Ascension Through Skills

People who saw the quest were startled because the system window had different content than the usual commands like “Move” or “Block.”

“Choose a King. The King can assign roles.”

“And the King can give orders.”

People gathered to hold a meeting. Easy or Normal Mode players were too numerous and were excluded. Even between the Hard Mode players, the strongest people there were the Solo Mode’s Lee Taeyeon, Kang Junhyeok, and Kang Taesan. A total of twenty gathered.

Some expressed discomfort when the three joined, but there was no way to reject them, so they begrudgingly made room.

“What do you think?”

Seo Jangsan asked from his seat in the conference room. Kim Hwiyeon pondered with a finger on her lips.

“Isn’t it meant literally? If we simplify it, it means a leader. Or maybe a manager. Perhaps it’s telling us to officially decide on what we’ve had so far?”

“Probably.”

A group needed someone to lead them. The larger the number, the greater the need.

With a total of a hundred thousand, someone definitely had to be a leader.

“Then I’ll do it.”

Seo Jangsan said, his attitude seeming decided without hesitation.

“Any objections?”

The Hard Mode players nodded as if it was obvious. They were all players from Yongin City.

Kim Hwiyeon looked startled.

“You’ll do it?”

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No, not particularly…”

“I do.”

Kang Junhyeok interrupted.

“On what basis are you proposing yourself as the king?”

“Because I am the king.”

Seo Jangsan confidently responded.

“I am the king here. You all came here like refugees. Surely you’re not saying you won’t follow the landowner’s word?”

“King? Refugees?”

Kang Junhyeok bared his teeth.

“Don’t make me laugh! This place is just the quest’s destination. You don’t have the right to order us around!”

“But this has become the destination. So naturally, you should follow my command.”

It was a statement filled with unwavering confidence. Kang Junhyeok sneered.

“I know. You’re already being called the king here, right? Your word is the law, right? You just don’t want to lose that, do you?”

“That’s right.”

Seo Jangsan looked as if that was obvious.

Undeterred, Kang Junhyeok frowned.

“So what’s your point? The world is in chaos. We need a strong king. I’m just taking on that role.”

“Why does it have to be you?”

“Then who? You?”

Seo Jangsan scoffed.

“Do you think people will follow a child who, no matter how strong, isn’t even an adult yet?”

At that, Kang Junhyeok closed his mouth. He was indeed not yet an adult. Among the players, he was considerably young.

His words wouldn’t carry much weight. Even though strength became everything in this world, human nature didn’t change so easily. Being young meant being dismissed and being less likely to be followed.

Seo Jangsan sharply said,

“Do you plan to follow the words of a woman who can’t even assert herself properly?”

“Me, me?”

Lee Taeyeon, who had been listening quietly, looked startled and pointed to herself.

She was not born a leader. That was a proven fact from the previous world.

“He is… sufficient.”

Taesan gave a sly smile.

Seo Jangsan deliberately turned his gaze away.

“Who would trust a group with only three real powers? There are many players in the ‘Solo Mode’, but all of them are weak. Are you sure you won’t sacrifice us for your own benefit?”

“Wait.”

Kim Hwiyeon, who had been listening quietly, frowned.

“Aren’t you being too extreme? Moderate it.”

“Uh. I apologize. I got a bit emotional.”

Seo Jangsan, who readily stepped back, suddenly slammed his hand on the desk.

“None. Only I am worthy of ruling and dominating people.”

It was a statement filled with confidence. There was no rebuttal. Seo Jangsan looked at Taesan with a furrowed brow.

‘…Why isn’t he saying anything?’

Taesan was silently mocking him. Although he anticipated some sort of interference, there was no movement.

It was unsettling, but there was no interruption. That was good for Seo Jangsan.

“I am the king. Any objections?”

“I don’t have any in particular.”

Kim Hwiyeon looked relieved.

Although Seo Jangsan’s words were aggressive, they were right. Kang Junhyeok was too young, and Lee Taeyeon had a weak assertion.

Moreover, Taesan had completely refused, so Seo Jangsan was reasonable.

[The king has been decided.] [Hard Mode Player. Seo Jangsan.]

“Good.”

Seo Jangsan grinned and moved his hand.

“Then, let’s issue a decree.”

“Phew.”

Kim Hwiyeon sighed. She looked happy.

‘Finally, I can lessen my burden.’

The position that was responsible for everyone’s life was a heavy burden. Taesan said no one else but her was fit for the role, but she wanted to give it up.

Now, she was thinking of relying on Seo Jangsan and moving more comfortably.

Seo Jangsan, having completed his settings, said,

“This is our law.”

[The king has issued a command.]

A system window appeared in front of them. Kim Hwiyeon, who checked with a light heart, quickly became stern.

［Players in Easy and Normal Mode are allowed to eat. If no special achievements are made, one meal per day.］ ［Do not refuse the words of a Hard Mode player. Punishment exists for refusal without a valid reason.］ ［External scouting and securing food will be selected from Easy and Normal Mode players. If not followed, food will not be provided.］ ［Bow and show respect when seeing a Hard Mode player. Punishment exists for refusal.］

In addition, there were more than ten other commands.

All were of similar content.

“…What is this?”

“Uh…”

Kim Hwiyeon asked with a trembling voice. Geum Junggeun stared at the system window with a stern expression. Kang Junhyeok made a face while Lee Taeyeon turned pale.

“It’s the king’s first decree.”

“What are you talking about?”

Kim Hwiyeon stood up from her seat, her eyes filled with confusion.

She knew that Seo Jangsan enforced laws on the people and proclaimed himself as a king.

However, she didn’t think much of it. To manage tens of thousands of people, someone had to take the lead.

With all kinds of noise and thousands of individual opinions emerging, controlling everyone was no simple task.

It might be a bit aggressive, but it was necessary to rule over the people. That’s what she thought.

But this was beyond her expectations.

Each command was too aggressive and oppressive. Limiting meals, not allowing refusal of orders, and bowing to show respect.

“This is a total class society! You said you’re just assigning roles!”

Kim Hwiyeon shouted angrily.

Players in Easy Mode or Normal Mode refused to even converse with her. She realized something was off and tried to figure it out.

But nothing significant came up. Hard Mode players said everything was fine, and Seo Jangsan even commented, “How can one enjoy such a world?”

Kim Hwiyeon simply accepted it without much thought.

It wasn’t that she was naive; it was a matter of her values.

In a desperate situation, she believed everyone should work together. She never imagined such oppression.

“What’s so strange about that?”

Seo Jangsan looked genuinely puzzled.

“It’s obvious, Hwiyeon.”

“Seo Jangsan!”

Kim Hwiyeon’s voice rose. She took a deep breath and spoke more calmly.

“What do you mean by needing permission for meals?”

“We don’t have much food. It’s nowhere near enough for tens of thousands of people. That’s why there’s a limitation.”

“…And not refusing orders?”

“We are protecting them, after all. It’s necessary for the benefits they receive.”

“There’s no reason to assign the tasks of going outside to Easy and Normal players. We can get results more safely…”

“Why should we do that?”

“What?”

Seo Jangsan looked at Kim Hwiyeon as if he couldn’t understand.

“The outside is dangerous. Monsters are roaming around. Even for Hard Mode players, it’s not 100% safe.”

“…So you’re passing the risk onto others?”

“That’s the only value they can provide.”

Seo Jangsan said bluntly.

“Easy and Normal Mode players can’t defeat the monsters. Even if they try, it’s inefficient. So, the only thing they can do is gather food from outside.”

“…Many people will die in the process.”

“What’s your point?”

Seo Jangsan looked genuinely bewildered.

At that moment, Kim Hwiyeon realized.

Until now, Seo Jangsan had been aggressive, but there was a limit. That was why she hadn’t given it much thought.

But that was because she considered other Hard Mode players as equals.

On the contrary, if someone wasn’t considered equal, there were no boundaries.

Kim Hwiyeon clenched her teeth.

“So you’re going to kill them all?”

“It’s not about killing. It’s just about doing what you have to do.”

Seo Jangsan said calmly.

“We are on Hard Mode. We are the leaders. It’s our natural right.”

“You, you guys.”

Kim Hwiyeon looked at the other Hard Mode players with a horrified face.

“Do you all think the same?”

“Well…”

“It’s not wrong…”

Although not everyone expressed it directly, they all seemed to agree with Seo Jangsan. Only Kim Hwiyeon and Geum Junggeun were taken aback.

“Ah…”

Kim Hwiyeon realized it belatedly. The Hard Mode players who came with her to Yongin had time to have a long conversation with Seo Jangsan.

“You guys!”

Kim Hwiyeon couldn’t hold back and shouted.

“Then what makes us different from beasts! How is abandoning and using the weak any different?”

“It’s different. We are humans.”

Seo Jangsan replied. Kim Hwiyeon gritted her teeth.

“You and I are just different people.”

She realized that her and Seo Jangsan’s values differed fundamentally and that they couldn’t reconcile.

“I understand your values. But… I can’t accept treating them like slaves.”

“Do as you wish.”

Seo Jangsan looked at Kim Hwiyeon expressionlessly.

“But this is the right answer. Just discard the Easy and Normal Modes, and only the Hard Mode will survive.”

“I wonder.”

The previously silent Taesan muttered.

A moment of silence ensued. Seo Jangsan asked,

“What do you mean?”

“Is this really the right answer? You’re deluding yourselves.”

“…Are you saying I’m wrong?”

“I can’t say that. It’s true that the Easy and Normal Mode players are weak. But… are you guys really that different from them?”

Taesan remembered the previous world.

As time went on, stronger monsters appeared. Against Apostles and S-class monsters, the Hard Mode players couldn’t resist at all.

It was a matter of endurance, and in the end, the Hard Mode players were just as useless.

Their goal was victory. In that sense, both sides had failed.

“And it’s foolish. You guys aren’t that strong.”

The difference between Easy, Normal, and Hard Modes wasn’t that big in the mid-stages. Individually, there was a difference, but not as a group.

Easy and Normal Mode players greatly outnumbered the others. Among a thousand players, it was difficult to find even one Hard Mode player.

“If all the Easy and Normal Mode players attack you, can you resist? If they try to trample and tear you apart, can you really survive?”

The others flinched at Taesan’s mutterings.

Without a skill like a barrier, even attacks below one’s defense would deal 1 damage.

If overwhelmed by sheer numbers, the current Hard Mode players would be killed without resistance.

‘He was always a smart guy.’

Easy Mode player, Choi Junghyuk.

By uniting the Easy and Normal Mode players, he seized the opportunity to rebel. He killed several Hard Mode players and even killed Seo Jangsan.

Easy and Normal had made great sacrifices, but they were able to triumph.

“And then it was over.”

Countless people had died. In particular, many Hard Mode players had perished. They couldn’t properly fend off the incoming waves, and only a very few survived.

Thus, during the next return, unable to endure, Kim Hwiyeon sacrificed herself to save the others.

Seo Jangsan was left with a miserable failure and was eventually forgotten.

In this world, while there was no Choi Junghyuk, the accumulated rage and hatred were bound to erupt. The odds of Seo Jangsan failing again were high.

“I… I don’t particularly care about your lives.”

He didn’t care much about Lee Taeyeon, Kang Junhyuk, Geum Junggeun, Kim Hwiyeon, or a few others.

The realization that Kang Taesan genuinely didn’t care about their lives sent chills down their spines.

“But what do you think?”

Under the gaze directed at her, Kim Hwiyeon bit her lip.

After a long thought, Kim Hwiyeon spoke.

“Jangsan, I can’t tolerate this. So, I’ll request a change in kingship.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible,”

Seo Jangsan replied with confidence.

“You’ve read the explanation, right?”

[There are a few cases in which the king can be changed.] [Condition 1: The king's death.] [Condition 2: Request from a majority of qualified players.] [Condition 3: The king's voluntary resignation.]

“I have no intention of stepping down myself. The second condition is the same. All Hard Mode players, except the two of you, are on my side,”

Seo Jangsan smirked.

“Or do you intend to kill me? Accepting the penalty?”

The quest description stated that anyone who killed the king would incur a significant penalty. Considering the system highlighted this, it would surely have a major impact.

“Then, all the Hard Mode players will become your enemies.”

“I don’t know the way,”

Kim Hwiyeon bit her lip. There was no apparent way to dethrone the king. This was why Seo Jangsan showed his true colors as soon as he became king.

“But I know someone who does.”

Kim Hwiyeon turned her gaze earnestly.

“This… is what you meant.”

Kang Taesan had said to her while they headed to Yongin that being strong didn’t mean you could lead people well. It was her choice.

She understood the meaning of his words.

“I get it now. I understand perfectly,”

Taesan nodded and said to a confident Seo Jangsan.

“Why isn’t there a way? There’s the second one.”

“Ha. Every Hard Mode player supports me, except for the two of you. What nonsense,”

Seo Jangsan scoffed at Taesan.

“That’s why it’s not that,”

Taesan declared, raising his hand as if swearing an oath.

“I request a change in kingship.”

And then, a system window appeared before everyone.

[A qualified player has requested a change in kingship. If the majority of players agree, the king will be replaced.] [No other qualified players exist. The request has been accepted.] [You can use various methods such as discussions, duels, and conflicts to change the king. Choose as you wish.]

Upon seeing the system window, Seo Jangsan’s pupils dilated.

Taesan smiled coldly.

“Didn’t I tell you? Next time, I’ll kill you.”