Insanely-Talented Player

Episode 180

[“Does protecting the world still feel like such a joke?”]

[The Lord of Heroes announces the true name (R name) of the Overlord in front of humans!]

The Lord above the Lord, the Lord of Heroes was there.

In front of the UN Headquarters in New York, where a countless crowd of reporters gathered.

“The identity of the great overlord is unbelievable...!”

“The one who has had influence on the players in the tower so far is...

“Are you the King of Heroes?”

“Since when...

“Do we feel like protecting the world is a natural right that you should enjoy?”]

And in front of those reporters, the ‘overlord’ continued speaking in a cold voice.

In the indescribable embarrassment, I felt a sharply sharpened murderous intent.

It was the hostility of soldiers and police officers made up of players.

All powerful nations desperately exerted their might against the King of Heroes and the International Union of Players.

It was here that the ‘Player Weaponization Treaty' was rejected, so the players there were still nothing more than weapons loyal to the country.

“Do you feel that the sacrifices we have made to respect your order and for your world are so natural?”]

You and us. Humans and heroes. They were no longer equal.

I was sick of all the meaningless negotiation tables with the powerful in the human world.

“If the player is nothing more than a mere weapon for humans...

That is why the Lord of Heroes said.

But that was right then.

“Yuseong!”

Before that, another hero blocked his path.

Saint Mary.

“It’s not too late, Yoosung.”

“...What do you mean?”

“A chance to not repeat the same foolishness endlessly.”

Yoosung did not answer. For an instant, Maria's expression became cold.

“At first I thought this game had changed the world for the worse. But now I know.”

“What?”

“The world has never changed for even a single moment.”

Yoosung said.

The world has been terrible from the beginning and will continue to be so.

“I respect the determination that the saint showed that day five years ago.”

And I tried to reverse the resolution I made that day.

“But I realized that the world of humans… won’t change in this lukewarm way.”

Maria's expression became cold as she considered the weight in that voice. The same was true for the reporters and passers-by there, as well as the ‘players' who were performing their duties as human weapons.

“Even if there are no players, the war will not disappear anyway. The only difference is whether it's a gun, a drone, or a skill. That’s why you can’t put it down.”

Saying that, Yooseong stretched out his arm towards his face.

“Everyone learned that guns are better than swords, and players are better than guns.”

The cold texture of the mask touched my fingertips.

It was a mask from “The Laughing Clown.”

“Why is everyone’s expression like that? “Are you sure I’m going to act like a dictator and say I’m going to fix this rotten world?”

Saying that, Yoosung burst into laughter again. Twisting his body in a very comical voice.

I knew early on that doing so would not change the world.

No matter how right your intentions are, as long as the method is wrong, it is never right.

Even if he were to become a weapon of overwhelming power and strength and a dictator of the world, it would be no different from Yoosung himself falling into one of their ranks.

What I realized after becoming the God of Artificial Intelligence is that not even God can eliminate evil in the world.

God had the will to rid the world of evil

. I just don't have the ability to do that.

“All the favors and rights bestowed upon you as overlords end here.”]

[The monarch of heroes solemnly declares in front of humans.]

“Mr. Yoosung...!”

Maria tried to raise her voice, but couldn't.

The king of heroes and player Kang Yoo-seong had already disappeared from there.

The world had become a game, and protecting the world was no longer a natural task or even a right to be enjoyed.

It was a field of struggle that all human beings had to desperately strive for, risking their survival and survival.

Some time after ‘peace in the world’ was no longer a given.

The Oval Office, the President's office located in the West Wing of the U.S. White House

.

Just like then, a man was pointing the butt of a pistol at his temple.

There were many reasons.

Responsible for the disappearance of the King of Heroes on the day he opposed the player weaponization ban treaty and putting the world in danger.

A barrage of criticism is pouring in based on that responsibility, and public opinion blames the party for its crushing defeat in successive elections.

All the power that had kept him there was crumbling.

At that time, the president's office in the Russian Kremlin and the office of the chairman of the Party Central Committee in China's Geunjeongjeon were the same.

The world and men no longer condemn the king of heroes as they did then.

They simply see among themselves a scapegoat to atone for their sins and foolishness and hang them on the scaffold.

Like humans who long for forgiveness before God who will save them.

Taang!

Five gunshots rang out, and brain matter and blood splattered along the trajectory of the bullet that lodged in the skull.

The man was a powerful man and was once President of the United States. And just like his predecessor, he met the same vain and fleeting end.

Once again the human monarchs have fallen.

However, the vacant seat of power will once again long for a new person in power, and a fierce war between monarchs to take that position will begin once again.

It was a scene no different from any other world.

The Player Weaponization Treaty was reached unanimously with the consent of the UN Peace Security Council, and all players were banned from participating between nations and humans.

They only move to fulfill their mission to protect the world.

Defeat the monster in the tower and protect the world. It was a very simple and easy-to-understand scene.

“Is this the world Yoosung wants?” Maria said.

From that day on, as a hero who is once again playing a fierce game where the survival of humanity is at stake.

Looking at the pinnacle of this game, the monarch above monarchs, who reigns on that distant throne.

The Lord of Heroes sitting on the throne did not answer.

The distance from him, who should always be close enough to be reached by turning his head, felt as distant as a star.

“You didn’t forget your promise that day, right, Yoosung?”

It was the ‘Throne Spire’ where countless transcendents were looking up at the two people.

“...look up.”

Right there, the being sitting on the overlord's seat calmly opened his mouth.

That's why Maria, the player facing him, raised her head.

I saw stars.

It was not a landscape bound by the human eye or the perspective of an astronomical telescope, nor by the simple flow of time and space.

At an incredibly wide angle that the human optic nerve cannot fathom, the distance that light would have to cover in tens of thousands of years can be seen in a single breath.

The infinite eons (=) quickly accelerated and slowed down as if they were an instant, and the scene of stars being born and falling was repeated, as if a video was being played at dozens of times the speed.

A majestic and vast landscape of the universe was spread out there, and the throne spire rose tall amidst all the wonders of the landscape.

“This spire is the pillar of the universe.”

Maria didn't answer.

“From here, I can still look down on all the scenes happening on Earth.”

The man answered.

“It is not much different from the scenes that are still happening on countless planets in this vast universe

.”

His eyes were shining with an alien color, different from anything Maria had ever known.

It was the look of a transcendent person who seemed to be contemplating all the landscapes of the present, past, and future of the universe.

“....”Maria.”

And then the Transcendent spoke up:

“Why are you still fighting for humans?”

“I...

Maria answered,

“I swore that day that I would become a saint of heroes.”

Saying that, he raised his head again,

“I still want you to remain a hero to the world.”

There was still no hesitation in Maria's eyes.

“I hope I'm still a hero too.”

And Yoosung answered,

“I also respect the determination you showed in front of your mirror five years ago.”

“Then why are you staying here, abandoning the humans?”

“Do you want me to come back?”

“...I miss waking up and seeing you sleeping next to me.”

Mary answered,

“Or you, who had already stood up and stretched out your arms to affectionately run your hand through my hair.”

Yoosung did not answer.

“Is that feeling too far away for you who have already become a god?”

“I can return to the saint’s side at any time.”

“Then why don’t you do that?”

Yoosung did not answer.

Suddenly, Maria understood the despair and pain that the ‘Lord of the Game' must have felt.

The being in front of her, the Lord of Heroes, who called himself God, was still despairing and suffering in great pain. Is it possible?

I believed in him, and that faith and his own decision were driving him into hellish pain again.

So I raised my head.

The broken saint, still watching the despairing hero, was there.

“Lord of the Game”.

Hood Her shadow, cast below, was both cold and mocking, and at the same time filled with sadness.

He was always like that, and she was always like that, and this was just the same thing over and over again.

In this huge universe and destiny, nothing is just a sandcastle in front of the tide. Yes.

The most noble resolution in the world, the oath to become a hero, and even the ideal of keeping that oath until the end.

“Please come back, Yoosung.”

Mary began,

“Not on this throne, but on the bed where we used to lie together and look at the stars.”

It was literally like begging.

“It’s okay if you don’t have to be a hero...

Please stay by my side,”

Maria said.

There was no longer any ideal left to watch over the hero’s resolve until the end. I

just wanted to save him. .I

hoped he wouldn't suffer.

“Forget about the world and be happy together...no, with Lily.”