One-Man Siege War (4)
Boom!
I slammed my sword down on the Taesung guild members below as I landed on the ground.
"That bastard really jumped down without a care in the world?"
"No matter how much you bluster, what can a lone scrub like you do against all of Taesung?!"
But even seeing that, the Taesung guild members charged straight at me instead.
They were practically lining up to die, but unfortunately, I didn't have much time left. My summon timer had about 2 minutes and 30 seconds remaining. Of that, I'd need a generous minute just to get back to the outer village. Plus, I had to manage my HP—no point wasting time getting tangled up with these small fry.
"Get lost, you trash!"
Ignoring the charging mobs, I bolted toward the archer unit positioned inside the obelisk. Sticking to the original plan—taking out the ranged units first—was the safest bet. Even if the Titan's tankiness was monstrous, who knew what sustained ranged DPS would do?
And at the same time investment, wiping ranged dealers is way more efficient anyway!
I scanned the area like a wolf diving into a flock of sheep.
Deepest inside by the obelisk sat the circular formation of the healer unit, dishing out heals and buffs. In front of them were the ranged DPS: mage and archer units. And up front, blocking access, a barricade line of close-range warrior tanks.
I sprinted toward the northern barricade—the closest to the main keep—then targeted the archer unit and activated my shield and advance skill the moment I arrived.
Radiant Shield
Judgment Advance
Boom!
A white barrier enveloped the Titan's body once more, and then—Judgment Advance cleaved through the thick wall of bodies like Moses parting the Red Sea.
Thud, boom, thud, boom!
Glancing back, dozens of Taesung players along my path lay knocked back, sprawled on the ground.
"Arghhh! What the hell skill is that?!"
"No way!"
The Titan—this off-spec weapon of war—had just planted the seed in every mind that all prior siege strategies needed a complete overhaul.
Anyway, the moment I reached the archer unit, I swung my sword into a basic attack combo.
Relentless offense was the best defense to keep them from targeting or countering me.
Glory Sword
Glory Sword dealt 350% attack power in AoE damage across a 10-meter frontal cone. No doubt, unleashing it smack in the middle of this clustered formation was the absolute best use of the skill.
Pew-pew-pew-boom!
Shields wrapped countless players, but they all shattered, archers and mages crumpling left and right.
I ignored the incoming ranged fire, swinging my sword without wasting a single step.
Acquired!
Acquired!
Acquired!
Acquired!
……
Every ceaseless swing filled my inventory with loot.
Insane! This is straight-up nuts!
Acquisition logs scrolled so fast I couldn't even check what I'd gotten. I'd lightened my inventory beforehand expecting this, but it still filled over halfway in seconds.
Ranged DPS mostly down... now for the healers!
The northern archers were obliterated in a flash, leaving an empty clearing. Ignoring the approaching tanks filling the gap, I pushed deeper toward the healer unit by the obelisk.
"Hey, you psycho! What the hell is this rampage?!"
"Insane Illusion! How do you balance a unit that breaks the game like this?!"
"Hold the formation even if you die! If we collapse now, the front line falls too!! Protect the obelisk from the alliances, Titan or not!"
Seeing Taesung scrubs barking at knee height like newborn pups was almost cute. But then, amid the yapping puppies, a wolf lunged at me—Il Do Yang Dan.
Charging
"You cocky thief bastard! Stealing the holy sword wasn't enough—you're wrecking our siege too? You have any idea how much damage you've done to our guild?!"
The moment he slipped into my sword's reach, he Charged through my legs, striking my left heel, then danced side-to-side, alternating kicks on my feet.
Well, well—ranker's still a ranker, huh?
The Titan's speed was solid, but its bulk made turning sluggish. He'd clocked that and was sticking to my feet for constant movement attacks.
"Exactly—don't dish it out if you can't take it. You tried stealing first; remember you can lose yours too!"
"Shut up, you arrogant noob! You lucked into a Titan and think you're hot shit now?!"
"Haha! Wanna find out who's the real noob right now?"
Il Do Yang Dan flinched. But contrary to my words, I ignored him and moved toward the nearby healers.
AoE on him would miss due to his footwork; basic attacks wouldn't kill through his defense and supports' heals. He knew it too—rushing in to waste my time.
No reason to play his game.
Whoosh!
Glory Sword!
The healers, briefly relieved and clustered, couldn't dodge the AoE. Ignoring bursting shields, I swung relentlessly; they started dropping one by one.
"Argh! You dog! Fight me instead of healers—come get me!"
"Why? Nah."
In a defensive formation like this, the front barricade mattered, but the healers by the obelisk were key. No heals meant the defenders—who won by outlasting—crumbled fast. And with healers deepest inside, even if revived, they couldn't punch back through the chaos.
Every healer down eroded the formation further, risking total defensive failure.
"You bastard! Think you'll get away with this? Stop attacking before you regret it—unless you wanna die for real!"
Years of siege experience told Il Do Yang Dan this; that's why he was freaking out. To him, I wasn't just the holy sword thief—I might cost them a major castle. Worth killing twice over.
But what can ya do? Don't poke the sleeping lion's nose hairs. Once I claimed the holy sword... I staked my one-shot at life in Tayen too!
You saw me as less than a cat, but picking up that sword changed everything. Time to taste the law of the jungle you worshipped.
Bam!
Glory Sword!
15-second cooldown on this broken AoE. Another dozen-plus healers turned to ash.
Visually, about a third of visible healers gone.
"Stop! Please stop! If we lose Bernstein Castle, big bro kills me. Beats me to death, you dog!"
Even without more, defensive failure was likely—I'd trashed their rear amid fights with enemy guilds. Luitus's summon was ending too; time to bail.
But no need to spare that buzzing mosquito.
I suddenly swung at Il Do Yang Dan, who'd been nipping my heels.
"Fine. Your wish—time to hit you back!"
Judgment Advance
The strike connected! For Il Do Yang Dan alone, I used the refreshed Judgment Advance—purely for the knockback to seal his tricky movement.
Thud!
He couldn't dodge my sudden shift from healers and got floored.
Bam!
Glory Sword mixed with basics atop him.
"Shoulda kept your mouth shut! You knew who I was—why keep barking? Scratching at my feet nonstop; couldn't just leave ya!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Nearby healers were dead or fleeing—no heals incoming. Shockingly, he tanked the basics during knockback, got up, and ran. But Titan stride and range were insane.
"Stop! Enough! I'll die! What'd I even do to deserve this?!"
Huh? That script sounded familiar.
"What do we say in times like this? Ask that arrogant mouth of yours? Haha!"
Four or five more swings to his fleeing back, and he ashed.
Then it hit me—his "golden goblin" line. He'd literally dropped treasure.
Acquired!
Legendary weapon! One of the priciest items in existence, dropped just like that.
"Haha! Hahaha!"
Players watching, broadcast cams probably rolling—didn't care. Nothing in life had felt this good. Ever.
Laughing uncontrollably, I disengaged, sprinting to the inner village.
DPS eyed my exploits but didn't dare approach; with defenders crumbling at a pivotal moment, few pursued.
Almost... 20 seconds... 15... 10!
Ignoring stray hits, I hit the outer village safe zone just as—
Vrrr!
The sound of the summon being dispelled echoed in reverse as Luitus vanished.
I dropped into the crowd at the village entrance.
"Whoa! It's Magnum03! Magnum03's here!"
"Insane! Saw the Titan despawn? Up close, it's badass!"
"Hyungnim! Magnum03-nim! Thanks to you, Taesung's formation's wrecked! Total legend! Thank you!!"
Even respawning players heading inner swarmed me post-Luitus.
"Hyungnim! Saw your declaration! I get it, no matter what. Taesung's played like total dicks forever—who hasn't suffered? You did great!"
"Yeah! Well done!! I support you too, Magnum-nim!"
Huh?
Unexpected support. I'd declared for legitimacy, not to rally allies.
"Thanks. Was worried and scared, but seeing you all... feels like the right call."
I addressed the hundreds surrounding me.
Truth was, Taesung's dominance in a fair-start game had reasons. As they rose—castles, nation-building—they lost "public favor" with plays like hunting ground monopolies, reckless PKs, rigid business-like hierarchies, subservient alliances.
Politely: crafting their own rules. Real talk: mobster tactics.
Thus, tons of pent-up resentment simmered. That was my angle.
And I'd apparently lit the spark.
"I'll do my best to topple Taesung! Look forward to it!"
The real cheers fired me up; I thanked them earnestly.
Leaving the cheering crowd, I exited Bernstein Castle.
All siege wars have ended.
As players trickled into rare Ibashu Castle, the monthly siege notice popped.
As expected, Bernstein fell—now Olympus guild's.
Olympus took it. Admiral's impressive... never imagined he'd grow his guild this far.
For Taesung—never lost it post-conquest—a brutal blow.
But not my problem.
I was too dazed scanning my stuffed inventory: 2 Legendaries, 6 Uniques, over 20 high-enhanced Rares.
80% reduced siege drop rate? Hard to believe.
"What is this? Even if Hong Dang Mu and Il Do Yang Dan were murderers, this normal? Jackpot of jackpots! I'm rich starting today! Uhahaha!"
Long-time vets all snag high-enhanced Rares eventually. I'd gone 3 years without; now hundreds-fold in under 4 minutes. Hands-on kills!
Life's fortunes flip fast—mixed emotions swirled.
Emergency maintenance for game update soon.
Please log out in a safe location.
Exhausted from siege hype anyway, I logged out happily.
But patch notes soured it instantly.
"As expected, Illusion... If only the nerf came a bit later, just once more..."
Tailored for me: Titans no longer drop items on PK kills. That was the update.