Chapter 92: Ant Hell (4)
‘Sixth got taken out in an instant…’
From First to Seventh, they all felt a chill run down their spines. They’d been assigned numbers in the order they entered. As such, Sixth’s level was on the lower side.
Even accounting for that, though, he’d been defeated far too quickly. He’d charged in first and got bisected without landing a single blow.
‘We got tricked!’
A warning blared in their minds.
The interpersonal combat prowess of Kim Minwoo they’d imagined wasn’t on this distant level. They’d only used his fight against Jo Pilwook as a benchmark.
They figured he might fight a bit better than that. Even so, they’d pegged him at right around that line, not someone who’d completely surpass it.
‘That doesn’t add up.’
At that level, Sixth should’ve lasted at least twenty exchanges.
But he’d died after just one clash. Even with Cedric and that strange woman helping him.
It meant Kim Minwoo’s swordsmanship was beyond imagination at its core.
‘His movements were completely read.’
He’d just been toying with them.
That was the only conclusion.
Han Baekgil’s mind raced at high speed.
‘Can we even win this?’
Wei Longgang had downed a potion, but his mana was tangled, leaving him wheezing.
Even if he tried to cast a spell, that witch would interfere and render it meaningless again. With Sixth and Wei Longgang out of commission, only eight S-rank Awakeners remained.
‘Even the light attribute artifact’s blocked.’
And that wasn’t all.
Why were these pathetic skeletons so strong? They moved like elite, well-trained regular troops.
The skeleton horde formed ranks as they methodically tightened their encirclement, targeting strong monsters.
They blocked with shields, hurled nets from behind.
They precisely thrust longspears in between, binding their ankles.
Were these really the summoned fodder meant to serve as meat shields?
‘Catching them isn’t the issue, but…’
The real problem was the time these summons were dragging out.
It all came down to stamina and mana.
They were chugging potions, but the consumption was unmanageable.
The mages’ combined spells were devilishly tricky too.
Even as S-rank Awakeners, they fell under petty curses that narrowed their vision.
The massive golem endured attacks no matter how many they threw, stubbornly pressing on.
“Boss!”
“What do we do?”
The S-rank Awakeners asked urgently.
They could feel the disadvantage in their bones too.
The worthless summons were intelligent.
Light attacks didn’t work.
Kim Minwoo’s swordsmanship was beyond imagination.
And now some weird woman was popping off high-tier spells left and right.
They’d thought they’d prepared thoroughly and made bold decisions.
‘Too complacent.’
In the end, that’s what it boiled down to.
Kim Minwoo.
The bastard had hidden far more than they’d anticipated.
To hunt him, it wouldn’t be enough with just the Korean branch—they’d need the entire Shadow headquarters to mobilize.
Now, only two choices remained.
Sacrifice some and retreat.
Or charge into the undead horde and kill Kim Minwoo.
The problem was that fear was already creeping into the S-rank Awakeners’ eyes.
Even if they all charged with one mind and gave their all, it was questionable if they could take him. And now they were panicking?
‘This won’t work.’
A pack of frightened wolves charging a lion.
A couple wolves die, and the rest scatter yipping.
That was the situation now.
One or two more deaths, and they’d all start fleeing.
If they could just reach the middle zone, they could escape alive at least.
But then the casualties would be beyond mere “sacrifices.”
“…We’re retreating!”
Han Baekgil spat through gritted teeth.
‘We abandon Korea.’
After fleeing to headquarters, they had to warn them of the threat.
He wasn’t just some guy who’d shake up Korea—he was a monster who’d shake the world.
‘At least we have merits.’
They’d learned Kim Minwoo’s undead were extraordinarily special.
Skeletons that used tactics, properly cast spells, and learned? With thousands more being summoned?
The implications were beyond imagination.
America would start taking heavy precautions right away.
Even he couldn’t gauge the guy’s upper limits. Compared to uncovering that, sacrificing one or two S-rank Awakeners was trivial.
‘Those kinds can be replaced quickly anyway.’
Possible because of their fast leveling speed. The S-rank Awakeners hurriedly headed for the exit. Midway, a spell flew in and bound two of their feet.
Fifth and Seventh.
The relatively weaker ones.
The rest actually smiled in relief upon seeing it.
‘Good.’
‘That’ll buy some time.’
Shadow wasn’t some group bonded by strong camaraderie in the first place. They had zero intention of saving them.
No, quite the opposite.
Slash!
They sliced the legs of the trainees running alongside.
“Gah!”
“W-Why!”
Han Baekgil and the core members ran on with impassive eyes.
Fifth and Seventh.
And the remaining trainees too.
They were sacrifices.
Bound and crippled, they’d buy as much time as possible.
In the meantime, they had to find the middle zone fast.
* * *
Fifth and Seventh.
Plus the three remaining trainees.
Three activations left, and they’d already tossed nearly five as fodder.
Fifth and Seventh.
He looked at them first.
They were struggling to dispel the magic.
‘Not like an SS-rank spell breaks that easily…’
Unlike Sixth, these two needed to be held longer, so he’d used SS-grade magic to bind their feet. It’d take at least ten more seconds to break.
Kim Minwoo, Cedric, and Dolsae all piled on. Awakeners who’d made names as pillars of famous guilds.
Yet these two S-rank Awakeners were devoured in an instant without meaningful resistance.
‘They seem even weaker than before?’
Same humans as in his past memories.
Despite higher levels, their skills weren’t that impressive.
Maybe because they relied on the experience copy bug for leveling.
Either way.
For Kim Minwoo, hunting these tin-can S-rankers was easier than picking his nose, especially now that he had Merhen, Cedric, and Dolsae.
[Level increased by 3!]
[Level increased by 2!]
Levels shot up with every kill.
Items dropped as a bonus.
Naturally, he pocketed them in his inventory.
‘Already made about 300 billion.’
As high-rank Awakeners, their gear was stacked. No real jackpots, but solid items covered them head to toe.
Those alone would fetch a hefty price.
“P-Please, spare me…”
The trainees stared at him, terror-stricken.
The fire in their eyes from the initial raid was gone.
He smiled at them.
“No need to feel hard done by. Those guys’ll join you soon enough.”
He’d revealed everything to them.
The most perfect way to keep a secret: kill everyone who saw it.
Just like this.
Slash!
In one go, the three heads flew.
[Hunted a total of thirteen!]
[Hidden gimmick revealed!]
[Map changing!]
[Entering ‘One-Way Street’ map!]
Rumble…!
The gate’s stage began to transform. A straight path appeared high in the empty sky.
Kim Minwoo stood at one end.
Directly opposite were the Shadow members.
In the center, a rectangular arena like a stadium formed.
“W-What!”
“Why’s the map suddenly…?”
“Damn it, hidden piece!”
Han Baekgil and his crew gawked at the abruptly changed stage. The path led in only one straight direction.
The sides were sheer drops into the void.
No need to see what happened if you fell.
[Someone met the conditions. Map has changed!]
[‘One-Way Street’ begins.]
[‘Rules’ provided.]
[You are the ‘Predator.’]
[Move to the center, wait for the prey, and kill them all!]
[The greater the enemy’s despair, the more ‘Demon Points’ you earn!]
[If you hunt all prey, a demon will appear based on your score to grant rewards!]
That was Kim Minwoo’s message.
[You are ‘Prey’!]
[Vote to select the comrade who faces the Predator first.]
[The selected comrade moves to the center to face the Predator!]
[Falling off the cliffs on either side results in certain death.]
That was Shadow’s message.
“…This is insane.”
Han Baekgil’s face hardened as he read it.
Put simply, it meant dying one by one.
“No way!”
“Bullshit!”
Panicked Third and Fourth tried to move. But after a step forward, they hit an invisible wall and couldn’t advance.
[Only the one voted for can move!]
[First vote begins for 1 minute.]
[Please select the first Prey to challenge.]
Cold sweat beaded on everyone’s foreheads.
* * *
One-Way Street.
The conditions were simple.
One Predator and one Prey step out from each side.
They clash in the center.
‘Deviously evil.’
From the setup onward.
If you could take out ten, you could wipe the rest too.
But for the prey side, no joint attacks possible.
Only one could go to the center via vote.
No middle zone either.
‘The premise itself…’
A stage made for demons’ amusement. Weaklings voting to sacrifice each other, watching them struggle and get massacred.
Especially cruel was how Demon Points accumulated: more points for deeper enemy despair. Highest score summons a high-rank demon for rewards.
‘Then it reverts to Demon Castle map.’
Thus.
‘Even better.’
If it were ordinary Awakeners caught up, maybe different.
But these were guys who came gunning for him.
No mercy owed.
He could hunt them one by one enjoyably, watch them turn on each other.
Perfect map for Kim Minwoo.
‘Snag some rewards too.’
Best of all worlds.
Far off, the Shadow crew screamed bloody murder.
They couldn’t win even outnumbered and chose flight.
Now go out alone?
Might as well say die.
So they’d claw desperately not to be picked.
“Han Baekgil, you bastard!”
Clumsy Korean burst out.
Seemed the first sacrifice was decided.
Chinese S-rank mage Wei Longgang.
He bellowed curses. Unfortunately, curses didn’t reduce votes.
Under unanimous support.
Wei Longgang was chosen.
‘He’ll try to stall.’
A mage who couldn’t cast? Useless.
Tragically, that’s what Wei Longgang was here.
Soon, he was summoned to the center.
[First Prey enters!]
[Combat starts in 5 seconds! Prepare!]
Wei Longgang hastily chanted spells.
Sadly, Merhen—summoned nearby—stared him down.
―Still, so simple.
Sweat poured from Wei Longgang.
His teeth chattered.
‘No…’
No.
Not Great Explosion this time.
He’d prepped countless attack spells during setup. Even that witch couldn’t casually dispel them all like before.
It had to work.
Or else…
[Combat begins!]
Before he could unleash the skill, a voice cut in.
―Idiot.
[Earth Bind (S) casting canceled!]
[Flame Dragon Breath (A) casting…]
[Tsunami Summon (A) casting…]
[Wind Harpoon (B) casting…]
“Ah.”
Moments later, his limbs were all severed.