Chapter 56: Dragon-Phoenix Assembly (4)
['Choi Aeng-aeng' appears on the map.]
[Duration: 15 minutes]
Seo Yerim, currently in second place with 6 points. Her location was now marked on the map. It wouldn't be long before they met.
“Team up?”
Seo Yerim nodded.
8 points and 6 points.
First and second place had joined forces.
‘Tenk people left.’
With these two out of the equation, only eight opponents remained.
He recalled the last ranking update.
[1st: Baek So-cheon, 8 points]
[2nd: Choi Aeng-aeng, 6 points]
[3rd: Seok Won-cho, Baek Mu-han, 4 points]
[4th: Namgung Hye-ji, 3 points]
Seok Won-cho and Baek Mu-han had 4 points, and Namgung Hye-ji had 3.
The rest of the scrubs all had just 1 point each.
‘It's over.’
Even if the remaining eight ganged up, they couldn't win.
Seok Won-cho, Baek Mu-han, and Namgung Hye-ji might put up some fight, but the other five only had 1 point.
Catching just one of them would multiply his stats exponentially.
Not to mention, the survivors came from mixed factions: Murim Alliance, Demonic Cult, Demonic Alliance. It was a total mishmash.
Cooperation was out of the question; they were lucky if infighting didn't break out.
Their options were running out.
Gang up.
Or run and hide, aiming for third.
Or…
[Someone has died.]
[Someone has died.]
[Someone has died.]
[The rankings are being updated.]
[1st: Baek So-cheon, 8 points]
[2nd: Baek Mu-han, 7 points]
[3rd: Choi Aeng-aeng, 6 points]
[4th: Seok Won-cho, 4 points]
[5th: Namgung Hye-ji, 3 points]
“Ah, shit! My second place!”
Seo Yerim gnashed her teeth at the rankings. Dropping to third in an instant was enough to piss anyone off.
“That bastard killed all his own minions, right?”
“Seems like it.”
Among the remaining 1-pointers were familiar names.
Three from the Demonic Alliance: the Third Young Master and two warriors.
They'd apparently stuck together until now, funneling points to Baek Mu-han.
‘He killed them all.’
Kill the bridge after crossing it.
Classic.
['Baek Mu-han' appears on the map!]
[Duration: 17 minutes]
“Let's take him out. I'll claim him. You can have the next kill.”
“Sure.”
Seo Yerim nodded readily. They'd already agreed beforehand that he'd take first place.
That's why reliable party members mattered. He started sprinting across the island with her.
Baek Mu-han was visible, fleeing in panic.
First and third place.
Their own position was probably on the map too. He must've figured a joint attack was hopeless.
And he was right.
“I'll circle around ahead. Just buy me some time.”
Nod.
Seo Yerim charged ahead.
After around ten minutes of pursuit, the clash of swords echoed from up ahead.
‘She's got him pinned.’
Seo Yerim versus Baek Mu-han.
The two swordsmen fiercely traded blows.
Baek Mu-han had one more point, but Seo Yerim was a near-A-rank swordswoman herself.
She wasn't getting pushed around easily.
‘Hotspot.’
First, second, and third place all in one spot.
The remaining scrubs would flock here if they had any brains.
Fisherman's gain was their only shot.
But that was fine.
He had minions too.
With a stretch of his hand.
Dolsae appeared alongside nearly three thousand skeletons.
Hundreds of mages were a bonus.
Power of his inflated stats.
“Attack anyone who approaches.”
Clatter!
The skeletons nodded, forming a circular arena-like ring. Anyone trying to break in would need time.
He dashed toward Baek Mu-han.
His eyes shook violently at the sight. He was already going all-out against one maid.
If Baek So-cheon joined in?
The outcome was obvious.
“I'll yield second place to your maid! Let's team up!”
“Nah, pass.”
Baek Mu-han's score was annoyingly high. Better to eliminate the variable now.
As the two clashed, he quickly fell on the defensive.
“H-Help me! If I die, we're all done! Those damn skeletons will kill us all!”
Baek Mu-han shouted desperately, scanning around. A few candidates finally emerged, attacking the skeletons to carve a path. Too late.
‘Well, can't blame them for not getting it.’
First, second, and third could fight each other—or team up.
Especially since they shared the Baek family name.
They'd probably hidden, waiting to see.
‘Too late.’
Even if they'd helped Baek Mu-han from the start, it wouldn't have mattered.
Baek Mu-han's head flew skyward.
[Level up by 3.]
[Acquire 7 points.]
As the strongest late-stage candidate in the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, he granted a full three levels on capture.
His score exploded too.
Overwhelming power enveloped his body.
15 points.
Multiplicative power was magnificent.
Nearly four times the stat boost.
He spotted candidates turning to flee.
[Dolsae uses Provocation (A) on Seok Won-cho!]
Seok Won-cho, spinning to bolt.
Provocation forcibly seized attention.
His body whipped back around.
In that split-second gap.
He closed in and slashed the guy's legs.
“Argh!”
Seok Won-cho rolled on the ground, clutching his severed legs. He swiftly beheaded a fleeing woman.
[Level up by 1.]
[Acquire 3 points!]
Must've been that Namgung Hye-ji with the 3 points.
18 points.
Even if he killed everyone left, first place was locked.
Seo Yerim took Seok Won-cho's head.
Four remained.
Two of them just 1-pointers.
Game over.
“Let's split up and hunt the rest.”
Whoever got spotted first would die.
No particular emotions stirred.
They'd steeled themselves the moment they entered.
The format wouldn't end until three remained anyway.
Then.
Seo Yerim stared straight at him.
“You said you'd stay here.”
“Yeah.”
“What's the plan exactly?”
“No way you're staying too?”
“… If I think your plan's worth it. You're not planning to take on thirty thousand from the start, right?”
He pulled a white orb from his inventory. He'd eavesdropped on what the Ascension Clue looked like and crafted a matching fake.
Utterly useless, of course.
Trash item.
“Wrap this in cloth and toss it to the Demonic Alliance Leader.”
“… Think it'll work?”
“The Dragon-Phoenix Assembly happens once every century. But the Alliance Leader, Murim Lord, and Heavenly Demon are all in their eighties.”
It had happened long before they were born, with the clue revealed.
“… So they won't know exactly what it looks like? That's why the cloth wrap?”
“Yeah. Old records say over the last three hundred years, each faction won once. Descriptions mention receiving something like this white orb each time.”
Kim Minwoo continued, gazing at the orb.
“But no matter how you look at it, it seems like a consumable that vanishes on use.”
“… Consumable?”
“The orb probably holds some power, right?”
“Probably…”
“Then they'd use it after getting it. Once the power's gone, it's just an empty shell… But who'd toss an empty shell? They'd display it somewhere.”
Seo Yerim nodded.
Something that valuable would be kept, not discarded.
“But none of the three factions mention it. Just vague records and rumors about the clue.”
“So it's a consumable?”
“Probably. Anyone under a hundred likely never saw it. Bottom line: nobody knows what it really is.”
Just that it's a white orb-ish thing, and getting it makes you supreme.
Seo Yerim sighed.
“… Plan's full of holes. What if those three know secrets others don't? Like if it radiates mystical energy?”
And whether it's truly consumable was unknown.
Kim Minwoo shrugged.
“You're right. Lots of holes. But something like that can't be replicated anyway.”
No plan's perfect.
Just a battle of odds.
He'd never heard of anyone faking the reward before.
Hard to suspect.
Toss the fake orb.
Demonic Alliance Leader catches it.
The other two flip out and attack.
War erupts, and he bounces.
Success meant sky-high survival odds.
But if all three spot the fake instantly?
‘Would be tough to survive.’
Grin and bear it, run like hell.
Questionable if he'd make it, though.
‘But what choice is there.’
To swallow the prize, he had to risk it.
The fake toss was just to boost survival odds a bit.
Jackpot if it worked, shrug if not.
“You're insane, for real…”
“That's why I'm telling you not to join. High chance of death.”
“… You know that and still do it?”
“Raids aren't always easy.”
Hunt outer gods within seven years.
No hesitation when it was time to push.
‘And the stakes are high.’
Ascension?
The word alone made his mouth water. Worth betting a life on.
“Anyway, that's my plan. Do what you want.”
Help would be nice, but it was his issue.
No obligation for her. They split to hunt the rest.
‘There.’
Overwhelming stats.
Plus the stage had shrunk massively—finding hiders was easy.
“W-Wait…”
He beheaded the guy mid-sentence.
[Level up by 1.]
[The final three remain.]
[The trial ends.]
[Results]
[1st - Baek So-cheon]
[2nd - Choi Aeng-aeng]
[3rd - Cho Won-hwi]
‘Well hidden.’
Cho Won-hwi snagged third with 1 point.
Unfamiliar name—probably Demonic Cult or Murim Alliance.
Luck was skill too.
‘130.’
Ten levels from one event.
Insane gains.
[Rewards granted!]
[Acquired Ascension Clue!]
A hefty orb filled his hand. Its pure white matched the fake perfectly.
‘No energy I can feel.’
He checked the details.
[Ascension Clue]
[Grade: Legend+]
[Reward for first place in the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly.]
[Effect 1: Grants eligibility to challenge the 'Ascension Ritual' upon possession.]
[Effect 2:???]
[Effect 3:???]
[Gate clear condition partially fulfilled! (1/2)]
[Offer the 'Ascension Clue' to the Demonic Alliance Leader!]
‘Ascension Ritual.’
He thought of Mutakta.
The orc who'd crushed complete Cedric with overwhelming might.
Its secret probably lay here.
Straight into inventory.
He gripped the cloth-wrapped fake clue.
[Exiting the stage!]
The scenery shifted.
The Demonic Alliance Leader, Murim Alliance Lord, and Heavenly Demon stood before him.
Moments after the barrier vanished.
Faces hardened at only three survivors.
Then a smile crept onto the Demonic Alliance Leader's lips.
Baek So-cheon.
He held a cloth bundle.
Obviously an orb inside.
The Ascension Clue!
Had to be the winner.
His other sons hadn't returned.
Painful as a father, but expected when sending them in.
The clue mattered.
With it, the Demonic Alliance's era of supremacy could begin.
“Son, you did well…”
“Father. I offer the reward!”
Whoosh.
Baek So-cheon tossed the cloth-wrapped orb.
Whir.
The three elders watched the flying bundle, breathless. It landed in the Demonic Alliance Leader's hand.
That instant.
Heavenly Demon and Murim Lord, eyes bloodshot, kicked off simultaneously.
“Baek Hak-seong! Drop it now!”
“Ascension belongs to our Murim Alliance! Kill all Demonic Alliance scum!”
Thirty thousand drew blades at once.
Everyone had braced for bloodshed.
A century ago.
Two centuries ago.
Always the same.
The clue-winner's faction enjoyed glory for a generation.
Demonic Alliance warriors snapped into formation. Protecting the Leader meant dying here gladly.
Blood fountained everywhere.
Then.
The Leader, blocking both elders' assaults, tilted his head.
‘What?’
Ascension Clue.
Word was, mystical text appeared upon obtaining it.
A saying passed down through Leaders.
‘Why no reaction…?’
Weird.
Were ancient proverbs false?
Or…
Baek Hak-seong urgently scanned around. Battlefield of clashing weapons and sparks. Baek So-cheon and his maid had vanished long ago.
‘Wait. No way?’
One possibility hit him. His eyes bulged.
“W-Wait! Stop! It's fake!”
“Bullshit! You think my sword intent's that dull?”
“Hah! Baek Hak-seong! You're pathetic! Even turning your own son into a traitor!”
Murim Lord and Heavenly Demon raged wildly.