Max Talent Player

>On top of that, Hyukjin was acquainted with Salvatore (Chiellini) and was on very close terms with Vela.
If Kim Hyukjin wanted, he could kill everyone here.

‘Because he knew what would happen.’

He had come here knowing the future foreseen by the Precognitive Dreamer Ham Sohyun.
Pietro stood there frozen, feeling as though every hair on his body were standing on end.

‘He seems to be taking something out of his Inventory.’

Pietro tensed.
His eyes met Hyukjin’s.
A chill ran down his spine.

Hyukjin smiled.

“I can clearly see what you’re thinking, Mr.
Pietro.”

“I wasn’t thinking much.”

“Then why are you so tense?”

“It’s not that I’m tense, but that I’m just starting to relax.”

Hyukjin grinned.
The same thought that had occurred to Pietro had occurred to him.
It couldn’t be helped.
In a situation like this, it wasn’t strange to fear the strong.
Especially if you were a smart and mindful person like Pietro.

“With Miss Ham Sohyun’s help, I predicted this predicament in advance.”

Pietro gulped.
A few of the archers also watched Hyukjin with wary eyes, ready to act if he made any threatening movements.

“So I brought a lot of provisions and water with me.”

He took out the ‘Infinite Pouch’, which he had filled to the brim with Sunhwa at the department store.
It wouldn’t be hard for everyone here to last the twenty days.

“This is the Infinite Pouch.
I will distribute a set amount of supplies one time every day.
However, if anyone tries to harm another Player…”

Standing next to Hyukjin, Seohye finished his sentence with a bright smile.

“I might kill them.”

That settled things.

[The ‘Lady of the Scales’ is deeply impressed.]

[The ‘Lady of the Scales’ bestows you a ‘Judgment of the Law’.]

It was his second Judgment of the Law.

[The ‘Nameless Observer’ is observing.]

[The ‘Barrier of Blue Light’ is happy.]

Salvatore was speechless.

‘Was he prepared for this situation?’

Wasn’t that why Kim Hyukjin had an Inventory full of provisions and supplies? He wasn’t just at the level of ‘someone to learn from’.
His opponent was so high up that just chasing after him would be hard enough, much less learning from him as a peer.

But then, he saw Kim Hyukjin suddenly crack a smile.
It was only for a fraction of a second, and Salvatore was only able to glimpse it because he was standing right next to the man.
Kim Hyukjin suddenly bent at the waist towards him.

“All of this was done at the orders of Italy’s sovereign, Mr.
Chiellini.”

Salvatore was stunned.
The spotlight fell entirely on him.

‘Huh?’

He stared at Hyukjin, but Hyukjin was already distributing bread and water while saying, “Just as Mr.
Chiellini ordered, I will now distribute the water and provisions.”

The quick-witted Pietro went up to Salvatore (Chiellini).

“I am in awe of your insight, Chiellini.”

“…”

No, it wasn’t me! But he couldn’t bring himself to say the words now.

“I hate to even think what might have happened to us if not for your prudent preparations, Chiellini.”

“That, um, so.
Well, I just did what I should.”

Chiellini’s reaction confirmed Pietro’s suspicions.
‘As I thought, Chiellini didn’t have him do it.’

This was a scheme Hyukjin had cooked up.
The others might be fooled, but the information merchant Pietro could tell.

‘But Kim Hyukjin wants to put Chiellini in the public’s eye.’

Kim Hyukjin must have used some kind of ability to hide himself.
Pietro decided where to steer his boat.

‘So I need to play to his beat.’

Pietro bowed his head to Chiellini.
“On behalf of the party, I thank you.
Italian sovereign Chiellini, your fame shall echo across the lands.”

Kim Hyukjin, Pietro, and Chiellini all heard the same notice.

[The ‘Whispering Devil’ is amused.]

* * *

Ahn Seohye’s body was still shining.
The light made her body nearly impossible to see.
She was sitting on the ground, leaning against Hyukjin’s back.

“I really like being able to move around like this.”

“Yeah?”

“Before, I had no idea being able to move, being able to breathe were things to be so grateful for.”

“…”

Seohye was being sincere.
Hyukjin could feel that better than anyone.

“I’ll have to return to being a tower again when you leave this field, right?”

“I’ll bring you out again soon.”

Seohye nodded.
“I’ll wait.”

Hyukjin had felt her desire to protect someone keenly.
It was an emotion he knew well—he felt it when he looked at his little sister Sunhwa.
A desire to protect her at all costs.

‘In the end, I need power.’

The Demon King had made the arrangements.
He definitely said, ‘I’ll wait for you at Endless Sky’.
And Hyukjin was nearly there.

“It’s a shame the angel statue was destroyed.
I think we could have been friends.”

“Yeah.”

In the end, the ‘ground’ angel perished, and with it disappeared the ‘Angel Statue’s Master’ title.

“Didn’t the angel statue leave something behind when it was destroyed?”

“It did.”

Seohye continued to chatter, almost as if simply talking were a treasure to be cherished.
Her lips didn’t rest for a moment.

“What did it leave?”

“Canvas of Longing.”

“Canvas?”

Hyukjin nodded.
While talking to Seohye, he was also borrowing Senia’s eyes to explain what he got to the Guardians as well.

“What’s that?”

“That angel statue’s wings were cut off.
Right?”

“Right.”

“The angel statue said it was ‘robbed of its freedom’.
I guess that means wings are freedom to them.”

“I see.” Seohye nodded.
She was hanging on every word of his with rapt attention, like it was the most fun thing in the world.
“And so?”

“When the angel statue was destroyed, it gave me this Canvas of Longing.
It’s a kind of tool that can open another Sky Gate.”

“A Sky Gate? That thing?”

“Yeah.
But that one is a gate going from the sky to here, whereas this one seems to be a gate that lets you go from here to the sky.”

“Wow.
I wanna go to the sky, too.
Do you have to ride a plane to get there, then?”

Hyukjin smiled.
What plane?

“But a few conditions are necessary to activate this thing.”

“Like what?”

“You need to have the Fountain Pen of Freedom.”

“Eh?”

He already had the Fountain Pen of Freedom, fresh from the recent auction.

“Where can you find that?”

“I already have it.”

Hyukjin could tell that right now, he had the attention of many Guardians.
They were sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting with bated breath for his lips to move.

‘Then I should put in a little suspense here.’

A story would be flat without any winding curves.
Going straight from A to B wasn’t any fun.

“But there’s a little problem.”

He could see it clearly in his mind’s eye—the Guardians were waiting.
Hyukjin intentionally took a breath, and then he continued.

“A Player can’t activate the Sky Gate.”