The Chicken Legend's Game Becomes Reality - Chapter 88
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 88
⟦”Champions from other countries will unlock the same feature. I can see the names of the Players who won this Tournament in the list. There are so many blank spaces that it looks like many countries haven’t finished their tournaments yet.”⟧
What in the world.
Just as I was about to ask for clarification, unable to contain my confusion.
Thud!
Blue One and Red One’s body check sent Green One flying off the screen.
⟦”It was thanks to me!”⟧
⟦”My contribution was bigger! Why can’t you just admit it already?!”⟧
It was getting louder and louder.
“….”
I quietly reached out my hand.
‘Those three are going to keep bickering for at least a few days. I should have just closed the Coin Market window instead of leaving it open like this.’
Even after closing the window, I kept running.
Thanks to the panacea’s effects, my condition was absolutely ridiculous.
I sprinted up the staircase to the Neighborhood Back Mountain, ran along the walking trail, came back down, and ran along the main road again.
I went all the way to the Convenience Store where I work, crossed the crosswalk, and ran through the alley.
I ran all day long.
“Huff. Huff. Ha….”
It was perfect.
My breathing was ragged and my lungs burned, but I couldn’t tell if it was pain anymore—my sense of reality had completely vanished.
It was the day a miracle happened.
“…Wow.”
I sat on a bench, staring blankly down at my two perfectly healed legs, then got up again and walked and ran through Seoul City.
* * *
Chirp chirp.
“—!!”
My eyes snapped open at the sound of birds.
Memories came flooding back.
After winning in the finals, I fixed my legs and was so happy that I ran around the neighborhood like a madwoman before coming home and collapsing into sleep.
‘Could it have been a dream?!’
Before I could even sit up, I kicked off the blanket.
Thud.
“My legs!”
Thump.
Thump thump.
I landed on the floor and felt it fully with both feet.
They were perfect.
“Kyaaaaa—!!”
Like someone who’d won the lottery, I dropped to my knees on the floor and clasped my hands together, shaking them.
“Thank you, oh god of the panacea!”
Dopamine explodes through my veins.
Starting the day with fully functional legs felt like a dream come true.
I rushed straight to the Training Hall.
Thwack! Crack, bang!
Even without pausing to breathe, I pummeled the heavy bag relentlessly, yet a question mark bloomed in my mind.
‘What is this?’
A spinning back kick.
Boom—!
The humanoid heavy bag fixed to the Training Hall floor trembled as though it might be torn free.
For some reason, my movements were even better than during my prime.
‘No, wait. Isn’t this only natural?’
My body, which had been plagued with problems, had been restored to normal—and beyond—by the strength-enhancing items and universal remedies I’d purchased from the Coin Market.
I’d spent all this time barely exercising, living as a gaming addict.
But that game I’d obsessed over was a systematic and realistic ‘Virtual Reality combat game’ sophisticated enough that even professional Hunters use it for occupational training.
Boom! Boom! Crash! Boom—!
I swung my perfectly healed legs to my heart’s content before collapsing onto the Training Hall floor.
“…Wow.”
My current skill level far exceeded what my professors and various senior classmates had expected of me back then.
It was incomparable.
‘I’ve grown stronger. Objectively speaking, what level is my skill at now? Could I even compete in the Olympics like this?’
If I were an active Hunter, Olympic participation would be absolutely prohibited by regulation.
But I’m a civilian.
‘Should I go back to school?’
Though considering my current state, that’s still a ways off.
As I lay there catching my breath, sweat poured from my body like rain.
Good.
A glance at the clock revealed that two full hours had passed since I’d opened my eyes.
‘I’m starving.’
I immediately pushed myself up.
* * *
I rinsed off quickly—the sweat was drenching.
‘I’ll lose some weight.’
I hadn’t eaten yesterday, ran all day, slept, and then spent two straight hours training at the Training Ground the moment I woke up.
‘Let me lose a bit more and grab a salad.’
With that thought, I descended the Staircase and stood before my neighbor’s door.
Creak.
After punching in the code and stepping inside, I found Baek Hee-an sitting on the living room Sofa.
[“This is breaking news. The government has launched a national-level response regarding the dimensional interference incident that occurred at Seoul Station. An emergency joint investigation team has been formed….”]
The television broadcast covered yesterday’s Seoul Station Gate incident.
‘Now that I think about it.’
It was an enormous event, but after the dopamine rush from placing first in my debut main tournament, I’d completely forgotten about it while fixing my leg.
I should check the internet once while eating.
I shuffled quietly toward the Refrigerator.
“…?”
I felt a gaze on me, so I glanced over and saw Baek Hee-an staring at me.
What’s wrong?
There was something chilling about it.
‘Did that guy seriously get upset?’
Looking closer, he was fully dressed and had his jacket draped right beside him—it looked like he hadn’t slept at all.
He probably spent the whole night at Seoul Station and just came back.
‘The Hunters must have been busy.’
Memories of what happened at yesterday’s tournament began creeping back.
Baek Hee-an and the other Hunters probably logged out the moment they died in the Game World and rushed to the Seoul Station site to clean up.
And he must have been nursing the back of his head where I hit him at that location.
‘Is he sulking over that? It was a tournament, so I’ll let it slide. Anyway, the hypothesis that the Player could also die turned out to be false.’
Despite his eyes brimming with resentment and betrayal, Baek Hee-an looked healthy.
I casually asked him.
“Did you eat breakfast?”
“…Not yet.”
Such a pouter.
Baek Hee-an was like this even in the Game World—he was surprisingly good at getting upset.
‘Why does he always only get upset with me?’
From what I remembered, whether as a College Student or as a Hunter, I’d heard Baek Hee-an was rude, but I’d never heard that he got upset this easily.
“Hey, I fixed my leg.”
“…What?”
Baek Hee-an, who had been looking sullen, suddenly widened his eyes and sprang up from the Sofa.
“You fixed your leg? What are you talking about?”
“Look.”
Whether Baek Hee-an was upset or not, my mood soared.
Hop. Thud. Hop. Thud.
He watched my gait, which had been so awkward before, become completely normal, and his eyes went wide.
“How, how did you—?!”
“See? My leg is fine now, so you don’t owe me anything anymore. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me.”
“…?!”
I was rummaging through the Refrigerator to grab something to eat.
Bang!
Baek Hee-an appeared without warning, pulled me away, and slammed the Refrigerator door shut.
My hand almost got caught.
“Hey, are you crazy—”
“You’re not planning to leave again, are you? Why would you leave again? Wasn’t that settled? You promised you wouldn’t leave.”
My mouth closed for a moment.
But today, having harvested coins in massive quantities, the situation was vastly different from yesterday.
“No, my leg is perfectly fine now. The reason I’ve been staying at your place was because of my leg, so it’s right that I leave now.”
“Sigh.”
Baek Hee-an looked as though exhaustion might drive him mad.
“I told you I can’t function without you. I’ve given you money, fed you, given you the second floor, and provided the Training Ground. You love money and I have so much of it I can’t manage it all.”
“That’s…”
It was an unvarnished fact, certainly.
Now I possessed an astronomical sum of coins.
Five thousand coins equals one billion won, and after using the panacea to heal my leg, I had a remaining two hundred thousand coins.
Even if not quite one hundred billion, I could easily pull at least forty billion.
I was wealthy now!
“Isn’t this too cruel, humanly speaking? I only waited for you. How can you betray me so ruthlessly and then…”
“?”
When did I ever.
‘Oh, the Game?’
Just as I was about to say money was settled, now he was bringing up the Game.
Looking closer, Baek Hee-an’s eyes were shadowed.
Those dark circles were so pronounced he clearly hadn’t slept a wink last night.
“Are you going to abandon me again? I can’t even sleep without you? It hasn’t been long since I stopped my psychiatric medication. You just need to stay by my side, that’s all you need to do.”
Because of those dark circles, something about it felt pitiful.
If someone didn’t know better, they’d think we were in some kind of relationship.
‘This bastard’s going insane from lack of sleep.’
The frazzled Baek Hee-an swiftly retrieved items from the Refrigerator.
Clack. Clack.
Freshly prepared dishes were placed on the Dining Table.
They appeared to have been prepared in advance.
‘Gasp! L-lobster!’
Baek Hee-an pulled a lobster from the air fryer, then retrieved a chunk of meat and grilled a steak.
Sizzle.
“You hit the back of my head so confidently. Whether it’s a Fair or death, you used me freely and discarded me like a worn-out rag—must have been so convenient for you.”
Gulp.
‘Yeah.’
I really did suck the honey dry.
I had exploited Baek Hee-an’s abilities and connections with complete convenience.
And as a result, I healed my leg.
“Try leaving this house. Do you think you could perform in the next Tournament without Heaven Station?”
‘I can live now too.’
“That’s custom-made, so you’d have to wait a year to buy one. I only have it because the US Headquarters specially sent it from their Seoul display for the Tournament.”
‘Wow.’
Hearing those words, my enthusiasm for escape quietly crumbled.
‘I can’t do this without Heaven Station.’
*Clink.*
Baek Hee-an set a steaming steak down in front of me.
“Congratulations.”
“…For what? Fixing my leg?”
“That’s…. Well, that’s worth celebrating too. But how did you…. We can talk about that later. You won the first main tournament match. Honestly, I was hurt….”
For the first time, my conscience stirred.
Because the aroma of the meat was absolutely intoxicating.
“You did really well. Your choice saved countless lives. You’re the victor of the first main tournament match, and Seoul Station’s proud hero.”
“….”
It was something I never could have imagined hearing.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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