Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

Chapter 176: Crusaders

They entered the subway station, and as expected, some people were guarding it. Since two factions had formed, it was natural for them to guard their base.

Thankfully, the guards were the people from their university. Of course, they knew YuWon, the former social outcast, and their teammate. But more importantly, their savior.

"Huh?! What are you doing here?" one of Hoon's former lackeys asked.

The person guarding the entrance was Lee Jiangmu, someone who had died in the past, but this time he made it alive. It made YuWon wonder if Hoon had killed him for points and exp, but couldn't in this life since YuWon messed up the timeline with his plans.

"Am I not allowed to be here?" YuWon replied. "It is a free, lawless world, right?"

"Of course, I'm just surprised, that's all," Jiangmu replied awkwardly.

How could Jiangmu feel safe after seeing what YuWon had done to Hoon and that Minotaur? Besides, he had bullied YuWon as well. Although it was because Hoon forced his hand.

But that didn't change the fact that Jiangmu had bullied him. YuWon could kill him right there and no one would stop him. Not because he was being righteous, but because they won't dare go against him.

"Don't worry," YuWon patted his shoulder. "I'm not here to make a fuss. Just call your leader. I want to have a chat with them."

Jiangmu breathed a sigh of relief at his comment. YuWon wouldn't harm him, but that didn't mean Jiangmu wanted to be anywhere around him.

The psycho could change his mind at any moment and kill him. The sooner he brought them to the leader, the sooner he could leave them.

"I'll take you right in!" Jiangmu smiled nervously.

With that, Jiangmu turned around and ran inside. Min-Joon scratched his head while Soo-Ah couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. YuWon, however, just shrugged.

"What did I ever do for him to be so scared of me?" he mumbled.

"Do you not know…?" Min-Joon mumbled. "Or are you pretending to not know?"

"You want to be left behind or just plain dumb?"

YuWon's words silenced Min-Joon as they headed inside.

"Isn't that the person who fought the Minotaur?"

"Whoa… I didn't think I'd see him again."

"He looks different, doesn't he?"

As they descended into the subway, a few people recognized YuWon and murmured. They thought they were being discrete but YuWon's hearing had long exceeded the human limit and he could hear even their breaths.

It's good they know about me. By now, they've probably spread information about me in the community.

But it wasn't just the people who were interested in YuWon. A handful of gods also began showing an interest in him, as more and more eyes turned towards him.

It was a strange sensation. The gods knew he was their enemy, so why were they paying attention to him?

Oh, right. I forgot.

YuWon wasn't the only one walking there. The gods had flocked to Soo-Ah, who was walking behind YuWon. A couple of them even looked at Min-Joon.

It was a matter of time before some gods began offering them the rewards to coax them. It was their usual way of making someone their paladins. But it didn't seem their plans were working, as they seemed to get more agitated with each passing second.

"Wait here. I've called for the leader, so she should be here soon," Jiangmu said, already backing up.

"And you?" YuWon teased.

"I-I'm not off duty yet, so I have to go."

With that, Jiangmu didn't wait and ran out of the room.

"He's too scared of you..." Soo-Ah mumbled.

She looked at her skeletons and wondered if YuWon looked more intimidating than some walking skeletons.

"Everyone should fear the elder brother," Min-Joon puffed up his chest, Mickey standing beside him, imitating him.

It was a hilarious scene. Especially when YuWon's glare put them in their place.

"Quite a few people have gathered here," YuWon commented, looking out the small window.

Other than people from their university, quite a few people had gathered there. They were most likely residents living nearby when the monsters appeared. Discover stories with mvl

But YuWon was more interested in the leader, who kept everything in control even though the outside was chaotic.

"You're back!"

A woman exclaimed, rushing into the room.

"Professor Ming?" YuWon asked.

He was expecting anyone but Professor Ming to be the group's leader. After all, Professor Ming was someone who despised getting into conflicts.

It was the reason she was reluctant to use her abilities to uncover the truth about the incident surrounding Yeji. In the end, it took YuWon urging her to do the right thing before she finally agreed.

"Professor?" YuWon asked.

"It's already been a week." Professor Ming sighed. "Please take a seat."

"..."

"More importantly, you're alive! I was wondering why you didn't show up for the next mission," Professor Ming smiled. "Have you eaten? We got some food to share—!"

"No, I'm fine, professor." YuWon cut her off. "But I have a few questions I hope you'll answer."

YuWon was getting uncomfortable by Professor Ming's words, so he changed the subject.

"Yes? What is it?" Professor Ming smiled.

"I would like to know more about the group that has seized control over the Tower."

" Ah… Yes, I was wondering if you're here because of that." Ming nodded. "As you can guess, they arrived before us and took over the Tower."

Ming sighed with a darkened expression. It seemed there was more to the tale than YuWon thought.

"At first we tried being friendly, but they turned hostile. We then tried to force them, but that plan backfired." She continued. "They already have better gear and, despite having the same quest, they wanted to hog everything."

"I see…"

So far, Professor Ming didn't give YuWon any useful information. He could already guess why that group was doing what they were doing. But it seemed Ming didn't know much about them, either.

"At first, I thought it was good news. Since the quests were the same, we could join forces and clear them together."

"But it didn't turn out that way."

"Yes." Ming slowly nodded. "They even killed a few of us, so we had no choice but to retreat to safety and wait."

YuWon had guessed as much. Those Crusaders didn't look like they'd mess around with their operation. In their eyes, since they came first, the right to fight the boss was theirs. They viewed Ming's group as intruders, so they responded brutally from the start.

That was the problem.

If the first group killed the boss monster, what would happen to the other factions sharing the same quest? Their quest could fail. Since the quest could carry the death penalty, no one wanted to die. Hence, they all wanted to fight the boss monster.

"If one side kills the boss monster, the outcome is unknown." Ming read YuWon's thoughts. "We'd be fortunate if a new boss monster appears and the cycle continues, but if not…"

But they had also seen the fate of those who went inside the tower. None of them made it out of there. Hence, they were waiting for a miracle to happen.

"If I'm honest, after the beating, people on our side don't seem too keen on challenging the boss monster. But we can't wait here forever."

YuWon let Ming speak, then nodded. It was a dilemma for them. They'd die if they fought the Crusaders, they'd still die if they made it inside the tower and they'd die again if they failed the quest. No matter what decision they made, death waited for them.

"What are your plans going forward?" Soo-Ah couldn't help but ask.

"I want to try talking to the Crusaders first. Although, I don't think it'll have any positive outcome."

YuWon nodded. It would be a waste of time trying to reason with the stronger party. Both sides would argue about killing the boss for their survival, and since everyone wants to survive, no one will back down, leading to a fight.

No matter who wins, no one could defeat the boss in such a state.

Professor Ming probably thought the same. Hence, she wanted to talk things out first.

"Are you sure they know about the boss monster?" Soo-Ah asked.

"Yes, they sent a few scouts to check initially," Ming replied. "One of them sent a bloodied note back with

Boss

written on it."

"Then, let them kill the boss," YuWon announced.

"Excuse me?" Professor Ming looked startled. "Kang YuWon, this isn't a joke. Our lives are at stake here!"

"I never said they'll kill the boss," YuWon smiled. "I meant they can try to kill the boss."

Professor Ming understood what YuWon meant. If the Crusader's numbers were reduced, they could claim the tower for themselves or, better yet, slip inside unnoticed while they fought the boss. As long as they were within the tower when the boss fell, the victory would count as theirs.

But YuWon had a feeling things wouldn't be so easy.

Things keep getting interesting.