Disciple Of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 60

The Three Kings’ Disciple (61)

060

Unranked.

Simply put, it meant an existence outside the ranks, not belonging to any system.

The ranking system was actually related to the system that was the source of a player’s power, but it was also a unique system that wasn’t quite that.

‘The Player Association.’

The rank was determined by registration with the Association.

An Unranked player was, in the end, a player not registered with the Association.

It referred to an unregistered player.

An unregistered player was essentially the same as a citizen without a resident registration number.

They were treated as criminals, and in fact, most of them were red players [players who have committed crimes] who committed heinous crimes.

However, a significant number of them were called this:

“The Righteous Army.”

Soldiers who rose up to achieve their goals.

A word that was inseparable from the history of South Korea.

Most of the players who rose up to escape Eun’s oppression were the beings called Unranked.

Swoosh.

Lee Ro-woon looked at Kang Cheol-woo, who had his eyes open, indicating that everything was over.

From their first meeting, he had noticed that he was related to the Righteous Army.

‘There’s a troublesome matter.’

He had thought that things would eventually turn out this way.

“Explain what happened.”

A voice directed at Kang Cheol-woo.

“He…”

“Shut up. I wasn’t asking you.”

The stranger, who was about to offer an excuse to Lee Ro-woon, immediately closed his mouth.

“Kang Cheol-woo. Speak.”

Lee Ro-woon asked.

There was only one thing Lee Ro-woon wanted to hear.

Kang Cheol-woo had changed all his identities and was in Baran.

His current face was also a fake face wearing a Blood Cult’s human skin mask.

There was no way the Righteous Army would have found Kang Cheol-woo.

Kang Cheol-woo had found the Righteous Army.

“I-it was a coincidence.”

Kang Cheol-woo said, catching his breath.

“I was paying attention to information from the Ganghwa area because of the Gyodong Guild news, and I heard that the Righteous Army had appeared in the Gyodong Guild’s territory….”

That was enough to guess the general story.

The Righteous Army appearing in the Gyodong Guild, it couldn’t be a coincidence.

A Righteous Army member related to Kang Cheol-woo must have visited the Gyodong Guild for help, and Kang Cheol-woo, having heard the news, contacted them to save or kill them.

If he was caught and revealed his relationship with Kang Cheol-woo, it would cause problems for the Gyodong members who were preparing to disband and move to Gyeonggi.

“Did you go to get help?”

What a foolish thing to do.

“That’s not it.”

Kang Cheol-woo said.

“I went to pay my respects because they heard I was dead.”

The fact that the Righteous Army was willing to show themselves, taking such a risk.

It seemed that the relationship between Kang Cheol-woo and the Righteous Army was not small.

‘Moreover, he’s a well-known figure.’

If the Righteous Army was known to the Beggar Union, there was a high probability that he was quite famous.

“Are you also part of the Righteous Army?”

At the question directed to Kang Cheol-woo, he quickly shook his head.

Lee Ro-woon got the answer he wanted from Kang Cheol-woo and looked at the Righteous Army member.

His eyes were full of resolve.

He seemed ready to die right away if it meant Kang Cheol-woo could survive.

“Where is it?”

“……?”

“Which side are you on?”

At Lee Ro-woon’s question, he bit his lip.

“I’ll get the answer no matter what. If you don’t, Kang Cheol-woo dies. I’m not even asking for your base, am I?”

At Lee Ro-woon’s words, he seemed to fall into deep thought and bit his lip even harder.

It seemed inevitable to get the answer quickly.

“Is it Kwon Cheol?”

At the mention of the name, a fleeting expression passed by.

There was no way Lee Ro-woon would miss it.

“It’s Lee Shin-woo’s side.”

Thud.

Lee Ro-woon, who had moved before anyone noticed, grabbed the Righteous Army member’s cheeks with one hand.

It was clear that he was trying to commit suicide upon hearing the name.

“Time and place. Tell Kang Cheol-woo.”

“…….”

“Dank, Lee Ro-woon. Just tell him that. If I don’t get an answer, Kang Cheol-woo dies.”

***

The world had not ended, and Lee Ro-woon had returned.

So, he had thought that they would meet again someday.

‘The Righteous Army.’

Those who had risen up with a purpose to escape Eun’s rule and oppression.

“Dank.”

A name that was both longed for and hated.

A name of love and hate.

The only guild he had established and led.

But the guild where only he was abandoned at the end.

‘Dank… Lee Ro-woon!’

The reactions of Kang Cheol-woo and the others when they heard about him.

It was no wonder.

Dank was a special place.

A guild that didn’t belong anywhere, yet survived.

The process was extremely difficult, but Dank’s history left a lasting impression on many players.

“So, the rumors were true?”

Kang Cheol-woo, who was with him, asked cautiously.

“What rumors?”

“That Dank was related to the Righteous Army….”

Lee Ro-woon chuckled at his words.

“There’s no way.”

Dank didn’t belong anywhere, and although they acted against Eun, they were not the Righteous Army.

“If they were, they would have been annihilated long ago.”

Lee Ro-woon.

Lee Ro-woon led Dank.

With thorough neutrality, walking a tightrope, he kept his distance from the Righteous Army.

That was how he was able to survive.

“But it’s not like we had no connection at all.”

A direct relationship with the Righteous Army.

That was only a bad relationship.

But if it was a relationship with an individual.

‘Lee Shin-woo.’

He could say there was a connection.

The place where Lee Ro-woon was now was a gate in Gyeonggi [a province in South Korea].

The surroundings had already been cleared, and Lee Ro-woon was sitting there, using a stone as a chair.

It had been a full day since he entered this place.

[The gate’s entrance will be sealed.]

A notification appeared that the gate was closing.

Now, no one could enter or leave the gate.

“It seems they’re not coming after all.”

Kang Cheol-woo said with a guilty voice.

The gate where Lee Ro-woon and Kang Cheol-woo were was the place that Kim Shin-taek, a Righteous Army member who had a connection with Kang Cheol-woo, had told them about.

The message they had sent was simple.

-Enter the gate alone, without anyone else.

Then they would find them on their own.

However, it had already been a full day since they had entered the gate, but they had not appeared, and the gate had been sealed.

“You really didn’t know anything about the Righteous Army?”

At Lee Ro-woon’s voice, Kang Cheol-woo nodded.

He had helped his friend Kim Shin-taek a few times in the past, but Kang Cheol-woo also had no direct relationship with the Righteous Army.

He only knew that they existed, and everything else about them was shrouded in mystery.

“They’ll come. Now.”

It was when Lee Ro-woon finished speaking.

A large red light began to swirl above the gate’s sky.

“……!”

At the sudden situation, Kang Cheol-woo panicked and grabbed his weapon.

Swoosh.

It was almost at the same time that Lee Ro-woon got up from the rock he had been sitting on.

“They’re here.”

Wiiiiiiiiing!

A siren sound warning of danger was echoing from above the gate’s sky.

Along with that, the swirling red lights gradually took the shape of letters.

[An intrusion has occurred at the gate.]

An alarm that there was an intruder at the closed gate.

Wiiiiiiiiing!

With the siren sound ringing again.

Crack!

The sky of the gate collapsed, and the entire gate began to take on a deep purple hue.

When Kang Cheol-woo moved to protect Lee Ro-woon.

Swoosh! Thud!

Piles that had flown from somewhere were stuck near Lee Ro-woon.

Thud! Thud! Thud thud thud!

Several dozen piles were stuck at a speed that Kang Cheol-woo couldn’t even react to.

Zzzzzzt!

Electricity began to spark between them, and a huge amount of energy spread out from the piles.

Whoosh!

It took on a circular shape.

“A barrier!”

It was a barrier skill of a Ranker-level player.

* * *

Piles that had flown in with the notification that an intruder had appeared.

A barrier that had risen from them.

Kang Cheol-woo was flustered and tried to break the barrier, but Lee Ro-woon only slowly reached out his hand.

In the meantime, he felt the rapidly approaching presences.

‘Five, six….’

The number of increasing presences stopped at ten.

At that time, Lee Ro-woon’s eyes had already turned a deeper shade of red.

Crack!

The barrier that had risen from the piles began to crack.

Crack!

Soon after, the barrier burst with a blood-red crack.

The barrier, which was clearly carefully constructed, was broken in an instant, but the approaching presences seemed to already know this and rushed in without hesitation, surrounding Lee Ro-woon again.

“Weren’t we supposed to have a conversation?”

A player who looked like a heavily armed knight spoke, holding a large greatsword.

“If you want to talk, accept the restraints of the barrier quietly.”

It was the voice of a woman who had covered her face and body with a fluttering cloth.

Even though the barrier was broken, sparks began to fly again from the still intact piles.

“If this was a trap to lure us….”

The knight’s voice was heard again.

“You will soon realize you were wrong.”

It was the moment Lee Ro-woon reached out his hand again.

Crack!

This time, it was not the barrier but the piles that were stuck in the ground that began to crack.

It was a situation where he had clearly conveyed his intentions.

“Step back.”

Lee Ro-woon, who had spoken to Kang Cheol-woo, stood in a relaxed posture and began to walk towards them.

Swoosh!

Soon after, a pile with a deadly blue light was shot towards Lee Ro-woon’s front.

The blue light meant it was carrying electricity.

Even so, Lee Ro-woon reached out his hand.

Zap!

He caught it.

Light began to spread from the pile that Lee Ro-woon had caught, as if blue lightning was spreading.

The floor was burned, and even the rock where Lee Ro-woon had been sitting was charred black.

“How…?”

Lee Ro-woon stood there with only his palm scorched and slowly pushed out the pile he was holding.

Boom!

A loud explosion echoed.

“Ugh!”

Along with that, the knight holding the greatsword groaned.

The pile that had attacked Lee Ro-woon was stuck right in the center of the greatsword he was holding.

Now, the intentions of each other were clearly confirmed.

Whoosh!

The wind tore through the air, and space was torn apart.

Attacks rushed in from all directions towards Lee Ro-woon.

Squelch.

Black flames rose from Lee Ro-woon’s arms.

Kwaaaaaa!

It devoured and burned the magic power of the skills that were rushing in.

Whoosh!

In the spreading huge black flames, Lee Ro-woon said.

“Come at me.”

* * *

Players were several levels below Eun’s martial artists.

Even if they were of the same rank, they could not be equal, and there were many players who died without being able to put up much resistance against martial artists of a lower level than themselves.

That was how the hierarchy between Eun’s martial artists and players was established.

Why was that?

There were several reasons, but the biggest difference was the delay.

The ability called a skill was similar to a supernatural power or a psychic ability.

Even without long periods of training, they could use skills from the moment they awakened them, and they would activate in perfect form.

For martial artists, it was clearly an ability close to an unbelievable psychic power.

However, the process of manifesting the ability was complex, and they could not control the intensity of the ability.

And because the ability that was manifested in that way was not something they had mastered and internalized.

‘The body freezes.’

That was where the delay came from.

A momentary gap, that was a fatal weakness that was difficult to overcome in a fight where humans were trying to kill each other.

The absolute condition for a martial artist to attack a player.