Chapter 80: The Climb to Victory

-The Returnee and the Victor

About 20 days before the day of the tournament.

Yoo Minseong, the former team leader of the Association’s Surveillance Team C, and now a rich jobless man.

He was living a peaceful life, enjoying the tranquility that most modern-day people would consider an ideal occupation, without much dissatisfaction.

That is, until he woke up under a strange ceiling, despite clearly having fallen asleep in his own bedroom.

“W-What are you? Do you think you can get away with kidnapping an Awakener from the Association?”

“I apologize for startling you, Yoo Minseong. You must have been quite confused since your memory was read.”

“Did you kidnap me to target my mind-reading ability? I won’t give in to threats from some villain organization!”

“We are not a villain organization. We are agents from the National Security Bureau’s Security Office 4.”

“National Security Bureau?”

“We know you have interacted with some of our agents during your time with the Association. If you wish, we can confirm their identities for you.”

Yoo Minseong possessed the ability to read minds by simply looking at someone from a distance.

Even if the opponent was stronger, by getting close or making physical contact, he could easily read their thoughts.

It was a skill that villain organizations would target.

After carefully considering the situation and calling out the names of agents he knew,

as well as some of the deceased, Yoo Minseong finally acknowledged that they were indeed genuine National Security Bureau agents.

“Are you insane? Kidnapping a retired Awakener from the National Security Bureau? Are all your Awakener agents recruited this way?”

“I’m sorry. The situation was very urgent, so we had no choice. If you look at this document, you will understand.”

[Top-Secret Information Access Restricted Document]
[TIP SECRET]
[Warning – For authorized personnel only]

[First-Class Returnee Choi Deokbae’s Investigation Log by Special Investigator]

• January 1, 2035: Choi Deokbae (Unemployed, Single, 32 years old) goes missing.
• January 1, 2045: Choi Deokbae, who gained hypnotic abilities and sexual powers in another world, returns.
• January 10, 2045: All female residents in the same villa as Choi Deokbae fall under hypnosis and become victims of 82 cases of sexual crimes.
• March 15, 2045: 96 women in Dong fall under hypnosis, suffering from sexual exploitation, blackmail, and sexual assault. Over 1000 cases.
• June 11, 2045: The wife of National Assembly Member  realizes the depletion of mental defense artifacts, leading to an investigation of crimes committed by mental Awakener.
• July 5, 2045: Abnormalities discovered in Dong. Crimes related to love affairs and public indecency skyrocket by more than 10000%.
• July 17, 2045: A special investigation team for sexual crimes in Dong is formed.
• July 25, 2045: A mass suicide event occurs within the sexual crime investigation team. One female prosecutor goes missing.
• August 2, 2045: An unofficial Awakener investigation team is formed by the National Security Bureau.
• August 5, 2045: 3.8% of Dong residents show signs of hypnosis.
• August 6, 2045: Hypnosis victims are being freed by information agents’ special abilities.
• August 7, 2045: Choi Deokbae, sensing danger, incites a large-scale riot using hypnotized victims.
• August 8, 2045: (Record not available)
• August 9, 2045: Choi Deokbae captured. Ability confirmed. Interrogation begins.
• August 11, 2045: A similarity between the gates on Earth and the fantasy world Choi Deokbae traveled to is identified.
• August 12, 2045: Choi Deokbae escapes custody after using enhanced hypnosis powers to break through mental defenses. A kill order is issued.
• August 14, 2045: Choi Deokbae killed successfully.
• August 15, 2045: Choi Deokbae designated as the first Returnee. A report warns of potential crimes linked to Returnees.
• August 16, 2045: It was confirmed that the person killed at the scene was not Choi Deokbae, but a National Security Bureau agent.
• August 22, 2045: Choi Deokbae, attempting to flee by smuggling ship, was shot dead. In recognition of the hypnosis effect, 7 civilians and Choi Deokbae were killed.

Yoo Minseong’s hands trembled as he read through the document.

“Is this really possible?”

“It would be impossible for a regular hypnotist. Their abilities do not work on sentient beings, and they have a limit to how many people they can hypnotize at once.”

“Are you saying that there are no cooldowns, no restrictions, and his power is this strong?”

“That’s why Returnees are dangerous.”

“Could it be… is Hae Eung Eung also a Returnee?”

“We believe there is a high possibility of that.”

“No way.”

Yoo Minseong firmly rejected the idea.

“That woman is a killing machine driven by madness. If I get close to her, I’ll definitely be killed!”

“Calm down. Not every Returnee is a psychopathic criminal. There are actually Returnees within the National Security Bureau and the Association.”

“How can you expect me to believe this after showing me such a document? Plus, I’ve read that woman’s mind. Her thoughts are anything but normal!”

In his panic, Yoo Minseong caused a scene, but the National Security Bureau agent quickly injected a sedative into his arm.

It wasn’t until a day later that Yoo Minseong realized he wouldn’t be able to escape the National Security Bureau’s control.

He reluctantly agreed to help monitor Hae Eung Eung under the Bureau’s orders.

“This is a great opportunity. Hae Eung Eung is recruiting a C-Class Awakener. Why not apply with our agents?”

“I’ve already been recognized.”

“We’ll arrange for the best plastic surgeon.”

“But what if I get caught?”

“Should we also change your gender?”

“…No need to go that far.”

In the end, Yoo Minseong, whose face and identity were completely altered, participated in the Mugeon Gyeomgeuk Martial Arts Tournament under the new identity of Min Wooseong.

Yoo Minseong, now Min Wooseong, found this mission surprisingly manageable.

It was because he could indirectly read Hae Eung Eung’s thoughts through the host, Joo Ahyoung.

He didn’t have to worry about danger in the tournament venue.

Thanks to the National Security Bureau’s Awakener agents, who secretly kept watch over him, he was well-protected.

• Yay, since my sister allowed it, I’ll change the map now!

That was before the unexpected event of the map change occurred.

• Hehe, this is so exciting.
• Newbies will be wiped out by the Jumping Rabbit, but even the pros will probably get wrecked, right? This is great!

‘That psycho-like woman!’

No surprise there; she and her sister were cut from the same cloth.

Reading Joo Ahyoung’s thoughts sent shivers down his spine.

Still, reading her mind turned out to be very useful for surviving the tournament.

It was because Joo Ahyoung had subconsciously thought of the Jumping Rabbit strategy.

• The legend of Jumping Rabbit in the Highlands map isn’t actually about climbing up the mountain from the outside, but from the inside only experienced players would know this.
• Once you reach the 1100th floor, you can’t go any higher due to the snowstorm barrier, so you’ll need to bring the items.
• The items are located on a mountain peak far from the summit in an unnecessarily wide map people who haven’t been there wouldn’t know this!

Having the answer key in hand and solving the problem is a huge advantage.

Just writing down what’s memorized guarantees a perfect score.

“Which way should I go here?”

“You’ll need to break the rock blocking the path by rolling another rock down from above, revealing a hidden cave. You’ll need to go inside.”

“I’m not sure if this is a martial arts tournament or a Jumping Rabbit tournament. Anyway, thank you for the help, Yoo Min… I mean, Min Wooseong.”

The real problem arose when they encountered subjective short-answer questions requiring a detailed explanation.

“They said we should do a super jump here.”

“Super jump? How do you do that?”

“Eh? I’m not sure myself.”

Joo Ahyoung, who hadn’t thought of the method to trigger such an obvious action, didn’t provide an answer.

As a result, the National Security Bureau’s Awakener agents had to sacrifice their bodies to throw him upward or push their abilities to their limits just to help him rise higher.

“I’m wrong. I have no more abilities left, so you’ll have to go on your own from here.”

“No! After all the trouble we’ve been through together, are you going to give up now?!”

“This is my last support. Please make it to the semifinals for all of us.”

Thanks to the sacrifices of the National Security Bureau’s Awakener agents, Min Wooseong successfully made it into the final four.

He couldn’t help but think to himself.

‘I’ve got them now, those worthless bastards.’

They had grabbed someone who was living fine on their own, completely changed their face,

and shoved them into watching some monstrous returnee, forcing them to deal with whatever ‘comrade’ nonsense they were spouting.

If it were up to me, I’d want to run away, but what’s the point of running in the virtual world?

Once I step out of the capsule, I’ll be right in the middle of the National Security Bureau.

‘I have to win this tournament, no matter what. Only then can I escape this hellhole.’

Wanting to meet the Mugeon Gyeomgeuk, or challenge her to a duel?

Those were weak thoughts compared to the desperation of wanting to escape from the National Security Bureau!

The difference in mindset translated into a difference in concentration, which led to a higher precision in my jump actions.

‘There’s someone who seriously plays this trash game for fun? They must be a freak.’

In a game like this, if the jump angle or intensity is even slightly off, you’ll slip and have to start climbing again.

A moment of distraction and you fall straight down. In a game like that, a rest to recover mental energy is essential.

Looking at the kill log, he realized there were only four survivors left and couldn’t hide his surprise.

‘Four survivors left, but the host is already dead. Doesn’t that mean I have to reach the summit to end this?’

His anxious thoughts didn’t last long.

It actually seemed like a good thing.

He’d already acquired several items, after all.

Though his climbing speed had slowed a little because of the off-path route he was taking, he didn’t worry much.

After all, he believed only he could conquer the summit.

Anyone who managed to complete this without items?

It was laughable.

That wasn’t even possible.

[The Mugeon Gyeomgeuk has reached the summit.]

[The Jumping Rabbit map – Legend of the Highlands has been conquered.]

[The map has cleared and returned to default settings.]

“…You said you couldn’t complete it without items?”

Unless you’re not a returnee with extraordinary strength, that is.