The Night of Betrayal and Lightning

“Madman.”

Lee Mok-gun spat out coldly.

“What happened?”

His aide quickly replied.

“Most of the post-apocalyptic creatures have swarmed toward Jungju.
Only a few creatures remain in the neutral zone.”

“OZ, that mad bastard.”

Lee Mok-gun almost repeated his own words verbatim.

“To think he would dismantle the fortress wall from his own side.”

“It would be logical to conclude that Jungju has now become a ruin.”

“Indeed.”

A faint sneer passed through Lee Mok-gun’s narrow eyes, sharp in contrast like the shades of an ink painting.

“I always knew he wasn’t in his right mind, but to hand over his entire territory just to bury a few people.”

“Could he have another motive…?”

“He’s not a man capable of such reason.
He’s closer to a beast than to a human.”

Twisting the corner of his lips, Lee Mok-gun rose to his feet.

“A beast that harms people must have its claws pulled out from the start.”

“……”

“What is the total supply status within the territory?”

“We have moved out of the warning range.”

“Did they all go to Jungju?”

“Not a single one left behind. We confirmed it.”

The faction that suffered the greatest damage from the system rampage was Dongju, ruled by Lee Mok-gun.

The reason was simple.

His faction had the largest population.

The more people there are, the greater the amount of supplies required.

Of course, the leadership had prepared in advance for that.

There would have been no issue, had OZ not tampered with the system.

When the sudden incident occurred, people fell into panic.

But Lee Mok-gun resolved it simply.

‘Reduce the mouths.’

If having too many people caused the problem, then reduce the headcount.

Those in Dongju were candidates who had followed him from the Outside, but not all of them were exceptional.

The foolish.

The greedy.

The incompetent.

Lee Mok-gun never regarded such people as equal to the rest.

‘Incite them.’

There were several among his side who bore seals suited for that task.

One who could appear soundlessly and shapelessly among a crowd and stir fear.

One who could spread that fear instantly, plunging the masses into panic.

And one who would whisper sweet words among them, provoking reckless bravery.

‘Make them believe this crisis is also a golden opportunity to earn merit.
Make the fools step forward of their own accord.
And once they do, let other fools follow in a chain.’

If he had cut down those who followed him without cause, it would stain him as a leader.

But if they rushed forward by their own will and invited disaster upon themselves, that was another matter.

“A true case of killing two birds with one stone.”

“Is that so? Then how about offering some thanks?”

As Lee Mok-gun muttered after stepping outside, a voice answered him.

It sounded as if it were whispering right into his ear.

His face twisted sharply.

“Or you could give me a present.”

The same voice came again.

“Above!”

Someone shouted.

“On the wall!”

A loud fluttering sound rang out from atop the fortress wall.

People’s gazes naturally turned there.

But Lee Mok-gun swung his hand toward the distant ground instead.

His whip tore into the earth, sending dirt flying.

“Wow, you didn’t fall for it.”

Right beside the furrow carved by the whip, the soil wriggled and a man popped out.

Someone gasped.

“Jungju, OZ!”

“If I’d miscalculated my position just a little, I’d have been torn to shreds.”

Despite his words, the man grinning was none other than OZ.

The mad lord who had just doomed his own territory by releasing the wall.

Lee Mok-gun’s cold eyes looked down at him.

“Living among vile beasts, I see you’ve decided to become one yourself.
Judging by the dog and chicken noises you’re making.”

“That was clearly human speech.”

Giggling, OZ suddenly stretched his neck and shouted.

“Above!”

Again.

“On the wall!”

The voice was identical to the ones heard earlier.

The faces of those gathered around Lee Mok-gun turned pale.

They realized they had been toyed with.

“Why are you here? Fallen Lord.”

“This big brother’s temper is a bit short, huh?
Who knows what will happen to my land in the future?
I have a dream.
A dream of making my land damn fertile.
And you’re going to trample a child’s blue dream just because you’re an adult?”

Instead of answering, Lee Mok-gun tightened his grip on the whip handle.

Though he did not move, the black whip writhed like a serpent.

OZ shrugged and stepped back.

“Correction. Not just short-tempered. Crazy short-tempered.”

“Get lost.”

“Just finished cleaning up, did you?”

Tilting his head, lips twisted, OZ stared at him.

“Harsh, aren’t we? Fellow trash and all.
Well, I don’t plan to stay long.
This place reeks.
Dogs have sensitive noses, after all.”

“Three.”

“Woof.”

“Two.”

“But I’ve got something to collect.”

The black whip shot toward OZ like an arrow.

Just before it could coil around him and tear his flesh—

“!”

Everything vanished.

No.

Darkness swallowed everything.

Pitch-black darkness where not even an inch ahead could be seen.

A localized night has descended.

“Didn’t I tell you, Poison Dragon Lord?
Or was it Lee Mok?
Ah, whatever. Same thing, right?
Anyway, the important part is that you owe me.”

Lee Mok-gun frowned deeply.

The voice came from above his head.

Yet the whip clearly caught something as well.

His senses faltered.

His ears and his hands.

Which should he trust?

“Thanks to me, you reduced your mouths, didn’t you?
Then you should pay up. That’s basic courtesy.”

Even amid that, OZ’s nonsense continued.

Lee Mok-gun narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip.

‘It doesn’t matter which is real.’

‘I’ll break them both.’

Crash!

His whip lashed violently against the ground.

In the darkness, its black tip split into two.

Like living creatures, they twisted—one tightening around what it grasped, the other striking toward the sound.

“Did you know, Lee Mok-gun?”

Interference has occurred in certain areas.

Priority……

……voice of……

“According to the edited legend.”

Error detected.

Invalid code.

Code correction recommended.

“According to the edited legend, Lee Mok was the son of the Dragon King.
Because he defied the natural order, the Heavenly Emperor struck him down with lightning.
The monk Boyang pitied him…….”

Corrected code applied.

[According to the edited legend, Lee Mok was the son of the Dragon King.
Because he defied the natural order, the Heavenly Emperor struck him with lightning.
The monk Boyang pitied him and instead sent a plum tree in his place to the messenger of heaven…….]

※ The summoned light or shadow is proportional to the intelligence of the figure (if the target is inanimate).

※ The summoned light or shadow is proportional to the dominance of the figure (if the target is living).

Judgment required.

Is it alive?

No response.

Cannot determine.

Loading current stats……

People murmured.

The air vibrated.

Fear spread.

Lee Mok-gun barked coldly.

“Do not be fooled by the madman’s tricks!
Are you any different from the idiots who rushed to Jungju?
Do you wish to be abandoned like them?”

“Exactly, Lee Mok-gun.”

Crack!

At last, something caught within the whip shattered.

But the sensation was strange.

It was distinctly different from flesh tearing or bones breaking.

It was more like—

‘Breaking a wooden barrel.’

Night ends.

The region returns to day.

Boom!

Lightning struck.

Lee Mok-gun flinched.

Through it rang OZ’s voice.

“That means your seal is weak to lightning, Lee Mok-gun.”

Daylight returned.

“I raised the violent one in a sturdy barrel.
Couldn’t crack it myself, but thanks for doing it for me.”

The first thing he saw was the shattered bamboo barrel and the whip twitching as if dying from lightning.

And then—

Danger!

Dongju’s dominance has temporarily entered Groggy state!

Danger!

Danger!

Dongju’s land has left its lord’s control for 3 seconds!

3!

“Let’s let them hear it, Lee Mok.”

OZ stood unharmed atop the wall, arms spread wide.

He opened his mouth.

But the voice that came out was not his own.

It was Lee Mok-gun’s.

“Do not be fooled by the madman’s tricks!
Are you any different from the idiots who rushed to Jungju?
Do you wish to be abandoned like them?”

It boomed in all directions.

Perhaps across all of Bran.

The barrels spinning around him cracked simultaneously.

Black shadow-like forms rose and flew into the sky.

A screen unfolded in midair.

They repeated Lee Mok’s words exactly.

In his own likeness.

“I’m thorough.
So even if you don’t hand it over, I’ll make sure to collect what I need.”

Dongju recovers from Groggy.

Dongju has regained the lord’s dominance.

Dongju returns under the lord’s control……

“And unlike you, I don’t treat life lightly.”

The loyalty of Dongju’s ‘subjects’ decreases.

(Location: Jungju)

The loyalty of Dongju’s ‘subjects’ decreases.

(Location: Dongju)

Some subjects defect from Dongju’s command.

Some subjects defect……

“I’ll take it well, bastard.
Your downfall.”

“OZ!”

“That felt good.
Never liked you from the start.
You stabbed me in the back more than anyone.”

Dongju Lord Lee Mok-gun’s subjects have decreased by more than one-third.

Minimum loyalty required to manage territory not achieved.

Dongju status changed to ‘Civil War.’

In this state, Dongju can be invaded from any territory even when not on a quest.

“OZ!
Catch him! Catch that bastard!”

As one or more territories have reached severe abnormal status, DAY 3 ends.

The box is lifted.

Good luck.