Chapter 102: Guild War (3)
Kim Hwan-yong, the S-rank swordsman and vice-guild master of Ilsung. He was known as a top-tier awakener who propped up Ilsung Guild alongside Guild Master Nam Cheolmin. He had also been Park Siwoo's initial target from the start.
‘I need to take down someone like him with ease.’
Just look at Seo Yerim.
Not only had she subdued Nam Cheolmin in an instant, but she had turned the entire Ilsung Guild into a bloodbath, putting her skills on full display without filter.
But what about himself?
Disciple of the Sword Sage and wielder of a holy sword.
His titles were flashy enough, but honestly, he was one of the Lavish Guild members with the least hype surrounding him. And that made sense—the other two were just monsters.
Seo Yerim was a senior who had built her fame long ago, a genuine powerhouse awakener. And Guild Master Kim Minwoo was…
‘… Don’t even think about it.’
Even small folk had their own paths.
Comparing yourself to real monsters only made your own situation feel pathetic.
With 30 enemies, that meant taking down 30 shares worth.
Seo Yerim: 10 shares.
Kim Minwoo: 15 shares.
‘… I’m the maknae, so just 5 shares for me.’
Taking down the vice-guild master would count as about 3 shares, at least.
Park Siwoo charged forward.
Kim Hwan-yong smirked as he parried the sword. As an S-rank awakener, his eyes brimmed with confidence.
You’re still green, kid!
It was like that message was written right there in his gaze.
Just three exchanges.
In a flash, the gap closed, and the holy sword thrust at vital points, cold sweat beading on Kim Hwan-yong’s forehead.
By the sixth exchange, his movements grew frantic. The sword strikes laced with feints forced his own responses to widen.
The moment they clashed for the tenth exchange, the holy sword slyly curved and sliced his throat.
Kim Hwan-yong was out in an instant.
Cedric was rampaging too, tearing through the shield of the warrior he faced.
Park Siwoo’s eyes gleamed.
‘No checks incoming—feels good.’
Normally, ranged classes would be peppering him with all sorts of harassment.
But not now.
Archers: out.
Mages: all down.
The rest were too busy reeling from Seo Yerim’s suppression and Merhen’s spells.
Especially Merhen, blasting high-tier magic point-blank from up close—she was a nightmare for the backline.
“Block it!”
They desperately layered defensive skills, but one spell shattered them all. And that wasn’t the end. Dolsae’s charge punched through the front line, skeletons swarming in. Surrounded on all sides, their shields dwindled under the onslaught.
‘We’ve won.’
Even to an unawakened civilian’s eyes, the tide had turned unmistakably.
Park Siwoo’s gaze sharpened.
‘I haven’t hit 5 shares yet.’
He needed at least two more to claim he’d performed decently in the guild’s eyes.
He dashed toward a swordsman surrounded by skeletons. His kill count started climbing fast.
* * *
“Guild war over!”
“0 to 30. An utterly overwhelming result!”
“Man… I couldn’t have imagined a scoreline like this. Lavish Guild is too strong—way too strong!”
The casters let out exclamations of awe.
―Whoa… perfect game for real?
―Seo Yerim’s insane, but Park Siwoo’s no slouch either? Took out the vice-guild master in ten exchanges flat;
―Cedric’s nuts too; toying with S-rank awakeners? What even are his stats?
―Haha… they said they gathered world-rank talent, and it’s legit lol
―For real tho lol. Kimchi discount aside, world-rankers could pull that off easy lol
―Is a kimchi guild that could conquer the world really born? Kinda hyped lol
―Wanna tell them not to get ahead of themselves, but the results are doing it for them lol
―Nah, it’s not hype~ At that level already? Wait till they level up lol They’d smash all the world rankers lol
“Even if Lavish Guild won, I figured they’d lose one or two, right?”
“Exactly. I thought the undead horde would at least get whittled down… but nope. From Kim Minwoo’s two special summons to the golem and skeletons—they’re all fine! Totally alive!”
“Pretty much all of them are intact. Just a couple hundred unlucky skeletons popped.”
“What makes this result scary is that this match was basically real combat.”
“Right. If this were actual battle? One guild wiped out, the other just burns some mana and done.”
“Honestly, cold take: like the chat says, this might be a guild that could aim for world domination…”
“I agree. Only three members, but their ceiling? Unimaginable.”
The casters spoke with serious faces. Sure, Ilsung was Korea’s 5th guild, but it wasn’t like there was a massive gap to 1st place Dorim.
In other words…
Even in a guild war against Dorim Guild, Lavish had a solid shot at winning.
“… Today might be the birth of Korea’s top guild.”
“That could be a bit premature, but one thing’s clear: Lavish Guild? Definitely top 5 in Korea! Strong enough to challenge for 1st, too!”
―For real lol Dorim? Lavish shreds them. Just stupid strong lol
―Korea’s #1 is like 2.5 tier globally~ Of course they shred kekekeke
―Was Dorim even good enough for #1? Nah lol Just no talent in kimchi land lol
―Korea’s top guilds probably all watching lol Heads must be spinning lol
―Time for Korea’s next golden generation lol
―Can we look forward to this year’s gate turf war? lol
―For real lol If gov has brains, they’d recruit these guys for the team lol
―Insane backing too, association can’t mess with them lol Gotta pick ‘em lol
―Feels solid lol
―But isn’t that S-rank achievement level? World rankers never pulled that off at that age.
―Yeah; I’m an S-rank achievement awakener, but that’s beyond. Not even S-rank skill performance.
―Park Siwoo feels S-rank-ish. Kim Minwoo tho? Idk. Summons are brainbroken; legit S+?
―Divine Archer sus too lol Levels a bit high sure… but even without, too OP?
Soon, caster Choi Yong-jun moved in for interviews. Kim Minwoo and his two guildmates took the stage.
“Um, Guild Master Kim Minwoo.”
“Yes.”
“Those summons of yours too…”
The special summons.
Cedric could speak.
And the woman in the conical hat seemed human-like enough to probably have language skills.
With countless viewers curious, he couldn’t miss the interview chance.
Kim Minwoo smirked at the whispered request and nodded.
“Merhen, Cedric. Come here.”
The two summons joined them on stage.
―Alright, time for the winners’ interview! What a show today! Especially this one—we can’t skip her! Not Active Anymore? Nah! Divine Archer Seo Yerim, please!
Waaaaah!
Huge cheers as Seo Yerim stepped forward.
“Hello.”
“Yes! Great to have you! Audience and viewers alike are dying to know—first question: that skill on Nam Cheolmin Guild Master. Did you pick it up as a new achievement skill after switching to archer?”
“Just copied it.”
“… Holy crap. So you replicated the Archer Ghost’s trademark just by seeing it?”
“Yes.”
“Suspected as much, but what terrifying talent! One more thing: that arrow aimed at Nam Cheolmin. It spread mid-flight and didn’t converge, right? Intentional?”
Seo Yerim nodded.
“… You planned that spread from the moment you loosed it?”
“Yes.”
“How the hell did you pull that off?”
“Just did.”
“Ah… no room for debate. Geniuses are beyond us normies! Divine Archer from today onward.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep striving to show you my best.”
Next up: Park Siwoo’s interview.
“Honestly, polls had you pegged for early exit, Siwoo. But you charged in full confidence, bagged the vice-guild master, and shredded the swordsmen. Future star material!”
The crowd nodded.
Truth be told, Seo Yerim and Kim Minwoo’s feats were so shocking that Park Siwoo got underrated—but he absolutely shouldn’t have.
Slicing S-rank swordsmen in under ten exchanges? How’s that not insane? Especially at his level.
“One word on your resolve going forward!”
“Just 5 shares.”
“5 shares?”
“Sis does 10, bro does 15—so I gotta match that.”
“Ah, got it in that context. Modest ambitions?”
“More like the others are too monstrous…”
From caster Choi Yong-jun to the crowd.
They nodded in agreement.
Park Siwoo’s MVP-worthy performance, yet reality was…
Cedric had outshone him. Kim Minwoo’s summons were just that broken.
The plight of a normie sandwiched by geniuses.
A feeling every awakener had tasted at least once.
The world was vast, and geniuses plentiful.
Choi Yong-jun nodded with vague sympathy.
“Got it! But 5 shares is still genius tier! No need to feel down, Siwoo! That guy’s the weirdo!”
He pointed at Kim Minwoo and shouted.
“No, Guild Master Kim Minwoo! Necromancers always like this? If they pumped out summons like that, I’d have picked necro first!”
“Not usually.”
“But how’d you do it?”
“Worked hard. Got lucky too.”
“Ah, classic insider tip dodge. Shame. Anyway, can’t skip those two summons. Cedric first?”
The skeleton took the mic.
―Ahh. Like this?
“Yes. Probably your first guild war—thoughts?”
―Ilsung Guild. Korea’s 5th, right?
“That’s right.”
―Compared to my homeland, feels like a knight order. But kinda lame for one.“
“Uh… really?”
―Even a baron-level order would wipe them easy. As a knight myself, they lack grit. Korean awakeners need more polish.
“Uh… yeah. Training’s endless for awakeners, right? Haha…”
Choi Yong-jun sweated bullets. Brainless, no-filter talk.
But couldn’t exactly clap back with nationalism here.
It’s one of the weakest top guilds!
Even 1st to 5th weren’t worlds apart.
Plus Cedric’s rampage was terrifying.
S-rank awakener?
Just poked full of spear holes.
His spearmanship realm begged questions…
―Knight bro dropping truth bombs lol
―Not even empire/kingdom order—baron tier kek
―Qualified to say it tho lol Frontline shredded lol
―Knight orders that strong?
―Bro’s homeland prolly brutal lol
―Sorry for being Korean awakener 😭 Sorry 😭 Sorry 😭
Then.
Cedric eyed Choi Yong-jun.
―But Ilsung had one good thing.
“Oh, what’s that?”
―Quality. Especially the upcoming Ilsung42 smartphone—real-time foreign language translation and voice features make it perfect for overseas travel…
He recited the pitch like reading a textbook.
A new product gleamed in his hand.
―?
―Wut?
―(Fact) Didn’t say guild good.
―Lol product quality kekekek
―Ad drift real?
―This the knightly grit or whatever?