novelburst-info
Chapter 188
Chapter 188
The world of miniatures, built with tiny blocks, has the charm of a model garden, small and delicate.
A small, peaceful world where you can easily bend, crush, or destroy things with a single gesture.
The everyday life of the miniatures had been threatened several times by the player's invasion.
Broken.
Collapsed.
Falling apart.
A scene of devastation with no floor beneath it.
Yet, most of the miniatures were quickly liberated.
Whip Simulator was a terrible game.
The whip controls were atrocious.
The general perception was that it was just that.
In that sense,
the miniatures of World 1284 were unlucky.
Their player was a tough one.
One who was also skilled with the whip.
The day they had vaguely foreseen might come,
the day of destruction they had only considered a distant prophecy,
had finally arrived.
[Final Task]
Despite being the first disaster they faced, it felt strangely familiar, like déjà vu, as the world was faced with the invasion of the colossal player, and all of humanity yearned for heroes in the sanctuary.
Swordman's Sanctuary
Dancer's Sanctuary
Knight's Sanctuary
Archer's Sanctuary
All of humanity gathered in the four great sanctuaries, praying with one heart and mind.
As the black ash signaling the end of the world fell, mixed with the white ash forged by the power of faith, the world trembled, stained in black and white.
The vibrations of heroes facing the giants of the apocalypse.
The great rumble of the sanctuary shaking and breaking.
The desperation of the miniatures was stoked.
While their longing was lacking,
their desperation was enough.
The miniature humanity, yearning for heroes at the end of the world.
[Archer Miniature]
[Heroic Awakening Complete]
[HERO POINT 1000% (1000/100)]
Their prayers.
Their wishes.
Only at the brink of world destruction did they bring forth a true hero.
[(? •?_•?)?]
The archer miniature, the first to awaken, held the legendary bow from another world.
A bow so powerful that it could shoot hundreds of arrows in quick succession.
An ultimate bow of archery mastery.
Machine Gun
With just a pull of the trigger, the force of the bow’s pull unleashed successive blasts of energy.
Tatatatatatat
The giant behind staggered from the tremendous impact of the shots.
With this bow, it could be done.
The giant could be toppled in the miniature world, in the human world.
Such belief.
Such certainty.
The recoil of the machine gun was manageable even by the miniature’s small body.
Fall.
Fall.
Fall!
Despite desperately wishing and hoping,
the giant did not fall.
The inner gates.
The ones meant to be in the royal capital.
The one the knight miniature had handled.
Because that giant stood before them.
[(? ? ?)]
Unlike the futile shots from the archer miniature,
the giant’s whip, wielding efficient destruction, continued.
Once the awakenings were complete, only three remained.
Breaking the shield, the number was reduced to two.
[(?_?)]
It couldn’t be done alone.
If there was a chance, it was now.
Tatatatatatat!
[-10HP]
[-10HP]
[-10HP]
[-10HP]
[-10HP]
The giant’s HP dropped rapidly.
The giant did not defend.
It merely struck the swordsman miniature at full speed.
Before the giant fell, it aimed to take the swordsman down first.
Against the wicked lash of the giant’s whip.
[(???) ...]
The knight, dancer, and now the swordsman had fallen.
All of his companions were defeated, and the archer was left alone.
He realized, too late, why that cunning giant had left only him standing.
Why it hadn’t destroyed the sanctuary, but only targeted the heroes.
[Archer Miniature]
[Heroic Awakening Complete]
[HERO POINT 1000% (1000/100)]
HP already full to the limit.
Faith forced its way in.
The weight of all humanity clinging to him.
[HERO P?IN? 1751% (1751/100)]
That overwhelming burden tore at his muscles.
It shattered his bones.
[HERO ??IN? 4124% (4124/100)]
His body was breaking down.
[HE?? ????? ?????% (?????/100)]
The burden of a single hero was too heavy to bear.
The weight of the vast responsibility led to the archer miniature’s death.
The sanctuary, now abandoned by everyone, crumbled into a massive graveyard, signaling the end of the world.
[Final Task Complete]
[Task 70 Completed]
That was the end of Whip Simulator World 1284.
She did it.
It was a difficulty that would have taken at least ten attempts.
But the concentration, far beyond her limits,
wisdom and instincts that surpassed reason,
helped Lee So-hye succeed on her fifth attempt.
“Was I fast?!”
Lee So-hye asked with an excited tone.
Her innocent question made the viewers express their disappointment.
-???
-gg
- She lost, but fought well.
?Record Competition?
[? Silent Swordsman: Task 70 Clear, 44 minutes 43 seconds]
[? Lee So-hye: Task 70 Clear, 44 minutes 45 seconds]
The time difference that decided the bet was just 2 seconds.
After hearing the shocking news,
Lee So-hye couldn’t remember what she said or how she turned off the stream.
She stood outside the capsule, her face showing emptiness as she leaned against the wall.
[Good job]
As she stood there holding a water bottle given with a note, her finger poked her waist.
“Don’t do that. It makes me feel all weird.”
Ha Eung Eung retracted her finger obediently and sat on the wall next to Lee So-hye.
Avoiding the view of the Silent Swordsman’s legs shaking in the distance, she gazed up at the sky, not even thinking about opening the water bottle.
She didn’t speak until the clouds in the sky moved far enough for her vision to be clear.
“Is it okay to leave right away? You should stay a little longer with the viewers. The content was good.”
[Right now, I wanted to be here.]
“You’re such a jerk.”
In these moments, it would be good if you’d at least step aside so I could hate you with a clear conscience.
It wasn’t enough to just win the match. Was she trying to be the nice person too?
That feeling was both appreciated and frustrating.
I hated myself for feeling that way.
The one I resented the most was myself, for losing in the end.
“I’ve thought about it. There will never be another chance to have this intense a battle against you.”
[If it’s a rematch request, I’ll accept anytime.]
“You’re such a fool. That’s not what I mean. You’re getting stronger faster than I am.”
She had missed it.
The one and only chance to defeat the Silent Swordsman.
She was too angry to even speak properly.
[You’ve done something amazing already.]
Hearing those words,
The Silent Swordsman tried to comfort her, as if coaxing her.
[There may never be someone who can push me this hard again.]
“Ridiculous. Have you even watched game footage of monsters like Speedmasters? They’re on a completely different level than me.”
[Then by then, I’ll be even stronger.]
“No, I won’t. Speedmasters are so strong.”
[I’ll be stronger.]
She wasn’t a child, so what was she doing?
With a wry smile, Lee So-hye leaned against the wall and turned her body around.
“You said so much, so you better keep your promise. It’s not manly to talk out of both sides of your mouth.”
[...I’m not a man though.]
“You’re joking. From the way you play, you’re basically the perfect man.”
Ha Eung Eung looked down at Lee So-hye.
Swallowing down countless emotions,
She tried her best to maintain her composed demeanor.
‘She has the face of a martial artist who just lost a battle.’
Her fighting spirit was as strong as her heartache.
Lee So-hye’s competitive spirit had already turned her into a martial artist in her own right.
It was both pitiful and admirable.
[Just for today.]
She lightly stepped down from the wall and walked toward Lee So-hye.
Startled, Lee So-hye stepped back.
Ha Eung Eung placed her hand on Lee So-hye’s head.
“…What are you doing?”
[Just offering encouragement from a man, for today.]
“You’re so stupid.”
Lee So-hye glared at Ha Eung Eung with eyes full of determination.
For a moment, that fierce gaze softened.
She realized that Ha Eung Eung was standing on her tiptoes to pat her head.
Her usual act of pretending to be indifferent was so absurd and frustrating.
“You really are stupid.”
With her eyes softened, Lee So-hye held her mouth shut and stood still, accepting the comforting hand that gently rubbed her head.
The blue sky turned crimson.
The cool wind scraped her cheek.
The bell rang, signaling the late evening.
Without even stepping forward, she realized how much more comfortable it felt to have her head gently patted, her knees bent without realizing it.
‘What am I doing?’
Lee So-hye gently pushed Ha Eung Eung’s arm.
“When do you plan to stop standing?”
[Do you want me to sit down and receive it?]
“My body isn’t as tough as yours, like some monster. I’ll catch a cold. Fool.”
[Can I slap you once?]
Lee So-hye stuck out her tongue and ran away, making a cheeky gesture.
‘It’s good she’s back to normal… but I still want to slap her.’
Ha Eung Eung tried her best to hold back a clenched fist.
She passed by Lee So-hye, who had her head down.
Her face, full of countless emotions, had already turned the color of the setting sun.