end of the mini-game.
“Even just when Ha-na-ssi fell, I felt dizzy for a moment. I thought we were going to fail.”
“Since it was called a seesaw game, I thought a separately installed seesaw was tilting. Who knew the entire game site would tilt.”
“It's a brilliant idea, but I wish they would also think about the hard work of the people actually playing. My heart flutters every time I experience a surprise.”
For now, the team atmosphere was harmonious.
However, whether this harmony would become a foundation to solidify a bond or be nothing more than a hollow mirage remained to be seen.
In a good atmosphere, Jang Ha-na opened the zipper of her waist bag and took out a calorie bar and put it in her mouth.
Munch munch.
As expected of a former tennis player, she was eating the foods that tennis players eat during rest periods as snacks.
Whether she was conscious of my gaze, Jang Ha-na said in a voice that became stiff as the calorie bar took away the moisture.
“Ah, this? If I supplement calories in advance, the rest time after using the ability becomes shorter.”
“It's more that I thought you were eating a calorie bar as a snack.”
“Bananas are burdensome to carry around.”
“I thought you were eating eucalyptus leaves again.”
“Wahaha!”
After a while, we arrived in front of the Blue Team collection box.
I put the gem into the hole drilled in the front of the container.
The sound of a gem rolling came from inside the container hole.
At the same time, a change occurred in the environment of the game site.
[The superiority of the collection box amounts has changed.]
[The seesaw tilts.]
Grrrrrt!
The game site, which had been biased to the East, gradually tilted to the West.
The floor continued to tilt and then regained its original levelness.
And it stopped like a lie.
I could gauge the difference in amount with the Red Team through the angle of the slope of the floor.
“Offsetting the difference in amount…… the other side had also deposited 70 million won.”
And faster than us.
It meant they had cleared the cloud ladder, or a device corresponding to the same difficulty as the cloud ladder, faster than us.
It could be that an ability user optimized for the device was included by chance, but on the other hand, the possibility that it was possible because the strength of the Red Team was formidable could not be overlooked either.
The time for choice arrived again.
Park So-yul suggested the necessity of strategy revision.
“If the difficulty changes from moment to moment, we should slowly consider attacking the opposing team as well.”
Ryu Nam-gyu, one of the three men, agreed with Park So-yul's opinion.
“I will also cast a vote for So-yul-ssi's opinion. Honestly, I don't think we should only do mini-games honestly. The opposing team will be thinking the same thing.”
Meanwhile, Jang Ha-na and Choi Ga-eul seemed reluctant to see blood.
“The other side has also seen and heard things, so would they try to attack Ju-seong-ssi first? It's not too late to decide whether to attack after making the defense solid first.”
“They might have dug traps in their own camp. If we happen to get caught in a trap after entering clumsily, we'll shoulder unnecessary risks. Let's decide more carefully.”
The opinion to attack first and the opinion to first establish a defense line and then watch the progress clashed.
Both sides' opinions made sense.
When the opinions were not narrowed down, the gaze of the team members focused on me.
It was the moment it was proven that they had already chosen me as the leader of the Blue Team in their hearts.
Before making a decision as a leader, there was one part that had to be made clear.
I set up a hypothesis based on the information collected through a series of processes.
“Perhaps identical devices were given to both sides.”
Jang Ha-na tilted her head to the side.
Tilt.
“What do you mean?”
“The amount the Blue Team can get by clearing all the Blue Team exclusive devices, the amount the Red Team can get by clearing all the Red Team exclusive devices. I'm saying that the total might be the same.”
“If so, it means everyone can survive as long as they play honestly with each other.”
Ryu Nam-gyu, who belonged to the faction advocating for the attack, snorted.
“That's only when the opponent plays honestly. Based on the experience so far, it's certain they'll try to stab us in the back when they can.”
“In that part, I have no choice but to raise my hand for Nam-gyu-ssi's opinion. Since Kim Ju-han-ssi and I are on very bad terms. He won't be drawing a lukewarm picture like everyone's survival.”
As the opinion tilted toward a preemptive attack, a shadow was cast on the faces of Jang Ha-na and Choi Ga-eul.
It was too early to be disappointed.
Because I intended to partially accept the opinions of the two women as well.
“But what Ha-na-ssi and Ga-eul-ssi said is also not wrong. If it's Kim Ju-han, he would have made thorough preparations to surely strike back considering my ability.”
Some of the team members tilted their heads to the left, and the rest tilted their heads to the right.
So they were asking what on earth I was planning to do in the end.
I came up with a compromise.
“Let's divide the personnel. Some go and check the enemy's movements, and the rest carry out mini-games. Then we can satisfy the opinions of both sides.”
“It's not a bad opinion…… but how to distribute the personnel will be the key.”
“I'm thinking of going on reconnaissance by myself.”
If one were to pick a person with good physical strength in our team, it was definitely me.
Having good physical strength meant having high mobility.
I was suitable for a reconnaissance mission.
Furthermore, since I possess the ability to generate traps, I intended to set traps everywhere to block the enemy's intrusion while moving.
Other people also agreed with my decision.
Except for just one person, Park So-yul.
“What about me? Please take me too!”
“No.”
“Why? We've always worked together! I'm confident I'll do well this time too!”
“Since So-yul-ssi is being swayed by personal feelings. It's not allowed because there's a concern you might take unexpected actions during reconnaissance.”
Park So-yul bit her lips tightly without being able to refute.
She trusted me, but on the other hand, she was feeling disappointed that I was not considering her personal history.
Starting with small disappointment at first, there was a concern that the emotional gap would gradually deepen.
To prevent it from developing into a bothersome situation in advance, I put my mouth close to her ear and whispered quietly.
“Trust me. If you wait, I will definitely bring results.”
I deliberately acted with a kind tone.
As if a hedgehog were laying down its prickles at the emotional acting, Park So-yul's complexion became much better.
“I understand. Since Ju-seong-ssi's words have never been wrong, I'll trust you this time as well.”
Thus, the personnel distribution ended.
Me alone on reconnaissance, the rest focusing on mini-games.
Afterward, I left the group behind and headed toward the East of the game site, the Red Team's territory.
While moving, I didn't forget to set traps by scattering scrap metal at every path.
As I moved while fortifying the Blue Team's territory, I soon reached the Red Team's territory.
Finding the Red Team was not difficult.
Within 10 minutes of entering the Red Team's territory, I encountered the Red Team, who were wandering around looking for the next mini-game to challenge.
I made a bombshell declaration all of a sudden to the Red Team I met unexpectedly, and specifically to Kim Ju-han among them.
“I want to defect to the Red Team. Will you accept my betrayal?”