Heavenly Battle Royale (2)
“Yes! Jackpot!”
“Man, how long’s it been since the last Heavenly Battle Royale? Three whole months before stepping back in here!”
“Just three months? For me, it’s my first time in a year of trying.”
A thousand players. Far from a small number.
But the Colosseum arena was so vast and spacious that even with all thousand crammed inside, it didn’t feel the least bit crowded.
“If you just steadily buy Silver Tickets, you can join once a month. Stop wasting money elsewhere and invest in Silver Tickets. Snag even a top-10 reward on a lucky day, and it’s dozens of times the payout.”
“Got it, got it, Gold Digger. Wait, or are you Silver Digger since it’s just Silver Tickets? Pfft!”
“I was giving friendly advice, and you’re twisting it? Let’s see if you keep that attitude once the fight starts!”
Only five minutes until the start.
Even in that short time, new grudges were already forming.
But not everyone in the Colosseum was spoiling for a fight.
With such low entry odds, running into friends was rare. Yet somehow, as if of one mind, formations were already taking shape everywhere before the battle even began.
Mostly circular setups where the majority surrounded the minority.
The targets? Players sporting marks of top guilds’ first-stringers or those with some name recognition.
My situation was the complete opposite.
“Cutting it close, but glad I came today! How can you have zero presence like this? Heh!”
The divine sword shaped like a steel longsword, plus armor customized to look plain. Add in the ID Sandro that no one had ever heard of, and not a single player was wary of me.
After tomorrow’s siege ended, everyone in Tayon would know who I was, so rushing here had been worth it.
“Hey! Mind forming a quick alliance with me? We could grab a few more and hole up in a corner—whaddya say?”
Surviving the early game was easier in a group than solo, so someone extended a hand my way.
A warrior named ManIsMum.
“Sorry. As a thief, I prefer going solo.”
“Ah, gotcha. Stealth won’t help much anyway with all the AoE flying around. If you’re not a total noob, you’ll manage fine!”
ManIsMum seemed experienced in these events, leaving without pressing after my refusal to scout another player.
Glancing around, similar scenes were unfolding everywhere.
Forming hasty parties early on... Yeah, that’s the unspoken rule of the Heavenly Battle Royale.
To prevent cheating, spectators were banned, leaving the vast stands empty.
The unique vibe of this event all around.
As I took in the unfamiliar sights, start time arrived.
Round 157 of the Heavenly Battle Royale has begun!
Fight until only one remains and claim victory as the last survivor!
“Die!”
“Fireball!”
“Wind Shot!”
Boom boom boom!
With the start alert, every player’s ID glowed red, and skill effects exploded from all directions.
Over ten attacks converged on the mage near me.
“Argh! It’s been so long since my last Heavenly Battle Royale!”
A Taeseong guild mage. No one said it outright, but he was everyone’s first pick for a target.
Seeing it firsthand is ironic. The pros, or those from powerhouse guilds, are at the biggest disadvantage here...
I hung back, scanning the field instead of joining in.
Less than a minute in, and the player count had already plummeted.
But one group stood out amid the chaos.
Rumble—flash!
A flashy-equipped crew with potent skills, huddled like a proper party. Nothing special since hasty parties were everywhere, but they had a unique edge.
They weren’t just weathering the initial gank from randoms—they were countering, forcing attackers to backpedal.
Curiosity drew me closer, and I quickly pieced it together.
“R-rankers here! Everyone, focus fire this way first!”
“They’re all from the same guild! How’d they even group up?”
“Whoa, they all bought Gold Tickets! Loaded much?”
The hot sellers this round: Gold Tickets. And here were the buyers.
Huh? That guy...
All five bore Atlantis guild marks, and one was a big name I knew well.
Bi Sang Gu.
Atlantis’s vice-guild master and archer rank 3—a heavy hitter.
He loosed arrows non-stop, shouting, “Sorry, folks! I came locked and loaded for achievements today—bear with me!”
“Top 10 gets great rewards anyway, so pretend we’re not here and fight elsewhere!”
Rankers were few, and these events only ran four times a month. Even pros didn’t have every achievement, especially since last year made it harder for them.
But snagging one could outshine multiple level-ups.
No surprise a ranker popped in opportunistically.
Bi Sang Gu knew his weaknesses, coming in a full party, geared for serious play.
“Gah!”
A knight lunging from behind got one-shotted before swinging.
Insane damage unfit for a single party—more like raid-level output!
Turning back front, Bi Sang Gu’s crew yelled again, “Don’t be greedy! Chasing us could waste your entry chance!”
True ranker-party vibe. In this brawl, they were the underdogs, yet they menaced like they owned the place.
Enough to make players forget ganging them first benefited everyone.
But not what I wanted.
“Nah, total bluff! Everyone’s got at least one ranged skill, right? Spam ranged on them first—rewards only go to 10, and they’re hogging five spots!”
“Y-yeah! Why rush in like idiots? Range ‘em down!!”
Like they’d been waiting for someone like me, my call got instant cheers.
My thrown daggers kicked it off, and ranged fire rained on Bi Sang Gu’s group.
“Snipe the healer first!”
“Wind Cutter!”
“Power Shot!”
I called clear targets to avoid scatter.
“That bastard!”
Or not—Bi Sang Gu’s crew glared daggers at me.
But luxury was short; their situation escalated fast.
Boom boom boom boom!
The Colosseum turned raid-like, ranged attackers swelling to nearly fifty.
One retreated, overwhelmed by accumulated hits, and retired.
“Nooo! What the hell! Five Gold Tickets down the drain!”
The healer’s dying scream led the rout; soon only Bi Sang Gu remained.
True to rank 3, he backstepped—archer’s signature mobility—then coolly sniped back-movers.
But that was brief respite outside dealer range.
Team wiped, he was cornered fast.
“Argh, wasn’t planning to reveal this here!”
I’d targeted him exclusively with daggers, catching his frustrated mutter—and what he summoned next.
Whoosh.
Familiar sound; a magic circle bloomed mid-air, birthing a winged beast.
The hottest mount pet: a Griffon.
“Whoaaa!”
Admiration rippled through the crowd.
And rightfully so. Bigger than a horse, massive wings. Only the elite of elites owned one: a Griffon Rider.
“Meant to debut at tomorrow’s siege... but you forced my hand! Now this event’s achievement is mine!”
“Woooah!”
Players cheered as he soared overhead.
Those targeting him gawked like chickens at a rooftop fox, then snapped back to reality.
This was still a Colosseum brawl!
“Charging!”
“Shield Bash!”
Melee warriors shone brightest here—knights especially, their skills booming everywhere.
Melee tanks/dealers, who’d watched the Bi Sang Gu gank, now turned on ranged dealers.
“What’re you spacing out for!”
“Charging!”
Absorbs 565 physical damage.
Resists status effect Knockback.
Ting!
A warrior charged me suddenly, but I stood firm, untouched.
He couldn’t hide his shock.
“Wh-what? Aren’t you a thief?”
“Thief, yeah. But... I knew you’d backstab eventually.”
It was ManIsMum from earlier, with two more warriors behind.
Mana Shield’s blue ripples danced over me—no debuffs landed.
“Wh-what? Never seen anything like this...”
“Haha, yeah. First time for this build. Anyway, you’ve culled the numbers enough—my turn to have fun.”
Activated.
No need for more—just Swift Movements buff, and I countered.
Whoosh!
A plain steel longsword sliced air, but its power crushed bronze-ticket scrubs.
“Guh!”
“What the—why’s the damage like this!!”
Basic swings into combos, relentless spinning slashes!
Even for normals, it’d chunk HP; with a divine sword, it obliterated.
“Brawl fair or not at all—gangs are lame. Lose to a solo like this? Extra embarrassing.”
“G-guh! Who the hell are you? Mana Shield on a thief? And why’s that sword hurt so bad?”
“Curious? You’ll know tomorrow.”
Stab.
ManIsMum last—four down in seconds.
I stealth’d immediately to avoid eyes.
Half still left—no need to stand out.
Early AoE storms wasted stealth cooldowns, but now it was safe. Let them thin themselves.
From a Colosseum corner, I bantered pointlessly with Hyunjung while spectating the brutal melee.
Hasty gangs picking off stragglers.
Solo speedsters darting through the fray.
Corner duels among holdouts.
But the star? Bi Sang Gu, floating smugly on griffonback.
“Power Shot!”
Stab! Boom! Stab! Zap!
Basic arrows mixed with charged snipes for burst.
Squishies like slow mages were helpless.
Especially those blue-lightning arrows—endless skill-like spam, distinct from others.
That’s the famous Thunder Shot. Passive on a Legendary bow!
Chance to shock on hit; made him a 1v1 monster.
Bi Sang Gu with Thunder Bolt of the Ancient Kingdom oozed cool, lightning crackling.
Only 100 remain in the Colosseum.
Fight without regrets until one victor stands!
Ten minutes in, over 900 eliminated.
Bi Sang Gu shifted from survival to slaughterhouse—achievements primary, but griffon reveal meant more points per kill.
He ate ranged hits but Focus Evasion’d a barrage, and attacks tapered off.
Damn... never seen evasion pulled off like that. Gotta practice mine.
A solid Taeseong holy knight.
A 10-archer squad sniping from a nook.
Even knight rank 9 joined late...
All retired one by one.
Classic brawl—backstabs amid the kills.
I watched it all at leisure.
Stealth—stealth—! 8-star stealth is the best!
Thieves were side characters in these melees anyway.
Counters like warriors/knights dominated; no room to shine in a thousand-player box with detection sniffing 5-star stealth.
Ignored early... mid-game 8-star chill! Can’t get better!
Post-reveal tomorrow, this achievement would be hell.
Everyone’d focus me like Bi Sang Gu.
Even I couldn’t guarantee survival.
Besides siege prep, that’s why I rushed this—perfect timing.
Only the final 10 remain in the Colosseum.
Only the final 9 remain in the Colosseum.
…………………
Only the final 2 remain in the Colosseum.
Alerts dwindled the field to inevitable finale.
A showdown between the lightning-reaper ranker archer and the invisible freeloader thief!