Sovereign of Judgment Chapter 70:
Episode 5: Citizenship / Chapter 70: Advancement Evaluation (4)
TL: emptycube
Editor: Obelisk
Sponsors: Tyler and tom555j
Someone said,
“I’m not going . Why would I go?”
He had chosen the ‘Not going’ option before the 10 seconds were up and laid back down, covered in a blanket .
It was a lonely world anyways . What did it matter to him if 1/5 of the non-awakenees died or not?
Another person said,
“What can I do even if I go…”
He was a non-awakenee . He trembled as the 10 seconds passed .
It was better this way . Since he had never fought before in his life, wasn’t it obvious he wouldn’t be of help even if he did go and would die a dog’s death?
“People better than me probably went . It’ll be okay…”
Even if they did fail, it was only a 1/5 probability .
“It’s fine . It’ll be fine . ”
The hole he could self-justify himself inside was large and wide .
Another was like this .
“Huh? Huh? What? What should I do?”
He troubled over the decision until 10 seconds had passed .
10 seconds was too short of a time to think about it . Like whether one would jump in before a child was hit by a car, they only had enough time to choose with their deeply-imbedded instincts, without thinking .
It was very difficult to choose ‘to go’ .
The moment the message appeared, Choi Hyuk felt his vision and the surrounding noises fade away . Similar to how it felt when one stared into their white phone screen in the dark, the message window stood out in front of him, and his surroundings became dark . It meant that they were unable to discuss it with others, and people wouldn’t know what decision others made .
The decision to go or not solely rested on each individual .
The ‘Dilemma’ had already started . They could choose to go out of goodwill . However, if the majority of people selfishly chose to ‘not go’, their goodwill would only lead to a dog’s death . It didn’t only depend on their own intentions . It was a problem whether they could trust others . 10 seconds was short, and the decision was difficult .
But, those, who evaluated without taking others into consideration, could easily decide .
“I’ll go . ”
Choi Hyuk immediately answered when he read the announcement .
What did he care whether others came or not? If he went, he could get stronger . He could obtain the opportunity for revenge . But, if he didn’t go, he wouldn’t be able to get stronger and would forever remain as a Consumable, unable to dream of revenge . To him, it was a choice he didn’t need to think about .
Even if he was by himself, he had to go and smash them apart .
The moment he decided, the dimensional teleportation began . Space inverted and swallowed him .
Crunch .
“Hmm…”
He felt his stomach being inverted . Choi Hyuk swallowed down the acid coming up . No matter how many times he experienced dimensional teleportation, it didn’t get any more comfortable .
When his vision returned, he was inside a white room . It was the size of a classroom, and the walls were smooth and cold like metal .
The wall rippled and a message was engraved .
______
{Dimensional Wasps’ Nest}
The most commonly used relay base between dimensions by monsters . Using the unusual secretion of the dimensional wasp queen, they are able to exchange information with other nests far away . The speed of information transmission is slow, but it is hard to target .
Dimensional wasp hives replicate and multiply within the dimension .
Because of an endless line of identical looking rooms, it is difficult for invaders to locate the path to the queen’s room .
The wasps, that guard the queen, replicate and multiply in each room . Every time you take them out and clear a room, the growing nest collapses and slowly becomes smaller, revealing a path to the queen’s room . On the other hand, the guardian wasps become stronger and more numerous .
This place is a ‘dimensional wedge’ created by the alliance to find the path to the queen’s room and to protect and support their allies . In this place, allies can take a break or receive support, and they are also transported to the next path they will enter .
Take out the queen within 10 hours .
In order to deteriorate the growth of the dimensional wasp hive and search for the path that leads to the queen’s room, each member will enter different rooms . You are able to return to the dimensional wedge once you are done clearing your assigned room of dimensional wasps . Warriors, who have weak karma and are able to disguise themselves, are given a camouflage incense pouch and an awl .
_______
There were eight people inside the room . There was no way only 8 people came from Earth, so he could simply tell that there were countless dimensional wedges .
On a whole, the mood of the eight people was stiff .
There were five who were trembling . He could tell they were non-awakenees with a single glance . The mission this time was given to all earthlings . Since awakenees made up less than 10% of the total population, probability-wise, it was normal for there to be more non-awakenees than awakenees . They raised the ‘camouflage incense pouch’ and the ‘wasp-hunting awl’ which appeared in mid-air . They held the two items in their hands and broke out into a cold sweat . They each had their own reasons for courageously choosing ‘Go’, but now that they were about to fight, they were unable to steady their nerves .
Besides them, the other three, including Choi Hyuk, had their own weapons . Since it was common sense for colonizers to sleep with their weapons next to their heads, they had all brought their weapons even though it was unexpected . However, the only person who had also brought their defensive gear was a South American woman with large eyes .
“Wow… Still, it’s nice to see people gathered here for a good cause . ”
She said so refreshingly and comfortably as she blinked her large eyes . Seeing as he could easily understand her even though she was South American, she possessed a ‘Language Resonance Device’ . The defensive equipment she wore was decent… Unlike her innocent face, she was an expert .
“Really… I feel a strange sense of hope seeing the people gathered here . Haha . ”
A youth chimed in .
The South American woman looked in each person’s eyes as she greeted them, starting with that youth . It seemed she was trying to make them relax . She looked like she was trying to make the novice fighters relax by telling them some things they should be aware of . She was unbelievably kind .
“What is your name? I’m Penelope . ”
Eventually, she attempted to introduce herself to Choi Hyuk .
However, Choi Hyuk didn’t give her the slightest attention . He simply approached the wall and shouted,
“We enter . ”
Then, the metallic wall ripped and turned into a transparent membrane . Choi Hyuk entered inside without hesitation . “Hehe…” Penelope awkwardly laughed behind him .
**
The dimensional wasp’s room was a throbbing purple . It pulsed as if it was alive .
Psshhh .
The dimensional wasp was sort of… . It was more like a skeleton angel or devil than a wasp . Tough, black exoskeleton and pulsating muscular fibers . A sharp stinger hung at the end of its tail . The reason why it gave off an angelic impression despite these features was due to its wings that distorted their surroundings into a haze . Its wings weren’t made of film but energy . Its wings spread out splendidly in the room .
Psssh .
Though, unlike its cool exoskeleton, its wings let out a vibrating sound which got on his nerves .
The wasp shook its wings once and the space around it agitated as it flew towards Choi Hyuk . Its head, which seemed to be a bundle of bones, opened to reveal rows of blades as it tried to bite Choi Hyuk’s head .
Crunch!
Then Choi Hyuk used his fist to shatter the wasp’s head . It didn’t matter whether it was its blades or exoskeleton, it was completely smashed .
“… Weak . ”
Dimensional wasps could multiply at incredible speeds, alongside their nests, inside a parallel dimension . However, every time they multiplied, their individual power would drop greatly . It was the same as how beer could be fermented with very small bubbles, where the density of each bubble would be small .
The wasp in front of him wasn’t as tough as it looked . If he considered its strength, it was on the lower end amongst 1-star monsters . It wasn’t even as strong as the crook, which was the first monster he saw . It was an insignificant opponent for Choi Hyuk .
As the wasp died, the purple room rippled and turned black . The black wall split on one side, and the door to the white metallic room, the dimensional wedge, opened .
Choi Hyuk returned to the dimensional wedge in less than 10 seconds . In the white metallic room, the colonizers, who had yet to start, awkwardly stared at Choi Hyuk . Perhaps it was to be expected since he returned in less than 10 seconds .
Looking at their figures, it looked like they were surrounding Penelope and were in the middle of learning fighting tricks .
Choi Hyuk indifferently passed them and shouted at the wall .
“Next!”
As Choi Hyuk shouted, the wall swayed and a new notice appeared .
______
{Dimensional Wasps’ Nest 1st Stage Boundary Region}
Attack progression rate: 0 . 000001% -> No idea where the queen’s room is .
<Possible Actions>
Return (Locked) Food Supply (Attack) Continue to attack_______
From the start, there was only one choice he could choose .
“Continue to attack . ”
The door opened again . Afterwards, it was simple repetition . The wasps were still weak, and Choi Hyuk returned to the dimensional wedge every 5 seconds . Every time he returned, he saw the beginner warriors listening to what Penelope was saying . When he returned for the fifth time, there finally was no one in the dimensional wedge . On his seventh, he saw Penelope who had returned from a wasp room . With her ever innocent face, she greeted him friendlily with round eyes . Choi Hyuk passed by and re-entered the wasp room . Returned after slicing through the weak wasp inside . He repeated these actions twenty times .
“How boring…”
This was one of the reasons why it was difficult to attack the dimensional wasps’ nest . The hive, which multiplied like bubbles, wasn’t something he could instantly smash apart simply because he was strong . Even if a strong warrior invaded, he would be unable to make any progress within the endlessly multiplying wasp rooms . Even if he killed and killed, it was difficult to clear the multiplying rooms .
Because of this, they needed an absolutely large number of warriors to attack the wasps’ nest . They needed to attack the wasp hive together and deteriorate its multiplication .
Just then, when he finished his twenty-seventh repetitive attack and returned, there was a change . A new announcement had appeared on the wall .
{Waiting for the 1st Stage Boundary Region Attack to complete…}
The announcement flickered . It was impossible to attack anymore . Choi Hyuk stood inside the room and waited .
Soon, other warriors, who had finished their attack, returned . As they returned one by one, a total of seven people gathered, including Choi Hyuk . The last remaining person didn’t return . During the waiting time, the six, excluding Choi Hyuk, whispered to each other .
“How was it?”
It was Penelope’s gentle voice . It was lively and filled with concern .
“Yes… Maybe it was because of the camouflage incense pouch, but they thought I was a larva and didn’t attack… When I waited and precisely stabbed its neck with the awl, it squirmed then died… However, there was an incident where I was almost cut apart by its teeth as it squirmed…”
The left arm of the man who was speaking was mutilated as blood flowed out . His face distorted in pain when he glanced at his arm . Penelope quickly covered his face, taking his eyes off his wound, and comforted him .
“Shh… Calm down . Don’t look at your wound . That sort of wound will heal by itself if you rest . Because we are awakenees . ”
Choi Hyuk began to slowly find her interesting . ‘Are those actions truly out of sincerity?’ Choi Hyuk, who had spent his time amongst Berserkers, found it hard to believe that a colonizer could be so kind .
After passing time like this, the announcement changed .
{1st Stage Boundary Region Attack complete . The dimensional wasps’ nest is deteriorating . }
“Ah… Mr . Kimura…”
The moment the announcement popped up, Penelope let out a sad sigh . There were eight people gathered at the start . There were now seven . It seemed that the one known as Kimura had died . Although they were very easy opponents for Choi Hyuk, if he considered that the five were beginners who didn’t even possess 1-star stats but no-star, many more had survived than Choi Hyuk expected . Perhaps it was because of Penelope .
The announcement continued .
______
{Dimensional Wasps’ Nest 2nd Stage Outer Region}
Attack progression rate: 0% -> Started to barely estimate the location of the queen’s room .
<Possible Actions>
Return to Earth Food Supply Continue to attack
*Warning . If you choose to return, someone in another dimensional wedge will have to face your opponents in your place .
_______
The attack progression rate had changed from 1st stage to 2nd stage . They had skimmed off the bubbles of the boundary region created through multiplying and had taken a step forward .
Then the possible options they could choose in the dimensional wedge were unlocked .
As expected, the most eye-catching option was ‘Return to Earth’ . Then the warning below it . That was the problem .
“… If I choose to return, someone else would have to fight my opponents as well? … Then, in reverse, doesn’t it mean I might have to face double the opponents?”
It was the man who Penelope had sincerely taken care of just now . He said it in a completely exhausted voice . He glanced at his arm which was now barely starting to stanch .
“… I can’t . I suffered from just one, I’ll die for sure against two . ”
His voice seemed like he had come to a decision .
Penelope hurriedly grabbed him .
“You can’t . Mr . Alberto . If you give up here, someone else will face even more danger!”
Alberto’s eyes trembled . He looked at Penelope with a tearful face .
“But… Reversely, the other side might give up . ”
He was stricken with fear .
“Don’t… Don’t criticize me . There… There are people who haven’t even come here . Why… Why do I…”
He avoided Penelope’s eyes and said,
“Sorry… Return!”
Crunch!
The special effect of dimensional teleportation… Space erased his body as if swallowing him .
“Ah…”
Penelope sighed in regret and the remaining beginners murmured . Like how Alberto had given up, others would have given up as well . They may possibly face double the opponents in this fight . To them, who had only now awakened, this was too cruel .
“Sorry… Return!”:
Another shouted his return .
Although the rest didn’t shout to return… their eyes were wavering .
They may have possibly held good intentions . They chose to fight a battle they could have avoided without hesitation .
However, the problem now wasn’t their intentions but others’ . ‘Just because I don’t betray them doesn’t mean that the other side, who I’ve never seen before, can’t betray me . Why is it that I need to be this scared, and why is that I need to die like this?’
A cruel test .
The second dilemma, the game was about to begin .