Chapter 55: Dragon-Phoenix Assembly (3)
[Event rules have been displayed.]
[Please check the 'Map' at the top of the screen.]
[You are marked with a red circle.]
In the upper right corner.
A map that looked just like a minimap appeared alongside the red circle.
[Points held: 1]
His points were visible too.
[Eliminate an opponent, and all their points transfer to you.]
[Every point increases all stats by 10%.]
[The higher your points, the more likely your position shows on opponents' maps.]
[Certain areas will periodically become no-survival zones. They'll be marked on the map.]
[Rankings update and display every 30 minutes.]
[Good luck.]
“Fun.”
The rules were downright malicious.
The more you killed, the stronger you got—but that also made your position visible, increasing the risk of getting ganged up on.
‘But…’
Even sweeping up points didn't seem all that dangerous.
Because the candidates were weak?
No.
These were the top thirty from the entire martial world. Even five teaming up would make victory far from guaranteed.
But…
‘The rules will hold them back.’
Human greed had a way of creating unimaginable chaos.
Kill someone, and you take all their points.
No even split.
So when some freakishly strong guy popped up, would the others really band together against him?
In a setup where only three could survive?
‘Absolutely not.’
They'd all scramble for the killing blow, trip over each other, and get eaten by the lion.
That was the picture.
‘In that case, I've got one play.’
Rack up kills.
Kill them all and power up fastest. Goal set.
He summoned Cedric and started moving.
Whether hunting down Seo Yerim.
Or just any candidate he bumped into.
Didn't matter.
About ten minutes in.
He ran into a familiar face.
Second Young Master Baek Cheol-yong.
The guy who'd snagged fourth place with 1,970 points. They locked eyes for a moment.
Baek Cheol-yong spoke first.
“It's So-cheon! Glad you're alive. Times like this, brothers gotta stick together, right?”
“Think so?”
They closed the distance, both smiling.
Then Baek Cheol-yong lunged in a flash. Eyes wild, sword thrusting out.
A precise stab for the head.
He tilted his head back.
Baek Cheol-yong's eyes gleamed.
Riding the momentum, he swung down for the kill.
In that instant, Cedric thrust his spear from the side.
Baek Cheol-yong twisted desperately, but Kim Minwoo and Cedric pressed the attack.
Swords and spear clashed, sparks flying.
Suheon or whatever his name was.
This second-place guy was way better than the fourth.
He had the basics down.
But he hadn't mastered the advanced stuff.
‘Then die.’
Not even twenty exchanges in.
A sword plunged into Baek Cheol-yong's chest.
A split-second freeze.
Thud-thud-thud!
Cedric's spear pierced him through.
Spurt!
Baek Cheol-yong spewed blood.
Staring at Cedric and him in disbelief, the guy mumbled.
“Mon… ster…”
He slit his throat.
[Level up by 2!]
[Someone has died.]
[Survivors: 29]
A message popped up on the map.
[Points held: 2]
His body felt noticeably lighter.
* * *
[30 minutes passed. Rankings calculated.]
[1st: Baek So-cheon, 4 points]
[2nd: Choi Ang-ang, Seok Won-cho 3 points]
[3rd: Namgung Hye-ji, Baek Mu-han, Choi Mu-baek 2 points]
“Amitabha…”
Gongsim, the Shaolin warrior monk, chanted softly. A fight where they'd kill and be killed until only three remained.
This trial was especially brutal.
The silver lining: the Murim Alliance folks here had banded together.
Four in total.
Small group, but better than nothing in this mess.
Otherwise, the top scores might've climbed even higher by now.
“… Shouldn't we start racking up points too?”
Everyone fell silent at Jin Cheon-myeong's question, a first-generation disciple of Mount Hua Sect.
They'd luckily only run into fellow Alliance members and merged up. So all four had just 1 point each.
Ten dead in mere 30 minutes.
Let time drag on like this, and it'd be obvious.
They'd get devoured by the point leaders.
“… Yes. You're right, Cheon-myeong. We need to move fast.”
That's when it happened.
['Baek So-cheon' appears on the map.]
[Duration: 5 minutes]
A red circle floated over the so-called 'Map'.
Close enough to reach if they hustled—inside five minutes.
And not even a Murim Alliance comrade sharing their rice bowl.
No hesitation in taking him out.
The four's eyes sharpened.
“4 points…”
“We could catch up in one go.”
“True. But this guy's no slouch. Might be top-tier among us candidates.”
All nodded.
Three kills in 30 minutes flat.
Had to be terrifyingly skilled.
“Shall we go?”
At Jin Cheon-myeong's question, the other three's faces clouded with doubt.
Then.
Gongsim raised a hand.
“We face the strong. Coordination is key above all. So let's settle it now: who claims the kill.”
“…”
Sound logic.
Made perfect sense in their heads. But their hearts pounded oddly.
Suffocating silence stretched.
Only three could survive.
Yet here they were, four strong. Someone had to die at the end.
But the one who killed Baek So-cheon had a real shot at making it.
No one wanted to speak up.
“… Amitabha. I'll sit this out. You three decide.”
The remaining trio debated.
Drew lots in a rush, and the lucky one emerged.
Mount Hua's Jin Cheon-myeong.
He'd take the points.
“It's just a detour. After, with your strength, Cheon-myeong, we'll rack up points quick too.”
Gongsim's words got nods from the two.
But it didn't erase the lingering unease.
‘… No helping it.’
Gongsim sighed inwardly.
He'd planned for three max from the start.
The biggest number they could trust to the end.
But they'd kept bumping into Alliance folks.
Couldn't just ditch the stragglers after hitting three.
Ended up four, and the uneasy vibes were inevitable. Even if they all survived to the end, one still had to go.
Harsh reality.
The four headed for Baek So-cheon.
Soon, his figure came into view.
Seeing the undead around him, the Alliance group narrowed their eyes.
‘Necromancer?’
Necromancers who favored undead were weak up close. Close the gap, and it was an easy win.
Four killing intents flooded the area.
Then.
Baek So-cheon turned and grinned.
“Four of you? Stockpiling for later kills?”
“Charge!”
Gongsim roared like a lion and bolted like lightning.
Pure inner energy gathered in his palms, soon unleashing a rain of lifetime-honed Shaolin techniques.
The other three charged too.
Their signature moves battered Baek So-cheon.
Then.
The spear-wielding undead sprang into action.
‘Expert!’
Caution flickered in their eyes. They'd figured the undead negligible, but no.
“Geum! Take that undead!”
Geum Nak-cheol, with his gloomy face, nodded and clashed one-on-one with the spear undead.
The remaining three hammered Baek So-cheon.
Under the trio's combo, Baek So-cheon started yielding ground. Minor wounds peppered his body to boot.
Then.
Spotting Jin Cheon-myeong's bold killing blow, Baek So-cheon smirked slyly.
Eyeing the plum blossom embroidery on his robes, he said.
“Oh, Mount Hua's getting the points? Lucky.”
“Don't get swayed by his tricks!”
Gongsim shouted urgently.
He wanted this over fast.
Problem was, Baek So-cheon endured too damn well.
Even had breath to taunt mid-combo.
“Not ending quick, huh? This is point power. And you're yielding it? For real?”
They tried ignoring him, but ears stayed open.
Greed flickered in the attackers' eyes, bit by bit. All at 1 point till now, they hadn't gauged the buffs properly.
But seeing Baek So-cheon tank a top Alliance candidate combo like this…
“Grab me, and Mount Hua's guaranteed survival. Who you killing? Gloomy guy? Or old-timer you?”
Two checked each other, one eyed gaps for kills.
The precise combo grew messy. Baek So-cheon, with breathing room, kept talking.
“Not either? You, baldy monk! You sacrificing then?”
“…”
Gongsim's words died.
Sacrifice?
What bullshit?
He was a warrior monk, not a monk-monk. He'd trained for fame and fortune.
Not to die like a dog here.
But denying it outright would shatter morale.
Still…
Silence could be answer enough. Attacks shifted to killing blows.
All three grew hasty.
More lethal strikes.
Sharper ones.
One-shot kills.
All forced bigger motions.
The tight checks vanished in a blink.
The gap cost dearly.
One head flew in an instant.
I Je-hyeong, the grizzled pillar of the I Clan.
Dead in a flash.
“…”
“Ah, now I can breathe.”
Baek So-cheon's points jumped to 5.
Gongsim and Jin Cheon-myeong's backs chilled.
Even three-on-one barely pushed him.
Now just two.
And the enemy was way stronger.
Geum Nak-cheol still tangled fiercely with the undead—and losing ground.
Odds of winning?
Zero.
Their decisions were expert-quick.
Turning speed was artful.
But sadly, 5-point Baek So-cheon was faster.
Jin Cheon-myeong's head soared.
A blade speared Gongsim's heart.
“Gah…”
“Told you, don't run with untrustworthy trash. Dumbass.”
“D-Dem… on…”
Blade yanked free.
Gongsim crumpled.
Geum Nak-cheol fell soon after.
[Level up by 3!]
Levels shooting up 2, 3 per fight.
Insane pace.
Proof of the high average level among Dragon-Phoenix Assembly participants. Kim Minwoo turned from the corpses.
If those three had truly synced their assault, he might be the corpse now.
‘Though in that setup, I wouldn't have fought to begin with.’
If points had been divided evenly, or if killing a high-scoring opponent had awarded only one point, he would have farmed kills conservatively and stayed hidden.
Hit 8 points, and one fun fact dawned.
Kim Minwoo eyed his body. Each kill powered him up beyond imagination.
8 points.
Additive, stats should've been 1.8x up. Felt way off.
‘Feels like 2.1x?’
Status window confirmed it.
“Multiplicative, huh?”
This was straight-up pushing him to go berserk.